British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Tuesday that the manner of Saddam Hussein’s execution was wrong and unacceptable–his first public comments about the hanging. However, Blair said he hoped disputes over the taunting of the former dictator and the release of video of the execution would not lead people to forget the gravity of Saddam’s crimes.
Group plans Gitmo protest
A legal aid group representing Guantanamo Bay detainees condemned the U.S. military prison Tuesday as an “abomination” and called on Washington to close the Cuban facility, which opened five years ago this week. To mark the anniversary, protests are planned Thursday in New York, London and other cities and small towns in the U.S. and Britain.
General: Nuke test likely
The top U.S. general on the Korean Peninsula said Tuesday he believes North Korea might conduct another nuclear test. U.S. Army Gen. B.B. Bell, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, said the communist regime–which first had nuclear tests on Oct. 9–is capable of testing another such device, but he didn’t elaborate on reports that the North was preparing to do so.
Nuclear sub, tanker collide
A U.S. nuclear-powered submarine collided with a Japanese oil tanker in the Straits of Hormuz, through which 40 percent of the world’s oil supplies travel, officials said. No one was hurt in the accident that happened Monday night in the 34-mile wide straits, which are bordered by Iran and Oman and serve as the entrance to the Persian Gulf.
AND FINALLY
For $975M, you can rule a nation
Want to rule your own country. Better be ready to pay. An artificial island built by Britain during WWII that looks like an oil rig is on the market. Dubbed Sealand, the 5,920-square-foot island has its own flag, national anthem and coins and sits 8 miles off the eastern English coast. A Spanish real estate company has put a $975 million price tag on Sealand, but that price also buys you autonomy recognized by some European countries.
