Consider the birds

You will be pleased to learn that the Vulture arrested by Saudi police this week is to be freed.

The authorities in that country, who detained the bird on suspicion of espionage for the State of Israel, have decided not to press charges.

The bird was known to have visited Israel, as it had been tagged by a ornithologist from the University of Tel Aviv.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has no codified constitution, and the government - an autocratic regime led by the Saud family since the nation's inception, where, effectively, non-Muslim religions are forbidden in public, and in all cases for citizens - instead defers to the Koran, which is understandable, in an entirely Islamic nation.

The just penalty for the bird, according to Sharia law, was amputation of the wing. Fortunately, his reprieve means he is now able to fly freely.

Dr Rowan Williams, a theologian, and a member of the House of Lords in London, once suggested that this legal system could be used in the UK for cases within the Islamic community.

The United Kingdom is closely allied to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, in neighbouring Egypt, a shark responsible for the recent death of a person, and the injury of several more in the Red Sea, has also been accused of espionage for Israel.

There whereabouts of this other suspect, however, remain unknown.