Labour in triple by-election win

30 November 2012 Last updated at 04:23 ET

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Nigel Farage: "UKIP's issues are connecting more and more with people"

Labour has won three by-elections, holding Croydon North, Middlesbrough and Rotherham parliamentary seats.

It increased its share of the vote in all three seats, but its majority was down in Rotherham, where the previous MP had quit over expenses claims.

The UK Independence Party came second in Middlesbrough and Rotherham, and finished third in Croydon North.

In Rotherham, the Lib Dems fell from third place to eighth, behind the BNP, Respect and the English Democrats.

Labour candidate Sarah Champion won in Rotherham with 9,866 votes to UKIP candidate Jane Collins' 4,648. The BNP and the Respect Party pushed the Conservatives into fifth place, while the Lib Dems lost their deposit, trailing in eighth.

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Rotherham

• Sarah Champion (Labour) 9,866 (46.25%, +1.62%)
• Jane Collins (UKIP) 4,648 (21.79%, +15.87%)
• Marlene Guest (BNP) 1,804 (8.46%, -1.96%)
• Yvonne Ridley (Respect) 1,778 (8.34%)
• Simon Wilson (Conservative) 1,157 (5.42%, -11.32%)
• David Wildgoose (English Democrat) 703 (3.30%)
• Simon Copley (Independent) 582 (2.73%, -3.58%)
• Michael Beckett (Liberal Democrat) 451 (2.11%, -13.87%)
• Ralph Dyson (TUSC) 261 (1.22%)
• Paul Dickson (Independent) 51 (0.24%)
• Clint Bristow (Independent) 29 (0.14%)
• Labour majority 5,218 (24.46%)
• 7.13% swing Labour to UKIP
• Turnout: 21,330 (33.63%, -25.37%)

In Middlesbrough, Labour's Andy McDonald, a solicitor for a trade union law firm and former Middlesbrough councillor, won with 10,201 votes to UKIP candidate Richard Elvin's 1,990.

In Croydon North, Labour's Steve Reed - currently the leader of Lambeth Council - won 15,898 votes, beating the Conservatives' Andy Stranack by 11,761. Again polling under 5%, the Liberal Democrats lost their second deposit of the night.

The Croydon North and Middlesbrough polls were triggered by the deaths of MPs Malcolm Wicks and Sir Stuart Bell.

Ms Champion, chief executive of a children's hospice, said: "Cameron's Tories have shown what they think of Rotherham, and today this result tells David Cameron what Rotherham thinks of the Tories."

The Middlesbrough Lib Dem candidate, George Selmer, came third with 1,672 votes, or nearly 10% of the vote. Ben Houchen of the Conservative Party was in fourth place on 1,063, just three votes ahead of the Peace Party's Imdad Hussain.

Labour was odds-on at the bookmakers to retain all three seats.

Attending the Rotherham count, UKIP leader Nigel Farage said it had been a "big night" for his party.

"Our previous best-ever by-election result, a fortnight ago, was 14.3% and this one is comfortably over 20%. Whichever way you look at it, UKIP is on the rise," he said.

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Croydon North

• Steve Reed (Labour) 15,898 (64.71%, +8.69%)
• Andy Stranack (Conservative) 4,137 (16.84%, -7.28%)
• Winston McKenzie (UKIP) 1,400 (5.70%, +3.97%)
• Marisha Ray (Liberal Democrat) 860 (3.50%, -10.48%)
• Shasha Islam Khan (Green) 855 (3.48%, +1.51%)
• Lee Jasper (Respect) 707 (2.88%, +2.35%)
• Stephen Hammond (Christian Peoples Alliance) 192 (0.78%)
• Richard Edmonds (National Front) 161 (0.66%)
• Ben Stevenson (Communist) 119 (0.48%, +0.17%)
• John Cartwright (Loony) 110 (0.45%)
• Simon Lane (9/11 Was an Inside Job) 66 (0.27%)
• Robin Smith (Young People's) 63 (0.26%)
• Labour majority: 11,761 (47.87%)
• 7.99% swing Conservative to Labour
• Turnout: 24,568 (26.4%, -34.25%)

UKIP's campaign in Rotherham was boosted by a row over a local couple who had their foster children removed by the Labour council because they were UKIP members.

But worries about unemployment had proven to be more important to voters than the headlines about fostering, BBC political reporter James Vincent commented.

Having not been a Labour Party member for long, Ms Champion convinced enough voters to give her a chance during a very short campaign that started with questions over whether she was the right candidate, our correspondent added.

Mr Stranack, the best performing Conservative candidate of the night, said he was disappointed to come second in Croydon North, but ousting Labour had proven to be a "big challenge".

The Conservative, who was born with cerebral palsy, added: "I would like to challenge all of the main party leaders to look at the inspiration our Paralympians bought us over the summer and take the bold decision to select more candidates with disabilities."

Respect had hoped to pull off a repeat of George Galloway's surprise victory in Bradford West in April, when he overturned a 5,000 Labour majority to romp home by 10,000, after winning over the British Asian Muslim vote.

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Middlesbrough

• Andy McDonald (Labour) 10,201 (60.48%, +14.60%)
• Richard Elvin (UKIP) 1,990 (11.80%, +8.10%)
• George Selmer (Liberal Democrat) 1,672 (9.91%, -10.00%)
• Ben Houchen (Conservative) 1,063 (6.30%, -12.48%)
• Imdad Hussain (Peace) 1,060 (6.28%)
• Peter Foreman (BNP) 328 (1.94%, -3.90%)
• John Malcolm (TUSC) 277 (1.64%)
• Mark Heslehurst (Independent) 275 (1.63%)
• Labour majority: 8,211 (48.68%)
• 3.25% swing UKIP to Lab
• Turnout: 16,866 (25.91%, -25.44%)

But Lee Jasper, the party's candidate in Croydon North and a former adviser to Ken Livingstone, won just 707 votes, placing sixth, and Yvonne Ridley, the Respect candidate in Rotherham, came fourth with 1,778 votes.

Turnout at all three contests was in the spotlight after fewer than 15% of voters cast a ballot in the first Police and Crime Commissioner elections in England and Wales - a peacetime low.

The Electoral Commission has launched an investigation into the woeful PCC turnout, which some were blaming on the dark November nights and poor weather.

Turnout in the Corby by-election, on the same day as the PCC ballot, was about 45%.

In the post-war period, the lowest Commons election turnout was 19.6% when Labour's Hilary Benn won Leeds Central in a June 1999 by-election.

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Press 'need to act' after Leveson

30 November 2012 Last updated at 05:15 ET

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David Cameron: "I'm not convinced... that statute is necessary"

The press has been urged to take action over Leveson Inquiry recommendations to regulate the newspaper industry.

Lord Justice Leveson called for a new independent watchdog - which he said should be underpinned by legislation.

Culture Secretary Maria Miller told the BBC "the gauntlet has been thrown down" to newspapers to outline how they would set up tough self-regulation instead.

But Gerry McCann, the father of missing Madeleine McCann, said the Leveson report has not "gone far enough".

Lord Justice Leveson's 2,000-page report into press ethics, published on Thursday, found that press behaviour was "outrageous" and "wreaked havoc with the lives of innocent people".

He said the press - having failed to regulate itself in the past - must create a new and tough regulator but it had to be backed by legislation to ensure it was effective.

The report exposed divisions in the coalition government, with Prime Minister David Cameron opposing statutory control, unlike his deputy Nick Clegg, who wants a new law introduced without delay.

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Cameron said he broadly welcomed Lord Justice Leveson's principles to change the current system but that he had "serious concerns and misgivings" over bringing in laws to underpin any new body.

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Would:

• Create a process to "validate" the independence and effectiveness of the new self-regulation body
• Validate a new process of independent arbitration for complainants - which would benefit both the public and publishers by providing speedy resolutions
• Place a duty on government to protect the freedom of press

Would not:

• Establish a body to regulate the press directly
• Give any Parliament or government rights to interfere with what newspapers publish

Labour leader Ed Miliband has joined Mr Clegg in supporting a new press law.

Following cross-party talks on Thursday night - which will resume next week - the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will begin the process of drawing up a draft bill implementing the Leveson recommendations.

It is thought the draft legislation may be ready in a fortnight.

The prime minister believes this process will only serve to highlight how difficult it is to try to legislate in a complex and controversial area while Labour and the Lib Dems think it will demonstrate the opposite.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Mrs Miller said: "Our concern is that we simply don't need to have that legislation to achieve the end of objectives and in drafting out this piece of legislation what we are going to be demonstrating is that it wouldn't be a simple two-clause bill."

She said Conservative ministers felt that legislation "would actually give the opportunity in the future to bring into question the ability of Parliament to stay out of the issue of free press and difficult for Parliament to not have a statutory framework on which they could hang further bits of legislation".

She went on: "At this point what we should be focusing in on is the fact that the gauntlet has been thrown down to the industry.

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"The press industry need to be coming back with their response to the Leveson report. Their response to how they're going to put in place a self-regulatory body that adheres to the Leveson principles and that is what I want to see moving forward swiftly."

Many of Friday's newspapers have praised Mr Cameron's opposition to law-backed regulation.

But the father of Madeline McCann - the young girl who went missing in Portugal in 2007 - said he would have liked the report to have gone further.

"Although we broadly welcome Lord [Justice] Leveson's report, and it has many merits, for me, personally, I don't think the report has actually gone far enough," said Gerry McCann.

He said: "I would have liked to have seen a properly independent regulation of the press, whereas I think he has given the press another opportunity of self-regulation."

Mr McCann, who was the subject of what he called "unbelievably damaging" newspaper reports that suggested he and his wife killed Madeline, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Full implementation of Lord [Justice] Leveson's report is the minimum acceptable compromise for me and, I think, for many other victims who have suffered at the hands of the press.

"Without statutory underpinning, this system will not work."

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Charlotte Church, speaking on Question Time: 'I agree with the Leveson report'

Meanwhile, Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman told the BBC that without a statute "guaranteeing" independent regulation, "we simply remain with the status quo - a status quo that has failed the press, because it has allowed itself to get in to a situation in which shame has been brought upon the press, and it has failed the victims, who have suffered terribly".

BBC political correspondent Iain Watson said that, at the core of this disagreement, were two separate political calculations.

David Cameron thought the press would swiftly agree to tougher self-regulation which would make any new law unnecessary, allowing him to go into the next election as a champion of a free press.

Labour and the Liberal Democrats, meanwhile, do not trust papers to clean up their own act and assume the victims of press intrusion will say they are being sold short.

Writing in the Guardian, Steve Coogan - who told the Leveson Inquiry that journalists had been going through his rubbish bins - said Mr Cameron was "playing a despicable political game - disingenuous at best, bare-faced lying at worst".

"By rejecting Leveson's call for statutory regulation, Cameron has hung the victims of crime out to dry."

He added: "Quite simply, if future regulation is not backed by statute, Leveson's report is nothing more than a large slap on the wrist."

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UK stops £21m payment to Rwanda

30 November 2012 Last updated at 05:46 ET

The UK has suspended aid to Rwanda, amid concerns about the country's role in the conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo.

Ministers said the UK would not now release a payment worth £21m.

An aid payment of £16m was paid to Rwanda in September despite question marks over its alleged support for the M23 militia in DR Congo.

The government also said it would give a further £18m for immediate humanitarian needs in the DR Congo.

International Development Secretary Justine Greening said the money, which was due to be handed over next month, would not be released because President Paul Kagame's regime had breached agreements.

'Credible and compelling'

It follows a controversial decision by Ms Greening's predecessor, Andrew Mitchell, to authorise payment of £16m to the country on his last day in the job in September.

Mr Mitchell, who had previously frozen aid to the country, cited progress at international talks as the reason for making the payment.

President Kagame's regime has been praised for improving the economic and social conditions in the east African country, in which it is estimated more than 800,000 people were killed in ethnic violence during 1994.

But Mr Kagame, in power since 2000, has come under fierce criticism recently for allegedly funding the M23 rebel group in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

A United Nations document says Rwanda's defence minister is effectively commanding the rebellion.

The violence has drawn international condemnation and the US and some European countries have withheld aid from the Kagame regime.

Ms Greening said: "The government has already set out its concerns over credible and compelling reports of Rwandan involvement with M23 in DRC.

"This evidence constitutes a breach of the partnership principles set out in the memorandum of Understanding, and as a result I have decided not to release the next payment of budget support to Rwanda.

"We are committed to finding lasting solutions to the conflict in this region and will work with the governments of Rwanda and DRC to secure a peaceful resolution to the situation in eastern DRC."

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Sex offender wins Facebook case

30 November 2012 Last updated at 06:41 ET

A convicted sex offender has won a High Court order for the removal of a Facebook page set up to monitor paedophiles in Northern Ireland.

A judge ruled some content amounted to prima facie harassment of the man and risked infringing his human rights.

Facebook was given 72 hours to take down the page 'Keeping our kids safe from predators'.

Mr Justice McCloskey said: "Society has dealt with the plaintiff in accordance with the rule of law."

"He has been punished by incarceration and he is subject to substantial daily restrictions on his lifestyle."

The man, who cannot be identified, was given a six year jail sentence for a string of child sex offences committed more than two decades ago.

He was convicted of multiple counts of indecent assault, gross indecency with a child and inciting a child to commit an act of gross indecency.

The man, known only as XY, issued proceedings against the social networking site after discovering his photograph and threatening comments posted on the page.

He claimed harassment, misuse of private information, and a breach of his right to privacy and freedom from inhuman or degrading treatment.

The court head that he fears being attacked or burnt out of his rented accommodation.

In a statement he described the published material as an attempt to vilify and stir up hatred against him.

Details were disclosed of some of the comments posted about him since his case against Facebook Ireland Ltd gained publicity.

One said: "So the man, or I mean mess of a human being, that's taken this page to court, he must want to be the head paedophile and rule over all sex offenders. He will be like a god to them."

Another stated: "Put him down like an animal."

It was also set out how he is suffering from ill health, including regular dialysis treatment.

Although Facebook has already removed his photo and comments made about the man, his legal team insisted the page should be shut down down.

They are also seeking disclosure of the identity of those who set up and ran it.

Lawyers for Facebook argued that it was neither necessary nor proportionate to remove a page used by 4,000 people.

However, balancing the competing rights to privacy and freedom of expression, Mr Justice McCloskey ruled in favour of the plaintiff.

He pointed out that only interim relief was being sought at this stage, and that granting it would cause minimal disruption to Facebook.

"I conclude that the pendulum of the rule of law swings in the plaintiff's favour," the judge said.

"The order of the court will be that the removal from facebook.com of the page entitled 'Keeping our kids safe from predators'... is to be effected within 72 hours."

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Palestinian UN vote 'hurts peace'

30 November 2012 Last updated at 06:49 ET

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Mark Regev: "This is negative political theatre because it takes us out of a negotiating process"

Israel says a vote upgrading the Palestinian status at the United Nations is "negative political theatre" that will "hurt peace".

Government spokesman Mark Regev said the move had taken Palestinians and Israelis out of a negotiating process.

The General Assembly voted resoundingly to recognise the Palestinians as a non-member observer state on Thursday.

The Palestinians can now take part in UN debates and potentially join bodies like the International Criminal Court.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said it was the "last chance to save the two-state solution" with Israel.

There were celebrations on the streets of Ramallah in the West Bank as the result was announced.

But Mr Regev, a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, denounced Mr Abbas' bid as "litany of libellous charges against Israel".

"This is negative political theatre that takes us out of a negotiating process. It's going to hurt peace," Mr Regev told the BBC.

'New ball-game'

Some 138 members of the assembly, including many EU states, Russia, China, India and Brazil voted in favour of recognising the Palestinians as a non-member observer state.

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President Mahmoud Abbas: "The last chance to save the two state solution"

Israel the US and seven other states, including Canada, the Marshall Islands and Panama, voted against the resolution. Forty-one nations including the UK and Germany abstained.

"The General Assembly is called upon today to issue a birth certificate of the reality of the State of Palestine," Mr Abbas told the assembly in New York shortly before the vote.

Opponents of the bid say a Palestinian state should emerge only out of bilateral negotiations, as set out in the 1993 Oslo peace accords under which the Palestinian Authority was established.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the vote "unfortunate and counter-productive", saying it put more obstacles on the path to peace.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also called for more talks, saying the resolution underscored the need to resume meaningful peace negotiations.

The Palestinians are seeking UN recognition of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, the lands Israel captured in 1967.

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The parties began in Yasser Arafat Square long before Mr Abbas made his speech in New York. Crowds of people waving flags gathered around large screens carrying the live feed.

Fireworks erupted in Ramallah with the news of the vote. While Palestinians will see no changes on the ground with immediate effect, the symbolism is all-important.

There is also hope that access to UN bodies will bring new rights. A successful application for membership of the International Criminal Court could be used to accuse Israel of war crimes or make other legal claims against it.

While the move is seen as a symbolic milestone in Palestinian ambitions for statehood, the Yes vote will also have a practical diplomatic effect, says the BBC's Barbara Plett at the UN in New York.

A successful application for membership of the ICC would give the court jurisdiction in the territories, and could potentially be used to accuse Israelis of war crimes.

"This is a whole new ball-game now. Israel will be dealing with a member of the international community, a state called Palestine with rights," the Palestinian Liberation Organisation's Hanan Ashrawi told the BBC.

"We will have access to international organisations and agencies and we will take it from there."

There had been lobbying by Israel and the US to try to delay the vote or change the text to obtain guarantees that no international legal action would be taken against Israel.

Settlement-building

Last year, Mr Abbas asked the UN Security Council to admit the Palestinians as a member state, but that was opposed by the US.

Two decades of on-off negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank have failed to produce a permanent settlement, with the latest round of direct negotiations breaking down in 2010.

In January, several months of indirect "proximity talks" ended without any progress.

Palestinian negotiators insist that the building of Jewish settlements on occupied land must stop before they agree to resume direct talks.

Their Israeli counterparts say there can be no preconditions.

Mr Abbas was much criticised by many Palestinians for remaining on the sidelines of the conflict between the militant Hamas movement and Israel earlier this month in Gaza.

His Fatah movement, based in the West Bank, is deeply split from Hamas, which governs Gaza. Fatah has not been part of any peace talks with Israel and does not recognise Israel's right to exist.

Israel, the US and EU regard Hamas as a terrorist organisation.

Gaza's Prime Minister Ismael Haniyeh said in a statement sent to the BBC that Hamas support for the UN bid "is based on the 'rule of non-recognition of the occupier'... and the right of Palestinians to return to their homeland".

In the aftermath of the latest fighting, both Israel and Hamas have joined the international community in calling for a durable and comprehensive solution to the conflict.

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UKBA 'failed to check' tip-offs

28 November 2012 Last updated at 21:46 ET

Thousands of overseas students may have been allowed to stay in Britain illegally because UK Border Agency (UKBA) staff failed to check out tip-offs about them, a report has revealed.

When non-EU students do not enrol, stop attending courses or breach visa rules, colleges report them to the UKBA.

Chief inspector of immigration John Vine said a backlog of 153,000 such reports had built up at one point.

Ministers say they have "toughened the rules" on student visas.

Mr Vine, whose team examined work at three UKBA offices in Sheffield, Delhi and Beijing, said the agency had "no targets in place for responding to notifications made using the sponsor management system".

"As a result, notifications of changes to circumstances of students, details of students failing to enrol or attend classes, or curtailment of sponsorship were not being acted upon," he said.

"Over 150,000 notifications had accumulated and were awaiting action, meaning that potentially thousands of students had retained leave to remain when they should not have done so."

This was "a significant failure," he added.

He said that, by May of this year, all the outstanding tip-offs had been investigated and said the UKBS had "launched an operation to identify and remove people, including students, who had overstayed beyond the term of their visa".

He said such work should be "an ongoing priority rather than the subject of a one-off operation by the agency".

Inspectors also warned that increasing numbers were entering Britain on visas designed for short periods of study which were not subject to the same checks as those for longer courses.

'Ripe for exploitation'

Shadow immigration minister Chris Bryant said the "massive 153,000 backlog of people who have potentially gone rogue emphasises that, with Theresa May running the Home Office, we are getting the worst of both worlds".

"Student visitor visas have fewer checks than full student visas and are therefore ripe for exploitation by those looking to avoid tougher checks," he added.

But Immigration Minister Mark Harper said the government had "toughened the rules to ensure that genuine students are not taken advantage of by organisations looking to sell immigration not education".

"At the same time we have a great offer for the brightest and best international talent who want to study at our world class institutions," he added.

He said he was pleased the report "recognises the operational improvements that have been made at the agency".

Mistakes 'inadvertent'

Earlier this month, Mr Vine accused the border agency in a report of misleading MPs about the amount of background checks made on historic asylum cases.

He said the UKBA had supplied inaccurate information to MPs about a backlog of cases and said Parliament had received incorrect assurances about progress.

At the time, a Home Office spokesman said it was turning around the "troubled" agency.

On Tuesday, senior UKBA official Jonathan Sedgwick apologised to the Home Affairs Committee for misleading MPs but insisted the mistakes had been "inadvertent".

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Bizarrely big black hole baffles

29 November 2012 Last updated at 04:42 ET

Astronomers have spotted an enormous black hole - the second-heaviest ever seen - but it resides in a tiny galaxy.

The galaxy NGC 1277, just a quarter the size of our own Milky Way, hosts a black hole 4,000 times larger than the one at the Milky Way's centre.

It has a mass some 17 billion times that of our Sun.

The surprise finding is hard to reconcile with existing models of black hole growth, which hold that they evolve in tandem with host galaxies.

Getting to grips with just how large black holes are is a tricky business - after all, since they swallow light in their vicinities, they cannot be seen.

Instead, astronomers measure the black holes' "sphere of influence" - the gravitational effects they have on surrounding gas and stars.

In the Milky Way, it is possible to observe individual stars as they orbit Sagittarius A, our own local black hole, to guess its mass.

But for the 100 or so far more distant black holes whose masses have been estimated, astronomers have made average measurements of associated stars' speeds - their "velocity dispersion".

On a hunt for the Universe's largest black holes, astronomers using the Hobby-Eberly Telescope in the US state of Texas undertook a survey that brought in a haul of nearly 900 host galaxies.

'Big jigsaw'

But Remco van den Bosch, then at the University of Texas at Austin, and his colleagues were surprised to find that some of the largest black holes were to be found in small galaxies.

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• Black holes are incredibly dense objects with gravity strong enough to trap even light
• A "medium" black hole could have the mass of 1,000 Suns but be no bigger than Earth
• Supermassive black holes are thought to be at the centre of most large galaxies - including ours

Among them was NGC 1277, 220 million light years away in the constellation Perseus, which happens to appear also in a high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope image, helping the researchers to refine their computer models.

"We make a model of the galaxy and compute all the possible stellar orbits," Dr Van den Bosch explained to BBC News. "Like a big jigsaw, we try to put those orbits together to reproduce that galaxy so it has the same stellar velocities we measure. "

What the team found was that the NGC 1277 black hole was enormous - as large as our Solar System, and comprising some 14% of the entire galaxy's mass.

"The only way to you can actually make those high dispersions in the centre is by having that really big black hole, there's really no other way around it," Dr Van den Bosch said.

What is more, the team have five other small-galaxy candidates that, with the help of more data, could disprove the rule that big black holes only happen in big galaxies.

But NGC 1277 is stranger still, and could help advance our theories of how black holes evolve in the first place.

"This galaxy seems to be very old," Dr Van den Bosch said. "So somehow this black hole grew very quickly a long time ago, but since then that galaxy has been sitting there not forming any new stars or anything else.

"We're trying to figure out how this happens, and we don't have an answer for that yet. But that's why it's cool."

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Clegg to give Leveson response

29 November 2012 Last updated at 06:49 ET

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is to make his own statement on the Leveson report in the Commons after reportedly failing to agree on a response with David Cameron on press regulation.

Lib Dem aides say the decision does not represent "a massive split or disagreement" within the coalition.

Lord Justice Leveson's report into the culture, practice and ethics of the press will be published at 13:30 GMT.

His inquiry heard from politicians, press and media intrusion victims.

They included the actor Hugh Grant, singer Charlotte Church and the family of murdered teenager Milly Dowler.

Milly's parents, Bob and Sally Dowler, and Mr Grant arrived at the QEII Conference Centre in central London, where copies of the report are being made available to inquiry participants before its official publication.

It is understood the report, which runs to hundreds of pages, criticises press, politicians and police.

On Wednesday, Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg were given advance copies.

The prime minister and his deputy met twice ahead of the report's publication in an effort to agree on a unified government response to Lord Justice Leveson's recommendations.

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Analysis

Aides to Nick Clegg say his decision to make a separate statement on Leveson does not represent "a massive split or disagreement" within the coalition.

Sources say Mr Clegg's differences with the prime minister over the Leveson report are "nuanced".

They say there are some areas on which the two men agree and others where they disagree.

It's understood Mr Clegg's staff are in talks with the Speaker's office over the procedure for his statement. However, it is thought Mr Clegg will make a separate statement after the prime minister on which MPs will be able to question him.

Sources say Mr Clegg reached his decision "after sleeping on it overnight".

However, the BBC's political editor Nick Robinson says, according to sources, the two men will agree on some things but both will refer to the areas on which they disagree when they speak in the Commons.

It will the first time since the coalition was formed in May 2010 that MPs will hear two different views from the government.

A Downing Street spokeswoman confirmed Mr Cameron would be making a statement in his role as prime minister while Lib Dem leader Mr Clegg would be speaking in his capacity as deputy prime minister.

The prime minister's statement to the Commons will be directly followed by a response from Labour leader Ed Miliband, who received his own copy of the Leveson report in the morning.

MPs will then have a chance to debate the PM's statement before Mr Clegg addresses them and Labour's deputy leader and shadow culture secretary, Harriet Harman, will then respond to the DPM.

'Little trust'

Claims that News of the World journalists had hacked the voicemail of Milly Dowler led to the closure of the Sunday tabloid and prompted Mr Cameron to set up the inquiry.

Lord Justice Leveson is widely expected to recommend some form of statutory press regulation overseen by an independent body.

Many Conservatives oppose the possibility of statutory regulation while Liberal Democrats are understood to be ready to support such a move.

The press is currently self-regulated through the Press Complaints Commission (PCC).

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Inquiry key moments: The parents of Milly Dowler were among those who gave evidence

The BBC's political editor said everyone was seeking independent regulation but the question was what that meant and whether a new law was needed to establish it and make sure all newspapers took part.

Deciding the way forward was one of the most difficult decisions the prime minister would face, Nick Robinson added.

Mr Cameron, who previously said he intended to implement the inquiry findings provided they were not "bonkers", told MPs at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday he wanted to find a cross-party consensus on improving regulation and moving away from the "unacceptable" status quo.

He said he wanted an "independent regulatory system that can deliver and in which the public have confidence".

Mr Miliband responded: "I hope we can work on an all-party basis. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for real change and I hope that this House can make it happen."

Speaking as he left his home ahead of the report's publication, Mr Clegg said politicians would have to strike a balance in their response.

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"Everybody wants two things... a strong, independent, raucous press, who can hold people in positions of power to account and, secondly, to protect ordinary people, the vulnerable, the innocents when the press overstep the mark."

Bristol landlord Chris Jefferies, who was wrongly arrested for the murder of Joanna Yeates in 2010 and won damages from a number of newspapers over their reports, said his experience had been "absolutely devastating".

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he wanted an independent regulator, with investigative powers established by statute with the "powers to discipline those parts of the press which contravene the codes".

Continue reading the main story

Possible options for regulation

• Statutory regulation: Stricter regulation of the press, enforceable by law
• Statutory underpinning: Self-regulatory body with statutory framework which enforces newspapers to sign up
• New Press Complaints Council: Tougher self-regulation body with investigative arm. One proposal suggests body should be independent from newspaper industry
• Newspaper ombudsman: Self-regulatory body, working alongside PCC, to deal with standards

But former Press Complaints Commission member and Daily Mail journalist Paul Horrocks said while tighter regulation was essential "what we don't want is that toughening up to be in some kind of law... because that then really threatens the freedom of the press".

Meanwhile, a poll conducted for BBC Radio 5 live suggests that two-thirds of British adults have no trust - or little trust - that newspapers tell the truth.

Just over 1,000 people were questioned on the telephone by ComRes last weekend, with nearly a half also saying they wanted to see the press regulated by rules agreed and enforced by the courts.

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Government publishes Energy Bill

29 November 2012 Last updated at 06:51 ET

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Ed Davey: "This is a once in a generation transformation of the energy landscape"

Energy minister Ed Davey has unveiled the government's much-trailed Energy Bill, setting out the roadmap for the UK's switch to "a low-carbon economy".

Household energy bills could rise by at least £100 by 2020 to help pay for the switch to "clean" energy.

Energy companies will be allowed to increase the amount they levy consumers from £3bn a year to £7.6bn.

Mr Davey said that energy efficiency would be "front and centre" of government policy.

He added that the proposals would amount to the "biggest transformation of Britain's electricity market".

The Energy Bill aims to move the UK's energy production from a dependence on fossil fuels to a more diverse mix of energy sources, such as wind, nuclear and biomass.

But in a statement published alongside the Bill, Mr Davey said that energy-intensive industries would be exempt from additional costs arising from financial measures designed to encourage investment in new low-carbon production.

"Decarbonisation should not mean deindustrialisation", Mr Davey said.

"The transition to the low carbon economy will depend on products made by energy intensive industries - a wind turbine for example needing steel, cement and high-tech textiles.

"This exemption will ensure the UK retains the industrial capacity to support a low carbon economy."

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UK net migration down by quarter

29 November 2012 Last updated at 06:53 ET

Net migration levels to the UK have fallen significantly in the past year, official estimates have indicated.

Net migration - the balance between the number of people who come to live in the UK for the long-term and the number who are leaving - fell from 242,000 to 183,000 in the year to March.

The reduction was principally because of a fall in the number of foreign nationals studying in the UK.

The government wants to reduce the annual figure to the tens of thousands.

The Conservatives made reducing net migration a key part of their immigration policy while in opposition.

Provisional data released by the Office for National Statistics on Thursday indicates that net migration in 2011-2 fell to below 200,000 for the first time since 2008-9.

'Tough policies'

Over that period, inward migration to the UK fell by 42,000 to 536,000 - with the number of non-EU nationals settling in the UK falling from 317,000 to 296,000.

The ONS said the fall was "largely due" to a drop in the number of foreign students despite an increase in the number of arrivals from China - the UK's largest overseas student market.

Continue reading the main story

Our tough policies are taking effect"

End Quote Mark Harper Immigration minister

At the same time, the number of people choosing to leave the UK rose from 108,000 to 127,000.

Home Office minister Mark Harper said the latest figures showed the government was bringing immigration "back under control".

"Our tough policies are taking effect and this marks a significant step towards bringing net migration down from the hundreds of thousands to the tens of thousands by the end of this Parliament," he said.

"At the same time, we continue to attract the brightest and best: these figures show that there has been a small increase in the number of sponsored student visa applications for the university sector."

Migration Watch, which campaigns for tighter controls on immigration, welcomed the figures.

"We can now see the first effects of the government's measures to reduce immigration," its chairman Sir Andrew Green said. "There is a distance to go but they are on the right track."

'Economic cost'

The BBC's home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw said despite the lowest inward migration since 2004, the figures suggest the government still has some way to go to meet its goal to reduce net migration to below 100,000 by 2015.

The net migration target has caused some tension within the coalition, with Lib Dems and some Tories - including Mayor of London Boris Johnson - believing it risks send the wrong signals to foreign students and hampering the economic recovery.

And there are warnings that any fall in net migration driven by lower student numbers could come at a "significant economic cost".

"Steps to reduce abuse of the student visa system are welcome but if the government's net migration target is to be met, they also need there to be a dramatic fall in the numbers of genuine students," said Sarah Mulley from the Institute of Public Policy Research.

She said the 26% fall in the number of student visas issued could ultimately prove counter-productive.

"The irony is that the impacts on net migration will only be short-lived because most students stay only for a short time. Reduced immigration today means reduced emigration in a year or two's time, which could see net migration rise again."

The figures come on the same day the Chief Inspector of Borders John Vine warned that thousands of overseas students may have been allowed to stay in Britain illegally because UK Border Agency staff failed to check out tip-offs about them - a backlog of 153,000 had built up at one point, he said.

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Plan for 45p minimum alcohol cost

28 November 2012 Last updated at 05:34 ET By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News

Ministers are proposing a minimum price of 45p a unit for the sale of alcohol in England and Wales as part of a drive to tackle problem drinking.

The Home Office has launched a 10-week consultation on the plan, arguing it will help reduce the levels of ill-health and crime related to alcohol.

It is also considering banning multi-buy promotions, such as two-for-the-price-of-one.

The 45p proposal is 5p higher than the figure suggested by ministers in March.

It comes after pressure has been mounting on the government to follow Scotland's lead, where 50p has been proposed.

The aim of a minimum price would be to alter the cost of heavily-discounted drinks sold in shops and supermarkets. It is not expected to affect the price of drinks in many pubs.

The Home Office said the consultation was targeted at "harmful drinkers and irresponsible shops".

A spokesman added: "Those who enjoy a quiet drink or two have nothing to fear from our proposals."

The 45p minimum would mean a can of strong lager could not be sold for less than £1.56 and a bottle of wine below £4.22.

Research carried out by Sheffield University for the government shows a 45p minimum would reduce the consumption of alcohol by 4.3%, leading to 2,000 fewer deaths and 66,000 hospital admissions after 10 years.

The number of crimes would drop by 24,000 a year as well, researchers suggested.

There has been evidence of some outlets selling alcohol at a loss to encourage customers through the doors, with cans of lager going for 20p and two-litre bottles of cider available for under £2.

'Pre-loading'

Ministers have been particularly critical of such practices, blaming them for what has been dubbed "pre-loading", where people binge-drink before going out.

They have linked this phenomenon to the rising levels of alcohol-related violence and hospital admissions, of which there are more than a million a year.

But the idea of introducing a minimum price - first proposed at 40p in the government's alcohol strategy published in March - has been met with opposition by the industry.

The Scottish government plan, which is not due to start until April 2013, was challenged on legal grounds by the Scotch Whisky Association and the European Spirits Organisation.

Continue reading the main story

What's a unit?

• Half a pint of standard strength (4%) beer, cider or lager
• A single pub measure of spirit (25ml)
• Half a standard 175ml glass of wine

They claimed it was up to Westminster, rather than Holyrood, to decide such an issue and they said it was also incompatible with the EU's "general principles of free trade and undistorted competition".

The legal challenges were heard in the Court of Session in Edinburgh last month and a judgement is expected before the end of the year.

Separately the European Commission is looking into the legality of the Scottish government's actions.

In Northern Ireland, consideration is also being given to minimum pricing, although no final decision has been taken yet.

Andrew Opie, of the British Retail Consortium, said: "Most major retailers believe minimum pricing and controls on promotions are unfair to most customers. They simply penalise the vast majority, who are perfectly responsible drinkers, while doing nothing to reduce irresponsible drinking.

"The government should recognise the role of personal responsibility. It should not allow interfering in the market to regulate prices and promotions to become the default approach for public health policy."

Miles Beale, chief executive of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, agreed, saying there was "no evidence" minimum alcohol pricing would be effective in tackling alcohol misuse.

Continue reading the main story

The 45p effect

On the face of it, there seems to be little difference between the 45p minimum unit price for alcohol now being proposed and the 40p figure put forward earlier this year.

But in terms of consumption levels - and the subsequent criminal and health costs - the shift is significant.

Research by Sheffield University shows that at 45p consumption drops by 4.3% - a 75% greater effect than would be seen at 40p.

In terms of deaths over a 10-year period, the impact is nearly double. A 45p minimum will save over 2,000 lives compared to under 1,200 for 40p. The effect on crime is also two-fold.

But what the research also shows is that another 5p on the minimum price to bring it to 50p - as Scotland has done - would see a similar increase in impact, which is why campaigners have been pushing for more.

Another area of interest - and possible controversy - is the effect this will have on moderate drinkers.

The research shows a 45p minimum price also effects their buying habits, reducing consumption by 2.3%. That is greater than the reduction likely to be seen in young hazardous drinkers - the so-called binge drinkers.

But health campaigners believe a minimum price is an important step in tackling problem drinking.

Dr Vivienne Nathanson, from the British Medical Association, said the changes in pricing could help to stop young people binge drinking.

She told the BBC: "Alcohol is a dose-related poison, in other words the more you drink the more harm it causes, so by reducing the amount they are drinking over the safe limit you are helping to save them.

"It isn't a small minority of the population who are drinking excessively, it's nearly a quarter. That's a huge number of people who are drinking at levels that are hazardous to their health and we really have to throw everything we can (at it) to save lives."

Eric Appleby, chief executive of Alcohol Concern, said: "We're paying a heavy price for alcohol misuse and setting a minimum unit price will help us on the road to changing this.

"But we cannot cut the misery caused by excessive drinking, whether it's crime or hospitalisation, through price alone.

"We need tighter controls around licensing, giving local authorities and police forces all the tools they need to get a firm grip on the way alcohol is being sold in their area. We have an opportunity to make an enormous difference to the lives of thousands of people - we must seize it."

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Twin blasts shake Damascus suburb

28 November 2012 Last updated at 05:49 ET

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The BBC's Lina Sinjab says no group has claimed responsibility for the blasts

At least 34 people have been killed and many injured by two car bomb explosions in a south-eastern district of Syria's capital, Damascus, state media report.

State television said "terrorists" were behind the blasts in Jaramana and broadcast pictures showing several charred vehicles and damaged buildings.

The district is predominantly Druze and Christian, two communities which have so far not joined the uprising.

Earlier, there were clashes between security forces and rebels in Jaramana.

There has been fierce fighting in recent days in the countryside around Damascus, known as the Ghouta, particularly in eastern areas.

Airbase 'seized'

Continue reading the main story

The car bombs exploded in an area which is predominantly Druze and Christian - two minorities which President Bashar al-Assad's government says it is protecting from "terrorist extremists".

These are not the first attacks in Jaramana to have been blamed on those seeking to overthrow the government. But in the past, the armed opposition has denied any involvement and repeatedly said it is targeting Mr Assad's forces and not minority groups. Areas like Jaramana are heavily guarded by pro-government militia known as Popular Committees.

The conflict in Syria is rapidly taking on a sectarian dimension. Earlier this month, similar attacks took place in pro-government Alawite districts like Mezzeh 86 and Woroud.

Meanwhile, government forces continue to bombard rebel-held areas in Damascus and elsewhere in the country that are predominantly Sunni. The opposition says the decisive battle to overthrow Mr Assad will be in Damascus. The city has become heavily fortified, with security forces personnel and checkpoints all over. Many people here feel the tension of further escalation yet to hit the capital.

The pro-government TV channel, Addounia, said the car bombs exploded in Jaramana shortly after 06:40 (04:40 GMT).

"Terrorists blew up two car bombs filled with a large amount of explosives in the main square," the official Sana news agency reported.

State television showed scenes of mangled vehicles and badly damaged buildings.

It quoted a source at the interior ministry as saying 34 people had died and 83 seriously had been injured. Ten bags containing the remains of unidentified victims were also collected.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based activist group, earlier put the death toll at 29.

Two smaller bombs also exploded in Jaramana at around the same time, the state news agency said, adding that nobody was killed by them.

No group has said it was behind the bombings, and there was no immediately obvious military or government target, reports the BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut.

The population of Jaramana is predominantly Christian and Druze, a heterodox offshoot of Islam.

Few members of Syria's religious minorities have supported the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad. They are fearful for their future if the country's majority Sunni Muslim community chooses an Islamist leadership to replace decades of secular rule.

Supporters of the government in Jaramana and other Damascus suburbs have set up armed vigilante groups - known as Popular Committees - to prevent attacks such as Wednesday's. On 29 October, 11 people were killed in a car bombing in Jaramana.

Elsewhere on Wednesday, fighter jets bombarded rebel positions in the western Damascus suburb of Darayya, the SOHR said.

The army also reportedly shelled the Zabadani, a town in the mountains north-west of the capital. The Syrian Revolution General Commission, an opposition activist network, said more than 50 shells had fallen on the town in 30 minutes, injuring several people.

The Local Co-ordination Committees (LCC), another activist network, said 48 people were killed in the capital and its suburbs on Tuesday. It put the nationwide death toll at 131.

The rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) overran an air force base in the Sayyida Zainab area, to the south of Damascus, and fought off several attempts by security forces to storm several suburbs, the LCC added.

Activists say more than 40,000 people have been killed since the uprising against President Assad began in March 2011.

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Cameron faces weekly PM questions

28 November 2012 Last updated at 06:51 ET

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Live: PM's questions from noon, followed by William Hague statement

David Cameron is facing his weekly session of questions from Labour leader Ed Miliband and MPs at noon.

The prime minister is appearing shortly after Downing Street received copies of the Leveson report into UK media standards, which is published tomorrow.

Another subject which could be raised is the plan for a minimum price of 45p per alcohol unit in England and Wales.

The clash comes the day before three by-elections are held, in Rotherham, Croydon North and Middlesbrough.

The question and answer session will last from approximately 12:00 GMT to 12:30 GMT.

It will be followed by a statement from Foreign Secretary William Hague on the UK's position with regard to Palestinians' request to the UN general assembly to be upgraded from permanent observer to "non-member observer state".

Israel and US oppose the move, which is due to be voted on later this week.

They are concerned that the Palestinians are trying to seek full statehood via the UN, rather than through negotiation as set out in the 1993 Oslo peace accords under which the Palestinian Authority was established.

France, Switzerland and Denmark have all given their backing to the Palestinian position in the last 24 hours.

Other topics which are likely to be raised during Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) are the flooding this week, and figures suggesting the government's flagship welfare to work scheme had missed its targets.

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One in 10 workers underemployed

28 November 2012 Last updated at 06:53 ET

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Penny Cook has asked her part-time employer for more hours but has been refused

One in 10 of all workers in the UK are now officially underemployed, according to a study from the Office For National Statistics (ONS).

It says 3,050,000 workers want to work more hours each week, out of a total workforce of 29.41 million.

The number of workers in this position has shot up by 980,000 in the four years since the start of the economic recession in 2008.

Most of the underemployment is concentrated among part-time workers.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

This problem of underemployment seems to particularly affect the poorer parts of society"

End Quote

The main reason for the growth of underemployment has been the economic downturn of the past few years.

"During this period many workers moved from full-time to part-time roles and many of those returning to work after a period of unemployment could only find part-time jobs," the statistical office said.

"Of the extra one million underemployed workers in 2012 compared with 2008, three-quarters were in part-time posts."

The ONS said 1.9 million of the underemployed were in part-time jobs and this meant, in turn, that 24% of all part-timers wanted more work.

By contrast, only 5.5% of full-time staff said they wanted to work more hours.

'Its really tough'

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

The expectation had always been the part-time job would convert into full-time employment. The recession has changed that hope"

End Quote Caroline Parre Part-time academic

The growth of underemployment has gone alongside a big fall in the real value of earnings, the ONS said, which have been outstripped by inflation in recent years.

Jane Tomlinson, a part-time worker from Oxford, told the BBC what it had been like to be underemployed for the past year.

"I work only 15 hours a week paid work for a charity as communications manager," she said.

"I don't actually want a full-time job, but I need more than 15 hours a week, so I pick up a bit of copywriting work here and there as I can find it.

"But month to month it's really tough as I make only just enough to pay the bills. Thank goodness my husband has a job," she added.

Caroline Parre, an academic from Birmingham, said for the past three years the recession had prevented her hours being extended.

"Recruited to set up a research centre, the expectation had always been the part-time job would convert into full-time employment. The recession has changed that hope," she said.

"There is danger in the situation: to enable the success of the venture I have, voluntarily, worked full-time hours on a part-time salary, in the hope and belief that efforts would be rewarded.

"Efforts, of course, are not rewarded, and employers find themselves in the happy position of paying full time workers half-time salaries," she pointed out.

But a spokeswoman for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said the figures showed that three quarters of all part-time staff appeared to be content.

"Part-time working suits millions of people and gives others the skills and experience to find a different job or take advantage of longer hours when they are available," she said.

"For many people it is an important step to full-time work and coming off benefits."

Self-employed

The ONS explained that most of the rise in underemployment took place between 2008 and 2009, when the recession first gripped the UK economy.

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ONS statistician Jamie Jenkins: "Underemployment has gone up by one million people since the economic crisis"

Since then it has still been rising, though more slowly then before.

According to the ONS analysis, the problem is worst among the lowest paid, young workers and those in low-skilled jobs, such as labourers, cleaners and catering staff.

The shortage of work has also led to a big rise in the level of underemployment reported by the self-employed.

They are now even more likely to report being underemployed than those who work for others.

However the precise reasons for individuals being underemployed can vary.

The ONS said these reasons could include:

• employers only being able to offer a few hours of work each week
• workers, such as bar staff, being in jobs where they are only required for a few hours a day
• personal circumstances changing so that someone now wants to work more hours then before
• people settling for a part-time job as second-best when they would much rather have a full-time one

Labour market economist John Philpott said: "Approaching one in five economically active people are struggling in today's 'no or not enough work' economy.

"Add in the effect of falling real take-home pay for the vast majority of people in work and it becomes clear how much distress is being suffered."

The TUC's general secretary, Brendan Barber, said: "Being underemployed carries a huge pay penalty that puts a real strain on people's finances.

"Long periods of underemployment can cause longer term career damage, which is particularly worrying for the one in five young people currently trapped in it."

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Louis Walsh court case settled

28 November 2012 Last updated at 07:08 ET

X Factor judge Louis Walsh has settled a 500,000 euro (£403,500) defamation case against Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers.

The TV talent show panellist sued the media group after the Sun ran a false story that he sexually assaulted a man.

Leonard Watters was jailed for six months for wrongly accusing Mr Walsh of groping him in a Dublin club in 2011.

Mr Walsh took legal action against the publisher over the coverage of Irish police inquiries into the allegations.

He sued for damages, including for aggravated and exemplary damages, over an article published on 23 June 2011 with the headline Louis Probed Over 'Sex Attack' on Man in Loo.

The paper accepted the accusation was false but denied defamation, saying that it acted fairly.

The case had been listed for mention in the High Court in Dublin.

'Remained angry'

Mr Walsh said he felt vindicated by the settlement adding that the story had "started with The Irish Sun".

"I have the utmost respect and time for most journalists with whom I've always enjoyed a good relationship," he said.

He said, however, that he remained angry at the way he had been treated by the paper.

"I am therefore absolutely gutted and traumatised that these allegations against me should have been published, particularly as I had made it clear at the time there was not one iota of truth in them, that I was totally bewildered as to who would have made up this type of story," he said.

"Although the perpetrator has since been convicted as a result of concocting the allegations, this didn't stop the story being spread all around the world as a result of The Sun's headlines."

He said that while no amount of money would compensate him for what he had been through, he was glad to have achieved a decisive and categorical settlement.

Watters, a 25-year-old father-of-two, alleged he had been sexually assaulted by Mr Walsh in a toilet at the club. His first complaint was made to police outside the club within hours of the false attack.

He was later examined in a sexual assault unit which revealed bruising in his genital area.

Promised payments

Lawyers for the music promoter claimed a crime writer with the Irish edition of The Sun, Joanne McElgunn, met Watters in a hotel on 15 June, bought him dinner and offered him a sum of money on behalf of the newspaper if he agreed to make a complaint to police about being assaulted by Walsh.

It is also alleged the journalist travelled with Watters to Pearse Street Garda station so he could make the agreed complaint against Mr Walsh, and that Watters was paid 700 euro (£565) and promised further payments after the story was printed.

When the official complaint was made, The Sun and The Irish Sun printed the story before Mr Walsh was questioned under caution. He vigorously denied the accusation.

But within days investigators showed Watters CCTV footage from the club that disputed his claims, and he admitted he had made up the allegation.

Watters, from Navan in County Meath, was arrested, charged and publicly apologised to Walsh for the unfounded claims. He was recently released from jail.

Meanwhile, Mr Walsh took a case against the newspaper, which had been ordered by a judge to hand over all documents identifying or referring to any payments made or offered to Watters.

The orders also applied to Ms McElgunn, Sun journalist Gordon Smart and Dominic Mohan, editor of The Sun, and Michael McNiff, former Irish Sun editor who resigned last month.

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Yasser Arafat's remains exhumed

27 November 2012 Last updated at 06:03 ET

The remains of Yasser Arafat have been exhumed as part of an investigation into how the Palestinian leader died.

Swiss, French and Russian experts were given samples to establish whether his death in Paris in 2004 at the age of 75 was the result of poisoning before the tomb was resealed.

France began a murder inquiry in August after Swiss experts found radioactive polonium-210 on his personal effects.

Arafat's medical records say he had a stroke resulting from a blood disorder.

His widow, Suha, objected to a post-mortem at the time of his death, but asked the Palestinian Authority to permit the exhumation "to reveal the truth".

Sealed tomb

Arafat's body lies in a stone-clad mausoleum inside the Muqataa presidential compound in the West Bank city of Ramallah. The mausoleum was sealed off earlier this month.

Continue reading the main story

At the scene

On a grey day with the threat of drizzle, this event was a bit of damp squib.

For the hundreds of snap-happy journalists lined up outside the presidential compound in Ramallah where Yasser Arafat's cube-shaped mausoleum sits, there was not much to see.

It was shielded from prying eyes by large sheets of blue tarpaulin, so reporters could only guess what was going on behind.

The whole operation was over in a matter of hours. It now seems the investigators did not even have to remove the body from the tomb - scientists were able to take the samples they needed without having to do so.

By midday we were told the tomb had been resealed, with no need for a formal reburial. Any ceremonials appear to have been minimal.

Now there will be a long wait, possibly several months, before the test results come through. They may not be conclusive. There's a possibility the whole thing could be kicked into the long grass.

Palestinians here seem a little indifferent. Most take it as unproven fact that their leader died at Israel's hands. Israel has always denied it.

This has all the ingredients of a murder mystery. But it's difficult to ever see it leading to any prosecutions. And if Israel did kill Yasser Arafat, it's likely it was done with the help of somebody within his close circle.

Palestinian officials told Agence France Presse that only a Palestinian doctor had been allowed to directly touch the remains and remove the samples, but the process was conducted in front of the Swiss, Russian and French scientists, who will carry out tests for polonium-210 and possibly other lethal substances in their respective countries.

It is believed that the investigation could take several months.

Before the exhumation, the head of the Palestinian committee investigating Arafat's death, Tawfik al-Tirawi, said no journalists would be allowed to observe the exhumation.

"Because [of the] sanctity of the symbol and the sanctity of this event, [the exhumation] should not be permitted to be in front of the media," the former Palestinian intelligence chief said.

A reburial ceremony with full military honours had been planned, but this ultimately was not deemed necessary as the body was not removed from the grave during the collection of the samples.

Many Palestinians continue to believe Arafat was poisoned by Israel, which saw him as an obstacle to peace and had put him under house arrest.

There has also been speculation that Arafat was suffering from HIV or cancer at the time of his death.

Israel has strongly denied any involvement in Arafat's death.

An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the BBC: "All the medical files are in the hands of the family or the Palestinian Authority. For some reason they have not released them to this day. Our position has not changed over the years, but the question is why did they wait eight years?"

TV documentary

Arafat, who led the Palestine Liberation Organisation for 35 years and became the first president of the Palestinian Authority in 1996, fell violently ill in October 2004 inside the Muqataa.

Two weeks later he was flown to a French military hospital in Paris, where he died on 11 November.

Continue reading the main story

Arafat: The Swiss claims

• "Unexplained, elevated" level of polonium-210 on Arafat's clothing, keffiyeh and toothbrush
• Highest levels found on items with bodily fluids
• Toothbrush measured 54 millibecquerels (mBq); underwear 180mBq compared with 6.7mBq from another man's specimen underwear
• More than 60% of polonium was not from natural sources

Source: Al-Jazeera TV

In 2005, the New York Times obtained a copy of Arafat's medical records, which it said showed he died of a massive haemorrhagic stroke that resulted from a bleeding disorder caused by an unknown infection.

Independent experts who reviewed the records told the paper that it was highly unlikely that he had been poisoned.

A murder inquiry was launched by French prosecutors in August after an investigation by al-Jazeera TV, working with scientists at the Institute of Radiation Physics (IRA) at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, found "significant" traces of polonium-210 present in samples taken from Arafat's personal effects, including his trademark keffiyeh headdress.

In some cases, the elevated levels were 10 times higher than those on control subjects, and most of the polonium could not have come from natural sources, the scientists said.

But the institute also said that Arafat's symptoms - as described in his medical records - were not consistent with polonium poisoning.

The former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko died of exposure to polonium-210 in London in 2006. The UK authorities have accused Andrei Lugovoi, an ex-KGB officer, of poisoning his tea.

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Work programme misses job target

27 November 2012 Last updated at 06:25 ET

Government figures assessing the success of its welfare-to-work programme show the main target has been missed.

Firms and charities are paid to help find jobs for the long-term unemployed in the hope of helping 2.4m people.

But official figures showed only 3.53% of people found a job for six months or more - missing the 5.5% target.

Ministers said it was "early days" and the programme was succeeding in getting people off benefits and into work.

The figures, which cover the 13 months from June 2011 to July 2012, showed that of the 878,000 people who joined the programme, only 31,000 found a job for 6 months or more.

The Department for Work and Pensions had told providers they should get 5.5% of people on the programme into sustained employment.

'Snapshot picture'

Continue reading the main story

The work programme was part of what ministers called a revolution in welfare "

End Quote

BBC political editor Nick Robinson said failing to hit the target meant "as many unemployed are getting sustainable jobs as if the work programme had never existed".

The DWP said more than half of the jobseekers who started on the programme in June and July 2011 had spent some time off benefits.

Employment minister Mark Hoban said: "It's still early days, but already thousands of lives are being transformed."

"One in four people have been in work, more than half of the early starters have been off benefit and performance is improving.

"Previous schemes paid out too much up front regardless of success but, by only paying providers for delivering results, the work programme is actually offering the taxpayer real value for money.

"Clearly these figures only give a snapshot picture as we're one year in, and the work programme offers support to claimants for two years, but these results are encouraging and something providers can look to build on."

Poorly performing organisations involved in the programme have been given until April to improve their performance.

The Employment Related Services Association, the trade body for the welfare-to-work industry, said 20,000 jobseekers were being helped each month. More than 200,000 have found employment since the scheme's launch, it added.

Labour leader Ed Miliband said the work programme was turning out to be a "miserable failure".

He said: "It is just not working. What we've seen from the government is a failure to reform welfare."

Under the scheme - replacing the New Deal, Employment Zones and Pathways to Work - approved providers in England, Scotland and Wales, mostly private companies, try to find work for claimants on a payment-by-results basis.

Providers can earn between £3,700 and £13,700 per person helped into work, depending how hard it is to give support to an individual, with an initial payment of between £400 and £600.

The government has said it expects the scheme to help 2.4m people back into work over five years.

Joining the work programme is mandatory for people aged over 25 when they have been out of work for a year and under-25s after nine months. Some younger people in certain circumstances, like young offenders, must join after a shorter period of time.

People on some benefits, such as income support and employment support allowance, can join the scheme voluntarily if they meet certain criteria.

Once a person has been referred to the work programme, they remain on the scheme for up to two years.

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Ofsted warns on standards divide

27 November 2012 Last updated at 06:45 ET

Families' chances of having a good local school depend too much on which part of the country they live in, warns England's education watchdog Ofsted.

Chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw, publishing Ofsted's annual report, said this was leading to "serious inequalities" for millions of children.

Ofsted is launching a league table ranking local authorities according to inspectors' ratings of schools.

Sir Michael said: "The inequalities for local children are stark."

Figures published by the education watchdog show that in some areas there is a less than 50% chance of a good or outstanding school - compared with more than 90% in others.

The report also highlighted concerns about the quality of further education colleges, saying that for the second year running, Ofsted did not judge a single college to be outstanding for teaching and learning.

League table

Ofsted's annual report said schools in England were getting better, with 70% of schools now rated good or outstanding compared to 64% five years ago.

An extra half a million pupils were now being in taught in good or better schools, it said, but almost 2.3 million children were still attending a "small minority" of schools that are less than good.

And the gap in standards between authorities facing similar challenges was too wide.

"That's why I intend from January to use Ofsted's new regional structure to inquire further into areas that are performing badly," said Sir Michael.

"We need to find out what is happening and inspect where necessary. We will also work with local areas to support then and help them link up with best practice."

Continue reading the main story

TOP FIVE

• Camden 92%
• Barnet 91%
• Richmond upon Thames 90%
• Sefton 90%
• Trafford 90%

Source: Ofsted, % of pupils attending good or outstanding primary

The report gives the example that a child living in Derby or Doncaster has only half the chance of attending a good or outstanding primary or secondary school compared with a child living in Wigan or Darlington.

It says a parent in Coventry has only a 42% chance of sending their child to a good or outstanding state primary compared to a 92% chance for a parent living in the London borough of Camden and 91% in Barnet.

"There are differences between local authorities with similar demographics," Sir Michael told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"We'll be looking very carefully at what's happening in those local authorities with the same sort of population, with similar levels of deprivation, similar numbers of children on free school meals, where one particular local authority does extremely well and another one doesn't.

"We'll be asking a question - why is it parents in some parts of the country have less than a 50% chance of getting their children into a good primary school where there are other parts of the country where that chance is over 90%?"

Ofsted's rankings illustrate these differences by ranking councils in terms of the inspection judgements made about schools in their areas, including academies which are outside of local authority control.

Academy status

That will increase pressure on local authorities at the bottom of the table.

Teachers' unions also warn that this is likely to be used by the government in a further push for schools to leave local authorities and become academies.

Continue reading the main story

BOTTOM FIVE

• Telford and Wrekin 53%
• Wakefield 52%
• Thurrock 49%
• Derby 43%
• Coventry 42%

Source: Ofsted, % of pupils attending good or outstanding primary

"Naming and shaming... would certainly suit the education department to push all local authorities into the position of converting schools to academies," said Christine Blower, leader of the National Union of Teachers.

David Simmonds, representing the Local Government Association, cautioned that local authorities had diminishing amounts of direct control over schools - because of central government directives and targets and the shift towards academies.

As such, local accountability for schools was now more complex for parents, he argued.

A Department for Education spokesman said: "Sir Michael is right that standards in some local authorities are simply not good enough. There are still too many schools that do not provide a good enough education. We make no apology for introducing reforms to drive up standards in schools.

"The report recognises that sponsored academies - with strong leadership and real expertise - are the best way to turn around struggling schools. That is why we are identifying consistently weak schools and allowing experienced academy sponsors to take them over. Academies have already turned around hundreds of struggling schools and are improving their results at twice the national average."

Labour's shadow education secretary, Stephen Twigg, said: "Today's report shows the results of Labour's education reforms - including academies and better school leadership. There are half a million more children in good or better schools compared thanks to over a decade of investment and reform.

"However, there remains an arc of underachievement which is holding back too many young people. Even in David Cameron's backyard of Oxfordshire, there are too many coasting schools. We need to learn from success stories like Wigan and Darlington to understand why other areas are less successful."

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E.On to pay £1.7m in compensation

27 November 2012 Last updated at 06:54 ET

Energy company E.On has apologised and agreed to pay £1.7m in compensation after it overcharged 94,000 customers following price rises.

Some £1.4m is being paid directly to customers who were overcharged on exit fees. They will receive an average rebate of £14.83 each.

The other £300,000 will be paid into a hardship fund run by charity Age UK.

E.On made errors during a 30-day window that allows customers to switch supplier before a price rise.

During that time, industry rules mean customers on fixed-term deals should not incur an exit fee if they signal their intention to switch supplier.

If they make this intention clear, they should also avoid any higher prices if the switch happens after the price rise comes into effect.

'Positive step'

Regulator Ofgem said that the compensation related to four price rises that occurred between 2008 and 2011. E.On is the only one of the big six energy companies not to have announced a price rise for residential customers so far this autumn.

Continue reading the main story

We are very sorry to have let down some of our former customers and have made clear that we will refund the money plus interest"

End Quote David Bird E.On customer service director

Ofgem said that E.On brought the error to its attention in November and had agreed to compensate customers rather than face an investigation and a potential fine.

Customers who were overcharged have been identified by E.On, the regulator said, and should receive a cheque with their rebate by the end of January. They do not need to contact the energy company.

An Ofgem spokesman said that if it emerged that not all former customers could be sent rebates, their refunds would be added to the hardship fund instead.

The payment includes an 8% interest payment on the amount that they were incorrectly charged.

"Ofgem has put in place protections for consumers so they can get a fair warning if their supplier puts up prices and time to shop around for a better deal," said Sarah Harrison, of Ofgem.

"E.On has accepted it failed to meet these protections. This announcement that E.On will compensate customers is a positive step by the company to put right their mistakes and is welcome."

Rule change call

E.On has apologised and said that the error would not happen again.

"We are very sorry to have let down some of our former customers and have made clear that we will refund the money plus interest. Our systems are being updated," said David Bird, customer service director at E.On UK.

"We have been open in our failure with the energy regulator, Ofgem, and are pleased to have agreed with them how we can put this right and have identified all customers who are due to receive payment from us in January."

Audrey Gallacher, director of energy at watchdog Consumer Focus, said: "This agreement sends a welcome message to the energy industry that not sticking to the rules has repercussions.

"It is positive that E.On worked with the regulator to get this money back to customers who lost out, rather than paying a fine which would go back to the Treasury.

"We want to see new powers for Ofgem to require fines to be paid back to energy customers brought into force as soon as possible, to ensure people can be directly compensated if they lose out when things go wrong."

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Floods continue to threaten homes

27 November 2012 Last updated at 07:03 ET

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St Asaph residents were advised to leave their homes in the early hours

Residents in up to 500 properties in north Wales have been advised to leave their homes after the River Elwy broke its banks - and forecasters say the threat of floods remains in many areas.

An emergency centre has been set up at a leisure centre in St Asaph after water levels overtopped flood defences.

There are two severe flood warnings on the Elwy and about 200 flood warnings in the rest of England and Wales.

In North Yorkshire, more than 50 houses in Pickering are under threat.

There was more heavy rain in northern England and north Wales overnight and there are fears saturated ground could lead to further flooding and travel disruption. But the rain is expected to ease through the day.

In St Asaph, water has entered about 100 homes with levels said to be 2-3ft (60-90cm) in place,

Some residents have been rescued by lifeboats and fire crews after becoming trapped in their homes.

The flooding risk is also affecting the north Wales villages of Abergele, Llanfairtalhaiarn, Llangernyw and Llansannan.

Inspector Mark Davies, from North Wales Police, said: "The Environment Agency tell us water levels are rising and getting worse.

"We haven't had any reports of people in severe difficulty but it has been distressing for people flooded in their own homes."

Residents have also been evacuated from their homes as the threat of flooding increases in Ruthin, 15 miles away, where Denbighshire County Council say up to 400 properties are potentially at risk.

In other developments:

Continue reading the main story

Weather information

From the BBC:

Elsewhere:

• In Cornwall, the A39 at Perranarworthal is closed in both directions because of flooding and a poor road surface. And levels at Cornwall's largest natural lake, lake Loe Pool, are 1m above normal
• Flooding is also continuing to affect East Coast rail routes including between Durham and York, and between Berwick-upon-Tweed and Newcastle. East Coast Trains says there is flooding on the line six miles south of Darlington
• Concerns have been raised that there will be further flooding as the River Severn is expected to reach its peak in Gloucester later but levels in Tewkesbury are said to have stabilised
• The River Ouse in York is also being monitored, with the peak expected to be on Wednesday. The river burst its banks on Monday, affecting riverside buildings, although the situation is said to be less severe than flooding in September
• North Yorkshire County Council estimates 50 roads are closed because of flooding
• The latest Environment Agency data shows 960 homes have suffered flooding since last Wednesday
• Floodgates have gone up in Upton, in Worcestershire, following a £4.5m flood alleviation scheme which was completed in the summer
• Parts of the new £45m defence scheme in Nottingham have been put into action for the first time.

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Environment Secretary Owen Paterson: "The talks are not at crisis point"

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson denied talks between the government and insurers about providing affordable premiums in areas at high risk of flooding had "stalled".

The Association of British Insurers had said discussions about extending the existing agreement obliging insurers to provide cover while the government continues to improve flood defences were at "crisis point".

The Environment Agency has 192 flood warnings in force - which say flooding is expected and immediate action is required - up from 185 on Monday night.

There are also 231 less severe flood alerts, which indicate that people should prepare for possible flooding.

The agency said levels in the River Nene in Northamptonshire have "rise significantly".

It warned that "large, slow responding rivers" - particularly the Thames, Trent and Severn - would continue to rise over the next few days. Officials have deployed mobile defences to protect properties in Oxford.

Continue reading the main story

Latest local news, travel and weather

"Groundwater levels in Winterbourne Abbas, Dorset, also continue to rise and could result in flooding of properties and the A35 trunk road," it added.

Two flood warnings for the Scottish Borders have now been lifted by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and there are none in Northern Ireland.

BBC Weather forecaster Philip Avery said that while the rainy conditions were easing there had been a few hours of persistent showers overnight and there was still a risk of flooding.

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The Met Office has issued a yellow "be aware" warning for heavy rain in North East England and Yorkshire and the Humber but conditions are expected to be improved in other areas, he said.

On Monday, closures, delays and safety warnings affected dozens of A-roads, while cancellations and delays also hit some national rail services.

On the roads, some of the worst-hit areas on Monday were in Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire.

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