The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "Britain" ...
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Dateline NBC: Inside the Cell
Dateline NBC investigates an alleged terrorist plot to blow up a transatlantic airliner in flight using liquid explosives concealed as sports drinks. Some critics challenged the viability of the plot and the new security measures restricting liquids on airplanes. However, Dateline discovered the conspiracy was far more developed than the public had known and that plotters had received direction from individuals linked to al-Qaida's senior leadership.
Tags: al-Qaida; terrorism; airline; explosive; Pakistan; counterterrorism; Great Britain; London
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America and the Islamic Bomb: The Deadly Compromise
The book "chronicles the role the United States and its allies played in allowing Pakistan to first develop and then peddle nuclear weapons technology."
Tags: Pakistan; terrorism; Middle East; nuclear; nuclear weapons; plutonium; War on Terror; Cold War; United Kingdom; Britain; smuggling
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Chiron: Hepatitus C and Flu Vaccine
This series began as an investigation into the unusual cooperation and patent fight between the Chiron Corp. of California and the CDC. The two worked together to make discoveries concerning Hepatitus C. In an interesting twist, the reporter used his knowledge of the company to uncover its involvment in the 2004/2005 flu vaccine shortage.
Tags: health; disease; hepatitus c; influenza; Centers for Disease Control; Chiron Corp.; FDA; patent; discovery; ownership; research; Britain
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The Changing Face of Terrorism in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Around the World
"The stories attempt to penetrate the terror networks in Pakistan and Afghanistan that are at the heart of plots aimed at causing havoc in Britain, the United States and elsewhere. Among the stories is an investigative piece that reveals how Osama bin Laden communicates with his inner circle, as well as the first account from Waziri tribesmen about the anti-terror crackdown on their fiercely autonomous region, considered the most likely hideout for bin Laden and his top deputy. There is also a story that outlines the top emerging terrorists in Pakistan, Afghanistan and around the world - people whose names are not yet known in the mainstream but who have been responsible for much of the bloodshed since Sept. 11."
Tags: middle east; terrorism; sheiks; international reporting; Muslim; Islam
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The Blue Wall
Davis reports on how independent community oversight could make police more accountable, as this has been done in Canada, Britain and South Africa. The story discusses optional types of citizen review boards that could restrain the use of excessive police force.
Tags: brutality; violence; accountability; government; criminal justice; public interest; human rights
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A Watchful State.
After a terrorist attack in 1993, Britain installed cameras everywhere. Today's security devices are more sophisticated. The Visionics FaceIt is a face to face recognition technology which creates identification codes for individuals based on unique aspects of their facial structures. Visionics, a New Jersey company leader in biometrics' science, was quick to understand that the terrorist attacks represented not only a tragedy but also a business opportunity.
Tags: terrorism; security; cameras; biometrics
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Arrested Italian cell sheds light on Bin Laden;s network
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, a project of the Center for Public Integrity, reveals that month before Sept. 11 terrorist attacks the Italian police arrested men now believed to be al Qaeda operatives. Based on the findings in a 100-page secret report by Italian investigators, the article tells "a stunning story of cooperation among suspected Bin Laden cells across Europe ... and previously unknown connections among alleged Bin Laden loyalists in Italy, Britain, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and France."
Tags: September 11; 2001; al Qaeda; holy war; Chechnya; Bosnia; Muslims; Islam; justice; law enforcement; intelligence
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The killing fields
GQ questions the mass killing of cows in Britain during the food-and-mouth epidemic, and finds it to be "an epic waste." The story exposes political reasons behind the drastic measures. "The pyres are unnecessary ... for the simple reason that foot-and-mouth rarely kills," the magazine reports. The reporter quotes epidemiologists who say that, "in clinical terms, foot-and-mouth is about as serious , to animals or to people, as a bad cold." A major finding is that Britain has chosen to ban the vaccine, because it is difficult to distinguish vaccinated animals from infected animals. Many countries - U.S. amongst them - would not import "tainted" meat, even if it poses no risk to human health, the story reveals.
Tags: mad cow; foot-and-mouth; Tony Blair; politics; politicians; animals; virus; vaccines; agriculture; immune system; laws; world trade; health
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Nice Work, If You Can Get It
The National Journal looks at "the tradition of tapping well-heeled donors for diplomatic posts." The story focuses on the case of William Farish, the newly appointed U.S. ambassador to Britain, who "is one of more than two dozen people now on track to lead the good life ... to some desirable place because they bet big bucks on the Election 2000 winner." The report reveals that "Bush's first 35 political appointees to the diplomatic corps gave an average of $141,110 to him and other Republican campaigns and committees during 1999-2000." The author cites a number of critics who question "whether the spoil systems ... befits the United States at the cusp of the 21st century," and points to examples of untested diplomats' gaffes.
Tags: diplomacy; embassies; ambassadors; international politics; fundraising; Center for Responsible Politics; foreign policy; PACs; campaign contributors; Department of State
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Germs on the Loose: Bioweapons Tests Tainted Sites Around the Globe
"Every major World War II combatant had a biological weapons program," Choffnes writes, "and many of these countries' field test sites remain reservoirs of disease. Although the programs may have ended, the pathogens they released persist in the test sites' animal, bird, reptile, and insect populations. Unless extreme measures are taken to secure testing grounds, pathogens once released into the environment will adapt to new hosts and spread diseases to new areas...As it becomes harder to obtain pathogenic materials from private and public sources, terrorists or nations seeking to acquire a biological weapons capability might be tempted to obtain pathogen seed stocks from wildlife collections or other environmental sources of pathogenic materials." Story discusses in particular biological weapons testing sites in the U.S., Britain, and the former Soviet Union.
Tags: biological weapons; testing sites; field test; anthrax; bioweapons; disease; Vozrozhdeniye; U.S. Cooperative Threat Reduction Program; Gruinard; U.S. Biological Defense Research Program; Chemical Warfare Service; Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention