The row over Catholic Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor's letter to the Prime Minister and Cabinet ‚Ä' which says that his church's adoption agencies will close if an exemption from equalities rules about lesbian and gay adoptees is not granted ‚Ä' showed no sign of dissipating today.

In a move that has been welcomed by campaigners, the Prime Minister has announced that Britain will sign up to a European convention to "stamp out" human trafficking.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair today promised tough new steps to exclude and ban preachers or activists who advocate hatred or encourage violence, as part of a range of government security policies aimed at tackling terrorism.