Reuters: British in Basra look to Iraqis 20 March

Thursday marks five years since the US-led invasion that toppled brutal dictator Saddam Hussein, but also plunged a nation into chaos and bloodshed. The weapons of mass destruction whose reported existence justified the invasion were never found whilst Saddam was captured, tried and hanged.

Five years after the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein's regime, daily life in Iraq remains difficult, and public services weak. Baghdad badly lacks water and electricity, and its inhabitants have to find creative ways to fulfill their most basic needs.

Since the invasion Britain has been criticized for leaving Basra for an out-of-town base at the airport. Our reporter Stuart McDill spent the day on patrol with British troops near Iraq's second city.

He was a sergeant in the US Army. She was an Iraqi. They met in Baghdad in May 2003, fell in love and got married. Sean and Ehda'a Blackwell moved to the United States, settled in Florida and had a daughter in December 2006. Five years after the US invasion, they are one of the rare Iraqi-American couples resulting from the war. An AFPTV report.

More than 40,000 British troops were set the task of securing southern Iraq, especially Basra, a city of more than two million people and the strategic hub for Iraq's multi-billion-dollar oil exports, after they invaded in March 2003. Britain now has no soldiers in Basra following their withdrawal to a heavily fortified base at Basra airport, several miles outside the city, and southern Iraq remains the scene of frequent violent clashes between rival Iraqi factions. Stuart McDill reports from Basra.

Appealing to war-weary Americans for patience, Bush acknowledged that the costs of the war have been high but the campaign has been a success. Speaker: US President George W. Bush

They’re coming to take your waves! They’re coming to take your women! Invasion! From Planet C is a full length surfing movie with a science fiction plot. Shot in New Zealand, Costa Rica, Australia and California, it stars Mike Black as Gnar Gnar and Matt Matteo Plummer as Casanova. The movie is directed by David M Potter and marks Mike and David’s third feature film collaboration. Music for the movie was done by Dark Dark Mask, Defenders of the Universe, Loafer, SSNNDDRR, Nick Stellino, Christopher Jones and The White Buffalo. Ben Barnick and Colin Garret helped film surfing. The DVD cover art was painted by Brin Sparhawk Levinson. Guest surfing appearances by Dan Klemann and Ty Williams. Thank you friends for your contributions. INVASION! From Planet C has been made possible by our hard work and our friends believing in the stoke. It may seem like Earth is about to explode at times, but as you can see this planet is rich with stoke. How many uncrowded point waves are peeling right now? Get out there and Mine the Stoke. BLAST IT!

Al-Qaeda number two Ayman Al-Zawahiri, in an audiotape obtained by AFP from the intelligence monitoring group IntelCenter, claimed Britain's decision to "flee" Iraq shows the insurgency is stronger than ever. Images and soundbites in Arabic with English subtitles.

The quartet of Liverpudlians that has revolutionized the music scene in Britain arrives for their first American tour - and teen-age fans arrive in hordes to greet their idols.