OJ has covered Richard Reid very well in his column for the day, so I shall put that issue to one side and head off across the globe to Kashmir, which whilst thought to harbour Al Qaeda terrorists, may not do so much longer as both India and Pakistan are testing missiles that are presumably intended for use in the region.

As the Pakistani Information Minister (admittedly, not the most reliable source in the world) said, "India is trying to go into an arms race". He neglected to mention that Pakistan was definitely up for one of them, and that the two sides considered it the cricket match to end all cricket matches. Seriously, though, I find it very concerning that whilst everyone talks about Iraq in hushed whispers - with prophecies of doom (not least from myself) and talk of nuclear war, chemical weapons, biological weapons, you name it, it'll drop on you - we simultaneously ignore the startlingly advanced situation that has emerged between these two nations. A retired Pakistani general talked of the 'tit-for-tat' warfare being undertaken on both sides, and warned, quite rightly, that if it escalates then it can only end in all-out war.

Closer to home, the offices of Sinn Fein were raided today in the closing stages of an operation to investigate the activities of the party, which is, of course, headed by former terrorists in Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness. "The arrest of the unnamed man was said to have huge implications for the peace process," said the Belfast Telegraph. We will have to wait and see, but I, personally, think this might provoke a sectarian reaction in the coming weeks.

Finally, a little sporting news, and the man with the best name in tennis has defeated Lleyton Hewitt. Dahlia Lithwick has nothing on Paradorn Srichaphan. Today receives a 4 from myself, for the combined effect of the stories covering Richard Reid, the missile testing and more trouble in Northern Ireland.