The 52 victims of the 7/7 London bombings were murdered in acts of "mindless savagery", the inquests into their deaths has heard.
More than five years after the attacks, the long-awaited hearing got under way with a minute's silence for those who died. Hugo Keith QC, counsel to the inquests, began by outlining how four suicide bombers detonated devices on three Tube trains and a bus on the morning of July 7, 2005.
He said: "They detonated amongst the innocent and the unknowing, indiscriminately killing and maiming passengers who were simply going about their daily business. The bombs struck down men and women, the old and young, British nationals as well as foreigners.
"They had no regard to whether the victim was Christian, Muslim, a follower of any of our other great faiths, an adherent to none. They were just travelling on the London transport system. It is the saddest of duties to open their inquests."
Mr Keith said the four bombers - Mohammed Sidique Khan, Shehzad Tanweer, Jermaine Lindsay and Hasib Hussain - unleashed an "unimaginably dreadful wave of horror" which they hoped would attract "worldwide publicity".
"They were acts of mindless savagery which could only outline the sheer inhumanity of the perpetrators," he said.
He added that Khan, Tanweer, Lindsay and Hussain were responsible for murder by detonating bombs in public. "The essential nature of these acts was murder, given the act of detonating bombs in a public place is so self-evidently an act of murder," he said.
Mr Keith said there had already been a series of investigations into the 7/7 attacks, including major reports by the Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee and the London Assembly.
But these earlier inquiries did not concentrate on the victims, did not involve their families and were not independent. Mr Keith said the inquests would, by contrast, focus on the 52 innocent victims of the bombings.
The inquests at the Royal Courts of Justice in London have a wide-ranging remit to examine whether the emergency services' response was adequate and whether MI5 and the police could have prevented the atrocities. The coroner, Lady Justice Hallett, pledged to release as much material as possible to the public.
The 52 victims of the 7/7 London bombings were murdered in acts of "mindless savagery", the inquests into their deaths has heard.
More than five years after the attacks, the long-awaited hearing got under way with a minute's silence for those who died. Hugo Keith QC, counsel to the inquests, began by outlining how four suicide bombers detonated devices on three Tube trains and a bus on the morning of July 7, 2005.
He said: "They detonated amongst the innocent and the unknowing, indiscriminately killing and maiming passengers who were simply going about their daily business. The bombs struck down men and women, the old and young, British nationals as well as foreigners.
"They had no regard to whether the victim was Christian, Muslim, a follower of any of our other great faiths, an adherent to none. They were just travelling on the London transport system. It is the saddest of duties to open their inquests."
Mr Keith said the four bombers - Mohammed Sidique Khan, Shehzad Tanweer, Jermaine Lindsay and Hasib Hussain - unleashed an "unimaginably dreadful wave of horror" which they hoped would attract "worldwide publicity".
"They were acts of mindless savagery which could only outline the sheer inhumanity of the perpetrators," he said.
He added that Khan, Tanweer, Lindsay and Hussain were responsible for murder by detonating bombs in public. "The essential nature of these acts was murder, given the act of detonating bombs in a public place is so self-evidently an act of murder," he said.
Mr Keith said there had already been a series of investigations into the 7/7 attacks, including major reports by the Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee and the London Assembly.
But these earlier inquiries did not concentrate on the victims, did not involve their families and were not independent. Mr Keith said the inquests would, by contrast, focus on the 52 innocent victims of the bombings.
The inquests at the Royal Courts of Justice in London have a wide-ranging remit to examine whether the emergency services' response was adequate and whether MI5 and the police could have prevented the atrocities. The coroner, Lady Justice Hallett, pledged to release as much material as possible to the public.
British aid worker Linda Norgrove may have been killed by a grenade thrown by US troops trying to rescue her from Taliban kidnappers in Afghanistan, Prime Minister David Cameron has said.
Mr Cameron announced that a full US/UK investigation is being launched into the circumstances surrounding the 36-year-old's death on Friday.
It had initially been reported that Ms Norgrove died after her rebel captors detonated a bomb vest as American troops attempted to rescue her.
Originally from Sutherland in the Scottish Highlands, Ms Norgrove was seized by militants in Kunar province on September 26. Three Afghan nationals also taken by the insurgents were later released, but Ms Norgrove continued to be held, amid growing concern for her safety.
Speaking at a press conference at 10 Downing Street, Mr Cameron said it was not yet certain that Ms Norgrove's death was caused by allied forces.
US commander General David Petraeus informed Downing Street that a review of the rescue operation had uncovered new information suggesting that a grenade detonated by taskforce members may have been to blame.
Mr Cameron informed Ms Norgrove's family of the "deeply distressing development" before making his announcement at a scheduled press conference which was delayed by almost an hour this morning.
He said the decision to mount a rescue operation was made by Foreign Secretary William Hague "after careful consideration" and had his full support as Prime Minister.
Ms Norgrove's life was in "grave danger" from the moment she was seized, and there were fears that she might be passed up the terrorist chain and put at greater peril if she was not rescued.
"I am clear that the best chance of saving Linda's life was to go ahead, recognising that any operation was fraught with risk for all those involved and success was by no means guaranteed," said Mr Cameron. "None of us can understand just how painful this must be for Linda's family," he said. "Also it is deeply regrettable, particularly for them, that the information published on Saturday is highly likely to have been incorrect. The statements were made in good faith and on the basis of the information that we received. I want to assure Mr and Mrs Norgrove that I will do everything I possibly can to establish the full facts and give them certainty about how their daughter died."
The boss of the aluminium company responsible for Hungary's flood of caustic red sludge has been arrested.
Police said they were questioning managing director Zoltan Bakonyi on suspicion of public endangerment and environmental damage.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban told parliament that the government wanted to take over the Hungarian Aluminium Production and Trade Company because the safe restart of production at the plant was needed to save thousands of jobs.
Mr Orban said he was also freezing the company's assets to ensure that funds were available to compensate for the damages caused by the disaster.
"Since this is not a natural catastrophe but the damage was brought about by people, the damages must be paid first and foremost not by taxpayers but by those who caused the damage," he said.
The company said it was willing to pay compensation "in proportion to its responsibility" for the damage caused by the deluge.
Meanwhile, cracks in the reservoir which burst last week, flooding several towns with the sludge and killing at least seven people, have not continued to widen, officials said.
The National Disaster Management Directorate said measurements taken in the past 24 hours of cracks on the northern wall, which experts expected to fall, showed no further movement.
At the same time, health authorities warned the local population, as well as clean-up and building crews, that the amount of red dust in the air exceeded safe limits and that they should wear protective gear.
Parts of Kolontar, the town closest to the metals plant's 25-acre storage pool, have become uninhabitable, and more than 700 residents have been evacuated.
A doctor accused of failing to spot Baby P's abuse days before his death is seeking to have her name removed from the medical register, a disciplinary panel has heard.
Consultant paediatrician Dr Sabah Al-Zayyat was originally due to face misconduct allegations in February relating to her treatment of the little boy.
But the hearing was adjourned after a General Medical Council (GMC) fitness to practise panel heard she was "suicidal", unfit to defend herself and had left the country.
The doctor, who did not attend the hearing in central London, is now renewing a bid to apply for "voluntary erasure" to remove her name from the medical register.
Mary O'Rourke, for Dr Al-Zayyat, said the application would be based on "medical grounds" because the doctor is "unfit to stand trial and defend herself".
The panel was told the doctor is out of the country and in contact with her defence via telephone.
Dr Al-Zayyat saw Baby P - now named as Peter Connelly - at a child development clinic at St Ann's Hospital in Tottenham, north London, on August 1 2007.
She missed his injuries after deciding she could not carry out a full check-up because he was "miserable and cranky".
Two days later, 17-month-old Peter died in a blood-spattered cot in Tottenham at the hands of his mother, her boyfriend and their lodger. They were all jailed in May last year.
A post-mortem examination found he had probably suffered serious injuries, including a broken back and fractured ribs, before he was examined by Dr Al-Zayyat, their trial at the Old Bailey heard.
A man who was jailed for murdering a schoolgirl has died after being found unconscious in his cell, the Prison Service said.
Paul Hutchinson, who in January was jailed for life after he raped and strangled Colette Aram in 1983, was found in his cell at Nottingham Prison on Sunday morning and could not be woken by staff.
Emergency services were called but 52-year-old Hutchinson died on the way to hospital.
A Prison Service spokeswoman said: "HMP Nottingham prisoner Paul Hutchinson was found unconscious in his cell at 8am on Sunday. Paramedics were called and tried to resuscitate him but he died at 9.58am while being taken to hospital in an ambulance.
"As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will conduct an investigation."
Colette was 16 when she was murdered and sexually assaulted by Hutchinson in 1983.
He was jailed for her murder in January, following a 26-year hunt by detectives.
In an unrelated incident, a 31-year-old man who was jailed indefinitely for public protection was found hanging in his cell, the Prison Service said.
Kenneth Bates, who was told he must serve a minimum of five years for wounding with intent and causing grievous bodily harm, was found in his cell at the Category C Gartree jail in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, on Sunday.
A Prison Service spokeswoman said: "HMP Gartree prisoner Kenneth Bates was found hanging in his cell on Sunday October 10. Staff and paramedics attended and attempted to resuscitate him; however he was pronounced dead on at 8.35am. As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will conduct an investigation."
The Chilean mine rescue team has successfully tested a rescue capsule nearly all the way down to where the miners are trapped.
Leader Andres Sougarett said the empty capsule descended 2,000 feet, just 46 feet short of the chamber where 33 miners have been trapped since an August 5 collapse.
He said all would be in place at midnight local time on Tuesday night to begin the rescue.
Mining Minister Laurence Golborne said that the capsule performed well in the hole and did not even loosen any dust.
The steel capsule was lowered by winch into the hole after its top 295 feet were encased in tubing.
David Cameron has warned Liberal Democrats they will have to "compromise" over university funding as speculation mounted over hikes in tuition fees.
With his deputy Nick Clegg facing a backbench revolt, the Prime Minister admitted that the issue was "very difficult" for the coalition.
But he urged both Tories and Lib Dems to remember that they shared the same essential goals for reforming the current system and tackling Government debt.
"Everybody has to compromise because the truth is that we all want the same thing," Mr Cameron told a press conference in Downing Street.
"I think that on all sides, those of us who want well-funded universities, bright children from poor homes being able to go to those universities, universities than can be the best in the world - we need change. And what the coalition is determined to bring about is to bring about the change although it will take some very difficult decisions for all involved.
"But I am heartened by the fact that whether it is Conservative colleagues or Liberal Democrat colleagues we all want to achieve good universities, social mobility, fairness and a progressive system. That is exactly what I think we will do."
Lib Dem MPs and activists have been openly expressing anger after their favoured option of a graduate tax was ruled out over the weekend.
Ministers appear to have agreed instead to introduce variable interest rates on student loans so that high-earning graduates can be charged more on the money they borrowed while at university. Lower-earners would pay correspondingly less.
The package is likely also to include lifting the cap on tuition fees from £3,290 to at least £7,000 and possibly higher. Lord Browne of Madingley's independent review of student finance, which reports on Tuesday, is said to recommend removing the cap altogether, although that would be a highly controversial option for the Government to adopt.
But any increase in tuition fees at all will prove politically explosive for the Lib Dems, who campaigned against a rise during the general election. Mr Clegg, the Lib Dem leader and now Deputy Prime Minister, said in April the move would be a "disaster".
A damning indictment of the "inefficiency and waste" of Government spending has been published by a leading businessman who signalled that hundreds of millions of pounds could be saved by Whitehall departments.
Sir Philip Green, the owner of Topshop and Bhs, told ministers they could cut swathes of waste from public services after uncovering a "staggering" waste of money.
In a 33-page report, Sir Philip said the waste was due mainly to poor data and process, adding: "Having carried out this review and discussed it with the senior civil servants I have worked with, they all believe that it is impossible for the civil service to operate efficiently with the current processes in place."
Sir Philip identified huge savings he believed could be made in communications, hire cars, the purchase of computers and other goods and services as well as catering and hotel charges.
One of the key findings was that the Government was failing to leverage its credit rating and buying power, with basic commodities being bought at "significantly" different prices across different departments.
Sir Philip, a self-made billionaire, said multiple contracts had been signed with major suppliers by different Whitehall departments at different prices.
The Government is the biggest tenant and property owner in the country, yet the use and management of space is "wholly inefficient", said the report. Sir Philip also complained that expensive computer services were contracted out for too long with no flexibility.
He found during his investigation that the Government acted as a series of independent departments rather than one organisation, with no motivation to save money, no process for challenging budgets and inconsistent commercial skills among staff.
Data on procurement was described as "shocking", with Sir Philip finding information hard to get at, although he identified huge price variations across different departments for common items.
One of the biggest areas where savings could be made was fixed line telecoms, which costs the Government £2 billion a year. Sir Philip estimated that this could be 30%-40% cheaper and called for an urgent review of costs.
Two men who were extradited from Iraq have gone on trial at the Old Bailey accused of taking part in the "honour killing" of Banaz Mahmod.
The 20-year-old was strangled in January 2006 and her body buried in a suitcase in Birmingham.
She had been attacked at her family home in Mitcham, south London, by a group of men at the "instigation" of her father and uncle after falling in love with a man they did not approve of.
Her uncle, Ari Mahmod, and father, Mahmod Mahmod, were jailed for life, along with Mohamad Hama, for her murder in 2007.
Mohammed Saleh Ali and Omar Hussain, alleged to be among the killers, fled Britain for Iraq after the murder, Victor Temple, QC, prosecuting, told the court.
They had both since been extradited and charged with the murder.
Ali and Hussain, both 28, and of no fixed address, deny murdering Miss Mahmod, burying her body, conspiring to kidnap her boyfriend Rahmat Suleimani and threatening to kill him.
A third man, Sadar Mahmood, 27, of Messenger Road, Birmingham, is not charged with murder but is being tried for the other offences, which he denies.
Mr Temple alleged the three accused were part of a "wide-ranging joint enterprise" which led to Miss Mahmod's death.
Mr Temple said Miss Mahmod's family of Iraqi Kurds had been given political asylum in Britain, but retained some of their customs and were part of the close-knit Kurdish community in London where the uncle was wealthy and wielded influence.
The UK economy slowed "considerably" in the past few months, with job prospects and investment slowing and a "dismal" performance by firms in the service sector, a new report has shown.
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said the results of a survey of 5,000 firms showed "worrying" falls in exports as companies faced "serious" challenges in the coming year.
The business group called for measures to sustain the economic recovery and support companies as they deal with the Government's austerity measures and the new year increase in VAT.
Despite the "disappointing" figures, covering the three months to September, the BCC said UK growth remained in positive territory, adding that a new recession could be avoided.
BCC director-general David Frost said: "Overall, these results are disappointing, particularly for the service sector, although they did show that manufacturing was significantly stronger in the third quarter.
"These results highlight the fact that wealth-creating businesses must be supported for Britain to achieve a sustainable recovery.
"Businesses accept the Government's austerity measures, but now it's time to shift the national debate from cuts to what needs to be done to grow the UK economy. The private sector will do the heavy lifting, but the Government must play its part by supporting capital investment in crucial infrastructure projects.
"Businesses must be given the freedom to create jobs and wealth, exporters must be supported more actively, and the burden of red tape on employers should be reduced or scrapped wherever possible."
Chief economist David Kern added: "The results for the third quarter of this year show a marked slowdown in the pace of the recovery.
"The dismal performance of the service sector is particularly disturbing, since it occurs even before VAT is due to rise to 20%, and before the full impact of the tough deficit-cutting measures take effect. The results also show worrying falls in all the export balances, at a time when rebalancing the economy must be a key aim."
The policeman shot by gunman Raoul Moat has said he is determined to return to work to complete the shift he started the day he was horrifically wounded.
Pc David Rathband, a married father-of-two, was left blind in both eyes after the attack.
The Northumbria Police officer was shot in the face and chest as he sat in his stationary patrol car on the A1/A69 roundabout in East Denton, Newcastle, in July. Moat had earlier shot his ex-girlfriend Samantha Stobbart and her new partner Chris Brown, seriously injuring her and killing him.
A six-hour stand-off between Moat and the police later ended with the 37-year-old shooting himself in the head.
In an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, Pc Rathband said: "I am determined that I will go back and I will wear my uniform. I want to book off duty. I didn't finish my shift."
Sounding close to tears, he said he feels he "needs" to return, saying: "When you go on duty you book on. And I didn't book off, and I need to finish what I started, mentally, for me."
He admitted he still sees the face of Moat in his mind, adding: "I go to bed at night and sometimes look to my left and his face is lying next to me on the pillow.
"It's a face that shows him in death, not in life, which is horrific."
The officer went on: "Before this happened, I had no perception of what it is like to be visually impaired or blind. From that dreadful evening, I have been thrown into a world of darkness."
But he vowed he would not cave in, saying: "I either pull my socks up and get on with the day or I shrink and sit in front of the television or sit and listen to the radio. I'm not prepared to do that."
Union leaders have raised fears of a new "crisis" in youth unemployment, with job prospects looking bleak for under 24-year-olds.
The TUC said young people were chasing a declining number of jobs, with five unemployed people of all ages now fighting for every vacancy.
Unemployment among 18 to 24-year-olds has risen to 728,000 and the TUC said it will be "extremely concerned" if the number increases when new unemployment figures are published.
The level increased for two months in a row after peaking at 749,000 a year ago, said the TUC, adding that it was worried about the number of jobs unlikely to be available to young people such as skilled or specialist vacancies.
TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: "The figures will be a key indication of whether young people are facing a new jobs crisis.
"While recent months have seen some welcome falls in overall unemployment levels, thousands of young workers across the UK are joining the dole queues every month and that is a real cause for concern.
"At the moment, it appears there are simply not enough jobs for young people to do. It is therefore particularly alarming that the Government has cut funding for the Future Jobs Fund, which would have provided an additional 90,000 positions for unemployed young people across the country.
"For every person struggling to get work, this recession remains a personal tragedy, and with the Government pressing ahead with deep spending cuts which will choke off growth, unemployment is set to rise again."
Unemployment fell by 8,000 in the three months to July to 2.47 million, while the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in August increased by 2,300 to 1.47 million, the first rise since January.
Barack Obama has offered his condolences for the death of British aid worker Linda Norgrove who died during a rescue attempt by US special forces in Afghanistan.
The US president spoke on Monday night by telephone with Prime Minister David Cameron following the disclosure that she may not have been killed by her Afghan kidnappers, as was originally claimed.
US Central Command has launched an investigation into what happened, with members of the UK Armed Forces being invited to contribute.
"The president offered his condolences for the death of Linda Norgrove," a No 10 spokesman said.
"They agreed that the decision to launch the rescue operation had been right, given the grave danger to Linda's life, and that US forces had shown great courage. The Prime Minister and the president agreed that it was now essential to get to the bottom of what had happened in the course of the rescue operation."
US officials initially said that Ms Norgrove, 36, died after her captors detonated a bomb vest as American troops attempted to free her on Friday night.
But General David Petraeus, the American commander of the Nato-led Isaf force in Afghanistan, told Mr Cameron on Monday that a second viewing of video recordings of the incident suggested she might have been the victim of "friendly fire".
In a statement, the US military said that a review of surveillance footage and interviews with members of the rescue team "do not conclusively determine the cause of her death".
Describing Ms Norgrove's death as "a tragedy", Mr Cameron has promised to do "everything I possibly can" to give her family certainty about how she died. He said that the initial reports of how she died were "deeply regrettable" but were made in good faith on the basis of the information available.
Originally from Sutherland in the Scottish Highlands, Ms Norgrove was working for the US firm Development Alternatives Inc (DAI) in the east of Afghanistan when she was seized by militants in Kunar province on September 26.
Premiership footballer Anton Ferdinand faces being arrested and held in custody after he failed to turn up for a court appearance.
The Sunderland AFC star was due to appear at Newcastle Magistrates' Court on Monday after being convicted of driving while using a mobile phone but he never arrived and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Ferdinand, brother of England captain Rio, is facing a driving ban due to the fact that he already had nine points on his licence when he was caught using the handset behind the wheel.
A spokesman for Northumbria Police confirmed the warrant without bail had been issued for the £6 million defender's arrest.
This means that when he is traced by officers he can be held in court cells before being produced to face magistrates.
The force spokesman said: "There has been no arrest at this stage. A warrant has been issued and we are aware."
The offence in question occurred on the morning of July 13 when Ferdinand was seen in his white Range Rover on Newcastle's Central Motorway.
He was travelling from his home at Baltic Quays in Gateshead to Newcastle International Airport, where he needed to catch a flight ahead of a pre-season friendly.
Prison governors will call for the immediate release of 2,500 prisoners who were jailed indefinitely for the public's protection (IPP) and have now served more than their minimum tariff.
Eoin McLennan-Murray, president of the Prison Governors Association, will describe the sentences as a "blatant injustice".
Prison governors should have a duty to speak out, he will say, and will urge the Government to "urgently review those cases with a view to immediate release, unless there is clear evidence that they still present an unacceptably high risk of harm to the public".
The governors' claims over the ineffectiveness of short-term prison sentences were criticised last year, but now form the focus of Justice Secretary Ken Clarke's rehabilitation revolution, he will say.
"This year we will be debating an issue of fairness relating to sentences at the other end of the sentencing scale (IPP), and if passed, calling on the Government to urgently review those cases with a view to immediate release, unless there is clear evidence that they still present an unacceptably high risk of harm to the public.
"It is possible that such a resolution may excite some commentators, like last year we may be criticised, but we should not be deterred from speaking out when we see blatant injustice. In fact, as professional governors it should be our duty."
Figures from the Ministry of Justice showed there were 2,468 IPP prisoners who were in jail beyond their minimum tariff on January 19 and, as of February 5, 276 of these were still inside more than two years after their minimum sentence expired.
Mr McLennan-Murray will also warn that if the Government succeeds in cutting the prison population, which was at a record high of 85,495 in England and Wales at the start of the month, then jails will close.
"If the actions of this coalition Government match their political rhetoric, then we will be managing a smaller prison population," he will say.
"We can expect to see prisons close and that, of course, will translate into fewer jobs."
The deputy director general of the BBC will be axed from his post with a golden goodbye of more than £500,000.
Mark Byford, who earned £475,000 last year, will be made redundant as the role is eliminated as part of corporation cost cuts, staff were told on Tuesday.
Further cuts are expected to be announced later this week, the Financial Times reported.
Director general Mark Thompson confirmed Mr Byford's departure in a letter to staff on Tuesday.
Mr Byford is entitled to a redundancy package of more than £500,000 but "significantly less" than £1 million, corporation sources said.
In his letter, Mr Thompson said: "Mark has played a critical role in recent years as the leader of all journalism across the BBC and has been an outstanding deputy to me and member of the executive board.
"But as part of our commitment to spend as much of the licence fee as possible on content and services, we've been looking at management numbers and costs across the BBC, and that must include the most senior levels.
"We have concluded - and Mark fully accepts - that the work he has done to develop our journalism and editorial standards across the BBC has achieved the goals we set to such an extent that the role of deputy director general can now end, that the post should close at the end of the current financial year, and that Mark himself should be made redundant."
Mr Byford steps down from the executive board at the end of March and will leave the BBC in early summer. Although he will not be replaced, Helen Boaden, director of BBC News, will join the executive board to represent BBC journalism.
In a separate letter, Mr Byford, who joined the BBC in 1979 as a television researcher at BBC Leeds, told staff: "Obviously I will be very sad to leave this brilliant organisation that has been such a dominant part of my life for so long. But I know this decision is the right way forward. "
The agonising ordeal for 33 Chilean miners who have spent two months trapped underground is nearing its end.
Rescuers have reinforced the escape shaft and the 13ft rescue chamber.
They will come up one by one in green overalls bearing their names on their chests - first the fittest, then the weakest, in a steel cage.
If all goes well, everything will be in place to begin pulling the men out on Wednesday morning.
On Monday the Phoenix I rescue capsule - the biggest of three built by Chilean navy engineers, named for the mythic bird that rose from ashes - made its first test run after the top 180 feet of the shaft was encased in tubing, the rescue leader said.
Then the empty capsule was winched 2,000 feet, just 40ft short of the shaft system that has been the miners' refuge since the August 5 collapse in the Atacama desert.
Rescue team psychologist Alberto Iturra said he recommended the first man be pulled out at dawn because the miners are to be taken by Chilean air force helicopters to the nearby city of Copiapo and fog tends to enshroud the mine at night.
The men will take a twisting, 20-minute ride for 2,041 feet up to the surface, a journey expected to take about an hour.
After being extracted, the miners will be ushered through inflatable tunnels to ambulances that will take them to a triage station. Once cleared by doctors, they are to be taken to another area where they will be reunited with one to three family members chosen by each miner.
After the reunion, the miners will be driven to a heliport for the flight to Copiapo.
Students should be forced to pay thousands more for their university education under proposals to lift the tuition fee cap, the long-awaited Browne review has suggested.
The independent report into student funding in England calls for universities to be left to decide what to charge - but those setting fees at more than £6,000 a year will be hit by a levy.
The recommendation is likely to be seen as a highly controversial option for the Government and politically explosive for the Liberal Democrats, who campaigned against tuition fees during the general election. Their favoured option of a graduate tax, ruled out by ministers over the weekend, was dismissed by the Browne review as "unworkable".
The review calls for a radical shake-up of the funding system, with graduates paying a higher rate of interest on loans, more places being made available and universities effectively "competing" for students.
It said there should be "no single fixed price for higher education" because all universities are different and provide different courses.
Universities charging more than £6,000 a year for a course would have to pay a tapered levy, depending on the fee they charge, to cover the cost to Government of providing the students with finance, and they would also have to prove improved standards of teaching and that they have fair admissions policies, as well as contributing more to supporting the poorest students.
The review, led by former BP boss Lord Browne of Madingley, calls for the introduction of a new streamlined funding scheme, called the Student Funding Plan.
Under the plan, similar to the current system, no student would pay back their loans until they were in work but the repayment threshold would be raised from £15,000 to £21,000, with outstanding loans written off after 30 years.
Higher-earning graduates would pay back their loans at an interest rate equal to the Government's cost of borrowing, while those earning below the threshold would pay no real interest rate.
In addition, the review proposes to simplify the living costs system, so every student is entitled to a flat-rate maintenance loan of £3,750.
David Cameron is to meet senior ministers and officials for the third time in three weeks in an attempt to hammer out an agreement on the future shape of the Armed Forces.
The Prime Minister will chair a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) in Downing Street, following the weekly meeting of the Cabinet, with time running out to complete the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR).
The SDSR is due to be published on Monday or Tuesday next week - ahead of the Government's Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) on Wednesday - but key decisions have still to be finalised.
The Ministry of Defence has been instructed by the Treasury to find savings of between 10% and 20% while at the same time dealing with what ministers say is a £38 billion "black hole" in the future equipment programme.
One of the key issues to be resolved is the future of the Royal Navy's two planned new aircraft carriers, being built at a cost of more than £5 billion.
Axing one or both ships could result in prohibitive cancellation fees, but retaining the carriers could mean the Navy having to accept swingeing cuts to the rest of the fleet.
Downing Street cautioned that further talks could still be needed after the NSC meeting - thought to be the last scheduled before the SDSR reports.
"I am sure there will be further meetings involving the main actors," the Prime Minister's official spokesman said.
