Plane crashes in Afghanistan

An unidentified plane crashed in southeastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, reportedly causing casualties, but few other details were available, Western and Afghan officials told Reuters.

The plane had taken off from the southeastern province of Khost, where U.S.-led coalition forces have a base, before crashing in a nearby province, Afghan officials said.

A Western source said he had heard reports of casualties, but had no further information.

A spokesman for the coalition forces in Kabul confirmed the crash, but said he had no details.

The crash occurred in an area where Taliban insurgents are active.

My late, lamented mother used to do this to me all the time. Knowing I was interested in current affairs, she would ring to tell me:

“I just heard something on the news, I think it was important. This man said something. I forget what it was, but he was really very serious about something that happened.

“No, I don’t remember who he was, but he was someone important…”

At this stage I generally inquired after her arthritis, details of which she could impart with great precision.

Aging mothers are one thing, and the non-story was more than likely an excuse for contact. The news media hardly have that excuse, so why the hell do they run non-stories? This one is all the more worrying because it is from one of my favourite news sources; The Scotsman.

A favourite I should add, because it is an anti establishment (or anti-England?) publication with a quirky and inquisitive bent. They cover international events either dispassionately or with a good sense of humour; they constantly prod the UK establishment but rarely run outright nonsense.

Perhaps the editor has recently read E Annie Proulx’s Shipping News. Both the headline and story would fit well in that book’s fictional newspaper.