London hospitals write off 'over 90%' owed by foreign patients

 

London hospitals have written off more than 90% of what they are owed by foreign patients not entitled to free NHS care, BBC London has learned. A Freedom of Information request showed Newham Hospital Trust wrote off 96% of what it had invoiced last year. Meanwhile, Basildon and Thurrock wrote off 97% of what it was owed, having previously recovered £68,061 out of £116,561 of its debt. In total, £7.6m was written off by 33 NHS trusts in the region, since 2009. Across the trusts, a total of £26m is owed by patients, of which £18.4m continues to be actively sought. However, hospital trusts said chasing the money was difficult if patients leave the UK. In a statement, Basildon and Thurrock said: "We scrupulously manage our finances and only write off debt after following the full debt collection process." Continue reading the main story Hospital variations in amount written off Newham Hospital wrote off £345,000 out of £358,000 Basildon and Thurrock wrote off £47,000 out of £48,500 Hillingdon hospital wrote off £335,000 out of £660,000 Luton and Dunstable wrote off 2,000 out of 85,000 South London wrote off £29,000 out of £481,000 All figures relate to 2010-11 All hospitals are required to recover money owed for treating these patients.

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Army: Suicides down, but violent crime up

 

A new Army report says the number of suicides among soldiers has been leveling off, but there has been a dramatic jump in domestic violence, sex crimes and other destructive behavior in a force that has been stressed by a decade of war. Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli said Thursday that violent sex crimes and domestic violence have increased more than 30 percent since 2006 and child abuse by 43 percent. Chiarelli was releasing a 200-page report on the health of the troops and the Army's efforts to address the problem. It said that 278 soldiers in the active duty, Guard and Reserve committed suicide last year compared to 304 in 2010. Chiarelli told USA Today: "I think we've at least arrested this problem and hopefully will start to push it down. For all practical purposes ... it has leveled off." The change is the first decline in suicide rates four years, USA Today reports, adding that the Army first experienced an upswing in suicides in 2004. While that is a good sign, the suicide rate in the Army, estimated at 24 per 100,000 last year, remains far higher than a similar demographic among civilians, estimated at 19 per 100,000, according to USA Today. The rate among soldiers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan ranges even higher, up to 38 per 100,000, the Army says.

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How Tony Blair tried to give Gibraltar to Spain to curry favour with the European Union

 

Peter Hain says the then-Prime Minister was “contemptuous” toward the desire of Gibraltar residents to remain under the British flag and told how close Britain came to losing the rocky territory to the Spanish in 2002. Mr Hain tells in his memoirs, published on Monday, how he wanted to work to “do something about Gibraltar”, which has been a British overseas territory since 1713, as soon as he became Europe minister in June 2001. This was based on a “gut instinct that it as ridiculous in the modern age for Britain to have a colony on the tip of Spain nearly 2,000 miles away”. His “African roots” made it easy for him to understand the strong feelings aroused by “a little bit of England trying eccentrically to cling on to Spain”. Mr Hain developed a plan that would see Britain and Spain share the island’s sovereignty, along with “maximum self-government for Gibraltarians”, with economic assistance from the European Union. The plan was “enthusiastically” backed by the then-Labour Prime Minister during a flight back from a meeting with Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi in February 2002. Mr Blair told him on the flight: “It is really important to get a better future for Gibraltar, to secure a better relationship with Spain and to remove it as an obstacle to our relations within Europe.” Mr Hain continues that Mr Blair “was contemptuous of Gibraltarian attitudes and insistent upon making a deal which could move the whole situation forward.” In the book, “Outside In”, Mr Hain admits that he became a “hate figure on the Rock, the target of angry posters and speeches, taking me back over 30 years to the time when I was stopping apartheid rugby and cricket tours”. He accuses residents of Gibraltar of having a “schizophrenic” attitude to their status, wanting a better relationship and new opportunities with Spain but fiercely opposing co-sovereignty. He says: “They remained rigidly wedded to their idea of Britishness in a totally artificial sense.” Mr Hain says that a deal was done with the Spanish Government on 18 April 2002 to allow the British to keep control of a naval base on the island, while the people of Gibraltar could hold a binding referendum. He says: “We shook hands not quiet believing our governments had managed to come together on Gibraltar for the first time in 300 years.” However the deal was short-lived and hours after agreeing it, the Madrid government had vetoed it. A week later Mr Hain was called into Downing Street to see the Prime Minister, who had just had a visit from angry pro-Gibraltar Labour MPs and who was, Mr Hain said, now “relieved” to have been “let off the hook” by the Spanish. Mr Blair told him: “We are not going to be able to strike a deal at this moment because the Spanish aren’t ready for it. Trying to reopen their historic claim is not on. “We should just park the agreement, allow things to settle down, allow opinion in Gibraltar to realise that co-sovereignty is the way we are going, and allow Spain to realise that this deal remains on the table.” Mr Hain says that he and Jack Straw, the-then foreign secretary, “tried to argue with him but to no avail”. Mr Straw went back to Gibraltar a few weeks later where “he was almost violently attacked by a baying mob”. This reinforced Mr Straw's view that Gibraltar should be run by Britain and Spain, and he made a Commons statement setting out that view as British policy in July 2002. A month after Mr Hain stood down as Europe minister in October 2002, a referendum was carried out, in which 98 per cent of Gibraltarians voted to remain under British rule. Mr Hain adds: “I don’t regret what we did or the personal flak that I took in ensuring that, at the very least, co-sovereignty will always remain part of the political architecture for Gibraltar. In time, I believe, serious thinking on the Rock will come to see it not as a threat but as a liberating opportunity.” Since 2006, Gibraltar has governed its own affairs, although defence and foreign relations matters, are Britain's responsibility. Last night a spokesman for Mr Blair said: "Tony Blair has never said or thought Gibraltar should be 'run by Spain'. Nor was he 'contemptuous' of it. It is correct he thought the issue should be carefully handled because of relations with Spain - an important ally - but that is all."

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Libya minister denies claims Kadhafi men attack town

 

Deadly clashes erupted on Monday in Bani Walid, with a Libyan minister denying local officials' claims the attack on the former bastion of Moamer Kadhafi was carried out by his loyalists. An AFP correspondent who managed to enter Bani Walid for a short time said thick smoke billowed into the sky, while the identity of those present was unclear and there was limited evidence of the new Libyan authorities on the roads outside the town. While local officials said the town was attacked by Kadhafi's men, Interior Minister Fawzi Abdelali dismissed these claims, saying the firefight was caused by "internal problems" in the town. He told Libyan television that the fighting was among the people of Bani Walid, and linked to "the issue of compensation for those affected by last year's war." "The information we have from inside the city does not say that there are green flags (hoisted on town buildings) and there is nothing in relation to the former regime." But Abdelali confirmed that five people were killed in the fighting as claimed by local officials. "The loyalists of Kadhafi took control of the entire city of Bani Walid," said M'barek al-Fotmani, a former member of the ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) in the desert oasis, 170 kilometres (110 miles) south of Tripoli as he led the claims of the so-called attack. Fotmani said the daylight attack started with a assault on a base of former rebels which killed "five thuwar (anti-Kadhafi revolutionaries) including a commander." Around 30 former rebels were also wounded, he said from inside the base which he later fled. Mahmud Warfelli, spokesman of Bani Walid local council, too said that the attack was launched by "a group of remnants of the old regime," and called for outside help against a feared "massacre." "There are around 100 and 150 men armed with heavy weapons who are attacking. We have asked for the army to intervene, but the defence ministry and NTC have let us down," he said. "(The gunmen) took control and hoisted the green flag on some districts, some important districts in the centre of the city," Warfelli added. A senior NTC member, Fathi Baja, said reinforcements had been sent to protect the town, adding the "fighting is between some Kadhafi supporters and thuwar." Fotmani said the assailants had surrounded the base, which belonged to the May 28 Brigade, a unit attached to the defence ministry. But Salem al-Ouaer, a military commander from the town told AFP the Brigade of May 28 itself had caused Monday's clashes. "Recently the brigade arrested two persons from the tribe of Tlatem and after negotiations it was decided it would release them today. But when members of the tribe came to take them, the brigade refused and clashes ensued," he said. "People may have spoken about being surrounded by pro-Kadhafi elements to get reinforcements...," he said, while a source close to the tribe said that some pro-Kadhafi elements in the town may have "exploited the situation to their advantage." Another AFP photograher who has also visited the town said that the situation was back to normal later on Monday, but the base remained surrounded and added that he did not see green flags. Monday's firefight follows an outburst of opposition to the ruling National Transitional Council in the eastern city of Benghazi last week that prompted its chairman, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, to warn of possible "civil war" in post-conflict Libya. Speaking on Libya al-Hurra television on Sunday, Abdel Jalil warned the new Libya would fall into a "civil war" unless protests against the NTC ended. Crowds of protesters in Benghazi -- the city which first rebelled against Kadhafi last year -- had earlier thrown home-made grenades at and stormed the NTC office before setting it ablaze, witnesses said. The demonstrators denounced the interim government for its lack of transparency and accused the NTC of marginalising some wounded veterans of the uprising in favour of people previously loyal to the slain dictator. In recent months Libya has also seen clashes between rival militias, comprised of the former rebels. Bani Walid was one of the last pro-Kadhafi bastions to fall in the bloody uprising against Kadhafi. Its capture was followed days later by the fall of his hometown Sirte in a battle which also led to his killing and marked the "liberation" of Libya.

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Outspoken Moroccan rapper awaits assault verdict

 

A Moroccan rapper who has become one of the monarchy's boldest critics on Wednesday awaited a verdict after a trial on assault charges which his lawyers and right activists said were a ploy to muzzle the popular singer. Mouad Belrhouat, better known as El-Haqed, or "The Sullen One", has become the singing voice of a protest movement inspired by Arab uprisings, demanding a constitutional monarchy, an independent judiciary and a crackdown on corruption. The judge adjourned the case on Wednesday after an all-night hearing to consider his verdict, expected on Thursday. The 24-year-old rapper has been in jail since his arrest in September after a brawl with a monarchist. Bail requests by his defence team have been rejected and the trial has been adjourned six times. "The charges are a farce. El Haqed is being persecuted for his critical songs. The state is keeping him in jail and repeatedly adjourning his trial to silence him," said Khadija Ryadi, who chairs Morocco's main human rights group, AMDH. The rapper's cutting lyrics telling Moroccans to "wise up" have angered many monarchists. In one song he raps that the king spends so much time giving orders that he has little time to count his money in Switzerland. However, he has struck a chord with young Moroccans who are disenchanted with poor or non-existent jobs and one song "Bite just as much as you can chew" has received more than 600,000 hits on Youtube. ALL-NIGHT SESSION Belrhouat's trial is a test for the Justice and Development Party PJD.L, which like its Tunisian peers is a moderate Islamist party leading a government for the first time after it won elections in November. In a Casablanca court packed with Belrhouat supporters, the judge begun to hear the case in an unusually late session on Tuesday which continued through the night. Mohamed Bouawine, one of the 24 lawyers who have volunteered to defend the rapper, said his client faces up to three years in jail if found guilty. AMDH's Ryadi says Belrhouat has become yet another case among "dozens of prisoners of conscience" in Morocco. Local and international right groups say hundreds of Islamists have been jailed in what they said were politically-motivated trials rushed through after suicide attacks in Casablanca in 2003, that killed 45 people. Morocco's judiciary is meant to be given more independence under reforms crafted last year by the Arab world's longest-serving monarchy as it sought to preempt a popular revolt. The man whom Belrhouat is alleged to have assaulted said the injury left him incapacitated for 45 days but defence lawyers produced evidence suggesting he recovered far more quickly and was being used as a political pawn. Belrhouat's father Mohamed told Reuters he would not be supporting his son in court had the rapper done anything wrong. "My son was set up. The police and the ambulance turned up five minutes after the incident: This never happens here."

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Switch to olive oil for better health

 

Indian households should completely switch to olive oil as a cooking medium as its nutritional value is very high, it is rich in monounsaturated 'good' fats and, when used daily, can bring instant and easy wellness to a family's diet, celebrity chef and noted cookery expert Nita Mehta says. "Even though we have such a wide range of olive oils in our market, people don't seem to use them because of their mental block that the flavour of olive oil doesn't gel with Indian flavors," Mehta said at the launch here Satuday her latest book, "Indian Cooking With Olive Oil".

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FSA broke its own rules in Keydata probe, judge rules

 

High Court judge found that the Financial Services Authority (FSA) had wrongfully used privileged emails to bring its case against Keydata. A further "relief hearing" will now determine the impact of the ruling, which could de-rail the case altogether. It is the latest in a line of setbacks for the regulator, which has been investigating regulatory breaches at Keydata and millions of pounds of missing retail funds for two years. Keydata invested in "life settlement funds", which buy and sell US life insurance and generate high returns. In June 2009 the FSA applied for Keydata's closure "to protect investors", saying it was concerned about "potentially missing assets". The business was fast-tracked into administration and referred to the Serious Fraud Office (SFO). It emerged that £103m of life insurance policies managed by a Luxembourg business, SLS Capital, and sold to Keydata investors as low-risk bonds might have been "misappropriated".

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US to pressure Iran over 'plot to kill Saudi envoy'

 

US Attorney General Eric Holder says the alleged conspiracy was "conceived, sponsored and directed from Iran" Continue reading the main story Related Stories Clinton hails break-up of 'plot' Middle East rivalries play out in US The US secretary of state has called for a "very strong message" to be sent to Iran, after allegations of a plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to the US. Hillary Clinton said Washington was preparing new penalties against Iran, which is already subject to a variety of international sanctions. Two Iranians were charged over the plot which US officials said implicated Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. Meanwhile the US issued a worldwide alert about possible anti-US actions. "The US government assesses that this Iranian-backed plan to assassinate the Saudi ambassador may indicate a more aggressive focus by the Iranian government on terrorist activity against diplomats from certain countries, to include possible attacks in the United States," the alert said. It urged Americans residing and travelling abroad to review the information available when making travel plans. Iran has dismissed the allegations as false and baseless. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote The idea that they would attempt to go to a Mexican drug cartel to solicit murder-for-hire to kill the Saudi ambassador, nobody could make that up, right?” Hillary Clinton US secretary of state 'Well-grounded suspicions' Mrs Clinton praised those involved in the operation to uncover the plot. "It was a terrific achievement by our law enforcement and intelligence communities, and we will be consulting with our friends and partners around the world about how we can send a very strong message that this kind of action, which violates international norms, must be ended," she said at a news conference. "This case will, I think, reinforce the well-grounded suspicions of many countries about what they're up to." Mrs Clinton said the suspected plotters had been trying to involve hired killers from Mexican drug cartels. "The idea that they would attempt to go to a Mexican drug cartel to solicit murder-for-hire to kill the Saudi ambassador, nobody could make that up, right?" she said. US Attorney General Eric Holder said Iran's involvement in the plot was "a flagrant violation of US and international law". Continue reading the main story Analysis Mohammad Manzarpour BBC Persian There is a long history of animosity between Iran and Saudi Arabia which stretches back to before the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Religiously, the Wahhabi rulers of Saudi Arabia and the Shia clerics of Iran reject each other's interpretation of Islam. Geopolitically, the two are staunch rivals, engaged in a seemingly never-ending battle for greater regional influence. They have also been engaged in proxy wars for decades, taking different sides in the Iran-Iraq war, Afghanistan, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. But it is the Saudis' military intervention in Bahrain which may have prompted the alleged plot. It was little criticised in the West but was seen in Iran as a blatant assault on the Shia majority in Bahrain. In a statement, UK Prime Minister David Cameron's office said: "Indications that this plot was directed by elements of the Iranian regime are shocking... We will support measures to hold Iran accountable for its actions." US officials have said military action was not being considered. The US Treasury Department placed five Iranians, including the two men charged, under sanctions on Tuesday for their alleged involvement in the plot. The two accused were named as Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old naturalised US citizen with dual Iranian and US passports, and Gholam Shakuri, based in Iran and said to be a member of Iran's Quds Force, a unit of the Revolutionary Guard Corps. The other three were described as high-ranking members of the Quds force. Mr Arbabsiar, who was arrested at New York's John F Kennedy airport on 29 September, has confessed to his involvement in the alleged plot, Mr Holder said. A lawyer for Mr Arbabsiar said he would plead not guilty when he was officially indicted. 'Shocking' Mr Shakuri was said to be in Iran. US officials said that on 24 May 2011, Mr Arbabsiar made contact with an informant for the US Drug Enforcement Agency, who was posing as a Mexican drug cartel member. Manssor Arbabsiar appeared at a court in New York City on Tuesday Over a series of meetings, it is said that details emerged of a conspiracy involving members of the Iranian government paying $1.5m (£960,000) for the assassination of Saudi ambassador Adel al-Jubeir on US soil. Justice department officials said the initial envisaged target was the Saudi embassy. But in conversations secretly recorded for the US authorities, Mr Arbabsiar also allegedly considered having the ambassador killed at a purported favourite restaurant, despite the possibility of mass casualties. The plot would have been carried out with explosives, Mr Holder said. But he added that no explosives were ever put in place and the public was not in danger. Mr Holder said Mr Arbabsiar, with approval from Mr Shakuri, wired $100,000 to a US bank account for the informant as a downpayment. Mr Arbabsiar and Mr Shakuri have been charged with conspiracy to murder a foreign official, weapons conspiracy, and conspiracy to commit international terrorism charges. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote The choice of ambassadorial target is a direct expression of the acerbic tensions in the Middle East between Saudi Arabia, a key US ally, and Iran” Kim Ghattas BBC News, Washington Alleged plot reflects Middle East rivalries Unnamed US officials also told journalists that the Israeli embassy in Washington was also to have been attacked. Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency called the charges a "propaganda campaign" by the US government against Tehran. The allegations were "a comedy show fabricated by America", Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told the semi-official Iranian news agency, Fars. Mr Arbabsiar appeared briefly at a New York City court on Tuesday. He did not enter a plea and was held without bail. He could face a life prison sentence if convicted on all charges, the Department of Justice said.

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US issues travel alert linked to Iran plot

 

The US State Department late on Tuesday issued a worldwide travel alert for US citizens, warning of the potential for anti-US action after the United States accused Iran of backing a plot to kill Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Washington.   Murder Plot Iranians charged over assassination plot / Reuters American authorities uncover plot to bomb Israeli, Saudi embassies in Washington, assassinate Saudi ambassador Full story "The US government assesses that this Iranian-backed plan to assassinate the Saudi ambassador may indicate a more aggressive focus by the Iranian government on terrorist activity against diplomats from certain countries, to include possible attacks in the United States," it said in a statement on its website.   The alert expires January 11, 2012, it said.

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Gunman Kills American at Kabul CIA Office

 

An Afghan employee killed one American and wounded another at Central Intelligence Agency offices in Kabul, Western security officials said Monday, an attack that called attention to U.S. security concerns about reliance on local partners. The two Americans came under fire late Sunday by a lone Afghan employee in an annex of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, said embassy spokesman Gavin Sundwall. U.S. officials in Washington said the shooting occurred at an annex housing the CIA's offices. A Western security official in Kabul said the Afghan attacker had the trust of CIA employees in the compound, and may have been working for them as an informant, which is why he was allowed into the annex and had access to a gun. The official added that the gunman may have accessed the roof of the CIA building and fired on the nearby embassy building. Mr. Sundwall couldn't comment on whether the gunman fired on the embassy, or was searched before entering the building. In a sign of the often deep distrust between U.S. forces and their Afghan counterparts, CIA-employed guards, believing an Afghan army vehicle near the scene was the source of the attack, fired on the patrol, the Western security official said. Afghan soldiers in the vehicle shot back, wounding a guard; return fire injured two Afghan soldiers. Mr. Sundwall and a spokesman for the Afghan defense ministry declined to comment on the incident. Investigators from the State Department, the CIA, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are probing the attack. On Monday, U.S. officials said they were trying to determine the role of the Afghan gunman and his motives. Officials say they hadn't turned up evidence of terrorist links. Officials said it wasn't clear whether the gunman was targeting the annex because of its CIA affiliation. Another security official near the scene of the shooting said he heard initial gunfire from an M4-carbine, a weapon popular with the U.S. Army, and that he believed the gunman had access to U.S. weapons and was using an American rifle, as opposed to an AK-47, the firearm of choice for insurgents and many Afghan security forces. Afghan police and intelligence services were deployed to the site of the shooting, witnesses said; Afghan officials say they weren't able to enter the location. One witness said the nearby headquarters of the U.S.-led military coalition deployed a quick-reaction force. A coalition spokesman said the coalition had no role in the response to the attack. Gunfire was heard at about 8:15 p.m. Kabul time, followed by an explosion, more gunfire and then two more explosions about 15 minutes later, witnesses nearby said. A Taliban spokesman said on Monday that he couldn't say whether the insurgent group was responsible for the attack. The attack was the latest in which Afghans have turned on their international colleagues. This year, over two dozen coalition troops have been killed by Afghan police and soldiers in heated disputes and by insurgents infiltration. In December 2009, seven high-ranking U.S. intelligence officials were killed by a Jordanian informant at a major CIA base in eastern Khost province. The informant detonated a powerful bomb while meeting with the intelligence officials. He wasn't searched before entering the compound. With the bulk of international forces slated to withdraw by 2014, the U.S. is striving to buildup an Afghan government and security force that can manage the country independently. But the U.S.-led coalition has struggled to cope with insurgents infiltrating the Afghan army and police. So far this year, Afghan soldiers and police have killed more than two dozen international troops working alongside them, the majority American service members. In one of the biggest incidents, last April an Afghan air force pilot serving for 20 years gunned down eight U.S. Air Force officers and a military contractor at an airport in Kabul. The attacker had no known link to insurgent groups, investigators said. The attack came about a week after an Afghan soldier wearing a suicide vest blew himself up at a military base, killing six U.S. soldiers and four Afghans. An internal coalition report seen by The Wall Street Journal in June said Afghan security force members shooting down and killing their American counterparts is becoming a "rapidly growing systemic threat." The report interviewed some 600 Afghans and concluded that there is a "crisis of trust" within the coalition that was being ignored by top commanders. A spokeswoman for the coalition played down the report, labeling it "sensationalism." Sunday night's attack came less than two weeks after Afghan insurgents fired rocket-propelled grenades at the U.S. Embassy from a nearby building. About a half-dozen rockets penetrated the embassy's fortified walls and several more hit within the U.S.-led military coalition's headquarters in Kabul. The attack lasted for about 20 hours. No U.S. citizens were killed in that attack. Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, blamed the Haqqani network last week for orchestrating the embassy attack. Speaking before the U.S. Congress, Adm. Mullen called the Haqqani network a "veritable arm" of Pakistan's military spy agency. Pakistan's government denies having any links with insurgents. Mr. Sundwall couldn't comment on whether the Afghan gunman was linked to the Haqqani network and wouldn't speculate on the motivation of Sunday night's attack.

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Pakistan bus attack kills dozens

 

25 Shia Muslim pilgrims have been killed after gunmen opened fire on a bus in western Pakistan, officials said. The pilgrims were going through Mastung district in Baluchistan province, en route to the Iranian border, when the attack occurred, said a senior district official, Saeed Umrani. Two motorcycles blocked the path of the bus and three gunmen stormed the vehicle, opening fire on the roughly 40 pilgrims inside, said a local tribal police officer, Dadullah Baluch, after interviewing survivors and eyewitnesses. At least 25 people were killed and more than a dozen injured in the attack on Tuesday, he added. The dead and wounded were being taken to a hospital in Quetta, about 35 miles to the north, he said. Pakistan is a majority Sunni Muslim state. Although most Sunnis and Shias live there relatively peacefully, extremists on both sides often target each other's leaders and activists. The Sunni-Shia schism over the true heir to the prophet Muhammad dates back to the seventh century.

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Taliban turban bomber kills Afghan ex-president

 

A Taliban suicide bomber with concealed explosives in a turban on Tuesday assassinated former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani, who was leading government peace efforts, police said. The bomber struck during a meeting at the Kabul home of Rabbani, who was last year appointed chief of the Afghan High Peace Council that President Hamid Karzai tasked with negotiating with the Taliban. His death is the most high-profile political assassination since the 2001 US-led invasion ousted the Taliban from power and comes just two months after Karzai's brother Ahmed Wali Karzai was also killed. The attackers arrived at Rabbani's house with Mohammad Massom Stanikzai, Rabbani's deputy, for a meeting before the turban bomber detonated his explosives, according to one source amid conflicting reports of the incident. A member of the High Peace Council, Fazel Karim Aymaq, said the men had come with "special messages" from the Taliban and were "very trusted." Kabul criminal investigations chief Mohammad Zaher said two men "negotiating with Rabbani on behalf of the Taliban" arrived at his house, one with explosives hidden in his turban. "He approached Rabbani and detonated his explosives. Rabbani was martyred and four others including Massom Stanikzai (his deputy) were injured." The bomber struck close to the US embassy, making it the the second attack within a week in Kabul's supposedly secure diplomatic zone. The killing prompted Afghan President Hamid Karzai to cut short his visit to the United States, his spokesman said, adding he was still expected to meet US President Barack Obama as scheduled before leaving. An AFP reporter saw an ambulance at the scene and said police had blocked off surrounding roads. The reporter also heard guards at the house shouting for an ambulance for Rabbani's deputy. Two of the former president's political allies, who did not want to be named and speaking before police confirmed Rabbani's death, wept as they told AFP he had been killed. "Yes, he is dead," said one of the two sources by telephone. The Taliban were not immediately reachable for comment, but the insurgency led by its militia has hit Kabul increasingly hard in recent months. The Pakistani government swiftly condemned the assassination, describing Rabbani as a "friend" with whom Islamabad was working closely on peace efforts. "The people of Pakistan stand by their Afghan brothers and sisters in this moment of grief," a joint statement released by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said, just days after the United States accused the Pakistani government of having ties to Taliban faction the Haqqani network. Among the most high-profile attacks was last week's 20-hour siege of the US embassy and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) headquarters which left 14 people dead. Rabbani was president of Afghanistan from 1992 until the Taliban took power in 1996 and headed a country wracked by civil war. Karzai's brainchild, the High Peace Council was intended to open a dialogue with insurgents who have been trying to bring down his government since the US-led invasion overthrew their regime. The 68-member council, hand-picked by the president, was inaugurated on October 7, 2010, amid mounting reports of secret peace talks with Taliban leaders and key insurgent groups. Delivering his acceptance speech, Rabbani said he was "confident" that peace was possible, according to a statement from the palace. "I hope we are able to take major steps in bringing peace and fulfil our duties with tireless effort and help from God," he was quoted as saying. According to Human Rights Watch, Rabbani is among prominent Afghans implicated in war crimes during the brutal fighting that killed or displaced hundreds of thousands of Afghans in the early 1990s.

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Cheryl Cole | Cheryl Cole Flies To Afghanistan To Boost Troops' Morale

 

British singer Cheryl Cole has flown to Afghanistan to visit U.K. troops serving in the war-torn country. The Girls Aloud star made her way to the country's Helmand Province on Tuesday night (13Sep11) to surprise servicemen and women. Cole underwent special training to prepare for the hostile environment she will tour during her visit, which marks 10 years of British operations in the country. Her morale-boosting trip is being filmed as part of the annual Pride of Britain Awards, which will air on U.K. TV next month (Oct11). A source tells Britain's Daily Mirror, "Cheryl's amazed by the courage of all those serving our country. When she was invited to go out to see them in Afghanistan, she immediately said 'yes'. "She thinks it's such a great cause and they deserve all the recognition they get." Cole has largely been out of the public eye since she was fired from the U.S. version of The X Factor earlier this year (11).

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Insurgents Attack U.S. Embassy In Afghanistan

 

Insurgents are firing rockets towards the U.S. Embassy, NATO headquarters and other official buildings in Kabul, Afghanistan Fox News confirms.  Taliban militants are claiming responsibility for the attacks. Police said the gunmen were firing from a tall office building that is under construction at Kabul's Abdul Haq square, which is about 300 yards from the U.S. Embassy.  Embassy officials confirmed an attack by insurgents firing rocket-propelled grenades and small arms but says no personnel have been reported injured. Embassy spokeswoman Kerri Hannan says staff had been ordered to take cover in hardened structures as gunfire and explosions rocked the area in the heart of the Afghan capital on Tuesday. She says "there are no casualties at this time among embassy personnel." The surge of violence was a stark reminder of the instability that continues to plague Afghanistan nearly a decade after the U.S. invasion that ousted the Taliban in the way of the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the U.S.  The Associated Press reports at least four Afghans were wounded.  Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid reportedly said a number suicide bombers were attacking Afghan and foreign soldiers at the square. He claimed in a text message that suicide bombers using assault rifles were attacking the offices of the Afghan intelligence service.

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US deplores 'cowardly' India bombing

 

The United States on Wednesday condemned the "cowardly" bombing outside a courthouse in New Delhi, and praised the courage of the Indian people "in the face of horrific violence." "The United States condemns in the strongest terms this morning's deadly bombing outside the New Delhi High Court, and extends its deepest condolences to those affected by these cowardly attacks," US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement. "The people of India have once again demonstrated remarkable resiliency and courage in the face of horrific violence," Nuland said. Nuland said the United States "stands ready to offer any and all assistance to Indian authorities," and that Washington was monitoring the situation to ensure "the safety and security" of US citizens in India. "Terrorism is a scourge that affects us all and the United States stands with India in confronting this global challenge," she added. Wednesday's powerful bomb, hidden in a briefcase, ripped through a busy crowd outside the court, killing at least 11 people and wounding dozens more. It was the first major attack on Indian soil since triple blasts in Mumbai on July 13 killed 26 people.

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talkSPORt to be broadcast to British troops stationed overseas

 

talkSPORT commentary on the Rugby World Cup 2011 is to be broadcast to British soldiers serving overseas, the British Forces Broadcasting Service has announced. Coverage commences on September 9 and will enable troops stationed in more than 20 countries; including Afghanistan, Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands, to keep up to date with all the games as they are played. England legend Brian Moore, aka The Pit Bull, will be heading up talkSPORT's coverage for the tournament alongside David Campese. He said: “The Rugby World Cup is a massive event and is sure to be a fantastic spectacle – I’m really pleased to be supporting our brave troops abroad.” BFBS Controller Nicky Ness said: “I am delighted that the BFBS and talkSPORT partnership now extends to Rugby World Cup coverage.  This tournament is really important to the armed forces community for whom sport is crucial part of life.  The fact that our troops will be able to listen on the front line and in far flung corners of the world will make a real difference to morale.

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young British officer has been killed by a Taliban bomb just yards outside the gate of his base in Afghanistan.

Lieutenant Daniel Clack, 24, of 1st Battalion The Rifles, was leading a 10-man patrol to meet locals in a nearby village in Helmand Province when he was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED).

Five of his comrades were also injured in the blast, which took place 150 metres from the front gate of their checkpoint.

Lt Clack, from north London, leaves behind his mother Sue, father Martin, brother James and fiancee Amy Tinley.

His family said in a statement: "Dan was a brave rifleman and he died doing the only profession he ever considered. He loved leading his riflemen and was so proud to be an officer in the British Army.

"There are no words to describe our loss. He will be forever missed by his mother, father, brother, fiancee and all those who knew him. He will always be in our hearts."

Lt Clack studied at Exeter University and worked as a driver for a ski chalet company in Switzerland before joining the Army in 2009.

He was a keen sportsman, and represented both the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and his battalion at rugby.

The soldier deployed to Afghanistan in April as a platoon commander in charge of Check Point Shaparack in the district of Nahr-e-Saraj in Helmand.

He was leading a patrol to the neighbouring village of Dactran to discuss a "shura", or meeting of elders, planned for the next day, when he was killed on Friday

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British soldier shot dead in Afghanistan

The serviceman from 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) was killed while conducting a routine patrol with members of the Afghanistan National Army on Saturday, officials said.
Next of kin have been informed.
The MoD said an investigation was under way into reports that the soldier was shot by a member of the Afghan National Army.
The serviceman, who is yet to be named, was part of The Brigade Advisory Group carrying out a routine patrol in the Nahr-e Saraj District, officials added.
He was providing fire support for a unit of comrades from his Jackal vehicle when he was shot, according to the MoD

 

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Taliban claims assassination of Karzai brother

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the assassination of President Hamid Karzai's younger brother on Tuesday, calling it "one of our biggest achievements" in nearly a decade of war.

Taliban spokesman Usuf Ahmadi told AFP by telephone that the group had recently assigned a gunman to kill Ahmed Wali Karzai, a hugely powerful and controversial figure in the Afghan south

 

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British soldier 'captured by Taliban in Afghanistan

The Ministry of Defence said the soldier was reported missing in the early hours of this morning after he disappeared from his base in central Helmand Province.
The soldier's next of kin have been informed and a major search is under way to find him.
A spokesman for the Taliban claimed that the militant group had captured the soldier on Sunday, and even claimed that they had executed him, in the Babaji area of southern Helmand.
"The soldier was captured yesterday evening during a firefight. When the fighting got more intense we couldn't keep him so we had to kill him," Qari Mohammad Yousuf told Reuters.
The Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and the MoD declined to comment on the Taliban claims.

Afghan police officials in southern Helmand said a British soldier had been kidnapped in the Gereshk area of Nahri Sarraj district.
An MoD spokesman said: "The Ministry of Defence can confirm that a British serviceman is missing in Afghanistan. An extensive operation to locate him is under way.
"The individual was based in Central Helmand and was reported missing in the early hours of this morning.
"His next of kin have been informed and they will be updated as the operation continues."
It is understood that the search for the missing serviceman is being carried out both on the ground and from the air.
The Taliban claimed to the BBC that they captured and killed a foreign soldier in the area after a firefight.
This could not be verified, and the Taliban often make exaggerated claims for propaganda purposes.
He had left the base alone in the early hours of Monday morning, a move which is described as "highly unusual".
Will Calladine, a spokesman for the British embassy in Kabul, said: "Obviously this is a sensitive issue. Our primary concern is for the person's safety."
Most of the troops in that area of Afghanistan are American and British, however, soldiers from other countries also operate in the region.
In June 2009 insurgents captured American soldier Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl in south-eastern Afghanistan and have released videos showing him in captivity dressed in both Afghan clothing and in military uniform.
It is believed that the 25-year-old Army sergeant from Hailey, Idaho, is being held in Pakistan.

 

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