News Roundup is a new feature being introduced into the Journal. Each week we shall be taking a quick luck at items of interest that have appeared in the media during the previous week.
Sense at last on Afghanistan
International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander, speaking in Afghanistan, believes the long-term answer to the problems there would be to involve the Afghan government engaging with elements of the insurgency. Ministers hope the Taliban can be divided into a hardcore of Al Qaeda sympathisers and others who might be brought into the political process. Announcing an initiative in which Foreign Secretary David Miliband would set out a new political strategy for Afghanistan to Nato in Brussels, he told Chanel 4 News; "David draws a very clear distinction between those who are irreconcilable, and who for reasons of ideology or reasons of support for international terrorist networks see no future as part of a democratic Afghanistan, and the significant number of fighters who are there for reasons of desperation. That is why it is right to engage in what is often a challenging conversation."It seems to me it has to be worth a try, after all it brought peace to Northern Ireland.
Cheap Beer
It is refreshing to drink a cool pint of lager on a nice summers day, even more refreshing to read that the brewery which produces the country's most popular lager has called on the government to set minimum prices in a bid to tackle dangerous binge drinking. Molson Coors, which makes Carling, has linked up with the British Medical Association and the chief medical officer for England, Sir Liam Donaldson. In times of recession we all want lower prices, but until as a nation we learn to drink more responsibly, I don't think it should be applied to alcohol.
The Pope and the Visionary Priest
The Pope has defrocked a priest who, it is claimed, is responsible for the phenomenon of the Virgin Mary appearing in the Bosnian town of Medjugorje. Father Vlaslc was named as the 'creator' of the phenomenon by Pavao Zanic, the local bishop at the time the apparitions began in 1981. Months later, six local children said they had seen the Virgin on a nearby hillside. Soon after Father Vlaslc announced he was 'spiritual adviser' to the 'visionaries' who now claim that Our Lady has visited them 40,000 times in the past 28 years. An estimated 30million pilgrims have visited the shrine since 1981, including many from Britain and Ireland. Father Vlaslc was suspended last year and secretly defrocked by the Pope in March. The Vatican also began an inquiry into claims he was guilty of sexual immorality after he made a nun pregnant. I was under the impression the church were all for promoting miracles, not denouncing them. One thing's for sure when it comes to publicity Saatchi and Saatchi had nothing on this guy!
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Beware of Iced Coffee
A recent report highlights the fact that drinking iced coffee can be seriously damaging to your dress size. Iced coffee drinks sold by High Street coffee shops can contain a quarter of a woman's recommended intake of daily calories. One of the worst offenders contains a whopping 561 calories. So, before sipping your next cream topped favourite iced coffee check out the following table to see just how many calories your drinking.
I know you'll still pop in to the nearest coffee shop when your next out shopping. But, at least I did try to warn you!
