Comedian Steve Coogan has laid into Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, saying the trio were guilty of "casual racism" and describing them as "three rich, middle-aged men laughing at poor Mexicans".
The Mexican ambassador complained to the BBC about the "outrageous, vulgar and inexcusable insults" made on the show after Hammond joked that Mexican cars reflected national characteristics, saying they were "just going to be lazy, feckless, flatulent".
But Coogan said the adjectives better described Hammond's comic approach.
And he also criticised the BBC for, saying its "initial mealy-mouthed apology was pitiful" and it defence of the presenters amounted to "tolerance of casual racism".
The corporation wrote to His Excellency Eduardo Medina-Mora Icaza to say it was sorry if the programme, broadcast on January 30, caused offence.
But it claimed that national stereotyping was part of British humour and the remarks were akin to labelling Italians as disorganised and over dramatic, the French as arrogant and the Germans as over-organised.
Writing in the Observer, Coogan said: "All the examples it uses to legitimise this hateful rubbish are relatively prosperous countries full of white people. How about if the Lads had described Africans as lazy, feckless etc? Or Pakistanis? The Beeb's hand-wringing suggested tolerance of casual racism, arguably the most sinister kind."
Coogan said he was a "huge fan" of Top Gear and normally regarded the presenters' irreverence as part of the "rough and tumble" that goes with having a sense of humour, but he said there was a "strong ethical dimension" to the best comedy which actively challenges prejudices rather than reinforcing them, laughing at hypocrisy and narrow mindedness.
He said the presenters wore their offensiveness like a "badge of pride" and mistakenly believed it gave them an "anti-establishment aura of coolness" when in fact it was "uber-conservative".
Coogan, who admitted he was now unlikely to be invited back on the show, said the comments were all the worse because with its high viewing figures Top Gear was often the "public face of the BBC".
Comedian Steve Coogan has laid into Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, saying the trio were guilty of "casual racism" and describing them as "three rich, middle-aged men laughing at poor Mexicans".
The Mexican ambassador complained to the BBC about the "outrageous, vulgar and inexcusable insults" made on the show after Hammond joked that Mexican cars reflected national characteristics, saying they were "just going to be lazy, feckless, flatulent".
But Coogan said the adjectives better described Hammond's comic approach.
And he also criticised the BBC for, saying its "initial mealy-mouthed apology was pitiful" and it defence of the presenters amounted to "tolerance of casual racism".
The corporation wrote to His Excellency Eduardo Medina-Mora Icaza to say it was sorry if the programme, broadcast on January 30, caused offence.
But it claimed that national stereotyping was part of British humour and the remarks were akin to labelling Italians as disorganised and over dramatic, the French as arrogant and the Germans as over-organised.
Writing in the Observer, Coogan said: "All the examples it uses to legitimise this hateful rubbish are relatively prosperous countries full of white people. How about if the Lads had described Africans as lazy, feckless etc? Or Pakistanis? The Beeb's hand-wringing suggested tolerance of casual racism, arguably the most sinister kind."
Coogan said he was a "huge fan" of Top Gear and normally regarded the presenters' irreverence as part of the "rough and tumble" that goes with having a sense of humour, but he said there was a "strong ethical dimension" to the best comedy which actively challenges prejudices rather than reinforcing them, laughing at hypocrisy and narrow mindedness.
He said the presenters wore their offensiveness like a "badge of pride" and mistakenly believed it gave them an "anti-establishment aura of coolness" when in fact it was "uber-conservative".
Coogan, who admitted he was now unlikely to be invited back on the show, said the comments were all the worse because with its high viewing figures Top Gear was often the "public face of the BBC".
Britain's biggest banks are set to pay a combined total of £6 billion in bonuses despite the Government's calls for restraint on City pay, it has been reported.
The size of the bonus pool at Standard Chartered, HSBC, Lloyds, Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) will come as an embarrassment to the Treasury as it tries to convince the banks to commit to lending targets for small businesses and to curbs on pay, according to the Sunday Times.
HSBC's boss Stuart Gulliver could receive an estimated bonus of up to £10 million, Barclays boss Bob Diamond could be in line for up to £9.5 million and RBS boss Stephen Hester could be given shares worth £2 million, said the newspaper.
All three bosses are predicted to accept their bonuses after two years of waiving them or giving them to charity following public outrage about levels of rewards in the banking sector.
The Treasury is this week due to announce the results of its Project Merlin talks with Lloyds, RBS, Barclays and HSBC, that are expected to see banks pledge to lend between £160 billion and £190 billion to small businesses.
Barclays' new chief executive Mr Diamond is likely to be a big winner despite flat profits when the bank's board meets to discuss bonuses this week.
Mr Diamond, who is worth an estimated £95 million and was once described by Lord Mandelson as the unacceptable face of banking, recently told a Treasury Select Committee of MPs: "There was a period of remorse and apology for banks and I think that period needs to be over."
Taxpayer-backed RBS is expected to pay about £1 billion in bonuses to be shared among 200 of its top traders.
HSBC is likely to pay its staff £1.3 billion after doubling profits in the past year. HSBC stressed that its remuneration committee has not met, so Mr Gulliver's bonus has yet to be decided.
The bank pointed out that more than 90% of its profits are made outside the UK, it has paid out more than 24 billion US dollars (£14.9 billion) in dividends since the financial crisis began and has paid over £5 billion in tax over the past five years.
David Cameron has ruled out "significant" tax cuts while the Government is cutting spending to reduce the deficit.
The Prime Minister said he wanted to offer people "relief", but suggested that would only be possible "at the end of this hard road".
His comments came in an interview with The Sunday Telegraph ahead of the March 23 Budget.
Chancellor George Osborne is facing calls to reduce the burden on hard-pressed voters as inflation spirals. Tory Mayor of London Boris Johnson urged him last month to set out "a clear direction of travel" on how taxes could be reduced.
But Mr Cameron insisted there was no "Plan B" on the coalition's deficit-reduction strategy and said tax cuts would only undo the work of painful curbs in public spending.
"I would love to see tax reductions. I'm a tax-cutting Tory and I believe in tax cuts, but when you're borrowing 11% of your GDP, it's not possible to make significant net tax cuts. It just isn't," he said.
"It's no good saying we're going to deal with the deficit by cutting spending, but then we're going to make things worse again by cutting taxes. I'm afraid it doesn't add up."
Later in the interview, he added: "Do I want to see, at the end of this hard road, relief and lower taxes for hard-working people? Yes I do."
It was also reported today that Mr Osborne was considering a new tax levy on wealthy "non-doms" which could be announced as early as the Budget.
The move would help fund the coalition's commitment to raise the income tax threshold to £10,000.
Around 200 people gathered to watch the Queen arrive at a church service on the 59th anniversary of her accession to the throne.
The Queen chatted to well-wishers and accepted flowers from children after attending the service at the St Peter and St Paul Church in West Newton, Norfolk, with the Duke of Edinburgh.
Security was tight and more than 20 police kept a close eye on crowds gathered outside the church.
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh have spent Christmas and the New Year in the royal residence at nearby Sandringham.
They are due to return to Buckingham Palace on Monday.
George VI - the Queen's father - died in his sleep while staying at Sandringham early on February 6 1952.
Royal gun salutes are usually fired around the country on Accession Day.
This year salutes will be fired at on Monday because Accession Day falls on a Sunday.
Representatives from a wide range of Egypt's major opposition groups have met Vice President Omar Suleiman to discuss a blueprint for reforms to put the country on a path toward greater democracy.
The meeting is the broadest representation of Egypt's fragmented opposition to meet with the new vice president since protests began on January 25.
The opposition groups represented included the supporters of leading democracy advocate Mohamed ElBaradei, who are one of the main forces behind nearly two weeks of mass protests demanding the immediate removal of long-time President Hosni Mubarak.
The outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest opposition group, and a number of smaller leftist, liberal groups also attended the meeting.
Mubarak, Egypt's ruler of nearly 30 years, has rejected calls to step down immediately and instead promised a package of unspecified political reforms - part of a series of concessions the regime has made in an unsuccessful bid to quell the protests.
Egypt's state news agency reported the two sides agreed to set up a committee of members of the judiciary and political figures to study proposed constitutional amendments that deal with opening up the rules for who can run for president, and term limits on the presidency.
The committee was given until the first week of March to finish the tasks.
Police looking into the death of a heavily pregnant teenager who died in a flat fire have launched a murder investigation.
Following a post-mortem on 19-year-old Nikitta Grender, who was reported to be eight months pregnant, police said the death is now being treated as "suspicious".
Officers from Gwent Police and South Wales Fire Service were called to reports of a blaze in a flat in Broadmead Park in Liswerry, Newport, at 7.50am on Saturday.
Firefighters entered the heavily smoke-logged property wearing breathing apparatus and using thermal imaging camera. They found the body of Ms Grender inside the first floor flat.
A spokewoman from Gwent Police said: "As a result of the post-mortem and further inquiries, Gwent Police are now treating the death of Nikitta Grender as suspicious and have begun a murder inquiry.
"Forensic investigations continue and specially trained officers are continuing to support the family."
Police appealed for anyone was in Broadmead Park between 11pm on Friday 4 February and 8am on Saturday 5 February to in touch with police on 01633 838111 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
A "fearless" British soldier was killed in an operational accident in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has said.
Ranger David Dalzell, 20, of 1st Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment, died on Friday while serving in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand.
Details of the accident will be heard during an inquest, the Ministry of Defence said.
A total of 352 UK military personnel have now died since operations in Afghanistan began in 2001, including 42 who have died as a result of accidents, illness, non-combat injuries or who have not yet officially been assigned a cause of death.
Ranger Dalzell came from Bangor in County Down, Northern Ireland.
His parents, Gordon and Susan, said: "David was a loving and caring son and he was very proud to be a soldier. We are very proud of David as a son and he leaves behind a void that will never be filled.
"He will be missed by his brothers Gareth, Mark and Stewart and sisters Kelly, Catherine and Rachael."
Lieutenant Colonel Colin Weir MBE, Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment, said: "Ranger David Dalzell was an extraordinary young man and despite his relatively short time in the Army he was already much loved by his fellow soldiers.
"He took to the field of battle like a natural; he was perfectly at home in the most difficult and dangerous of circumstances and his bravery never wavered under fire.
"He cheerfully carried the heaviest kit, over the most difficult terrain, in the most dangerous place in Helmand and when the time would come to fight he was fierce."
Police investigating the murder of a heavily pregnant teenager found dead after a flat fire say that she had been stabbed.
Gwent Police said a post-mortem examination on 19-year-old Nikitta Grender, who was eight months pregnant with a baby girl, revealed she had been stabbed.
Officers from Gwent Police and South Wales Fire Service were called to reports of a blaze in a flat in Broadmead Park in Liswerry, Newport, at 7.50am on Saturday.
Firefighters entered the heavily smoke-logged property and found the body of Ms Grender inside the bedroom of the first floor flat. Her pet dog, a pug cross, also died in the fire.
Officers said that the weapon, believed to be a knife, has not yet been found. The scene is still cordoned off and is being examined by forensic teams.
Detective Superintendent Geoff Ronayne of Gwent Police said: "This is an horrific crime where two innocent lives have been lost.
"Nikitta was two weeks away from giving birth to a baby girl. This is particularly callous and something we very rarely see.
"When Nikitta's family should have been looking forward to the birth of her baby they are now absolutely grief stricken.
"We know Nikitta was out with friends Friday evening and visited McDonald's in the Spytty area during the evening, and we are establishing the exact time she was dropped back to her address, but we would urge anyone who was in the vicinity of Nikitta's address in 51 Broadmead Park, was with her or who saw her at any stage from 7pm on Friday February 4 onwards to get in touch.
"Someone must know who did this and we are urging members of the community to come forward and help us with this inquiry."
A 58-year-old man's body has been recovered from floodwater in north Wales.
Police said the man was found near a vehicle which was submerged in Denbighshire.
According to the Environment Agency there are 30 areas at risk of flooding, including parts of the Midlands, the north of England and Wales.
North Wales Police said the man's body was recovered near Llandrillo, Corwen following an extensive search and rescue operation.
They believe the man - who was local to the area - was driving the vehicle, but they do not know how the incident happened.
North Wales Fire and Rescue Service were alerted to the vehicle on the B4401 at around 10.30am on Sunday.
Superintendent Jeremy Vaughan, from North Wales Police, said: "This is a tragic incident and the police are liaising with the man's family.
"It emphasises the need to be extremely cautious in such adverse weather and members of the public are advised to check weather conditions before making a journey."
Environment Agency teams are working to prevent flooding in Shrewsbury, Shropshire.
A spokesman for the agency said: "Environment Agency teams are putting up temporary flood barriers in Shrewsbury. The River Severn tends to peak after rain and there is a risk of flooding. The band of rain is moving north so we are keeping a close eye on the Midlands, Lancashire, Cumbria and the Lake District."
Legendary rock guitarist and former Thin Lizzy star Gary Moore has died in Spain.
The 58-year-old, originally from Belfast, was found dead in a hotel room on the Costa del Sol.
Thin Lizzy founding member Brian Downey paid tribute to his friend.
"I am in total shock," he said. "He will always be in my thoughts and prayers and I just can't believe he is gone."
Moore had a successful solo career but it was for his time in Thin Lizzy that he will be best remembered.
He joined the band in 1973 after the sudden departure of guitarist Eric Bell but only played with them for four months.
Four years later he returned and went on to play on the band's Black Rose album.
Thin Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorham said it been a pleasure to share a stage with him.
"Playing with Gary during the Black Rose era was a great experience, he was a great player and a great guy," he said.
The Government has disputed Labour claims more than 10,000 police officers in England and Wales could be cut over the next two years.
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the job losses, revealed in a party survey of police forces up and down the country, showed the "shocking and brutal reality" of the Government's spending cuts.
Ms Cooper said the cuts were "only the beginning" as a third of forces had yet to announce reductions to their workforces.
"Far from protecting frontline policing as ministers promised, over 10,000 police officers are being cut in the next few years alone," she said.
"That's 10,000 fewer police officers fighting crime, solving serious cases, or keeping our country safe.
"Cutting so fast and so deep into police budgets is crazy. It is completely out of touch with communities across the country who want to keep bobbies on the beat.
"Chief constables are being put in an impossible position. They are working hard to fight crime, but the Government is pulling the rug from underneath them."
But Policing Minister Nick Herbert said he didn't accept Labour's claims, which he described as "totally dishonest".
He told the BBC's The World This Weekend that "de-bureaucratising" the police and handing officers discretion to deal with cases were just as important as numbers on the frontline if the Government wanted to reduce crime.
"No, I don't accept Labour Party figures," Mr Herbert said. "I think it is better to wait for official figures. We have never said we can guarantee police numbers and nor has the Opposition said that.
Authorities in Ohio say a shooting at a fraternity house just north of the Youngstown State University campus killed one student and wounded 11 people, including six students.
Lt. Franklin Palmer said the shooting happened early on Sunday and no arrests have been made.
A statement from the school says officers are working to identify suspects, and the YSU police chief says there's no threat to the campus.
Information on the identities and conditions of the wounded was not immediately available.
The university says the person killed and six of the wounded are YSU students.
The school says YSU President Cynthia Anderson met students and their families at the hospital and called it "a sad day for the YSU family."
A dossier of official documents shedding light on the release of the Lockerbie bomber will be published on Monday.
Disclosures from the eagerly-anticipated publication may throw up new questions for the former Labour government and Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill.
Mr MacAskill sanctioned the release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds in August 2009, because he was supposed to have little time left to live. Al-Megrahi is still alive in Tripoli today.
The publication follows Prime Minister David Cameron's promise to US president Barack Obama that he would review the paperwork in the case.
Mr Cameron asked Sir Gus O'Donnell, the Cabinet Secretary, to conduct the review and ensure that everything that could be made public was.
The tranche of letters, memos and minutes to be released today is described as "comprehensive".
The Prime Minister discussed Libya with US secretary of state Hillary Clinton when they met at a security conference in Munich on Saturday.
A Downing Street spokeswoman said they had "strongly agreed that the release of the Lockerbie bomber had been a mistake".
It was reported last week that Libya had been given advice by a then Foreign Office minister Bill Rammell on how to secure al-Megrahi's release.
Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over the Scottish town on December 21, 1988, killing 270 people in the air and on the ground.
A range of measures to tackle anti-social behaviour will be unveiled as the Government pledges to crack down on minor crime.
Among the proposals to be outlined on Monday are plans to compel police to investigate any incidences of anti-social behaviour reported by at least five people.
The "community trigger" is one of a raft of proposals which form part of a government consultation on anti-social behaviour, a Home Office source said.
Other measures will see police given powers forcing culprits to make amends for nuisance behaviour immediately.
The move comes as the Anti-Social Behaviour Order (Asbo) is overhauled.
Instead police will be able to apply for a court order to tackle low-level nuisance behaviour.
The new measures will be called criminal behaviour orders.
The Asbo was launched under the last Labour government while Tony Blair was still in power.
But the measure has attracted criticism in some quarters for the perception that it is seen as a badge of honour among offenders.
A British soldier may have been shot dead accidentally as he and a colleague cleaned their rifles, it is understood.
Ranger David Dalzell, 20, of 1st Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment, died on Friday in an "operational accident" in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) refused to be drawn on the circumstances surrounding Ranger Dalzell's death and a spokeswoman said details of the accident would be heard during an inquest.
But it is believed the tragedy may have happened as he and a comrade cleaned their rifles inside their base.
Tributes were paid to Ranger Dalzell and Warrant Officer Class 2 Colin Beckett, Company Sergeant Major of 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, who was killed on Saturday.
WO2 Beckett was attempting to secure an area in Shaheed, a village on the Nahr-e-Bughra canal, when he was caught in a roadside bomb.
Ranger Dalzell, who came from Bangor in County Down, Northern Ireland, was described as a "fearless" soldier by colleagues. His wife was expecting their first child later this month.
A total of 352 UK military personnel have now died since operations in Afghanistan began in 2001, including 42 who have died as a result of accidents, illness, non-combat injuries or who have not yet officially been assigned a cause of death.
Company Sergeant Major Colin Beckett was described as a "truly special husband" by his widow. The 36-year-old from Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, who was known as Tom, was described by his colleagues as an inspirational and iconic leader.
He joined the army more than 20 years ago and has been on deployments to Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Iraq and three tours of Afghanistan.
David Cameron has said Prince William will make a "fantastic husband" and a "wonderful king".
The Prime Minister said he had found the Prince to be "a remarkable young man" after spending time with him in Zurich for England's recent failed bid to host the World Cup.
Speaking to US news network CNN about the royal wedding, Mr Cameron said he was confident it would be "a great moment for Britain", adding that William and fiancee Kate Middleton were "a wonderful couple".
On the April 29 wedding, Mr Cameron said: "I know it will be a huge success, not just for the country and I think the world looking at Britain and how we have this wonderful Royal Family and Prince William, who I've spent some time with recently, is a remarkable young man - great, balanced, poised.
"I think he will make I am sure a fantastic husband and one day he will make a wonderful king.
"I think the world will be looking at this royal wedding but I think we will be very proud of it in the UK, but above all it's two young people who love each other very much.
"They are getting married and we should be very happy for them."
The Prime Minister said he had "spent some time" with the Prince - a fellow Old Etonian - in Zurich in December.
"It was great to hear, you know, when someone's getting married, the excitement, the enthusiasm. I could very much feel it."
Asked whether it would be a budget wedding given the Government's austerity measures, Mr Cameron said: "No, it will be a royal wedding that the whole country can celebrate."
Egypt's vice president met major opposition groups for the first time and offered new concessions including freedom of the press, release of those detained since anti-government protests began nearly two weeks ago and the eventual lifting of hated emergency laws.
Two of the groups that attended Sunday's meeting said it was only a first step in a dialogue which has yet to meet their central demand - the immediate removal of President Hosni Mubarak.
"People still want the president to step down," said Mostafa al-Naggar, a protest organiser and supporter of Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel Peace laureate, former United Nations nuclear chief and one of the country's leading democracy advocates.
"The protest continues because there are no guarantees and not all demands have been met. We did not sign on to the statement. This is a beginning of a dialogue. We approve the positive things in the statement but ... we are still demanding that the president step down."
The outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, the country's largest opposition group, which also attended, made a similar statement.
Vice President Omar Suleiman offered to set up a committee of judiciary and political figures to study proposed constitutional reforms that would allow more candidates to run for president and impose term limits on the presidency, the state news agency reported.
The committee was given until the first week of March to finish the tasks.
The offer to eventually lift emergency laws when security permits would fulfil a long-time demand by the opposition. The laws were imposed by Mr Mubarak when he took office in 1981 and have been in force ever since, giving police far-reaching powers for detention and suppression of civil and human rights.
Mr Mubarak insists he cannot stand down now because it would deepen the chaos in his country. The US shifted signals and gave key backing to the regime's gradual changes yesterday, warning of the dangers if Mr Mubarak left too quickly.
The meeting drew the broadest representation of Egypt's fragmented opposition to sit with the new vice president since the protests began on January 25.
Scientists have successfully tested a flu vaccine on volunteers that could work against all known strains of the illness.
The vaccine targets proteins inside the flu virus that are common across all strains, instead of those that sit on the virus's external coat, which are liable to mutate, the Guardian said.
It is the first vaccine of its type to be tested on people infected with flu. The research was led by Dr Sarah Gilbert of Oxford's Jenner Institute.
Adrian Hill, the institute's director, told the Guardian: "The problem with flu is that you've got lots of different strains and they keep changing. Occasionally one comes out of wildfowl or pigs and we're not immune to it. We need new vaccines and we can't make them fast enough."
Dr Gilbert added: "If we were using the same vaccine year in, year out, it would be more like vaccinating against other diseases like tetanus. It would become a routine vaccination that would be manufactured and used all the time at a steady level. We wouldn't have these sudden demands or shortages - all that would stop."
During the trial Dr Gilbert vaccinated 11 healthy volunteers and then infected them, along with 11 non-vaccinated volunteers.
She monitored the volunteers' symptoms twice a day, including runny noses, coughs and sore throats, and weighed tissues to calculate how much mucus they produced.
The vaccine boosts the number of the body's T-cells, which are important to the body's immune response, identifying and destroying cells infected by a virus.
The results, though only from a very small sample, showed the vaccine worked as planned with the vaccinated volunteers less likely to get flu and also showing a boost in T-cells.
The results have been sent to a scientific journal, with the next step a field trial to compare several thousand people.
