Buddah Lineage

WikiLeaks cables: Prince Andrew bats for Britain - at taxpayers' expense UK news guardian.co.uk: "Prince Andrew does brusque, blunt and boorish, but very rarely charming, especially to those in inferior social positions to himself and to journalists – even those who go to interview him about his mission as Britain's special representative for international trade. It is an occupation that takes the Duke of York around the world at taxpayers' expense and often by the most expensive form of transport. Not that public criticism, or the nickname Airmiles Andy, ever deters him from taking the next privately chartered jet, or helicopter to lift him over the traffic to a golf club. 'It's not the quickest way – it's the most cost-effective and sensible way to use the time I have available. I probably use the helicopter less than other members of the royal family,' he told the Daily Telegraph last year after taking a £2,000 helicopter flight from Windsor to Dea...

How taste for high life led public schoolboy to set up multi-million pound internet crime site - Telegraph: "Thousands of criminals were logging on to a 'cyber supermarket' where they could shop for stolen credit card details or learn how to manufacture illegal drugs – and even bombs. At its peak GhostMarket. Net had 8,500 members who bought and sold credit cards and bank account information worth millions of pounds and traded advice on committing and getting away with crimes. The information was used to rip off banks and retailers anywhere around the world. Innocent shoppers using the internet would find their pin numbers and passwords copied by cyber criminals who had infected home computers using special software. The details were then sold and modified on GhostMarket."

It emerged last night that the EU and the IMF will offer the Government an €85 billion facility which can be used to recapitalise the banks and fund the public finances. The package would see the level of capital in the Irish banks being increased from 8% to 12% in a move to bolster confidence of depositors in the financial system. Last week the IMF and EU team began intensive meetings with the Central Bank to re-shape the financial system for the future. Their plan would boost levels of capital in banks, to cushion against future loan losses. The 12% capital figure - a measure of how much funds the banks must hold in reserve - is significant by international standards. It is aimed at boosting confidence - particularly for depositors who are also covered by the EU bank guarantee. The money will come from an €85 billion facility provided by the EU and IMF. The remainder of the funds will be used to run the country on a day-to-day basis - perhaps over a two to three-year period. While th...

THE future of the euro is now at stake, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble warned yesterday as European officials prepared a bailout package for Ireland and bank shares plunged. Mr Schaeuble spoke as Spain became the latest country to come under pressure from the bond markets. "The uncertainty puts our common currency at stake," he said as pressure mounted on the Government here to pass a Budget to ease the threat to other weak eurozone countries. "If we can't defend this common currency as a sustainably stable currency the consequences would be incalculable," Mr Schaeuble said. "It's extraordinarily important to show that it's possible in Germany to do what we've promoted so often abroad," he said, referring to Berlin's plans to cut more than €80bn from its budget over the next four years. "We have every reason to continue decisively on this path," he added. German Chancellor Angela Merkel echoed his sentiments warnin...

The horrible truth starts to dawn on Europe's leaders – Telegraph Blogs : "entire European Project is now at risk of disintegration, with strategic and economic consequences that are very hard to predict. In a speech this morning, EU President Herman Van Rompuy (poet, and writer of Japanese and Latin verse) warned that if Europe’s leaders mishandle the current crisis and allow the eurozone to break up, they will destroy the European Union itself. “We’re in a survival crisis. We all have to work together in order to survive with the euro zone, because if we don’t survive with the euro zone we will not survive with the European Union,” he said."

"Even as the final details of the Irish rescue package are still being resolved, investors and economists are asking: 'Who's next?' The answer has been plain for some weeks – Portugal is the nation widely regarded as next most in need of assistance after Greece and Ireland, with Spain and, possibly, Italy following behind. There has been intense fear in Lisbon, Madrid and Brussels about what would happen even if Ireland's problems were not resolved rapidly."

BBC News - Prayers in Ireland ahead of budget plan : "finances. The Irish may not be as religious as they once were, but in churches right across the country on Sunday prayers were offered for the future of the country and its people. On Tuesday, the Irish government is expected to publish its four-year-plan aimed at getting its budget deficit down to 3% by 2014, in line with the rules of the Eurozone and agreements reached between Dublin and its European partners. It currently stands at 32% due to the amount spent on bailing out its banks to date. A worried people know that tax rises, spending cutbacks and probable privatisations are in the offing."

The Irish crisis: advice for offshore savers - Telegraph : "Ireland is poised to accept a loan from Europe of many billions of euros. But what about savers with money in Irish-owned banks? Are they in danger - or is the protection they have enough to stop them worrying about the safety of their money? For expatriates, the Irish-owned banks have offered welcome competition for the UK-owned ones, often providing higher rates of interest. But now savers need to decide whether they are happy to get the high rates on offer considering the worries over the financial state of the Emerald Isle."

Can the UK afford to bail out Ireland? | Business | The Guardian : "Poor old Ireland, felled horribly in the crash. It's splendid really, that British sympathy extends to a possible bail-out from George Osborne's Treasury. But one does wonder where the money is coming from, as UK citizens themselves feel the lash of austerity. Of course, many commentators continue to insist that British government cuts are not necessary. Huge debt after the second world war is their benchmark example, for that was no bar to the setting up of the welfare state. However, those same critics are also fond of insisting that they see no reason to believe that a private sector recovery will rescue us now, as the coalition envisages. Here, however, is exactly where those second world war analogies break down. Who could have imagined a possible boom, in the wake of working men returning home from war, industry moving back from munitions to private industry, technology advancing furiously, and consu...

FT.com / Tax - Tax returns hit by HMRC software bug : "Hundreds of people have been prevented from completing their tax returns online – and claiming thousands of pounds of tax relief – by a software bug that HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has not fixed for several months. The tax authority has now been forced to issue an apology after customers filing their self-assessment returns via the internet complained of being locked out of their online accounts. EDITOR’S CHOICE Scams affect one in ten people in the UK - Feb-02HMRC snowed under with claims for tax repayments - Jan-25Be reasonable - Jun-05The pervasive business of fiddling expenses - May-21Self-employed claim discrimination over pensions savings - Apr-28Investors seek to shift away from tax traps - May-01HMRC says it will now consider claims for interest payments on tax rebates which were delayed being paid by the system problems"

ICB could call for Lloyds break-up - Telegraph : "Clare Spottiswoode, the former gas regulator, said a break-up of Lloyds could potentially be on the cards if the ICB decided to call for a “reversing” of Lloyds’ takeover of HBOS in late 2008. Regulators are concerned that the retail banking market is controlled by too few players and Ms Spottiswoode took the opportunity to signal the ICB’s intentions as she chaired the body’s first public meeting at Leeds University Business School. Peter Moizer, dean of Leeds Business School and a former member of the Competition Commission, made clear that he had been dismayed by the decision in late 2008 to waive competition concerns to allow Lloyds TSB to acquire HBOS."

Gas price rise? Just say no thanks - Telegraph : "Customers who face energy price rises next month could enjoy their current lower prices for most of the winter, simply by using a little-known regulatory rule. Thanks to an obligation put on the energy companies by their regulator, Ofgem, customers are able to reject their supplier's price rises while switching to another energy provider. The old prices will apply until the switch goes through, buying customers several months' grace on their current tariffs."

Precise Mortgages attracts new funding : "Precise Mortgages' managing director, Alan Cleary, has revealed it has attracted new funding, which it plans to bring into the buy-to-let sector next year. Speaking at the CML Mortgage Industry Conference Exhibition (MICE), Cleary told the audience that wholesale funding in the buy-to-let sector remained the biggest issue for lenders."

Ireland bailout: Banks 'on brink of collapse' | Mail Online : "Ireland's biggest banks are facing collapse this week unless an immediate international bail-out package can be agreed, senior insiders have revealed. Allied Irish Banks and Bank of Ireland have each suffered a multibillion-euro ‘run’ as foreign investors withdraw their cash amid fears that both institutions are effectively bust. It was this secret ‘run’ that brought the IMF and EU bail-out teams to Ireland in an effort to prevent the banks collapsing entirely. If they do, it would trigger Ireland’s €440bn blanket bank guarantee – potentially leaving the State unable to pay the debt."

Irish cabinet meets on fiscal plan, support crumbles | Reuters : "You have lied, You have let us down. For Ireland's sake, go now' demanded the Sunday Independent newspaper under a front page picture of the cabinet. Public anger, already high at the prospect of looming job and welfare cuts, has reached boiling point after it became clear the government would need outside help. Officials from the International Monetary Fund and European Commission are in Dublin to thrash out an aid package to help the country cope with its struggling banks, whose huge liabilities have sent Irish borrowing costs soaring."

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Saturday he expected Ireland to raise its corporate tax rate but added that an increase would not be a condition for any bailout. International Monetary Fund and European Commission officials are in Dublin to discuss financial aid to help Ireland cope with its struggling banks, whose huge liabilities have sent Irish borrowing costs soaring. The main concern for EU policymakers is that Ireland's problems will spread to other euro zone members with large budget deficits such as Spain and Portugal, threatening a systemic crisis. Euro zone states want Ireland to raise its 12.5 percent corporate tax rate as part of any deal but Dublin argues the low rate is crucial to attracting foreign investment. Sarkozy, speaking at a news conference in Lisbon on the sidelines of a NATO summit, said he expected Ireland to raise its corporate tax rate.

These savers have billions invested with Ireland three biggest banks: Anglo Irish Bank, Bank of Ireland and Allied Irish Bank. A total of £10bn alone is invested in the Bank of Ireland, through the savings accounts it offers through the Post Office. If the EU does eventually offer a bail-out this should help underpin the Irish banking system. But anyone with money in a bank – whether it is based in Ireland, the UK, or any other country – should ensure they know where they would go to claim compensation, and how much of their money would be protected, in the event of a bank going bust. Remember those who have money in long-term fixed-rate bonds may lose significant amount of interest if they withdraw their money early, and switch it into a UK-based bank. In some cases withdrawals are not possible at all on such accounts. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35K 12.1MP 18x Zoom Digital Camera $314.95 w/ free shipping

BBC News - Payouts for ex-Guantanamo Bay detainees : "The government has agreed to pay millions of pounds in compensation to around a dozen men who say they were illegally held at detention camps overseas, including Guantanamo Bay. All of the men who will get payouts are either British citizens or UK residents. They claim the authorities knew they were being ill-treated and should have stepped in. The BBC's Daniel Sandford reports."

Glazers to pay off £220m debts | The Sun |News : "MANCHESTER United's owners are set to pay off their £220million high-interest payment-in-kind (PIK) loans — without drawing money from the club. The money was borrowed from three US hedge funds to help finance the Glazer family's £790m takeover of Man Utd in 2005. In January, the Glazers were given the freedom to take up to £70m from the club's revenues to pay down the PIKs. However, they do not appear to have done that. Co-chairman Joel Glazer issued a 'voluntary free-payment notice' to the lending houses that stumped up the loan, confirming it will be paid off in full. There has been no comment from United about how the money to pay off the PIKs has been raised. It is possible the Glazers could have sold a chunk of the club or sold off other business interests, which include their Tampa Bay Bucaneers NFL franchise. More may become apparent later today when United are due to publish their results for the last q...

The Press Association: Ireland under bail-out pressure : "Ireland is facing intense European pressure to accept a massive financial bail-out - not just to rescue the Irish economy but to save the single currency itself. Ahead of talks between the 16 eurozone nations, Dublin was still insisting it needed no help from either the EU or the International Monetary Fund. The nation's sovereign debt, ministers emphasised, is fully covered until next summer. But when Finance Minister Brian Lenihan sits down with his single currency counterparts in Brussels, the message will be that 'contagion' is threatening other struggling eurozone economies and must be contained. German Chancellor Angela Merkel made clear on Monday that the future of the single currency could be at stake if Europe suffers a resurgence of a Greek-style crisis fuelled by speculators gambling on the euro's plight. A cabinet meeting will determine what stand Mr Lenihan takes, but he will face warnings in Br...

Children abandoned in city centre - Telegraph : "Neighbours heard the baby crying in his pushchair and when no one appeared to claim the children after 30 minutes they were taken to a nearby house to keep warm. Police were later alerted. The mother is believed to live close to where the children were abandoned in Plymouth, Devon, on Thursday at about 6.20pm, and may have been taking them out for a stroll. The motive for abandoning the children remains a mystery. A family friend has claimed the mother's purse and house keys were found inside the pram and the family dog was still inside their house. Police said last night that officers had traced the children’s parents and were conducting further investigations."

Muslims clash with police after burning poppy in anti-Armistice Day protest - Telegraph : "35 Islamic protesters, dressed in dark clothes and with many masking their faces, carried banners and chanted slogans such as 'British soldiers: terrorists'. The group confronted police officers and briefly fought with them, leaving one officer with a head injury requiring hospital treatment, and three arrests were made. Around 50 counter demonstrators from the far-right English Defence League gathered nearby but officers kept the two sides apart."

McDonald's forced to remove image of boat from advertising campaign by its owners | Business | guardian.co.uk : "With its distinctive colour scheme and elegant masts, the boat resting on the scenic sandflats of the west Cumbrian coast made a beautiful opening shot for a television advert. But the promotion was made for the fast food giant McDonald's, and the owners of the Badger, a 34ft junk-rigged sailing dory moored near their home, were less than happy at their boat being used to promote a restaurant they 'have never set foot inside and are not likely to'. Now, in a remarkable victory, the retired couple from Cumbria have won their fight to have the advert removed from TV screens and re-edited – minus the boat – at the company's expense. 'We didn't see the advert ourselves at first, but lots of people kept saying to us: 'Oh, we saw the Badger on the McDonald's advert.' It was quite irritating, especially as we are not fond of fast food an...

Ireland bailout: UK taxpayers could face £7bn bill Business guardian.co.uk : "emergency bailout of Ireland, which is looking increasingly likely today, could cost Britain billions of pounds. Although Ireland continues to deny that it has asked for help, many analysts believe the country will have to tap a €60bn rescue fund set up by the EU in May this year. Under the terms of a deal agreed by Alistair Darling in May, the UK is liable for 13.6% of this fund. This means taxpayers could contribute as much as €8bn (£6.8bn), depending how the rescue package was structured. The UK government declined to say how much an Irish rescue package could cost British taxpayers."

The Press Association: Family distraught after bull death : "family has been left distraught after a man died and his wife was critically injured when they were attacked by a bull in a field, police said. The couple were attacked at around 4.30pm on Friday as they walked along a public footpath that ran through a livestock field on Leake Road in Stanford on Soar, Nottinghamshire. The 63-year-old man died from his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, a spokesman from Nottinghamshire Police said. His 67-year-old wife managed to get to the nearby road just after the attack, where she flagged down a passing female motorist who contacted emergency services She was then taken to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham, where she remains in a critical condition. The couple, who have not yet been named by police, were both from Glen Parva in Leicester and had two sons who both travelled to be at their mother's bedside, the spokesman said. The man's elderly parents h...

Ramsay lashes out at mother-in-law | TV | Entertainment | Toronto Sun : "Gordon Ramsay has sensationally accused his mother-in-law of attempting to 'poison' his marriage and force his wife to leave him as a family feud escalated. The British chef's bitter fall out with his wife Tana's relatives hit headlines in October when he sacked her father, Chris Hutcheson, from his post as CEO of Gordon Ramsay Holdings. Hutcheson is now suing the Hell's Kitchen star for $3.2 million. Ramsay has attempted to patch up the fractured family relationships by writing an open letter to Tana's mother, Greta, urging her not to cut contact with her daughter. But Ramsay has now risked alienating his in-laws even further by fiercely criticizing his mother-in-law in his first interview since the scandal hit. He has accused Greta of writing Tana a letter in the wake of her father's dismissal and urging her to end her marriage. He tells Britain's Daily Mail, 'The letter ...

Gordon Ramsay could have to pay £15 million to buy out his father-in-law from restaurant business - Telegraph : "The letter that landed on Gordon Ramsay's doorstep last Monday was dynamite. Timed to coincide with his 44th birthday, it ruined any chance Ramsay might have had of enjoying his big day."

Number of young Britons using cocaine shoots up 50 per cent | Mail Online : "Men are twice as likely to die from cocaine than women One in seven 15 to 34-year-olds have taken cocaine Almost 400,000 coke-users aged under 25 British youngsters have become the greatest consumers of cocaine in the developed world, according to a major international study.It found that numbers of young people using the drug in this country have shot up by 50 per cent over five years.This means Britain has left other countries which face major cocaine problems – in particular the U.S. and Spain – far behind in the league table of those worst-affected."

The Press Association: Waterboarding saved UK lives - Bush : "George Bush has claimed that information obtained from terrorist suspects through 'waterboarding' prevented terrorist attacks on London, saving British lives. In his memoirs, serialised in The Times, he said the use of the controversial interrogation technique - which simulates drowning - had helped to break up plots to attack Heathrow Airport and Canary Wharf. In an interview with the newspaper, he confirmed he had authorised the use of waterboarding to extract information from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the al Qaida mastermind behind the 9/11 attack, telling the paper: 'Damn right.' Mr Bush said: 'Three people were waterboarded and I believe that decision saved lives.' In the book, Decision Points, he writes: 'Their interrogations helped break up plots to attack American diplomatic facilities abroad, Heathrow Airport and Canary Wharf in London, and multiple targets in the United States.' T...

Teacher struck off for showering with teenage girls - mirror.co.uk : "woman teacher was struck off for four years yesterday for sharing a shower with teenage girl pupils. Debbie Lloyd-Jones was banned from teaching for improper behaviour with girls aged 13 to 16, including sending text messages saying: 'I love you.' Head of music Mrs Lloyd-Jones, 29, sent one pupil more than 1,000 text messages and bought gifts of teddy bears, perfume and jewellery for other girls at her high school, a hearing heard. She stripped into a bikini to shower with girls before a school show at Oakdale Comprehensive in Blackwood, South Wales. Disciplinary panel chairman John Collins said yesterday: 'Although no sexual activity took place, this was inappropriate involvement.'"

The Press Association: Roads and ferries hit by snowfall : "Early snowfall and high winds has brought disruption to parts of the UK, affecting roads and ferry services. Snow fell across high ground from the north midlands towards Scotland, with the Highlands particularly affected. The A93 Glenshee to Braemar road in the Grampian area was closed due to drifting snow and high winds while motorists on the M74 near Beattock were advised to drive with caution due to snow in the area."

UK 'thief'spotted at crime scene on Google Street View | Herald Sun : "BRITISH mobile home owner whose trailer was stolen spotted a potential suspect by using Google Street View. The owner, who was not named, searched for his trailer on Google Street View and saw an unknown man standing on his driveway, near the trailer, shortly before it was stolen on June 5 last year. Police in Derbyshire, central England, then took the unusual step of issuing a picture of the man, The Derby Telegraph reported. 'It is amazing that we have such a clear image of a man who we think will be able to give us information that would help the police inquiry, Police Constable Adrian Mason, of Derbyshire Police said. 'It was an amazing coincidence that the Google Earth car was passing at that time.'"

Stafford hospital patients died due to NHS failings, inquiry told | Society | guardian.co.uk : "Patients suffered and died unnecessarily during a hospital 'disaster' because NHS bosses and groups failed to step in, the chairman of the public inquiry into the scandal said today. Robert Francis QC pledged to identify those responsible for events at Stafford hospital between 2005 and 2009, where between 400 and 1,200 patients are believed to have died as a direct result of 'appalling' care. Francis made clear at this morning's opening session that he would conduct a thorough and searching inquiry into why organisations that were meant to be supervising the quality of treatment at the hospital fell down in that task. In March, Francis's first inquiry – and the fourth overall – painted a picture of a hospital where sub-standard care meant patients were 'routinely neglected', endured 'unimaginable' distress and suffering, and were left 'sobbin...

Royal Navy website infiltrated by computer hacker - Telegraph : "navy's website was shut down this morning after a self-confessed security enthusiast claimed to have hacked into the site and its databases. In a new post on his blog the hacker, a Romanian national known only as TinKode, claims to have penetrated the security of the navy's site late on Friday night. Cyber guards or soldiers: which do we need most?The shocking breach comes just weeks after the coalition Government announced plans to make countering cyber-terrorism a major defence priority. Last month, a Strategic Defence Review stated that in addition to international terrorism and natural disasters, cyber attacks from a new generation of sophisticated cyber terrorists were one of the major threats to the UK."

Church of England is 'like a coffee chain going out of business', defecting bishops warn - Telegraph : "Five bishops have announced that they are converting to Roman Catholicism in protest at liberal Anglican reforms and urged others to follow their path. One likened the Church to a chain of coffee shops that is losing customers while a second accused it of adopting an increasingly “lax” attitude towards issues of morality, such as homosexuality and abortion. Bishop brands his liberal critics 'little Englanders' as new gay row hits Church Anglicans who defect to Rome 'could share CofE churches' More parishes reject Church of England bishops who ordain women priestsAs first reported in The Daily Telegraph, three serving and two retired traditionalist bishops announced that they are resigning in order to convert to Roman Catholicism."

Swedish police hunting a lone gunman who has been stalking the southern city of Malmo for more than a year and terrorising its immigrant community with a series of shootings have arrested a 38-year-old suspect. Police refused to name the man who was taken into custody on Saturday night on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. He is believed to be responsible for 15 unsolved shootings in Malmo in which one person was killed and eight wounded. "We became interested in this man because of tip-offs we received from the public," Commissioner Borje Sjoholm, Sweden's chief police spokesman, said yesterday. "We called him at his home and asked him to step outside. He did not resist arrest." Mr Sjoholm said two firearms were found at the man's home.

Bonfire society chief hurt by rocket - Home News, UK - The Independent : "Britain's oldest bonfire societies remained in a critical condition in hospital last night after being struck in the chest by a rocket at a celebration in Lewes, east Sussex. The 21-year-old from the Commercial Square Bonfire Society, which was founded in 1886, was hit by a stray firework. He had helped to organise the event. He had emergency surgery and treatment for serious burns at Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton. About 40,000 people packed into Lewes's narrow streets to watch the display. Residents burnt an effigy of David Cameron and Nick Clegg."

The Press Association: Minister in airport liquids blunder : "Britain's security minister Baroness Neville-Jones was left red-faced after she was asked to remove liquids from her bag by airport staff, it has emerged. The blunder was picked up during security checks that were introduced in 2006 to prevent would-be terrorists from using liquid bombs to bring down planes. Passengers are restricted to 100ml bottles of liquid in their hand luggage. The Home Office minister, who is responsible for national security, had been on her way to a summit in Washington, according to the Sunday Mirror. The newspaper said the Baroness, 71, had flown to the US from Heathrow Airport just two days before explosives were discovered hidden in an ink cartridge on a US-bound plane at East Midlands Airport. She was reportedly carrying liquids that exceeded the limit. A Home Office spokesperson said: 'Liquids were inadvertently left in a bag while the minister was travelling through airport securi...

Brit awards break with past in biggest-ever shakeup | Music | The Guardian : "The Brit awards, the glitziest event in the UK music industry calendar, are no stranger to criticism. Tedious, embarrassing and irrelevant are just some of the less generous adjectives that have been flung at the event. And the slur that hit hardest was the accusation that the Brits are an outdated relic. But its organisers are determined to put this slur to rest with a raft of changes to next year's event that amount to the biggest shakeup in Brits history. The changes – including a new venue, a new award designed by Vivienne Westwood, a greater focus on the album of the year, the scrapping of the outstanding contribution to music award and changes to the voting academy – will 'transform' the awards, David Joseph, the CEO of Universal Music UK and the new Brits chairman, told the Guardian. 'I want to see more music, I desperately want more gravitas – I want it to be fundamentally about m...

BBC News - Ascot millionairess died from 'blunt force' injuries : "Berkshire millionairess died from severe blunt force trauma to her head, post-mortem tests have revealed. Joanna Brown, 46, who ran a bed and breakfast in Ascot, was reported missing on Monday morning. Police have confirmed a body found on Friday in Windsor Great Park, near the guesthouse, is that of Mrs Brown. Her husband, Edinburgh-born Robert Brown, has appeared in court charged with her murder and was remanded in custody."

BBC News - Stormy gusts up to 65mph forecast to batter UK : "Storms are set to batter the UK on Monday, with downpours and winds of up to 65mph (105km/h) expected. Wales and Scotland are expected to be worst hit, but it is unlikely that any region would escape the bad weather. BBC forecasters say strong gusts could bring branches down as low pressure ushers in the autumn's first storms. Severe weather warnings are in place in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and western counties of England, with snow and sleet forecast in some areas."

The Whitehall hit squad - UK Politics, UK - The Independent : "Britain's most senior civil servant is to call in a group of key private sector businessmen to advise permanent secretaries on how make thousands of job cuts in the public sector. Sir Gus O'Donnell, the Cabinet Secretary, wants the civil service to learn from private companies how to reduce in size and reform without cutting services and important functions. Downing Street is refusing to say who the businessmen are. Among those thought to have been approached is Richard Baker, who as chief executive of Boots led a reorganisation of the company that led to over 2,000 job losses. During Mr Baker's three-year stint as head of the high street chemist, its share price doubled."

Two drivers jailed for speeding at 140mph - Telegraph : "Police camera footage shows the pair swerving in and out of other vehicles, veering wildly as they switch lanes, keeping their speed at between 130mph to 140mph for three minutes. They were eventually stopped after a motorcycle police officer, who had filmed them with his helmet camera, was able to pull alongside them and signal for them to stop."