World News

Iraq's election commission rejects calls from the president and prime minister for a recount of votes in the general election.

Unite calls on the British Airways board to resolve the increasingly bitter dispute between the airline and its cabin crew.

Three Labour ex-cabinet ministers are filmed apparently offering to help influence government policy in return for money.

The Israeli cabinet backs an investment plan for Israeli Arabs, who have long suffered inequality and discrimination.

Man Utd take on Liverpool at Old Trafford before Fulham entertain Man City and Blackburn host Chelsea.

Grave robbers in Cyprus steal the remains of two Greek Orthodox archbishops from a cemetery in the city of Nicosia.

Airports and the main east-west highway in Iceland are closed after a dormant volcano erupts in the south of the country.

A Nottingham youngster on holiday with her family in Florida is killed by a car on Daytona beach.

Chancellor Alistair Darling tells the BBC there will be no "giveaways" ahead of the general election in next Wednesday's Budget.

The strike by British Airways cabin crew enters its second day with both sides saying they have the advantage.

Press F5 or use the autorefresh tool for the latest updates and email paolo.bandini@guardian.co.uk with thoughts and such

Afternoon So, quite a big game this one. United can go back to the top of the Premier League with a win, but equally Liverpool know that their hopes of grabbing a Champions League berth are dangling by a thread. A victory here is imperative if they are to keep pace with Tottenham, four points clear in fourth place having played the same number of games.

United will draw encouragement from both their recent form - they have won their last five games in all competitions, scoring 13 goals - and the fact they haven't conceded at home since 12 December. The visitors will take heart from the fact they have not lost to United since March 2008 and last year won this fixture 4-1.

What price a repeat of that scoreline? 300-1, if you're betting with one of the bolder bookies. I still wouldn't take those odds.

Right, I'm going to rustle up some team news, but if you're want to know exactly how today's game could affect the overall standings, you can find out right now with our stats centre. We have also all today's fixtures in our live score centre, as well.

• Premier League
• Manchester United
• Liverpool

Paolo Bandini
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Ex-ministers Stephen Byers, Patricia Hewitt and Geoff Hoon caught on camera claiming they could influence government

The Labour party today promised a crackdown on lobbying by ex-ministers after a group of MPs, including former cabinet members, were targeted in an elaborate sting operation in which journalists set up a bogus lobbying company and offered to pay them in return for political influence.

Among the politicians approached was Stephen Byers, the former cabinet minister and arch-Blairite, who was filmed describing himself as a "bit like a sort of cab for hire". He offered to trade Westminster contacts for £3,000 to £5,000 a day.

Others who were targeted in the undercover operation included former cabinet ministers Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt. Margaret Moran, the Labour MP for Luton, was also involved.

Labour tried to limit the damage last night by saying some MPs were "mortified" by how stupid they had been. However, nothing illegal has been alleged.

Today, the party rushed forward a manifesto pledge for tighter regulation and monitoring as it emerged politicians had claimed to be able to influence policy.

The chancellor, Alistair Darling, said it was "ridiculous" that the MPs had been caught out in the sting. He told BBC1's Andrew Marr show: "The best answer when you get a call like that is to put the receiver back down again. It's obvious.

"There are rules about serving MPs – we've said that we're going to have to, I think, get a statutory-backed code of contact to deal with former ministers.

"But really, what on earth did they think they were doing? And equally for a company, you don't need a lobbyist. If you've got something to say, go directly to the government department and make your case. It's just ridiculous."The foreign secretary, David Miliband, said he was "appalled" by today's revelations. He told Sky News: "There is absolutely no room for anyone to trade on their ministerial office. People come into politics – whether Labour, Tory or Lib Dem – because of what they want to do for the country. And I believe that's true for MPs across all parties, I don't think this is a partisan point.

"Anything which sullies that reputation or gets in the way of that public service is completely inimical. I think it's right that we have tightened up the rules already ... but the Labour manifesto is going to say more about the need for a statutory register of the lobbying industry, because there is absolutely no room for the sort of innuendo or promises that seem to have been floated in this case."

In the sting, 20 MPs were invited to attend meetings to discuss joining an advisory board and 10 turned up. The meetings were mainly held at offices in London's St James's Square. An undercover Sunday Times journalist asked them how the company could go about influencing policy and how it could improve its chances of winning a government contract.

Byers said he had saved hundreds of millions of pounds for National Express through his contact with Lord Adonis, the transport minister, and had influenced food labelling proposals for Tesco after phoning Lord Mandelson, the business secretary. The MP said that his friendship with Mandelson was one of his "trump cards".

However, the next day he wrote an email to the meeting's organisers saying he had "overstated" the part he had played in trying to secure changes to the way in which the government deals with issues. "This means that I have not spoken to Andrew Adonis … or Peter Mandelson about the matters I mentioned," he wrote.

Byers issued a statement last night saying that at an informal meeting about a potential job opportunity he had made some "exaggerated" claims.

"Having reflected on my comments I knew that I should immediately put the record straight. I did so the following morning by making it clear that I have never lobbied ministers on behalf of commercial interests. I later withdrew my name for consideration. I have always fully disclosed my outside interests," he said. Byers described the set-up as a "massive deception".

A spokesman for Tesco said: "We did not speak to Mr Byers on food labelling, regulation or indeed any other issue. These claims are completely fictitious and Mr Byers has acknowledged this to us."

The operation features in a Dispatches programme to be aired tomorrow on Channel 4. The journalists set up a lobbying company known as Anderson Perry Associates, supposedly based in the US. Its website described it as a "bespoke consultancy that helps organisations and individuals maximise and exceed expectation". It claimed to have 120 clients in Europe, the Middle East and the US, operating in the health and defence industries.

Another of those filmed was the ex-health secretary Patricia Hewitt who said she "completely rejected" the suggestion that she helped obtain a key seat on a government advisory group for a client paying her £3,000 a day.

She stressed that the role she had been discussing would only have been taken up after she stepped down as an MP at the imminent election, and insisted there was "nothing unusual or improper in the business appointments that I have taken up since leaving government".

The exposé is likely to thrust the issue of standards back to the heart of the election campaign as party leaders battle to show they will clean up parliament.

Tory leader David Cameron promised tougher controls last month - warning that secret corporate lobbying was the "next big scandal waiting to happen" in Westminster after expenses.

He wants ministers to be forced to wait two years after leaving government before being allowed to lobby – twice the present limit – and harsher penalties for those who breach the rules.

• Labour

Anushka AsthanaToby Helm
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England reach 178-3 at close of play in the second Test, still 248 behind Bangladesh.

Israeli army says two people were shot dead after they tried to stab a soldier on patrol in the West Bank

Israeli troops today shot dead two Palestinians who tried to stab a soldier, the Israeli army said.

The deaths increased to four the number of Palestinians killed in violence in the West Bank over the weekend.

The army said that a soldier was on a routine patrol near a security crossing south-east of Nablus today, when the Palestinians approached and attempted to stab him. Soldiers opened fire and both of the Palestinians were killed.

A West Bank medical official said that a Palestinian youth died of a gunshot wound to the head from a demonstration yesterday near the West Bank village of Iraq Burin, also near Nablus.

Israelis said no live ammunition was used. Reuters reported a second Palestinian died of his wounds today.

The violence placed further strain on US efforts to get peace talks under way. Reuters reported that the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, was set to meet the US peace envoy George Mitchell later in the day.

His efforts to restart peace negotiations suspended since December 2008 were dealt a setback two weeks ago, after Israel announced plans to build 1,600 homes for Jews in a settlement near East Jerusalem and Palestinians withdrew their agreement to begin indirect talks.

• Palestinian territories
• Israel
• Middle East

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UN chief Ban Ki-moon condemns blockades on Palestinians in Gaza, during a visit to reinvigorate the peace process.

Hundreds of people evacuated from areas near glacier but no immediate reports of damage or injuries

Authorities have evacuated hundreds of people after a volcano erupted beside a glacier in southern Iceland, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The eruption occurred around 11.30pm yesterday, beside the Eyjafjallajokull glacier, the fifth largest in Iceland.

Authorities initially said the eruption was below the glacier, triggering fears that it could lead to flooding from ice melting, but scientists conducting an aerial survey today located the eruption and said it did not occur below the ice level.

"The eruption is a small one," said Agust Gunnar Gylfason, a risk analyst at the civil protection department. "An eruption in and close to this glacier can be dangerous due to possible flooding if the fissure forms under the glacier. That is why we initiated our disaster response plan."

Scientists can see lava flows in the half-mile long fissure, and are watching for further activity.

Authorities evacuated some 450 people in the area, 100 miles south-east of the capital, Reykjavik, as a precaution, said Vidir Reynisson, department manager for the CPD.

A state of emergency has been declared in communities near the glacier, and three Red Cross centres were set up for evacuees in the village of Hella.

The Icelandic civil aviation administration has ordered aircraft to stay 120 nautical miles away from the volcano area.

The last time the volcano erupted was in the 1820s.

• Iceland
• Natural disasters and extreme weather

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Hundreds of police are deployed across Nottingham in an effort to catch anyone carrying weapons or using drugs.

A UK-based businessman with a "substantial amount of money" is aiming to buy crisis club Portsmouth, according to the man fronting the bid.

A 40-year-old man is in hospital with serious injuries after a fight involving a number of people in Poole.

Ten people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province, officials say.