General Election 2010: Spoof image shows Gordon Brown apologising to ‘bigot’ Gordon Brown apologises to ‘bigoted woman’ Gillian Duffy with chocolates and supermarket flowers in an image by celebrity spoof photographer Alison Jackson. By Alastair Jamieson telegraph Alison Jackson spoof photo of Gordon Brown Photo: ANDREW FARRAR Photo: Alison Jackson Photo: Alison Jackson Photo: Alison Jackson The picture is one of a series themed on the general election to be created by the artist, famed for lampooning celebrities using lookalikes. It shows the Prime Minister in Mrs Duffy’s kitchen, recreating the scene that took place behind closed doors last week … Continue reading Gordon Brown apologises to ‘bigoted woman’ with chocolates and flowers

This woodland construction is the world’s biggest beaver dam, which at 2,790ft is more than twice the length of the Hoover dam and can be seen from space. telegraph.co.uk The dam is located on the southern edge of Wood Buffalo National Park in Northern Alberta, Canada Photo: BNPS While beaver dams are often found to be around 1,500ft in length, this one has surprised biologists because of its length Photo: PA The mammals use trees, mud and stone to make a type of moat where they can use their swimming skills to evade any predators. The families live in lodges … Continue reading World’s biggest beaver dam can be seen from space

China leery of Sarkozy’s outstretched hand By Jian Junbo SHANGHAI – French President Nicolas Sarkozy struck a note at once conciliatory and pragmatic, extending a hand for China’s cooperation on the big issues of the 21st century on his first visit to China since the ice melted on relations frozen by his support for the Free Tibet movement. Serious challenges, such as climate change, economic crisis and reform of global institutions, cannot be solved without China’s input, Sarkozy said in a state visit on the way to attending the opening ceremony of the Shanghai 2010 World Expo. The three-day visit, … Continue reading Sarkozy’s outstretched hand hides insecurity!

Pyongyang sees US role in Cheonan sinking By Kim Myong Chol Despite its strong denial of any involvement and expressions of sympathy for lost fellow Koreans, fingers are being pointed at North Korea over the tragic sinking of the 1,200-ton South Korean corvette Cheonan in the West Sea or Yellow Sea on the night of March 26. “A North Korean torpedo attack was the most likely cause for the sinking of a South Korean warship last month,” an unnamed US military official told CNN on April 26. Up to 46 of the ship’s 104 sailors were killed in the sinking. … Continue reading US role in Cheonan sinking

US courts India in the Indian Ocean By Balaji Chandramohan At the end of the 10-day joint naval exercise Malabar 10, conducted between India and the United States in the Arabian Sea, it became clear the two countries would further cooperate in the Indian Ocean to counter the rise of China in the years to come. The naval war games were held from April 23 to May 2, with these being the 14th in a series of exercises that began in 1992 after the end of the Cold War. Unlike last year, this month’s exercise was a bilateral rather than … Continue reading Courting India in the Ocean (not the dazaart!)

Muslim blowback? By M Junaid Levesque-Alam It is hard to overstate just how deeply unpopular the United States is in the Muslim world. A 2008 poll of six majority Muslim countries found that overwhelmingly large portions of the population, ranging from 71% in Morocco to 87% in Egypt, held unfavorable opinions of the United States. A 2009 poll in Pakistan revealed that 64% of the public views the United States as an outright enemy. So it is a curious paradox that, despite the antagonistic and sometimes violent relationship between the United States and the Muslim world, Muslims in America have … Continue reading Just how deeply unpopular the United States is in the Muslim world?

Terror roads lead back to Pakistan By Syed Saleem Shahzad ISLAMABAD – The arrest of an American citizen of Pakistani origin in connection with the failed attempt to explode a car bomb in New York fits a pattern that international intelligence agencies had specifically pinpointed as an emerging threat – the involvement of individuals with no established connections with Islamic or militant groups in terror attacks. On Tuesday, United States federal prosecutors charged Faisal Shahzad, 30, on five criminal counts, including committing an act of terrorism and attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. The complaint filed in a … Continue reading Muslim nations should help Pakistan deal with Mullahism

UK ‘blocking’ Mossad return to London Official reportedly prevented from taking up embassy post after Israel refuses to commit itself not to misuse British passports Ian Black, Middle East editor The Guardian The father of Palestinian militant Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, who was assassinated in Dubai, with his photograph. Israel has never admitted any role in the killing Photograph: Hatem Moussa/AP Britain has refused to allow Israel‘s Mossad secret service to send a representative back to the country’s London embassy following the row over the killing of a Hamas operative by agents using forged UK passports. Israel’s Yediot Aharonot newspaper reported yesterday … Continue reading UK ‘blocking’ Mossad return to London as Anjem Choudary denies he is Mossad!

Let there be sex ‘Christian sex toys’ isn’t a phrase I ever thought I’d hear. But seek and ye shall find – just make sure you’re married Cath Elliott guardian.co.uk A screengrab from ChristianLoveToys.com When Abdelaziz Aouragh first thought up the idea of an online sex shop for Muslim couples, I bet he didn’t imagine for a moment the amount of interest his new venture would generate. But the site actually attracted so many visitors (70,000 hits within the first four days) that eventually it crashed, and Aouragh was forced to find a new web host to deal with the … Continue reading Sex Toys and Christian Mullahs!

Who is fanning the flames of this campus conflagration? After a Jewish-Muslim initiative to defuse student tension was thwarted, critics of Israel are liable to be vilified as ‘extremist’ Azzam Tamimi guardian.co.uk I still vividly remember the evening of Thursday 12 September 2002. It was a unique experience. Never before had I been to such a gathering. I was, perhaps, the only gentile in the packed hall of the reputed Jewish centre in central London. It had been a year since the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. To mark the first anniversary of those atrocities, the organisers deemed … Continue reading Critics of Israel are liable to be vilified as ‘extremist’