Call a Public Meeting

A regime that makes Saddam Hussein look positively civilised may have some good friends at the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. The recent "celebration" held in the Town Hall and the apparent reluctance of local elected members to meet with constituents over the planning application to build a monstrosity in one of Londons most elegant enclaves.

But why would Baroness Olive, and the Scooter Boy not wish to meet residents? Is it they are not bothered with what they think? Is it, they don't care what they have to say as long as they turn out to vote for them every four years? Or is it more to do with the fact none of them want to take on Daniel "send to my holiday home" Moylan?

Hornet demands a public meeting.

This is the face of Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani who has been the subject of international outcry over her death sentence in Iran by stoning. But she now faces an additional punishment for a picture that appeared in The Times in Britain.

In an interview published on French magazine La Regle du Jeau's website, the woman's son Sajjad Ghaderzadeh said they learnt of the sentence, 99 lashes, from inmates released from the prison in Tabriz, where his mother is being held. He said a prison judge had confirmed the sentence for spreading "corruption and indecency" with the photo.

But the snap, featured in The Times, was apparently not even of 43-year-old Ms Mohammadi-Ashtiani - which the paper has acknowledged and apologised for. The Times said the attribution of the picture was incorrect and the woman shown was actually Susan Hejrat, a political activist living in Sweden.

No doubt the local councillors would have as much trouble looking her in the eye than they do their own constituents.