Worldwatch

Chunnel Vision
FRANCE: Before he left for London to celebrate the Entente Cordiale, France's 100-year-old diplomatic alliance with Britain , French President Jacques Chirac called the relationship between the two countries "l'amour violent" — a tempestuous affair. But when he and Prime Minister Tony Blair gave a press conference, they acted like an old married couple, content to downplay their differences for the sake of the children. Chirac insisted that the Iraq war was "the one and only issue" on which they had fought. "What matters really is all that we have in common in the present and for the future," he said. In fact they continue to have profound disagreements. Chirac distrusts American power, especially as exercised by George W. Bush, and wants to build up Europe as "an independent pole" in world affairs.

Blair has denounced that impulse as "the most dangerous game of international politics I know." In a major foreign policy speech last week, he stressed keeping the Atlantic alliance vibrant, using Britain as a go-between if necessary: "Call it a bridge, a two-lane motorway, a pivot or a damn high wire, our job is to keep our sights firmly on both sides of the Atlantic." But Chirac said bluntly that Blair had received little in return for his loyalty to Bush. Who ends up winning the argument is mostly up to Bush — who is banking on

MEANWHILE IN THE U.S. … Cheesy Imitations News that a 10-year-old grilled cheese sandwich purported to bear an image of the Virgin Mary (pictured) drew a bid of millions on eBay spawned a rash of copycat snacks. Available for cyber-bids: a replica Virgin Mary sandwich; a festive Christmas tree sandwich; an agnostic sandwich; and, of course, an Elvis Lives sandwich — which had trouble hitting its starting bid of $400, perhaps because, as its seller concedes, it really looks more like James Dean. afp/getty images

muscular assertiveness to fix Iraq , bring peace to Israelis and Palestinians and keep Iran from getting nuclear weapons. That's an irony on which both Chirac and Blair could agree. — By J.F.O. McAllister

The Hunt Is Over
BRITAIN Ending a long-running, acrimonious debate, Parliament voted to ban all hunting with dogs starting in February. The House of Commons invoked the Parliament Act, a rarely used veto, to overrule opposition from the upper House of Lords. The ban applies to England and Wales.

Fresh Questions
EUROPEAN UNION Just as the European Parliament finally approved Commission President José Manuel Barroso's recast team, a new embarrassment emerged: Frenchman Jacques Barrot, the new Commissioner for Transport, was found guilty in 2000 of "abuse of confidence" in connection with a party funding scandal. Barrot was pardoned by French President Jacques Chirac and his conviction was expunged.

Another Roundup
SPAIN Police arrested 19 suspected members of the Basque terrorist group ETA in raids in the north of the country. ETA sent a message to a Basque radio station threatening further violence against the armed forces, police and civilians working for them.

Whole New Climate
RUSSIA Moscow formally acceded to the Kyoto Protocol on global warming, meaning the treaty, which has 128 signatories, will take effect in February.

A Fledgling Peace
SUDAN At a meeting of the U.N. Security Council in Nairobi , the Sudanese government and southern rebels pledged to sign a peace deal by year's end. The Security Council adopted a resolution promising economic aid and demanding an end to the separate conflict in the western Darfur region.

Ray of Hope
ZAMBIA A study of 540 Zambian children by Britain's Medical Research Council showed that co-trimoxazole, a cheap antibiotic, can reduce by 43% the death rate of children infected with HIV.

Split Decision
CHILE The predominantly Catholic country's first divorce law came into force six months after being approved by Congress in the face of strong objections from the Roman Catholic Church.