London, England (CNN) -- A long-awaited inquiry into Britain's role in the Iraq war got under way Tuesday -- a process that could determine whether former Prime Minister Tony Blair misled his country over the 2003 invasion. The inquiry is expected to be the most thorough investigation yet into the decisions that led up to the war and governed Britain's involvement, analysts said. It is not a court of law, so the inquiry cannot find anyone criminally responsible or even apportion blame. But inquiry members will be able to judge the legality of the conflict. "The Iraq Inquiry was set up to identify the lessons that should be learned from the UK's involvement in Iraq, to help future governments who may face similar situations," inquiry Chairman John Chilcot said at the opening of the hearings Tuesday. "To do this, we need to establish what happened." Chilcot, a senior civil servant, said on the eve of the hearings that the committee is "completely determined" to write the full story of Iraq war decision-making by the British government using all the evidence it can get. Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who announced the inquiry in June, has promised the committee will have access to the full range of information, including secret documents, in order to identify lessons that can be learned from the war. The inquiry officially began July 30, but Tuesday was the first day of hearings, which are expected to last into the new year. The hearings were initially going to be held behind closed doors, but after criticism the government decided to allow the hearings to be public and televised. The committee has said it will decide on a case-by-case basis whether to keep the hearings private when discussing sensitive or classified information. Blair will be called to testify, Chilcot said earlier this year, and the former prime minister has said he will appear. Other witnesses will be key decision-makers involved in Iraq, Chilcot has said. Chilcot has said the panel members plan to visit Iraq as part of their work, as well as hold discussions with Iraqis outside of the country. Top officials from the British and U.S. governments also might be called on for evidence, he said. Britain has already held four hearings about the Iraq war. But because all were held before the end of 2004 -- so close to the start of the war -- they were hampered by limited information, political analyst Glen Rangwala of Cambridge University told CNN. "They didn't manage to achieve anything like a comprehensive understanding of the paths that led the UK to support the United States in the invasion," he said. "This will be the first to look at political decision-making that led to the British invasion of 2003, with the potential to tell a full story." People involved in those decisions are more likely to testify now than they were a few years ago, Rangwala said. That partly because British troops are no longer involved in combat in Iraq, but also because the war there is no longer the politicized issue it was when Blair was in power, he said. "The sort of political sting has been taken out of it, and people who are presenting their evidence to the (inquiry) won't feel quite so constrained by the political line, or the party line, than they would have a few years ago," he said. Britain's first two inquiries were held by government committees in 2003. The House of Commons Select Committee on Foreign Affairs examined whether Britain's Foreign Office gave accurate and complete information to Parliament in the run-up to the war. It found the government exerted no improper influence on the drafting of the dossier given to Parliament on Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction. The Intelligence and Security Committee then examined whether intelligence about Iraq and its weapons was properly assessed and accurately reflected in government publications. Its findings were mixed. The next two inquiries had narrow mandates, looking at specific aspects of the war. The Hutton report from January 2004 investigated the death of David Kelly, a leading

The hearings to determine what is about to begin?

What is promised to be the most thorough investigation?

What hearings are beginning in the UK  Iraq Inquiry?

Answer: whether former Prime Minister Tony Blair misled his country over the 2003 invasion.

Answer: the committee will have access to the full range of information, including secret documents, in order to identify lessons that can be learned from the war.

Answer: Top officials from the British and U.S. governments

Answer: The inquiry

Answer: A long-awaited inquiry into Britain's role in the Iraq war

Answer: Britain's role in the

Answer: public and

Summary:
Hearings begin in UK Iraq Inquiry to determine legality of the Iraq War .
Promised to be the most thorough investigation into Britain's involvement in the war .
Hearings will be televised after initial plans for closed-door sessions were criticised .
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair will be called to testify .


London, England (CNN) -- A number of Latin American countries have rushed to offer their support to Argentina in its long-running territorial dispute with Britain over the Falkland Islands.

This week Britain began drilling for oil in the waters off the archipelago, despite opposition from Buenos Aires which claims sovereignty over the islands it calls Las Malvinas.

The project has reignited tensions between the two countries, who fought a brief war over the islands in 1982, with Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner accusing London of ignoring international law.

Argentina says the natural resources around the islands, which lie in the South Atlantic Ocean off the Argentinean coast, should be protected, and Britain must accept international resolutions labeling the Falklands a disputed area.

Mexico's President Felipe Calderon weighed into the dispute late Monday when he said a number of countries in the region had drafted a document in support of their South American neighbor.

Speaking at a summit of Latin American leaders in the Mexican resort of Playa Del Carmen, Calderon claimed Ecuador, Chile, Guatemala, Bolivia and Venezuela had all backed Argentina's opposition to the drilling.

"We have approved a declaration in which leaders of countries and governments present here reaffirm their support for the Republic of Argentina's legitimate rights in its sovereignty dispute with the United Kingdom," he said in a statement issued by Argentine officials.

Ecuador's President Rafael Correa offered his country's "unconditional support" to Argentina, while his Chilean counterpart Michelle Bachelet said, "We not only support our sister republic's claims to the Malvinas islands but every year we present its case to the United Nations' Special Committee on Decolonization."

Venezuela's outspoken leader Hugo Chavez also reiterated his support for Argentina. "We support unconditionally the Argentine government and the Argentine people in their complaints," Chavez told reporters Tuesday, according to Reuters.com. "That sea and that land belongs to Argentina and to Latin America."

A day earlier, Chavez had used his weekly televised address to make a direct appeal to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. "Look, England, how long are you going to be in Las Malvinas? Queen of England, I'm talking to you," he said.

"The time for empires are over, haven't you noticed? Return the Malvinas to the Argentine people."

On Monday, British oil and gas exploration company Desire Petroleum announced that its Ocean Guardian rig had started drilling an exploration well in the North Falkland Basin, some 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of the islands.

Desire estimates that the North Falkland Basin could contain 3.5 billion barrels of oil as well as having "significant gas potential." The exploratory drilling is expected to last around 30 days, a spokesman for the company told CNN.

But the prospect of Britain making a highly lucrative discovery in region has infuriated Buenos Aires.

This has to do with the defense of the interests of Argentineans, not just about sovereignty," Argentine Cabinet Chief Anibal Fernandez said last week, adding that Argentina lays claim not just to the islands, but to any resources that could be found there.

In a statement last week, the Falkland Islands government, which represents its 2,500 residents, said it had "every right to develop a hydrocarbons industry within our waters."

"The British government has clearly stated that they support our right to develop legitimate business," it said. "The British government have also reiterated their stance on our British sovereignty."

Which President says that a number of Countries support Argentina's position?

Who is at odds over the ownership of South Atlantic Islands?

Answer: Felipe Calderon

Answer: "We have approved a declaration in which leaders of countries and governments present here reaffirm their support for the Republic of Argentina's legitimate rights in its sovereignty dispute with the United Kingdom,"

Answer: "every right to develop a hydrocarbons industry within our waters."

Answer: Argentina

Answer: Argentina

Answer: Venezuela's outspoken leader

Summary:
Argentina and UK at odds over ownership of South Atlantic islands .
Falklands government says it has "every right" to develop hydrocarbons industry .
Mexican president says a number of countries in the region support Argentina's position .
Venezuela's outspoken leader Hugo Chavez urges Britain to return the islands .


London, England (CNN) -- A strike that would have crippled British Airways over Christmas and New Year's Day cannot go ahead, a judge ruled Thursday. Judge Laura Cox issued an injunction blocking the planned 12-day strike, which was set to start December 22 and could have affected up to 1 million passengers. The airline immediately issued a statement saying it is "delighted for our customers. "There was never any need for a strike and we hope that Unite will take this opportunity to reflect before deciding its next steps," BA said, referring to the union that planned the strike. "Our customers do not believe that old-style trade union militancy is relevant to our efforts to move British Airways back toward profitability." But Unite joint general secretaries Derek Simpson and Tony Woodley called it "a disgraceful day for democracy when a court can overrule such an overwhelming decision by employees taken in a secret ballot. "This dispute is not settled. Passing the buck to the courts to do management's job for them was never going to be the answer," they said, warning they could vote again to strike. "BA must accept that there can be no resolution except through negotiation, failing which there will inevitably be a further ballot for industrial action." Unite has been engaged in a bitter dispute with British Airways management. "I'm not disappointed for the people that can get away at Christmas," Simpson told CNN. "It was never our desire to hurt those people. What we wanted to do was force a negotiated settlement." He said he is concerned the decision has "hardened management's attitude" toward negotiation. The union is unhappy with the airline's plans to change cabin crew conditions. Unite says working hours will be extended and crew levels will be cut, changes that will damage customer service and hit the British Airways brand. The airline says the changes will save the carrier $665 million. BA has been losing hundreds of millions of dollars each quarter this year. Cabin crew staff voted overwhelmingly in favor of the strike. But the airline argued in court that some of the workers who cast ballots had already taken voluntary redundancy -- or buyouts -- from the airline. Some 10,288 workers voted, of about 14,000 cabin crew staff overall. The airline's legal counsel, Bruce Carr, told the presiding judge that the balloting process contained "serious and substantial irregularities." Carr called the union's action in choosing to strike over Christmas "willfully disproportionate and clearly unlawful." He referred several times to the serious disruption that would be felt by the airline's passengers, saying some "ordinary people will find it very difficult to understand." Simpson said management imposed terms on the union members without agreement, and when Unite asked a court to stop it, the court did not. The fact that the court has now blocked the union from striking "shows an imbalance in employment law," he said. Travel experts have said around 1 million British Airways passengers could have been affected by the strike, finding themselves stranded and unable to rebook their tickets during the busy travel period. Thursday brought disruption to thousands of passengers on another airline, one run by the small Scottish charter company Globespan. The company announced on its Web site that it has gone into administration and that all flights on its airline, Flyglobespan, have been canceled. Further travel headaches are in store for passengers of other airlines at Heathrow and Aberdeen airports next week. Unite said baggage handlers and check-in staff at the two airports plan a series of three separate walkouts starting next week in a dispute over pay and pensions. The strike is not related to the British Airways dispute. The baggage handlers and check-in staff are employed by SAS Ground Services UK Ltd. The strike will affect travelers on Turkish, Emirates and Thai airlines at Heathrow and passengers on KLM, Air France, Wideroe and Atlantic at Aberdeen, Unite said. The walkouts are scheduled for December 22-24, December 26-27 and January 3-4. Those passengers hoping to avoid

how many passengers will be hit by the strike

When was the 12 day strike due to start?

What did the airline issued statement say?

Answer: injunction blocking the planned 12-day strike,

Answer: around 1 million British Airways passengers could have been affected by the strike,

Answer: up to 1 million

Answer: 12-day

Answer: December 22

Answer: Judge Laura Cox

Answer: "delighted for our customers.

Answer: "delighted for our customers.

Answer: 12-day

Summary:
High Court issues injunction stopping planned BA holiday strike .
Airline issues a statement saying it is "delighted for our customers"
Travel experts say around one million passengers would be hit by strike .
Twelve-day strike was due to start Monday, disrupting holiday season travel .


London, England (CNN) -- A woman's body was found in a river in Wales, police said Tuesday, the second death from severe flooding that has hit England and Wales since late last week. The body of the woman, who was not named, was found in the River Usk near the village of Talybont, in mid Wales close to the coast, Brecon police said. Search teams had been looking for her since Sunday. Talybont is about 250 miles south of Cockermouth, England, which has experienced some of the worst flooding seen in decades. Friday, parts of Cockermouth were under several feet of water after heavy rainfall the night before. The town sits at the intersection of two rivers, the Cocker and the Derwent, both of which burst their banks and raged through the town. By Tuesday, the flood waters had receded and the clean-up and damage assessment was well under way. But rain was still falling over the entire region, raising fears of further flooding in some areas. Britain's Environment Agency said river levels across the county of Cumbria remained high but are unlikely to rise to levels seen last week. Twenty road bridges in Cumbria were closed Tuesday, including seven that collapsed in the floods, Cumbria County Council spokesman Gareth Cosslett told CNN. Also shut were eight footbridges, which are an essential means of connecting residents in riverside towns. In Workington, where Cumbria Police Constable Bill Barker died in the floods last week, the two sides of the town are cut off from each other because all bridges were either washed away or closed for safety reasons. "We're hoping to get a temporary road bridge installed in Workington," Cosslett said, describing it as the council's first priority. "We haven't yet confirmed what we're going to do or when that's going to happen, but in all likelihood we're looking at a single-lane temporary bridge with traffic lights on either side." Cosslett had no estimate on when the bridge could be complete, but he said such a project may take more than a month. The worst weather Tuesday was in Cumbria, where the Met Office, the UK's weather service, predicted heavy and persistent rain and accumulations of 1.2 to 2.4 inches (30 to 60 millimeters). Rain and strong gusts were also forecast for Wales on Tuesday, the Met Office said. The rain was expected to move through the region by Wednesday, but more was set to return by Thursday, according to Met Office forecasts. Sixty-eight flood watches and warnings were in place across England and Wales on Wednesday, the Environment Agency said.

What number of road closures?
what was found in mid vales
Where is the River Usk?
how many watches were there
where was the body found
What was flooded?
What was found in river?

Answer: Twenty

Answer: A woman's body

Answer: near the village of Talybont, in mid Wales

Answer: Sixty-eight

Answer: in a river in Wales,

Answer: severe flooding that has hit England and Wales

Answer: A woman's body

Summary:
Woman's body found in the River Usk near the village of Talybont, in mid Wales .
Talybont 250 miles south of Cockermouth, England, which has also been badly hit by flooding .
20 road bridges in the region were closed Tuesday, including seven that collapsed in floods .
68 flood watches and warnings were in place across England and Wales Wednesday .


London, England (CNN) -- Apple CEO Steve Jobs this week rebuffed the suggestion that Apple will revolutionize TV in the same way it has reshaped the music industry, mobile phones and tablet computers.

But Jobs is bluffing: The time is right for Apple for tackle the TV, and the company's re-entry into that market is a no-brainer.

Just a "hobby"

"Smarter people than us will figure this out" was Jobs' deflective response to a question about Apple's TV aspirations at the D8 Conference on Tuesday. Subsidized business models essentially give customers a set-top box for free, Jobs argued; why would they pay for another?

He explained that the lack of a national cable operator, not to mention the lack of standards around TV, has led to Balkanization, or the breakup into smaller units: "It's a fundamental go-to-market problem."

"Apple TV is a hobby," he added in reference to the company's neglected set-top box offering.

Jobs' denials

The deflection is latest in a long line of half-truths from Jobs. It's a smart tactic that allows the company to lower market expectations and fool competitors.

In 2003, Jobs said of Apple's rumored entry into the cell phone business: "We didn't think we'd do well in the cell phone business. What we've done instead is, we've written what we think is some of the best software in the world to start syncing information between devices."

Four years later, the iPhone reshaped the smartphone market.

In the same interview, Jobs proclaimed, "There are no plans to make a tablet. It turns out people want keyboards. We look at the tablet, and we think it is going to fail."

This week, Apple announced that more than 2 million iPads have been sold since the touchscreen device was released in April.

Jobs is remarkably consistent in his misdirection. Two years previous to the launch of the $499 iPad, he claimed: "We don't know how to make a $500 computer that's not a piece of junk. Our DNA will not let us do that."

Prior to adding video support to the iPod, he professed: "I'm not convinced people want to watch movies on a tiny little screen." Before the launch of Apple's iBook store: "It doesn't matter how good or bad the product is; the fact is that people don't read anymore."

Jobs' denial of a new service is by no means evidence against its existence; the contrary, in fact.

The TV opportunity

The Internet-connected TV is an idea that's finally ripe for consumer adoption. Or more precisely: the TV as a platform. Apple's iTunes is an obvious starting point to turn the TV into an entertainment hub; it brings your purchased music, TV shows and movies to the big screen.

But Apple TV, the company's first foray into the television business, boasted this exact integration and failed to take the world by storm. What has changed? The glaring opportunity is for Apple to bring the App Store to TV. With access to millions of applications -- including games -- on a big screen, the television would finally become engaging.

The blockbuster launch of the iPad has proved that a screen, once connected to an endless supply of content and applications through iTunes and the App Store, becomes infinitely more powerful. The TV is simply a larger screen.

Competitive pressure

This opportunity hasn't been lost on Google. Its upcoming Google TV product will run its mobile Android OS. The reason is simple: Thanks to Android, Google TVs will benefit from the app ecosystem Google already built for mobile phones.

Google's strategy also points to a solution to the "set-top box problem": While Google will offer a separate box, the company has additionally partnered with Sony to have the software pre-installed in some TVs.

Such a union is less likely in Apple's case,

Who denied that Apple was planning to enter the cell phone and tablet markets?

What idea is finally ripe for consumer adoption?

What did Jobs' deflection tactics allow?

Answer: CEO Steve Jobs

Answer: Internet-connected TV

Answer: the company to lower market expectations and fool competitors.

Answer: "There are no plans to make a tablet.

Answer: Internet-connected TV

Summary:
Internet-connected TV is idea that's finally ripe for consumer adoption .
In past, Steve Jobs has denied that Apple was planning to enter the cell phone or tablet markets .
His deflections are smart tactic that allows company to fool competitors .


London, England (CNN) -- At least 12 people have been killed and 25 injured after a gunman -- believed to be a local taxi driver -- went on a shooting spree through three small towns in the English county of Cumbria on Wednesday.

After a large scale search, Cumbria police found the body of the suspected gunman, 52-year-old Derrick Bird, in a wooded area of Boot, a village in the Lake District, a popular tourist area.

Authorities seized a gun from the scene where the body was found. Cumbria Police Deputy Constable Stuart Hyde said investigators believe Bird committed suicide.

"I've never known anything like this, where somebody would want to walk out and kill so many people in such a beautiful place in such a short space of time," Hyde said.

Police were working 30 separate crime scenes and are still attempting to determine the motive, Hyde said. Investigators are looking at Bird's history and his access to firearms, he said.

Police named Bird as a suspect following reports of the first shooting mid-morning on Wednesday in the Irish Sea port town of Whitehaven.

UK guns laws tightened after massacres

"Our focus is now on the movements of Mr. Bird this morning," authorities said. "Our thoughts are with the families in these tragic times. We are asking for any witnesses to come forward and help us with our investigation into the events of this morning."

British Prime Minister, David Cameron said the government would do whatever it could to help the communities affected.

"When lives and communities are suddenly shattered in this way, our thoughts should be with all those caught up in these tragic events, especially the families and friends of those killed or injured," he said.

Were you there? Send us photos, images

Armed police patrols and dog squads were dispatched in the hunt for the gunman after the first shots were fired at 10:35 a.m. (5:35 a.m. ET) in Whitehaven.

Police issued a photo of the Bird and urged members of the public to stay indoors until further notice.

More shots were fired in the small towns of Seascale and Egremont, with officers attempting to track the suspect on land and by air while ambulance crews attended the victims. Footage from one of the shooting scenes showed a covered body lying on a street.

"Police are working to identify the individuals and inform relatives," Cumbria police said. "Ambulance crews are in attendance across the area."

Peter Leder, who said he was a friend of Bird's, told CNN he spoke to Bird last night and was told: "You won't see me again."

Bird was initially driving a dark gray or silver Citroen Picasso, but police later said he had abandoned his car in the area of Boot, in the Lake District, and was traveling on foot.

Soon afterwards police said they had found a body in a wooded area.

The Lake District is a scenic rural retreat in northern England which is popular with walkers, hikers and tourists.

Leder said Bird has been an independent taxi driver in Whitehaven for more than 20 years and described him as "an outgoing, well-known guy, who everyone liked."

Bird was divorced several years ago and has two children, both boys, who have moved away from home, he said. Bird is very close to his mother, who is very ill in a local nursing home, Leder said.

He said his friend enjoyed scuba diving, went on several diving trips abroad and practised regularly at the Whitehaven swimming baths.

The vehicle police said Bird was driving at the time of the shootings was his regular taxi cab, Leder said.

A police hotline was set up for concerned relatives of those involved.

John Bevir, a reporter for CNN affiliate ITV, described nearby Whitehaven as a sleepy seaside town. "Things like this just don't happen here," he said. "Well, they didn't, until this morning."

CNN's David Wilkinson contributed to this report.

Who is Derrick Bird?
Who was the suspected gunman?
How many people were killed?
what is the number of dead?
How many confirmed dead?
in what country did the event occur?
What did the gunman say to his friends?

Answer: the suspected gunman,

Answer: Derrick Bird,

Answer: At least 12

Answer: 12

Answer: 12

Answer: England

Answer: "You won't see me again."

Summary:
Police confirm 12 people killed in shooting spree in northern England .
Police have found body believed to be suspected gunman Derrick Bird .
Friend says suspect told him, "You won't see me again"


London, England (CNN) -- Authorities evacuated 310 people from their homes early Thursday because of a major fire at a building site and nearby apartments in south London, fire officials and police said. The London Fire Brigade said it was called to the scene at 4:26 a.m. (11:26 p.m. ET Wednesday), and police said they were called minutes later. Ten fire engines and around 75 firefighters were on the scene some eight hours later, a spokesman for the fire brigade said. The fire engulfed an entire building site in Peckham, an area of south London, and spread to several three- and four-story residential buildings in the area, police and fire officials said. Firefighters had the fire surrounded by noon and said there may still be deep-seated pockets of fire, a fire brigade spokesman said. Four people were taken to a hospital, mainly for smoke inhalation, a spokeswoman for the London Ambulance Service said. None of their conditions was serious, she said. "I was in bed and my neighbor knocked and told me to wake up -- the building's on fire," said one woman wrapped in a coat on a nearby street. It was not clear what started the fire, the fire brigade spokesman said.

How many fire engines battled the blaze?

How many firefighters battled the blaze?

When did the fire take hold of the building?

Answer: fire

Answer: It was not clear

Answer: Ten

Answer: south London,

Answer: 75

Answer: early Thursday

Answer: their homes

Summary:
Residents evacuated in area of south London after fire engulfed their apartment block .
30 fire engines and more than 310 firefighters battled the blaze .
No injuries have been reported, according to police and fire officials .
It is not known what started the fire which took hold of the building in the early hours of Thursday .


London, England (CNN) -- Britain said Thursday it expects Iceland to live up to its obligations, two days after Iceland's president refused to sign a bill that would pay back billions of dollars Iceland owes the country.

Britain spent 2.3 billion pounds ($3.69 billion) last year to cover the losses that British savers incurred when Icelandic banks collapsed.

Under a European Union directive, Iceland owes compensation to Britain.

Iceland's parliament passed a bill last week authorizing a state guarantee for repayment of the funds, but President Olafur Ragnar Grimmson refused to sign it Tuesday.

It means there will now be a public referendum on whether to approve the bill. It also puts into question whether Britain can get repaid.

"We expect Iceland to live up to its obligations," said a British Treasury spokesman, who was not authorized to give his name. "We support them in finding a way to do that."

Similar comments came from Dutch Finance Minister Wouter Bos, whose government spent 1.3 billion euros ($1.87 billion) to cover bank losses in the country.

Despite his refusal to sign the bill, Grimmson told CNN Wednesday that Iceland will not shirk its duty to repay the money.

"Iceland recognizes its obligations under this agreement," he said. Resolving the issue, he added, "is a key to our recovery and our harmonious relations with these countries."

Grimmson acknowledged that the referendum puts repayment in doubt, though he said at the very least, Icelandic opinion polls show the vote will be "very close."

He did not explain how Iceland would repay the money if voters reject the bill.

Britain and the Netherlands said it was too early to speculate on what might happen if voters in Iceland vote no, but both Bos and the British Treasury spokesman said it would have negative consequences internationally for the small Atlantic nation.

"If the referendum goes against us, then I think Iceland will have a big problem because they will have shown themselves to be very unreliable partners in the international financial scene," Bos told CNN.

Bos said non-repayment of the funds would affect "the long-term interest of the Iceland economy and the Iceland people."

In a statement Tuesday, Grimmson said the reason he refused to sign the bill was so it would go to a referendum, which is required by law in such a case. He said he received a petition over the weekend, signed by a quarter of the electorate, urging the decision be put to a public vote.

"It is the cornerstone of the constitutional structure of the Republic of Iceland that the people are the supreme judge of the validity of the law," Grimmson said in the statement.

The law passed by Iceland's parliament would compensate Britain and the Netherlands by 2024.

The International Monetary Fund approved a loan of $2.1 billion to Iceland in November, making repayment of the British and Dutch funds a requirement. It is unclear how the IMF loan would be affected if Icelandic voters were to reject the repayment bill.

what amount of money spent UK last year?

Answer: 2.3 billion pounds ($3.69 billion)

Answer: Icelandic

Answer: 2.3 billion pounds ($3.69 billion)

Answer: 1.3 billion euros ($1.87 billion)

Summary:
UK spent $3.69 billion last year to cover British savers' losses when Icelandic banks collapsed .
Dutch authorities spent $1.87 billion for the same reason .
Iceland's parliament passed a bill authorizing a state guarantee for repayment of the loan .
President Olafur Ragnar Grimmson instead chose to put decision to repay loans to a public referendum .


London, England (CNN) -- Britain's Labour Party suspended four members of Parliament -- including three former Cabinet ministers -- after they were secretly filmed offering to sell their government influence, the party said Tuesday.

The party said it has launched an investigation of Geoff Hoon, Patricia Hewitt, Stephen Byers and Margaret Moran and suspended all four from the Parliamentary Labour Party. None of the four plans to run in the next election, expected to be held in May.

"The Labour Party expects the highest standards of its representatives and believes that they have a duty to be transparent and accountable servants to their constituents at all times," the party said in a statement.

What the British media has now dubbed the "cash-for-lobbying" scandal comes just weeks before the expected general election in which Labour, the ruling party, faces a stiff challenge from the opposition Conservatives. Cabinet Secretary Gus O'Donnell, a non-partisan official, called the allegations "extremely serious."

The undercover filming was done by reporters for Channel 4's "Dispatches" program, which aired Monday night. They set up a fictional U.S. company that claimed to want to hire British politicians for an advisory board, and an undercover reporter then invited the MPs to a rented office in London to discuss the work.

A hidden camera captured the politicians agreeing to use their experience and influence to lobby the government in exchange for thousands of pounds (dollars) in pay.

"I'd be very interested. I'm a bit like a sort of cab for hire, I suppose, at the moment," said Byers, who was the transport and business secretary under former Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Byers said he usually charges a daily rate of between £3,000 and £5,000 ($4,500 and $7,500) for similar work. Among the services Byers offered was to try to get Blair to show up at a client's event.

"The three to five just depends a bit on the work, the clients, to be honest," Byers said on the tape. "I mean, sometimes I can charge more."

Hoon, who was British defense secretary during the invasion of Iraq in 2003, said he would request a similar amount. He said he could lead delegations to see certain ministers, or he could write letters to ministers to persuade them to see a client.

"One of the challenges, I think, which I'm really looking forward to is sort of translating my knowledge and contacts about (the) international scene into something that, bluntly, makes money," Hoon said.

Lawmaker Margaret Moran, who was implicated in the parliamentary expenses scandal last May, was also shown on hidden camera to be interested in a possible job. Moran spent £22,500 ($33,700) of taxpayers' money for repairs on a seaside home far from her constituency, days after declaring it as her second home, records last year showed.

Moran told the undercover reporter that she would be willing to approach parliamentary committees or special advisers on behalf of the company.

Hewitt, who served as health secretary and trade and industry secretary in the cabinet, said she is looking for another "major board position" to employ her for three days a month.

Asked how easy it would be for her to arrange meetings with Cabinet ministers or senior civil servants, Hewitt replied, "It's very doable, but you have to be kind of quite careful, you know, about how you do it. And it partly depends on the individual minister."

The Conservatives called on Prime Minister Gordon Brown to launch an investigation into the scandal.

Peter Hoskin, a columnist for The Spectator magazine, described the revelations as "dirty money and dirtier politics."

"Our democracy could hardly bear another major political scandal, but here we have one: as grubby, underhand and dispiriting as last year's expenses revelations," Hoskin wrote. "The question now is whether it's as widespread."

Daily Telegraph columnist Mary Riddell called it "the week that could finish Labour" and said it put the

What has Britain's Labour Party done?
What did politicians agree to?
who are not standing in election?
What did lawmakers do?
what Britain's labour party suspend?
what was offered  to sell?

Answer: suspended four members of Parliament

Answer: to use their experience and influence to lobby the government in exchange for thousands of pounds (dollars) in pay.

Answer: Geoff Hoon, Patricia Hewitt, Stephen Byers and Margaret Moran

Answer: launched an investigation of Geoff Hoon, Patricia Hewitt, Stephen Byers and Margaret Moran and suspended all four from the Parliamentary Labour Party.

Answer: four members of Parliament

Answer: their government influence,

Summary:
Britain's Labour Party suspends four senior MPs in cash-for-lobbying scandal .
Lawmakers were secretly filmed offering to sell their government influence .
Geoff Hoon, Patricia Hewitt, Stephen Byers, Margaret Moran not standing in election .
Politicians agreed to lobby government in exchange for thousands of pounds .


London, England (CNN) -- Britain's involvement in the invasion of Iraq "was the right decision and it was for the right reasons," Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Friday in his first response at an inquiry into country's role in the March 2003 conflict.

Brown was answering a question from the chairman of the inquiry, John Chilcot, about whether he thought taking military action in March 2003 was the right decision, especially given that it led to such a great loss of life among military personnel and civilians.

The prime minister said he respects members of the armed forces "who served with great distinction in Iraq" and lost their lives, and to civilians who died.

"I think any loss of life is something that makes us very sad indeed," Brown said.

The inquiry began last year and is expected to be the most thorough investigation yet into decisions that led up to the war and governed Britain's involvement, analysts have said.

It is not a court of law, so the inquiry cannot find anyone criminally responsible or apportion blame. But inquiry members will be able to judge the legality of the conflict.

Brown spent much of Friday defending military spending allowances, which have come under harsh scrutiny in Britain. Earlier witnesses have said Brown, as head of the British Treasury leading up to and after the Iraq invasion, did not allow the Ministry of Defence to spend as much as was needed.

Such cuts would have restricted the military's ability to buy helicopters, body armor and weapons that would have subsequently been used in Afghanistan.

Brown said as chancellor, he never ruled out a military option on the basis of cost.

"I said that every single request that was made for [military] equipment had to be met, and every request was met, and at any point military commanders were able to ask for equipment that they needed, and I know of no occasion when they were turned down for it," Brown testified.

Tony Blair testifies at Iraq inquiry

Geoff Hoon, defence secretary at the time of the 2003 invasion, testified that Brown forced cuts that limited military spending.

"We then had to look hard at our budget and make some rather difficult cuts in the future equipment program as a result," Hoon testified.

Brown had faced increasing pressure to testify before Britain holds general elections, widely expected to be held May 6. His Labour Party faces a tight race with the opposition Conservatives.

Chilcot, the inquiry chairman, said committee members previously decided not to call any government ministers who are still serving in posts relevant to Iraq, but Brown offered to testify.

Chilcot announced in January that Brown had agreed to appear in the next two months.

Susan Smith, whose son, Pvt. Phillip Hewett, died in Iraq in 2005, said she doesn't believe Brown did everything possible to equip British troops.

"Was it needed? Was it asked for? If it was, why was it not funded?" she said. "At the moment, you've got no answers. It's all speculation. It would be nice just to know the truth."

Brown has faced repeated criticism for the level of equipment for the 9,000 British troops in Afghanistan, which some have said is too low. The prime minister has defended equipment levels and said he seeks assurances from military officers in the field that troops have the supplies they need.

A military memo, sent in June but released in October, contained a warning from a British officer that a shortage of helicopters was putting troops at risk because they were forced to travel on the ground, increasing the chances a roadside bomb could kill them.

The memo was written by Lt. Col. Rupert Thorneloe, who died a month later in a roadside bombing. At the time, he was the highest-ranking British serviceman to die in combat since the 1982 Falklands War.

Gen. Michael Walker previously testified the Treasury gave defence officials a spending target that they found hard to reach.

"It was [a budget for] some of the stuff that

When did Gordon Brown serve as Chancellor?

What did Brown say about the decision to go to Iraq war ?

What does Gordon Brown say about the decision to go to war in Iraq ?

Answer: 2003

Answer: "was the right

Answer: "was the right

Summary:
Gordon Brown served as Chancellor, or head of the Treasury, from 1997 until 2007 .
Brown: "Financial concerns played no part in military planning for the Iraq"
Brown: "I made it clear we would support whatever option the military decided upon"
The decision to go to war in Iraq was made for the right reasons, he said .


London, England (CNN) -- Britain's new Cabinet held its first meeting Thursday and promptly agreed to a five-percent pay cut for all new ministers, Downing Street said.

Tackling the country's debt crisis is a top priority for new Prime Minister David Cameron, who took office Wednesday.

The decision means all members of the new Cabinet -- including Cameron -- will be paid five-percent less than their predecessors in the government of Gordon Brown, Downing Street said.

The reduction in Cabinet minister salaries alone will save taxpayers about £50,000 ($73,800) this year, Downing Street said.

The Cabinet also agreed to a ministerial pay freeze for the lifetime of the current Parliament, which is not scheduled to have elections again for another five years.

The salary cuts and pay freeze will save approximately £3 million ($4.4 million) over the life of the Parliament, Downing Street said.

Every member of Parliament receives a basic annual salary of £65,737 ($97,105). Those who are members of the Cabinet receive an additional salary on top of that, with the amount depending on their position. The additional salary can range from about £69,000 to about £134,500 ($101,500 to $198,000).

For Cameron, the pay cut means he will earn £142,500 ($210,000) in his role as prime minister, compared to the £150,000 ($220,000) earned by Brown, his office said. That's on top of the salary he receives as a member of Parliament, representing the constituency of Witney, about 65 miles northwest of London.

How much money will be saved with the cuts?

What is a priority for UK's new government?

How much will salary cuts and pay freeze save?

Answer: a five-percent pay cut for all new ministers,

Answer: £50,000

Answer: approximately £3 million ($4.4 million) over the life of the Parliament,

Answer: Tackling the country's debt crisis

Answer: approximately £3 million

Answer: five-percent

Answer: a five-percent pay cut for all new ministers,

Answer: debt crisis

Summary:
Tackling the country's towering budget deficit is a priority for UK's new government .
Cabinet members have agreed to take a five-percent pay cut .
Salary cuts and pay freeze will save approximately £3 million .


London, England (CNN) -- Britain's top legal official "misled" the government over the case for war in Iraq under pressure from then prime minister Tony Blair, a former Cabinet minister claimed Tuesday.

Clare Short, who was Blair's international development secretary until she quit over the Iraq invasion, said Attorney General Peter Goldsmith withheld his own "doubts and changes of opinion" in giving the go-ahead for war.

"I think he misled the Cabinet. He certainly misled me, but people let it through," Short told an inquiry into Britain's role in the March 2003 Iraq invasion.

The inquiry -- Britain's fifth examination of its Iraq involvement -- has already grilled senior figures including Blair, former defense minister Geoff Hoon and Britain's top military commander Jock Stirrup.

Short said that Goldsmith, who last week testified before the inquiry that he was initially ambivalent but later adamant over the legality of the war, was wrong to press the case.

Goldsmith initially advised Blair in January 2003 that it would be unlawful to invade Iraq without a United Nations Security Council resolution but changed his mind a month later.

"I think for the attorney general to come and say there's unequivocal legal authority to go to war was misleading."

Short said Goldsmith was "leaned on" by Blair to agree to the war.

"Lord Goldsmith said he was excluded from lots of meetings -- that's a form of pressure.

"It was suggested to him that he go to the U.S. to get advice about the legal position.

"You have got the Bush administration who have very low respect for international law. It seems the most extraordinary place in the world to go to get advice about international law."

She added: "I think all that was leaning on -- sending him to America, excluding him and then including him."

Her comments came just days after Blair appearance at the inquiry generated protests, with several hundred anti-war campaigners gathering outside the London venue chanting "Blair lied, thousands died" and other slogans.

Blair denied claims he had struck a secret deal with U.S. President George W. Bush in 2002 pledging British backing for the invasion and said he believed "beyond doubt" his unfounded pre-war claim that Iraq was capable of launching chemical and biological weapons within 45 minutes.

Blair: No 'covert' deal with Bush over Iraq

Analysts say involvement in the Iraq war remains a "live political issue" in the UK, because the same government -- now led by Gordon Brown -- was still power, whereas the parties of other leaders in the U.S. and Australia have been voted out of office.

"The others have faced critical public scrutiny and been damaged by that," legal expert Glen Rangwala of Cambridge University told CNN. "The British haven't had a change of administration so in many ways it remains a live political issue because it reflects on people who are in government."

CNN's Simon Hooper contributed to this report

who says attorney general retained doubts about the Iraq war

Who did Blair lean on to support involvement in the war?

Who withheld doubts about the war in Iraq?

Answer: Attorney General Peter Goldsmith

Answer: Clare Short,

Answer: Goldsmith

Answer: Peter Goldsmith

Answer: Goldsmith

Answer: Britain's fifth examination of its Iraq involvement

Answer: Peter Goldsmith

Summary:
Ex-minister Clare Short says attorney general withheld doubts over Iraq war .
Short said Tony Blair leant on Lord Goldsmith to support UK involvement .
Inquiry is Britain's fifth examination of role in Iraq conflict .


London, England (CNN) -- British Airways cabin crew members went on strike Saturday, leaving thousands of would-be passengers' travel plans during the next two weeks in disarray.

The strike came after British Airways Chief Executive Willie Walsh and the joint general secretary of the Unite union, Tony Woodley, emerged Friday from a meeting and announced the effort to avert the walkout had failed.

"This company does not want to negotiate," Woodley said of British Airways. "This company wants ultimately to go to war with my members and the union."

Walsh said he "deeply regrets" the inconvenience the strikes will cause to passengers but said the company will still try to operate as many flights as possible. "I am disappointed the union has not been able to see the sense of the proposal we tabled today," Walsh said.

Advice for passengers

British Airways posted lists on its Web site of flights that it plans to operate during the walkout.

A spokesperson for Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he "believes that this strike is in no one's interest and will cause unacceptable inconvenience to passengers. He urges the strike be called off immediately" and the two sides return to bargaining.

In addition to the three-day strike beginning Saturday, Unite has decided to strike for four more days beginning March 27. Unite represents 95 percent of BA's 15,000 cabin crew members, but not all of them plan to strike.

The airline has unveiled an ambitious contingency plan to get as many passengers as possible to their destinations. Walsh said he hopes that by leasing aircraft and using replacement workers, BA will be able to deliver about two-thirds of its customers to their planned destinations during the strikes.

In a full-page ad in British newspapers Friday, Walsh said a "significant number" of cabin crews don't support the strike and will continue to work, supported by volunteers from across the airline.

The airline said it has also made agreements with more than 60 other carriers to rebook customers free of charge if their British Airways flights are canceled during the strike period.

Will a strike by British Airways affect you?

But in a posting on its Web site, Unite called the schedule "an accomplished work of fantasy."

The industrial action is over planned changes to the way cabin crews operate, which British Airways says will save the carrier more than 60 million pounds ($90 million) a year.

Unite has said the plans call for working hours to be extended and crew staffing levels to be cut, changes that it has said will damage customer service and the BA brand.

"Unite believes the new contractual changes are an attempt to force staff to pay the price for management failings with the company wringing more and more out of fewer and fewer staff who will be paid less," the union said in a posting on its Web site. A cabin crew member's starting salary is 11,000 pounds ($16,500), Unite said.

Unite said that BA management submitted a formal offer to the union last week, but the offer failed to address union concerns about crew numbers and service delivery. That prompted Unite officials to announce the strike dates. BA then rescinded its offer. British Airways submitted a new offer Friday, but Woodley said it reduced the amount of pay that had been in last week's offer.

iReport: Are you caught up in the strike?

A sticking point in negotiations was reportedly how BA could be compensated for the 27 million pound ($40.5 million) loss it had already incurred through canceled tickets before the talks broke down.

Walsh said he told Unite that the expense must be recovered, so the financial value of Friday's offer was "not as attractive" as last week's. The new offer, however, would have secured long-term pay protection for all existing crew, "new opportunities" for BA crew at London's Gatwick airport, and modernization of its industrial relations, he said.

Any BA workers who go on strike now risk losing permanently their travel perks, such as free and heavily discounted travel

What does the Union say teh plan calls for?

What will the contingency plan trying to do ?

What will the Contingency plan try to do?

What did British Airways post on its website?

Answer: March 27.

Answer: working hours to be extended and crew staffing levels to be cut,

Answer: get as many passengers as possible to their destinations.

Answer: get as many passengers as possible to their destinations.

Answer: working hours to be extended and crew staffing levels to be cut,

Answer: strike

Answer: of flights that it plans to operate during the walkout.

Answer: of flights that

Summary:
NEW: British Airways posts lists on its Web site of flights it plans to operate .
Besides three-day strike, Unite to strike for four more days beginning March 27 .
Unite: Plans call for longer working hours, cut staff .
BA chief: Contingency plan will try to get customers to destinations .


London, England (CNN) -- British Airways said its operations got off to a good start Saturday despite a second consecutive strike by thousands of its cabin crew members.

The airline said it was able to operate flights as normal at two London airports, Gatwick and City, and that the number of crew members reporting for work at Heathrow -- Britain's busiest airport -- was enough to operate its planned schedule.

"We have got off to a good start," the airline said in a statement.

The crews walked out at midnight Friday in a strike set to last for four days. They staged a three-day walkout last weekend.

BA said enough staff had crossed the picket lines that it was able to fly more than 75 percent of customers scheduled to travel during the strike. Another 18 percent of passengers are booked to fly on other carriers or have changed their travel dates to avoid the strike.

Are you worried about the strike?

The Unite union, which represents 95 percent of BA's 15,000 cabin crew, said it was too early say how many crew members worked despite the strike.

At Heathrow's Terminal 5, which is used primarily by British Airways, things appeared to be running smoothly Saturday and long-haul passengers who spoke to CNN seemed largely unaffected.

"It's been fine from Seattle, (Washington) and I hope it will be fine going back to Seattle," passenger Don Dewar said.

Ravi Erukulabatn said his mother-in-law was still scheduled to fly to Hyderabad, India.

"She is flying on her own, so we were a bit anxious to begin with, bur fortunately it is happening as expected," he told CNN.

The airline said it will be able to run a full operation from London's Gatwick and City airports. At Heathrow, BA will be able to run up to 55 percent of its short-haul flights and up to 70 percent of its long-haul flights, the airline said.

To help operate as many flights as possible, BA is leasing planes, pilots and crews from six airlines, BA said. It is also using volunteers from other areas of the company to stand in for striking cabin crew.

BA handed a statement to passengers on some long-haul flights, reassuring them the airline's own staff was working on board.

"British Airways pilots will be flying your aircraft and you will be cared for in the cabin by British Airways staff," the statement read. "Some of these staff in the cabin may be additional pilots who have volunteered to look after you, and as such will be wearing their pilot uniforms."

Pauline Doyle, a spokeswoman for Unite, said having pilots standing in as flight attendants "undermines" the relationship between cabin crew and pilots.

BA Chief Executive Willie Walsh had threatened last week to take away the travel perks, which might have been one reason some union staff agreed to work despite the strike last weekend.

Striking staff stripped of perks

He said the travel perks are not in the crews' contracts and can be withdrawn at the airline's discretion.

The union representing the striking workers called the move "vindictive" and said restoring those perks must be part of any deal to end the strike.

"The withdrawal of travel concessions from crew who have been on strike represents unacceptable anti-union bullying," Unite joint leaders Derek Simpson and Tony Woodley wrote in a letter to members. "Any agreement to end this dispute must and will include a framework for the full restoration of those travel concessions."

Other carriers are offering to accommodate BA passengers affected by the strike. British carrier BMI, which flies to Europe and the Middle East, said Friday it had added 4,500 seats to its normal Heathrow flight schedule and Ryanair offered special fares to BA passengers.

British Airways and Unite have been at odds for more than a year over changes the airline wants to make to cabin crew pay and work practices.

BA says the changes will save the company more than 60 million pounds ($90 million) a year

For how long have the airline and Unite union been at odds?

How many London airports is it able to operate at as normal

With which union has the airline been in dispute with

Answer: more than a year

Answer: two

Answer: its operations got off to a good start

Answer: more than a year

Answer: Unite

Summary:
British Airways says it was able to operate flights as normal at two London airports .
Airline says it can fly more than 75 percent of customers scheduled to travel .
BA cabin crew members in dispute over pay and working conditions .
Airline and Unite union have been at odds for more than a year over planned changes .


London, England (CNN) -- British Airways was able to get three out of four planes to their destination this weekend despite the ongoing strike by cabin crew, the airline's CEO, Willie Walsh, said Sunday.

Walsh told CNN he was "clearly disappointed for customers who have had disrupted travel plans but I'm really pleased that we have been able to do so much and we are determined to keep this going.

"We have had high numbers of cabin crew turning up for work. We wouldn't have been able to fly such a significant operation if we didn't have cabin crew supporting us," he said.

But the assistant general secretary of the Unite union, which represents the cabin crew, said BA was losing money and shifting customers onto other airlines in a "con trick."

Are you worried about the strike?

"BA is claiming that it can function but it is doing so by throwing away millions of pounds every day as it dumps its passengers on other carriers," Unite's Len McClusky said in a statement.

"Passengers who turn up expecting to fly BA, a brand they trust and have paid a premium for, will now be shipped onto carriers they've never heard of."

British Airways and Unite have been at odds for more than a year over changes the airline wants to make to cabin crew pay and work practices.

BA says the changes will save the company more than 60 million pounds ($90 million) a year. Unite has said the plans, which call for longer work hours and less staffing, will damage customer service and the BA brand.

At least 51 British Airways flights leaving Heathrow Sunday were listed as canceled on the airport's Web site, and at least 79 arrivals were listed as canceled, as of 10:30 local time (5:30 a.m. ET).

Destinations in the UK, United States, Europe, Africa and the Middle East were directly affected by the cancellation of BA flights. And other airlines such as American Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Iberia were showing flight cancellations because of code-sharing.

The union claimed half of British Airways flights were canceled on Sunday. BA in the past has said it is legally bound as a publicly traded company to provide accurate information, while the union is under no such obligations.

The latest strike, which began Saturday, meant American student Brittany Smith and her family were being rerouted from London's Heathrow to Atlanta, Georgia, on their way home to Denver, Colorado.

She has already e-mailed her professors to explain that she will not make class. "It is frustrating, but if you let it frustrate you, you're just going to ruin your travel plans even more," she told CNN.

"So you are just going to have to take it with a grain of salt, and realize that everyone is doing the best they can and to make it easier on everyone to stay positive."

The four-day strike is the union's second one in a month over pay and working conditions. It staged a three-day walkout last weekend

BA said its operations got off to a good start Saturday despite the strike by thousands of its cabin crew members.

The airline said it was able to operate flights as normal at two London airports, Gatwick and City, and that the number of crew members reporting for work at Heathrow was enough to operate BA's planned schedule.

It said enough staff had crossed the picket lines that it was able to fly more than 75 percent of customers scheduled to travel during the strike. Another 18 percent of passengers are booked to fly on other carriers or have changed their travel dates to avoid the strike, the airline said.

Advice for passengers

The Unite union, which represents 95 percent of BA's 15,000 cabin crew, said it was too early say how many crew members worked despite the strike.

The airline said it will be able to run a full operation from London's Gatwick and City airports.

At London's Heathrow Airport, BA will be able to run up to 55

Who's been fighting?
What is the labor dispute over?
What was canceled?
What's the percentage of flyers?
What did British Airways say?

Answer: British Airways and Unite

Answer: changes the airline wants to make to cabin crew pay and work practices.

Answer: half of British Airways flights

Answer: 75 percent

Answer: "clearly disappointed for customers who have had disrupted travel plans

Summary:
British Airways: "We will fly more than 75 percent of customers booked to travel"
At least 51 BA flights leaving Heathrow Sunday were listed as canceled .
BA cabin crew members in dispute over pay and working conditions .
Airline and Unite union have been at odds for more than a year over planned changes .


London, England (CNN) -- British Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth announced a public inquiry Wednesday into allegations that Iraqis were killed and abused after a firefight more than five years ago in the southern part of the country. The allegations center around the aftermath of a fight in May 2004 at the so-called Danny Boy checkpoint in Maysan Province. Former detainees and the family of a slain Iraqi contend at least 20 people were killed and others were abused at Camp Abu Naji after a fight between British soldiers and Iraqi insurgents. That claim has been denied by the UK Ministry of Defence -- which says the 20 people died in battle and people detained were not mistreated. The probe is called the Al Sweady inquiry -- named after the family of the dead Iraqi. Thayne Forbes -- who retired from the High Court Bench last year -- will chair the inquiry into allegations. The inquiry will look into allegations of "unlawful killings" and the "ill-treatment of five Iraqi nationals detained at Camp Abu Naji." Even though the probe will focus on five detainees, attorneys claim nine people were detained and abused. The defense ministry disputes those allegations. "We have found no credible evidence that those detained, as a result of the attack on British troops and the prolonged firefight at Danny Boy checkpoint, were mistreated," the defense ministry said in a statement. The release of a photo published in British media and obtained by CNN about the incident shows an armed soldier standing near four people face down on the ground with their hands bound behind their backs and their faces covered. Attorneys for the men say they were beaten and evidence shows a breach of the Geneva Conventions prohibiting humiliating and degrading treatment of prisoners. But, the defence ministry disputes that. "It is important to remember that our first priority at the end of such attacks is to protect our personnel from further threats," the ministry said. CNN's Atika Shubert and Per Nyberg contributed to this report.

Allegations center around aftermath of firefight at what checkpoint?

Answer: British Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth

Answer: nine

Answer: British Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth

Answer: Danny Boy

Answer: allegations that Iraqis were killed and abused after a firefight more than five years ago in the southern part of the country.

Answer: 20

Answer: 20

Answer: 20

Answer: more than five years

Answer: 2004

Answer: Maysan

Summary:
UK to hold public inquiry into allegations Iraqis were killed and abused after firefight five years ago .
Allegations center around aftermath of firefight in 2004 at checkpoint in Maysan Province, southern Iraq .
Former detainees and family of a slain Iraqi say at least 20 people were killed and others were abused .
UK defense ministry says the 20 people died in battle and people detained were not mistreated .


London, England (CNN) -- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is denying allegations of "abusive behavior" and "volcanic eruptions of foul temper" ahead of the publication of a new book by a top British political journalist.

The claims come in a book by Andrew Rawnsley of the Observer newspaper, which will be released March 1. The newspaper began running excerpts on Sunday.

"These malicious allegations are totally without foundation," Brown's official spokesman said in a statement Saturday. The spokesman is traditionally not quoted by name.

The Observer claimed that Brown's behavior upset staff at his office, 10 Downing Street, so much so that the head of the civil service launched an investigation and "ordered" the prime minister "to change his behavior."

Britain has a professional civil service which runs the administration of the government, distinct from elected politicians.

The Cabinet Office, a part of the civil service, issued a strongly-worded denial that Sir Gus O'Donnell had looked into Brown's behavior or warned him about it.

"It is categorically not the case that the Cabinet secretary asked for an investigation of the (prime minister's) treatment of Number 10 staff," his office said in a statement. "These assertions have been put to the Cabinet secretary who has rejected them."

Before the publication of the excerpts from the book, there were rumors it would allege that Brown had hit staffers, which he denied Saturday.

"Let me just say, absolutely clearly, so that there is no misunderstanding about that: I have never, never hit anybody in my life," he said, according to a statement from his office.

The book, "The End of the Party," apparently does not claim the prime minister hit people.

Brown is required by law to call an election by June this year. The date has not yet been announced, but it is widely expected to be May 6, and the election campaign has already started.

One of the top strategists in Brown's Labour Party, Peter Mandelson, declined to deny that Brown had a temper, but painted his personality as a virtue.

"I don't think he so much bullies people as he's very demanding of people. He's demanding of himself, he's demanding of people around him," Mandelson said on the BBC's "Andrew Marr Show" on Sunday.

"He does not like taking no for an answer.... there is a degree of impatience about the man, but what would you like? Some sort of shrinking violet at the helm of the government?" Mandelson asked.

Mandelson laughed and dodged a question from Marr about whether Brown had ever hit him or shouted at him.

But he said Rawnsley had a history of writing about events he had not witnessed.

"He's a very good, colorful writer, but that's it," Mandelson said.

What journalist claims on Brown`s behaviour?

What Andrew Rawnsley`s book claimed in Brown`s case?

Answer: foul temper"

Answer: Andrew Rawnsley

Answer: "abusive behavior"

Answer: and "volcanic eruptions of foul temper"

Answer: and "volcanic eruptions of foul temper"

Answer: Sir Gus O'Donnell

Answer: Andrew Rawnsley

Answer: "abusive behavior"

Summary:
Brown accused of "abusive behavior", "volcanic eruptions of foul temper"
Journalist claims Brown's behavior was investigated by a top civil servant .
Brown "ordered to change his behavior," Andrew Rawnsley's book claims .
Brown spokesman: "Malicious allegations are totally without foundation"


London, England (CNN) -- British police said Wednesday they have arrested a BBC television presenter on suspicion of murder after he told viewers he carried out a so-called mercy killing on a former lover.

Ray Gosling, 70, a freelance broadcaster, admitted on a BBC show aired in central England that he had smothered the unnamed partner in hospital where he was being treated for AIDS. Assisting in another person's death is illegal in England.

Police in Nottinghamshire, 160 kilometers (100 miles) north of London, confirmed they had made an arrest after the apparent confession on the BBC's "Inside Out" show.

Gosling made his admission in a taped segment of a 30-minute show about death, recounting how he smothered his partner to end his "terrible, terrible pain."

He told viewers: "Maybe this is the time to share a secret that I have kept for quite a long time. I killed someone once.

"He was a young chap, he'd been my lover and he got AIDS.

"In a hospital one hot afternoon, the doctor said 'There's nothing we can do,' and he was in terrible, terrible pain.

"I picked up the pillow and smothered him until he was dead. The doctor came back and I said 'He's gone'. Nothing more was ever said."

Gosling, who has not revealed details of his former lover's identity or the exact date of the incident, insisted he was not "making a cause" of assisted dying.

In a BBC Radio interview he said: "Sometimes doctors do it on their own. Sometimes people do it on their own.

"And if it happens to a lover or friend of yours, a husband, a wife, and I hope it doesn't, but when it does sometimes you have to do brave things and you have to say - to use Nottingham language - bugger the law."

What was his former lover suffering from?

Who admitted to killing his former lover?

Answer: Ray Gosling,

Answer: in hospital

Answer: "terrible, terrible pain."

Answer: AIDS.

Answer: "terrible, terrible pain."

Answer: I killed someone once.

Answer: Ray Gosling,

Answer: a former lover.

Summary:
Ray Gosling admitted on a television show that he killed his former lover .
Gosling says he had wanted to end the pain of young man with AIDS .
Presenter says he is not trying to "make a cause" of assisted dying .


London, England (CNN) -- Conservative Party leader David Cameron said it was "clear that the Labour government has lost its mandate to govern this country," as exit-poll predictions put his party on course to win more seats than it had for 80 years.

He said the Conservatives had fought a "positive and energetic" campaign. It was clear from the results that "the country wants change" and "that change is going to require new leadership."

Exit polls suggest the Conservatives are on pace to win 305 seats -- though this would be 21 short of a majority in the 650-seat House of Commons.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown gave no indication early Friday that he would step down after being returned to parliament by his constituents in Kirkcaldy, Scotland.

Full election coverage

The "outcome is not yet known but my duty .. is to play my part in Britain having a strong, stable and principled government," he said. "I will not let you down.

"I am very determined and have been through quite a lot in my political career and in my personal life, and I am used to difficulties."

If the predictions are borne out by results, the UK is heading for a "hung parliament" in which no single party controls an overall majority.

The leader of the largest party traditionally gets the first chance to form the government and become prime minister. But if no party has a majority, the sitting prime minister has the right to stay in office and try to win a confidence motion in parliament.

"The sitting prime minister and the incumbent government are given the first chance to create a majority that commands the confidence of the House of Commons, and if they fail to do that it passes to the leader of the opposition," top Labour politician Peter Mandelson told CNN.

Brown arrived at Labour Party headquarters in London early Friday after flying in from Scotland. He smiled and shook hands as he entered the building with his wife, Sarah, but said nothing to waiting cameras and reporters.

Several high-profile incumbents lost their seats overnight, including former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, of Labour; Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson, leader of the Democratic Unionist party; and Liberal Democrat Lembit Opik, who had been in parliament for 13 years.

All had been implicated in last year's parliamentary expenses scandal. Robinson's loss could hurt the Conservatives, robbing them of a potential supporter in the Commons should the party need to form a coalition.

The Green Party, which favors environmental and social justice policies, gained its first-ever member of parliament when Caroline Lucas was elected in Brighton, in southern England.

There were some scenes of voter anger across the country over long lines to cast ballots or polling stations running out of ballot papers, but it was not immediately clear how widespread problems were.

Anger at polling stations

"We will be doing a serious and thorough review of this and making recommendations to parliament and the government," Electoral Commission Chairwoman Jenny Watson said.

The United Kingdom's system of voting is "Victorian, antiquated, left over from an era when less people had to vote" and not designed to cope with mass participation, she said, adding that the system is now "at breaking point."

It's very unusual for no party to get an absolute majority of seats in the Commons. The last time it happened, in 1974, voters were back at the polls within months.

After the election there will be 650 seats in the Commons, four more than in the previous parliament. Voters chose representatives for only 649 seats, however, because the death of a candidate in northern England postponed that election to May 27, local officials said.

Under the British electoral system, the candidate who receives the most votes in a constituency wins. The system, known as "first past the post," is praised for its simplicity and the strong ties it forms between voters and representatives, but critics dislike its failure to provide proportional representation.

CNN's Zain Verjee, Richard Greene and Paul

How many seats are the Lib Dems predicted to win?

Who is the leader of the Conservative Party?

How many seats are the Conservatives predicted to win?

Answer: Conservatives

Answer: no single party controls an overall majority.

Answer: in which no single party controls an overall majority.

Answer: 305

Answer: David Cameron

Answer: 305

Summary:
Exit poll projects David Cameron's Conservatives winning 305 seats .
Gordon Brown's Labour Party projected to win 255 seats, Lib Dems 61 .
UK heading for "hung parliament" in which no single party has overall majority .
Brown: "My duty is to play my part in Britain having a strong, stable and principled government"


London, England (CNN) -- European officials expressed frustration at Russia and Ukraine's inability to enforce an agreement to resume delivery of natural gas, amid heat and cooking gas shortages and sub-zero temperatures endured by millions of people.

A woman passes in front of a manometer set on a gas pipe in the Ukrainian city of Boyarka, near Kiev.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was expected to meet Friday with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Yulia Timoshenko in an emergency meeting in Berlin. Merkel said she was likely to reinforce the EU's position as a natural gas customer.

"There is a risk that the confidence in Russia may be lost due to the ongoing disruption," said Merkel.

On Thursday European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso urged Ukraine and Russia to quickly implement a compromise that would return natural gas deliveries from Russia's Gazprom's pipelines through the Ukraine as soon as possible.

"If the agreement is not honored, it means that Russia and Ukraine are no longer to be considered reliable partners for the EU in matters of energy supply," said Barroso.

Ukraine is a major entry point for Russian gas into Europe. Russia and Ukraine's dispute over pricing and contractual terms began nearly a year ago, escalating into the present crisis that has prompted Russia to turn off its taps. Both nations help deliver about 25 percent of Europe's natural gas.

In the long term, the EU eyed plans to build a pipeline to purchase natural gas from Central Asia and eventually Iraq and Iran. It was also building up infrastructure to import liquefied gas from North Africa and the Middle East and exploring nuclear energy.

During Wednesday's open session, European Parliament members and commissioners lashed out, with EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs saying, "We are living through one of the most serious energy crises yet-comparable with the 1970s oil crisis."

"Despite promises and the protocol signed on Monday, gas is not yet flowing from Russia through Ukraine."

Piebalgs said Russia had resumed gas deliveries on Tuesday, at one-third of normal flow, but Ukraine had stopped it claiming that Russia had chosen a difficult entry point.

Eastern Europe was experiencing a historic low in temperatures and Siberian weather conditions. When Russia's natural gas delivery was halted, it relied on its stockpile, which is quickly running out.

Croatia's government has declared pre-alert measures and announced gas shutdowns for everyone except for households, hospitals, schools and kindergartens.

In the capital city of Zagreb, businesses are losing money due to the shortage, an estimated 10,000 Euros a day. Five hundred companies have been cut-off so far.

Danijel Zadijeloviae, owner of Lipik Glass, said the shortages have lost his business millions of Euros.

"If we had lost gas for only a second, it would caused us damages of up to 3 and a half million euros," he said.

CNN's Jim Boulden and Matthew Chance contributed to this report.

What is happening because of gas shortages?

What country is at risk because of the disruption?

Answer: natural gas,

Answer: In the capital city of Zagreb, businesses are losing money due to the

Answer: Russia

Answer: Ukraine's

Answer: Ukraine's

Answer: she was likely to reinforce the EU's position as a natural gas customer.

Summary:
NEW: Merkel says Russia risks the loss of confidence due to disruption .
EU is building up infrastructure to import liquefied gas from North Africa, Mideast .
Ukraine government says it has agreed to hold talks with Russia over gas row .
Dispute leaves countries across Europe with gas shortages .


London, England (CNN) -- Europeans faced fresh winter misery Friday as plunging temperatures threw transport networks -- including the Channel Tunnel train service -- into chaos and dwindling cold weather resources raised concerns in a snow-blanketed Britain and other countries.

Eurostar, which operates trains between Britain and France, announced it was canceling up to 50 percent of services Friday as bad weather caused a repeat of problems that led to major disruptions and long lines of frustrated and angry travelers last month.

With satellite images showing the UK covered in snow from top to toe -- a rare modern event in a country that has experienced two decades of relatively mild winters -- authorities lacking snow plows and salt supplies were struggling to clear roads.

Britain's weather forecasting Met Office is warning of continued icy conditions, drifting snow, severe frosts and dangerous wind chill factors across the country over the coming weekend, blaming the recent cold snap on freezing northerly blasts from the Arctic.

It said icy conditions were expected to continue for the next two weeks. Forecasters were warning of similar conditions in France, Germany, Switzerland, Poland, the Czech Republic and parts of Italy in the days ahead.

As temperatures plummeted to 30-year-lows of -22.3 Celsius (-8.1 Fahrenheit) in some parts of the UK, gas suppliers were reassuring users that there was no immediate likelihood that interruptions to fuel imposed on some businesses could spread to households.

The National Grid, which handles supplies of natural gas across Britain, reported that is was expecting to cope with all-time record demand levels Friday after similar peaks a day earlier that called on 454 million cubic meters of gas.

Despite the high demand -- and technical problems affecting gas flow from Norway -- National Grid spokeswoman Stephanie van Rosse said there was no danger of an interruption to supply.

"We've got plenty coming in," she told CNN. "It's just a matter of balancing it."

One of the companies whose gas was switched off was British Sugar, based in Peterborough, 130 kilometers (80 miles) north of London. A spokesman there told CNN they had simply switched to using oil until the gas comes back on.

"It doesn't affect our production, so it's just business as usual," said the spokesman, who asked not to be named. "It's a bit of a non-story, really. We just switch and it's no big problem."

Main airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton, were continuing to advise passengers to contact airlines before setting out as weather added to disruptions already caused by increased security in the wake of last month's failed U.S. plane bombing.

Cold weather, blamed for 22 deaths countrywide, also shut schools across Britain and led to warnings of hazardous roads as grit and salt supplies wore thin, prompting local authorities to impose rationing.

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said Britain's only two suppliers of salt were operating at capacity as authorities' standard emergency provisions for six days of snowy weather ran dry.

"The two salt producers are working flat-out, 24 hours-a-day, and we have ordered more salt supplies from abroad," he told the BBC.

"But... we will face some difficult decisions about where we are going to prioritize gritting of roads in this exceptionally severe and prolonged cold weather."

CNN's Melissa Gray and Barry Neild contributed to this story

Fuel supplies say no interruptions to gas supplies imminent despite what ?

Eurostar cancels Channel Tunnel train services due to what?

Where did temperatures plummet to 30-year lows ?

What has hit 30-year lows in some parts of the UK?

What caused Eurostar to cancel Channel Tunnel train services?

Who cancels Channel Tunnel train services due to freezing temperatures ?

Are interruptions to gas supplies imminent?

Answer: and technical problems

Answer: winter misery

Answer: gas

Answer: some parts of the UK,

Answer: temperatures

Answer: winter misery

Answer: Eurostar,

Answer: no

Summary:
Eurostar cancels Channel Tunnel train services due to freezing temperatures .
Temperatures plummet to 30-year lows in some parts of the UK .
Fuel supplies say no interruptions to gas supplies imminent despite record demand .


London, England (CNN) -- Eurostar is running tests to try to figure out what caused an "unprecedented" six trains to break down, forcing the company to cancel all services this weekend, a spokeswoman said Sunday. The company announced later that Monday service will be halted as well to allow for more test runs. The cancellation of the England-to-France express train service stranded thousands of passengers on both sides of the English Channel on the weekend before Christmas. "We sincerely regret having to take this decision and we understand how frustrated and disappointed travelers will be," Eurostar said on its Web site Sunday. Five trains with about 2,000 passengers stopped running Friday night inside the Channel Tunnel, also called the Chunnel, which runs between Britain and France. A sixth train broke down Saturday after Eurostar tried to run four trains from London to the continental mainland to prepare for the resumption of normal service. About 700 people were aboard when that train stopped in the Ebbsfleet area of Kent. Eurostar is making an effort to get about 500 people in "emergency situations" out of London, a spokesman said. They are being put on a regular train to the coastal town of Dover, England, taken across the English Channel by ferry and then by bus to Brussels or Paris, said the spokesman, who declined to be named. Eurostar is conducting a series of test trains Sunday "to better understand the problems that have been occurring," the company said. "We are committed to restoring our services as soon as possible but our key priority is the safety and comfort of our customers," the statement said. Those passengers affected by the breakdowns are being offered a full refund, another return ticket and 150 pounds in compensation. About 25,000 people should have been traveling on Saturday, Eurostar said. The company is not taking any new bookings until after Christmas, it announced, and is urging people not to come to the station Sunday. "We strongly recommend that travelers whose journeys are not essential change their tickets for travel on a later date or have their tickets refunded," Eurostar said on its Web site. The trains became stuck in the tunnel because the air inside was much warmer than the air outside the tunnel entrance in France, Eurostar spokeswoman Amelle Mouhaddib said. "It's a bit like taking a bottle of beer out of the fridge into a warm room -- within minutes it's covered in condensation," said Eurostar CEO Richard Brown. "We think that was the principle cause of the electrical failures on the trains." Brown called the number of breakdowns "completely unprecedented." Eurotunnel, which operates the Channel Tunnel, said it evacuated all 1,364 Eurostar passengers who were stuck Friday after the trains "lost traction," but one of the five trains remained in the tunnel and was blocking part of it, according to a Eurotunnel spokeswoman who asked not to be named, in line with policy. The train that broke down Saturday was being towed back to the tunnel entry so passengers could be removed and transferred, Eurostar said. The problems started after 9 p.m. Friday when the first of the five Eurostar trains became stuck. It was helped out of the tunnel by a Eurotunnel locomotive, which took it all the way to London with passengers still on board, the Eurotunnel spokeswoman said. Passengers on the second and third trains to fail were evacuated via the service tunnel to a Eurotunnel train, which brought them to the exit, she said. One of the failed trains was pulled out of the tunnel, but authorities were having difficulty removing the other, she said. The fourth and fifth trains were running close together when they failed, so Eurotunnel locomotives coupled them and either pushed or pulled them to the English side of the tunnel, the spokeswoman said. Passengers from the fifth train boarded the one in front, and Eurotunnel locomotives then towed that train to London, she said. The Chunnel is two tunnels separated by a third and smaller service tunnel, so the train that remained stuck inside did not mean the entire tunnel was blocked

What type of problems have been occurring?

According to Eurostar, how many people in London need help?

What is the consequence of the cancellation of England-to-France express train service?

When will Eurostar resume taking new bookings?

Answer: electrical failures

Answer: 500

Answer: stranded thousands of passengers on both sides of the English Channel on the weekend before Christmas.

Answer: after Christmas,

Answer: Eurostar

Answer: after Christmas,

Summary:
Eurostar trying to get about 500 people in "emergency situations" out of London, spokesman says .
Tests Sunday are "to better understand problems that have been occurring," company says .
Eurostar not taking any new bookings until after Christmas, company announced .
Cancellation of England-to-France express train service stranded thousands .


London, England (CNN) -- Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic finally took the stand Monday at the U.N.'s international tribunal at The Hague to defend himself against genocide charges stemming from the 1992-1995 Bosnian conflict.

For CNN's Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson, the 64 year-old was as defiant and unrepentant as the man he recalled meeting outside Sarajevo in 1993-94, as Bosnian-Serb forces shelled the city.

Karadzic, who faces 11 charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide during the war, told the tribunal the Serb cause is "just and holy," and dismissed as myths two of the worst atrocities of a conflict that claimed 100,000 lives -- the three-year siege of Sarajevo and the Srebrenica massacre in 1995.

He even claimed that the image of the Muslims as victims was untrue and that they were the first to attack. Their fighters "had blood up to their shoulders," he said.

"I will defend that nation of ours and their cause that is just and holy," he said in his defiant opening statement. The aim of the "Muslim plotters," he added, was "100 percent power, as it was in the Ottoman Empire."

"This is reminiscent of those days," said Robertson, who reported from the Bosnian capital during the war. "These were the exact same justifications: 'we're the ones that had been under attack, we're the ones being wronged.'

"It's very telling that he's not trying to address specific issues, such as the Srebrenica massacre and such like, which are going to be the main parts of the prosecution.

"Many Bosnian-Serbs watching this will feel that he's doing the right thing because Serbs have a history of feeling wrongly done to."

He said some still think back to their nationalist past and only identify with themselves through that, which is incompatible with the direction modern Europe is taking. "They're trying to return to a kind of Serb nationalist heyday, which is akin to the Taliban taking Muslims, if you will, back centuries."

Karadzic is the most senior figure to stand trial since the former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic, who died of a heart attack in 2006 before a verdict was reached.

According to Robertson, the trial might offer a crumb of comfort to some victims but it will stir up a great deal of emotion and anger to many Bosnian-Muslims who lost relatives or their homes.

"When you listen to Karadzic's description of the situation in Bosnia during this period it belies the fact that Bosnian-Serbs went through and ethnically-cleansed people from their towns," he said.

"There were towns and villages where no Muslims were left. Any towns or villages the Serbs couldn't get into they just surrounded and poured on machine-gun fire and rockets. This trial is going to bring all this out again."

During the siege of Sarajevo, which lasted 44 months, Karadzic was in Pale, a mountain-top village to the south-west of the capital which became the Bosnian-Serb headquarters.

Down below, Sarajevo was like a goldfish bowl surrounded on all sides by Bosnian-Serb soldiers who had dug in and were shooting civilians indiscriminately with machine guns, sniper rifles and mortars. "These were men in uniform with weapons taken from the former Yugoslav national army acting on clear instructions," said Robertson.

"It's hard to get an idea of what a siege is like in modern Europe. But imagine a city where you can't leave, get out to buy eggs, apples or fuel for your car. Equally nothing can come in.

"The encirclement of Sarajevo was so tight that the only way in or out for Bosnians was a hand-built tunnel they dug under the U.N.-run airport runway. A man couldn't stand upright in the tunnel.

"Telephone lines were non-existent, while electricity and water supplies were often cut for weeks on end."

On one occasion, while buying fuel in Serb-

Who faces 11 counts of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity?

Who said at The Hague that the Serb cause is "just and holy"?

Who was accused of responsibility for the massacre?

Who faces 11 counts of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity?

Where is the international tribunal located?

Answer: Radovan Karadzic

Answer: Karadzic,

Answer: Radovan Karadzic

Answer: Radovan Karadzic

Answer: The Hague

Summary:
Radovan Karadzic faces 11 counts of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity .
Charges stem partly from 1995 mass killing of Muslim men in Bosnian town of Srebrenica .
Karadzic, the Bosnian Serb president at the time, accused of responsibility for the massacre .
He told international tribunal at The Hague that the Serb cause is "just and holy"


London, England (CNN) -- Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair says he would have taken the decision to remove Saddam Hussein even without evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

In an excerpt from a BBC interview to be aired Sunday, Blair said: "I would still have thought it right to remove him. I mean obviously you would have had to use and deploy different arguments, about the nature of the threat."

Blair, who left office in 2007 and now serves as a special envoy to the Middle East, will be questioned next year at an inquiry into Britain's role in the 2003 conflict.

At the time of the conflict the British government based its decision to go to war on evidence, contained within a dossier it published in September 2002, that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) ready to deploy within 45 minutes.

But critics of the war claim the Bush administration had decided to remove the Iraqi dictator by force by the end of 2002 and that Blair was aware of this and had offered his support.

The current inquiry is not a court of law, so it cannot find anyone criminally responsible or even apportion blame. But inquiry members will be able to judge the legality of the conflict.

Despite doubts about Iraq's WMDs, Blair was defiant about the need for regime change in Baghdad for the sake of peace in the region. He told the BBC: "I can't really think we'd be better with him and his two sons still in charge, but it's incredibly difficult and I totally understand.

"That's why I sympathize with the people who were against [the war] for perfectly good reasons and are against it now, but for me, you know, in the end I had to take the decision.

"It was the notion of him as a threat to the region, of which the development of WMD was obviously one. He used chemical weapons on his own people, so this was obviously the thing that was uppermost in my mind."

Last month, Blair denied a claims that Peter Goldsmith, Britain's Attorney General at the time of the Iraq war, was "bullied" into declaring that the invasion was legal.

According to reports in the British media, Goldsmith warned Blair the invasion was a serious breach of international law in an "uncompromising letter" in July 2002, eight months before the campaign.

In an interview with CNN, the former premier refuted the claim but accepted his reputation had been called into question many times over Iraq. "Over the years I've answered questions time and time again about it [the invasion] and am happy to do so again," he said.

"It was an important decision, and it was a momentous decision in terms of your country and in terms of mine.

"But one of the things you learn as leader of a country is that you have the responsibility to take decisions. Some of those decisions are difficult decisions and some are very controversial... sometimes they can be very bitter, very difficult. That's part of being a leader."

Britain has already held four hearings about the Iraq war. But because all were held before the end of 2004 -- so close to the start of the war -- they were hampered by limited information, political analyst Glen Rangwala of Cambridge University told CNN.

"They didn't manage to achieve anything like a comprehensive understanding of the paths that led the UK to support the United States in the invasion," he said. "This will be the first to look at political decision-making that led to the British invasion of 2003, with the potential to tell a full story."

Britain's first two inquiries were held by government committees in 2003.

The House of Commons Select Committee on Foreign Affairs examined whether Britain's Foreign Office gave accurate and complete information to Parliament in the run-up to the war. It found the government exerted no improper influence on the drafting of the dossier given to Parliament on Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction.

The Intelligence and

Who faces a British Inquiry into the Country's role in the 2003 conflict?

Who tells BBC it was right to remove Saddam Hussein from Iraq?

what did britain base its decision to go to war on?

Answer: claim the Bush administration had decided to remove the Iraqi dictator by force by the end of

Answer: Tony Blair

Answer: Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair

Answer: published in September 2002, that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) ready to deploy within 45 minutes.

Answer: Former British Prime Minister

Answer: he would have taken the decision

Summary:
Former British PM Tony Blair tells BBC it was right to remove Saddam Hussein, sons from Iraq .
Blair faces a British inquiry into the country's role in the 2003 conflict .
Britain based its decision to go to war on evidence Saddam had weapons of mass destruction .
Critics argue Blair government had exaggerated evidence to justify war on Iraq .


London, England (CNN) -- Formula 1 will continue to take place in Britain for the next 17 years after a deal was struck between Silverstone's owners and the sport's chief Bernie Ecclestone. Monday's announcement by the track's owners means the oldest venue on the F1 calendar keeps its place. Silverstone's comeback took place despite rival track Donington Park being awarded the contract to host the British Grand Prix from 2010. However, that circuit lost out after failing to secure the $200 million needed to fund redevelopment plans. That had led to fears Ecclestone would look to move the race abroad. Silverstone managing director Richard Phillips told the Press Association: "We've always had five-year deals and never been able to get the investment we needed to redevelop. "But 17 years gives us the ability to invest and move forward. We've always had the belief the British Grand Prix was an important cornerstone of Formula One but, with Bernie, you're never quite sure. Phillips described the deal as "peace in our time" between the circuit's owners, the British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC), and Ecclestone. "The relationship with Formula One Management has been improving," added Phillips. "There's a good working relationship with him now and we don't have any issues." Applauding the negotiating team, BRDC president and 1996 F1 world champion Damon Hill told the Press Association: "It's not easy to enter into an agreement of this magnitude. It's a big commitment. "But the BRDC felt we wanted this relationship to continue, and we were prepared to back the negotiating team, with the level of risk satisfactory for the deal to go ahead. "This announcement is tremendous news. It really does cement Silverstone as a motor sport venue and is incredibly satisfying for the BRDC to cement its relationship with F1."

What will continue in britain after deal?

Which is the oldest race on the F1 calendar?

Where was the British Grand Prix supposed to be held?

Answer: to take place in

Answer: Formula 1

Answer: Formula 1

Answer: Donington Park

Answer: Donington Park

Summary:
Formula 1 will continue in Britain after deal between Silverstone and sport's chief Bernie Ecclestone .
Announcement by the track's owners means the oldest race on the F1 calendar keeps its place .
Donington was to host British Grand Prix from 2010 but failed to secure $200 million for redevelopment .