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By Mike Rose
$10.88
By E.J. Dionne
$18.95
$23
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AP / Andrew Brownbill
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It seems the pope can’t take a joke. The Vatican is threatening to cancel a visit to Britain by Benedict XVI after a leaked Foreign Office memo gave suggestions that included a “Benedict condom.”
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Wikimedia Commons
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Calling back memories of the Falkland Islands war, Argentina has blocked a cargo ship from leaving one of its ports after suspicion arose that the vessel would supply oil drilling equipment to the British-occupied islands. The Argentines allege that the ship was trying to aid in an “illegitimate” search for oil and gas.
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Flickr / davemacvac
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British defense giant BAE has agreed to pay the UK and U.S. governments almost $800 million in penalties after it finally admitted guilt in the face of long-running corruption allegations. The deal allows the company to avoid being placed on an international arms trade blacklist.
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AP pool photo / Kirsty Wigglesworth
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By Robert Fisk — “We acknowledge,” the letter says, “that violence has claimed the lives of many thousands of Iraqi civilians over the last five years, either through terrorism or sectarian violence. Any loss of innocent lives is tragic and the Government is committed to ensuring that civilian casualties are avoided. Insurgents and terrorists are not, I regret to say, so scrupulous.”
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AP photo / Andy Wong
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By Chris Hedges — All efforts to save the planet will be useless if we do not cut population growth. By 2050, the planet will have between 8 billion and 10 billion people, according to a recent U.N. forecast. And yet studies, books and documentaries that deal with various crises fail to discuss the danger of all those billions of hungry people looking for a better life.
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youtube.com
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With a media-dubbed moniker that doesn’t look good for either party, the “Holocaust Bishop”—a British bishop recently un-excommunicated by the pope—is being told by the Vatican to recant his views after news broke that he “believe[s] there were no gas chambers [during World War II].”
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AP photo / Hasan Sarbakhshian
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Britain’s Channel 4 has a tradition of featuring an alternative Christmas message as a kind of counterpoint to Queen Elizabeth’s customary speech, and this year’s speaker—Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad—is sparking outrage.
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AP photo / Mahmoud Badri
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The UK’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown made a surprise trip to Iraq on Wednesday, followed by the announcement that British troops will begin pulling out of Iraq at the end of this coming May.
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americaslibrary.gov
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The British Defense Ministry has leaked news that it will begin a phased troop withdrawal from Iraq. The drawdown will bring to an end a torrid, near-six-year love affair with the U.S. that began with coordinated intelligence failures and eventually led to jointly invading a sovereign country under cover of a “war on terror.”
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By Regina Marler — A new volume of the late poet’s correspondence sheds fresh light on the anguish and art of Sylvia Plath.
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American and British troops joined forces with Iraqi government troops battling the Mahdi Army in Basra and Sadr City on Saturday as Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s offensive, launched Tuesday, passed the fifth day with little sign of reprieve and a great deal riding on its outcome.
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Newsday
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French President Nicolas Sarkozy was in London Wednesday to declare his readiness to send additional troops to Afghanistan. The move, seen by some as an effort to strengthen ties with his chums across the Channel, was well received by British lawmakers who believe an increase of NATO occupation forces in Afghanistan would best prevent a Taliban resurgence.
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churchtimes.co.uk
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Following a heated debate, the British House of Lords approved an amendment that does away with the UK’s long-standing common law against blasphemy—a watershed moment that some believe was too long in coming.
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mcclatchydc.com
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BBC: “The UK will hand over control of Basra to Iraqi forces despite failing in its goal to establish security there, an MPs’ [members of Parliament] report says. The city is dominated by militias and the police contains ‘murderous’ and ‘corrupt’ elements, the report added.”
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bbc.co.uk
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In a particularly delicate situation involving crossed cultural wires, a British primary school teacher in Sudan could face six months in jail, a fine or 40 lashes after allowing her students to name a teddy bear “Muhammad” for a class exercise.
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AP photo / Nabil al-Jurani
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Perhaps Basra can be seen as a test case for the rest of Iraq with regard to withdrawal and its effects: According to Maj. Gen. Graham Binns, the commander of British forces in Basra, there has been a “remarkable and dramatic drop in attacks” since the majority of his troops withdrew from the city.
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guardian.co.uk
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The British government’s Foreign Affairs Committee will look into charges by a number of sources, including human rights groups and a retired U.S. general, that sovereign British land has been used as a CIA “black site” prison. The island of Diego Garcia, in the Indian Ocean, has been leased to the United States and is the site of an American military base but remains British territory.
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AP photo / Nabil al-Jurani
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The British government is planning to downsize its military presence in Iraq this May by 800 to leave a total of 7,000 troops, a move Defense Secretary John Reid insists is not meant to signal a “handover of responsibility” to Iraqi forces, according to the BBC. Updated
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The British prime minister has warned that the number of dead in Burma is probably “far greater than is being reported so far.” The world community has widely condemned the Burmese government’s violent response to the thousands of protesters who’ve been flooding the streets of Yangon.
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British forces have relocated to the Basra airport, leaving Iraq’s No. 2 city in the hands of Iraqis for the first time since the invasion. For many locals, it was a welcome withdrawal: “We are pleased that the Iraqi army are now taking over the situation. We as an Iraqi people reject occupation. We reject colonialism. We want our freedom,” one resident told the AP.
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About 60 Britons withdrew from an Iraqi police base in Basra this weekend, marking the first step in British troops’ exodus from the city. The BBC reports that the troops’ overnight departure caused some confusion as to who assumed control of the base, and British and Iraqi officials are denying reports that militant members of Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army took over the outpost following the British pullout.
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Patrick Cockburn —
British forces face a major dip in morale as they prepare to leave Basra—an exit viewed by some as a retreat from a situation that’s become more chaotic and dangerous than it was before. The Independent’s Patrick Cockburn apparently agrees, arguing that the British troops “wholly failed” in their “least successful military campaign since Suez in 1956.”
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news.bbc.co.uk
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A team of British scientists has developed a short-term, 10-year projection of the climate crisis—that’s short-term because most global-warming models work with centuries. And, yes, their findings indicate it will continue to get hotter through the next decade.
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A British committee investigating possible UK involvement in extraordinary rendition has found that the U.S. ignored British intelligence caveats and concerns, possibly straining a historically close intelligence relationship. The committee also recommended a ban on cooperation that could lead to secret detention, which it said “is of itself mistreatment.”
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news.bbc.co.uk
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Evidence of Iran’s influence over the global economy appeared Wednesday as the oil-rich nation agreed to release 15 British captives and petroleum prices consequently fell. If a relatively minor diplomatic dispute can perturb investors, imagine how invading or bombing Iran would affect global markets.
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defenselink.mil
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Tony Blair is expected to announce a major withdrawal of British troops from Iraq by Christmas—possibly up to half of the current deployment. Although Britons largely oppose the war, the news may come as something of a disappointment as there were rumors Blair was going to withdraw troops more rapidly.
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from jwharrison.com
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Britain’s Sun newspaper has obtained a copy of a “top secret” tape that depicts the adolescent joy of two U.S. fighter pilots as they gunned down a British convoy, killing Lance Cpl. Matty Hull and injuring four others.
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Scotsman.com
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A new report from Human Rights Watch accuses the British government of softening protections against torture, abdicating its responsibility to pressure the U.S. against the practice and knowingly deporting terror suspects to countries where they are likely to suffer abuse.
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A coroner has ruled the fatal shooting of an already wounded British journalist by U.S. troops to be an “unlawful act.” Though it refused to take part in the inquest, the Pentagon defended the shooting: “We have always gone to extreme measures to avoid civilian casualties and collateral damage.”
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BBC News
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A British TV network is set to air a mock documentary that portrays the imagined assassination of President Bush. While the White House has refused to comment on the program, one Republican spokesperson said: ?I find this shocking, I find it disturbing. I don’t know if there are many people in America who would want to watch something like that.?
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From The Telegraph
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British authorities informed the parents of this 5-year-old that the above picture would not pass official muster. Why? Ahhh…but that would ruin the suspense. You gotta jump.
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From MSNBC
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American officials leaned on England to arrest the would-be plane bombers at least a week before British authorities wanted to move in, according to MSNBC. One British official suggested the attacks were not imminent; the suspects did not yet have plane tickets—some didn’t even have passports.
Why did this allegedly happen? We have a (unfortunately justifiably) cynical answer. Click to the jump….
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From cs.umn.edu
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In the wake of the foiled terrorist plots to explode passenger jets in midair, a White House official told an AFP reporter on Thursday, “Weeks before September 11th, this is going to play big” as a political opportunity for the GOP. The AFP reporter was merciless in his reporting, noting that Bush & Co. have been tarring Democrats as soft on terrorism the past few days—knowing full well that news of the terror plot could break at any moment.
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Sen. Joe Lieberman seized upon news of the foiled British plane bombers to say that a victory for his Democratic rival, Ned Lamont, in November would constitute a victory for the terrorists.
You know, when John at AMERICAblog asked who was going to be the first one to exploit this situation for political gain, he thought it would at least be a Republican….
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From craphound.com
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It was looking like snakes were going to be the biggest threat to planes this summer, but energy drink bottles filled with explosive liquids turned out to be the real problem.
Check out the TSA’s hours-old official ban on liquids on planes.
Update #1: The terrorists were apparently “planning to smuggle hydrogen peroxide-based liquid/slurry explosives” (whatever that is) in the bottles, according to U.S. News.
Update #2Someone came up with a fitting graphic (above)
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AP / Matt Dunham
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Scotland Yard has upset a terrorist plot to explode planes in mid-flight from the UK to the U.S. As part of an operation lasting several months, authorities arrested 18 people and raised the threat level in the UK to critical, the highest possible.
Update: Bush raised America’s threat level to red—the highest. It’s a first for America.
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Britain’s outgoing ambassador to Baghdad warned in a leaked confidential memo, “The prospect of a low-intensity civil war and a de facto division of Iraq is probably more likely at this stage than a successful and substantial transition to a stable democracy.”
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Criticizing the U.S. for the first time in the Lebanon crisis, the UK’s foreign minister found fault with Israel’s military tactics and urged America to “understand” the price being paid by ordinary Lebanese civilians.
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According to The Times (of London), British officials dispute the effectiveness of Israel?s bombing campaign and warn of a potential backlash.
Posted on Jul 20, 2006
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The British leader has been battered in the polls as of late, and in the UK it’s a lot easier to remove a head of government than it is here. AMERICAblog has the gossip (and that’s all it is now.)
Posted on May 15, 2006
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The British attorney general says the continued existence of the U.S. detention camp at Guantanamo Bay is “unacceptable.”
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The crash of a British helicopter in the southern Iraqi city of Basra led to a crackdown by British soldiers and five Iraqi deaths. A melee ensued—stone-throwing, Molotov cocktails…. A BBC correspondent called the worsening situation a “dramatic change in attitude” toward the British presence.
Posted on May 6, 2006
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For the first time in its history, the UK’s equivalent of the CIA is advertising for agents. The MI6 website says: “Staff who join SIS can look forward to ... a stimulating and rewarding career which, like [James] Bond’s, will be in the service of their country.”
Posted on Apr 28, 2006
READ MORE
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From georgegalloway.com
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Mazher Mahmood, a British reporter who dresses up as a wealthy Arab businessman to entrap high-profile victims in sting operations, has been publicly outed by a member of Parliament.
N.Y. Times story
’Fake Sheikh’ home page (created by the M.P.)
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Luke MacGregor / AP
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Two days after being freed from a four-month captivity in Iraq, UK peace activist Norman Kember tries to deflect attention away from himself and onto Iraqis suffering amid the continuing violence.
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From News of the World
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The News of the World (UK) publishes images and releases a video of a squadron of English soldiers savagely beating a group of rioting Iraqi teenagers in 2004. | story or watch video
UPDATE: British authorities have arrested a serving soldier in connection with the incident. | story
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