![Image]( "Hospital trusts' death rates 'high'")
Death rates at 19 NHS hospital trusts in England were alarmingly high last year, according to an influential report.
The Dr Foster hospital guide also revealed that tens of thousands of patients were harmed in hospital when they developed avoidable blood clots, suffered obstetric tears during childbirth, accidental lacerations or puncture wounds, or post-surgery intestinal bleeding and blood poisoning, according to newspaper reports.
The study identified four trusts where an unexpectedly high number of patients died after surgery, including Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, where there were 33 more deaths than should have been expected. It is not possible to say how many of these deaths could have been prevented.
Dr Foster said the mortality rates should act as a warning sign of potential problems in the quality of care.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley welcomed the report, saying: "I have been clear that unsafe care will not be tolerated. Patients have a right to expect the very best care from the NHS and when something goes wrong, hospitals have a duty to report it and make sure that others can learn from their mistake."
The Dr Foster report revealed 30,500 patients developed a blood clot, more than 13,000 mothers suffered an obstetric tear while giving birth, almost 10,000 patients suffered an accidental puncture or laceration, more than 2,000 had post-operative intestinal bleeding and 1,300 patients contracted blood poisoning after surgery.
The number of England's 147 trusts reported to have high hospital standardised mortality rates (HSMRs), fell from 27 to 19, with the gaps between hospitals with the highest and lowest rates narrowing. In other good news, the number of people dying in hospital fell by 7% between 2008-09 and 2009-10 and the reporting of errors seems to have improved.
Of the 19 trusts with high HSMRs, Royal Bolton Hospital and Pennine Acute Hospitals have been high for six years. While University College London Hospitals and Royal Free Hampstead had 28% lower than expected mortality ratios, Buckinghamshire Hospitals was 18% higher than expected. Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals, University Hospital of North Staffordshire, University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) and Hull and East Yorkshire, had significantly high "death after surgery" rates, with the later two trusts suffering both high rates of both HSMRs and deaths after surgery.
Dr Dave Rosser, executive medical director of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, said: "The figures do not accurately reflect the quality of care given at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham. We believe there is a risk that figures like these could cause unnecessary confusion and distress amongst patients and are a distraction to concentrating on providing the best in care for our patients."
He described the methodology as "fundamentally flawed and misleading" as well as "destructive and unhelpful" and said the figures may have been skewed by the high number of patients with liver disease. He continued: "The Care Quality Commission, which regulates clinical standards across NHS hospitals, is also satisfied that there are no causes for concern regarding our mortality rates or deaths after surgery."
Severe weather warnings for almost all of the UK are in place, with heavy snow, widespread icy roads and bitter temperatures forecast.
Some 10ins (25cm) of snow is expected to fall over higher ground, while parts of the Midlands and London will not escape a dusting. Overnight temperatures across the UK plunged well below zero again, after a day when much of the country was badly disrupted by the earliest widespread snow for 17 years.
The Met Office said London and the South East, the South West, East Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber and the north east of England face widespread icy roads. The North East, Yorkshire and Humber, East Midlands and the South West were also braced for heavy snow and Wales and Northern Ireland can expect icy roads while Scotland is in line for more heavy snow and drifts thanks to a biting wind.
One of the coldest places overnight was Trawscoed in Wales, which saw minus 10.2C.
Dalwhinnie in the Scottish Highlands recorded minus 8.2C, and Glasgow minus 3.5C. In England, Chesham in Buckinghamshire was among the coldest places at minus 7C. And Preston in Lancs fell to minus 5.8C.
Forecasters said the cold snap is set to tighten its grip, blanketing swathes of the country in white by the middle of next week.
Aisling Creevey, of MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "It's definitely staying cold and going into next week, we could see a lot more snow. There is a low pressure system across the country and if it moves the way it is looking to at the moment, it's going to be very windy, very snowy and really bitter."
Temperatures will barely rise above freezing on Saturday, with the South West set to be the warmest at around 3C.
The AA said it was called out to 16,000 breakdowns by the end of the day, with 1,220 calls coming in every hour at the busiest time. Wales and the North East were the worst-hit for breakdowns.
The unusual weather has been caused by high pressure over Greenland and low pressure in the Baltics, forcing cold winds from the north east across Europe.
England is facing a "real fight" in its bid to host the 2018 World Cup, David Cameron has warned.
The Prime Minister said that the bid is in "great shape" ahead of next week's crucial vote by the game's governing body, Fifa, in Zurich.
But he said it is "frustrating" that the BBC is set to screen a Panorama documentary on Monday - just three days before the vote - which is expected to include fresh allegations of corruption within the organisation.
The Sunday Times has already run one investigation in which it exposed two Fifa members who, it said, were prepared to sell their votes and there are fears within the England bid team that the highly critical focus of the British media on Fifa is hurting its chances of success.
Mr Cameron, who is flying out to Zurich next week to throw his weight behind the bid, acknowledged that the timing of the latest Panorama programme was not helpful.
"Is it frustrating that Panorama's doing this programme a few days before? Of course it is. But it's a free country and you have to roll with that. I think Fifa will understand that," he said in an interview with BBC1's Football Focus to be shown on Saturday.
"I think we also have to try and convince them, yes we've got a robust and independent media, but our media love football and when it comes to the World Cup in terms of audience, in terms of the press coverage around the world, actually the media will give it a fantastic boost here in this country."
Mr Cameron acknowledged that the England bid team faces a tough battle in Zurich against three rival bids but said he is confident that they will have a very strong case to present to the Fifa delegates.
He said: "We've got a real fight on our hands in Zurich, but I'm looking forward to it because I think we've got a great case to make."
Mr Cameron will join Prince William, London Mayor Boris Johnson, England manager Fabio Capello and football stars David Beckham, Sir Bobby Charlton, Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Andy Cole and John Barnes in a 30-strong bid delegation.
Politicians, trade union officials and campaign groups are gathering to voice their opposition to the Government's planned multi-billion pound spending cuts.
The coalition Government outlined its deficit reduction measures in last month's Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR). It is thought that the plans could cost about 490,000 public sector jobs over the next four years.
MPs, trade unionists, including Len McCluskey, newly-elected general secretary of trade union Unite, students and pensioners' groups are among those expected to attend the first Coalition of Resistance Conference in central London.
Prime Minister David Cameron insisted that the expected £81 billion cuts package would be "fair" and support economic growth.
Almost 1,000 delegates have registered for the event to hear speakers and attend workshops aimed at galvanising a "national movement" against cuts to public services, organisers said.
Mr McCluskey will be among those speaking. He said: "We have to build a kind of resistance and take action that makes politicians and in particular the Lib Dems say: 'We may have got this wrong'."
Other trade union leaders speaking at the conference include Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT, Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union, Heather Wakefield of Unison and Jeremy Dear, general secretary of the NUJ.
Veteran politician Tony Benn, Labour MPs John McDonnell and Jeremy Corbyn, film director Ken Loach and singer Billy Bragg are among other figures who will address the conference.
Student activists who took part in this week's protests against the Government's plans for higher tuition fees will also be involved.
The head of the Charity Commission has stepped into the university tuition fees debate, saying colleges needed to ensure access for the poorest people.
Dame Suzi Leather also indicated that universities' charitable status - worth millions of pounds a year in tax breaks - could come under review if people complained about being put off studying by high costs.
Her comments come after a series of nationwide demonstrations about the coalition Government's proposals to allow universities to charge up to £9,000 a year, and ahead of an expected parliamentary vote on the matter next month.
She said: "Where charities charge high fees they have to ensure that there is a way of people who can't afford those fees benefiting in a material way from that charity's activities. From a charity law point of view, they will of course have to make provision for people who can't afford the fees to benefit.
"Charities must bear in mind their need to provide access across a range of income distribution, not just people in poverty."
Dame Suzi warned that institutions they could face probes if people complain that they are being put off studying by the tuition fees.
"If somebody comes to us and says they're unhappy about something that's going on in a charity, then we would assess that and see whether there was a case to answer," she said.
The Charity Commission is the principal regulator for the autonomous colleges of Oxford, Cambridge and Durham Universities as well as numerous other institutions in England and Wales. Most universities benefit from charitable status by not paying corporation tax on surpluses, also reclaiming tax from donations through Gift Aid.
Staff at Dame Suzi's offices in Millbank were caught up in the violent student protest against higher tuition fees on November 10. Another nationwide series of student marches, sit-ins and walk-outs also resulted in dozens of arrests and clashes with police.
The US administration and key allies around the world are braced for the release of a vast quantity of sensitive diplomatic files on whistleblower website WikiLeaks.
In Washington, the State Department denounced the leak of classified material as "irresponsible" and warned that it would place lives at risk.
Downing Street said the US ambassador Louis Susman had briefed British officials about the likely contents of the files which, it is thought, will include papers relating to the UK.
But the Prime Minister's the spokesman said: "I don't want to speculate about precisely what is going to be leaked before it is leaked."
State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said US diplomats were continuing the process of warning governments around the world about what might be in the documents. We are all bracing for what may be coming and condemn WikiLeaks for the release of classified material," he said. "It will place lives and interests at risk. It is irresponsible."
Many fear the cables will embarrass the United States and its allies, and reveal sensitive details of how the US conducts relations with other countries. It is thought that the documents may include reports from officials in Washington and diplomatic posts around the world about issues on which the UK and US have collaborated closely, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Washington could be embarrassed by the publication of candid and forthright assessments of foreign governments made by its officials.
WikiLeaks - which has previously posted secret US files relating to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan on the web - has not been specific about the timing of any release, which is widely expected to happen this weekend.
Mr Crowley warned that publication could erode trust in the US as a diplomatic partner. "When this confidence is betrayed and ends up on the front pages of newspapers or lead stories on television or radio, it has an impact," he said.
The State Department "has known all along" that WikiLeaks possesses classified documents, but it was not possible to predict exactly what information would be made public and what impact it would make, he said. "We wish this would not happen, but we are obviously prepared for the possibility that it will," he said.
Ed Miliband has promised to make Labour the party of people's "hopes and aspirations" as he launched a full-scale review of its policies.
Addressing the party's National Policy Forum in Gillingham, he said that they had to recognise the need for change in the wake of their general election defeat and to move "beyond New Labour".
"We have to show again we are the people who are the idealists, we are the people who are the optimists, we are the people who can represent the hopes, the dreams, the aspirations of the British people," he said.
"So please join us on this journey. Join us on this journey which makes us once again the people's party, the party of people's hopes and aspirations, back on people's side, back in power making for the fairer, the more equal, the more just country we believe in."
Mr Miliband said that while there was deep anger at the "broken promises" of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, Labour could not afford simply to wait for the coalition to "screw up".
"I know that we have got to change in order to win," he said. "There is no short cut or quick fix to this. We shouldn't mistake the anger we feel at what the coalition is doing to the country for a sense that it isn't as much about us as it is about them."
Mr Miliband said that he made no apology for speaking up for what he describes as the "squeezed middle".
"People were feeling squeezed before this Government. They are feeling much, much more squeezed now this Government is in power," he said.
"So it is about standing up for the hopes and aspirations of people. That must be our mission, to narrow the gap between the dreams that people can see around them and their chances of realising them."
He also indicated that he was ready to reform the system which elected him party leader, saying that a system where some members had multiple votes should be a "thing of the past".
Severe weather warnings are in place across the country with police in some areas urging people to stay indoors.
Icy roads were making for treacherous conditions, with widespread reports of cars sliding off the roads into ditches.
The Met Office was warning of heavy snow in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the North East, with London and South East England also under threat.
Overnight temperatures across the UK plunged well below zero again, after a day when much of the country was badly disrupted by the earliest widespread snow for 17 years
Trawscoed in Wales saw the mercury dip to minus 10.2C, while Dalwhinnie in the Scottish Highlands recorded minus 8.2C, and Glasgow minus 3.5C.
In England, Chesham in Buckinghamshire was among the coldest places at minus 7C. And at Preston in Lancs the temperature fell to minus 5.8C.
Northumbria Police urged motorists to stay off the roads and revellers to dress in warm clothing. A spokesman said: "Anyone going outside should consider whether their journey is critical and if they must venture out should dress appropriately."
The East of England Ambulance Service recorded a spate of traffic collisions, with cars skidding into ditches, lampposts, fences and fields.
An AA spokesman said: "It has been a very busy start to the morning. By 10am we were up to 2,800 breakdowns for the day, coming in at 900 every hour. On that basis we will probably exceed 12,000 by the end of the day, up 40% on a normal Saturday in November."
Brendan Jones, of MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said the north easterly wind meant northern and eastern Scotland and the east coast of England were suffering the worst of the weather although next week the snow could reach further inland.
The naval chief in charge of a nuclear-powered submarine which ran aground on a shingle bank has been relieved of his command.
HMS Astute was on sea trials last month when it became stuck off the coast of Skye and ended up marooned for several hours.
Navy officials confirmed that Andy Coles, 47, lost his command of the submarine on Friday.
He will remain with the Royal Navy and is to be given another post.
A final decision has still to be made about whether Commander Coles will face a court martial over the incident.
A Royal Navy spokesman said: "From yesterday, November 26, he was removed from command of HMS Astute. He's going to continue with the Royal Navy. He will be reappointed to another post. It's an internal administrative matter between Commander Coles and his senior officers."
The spokesman said it was not known what the new post will be. He added that a new commanding officer of HMS Astute will be appointed in the near future.
The vessel ran aground on the west coast of Scotland on October 22. It was freed by the evening when the tide began to rise.
However, it is understood HMS Astute was damaged after a collision with the coastguard tug the Anglian Prince, which was sent to free it.
The submarine returned to its base at Faslane on the Clyde three days after the incident.
Britain will supply more than 1,000 medical staff to help fight the worsening cholera epidemic in Haiti, the government has announced.
The infection has claimed the lives of more than 1,400 survivors of an earthquake which ravaged the country earlier this year.
The UK will provide funding for emergency supplies as well as trained medical personnel to help prevent it from spreading across the region, International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell said.
The announcement follows the latest warning from the UN that up to 400,000 people could be infected by the disease in the next six months - a significant increase on the number predicted two weeks ago.
The British government will fund 115 doctors, 920 nurses and 740 support staff from the region to set up 12 major cholera treatment centres and 60 subsidiary cholera treatment units.
These will be capable of treating several thousand cholera patients over the next two months through £2 million of funding to the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO). Beyond the capital Port-au-Prince, Haiti is suffering from a chronic lack of decent water, sanitation and medical supplies.
Mr Mitchell said: "Despite considerable pledges of support to help Haiti, there are still dangerous gaps in the provision of emergency medical supplies and a desperate shortage of trained medical staff, especially in the northern part of the country.
"It is clear much more needs to be done. Analysis from the UN and our own field team reveals that the response needs to be significantly increased if we are to save thousands from the disease."
The outbreak of cholera, which causes acute watery diarrhoea and can be fatal if left untreated, came after the seven-magnitude earthquake on January 12 left hundreds of thousands of people injured and homeless.
Around 220,000 were killed amid the devastation and more than a million survivors moved into crowded temporary camps in Port-au-Prince.
The government has been accused of taking a "wrecking ball" to the country by its cuts in public spending.
Len McCluskey, newly elected leader of the Unite union accused the government of going "far beyond" what was needed to rebalance the economy.
He told a conference in London organised by the Coalition of Resistance: "The anger that is unfurling across our country is not mindless.
"It is the legitimate expression of a people who feel that this government is taking a wrecking ball to our nation, going far beyond what is needed rebalance our books.
"They are using a global financial crisis to terrify the citizens of this country into meek acceptance of a raid on our schools, hospitals, services, jobs - the very fundamentals of our communities built up over 60 years of our tax and toil."
Mr McCluskey said communities would not allow the government to "hurl" the country back to the "wasted years" of unemployment and "destroyed" communities he said were the hallmark of the Thatcher years.
"We know there is an alternative, based on growth and tax justice, to the vandalism they are hell-bent on pursuing.
"In streets, schools, workplaces, universities and town halls up and down our country we will stand together against the senseless hardship they will unleash. We will not let them break Britain.
"And if this government ignores our alliance, then they will, deservedly, be run out of office."
Bob Crow, leader of the Rail Maritime and Transport union said: "RMT sends its full solidarity to those fighting the savage austerity cuts unleashed on the Irish people by the EU superstate - cuts that will devastate jobs, public services and standards of living for generations to come."
Tony Blair has defended religious faith as a force for good in the world during a televised debate with atheist and columnist Christopher Hitchens.
The former prime minister said it was true that "people commit horrific acts of evil in the name of religion".
But Mr Blair, who converted to Catholicism in 2007, said it was also true that religion inspires acts of extraordinary good.
And he said it was important not to condemn all people of religious faith because of the "bigotry or prejudice shown by some".
Mr Blair also told the 2,700-strong audience in Toronto, Canada, the invasion of Iraq was "not about religious faith" but decisions on the war were "based on policy".
He said it was "futile" to try to "drive religion out" and it was more important to concentrate on how to get people of different faiths to work together, particularly in the Middle East where the conflict would only be resolved if people worked across the "faith divide".
Sceptic Mr Hitchens, who has terminal cancer, likened God to a "celestial dictatorship, a kind of divine North Korea".
He appeared to win over the audience, which voted two-to-one in his favour following the debate, which argued the motion "be it resolved, religion is a force for good in the world".
Mr Blair, 57, who became a practising Christian while studying at Oxford University, said: "It is undoubtedly true that people commit horrific acts of evil in the name of religion. It is also undoubtedly true that people do acts of extraordinary common good inspired by religion."
He pointed to the good done by faith based organisations, including the millions of lives saved in Africa and care for the mentally ill, disabled and destitute, adding: "The proposition that religion is unadulterated poison is unsustainable. It can be destructive, it can also create a deep well of compassion, and frequently does."
North Korea has accused South Korea of using civilians as human shields around artillery positions on an island attacked by the North, seeking to justify a bombardment that killed four South Koreans and sent tensions soaring.
The comments came on the eve of US-South Korean war games in the Yellow Sea that have enraged the North and worried neighbouring China, and after the South Korean marine commander vowed revenge at a funeral for two marines killed in the barrage.
Tuesday's attack on Yeonpyeong Island, which houses military bases and tiny fishing communities, also killed two civilians in one of the worst artillery attacks on South Korean territory since the 1950-53 Korean War.
North Korea's state news agency said that although "it is very regrettable, if it is true, that civilian casualties occurred on Yeonpyeong island, its responsibility lies in enemies' inhumane action of creating a 'human shield' by deploying civilians around artillery positions."
South Korea was conducting artillery drills on Tuesday from the island, located just seven miles from North Korea's mainland, but fired away from the mainland.
The North said it warned South Korea to halt the drills on the morning of the attack, as part of "superhuman efforts to prevent the clash to the last moment".
The North said that Sunday's planned US-South Korean war games showed that the United States was "the arch criminal who deliberately planned the incident and wire-pulled it behind the scene".
The South Korean commander, Major General You Nak-jun, said the South's retaliation would be a "thousand-fold" as dignitaries and relatives laid white flowers at an altar during the funeral.
As protesters in Seoul demanded their government take sterner action against North Korea, the North issued new warnings against the war games scheduled to start on Sunday with a US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in the Yellow Sea.
The North called the games an "unpardonable provocation" and warned of retaliatory attacks creating a "sea of fire" if its own territory is violated. The comments ran on North Korea's state-run Uriminzokkiri website a day after the North's warnings that the peninsula was on the "brink of war".
European Union finance ministers will meet on Sunday to discuss an 85 billion euro bailout for the Irish economy, amid signs a deal could be in place by the time markets reopen on Monday.
British Chancellor George Osborne will join fellow ministers in Brussels for the hastily arranged meeting, the day after 50,000 people marched through the streets of Dublin to protest against the country's austerity budget.
Ireland's Communication Minister, Eamon Ryan, said it was likely an outline agreement for the rescue deal would be concluded by Sunday evening.
It is understood the final figures will be approved at a conference call of the EU finance ministers and a meeting of the Irish Cabinet.
However, Mr Ryan rejected reports the interest rate for a loan from the EU and International Monetary Fund (IMF) could be as high as 6.7% for nine years.
"I think that figure was inaccurate and I think it was unfortunate it went out there because I'm sure it scared a hell of a lot of people," said Mr Ryan.
"There are still negotiations going on on that sort of level of detail. It's not fixed yet and we'll have to wait and see until it's actually done. The overall figure has to make sense for us in that we are able to pay it back."
Transport Minister Noel Dempsey said he would not speculate on how much interest would be paid for the bailout or when the deal will be finalised.
Joan Burton, Labour Party finance spokeswoman, said crunch talks with the IMF, European Central Bank and the EU was the last chance for the Government to secure a fair deal for Irish taxpayers. She said a crippling rate of interest would be an indication that Ireland would be expected to default sooner rather than later.
"The onus is on Government to negotiate a settlement that cleans up the banks and puts the public finances on a sustainable trajectory without putting the Irish people in hock for a generation," said Ms Burton.
European Union finance ministers will meet on Sunday to discuss an 85 billion euro (£72.1 billion) bailout for the Irish economy, amid signs a deal could be in place by the time markets reopen on Monday.
Chancellor George Osborne will join fellow ministers in Brussels for the hastily arranged meeting, the day after 50,000 people marched through the streets of Dublin to protest against the country's austerity budget.
Ireland's Communication Minister, Eamon Ryan, said it was likely an outline agreement for the rescue deal would be concluded by Sunday evening.
It is understood the final figures will be approved at a conference call of the EU finance ministers and a meeting of the Irish Cabinet.
However, Mr Ryan rejected reports the interest rate for a loan from the EU and International Monetary Fund (IMF) could be as high as 6.7% for nine years.
"I think that figure was inaccurate and I think it was unfortunate it went out there because I'm sure it scared a hell of a lot of people," said Mr Ryan.
"There are still negotiations going on on that sort of level of detail. It's not fixed yet and we'll have to wait and see until it's actually done. The overall figure has to make sense for us in that we are able to pay it back."
Joan Burton, finance spokeswoman for Ireland's Labour Party, said crunch talks with the IMF, European Central Bank and the EU was the last chance for the Government to secure a fair deal for Irish taxpayers. She said a crippling rate of interest would be an indication that Ireland would be expected to default sooner rather than later.
"The onus is on Government to negotiate a settlement that cleans up the banks and puts the public finances on a sustainable trajectory without putting the Irish people in hock for a generation," said Ms Burton.
"A fair settlement is one which disentangles the banking mess from our public finances and which does not impose an interest rate on us that is overly onerous. From day one of this crisis, the Government has prioritised the interests of the banks and their investors over the interests of ordinary people. This has to change."
Undercover agents arrested a Somali-born teenager as he tried blowing up a van full of what he believed were explosives at a crowded Christmas tree lighting ceremony, authorities in the US said.
The bomb was a fake supplied by the agents in a sting operation and the public was never in danger, they added.
Mohamed Osman Mohamud, 19, was arrested in Oregon at 5:40pm local time shortly after he dialled a mobile phone that he thought would set off the blast but instead brought federal agents and police swooping down on him.
Yelling "Allahu Akbar!" - Arabic for "God is great!" - Mohamud tried to kick agents and police after he was taken into custody, according to prosecutors.
"The threat was very real," said Arthur Balizan, special agent in charge of the FBI in Oregon. "Our investigation shows that Mohamud was absolutely committed to carrying out an attack on a very grand scale."
The FBI affidavit that outlined the investigation alleges that Mohamud planned the attack for months, at one point mailing bomb components to FBI operatives, whom he believed were assembling the device.
It said Mohamud was warned several times about the seriousness of his plan, that women and children could be killed, and that he could back out, but he told agents: "Since I was 15 I thought about all this" and "It's gonna be a fireworks show ... a spectacular show."
Mohamud, a naturalised US citizen living in Corvallis, was charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. A court appearance was set for Monday.
Authorities allowed the plot to proceed in order to build up enough evidence to charge the suspect with attempt.
US Attorney Dwight Holton released federal court documents that show the sting operation began in June after an undercover agent learned that Mohamud had been in regular e-mail contact with an "unindicted associate" in Pakistan's north-west, a frontier region where al Qaida and Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents are active.
Death rates at 19 NHS hospital trusts in England were alarmingly high last year, according to an influential report.
The Dr Foster hospital guide also revealed that tens of thousands of patients were harmed in hospital when they developed avoidable blood clots, suffered obstetric tears during childbirth, accidental lacerations or puncture wounds, or post-surgery intestinal bleeding and blood poisoning, according to newspaper reports.
The study identified four trusts where an unexpectedly high number of patients died after surgery, including Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, where there were 33 more deaths than should have been expected. It is not possible to say how many of these deaths could have been prevented.
Dr Foster said the mortality rates should act as a warning sign of potential problems in the quality of care.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley welcomed the report, saying: "I have been clear that unsafe care will not be tolerated. Patients have a right to expect the very best care from the NHS and when something goes wrong, hospitals have a duty to report it and make sure that others can learn from their mistake."
The Dr Foster report revealed 30,500 patients developed a blood clot, more than 13,000 mothers suffered an obstetric tear while giving birth, almost 10,000 patients suffered an accidental puncture or laceration, more than 2,000 had post-operative intestinal bleeding and 1,300 patients contracted blood poisoning after surgery.
The number of England's 147 trusts reported to have high hospital standardised mortality rates (HSMRs), fell from 27 to 19, with the gaps between hospitals with the highest and lowest rates narrowing. In other good news, the number of people dying in hospital fell by 7% between 2008-09 and 2009-10 and the reporting of errors seems to have improved.
Of the 19 trusts with high HSMRs, Royal Bolton Hospital and Pennine Acute Hospitals have been high for six years. While University College London Hospitals and Royal Free Hampstead had 28% lower than expected mortality ratios, Buckinghamshire Hospitals was 18% higher than expected. Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals, University Hospital of North Staffordshire, University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) and Hull and East Yorkshire, had significantly high "death after surgery" rates, with the later two trusts suffering both high rates of both HSMRs and deaths after surgery.
Dr Dave Rosser, executive medical director of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, said: "The figures do not accurately reflect the quality of care given at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham. We believe there is a risk that figures like these could cause unnecessary confusion and distress amongst patients and are a distraction to concentrating on providing the best in care for our patients."
He described the methodology as "fundamentally flawed and misleading" as well as "destructive and unhelpful" and said the figures may have been skewed by the high number of patients with liver disease. He continued: "The Care Quality Commission, which regulates clinical standards across NHS hospitals, is also satisfied that there are no causes for concern regarding our mortality rates or deaths after surgery."
A two-month-old baby has been killed in a car crash, which also left a woman critically injured.
The baby boy was taken to hospital from the scene of the collision in Grove Lane, Smethwick, West Midlands, but could not be saved.
West Midlands Police said a woman travelling in the same car - a Toyota Corolla - received multiple injuries and was in hospital in a critical condition.
Three other passengers in the vehicle, two men and a woman, received minor injuries.
Police said the occupants of the second car involved in the crash - a silver Mitsubishi Evolution - left the scene before officers arrived.
A spokeswoman said: "It is believed at this stage that there were at least four people travelling in the Mitsubishi. All left the scene following the collision prior to police attendance."
The cars collided near the junction of Grove Lane and Painters Corner at 6.11pm on Saturday, police said.
A spokeswoman said the Mitsubishi had no registered owner.
Sgt Ferris Hatheson from the West Midlands Police collision investigation unit, said: "We are appealing for any of those in the Mitsubishi to come forward and speak to us as soon as possible or anyone who has any information in relation to their identity."
Anyone with information is urged to contact West Midlands Police on 0345 113 5000 or to call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
The Government is urging employers to set aside private areas where working mothers can carry on breastfeeding their babies after they return to work.
A public health white paper to be published this week will set out proposals to encourage firms to adopt "breastfeeding-friendly employment policies".
Ministers argue that increasing breastfeeding rates has the potential to reduce the impact of health inequalities and cut infant mortality levels.
They are particularly concerned that just 66% of women in manual jobs breastfeed compared with 88% of professionals.
Among the measures they are hoping firms will adopt is the setting up of private areas where women can breastfeed their babies or express milk, with facilities to store it for use later.
Ministers also want employers to give mothers greater flexibility around when they take their breaks, enabling them, where possible to return home during the day to breastfeed their child.
"Giving young families good support is key to tackling health inequalities and key to good health in the whole population," said Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.
"Breastfeeding is one of the best ways to give babies good health, but our society doesn't always make it easy for new mums to do it. We want to make it easier for new mums to breastfeed.
"If we can make it easier more mums would breastfeed and they might do it for longer, giving their children the best start in life."
A cargo plane has crashed into homes in Karachi, Pakistan, soon after take-off, setting off a huge blaze and killing the Russian crew on board, the civil aviation authority said.
The Russian-made plane came down in an upmarket neighbourhood of Pakistan's largest city at around 1.50am on Sunday local time. Witnesses said one of the plane's engines was on fire when it flew overhead.
Fire engines sprayed foam on to the crash site and as the flames died down, rescuers began searching through the destroyed buildings, looking for bodies or survivors.
The plane came down in a housing complex for naval officers.
Hundreds of people came to see the spectacle and film it with their mobile phones, hampering access for emergency workers.
Witness Hasan Hashmi said fire could be seen from one of the plane's engines as it flew overhead.
Aviation authority spokesman Pervais George said the plane was heading to Sudan when it came down two minutes after take-off. He said the eight crew, all Russians, were dead.
Local television reported the plane was an Ilyushin Il-89, a multi-purpose cargo plane that is often used for ferrying humanitarian aid to developing countries, as well as other large items.
The crash was the third in less than five months in Pakistan. Earlier this month in Karachi, 21 people were killed when a small passenger plane crashed soon after take off.
In July, a passenger jet operated by Pakistan carrier Airblue crashed into hills overlooking the capital, Islamabad, during stormy weather, killing all 152 on board.
