Almost two-thirds of people would consider using HIV home testing kits if they were legally available and regulated, according to a survey.
The poll, by Terrence Higgins Trust (THT), comes as the charity urged the Government to legalise and regulate home testing in a bid to cut the number of cases of undiagnosed HIV in the UK.
The sale of HIV home testing kits is currently illegal in the UK. While they can be bought over the internet, THT says they are unregulated, often of poor quality and do not direct users to places where they can get support.
Of 490 people surveyed who have not tested HIV-positive, 63% said they would consider using the kits if they were legalised and 51% thought legalisation would make them test more often.
Among gay men, one of the groups most at risk of HIV in the UK, 60% thought legalisation would make them test themselves more often.
In 2009, 22,200 people were estimated to be living with undiagnosed HIV in the UK.
Lisa Power, policy director for THT, said: "Reducing undiagnosed HIV is a major challenge. A quarter of those with HIV in the UK remain undiagnosed, and so are more likely to pass the virus on. One way to bring this number down is by increasing the opportunities for people to test outside of traditional settings."
A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said: "We are considering our current policy on HIV home testing and whether we need to repeal the current regulations.
"Key to any repeal will be the availability of a quality-assured testing kit suitable for home use. We are working with the THT and others in taking forward our review.
"HIV testing is widely available from open-access NHS sexual health clinics. Our advice is clear - if you think you might be at risk from HIV, contact your local sexual health service or your GP for a test."
Almost two-thirds of people would consider using HIV home testing kits if they were legally available and regulated, according to a survey.
The poll, by Terrence Higgins Trust (THT), comes as the charity urged the Government to legalise and regulate home testing in a bid to cut the number of cases of undiagnosed HIV in the UK.
The sale of HIV home testing kits is currently illegal in the UK. While they can be bought over the internet, THT says they are unregulated, often of poor quality and do not direct users to places where they can get support.
Of 490 people surveyed who have not tested HIV-positive, 63% said they would consider using the kits if they were legalised and 51% thought legalisation would make them test more often.
Among gay men, one of the groups most at risk of HIV in the UK, 60% thought legalisation would make them test themselves more often.
In 2009, 22,200 people were estimated to be living with undiagnosed HIV in the UK.
Lisa Power, policy director for THT, said: "Reducing undiagnosed HIV is a major challenge. A quarter of those with HIV in the UK remain undiagnosed, and so are more likely to pass the virus on. One way to bring this number down is by increasing the opportunities for people to test outside of traditional settings."
A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said: "We are considering our current policy on HIV home testing and whether we need to repeal the current regulations.
"Key to any repeal will be the availability of a quality-assured testing kit suitable for home use. We are working with the THT and others in taking forward our review.
"HIV testing is widely available from open-access NHS sexual health clinics. Our advice is clear - if you think you might be at risk from HIV, contact your local sexual health service or your GP for a test."
Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin says she will not run for president, leaving little doubt that the eventual Republican nominee will come from the current field of contenders.
After months of leaving her fans guessing, Ms Palin said in a statement that she and her husband Todd "devote ourselves to God, family and country". She said her decision maintains that order.
Ms Palin sent the statement to supporters. She told conservative radio host Mark Levin that she would not consider a third party candidacy because it would assure President Barack Obama's re-election.
Senator John McCain plucked Ms Palin from relative obscurity in 2008 by naming her as his running mate. She electrified Republican activists for a while, delivering a well-received speech at the party's national convention. But Ms Palin later seemed overwhelmed by the national spotlight, faltering at times in televised interviews even when asked straightforward questions.
Ms Palin's announcement was much anticipated but not greatly surprising. Her popularity had plummeted in polls lately, even though she remained a darling to many hard-core conservatives. Some Republicans felt she waited and teased too long about a presidential candidacy. Some remained perplexed by her decision to quit her job as governor with more than a year left in her single term.
Ms Palin also angered some Americans with a defensive speech shortly after a Democratic congresswoman was gravely wounded in an Arizona shooting in January that killed six people.
Ms Palin's announcement came one day after New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said he would not run. Republican insiders say the field is set.
It includes former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Texas Governor Rick Perry, whom party insiders see as the strongest contenders. Libertarian-leaning Representative Ron Paul of Texas continues to draw a devoted following and former pizza company executive Herman Cain has gained in recent polls.
Voting in the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary will start in about three months.
Kylie Minogue suspects her phone may have been hacked while she was suffering from breast cancer.
Speaking after she received an honorary degree from Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford, the singer spoke of the challenges of fighting the disease while in the spotlight.
She said being in the public eye had been a "blessing" because of the support she received but a "curse" because of occasional media intrusion.
Asked if her phone had been hacked, she added: "It may have been."
She did not comment further on her suspicions but said: "Cancer is like going into war and you have to draw on everything you've got to fight it.
"Fighting the disease in the spotlight was both a blessing and a curse.
"A curse because of the constant attention and the press sometimes wanting more information than you want to give, but a blessing because of the love and support I received from complete strangers."
The singer was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005 and underwent surgery and chemotherapy to beat the disease.
She was given the all-clear the following year.
Minogue received an honorary Doctor of Health Sciences for her work to promote cancer awareness.
Houses close to public parks or open spaces now cost up to £21,000 more, revealing a "green premium", according to a new report.
A survey of 2,000 adults by finance firm ING Direct found the price difference was higher in cities with less public space.
The report said the figures emerged as open spaces were becoming scarcer because of pressure on local authorities to sell land.
Julian Hartley, mortgage director at ING Direct, said: "House-hunters are not only willing to pay more for a house near a public green space, many understand that this will be a significant premium and are factoring this into their savings plans.
"As planning regulations are relaxed and more local authorities sell off green areas for housing development, we're likely to see the green premium increase significantly."
Apple co-founder and former chief executive Steve Jobs has died aged 56, the US technology company announced.
The company said in a statement: "Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives.
"The world is immeasurably better because of Steve."
Mr Jobs had battled cancer in 2004 and underwent a liver transplant in 2009 after taking a leave of absence for unspecified health problems.
He took another leave of absence in January - his third since his health problems began - before resigning as CEO six weeks ago.
Mr Jobs became Apple's chairman and handed the CEO job over to his hand-picked successor, Tim Cook.
The news Apple fans and shareholders had been dreading came the day after the company unveiled its latest version of the iPhone, just one in a procession of devices that shaped technology and society while Mr Jobs was running the company.
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said she was saddened by Mr Jobs' death, calling him an "incredible global innovator" who "literally changed our world".
She added: "All of us would be touched every day by products that he was the creative genius behind."
The price of beer in pubs varies by almost 30p across the UK, with Northerners enjoying the cheapest pint, according to a new study.
A pint of bitter averages £2.87 in the North West, North East and Yorkshire, compared with £3.15 in London and the South East, the Good Pub Guide found.
A pint averages £2.88 in the Heart of England, £2.90 in Wales, £2.95 in the South West, £2.99 in the East Midlands, £3.04 in the East of England and £3.11 in Scotland.
Pubs brewing their own ale charge under £2.50 a pint, with scarcely any increase over the past year, said the guide, compared with a 7% rise elsewhere.
The annual guide also discovered that the most popular pub food was steak and ale pie, closely followed by fish and chips, often "beer-battered".
Lasagne scored zero in a list of top food choices, with curry, sausage and mash and ham and egg also slipping well down the popularity stakes.
Decent coffee was said to be available in nearly all good pubs, although the guide said it was a "shame" that almost half of pubs in the UK did not open until noon.
The guide also questioned why few town and city pubs had the character and charm found in country inns, describing them as "pleasant enough", with "okay" levels of service, while furnishings came from a vast warehouse hidden away in an anonymous "off-motorway wasteland".
The guide, launched 30 years ago, lists its pubs, landlords and dining pubs of the year.
Bank of England policymakers are being urged to act and roll out further emergency measures amid signs the economy is stagnating and consumer confidence is plummeting.
Business leaders called for the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to increase quantitative easing (QE) levels after figures revealed economic growth in the first half of the year was weaker than first thought.
Most economists expect the MPC to announce a boost to QE in November or beyond - but some have predicted a move today. The MPC is not expected to lift interest rates from record lows of 0.5%.
The MPC monthly meeting also comes after the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed the 2008/09 recession was deeper and sharper than first originally feared.
David Kern, chief economist at the British Chambers of Commerce, said he expected the MPC to increase the QE stock from £200 billion to £250 billion.
He said: "While the government must continue to implement its tough deficit-cutting programme aimed at stabilising our public finances, every effort must be made to reduce risks of a setback."
Some economists yesterday warned a double-dip recession was now more likely but the Treasury said it would not alter its deficit-busting austerity measures despite the bleaker picture.
Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist at IHS Global Insight, said "the risk of renewed recession has clearly risen recently".
He added: "The adjustments to the GDP history do not change the current situation which is of an economy struggling for growth in the face of major domestic and international headwinds."
Gross domestic product grew 0.1% between April and June, compared with an earlier estimate of 0.2%, while the first quarter was downgraded to 0.4, the ONS said.
A jury trying the neighbour accused of murdering landscape architect Joanna Yeates is set to be sworn in.
Vincent Tabak, 33, denies the premeditated killing of Miss Yeates, whose body was found on a snowy verge on Christmas morning.
A panel of potential jurors will be sworn in at Bristol Crown Court. The trial is expected to last four weeks.
Prosecutors will claim Tabak, who lived in a ground-floor flat adjoining Miss Yeates's home in Clifton, Bristol, murdered the 25-year-old after she went for festive drinks with colleagues.
She was reported missing two days after disappearing when her boyfriend Greg Reardon returned to their shared flat after a weekend visiting family in Sheffield.
Following a string of appeals by relatives and police, her frozen corpse was found by dog walkers three miles from her home on a lane in Failand, north Somerset.
Mr Reardon and Miss Yeates's parents, David and Teresa, are expected to attend the trial.
Tabak, a trilingual Dutch engineer, is being represented by William Clegg QC. Nigel Lickley QC leads the case for the Crown. Mr Justice Field is the trial judge.
Unions have lent their muscle to the long-running protests against Wall Street and economic inequality, with their members joining thousands of protesters in a lower Manhattan march as smaller demonstrations flourished across the US.
Protesters in suits and T-shirts with union slogans left work early to march with activists who have been camped out in Zuccotti Park for days. Some marchers brought along their children, hoisting them on to their shoulders as they walked down Broadway.
"We're here to stop corporate greed," said Mike Pellegrino, an NYC Transit bus mechanic from Rye Brook. "They should pay their fair share of taxes. We're just working and looking for decent lives for our families."
Of the camping protesters, he said: "We feel kinship with them. We're both looking for the same things."
People gathered in front of the courthouses that encircle Foley Square, then marched to Zuccotti Park, where they refuelled with snacks and hurriedly painted new signs as the strong scent of burning sage wafted through the plaza.
Previous marches have resulted in mass arrests. Police said there were about a dozen arrests last night, mostly for disorderly conduct. But at least one arrest was for assaulting a police officer; authorities said a demonstrator knocked an officer off his scooter.
The protesters have varied causes but have spoken largely about unemployment and economic inequality and reserved most of their criticism for Wall Street. "We are the 99%," they chanted, contrasting themselves with the wealthiest 1% of Americans.
Susan Henoch, 63, of Manhattan, said she was a "child of the '60s" and came out to the park for the first time on Wednesday. She held a sign that read "Enough".
"It's time for the people to speak up," she said. "Nobody's listening to us, nobody's representing us. Politics is dead.
"This is no longer a recognisable democracy. This is a disaster," she said.
Apple co-founder and former chief executive Steve Jobs has died at the age of 56, the US technology company has announced.
The pioneering businessman, who was the mind behind the revolutionary iPhone and iPad devices, had been battling pancreatic cancer.
He stepped down from his post as Apple's chief executive in August saying he could no longer handle the job due to his illness.
Mr Jobs, who lived in Silicone Valley, California, died on Wednesday surrounded by his family..
Apple said it was "deeply saddened" by the news.
A company spokesman said: "Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve.
"His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts."
Bill Gates, the founder of rival technology company Microsoft and friend of Mr Jobs, said he would miss him "immensely".
"The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come," he added.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook page: "Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend. Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world. I will miss you."
The father of Josie Russell, who survived a frenzied hammer attack in which her sister and mother were killed, is suing News International over alleged phone hacking by the News of the World.
Shaun Russell is reportedly among a raft of new claimants who have issued legal writs against the group which owned the former tabloid.
Sara Payne, the mother of murdered schoolgirl Sarah, Princess Diana's former butler Paul Burrell, pop star Dannii Minogue, and 7/7 hero Paul Dadge are also suing Rupert Murdoch's media company over alleged voicemail interception, sources said.
In July 1996, Mr Russell's daughter Josie was walking in a quiet country lane in Kent, with her younger sister Megan and mother Lin when they were tied up and beaten by killer Michael Stone.
Lin, 45, and Megan, six, were killed while Josie, then aged nine, survived despite suffering terrible head injuries. The murders and subsequent hunt for Stone were the subject of intense media interest.
Other well-known figures and celebrities claiming damages against News International included politician Lord Prescott, actor Jude Law, comedian Steve Coogan and ex-footballer Paul Gascoigne.
Kylie Minogue also revealed she suspected her phone may have been hacked while she was suffering from breast cancer.
She said being in the public eye had been a "blessing" because of the support she received but a "curse" because of occasional media intrusion.
Asked if her phone had been hacked, she added: "It may have been."
The singer, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005 but given the all-clear the following year, was speaking after receiving an honorary degree from Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford, for her work to promote cancer awareness.
The BBC is set to cut up to 2,000 jobs as part of changes aimed at making savings of around 20%, according to sources.
The corporation will hold a series of meetings with its staff across the UK when it will reveal details of its Delivering Quality First initiative.
Director General Mark Thompson will unveil details of the cuts, with industry sources indicating it is likely that around 2,000 jobs will be lost.
Mr Thompson and the chairman of the BBC Trust Lord Patten will speak to staff for around an hour at 10am.
The BBC committed itself to saving billions of pounds from its budget after the annual licence fee was frozen at £145.50 for six years.
In an internal message sent to staff earlier this week, Mr Thompson said thousands of them had made comments and proposals over the past nine months as part of the process.
He said: "You brought us new ideas, caused us to adapt or drop some of our own early ideas, and helped us shape the final set of proposals which we've been discussing with the BBC Trust in recent weeks."
It has been reported the corporation is considering selling off its White City building in west London as it bids to cope with its new financial reality. Football clubs Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers are thought to have expressed an interest in the site.
The BBC's best-known west London home, Television Centre, is already up for sale.
There has also been speculation that a number of original BBC2 daytime television shows could be scrapped and replaced by repeats to ease financial pressure, as well as cuts to local radio and Saturday night entertainment shows.
Coronation Street star Michael Le Vell has denied allegations that he abused a schoolgirl and said he will do "everything in his power" to clear his name.
The actor, who plays mechanic Kevin Webster in the popular soap, was arrested last week on suspicion of a sexual offence.
Le Vell, 46, was arrested at his Cheshire home on Friday by Greater Manchester Police before being taken to a police station, where he was held for questioning.
In a statement, he said: "I strenuously deny these allegations and will do everything in my power to prove my innocence."
A spokesman for GMP said: "A 46-year-old man from Hale has been arrested on suspicion of a historic sexual offence. The man was arrested at an address in Hale at 8am on Friday September 30, 2011.
"He has been bailed by police until 16 November 2011, pending further inquiries. The report was made to police on Thursday 29 September 2011."
The star, whose real name is Michael Turner, is married to actress Janette Beverley. The couple have two children.
A spokeswoman for Coronation Street producer ITV said: "We are aware these allegations have been made. Given that a police investigation is under way, it would not be appropriate to comment further on this matter."
Le Vell joined the soap in 1983 and quickly endeared himself to fans who have followed the trials and tribulations of Kevin, from Brian Tilsley's apprentice mechanic through to his stormy marriage to Sally, played by Sally Dynevor, and fathering two teenage girls as well as a love child from his affair with Molly Dobbs.
The actor featured prominently in last December's live episode, the highlight of Corrie's 50th anniversary celebrations.
Pakistan's cricket captain agreed to score no runs in an over during a crucial game against England as part of a betting scam, a court has heard.
Salman Butt, 26, was allegedly taped confirming that he would deliberately bat a "maiden over" on the final day of last summer's Oval Test match, which was a chance for his side to win their first game of the series.
His London-based sports agent, Mazhar Majeed, 36, discussed the arrangement with the cricketer by phone while agreeing a deal with an undercover journalist posing as a rich Indian businessman who had paid £10,000 to fix part of the match, Southwark Crown Court heard.
Majeed assured the reporter, Mazher Mahmood, of the News of the World, that Butt would score no runs in his first full over at the Oval the next day, August 21 last year. When the journalist pointed out that a maiden over could happen ordinarily, the agent rang the cricketer on speaker phone to prove he was involved in the fixing scam, the court heard.
Their alleged conversation, which was recorded by the reporter, was read to the jury.
Majeed allegedly said: "You know the maiden we were doing in the first over?" Butt allegedly replied: "Yeah."
Majeed allegedly added: "You know the third over you face? Do one more maiden." Butt allegedly said: "No, leave it, OK."
Prosecutor Aftab Jafferjee QC said: "If not party to this corrupt agreement, you might expect Butt to say something to the effect of 'What are you talking about?'"
Majeed allegedly told the journalist he had seven Pakistan cricketers working for him and pointed out the advantages of "grooming" younger players as the two men discussed match-fixing, the court heard.
Butt and fast bowler Mohammed Asif, 28, deny conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments between August 15 and 29 last year.
A jury has been sworn in to try the neighbour accused of murdering landscape architect Joanna Yeates.
Vincent Tabak, 33, denies the premeditated killing of Miss Yeates, whose body was found on a snowy verge on Christmas morning.
Six men and six women were selected after a three-day process to pick jurors for the four-week trial at Bristol Crown Court.
Mr Justice Field told the jury the case would open on Monday.
Bespectacled Tabak sat with his chin in his hands as the judge repeated his warning to jurors to avoid reading any background material.
The jury was told Tabak had entered a not guilty plea to the murder of Miss Yeates between December 16 and 19 last year.
The judge told the court: "Put the case entirely out of your mind until Monday morning when the trial proceeds."
After opening statements, jurors will be taken on Tuesday to "various locations that you will hear about", he added.
Prosecutors will claim Tabak, who lived in a ground-floor flat adjoining Miss Yeates's home in Clifton, Bristol, murdered the 25-year-old after she went for festive drinks with colleagues.
She was reported missing two days after disappearing when her boyfriend Greg Reardon returned to their shared flat after a weekend visiting family in Sheffield. Following a string of appeals by relatives and police, her frozen corpse was found by dog walkers three miles from her home on a lane in Failand, north Somerset.
Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke has said he regretted "the colourful language" he used when he accused Home Secretary Theresa May of citing "laughable and childlike" examples to criticise the Human Rights Act.
The pair became involved in a public spat that dominated much of the Conservative Party conference after Mr Clarke publicly questioned Mrs May's claim in her conference speech that an illegal immigrant escaped being deported because he had a pet cat.
Mr Clarke said his comments were made during the conference, adding: "I do rather regret the colourful language I used at one point in my interview."
The minister said in a statement: "This is old news from an interview I gave during the Conservative Party Conference. I consider this issue closed. The Prime Minister has made the position clear, and I fully support it.
"There is a problem with deporting foreign prisoners, which I have always agreed with Theresa needs to be addressed. The Government's Commission on a Bill of Rights is under way. I do rather regret the colourful language I used at one point in my interview."
Mr Clarke claimed his Cabinet colleague had enraged judges and officials by turning the case into a "parody".
He told the Nottingham Post: "It's not only the judges that all get furious when the Home Secretary makes a parody of a court judgment, our commission who are helping us form our view on this are not going to be entertained by laughable, childlike examples being given."
But Mrs May said that she did not regret referring to the cat in her speech: "I don't regret using the case of the cat. It was a decision made by an immigration judge.
"I used an example where an immigration judge had, as part of his decision that somebody could not be deported, cited the fact that the individual had bought a cat with their partner as a sign of the quality of their family life. I cited other cases as well, underlining this was a very important issue, which is our ability to deport foreign criminals."
The Justice Secretary admitted his outspoken comments meant his next meeting with the Home Secretary was likely to be fractious. "I expect I will have to wear body armour the next time I meet Theresa," he told the newspaper.
The Metropolitan Police have fought off an attempt to force them to notify hundreds of potential phone-hacking victims of a pending High Court human rights challenge against the force.
Two senior judges, Lord Justice Laws and Mr Justice Simon, refused to direct the Met Commissioner to act. They ruled such a direction was unnecessary and likely to be "complicated and contentious".
The judges heard the Met had alerted 452 individuals that they might be hacking victims.
The request for the direction came from the legal team representing five individuals who have launched the High Court challenge. They asked the court to direct the police to tell all 452 about their case to give them a chance to take part in the proceedings.
The five include former deputy prime minister Lord Prescott, Labour MP Chris Bryant and former Scotland Yard deputy assistant commissioner Brian Paddick.
The others are Ben Jackson, personal assistant to actor Jude Law, and an anonymous member of the public, "HJK".
They are seeking judicial review and declarations that the way the Met handled investigations in 2005-06 into alleged News of the World phone hacking violated their Article 8 rights to private and personal life under the European Convention on Human Rights.
They allege the police "failed to inform them they were victims", failed to respond adequately to their requests for information and failed to carry out an effective investigation at the time.
There are already nearly 40 other names from the world of celebrity, politics, sport and showbusiness listed before the court as "interested parties" who may have had their phones hacked.
They include former footballer Paul Gascoigne, comedian Steve Coogan, TV personality Ulrika Jonsson, Denis MacShane MP and actress Sienna Miller.
The number of heroin and crack addicts needing treatment fell by almost 10,000 over the last two years, the latest figures show.
The National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA) said the number of people addicted to the class A drugs fell from 62,963 in 2008/09 to 52,933 last year.
The numbers accessing treatment for all drugs also fell for the second year running.
The NTA figures showed the number of drug users who have been treated successfully and are getting their lives back on track rose by almost a fifth last year.
Some 27,969 users were classed as recovering in 2010/11, a rise of 18 higher than the 11,208 in 2005/06.
There was also a sharp fall in the number of addicts under 30 over the last five years, fuelled by the number of 18 to 24-year-olds seeking treatment for heroin and crack addiction halving from 12,320 in 2005/06 to 6,108 last year.
The figures also showed that, of the 255,556 people who entered a drugs treatment programme since April 2005 for the first time, 28% (71,887) successfully completed the course and did not need further treatment.
Paul Hayes, the NTA's chief executive, said the figures, which apply to adults in England only, showed that "recovery is now becoming a reality for more individuals each year".
"More drug users are recovering from addiction, fewer need treatment, and more are getting over their addiction quickly," he said.
"The fact that the next generation are getting the message that hard drugs wreak damage to individuals and communities is very positive, for them and the rest of society."
The Bank of England has injected a further £75 billion into the economy in a bid to jump-start the UK's flagging recovery.
Its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted to boost its quantitative easing (QE) programme - effectively printing more cash - from £200 billion to £275 billion despite the risks it poses to the country's inflation rate.
Meanwhile, it maintained interest rates at 0.5%.
The move - the first change to QE since November 2009 - offers the clearest signal yet that the Bank thinks Britain is on the brink of a double-dip recession.
The Bank of England said it boosted QE because "tensions in the world economy threaten the UK recovery" and the slack in the economy is likely to be "greater and more persistent than previously expected".
The decision was welcomed by business leaders who have called for help to stimulate the economy after figures revealed that Britain suffered a deeper recession and is recovering more slowly than first thought.
A report by the Bank into the effect of QE on the economy previously found that the stimulus measure provided a "significant" benefit to growth and helped GDP increase by around 1.5. This was equivalent to dropping interest rates by between 1.5, the Bank found.
Ian McCafferty, CBI chief economic adviser, said the Bank had "acted promptly" in the face of risks to the economic outlook.
He said: "This measure will help support confidence, but we need to recognise that its impact on near-term growth prospects is likely to be relatively modest. Only once the turmoil in the eurozone is resolved will confidence be fully restored."
Wayne Rooney's father was one of nine men arrested as part of an investigation into suspicious betting activity, sources have said.
Wayne Rooney senior, 48, was detained at his home in the West Derby area of Liverpool.
Also arrested at his Glasgow home was Motherwell midfielder Steve Jennings.
The arrests were carried out by Merseyside Police in a joint operation with the Gambling Commission. The investigation relates to a match between Motherwell and Hearts on December 14 last year, Merseyside Police said.
It is also understood that Manchester United star Rooney's uncle Richie, 54, was also detained. All the suspects are being held for questioning at police stations across Merseyside.
In a statement, Scottish Football Association chief executive Stewart Regan said the arrests follow "extensive inquiries" into alleged betting irregularities at the Scottish Premier League match.
Mr Regan said: "While the investigation involves several other individuals out with Scotland, it is important to stress that the evidence gathered throughout this thorough period of investigation has involved only one Scottish match.
"Motherwell FC are aware of the situation and will issue a response in due course. The Scottish FA will make no further comment at this stage."
Jennings was shown a straight red card in the 83rd minute of Motherwell's 2-1 Clydesdale Bank Premier League defeat by Hearts after complaining to referee Stevie O'Reilly about a rejected penalty claim. The midfielder had been booked early in the match for fouling Kevin Kyle as Hearts launched a dangerous break.
The investigation by the Gambling Commission, an independent body which was formed under the Gambling Act (2005), began several days later after some members of the Association of British Bookmakers publicly raised concerns about betting patterns on the game.
