A review of US government records found no information about BP seeking to secure the release of the Lockerbie bomber, a State Department official said.
The official made the comment at a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which is investigating whether the oil company had sought the release of Libyan Abdel Baset al-Megrahi to help get a £570 million exploration agreement with Libya off the ground.
In prepared testimony, Nancy McEldowney, a principal deputy assistant secretary, said the department has "not identified any materials, beyond publicly available statements and correspondence, concerning attempts by BP or other companies to influence matters" related to al-Megrahi's release.
BP has acknowledged that it urged the British government to sign a prisoner transfer agreement with Libya, but stressed it did not specify al-Megrahi's case.
He served eight years of a life sentence for the 1988, bombing, which killed all 259 people on board, mostly Americans, and 11 people on the ground.
Scotland's government released the cancer victim on compassionate grounds last year and he returned to Libya, outraging people on both sides of the Atlantic.
McEldowney noted that in 1998, the US and Britain wrote a letter to the secretary-general of the United Nations, outlining an agreement for al-Megrahi and another suspect, Amin Khalifa Fhimah, to be tried before a Scottish court established in the Netherlands. Al-Megrahi was convicted but Fhimah was acquitted.
The letter stated: "If found guilty, the two accused will serve their sentence in the United Kingdom." She said that back then, the US sought binding assurances that would happen, but the British countered that they could not legally bind the hands of future governments.
Wednesday's hearing was originally scheduled for July, but senators postponed it when they could not get the man they wanted to testify - outgoing BP chief executive Tony Hayward. The company instead offered up a regional vice president for Europe.
In a letter to Democratic Senator Robert Menendez this week, Hayward reiterated that BP had no involvement in al-Megrahi's release, and that "no BP witness nor document" could shed any light on the issue.
A review of US government records found no information about BP seeking to secure the release of the Lockerbie bomber, a State Department official said.
The official made the comment at a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which is investigating whether the oil company had sought the release of Libyan Abdel Baset al-Megrahi to help get a £570 million exploration agreement with Libya off the ground.
In prepared testimony, Nancy McEldowney, a principal deputy assistant secretary, said the department has "not identified any materials, beyond publicly available statements and correspondence, concerning attempts by BP or other companies to influence matters" related to al-Megrahi's release.
BP has acknowledged that it urged the British government to sign a prisoner transfer agreement with Libya, but stressed it did not specify al-Megrahi's case.
He served eight years of a life sentence for the 1988, bombing, which killed all 259 people on board, mostly Americans, and 11 people on the ground.
Scotland's government released the cancer victim on compassionate grounds last year and he returned to Libya, outraging people on both sides of the Atlantic.
McEldowney noted that in 1998, the US and Britain wrote a letter to the secretary-general of the United Nations, outlining an agreement for al-Megrahi and another suspect, Amin Khalifa Fhimah, to be tried before a Scottish court established in the Netherlands. Al-Megrahi was convicted but Fhimah was acquitted.
The letter stated: "If found guilty, the two accused will serve their sentence in the United Kingdom." She said that back then, the US sought binding assurances that would happen, but the British countered that they could not legally bind the hands of future governments.
Wednesday's hearing was originally scheduled for July, but senators postponed it when they could not get the man they wanted to testify - outgoing BP chief executive Tony Hayward. The company instead offered up a regional vice president for Europe.
In a letter to Democratic Senator Robert Menendez this week, Hayward reiterated that BP had no involvement in al-Megrahi's release, and that "no BP witness nor document" could shed any light on the issue.
Labour leader Ed Miliband has left the door open for his elder brother David to return to the party's front line after the former foreign secretary dramatically announced he was quitting the shadow cabinet.
David said he was returning to the backbenches in order to avoid becoming a "distraction" to his brother's effort to provide Labour with a fresh start.
He added it would also allow him to "recharge my political and intellectual batteries" and spend more time with his family.
The widely-expected announcement came four days after he lost out to Ed in the knife-edge ballot for the Labour leadership, and was hailed by his brother as a "thoughtful and gracious" move.
Speaking at the Labour conference in Manchester, Ed Miliband said: "He is my brother and I am very clear that, as leader of this party, my door is always open for him to serve in the future, either in opposition or back in government."
David - who spent the day with his family at his north London home - said he would remain MP for South Shields and would devote himself to developing the network of community organisers he set up as part of his leadership campaign.
In a letter to the chairman of his constituency party, he said he was confident that stepping back from the frontline was "the right decision for Ed, for the party and for me and the family".
He made clear he was not ruling out an eventual return to the front bench but refused to be drawn on whether his brother had privately urged him to stay.
Ed described him as "a massive talent" and added: "We would have been a stronger team with him in it, but I think he is right to have made the decision he did."
Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt has withdrawn his allegations that England players deliberately lost the third one-day international against Pakistan earlier this month in return for money.
Butt alleged that the England players had "accepted enormous amounts of money" following the match at the Brit Oval, which England lost by 23 runs.
The England players and management strongly refuted the claims and demanded and apology from Butt as they assessed their legal options.
The PCB chairman arrived in London this week to meet English officials and this evening released a statement in conjunction with the ECB, in which he withdrew his "misunderstood" comments.
"I wish personally and on behalf of the Pakistan Cricket Board to withdraw the comments I made concerning the England and Wales Cricket Board and each of the England players who played in the NatWest one-day international at the Brit Insurance Oval on Friday 17 September," the statement read.
"It is regrettable that there was a misunderstanding arising from my comments.
"I would like to make it quite clear that in the statements which I made I never intended to question the behaviour and integrity of the England players nor the ECB nor to suggest that any of them were involved in any corrupt practices or in a conspiracy against Pakistan cricket.
"In particular, I wish to make it clear that I have never seen any evidence of any wrongdoing by any England player or the ECB at any time.
"I deeply and sincerely regret that my statements have been interpreted to cast doubt upon the good names of the England players and the ECB and hope that this public withdrawal will draw a line under the matter."
Police marksmen feared gunman barrister Mark Saunders may have been preparing to commit "suicide by cop", an inquest heard.
One officer said colleagues considered whether Mr Saunders, 32, wanted to be killed during the armed siege at his Chelsea home.
Mr Saunders, a family law specialist, died in a hail of police bullets when he levelled a shotgun at officers after a five-hour stand-off.
An alcoholic, he sparked the siege by firing his shotgun through a kitchen window after a solitary binge-drinking session.
Firearms officers monitored his movements and their response on police radio channel 75 before the fatal shots at 9.32pm.
Coroner Dr Paul Knapman questioned Inspector Nicholas Bennett, who was in charge of the firearms teams, at Westminster Coroner's Court.
He said: "There is a rather inelegant expression from America known as 'suicide by cop'. Is it right to say that in the minutes before 9.32pm, you were listening on channel 75, did any person on channel 75 say, any of those firearms officers: 'Hang on, is he asking to be shot?' Or: 'Watch it, he might just be enticing us'. Did that come over from any of the officers who were watching?"
Mr Bennett replied: "No sir, not specifically. But it was a constant theme throughout the evening which was apparent."
Mr Saunders suffered fatal injuries when he was hit in the head and chest by five bullets at his £2.2 million Markham Square home on May 6 2008. He told police negotiators it would be "painless" to die and was seen putting the barrel of his 12-bore Beretta weapon in his mouth as he staggered around with a glass of wine.
The inquest has heard Mr Saunders repeatedly begged police to let him speak to his wife Elizabeth and a close friend as he wanted to say goodbye.
The BBC should do more to ensure it shows alternatives to gay stereotypes, according to a report.
The study, commissioned by the corporation, found lesbian, gay and bi-sexual (LGB) people wanted to see more positive depictions on screen and on air.
It stated: "In particular, they want to see more lesbian women and depictions of bisexual identity, as well as alternatives to stereotypes of gay men."
It also found heterosexual people, who identified themselves as being "comfortable" with the way gay people were portrayed, wanted an approach "broadly the same".
Ben Summerskill, chief executive of pressure group Stonewall, said: "The BBC is a hugely important part of our cultural glue and belongs to everybody. It's right that everyone in modern Britain should be reflected in its output.
"These findings confirm those of Stonewall research in recent years which show that both gay and heterosexual licence-payers want to see more realistic, incidental representations of gay people on their TV screens.
"We recognise the BBC has taken some steps forward in recent years and we're very pleased that it now intends to embed that progress."
The study found most people said they were comfortable with the portrayal of LGB people or did not feel strongly about it. The 18% who who said they were uncomfortable with it said scenes of "emotional and physical intimacy" were the main problem.
More than 2,000 people took part in the survey and the corporation also held a public consultation which got more than 9,400 responses.
Recommendations based on the report have been made to Director General Mark Thompson. Among them are that the BBC achieves "accurate and authentic portrayal of lesbian, gay and bisexual people".
Rescue efforts have resumed for 11 people missing after a huge hillside collapsed on a town in Mexico as a landslide in a neighbouring state killed 12 people.
The government delivered blankets and other supplies to survivors and others who fled their unstable homes for fear of more mudslides in Santa Maria de Tlahuitoltepec. Many sheltered under makeshift tents on the hills.
The landslide in the rain-soaked southern state of Oaxaca early on Tuesday caused nationwide alarm after local authorities initially said hundreds could be dead in the remote town, which had been blocked off by slides and a washed-out bridge. But hours later, when rescue workers finally reached the community, only 11 people were missing and none confirmed dead.
Heavy rains are hitting much of Mexico's south. In neighbouring Chiapas state, at least 12 people were killed on Wednesday by a landslide in Amatan.
"Unfortunately there has been a new landslide in Amatan, Chiapas. We are mobilising aid to help. The governor informed me of 12 deaths," President Felipe Calderon said by Twitter.
The chief of the Chiapas state civil protection emergency response agency, Salvador Cervantes, said the victims were buried when earth slid down a hill on to their homes.
In the Oaxaca slide, rains and unstable soil forced police and firefighters to suspend the rescue efforts for hours. The search resumed with picks, shovels and a bulldozer in the river of mud and stones that swept down the hillside.
Among the missing were the town's chief health officer, his pregnant wife and their two teenage daughters, mayor Antonio Martinez said.
The area was battered by the remnants of a hurricane one week and a tropical storm the next.
Oaxaca governor Ulises Ruiz initially told a Mexico City television station he had received reports that 300 homes were buried, with as many as 1,000 people inside. But the estimates of casualties were gradually lowered during the day and yesterday the governor confirmed that only 11 people were missing. Mr Martinez said 10 houses were buried.
A growing number of couples live in separate houses, partly because they fear "rushing" into moving in together, or because they have too many of their own possessions, a new study shows.
A survey of 2,000 adults by Halifax Home Insurance showed one in 20 long-term couples lived in different homes, a 40% increase over the past decade.
Martyn Foulds, senior claims manager at Halifax Home Insurance, said: "A valued sense of independence appears to be the main reason that couples are now taking longer to move in together."
New Labour leader Ed Miliband has given his strongest signal yet that he would put up taxes in order to protect public services from spending cuts.
Mr Miliband said he would raise taxes further than former chancellor Alistair Darling had been planning in the previous Labour government to help pay off Britain's record deficit.
Deputy leader Harriet Harman will bring down the curtain on a tumultuous party conference, when she delivers the closing address to the delegates gathered in Manchester.
In an interview with Channel 4 News, Mr Miliband reiterated his determination to "improve" Mr Darling's deficit reduction plan which would have seen two thirds come from spending cuts and one third from taxation.
"We should look to do more from taxation. For example, taking more from banks or tackling tax avoidance," he said. "If I was in government at the moment, I would be looking - whether it is a tax on the banks or tackling tax avoidance - to lighten the load and the cuts and the impact that it is going to have on ordinary families. I would do more from taxation than Alistair proposed in his plan."
Already Labour's plans contrast with the coalition Government's aim to cut 80% of the deficit through spending cuts and 20% through higher taxes.
The Conservatives claimed that Mr Miliband would have to raise taxes by a further £35 billion - the equivalent of 7p on the basic rate of income tax - in order to meet the commitments he made during his leadership campaign.
Meanwhile, former foreign secretary David Miliband announced on Wednesday night that he was quitting the frontbench after being defeated by his younger brother in the battle for the Labour leadership. The MP for South Shields said he was returning to the backbenches to avoid becoming a "distraction", adding that it would also allow him to "recharge my political and intellectual batteries" and spend more time with his family.
David's departure from Labour's top team came as the deadline passed for nominations to the shadow cabinet. Some 49 Labour MPs - ranging from former cabinet ministers such as Alan Johnson, Ed Balls and Peter Hain to relatively unknown backbenchers - are standing for 19 elected positions in a ballot of MPs which concludes next Thursday.
As the new leader began to take control of his party, Rosie Winterton was elected unopposed as opposition chief whip after Ed Miliband asked incumbent Nick Brown - a close ally of former prime minister Gordon Brown - not to stand.
The number of children needing help from social workers, health professionals and police is continuing to rise, experts warned.
Children's services directors said that unless investment into these sectors continued a "perfect storm" situation could develop as demand rose and resources reduced.
The Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS) published updated figures of the ages of children needing local authority support because they were deemed to be "in need".
Since 2007/8, local authority children's services departments have seen an increase in demand for all "front door" child protection services, across all age groups and in most need categories.
There has also been an increase in the amount of children being looked after across all age groups and the most serious need categories.
Figures show a 52.3% increase in the number of referrals due to suspected abuse or neglect and a 63.3% increase in children under the age of one with a child protection plan.
Marion Davis, president of ADCS said: "This research shows that there is trouble brewing in child protection teams up and down the country with rising demand and the threat of reductions in preventative services.
"Without investment in early intervention, we risk creating a perfect storm - as demand rises and resources reduce, the current early intervention schemes will come under increased pressure as resources are siphoned off to cope with demands on statutory services."
Eleven people are due to appear in court in connection with a multimillion-pound online grab from British bank accounts.
The suspects - who are eastern Europeans based in the UK - are accused of various offences including conspiracy to defraud and money laundering.
They were among 20 people arrested earlier this week by hi-tech crime police after up to £6 million was taken from online accounts in just three months by a gang of computer hackers.
The thieves used a virus known as "zeus" to infect computers and capture the passwords and other sensitive details of banking customers.
Their money was then transferred into bogus accounts created by the crooks to help them launder the profits.
Eight people have been charged with conspiracy to defraud and money laundering. They are Ukrainian Yuriy Korovalenko, 28, from Chingford, Essex; Ukrainian Yevhen Kulibaba, 32, from Chingford; Latvian Karina Kostromina, 33, from Chingford; Estonian Aleksander Kusner, 27, from Romford, Essex; Ukrainian Roman Zenyk, 29, of Romford; Belorussian Eduard Babaryka, 26, from Romford; Latvian Ivars Poikans, 29, from Harlow, Essex; and Latvian Kaspars Cliematnieks, 24, from Harlow.
Two have been charged with conspiracy to defraud: Ukrainians Milka Valerij, 29, and Iryna Prakochyk, 23, from Chingford. Georgian Zurab Revazishvili, 34, from Romford, is charged with offences under the Identity Cards Act 2005.
All will appear in custody at Westminster Magistrates Court.
Nine other people, six men and three women, arrested in connection with the investigation have been bailed pending further inquiries to dates next month.
Detective Chief Inspector Terry Wilson of the Metropolitan Police said the amount of money stolen was likely to "increase considerably" as the investigation continued.
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is a genetic condition, research has suggested.
The behaviour of children with the disorder can be explained by differences in the brain rather than parenting skills or diet, according to the study by scientists at Cardiff University.
The team found rare copy number variants - where small segments of DNA are duplicated or missing - were twice as common in children with ADHD than those without the condition.
According to the research, published in the Lancet, there was overlap between the affected parts of the DNA and those associated with autism and schizophrenia.
The most significant overlap was found at a particular region on chromosome 16, which has previously been implicated in schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders and spans a number of genes including one known to play a role in the development of the brain, the team found.
Controversy has surrounded the cause of ADHD because, although children with the disorder are statistically more likely to also have a parent with the condition, there was no direct evidence to show it was genetic.
"We hope that these findings will help overcome the stigma associated with ADHD," said Professor Anita Thapar, from the Department of Psychological Medicine and Neurology.
"Too often, people dismiss ADHD as being down to bad parenting or poor diet. As a clinician, it was clear to me that this was unlikely to be the case.
"Now we can say with confidence that ADHD is a genetic disease and that the brains of children with this condition develop differently to those of other children."
ADHD affects around one in 50 children in the UK, making them fidgety, restless, impulsive and easily distracted, often causing them problems at home and school. There is no cure, although medication and behavioural therapy can help reduce symptoms.
David Cameron has brushed aside a warning by Defence Secretary Liam Fox of the danger of "draconian" spending cuts to the armed forces, and declared his fears were "unfounded".
Dr Fox warned in a leaked letter that the current strategic defence and security review (SDSR) was looking "less and less defensible" and could have "grave consequences" for the Conservative Party and the Government.
But in an interview, Mr Cameron insisted that while the armed forces faced "difficult decisions", there was no basis for Dr Fox's concerns.
"His fears are unfounded because we are not going to take bad decisions," he said. "We have thought very carefully about how to fund our armed forces properly and above all how we structure them for the future. We need to fit them for the dangerous world we live in where you need greater flexibility and a different structure of your armed forces. That is what we are going to get right.
"Of course there are difficult decisions and of course there will be intense conversations between the Treasury on the one hand and the Ministry of Defence on the other. But as the Prime Minister I can absolutely guarantee you we will have well-funded strong armed forces to defend our country."
Mr Cameron also hit out at new Labour leader Ed Miliband, warning that his refusal to face up to the problems of Britain's record deficit was "completely betraying" the country's national interest.
"To say what Ed Miliband has said, to say 'forget about the deficit' because it is somehow pessimistic to talk about it, that would be completely betraying the country," he said. "If you are trying to do this job properly it is not about being popular, it is about trying to do what is right."
Shadow home secretary Alan Johnson said he would be raising Dr Fox's decision to call in the MoD Police to investigate the leak of his letter to Mr Cameron with Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell.
He said new guidelines issued following the arrest of Conservative immigration spokesman Damian Green over leaks from the Home Office said that Whitehall leak inquiries should normally be handled by the Cabinet Office or the department concerned. The police should only be involved if there was a breach of the Official Secrets Act or other "very exceptionally serious criminality".
"Quite clearly this leak is the kind of politically motivated act not usually associated with the work of civil servants," Mr Johnson said. "Politicians should not seek to use the police to deflect from their own internal political disagreements."
Prisoners' wages will be cut under new plans to make convicted criminals pay reparations to victims and society for the harm they cause, the Ministry of Justice has said.
Officials are exploring ways to enact dormant legislation which would allow the deductions to be made from inmates' wages.
The move is part of Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke's plans to overhaul the rehabilitation of offenders and could be announced at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham next week.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "The Government believes that offenders should make reparations to victims and society for the harm they have caused and, as part of this, we are exploring how we might use the Prisoners' Earnings Act 1996 to allow us to make deductions from prisoners earning enhanced wages.
"These deductions would be paid into a fund, which would provide support for victims of crime."
He went on: "This is part of the Government's commitment to overhaul the rehabilitation system through ensuring prisoners spend more time doing productive, meaningful work.
"Improving offenders' employment skills while in custody can help prisoners to become productive members of society and improve their chances of gaining employment on release, which we know is a major contributor to turning people away from crime."
Tory plans for a Victims' Fund, which would provide additional compensation to victims on top of the existing criminal injuries scheme, were outlined by David Cameron when the Tories were still in opposition in March 2008.
Seven men have been charged with allegedly laundering money stolen from online bank accounts, police said.
They were arrested at addresses in West Sussex and Portsmouth, Hampshire, on Tuesday morning.
Detectives are now investigating possible links with the arrests of 20 people in London in connection with an alleged multimillion-pound plot to steal from British bank accounts.
The seven men arrested on the South Coast are all Polish nationals.
A Hampshire Police spokeswoman said they were arrested as part of Operation Aggregate, an investigation into a group which was believed to be operating as a cell of a larger organised crime gang.
She said: "The group is alleged to have accessed victims' online bank accounts and transferred money to accounts under their control.
"It is alleged that the men then used bank cards to withdraw the stolen cash at foreign exchange facilities.
"There are potential links between the Hampshire investigation and arrests made on Tuesday by the Metropolitan Police Central e-Crime Unit.
"The raids and arrests were carried out in a co-ordinated fashion between the two forces and potential links are being explored.
"It is too early to comment further on this link at this time whilst this is under investigation."
Police are investigating a suspected double suicide after the bodies of two women were found in a flat.
Emergency services were called to a flat in Norman Court, Lower Richmond Road, Putney, shortly before 11am on Thursday.
They found the bodies of two women in a second floor flat at the red brick modern three-storey block.
Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus were brought in over fears of a chemical spill and residents asked to stay in their homes.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said the deaths were not being treated as suspicious "at this stage" and borough detectives were responsible for the inquiry.
Lower Richmond Road was cordoned off causing lengthy traffic jams in the busy south west London neighbourhood.
The spokesman added: "Police were called at 10.42am to a second floor flat in Norman Court, Lower Richmond Road, SW15. The bodies of two women were found at the scene. No arrests have been made and inquiries continue."
One neighbour, who overlooks the property, said he was told the women were young and had taped the windows of their flat closed.
The man, who asked not to be named, said: "We have been told two women taped up their windows and committed suicide. I am sure that is what happened, they committed suicide. It seemed firefighters feared there was some kind of toxic substance.
"The block is L-shaped and it is a flat on Pentlow Street. It is not on the main street. The block is mainly pensioners, but the women were apparently young."
Two British brothers were at the heart of an al Qaida terror plot against British and other European cities, intelligence sources have said.
The plan, revealed earlier this week, was still in its early stages, with the suspects calling contacts in Europe to plan logistics, a Pakistani intelligence official said. One of the Britons involved died in a recent US drone missile strike on terrorist targets near the Afghan border, he said.
The revelations underscore the role of Pakistan as a haven for many would-be Islamist militants with foreign ties, a worrying prospect for Western countries who face additional challenges when tracking terror suspects among citizens who have passports and easier access to their shores.
Pakistan, Britain, along with Germany who had eight nationals implicated in the plot, are tracking the suspects and intercepting their phone calls, the official said.
He said the suspects are hiding in North Waziristan, a Pakistani tribal region where militancy is rife and where the US has focused many of its drone-fired missile strikes. "They have been making calls to Germany and London," he said. "They have been talking about and looking for facilitators and logistics they need there to carry out terror strikes."
Western security officials said the plot to wage Mumbai-style shooting attacks in Britain, France and Germany was still active. Both European and US officials said the plot was still in its early stages and not considered serious enough to raise the terror threat level.
Although he characterised the plot as immature, the Pakistani official warned against underestimating the suspects, whom he said have backing from al Qaida, the Pakistani Taliban and the Afghan Taliban, all groups that are separate yet interconnected. "It does not mean that they are not capable of materialising their designs," he said. "They are very much working on it."
The source is part of an intelligence team that has been tracking the two British brothers of Pakistani origin for nearly a year and the Germans for more than six months.
The US has dramatically stepped up its missile attacks in North Waziristan, and is believed to have launched at least 21 this month. The official said a September 8 strike killed one of the Britons, whom he identified as Abdul Jabbar, originally from Pakistan's Jhelum district. Jabbar was believed to be less than 30 years old.
In Brussels, Europol director Robert Wainwright said a drop in terror attacks in Europe - coupled with intelligence that had thwarted major plots in the past - masked an ongoing threat. "There has been a significant decline in the number of terrorist attacks in Europe - certainly committed by Islamist groups - that hides the reality that these groups are still active," he said.
A police force apologised over a controversial CCTV scheme which saw more than 200 surveillance cameras installed in two largely Muslim neighbourhoods.
West Midland Police Chief Constable Chris Sims said he was "deeply sorry" that his force got the balance between counter-terrorism and excessive intrusion into people's lives "so wrong".
The cameras, some of which were hidden, sparked anger from civil liberties campaigners and residents in Sparkbrook and Washwood Heath in Birmingham, where they were predominantly installed.
Mr Sims said there were "serious shortcomings" in the force's management of the scheme, named Project Champion.
"I am sorry that we got such an important issue so wrong and deeply sorry that it has had such a negative impact on our communities," he said.
"My real regret is that Project Champion has undermined the strong relationships that exist between West Midlands Police and our communities that have been built up over many years.
"When I became Chief Constable in 2009 I put strengthening the trust and confidence of communities at the heart of the changes we would make to policing.
"I am committed to continuing with these changes and rebuilding any trust we have lost."
He went on: "At the heart of the controversy surrounding Project Champion sits a dilemma faced by police on behalf of wider society, how to find a balance between on the one hand the duty to offer protection from serious harm and on the other the risk of excessive intrusion and the danger of stigmatising a whole community.
"I am convinced that when Project Champion was conceived in 2007 this dilemma was clearly understood. However, somewhere between conception and delivery the critical balance was lost."
Hollywood legend Tony Curtis, whose career spanned more than 60 years, has died at the age of 85.
The dashing star - who will forever be remembered for his role in drag in the 1959 Billy Wilder comedy Some Like It Hot - suffered a heart attack.
Sir Roger Moore led tributes to him, telling a news channel: "He was a fine actor. I shall miss him."
Sir Roger starred alongside Curtis in TV hit The Persuaders. He played aristocrat Brett Sinclair in the series while Curtis was playboy Danny Wilde.
The former James Bond star said: "We had a lot of laughs together for about 15 months, working together every day. He was great fun to work with, a great sense of humour and wonderful ad libs. We had the best of times."
Sir Michael Parkinson, who interviewed the star - the father of actress Jamie Lee Curtis - several times, said his performance in Some Like It Hot would live forever.
He said: "He was a very, very fine actor. Some Like It Hot is one of the greatest comedies of all time. The man who made it, Billy Wilder, did not suffer fools so for Tony Curtis to work with him and make that film shows just how good he was.
"He was an extraordinary man. Hollywood tried to make him into a sex symbol in the 1950s and 1960s but he was his own man. He was a great chatshow guest and was wonderfully indiscreet but he was very bright and did not take himself too seriously."
The actor's business manager and family spokesman Preston Ahearn told US TV network ABC News that Curtis passed away on Wednesday night peacefully in bed next to his wife Jill in their home in Nevada. Clark County coroner Mike Murphy said the actor suffered a heart attack.
Curtis, who had heart surgery in 1994, began his acting career as a 1950s heartthrob but became a respected actor in films such as The Defiant Ones. His portrayal of a racist escaped convict handcuffed to a black escapee, Sidney Poitier, in the film brought him an Oscar nomination in 1958.
Children's toy brand Fisher-Price has recalled hundreds of thousands of toys and high chairs sold in the UK amid safety concerns.
The announcement is part of a wider US-led recall of more than 10 million items after reports of injuries.
The UK recall applies to 72,763 high chairs after 14 reports of problems in the US, including seven children requiring stitches.
The UK chairs carry the names Basic Healthy Care Cow and Moon, Flutterby Dream, Aquarium Healthy Care and Link Deluxe Healthy Care.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said pegs on the back of the high chairs could be used to store the tray, but children could fall on them, resulting in cuts and other injuries.
About 72,763 of the chairs were sold through major UK retailers between September 2001 and last month.
Another 165,090 products with inflatable balls have also been recalled here after the CPSC said the valve of the ball could come off and pose a choking hazard.
There have been more than 50 reports of the valves coming off the balls in the US, the CPSC said.
UK products affected include the Baby Playzone Crawl and Cruise Playground, Baby Playzone Crawl and Slide Arcade, Baby Gymtastics Play Wall, Ocean Wonders Kick and Crawl Aquarium, 1-2-3 Tetherball and the Bat and Score Goal. All of the items were sold between July 2001 and July 2008.
A further 6,107 Little People Wheelies Stand 'n' Play Rampway toys sold between April and September this year have also been recalled after reports that the wheels on the cars could come off, again posing a choking hazard.
Harriet Harman has pulled down the curtain on a "roller-coaster" Labour conference which has seen the party gain a new leader and lose one of its brightest stars.
In the deputy leader's traditional end-of conference address before the singing of the Red Flag, she told delegates: "The contest for the leadership is over. The contest for the future of the country begins."
Ms Harman - who returned to her position as deputy on Ed Miliband's election on Saturday after four months at the helm of the party - said the new leader was "intelligent, courageous and he has a good heart".
"We will all be united in support of him and I have no doubt he will be a great Labour leader of our party," she said.
She also praised Mr Miliband's brother and defeated leadership rival David, who stepped down from the Labour frontbenches on Wednesday, as "a towering figure in our party".
In a hint that she may expect him eventually to return to the frontline of politics, she said: "The Labour Party is proud of him. We are proud of what he did in government. And I know we will be proud of what he does in the future."
At the end of a week dominated by the drama of Ed's knife-edge victory and uncertainty about David's future, she told delegates: "This has been a historic conference. It's been a roller-coaster of emotions. We're disappointed to be in opposition, but proud of what we achieved in government. We are sobered by the scale of the challenge that lies ahead, but fortified by the energy and determination of our new leader, Ed Miliband."
And she joked Mr Miliband's declaration that a "new generation" was taking charge also included people like her who were "a new generation of fabulous older women".
Some 49 Labour MPs, ranging from former cabinet ministers like Alan Johnson, Ed Balls and Peter Hain to relatively unknown backbenchers, are standing for 19 elected shadow cabinet positions in a ballot of MPs which concludes next Thursday. Ms Harman and new chief whip Rosie Winterton also take places by virtue of their positions.
Along with the elder Miliband brother, some of the biggest figures in the former Labour administration are taking their exit from the front benches, with Alistair Darling, Margaret Beckett, Jack Straw and Bob Ainsworth all standing down.
