Crumbs from the Dead Empress' Toothless Maw

Given the purely peripheral relevance of fossil fuels to our repeatedly accomplished mission in the Middle East, it's only natural that the British Petroseum should be coming over all sanctimonious about returning contraband to Kabul. Some ancient terracotta heads, apparently victims of "illegal looting" (sic) and of the Taliban's fetish for decapitation, were discovered at Heathrow and, having spent a mere sixteen years being wrangled over by lawyers, were sent to the BP cultural asset for analysis and conservation. The museum has now condescended to send them back to Afghanistan, in keeping with its new and enlightened approach to the lesser breeds, which has also given rise to the hope that the Benin bronzes might one day be loaned to their rightful owners.