![Image]( "Soldiers honoured for canal rescue")
Two soldiers who dived into a freezing canal to rescue a comrade after he was blown up by a Taliban bomb have been awarded the Queen's Commendation for Bravery.
Second Lieutenant Connor Maxwell, 22, and Rifleman Daniel Nickson, 23, both of 3rd Battalion the Rifles, pulled the unconscious soldier out of the 3ft deep water and evacuated him so he could receive medical treatment.
Rfn Nickson, from Darlington, County Durham, was hailed for his "courage and selflessness" in risking his own life by leaping into the fast-flowing canal in Helmand on December 15 last year.
Lt Maxwell, from Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire, was also praised for saving the life of a serviceman who was wounded by an improvised explosive device (IED) during training on the firing ranges at Camp Bastion, the main Nato base in Helmand.
A total of 131 servicemen and women - most of whom served in 11 Light Brigade's bloody tour of Afghanistan between October 2009 and April this year - have been awarded medals in the latest military honours list, nine posthumously.
Acting Corporal Andrew Wardle, 22, of 2nd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment, receives the Military Cross for his bravery during his tour of Helmand mentoring Afghan soldiers. On one occasion, he refused treatment and fought off a Taliban attack after suffering concussion when he was knocked to the ground by a rocket-propelled grenade.
Two days later, Cpl Wardle, from Hetton-le-Hole, Sunderland, ran 50m (160ft) across open ground in full view of the enemy to rescue an injured Afghan child. His medal citation said: "He has displayed selfless and repeated acts of exemplary gallantry in the face of the enemy."
Warrant Officer Class 2 Patrick Hyde, 34, of 4th Battalion the Rifles, is awarded a Mention in Despatches for his "exemplary gallantry". During his six months in Afghanistan, IEDs blew up the vehicle he was in six times, there were three near-misses and four bombs hit other vehicles in the convoy he was commanding.
WO2 Hyde, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, also personally oversaw the medical evacuation of 10 members of his company and four Afghan children with fatal wounds. The soldier's citation said his "selfless commitment and bravery" in the face of continued attack were an "inspiration".
The honours will be presented at a later date.
Catholics are being encouraged to make their faith more visible by saying "God bless you" and making the Sign of the Cross more often.
The advice, in a letter from the Archbishop of Westminster, comes a week after the Pope's state visit to Britain.
The Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, said the historic four-day trip by Benedict XVI brought "such joy" and gave "a great boost to so many", providing believers with "new heart" for their mission.
He called on Catholics to respond to the Pope's hope that they will become "ever more conscious of their dignity as a priestly people".
"With the blessings of this visit we can be more confident in our faith and more ready to speak about it and let it be seen each day," the Archbishop wrote. "A small step we can all take is to be quicker to say to others that we will pray for them, especially to those in distress.
"Even the simple step of more regularly using the greeting 'God bless you', gently and naturally, would make a difference to the tone we set in our daily lives as would the more frequent use of the Sign of the Cross.
"Making faith visible is so much a part of the invitation the Holy Father has extended to us all."
Archbishop Nichols thanked the Queen for inviting the Pope to Britain as well as those who worked to prepare for the visit through "difficulties, doubts and criticism".
He said that during the pontiff's four "marvellous and unforgettable" days in Britain, Catholics had "glimpsed the beauty of holiness".
"I will never forget the richness of the silence of 80,000 people at prayer before the Blessed Sacrament in Hyde Park," he wrote.
A freak storm has blasted through Haiti's capital, killing at least five earthquake survivors as it tore down trees, billboards and tent homes, authorities said.
Three adults and two children were killed in the tarp, tent and shack camps that still dominate Port-au-Prince more than eight months after the January 12 earthquake, civil protection head Marie Alta Jean-Baptiste told the Associated Press. Several more were injured.
"We are investigating to see how many tents and camps were damaged," Ms Jean-Baptiste said.
The storm passed through the mountain-ringed bowl of the Haitian capital, exposing rubble-filled neighbourhoods to wind and rain at levels far below a sustained tropical storm. But that was enough to provoke panic and chaos, especially in encampments still home to more than 1.3 million people.
Gales sent tarps and poles flying, threw tin roofs into the sky and opened family shacks to falling rain. Wind rattled walls and windows of standing buildings with a clamour reminiscent of the quake itself.
"It was just a storm. Just a wind put us in a corner!" said Bresil Vignion, standing in the wreckage of his family's tin shack in a camp along the Canape-Vert road. "Tonight we don't know where we are going to sleep."
Reports of storm damage and deaths were slow to filter in as mobile phone reception remained degraded hours after the storm passed.
The sudden storm was not associated with any tropical system, Michael Lowry of the US National Hurricane Centre told AP. Meteorologists saw only a low-pressure system move across the Greater Antilles.
But for those living in this ravaged city, where reconstruction has barely begun, it was a forceful reminder of the danger still posed to a vulnerable country by an active Atlantic hurricane season months from being over.
"After what happened today, we hope we don't get a second one like it," said Patricia Pierre-Saint, a 47-year-old phone-card vendor who lost her home, child and husband in the quake.
David Beckham is suing a magazine on the grounds it knowingly published false claims about his private life.
Lawyers for the England star filed the suit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday.
The lawsuit accuses Delaware-based Bauer Publishing Company LP and its affiliates of libel, slander and intentional infliction of emotional distress for the In Touch magazine article.
It also names Irma Nici, who is quoted as having made the allegations about the former England football captain.
Beckham's publicist Jeff Raymond said suits are being filed in other jurisdictions including Germany, where Bauer's parent corporation is located.
Foreign Secretary William Hague has pledged international support for Yemen to help the troubled country tackle a rising Islamic terrorism threat.
Mr Hague co-chaired a fringe meeting at the UN General Assembly on Friday aimed at preventing the collapse of the poverty-stricken Middle Eastern state.
Ministers from 22 nations as well as officials from the UN, EU, Gulf Co-operation Council, Arab League, IMF and the World Bank called for the creation of a development fund for Yemen and better co-ordination of foreign aid.
They also backed an International Monetary Fund scheme to restructure Yemen's economy.
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Hague said: "(The) meeting showed the breadth and depth of international commitment to help address the challenges Yemen faces.
"The Friends of Yemen agreed targeted measures which demonstrate that we support the Government of Yemen and its people in pursuit of stability, security and sustainable development.
"I strongly welcome the offer of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to host another meeting to review progress in Riyadh in early 2011."
The Archbishop of Canterbury has said he has "no problem" with gay people being bishops as long as they remain celibate.
Dr Rowan Williams signalled his personal support for the consecration of gay bishops in the Church of England.
But he said he would never endorse bishops in active homosexual relationships because of tradition and historical "standards" that require gay clergy to remain celibate.
His comments, made in an interview with The Times, sparked accusations from equality campaigners that he was putting Church unity above the rights of gay and lesbian people.
He also risks deepening divisions within the Church of England and the wider Anglican communion.
Liberals are likely to be angered by the Archbishop's insistence that celibacy must be compulsory for homosexual clergy but not for heterosexuals, while Conservatives would argue his stance puts him at odds with Church teaching.
Dr Williams also revealed he will retire before his full term as Archbishop ends in 10 years, saying: "I will not be doing this job when I'm 70."
He said that he had been "conscious" of the issue of homosexuality as "a wound in the whole ministry" since his appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury in 2002.
But he said he had to decide against endorsing gay relationships for clergy and bishops because "the cost to the Church overall was too great to be borne at that point".
He said: "To put it very simply, there's no problem about a gay person who's a bishop. It's about the fact that there are traditionally, historically, standards that the clergy are expected to observe. So there's always a question about the personal life of the clergy."
A lot of work has been done in recent days to get facilities ready for the Commonwealth Games in India, but much more work is needed with the international sporting event starting in just over a week, the head of the Commonwealth Games has said.
With criticism of the filthy athletes' village and other infrastructure problems escalating over the past week - and some teams threatening a possible pullout - Indian officials sent hundreds or extra workers to get the facilities in shape before the game.
Commonwealth Games Federation President Mike Fennell, who rushed to India this week to deal with the problems, told reporters that significant work had been done in recent days.
"There's still a lot of work to be done, to do the final touches, and there's more work in the village. It's not over yet," he said.
Regardless of the ongoing concerns, the first foreign competitors - the English hockey and lawn bowling teams - arrived on Friday. Although they will stay in hotels before moving to the village, their arrival eased concerns about a mass pullout that could threaten the event, scheduled to start on October 3.
New Zealand and Australia, both harsh critics of India's preparations, also said their athletes would attend.
"I am very happy that today we are recording that there will be full participation in the games," Fennell said.
India's image has been battered for days by negative publicity over its last-minute, frantic preparations for the Olympic-style competition that brings together about 7,000 athletes and officials from 71 countries and territories. The prime minister and New Delhi's mayor got involved to deal with the dirty games' village, dangerous construction, swarms of disease-carrying mosquitoes and security fears.
Chris Jenkins, Wales' chef de mission, said it was clear that in the last few days far more resources were brought to bear to finish the preparations. "Over the last 48, 72 hours things have improved appreciably," he said.
City officials deployed as many as 1,000 mop- and bucket-carrying workers to clean the village and make repairs. Hundreds more workers were scattered across the city, doing everything from painting lines on roads and laying fresh grass in front of officials' houses to spraying mosquitoes. Police roadblocks and teams of soldiers with assault rifles have become commonplace.
Labour's five leadership hopefuls will today finally discover who has won the race to succeed Gordon Brown.
The result will be announced at the same time as the final whistle blows in football matches around the country - around 4.45pm - bringing a close to the gruelling four-month contest.
Bookmakers are tipping Ed Miliband to pip his brother David to the post, having trailed in the betting until Friday.
Diane Abbott, Ed Balls and Andy Burnham will also discover how they have fared in the eyes of Labour's complex electoral college, but it would be a shock if the winner came from outside the Miliband family.
Labour members will gather in Manchester at 4pm for the leadership announcement, and will hear speeches from interim leader Harriet Harman, her predecessor Mr Brown, and general secretary Ray Collins.
Backstage, the five candidates will be told the results as national executive committee chair Ann Black is introduced to the hall as the person who will reveal the winner. The contenders will have to keep their emotions in check as they are then led to seats at the front of the audience, and Ms Black begins announcing the official results.
She will start with Ms Abbott - candidates are ranked alphabetically - revealing what percentage the Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP received in votes from the party membership, MPs and MEPs, and affiliated organisations including the unions. This will then be translated into an overall electoral college percentage figure.
Results for Mr Balls, Mr Burnham and the Milibands will follow, with all hoping to have achieved the magic 50% plus one figure for outright success.
If nobody hits that mark - and with five candidates, it is unlikely to happen in the first round - the person with the lowest percentage will be eliminated and their second preference votes reallocated.
The updated results will then be read out, and the process repeated until one candidate can be declared the winner - and new Labour party leader.
A man who was shot dead on a city street had been on his way to a wedding fayre with his fiance, his family said.
Open University student Kevin Bond, 30, was a "devoted" father-of-one, his mother Jackie said in a tribute.
Mr Bond, from Manchester, was killed last Sunday after getting out of his car at traffic lights to speak to the occupants of a vehicle behind him .
In a statement released by Greater Manchester Police (GMP), his mother said: "Kevin was devoted to his family and friends, he adored his daughter and was extremely proud of his two younger sisters. He was articulate and enthusiastic in everything he did. Kevin had been studying social science at the Open University - his education was paramount to him and he recently completed eight full university foundation awards in sociology and psychology.
"Kevin also had a diploma in sports and nutrition and would always try to convert family and friends into eating healthier. An 'absolute gentleman' was how he was regarded by his former tutor. On Sunday afternoon Kevin and his girlfriend were on their way to a wedding fayre, they'd been planning their wedding like any normal young couple. Kevin wasn't an angel or a saint but he certainly didn't deserve to be murdered.
"My family and I will continue to work tirelessly with the police to help bring the person or people involved in his death to justice."
Police said Mr Bond was a passenger in a Seat Leon that was stopped at traffic lights on Rowlands Way and Simonsway, Wythenshawe, at around 2pm last Sunday. He got out of his vehicle and walked over to a silver car that was stopped behind the Seat and was shot in the stomach. Mr Bond was taken to hospital and underwent emergency surgery but died a short time later.
Detective Superintendent Mary Doyle, who is leading the investigation for GMP's Major Incident Team, said: "We are determined to find the people responsible for killing Kevin and the people in those cars might be able to tell us something that will help our investigation.
"We know that it must be terrifying for people to see a man shot in the street like this but please do not be afraid to come forward and tell us what you know. Information can be treated in the strictest of confidence and there are special measures that can be put in place to protect witnesses. We have used these measures before and they have helped us secure convictions in numerous cases."
Anyone with information is asked to call the Major Incident Team on 0161 856 2039 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Members of a multiple sclerosis charity have endorsed plans for a shake-up of its respite care which may include closing its four residential centres.
Demonstrators assembled outside the AGM of the MS Society to protest against the possible closures.
It plans to close them by the end of next year, aiming instead to offer more personalised forms of treatment and help members have holidays.
The centres in York, Surrey, Warwickshire and East Lothian face closure if they are not taken over by other organisations.
Members voted by 2:1 (60%) at the AGM at a hotel in Wembley, north west London, in favour of its Board of Trustees' decision for the future of the Society's respite care, a spokeswoman for the charity said. She added: "We are pleased that members have voted in favour of the Society's decision to update the way in which we provide respite care.
"This will ensure that more people affected by MS will be able to access short breaks that are right for them, wherever they live and whatever their needs. The current four centres are excellent but are not used by the overwhelming majority of people with MS who need respite care (95%)."
A vote of no confidence in the Board tabled by two members was lost, the spokeswoman said.
Campaigners fear closure of the centres is the more likely option because they have equipment, such as ceiling-mounted hoists, which is highly specialised for MS patients.
Sue Tilley, who has had MS for 36 years and is a former MS Society Trustee, told the BBC earlier: "It really is extremely important. For many it's the specialised care that they get. Our homes only cater for people with MS so they're with staff that understand exactly what their problems are, they don't have to explain what the problems are to any of the other guests.
"They are expensive. It costs the society £2.7 million a year in the subsidy, but we've known this for years. Respite homes are different to long-stay homes and they do cost money, but that's what people give money to the society for."
Police are investigating the cause of a motorway crash in which a two people died after their car burst into flames.
A man and a woman were travelling southbound on the M5 near Bridgewater, Somerset, in a white Citroen BX which ended up on the hard shoulder and caught fire, police said.
A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police said the car may have been travelling very slowly or was stationary prior to the incident.
They appealed for witnesses to the incident.
Police closed the southbound carriageway of the motorway at junction 23 near Bridgwater after the incident which happened at 7.38pm on Friday.
Witnesses to the crash are asked to contact police on 0845 456 7000.
Labour's new leader Ed Miliband has vowed to take the party forward as a united team after beating his older brother David by a wafer-thin majority.
The vote was split 50.65% to 49.35% in the race to succeed Gordon Brown.
In a speech immediately after being declared leader, Mr Miliband promised voters that "I get it" about the reasons for Labour's defeat in the May General Election, and understood the need for the party to change.
He said that a "new generation that understands the call to change" had taken charge of Labour today.
Ed Miliband said: "I am proud of the leadership of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown but we lost the election and lost it badly. My message to the country is this - I know we lost trust, I know we lost touch, I know we need to change. Today, a new generation has taken charge of Labour - a new generation that understands the call to change."
Mr Miliband was named leader in the fourth round of vote-counting at a special leadership conference in Manchester, benefiting from the redistributed votes of eliminated candidates Diane Abbott, Andy Burnham and Ed Balls, after trailing David through the first three rounds.
Former Labour cabinet minister David Blunkett said the new leader and his brother had to form a united front.
He said: "We've never seen anything quite like what we've had, with two brothers neck and neck. These are brothers. They're blood brothers. They can't afford to fall out in the way we had with Tony and Gordon, and neither can we."
Ms Abbott said Mr Miliband would make an "excellent" leader and added that she was proud of her campaign despite being the first to be eliminated.
"I ran the course, I said the things I felt needed to be said, and I think now the party is ready to unite behind Ed. I think Ed is going to make a fantastic leader," she said. Asked if she wanted a place in his shadow cabinet, she said: "I want to have a drink."
Police have refused to comment on a report that a spy found dead in a holdall could not have died alone.
Gareth Williams, 31, was on secondment at the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, from GCHQ in Cheltenham, when he was found dead last month.
His naked body was discovered in a padlocked North Face holdall placed in the bath of his flat in Pimlico, London. Mystery surrounds his death and police continue to investigate. They regard the case as "suspicious and unexplained".
The Daily Mail said police were certain he was padlocked into the large holdall by someone else. It said he was alive when he got into, or was forced into, the bag, and died from suffocation.
There have previously also been reports elsewhere that Mr Williams died alone.
Scotland Yard declined to comment on the new claim, or a suggestion in the same story that the outer door of Mr Williams' Government flat in Pimlico, central London, had been locked from the outside.
The Yard has previously announced that it wants to identify a man and woman, both of Mediterranean appearance and aged between 20 and 30, who were let into the communal entrance of his flat late one evening in June or July. The Mail reported that they are understood to have had a set of keys to the flat, though again the Yard had no comment.
The report comes a day after Mr Williams' funeral in North Wales.
The head of MI6, Sir John Sawers, made the journey from London to the small Bethel Methodist Chapel in Anglesey to support Mr Williams' family and represent the maths genius's colleagues who could not attend. Outside church, when asked if the investigation would ever get to the bottom of what happened to Mr Williams, Sir John said it was not for him to say.
He insisted it was a police matter and said: "It has been a desperately sad period for the family since Gareth died. It has been very difficult for them and I wanted to be here today as the only public face of the Secret Intelligence Service. My deepest sympathies go to the family."
Detectives in the UK are investigating the disappearance of a 25-year-old Briton in Pakistan, police said.
Mohammed Harris Iqbal was last seen leaving his rented home in the country's southern Sindh province on September 15 and it is believed he may have been kidnapped for a ransom.
West Midlands Police are working with their colleagues in Pakistan to find Mr Iqbal, who is originally from Sparkhill, Birmingham.
A statement from the force said: "We are aware of the concerns raised by the family of Mohammed Harris Iqbal and his whereabouts. We are working with his family and the authorities in Pakistan to support any investigation."
It is still not known whether Mr Iqbal has been kidnapped or if he has disappeared by his own volition.
A spokeswoman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "British embassy officials in Pakistan are working closely with the Pakistani authorities. We are providing consular assistance to the family and we would urge the media not to speculate until we have more information."
Speaking from Pakistan, the British national's father Iqbal Khan told the BBC: "We had been trying to get in touch as nobody had seen him since the 15th. My daughter, who was trying his cell phone, finally got through, but a stranger answered.
"He said 'We have your son and you must pay us 10 million rupees (£140,000) in ransom'."
Mr Khan said his son had been beaten and had begged for help after being allowed to speak on the phone to his mother. He added the kidnappers called again and raised the ransom to 20 million rupees (£280,000).
Mr Khan said his son, a business student, had travelled to Pakistan to set up a company in the country and had been looking for potential opportunities.
A six-year-old boy has died after being struck by a car while riding his bicycle, police said.
The youngster, who has not been named, suffered serious injuries when he collided with a Ford Maverick at around 1.45pm in Gloucester Crescent, Hindley, Greater Manchester.
He was taken to Wigan Royal Infirmary for treatment but later died.
Nobody else was injured in the crash, a spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said.
Traffic police are appealing for witnesses to call 0161 856 7201.
A motor rally has been cancelled after a driver was killed and his navigator injured during the event.
Jimmy Girvan, 56, a former Scottish rally champion from the Inverness area, was killed in a crash at the Colin McRae Rally in Perthshire.
He died at the scene after the car he was driving collided with boulders and left the road, crashing into trees.
The accident happened shortly before 1pm during the forest stages of the rally on a section of the course known as Griffin, to the east of Aberfeldy.
Mr Girvan's navigator and main sponsor, Mike Ramsay, was cut free from the vehicle and treated at the scene before being taken by ambulance to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.
Police said his injuries were not serious.
Event organisers cancelled the rally immediately after the accident as a mark of respect.
The section of road where the crash took place was closed off to allow police investigators to examine the scene and safely remove the rally car. A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal, and the Health and Safety Executive has also been informed.
Chief Inspector Sandy Bowman, head of road policing in Tayside, said: "Our thoughts are with Jimmy's family, friends and wider motor sport community at this very sad time."
The rally is held in memory of Scottish rally champion Colin McRae. He was killed in a helicopter accident in 2007, along with his young son, Johnny, and two friends.
Prince Michael of Kent has dismissed speculation about the state of his marriage, saying although he and his wife spend a "lot of time apart" they have a "tremendous" relationship.
In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, the Queen's cousin, who has been married to Princess Michael for 32 years, said their separate interests made for a "richer" life together.
He said: "I think people put two and two together and make five. We spend a lot of time apart. The Princess is a writer and she likes to get to write. We both have different interests and, although some coincide, this makes for a much richer life than always doing the same thing. So we have a tremendous (married) life and we enjoy practically all of it."
Michael, 68, also spoke of an "ugly period" in 2002 when the Kents were asked by the Queen to leave their apartment at Kensington Palace or pay a market rent.
The couple were given the use of the grace and favour apartment as a wedding present.
Eventually, the Queen agreed to pay their rent - now £120,000 a year - for seven years. But since January, the couple have paid it themselves.
Michael said: "It was an ugly period for us, but thank God that is now in the past. It was resolved with the help of the Queen."
The Labour Party conference will begin under the leadership of Ed Miliband after he dramatically won the top job by a wafer-thin majority over his brother David.
As activists arrive in Manchester for the annual gathering, the new Opposition leader will set out his vision for taking on the Tory-Lib Dem Government in a high-profile television interview.
He wasted no time in attacking the Government, pledging at his first party event on Saturday night to work "every hour of every day" to remove David Cameron from Downing Street.
And as the Tories quickly seized on his reliance on trade union votes to secure the leadership as evidence of a shift to the left, he used a newspaper article to say he was "on the side of the squeezed middle".
Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, he conceded that Labour had "a lot of ground to make up" and faced a "long journey" to get back into government but said he approached the challenge with "relish".
He said he would ensure the party recognised its mistakes - over issues such as housing, immigration, student fees and the Iraq war - acted as a responsible opposition and presented a "constructive" alternative.
"We need to accept the mistakes we made in these areas and show that we have changed. We must never again lose touch with the mainstream of our country," he said.
Labour would "not oppose every cut" to be put forward in the coalition's radical deficit reduction plans next month, recognising that in some areas "public services will now need to learn to do more with less", he said.
"But, that does not mean simply swallowing the programme of cuts the Government is setting out.
"It is not just that too often they penalise people who had no hand in causing the crisis, while protecting those that did. It is also that the wrong cuts at the wrong time will put recovery at risk," he went on.
Two soldiers who dived into a freezing canal to rescue a comrade after he was blown up by a Taliban bomb have been awarded the Queen's Commendation for Bravery.
Second Lieutenant Connor Maxwell, 22, and Rifleman Daniel Nickson, 23, both of 3rd Battalion the Rifles, pulled the unconscious soldier out of the 3ft deep water and evacuated him so he could receive medical treatment.
Rfn Nickson, from Darlington, County Durham, was hailed for his "courage and selflessness" in risking his own life by leaping into the fast-flowing canal in Helmand on December 15 last year.
Lt Maxwell, from Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire, was also praised for saving the life of a serviceman who was wounded by an improvised explosive device (IED) during training on the firing ranges at Camp Bastion, the main Nato base in Helmand.
A total of 131 servicemen and women - most of whom served in 11 Light Brigade's bloody tour of Afghanistan between October 2009 and April this year - have been awarded medals in the latest military honours list, nine posthumously.
Acting Corporal Andrew Wardle, 22, of 2nd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment, receives the Military Cross for his bravery during his tour of Helmand mentoring Afghan soldiers. On one occasion, he refused treatment and fought off a Taliban attack after suffering concussion when he was knocked to the ground by a rocket-propelled grenade.
Two days later, Cpl Wardle, from Hetton-le-Hole, Sunderland, ran 50m (160ft) across open ground in full view of the enemy to rescue an injured Afghan child. His medal citation said: "He has displayed selfless and repeated acts of exemplary gallantry in the face of the enemy."
Warrant Officer Class 2 Patrick Hyde, 34, of 4th Battalion the Rifles, is awarded a Mention in Despatches for his "exemplary gallantry". During his six months in Afghanistan, IEDs blew up the vehicle he was in six times, there were three near-misses and four bombs hit other vehicles in the convoy he was commanding.
WO2 Hyde, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, also personally oversaw the medical evacuation of 10 members of his company and four Afghan children with fatal wounds. The soldier's citation said his "selfless commitment and bravery" in the face of continued attack were an "inspiration".
The honours will be presented at a later date.
A six-year-old boy has died after being struck by a car while riding his bicycle, police said.
The youngster, who has not been named, suffered serious injuries when he collided with a Ford Maverick at around 1.45pm in Gloucester Crescent, Hindley, Greater Manchester.
He was taken to Wigan Royal Infirmary for treatment but later died.
Nobody else was injured in the crash, a spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said.
Traffic police are appealing for witnesses to call 0161 856 7201.
Hundreds of wealthy taxpayers have been sent letters by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) over possible large-scale tax evasion as part of an effort to clampdown on tax dodgers.
It is understood that most of the letters relate to offshore bank accounts held at HSBC in Switzerland after HMRC acquired a list of well-off individuals with accounts at the bank.
The letters sent out are known as Code of Practice 9 and advise the recipients that HMRC will investigate any situation of suspected serious tax fraud.
An HMRC spokesman said: "The days of hiding money offshore to evade tax are now over."
The news comes after the coalition Government announced a crackdown on tax avoidance.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg warned that the coalition would come down "as hard on tax cheats as on benefit cheats".
Tax evasion is estimated to cost the Treasury £7 billion each year in uncollected revenues, and avoidance the same again.
HMRC's accounts for 2009-10 stated that losses from written-off or remitted tax debt stood at £6.3 billion.
It was reported that HMRC was given the list of wealthy account holders by French prosecutors. It is understood the list was stolen by a former HSBC employee in Switzerland.
A spokesman for the bank said: "We do not condone tax evasion", but would not comment on the incident.
