Afghanistan - Politician killed by suicide bomber

A suicide bomber riding a motorcycle packed with explosives has rammed into a car carrying the deputy governor of Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province, killing him and wounding three of his bodyguards, the Interior Ministry said. The attacker struck as Abdul Latif Ashna was being driven to work in the provincial capital.

USA - Giffords trial to be held in Tucson

Prosecutors and defence lawyers have agreed that the federal trial against the suspect in the shooting of Representative Gabrielle Giffords will be held in Tucson.

The case against Jared Lee Loughner moved to Phoenix after federal judges in Tucson excused themselves because a fellow judge died in the attack.

Loughner was arraigned in Phoenix. Prosecutors then requested the move so victims and witnesses would not have to drive there.

Loughner pleaded not guilty to charges of trying to assassinate Giffords and two of her aides and for killing six people, including a nine-year-old girl.

Britain - New guidelines on hospital superbugs

UK health authorities issued new guidelines yesterday to try to halt the spread of 'superbug' infections that are resistant to even the most powerful antibiotics, carbapenems.

Carbapenems are heavy-hitting antibiotics often reserved as treatment for illnesses like hospital-acquired pneumonias, urine infections or blood poisoning caused by strains of Klebsiella and E coli bacteria.

Several strains of these bugs are now becoming resistant to carbapenems, something experts say puts modern medicine under threat.

Guidelines for all medical microbiologists and infection control specialists will advise how hospitals should try to detect carbapenem-resistant bacteria, and stress how screening and isolating high-risk patients can help contain infection spread.