i.am Rohan Pinto

US President George W Bush has given Israel a go-ahead to begin preparations for a military attack on Iran, in case talks over the country’s controversial nuclear programme fail to yield results, a media report has said. The Bush administration is said to have informed Jerusalem that he would back an Israeli plan to strike Iran’s main nuclear sites with long-range aerial weapons if diplomatic talks over Tehran’s nuclear programme broke down, the Sunday Times said quoting a Pentagon official.

The US President has given Israel an ‘‘amber light’‘ to start preparing for a possible offensive, the official told the Sunday Times. ‘‘Amber means get on with your preparations, stand by for immediate attack and tell us when you’re ready,’‘ the official was quoted as saying to Sunday Times. The US President’s voice of support comes despite his military officials’ opposition to an attack on Iran, given the risks of an aerial strike.

However, the US would not deploy American forces for such a strike nor would Israel be able to depend on its military bases in Iraq for logistical support, the official said.

Beijing police have been visiting bar owners in the popular Sanlitun area and asking them to sign pledges agreeing to not serve black people or Mongolians and ban activities including dancing.

Bar owners said that police have been clamping down on black people and Mongolians, who are sometimes implicated in drug dealing and prostitution, as part of an Olympic clean-up campaign that they and locals fear will make for a secure but sterile Games.

When 200,000 anti-globalisation protesters converged on the Italian city hosting the G8 summit in 2001, all but a handful came to demonstrate peacefully. Instead, many were beaten to a pulp by seemingly out-of-control riot police. But was there something more sinister at play? And will the victims ever see proper justice? Nick Davies reports…..

Riot police surround an injured anti-globalisation protester lying on a pavement in central Genoa. Photograph: Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters