David Blair's Blog, page 40

Ukraine truce represents a triumph for Putin

South Africa bars Dalai Lama after pressure from China

The Tibetan spiritual leader calls off visit to South Africa for meeting of Nobel laureates after failing to get a visa

How Isil doctored the image of Obama, making him appear haggard in videos

The terrorist group carefully manipulate their videos to make the US president look as tired and weary as possible, demonstrating its technical prowess

The dilemmas facing governments during hostage crises

Analysis: Governments may ask for a complete blackout during a hostage crisis but social media increasingly makes this difficult to enforce

illing of Steven Sotloff: Q and A

Isil's barbarity could trigger an even greater US intervention in the Middle East - so what does the group stand to gain?

Ebola patient escapes quarantine centre in search of food

A man suspected of suffering from Ebola has been filmed trying to run away from doctors in protective clothing, before he is bundled into a truck and driven away

'Israel and Hamas are both losers in bloodiest Gaza war'

Analysis: Hollow boasts of "victory" cannot conceal the fact that neither Hamas nor Israel achieved their stated goals in longest and bloodiest Gaza conflict

The grotesque alliance that has been allowed to carve up Syria

Far from destroying each other, Isil and the Assad regime have both become more powerful, writes David Blair

How Assad helped the rise of his 'foe' Isil

Syria's dictator wants to force the West to choose between him and the fundamentalists of Isil

Isil's Yazidi 'mass conversion' video fails to hide brutal duress

Video intended to show Isil's 'softer side' by organisation omits to mention that the Yazidis would have converted under threat of suffering a similar fate to James Foley