”Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.” Winston Churchill would say these words as a token of gratitude to the British fighter pilots who risked their lives in defense of the island of the English people — Great Britain.

Turkey signalled its growing impatience with the European Union on Thursday night by warning that its ministers would not turn up in Luxembourg for membership talks until they are sent a copy of the ground rules. Irritated by the EU’s failure to reach agreement on a framework for the talks, Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Abdullah Gul, declared he would remain in Turkey until he is sent a copy.

The Nile has witnessed more centuries of human eccentricity than any of the world’s great rivers, but what it is now experiencing must rank high in its annals of misery. Hundreds of people laden with bags, bedding and bicycles wait disconsolately on wharves. Under the unremitting sun, anxious passengers crowd the flat decks of rickety barges meant only for cargo.

A volley of evening suicide bombs devastated the centre of the mainly Shia town of Balad, killing at least 60 people and injuring 70 others, as United States top brass admitted there were fewer Iraqi troops capable of fighting insurgents than previously claimed.