Steve Bell on the mounting British casualties in AfghanistanSteve Bell

British and Afghan commanders were last night undertaking an urgent investigation into the killing of five British soldiers amid concerns that the Taliban may have infiltrated the police force in Helmand. The troops were killed by a local police officer who opened fire as they sat drinking tea and fled.The deaths prompted deep soul searching in Whitehall because Gordon Brown has put the training by the British army of a rapidly expanded Afghan security force at the heart of his ... more

Party leaders today welcomed Sir Christopher Kelly's proposals for a new expenses regime at Westminster, although disagreement immediately began to open up on implementation of the former civil servant's 60 recommendations.The report included many of the widely leaked proposals that have provoked such unhappiness within parliament, but the details appeared to marginally soften the proposals. Kelly's recommendations will now go forward to the new Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa).Predicted announcements included a recommendation to end claims for mortgage interest and ... more

• Former PM's son 'should face justice', says Mann• Scotland Yard confirms it will interview ex-officerThe British mercenary Simon Mann today vowed to testify in court against Sir Mark Thatcher and the oil tycoon Eli Calil, the two men he alleges were co-conspirators in the failed attempt to take over Equatorial Guinea in 2004.Speaking as he flew back to Britain from the west African state, Mann made clear he had no intention of drawing a line under the episode, and ... more

DEMOCRAT Seth Williams will take office in January as Philadelphia's first new district attorney in 18 years - promising to focus on illegal guns, to target repeat offenders and to ensure that prosecutors do a better job of charging suspects with the right offenses.