Afghanistan: 'The former United Nations human rights envoy to Afghanistan, Cherif Bassiouni, has said he lost his job because of pressure from the United States. The UN Human Rights Commission ended Professor Bassiouni's mandate at a meeting in Geneva last week. American officials said Afghanistan's human rights situation had improved. But Prof Bassiouni said it was because US defence officials did not want investigations into the way people were detained without trial by US forces.' (BBC)