A Cambridge University professor has accused the bank cards industry of making a "very nasty attempt at censorship" over a flaw in chip and PIN technology.
The UK Cards Association (UKCA), which represents the country's biggest banks, wrote to the university to try to remove the online publication of research which shows how a £20 hand-held device could be used to buy goods without entering the correct PIN.
Ross Anderson, professor of security engineering at Cambridge University's Computer Laboratory, said: "This was absolutely unacceptable. It was a very, very nasty attempt at censorship."
Melanie Johnson, a former Labour Treasury minister who is now chair of the UKCA, wrote to the university's director of communications earlier this month saying the publication "oversteps the boundaries of what constitutes responsible disclosure".
She said the paper, The Smart Card Detective, by MPhil research student Omar Choudary, "places in the public domain a blueprint for building a device which purports to exploit a loophole in the security of chip and PIN". She said the type of attack described was "difficult to undertake" and "unlikely to interest genuine fraudsters" but said the "level of detail" published was worrying and asked for the research to be removed and said police had expressed concern the student "was allowed to falsify a transaction in a shop in Cambridge without first warning the merchant".
But Mr Anderson said exposing vulnerabilities in the system was an example of "responsible disclosure" and said the industry had been guilty of "sitting on their butts and doing nothing" since he and fellow scientists first revealed the flaw in late 2009.
In a response letter, he wrote: "You seem to think that we might censor a student's thesis, which is lawful and already in the public domain, simply because a powerful interest finds it inconvenient. This shows a deep misconception of what universities are and how we work. Cambridge is the University of Erasmus, of Newton, and of Darwin; censoring writings that offend the powerful is offensive to our deepest values."
He continued: "You complain that our work may undermine public confidence in the payments system. What will support public confidence in the payments system is evidence that the banks are frank and honest in admitting its weaknesses when they are exposed, and diligent in effecting the necessary remedies. Your letter shows that, instead, your member banks do their lamentable best to deprecate the work of those outside their cosy club, and indeed to censor it."
Prof Anderson said he had authorised the thesis to be issued as a Computer Laboratory technical report. He said there was no basis for police concern as there was no intent to commit fraud, as the card holder gave his consent and the merchant was paid. He added that Barclays Bank did appear to have closed the technological loophole although other banks were yet to fix the problem.
A UKCA spokeswoman said: "The UK Cards Association has written to Cambridge not to challenge the work of the university's security academics but only to challenge whether publishing explicit details of how to attempt a fraud - specifically one which there is no evidence of a fraudster yet undertaking - is necessary and serving the public's best interest. We remain hopeful that the academics concerned will work with us rather than against us to help defeat the fraudsters - as unfortunately it is only the fraudsters who stand to gain from any lack of cooperation between us."
A Cambridge University professor has accused the bank cards industry of making a "very nasty attempt at censorship" over a flaw in chip and PIN technology.
The UK Cards Association (UKCA), which represents the country's biggest banks, wrote to the university to try to remove the online publication of research which shows how a £20 hand-held device could be used to buy goods without entering the correct PIN.
Ross Anderson, professor of security engineering at Cambridge University's Computer Laboratory, said: "This was absolutely unacceptable. It was a very, very nasty attempt at censorship."
Melanie Johnson, a former Labour Treasury minister who is now chair of the UKCA, wrote to the university's director of communications earlier this month saying the publication "oversteps the boundaries of what constitutes responsible disclosure".
She said the paper, The Smart Card Detective, by MPhil research student Omar Choudary, "places in the public domain a blueprint for building a device which purports to exploit a loophole in the security of chip and PIN". She said the type of attack described was "difficult to undertake" and "unlikely to interest genuine fraudsters" but said the "level of detail" published was worrying and asked for the research to be removed and said police had expressed concern the student "was allowed to falsify a transaction in a shop in Cambridge without first warning the merchant".
But Mr Anderson said exposing vulnerabilities in the system was an example of "responsible disclosure" and said the industry had been guilty of "sitting on their butts and doing nothing" since he and fellow scientists first revealed the flaw in late 2009.
In a response letter, he wrote: "You seem to think that we might censor a student's thesis, which is lawful and already in the public domain, simply because a powerful interest finds it inconvenient. This shows a deep misconception of what universities are and how we work. Cambridge is the University of Erasmus, of Newton, and of Darwin; censoring writings that offend the powerful is offensive to our deepest values."
He continued: "You complain that our work may undermine public confidence in the payments system. What will support public confidence in the payments system is evidence that the banks are frank and honest in admitting its weaknesses when they are exposed, and diligent in effecting the necessary remedies. Your letter shows that, instead, your member banks do their lamentable best to deprecate the work of those outside their cosy club, and indeed to censor it."
Prof Anderson said he had authorised the thesis to be issued as a Computer Laboratory technical report. He said there was no basis for police concern as there was no intent to commit fraud, as the card holder gave his consent and the merchant was paid. He added that Barclays Bank did appear to have closed the technological loophole although other banks were yet to fix the problem.
A UKCA spokeswoman said: "The UK Cards Association has written to Cambridge not to challenge the work of the university's security academics but only to challenge whether publishing explicit details of how to attempt a fraud - specifically one which there is no evidence of a fraudster yet undertaking - is necessary and serving the public's best interest. We remain hopeful that the academics concerned will work with us rather than against us to help defeat the fraudsters - as unfortunately it is only the fraudsters who stand to gain from any lack of cooperation between us."
Campaigners for a full inquest into the death of government weapons inspector David Kelly have said they believed they had presented Attorney General Dominic Grieve with an "unanswerable" case.
A lawyer for the group of doctors behind the demand for an inquest said they "hope and expect" that Mr Grieve will make his decision on legal grounds only, and will resist any political pressure to reject their application.
Mr Grieve has been considering the doctors' case - set out in a 33-page petition known in legal language as a "memorial" - since September and is expected to announce early in 2011 whether he will comply with their request for him to ask the High Court to order an inquest.
The doctors have taken the unusual step of publishing the memorial ahead of Mr Grieve's decision and Dr Michael Powers said it set out in the clearest and most powerful terms yet why the Hutton Inquiry into Dr Kelly's 2003 death was not an adequate substitute for the "full, frank and fearless" investigation required by coroners' guidelines.
Dr Powers said: "For several months now the Attorney General has been considering the 'memorial' of the doctors. This legal document sets out details of the insufficiency and irregularities of Lord Hutton's informal inquiry which, in our opinion, make the argument for a proper inquest unanswerable.
"Although the senior government law officer, it is hoped and expected that Dominic Grieve QC MP will put aside political considerations in reaching his decision on the law. The circumstances of Dr Kelly's death merit a detailed examination of all the evidence in a coroner's court. Many questions have been asked which demand proper answers. It is in the public interest that confidence is maintained in the due process of law."
Dr Kelly's body was found near his Oxfordshire home days after he was revealed as the source of media claims that the Government had "sexed up" its dossier on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, which was used by then prime minister Tony Blair as a justification for the invasion of the country.
Unusually for an unnatural death, an inquest was never completed, as Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer declared himself satisfied with the finding of the Hutton Inquiry that the scientist had committed suicide, prompting the Oxfordshire coroner to abandon the inquiry which he opened and adjourned immediately after the death.
But the five doctors, led by radiologist Stephen Frost, argue that Lord Hutton - who devoted only half a day of his 24-day inquiry to medical evidence and did not have statutory powers to require cross-examination of witnesses - was not in a position to fulfil the duties of a coroner.
The memorial, available on the internet, says there is "serious doubt" that sufficient evidence was available at the time of the "hastily conducted" inquiry to reach the conclusion that Dr Kelly deliberately killed himself by cutting his wrist and taking painkillers, as his death certificate suggests. Scrutiny of medical evidence was "unacceptably limp".
Jubilant England cricket fans are celebrating after Andrew Strauss' men retained the Ashes for the first time in more than 20 years.
Thousands of members of the loyal Barmy Army were sent into delirium after England secured an emphatic fourth Test victory in Melbourne - marching into an unassailable 2-1 series lead.
The win also sparked celebrations among supporters glued to television screens in the UK, while Prime Minister David Cameron described it as a "great late Christmas present for the country".
Tim Bresnan took the winning wicket less than two hours into day four of the Test match, dismissing Australian batsman Ben Hilfenhaus and giving the visitors a victory of an innings and 157 runs.
It prompted euphoria among thousands of England fans who made the 24-hour flight to Australia to be inside the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with many waving flags of St George and chanting victory songs.
Following the victory, England fan Steve Lewis, 35, who watched the Test from his home in Billericay, said: "I don't think anyone could say we didn't deserve it - in fact, we've completely outclassed them in every department in my opinion. I think this is a great day for English sport and the dawning of a new era in cricket really. It always used to be Australia who were head and shoulders above us, now the shoe's on the other foot. We need to kick on now and become the best team in the world.
Celebrations are now expected in England ahead of the fifth and final Test which will begin in Sydney late on Sunday UK time.
Following the triumph, which is the first time in 24 years that England have retained the Ashes in Australia, the Prime Minister applauded the team.
He said: "Congratulations to the England team and captain Andrew Strauss on a brilliant performance Down Under. Retaining The Ashes for the first time in almost a quarter of a century marks a very special end to the year for sports fans and a great late Christmas present for the country. I look forward to welcoming them to Downing Street when they return."
Australian fans were also quick to congratulate the English, with former Australian bowler Shane Warne writing on his Twitter page: "Congrats to the England cricket team on retaining the ashes .. It has taken 24 years for England to do it in Aust.. Well done and Congrats."
Nick Clegg has moved to calm grassroots Liberal Democrat concerns over joining the Tories in government with a pledge to start 2011 with activist-pleasing action on social mobility, civil liberties and the environment.
In a New Year message to the membership, the Deputy Prime Minister conceded the party faced "testing times" although he made no direct reference to the embarrassing disclosures of disparaging remarks about Tory coalition partners by a succession of Lib Dem ministers.
And he launched a renewed defence of the decision to break a pledge to oppose rises in student tuition fees and back drastic spending and benefit cuts - insisting he had delivered on "every single one and more" of the party's general election priorities.
"Well what a year! A white-knuckle election; a new coalition government; Liberals in power for the first time in 70 years," Mr Clegg wrote from Spain, where he is celebrating Christmas with his wife Miriam's family.
"Just eight months ago we were campaigning on our four big manifesto priorities - fairer taxes; extra money for disadvantaged children in schools; a green, rebalanced economy; a new, open politics. And now we are delivering on every single one, and more."
The controversial move to almost treble tuition fees, which saw the party's MPs split three ways in a key Commons vote amid violent protests on the streets of the capital, was needed to retain "world class" universities and protect poorer students, he said.
Backing the Conservatives' tough deficit-reduction package of public spending cuts would "make sure future generations are not saddled with the burden of our debt," he told them. "And by showing people that coalition can work, we can prove that plural, liberal politics is best for Britain."
Mr Clegg said he would begin 2011 by concentrating on "three big changes" as well as campaigning for a "yes" vote in May's referendum on changing the Westminster voting system to AV - a key concession won in the coalition negotiations.
"Radical reform of our political system and restoring our hard-won civil liberties; boosting social mobility so that no child is held back by the circumstances of his or her birth; and making sure the economic recovery is green and balanced, with opportunities spread across the whole country," would be his priorities, he said.
He concluded: "All of us are going to hear some people predict the worst for our party. The same people who have been underestimating the Liberal Democrats for as long as we have existed. But we prove them wrong at every single turn."
A bomb disposal expert has been killed in an explosion in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said.
The soldier, from 23 Pioneer Regiment, The Royal Logistic Corps, was serving with the Counter-Improvised Explosive Device Task Force and clearing a road in Lashkar Gah district, Helmand province, when he was caught in the blast.
The soldier's family has been informed of his death.
Spokesman for Task Force Helmand, Lieutenant Colonel David Eastman, said: "Sadly, I must report the death of a soldier from 23 Pioneer Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps, working with the Counter-Improvised Explosive Device Task Force, (on Tuesday) afternoon.
"The soldier was participating in an operation to clear an area north of Lashkar Gah, when an improvised explosive device was initiated.
"As a member of the Counter-IED Task Force he was at the very forefront of the fight against terrorism and gave his all to make a better, more secure life for the people of Afghanistan and our own nation.
"His loss will be felt deeply by all who knew him, and our thoughts are very much with his family and friends at this sad time."
A total of 348 UK military personnel have died since operations in Afghanistan began in 2001.
A 42-year-old man has been shot dead by police after shooting one officer and then continuing to fire from a house during a seven-hour siege.
The incident began when uniformed police arrived at Alistair Bell's home in Cockley Hill Lane, Kirkheaton, West Yorkshire at about 10pm on Monday to arrest him. Police said he shot one unarmed male officer on the doorstep, who received minor injuries.
Bell then moved back into the end-terrace house and continued to fire throughout the night and neighbours said the incident ended at 5.30am on Tuesday, when they heard one shot followed by three louder shots in quick succession. The Independent Police Complaints Commission is now trying piece together what happened.
Eyewitness Mark Blezzard, 30, who lives opposite, said he heard around eight or nine shots as he followed the incident throughout the night. He said: "The police then just told us to stay inside but I could see what was going on opposite. Loads of police turned up - some carrying machine guns. They lit the house up like a Christmas tree and the armed police were behind hedges."
Mr Blezzard, who works as an engineer, said he stayed up all night watching what was happening. He said: "The police were shouting 'drop your weapon - drop your weapon' and all that carry on. I reckon there were about eight or nine shots through the night. I'm sure I heard one bounce off a wall."
Another resident, Andrew Cousins, said: "At first we thought it was fireworks. We didn't know it was actually gunshots. We heard the police saying 'drop your weapon and come out with your hands up'. That's when we actually realised."
Locals said Bell had lived in the village, near Huddersfield, all his life and his parents also lived nearby. Margaret Ainley, who lives on the road, said: "He was a bit of a troubled lad, there were problems with drugs I think. He never bothered me and would always wave if we crossed in the street. He didn't work, mind, and lived in the house on his own. It's all a bit of a shock really. His car has been abandoned in a field nearby, I've no idea what it's doing there."
But Mr Bell's friend Shane Livingstone, who lives a few hundred yards from Mr Bell's house, said they went to school together in Almondbury, Huddersfield. He said: "He was a good bloke - a very good bloke."
A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said: "We regret that the incident at the house did not conclude peacefully as we had hoped and can confirm that the man taken to hospital from the address has now died."
Police said they tried to resolve the situation peacefully although shots were "continually" fired at officers. Officers initially attended the address to arrest Bell on suspicion of making threats towards another man at a nearby property earlier in the day, the spokesman added.
The killer who strangled landscape architect Joanna Yeates and dumped her body by a roadside is being hunted by police.
Detectives leading the murder investigation said they were persuing a number of lines of inquiry and maintained they were keeping an "open mind" over whether the 25-year-old was held captive or killed on the lane where she was found.
Miss Yeates' father on Tuesday spoke of how he felt "relief" after being reunited with the graduate's body, which was found on a grass verge in Failand, North Somerset, by dog walkers on Christmas morning.
David Yeates, 63, also said his family was trying to "rationalise" what had happened and hoped his daughter's killer will be brought to justice. He told the Solent News and Photo Agency: "I fear that whoever has done this will never hand themselves in but we live in hope that the police will catch who is responsible. We are sure the police know more about what happened than they are telling us, but at the moment we are not questioning them because we feel they are doing their best."
Mr Yeates said the news that his daughter had been murdered came as no surprise to him or wife Theresa, 56, because the family had been told to prepare for the worst. The past week had been the worst of their lives, he added speaking from his home in Ampfield, Hampshire, but said viewing her body had made things a little easier. "It was a relief to see her again - we just said: 'Welcome back'," he said.
Avon and Somerset Police revealed that Miss Yeates died as a result of "compression of the neck". Det Ch Insp Phil Jones, who is leading the murder investigation, said he believed her body had been dumped in Longwood Lane, Failand, North Somerset "several days" earlier. The officer said a number of lines of inquiry were being pursued, including the possibility there was a sexual motive behind her killing or that the graduate knew her killer.
He confirmed that Miss Yeates' boyfriend Greg Reardon, who reported her missing on Sunday night after returning home from a weekend away in Sheffield visiting family, was being treated as a witness and not as a suspect.
The landscape architect had been missing for eight days when her clothed body was discovered by a couple walking their dogs close to the Bristol and Clifton Golf Club - about three miles from her home.
Miss Yeates was last seen alive on the evening of December 17 having bought a pizza in Tesco Express in Clifton, at about 8.45pm. Minutes before she had brought two bottles of cider from off-licence Bargain Booze, located just metres away from the Tesco store. Police believe she then walked the short distance home to the ground floor flat she shared with her boyfriend because her keys, purse and bank cards were found there, together with a receipt from Tesco.
Earlier that night she had left the Ram pub on Park Street in Bristol city centre where she had been having a drink with work colleagues and walked to Waitrose on the Clifton Triangle, before heading to Clifton Village and the Tesco Express.
Unemployment will increase to 2.7 million and average earnings will rise by a below-inflation 2% next year, a leading business group has predicted.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) said the jobless rate will reach 9% in 2011, with public sector employment set to fall by 120,000 and private sector jobs cut by 80,000.
The group forecast that the number of people in work will fall by 200,000 next year.
John Philpott, chief economic adviser to the CIPD, said 2011 will be a "fingers crossed" year for the economy and jobs.
"If all goes well and the unexpectedly strong progress made in 2010 is sustained, the jobs market will be able to cope with the impact of the coalition government's spending cuts and tax increases without any significant rise in unemployment.
"However, things only have to turn out a bit worse than expected in the wider economy for the jobs situation to weaken, which remains the CIPD's central forecast. Either way, this doesn't mean that we are facing a return to the dire recession days of late 2008 and 2009, but nonetheless 2011 will probably feel like another year in the economic doldrums, rather than the start of a return to prosperity.
"Even if 2011 turns out to be a jobs-light, rather than jobs-loss or jobs-standstill year, the chances are that the bulk of any new private sector jobs will continue to reflect the experience of 2010, with part-time and temporary jobs in the majority.
"Moreover, most workers will feel a squeeze in their real living standards, with pay rises still relatively modest against a backdrop of higher prices for many essential products and services and higher taxes."
The report warned that the Government's austerity measures could spark employment disputes and social discontent, adding that 2011 could prove to be a "troubled year all round".
Ministers must do more to show how reforms to the NHS will be pushed through without hitting patient care in what may be "the toughest year" in its 62-year history, a leading body has warned.
Nigel Edwards, acting chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said the Government had so far failed properly to explain how it would manage the move to a radically different set-up or protect accountability.
The head of the independent membership organisation, whose call is published days after expert warnings that waiting lists could rise without extra Government investment in the health service, indicated that he backed the principle of the radical shake-up.
GPs will take control of most of the multibillion-pound NHS budget by 2013, planning hospital care and services for patients in a sweeping reform that will see primary care trusts and strategic health authorities abolished.
The Confederation supported the objectives and also recognised the need for the NHS to cut costs in line with the squeeze on public spending - from which it has been directly spared - but retained serious concerns, he said.
"2011 will be really tough for the NHS, possibly the toughest year it has faced. If the issues are not fully recognised, they will be dealt with poorly and patients will be the losers," he told members.
"The NHS is going to have to get all hands to the pumps and it will need all the help it can get. We need policy-makers to fully understand the pressures, to act to mitigate the risks and to persuade those involved that we are on the right course.
"The mechanics of who does what to whom and who oversees it is done correctly will be central to making the new system work. It needs to be crystal clear but it remains a grey area and is therefore one of the biggest risks to the reforms working.
"Parliament will also have to grapple with the issue of whether the reforms are powerful enough to achieve their goals.
"However, it is the transition that is causing greatest anxiety to the NHS and we have to get there first. That will mean avoiding hazards such as financial problems and failings in patient care."
A senior Liberal Democrat MP who felt unable to vote for tuition fee increases has been recruited by David Cameron and Nick Clegg to lead efforts to persuade young people they can still afford to go to university.
The party's deputy leader Simon Hughes, who abstained in the crunch Commons vote, has agreed to become the Government's Advocate for Access to Education in a bid to dispel "myths" about the policy.
During the six-month term he will also contribute to work on finding a suitable replacement for the educational maintenance allowance - the axing of which he has criticised.
Announcing the unpaid appointment, the Prime Minister and his coalition deputy renewed complaints that the true impact of the near trebling of maximum fees had been "obscured" by the political row over the Lib Dems breaking a pre-election pledge to oppose rises.
It would be a "tragedy for them" if young people from disadvantaged backgrounds were wrongly put off applying for a degree because of that "misinformation", they said in their letter to Mr Hughes.
His role will involve going into schools to canvass the concerns of less-well-off teenagers and devise with them publicity campaigns to persuade as many as possible to consider higher education.
Accepting the role, he said: "It is a privilege to be asked to take on this role, and I will do so with urgency, enthusiasm and determination. Parliament has settled the maximum university fee level in England from 2012 and we now have a critically-important task to ensure that every potential student has access to all the facts about the costs, benefits and opportunities of further and higher education.
"I will work with every person of goodwill to ensure that from 2011 we have the best system of educational advice, information and support in place, designed to benefit all potential students and to ensure that disadvantaged young people increasingly gain access to further and higher education."
Mr Clegg said the Bermondsey and Old Southwark MP was "ideally suited" to the role as a champion of young people from deprived backgrounds.
The Prime Minister said: "I am pleased that Simon is taking on this important role, listening to young people and working with them on how best to communicate and explain the opportunities open to them."
Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has announced he will not stand in the forthcoming general election.
Declaring his retirement from politics, Mr Ahern said it was time for a new guard to direct Ireland through a difficult future.
"Now it is time to stand aside, to pass on the baton and allow others to continue the race," he said.
"The future is always unfolding. The unfolding future I see is one of difficulty that will be surmounted, of challenges that will be met and of a country that will achieve its potential.
"A new generation will define that potential. They will strike out towards new frontiers and they will set a new agenda. Such is life and such especially is political life."
Taoiseach Brian Cowen said his colleague's departure from political leadership "truly marks the end of an era".
Mr Cowen added: "He is without question the consummate politician of our generation in this country. He is a person of rare ability and extraordinary talent. He has an immense work ethic and he is a superb negotiator."
Mr Ahern was first elected to the Dail in 1977. Announcing his decision to stand down after 40 years in Fianna Fail, Mr Ahern said it was hard or impossible for some people to keep faith in the country's future. But he insisted there was genuine cause for confidence based on the real, sustainable and lasting gains which Ireland has made in recent times.
"The truth about the achievements of the past decade and about the prospects for the one unfolding in front of us now is that, despite what the critics may say, neither extreme of arrogant over-confidence or self-defeating pessimism are justified or helpful," he said.
"Ireland is not 'banjaxed'," he said. "Ireland is not 'an economic corpse'."
Rail fare rises mean some commuters will have to pay more than £5,000 for season tickets from Sunday, the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) said.
This total is about 20% of the average UK salary and is the equivalent of Transport Secretary Philip Hammond paying more than £27,000 for a season ticket, the CBT added.
Backed by TV presenter and actor Michael Palin, the CBT will next week launch a campaign entitled Fair Fares Now to coincide with the return to work of travellers after the festive break.
Season ticket holders face average rises of 5.8%, with some Kent commuters having to fork out for increases of almost 13%.
CBT chief executive Stephen Joseph said: "Commuters feel like they are being pick-pocketed by the Government, expected to pay more year on year for the same poor quality service. Even with the promised extra investment, many passengers will see no actual improvement to their daily commute.
"Politicians need to start living in the real world and understand that people simply cannot afford to pay a fifth of their income just to do a day's work. The Government pledged to create fair fares and we all expect them to keep that promise."
The CBT said higher fares were pricing people off the train, which risked reducing access to work in London and other major UK cities. Forcing people back on to the roads would also generate more congestion and increase carbon emissions.
Michael Palin said: "Rail fare rises are holding travellers to ransom and increasing the likelihood that people will have to take to our already-overcrowded roads. Regular price hikes are no way for the Government and train companies to reward their regular customers.
"Instead of milking them, they should be thanking them for their loyalty with a better, simpler, more competitive fare structure."
The Government's vaccines advisers have "strongly reiterated" advice urging the vulnerable to have flu jabs.
The warning from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) came on Thursday night as figures revealed the winter's growing death toll - 39 people have died from flu since October.
The Health Protection Agency confirmed 12 more flu deaths this week and the Government announced it was relaunching its "Catch it, Bin it, Kill it" campaign, telling people to catch their sneezes and coughs and wash their hands.
For months the JCVI has been issuing advice that those in 'at risk' groups - suffering from conditions such as chronic respiratory, heart, kidney or liver disease - should get the jab.
Critics complained that a wider vaccination policy was not implemented but the JCVI stood by its advice.
Professor Andrew Hall said of the deaths: "JCVI noted that a large proportion of those individuals with severe disease are in recognised risk groups for influenza but unfortunately were not vaccinated. It strongly re-iterated its previous advice that all individuals in risk groups should be vaccinated as soon as possible, particularly those aged less than 65 years."
The committee also said it did not believe healthy children under five should be given the flu vaccine.
Mr Hall added: "The committee considered the issue of offering vaccination to healthy children either 0-4 years and/or 5-15 years of age. However, although there is a high incidence of influenza-like illness currently in these age groups, a significant proportion of this is due to other viruses such Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV).
"In addition, only a very small proportion of those with severe disease are in these age groups. Based on previous seasonal influenza epidemiology it would be hoped that influenza circulation will have subsided within a month. We do not believe that seasonal or pandemic vaccine should be used for these or other healthy person groups. The greatest gain will be achieved in increasing vaccine uptake in the clinical risk groups."
Of the 39 deaths, 36 had swine flu and three had another strain, flu type B. All except one case were under 65 years of age and four were under the age of five.
The landlord being held on suspicion of the murder of Joanna Yeates is facing a second day of police interrogation.
Retired public school teacher Chris Jefferies, 65, was arrested on Thursday at his flat directly above the basement Victorian property he rented to the 25-year-old landscape architect and her boyfriend Greg Reardon, 27.
The bachelor's arrest came just 24 hours after he claimed he had watched as three people left Miss Yeates' flat in Canynge Road, in the upmarket area of Clifton, Bristol, on the night she vanished.
Neighbours have described Mr Jefferies, who sports a distinctive mane of straggly white hair, as a "nutty professor-type" who was active in his community - playing a prominent role in his local Neighbourhood Watch group.
He taught English at Clifton College, just yards from his flat, from the early 1970s before taking early retirement in 2001.
Mr Jefferies, an enthusiastic activist for the Liberal Democrats in Clifton, is also a member of the Clifton and Hotwells Improvement Society (CHIS), which campaigns to conserve buildings in the area.
Resident Tony Buss, 51, said his arrest came as "a shock and surprise." He said the community had been worried about a killer on the loose.
On Thursday, police took away on low loaders two cars - a silver Chrysler Neon parked on the street and a grey Volvo S40 that was on Jefferies' drive - for examination. Forensic officers spent the day in both Miss Yeates' flat and Mr Jefferies' property - taking away large brown evidence bags from both.
Miss Yeates was last seen on December 17 and her snow-covered body was found on Christmas morning by a couple walking their dogs in Longwood Lane in Failand, North Somerset. She had been strangled.
Her parents, David, 63, and Theresa, 58, said they were pleased an arrest had been made.
The company in charge of Northern Ireland's faltering water supply is to meet the minister responsible with mounting anger at the way it has handled the crisis.
Senior ministers on Thursday night said some at Northern Ireland Water (NIW) should consider their positions as anger increases over the tens of thousands of people left without supplies.
Regional Development Minister Conor Murphy is et to meet the board of the state-owned company. "I will be seeking assurances that this will not happen again this winter," he said.
As temperatures plummeted to record lows pipes froze and when the rapid thaw followed after Christmas there was a massive number of bursts.
NIW hopes to have much of Belfast reconnected today but it could be early next week before those in remote areas receive help. Scotland has already provided bottled water and the Westminster Coalition is prepared to provide extra call centre staff, water tankers and engineers.
Ministers have branded NIW's handling of the crisis as "shambolic" and called for somebody to be held to account.
On Thursday night Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said: "There has to be accountability and we are not going to under those circumstances stand here and make excuses for a body that has so miserably failed our citizens."
And First Minister Peter Robinson said: "There has to be an accountability for what has taken place and we don't think anybody could suggest NIW have covered themselves with any glory over the past days and people must assess their position.
He added: "We are not satisfied with the performance and are absolutely determined that it will not be repeated. It has been shambolic at stages, it has been ineffective, it has not been the kind of organisation that has been fit for purpose."
NIW has pointed to years of underinvestment in the supply network and blamed much of the leakage on private property owners not checking their premises. Millions of extra litres are thought to be gushing out through unidentified leaks.
Councils across the UK wrote off thousands of parking tickets worth millions of pounds in the last two years as they cannot trace drivers of foreign-registered vehicles to which they have been issued.
A range of 20 councils and police forces across the UK which had passenger and freight ferry terminals, ports and other major transport hubs near or in their area responded to a freedom of information request. Among the highest value of tickets written off were areas including London, Portsmouth, Newcastle and Edinburgh.
Westminster City Council said that between July 2007 and October this year, 45,437 tickets worth £3.08 million were written off in parking fines to foreign-registered vehicles as the driver could not be traced, and £3.2 million is still owed.
Lee Rowley, the council's cabinet member for parking, said: "British taxpayers can no longer foot the bill for foreign motorists who seem to think the rules of this country do not apply to them.
"We would like to see a more rigorous system put in place to hold these drivers to account and send a clear message that this blatant disregard of the law will not be tolerated."
Portsmouth City Council said between April 2008 and October 31 this year, £110,965 was written off in parking fines for foreign-registered vehicles.
The council said: "On the expiry of a penalty charge notice (28 days) the DVLA will advise registered keeper details and if they are overseas and outside Portsmouth City Council jurisdiction, then Portsmouth City Council cancels or writes off the amount."
Newcastle City Council said that £84,470 had been written off in unpaid tickets between April 2008 and December 6 this year. Edinburgh City Council wrote off parking tickets for foreign-registered vehicles worth £211,051 between April 2009 and October 1 2010.
Bill Blakemore, director of the SPARKS Network, an association of public authorities that campaigns for more effective cross-border traffic enforcement, said: "Local authorities will carry on losing money and struggle to enforce parking tickets against foreign-registered vehicles until the Government sets up working arrangements with other European countries to share ownership data.
"Councils need to be able to quickly and easily identify foreign vehicle owners through their number plates, as some continental countries already do."
Pop star Annie Lennox receives an OBE in the New Year Honours List for her work fighting Aids and poverty in Africa.
The former Eurythmics singer heads a host of entertainment and sport stars awarded honours, including Poirot actor David Suchet and Ryder Cup-winning golfer Graeme McDowell.
Also recognised is football referee Howard Webb, who made up for England's disappointing World Cup performance by taking charge of the final in Johannesburg.
Some of the honours for senior figures from the business world could prove controversial. There are knighthoods for Martin Broughton, chairman of British Airways, Roger Carr, chairman of energy giant Centrica, and Richard Lambert, the outgoing director-general of the CBI.
This year Sir Roger, 64, who lives in Kensington, London, has presided over a huge increase in profits at Centrica-owned British Gas and the hotly-disputed sale of Cadbury to US food giant Kraft.
Sir Martin, 63, who lives in Oxted, Surrey, had a busy 12 months dealing with strikes by BA cabin crew and massive disruption to flights caused by snow and the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud, as well as overseeing the sale of Liverpool Football Club.
Aberdeen-born Lennox, who turned 56 on Christmas Day, has sold more than 80 million albums worldwide with the Eurythmics and as a solo star. She now splits her time between her music and campaigning on behalf of Aids and HIV victims and poverty-stricken women and children in the developing world.
Suchet, 64, from London, who receives a CBE for services to drama, has played a huge variety of roles on stage and screen during an acclaimed acting career spanning more than 40 years, but he is best known as Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot in the long-running ITV series.
McDowell, 31, from Portrush in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, is awarded an MBE after a sensational golfing year. In June he became the first European winner of the US Open since 1970, and in October he clinched the Ryder Cup for Europe in a heart-stopping final match at Celtic Manor in Wales.
Another MBE goes to Webb, 39, a police sergeant from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, for services to football after he became the first Englishman to referee a World Cup final since 1974.
Anyone applying for a driving licence from July will be required to answer a question regarding organ donation under a scheme being brought in by the Government.
The prompted choice system will make would-be drivers state if they want to sign up to the NHS Organ Donor Register or defer a decision until a later date.
It is hoped the DVLA pilot scheme will boost the numbers of those willing to give vital body parts to help others live in the case of their own death.
Under the current system, applicants can skip over a question on donation when applying for a driving licence.
But the new regime will require that they opt to either register for donation, state that they have already signed up or state: "I do not want to answer this question now."
At present, only 27% of people in the UK are registered donors - but studies have shown that a far larger proportion are in favour of donating body parts.
Getting more people to sign-up could save the lives of some of the 8,000 people in the UK currently waiting for a transplant.
Prompted choice schemes in the US have seen a bump in registrations.
In the state of Illinois, the percentage of donors has increased from 38% to 60% since 2008 following the introduction of a similar initiative.
British public health minister Anne Milton said: "Being an organ donor is a truly selfless act and is the ultimate gift anyone could give. I would like to see all those people who are happy to donate their organs to sign up."
Millions will see in 2011 at New Year's Eve celebrations across the country but cloud, fog and mist are expected to dampen the annual firework displays.
As warmer temperatures tempt the crowds on to the streets, most parts of the UK are expected to have a covering of cloud with some drizzle, although the evening is expected to stay dry.
And with the mercury reaching 4C (39.2F) after weeks of heavy snowfall and subzero temperatures, organisers are expecting hundreds of thousands to join in the New Year festivities in London and Hogmanay celebrations in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Tony Conlan, forecaster for MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "It's going to stay cloudy and misty with patchy drizzle over most of the country but it's going to be largely dry. Temperatures are not going to be too bad, generally 2C to 4C (35.6F to 39.2F) above freezing going into midnight."
Final preparations for the extravaganza in the capital are being made with a British pyrotechnic firm being used for the first time in the fireworks display. Cambridgeshire company Kimbolton Fireworks will be behind the spectacle at the London Eye, which will also be set to music for the first time with BBC Radio 1 DJ Nihal providing the soundtrack.
Mayor of London Boris Johnson said the "dazzling" display would capture the "dynamism, colour and energy" of the city in front of an expected 250,000 people along the River Thames.
Crowds of revellers were also expected to turn out for the Edinburgh Hogmanay street party and festival, which began on Thursday night with a torchlight procession along the Royal Mile.
The celebrations continue on January 1 with the 25th New Year's Day parade through London.
Cloudy and misty weather is forecast as half a million people are expected to pack the streets of Westminster for the free event.
More than 8,500 musicians, cheerleaders and performers, including those from 20 London boroughs, will take part in the 2.2 mile parade with a special message from the Queen read out to start proceedings.
Burglars have raided the home of BBC Breakfast presenter Susanna Reid as she slept upstairs with her family.
The thieves forced their way into Ms Reid's south London property during the early hours of yesterday morning, making off with a haul that including a flat screen television and her Vauxhall Zafira car.
However, the 40-year-old presenter, who shares the terraced home in Lambeth with partner Dominic Cotton and their three sons, only realised there had been a break-in later in the morning.
"We found out we had been burgled when our six-year-old son came upstairs and said, 'Daddy, where's the TV?'" she told The Daily Mail.
"I'm just so relieved I didn't bump into them. They swept up a few valuable items and made a dash. Thankfully they didn't take anything of great personal value - or the children's Christmas toys."
She added: "The boys know what happened, but they are not too concerned. They were just excited about the police coming around and dusting the fingerprints."
Ms Reid broke the news of the raid by posting the statement "burgled" on her Twitter account on Thursday morning.
Later, she added the message: "Thanks all for brilliant msges of support. Have done all admin. If u spot abandoned but well-loved silver Vauxhall Zafira in Lambeth."
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said Lambeth Burglary Unit was investigating the break-in.
He added: "A report of a burglary was made to Lambeth Police (on Thursday) morning. The burglary took place overnight. It appears the burglar entered the premises by forcing a front window. Property stolen included a television and the occupants' car."
