UK News: Labour take slender lead after conference

LABOUR have a slender lead over the Conservatives as they end their annual conference in Manchester, according to an ICM poll released today.

Support for Labour is unchanged at 37 per cent while the Conservative Party has dropped two points and is now on 35 per cent.

Fuel to rise by a penny

THE price of petrol and diesel rises 1p a litre today under a criticised planned government fuel duty increase.

The AA said drivers would find it hard to accept the increase, while the Freight Transport Association said this "smash-and-grab approach" could put transport companies on the ropes.

Gender equality groups slam Act enforcement

THE Government's failure to implement the Equality Act in full "undermines every speech coalition ministers ever gave endorsing the notion of a fairer Britain", gender equality campaigners said today.

The Fawcett Society said failing to bring in powers that would have required big business to establish whether they have a pay gap between men and women and then to act on it was "tantamount to endorsing the shocking gender pay gap". The Act comes into effect today.

Refund for gas customers

NEARLY two million home owners overcharged for gas are being refunded in one of the biggest payouts of its kind.

Energy giant npower is paying back 63 million to around 1.8 million customers, an average payment of about 35. It comes after the firm admitted changing its billing mechanism in 2007, leaving many smaller gas customers paying for more fuel than they used.

Take That making progress

REUNITED Take That have revealed the title of their eagerly awaited album - Progress.

The release, which sees them back with Robbie Williams, will be out on November 22.

A single, The Flood, will be released a week earlier.

Birmingham: A 29-hour stand-off between police and a man on a city centre bridge ended after officers "seized an opportunity to intervene". Specialist hostage and crisis negotiators moved in late last night to deal with the man on railings above Paradise Circus.

Somerset: Vandals are causing a headache for residents in the village of Cocklake. The sign welcoming people to the village has either had some letters removed or, in the latest incident, been stolen. Mal Johnson, chairman of the parish council said: "Every generation that does this thinks it's the first time it's been done."