His calls for "safe passage" of essential supplies also underlined the humiliating position that the UN - and most of the world, for that matter - finds itself in: begging for Israel's permission to feed 300,000 Lebanese civilians who have been cut off by the bombing and to help half-a-million more who have been driven from their homes or affected by the onslaught in other ways.
As he introduced his charges, Mr Schippers underlined the president's position as the nation's chief law-enforcement officer: if his lying under oath were tolerated, "the integrity of this country's entire judicial process is fatally compromised, and that process will inevitably collapse".That is not necessarily a reason for impeachment, however.
The question underlines the precarious position the French president's partner has put herself in.
But that, of course, is not how these things work, and the AHRC's panicky declaration only underlines the impossible position it has got into in recent years as it has desperately tried to justify the funding of research in the arts and humanities by directing it towards areas it thinks Whitehall will approve of.
This week's visit to Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles underlined the west coast's position as a Democratic bastion and offered the president respite from criticism in Washington over health care and the Iran deal.
Angus Campbell, leader of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council), described the report as an "excellent piece of work" which underlined the local authority's position on renewable energy of the past 10 years.
But the test – which exposed banks to headwinds in the global economy and dramatic movements in currency markets – also underlined the drop in the capital position of bailed-out Royal Bank of Scotland and the hit taken by Barclays observed under the imaginary scenarios.
A supporter of Kendall said she made it obvious this was not her position, and repeatedly underlined the scale of the challenge facing the party.
Several layers of disciplinary actions and surveillance, explicit and implicit, underline the position of children in public places.
The underlying divisions at Anfield were underlined by the positions taken up by at opposite ends of the director's box taken up the club's owners Hicks and Gillett and their entourages.
