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Experts say the bug responsible for the deadly form of pneumonia known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) that’s spreading worldwide is a virus from the paramyxoviridae family, which is responsible for mumps and measles.

The worst affected countries are Hong Kong, with 111 cases, Vietnam, with 54 cases, and Singapore, with 23 cases. There are suspected cases in Israel, Australia, Germany, the U.S. and the U.K., as well as in Switzerland, France, Slovenia, Taiwan, Thailand, China and the Philippines. Since it’s spreading so widely, it’s probably being passed on by air travelers. However, researchers think close, prolonged contact is necessary to catch it, rather than just proximity (such as sitting next to an infected person on a plane).
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U.S. military bases in the United States have been ordered to prepare for terrorist attacks once U.S. military action begins in Iraq. A memorandum has been sent to all military services ordering base security officials to make emergency plans. The memorandum says attacks could be CBRN?chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-explosive. Also, Tony Blair won the support of Parliament, meaning that there will not be an election for a new Prime Minister and U.K. troops will not be withdrawn from Iraq. And U.S. intelligence says Osama bin-Laden has issued a third tape-recorded warning that he will lead a major terrorist attack in the future.
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The Iraq war effectively began today, as British and American troops were involved in fierce fighting near Basra, Iraq’s only seaport. At the same time, allied troops took up positions on the demilitarized zone on the Iraqi border with Kuwait. Allied warplanes bombed targets in Iraq after coming under fire in the no-fly zone. Special units are already deep inside Iraq to prepare landing strips in the desert for airborne troops. Cruise missiles have been loaded onto 14 giant B52 bombers in the UK, meaning the bombing of Baghdad is about to begin.

The fighting at Basra was part of an operation to prepare landing sites for amphibious craft during the upcoming invasion.. Basra is surrounded by marshes and sandbanks and is difficult to approach from the sea.
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At 8:35 AM Baghdad time, Saddam Hussein delivered a brief address on Iraqi television, urging Iraqis to resist the US led attack. It was not known whether the address was videotaped or live, or if the person delivering the speech was actually Saddam Hussein. Early analysis of the tape revealed brief dissolves, suggesting that it was not live, but the individual making the broadcast referred to the exact time of the attack, indicating that it was made after the attack took place.

At sunrise Baghdad time, the US had attempted a strike against the Iraqi leadership that included targets near Baghdad, in Mosul and close to the Iranian border.

Saddam Hussein is known to have more than one double, so it is uncertain that he was actually the man on the videotape.read more