British Prime Minister Tony Blair sacked his home secretary and moved other key ministers in a sweeping Cabinet reshuffle on Friday after voters punished his scandal-hit Labour Party in local elections. Blair also stripped Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott of many of his responsibilities.
In a verdict worthy of a thriller, Britain’s High Court on Friday rejected a claim that author Dan Brown stole key elements of his blockbuster The Da Vinci Code from an earlier book by two other writers. Brown had been accused of breach of copyright by plagiarising passages from The Holy Blood And The Holy Grail, by Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, for his 2003 novel.
Fear of bird flu again swept Britain on Thursday as scientists confirmed that a wild swan found dead in a Scottish seaside village had the H5N1 strain that can be fatal to humans. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said the swan — found a week ago on a harbour slipway in Cellardyke, Fife — perished from the same H5N1 strain that has killed more than 100 people.
With smiles all around and a well-timed pat on the back, the two most powerful figures in British politics made a carefully choreographed attempt on Wednesday to dispel talk of a bitter rift between them. Prime Minister Tony Blair and his heir apparent, Gordon Brown, put on a show of solidarity as they launched the start of the Labour Party’s campaign for the May 4 local-council elections.
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/ 15 February 2006
Glorification of terrorism will become a crime in the United Kingdom now that Parliament has backed Prime Minister Tony Blair’s version of a key part of a new anti-terror law prompted by the July bombings in London. Blair said banning glorification of terrorism is essential in order to crack down on radical Islamists.
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/ 16 January 2006
Europe and the United States pressed China and Russia on Monday to shed their reservations and agree to a tougher line on Iran that could see Tehran hauled before the United Nations Security Council over its suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons. Senior officials were meeting behind closed doors in London as diplomatic efforts gathered pace.
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/ 10 November 2005
British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s authority was thrown into doubt on Wednesday after his attempt to toughen up Britain’s anti-terror laws in the wake of the London bombings was roundly defeated in Parliament. It was the first time in his eight years in power that Blair had been humiliated in the House of Commons.
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/ 2 November 2005
David Blunkett, a key political ally of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, abruptly resigned on Wednesday from the Cabinet amid raging controversy over his business affairs, the government announced. Analysts said Blunkett’s downfall is a serious blow to Blair, just six months into the third straight term in power for his Labour Party.
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/ 28 September 2005
British Prime Minister Tony Blair let it be known on Tuesday that he will not pull out of Iraq soon, or rush to pass the reins of power to his finance minister and heir apparent Gordon Brown. He delivered what aides called a "policy-rich" speech to the Labour Party’s annual conference.
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/ 19 September 2005
The inconclusive result of Germany’s election has deprived British Prime Minister Tony Blair of a much-sought ally in a crusade to reform Europe’s lacklustre economy, political analysts said on Monday. Officially, Downing Street declined to comment on the outcome of Sunday’s German vote that left Gerhard Schröder and conservative challenger Angela Merkel both claiming victory.