Weekly News Round Up: 25th-31st January 2009

Some more stories from this week's UK newspapers.

Jail veil demand of Al-Qaeda killer Kamel Bourgass - Exclusive:

From the Daily Mirror, it seems that Kamel Bourgass, the Algerian al-Qaeda operative who stabbed Special Branch officer DC Stephen Oake to death during a police raid, is offended because female prison officers don't wear veils in his presence.

I take his point. I'm offended each and every time I wonder why this piece of effluence was in Britain in the first place, every time I think of the fact that he was sentenced to less than 40 years for plunging a knife into a police officer 8 times, wounding 3 others, and planning an attack that could have left hundreds dead.

So I propose a solution. We used to have chaps who worked in British prisons and wore 'veils' of a kind; they were called executioners or 'hangmen', and were noted for their black hood. Perhaps if the people running this country had not lost their senses, Kamel could get his wish, and the last thing he ever saw would be a person wearing a 'veil'.

I'm sure he'd be delighted, and I know I would. Maybe even DC Oake's widow and 3 children might.

BBC refuses airtime to Gaza aid appeal:

No sarcasm up next. The BBC and Sky News refused to televise this blatant piece of propaganda, and good for them.

Only a couple of slight problems; the usual suspects did not take this well, and there was a 'sit-in' at the BBC Televison Centre reception, which the infantile protesters called an 'occupation' in a pathetic attempt to link their support of Islamic extremism with the actions of the Israeli army in Gaza.

The Guardian said: 'The BBC has refused to broadcast a national humanitarian appeal for Gaza, leaving aid agencies with a potential shortfall of millions of pounds in donations.'

The only problem with that statement is, the appeal probably got more publicity from that refusal than it would have otherwise. Many feel the decision was hard-hearted and political, but I for one commend the BBC. After all, it is a public service broadcaster which everyone who owns a television must fund, on pain of legal sanctions.

Although their biases generally stand out a mile, they are deeply improper. Showing this appeal would have been more of a biased and political decision than not, and for once the BBC made the right call.

After all, I'm sure anyone who wants to donate to 'the Palestinians of Gaza C/O Hamas' knows what to do. Some of the intended recipients might even get the stuff that wasn't auctioned to the highest bidder.

Pub landlord has footprint embedded in face after brutal attack:

This is a shocking and brutal assault, and it underlines the fears of many in Britain today; not only that one might be mugged or robbed, but the excessive and casual violence that often goes with it, just for fun.

Sadly, this type of incident seems all too common these days. This week a man called Michael Eccles died after being approached by a gang and asked for the bottle of wine he was carrying. His daughter witnessed the unprovoked attack. May he rest in peace, and may the police actually catch the criminals who will then receive lengthy prison terms.

I sincerely hope the former is more likely than the latter.

On a lighter note, I read in every UK newspaper this week about Barack Obama's latest gaffe; attempting to enter the Oval Office through a window rather than the door.

OK, I'm lying. Oddly, it appeared in not one newspaper here, to my knowledge. I find that strange, because when Bush tried to leave through a locked door in Beijing, it made headlines around the world. Still, different leaders, different circumstances, right?