Since it has become clear from journalists who were in the Palestine Hotel at the time that no firing came from that building or the surrounding area that excuse seems flawed.

Tempest, I beleive you’re clutching at straws there a little. Even I knew that the Palestine was packed full of journos from around the world and a few days ago I looked at a BBC map of Baghdad that showed me where the Palestine Hotel is. I would like to think that the US troops on the ground have information that is ten times better than that. Therefore, the US troops almost certainly knew what they were firing at and that civilians would be present at their target – that is a war crime.

“BBC Radio 5 this evening as I was driving home from work, journalists defending the actions of the Americans, killing journalists”

I just heard a BBC corresopndent on 5 Live saying that he’d heard no shooting coming from the Palestine Hotel (which he was in) or in fact any firing from that part of Baghdad.

“how do you know that no weapons are being fired from the Hotel.”

According to the Geneva Convention the delibirate attacking of targets which are know to contain civillians, even when military personnel are also in close proximity is a war crime.

Geforce,

“They should raise the taxes on cigarettes. I like the system in the UK, pity so many Britons come to buy their stickies here in Belgium.”

The system would be great if the money was spent properly. I remember taxation of cigies went up just before the millenium and it made me feel like I was subsidising that great big waste of space (the Dome) with every pack I bought.

Oh, by the way, tried vanilla coke today and have to say that it is very tasty – well, it was a big hit with me anyway…

Jonesy,

Nope, the French are miles down the list and the Scottish don’t even figure (swallowed up by the UK… which is below France).

Serbia+Montenegro nudges out ahead of the competition (Greece is 3rd) by a hair’s breadth but way ahead in the lead by several lengths is Turkey. Yup, the average Turkish smoker gets through a packet and a half a day (as a comparison the average Serbian/Montenegrin smoker only smokes 21 cigarettes a day). I guess its cos cigarettes in Turkey are so cheap they pay you to take them off your hands.

Jonesy mate, somehow I just knew you’d be a fellow smoker… don’t ask me why or how!?!

Anyway, I have the ultimate excuse – Serbs smoke more than any other nation in Europe per capita… except one other nation – any guess as to which that might be? Shouldn’t be too difficult.

Yup – smoking is my weakness too.. Don’t really need to look much further for an addiction.

However, on a positive side, I have managed to effortlessly cut down from a worrying 20 a day to a pretty encouraging 3 or four a day – plan to quit by the end of the summer.