DAVID STRINGER

Associated Press Writer
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British panel begins inquiry on Iraq war

An inquiry into Britain's role in the Iraq war kicked off Tuesday with top government advisers testifying that some Bush administration officials were calling for Saddam Hussein's ouster as early as 2001 — long before sanctions were exhausted and two years before the U.S.-led invasion.

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Hackers leak e-mails, stoke climate debate

Computer hackers have broken into a server at a well-respected climate change research center in Britain and posted hundreds of private e-mails and documents online — stoking debate over whether some scientists have overstated the case for man-made climate change.

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Pirates free hijacked ship bound for Somali port

A Somali businessman says a ship hijacked by pirates off East Africa two weeks ago has been released.

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No more duck house: Britain cuts lawmaker expenses

Drain the moat, tear down the duck house, fire the housekeeper. British lawmakers face strict new allowance rules following a scandal over their outrageous expense claims.

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UK report: Plane crash deaths were preventable

Cutbacks on safety checks led to the deaths of 14 British service members when a spy plane exploded in Afghanistan, a sharply critical report concluded Wednesday.

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Letters reveal candid views of UK diplomats

It's not exactly diplomatic — details of what British ambassadors really think about their foreign hosts were disclosed Sunday following the release of a series of frank, and sometimes outright rude, letters to London from embassies around the world.

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UK lawmakers told to repay disputed expense claims

First it cost their reputations. Now it'll cost them cash.

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UK Conservatives push unpopular plans to cut debt

Britain's main opposition Conservatives pledged Tuesday to make Britons work longer before retirement, cut child benefits and freeze government salaries — a program they acknowledged would likely be unpopular as they bid to win office.

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UK's Brown downplays Sun tabloid switch to Tories

Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Wednesday downplayed the decision of the Sun tabloid to switch its allegiance from the Labour Party to the opposition Conservatives.

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Britain's Brown vows to lead Labour into elections

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown insisted he won't quit his post as his governing Labour Party met Sunday for its annual convention before a national election the party is expected to lose.

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Father: Iraqi perhaps slain in UK revenge attack

British soldiers laughed as they beat an Iraqi hotel receptionist to death, the man's father alleged Wednesday as he gave evidence to an inquiry into the slaying.

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UK can play only small role in Afghan troop surge

Britain's defense secretary said Monday that the U.K. has only limited scope to send more troops to Afghanistan, despite calls from military leaders to support U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal's demand for extra soldiers.

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4 UK Muslims get hefty sentences for airline plot

In a case that altered airport security worldwide, three British Muslims were imprisoned Monday for at least 30 years each for a plot to kill thousands by blowing up trans-Atlantic airliners with liquid explosives hidden in soda bottles.

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Brown, Obama discuss Lockerbie bomber release

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Thursday discussed the release of the Lockerbie bomber with President Barack Obama in their first talks since U.S. officials criticized Scotland's decision to free the man.

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UK pardons fan convicted of attempted murder

Britain on Wednesday pardoned an English soccer fan who spent four years in prison for attempted murder in Bulgaria, saying another man had confessed to the crime.

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UK pardons fan convicted of attempted murder

Britain on Wednesday pardoned an English soccer fan who was convicted and sentenced to 10 years for attempted murder in Bulgaria, saying another man had confessed to the crime.

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British lawmakers seek inquiry into torture claims

The British government has refused to answer questions about whether its spies were complicit in the torture of terrorist suspects, and only an independent inquiry can clear the air and restore public confidence, a committee of lawmakers said Tuesday.

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Britain begins Iraq war inquiry

Britain launched its first sweeping inquiry into the unpopular Iraq war on Thursday — a potentially explosive national reckoning that will call ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair as a witness, and seek evidence from former White House staff.

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UK: Intelligence sharing with the US threatened

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said the United States will restrict intelligence-sharing with the U.K. if a British court reveals secret details of a former Guantanamo Bay detainee's treatment, a British government lawyer said Wednesday.

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Charity questions UK over extraordinary rendition

A legal advocacy group sought Tuesday to compel Britain's government to investigate a Pakistani man's claim that he was aboard an extraordinary rendition flight that made a refueling stop in Diego Garcia, a British island in the Indian Ocean.

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Britain prepares to open first Supreme Court

They've already ditched the wigs and hung up their ermine-trimmed robes. Now Britain's most senior judges are preparing to leave the House of Lords entirely, moving from Parliament's upper chamber to a dedicated Supreme Court in a major upheaval of Britain's messy — and unwritten — constitution.

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Britain to send 140 more troops to Afghanistan

Britain is sending an additional 140 troops to Afghanistan to bolster the war effort there.

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UK to examine 2004 Iraqi civilian torture claims

Britain's defense ministry ordered an inquiry Monday into allegations that Iraqi civilians were tortured and killed by British troops following a fierce gunbattle in Iraq in 2004.

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UK looks to young geeks to secure cyberspace

Britain is hiring former computer hackers to join a new security unit aimed at protecting cyberspace from foreign spies, thieves and terrorists, the country's terrorism minister said.

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