What the world is reading

The 2006 Leonardo di Caprio starrer,Blood Diamond,highlighted the biggest flaw in the production of the worlds favourite gemhow these conflict diamonds or blood diamonds are mined by slaves and prisoners at gunpoint in African war zones. But as Greg Campbell writes,a great deal still needs to be done to deter markets for these diamonds. The piece explains the nature of international resolutions,particularly the UN sanctioned Kimberley process,governing the production of diamonds and the manner in which these are being circumnavigated to suit the tastes of the now conscience stricken moviegoer. Campbell says these regulatory systems have failed abysmally in countries like Sierra Leone,where the origins of 50 per cent of the gems remain untraceable.

THE OBSERVER

Brittany Murphy and the beastly cult of perfection

The premature death of 32-year-old Hollywood actor Brittany Murphy has left many aghast. While reports trickle in of the troubled stars dependence on prescription drugs for plastic surgery addiction,columnist Barbara Ellen asks,What hope is there for young girls and women,if even Hollywood starlets dont feel up to much? As much as she tries to stay clear of the pro-anti-cosmetic surgery conundrum,Ellen berates societal necessity that forces increasingly younger women to go under the knife. Murphy is seen not just as another Hollywood botch up,but an embodiment of that not beautiful enough image that young women are troubled with.

TIME

Top 10 Apologies

I have let my family down,and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart, said Tiger Woods about his alleged infidelity. This quote helps him top Times list of 10 greatest apologies in history. His comments are followed by US President Barack ObamasI helped contribute to ratcheting it up,I want to make clear that in my choice of words,I unfortunately gave an impression that I was maligning the Cambridge Police Department or Sergeant Crowley specifically. Obama was speaking in context of his earlier statement about Police Sergeant Jim Crowley having acted stupidly when he arrested Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr outside the latters house. Another famous apology is Director Michael Moores: I would like to apologise for referring to George W Bush as a deserter. What I meant to say is that George W Bush is a deserter,an election thief,a drunk driver,a WMD liar and a functional illiterate. And he poops his pants. A must-read yearend list.

THE NEW YORKER

Close Read: Saving the Plane

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab,23,the Nigerian who set off a terror scare on the flight to Detroit,was on Washingtons Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment list,or TIDE. Being a part of TIDE does not exclude anyone from flying. Restrictions on taking a plane only apply to those on the selectee list. Amy Davidson wonders if the lists are mainly used to pay tribute to the cleverness of their acronyms,rather than to make anyone safer8230;What is a Datamart Environment? A cloud of names? Speaking about a new rule that may stop people,even small children,from going to the bathroom during the last hour of a flight,she says,The hijackers on the two planes that hit the World Trade Center acted in the first,not last,hour of multi-hour flights,but never mind.