Osama Bin Laden is dead

ONE of the biggest mass murderers in history, Osama Bin Laden is dead.  He was shot dead in the town of Abbottabad, around 50 miles away from the capital of Pakistan, Islamabad in the early hours of this morning.  Bin Laden has finally been captured after a decade of search from US troops.  This followed the event that changed everyone’s lives.

     Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda planned a terrorist attack to such detailed plan that it was going to have deadly results.  On Tuesday September 11, 2001, planes were hijacked and flew into some of America’s landmark buildings in New York.  Both towers of the World Trade Centre collapsed with hundreds trapped inside the burning buildings.  The casualties on this day were horrendous and the War on Terror began.

     Bin Laden wasn’t a stranger to the terrorist network.  US embassies had been bombed in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998.  However, it was the events of 9/11 that put him into global context as the world’s most wanted man.  Within months, America, with Britain’s help went into Afghanistan and they began air strikes to get their man.  However, George Bush would never seek his prize and it has taken a decade before the news of his demise could be broken this morning by his replacement Barack Obama.

     With backing from the Taliban, Bin Laden set-up training camps and hence, many extremist groups have been created since.  With Bin Laden’s death, it might be a massive setback on Al-Qaeda that their figurehead is no longer around, but the War on Terror will still go on and there is likely to be a backlash on his death from Al-Qaeda.  This morning, Foreign Office leader William Hague has insisted that British embassies across the world review their security policies in a heightened alert of a possible attack.  Currently, Britain, like America – remains at the second highest terrorist threat level possible, not at the critical mark yet.  US officials have said that after being shot in the head, Bin Laden's body was buried at sea, according to Islamic traditions.  Three other men, including one of Bin Laden’s sons were also killed in the mission.  The whole operation took approximately 40 minutes to complete.

     There might be now some justice for the families who have lost their lives in terrorist atrocities; not just those in America, but those killed in Bali (2002), Istanbul (2003), Madrid (2004) and London (2005). 

     There is no doubt that the world is still nowhere near a safe place.  In fact, everyone still has to totally remain vigilant, especially as risks may well rise in the US and the UK in the coming weeks.  However, there can be no doubt that Osama Bin Laden’s death is a historical news moment and the biggest news story of 2011.  The War on Terror goes on and will for generations to come, but this is a victory for the West and in particular for Barack Obama, who now will get high praise for keeping all this quiet and earn a second term in office as American President.  The world’s most wanted-man has finally been taken out of the picture for good and for the families, some form of justice has now been done, even though it won’t bring their loved ones back.

WORLDWIDE REACTION TO BIN LADEN’S DEATH

George W. Bush (Former American President) – “The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakeable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done.”

David Cameron (Prime Minister) – “It is time to thank those who work around the clock to keep us safe from terrorism.  Their work will continue.  I would like to congratulate Barack Obama and those responsible for carrying out this operation.”

Tony Blair (Former Prime Minister) – “This is a huge achievement in the fight against terrorism, but we know the fight against terrorism and the ideology that Bin Laden represents, continues and is as urgent as ever.”

William Hague (Foreign Secretary) – “It is unequivocally a good thing that he is no longer able to pursue terror, murder and mayhem in the world.”

Angela Merkel (German Chancellor) – “Bin Laden was a symbol for the international terror that did not respect life, only killed and only destroyed.  His death is good news.”

Blair Publishes His 'Journey'

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has published his memoirs, and the book called ‘A Journey’ will make grim reading for his predecessor Gordon Brown.

Mr. Blair claims that his old ally, put him under “relentless personal pressure” and under his guidance, he was always convinced that the Labour party would lose May’s General Election.

Also in his memoirs, Blair, who has been out of UK politics spotlight since stepping down in June 2007 said that he did not regret going into war in Iraq in 2003, and also opens up about his feelings on the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997 and a surprising omission regarding a drinking problem when under scrutiny.

‘A Journey’ is well on course to become a bestseller and most bookshops are selling the book at half-price, with Waterstones already coming out in saying that Blair’s book is the fastest-selling autobiography of all time.  All proceeds from the book will be donated to the Royal British Legion, in aid of the injured troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.  It is a must-read and I am for one looking forward to reading a detailed extract from a man at the top of his power for thirteen years.  

To many, Tony Blair will be seen as a controversial man, one who made some damming errors of judgement in his time in office.  However, his legacy shouldn’t be forgotten.  He built up New Labour and put the country back into some form of security and strength after years of doomed Conservative government. 

Blair’s book, ‘A Journey,’ is now available at www.amazon.co.uk for £12.50.

2009 - The Year In Review (Part 2)

                

Around Easter 2009, British weather forecasters predicted a barbeque summer. Although Wimbledon fortnight proved to be a sizzling heatwave, once again, their promises turned out into spectacular failures as for the third summer running, Britain endured a miserable July full of damp and dull rainclouds. Maybe that helped Cristiano Ronaldo’s decision to dump the Manchester misery for the Spanish sunshine. At the Portuguese star’s request, Manchester United sold Ronaldo to Real Madrid for a world record £80million pounds. July saw BBC make their controversial decision to axe Arlene Phillips from the judging panel on Strictly Come Dancing for former winner Alisha Dixon. And Fern Britton made an emotional goodbye to daytime show, This Morning. She was to be replaced by Holly Willoughby. Pay-per-view company Setanta Sports went bust, unable to keep up with payments and the competitiveness of Sky. It left the FA in chaos, with half of its TV deals up in the air, but American broadcaster ESPN stepped in to pick up most of the rights available. Formula One once again was plunged into the headlines for the wrong reasons when Ferrari driver Felipe Massa was struck by debris in a freak qualifying crash at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Despite needing life-saving surgery, the Brazilian has made a very thankful and welcome recovery. Also, football said an emotional farewell to Sir Bobby Robson. Sir Bobby succumbed in his long battle with lung cancer, but the former England manager’s passion for the beautiful game will never be forgotten.

August saw the only man to be convicted of the Lockerbie bombing in 1988 to be given leave on compassionate grounds. The Scots released him and Gordon Brown backed them, much to the chagrin of Barack Obama and David Cameron. We were told that the man had only 3months to live with terminal cancer, but he was giving a sickening welcome home to Libya like a legend. The Great Train robber Ronnie Biggs received similar treatment. August saw football take a backseat and cricket take over. England regained the Ashes with a historic triumph over Australia, winning 2-1, thanks to a thrilling win in the final test match at the Oval. Ricky Ponting became only the second Australian captain to lose back-to-back tours in England ever and Freddie Flintoff bid farewell to Test Cricket. Usain Bolt ran an awesome 9.58 in the men’s 100m at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin, smashing his own record set in the Olympics a year ago. It was a positive summer for Athletics, despite South African Caster Semanya woman’s 800m win, which came under scrutiny when tests revealed ‘she’ might be a ‘he.’ Semanya was eventually cleared.

                 

In October, Nick Griffin’s appearance on the BBC’s Question Time drew 8million viewers and the BNP leader was hung out to dry. Mass demonstrations took place on why Griffin was allowed onto the show in the first place. However, every answer he gave was cheap, pathetic and made look like a complete idiot. It didn’t do the BNP any good. On a more positive note, Jenson Button produced a stunning drive at the Brazilian Grand Prix to clinch his maiden World Championship. Button, who started the F1 season without a drive after Honda pulled out of the sport, persevered with Brawn GP to achieve his dream. He takes the No.1 plate to McLaren for 2010. Sadness gripped the celebrity world again with the tragic death of Boyzone singer Stephen Gately at the tender age of 31. Gately was found dead in his apartment in Spain after a night out. Ireland mourned one of their prodigal sons and another death rocked the showbiz world. The world also said goodbye to Senator Edward Kennedy, German goalkeeper Robert Enke, Dirty Dancing icon Patrick Swayze, all three remaining survivors from WWI including Harry Patch, TV chef Keith Floyd and actresses Maggie Jones, Wendy Richard and Natasha Richardson.

Sporting scandals included Thierry Henry’s shameful handball in November left the Republic of Ireland with broken hearts in Paris. Henry’s intervention conned the Irish out of a famous win in their World Cup play-off, shaming his reputation and aiding the calls even further for video technology. His, wasn’t the only cheating to be caught in 2009. Lewis Hamilton was caught lying to the stewards after an incident at the Australian Grand Prix. He was promptly disqualified and made an emotional, wailing apology to his fans and family. Harlequins were caught out using fake blood on players during a Heineken Cup game but got off scot-free, as did Renault for fixing disgraced Nelson Piquet to crash during last year’s Singapore Grand Prix. However, charismatic boss Flavio Briatore was given a lifetime ban for his actions, which was later overturned on appeal in a French court.

Although Britain pulled out of Iraq, we are still in Afghanistan and suffering more losses. Over 250 brave, heroic soldiers have lost their lives since the conflict in 2001, and over 100 in 2009 alone. Once again, the country paid their respects in fitting tributes across Remembrance weekend. In November, a £90million jackpot was shared between a British syndicate in the EuroMillions draw. Simon Cowell also received a barrage of criticism on ITV’s X-Factor, by saving the much-publicised ‘Jedward’ in a public vote, despite having previously called them ‘vile little creatures.’

December saw Tiger Woods private life exposed to the full truth. His downfall began when he had a minor car crash outside his home in Florida. Revelations were made that several woman had liaisons with Woods, who clearly was obsessed with the bedroom. He has lost many sponsors and taken an indefinite break from golf to try and save his marriage. Nice try Tiger! The winter battle for TV ratings was won again by the X-Factor over Strictly. Whilst BBC breakfast reporter Chris Hollins scored a quiet triumph on the BBC’s flagship show, ‘Strictly Come Dancing.’ Geordie Joe McElderry won the X-Factor series, but for the first time since 2004, the X-Factor winner failed to get the Xmas No.1. It went instead to ‘Rage Against the Machine,’ thanks to a powerful campaign on social networking sites, Twitter and Facebook.

So as we bid farewell to the end of 2009, what will 2010 bring. Well we have a General Election and the World Cup in South Africa. Will it be England’s year? Is the country heading back to the Conservatives? Only time will tell…