Gary Monro’s blog

Saudi state television announced today the death of King Fahd, 84. His brother, Crown Prince Abdullah, has been appointed the new king.

The Guardian reports:

King Fahd, who was 84, had ruled since 1982. A moderniser, he introduced education for girls, and he was also a staunch ally of the US.

Saudi state television interrupted regular broadcasting with recitations from the Qur’an.

Little is known about his private life, but he is believed to have had three wives and eight sons. His eldest son, Faisal, died of a heart attack in 1999.

Since a stroke in 1995 the King had been little more than a figurehead. As The Conservative Voice reports:

Visitors who saw King Fahd after his 1995 stroke reported he was barely aware of what was going on around him. Foreign dignitaries usually were allowed brief meetings with him, their visits lasting only as long as it took to film TV footage for the state-run stations.

On newscasts, the king was shown seated as he extended his hand to visitors or sipped coffee. Occasionally, policy statements, comments or speeches were issued in his name, and he was shown chairing ministerial meetings when Abdullah was out of town.

The King’s close relationship with the US didn’t endear him to Islamic militants even though he tried to court them too in an attempt to appear ‘more Muslim’.

Oil prices rose at the news although there are other factors causing this, according to Bloomberg. Analysts appear to be fairly calm about the whole business:

Oil traders and analysts in London said they didn’t expect Crown Prince Abdullah to make many changes in oil policy once he becomes king.

“It has been pre-arranged for the past 10 years,'’ said Neil Quilliam, Middle East analyst at London-based business risk consultant, Control Risks Group. “The succession is just going to pass off fairly smoothly and the Saudi population is going to be fairly sympathetic after the death of Fahd.'’

So the black gold keeps flowing and the world keeps turning. For now.

This is the lady defending suspect bomber Osman Hussain as he attempts to avoid extradition from Italy to the UK to face terrorism charges. Her name is Antonietta Sonnessa and she is a court-appointed lawyer for Mr Hussain. I’m sure he can’t thank the court enough.

Seems Ms Sonnessa’s previous work centred around more mundane cases - illegal building for example. This is her first high-profile case and she’s getting to it with gusto. Last night she launched into a defence of her client:

“My client says his action was purely demonstrative. In fact, all four attempts did not result in any injury or damage at all. Moreover, he maintains that he was nothing to do with the events of July 7.

“He has justified his actions as a form of protest against the fact that civilians are suffering in wars at the present time. He has taken part in many peace marches and has never had any contact whatsoever with any terrorist organisation,” she continued.

“He is not at all a violent person and made sure he would not cause any damage, injuries or deaths. There wasn’t a very clearly defined plan, the whole thing was set the day before, in a meeting with this group of friends.”

Such undiluted nonsense providing proof, then, of the wisdom of not judging a book by its cover.

Actually, I hope Mr Hussain is going to do the decent thing and object to having a revealingly dressed member of the opposite sex defending him. God would be pleased with him - as would the next prisoner who ends up with Ms Sonnessa as a result of Mr Hussain’s principled stand.

This new warm weather that we’re all hearing about is bearing fruit - literally.

I saw on television some time back that the quality of English wine, produced in the south (Kent, mainly) is improving as the weather warms and, it is suggested, will be on a par with some of the more popular French and New World brands in a few years.

Well now you can buy the first ever harvest of commerically grown British apricots.

Sainsbury’s was surprised by the quality. “They were much bigger than I would have expected,” says the company’s product technologist, Theresa Huxley. “The colour was superb, a beautiful dark orange with a beautiful sheen; I thought they’d be quite pale. They had a very rich, perfumed, aromatic apricot taste, quite stunning. I think they should be one of our premium brands.”

Sounds delicious. And it won’t stop at apricots. It seems Kiwi fruits are next in line as a project currently under way is attempting to produce them - also in Kent. Add to that an attempt to grow almonds in Devon and things are taking a turn for the exotic in merrie England.

Phil Hudson, chief horticultural adviser of the National Farmers’ Union. “We should remember that what is predicted is not only warmer weather, but also more variable and extreme weather,” he says. “And there is the potential not only for new and exotic fruits and plants, but for new and exotic fruit and plant diseases.”

Hmm. And new and exotic insects perhaps?

Anthony Walker, an 18 year old student was brutally murdered in Liverpool on Friday. It seems an axe was used in the attack. He was black and his attackers were white. The press and television news emphasise this point over and over as if, somehow, the boy’s death is even more tragic than if he had been murdered by blacks - or had been white himself.

To achieve a ‘non-racist’ society we must be colour-blind. Emphasising again and again that nasty whites killed the poor black kid actually emphasises the ‘differences’ between us rather than that, in fact, we’re all British citizens, living, working and studying together in Britain with equal rights and responsibilities. Nobody - of any skin colour - wants to have it rammed down their throats that one of ‘their own’ killed one of ‘the other’. This does nothing for unity.

The truth is that this is an appalling crime committed against a young lad which has left a loving family (paraded for the cameras) grieving their loss. The young man was, apparently, a devout Christian and hoped to become a lawyer. His family - parents, sisters, brother, cousins - are devestated. I feel for them not because they’re black but because they’re human. Isn’t that how it ought to be?

Now our politicians and authorities can mouth pompous and meaningless platitudes either to enhance their credibility as multi-culturalists or, simply, to be sure of avoiding any suggestion that they’re not.

Police have arrested two for the crime. Let’s hope they catch the rest - there’s apparently four people involved - and let’s hope (although this may be a forlorn one) that they spend the rest of their lives where they ought to be. Behind bars.

On the same day as as the wicked crime against Mr Walker this man was also stabbed to death, protecting his girlfriend from a nuisance on a bus. It seems a chap boarded the top deck of a London bus and started throwing chips at other passengers. Richard Whelan decided to speak to the man and was stabbed repeatedly by him.

You might not be aware of this case though. The victim was white. All the newspapers make this ‘less’ of a story and, although it’s mentioned on some (internet edition) front pages, you have to search for it in some.

That the attacker was, apparently, black wasn’t even mentioned. It’s only The Times that picks up that detail. - added in the penultimate paragraph of the story.

One can also express sympathies for this man’s family too and, as well, the hope that his attacked is also apprehended and spends the rest of his life behind bars.

One day, we will realise that there is a ‘them’ and ‘us’ in society but it’s not - as our politicians, ‘leaders’ and media hacks believe - one based on colour. It’s one based on attitudes, loyalties and behaviour. The sooner we start emphasising that the better off we’ll all be.