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Halt to expensive helpines is 'good news' for consumers
Customers calling company helplines to complain about faulty items or incorrect orders will no longer have to pay more than the basic rate, the Government has announced.
Consumer Affairs Minister Jo Swinson has said the crackdown on expensive helpline numbers is "good news" for consumers.
Jack Whitehall wins big at British Comedy Awards
The stand up star took home the King of Comedy award for an unprecedented second year in a row.
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Death toll from Typhoon Haiyan surpasses 6,000
The death toll from Typhoon Haiyan in the central Philippines has surpassed 6,000, with nearly 1,800 people still missing, officials said.
The government's disaster response agency said 6,009 have been confirmed dead while 1,779 remain unaccounted for.
The November 8 typhoon is the deadliest natural disaster on record to hit the Philippines.
Major Reynaldo Balido, spokesman for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said at least 20 bodies are still being found daily under debris in the hardest hit city of Tacloban.
The homes of more than 16 million people were either flattened or damaged, and officials say rebuilding will take at least three years.
England sneak the advantage after hectic first session
England sneaked the advantage after a hectic first session as Australia took lunch on 107 for three in the third Test at the WACA.
England struck early, in unexpected circumstances, when James Anderson's speed and accuracy ran out Chris Rogers.
But from 13 for one, David Warner (49no) kept the pressure on with some fierce driving among his seven fours as well as one dismissive six over long on off Tim Bresnan.
A frenetic first hour, after Michael Clarke had won the toss on a searingly hot day, contained nine boundaries for Australia and two wickets for England.
Men due in court over alleged football match fixing
Four men are due in court today in connection with a National Crime Agency inquiry into alleged football match-fixing.
Michael Boateng and Hakeem Adelakun, who have been sacked by Brighton club Whitehawk FC, are accused of taking part in a conspiracy to defraud bookmakers.
The Conference South players, both 22 and from south London, are due to appear at Birmingham Crown Court.
It is alleged that Boateng, of Davidson Road, Croydon, and Adelakun, of Mayfield Crescent, Thornton Heath, conspired with two other men to influence the course of football matches.
Chann Sankaran and Krishna Sanjey Ganeshan, both originally from Singapore, were remanded in custody by magistrates in Cannock, Staffordshire last month.
Ganeshan, 43, of Hougang Avenue, Singapore, and Sankaran, 33, of Hawthorn Road, Hastings, East Sussex, will appear alongside Boateng and Adelakun.
The conspiracy is alleged to have taken place in Manchester and elsewhere between November 1 and November 26.
HS2 report a 'cheerleading whitewash', say campaginers
The report into the viability of HS2 is a "cheerleading whitewash" and only heard from "people who support" the London to Birmingham rail link, according to activists.
Campaign manager for the Stop HS2 group Joe Rukin said:
– Stop HS2 campaign manager Joe RukinUnlike the public accounts committee and treasury committee hearings on HS2, it was clear that this inquiry was going to be a cheerleading whitewash when the transport committee only called people who support HS2 to give evidence.
Despite the official cost of HS2 standing at £50 billion, the committee want to pretend it is £28 billion, even though they said it would be £34 billion in 2011.
In saying this and telling the DfT they should abandon their standard assessments to improve the case for HS2, they are effectively ordering the Government to 'spin harder' on HS2.
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MPs: HS2 will meet 'growing demand' for train use
HS2 will deliver "the step change in capacity" needed to support growing demand from both passengers and freight, according to the head of the transport committee.
Chairwoman Louise Ellman said if taxpayers were to reap the full benefits of HS2, it was "vital" links were improved between regular and high-speed rail networks.
– transport select committee chairwoman louise ellmanWe remain confident that construction of a new high speed line is the only way to deliver the step change in capacity on the West Coast Main Line needed to accommodate long-term demand for both passengers and rail freight.
If we are to spread the benefits from HS2 as widely as possible, it is vital we improve links between the conventional and high-speed networks and bring forward projects to speed up journey times on the conventional network.
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Read the full storyThe cost of the HS2 project
One bone of contention for anti-HS2 campaigners has been the cost of the project, with the Taxpayers' Alliance dubbing the project a "white elephant".
In June the transport secretary told the commons HS2 would go £10bn over the original budget of £33bn to cover "contingency costs".
- The projected cost of the whole projects is now £42.6bn
- A total of £7.5bn needed for the purchase of high-speed trains.
- £14.56bn of the overall cost will be set aside for contingency costs.
MPs 'convinced' controversial HS2 link is 'justified'
A group of MPs are "convinced" the controversial HS2 link between London and the north is "justified" and urged the Government to consider building the second and first phases together.
Abandoning the project "significantly outweigh the risks" of building it, as the high-speed rail link is "essential for the UK", according to the transport committee.
Phase one, from London to Birmingham via the Chilterns, is due for completion in 2026, with a second Y-shaped section from Birmingham to north-west and north-east England due to be finished in 2032/33.
In its report, the committee said: "Many important local issues will be debated and resolved by the (HS2) hybrid bill committee and there will be detailed debates about many aspects of the project.
"However, we are convinced that it is essential for the UK for HS2 to go ahead, and to do so as a project which has the backing of all three major political parties."
