The Patrol: Film Examines Afghan War Legacy

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

The first UK feature film about the conflict in Afghanistan is due to premiere next week - and Sky News has had access to an exclusive screening of it.

The Patrol is set in Helmand Province around 2006/07 and tells the story of a British Army patrol sent to protect an Afghan town against the Taliban.

But early in the Helmand occupation, forces were stretched and the soldiers are ordered to lengthen their patrol. The film explores the tensions that arise and questions the strategy and equipment the soldiers are expected to fight with.

Tom Petch: 'We are pulling out with 444 dead and little reconstruction'

"I wanted to portray conflict in a way the public doesn't see it," explained writer and director Tom Petch, who is a former Army officer himself.

"My film raises a question that back in 2006 John Reid told us that we were deploying to into Helmand Province as part of a reconstruction effort.

"In fact he's often misquoted but I think the press conference he gave in Kabul went something like 'he'd be very happy if we left after three years without firing a single shot' because we were protecting the reconstruction effort.

"Here we are pulling out in 2014 with 444 dead and very little reconstruction seems to have happened, and those questions haven't really been answered."

The Patrol was actually filmed in Morocco. The cast was sent on a boot camp and trained in drills to learn basic soldiering techniques. It was shot in 40 degree heat - similar temperatures to the Afghan summer - and the actors were deprived of sleep on location for realism.

"The soldiers use the language they would be using so a lot of it is abbreviations, a lot of it is slang. I think you can get what is going on from the emotion of the characters rather than what they say," added Petch.

The film was shot in Morocco in 40 degree heat similar to Afghanistan

Sky News watched the film with a group of current and former military personnel, all of whom have served in Afghanistan - a scrupulous audience.

"I take issue with the idea that there was a kit or an ammunition issue," said Corporal Jake Fisher, who is in the RAF.

"But I'm sure some lads might come out and say there was, particularly if you were on a PB (patrol base) or something and you're very seldom getting resupplied.

"There was a line in it talking about the loneliness of the officer. It asks those questions that don't normally get asked."

The film doesn't judge the British Army: not the fighting nor the bravery of the soldiers, rather the purpose of the mission.

And the timing of the release is pertinent as the process of withdrawing British combat troops from Afghanistan is well under way and due to complete by the end of 2014.

:: The Patrol will premiere at The Raindance Film Festival in central London on Friday, October 4, at 9pm.

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McDonald's Rampage: Gunman's Weapon Jams

A gunman's jammed pistol stopped him shooting several diners at a McDonald's in Texas, in a botched robbery caught on CCTV.

Police say Jestin Anthony Joseph asked for a cup at the restaurant in Fort Worth before pulling out his weapon and demanding customers hand over their keys.

The 24-year-old is seen later in the footage approaching a father and son at the counter and pulling the trigger - but the gun does not fire.

He briefly scuffles with the man, who runs off, before the would-be robber walks around to the kitchen and points the gun at another customer.

Davage Armstrong was among those inside the restaurant when the raid began.

"I pulled myself inside of the McDonald's office," he said.

"I was waiting for bullets to come through the door."

Sergeant Joe Loughman, of the Fort Worth Police Department, said Joseph pulled the trigger at least five times - and eventually fired a stray bullet in the car park before police arrived and arrested him.

"He appeared to be intent to kill somebody, just lucky that it didn't happen," he said.

Joseph is charged with five counts of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon and is being held on a $500,000 (£310,000) bond.

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Greece: Far-Right Golden Dawn Boss Arrested

The leader of Greece's Golden Dawn party has been arrested in a crackdown on the group launched after the murder of a leftist musician.

Nikos Michaloliakos, 56, was arrested along with Golden Dawn MP and spokesman Ilias Kassidiairis and two other party members on charges of founding to a "criminal organisation".

It is the first time since 1974 that sitting members of parliament have been arrested.

Two police officials said an operation by the counterterrorism unit is still ongoing, with a total of about 35 arrest warrants for Golden Dawn members issued. They spoke on condition of anonymity.

The arrests come 11 days after the killing of left-wing activist rapper Pavlos Fyssas by an alleged Golden Dawn member.

Though the party has vehemently denied any role in the killing, it has appeared to dent its appeal among Greeks and the government has worked to crackdown on the party.

Golden Dawn expressed outrage at the arrests in a text message to journalists.

The killing of Mr Fyssas sparked protests in Athens earlier in September

"We call upon everyone to support our moral and just struggle against the corrupt system! Everyone come to our offices!" it said.

Mr Mihaloliakos warned on Friday that the party may pull its 18 politicians from parliament if the crackdown does not stop.

The move would prompt by-elections that could hurt the coalition government of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, which has a slim majority of 155 MPs in the 300-seat parliament.

A formerly marginal organisation, Golden Dawn entered the Greek Parliament for the first time in May 2012, capitalising on Greece's deep financial crisis, rising crime and anti-immigrant sentiment, polling just under 7%. It has 18 deputies.

A government spokesman refused to comment on the details of the operation.

"Democracy can protect itself. Justice will do its job," Simos Kedikoglou told reporters.

Authorities also said they arrested a local Golden Dawn leader in an Athens suburb, as well as nine other unnamed party members.

In addition to Mr Michaloliakos and Mr Kassidiris, Golden Dawn deputy, Ilias Panayiotaros, gave himself up at police headquarters, telling police they were looking for him at a wrong address.

Another lawmaker, Yannis Lagos, has also been arrested.

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Syria Chemical Weapons: UN Resolution Passed

A "historic" resolution to destroy Syria's chemical weapons has been passed unanimously by the United Nations Security Council.

All 15 members of the council voted in favour of the resolution, which was widely seen as a compromise between the US and Syria's key ally, Russia.

The vote after two weeks of intense negotiations marks a major breakthrough following two and a half years of paralysis that has gripped the council since the Syrian uprising began.

More than 100,000 Syrians have been killed during that time while millions have been displaced.

Russia's Sergei Lavrov votes in favour of the resolution

Russia and China previously vetoed three Western-backed resolutions pressuring President Bashar Assad's regime to end the violence.

Speaking immediately after the vote, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the council: "Today's historic resolution is the first hopeful news on Syria in a long time."

Foreign Secretary William Hague described the development as "ground-breaking".

"The failure of the council to tackle the crimes committed on a daily basis has resulted in a culture of impunity in which a brutal regime believed it could get away with murdering its own men, women and children," he said.

UN chemical weapons experts carried out inspections in Syria

"So it is vital that the council now builds on the consensus we have reached today to make progress today towards a sustainable resolution of the crisis.

"With renewed purpose and resolve, we need to achieve a political transition."

US Secretary of State John Kerry said the "strong, enforceable, precedent-setting" resolution showed diplomacy can be so powerful "that it can peacefully defuse the worst weapons of war."

He said the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons stockpile would begin in November and be completed by the middle of next year.

Volunteers in Aleppo at a class on how to respond to a chemical attack

For the first time, the council endorsed the roadmap for a political transition in Syria adopted by key nations in June 2012 and called for an international conference to be convened "as soon as possible" to implement it.

Mr Ban said the target date for a new peace conference in Geneva was mid-November.

The resolution calls for consequences if Syria fails to comply, but those will depend on the council passing another resolution in the event of non-compliance.

That will give Assad ally Russia the means to stop any punishment from being imposed.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed that the resolution does not automatically impose sanctions on Syria.

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China: Dozens Of Kidnapped Children Freed

Chinese police have rescued 92 children and two women kidnapped by a human-trafficking gang and arrested 301 suspects.

In one of the biggest operations of its kind in years police simultaneously swooped on locations in 11 provinces after a six-month investigation.

Police also found sleeping pills used for the babies in the process of trafficking.

The raids were reported by China Central Television and state news agency Xinhua, quoting the Ministry of Public Security.

Police investigations started in March with a child trafficking case in central China's Henan Province.

They found members of the network followed a clear pattern, with kidnappers collecting children in southwest China's Yunnan and Sichuan provinces.

They were then driven to other regions into the hands of sellers, according to the statement released by the Ministry.

Armed police prepare to raid premises where children were held

The freed children have been sent to hospitals for checkups and some of them have been handed over to a children's home in Zhengzhou, Henan Province.

Zhang Wenli, head of Zhengzhou Children's Welfare Home, said: "Our childcare workers have been professionally trained, so they know how to communicate with the babies, and know how to comfort and rear them. 

"Meanwhile, we are working together with hospital staff to cure these children's diseases."

Before their biological parents are identified, the freed children will stay at the home, Ms Zhang added.

A traditional preference for boys, especially in rural areas, and a strict one-child policy have contributed to a rise in the trafficking of children and women in recent years.

State media did not give a breakdown of how many boys and girls were taken.

Kidnapped women are sold to men in remote areas who are unable to find brides because of a shortage of women blamed on the one-child policy.

The government will impose harsh punishments on people who buy kidnapped children, as well as parents who allow them to be sold, state television said.

China has trumpeted the success of an intensified crackdown on the kidnapping and sale of children and women.

In 2011, police said they had rescued more than 13,000 abducted children and 23,000 women over the past two years or so.

The latest arrests happened on September 11 but no reason was given for the delay in reporting the operation.

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Kenya Attack: New Video Shows Aftermath

Sky News has filmed pictures from the rear of the Nairobi shopping mall showing the devastating aftermath of last Saturday's terror attack.

Hundreds of tons of masonry, debris and metal fell down several floors after part of the roof collapsed where the car park was.

The scene has been described as a 'mini Ground Zero' by one forensic expert who spoke to Sky News.

It comes as the Foreign Office said a sixth British national had been confirmed dead following the atrocity. The figure had earlier been lowered to five.

Burned out cars were filmed hanging precariously over the edge of the pit and the tin roof of the supermarket atrium was severely damaged.

Below the hole in the roof was where a cookery competition was taking place involving adults and children when the gunmen began shooting at them.

The air conditioning system on the left of the picture was burnt out

Some people said the roof collapse was caused by the terrorists starting a fire, others said it was the military who detonated explosives or fired rocket propelled grenades that set off the blaze.

The pictures were filmed from a private property of resident Sukhbir Singh who told Sky News he heard "really loud blasts" and "several gunshots".

He said at the part of the roof which has now fallen down he saw two or three gunmen opening fire towards children, adding "it was really really bad".

He went on: "They just came in and sprayed bullets without talking."

Sky News filmed from the rear of the shopping centre

Meanwhile, new footage from the Kenyan Red Cross shows the organisation's staff helping shoppers as they emerged from Westgate Mall during last week's terror attack.

The video was filmed on September 21 - the first day of the siege and just hours after gunmen attacked the mall with assault rifles and grenades.

The organisation's secretary general, Abbas Gullet, is a prominent figure in the footage, not just overseeing the medical care of the injured, but also providing direct medical assistance himself at times.

Mr Gullet's team of medics regularly risked their own lives to bring people out of the shopping centre.

Resident Sukhbir Singh witnessed the terror attack

One man can be seen with is hand on a body covered with a red blanket weeping, while medical teams look on.

Stretchers were repeatedly run in and out of the mall despite the ongoing attack by gunmen.

The Red Cross also helped to transport those who lost their lives in the deadly assault.

Seven days after the attack which left at least 67 people dead, there is still no clear word on the fate of dozens who have been reported missing and no details on the gunmen who carried it out.

Shoppers were told to leave the mall with their hands up

Al Shabaab said it carried out the massacre to punish Kenya for sending its troops into Somalia to fight the al Qaeda-linked militant group that had seized large parts of that country for years before being dislodged from the capital, Mogadishu.

The Kenyan Red Cross has said 59 people are unaccounted for, raising fears of bodies in the debris.

President Uhuru Kenyatta's government is facing tough questions after the reported leaking of an intelligence report dated September 13 which warned of an elevated risk and which some top officials said was treated too casually.

Senior security officials told the AFP news agency on condition of anonymity that an intelligence report warning of an attack had been sent to the treasury, interior, foreign affairs and defence ministers, as well as the army chief.

"Briefs were made to them of increasing threat of terrorism and of plans to launch simultaneous attacks in Nairobi and Mombasa around September 13 and 20, 2013," according to the report, quoted in the Nation newspaper.

The report also apparently said Israel, which has close security ties with Kenya, had warned of plans to attack Israeli property in September, a month which included several Jewish holidays.

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Police Impersonator Held At Officer's Funeral

A man allegedly pretending to be a police officer has been arrested at the funeral of an officer who was shot dead in Indianapolis.

Colleagues were mourning the death of Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) officer Rod Bradway in Wayne Township, when they spotted Minh Van Nguyen wearing a police uniform and a fake badge.

The 38-year-old was carrying two handguns, a radio with a shoulder microphone, two sets of handcuffs and a stun gun, it is claimed.

Rod Bradway was shot dead while investigating a domestic disturbance

He was arrested after an officer recognised him as a person he had warned several times about impersonating a   police officer.

Police allegedly found a number of items stolen from IMPD in his car, including nine ID cards and evidence envelopes.

There was also a working siren box, flashing lights, a scanner set to police frequencies, cameras, and binoculars.

Detectives found more guns and police uniforms during a search of the former security guard's home. They are investigating how Nguyen got hold of the IMPD equipment.

"Someone like this is a danger to society, he can also be a danger to us police officers," said police spokesman Mike Hewitt.

Nguyen is charged with theft and impersonating a police officer, which carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison. He is due to appear at Marion Superior Court on Thursday.

Last year, Nguyen was questioned by police for allegedly installing a hidden camera inside a smoke alarm in his neighbour's bedroom.

In 2004 he was caught pulling over vehicles while driving a white Ford saloon with flashing blue lights. Nguyen, who was wearing a security guard uniform, was questioned but not arrested.

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Iran Leader Met With Protests After US Trip

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has been met with protesters chanting "Death to America" as he arrived from New York after a historic phone call with Barack Obama.

Shoes and eggs were thrown towards his motorcade as it left Tehran's Mehrabad Airport, as some 60 hardline Islamists also chanted "Death to Israel".

They were outnumbered by 200 to 300 supporters of the president who shouted: "Thank you Rouhani."

Mr Rouhani, who was returning from a UN General Assembly meeting in New York, stood up through his car's sunroof to acknowledge the crowds.

Mr Rouhani's supporters outnumbered his opponents as he arrived home

He did not appear to have been hit by any of the projectiles. Throwing shoes is considered deeply offensive in the Middle East.

Mr Rouhani's 15-minute telephone conversation with Mr Obama on Friday was the first contact between leaders of the two countries in more than three decades.

The exchange could reflect a major step in resolving global concerns over Tehran's disputed nuclear programme.

Mr Obama said he had a constructive conversation, adding: "While there will surely be important obstacles to moving forward and success is by no means guaranteed, I believe we can reach a comprehensive solution."

Both leaders will now direct their teams to work quickly to find an agreement after the first direct verbal communication between the nations' presidents since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Earlier, Mr Rouhani said he hoped talks with the US and other world powers over its nuclear programme will lead to results in "a short period of time".

Surrounded by tight security, Mr Rouhani waved to crowds at Tehran airport

He said Iran would present its plan for a resolution to the nuclear issue at discussions with the six countries scheduled for Geneva on October 15 and 16.

The six are the five permanent UN Security Council members - Britain, China, France, the United States and Russia - and Germany, known as P5+1.

Iran has insisted its nuclear programme is a peaceful attempt to generate electricity but America and its allies including Israel have long demanded a halt to Tehran's uranium enrichment, fearing it could secretly build nuclear warheads.

Mr Rouhani vowed his country would not build a nuclear bomb, adding his government would be transparent and had the backing of authorities at home to handle the nuclear issue.

In his latest comments, he said: "We say explicitly that we will be transparent; we say explicitly that we will not build a bomb. Through the P5+1 we want to provide even more assurances."

Around 60 hardliners waved anti-US placards at Mehrabad Airport

Earlier Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met US Secretary of State John Kerry along with representatives from the other P5+1 powers. That was followed by a brief bilateral meeting between Mr Zarif and Mr Kerry.

The two sides said the tone was positive but they remained cautious about resolving the long-running stand-off over Tehran's nuclear programme.

Mr Rouhani and Mr Zarif, both in New York to attend the UN General Assembly, have said they are eager to clinch an agreement quickly that could bring relief from what the president called "illegal" sanctions.

The sanctions have slashed Iran's vital oil exports by more than half, restricted its international bank transfers, devalued its currency and sent inflation surging.

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Pakistan Earthquake: At Least 12 Killed

A powerful earthquake in Pakistan has killed at least 12 people just days after hundreds were killed by a quake in the same area.

The 6.8-magnitude quake hit the region of Balochistan in the south west of the country on Saturday morning, sending people running into the streets in panic.

On Tuesday a 7.8-magnitude tremor rocked the same impoverished Awaran district killing 359 people, razing hundreds of mud-and-brick homes to the ground and leaving tens of thousands homless.

People still recovering from injuries sustained in the first disaster fled the hospital where they were being treated fearing the building would collapse.

The epicentre was 90 miles west of Khuzdar

The US Geological Survey measured the earthquake at 6.8 magnitude, however, Pakistan's Meteorological Department said it measured 7.2.

The department said the epicentre was located 90 miles west of the town of Khuzdar, a short distance from the epicentre of the earthquake earlier in the week.

A number of people were wounded, and officials fear the number of dead could significantly increase.

There have been reports that homes still standing after Tuesday's earthquake had collapsed on Saturday.

Balochistan is Pakistan's largest but least populated province. The rough terrain and the lack of good roads have made it difficult for rescue staff.

People visit an island formed by Tuesday's tremor

The Pakistani Air Force has been making air drops of supplies and using helicopters to ferry injured people to medical care.

However, the aid efforts have been hampered by militants who want to overthrow central government and establish a hard-line Islamic state. The separatists have fired at the military aircraft helping with the aid and rescue mission.

Around 300,000 people were affected by Tuesday's earthquake which was so strong it is believed to have caused a small island to emerge just off the coastline in the Arabian Sea.

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Mumbai Building Collapse: Number Of Dead Rises

The number of people killed after a five-storey apartment block collapsed in Mumbai has risen to 45 amid fears the figure could increase further.

Rescue teams have pulled out at least 33 people alive following the collapse on Friday but have struggled to find more survivors in the rubble. A number are still missing.

Just one person was found alive on Saturday from under the twisted iron bars and chunks of fallen concrete.

Emergency workers worked for six hours to free the 50-year-old man who was trapped for more than 30 hours beneath the wreckage with his leg crushed by part of a wall.

Relatives wait near the site of the tragedy

Rescuers lifted up a slab of cement using a compressed air-pressure bag, and he was taken to hospital.

"We were able to save him, but he may lose his leg," rescue chief Alok Awasthi said.

Alok Avasthy, a senior official at the National Disaster Management Authority, said: "We've got 45 bodies now and that number is likely to rise though we still hope for survivors."

The cause of the collapse in the Indian city is not known, but residents in the area complained of builders using sub-standard materials.

Very little remains of the building

"There should not be corruption in the building process. They should use best of the materials - then only the buildings will last," said Sanjay Mayekar, who lives in another apartment building next to the one that fell.

It was the third deadly building collapse in the city in six months and some have expressed fears that their own buildings might also fall down.

Between 83 and 89 people were in the block, which housed workers for the city's government, when it caved in, residents said as frantic relatives held a vigil at the site.

Rudiben Parmar sat with several weeping relatives near the rubble, waiting for news of the last of five family members who were in the building.

A young child is saved from the rubble

Three of them - a nephew and two of his children - had already been found dead.

The nephew's wife was rescued, but the couple's young daughter was still unaccounted for.

Ms Parmar said she did not know who was to blame for the disaster, adding: "We will be OK once all members of our family are recovered."

At least 72 people died in April when an illegally-constructed building fell down in Mumbai.

In June, over 10 people including five children died when a three-storey structure collapsed in the city.

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