Israel holds defense drill amid regional tension

In this Feb. 26, 2009 file photo, Israeli soldiers wearing gas masks carry a dummy on a stretcher as they take part in a home front command army drill simulating a chemical missile attack at an army base near Tel Aviv. Israel launched a dress rehearsal for disaster on Sunday, May 23, 2010, as it began a five-day civil defense drill to test the response of soldiers, emergency crews and civilians to simulated rocket and missile attacks, mega terror attacks and biological and chemical attacks.

Israel held a dress rehearsal for disaster Sunday, beginning a defense drill to test the response of soldiers, emergency crews and civilians to simulated missile barrages, terrorist attacks and chemical strikes.



Israel embarked on its fourth annual home front drill at a time when Iranian-backed militants are rearming to Israel's north and south, and Iran itself is suspected of developing nuclear arms, despite its denials.

The five-day exercise, the biggest in Israel's history, has raised allegations by the country's enemies that it is preparing for war — a concern Israel has sought to allay.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the drill is a "routine exercise that was scheduled long ago."

"I want to emphasize that this is not a result of any abnormal security development," he told his Cabinet on Sunday. "On the contrary, Israel wants quiet, stability and peace, but it is no secret that we live in a region that is under threat of missiles and rockets."

Israel began carrying out the annual exercise, code-named Turning Point, after its 2006 war with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon showed the country's bomb shelters, air raid sirens and civil defense authorities were unprepared. The exercise also incorporates lessons from Israel's 2009 war against Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.

Tensions have risen in recent weeks after Israel accused Syria of smuggling Scuds and other missiles to Hezbollah. Syria denied the charge.

Israeli media reported that Hezbollah heightened its alert status ahead of what it branded Israel's "war game."

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said the drill proves Israel is not serious about wanting peace.

"Israel should reduce these maneuvers and return to the table to have serious talks about peace," Hariri said, according to a statement issued by his office. "If it wants peace, why does Israel resort to military maneuvers? And if it wants to negotiate with the Palestinians, why would it resort to military maneuvers?"

Israel has tried to allay regional concerns with assurances through diplomatic channels that the drill is not a cover for a military strike, defense officials said.

Lovesick pilot 'threatened to crash passenger plane after row with girlfriend'

The JetBlue pilot threatened to kill himself 'in spectacular fashion' by crashing his plane following an argument with his flight attendant girlfriend.The incident occurred at Logan Airport in Boston, America. Officials played it down and said the pilot was removed from duty for 'health-related reasons'


A lovesick pilot threatened to crash his plane after a row with his girlfriend, it was claimed yesterday

The distraught JetBlue pilot was held in a crew lounge an hour before takeoff after threatening to kill himself 'in spectacular fashion'.

It was reported on local radio that he had emailed his girlfriend, a flight attendant, saying that if they did not resolve their differences he would crash the plane.



But officials at Logan Airport in Boston in America played this down and said the pilot was removed from duty due to 'health-related reasons'.

An unidentified spokesman said authorities approached the pilot after he sent some type of 'electronic communication’ to the woman but would not comment further on the nature of the message.

The pilot was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital for an evaluation and was not under arrest.

The incident happened on Thursday in the middle of the afternoon.
Logan Airport's Federal Security Director George Naccara said the pilot did 'exchange emails with another person and we were alerted through various sources,' but he denied the pilot threatened to crash his flight.

'He never threatened crashing the aircraft. It was a situation in which he was threatening to take his own life and, in fact, his words were he may do it in 'some spectacular fashion' but not anything to do with the aircraft and no reference to crashing the aircraft or harming anyone else other than himself,' he said.

'Actions were taken immediately and the situation was diffused very effectively.

'Never was anyone in any kind of jeopardy. This was very much an isolated case, certainly not related to any type of terrorism.'

A JetBlue spokesman dismissed news reports that the pilot had threatened to crash the plane as 'vicious rumor and speculation.'

'A JetBlue pilot was removed from duty in Boston for health-related reasons,' the airline said in a statement. 'At no point were any customers or aircraft in danger.'

A spokesman added: 'The pilot was in a non-public area of the airport when he was taken into custody. He was not on a plane.

'We are not disclosing details of his schedule or whether he was going to board a plane.'

He refused to say where the plane was going, although JetBlue only flies within the U.S. or to the Caribbean from Boston.

Poland says flooding has killed 9 people

 
Firefighters deliver food to residents in Cisek, in southern Poland, on Thursday, May 20, 2010. Massive flooding that has killed seven people in the south of Poland started to recede Thursday but Warsaw braced for trouble as the swollen Vistula River pushed that way and fresh rain fell. Heavy rains have flooded homes and fields in parts of southern Poland since last weekend. Emergency workers have rescued people and pets


from roofs and balconies
.

A bird sitting on a sign prohibiting swimming on a river bank across Warsaw's Old Town , Poland, Thursday, May 20, 2010. The meteorological institute expects dangerously high water levels on Vistula River late Thursday, following days of heavy rain that have brought devastation to southern Poland.


Authorities say flooding in Poland has killed nine people this week. Residents and officials in Warsaw are working to strengthen the capital's flood defenses.

National police spokesman Mariusz Sokolowski said Friday the victims drowned in flooding that submerged some farms and residential areas in southern Poland following heavy rains.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the high water levels were receding slowly. Further north, in Warsaw, water levels on the Vistula river were expected to peak Friday.

Residents of the capital were working with thousands of firefighters and police officers to strengthen dikes on the river with sandbags to protect areas that could be at risk — including the zoo.

I'd veto EU power grab says Cameron: PM's threat appeases his party's Eurosceptics

'Positive engagement': German Chancellor Angela Merkel chats with Prime Minister David Cameron during a welcome ceremony in Berlin yesterday

Smile and smile and... :French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Prime minister David Cameron give a press conference after their dinner at the Elysee Palace on Thursday night

David Cameron yesterday signalled he was ready to veto any EU treaty to prop up the ailing euro - as he sought to calm pressure within his own party for a referendum on Europe.

Speaking in Berlin alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Mr Cameron became the first British Prime Minister to threaten a veto since John Major.


Mrs Merkel greeted Mr Cameron with a lavish ceremony before the Reichstag today amid political tensions over the euro

Mon ami: Mr Sarkozy pulls a Clegg and gives Mr Cameron a pat on the back last night

His uncompromising language was designed to calm Eurosceptics among his own MPs, who are unhappy pledges to repatriate powers from Brussels have been scrapped as part of the coalition deal with the Euro-friendly Lib Dems.
Mr Cameron insisted Britain would not be 'drawn further' into supporting the single currency and said: 'There is no question of agreeing to a treaty that transfers power from Westminster to Brussels.

'Britain obviously is not in the euro and Britain is not going to be in the euro, and so Britain would not be agreeing to any agreement or treaty that drew us further into supporting the euro area.'

He went on: 'It goes without saying that any treaty, even one that just applied to the euro area, needs unanimous agreement of all 27 EU states including the UK, which of course has a veto. I think these are very important points But critics suggested he could be forced to concede a referendum if the EU pushes ahead with plans to impose 'European economic government'.

Britain has already been bounced into backing a £650billion euro bailout, which could end up costing UK taxthepayers more than £8billion.

Yesterday the Germans used a separate summit of EU finance ministers in Brussels to push forward a package of measures designed to prevent a repeat of the Greek crisis which is threatening to bring euro to its knees.

The package is reported to include a proposal that all EU countries, including Britain, could be forced to have their budgets signed off by the European Central Bank.

Chancellor George Osborne insisted Britain would not sign up to any deal that handed fresh powers to Europe.

He said: 'Tax and spending decisions are issues where we are accountable to Parliament.'
But Mats Persson, director of the Open Europe think tank, said momentum within the EU suggested that treaty changes lay ahead.

He said: 'If this ends up involving any transfer of powers to Brussels then the coalition has to call a referendum. The crisis has already sucked us into the bailout package and there is a clear drive to put new controls in place, some of which will include the UK.'

Yesterday's mini- summit between Mr Cameron and Chancellor Merkel came as the German parliament narrowly approved its share of the Greek bailout.

Uncertainty over whether the deal would be passed had seen sharp falls on stock markets around the world.

London's FTSE 100 index dropped below 5,000 for the first time in seven months, while fears of a eurozone crisis, have wiped £200billion of the value of London's blue chip shares since April.

But the U.S. Dow Jones index steadied nerves, rising 100 points to 10169. This helped the FTSE claw back its earlier losses to close down just 10 points at 5063.

The sense of urgency heightened after it emerged that U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is flying into Europe next week to hold emergency talks with Mr Osborne and other European leaders.

Afghan Nato base comes under attack -Taliban Claims Responsibility for Assault on Kandahar Air Base

The attack came days after a Kabul car bombing killed 18 people, including six foreign troops

Suspected fighters have launched a rocket and ground attack on Nato's main military base in southern Afghanistan, days after a similar assault on the coalition's military base in Bagram.



Nato officials said the fighters fired a number of rockets and mortars at the Kandahar Air Field on Saturday, wounding an unspecified number of Nato troops.

"Kandahar Air Field came under indirect fire at approximately 8:00 tonight and shortly afterward a ground attack was under way as well," a Nato spokesman said.

Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid, reporting from the capital, Kabul, said the attack is a "huge blow" for Nato forces.

"Specifically because it comes after two major attacks that happened over the past six days. The latest attack was at Bagram air field, which is the biggest air field in the country," she said.

"Before that - just a day before - there was a suicide bombing here in Afghanistan where six foreign soldiers were killed.

"So certainly, the Taliban are trying to show that they are there and they are able to fight."

Taliban offensive

The attack on Bagram airbase, near Kabul, on Wednesday left one US contractor dead and nine Nato troops wounded.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for that attack, saying 20 suicide bombers took part in the assault, which included rockets, small arms and grenades, Nato's International Security Assistance Force, or Isaf, said.

The recent spate of attacks follow the Taliban's announcement that it would launch a spring offensive against Nato and Afghan forces in response to Nato's plans for a military campaign on the group's southern stronghold of Kandahar.

Separately on Saturday, three foreign soldiers and one civilian working with Isaf were killed in two separate incidents in southern Afghanistan.

"In a separate incident, also in southern Afghanistan, another Isaf service member died following an improvised explosive device (IED) attack," Nato said in a statement on Saturday.

The latest casualties bring the number of foreign soldiers killed in Afghanistan this year to 215, according to figures on the icasualties.org website.

In 2009, the deadliest year since the US-led an invasion that overthrew the Taliban in late 2001, 520 foreign soldiers were killed.

The US and its Nato allies are increasing to 150,000 their military deployment in Afghanistan, about two-thirds of which is American.

The Taliban claimed responsibility Sunday for a nighttime assault on NATO's base in Kandahar, as Afghan officials confirmed that a traditional gathering of elders and community leaders will be postponed for a second time.

NATO officials said militants fired rockets and mortar shells at the Kandahar Air Field late Saturday, and tried unsuccessfully to storm the northern perimeter of the base.

Several coalition troops and civilian employees were wounded, but there were no reports of deaths.

Also Sunday, Afghan officials said the three-day "jirga" to discuss prospects for peace has been postponed again. The gathering was to start on May 29, but now will be held from June 2-4.

In other violence Sunday, the police chief of Andar district in eastern Ghazni province was killed in a gunbattle with militants.

The attack at Kandahar was the second Taliban assault on a large military installation in Afghanistan in less than a week.

On Wednesday, militants attacked the main U.S. military base at Bagram, killing an American contractor.

Thai PM extends curfew; no polls until unrest over-Cleanup start in city.

Thai school children and locals wash and sweep a road during a cleanup operation after Wednesday's Thai army assult on anti-government protesters in downtown Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, May 23, 2010. Thousands gathered in the Thai capital to begin the massive clean up following the worst political violence in decades. Officials said at least 85 people were killed in the political violence of the past two months.


Thai school children and locals wash and sweep a road during a cleanup operation after Wednesday's Thai army assault on anti-government protesters in downtown Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, May 23, 2010. Thousands gathered in the Thai capital to begin the massive clean up following the worst political violence in decades. Officials said at least 85 people were killed in the political violence of the past two months.


Debris waits for collection at the former anti-government rally site Sunday, May 23, 2010, in Bangkok, Thailand. Thousands gathered in the former anti-government held areas to begin the massive clean following the worst political violence in decades that culminated in a military crackdown that sparked a rampage by supporters. Officials said at least 85 people were killed in the political violence of the past two months.


A girl gives roses to a Thai army soldier as a mark of appreciation during a clean up drive after Thai military crackdown on anti-government protesters on Wednesday in downtown Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, May 23, 2010. Thousands gathered in the Thai capital to begin the massive clean up following the worst political violence in decades. Officials said at least 85 people were killed in the political violence of the past two months


Thai women talk to Thai army soldiers carrying roses during a clean up drive following Wednesday's military crackdown on anti-government protesters in downtown Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, May 23, 2010. Thousands gathered in the Thai capital to begin the massive clean up following the worst political violence in decades. Officials said at least 85 people were killed in the political violence of the past two months


A girl gives roses to Thai army soldiers as a mark of appreciation during a clean up drive after Thai military crackdown on anti-government protesters on Wednesday in downtown Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, May 23, 2010. Thousands gathered in the Thai capital to begin the massive clean up following the worst political violence in decades. Officials said at least 85 people were killed in the political violence of the past two months


A Thai person looks on as school children participate in a clean up drive Sunday, May 23, 2010 after Thai army assault on anti-government protesters on Wednesday in downtown Bangkok, Thailand. Thousands gathered in the Thai capital to begin the massive clean up following the worst political violence in decades.


Thai school children clean a statue of an elephant during a cleanup operation Sunday, May 23, 2010 after Thai army crack down on anti-government protesters on Wednesday in downtown Bangkok, Thailand. Thousands gathered in the Thai capital to begin the massive clean up following the worst political violence in decades.


Thailand's prime minister on Sunday extended a nighttime curfew in the capital and said he will consider early elections only after the violence that has wracked the nation for the past two months is completely over.

Elections are seen as a key step toward healing the deep divide that has split Thailand between supporters of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and the so-called Red Shirts, who are made up mainly of the urban and rural poor and see Abhisit's government as elitist and illegitimate.


Debris waits for collection at the former anti-government rally site Sunday, May 23, 2010, in Bangkok, Thailand. Thousands gathered in former anti-government held areas to begin a massive clean operation following the worst political violence in decades that culminated in a military crackdown that sparked a rampage by supporters. Officials said at least 85 people were killed in the political violence of the past two months

The rift with the Red Shirts, who have strong support in the country's north and northeast, came to a crescendo of violence after they occupied the heart of Bangkok, sparking a military crackdown that ended in a rampage of grenade attacks and arson at dozens of buildings, including the country's stock exchange and biggest shopping mall.









In all, 85 people were killed in the violence — the worst the Thai capital has seen in decades.

Abhisit said in a weekly address that while he is still willing to call elections before his term expires late next year, he will not do so under the threat of violence.

He accused Red Shirt followers of planning further mayhem, although he stressed the government was in control and the capital has largely returned to normal after a final push by the military to clear the main protest site on Wednesday left 16 dead and more than 100 injured.

"It is now entirely up to me to see when is the most appropriate time to hold the election," Abhisit said. "At the moment, no one can tell when is the best time. We don't know what will happen next."

Hoping to appease the protesters, Abhisit earlier this month offered to hold elections on Nov. 14. But the reconciliation plan fell through when Red Shirt leaders, who want him to resign immediately, made more demands.

All but two of the movement's top leaders are now in custody, although no charges have been filed yet.

Many analysts believe the Red Shirts, who support ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, could cause unrest for years to come. Thaksin lives in exile after his 2006 ouster in a military coup and subsequent conviction on corruption-related charges.

He continues to cast a dark shadow over Thai politics, however.

Abhisit's government took power in December 2008, not through an election but by a vote in Parliament, to fill the power vacuum after disputed court rulings ousted two elected pro-Thaksin governments.

Despite the political upheaval, there were increasing signs that the residents of Bangkok were trying to get back to normal routines.

Thousands of residents mobilized in cleanup squads to clear the streets of mountains of garbage and rubble left by the protests and violence.

"On my way here, I passed a lot of places that were either burned down or damaged. I was in tears," said Ratwipa Saenyo, and 18-year-old student who with a friend was scrubbing stains from a burned billboard at a bus stop.

Schools, government offices and the stock exchange were to reopen Monday, and Abhisit said he will move back to his office from an army base where he had set up a temporary workplace during the unrest. The nighttime curfew, which was imposed on Wednesday, was extended through Monday, albeit for a shorter period, Abhisit said.

Further extensions would be considered on a day-by-day basis.

The city's two main mass transit systems, the Skytrain and the subway, reopened Sunday after a week's closure. But TAN Network, Thailand's English language television, reported that cleaning operations were stopped after troops found 20 homemade bombs near a station.

Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said "generally it has been quiet" in the country, but added that there are "a few reports of people gathering" and sporadic incidents of violence.

He said a British citizen, Jeff Savage, was being questioned by police on suspicion he instigated some of the arson attacks, as reported by the British media.

"He admitted to newspapers that he was present at a few locations. Authorities want to question him under what condition he was there," Panitan told The Associated Press.

The Times of London said Savage, 48, a long-time resident of the Thai beach resort of Pattaya, was caught on video saying he and others were going to burn down the CentralWorld shopping mall.

Savage told The Times he was not involved in the burning, but added it was common knowledge in the Red Shirt camp that CentralWorld would be burned.

Evidence of oil spill's devastating ecological impact emerges as Obama sends in senior officials

Oil floats on the surface of the waters near the Louisianan coast.Nesting pelicans are seen landing as oil washes ashore at the island

 
Waves from the Gulf of Mexico wash oil onto the beach near the Mississippi River on the Louisiana coast.Pelican eggs stained with oil sit in a nest on an island in Barataria Bay in Plaquemine

A dead Northern gannet covered in oil lies along Grand Isle Beach in Grand Isle, Louisiana. A month after the well blowout sheets of rust-coloured oil are starting to clog fragile marshlands on the fringes of the Mississippi Delta, damaging fishing grounds and wildlife

President Obama announced today that former Florida Sen Bob Graham (left) and former EPA Administrator William K. Reilly (right) will lead a presidential commission investigating oil spill

Three top Obama administration officials are returning to the Gulf Coast to monitor the massive oil spill that seems to have no end in sight - the devastation underscored by oil-stained pelicans and their eggs on an island where hundreds of the birds nest.

A pelican colony off Louisiana's coast was seen awash in oil yesterday with birds and their eggs coated in the ooze.


President Obama said of the appointments: 'I can't think of two people who will bring greater experience or better judgment to the task at hand.'

A workman lays out a boom to try and trap the oil as pelicans leave their nests on an island in Barataria Bay, just inside the the coast of Louisiana. The island is home to hundreds of brown pelican nests as well at terns, gulls and roseated spoonbills

Nests rested in mangroves precariously close to the crude that had washed in.
Workers had surrounded the island with oil-absorbing booms, but puddles of oil had seeped through the barrier.

Anger with the government and BP PLC, which leased the rig and is responsible for the cleanup, has boiled over as more wildlife and delicate coastal wetlands are tainted. U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency chief Lisa P. Jackson was headed to Louisiana today, where she planned to visit with frustrated residents.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano were to lead a Senate delegation to the region on Monday to fly over affected areas and keep an eye on the response.

Meanwhile, the official responsible for the oversight of the month-old spill response said he understands the discontent among residents who want to know what's next.

"If anybody is frustrated with this response, I would tell them their symptoms are normal, because I'm frustrated, too," said Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen.

"Nobody likes to have a feeling that you can't do something about a very big problem."

President Barack Obama also has named a special independent commission to review what happened. The spill began after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded off the coast of Louisiana on April 20, killing 11 workers, and sank two days later.
At least 6 million gallons (22.7 million liters) of crude have spewed into the Gulf of Mexico since, though a growing number of scientists have said they believe it's more.

The visits from top Obama chiefs come as BP said it will be at least Tuesday before engineers can shoot mud into the blown-out well at the bottom of the Gulf, yet another delay in the effort to stop the oil.

A so-called "top kill" has been tried on land but never 5,000 feet (1,500 meters) underwater, so scientists and engineers have spent the past week preparing and taking measurements to make sure it will stop the oil that has been spewing into the sea for a month.

They originally hoped to try it as early as this weekend.

"It's taking time to get everything set up," BP spokesman Tom Mueller said. "They're taking their time. It's never been done before. We've got to make sure everything is right."

Crews will shoot heavy mud into a crippled piece of equipment atop the well. Then engineers will direct cement at the well to permanently stop the oil.

BP has tried and failed several times to halt the gusher, but has had some success with a mile-long (1.6-kilometer-long) tube inserted into the leaking pipe that BP said Friday was sucking about 92,400 gallons (350,000 liters) of oil a day to the surface.

The figure is much lower than the 210,000 gallons (795,000 liters) a day the company said the tube was sucking up just a day before.

BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles said the higher number is the most the tube has been sucking up at any one time, while the lower number is the average.

As the spill spreads deeper into vulnerable marshes, some have called for federal officials to take over the response. But Allen said the government must hold BP accountable.

After the 1989 Exxon Valdez tanker spilled 11million gallons (41.64million liters) of oil in Alaska, Congress dictated that oil companies be responsible for dealing with major accidents - including paying for all cleanup - with oversight by federal agencies.
BP is also developing several other plans in case the top kill doesn't work, including an effort to shoot knotted rope, pieces of tire and other material - known as a junk shot - to plug the blowout preventer, which was meant to shut off the oil in case of an accident but did not work.

Engineers had originally hoped to try it as early as this weekend.

BP spokesman Tom Mueller said there was no snag in the preparations, but that the company must get equipment in place and finish tests before the procedure can begin.

'It's taking time to get everything set up," he said. "They're taking their time. It's never been done before. We've got to make sure everything is right.'

Crews will shoot heavy mud into a crippled piece of equipment atop the well, which started spewing after the drilling rig Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20 off the coast of Louisiana, killing 11 workers.

Then engineers will direct cement at the well to permanently stop the oil.

BP, which was leasing the rig and is responsible for the cleanup, has tried and failed several times to halt the oil.

Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles said Friday that a mile-long tube inserted into the leaking pipe is sucking about 92,400 gallons of oil a day to the surface, a figure much lower than the 210,000 gallons a day the company said the tube was sucking up Thursday.

Suttles said the higher number is the most the tube has been sucking up at any one time, while the lower number is the average.

The company has conceded that more oil is leaking than its initial estimate of 210,000 gallons a day total, and a government team is working to get a handle on exactly how much is flowing. Even under the most conservative estimate, about 6 million gallons have leaked so far, more than half the amount spilled by the Exxon Valdez.

Frustrated local and state officials were also waiting for the Army Corps of Engineers to issue permits so they can build sand berms in front of islands and wetlands to act as buffers between the advancing oil and the wetlands.

In a statement Friday, corps spokesman Ken Holder said officials understand the urgency, but possible environmental effects must be evaluated before even an emergency permit can be issued.

Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary Landry also took BP to task for not responding aggressively enough to oil coming ashore in Terrebonne Parish, La., to the west of the mouth of the Mississippi River.

Public interest in the spill is high - after lawmakers pressed BP for a live video feed of the leak this week, so many people tried to view it that they crashed the government website where it was posted.

BP executives say the only guaranteed solution to stop the leak is a pair of relief wells crews have already started drilling, but the work will not be complete for at least two months.

That makes the stakes even higher for the top kill.

Scientists say there is a chance a misfire could lead to new problems. Ed Overton, a Louisiana State University professor of environmental studies, said the crippled piece of equipment called a blowout preventer could spring a new leak that could spew untold gallons of oil if there's a weak spot that is vulnerable to pressure from the heavy mud.

David Beckham hails 'amazing' troops on visit to Afghanistan

 
David Beckham gets to grips with some of the military hardware during his visit to Camp Bastion where around 9,000 British soldiers are based

 
Are you sure the safety catch is on? Beckham tests out a heavy machine gun as soldiers look on

 
The footballer is shown one of the weapons used by the troops in Afghanistan

Beckham signing autographs for soldiers from 67 Squadron, 6 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps during his brief visit. The player said he was full of admiration for the men and women serving there

David Beckham paid tribute today to the "amazing" work of British troops in Afghanistan during a visit to the country.

The footballer posed for pictures and signed autographs for troops in Camp Bastion, Helmand Province, where around 9,000 British soldiers are based.

In temperatures hitting 45C the player was shown round the camp and even given a lesson in how to handle weapons.
'You know I've been here just one night so far and the experience has been even more than I could have ever hoped,' he said in an interview with BFBS: British Forces News.


Senior aircraftsman SAC Madeline Rowe from RAF Odiham has her picture taken with the player

Beckham in side an RAF C-17 aircraft gets ready to land at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan

 
In temperatures hitting 45c, the LA Galaxy player has his photo taken with an grinning unnamed soldier from the Royal Logistic Corp

And smile: Troops from the UK Role 3 Hospital pose with the footballer at the camp in Afghanistan

To see the morale of the troops is really incredible. It first kind of hit me on the way over when we were on the military plane flying in to Afghanistan. You can see the faces, you can see obviously they know they are leaving their families, but they're so focused and they've got this look in their eyes that they're just so confident and just ready.

'That really is an unbelievable sight to see, and you feel it as well.'

Beckham started his day with full English breakfast in the cookhouse before taking part in a question and answer session with troops, signing autographs and visiting the camp's hospital.

Squadron Leader Sarah Charters, who runs the emergency unit at the hospital, told him about the work they do.

She said: "A visit like this means a lot to everyone here.It is an absolute honour to work in an environment like this where I know I am contributing to help save lives and David's visit reminds everyone at home of what we actually do here.'

Beckham also received a lesson in weapon handling from Craftsman Bob Floy, from Doncaster, who showed him how to use different weapons including a heavy machine gun.

With temperatures in the camp reaching 45C (113F), the star then visited the HQ of 40 Commando where he joined senior officers cooling off their feet in a paddling pool.

He also visited 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles and took part in a penalty challenge with them, and scored with his only attempt.

The 35-year-old former England captain, who made his name at Manchester United before going on to play for Real Madrid, Los Angeles Galaxy and AC Milan, flew out of RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, yesterday.

He said: "Just yesterday one of the troops was killed, and you feel it and you see the flags at half-mast and you feel the tension there. It really is, like I said, amazing to be around but you feel the love from everybody.

'It just really is scary work. These guys are the bravest people that I've ever met and it really is, it truly is, an honour to be here.'

Matador escapes death by the skin of his teeth after horrific goring in Madrid bullfight

Critical: The torero was lifted off the ground by the force of the bull's impact before being hurled to the sand floor.Impaled: Spanish bullfighter Julio Aparicio is gored through the throat during a packed bullfight at Las Ventas in Madrid

 

Spanish matador Julio Aparicio needed two operations after he was horrifically gored through the throat during a bullfight in Madrid.

The half-ton bull, called Opiparo, struck after Julio Aparicio lost his footing and stumbled while carrying out a pass with is red cape in a packed Las Ventas bullring.

One of the animal's horns tore into his throat and punched through the bottom of his mouth as the crowd screamed in horror at the bullfight last night.The force of the impact lifted the matador into the air, puncturing his tongue and fracturing his jawbone, before the bull threw him to the sand.


Horrific: The bullfighter loses his footing and slips to the sandy floor before the half-ton bull gores him through the throat.Shocked: Mr Aparicio had to have two emergency operations to install a tracheotomy and reconstruct his jaw and the roof of his mouth

Fellow matadors dashed to the rescue and managed to distract the bull so medics could get to Mr Aparicio.

The 41-year-old managed to struggle to his feet, but collapsed with blood pouring down his neck and had to be carried from the ring.

He had an emergency one-hour operation in the Las Ventas medical centre, before being transfered to the October 12 Hospital in Madrid, where doctors performed an emergency tracheotomy and worked to reconstruct his jaw, tongue and the roof of his mouth during a six-hour operation.
A spokesman for the hospital said: 'He remains in the intensive care unit of the hospital, has regained consciousness and his vital signs are stable.'

His father, also called Julio Aparicio, said there were no complications during the surgery.

He said: 'It was a serious goring. Almost his entire mouth was destroyed.

'It's too early to talk of recovery, we must wait and see.'

The injury happened as Mr Aparicio was attempting the faena, a series of passes in which he uses his cape and sword before delivering the death blow - or estocada.

It is not known what has happened to the bull.
Mr Aparicio, from Seville, comes from a well-known family of matadors. He is in a grave condition in hospital.

Evening bullfights are watched by sell-out crowds at the 25,000 seat Las Ventas bullring and are broadcast live on cable television.

Six bulls are killed in each bullfight.

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