January 31, 2011, 3:24 am
![Image]( "Dizaei trial witness in rape probe")
The central witness and victim in the trial of former Scotland Yard commander Ali Dizaei is under investigation for rape.
Waad al-Baghdadi, 25, was arrested last year by detectives probing an alleged sexual assault at a home in central London.
The freelance internet developer was questioned on suspicion of rape after a woman came forward to police. It is understood the alleged attack was a "historic" incident said to have taken place some time before.
The suspect was rearrested in Bayswater, west London, nine days ago on suspicion of breaching his bail conditions. He was released with no further action.
The investigation comes as Dizaei, 48, prepares to challenge his conviction for corruption in the High Court.
His legal team, led by Michael Mansfield QC, believe there is fresh evidence that shows the case against him is fundamentally flawed, and they want judges to examine claims that Mr al-Baghdadi used a false name and nationality when he appeared in court under oath.
Dizaei was jailed for four years in February last year after a jury found he attacked Mr al-Baghdadi outside a Kensington restaurant in a row over money.
The Iranian-born officer arrested the younger man and falsely claimed he assaulted him with a mouthpiece from a hookah pipe.
Details of the appeal are expected to be laid bare during a three-day hearing at the High Court in late March. No date has been set.
Neither Mr al-Baghdadi or Dizaei's solicitor could be reached for comment.
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January 31, 2011, 3:24 am
![Image]( "BBC wins battle over climate show")
The BBC has fought off a High Court challenge to a broadcast of a documentary about climate change sceptics.
Lord Monckton had applied to Mr Justice Tugendhat for an injunction stopping the programme being shown until it included his right of reply.
He said that he felt he had been "unreasonably treated and misled" and complained of breach of contract.
He told the judge in London that he wanted the programme, Meet The Climate Sceptics, to include his 500 words or three minutes which, he said, was proportionate in the context of a 60-minute film almost exclusively about him.
He said: "What I'm not trying to do is extinguish the BBC's right to freedom of speech. I was for many years myself a journalist and it is not appropriate to say a programme should not be broadcast. I am merely asking for a right to reply to which I say I am entitled."
Lord Monckton said it was the least remedy that would meet the case as the damage to his reputation would otherwise be "grave".
Desmond Browne QC, for the BBC, production company Fresh One Productions Ltd and film maker Rupert Murray, said that changes had been made to the film in the light of Lord Monckton's concerns about accuracy and bias.
He told the court that the October 2010 contract provided for absolute editorial control by Fresh One and the BBC, there had been advance publicity for the broadcast and it would be problematic to show it at another time. He said that an injunction should not be granted as, though "dressed up" as a claim in contract, the real complaint was one of defamation.
The judge refused the application on the basis that the agreement on which Lord Monckton relied lacked the clarity which he submitted it had. The "balance of justice" also favoured its refusal, he added.
The programme filmed Lord Monckton over past year as he travelled across Australia and the United States challenging the proposition that increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causes climate change and global warming.
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January 31, 2011, 9:05 am
![Image]( "Jade Goody's widower Tweed charged")
Jade Goody's widower Jack Tweed has been charged by police over a scuffle outside a nightclub.
The 23-year-old was accused of threatening and abusive behaviour after answering bail at a police station in Ilford, east London.
He will appear alongside his younger brother Lewis, 20, and friend Mark Wright, 24, at Redbridge Magistrates' Court next Tuesday.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said they have been charged under section four of the Public Order Act.
Police contacted Tweed after a brawl outside Wright's Deuces Bar and Lounge, in Chigwell, Essex, in the early hours of January 3.
Wright, who appeared in reality TV programme The Only Way Is Essex, and Lewis Tweed were arrested at the scene. Jack Tweed was later arrested by appointment.
A 21-year-old builder suffered a black eye and bruised face during the punch-up. He declined medical treatment.
Tweed married Big Brother star Goody, 27, shortly before she lost her battle against cervical cancer in March 2009.
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January 31, 2011, 9:11 am
![Image]( "Cowen to stand down at election")
Irish Taoiseach Brian Cowen will not contest the general election, he has announced.
Mr Cowen's political future had been in doubt after he stepped down as leader of the ruling Fianna Fail party just over a week ago.
He said that after consulting with his family he would not run again in his Laois/Offaly constituency.
Mr Cowen said: "I have to take things into consideration now in the context of the fact of having been Taoiseach and leader of the party and former leader and giving a break to the new leader."
He said he also took his family into consideration.
The outgoing Taoiseach said new Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin did not ask him to stand down.
"It was not a question of Micheal expecting me to stand aside," Mr Cowen told Midlands Radio.
Mr Cowen will dissolve the Dail (parliament) on Tuesday and name a date for the most eagerly awaited general election in decades.
The Dail will reconvene at 2.30pm with a statement from Mr Cowen and expected remarks from the leaders of Opposition parties Fine Gael, Labour, Sinn Fein and the Greens, who pulled out of the coalition the day after Mr Cowen quit as Fianna Fail leader.
The Taoiseach will then attend President Mary McAleese's residence, Aras an Uachtarain in the Phoenix Park, and ask her to formally dissolve parliament.
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January 31, 2011, 9:11 am
![Image]( "No rape charge for Dizaei witness")
The central witness in the trial of former Scotland Yard commander Ali Dizaei has been told he will not be prosecuted for rape.
Waad al-Baghdadi, 25, was arrested last year by detectives investigating an alleged sexual assault at a home in Westminster.
He was questioned on suspicion of rape after a woman came forward to police to complain about a "historic" incident.
But the freelance internet developer was told that he should be released from bail and face no further action.
News of the aborted police investigation came as Dizaei, 48, prepares to challenge his conviction for corruption in the High Court.
His legal team, led by Michael Mansfield QC, believe there is fresh evidence that shows the case against him is fundamentally flawed.
They want judges to examine claims Mr al-Baghdadi used a false name and nationality when he appeared in court under oath.
Dizaei was jailed for four years in February last year after a jury found he attacked Mr al-Baghdadi outside a Kensington restaurant in a row over money.
Details of the bid are expected to be laid bare during a three-day hearing at the Court of Appeal in late March. No date has been set.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "The Met has this afternoon been informed by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) that they have decided a 25-year-old man who was on bail, after being arrested on September 28, 2010, in connection with an allegation of a sexual offence, should be released from bail with no further action."
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January 31, 2011, 9:11 am
![Image]( "Cameron in call for Egypt elections")
The UK is maintaining pressure on Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak to agree "free and fair elections" as protests against his regime continue for a seventh day.
Amid beefed-up consular efforts to help Britons flee the crisis, which has so far left around 100 dead, Prime Minister David Cameron led calls for reform.
Any attempt to repress mounting public demonstrations - continuing in defiance of a centrally-imposed curfew - would "end badly", he told Mr Mubarak n a telephone call.
The president swore in a new cabinet on Monday but the concession is unlikely to satisfy the tens of thousands who have taken to the streets in cities across Egypt.
Organisers have called for a million people to join protest rallies on Tuesday to mark a week of open dissent and increase pressure on Mr Mubarak to stand down.
The UK Government, while warning against the possibility of Egypt falling into the hands of extremists, fell short of backing demands for the president to quit.
Arriving for EU talks in Brussels, Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "We don't want Egypt to fall into the hands of extremists.
"That is why we want an orderly transition to free and fair elections, and greater freedom and democracy in Egypt. Then I think we need to rely on the good sense of the people of Egypt: who they elect is their concern."
MPs were briefed on the latest developments in a statement by foreign office minister Alistair Burt in the Commons.
He played down the significance of barricades being erected at some hotels in Red Sea resorts such as Sharm el Sheikh, where around two thirds of the 30,000 Britons in the country are.
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January 31, 2011, 9:11 am
![Image]( "Minister 'advised Libya on Megrahi'")
Libya was given advice by a British Government minister on how to secure convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi's release, it has been reported.
A secret US diplomatic cable obtained by the WikiLeaks website and shown to the Daily Telegraph cites details of a letter sent by then Foreign Office minister Bill Rammell to his Tripoli counterpart.
Sent within weeks of Megrahi being diagnosed with cancer, it outlines "the procedure for obtaining compassionate release", the newspaper said. The memo, composed after a Foreign Office official briefed the US ambassador, will raise fresh questions about the role played by London in the controversial release.
Then prime minister Gordon Brown strenuously denied any attempt by the Government to influence the decision, agreed by Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill in August 2009.
It will also increase the pressure on David Cameron to meet a promise to examine the release of official documents surrounding the case - amid claims by some US politicians of a cover-up.
Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over the Scottish town on December 21, 1988, killing 270 people in the air and on the ground. Megrahi, the only person convicted over the atrocity, remains alive in Tripoli 16 months after being released from jail with an estimated three months to live due to prostate cancer.
The memo was written by a US official after a meeting between its ambassador in London and senior Foreign Office official Rob Dixon. "FCO Minister for the Middle East Bill Rammell sent Libyan Deputy FM Abdulati al-Obeidi a letter, which was cleared both by HMG and by the Scottish Executive, on October 17 outlining the procedure for obtaining compassionate release," it was reported to say.
A spokesman for Mr Salmond said: "This leaves the former UK Labour government with all the questions to answer about its conduct. This diplomatic correspondence, much of which has already been made public, totally vindicates the Scottish Government's position. We were clearly the only ones playing with a straight bat and interested in applying the precepts of Scottish justice, which we continue to do and continue to uphold.
"The cables confirm what we always said - that our only interest was taking a justice decision based on Scots law without fear or favour, which was exactly what was done, and that our public position was identical to our private one. The decisions to reject the PTA application and grant compassionate release were taken by the justice secretary, according to the precepts of Scots law.
"The cables also show that the former UK government were playing false on the issue, with a different public position from their private one - which must be deeply embarrassing for the Labour Party in Scotland - and that the US government was fully aware of the pressure being applied to the UK government."
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January 31, 2011, 9:11 am
![Image]( "Lords deal ends AV debate deadlock")
The threat of a voting reform referendum on May 5 being scuppered by political deadlock in the House of Lords has been eased after Tory and Labour peers struck a deal.
But critics warned the battle was not over and that further agreements would be required if the vital deadline for approving the legislation was not to be missed.
News of the compromise emerged amid reports David Cameron was willing to provoke a constitutional crisis by imposing a "guillotine" curtailing debate in the upper chamber.
It is believed to centre on changes put forward by the convenor of the crossbench peers, Baroness D'Souza.
The scheduled date for a public vote on switching to the Alternative Vote system was put in peril by protracted debate in the Lords, so far spanning more than 80 hours over 14 days.
Ministers have accused Labour of filibustering to delay the legislation, which must become law by February 16 for the referendum to be able to go ahead on the planned date.
Labour peers oppose measures contained in the same legislation to reduce the House of Commons from 650 to 600 MPs - which the party says are designed to disadvantage it.
Now Lords leader Lord Strathclyde has signalled a breakthrough, promising a "package of concessions" during a statement to peers.
They will bring the prolonged committee stage of the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill to an end on Wednesday.
But former lord chancellor Lord Falconer, who described the possibility of a guillotine as "an abomination", said the changes were not yet sufficient to ensure progress.
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January 31, 2011, 11:04 am
![Image]( "Boots to sell paternity testing kit")
A new kit for testing paternity will go on sale in high street store Boots.
The Assuredna test, which is already available in more than 350 independent pharmacies, gives results in one to five days.
Manufacturer Anglia DNA has laboratories accredited by the Ministry of Justice to carry out tests for courts in England and Wales.
Mandy Hartley, technical manager at Anglia DNA, said: "Every paternity issue is different but, for the majority of cases, families receive the results they were expecting.
"Assuredna provides families with peace of mind so they can move on with their lives.
"Around half of all tests we conduct are related to children under 12 months, helping confirm paternity before the child has matured and is fully aware."
For the test, samples of cells are collected from the mouth of the father, child and mother.
These cotton swabs are then placed in colour-coded envelopes and posted to Anglia DNA for analysis.
Both mother and father must sign forms giving their consent for the test and include proof of identity.
The test is available to anyone aged 16 or over and costs £29.99 to buy, plus a £129 lab fee.
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January 31, 2011, 11:35 am
![Image]( "Cuts delay call amid growth fears")
Chancellor George Osborne should consider delaying austerity cuts to support Britain's flagging economy, according to a new report.
In its latest forecast, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) said there was a case for postponing some of the harsh spending cuts as it predicted the UK economy will grow by just 1.5% in 2011 - only marginally above its 1.4% growth last year.
But NIESR warned interest rates may have to rise as early as the spring to hold back soaring inflation, as it forecast that Consumer Prices Index (CPI) would rise to an average of 3.8% in 2011.
The report said that with the "lacklustre" economy operating at about 4% below potential, there was room to hold off on some of the Government's austerity programme, adding this would be acceptable because borrowing costs are currently so low.
In recent days Prime Minister David Cameron has insisted that it would be a mistake for the Government to reverse its austerity measures even though the economy contracted by 0.5% in the final quarter of 2010.
With the future cost of caring for Britain's pensioners spiralling, the report also said the Government should also consider a faster rise in the state pension age so that it reaches 68, rather than 66, by 2020. The surge in CPI is being made worse by soaring oil prices and will squeeze real disposable income by 0.8% in 2011, after a 1% reduction in 2010.
But NIESR gave credence to Bank of England Governor Mervyn King's predictions that inflation will fall back again in 2012. It said CPI will drop to 1.8% next year because the recovery is so subdued.
The report predicts that the UK will grow in the first quarter of 2011 as it regains some of the output lost to the snowy weather in December. But the average growth rate across the final quarter of 2010 and the first quarter of 2011 will be just 0.1%, it added. While Government spending will fall in 2011, personal consumption will also drop by 0.1%, it predicted.
Shadow treasury chief secretary Angela Eagle said: "This report is yet another warning sign to a Conservative Chancellor who seems to be in denial. When Labour left office growth was picking up, unemployment was falling, inflation was low and the deficit came in over £20 billion lower than forecast.
"But the NIESR's report shows that the economy has taken a turn for the worse since George Osborne made the choice to pursue a different course by cutting the deficit too far and too fast. This report predicts that economic growth is set to slow down and will be significantly lower than forecast since the Tory-led government's emergency budget and spending review last year."
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January 31, 2011, 11:35 am
![Image]( "Home Secretary hails 'crime maps'")
A street-by-street guide to crime in England and Wales will help people to find out what is really going on in their area, Home Secretary Theresa May has said.
The crime maps, where members of the public can search for what has been happening on or near their street, will give people the information they need to hold their local police to account and to help bring down crime in their area, Mrs May said.
It is the first time such detailed crime maps have been available for an entire country anywhere in the world.
People will be able to find out which crimes have taken place on or near their street within the last month and which officers are responsible for their area by visiting the site at www.police.uk.
Crime trends will also be established as the site develops and this could be extended to include details on the outcomes of court cases in the future.
Information on local police appeals and the next police community meeting will also be published alongside the crime maps.
Mrs May said: "I think the public reaction will be positive. I think people are going to welcome the fact they can really see what's happening with crime in their area, not just on their street but in their neighbourhood.
"I think they will feel a greater connection with the police, with much more information about where they can go to, and who they can work with.
"I think that over time, it will have an impact on crime. This is about fighting crime together."
The Home Secretary denied that making such detailed information available would drive down house prices in a particular area.
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January 31, 2011, 11:35 am
![Image]( "Most GPs 'disagree with reforms'")
Six out of 10 doctors disagree with the Government's reforms of the NHS and many do not believe they will improve patient care, according to a poll for the Royal College of General Practitioners.
It said the survey highlighted how GPs are yet to be convinced by the plans, which will see them take control of around £80 billion of NHS money.
Most (70%) think the reforms will not improve the relationship between GPs and hospital consultants, and there are serious doubts over whether they will cut red tape in the NHS.
More than 70% of GPs said they also "disagreed" or "strongly disagreed" that plans to create a bigger market in healthcare, using private companies, would improve the NHS.
The poll, of more than 1,800 GPs, found 52% disagreed or strongly disagreed that the reforms would create a patient-led NHS.
Some 43% said the reforms would not improve health outcomes - such as tackling cancer or deaths from heart disease - with another 27% neither agreeing or disagreeing.
Overall, 32% disagreed with the direction of the reforms, 29% strongly disagreed and another 15% neither agreed or disagreed. Only one in five (20%) agreed with the direction of the plans, and only 4% strongly agreed.
RCGP leader Clare Gerada said: "The RCGP is not opposed to NHS reform; we want to improve the NHS for our patients, and GPs want to see a clinician-led NHS that places patients at its very centre.
"However, these results highlight the continuing concerns many of our members have about the proposals outlined in the Health Bill. This is a snapshot of what our members are thinking at the moment.
"These results show that a significant number of our members are keen to support GP-led commissioning; it is something the College, and GPs, have wanted for many years. However, our members are telling us that they are worried about the pace at which these reforms are being implemented, the danger of fragmentation of services, and the emphasis on competition, and they are not sure whether the proposals really will have the positive impact on patient care that is intended."
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January 31, 2011, 3:33 pm
![Image]( "BP bosses set to unveil annual loss")
Bosses at BP are expected to unveil the oil giant's first annual loss in nearly two decades on Tuesday following a disastrous year for the blue-chip company.
But analysts and investors are hopeful chief executive Bob Dudley will resume dividend payments - after their suspension over the summer - in a signal that the firm is recovering from last year's Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
BP is expected to report a loss of at least £2.8 billion in its full-year results, after the tens of billions it set aside to cover costs of the Deepwater Horizon disaster are deducted.
The return of BP's dividend would be a key development for pension holders as well as investors given the stock previously accounted for an estimated one in every six pension pounds invested. The quarterly dividend is expected to be around seven cents a share - half the level announced in April.
BP upped its bill estimate to cover the cost of the oil spill to £25 billion in November, but analysts do not expect this to increase and have latched on to recent signs that only half of the £12.6 billion compensation fund will be required.
The financial hit from the oil spill will offset underlying replacement cost profits of £13.2 billion for the full year. Profits for the fourth quarter are expected to be around £3.1 billion. BP has managed to claw back around £12.6 billion through asset disposals - by selling interests in Argentina, North America, Egypt, Venezuela, Vietnam and Colombia.
The company has been able to benefit from a gradual increase in oil prices over 2010, which hit 90 US dollars a barrel at around the year end.
As well as the restoration of the dividend, the City will be looking for an update on the company's strategic overhaul. In the words of new chief executive Mr Dudley, the firm is on a "journey to re-establish trust in BP around the world - especially the US".
However, BP is embroiled in a legal tussle with shareholders at TNK-BP, another Russian joint venture, who argue the new deal breaches its shareholder agreement. The dispute will be brought to court in London today.
BP last reported an annual loss in 1992, when low oil prices, recession and strategic errors saw chief executive Bob Horton lose his job. The firm lost £458 million that year.
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January 31, 2011, 3:33 pm
![Image]( "Preston tops national 'crime map'")
Glovers Court in Preston and its surrounding area is the most crime-ridden place in England and Wales, according to new figures.
More than 150 crimes and incidents of anti-social behaviour were reported on the street or nearby in December alone, including 44 violent crimes.
The crime rate was revealed in street-by-street crime maps designed to give people the information they need to hold their local police to account.
Home Secretary Theresa May said the maps, accessible online at www.police.uk, would help people find out what was really going on in their area.
There were 152 incidents of reported crime or anti-social behaviour on or near Glovers Court in December, including 44 violent crimes, 73 instances of anti-social behaviour, a robbery, a burglary and 33 other crimes. It is the highest figure for any street in England and Wales during December.
The Home Secretary denied that making such detailed information available would drive down house prices in a particular area.
"It's not the existence of a map on a website that affects it," she said. "This is giving people a real tool, real power to see that something is being done about crime in their area. This doesn't make them frightened, it actually makes them feel a part of what is happening. This will give them the real facts and figures. This will make the police more accountable. It gives people a real tool to hold the police to account."
Mrs May said the site, which cost £300,000 to develop, came "from a real feeling that people have lost confidence in national crime figures".
Policing Minister Nick Herbert also insisted that the more detailed information would not increase the fear of crime.
It is the first time such detailed crime maps have been available for an entire country anywhere in the world.
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January 31, 2011, 3:33 pm
![Image]( "Most doctors disagree with reforms")
More than half of doctors disagree with the Government's controversial reforms of the NHS and many do not believe they will improve patient care, according to a poll.
The survey for the Royal College of GPs highlights how family doctors are yet to be convinced by the plans, which will see them take control of around £80 billion of NHS money.
It comes as reforms moved a step closer after the Health and Social Care Bill last night cleared its first hurdle in the House of Commons last night.
Speaking in the Commons, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said the reforms were a continuation of Labour's failed efforts while in power to modernise the service. He said patients would get more choice over which doctor they saw or the treatment that they wanted to receive. Private companies could also provide care but the "values" of the NHS would remain unchanged.
Mr Lansley said while Labour had pumped billions of pounds into the NHS, it was worse than the average health service in Europe while management costs had soared.
He told MPs: "At every step, clinical leadership - the leadership of doctors, nurses and other health professionals - will be right at the forefront - an NHS organised from the bottom up, not from the top down. The shift in power away from politicians and bureaucrats will be dramatic. This is legislation that builds on what has gone before. It is not a revolution."
But shadow health secretary John Healey said the Bill would see "free-market political ideology" forced into the NHS which would "spell the end" of the organisation in its current form. He said it was "wrong" of ministers to claim it was an evolution of Labour plans: "Make no mistake, this is a revolution not an evolution."
The survey showed six out of 10 doctors (60%) disagree with the Government's reforms of the NHS and many do not believe they will improve patient care. Most doctors (70%) think the reforms will not improve the relationship between GPs and hospital consultants, and there are serious doubts over whether they will cut red tape in the NHS.
More than 70% of GPs said they also "disagreed" or "strongly disagreed" that plans to create a bigger market in healthcare, using private companies, would improve the NHS.
The poll, of more than 1,800 GPs, found 52% disagreed or strongly disagreed that the reforms would create a patient-led NHS. Some 43% said the reforms would not improve health outcomes - such as tackling cancer or deaths from heart disease - with another 27% neither agreeing or disagreeing. Overall, 32% disagreed with the direction of the reforms, 29% strongly disagreed and another 15% neither agreed or disagreed. Only one in five (20%) agreed with the direction of the plans, and only 4% strongly agreed.
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January 31, 2011, 3:57 pm
![Image]( "New UK football transfer record")
Fernando Torres was confirmed as a Chelsea player on Monday night after a £50million deadline-day swoop on Liverpool which shattered the record for a transfer between two British clubs - as England striker Andy Carroll moved from Newcastle United to Anfield to fill his boots.
Torres jetted to Stamford Bridge to complete his deal and Roman Abramovich further signalled his intention to turn Chelsea back into a dominant force by completing the signing of Benfica defender David Luiz in a deal reportedly worth around £25million.
At the same time, Carroll travelled to Liverpool's training ground to put the finishing touches to his £35million move to join Luis Suarez, whose own move from Ajax was also officially completed before the 11pm deadline.
Torres had sparked the transfer rush on Friday when he handed in a written transfer request after Chelsea had an initial offer of £35million turned down by the Reds.
Liverpool changed their minds after Chelsea increased their offer - but only after making sure they had landed Newcastle striker Carroll, who handed in a transfer request of his own this week.
The previous highest fee paid by an English club was £32.5 million paid by Manchester City to Real Madrid for the Brazilian Robinho in September 2008, while the record for a transfer between two English clubs was set in July 2002 when Rio Ferdinand moved from Leeds United to Manchester United for £29.1 million
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January 31, 2011, 4:25 pm
![Image]( "Silent call firms face new fines")
Companies responsible for silent calls face fines of up to £2 million under new rules which have come into force.
Ofcom received more than 9,000 complaints about silent calls last year, with more than 70% of those affected saying they had answered two or more calls from the same company in one day.
The regulator said this can cause "significant distress".
It said the majority of cases were down to call centre technology used to detect answer machines. When the technology fails to recognise a "live" consumer the call is cut off, meaning the person who answers does not hear anything.
Ofcom has fined nine companies for making silent and abandoned calls, with Barclaycard receiving the previous maximum penalty of £50,000.
It has now written to the call centre industry spelling out the new regulations and warning that it will not hesitate to impose the maximum fine where appropriate.
The rules were approved by Parliament last September.
Ed Richards, Ofcom's chief executive, said: "Silent and abandoned calls can cause significant consumer harm. Ofcom has given sufficient warnings to companies about silent calls and is ready to take appropriate action against those companies who continue to break the rules."
The new rules prevent a company using answer machine detection equipment more than once a day if a machine is "detected" on the first attempt.
This should mean consumers no longer receive repeated silent calls from the same company.
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January 31, 2011, 7:23 pm
![Image]( "BP sees £3bn loss after oil spill")
BP has suffered its first annual loss in nearly two decades after revealing that the Gulf of Mexico oil spill will cost it more than 40 billion US dollars (£25.2 billion).
The British energy giant recorded a full-year loss of 4.9 billion US dollars (£3.1 billion) in the year to December 31, compared with profits of 13.9 billion US dollars (£8.7 billion) in 2009, after the financial impact of the fatal Deepwater Horizon explosion was deducted.
But chief executive Bob Dudley said the embattled firm would resume its quarterly dividend payment - after it was suspended last summer - at seven cents (4p) a share, half the level of its last payment in April.
The company also revealed plans to sell two refineries in North America - including the company's plant in Texas City, which was the site of a fatal fire and explosion in 2005.
BP reported lower-than-expected profits of 4.4 billion US dollars (£2.7 billion) in the fourth quarter. Analysts had forecast around 5 billion US dollars (£3.1 billion) for the period.
The full-year results take in one of the most damaging periods of BP's 100-year history, as the devastating explosion on April 20, which killed 11 workers and triggered the biggest offshore oil spill in history, shattered its reputation.
BP once again upped its estimate of the cost of the disaster to 40.9 billion US dollars (£25.5 billion) after it took an additional 1.04 billion US dollars (£647.8 million) hit in the fourth quarter.
But the company's decision to resume dividend payments is a signal that the firm is recovering and will be welcomed by pension holders as well as investors given the stock previously accounted for an estimated one in every six pension pounds invested.
Mr Dudley said he was determined to see BP emerge as a safer and more trusted company. He said: "2011 will be a year of recovery and consolidation as we implement the changes we have identified to reduce operational risk and meet our commitments arising from the spill.
"But it will also be a year in which we have the opportunity to reset the company, adjusting the shape of our business, and focus on growing value for shareholders."
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January 31, 2011, 8:25 pm
![Image]( "Britons urged to avoid Egypt march")
Protesters in Egypt are to hold a "march of a million people", calling for President Hosni Mubarak to stand down.
The escalation comes with the British government leading calls for an "orderly transition" to free and fair elections.
The Egyptian army has said it will not use force against protesters, but Britons yet to leave the crisis-stricken country were advised to stay away from public gatherings.
The Foreign Office said: "A major demonstration is planned for February 1 with calls for one million people to take part in central Cairo.
"Similar, although smaller, demonstrations are expected in other major cities around Egypt. British nationals should observe instructions and advice by local security authorities and avoid public gatherings and disturbances."
After EU talks in Brussels with foreign ministers on Monday night, Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "We are seeking the orderly transition to a broad-based government of free and fair elections, and I think these conclusions are part of a very clear message from EU nations - a message to the Egyptian regime to get on with it and satisfy the aspirations of their own people."
He said the EU was not interfering in political arguments within Egypt, but acknowledged there was a danger that anything other than an "orderly" transition at the top could mean more dictatorship, rather than more democracy, saying: "There is a risk of extremist politics taking a greater hold, with a more authoritarian system being adopted.
"It is an urgent matter to get on with an orderly transition, so this situation is fraught with danger for Egypt, for the people of Egypt, for the stability of the region and the whole Middle East peace process."
Ultimately Europe had to rely on democracy emerging in Egypt, without imposing it, he said, adding: "We must to continue to take a robust stance. We have put our faith in democracy - if we believe in democracy, then we must let the Egyptian people decide about that."
Prime Minister David Cameron told the president by phone on Monday that any attempt to repress mounting public demonstrations - continuing in defiance of a centrally-imposed curfew - would "end badly".
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January 31, 2011, 8:25 pm
![Image]( "'Tick-box' social work criticised")
Social workers should spend less time filling in forms and more time talking to children, the head of an independent review into child protection in England has said.
Professor Eileen Munro also wants to strip Ofsted of the power to evaluate reports into the deaths of abused or neglected children.
And the regulator should scrap making pre-planned checks on children's services in favour of unannounced visits, the review found.
Prof Munro's report also stresses the importance of having a management and inspection process that monitors whether children are getting the help they need, rather than being a "tick-box exercise".
She said: "Everyone in the profession can think of meetings and forms that don't actually make a child safer. Whilst some regulation is needed, we need to reduce it to a small, manageable size.
"Professionals should be spending more time with children, asking how they feel, whether they understand why the social worker is involved in their family, and finding out what they want to happen. Placing a timescale on completing a form puts pressure on professionals which can distract from making decent quality judgments."
Her second interim report found that experienced social workers should be kept on the front line to supervise more junior staff. It also stressed the importance of giving health, police and family support professionals easier access to social work advice when they have concerns about abuse and neglect.
The Munro Review of Child Protection was created following a number of high-profile cases in recent years that have highlighted failings in the protection of young people.
An Ofsted spokesman said: "Ofsted welcomes the report and the proposals both for the children's social work field and for the inspection of these services. We endorse the importance placed on prevention and early intervention, as well as services focused on those children identified as being at risk.
"While we believe that Ofsted's work in the evaluation of serious case reviews (SCRs) has had a positive impact in improving their quality, we agree that these should now end and have been suggesting this ourselves for some time. Ofsted supports the review's proposals for how SCRs are likely to be approached in the future to maximise learning and improve practice."
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The central witness and victim in the trial of former Scotland Yard commander Ali Dizaei is under investigation for rape.
Waad al-Baghdadi, 25, was arrested last year by detectives probing an alleged sexual assault at a home in central London.
The freelance internet developer was questioned on suspicion of rape after a woman came forward to police. It is understood the alleged attack was a "historic" incident said to have taken place some time before.
The suspect was rearrested in Bayswater, west London, nine days ago on suspicion of breaching his bail conditions. He was released with no further action.
The investigation comes as Dizaei, 48, prepares to challenge his conviction for corruption in the High Court.
His legal team, led by Michael Mansfield QC, believe there is fresh evidence that shows the case against him is fundamentally flawed, and they want judges to examine claims that Mr al-Baghdadi used a false name and nationality when he appeared in court under oath.
Dizaei was jailed for four years in February last year after a jury found he attacked Mr al-Baghdadi outside a Kensington restaurant in a row over money.
The Iranian-born officer arrested the younger man and falsely claimed he assaulted him with a mouthpiece from a hookah pipe.
Details of the appeal are expected to be laid bare during a three-day hearing at the High Court in late March. No date has been set.
Neither Mr al-Baghdadi or Dizaei's solicitor could be reached for comment.
The BBC has fought off a High Court challenge to a broadcast of a documentary about climate change sceptics.
Lord Monckton had applied to Mr Justice Tugendhat for an injunction stopping the programme being shown until it included his right of reply.
He said that he felt he had been "unreasonably treated and misled" and complained of breach of contract.
He told the judge in London that he wanted the programme, Meet The Climate Sceptics, to include his 500 words or three minutes which, he said, was proportionate in the context of a 60-minute film almost exclusively about him.
He said: "What I'm not trying to do is extinguish the BBC's right to freedom of speech. I was for many years myself a journalist and it is not appropriate to say a programme should not be broadcast. I am merely asking for a right to reply to which I say I am entitled."
Lord Monckton said it was the least remedy that would meet the case as the damage to his reputation would otherwise be "grave".
Desmond Browne QC, for the BBC, production company Fresh One Productions Ltd and film maker Rupert Murray, said that changes had been made to the film in the light of Lord Monckton's concerns about accuracy and bias.
He told the court that the October 2010 contract provided for absolute editorial control by Fresh One and the BBC, there had been advance publicity for the broadcast and it would be problematic to show it at another time. He said that an injunction should not be granted as, though "dressed up" as a claim in contract, the real complaint was one of defamation.
The judge refused the application on the basis that the agreement on which Lord Monckton relied lacked the clarity which he submitted it had. The "balance of justice" also favoured its refusal, he added.
The programme filmed Lord Monckton over past year as he travelled across Australia and the United States challenging the proposition that increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causes climate change and global warming.
Jade Goody's widower Jack Tweed has been charged by police over a scuffle outside a nightclub.
The 23-year-old was accused of threatening and abusive behaviour after answering bail at a police station in Ilford, east London.
He will appear alongside his younger brother Lewis, 20, and friend Mark Wright, 24, at Redbridge Magistrates' Court next Tuesday.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said they have been charged under section four of the Public Order Act.
Police contacted Tweed after a brawl outside Wright's Deuces Bar and Lounge, in Chigwell, Essex, in the early hours of January 3.
Wright, who appeared in reality TV programme The Only Way Is Essex, and Lewis Tweed were arrested at the scene. Jack Tweed was later arrested by appointment.
A 21-year-old builder suffered a black eye and bruised face during the punch-up. He declined medical treatment.
Tweed married Big Brother star Goody, 27, shortly before she lost her battle against cervical cancer in March 2009.
Irish Taoiseach Brian Cowen will not contest the general election, he has announced.
Mr Cowen's political future had been in doubt after he stepped down as leader of the ruling Fianna Fail party just over a week ago.
He said that after consulting with his family he would not run again in his Laois/Offaly constituency.
Mr Cowen said: "I have to take things into consideration now in the context of the fact of having been Taoiseach and leader of the party and former leader and giving a break to the new leader."
He said he also took his family into consideration.
The outgoing Taoiseach said new Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin did not ask him to stand down.
"It was not a question of Micheal expecting me to stand aside," Mr Cowen told Midlands Radio.
Mr Cowen will dissolve the Dail (parliament) on Tuesday and name a date for the most eagerly awaited general election in decades.
The Dail will reconvene at 2.30pm with a statement from Mr Cowen and expected remarks from the leaders of Opposition parties Fine Gael, Labour, Sinn Fein and the Greens, who pulled out of the coalition the day after Mr Cowen quit as Fianna Fail leader.
The Taoiseach will then attend President Mary McAleese's residence, Aras an Uachtarain in the Phoenix Park, and ask her to formally dissolve parliament.
The UK is maintaining pressure on Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak to agree "free and fair elections" as protests against his regime continue for a seventh day.
Amid beefed-up consular efforts to help Britons flee the crisis, which has so far left around 100 dead, Prime Minister David Cameron led calls for reform.
Any attempt to repress mounting public demonstrations - continuing in defiance of a centrally-imposed curfew - would "end badly", he told Mr Mubarak n a telephone call.
The president swore in a new cabinet on Monday but the concession is unlikely to satisfy the tens of thousands who have taken to the streets in cities across Egypt.
Organisers have called for a million people to join protest rallies on Tuesday to mark a week of open dissent and increase pressure on Mr Mubarak to stand down.
The UK Government, while warning against the possibility of Egypt falling into the hands of extremists, fell short of backing demands for the president to quit.
Arriving for EU talks in Brussels, Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "We don't want Egypt to fall into the hands of extremists.
"That is why we want an orderly transition to free and fair elections, and greater freedom and democracy in Egypt. Then I think we need to rely on the good sense of the people of Egypt: who they elect is their concern."
MPs were briefed on the latest developments in a statement by foreign office minister Alistair Burt in the Commons.
He played down the significance of barricades being erected at some hotels in Red Sea resorts such as Sharm el Sheikh, where around two thirds of the 30,000 Britons in the country are.
Libya was given advice by a British Government minister on how to secure convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi's release, it has been reported.
A secret US diplomatic cable obtained by the WikiLeaks website and shown to the Daily Telegraph cites details of a letter sent by then Foreign Office minister Bill Rammell to his Tripoli counterpart.
Sent within weeks of Megrahi being diagnosed with cancer, it outlines "the procedure for obtaining compassionate release", the newspaper said. The memo, composed after a Foreign Office official briefed the US ambassador, will raise fresh questions about the role played by London in the controversial release.
Then prime minister Gordon Brown strenuously denied any attempt by the Government to influence the decision, agreed by Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill in August 2009.
It will also increase the pressure on David Cameron to meet a promise to examine the release of official documents surrounding the case - amid claims by some US politicians of a cover-up.
Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over the Scottish town on December 21, 1988, killing 270 people in the air and on the ground. Megrahi, the only person convicted over the atrocity, remains alive in Tripoli 16 months after being released from jail with an estimated three months to live due to prostate cancer.
The memo was written by a US official after a meeting between its ambassador in London and senior Foreign Office official Rob Dixon. "FCO Minister for the Middle East Bill Rammell sent Libyan Deputy FM Abdulati al-Obeidi a letter, which was cleared both by HMG and by the Scottish Executive, on October 17 outlining the procedure for obtaining compassionate release," it was reported to say.
A spokesman for Mr Salmond said: "This leaves the former UK Labour government with all the questions to answer about its conduct. This diplomatic correspondence, much of which has already been made public, totally vindicates the Scottish Government's position. We were clearly the only ones playing with a straight bat and interested in applying the precepts of Scottish justice, which we continue to do and continue to uphold.
"The cables confirm what we always said - that our only interest was taking a justice decision based on Scots law without fear or favour, which was exactly what was done, and that our public position was identical to our private one. The decisions to reject the PTA application and grant compassionate release were taken by the justice secretary, according to the precepts of Scots law.
"The cables also show that the former UK government were playing false on the issue, with a different public position from their private one - which must be deeply embarrassing for the Labour Party in Scotland - and that the US government was fully aware of the pressure being applied to the UK government."
The threat of a voting reform referendum on May 5 being scuppered by political deadlock in the House of Lords has been eased after Tory and Labour peers struck a deal.
But critics warned the battle was not over and that further agreements would be required if the vital deadline for approving the legislation was not to be missed.
News of the compromise emerged amid reports David Cameron was willing to provoke a constitutional crisis by imposing a "guillotine" curtailing debate in the upper chamber.
It is believed to centre on changes put forward by the convenor of the crossbench peers, Baroness D'Souza.
The scheduled date for a public vote on switching to the Alternative Vote system was put in peril by protracted debate in the Lords, so far spanning more than 80 hours over 14 days.
Ministers have accused Labour of filibustering to delay the legislation, which must become law by February 16 for the referendum to be able to go ahead on the planned date.
Labour peers oppose measures contained in the same legislation to reduce the House of Commons from 650 to 600 MPs - which the party says are designed to disadvantage it.
Now Lords leader Lord Strathclyde has signalled a breakthrough, promising a "package of concessions" during a statement to peers.
They will bring the prolonged committee stage of the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill to an end on Wednesday.
But former lord chancellor Lord Falconer, who described the possibility of a guillotine as "an abomination", said the changes were not yet sufficient to ensure progress.
A new kit for testing paternity will go on sale in high street store Boots.
The Assuredna test, which is already available in more than 350 independent pharmacies, gives results in one to five days.
Manufacturer Anglia DNA has laboratories accredited by the Ministry of Justice to carry out tests for courts in England and Wales.
Mandy Hartley, technical manager at Anglia DNA, said: "Every paternity issue is different but, for the majority of cases, families receive the results they were expecting.
"Assuredna provides families with peace of mind so they can move on with their lives.
"Around half of all tests we conduct are related to children under 12 months, helping confirm paternity before the child has matured and is fully aware."
For the test, samples of cells are collected from the mouth of the father, child and mother.
These cotton swabs are then placed in colour-coded envelopes and posted to Anglia DNA for analysis.
Both mother and father must sign forms giving their consent for the test and include proof of identity.
The test is available to anyone aged 16 or over and costs £29.99 to buy, plus a £129 lab fee.
Chancellor George Osborne should consider delaying austerity cuts to support Britain's flagging economy, according to a new report.
In its latest forecast, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) said there was a case for postponing some of the harsh spending cuts as it predicted the UK economy will grow by just 1.5% in 2011 - only marginally above its 1.4% growth last year.
But NIESR warned interest rates may have to rise as early as the spring to hold back soaring inflation, as it forecast that Consumer Prices Index (CPI) would rise to an average of 3.8% in 2011.
The report said that with the "lacklustre" economy operating at about 4% below potential, there was room to hold off on some of the Government's austerity programme, adding this would be acceptable because borrowing costs are currently so low.
In recent days Prime Minister David Cameron has insisted that it would be a mistake for the Government to reverse its austerity measures even though the economy contracted by 0.5% in the final quarter of 2010.
With the future cost of caring for Britain's pensioners spiralling, the report also said the Government should also consider a faster rise in the state pension age so that it reaches 68, rather than 66, by 2020. The surge in CPI is being made worse by soaring oil prices and will squeeze real disposable income by 0.8% in 2011, after a 1% reduction in 2010.
But NIESR gave credence to Bank of England Governor Mervyn King's predictions that inflation will fall back again in 2012. It said CPI will drop to 1.8% next year because the recovery is so subdued.
The report predicts that the UK will grow in the first quarter of 2011 as it regains some of the output lost to the snowy weather in December. But the average growth rate across the final quarter of 2010 and the first quarter of 2011 will be just 0.1%, it added. While Government spending will fall in 2011, personal consumption will also drop by 0.1%, it predicted.
Shadow treasury chief secretary Angela Eagle said: "This report is yet another warning sign to a Conservative Chancellor who seems to be in denial. When Labour left office growth was picking up, unemployment was falling, inflation was low and the deficit came in over £20 billion lower than forecast.
"But the NIESR's report shows that the economy has taken a turn for the worse since George Osborne made the choice to pursue a different course by cutting the deficit too far and too fast. This report predicts that economic growth is set to slow down and will be significantly lower than forecast since the Tory-led government's emergency budget and spending review last year."
A street-by-street guide to crime in England and Wales will help people to find out what is really going on in their area, Home Secretary Theresa May has said.
The crime maps, where members of the public can search for what has been happening on or near their street, will give people the information they need to hold their local police to account and to help bring down crime in their area, Mrs May said.
It is the first time such detailed crime maps have been available for an entire country anywhere in the world.
People will be able to find out which crimes have taken place on or near their street within the last month and which officers are responsible for their area by visiting the site at www.police.uk.
Crime trends will also be established as the site develops and this could be extended to include details on the outcomes of court cases in the future.
Information on local police appeals and the next police community meeting will also be published alongside the crime maps.
Mrs May said: "I think the public reaction will be positive. I think people are going to welcome the fact they can really see what's happening with crime in their area, not just on their street but in their neighbourhood.
"I think they will feel a greater connection with the police, with much more information about where they can go to, and who they can work with.
"I think that over time, it will have an impact on crime. This is about fighting crime together."
The Home Secretary denied that making such detailed information available would drive down house prices in a particular area.
Six out of 10 doctors disagree with the Government's reforms of the NHS and many do not believe they will improve patient care, according to a poll for the Royal College of General Practitioners.
It said the survey highlighted how GPs are yet to be convinced by the plans, which will see them take control of around £80 billion of NHS money.
Most (70%) think the reforms will not improve the relationship between GPs and hospital consultants, and there are serious doubts over whether they will cut red tape in the NHS.
More than 70% of GPs said they also "disagreed" or "strongly disagreed" that plans to create a bigger market in healthcare, using private companies, would improve the NHS.
The poll, of more than 1,800 GPs, found 52% disagreed or strongly disagreed that the reforms would create a patient-led NHS.
Some 43% said the reforms would not improve health outcomes - such as tackling cancer or deaths from heart disease - with another 27% neither agreeing or disagreeing.
Overall, 32% disagreed with the direction of the reforms, 29% strongly disagreed and another 15% neither agreed or disagreed. Only one in five (20%) agreed with the direction of the plans, and only 4% strongly agreed.
RCGP leader Clare Gerada said: "The RCGP is not opposed to NHS reform; we want to improve the NHS for our patients, and GPs want to see a clinician-led NHS that places patients at its very centre.
"However, these results highlight the continuing concerns many of our members have about the proposals outlined in the Health Bill. This is a snapshot of what our members are thinking at the moment.
"These results show that a significant number of our members are keen to support GP-led commissioning; it is something the College, and GPs, have wanted for many years. However, our members are telling us that they are worried about the pace at which these reforms are being implemented, the danger of fragmentation of services, and the emphasis on competition, and they are not sure whether the proposals really will have the positive impact on patient care that is intended."
Bosses at BP are expected to unveil the oil giant's first annual loss in nearly two decades on Tuesday following a disastrous year for the blue-chip company.
But analysts and investors are hopeful chief executive Bob Dudley will resume dividend payments - after their suspension over the summer - in a signal that the firm is recovering from last year's Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
BP is expected to report a loss of at least £2.8 billion in its full-year results, after the tens of billions it set aside to cover costs of the Deepwater Horizon disaster are deducted.
The return of BP's dividend would be a key development for pension holders as well as investors given the stock previously accounted for an estimated one in every six pension pounds invested. The quarterly dividend is expected to be around seven cents a share - half the level announced in April.
BP upped its bill estimate to cover the cost of the oil spill to £25 billion in November, but analysts do not expect this to increase and have latched on to recent signs that only half of the £12.6 billion compensation fund will be required.
The financial hit from the oil spill will offset underlying replacement cost profits of £13.2 billion for the full year. Profits for the fourth quarter are expected to be around £3.1 billion. BP has managed to claw back around £12.6 billion through asset disposals - by selling interests in Argentina, North America, Egypt, Venezuela, Vietnam and Colombia.
The company has been able to benefit from a gradual increase in oil prices over 2010, which hit 90 US dollars a barrel at around the year end.
As well as the restoration of the dividend, the City will be looking for an update on the company's strategic overhaul. In the words of new chief executive Mr Dudley, the firm is on a "journey to re-establish trust in BP around the world - especially the US".
However, BP is embroiled in a legal tussle with shareholders at TNK-BP, another Russian joint venture, who argue the new deal breaches its shareholder agreement. The dispute will be brought to court in London today.
BP last reported an annual loss in 1992, when low oil prices, recession and strategic errors saw chief executive Bob Horton lose his job. The firm lost £458 million that year.
More than half of doctors disagree with the Government's controversial reforms of the NHS and many do not believe they will improve patient care, according to a poll.
The survey for the Royal College of GPs highlights how family doctors are yet to be convinced by the plans, which will see them take control of around £80 billion of NHS money.
It comes as reforms moved a step closer after the Health and Social Care Bill last night cleared its first hurdle in the House of Commons last night.
Speaking in the Commons, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said the reforms were a continuation of Labour's failed efforts while in power to modernise the service. He said patients would get more choice over which doctor they saw or the treatment that they wanted to receive. Private companies could also provide care but the "values" of the NHS would remain unchanged.
Mr Lansley said while Labour had pumped billions of pounds into the NHS, it was worse than the average health service in Europe while management costs had soared.
He told MPs: "At every step, clinical leadership - the leadership of doctors, nurses and other health professionals - will be right at the forefront - an NHS organised from the bottom up, not from the top down. The shift in power away from politicians and bureaucrats will be dramatic. This is legislation that builds on what has gone before. It is not a revolution."
But shadow health secretary John Healey said the Bill would see "free-market political ideology" forced into the NHS which would "spell the end" of the organisation in its current form. He said it was "wrong" of ministers to claim it was an evolution of Labour plans: "Make no mistake, this is a revolution not an evolution."
The survey showed six out of 10 doctors (60%) disagree with the Government's reforms of the NHS and many do not believe they will improve patient care. Most doctors (70%) think the reforms will not improve the relationship between GPs and hospital consultants, and there are serious doubts over whether they will cut red tape in the NHS.
More than 70% of GPs said they also "disagreed" or "strongly disagreed" that plans to create a bigger market in healthcare, using private companies, would improve the NHS.
The poll, of more than 1,800 GPs, found 52% disagreed or strongly disagreed that the reforms would create a patient-led NHS. Some 43% said the reforms would not improve health outcomes - such as tackling cancer or deaths from heart disease - with another 27% neither agreeing or disagreeing. Overall, 32% disagreed with the direction of the reforms, 29% strongly disagreed and another 15% neither agreed or disagreed. Only one in five (20%) agreed with the direction of the plans, and only 4% strongly agreed.
Fernando Torres was confirmed as a Chelsea player on Monday night after a £50million deadline-day swoop on Liverpool which shattered the record for a transfer between two British clubs - as England striker Andy Carroll moved from Newcastle United to Anfield to fill his boots.
Torres jetted to Stamford Bridge to complete his deal and Roman Abramovich further signalled his intention to turn Chelsea back into a dominant force by completing the signing of Benfica defender David Luiz in a deal reportedly worth around £25million.
At the same time, Carroll travelled to Liverpool's training ground to put the finishing touches to his £35million move to join Luis Suarez, whose own move from Ajax was also officially completed before the 11pm deadline.
Torres had sparked the transfer rush on Friday when he handed in a written transfer request after Chelsea had an initial offer of £35million turned down by the Reds.
Liverpool changed their minds after Chelsea increased their offer - but only after making sure they had landed Newcastle striker Carroll, who handed in a transfer request of his own this week.
The previous highest fee paid by an English club was £32.5 million paid by Manchester City to Real Madrid for the Brazilian Robinho in September 2008, while the record for a transfer between two English clubs was set in July 2002 when Rio Ferdinand moved from Leeds United to Manchester United for £29.1 million
Companies responsible for silent calls face fines of up to £2 million under new rules which have come into force.
Ofcom received more than 9,000 complaints about silent calls last year, with more than 70% of those affected saying they had answered two or more calls from the same company in one day.
The regulator said this can cause "significant distress".
It said the majority of cases were down to call centre technology used to detect answer machines. When the technology fails to recognise a "live" consumer the call is cut off, meaning the person who answers does not hear anything.
Ofcom has fined nine companies for making silent and abandoned calls, with Barclaycard receiving the previous maximum penalty of £50,000.
It has now written to the call centre industry spelling out the new regulations and warning that it will not hesitate to impose the maximum fine where appropriate.
The rules were approved by Parliament last September.
Ed Richards, Ofcom's chief executive, said: "Silent and abandoned calls can cause significant consumer harm. Ofcom has given sufficient warnings to companies about silent calls and is ready to take appropriate action against those companies who continue to break the rules."
The new rules prevent a company using answer machine detection equipment more than once a day if a machine is "detected" on the first attempt.
This should mean consumers no longer receive repeated silent calls from the same company.
BP has suffered its first annual loss in nearly two decades after revealing that the Gulf of Mexico oil spill will cost it more than 40 billion US dollars (£25.2 billion).
The British energy giant recorded a full-year loss of 4.9 billion US dollars (£3.1 billion) in the year to December 31, compared with profits of 13.9 billion US dollars (£8.7 billion) in 2009, after the financial impact of the fatal Deepwater Horizon explosion was deducted.
But chief executive Bob Dudley said the embattled firm would resume its quarterly dividend payment - after it was suspended last summer - at seven cents (4p) a share, half the level of its last payment in April.
The company also revealed plans to sell two refineries in North America - including the company's plant in Texas City, which was the site of a fatal fire and explosion in 2005.
BP reported lower-than-expected profits of 4.4 billion US dollars (£2.7 billion) in the fourth quarter. Analysts had forecast around 5 billion US dollars (£3.1 billion) for the period.
The full-year results take in one of the most damaging periods of BP's 100-year history, as the devastating explosion on April 20, which killed 11 workers and triggered the biggest offshore oil spill in history, shattered its reputation.
BP once again upped its estimate of the cost of the disaster to 40.9 billion US dollars (£25.5 billion) after it took an additional 1.04 billion US dollars (£647.8 million) hit in the fourth quarter.
But the company's decision to resume dividend payments is a signal that the firm is recovering and will be welcomed by pension holders as well as investors given the stock previously accounted for an estimated one in every six pension pounds invested.
Mr Dudley said he was determined to see BP emerge as a safer and more trusted company. He said: "2011 will be a year of recovery and consolidation as we implement the changes we have identified to reduce operational risk and meet our commitments arising from the spill.
"But it will also be a year in which we have the opportunity to reset the company, adjusting the shape of our business, and focus on growing value for shareholders."
Protesters in Egypt are to hold a "march of a million people", calling for President Hosni Mubarak to stand down.
The escalation comes with the British government leading calls for an "orderly transition" to free and fair elections.
The Egyptian army has said it will not use force against protesters, but Britons yet to leave the crisis-stricken country were advised to stay away from public gatherings.
The Foreign Office said: "A major demonstration is planned for February 1 with calls for one million people to take part in central Cairo.
"Similar, although smaller, demonstrations are expected in other major cities around Egypt. British nationals should observe instructions and advice by local security authorities and avoid public gatherings and disturbances."
After EU talks in Brussels with foreign ministers on Monday night, Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "We are seeking the orderly transition to a broad-based government of free and fair elections, and I think these conclusions are part of a very clear message from EU nations - a message to the Egyptian regime to get on with it and satisfy the aspirations of their own people."
He said the EU was not interfering in political arguments within Egypt, but acknowledged there was a danger that anything other than an "orderly" transition at the top could mean more dictatorship, rather than more democracy, saying: "There is a risk of extremist politics taking a greater hold, with a more authoritarian system being adopted.
"It is an urgent matter to get on with an orderly transition, so this situation is fraught with danger for Egypt, for the people of Egypt, for the stability of the region and the whole Middle East peace process."
Ultimately Europe had to rely on democracy emerging in Egypt, without imposing it, he said, adding: "We must to continue to take a robust stance. We have put our faith in democracy - if we believe in democracy, then we must let the Egyptian people decide about that."
Prime Minister David Cameron told the president by phone on Monday that any attempt to repress mounting public demonstrations - continuing in defiance of a centrally-imposed curfew - would "end badly".
Social workers should spend less time filling in forms and more time talking to children, the head of an independent review into child protection in England has said.
Professor Eileen Munro also wants to strip Ofsted of the power to evaluate reports into the deaths of abused or neglected children.
And the regulator should scrap making pre-planned checks on children's services in favour of unannounced visits, the review found.
Prof Munro's report also stresses the importance of having a management and inspection process that monitors whether children are getting the help they need, rather than being a "tick-box exercise".
She said: "Everyone in the profession can think of meetings and forms that don't actually make a child safer. Whilst some regulation is needed, we need to reduce it to a small, manageable size.
"Professionals should be spending more time with children, asking how they feel, whether they understand why the social worker is involved in their family, and finding out what they want to happen. Placing a timescale on completing a form puts pressure on professionals which can distract from making decent quality judgments."
Her second interim report found that experienced social workers should be kept on the front line to supervise more junior staff. It also stressed the importance of giving health, police and family support professionals easier access to social work advice when they have concerns about abuse and neglect.
The Munro Review of Child Protection was created following a number of high-profile cases in recent years that have highlighted failings in the protection of young people.
An Ofsted spokesman said: "Ofsted welcomes the report and the proposals both for the children's social work field and for the inspection of these services. We endorse the importance placed on prevention and early intervention, as well as services focused on those children identified as being at risk.
"While we believe that Ofsted's work in the evaluation of serious case reviews (SCRs) has had a positive impact in improving their quality, we agree that these should now end and have been suggesting this ourselves for some time. Ofsted supports the review's proposals for how SCRs are likely to be approached in the future to maximise learning and improve practice."
