Blair Makes Last Visit to Iraq

Tony Blair dropped in on Iraq's prime minister today, to assure him the Britain would continue to support the struggling Iraqi government even after he leaves office next month. Blair used the surpise visit to reiterate his confidence that there are "real signs of change and progress" in Iraq, despite security challenges, the Guardian reports.

A reminder of the latter came as three mortars exploded inside the Green Zone, and a fourth nearby, during Blair's visit. And back home, Britons were still reeling from former  president Jimmy Carter 's outburst against Blair on British radio: "Britain's almost undeviating support for the ill-advised policies of President Bush in Iraq have been a major tragedy for the world," Carter said. (More Tony Blair stories.)