David Blair's Blog, page 107

Iranian oil sales stymied by sanctions

Tighter sanctions have paralysed Iran’s tanker fleet, forcing more than half of the country’s vessels to lie idle in the Gulf because of an absence of buyers for their oil.

George Osborne: Angela Merkel damaging UK economic interests

George Osborne accused Angela Merkel of damaging Britain’s economic interests after she speculated that Greece would leave the euro.

Merkel tells Greece to back cuts or face euro exit

Greece may be forced to leave the euro if the country refuses to implement spending cuts agreed with the European Union, Angela Merkel warned.

The War is Dead, Long Live the War by Ed Vulliamy: review

David Blair looks at the horrors of the Bosnian war, reviewing Ed Vulliamy's new book The War is Dead, Long Live the War.

Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri 'not in Pakistan', says Yousuf Raza Gilani

Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda's new leader, is not in Pakistan and the US has failed to provide any "actionable information" to suggest otherwise, the country's prime minister said.

How the West got it wrong about Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda's hands-on CEO

So now we know . While holed up in his compound in Pakistan, Osama bin Laden really did behave like chief executive of a multinational company, issuing orders and advice to al-Qaeda affiliates in places as far flung as Algeria, Yemen and Iraq. Judging by the selection of documents released...

AP journalist sacked for announcing end of Second World War wins apology

A former AP journalist who was sacked for achieving perhaps the greatest scoop in history – announcing the end of the Second World War in Europe – has won a posthumous apology from an egregiously ungrateful employer.

Osama bin Laden files: a preoccupation with the media, and a bewildering bureaucracy

Osama bin Laden fretted about al-Qaeda's bloodthirsty image and sought to impose discipline on a fractured and remarkably bureaucratic terrorist movement during his last months in hiding in Pakistan.

Osama bin Laden files reveal al Qaeda membership

A full list of al-Qaeda members first discovered in Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan has been published, disclosing the various fates of the terrorist movement's followers.

Iran 'imported over £350 million of weapons in three years'

Iran imported weapons worth over £350 million in the space of three years despite being the target of a United Nations arms embargo, Oxfam will disclose on Thursday.