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Egypt's foreign minister has criticised foreign "interference" following impassioned comments by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton denouncing the stripping and beating of a female protester. "Egypt will not accept any interference in its domestic affairs," Mohammed Amr told reporters. He said Cairo was seeking "clarifications over any statements by any foreign official regarding internal Egyptian matters." (Snip) On Tuesday, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces which took power when Mubarak was ousted, apologised to "the great women of Egypt over transgressions that occurred during recent incidents in the protests outside parliament and cabinet."

(Reuters) - The White House renewed its sharp criticism of BP (BP.L) (BP.N) CEO Tony Hayward after he attended a yacht race off the English coast on Saturday as his company struggles to plug its huge Gulf of Mexico oil leak. "This has just been part of a long line of PR gaffes and mistakes," White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said in an interview taped for ABC's "This Week" week program, referring to Hayward. Sheila Williams, a spokeswoman for the energy giant, said Hayward attended the boat race at the Isle of Wight, saying he was spending some...

France's First Lady said that the Church's teachings had left her feeling "profoundly secular". She departed from her post's traditional religious neutrality to accuse the Pope of "damaging" countries in Africa with his stance on birth control.

LONG BEACH, United States (AFP) - California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger criticised ineffectual US government policy on climate change, as he and British Prime Minister Tony Blair vowed to tackle the problem together. "California will not wait for our federal government to take strong action on global warming," the Republican said after an hour-long talks on the subject with Blair and prominent industry figures in Long Beach, California. The former movie star's language was stronger than that of Blair's official spokesman earlier Monday, who was keen to downplay suggestions that Britain's partnership with the US west coast state could offend Washington....

Britain criticises Israeli tactics Ned Temko in London, Conal Urquart in Tel Aviv and Peter Beaumont in Beirut Saturday July 22, 2006 Guardian Unlimited A family flee their home in southern Lebanon. Photograph: Kevin Frayer/AP Britain has dramatically broken ranks with George Bush over the Lebanon crisis, publicly criticising Israel's military tactics and urging the Americans to 'understand' the price being paid by ordinary Lebanese civilians. The remarks, made in Beirut today by the Foreign Office Minister, Kim Howells, were the first public criticism of the US voiced by Britain. The Observer can also reveal that Tony Blair urged restraint...

Agent who led Bin Laden hunt criticises CIA Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington Saturday July 8, 2006 The Guardian (UK) The man who led America's hunt for Osama bin Laden has said the CIA was wrong to disband the only unit devoted entirely to the terrorist leader's pursuit - just at a time when al-Qaida is reasserting its influence over global jihad. Shutting down the Bin Laden unit squandered 10 years of expertise in the war on terror, said Michael Scheuer, who founded the unit in 1995 and arguably knows more about Bin Laden than any other western intelligence official. He...

Rice criticises Britain for not laying down the law to Iran's leaders By David Rennie in Brussels (Filed: 10/02/2005) Condoleezza Rice issued a thinly veiled rebuke to Britain and other European allies yesterday for failing to lay down the law to Iran over nuclear weapons. Her remarks cast a chilly air over a whirlwind European tour that has otherwise been dominated by swooning coverage of the new US secretary of state, from her expensively-tailored suits to her life story as the first black woman to reach such high rank in American history. In an interview that was aimed at domestic...