Any Labour MP found to have made improper expenses claims will be ­automatically deselected and barred from standing at the next general election as the party desperately tries to overcome the constitutional crisis facing parliament.

The Guardian has learned that the ­radical proposal is expected to be agreed next week by Labour's national executive, a move that acknowledges the deep anger among voters to the escalating scandal over MPs' claims.

Gordon Brown has also given ministers a Monday night deadline to ensure their expenses claims for the past five years are lodged with the parliamentary authorities and ready for publication.

Any deselection would happen after the parliamentary commissioner for standards had ruled that an MP had been found clearly guilty of improperly claiming.

Senior police and press officers are under investigation after complaints they deliberately misled the public over the death of Ian Tomlinson during the G20 protests.

In a move that escalated the controversy around police involvement in Tomlinson's death last month, the Independent Police Complaints Commission announced today it had launched a new inquiry into "media handling" by the Metropolitan police and City of London police.

The announcement followed a complaint by Tomlinson's family last week about information released by police about his death. The investigation could result in disciplinary action for misconduct or criminal charges.

For the first time in 30 years, wooden protective boards and a glass panel have been taken away to fully reveal a rare medieval artwork.

The paintings in the ruined church of St Nicolas in the Spanish town of Soria tell the story of the murder of the English Archbishop Thomas Becket.

The story of Becket is told in most British classrooms as part of medieval history lessons. He is remembered as the Archbishop of Canterbury who stood up to a king and for his trouble was murdered by the king's knights while he was praying.

The murder was to turn Becket into a saint. It was also one of the first big showdowns between the Roman Catholic Church and a European monarchy.

The European Commission has said there's been some progress towards saving Poland's Gdansk shipyard. Brussels has demanded the yards repay more than 2-billion euros in illegal state aid, raising the prospect of closure.

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) -- The European Union's budget chief is strongly favored to win Lithuania's presidential election on Sunday, as crisis-weary voters seek relief from the Baltic nation's deepening economic gloom.

Lithuania -- along with neighbors Estonia and Latvia -- ranks among Europe's most depressed economies in the global downturn, and many voters hope EU Budget Commissioner and karate black-belt Dalia Grybauskaite can help the country rebound.

Even though economic polices are set by government, Grybauskaite's budgetary experience is seen as a big plus.

"They respect her as a professional in Europe, but we need Dalia more than Brussels now," said Janina Zukiene, a retiree in Vilnius, after casting an early ballot Thursday.

Lakhdar Boumediene, the Algerian man who lent his name to the landmark Boumediene v. Bush US Supreme Court case, arrived in France Friday following his release from Guantanamo Bay, the French foreign ministry announced.

France agreed to accept Boumediene following his clearance for release in November by a US judge, who ruled that the Algerian man has been illegally detained.