But his speech prompted a barrage of scathing criticism, not least from Lebanon's prime minister, Fouad Siniora, with numerous commentators noting that while Syria arms and lauds Hizbullah, its own border with Israel has been dead quiet since 1974.

ECONOMIST: Lebanon and regional diplomacy

Prime Minister Julia Gillard's fiery speech on misogyny has prompted Australia's leading dictionary to update its definition of the word.

BBC: Asia

Rumblings of dissent, such as Mr Ibrahim's speech, may have prompted the Americans to make a gesture to prevent Mr Qaddafi from again slipping out of the fold.

ECONOMIST: Libya and the United States

The landing gear was wedged between the back walls of the apartment building and the mosque, which once prompted virulent national debate about Islam and free speech.

NPR: NY Officials Seek Human Remains Amid Plane Debris

It is certainly fashionable to talk about deflation: Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve, gave a speech about it on January 3rd, which prompted investors to drive yields on 30-year Treasury bonds to an all-time low of 5.72%.

ECONOMIST: American banks: The January effect | The

Mr Gove's speech about the "infantilisation" of history has prompted an angry response from the Historical Association, which accused the education secretary of an "ill-researched attack".

BBC: Hunt doubts Gove on history evidence

But the play's cancellation prompted it to issue a fairly direct statement, decrying the use of force to prevent freedom of speech.

BBC: NEWS | UK | Birmingham becomes stage for a tragedy