Colin Freeman

2 weeks ago | spectator.co.uk | Colin Freeman

Back in 2007, I went to war-ravaged Guinea-Bissau in west Africa to report on its rise as the continent’s first narco-state. Latino cartels were using it as a staging post for shipping cocaine to Europe, bribing its rulers to turn a blind eye. So much product was being landed that local fishermen would catch stray bales of coke in their nets – a modern twist on Compton Mackenzie’s novel Whisky Galore. Guinea-Bissau’s new drug lords would go on to inspire a novel of their own.

3 weeks ago | telegraph.co.uk | Colin Freeman

The long-running feud between Glasgow's most powerful gangland families has claimed its latest victims - this time in southern SpainWith a three-hour "happy hour" and four big-screen TVs, Monaghans Bar in the Spanish resort of Fuengirola is a popular spot for those who like a night of soccer after a day of sun and sand. But on Saturday night, after drinkers watched the UEFA Champions League Final, a showdown of a less sporting sort unfolded outside.

1 month ago | telegraph.co.uk | Colin Freeman

The Central African Republic may be Africa's most failed state. Since the 1979 overthrow of its self-declared emperor Jean-Bédel Bokassa, the country has seen coups, insurgencies and full-blown civil wars. It has hosted nearly a dozen United Nations-backed peacekeeping missions, most of which have cost hundreds of millions of dollars. None has achieved lasting results.

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Colin Freeman

With a deck the size of three football pitches, HMS Queen Elizabeth is Britain’s flagship aircraft carrier – a 65,000-ton floating airport designed to wage war anywhere on the planet. On its maiden world tour in 2021, when it cruised the Middle East and prowled the South China Sea, Whitehall hailed it as a new symbol of “Global Britain”. Yet for all its pomp and splendour, “Big Lizzie”, as it is known, has an embarrassing personal hygiene problem.

1 month ago | telegraph.co.uk | Colin Freeman

HMS Queen Elizabeth's lack of hot showers is the latest in a long line of problems the ship has encountered since entering service in 2020With a deck the size of three football pitches, HMS Queen Elizabeth is Britain's flagship aircraft carrier - a 65,000-ton floating airport designed to wage war anywhere on the planet. On its maiden world tour in 2021, when it cruised the Middle East and prowled the South China Sea, Whitehall hailed it as a new symbol of "Global Britain".