Intense fighting between troops and militants has unfolded over the past few days in a hotbed of insurgents and narcotics trafficking in southern Afghanistan, NATO said in a statement Wednesday. Lord Taylor of Blackburn and Lord Truscott allegedly agreed to use their influence to get a loophole into a proposed tax law in exchange for cash, but the person offering the bribe turned out to be an undercover reporter. The Sunday Times newspaper ran the sting operation, in which journalists approached members of the House of Lords, claiming to be acting on behalf of a foreign business looking to open a chain of stores in the United Kingdom
