RAF helicopter crash: Five Nato staff die in Afghanistan

Five people, including two RAF personnel, have been killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan.

The Puma Mk2 helicopter crashed as it was landing at Nato's training and support mission HQ, in Kabul. Nato has not released the nationalities of the other victims or the five left injured.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said the crash was "an accident and not the result of insurgent activity".

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon expressed his "deepest sympathies".

The MoD said the families of the British victims had asked for a period of grace before their names were released.

The accident comes after a convoy of UK military vehicles was attacked in Kabul, the Afghan capital, on Sunday morning, injuring seven people. There were no UK casualties, the MoD said.

The MoD said an improvised explosive device caused an explosion, while officials in Kabul said it was a suicide bombing.

The Taliban said it carried out the attack in retaliation for air strikes in Kunduz that killed civilians and doctors.

'Hostile environment'

The two RAF personnel killed in the helicopter crash were from 230 and 33 squadrons, both of which are based at RAF Benson, in Oxfordshire, the MoD spokesman said.

He added: "The incident is currently under investigation but we can confirm that it was an accident and not the result of insurgent activity."

Image copyrightAFP

Image captionNato troops examine a crater at the site of the bomb attack that targeted a UK convoy of military vehicles

Mr Fallon said it was a "stark reminder that our brave service personnel continue to work night and day in a hostile and challenging environment.

"This is a very sad time for the men and women of RAF Benson and UK personnel in Afghanistan.

"Although the UK's combat mission has ended, the dedication and professionalism of our men and women is essential as we continue to support the government of Afghanistan as they seek to build a peaceful and prosperous future for their country."

'Observation balloon'

BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale said the BBC understood that the RAF Puma that crashed in Kabul had been transferring Nato military personnel.

"Helicopter movements of military personnel are more frequent following attacks - such as the one that took place on a British military convoy earlier on Sunday.

"The cause of the crash is still being investigated but an observation balloon became untethered and landed in the resolute support base in Kabul."

An Afghan eyewitness said the helicopter appeared to strike the balloon as it landed at the base.

The helicopter "hit the cable of the security balloon over the base," he said.

"It seemed like the cable was turned around the helicopter rotor."

An observation balloon is used as an aerial platform for gathering information and spotting aircraft.

British combat troops pulled out of Afghanistan a year ago after a conflict that had lasted 13 years and in which 454 UK troops lost their lives.

Nato's resolute support mission, which was launched after its combat mission ended, consists of more than 13,000 troops from 42 countries, including nearly 500 UK troops.

It focuses on training and supporting Afghan security forces and institutions.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-34501878

Nepal fuel shortages: Petrol 'donated' to India embassy

About 200 Twitter users in Nepal have gathered outside the Indian embassy in Kathmandu to "donate" oil as fuel shortages become more acute.

The protesters blame India for blockading fuel supplies on the India-Nepal border because Delhi is unhappy about Nepal's new constitution.

But India insists that it is not responsible for the blockade.

The demonstrators gathered after the embassy asked the Nepal Oil Corporation to provide fuel for its vehicles.

Shortages have become so pronounced that pharmaceutical companies in Nepal say they will be unable to manufacture essential drugs in the coming weeks because of a shortage of raw materials created by the blockade.

Image copyrightReuters

Image captionThe fuel shortage has become far more acute in recent days

Image copyrightReuters

Image captionMany petrol pumps in Kathmandu and its surrounding are have run dry

Officials are now reported to be looking into the possibility of flying fuel into the country from nearby Bangladesh.

Steps have already been taken to curtail the sale of petrol to all private vehicles.

Protesters said that their demonstration was "in the spirit of good neighbourliness" which is why they mockingly decided to "donate" oil to the embassy even though many Nepalese people are enduring hardships because of what they say is the Indian-enforced fuel blockade.

The BBC's Sanjaya Dhaka in Kathmandu says that at one point on Wednesday#DonateOilToIndianEmbassy became a top worldwide trend on Twitter.

Nepal's new constitution was promulgated two weeks ago, but sparked protests in the country's southern plains bordering India.

Image copyrightReuters

Image captionFuel rationing started across Nepal on 28 September

More than 40 people have died in protests related to the new constitution.

The demonstrators - most of whom are ethnic Madeshi people who live in the plains - are angry that it divides Nepal into seven new states, slicing through their ancestral homeland.

The Madeshis - who have close cultural ties with India - and other ethnic groups want the states to be larger with more autonomy.

India argues that insecurity caused by protests has meant that trucks carrying fuel and other essential goods cannot enter Nepal.

But correspondents say that many Nepalese view the Indian move as an unofficial blockade in support of people who live in the plains.

Negotiations between the protesters and the government are due to resume on Friday.

The talks come as concern mounts that the blockade will interfere with Dashain, the highlight of Nepal's religious calendar, which begins in less than two weeks.

Many people who live in Kathmandu come from districts outside the city and its surrounding valley and return home by road for the festival.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-34469494

Nepal elects KP Oli as PM amid political crisis

Parliament in Nepal has elected a new prime minister, Khadga Prasad Oli, who faces a series of daunting challenges.

Mr Oli received 338 votes of the 597-member chamber, the Speaker announced.

Mr Oli told cheering supporters in parliament that he saw his appointment as "an honour and a challenge".

The new leader will have to handle continuing protests over a new constitution, the rebuilding of the country after April's devastating earthquake and a fuel shortage.

Mr Oli, who was backed by a coalition of royalists, Maoists and centrists, is the first prime minister to be elected under the new constitution, defeating the previous prime minister, Sushil Koirala.

Image copyrightReuters

Image captionMany petrol pumps in Kathmandu and its surrounding are have run dry

Some analysts say the conservative Mr Oli will be less able than Mr Koirala to reach out to the disaffected Madhesi community of southern Nepal who oppose the new constitution.

---

BBC South Asia editor Charles Haviland

Forty-five years ago, Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli was part of a short-lived, violent Communist uprising. That is distant history. Today he is a polarising figure within Nepal, which itself is deeply split on whether the new constitution is democratic enough.

Despite the radical name of his Unified Marxist-Leninist party, Mr Oli's detractors accuse him of wanting to perpetuate the status quo of high-caste dominance.

They say he has ignored the demands of the southern Madhesi and Tharu ethnic groups, who claim that the new constitution leaves them marginalised and under-represented.

But his supporters see virtue in his bluntness and have greeted his victory as a snub to India, which they accuse of unofficially blockading Nepal to try and force change to the constitution that is backed by Mr Oli.

The Nepali Times quotes him as saying on Saturday that he would "go all out" to address the genuine demands of Madhesis, Tharus and Nepal's many other excluded groups, as well as to "safeguard our nationality" and rebuild after the earthquakes.

Modern Nepal has always had a rapid turnover of prime ministers and it is difficult to predict how long or short the latest incumbent's tenure may be.

---

Madhesis have staged weeks of demonstrations which have hampered the flow of fuel and other goods from India.

The fuel shortages have become so acute that traffic has been kept off the roads.

Image copyrightReuters

Image captionMr Oli has a full in-tray including earthquake recovery, fuel shortages and disquiet over the new constitution

Some in Nepal blame Delhi for blockading fuel supplies on the India-Nepal border because it supports Madhesi demands for changes to the constitution.

But India argues that insecurity caused by protests has meant that trucks carrying fuel and other essential goods cannot enter Nepal.

The new constitution was promulgated two weeks ago, but sparked protests in the plains, resulting in more than 40 deaths.

Thousands of people lost their lives and thousands more were injured in a 7.8-magnitude earthquake and aftershocks that hit Nepal earlier this year.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-34500363