Burnett

HarwellWorley

The UN has declared a famine in two areas of southern Somalia as the region experiences the worst drought in more than half a century. During Wednesday's House of Commons debate on the phone-hacking scandal, MPs called on News International to publish the full exchanges about e-mails examined by the legal firm. News International's parent company News Corporation has also confirmed it has stopped paying the legal fees of former private detective Glenn Mulcaire, who was convicted of phone hacking on behalf of the News of the World in 2007. One woman he met arrived after a long trip, much of it on foot, carrying her one-and-a-half-year-old son on her back - only to realise, when she arrived, that he was dead. BBC Africa analyst Martin Plaut says this marks a considerable change in policy from Washington. Some children look like skeletons while others have swollen legs and hands, he adds. Those conditions include more than 30% of children being acutely malnourished, and four children out of every 10,000 dying daily. The BBC's Africa correspondent Andrew Harding says the emotive word "famine" is used rarely and carefully by humanitarian organisations, and it is the first time since 1992 that the word has been applied to a situation in Somalia.

FallsCornish

Downing Street confirms that the prime minister received and responded to a letter from Labour MP Tom Watson last October, in which he had raised concerns about Mr Coulson The UK Secretary of State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell, said the response by many European and developed countries to the crisis in the Horn of Africa had been "derisory and dangerously inadequate". Earlier, the Met was accused by MPs of a "catalogue of failures" in the News of the World phone-hacking inquiry. Mr Cameron said the public inquiry would be widened to examine broadcasters and social media and named the panel She said there had been a "surge of inquiries and requests for assistance from the public and solicitors". Downing Street and Buckingham Palace denied claims by Labour MP Chris Bryant that royal officials raised concerns about Mr Coulson's appointment Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Sue Akers said the move came after a "significant increase in the workload" over the past fortnight.

ForemanCottle

But US aid officials say assurances must be given that the insurgents will not interfere with its distribution. Mr Cameron said the public inquiry would be widened to examine broadcasters and social media and named the panel UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said new funds to help the country were desperately needed. BBC Africa analyst Martin Plaut says this marks a considerable change in policy from Washington. "If we don't act now, famine will spread to all eight regions of southern Somalia within two months, due to poor harvests and infectious disease outbreaks," said the UN humanitarian co-ordinator for Somalia, Mark Bowden. In other developments in the phone-hacking saga:

LealDickinson

In other developments in the phone-hacking saga: Downing Street and Buckingham Palace denied claims by Labour MP Chris Bryant that royal officials raised concerns about Mr Coulson's appointment But US aid officials say assurances must be given that the insurgents will not interfere with its distribution. Those conditions include more than 30% of children being acutely malnourished, and four children out of every 10,000 dying daily. Meanwhile, News of the World owner News International said it had authorised law firm Harbottle & Lewis to answer any questions from Scotland Yard and the Commons home affairs committee about its work for the company.

GallowayFerro

Mr Cameron said the public inquiry would be widened to examine broadcasters and social media and named the panel 'Dangerously inadequate' One woman he met arrived after a long trip, much of it on foot, carrying her one-and-a-half-year-old son on her back - only to realise, when she arrived, that he was dead.