![Image]( "MI5 'could have missed 7/7 clues'")
MI5 may have failed to pull together crucial "threads" which could have revealed the 7/7 ringleader's transformation from an associate of terrorists to "prime conspirator and murderer", an inquest has heard.
Mohammed Sidique Khan, 30, was monitored by surveillance officers meeting known and suspected extremists in the years before he and his three conspirators unleashed carnage on London's transport network.
But despite a wealth of information including tape recordings and photographs, he was only identified in the aftermath of the worst single terrorist atrocity committed on British soil.
As the inquests turned to the question of whether the attacks that day could have been prevented, Hugo Keith QC suggested greater surveillance may have led police to recognise Khan, potentially averting the deaths of 52 innocent people.
In the run-up to 7/7, Khan - though not identified by name - was linked to Omar Khyam, one of the fertiliser bomb plotters. But, as a peripheral contact, he was not the subject of intense investigation. He was also linked to Tafazal Mohammed, an associate of suspected extremist Martin McDaid.
Raising the issue of surveillance, Mr Keith said: "One issue that my Lady may need to explore, in particular with the Security Service, is whether it is fair to say that the threads of Mohammed Sidique Khan's graduation from an associate of terrorists to prime conspirator and murderer were in fact there to see. Was it simply a question of tying threads together?"
The hearing was told how Khan met Khyam in Crawley, West Sussex, in 2004, and also at Islamabad Airport, in 2003, after they travelled to Pakistan to attend a terrorist training camp. However, security services failed to identify him on these occasions.
At the airport meeting, at which Shehzad Tanweer, 22, was also present, the two would-be bombers were simply referred to only as "D" and "E".
In April 2003, Mr McDaid was seen to get into a blue BMW which was subsequently found to be registered to a Sidique Khan, of 11 Gregory Street, Batley, West Yorkshire. However, this information, known to West Yorkshire Police, was not passed on to the Security Service.
As he outlined the role played by the authorities, Mr Keith warned: "There is, not surprisingly, nothing to suggest that the Security Service or police, whether it be the Metropolitan Police or the West Yorkshire Police, had any inkling of what was to befall London on July 7, 2005. It would be nonsensical and insulting to the dedicated people and individuals and bodies who protect our national security to suggest otherwise."
Prime Minister David Cameron has called on Egypt's beleaguered President Hosni Mubarak to begin a "rapid and credible" process of transition.
He told the Commons the process "needs to start now" as he offered support for those demanding freedom and democracy.
At Prime Minister's question time Mr Cameron said 1,000 UK citizens had returned home from Egypt in the last 48 hours.
Mr Cameron said: "Transition needs to be rapid and credible and it needs to start now. "We should be clear: we stand with those, in this country, who want freedom, who want democracy and rights the world over.
"You can't watch the scenes in Cairo without finding it incredibly moving about people wanting to have those aspirations in Egypt as we have them in our country."
Mr Cameron said: "The Government takes a very strong view that political reform is what's required, not repression and we have made that clear in all the calls I've made including to President Mubarak and yesterday the Egyptian prime minister.
"The key question is: have they done enough? President Mubarak says he is going and we respect that but what matters is not just the orderly transition but also that it is urgent, it is credible, it starts now."
Labour leader Ed Miliband said: "Far from indicating support for extremism the people on the streets of Egypt are actually demanding some very basic things: jobs, freedom of speech and the right to choose by whom they are governed." He said democracy represented the "best route to stability" in Egypt.
Asked by Mr Miliband about the support being offered to Britons in Egypt, the Prime Minister said: "There are around 30,000 UK nationals in the Red Sea area, which at the moment remains calm and stable and we have not yet changed travel advice to that part of Egypt.
"In terms of the rest of Egypt, there are about 3,000 UK citizens in Cairo and around 300 in Alexandria. In terms of making sure those that want to return can, and we've urged many to do so, there are still very good commercial flights and we have added a flight commissioned by the British Government."
Prime Minister David Cameron has condemned "despicable" scenes of violence in the Egyptian capital Cairo, where supporters of Hosni Mubarak have attacked demonstrators calling for the president's removal.
Speaking alongside United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon after talks in 10 Downing Street, Mr Cameron said that the political transition to a new broad-based government in Egypt needs "to be accelerated and to happen quickly".
Central Cairo witnessed the worst scenes of violence since anti-Mubarak demonstrations began more than a week ago, with several thousand supporters of the president, some riding horses and camels and wielding whips, attacking protesters in Tahrir Square.
Speaking outside Number 10, Mr Cameron said: "If it turns out that the regime in any way has been sponsoring or tolerating this violence, that would be completely and utterly unacceptable. These are despicable scenes we are seeing and they should not be repeated."
Mr Ban added: "I once again urge restraint to all sides... Any attack against peaceful demonstrators is unacceptable and I very strongly condemn it."
A military spokesman appeared on Egyptian state TV on Wednesday asking protesters to disperse, in a sign that the Army's toleration of the demonstrations - which saw an estimated 250,000 people cram into Tahrir Square on Tuesday - may be coming to an end.
Mr Mubarak went on national television on Tuesday to say that he would step down at national elections in September, but rejected opposition calls for him to go now.
Around 10,000 opponents of the regime returned to protest on Wednesday morning, renewing demands for Mr Mubarak's immediate removal.
Chaotic scenes developed as they clashed with pro-Mubarak protesters, who tore down placards and posters and fought with demonstrators. The two sides hurled stones and lumps of concrete at one another and some of the pro-Mubarak forces were pulled from horses and camels and beaten.
Mr Cameron said that he "completely" condemned the violence, adding that the events "underline the need for political reform and for that political reform to be accelerated and to happen quickly".
Actress Margaret John, best known for her role as straight-talking pensioner Doris in Gavin And Stacey, has died aged 84.
Her agent Gemma McAvoy said the Swansea-born star passed away in the early hours of Wednesday morning at a hospital in the city after suffering a short illness.
She said: "Her career spanned 60 years and she did everything from film to television, radio and some amazing theatre roles.
"She used to say how she started playing lots of tragic roles and it was only later people recognised her great sense of humour.
"She had the most infectious love of life and an incredible sense of humour, and that is why people felt so warmly towards her.
"She felt like a friend to us all and not just a colleague and she will be sadly missed."
John, a widow with no children, had a lengthy career that included appearances in the long-running Welsh series High Hopes and the forthcoming HBO show Game Of Thrones.
Her Gavin And Stacey co-star James Corden paid tribute to her on Twitter, writing: "All my thoughts are with the family of Margaret John who played Doris in G and S. A great actress and an incredible lady. She will be missed x."
BBC Cymru Wales director Menna Richards said John was "a true Welsh national treasure".
She said: "After appearing in many of the dramas that defined British television, including Doctor Who and Z-Cars, she found a whole new army of viewers with Gavin And Stacey and the hugely popular BBC Cymru Wales comedy High Hopes."
At least 400 jobs are to be cut at the Forestry Commission in England and Scotland.
Around 300 roles will be lost in England and between 100 and 150 will go at the organisation's corporate offices in Edinburgh over the next four years.
The losses come as a result of cuts to the commission's budget of 26% between now and 2015 and staff were told in a series of meetings, said a Forestry Commission spokesman.
He said: "We are talking around 300 posts in England and there will be at least 100 at the Great Britain office, based in Edinburgh. This could rise to 150 depending on the outcome of the changes in England.
"This is a consequence of the spending cuts announced by the Government in the Comprehensive Spending Review, which is 26% over a four-year period."
The spokesman said the organisation expected the job losses to include a mixture of voluntary redundancies and retirements but did not rule out compulsory redundancies.
Public and Commercial Services union general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "These job cuts will decimate the Forestry Commission, where many staff have spent their entire careers, even before the impact of the proposed sell-off, lease and give-away of the public forest estate.
"For many there is no prospect of picking up other work because the economy is in such a poor state and suffering from the cuts in public services. The private sector jobs that the coalition spoke about have not materialised.
"These job losses will hit industries and services allied to forestry, have a severe impact on small communities and affect tourism and other services to the 40 million visitors a year to the forests.
"The only way to protect staff and avoid the wider impact on jobs and economies from the attack on the forests is to have a properly-resourced Forestry Commission to directly own and run the public forest estate."
Strong winds and driving rain have begun to buffet north-east Australia as one of the country's biggest storms arrives.
Officials have issued dire warnings of potential devastation for cities and towns dotted along a stretch of coast more than 190 miles long in north Queensland state as Cyclone Yasi bore down on the area.
In Innisfail, a town about 55 miles south of Cairns that is nearly in the direct path of the storm, mayor Bill Shannon said he saw the roof torn off a building near the local government building where some 500 people are sheltering.
"We're just hoping and praying we can all get through the night," said Mr Shannon.
The storm will compound misery in Queensland, which has already been hit by months of flooding that killed 35 people and inundated hundreds of communities.
Yasi was predicted to hit north of the main waterlogged area, but emergency services are already stretched and the whole state is flood-weary.
The first winds began howling throughout Cairns where dozens of guests at a waterfront hotel took cover in the central ballroom as lights throughout the building flickered. Staff members pinned curtains shut over windows that were in danger of shattering and handed out torches.
Winds at the centre of the storm were gusting up to 186mph, and the front was about 300 miles across. The worst of the winds were expected to last up to four hours on the coast, though blustery conditions and heavy rain could last for 24 hours.
Power was cut to some 90,000 houses as the wind knocked out lines, and that number was expected to rise.
Yasi was also forecast to push huge volumes of sea water inland in storm surges that would almost certainly flood some coastal communities, said the Bureau of Meteorology.
A former Labour MP accused of fiddling his parliamentary expenses submitted false invoices to claim cash which cleared his overdraft, a court has heard.
Jim Devine, 57, who held a Commons seat for Livingston in Scotland, is on trial at London's Southwark Crown Court accused of falsely claiming almost £9,000 from the public purse.
Devine, who was elected in 2005, is alleged to have submitted five false invoices for cleaning and maintenance work to his London flat, and two false documents to claim for printing leaflets. None of the work was carried out and when confronted, Devine tried to blame a secretary, the court heard.
Jurors were told that Devine, whose main residence was in Bathgate, West Lothian, was almost always overdrawn and that one false claim of £2,400 had been enough to clear it - but only for one day.
Opening the case, prosecutor Peter Wright QC told jurors the case against him was "very straight-forward". He said the former MP made the claims "with a view to gain for himself, or with an intent to cause loss to another - the public purse".
The first count alleges that, between July 2008 and May 2009, Devine dishonestly claimed £3,240 for cleaning services from Tom O'Donnell Hygiene and Cleaning Services.
But the court heard that while Tom O'Donnell did provide legitimate cleaning services, he was more familiar to Devine as the landlord of his local pub, the Prince of Wales near his second home on Elliot's Row in Elephant and Castle, south-east London.
Although a cleaner employed by Mr O'Donnell did carry out cleaning work at the flat, Devine carried on using a blank invoice given to him by the publican to claim for further work that was never carried out.
The second count alleges that between March 2009 and April 2009, Devine dishonestly claimed £5,505 for stationery from Armstrong Printing Ltd using false invoices. He denies all the charges.
Mr Wright said: "The invoices were fiction. No such costs had been incurred. It was merely a device used by Mr Devine in which to receive a substantial amount of public money to which he was not entitled. The money he received from the fees office was sufficient to extinguish his overdraft."
Prime Minister David Cameron has urged the Egyptian government to accelerate the process of political change as violence erupted in the streets of Cairo.
In the first significant scenes of violence since demonstrations began more than a week ago, supporters of beleaguered president Hosni Mubarak attacked protesters in Tahrir Square.
As the running battles unfolded, Mr Cameron condemned the violence and warned that it would be "utterly unacceptable" if it was state-sponsored. Speaking alongside UN secretary general Ban Ki Moon after talks in 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister said the clashes underlined the need for speedy political reforms.
Mr Mubarak stoked anger amongst Egyptian protesters on Tuesday night by promising to step down but not until this September's elections. His critics want him to quit immediately.
The Prime Minister said: "These are despicable scenes we are seeing and they should not be repeated. They underline the need for political reform and frankly for that political reform to be accelerated and to happen quickly. That change needs to start happening now and the violence needs to stop."
In scenes of chaos in Cairo, the two sides pelted each other with stones and other weapons. Pro-government attackers on horseback and camels were dragged off the animals and beaten.
Speaking outside Number 10, Mr Cameron said: "If it turns out that the regime in any way has been sponsoring or tolerating this violence, that would be completely and utterly unacceptable." Mr Ban added: "I once again urge restraint to all sides. Any attack against peaceful demonstrators is unacceptable and I very strongly condemn it."
A military spokesman appeared on Egyptian state TV on Wednesday asking protesters to disperse, suggesting that the Army's tolerance for the demonstrations - which on Tuesday saw an estimated 250,000 people cram into Tahrir Square - may be coming to an end.
About 10,000 opponents of the regime returned to protest, renewing demands for Mr Mubarak's immediate removal and chaotic scenes developed as they clashed with pro-Mubarak protesters, who tore down placards and posters and fought with demonstrators. Some soldiers fired in the air in an attempt to control the crowd.
Mr Ban said the UN had been warning for a decade of the need for change in the Arab world, he said, and he offered the UN's assistance in smoothing the way for peaceful reform.
Former foreign secretary Jack Straw has described how, just days before the invasion of Iraq, he advised Tony Blair that they need not necessarily send in British troops with the Americans.
Mr Straw told the Iraq Inquiry he had suggested that the UK could instead provide "facilitation" for the US offensive, and then deploy British forces to help deal with the aftermath.
His appearance marked the inquiry's final public hearing, 15 months after they began.
Winding up the proceedings the chairman, Sir John Chilcot, said completing their final report was a "significant task" which would take "some months".
Mr Straw confirmed that he had met Mr Blair on March 12 2003, eight days before the invasion, to discuss the situation.
No official record was kept of the meeting, but Mr Straw said he had made clear to Mr Blair that he still had options other than committing to the invasion.
"I think to say I was advocating not committing British troops to military action is probably putting it too strongly," he told the inquiry.
"We could have provided facilitation and then go in afterwards. That was the most plausible alternative which would not have meant standing down all the troops we had in theatre and was essentially what the Spanish and Italians did."
In the end he "thoroughly" endorsed the decision to invade, but added: "I don't think anybody was keen on military action - it's horrible and people are going to get killed. I was anxious that we should explore all possible alternatives.
"I also felt that as I owed the prime minister my loyalty, I also owed him the best and most robust advice I could give him."
Two men accused of helping shotgun killer Raoul Moat during his rampage were "willing accomplices" and pretended they were being held hostage by the gunman, a court has heard.
Qhuram Awan, 23, and Karl Ness, 26, were with Moat when he rang police after blasting unarmed Pc David Rathband to boast: "You are going to have to kill me, I'm never going to stop," Newcastle Crown Court was told.
A jury heard how the two men helped the former doorman after he was released from prison hell-bent on killing his ex-partner's new boyfriend, then phoned Northumbria Police to say he was "hunting for officers".
And they were with him when Moat considered trying to kill more police officers as they drove past a McDonald's drive-through - but decided to finish eating his McFlurry ice cream instead.
Opening the prosecution case Robert Smith QC told the jury: "The case which you are to try involves two men who, the prosecution say, were Moat's willing accomplices."
Less than 24 hours after murdering Chris Brown, 29, in Birtley, Tyneside, with three shotgun blasts, and badly injuring his ex-girlfriend Sam Stobbart, 22, with another shot, he left Pc Rathband for dead on an A1 slip-road west of Newcastle.
The prosecution alleged Ness helped Moat kill Mr Brown and both defendants are accused of the attempted murder of the police officer.
Moat and the defendants were hiding in Rothbury, Northumberland, where the ex-convict eventually shot himself following a stand-off with police, the court was told.
Ness denies the murder of Mr Brown, attempting to murder Pc Rathband, one charge of conspiracy to murder, one charge of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, and one of robbing a fish shop.
Awan denies the attempted murder of Pc Rathband, one charge of conspiracy to murder, one charge of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, and one of robbing a fish shop.
Prime Minister David Cameron has appointed BBC journalist Craig Oliver as his new director of communications.
The 41-year-old, currently Controller of BBC Global News, replaces Andy Coulson, who resigned earlier this month amid the continuing row over phone-hacking when he was editor of the News of the World.
Mr Cameron said: "I am very pleased that Craig Oliver is to become the new Director of Communications at 10 Downing Street.
"Craig has formidable experience as a broadcast journalist. He will do an excellent job in explaining and communicating the Government's programme."
Mr Oliver said: "I'm delighted to be joining David Cameron and his team at such an exciting and challenging time.
"It's difficult to leave the BBC after a fascinating few years - but this is an opportunity I can't turn down."
Mr Oliver was a surprise appointment, having failed to feature in frenzied speculation over who would get the job. Mr Cameron's spokeswoman, Gabby Bertin, had been among the favourites, while ITV Political Editor Tom Bradby's name had also been widely mentioned.
The coalition will hope that, as the product of a Scottish comprehensive, Mr Oliver can offset criticism over the dominance of public school-educated people at the top level of government. He studied at St Andrews University before entering the media, working for Channel 4 News and serving as Head of Output at ITV News between 2002 and 2006 - responsible for overseeing ITV's Lunchtime News, Evening News and News At Ten.
He was also Editor of ITV's 2005 General Election programme. After joining the BBC, he edited the News At Ten and News At Six, and was the corporation's General Election Editor in 2010.
Mr Oliver, who has three daughters with BBC newsreader wife Joanna Gosling, will be employed as a special adviser.
Senior Labour figures have been ordered to show restraint on the phone hacking row and avoid attacking Rupert Murdoch's News International "out of spite".
An email from leader Ed Miliband's director of strategy Tom Baldwin reportedly said the media mogul's News of the World should not be singled out for criticism over the controversy. It also warned against linking phone hacking with Mr Murdoch's ongoing bid to take full control of BSkyB.
The missive, leaked to the New Statesman magazine, was apparently forwarded on to the shadow cabinet by the Labour Party press office on January 27.
Setting out the line frontbenchers should take when talking about the situation, Mr Baldwin - a former journalist at the Murdoch-owned Times - wrote: "On phone hacking, we believe the police should thoroughly investigate all allegations.
"But this is not just an issue about News International. Almost every media organisation in the country may end up becoming embroiled in these allegations.
"This goes to the root of a wider problem in public life. MPs are taking a hard look at themselves in the mirror over expenses. It is time the media did so too over the way it conducts itself. Frontbench spokespeople who want to talk about their personal experiences of being tapped should make it clear they are doing just that - speaking from personal experience.
"We must guard against anything which appears to be attacking a particular newspaper group out of spite."
The email asks that shadow cabinet teams do not conflate the BSkyB bid with phone hacking. "These issues should not be linked. One is a competition issue, the other an allegation of criminal activity," it says.
The message continues: "On BSkyB, we have been consistent in calling for fair play. We believe ministers should conduct themselves properly in what is a quasi-judicial process. We said Vince Cable showed he was incapable of behaving fairly towards News Corp.
"We have since raised questions about whether Jeremy Hunt can be fully impartial given his record of past statements. We do believe the bid should be referred to the Competition Commission and think Hunt should get on with it."
MI5 may have failed to pull together crucial "threads" which could have revealed the 7/7 ringleader's transformation from an associate of terrorists to "prime conspirator and murderer", an inquest has heard.
Mohammed Sidique Khan, 30, was monitored by surveillance officers meeting known and suspected extremists in the years before he and his three conspirators unleashed carnage on London's transport network.
But despite a wealth of information including tape recordings and photographs, he was only identified in the aftermath of the worst single terrorist atrocity committed on British soil.
As the inquests turned to the question of whether the attacks that day could have been prevented, Hugo Keith QC suggested greater surveillance may have led police to recognise Khan, potentially averting the deaths of 52 innocent people.
In the run-up to 7/7, Khan - though not identified by name - was linked to Omar Khyam, one of the fertiliser bomb plotters. But, as a peripheral contact, he was not the subject of intense investigation. He was also linked to Tafazal Mohammed, an associate of suspected extremist Martin McDaid.
Raising the issue of surveillance, Mr Keith said: "One issue that my Lady may need to explore, in particular with the Security Service, is whether it is fair to say that the threads of Mohammed Sidique Khan's graduation from an associate of terrorists to prime conspirator and murderer were in fact there to see. Was it simply a question of tying threads together?"
The hearing was told how Khan met Khyam in Crawley, West Sussex, in 2004, and also at Islamabad Airport, in 2003, after they travelled to Pakistan to attend a terrorist training camp. However, security services failed to identify him on these occasions.
At the airport meeting, at which Shehzad Tanweer, 22, was also present, the two would-be bombers were simply referred to only as "D" and "E".
In April 2003, Mr McDaid was seen to get into a blue BMW which was subsequently found to be registered to a Sidique Khan, of 11 Gregory Street, Batley, West Yorkshire. However, this information, known to West Yorkshire Police, was not passed on to the Security Service.
As he outlined the role played by the authorities, Mr Keith warned: "There is, not surprisingly, nothing to suggest that the Security Service or police, whether it be the Metropolitan Police or the West Yorkshire Police, had any inkling of what was to befall London on July 7, 2005. It would be nonsensical and insulting to the dedicated people and individuals and bodies who protect our national security to suggest otherwise."
A suspect in the murder of Anni Dewani, killed on her honeymoon in South Africa, has outlined her final moments in a document that has been made public by police.
The contents of Mziwamadoda Qwabe's statement, which he claims was made after he was assaulted, were released as he attended a bail hearing. The 25-year-old has been in custody since his arrest in November.
An outline of the statement given to the magistrates' court told how he agreed to take part in a staged hijacking and robbery in Cape Town.
Investigating officer Captain Paul Hendrikse said in the statement that Qwabe and co-accused Xolile Mngeni hijacked the vehicle containing Mrs Dewani, 28, and new husband Shrien on the night of November 13.
Taxi driver Zola Tongo, who has been sentenced to 18 years after admitting his role in the murder and making a confession that implicated Mr Dewani, was apparently allowed to go after telling them the money they had been promised was behind the front passenger seat. They drove off but stopped to let Mr Dewani out of the car, and carried on with Qwabe driving.
Captain Hendrikse said in the document: "(Qwabe said) that while he was driving he heard a single shot. That he got scared and nervous and parked the vehicle at the side of the road in Litha Park.
"That he got out and saw Mngeni looking for the bullet and that he (Qwabe) found the casing and threw it in a drain while they were running away; and that Mngeni brought the firearm to him the following day."
Hendrikse said that the day after Qwabe made the statement, he formally pointed out the crime scene to police, who recovered a cartridge and firearm from the scene.
The hearing was postponed until February 25, when his trial, and that of Mngeni, is due to begin. Qwabe faces charges of murder, kidnapping and robbery with aggravating circumstances, and the illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Mr Dewani is accused of hiring a hitman to kill his wife and faces an extradition hearing next week. The couple had only been married for a fortnight when the attack took place.
MPs have demanded to know why £1.85 million of foreign aid funding was spent on the Pope's recent visit to the UK.
An influential Commons committee called on ministers to explain how diverting development cash to subsidise the trip met global aid rules.
The "somewhat surprising" transfer to the Foreign Office (FCO) was queried following a detailed investigation of the annual accounts of the Department for International Development.
Initial figures published in November put the cost to Whitehall departments of the four-day state visit in November at £10 million.
Malcolm Bruce, who chairs the international development select committee, said voters would struggle to understand why DfID money was involved.
"Many people will be as surprised as we were to discover that UK aid money was used to fund the Pope's visit last year," he said. "Ministers need to explain exactly what this was spent on and how it tallies with our commitments on overseas aid."
The committee also warned that the higher priority being given in aid spending to war zones and other fragile states would make it harder to be sure taxpayers' cash was being well spent.
A spokesman for the Department for International Development said: "DFID was one of a number of Government departments part-funding the Pope's visit to the UK.
"Our contribution recognised the Catholic Church's role as a major provider of health and education services in developing countries.
"This money does not constitute official development assistance and is therefore additional to the coalition Government's historic commitment to meet the 0.7% UN aid target from 2013."
A poor curriculum can fuel bad behaviour in the classroom, a cross-party group of MPs has warned.
Lessons must cater to different pupils' strengths in order to hold their attention and stop them misbehaving in the class, according to a report by the Commons education select committee.
Its inquiry into school behaviour concludes that any future national curriculum for schools must contain both academic and vocational subjects to meet the needs of all pupils.
The Department for Education (DfE) announced a review of the entire national curriculum earlier this month.
Ministers have already announced a new "English Baccalaureate" which children achieve by gaining five C grades at GCSE including English, mathematics, science, a humanities subject and a foreign language, suggesting ministers are focusing on academic studies.
The committee's report concludes: "Ministers should bear in mind, when developing proposals for the new national curriculum, that if the future curriculum is to have a beneficial effect on standards of behaviour in the classroom, it will need to meet the needs of all pupils and contain a mix of academic and vocational subjects, while being differentiated and enjoyable.
"We heard in evidence that pupils who are positively engaged in learning are less likely to have behaviour problems."
The report also found that it was difficult to tell whether standards of behaviour in schools have worsened or improved. It calls for the DfE to collect sample data on all serious incidents in schools, not just those that lead to a child being suspended or expelled.
Schools minister Nick Gibb said: "We are carrying out a thorough review of the national curriculum to ensure it matches the best systems in the world and gives teachers greater professional freedom over how they teach.
"We are also making it easier for heads to expel violent pupils and giving teachers greater powers to search children and remove disruptive children from class."
The Duchess of Cornwall is set to appear on the long-running radio soap The Archers.
Character Caroline Sterling, played by Sara Coward, tonight revealed that Camilla will be on BBC Radio 4's rural drama.
She will feature in the programme in her role as the president of the National Osteoporosis Society.
The Duchess, who has been an avid fan of the show for many years, decided to make her brief appearance at Grey Gables hotel to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the programme and to highlight the charity's work.
It is not the first time a member of the Royal Family has appeared on the show. In 1984, Princess Margaret appeared in an episode marking the centenary of the NSPCC.
Camilla, who recorded her part in early December with Ms Coward, will be on the show on February 16.
On the same day as the broadcast, she will travel to BBC Birmingham to meet members of the cast.
Ms Coward, who also appeared alongside Princess Margaret in 1984, said: "It was fantastic to go to Kensington Palace to record with Princess Margaret 27 years ago and Clarence House was still more fun.
"The Duchess was relaxed, charming and wonderfully natural."
Average pay deals have remained "stable" in recent months, although settlements in manufacturing firms are increasing in the wake of rising inflation, according to a new study.
Average awards remained at 2.4% in the final few months of 2010, but more than a third of increases in manufacturing were worth 4% or more, said pay analysts IDS.
An early look at deals in January showed higher pay rises, with just two of 25 awards monitored worth less than 2%.
"Inflation looks set to increase further in the coming months as the VAT rise which took effect at the start of the year comes into the inflation figures, and this could be further fuelled by continued increases in oil prices," the report said.
"With increased media focus on inflation and pay, employees are more aware than ever of the gap between pay settlement levels and RPI, and are likely to put pressure on union negotiators to make up some of this ground in pay negotiations.
"As well as higher inflation, 2011 pay negotiations are taking place against a backdrop of generally increasing profitability, though the post-recession context and concerns over the impact of public spending cuts will keep affordability concerns centre stage."
Ken Mulkearn, of IDS, said: "The squeeze in incomes resulting from the sharp rise in inflation means that in many parts of the private sector, employees are looking for wage rises to compensate them for cuts in real take-home pay.
"Our latest figures show evidence of this in manufacturing in particular. Pay growth is more subdued in other parts of the private sector, but the pressures could be reflected in bonus payments over the coming months.
"It's a very different picture for the public sector, where a two-year pay freeze is taking hold against a backdrop of startling job cuts."
In the year to December, RPI inflation was 4.8%, up from 4.7% in November, while CPI inflation - the Government's target measure - increased from 3.3% to 3.7%.
Detectives have put up a £20,000 reward in a bid to finally bring to justice the man responsible for one of Britain's best-known unsolved murders.
American artist Margaret Muller, 27, was stabbed to death in a frenzied attack as she jogged through Victoria Park in Hackney, east London, exactly eight years ago.
Investigators staged the biggest reconstruction in Metropolitan Police history - asking more than 100 witnesses to retrace their movements in the park - and have arrested nine suspects but no-one has ever been charged with the crime.
After receiving fresh information, they now believe Miss Muller may have been the victim of a bungled robbery.
Officers said the attacker probably sprinted out of the Queen's Gate entrance to the park, past the Britannia pub, moments afterwards.
Detective Chief Inspector Nicola Wall said someone may still be holding back potentially vital information and asked anyone who could help to call the incident room on 0208 345 1585 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
She said: "Margaret was a talented young woman with a bright and exciting future ahead of her. That was all taken away when she was brutally struck down in Victoria Park eight years ago.
"Officers have worked tirelessly on this case and have managed to sift through literally hundreds of pieces of information and leads. Despite the tremendous support from the local community, we know that some people still hold vital information about Margaret's murder.
"Together with information already gathered they could help us achieve justice for Margaret and her family and friends. We urge anyone with new information to come forward and assist us."
Miss Muller, who studied at the Slade School of Fine Art, was attacked shortly before 8.30am on Monday February 3, 2003. She was discovered slumped on a path between a rose garden and a playground after other joggers heard her screams.
Ambulance fleets across the country are being revamped with wider stretchers and lifting gear to cope with the increasing number of fat patients.
Every ambulance service in the UK has started buying the specialist equipment, according to data obtained by the BBC from freedom of information requests.
Standard ambulances are being stocked with heavy-duty wheelchairs, stretchers and lifting cushions.
But many services have also bought "bariatric" ambulances, costing up to £90,000 each, to ferry the most obese.
The specialist ambulances are equipped with double-width trolley stretchers to accommodate patients weighing up to 50 stone (318lb) and also tend to include hoists and inflatable lifting cushions.
Cushions cost about £2,500 and stretchers between £7,000 to £10,000 while reinforcing an ambulance tail-lift costs about £800 per vehicle, the BBC said.
Jo Webber, director of the Ambulance Service Network, said ambulance bosses had been left with no option.
She told the BBC: "The fact is patients are getting larger and larger and ambulances need to be able to respond immediately to what could be life-threatening situations.
"Every service is having to invest money in this. It shows that some of the lifestyle changes we are seeing have a range of costs. It is not just about treating them, but the infrastructure costs as well."
Every ambulance trust in England, as well as the services in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland confirmed changes were being made although the pace of the approach varied, according to the data.
British scientists have developed the world's first reliable blood test for the human version of mad cow disease.
The breakthrough could transform diagnosis and screening of the fatal brain disorder, and identify carriers. It could also help scientists accurately assess for the first time how many Britons may be incubating the disease.
Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) is the human equivalent of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), which affects cattle.
Identified in the 1990s, the illness was traced to the consumption of beef products containing contaminated meat. Since then, there have been 170 confirmed or suspected deaths from vCJD in the UK
VCJD progressively causes the brain to become riddled with holes, leading to mental problems, loss of body function, and eventual death.
There is no cure for the condition, which has a long incubation period. People can harbour the infectious proteins - called prions - believed to spread the disease for years while experiencing no symptoms. During this time, they can potentially transmit the disease by donating blood or undergoing surgery.
Until now there has been no way of telling for sure if someone has the disease other than examining their brain tissue.
The prototype blood test developed by scientists at the Medical Research Council (MRC) is 100,000 times more sensitive than any studied before. Details of the research appear today in The Lancet medical journal.
Lead author Dr Graham Jackson, from the MRC Prion Unit, based at University College London, said: "This test comes at the end of many years of meticulous, painstaking research in our Unit and the NHS National Prion Clinic.
"Although further larger studies are needed to confirm its effectiveness, it's the best hope yet of a successful early diagnostic test for the disease. This test could potentially go on to allow blood services to screen the population for vCJD infection, assess how many people in the UK are silent carriers and prevent onward transmission of the disease."
