Taliban militants storm TV and radio stations as they tighten grip on key Afghan city
19:31 ET, Aug 3 2021
RAMPAGING Taliban militants stormed TV and radio stations as they tightened their grip on a key Afghan city once home to a British headquarters.
Terrified residents in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, said the insurgents had captured nine out of ten urban districts.
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Afghan special forces patrol a deserted street during fighting with Taliban fighters in Lashkar Gah, Helmand provinceCredit: AP
It prompted calls in Britain for an inquiry into what went wrong in the 20-year war.
Former Foreign Secretary Lord Hague said Afghanistan was doomed to face a civil war or be ruled by a Taliban government “that will have links with al-Qaeda”.
BBC News
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image captionThe switch has been welcomed by climate campaigners
Alok Sharma is to leave his position as business secretary to focus full-time on his role as president of the UN COP26 climate conference in November.
The Glasgow event is expected to be the biggest summit the UK has ever hosted.
Mr Sharma, who will remain in the cabinet, said he was delighted to have been asked by the PM to dedicate all my energies to the position.
Kwasi Kwarteng replaces him as business secretary while Anne-Marie Trevelyan becomes the new energy minister.
The government says a successful summit will be critical if the UK wants to meet the objectives set out by the Paris Agreement and reduce global emissions.