US President Barack Obama has launched a three-day Southeast Asia tour, hailing alliances with countries such as Thailand as cornerstones of the administration's deeper commitment to the Asia-Pacific region.

While in Asia, however, Mr Obama will be dividing his attention by monitoring the escalating conflict between Israel and the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. Mr Obama has been in regular contact with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as with Egyptian and Turkish leaders who might hold sway with the Hamas leadership.

Mr Obama's Bangkok schedule is packed with cultural sightseeing, a royal audience with King Bhumibol Adulyadej, a private meeting with prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, a joint press conference and an official dinner.

He will also visit Burma and Cambodia in his first trip abroad since winning a second term.

The visit to Thailand, less than 18 hours long, is a gesture of friendship to a long-standing partner and major non-Nato ally.

But the two countries have faced strains, most recently after the 2006 military coup that deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and Mr Obama's visit offers an opportunity to restate and broaden the relationship.

"It was very important for us to send a signal to the region that allies are going to continue to be the foundation of our approach [to establishing a more prominent presence in Asia]," deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters travelling with the president aboard Air Force One.

Mr Obama is also seeking to open new markets for US businesses; the United States is Thailand's third biggest trading partner, behind China and Japan. Becoming a counterweight to China in the region is a keystone of Mr Obama's so-called pivot to the Asia-Pacific region.

Published: 18 November 2012

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A group of leading medical bodies has called on the Government to set a minimum alcohol price of 50p per unit to tackle "head on" the problems caused by cheap drink and protect the next generation.

The Alcohol Health Alliance UK (AHA) said the minimum unit price tariff would target the heaviest drinkers who harm themselves and others around them - especially children.

The group, made up of 31 organisations including the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Nursing, argues there is "good evidence" to suggest it would make a real difference.

In a letter to The Sunday Times, the alliance, whose mission is to reduce the damage caused to health by alcohol misuse, wrote: "This policy will tackle head-on the problems caused by cheap drink, not only to drinkers but to those around them - the innocent victims of alcohol harm.

"Minimum unit pricing will target the heaviest drinkers: those who cause the most damage to themselves and others."

It added: "A child who lives with a problem drinker is vulnerable to neglect, violence and abuse, and a significant number of child protection cases are linked to alcohol.

"It is essential that the government stands firm in tackling problem drinking in order to turn the tide of alcohol harm."

Published: 18 November 2012

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Disgraced peer Lord Hanningfield spent more than £286,000 on a council credit card over a five-year period.

Essex County Council has published a full list of Lord Hanningfield's credit card spending between 2005 and 2010 as part of its review of spending at the authority.

The log lists thousands of transactions, including spending on flights, train journeys, meals and hotel stays, while the 71-year-old was leader of the authority.

The peer, from West Hanningfield, Essex, served nine weeks of a nine-month sentence last year after being convicted of falsely claiming £14,000 in parliamentary expenses. He was later ordered to pay back more than £30,000.

This week City of London Police announced it would be taking no further action after investigating his spending at the council, saying there was insufficient evidence.

Between 2006 and 2011 Lord Hanningfield was paid £236,644 in expenses and allowances.

Council leader Peter Martin said that since Lord Hanningfield left the council, action had been taken to tighten the authority's "governance framework" by placing tighter controls on spending.

The report found that although Lord Hanningfield reimbursed costs identified as being personal spending, there had been issues with a lack of receipts and expenditure above recommended guidelines.

Published: 15 November 2012

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Labour has called on David Cameron to withdraw the Conservative whip from an MP who was filmed apparently admitting that he had encouraged a rival candidate in a crucial by-election.

Chris Heaton-Harris, who is managing the Conservative campaign for the Corby poll, was forced to apologise after a Greenpeace activist recorded him revealing that he suggested his friend James Delingpole should stand on an anti-wind farm ticket.

Labour's vice-chair Michael Dugher said that the Conservative leader's failure to discipline the Daventry MP for a "serious betrayal of his party" stood in stark contrast to the decision to suspend the whip from Mid-Bedfordshire MP Nadine Dorries after she flew to Australia to appear in TV reality show I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here without seeking permission.

Mr Delingpole, who writes for the Daily Telegraph on environmental issues, announced his intention to stand, but withdrew from the race two weeks ago the day after Conservative energy minister John Hayes controversially told the Daily Mail the development of onshore wind farms would be reined in.

Speaking to a Greenpeace activist posing as a wind power opponent last month, Mr Heaton-Harris said: "There's a bit of strategy behind what's going on. I'm running the Corby by-election for the Tories... And Delingpole, who is my constituent, and a very good friend... put his head above the parapet but won't put his deposit down... It's just part of the plan."

During another slightly garbled exchange, Mr Heaton-Harris seems to confess that he put Mr Delingpole up to the stunt.

"Please don't tell anybody ever," he said. "But he will not be putting his deposit down. He just did it because it's a long campaign, it's six weeks to cause some hassle and get, and get people talking."

Published: 14 November 2012

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Supermarket giant Sainsbury's is to create an extra 5,000 seasonal jobs - making a total of 20,000 - to meet increased demand from customers over the busy Christmas and new year period.

The company announced in September it was creating 15,000 vacancies across its 1,000 stores, filling them in "record time".

Sainsbury's chief executive Justin King said: "This year we're recruiting an extra 20,000 people to ensure our customers get the best possible experience in store and online.

"It's a chance for people to experience the fast-paced, varied and rewarding world of retail - whether they are simply looking for a bit of extra cash or want to build their experience and take a step towards permanent work."

Published: 13 November 2012

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There is growing pressure on Chancellor George Osborne to abandon the Government's controversial 3p-a-litre increase in fuel duty planned for January.

Labour are calling on the Government in a Commons vote this afternoon to delay the tax hike until at least next April, claiming families and businesses are in desperate need of some good news from the Exchequer.

Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Rachel Reeves said: "With our economy so fragile and prices still rising faster than wages, it would be wrong to go ahead with another tax rise on families and businesses.

"To boost our flatlining economy, Labour has already called for a temporary VAT cut which would take 3p off a litre of fuel. But if ministers won't do this, the very least they could do is axe January's fuel duty rise at least until April. And they could pay for this by clamping down on known tax avoidance loopholes, like the one used by some employment agencies to falsely inflate expenses."

Labour had hoped some campaigning Tory backbenchers would support its motion and rebel against the Government.

But Robert Halfon MP, who has led the campaign against increasing fuel duty, said he would not vote against the Government until he had seen whether Mr Osborne responds to mounting concerns in the Autumn Statement, due on December 5.

He said: "The cost of fuel is the number one issue, that's why I am campaigning on it. I have had discussions with various people and it is my view that the Government is in strong listening mode. If I didn't believe that I would make a point and go in to the lobby with Labour."

Published: 12 November 2012

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There will be no further controls to stop Bulgarian and Romanian migrants coming to the UK from the end of next year, Home Secretary Theresa May has admitted.

Mrs May said that from December 2013 there would be nothing to prevent migrants from the two eastern European countries coming to Britain.

Both countries joined the EU in 2007 but strict controls were put in place preventing their residents moving to the UK and other member states.

These come to an end in December 2013 but there will no further controls to stop migrants from Bulgaria and Romania coming to the UK.

She said ministers could only now look at what attracted migrants to Britain, such as the NHS and benefits system.

But the Home Secretary said the Government was still aiming to reduce immigration to the tens of thousands, a key pledge of the Tories' 2010 election manifesto.

Speaking to Andrew Marr on the BBC, Mrs May said: "I am looking at free movement generally across the EU. Originally it was free movement of workers, it has been extended over the years.

Published: 11 November 2012

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Transport group FirstGroup has frozen its dividend following the West Coast rail franchise fiasco, but said it remained "committed" to UK rail.

The company, whose appointment to take over the line from Virgin Rail was cancelled due to a flawed bidding process, is holding its interim dividend at last year's level and will review the full-year payment once its rail prospects are clearer in the wake of government reviews.

Aberdeen-based FirstGroup paid £12.3 million in total UK rail bidding costs, including for the West Coast franchise.

The Department for Transport has already said it will repay bidding costs to the four groups involved in the botched bid process and FirstGroup said it was in discussions with Government over the bill it incurred.

Tim O'Toole, chief executive of FirstGroup, said "no one is a winner" after the West Coast blunder, which has led to two separate inquiries into the West Coast bid process and wider franchise arrangements in the UK.

FirstGroup, which runs First Great Western, TransPennine Express, First Capital Connect and Scotrail services, was also shortlisted for three franchises, which have all now been put on hold after an inquiry discovered flaws in the DfT's bidding process.

FirstGroup said it was "extremely disappointed and frustrated at this extraordinary series of events". But it added: "We remain committed to maintaining our leading position in the rail market and are actively engaging with the ongoing reviews to help shape the future of franchising."

Published: 07 November 2012

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An expatriate British businessman murdered in China was passing information to MI6 about a powerful Communist Party boss, it has been reported.

Neil Heywood was said to have met regularly with an MI6 officer in China and provided details about the private affairs of the now disgraced Bo Xilai, according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

In August Mr Bo's wife, Gu Kailai, was convicted of poisoning Mr Heywood in a hotel room in the city of Chongqing, where her husband was the party chief, in a case which rocked the Communist Party establishment.

Although she was said to have killed him because she thought he had threatened her son over a business dispute, the case has been dogged by speculation that Mr Heywood was working for British intelligence.

In an attempt to quell the rumours, Foreign Secretary William Hague took the rare step of issuing a statement saying the businessman was "not an employee of the British Government in any capacity".

However the WSJ said that while it was "technically true" to say that he was not working for MI6, he was a "wilful and knowing informant".

Published: 06 November 2012

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A man has been arrested and bailed over a cyber attack on the websites of the Home Office and the Home Secretary, Scotland Yard said.

The 41-year-old was held at his home in Stoke-on-Trent on suspicion of encouraging a distributed denial of service attack on the sites.

He allegedly targeted the Home Office and Theresa May's constituency websites and urged others to take part in the attack online.

Distributed denial of service attacks are designed to overwhelm websites so they crash.

Published: 06 November 2012

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