UK news: Boat crew detained after tourists drown

The captain, crew and owner of a Vietnamese tour boat have been detained for questioning following the deaths of 11 foreign tourists, including a Briton, after the vessel sank as they slept.

Stuart McCormick, 30, from Irvine, Ayrshire, died along with ten other tourists and their Vietnamese guide.

Bahrain travel warning

Britons have been advised against all but essential travel to crisis-hit Bahrain.

The Foreign Office urged UK nationals already in Bahrain to maintain high security awareness and to avoid large gatherings.

Non-essential travel to areas of Libya has also been advised against after protests there.

Barclays' 113m tax bill blasted as 'shocking'

Barclays has revealed it paid 113 million in corporation tax to the UK in 2009, just 2.4 per cent of its 4.85 billion annual profit.

The information was requested by Labour MP Chuka Umunna, of the Treasury Select Committee, who described it as "shocking". Barclays said the amount of corporation tax it paid for the year included losses for the previous year.

The UK tax authorities' relatively low take also reflects the global nature of the bank.

Food giants face salt call

Major firms including McDonald's, Mars and Pizza Hut are being urged to sign a new promise to cut salt and trans-fats in foods. Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has written to all members of the Food Network asking for a written commitment to put calories on menus, ban harmful trans-fats and cut salt.

The voluntary scheme aims to avoid possible government regulations.

Wedding snub for Fergie

SARAH Ferguson has not been invited to the wedding of Prince William and bride-to-be Kate Middleton. Ex-husband Prince Andrew and daughters Beatrice and Eugenie are on the guest list for the ceremony, but the 51-year-old has been excluded.

London: Police investigating a series of brawls in Trafalgar Square on Thursday have released 19 men, aged between 13 and 19, on bail. Knives, hockey sticks and other weapons were used as tourists and commuters looked on, police said.

A 17-year-old stabbed in the chest is in a stable condition.

Plymouth: A man has died after falling 200ft from a crane. Police said they were not treating the incident, at a building site on Sutton Road, in the Coxside area of the Devon city, as suspicious.

Inquiries were continuing to identify the man, aged in his 30s.