US president sets Afghan target

The increasingly deadly conflict in Afghanistan is a "serious fight" but one essential for the future stability of the country, the US president says.

Insisting that US and allied troops have pushed back the Taliban, Barack Obama said the immediate target was to steer Afghanistan through elections.

The country is due to hold a presidential vote in August.

Mr Obama spoke to Sky News as concern grew in the UK at the rising British death toll in Afghanistan.

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown was also forced on Saturday to justify British involvement in Afghanistan.

Mr Brown said the UK's military deployment there was aimed at preventing terrorism in the UK.

Fifteen British troops have died in the past 10 days, pushing the country's number of deaths in Afghanistan past the number killed in action in Iraq.

'Extraordinary role'

Speaking during a day-long visit to Africa, Mr Obama also told Sky News that the battle in Afghanistan was a vital element in the battle against terrorism.

He said the continued involvement of British troops in the conflict was necessary, right and was a vital contribution to UK national security.

Thousands of new US troops are boosting the effort in Afghanistan

"This is not an American mission," Mr Obama said.

"The mission in Afghanistan is one that the Europeans have as much if not more of a stake in than we do.

"The likelihood of a terrorist attack in London is at least as high, if not higher, than it is in the United States."

He praised the efforts of all troops currently fighting the Taleban in gruelling summer heat, singling out British forces for praise when asked if their role was still important.

"Great Britain has played an extraordinary role in this coalition, understanding that we can not allow either Afghanistan or Pakistan to be a safe haven for al-Qaeda, those who with impunity blow up train stations in London or buildings in New York.

"We knew that this summer was going to be tough fighting. They [the Taliban] have, I think, been pushed back but we still have a long way to go. We've got to get through elections."

'Core mission'

Since taking office in Washington in January of this year, Mr Obama has announced a troop "surge" in Afghanistan.

British troops have endured a deadly week in Afghanistan

The US has said it is sending up to 30,000 new troops to Afghanistan this year to take on a resurgent Taleban. They will join 33,000 US and 32,000 other Nato troops already in the country.

US Marines last week launched the first major Afghan operation of Mr Obama's presidency.

About 4,000 marines - many of them redeployed from operations in Iraq - moved into the Helmand River, supported by helicopters and Afghan troops.

A new US commander, Gen Stanley McChrystal, has been tasked with the mission of outsmarting the Taliban, who continue to win support among ordinary Afghans often caught in the crossfire of the bitter fighting.

High numbers of Afghan civilian casualties have become an issue of major concern to the US. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has regularly called on the international forces to reduce the numbers of Afghans killed in its operations.

Speaking to Sky News, Mr Obama said although forces were currently engaged in heavy fighting, new strategies for building bridges with Afghan society would be considered once the country had held its presidential election.

Afghan civilians often bear the brunt of the conflict with the Taliban

Afghanistan needed its own army, its own police and the ability to control its own security, Mr Obama said - a strategy currently being implemented in Iraq, where security is being handed over to Iraqi forces.

"All of us are going to have to do an evaluation after the Afghan election to see what more we can do," the president said.

"It may not be on the military side, it might be on the development side providing Afghan farmers alternatives to poppy crops, making sure that we are effectively training a judiciary system and a rule of law in Afghanistan that people trust."

"We've got a core mission that we have to accomplish."

Call for limits on web snooping

Governments and companies should limit the snooping they do on web users.

Tim Berners-Lee started the web to help scientists communicate

So said Sir Time Berners-Lee, inventor of the world wide web, who said that growing oversight of browsing could have a pernicious effect.

A greater part of the value of the web lay in the lack of constraints on what people could do with it.

He also warned that attempts to censor what people could say or what they could do online were ultimately doomed to failure.

Open triumph

"When you use the internet it is important that the medium should not be set up with constraints," he said.

The internet, said Sir Tim, should be like a blank piece of paper. Just as governments and companies cannot police what people write or draw on that sheet of paper so they should not be restricted from putting the web to their own uses.

"The canvas should be blank," he said

While governments do need some powers to police unacceptable uses of the web; limits should be placed on these powers, he said.

It's a wonderful experiment and I hope it will have consequences for the way TV is produced in the future Russell Barnes, Digital Revolution producer Find out more about Digital Revolution

If people know that where they go online and the terms they look for are under scrutiny it could have all kinds of pernicious effects, he warned.

Repressive regimes, such as China and Iran, that work hard to limit what people can do online would struggle to maintain that control over time, he said.

"The trend over the years is that the internet in the end goes around censorship and openness eventually triumphs," he said. "But it is by no means an easy road."

Sir Tim made his comments during a speech at an event that helped to launch the BBC Two series Digital Revolution.

The four-part series aims to explore the history of the World Wide Web and generate debate about how it is changing the way people live their lives. It aims to debate how the web is changing the nation state, how it affects identity, freedom and anonymity.

Over the next eight months as the programme is being produced, viewers will be encouraged to get involved by sending in questions for interview subjects and being able to produce their own clips using the rushes generated during filming.

Social media researcher and broadcaster Aleks Krotoski will present the series of programmes.

Third soldier dies in Afghanistan

A third British soldier has been killed in Afghanistan, hours after the deaths of two soldiers in Helmand, the Ministry of Defence has said.

The death takes the number killed in Afghanistan since 2001 to 179 - the same number as killed in the Iraq war.

The soldier, from the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, died in the country's south. His next of kin have been informed.

Ten British soldiers have now died in Afghanistan this month, including the two in separate attacks on Thursday.

The serviceman who died on Friday was killed near Nad Ali, Helmand province.

Lt Col Nick Richardson, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said: "The loss of this brave Tankie has hit us all deeply. We grieve for him at this very sad time.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and colleagues who feel the greatest loss. His loss has not been in vain."

Fight 'winnable'

One of the two soldiers to die on Thursday was from 4th Battalion The Rifles. He was killed in a blast while on foot patrol near Nad Ali.

The second, from Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, attached to 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, was killed during an engagement with insurgent forces near Lashkar Gah on Thursday evening.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown responded to the news of the first two deaths from Italy, where he is attending the G8 summit.

"This is a very hard summer, it's not over but it's vital that the international community sees through its commitment [to Afghanistan]," he said.

"There's a recognition that this is a task that the world has got to accept together.

"We must and we will do everything we can to support our forces as they put their lives on the line."

Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth insisted that the conflict was "winnable" but warned that there would be no early end to the fighting.

BRITISH FATALITIES IN AFGHANISTAN MARCH 2006 - JULY 2009 September 2006: Highest monthly toll with 19 dead including 14 killed when a RAF Nimrod crashes in Afghanistan. June 2008: British death toll reaches 100 with the death of Pte Daniel Gamble, above. Among the 13 fatalities in June is the first British female soldier. May 2009: Surge in casualties as Taliban use powerful Improvised Explosive Devices to attack British forces.

Speaking earlier on Friday Lt Col Richardson had said their deaths "were not in vain".

Kelly Gore, from Bridgend, south Wales, lost her partner L/Sgt Tobie Fasfous, when he was killed by an explosion in Helmand in April.

On Sunday she heard their friend L/Cpl Dane Elson had also been killed.

Hearing about so many deaths over a few days had been particularly difficult, she told the BBC.

Kelly Gore's partner died in Afghanistan in April

"It's just awful. It just takes you back to that day, that horrible day, the devastation it causes for families is unbelievable.

"Your whole world falls apart in seconds."

She said although she backed the soldiers "one thousand per cent" she had questioned why Tobie and others went to Afghanistan.

"I just hope something good does come out of this. Then the boys did good. They died for a reason."

British forces are engaged in a major offensive in Helmand province, in the south of the country, and have been joined by about 4,000 US and 650 Afghan troops.

The joint campaign is designed to drive the Taliban out of the region and make it safe for presidential elections due next month.

The bodies of five soldiers killed in Afghanistan over the past week were returned to the UK on Friday.

The aircraft carrying their coffins arrived at RAF Lyneham, in Wiltshire, for a repatriation ceremony.

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After the ceremony, hearses carrying the coffins passed through nearby Wootton Bassett, which was lined with hundreds of mourners.

The former UK ambassador to the United Nations, Sir Jeremy Greenstock, has told the BBC he does not think the operation in Afghanistan was well-enough resourced.

He said: "We don't have enough troops in the Army to run these sorts of operations any more, we've cut down too far."

But he said: "We want to see an Afghanistan that doesn't threaten us, therefore we do have dogs in this fight."

Swat Taliban chief 'near death'

The leader of Taliban militants in Pakistan's Swat district has been critically wounded and is close to death, the BBC has learned.

Maulana Fazlullah commands the loyalty of many militants in Swat

The information about Maulana Fazlullah confirms statements from senior government and security officials.

A former village cleric, he founded the branch of the Taliban movement which eventually took over the Swat valley.

After a recent offensive, Pakistan's army says it has almost defeated rebels in that sector of the north-west.

It has been battling Taliban militants there for about two months and the government says it has regained control of the region.

'No medicine'

The information about Maulana Falzullah was gathered from interviews carried out by the BBC in his heartland in the north-west of Pakistan.

See a map of the region

"Maulana Fazlullah was actually hit in two air strikes, and is critically wounded," Mingora resident Wasif Ali - who did not disclose his real name for personal security reasons - told the BBC on Wednesday during a trip to Swat.

"He is now stranded in Imam Dehri without any access to medical assistance and is close to death."

Mr Ali has close contacts with the militants and has been keeping a close watch on their movements in the area.

He confirmed that another senior Taliban leader, Shah Duran, was also killed in an air strike as earlier stated by the army.

The Taliban overran the Swat valley earlier this year

Interviews with other locals corroborated claims that Maulana Fazlullah had been seriously injured.

Earlier on Wednesday, Pakistan's top military spokesman, Maj General Athar Abbas said that Maulana Fazlullah had been hurt in an airstrike.

"But we cannot confirm his exact condition at the moment," he said.

Maulana Fazlullah used to be a prayer leader at the mosque in his village.

He became the most powerful man in Swat after using a radio station to broadcast his messages in the area.

Eventually he called for his version of Islamic law in the region. At the height of his power, his militants became the main law enforcers in Swat.

In April, Pakistan's army launched an operation against his forces following the violation of a peace deal with the government.

Mr Ali and his family stayed in Swat through the entire operation.

He said the fiercest fighting took place during the first three days of the military's assault on the urban areas.

"It was when they pushed the Taliban off the emerald mines," he said.

"The gunships were right on top of my homes when they opened fire on the militants."

"We hid in the bathrooms and prayed for it to end."

He says many of the Taliban were killed in that onslaught, while the rest melted away.

Currently, Swat's urban centres are being strictly patrolled by the military.

Mingora remains largely deserted as the military seeks out the remaining Taliban and arrests suspects.

Armoured vehicles and heavily armed troops patrol the city streets to ensure they retain total control of an area which remains volatile.

Turkey attacks China 'genocide'

Turkey's prime minister has described ethnic violence in China's Xinjiang region as "a kind of genocide".

In Istanbul, Turkish protesters burned the Chinese flag at a rally

"There is no other way of commenting on this event," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

He spoke after a night-time curfew was reimposed in Xinjiang's capital, Urumqi, where Muslim Uighurs and Han Chinese clashed last Sunday.

The death toll from the violence there has now risen from 156 to 184, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reports. More than 1,000 people were injured.

Turkey, a predominantly Muslim country, shares linguistic and religious links with the Uighurs in China's western-most region.

Quentin Sommerville, BBC News, Urumqi After Friday's prayers, a small group of Uighur Muslims marched along an Urumqi street demanding the release of men detained for their alleged role in last Sunday's riot. A large number of riot police surrounded the group, they punched and kicked the protestors - one officer used his baton to beat one of the Uighurs. A number of foreign journalists had their equipment seized, some have been detained. Earlier the group said they feared for their safety. There's no word from the authorities as to what happened to them. In pictures: Closed mosques New media openness Q&A: China and the Uighurs

"The event taking place in China is a kind of genocide," Mr Erdogan told reporters in Turkey's capital, Ankara.

"There are atrocities there, hundreds of people have been killed and 1,000 hurt. We have difficulty understanding how China's leadership can remain a spectator in the face of these events."

The Turkish premier also urged Beijing to "address the question of human rights and do what is necessary to prosecute the guilty".

Mr Erdogan's comments came a day after Turkish Trade and Industry Minister Nihat Ergun urged Turks to boycott Chinese goods.

Beijing has so far not publicly commented on Mr Erdogan's criticism.

But it said that of the 184 people who died, 137 were Han Chinese.

Uighurs defiant

Earlier on Friday, the Chinese authorities reimposed a night-time curfew in Urumqi.

The curfew had been suspended for two days after officials said they had the city under control.

Mosques in the city were ordered to remain closed on Friday and notices were posted instructing people to stay at home to worship.

XINJIANG: ETHNIC UNREST Main ethnic division: 45% Uighur, 40% Han Chinese 26 June: Mass factory brawl after dispute between Han Chinese and Uighurs in Guangdong, southern China, leaves two Uighurs dead 5 July: Uighur protest in Urumqi over the dispute turns violent, leaving 156 dead - most of them thought to be Han - and more than 1,000 hurt 7 July: Uighur women protest at arrests of menfolk. Han Chinese make armed counter-march 8 July: President Hu Jintao returns from G8 summit to tackle crisis Taboo of ethnic tensions Profile: Rebiya Kadeer Xinjiang: Views from China

But at least two opened after crowds of Uighurs gathered outside and demanded to be allowed in to pray on the holiest day of the week in Islam.

"We decided to open the mosque because so many people had gathered. We did not want an incident," a policeman outside the White Mosque in a Uighur neighbourhood told the AP news agency.

After the prayers, riot police punched and kicked a small group of Uighurs protesters, who demanded the release of men detained after last Sunday's violence, the BBC's Quentin Sommerville says.

Meanwhile, the city's main bus station was reported to be crowded with people trying to escape the unrest.

Extra bus services had been laid on and touts were charging up to five times the normal face price for tickets, AFP news agency said.

"It is just too risky to stay here. We are scared of the violence," a 23-year-old construction worker from central China said.

The violence began on Sunday when a Uighur rally to protest against a deadly brawl between Uighurs and Han Chinese several weeks ago in a toy factory in southern Guangdong province turned violent.

Tensions have been growing in Xinjiang for many years, as Han migrants have poured into the region, where the Uighur minority is concentrated.

Many Uighurs feel economic growth has bypassed them and complain of discrimination and diminished opportunities.

Bull gores man to death in Spain

A young Spanish man has been gored to death in the traditional running of the bulls in Pamplona, northern Spain.

The 27-year-old was gored in the neck on Friday, during the fourth bull run of the week-long San Fermin festival.

Daniel Jimeno Romero, from near Madrid, had emergency surgery in hospital but died of his injuries. Earlier reports had described the dead man as British.

Three other runners were injured by the rogue bull on Friday. The last fatal goring at the festival was in 1995.

See map of Pamplona bull run

A light-brown bull called Capuchino ploughed into a group of runners and spectators on Friday after getting separated from the rest of the group.

The wounds were mortally grave. We couldn't do anything to save his life Surgeon Esther Vila Navarra hospital

The BBC's Steve Kingstone in Madrid says the running of the bulls - opposed by animal rights activists - is a defining event in Spanish culture.

Popularised by the writer Ernest Hemingway, it attracts thousands of foreign tourists each year - many of whom choose to take part.

Hit with sticks

Friday's incident happened near the bullring, which marks the end of the 850-metre (2,805ft) run through the streets of Pamplona.

Television footage showed runners fleeing a rogue bull and jumping over the wooden barriers in one of the cobbled streets.

The bull tossed one man into the air and then gored him as he lay curled on the ground.

Fellow runners tried to beat the bull off by pulling on its tail and hitting it with sticks. The bull swerved right and left and even began running back the wrong way.

Mr Jimeno Romero, from Alcala de Henares, was said to have been gored in the lungs as well as the neck.

Emergency medics treated him at the scene before he was taken to Navarra hospital, where he died.

"The wounds were mortally grave. We couldn't do anything to save his life," surgeon Esther Vila told a news conference.

Fifteen people have died from injuries at the Pamplona fiesta since 1922.

Before Friday's fatality two North Americans were gored to death - in 1980 and 1995 - and a veteran Spanish bull-runner died after a fall in 2003, Spain's El Mundo news website reports.

The festival was made world-famous by Hemingway's 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises.

Clad in white, with a red kerchief, tourists and Spaniards sprint ahead of the charging bulls, which face matadors in the bullring later in the day.

Leaner GM emerges from bankruptcy

General Motors (GM) says it has emerged from bankruptcy protection after creating a "new GM" made up of the carmaker's best assets.

GM chief executive Fritz Henderson said it was the beginning of a "new era".

The leaner GM will own four key brands including Cadillac and will be 61% owned by the US government.

Mr Henderson said negotiations were continuing "around the clock" to conclude a deal to sell GM Europe, which includes Opel and Vauxhall.

It's easy to dismiss, even ridicule these changes. But they're more than purely cosmetic Greg Wood, BBC North America business correspondent Greg Wood: GM's big changes

Mr Henderson said that GM would take the "intensity, decisiveness and speed" of the bankruptcy process and apply it to the new company.

"We will be profitable, we will repay our loans as soon as possible and our cars and trucks will be among the best in the world," he said.

A smaller GM is being created with a reduced workforce, smaller dealer network and less debt.

'Cautiously optimistic'

Industry analysts interpreted the short timeframe of the bankruptcy as a good sign.

GM BRANDS BRANDS STAYING Chevrolet GMC Cadillac Buick What the changes mean for GM BRANDS GOING Pontiac* Saturn# Saab# Hummer# Opel# Vauxhall# *= to be discontinued/# = to be sold

"It is the smaller, leaner, tougher, better cost-focused GM," said George Magliano, an automotive analyst with consulting firm IHS Global Insight.

"But they still have to deal with the problems that they faced longer-term."

Analysts argue that GM will need to change what it offers consumers and produce more cutting-edge vehicles.

"I'm still cautiously optimistic - they still need to put a product out there that everyone is excited about purchasing," said Pete Hastings, analyst at Morgan Keegan.

"The challenge in the future is how to approach a marketplace that has been burned by GM," he added.

The firm lost its title as the world's largest vehicle-maker in January.

Toyota sold 8.97 million vehicles in 2008, while GM's global sales had dropped to 8.35 million vehicles.

The new GM will operate with 27,000 fewer US employees and operate 13 fewer US car plants compared with last year.

It will operate the strongest parts of the old company, with only its Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC brands remaining. Others such as Hummer and Saab are being sold off.

The company's logo will remain the same; blue with white GM letters underlined.

Loan repayment

GM said it planned to repay its government loans before the current 2015 deadline.

The firm is getting $60bn (£37.3bn) in financing from the US Treasury, which gives the US government a 61% share in the new GM, while the United Auto Workers union will have 17.5%.

RECENT ROAD TO GM BANKRUPTCY Feb 2008: GM posts $38.7bn loss for 2007 and sets out plans to cut 74,000 union jobs Sept 2008: GM has 100th anniversary Dec 2008: US government offers $13.3bn in loans to GM and Chrysler, while Canada offers $3.3bn Feb 2009: GM posts $31bn loss for 2008 March 2009: The White House requests a new viability plan from GM and calls for boss Rick Wagoner to resign May 2009: Reaches deals with US and Canadian unions. Creditors holding 54% of GM bonds approve restructuring plan June 2009: GM files for bankruptcy July 2009: A new GM emerges from bankruptcy GM's journey from boom to bust

Canada's government will have a 12% share and GM bondholders will own about 10% in the new company.

GM said it hoped to float the company on the stock exchange again "as soon as practical".

The US government has said it does not want to be involved in the day-to-day running of the carmaker.

The company also said it was exploring a partnership with online auction site eBay to make it easier for customers to buy its cars.

Rocky road ahead

GM filed for bankruptcy protection on 1 June, saying it would be forced to liquidate if the plan was not approved.

The plan was strongly supported by President Barack Obama and GM's 40-day bankruptcy ended two days earlier than that of its cross-town rival Chrysler.

However, it is unlikely to be smooth sailing for the two carmakers.

US car sales have been hit hard as the financial crisis has made it harder to get credit and made consumers reluctant to make big purchases.

During the past six months, car sales in the US have fallen by more than 30%, while in Japan they have declined 20%.

G8 pledges to boost food supplies

Leaders of the G8 developed nations have pledged $20bn (£12bn) for efforts to boost food supplies to the hungry, on the final day of a summit in Italy.

Many farmers in developing countries are at the mercy of drought or flooding

The investment, which is $5bn more than had been expected, will fund a three-year initiative to help poor nations develop their own agriculture.

US President Barack Obama said the issue of food security was of huge importance to all nations in the world.

Richer nations had a moral obligation to help poorer nations, he said.

Mr Obama added that the G8 nations had agreed to commit $15bn for the new initiative going into Friday's meeting, but had then promised an additional $5bn in "hard commitments" during the talks.

"We do not view this assistance as an end in itself," he said.

Has G8 done enough for the poor? Obama holds first talks with Pope In quotes: G8 food pledge assessed G8 warning on Iran crackdown

"We believe that the purpose of aid must be to create the conditions where it's no longer needed, to help people become self-sufficient, provide for their families and lift their standards of living."

Mr Obama, who has relatives in Kenya, said he had drawn on his family's personal experience in his discussions with other world leaders.

The US will reportedly contribute some $3.5bn to the programme.

Mr Obama met representatives of Angola, Algeria, Nigeria and Senegal in L'Aquila, where the summit is being held. He will also meet Pope Benedict XVI in Rome before embarking on an African tour later on Friday.

African leaders had earlier urged G8 nations to live up to past aid pledges.

BBC economics correspondent Andrew Walker says the idea is to put more emphasis on helping people feed themselves.

That is to be achieved with more investment in the agriculture of developing countries, and the G8 nations - Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the US - will provide significant resources, our correspondent adds.

Obama insisted Africa can be self-sufficient when it comes to food

However, although the total amount of overseas development aid (ODA) was increased in 2008, the rich countries are still behind on their target to double aid that was made at the G8 Gleneagles Summit in 2005 - and Italy is among the laggards. Not all the money pledged to the agriculture initiative at the summit will be new funding.

Kanaya Nwanze, president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, told the BBC that he welcomed the announcement of more investment in agriculture in the developing world.

"It is time for us to switch because food security is not just food aid," he said.

"It is the ability of people to produce food locally and for them to be able to have access to local markets."

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who also attended Friday's talks, told Reuters news agency beforehand that the key message from African nations was that the G8 had to live up to its commitments.

Aid organisations have criticised some members for failing to deliver on the promise made at the 2005 G8 summit to increase annual aid levels to sub-Saharan Africa by $25bn by 2010.

Italy, the present summit host, has come under particular pressure for cutting, rather than increasing, aid this year.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has said the global economic crisis and Italy's mounting debts are responsible for a delay in Rome meeting its promises.

Climate challenge

On Thursday, when the summit focused on climate change, leaders from both developed and developing nations agreed that global temperatures should not rise more than 2C above 1900 levels.

That is the level above which, the UN says, the Earth's climate system would become dangerously unstable.

It is time for us to switch because food security is not just food aid Kanaya Nwanze International Fund for Agricultural Development Gaddafi and Brown in first talks Climate deal highlights divisions

Mr Obama said the G8 and developing nations had made important strides in dealing with climate change.

But the G8 failed to persuade the developing countries to accept targets of cutting emissions by 50% by 2050.

On Wednesday, the G8 agreed its own members would work towards 80% cuts by the same date.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the G8 had not done enough and should also set 2020 targets for emissions cuts.

BBC environment analyst Roger Harrabin says the declaration is a significant step, with all big countries - rich and poor - agreeing there is a scientific limit on the amount we can warm the climate.

But there is still a huge way to go, he says, as developing nations like India will not sign up to any 2050 targets unless rich nations show more determination and offer more cash.