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Brown takes over as Britain's PM
MANCHESTER - Gordon Brown, who takes over as Britain's prime minister this week, has vowed to revitalise the Labour Party and learn from the "divisive" Iraq war.
Brown will replace Tony Blair, who is retiring after 10 years in power with his popularity badly battered for joining in the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Blair and Brown publicly buried the hatchet after a decade of rivalry and sniping between their camps. Blair called Brown his friend "for over 20 years" and gave him a warm handshake.
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Saddam's cousin 'Chemical Ali' to be hanged
BAGHDAD - Saddam Hussein's cousin, widely known as "Chemical Ali", has been sentenced to hang for masterminding a genocidal military campaign that used poison gas against Iraq's Kurds in the 1980s.
Ali Hassan al-Majeed, looking frail and wearing traditional Arab robes, stood silently as the judge read the verdict. As he was escorted from the Baghdad courtroom, he said: "Thanks be to God."
The court also sentenced to death Saddam's defence minister, Sultan Hashim, and a former military commander for their roles in the campaign.
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BBC reporter says he will be killed if captors stormed
DUBAI - BBC Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston appeared in a video posted on the internet today wearing what he said was an explosive belt which his captors have threatened to blow up if force was used to free him.
He said negotiations to seek his release were thwarted by what his captors told him was a plan by Britain and Palestinian group Hamas to use force to secure his release.
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