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The Baghdad Barrier

Kev sitting next to me reckons "they can't make Iraq work as a whole so they're splitting it apart". He is of course referring to the wall (or movable temporary barrier) that US forces are shortly to complete around the suburb of Azamiyah although I notice that building has been stopped for now at the request of the Iraq PM. I'm curious to know why I hadn't heard of this until yesterday but Kev assuers me there were headlines last week? On the day that 9 US troops have died in a you can debate whether the barrier would have reduced violence but I'm more interested in Kev's assessment: Do you think it matters if Iraq splits apart? Would that lead to massive internal civil war or a more peaceful Iraq? Some of the most stable countries in the world are loosely-coupled collections states are they not?

Boris
How will you remember the husky and one of the most recognisable figures in world politics? The man who freed Russia and stood on a tank to protect parliament or the man who unleashed war in Chechnya and created the Oligarchs? Our sister programme, The World Today, has a nice podcast containing reaction to the death at 76 of Boris Yeltsin. We touched on this news yesterday at the beginning of a the exhilarating show from a Nigerian cafe in London. Should we return to it today? Do you think Boris deserves a second shot or is this time to take stock of where Russia is under Boris' hand-picked successor Vladimir Putin?

Global Warming Crow Style
American songstress Sheryl Crow is touring the US right now on a to raise awareness of glbal warming. She's come under fire for some remarks concerning "a reusable dining sleeve" and rationing of toilet paper although she says this was a .

But did you catch Sheryl on her tour? Are you innovating in your quest to cut down on your carbon usage?

Somalia
The government in Somalia is advising everyone in Mogadishu to leave according to a Yusuf Al-Azhari a political analyst I'm watching on Al Jazeera. The situation is getting . A spokesman for the Union of Islamic Courts has denied the UIC are allied to Al Qaeda. What do you think? The UN's Ban Ki Moon is calling for a ceasefire . . . do you think anyone will listen?

Lucie Blackman
The tragic case of Lucie Blackman who was killed in Japan has raised concerns about Japan's clubs. Is it time to think again about these clubs? What do you think of the fact that Lucie's father accepted a so-called payment from the man accused of her death? Did this harm his case?

Manky Mourinho
One of the most famous faces in world soccer, Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, allegedly flouted football regulations by communicating via earpieces and -- incredibly -- smuggling himself into and out of dressing rooms via a basket laden with dirty football strips. It's all very complicated but you can read about it . . . Is there a talking point here? Probably not but it's a corking read.