This topic was discussed on World Cup Have Your Say on 30 June 2010. .
Nigeria's president, Goodluck Jonathan, has the Super Eagles from competition for two years following their poor performance at the World Cup.
What's your reaction? Has he done the right thing to 'punish' poor performance? Is it something you think other countries should consider? Or is this simply an over reaction?
Note: This blog post was written byÌýKarnie, andÌýher colleague ClaudiaÌýjust posted itÌýup.
Kathryn Blundell, deputy editor of a leading parenting magazine here in the UK has got women all over the the world talking. She refers to breastfeeding as being "".
Describing her breasts as
"part of my sexuality too... seeing your... baby latching on where only a lover has been before feels, well, a little creepy."
It's the question that every mother-to-be asks, discusses, talks about: To breastfeed or not to breastfeed?
They lived seemingly perfect lives, a typical couple in their 40's, pillars of the neighbourhood and their communities. But according to the FBI, they were just for the alleged Russian spies that were living in the United States.
The day after 10 people were arrested Russia has, of course, blasted the allegations as baseless:
"In our opinion, such actions are groundless and pursue unseemly aims."
In Bristol, a black councillor, Shirley Brown, has been of racial harrassment for calling her Asian political opponent a 'coconut'.
The term coconut, has been used to accuse someone of betraying their race, or culture, by implying that, like a coconut, they are brown on the outside but white on the inside.
This topic was discussed on World Cup Have Your Say on 29 June.
From the dismal to the dazzling; the torpor to the torpedo.
Having played out - and this is not hyperbole - one of the against Portugal, Brazil found a bit of rhythm against Chile and gave their South American neighbours a .
And the goals, when they came, were sprinkled with the flair so associated with the celebrated sides of the past.
This topic was discussed on World Cup Have Your Say on 28 June 2010. .
There's passionate debateÌýabout video technology in sports following yesterday's disallowed goals in the World Cup. Many sports including tennis and rugby have embracedÌýinstant replaysÌýfor a number of years.ÌýBaseball has resisted,Ìýas has Fifa, soccer's governing body.
We've been discussing technology in football in a TV edition of the show too! We're on the 91Èȱ¬ World News channel, every week during the World Cup at 1430 - 1500 GMT.
Watch today's edition again here (we've had to take a couple of clips of the actual football out, for rights reasons, in case you were wondering!) ...
... and see the rest of entry for the second and the third parts of the show below.
We discussed this topic on World Cup Have Your Say on Sunday 27 June. to the programme again.
This was the end of my night out watching the football last night - an eruption of joy in South London as , at the end of a tense half hour of extra time.
Hundreds of Ghanaians and other Londoners had crammed into the bars of Acre Lane, Brixton toÌýwatch a display full of panache, tricks, flicks and freedom, but also strength and the ability to come back when it seemed the pendulum was swinging away from them.
OK, so not every pub in England is painted quite like this one at the moment - but you certainly know there is an England v Germany match on the way ...
The tabloid newspapers are harking back to the inevitable, with the front page of today's featuring :
IT'S WAR -Ìýwe will fight jeering Jerries on the pitches
... screams the headline (partly in response to callingÌýRooney et al "little English girlies")Ìý
So is thisÌýall unnecessary, dredging up past conflict and creating tension between nations,ÌýorÌýis it just harmless banter?
As the last 16 are finally decided and the World Cup becomes a little more clearer, with Brazil's draw with Portugal confirming the progress of both sides.
We already know that seven of the eight teams from the Americas have made it through, barring a collapse from Chile.
Over the course of the World Cup, World Cup Have Your Say is running a series of guest blogs by bloggers from across the world.
This is the sixth, by three pupils from schools taking part in the British Council's Connecting Classrooms project and are working in partnership with 91Èȱ¬ News School Report to provide on-the-spot reports from South Africa.
Ros presented World Have Your Say from John and Martha's home, a 'shack' in Kliptown, Soweto on Thursday 24th June. During the last few minutes of the programme Ros asked the people gathered there, many of whom are unemployed, if they would consider doing domestic work. Most weren't very keen on the idea but it was the answer to the next question, which really surprised many of us listening. I have edited some highlights of the conversation, which you can
listen to hereÌýand you can catch the whole show (until 1st July)Ìýby listening to the podcast here. The discussion about working as a domestic for black people is in the last 10 minutes of the podcast.
What does this say about post apartheid South Africa? Why do you think these people prefer to work for a white family?
The group stages of the 2010 World Cup finish today - but still there's no one player who has lit up the tournament.
In the past, the likes of Diego Maradona,ÌýZinedine Zidane, Davor Suker, Hristo Stoichkov have emerged during a World Cup as a consistently good performer, game after game.
But in this World Cup no-one has shot out from the in the build-up of those who were expected to shine.
It's the surprise of the tournament so far - and in the best game too. - only the fourth time the holders have been eliminated in the first round.
Although they had only been able to scrape together draws withand , the elimination of the Azzurri was still a huge shock, much more so than their .
Midfielder Gennaro Gattuso, who will now retire from international football, declared that Italian football had "touched rock bottom" following a match that had everything good about football: drama, intent, debatable decisions - and, finally, goals.
Meet Mamiell, Chantal, Sophia and Vanessa. Today, they wantÌýto chat with you about how and where they live in Kliptown, Soweto.ÌýThey're ready to answer your questions on any aspect of their lives. Mamiell is John and Martha's daughter andÌýRos willÌýbeÌýbroadcasting from their home.
They'll go onto a court later at Wimbledon to begin the third day of the longest tennis match in history.
It's 59 games all in the third set, after more than 10 hours play.
And, while the sports hacks around the world flick through their thesauruses to find word other than , and marathon, they might also be thinking whether such words could ever be used to describe the likes of Wayne Rooney ...
UPDATE 2030 GMT: Ghana go through despite losing 1-0 to Germany. The Black Stars will now play the USA on Saturday in Rustenberg - while Germany will play England in Bloemfontein. Australia beat Serbia 1-0 but it was not enough. Africa retain an interest in the tournament - how long can it last?
After the dramatic end to Group C - - it's now the turn of the teams in Group D to take centre stage.
The match-up is similarly tight, with all four teams - Ghana, Germany, Serbia and Australia - theoretically able to go through.
Two brothers who could be on the pitch together in the Ghana v Germany game later have made plenty of headlines since the nations were drawn against each other.
and Boateng and both have the same Ghanaian dad;Ìýthey're half-brothers, with different German mums.
Despite the near identical background, Jerome is likely to be on Germany's bench tonight - and .
UPDATE: A senior White House official has confirmed that Gen. McChrystal has been fired over his magazine. Also, a senior administration official tells the 91Èȱ¬ that " it's accurate that the President has chosen General Petraeus to replace General McChrystal as the commander of ISAF and lead our forces in Afghanistan."
KRUPA'S ORIGINAL POST:
General Stanley McChrystal today as he meets President Obama to explain his criticism of leading officials in Rolling Stone Magazine.
admires the General for speaking up, a quality which 'may prove to be his downfall.'
But feels that as an army general, he should stop babbling and start winning,
Over the course of the World Cup, World Cup Have Your Say is running a series of guest blogs by bloggers from across the world. This is the fifth, by Seamus Walsh who blogs about South Korean football at the .
South Korea's final group match against Nigeria may not have kicked off until 3:30am Korean time, but interest in the match could not have been higher all across the southern half of the Korean Peninsula.
Unfortunately for those who had to get up early for work the timing was not the best, but for students who have recently begun their summer holidays it was a party through the night in the open spaces, bars and streets of Seoul.
It was only last week that I was asking my colleagues here at WHYS 'where on earth is Dudus?' I've been intrigued by the alleged drug lord's ability to hide but not be sought, like something out of a cops and robbers movie.
Now though, the drama's over. Jamaica's most wanted, .
So, in the end, even a was not enough to save South Africa from the ignominy of being the first host nation to go out of the World Cup at the group stage.
It looked likely beforehand that this would be goodbye Bafana Bafana, with Uruguay and Mexico only needing to play out a draw to make sure both went through.
Hi it's Xavier here. There's a lot of talk about austerity at the moment.
just announced fiscal reform plans to cut debt. Governments are cutting away across Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, France, Ireland, Portugal are all doing it. And the UK is poised for Tuesday's emergency budget.
Poor loves. Those footballers have a tough life don't they ?
Having to represent their countries in the world's biggest sporting event, being paid a fortune in wages and endorsements,Ìýand being waited on hand and foot.
Meanwhile, their fans - loyal to the last - pay a small fortune (for them) to travel and watch their heroes in action.
Tens of thousands of ultra-orthodox Jews took to the streets of Jerusalem yesterday to protest against the jailing of 35 fathers who have violated a Supreme Court order, which that their daughters must attend integrated schools.
We discussed this on World Cup Have Your Say on Mon 21 June. You can listen to the programme Ìý- apologies to those who had problems listening live on the radio
There was a spiritual dimension to (you may have heard the prayer for a miracle for Bafana Bafana at the end of the show!).
And now a coupleÌýmore big World Cup stories haveÌýgot people hinting at higher forces at work on the pitch in South Africa 2010.
After Cameroon proved to be anything but Indomitable Lions when they became the first team to exit the 2010 World Cup, perhaps it is time they had a new nickname - and indeed a number of you .
So we thought it would be interesting to hear your African-style nickname for your national side.
This topic was discussed on World Cup Have Your Say on 20 June 2010. .
There is a certain bitter irony to the fact that the first African team to make a real impact on the World Cup should be the .
Cameroon's defeat to Denmark in Tshwane - or The City Formerly Known As Pretoria - has left the Indomitable Lions in serious danger of having their nickname confiscated by the Trades Descriptions Act.
Over the course of the World Cup, World Cup Have Your Say is running a series of guest blogs by bloggers from across the world. This is the fourth, by Cathal Breathnach who blogs about English football at .
I'm sure no England fan imagined two weeks ago that Fabio Capello's men would be going into their final Group C game against Slovenia knowing that anything less than a win will probably result in Steven Gerrard and co departing the World Cup finals very early.
I would like to know when was the last time that England played as badly? I have followed them since 1968 and I cannot remember a worse performance. Maybe you could start a blog or poll of when did an England team play as badly before? Even when we lost to Poland in the qualifiers in 1973 we did not play this badly.
This topic was discussed on World Cup Have Your Say on 19 June 2010. .
As he left the pitch following , Wayne Rooney turned to the television cameras and, his voice dripping sarcasm like honey dripping from a knife, said: "it's nice to see your own fans booing you."
The comments have instantly made "Wayne Rooney" - and most of them are, it has to be said, rather negative.
The Israeli governmentÌýhas announced it will to allow more civilian products in. The new list reportedly includes all food items, toys, stationery, kitchen utensils, mattresses and towels. Israel will also for projects under international supervision but will maintain its naval blockade and will not make it easier for people to move in and out of Gaza, or allow exports.
Jordan's information minister, Nabil Sharif, callsÌýthe moveÌý and says Jordan "wants Israel to completely lift this unjust blockade".
A 28 year old months after receiving a lung transplant from someone who had smoked for 30 years. Lynsey Scott's family say they were never told about the donor'sÌý lifestyle and if they had known, she would have rejected the transplant offer.
a transplant professional, believes that smokers' lungs are better than no lungs at all;
Over the course of the World Cup, World Cup Have Your Say is running a series of guest blogs by bloggers from across the world. This is the third, byÌýFrankieÌýLally -Ìýwho blogs at - on the prospects for Team USA as they prepare to face Slovenia.
On Saturday night the United States pinched one of their greatest results ever at a World Cup, as they drew 1-1 with England, largely thanks to a howler from England 'keeper Robert Green in the 40th Minute that allowed Clint Dempsey to score.
and won't agree, but there seems to be a mood around elsewhere that Wednesday's games mean the World Cup could haveÌýturnedÌýsome sort ofÌýcorner.
"At last, the tournament's first real upset", writes :
No, the U.S. drawing against England doesn't really count. Kudos to the Swiss for beating La Furia Roja. The tournament needed that. And arguably, so did Spain.
There's been lots of pick up on President Obama's 9/11 comment comparing it to theÌýBP oil spill.
"In the same way that our view of our vulnerabilities and our foreign policy was shaped profoundly by 9/11, I think this disaster is going to shape how we think about the environment and energy for many years to come,"
Ìýon that interview.
calls the comparison a 'cheap sound bite' that demeans the memory of 9/11.
But his comments have been taken out of context - the spill is likely to shape future energy policy like US foreign policy was shaped by 9/11.
More than 100 people have been killed in , after three days of fighting between Kyrgyz and ethnic Uzbeks in city of Osh. Thousands of ethnic Uzbeks have been forced to flee the country. Many of you have been contacting the 91Èȱ¬ from there or asking what is happening there?
We got this email from someone in Osh:
I am living here in Osh - in an Uzbek neighborhood that was attacked Saturday. We are right now in the middle of a standoff between the Uzbeks and Kyrgyz. It is very tense, but since I have contact with the outside, we can help to stop this standoff so that more people will not get killed.
Over the course of the World Cup, World Cup Have Your Say is running a series of guest blogs by bloggers from across the world. This is the second, by Emmanuel Ekanem who blogs about Nigerian football at .
As fans we expected a bashing from Argentina. However, the outcome of the game - only losing 1-0 - has given every football fan in Nigeria renewed confidence in the team.
Every four years - or in fact every two, given it happens with the European Championships too - pretty much every in will use the headline "England expects" somewhere in their copy.
It's a nice phrase - - but it is rarely a reflection of the truth. And it certainly shouldn't be applied to the first match of the Three Lions at a major tournament - the .
Today we're live in Johannesburg as Nigeria's Super Eagles prepare to take on Diego Maradona's Argentina.
Nigeria did better than expected at the African Nations Cup earlier this year, making it all the way to the semi-finals of the competition - but the team was riven with mistrust.
Meanwhile Argentina struggled through their qualifying campaign, only going through right at the death. Maradona's style of management is certainly under question - but fans are hoping the man who was one of the World Cup's greatest ever players will be able to do something as a manager.
The last time these two played at the World Cup finals in 2002, Argentina got their only tournament victory. Will Nigeria get revenge?
Danny Jordaan, the Chief executive of the World Cup organising committee says it is. He says it's an .....
"I compare this moment to Mandela's release, for which we waited 27 years. For our right to vote we waited from 1948," he said. "But Fifa was formed in 1904, so it has been a long wait for Africa's World Cup. But we did not wait alone. The whole of Africa was waiting with us."
The minutes are ticking down to the big kick-off at Soccer City, Johannesburg. The anticipation has built and built during the specatacular opening ceremony.
I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming. It's so beautiful -- wake me up! We want to say to the world - Thank you for helping this worm to become a beautiful butterfly.
This is what a very exited Archbishop Desmond Tutu said last night at the World Cup in Soweto. As the biggest sporting event starts today in South Africa, many of you are discussing if there are benefits to hosting a World Cup and if it is good for business.
in this atticle says that the World Cup has become such a force that it triggered a cease-fire in the civil war in Ivory Coast, caused stock markets of losing nations to tumble and catalyzed a spike in the birthrate of the 2006 host, Germany. And that hosting the World Cup allowed Germans to express a nationalist spirit that had been understandably dormant for 60 years.
Over the course of the World Cup, World Cup Have Your Say is running a series of guest blogs by bloggers from across the world. This is the first, by Miriam Mannak who blogs about South African football at .
South Africans are an interesting bunch. While the shackles of Apartheid were cast off over a decade and a half ago, making it legal to cross the bridges that lead to different colour-spheres, it seems to me that many South Africans are hesitant to do so.
World Update will be live from Derry/Londonderry in Northern Ireland next Tuesday 15th and Wednesday 16th June, to cover the release and aftermath of the report with huge significance to peace and reconciliation there - the into what's called Bloody Sunday, the day in 1972 when 13 protesters against British rule were killed.
Britain's Parachute Regiment was accused of indiscriminate shooting. The official British response was that the soldiers were attacked and fought back. A was dismissed by families of those who died as a whitewash.
Those were the words of South Africa defender Matthew Booth . His feeling was that the pressure on the country ahead of the would be positive - and that the ferocious sound of the crowd would spur Bafana Bafana on.
But with the first match now upon us, do they really have a chance against the Mexicans? And if not, will it damage the chances of the tournament's success?
I'm about to walk over to a restaurant on Vilakazi Street in Soweto to help with the preparations for a big do we're hosting today. The first hour will be WHYS and we'll look at who in South Africa has benfitted from this World Cup and who hasn't. The next hour (also live across ) will see us launch WCHYS with fans from every team that's here.
We'll update as the day goes along on , twitter (, , ), Facebook (, ) and here on the blog. As ever, your questions are as welcome as your comments.
After a year's worth of diplomacy, the UN Security Council has against Iran over its nuclear programme. The vote passed easily with 12 states voting in favour and only Brazil and Turkey voting against.
President Obama insisted the sanctions did not close the door to diplomacy but Brazil's President Lula saw the vote as nothing more than .
Ìý ÌýThe other day I saw the oil spill with my own eyes. Today I saw the impact it's having on Louisiana's wildlife.
I paid a visit to the Fort Jackson Bird Rescue Centre. It's mostly oil-covered pelicans arriving on a daily basis. They are a mighty sad sight.
The oily creatures have become the poster birds of this spill. Jay Holcomb, the director of the International Bird Rescue Research Centre told me there's been a jump in arrivals in recent days.
Two days until the start of the World Cup and there is little talk about anything else for huge swathes of the world. Ros and some of the team, (well Mark and Ben) are in Soweto gearing up for what many people think is the biggest show on earth. Our Writer in in Residence at the 91Èȱ¬ World Service, Hamid Ismailov, has been outlining his devotion to the game.
As you may have seen yesterday on and , World Cup Have Your Say has set up a following a number of top players, pundits and listeners. If you're going to be Tweeting about the tournament, let us know your Twitter ID and we'll follow you on the list too.
But what you'll also be seeing here on the blog are guest posts from bloggers around the world, talking about how their reaction - and the reaction in their country - to the match results as they come in.
See below for my post on criticisms of how the foreign media have portrayed South Africa during the World Cup build-up. Here's a report I did on 91Èȱ¬ World News on the same subject.
Here's a paragraph from this morning's Sowetan. Since 1994, South Africa 'has faced almost endless accusations that it is no place to host the world's biggest sporting event because it is either too crime-ridden or lacking the infrastructure'. It's those words 'almost endless' that hint at deep sense of injustice that I'm sensing since I've been here.
The implication is that those questions about crime and readiness went beyond what was reasonable.
He was vilified by the press, made to and convicted of assault. But it seems singer Chris Brown's punishment goes further than just a criminal conviction.
He has now been and his planned concerts will no longer go ahead. It's prompted a on twitter, calling for Brown's visa to be granted on the grounds that his remorse of his attack on his then girlfriend Rihanna is well documented.
This is my first visit to Morocco and the city of Fes. It's an easy place to fall in love with. I'd never seen a purple flowering tree before and so the Jacarandas were the first things to catch my eye. Thousands of swifts fly about the old city walls of the MedinaÌýat dusk adding to the dream like quality of the city. At night the streets are packed with families, couples and friends hanging out together. It's not surprising some of the international visitors I've spoken to have been coming back for years.
I'm at the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music, set up after the first Gulf war to create cultural bridges between Muslims, Christians and Jews.
Our colleagues at 91Èȱ¬ News have published a guide for England fans following the World Cup - with advice on how to throw "."
Meanwhile the World Cup Have Your Say team in South Africa are making their preparations for the show's launch party on Thursday - live on air at 1700GMT.
While BP is still trying to contain the worst oil spill disaster ever, it's not only its reputation which is at stake in the United States. The British government is said to be increasingly worried about the rise of , and the impact that might have on the special relationship between the two countries.
A warm-up match at the Makhulong Stadium in Johannesburg has - in the words of the 91Èȱ¬'s Piers Edwards - provided "the wrong sort of build-up to the World Cup" after .
The game, between Nigeria and North Korea, was free for people to enter - and many more than the anticipated 10,000 capacity turned up, triggering a crowd surge.
The tragedy killed thousands immediately, left hundreds of thousands with permanent injuries and unborn generations with serious health effects. Thousands more are no longer alive to see justice served. If it has been served.
convicted eight people for death by negligence. They now face up to two years in jail.
For survivors and their relatives, the verdict comes . The . Some victims are simply calling for one thing - .
Do victims have any realÌýpower against corporate negligence?
Hi this is Ros on Krupa's log in (uploading photos is very expensive so she's helping me).
One of our rooms here in Soweto has a small balcony and that's where I'll be sitting for today's show. This is the view looking to the left, and then to the right.Ìý
No subject for show yet so please keep your suggestions coming in. Here in South Africa, proving the doubters wrong, the , and the Selebi trial are the main talking points.
Marcela and Felipe Herrera do not want to know where they came from. But it looks like their government is about to tell them anyway.
The adopted children of Argentina's leading newspaper publisher have approached the . they will be forced to take a DNA test to establish whether or not they were illegally adopted. The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo allege that they were illegally adopted 34 years ago with help from officials of the military junta.
We got to Soweto this afternoon and haven't had more than a couple of hours to get settled in our B&B, to check the ISDN lines (one out of three worked...) and to quickly drive over to Soccer City. If you'd like to follow how we're getting on, , will be on WHYS' feed as well, , and I'm updating and (not to mention the blog).
My head's so full of things, I thought I'd just tap out some observations in no particular order...
On Friday World Have Your Say will be coming to you live from New Orleans. We need your help!
If you've been following my blog posts, you'll know that people here are growing angrier by the day as the oil spill continues to gush off the coast of Louisiana.
Many say they were just recovering from Hurricane Katrina and are afraid the spill in the Gulf will be a huge setback for this city and state.
We got some sad news from Oregon a few days ago. As you may have seen on and yesterday, has decided to drop WHYS from its schedule from the end of June. that it's put on its facebook page. And this is which has some comment as well.
Needless to say it's a real shame as we've a fantastic connection with the station and many of you who listen in Oregon. (We get more comment from Oregon than any other US state and more than any country bar Nigeria.) But clearly for a significant number of listeners our 'tone' and 'production' are not to their liking and we have to respect the station's decision.
I know, I've been on the show more than two years and only just written this page. I have no excuses other than I hate photographs of myself and knew I would have to put one up! For regulars on the blog, you'll know I've recently returned from a year off after having my daughter. I joined the show from another 91Èȱ¬ station Radio Five Live, where I knew both Ros and Mark. In fact Mark interviewed me for my first job at the station, I was convinced I hadn't got the job after the interview descended into discussing whether Liverpool (my team) are better than West Ham. Somehow he let me in.
On 91Èȱ¬ World Update on Friday, we'll hear from the Nobel prizewinning geneticist , who is deeply upset at the way pharmaceutical companies are patenting the genetic information they are getting from their research so they can profit from new therapies.
In answer to the claim from the drugs companies that they need to make profits to fund further research, he insists that only 15 percent of their profits are ploughed back into R&D. But the high prices they charge for their patented medicine make life saving therapy inaccessible to the sick in developing countries where the need is greatest.
Yesterday, taxi driver Derrick Bird went on a , in the north of England, which left 12 people dead. After three hours of driving through towns and villages, shooting from his car, he shot himself.
Many of you are talking about whether the current UK gun laws work. The UK has one of the tightest gun in the world, requiring everybody who wishes to possess a firearm to go through a procedure including medical checks, full criminal history and a police interview to prove they actually need a gun.
America's model marriage just got a not so happy ending. Al and Tipper Gore . Family friends say the high school sweethearts . What's happened to 'happily ever after'?
Many of you have been saddened by the news prompting questions like "?" But is 'till death do us a part' simply a dying concept?
Fania Oz-Salzberger, an Israeli professor, says that
Every true Israeli patriot ought to do something very un-Israeli today: lower his head or hers, and apologize very humbly to the dead and injured of the "Free Gaza Movement" flotilla... Forget PR and screw the usual defenses. This time we are guilty as sin. I am ashamed of my government.
Three of the big European teams - , and - named their final 23s yesterday, with the big names missing out including Arsenal's Theo Walcott and Villareal's Giuseppe Rossi.
2nd June Update: US Federal authorities have opened a into the Deepwater Horizon explosion and the BP oil spill according to Attorney-General Eric Holder. And President Obama has said
As a result of this disaster, lives have been lost. Businesses have been decimated. Communities that had already known great hardship now face the spectre of sudden and painful economic dislocations. We owe all those who've been harmed, as well as future generations, a full and vigorous accounting of the events that led to what has now become the worst oil spill in US history.
Original Post: The Gulf of Mexico oil leak is now officially the and its latest attempt to stop the leak has failed. US prosecutors are now a criminal .
One of the very cool things about WHYS is how far and wide around the globe our listeners are spread, it's so interesting where you are from and where you live now. I've been lucky enough to be working with the WHYS team since November 2009 producing and presenting so it's high time I offered up that information about myself.Ìý
I'm Irish born and bred and I've arrived in London after years in Italy and New York. I've had a variety of jobs including pulling pints in Dublin, scooping ice-cream in Italy, teaching English to Milanese doctors, dressing fashion models, serving legal papers and selling Japanese handbags. But for the past 15 years it's been pretty much all about radio and TV. Despite the grumpy face in the photo above, I do love it.
'It has never been about security. Not for one day. It has been about land and power...And now at least 10 people are dead because of the shame, because of the inability of Israel's best friends to look it in the eye and say: "Stop this insanity. Treat Palestinians like humans before you destroy not only them, but you."'
WHYS is a global conversation hosted by 91Èȱ¬ News. For updates on the stories and issues being covered on our broadcasts, pls visit . This is when we're on air:
1100 & 1700GMT Monday to Friday 91Èȱ¬ World Service radio
1500 & 1930GMT on Fridays 91Èȱ¬ World News television
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| 19:26 UK time, Wednesday, 30 June 2010
During
Hi it's Xavier here. There's a lot of talk about austerity at the moment. 
The Israeli governmentÌýhas announced it will to allow more civilian products in. The new list reportedly includes all food items, toys, stationery, kitchen utensils, mattresses and towels. Israel will also for projects under international supervision but will maintain its naval blockade and will not make it easier for people to move in and out of Gaza, or allow exports. 
views on the Middle East have never been a secret. After all, her job is to speak her mind. Or is it? 
It's been over 25 years since the 
ght.Ìý
Fania Oz-Salzberger, an Israeli professor, says that 
