At one minute past midnight on July 5, 1948 Aneira Thomas was born in Amman Valley Hospital, Carmarthenshire, Wales. Her mother Edna had been in labor for 18 hours and had gone into hospital expecting to pay one shilling and sixpence (£.075) in midwifery fees. A small amount but significant for the family finances. Her father earned £2 a week as a coal miner and in post war Britain money was tight.

Aneira's family did not have to pay those fees. She was the first baby to be born under the National Health Service scheme which promised healthcare free at the point of need, "from cradle to grave". Aneira would go on to become a nurse in the health service she was born with and both are still going strong. Earlier this week Aneira was in a Swansea hospital handing out "Born in Wales" baby bibs to new mothers.

A lot has changed in the last 60 years, not the least the political discussion. The Conservatives considered scrapping the tax funded system when they returned to office in 1951. Today the discussion is not if, but how to deliver the best service possible.

Nelson Mandela can now officially visit any part of the United States without having to get clearance from the Department of Homeland Security.

With George W Bush signing HR 5690 on Tuesday, the African National Congress (ANC) is removed from the list of "terrorist organizations". The ANC just happens to have been the ruling party in South Africa for well over a decade so in all that time members of the government have had to apply for a waiver to travel to the USA other than to attend the UN.

One part of Jerome a Paris's diary on Saturday about oil stood out as a succinct analysis of much US policy on both sides of the aisle.

McCain's proposals are stuck in the very same mindset he criticizes - the one that drove Hillary Clinton to push for lower gas taxes, Bush to call for renewed offshore drilling, or Obama to support coal production in the Appalachians: the fundamentally American notion that there is no limit to what  one can do, and that solutions will be found by going for more, or bigger, rather than doing less or smaller.

What I'd like to do in this diary is focus on an area where that mindset is predominant on here, namely public transport. Make no mistake, a modern high speed rail network linking major cities coast to coast is a laudable aim. Whether it is achievable or even a sensible response to the problems that have to be addressed is more debatable.

This weekend Paddy Ashdown was interviewed in the BBC's Hardtalk strandabout Afghanistan. In it he predicted that there would have to be western military involvement in the country for thirty years just to deny it as a base for training Al Qaeda.

Lord Ashdown is no armchair expert on the country. At one stage he was proposed as the UN representative in Afghanistan, having been UN High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2002 to 2006. A former leader of the UK Liberal Democrats, he was also approached to join the  Gordon Brown government. He declined but wrote a briefing paper for Brown on Afghanistan.

The program's home page (link above) does not have details up as yet but watch for it on the various BBC stations as it is broadcast internationally as well as on the BBC News channel.

A deal for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza strip came into effect last week. It is becoming apparent that the party most committed to its success is, surprisingly, Hamas. The party led by the President recognized by the West as the government, despite losing the election, Fatah has stated that the deal violates Palestinian interests.

Militant groups allied to Fatah have claimed responsibility for rocket attacks on Israel since the truce started. Meanwhile Israel stands accused by the UN of repeated violations of the ceasefire. It is also failing to abide by the agreement to open the borders for essential goods, using those rocket attacks as the excuse.

Al-Jazeera is reporting on its English language station that there is increased discontent in Gaza that the truce is not improving life on the streets.

At 13.00 GMT Sunday,Morgan Tsvangirai announced that he will not participate in Friday's second round  of Presidential elections. The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) had been split over whether to continue in the light of the murders of their supporters and organizers by police.

Al Jazeera are getting reports that military helicopters are flying over the main cities of Harare and Bulawayo. The roads are being blocked by police roadblocks and some apparently set up by Mugabe's Zanu PF. A meeting planned by the MDC for today and authorized by the courts had been taken over by Zanu-PF youths who were attacking anyone suspected of being sympathetic to the MDC. They used whips, truncheons and clubs to beat away anyone approaching the meeting place, including official observers from other African countries.

News is breaking that Israel and Hamas have agreed a truce starting this Thursday. The talks took place in Cairo. Egypt is also brokering talks between the two main Palestinian parties, Hamas and Fatah. (Update:Al Jazeerareport that senior Fatah officials have travelled to Gaza to discuss the reconcilliation process with Fatah groups although there are no plans to meet with Hamas as yet.)

According to information given to the BBC:

The first stage of the deal reportedly reached between Hamas and Israel envisages a halt to hostilities and a partial reopening Gaza's borders.

A second stage of the plan would focus on the return of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and on a deal to reopen the main Rafah crossing into Egypt.

"To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness."

Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Ernest

Events in Britain over the past week have clearly demonstrated why repeated US administrations have run down the US passenger rail system. It is quite obvious that the use of these for commuting presents a security risk that would be too high for American governments.

Right, let's get the "who? what? why?" out of the way first.

Botswana is a landlocked country in the south of Africa. It is surrounded (going clockwise) Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Namibia. It gained independence from Britain in 1966 and has had a stable presidential/parliamentary democracy ever since. Transition from one president to another has been either on the death or retirement of the outgoing. It is a multi-party system with free and fair elections in which the small white and other minorities participate. Although its spending on the military, 4% of GNP, has been criticized, its forces take part in peacekeeping duties. It is an enthusiastic member of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC)

It's not this record that belies the usual image of African countries in the West that I am cheering today.

Botswana is the first African government to lodge a formal protest with the Zimbabwe government about the violence and intimidation that has hit the country ahead of the election.

Gordon Brown has scraped through a Commons vote to increase the time terrorism suspects can be held without charge to 42 days. The measure went through despite a Labour backbench rebellion by 9 votes. Voting in favor were a Conservative, an MP thrown out of the Conservative Party now with the UK Independence Party and nine Ulster Protestant MPs.

To get this vote through Brown had to make concessions estimated to cost the country £1.2 Billion. These are believed to include:

Relaxing sanctions against Cuba to get left wing Labour votes
Promising money to the DUP to help pay water charges in Northern Ireland
Agreeing to pay compensation to miners for arthritis.
£3000 compensation for those wrongly detained.

The House of Lords is likely to reject the Bill and it could be ruled illegal by either the new Supreme Court or the European Court of Human Rights. The veteran Labour left winger, Lord Stansgate Tony Benn said "I never thought I would be in the House of Commons on the day Magna Carta was repealed".

The same day, police found ultra top secret government documents about Al Qaeda left on a train by an official who is believed to be senior in the Secret Services.

The flagship BBC documentary program "Panorama" Tuesday is to focus on the loss, fraud, bad accounting and corruption in US Iraq war spending that could amount to $23 Billion.

A BBC press release introducing the program claims:

For the first time the extent to which some private contractors have profited from the conflict and rebuilding has been researched by Panorama using US and Iraqi government sources.

Based on information from these sources, the programme can reveal that as much as $23billion is not properly accounted for in Iraq.

The program is scheduled for showing at 21.00 BST on BBC1.

UPDATE: I have added by rough notes of the content made as the program was transmitted on Louise's more recent diary. Regrettably there appears to be little not already familiar here. The U tube links do not appear to work outside the UK so I have removed the front page one to allow this addition.

The killing of three members of the Parachute Regiment in a suicide bombing over the weekend brought the British death toll to 100. The Prime Minister Gordon Brown made this statement.

"They have paid the ultimate price, but they have achieved something of lasting value."

In what is perhaps the first challenge to the campaign, the main Channel 4 News tonight asked "What?"

Also over the weekend two local reporters for the BBC were killed, one in Afghanistan and another in Somalia.

UPDATE:
From the BBC

BBC political editor Nick Robinson said he understood that the (UK) government's next announcement on troop numbers will be made in July. This is unlikely to be the moment when full withdrawal (from Iraq) will be announced.

The object appears to be to release more troops for Afghanistan by carrying out the planned reduction of the Basra force to 2,500.

Barack Obama has been arrested by the Secret Service unit supposed to protect him. He was subsequently released without charge from a police station, where he had been denied access to a lawyer, on condition he return to Washington without holding his planned meeting. Police claim the campaign rally was illegal. TV stations are now banned from showing his election advertising or interviews with him.

There are reports that his campaign team were worried in case he was physically beaten. Spontaneous demonstrations against an earlier 8 hour arrest had been hit by tear gas and live rounds. Local campaign organizers for Obama have disappeared and several have been found dead or badly assaulted. There are allegations that FBI are involved in these incidents.

Today George Bush confiscated all aid being sent to help the victims of the recent tornadoes in the mid-West, including emergency food relief. A total news blackout has been ordered. The Army has set up relief stations to distribute emergency food and supplies but these can only be accessed by registered Republicans. A convoy of diplomats from the EU trying to investigate these reports has been turned round under threat of being fired on.

Outrageous? Impossible? Maybe in the USA but this what passes for a Presidential campaign in Zimbabwe today.

On Thursday the US Ambassador to Zimbabwe and embassy officials were traveling to the North of the capital Harare to investigate reports of political violence. As far as can be learnt from the slightly confused reporting, the two car convoy was ordered to report to a police station. When they refused, attempts were made to run his vehicle off the road.

The cars were then stopped at a road block and the tires slashed. The occupants were ordered from the vehicles under threat of them being set fire. A local Zimbabwean driver was assaulted and a camera and satellite telephone stolen. Officials from the British embassy were also involved in the incident. The affair is to be discussed at the UN Security Council as it represents a gross breach of the Vienna Convention.

The Zimbabwean government has now banned all aid groups and NGOs from distributing food aid. Over 4  million are facing "severe food deficit". The President, Robert Mugabe is currently in Rome attending a WFO meeting on the world food crisis.

The UK "Independent"newspaper has as its Thursday's front page a leak of a secret plan by Bush for the indefinite occupation of Iraq. They claim this is being negotiated now in Baghdad.

The plans involve 50 US bases in the country, control of Iraqi airspace and legal immunity for all American soldiers and contractors. It is intended to boost McSame's position in the November general election.

President Bush wants to push it through by the end of next month so he can declare a military victory and claim his 2003 invasion has been vindicated. But by perpetuating the US presence in Iraq, the long-term settlement would undercut pledges by the Democratic presidential nominee, Barack Obama, to withdraw US troops if he is elected president in November.

Grace Mugabe, Zimbabwe's "First Lady" is in Rome. She is staying at the Ambasciatori Palace Hotel on the Via Veneto. A suite room for two next Monday night is 550 Euro, roughly $855.  Earlier this year  the inflation rate in Zimbabwe hit 100,000% and about 80% of the population were in poverty. That internet rate room for a night represents more than a year's income for millions of Zimbaweans.

The hotel offers "gourmet buffets" and a "refined catering service". Her husband is attending a three day meeting of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to discuss world food shortages. Roughly half the population of Zimbabwe are facing starvation, 80% are unemployed.

It's started and I am getting fed up with it already. "Official Partners" advertising is springing up all over TV. Power companies here, banks there, that logo is getting pernicious.

Do I object because it is promoting China? Not really, this is advertising linked to London 2012! I'm getting the same sort of feeling I got after watching Bush's re-election and all those chants of "four more years". Yep four more years of a French power company trying to convince me that they are really interested in the performance of the British beach volleyball team or whatever. OK that's not quite their message but you get the point.

This all got me wondering what actual return companies get from sponsoring events.

Agreement had been reached in Dublin on the wording of a treaty that will outlaw cluster bombs. Delegates from 109 countries met to agree the wording in the Irish capital.

The exact wording has yet to released but is expected to ban the manufacture, stockpiling and use of all of the current generation of cluster munitions. It appears that the main discussions have been around special circumstances. These would include what would happen if a signatory's forces were in a coalition with a non-signatory's. It also looks like there will be am 8 year transition period after which other countries' stockpiles would have to be removed from the signatory's territory.

Despite the USA not taking part in the discussions, the treaty would force  the removal of cluster bomb stockpiles from bases in countries like the UK   which will sign, after the period of grace.