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French President Jacques Chirac has unleashed a torrent of criticism against the US-led war in Iraq, saying the conflict, which he fiercely opposed, had boosted the spread of terrorism. In a wide-ranging New Year's foreign policy speech Friday, Chirac fired a broadside at what he called Washington's "adventure" in the Middle Eastern country, torn by sectarian strife almost four years after the invasion. "As France had foreseen and feared, the war in Iraq has sparked upheavals that have yet to show their full effects," Chirac told the French diplomatic corps gathered in Paris. He said the conflict, which the United...

Britain celebrated an epic naval victory Tuesday but a descendant of its hero Admiral Horatio Nelson said the Battle of Trafalgar bicentenary was trying too hard not to offend historical enemies France and Spain. A highlight of the world's biggest naval review was featuring two fleets enacting a 19th century sea battle. But they have been called simply the red and the blue fleet rather than by country names, which has sparked a shot across the bows from Nelson's great great great granddaughter. "I am anti-political correctness. Very much against it. It makes fools of us," said 75-year-old Anna Tribe....

A gasp of disbelief, a sad shake of the head and a feeling of general disgust. That's how San Marcos residents reacted Saturday morning at the sight of graffiti spray-painted on the still under construction Hays County Veterans Memorial. Sometime overnight, someone used yellow spray paint to write "Kill Bush" on a section of the memorial where names of local veterans are displayed on a sloping wall. The same slogan, along with others, was repeated on the back of the memorial. "It's very disgusting," said Robert Guerrero, who served in Germany during the Vietnam era. "I have a lot of...

FUKUOKA, Japan: France supports Japan’s desire to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said here on Monday, also urging North Korea to abandon its nuclear programme. "For France, Japan is naturally cut out to become a member of the Security Council," de Villepin said on his first visit to Japan since he took up the post of foreign minister in 2002. This would be a reflection of the weight, the influence and responsibilities that Japan holds internationally, he said. Japan wants to join the elite Security Council, which groups China, the United...

Americans have a better opinion of France and Germany now than when the two European countries opposed the war in Iraq (news - web sites), but France is not quite out of the dog house, according to a Gallup poll. While only 34 percent of Americans saw France in a favorable light last March, 47 percent view the French favorably now, according to poll released Wednesday. The figure, however, is still a far cry from the 70 percent to 79 percent ratings France enjoyed in the 1990s, and many Americans, 49 percent, still view France unfavorably. Politically, Republicans dislike the...

<p>Predictably, the graffiti artist didn't wait long. The bright green Starbucks advertising poster was defiled by black spray paint -- or embellished, depending on one's point of view -- hours after the maiden coffee shop opened here.</p> <p>Over the past week, concerns about the arrival of the Seattle java giant filtered their way through the media. The usual French suspects talked about Simone and Jean-Paul and their smart set spinning in their graves at the sight of the latest American cultural invasion. And just how do we know Starbucks won't feed us American Frankenfood?</p>