Britain's Premium Credit Rating Downgraded

Rating agency Moody's has stripped Britain of its top-grade AAA credit rating, citing slow growth and a rising debt burden.

After the international agency announced the one notch drop to AA1, Chancellor George Osborne said it was a "stark reminder" of the country's debt problems.

Moody's said Britain's recovery was proving to be significantly slower than previous rebounds from recession and it did not expect the situation to change.

"[There's] increasing clarity that, despite considerable structural economic strengths, the UK's economic growth will remain sluggish over the next few years," it said.

Moody's is the first of the major credit rating agencies to knock the UK off of its top rating.

The ratings agency also cut the Bank of England's AAA rating by one notch, also to AA1.

Moody's said it did not expect Britain's slow recovery to change

Sky Economics Editor Ed Conway said: "The fact that Britain has lost its AAA crown for the first time since credit ratings were given to the UK back in the 1970s, it's a really big blow to Britain's reputation.

"It's something of an economic blow, but in a way it's more of a political problem for Chancellor George Osborne. He made a key part of the Conservative election pledge to safeguard Britain's credit rating."

On Friday evening, the Chancellor said: "We have a stark reminder of the debt problems facing our country - and the clearest possible warning to anyone who thinks we can run away from dealing with those problems.

"We are not going to run away from our problems, we are going to overcome them."

Moody's said that the British economy is constrained both by the troubled global economy and the drag from businesses and the British government slashing their debt burdens.

"Moreover, while the government's recent Funding for Lending Scheme has the potential to support a surge in growth, Moody's believes the risks to the growth outlook remain skewed to the downside," it said.

Mr Osborne has been coming under increasing pressure to take action to stimulate the British economy.

He has used maintaining the top credit rating for government bonds as one of the key arguments for the Government's austerity programme.

However, Labour has insisted that withdrawing demand from the economy has put it more at risk by stunting growth.

Labour shadow chancellor Ed Balls said: "This credit rating downgrade is a humiliating blow to a Prime Minister and Chancellor who said keeping our AAA rating was the test of their economic and political credibility.

"In the Budget the government must urgently take action to kick-start our flatlining economy and realise that we need growth to get the deficit down. If David Cameron and George Osborne fail to do so and put political pride above the national economic interest we face more long-term damage and pain for businesses and families."

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Oscar Pistorius Gets Bail Over Reeva Killing

Oscar Pistorius has been granted bail by a court in South Africa after spending a week in custody charged with murdering his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp.

Magistrate Desmond Nair's decision drew cheers from the Pistorius' family and supporters, while the athlete burst into tears.

The magistrate set bail at one million rand (£73,000) and postponed the case until June 4.

Pistorius will also be required to live at an undisclosed address, hand in his two South African passports and report twice a week to a police station in Pretoria.

The double amputee is also banned from drinking alcohol, must hand over his guns and stay away from the estate where he lived.

Pistorius leaving the court with his sister Aimee

Prosecutors had warned that the star has the "money, means and motive" to flee South Africa if he was given bail, but his lawyers successfully argued the Blade Runner was too famous to flee justice.

In his two-hour statement to Pretoria Magistrates Court, the judge said he did not believe Pistorius to be a "flight risk" or "pose a danger to society".

But the magistrate said Pistorius still has lots questions to answer.

"I have difficulty in appreciating the accused did not ascertain the whereabouts of his girlfriend when he got off the the bed," Mr Nair said.

"I have difficulty with the accused not seeking to verify who was in the toilet when he could have asked.

"I have difficulty understanding why the deceased didn't scream back from the toilet."

Pistorius' supporters prayed after the decision was announced

Sky's Alex Crawford said Pistorius burst into tears when the decision was read out.

"He had been crying quietly anyway, and it just seemed to prompt even more sobbing from him," Crawford said.

"His family are hugely relieved, some of them are crying, they're gathered together in a little huddle ... hugging each other, some are sobbing, they are holding hands, and some at least appear to be praying."

The star is charged with premeditated murder over the shooting death of Miss Steenkamp, 29, in the early hours of February 14.

Despite the bail decision, prosecution spokesman Medupe Simasiku said:  "We're still confident in our case."

The magistrate said Pistorius still has a lot of questions to answer

About an hour after the decision was read out, Pistorius was driven away from the court in a silver Land Rover.

Outside the court, a friend and former flatmate of Miss Steenkamp, Kim Myers, said it has been a very sad time and people must remember the trial has not started.

"The bail application is not a trial and we hope and trust that justice will prevail," she said.

"We need to remember that someone still lost their life. Our hearts and thoughts and prayers just go out to the Steenkamp family."

Nicholas Van Eden, a spokesman for the Steenkamp family, later said: "We're not sure what to feel in the case. We just want to know the truth, and whatever happens it's not going to bring Reeva back.

"We just want justice and the truth."

Family and friends cheered and cried as the decision was read out

The Olympian's uncle Arnold Pistorius said: "Although we are obviously relieved that Oscar has been granted bail, this is still a very sad time for the family of Reeva and for us.

"We are grateful that the magistrate recognised the validity and strength of our application.

"As the family, we are convinced that Oscar's version of what happened on that terrible night will prove to be true."

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Pistorius Cop Facing Attempted Murder Charges

The lead detective in the Oscar Pistorius case has been dropped, following revelations that he is facing charges of attempted murder himself.

Warrant Officer Hilton Botha appeared at the 26-year-old athlete's bail hearing earlier, where the defence team questioned the veteran policeman's credibility.

In October 2011, Botha and two other officers are alleged to have opened fire on seven passengers in a taxi mini-bus in an attempt to stop it.

It is claimed that the officers, who were on duty at the time, were drunk. Botha and his two colleagues were arrested but the charges were initially dropped.

Botha has been in the police force for 24 years

However, they were reinstated by the state prosecutor in the days before the killing of 29-year-old model Reeva Steenkamp.

Pistorius, a double-amputee Olympian, has been charged with premeditated murder after his girlfriend was shot dead in the early hours of Valentine's Day.

After the track star's bail hearing was adjourned until Friday, police commissioner Riah Phiyega announced senior detective Lieutenant General Vineshkumar Moonoo would replace Botha.

"We recognise the significance, the importance and the severity of the matter," she said.

Miss Steenkamp was shot dead at Pistorius' home

Bulewa Makeke, from South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority, said the attempted murder charges had been reinstated against Botha on February 4.

Police say they found out about it after Botha testified in Pistorius' bail hearing on Wednesday.

Ms Makeke indicated the charges were reinstated because more evidence had been gathered.

Botha, who will appear in court in May, denies being drunk and has told a South African news channel that he was chasing suspects.

Oscar Pistorius' father Henke and sister Aimee in court on Thursday

Prosecutors admitted that the timing of the attempted murder charges had been "totally weird".

Under cross-examination during Pistorius' bail hearing, Botha was accused of contaminating the crime scene in the Paralympic star's home and backtracked on key details, including the distance of witnesses from the house.

In his often confused testimony, Botha, a 24-year police veteran with 16 years as a detective, conceded that police had left a 9mm slug from the shots that killed Miss Steenkamp inside a toilet at the scene.

Botha said of the investigation: "I'm sure it could have been handled better."

Pistorius has often sobbed during the bail hearing

The lead defence counsel Barry Roux said: "The poor quality of the evidence of investigating officer Botha further exposed... the disastrous shortcomings in the state's case."

Miss Steenkamp was found by medics at Pistorius's luxury Pretoria home covered in bloodied towels, with bullet wounds to her head, elbow and hip. She died at the scene.

Pistorius said he mistook his girlfriend for an intruder.

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Jemima Prees: Tribute To Ski Tragedy Schoolgirl

The family of a British schoolgirl who died in a skiing accident in the Austrian Alps has spoken of how she "lived every day as if it might be her last".

Mourners will gather today for the funeral of 10-year-old Jemima Prees, who was killed when she hit a tree at high speed on February 10 while on a half-term holiday with her family.

The schoolgirl, who was wearing a helmet, appeared to lose control and skied into a wooded off-piste area at the Mayrhofen resort near Tyrol, an Austrian police spokesman said.

Her brother and father rushed to her side to give first aid before she was airlifted to hospital in Innsbruck, but she died the following day.

The 10-year-old was on a half-term skiing holiday with her family

Her funeral will be held at the Church of St John The Baptist, in Colerne, near Chippenham, Wiltshire.

Speaking on the eve of the service, Jemima's parents, Tim and Karen, told of the mature attitude to life which belied the girl's tender years.

In an interview with ITV due to be broadcast today, Mrs Prees said: "She was lovely, she was gorgeous, she was very active. She loved life. She lived every day as if it might be her last.

"Sometimes she used to say 'today might be the last day, we must all tell each other that we love each other because we may not come back this evening'.

"She was very wise, wise beyond her years. She had things sewn up that some people never seem to grasp."

Jemima's father described her as "a real ray of sunshine".

"She just had the knack of making everybody feel as if they were really important to her," he said.

Jemima's brother Barnaby attempted to resuscitate her at the scene

"And she had a smile for everybody. And I think she genuinely cared about other people, it wasn't just a surface smile."

Police in Mayrhofen - an hour away from Innsbruck and popular with British skiers - said the Prees family were on the last run of the day when Jemima careered into woodland and was knocked unconscious.

Her brother Barnaby spent 40 minutes trying to revive his sister.

Jemima, who went to Calder House School, near Colerne, also has two sisters, Annabel and Olivia, who were not on the family holiday.

The schoolgirl's family have set up a charity in Jemima's memory, named Jemima's Gift, intended to help children make the most of opportunities in the arts, sport and education.

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Pistorius: Top Cop Offers Confused Testimony

The detective investigating the killing of Reeva Steenkamp said police have no evidence challenging Oscar Pistorius' claim he accidentally killed his girlfriend.

The prosecution attempted to cement its argument that the couple had a shouting match, Miss Steenkamp fled and locked herself into the toilet cubicle of the bathroom and that Pistorius fired four shots through the door which killed her.

Lead detective Hilton Botha said: "I believe that he knew that Reeva was in the bathroom and he shot four shots through the door."

But Mr Botha was forced to admit that Pistorius' claim that he mistook the 29-year-old model for an intruder matched the crime scene.

Asked if the police found anything inconsistent with the version of events presented by Pistorius, Mr Botha responded that they had not.

Oscar Pistorius denies murdering his girlfriend

"It sounds consistent," Mr Botha said.

The second day of the bail hearing appeared at first to go against the double-amputee runner, 26, with prosecutors saying a witness can testify to hearing "non-stop talking, like shouting" between 2am and 3am.

However, Mr Botha later said under cross examination that the person who overheard the argument was in a house 600m away in Pistorius' gated community in Pretoria.

Later, prosecutor Gerrie Nel questioned Mr Botha again and the detective acknowledged the distance was much closer.

And confusion reigned again when Mr Botha said officers found syringes and steroids in Pistorius' bedroom.

Mr Nel quickly cut the officer off and said the drugs were actually testosterone.

But when questioning the detective, Pistorius' defence lawyer Barry Roux said it was not a banned substance and that police were trying to give the discovery a "negative connotation".

"It is an herbal remedy," Mr Roux said.

"It is not a steroid and it is not a banned substance."

Reeva Steenkamp died on February 14

And later in day, the national prosecutor said Mr Botha - who has 24 years' experience in the police force - made a mistake in his testimony by saying the substance was testosterone.

Medupe Simasiku, the spokesman for South Africa's National Prosecution Agency, said that it was too early to identify the substance as it was still undergoing laboratory tests.

During his testimony, Mr Botha -  who arrived on the scene an hour after the shooting - also admitted that he walked through the crime scene without foot covers, possibly contaminating it.

"You were in the house walking with unprotected shoes," Mr Roux said.

"That should not happen."

Sky's Alex Crawford, reporting from the court, said: "I think very much the family feels this has been a good day for the defence."

However, Mr Botha still poked holes in Pistorius' own account that he feared for his life and opened fire on Valentine's Day after mistaking Miss Steenkamp for an intruder.

Mr Botha said the trajectory of the bullets showed the gun was fired pointed down and from a height.

This seems to conflict the statement Pistorius gave on Tuesday, because the athlete said that he did not have on his prosthetics and on his stumps and feeling vulnerable because he was in a low position when he opened fired.

After four hours of testimony, the hearing was adjourned until Thursday.

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Oscar Pistorius: What Police Found At The Scene

During the second day of Oscar Pistorius' bail hearing, police described what they found in his house after the body of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was discovered at the foot of stairs on the ground floor.

Bedroom

:: Investigating officer Hilton Botha told the court police found two boxes of testosterone and needles in the bedroom.

Defence lawyer Barry Roux said the box contained herbal medication called Testocompasutium co-enzyme, not testosterone.

A spokesman for prosecutors later said it was too early to know what the substance was, as they do not yet have results of forensic testing on the material.

:: Mr Botha said a gun holster was found on the left side of the bed where Miss Steenkamp's slippers and overnight bag were.

A diagram of Pistorius' house shown in court

::  Pistorius illegally possessed .38 calibre ammunition in a safe in his bedroom, according to Mr Botha - but the defence lawyer said it belonged to the athlete's father.

Bathroom

:: Mr Botha said he saw a firearm on the shower mat, one bullet case in the passageway and three in the bathroom.

:: Mr Roux said there was a spent bullet inside the toilet bowl, which Mr Botha had failed to find.

:: An iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 were found on the shower mat, which Mr Botha said had not been used to call the ambulance.

However, Mr Roux said Pistorius had called Netcare hospital at 3.20am and the housing complex manager received a call asking for help.

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Oscar Pistorius: Clashing Accounts Of Shooting

Two very different versions of what happened in the moments before Reeva Steenkamp's death have been heard at a bail hearing for Oscar Pistorius.

The athlete has been charged with the premeditated murder of his girlfriend in the early hours of Valentine's Day. He denies murder.

Below are the key arguments from the prosecution, along with Pistorius' account of events as read from his statement in court.

:: The Prosecution

Pistorius fired his gun four times into the door of a bathroom, knowing that Ms Steenkamp was inside after an argument.

She had locked herself in the room after fleeing down a seven-metre passage from the bedroom following the row at Pistorius' luxury home in Pretoria, South Africa.

Pistorius followed her with his 9mm pistol, first putting on his prosthetic legs.

He shot his gun four times through the door, killing an "unarmed and defenceless" woman. The door was then broken open from the outside.

There was "no possible explanation" to support Pistorius' claim of mistaken identity - that he believed the person inside the bathroom was a burglar.

If that were the case, prosecutor Gerrie Nel argued, why wasn't Pistorius' first thought to the whereabouts of his girlfriend?

Mr Nel argued there was a motive for the killing.

:: The Defence

Pistorius had "no intention" of killing his "beloved" Ms Steenkamp and he is "absolutely mortified" by her death.

In the early hours he heard a noise and thought an intruder had come through a bathroom window and was hiding there. He felt vulnerable and shouted for the intruder to get out and for Ms Steenkamp to call police.

It was dark and Pistorius thought Ms Steenkamp was lying on her bed, not that she was in the bathroom. He wanted to protect her.

Pistorius hobbled to the bathroom on his stumps and fired his gun, a 9mm pistol he kept under his bed because he had received death threats.

After the shooting, he returned to his bed and saw that Ms Steenkamp was not there.

He shouted for help, broke open a door with a cricket bat and found her still alive. He carried her downstairs.

He had got up to fetch a fan from the balcony when he heard the noise in the toilet earlier, which is why he did not notice Ms Steenkamp was not on the bed.

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Oscar Pistorius: 'I Did Not Mean To Kill Her'

Oscar Pistorius said he had no intention of killing his girlfriend and loved her deeply, according to an affidavit read out in court by his lawyer.

The South African athlete denied murdering Reeva Steenkamp and told a bail hearing he had no doubt the evidence would prove he was telling the truth.

In the statement, the Paralympic champion said he woke up in pitch darkness to a sound in the bathroom believing an intruder had climbed through the window. He described his sense of terror.

Pistorius, 26, did not realise Ms Steenkamp was not in bed and shot at the door on his stumps, feeling vulnerable without his prosthetics.

Oscar Pistorius is charged with murdering Reeva Steenkamp

He said he then put on his prosthetic legs and used a cricket bat to break open the bathroom door where the 29-year-old was alive, slumped over in the toilet. He called the paramedics before she died in his arms.

"I'm absolutely mortified at the death of my beloved Reeva," the statement said.

Pistorius added that he had previously received death threats, so kept a 9mm pistol under his bed.

:: How The Hearing Unfolded In Court

However, prosecutors claim Pistorius got up from his bed, put on his prosthetic legs and walked seven metres before shooting Ms Steenkamp through a closed bathroom door.

The details showed it was a premeditated murder, Prosecutor Gerrie Nel said, adding there was "a motive to kill".

In an affidavit from close friends of the pair, Ms Steenkamp's best friend said the model told her she would marry Pistorius if he asked.

A gun being carried from Pistorius' home

The magistrate had to stop the proceedings briefly as Pistorius sobbed uncontrollably as he listened.

Earlier, magistrate Desmond Nair ruled that, for the purpose of the bail hearing, the case was a schedule six offence or premeditated murder, which means it will be difficult for the sporting icon to get bail. 

Outlining the prosecution case, Mr Nel said Ms Steenkamp fled to the small, cramped bathroom and locked herself in because she was scared after they couple had a row on Valentine's Day.

Ms Steenkamp was killed by three of the four shots fired by Pistorius at his home in South Africa last Thursday. Her family attended her funeral in Port Elizabeth this morning.

Mr Nel said the defence had a number of questions to answer, including:

Relatives and friends at the funeral of Ms Steenkamp

:: Why did Pistorius carry Ms Steenkamp's body down a staircase after she was shot?

:: Why didn't Pistorius look for his girlfriend if he suspected there was a burglar in the house?

:: Why did Ms Steenkamp lock herself in the toilet - was she afraid of being shot or killed?

:: Why did he put on his prosthetic limbs and walk seven metres to the bathroom?

Mr Nel said: "If I arm myself, walk a distance and murder a person, that is premeditated. The door is closed. There is no doubt. I walk seven metres and I kill. The motive is 'I want to kill'. That's it."

Pistorius, who won two gold medals at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, broke down in tears at the start of the hearing.

Sky's Special Correspondent Alex Crawford, inside the court in Pretoria, said the double amputee's "face was creased in pain" and he was "weeping" as he was formally charged with murder.

The prosecutor said Pistorius, nicknamed the Blade Runner, "killed an innocent woman".

At the start of proceedings, Pistorius, in a grey suit and tie, nodded after the chief magistrate asked if he was well. And he nodded his appreciation when his brother, Carl, pressed his shoulder in support.

Journalists jammed into the courtroom, which was full with almost 100 people, including Pistorius' father, Henke, and sister Aimee.

The hearing has been adjourned until Wednesday.

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Pistorius: 'Murder Would Be Out Of Character'

Oscar Pistorius is preparing to return to court to learn whether he will be granted bail following the death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

The Paralympian is charged with the premeditated murder of the 29-year-old model in the early hours of last Thursday.

Police said she was shot four times with a pistol owned by Pistorius at his home in South Africa, where she died from her injuries.

Sky News will have live coverage of Oscar Pistorius' bail hearing

The bail hearing comes after Pistorius' former headteacher said he was "shocked" by allegations the 26-year-old had deliberately killed Miss Steenkamp, a law graduate who he had been dating for three months.

"From my knowledge of Oscar, it would have been completely out of character, and that's why I find it so hard to accept or to understand," Bill Schroder told Sky News.

"The scary thing for all of us is that they seem to want to charge him with premeditated murder.

Oscar Pistorius broke down in tears during his last court appearance

"That's horrendous; it's the ultimate crime and carries the ultimate penalty, and I truly don't want to believe that he's capable of that."

Pistorius, who won two gold medals at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, has been held in a police cell in Pretoria since he was arrested and charged with Miss Steenkamp's murder.

His family has vowed to fight the charge in the "strongest terms" and insisted that evidence will refute "any possibility of a premeditated murder or indeed any murder at all".

Reeva Steenkamp and Oscar Pistorius had been dating since November

Miss Steenkamp's family and friends are expected to attend an hour-long memorial service later before a private cremation in her home town of Port Elizabeth.

Her mother, June Steenkamp, told the Times of South Africa: "She had so much of herself to give and now all that is gone - just like that, she is gone.

"In the blink of an eye and a single breath, the most beautiful person who ever lived is no longer here.

"All we have is this horrendous death to deal with ... to get to grips with.

"All we want are answers ... answers as to why this had to happen, why our beautiful daughter had to die like this."

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Hilary Mantel: Kate Is A 'Plastic Princess'

Pregnant Kate: Baby Bump On Show

Updated: 12:16am UK, Tuesday 19 February 2013

By Paul Harrison, Royal Correspondent

Kate's baby bump will be on show for the first time in the UK later today as she visits a project for women recovering from substance dependence.

The visit to Hope House, a project run by her patronage Action on Addiction, comes just days after photographs of the Duchess of Cambridge wearing a bikini on holiday in Mustique were published in some magazines overseas.

The engagement also follows the announcement Action on Addiction will receive support from the philanthropic organisation 100 Woman in Hedge Funds.

As Kate approaches the half-way mark of her pregnancy, she will meet women recovering from drug abuse at the 23-bed residential treatment centre.

Action on Addiction was one of four patronages chosen by the Duchess in January last year.

Kate's last public appearance was in January when she unveiled her first official portrait in London.

Her baby bump was first photographed while she and Prince William took a private holiday on the private Caribbean island of Mustique.

Italian Magazine Chi and the Australian publication Woman's Day both decided to publish the photographs of the couple, on holiday with the Middleton family.

Today's engagement in Clapham will be the Duchess' first solo engagement of 2013.

St James' Palace has also announced the details of her next public engagement on March 5th.

The Duchess will conduct three public engagements in the Lincolnshire town of Grimsby.

The royal mum-to-be will visit the town's National Fishing Heritage Centre, the Havelock Academy and Humberside Fire and Rescue Service.

The fire-and-rescue service has been working in partnership with The Prince's Trust since 2011 and it will be the first time Kate has visited project run by her father-in-law's trust.

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British Worker Feared Kidnapped In Nigeria

Gunmen in northern Nigeria have kidnapped a group of foreign workers including one Briton, according to local authorities there.

The group attacked a construction company camp, killing a guard and then abducting seven foreigners, police said.

"From the report we have received, the hostages are seven in all. They include four Lebanese, an Italian, a Briton and a Greek," Bauchi state police spokesman Hassan Auyo said.

This would make it the biggest kidnapping yet in a region that is under attack from Islamic extremists.

Greece, Lebanon and Italy have all said their citizens are involved. However, Britain's Foreign Office has not confirmed if a Briton is among them.

The kidnapping on Saturday night happened in Jama'are, a town in a rural portion of Bauchi state.

The gunmen attacked a local prison first, burning two police trucks, another Bauchi state police spokesman, Hassan Muhammed told the Associated Press.

Then they targeted a workers' camp for a construction company called Setraco, which is in the area building a road, Mr Muhammed said.

The gunmen shot dead a guard at the camp before kidnapping the foreign workers, he added.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office in Britain said: "We are aware of the reports and are making inquiries with local authorities."

Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north has been under attack by the radical Islamic sect known as Boko Haram in the last year and a half.

The country's weak central government has been unable to stop the group's bloody guerrilla campaign of shootings and bombings.

The sect is blamed for killing at least 729 people in 2012 alone, according to an AP count.

Foreigners have been frequently abducted by militant groups and criminal gangs for ransom in Nigeria's oil-rich southern delta and have become increasingly targeted in Nigeria's north as the violence has grown.

Sky News Special Correspondent Alex Crawford said: "Nigeria, particularly the north of Nigeria, has got a big problem. It's the scourge of the country and has been for many years now.

"Local Islamist groups called Boko Haram have been largely responsible for carrying out the kidnappings.

"This is one of the militant groups who have operating inside Mali. They are one of five extremist groups who are believed to have been running operations inside Mali and around the Sahel."

Gunmen who authorities say have links to Boko Haram also kidnapped an Italian and a British man last year in northern Kebbi State.

They were later killed during a rescue operation by Nigerian soldiers backed up by British special forces. The sect later denied taking part in that abduction.

Chinese construction workers have also been killed by gunmen around Maiduguri, the northeastern city in Nigeria where Boko Haram first began.

Setraco Nigeria, a construction and civil engineering company, is a subsidiary of Setraco International Holding group.

The Nigerian company, which was established in 1977, is currently working on expanding a major road in the north of the country.

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Horsemeat: Minister To Meet Supermarket Bosses

The Environment Secretary will meet with supermarkets and food retail bodies to press for details on how they will restore the confidence of shoppers.

Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons are among those confirmed to be attending the meeting with Owen Paterson in Westminster.

They will be joined by the Institute of Grocery Distribution and the Food and Drink Federation.

It comes as a leading charity claims the government was made aware that illegal horsemeat was in the food chain more than a year ago.

World Horse Welfare says it had a sit-down meeting with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in 2011, to flag up the problem of horse passports being fakes to allow the animals to be slaughtered.

Roly Owers, the charity's chief executive, told Sky News that problems had been reported ever since the passport system was set up in 2005.

"We know that in November 2011 we attended a meeting where the issue of the passport system … was discussed with Defra and local authorities," he said.

John Young, a former manager at the Meat Hygiene Service, now part of the Food Standards Agency (FSA), told the Sunday Times he helped draft a letter to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in April that year.

But he told the paper the letter to former minister Sir Jim Paice on behalf of Britain's largest horse meat exporter, High Peak Meat Exports, which warned that flesh with possible drug residue getting into food could blow up into a scandal, was ignored.

The FSA revealed on Friday that 2,501 tests were conducted on beef products, with 29 results positive for undeclared horse meat at or above 1%.

The 29 results related to seven different products, which have already been reported and withdrawn from sale - Aldi's special frozen beef lasagne and special frozen spaghetti bolognese, Co-op frozen quarter pounder burgers, Findus beef lasagne, Rangeland's catering burger products, and Tesco value frozen burgers and value spaghetti bolognese.

Pub and hotel group Whitbread became the latest company to admit horse DNA had been found in its food, saying their meat lasagnes and beefburgers had been affected and removed from menus.

Horse meat was also discovered in school dinners, with cottage pies testing positive for horse DNA sent to 47 Lancashire schools before being withdrawn.

The results of tests on further products are not expected to be available until later in the week.

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Home Secretary Pledges New Deportation Law

Home Secretary Theresa May is planning a new law to stop foreign criminals avoiding deportation, according to reports.

She told the Sunday Telegraph that the actions of some immigration judges were "not acceptable" and that they were "subverting" British democracy.

A new immigration bill will be published later this year, the newspaper claims, to give full legal weight to ministers' demands that foreign criminals should not routinely be able to dodge deportation by citing Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights.

Article 8 permits the right to a family life which can be a barrier to removal, but ministers and MPs say it should be balanced with the need to protect the public.

The new law is expected to state that Article 8 allows deportations to prevent "disorder or crime", meaning judges will be forced to take that into account when considering appeals by criminals.

The Sunday Telegraph also reported that new restrictions could also be included in the new law on migrants coming to Britain from countries including Romania and Bulgaria.

Last summer the Home Secretary changed immigration rules to make clear that foreign criminals should be deported if they were serious or persistent offenders.

But while the rules were backed by the House of Commons, they do not carry the full weight of law and are often ignored by judges on the Immigration Tribunal.

Ms May told the Sunday Telegraph: "The European Convention on Human Rights is clear - there is a right to a family life, but that right should be balanced with the wider public interest in controlling immigration and protecting the public.

"That's why we introduced new immigration rules last year.

"Those rules were debated in full and passed unanimously by the House of Commons. So it is not acceptable that some immigration judges are denying the democratic and legal validity of them.

"I said at the time that if the courts did not heed the changes to the rules, I would introduce primary legislation to force them to do so. That is exactly what I now intend to do.

"I am determined that Article 8 must not stop us deporting dangerous foreign criminals."

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Ms May said: "The law in this country is made by the elected representatives of the people in Parliament. And our democracy is subverted when judges decide to take on that role for themselves."

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Teenager Shot Dead In East London

A teenager has died and a man is fighting for his life after being shot in east London.

The pair were shot in Hindrey Road, Clapton, east London, at 8.20pm on Saturday, Scotland Yard said.

Paramedics took them to hospital where the younger victim, 19, died. A 32-year-old man is understood to be in a stable condition.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said the teenager died at about 11.10pm.

Police said there was no clear motive for the shootings yet and no-one has been arrested.

"At this very early stage we must retain an open mind regarding the circumstances of the incident and any motive," the spokesman said.

"Detectives from Trident are leading the inquiry and an incident room will open in the morning."

A post-mortem examination is to be arranged later.

More follows...

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