December 4, 2010, 3:35 pm
![Image]( "Nadir vow after 'unlawful' arrest")
Former Polly Peck tycoon Asil Nadir has vowed to issue a writ against police for wrongful arrest following his release from custody.
The 69-year-old, who is on bail and faces a multimillion-pound theft trial next year, was arrested at his home on Saturday for allegedly breaching a midnight to 6am curfew that was part of his bail terms.
But later he emerged from Charing Cross police station in London without being charged and with a police apology.
Speaking on the police station steps, Nadir said: "Unfortunately, I have been a victim of an unlawful arrest, claiming that I had broken my bail conditions. That was not the case.
"I have been released with an apology but I am hoping that this sort of unlawful behaviour, as I have claimed for many years, does not take place in this country. It's such a great shame for this country."
The former Tory party donor, supported by his 26-year-old wife Nur and barrister William Clegg QC, went on: "I was in my house with several witnesses, CCTV cameras in my house, and I have never broken this bail. But they said that I had broken it, which was not the case, but now we have been told the tagging machine and everything showed that I was in the house as I had said.
"We are taking, on Monday morning first thing, we are issuing a writ, taking proceedings against the people that have created this most unfortunate situation."
A Scotland Yard spokesman confirmed that Nadir was released and said no further action would be taken.
Nadir was originally charged with 66 offences of theft alleging a £34 million fraud following the collapse of his Polly Peck empire. He fled in 1993 to northern Cyprus before the counts - put into fewer condensed charges - could be put to him at trial. But on July 30 this year Mr Justice Bean was told he wanted to return to fight the case.
On Saturday night, a Serious Fraud Office spokesman said: "The SFO has been informed that a 69-year-old man has been arrested for a breach of his bail conditions. A custody officer is assessing the severity of the breach of bail."
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December 4, 2010, 3:35 pm
![Image]( "BCC downgrades GDP growth forecast")
The UK's economy will grow by less than previously expected next year, as a result of the eurozone debt crisis, the Government's austerity cuts and the slump in the housing market, according to a report.
The British Chambers of Commerce downgraded its forecast for the UK's GDP growth in 2011 to 1.9% from the 2.2% in its September prediction.
It expects a sharp downturn in the pace of UK growth at the beginning of 2011 in reaction to the rise in VAT from 17.5% to 20%, and the Government's cuts. Year-on-year growth will slow from 3% in the final quarter of 2010 to 1.4% in the second half of 2011, it predicts.
Last month the Government's Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) downgraded its own predictions for 2011 to 2.1% from 2.3% but the BCC said the latest predictions were still too optimistic.
The BCC believes the UK's economy is sufficiently robust to avoid slipping back into recession. It upgraded its GDP growth forecasts for 2012 from 1.8% to 2.1%, although its figure is still significantly less than the OBR's 2.6%.
The UK's longer-term economic prospects had improved in recent months because of the growth in the private sector, it said.
The BCC also reduced its predictions for the number of people who will be out of work by the second half of 2012 by 50,000 to 2.6 million.
However, it said there may be some sharper increases in unemployment in the immediate period as a result of the budget cuts.
BCC director general David Frost called on the Government to make helping businesses its priority.
"British business is willing and able to drive the recovery, but it can only do so if the Government will back its words with deeds," he said. "The Government must avoid at all costs new business taxes and measures that damage initiative, enterprise and innovation."
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December 4, 2010, 3:35 pm
![Image]( "Poorer pupils could have fees paid")
Bright youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds could have up to two years of their university tuition fees paid for them under new Government plans.
Ministers believe that 18,000 students a year could benefit from the scheme, saving up to £18,000 from the cost of their higher education and significantly increasing the numbers of children from poorer families who go to university.
Under the scheme, any student eligible for free school meals who is accepted for a place at university would have one year's fees paid by the state, said a Government source.
Universities which choose to charge more than £6,000 a year in fees - expected to include elite institutions such as Oxford and Cambridge - will be required to fund a further year's tuition for these students.
The state's share of funding for the scheme will be covered by a £150 million National Scholarship Programme announced by Business Secretary Vince Cable when he unveiled the Government's proposals for an increase in the fees cap from £3,375 to £9,000 from 2013.
Ministers will next week consult with representatives of students and universities before deciding how the Scholarship Programme money will be spent. But the proposal for a year's free tuition has emerged as the preferred option over alternatives such as an increase in the maintenance grant for poorer students.
It has strong backing from Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who believes the Government needs to shift the debate away from the political contortions his Liberal Democrats are going through over which way they will vote on fees, and on to the measures being taken to ensure the package is fair.
Liberal Democrat sources have said it had still not been decided which way their 57 MPs - including Mr Clegg - will vote in Thursday's key House of Commons vote on fees.
Mr Cable sowed confusion with a local newspaper interview on Friday in which he said he had "no doubt" he would vote in favour of the legislation, which as Business Secretary he is responsible for guiding through Parliament. He had previously suggested he would abide by a collective abstention policy if it could be agreed by the whole parliamentary party.
But within hours of his comments to the Richmond and Twickenham Times, Mr Cable had switched direction again, insisting that the Lib Dems would decide together which way to vote.
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December 5, 2010, 4:50 am
![Image]( "Stranded Britons hope to get home")
British tourists hit by travel woes caused by striking Spanish air traffic controllers are returning home, but have been warned of further delays caused by a backlog of flights.
Airlines including Ryanair and Easyjet laid on extra flights in a bid to get passengers back to the UK after thousands were stranded in Spain.
The chaos began on Friday when the wildcat strike began in a row with the government over working conditions and pay. It eventually ended after the government stepped in by calling a state of alarm, threatening striking workers with prison terms.
It is thought about 20,000 British travellers in Spain were affected, with others stuck in the UK unable to take their flights as planned.
Spanish civil aviation agency Aena said all airports in the country are now functioning normally. Of 296 workers due to work on Sunday, 286 reported for duty. They estimated more than 600,000 passengers faced disruption because of the industrial action.
Ryanair put on three extra flights from Lanzarote, Las Palmas and Tenerife to Stansted and Luton airports, allowing their passengers to transfer on to the flights free of charge. Easyjet operated 14 "rescue flights" to collect stranded passengers but warned of delays, urging passengers to check their website for details.
Both had cancelled flights on Saturday, along with Iberia, who said they were "gradually resuming" their flights.
Association of British Travel Agents (Abta) spokesman Sean Tipton said: "Things are slowly returning to normal, but if people are flying out today, and to some extent on Monday, they should be checking with their airline or tour operator.
"There is still a knock-on effect that could mean flights are delayed."
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December 5, 2010, 4:50 am
![Image]( "Shark kills German tourist in Egypt")
Officials say that a shark has killed an elderly German tourist at an Egyptian Red Sea resort, a few days after three Russians and a Ukrainian tourist were badly mauled in shark attacks.
The officials say the tourist died immediately after her arm was ripped off by the shark while she was swimming off Sharm el-Sheikh, a renowned diving and holiday resort.
After last week's attacks by oceanic white tip sharks, authorities ordered people to stay out of the water around Sharm el-Sheikh.
On Thursday, the Environment Ministry said two sharks suspected of mauling the four tourists were caught.
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December 5, 2010, 5:29 am
![Image]( "Leader Miliband 'well supported'")
Senior shadow cabinet minister Yvette Cooper has rejected suggestions that Ed Miliband had made a lack-lustre start to his time as Labour leader.
Ms Cooper and her husband Ed Balls have both been tipped as possible successors to Mr Miliband if he is ousted from the leadership.
But she insisted that the shadow cabinet team were "very supportive" of their leader and said he had already laid some punches on Conservatives over issues like housing benefit and school sports.
Speculation over Mr Miliband's future has heightened following poor performances in a BBC interview and at Prime Minister's Questions, while his shadow chancellor Alan Johnson has openly disagreed with him on key issues like the future of the 50p top rate of income tax and university fees.
Ladbrokes has halved its odds on Mr Johnson replacing Mr Miliband from 33-1 to 16-1 after receiving a "substantial gamble" on him, and cut the odds on a change in Labour's leadership before the next election from 5-2 to 2-1.
Mr Miliband has also faced criticism for taking two weeks' paternity leave shortly after he became leader.
But Ms Cooper told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show that he was "exactly right" to take time off after the birth of his son Samuel.
She added: "He is doing a very good job and has got a very supportive team around him.
"If you look at some of the things Ed has been focused on - housing benefit reforms are now being delayed, on school sports there's been a rethink. He is right to focus on these issues."
Ms Cooper said she backed Mr Miliband's preferred option of a graduate tax to fund universities.
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December 5, 2010, 5:29 am
![Image]( "Lawyer denounces Assange warrant")
The lawyer for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has denounced the warrant for his extradition for questioning on sex allegations in Sweden as a "political stunt".
Mark Stephens said Mr Assange would "certainly" fight deportation to Sweden on the grounds that it could lead to him being handed over to the US, where senior politicians have called for him to be executed.
He said that the WikiLeaks site - which was last week forced to move to a Swiss host after being dumped by US internet companies - had come under siege from "a huge number of cyber-attacks".
The organisation held further secret material which it regarded as a "thermo-nuclear device" to be released if it needs to protect itself, he said.
Mr Assange, who is staying in Britain, has come under growing pressure from politicians in the US and around the world after his WikiLeaks site started publishing excerpts from a cache of 250,000 secret American diplomatic cables last week.
Former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has described him as "an anti-American operative with blood on his hands" and called for him to be hunted down like a Taliban leader, while another senior Republican Mike Huckabee has said that "anything less than execution is too kind a penalty" for what he has done.
Swedish prosecutors have sent an international arrest warrant to the Metropolitan Police, seeking his extradition for questioning on allegations - which he strongly denies - of rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion.
International police agency Interpol has issued a "Red Notice" urging people to contact police with information about his whereabouts.
But Mr Stephens today said that Sweden's chief prosecutor had told Mr Assange in September that there was no case for him to answer, following complaints against him by two women, but the investigation was revived following the intervention of a Swedish politician.
He said that Swedish prosecutors knew where Mr Assange was and urged them to call him to discuss the case.
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December 5, 2010, 6:36 am
![Image]( "Bank bonuses may face further tax")
The Government is reportedly understood to be planning a further tax on bank bonuses and new disclosure rules for top workers' pay.
Chancellor George Osborne is thought to be coming under growing pressure from partners in the coalition to crack down on bonuses, according to The Sunday Times newspaper.
Although City payouts are expected to be lower than last year, the Government is still keen to tackle the bonus culture, particularly against the background of public sector spending cuts and job losses.
It is understood that all options remain open, but possible moves could include a 50% tax on bonuses, similar to the one-off levy implemented by former chancellor Alistair Darling.
Under Mr Darling's tax, 50% of all bonuses of more than £25,000 was taken by HM Revenue & Customs, with the remaining money still taxed as if it was income.
The Treasury is also said to be reconsidering recommendations put forward by Sir David Walker, who investigated bank bonuses for the previous government, forcing banks to disclose the number of employees who earn more than £1 million.
Mr Osborne has previously appeared cool towards the recommendation but it is thought his reluctance to implement them have put him at loggerheads with Business Secretary Vince Cable, who has repeatedly spoken out against the City's bonus culture.
But any new tax is likely to cause outrage in the City as it would come on top of Mr Osborne's planned £2.5 billion levy on banks' balance sheets.
It would also spark warnings that the UK could face a drain of talent as workers moved abroad, and may even see some big banks relocate their head offices to outside the UK.
The report comes as the Committee of European Bank Supervisors is this week expected to announce new rules on remuneration, including restricting the cash element of a bonus to 20% of the total award, while it is thought 20% must be given in shares that cannot be sold immediately and 60% must be deferred.
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December 5, 2010, 6:36 am
![Image]( "Drugs hope to repair MS damage")
New research could lead to drugs that repair the damage caused by multiple sclerosis (MS).
Scientists have identified a biochemical "switch" that helps stem cells in the brain fix injured nerves. In future, medicines targeting the same pathway might provide a way to halt or even reverse the disease.
The discovery was described on Sunday as "one of the most exciting developments in recent years" by the head of an MS charity.
It points the way to radical new regenerative treatments for the auto-immune disease which affects almost 100,000 people in the UK.
Multiple sclerosis occurs when the body's own immune system attacks and destroys the fatty insulating material, called myelin, that coats nerve fibres. Nerve messages are jumbled or interrupted leading to symptoms ranging from mild numbness to crippling paralysis.
In people with MS, the natural process by which lost myelin is rebuilt and replaced is blocked. Scientists have been looking for ways to switch the mechanism back on by focusing on oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs), a type of stem cell needed for myelin repair.
A major problem is that OPCs can migrate to the area of injury but fail to develop into the oligodendrocyte cells that restore myelin. The new research has identified a biochemical signalling pathway which triggers OPC transformation.
Tests on rats showed that blocking a cell molecule called retinoid acid receptor RXR-gamma prevented the differentiation of OPCs into oligodendrocytes. Conversely, stimulating RXR-gamma with a special form of retinoic acid switched on the transformation of OPCs and ultimately led to the repair of damaged nerves.
The research, part-funded by the MS Society, is published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.
Professor Robin Franklin, director of the MS Society's Cambridge Centre for Myelin Repair at Cambridge University, who led the study, said: "Therapies that repair damage are the missing link in treating multiple sclerosis. In this study we have identified a means by which the brain's own stem cells can be encouraged to undertake this repair, opening up the possibility of a new regenerative medicine for this devastating disease."
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December 5, 2010, 6:36 am
![Image]( "Lib Dems 'messy' on tuition fees")
A close ally of Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has admitted the Liberal Democrats' positioning on student fees has been "messy", as confusion continued over which way the party's 57 MPs will vote.
Norman Lamb said it is the "strong preference" of both him and Mr Clegg to back measures which would almost treble the maximum university tuition fee to £9,000, but added that they would respect the collective decision of the parliamentary party, which meets on Tuesday.
His comments came amid reports of angry exchanges between Mr Clegg and Business Secretary Vince Cable, who has responsibility for getting the proposals through Parliament.
Mr Cable last week said he had "no doubt" he would vote in favour of the reforms, before swiftly backtracking and saying he would abstain if all his parliamentary colleagues agreed to do so.
The mass abstention option was put forward in a bid to prevent a three-way split in the party in Thursday's Commons vote, with former leaders Charles Kennedy and Sir Menzies Campbell otherwise expected to be joined by several backbenchers in voting against the Government.
But it has magnified the sense of confusion surrounding the Lib Dems, who have come under intense pressure from students angry at their failure to live up to a manifesto promise to abolish fees.
Norfolk North MP Mr Lamb, who is Mr Clegg's chief political adviser, told BBC1's The Politics Show: "This is difficult, it's messy... My very strong preference, as is the case for Nick, is to vote in favour... (but) we have clear processes. Nick is very keen that he engages with the parliamentary party. We will make our final decision when the parliamentary party meets."
Meanwhile, in a last-minute bid to shore up support for the reforms, ministers have unveiled proposals for disadvantaged students to receive at least one year's free tuition.
Under a £150 million National Scholarship Programme, being strongly promoted by Mr Clegg, the state would pay one year's fees for an estimated 18,000 young people who are eligible for free school meals. Universities which charge more than £6,000 would be required to match this by paying for a second year, delivering a maximum total saving of £18,000 in the cost of a degree.
But in a letter to Mr Cable, Labour's shadow business secretary John Denham said the move amounts to an admission that higher fees will put poorer students off university. "We welcome this 11th-hour recognition of reality... but it makes the question about the impact on social mobility more, not less pressing," he added.
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December 5, 2010, 6:36 am
![Image]( "BBC defends World Cup Panorama show")
BBC director general Mark Thompson has defended the Panorama expose of alleged bribery at Fifa which has been accused of damaging England's chances of hosting the World Cup.
The show, broadcast just three days before the announcement on Thursday of the 2018 World Cup venue, made claims about four of the 22-strong executive of world football's governing body.
Fifa president Sepp Blatter is understood to have referred to the "evils of the media" in a speech to the executive immediately before they voted, and there has been widespread speculation that the programme scuppered England's bid.
But Mr Thompson said the BBC was "right" to screen the show, which he said contained "significant information about matters of very serious public interest and public concern".
He told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show that the information was received by the Panorama team only a few weeks before the programme was broadcast.
"They spent time checking the provenance of this information, putting a number of specific allegations to the people involved, as we must do, and when the programme was ready to transmit, we transmitted it," said Mr Thompson.
"I have to say that I believe that in the end, although I understand that there are often reasons to believe that transmitting a programme might be impolitic or inconvenient, if you believe that you have a matter of real public concern to broadcast, there have got to be overwhelmingly powerful reasons for not broadcasting.
"I believe we were right to broadcast and I believe we have very strong support from the British public in broadcasting."
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December 5, 2010, 6:36 am
![Image]( "Age-appropriate marketing tackled")
Retailers may face a code of conduct on "age appropriate" marketing as part of a bid to halt the sale of sexualised products to young children.
A Government inquiry being launched on Monday will examine whether new rules are needed to prevent the marketing of items like "porn star" T-shirts, lap-dancing kits and padded bras to pre-teens.
Prime Minister David Cameron has said he was shocked to find "Lolita" beds for six-year-olds on sale, and the coalition agreement in May promised "action to protect children from excessive commercialisation and premature sexualisation".
Reg Bailey, chief executive of the Mothers' Union, has been appointed to lead the inquiry, which will have a free hand to make recommendations on whether there should be restrictions on sale, a watchdog or a Government-funded website for worried parents.
Children's minister Sarah Teather told the Sunday Times: "There are huge pressures on children to grow up too quickly and to buy stuff, some of which is completely unsuitable.
"I know when I walk down the high street there is one shop after another marketing highly sexualised clothes to young children: short, tight dresses; T-shirts with unsuitable slogans.
"Parents are under a tidal wave of pressure. There are all sorts of messages that bombard children and make them grow up quicker than parents want them to, and it's difficult for parents to protect their children because of music videos, because of what happens in the playground, what they see in shops, online, and because of the messages they get in teen magazines."
Mr Bailey called on parents to send him examples of products which concerned them.
"It's about the tone and the style of the way things are marketed to children," he said. "When you are so bombarded by marketing and sexualised imagery, it almost becomes wallpaper."
Katherine Rake, chief executive of the Family and Parenting Institute, welcomed the inquiry. saying: "Mothers and fathers regularly tell us that they don't want to see childhood disappearing. Confronting this issue is vital if we are to move closer to a family friendly society. We look forward to seeing progress made."
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December 5, 2010, 6:36 am
![Image]( "Spy case aide 'has nothing to hide'")
An MP has voiced support for his assistant, insisting the Russian has "nothing to hide" as she faces deportation for being a spy.
Liberal Democrat Mike Hancock challenged the security services to produce evidence against Katia Zatuliveter, who was arrested on Thursday morning and is currently being held at an immigration detention centre.
The 25-year-old, who came to the UK three years ago to study a masters degree at Bradford University, held a House of Commons pass and underwent security vetting before taking up her position as a full-time assistant two-and-a-half years ago. She worked previously for the MP as an intern.
She is appealing against the deportation order, which came after Home Secretary Theresa May was briefed by MI5 about the assistant's alleged connection to Russia's foreign intelligence service the SVR, The Sunday Times reported.
It emerged on Sunday that Ms Zatuliveter, who originates from Dagestan, was forced to flee her home as a child in the mid-1990s during the Chechnyan conflict, and an unnamed friend said she had been openly critical of Russia given her upbringing.
It is not known what prompted Ms Zatuliveter's arrest but a source told The Sunday Times she is no longer welcome in the UK. "Her presence here is not considered to be conducive to national security. There was unhappiness about what she could have access to. The intention is to show her the door," the source said.
Mr Hancock is a member of the Defence Select Committee and also represents the Portsmouth South constituency where the Ministry of Defence has significant naval interests.
In the last two months he has tabled a number of written questions to the MoD. Among them, he has asked for the locations of berths for submarines, a request to publish a historical inventory of the country's nuclear arsenal and when the next design review of the Trident warhead will take place.
Mr Hancock says he tabled the written questions and his researcher would not have been privy to any information not in the public domain. He said he was "very interested" in defence issues and had asked similar questions throughout his career as an MP. There is no suggestion Mr Hancock has acted improperly.
Describing Ms Zatuliveter as "bright and intelligent", Mr Hancock told Sky News: "I have no reason to believe she did any thing but act honourably during the time she was working for me."
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December 5, 2010, 8:54 am
![Image]( "Murderer must be addressed as 'Mr'")
A notorious underworld gang leader serving a life sentence for orchestrating the murder of an innocent couple has won the right to be addressed as "Mr" by prison staff.
The ruling in favour of Colin Gunn by the Prisons Ombudsman was made public in a letter in which the crime boss advised other prisoners to demand similar treatment.
Gunn, from Bestwood, Nottingham, was jailed for at least 35 years in 2006 for conspiracy to murder John and Joan Stirland, who were shot in Lincolnshire to gain "revenge" on their son.
In the letter to the Mailbag section of prisoners' newspaper Inside Time, Gunn revealed that he had made a successful complaint about staff at HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire to the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman last December.
Under the headline Call Me Mister, the gangster wrote: "I have read letters to Mailbag from prisoners complaining about prison staff not adhering to the policy of the decency agenda, in regards of them being called by their surnames only.
"You do not have to accept this, far from it. I won my case with the Ombudsman in December 09 against Whitemoor refusing to address me as 'Mr Gunn'."
Gunn also used his letter to accuse officials at Whitemoor of "trying everything in their power" not to adhere to Prison Service policy, before advising other criminals to complain to the Ombudsman.
The 43-year-old informed fellow inmates: "The law is on your side so do not give in. You will win the case and your prison knows this but will try anything to get out of it. Although there is no national policy that stipulates how prisoners should be addressed, all prisons have been given clear guidance on it.
"It is no longer acceptable to address prisoners by surname alone."
The Prison Service declined to comment on the claims made by Gunn, but issued a statement confirming that staff are asked to call prisoners by the first name or use the title "Mr".
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December 5, 2010, 11:21 am
![Image]( "Soldier killed in Afghan shooting")
A British soldier died from gunshot wounds during an operation in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has said.
The soldier, from the 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, was shot during an operation against insurgents in the Nad-e Ali District of Helmand Province.
Spokesman for Task Force Helmand, Lieutenant Colonel David Eastman, said: "Regrettably I must announce the death of a soldier from 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment .
"The soldier was part of an operation aiming to increase security in the Nad-e Ali District of Helmand Province when he was shot and subsequently died of his wounds.
"He has made the ultimate sacrifice protecting the people of Nad-e Ali from insurgent intimidation and defending his country from the threat of terrorism; no more could be asked of any soldier. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him."
His family have been informed.
A total of 346 UK military personnel have died since operations in Afghanistan began in 2001.
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December 5, 2010, 11:21 am
![Image]( "More children living in poverty")
The number of children living in poverty in working households in the UK has risen to its largest ever number, a report has found.
There are now 2.1 million impoverished youngsters living in homes where their parents or carers have jobs, according to a study by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
The Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion report found that the overall number of children living in poverty fell to 3.7 million.
The Foundation said the number of poverty-stricken children who live in workless households fell to 1.6 million - the lowest figure since 1984. However, the figures show that those who come from working households accounts for 58% of the total number of youngsters living in poverty.
Co-author of the report, Tom MacInnes, said: "The fall in child poverty among those in out-of-work households came about despite an estimated rise of 60,000 in the number of children living in workless households over the year. So, we can almost certainly say that it is related to the rise in both Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit in 2008. Without the substantial increases in these benefits, the numbers of children in poverty would be around half a million higher.
"With more than half of all children in poverty belonging to working families, it is simply not possible to base anti-poverty policies on the idea that work alone is a route out of poverty. Child poverty in working households must be given the same focus as out-of-work poverty. Until this happens, debates about poverty will continue to be misleading".
The report also found that between 2008 and 2009, 13 million people in the UK were living in poverty. It also discovered that by mid-2010, the unemployment rate among those aged 16-24 was at 20% - the highest in 18 years and three times that for other adults.
Co-author Anushree Parekh said: "The high level of young adult unemployment has been a striking feature of this recession. One in five adults aged under 25 who are looking for work cannot find it. But young adult unemployment has been rising since 2004 - this is a long term, chronic problem."
Joseph Rowntree Foundation chief executive Julia Unwin added: "Although it is important to recognise the reduction in child and pensioner poverty over the last decade, the government now faces many challenges, not solely related to work and poverty.
"The large numbers of young adults with few or no qualifications, persistent health inequalities and the lack of access for poor families to essential services, all make reducing social exclusion much more difficult. Welfare reform alone is nowhere near enough."
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December 5, 2010, 11:21 am
![Image]( "UK braced for return of big chill")
Forecasters have warned the big chill is back after a weekend reprieve from the bitterly cold weather.
Sunny spells graced many parts of the UK on Sunday, giving the snow a chance to thaw, and temperatures even rose to a comparatively balmy 7.7C in Chivenor, north Devon.
However, forecasters warned that sub-zero temperatures will be back across Britain overnight - and could last for most of the week.
More snowfall is also expected in Scotland and northern England.
"A band of snow is moving south across Scotland overnight and some western areas could see several centimetres fall," said Tom Tobler, forecaster for MeteoGroup. "On Monday, it will slowly move into northern England.
Speaking about Sunday night and the early hours of Monday, he added: "Overnight it will be well below zero in most areas. Some coastal spots will just stay just above zero but it is going to be very cold across all of Britain. Parts of eastern England, Yorkshire and north Lincolnshire could reach -12C, maybe even lower than that.
"It will be cold on Monday and it will stay cold for most of the week."
The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings in northern Scotland and Northern Ireland for Monday. It says that people in Orkney and Shetland should be prepared for heavy snow and icy roads while Grampian, Highlands and Eilean Siar and Northern Ireland were warned of widespread ice on the road networks.
At least seven people have died during the bleak weather, many in road accidents amid the dangerous condit
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December 5, 2010, 11:21 am
![Image]( "Mary fails to make X Factor final")
The finalists of this year's X Factor competition have been decided as supermarket worker Mary Byrne bowed out of the contest.
Singers Matt Cardle, Rebecca Ferguson, Cher Lloyd and boy group One Direction will battle it out in next week's final.
Byrne found herself in the bottom two along with early favourite Lloyd after their performances on Saturday night's show failed to impress the viewers.
The Dubliner gave a powerful performance of It's a Man's Man's Man's World in a bid to save herself in the sing off, but the judges opted to keep Lloyd in the competition for the final week.
The teen sang an emotional rendition of Britney Spears's Every Time.
Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole and Dannii Minogue all voted to save Lloyd - meaning a trip home to the Emerald Isle for Byrne.
Walsh was the only act who opted to send his act through to next week's show. The Irish judge now has no acts to take into the final as Byrne was the last contestant in his over 28s category.
After the sing off, he said: "Mary was incredible, she was emotional."
Cole added: "This is really difficult because Mary you have always touched me with your vocal and you know that. You are two completely different acts that we would not compare in the real world. But Cher is my girl and I backed her from the start and I will until the end."
Cowell said that he had supported Byrne from the start of the competition and she was a "great contestant".
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December 5, 2010, 11:21 am
![Image]( "Inmate exposes prison 'failures'")
A convict has exposed a series of damning prison failures by chronicling life behind bars on a secret mobile phone for several weeks.
Michael Long used the smuggled mobile to record drugs flowing into Oxfordshire's Bullingdon prison, lax security and a lack of training and rehabilitation for prisoners due for release.
Long, who is serving four years for stealing top of the range Bentley cars, filmed security breaches and drugs being thrown over the prison wall in broad daylight, for Sky News.
In the special report, Long arranged a rendezvous between Sky reporters and an unsupervised prisoner left in the prison car park. Sky handed over a pouch of tobacco and some tanning cream to the prisoner.
A few hours later, Long sent back pictures of the items from inside his cell.
Long also filmed drugs being thrown into the prison.
The package has strings attached which inmates used to reel it in through a window. When opened, the footage shows it contains a variety of illegal drugs.
Long claims he bought the phone from a corrupt warden and alleges officials are cashing in on prisoners' needs.
He tells Sky: "Then they come up to you and approach you. Take advantage of you and offer you a phone for £500."
A Prison Service spokesman said: "The Prison Service has a rigorous strategy to minimise the number of mobile phones entering prisons, find phones that are smuggled in and disrupt those phones that cannot be found. Measures have been taken to disrupt the supply of contraband into prisons, including the installation of wire netting to prevent items being thrown over walls and the sealing of windows to prevent prisoners 'fishing' for packages."
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December 5, 2010, 3:04 pm
![Image]( "Stranded Britons home after chaos")
Most holidaymakers stranded in Spain following a 24-hour wildcat strike by air traffic controllers have now arrived home to the UK.
The staff began their unofficial action on Friday in a row over pay and conditions, causing the Spanish government to declare a state of alarm which will be in place for the next two weeks.
Workers returned to their shifts on Saturday night after being threatened with jail, but officials said it could be days for flights to return to normal. Dozens of services to and from UK airports were grounded as Spanish air space was closed, with Ryanair, easyJet and Iberia all cancelling flights.
Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said there had been no advance warning of the strikes, which left hundreds of thousands of tourists, many of them British, stranded.
Association of British Travel Agents (Abta) spokesman Sean Tipton said: "There is still a backlog. Things are getting back to normal but if anyone has a flight on Monday they should check with their travel provider.
"I would say the majority of people are back now. Airlines have made it a priority to get them back. As it's a quiet time of year, there has been more availability."
The Foreign Office has changed its travel advice on Spain, urging people to check with their airline or travel operator before setting off to the airport.
A message on its website reads: "Although latest reports suggest that some air controllers are slowly returning to work and some flights are resuming, we strongly advise anyone planning to fly this weekend or on Monday, either to or from Spain, to contact their airline or travel operator before travelling to the airport."
The industrial action came in the week that cold weather had caused transport systems in the UK to grind to a halt, closing some airports.
On Sunday, flights were delayed and cancelled at Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester and Liverpool John Lennon Airport.
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Former Polly Peck tycoon Asil Nadir has vowed to issue a writ against police for wrongful arrest following his release from custody.
The 69-year-old, who is on bail and faces a multimillion-pound theft trial next year, was arrested at his home on Saturday for allegedly breaching a midnight to 6am curfew that was part of his bail terms.
But later he emerged from Charing Cross police station in London without being charged and with a police apology.
Speaking on the police station steps, Nadir said: "Unfortunately, I have been a victim of an unlawful arrest, claiming that I had broken my bail conditions. That was not the case.
"I have been released with an apology but I am hoping that this sort of unlawful behaviour, as I have claimed for many years, does not take place in this country. It's such a great shame for this country."
The former Tory party donor, supported by his 26-year-old wife Nur and barrister William Clegg QC, went on: "I was in my house with several witnesses, CCTV cameras in my house, and I have never broken this bail. But they said that I had broken it, which was not the case, but now we have been told the tagging machine and everything showed that I was in the house as I had said.
"We are taking, on Monday morning first thing, we are issuing a writ, taking proceedings against the people that have created this most unfortunate situation."
A Scotland Yard spokesman confirmed that Nadir was released and said no further action would be taken.
Nadir was originally charged with 66 offences of theft alleging a £34 million fraud following the collapse of his Polly Peck empire. He fled in 1993 to northern Cyprus before the counts - put into fewer condensed charges - could be put to him at trial. But on July 30 this year Mr Justice Bean was told he wanted to return to fight the case.
On Saturday night, a Serious Fraud Office spokesman said: "The SFO has been informed that a 69-year-old man has been arrested for a breach of his bail conditions. A custody officer is assessing the severity of the breach of bail."
The UK's economy will grow by less than previously expected next year, as a result of the eurozone debt crisis, the Government's austerity cuts and the slump in the housing market, according to a report.
The British Chambers of Commerce downgraded its forecast for the UK's GDP growth in 2011 to 1.9% from the 2.2% in its September prediction.
It expects a sharp downturn in the pace of UK growth at the beginning of 2011 in reaction to the rise in VAT from 17.5% to 20%, and the Government's cuts. Year-on-year growth will slow from 3% in the final quarter of 2010 to 1.4% in the second half of 2011, it predicts.
Last month the Government's Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) downgraded its own predictions for 2011 to 2.1% from 2.3% but the BCC said the latest predictions were still too optimistic.
The BCC believes the UK's economy is sufficiently robust to avoid slipping back into recession. It upgraded its GDP growth forecasts for 2012 from 1.8% to 2.1%, although its figure is still significantly less than the OBR's 2.6%.
The UK's longer-term economic prospects had improved in recent months because of the growth in the private sector, it said.
The BCC also reduced its predictions for the number of people who will be out of work by the second half of 2012 by 50,000 to 2.6 million.
However, it said there may be some sharper increases in unemployment in the immediate period as a result of the budget cuts.
BCC director general David Frost called on the Government to make helping businesses its priority.
"British business is willing and able to drive the recovery, but it can only do so if the Government will back its words with deeds," he said. "The Government must avoid at all costs new business taxes and measures that damage initiative, enterprise and innovation."
Bright youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds could have up to two years of their university tuition fees paid for them under new Government plans.
Ministers believe that 18,000 students a year could benefit from the scheme, saving up to £18,000 from the cost of their higher education and significantly increasing the numbers of children from poorer families who go to university.
Under the scheme, any student eligible for free school meals who is accepted for a place at university would have one year's fees paid by the state, said a Government source.
Universities which choose to charge more than £6,000 a year in fees - expected to include elite institutions such as Oxford and Cambridge - will be required to fund a further year's tuition for these students.
The state's share of funding for the scheme will be covered by a £150 million National Scholarship Programme announced by Business Secretary Vince Cable when he unveiled the Government's proposals for an increase in the fees cap from £3,375 to £9,000 from 2013.
Ministers will next week consult with representatives of students and universities before deciding how the Scholarship Programme money will be spent. But the proposal for a year's free tuition has emerged as the preferred option over alternatives such as an increase in the maintenance grant for poorer students.
It has strong backing from Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who believes the Government needs to shift the debate away from the political contortions his Liberal Democrats are going through over which way they will vote on fees, and on to the measures being taken to ensure the package is fair.
Liberal Democrat sources have said it had still not been decided which way their 57 MPs - including Mr Clegg - will vote in Thursday's key House of Commons vote on fees.
Mr Cable sowed confusion with a local newspaper interview on Friday in which he said he had "no doubt" he would vote in favour of the legislation, which as Business Secretary he is responsible for guiding through Parliament. He had previously suggested he would abide by a collective abstention policy if it could be agreed by the whole parliamentary party.
But within hours of his comments to the Richmond and Twickenham Times, Mr Cable had switched direction again, insisting that the Lib Dems would decide together which way to vote.
British tourists hit by travel woes caused by striking Spanish air traffic controllers are returning home, but have been warned of further delays caused by a backlog of flights.
Airlines including Ryanair and Easyjet laid on extra flights in a bid to get passengers back to the UK after thousands were stranded in Spain.
The chaos began on Friday when the wildcat strike began in a row with the government over working conditions and pay. It eventually ended after the government stepped in by calling a state of alarm, threatening striking workers with prison terms.
It is thought about 20,000 British travellers in Spain were affected, with others stuck in the UK unable to take their flights as planned.
Spanish civil aviation agency Aena said all airports in the country are now functioning normally. Of 296 workers due to work on Sunday, 286 reported for duty. They estimated more than 600,000 passengers faced disruption because of the industrial action.
Ryanair put on three extra flights from Lanzarote, Las Palmas and Tenerife to Stansted and Luton airports, allowing their passengers to transfer on to the flights free of charge. Easyjet operated 14 "rescue flights" to collect stranded passengers but warned of delays, urging passengers to check their website for details.
Both had cancelled flights on Saturday, along with Iberia, who said they were "gradually resuming" their flights.
Association of British Travel Agents (Abta) spokesman Sean Tipton said: "Things are slowly returning to normal, but if people are flying out today, and to some extent on Monday, they should be checking with their airline or tour operator.
"There is still a knock-on effect that could mean flights are delayed."
Officials say that a shark has killed an elderly German tourist at an Egyptian Red Sea resort, a few days after three Russians and a Ukrainian tourist were badly mauled in shark attacks.
The officials say the tourist died immediately after her arm was ripped off by the shark while she was swimming off Sharm el-Sheikh, a renowned diving and holiday resort.
After last week's attacks by oceanic white tip sharks, authorities ordered people to stay out of the water around Sharm el-Sheikh.
On Thursday, the Environment Ministry said two sharks suspected of mauling the four tourists were caught.
Senior shadow cabinet minister Yvette Cooper has rejected suggestions that Ed Miliband had made a lack-lustre start to his time as Labour leader.
Ms Cooper and her husband Ed Balls have both been tipped as possible successors to Mr Miliband if he is ousted from the leadership.
But she insisted that the shadow cabinet team were "very supportive" of their leader and said he had already laid some punches on Conservatives over issues like housing benefit and school sports.
Speculation over Mr Miliband's future has heightened following poor performances in a BBC interview and at Prime Minister's Questions, while his shadow chancellor Alan Johnson has openly disagreed with him on key issues like the future of the 50p top rate of income tax and university fees.
Ladbrokes has halved its odds on Mr Johnson replacing Mr Miliband from 33-1 to 16-1 after receiving a "substantial gamble" on him, and cut the odds on a change in Labour's leadership before the next election from 5-2 to 2-1.
Mr Miliband has also faced criticism for taking two weeks' paternity leave shortly after he became leader.
But Ms Cooper told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show that he was "exactly right" to take time off after the birth of his son Samuel.
She added: "He is doing a very good job and has got a very supportive team around him.
"If you look at some of the things Ed has been focused on - housing benefit reforms are now being delayed, on school sports there's been a rethink. He is right to focus on these issues."
Ms Cooper said she backed Mr Miliband's preferred option of a graduate tax to fund universities.
The lawyer for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has denounced the warrant for his extradition for questioning on sex allegations in Sweden as a "political stunt".
Mark Stephens said Mr Assange would "certainly" fight deportation to Sweden on the grounds that it could lead to him being handed over to the US, where senior politicians have called for him to be executed.
He said that the WikiLeaks site - which was last week forced to move to a Swiss host after being dumped by US internet companies - had come under siege from "a huge number of cyber-attacks".
The organisation held further secret material which it regarded as a "thermo-nuclear device" to be released if it needs to protect itself, he said.
Mr Assange, who is staying in Britain, has come under growing pressure from politicians in the US and around the world after his WikiLeaks site started publishing excerpts from a cache of 250,000 secret American diplomatic cables last week.
Former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has described him as "an anti-American operative with blood on his hands" and called for him to be hunted down like a Taliban leader, while another senior Republican Mike Huckabee has said that "anything less than execution is too kind a penalty" for what he has done.
Swedish prosecutors have sent an international arrest warrant to the Metropolitan Police, seeking his extradition for questioning on allegations - which he strongly denies - of rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion.
International police agency Interpol has issued a "Red Notice" urging people to contact police with information about his whereabouts.
But Mr Stephens today said that Sweden's chief prosecutor had told Mr Assange in September that there was no case for him to answer, following complaints against him by two women, but the investigation was revived following the intervention of a Swedish politician.
He said that Swedish prosecutors knew where Mr Assange was and urged them to call him to discuss the case.
The Government is reportedly understood to be planning a further tax on bank bonuses and new disclosure rules for top workers' pay.
Chancellor George Osborne is thought to be coming under growing pressure from partners in the coalition to crack down on bonuses, according to The Sunday Times newspaper.
Although City payouts are expected to be lower than last year, the Government is still keen to tackle the bonus culture, particularly against the background of public sector spending cuts and job losses.
It is understood that all options remain open, but possible moves could include a 50% tax on bonuses, similar to the one-off levy implemented by former chancellor Alistair Darling.
Under Mr Darling's tax, 50% of all bonuses of more than £25,000 was taken by HM Revenue & Customs, with the remaining money still taxed as if it was income.
The Treasury is also said to be reconsidering recommendations put forward by Sir David Walker, who investigated bank bonuses for the previous government, forcing banks to disclose the number of employees who earn more than £1 million.
Mr Osborne has previously appeared cool towards the recommendation but it is thought his reluctance to implement them have put him at loggerheads with Business Secretary Vince Cable, who has repeatedly spoken out against the City's bonus culture.
But any new tax is likely to cause outrage in the City as it would come on top of Mr Osborne's planned £2.5 billion levy on banks' balance sheets.
It would also spark warnings that the UK could face a drain of talent as workers moved abroad, and may even see some big banks relocate their head offices to outside the UK.
The report comes as the Committee of European Bank Supervisors is this week expected to announce new rules on remuneration, including restricting the cash element of a bonus to 20% of the total award, while it is thought 20% must be given in shares that cannot be sold immediately and 60% must be deferred.
New research could lead to drugs that repair the damage caused by multiple sclerosis (MS).
Scientists have identified a biochemical "switch" that helps stem cells in the brain fix injured nerves. In future, medicines targeting the same pathway might provide a way to halt or even reverse the disease.
The discovery was described on Sunday as "one of the most exciting developments in recent years" by the head of an MS charity.
It points the way to radical new regenerative treatments for the auto-immune disease which affects almost 100,000 people in the UK.
Multiple sclerosis occurs when the body's own immune system attacks and destroys the fatty insulating material, called myelin, that coats nerve fibres. Nerve messages are jumbled or interrupted leading to symptoms ranging from mild numbness to crippling paralysis.
In people with MS, the natural process by which lost myelin is rebuilt and replaced is blocked. Scientists have been looking for ways to switch the mechanism back on by focusing on oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs), a type of stem cell needed for myelin repair.
A major problem is that OPCs can migrate to the area of injury but fail to develop into the oligodendrocyte cells that restore myelin. The new research has identified a biochemical signalling pathway which triggers OPC transformation.
Tests on rats showed that blocking a cell molecule called retinoid acid receptor RXR-gamma prevented the differentiation of OPCs into oligodendrocytes. Conversely, stimulating RXR-gamma with a special form of retinoic acid switched on the transformation of OPCs and ultimately led to the repair of damaged nerves.
The research, part-funded by the MS Society, is published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.
Professor Robin Franklin, director of the MS Society's Cambridge Centre for Myelin Repair at Cambridge University, who led the study, said: "Therapies that repair damage are the missing link in treating multiple sclerosis. In this study we have identified a means by which the brain's own stem cells can be encouraged to undertake this repair, opening up the possibility of a new regenerative medicine for this devastating disease."
A close ally of Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has admitted the Liberal Democrats' positioning on student fees has been "messy", as confusion continued over which way the party's 57 MPs will vote.
Norman Lamb said it is the "strong preference" of both him and Mr Clegg to back measures which would almost treble the maximum university tuition fee to £9,000, but added that they would respect the collective decision of the parliamentary party, which meets on Tuesday.
His comments came amid reports of angry exchanges between Mr Clegg and Business Secretary Vince Cable, who has responsibility for getting the proposals through Parliament.
Mr Cable last week said he had "no doubt" he would vote in favour of the reforms, before swiftly backtracking and saying he would abstain if all his parliamentary colleagues agreed to do so.
The mass abstention option was put forward in a bid to prevent a three-way split in the party in Thursday's Commons vote, with former leaders Charles Kennedy and Sir Menzies Campbell otherwise expected to be joined by several backbenchers in voting against the Government.
But it has magnified the sense of confusion surrounding the Lib Dems, who have come under intense pressure from students angry at their failure to live up to a manifesto promise to abolish fees.
Norfolk North MP Mr Lamb, who is Mr Clegg's chief political adviser, told BBC1's The Politics Show: "This is difficult, it's messy... My very strong preference, as is the case for Nick, is to vote in favour... (but) we have clear processes. Nick is very keen that he engages with the parliamentary party. We will make our final decision when the parliamentary party meets."
Meanwhile, in a last-minute bid to shore up support for the reforms, ministers have unveiled proposals for disadvantaged students to receive at least one year's free tuition.
Under a £150 million National Scholarship Programme, being strongly promoted by Mr Clegg, the state would pay one year's fees for an estimated 18,000 young people who are eligible for free school meals. Universities which charge more than £6,000 would be required to match this by paying for a second year, delivering a maximum total saving of £18,000 in the cost of a degree.
But in a letter to Mr Cable, Labour's shadow business secretary John Denham said the move amounts to an admission that higher fees will put poorer students off university. "We welcome this 11th-hour recognition of reality... but it makes the question about the impact on social mobility more, not less pressing," he added.
BBC director general Mark Thompson has defended the Panorama expose of alleged bribery at Fifa which has been accused of damaging England's chances of hosting the World Cup.
The show, broadcast just three days before the announcement on Thursday of the 2018 World Cup venue, made claims about four of the 22-strong executive of world football's governing body.
Fifa president Sepp Blatter is understood to have referred to the "evils of the media" in a speech to the executive immediately before they voted, and there has been widespread speculation that the programme scuppered England's bid.
But Mr Thompson said the BBC was "right" to screen the show, which he said contained "significant information about matters of very serious public interest and public concern".
He told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show that the information was received by the Panorama team only a few weeks before the programme was broadcast.
"They spent time checking the provenance of this information, putting a number of specific allegations to the people involved, as we must do, and when the programme was ready to transmit, we transmitted it," said Mr Thompson.
"I have to say that I believe that in the end, although I understand that there are often reasons to believe that transmitting a programme might be impolitic or inconvenient, if you believe that you have a matter of real public concern to broadcast, there have got to be overwhelmingly powerful reasons for not broadcasting.
"I believe we were right to broadcast and I believe we have very strong support from the British public in broadcasting."
Retailers may face a code of conduct on "age appropriate" marketing as part of a bid to halt the sale of sexualised products to young children.
A Government inquiry being launched on Monday will examine whether new rules are needed to prevent the marketing of items like "porn star" T-shirts, lap-dancing kits and padded bras to pre-teens.
Prime Minister David Cameron has said he was shocked to find "Lolita" beds for six-year-olds on sale, and the coalition agreement in May promised "action to protect children from excessive commercialisation and premature sexualisation".
Reg Bailey, chief executive of the Mothers' Union, has been appointed to lead the inquiry, which will have a free hand to make recommendations on whether there should be restrictions on sale, a watchdog or a Government-funded website for worried parents.
Children's minister Sarah Teather told the Sunday Times: "There are huge pressures on children to grow up too quickly and to buy stuff, some of which is completely unsuitable.
"I know when I walk down the high street there is one shop after another marketing highly sexualised clothes to young children: short, tight dresses; T-shirts with unsuitable slogans.
"Parents are under a tidal wave of pressure. There are all sorts of messages that bombard children and make them grow up quicker than parents want them to, and it's difficult for parents to protect their children because of music videos, because of what happens in the playground, what they see in shops, online, and because of the messages they get in teen magazines."
Mr Bailey called on parents to send him examples of products which concerned them.
"It's about the tone and the style of the way things are marketed to children," he said. "When you are so bombarded by marketing and sexualised imagery, it almost becomes wallpaper."
Katherine Rake, chief executive of the Family and Parenting Institute, welcomed the inquiry. saying: "Mothers and fathers regularly tell us that they don't want to see childhood disappearing. Confronting this issue is vital if we are to move closer to a family friendly society. We look forward to seeing progress made."
An MP has voiced support for his assistant, insisting the Russian has "nothing to hide" as she faces deportation for being a spy.
Liberal Democrat Mike Hancock challenged the security services to produce evidence against Katia Zatuliveter, who was arrested on Thursday morning and is currently being held at an immigration detention centre.
The 25-year-old, who came to the UK three years ago to study a masters degree at Bradford University, held a House of Commons pass and underwent security vetting before taking up her position as a full-time assistant two-and-a-half years ago. She worked previously for the MP as an intern.
She is appealing against the deportation order, which came after Home Secretary Theresa May was briefed by MI5 about the assistant's alleged connection to Russia's foreign intelligence service the SVR, The Sunday Times reported.
It emerged on Sunday that Ms Zatuliveter, who originates from Dagestan, was forced to flee her home as a child in the mid-1990s during the Chechnyan conflict, and an unnamed friend said she had been openly critical of Russia given her upbringing.
It is not known what prompted Ms Zatuliveter's arrest but a source told The Sunday Times she is no longer welcome in the UK. "Her presence here is not considered to be conducive to national security. There was unhappiness about what she could have access to. The intention is to show her the door," the source said.
Mr Hancock is a member of the Defence Select Committee and also represents the Portsmouth South constituency where the Ministry of Defence has significant naval interests.
In the last two months he has tabled a number of written questions to the MoD. Among them, he has asked for the locations of berths for submarines, a request to publish a historical inventory of the country's nuclear arsenal and when the next design review of the Trident warhead will take place.
Mr Hancock says he tabled the written questions and his researcher would not have been privy to any information not in the public domain. He said he was "very interested" in defence issues and had asked similar questions throughout his career as an MP. There is no suggestion Mr Hancock has acted improperly.
Describing Ms Zatuliveter as "bright and intelligent", Mr Hancock told Sky News: "I have no reason to believe she did any thing but act honourably during the time she was working for me."
A notorious underworld gang leader serving a life sentence for orchestrating the murder of an innocent couple has won the right to be addressed as "Mr" by prison staff.
The ruling in favour of Colin Gunn by the Prisons Ombudsman was made public in a letter in which the crime boss advised other prisoners to demand similar treatment.
Gunn, from Bestwood, Nottingham, was jailed for at least 35 years in 2006 for conspiracy to murder John and Joan Stirland, who were shot in Lincolnshire to gain "revenge" on their son.
In the letter to the Mailbag section of prisoners' newspaper Inside Time, Gunn revealed that he had made a successful complaint about staff at HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire to the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman last December.
Under the headline Call Me Mister, the gangster wrote: "I have read letters to Mailbag from prisoners complaining about prison staff not adhering to the policy of the decency agenda, in regards of them being called by their surnames only.
"You do not have to accept this, far from it. I won my case with the Ombudsman in December 09 against Whitemoor refusing to address me as 'Mr Gunn'."
Gunn also used his letter to accuse officials at Whitemoor of "trying everything in their power" not to adhere to Prison Service policy, before advising other criminals to complain to the Ombudsman.
The 43-year-old informed fellow inmates: "The law is on your side so do not give in. You will win the case and your prison knows this but will try anything to get out of it. Although there is no national policy that stipulates how prisoners should be addressed, all prisons have been given clear guidance on it.
"It is no longer acceptable to address prisoners by surname alone."
The Prison Service declined to comment on the claims made by Gunn, but issued a statement confirming that staff are asked to call prisoners by the first name or use the title "Mr".
A British soldier died from gunshot wounds during an operation in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has said.
The soldier, from the 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, was shot during an operation against insurgents in the Nad-e Ali District of Helmand Province.
Spokesman for Task Force Helmand, Lieutenant Colonel David Eastman, said: "Regrettably I must announce the death of a soldier from 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment .
"The soldier was part of an operation aiming to increase security in the Nad-e Ali District of Helmand Province when he was shot and subsequently died of his wounds.
"He has made the ultimate sacrifice protecting the people of Nad-e Ali from insurgent intimidation and defending his country from the threat of terrorism; no more could be asked of any soldier. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him."
His family have been informed.
A total of 346 UK military personnel have died since operations in Afghanistan began in 2001.
The number of children living in poverty in working households in the UK has risen to its largest ever number, a report has found.
There are now 2.1 million impoverished youngsters living in homes where their parents or carers have jobs, according to a study by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
The Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion report found that the overall number of children living in poverty fell to 3.7 million.
The Foundation said the number of poverty-stricken children who live in workless households fell to 1.6 million - the lowest figure since 1984. However, the figures show that those who come from working households accounts for 58% of the total number of youngsters living in poverty.
Co-author of the report, Tom MacInnes, said: "The fall in child poverty among those in out-of-work households came about despite an estimated rise of 60,000 in the number of children living in workless households over the year. So, we can almost certainly say that it is related to the rise in both Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit in 2008. Without the substantial increases in these benefits, the numbers of children in poverty would be around half a million higher.
"With more than half of all children in poverty belonging to working families, it is simply not possible to base anti-poverty policies on the idea that work alone is a route out of poverty. Child poverty in working households must be given the same focus as out-of-work poverty. Until this happens, debates about poverty will continue to be misleading".
The report also found that between 2008 and 2009, 13 million people in the UK were living in poverty. It also discovered that by mid-2010, the unemployment rate among those aged 16-24 was at 20% - the highest in 18 years and three times that for other adults.
Co-author Anushree Parekh said: "The high level of young adult unemployment has been a striking feature of this recession. One in five adults aged under 25 who are looking for work cannot find it. But young adult unemployment has been rising since 2004 - this is a long term, chronic problem."
Joseph Rowntree Foundation chief executive Julia Unwin added: "Although it is important to recognise the reduction in child and pensioner poverty over the last decade, the government now faces many challenges, not solely related to work and poverty.
"The large numbers of young adults with few or no qualifications, persistent health inequalities and the lack of access for poor families to essential services, all make reducing social exclusion much more difficult. Welfare reform alone is nowhere near enough."
Forecasters have warned the big chill is back after a weekend reprieve from the bitterly cold weather.
Sunny spells graced many parts of the UK on Sunday, giving the snow a chance to thaw, and temperatures even rose to a comparatively balmy 7.7C in Chivenor, north Devon.
However, forecasters warned that sub-zero temperatures will be back across Britain overnight - and could last for most of the week.
More snowfall is also expected in Scotland and northern England.
"A band of snow is moving south across Scotland overnight and some western areas could see several centimetres fall," said Tom Tobler, forecaster for MeteoGroup. "On Monday, it will slowly move into northern England.
Speaking about Sunday night and the early hours of Monday, he added: "Overnight it will be well below zero in most areas. Some coastal spots will just stay just above zero but it is going to be very cold across all of Britain. Parts of eastern England, Yorkshire and north Lincolnshire could reach -12C, maybe even lower than that.
"It will be cold on Monday and it will stay cold for most of the week."
The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings in northern Scotland and Northern Ireland for Monday. It says that people in Orkney and Shetland should be prepared for heavy snow and icy roads while Grampian, Highlands and Eilean Siar and Northern Ireland were warned of widespread ice on the road networks.
At least seven people have died during the bleak weather, many in road accidents amid the dangerous condit
The finalists of this year's X Factor competition have been decided as supermarket worker Mary Byrne bowed out of the contest.
Singers Matt Cardle, Rebecca Ferguson, Cher Lloyd and boy group One Direction will battle it out in next week's final.
Byrne found herself in the bottom two along with early favourite Lloyd after their performances on Saturday night's show failed to impress the viewers.
The Dubliner gave a powerful performance of It's a Man's Man's Man's World in a bid to save herself in the sing off, but the judges opted to keep Lloyd in the competition for the final week.
The teen sang an emotional rendition of Britney Spears's Every Time.
Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole and Dannii Minogue all voted to save Lloyd - meaning a trip home to the Emerald Isle for Byrne.
Walsh was the only act who opted to send his act through to next week's show. The Irish judge now has no acts to take into the final as Byrne was the last contestant in his over 28s category.
After the sing off, he said: "Mary was incredible, she was emotional."
Cole added: "This is really difficult because Mary you have always touched me with your vocal and you know that. You are two completely different acts that we would not compare in the real world. But Cher is my girl and I backed her from the start and I will until the end."
Cowell said that he had supported Byrne from the start of the competition and she was a "great contestant".
A convict has exposed a series of damning prison failures by chronicling life behind bars on a secret mobile phone for several weeks.
Michael Long used the smuggled mobile to record drugs flowing into Oxfordshire's Bullingdon prison, lax security and a lack of training and rehabilitation for prisoners due for release.
Long, who is serving four years for stealing top of the range Bentley cars, filmed security breaches and drugs being thrown over the prison wall in broad daylight, for Sky News.
In the special report, Long arranged a rendezvous between Sky reporters and an unsupervised prisoner left in the prison car park. Sky handed over a pouch of tobacco and some tanning cream to the prisoner.
A few hours later, Long sent back pictures of the items from inside his cell.
Long also filmed drugs being thrown into the prison.
The package has strings attached which inmates used to reel it in through a window. When opened, the footage shows it contains a variety of illegal drugs.
Long claims he bought the phone from a corrupt warden and alleges officials are cashing in on prisoners' needs.
He tells Sky: "Then they come up to you and approach you. Take advantage of you and offer you a phone for £500."
A Prison Service spokesman said: "The Prison Service has a rigorous strategy to minimise the number of mobile phones entering prisons, find phones that are smuggled in and disrupt those phones that cannot be found. Measures have been taken to disrupt the supply of contraband into prisons, including the installation of wire netting to prevent items being thrown over walls and the sealing of windows to prevent prisoners 'fishing' for packages."
