In a week when seven UK soldiers died in Afghanistan, Gordon Brown has warned he will not risk British lives for a corrupt government. In a major speech in central London this morning the prime minister said the Afghan government had become a "byword for corruption". The UK is "not prepared to put the lives of British men and women in harm's way for a government that does not stand up against corruption", he said, following the re-election of Hamid Karzai this week.

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:45:00

The US army major suspected of killing 13 people at a base in Texas is alive and under armed guard in hospital, it has emerged. Initial reports had said Major Malik Nadal Hasan had been killed after reportedly opening fire with two handguns at Fort Hood, the largest US military base in the world. Thirty other people were wounded after the military psychiatrist reportedly went on a rampage in the base's soldier readiness area, where medical tests are performed prior to overseas deployments, before being shot four times by base police.

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:01:00

British Airways (BA) has recorded a loss of £292 million before tax for the six months to September. The airline, which has been badly hit by the recession, said the figures represent the first time it has reported a loss for the first half of the financial year. The interim management report for the six months to September 30th showed operating losses of £111 million, compared to £140 million profit last year, with revenue down 13.7 per cent and total operating costs down 8.7 per cent.

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:00:00

A €400 billion scheme to provide 15 per cent of Europe's energy via Saharan solar power by 2050 has officially been launched. Last month industrialist and investors from 14 companies met in Munich to formally found the Desertec Industrial Initiative (DII). The plan is to pool resources and expertise to outfit north Africa with major renewable energy generation plants, making it a future powerhouse for the region and for Europe.

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:30:00

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has reported a pre-tax loss of £2.2 billion for the three months to the end of September. The figure compares to a profit of £1.9 billion on the same period last year, with RBS saying economic conditions "remain fragile", with the number of people out of work and companies failing not peaking until next year. RBS, which is 70 per cent owned by the taxpayer, has written off another £3.3 billion in bad debts and investments.

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:00:00

New research has highlighted the role the media can potentially play in the public's perception of civilian casualties in armed conflicts. The study in BioMed Central's journal Conflict and Health examined the reporting of casualty numbers in the Iraq conflict and how discrepancies can lead to distortions in the public's appreciation of the number of civilian deaths. In February 2007 the Associated Press news agency surveyed around 1,000 US adults about the war in Iraq.

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:00:00

The nationwide postal strikes which were due to take place tomorrow and Monday have been called off. The third round of the industrial action was set to involve 121,000 Royal Mail workers and was due to be the most disruptive of the strike actions yet. Sources from the Communication Workers Union (CWU) leaked reports earlier today to the BBC that said strike action would not go ahead. This has now been confirmed by TUC general secretary Brendan Barber, who said: "After intensive negotiations an agreement has been reached.

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:30:00

Zimbabwe's dollar, abandoned in March because of its worthlessness, will be back in circulation by year-end, Robert Mugabe has said. Harare abandoned its dollar six months again to curb galloping inflation which forced thrice-daily price increases, rendering the local currency unusable. But Mugabe said multiple foreign currencies that replaced the local dollar were unavailable to Zimbabweans, thereby spiking deep poverty.

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:30:00

Dressing children in inappropriate clothing can prevent their physical activity, scientists have warned today. A study in the BioMed Central's open access journal found parents who dress their children in inappropriate clothing could be inadvertently hampering their child's physical activity in childcare settings. The US-based study said three-quarters of children aged 3-6 years old in America spend time in childcare and many spend most of their waking hours in these settings, adding that daily physical activity offers numerous health benefits, and time outdoors has been found to be associated with children's activity levels.

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:30:00

The British army is mourning another death in Afghanistan after an explosion claimed the life of a UK soldier in Helmand province. Two days after five soldiers were killed by a rogue policeman at a military checkpoint, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said a soldier had died on Thursday morning in a blast in Sangin. The MoD, which said the soldier's next of kin had been informed, paid tribute to the fallen soldier.

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:43:00