![Image]( "-20C warning as snow chaos spreads")
The big freeze gripping the country will get worse this week, with snow spreading inland and some temperatures plunging as low as minus 20C, forecasters warned.
Deep snow and freezing conditions in the North East and Scotland have been causing widespread travel disruption, with icy temperatures everywhere else creating similar problems for commuters.
There is no sign of a let-up in the wintry weather, with bitter winds increasing and more parts of the UK facing snow in the coming days. The RAC warned of a "difficult" Monday commute and told drivers to consider other options.
The cold spell saw record low temperatures in some parts of the country over the weekend, with both Wales and Northern Ireland recording the coldest November night since records began. The mercury at Llysdinam near Llandrindod Wells in Wales plunged to minus 18C on Sunday, while Lough Fea in Northern Ireland sank to minus 9.2C.
So far, Scotland and the North East have been worst hit by snow, with more than 40cm in parts, and police have advised people to stay indoors for all but essential travel. Several airports were disrupted on Sunday, with Edinburgh closed due to heavy snow, Aberdeen suffering delays and Newcastle International, Luton and Jersey also seeing disruption.
Forecasters warned the rest of the country is likely to be blanketed this week as the weather front moves west. The severe conditions could also last well into next week, with rain, sleet and snow.
Aisling Creevey, of MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said Londoners should prepare for the possibility of snow on Monday night. She said: "The snow will become more widespread from Monday evening and most places will get a dusting. There will be an increasingly high wind chill during the week and it will feel really raw."
The Arctic conditions have been caused by a combination of light winds, snow cover and clear skies - and could see readings down to minus 20C in Scotland later this week. The UK's lowest ever recorded temperature in November was minus 23.3C recorded in Braemar, in the Scottish Highlands, on November 14, 1919.
Met Office severe weather warnings were in place along the east coast, with heavy snow from Scotland, down through the North East, Yorkshire and Humber, East Midlands and the East of England.
The AA said it dealt with double the normal number of breakdowns on Sunday, while the RAC said calls were up a third. Alan Wilcock, RAC patrol ambassador of the year, said: "With more bad weather forecast, the Monday morning commute is already looking very, very busy. Workers who travel by car may want to consider other options, such as working from home or another form of transport."
Retailers reported a bumper start to the Christmas trading season as shoppers defied the ice-cold weather and hit the high street.
Customers started the Christmas season with zeal, with big names reporting a 10% hike on last year's sales, and took advantage of promotional offers.
Big names including Marks & Spencer, Debenhams, Currys, Argos and House of Fraser slashed prices by up to 50% on Saturday in a bid to draw in customers.
Official figures recently revealed retail sales were picking up momentum ahead of Christmas, but economists expect consumers are also looking to make purchases before the January VAT increase from 17.5% to 20%.
Department store group John Lewis said shoppers throughout the country, including the north and Scotland, were not deterred by plummeting temperatures and saw sales last week total £99.9 million, up 13% on the previous week and 8.7% on last year.
The group said toys and digital items were the strongest sellers, with scooters, Butterscotch the animatronic pony, iPods and cameras among the most popular products. Nat Wakely, director of selling operations for John Lewis, said: "This week has focused not only on small children but those bigger kids too for whom gadgets and electronics are looking like top gifts."
Waitrose, which is owned by the John Lewis Partnership, saw sales of £103 million in the week ending on Saturday, an 11% increase on the same week last year.
Sales in London's West End exceeded £200 million, according to the New West End Company, which represents retailers on Bond Street, Oxford Street and Regent Street, when cars were banned from the city's main shopping streets for six hours on Saturday.
The spending spree is expected to continue with so-called "Mega Monday" tipped to be the busiest day of the year for online shopping. Consumers are expected to spend £265 million online on credit and debit cards following Friday's end-of-month payday, according to credit and debit card company Visa.
Accountancy firm Deloitte predicted 15% growth in online retail sales this Christmas, taking online retail spend to £8 billion in December, or 23% of total retail sales.
Snow will spread across the country on Monday as the big freeze tightens its grip, forecasters said.
The cold spell has already seen record low temperatures in some parts of the country, with both Wales and Northern Ireland recording the coldest November night since records began.
The mercury at Llysdinam near Llandrindod Wells in Wales plunged to minus 17.3C on Saturday night, while Lough Fea in Northern Ireland hit minus 9.2C. With much of the country blanketed in snow, Shawbury in Shropshire also dropped to minus 12.5C and Church Fenton in North Yorks bottomed out at minus 11.9C.
So far Scotland and the North East have been worst hit, with 40cm of snow, and police advising people to stay indoors for all but essential travel.
As the front moves west the rest of the country is also likely to be blanketed.
Aisling Creevey, of MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said Londoners should also prepare for the possibility of snow on Monday night.
She said: "The snow will become more widespread from tomorrow evening and most places will get a dusting. There will be an increasingly high wind chill during the week and it will feel really raw."
Many areas will see temperatures remain below zero on Monday, while the warmest place will be the South East, which will experience a balmy 4C.
The Arctic conditions have been caused by a combination of light winds, snow cover and clear skies - and could see readings down to minus 20C in Scotland later this week.
The UK's lowest ever recorded temperature in November was minus 23.3C recorded in Braemar, in the Scottish Highlands, on November 14, 1919.
Thousands of London Underground workers have started a 24-hour strike, threatening travel disruption for commuters and other passengers and problems for businesses in the busy run-up to Christmas.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union and the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association walked out at 6.30pm as part of a long-running dispute over 800 ticket office job cuts.
It was the fourth stoppage in recent months following the collapse last week of talks aimed at breaking the deadlock.
Transport for London (TfL) pledged to run as many Tube services as possible, although it warned there will be disruption throughout the whole of Monday with services not returning to normal until Tuesday.
Labour's Mayoral candidate, Ken Livingstone, urged London Mayor Boris Johnson to intervene in the dispute, saying: "Londoners have endured months of Tube misery with delays, disruption and strikes, yet Boris Johnson refuses to roll his sleeves up and get a grip.
"It's been well over 900 days since Boris Johnson was elected and he is yet to speak to the representatives of Tube workers. As Mayor of London and chairman of Transport for London, meeting the representatives of Tube workers is an essential part of the job, whether Boris Johnson likes it or not."
RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "It is incredible that LU management would not agree to a 12-week suspension of the cuts to allow a thorough safety evaluation on the impact on each station of their cuts plans. That shows complete and utter contempt for the safety of both their passengers and their staff."
Mike Brown, managing director of London Underground, said: "We will be doing everything we can to get as many Tube services as possible operating throughout Sunday evening and Monday, and to keep Londoners on the move with extra buses, river services, and other alternatives. Londoners will face some disruption, but we intend to run services on nearly all Tube lines, meaning that people will be able to get around.
"We have been consulting with the union leaderships for more than six months, trying to establish what specific safety concerns they may now have. This week we offered a further six weeks to discuss our plans to see if there are any local issues which need to be addressed, but the leaders of the RMT and TSSA prefer to attack the people of London yet again and attempt to hold us all to ransom.
"If they are serious about resolving this issue, they should immediately call off their totally unnecessary strike, which will achieve nothing whatsoever."
An 85 billion euro (£72.1bn) bailout for the Irish government from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Europe has been agreed, head of eurozone ministers Jean-Claude Juncker said.
The deal for the rescue package was approved at an emergency meeting of European Union finance ministers in Brussels in time for the markets to reopen on Monday.
The Irish government applied for the loan last Sunday when it conceded the bank crisis was too big for the country.
Taoiseach Brian Cowen welcomed the bailout, describing it as "necessary to allow us to fund our budgets over the coming years".
In a statement the Irish government said the purpose of the external financial support is to return its economy to sustainable growth and to ensure it has a properly functioning healthy banking system.
The Irish contribution to the facility will be 17.5 billion euro (£14.7bn), which will come from the National Pension Reserve Fund (NPRF) and other domestic cash resources. "This means that the extent of the external assistance will be reduced to 67.5 billion (£56.7bn)," it added.
The facility will include up to 35 billion euro (£29.4bn) to support the banking system, 10 billion euro (£8.4bn) for the immediate recapitalisation and the remaining 25 billion euro (£21bn) will be provided on a contingency basis. The funds in the facility will be drawn down as necessary, although the amount will depend on the capital requirements of the financial system.
"If drawn down in total today, the combined annual average interest rate would be of the order of 5.8% per annum," it stated.
"The rate will vary according to the timing of the drawdown and market conditions."
Arab rulers secretly lobbied America to launch air strikes to destroy Iran's nuclear programme according to leaked US diplomatic cables, it was reported.
Details from 250,000 leaked documents obtained by the WikiLeaks whistleblowers website were published by a number of newspapers which had been given advance sight of the material, including The Guardian.
The Guardian said it would be publishing details later in the week of cables relating to the UK - including allegations of "inappropriate behaviour" by a member of the Royal Family which was said to have "startled" US diplomats.
The documents were also said to include "serious political criticism" of David Cameron and "devastating criticism" of British military operations in Afghanistan.
Potentially most seriously of all for the UK, The Guardian said that the cables included requests for "specific intelligence" about British MPs.
Both the British and US governments strongly condemned the leaks while insisting that they would not damage relations between the two countries.
US officials have spent recent days frantically contacting friendly governments - including Britain - to brief them about the likely disclosures in the cables in an attempt to limit the diplomatic fall-out.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said that the disclosure of classified diplomatic communications on the front pages of newspapers around the world would "deeply impact" US foreign interests.
"To be clear - such disclosures put at risk our diplomats, intelligence professionals, and people around the world who come to the United States for assistance in promoting democracy and open government," he said. "By releasing stolen and classified documents, WikiLeaks has put at risk not only the cause of human rights but also the lives and work of these individuals."
The Foreign Office said that such leaks were "not in the national interest" and could damage national security. A spokesman added: "We have a very strong relationship with the US Government. That will continue."
Irish Taoiseach Brian Cowen said an 85 billion euro (£72.1bn) bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Europe was in the best interest of the country and its people.
The deal for the rescue package was approved at an emergency meeting of European Union finance ministers in Brussels in time for the markets to reopen on Monday.
The Irish government applied for the loan last Sunday when it conceded the bank crisis was too big for the country.
Mr Cowen revealed the banking sector will be downsized and restructured under the terms of the package and warned that without the loan, tax increases and spending cuts would be more severe in the upcoming budget.
"The final agreed programme represents the best available deal for Ireland," said Mr Cowen.
"It allows us to move forward with secure funding for our essential public services, for our welfare state, for the most vulnerable members of society that depend on them. And it provides Ireland with vital time and space to successfully and conclusively address the unprecedented problems we have been dealing with since this global economic crisis began."
Of the 85 billion euros, Ireland itself has agreed to contribute 17.5 billion - by raiding pension funds to play its part in its own bailout to prop up the ailing banks.
The loan facility includes up to 35 billion euros (£29.4bn) to support the banking system - 10 billion euros (£8.4bn) of which will be drawn down immediately for the recapitalisation at a rate of 5.8%. Some 50 billion euros (£42bn) will cover financing the state.
Opposition politicians claimed the bailout deal amounts to a national sell-out that will leave the country crippled with debt.
The deal was struck the day after 50,000 protesters marched through the streets of Dublin against the country's drastic austerity measures.
One in four public sector workers fear they will lose their jobs as the Government's huge cuts in public spending start to take effect, according to a new study.
Two thirds of those questioned by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) said stress levels in their workplace had increased as a result of the economic downturn.
The survey of over 2,000 employees in private firms as well as the public sector represented a "bleak picture" of employee attitudes throughout the UK, said the CIPD.
Almost a third said their standard of living had fallen over the past six months, although job satisfaction showed a surprise increase, suggesting that workers were displaying a "fixed grin" attitude.
Ben Willmott, the CIPD's senior public policy adviser, said: "The findings echo what happened during early spring 2009 against the backdrop of recession, when job satisfaction rose before falling as economic and employment conditions improved.
"Both then and now there was talk of job losses and bleak economic commentary, suggesting that, when faced with an uncertain outlook, employees place more value on simply having a job than they do during more benign economic times.
"They are also less likely to look enviously over the fence and think the grass may be greener with another employer, which is not surprising given that two thirds of employees think it would be difficult to get a new job if they lost their current position."
One in five workers said their organisation was planning redundancies, rising to 50% among public sector staff.
Budget hotel chain Travelodge has announced the creation of 200 new jobs in the run-up to Christmas.
Six new Travelodge hotels will opened in Maidenhead, Chichester, London Whetstone, Horsham, Paignton and Lancaster, where some 150 jobs need to be filled.
Positions available include hotel managers, receptionists, housekeepers, and bar staff.
The six new Travelodge openings will boost the privately owned company's portfolio to 460 hotels and 31,171 rooms.
The remaining 50 jobs are for management positions for Travelodge hotels across the UK and for the company's head office in Thame, Oxfordshire.
Shakila Ahmed, Travelodge spokeswomen, said: "These 200 new jobs are not just for Christmas; we are looking for enthusiastic, motivated and committed individuals who want a long-term career in hospitality."
Travelodge recruits its entry level staff for new hotels in partnership with the Job Centre Plus scheme - a programme that focuses on getting the local long-term unemployed back in to work. All successful candidates undertake a comprehensive four-week training programme.
Senior Liberal Democrats have welcomed reports that the Government is planning to delay imposing its controversial cap on housing benefit payments.
The BBC reported that ministers had decided to put back the introduction of the cap - which had been due to start next April - until 2012. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) described reports of a delay as "speculation", insisting that it was essential that the current system still had to be reformed.
The move was said to be to give existing claimants more chance to adjust their personal circumstances before the cap comes in.
It would also mean that it would not be introduced until well after local crucial government elections in May.
Lib Dem deputy leader Simon Hughes - one of the strongest critics of the plan - said that he was encouraged by the report.
"Many of us have pressed very hard since the Budget in June for a more gradual and sensitive change in the benefit system," he said.
"We must await further details, but the signals sound good - the Government is listening."
The housing benefit cap had been a source of tension within the coalition, with some Lib Dems warning that claimants in London and other high cost areas could be forced out of their homes.
Delaying its introduction would be costly to the Treasury, but the BBC said that it could be offset by bringing forward the cut in housing benefit rates for new claimants from October 2011 to next April.
A DWP spokesperson said: "This is speculation. The truth is the housing benefit system is unfair for those who receive it and the taxpayer that funds it, and we have to put fairness back at the heart of the system."
The number of people arrested for football-related disorder fell by 10% last season.
A total of 3,391 English and Welsh fans were arrested at international and domestic games in 2009/10, down 395 from the previous season.
The figures were welcomed as Prime Minister David Cameron flies to Zurich to lobby Fifa executive committee members ahead of their all-important vote in the Swiss city.
The sport's global governing body will announce on Thursday who is to host the 2018 tournament, with England facing tough competition from Russia, as well as joint bids by Spain/Portugal and Belgium/Netherlands.
The figures showed there were no arrests at 70% of games and 92% of those whose football banning orders have expired since 2000 were assessed by police as no longer posing a risk of football disorder. No English or Welsh fans were arrested for disorder at the World Cup in South Africa, compared with almost 950 who were expelled from Belgium in one night during Euro 2000.
But Crime Prevention Minister James Brokenshire said nobody was complacent and said: "Police will continue to work with fans and use all the tools at their disposal to ensure that we continue setting a benchmark for the world."
In all, 3,248 football banning orders were in place on November 19, including 105 against Newcastle United fans - 10% of all the banning orders in the Premier League and the most of any team at that level - 91 against West Ham fans and 86 against Wolves fans.
In the Championship, Leeds United fans topped the list with 152 banning orders - the most of any club in England and Wales - followed by Cardiff City (125) and Millwall (100). Fans of Yeovil Town in League One and Accrington Stanley and Stevenage in League Two were the only groups with no banning orders, the figures showed.
Mr Cameron's decision to join the England bid team in Zurich has drawn comparisons with Tony Blair's sweet-talking of International Olympic Committee members in Singapore in 2005, which was widely credited with winning the 2012 Games for London.
He will be joined in Zurich by a 30-strong bid delegation including Prince William, London Mayor Boris Johnson, England manager Fabio Capello and football stars David Beckham, Sir Bobby Charlton, Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Andy Cole and John Barnes.
South Korea's president has taken the blame for failing to protect an island from a deadly North Korean artillery attack, but vowed the North would face consequences for future aggression.
Lee Myung-bak did not give specifics about those consequences, nor did he say what actions South Korea would take in response to the artillery barrage on Yeonpyeong Island that killed four people, including two civilians, and sent tensions soaring in the region.
"I feel deeply responsible for failing to protect my people's lives and property," Mr Lee said. He said he was "very sorry and regretful" for the death of innocent people. "Launching military strikes against civilians is an inhumane crime that is even banned during wartime," he said.
As Mr Lee spoke, a nuclear-powered US supercarrier and a South Korean destroyer participated in joint military exercises that were a united show of force aimed at the North.
North Korea, meanwhile, threatened another "merciless" attack as South Korean protesters begged Mr Lee to find a way to resolve the tension and restore peace.
China, the North's only major ally, belatedly jumped into the fray with Beijing's top nuclear envoy, Wu Dawei, calling for an emergency meeting in early December among regional powers involved in nuclear disarmament talks, including North Korea. But Seoul gave a cool response to the proposal, saying it should be "reviewed very carefully" in the light of North Korea's recent revelation of a new uranium-enrichment facility.
The troubled relations between the two Koreas, which fought a three-year war in the 1950s, have deteriorated steadily since Mr Lee's conservative government took power in 2008 with a tough new policy towards the North.
Eight months ago a South Korean warship went down in western waters, killing 46 sailors in the worst attack on the South Korean military since the Korean War. Then, last Tuesday, North Korean troops showered artillery on Yeonpyeong, a South Korean-held island that houses military bases as well as a civilian population of 1,300 - an attack that marked a new level of hostility.
Two South Korean marines and two civilians were killed and 18 others wounded in the hailstorm of artillery that sent residents fleeing into bunkers and reduced homes on the island to charred rubble.
Leslie Nielsen, who went from drama to inspired bumbling as a hapless doctor in Airplane! and accident-prone detective Frank Drebin in the Naked Gun comedies, has died at the age of 84.
His agent John Kelly said Nielsen died on Sunday at a hospital near his home in Fort. Lauderdale, Florida, where he was being treated for pneumonia.
Canadian-born Nielsen came to Hollywood in the mid-1950s after performing in 150 live television dramas in New York.
With a craggily handsome face, blond hair and 6ft2ins height, he seemed ideal for a leading man.
He quickly became known as a serious actor, although behind the camera he was a prankster - an aspect of his personality never exploited until disaster spoof Airplane! was released in 1980 and became a huge hit.
Hijacked sailor Paul Chandler warned a watching Royal Navy ship that he and his wife would be killed if marines tried to rescue them, new interviews reveal.
Mr Chandler radioed a plea to Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Wave Knight after he and wife Rachel were seized by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean last year.
Transcripts of conversations published in a newspaper show that the terrified couple begged several times for the ship not to intervene as they were bundled from their yacht Lynn Rival on to a pirate ship - starting their year-long kidnap ordeal.
Retired Mr and Mrs Chandler, from Tunbridge Wells in Kent, were seized at gunpoint last October as they sailed from the Seychelles to Tanzania.
Four days after being captured, they were spotted by a helicopter from the EU's anti-piracy taskforce - for which the Wave Knight was a supply vessel. This prompted the pirates to transfer the Chandlers to another of their seized ships nearby and the vessels dramatically converged off the coast of Somalia.
Mr Chandler's trip logs reveal his radio conversation with a "totally calm and matter-of-fact" British naval officer went as follows: "Lynn Rival: EU warship - this is sailing yacht Lynn Rival. We are two British, one male, one female. We have been kidnapped. We are both well and unharmed. Please turn away or we will be killed.
"Wave Knight: Lynn Rival - understood. We are turning away now. We are turning away now. we confirm one male, one female unharmed. Are you directly threatened?
"Lynn Rival: Correct. Not threatened at present."
Wave Knight then warned the pirates' container ship to alter course, which prompted a flurry of calls from Lynn Rival. One said: "We are very frightened. We have been told we will be killed if you don't stand off." Another shortly after went: "Our captors said they will kill us if you don't stand off. We are terrified!"
Wave Knight was left behind as the couple were to Somalia, and the Chandlers spent 388 days in captivity before being released two weeks ago. Days after they were seized, a controversy erupted after it emerged that Wave Knight had been within sight of their yacht. But military officials insisted that the crew could not have acted without endangering the couple's lives.
Arab rulers secretly lobbied America to launch air strikes to destroy Iran's nuclear programme, according to leaked US diplomatic cables.
Details from 250,000 leaked United States embassy cables obtained by the WikiLeaks whistleblowers website have been published by a number of newspapers given advance sight of the material.
The Guardian said it would be publishing details later in the week of cables relating to the UK - including allegations of "inappropriate behaviour" by a member of the Royal Family which was said to have "startled" US diplomats. There was no immediate response from Buckingham Palace to a report in the Daily Mail that the member of the Royal Family involved was the Duke of York.
The WikiLeaks documents are also said to include "serious political criticism" of David Cameron and "devastating criticism" of British military operations in Afghanistan and,potentially most seriously of all for the UK, The Guardian said that the cables included requests for "specific intelligence" about British MPs.
Both the British and US governments strongly condemned the leaks while insisting that they would not damage relations between the two countries. US officials have spent recent days frantically contacting friendly governments to brief them about the likely disclosures in the cables in an attempt to limit the diplomatic fall-out.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said that the disclosure of classified diplomatic communications on the front pages of newspapers around the world would "deeply impact" US foreign interests.
"To be clear - such disclosures put at risk our diplomats, intelligence professionals, and people around the world who come to the United States for assistance in promoting democracy and open government," he said. "By releasing stolen and classified documents, WikiLeaks has put at risk not only the cause of human rights but also the lives and work of these individuals."
The most striking of the initial disclosures is that Arab leaders have been privately urging the US to take military action to halt Iran's nuclear programme before it is too late.
The King of Bahrain was quoted as telling US diplomats that Tehran's nuclear drive "must be stopped". In another cable, he was said to have warned: "The danger of letting it go on is greater than the danger of stopping it". He was said to have been backed by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia who was said to have repeatedly urged Washington to "cut off the head of the snake" while there was still time.
The cables were said to include a US assessment that Iran has obtained advanced missiles from North Korea that could enable it to strike Western European capitals and Moscow and develop more formidable long-range ballistic missiles. There were also said to be instructions to US diplomats to spy on the leadership of the United Nations.
The big freeze gripping the country will get worse this week, with snow spreading inland and some temperatures plunging as low as minus 20C, forecasters warned.
Deep snow and freezing conditions in the North East and Scotland have been causing widespread travel disruption, with icy temperatures everywhere else creating similar problems for commuters.
There is no sign of a let-up in the wintry weather, with bitter winds increasing and more parts of the UK facing snow in the coming days. The RAC warned of a "difficult" Monday commute and told drivers to consider other options.
The cold spell saw record low temperatures in some parts of the country over the weekend, with both Wales and Northern Ireland recording the coldest November night since records began. The mercury at Llysdinam near Llandrindod Wells in Wales plunged to minus 18C on Sunday, while Lough Fea in Northern Ireland sank to minus 9.2C.
So far, Scotland and the North East have been worst hit by snow, with more than 40cm in parts, and police have advised people to stay indoors for all but essential travel. Several airports were disrupted on Sunday, with Edinburgh closed due to heavy snow, Aberdeen suffering delays and Newcastle International, Luton and Jersey also seeing disruption.
Forecasters warned the rest of the country is likely to be blanketed this week as the weather front moves west. The severe conditions could also last well into next week, with rain, sleet and snow.
Aisling Creevey, of MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said Londoners should prepare for the possibility of snow on Monday night. She said: "The snow will become more widespread from Monday evening and most places will get a dusting. There will be an increasingly high wind chill during the week and it will feel really raw."
The Arctic conditions have been caused by a combination of light winds, snow cover and clear skies - and could see readings down to minus 20C in Scotland later this week. The UK's lowest ever recorded temperature in November was minus 23.3C recorded in Braemar, in the Scottish Highlands, on November 14, 1919.
Met Office severe weather warnings were in place along the east coast, with heavy snow from Scotland, down through the North East, Yorkshire and Humber, East Midlands and the East of England.
The AA said it dealt with double the normal number of breakdowns on Sunday, while the RAC said calls were up a third. Alan Wilcock, RAC patrol ambassador of the year, said: "With more bad weather forecast, the Monday morning commute is already looking very, very busy. Workers who travel by car may want to consider other options, such as working from home or another form of transport."
Government plans to crack down on binge drinking and reclaim high streets for "sensible law-abiding drinkers" are set to be unveiled this week.
Home Secretary Theresa May said 24-hour licences have failed to produce the benefits of a "cafe culture" and tougher action is needed to tackle alcohol-related crime and disorder which costs the taxpayer up to £13 billion each year.
The overhaul of licensing laws will give communities greater flexibility to find a solution that suits them, she said. Proposals included tougher penalties for serving under-age drinkers, with fines doubling to £20,000 for persistent offenders, and a late night levy to allow licensing authorities to charge premises which open late for the additional policing.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley confirmed that there would be a ban on selling alcohol at below cost price.
Reports suggested supermarkets will be banned from selling wine, beer and spirits below a national minimum price, which would be determined by adding together VAT and the cost of duty on the product. Licences could be removed from outlets that breach the rules, and ministers were also said to be considering reviewing the duty paid on beer with a view to hiking the rate for super-strength drinks.
Proposals being considered for the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill also include ensuring policing and health concerns are considered.
The move would enable the impact of licensing on crime and disorder or public safety to be taken into account when assessing licence applications.
Crime Prevention Minister James Brokenshire said: "We're reclaiming the high street for sensible law-abiding drinkers by putting the community at the heart of licensing decisions and creating tougher powers to tackle under-age sales.
"No-one is claiming that every pub and club is a problem, in fact many pubs are a vital part of community life, but we know a minority drive damaging crime and disorder. It's time that local people were put in charge so they can decide what the pubs and clubs in their town centres are like at night."
Other proposals included enabling licensing authorities to suspend licences due to non-payment of fees and tighter rules for temporary licences.
The international money markets are to give their verdict on the 85 billion euro (£72.1bn) bail-out of the Irish economy from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Europe.
The rescue package was approved at an emergency meeting of European Union finance ministers in Brussels.
The deal was struck the day after 50,000 protesters marched through the streets of Dublin against the country's drastic austerity measures.
Taoiseach Brian Cowen warned that without the loan, pending tax hikes and spending cuts would be more severe. He said it was essential for the country and in the best interest of its people and the eurozone, adding: "It allows us to move forward with secure funding for our essential public services, for our welfare state, for the most vulnerable members of society that depend on them."
The overall loan facility includes up to 35 billion euro (£29.4bn) to support the banking system - 10 billion euro (£8.4bn) of which will be drawn down immediately for the recapitalisation at a rate of 5.8%.
Some 50 billion euro (£42bn) will cover financing the state. Of the 85 billion euro, Ireland itself will contribute 17.5 billion (£14.7bn) by raiding pension funds to prop up the ailing banks.
Opposition politicians claimed the bail-out agreement amounts to a national sell-out that will leave the country crippled with debt.
The Irish government applied for the loan last Sunday when it conceded the bank crisis was too big for the country. Mr Cowen revealed the banking sector will be downsized and restructured under the terms of the package.
However the bail-out does not provide for bondholders to take a hit, but the system will be replaced in 2013 when a new mechanism will mean bondholders face funding a share of any more bail-outs.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn, IMF managing director, said Irish authorities had proposed a clear and realistic package of policies to restore Ireland's banking system to health and put its public finances on a sound footing. "Supported by substantial financing, this program can underpin market confidence and bring Ireland's economy back on track," he added.
Commuters battling the wintry weather face more travel disruption thanks to the latest strike by London Underground workers.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union and the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association walked out at 6.30pm on Sunday for 24 hours during a long-running dispute over 800 ticket office job cuts. The union said the stoppage caused "severe disruption" to Tube services, with further problems forecast for the rush hour.
It is the fourth strike in recent months following the collapse last week of talks aimed at breaking the deadlock. Transport for London (TfL) pledged to run as many Tube services as possible, although it warned services would not return to normal until Tuesday.
The RMT said there was severe disruption on the Jubilee Line last night due to signal failure at Westminster and station closures due to the immediate impact of the strike
"The District, Hammersmith and City and Victoria Lines are already severely disrupted due to the immediate impact of strike action. The impact of the action has kicked in earlier than on previous strikes as RMT and TSSA members remain rock solid," said an RMT spokesman.
Mike Brown, London Underground's managing director, accused the unions of being "cynical" and pledged to do everything possible to keep London moving during the latest strike. Writing on his blog, which went live on LU's intranet, he said the behaviour of the unions this week and during the current dispute "brings into question the motivation of some of those who claim their role is to protect their members".
"This looks extremely cynical to me - the unions say they are concerned about safety; well, let's take six weeks and sit down and look at each of these concerns. Instead, the union leaderships would rather have their members out on strike - a strike that they know is pointless," he said.
RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "It is incredible that LU management would not agree to a 12-week suspension of the cuts to allow a thorough safety evaluation on the impact on each station of their cuts plans. That shows complete and utter contempt for the safety of both their passengers and their staff. With more chaos as a result of infrastructure failures (on Monday) morning, adding to a month of misery, Londoners can see the real impact of the LU/TfL cuts plans for themselves and it is those very same safety-critical cuts that are at the heart of this dispute."
Nick Winch, of the Federation of Small Businesses, said up to two-thirds of staff were late arriving for work or couldn't get in at all during the last strike earlier this month, costing businesses up to £3,000.
Transport for London said: "We'll run as many Tube services as we can, but some lines will have a restricted service and some stations will be closed."
Control orders could be replaced with a three-tier system of restrictions for terror suspects to avoid a Cabinet split on the issue, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation has said.
Lord Carlile said the compromise move could meet Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg's civil liberties concerns over the use of controversial control orders "without disproportionately risking innocent lives".
A Home Office review of counter-terror measures is reported to have backed the retention of the orders, which impose severe restrictions on suspects who have not been charged, after receiving representations from MI5.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Lord Carlile said foreign travel restrictions could be placed upon those suspected of wanting to travel abroad to train as terrorists.
A second tier of general travel restrictions could be imposed on individuals with "a more developed intent to participate in terrorist activity".
And, for the most serious cases, activity restriction orders could be enforced "where a judge was satisfied on the much raised standard of the balance of probabilities that the individual is a terrorist".
"The system would have an increasing scale of restrictions, including curfews (but not compulsory relocation) for the highest tier," Lord Carlile said.
His comments came after former Conservative leadership contender David Davis warned earlier this month that up to 50 coalition MPs could vote against the Government if it seeks to keep control orders.
Mr Davis - Tory shadow home secretary until he resigned his seat over civil liberties issues - said he would vote against any attempt by Home Secretary Theresa May to keep the orders, which have been compared to house arrest. His comments were made amid claims that Prime Minister David Cameron feared a "car crash" on the issue which could split the Cabinet.
Liberal Democrat peer and former director of public prosecutions Lord Macdonald, who is overseeing the conduct of the counter-terror review, is reported to have written to Mrs May warning that he would publicly denounce any decision to retain control orders.
