Max Clifford Trial: Pauline Quirke Evidence

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter, Southwark Crown Court

Birds of a Feather star Pauline Quirke has described publicist Max Clifford as an "honest and decent man" as the trial enters its closing stages.

Clifford, who turned 71 at the weekend, is accused of indecently assaulting a string of women in his car and his office, some after saying he could get them roles in the entertainment world.

However, Ms Quirke told Southwark Crown Court that the PR guru was nothing like the description that jurors have heard and she told how they worked together to raise funds for charity.

The actress who has also starred in Emmerdale and Broadchurch said that her friendship with him "grew from their connection" to the Rhys Daniels Trust which was set up in the 1990s to help a boy of the same name with Batten's Disease.

Ms Quirke said: "We went to each other's houses and we went out for dinner to restaurants. He came when I was on tour for two years with Birds of a Feather.

"The word integrity comes to mind when I think of Max - he's very down to Earth and normal considering the business that we are both involved in.

"He's a decent, decent man, honest and decent."

When asked by his defence barrister Richard Horwell QC if she had ever seen him "acting inappropriately with women" she replied: "We've been to balls with lots of women, people drinking and I've never seen him doing anything like that.

"I've never seen him behave in any way, shape or form like that."

Ms Quirke added that Clifford had helped raise money for the Trust by bringing stars to a celebrity screening of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and as a result they became "good friends".

As she left court, Clifford, who was dressed in a white open shirt and blue suit, winked and smiled at her.

Earlier, Sky Sports anchor Clare Thomlinson, who worked for Clifford in the early 1990s for six months said she had "no reason to doubt his integrity and honesty", adding that she had left his office on "amicable terms".

She said: "Max had an old school charm, he would open the door for you and ask how you would get home from a late function."

Ms Thomlinson, who was at the centre of sexual harassment claims from disgraced former commentators Richard Keys and Andy Gray, told the court the experience had made her want to testify in the case.

She said: "I have been the victim of sexual harassment at work and I would not be giving evidence in front of a court if I had believed Max was capable of that sort of behaviour."

Clifford, of Hersham, Surrey, denies 11 counts of indecent assault against seven women between 1966 and 1984. His defence is expected to finish on Tuesday when the case continues.

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Missing Plane: MH370 Team Detect Two Signals

Teams searching for missing flight MH370 believe they may have detected the plane's black box flight recorders after a ship picked up signals in the southern Indian Ocean.

The Australian defence vessel Ocean Shield picked up signals twice, around 370 miles north of where two signals were detected by a Chinese ship on Saturday.

Crucially, there were two distinct pinger returns - suggesting transmissions from a flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder on a Boeing 777 jet.

Angus Houston, the former Australian defence chief heading the search, said the information was "the most promising lead" in the search so far.

But he warned it could be days before authorities confirm if the signals are from the Malaysia Airlines flight, which vanished on March 8 with 239 people on board.

Malaysian acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said he was "cautiously hopeful that there will be a positive development in the next few days, if not hours".

Search teams are involved in a race against time as the batteries on the plane's flight recorders could run out at any moment, meaning the signals would no longer be emitted.

Mr Houston said the Ocean Shield detected the sounds on two occasions over a period totalling more than two-and-a-half hours.

He said: "Clearly this is a most promising lead, and probably in the search so far, it's the probably the best information that we have had.

"This would be consistent with transmissions from both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder."

Stressing the need for further confirmation, he said: "I am much more optimistic than I was a week ago."

A screen shows the data fed back from the pinger locator deep under the sea

But he added: "We are talking about a long operation here and we have yet to find the aircraft."

Search co-ordinators stressed the signals were picked up in very deep water - 4,500 metres - which is at the limit of underwater search equipment being used.

The position of the sound needed to be further pinpointed, and then an underwater drone could be sent down to investigate, Mr Houston said.

He went on: "It could take some days before the information is available to establish whether these detections can be confirmed as being from MH370.

A map shows where signals were picked up in recent days by search ships

"In very deep oceanic water, nothing happens fast.

"I would want more confirmation before we say this is it. Without wreckage, we can't say it's definitely here. We've got to go down and have a look and hopefully we'll find it somewhere in the area that we narrowed to."

The latest development in the search effort came as the British navy ship HMS Echo joined the hunt. The vessel carries sophisticated sound-locating equipment.

No wreckage from the plane has been found during the month-long search, despite a number of debris sightings.

Divers help as the pinger locator is deployed from the ADV Ocean Shield

Malaysian officials concluded - based on satellite data from several countries - that the aircraft crashed into the southern Indian Ocean to the west of Perth.

Investigators have not established why the plane lost contact with air traffic controllers and appeared to divert so far from its intended route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

The backgrounds of passengers, crew and both pilots have been investigated, while terrorism and hijack have also been considered as possible explanations for the plane's disappearance.

The families of those on board have been frustrated by the huge international search operation, accusing the Malaysian authorities of mismanagement and holding back information. 

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'Russian Soldier Kills Ukrainian Officer'

A Ukrainian naval officer in Crimea has been killed by a Russian soldier, according to the Ukrainian Defence Ministry.

The victim is reported to have been unarmed and the Russian is said to be under arrest and being detained in Sevastopol.

It comes as tensions continue to rise between the two countries following a weekend of unrest involving pro-Russian protesters in several eastern cities.

Russia annexed Crimea three weeks ago after a referendum in the peninsula in which the vast majority of residents voted to leave Ukraine.

Since then, members of the Ukrainian armed forces have been ejected from their bases in Crimea by soldiers who are thought to be backed by Russia.

The dead officer was apparently killed late on Wednesday in the Crimean town of Novofyodorovka, about 30 miles west of Simferopol. It is not clear why the death has just been announced.

A map showing the location of a shooting and protests in Ukraine

He had been preparing to leave the dormitory where he lived to go to another part of Ukraine when an argument broke out with Russian servicemen.

The officer, Stanislav Karachevsky, was married and had two children, the Ukrainian defence ministry said.

His death is the second to occur in a largely violence free hand over of power from Ukraine to Russia in the peninsula, despite the high tensions.

Another Ukrainian soldier was also beaten by Russian servicemen and detained.

A defence ministry statement said the attackers had been wearing Russian military uniforms and were holding the base commander in a nearby building.

On Sunday, demonstrators in the cities of Donetsk and Luhansk demanded a referendum similar to that held in Crimea.

Russian troops, dressed like this soldier, are said to be in Crimea

Eastern Ukraine is largely Russian speaking and pro-Russia supporters say that many in that half of the country are closer to the Moscow than to Kiev.

The calls for a referendum followed a series of seizures of government buildings by pro-Russia protesters in Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkin.

Some of those who seized one of the buildings in Donetsk went further on Monday, declaring an independent 'republic of Donetsk' and saying they would ask Russia to provide peacekeeping troops to stop aggression from Kiev.

Ukrainian prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk accused Russia of being behind the seizures. 

By Monday morning, buildings in Kharkiv were reported to have been 'cleared' of protesters, but Ukraine's authorities said protesters in Donetsk had captured weapons, prompting them to seal off the city.

Miley Cyrus and Justin Timberlake's sanction-threatened gigs wil go ahead

Mr Yatsenyuk claimed that Moscow was trying to 'dismember' his country.

The Prime Minister said: "There is a plan to destabilise the situation, a plan for foreign forces to cross the border and seize the territory of the country, which we will not allow.

"This scenario is written by the Russian Federation and its only purpose is to dismember Ukraine."

He said Russian troops were within 30kms (19 miles) of the Ukrainian border.

Moscow wants Ukraine to be transformed into a federation that allows eastern regions to adopt Russian as a second state language and be able to overrule decisions made it Kiev.

Meanwhile, American pop stars Miley Cyrus and Justin Timberlake can go ahead with shows in Finland despite US sanctions against the Helsinki venue's Russian owners, the concerts' promoter said on Monday.

The concerts were at risk last week as the Hartwall Arena venue is owned by Gennady Timchenko and Boris and Arkady Rotenberg, all of whom feature on a list of visa bans and asset freezes imposed by the United States.

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Pistorius Slumps In Dock After Giving Evidence

Oscar Pistorius apologised to the family of Reeva Steenkamp today before slumping in the dock unable to continue with his evidence.

Pistorius wept and trembled his way through his first day of testimony, describing how panic attacks had left him hiding in cupboards since the shooting.

He woke "smelling blood", was unable to sleep and was on anti-depressants and sedatives, he told the court. 

Stoney-faced: June Steenkamp, Reeva's mother, hears the apology

And in dramatic scenes in Pretoria, the day ended early with Pistorius sitting on the floor of the dock with his psychologist wiping away tears and stroking his face.

The athlete's family formed a protective shield around him as he composed himself before eventually leaving the building.

Reporting from the court, Sky's Alex Crawford said: "The psychologist was comforting him - like a mother would do to a child."

Moments earlier, the court hearing had been adjourned for the day after judge Thokozile Masipa agreed that Pistorius was "exhausted", having not slept. 

Earlier, Pistorius cried as he turned towards Reeva's mother June and apologised for all the hurt he had caused her. 

His voice cracking, he said: "I would like to take this opportunity to apologise to Reeva's family, to those of you who knew her who are here today, to her friends.

"There hasn't been a moment since this tragedy happened that I haven't thought about your family."

Pistorius shook as he described panic attacks and nightmares, while Ms Steenkamp's relatives listened intently in the public gallery.

Members of Pistorius's family - including his brother and sister - also wept as the athlete gave evidence during an emotion-charged morning in Pretoria.  

Almost inaudible at times, the Paralympian was asked to speak up by the judge so that the court could hear him.

Oscar Pistorius' brother Carl Pistorius reacts during his trial

Continuing to address June Steenkamp, he said: "I wake up every morning and you're the first people I think of. The first people I pray for.

"I can't imagine the pain and the sorrow and the emptiness that I've caused you and your family.

"I was simply trying to protect Reeva. I can promise you that when she went to bed that night she felt loved.

"I have tried to put my words on paper many, many times to write to you but no words would ever suffice."

June Steenkamp did no show any emotion as the defendant made the apology. 

Pistorius said he was taking anti-depressant medicine and that he has sometimes woken up in terror, suffering from panic attacks.

"I have terrible nightmares about things that happened that night," he said.

Pistorius was led from the court 'heaving and retching'

"I wake up and I can smell blood and I wake up to being terrified. I hear a noise and I wake up in a complete state of terror, to the point that I would rather not sleep." 

He described how, on one occasion, he woke in panic and had to ring a family member for help.

"I climbed into a cupboard and I phoned my sister to come and sit by me, which she did for a while," he said.

Reeva Steenkamp was killed on Valentine's Day last year

He described how important his Christian religion had been to him as he struggled to come to terms with the death of his girlfriend.

"When I met Reeva - I always wanted to have a girlfriend who was Christian," Pistorius said.

"She would pray for me at night. We would pray before we would eat.

"It is what has got me through this last year - I have been struggling a lot." 

He later outlined the story of his Paralympian success - describing how he had overcome disadvantages to excel in athletics.

Pistorius arrives at the court in Pretoria

He also told how he and his family had been the victim of several break-ins and other criminal activity.

On one occasion he was shot at and also followed home.

Pistorius told the court that on another occasion he helped a man who was being beaten with rocks on the highway.

The court was told that Pistorius drew his firearm and called the emergency services but was later assaulted after receiving threats.

He suffered a black eye and stitches in his head. 

Before taking to the stand the Paralympian "heaved and retched" as he prepared to explain for the first time in public how and why he killed his girlfriend.

His testimony may take several days and he can expect a gruelling cross-examination from state prosecutor Gerrie Nel.

Earlier this morning, the athlete bent down in the dock, plugging his ears with his fingers, as more details about Ms Steenkamp's death were revealed in court.

He was also seen hunched and weeping before the first witness of the defence case - pathologist Professor Jan Botha - was called.

Then, before the mid-morning break, he was led from the court in a distressed state, as he prepared himself to give evidence. 

Sky's Alex Crawford, reporting from the court, said that Pistorius was "literally heaving, retching" before the mid-morning break.

He was escorted out of the court amid "audible sobs", by his psychologist and family members.  

Professor Botha was allowed to testify first, and ahead of Pistorius, in an agreement with prosecutors because of a family illness.

Contradicting the state's account, Professor Botha said Ms Steenkamp may not have had a chance to scream when she was being shot.

The pathologist testified that if the athlete fired his 9mm pistol in two quick bursts, as Pistorius claims he did, his girlfriend probably didn't have time to cry out.

The testimony contradicts prosecutors' claims that Ms Steenkamp screamed during the gunshots and that the athlete therefore must have known he was firing at her.

Professor Botha said that Ms Reevekamp was first shot in the hip, then in the arm, with the third bullet hitting her hand and the fourth her head.

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Sheffield Half Marathon Axe Sparks Chaos

A popular half marathon descended into chaos when it was cancelled just moments before it was due to start - only for runners to set off anyway.

Competitors were lining up to begin Sheffield's annual 13-mile race when organisers announced it could not go ahead because there was not enough drinking water for those taking part.

But many of the runners ignored the cancellation and set off anyway, with reports of members of the public buying water to hand out instead.

Water is handed out to participants along the route

Organisers wrote on the official Sheffield Half Marathon's official Twitter page: "It is with huge disappointment & regret that we have been forced to cancel this year's race due to a problem with the delivery of water.

"We would like to express our sincerest apologies to everyone involved in the race who will be affected. We will update you future plans asap."

Sheffield resident Sachin Salvi, who pictured some of the runners taking part, said he was glad they had pressed on despite organisers' decision.

"Determined runners and volunteers doing the Sheffield half marathon inspite of the cancellation! Great effort!," he wrote on his Twitter page.

An section of the race along the city's Cemetery Road. Pic: @drsachinsalvi

"Shows the Sheffield spirit! If not would have been such bad publicity for Sheffield with the Tour de France coming!

"A stall was run with water from the local superstores. But there were lots of people handing out water they had bought themselves."

South Yorkshire Police said a large number of participants had still chosen to run the race and that officers were already present on parts of the route to assist with the road closures to motorists.

Police maintained a presence on the route. Pic: @drsachinsalvi

"Working with the organisers, officers attempted to speak to participants who had chosen to run and divert them on to a shorter route to the finish line," the force said in a statement.

"However, officers have kept their positions and stance with the initial road closures to motorists to protect all the runners and ensure their safety is maintained."

A number of angry messages were left on the Sheffield Half Marathon official Facebook page.

Mel Broadhurst wrote: "Absolutely disgusting!!! My friends and I have trained for months some raised a lot of money for charity.

"Terrible lack of communication, won't be doing the Sheffield half again!!!! And I will get my money back!!!!!"

Adam Broadhead wrote: "That is absolutely shocking organisation. You guys have embarrassed the city."

Adam Stern said: "So disappointing for the runners but I also have to say hats off to the Sheffield communities for their efforts in supplying water unofficially to the runners!

"Proud to be from Sheffield for that, just a shame the organisation and communication of the race was so shambolic!!"

Organiser Margaret Lilley said the company due to supply water for runners on the route did not arrive.

She said organisers had attempted to buy water from local supermarkets, but that medical-and-safety officers refused to give the go-ahead.

"Runners had waited half an hour or more to start," she said.

"When we made the announcement the runners decided that they wanted to race anyway, and all 5,000 of them set off."

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MH370: Pings 'Must Be From A Plane Black Box'

Signals detected by teams scouring the Indian Ocean for wreckage from flight MH370 have to be from a plane, an expert has told Sky News.

Chris Bellamy, Professor of Maritime Security at the University of Greenwich, has said it is "very difficult" to think what else the pings picked up by a Chinese ship could be.

"That is the frequency of an aircraft black box. Ships have black boxes, but that's at 400kHz-15kHz, so quite a different range of frequencies. It's very difficult to think what else this could be," he said.

The vessel Haixun 01 picked up two "acoustic events" around 1,000 miles (1,600km) northwest of Perth. 

The two pings detected by the Chinese search team had a frequency of 37.5kHz, which Professor Bellamy said had been deliberately chosen for black boxes to stand out.

A Chinese search team in the Indian Ocean

"The ping has to be some sort of deliberate black box or some artificial source of energy," he said.

"I don't think it could be a natural phenomenon, but it could well be an echo," he added.

Australia's HMAS Ocean Shield has also reported a separate "acoustic event" some 345 miles (555km) away.

But marine salvage expert Captain John Noble said the pings detected by the Australian vessel were not likely linked to the Chinese detection.

"It's almost certain it cannot be the same source. They will be testing the reliability of the signals from the Australian ship and the Chinese ship," he said.

Despite what could be the breakthrough in the search for the Malaysia Airlines jet, Professor Bellamy stressed pinpointing the black box and wreckage from the Boeing 777 could still take some time as the ocean floor is "mountainous".

"The black box could be in a ravine or something like that which might cause refraction of the sound," he said.

If the pings detected are an echo, the source could be located further away then what they think.

"Things rebound, echoes happen under the water as they do in the air," Professor Bellamy said.

Progress is likely to be slow, as vessels must move slow to improve on these initial readings.

A device showing a reading of 37.5kHz - the same as from a black box

Australian Commodore Peter Leavy said: "The search using sub-surface equipment needs to be methodical and carefully executed in order to effectively detect the faint signal of the pinger."

Captain Noble sounded an optimistic note.

Discussing the basic nature of the equipment being used by the Chinese, he said: "If there is a signal and the microphone is out of interference it's actually quite encouraging. 

"If that sort of equipment is picking up the signal then the more sophisticated equipment that's on its way can help with the triangulation process."

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Spanish Police Hunt Ex-Lover After Brit Killed

Police are hunting for a woman who is thought to have shot dead a British businessman at his home on Spain's Costa del Sol.

The wealthy jeweller, named locally as Andrew Bush, was found lying in a pool of blood with two gunshot wounds to his head around 3am on Saturday morning.

Firefighters and police discovered the businessman's body after forcing their way into the beachside villa where he lived.

The businessman's girlfriend alerted police with an emergency call after the attack, which happened in a village between the resorts of Estepona and Marbella.

The pair are said to have been ambushed by a woman, who police suspect may be the man's ex-girlfriend.

She is thought to have been lying in wait for them inside the five-bedroom house.

Mr Bush, originally from Bristol, and his current girlfriend were returning to their home from a trip abroad together at the time.

The house is a village between the resorts of Estepona and Marbella

The unnamed girlfriend, who is said to be British, told investigators she saw the attacker flee and then called the emergency services after becoming locked out.

Early on Sunday, the killer was still on the run after escaping from the scene in her alleged victim's Hummer car.

Police are yet to officially name of the victim, but he was locally identified as 48-year-old company director Mr Bush.

An Audi car believed to have been used by the attacker was taken away along with a Porsche and Ferrari thought to be owned by the victim.

A gun found nearby was also taken away.

It has emerged Mr Bush's killer may have been inside the house for several days after letting herself into the villa with a set of keys she had kept.

Estepona is on the Costa del Sol

Detectives sealed off the villa, owned by a Spanish couple, on Saturday ahead of its examination by police forensic experts on Monday.

A source close to the investigation said: "It is being treated as murder and police are hunting the dead man's ex on suspicion of committing this crime.

"They are probing the possibility she may have let herself into the property while the occupant was away and waited for several days for him to return."

The businessman's body has been taken to Malaga for a post-mortem examination.

A family relative is believed to be en route to southern Spain.

The victim's terracotta-coloured villa lies in a quiet residential street in an area called Cancelada between San Pedro and Estepona.

A National Police spokesman confirmed an investigation was underway but said he was not authorised to give out any more information.

A spokesman for the local emergency services said: "We received a call at 2.10am on Saturday morning from the partner of the dead man because she could not gain access to the property.

"Firefighters managed to get in and found the man lying dead inside with a gunshot wound to his head. Police are now investigating."

A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We are aware of the death of a British national in Estepona, Malaga, on 5 April.

"We are in touch with local authorities and are providing consular assistance to the family."

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Missing Plane: Three Acoustic Signals Detected

Authorities are trying to determine whether three signals picked up deep in the Indian Ocean are from the black boxes on board the missing flight MH370.

Chinese and Australian ships picked up the signals in different parts of the search zone as the hunt for the Malaysia Airlines plane enters a second month.

Officials are urging caution while they try and verify where the "pings" have come from.

Retired Australian Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, head of the international search, revealed a Chinese patrol vessel, Haixun 01, picked up two "acoustic events" some 1,000 miles (1,600km) northwest of Perth.

The location where the signal was detected

The first was a faint signal on Friday. The second was picked up on Saturday around 1.2 miles (2km) away and lasted for 90 seconds, he said.

They had a "ping" of 37.5kHz frequency - the same emitted by black box flight recorders.

Australia's ADV Ocean Shield, which is carrying sophisticated equipment designed to pick up signals, has reported a separate "acoustic event" some 345 miles (555km) away.

However, marine salvage expert Captain John Noble has told Sky News this is "almost certain" to not be linked to the Chinese detection.

Time is running out to locate the black boxes, which are likely to hold the key to the mystery of the jet, which left Malaysia for China on March 8.

They have a battery life of 30 days, although Mr Houston said the black boxes can continue transmitting for "several days beyond that".

More planes and ships have been sent to the area, including the British vessel HMS Echo, to try and verify the potential breakthrough.

A Chinese air force plane has also spotted a number of white floating objects in the area, said Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

An Australian Air Force Orion plane takes off in the hunt for MH370

Mr Houston stressed investigators are still a "long way" from concluding the signals are from the Boeing 777, which was carrying 239 people.

He said they are "an important and encouraging lead" and show "some promise and require a full investigation".

Mr Houston added there has been a correction to satellite data that is being used to calculate the plane's likely flight path. Starting on Monday, the southern part of the current search zone will be a higher priority than the northern section.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott described the hunt as "the most difficult search in human history" as he cautioned against "coming to hard and fast conclusions too soon".

People take part in a special prayer for passengers

Anish Patel, president of Dukane Seacom, the company that made the black box locator, told Reuters: "The 37.5kHz is the specific frequency that these locator pingers operate on.

"It's a very unique frequency, typically not found in background ocean noise," such as whales or other marine mammals, he added.

A dozen planes and 13 ships are scouring three areas about 1,240 miles (2,000 km) northwest of Perth.

In the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, more than 2,000 people, including family members of the 227 passengers, held an emotional mass prayer on Sunday.

The emotional ceremony comes almost a month after the plane disappeared

"This is not a prayer for the dead because we have not found bodies," said Liow Tiong Lai, president of the governing coalition party that organised the two-hour event.

"This is a prayer for blessings and that the plane will be found."

More than a dozen Chinese relatives have signed a petition calling on the Malaysian authorities to offer a reward for the first team to find the jet, which was carrying more than 150 passengers from China.

They also want the team that found the Air France plane that crashed in the Atlantic Ocean in 2009 to assist with the hunt for flight MH370.

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Afghanistan Goes To The Polls In Historic Vote

The Front Runners In Afghanistan's Elections

Updated: 1:29pm UK, Saturday 05 April 2014

Here is a guide to the leading contenders in the Afghan elections.

Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai

Known in Afghanistan as Doctor Ashraf Ghani, the American-trained anthropologist returned to his home country after the Taliban were ousted.

He had previously spent more than 25 years abroad during the turbulent years when Afghanistan came under Soviet control, descended into civil war and then was taken over by the Taliban.

During that period he worked for the United Nations and World Bank in the US, Denmark and in south and east Asia.

On his return he held various government posts, including finance minister.

He went on to take part in the disputed 2009 presidential election campaign when he won 4% of the vote, but was beaten by Hamid Karzai.

Mr Ghani is among the strongest backers of a disputed security deal which will keep US troops in Afghanistan beyond 2014.

But he has provoked controversy by picking ethnic Uzbek former warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum as a running mate.

Zalmai Rassoul

A relative of Afghanistan's former royal family, Zalmai Rassoul is seen as an establishment figure.

Although originally a doctor, he became involved in politics when representing the deposed king in 1998 on a body that played a key role in the future transition of the country after the end of the Soviet period.

He held roles in national security before being made Hamid Karzai's foreign minister, often accompanying the president on trips abroad.

Critics say that, if elected, Mr Rassoul would lack the strength and independence to make a break from the old administration, which many have accused of corruption.

But a number of foreign correspondents have said that despite serving for more than a decade in government, he remains untainted by the allegations that have dogged Mr Karzai's tenure in power.

He is comfortable dealing with those at home and abroad, speaking Dari, Pashto, English, French and Italian, among other languages.

He is also the only leading candidate with a woman as one of his vice-presidential running mates. 

Abdullah Abdullah

A former ophthalmologist-turned-fighter against Soviet forces in the 1980s, Mr Abdullah dropped out of a run-off against Mr Karzai in the 2009 election, saying he was concerned about electoral fraud.

He rose to take roles in government in the post-Taliban period having previously been an adviser to Ahmad Shah Masood, a leader in the Northern Alliance.

But he was abruptly dismissed from his role as Afghanistan's foreign minister in 2006 - a role he had previously held in the Northern Alliance when it fought alongside the American-led invasion of the country following the 9/11 attacks.

Mr Abdullah's base of support is the ethnic Tajik community whose rights and cause, although he is half-Pashtun, he has championed.

He spent some of the period during the Soviet-backed regime in Pakistan.

He took part in the 2009 election after registering as an independent candidate.

Other candidates are:

Abdul Rasul Sayyaf: A former warlord with ties to al Qaeda. An MP in the new parliament.

Mohammad Daud Sultanzoy: A former pilot and talk show host who is known for encouraging women to vote.

Qutbuddin Hilal: Former deputy prime minister with links to controversial mujahideen figure Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.

Gul Agha Sherzai: Another former mujahideen member but later governor of two Afghan provinces during Mr Karzai's time.

Hedayat Amin Arsala: A prominent economist and politician who has held several high-ranking government posts.

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Do Not Get Sick, Top Doctor Warns Patients

One of Britain's most senior doctors has warned people not to get ill because the situation in the NHS is so bad.

Sir Richard Thompson, President of the Royal College of Physicians, told Sky News a funding crisis is putting doctors under so much pressure it is putting patients at risk.

When asked where things were headed, Sir Richard said: "I'd rather not think about it. It's already (a) tremendous strain. When people ask me what's going to happen I say don't get ill."

He also warned the health service is "underfunded by billions".

Sir Richard told Sunrise the NHS is "between a rock and a hard place", having to cope with an increasing population at the same time there is a shortage of doctors and nurses.

"The workload is going up at the same time money is being taken out of the NHS," he said, adding some smaller hospitals were already under "tremendous strain" to try and keep going.

"Because nurses and doctors are rushed they know that they can't produce good care."

Sir Richard claims doctors are missing patients' vital signs

Sir Richard added: "If you're not able to give an optimum time to looking after patients, the right number of staff looking after them, there must be some damage."

In an earlier interview with the Guardian, he claimed some doctors are facing caseloads during one shift of up to 70 patients - far more than the maximum 20 regarded as necessary for proper care.

Sir Richard said: "You try standing on your feet for seven hours trying to be on the ball, thinking of the various complications, being nice to patients, for seven hours. It's absolutely destructive.

"Not everyone has 70, but most people are looking after well over 20.

"If you've got over 20 it becomes impossible. The care gets thinner and thinner. It means the consultant can't see the patient as much or indeed as early as they should do, so obviously the standard of care is going to fall."

Sir Richard accused the coalition of cutting the NHS budget despite repeated pledges, including from Prime Minister David Cameron, to protect it from the austerity programme.

"In spite of what weasly words people at the top say, money's been taken out of the NHS," he said, citing the £2.8bn that has been given to social care in the past three years.

As a result, he claimed: "The NHS is under-doctored, under-nursed, under-bedded and under-funded. There are too few doctors to do the increasingly large job to a high standard, and safely, and compassionately."

A Department of Health spokesman responded by saying: "Patient safety and care is a priority for the Government and it is right that we have high expectations for our NHS.

"While the NHS is one of the safest, most efficient healthcare systems in the world we should never shy away from trying to improve standards for patients."

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