Picks of the Day

1. The National (United Arab Emirates) - Buoyant Sharif on the Offensive Political update in Pakistan, following last week's successful protest against the regime of President Zardari, otherwise known as "Mr 10%" for his corruption, which led to the reinstalment of prominent political figure, the chief justice Chaudry. Former PM and opposition leader Nawaz Sharif is now on the offensive against the President, demanding he relinquishes some executive power.

2. The NY Times (US) - China waging Cyberwar? Canadian researchers have found that a vast cyber-operation has looted documents from government and private office computers in 103 countries around the world - including the Dalai Lama's. I wonder what interesting stuff he's got on his desktop. The computers doing the actual deeds were all based in China, but whether or not the government was involved is a currently unknown factor. But considering the scale of the cyber-op, my guess is, probably.

3, Dan Hannan (UK) - Brown and Obama should fail A firm favourite of mine even before his commendable hammering of our PM in the European Parliament. Today he writes about how we should all hope that Brown's attempts at internationalising the cock-up he has made of Britain during this economic crisis crash and burn.

4. QandO: Free markets, free people (US) - South Park on the Bailouts I will say no more other than this is a very funny video clip from a new episode of US cartoon series "South Park".

5. Voice of Wales (UK) - Come and Read our Entire Drivel This blog will make you laugh, cry, and scream with anger. It's the latest botched attempt by Labour to reach out to the blogosphere, this time in Wales. Full of the same laughable assertions, delusions, lies, pomposity, arrogance, narrow-minded partisan attacks, empty soundbites, total lack of self-awareness, and uninspired propaganda of most Labour Party-affiliated blogs. I bring this blog to my readers' attention only for the sake of its utter ridicule and degradation. No mention of David Cameron without it being preceded by "Toff" - that's no exaggeration, there is only one mention of his name without the prefix -; most references to the Tories peppered with allusions to drinking Pimms or doffing hats or being "Eton-educated"; regular implication, and often just all-out declaration, that people on the right are "racists", "lunatics" and "crackpots" - in short, it really is the lowest of the lowest drivel. My favourite post: the one where they accuse the Tories of "inaction" before going on straight after to criticise them for too much action, moaning about how they do "a story an hour. An initiative a day." Funnier still, because it basically sums up the way New Labour have functioned for most of their 12 years in power.