London, Dec 28 : Leading bishops in the Church of England have launched a withering attack on the Government questioning the morality of its policies.

Five of the Church's most senior figures said the Brown Government now presided over a country suffering from family breakdown, an unhealthy reliance on debt and a growing divide between rich and poor, The Telegraph reported.

The Bishop of Manchester accused Labour of being "beguiled by money" and "morally corrupt".

London, Dec 20 : In the wake of the British Government's controversial pre-Budget Report, Prime Minister Gordon Brown's revival in the polls has been halted, according to an opinion poll.

The Conservatives have increased their poll lead over Labour to seven points, the first increase in the party's ratings since the collapse of Lehman Brothers triggered a global banking crisis, The Telegraph reported.

The poll may herald the end of the so-called "Brown bounce" which had, until now, seen resurgence in the Labour party's popularity during the economic downturn.

London, Dec 19 : `X Factor' winner Alexandra Burke's mother Melissa Bell was shocked when she received a congratulatory letter from British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Brown, who is an avid viewer of the show, appreciated Burke's talent, her breathtaking voice and her great accomplishment - and credited her mum for inculcating talent in her daughter.

Brown stated in the letter: "I wanted to add my congratulations to you and all your family on Alexandra's wonderful achievement in winning the X Factor final and on what is sure to be an incredibly successful debut single."

Bell, who is herself a singer, was overwhelmed to receive the letter at her home in Islington, North London.

London, Dec 18 : British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's wife Sarah has for the first time talked about the pain and agony she went through when her parents got divorced.

Speaking with The Sun's agony aunt Deidre Sanders as part of a Government drive to help families going through splits, the lady revealed that her parents parted ways when she was just eight years old.

After the split, Brown, now a mum of two sons, was left fearing for her future as well as that of younger brothers Sean and Bruce after the split.

London/Baghdad - British forces will leave Iraq by mid-2009, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on a surprise visit to Baghdad Wednesday.

He confirmed that the withdrawal would begin in the spring and that the bulk of the 4,000 British troops would have "completed their tasks" in the first half of 2009.

The announcement came in a joint statement released during Brown's talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

They said: "The role played by the UK combat forces is drawing to a close. These forces will have completed their tasks in the first half of 2009 and will then leave Iraq."

London - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his Palestinian counterpart, Salam Fayyad, agreed Monday that Israeli settlement activity remains the chief barrier preventing progress towards a two-state solution in the Middle East.

Speaking after breakfast talks in London, Fayyad said there was still a chance to preserve the principles agreed in 2002, provided that both Israel and the Palestinians showed "full compliance" with the accords.

"The moment has not gone," said Fayyad. He added: "We have to move from an exercise in accounting to an exercise in accountability."