September 24, 2011, 8:04 pm
![Job loss fears at defence giant]()
Defence giant BAE Systems is reportedly set to announce thousands more job losses.
The firm has previously warned that it expects to further cut staffing levels, and Sky News claims up to 3,000 posts will go.
A BAE spokeswoman said: "BAE Systems has informed staff that we are reviewing our operations across various businesses to make sure the company is performing as effectively and efficiently as possible, both in delivering our commitments to existing customers and ensuring the company is best placed to secure future business.
"As the outcome of this review becomes clear, we will, as always, communicate to our employees as a priority."
Shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy said the reports would be "a devastating blow for Lancashire and Yorkshire and a real knock for UK manufacturing".
The facilities expected to be worst affected are BAE's military aircraft division in Warton, Lancashire, and Brough, East Riding of Yorkshire.
"We need a fast response from ministers with a clear plan of action," Mr Murphy said.
"At a time when it is so hard to find a new job this is a dreadful moment to lose the one you have," he said.
He went on: "The defence industry is vital to the UK, supporting both our forces on the frontline and the wider UK economy. Labour's industrial strategy has been replaced with this Government's deficit reduction plan and as a result both our industrial base and our equipment programme are being hit."
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September 24, 2011, 8:04 pm
![Home Office IT project costs rocket]()
The cost of a multimillion-pound Government IT project has more than quadrupled.
The 10-year deal signed by the Passport Agency, part of the Home Office, was supposed to cost between £80 million and £100 million.
But new figures show the final bill for the contract with hi-tech firm Siemens is £365 million - more than four times the initial quote.
Immigration minister Damien Green said: "The increase in costs over the term of the Siemens contract can be attributed to numerous factors including additional demand for passports, enhancements of the IT infrastructure and business processes to accommodate changes in policy, response to changes in security threats and customer service improvements."
Scottish National Party MP Eilidh Whiteford, who unearthed the final cost in a parliamentary question, blamed the previous Labour government for the overspend.
She said: "At a time when household budgets are under real pressure, revelations over how wasteful Westminster has been with taxpayers' money are an absolute scandal.
"Serious questions must be asked about how the cost of the Passport Agency computer system was able to more than treble - and the first of those questions should be raised with the former ministers who signed the contracts.
"As Labour meet for their conference it is incredible that, as the people responsible for pouring this money down the drain, they now try and convince us that they have a credible plan for the economy. People will not be fooled."
The revelation follows the scrapping last week of the disastrous £12 billion NHS IT system, prompting Ms Whiteford to demand the Westminster Government "takes a leaf out of the Scottish government's book on efficiency".
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September 25, 2011, 12:05 am
![BAE job cuts 'a devastating blow']()
Labour has described news of 3,000 expected job losses at defence giant BAE Systems as a "devastating blow".
Shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy spoke after it emerged the company was set to announce a fresh wave of redundancies.
The facilities expected to be worst affected are BAE's military aircraft division in Warton, Lancashire, and Brough, East Yorkshire.
The firm has previously warned it expected to further cut staffing levels and it has emerged up to 3,000 posts will go.
Mr Murphy said the news was "a devastating blow for Lancashire and Yorkshire and a real knock for UK manufacturing".
He said: "We need a fast response from ministers with a clear plan of action. At a time when it is so hard to find a new job this is a dreadful moment to lose the one you have. The defence industry is vital to the UK, supporting both our Forces on the frontline and the wider UK economy.
"Labour's industrial strategy has been replaced with this Government's deficit reduction plan and as a result both our industrial base and our equipment programme are being hit."
A BAE spokeswoman said: "BAE Systems has informed staff that we are reviewing our operations across various businesses to make sure the company is performing as effectively and efficiently as possible, both in delivering our commitments to existing customers and ensuring the company is best placed to secure future business
"As the outcome of this review becomes clear, we will, as always, communicate to our employees as a priority."
Earlier this year BAE Systems said around 2,000 workers would leave voluntarily or move to other jobs in the company, but there will be 450 compulsory lay-offs at several military sites across the UK, including Woodford, near Manchester, Farnborough in Hampshire, RAF Kinloss in Scotland, RAF Cottesmore in Lincolnshire and Brough in East Yorkshire.
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September 25, 2011, 2:41 am
![Mount Everest tourist plane crashes]()
A plane carrying tourists to view Mount Everest has crashed while attempting to land in dense fog in Nepal, police and eyewitnesses said.
The Beechcraft plane belonging to Buddha Air was carrying 16 foreign tourists and three crew members and crashed at Bisankunarayan village, just a few miles south of the capital, Katmandu.
Police officials near the crash site said rescuers had reached the crash site, but would not comment on causalities.
An eyewitness, Haribol Poudel, told Avenues Television that the plane had hit the roof of a house in the village and that 18 bodies were pulled out.
Mr Poudel said it was foggy, and that visibility was very low in the mountainous area.
Rewant Kuwar, an official at the Katmandu Airport rescue office, said the plane had last made contact with the control tower at 7.31am local time.
The plane had taken the tourists to view Mount Everest and other high peaks and was returning to Katmandu.
The "mountain flight" takes tourists over the Everest region, and they can view some of the world's highest peaks from the airplane windows.
Officials later confirmed that all 19 people on board died.
The identities of the victims were still unclear, but most were believed to be Indian tourists, sources said.
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September 25, 2011, 2:41 am
![Miliband makes vow on tuition fees]()
Student tuition fees would be capped at £6,000 under Labour plans unveiled by Ed Miliband in a crowd-pleasing eve of party conference announcement.
The Opposition leader said the £1 billion move to cut the maximum charge by £3,000 would be funded through a levy on high-earning graduates and a tax hit on bankers.
As well as pleasing activists, the move will heap pressure on the governing parties, especially the Liberal Democrats whose U-turn on opposing fees sparked student riots.
Mr Miliband said he wanted to use the annual gathering, being held in Liverpool, to show hard-working families "that Labour is back as the party of them".
As well as the fees reduction, he will use his set-piece speech on Tuesday to offer radical measures to end "rip off" household energy bills and over-expensive train fares.
In interviews with two Sunday newspapers, Mr Miliband said graduates earning more than £65,000 a year would pay higher interest on their student loans to help fund the lower cap. The rest would be found by cancelling, for the financial sector, the Government's cut in corporation tax.
"Parents up and down the country are incredibly worried about their sons and daughters," Mr Miliband told The Sunday Mirror. "We want to take action to make it easier for people to go to university and not feel burdened down by debt."
Ditching the Government's proposed cut in corporation tax from 28 was "fair" because "we shouldn't be cutting taxes for the banks at the moment", he said.
Coalition sources said the corporation tax cut for banks was already offset by the bank levy and suggested better-off graduates would find ways to get around the higher rates.
Universities Minister David Willetts said it represented a cynical U-turn, saying: "Ed Miliband promised a graduate tax and now he's accepting fees have to increase to finance universities in tough times. So why should students trust anything he says? He says one thing to become leader and within a year does a U-turn."
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September 25, 2011, 2:41 am
![Court told to jail Knox for life]()
Italian prosecutors have asked an appeals court to increase Amanda Knox's prison sentence to life for the murder of her British house-mate Meredith Kercher.
In their final arguments, the prosecutors also sought the same sentence for Knox's co-defendant, her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito.
Both had been convicted by a lower court of the 2007 killing in the university town of Perugia, central Italy.
The lower court had sentenced Knox to 26 years and Sollecito to 25 years for the murder. Both defendants deny wrongdoing.
Earlier in Saturday's hearing, Italian prosecutor Manuela Comodi fired back at independent forensic experts who reviewed - and trashed - the DNA evidence used to convict Knox of the murder.
The DNA review found the evidence unreliable and possibly contaminated, significantly weakening the prosecution's case.
Ms Comodi maintained the evidence can stand. Defending the original investigation, she held a bra in court to show how it was cut from Kercher's body.
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September 25, 2011, 5:59 am
![Ex-UVF chief Gusty Spence dies]()
Former Ulster Volunteer Force leader Gusty Spence has died aged 78.
Mr Spence was a feared killer in the 1960s but later renounced violence and announced the 1994 Combined Loyalist Military Command ceasefire.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder after his gang shot dead Catholic Peter Ward, 18, and wounded two others as they left a pub on Malvern Street, Belfast, in 1966 as the Troubles were about to ignite. He served 18 years.
He became heavily involved in politics and was a key figure in the Progressive Unionist Party alongside figures like the late Brian Ervine.
On May 3 2007, he read out the statement by the UVF announcing that it would keep its weapons but put them beyond the reach of ordinary members.
Mr Spence died in hospital.
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September 25, 2011, 5:59 am
![19 die in Mount Everest plane crash]()
A plane carrying tourists to view Mount Everest has crashed while attempting to land in Nepal, killing all 19 people on board.
The turboprop plane belonging to Buddha Air was carrying 13 foreign tourists, three Nepalese passengers and three crew members when it crashed in Bisankunarayan village, just a few miles south of the capital, Katmandu.
Rewant Kuwar, an official at Katmandu's international airport rescue office, said that 18 bodies were pulled out of the plane's wreckage, and that another victim died later in hospital.
Among the foreigners who died in the crash, 10 were Indian nationals, two were US citizens and the other was Japanese, Tourism Secretary Ganeshraj Joshi said.
An eyewitness, Haribol Poudel, told Avenues Television that the plane had hit the roof of a house in the village and disintegrated into several pieces. No casualties were reported on the ground.
Poudel said it was foggy, and that visibility was very low in the mountainous area.
The plane had taken passengers on a one-hour "mountain flight" over the Everest region was returning to the capital when it crashed.
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September 25, 2011, 5:59 am
![Cut VAT to boost economy: Miliband]()
Ed Miliband has urged the Government to "change course" on the economy as he declared the coalition's austerity measures were "not working".
The Labour leader accused the coalition of failing to meet their deficit reduction plans and called for a temporary cut in VAT to help boost the economy.
On the opening day of Labour's annual conference in Liverpool, Mr Miliband told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show that he acknowledged that the deficit had to be cut.
But he insisted the best way of achieving that was by growing the economy to ensure that people were in work, paying taxes and off benefits.
"The problem with the Government's strategy is that they don't understand that," he said.
He went on: "I think we've seen a big change over the last year, which is a year ago there was a contested argument about whether the Government strategy should work.
"It's not working, it's not working for Britain because unemployment is going up, and it's not working even to cut the deficit because unless you grow the economy you can't cut your deficit."
Mr Miliband also said Prime Minister David Cameron needed to show "international leadership" on the continuing economic crises.
"There is an absence of leadership and I say to the Prime Minister 'put the politics aside, start showing some leadership'," he said.
He admitted that he would be making cuts himself if he were prime minister, but said growth was the "absolute missing ingredient" in the Government's plans.
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September 25, 2011, 5:59 am
![Labour courted media over voters]()
The previous Labour government lost the confidence of voters because it was addicted to the "crack cocaine" of courting the media rather than listening to the public, Tessa Jowell has said.
The shadow Olympics minister admitted that even today "nobody is listening" to the opposition party because of the erosion of public trust on issues including the economy, welfare and immigration and social responsibility.
She also blamed the way politics has become "like a private conversation between Westminster media and Westminster politicians" with voters just "eavesdroppers".
Ms Jowell told the Independent on Sunday: "What we've got to accept is that in the country more widely, nobody is listening. The biggest battle that Labour has at the moment is to be relevant and to be heard... For so many people, it's just white noise."
Ms Jowell said she believed Labour should have taken a harder line with Rupert Murdoch's News International following allegations of phone hacking when the party was in power.
The senior member of Ed Miliband's shadow cabinet, who was a hacking victim herself, added: "I think that the mistake that we made - it's a bit like the crack cocaine of politics, isn't it? Getting a good write-up, or the horror of a bad write-up.
"At its worst, Westminster politics is like a private conversation between Westminster media and Westminster politicians, and the rest of the world are eavesdroppers on a private conversation, and that's got to change."
In a separate interview with the BBC, the minister said families were "withdrawing from the relevance of politics and believing that they have to fend for themselves" adding that the party's annual conference was an opportunity to get Labour's message out to people.
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September 25, 2011, 8:08 am
![Union seeks talks over BAE cuts]()
Union leaders are seeking urgent talks with defence giant BAE Systems after news that the firm is planning to axe 3,000 jobs in a "hammer blow" to the industry.
Unite said it wanted to clarify which sites will be hit by the jobs cull and would press for redundancies to be voluntary.
Ian Waddell, Unite's national officer for aerospace, said: "These job losses will be a hammer blow to the UK defence industry, which is already reeling with the consequences of the Government's "buy off the shelf" policy.
"We will be seeking urgent talks with BAE Systems to try and clarify where these jobs are under threat and to work with them to avoid compulsory redundancies wherever possible."
The facilities expected to be worst affected are BAE's military aircraft division in Warton, Lancashire, and Brough, East Yorkshire.
Shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy said the news was "a devastating blow for Lancashire and Yorkshire and a real knock for UK manufacturing", adding: "We need a fast response from ministers with a clear plan of action.
"At a time when it is so hard to find a new job this is a dreadful moment to lose the one you have.
"The defence industry is vital to the UK, supporting both our Forces on the frontline and the wider UK economy.
"Labour's industrial strategy has been replaced with this Government's deficit reduction plan and as a result both our industrial base and our equipment programme are being hit."
A BAE spokeswoman said: "BAE Systems has informed staff that we are reviewing our operations across various businesses to make sure the company is performing as effectively and efficiently as possible, both in delivering our commitments to existing customers and ensuring the company is best placed to secure future business."
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September 25, 2011, 8:08 am
![Bank plan to save single currency]()
An injection of funds into a number of continental banks is the cornerstone of the three-pronged plan being discussed to save the single currency.
The shoring up of banks under a recapitalisation scheme would allow Greece to default on its debt, something leaders have been nervous of because of the potential damage to Europe's banks, which hold billions in Greek debt.
City sources told the Sunday Times that the third part of the plan, which is expected to cost up to three trillion euros (£2.6 trillion) in total, involves additional firepower for the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF).
The newspaper said the plans, reportedly under discussion by G20 finance ministers and the IMF in Washington, may be unveiled within days. It comes amid warnings that the FTSE 100 Index could fall as low as 4000 without rapid and radical intervention.
The injection of funds into at least 16 continental banks could see governments provide "contingent" capital, equivalent to reserves that banks can draw on only if needed.
It has been reported that the recapitalisation would include French banks, as well as going further than the £2 billion required by regulators following stress tests in July.
The plans would lead to an orderly default by Greece and allow the country to remain within the eurozone, although private sector creditors would end up bearing a loss as high as 50%.
The Sunday Telegraph said officials hoped the plan would take the pressure off Spain and Italy, which are in need of long-term structural reform.
It is thought that the EFSF would need about 2 trillion euros (£1.75 trillion) to meet the financing needs of the two countries if they are shut out of the markets. Officials are said to be working on a way to leverage the EFSF through the European Central Bank to reach the target, the paper said.
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September 25, 2011, 8:08 am
![Fighters attack Gaddafi home town]()
Libya's revolutionary forces say they have stepped up a siege around Muammar Gaddafi's home town of Sirte to wear down his loyalist forces inside.
The fighters set up new roadblocks and checkpoints and posted snipers at key spots.
The move comes after a heavy push by the fighters into the edge of downtown that failed to dislodge Gaddafi's men inside Sirte on Saturday. Seven fighters were killed and 150 were wounded in fierce street battles with Gaddafi's men.
The revolutionaries took Tripoli last month, effectively ending Gaddafi's rule and sending him into hiding. But his loyalists still hold Sirte, as well as Bani Walid and pockets in south Libya.
Officer Osama Nuttawa al-Swehli said Nato hit four targets in Sirte in pre-dawn airstrikes.
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September 25, 2011, 8:08 am
![Five arrests after fatal stabbing]()
A man has been found stabbed to death in Kent in the early hours of Sunday, police said.
The 21-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics who were called to an address in Sutton Road, Maidstone, at 2.13am.
One man, who is understood to have been known to the victim, has been arrested on suspicion of murder, while another man and three women have also been arrested in connection with the incident.
A spokeswoman for Kent Police said: "A murder investigation has been launched by detectives from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate. A post-mortem examination has not yet been held.
"One line of inquiry is that the incident happened in Cornwall Close, Maidstone."
The deceased man is from the Maidstone area, she added.
Police are urging anyone with information to contact them on 01622 690690 or Kent Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.
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September 25, 2011, 9:47 am
![Cameron 'must show some leadership']()
David Cameron must "start showing some leadership" over Britain's ailing economy and "change course", Ed Miliband urged as he declared the coalition's austerity measures were "not working".
The Labour leader conceded cuts had to be made but warned that growth had become the "missing ingredient" in the Government's plans and cautioned against leaving the economy "flat on its back".
Calling for a temporary cut in VAT, he told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show the best way of cutting the deficit was by growing the economy to ensure that people were in work, paying taxes and off benefits.
"The problem with the Government's strategy is that they don't understand that," he said.
Mr Miliband went on: "I think we've seen a big change over the last year, which is a year ago there was a contested argument about whether the Government strategy should work.
"It's not working, it's not working for Britain because unemployment is going up, and it's not working even to cut the deficit because unless you grow the economy you can't cut your deficit."
He added: "There is an absence of leadership and I say to the Prime Minister 'put the politics aside, start showing some leadership'."
"The Prime Minister has nothing to say about what's going to be different in the next year from the last year and over the last year his plan hasn't worked.
"As Keynes said, as the conditions change you change course and he should change course.
"That's what he has got to do. As a first step we say cut VAT. Keep to a plan to cut the deficit over four years but do it with growth because that's the only way you are going to achieve what you need to achieve."
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September 25, 2011, 10:18 am
![Saudi king allows women to vote]()
Saudi King Abdullah has given women the right to vote for first time in nationwide local elections.
The king said in an annual speech on Sunday before his advisory assembly, or Shura Council, that Saudi women will be able to run and cast ballots in the 2015 municipal elections.
He said women will also be appointed to "join the all-male" Shura Council, which is selected by him.
Saudi Arabia held its first ever municipal elections in 2005.
The kingdom will hold its next elections on Thursday, but women are not able to vote or run at this time.
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September 25, 2011, 10:18 am
![Libyan rebels step up Sirte siege]()
Libya's revolutionary fighters have stepped up a siege of Muammar Gaddafi's home town, hoping to wear down loyalist forces a day after an offensive failed to dislodge die-hard loyalists of the fugitive leader.
Anti-Gaddafi fighters set up new checkpoints and posted snipers in strategic areas on the outskirts of Sirte. But they said they were not planning another assault immediately after facing fierce resistance yesterday that left seven of their comrades dead and more than 150 wounded.
"It's unlikely we'll attack today unless we are attacked," said Aiman Majub, who helps co-ordinate revolutionary forces. "The idea is to catch our breath and regroup so we can be more strategic instead of blasting our way in."
Saturday's battle for down town Sirte was the first significant push in a week and included close-range gunfights with loyalists hiding in buildings and throwing hand grenades from windows. The fighters pushed east along the city's main thoroughfare into its urban centre, overrunning a TV station as Nato warplanes supporting anti-Gaddafi forces roared overhead.
Osama Nuttawa al-Swehli, a revolutionary logistics officer, said the goal today was to squeeze the city and prevent any former regime figures believed to be holed up inside from escaping. Al-Swehli said he has heard Gaddafi's son Muatassim communicating by radio with loyalist forces inside Sirte.
"We have to make sure that no supplies get in and that none of their assets escape," he said.
"The priority today is to hold our positions while pounding their targets," he said, adding that they needed to take out loyalist rocket launchers before making another push to take the city.
He said that seven men were killed and 152 wounded, 17 seriously, in yesterday's fighting. Four of those injured lost limbs and four others had serious head wounds, he said.
Sirte, 400km south-east of Tripoli on the Mediterranean coast, is the Libyan city most associated with Gaddafi and one of three strongholds that have refused to surrender more than a month after revolutionary forces seized Tripoli and much of the rest of the North African nation.
Revolutionary forces have been working to help civilians trying to flee the city amid rapidly deteriorating living conditions. More than a dozen families drove out toward the west this morning, riding in battered cars with mattresses and suitcases strapped to their roofs.
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September 25, 2011, 10:18 am
![Iranians questioned over BBC links]()
Iran's intelligence chief said an unspecified number of people have been summoned for questioning over their alleged links to BBC's Farsi-language service.
The summons come after Iranian authorities arrested six independent filmmakers earlier this month. The BBC said its Farsi channel had bought rights to their films in the past but had not commissioned their work.
Heidar Moslehi also accused the BBC of operating as a cover for British intelligence and of seeking to harm Iran by hosting Iranian dissidents. He spoke to Iranian state TV,
Iran blocks BBC's Farsi service, accusing it and the British government of fomenting mass protests that broke out after Iran's 2009 disputed presidential election.
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September 25, 2011, 10:18 am
![Crane installed to build skyscraper]()
Britain's highest ever crane is to be put in place at the building site of what will become Europe's tallest building.
Builders will use the machine to complete the spire of the Shard skyscraper near London Bridge in south London.
When fully extended the crane will sit at 317 metres or 1,040 ft above ground level, making it seven metres taller than the building's eventual highest point (310 metres).
The Shard will become the tallest building in the European Union and the 45th tallest in the world when it is completed in 2012.
It will surpass the current record-holder, One Canada Square at London's Canary Wharf, which stands at 235 metres or 773 ft and was completed in 1991
Irvine Sellar, chairman of the Sellar Property Group which is developing the Shard, said: "This is another unique milestone in the development of this global iconic landmark building.
"The Shard is already making a positive impact on London's skyline and the spire will complement the design of the building and complete a truly stunning piece of architecture."
At present the building stands at 244 metres. The crane will be used to complete the top 23 floors from a total of 95.
Sitting on a platform outside the building at floor 55, it is expected to raise 500 tonnes of steel in a total of around 100 lifts.
The spire will be made up of some 800 separate pieces of steel but sections have been assembled off-site and transported to the Shard rather than individual beams.
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September 25, 2011, 4:08 pm
![Hague hails Saudi vote for women]()
Plans to allow women in Saudi Arabia to vote and stand for election in local polls has been hailed as a "significant step forward" by Foreign Secretary William Hague.
He said the UK would examine the detail of the reforms announced by King Abdullah "and how they will work in practice".
The changes, agreed with senior clerics, will come into force for elections in 2015 and arrive amid internal pressure in the deeply socially conservative country.
Women's groups in the Muslim kingdom have also taken inspiration from the Arab Spring uprisings to openly defy a ban on females driving.
"We refuse to marginalise the role of women in Saudi society and in every aspect, within the rules of Sharia," the king said.
"Balanced modernisation, which falls within our Islamic values, is an important demand in an era where there is no place for defeatist or hesitant people."
Women will also be eligible in future for appointment to the Shura Council, which offers policy opinion and debates plans for the economy and society, he said.
The introduction of the vote will not be implemented in time for women to take part in the next round of municipal elections on Thursday.
Mr Hague said: "I welcome the reports of a proposal for women in Saudi Arabia to be given the right to vote and run in future municipal elections.
"This would be a significant step forward for the people of Saudi Arabia. The UK strongly supports moves to increase the political and economic participation of women across the Arab world."
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Defence giant BAE Systems is reportedly set to announce thousands more job losses.
The firm has previously warned that it expects to further cut staffing levels, and Sky News claims up to 3,000 posts will go.
A BAE spokeswoman said: "BAE Systems has informed staff that we are reviewing our operations across various businesses to make sure the company is performing as effectively and efficiently as possible, both in delivering our commitments to existing customers and ensuring the company is best placed to secure future business.
"As the outcome of this review becomes clear, we will, as always, communicate to our employees as a priority."
Shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy said the reports would be "a devastating blow for Lancashire and Yorkshire and a real knock for UK manufacturing".
The facilities expected to be worst affected are BAE's military aircraft division in Warton, Lancashire, and Brough, East Riding of Yorkshire.
"We need a fast response from ministers with a clear plan of action," Mr Murphy said.
"At a time when it is so hard to find a new job this is a dreadful moment to lose the one you have," he said.
He went on: "The defence industry is vital to the UK, supporting both our forces on the frontline and the wider UK economy. Labour's industrial strategy has been replaced with this Government's deficit reduction plan and as a result both our industrial base and our equipment programme are being hit."
The cost of a multimillion-pound Government IT project has more than quadrupled.
The 10-year deal signed by the Passport Agency, part of the Home Office, was supposed to cost between £80 million and £100 million.
But new figures show the final bill for the contract with hi-tech firm Siemens is £365 million - more than four times the initial quote.
Immigration minister Damien Green said: "The increase in costs over the term of the Siemens contract can be attributed to numerous factors including additional demand for passports, enhancements of the IT infrastructure and business processes to accommodate changes in policy, response to changes in security threats and customer service improvements."
Scottish National Party MP Eilidh Whiteford, who unearthed the final cost in a parliamentary question, blamed the previous Labour government for the overspend.
She said: "At a time when household budgets are under real pressure, revelations over how wasteful Westminster has been with taxpayers' money are an absolute scandal.
"Serious questions must be asked about how the cost of the Passport Agency computer system was able to more than treble - and the first of those questions should be raised with the former ministers who signed the contracts.
"As Labour meet for their conference it is incredible that, as the people responsible for pouring this money down the drain, they now try and convince us that they have a credible plan for the economy. People will not be fooled."
The revelation follows the scrapping last week of the disastrous £12 billion NHS IT system, prompting Ms Whiteford to demand the Westminster Government "takes a leaf out of the Scottish government's book on efficiency".
Labour has described news of 3,000 expected job losses at defence giant BAE Systems as a "devastating blow".
Shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy spoke after it emerged the company was set to announce a fresh wave of redundancies.
The facilities expected to be worst affected are BAE's military aircraft division in Warton, Lancashire, and Brough, East Yorkshire.
The firm has previously warned it expected to further cut staffing levels and it has emerged up to 3,000 posts will go.
Mr Murphy said the news was "a devastating blow for Lancashire and Yorkshire and a real knock for UK manufacturing".
He said: "We need a fast response from ministers with a clear plan of action. At a time when it is so hard to find a new job this is a dreadful moment to lose the one you have. The defence industry is vital to the UK, supporting both our Forces on the frontline and the wider UK economy.
"Labour's industrial strategy has been replaced with this Government's deficit reduction plan and as a result both our industrial base and our equipment programme are being hit."
A BAE spokeswoman said: "BAE Systems has informed staff that we are reviewing our operations across various businesses to make sure the company is performing as effectively and efficiently as possible, both in delivering our commitments to existing customers and ensuring the company is best placed to secure future business
"As the outcome of this review becomes clear, we will, as always, communicate to our employees as a priority."
Earlier this year BAE Systems said around 2,000 workers would leave voluntarily or move to other jobs in the company, but there will be 450 compulsory lay-offs at several military sites across the UK, including Woodford, near Manchester, Farnborough in Hampshire, RAF Kinloss in Scotland, RAF Cottesmore in Lincolnshire and Brough in East Yorkshire.
A plane carrying tourists to view Mount Everest has crashed while attempting to land in dense fog in Nepal, police and eyewitnesses said.
The Beechcraft plane belonging to Buddha Air was carrying 16 foreign tourists and three crew members and crashed at Bisankunarayan village, just a few miles south of the capital, Katmandu.
Police officials near the crash site said rescuers had reached the crash site, but would not comment on causalities.
An eyewitness, Haribol Poudel, told Avenues Television that the plane had hit the roof of a house in the village and that 18 bodies were pulled out.
Mr Poudel said it was foggy, and that visibility was very low in the mountainous area.
Rewant Kuwar, an official at the Katmandu Airport rescue office, said the plane had last made contact with the control tower at 7.31am local time.
The plane had taken the tourists to view Mount Everest and other high peaks and was returning to Katmandu.
The "mountain flight" takes tourists over the Everest region, and they can view some of the world's highest peaks from the airplane windows.
Officials later confirmed that all 19 people on board died.
The identities of the victims were still unclear, but most were believed to be Indian tourists, sources said.
Student tuition fees would be capped at £6,000 under Labour plans unveiled by Ed Miliband in a crowd-pleasing eve of party conference announcement.
The Opposition leader said the £1 billion move to cut the maximum charge by £3,000 would be funded through a levy on high-earning graduates and a tax hit on bankers.
As well as pleasing activists, the move will heap pressure on the governing parties, especially the Liberal Democrats whose U-turn on opposing fees sparked student riots.
Mr Miliband said he wanted to use the annual gathering, being held in Liverpool, to show hard-working families "that Labour is back as the party of them".
As well as the fees reduction, he will use his set-piece speech on Tuesday to offer radical measures to end "rip off" household energy bills and over-expensive train fares.
In interviews with two Sunday newspapers, Mr Miliband said graduates earning more than £65,000 a year would pay higher interest on their student loans to help fund the lower cap. The rest would be found by cancelling, for the financial sector, the Government's cut in corporation tax.
"Parents up and down the country are incredibly worried about their sons and daughters," Mr Miliband told The Sunday Mirror. "We want to take action to make it easier for people to go to university and not feel burdened down by debt."
Ditching the Government's proposed cut in corporation tax from 28 was "fair" because "we shouldn't be cutting taxes for the banks at the moment", he said.
Coalition sources said the corporation tax cut for banks was already offset by the bank levy and suggested better-off graduates would find ways to get around the higher rates.
Universities Minister David Willetts said it represented a cynical U-turn, saying: "Ed Miliband promised a graduate tax and now he's accepting fees have to increase to finance universities in tough times. So why should students trust anything he says? He says one thing to become leader and within a year does a U-turn."
Italian prosecutors have asked an appeals court to increase Amanda Knox's prison sentence to life for the murder of her British house-mate Meredith Kercher.
In their final arguments, the prosecutors also sought the same sentence for Knox's co-defendant, her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito.
Both had been convicted by a lower court of the 2007 killing in the university town of Perugia, central Italy.
The lower court had sentenced Knox to 26 years and Sollecito to 25 years for the murder. Both defendants deny wrongdoing.
Earlier in Saturday's hearing, Italian prosecutor Manuela Comodi fired back at independent forensic experts who reviewed - and trashed - the DNA evidence used to convict Knox of the murder.
The DNA review found the evidence unreliable and possibly contaminated, significantly weakening the prosecution's case.
Ms Comodi maintained the evidence can stand. Defending the original investigation, she held a bra in court to show how it was cut from Kercher's body.
Former Ulster Volunteer Force leader Gusty Spence has died aged 78.
Mr Spence was a feared killer in the 1960s but later renounced violence and announced the 1994 Combined Loyalist Military Command ceasefire.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder after his gang shot dead Catholic Peter Ward, 18, and wounded two others as they left a pub on Malvern Street, Belfast, in 1966 as the Troubles were about to ignite. He served 18 years.
He became heavily involved in politics and was a key figure in the Progressive Unionist Party alongside figures like the late Brian Ervine.
On May 3 2007, he read out the statement by the UVF announcing that it would keep its weapons but put them beyond the reach of ordinary members.
Mr Spence died in hospital.
A plane carrying tourists to view Mount Everest has crashed while attempting to land in Nepal, killing all 19 people on board.
The turboprop plane belonging to Buddha Air was carrying 13 foreign tourists, three Nepalese passengers and three crew members when it crashed in Bisankunarayan village, just a few miles south of the capital, Katmandu.
Rewant Kuwar, an official at Katmandu's international airport rescue office, said that 18 bodies were pulled out of the plane's wreckage, and that another victim died later in hospital.
Among the foreigners who died in the crash, 10 were Indian nationals, two were US citizens and the other was Japanese, Tourism Secretary Ganeshraj Joshi said.
An eyewitness, Haribol Poudel, told Avenues Television that the plane had hit the roof of a house in the village and disintegrated into several pieces. No casualties were reported on the ground.
Poudel said it was foggy, and that visibility was very low in the mountainous area.
The plane had taken passengers on a one-hour "mountain flight" over the Everest region was returning to the capital when it crashed.
Ed Miliband has urged the Government to "change course" on the economy as he declared the coalition's austerity measures were "not working".
The Labour leader accused the coalition of failing to meet their deficit reduction plans and called for a temporary cut in VAT to help boost the economy.
On the opening day of Labour's annual conference in Liverpool, Mr Miliband told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show that he acknowledged that the deficit had to be cut.
But he insisted the best way of achieving that was by growing the economy to ensure that people were in work, paying taxes and off benefits.
"The problem with the Government's strategy is that they don't understand that," he said.
He went on: "I think we've seen a big change over the last year, which is a year ago there was a contested argument about whether the Government strategy should work.
"It's not working, it's not working for Britain because unemployment is going up, and it's not working even to cut the deficit because unless you grow the economy you can't cut your deficit."
Mr Miliband also said Prime Minister David Cameron needed to show "international leadership" on the continuing economic crises.
"There is an absence of leadership and I say to the Prime Minister 'put the politics aside, start showing some leadership'," he said.
He admitted that he would be making cuts himself if he were prime minister, but said growth was the "absolute missing ingredient" in the Government's plans.
The previous Labour government lost the confidence of voters because it was addicted to the "crack cocaine" of courting the media rather than listening to the public, Tessa Jowell has said.
The shadow Olympics minister admitted that even today "nobody is listening" to the opposition party because of the erosion of public trust on issues including the economy, welfare and immigration and social responsibility.
She also blamed the way politics has become "like a private conversation between Westminster media and Westminster politicians" with voters just "eavesdroppers".
Ms Jowell told the Independent on Sunday: "What we've got to accept is that in the country more widely, nobody is listening. The biggest battle that Labour has at the moment is to be relevant and to be heard... For so many people, it's just white noise."
Ms Jowell said she believed Labour should have taken a harder line with Rupert Murdoch's News International following allegations of phone hacking when the party was in power.
The senior member of Ed Miliband's shadow cabinet, who was a hacking victim herself, added: "I think that the mistake that we made - it's a bit like the crack cocaine of politics, isn't it? Getting a good write-up, or the horror of a bad write-up.
"At its worst, Westminster politics is like a private conversation between Westminster media and Westminster politicians, and the rest of the world are eavesdroppers on a private conversation, and that's got to change."
In a separate interview with the BBC, the minister said families were "withdrawing from the relevance of politics and believing that they have to fend for themselves" adding that the party's annual conference was an opportunity to get Labour's message out to people.
Union leaders are seeking urgent talks with defence giant BAE Systems after news that the firm is planning to axe 3,000 jobs in a "hammer blow" to the industry.
Unite said it wanted to clarify which sites will be hit by the jobs cull and would press for redundancies to be voluntary.
Ian Waddell, Unite's national officer for aerospace, said: "These job losses will be a hammer blow to the UK defence industry, which is already reeling with the consequences of the Government's "buy off the shelf" policy.
"We will be seeking urgent talks with BAE Systems to try and clarify where these jobs are under threat and to work with them to avoid compulsory redundancies wherever possible."
The facilities expected to be worst affected are BAE's military aircraft division in Warton, Lancashire, and Brough, East Yorkshire.
Shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy said the news was "a devastating blow for Lancashire and Yorkshire and a real knock for UK manufacturing", adding: "We need a fast response from ministers with a clear plan of action.
"At a time when it is so hard to find a new job this is a dreadful moment to lose the one you have.
"The defence industry is vital to the UK, supporting both our Forces on the frontline and the wider UK economy.
"Labour's industrial strategy has been replaced with this Government's deficit reduction plan and as a result both our industrial base and our equipment programme are being hit."
A BAE spokeswoman said: "BAE Systems has informed staff that we are reviewing our operations across various businesses to make sure the company is performing as effectively and efficiently as possible, both in delivering our commitments to existing customers and ensuring the company is best placed to secure future business."
An injection of funds into a number of continental banks is the cornerstone of the three-pronged plan being discussed to save the single currency.
The shoring up of banks under a recapitalisation scheme would allow Greece to default on its debt, something leaders have been nervous of because of the potential damage to Europe's banks, which hold billions in Greek debt.
City sources told the Sunday Times that the third part of the plan, which is expected to cost up to three trillion euros (£2.6 trillion) in total, involves additional firepower for the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF).
The newspaper said the plans, reportedly under discussion by G20 finance ministers and the IMF in Washington, may be unveiled within days. It comes amid warnings that the FTSE 100 Index could fall as low as 4000 without rapid and radical intervention.
The injection of funds into at least 16 continental banks could see governments provide "contingent" capital, equivalent to reserves that banks can draw on only if needed.
It has been reported that the recapitalisation would include French banks, as well as going further than the £2 billion required by regulators following stress tests in July.
The plans would lead to an orderly default by Greece and allow the country to remain within the eurozone, although private sector creditors would end up bearing a loss as high as 50%.
The Sunday Telegraph said officials hoped the plan would take the pressure off Spain and Italy, which are in need of long-term structural reform.
It is thought that the EFSF would need about 2 trillion euros (£1.75 trillion) to meet the financing needs of the two countries if they are shut out of the markets. Officials are said to be working on a way to leverage the EFSF through the European Central Bank to reach the target, the paper said.
Libya's revolutionary forces say they have stepped up a siege around Muammar Gaddafi's home town of Sirte to wear down his loyalist forces inside.
The fighters set up new roadblocks and checkpoints and posted snipers at key spots.
The move comes after a heavy push by the fighters into the edge of downtown that failed to dislodge Gaddafi's men inside Sirte on Saturday. Seven fighters were killed and 150 were wounded in fierce street battles with Gaddafi's men.
The revolutionaries took Tripoli last month, effectively ending Gaddafi's rule and sending him into hiding. But his loyalists still hold Sirte, as well as Bani Walid and pockets in south Libya.
Officer Osama Nuttawa al-Swehli said Nato hit four targets in Sirte in pre-dawn airstrikes.
A man has been found stabbed to death in Kent in the early hours of Sunday, police said.
The 21-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics who were called to an address in Sutton Road, Maidstone, at 2.13am.
One man, who is understood to have been known to the victim, has been arrested on suspicion of murder, while another man and three women have also been arrested in connection with the incident.
A spokeswoman for Kent Police said: "A murder investigation has been launched by detectives from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate. A post-mortem examination has not yet been held.
"One line of inquiry is that the incident happened in Cornwall Close, Maidstone."
The deceased man is from the Maidstone area, she added.
Police are urging anyone with information to contact them on 01622 690690 or Kent Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.
David Cameron must "start showing some leadership" over Britain's ailing economy and "change course", Ed Miliband urged as he declared the coalition's austerity measures were "not working".
The Labour leader conceded cuts had to be made but warned that growth had become the "missing ingredient" in the Government's plans and cautioned against leaving the economy "flat on its back".
Calling for a temporary cut in VAT, he told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show the best way of cutting the deficit was by growing the economy to ensure that people were in work, paying taxes and off benefits.
"The problem with the Government's strategy is that they don't understand that," he said.
Mr Miliband went on: "I think we've seen a big change over the last year, which is a year ago there was a contested argument about whether the Government strategy should work.
"It's not working, it's not working for Britain because unemployment is going up, and it's not working even to cut the deficit because unless you grow the economy you can't cut your deficit."
He added: "There is an absence of leadership and I say to the Prime Minister 'put the politics aside, start showing some leadership'."
"The Prime Minister has nothing to say about what's going to be different in the next year from the last year and over the last year his plan hasn't worked.
"As Keynes said, as the conditions change you change course and he should change course.
"That's what he has got to do. As a first step we say cut VAT. Keep to a plan to cut the deficit over four years but do it with growth because that's the only way you are going to achieve what you need to achieve."
Saudi King Abdullah has given women the right to vote for first time in nationwide local elections.
The king said in an annual speech on Sunday before his advisory assembly, or Shura Council, that Saudi women will be able to run and cast ballots in the 2015 municipal elections.
He said women will also be appointed to "join the all-male" Shura Council, which is selected by him.
Saudi Arabia held its first ever municipal elections in 2005.
The kingdom will hold its next elections on Thursday, but women are not able to vote or run at this time.
Iran's intelligence chief said an unspecified number of people have been summoned for questioning over their alleged links to BBC's Farsi-language service.
The summons come after Iranian authorities arrested six independent filmmakers earlier this month. The BBC said its Farsi channel had bought rights to their films in the past but had not commissioned their work.
Heidar Moslehi also accused the BBC of operating as a cover for British intelligence and of seeking to harm Iran by hosting Iranian dissidents. He spoke to Iranian state TV,
Iran blocks BBC's Farsi service, accusing it and the British government of fomenting mass protests that broke out after Iran's 2009 disputed presidential election.
Britain's highest ever crane is to be put in place at the building site of what will become Europe's tallest building.
Builders will use the machine to complete the spire of the Shard skyscraper near London Bridge in south London.
When fully extended the crane will sit at 317 metres or 1,040 ft above ground level, making it seven metres taller than the building's eventual highest point (310 metres).
The Shard will become the tallest building in the European Union and the 45th tallest in the world when it is completed in 2012.
It will surpass the current record-holder, One Canada Square at London's Canary Wharf, which stands at 235 metres or 773 ft and was completed in 1991
Irvine Sellar, chairman of the Sellar Property Group which is developing the Shard, said: "This is another unique milestone in the development of this global iconic landmark building.
"The Shard is already making a positive impact on London's skyline and the spire will complement the design of the building and complete a truly stunning piece of architecture."
At present the building stands at 244 metres. The crane will be used to complete the top 23 floors from a total of 95.
Sitting on a platform outside the building at floor 55, it is expected to raise 500 tonnes of steel in a total of around 100 lifts.
The spire will be made up of some 800 separate pieces of steel but sections have been assembled off-site and transported to the Shard rather than individual beams.
Plans to allow women in Saudi Arabia to vote and stand for election in local polls has been hailed as a "significant step forward" by Foreign Secretary William Hague.
He said the UK would examine the detail of the reforms announced by King Abdullah "and how they will work in practice".
The changes, agreed with senior clerics, will come into force for elections in 2015 and arrive amid internal pressure in the deeply socially conservative country.
Women's groups in the Muslim kingdom have also taken inspiration from the Arab Spring uprisings to openly defy a ban on females driving.
"We refuse to marginalise the role of women in Saudi society and in every aspect, within the rules of Sharia," the king said.
"Balanced modernisation, which falls within our Islamic values, is an important demand in an era where there is no place for defeatist or hesitant people."
Women will also be eligible in future for appointment to the Shura Council, which offers policy opinion and debates plans for the economy and society, he said.
The introduction of the vote will not be implemented in time for women to take part in the next round of municipal elections on Thursday.
Mr Hague said: "I welcome the reports of a proposal for women in Saudi Arabia to be given the right to vote and run in future municipal elections.
"This would be a significant step forward for the people of Saudi Arabia. The UK strongly supports moves to increase the political and economic participation of women across the Arab world."
