December 6, 2010, 4:29 am
![Image]( "Norgrove family see rescue footage")
The parents of Linda Norgrove, the British hostage mistakenly killed by US forces in Afghanistan, have revealed they watched "harrowing" footage of the failed rescue attempt.
The 36-year-old aid worker from the Western Isles died in a grenade blast in Kunar province on October 8 as a specialist team tried to free her.
Details of the operation were revealed on Thursday with the publication of a report on events leading up to her death.
John and Linda Norgrove said they felt they had been given an "honest" account of what happened after a meeting with high-ranking officers from the US and UK military.
During the seven-hour presentation, they were shown video footage taken from a plane flying over the ambush site.
Mr Norgrove told BBC Alba: "They went into considerable detail to tell us exactly what happened during the rescue attempt.
"I looked at an overhead video that was actually taken during the rescue where we could see the soldiers advancing and the hostages coming out of buildings and it was quite harrowing. It was a difficult thing to go through but I feel at the end of it we got a really good picture of what happened.
"After the seven hours we still had a couple of questions and one of the officers came back to answer our questions the next day.
"So, we are convinced that we've had a good and honest account of the actual rescue itself."
Ms Norgrove, a former United Nations employee, was supervising reconstruction projects for the firm Development Alternativesn when she was captured in the Dewagal valley during an ambush on September 26.
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December 6, 2010, 4:29 am
![Image]( "Met Police 'have Assange paperwork'")
Scotland Yard has received the paperwork required to arrest WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, sources say.
A fresh European Arrest Warrant has been issued by the authorities in Sweden where he is wanted for questioning over claims of sexual assault.
Mark Stephens, who represents the 39-year-old Australian former computer hacker, said he would fight any move to extradite his client.
But the move means there is no longer any legal impediment to holding Mr Assange and making him appear before City of Westminster Magistrates' Court.
Mr Assange is believed to be in hiding in south-east England as the latest publications on his whistle-blowing website fuel global uproar.
Prosecutors in Sweden issued a warrant for his arrest last month but it could not be enforced because of a technical blunder.
The Australian's details were also added to Interpol's most wanted website after a red notice was issued, alerting police worldwide to his outlaw status.
Detectives in Sweden want to question Mr Assange after two women claimed they were sexually attacked when he visited the country in August.
The country's Supreme Court upheld a court order to detain Mr Assange for questioning after he appealed against two lower court rulings.
Mr Stephens has denounced the move in Sweden as a "political stunt" and said he would fight extradition on the grounds that Mr Assange could then be handed to the US. He said police know where his client is and should arrange for an interview by consent instead of a "show trial".
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December 6, 2010, 7:43 am
![Image]( "Folk song work scoops Turner Prize")
Susan Philipsz has won the Turner Prize for her work Lowlands, a recording of her singing three separate versions of a traditional Scottish folk song.
It is the first time a sound installation has even been shortlisted for the the prestigious modern art prize.
Fashion designer Miuccia Prada presented the Glasgow-born artist with the £25,000 prize at ceremony at Tate Britain in central London.
Philipsz was firm favourite to win the prize with bookmakers making her 4/11 to win.
She recorded three versions of the song Lowlands Away, which tells the tale of a man drowned at sea who returns to tell his lover of his death, for her installation which plays in an empty room in the gallery.
Curator Katherine Stout said it was a "very physical" work.
She said: "It plays upon the otherwise emptiness of the gallery."
Philipsz saw off competition from more traditional artists including Dexter Dalwood whose collection of politically-inspired paintings includes an imagining of the death of Dr David Kelly.
Angela de la Cruz and The Otolith Group were the other artists in the running for the award. They will receive £5,000 each for being shortlisted.
The Turner Prize, which was set up in 1984, is awarded to a British artist under the age of 50 and is "intended to promote public discussion of new developments in contemporary British art".
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December 6, 2010, 7:43 am
![Image]( "Pensioner discovered dead in snow")
An elderly man has been found dead in snow at a caravan park.
Humberside Police said the man, believed to have been in his 70s, was found by security guards patrolling the Thorpe Park site in Cleethorpes, north-east Lincolnshire, on Saturday.
The pensioner's body was found outside in freezing conditions and was fully clothed.
Officers said they could not confirm reports he may have lay undiscovered for two days.
A spokesman said the man had not been formally identified and his death was not being treated as suspicious.
Thorpe Park is a large site of static holiday caravans by the sea on the south side of Cleethorpes, near the village of Humberston.
It is currently closed to visitors and it is understood owner-residents are also absent at this time of year as part of their site agreements.
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December 6, 2010, 7:43 am
![Image]( "Soldier 'killed by US cannon fire'")
A British paratrooper killed in southern Afghanistan could have been shot by cannon fire from a low-flying US plane, the Ministry of Defence has said.
It is understood the jet was on a "strafing run" and had been called in by British troops involved in a gunfight with insurgents.
The soldier, from the 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, died on Sunday as he patrolled the Nad-e Ali District of Helmand Province.
Two more servicemen were injured in the attack, sources said.
The MoD has launched a full investigation into the incident - the 11th suspected case of friendly fire since operations in Afghanistan began.
Military experts suggested the latest death could have been a case of "misidentification".
Professor Michael Clarke, director of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), said it would most likely have occurred in "fraught" circumstances when the enemy was positioned immediately in front of British forces.
"It's usually a case of misidentification rather than weapons going astray - very few bombs miss the target for technical reasons," he said.
The soldier was part of an operation working to increase security in the district, Task Force Helmand spokesman Lieutenant Colonel David Eastman said.
"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 said. "He will be greatly missed by all who knew him."
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December 6, 2010, 7:43 am
![Image]( "Spy-accused aide 'sure over appeal'")
An MP's assistant arrested over suspicions she has been spying for Russia said she is "absolutely sure" she will win an appeal against deportation.
In her first public remarks, Katia Zatuliveter claimed she had been kept in the dark about why she was being kicked out of the UK.
Russian Miss Zatuliveter, 25, has been working for Liberal Democrat backbencher Mike Hancock for two-and-a-half years.
She was arrested on Thursday morning and is being held at an immigration detention centre.
In an email to BBC Russian, Miss Zatuliveter said: "I was arrested on Thursday at 7am and was told I would be deported. Nobody explained me why and this is my main concern.
"I was not told about the arrangement of the flight. I am in the process of appealing against the deportation and absolutely sure I will win it (if there is justice)."
Miss Zatuliveter broke her silence amid concerns in Westminster that an alleged spy had been able to work undetected in the House of Commons for so long.
However, Mr Hancock stood by her, insisting she had "nothing to hide" and challenging the security services to produce evidence against her.
Miss Zatuliveter underwent security vetting before becoming a House of Commons pass-holder and taking up her position as a full-time assistant two-and-a-half years ago.
Foreign Secretary William Hague insisted the Government was "vigilant" about such cases. "I think the fact that we are attending to a case like this shows that where we have concerns we do take action and I think that is the right way of approaching it," he said.
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December 6, 2010, 7:43 am
![Image]( "Heavy snow sparks further chaos")
Britain is enduring more snow and sub-zero temperatures at the start of another week of bitterly cold weather.
Snow swept across southern Scotland during the day on Monday, disrupting air, rail and road travel, and is forecast to move into northern England overnight.
The death toll during the big freeze rose to at least nine as it was revealed that a man had died while trying to clear snow outside his home in County Durham on Sunday and an elderly man was found dead in the snow at a caravan park in Humberside.
The Met Office said there are between 10cm and 40cm of lying snow in the central lowlands of Scotland, around 32cm in Edinburgh and 11cm in Glasgow.
Heavy snowfall and blizzard conditions in Glasgow and Edinburgh closed airports in both cities.
Glasgow Airport reopened at 2pm - but passengers were advised to check with their airline before travelling because of ongoing disruption to services. Edinburgh Airport reopened at 6pm and Dundee, Inverness, Kirkwall and Campbeltown airports remained closed.
Motorists in Scotland are advised to drive only if their journey is absolutely necessary, and roads throughout the country are closed.
Snowfall of 1cm to 3cm is expected across northern England on Monday night, said Tiffany Curnick, a forecaster with MeteoGroup.
She added: "Temperatures have commonly between around zero or minus 2C during the day, and in North Yorkshire there have been readings as low as minus 8C.
"It's going to remain cold, with no sign of a let-up in the temperatures. Overnight we will have readings as low as minus 13C in Scotland, and minus 5C and minus 7C further south."
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December 6, 2010, 1:57 pm
![Image]( "I'm no spy, says MP's assistant")
An MP's assistant denied she was a Russian spy and said she was "absolutely" confident of winning an appeal against her deportation.
In her first public remarks, Ekaterina Zatuliveter claimed she had been kept in the dark about why she was arrested and now faced being kicked out of the UK.
The 25-year-old Russian, who has been working for Liberal Democrat backbencher Mike Hancock for two and a half years, is expected to meet lawyers today.
She was arrested last Thursday after a six-month investigation by MI5, and is being held at an immigration detention centre.
In an email to BBC Russian, Miss Zatuliveter - known as Katia - said nobody had explained to her why she was to be reported.
"I am in the process of appealing against the deportation and absolutely sure I will win it (if there is justice)," she wrote.
In further correspondence with The Daily Telegraph, she denied working as a spy for Moscow, saying: "No, there is no truth in this suggestion."
Mr Hancock has defended his assistant and said he was arranging legal representation for her. But there are concerns in Westminster that an alleged spy had access to Parliament for so long.
Miss Zatuliveter came to the UK three years ago to study at Bradford University and underwent security vetting before becoming a House of Commons pass-holder and taking up her position as an MP's assistant.
Foreign Secretary William Hague insisted the Government was "vigilant" about such cases.
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December 6, 2010, 2:01 pm
![Image]( "Call to scrap 'offenders' term")
People who break the law should no longer be branded offenders, a leading criminal justice campaigner has said.
Frances Crook, head of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said the "insulting" term demeans individuals and hinders their rehabilitation.
Writing in Criminal Justice Matters, she said it has been "easy" for politicians to treat some sections of society as "other" and less than human.
She said: "Someone who commits an offence is not an offender, they are someone who has done something. The action does not define the whole person. They may also do good things and they will certainly fit into other categories that can offer a different definition like parent or friend. By insisting that the offence overcomes all other parts of the person we are condemning them to a sub-human category for whom there is no hope."
Earlier this year the UK Drugs Policy Commission said stigmatising words such as "junkie" are a big obstacle to recovery for drug users.
Researchers found the extreme prejudice linked to addiction prevents drug users from recovering and rejoining society.
Mrs Crook goes a step further and calls for people to talk about offenders differently in the same way the language of disability has been shaken up. She attacked the Labour government for creating a "whole industry" of services for offenders on which they have no say.
Research conducted for the Howard League found many prisoners said the first step to a crime-free life would be to lose the label of being an offender.
Professor Mike Nellis, of the University of Strathclyde, said "offender" became popular in the 1960s as an alternative to criminal, delinquent and lawbreaker. He said the word offender is "relatively neutral" and does not carry some of the highly emotive baggage of other terms.
Criminal Justice Matters is published by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, an independent charity.
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December 6, 2010, 2:32 pm
![Image]( "On-song Philipsz wins Turner Prize")
Susan Philipsz has won the Turner Prize for her recording of a traditional folk song and said her "heart" was with the protesting students whose cries against the cuts could be heard over the award ceremony.
The Glasgow-born artist was handed the £25,000 prize at an event in Tate Britain, central London, and promised to spend some of the money on taking her parents on holiday.
She said: "It still hasn't sunk in yet, I didn't want to even think about it.
"It has been a really great experience being a nominee. It has been overwhelming the wonderful responses I've been getting for the work and I just didn't expect that."
More than 100 students from arts against cuts, who were holding a sit-in in the gallery in protest at planned changes to student fees, could not be seen by the crowd who gathered to hear Philipsz awarded the prize but their chants of "No Cuts" were audible throughout the ceremony.
Tate Director Sir Nicholas Serota acknowledged their presence and said "all" were concerned by proposed cuts to arts budgets. He said: "Art should continue to be accessible to all no matter where you live or indeed whatever your wealth."
Philipsz gave them more direct support as she accepted the prize, saying: "I support artists against the cuts."
She recorded three versions of the song, which tells the tale of a man drowned at sea who returns to tell his lover of his death.
It was played under a series of bridges over the River Clyde in her home city of Glasgow before coming to the Tate.
The other nominated artists - Dexter Dalwood, Angela de la Cruz and The Otolith Group - each received £5,000.
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December 6, 2010, 3:23 pm
![Image]( "Aspirin 'cuts cancer death risk'")
A daily low dose aspirin pill taken with a glass of milk could be a simple way to avoid dying of cancer, research suggests.
Taking aspirin for several years can cut the risk of death from a wide range of cancers by between a third and half, a landmark study has found.
Other evidence indicates that calcium in milk might enhance the drug's beneficial effects.
Scientists are stopping short of urging healthy people to take aspirin, which is known to increase the risk of internal bleeding. But they say the new findings shift the risk-benefit balance in favour of aspirin, and could lead to a revision of medical guidelines.
Aspirin treatment to ward off cancer would probably be most effective between the ages of about 45 to 50, which is when when most cancers start to develop, say the researchers.
The drug is already taken by millions of Britons at risk of heart attacks or strokes.
Regular low doses of aspirin help to prevent the changes that lead to narrowed arteries and blood clots. But in recent years evidence has started to emerge of much wider benefits from aspirin, leading to its description as a "miracle drug".
A previous study has shown that a 75 milligram dose of aspirin a day can reduce death rates from bowel cancer by more than a third.
Earlier this year US scientists reported that the same low dose cut the risk of men developing prostate cancer by up to 30%.
The research is published in an early online edition of The Lancet medical journal.
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December 6, 2010, 3:23 pm
![Image]( "Reforms 'will open up universities'")
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has claimed that the Government's higher education reforms would turn universities into "engines of social mobility" as he tried to stave off a damaging Liberal Democrat rebellion.
Ahead of a crunch meeting with Lib Dem MPs tonight, Mr Clegg insisted the coalition's plans - including the highly contentious rise in tuition fees - would break a middle-class stranglehold on university places.
His appeal came as ministers were bracing themselves for Thursday's vote on the proposals amid signs that Mr Clegg faces a rebellion from Lib Dem MPs who will not go back on their pre-election pledge to oppose a hike in fees.
At least two members of the payroll vote, including transport minister Norman Baker, have not ruled out resigning in protest.
In an article for the Financial Times, Mr Clegg suggested the Government faced a choice between increasing fees or having to "slash university places"
He acknowledged that the plans were "controversial" but insisted they were "the fairest way" to support higher education while cutting the deficit.
He dismissed criticism that the rise in fees would harm social mobility and insisted that that cause had not been served by expanding student numbers in recent years.
"The uncomfortable truth is that the growth in the university population in recent years has done little or nothing to boost social mobility. The student population has become more middle-class dominated," he wrote.
"The coalition is intent on making our universities more effective engines of social mobility."
However, he admitted that it would be "many years" before the impact of the policy would be known.
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December 6, 2010, 3:23 pm
![Image]( "Concerns raised over strip-searches")
Teenagers are being routinely strip-searched in a young offenders' institution despite inspectors recommending that the practice should be stopped, a report has said.
Nick Hardwick, the chief inspector of prisons, said it was "disappointing that routine strip-searching remained in place" at Wetherby Young Offenders' Institution in West Yorkshire, which houses more than 300 boys and men aged 15-18.
All the teenagers who were admitted and discharged were strip-searched without any risk-assessment taking place first and despite the introduction of Body Orifice Security Scanner (Boss) chairs, the inspectors said.
A previous recommendation that the practice should be stopped had not been put in place, they said.
"Strip-searches were still carried out without risk assessments," the report said. "Routine strip-searching took place in reception for young people arriving and departing despite the introduction of a Boss chair and wand detector in reception."
The institution also failed to stop mandatory drug testing and "all young people still had to undergo strip-searching as a matter of routine", the inspectors said. In the future, strip-searches should only be used where it "is necessary to prevent the risk of harm to the young person and other", they said.
The report, based on a follow-up inspection in August, also found "the use of force was not limited to situations where there was an immediate threat to safety".
There were 285 incidents where force was used between January and July this year, with 70% of these relating to "low level fights and assaults". But in three in 20 incidents, the force was used simply "to gain compliance with establishment rules".
The inspectors said: "The use of force should only be used as a last resort and where there is immediate risk to safety and not merely to obtain compliance."
A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman added: "Restraint is only ever used by staff as a last resort when a young person's behaviour puts themselves or others at serious risk. During such incidents the interests and safety of everyone involved - the young person, other young people, staff and visitors - are considered."
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December 6, 2010, 3:23 pm
![Image]( "Heavy snow sparks further chaos")
Hundreds of drivers were stranded overnight and around 100 children forced to sleep at their school after fresh snow and ice brought more havoc to the UK.
Scotland bore the brunt of the latest blast of wintry weather, with scores of cars across the central belt stuck in icy gridlock and up to a foot of snow.
Around 150 people also spent the night in a school in South Lanarkshire after the bad weather prevented pupils, parents and staff from getting home.
North-east Scotland and north-west England have been warned about fresh snow, with widespread icy roads expected up and down the country after temperatures plunged as low as minus 15C.
But there looked to be some brief respite from the freezing conditions later this week - with many places expected to have their first frost-free night for more than two weeks on Thursday.
At least nine people have so far died in the big freeze, with an elderly man found dead in snow at a Lincolnshire caravan park the latest victim.
Across a bitterly cold Scotland overnight, scores of drivers were stuck in their cars on the country's M8 motorway, with up to 500 vehicles also stranded on the M80 and A80 roads.
The Scottish Government held an emergency meeting about the crisis as police tried to reach motorists stranded on major routes. Chief Inspector Stewart Carle of Strathclyde Police advised stuck drivers to stay in their cars rather than venture out.
Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson said the country was in the grip of the "worst snow and ice conditions since the 1960s".
Glasgow and Edinburgh Airports were open after closing for a time on Monday due to the weather conditions, but officials warned travellers to check with their airlines. Belfast International and London City airports also warned of delays and cancellations due to fog and freezing weather.
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December 6, 2010, 4:27 pm
![Image]( "Police to quiz WikiLeaks founder")
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was preparing to meet police today over sexual assault claims.
His lawyer Mark Stephens said Mr Assange was keen to discover what allegations he was facing so he could clear his name.
Police contacted Mr Stephens after receiving a fresh European Arrest Warrant from the authorities in Sweden where his client is wanted for questioning.
Meanwhile, PostFinance, the financial arm of the Swiss post office, said it had closed Mr Assange's account after he provided "false information".
Mr Stephens, who represents the 39-year-old Australian former computer hacker, told BBC News: "He's not been charged with anything.
"We are in the process of making arrangements to meet with the police by consent in order to facilitate the taking of that question and answer that is needed."
After meeting with police Mr Assange will appear at City of Westminster Magistrates Court where a decision will be made as to whether the warrant is appropriate for extradition, Mr Stephens said.
He told BBC's Newsnight: "It's about time we got to the end of the day and we got some truth, justice and rule of law. Julian Assange has been the one in hot pursuit to vindicate himself to clear his good name.
"He has been trying to meet with her (the Swedish prosecutor) to find out what the allegations are he has to face and also the evidence against him which he still hasn't seen."
PostFinance said it had ended its business relationship with Mr Assange. "The Australian citizen provided false information regarding his place of residence during the account opening process," the bank said in a statement.
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December 6, 2010, 4:36 pm
![Image]( "PM hints at Afghanistan withdrawal")
British troops could begin pulling out of Afghanistan from next year, David Cameron has indicated as he made a surprise visit to see progress being made in the fight against the Taliban.
The Prime Minister said there were "grounds for cautious optimism" that efforts to restore security and governance were sufficiently on track to begin reducing the force level as early as 2011.
And his view on the timetable was backed by the head of the armed forces who hailed the "astronomical" quickening of results on the ground and said success in the mission was "eminently doable".
Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir David Richards, had previously discounted the prospects of beginning a draw down next year but said it was now possible if progress continued.
The two men were speaking after visiting bases and seeing the training of Afghan police and army forces - as part of the traditional pre-Christmas visit by a premier.
Nato has set a deadline of 2014 to complete the international mission and Mr Cameron has pledged that all UK combat troops will be out of the country by 2015. There are presently 10,000 in theatre.
Talking to reporters at the UK's main Camp Bastion base in Helmand province, Mr Cameron was asked if he still believed the 2011 date to begin pulling out was feasible.
He said: "I do still think it is possible but obviously we have got to go on making the progress that we are making."
Mr Cameron said the 2015 deadline was helping "focus minds" in Nato and Afghanistan and Gen Richards said it was having a similar benefit for the military.
"The British public want to know that there is an endpoint to this, that we are making progress, that this can be done and I was keener to do that rather than make absolutely definite noises either about 2010 or 2011 but I do think it's possible," Mr Cameron said.
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December 6, 2010, 4:36 pm
![Image]( "Appeal for help over Iraq detention")
The wife of a British man held without charge in Iraq for a year has urged the Government to step up its efforts to secure his release.
Ramze Shihab Ahmed, a dual Iraqi-UK national, claims to have been tortured in Iraq following his arrest on December 7 last year after travelling there in an attempt to free his detained son Omar.
His wife Rabiha al-Qassab used the anniversary of his arrest to ask Foreign Secretary William Hague to insist that her husband is either released or charged by Christmas.
The 63-year-old former teaching assistant, who lives in north-west London, said: "I can hardly believe that a whole year has gone by with my husband in jail like this. It's disgraceful what they're doing to him. He doesn't even know what he's accused of.
"An Iraqi judge recently visited my husband and assured him that the 'confession' that the interrogators tortured out of him will be disregarded and that they'll re-investigate the case.
"This is better news but I want to see the Iraqis say either, 'We're charging him,' or, much more likely, 'We're going to release him.'
"The UK ought to be saying this as well. I appreciate the fact that William Hague has raised the case with the Iraqi authorities, but I'd really like to see more being done now that a year has passed."
The whereabouts of Mr Shihab Ahmed, 68, were unknown until March when he was able to make a short phone call to his wife in London.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We are very concerned about the allegations of mistreatment and raised them with the Iraqi authorities at a senior level as soon as we were aware of them. We continue to raise this issue with them.
"The British Embassy in Baghdad has repeatedly made clear to the Iraqi authorities how seriously we take such allegations, and have requested that they be investigated."
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December 6, 2010, 5:46 pm
![Image]( "Thousands to avoid jail under plans")
Thousands of offenders will avoid jail under an overhaul of sentencing powers that will focus on cutting reoffending.
The sentencing Green Paper will aim to stop the revolving door of crime, divert criminals with mental health, alcohol or drug abuse problems into treatment and bring in a rehabilitation revolution with a series of programmes designed to stop repeat offenders from reoffending.
Other proposals include halving sentences for those who plead guilty early and curtailing judges' powers so that indefinite sentences, currently being served by more than 6,000 prisoners, will be reserved for only the most serious of offenders.
Payment by results will also be piloted along with proposals to involve the private and voluntary sector in running unpaid work sentences for offenders.
Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke has said the Government is planning "extremely serious changes" to sentencing.
"The biggest thing that we're addressing in the current system, where we have an enormous prison population, sentences have got much longer than they used to and all the rest of it, is the rate of reoffending," he said.
Three in four criminals offend again within nine years and 40% commit another offence within 12 months, the latest figures show.
Pilot projects, such as the heron wing at Feltham young offenders institution in south-west London, are already helping 15 to 17-year-olds to turn their lives around.
Policing and Criminal Justice Minister Nick Herbert said charitable groups were brought in to help the offenders get into education, training or employment.
Some are paid by results, with cash payments made if the young person starts education or work, fulfils probation demands and stays out of trouble.
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December 6, 2010, 5:46 pm
![Image]( "Hundreds stranded in snow chaos")
Hundreds of drivers were stranded overnight and around 100 children forced to sleep at their school after fresh snow and ice brought more havoc to the UK.
Scotland bore the brunt of the latest blast of wintry weather, with scores of cars across the central belt stuck in icy gridlock and up to a foot of snow.
Around 150 people also spent the night in a school in South Lanarkshire after the bad weather prevented pupils, parents and staff from getting home.
North-east Scotland and north-west England have been warned about fresh snow, with widespread icy roads expected up and down the country after temperatures plunged as low as minus 15C.
But there looked to be some brief respite from the freezing conditions later this week - with many places expected to have their first frost-free night for more than two weeks on Thursday.
At least nine people have so far died in the big freeze, with an elderly man found dead in snow at a Lincolnshire caravan park the latest victim.
Across a bitterly cold Scotland overnight, scores of drivers were stuck in their cars on the country's M8 motorway, with up to 500 vehicles also stranded on the M80 and A80 roads.
The Scottish Government held an emergency meeting about the crisis as police tried to reach motorists stranded on major routes. Chief Inspector Stewart Carle of Strathclyde Police advised stuck drivers to stay in their cars rather than venture out.
Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson said the country was in the grip of the "worst snow and ice conditions since the 1960s".
Glasgow and Edinburgh Airports were open after closing for a time on Monday due to the weather conditions, but officials warned travellers to check with their airlines. Belfast International and London City airports also warned of delays and cancellations due to fog and freezing weather.
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December 6, 2010, 6:47 pm
![Image]( "Cameron in talks with Afghan leader")
Prime Minister David Cameron has arrived in Kabul for talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the end of a surprise two-day visit to the country.
Serious criticisms by Mr Karzai of the British military effort against the Taliban revealed in leaked US diplomatic cables are certain to be on the agenda for the meeting.
The Prime Minister insisted that the concern exposed by the Wikileaks website was out of date and "does not change any of the fundamentals".
The cables detail conversations in which Mr Karzai said UK forces were "not up to the task" of securing southern Helmand province and that the job would be better given to the US.
Helmand governor Gulab Mangal was also said to have criticised UK troops for failing to get out of their bases and engage with local people.
Addressing reporters at Camp Bastion, where he stayed overnight after visiting troops serving in Afghanistan on Monday, Mr Cameron played down the impact of the leaks.
"Of course WikiLeaks has led to lots of embarrassing questions and all the rest of it, but I think, in the end, it does not change any of the fundamentals between Britain and America, it doesn't change any of the fundamentals between Britain, America and Afghanistan, but obviously it has provided a lot of copy," he said.
Asked how it would affect relations with President Karzai, he said: "Of course sometimes there are frustrations but we want someone who is going to speak up for Afghanistan and who wants to take control of Afghanistan, who wants an Afghanistan without foreign forces on its soil. We have frank exchanges, of course we do, but I don't think either of us want this to get in the way of what needs to be a strong relationship between our countries and between our governments in order to deliver what we want."
The head of the UK Armed Forces, Chief of the Defence Staff General Sir David Richards - who accompanied Mr Cameron on a tour of bases - said: "At no stage were they criticising the ability of the British soldier. It was all about our inability to produce the force ratios - those days are past us and our linkages at every level with the American armed forces are incredibly strong."
The meeting came after Mr Cameron suggested that British troops could start to be withdrawn next year amid "cautious optimism" about progress on the ground. And his view on the timetable was backed by Gen Richards who hailed the "astronomical" quickening of results on the ground and said success in the mission was "eminently do-able".
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The parents of Linda Norgrove, the British hostage mistakenly killed by US forces in Afghanistan, have revealed they watched "harrowing" footage of the failed rescue attempt.
The 36-year-old aid worker from the Western Isles died in a grenade blast in Kunar province on October 8 as a specialist team tried to free her.
Details of the operation were revealed on Thursday with the publication of a report on events leading up to her death.
John and Linda Norgrove said they felt they had been given an "honest" account of what happened after a meeting with high-ranking officers from the US and UK military.
During the seven-hour presentation, they were shown video footage taken from a plane flying over the ambush site.
Mr Norgrove told BBC Alba: "They went into considerable detail to tell us exactly what happened during the rescue attempt.
"I looked at an overhead video that was actually taken during the rescue where we could see the soldiers advancing and the hostages coming out of buildings and it was quite harrowing. It was a difficult thing to go through but I feel at the end of it we got a really good picture of what happened.
"After the seven hours we still had a couple of questions and one of the officers came back to answer our questions the next day.
"So, we are convinced that we've had a good and honest account of the actual rescue itself."
Ms Norgrove, a former United Nations employee, was supervising reconstruction projects for the firm Development Alternativesn when she was captured in the Dewagal valley during an ambush on September 26.
Scotland Yard has received the paperwork required to arrest WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, sources say.
A fresh European Arrest Warrant has been issued by the authorities in Sweden where he is wanted for questioning over claims of sexual assault.
Mark Stephens, who represents the 39-year-old Australian former computer hacker, said he would fight any move to extradite his client.
But the move means there is no longer any legal impediment to holding Mr Assange and making him appear before City of Westminster Magistrates' Court.
Mr Assange is believed to be in hiding in south-east England as the latest publications on his whistle-blowing website fuel global uproar.
Prosecutors in Sweden issued a warrant for his arrest last month but it could not be enforced because of a technical blunder.
The Australian's details were also added to Interpol's most wanted website after a red notice was issued, alerting police worldwide to his outlaw status.
Detectives in Sweden want to question Mr Assange after two women claimed they were sexually attacked when he visited the country in August.
The country's Supreme Court upheld a court order to detain Mr Assange for questioning after he appealed against two lower court rulings.
Mr Stephens has denounced the move in Sweden as a "political stunt" and said he would fight extradition on the grounds that Mr Assange could then be handed to the US. He said police know where his client is and should arrange for an interview by consent instead of a "show trial".
Susan Philipsz has won the Turner Prize for her work Lowlands, a recording of her singing three separate versions of a traditional Scottish folk song.
It is the first time a sound installation has even been shortlisted for the the prestigious modern art prize.
Fashion designer Miuccia Prada presented the Glasgow-born artist with the £25,000 prize at ceremony at Tate Britain in central London.
Philipsz was firm favourite to win the prize with bookmakers making her 4/11 to win.
She recorded three versions of the song Lowlands Away, which tells the tale of a man drowned at sea who returns to tell his lover of his death, for her installation which plays in an empty room in the gallery.
Curator Katherine Stout said it was a "very physical" work.
She said: "It plays upon the otherwise emptiness of the gallery."
Philipsz saw off competition from more traditional artists including Dexter Dalwood whose collection of politically-inspired paintings includes an imagining of the death of Dr David Kelly.
Angela de la Cruz and The Otolith Group were the other artists in the running for the award. They will receive £5,000 each for being shortlisted.
The Turner Prize, which was set up in 1984, is awarded to a British artist under the age of 50 and is "intended to promote public discussion of new developments in contemporary British art".
An elderly man has been found dead in snow at a caravan park.
Humberside Police said the man, believed to have been in his 70s, was found by security guards patrolling the Thorpe Park site in Cleethorpes, north-east Lincolnshire, on Saturday.
The pensioner's body was found outside in freezing conditions and was fully clothed.
Officers said they could not confirm reports he may have lay undiscovered for two days.
A spokesman said the man had not been formally identified and his death was not being treated as suspicious.
Thorpe Park is a large site of static holiday caravans by the sea on the south side of Cleethorpes, near the village of Humberston.
It is currently closed to visitors and it is understood owner-residents are also absent at this time of year as part of their site agreements.
A British paratrooper killed in southern Afghanistan could have been shot by cannon fire from a low-flying US plane, the Ministry of Defence has said.
It is understood the jet was on a "strafing run" and had been called in by British troops involved in a gunfight with insurgents.
The soldier, from the 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, died on Sunday as he patrolled the Nad-e Ali District of Helmand Province.
Two more servicemen were injured in the attack, sources said.
The MoD has launched a full investigation into the incident - the 11th suspected case of friendly fire since operations in Afghanistan began.
Military experts suggested the latest death could have been a case of "misidentification".
Professor Michael Clarke, director of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), said it would most likely have occurred in "fraught" circumstances when the enemy was positioned immediately in front of British forces.
"It's usually a case of misidentification rather than weapons going astray - very few bombs miss the target for technical reasons," he said.
The soldier was part of an operation working to increase security in the district, Task Force Helmand spokesman Lieutenant Colonel David Eastman said.
"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 said. "He will be greatly missed by all who knew him."
An MP's assistant arrested over suspicions she has been spying for Russia said she is "absolutely sure" she will win an appeal against deportation.
In her first public remarks, Katia Zatuliveter claimed she had been kept in the dark about why she was being kicked out of the UK.
Russian Miss Zatuliveter, 25, has been working for Liberal Democrat backbencher Mike Hancock for two-and-a-half years.
She was arrested on Thursday morning and is being held at an immigration detention centre.
In an email to BBC Russian, Miss Zatuliveter said: "I was arrested on Thursday at 7am and was told I would be deported. Nobody explained me why and this is my main concern.
"I was not told about the arrangement of the flight. I am in the process of appealing against the deportation and absolutely sure I will win it (if there is justice)."
Miss Zatuliveter broke her silence amid concerns in Westminster that an alleged spy had been able to work undetected in the House of Commons for so long.
However, Mr Hancock stood by her, insisting she had "nothing to hide" and challenging the security services to produce evidence against her.
Miss Zatuliveter underwent security vetting before becoming a House of Commons pass-holder and taking up her position as a full-time assistant two-and-a-half years ago.
Foreign Secretary William Hague insisted the Government was "vigilant" about such cases. "I think the fact that we are attending to a case like this shows that where we have concerns we do take action and I think that is the right way of approaching it," he said.
Britain is enduring more snow and sub-zero temperatures at the start of another week of bitterly cold weather.
Snow swept across southern Scotland during the day on Monday, disrupting air, rail and road travel, and is forecast to move into northern England overnight.
The death toll during the big freeze rose to at least nine as it was revealed that a man had died while trying to clear snow outside his home in County Durham on Sunday and an elderly man was found dead in the snow at a caravan park in Humberside.
The Met Office said there are between 10cm and 40cm of lying snow in the central lowlands of Scotland, around 32cm in Edinburgh and 11cm in Glasgow.
Heavy snowfall and blizzard conditions in Glasgow and Edinburgh closed airports in both cities.
Glasgow Airport reopened at 2pm - but passengers were advised to check with their airline before travelling because of ongoing disruption to services. Edinburgh Airport reopened at 6pm and Dundee, Inverness, Kirkwall and Campbeltown airports remained closed.
Motorists in Scotland are advised to drive only if their journey is absolutely necessary, and roads throughout the country are closed.
Snowfall of 1cm to 3cm is expected across northern England on Monday night, said Tiffany Curnick, a forecaster with MeteoGroup.
She added: "Temperatures have commonly between around zero or minus 2C during the day, and in North Yorkshire there have been readings as low as minus 8C.
"It's going to remain cold, with no sign of a let-up in the temperatures. Overnight we will have readings as low as minus 13C in Scotland, and minus 5C and minus 7C further south."
An MP's assistant denied she was a Russian spy and said she was "absolutely" confident of winning an appeal against her deportation.
In her first public remarks, Ekaterina Zatuliveter claimed she had been kept in the dark about why she was arrested and now faced being kicked out of the UK.
The 25-year-old Russian, who has been working for Liberal Democrat backbencher Mike Hancock for two and a half years, is expected to meet lawyers today.
She was arrested last Thursday after a six-month investigation by MI5, and is being held at an immigration detention centre.
In an email to BBC Russian, Miss Zatuliveter - known as Katia - said nobody had explained to her why she was to be reported.
"I am in the process of appealing against the deportation and absolutely sure I will win it (if there is justice)," she wrote.
In further correspondence with The Daily Telegraph, she denied working as a spy for Moscow, saying: "No, there is no truth in this suggestion."
Mr Hancock has defended his assistant and said he was arranging legal representation for her. But there are concerns in Westminster that an alleged spy had access to Parliament for so long.
Miss Zatuliveter came to the UK three years ago to study at Bradford University and underwent security vetting before becoming a House of Commons pass-holder and taking up her position as an MP's assistant.
Foreign Secretary William Hague insisted the Government was "vigilant" about such cases.
People who break the law should no longer be branded offenders, a leading criminal justice campaigner has said.
Frances Crook, head of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said the "insulting" term demeans individuals and hinders their rehabilitation.
Writing in Criminal Justice Matters, she said it has been "easy" for politicians to treat some sections of society as "other" and less than human.
She said: "Someone who commits an offence is not an offender, they are someone who has done something. The action does not define the whole person. They may also do good things and they will certainly fit into other categories that can offer a different definition like parent or friend. By insisting that the offence overcomes all other parts of the person we are condemning them to a sub-human category for whom there is no hope."
Earlier this year the UK Drugs Policy Commission said stigmatising words such as "junkie" are a big obstacle to recovery for drug users.
Researchers found the extreme prejudice linked to addiction prevents drug users from recovering and rejoining society.
Mrs Crook goes a step further and calls for people to talk about offenders differently in the same way the language of disability has been shaken up. She attacked the Labour government for creating a "whole industry" of services for offenders on which they have no say.
Research conducted for the Howard League found many prisoners said the first step to a crime-free life would be to lose the label of being an offender.
Professor Mike Nellis, of the University of Strathclyde, said "offender" became popular in the 1960s as an alternative to criminal, delinquent and lawbreaker. He said the word offender is "relatively neutral" and does not carry some of the highly emotive baggage of other terms.
Criminal Justice Matters is published by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, an independent charity.
Susan Philipsz has won the Turner Prize for her recording of a traditional folk song and said her "heart" was with the protesting students whose cries against the cuts could be heard over the award ceremony.
The Glasgow-born artist was handed the £25,000 prize at an event in Tate Britain, central London, and promised to spend some of the money on taking her parents on holiday.
She said: "It still hasn't sunk in yet, I didn't want to even think about it.
"It has been a really great experience being a nominee. It has been overwhelming the wonderful responses I've been getting for the work and I just didn't expect that."
More than 100 students from arts against cuts, who were holding a sit-in in the gallery in protest at planned changes to student fees, could not be seen by the crowd who gathered to hear Philipsz awarded the prize but their chants of "No Cuts" were audible throughout the ceremony.
Tate Director Sir Nicholas Serota acknowledged their presence and said "all" were concerned by proposed cuts to arts budgets. He said: "Art should continue to be accessible to all no matter where you live or indeed whatever your wealth."
Philipsz gave them more direct support as she accepted the prize, saying: "I support artists against the cuts."
She recorded three versions of the song, which tells the tale of a man drowned at sea who returns to tell his lover of his death.
It was played under a series of bridges over the River Clyde in her home city of Glasgow before coming to the Tate.
The other nominated artists - Dexter Dalwood, Angela de la Cruz and The Otolith Group - each received £5,000.
A daily low dose aspirin pill taken with a glass of milk could be a simple way to avoid dying of cancer, research suggests.
Taking aspirin for several years can cut the risk of death from a wide range of cancers by between a third and half, a landmark study has found.
Other evidence indicates that calcium in milk might enhance the drug's beneficial effects.
Scientists are stopping short of urging healthy people to take aspirin, which is known to increase the risk of internal bleeding. But they say the new findings shift the risk-benefit balance in favour of aspirin, and could lead to a revision of medical guidelines.
Aspirin treatment to ward off cancer would probably be most effective between the ages of about 45 to 50, which is when when most cancers start to develop, say the researchers.
The drug is already taken by millions of Britons at risk of heart attacks or strokes.
Regular low doses of aspirin help to prevent the changes that lead to narrowed arteries and blood clots. But in recent years evidence has started to emerge of much wider benefits from aspirin, leading to its description as a "miracle drug".
A previous study has shown that a 75 milligram dose of aspirin a day can reduce death rates from bowel cancer by more than a third.
Earlier this year US scientists reported that the same low dose cut the risk of men developing prostate cancer by up to 30%.
The research is published in an early online edition of The Lancet medical journal.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has claimed that the Government's higher education reforms would turn universities into "engines of social mobility" as he tried to stave off a damaging Liberal Democrat rebellion.
Ahead of a crunch meeting with Lib Dem MPs tonight, Mr Clegg insisted the coalition's plans - including the highly contentious rise in tuition fees - would break a middle-class stranglehold on university places.
His appeal came as ministers were bracing themselves for Thursday's vote on the proposals amid signs that Mr Clegg faces a rebellion from Lib Dem MPs who will not go back on their pre-election pledge to oppose a hike in fees.
At least two members of the payroll vote, including transport minister Norman Baker, have not ruled out resigning in protest.
In an article for the Financial Times, Mr Clegg suggested the Government faced a choice between increasing fees or having to "slash university places"
He acknowledged that the plans were "controversial" but insisted they were "the fairest way" to support higher education while cutting the deficit.
He dismissed criticism that the rise in fees would harm social mobility and insisted that that cause had not been served by expanding student numbers in recent years.
"The uncomfortable truth is that the growth in the university population in recent years has done little or nothing to boost social mobility. The student population has become more middle-class dominated," he wrote.
"The coalition is intent on making our universities more effective engines of social mobility."
However, he admitted that it would be "many years" before the impact of the policy would be known.
Teenagers are being routinely strip-searched in a young offenders' institution despite inspectors recommending that the practice should be stopped, a report has said.
Nick Hardwick, the chief inspector of prisons, said it was "disappointing that routine strip-searching remained in place" at Wetherby Young Offenders' Institution in West Yorkshire, which houses more than 300 boys and men aged 15-18.
All the teenagers who were admitted and discharged were strip-searched without any risk-assessment taking place first and despite the introduction of Body Orifice Security Scanner (Boss) chairs, the inspectors said.
A previous recommendation that the practice should be stopped had not been put in place, they said.
"Strip-searches were still carried out without risk assessments," the report said. "Routine strip-searching took place in reception for young people arriving and departing despite the introduction of a Boss chair and wand detector in reception."
The institution also failed to stop mandatory drug testing and "all young people still had to undergo strip-searching as a matter of routine", the inspectors said. In the future, strip-searches should only be used where it "is necessary to prevent the risk of harm to the young person and other", they said.
The report, based on a follow-up inspection in August, also found "the use of force was not limited to situations where there was an immediate threat to safety".
There were 285 incidents where force was used between January and July this year, with 70% of these relating to "low level fights and assaults". But in three in 20 incidents, the force was used simply "to gain compliance with establishment rules".
The inspectors said: "The use of force should only be used as a last resort and where there is immediate risk to safety and not merely to obtain compliance."
A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman added: "Restraint is only ever used by staff as a last resort when a young person's behaviour puts themselves or others at serious risk. During such incidents the interests and safety of everyone involved - the young person, other young people, staff and visitors - are considered."
Hundreds of drivers were stranded overnight and around 100 children forced to sleep at their school after fresh snow and ice brought more havoc to the UK.
Scotland bore the brunt of the latest blast of wintry weather, with scores of cars across the central belt stuck in icy gridlock and up to a foot of snow.
Around 150 people also spent the night in a school in South Lanarkshire after the bad weather prevented pupils, parents and staff from getting home.
North-east Scotland and north-west England have been warned about fresh snow, with widespread icy roads expected up and down the country after temperatures plunged as low as minus 15C.
But there looked to be some brief respite from the freezing conditions later this week - with many places expected to have their first frost-free night for more than two weeks on Thursday.
At least nine people have so far died in the big freeze, with an elderly man found dead in snow at a Lincolnshire caravan park the latest victim.
Across a bitterly cold Scotland overnight, scores of drivers were stuck in their cars on the country's M8 motorway, with up to 500 vehicles also stranded on the M80 and A80 roads.
The Scottish Government held an emergency meeting about the crisis as police tried to reach motorists stranded on major routes. Chief Inspector Stewart Carle of Strathclyde Police advised stuck drivers to stay in their cars rather than venture out.
Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson said the country was in the grip of the "worst snow and ice conditions since the 1960s".
Glasgow and Edinburgh Airports were open after closing for a time on Monday due to the weather conditions, but officials warned travellers to check with their airlines. Belfast International and London City airports also warned of delays and cancellations due to fog and freezing weather.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was preparing to meet police today over sexual assault claims.
His lawyer Mark Stephens said Mr Assange was keen to discover what allegations he was facing so he could clear his name.
Police contacted Mr Stephens after receiving a fresh European Arrest Warrant from the authorities in Sweden where his client is wanted for questioning.
Meanwhile, PostFinance, the financial arm of the Swiss post office, said it had closed Mr Assange's account after he provided "false information".
Mr Stephens, who represents the 39-year-old Australian former computer hacker, told BBC News: "He's not been charged with anything.
"We are in the process of making arrangements to meet with the police by consent in order to facilitate the taking of that question and answer that is needed."
After meeting with police Mr Assange will appear at City of Westminster Magistrates Court where a decision will be made as to whether the warrant is appropriate for extradition, Mr Stephens said.
He told BBC's Newsnight: "It's about time we got to the end of the day and we got some truth, justice and rule of law. Julian Assange has been the one in hot pursuit to vindicate himself to clear his good name.
"He has been trying to meet with her (the Swedish prosecutor) to find out what the allegations are he has to face and also the evidence against him which he still hasn't seen."
PostFinance said it had ended its business relationship with Mr Assange. "The Australian citizen provided false information regarding his place of residence during the account opening process," the bank said in a statement.
British troops could begin pulling out of Afghanistan from next year, David Cameron has indicated as he made a surprise visit to see progress being made in the fight against the Taliban.
The Prime Minister said there were "grounds for cautious optimism" that efforts to restore security and governance were sufficiently on track to begin reducing the force level as early as 2011.
And his view on the timetable was backed by the head of the armed forces who hailed the "astronomical" quickening of results on the ground and said success in the mission was "eminently doable".
Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir David Richards, had previously discounted the prospects of beginning a draw down next year but said it was now possible if progress continued.
The two men were speaking after visiting bases and seeing the training of Afghan police and army forces - as part of the traditional pre-Christmas visit by a premier.
Nato has set a deadline of 2014 to complete the international mission and Mr Cameron has pledged that all UK combat troops will be out of the country by 2015. There are presently 10,000 in theatre.
Talking to reporters at the UK's main Camp Bastion base in Helmand province, Mr Cameron was asked if he still believed the 2011 date to begin pulling out was feasible.
He said: "I do still think it is possible but obviously we have got to go on making the progress that we are making."
Mr Cameron said the 2015 deadline was helping "focus minds" in Nato and Afghanistan and Gen Richards said it was having a similar benefit for the military.
"The British public want to know that there is an endpoint to this, that we are making progress, that this can be done and I was keener to do that rather than make absolutely definite noises either about 2010 or 2011 but I do think it's possible," Mr Cameron said.
The wife of a British man held without charge in Iraq for a year has urged the Government to step up its efforts to secure his release.
Ramze Shihab Ahmed, a dual Iraqi-UK national, claims to have been tortured in Iraq following his arrest on December 7 last year after travelling there in an attempt to free his detained son Omar.
His wife Rabiha al-Qassab used the anniversary of his arrest to ask Foreign Secretary William Hague to insist that her husband is either released or charged by Christmas.
The 63-year-old former teaching assistant, who lives in north-west London, said: "I can hardly believe that a whole year has gone by with my husband in jail like this. It's disgraceful what they're doing to him. He doesn't even know what he's accused of.
"An Iraqi judge recently visited my husband and assured him that the 'confession' that the interrogators tortured out of him will be disregarded and that they'll re-investigate the case.
"This is better news but I want to see the Iraqis say either, 'We're charging him,' or, much more likely, 'We're going to release him.'
"The UK ought to be saying this as well. I appreciate the fact that William Hague has raised the case with the Iraqi authorities, but I'd really like to see more being done now that a year has passed."
The whereabouts of Mr Shihab Ahmed, 68, were unknown until March when he was able to make a short phone call to his wife in London.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We are very concerned about the allegations of mistreatment and raised them with the Iraqi authorities at a senior level as soon as we were aware of them. We continue to raise this issue with them.
"The British Embassy in Baghdad has repeatedly made clear to the Iraqi authorities how seriously we take such allegations, and have requested that they be investigated."
Thousands of offenders will avoid jail under an overhaul of sentencing powers that will focus on cutting reoffending.
The sentencing Green Paper will aim to stop the revolving door of crime, divert criminals with mental health, alcohol or drug abuse problems into treatment and bring in a rehabilitation revolution with a series of programmes designed to stop repeat offenders from reoffending.
Other proposals include halving sentences for those who plead guilty early and curtailing judges' powers so that indefinite sentences, currently being served by more than 6,000 prisoners, will be reserved for only the most serious of offenders.
Payment by results will also be piloted along with proposals to involve the private and voluntary sector in running unpaid work sentences for offenders.
Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke has said the Government is planning "extremely serious changes" to sentencing.
"The biggest thing that we're addressing in the current system, where we have an enormous prison population, sentences have got much longer than they used to and all the rest of it, is the rate of reoffending," he said.
Three in four criminals offend again within nine years and 40% commit another offence within 12 months, the latest figures show.
Pilot projects, such as the heron wing at Feltham young offenders institution in south-west London, are already helping 15 to 17-year-olds to turn their lives around.
Policing and Criminal Justice Minister Nick Herbert said charitable groups were brought in to help the offenders get into education, training or employment.
Some are paid by results, with cash payments made if the young person starts education or work, fulfils probation demands and stays out of trouble.
Hundreds of drivers were stranded overnight and around 100 children forced to sleep at their school after fresh snow and ice brought more havoc to the UK.
Scotland bore the brunt of the latest blast of wintry weather, with scores of cars across the central belt stuck in icy gridlock and up to a foot of snow.
Around 150 people also spent the night in a school in South Lanarkshire after the bad weather prevented pupils, parents and staff from getting home.
North-east Scotland and north-west England have been warned about fresh snow, with widespread icy roads expected up and down the country after temperatures plunged as low as minus 15C.
But there looked to be some brief respite from the freezing conditions later this week - with many places expected to have their first frost-free night for more than two weeks on Thursday.
At least nine people have so far died in the big freeze, with an elderly man found dead in snow at a Lincolnshire caravan park the latest victim.
Across a bitterly cold Scotland overnight, scores of drivers were stuck in their cars on the country's M8 motorway, with up to 500 vehicles also stranded on the M80 and A80 roads.
The Scottish Government held an emergency meeting about the crisis as police tried to reach motorists stranded on major routes. Chief Inspector Stewart Carle of Strathclyde Police advised stuck drivers to stay in their cars rather than venture out.
Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson said the country was in the grip of the "worst snow and ice conditions since the 1960s".
Glasgow and Edinburgh Airports were open after closing for a time on Monday due to the weather conditions, but officials warned travellers to check with their airlines. Belfast International and London City airports also warned of delays and cancellations due to fog and freezing weather.
