Real-terms cuts in child benefit will have to continue for at least the first two years of a Labour government, Ed Balls will announce.

The shadow chancellor will present a 1% cap on rises in the help for parents as one of the "tough decisions" necessary to deal with the deficit if the party takes power next year - claiming it will save the taxpayer £400 million over five years.

He will seek to temper the squeeze by declaring that ministers' pay would be cut by 5% and then frozen until the party is able to "balance the books".

PM to hold talks on English MPs

David Cameron will gather senior MPs at his official country retreat today to consider his plan to restrict the voting rights of Scottish MPs in the Commons in an attempt to deliver "English votes for English laws".

The Prime Minister has said measures to address the issue of MPs with seats in the devolved nations being able to vote on policies that do not apply in their constituencies must go "in tandem" with the process of granting fresh powers to Holyrood.

The row over Mr Cameron's decision to link the issues overshadowed the Labour Party conference, with Ed Miliband under pressure to support the changes.

Blair: Don't rule out ground troops

The UK and other Western powers should be prepared to commit ground troops to fight against extremists like Islamic State (IS), former prime minister Tony Blair has said.

Air strikes alone will not be enough to defeat IS or similar groups, and while training and equipping local fighters may work, the option of sending in combat soldiers should not be ruled out.

Mr Blair, whose premiership came to be defined by the Iraq War, acknowledged there was "no appetite" for ground engagement against IS but warned: "You cannot uproot this extremism unless you go to where it originates from and fight it."

Syria refugee flood hits 100,000

The number of Syrians who have flooded into Turkey to escape Islamic State (IS) militants has reached 100,000.

Most of them are Kurds, and their arrival since Thursday has pushed the conflict close to the Turkish border.

IS is the al Qaida breakaway group which has established a caliphate, ruled by its harsh version of Islamic law, in territory it captured straddling the Syria-Iraq border.

Thai victim was 'trying to help'

The father of a British man murdered in Thailand believes his son had stepped in to help his fellow victim when they were both brutally killed on an island.

Ian Miller said it was in his 24-year-old son David's character to help, and claimed that was probably the circumstance when he and Hannah Witheridge were murdered in Koh Tao a week ago.

He told the Daily Mail: "It has become clearer and clearer that it is quite likely David was stepping in to help a girl who was in trouble.

Hate crime victims 'know abusers'

More than a third of hate crime victims know the people who are abusing them, a study has found.

Nearly 1,500 victims took part in a two-year study on hate crime and its impact and 34% knew their abuser as an acquaintance, a neighbour, a friend, a work colleague, a family member or a carer.

University of Leicester researchers described this as a "huge shock to us" as many people would think the threat may come from a stranger.

Call to diagnose cancer earlier

Almost half of cancers diagnosed in England are detected at an advanced stage when treatment is less likely to be successful, according to a report.

Catching cancer early could improve the survival prospects of more than 52,000 patients a year in England, saving the NHS nearly £210 million, it is claimed.

Experts estimate that if the best early diagnosis rates were delivered across the country, an extra 5,000 cancer patients would survive five years or more after learning of their disease.

British troops take on 'enemy' role

British troops are taking on the role of the enemy as part of a major training exercise.

Soldiers from the Household Cavalry, the Fusiliers and the Royal Horse Artillery are among those currently on the exercise at British Army Training Unit Suffield in Canada.

But rather than going through their usual skills and drills they are being asked to think like the enemy and fight "dirty" against their own Army colleagues in a simulated battle.

Wilfred Owen school records online

A snapshot of war poet Wilfred Owen's school life is revealed in newly published records.

An insight into the school days of many First World War soldiers, poets and artists, many of whom did not return home, forms part of the 1.7 million historical files including handwritten registers, log-books and diaries detailing absences, illnesses, visitors and holiday and attendance records which have been brought to light for the first time.

Unlike many boys at his Birkenhead school, Owen did not pay an extra fee to do gym but his father, who worked as a station master, paid extra for his son to take Latin, the documents say.

Nasa resumes hunt for life on Mars

Nasa's Maven spacecraft has arrived at Mars after a 442 million-mile journey that began nearly a year ago.

Nasa confirmed that the robotic explorer slipped into Martian orbit as planned.

Now the real work begins for the 671 million dollar (£412 million) mission.