Great news from Iraq and Britain

You know what Iraq really needs? Opium farming!

The growing and smuggling of opium will be difficult to stop in Iraq because much of the country is controlled by criminalised militias. American successes in Iraq over the past year have been largely through encouraging the development of a 70,000-strong Sunni Arab militia, many of whose members are former insurgents linked to protection rackets, kidnapping and crime. Muqtada al-Sadr, the leader of the powerful Shia militia, the Mehdi Army, says that criminals have infiltrated its ranks.

The move of local warlords, both Sunni and Shia, into opium farming is a menacing development in Iraq, where local political leaders are often allied to gangsters. The theft of fuel, smuggling and control of government facilities such as ports means that gangs are often very rich. It is they, rather than impoverished farmers, who have taken the lead in financing and organising opium production in Iraq.

Well, that shouldn't be a big surprise to Mr. Sadr at all. (Maybe he just thought "why buy heroin from the Taliban or the Northern Alliance when I can grow my own?")

You know what Britain really needs? Euphemism!

Terrorism by Muslim fanatics was yesterday re-named "anti-Islamic activity" by Jacqui Smith.

The Home Secretary said that - rather than acting in the name of Islam - they were behaving contrary to their faith.

Her words were chosen carefully to reflect new Government strategy on the language used to describe fanatics.

In other news, Jacqui Smith's job title is switching from "Home Secretary" to "Minister of Truth".