First prize in composition leads to Covent Garden job for Fermoy girl, says Nicki ffrench Davis

A Taliban suicide bomber rammed a van into an armoured Nato bus today in Kabul, killing 13 American troops and four Afghans, US and Afghan officials said, in the deadliest attack on coalition forces in more than two months.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a forceful case for democracy in the Muslim world today, telling Egypt’s conservative government leaders “the fear of free choices can no longer justify the denial of liberty”.