Tutu’s Birthday Celebrations Begin – Archbishop Desmond Tutu is turning 80 on Friday, with festivities scheduled to take place at St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town. Celebration for the Nobel Peace Prize winner already started on Thursday afternoon, where Irish musician Bono performed with the Soweto Gospel Choir. [iol]

Dalai Lama Speech Will Be Streamed – The Dalai Lama will deliver the inaugural Desmond Tutu International Peace Lecture at the University of the Western Cape on Saturday – via video link. “The lecture will proceed with His Holiness Dalai Lama joining the event via live video link from Dharamsala, his home-in-exile, in India,” the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre said on Thursday. [iol]

Steve Jobs Biogrpahy Pushed Up For Release – The release date for a Steve Jobs biography has been pushed up to October 24 in the wake of the Apple co-founder’s death on Wednesday, according to a spokesman for publishing house Simon & Schuster. The book was originally planned for release on November 21. [ewn]

Apple Store Robbed During Steve Jobs Memorial – An Arkansas couple who went to an Apple store to lay down flowers for Steve Jobs spotted the tail end of a burglary instead of a makeshift memorial. Robert Blake and his girlfriend, Amy Parker, told The Associated Press that when they showed up at the suburban Little Rock store Wednesday night, they didn’t initially realize what they were witnessing. [huffers]

Afghanistan Marks 10 Years Since War – Afghanistan marks 10 years since the start of the US-led war against the Taliban on Friday, with security tight after a string of bold insurgent attacks that have diminished hopes for an enduring peace. The anniversary will be marked in quiet fashion, with little to commemorate the long years of conflict that have cost thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars. [smh]

US And Nato “Far From Goals” In Afghanistan -After 10 years in Afghanistan, the US still lacks the knowledge to bring the conflict to a successful end, retired Army Gen Stanley McChrystal has said. Gen McChrystal said US and Nato allies were barely over half-way towards reaching their goals in the country. “Operation Enduring Freedom” was aimed at tracking down Osama Bin Laden after 9/11 and eliminating the Taliban. [bbc]

World Facing Worst Financial Crisis In History – The world is facing the worst financial crisis since at least the 1930s “if not ever”, the Governor of the Bank of England said last night. Sir Mervyn King was speaking after the decision by the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee to put £75billion of newly created money into the economy in a desperate effort to stave off a new credit crisis and a UK recession. [telegraph]

Murray’s Lawyer Accuses Investigator Of Being Sloppy – A print found on syringe taken from Michael Jackson’s bedroom is found to belong to a coroner’s investigator. But the singer’s prints weren’t found on any drugs or equipment, undercutting the defense. Michael Jackson’s fingerprints were not on any of the syringes, vials or other medical paraphernalia that littered the scene of his death, attorneys said in court Thursday, undercutting the defense theory that the singer had given himself the drug that killed him. [la times]

Colonel Gaddafi Message Calls For Libya Protests – Libya’s ousted leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has urged Libyans on to the streets “in their millions” to resist the country’s interim leadership. In an audio message he said conditions in the country have become “unbearable”. The message came as heavy fighting continued between anti-Gaddafi forces, and those loyal to the ousted leader in the city of Sirte. [bbc]

George Clooney: Meeting Silvio Berlusconi “one of the most astonishing evenings of my life” – The Hollywood star said he went to Rome in 2008 to talk to the prime minister about the possibility of Italy sending helicopters to Darfur in Sudan to help with the relief effort. But Mr Berlusconi, 75, was more interested in inviting him to a party and showing him a double bed which Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister, gave him as a present. [telegraph]

Woody Allen wants to cast Michelle Obama – Having already cast one country’s first lady in a movie, writer-director Woody Allen now has his eye on Michelle Obama.”If I was in a room with Michelle Obama, and I thought she was right for a part, I wouldn’t hesitate to ask her”. [the oval]

Wall Street protesters fed up with both parties – Their chief target is Wall Street, but many of the demonstrators in New York and across the U.S. also are thoroughly disgusted with Washington, blaming politicians of both major parties for policies they say protect corporate America at the expense of the middle class. “At this point I don’t see any difference between George Bush and Obama. The middle class is a lot worse than when Obama was elected,” said John Penley, an unemployed legal worker from Brooklyn. [wsj]

ANC not impressed by columnist’s Facebook profanities – The African National Congress has scolded columnist Max Du Preez over profanities he made about the ruling party on social networking site Facebook on Thursday. “Du Preez … should know better than to publicly get entangled in using an expletive like that, stooping to gutter level and not just insulting, but also defaming all leaders of the ANC,” ANC spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said in a statement on Thursday. [m&g]

Australia Team To Play South Africa In World Cup Quarter-Final – Australia coach Robbie Deans on Friday named the following team to play South Africa in their rugby World Cup quarter-final at Wellington Regional Stadium on Sunday. [ewn]

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