Around The World

Verdict on scientist's suicide a boost to Blair; blow for BBC\nLONDON -- Prime Minister Tony Blair won vindication Wednesday in the toughest political crisis of his career when a judge said the BBC was wrong to report the government "sexed up" intelligence to justify war in Iraq. The broadcaster's top official stepped down within hours.\nThe verdict was a major boost for Blair, who has been dogged for months by questions about arms adviser David Kelly's suicide, which injected personal tragedy into the highly charged debate over war.\nIt came a day after Blair eked out a win in a hard-fought parliamentary vote to raise college tuition fees, turning a potentially disastrous week into a demonstration of political survival skills.\nNigeria says North Korea agrees to share missile technology\nLAGOS, Nigeria -- North Korea has agreed to share missile technology with Nigeria, the Nigerian government said Wednesday -- a deal that would take the secretive communist nation's missile business to sub-Saharan Africa.\nNigeria, the continent's most populous nation and West Africa's military giant, would join Libya, Iran, Egypt, Pakistan and Syria among countries reported to have received North Korea's help with either missiles or missile technology.\nNigeria, which is not at war or under any known threat from other countries, said any missile help would be used for "peacekeeping" and to protect its territory. It said it was not seeking nuclear technology or weapons of mass destruction.\nNuclear scientist held suspect for leaking tech secrets\nISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- The father of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program and a top aide had black market contacts that supplied sensitive technology to Iran and Libya, and both have failed to account for funds in their bank accounts, intelligence officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday.\nUnder suspicion are Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, long revered as a national hero, and Dr. Mohammed Farooq, former director-general of a key nuclear facility, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.\n"These are the two people who had links and contacts with those who have been supplying many things to those countries who wanted to become nuclear powers," one official said.