Private security guards are often used to guard compounds or convoys
Heavy US reliance on private security in Afghanistan has helped to line the pockets of the Taliban, a US Senate report says.
The study by the Senate Armed Services Committee says this is because contractors often fail to vet local recruits and end up hiring warlords.
The report demands “immediate and aggressive steps” to improve the vetting and oversight process.
Some 26,000 private security personnel, mostly Afghans, operate in Afghanistan.
Nine out of 10 of them work for the US government.
Private security firms in Afghanistan provide guards for everything from diplomatic missions and aid agencies to supply convoys.
In August, Afghan President Hamid Karzai gave private security companies four months to end operations in Afghanistan.
“All too often our reliance on private security contractors in Afghanistan has empowered warlords, powerbrokers operating outside Afghan government control,” Democratic Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate committee, said.
“These contractors threaten the security of our troops and risk the success of our mission,” he added.
The report paints a disturbing picture of how some of those hired have little training or experience in firing weapons, while other contractors are warlords with known links to the Taliban, the BBC’s Steve Kingstone in Washington says.
The document gives several notorious examples, including a man the Americans have nicknamed Mr White – after a character in the violent film Reservoir Dogs.
He is said to have funded the Taliban and to have hosted a meeting with a senior commander responsible for a wave of roadside bombs targeting Nato troops.
The report also says that – by funding warlords with their own private militias – the US is undermining its declared aim of creating a more stable Afghanistan.
It warns that the growth of a lucrative private security industry has drawn new recruits away from the Afghan police and army, where salaries are lower.
The study follows July’s Congressional inquiry, which said that trucking contractors paid tens of millions of dollars a year to local warlords for convoy protection.
In recent months, US forces in Afghanistan have pledged to increase their oversight of security contractors and set up task forces to track the money spent among sub-contractors.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Ed Miliband will choose who gets what role in Labour’s shadow cabinet
Labour leader Ed Miliband is deciding who will be key figures in his shadow cabinet after the election of 19 MPs.
Former Work and Pensions Secretary Yvette Cooper topped the list and is being tipped as a possible shadow chancellor, as is her husband Ed Balls.
There are more women this time round, including Tessa Jowell, Caroline Flint and Angela and Maria Eagle.
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From the previous government, figures such as Peter Hain, Shaun Woodward and Ben Bradshaw were not successful.
However, Mr Hain could be in line for the post of shadow Welsh secretary as no other MPs with a constituency in Wales were voted in.
Mr Miliband is expected to appoint an extra member to fill the role from one of the eight Welsh Labour MPs who stood for election. Mr Hain, Welsh Secretary in the last government, was the highest placed among them.
BBC political correspondent Ross Hawkins says Mr Miliband’s decisions about Ms Cooper and Mr Balls will attract the biggest headlines and could shape Labour’s economic direction. They were first and third respectively in the shadow cabinet elections.
Our correspondent says both are strengthened by the results, and both are contenders for the position of shadow chancellor.
Mr Balls has opposed not only the pace of spending cuts planned by the coalition, but that proposed by Labour before the general election.
His appointment would be a clear indication of what line Mr Miliband planned to take in the debate about the deficit.
Reacting to the ballot on the social networking site Twitter, Mr Balls wrote of himself and his wife: “We both v happy with the results.”
Among the 19 people chosen, from a field of 49, were former cabinet ministers Alan Johnson, Hilary Benn, Andy Burnham, Douglas Alexander, John Denham, Jim Murphy and Liam Byrne.
It is up to Mr Miliband to decide which of the successful candidates is given which job. Labour said there would be no announcements until at least lunchtime.
Under Labour rules, MPs had to elect at least six female colleagues to the shadow cabinet but opted for eight in total.
Diane Abbott, one of the challengers in the recent leadership race, was not among them.
As well as former Europe minister Ms Flint and sisters Angela and Maria Eagle, Meg Hillier and Ann McKechin won places.
Ex-Cabinet Office minister and Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell retains her top-team status, while Mary Creagh enters the shadow cabinet despite never having served on the front bench before.
There are another two female MPs and one peer who already have a place in the shadow cabinet, bringing the total of women to 11.
Harriet Harman, elected deputy party leader in 2007, is included automatically, while chief whip Rosie Winterton was elected unopposed to the position last week. Baroness Royall, leader of the opposition in the House of Lords, also retains her place.
Chair of the parliamentary party Tony Lloyd and Labour chief whip in the Lords, Steve Bassam, have also already been allocated places in the shadow cabinet.
Some 258 Labour MPs were eligible to vote in the cabinet contest. Ms Cooper was picked by 232 of them, ex-housing minister John Healey got 192 votes and Mr Balls 179.
Angela Eagle came joint fourth with Mr Burnham, on 165 votes, followed by Mr Johnson, who attracted the support of 163 MPs.
Ten of the 19 candidates backed David Miliband in the leadership contest, while five supported Ed Miliband, three Mr Balls and one Mr Burnham.
The first significant outing for the new shadow cabinet team will come next Wednesday, when party leader Mr Miliband takes on David Cameron at prime minister’s questions for the first time.
Labour elects its top team only when in opposition, the last such contest taking place in 1996.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Queen Elizabeth’s maiden voyage to the Canary Islands was sold out in half an hour of going on sale
Cunard’s new cruise ship, the Queen Elizabeth, is arriving in its home port of Southampton later.
The ship will be officially named by the Queen on Monday and will leave on its maiden voyage to the Canary Islands on Tuesday.
It was built in Italy and replaces the Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) which made its last transatlantic crossing in 2008.
The vessel will join the other “Queens” in the Cunard fleet – the Queen Mary 2 (QM2) and the Queen Victoria.
This is the third Cunard ship to be named Queen Elizabeth.
Queen Elizabeth FactsSpeed: 23.7 knots – 28mphGuest Capacity: 2,068Number of crew: 996Length: 964.5ft (294 m)Width: 106ft (32m)Volume: 92,000 tonnesCaptain: Chris Wells
The first was launched on the Clyde in Scotland in 1938 by the then Queen Elizabeth – who later became the Queen Mother – with the present Queen, then aged 12, looking on.
The Queen launched the second Queen Elizabeth, the QE2, on the Clyde in 1967. She also named the QM2 at Southampton in 2004.
The new QE is one foot longer and one foot wider than the QE2 – which was sold to Dubai-based property developers Nakheel after being retired – but with 16 decks, it is much taller.
The ship looks like its sister, Queen Victoria, but is more than a third smaller than Cunard’s largest liner, the QM2.
The maiden voyage sold out in 29 minutes and 14 seconds when it went on sale on 1 April 2009.
The 13-night cruise sets off from Southampton at 1700 BST on 12 October and the first stop is Vigo in Spain, then to the Canary Islands.
The cheapest fare is £1,489 for an inside cabin, with prices rising to £16,000 for a grand suite.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Police say counterfeit goods help fund organised crime
Travellers leaving Scottish airports and ports for the October break are being warned that buying fake goods can help finance serious organised crime.
The Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency and the UK Border Agency are asking holidaymakers to shun the lure of counterfeit goods.
They are highlighting the growing trend of criminal gangs branching out into counterfeiting.
Events are being held at domestic airports and ports until 18 October.
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SCDEA staff, supported by officers from the UK Border Agency, were due to be at Glasgow Airport on Friday morning, reminding travellers of the links between fake goods and serious organised crime.
They will also be present at Scotland’s other airports, the Rosyth Ferry terminal and on ferries travelling between Stranraer and Belfast.
They are highlighting the growing trend of criminal gangs branching out into counterfeiting new products like downloadable e-books, digital music, and hair straighteners.
The trade in counterfeit goods – or intellectual property (IP) crime – involves the counterfeiting, piracy and trademark infringement of goods, including designer clothes, handbags, trainers, electronic goods, CDs and DVDs.
A report in 2006 estimated that criminal gangs raked in £90m in profits from the sale of counterfeits.
Det Ch Insp Ronnie Megaughin, deputy head of interventions at SCDEA, said: “People need to be aware that the trade in fake goods is not a victimless crime. There is no such thing. It is linked to a bigger and more insidious picture.
“Those who are involved in this illegal activity are very often also responsible for peddling drugs in our communities, forcing people into the sex trade and trading in firearms.
“These individuals will exploit any and every opportunity to further their power and profit, and they are quick to identify new products that are popular with consumers that they can counterfeit.”
Murdo MacMillan, assistant director of the UK Border Agency in Scotland, added: “Smugglers are only out to make a profit. The goods are often dangerous and the proceeds can be used to fuel serious organised crime.
“Many people enjoy finding a bargain and that is even more true during an economic downturn – but the UK Border Agency’s message to the public is straightforward: Quite simply, if something appears to be too good to be true, it probably is.”
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
For decades, the clothes line has had an image problem in the US but, ahead of a rally to highlight the benefits of natural drying, is it about to be reclaimed?
There is a new protest movement sweeping the US and at its heart are two sticks and a piece of string.
Upon the humble clothes line, a battle line has been drawn that embodies a uniquely American clash of ideas about class, liberty and the environment.
Rules imposed by community associations and landlords forbid tens of millions of home owners to dry their washing outside because, they say, it’s unsightly and even lowers property prices.
But a number of clothes line rebels have risked legal action by disobeying these rules, saying it is the duty of Americans to reduce their carbon footprint and leave their energy-hungry tumble dryers idle.
This Sunday their supporters will make their feelings known by holding a rally in Concord, New Hampshire to promote line drying.
These unlikely dissenters come in all ages and from all backgrounds. After moving to Witney Ridge in Pennsylvania nearly three years ago, Deborah Brensinger, a 55-year-old nurse, immediately began hanging her clothes in her back yard.
“Our government is trying to encourage working with the environment and doing things to cut down electricity, yet here’s something totally free.
“I get to see my neighbours, it’s clean and it smells good. It’s a contemplative practice. I don’t rush it, I enjoy it. It relieves stress. You can do it leisurely at your own pace, in a world that’s so fast-paced.”
‘I must fight back’
Wei Wang (above) a 49-year-old mother-of-three in Maryland, is continuing to hang out her washing, despite the threat of legal action.
“Energy savings and reducing pollution is more important, so I think I should stand up and fight back. I grew up in China and I was taught by my mother to use this method all the time.
“I’ve lived in Europe too, and it’s only Americans that don’t like clothes lines.”
She says she checked her neighbours had no objections, and the line can’t be seen from the street. But after the threat of legal action from her association, the mother-of-three now dries her five loads of washing a week on drying racks around her home, much to her annoyance.
“Everyone thinks people do whatever they want in their back yards. If I went out there in a bikini, it wouldn’t matter but hanging my clothes out does. It doesn’t make sense.”
Mrs Brensinger is one of 60 million Americans living in about 300,000 communities governed by home-owning associations, where living in a flat, mobile home or even detached house, means accepting regulations on the appearance of homes and gardens.
The majority of these associations ban or restrict the use of clothes lines but, with a mindful eye on energy consumption, six states have fought back.
Florida, Utah, Maine, Vermont, Colorado and Hawaii have passed laws restricting the rights of housing authorities to stop residents from using clotheslines, and several other states including Pennsylvania are considering similar bills.
‘Prudery plays a part’
Australian anti-nuclear advocate Helen Caldicott spent 18 years living in the US.
“Tumble drying is absolutely unnecessary. They can hang their clothes out in summer and by the furnace in the basement in winter. But they are being brainwashed that they need to machine dry.
“Part of it is also that they don’t want to be looking at Mrs Brown’s underwear. I suppose that prudery comes from the Puritans.”
The pro-clothesline movement’s champion is Alexander Lee, the 36-year-old founder of Project Laundry List, an organisation based in Vermont that campaigns for the so-called right to dry. He says its supporters are drawn from all social groups and backgrounds, uniting “libertarians and environmentalists, Christian mothers and radical homeowners”.
When a college student in 1995, one statement uttered by a visiting anti-nuclear lecturer, Helen Caldicott, inspired him: “If we all did things like hang out our clothes, we could shut down the nuclear industry.”
This energy-saving message forms the central plank of his campaign. Official figures say that tumble dryers guzzle 6% of household electricity, second only to fridges, but Lee estimates the actual figure to be three times higher. He says that if one in three Americans started line drying for five months of the year, 2.2m tonnes of CO2 would have been prevented from entering the atmosphere by 2020.
“The movement is increasing because we have these three problems that are converging – the energy crisis, the climate crisis and the personal finance crisis. We believe that it’s a patriotic duty to conserve energy. There should be a victory clothes line at the White House.”
In Italy, washing lines are a common sight
His campaign outlines other reasons to support line drying – good exercise, nice-smelling clothes, saving $25 (£16) a month in electricity bills, avoiding fire hazards and even mood-improving. And then there’s also his aesthetic admiration for the clothes line, “its Gestalt, its organic beauty, its simple functionality, the colourful panorama dancing on the line”.
British film maker Stephen Lake has travelled around the US, speaking to people affected by these regulations. The 24-year-old, who writes and directs a film on the subject, called Drying For Freedom, out early next year, says: “If a buyer goes down a neighbourhood and they see clothes hanging on a line, they would question the lifestyle that they would be buying into, because it might suggest that person can’t afford a dryer.
Mary Lou Sayer’s trouble drying clothes – a clip from Drying For Freedom
“These communities are based around setting a neutral aesthetic, so that every house in the street does not suggest anything about the person inside. The English middle class would probably not understand that.”
A few associations in the UK also restrict line drying, and many British people would endorse the view that clothes flapping in the wind can look unsightly. But it doesn’t have the same stigma in the UK, where only 45% of households own a tumble dryer, compared with 79% in the US.
For many Americans, clothes lines are an unwanted reminder of a more frugal age, says Dave Rapaport, senior director of corporate consciousness at Seventh Generation, a firm that sells eco-friendly household products.
“Hanging clothes was the norm prior to the advent of the suburban ideal of modern living in the 1950s. Partly driven by the need to get women back out in the workforce after World War II, partly the need to sell electricity and the appliances being invented to use it, and partly by a idealised notion of progress, clotheslines became a symbol of the life people were leaving behind.”
Tumble dryers79% of American households have a tumble dryer, compared to 45% in the UK and 4% in Italy20% of Americans live in homes subject to clothes line bansIt usually costs at least $100 to run a dryer for one yearSome people have reported a 50% drop in electricity bills when they go ‘cold turkey’ on tumble drying
Sources: Project Laundry List, Energy Information Administration, Defra
He can sense that belief now being slowly eroded, not just because of energy concerns, but by a desire for simplicity, the aesthetic appeal of line drying and a nostalgic return to traditional family chores.
And in the same way that many Americans have embraced the reusable shopping bag, he believes they could learn to love line drying again.
But there are many who say they shouldn’t.
Frank Rathbun is spokesman for the Community Associations Institute, which represents tens of thousands of associations nationwide. Most of them do restrict the use of clothes lines, he says, but for good reason.
“More often than not, the rules governing associations were put in place by developers and builders when the communities were being built.
“In most cases, the decision is based largely on community aesthetics. Developers and builders are trying to sell homes, and I think most would tell you that clotheslines could detract from the overall appearance and kerb appeal of the community, and therefore sales.
Do clothes lines lower property prices?
One home-owning association claimed the sight of washing lines could reduce neighbouring property values by up to 15%. But the National Association of Realtors says it’s not possible to put a value on this effect. A spokeswoman said that clothes lines were among the biggest sources of complaints among homeowners, in a recent survey, but the impact depended on neighbourhood norms. An area with a high number might leave a less negative impression than just one in a different area, depending on the buyer’s expectations and values. She said: “The issue just underscores the fact that many things affect a property value – the home’s condition, amenities in relation to other homes in the area, and the neighbourhood itself.”
“Regardless of the issue, appearance and kerb appeal have a direct impact on property values and the sale of properties. I think it’s safe to say that most associations have kept these rules in place for those very reasons.”
Many people are attracted by the these communities because of the rules governing how they look, he says, and in the same way that many residents don’t want to open their curtains – front or back – to see rubbish or an abandoned car, they might not want to see a bunch of laundry hanging on a clothesline either. The same rules prohibit statues, fountains and motor boats.
A national survey in 2007 indicated overwhelming opposition among residents to state laws preempting association rules on clotheslines, he says, suggesting that the way some state lawmakers have overturned these restrictions on line drying highlights a more fundamental issue about the collective right of homeowners in private communities to establish the rules for their own neighbourhoods.
“The bottom line is that as a private entity, each association is in the best position to make these determinations. Remember, association boards are elected by their neighbours to serve the best interests of the community as a whole.
A tragic dispute
In 2008, a man was shot dead in Verona, Massachusetts, during a dispute apparently over a clothes line. Police said the neighbours were arguing after one told the other to stop hanging his laundry outside.
“It’s also important to remember that homeowners in associations have a contractual obligation to abide by rules that have been put in place to preserve the character of the community, protect property values and meet the established expectations of residents in that community.
“If a large percentage of owners really want to change a particular rule, they can probably make that happen.”
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
The Japanese prime minister faces seemingly unsolvable economic problems 
