Keith Vaz announces decision soon after hearing evidence from senior police officer involved in original investigationThe chair of the home affairs select committee today launched a new inquiry into the use of unauthorised phone hacking.Keith Vaz announced the move soon after hearing evidence from John Yates, the senior police officer involved in t

General David Petraeus says move by US evangelical group to burn Islam's holy book would threaten Americans worldwideThe leading US and Nato commander in Afghanistan today said threats by a US church to burn copies of the Qur'an could endanger troops in Afghanistan and Americans worldwide.General David Petraeus's warning followed a protest by hu

Strategy institute challenges idea that troops are needed in Afghanistan to stop export of terrorism to westThe threat posed by al-Qaida and the Taliban is exaggerated and the western-led counter-insurgency campaign in Afghanistan risks becoming a "long, drawn-out disaster", one of the world's leading security thinktanks warned today.According t

• UK should keep control of bank levy money, insists chancellor• George Osborne says Thatcher's EU rebate is non-negotiableBritain today flatly ruled out taking part in a planned new European scheme for bailing out distressed financial institutions by using the proceeds from a levy on banks.As EU finance ministers at a meeting in Brussels agr

Keith Vaz announces decision soon after hearing evidence from senior police officer involved in original investigationThe chair of the home affairs select committee today launched a new inquiry into the use of unauthorised phone hacking.Keith Vaz announced the move soon after hearing evidence from John Yates, the senior police officer involved in t

Malcolm Jack says legislation could mean courts would 'be drawn into matters of acute political controversy such as whether an election should be held'A major potential flaw in the coalition's bill to introduce fixed-term parliaments was exposed when the clerk of the Commons today warned it would open the way for repeated legal challenges if par

Law experts dismiss police claims that they cannot investigate if victim has already listened to phone message as 'nonsense'Claims by police and prosecutors that cases of hacking into voicemails could not be investigated if the victim had already listened to their message were dismissed as "nonsense" today by experts in the law surrounding inte

CCTV captures Sgt Mark Andrews, 37, dragging Pamela Somerville, 59, across the floor of Melksham police station in Wiltshire before shoving her into the cell. Andrews was convicted of assault causing actual bodily harm and jailed for six months

Malcolm Jack says legislation could mean courts would 'be drawn into matters of acute political controversy such as whether an election should be held'A major potential flaw in the coalition's bill to introduce fixed-term parliaments was exposed when the clerk of the Commons today warned it would open the way for repeated legal challenges if par

Snap! is Mencap's annual photography competition. All of the photographs are taken by or feature people with learning disabilities. The resulting exhibition will tour the UK.

John Yates, the assistant Metropolitan police commissioner, tells MPs that police are likely to interview the prime minister's director of communications David Cameron's PR chief faces police questioning over the phone tapping affair, MPs were told today.John Yates, the assistant Metropolitan police commissioner, told the home affairs select comm

Former soldier sentenced to six months' prison after dragging woman through police station and throwing her into cellA police sergeant who assaulted a woman in a police cell was today jailed for six months.Sergeant Mark Andrews was caught on CCTV dragging Pamela Somerville, then 57, across the floor of Melksham police station, in Wiltshire, before

On May 20th 2010, The Guardian held an event to announce the commercial launch of the Open Platform. At the event there were several speakers who outlined the context and opportunities available for commercial partners. Watch a brief highlight reel of the announcement including some hacks built by Guardian developers.

Why should sex, alone among all forms of human interaction, be thought to spawn malignant magic when money changes hands?Power corrupts. Even the high ethical standards of prostitutes would probably plunge down to near-politician levels if they wielded legal authority over their fellow citizens. Since politicos actually do, they turn the mighty pow

Mark Hurd, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, has joined Oracle as a 'co-president'Oracle has hired former Hewlett-Packard chief executive Mark Hurd to help lead the database software maker in a pivotal moment in Oracle's 33-year history.Oracle and HP are longtime partners, but Hurd's appointment as co-president of Oracle underscores the growing fi

John Yates, the assistant Metropolitan police commissioner, tells MPs that police are likely to interview the prime minister's director of communicationsDavid Cameron's PR chief faces police questioning over the phone tapping affair, MPs were told today.John Yates, the assistant Metropolitan police commissioner, told the home affairs select commi

Move aimed at creating greater transparency in profession in which minority ethnic lawyers are under-represented at the topJustice may be blind, but the legal profession isn't, and from next year the public may get to see just what kind of people they are buying their legal services from.The Legal Services Board (LSB), the body responsible for ove

Metropolitan police assistant commissioner tells home affairs select committee ex-News of the World editor Andy Coulson will face police questions

Former soldier sentenced to six months' prison after dragging woman through police station and throwing her into cellA police sergeant who assaulted a woman in a police cell was today jailed for six months.Sergeant Mark Andrews was caught on CCTV dragging Pamela Somerville, then 57, across the floor of Melksham police station, in Wiltshire, before

Whether it's gigantic leylandii or a vast collection of gnomes, what's the most annoying thing about a neighbour's garden?David Alvand has done little to endear himself to his neighbours. His gigantic leylandii trees tower above the roofline of his semi-detached house in Plymouth.Horror stories about these fast-growing trees are not new, but gar

• Kuyt injured in training with Holland ahead of Finland game• 30-year-old will miss game against Manchester UnitedLiverpool have confirmed that Dirk Kuyt will miss the next four weeks with a shoulder injury.Kuyt suffered the injury during training with Holland ahead of their Euro 2012 qualifier against Finland, and returned to England yesterda

• Chelsea captain and vice-captain nearing fitness• Carlo Ancelotti hopeful both will face HammersJohn Terry and Frank Lampard could both be fit for Chelsea's Premier League match against West Ham United this weekend.Both the Chelsea captain, Terry, and the vice-captain, Lampard, have been ruled out of England's Euro 2012 qualifiers against B

It would be hard not to develop a fondness for the Chelsea manager while reading his smart and surprising bookIt is difficult, perhaps even unpleasant, to imagine Sir Alex Ferguson or Arsène Wenger kicking off a chapter of their autobiography as follows: "There are times when I stand up in front of a full-length mirror and act like a contortionis

Paul Matthews says choice of Dr Freddy Patel, suspended from practice for three months last week, for postmortem was 'routine'The coroner carrying out the inquest into the death of Ian Tomlinson today sought to dispel conspiracy theories surrounding his appointment of the controversial pathologist Dr Freddy Patel, claiming his selection was "rou

UK plummets from third to 15th place in OECD university listing, behind Slovakia and Czech RepublicThe UK's position in the graduate league table rankings has fallen sharply in less than a decade, with a higher proportion of young people now getting a degree in Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic, a report released today revealed.Vice-chancell

A modern thinktank can provide a forum for debate and the engine for real changeThe word thinktank has been around for many years. It was once associated with political parties or pressure groups who gathered around them a number of likeminded people who would attempt to justify or explain a very narrowly defined agenda, already fixed before any de

Homestays are becoming increasingly popular, allowing you to experience real India at affordable prices, says Lesley GillilanThe Indian "homestay" experience has grown from strength to strength since the idea first emerged in Kerala, a decade or so ago. Now there are homestay tours and specialist agencies for the many hospitable families offering

A Girl Guides study has been twisted into a round of headlines about girls' neuroses. Meanwhile, boys' feelings get ignoredA lot of words get spilt over the inner lives of girls in the UK. Have they been over-sexualised by Bratz dolls and padded training bras? Do they aspire to have productive lives, or have they all been seduced by glamour and c

European commission president uses state of the union address to urge leaders to steer clear of racism and xenophobiaThe president of the European commission delivered veiled criticism today for the first time of the French government's anti-Gypsy campaign.In his first annual "state of the union" speech to the European parliament in Strasbourg,

Murder police investigate after body of girl aged less than a week found abandoned in BuryPolice have launched a murder investigation after the body of a baby girl was discovered wrapped in a shawl in a garden.The body was found by a woman near her front doorstep in a street in Bury, Greater Manchester, at 11am yesterday. Police believe the baby, w

Gang member Jamie Price, son of dance music star Goldie, is given life sentence for fatal stabbing in Wolverhampton in 2008The son of dance music star Goldie was given a minimum 21-year jail sentence today for his part in gang rivalry that turned lethally violent.Jamie Price, 23, who belonged to Wolverhampton's notorious Firetown Crew, was given a

Scientists say chimps face 'major and urgent threat' as the bushmeat trade expands in country's north• In pictures: Orphans of the bushmeat tradeThey are some of the most mysterious apes on the planet that according to local legend, kill lions, catch fish and even howl at the moon. But according to an 18-month study of remote human settlements

Alternative media and innovative multi-platform storytelling are set to challenge a complacent film industryAnd so the four-day Labor Day holiday is over and summer comes to an end in Hollywoodland. As the shadows stretch across the manicured lawns of the studio grounds, there will be plenty to think about. The blockbuster season that started in Ma

Stephen Green to leave HSBC to take up role in coalition government after reports David Cameron had been struggling to persuade a major City figure to take up the postStephen Green, the chairman of HSBC, will step down from the bank to take up the role of trade minister in the coalition government.Green's departure, which was announced today, ends

Support of two independent MPs gives Labor party a majority of one seat over Liberal-led opposition coalitionJulia Gillard will lead Australia's first minority government in nearly 70 years after she won the support of two independent MPs today, making her the country's first elected female prime minister.Seventeen days after inconclusive electi

• Yates will see Coulson• NoW reporter to be interviewed• Police inquiry was 'success'• Read a lunchtime summary2.19pm: Downing Street has confirmed that Stephen Green, the HSBC chairman, has been appointed as trade minister. He will report jointly to the business secretary and the foreign secretary when he starts his job at the beginning

Christos Tsiolkas and David Mitchell, both much-tipped when they appeared on the award longlist, have been overlooked in the six finalistsIt headed the most controversial Man Booker prize longlist in years, but Christos Tsiolkas's The Slap has failed to make the final cut for the literary award, as has David Mitchell's much-tipped fifth novel, Th

Simply register with the School of Old Wives' Traditional Medicine and we'll give you a big impressive certificate*no medical training requiredDo you remember the traditional way to treat burns? Or what would happen to your face if the wind changed? If you think you can answer these questions, why not become a registered practitioner of Old Wives

Experts give their view on the appointment of Bob Diamond at Barclays and the departure of Stephen Green, who is to be trade minister, from HSBCThe appointment of Bob Diamond as the next chief executive of Barclays has been warmly welcomed in the City today. Diamond, who currently runs Barclays' investment banking arm, will replace John Varley in

Have you received a letter from the tax man demanding extra payments? Want to know if you can get the bill written off? Ask our tax expert for adviceHM Revenue & Customs sent out the first batch of letters today informing tens of thousands of people that, because of mistakes it made in tax coding, they have underpaid tax and will now have to pay ex