But it required a disastrous internecine war to bring this question of human freedom to a crisis and the process of striking the shackles from the slave was accomplished in a single hour.

Freedom is an internal achievement rather than an external adjustment.

Just as the Security Council was largely irrelevant to the great struggle of the last half of the twentieth century - freedom against Communism - so too it is largely on the sidelines in our contemporary struggles against international terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

The new freedom of expression brought by the Internet goes far beyond politics. People relate to each other in new ways posing questions about how we should respond to people when all that we know about them is what we have learned through a medium that permits all kinds of anonymity and deception.

Governments that block the aspirations of their people that steal or are corrupt that oppress and torture or that deny freedom of expression and human rights should bear in mind that they will find it increasingly hard to escape the judgement of their own people or where warranted the reach of international law.

Both the American people and nations that censor the internet should understand that our government is committed to helping promote internet freedom.

Nobody had ever told me junk food was bad for me. Four years of medical school and four years of internship and residency and I never thought anything was wrong with eating sweet rolls and doughnuts and potatoes and bread and sweets.

When fast food is not a treat but a dietary staple the children surf the internet all day in dark corners of the room and are bombarded with latest gadgets. Things replace parental standards.

We are involved in youth testing internationally. We want to try to prove without a shadow of a doubt the relationship between physical fitness and health not just physical fitness and ability to perform.

Our strength in finance has led us to set up an international financial centre with medium and long-term objectives especially to develop Islamic financial and insurance services.