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20060731

US - Iran - Nuclear - Military - UN - Germany - Britain - France - Russia - China - "Rice tells Iran to heed UN, or face sanctions." ... "U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged Iran on Monday to heed a U.N. resolution demanding it suspend uranium enrichment by August 31 or face sanctions." ... "The United Nations passed a resolution on Monday which gives Iran until the end of this month to suspend its enrichment activities or face "appropriate measures" under Article 41 of Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which pertains to economic sanctions." ... "Rice said the U.N. resolution did not "close the door to diplomacy" with Iran, adding Tehran still had a package of incentives on the table presented by Germany and the five Security Council members with veto power -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China." -By Sue Pleming -WashingtonPost

20060607

US - EU - Intelligence - Terrorism - Law Enforcement - Prisons - Transport - Human Rights - Politics - Britain - Germany - Italy - Sweden - Turkey - Spain - Romania - Poland - "Probe of CIA Prisons Implicates EU Nations." ... "Fourteen European nations colluded with U.S. intelligence in a "spider's web" of human rights abuses to help the CIA spirit terror suspects to illegal detention facilities, a European investigator said Wednesday." ... "Swiss senator Dick Marty's report to Europe's top human rights body was thin on evidence but raises the possibility of a cover-up involving both friends and critics of Washington's war on terror. It says European governments "did not seem particularly eager to establish" the facts." ... "He listed 14 European countries - Britain, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Bosnia, Macedonia, Turkey, Spain, Cyprus, Ireland, Greece, Portugal, Romania and Poland - as being complicit in "unlawful interstate transfers" of people." -By Jan Sliva -AP via -Forbes

20060530

US - Iraq - Britain - Memorial Day - Journalists - Law - Politics - "Bloody Memorial Day In Iraq: U.S. Military Death Toll Rises To 2,467 As 8 Bombs Shake Nation." ... "Memorial Day is not on the Iraqi calendar, but May 29, 2006, will be remembered by many in Iraq, U.S., and Britain, for years to come." ... "At least 37 people were killed Monday in eight bombings –including a blast that took the lives of two CBS journalists and critically wounded a third – an increase in violence that one Iraqi lawmaker blames on continued discord within the national government." ... "CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier, cameraman Paul Douglas, and soundman James Brolan were doing what they thought would be a Memorial Day story on U.S. soldiers in Iraq when a bomb exploded just a few feet away in Baghdad." ... "The wave of car bombings – most of them in Baghdad - and other attacks swept both Sunni and Shiite areas of Iraq as the trial of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein moved through another day and Iraqi politicians continued the struggle over who should occupy key posts in the new national government." -AP -CBSNews

20060525

Australia - East Timor - US - British - Iraq - Afghanistan - Terrorism - Politics - "Australia rushes to troubled East Timor: East Timor's call for help Wednesday opened a new mission for an already stretched military." ... "Australian and other foreign troops were preparing to head for East Timor Wednesday after the former Portuguese colony issued an urgent appeal for help to quell weeks of unrest." ... "Canberra will shoulder the lion's share of the deployment, and was planning to send a battalion of up to 1,300 troops as well as helicopters and armored vehicles. Three warships already on standby in northern Australian waters will also be deployed." ... "For Australia, this is the latest in a string of recent deployments to neighboring failing nations. While often viewed with suspicion by some of its Asian neighbors, small, troubled states in the South Pacific often welcome military intervention by the country they have come to regard as a mostly benign Big Brother. But Australia's willingness to play this role, as well as its increasing commitments to the war on terror, is straining its military." ... "The pressures on Australia's military -which includes some 52,000 active-duty personnel and 20,000 reserve forces - are growing. The country was among the first to commit troops to the US-led invasion of Iraq and now has about 1,400 military personnel there - miniscule by US or British standards, but politically significant for Canberra. Australia has also sent 550 troops to Afghanistan, including a special forces task force." -By Nick Squires -CSMonitor

20060510

UK - US - Guantanamo Bay - Cuba - Military - Terrorism - Prisoners - Human Rights - "U.K. Attorney General Calls for U.S. to Close Guantanamo Camp." ... "U.K. Attorney General Peter Goldsmith called on the U.S. to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp for terror suspects, saying it is ``unacceptable.''" ... "``There are certain principles on which there can be no compromise,'' Goldsmith said during a speech in London today. ``Fair trial is one of those.''" -By Reed V. Landberg -Bloomberg

20060330

Iran - US - Germany - Russia - China - France - Britain - UN - Politics - "Iran Defiantly Rejects New U.N. Demands: Iran Rejects New U.N. Demands to Stop Uranium Enrichment; Rice Says International Community United." ... "Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned Iran on Thursday the "international community is united" in the dispute over its nuclear program, but a Tehran envoy defiantly rejected a U.N. call to reimpose a freeze on uranium enrichment." ... "Rice spoke after a meeting in Berlin among diplomats from the five veto-wielding members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany over ways to press Iran to stop enriching uranium, which can be used for weapons. Iran says its program is peaceful." ... "The meeting follows agreement Wednesday by the 15-member Security Council to ask the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, to report back in 30 days on Iran's compliance with demands to stop enriching uranium." ... "Wednesday's statement from the Security Council took into account the Russian and Chinese reservations about too much toughness, while meeting U.S., French and British calls for keeping the pressure on Tehran." (1, 2, 3) -AP via -ABCNEWS.com

20060327

US - Britain - Iraq - Military - UN - "Bush Was Set on Path to War, Memo by British Adviser Says." ... "In the weeks before the United States-led invasion of Iraq, as the United States and Britain pressed for a second United Nations resolution condemning Iraq, President Bush's public ultimatum to Saddam Hussein was blunt: Disarm or face war." ... "But behind closed doors, the president was certain that war was inevitable. During a private two-hour meeting in the Oval Office on Jan. 31, 2003, he made clear to Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain that he was determined to invade Iraq without the second resolution, or even if international arms inspectors failed to find unconventional weapons, said a confidential memo about the meeting written by Mr. Blair's top foreign policy adviser and reviewed by The New York Times." ... "The memo also shows that the president and the prime minister acknowledged that no unconventional weapons had been found inside Iraq. Faced with the possibility of not finding any before the planned invasion, Mr. Bush talked about several ways to provoke a confrontation, including a proposal to paint a United States surveillance plane in the colors of the United Nations in hopes of drawing fire, or assassinating Mr. Hussein." ... "Those proposals were first reported last month in the British press, but the memo does not make clear whether they reflected Mr. Bush's extemporaneous suggestions, or were elements of the government's plan." -By Don Van Natta Jr. -NYTimes

20060117

Russia - China - Iran - Britain - France - Germany - US - UN - Nuclear - Military - Energy - "Russia, China join pressure against Iran." ... "The five nations with permanent seats on the UN Security Council agreed at a crisis meeting Monday that Iran must suspend attempts to make nuclear fuel, but Russia and China stopped short of demanding that Iran be referred to the Security Council for possible sanctions." ... "The crisis was set in motion in August when Iran broke the IAEA's monitoring seals on the fuel-conversion line at its Isfahan plant, thus breaking its agreement with Britain, France and Germany not to make nuclear fuel. The Europeans, backed by Washington, referred the matter to the IAEA, which passed a resolution criticizing Iran but declined to vote on referring the matter to the UN." ... "That emboldened the Iranians to push the envelope a bit further. This month they cracked the seals on the uranium-enrichment plant at Natanz, provoking the Europeans to declare that its 2 1/2-year effort to find a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear ambitions had reached a dead end." (1, 2) -By Tom Hundley and Alex Rodriguez -ChicagoTribune

20051230

Pakistan - Religious - Schools - Politics - Terrorism - London bombings - UK - "Pakistan's Islamic schools resist expulsion order: · Ban on foreign students followed London bombs · Leaders claim Musharraf ruling is discriminatory." ... "Leaders of Pakistan's 13,000 madrasas have vowed to defy a government deadline to expel foreign students by December 31, saying the regulations discriminate against religious schools." ... "President Pervez Musharraf required Pakistan's madrasas to expel about 1,800 foreign students after the July 7 bombings in London highlighted the extremist links of some schools. Three of the London bombers were of Pakistani descent, and the Aldgate bomber, Shehzad Tanweer, attended a Lahore madrasa that has since been linked to Islamist militants." -By Imtiaz Gul -Guardian.co.uk

20051227

UK - EMail - Business - EU - Privacy - Telecommunications - "Businessman wins e-mail spam case." ... "A businessman has won what is believed to be the first victory of its kind by claiming damages from a company which sent him e-mail spam." ... "Three years ago the EU passed an anti-spam law, the directive on privacy and telecommunications, which gave individuals the right to fight the growing tide of unwanted e-mail by allowing them to claim damages."-BBC /News

20051216

UK - Gay - Law - Religion - "UK Weddings: Straights Can Wait." ... "At last. Only 40 odd years since homosexuality was decriminalized here in England, same sex couples will shortly be able to join together in civil (if not holy) matrimony." ... "From Wednesday, gay couples can legally combine their financial affairs, have next-of-kin rights at hospital and share in that once exclusively heterosexual activity – divorce. It doesn’t sound like the law is giving them much, but more than 12 hundred same sex couples have already registered their intent to ‘marry’." ... "Now, I am told that these will not be marriages in the eyes of God – because apparently he would be absolutely furious with the idea of two people who love each other making a life-long commitment to each other and forsaking all others ‘til death do they part."-CBSNews

20051212

UK - Oil - Disaster - Water - Environment - "UK oil depot fire 'largest of kind'." ... "Firefighters are battling blazes at three tanks still burning after Sunday's massive explosions at a fuel depot north of London while investigators search for clues as to what caused powerful explosions that started the blaze." ... "Using fire suppressant foam and water, the firefighters successfully put down fires in 10 other tanks at Buncefield Oil Depot near Hemel Hempstead and kept the flames away from seven more after the blasts, which injured 43 people and were felt 40 kilometers (25 miles) away in London." ... "The fire department said they were "making good progress" against the fire." ... "Fire and environmental officials spent much of the night discussing how to tackle the blaze without polluting local water supplies." -AP -CNN
Children - Science - UK - "Colds 'may trigger child cancers': Scientists have found further compelling evidence infections such as colds may trigger childhood cancers." ... "The University of Newcastle-led team looked at 3,000 childhood cancers in 0 to 14-year-olds from 1954 to 1998, the European Journal of Cancer reported." ... "Researchers found unusual clusters of brain tumours and leukaemia which were typical of infection-related disease." ... "But children would need genetic factors to make them susceptible, they added. Experts said more evidence was needed." ... "It was even possible infections caught by mothers while pregnant could trigger the cancers, the report said." ... "But the researchers stressed the findings did not mean people could "catch cancer"."-BBC /News

20051209

UK - Auto - Transportation - "End of the road for the traditional London bus." ... "The "London bus" - the iconic, ever-popular double-decker with its half-cab, old-fashioned bell, conductor and open rear platform, the star of postcards, guide book covers and film - will run for the last time today on a mainstream route." ... "When the number 159 rolls into Brixton garage in south London, an era will have ended for the Routemaster, as it is known. It also marks the end of the road for the bus conductor in London." -By Simon Briscoe -FT.com

20051208

Iran - Israel - Saudi Arabia - Britain - Germany - History - "Iran's Ahmadinejad casts doubt on Holocaust." ... "Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday expressed doubt the Holocaust took place and suggested the Jewish state of Israel be moved to Europe." ... "His comments, reported by Iran's official IRNA news agency from a news conference he gave in the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca, follow his call in October for Israel to be "wiped off the map", which sparked widespread international outrage." ... "The latest comments also provoked quick condemnation. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called them "totally unacceptable" and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said "I condemn them unreservedly. They have no place in civilised political debate."" -By Paul Hughes with contributions by Jeffrey Heller -Reuters.co.uk

20051203

UK - Christmas - Business - "One of first Christmas cards is sold at auction." ... "A 162-year-old Christmas card — one of the first ever printed — sold at auction Saturday for $16,000." ... "The hand-colored card, which shows a family celebrating around a table, is one of about 10 surviving from an original batch of 1,000 printed in 1843, auctioneer Henry Aldridge said." ... "The cards were commissioned by Sir Henry Cole, a Londoner who is generally recognized as the inventor of the commercial Christmas card. " -AP via -USATODAY

20051108

US - UK - Global - Business - Climate - CA - "Charles in US climate change plea: Prince Charles has made an impassioned plea to US business leaders to take action on the "environmental crisis" threatening the world." ... "Focusing on climate change during a 35-minute speech in San Francisco [California], he told a 300-strong audience: "We simply cannot go on as we are."" ... "He said the US had the chance to use its power and influence for the "greater good of the global community"." ... "He told the audience, drawn from the business, public and academic sectors: "Throughout my lifetime, your country has been willing to take responsible action for the greater good of the global community, even when it had no direct need to do so." ... ""The environmental crisis we face is another situation in which I believe the United States could use its power and its influence to help create a sense of unity in a common cause among disparate peoples and sectors of society.""-BBC /News

20051103

US - Australia - Canada - New Zealand - Britain - Germany - Consumer - Money - "U.S. Health Care Costs Big Money: Survey Says Americans Pay More, Get Disorganized Care." ... "Americans pay more when they get sick than people in other Western nations and receive more confused, error-prone treatment, according to the largest survey to compare U.S. health care with other nations." ... "The survey of nearly 7,000 sick adults in the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Britain and Germany found Americans were the most likely to pay at least $1,000 in out-of-pocket expenses. More than half went without needed care because of cost, the survey found, and more than a third endured mistakes and disorganized care when they did get treated." ... "While patients in every nation sometimes run into obstacles to getting care and face deficiencies in treatment, the United States stood out for having the highest error rates, most disorganized care and highest costs, the survey found." -By Rob Stein-WashingtonPost

20051027

Iran - UK - Israel - "Iran leader's words 'sicken' UK: Britain is to summon a top Iranian diplomat to protest against his president's comments about Israel." ... "Hardline Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for the Jewish state to be "wiped off the map"." ... "The Foreign Office will call in Iran's London chargé d'affaires on Thursday. It said the comments were "deeply disturbing and sickening"." -BBC /News

20051026

UK - Uzbekistan - "'Harassed' BBC shuts Uzbek office: The BBC is suspending its newsgathering operations in the Central Asian state of Uzbekistan due to security concerns." ... "All local staff are being withdrawn and the office in the capital Tashkent will close for at least six months pending a decision on its long term future." ... "Regional Head Behrouz Afagh said the staff had been harassed and intimidated in recent months, making it difficult for them to do their job." ... "But he said the BBC remained committed to covering events in Uzbekistan."-BBC /News

20051016

US - Syria - Iran - France - Russia - Britain - Military - Nuclear - "Rice enlists support for Syria, Iran showdowns." ... "U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice mobilized support among major powers for diplomatic showdowns over the next few weeks with Syria and Iran on a trip that ended on Sunday." ... "Over three days, Rice held talks with the leaders of France, Russia and Britain -- all holders of vetoes at the U.N. Security Council - on how to make the two U.S. foes meet U.N. security demands." ... "In a show of diplomacy that reflected the Bush administration's efforts this year to consult partners more, Rice crisscrossed Europe seeking to build a common front against Syria's suspected support for militants in Lebanon and Iran's nuclear ambitions." (1, 2) -Reuters

20051006

Iraq - Iran - UK - "Blair Says Bombs Used in Iraq May Be Linked to Iran (Update2)." ... "U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair today said that there is evidence tying Iran to bombings in neighboring Iraq in the first public accusation that the Shiite Muslim country is supporting militants in Iraq." ... "``There have been new explosive devices used against British troops and elsewhere,'' Blair said. ``The particular nature of those devices leads us to either Iranian elements or Hezbollah that is funded and supported by Iran." ... "``We can't be certain of this at this time,'' he told a news conference in London with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, carried live by international broadcasters. ``Obviously, we will continue our investigations'' and ``discussions'' with Iran." -By Caroline Alexander -Bloomberg

20050920

- - - - - - Politics - "U.S., EU Want Iran Sent Before UN Security Council (Update3)." ... "U.S. and European diplomats drafted a resolution asking the United Nations Security Council to confront Iran about its intention to enrich uranium." ... "The resolution asks the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency to report Iran to the Security Council, according to a four-page draft obtained by Bloomberg News. The 15-member council should tell Iran to suspend uranium enrichment, it said." ... "Calls to send Iran before the Security Council intensified after talks with France, Germany and the U.K., representing the European Union, collapsed last month. Iran broke IAEA seals on an idled uranium conversion plant on Aug. 9. Iran says it needs nuclear fuel to generate electricity. The U.S. says the Islamic Republic wants to build an atomic bomb." -By Jonathan Tirone -Bloomberg

20050819

Lesotho - - - - "Brain drain hurts Lesotho AIDS fight - UN official." ... "The brain drain drawing Africa's nurses to the West has hobbled the fight against HIV/AIDS in Lesotho, a tiny kingdom where up to 30 percent of adults already have the virus, a U.N. official said on Friday." ... "Stephen Lewis, the U.N. special envoy for AIDS in Africa, said Lesotho's battle against AIDS highlighted problems in the international community's response to the disease in Africa, home to some 25 million of the world's total estimated 37.8 million people living with HIV." ... ""The problem now is human capacity. Lesotho has a problem of nurses. Lesotho like other African countries is struggling with brain drain to countries such as Britain and Canada," he said." -By Ntsau Lekhetho -Reuters

20050808

- - - - "British navy frees stricken Russian submarine." ... "A Russian submarine was freed from fishing nets entangling it and its seven crew members were saved by an unmanned British rescue vehicle yesterday after being trapped for three days in the Pacific Ocean with dwindling oxygen supplies." ... "Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, kept a low profile during the incident but yesterday charged his defence minister Sergei Ivanov with investigating its causes. Earlier, Mr Ivanov flew to the scene of the accident off the Kamchatka peninsula in the far east of Russia to oversee the rescue operation, involving the British and US navies." -By Arkady Ostrovsky -FT.com

20050805

- - Religion - Civil Liberties - "Blair Vows New Laws to End Sanctuary for Muslim Extremists." ... "Prime Minister Tony Blair today promised new measures to close down mosques and bar or deport clerics deemed to be fostering hatred and violence, bringing the country's antiterrorism policy more into line with its neighbors' and answering critics who say Britain has given shelter to Islamic extremists for years." ... "He also said two Islamic organizations would be banned. A global list would be drawn up of people "whose activities or views pose a threat to Britain's security," and they would be kept out of Britain." ... "The changes, which will require Parliament's approval, strike a new note in the ongoing debate here about the balance between civil liberties and national security." (1, 2) -By Alan Cowell -NYTimes

20050730

- - - Guantanamo Bay - - Religion - "Carter: Guantanamo Detentions Disgraceful." ... "Former President Carter said Saturday the detention of terror suspects at the Guantanamo Bay Naval base was an embarrassment and had given extremists an excuse to attack the United States." ... "Carter also criticized the U.S.-led war in Iraq as "unnecessary and unjust."" ... ""I think what's going on in Guantanamo Bay and other places is a disgrace to the U.S.A.," he told a news conference at the Baptist World Alliance's centenary conference in Birmingham, England. "I wouldn't say it's the cause of terrorism, but it has given impetus and excuses to potential terrorists to lash out at our country and justify their despicable acts."" ... "Carter said, however, that terrorist acts could not be justified, and that while Guantanamo "may be an aggravating factor ... it's not the basis of terrorism."" -By Cassandra Vinograd-WashingtonPost

20050707

- Transport - London bombings - "London blasts: At a glance." ... "Blast timeline: 0851 Seven people die in a blast on a train 100 yards from Liverpool Street station." ... "0856 21 people die in a blast on a train between Russell Square and King's Cross stations 0917." ... "Five people die in blast on a train at Edgware Road station 0947." ... "An unknown number die in a blast on a bus at Tavistock Place."-BBC /News
- - London bombings - "Hundreds treated following blasts: Hospitals across London have treated significant numbers of casualties after blasts killed at least 38 people." ... "Police said 700 people were hurt in the four explosions, 300 of whom were taken to hospital by ambulance. Of these, 95 were left seriously injured." ... "Wounded people were assessed at triage minor injuries sites set up near the blasts, with the most serious being taken to nearby hospitals." ... "Public buses also took some of the wounded to hospital." ... "Many hospitals put their major incident plans into operation immediately after the blasts." ... "Under the measures, hospitals can call in off-duty staff and halt non-urgent surgery to free up theatres."-BBC /News
- - - London bombings - "London under attack." ... "Once it had happened, it produced an awful feeling of inevitability. The series of terrorist attacks on London's Underground and bus system at the end of the morning rush hour on July 7th were presumably timed to coincide with the opening meetings of the G8 rich-country summit in Gleneagles in Scotland. The fact that less than a day earlier London had been filled with jubilation at having won the race to host the 2012 Olympic games may have given the perpetrators an extra dose of satisfaction. We shall never know, but nor, actually, should we care. Such a pointless display of brutality should instead bring forth two thoughts. One is that the surprise should be that this has not occurred sooner. The other is that such attacks should not, and will not, make any difference to the way Londoners live and work." ... "George Bush has sometimes claimed that a silver lining to the cloud his forces are struggling through in Iraq is that at least the West's enemies are being fought there rather than at home. The attacks in London are a reminder that that view is as wrong as it is glib." ... "Might the attacks affect Tony Blair's ability to keep British troops in Iraq presumably the terrorists' goal, if they are indeed related to al-Qaeda?" ... "Far likelier, the attacks will reinforce the case for pressing on with the long-term task, as defined by Mr Blair: the establishment of a stable democracy in Iraq, peace between Israel and Palestine, and democratic reform elsewhere in the Middle East. If that sounds rather close to Mr Bush's policy, that's because it is. No terrorists can change that." -Economist
- - London bombings - "The Terror in London." ... ""This is clearly an al-Qaida style attack. It was well-coordinated, it was timed for a political event and it was a multiple attack on a transportation system at rush hour," said Lawrence Freedman, professor of war studies at King's College in London." ... "London Mayor Ken Livingstone said the blasts were "mass murder" carried out by terrorists bent on "indiscriminate ... slaughter."" ... ""This was not a terrorist attack against the mighty or the powerful ... it was aimed at ordinary working-class Londoners," said Livingstone, in Singapore where he supported London's Olympic bid. Giselle Davies, an International Olympic Committee spokeswoman, said the committee still had "full confidence" in London." -By Jane Wardell -AP via -BusinessWeek
- - - Religion - London bombings - "The Message in the British Blasts: If radical Islamics are behind the bombings, it shows how far the war on terrorists has to go. It also shows the strength of the stricken." ... "Who's responsible for the bus and subway bombings in London on July 7 isn't clear yet. But if it turns out to be the work of Islamic militants, the message will be that after nearly four years of pursuing terrorists around the world, such groups are still very much with us and capable of wreaking havoc -- even in the heart of the British capital." ... "That's not to say the original al Qaeda group built around Osama bin Laden hasn't been badly damaged. It has." ... "But the radical Islamic movement has metastasized. Satellite groups are now spread around the world. Europe, which is nearer to the Middle East and has a far larger Islamic population than the U.S. has, is a hotbed of such groups." -By Stanley Reed and Laura Cohn edited by Beth Belton -BusinessWeek
- Transport - Religion - "Britain launches search for bombers: Blasts kill at least 37, wound 700." ... "Britain has launched an intense search for those responsible for a series of four coordinated bombings Thursday in London's transport system that killed at least 37 people." ... "The Group of al Qaeda of Jihad Organization in Europe claimed responsibility in a Web site posting. The authenticity of the claim could not immediately be verified." ... "Blair stressed that the bombers did not reflect the views of most Muslims." ... ""We know that these people act in the name of Islam, but we also know that the vast and overwhelming majority of Muslims here and abroad are decent, law abiding people who abhor the act of terrorism every bit as much as we do," he said." -CNN
- Transportation - - - - "Four London Blasts Kill 40, Injure 700." ... "Four explosions rocked the London subway and tore open a packed double-decker bus during the morning rush hour Thursday, sending bloodied victims fleeing in the worst attack on London since World War II. At least 40 people were killed, U.S. officials said, and more than 700 were wounded." ... "The four blasts went off within an hour, beginning at 8:51 a.m. (3:51 a.m. EDT), and hit three subway stations and the double-decker bus. Authorities immediately shut down the subway and bus lines that log 8.4 million passenger trips every weekday." ... "As the city's transportation system ground to a near-halt, buses were used as ambulances and an emergency medical station was set up at a hotel. Rescue workers, police and ordinary citizens streamed into the streets to help." -By Jane Wardell with contributions by Jill Lawless, Barry Renfrew, Emily Rotberg, Sarah Blaskovich, Emma Ross and Nick Mead -AP via -Guardian.co.uk

20050625

US - UK - Canada - WV - Washington - Hastings - DeLay - Abramoff - Ed Cassidy - Nuclear - Money - Travel - Law - "Ethics claims target Doc Hastings." ... "[Washington state Republican Representative] Rep. Doc Hastings, already under fire as chairman of the stalled House ethics committee, accepted a $7,800 trip to England [UK] in 2000 from a company he championed for a multibillion-dollar contract at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, records released by an advocacy group yesterday show." ... "In addition, other records released yesterday by a political Web site show that Hastings, a Republican from Pasco, did not file a required travel report for a 2004 trip to a resort on Stuart Island, B.C. [British Columbia, Canada] That was paid for by another company also working at Hanford." ... "Hastings has been under fire for not scheduling hearings on ethics allegations against House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. DeLay is accused of accepting a trip paid for by lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who is under investigation over allegations that he defrauded clients of millions of dollars." ... "The ethics committee has been stalled for six weeks. Democrats, led by ranking member Alan Mollohan [Representative] of West Virginia, declined to meet after Hastings proposed making his longtime chief of staff, Ed Cassidy, staff director for the committee." ... "Mollohan said that violates rules that say professional staffers who take part in investigations of House members must be nonpartisan and elected by committee members."I don't think it's possible to make the rule clearer," he said. "It is very simple."" -By Alicia Mundy -SeattleTimes

20050516

- - - - - - - - - "Countries circulate resolution to expand U.N. Security Council." ... "Brazil, Germany, India and Japan circulated a draft resolution Monday that would expand the U.N. Security Council from 15 to 25 members and give the four countries permanent seats along with two African nations." ... "The draft says the new permanent members should have "the same responsibilities and obligations as the current permanent members" — the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France — which includes veto power over council resolution." -AP via -USATODAY
- - - - - - "Report: Saddam's Aides Used Oil As Reward." ... "Russian leaders received millions of dollars in Iraqi oil allocations from top representatives in Saddam Hussein's former government in hopes of ending U.N. penalties against Iraq, Senate investigators were told." ... "The Senate investigators said their interviews and documents from the former Iraqi government add to evidence in previous probes linking Russian officials to abuses in the $64 billion U.N. program. It was designed to permit Saddam to sell some oil and use the proceeds to buy food, medicine and other humanitarian items." ... "Documents released by the panel last week claimed former French Interior Minister Charles Pasqua and British politician George Galloway also accepted allocations, charges both men deny." (1, 2) -By Ken Guggenheim -AP via-WashingtonPost

20050512

- - - - - "U.S. backs Europeans on Iran warning." ... "The United States on Thursday backed France, Britain and Germany in their warning to Iran that they will break off talks over Tehran's nuclear program if it resumes uranium enrichment." ... "France, Britain and Germany warned in a letter to Iran that they would end negotiations over Iran's nuclear program if Tehran went ahead with uranium enrichment as it has threatened to do."-Reuters via -AlertNet.org/Newsdesk

20050508

- "Election 2005."-BBC /News

20050506

- - New York - - - "Blasts near British Consulate in N.Y. probed: No injuries cited; explosions occur as Britons vote." ... "Two homemade grenades exploded early yesterday in a large concrete planter outside the Manhattan office building that houses the British Consulate about the time the polls were opening for Britain's general election." ... "No one was injured, and police emphasized they did not know whether the consulate was the target. Authorities were studying images from 17 surveillance cameras in and around the midtown Manhattan building in an effort to identify who planted two grenades about 3:30 a.m." ... "Counterterrorism specialists, the FBI, and intelligence officers were helping with the investigation, [New York Police Commissioner Raymond] Kelly said." -By Tatsha Robertson with contribitions by Susan Milligan, Charlie Savage, Glenn Yoder and the -AP -Boston/Globe
- "Tony Blair wins historic 3rd term." ... "Prime Minister Tony Blair has become the first Labour leader to win three consecutive terms as British voters returned his party to power with a dramatically reduced majority." ... "Blair, who spoke after returning from Buckingham Palace where the Queen asked him to form a new government, called his historic win a "tremendous honour and privilege."" ... "With 618 of the 646 seats in the House of Commons reporting, Labour had 353, the Conservatives had 194, the Liberal Democrats had 59 and other parties had 12." ... "To form a majority, a party needs 324 seats." -CBC.ca

20050503

- - Homes - "Homes: U.K. went cold; U.S. could too: U.S. homeowners can learn a lot from the housing slowdown in the U.K. market." ... "Americans aren't the only ones who've gotten rich off real estate. In fact, home price gains in the United Kingdom dwarf those of the United States." ... "Between the fourth quarter of 2000 and 2004, U.K. home prices increased 88 percent, on average, according to the Halifax house price index. U.S. home prices, meanwhile, increased 35 percent during that time, according to the National Association of Realtors." ... "Then, with little warning, the market cooled." ... "While economists disagree on whether the U.K. is experiencing a temporary lull or the beginning of a housing bust, buyers there seem to be waking up to the idea that double-digit price gains can't last forever. Prices overall have been flat, with small increases in some areas and declines in others." -By Sarah Max -CNN
- - - - - - "Iran Rejects Efforts to Halt Its Nuclear Program (Update2)." ... "Iran rejects U.S. and European efforts to block its development of nuclear technology, and is determined to continue a uranium enrichment program, Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said at the United Nations." ... "France, Germany and the U.K. have been in talks to convince Iran to halt an enrichment program, which the U.S. says is intended to produce nuclear weapons. Iran, one of 188 nations that have ratified the treaty, agreed in November to suspend its nuclear activities in exchange for trade and economic concessions." -By Bill Varner -Bloomberg

20050430

- - - - - "Iran 'may restart nuclear program'." ... "Iran said Saturday it is likely to resume uranium enrichment-related activities within a week, a process it halted last year to build confidence in talks with European countries and avoid referral to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions." ... "Tehran's announcement came a day after talks in London with European negotiators yielded no results. France, Britain and Germany, acting on behalf of the 25-nation European Union, are seeking guarantees from Iran that it will not use its nuclear program to make weapons, as Washington suspects." -AP via -CNN

20050424

- - - Tom DeLay - "DeLay Airfare Was Charged To Lobbyist's Credit Card." ... "The airfare to London and Scotland in 2000 for then-House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) was charged to an American Express card issued to Jack Abramoff, a Washington lobbyist at the center of a federal criminal and tax probe, according to two sources who know Abramoff's credit card account number and to a copy of a travel invoice displaying that number." ... "DeLay's expenses during the same trip for food, phone calls and other items at a golf course hotel in Scotland were billed to a different credit card also used on the trip by a second registered Washington lobbyist, Edwin A. Buckham, according to receipts documenting that portion of the trip." ... "House ethics rules bar lawmakers from accepting travel and related expenses from registered lobbyists. DeLay, who is now House majority leader, has said that his expenses on this trip were paid by a nonprofit organization and that the financial arrangements for it were proper. He has also said he had no way of knowing that any lobbyist might have financially supported the trip, either directly or through reimbursements to the nonprofit organization." -By R. Jeffrey Smith with contributions by Lucy Shackelford, Alice Crites and Madonna Lebling -WashingtonPost

20050417

- - - - Languages - Secrets - "Decoded at last: the 'classical holy grail' that may rewrite the history of the world: Scientists begin to unlock the secrets of papyrus scraps bearing long-lost words by the literary giants of Greece and Rome." ... "For more than a century, it has caused excitement and frustration in equal measure - a collection of Greek and Roman writings so vast it could redraw the map of classical civilisation. If only it was legible." ... "Now, in a breakthrough described as the classical equivalent of finding the holy grail, Oxford University scientists have employed infra-red technology to open up the hoard, known as the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, and with it the prospect that hundreds of lost Greek comedies, tragedies and epic poems will soon be revealed." ... "In the past four days alone, Oxford's classicists have used it to make a series of astonishing discoveries, including writing by Sophocles, Euripides, Hesiod and other literary giants of the ancient world, lost for millennia. They even believe they are likely to find lost Christian gospels, the originals of which were written around the time of the earliest books of the New Testament." -By David Keys and Nicholas Pyke -Independent.co.uk
- - - Tom DeLay - Travel - "When Tom Met Jack: Inside the cozy relationship between Tom DeLay and D.C.'s most notorious lobbyist. Could it take the leader down?" ... "It was congress's holiday for memorial Day 2000, and majority whip Tom DeLay's staff thought the boss and two top aides deserved a respite from the arduous hours they had been putting in doing the people's business. They wanted to make sure DeLay's little delegation had the finest of everything on its weeklong trip to Britain—from lodgings at the Four Seasons Hotel in London to dinners at the poshest restaurants with the most interesting people, right down to the best tickets for The Lion King—at the time, one of the hottest shows playing on the West End and one for which good seats usually meant a six-month wait. So DeLay's congressional office turned to someone they trusted far more than any travel agent or concierge: lobbyist Jack Abramoff. "He ran all the trips," recalls a former top DeLay aide. "You ask where the itineraries came from, who made all the travel arrangements—it all came out of Jack's shop." ... "Previous trips had taken DeLay and members of his staff all over the world, but none had been planned quite as meticulously as this one."" (1, 2, 3, 4) -By Karen Tumulty -TIME.com

20050415

- - - Autos - "MG Rover's collapse jolts British election: Britain's last major carmaker filed for a type of bankruptcy last week, putting pressure on Blair." ... "No sooner had Prime Minister Tony Blair called Britain's election than the country was shaken by the dramatic collapse of one of its biggest industrial names." ... "The victim was MG Rover, which filed for bankruptcy last week after a takeover bid from a Chinese automaker foundered. The demise of Britain's last major domestic carmaker is a blow to its once-proud automobile sector, which has suffered assembly plant closures and surrendered major marques like Jaguar and Rolls Royce to overseas giants in recent years." ... "In political terms, it's as if General Motors went bust less than a month before a US presidential election." -By Mark Rice-Oxley -CSMonitor

20050412

- - Autos - "The wrong and winding road." ... "After proud decades of production, the MG Rover car plant in Longbridge, in the English Midlands, is silent. Rover's workers have been told to stay at home, the company is in administration and its suppliers are not sending parts for fear that they will not be paid. All that keeps Britain's last volume carmaker alive is an emergency drip feed of funds from the government, which is paying almost £1m ($1.9m, €1.4m) a day to keep Rover going." ... "To what end? Officials say they have not given up hope that takeover talks with Shanghai Automotive, the Chinese carmaker, can be revived. But Shanghai Automotive does not want to resume talks. Some critics believe the government is simply trying to postpone Rover's final collapse until after the UK's general election on May 5. It is the final absurdity in a long history of failed UK industrial policy." -By Krishna Guha, Jonathan Guthrie, John Griffiths and Jean Eaglesham -FT.com
Tom DeLay - - - Ohio - "Influence-peddling inquiry focuses on Indian tribes' lobbyist." ... "Jack Abramoff, one of Washington's most powerful and best paid lobbyists, needed $100,000 in a hurry." ... "Abramoff, known to envious competitors as "Casino Jack" because of his multimillion-dollar lobbying fees from the gambling operations of Indian tribes, wrote to a Texas tribe in June 2002 to say that a member of Congress had "asked if we could help (as in cover) a Scotland golf trip for him and some staff" that summer." ... ""The trip will be quite expensive," Abramoff said in the e-mail, estimating that the bills "would be around $100K or more." He added that in 2000, "We did this for another member - you know who."" ... "Abramoff did not explain why the tribe should pay for the lavish trip or identify the congressmen by name. But a tribe spokesman has since testified to Congress that the 2002 trip was organized for Representative Bob Ney, Republican of Ohio and chairman of the House Administration Committee, and that "you know who" was Tom DeLay, Republican of Texas, the House majority leader and old friend of Abramoff's." ... "Both lawmakers have said they believed that their trips to Britain complied with House travel rules." -By Philip Shenon -NYTimes via -IHT.com

20040303

Lesotho - "Prince Harry: Lesotho 'Needs Help'." ... "Britain's Prince Harry, on a two-month working trip to Lesotho, said Wednesday the tiny African kingdom needed help as it battles poverty, AIDS and a punishing drought." ... ""It's not a place that everybody really knows about," Harry told reporters at an orphanage about 62 miles south of the capital Maseru, one of a series of charity projects Harry has taken on since arriving in the landlocked country on February 13." -By By Joseph Oesi -Reuters

20050331

- - - "Report: Darfur Death Toll Nears 300,000." ... "The death toll in Darfur has been underestimated and is likely to be near 300,000, British lawmakers said Wednesday, calling the international response to the human tragedy ``scandalously ineffective.''" ... "While British members of Parliament dramatically raised the estimated death toll, an official in Prime Minister Tony Blair's government said it remains unknown." ... "Earlier this month, the United Nations estimated that since October 2003, about 180,000 people had died as a result of the upheaval, with about 2 million people displaced." -By Thomas Wagner -AP via -Guardian.co.uk

20050325

- - "Sponsors 'manipulate' scientists: One in 10 research scientists is under pressure to tailor findings to suit the work's sponsor, a UK survey suggests." ... "Women are more likely to be targeted than men, according to the poll of 358 scientists carried out by two unions." ... "More than 10% of scientists have been asked by their commercial backer to tailor their research conclusions to meet the sponsor's requirements, according to the survey of university and government laboratories." -By Melissa Jackson -BBC /News

20050324

- - - - - "Blair faces renewed pressure over legality of the Iraq war." ... "Prime Minister Tony Blair's government faced renewed pressure Thursday to explain why its top legal adviser apparently changed his mind only days before the Iraq invasion and ruled Britain's participation in the war would be legal." ... "Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told lawmakers Thursday that the attorney general reached his view independently. He accused the Conservatives of using the row as a ''smoke screen'' to divert attention from the fact that they too backed the war." -By Ed Johnson -AP via -Boston/Globe

20050321

- - - "Egyptian Blamed in Car Bombing at Qatar Theater." ... "The [Qatar] government said Sunday that an Egyptian man was responsible for exploding a car bomb outside a theater complex in Qatar's capital on Saturday night, killing a British teacher and testing this Persian Gulf emirate's confidence in its immunity from terrorist attack." -By Michelle Wallin -NYTimes

20050315

Nepal - - - - "Hundreds Arrested in Nepal at Rallies Urging Return to Democracy." ... "Security forces arrested hundreds of people calling for the restoration of democracy in the biggest protests since King Gyanendra imposed emergency rule last month, according to Nepali political parties and witnesses." ... "The Himalayan kingdom's five main political parties had called on their members to defy a ban on protests to register their opposition to Gyanendra's assumption of absolute power, which has been condemned by the governments of India, the United States and Britain." -Reuters via-WashingtonPost

20050312

- - "Gambling Interests Funded DeLay Trip: Later in 2000, Lawmaker's Vote Helped Defeat Regulatory Measure." ... "An Indian tribe and a gambling services company made donations to a Washington public policy group that covered most of the cost of a $70,000 trip to Britain by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), his wife, two aides and two lobbyists in mid-2000, two months before DeLay helped kill legislation opposed by the tribe and the company." ... "The sponsor of the week-long trip listed in DeLay's financial disclosures was the nonprofit National Center for Public Policy Research, but a person involved in arranging DeLay's travel said that lobbyist Jack Abramoff suggested the trip and then arranged for checks to be sent by two of his clients, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and eLottery Inc." -By James V. Grimaldi and R. Jeffrey Smith with contributions by Alice Crites, Lucy Shackelford and Don Pohlman -WashingtonPost

20050308

- STEM CELL NEWS - "Stem cell therapy safety boosted: A new way of growing human embryonic stem cells in the laboratory will reduce the risk that their use in therapy could go wrong, say scientists." ... "At present the cells are cultured using live animal cells which carries the risk of contamination with viruses and other harmful agents." ... "Researchers at Advanced Cell Technology in Boston have developed a method which avoids the use of animal cells." ... "The Advanced Cell Technology team has developed a way to replace the use of animal cells with a sterile protein matrix." ... "Tests on stem cells cultured using the new technique for six months showed that they retained their ability to form different tissues." ... "Dr Stephen Minger of King's College London, who created the first embryonic stem (ES) cell line in the UK, said the new work was a step forward." ... "However, he said that the culture medium was still derived from animal sources." ... ""This might be cell free and serum free, but it is not animal free.""-BBC /News

20050226

- - - - Air - "Plans to harness the wind divide the moors: Some Scots see turbines as costly blight." ... "Sarah Burchall had always liked the idea of wind energy. "I thought: It's renewable and it's clean, part of the lifestyle I'd chosen to live," said Burchall, an earthy woman who farms here in the blustery hills of southern Scotland." ... "But that idyllic view changed drastically last April, when Scottish Power announced plans to open an industrial-strength wind farm, with more than 100 thrumming 400-foot-high, or 120-foot, wind turbines, in the Ae Forest across from her home." ... ""I could accept this if this was really about clean energy, but it's not," said Burchall, who has organized a local group called Trees Not Turbines. "This is all about business. It's an enormous imposition on the community, and we feel helpless because of the amount of money that's at stake."" ... "Advocates say that the turbines can be absorbed by Scotland's vast landscapes." ... "Behind aesthetics run serious scientific divisions about the ability of wind technology to produce power and reduce greenhouse gases." -By Elisabeth Rosenthal -IHT.com
- - - Utah - - "Underwater bike ride to launch students' eight-week crime spree." ... "Starting in the liberal state of California, they hope to evade the attention of local police officers when they ride a bike in a swimming pool and curse on a crazy-golf course." ... "In the far more conservative - and landlocked - state of Utah, they will risk the penitentiary when they hire a boat and attempt to go whale-hunting." ... ""There are thousands of stupid laws in the United States, but we are limiting ourselves to breaking about 45 of them," said Richard Smith, from Portreath, Cornwall." -By Gerard Seenan -Guardian.co.uk
- - - "Soldiers in Iraq abuse case sent to prison: Army apologises to victims after three dismissed in disgrace for treatment of prisoners." ... "Three British soldiers convicted of abusing prisoners in Iraq were dismissed with disgrace from the army and sent to a military prison by a court martial panel late last night. The sentence prompted the army to apologise to the victims and the Iraqi people." ... "The sentences prompted the men's lawyers to claim they had been made scapegoats to protect more senior soldiers who had been involved in the mistreatment of Iraqi civilians at Camp Breadbasket near Basra in May 2003." -By Audrey Gillan -Guardian.co.uk

20040723

- "Aid planes due to leave for Sudan: The government has defended its efforts over the Sudan crisis, as UK aid planes prepare to leave for the country." ... "Oxfam planes will fly from Manston Airport in Kent on Friday, for the western region of Darfur." ... "An estimated million people face famine and disease after Arab militias forced them from their homes. Some 10,000 are already thought to be dead."-BBC/News

20040721

- - - - - - "Poor Relations With Iran Turning Worse." ... "The Bush administration is pressing Britain, France and Germany for strong measures against Iran in response to its violation of a nonproliferation agreement reached with the three last fall, a State Department official said Wednesday." ... "The issue is part of a deepening American concern over recent Iranian activities that range from weapons programs to terrorism. To head off a potential crisis, some analysts believe the administration should work harder to promote a dialogue with Iran." ... "The United States believes Iran is developing nuclear weapons, a view reinforced by Iran's recent decision to resume construction of centrifuges. This is a key step in the development of a uranium-based bomb, one that Iran promised the Europeans last fall that it would not take." -By George Gedda -AP via -Newsday.com

20040422

- - - "Fury over Diana crash photos: Princess Diana's family, British media and the prime minister have expressed outrage at a U.S. television network's decision to broadcast pictures of the princess as she lay dying." ... "CBS, which aired the images in its "48 Hours" program, said the photos were included in a 4,000-page confidential French investigators' file on the accident and that they were not graphic or exploitative." ... "But British newspapers and friends and family of Diana and Fayed strongly disagreed." -CNN
- - - "UK court to review EU flight delay rule: Airline trade association IATA asked Britain's High Court to review pending EU rules that would force carriers to reimburse passengers for delays, even if caused by security measures or snowstorms." ... "The rules set a baseline of between two and four hours for permissible delays, depending on the length of journey, with anything above that forcing carriers to reimburse passengers."-Reuters via -CNN

20040420

- - - "Israeli Nuclear Whistleblower Vanunu to Go Free." ... "Israeli nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu goes free on Wednesday after 18 years in jail for spilling secrets that publicly placed the Jewish state among the world's top atomic powers." ... "But the former nuclear technician -- whose revelations to a British newspaper led analysts to conclude Israel had an arsenal of more than 100 nuclear warheads -- will still be subject to a list of stringent security measures to keep him silent." ... "Vanunu was jailed in 1986 for treason after disclosing information to Britain's Sunday Times." (1, 2) -By Megan Goldin -Reuters

20040320

- - - "Mass Extinction Not Inevitable." ... "Two new studies published this week in Science that show steep declines in bird, butterfly and plant populations across Great Britain provide the strongest proof yet that we are in the midst of the sixth great extinction of life." ... "The British analyzed six surveys covering virtually all of their native species populations over the last 40 years. They discovered birds and native plants had declined 54 percent and 28 percent respectively while butterflies experienced a shocking 71 percent decrease." ... "According to scientists, there have been five prior mass extinctions in the past 450 million years. The last was 65 million years ago, when the dinosaurs and tens of thousands of species disappeared, likely as a result of a comet or large asteroid hitting the Earth." -By Stephen Leahy -Wired

20040309

- - - - - - "Five Guantanamo Britons Fly Home, Fate Unsure." ... "Five British men jailed for more than two years at the U.S. Guantanamo base in Cuba headed home Tuesday -- posing anti-terror police a dilemma over whether to release them to their families or keep them behind bars." ... "The five, held since late 2001 or early 2002 with more than 600 others suspected of fighting with the Taliban in Afghanistan or supporting al Qaeda, were expected to reach the Northolt military air base near London around 7 p.m." ... "Police will take immediate custody of them, but if they decide there is no case against them under Britain's tough anti-terror laws, they may be freed in days, legal sources said." (1, 2) -By Andrew Cawthorne -Reuters

20040129

- - - "Afghan offensive planned to slow Al-Qaida." ... "The Pentagon is planning a new offensive in Afghanistan to stop remnants of the Taliban regime and the Al-Qaida terror network, officials said Wednesday, even as the second suicide assault in Kabul in two days killed one British soldier and injured four." -By Pauline Jelinek -AP via -StarTribune.com

- - - "Second BBC Exec Resigns Over Iraq Story: Second BBC Executive Resigns, Shaken Broadcaster Apologizes Over Report on Iraq Intelligence." ... "The chief of the BBC stepped down Thursday as the badly rattled broadcaster struggled to respond to harsh criticism from a judge who repudiated its report that the government "sexed up" intelligence on Iraq." ... "The resignation of British Broadcasting Corp. director-general Greg Dyke stunned BBC employees, and hundreds of them rallied outside the network's offices around Britain to show their support for him. One local BBC radio station briefly went off the air in protest." -AP via -ABCNEWS.com

20040128

- - - - "BBC Chairman Resigns After Hutton Criticism." ... "The chairman of the BBC resigned on Wednesday and the broadcaster apologized for some of its reporting on the buildup to the war in Iraq after an inquiry by a senior judge lambasted the corporation." ... "The report by Lord Hutton criticized journalist Andrew Gilligan, the BBC's management and its supervisory board of governors, for a radio report saying the government "sexed up" intelligence in a dossier on Iraqi weapons." -By Adam Pasick -Reuters
- - - - "Judicial Inquiry Clears Blair on Iraq Intelligence Claims: BBC Blamed for Broadcasting 'Unfounded' Allegations." ... "A judicial inquiry cleared Prime Minister Tony Blair on Wednesday of allegations aired by the BBC that he and his aides had exaggerated intelligence claims about Iraq's access to weapons of mass destruction and drove to suicide a British weapons expert who raised questions about those claims." ... "While exonerating Blair, Lord Brian Hutton blamed the BBC for broadcasting what he called "unfounded" allegations in May of 2003 that the government had published a "sexed-up" claim that Iraq could launch such weapons within 45 minutes of an order despite knowing it was probably wrong." -By Glenn Frankel -WashingtonPost

20040119

- - - "Annan Meets With U.S., U.K. on Iraq Role." ... "Secretary-General Kofi Annan sought ``greater clarity'' about a possible U.N. role in Iraq, meeting on Monday with U.S. and Iraqi officials as the Bush administration faced a dispute with a prominent Shiite cleric over choosing a provisional government." ... "The U.S.-led coalition wants to keep its June 30 timetable for the handover of power to an interim Iraqi government. But its plan for caucuses to choose a provisional assembly has been attacked by the country's most prominent Shiite leader, Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani, who has demanded direct elections." -By Edith M. Lederer -AP via -AJC

20040109

- - "Report: U.S. will release British detainees only if they are prevented from terrorist activity." ... "The United States will allow British detainees at Guantanamo Bay to return home only if they are prevented from engaging in terrorist activity, an American official was reported as saying Friday." ... "Pierre-Richard Prosper, the U.S. ambassador-at-large for war crime issues, said the nine Britons being held at the naval base in Cuba posed a serious or medium threat, The Times of London reported." ... "Prosper was quoted as saying they would have to be "detained and investigated, and-or prosecuted" if they came back to Britain." -By Michael McDonough with contributions by Stevenson Jacobs -AP via -SFGate.com

20040106

- - - "EU on Alert for More Letter Bombs; Suspect Letter at Italy Mission Turns Out to Be False Alarm." ... "EU officials and members of the European Parliament were warned to be extra vigilant after two bombs ignited Monday, one in the Brussels office of a leading German conservative member of the EU legislature and another in the office of a British socialist member in Manchester, England." ... "A third booby-trapped letter was intercepted in the Brussels office of a Spanish conservative in the Parliament." -AP via -ABCNEWS.com

20031222

- - "[UK] Intelligence officers had role in [Libya] deal." ... "MI6 officers and senior Foreign Office officials held a series of secret meetings with Colonel Gadafy's closest advisers before agreement with Libya was announced by Tony Blair and - soon afterwards - by George Bush on Friday." ... "A key meeting took place at the Travellers Club in Pall Mall, a traditional haunt of the intelligence community, last Tuesday. It was attended by William Ehrman, director general of defence and intelligence at the FO, David Landsman, head of the FO's counter-proliferation department, and two MI6 officers." -By Richard Norton-Taylor -Guardian.co.uk

20031218

- - - - - - - "Iraq Debt Relief Backing Rises, Hard Work Remains." ... "The Paris Club of creditor states can agree a debt relief deal for Iraq quickly but the agreement can be signed only when the country has an internationally recognized leadership, the Paris Club's president said on Thursday." ... "Increasing hopes that a deal will be reached, Britain said during a European tour by U.S. special envoy James Baker that it backed the idea of a substantial reduction in debts estimated at $120 billion." ... "The British comment echoed similar political pledges made this week by France, Germany and Italy after talks with Baker, who was visiting Britain and Russia on Thursday." -By Brian Love -Reuters

20031216

- - - "Coalition fears confirmed as blasts kill eight." ... "Iraqi insurgents confirmed US and British government fears that the arrest of Saddam could galvanise them by mounting two attacks yesterday on police stations, killing eight and injuring 22." ... "The fatal explosion occurred at Husseiniya, north of Baghdad, when a suicide bomber sped through a fence protecting a police station in a four-wheel drive packed with explosives. It hit another car and detonated after guards opened fire. Six policemen were killed, as well as the driver; about 20 people were wounded." -By Ewen MacAskill and Richard Norton-Taylor -Guardian.co.uk

20031215

- - - Execution News - "Analysis: Putting Saddam on trial: The Iraqi Governing Council intends to put Saddam Hussein on trial by an Iraqi court." ... "It is determined to resist calls for an international tribunal. Saddam Hussein could face the death penalty. It has been suspended by the occupation authorities but could be reinstated by an Iraqi government." ... "That in itself would be controversial. Britain, as a coalition partner, objects to execution on principle. But Iraqis may want it." ... "The British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said that Iraqis would "express a strong preference" for a trial in Iraq. International law, he said, also called for a domestic trial in such cases if possible." ... "The United States is firmly behind the Iraqi desire to try Saddam Hussein themselves" -By Paul Reynolds -BBC/News

20031209

- - "Iraq's students say, 'Welcome back, professor'." ... "In recent months, university presidents report that dozens of professors have returned from exile and are looking to get their jobs back. At the US-led Ministry of Higher Education, staffed by expatriate professors, hundreds more have e-mailed from England, the US, and the Netherlands to inquire about returning. They also want to offer donations and scholarships, and to start partnerships." -By Christina Asquith -CSMonitor

20031207

- - - - "Iraq delays hand Cheney firm $1bn: ·Key contract decisions postponed again. ·Blair drawn into row over lack of 'level playing fields'." ... "Halliburton, the engineering group formerly run by US vice-president Dick Cheney, has been given $1 billion worth of reconstruction work in Iraq by the US government without having to compete for it, thanks to repeated delays in opening up a key contract to competition." ... "The cost-plus contract means the amount spent by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), which is running the work, is open-ended, rather than being fixed at the outset, because the scope of the damage was unknown. The USACE described the contract as a 'bridge to competition', but original plans to award the work competitively in August have repeatedly slipped. So far, $1.7bn has been made available to Halliburton for the work." -By Oliver Morgan -Observer.co.uk via -Guardian.co.uk

20031126

- - "Iran Faces Censure for Nuclear Cover-Ups: Iran Faces Censure for Past Nuclear Cover-Ups Under Draft Resolution at U.N. Atomic Energy Meeting." ... "Iran faces censure for past nuclear cover-ups but escapes a direct threat of sanctions under a draft resolution to be presented at a U.N. atomic energy meeting." ... "A session of the International Atomic Energy Agency's board of governors is set Wednesday to approve the draft, which papers over the dispute between the United States and France, Germany and Britain." -AP via -ABCNEWS.com

20031121

- - - "Turkey arrests bombing suspects." ... "Turkish investigators arrested a number of suspects Friday in the deadly suicide bombings on the British consulate and a London-based bank the day before that have been blamed on al-Qaida. Foreign governments warned that Turkey could be the target of still more terrorist attacks." ... "Foreign minister Abdullah Gul confirmed some arrests had been made in connection with Thursday’s attacks but declined to give details." ... "The daily newspaper Hurriyet reported that police had detained and were interrogating seven people." -AP & -Reuters via -MSNBC

20031120

- "Series of Bombs Rocks Downtown Istanbul: At Least 26 Killed, More Than 450 Injured." ... "Powerful car-bomb explosions, apparently synchronized, ripped through Istanbul Thursday, killing at least 26 and injuring more than 450, according to preliminary reports from health authorities. The targets included the British consulate and a British bank." ... "Among the dead was Britain's consul-general, Roger Short, according to Britain's foreign office." ... "Neighborhoods near the bank and consulate -- separated by about five miles -- were devastated, with whole blocks reduced to rubble and ashes." -By Molly Moore and Fred Barbash -WashingtonPost

20031117

- - ""Fortress London" readies for Bush visit." ... "Armed police have turned the capital into "Fortress London" amid heightened fears of a guerrilla attack on the eve of U.S. President George W. Bush's visit." ... "The White House, wary of an al Qaeda strike, has insisted on tight precautions. Traditional events such as a horse-drawn carriage ride with the Queen will not be staged." -By Paul Majendie -Reuters

20031023

- - - - "Iran Still Has Nuclear Deadline, U.S. Says." ... "The Bush administration intends to press Iran to comply with an Oct. 31 deadline for opening the books on its past nuclear activities, senior officials said yesterday, as U.S. skepticism grew toward this week's surprise agreement by Iran to stop enriching uranium." ... "Iran's ruling clerics hailed Tuesday's nuclear accord with France, Germany and Britain. But U.S. and U.N. officials awaited the handover of new documents from Iran spelling out how and why the oil-rich nation built a number of sophisticated nuclear factories and laboratories in a rugged area south and west of Tehran." -By Joby Warrick -WashingtonPost

20031009

- - - - "Evicted Diego Garcia Residents Lose Case." ... "Hundreds of people who were evicted from an Indian Ocean island chain 30 years ago to make way for a U.S. military base have no right to return home or get compensation, a British judge ruled Thursday." ... "Still, Judge Duncan Ouseley at London's High Court said he was ``acutely conscious'' of the position of at least some of the claimants from the Chagos Islands. They were removed from the British territory between 1967 and 1973 to make way for the U.S. base on the island of Diego Garcia." ... "``It does appear that, in the absence of unexpectedly compelling evidence to the contrary, at least some claimant Chagossians could show that they were treated shamefully by successive U.K. governments,'' he said. " -By Michael McDonough -Guardian.co.uk

Judge's decision

20031007

- - "ITV merger gets go-ahead: Granada and Carlton can keep their advertising sales divisions." ... "The £4bn merger between Granada and Carlton TV, effectively creating a single ITV company, has been given the go-ahead by the government." ... "The merged ITV will control more than half of the commercial TV advertising market, but will have to sell airtime at guaranteed price levels to allay advertisers' fears that an ITV giant that controls 11 of the 15 regional companies would fix prices." ... "Creating a single ITV across England and Wales is a landmark in the 48-year history of the network, and will allow it to take on the BBC and commercial rivals such as BSkyB." -By Chris Tryhorn -Guardian.co.uk/media

20030812

- - "British open Iraq war inquiry." ... "The official inquiry into what was apparently the suicide of a leading British weapons expert [David Kelly] was told Monday that intelligence officers had registered concern at the way Prime Minister Tony Blair's government presented the threat from Iraq's weapons systems before going to war." ... "But senior government officials on the first full day of testimony at the inquiry denied that the government knowingly used false information to create a sense of imminent threat from Baghdad." -By Alan Cowell -NYTimes via -IHT.com

20030810

- - "London Temps Hit 100 for First Time As Heat Wave Slogs On; Wildfires Rage in Seven Countries." ... "In more arid regions, wildfires have blackened forests in Italy, France, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Croatia and the Netherlands." ... "Three separate fires were blazing in Portugal on Sunday, with the worst in the southern region of Algarve. Pinus Verde, an association of forest-product producers, analyzed satellite images from NASA to calculate forestland destroyed in two weeks of blazes: 741,316 acres, according to daily Publico." ... "Britons also gasped through a record-breaking day, watching thermometers climb above the 100 for the first time in Britain since temperatures have been recorded." -AP via -ABCNEWS.com

20030719

- "Weapons expert had slashed wrist: Police have confirmed that the expert at the centre of the Iraq dossier row bled to death from a slit wrist, as Tony Blair comes under increasing pressure over the affair." ... "Dr David Kelly, 59, was the suspected mole behind a BBC report that Downing Street communications director Alastair Campbell "sexed up" a dossier setting out the case for war." ... "Dr Kelly disappeared two days after being grilled by the Commons foreign affairs select committee as part of its inquiry into the use of intelligence in the run-up to the war in Iraq."-BBC/News

20030711

- - - "CIA asked Britain to drop Iraq claim: Advice on alleged uranium buywas refused." ... "The CIA tried unsuccessfully in early September 2002 to persuade the British government to drop from an official intelligence paper a reference to Iraqi attempts to buy uranium in Africa that President Bush included in his State of the Union address four months later, senior Bush administration officials said yesterday." ... "“We consulted about the paper and recommended against using that material,” a senior administration official familiar with the intelligence program said. The British government rejected the U.S. suggestion, saying it had separate intelligence unavailable to the United States." -By Walter Pincus with contributions by Karen DeYoung-WashingtonPost via -MSNBC

20030707

- - "British Panel Clears Blair of Charges of Doctoring Iraq Data." ... "A House of Commons committee cleared the government today of charges that it doctored evidence of Iraqi weapons, but the committee criticized the government's handling of intelligence findings, saying it resulted in Prime Minister Tony Blair's unknowingly misinforming Parliament." ... "The committee is one of two parliamentary panels looking into allegations that the government may have exaggerated the threat posed by Iraq before the war. The other, an intelligence panel, will take its testimony behind closed doors and submit its report to the prime minister for revisions before making it public." -NYTimes via -Google-News

- - "Iraq weapons claims criticised: Claims about Iraq's weapons were given too much weight by the government, MPs have ruled - but they have cleared media chief Alastair Campbell of "sexing up" intelligence." ... "The all-party foreign affairs committee says a suggestion that Iraq could deploy chemical and biological weapons within 45 minutes should not have been given such prominence by the government." ... "But in their 54-page verdict on how ministers made the case for war in Iraq, the MPs - in a split decision - say Mr Campbell did not make changes to a dossier on Iraq's weapons, as alleged in a BBC report." ... "In another finding upon which the committee were divided, the report says ministers did not mislead parliament over Iraq's weapons."-BBC/News

20030706

- - "Blair furious at BBC's attack on integrity." ... "Both Downing Street and the BBC were standing firm over their interpretation of the Radio 4 Today programme story by defence correspondent Andrew Gilligan on May 29, which alleged that intelligence officials were unhappy about the September 2002 dossier." ... "Downing Street insisted it had been accused of lying in Mr Gilligan's report by deliberately inserting information that Saddam Hussein could launch a biological or chemical weapons strike within 45 minutes." -FT.com
- - "Violence in Iraq spreads beyond military targets." ... "The point-blank shooting of an unarmed British reporter on a Baghdad street and a grenade attack on a U.N. compound raised concern Sunday that Iraq's worsening insurgency until now targeting only coalition troops and Iraqis accused of U.S. collaboration will spread to Westerners in general." ... "On Sunday, an assailant shot and killed a U.S. soldier waiting to buy a soft drink at Baghdad University, firing once from close range in the third such assault in nine days. The style was coldly similar to the killing of the young British freelance cameraman, who was shot in the head outside a Baghdad museum on Saturday." -AP via -USATODAY

20030625

- - - - - - "Britain and Russia's tentative warming trend: President Putin is in London this week in an historic visit by a Russian leader." ... "Having resolutely opposed the war that Britain waged with the United States in Iraq, Putin is now determined not to be muscled out of the peace. He insists that pre-war contracts with Iraq signed by oil giant LukOil be upheld by the provisional authority in the country. He also wants Iraq's former debts to Moscow, thought to be worth more than $8 billion, to be repaid." ... "On Iran, where Russia is helping build an atomic power plant, Putin denies that Russia is helping proliferate dangerous nuclear technology and is staunchly defending Russia's economic interests." -By Mark Rice-Oxley -CSMonitor

20030624

- - - GENETICS - "UK babies may be genetically screened." ... "Every child born in the UK could be genetically screened and the data stored to plan their future healthcare under government proposals for a massive expansion of genetic testing." ... "The controversial proposal for testing newborn babies was announced in a White Paper that promised £50m to expand the ability of the NHS to cope with the rapid advance in genetic testing. It is likely to be studied by the Human Genetics Commission, the government advisory group, as well as the National Screening Committee before firm proposals are made on what diseases would be tested for." ... "The proposals were welcomed by medical researchers, but opponents of genetic testing said they raised the prospect of a world where imperfection was illegal and a "genetic underclass" was unable to obtain health insurance, jobs and mortgages." -By David Firn -FT.com
- - "Six UK soldiers killed in Iraq ambush." ... "Six members of Britain's Royal Military Police were killed in southern Iraq on Tuesday and eight soldiers wounded, raising fears that UK and US coalition forces are meeting growing resistance from Iraqi rebels." ... "The bodies of the Royal Military Police members were found in the southern Iraqi town of Al Majar al Kabir, about 125 miles north of Basra." ... "The exact circumstances of their deaths were still unclear on Tuesday night but, according to British officials, they may have been connected with an incident at a local police station." -By Charles Clover, James Blitz, James Politi-FT.com
- "Six British Soldiers Killed in Iraq: Six British Soldiers Killed and Eight Others Injured in Two Separate Attacks in Southern Iraq." -AP via -ABCNEWS.com

20030623

- - "Galloway seeks inquiry after papers exposed as fakes." ... "George Galloway yesterday demanded a government inquiry after documents alleging that he took more than $10m (£6.3m) from Saddam Hussein were exposed as forgeries." ... "The suspended Labour MP claimed he was the victim of a conspiracy and rejected an apology from the Christian Science Monitor, threatening to extend his legal action to British newspapers, including the Sun, which repeated the Boston-based title's accusations." ... "Paul Van Slambrouck, editor of the internationally circulated Monitor, published an apology on its website after ink tests found two of the "oldest" documents, dated 1992 and 1993, on which the paper based its incendiary allegations in April were in fact written a few months ago." -By Kevin Maguire -Guardian.co.uk

20030601

- - - - - - - "Switzerland, Usually Calm, Erupts in Protest of G-8 Talks." ... "Switzerland is not a country accustomed to demonstrations and crowd control and police struggled today to respond to protesters who blocked highways, roads and bridges; set fire to barricades; sprayed graffiti on buildings and cars; destroyed property and hurled rocks, bottles and insults at them." ... "The most violent protests occurred in Geneva and in the city of Lausanne 30 miles away, where heads of state who are not part of the elite group of eight — France, the United States, Canada, Britain, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia — are staying." ... "Riot police wearing helmets and carrying shields, a common sight in France but certainly not in Switzerland, clashed at several points with protesters. The police, who were under orders not to use force against the protesters, tried to disperse them with masses of tear gas." (1, 2) -By Elaine Sciolino, John Tagliabue, Helene Fouquet and Alison Langley -NYTimes via -Google-News

20030502

- - - - "Hail to the Chicks! Dixie gives the Dixies a warm welcome." ... "Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines began the band's U.S. tour with an open invitation to heckle her. "If you're here to boo, we welcome that because we welcome freedom of speech," she said from the stage of Greenville, South Carolina's Bi-Lo Center Thursday night. "So we're going to give you fifteen seconds to get whatever you have out."" ... "Instead, the 15,000-strong crowd erupted in cheers." ... "It was the Dixie Chicks' first U.S. concert since Maines told a London audience on March 10th that they were ashamed the president is from their home state of Texas." -By Andy Paras -RollingStone.com/news

20030417

"Billionaire philanthropist Sir J. Paul Getty Jr. dead at 70." ... "Sir J. Paul Getty Jr., the reclusive American-born billionaire philanthropist and art lover who became a British citizen late in life, died Thursday, his doctor said. He was 70." ... "During more than a quarter-century of living in Britain, the fiercely Anglophile Getty gave more than $200 million to many causes, including the National Gallery." ... "In a rare public statement after subsidizing the families of striking miners in 1985, Getty said he was "privileged to be the heir to huge wealth and I regard myself as custodian of that money for the benefit of people who need it more than I do."" -By Sue Leeman -AP via -SFGate.com

20030416

- - "Iraqi elite pledge free nation: Meeting of 70 leaders told U.S. will cede power in 3 to 6 months." ... "Gathering under U.S. auspices near the biblical birthplace of Abraham, a select group of Iraqi leaders took the first steps Tuesday toward rebuilding their government with a vow to embrace democracy." ... "The meeting, held under drum-tight security in the presence of American, British and Polish diplomats, marked the beginning of an ambitious plan to remake a nation crushed by decades of repressive rule and years of strict economic sanctions." ... "More than 70 exile leaders, tribal sheikhs, ethnic Kurds and Shiite clerics emerged from the six-hour meeting with 13 goals for the new government, the first being "Iraq must be democratic."" -By Chuck Squatriglia -SFGate.com

20030409

- "Blair's 'delight' at Iraqi cheers: Tony Blair has watched with "delight" the television pictures of Iraqis celebrating in Baghdad but says the coalition should not claim victory too early." ... "The prime minister's official spokesman said: "What we have seen today is the scales of fear falling from the eyes of the people of Iraq and they are able to express themselves for the first time in two decades."" -BBC/News

20030408

- - "BP maps out Iraq strategy: World's No. 3 oil company is getting ready to work on the world's second largest reserves of crude." ... "British oil company BP PLC has put a team to work on a strategy for its future in oil-rich Iraq, people familiar with the situation said Tuesday." ... "The news follows a meeting in London at the weekend where Iraqi exiles and U.S. state department officials agreed that international oil firms should take a leading postwar role in reviving Iraq's oil industry."-Reuters via -CNN /fn
- - - - "Analysis: Three stages to a new Iraq." ... "The British have proposed that the UN should give its approval to a three-stage process under which Iraq will move from essentially military rule through an interim Iraqi administration to a representative government." ... "Stage one: Military rule." ... "US and UK military will be in charge of security and in overall command." ... "Stage two: Interim Iraqi Administration (IIA)." ... "This is where the British Government wants the UN to take a leading role by organising a conference in Baghdad which would appoint members of the IIA." ... "Stage three: Representative government." ... "It could be a year or so before this is organised. And the phrase "representative government" will have to be defined." -By Paul Reynolds -BBC/News
- - "British troops work to restore law and order on looted streets of Basra." ... "Brazen looters plundered government buildings, universities and even hospitals in Basra on Tuesday despite the presence of British troops in Iraq's second-largest city, roaming the streets to grab whatever they could ceiling fans, mattresses, car seats, furniture, slabs of wood." ... "British troops had claimed Basra the day before, but found law and order hard to impose. Troops rolling through the city in tanks and on foot did little to quell the looting, other than to issue warnings over loudspeakers." -By Tini Tran -AP via -Boston/Globe
- "British put sheik into power in Basra." ... "British forces began establishing the first postwar administration in Iraq on Tuesday, putting a local sheik into power in Basra shortly after their troops won a two-week campaign for control of Iraq's second largest city." ... "Col. Chris Vernon, spokesman for the British forces, said the sheik was a tribal leader. The sheik's name and religious affiliation were not disclosed." ... "Vernon said the sheik had met British divisional commanders Monday and been asked to set up an administrative committee representing other groups in the southern region. The sheik and his committee were to be the first civilian leadership established in liberated Iraq." -By Patrick McDowell -AP via -Salon
- - Full Text - "Joint Statement by President Bush, Prime Minister Blair on Iraq's Future: Joint Statement by President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair on Iraq." ... "The future of Iraq belongs to the Iraqi people. After years of dictatorship, Iraq will soon be liberated. For the first time in decades, Iraqis will soon choose their own representative government." ... "Coalition military operations are progressing and will succeed. We will eliminate the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, deliver humanitarian aid, and secure the freedom of the Iraqi people. We will create an environment where Iraqis can determine their own fate democratically and peacefully." ... "We are grateful to our men and women in uniform, as well as to the brave troops of Australia and Poland, and to forces contributed by other members of the Coalition. They have demonstrated enormous bravery and professionalism in the face of great danger. We mourn for the members of the Armed Forces who have sacrificed their lives, and extend our deepest sympathies to their families." ... "We also grieve for the loss of civilian life in Iraq. Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties. The Iraqi regime has done the opposite. It has deliberately put Iraqi civilians in harm's way, and used women and children as human shields. It has sent execution squads to kill Iraqis who choose freedom over fighting for a brutal regime. We condemn Iraqi regime forces' attacks in civilian clothing, false surrender, and mistreatment of prisoners of war. These acts are an affront to all standards of human decency and international law." ... "We are taking every step possible to safeguard Muslim holy sites and other protected places in Iraq that are important to the religious and cultural heritage of Islam and of Iraq. We have no confidence that the Iraqi regime has done the same, and are deeply concerned by reports that it is deliberately endangering such sites and using them for military purposes." ... "The Coalition is delivering food, medicine, and other humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people. This flow will increase as more of Iraq's territory is liberated and United Nations specialized agencies and non-governmental organizations are better able to operate. We welcome the adoption by the United Nations Security Council of Resolution 1472, which will allow shipments of humanitarian items to Iraq to resume under the Oil for Food program." ... "As we said at our March 16 meeting in the Azores, we will uphold our responsibility to help the people of Iraq build a nation that is whole, free and at peace with itself and its neighbors. We support the aspirations of all of Iraq's people for a united, representative government that upholds human rights and the rule of law as cornerstones of democracy. We reaffirm our commitment to protect Iraq's natural resources, as the patrimony of the people of Iraq, which should be used only for their benefit." ... "As the Coalition proceeds with the reconstruction of Iraq, it will work with its allies, other bilateral donors, and with the United Nations and other international institutions. The United Nations has a vital role to play in the reconstruction of Iraq. We welcome the efforts of U.N. agencies and non-governmental organizations in providing immediate assistance to the people of Iraq. As we stated in the Azores, we plan to seek the adoption of new United Nations Security Council resolutions that would affirm Iraq's territorial integrity, ensure rapid delivery of humanitarian relief, and endorse an appropriate post-conflict administration for Iraq. We welcome the appointment by the United Nations Secretary General of a Special Adviser for Iraq to work with the people of Iraq and coalition representatives." ... "The day when Iraqis govern themselves must come quickly. As early as possible, we support the formation of an Iraqi Interim Authority, a transitional administration, run by Iraqis, until a permanent government is established by the people of Iraq. The Interim Authority will be broad-based and fully representative, with members from all of Iraq's ethnic groups, regions and diaspora. The Interim Authority will be established first and foremost by the Iraqi people, with the help of the members of the Coalition, and working with the Secretary General of the United Nations. As coalition forces advance, civilian Iraqi leaders will emerge who can be part of such an Interim Authority. The Interim Authority will progressively assume more of the functions of government. It will provide a means for Iraqis to participate in the economic and political reconstruction of their country from the outset." ... "Coalition forces will remain in Iraq as long as necessary to help the Iraqi people to build their own political institutions and reconstruct their country, but no longer. We look forward to welcoming a liberated Iraq to the international community of nations. We call upon our partners in the international community to join with us in ensuring a democratic and secure future for the Iraqi people."-WhiteHouse.gov -Iraq

20030407

- "British troops move into Basra." ... "ASRA, Iraq - The Ba'ath Party was giving up its last stronghold in southern Iraq, jubilant residents reported yesterday, as coalition forces seized territory within the city for the first time." ... "After a two-week bombing and shelling campaign from the city's outskirts, British troops moved into central Basra. The attacks have targeted the Ba'ath party leadership, but reportedly killed dozens of civilians." ... "British officials said that they had not yet taken the city, but that they had decided that it was safe enough to secure an area where some troops would stay the night and plan their next move." -By Thanassis with contributions by Anne Barnard Cambanis -Boston/Globe

20030406

- "British move forcefully into Basra: British “Desert Rat” forces staged their largest military incursion yet into Basra, rumbling into Iraq’s second-largest city Sunday with a column of 40 armored personnel carriers." -Contributions by Jim Miklaszewski and Tammy Kupperman -MSNBC with -Reuters

20030405

- "British Troops Raid Basra, Arrest 14 Iraqis: Arrests of Baath Party Leaders Aimed at Ending Climate of Fear in Basra." ... "Seeking to break the government's grip in southern Iraq, British troops raided villages surrounding Basra early today and apprehended 14 people considered to be key Baath Party and militia leaders who had been intimidating residents and forcing them to remain loyal to President Saddam Hussein." ... "Since British troops arrived in this area two weeks ago, lingering fear of government and Baath Party retribution has been a significant factor in the resistance mounted by army regulars and militia members. Not only has it encouraged the city of 1.3 million to stick with the Baath authorities, it has helped block the popular welcome U.S. and British forces had expected in outlying areas and stymied efforts to restore basic services and allow residents to resume something of a normal life." -By Keith B. Richburg -WashingtonPost

20030404

- - - - "Blair 'dissuaded Bush from attack after 9/11'." ... "Tony Blair has frequently played a pivotal role in the infighting in the US administration over Iraq, according to the recently retired British ambassador to Washington, Sir Christopher Meyer." ... "In the documentary Blair's War, Sir Christopher, who returned to Britain last month, said that when Mr Blair met Mr Bush in the weeks after September 11, he urged him to deal first with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network and its protector - Afghanistan's Taliban government - before tackling Iraq." -By Ewen MacAskill -Guardian.co.uk

"Blair's War." -PBS.org -Frontline

20030403

- - - - - - Special Reports - "Blair's War: He fought in vain for trans-atlantic unity on Iraq. Now, as the battle for Baghdad begins, his future hangs in the balance." ... "Introduction [Synopsis]." ... "Blair gambled everything on his ability to personally bridge the gap between America and key players in Western Europe -- and he failed. Now, political observers are questioning whether NATO, the United Nations -- and Blair himself -- will survive the aftermath of war with Iraq." ... "The Prime Minister: A conversation with his biographer, assessments of his character and politics, and a look at his relationship with George W. Bush." ... "The Fractured Alliance: Robert Kagan and Will Hutton debate the myths and realities of the U.S.-Europe divide. Plus, comment and analysis on the costs of U.S. unilateralism." ... "The Liberal Divide: Paul Berman, Timothy Garton Ash, and David Rieff discuss Blair, the liberal case for war, and the divided left." ... "The Failure of Diplomacy: An overview of thekey diplomatic moments and missteps leading to war with Iraq." ... "Interviews." ... "Readings& Links." -PBS.org (A-Z) -Frontline
- - - "Straw distances UK from threats to Syria and Iran." ... "Britain distanced itself from US sabre rattling yesterday, insisting it would have "nothing to do" with threats from Washington against Iran and Syria and announcing a relaxation of export controls on dual-use civilian and military equipment for Iran." ... "Jack Straw, the foreign secretary, defended Tehran and Damascus after warnings from the US to both regimes." ... "Mr Straw is meeting the US secretary of state, Colin Powell, along with other EU and Nato foreign ministers in Brussels today amid signs of sharp divergences between London and Washington over wider Middle East and post-war issues." -By Ian Black and Patrick Wintour -Guardian.co.uk

20030401

- - "U.S. troops gear up for Baghdad push: Statement said to be from Saddam: 'They will be the losers'" ... "After days of intense aerial bombardment, U.S. forces are in contact with Saddam's "most prized forces" south of Baghdad, a U.S. Marine official said." ... "Increasing numbers of U.S. Army troops are being freed up for the siege on Baghdad, reports CNN's Walter Rodgers, who is embedded with the 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry of the 3rd Infantry Division." ... "Tough, ongoing battles in southern Iraqi cities such as Basra, Najaf and Nasiriya could become second priority as reinforcements come in and the military focus shifts to Baghdad, Rodgers said." -Contributions by Christiane Amanpour, Jane Arraf, Bob Franken, Art Harris, Tom Mintier, Nic Robertson, Walter Rodgers, Brent Sadler and Ben Wedeman and Producer Mike Mount -CNN /World
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20030331

- - "U.S. Troops Push Closer To Baghdad; Coalition Death Count At 63. [Also: Fox News reporter Geraldo expelled]." ... "Forces from the Army's 3rd Infantry Division pushed north on Monday (March 31) into the town of Hindiyah, less than 50 miles from the Iraqi capital." ... "The Pentagon has expelled Fox News reporter Geraldo Rivera from Iraq. Officials say Rivera posed a security threat to American forces. During a recent live broadcast, Rivera drew a map in the sand indicating the position where the unit which he was embedded with was located. Members of the 101st Airborne Division will escort Rivera to the border with Kuwait."" ... "The latest, revised casualty count: 63 U.S. and British troops killed, 24 missing. The total number of Iraqis killed is unknown." -By Gil Kaufman and Ethan Zindler -MTV.com / News

20030330

- - - - "Myers: U.S. Controls Terror Camp in Iraq." ... "American forces are searching a terrorist compound in northeastern Iraq that was probably the site where militants made a biological toxin, traces of which were later found by police in London, the Pentagon's top general said Sunday." ... "U.S. and British forces now control the compound, which belongs to the group Ansar al-Islam, said Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, describing it as a site "where Ansar al-Islam and al-Qaida had been working on poisons."" -By Matt Kelley -AP via -SeattlePI.NWsource
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<Ansar al-Islam -[News]>

- - "Iraq Vows to Use 'Any Method' Against Foe." ... [20030329] "A suicide bomber blew up his taxi today and killed four United States soldiers from the Third Infantry Division at a checkpoint near Najaf, as allied warplanes continued to pound targets south of Baghdad." ... "Today's bomb attack signaled that, despite the heavy Iraqi casualty toll this week, the men under Mr. Hussein's command are still ready to risk their lives — whether out of loyalty, coercion or fear." ... "Separately this morning, British commando forces dashed into Basra, which is Iraq's second-largest city, and destroyed two large statues of Mr. Hussein in a strike that the British depicted as intended to reassure Basra's 1.5 million people that coalition forces are determined to topple the government in Baghdad." (1, 2) -NYTimes via -By Patrick E. Tyler -Google-News

20030329

- - - - - - "Supplying the Enemy." ... "Whatever one may think of Russia's political opposition to the war in Iraq, no one denies Moscow's right to it. Supplying arms to Iraq is something else. Not only is this a clear violation of U.N. sanctions, but Russia has weapons that pose a lethal threat to U.S. and British soldiers. Those are exactly the kinds of weapons that the Bush administration has accused Russia — and now Syria — of supplying Iraq. Whether President Vladimir Putin chooses to acknowledge the sales or not, he would be well advised to make sure they are stopped right now." -NYTimes

20030328

- - "Biggest bombs yet strike Baghdad; Iraqi fighters said to fire on civilians in Basra." ... "The biggest bombs dropped on Baghdad so far -- two 4,700-pound "bunker busters" -- struck a communications tower Friday in an intense U.S. bombardment. In the south, British officers said Iraqi fighters defending the besieged city of Basra fired on hundreds of civilians trying to flee." ... "The British, who have encircled Basra, said their troops were prepared to rescue and aid any civilians wounded by the mortar and machine-gun fire from paramilitaries loyal to Saddam Hussein." ... "British officers said soldiers from the 1st Black Watch battalion, in Warrior armored fighting vehicles, were trying to wedge themselves between the militia fire and the targeted civilians." -By David Crary -AP via -SFGate.com
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20030327

- - "Iraq troops engage US forces: US and UK forces have engaged in fierce fighting in at least three major encounters across southern Iraq as they encounter stiffer resistance than they had been expecting." ... "US troops and members of Iraq's Fedayeen units have fought a major battle in the town of Samawah, the site of a crucial bridge on the way to Baghdad." ... "US forces have also bombed the town of Nasiriya after coming under fire overnight from defenders - as many as 30 US soldiers have been injured, some of them possibly by so-called friendly fire." -BBC/News
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- "British 'destroy Iraqi column': UK Challenger 2 tanks have engaged an Iraqi column near Basra destroying 14 enemy tanks in a major battle, British commanders say." ... "The Iraqi tanks had left the city and were heading towards the al-Faw peninsula on Thursday morning when UK forces engaged them." ... "Thought to be Russian-built T-55s, all the tanks were said to have been destroyed in the battle with a similar number of Challenger 2 tanks from the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards." -BBC/News
- - "U.S. airlifts troops for northern front: British forces face opposition outside Basra." ... "The U.S. military Thursday began airlifting troops, tanks and equipment for the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division into northern Iraq after about 1,000 paratroopers secured a key airfield in the country's Kurdish-controlled zone." ... "Paratroopers from the Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade parachuted under cover of darkness into the area, which U.S. military officials described as "semi-permissive," meaning it was not hostile." ... "Securing the airfield also will open the way for humanitarian efforts to begin in the north." -CNN /World

20030326

- - - "'PoWs and dead' shown on TV: Pictures said to show two dead British soldiers and two British prisoners of war have been broadcast on Qatar-based TV station al-Jazeera." ... "The soldiers were said to have been killed and captured in fighting around the town of al-Zubayr, near the southern city of Basra." ... "The channel showed two apparently dead bodies in military uniform, lying next to a vehicle on a road, and two live men not wearing uniform, in a room full of Iraqis."-BBC/News
- - - - "British ring Basra, could move in: ‘Confusingsituation’ inside city, U.S. says." ... "British troops were ringing Basra Wednesday, trying to keep Iraqi forces from entering or leaving as they waited for possible orders to move into Iraq’s second-largest city following disturbances there Tuesday night. U.S. warplanes had earlier bombed targets in the city, and Central Command said the local headquarters of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party had been destroyed." -By David Shuster -MS-NBC with -AP and -Reuters
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- - "Aid begins to arrive in Iraq: The first shipments of humanitarian aid to reach Iraq since war began last week have arrived." ... "Food, water and other aid supplies are being distributed to civilians in the southern town of Safwan, after seven lorries crossed into Iraq by road from Kuwait City on Wednesday, escorted by US troops." ... "Sandstorms forced aid workers to reduce the size of the convoy, which was originally scheduled to have 30 vehicles." ... "A British ship, Sir Galahad, is expected to arrive in the southern port of Umm Qasr with nearly 200 tons of food and more than 90 tons of bottled water."-BBC/News

20030325

- - - "Sandstorms in Iraq Slow Advance of U.S., U.K. Forces." ... "Sandstorms slowed U.S. and British forces to a crawl and thwarted air missions Tuesday as U.S.-led forces edged closer to the Iraqi capital. Baghdad residents, hunkered down for an eventual battle, woke to howling winds and the distant crash of artillery." ... "Combat missions from two aircraft carriers were called back because of bad weather. At least a dozen planes returned without reaching Iraq. Two Army divisions were virtually stalled in a vicious sandstorm that reduced visibility to a few feet." -AP via -WSJ.com -DJ via -Morningstar.com
- - "British Military Confirms Basra Uprising." ... "A British military commander confirmed Tuesday that Iraqis were in the streets of the southern Iraqi city of Basra and apparently were opposing Saddam Hussein's government." ... ""I'm confirming that there are events in Basra," said Maj. Gen. Peter Wall, who is second in command of British troops. "We don't know what has spurred them, we don't know the scale, we don't know the scope of it. We don't know where it will take us."" -AP via -SeattlePI.NWsource
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20030324

- - "Blair: Troops closing on Baghdad: Allied forces are closing in on Baghdad but could soon encounter a Republican Guard division guarding the city, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair says." ... "He said coalition forces were 60 miles south of Baghdad and that two key bridges over the River Euphrates south of the capital have been taken intact." ... ""This is of critical significance. It is a little way from there that they will encounter the Medina division of the Republican Guard who are defending the route to Baghdad. This will be a crucial moment," Blair said." -CNN /World

20030323

- - - - "33,000 troops in Texas get call for Gulf duty." ... "The Fourth Infantry's soldiers are likely to go to Kuwait, the officials said. They could enter Iraq through the Gulf port of Umm Qasr, now under the control of British and US Marines." -By David Rising -AP via -Boston/Globe

20030322

- - - "U.S., British Forces Push Toward Basra." ... "Leaving throngs of captured Iraqis behind them in razor-wire pens, U.S. and British forces advanced toward southern Iraq's largest city Saturday while air strikes pounded far-flung targets across the country. The U.S. commander boasted that the overall campaign will be "unlike any other in history."" ... "U.S. aircraft bombed Iraqi tanks holding the bridges near Basra, a city of 1.3 million, and Marines captured the airport after a gunbattle. To the north, U.S. infantry and airborne units pushed over the desert toward central Iraq on the second day of the ground offensive." -By David Crary -AP via -WashingtonPost
- - - - - - - - "U.S. identifies four Marines killed in helicopter crash: Maj. Jay Thomas Aubin [36, Waterville, Maine], Capt. Ryan Anthony Beaupre [30, was from Bloomington, Illinois], Cpl. Brian Matthew Kennedy [25, Houston, Texas] and Staff Sgt. Kendall Damon Watersbey [29, Baltimore, Maryland] were the four Marine crew members killed aboard the U.S. CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter that crashed early Friday in Kuwait, according to a statement from the Department of Defense." ... "The eight British military personnel aboard also were killed in the crash, which occurred as the helicopter was flying through heavy wind and a sandstorm" ... "Watersbey's father angrily blamed President Bush for his son's death." ... ""George Bush, take a good look at this man, cause you took my only son away from me," Michael Watersbey said, holding up a picture of his son." -CNN
- - - "7 Killed As British Navy Copters Collide." ... "Two British Royal Navy helicopters collided Saturday over the Persian Gulf, killing all seven [six British] on board including a U.S. Navy officer, military officials said." ... "The two Sea King helicopters were not struck by enemy fire, said Group Capt. Al Lockwood, a spokesman for British forces in the Gulf." -By Ed Johnson -AP via -WashingtonPost

<Sea King helicopter-[News]>

20030321

- - - - "Massive air raids rock Iraq: United States and British forces have launched massive aerial assaults on targets in Baghdad and beyond in a major escalation of the war." ... "Bombs rained down on the Iraqi capital, as the US unleashed what it calls its "shock and awe" strategy." ... "Several hundred targets would be hit in the coming hours, the US Defence Department said." ... "The BBC's Paul Wood in Baghdad says the targets there included President Saddam Hussein's palaces." ... "Several explosions have also been reported in another northern city, Kirkuk, where American forces are trying to secure control of vast oilfields."-BBC/News
- - "Marine killed, first combat death in Iraq." ... "The soldier was from the U.S. 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Lt. Col. Neal Peckham, a British military spokesman in Kuwait, said Friday. Military officials said the Marine died in the advance on the Rumeila oil field." ... "U.S. Central Command gave no other details." ... "Hours earlier, eight British and four American soldiers died in a U.S. Marine helicopter crash that a British military spokesman said was an accident." --By Matt Kelley -AP via -SFGate.com
- - - - "As attack on Iraq begins, question remains: Is it legal? The White House and British legal authorities say the war is justified under UN Resolution 1441." ... "Of all the international criticisms of the war that broke out Thursday in Iraq, none cut more deeply into America's image of itself than the argument that the US-led attack is illegal." ... "International-law experts are divided on whether Washington has the right to invade Iraq in the absence of a UN Security Council resolution specifically authorizing such an assault." ... "But most agree that President Bush cannot justify the war with his new doctrine of preemptive military action to forestall the threat that he says Saddam Hussein poses." -By Peter Ford -CSMonitor
- - - - "12 killed as U.S. chopper goes down: No hostile fire involved in crash inside Kuwait." ... "A U.S. Marine Corps helicopter crashed Friday morning inside Kuwait, killing all of the 12 U.S. and British troops on board, defense officials said. Officials told NBC News that the incident did not involve hostile fire." ... "The helicopter, a CH-46E Sea Knight, went down about nine miles south of the Iraqi border in Kuwait about 3 a.m. (4 p.m. ET Thursday), U.S. Central Command said in a statement from Camp Commando in Kuwait." -By Alex Johnson with Jeannie Ohm in Washington -MSNBC

20030320

- - - "Marines storm key peninsula: · 3 Commando Brigade seizes Red Beach area · US and UK marines hold Iraqi border town · Back troops, Blair urges Britain." ... "The ground war began in Iraq last night as British and US marines stormed beaches on the Gulf coast in an assault of the south-eastern city of Basra." ... "Royal Marine Commandos launched an assault on the strategically vital Al Faw peninsula - the area known as Red Beach - on the Iranian border, after an intense bombardment from Kuwait." ... "Initial reports suggested that when the marines reached the beach, Iraqi resistance was light or non-existent. The amphibious and air assault on Red Beach was the most significant confirmed land activity so far by British troops in the 24 hours since President George Bush announced the start of military action against Saddam Hussein's regime. Reports say that the Commandos invaded the beachhead making way for a mine-clearing operation. The area is now reported to be occupied by the Scimitar tanks of the Queen's Dragoon Guards." -Guardian.co.uk
- - - "Turkey says Britain asks for overflight rights." ... "Britain has asked its NATO ally Turkey to allow its warplanes to use Turkish airspace for attacks on Iraq, Turkish diplomatic sources said on Thursday." -Reuters -AlertNet.org/Newsdesk

20030319

- - - - "US and UK troops move into battle positions." ... "US and British troops were moving towards the Iraq border from positions in Kuwait on Wednesday with less than 20 hours remaining before the expiry of US President George W Bush's ultimatum to the Iraqi leader to either step down or face a US-led war." ... "Sandstorms in the Kuwait desert were meanwhile hampering visibility for the US and British troops, although military experts said that this would not necessarily impose a delay on military action. Sandstorms would have little effect on the satellite-guided missiles and bombs that make up the bulk of the US arsenal, and cooler weather could make it easier for troops moving forward in suits protecting them against chemical weapons." -By Paul Eedle, Harvey Morris, and James Harding -FT.com

20030318

- - - - "State Department Noon Briefing Transcript [List of the 30 Nations Supporting US Disarmament of Iraq]." ... "BRIEFER: Richard Boucher, Spokesman." ... "MR. BOUCHER: There are 30 countries who have agreed to be part of the coalition for the immediate disarmament of Iraq. I'd have to say these are countries that we have gone to and said, "Do you want to be listed?" and they have said, "Yes."" ... "They are: Afghanistan, Albania, Australia, Azerbaijan, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Uzbekistan." ... "In addition to these countries, there are actually another 15 or so that we know of, probably more than 15, that are cooperating with us in -- and the coalition, or perhaps offering defensive assets in the event that Saddam resorts to the use of weapons of mass destruction." -Washington File -State.gov
- - - - - - - "Global powers rip U.S. war plans: France, Russia and China say military action against Iraq unjustified." ... "International criticism over the U.S. push to war against Iraq intensified Tuesday with France, Russia and China blasting the United States for choosing military action to disarm Saddam Hussein. The Vatican suggested that President Bush and other nations that joined the war would break international law and defy God’s will." ... "In London, Prime Minister Tony Blair — Bush’s closest ally — faced a rebellion from within his own Labor Party as he pleaded for support for military action, saying the crisis will determine the shape of international politics for a generation. “Back away from this confrontation now and future conflicts will be infinitely worse and more devastating in their effects,” Blair said, opening a critical debate in the House of Commons." -MSNBC with -AP -Reuters
- - "Bush, Blair must quit to avert war - Iraq's Sabri." ... "Iraq's foreign minister called U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair "war criminals" and "despots" on Tuesday and said that both have to leave office if war is to be averted." ... ""For the window of diplomacy to open is for the two despots in Washington and London to leave office," Naji Sabri told a news conference in Baghdad."-Reuters -AlertNet.org
- - - - "U.N. Staff Evacuating Iraq Ahead of War." ... "United Nations weapons inspectors, ordered out of Iraq ahead of a likely U.S. invasion, gathered at Baghdad's international airport on Tuesday to fly out of the country." ... "The last time the U.N. weapons inspectors pulled out, in December 1998, the United States and Britain launched a four-day wave of strikes within 12 hours." -By Samia Nakhoul-Reuters /World

20030317

- - - - - - - - "Bush to address nation tonight on Iraq." ... "Faced with insurmountable opposition at the United Nations, the United States, Britain and Spain pulled back a resolution aimed at securing international approval for an attack on Baghdad. It represented an abject failure for U.S. diplomacy. The resolution's sponsors said France's veto threat in the U.N. Security Council made further negotiations futile." ... "Instead, the United States seemed poised for the first full-scale war in its history in which it launches an attack without being struck first. In doing so, the president is set to create a new doctrine of preventive war, which he justifies as the only way to head off attacks such as the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist assaults on the United States." -By Jim Drinkard -USATODAY

20030316

- - - - "Bush: ‘Moment of truth’ at hand: Bush, Blair, Aznar: Monday is Iraq’s final deadline for full disarmament." ... "Calling Monday a “moment of truth for the world,” President Bush pressed one last time Sunday for Iraq’s disarmament at an emergency summit with the leaders of Spain and Britain in the Azores islands. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, who just hours before the meeting placed his country on war footing, responded to the allies, saying it is a “great lie” that his country still has banned weapons." ... "French President Jacques Chirac showed no sign of backing down from his opposition to a U.S.-led war in Iraq, saying in a “60 Minutes” interview broadcast Sunday that France “will naturally go to the end” in refusing to endorse military action." -By Andrea Mitchell, Rachel Elbaum, and Jon Bonné, & -AP & -Reuters via -MS-NBC
- - - - "Bush, Allies Set Monday Deadline on Iraq: On Brink of War, U.S., Allies Set Monday Deadline for U.N. to Authorize Force Against Iraq." ... "On the brink of war, President Bush and summit partners from Britain and Spain gave the United Nations a Monday deadline to endorse the use of force to compel Iraq's immediate disarmament." ... "Though the leaders pledged to seek compromise with U.N. foes through the night and all day Monday, they offered little hope of a diplomatic breakthrough. Even if a compromise plan somehow secured approval of a U.S.-Britain-Spain resolution at the U.N., it would delay military action only a week or so, officials said." -AP via -ABCNEWS.com
- - - "Blair plans for war as UN is given 24 hours." ... "Tony Blair held an emergency 'war Cabinet' meeting yesterday to finalise plans for military action against Iraq and demand that the United Nations comes to a decision on the vital second resolution against Saddam Hussein within 24 hours." ... "As Number 10 made clear that the chances of a diplomatic breakthrough in the Security Council were now 'bleak' and American bombers for the first time struck at targets in Iraq, the UN was given until tomorrow evening to come to a final choice on whether to back a second resolution or see America and Britain launch military action alone." ... "If it is clear Britain and the US cannot get the necessary nine votes to pass the resolution in the council, they will dump plans to put it to a vote and announce that Saddam is in 'material breach' of UN resolution 1441 passed last November." -By Kamal Ahmed -Guardian.co.uk /Observer.co.uk
- - - "Britain says Iraq summit not a council of war." ... "Britain insisted on Sunday that a summit with the United States and Spain on Sunday was not a council of war and would look into several options, including a possible peaceful solution to the Iraq crisis." -Reutersvia -AlertNet.org/Newsdesk
- - - "Iraq on War Footing Hours Before Last-Ditch Summit." ... "Iraq went onto a war footing on Sunday just hours before President Bush was to hold an emergency summit with close allies Britain and Spain that could start the clock for an invasion." ... "Iraqi President Saddam Hussein divided his country into four military districts under his command to prepare for any assault by quarter of a million U.S. and British troops already massed in the Gulf region." -By Ian Simpson-Reuters

20030315

- - - / - - - - - - "Swift crash of alliance astonishes observers." ... "The U.N. Security Council has lived through decades of sterile Cold War shouting matches ended by vetoes, a Korean War approved only with the Soviets out of the room, and French and British defiance of the council with their 1956 invasion of Egypt." ... "But no previous crisis was as threatening to the established diplomatic order as the bitter public battle pitting the French and Germans against the Americans and British over whether to make war on Iraq, say veteran U.N. officials and foreign policy watchers." ... "Almost as surprising has been the American determination to exercise power regardless of world opinion, and the resistance of many nations to the U.S. agenda — which together threaten a collapse of the trans-Atlantic alliance." -AP via -QCTimes

20030314

- - - - "Fake Iraq documents 'embarrassing' for U.S.: Intelligence documents that U.S. and British governments said were strong evidence that Iraq was developing nuclear weapons have been dismissed as forgeries by U.N. weapons inspectors." ... "The documents, given to International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei, indicated that Iraq might have tried to buy 500 tons of uranium from Niger, but the agency said they were "obvious" fakes." -By David Ensor -CNN
- - - "Allies to hold Iraq crisis summit: President George W Bush is to hold emergency talks with British and Spanish leaders on Sunday amid diplomatic deadlock at the UN Security Council over their plans for disarming Iraq." ... "Mr Bush, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and Spain's Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar will meet in the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said." ... "The meeting was aimed at a "final pursuit" of a UN resolution, Mr Fleischer said." ... ""We are still pursuing the vote next week. We have not said what date," he said." -BBC/News
- - - "U.S. might drop UN vote: France rejects British compromise plan for 2d resolution." ... "Still short of the votes to win, the Bush administration said Thursday that it would probably continue debating a new resolution authorizing war in Iraq into next week and could in the end decide to abandon the proposal." ... "For the last week, President George W. Bush had insisted that Friday was an iron-fast deadline for a decision and that the United States would call for a vote by then no matter what the vote count appeared to be. But with the diplomatic situation deteriorating, Secretary of State Colin Powell said for the first time Thursday that the United States might consider dropping the push for a vote altogether." -By Joel Brinkley -NYTimes via -IHT.com

20030313

- - - - "Intensifying heat, worsening weather becomes issue in showdown with Iraq." ... "Fierce winds swept across desert camps near the Iraqi border [in Kuwait] Wednesday, enveloping soldiers in blinding clouds of sand and forcing some Marines to don their gas masks just to breathe." ... "U.S. and British soldiers massed in desert camps at the gates of Iraq are entering the danger zone their commanders had long feared: a summer of stifling heat and choking sandstorms." -Ellen Knickmeyer, -AP via -StarTribune.com
- - - "France Rejects New U.K. Proposal on Iraq: France Rejects New British Plan on Iraq Disarmament Tests at U.N., Says Deadline Not Realistic." ... "The British proposals "do not respond to the questions the international community is asking," Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said in a statement. "It's not about giving a few more days to Iraq before resorting to force but about resolutely advancing through peaceful disarmament."" -AP via -ABCNEWS.com
- - - "Britain's 6-Point Plan on Iraq Is Met With Strong Opposition." ... "Sharp opposition, both from Europe and Iraq, was voiced today to a new British proposal setting out six ways for Saddam Hussein to prove his commitment to disarmament and avoid an invasion." ... "The French foreign minister, Dominique de Villepin, said the plan, which would give United Nations weapons inspectors in Iraq a short extension, perhaps to March 24, did not address the key issue of seeking a peaceful end to the showdown with Iraq." -By Terence Neilan -NYTimes via -Google-News
- - - - "Ex-Soviet bloc states line up with U.S. against 'old' Europe: Central, Eastern European governments back anti-Hussein efforts." ... "Brushing aside French tirades that they should "shut up," the nations of Eastern Europe are flexing newfound diplomatic muscle, and nowhere is this more evident than in their strong support for President Bush in the confrontation with Iraq." ... "While continental heavyweights such as France and Germany, along with Russia, remain staunchly opposed to a U.S.-led attack, neophytes such as Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia -- all of whom recently emerged from the Soviet yoke -- are standing by Washington. In the Security Council, it was Bulgaria that joined the United States, Britain and Spain in pushing resolutions setting a deadline for Iraq to surrender its weapons." -By Steven C. Johnson -SFGate.com
- - - - - "U.S. Blasts France's Veto Threat on Iraq: U.S. Officials Say France Sending Wrong Message to Iraq in Threatening to Veto British Plan." ... "U.S. officials say France is sending exactly the wrong message to Iraq's Saddam Hussein by threatening to veto a United Nations resolution that would order him to disarm immediately or face war." ... "State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Wednesday that the stand of French President Jacques Chirac is making it less likely Iraq can be disarmed peacefully and the White House suggested for the first time that voting against the resolution in the U.N. Security Council could damage a country's relationship with the United States." -AP via -ABCNEWS.com

20030312

- - - "Balance of power: US and Iraqi forces: Despite defeat in the 1991 Gulf War, Iraq remains one of the largest military powers in the Middle East region." ... "But its potency has been severely undermined by more than a decade of sanctions, an arms embargo, and US and UK bombing. "Iraq's inability to modernise means that much of its armed forces are now obsolete. Many units have uncertain readiness, and will be difficult to sustain in combat," a 2002 study by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) reported." ... "Despite numerical superiority in the region, most military analysts say that Iraq's forces would stand no chance against the United States, the most advanced military power in the world." -By Tom Housden -BBC/News
- - - - - "Blair spells out demands on Saddam." ... "The prime minister, Tony Blair, today spelled out Britain's final demands for the Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein, to give up his weapons of mass destruction or face military action." ... "The government has drawn up a list of six "benchmarks" against which Iraqi compliance with United Nations demands to disarm can be judged." ... "They include a demand for Saddam to make a public declaration on Iraqi television that he has been hiding banned weapons materials but has now made a "strategic decision" to give them up." ... "It must be followed by the destruction "forthwith" of Iraq's remaining stocks of anthrax and other biological and chemical materials." -By Mark Oliver -Guardian.co.uk
- - - "Britain, U.S. offer U.N. amendments." ... "U.S. and British diplomats on Wednesday were fine-tuning new amendments to their U.N. resolution on Iraq in another attempt to nail down the nine votes needed for approval in the Security Council. With the U.S.-imposed deadline for a vote early this week slipping away, the allies hope that new “benchmarks” for disarmament, including a televised appearance by President Saddam Hussein to renounce weapons of mass destruction, will sway nations unwilling to back the March 17 ultimatum of the current draft." -MS-NBC
- - - "For Blair, political risk runs the highest." ... "None of America's allies for a possible war against Iraq is feeling more pressure than Blair, who was further stung by poll results released yesterday that showed only 19 percent of British residents support going to war without a second UN resolution." ... "Blair's response has been to face his challengers on prime-time television, while off-stage directing his top aides and diplomats to find the nine votes on the UN Security Council required for a compromise resolution that gives Iraq more time to comply." -By John Donnelly and Beth Carney -Boston/Globe

20030307

- - - "10 Days: Britain Proposes More Time for Saddam; Sets Ultimatum on War" ... "Iraq has 10 days to show it is disarming under a draft resolution Britain offered to the U.N. Security Council today with the backing of the United States." ... "Speaking before the Security Council today, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw pushed the world body to be more aggressive and offered an amendment to a resolution introduced earlier. Under the amended version, Iraq would have until March 17 to disarm." -ABCNEWS.com

20030306

- - "U.K. mulls changes to Iraq resolution: Powell to meet with diplomats." ... "Ahead of critical meetings at the United Nations, intense diplomatic efforts are under way as the United States and Britain try to gather the necessary nine votes in the 15-member U.N. Security Council to pass a second resolution against Iraq." ... "British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Thursday that Britain would consider making changes to the draft resolution, which would declare Iraq in violation of previous measures." -CNN
- - - "U.S. triples ‘no fly’ sorties over Iraq: New strategy aims to mask start of any war." ... "U.S. and British pilots were flying nearly triple the number of air patrols in the “no fly” zone over southern Iraq on Thursday — a strategy aimed at keeping Iraq off guard by masking the start of any war. The Pentagon earlier described a “shock and awe” plan to unleash a barrage of bombs 10 times as great as in the opening days of the 1991 Gulf War." ... "Several hundred sorties a day are now being flown over southern Iraq, including F-16 and other attack planes as well as surveillance, refueling and other support aircraft, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The official did not reveal specific numbers." -MS-NBC

20030305

- - - - - - "New blow to U.S. plans for Iraq war: France, Russia, Germany say they will oppose U.N. resolution." ... "The foreign ministers of France, Russia and Germany said Wednesday they will not allow a U.N. resolution to pass that authorizes war against Iraq. Their statement, which followed a hastily called meeting in Paris, came amid a quickening U.S. push for military action against Baghdad. A White House spokesman played down the resistance, saying President Bush remained confident that the draft resolution, sponsored by the United States, Britain and Spain, would be approved." -MS-NBC

20030226

- "Blair Suffers Major Party Revolt Over Iraq." ... "British Prime Minister Tony Blair suffered by far the largest revolt he has faced from his war-wary Labor Party but still won a parliamentary vote Wednesday over tackling Iraq." -By Mike Peacock-Reuters via -ABCNEWS.com

20030225

- - - "Western Jets Attack Five Missile Systems in Iraq." ... "Warplanes taking part in U.S.-British patrols attacked five missile sites in northern and southern Iraq on Tuesday, including a battlefield rocket launcher within range of American troops massed in Kuwait, the U.S. military said."-Reuters via -ABCNEWS.com
- - - "Text: U.S.-British Draft Resolution Stating Position on Iraq." -NYTimes via -Google-News
- - - "Who is for and who against a war on Iraq?" ... "A new resolution on Iraq which Washington would like passed by mid-March will need backing from at least nine of the 15 members of the U.N. Security Council, and no vetoes." -Reuters -AlertNet.org/Newsdesk currently calculates four Security Council member countries are for a new resolution: the US, UK, Spain, and Bulgaria; six member countries have voiced opposition to a new resolution: China, France, Germany, Mexico, Russia, and Syria; and five member countries are "unclear": Angola, Cameroon, Chile, Guinea, and Pakistan.

The five permanent UN Security Council members can each independently veto any resolution.

Permanent Members: France, China, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, United States

Rotating Members:

Angola, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Chile, Germany, Guinea, Mexico, Pakistan, Spain, Syrian Arab Republic

-UN.org/Docs/scinfo.htm

20030220

- - - "U.S., Britain Prepare Iraq Resolution." ... "The United States and Britain will shortly introduce a new U.N. resolution that would pave the way for military action and give Saddam Hussein a final few weeks to fully cooperate with weapons inspectors, diplomats said." ... "Washington and London face an uphill struggle in getting the minimum nine votes for a new resolution. The other permanent council members, France, Russia and China, don't think a new resolution is necessary - and one of them could veto it." -By Edith M. Lederer -AP via -Miami/Herald

20030219

- - - "Iraq faces ultimatum in second UN resolution." ... "The US and British governments will begin work today on a new United Nations resolution that will set an ultimatum for Iraq to cooperate fully by next month or face war." ... "The two governments have been on the back foot since the UN chief weapons inspector, Hans Blix, produced a report on Friday more favourable to Iraq than expected and, a day later, more than 6 million people joined anti-war demonstrations worldwide." -By Ewen MacAskill and Michael White -Guardian.co.uk
- - - "Britain upgrades travel warnings on Iraq, Kuwait, Israel." ... "Britain said Wednesday that its citizens in Iraq should leave the country immediately, citing "increasing regional tension and of the risk of terrorist action."" ... "The Foreign Office also upgraded its warnings on travel to Kuwait, Israel and the Palestinian territories." ... ""If you are considering going to Iraq, you should be aware that British nationals were used as hostages during the 1990-91 crisis by the Iraqi regime, being held where their safety was at most risk," the advisory said." -AP via -USATODAY
- - - - "Pre-war action already under way: Stepped-up bombing attacks in no-fly zones and Special Forces operations in Iraq are part of growing preparations." ... "In important ways, the Gulf War of 2003 has already begun." ... "From armed attacks on opposing forces to covert preparations, both the United States and Iraq are heavily involved in military actions: •Twice last week, American and British jets attacked Iraqi missile sites, part of stepped-up allied activity in the southern no-fly zone. •On the ground, Special Forces soldiers and CIA operatives already are inside Iraq, working with Iraqis who oppose Saddam Hussein, preparing airstrips and communications facilities, and taking note of potential targets for air attack." -By Brad Knickerbocker -CSMonitor

20030216

- - - - "Anti-War Push Brings More Time for Iraq Diplomacy." ... "The United States and Britain considered giving diplomacy more time on Sunday in the face of resistance at the United Nations to their plans for war to disarm Iraq and after vast weekend peace protests." ... "Among more than six million people who marched in a wave of global protest not seen since the Vietnam War, some of the largest crowds were in countries whose leaders have backed the hawkish stand of President Bush." ... "There was little sign the demonstrations, capped by a rally in Sydney on Sunday, had put off pro-war leaders, who say Baghdad is hiding illegal weapons that pose a global threat." -By Nadim Ladki and Saul Hudson -Reuters /World

20030215

- - "Millions join anti-war protests worldwide." ... "Millions of people worldwide are marching in demonstrations against a possible US-led war against Iraq." ... "Hundreds of peace rallies are taking place in up to 60 countries this weekend." ... "The demonstration in London was the capital's biggest in peacetime. The organisers put the turnout at nearly two million, while police said it was more than 750,000."-BBC/News

20030211

- - - Law Enforcement News - "Blair authorised terror alert troops." ... "The prime minister gave his personal authorisation for soldiers to be drafted in to boost security at Heathrow airport and other sites in London, says Downing Street." ... "A total of 450 troops have joined 1,000 extra police officers in patrolling the airport as part of a tightening of security at sites across the capital." ... "The heightened security is linked to intelligence concerns that al-Qaeda may try to use surface-to-air missiles in the UK or US this week." ... "It is compounded by US security chiefs warning of possible terrorist attacks in the US and Middle East towards the end of the week, including the use of poisons, chemicals and a device to spread radioactivity[.]" -BBC/News

20030203

- - Microsoft News - "Microsoft give UK a peek at Windows: The United Kingdom is the latest country to join a Microsoft program that lets international governments see the otherwise secret source code underlying Windows." ... "Microsoft unveiled the Government Security Program two weeks ago as a way to address concerns various governments have about the security of its Windows operating system. The U.K. government announced its participation Friday." -By Stephen Shankland -ZDNet>News

20030131

- - - "9 European nations line up with U.S. in pledge on Iraq." ... "Assuming a somewhat frayed mantle as global diplomat, Prime Minister Tony Blair flew to the United States on Thursday night to meet President George W. Bush, bearing an unusual pledge of support for Washington against Baghdad from nine European leaders but leaving behind a continent ever more divided over the need for war in Iraq." ... "Significantly, the letter's expressions of ringing support for the United States fell short of explicit backing for Washington's threat of a go-it-alone war with what it terms a "coalition of the willing" if other nations continue to oppose it." ... "The signatories included both established European Union members -Britain, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Denmark - along with four countries set to join the Union next year - Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland." -By Alan Cowell -NYTimes via -IHT.com

20030121

- - "U.K. makes major boost in Gulf troop strength." ... "Britain on Monday announced a substantial increase in its military strength for possible action against Iraq, saying it was readying 30,000 troops for action in a buildup approaching the force level of the 43,000 who took part in the 1991 Gulf War." ... "The deployment was the most significant military step yet taken by Britain, the principal ally of the United States, and greatly exceeded predictions from military experts. The troops are expected to be in the region by mid-February." -By Warren Hoge -NYTimes via -IHT.com

20030105

- - - "US operatives are said to be active in Iraq: Agents target sites, gather intelligence." ... "About 100 US Special Forces members and more than 50 Central Intelligence Agency officers have been operating in small groups inside Iraq for at least four months, searching for Scud missile launchers, monitoring oil fields, marking minefield sites, and using lasers to help US pilots bomb Iraqi air-defense systems, according to intelligence officials and military analysts who have talked with people on the teams." ... "The operations, which also have included small numbers of Jordanian, British, and Australian commandos, are considered by many analysts to be part of the opening phase of a war against Iraq, even though the Bush administration has agreed to a schedule of UN weapons inspections." -By John Donnelly -Boston/Globe

20021221

- - "US agrees to share Iraq intelligence." ... "The United States says it will share intelligence data about Iraq with United Nations weapons inspectors following a request from chief inspector Hans Blix." ... "The agreement comes while the US is preparing for a rapid increase in its military strength in the Middle East, almost doubling the number of troops near Iraq." ... "Mr Blix told the BBC on Friday that, if US officials knew where they thought Iraq was storing banned materials, he could send his inspection teams to check." -BBC/News
- - "Blair tells his forces to prepare for war, but Blix seeks data." ... "The United States and Britain should give United Nations weapons inspectors more intelligence about Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction, chief inspector Hans Blix said Friday." ... "Prime Minister Tony Blair, meanwhile, told British troops he was making "all the preparations necessary" for war." ... ""If the U.K. and the U.S. ... have evidence, then one would expect that they would be able to tell us where this stuff is," Blix told the British Broadcasting Corp. radio." -By Jill Lawless -AP via -IHT.com

20021218

- Christmas News - - "When a 'Christmas Truce' put war on back burner." ... "Christmas came to the battlefield in "the Great War to end all wars," and that story became the stuff of legend." ... "The History Channel tells what happened when British and German soldiers laid down their arms to meet in a No Man's Land strewn with the bodies of their fallen comrades. Never before --and never again, probably -- was there ever such a celebration as The Christmas Truce." -By Ann Hodges -HoustonChronicle.com

Search Google: <"The Christmas Truce">

20021213

- "UK internet shopping 'breaks £1bn mark'." ... "For the first time, UK consumers have spent more than £1bn ($1.6bn) in just one month shopping online, according to a survey." ... "Online sales have risen by 95% over the past year, IMRG said, compared with a rise of just 6.1% in general retail sales." ... "US figures for the July to September period this year showed online shopping sales were more than $11bn, representing 1.3% of total US retail sales, an increase of 34.3% on the same period last year." ... "In the UK, online sales over the same July to September period reached £2bn ($3.14bn), representing 4% of total UK retail sales, up 114.5% on the same period in 2001."-BBC/News
- Press Release - "imrg e-retail sales index - internet shopping bursts £1bn barrier." - Links to [PDF]: "Internet Shopping Bursts £1 Billion Barrier!" ... "Santa is shopping online this year in a BIG WAY. Monthly internet shopping soared into ten figures for the first time in November as Britain's 14.3 million online shoppers flooded e-retailers with £1,000 million worth of orders, according to the IMRG Index." ... "The Index has risen almost ten fold, from 100 to 993, during the 32 months it has tracked UK e-retail sales, since April 2000, and the pace of growth it reveals continues to accelerate. The November Index was based on sales of £218 million reported by 77 participating e-retailers, which represents 22% of the estimated market." ... "UK online shopping is growing three times faster than in the USA, and is three times the proportion of total retail sales. US retail e-commerce sales for the third quarter of 2002 was just over $11 billion, representing 1.3% of total US retail according to latest figures from the US Department of Commerce, an increase of 34.3 percent from Q3 2001. UK e-retail during the same period was worth £2 billion ($3.14 billion), representing 4% of total UK retail, and was 114.5% higher than Q3 2001." -IMRGorg

20021207

- - "Miss Turkey [Azra Akin] Wins Miss World Competition: Miss Turkey Crowned Miss World in Pageant That Was Moved to London After Riots in Nigeria." ... "Ninety-two contestants took part in the show, which was shunted to London after Muslim-Christian rioting last month killed more than 200 people, forcing it out of Nigeria." ... "The pageant's motto is "beauty with a purpose," and among this year's contestants were lawyers, businesswomen, architects and a doctor." ... "Unlike the pageant's heyday in the 1970s, this year's contestants glided along the catwalk in evening gowns rather than swimsuits part of an effort to shed the show's sexist image." -AP via -ABCNEWS.com

20021126

- "Fraud fears still hamper online sales." ... "The number of Britons doing Christmas shopping online is expected to soar this year but the government says fear of fraud is still preventing sales reaching their potential levels." ... "The government is keen to encourage more net shopping, with Consumer Minister Melanie Johnson telling shoppers that online retail can be safe if they follow a few simple rules." ... "She is advising consumers to use websites they know or that have been recommended, obtain suppliers' telephone numbers or postal addresses and keep copies of order forms or e-mails."-BBC/News

20021113

Microsoft News - - "Briton Indicted as Hacker: Entry to U.S. Military Systems Called Biggest Ever Detected." ... "An unemployed British computer system administrator was indicted yesterday in Alexandria and New Jersey on eight counts of computer fraud for alleging [sic] penetrating about 100 U.S. government computers, shutting down networks and corrupting data in what U.S. Attorney Paul J. McNulty called "the biggest hack of military computers ever detected."" ... "From February 2001 to March 2002, two federal grand juries alleged, Gary McKinnon, 36, of London, exploited a known security problem with Microsoft Windows NT and Windows 2000 to break into 92 computers at NASA, the Pentagon, and more than a dozen military installations in 14 states." -By Brooke A. Masters-WashingtonPost >TechNews

20021004

- "Night owls boost online spending." ... "Internet shopping has captured a new "out-of-hours" market which is claiming an ever greater proportion of UK retail spending, a report said." ... "Research from Barclaycard suggested that one third of all online sales were made between 6pm and 9am." ... "The report suggested travel and financial service products were the most popular online purchases with night owls, and that the average spend was £1.60 higher than during the day."-BBC/News

20020915

- - - "War Could Unshackle Oil in Iraq: U.S. Drillers Eye Huge Petroleum Pool." ... "A U.S.-led ouster of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein could open a bonanza for American oil companies long banished from Iraq, scuttling oil deals between Baghdad and Russia, France and other countries, and reshuffling world petroleum markets, according to industry officials and leaders of the Iraqi opposition." ... "The importance of Iraq's oil has made it potentially one of the administration's biggest bargaining chips in negotiations to win backing from the U.N. Security Council and Western allies for President Bush's call for tough international action against Hussein. All five permanent members of the Security Council -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China -- have international oil companies with major stakes in a change of leadership in Baghdad." -By Dan Morgan and David B. Ottaway -WashingtonPost

20020913

Enron News - - "British Bankers Indicted in Enron Case." ... "A federal grand jury in Houston yesterday indicted three British bankers on wire-fraud charges in connection with an alleged scheme to swindle their employer out of $7.3 million and enrich themselves and senior executives at Enron Corp." ... "The seven-count indictment names David Bermingham, Giles Darby and Gary Mulgrew, former employees at National Westminster Bank PLC who allegedly conspired with Enron's onetime chief financial officer and his key aide by using a secretive offshore partnership to siphon off money owed to the bank." -By Carrie Johnson-WashingtonPost

20020912

Enron News - - "Enron probe indicts three British bankers." ... "Federal prosecutors in Houston on Thursday indicted three British bankers on wire fraud charges in connection with an Enron Corp. deal considered a critical piece of the case being built against former Chief Financial Officer Andrew Fastow." -By C. Bryson Hull -Reuters via -Forbes

20020907

- "Blair: 'Inaction not an option': The threat posed by Saddam Hussein's programmes to develop weapons of mass destruction must be tackled "one way or another," British Prime Minister Tony Blair has said." ... "Pressed whether a new U.N. resolution was needed, Blair said: "There's no doubt this issue has to be dealt with. The only decision that's been taken at this stage is that inaction is not an option."" ... "While he wants the "broadest possible coalition" for any action against Iraq, he added: "We have however to make sure this issue is dealt with one way or another."" -CNN /Europe

20020903

- "U.S. may offer more Iraq evidence." ... "The Bush administration has secret information supporting its claims that Saddam Hussein poses an unacceptable threat to the world and is close to developing nuclear weapons, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld said Tuesday. President Bush could disclose the information through upcoming congressional hearings on Iraq, Rumsfeld hinted at a Pentagon press conference." ... "In London, Prime Minister Tony Blair said his government hoped to publish in the next few weeks a dossier of evidence on Saddam's efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction." -AP via -USATODAY

20020815

"$116 trillion lawsuit filed by 9/11 families." ... "Acknowledging the odds are against them, relatives of the September 11 attacks filed a 15-count, $116 trillion lawsuit Thursday against the company run by Osama bin Laden's family, Saudi Arabian princes and Sudan." ... "Co-lead counsel for the lawsuit is attorney Allen Gerson, one of the attorneys who negotiated a $2.7 billion settlement between the Libyan government and families of 270 people killed when Pam Am Flight 103 was blown up over Scotland in 1988." -CNN

20020730

"Labour's Arthur Andersen links." ... "While Tony Blair toured Britain aboard his election battle bus in 1997, senior members of his economic team were working alongside experts at Arthur Andersen, Enron's accountants." ... "That relationship - which produced key planks of current economic policy - lies behind the awkward questions Labour now faces over Andersen's return to government work." -By Ollie Stone-Lee -BBC /News

20020719

"UK pay-out for Kenya bomb victims." ... "The UK Government has struck a deal with lawyers representing 228 Kenyan tribespeople bereaved or maimed by British Army explosives left on their land." -BBC /News
"Full 'Dr. Death' horror revealed." ... "Relatives of patients killed by Dr. Harold Shipman say they have been "vindicated" in their struggle to reveal him as the UK's worst serial killer." ... "His first victims tended to be terminally ill, but then he moved on to murder patients that simply irritated him. He himself has never admitted guilt or his thinking behind the deaths." -CNN

20020627

"Hostage taken at London AmEx." ... "Police say they believe they are dealing with a robbery that went wrong and are trying to confirm that there is just one gunman." -CNN

20020530

"TalkSport [radio station] brings you the World Cup [soccer games played all around the world] - live from London." ... "The BBC took legal action against TalkSport after it emerged the station was covering matches to which the BBC helds the rights by watching the games on an Amsterdam hotel TV." ... "A deal was eventually brokered, allowing the commercial radio outfit to commentate on sporting events by describing the action it sees on TV, as long as it frequently makes clear coverage is unofficial." -By Julia Day -MediaGuardian.co.uk

20020529

"Crime falls in cannabis trial area." ... "The south London borough which is piloting a scheme to treat cannabis offenders more leniently has seen a dramatic drop in the level of street crimes." -BBC /News

20020525

"New 'superbug' found at hospital." ... "The extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) superbug is reported to have claimed the life of one patient at Hairmyres in East Kilbride, one of Scotland's most modern hospitals." -BBC /News

20020430

- - "Traces of the Enemy Near Pakistan Border: Region Neither Peaceful Nor Pacified." ... "U.S.-led forces are readying an operation in this region, apparently to pursue al Qaeda and Taliban fugitives who are reportedly regrouping across the border in Pakistan's semiautonomous tribal areas. Afghan officials say they have spotted hundreds of U.S. and British troops being airlifted into the mountains along the border." -By Peter Baker and Susan B. Glasser -WashingtonPost

20020128

Enron - "Downing Street rebuffs Enron claims." -BBC /News

20020105

PRO.gov.uk : the "Public Record Office: The National Archives." is providing census records for the year 1901 for England and Wales. Because of overwhelming demand the site is presently down.

20020103

"Historic census Web site crashes: A Web site offering a glimpse of life in the UK 100 years ago crashed after more than one million people tried to log on within hours of its launch." -CNN

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