Thousands of public sector workers, including top civil servants, are due to vote on strikes ahead of a crucial week for the Government as it faces the growing prospect of massive industrial action over its controversial pensions changes.
Members of the FDA, which represents high ranking Whitehall staff, and Prospect will be balloted on whether to take industrial action in protest at plans to increase their contributions by 3.2%.
The result of the two ballots will be known in mid-November, by which time other unions representing over a million teachers, head teachers, NHS and local government workers, will have announced the outcome of strike votes by their members.
The TUC is organising a day of action on November 30, which could see millions of workers stage the biggest day of industrial unrest seen in the UK for decades.
The FDA represents more than 19,000 senior managers, government policy advisers, diplomats, tax staff, economists, solicitors, prosecutors and other professionals working across government and the NHS.
Up to 25,000 teachers, lecturers and support staff will pile further pressure on ministers by staging a mass lobby of MPs at Parliament on Wednesday over what they have called "ruthless" pension cuts in the education sector.
Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union, said: "Educators from across the UK will descend on Westminster on Wednesday to speak to their MPs about potential changes to their pensions. Much nonsense has been spun about gold-plated pensions and the scheme's affordability.
"It is important that MPs understand that there has still been no proper valuation of the scheme and any increases from members will not aid their retirement, but go straight to the Treasury."
Meanwhile, several unions will take legal action this week to challenge the Government's decision to change the measure for uprating pensions from the Retail Price Index (RPI) to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
The unions, including the Public and Commercial Service union, the Fire Brigades Union, the Prison Officers Association, NASUWT teachers union, Unite and Unison, argue that CPI inflation does not include housing costs and is usually lower than RPI.
Thousands of public sector workers, including top civil servants, are due to vote on strikes ahead of a crucial week for the Government as it faces the growing prospect of massive industrial action over its controversial pensions changes.
Members of the FDA, which represents high ranking Whitehall staff, and Prospect will be balloted on whether to take industrial action in protest at plans to increase their contributions by 3.2%.
The result of the two ballots will be known in mid-November, by which time other unions representing over a million teachers, head teachers, NHS and local government workers, will have announced the outcome of strike votes by their members.
The TUC is organising a day of action on November 30, which could see millions of workers stage the biggest day of industrial unrest seen in the UK for decades.
The FDA represents more than 19,000 senior managers, government policy advisers, diplomats, tax staff, economists, solicitors, prosecutors and other professionals working across government and the NHS.
Up to 25,000 teachers, lecturers and support staff will pile further pressure on ministers by staging a mass lobby of MPs at Parliament on Wednesday over what they have called "ruthless" pension cuts in the education sector.
Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union, said: "Educators from across the UK will descend on Westminster on Wednesday to speak to their MPs about potential changes to their pensions. Much nonsense has been spun about gold-plated pensions and the scheme's affordability.
"It is important that MPs understand that there has still been no proper valuation of the scheme and any increases from members will not aid their retirement, but go straight to the Treasury."
Meanwhile, several unions will take legal action this week to challenge the Government's decision to change the measure for uprating pensions from the Retail Price Index (RPI) to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
The unions, including the Public and Commercial Service union, the Fire Brigades Union, the Prison Officers Association, NASUWT teachers union, Unite and Unison, argue that CPI inflation does not include housing costs and is usually lower than RPI.
At least 85 people have been killed with hundreds more feared dead after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Turkey, collapsing dozens of buildings and causing widespread panic.
Tens of thousands of residents fled into the streets, while desperate survivors dug into the rubble with their bare hands, trying to rescue the trapped and the injured as the scale of the quake became clear.
Turkey's state-run television station TRT said a group of inmates escaped from a prison after the earthquake struck. It gave no other detail and it was not immediately known how many had fled.
TRT had earlier reported that 59 people were killed and 150 injured in the eastern town of Ercis. Around 25 others were killed in Van, while a child died in the nearby province of Bitlis.
Turkish scientists estimated that up to 1,000 people could already be dead, basing the calculation on low local housing standards and the size of the quake.
The hardest-hit location was Ercis, a city of 75,000 close to the Iranian border, which lies on the Ercis Fault in one of Turkey's most earthquake-prone zones. Van, about 55 miles to the south, also sustained substantial damage.
Up to 80 buildings collapsed in Ercis, including a dormitory, and 10 buildings collapsed in Van, the Turkish Red Crescent said. Some motorways also caved in, CNN-Turk television reported.
The Kandilli observatory, Turkey's main seismography centre, said Sunday's quake was capable of killing many people.
"We are estimating a death toll between 500 and 1,000," Mustafa Erdik, head of the Kandilli observatory, told a televised news conference.
The earthquake also shook buildings in neighbouring Armenia and Iran. In the Armenian capital of Yerevan, people rushed into the streets fearing buildings would collapse but no damage or injuries were immediately reported. Armenia was the site of a devastating earthquake in 1988 that killed 25,000 people.
Thugs from 44 foreign countries have been jailed over widespread summer rioting, prison figures show.
At least 13% of those locked up following August's anarchy were born abroad, coming from as far afield as Afghanistan, Congo, Cuba and Samoa.
But the true total could be even higher as some of those remanded in custody refused to reveal their nationality when they were brought before the courts.
Foreign looters were imprisoned for a variety of crimes including burglary, robbery, criminal damage, theft and violent disorder after thousands took to the streets to pillage shops and businesses, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.
The statistics, released in response to a freedom of information request by the Daily Mail, showed Jamaicans to be the largest group of foreign nationals jailed for rioting. They were followed by Somali and Polish offenders.
Criminals from Angola, Iran, Ghana, Romania, Zambia and Zimbabwe were also handed prison terms for offences relating to the disorder between August 6 and 9.
The figures, which were taken from a snapshot of the prison population on September 9, came after Ministry of Justice (MoJ) statistics showed the number of children held on remand rose by almost a quarter in August when high numbers of youths joined the looting which swept through English cities.
An MoJ spokesman said: "The figures show that on September 9, 13% of those who were imprisoned for offences related to the August riots were foreign nationals.
"However, it is important to bear in mind that this is only a snapshot of the prison population on that date. It includes remand prisoners and excludes bailed suspects who had not been tried or convicted by that date. It would be misleading to suggest that it provides a complete picture of those involved in the riots."
The lawlessness fuelled five weeks of record highs for the prison population. Those jailed for offences related to rioting were sentenced to an average of 10.4 months for violent disorder and 14.1 months for burglary.
More than a quarter of tenants who feel "trapped" in the rental system are aged over 40 and risk becoming "OAP mortgagees", a study has found.
Rightmove's Consumer Rental Forecast found that "trapped renters" - those who would like to buy but cannot afford to - make up the majority of the rental sector at 55%.
The survey of 4,430 people earlier this month found that 27% of those who feel trapped are aged over 40.
Rightmove said that if people in this group came to buy a house, they faced either trying to pay off their mortgage in a shorter time or becoming an "OAP mortgagee" later in life.
Martin Shipside, Rightmove director, said: "The global economic woes that have left first-time buyer numbers at record lows will shatter the goals and aspirations of many as they face the reality of renting for far longer than they originally planned.
"Trapped renters over the age of 40 could face the prospect of being an OAP mortgagee, or face difficulty getting a 25-year mortgage term if it takes them beyond lenders' retirement age criteria."
More than half of tenants (53%) expect to see their rents go up in the next 12 months due to the shortage of supply.
Thirty-nine per cent of those who feel trapped in the rental system expect to still be renting in three years' time, Rightmove found. This figure is up from 32% who felt this way a year ago.
Mortgage lenders have been slashing their rates as the Bank of England's base rate remains at a historic 0.5% low, but those who want to get on the property ladder face difficulties such as job insecurity and raising a deposit.
Last week, a report found that rents in England and Wales reached a record high of £718 per month in September. LSL Property Services' Buy to Let Index shows the new figure surpassed the previous record high of £713 seen in August.
Seven out of 10 GPs in England are concerned about conflicts of interest resulting from the Government's NHS reforms, according to a new study.
The report found that three-quarters of family doctors do not agree with proposals to link practice income to the performance of their commissioning group, while 85% do not believe that practice boundaries should be abolished.
Some 68% are concerned about the impact the Health and Social Care Bill could have on the patient-doctor relationship, while 69% are worried about their proposed role as both the commissioners and providers of care.
More than 40% of GPs took part in the research, which was commissioned by the BMA
Dr Laurence Buckman, chairman of the BMA's GPs Committee, said: "The huge response rate shows how strongly GPs feel about the topics in question, particularly when it comes to the changes being made to the health service in England.
"GPs do not want the trust patients put in them to be damaged by these reforms, yet this is exactly what they fear will happen.
"The Government must take heed and further revise its plans for the quality premium in particular, to avoid any potential damage to the doctor-patient relationship."
Foreign Secretary William Hague has offered British help to earthquake-stricken Turkey as the death toll from the natural disaster continued to rise.
Mr Hague sent his "deepest condolences" to friends and loved ones of those affected when the 7.2-magnitude quake struck eastern Turkey on Sunday.
So far 138 people are confirmed dead and the toll is expected to rise, possibly reaching 1,000 due to low housing standards and the size of the quake.
In a statement Mr Hague said the quake had "caused immense destruction, resulting in terrible loss of life".
He went on: "I send my deepest condolences to the friends and loved ones of those who have died or been affected. My thoughts are with those who are anxiously awaiting news from the rescue efforts. The UK is ready to provide assistance, in line with any request from the Turkish authorities. We stand with Turkey at this difficult time."
Ercis, a town in the mountainous province of Van close to the Iranian border, was the hardest hit, it is reported. The regional centre of Van, 55 miles to the south, also suffered substantial damage.
Mayor Zulfikar Arapoglu said: "There are so many dead. Several buildings have collapsed. There is too much destruction. We need urgent aid. We need medics."
US scientists recorded eight aftershocks within three hours of the quake, including two with a magnitude of 5.6. Mustafa Erdik, from Turkey's main seismography centre, said they were estimating a death toll of between 500 and 1,000.
The Turkish Red Crescent - a branch of the Red Cross that operates in Muslim countries - said its volunteers were working to provide aid for people in the disaster-stricken area. It said the quake was the most powerful to hit Turkey in over a decade, and equal to the one that struck Haiti early in 2010.
Witnesses described local people working by torchlight in freezing conditions, using their bare hands to shift rubble to reach survivors overnight.
David Cameron will attempt to face down Tory rebels demanding a referendum on Britain's future in the European Union.
With the rebels claiming up to 100 Conservative MPs could defy the party whips and back a referendum in the Commons vote, Mr Cameron faces the most serious challenge to his authority since taking office.
At the EU summit in Brussels on Sunday, the Prime Minister attempted to draw some of the heat from the revolt by suggesting Britain could exploit the eurozone crisis to start reclaiming powers from the EU.
But he was immediately plunged into a furious public row with his Liberal Democrat coalition partners who do not support the repatriation of powers from Brussels. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg issued a statement through his spokesman warning it was "far too early to speculate" on what the Government's position would be in the event of any moves to change EU treaties.
Mr Cameron had suggested that if the eurozone countries sought greater integration in order to resolve the problems of the single currency - which would require the unanimous support of all 27 member states - the UK would "exact a price".
However the Lib Dem leader's shot across the bows threatened to wreck his attempts to win over rebels within his own ranks while inflaming tensions between the two parties.
With both Labour and the Liberal Democrats whipping their MPs to vote against the motion, the Government is guaranteed a comfortable majority in the Commons division lobbies. However, the vote threatens to reopen deep wounds within the Conservative Party over Britain's position in the EU, raising the prospect of a return to the Tory civil war of the 1990s.
So far, 60 Conservative MPs have signed the motion calling for a referendum on whether the UK should remain in the EU, leave it or renegotiate its membership while another 33 have signed compromise amendments which ministers say also run counter to Government policy.
Ministers confirmed over the weekend that the Government would be imposing a three-line whip requiring Conservative MPs to vote against the motion or face the prospect of disciplinary action.
The move has angered many Tories, who argued they should be given a free vote on what was a non-binding, backbench motion in a debate triggered as a result on an e-petition on the No 10 website attracting more than 100,000 signatures.
Flood alerts are in place in parts of the UK as heavy rain and strong winds were predicted to sweep in.
Matt Dobson, senior forecaster with MeteoGroup, the Press Association's weather division, said there would be "persistent and heavy rain" particularly in Devon, Cornwall, Pembrokeshire and Northern Ireland.
The Environment Agency issued flood alerts for the North Sea coast from Bridlington to Barmston, for east-facing coastal locations in south Devon and a number of waterways including the Upper River Tamar, St Austell and Par rivers, and rivers in West Cornwall.
Mr Dobson said: "There could be some local torrential bursts of rain, it's just very persistent rain. There could be over an inch of rain by the end of Monday.
"Devon, Cornwall, Pembrokeshire, and Northern Ireland are most at risk. There is the potential locally for some heavy bursts of rain. It does begin to move away on Monday night, but there could be some local flooding."
The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for parts of England and Wales. It urged people in Northern Ireland, Wales, the West Midlands and south-west England to "be aware" of the possibility of heavy rainfall.
Some areas of south-west England were told to "be prepared" for such weather, as a period of especially heavy rain is expected over Cornwall, which could cause rivers to burst their banks, the Met Office said.
The weather service's website said: "Periods of heavy rain, accompanied at times by strong winds, will affect parts of western Britain during Monday. The public should be aware that quantities of rain may be sufficient in a few places to disrupt travel and give rise to localised flooding. In Northern Ireland the heaviest rain is expected to arrive later in the day."
Many regions are likely to see 30-60mm of rain, and in some torrential downpours could bring more than 100mm, the Met Office said.
The rainy weather is expected to move further north on Tuesday, and warnings are in place for people in southern Scotland to be aware of the conditions.
The Queen has heard first hand about the devastating floods that deluged Brisbane as she took a trip up the river that wreaked havoc on the city.
The monarch and the Duke of Edinburgh were taken along the course of the River Brisbane and shown points where the rising waters burst their banks in January.
Thousands were forced to flee their homes during the natural disaster which saw the worst floods in the region for almost 40 years.
A rising tide of brown murky water swamped suburbs deluging homes and businesses and forcing people to seek refuge in sports stadiums.
At the height of the flooding three-quarters of the state of Queensland was declared a disaster area, more than 20 were left dead and damage across the region has been estimated at hundreds of millions of Australian dollars.
The royal couple boarded Pure Adrenalin - a wave piercing chartered catamaran - in the south of the city for their six-mile journey that took around an hour.
Hundreds of well-wishers lined the river bank at Bretts Wharf to welcome the Queen and she went on a brief impromptu walkabout to meet some of them.
The vessel set off down the middle of the river and almost immediately the Queen was spotted by day trippers on a paddle steamer who waved at the monarch who acknowledged their cheers.
Dressed in a pistachio green wool coat and silk floral dress with matching straw hat, the Queen was easily recognised by the people who lined jetties and wharves as she stood on the vessel's top deck talking to Anna Bligh, premier of Queensland.
As the royals travelled into the heart of Brisbane more spectators lined the river bank and at Eagle Street pier thousands were waiting.
Foreign Secretary William Hague has urged Libyans to avoid "retribution and reprisals" as they rebuild their nation, after Britain called on the new government to investigate Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's death.
On Sunday, National Transitional Council leader Mustafa Abdul Jalil made a national declaration of liberation in front of jubilant crowds in Benghazi - the birthplace of the anti-Gaddafi revolt.
Mr Hague welcomed the move, and said: "The Libyan people now have the chance to work together in a new political process, leading to a pluralistic and open society under the rule of law. That opportunity is within their grasp and we urge them to seize it, avoiding retribution and reprisals and ensuring that national reconciliation and reconstruction go hand in hand."
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond urged the new administration to fully probe the circumstances of the death of Gaddafi. He said the reputation of the National Transitional Council (NTC) had been "a little bit stained" by the way Gaddafi died last week at the hands of his captors.
Graphic footage broadcast around the world showed a wounded and bleeding Gaddafi being taunted and manhandled by fighters loyal to the NTC before apparently being shot.
As Libyans celebrated the country's formal declaration of liberation after 42 years of dictatorship, the chief pathologist, Dr Othman al-Zintani, said that a post-mortem examination had found that Gaddafi was killed by a shot to the head.
Mr Hammond said that it was now important to establish exactly what had happened after he was captured on Thursday hiding in a storm drain near his home town of Sirte.
"It is not the way we would have liked it to have happened. We would have liked to see Col Gaddafi going on trial, ideally at the International Criminal Court, to answer for his misdeeds," Mr Hammond said.
"I think that the fledgling Libyan government will understand that its reputation in the international community is a little bit stained by what happened. I am sure that it will want to get to the bottom of it in a way that rebuilds and cleanses that reputation."
International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell, however, said that the fighters had acted in the "heat of battle" at what was an "extremely confusing moment". He added: "It's difficult for us, from the comfort of Britain, to put ourselves into the position of the soldiers and those who were involved in the capture of Gaddafi, and I think the best accounts are those that have come from the Libyans themselves."
An inquest into the death of a woman in the 2007 Cumbria train crash is due to begin.
Margaret Masson, 84, died after a Virgin Pendolino London to Glasgow express train derailed on the West Coast Main Line near the remote village of Grayrigg in Cumbria at 8.12pm on February 23, 2007.
All eight carriages of the Class 390 tilting train were derailed and 86 passengers and two crew of the 105 people aboard were injured as the 95mph locomotive came off the rails and carriages scattered down an earth embankment.
Mrs Masson, known as Peggy, from Glasgow, was travelling on the train with her daughter Margaret Langley, who is due to give evidence at the hearing at the County Offices in Kendal, Cumbria.
The train driver, Iain Black, from Dumbarton, who was seriously injured and hailed a hero by Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson, will also give evidence to Ian Smith, HM Coroner for South and East Cumbria.
A subsequent Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) inquiry ruled the "immediate cause" of the crash was the train had gone over a "degraded and unsafe" set of points, known as Lambrigg 2B.
One of three stretcher bars, which keep moving rails a set distance apart, was missing, the other two were fractured and bolts were missing. But the report also cited "underlying factors" and a catalogue of safety management shortcomings by Network Rail (NR), who owned and maintained the rail network, with 21 of the report's 29 safety recommendations directed at them.
The report also highlighted a planned inspection by NR workers of the track covering the Lambrigg 2B points five days before the accident which was never carried out but should have detected mechanical defects.
Much of the evidence during the inquest, scheduled to last three weeks, will focus on rail safety management.
The 2007 Grayrigg crash came after safety recommendations were made following the deaths of four people in the Hatfield crash in October 2000 caused by a broken rail, and the Potters Bar accident in May 2002, which killed seven people, again caused by faulty rail points.
Foreign Secretary William Hague has offered British help to earthquake-stricken Turkey as the death toll from the natural disaster continued to rise.
Mr Hague sent his "deepest condolences" to friends and loved ones of those affected when the 7.2-magnitude quake struck eastern Turkey on Sunday
Hundreds of people are already confirmed to have died and there are fears that up to 1,000 people could have been killed due to low housing standards and the size of the quake.
In a statement Mr Hague said the quake had "caused immense destruction, resulting in terrible loss of life".
He went on: "I send my deepest condolences to the friends and loved ones of those who have died or been affected. My thoughts are with those who are anxiously awaiting news from the rescue efforts. The UK is ready to provide assistance, in line with any request from the Turkish authorities. We stand with Turkey at this difficult time."
Ercis, a town in the mountainous province of Van close to the Iranian border, was the hardest hit, it is reported. The regional centre of Van, 55 miles to the south, also suffered substantial damage.
Mayor Zulfikar Arapoglu said: "There are so many dead. Several buildings have collapsed. There is too much destruction. We need urgent aid. We need medics."
US scientists recorded eight aftershocks within three hours of the quake, including two with a magnitude of 5.6. Mustafa Erdik, from Turkey's main seismography centre, said they were estimating a death toll of between 500 and 1,000.
The Turkish Red Crescent - a branch of the Red Cross that operates in Muslim countries - said its volunteers were working to provide aid for people in the disaster-stricken area. It said the quake was the most powerful to hit Turkey in over a decade, and equal to the one that struck Haiti early in 2010.
Witnesses described local people working by torchlight in freezing conditions, using their bare hands to shift rubble to reach survivors.
Foreign Secretary William Hague has insisted that a referendum on Britain's future in the European Union was "the wrong question at the wrong time".
As the Government faced a backbench rebellion of up to 100 Tory MPs demanding a referendum, Mr Hague warned that such a move would undermine the already fragile economy.
"I've argued for more referendums than almost anybody else, I've argued against the euro more comprehensively than almost anybody else," the strongly eurosceptic Foreign Secretary told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "But this proposition is the wrong question at the wrong time.
"It wasn't in the manifesto of either of the governing parties. It cuts right across the rules for holding referendums that we have just agreed by large majorities. It would create additional economic uncertainty in this country at a difficult economic time.
"Europe is undergoing a process of change and in an in-out referendum people would want to know where the change was going to finish up before they voted. Clearly an in/out referendum is not the right idea."
Prime Minister David Cameron faces the most serious challenge to his authority since taking office when MPs vote on whether there should be a referendum on British membership of the EU.
Ministers confirmed over the weekend that the Government would be imposing a three-line whip requiring Conservative MPs to vote against the motion or face the prospect of disciplinary action.
There have been reports of the Conservative whips warning potential rebels that they will damage their chances of a ministerial job or lose their seats when parliamentary boundaries are redrawn if they do not fall into line.
But the rebels claim that up to 100 Conservative MPs could defy the party whips and back a referendum. So far, 60 Conservative MPs have signed the motion calling for a referendum on whether the UK should remain in the EU, leave it or renegotiate its membership, while another 33 have signed compromise amendments which ministers say also run counter to Government policy.
At the EU summit in Brussels on Sunday, the Prime Minister attempted to draw some of the heat from the revolt by suggesting Britain could exploit the eurozone crisis to start reclaiming powers from the EU. But he was immediately plunged into a public row with his Liberal Democrat coalition partners who do not support the repatriation of powers from Brussels.
Anti-capitalist protesters outside St Paul's Cathedral could remain in place for months despite pleas that the church and local businesses are suffering as a result.
The cathedral is losing thousands of pounds per day as a result of being forced to close over health and safety concerns about the protest camp on its doorstep.
A second site has been established on Finsbury Square in Islington in order to ease numbers, but activists outside St Paul's have pledged to remain there indefinitely.
Their renewed enthusiasm came as thousands of Sunday worshippers were turned away at an estimated cost of more than £20,000.
A spokesman for the cathedral said that businesses in the vicinity were also suffering because of the protest camp. He said: "There are a lot of people in that area who are also concerned about the timetable. A lot of independent traders are being affected and that whole part of London is not easily accessible."
A number of fixtures - including an All Saints' Day service on November 1 and hundreds of special charity services in the run-up to Christmas - could be threatened by the action. With no prospect of St Paul's reopening, Evensong has been moved to Southwark Cathedral.
St Paul's has been losing valuable funding since it shut its doors on Friday for the first time since the Second World War.
The Occupy London supporters have refused to comply with a public request to move on - with some digging in at the foot of St Paul's and another group of around 100 people setting up camp on Finsbury Square.
Jo, 41, who took up position at the steps of the historic monument, said she was prepared to continue her battle indefinitely. The unemployed activist, who has no fixed address and declined to give her surname, added: "I'll be sitting here until there's real evidence the underlying system that allows a few to get very rich while others starve will change."
Members of protest group UK Uncut said they would join with the Occupy London Stock Exchange supporters at St Paul's at midday before marching to the head office of Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in Whitehall. The demonstrators plan to demand the resignation of HMRC deputy chief executive Dave Hartnett, accusing him of allowing Vodafone and Goldman Sachs to avoid making certain payments.
Racial harassment charges have been dropped against a woman who allegedly displayed a golliwog toy in her window.
Jena Mason, 65, of College Lane, Worlingham, Suffolk, was arrested after her black neighbour Rosemarie O'Donnell complained about the doll to police.
But at Lowestoft Magistrates' Court, Chris McCann, head of the complex casework unit at the East of England Crown Prosecution Service, offered no evidence.
In a hearing lasting less than five minutes, he said a "review has been carried out at the highest level".
Mrs Mason, who did not attend Monday's hearing, had been due to stand trial after denying that she displayed an item likely to cause racially-aggravated harassment. Mr McCann said the O'Donnells had been informed.
He said: "To establish that an offence has been committed, it would have been necessary to prove that Jena Mason was the person who placed the doll in such a prominent position likely to cause her neighbours racially-aggravated harassment, alarm or distress.
"On the evidence available, it is not possible to show exactly who was responsible for placing the doll in the window. Despite further inquiry and review, we have determined that the evidence is insufficient and there is not a realistic prospect of conviction.
"We appreciate that this case has caused the O'Donnell family a great deal of upset and we have met with them to explain our reasons for not pursuing a prosecution."
The row erupted after Mrs O'Donnell complained about the doll on display at Mrs Mason's manor home in the village.
Mrs O'Donnell claimed the golliwog caused offence to her family.
Applications for university courses for 2012 are down 9% compared to those for this year, the admission service for students Ucas has said.
The number of applicants has fallen from 76,612 students at this stage for 2011 to 69,724 for 2012.
Ucas published the data following an October 15 deadline for applications to medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses at Oxford and Cambridge, but also included the number of students who have applied so far for other university courses, which have a January 15 application deadline.
Scores of angry workers have gathered outside the High Court in London as unions opened a legal front in a battle with the Government over pensions.
Union leaders say a switch in the way annual pension increases are calculated is "unfair" to millions of workers.
Several unions are taking action - at a hearing before three judges in London due to last three days - contesting the use of the consumer price index (CPI) instead of the traditionally higher retail price index (RPI).
The move, which came into effect in April, was announced by Conservative Chancellor George Osborne in the June 2010 budget. Unions say it was done, without consultation or negotiation, as a deficit reduction measure.
They say that because the CPI is around 1.2% lower on average than the RPI, the loss to existing public sector pensioners will be around 15% - with the change already affecting staff paying into career average schemes.
The unions' case is that the move was not permitted under social security legislation and that it reneged on assurances given by successive governments that RPI would apply.
Members of a host of unions staged a demonstration outside the High Court prior to the start of the hearing. "We think we have a good chance of success," said a Unison spokeswoman. "We've had a lot of support this morning."
FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said Government actions were "unfair". He added: "This is a vicious attack on existing and future pensioners that could cost them tens of thousands of pounds. Pensioners are being forced to bear an unfair burden for the financial crisis caused by the banks."
A Treasury spokesman said: "Public service pensions will continue to provide protection against inflation and will remain among the very best available, providing a guaranteed pension level for all employees.
"CPI is already used by the Bank of England to set its inflation target and unlike RPI is designed to take account of the fact that consumers tend to shop around, switching to cheaper alternatives when prices for similar goods change."
Protesters camped outside St Paul's Cathedral are going home at night to get ready for work and look after their families, one of them has said.
The comments come after speculation that as many as nine out of 10 protesters at the Occupy London Stock Exchange camp are abandoning their tents to return home each evening.
Robin Smith, a 48-year-old former Conservative councillor for Wokingham Town Council, said he was one of many part-time protesters at the camp.
"I'd say about 25% of the people go away and come back. There are lots of normal middle-class people turning up and helping but they have to go back home and some people come once and go away," he said.
"They've got jobs and a family to keep, so they've got to look after their kids or go to work. I met one guy who comes in then goes home to go to work."
He said many of the demonstrators went home to wash rather than paying to use public showers.
Speaking from his house in Wokingham, he said: "I'm home today. I come home every few days to get cleaned up but I'll go back at three.
"I come home every two or three nights. I've been there since the weekend and this is the second time I've come back. I stink so I have come back to pick up a delivery and clean up."
His comments come as a City of London councillor said that police had used infra-red images to establish that only 10% of protesters were staying at the camp overnight.
But the police refused to comment on the speculation.
A police officer paid the "ultimate sacrifice" when he was struck by a lorry while helping a woman whose car had broken down on a motorway, his force said.
Pc Mark Goodlad, 41, was airlifted to hospital following the accident on the M1 between junctions 40 and 39, but died from his injuries.
West Yorkshire Police Federation chairman Andrew Tempest-Mitchell said: "It is a sad day for West Yorkshire Police who have lost a dedicated officer who has been killed doing a very dangerous job. It was my understanding he was a very experienced road traffic officer."
It is understood the officer was married with one child and had been in the force for 10 years.
Pc Goodlad, from East Yorkshire, was a Motorway Patrol Roads Policing officer and was on duty at the time of the accident. He had stopped to help a woman whose car had broken down on the hard shoulder, West Yorkshire Police said. While he was assisting her, a HGV struck him and the marked police car, a spokesman said. The 51-year-old woman received minor injuries.
The 44-year-old driver of the HGV was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, police added.
Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police Sir Norman Bettison said: "Police officers put themselves at risk for others. Mark paid the ultimate sacrifice and we are all proud of him and are saddened by his loss. Our thoughts and sympathy are with Mark's family. We shall try to be there for them as Mark was there for the public at large."
Yvette Cooper, shadow home secretary and a West Yorkshire MP, said: "The news of the death of Pc Mark Goodlad whilst working to help others and keep people safe is desperately painful and sad.
"All our sympathies and thoughts go out to his family and friends. This loss is felt by the whole community and police force in West Yorkshire.
"Pc Goodlad and so many police officers across the country put their lives at risk every night so we all can be safer and more secure, and they deserve our deepest thanks and gratitude at all times."
