The Taliban's most senior military commander has reportedly been captured in Pakistan. And the head of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority says MPs should give up the profits they make from second homes funded by the taxpayer.
The Taliban's most senior military commander has reportedly been captured in Pakistan. And the head of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority says MPs should give up the profits they make from second homes funded by the taxpayer.
Banking giant Barclays has announced full-year profits of £11.6bn, an increase of 92% on 2009's figure. Business presenter Adam Shaw explains the record-breaking results.
0712
Almost 60% of company directors have been refused bank loans, contradicting banks' claims that they are continuing to meet demand for business lending, according to the Institute of Directors (IoD). Miles Templeman, director-general of the IoD, explains the implication of the findings on businesses.
0716
Criminal gangs have been cashing in on the Haiti earthquake by seeking funds for bogus charities, a BBC investigation has uncovered. Fraudsters have sent out millions of spam emails claiming either to represent genuine charities or to be from charities which do not exist. Special correspondent Razia Iqbal tracked down one criminal gang based in Spain.
0720
Almost 60% of company directors have been refused bank loans, contradicting banks' claims that they are continuing to meet demand for business lending, according to the Institute of Directors (IoD). The IoD's director-general Miles Templeman explains the implications of the revelation.
0724
New scientific discoveries on the aging of cells could lead to breakthroughs in the treatment of diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Professor Thomas Kirkwood, director of the Institute of Aging and Health at Newcastle University considers what the discovery could mean for the treatment of diseases.
0727
Sports news with Garry Richardson.
0732
Eleven people suspected of involvement in the murder of Hamas military commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh all had European passports. Mr al-Mabhouh, who played an important role in smuggling Iranian funded arms to Gaza, was murdered in his Dubai hotel room last month. Middle East correspondent Jeremy Bowen examines who might be behind the killing.
0737
Credit card interest rates are at their highest level for 12 years despite the Bank of England's historically low base rate, according to research from the finance website moneyfacts.com. Darren Cook of moneyfacts.com explains why the rates are so high.
0740
The paper review.
0743
Fifty-over cricket is losing out to its faster and more aggressive competitor, Twenty20, and is suffering from low match attendances and diving TV ratings. Nick Bryant reports from Sydney.
0747
Thought for the day with The Right Reverend Tom Butler, Bishop of Southwark.
0750
The Taliban's second in command, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, has been captured in a secret US-Pakistani raid in Karachi. Rahimullah Yusufzai, journalist for Pakistani newspaper, The News, and Professor Michael Clarke, director of the Royal United Services Institute, consider the importance of the arrest in combating the Taliban.
Banking giant Barclays has announced full-year profits of £11.6bn, an increase of 92% since 2009. The bank, which did not take any direct state help during the financial crisis, has taken on large amounts of risk in investment banking. Business editor Robert Peston and Liberal Democrats' treasury spokesman Vince Cable examine Barclays' profits.
A major announcement on a strategy to win over Taliban insurgents is expected during the coming weeks, backed by hundreds of millions of pounds from Western donors. Martin Patience reports from eastern Afghanistan on the re-integration of former Taliban fighters into Afghan society.
The broadcaster and filmmaker Ray Gosling has disclosed that he suffocated a former lover who was dying from an Aids-related illness. Mr Gosling admitted to the mercy killing while making a documentary for the BBC. Mr Gosling explains why he made the revelations.
Sports news with Garry Richardson.
A pay freeze could threaten the UK's fragile recovery by reducing consumer demand, Trade Union Congress (TUC) leaders have warned. The union claims that reports of falling pay in private firms and soaring public sector earnings have been greatly exaggerated. Brendan Barber, general secretary of the TUC, examines the effects of a pay freeze.
The biggest diamond heist in history occurred on Valentine's Day seven years ago. Thieves broke into a secure vault in Antwerp, the world's diamond capital, without tripping a single alarm or injuring any guards. Greg Campbell, co-author of Flawless, a new book about the robbery, and Dick Kirby, a retired detective sergeant in the Flying Squad, reflect on the idea of a "perfect crime".
The business news with Adam Shaw.
Operation Moshtarak is beginning its fourth day as Afghan-Nato troops push Taliban fighters from strongholds in Helmand province. Peter Galbraith, former United Nation's representative to Afghanistan, gives his opinion of the operation.
With the crisis in Greece putting the Euro in jeopardy, all eyes are on Germany - as the European economic powerhouse and architect of monetary union - to come out strongly to prop up the Greek economy. But the German government seems reluctant to bail-out its profligate neighbour. Simon Winder, author of Germania, and Thomas Kielinger, London correspondent for Die Welt, discuss how Germany sees its own role in Europe.
angsford disclosed live on air that the Irishman had proposed to her, after viewers spotted her wearing an engagement ring and emailed the show to offer their congratulations.
The couple, both 49, got engaged during a romantic break city break to celebrate her 49th birthday on St Patrick's Day.
Flashing her diamond engagement ring, Langsford beamed with joy as a she broke the news to millions of viewers on Friday.
Sitting alongside her partner of 12 years, who is standing in on the show for presenter Phillip Schofield, Langsford said: "We chose the ring together. We got engaged on my birthday last week."
Fighting back tears, she said: "My little heart is going all of a flutter now, it's like the first time I saw you Eamonn."
Holmes downplayed the news, adding: "A lot of people think we are married already so it won't be much of a surprise."
The couple have a seven-year-old son, Jack, and plan to get married next spring.
In a statement, Langsford said: "I'm so thrilled. We've discussed marriage many times but this was an incredibly romantic and heartfelt proposal which I will never forget.
"It came as a complete bolt from the blue and I said yes immediately. It was very emotional, we were both in tears. I collected my ring yesterday and I'm just so excited."
Holmes, who also presents for Sky News, said: "Quite simply, I adore Ruth. Ever since I first met her I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.
"I'm slightly embarrassed I haven't got around to it before this but one day last week I looked at her across a crowded room and fell in love all over again."
Langsford presents This Morning every Friday and has been lined up as a possible replacement for departing host Fern Britton.
The popular morning show, hosted by Fern Britton and Phillip Schofield, could be taken off the air during the summer to save cash.
Usually the presenters are replaced by stand-ins for seven or eight weeks over the summer, but stories claim the programme could now disappear altogether during the period.
An ITV source reportedly said: "We are looking everywhere to make savings. Daytime programming is going to take a hit.
"The summer period is traditionally very quiet - in the current climate it is perhaps not worth running This Morning when it is so quiet."
It's thought the morning slot will be replaced with repeats of classic shows.
Prime-time dramas including Sharpe and Wire in the Blood have been given the chop by ITV, as it attempts to save almost Ј600million over the next three years.
Heartbeat and The Royal have already been shelved, while cop drama The Bill has been slashed to one episode a week.
ITV chief Michael Grade announced today that the broadcaster will axe 600 jobs after announcing a Ј2.7billion loss in 2008 due to a huge drop in advertising revenue.
The network is also looking to sell social networking website Friends Reunited and online business directory Scoot.
Today, Lawrence lives in Ludlow, Shropshire, with his 61-year old father, a former television reporter, and mother, a 49-year-old former nurse.
Tragically, he is 80 per cent physically disabled. At the age of 14, he was struck by a muscle weakness which led to his body sustaining severe cell damage only ever seen before in cancer patients completing chemotherapy.
He says: "I want to know how my health has been ruined. Is it because of the tests I underwent as a small child?
"We now know that the so-called 'sleep studies' carried out by Dr Southall involved giving babies noxious gases, including carbon monoxide.
"Babies were deprived of oxygen. I want to know what implications this has had for my health."
Dr Southall, who has always refused to comment on his work or research to the Daily Mail, has repeatedly been at the centre of controversies.
His involvement with Sally Clark, who died earlier this year, is all the more bizarre because he had nothing to do with the inquiry into her children's deaths.
After watching a television documentary on the couple, he simply phoned the police with his theory that her husband, Steve, was the killer.
Meanwhile, concern has grown about his experiments on children.
Bill Bache, the solicitor for Angela Cannings ? another mother accused of infanticide, jailed and then freed on appeal ? has written to the Attorney General and the Department of Health estimating that "10,000 people have been affected by the actions of Dr Southall".
He fears that behind this number lurks a potential scandal of gigantic proportions.
Mr Bache is so concerned that he says the Government should look into Dr Southall's work over a 25-year period.
In a letter to the Department of Health he says Dr Southall "may have caused death or very serious bodily harm, including irreparable brain damage" to children.
Mr Bache believes parents were told by the doctor that he would report them to the police and social services if they didn't co-operate with his experiments.
"There is evidence? that he carried out these threats and, as a result, there have been convictions [of parents] for murder and grievous bodily harm, while children have been placed in care or adopted," he says.
His concerns are supported by Lib Dem MP John Hemming, who told the Commons: "Many of the parents of the (Southall) babies who were choked, given carbon monoxide and had their breathing damaged in other ways did not give consent to the experiments."
The Alexanders were no exception. Lawrence first became ill seven weeks after being born.
He would often stop breathing or turn blue: signs of sudden infant death syndrome or cot death.
At first, doctors thought he was epileptic and he underwent numerous brain scans.
At five months, he was referred to the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children in London.
His mother says: "We were told Dr Southall, who was a cot-death expert who worked not far away at the Royal Brompton hospital in Chelsea, could help Lawrence.
"However, we were suspicious when we met him there in January of 1987. He looked like a research student.
"Now we know that he was not qualified as a child doctor at the time, but was a senior lecturer in paediatrics."
Lawrence was transferred for one month to the Brompton hospital, where his parents always slept beside him overnight. Dr Southall insisted on exhaustive tests.
Janet says: "We quickly became suspicious that Dr Southall was using our son as a guinea-pig and we told him that we were going to take our child home."
It was then that the paediatrician invited Janet and Robin to a meeting to discuss Lawrence's progress.
Instead, to their horror, they realised that they had stepped into an ambush.
"We found social workers from Kensington and Chelsea Council and their solicitors, sent by Dr Southall," recalls Janet.
"One social worker told me: 'You need help as parents. There is nothing wrong with your child.'
"It suddenly clicked that we were in a dangerous situation. They were saying we made up Lawrence's illness.
"'There was no logic. They asked me to sign papers giving them the legal right to care for Lawrence.
"I had no choice but to do what they said. I was afraid I would lose him for ever."
Janet was told the hospital ? and, of course, Dr Southall ? was now in charge of Lawrence's care.
Crucially, they would no longer be allowed to see him at night. It meant that he was left unattended by his parents from evening to the following morning and Janet was forced to stop breastfeeding.
Although they did not know it at the time, Dr Southall had accused them of suffering from Munchausen's - Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP) ? a disorder where parents are said to fabricate an illness about their children to draw attention to themselves.
The theory was devised by another paediatrician, Professor Sir Roy Meadow.
He was found guilty of professional misconduct two years ago for giving "misleading and incorrect" testimony as an expert witness in the case of Sally Clark, who was also wrongly accused of suffering from MSBP.
He has since retired.
But what of Lawrence Alexander?
During the past year, he has been searching for his own childhood medical records, which prove he was enrolled in Dr Southall's sleep studies at the Brompton Hospital.
So what exactly happened during those nights 20 years ago when his parents were barred from seeing him?
Was Dr Southall carrying out experiments on him which amounted to child abuse ? the precise crime the paediatrician accused his parents of having committed on their only son?
Significantly, Lawrence's records of the time show clearly that he had a life-threatening illness.
He was suffering from various ailments, most significantly gastro oesophageal reflux (a condition that causes breathing problems and which is linked, inextricably, to cot death.)
Yet nothing was done to cure him. Indeed, Dr Southall told social workers: "His parents have pursued the belief that he is seriously ill? they must now accept that their child is healthy."
The Alexanders fought back against Dr Southall. They sought legal advice and took their case to the High Court.
In late February 1987, a judge in London told them they could return home to Cornwall with Lawrence, but that he should remain the subject of an interim care order.
It was only eight months later that they regained the right to look after their son without the interference of the authorities.
They never again saw Dr Southall, who is still working as a paediatrician in Staffordshire, although he is barred from child protection work.
Yet the stigma of being child abusers remained ? even after they changed their surname by deed poll to try to escape the past.
Both sides of the couple's families ? apart from the loyal Aunt Nina ? refused to speak to them after they were branded abusers.
"Wherever we moved, people seemed to know," recalls Janet.
"Robin was pointed at and called a paedophile. We could not even find jobs in a supermarket.
"Our car was broken into, the house burgled, we received offensive literature and abusive phone calls. The classic paedophile treatment.
"At one school, when Lawrence was 12, the bursar said we could not enter the premises.
"The GP had told the teachers we were child abusers.
"Lawrence began to be bullied when word got out, and had to leave despite his brilliant academic progress. It broke his heart."
From then on, his parents educated him at home. Then, six years ago, he became desperately ill ? losing two stone in as many months.
He lay in a darkened room listening to Radio 4. Today, he cannot eat normal food and rests most of the day.
No-one really knows what is wrong with him.
This week, Lawrence said: "It is impossible to imagine how my life would have been without Dr Southall's intervention.
"All he has done for my family is bring us grief, poverty, danger, isolation and now, I fear, ill-health.
"I am not a bitter person, but I hope and pray that there is a proper inquiry into this doctor, his accusations against innocent parents and his invasive experiments.
"I say that for my own sake and thousands of other children just like me.
"The opening of his secret files will be just the start.'
This Morning host Phillip Schofield yesterday launched a blistering attack on Kerry Katona’s husband – blaming him for her disastrous, rambling TV interview.
He accused Mark Croft of not taking proper care of the former Atomic Kitten star by allowing her to take part in the show even though she was clearly confused and slurring her words.
His comments come after he was involved in an amazing confrontation with Croft at the end of Kerry’s infamous appearance on the couch.
The ex-cabbie, 37, had to be held back by crew members as he lunged at Phil, claiming he and fellow presenter Fern Britton had “stitched her up”.
An insider said: “He was jabbing his finger in Phil’s face and giving him what for. He was so angry he was frothing at the mouth. It was an extraordinary scene and everyone was standing there with their mouths wide open.
“He kept saying over and over again that Phil stitched Kerry up and his language was more than a little colourful to say the least.
“Phil refused to back down, but seemed shocked to be spoken to in that way. Fern was just standing there in a state of astonishment. In the end production staff had to step in to calm things down.”
Yesterday Phil hit back, blaming Croft for the whole fiasco.
He snapped: “If you are as concerned about your wife as he obviously is and you notice that particular morning her medication or whatever is having an affect on her speech, surely you shouldn’t bring her into a TV studio.”
He also slammed the MTV team who accompanied her to the show – and their tight control over what was said.
He explained: “When she arrived we were told that under no circumstances should we discuss her financial problems, otherwise she’d walk off the programme – that was the only instruction we had.
“Had we known the condition that we felt that she might be in, our producer would certainly not have allowed her to open the programme.”
Phil, 46, expressed his sympathy for Kerry’s plight and said the last thing he wanted was an on air “car-crash”.
He told her: “You should be at home, wrapped up in the loving arms of someone taking care of you... you shouldn’t be on the telly.”
He also talked about the chaotic scenes at the end of the interview. He said: “We went to the break and Kerry was obviously very, very angry with us.
“She got up and walked out of the studio with her husband and we didn’t attempt to stop her because we knew she was a very angry girl, and the last thing you want to do is to make that any worse.”
But Croft was still seething at Phil last night. He stormed: “I’m not f****** interested in what that f****** idiot has to say.”
He also issued a statement in which he said Kerry, 28, was “extremely offended” by Phil and Fern’s questioning – especially as she was in “obvious distress”.
The statement, from the couple’s home in Wilmslow, Cheshire, added: “She has always considered herself a friend of the show and appeared in good faith to talk about how positive she was feeling about her appearance.
