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Ivory Coast soldiers fire on protesters trying to take control of state TV, amid widening unrest over the results of last month’s disputed presidential election.
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Commons Speaker John Bercow confirmed the poll will take place on 13 January Campaigning has begun in Oldham East and Saddleworth after it was confirmed a by-election will take place in the constituency on 13 January.
Labour leader Ed Miliband and senior Lib Dems are set to visit on Thursday as parties step up their efforts.
The writ for the poll was formally moved in Parliament.
The by-election was triggered by a court decision annulling Phil Woolas’s victory in May and banning him from politics for three years.
Labour beat the Liberal Democrats by just 103 votes in May’s contest, with the Conservatives in third place.
However, a specially convened election court threw out the result after it found that Mr Woolas had made misleading statements about his Lib Dem opponent.
Mr Woolas challenged the verdict, with an announcement about a by-election date delayed until he recently gave up legal proceedings.
Labour have expressed anger at the shortness of the campaign which will be truncated by the Christmas and New Year holidays. One MP has said the poll is taking place “with unseemly haste”.
However, Labour decided not to oppose the writ – moved by the Liberal Democrats – as doing so would mean the constituency would be left without an MP for more than a year.
Leading politicians from all parties are expected in the constituency over the next few weeks with Prime Minister David Cameron expected to visit during the course of the campaign.
The by-election will be watched carefully as it will be highest profile vote since the coalition government was formed in May.
The Tories and the Liberal Democrats have chosen the same contenders – Kashif Ali and Elwyn Watkins – who represented them earlier this year.
Labour have selected Debbie Abrahams, who came third in the Colne Valley constituency in May.
UKIP chairman Paul Nuttall and BNP leader Nick Griffin also plan to stand.
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A friend of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange who is fighting extradition to Sweden over sex allegations defends his “good character”.
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Bob Ainsworth and campaigner David Raynes of the National Drug Prevention Alliance discuss the link between drugs and crime, as Mr Ainsworth calls for all drugs to be legally available.
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The Coronation Street cast recently celebrated the show’s 50th anniversary Coronation Street is to move to Salford Quays with a new, larger set being built for the soap opera from 2012.
Filming will move from the current Granada complex in central Manchester.
The street, complete with its famous houses and cobbles, will be rebuilt on a larger scale to cater for the demands of high definition TV.
The 7.7-acre site, which still needs planning permission, will also give the soap the option of expanding with the building of new parts of Weatherfield.
ITV’s other Manchester operations will also move to the Media City site in Salford, near a new BBC office that will house programmes such as Match of the Day, BBC Breakfast and Blue Peter.
On the current Coronation Street set, which has been used since 1982, the terraced houses are slightly smaller than real houses.
ITV said the new outdoor set would be built “to greater scale than before”.
“HD is with us so we’re going to build it to ensure it stands the test of time,” an ITV spokesman said.
“All of the old favourites will be there – the Kabin and the Rovers Return – but it gives us options going forward for expanding. That’s the beauty of being on a purpose-built site.
ITV’s new production base is due to open in 2012 “We’re on a 7.7-acre site, so in terms of what happens in the future who knows, but it gives us options from a production perspective that we don’t currently have.”
Coronation Street was based on a terraced road in Salford when it was devised by creator Tony Warren in 1960. The show has just celebrated its 50th anniversary.
ITV chief executive Adam Crozier said it was “vital that we have a modern, fit-for-purpose, creative hub outside of London”.
“Coronation Street is an incredible brand and as we celebrate its 50th anniversary, it’s fantastic news that we are able to invest in the construction of a modern production centre to ensure that the nation’s best loved soap remains at the top of its game for another half a century,” he said.
ITV also currently produces the Jeremy Kyle Show, Countdown and University Challenge in Manchester, but no decision has been made about whether they will also move to Salford.
The BBC is due to begin the move into its new complex next year. BBC Sport, Children’s and Radio 5 live are among the departments that will move to Salford from London.
A BBC spokesman said: “We would like to offer a warm BBC welcome to our colleagues at ITV.
“They have just celebrated 50 remarkable years of Coronation Street and with this decision we can now work alongside each other to create iconic content for the future.”
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A single official house price index should be introduced, the government’s chief adviser on official statistics says.
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The Deepwater Horizon rig explosion led to the worst environmental catastrophe in US history BP shares have fallen after the US said it was suing the oil giant for alleged violations of federal safety laws over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
The lawsuit asks BP and and eight other firms be held liable without limitation for all clean-up and damage costs.
The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion in April killed 11 workers and spilled millions of barrels of oil over several months.
BP’s shares in London dipped 2.5% in early trading.
BBC business editor Robert Peston said that drop had taken the edge off a recent strong run in BP shares.
But he added: “Investors plainly believe that the nature of the Department of Justice’s case against BP hasn’t increased potential liabilities for the company in a fundamental way.”
BP said that it would respond to the claims later, adding the action did not constitute “any finding of liability or any judicial finding that the allegations have merit”.
“If BP were found to be grossly negligent, the costs for BP of the debacle could rise very significantly indeed”
The oil leak became the worst environmental disaster in US history.
And BP has set aside $39.9bn (£25bn) to cover the costs stemming from the disaster.
But our business editor said that if BP were found to be grossly negligent, the costs it faced could rise significantly.
It could potentially add almost $16bn to the penalties BP would have to pay under the US Clean Water Act, he said.
And it would make it “perhaps impossible” for BP to recover costs it is incurring in the clean up and restitution from its co-owners of the Macondo Well, Anadarko and Mitsui, he added.
The lawsuit charges the companies under the US Clean Water Act and Oil Pollution Act.
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US Attorney General Eric Holder said the complaint alleged that “violations of safety and operational regulations” caused the explosion on 20 April.
The companies named in the lawsuit are BP Exploration and Production Inc, Anadarko Exploration & Production LP, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, MOEX Offshore 2007 LLC, Triton Asset Leasing GMBH, Transocean Holdings LLC, Transocean Offshore Deepwater Drilling Inc, Transocean Deepwater Inc and insurer QBE Underwriting Ltd/Lloyd’s Syndicate 1036.
The key accusations are:
Failing to take necessary precautions to keep the Macondo well under control in the period leading up to the 20 April explosionFailing to use the best available and safest drilling technology to monitor the well’s conditionsFailing to maintain continuous surveillanceFailing to use and maintain equipment and material that were available and necessary to ensure the safety and protection of personnel, equipment, natural resources and the environment
“We intend to prove that these defendants are responsible for government removal costs, economic losses and environmental damages without limitation,” Mr Holder said.
US Attorney General Eric Holder outlines the government’s plans
“As investigations continue, we will not hesitate to take whatever steps necessary to hold accountable those responsible for this spill.”
BP said it would continue to co-operate with government inquiries and fulfil its commitments to clean up spilt oil in the Gulf.
Halliburton, the company that cemented the Macondo well, and Cameron International, which provided equipment for the well, was not targeted in the lawsuit.
Transocean disputed the charges brought by the government, saying that it should not be held liable for the actions of others.
“No drilling contractor has ever been held liable for discharges from a well under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990,” the company said in a statement.
“The responsibility for hydrocarbons discharged from a well lies solely with its owner and operator.”
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Stuart Baggs says he won’t feature in the final task, even though other candidates will return.
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Thousands of customers of Scottish Equitable will receive a share of £60m following an investigation into procedures.
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Is a tea or coffee break good for productivity?
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Fans complain over ‘connection error’ messages on the PC and PS3 versions of CoD: Black Ops.
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The US military is thought to be the only force capable of launching such attacks in the region The Foreign Office says it is investigating reports that two white British al-Qaeda members have died in a suspected US drone raid in Pakistan.
The Muslim converts were reportedly killed in a missile attack near the town of Datta Khel five days ago.
The men, said to be aged 48 and 25, were apparently in a vehicle with two other fighters at the time.
The Foreign Office said the British High Commission in Pakistan was seeking further information.
According to the Guardian newspaper, the pair were using the pseudonyms Abu Bakr and Mansoor Ahmed.
The paper said if the deaths are confirmed, the men would be the first white British converts to have been killed in the area.
In September, a British terror suspect was killed in a drone attack in north-west Pakistan.
The BBC was told Abdul Jabbar was being groomed to head an al-Qaeda splinter group in the UK.
According to BBC Newsnight, Jabbar was tasked with preparing Mumbai-style commando attacks against targets in Britain, France and Germany.
The US military does not routinely confirm drone operations, but analysts say they are the only force capable of deploying such unmanned, remotely-piloted aircraft in the region.
Pakistan publicly objects to the strikes, but analysts believe such raids have the private backing of officials.
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All three main parties at Westminster remain opposed to the de-criminalisation of drugs A former minister with responsibility for drugs policy has called for the de-criminalisation of all drugs.
Bob Ainsworth, who oversaw the issue at the Home Office in Tony Blair’s government, said the approach of successive administrations had failed.
Mr Ainsworth, also a former defence secretary, said the current policy left the drugs trade in the hands of criminal gangs.
Ministers have insisted they remain opposed to de-criminalisation.
Mr Ainsworth is the most senior politician so far to publicly call for all drugs, including heroin and cocaine, to be de-criminalised.
He said he realized while he was a minister in the Home Office in charge of drugs policy that the so-called war on drugs could not be won.
Mr Ainsworth has called for a strict system of legal regulation under which different drugs would either be prescribed by doctors or sold under licence.
“We must take the trade away from organised criminals and hand it to the control of doctors and pharmacists”
Bob Ainsworth
The Labour backbencher said successive governments had been frightened to raise the issue because they feared a media backlash.
But he predicted in the end ministers would have no option but to adopt a different approach and consider de-criminalisation.
He said: “Politicians and the media need to engage in a genuine and grown up debate about alternatives to prohibition, so that we can build a consensus based on delivering the best outcomes for our children and communities. Prohibition has failed to protect us.
“Leaving the drugs market in the hands of criminals causes huge and unnecessary harms to individuals, communities and entire countries, with the poor the hardest hit.”
Mr Ainsworth said billions of pounds was being spent “without preventing the wide availability of drugs”.
“It is time to replace our failed war on drugs with a strict system of legal regulation, to make the world a safer, healthier place, especially for our children,” he said.
“We must take the trade away from organised criminals and hand it to the control of doctors and pharmacists.”
BBC political correspondent Norman Smith says it seems highly unlikely there will be any imminent change in drugs policy, despite Mr Ainsworth’s intervention.
All three main parties at Westminster remain opposed to de-criminalisation.
Last week Home Secretary Theresa May said the government’s drugs strategy would remain focused on rehabilitation and reducing supply.
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The BPI is calling for people to pay for their music to help boost homegrown artists including Adele Illegal downloading in the UK is growing, with around 7.7 million people choosing not to legitimately buy their music online, according to new figures.
A report suggests that more than 1.2bn tracks were illegally downloaded last year, costing the retail industry £1bn.
The British Recorded Music Industry (BPI) commissioned research based on internet users’ habits.
BPI boss Geoff Taylor said illegal downloading was becoming a “parasite”.
The report has claimed that more than three quarters of music downloaded in the UK is illegally obtained, with no payment to the musicians, songwriters or music companies producing it.
This is despite a digital music market in the UK which is served by 67 legal downloading services.
The report said that illegal mp3 pay sites and cyberlockers – sites offering space to store illicit files – are “rising alarmingly”.
It added that there is still no effective deterrent against illegal downloading and new legislation is “urgently needed”.
“It is a parasite that threatens to deprive a generation of talented young people of their chance to make a career in music, and is holding back investment in the burgeoning digital entertainment sector,” Mr Taylor said.
He called for swift action be taken to help “Britain to achieve its potential in the global digital market”.
Earlier this year the BPI reported that music sales in the UK had grown for the first time in six years.
It said that legal downloads had boosted sales, rising by more than 50% to earn £154 million, compared with £101.5 million in 2008.
They are expected to reach 160 millions sales this year, an increase of more than 10 million in 2009.
This year also saw I Gotta Feeling by Black Eyed Peas become the first single to sell more than one million digital copies.
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Scientists develop a new theory to explain the Solar System’s most spectacular mountain range – the giant ridge on Saturnian moon Iapetus.
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