Cabinet Rift Opens Over Afghanistan
THE TELEGRAPH: Cabinet ministers are at loggerheads about the future involvement of British troops in Afghanistan.

The potentially damaging split opened up as three members of the government, led by the Foreign Secretary William Hague, arrived in Kabul to meet political and military leaders.

Mr Hague, the Defence Secretary Liam Fox and the International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell said they were there to look at ways to accelerate Afghan troop training.

But deep divisions immediately became apparent over future strategy. While Mr Mitchell said it was "crucial" to create a functioning Afghan state by providing good health care and education, Dr Fox insisted that Britain was not there to fix Afghanistan. Ahead of talks with President Hamid Karzai, he also risked angering locals by referring to Afghanistan as "13th century". >>> Melissa Kite, Deputy Political Editor | Saturday, May 22, 2010

Islam-West Rift Widens
BBC: Most people in Muslim countries and the West believe divisions between them are worsening, a Gallup poll for the World Economic Forum (WEF) suggests.

The poll also suggested that most Europeans thought more interaction with Islam would be a threat - though most Americans disagreed.

WEF chairman Klaus Schwab said the poll pointed to "an alarmingly low level of optimism" over dialogue.

It surveyed about 1,000 people in each of 21 countries, mostly in mid-2007.

The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum begins in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday.

Cartoon controversy

Respondents were asked how they thought relations were now and how they thought they would develop.

Describing the position now, majorities on both sides said they did not believe the two sides were getting along.

This belief was strongest in the US, Israel, Denmark - where the publication of cartoons about the Muslim Prophet Muhammad caused worldwide controversy - and among Palestinians. Islam-West rift widens, poll says >>>

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)