KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – 2010. A child from a camp containing displaced people in Kabul. They had fled the Taliban and returned in 2001 to find that their land and villages had been stolen by others. Published here by kind permission of Guy Smallman/guysmallman.com. (c) Guy Smallman, 2010.

“Afghanistan: Ten Years On by Guy Smallman” – amnesty.org.uk

Last night I was at the opening of Guy Smallman’s solo exhibition, Afghanistan: Ten Years On. Since 2008 Guy has been documenting the impact of the war. With a focus on the devastating economic conditions that the Afghan people suffer daily. Guy’s pictures are strong, moving and powerful. A must see.

Amnesty International Human Rights Action Centre until the Friday 14th October 2011. Map.

GRANAI, AFGHANISTAN – On May 4th 2009 Granai Village in the Bala Baluk area of Farah province was the subject of air strikes by Coalition Forces. 147 civilians were killed making the single biggest loss of life since the war began in 2001. Published here by kind permission of Guy Smallman/guysmallman.com. (c) Guy Smallman, 2009.

HERAT CITY , AFGHANISTAN – Noria Barkot with her father. She was injured in the attack on Granai Village. Published here by kind permission of Guy Smallman/guysmallman.com. (c) Guy Smallman, 2009.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 14.08.11. Model Joe Ingham on a roof in Soho on Sunday 14 August 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2011. All rights reserved.

“Joe on a roof in Soho (14.08.11)” – marcvallee.co.uk

Click here to take a look at a slideshow of the Joe pictures.

LUTON, UNITED KINGDOM – 04.01.10. A Conservative Party general election billboard – with party leader David Cameron on it – in Luton, Bedfordshire on Monday 4 January 2010. Eric Pickles – Chairman of the Conservative Party – joined local party members in Luton as David Cameron launched the Party’s health manifesto in London. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2010.

Link: Click here to view more pictures.

Clients: Pictures are available for rights managed editorial licensing. High resolution images are available on request.

LUTON, UNITED KINGDOM – 04.01.10. A Conservative Party general election billboard – with party leader David Cameron on it – in Luton, Bedfordshire on Monday 4 January 2010. Eric Pickles – Chairman of the Conservative Party – joined local party members in Luton as David Cameron launched the Party’s health manifesto in London. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2010.

HERAT CITY , AFGHANISTAN – Noria Barkot with her father. She was injured in the attack on Granai Village. Published here by kind permission of Guy Smallman/guysmallman.com. (c) Guy Smallman, 2009.

“The enemy has the momentum in Afghanistan” – Channel 4 News.

“The innocent are always caught up” – Channel 4 News.

“New footage of deadly Afghan bombing” – Channel 4 News.

“Villagers’ legacy of pain from US air raid” – Guy Smallman, Financial Times.

“Afghans’ legacy of pain from US air raid” – Guy Smallman, Financial Times.

My friend and colleague Guy Smallman is back from working in Afghanistan – and with a world exclusive. He visited the Afghan village of Granai in which a US air strike killed 147 civilians in May of this year, the highest number of civilian casualties since the Afghanistan conflict began. Click on the links above to read Guy’s report and view his pictures and to watch the Channel 4 News report as well – which was the lead story last night.

GRANAI, AFGHANISTAN – On May 4th 2009 Granai Village in the Bala Baluk area of Farah province was the subject of air strikes by Coalition Forces. 147 civilians were killed making the single biggest loss of life since the war began in 2001. Published here by kind permission of Guy Smallman/guysmallman.com. (c) Guy Smallman, 2009.

Below is Guy’s previous investigation from Afghanistan – which were published in the Financial Times magazine in December last year.

Publication: 6/7 December 2008, Financial Times magazine.

“The Afghan man squatting in front of us in the former Soviet cultural centre in Kabul was oblivious to our presence. In his right hand he clung to a scorched piece of tinfoil. He was about 20, and rocked slowly backwards and forwards, not registering the questions being put to him by Khalid, my interpreter. Eventually we gave up, leaving him to his heroin-induced daze amid the rubble and used syringes. Lenin looked down from a decaying mural behind him.”

“Kabul’s lost tribe” – Guy Smallman, Financial Times.

Publication: 6/7 December 2008, Financial Times magazine.

Publication: 6/7 December 2008, Financial Times magazine.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 26.08.06. Site of the planned £500m medical research laboratory in King’s Cross, London, England on Saturday 26th April 2008. The laboratory, yards from St Pancras Eurostar station and the British Library will replace the current National Institute for Medical Research in Mill Hill, which houses a category four laboratory for the study of highly contagious diseases like Ebola. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2008.

Link: Click here to view more news pictures.

Clients: Pictures are available for rights managed editorial licensing. High resolution images are available on request.

“High security laboratory to be built in central London” The Guardian.

“No threat posed by new research centre, says Labour” The Guardian.

“Disease lab a ‘terrorism target’” BBC News.

“Residents oppose medical centre’” BBC News.

“Deal secures £500m medical centre’” BBC News.

PUTIN BY PLATON, 2007. Published here by kind permission of Platon. (c) Platon, 2007.

My good friend Andreas and his boss Platon went off on a trip to Moscow a few weeks back to shoot Vladimir Putin for Time Magazine. I’m told that the shoot took 5 minutes! Nice work if you can get it boys!

Print above: JFK Airport, 2006. (c) Marc Vallée, 2006.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 06.11.06. The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) (often known as MI6) headquarters in Vauxhall on the River Thames. The distinctive building is a well known London landmark designed by the architect Terry Farrell. (Photo by Marc Vallée/marcvallee.co.uk) (c) Marc Vallée, 2006.

Link: johnlecarre.co.uk (unoffical)

Link: johnlecarre.com (offical)

Some of you will know I’m a huge fan of John le Carré and today I found a very good “unofficial” resource of all things John le Carré.  The biography section is very enjoyable and useful and if you are a fan you will love it.  The Front Row interview with Mark Lawson is one of the best and gave me a few things to think about. The Radio 4 Today interview from 2004 is also well worth listening to. Enjoy.

Artwork above: Copyleft Flag – who should I credit?

“How the anti-copyright lobby makes big business rich” – Sion Touhig, The Register.

Welcome to my new Blog!

Here is a link to an excellent article on copyright by my colleague Sion Touhig. The case that Sion makes sums up how I and many others feel and is well worth taking a look at.