President Karsai of Afghanistan asks US and NATO troops to leave

President Karsai has released a statement stating that Afghan troops should take the lead for nationwide security in 2013, a year ahead of the scheduled US hand-over. President Karzai urged Nato troops to leave Afghan villages after a US soldier killed 16 civilians. US officials denied any major rift. The killing of 16 Afghan villagers - including women and children - on Sunday has intensified calls for the withdrawal of foreign troops. 

The Taliban in Afghanistan have suspended preliminary peace negotiations with the United States. The group blamed the Americans' "ever-changing position" and said US efforts to involve the Afghan authorities was a key stumbling block to further talks. The Taliban regard the Kabul government as illegitimate.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Taliban said they had agreed to talks focusing on a political office being established in Qatar and on a prisoner exchange.

They said they were suspending the talks because of "the shaky, erratic and vague standpoint of the Americans".

President Hamid Karzai told the visiting US defence secretary Leon Panetta that Afghan troops should take the lead for nationwide security in 2013. He said  that International security forces have to be taken out of Afghan village outposts and return to [larger] bases”

US diplomatic sources say the Taliban were told by US negotiators that the Afghan government had to be a part of any negotiations.

The Taliban statement reiterated that the group "considers talking with the Kabul administration as pointless."

Other conditions reportedly set by the US in the talks include accepting of the Afghan constitution - which the Taliban have rejected - and publicly denouncing al-Qaeda.

Reports say the Taliban's suspension of the talks is a significant setback for efforts to begin substantive negotiations with the insurgents. It was thought that a deal to exchange five Taliban fighters currently held at Guantanamo Bay for a kidnapped American soldier was only weeks away.

The American soldier accused of carrying out the shooting was based at a small compound in Kandahar province. Mr Karzai said the incident had harmed relations with the US.

US officials later appeared to play down the statement. Pentagon spokesman George Little told reporters it reflected "President Karzai's strong interest in moving as quickly as possible to a fully independent and sovereign Afghanistan".

He added: "We believe that we need to continue to work together because that's an American goal as well."

The US soldier - who has not been named or charged - was flown to Kuwait on Wednesday.

Afghan MPs had demanded that he be tried in Afghanistan. Correspondents say that scenario is very unlikely.

Nato and the US administration have insisted that there will be no change of strategy in Afghanistan.Nato's International Security Assistance Force plans to withdraw all of its combat forces by the end of 2014. American troops are also following that timetable.

Want to buy a house in the UK? Government offers tenants £75k to buy homes

UK - Ministers are promising their new housing scheme will allow 100,000 people to get on the property ladder to buy their 'dream home'.

The NewBuy initiative launched today makes it possible to buy a property with a deposit of just five per cent of its total value.

Afghans ready for showdown after US soldier kills 16 including 9 children

Soldiers guard the US station in Kandahar

Bodies of the dead carried towards the US base

Room where the burnt bodies of the victims were found

The Afghan parliament has demanded a public trial of a US soldier who allegedly killed 16 civilians, as the Taliban vows revenge for the deaths.

"We seriously demand and expect that the government of the United States punish the culprits and try them in a public trial before the people of Afghanistan," the lower house of parliament said in statement.
The parliament called the killings "brutal and inhuman" and declared that "people are running out of patience over the ignorance of foreign forces".
The condemnation comes after the US soldier allegedly broke into three homes near a military base in southern Afghanistan before dawn on Sunday.
According to the New York Times , 11 of the 16 victims shot dead were in one home and included four girls under the age of six.
In a statement on their website, Taliban militants said they would "take revenge from the invaders and the savage murderers for every single martyr".
It said: "A large number from among the victims are innocent children, women and the elderly, martyred by the American barbarians who mercilessly robbed them of their precious lives and drenched their hands with their innocent blood."
A US official told ABC News that the gunman was a 38-year-old staff sergeant who is married with two children.
It said he had served three previous tours in Iraq and commenced his first tour in Afghanistan last December.
Foreign Secretary William Hague told Sky News: "This incident is a tragedy and we've soon all too many tragedies in Afghanistan, including the death of six of our soldiers recently ."
US military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jimmie Cummings confirmed that the number of dead was "in the teens" but refused to be more specific, saying troops had not been given access to independently count the bodies.
The US embassy in Kabul issued an emergency message, saying there is a risk of anti-US protests in coming days.
It advised against visiting the troubled country, told citizens not to discuss travel plans and said Americans "should remain vigilant and avoid areas where Westerners congregate" .
Sky's chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay, reporting from Kabul, said: "The Afghan government is absolutely furious about this and there are expectations of protests to come."
The alert comes after US President Barack Obama responded quickly to try to defuse the incident, and called it "tragic and shocking".
Mr Obama said in a statement: "I offer my condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, and to the people of Afghanistan, who have endured too much violence and suffering.
"This incident is tragic and shocking, and does not represent the exceptional character of our military and the respect that the United States has for the people of Afghanistan."
The president offered his full backing to a US investigation "to get the facts as quickly as possible and to hold accountable anyone responsible".
The US leader has spoken to Afghan President Hamid Karzai , who earlier demanded an explanation for what he termed an "assassination" that "cannot be forgiven."
Sky News foreign affairs editor Tim Marshall said: "The Americans are on high alert for reprisals and there will be reprisals.
"And the Afghan government will now use this as leverage ahead of the planned troop withdrawal."
US defence secretary Leon Panetta also assured Mr Karzai in a phone call that a "full investigation" was under way.
"A suspect is in custody, and I gave President Karzai my assurances that we will bring those responsible to justice," Mr Panetta said.
The defence secretary added that he is "shocked and saddened that a US service member... clearly acting outside his chain of command" has been linked to the incident.
Mr Panetta said he told Mr Karzai "that the American people share the outrage" felt by the Afghan leader and his people.
The gunman deployed to Afghanistan from the US army and air force's Joint Base Lewis-McChord , near Tacoma in Washington state.
Officials said the shooting in the Kandahar region began at around 3am on Sunday in the Panjwai district of Kandahar province.
Neighbours said they awoke to crackling gunfire and that the soldier had appeared drunk.
Relatives of the victims claimed chemicals were poured over the dead bodies to burn them. Pictures from the scene showed remains of burning in at least one house.
Other pictures showed blood-splattered walls where the children died. The gunman reportedly handed himself in to US officials after the incident.
Stuart Ramsay said the soldier was involved in "village stabilisation operations", in which army personnel supported special force Green Berets.
Ramsay said: "Their job is to create, in effect, an armed neighbourhood watch that work with trusted village elders."
US officials confirmed the suspect in custody was a "conventional soldier" and not an elite Green Beret.
The soldier's joint air force and army base in Washington state, home to about 100,000 personnel, was described as the America's "most troubled base" by military newspaper Stars and Stripes .
It added that the major US army unit operating in the Afghan region is the 1st Stryker Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division.
In 2010, four Lewis-McChord soldiers were convicted in the deliberate killings of three Afghan civilians and in a separate incident a former soldier shot and injured a Utah police officer.
Last January, a 24-year-old Lewis-McChord soldier who served in Iraq sparked a manhunt after he shot and killed a park ranger in Washington.
The Panjwayi district is about 20 miles west of the provincial capital of Kandahar and is considered the spiritual home of the Taliban and a hive of insurgent activity.
International forces have fought for control of the area for years as they have tried to subdue the militants in their rural strongholds.
The US commander of the Nato -led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) described the killings as "deeply appalling".
"I am absolutely dedicated to making sure that anyone who is found to have committed wrong-doing is held fully accountable," General John Allen said.
The incident adds new tensions to a relationship already severely strained over US forces burning Muslim holy books on a base in Afghanistan.
Although US officials apologised and said the burning was an accident, the incident sparked violent protests and attacks.
At a news conference on Monday, Isaf spokesman Brigadier General Carsten Jacobson admitted the incident may derail wider coalition plans.
He said: "From Isaf's point of view these incidents, and in particular the short distances between the incidents, are a burden and of concern for Isaf."
Six American soldiers were killed in attacks by their Afghan colleagues since the Koran burnings came to light and Britain pulled out civilian advisers from buildings in Kabul as protests spread.
The controversy followed an outrage over a video showing US marines urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban fighters.

Sky News

Rhianna and Chris Brown 'back together' - Why Rihanna can't let go?

LONDON - RnB stars Rihanna and Chris Brown are 'back togerther ' again according to latest reports. 

To celebrate her 24th birthday on Monday, Rihanna released  a remix to her new song “Birthday Cake” which features Chris Brown. This came as a shock to many of her fans. On the same day, Chris Brown tweeted the remix to his song “Turn Up the Music,” featuring Rihanna. What made this public show of friendship slightly uncomfortable was that three years ago, Chris Brown had been convicted of assaulting Rihanna. After pictures of Rihanna badly bruised face appeared on various websites, Chris was charged for assault and given a restraining order by the court -  he was told not to go near Rihanna till further notice. 

However, last year it was reported that Rihanna requested that the order be reduced and last year it ended. Soon after that, the two began following each other on Twitter. Now rumours bound that the two are secretly seeing each other again and have been for some time.

And there is sound evidence that their relationship has been rekindled. Rihanna and Chris Brown have recently come together to record two new songs and this has sparked rumours that the pair have been spending time together and that their relationship has once again turned romantic.

The lyrics of their new songs are clearly explicit. Apart from collaborating with Brown on a remix of his new single 'Turn Up The Music' which has family friendly lyrics, the pair have also come together for an X-rated remix of her song Birthday Cake - which includes a lewd cameo from Brown.
 
On the first line of the song Brown raps: 'Girl I wanna f*** you right now. Been a long time, I've been missing your body.
'Let me turn the lights down, when I go down it's a private party, ooh, it's not even her birthday but I wanna lick the icing off.
'Give it to her in the worst way. Can't wait to blow her candles out.'
Rihanna also repeats the refrain: 'It's not even my birthday, but you wanna put your name on it, oh baby I like it, it's so exciting, don't try to hide it, I'm gonna make you my b****.

To highlight the level of their intimacy, Chris tweeted happy birthday wishes to Rihanna using her birth name - ROBYN.
She took the reconciliation to the next level by tweeting out a version of his single Turn Up The Music that features her own vocals in the background.

And it is not the first time that Rihanna has reunited with Chris Brown. In an interview with ABC’s Diane Sawyer, Rihanna revealed why she went back to him after the assault incident in February 2009. “It’s completely normal to go back. It’s not right. I learned the hard way, but again, this is what I want people to know,” she said. “When I realized that my selfish decision for love could result in some young girl getting killed, I could not be easy with that part. I couldn’t be held responsible for going back.”
And it’s not that I think Chris Brown is the devil or anything, but he was wrong and more plainly horrifically abusive."

Just one week ago, Chris snuck into her birthday party in Los Angeles and the two were seen talking and dancing.
Chirs Brown is said to be in relatioship with model Karrueche Tran, and the model has told reporters that she is not concerned about Brown's rekindled relationship with Rihanna.

Most of Rihanna's close frieds are really concerned over her reconnection with Brown and recently she was seen in London looking decidedly down cast. Friends say Rihanna is still head over heels for Chris. Similarly it's claimed Chris - who is in a relationship with Karrueche Tran  - also has extremely strong feelings for Rihanna.


But both Rihanna and Chris' friends are trying to stop the two getting back together - they believe it is a terrible idea both personally and professionally and they are doing everything to prevent a possible reunion. But the battle to stop love between these two adults is not going to be an easy one.

Why Rihanna can't let go of her relationship with Chris?
These two have tried reconciling twice. In 2009 when Rihanna got back with Chris, the public backlash was so great that she had to let go and apologise to her fans. This time, the wounds have healed and she has obviously forgotten the pain. All she can remember now are the good times they both had together - until she gets hit again and the memories of the pain come flooding back, she will remain in her bubble. 

Last time she had a lucky escape, her injuries were superficial. If Chris assaults her again, she may have to deal with more serious injuries like a blind eye, ugly knife scars, lost teeth, an operation and so on. 
Once there is violence in a relationship, it is often difficult for the abusive partner to change that behaviour. 
Rihanna should realise that she is not to blame for Brown's violence, no one should feel guilty that violence was inflicted on them for a reason. It is never the victim's fault - it is the abuser's lack of self-control. NO ONE DESERVES TO BE ABUSED!

Though anger management programmes and counselling can be effective, success rates are very low. For as long as Rihanna thinks about Chris and the good times, she would always want to go back to him. Rihanna needs to move and stop being stuck in the past. Pleasure and pain don't go hand in hand as she sang with Enimen last year. But who can stop LOVE?

President Goodluck Jonathan in London for 'Somalia anti-terrorism meeting'

LONDON - Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan was one of the dignitaties invited to the Thursday meeting on Somali in London. Worrisome activities of the Islamic fundamentalist, Boko Haram across some states in the northern part of the country was said to have influenced President Goodluck Jonathan's participation in the just concluded International Conference on Somalia.

 

President Jonathan was on a two-day working visit to United Kingdom from Wednesday, 22nd February to Thursday 23rd February, 2012 and attended the conference which was put together by the British Government to find peace and stability to the war-torn African country.

According to a statement, Nigeria High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr. Dalhatu Sarki Tafida, said the president's participation was purely on a security point of view, especially when there are suspicions of links between the Boko Haram and Al-Shabab and similar terrorists organisations in the Maghreb-Sahelian region.

Jonathan was accompanied on this maiden visit to the UK as President by the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, the National Security Adviser, General Andrew Azazi and other top government officials.

The international meeting took place to seek to resolve the political crisis in Somalia. However,  the local media in this East African nation has been awash with scepticism, referring to the efforts as a new system of re-colonising the country.

The country has been without an effective government since 1991. The meeting, hosted by British Prime Minister David Cameron amid tight security, had representatives from global organsiations and over 50 governments, including  U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Britain also invited representatives of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG), as well as the presidents of the breakaway Somaliland, Puntland, and Galmudug, and the non-militant Islamist group Ahlu Sunnah Waljama'a (ASWJ).

But one of the country's most influential political leaders and future presidential candidate, Omar Abdirahman Mohamed has said that Britain wanted Somalia to have a "weak administration".

"The U.K. doesn't want Somalia to have its military reformed and it was the sole superpower that negated the lifting of the arms embargo on Somalia. This shows that the U.K. government is totally against the formation of a stable government and powerful military in Somalia," said Mohamed, who heads the Mogadishu-based Midnimo Political Party.

In 2008 U.K. law implemented various statutory instruments to enforce the arms embargo on Somalia. The embargo was first implemented on the country by the United Nations in 1992 after civil war broke out. It was partially lifted in 2007 to allow the importation of arms by the African Union Mission in Somalia.

"All Somalis are carefully watching the London conference and its outcome. Let the conference not be a conspiracy against the sovereignty of Somalia," Mohamed said.

An alleged "leaked" communiqué, apparently written for release after the talks, had been circulating here, fuelling speculation in this East African nation about the negative outcome of these talks.

One controversial point on the document, which is available online, refers to allegedly passing on the functions of government to a caretaker authority until the constitutional discussions are concluded. However, the point further explained that the country's constitution must be endorsed through a referendum or elected parliament.

The radio station Voice of the Peace said in its editorials that the U.K. was not looking for a lasting solution for Somalia.

Most newspapers including Kulmiye News and Xog-ogaal highlighted stories of locals who were concerned over Somalia becoming a colony once more.

One well-known elder, Ahmed Diriye, told local Radio Daljir earlier today that he did not believe that the London conference would have positive results for Somalia. "We know that Kenya (does not have a) powerful military and that was (because of the) U.K., and I am afraid that it wants Somalia to have only a police force," Diriye said.

The country's President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed denied this saying media reports were "rumours and baseless propaganda" intended to mislead the views of Somalis. Appearing on Channel 4 he said,  "There is no cause for concern over the sovereignty of the country. I can assure the Somali people that the London conference focused on the interest of Somalia and how the world community would help the country out of its long-existing hardships."

 

At the start of the conference, President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, leader of the transitional government, said Somalis wanted to shake off "horrendous memories of the past", but feared the gathering might be just another diplomatic talking shop.

World leaders have pledged to boost support for measures to fight piracy, terrorism and political instability in Somalia, after a meeting in London.

In a final communique, the 55 countries and organisations gathered in London said they would:

• back the handover of power from the transitional government to an inclusive administration by August
• provide more support for African Union peacekeepers
• better co-ordinate humanitarian aid, shifting focus to long-term needs
• crack down on piracy by expanding on agreements to bring suspects to trial in countries away from Somalia

Various sources

David Cameron's back to work champion - Emma Harrison quits amid fraud allegations

LONDON - A4e a training company funded by the government  is at the centre of a police investigation and could be investigated by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) following the arrest of four of its former employees on suspicion of fraud.

The SFO also revealed that a former A4e subcontractor is being investigated in a separate police investigation and that the company has been at the heart of five serious investigations into financial irregularity since 2005.

It later emerged that the company, which is paid by the Government to find people paid jobs, forced unemployed clients to work for nothing in their own offices or face having their benefits stripped, it has emerged..

Now Mrs Harrison, 48, has told the Prime Minister that she intends to resign from her Government role.

She said: "I have asked to step aside from my voluntary role as Family Champion as I do not want the current media environment to distract from the very important work with troubled families.

A4e is paid by the Government to help the long term unemployed find jobs. The company receives payment for each person it finds a job for and employees were apparently paid a bonus each time they placed someone in work. However both payments are only made after someone has been employed for 13 weeks.
A4e say the police investigation centres solely on four former employees who are alleged to have falsely claimed people jobseekers had been placed in work.

But police sources say that the investigation goes wider than the four arrested people and is looking at the “wider practices” of the company. Officers have now spoken to a fifth employee about the allegations, but did not arrest the woman.
The police investigation is being overseen by Thames Valley Police, but Fiona Mactaggart MP has written to the SFO asking for an inquiry.

Sources said that the SFO’s resources would mean they would be well placed to take over the Thames Valley investigation.

Lagos stands still as Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu is laid-in-state

LAGOS –  Large crowds including important dignitaries have gathered for Ikemba Nnewi, Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu's  lying-in-state at the Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos, Nigeria on Thursday. Within hours the whole of the city was literally shut down as people scambled towards the square.

Traffic in almost the entire metropolis came to a near stand-still. The heavy traffic was recorded at the Funsho Williams Avenue in Lagos Island and Apapa route.Witnesses observed that the routes were completely blocked.

The body of Odumegwu Ojukwu, a former presidential candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) would later be laid in state in various cities in the eastern parts of Nigeria as burial rites continue.