November 4, 2011, 2:26 pm
![Group ends 520-day 'Mars mission']()
An international crew of researchers has emerged from a gruelling 520-day simulation of a flight to Mars.
Pale but smiling, the all-male crew of three Russians, a Frenchman, an Italian-Colombian and a Chinese man walked out of a set of windowless modules in Moscow.
The facility simulated the confinement, stress and fatigue of interplanetary travel - minus the weightlessness.
Dressed in blue track suits emblazoned with the mission emblem, they carefully walked down a metal ladder to a greeting crowd of officials and journalists.
"The crew has completed the experiment," team leader Alexey Sitev reported to Russian space officials. "The mission is accomplished, the crew is in good health and is ready for new missions."
Psychologists said long confinement put the team members under stress as they grow increasingly tired of each other's company. They said that psychological conditions can even be more challenging on a mock mission than a real flight because the crew will not experience any of the euphoria or dangers of actual space travel.
Despite that, the crew showed no sign of stress as they walked to microphones to speak before cameras. "We hope that we can help in designing the future missions to Mars," Frenchman Romain Charles said with a smile.
The crew communicated with the organisers and their families via the internet, which was delayed and occasionally disrupted to imitate the effects of space travel. They ate canned food similar to that offered on the International Space Station.
The organisers said each crew member will be paid about 100,000 dollars (£60,000), except the Chinese researcher whose reward has not been revealed by Chinese officials.
A real flight to Mars is decades away because of huge costs and massive technological challenges, particularly the task of creating a compact and relatively lightweight shield that will protect the crew from deadly space radiation.
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November 4, 2011, 2:26 pm
![RBS boss warns of more job losses]()
The boss of Royal Bank of Scotland has warned that job losses at the taxpayer-backed bank would be more severe than it had hoped because of a "longer and bumpier" road to recovery.
RBS chief executive Stephen Hester said further cost-cutting was on its way as increased regulation and weak economic growth triggers a shift away from investment banking and on to its retail operations.
But RBS saw its shares rise after it returned to profit in the three months to September 30 as it slashed its bad debts and offset a plunge in income at investment arm Global Banking and Markets.
RBS, which is 83% state-owned, posted pre-tax profits of £2 billion in the three months to September 30, compared with a £678 million loss in the previous quarter and a £1.6 billion loss the previous year.
Stock market turbulence, driven by increased global recession fears, saw income at investment arm GBM fall 29% to £1.1 billion in the period, RBS said.
However retail banking revenues held at £4.1 billion and bad debt charges were cut to £1.5 billion, down £728 million on the previous quarter, which was hit by Irish land values.
Mr Hester said the results "highlight the external pressures facing banks, and economies more broadly, which are making the road to recovery longer and bumpier than hoped for".
The bank also reduced its exposure to sovereign debt in Spain, Italy, Greece and Portugal to £772 million by the end of September, down from £4 billion at the start of the year.
RBS said it has now reached the halfway point of its five-year recovery plan adopted in 2009 and has met or exceeded all targets to date, but Mr Hester warned there would be further job losses, on top of 2,000 announced earlier in the year, as the bank expected to implement proposals put forward by the Independent Commission on Banking, which include ringfencing its retail operations from its investment arm.
The regulatory changes, combined with the weak outlook for economic growth, will lead to increased focus on its retail division and will require further cost savings, Mr Hester warned.
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November 4, 2011, 2:26 pm
![Network Rail accused over death]()
The family of a grandmother killed in the Grayrigg train crash has blamed Network Rail for her death.
They said they held the firm responsible for the death of Margaret Masson after a jury at her inquest found a set of badly-maintained points caused the 2007 train derailment in Cumbria.
Her son George Masson described as a "scapegoat" the overworked engineer who admitted forgetting to check the points, but who had warned Network Rail bosses months before the crash about safety concerns.
Network Rail, which is responsible for track maintenance, was also facing calls for a public inquiry into its handling of the rail network and possible criminal charges.
Mrs Masson, 84, from Glasgow, died from multiple injuries after a Virgin Pendolino London to Glasgow express train derailed on the West Coast Main Line near the Cumbrian village of Grayrigg at 8.12pm on February 23 2007.
The 300-tonne locomotive derailed at 95mph after hitting the faulty points with all nine carriages of the Class 390 tilting train coming off the tracks.
Eighty-six passengers and two crew were hurt as the train and carriages scattered down an earth embankment.
During a two-week inquest into Mrs Masson's death at the County Offices in Kendal, the jury heard of a "missed opportunity" to check the points five days before the crash.
David Lewis, at the time a local track supervisor for Network Rail, broke down in tears as he admitted to the inquest he simply forgot to check the faulty points.
Coroner Ian Smith said it was a "tragic irony" that the man who tried to flag up the problems was the man who missed the points check days before the derailment.
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November 4, 2011, 2:26 pm
![Police in Kenya over 1988 killing]()
Scotland Yard detectives have again travelled to Kenya to investigate the unsolved murder of a British tourist more than 20 years ago.
Julie Ward, 28, from Brockley, Suffolk, was brutally killed in 1988 while on a trip to the Masai Mara game reserve to photograph animals.
A team of six detectives and a crime scene manager from the Metropolitan Police arrived in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Thursday night.
They plan to spend about 11 days working with local officers to interview witnesses and take DNA samples and fingerprints with the aim of eliminating suspects.
Miss Ward vanished on September 7, 1988. Six days later the burned remains of her leg and part of her jaw were found close to a tree in the bush. Her skull and spine were found nearby.
The local authorities at first insisted that she committed suicide or was killed by wild animals, although these theories were later discredited.
An initial investigation by Scotland Yard and Kenyan police led to two park rangers standing trial for her murder, but both were acquitted in 1992 because of lack of evidence. A second inquiry in 1997 led to the Masai Mara's chief game warden, Simon Makallah, being charged with the killing, but he too was cleared in 1999.
An inquest in Ipswich, Suffolk, in 2004 resulted in a verdict of unlawful killing after the coroner heard evidence from a pathologist that Miss Ward's body was dismembered with a sharp instrument before being scattered around the bush.
Scotland Yard officers then launched a review of the forensics material in the case which resulted in Kenyan police reopening the investigation in 2009.
Thirteen people have been interviewed in connection with the murder since the launch of the latest inquiry. No arrests have been made.
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November 4, 2011, 2:26 pm
![Charles spots endangered rhino]()
The Prince of Wales has caught a glimpse of an endangered rhinoceros in South Africa.
He visited a wildlife reserve with his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, in the KwaZulu Natal province of the country, to see how black rhino are protected from the threat of poachers.
Unfortunately Camilla did not spot the shy and elusive animal.
Charles is a champion of conservation and preserving wildlife, and is president of WWF UK.
He said earlier, during a meeting with the King of the Zulus, that the controversial concept of using rhino horns to make medicines is a "mad idea".
As they drove through Phinda Game Reserve, the Duchess, 64, shielded herself from the strong sun with a white umbrella, while the 62-year-old Prince looked well-dressed for a safari in a cream suit.
Both wore sunglasses as they sat side by side in the first row of seats behind the driver in the tiered 4x4 vehicle. Charles clutched binoculars in the hopes of seeing the animals during the game drive.
Phinda is home to 30 black rhinos which roam the huge 24,000-hectare park, and so far none of the endangered beasts have been killed by poachers.
The WWF's Black Rhino Expansion Project aims to increase rhino numbers and help local communities benefit from tourism.
Charles spotted the camera-shy rhinoceros when the couple were driving back from a homestead where they were told about the conservation project.
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November 4, 2011, 2:26 pm
![G20 draws blank in eurozone crisis]()
World leaders have drawn a blank in their efforts to resolve the eurozone crisis, as the G20 summit ended with no agreement on crucial measures to shore up ailing economies.
In developments which did nothing to boost market confidence, the Group of 20 leading economies failed to thrash out a detailed plan to stabilise the single currency or to boost the International Monetary Fund's ability to respond to emergencies.
Prime Minister David Cameron acknowledged that the ongoing uncertainty in the eurozone was having a "chilling" effect on the British economy.
And he warned squabbling eurozone leaders that "the world can't wait" for them to finalise plans to bail out Greece, recapitalise banks and erect a £870 billion "firewall" to protect the single currency.
Strong-arm tactics from French president Nicolas Sarkozy, the summit's host, pressured Greek PM George Papandreou to ditch plans for a referendum on the deal. But Mr Papandreou still faces a vote of confidence which may topple his government.
Meanwhile, Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi was humiliatingly forced to accept IMF monitoring of his tottering economy - though he refused an offer of direct support from the global financial organisation.
A clearly dejected German Chancellor Angela Merkel confirmed that "hardly any" countries had agreed to get involved with the mooted trillion-euro firewall fund.
Hopes that China would offer financial backing to the European Financial Stability Fund through a special purpose vehicle appear to have come to nothing.
And the US and other non-European countries blocked any agreement on boosting the IMF's capacity until after the eurozone has got its house in order.
A communique issued at the end of the summit said only that the G20 nations "stand ready to ensure additional resources could be mobilised in a timely manner" for the IMF.
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November 4, 2011, 2:26 pm
![Jacko doctor jury considers verdict]()
Jurors in Los Angeles have begun deliberations in the involuntary manslaughter case against Michael Jackson's personal physician.
The seven-man, five-woman jury heard spirited closing arguments by prosecutors and defence lawyers on Thursday.
Prosecutor David Walgren urged them to convict Dr Conrad Murray, arguing the Houston-based cardiologist was reckless with Jackson's life and left his children without a father.
Defence lawyer Ed Chernoff argued prosecutors had not proved their case and were trying to convict Murray for the actions of Jackson.
Murray faces a possible sentence ranging from probation to four years behind bars and the loss of his medical licence if convicted. He denies the charge.
Media were camped outside the courthouse and in the courtroom where the jury's decision will eventually be read. There was no sign of Murray or lawyers handling the case, but they will receive a two-hour notice when a verdict is reached.
Murray waived the need for his presence if the panel asks any questions, but must be present when a verdict is reached.
Jackson died from a fatal dose of the anaesthetic propofol; Murray has acknowledged giving Jackson propofol to help him sleep.
The real reason Jackson died, Mr Chernoff argued, was because he craved the powerful anaesthetic so much that he gave himself a fatal injection when Murray left his bedside.
"They want you to convict Dr Murray for the actions of Michael Jackson," he said.
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November 4, 2011, 2:26 pm
![Reporter held in police pay probe]()
A senior Sun reporter has been arrested by detectives investigating allegations of illegal payments to police officers by journalists at News International.
District editor Jamie Pyatt, 48, has worked for the paper for more than two decades and is based in the Thames Valley. He is understood to be the first Sun employee to have been held in connection with either of Scotland Yard's probes into inappropriate police payments or phone hacking.
The reporter, who was shortlisted at the British Press Awards in 2006 for a story revealing that Prince Harry wore a Nazi uniform to a fancy dress party, was questioned at a south-west London police station.
A News International spokeswoman said: "News International can confirm that an employee has been arrested. News International is co-operating with the Metropolitan Police in its various investigations."
The arrest is the sixth to be made in connection with Operation Elveden, the probe into allegations that News International journalists made illegal payments to police officers.
Others questioned as part of the inquiry include former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks, ex-Downing Street communications chief Andy Coulson, former News of the World managing editor Stuart Kuttner, the paper's former royal editor Clive Goodman and a 63-year-old man whose identity has not been disclosed.
Mrs Brooks and Mr Coulson are both former editors of the News of the World, which was closed in July at the height of the hacking scandal following revelations that murdered teenager Milly Dowler's phone was involved.
Operation Elveden was launched in the summer after it emerged that News International handed documents to Metropolitan Police officers investigating phone hacking which indicated illegal payments had been made to police.
Sir Paul Stephenson, the then Met Commissioner, said in July that evidence from the publisher suggested a small number of officers were involved.
The number of possible hacking victims now stands at 5,795. Carole Caplin, who worked with former prime minister Tony Blair, is the latest celebrity to emerge as a possible target.
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November 4, 2011, 5:44 pm
![Soldier shot in Afghanistan named]()
A soldier shot dead in Afghanistan has been named as Private Matthew Haseldin, from 2nd Battalion, The Mercian Regiment.
The 21-year-old, from Settle, North Yorkshire, was killed when his patrol was attacked in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province on Thursday.
His parents, Alan and Jill, said: "Matthew was a loving son and we are very proud of him.
"He had only been in the Army for a few months. Friends and family will miss him greatly. Rest in Peace."
Pte Haseldin was part of an operation to maintain freedom of movement for the local population, when the group was attacked by insurgents.
His battalion is responsible for keeping Route 611 open, which is a key "Main Supply Route" linking Gereshk city with other district centres in Helmand province and beyond, including Kandahar City.
His patrol was carrying out a check when they came under sustained small arms fire and "underslung grenades during which Private Haseldin was fatally wounded", the Ministry of Defence said.
Lieutenant Colonel Colin Marks, Commanding Officer 2 Mercian and Combined Force Burma, said: "Although Private Matthew Haseldin had only served a short time with C Company Group, he stood out as a young man of immense character, who had travelled widely and was mature beyond his years.
"Hugely popular, it was impossible to tell that he was the newest member of 7 Platoon, all of whom loved him like a brother. One of the team, Matthew was at the centre of most things and enjoyed a game of cards during precious rest periods.
"Steadfast in battle, Matthew faced more challenges in the few short weeks he spent in Helmand than many soldiers experience in a lifetime. He died standing firm in the face of a determined enemy, in the highest traditions of The Mercian Regiment."
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November 4, 2011, 5:44 pm
![Greek PM in plea ahead of vote]()
Greece's embattled prime minister has said the new debt deal for his country agreed on last month is an opportunity that must not go to waste.
George Papandreou was speaking in parliament before a crucial vote of confidence in his government, fighting to face down an open revolt from his governing Socialists sparked by a scrapped plan to put the deal to a referendum. He renewed a call for opposition support for the plan.
A week of unending drama in Athens has horrified the indebted country's European partners, spooked the markets and overshadowed the Group of 20 summit in Cannes.
The threat of a Greek default or exit from the euro worsened a European debt crisis that has already forced massive bailout deals for Greece, Ireland and Portugal.
Mr Papandreou was forced to abandon his plan to hold a referendum on the debt deal, after markets and EU leaders reacted with hostility, sparking a global crisis as investors feared that rejection of the deal would force a disorderly Greek default.
Mr Papandreou's two-year-old government has a majority of two in the 300-seat assembly, but at least four Socialist dissenters have refused to say whether they will back him.
Government ministers and senior Socialist officials continued to pile pressure on him to hold immediate talks to form a national unity government - signalling that he may have to soon step aside even if he wins the vote.
A senior Socialist MP said he will not support the government in the vote unless Mr Papandreou pledges to resign over the weekend and start talks on a caretaker government.
"It is inconceivable that the government should win the confidence vote and then pretend that nothing had happened," health minister Andreas Loverdos wrote on his internet blog.
"Unless immediate steps are taken toward the formation of a national unity government, I will have no place in that political process."
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November 5, 2011, 12:05 am
![Cervical cancer rise in young women]()
Cervical cancer rates have risen sharply among women in their 20s, according to new figures.
Incidence of the disease across England rose by 43% between 1992-94 and 2006-08.
Women in England are invited for cervical screening every three years from the age of 25 while those in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are screened from the age of 20.
The screening age in England was raised from 20 to 25 in 2003 but the Department of Health says lowering the age again could cause too many false positive results, leading to unnecessary and potentially harmful treatment for women. Experts at Cancer Research UK, which analysed the data, said changing the screening age is not a driver behind the rise in cancer rates.
The figures showed that cervical cancer rates among women in their 20s have continued to rise despite overall incidence of the disease dropping by about a third. In 1992-1994, about six women aged 20 to 29 in every 100,000 (around 215 per year) were diagnosed with cervical cancer. This increased to around eight per 100,000 between 2006 and 2008 (around 283 cases per year).
Individual figures for 2007/08 suggest the problem could be getting worse, with around nine women in every 100,000 developing cervical cancer in that year. In comparison, rates among women aged 50 to 79 have dropped significantly over the same period.
Robert Music, director of Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust, said: "The results of this research are a big concern as we know that cervical cancer is a largely preventable disease thanks to cervical screening.
"But reminding younger women that they can take proactive steps to reduce their risk of cervical cancer by attending screening continues to be a very real challenge. Around 34% of women aged 25-29 didn't attend screening last year whilst in Wales and Scotland which start screening at 20, almost half of those aged 20-24 did not take up their invitation.
"It is essential we make every effort to find targeted ways to educate and persuade younger women to attend screening when invited and remind them that quite simply it could save their life."
TV star Jade Goody died from cervical cancer in 2009 at the age of 27, prompting some campaigners to call for the age to be lowered back to 20.
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November 5, 2011, 12:05 am
![Charity in warning on working jails]()
The Government must make sure its plans for working prisons do not follow the American example of profit-led jails which exploit inmates and fail to rehabilitate, a report will warn next week.
The RSA charity will say the all-time high prison population, overcrowding and economic problems "make the Government's rehabilitation revolution both harder to achieve and more urgent".
While working prisons in the US helped cut short-term costs, they failed to rehabilitate offenders, with more than two-thirds of the 275,000 prisoners released in 1994 reoffending and half back behind bars within three years, the report will say.
It comes as the prison population in England and Wales reached a record high of 87,749, fuelled by the summer's riots.
The report will say: "Working prisons in the US make money for private business and save states some shorter-term costs.
"As it drives its emphasis on full-time work, seeks to cut the costs of prison (with the inevitable pressure to increase size and decrease 'softer' interventions), the Government needs to ensure it avoids going down the American route."
It will also say that prisons are not currently "constructed, managed or staffed to support the work ethic" and "significant changes would be needed in all these areas in order for them to do so".
The report will be launched as the RSA sets out its plans for a new model of a not-for-profit community prison which would provide custody and rehabilitation services on a single site, working with between 500 and 700 people at any one time. .
Matthew Taylor, the RSA's chief executive, said: "The Government has been brave; there are few votes to be won when it comes to prison policy. Yet, it announced its rehabilitation revolution and, in its emphasis on work, recognised the futility of locking prisoners in their cells all day."
He went on: "Every year, tens of thousands of people will leave prison and return to the community; the critical question is whether prison has made them less likely to reoffend. Prisons, like all public services, need to be measured by their ability to increase social productivity."
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November 5, 2011, 12:05 am
![Plea to call off Miss World protest]()
A former beauty queen has urged feminists to abandon their plans to protest at the Miss World final on Sunday night.
Campaign groups, including London Feminist Network, Object and UK Feminista, plan to demonstrate against the contest, which is being held at Earl's Court in London.
A statement on the London Feminist Network website said: "Forty years ago feminists disrupted this sexist contest in a spectacular fashion, with chants of 'we're not beautiful, we're not ugly, we're angry'.
"Let the organisers and all those profiting from the event know that we are all angry that such an event is once again being held here in London, 40 years later. Bring placards, banners and raise your voice against this appalling offence against women's equality. Let them know loud and clear that this event has no place in London in 2011."
Miss England 2008 winner Laura Coleman urged protesters not to attend the event, arguing that pageants "empower" women.
She said: "Appreciating beauty should not cause anger. Women enter beauty pageants at their own will, they are not forced into it. I don't understand why feminists think it is degrading, as pageants are actually empowering women. Ask any of the contestants.
"Pageants give the girls confidence and give them opportunities they may not otherwise have had and I can speak from experience. I don't think the protesters understand that Miss World do many amazing things, including raising millions for Beauty With A Purpose, every year."
The 60th Miss World final will bring together contestants from 122 countries, back in the city where it all began. It started in 1951 during the Festival of Britain on the South Bank of the River Thames.
Miss England director Angie Beasley said the contest "had changed with the times" and was no longer just about looking good in swimwear. She said: "I'm all for women standing up for what they believe in which is why I run Miss England but I'm fed up of these protesters trying to bully us and push us around. We live in a free society where women have the right to choose. The contestants in Miss World are quite capable of making up their own minds if they want to enter or not and protesters shouldn't keep criticising the same decision. If you don't like it, don't watch it."
The winner of Miss World will spend a year visiting and supporting a range of global charity projects supported by Miss World's Beauty With A Purpose programme.
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November 5, 2011, 12:05 am
![Help sought on coin changes upgrade]()
The Treasury should help councils cover a multimillion-pound bill to upgrade parking meters to take new coins, it has been claimed.
The Local Government Association (LGA) said Treasury plans to change the way 5p and 10p coins are made meant they would be 11% thicker - meaning many current machines will not accept them.
Upgrading thousands of parking machines to accept the thicker coins will cost councils in England and Wales £5.5 million and the LGA said the Treasury should foot the bill.
From January, the new coins are set to be minted using steel instead of copper and while they will have the same weight and diameter, the coins will be 11% thicker. Estimates suggest the Treasury will save £176 million by using the cheaper metal.
The LGA also called for an urgent decision on whether changes will be made to the £1 coin to ensure councils are not caught out a second time.
Councillor Peter Box, chairman of the LGA's economy and transport board, said: "Councils across the country are striving to continue providing vital services while managing deep funding cuts from Government. The cost and effort of updating parking machines is an extra burden they could do without. This is cash which could be spent on filling potholes or concessionary bus travel for the elderly.
"There are also other coin-operated machines which councils use every day, such as in libraries. These too will need to be updated in the majority of cases. It's understandable why the Treasury is changing these coins, but with such huge savings predicted surely it should pick up the tab for machine upgrades rather than force councils to divert money away from people who really need it."
The LGA said different councils would face different bills. Wakefield would need to spend £22,720 on 92 machines, Leicester City £18,000 on 200 machines and Watford Borough £13,500 on 56 machines.
A Treasury spokesman said: "Making new 5p and 10p coins out of nickel-plated steel will save the taxpayer a significant amount of money. Many countries, such as Canada, New Zealand and Russia, have already moved towards lower-cost coinage as a way of reducing spending.
"The Government consulted before deciding on the change, and the introduction of the new coins has already been delayed to allow industry - including local councils - time to prepare. We also anticipate it will take many months for the new coins to reach significant circulation levels, giving extra time to adapt or replace machines and substantially reduce costs."
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November 5, 2011, 12:05 am
![Deaths confirmed in M5 'fireball']()
Several people have been killed and dozens of others injured in a horrific motorway pile-up which triggered a "massive fireball" on the carriageway.
Around 27 vehicles, including a number of articulated lorries, were involved in the devastating crash, described by emergency workers as "the worst road traffic collision anyone can remember".
Avon and Somerset Police said "some" people lost their lives and around 35 people were injured in the tragedy, which happened in wet and foggy conditions on the M5 in Somerset on Friday night.
Assistant Chief Constable Anthony Bangham said a number of passengers were unable to escape from their burning cars, some of which were razed to the ground.
"At around 8.25pm yesterday there was a multiple collision around junction 25 of the northbound carriageway of the M5," he said.
"This involved a large number of cars and also articulated lorries and up to about 27 vehicles in total. The accident resulted in a large number of casualties.
"Up to 35 people were injured - some of those seriously - and tragically a number have lost their lives as a result."
The officer continued: "The emergency services have been working tirelessly. The incident was very, very challenging and on arrival crews were faced with literally one massive fireball.
"Most vehicles were well alight and most continued to burn for a considerable time. This made it very difficult to search the vehicles. Some of them have been burned to the ground."
Mr Bangham added that an emergency number - 0800 092 0410 - has been launched for members of the public who are worried about the welfare of a friend or loved one.
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November 5, 2011, 12:05 am
![Greek vote paves way for euro deal]()
Greece looks set to embrace a financial rescue plan after embattled prime minister George Papandreou won a knife-edge parliamentary confidence vote.
The development soothed fears that political turmoil in Athens was set to deepen with fatal consequences for the European bailout package being urged on the near-bankrupt country.
To the relief of world leaders grappling with the eurozone debt crisis, fresh elections have been averted and Mr Papandreou can initiate talks on the formation of a new government.
Crucially, the proposed coalition administration will secure the terms of the bailout after days of market anxiety that it would be rejected, deepening the eurozone crisis yet further.
World leaders drew a blank in their efforts to resolve the wider eurozone crisis as a G20 summit ended with no agreement on crucial measures to shore up ailing economies.
The Group of 20 leading economies failed to thrash out a detailed plan to stabilise the single currency or to boost the International Monetary Fund's ability to respond to emergencies.
Prime Minister David Cameron warned squabbling eurozone leaders that "the world can't wait" for them to finalise plans to bailout Greece, recapitalise banks and erect a one trillion euro (£870 billion) "firewall" to protect the single currency.
He acknowledged that the ongoing uncertainty in the eurozone was having a "chilling" effect on the British economy.
Speaking at the conclusion of the two-day summit in the French Riviera resort of Cannes, Mr Cameron made clear Britain is preparing for Greece's possible departure from the euro, saying it was time for Athens to take decisive action "one way or the other".
He insisted once again that Britain will not contribute directly or indirectly to any bailout of the euro, but he said the UK stood ready to help beef up the IMF's lending capacity with additional money, within limits already approved by Parliament.
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November 5, 2011, 12:05 am
![Jarrow marchers complete journey]()
A group of activists who have recreated the famous 1936 Jarrow March for Jobs will complete their 330-mile journey by highlighting the growing "crisis" of youth unemployment.
Dozens of people have taken part in the trek from the North East to London, where a rally on Saturday will be addressed by politicians and union leaders.
Youth Fight for Jobs, which organised the march, will hand in a petition to 10 Downing Street calling for a huge Government job scheme, apprenticeships, the reinstatement of the Education Maintenance Allowance, the reopening of axed youth services and action on tuition fees.
Spokeswoman Claire Laker Mansfield said: "Young people have shown that far from being lazy or scroungers, they want a future with decent jobs and education. The marchers have received huge support up and down the country. People have fed them, put them up and made it clear they back our demands.
"We think it is unfair that in the 21st century young people are facing long-term unemployment. There are almost a million young people out of work, and the jobs market is not getting any better."
Great-grandchildren of those who took part in the original march 75 years ago were among those taking part in the protest march, which started on October 1.
In 1936, 200 jobless men marched from Jarrow in north east England to London with a 12,000-name petition calling for government action to create jobs.
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November 5, 2011, 12:05 am
![UK Border Force chief suspended]()
The head of the UK Border Force has been suspended amid claims that passport checks for non-EU nationals were quietly dropped this summer.
Brodie Clark is one of three senior officials thought to have been suspended while an investigation into the allegations is conducted.
The Home Office refused to comment on a report that guards at the Border Force - part of the UK Border Agency - had been told not to bother with certain passport checks.
But a spokesman said: "Head of UKBA Border Force Brodie Clark has been suspended."
Confirmation of Mr Clark's suspension came after the Daily Mail reported that border checks had been relaxed earlier this year without the knowledge of ministers.
According to the paper, border guards were told not to bother checking biometric chips on the passports of citizens from outside the EU to ensure they are not fraudsters.
The guards were also instructed not to bother checking fingerprints and other personal details against a Home Office database of terror suspects and illegal immigrants, it said.
The chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee described the suspensions as "extraordinary" and said he would be questioning Home Secretary Theresa May about the issue on Tuesday.
Keith Vaz, a Labour MP, said: "These developments are extraordinary in that they involve such senior members of the UK Border Agency. Only a day after the publication of our report which concluded that the Border Agency continues to fail we have this remarkable news.
"We will question the Home Secretary about this on Tuesday when she comes before the committee. If her answers do not satisfy us I am sure the committee will want to conduct its own inquiry. The Border Police are supposed to keep people out, not let people in."
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November 5, 2011, 12:05 am
![Top Colombia rebel leader 'killed']()
The top leader of Colombia's main leftist rebel group has been killed in a military raid, officials said.
Alfonso Cano was killed in Cauca state during an air and ground assault by Colombia's military, the officials claimed.
A five million US dollar (£3.1 million) reward had been out for Cano, who was the commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc).
"The fingerprints matched," said one senior security official, adding that Cano was killed in "a standard military operation" in Cauca state.
Cano, 53, had been the top target of Colombian authorities since September 2010, when they killed the insurgency's military chief, Mono Jojoy, also in a bombing raid.
The reward had been out for Cano, a Bogota intellectual who took command of Latin America's last remaining rebel army after the 2008 death of its co-founder, Manuel Marulanda.
The governor of Cauca state, Alberto Gonzalez, confirmed the death. His state has in recent months been a location of increased Farc violence.
Cano's body is being taken to Popayan, the Cauca state capital.
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November 5, 2011, 12:05 am
![Shot soldier a recent Army recruit]()
A soldier shot dead in Afghanistan while "standing firm" against an insurgent attack had only been in the Army for a few months, the Ministry of Defence has said.
Private Matthew Haseldin, 21, from 2nd Battalion, The Mercian Regiment, was killed when his patrol was attacked in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand Province.
His parents, Alan and Jill, said: "Matthew was a loving son and we are very proud of him.
"He had only been in the Army for a few months. Friends and family will miss him greatly. Rest in peace."
Pte Haseldin, from Settle, North Yorkshire, was part of an operation to maintain freedom of movement for the local population when the group was attacked by insurgents.
His patrol was carrying out a check on Thursday when they came under sustained small arms fire and "underslung grenades during which Private Haseldin was fatally wounded", the MoD said.
Lieutenant Colonel Colin Marks, Commanding Officer 2 Mercian and Combined Force Burma, said: "Although Private Matthew Haseldin had only served a short time with C Company Group, he stood out as a young man of immense character, who had travelled widely and was mature beyond his years.
"Hugely popular, it was impossible to tell that he was the newest member of 7 Platoon, all of whom loved him like a brother.
"Steadfast in battle, Matthew faced more challenges in the few short weeks he spent in Helmand than many soldiers experience in a lifetime. He died standing firm in the face of a determined enemy, in the highest traditions of The Mercian Regiment."
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said: "By all accounts he was a professional soldier and, despite only a brief time in the Army, had won many true and loyal friends. He has paid the ultimate sacrifice whilst serving the nation, and my thoughts are with his family and friends at this tragic time."
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An international crew of researchers has emerged from a gruelling 520-day simulation of a flight to Mars.
Pale but smiling, the all-male crew of three Russians, a Frenchman, an Italian-Colombian and a Chinese man walked out of a set of windowless modules in Moscow.
The facility simulated the confinement, stress and fatigue of interplanetary travel - minus the weightlessness.
Dressed in blue track suits emblazoned with the mission emblem, they carefully walked down a metal ladder to a greeting crowd of officials and journalists.
"The crew has completed the experiment," team leader Alexey Sitev reported to Russian space officials. "The mission is accomplished, the crew is in good health and is ready for new missions."
Psychologists said long confinement put the team members under stress as they grow increasingly tired of each other's company. They said that psychological conditions can even be more challenging on a mock mission than a real flight because the crew will not experience any of the euphoria or dangers of actual space travel.
Despite that, the crew showed no sign of stress as they walked to microphones to speak before cameras. "We hope that we can help in designing the future missions to Mars," Frenchman Romain Charles said with a smile.
The crew communicated with the organisers and their families via the internet, which was delayed and occasionally disrupted to imitate the effects of space travel. They ate canned food similar to that offered on the International Space Station.
The organisers said each crew member will be paid about 100,000 dollars (£60,000), except the Chinese researcher whose reward has not been revealed by Chinese officials.
A real flight to Mars is decades away because of huge costs and massive technological challenges, particularly the task of creating a compact and relatively lightweight shield that will protect the crew from deadly space radiation.
The boss of Royal Bank of Scotland has warned that job losses at the taxpayer-backed bank would be more severe than it had hoped because of a "longer and bumpier" road to recovery.
RBS chief executive Stephen Hester said further cost-cutting was on its way as increased regulation and weak economic growth triggers a shift away from investment banking and on to its retail operations.
But RBS saw its shares rise after it returned to profit in the three months to September 30 as it slashed its bad debts and offset a plunge in income at investment arm Global Banking and Markets.
RBS, which is 83% state-owned, posted pre-tax profits of £2 billion in the three months to September 30, compared with a £678 million loss in the previous quarter and a £1.6 billion loss the previous year.
Stock market turbulence, driven by increased global recession fears, saw income at investment arm GBM fall 29% to £1.1 billion in the period, RBS said.
However retail banking revenues held at £4.1 billion and bad debt charges were cut to £1.5 billion, down £728 million on the previous quarter, which was hit by Irish land values.
Mr Hester said the results "highlight the external pressures facing banks, and economies more broadly, which are making the road to recovery longer and bumpier than hoped for".
The bank also reduced its exposure to sovereign debt in Spain, Italy, Greece and Portugal to £772 million by the end of September, down from £4 billion at the start of the year.
RBS said it has now reached the halfway point of its five-year recovery plan adopted in 2009 and has met or exceeded all targets to date, but Mr Hester warned there would be further job losses, on top of 2,000 announced earlier in the year, as the bank expected to implement proposals put forward by the Independent Commission on Banking, which include ringfencing its retail operations from its investment arm.
The regulatory changes, combined with the weak outlook for economic growth, will lead to increased focus on its retail division and will require further cost savings, Mr Hester warned.
The family of a grandmother killed in the Grayrigg train crash has blamed Network Rail for her death.
They said they held the firm responsible for the death of Margaret Masson after a jury at her inquest found a set of badly-maintained points caused the 2007 train derailment in Cumbria.
Her son George Masson described as a "scapegoat" the overworked engineer who admitted forgetting to check the points, but who had warned Network Rail bosses months before the crash about safety concerns.
Network Rail, which is responsible for track maintenance, was also facing calls for a public inquiry into its handling of the rail network and possible criminal charges.
Mrs Masson, 84, from Glasgow, died from multiple injuries after a Virgin Pendolino London to Glasgow express train derailed on the West Coast Main Line near the Cumbrian village of Grayrigg at 8.12pm on February 23 2007.
The 300-tonne locomotive derailed at 95mph after hitting the faulty points with all nine carriages of the Class 390 tilting train coming off the tracks.
Eighty-six passengers and two crew were hurt as the train and carriages scattered down an earth embankment.
During a two-week inquest into Mrs Masson's death at the County Offices in Kendal, the jury heard of a "missed opportunity" to check the points five days before the crash.
David Lewis, at the time a local track supervisor for Network Rail, broke down in tears as he admitted to the inquest he simply forgot to check the faulty points.
Coroner Ian Smith said it was a "tragic irony" that the man who tried to flag up the problems was the man who missed the points check days before the derailment.
Scotland Yard detectives have again travelled to Kenya to investigate the unsolved murder of a British tourist more than 20 years ago.
Julie Ward, 28, from Brockley, Suffolk, was brutally killed in 1988 while on a trip to the Masai Mara game reserve to photograph animals.
A team of six detectives and a crime scene manager from the Metropolitan Police arrived in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Thursday night.
They plan to spend about 11 days working with local officers to interview witnesses and take DNA samples and fingerprints with the aim of eliminating suspects.
Miss Ward vanished on September 7, 1988. Six days later the burned remains of her leg and part of her jaw were found close to a tree in the bush. Her skull and spine were found nearby.
The local authorities at first insisted that she committed suicide or was killed by wild animals, although these theories were later discredited.
An initial investigation by Scotland Yard and Kenyan police led to two park rangers standing trial for her murder, but both were acquitted in 1992 because of lack of evidence. A second inquiry in 1997 led to the Masai Mara's chief game warden, Simon Makallah, being charged with the killing, but he too was cleared in 1999.
An inquest in Ipswich, Suffolk, in 2004 resulted in a verdict of unlawful killing after the coroner heard evidence from a pathologist that Miss Ward's body was dismembered with a sharp instrument before being scattered around the bush.
Scotland Yard officers then launched a review of the forensics material in the case which resulted in Kenyan police reopening the investigation in 2009.
Thirteen people have been interviewed in connection with the murder since the launch of the latest inquiry. No arrests have been made.
The Prince of Wales has caught a glimpse of an endangered rhinoceros in South Africa.
He visited a wildlife reserve with his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, in the KwaZulu Natal province of the country, to see how black rhino are protected from the threat of poachers.
Unfortunately Camilla did not spot the shy and elusive animal.
Charles is a champion of conservation and preserving wildlife, and is president of WWF UK.
He said earlier, during a meeting with the King of the Zulus, that the controversial concept of using rhino horns to make medicines is a "mad idea".
As they drove through Phinda Game Reserve, the Duchess, 64, shielded herself from the strong sun with a white umbrella, while the 62-year-old Prince looked well-dressed for a safari in a cream suit.
Both wore sunglasses as they sat side by side in the first row of seats behind the driver in the tiered 4x4 vehicle. Charles clutched binoculars in the hopes of seeing the animals during the game drive.
Phinda is home to 30 black rhinos which roam the huge 24,000-hectare park, and so far none of the endangered beasts have been killed by poachers.
The WWF's Black Rhino Expansion Project aims to increase rhino numbers and help local communities benefit from tourism.
Charles spotted the camera-shy rhinoceros when the couple were driving back from a homestead where they were told about the conservation project.
World leaders have drawn a blank in their efforts to resolve the eurozone crisis, as the G20 summit ended with no agreement on crucial measures to shore up ailing economies.
In developments which did nothing to boost market confidence, the Group of 20 leading economies failed to thrash out a detailed plan to stabilise the single currency or to boost the International Monetary Fund's ability to respond to emergencies.
Prime Minister David Cameron acknowledged that the ongoing uncertainty in the eurozone was having a "chilling" effect on the British economy.
And he warned squabbling eurozone leaders that "the world can't wait" for them to finalise plans to bail out Greece, recapitalise banks and erect a £870 billion "firewall" to protect the single currency.
Strong-arm tactics from French president Nicolas Sarkozy, the summit's host, pressured Greek PM George Papandreou to ditch plans for a referendum on the deal. But Mr Papandreou still faces a vote of confidence which may topple his government.
Meanwhile, Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi was humiliatingly forced to accept IMF monitoring of his tottering economy - though he refused an offer of direct support from the global financial organisation.
A clearly dejected German Chancellor Angela Merkel confirmed that "hardly any" countries had agreed to get involved with the mooted trillion-euro firewall fund.
Hopes that China would offer financial backing to the European Financial Stability Fund through a special purpose vehicle appear to have come to nothing.
And the US and other non-European countries blocked any agreement on boosting the IMF's capacity until after the eurozone has got its house in order.
A communique issued at the end of the summit said only that the G20 nations "stand ready to ensure additional resources could be mobilised in a timely manner" for the IMF.
Jurors in Los Angeles have begun deliberations in the involuntary manslaughter case against Michael Jackson's personal physician.
The seven-man, five-woman jury heard spirited closing arguments by prosecutors and defence lawyers on Thursday.
Prosecutor David Walgren urged them to convict Dr Conrad Murray, arguing the Houston-based cardiologist was reckless with Jackson's life and left his children without a father.
Defence lawyer Ed Chernoff argued prosecutors had not proved their case and were trying to convict Murray for the actions of Jackson.
Murray faces a possible sentence ranging from probation to four years behind bars and the loss of his medical licence if convicted. He denies the charge.
Media were camped outside the courthouse and in the courtroom where the jury's decision will eventually be read. There was no sign of Murray or lawyers handling the case, but they will receive a two-hour notice when a verdict is reached.
Murray waived the need for his presence if the panel asks any questions, but must be present when a verdict is reached.
Jackson died from a fatal dose of the anaesthetic propofol; Murray has acknowledged giving Jackson propofol to help him sleep.
The real reason Jackson died, Mr Chernoff argued, was because he craved the powerful anaesthetic so much that he gave himself a fatal injection when Murray left his bedside.
"They want you to convict Dr Murray for the actions of Michael Jackson," he said.
A senior Sun reporter has been arrested by detectives investigating allegations of illegal payments to police officers by journalists at News International.
District editor Jamie Pyatt, 48, has worked for the paper for more than two decades and is based in the Thames Valley. He is understood to be the first Sun employee to have been held in connection with either of Scotland Yard's probes into inappropriate police payments or phone hacking.
The reporter, who was shortlisted at the British Press Awards in 2006 for a story revealing that Prince Harry wore a Nazi uniform to a fancy dress party, was questioned at a south-west London police station.
A News International spokeswoman said: "News International can confirm that an employee has been arrested. News International is co-operating with the Metropolitan Police in its various investigations."
The arrest is the sixth to be made in connection with Operation Elveden, the probe into allegations that News International journalists made illegal payments to police officers.
Others questioned as part of the inquiry include former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks, ex-Downing Street communications chief Andy Coulson, former News of the World managing editor Stuart Kuttner, the paper's former royal editor Clive Goodman and a 63-year-old man whose identity has not been disclosed.
Mrs Brooks and Mr Coulson are both former editors of the News of the World, which was closed in July at the height of the hacking scandal following revelations that murdered teenager Milly Dowler's phone was involved.
Operation Elveden was launched in the summer after it emerged that News International handed documents to Metropolitan Police officers investigating phone hacking which indicated illegal payments had been made to police.
Sir Paul Stephenson, the then Met Commissioner, said in July that evidence from the publisher suggested a small number of officers were involved.
The number of possible hacking victims now stands at 5,795. Carole Caplin, who worked with former prime minister Tony Blair, is the latest celebrity to emerge as a possible target.
A soldier shot dead in Afghanistan has been named as Private Matthew Haseldin, from 2nd Battalion, The Mercian Regiment.
The 21-year-old, from Settle, North Yorkshire, was killed when his patrol was attacked in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province on Thursday.
His parents, Alan and Jill, said: "Matthew was a loving son and we are very proud of him.
"He had only been in the Army for a few months. Friends and family will miss him greatly. Rest in Peace."
Pte Haseldin was part of an operation to maintain freedom of movement for the local population, when the group was attacked by insurgents.
His battalion is responsible for keeping Route 611 open, which is a key "Main Supply Route" linking Gereshk city with other district centres in Helmand province and beyond, including Kandahar City.
His patrol was carrying out a check when they came under sustained small arms fire and "underslung grenades during which Private Haseldin was fatally wounded", the Ministry of Defence said.
Lieutenant Colonel Colin Marks, Commanding Officer 2 Mercian and Combined Force Burma, said: "Although Private Matthew Haseldin had only served a short time with C Company Group, he stood out as a young man of immense character, who had travelled widely and was mature beyond his years.
"Hugely popular, it was impossible to tell that he was the newest member of 7 Platoon, all of whom loved him like a brother. One of the team, Matthew was at the centre of most things and enjoyed a game of cards during precious rest periods.
"Steadfast in battle, Matthew faced more challenges in the few short weeks he spent in Helmand than many soldiers experience in a lifetime. He died standing firm in the face of a determined enemy, in the highest traditions of The Mercian Regiment."
Greece's embattled prime minister has said the new debt deal for his country agreed on last month is an opportunity that must not go to waste.
George Papandreou was speaking in parliament before a crucial vote of confidence in his government, fighting to face down an open revolt from his governing Socialists sparked by a scrapped plan to put the deal to a referendum. He renewed a call for opposition support for the plan.
A week of unending drama in Athens has horrified the indebted country's European partners, spooked the markets and overshadowed the Group of 20 summit in Cannes.
The threat of a Greek default or exit from the euro worsened a European debt crisis that has already forced massive bailout deals for Greece, Ireland and Portugal.
Mr Papandreou was forced to abandon his plan to hold a referendum on the debt deal, after markets and EU leaders reacted with hostility, sparking a global crisis as investors feared that rejection of the deal would force a disorderly Greek default.
Mr Papandreou's two-year-old government has a majority of two in the 300-seat assembly, but at least four Socialist dissenters have refused to say whether they will back him.
Government ministers and senior Socialist officials continued to pile pressure on him to hold immediate talks to form a national unity government - signalling that he may have to soon step aside even if he wins the vote.
A senior Socialist MP said he will not support the government in the vote unless Mr Papandreou pledges to resign over the weekend and start talks on a caretaker government.
"It is inconceivable that the government should win the confidence vote and then pretend that nothing had happened," health minister Andreas Loverdos wrote on his internet blog.
"Unless immediate steps are taken toward the formation of a national unity government, I will have no place in that political process."
Cervical cancer rates have risen sharply among women in their 20s, according to new figures.
Incidence of the disease across England rose by 43% between 1992-94 and 2006-08.
Women in England are invited for cervical screening every three years from the age of 25 while those in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are screened from the age of 20.
The screening age in England was raised from 20 to 25 in 2003 but the Department of Health says lowering the age again could cause too many false positive results, leading to unnecessary and potentially harmful treatment for women. Experts at Cancer Research UK, which analysed the data, said changing the screening age is not a driver behind the rise in cancer rates.
The figures showed that cervical cancer rates among women in their 20s have continued to rise despite overall incidence of the disease dropping by about a third. In 1992-1994, about six women aged 20 to 29 in every 100,000 (around 215 per year) were diagnosed with cervical cancer. This increased to around eight per 100,000 between 2006 and 2008 (around 283 cases per year).
Individual figures for 2007/08 suggest the problem could be getting worse, with around nine women in every 100,000 developing cervical cancer in that year. In comparison, rates among women aged 50 to 79 have dropped significantly over the same period.
Robert Music, director of Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust, said: "The results of this research are a big concern as we know that cervical cancer is a largely preventable disease thanks to cervical screening.
"But reminding younger women that they can take proactive steps to reduce their risk of cervical cancer by attending screening continues to be a very real challenge. Around 34% of women aged 25-29 didn't attend screening last year whilst in Wales and Scotland which start screening at 20, almost half of those aged 20-24 did not take up their invitation.
"It is essential we make every effort to find targeted ways to educate and persuade younger women to attend screening when invited and remind them that quite simply it could save their life."
TV star Jade Goody died from cervical cancer in 2009 at the age of 27, prompting some campaigners to call for the age to be lowered back to 20.
The Government must make sure its plans for working prisons do not follow the American example of profit-led jails which exploit inmates and fail to rehabilitate, a report will warn next week.
The RSA charity will say the all-time high prison population, overcrowding and economic problems "make the Government's rehabilitation revolution both harder to achieve and more urgent".
While working prisons in the US helped cut short-term costs, they failed to rehabilitate offenders, with more than two-thirds of the 275,000 prisoners released in 1994 reoffending and half back behind bars within three years, the report will say.
It comes as the prison population in England and Wales reached a record high of 87,749, fuelled by the summer's riots.
The report will say: "Working prisons in the US make money for private business and save states some shorter-term costs.
"As it drives its emphasis on full-time work, seeks to cut the costs of prison (with the inevitable pressure to increase size and decrease 'softer' interventions), the Government needs to ensure it avoids going down the American route."
It will also say that prisons are not currently "constructed, managed or staffed to support the work ethic" and "significant changes would be needed in all these areas in order for them to do so".
The report will be launched as the RSA sets out its plans for a new model of a not-for-profit community prison which would provide custody and rehabilitation services on a single site, working with between 500 and 700 people at any one time. .
Matthew Taylor, the RSA's chief executive, said: "The Government has been brave; there are few votes to be won when it comes to prison policy. Yet, it announced its rehabilitation revolution and, in its emphasis on work, recognised the futility of locking prisoners in their cells all day."
He went on: "Every year, tens of thousands of people will leave prison and return to the community; the critical question is whether prison has made them less likely to reoffend. Prisons, like all public services, need to be measured by their ability to increase social productivity."
A former beauty queen has urged feminists to abandon their plans to protest at the Miss World final on Sunday night.
Campaign groups, including London Feminist Network, Object and UK Feminista, plan to demonstrate against the contest, which is being held at Earl's Court in London.
A statement on the London Feminist Network website said: "Forty years ago feminists disrupted this sexist contest in a spectacular fashion, with chants of 'we're not beautiful, we're not ugly, we're angry'.
"Let the organisers and all those profiting from the event know that we are all angry that such an event is once again being held here in London, 40 years later. Bring placards, banners and raise your voice against this appalling offence against women's equality. Let them know loud and clear that this event has no place in London in 2011."
Miss England 2008 winner Laura Coleman urged protesters not to attend the event, arguing that pageants "empower" women.
She said: "Appreciating beauty should not cause anger. Women enter beauty pageants at their own will, they are not forced into it. I don't understand why feminists think it is degrading, as pageants are actually empowering women. Ask any of the contestants.
"Pageants give the girls confidence and give them opportunities they may not otherwise have had and I can speak from experience. I don't think the protesters understand that Miss World do many amazing things, including raising millions for Beauty With A Purpose, every year."
The 60th Miss World final will bring together contestants from 122 countries, back in the city where it all began. It started in 1951 during the Festival of Britain on the South Bank of the River Thames.
Miss England director Angie Beasley said the contest "had changed with the times" and was no longer just about looking good in swimwear. She said: "I'm all for women standing up for what they believe in which is why I run Miss England but I'm fed up of these protesters trying to bully us and push us around. We live in a free society where women have the right to choose. The contestants in Miss World are quite capable of making up their own minds if they want to enter or not and protesters shouldn't keep criticising the same decision. If you don't like it, don't watch it."
The winner of Miss World will spend a year visiting and supporting a range of global charity projects supported by Miss World's Beauty With A Purpose programme.
The Treasury should help councils cover a multimillion-pound bill to upgrade parking meters to take new coins, it has been claimed.
The Local Government Association (LGA) said Treasury plans to change the way 5p and 10p coins are made meant they would be 11% thicker - meaning many current machines will not accept them.
Upgrading thousands of parking machines to accept the thicker coins will cost councils in England and Wales £5.5 million and the LGA said the Treasury should foot the bill.
From January, the new coins are set to be minted using steel instead of copper and while they will have the same weight and diameter, the coins will be 11% thicker. Estimates suggest the Treasury will save £176 million by using the cheaper metal.
The LGA also called for an urgent decision on whether changes will be made to the £1 coin to ensure councils are not caught out a second time.
Councillor Peter Box, chairman of the LGA's economy and transport board, said: "Councils across the country are striving to continue providing vital services while managing deep funding cuts from Government. The cost and effort of updating parking machines is an extra burden they could do without. This is cash which could be spent on filling potholes or concessionary bus travel for the elderly.
"There are also other coin-operated machines which councils use every day, such as in libraries. These too will need to be updated in the majority of cases. It's understandable why the Treasury is changing these coins, but with such huge savings predicted surely it should pick up the tab for machine upgrades rather than force councils to divert money away from people who really need it."
The LGA said different councils would face different bills. Wakefield would need to spend £22,720 on 92 machines, Leicester City £18,000 on 200 machines and Watford Borough £13,500 on 56 machines.
A Treasury spokesman said: "Making new 5p and 10p coins out of nickel-plated steel will save the taxpayer a significant amount of money. Many countries, such as Canada, New Zealand and Russia, have already moved towards lower-cost coinage as a way of reducing spending.
"The Government consulted before deciding on the change, and the introduction of the new coins has already been delayed to allow industry - including local councils - time to prepare. We also anticipate it will take many months for the new coins to reach significant circulation levels, giving extra time to adapt or replace machines and substantially reduce costs."
Several people have been killed and dozens of others injured in a horrific motorway pile-up which triggered a "massive fireball" on the carriageway.
Around 27 vehicles, including a number of articulated lorries, were involved in the devastating crash, described by emergency workers as "the worst road traffic collision anyone can remember".
Avon and Somerset Police said "some" people lost their lives and around 35 people were injured in the tragedy, which happened in wet and foggy conditions on the M5 in Somerset on Friday night.
Assistant Chief Constable Anthony Bangham said a number of passengers were unable to escape from their burning cars, some of which were razed to the ground.
"At around 8.25pm yesterday there was a multiple collision around junction 25 of the northbound carriageway of the M5," he said.
"This involved a large number of cars and also articulated lorries and up to about 27 vehicles in total. The accident resulted in a large number of casualties.
"Up to 35 people were injured - some of those seriously - and tragically a number have lost their lives as a result."
The officer continued: "The emergency services have been working tirelessly. The incident was very, very challenging and on arrival crews were faced with literally one massive fireball.
"Most vehicles were well alight and most continued to burn for a considerable time. This made it very difficult to search the vehicles. Some of them have been burned to the ground."
Mr Bangham added that an emergency number - 0800 092 0410 - has been launched for members of the public who are worried about the welfare of a friend or loved one.
Greece looks set to embrace a financial rescue plan after embattled prime minister George Papandreou won a knife-edge parliamentary confidence vote.
The development soothed fears that political turmoil in Athens was set to deepen with fatal consequences for the European bailout package being urged on the near-bankrupt country.
To the relief of world leaders grappling with the eurozone debt crisis, fresh elections have been averted and Mr Papandreou can initiate talks on the formation of a new government.
Crucially, the proposed coalition administration will secure the terms of the bailout after days of market anxiety that it would be rejected, deepening the eurozone crisis yet further.
World leaders drew a blank in their efforts to resolve the wider eurozone crisis as a G20 summit ended with no agreement on crucial measures to shore up ailing economies.
The Group of 20 leading economies failed to thrash out a detailed plan to stabilise the single currency or to boost the International Monetary Fund's ability to respond to emergencies.
Prime Minister David Cameron warned squabbling eurozone leaders that "the world can't wait" for them to finalise plans to bailout Greece, recapitalise banks and erect a one trillion euro (£870 billion) "firewall" to protect the single currency.
He acknowledged that the ongoing uncertainty in the eurozone was having a "chilling" effect on the British economy.
Speaking at the conclusion of the two-day summit in the French Riviera resort of Cannes, Mr Cameron made clear Britain is preparing for Greece's possible departure from the euro, saying it was time for Athens to take decisive action "one way or the other".
He insisted once again that Britain will not contribute directly or indirectly to any bailout of the euro, but he said the UK stood ready to help beef up the IMF's lending capacity with additional money, within limits already approved by Parliament.
A group of activists who have recreated the famous 1936 Jarrow March for Jobs will complete their 330-mile journey by highlighting the growing "crisis" of youth unemployment.
Dozens of people have taken part in the trek from the North East to London, where a rally on Saturday will be addressed by politicians and union leaders.
Youth Fight for Jobs, which organised the march, will hand in a petition to 10 Downing Street calling for a huge Government job scheme, apprenticeships, the reinstatement of the Education Maintenance Allowance, the reopening of axed youth services and action on tuition fees.
Spokeswoman Claire Laker Mansfield said: "Young people have shown that far from being lazy or scroungers, they want a future with decent jobs and education. The marchers have received huge support up and down the country. People have fed them, put them up and made it clear they back our demands.
"We think it is unfair that in the 21st century young people are facing long-term unemployment. There are almost a million young people out of work, and the jobs market is not getting any better."
Great-grandchildren of those who took part in the original march 75 years ago were among those taking part in the protest march, which started on October 1.
In 1936, 200 jobless men marched from Jarrow in north east England to London with a 12,000-name petition calling for government action to create jobs.
The head of the UK Border Force has been suspended amid claims that passport checks for non-EU nationals were quietly dropped this summer.
Brodie Clark is one of three senior officials thought to have been suspended while an investigation into the allegations is conducted.
The Home Office refused to comment on a report that guards at the Border Force - part of the UK Border Agency - had been told not to bother with certain passport checks.
But a spokesman said: "Head of UKBA Border Force Brodie Clark has been suspended."
Confirmation of Mr Clark's suspension came after the Daily Mail reported that border checks had been relaxed earlier this year without the knowledge of ministers.
According to the paper, border guards were told not to bother checking biometric chips on the passports of citizens from outside the EU to ensure they are not fraudsters.
The guards were also instructed not to bother checking fingerprints and other personal details against a Home Office database of terror suspects and illegal immigrants, it said.
The chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee described the suspensions as "extraordinary" and said he would be questioning Home Secretary Theresa May about the issue on Tuesday.
Keith Vaz, a Labour MP, said: "These developments are extraordinary in that they involve such senior members of the UK Border Agency. Only a day after the publication of our report which concluded that the Border Agency continues to fail we have this remarkable news.
"We will question the Home Secretary about this on Tuesday when she comes before the committee. If her answers do not satisfy us I am sure the committee will want to conduct its own inquiry. The Border Police are supposed to keep people out, not let people in."
The top leader of Colombia's main leftist rebel group has been killed in a military raid, officials said.
Alfonso Cano was killed in Cauca state during an air and ground assault by Colombia's military, the officials claimed.
A five million US dollar (£3.1 million) reward had been out for Cano, who was the commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc).
"The fingerprints matched," said one senior security official, adding that Cano was killed in "a standard military operation" in Cauca state.
Cano, 53, had been the top target of Colombian authorities since September 2010, when they killed the insurgency's military chief, Mono Jojoy, also in a bombing raid.
The reward had been out for Cano, a Bogota intellectual who took command of Latin America's last remaining rebel army after the 2008 death of its co-founder, Manuel Marulanda.
The governor of Cauca state, Alberto Gonzalez, confirmed the death. His state has in recent months been a location of increased Farc violence.
Cano's body is being taken to Popayan, the Cauca state capital.
A soldier shot dead in Afghanistan while "standing firm" against an insurgent attack had only been in the Army for a few months, the Ministry of Defence has said.
Private Matthew Haseldin, 21, from 2nd Battalion, The Mercian Regiment, was killed when his patrol was attacked in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand Province.
His parents, Alan and Jill, said: "Matthew was a loving son and we are very proud of him.
"He had only been in the Army for a few months. Friends and family will miss him greatly. Rest in peace."
Pte Haseldin, from Settle, North Yorkshire, was part of an operation to maintain freedom of movement for the local population when the group was attacked by insurgents.
His patrol was carrying out a check on Thursday when they came under sustained small arms fire and "underslung grenades during which Private Haseldin was fatally wounded", the MoD said.
Lieutenant Colonel Colin Marks, Commanding Officer 2 Mercian and Combined Force Burma, said: "Although Private Matthew Haseldin had only served a short time with C Company Group, he stood out as a young man of immense character, who had travelled widely and was mature beyond his years.
"Hugely popular, it was impossible to tell that he was the newest member of 7 Platoon, all of whom loved him like a brother.
"Steadfast in battle, Matthew faced more challenges in the few short weeks he spent in Helmand than many soldiers experience in a lifetime. He died standing firm in the face of a determined enemy, in the highest traditions of The Mercian Regiment."
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said: "By all accounts he was a professional soldier and, despite only a brief time in the Army, had won many true and loyal friends. He has paid the ultimate sacrifice whilst serving the nation, and my thoughts are with his family and friends at this tragic time."
