25/02/2012 BBC Weekend News

Two senior US officers are shot dead inside a high-security command

centre in Kabul. The Taliban says it was revenge for the burning of

copies of the Koran. NATO withdraws all the staff from Afghan

government ministries. Doctors are to be balloted on

industrial action for the first time since the 1970s in a row over

pensions. Former South African President

Nelson Mandela is recovering in hospital after an operation for a

stomach complaint. Rupert Murdoch launches his new

Sunday tabloid tonight, but will it match the success of the News of

the World? And in the Six Nations, Wales are

past England to win the Triple Good evening. Two senior American

army officers have been shot dead inside a high-security command

centre in Afghanistan. The Taliban said it carried out the attack at

the Interior Ministry in Kabul in retaliation for the burning of

copies of the Koran by US soldiers last week. Following today's

shooting, NATO announced it was withdrawing all its staff from

Afghan government ministries in the capital. Britain has pulled out its

civilian advisers. From Kabul, here is our correspondent Orla Guerin.

It is heavily guarded and heavily fortified, but a gunman managed to

strike inside Afghanistan's Interior Ministry and, it seems, to

get away. The victims were American military advisers. Sources have

told us they were shot in the back of their head in a supposedly

secure a room. The Taliban said they carried out the attack in

revenge for the desecration of the Koran by US troops. If so, it is

another chilling example of their long reach. NATO says it is too

early to say if the killings are connected to the burning of the

Muslim holy book at a US base this week. We are not linking this

incident has yet. We have to look into the details of what is going

to come out over the coming hours. Of course, we have a tense week

behind us, and it is very regrettable to see the loss of life.

The killer has not been identified, but a senior Afghan source told us

it may be an Afghan soldier or translator. The area here remains

sealed off. Investigators are still at work inside the Interior

Ministry. The fact that NATO troops could be targeted and killed here

raises serious security concerns. The interior ministry should be one

of the safest places in the country. Only those with top security

clearance can get through the door. So NATO's top military commander,

General John Allen, has recalled all advisers working in government

ministries for their own safety. British civilian advisers have also

been pulled out. Across Afghanistan, there is still rage against NATO.

Protests have continued for a fifth day, and local security forces are

struggling to control the crowds. NATO is now under attack on the

streets and in the heart of the Afghan government.

More than 100,000 doctors are to be balloted on industrial action over

government plans to change their pensions. It will be the first

ballot of its kind since the 1970s. The doctors' union, the British

Medical Association, said it had no other option but has ruled out a

strike. Ministers say the changes are needed to ensure pensions are

sustainable and affordable. Political correspondent Ross

Hawkins reports. Art doctors willing to bring

industrial action to hospitals and surgeries to protect their

pensions? That is what they union is asking them to decide. We very

much how that any industrial action can be avoided and that the

government will come back to the table. It is the government to have

left us with no choice by their refusal to enter into meaningful

discussions. The BMA has ruled out strikes, but doctors could, for

example, insist on working to rule. At issue is the pension scheme in

England and Wales which, like those of other public sector workers, is

set to change. Under government plans, doctors' pensions would no

longer be based on final salaries but on how much they had earned on

average. Their pension age would rise from 65 up to 68. Their

contributions would go up to as much as 14.5% for those earning

over �110,000. Doctors have not taken industrial action since 1975,

so if today's medics are like their predecessors, angry with the

government, but ministers say they have protected low and middling

public sector workers in the pension changes and are not showing

any signs of making concessions to doctors who can earn six-figure

salaries. Nothing is gained by the threat of industrial action.

Nothing would be gained by this ballot. We entered into

negotiations in good faith and arrived at what I believe is not

only the best available through negotiation but a high quality

scheme, a high-quality pension scheme that values the staff of the

NHS. The British Medical Association has grown used to find

itself at odds with the Government. It also opposes plans to change the

NHS in England, and when hot groups were invited to Downing Street at

the start of the week to discuss those with the Prime Minister, the

BMA was not on the guest-list. Other workers have already gone on

strike over pensions, but ministers want to start making changes this

year. Doctors have to decide whether they can or should try to

Nelson Mandela is said to be in good spirits recovering in hospital

in South Africa after an operation for a stomach complaint. The

authorities will not say where he is or what procedure he has

undergone. A spokesman said the government was keen to protect his

family from the media. Africa correspondent Andrew Harding is in

Johannesburg. Yes, this announcement came really

out of the blue, and initially it triggered some alarm here. After

all, Nelson Mandela is 93 and in increasingly fading health. But in

the last few hours, it has been confirmed that the former South

African President is stable, he is comfortable, and he is even talking.

This is almost certainly when Nelson Mandela was brought

overnight, a military hospital in the city of Pretoria. South African

officials were quick to tell the world not to panic. He had been

having abdominal complaints, these were receiving attention, but the

doctors then came to the conclusion that he needed specialist attention.

It is in pursuance of that that he was Hopper's eyes this morning. It

was not an emergency admission. -- hospitalised. It was a pre-planned

admission, and everything seems to be going all right. The former

freedom fighter, Nelson Mandela remains an iconic figure, but his

health has been fading. He is now 93. It is one years since he was

last in hospital with a chest infection. Now it is his stomach.

The details of the surgery have not been made public. Outside his old

home in Soweto this afternoon, messages of support. We are sending

him positive vibrations, because he is irrepressible. The peace in the

community, the world peace he has brought. He has pushed through many

years, he will definitely push through this. I am heartbroken, he

is in my prayers. The 2010 World Cup was his last, brief public

appearance. Delighting a global audience, it has not forgotten his

defining role in bringing democracy and reconciliation to South Africa.

Andrew, there has been some controversy over how the Government

has handled this. Yes, well, last year, when he had that a

respiratory infection, there was a lot of secrecy and confusion, and

that seemed to trigger a lot of speculation. People got very upset

about that. This time, it seems the government has learnt its lesson

and done a much better job of controlling the information and

getting the information out sooner. We understand now that Nelson

Mandela should be going home on Monday probably, and we are told he

is in a reasonable state. It is difficult for the government here.

They are balancing the needs to respect the privacy of Nelson

Mandela, the desire from many South Africans to give in the privacy

that they feel he deserves. On the other hand, he is a global figure,

and people are very, very keen to know how he is doing. Andrew, thank

you. Andrew Harding in Johannesburg there.

A day of negotiations between the Red Cross and the Syrian government

about arranging a temporary ceasefire in Homs has ended without

agreement. So far, 27 people have been moved from the district of

Baba Amr, which has been under fierce bombardment from government

troops. Two journalists injured in the shelling which kill the Sunday

Times correspondent Marie Colvin remain in the area.

Authorities in Pakistan have begun demolishing the house where Osama

Bin Laden was killed by US special forces last May. Bulldozers were

brought into the compound in Abbottabad after dark to take down

the buildings where the Al-Qaeda leader wash-up dead.

The first edition of the Sun on Sunday is rolling off the printing

presses tonight. Rupert Murdoch has been personally overseeing the

final stages of production. He has said he hopes the paper will

emulate the success of its predecessor, the News of the World,

which was closed in July last year because of the phone-hacking

scandal. Nick Higham's report contains flash photography.

They are printing more than 3 million copies tonight of Britain's

first new Sunday paper for almost a decade. Owner Rupert Murdoch

himself was there at the printing plant just north of London to watch

the press's role on a bold gamble. He was there when he relaunched the

Sun as a tabloid in 1969, but now he and his company under siege amid

revelations of phone-hacking and allegations of corruption. He came

to London to raise battered morale in the newsroom by launching a

Sunday edition. It is also a cheap way to replace the News of the

World and the lure back its advertisers and readers. The News

of the World had a very special place on Sundays, and it is not at

all clear that the sun can simply replace it. But remember, the sun

starts from the position of being Britain's most popular daily

tabloid, 2.7 million daily sales, so if they get the package right,

they have got a good platform. News of the World closed last July.

It was hard-edged than the Sun, less fun. Can the newspaper now

match its investigative record without resorting to the same

techniques? The News of the World had a four year period where

apparently the lunatics took over the asylum. It was the market

leader, breaking many major stories before phone-hacking was even

thought of. But it is not a good time to be launching a new

newspaper. 10 years ago, Sunday papers sold a total of 14.3 million

copies per week. In the years since, it has fallen by almost half, down

to 7.8 million. People are losing the habit. The market for newspaper

gets smaller with every week that passes, which makes the launch of

the Sun on Sunday, lead story an exclusive story with Amanda Holden,

a defiant gesture of faith in the story of newspapers.

Camelot says someone has come forward to claim a �46.4 million

EuroMillions lottery prize. It is the third largest British win this

year. Two couples from Nottinghamshire have won jackpots

of �40 and �45 million during the last five weeks.

Now, with news of the Six Nations and the rest of the day's sport,

here is Olly Foster. What a finish we had in today's

match at Twickenham as Wales beat England to maintain their 100%

record at the top of the Six Nations table, having already

beaten Scotland and Ireland. The 19-12 the victory secured the

Triple Crown. A late try won it for Wales, but England will be left

ruing the try that never was. Joe Wilson reports.

England gathered themselves like heroes. To many eyes, they looked

like zeros, no chance was the general prediction, even at

Twickenham. Owen Farrell led the young hopefuls against Welsh

experience and sheer force. It was a shuddering stalemate. Both

kickers kept their composure. Leigh Halfpenny with the accuracy for

Wales, and Farrell cleared his head to edge England into the lead, 9-6

at half-time, 12-9 with 15 minutes left when he was forced off. The

agony of leaving hurt more than anything. Five minutes left, the

scores were level, and brilliant sleight of hand, Scott Williams

stole the ball and stole a march. A kick into space and a sprint that

only he would win. For the first time in the match, Wales lead.

Timing is everything. Still dying seconds for England to throw the

ball. England was just short, held up by the Welsh will to win. There

were endless replays but nothing conclusive. Ultimately, they were

held up. Oh, unbelievable. We did not play well at all today, I

didn't think, we knew it would be the toughest games so far, and we

ignored everything in the media. We know England are a quality outfit,

and it was one hell of a Test match. Triple crown, three wins from three

with Italy and France to come. After the twists at Twickenham,

Wales are still perfect. Ireland got their first win of the

tournament, Tommy Bowe scoring two of the five tries against Italy, he

is now third in the all-time list of Irish try-scorers. There were

six matches in the Premier League today, 15 goals coming up on Match

of the Day straight after the news, but I'm about to give away the

results! You have just a couple of seconds to avoid them, you know the

Manchester City are five points clear of Manchester United after a

3-0 win over Blackburn, Mario Balotelli with one of their goals.

There was relief for Andre Villas- Boas. His Chelsea side beat Bolton

And Wolves caretaker manager Terry O'Connor's first game in charge saw

his side come back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Newcastle. Elsewhere,

Fulham beat QPR, West Brom thrashed Sunderland 4-0, and bottom side

Wigan drew 0-0 against Aston Villa. Here's how the top of the table

looks, City five points clear, but Manchester United go to Norwich

tomorrow, and it's also the North London derby, third placed Spurs

looking to keep up with the leaders as they go to Arsenal, who are ten

Celtic's charge to the Scottish title continues. They now have a

23-point lead over Rangers in the table after victory over Motherwell.

Earlier, St Mirren and Aberdeen drew, Dundee United moved above

Hearts after their 2-0 win, Hibs are three points off the bottom

beating Kilmarnock, and bottom side Dunfermline lost 3-1 at St

England's cricketers have levelled the Twenty20 series against

Pakistan with one match remaining. Jonny Bairstow's first

international half-century helped England to 150-7 at the end of

their 20 overs. Captain Stuart Broad then got the final wicket as

Pakistan finished the match 38 runs short. The deciding match is on

There was a surprise medal for Pete Waterfield at the Diving World Cup

at the Olympic Aquatics Centre in London tonight. Waterfield, who

finished seventh with Tom Daley in the synchro event, was again lying

in seventh going into his final effort, but a stunning dive, a back

two-and-a-half somersault with two- and-a-half twists, saw him make the

And that is all your sport. Thank you. The main news tonight: Jo

senior American officers have been shot dead inside a high-security