Egyptian officials turned down offers of help from the Royal Navy after a Red Sea ferry caught fire and sank with the loss of more than 1,000 lives, it was revealed today.

International peacekeepers are investigating an alleged plot to kidnap UN workers in the Afghanistan capital of Kabul and hold them for ransom, but have made no arrests, a spokesman said today.

Afghan and international forces laid a security ring around Kabul today as dignitaries travelled from around the world for the inauguration of Hamid Karzai as Afghanistan’s first popularly-elected president.