MI6 and CIA were told before invasion that Iraq had no active WMD
BBC's Panorama reveals fresh evidence that agencies dismissed intelligence from Iraqi foreign minister and spy chief
Fresh evidence is revealed today about how MI6 and the CIA were told through secret channels by Saddam Hussein's foreign minister and his head of intelligence that Iraq had no active weapons of mass destruction.
Tony Blair told parliament before the war that intelligence showed Iraq's nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons programme was "active", "growing" and "up and running".
A special BBC Panorama programme tonight will reveal how British and US intelligence agencies were informed by top sources months before the invasion that Iraq had no active WMD programme, and that the information was not passed to subsequent inquiries.
POLITICS
Zimbabweans show little interest in referendum
Many Zimbabweans turned a deaf ear to pleas for them to exercise their right to vote on the country's new constitution. If passed, it will open up the way for elections later this year.
Zimbabwe has held a long-awaited referendum on a new draft constitution, a major step on the road to presidential elections expected to be held later this year. However, it seems not all the country's more than six million eligible voters were impressed by the historic nature of the poll held on Saturday (16.03.2013) as turnout was low. According to the country's electoral commission, early returns indicated that just two million people took part.
UN to debate global arms treaty
Diplomats gather in New York to discuss treaty aimed at limiting trade of illegal conventional weapons.
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Last Modified: 18 Mar 2013 03:13
Diplomats from around the world are to gather at the United Nations for talks on an international arms trade treaty, in an effort to stop the sale of illegal conventional arms.
Similar talks held last July failed, mainly due to the objections of the United States and Russia, the world's two largest arms exporters.
The talks will kick off at the UN headquarters on Monday and will last two weeks.
John Kerry, the US secretary of state, has said his country is committed to reaching an agreement during this round of talks. The last round was stalled when the US said it needed more time to consider the proposed accord. Russia and China also asked for a delay.
18 March 2013 Last updated at 07:56 GMT
Cyprus parliament to hold bailout crisis session
Cyprus' parliament is due to hold an emergency session to discuss a big bailout, which has angered the public.
President Nicos Anastasiades' Democratic Rally party has 20 seats in the 56-member assembly and needs other parties' support to ratify the deal.
The 10bn-euro ($13bn; £8.6bn) bailout agreed by the EU and IMF demands that all bank customers pay a one-off levy and has led to heavy cash withdrawals.
'People betrayed'
If the deal is defeated in parliament, state media say banks could be closed on Tuesday so as to avoid mass withdrawals.
A spokesman for one of the coalition partners, the Democratic Party, told BBC News it wanted assurances that the deal would solve the problems facing Cyprus before it voted in favour.
Despite sanctions’ toll on Iran, U.S. sees no shift in nuclear behavior
By ,
Harsh economic sanctions have taken a serious toll on Iran’s economy, but U.S. and European officials acknowledge that the measures have not yet produced the kind of public unrest that could force Iranian leaders to change their nuclear policies.
Nine months after Iran was hit with the toughest restrictions in its history, the nation’s economy appears to have settled into a slow, downward glide, hemorrhaging jobs and hard currency but appearing to be in no immediate danger of collapse, Western diplomats and analysts say.
At the same time, the hardships have not triggered significant domestic protests or produced a single concession by Iran on its nuclear program. Although weakened, Iran has resisted Western pressure through a combination of clever tactics, political repression and old-fashioned stubbornness, analysts say.
India police arrest 5 in gang rape case
All five men confessed to the attack on a Swiss tourist who was camping with her husband in central India, police say. Two other men are being sought.
Associated Press
NEW DELHI — Police said they arrested five men Sunday in connection with the gang rape of a Swiss woman who was attacked in central India while on a cycling vacation with her husband.
All five men admitted to the attack, which occurred Friday night as the woman and her husband camped out in a forest in Madhya Pradesh state, said D.K. Arya, a senior police officer.
Arya said the men, who are from nearby villages, were arrested in Datia. Police were searching for two other men believed to have been involved, he said.
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