The number of people using Facebook during May fell in the US, UK, Canada, Norway and Russia, according to new data. The slowing growth in user numbers may indicate that Facebook has hit the limits of expansion in the countries where it was first successful – and perhaps even that some early adopters from those countries have stopped using it.

Britain and billionaire Bill Gates together pledged more than $2.3 billion (£1.4 billion) at an international donor conference on Monday to fund vaccination programmes to protect children in poor countries. The Prime Minister said the new funding arrangement will vaccinate more than 80 million children against diseases such as pneumonia and diarrhoea.

Britain's government is expected to outline a revised strategy Tuesday to tackle home-grown terrorism, saying that tens of millions of pounds (dollars) spent on anti-extremism projects have failed to steer young Muslims away from violence.

Andrew Mitchell said the Coalition’s controversial decision to increase aid spending while cutting other budgets will make Britain an “aid superpower”, something that should be a source of “pride and satisfaction” for taxpayers.

Britain's government has suspended the distribution of an animated film designed to stop young Muslims from becoming Islamic extremists. The short movie, called "Wish You Waziristan", is a cautionary tale about two British brothers who travel to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region in order to become jihadi fighters after seeing a racist beating.

British development money will be invested directly in private companies in poor countries to stimulate their economies and wean them off traditional aid. The UK will push governments in poor countries to cut red tape on businesses and lower tariffs and taxes, as well as “engaging with firms directly" to help them make more money and employ more people.

The link between the pomp and glory of Hampton Court, a cellar in Liverpool and a copper works in Wales may be obscure. But according to the nation’s foremost historians, they are among the 100 places which define Britain.

We are living in the 21st century, and the motor of the day is soft power. And those who would be able to use soft power with full gear would be able to secure their leading position in the Middle East, in Northern Africa and other volatile regions.