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(07/15/04 3:07am)
LONDON -- Iraq had no stockpiles of usable chemical or biological weapons before the war, and British intelligence relied in part on "seriously flawed" or "unreliable" sources in deciding to join the U.S.-attack to oust Saddam Hussein, an official inquiry reported Wednesday.\nPrime Minister Tony Blair accepted the report's findings and took "personal responsibility," although his government was absolved of "deliberate distortion or culpable negligence."\n"I have to accept, as the months have passed, it seems increasingly clear that at the time of invasion Saddam did not have stockpiles of chemical or biological weapons ready to deploy," Blair told the House of Commons.\nBut, he insisted, "I cannot honestly say I believe getting rid of Saddam was a mistake at all. Iraq, the region, the wider world is a better and safer place without Saddam."\nOpposition Conservative Party leader Michael Howard questioned whether the British public would trust Blair's judgment in the future.\n"The issue is the prime minister's credibility. The question he must ask himself is does he have any credibility left?" Howard asked the Commons.\nLord Butler's report, echoing the damning findings of last week's U.S. Senate report, said that Iraq "did not have significant, if any, stocks of chemical or biological weapons in a state fit for deployment or developed plans for using them."\nIt said a September 2002 dossier prepared by Blair's government on the Iraqi threat pushed the government case to the limits of available intelligence and left out vital caveats.\n"Language in the dossier may have left with readers the impression that there was fuller and firmer intelligence behind the judgments than was the case," the report said.\nButler, a retired civil service chief, was also highly critical of British intelligence gathering in Iraq. One source on chemical and biological weapons was "open to doubt," while other reports "on Iraqi production of biological agent were seriously flawed."\nThe report said intelligence received from another government's intelligence agency on Iraq's biological agents was "seriously flawed." It did not say whether the source was the United States or another country.\nLike a previous inquiry, Butler censured the government over a claim that Saddam could launch some chemical and biological weapons at 45 minutes' notice.\nHe said the detail should not have been in the dossier, without clarification that it referred to battlefield munitions, not missiles. The claim received widespread news coverage, including headlines that British troops in Cyprus were in danger. Butler said he suspected the detail may have been included as it was "eye-catching."\nHowever, the report supported Britain's disputed claim that Iraq had sought to purchase uranium from Niger, saying it came from "several different sources" and had not relied on documents exposed as forgeries by the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.\n"No single individual is to blame. This was a collective operation in which there were the failures we have identified but there was no deliberate attempt on the part of the government to mislead," Butler told a news conference.\nThe report also tacitly criticized Blair's informal system of government, in which powerful and unelected special advisers help him formulate policy, often without the presence of elected ministers or civil service officials taking minutes.\n"We are concerned that the informality and circumscribed character of the government's procedures which we saw in the context of policy making toward Iraq risks reducing the scope for informed political judgment," the report said.\nBlair has weathered three previous inquiries, all of which cleared his government of misusing intelligence on Iraq. His popularity and credibility have suffered and Blair said Wednesday he hoped the issue could now be put to rest.\n"No one lied, no one made up the intelligence, no one inserted things into dossier against the advice of intelligence services," Blair said.\n"Everyone genuinely tried to do their best in good faith for the country in circumstances of acute difficulty. That issue of good faith should now be at an end."\nAs Butler delivered his report, anti-war protesters -- some in masks depicting Blair with a Pinocchio-like long nose and holding signs reading "Blair" -- demonstrated outside, chanting "Blair lied, thousands died."\nButler's five-strong committee spent six months probing the quality of British intelligence, interviewing Blair, Cabinet ministers and top ranking spy chiefs.\nThe report said in the future the government should not use the Joint Intelligence Committee, whose assessments of raw intelligence normally remain secret, to give its publications a public stamp of approval.\n"There was as a result of the process some strain between the desires of the government to have a dossier which helped to support the case they were making and the Joint Intelligence Committee's normal standards of objective assessment," Butler told the news conference.\nButler said he had "high regard" for Joint Intelligence Committee chairman John Scarlett, who signed off on the September dossier, and said he should be allowed to take up a new post next month as head of MI6, Britain's foreign intelligence service.\nButler said British intelligence had not relied too heavily on dissident Iraqis for WMD intelligence. U.S. President George W. Bush's administration has conceded it accepted misleading information from Ahmed Chalabi, a prominent exile who wanted to get the United States to overthrow Saddam so he could return to Iraq.\n"We do not believe that over-reliance on dissident and emigre sources was a major cause of subsequent weaknesses in the human intelligence relied on by the U.K.," Butler wrote.\nButler noted that British intelligence had not suggested there was evidence of cooperation between Saddam and Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network.\n"The (Joint Intelligence Committee) made clear that, although there were contacts between the Iraqi regime and al-Qaida, there was no evidence of cooperation"
(07/31/03 2:15am)
LONDON -- News of Hope's death at age 100 led evening news broadcasts in Britain, and SKY TV News ran lengthy film clips and tributes.\nThe comedian's book "I Never Left Home" referred to England. "He got back there as often as he could to play golf, to do shows, fund-raisers or to visit," said his longtime publicist, Ward Grant. "He just loved going back there."\nThe veteran entertainer died Sunday at his home in the Los Angeles area of pneumonia. \n"I left England at the age of 4 when I found out I couldn't be king," the comedian once joked. "I still have a bit of British in me. In fact, my blood type is solid marmalade."\nAlthough he found fame and fortune in the United States, Hope was also feted in his native country and in 1998 received an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his contribution to film, to song and to the entertainment of troops.\n"I'm speechless. Seventy years of ad lib material and I'm speechless," Hope said on hearing the news.\nBuckingham Palace said the queen was sending a message of condolence to the late entertainer's family.\nHope kept close ties with Eltham and saved the town's theater from closure in 1980 by raising $92,800 through a series of charity golf games. The Eltham Little Theater was renamed the Bob Hope Theater in 1982 and the comedian unveiled the plaque that bears his name.\n"He was a very good friend to us. We would not be here now were it not for him," said Jim Shepherd, honorary secretary of the theater.\n"He was a very warm person, very down-to-earth and not 'Hollywood' at all," added Shepherd. "He was a humble man and didn't even like to have a fan club. If fans wanted an autograph all they had to do was approach him in the street or just write to him and he would always oblige."\nBritish talk show host Michael Parkinson remembered Hope as "one of the greatest entertainers of the 20th century," while veteran entertainer Danny La Rue, who was a friend of the comic for many years, said he was "one of the all-time greats."\n"Bob was one of the most generous and humble people you could wish to meet. He was a wonderful comedian and one of the great comic actors," La Rue said.\n"He was a real star, the complete professional and an inspiration to thousands of wannabe comedians," said British singer and talk show host Des O'Connor.\nBritish film director Michael Winner described Hope as his hero.\n"He may have been a big Hollywood name but he was also terrifically proud of his English roots and spoke about them all the time," Winner said.
(11/05/02 4:58am)
LONDON -- Dressed in wizards' hats and witches' robes, hundreds of screaming fans greeted the stars of the new Harry Potter movie at its glitzy world premiere Sunday in London. \n"Daniel, Daniel, Daniel," chanted a crowd of teenage girls, as Daniel Radcliffe, the young actor who plays the boy wizard, arrived for the screening of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets." \n"It is really strange, but very exciting," Radcliffe said of the enthusiasm that greeted him upon his arrival at the Odeon cinema in London's Leicester Square. \nFans waited several hours, braving rain and wintry weather, in the hope of getting a glimpse of the film's cast. \nThey cheered wildly at the arrival of Rupert Grint, who plays Harry's ginger-haired friend Ron Weasley, and Emma Watson, who stars as schoolmate Hermione Granger. \nRobbie Coltrane, who plays the half-giant Hagrid, also received a warm welcome from the crowd, which lined the famous square and stood in a specially constructed stand decorated in the colors of the story's Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. \nOne star absent from premier was the late Richard Harris, who played Professor Albus Dumbledore. He died late last month of Hodgkin's disease. \n"He would have liked to have been here tonight," Radcliffe said. "He liked a good party. We did some very emotional scenes together. It is very hard." \nIn the film, based on the novel by J.K. Rowling, the young wizard-in-training enrolls for his second year at Hogwarts. \nBut soon he is forced to confront a sinister force that is intent on terrorizing the school. Aided by his friends Ron and Hermione, Harry rides to the rescue. \nActor Kenneth Branagh joined the cast as Gilderoy Lockhart, Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Harris and Coltrane resume the roles they played in the first Potter film, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone." In the United States, the film was released as "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." \nDirector Chris Columbus has described the new film as "darker and funnier" than the last, with the character of Harry exuding "more confidence and strength." \nThe film opens in Britain and the United States on Nov. 15. \n"Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" remains the second biggest film of all time -- second only to "Titanic" - and has grossed $975 million worldwide.
(11/04/02 4:53am)
LONDON -- Dressed in wizards' hats and witches' robes, hundreds of screaming fans greeted the stars of the new Harry Potter movie at its glitzy world premiere Sunday in London. \n"Daniel, Daniel, Daniel,'' chanted a crowd of teenage girls, as Daniel Radcliffe, the young actor who plays the boy wizard, arrived for the screening of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.'' \n"It is really strange, but very exciting,'' Radcliffe said of the enthusiasm that greeted him upon his arrival at the Odeon cinema in London's Leicester Square. \nFans waited several hours, braving rain and wintry weather, in the hope of getting a glimpse of the film's cast. \nThey cheered wildly at the arrival of Rupert Grint, who plays Harry's ginger-haired friend Ron Weasley, and Emma Watson, who stars as schoolmate Hermione Granger. \nRobbie Coltrane, who plays the half-giant Hagrid, also received a warm welcome from the crowd, which lined the famous square and stood in a specially constructed stand decorated in the colors of the story's Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. \nOne star absent from premier was the late Richard Harris, who played Professor Albus Dumbledore. He died late last month of Hodgkin's disease. \n"He would have liked to have been here tonight,'' Radcliffe said. "He liked a good party. We did some very emotional scenes together. It is very hard.'' \n"Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone'' remains the second biggest film of all time -- second only to "Titanic'' -- and has grossed $975 million worldwide.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
LONDON -- Britons lined up at St. James's Palace Sunday to sign condolence books for Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth II's vivacious younger sister who died at 71. \nPeople also were encouraged to leave messages on the royal family's Web site in memory of the princess who, in the words of her nephew Prince Charles, "loved life and lived it to the full." \nMany of those paying their respects at the palace said Margaret's independent streak had set her apart from other members of the royal family. \n"She was a colorful character, not much older than myself, added a bit of spice to life with her scandals," said Anthea Mander Lahr, 57. \nMargaret, who had been ill for months, died early Saturday at London's King Edward VII Hospital after suffering a stroke and having heart problems. \nShe was remembered at church services across the country Sunday. \nHer mother, the 101-year-old Queen Mother Elizabeth, prayed with her grandson Prince Charles at a private service in the chapel of the royal family's Sandringham estate in eastern England. She has been fighting a bad cold and has not appeared in public recently. \nWhile Queen Elizabeth remained at Windsor Castle, her husband Prince Philip worshipped at St. Mary Magdalene Church near Sandringham. \nPrime Minister Tony Blair also praised Margaret's commitment to duty. \n"They work…very hard for us, the royal family, and the single common theme that I think runs throughout their lives is this idea that they owe a duty of service to the people they lead," he told Sky News. "I know from the conversations I had with (Margaret) she felt that deeply too." \nMargaret's coffin was taken to her home at Kensington Palace, where Buckingham Palace said it would rest for several days, to permit family and close friends to pay their respects. \nThe princess's death, after several years of poor health, was marked by moments of silence and flags flown at half mast, but there was little of the outpouring of grief that followed the death of Princess Diana in 1997. \n"It is a changed era from when she was young and vital, and I suppose there's not so much interest in royalty today," said John Fellowes, a 66-year-old Australian who stopped to sign a condolence book at St. James's Palace. \nMany Sunday newspapers published special sections paying tribute to Margaret -- most focused on her trouble finding love after she chose as a young woman not to marry an air force captain because he'd been divorced. \nSeveral papers compared the handful of bouquets placed outside Kensington Palace to the thousands left there when Diana died. \nThe royal family began a period of official mourning and canceled social engagements, but the queen is expected to go ahead with official duties before Margaret's funeral Friday, and her visits to Jamaica, New Zealand and Australia later this month are scheduled to go ahead as planned. \nPresident Bush, one of many world leaders to express condolences, praised Margaret as "a proud mother and grandmother." \nMargaret's private funeral will be held Friday at 3 p.m. in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
LONDON -- A British newspaper said Sunday it had obtained a previously unseen video of Osama bin Laden, in which the Saudi-born dissident says that any country siding with Israel is a target for Islamic terrorists.\nThe Sunday Times newspaper said that unidentified supporters of the al-Qaida leader claimed sections of the 40-minute video were filmed eight weeks ago.\nThe newspaper said, however, that the video did not provide enough clues for it to be dated. Britain's Ministry of Defense said it had not seen the film and so could not comment on its contents.\nPresident Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, said: "I don't think we even know very much about the origins of this tape, so it's probably not wise to speculate."\n"The focus really has to be on what we do in the war in Afghanistan and across the globe as well as what we do at home to try to prevent the attacks," Rice told ABC's "This Week."\n"I think this tape is not so important in that regard," she said.\nThe Sunday Times said an Islamic news agency in the English city of Birmingham obtained the video from a Pakistani intelligence official, who said a section had been filmed in March.\nThe agency, called Al Ansaar, told The Associated Press on Sunday that the Pakistani official had given the tape to one of its reporters in Islamabad about a month ago.\n"He said the new section had been filmed in March, but we have no way of verifying that," said Ansaar journalist Imran Khan.\n"We know it is authentic film and we know it is bin Laden. He looks very gaunt and not as healthy as he did on previous films," Khan added.\nHe said the film was on a CD-ROM, which the reporter brought to Britain 10 days ago. The CD-ROM contained a password, which the agency managed to unlock last week.\nKhan said the Pakistani official claimed the new section of the video had been shot in southern Afghan border town of Spin Boldak.\nAccording to the newspaper, the new section of the video showed bin Laden sitting underneath a tree wearing a camouflage jacket.\n"Concerning the situation we are in, we must praise Allah that he has allowed us to follow the path of (men who are among) the best of creation," the newspaper quoted bin Laden as saying.\nThe newspaper said another clip featured an interview with bin Laden carried out by a reporter from the Qatari television station Al-Jazeera.\nIn it bin Laden warned that any country siding with Israel was a target.\n"The war is between us and the Jews," the newspaper quoted him as saying. "Any country that steps into the same trench as the Jews has only herself to blame."\nFilmed by al-Qaida cameramen last October, the interview was not broadcast as Al-Jazeera executives felt they had not had sufficient control over the interview, the newspaper said.\nAl-Jazeera was not immediately available for comment.\nThe first word from bin Laden after the Sept. 11 carnage at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon came as the United States struck at his Afghan bases on Oct. 7. In a message taped before the strike but aired afterward on Al-Jazeera, bin Laden reveled in the fear the attacks created. Wearing fatigues and clutching a rifle, he swore that America would not know security until its troops were out of Saudi Arabia.\nSince then, he has appeared on seven tapes released by Al-Jazeera, CNN or the Pentagon. Other al-Qaida tapes have surfaced carrying messages from bin Laden's deputies or images of al-Qaida training exercises.
(05/10/01 3:36am)
LONDON -- A previously unknown relative of Tyrannosaurus rex has been unearthed in Britain, adding a limb to the family tree of the fearsome predator, scientists said Wednesday.\nEotyrannus lengi, named after collector Gavin Leng who found the first bone on the Isle of Wight, was a 15-foot-long carnivore that lived 120 to 125 million years ago.\nPaleontologists described the discovery as one of the most important archaeological finds made in Britain.\nMartin Munt, acting curator of the Museum of Isle of Wight Geology which is coordinating the dig, said the Eotyrannus -- "early tyrant" -- was an important piece in the evolutionary jigsaw of T-rex.\n"The remains start to fill in the family tree of life. They are a missing link. The T-rex was around 60 to 70 million years ago. At that time this skeleton was already 55 million years old," Munt said in a telephone interview.\n"We are really pushing back to the origins of the group of dinosaurs that gave us T-rex."\nThe first bones were found in 1997 on a cliff top near the village of Brighstone, near Newport, and the name "lengi" honors Leng, who found the first bone. It has taken four years to excavate the site more fully and to analyze the findings.\nDarren Naish of the University of Portsmouth, who is part of a five-member team examining the remains, said 40 percent of the skeleton had been discovered. He said that was enough to determine it was an entirely new species.\n"Eotyrannus lengi is one of the most complete and most globally important predatory dinosaurs of this age that has been found. It gives us a lot of information about the early evolution of the tyrannosaur that we did not know before," Naish said.\n"It also gives us a lot of information about the diversity of dinosaurs at this time in Europe."\nThe later tyrannosaurs, including T-rex, stalked North America and Asia in the late Cretaceous period, about 65 million years ago. They were 38-feet-long, had huge heads with powerful jaws and tiny forearms and relied on teeth alone to kill their prey.\nAlthough much smaller, the Eotyrannus had a similar skull, shoulder and limb structure. It would have been a fast, agile predator, preying mainly on species such as Valdosaurus and Hypsilophodon, also found on the Isle of Wight.\nNaish said the new species may also be closely related to the Velociraptor, a 6-foot-long predator of the mid-Cretaceous period, around 90 million years ago, which was made famous by the movie "Jurassic Park."\nHe said it's small head, long powerful arms and sharp claws were very similar to those of Eotyrannus.\n"People who work on theropod dinosaurs are pretty encouraged -- it is the early proto-tyrannosaur that we were looking for," Naish added.\n"Our dinosaur has a bigger head than Velociraptor, though it is nothing like the size of T-rex.... They may all be descended from a small predatory dinosaur very similar to the Velociraptor from the Jurassic period."\nGregory Erickson, a paleontologist at Florida State University said the find was "very exciting"