The spiritual home of the Taliban will be the scene of intense US efforts to crush the rebels this summer, the most significant struggle of the year After three hours of lugging heavy gear around Arghandab, a lush valley flanking Afghanistan’s second city of Kandahar, and with the sun about to set, the men of Bravo company were hungry: they were beginning to think about chow.

Haitian officials insist trial of Baptists needed to send strong message against child trafficking Haitian and US officials are considering a trial in the United States for 10 Americans who were arrested while trying to bus children out of Haiti without documents or permission. The aborted Baptist “rescue mission” has become a big distraction for a crippled government trying to provide basic life support to millions of earthquake survivors. Haiti’s courts and justice ministry were destroyed in the disaster, which also killed many judicial officials.

Church group from Idaho said to have lacked documentation when they were arrested amid fears of child trafficking A group of 10 American Baptists were being held in the Haitian capital today after trying to take 33 children out of Haiti. The church group, most of them from Idaho, allegedly lacked the proper documents when they were arrested on Friday night in a bus along with children aged from two months to 12 years who had survived the earthquake. The group say they were setting up an orphanage across the border in the Dominican Republic

The US president’s first state of the union speech Madam Speaker, Vice President Biden, members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans: Our Constitution declares that from time to time, the President shall give to Congress information about the state of our union.

Reintegration will be high on London agenda – but that might be hard for some to swallow, not least the US soldiers in field It was meant to be a routine patrol. But when a group of 28 American paratroopers and Afghan soldiers found themselves pinned down by the Taliban it almost ended in a bloodbath. As many as 90 insurgents almost completely surrounded the platoon from the 82nd Airborne as they walked across open ground.

Home Office statistics reveal dozens of applications by people claiming persecution in the US They hail from the land of the free, the home of the brave, a place where it is said anyone can prosper regardless of colour, creed or religion. But dozens of Americans have tried in recent years to gain asylum in the UK by claiming they were persecuted in their homeland, according to figures released to the Guardian under the Freedom of Information Act. Home Office statistics show that between 2004 and 2008, 45 Americans submitted asylum applications to the UK Border Agency claiming they had fled the US and were unable to go back because they had a well-founded fear of persecution.

For nearly six years, British resident Omar Deghayes was imprisoned in Guantánamo and subjected to such brutal torture that he lost the sight in one eye.

The journey to find the truth behind the kidnapping of the five British men kidnapped in Iraq in May 2007 has been a long one.

Communities have flourished where foundations of security have been laid. We intend to replicate these successes in 2010 With British forces mainly based in Helmand, it is not surprising that most reporting in UK concentrates on that province, and reporting of the recent tragic casualties reflects this.

British officials try to persuade US to ‘push the boat out’ when Barack Obama arrives at Copenhagen climate conference British officials are engaged in last-ditch attempts to persuade the Americans to “push the boat out” and offer higher emissions cuts when Barack Obama arrives at the UN climate conference in Copenhagen on Friday. They admit, however, that a better offer from the US is “unlikely”