Vote change ‘costly and complex’

Man enters polling stationThe poll is due to be held on 5 May
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Replacing the system used to elect MPs will be “costly and complex”, opponents of change will say as they launch their campaign for the 5 May referendum.

The cost of staging the poll and ditching first-past-the-post in favour of Alternative Vote (AV) will be £250m, the No to AV campaign will claim.

It will argue the issue is “obscure” and a low priority for the public.

The Yes to Fairer Votes group said it was “gaining momentum” and named actor Colin Firth among its supporters.

The developments come as the protracted battle to get Parliamentary approval for the referendum to take place in May comes to a head.

At its launch on Tuesday, the cross-party No campaign is expected to spell out what it says will be the cost of changing the Westminster voting system at a time when it believes many people believe the country’s focus should be on economic recovery rather than constitutional change.

It will say the referendum will cost about £90m and that, should voters back a switch to the AV system, £130m would have to be spent on electronic vote counting machines and £26m on informing the public how the new system works in time for the next general election.

“We have got a very clear message”

Matthew Elliott Director, No to AV campaign

Setting out the arguments for a No vote, it is likely to question claims that AV is fairer than the current system and highlight cases of “broken promises” by the coalition which it says could be a harbinger of what will happen if AV forces parties to share power on a regular basis.

“We have got a very clear message. A move towards AV would be costly to the taxpayer, would also bring greater complexity to our electoral system and produce less accountable government,” campaign director Matthew Elliott told the BBC ahead of the launch.

He doubted whether the public are interested in voting change: “Because at the moment this is such an obscure issue for people, it is not very high on their list of priorities.”

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who supports a switch to AV, has said staging the poll on the same day as devolved elections in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will save the taxpayer about £17m.

Both sides will also unveil a number of new supporters on Tuesday as the campaign steps up.

The Yes campaign will say it has been endorsed by the comedian Eddie Izzard and the former BBC director general Greg Dyke as well as actors Helena Bonham-Carter and Colin Firth.

“The referendum is a once in a generation opportunity to change our clapped out politics for good,” Mr Firth, Bafta winning star of the film The King’s Speech, said in a statement.

The actor had been a prominent supporter of the Lib Dems – which are campaigning in favour of AV – but said recently that the coalition’s spending cuts meant he could no longer give them his backing.

The Yes campaign argues AV will help boost trust in Parliament by requiring candidates to get more than 50% of votes cast before being elected and forcing them to appeal to a broader base of support.

Its chair Katie Ghose said: “There is a mood for change in the way we do politics in this country. People want their MPs to have to work harder and be more responsive to their real concerns.”

The referendum campaign will only officially begin when the bill authorising the poll becomes law – which is expected to happen on Thursday.

WHAT IS ALTERNATIVE VOTE

Under the AV system, voters rank candidates in their constituency in order of preference.

Anyone getting more than 50% of first-preference votes is elected.

If no-one gets 50% of votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and their backers’ second choices allocated to those remaining.

This process continues until one candidate has at least 50% of all votes in that round.

Vote change: Where parties stand Q&A: Alternative Vote referendum

MPs will resume debating the bill – which also includes measures to redraw parliamentary boundaries and cut the number of MPs by 50 – on Tuesday after it was finally approved by the House of Lords following weeks of lengthy and often acrimonious debate.

Among issues to be considered by MPs is a proposal – backed recently by peers – for the referendum to be legally binding only if 40% of the electorate take part.

Prime Minister David Cameron is due to set out his case for retaining the existing system – a position backed by most of his MPs – in a speech on Friday. Labour leader Ed Miliband supports a switch to AV although opinion within his party is divided.

Under first-past-the-post, voters are allowed to vote for one candidate and the individual obtaining the most votes is elected.

Under the AV system, voters rank candidates in their constituency in order of preference.

Anyone getting more than 50% of first-preference votes is elected and if no-one gets 50% of votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and their backers’ second choices allocated to those remaining. This process continues until one candidate has at least 50% of all votes in that round.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Donations ‘should get tax relief’

MoneyThere have been a series of party funding controversies over the years
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Conservative, Labour, Lib Dem, Green and union figures are addressing the final session of an inquiry into political party funding.

Tory co-chairman Lord Feldman, union chief Bob Crow, Lib Dem chief executive Chris Fox and Labour general secretary Ray Collins will give evidence.

The Committee on Standards in Public Life is investigating options to reform party funding.

But the issue has proved contentious – cross-party talks broke down in 2007.

All the main parties pledged to do something about party funding before the election and all said they agreed with moves to cap funding, as part of a reform package.

The standards’ watchdog’s final day of the public hearings in Westminster will also hear from Green Party deputy leader Adrian Ramsay, Labour MP Graham Allen and the Liberal Democrats’ head of compliance David Allworthy. The committee aims to produce a report in the spring.

A previous committee’s recommendations helped set the current party funding framework 10 years ago.

But opening the hearings last November chairman Sir Christopher Kelly said times had moved on and there had been a “number of unintended consequences” – including the “big donor culture”.

Political parties are funded from a combination of membership subscriptions, donations, union money, loans, and public funds.

There have been a series of controversies over the years – from donations made to Labour by a property developer under other people’s names and the tax status of one of the Conservatives’ biggest donors – Lord Ashcroft.

There has already been an effort to reach an agreement on reforming party funding – in 2006 another review was launched, in the wake of the cash-for-honours row and the revelation that parties received large undisclosed loans in the run-up to the 2005 election.

But talks were abandoned in October 2007 as parties clashed over Labour’s trade union funding and Lord Ashcroft’s funding of Tory candidates in marginal seats.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Ex-fiancee murder bid man guilty

Steven McKee and Lisa WhyteSteven McKee attempted to kill Lisa Whyte at their home in July 2010
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A man who stabbed the mother of his children in the neck after she called off their wedding has been convicted of attempted murder.

Steven McKee was found guilty by a majority verdict of trying to kill his ex-fiancee at their home in Slamannan, Falkirk, on 24 July last year.

Lisa Whyte, 32, was treated for serious injuries to her neck following the struggle.

Father-of-two McKee will be sentenced next month.

During the trial at the High Court in Glasgow, jurors heard McKee was left devastated when Ms Whyte called off their wedding after her hen night in Newcastle, a week before the ceremony was due to take place.

The day after they were supposed to be married, the court heard that McKee had plunged a knife into her neck after attacking her with two other knives.

McKee claimed that he was trying to kill himself and Ms Whyte had got in the way.

But prosecutor Stephen O’Rourke said it had been a deliberate and vicious attack on an already seriously injured woman.

With the knife sticking out of her neck, Ms Whyte subsequently tried to get help from a neighbour who described her head as “looking like it had been dipped head first in blood”.

In a statement, Ms Whyte said her family had been “devastated by this horrendous ordeal” and were relieved that justice had been done.

She added: “I would like to thank all the medical professionals for saving my life. I would also like to thank my friends and family for their continued support, and my thanks to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

“Under the circumstances I would like to try and put this horrendous ordeal behind me and concentrate on my children and therefore would appreciate my privacy.”

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

South Sudan ‘massacre killed 200’

Southern army officials at ceasefire ceremony in JanuaryGeorge Athor did not attend the January signing ceremony

Some 200 people were killed in a “massacre” in south Sudan last week, officials say.

Most of the dead were civilians, including children and others chased into a river by rebels, a minister said.

Previous estimates said that about 100 people had died when fighters loyal to rebel leader George Athor attacked.

The deaths come as the region prepares for independence from the north after last month’s referendum.

Some 99% of people voted to secede from the north.

A senior official of south Sudan’s ruling party accused the north of backing the rebel attacks.

The north has denied previous similar accusations.

The referendum on independence for the oil-rich south was part of a deal to end decades of north-south conflict.

Mr Athor took up arms last year, alleging fraud in state elections, but agreed to a ceasefire last month just before the historic vote.

The south’s Humanitarian Affairs Minister James Kok, who has just returned from the area, told the AP news agency that 201 people, had been killed in what he termed a “massacre”.

“They were chased into the river. I was the one who put them into a mass grave,” he said.

He said nearly 160 of the dead were civilians, such as children, the elderly and refugees.

Another senior official said 197 people had died.

Map

Jonglei is the south’s most populous state.

The BBC’s Peter Martell in the southern capital, Juba, says the fighting is another sign of the challenges the south faces in bringing its people together and improving security.

The week-long referendum vote itself passed off peacefully, but tension remains high in parts of the oil-rich area which straddles the north and south.

Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir has promised to accept the outcome of the referendum.

Southern Sudan is to become the world’s newest independent state on 9 July.

Sudan: A country divided
Satellite image showing geography of Sudan, source: Nasa

The great divide across Sudan is visible even from space, as this Nasa satellite image shows. The northern states are a blanket of desert, broken only by the fertile Nile corridor. Southern Sudan is covered by green swathes of grassland, swamps and tropical forest.

Map showing Ethnicity of Sudan, source:

Sudan’s arid northern regions are home mainly to Arabic-speaking Muslims. But in Southern Sudan there is no dominant culture. The Dinkas and the Nuers are the largest of more than 200 ethnic groups, each with its own traditional beliefs and languages.

Map showing infant Mortality in Sudan, source: Sudan household health survey 2006

The health inequalities in Sudan are illustrated by infant mortality rates. In Southern Sudan, one in 10 children die before their first birthday. Whereas in the more developed northern states, such as Gezira and White Nile, half of those children would be expected to survive.

Map showing percentage of households using improved water and sanitation in Sudan, source: Sudan household health survey 2006

The gulf in water resources between north and south is stark. In Khartoum, River Nile, and Gezira states, two-thirds of people have access to piped drinking water and pit latrines. In the south, boreholes and unprotected wells are the main drinking sources. More than 80% of southerners have no toilet facilities whatsoever.

Map showing percentage of who complete primary school education in Sudan, source: Sudan household health survey 2006

Throughout Sudan, access to primary school education is strongly linked to household earnings. In the poorest parts of the south, less than 1% of children finish primary school. Whereas in the wealthier north, up to 50% of children complete primary level education.

Map showing percentage of households with poor food consumption in Sudan, source: Sudan household health survey 2006

Conflict and poverty are the main causes of food insecurity in Sudan. The residents of war-affected Darfur and Southern Sudan are still greatly dependent on food aid. Far more than in northern states, which tend to be wealthier, more urbanised and less reliant on agriculture.

Map showing position of oilfileds in Sudan, source: Drilling info international

Sudan exports billions of dollars of oil per year. Southern states produce more than 80% of it, but receive only 50% of the revenue, exacerbating tensions with the north. The oil-rich border region of Abyei is to hold a separate vote on whether to join the north or the south.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

7/7 bomber lead ‘not followed up’

Germaine LindsayGermaine Lindsay and three other bombers killed 52 victims in 2005

Police failed to chase up their “best lead” after a suspected armed robbery which could have led them to one of the 7 July bombers weeks before the terror attacks, an inquest has heard.

Germaine Lindsay was linked to an alleged gun crime in May 2005 but inquiries were “left outstanding”.

Police identified him as the owner of a red Fiat Brava seen leaving the scene but this was never fully followed up.

Lindsay was one of four suicide bombers who killed 52 people on 7 July 2005.

The bombers targeted three Tube trains – at Aldgate, Edgware Road and Russell Square – as well as a bus.

The inquest heard that, following the alleged gun crime, officers launched an investigation named Operation Bugle after a man dialled 999 to say there was a gunman in his flat on 27 May 2005 – five weeks before the terror attacks on London.

Three women and a child were later seen leaving the property “in fear” while three men – wearing balaclavas and gloves – were spotted getting into the Fiat Brava.

When armed officers arrived at the property later that evening, neither the owner of the Luton flat nor the gunman were there.

And police were unable to identify the gang of men – two of whom were black and one who was Asian – or the group of women seen leaving the area in a taxi.

A witness noted the car registration number, which led police to identify Lindsay as its registered keeper.

Officers went to his address in Aylesbury but failed to find him.

“Inquiries were left outstanding when Mr Maxted left to go on a residential course ”

Hugo Keith QC Counsel to the inquest

Searches of police files showed that Lindsay was registered to a London address and had a previous record for cannabis possession and importing controlled drugs.

But the investigation ground to a halt after the officer in charge, Det Sgt Grant Maxted of Bedfordshire Police, went on leave.

A victim of the alleged armed robbery was never identified and the red Fiat Brava was not seen again until it was found in the car park at Luton railway station after the 7/7 bombings.

Mr Maxted acknowledged that Bedfordshire Police had a “good lead” from the outset but insisted there were no failures in its operation.

Hugo Keith QC, counsel to the inquest, said: “Inquiries were left outstanding when Mr Maxted left to go on a residential course in June [2005].

“The notebooks of CID officers which have been disclosed show that they have no notes in them at all after that day.”

He said the investigation by Thames Valley Police, who were asked to trace the Fiat Brava, went nowhere, leaving them with an “outstanding query”.

When asked if the Fiat Brava had been the “best lead that you had?”, Mr Maxted replied: “It was, yes, it certainly was a lead.”

However, asked if the Thames valley Police inquiry was ever followed up, he replied: “I don’t know, I couldn’t find any other information.”

The inquest continues.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

College fees £2,000 below England

Graduation dayWelsh universities will be able to charge a basic tuition fee of £4,000, compared to £6,000 in England
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Basic university tuition fees will be £2,000 lower in Wales than in England, it has been announced.

Education Minister Leighton Andrews has opted for a basic fee level of £4,000 in Wales, rather than the £6,000 which will apply over the border.

He said his decision was based on the contribution he believed higher education should make to social justice and feedback from the sector.

From next year the upper fee limit will be £9,000, as in England.

Universities must show a commitment to widening access and other strategic objectives about promoting higher education before being allowed to charge more than the basic amount.

Mr Andrews said he wanted new fee regulations in place before the Welsh assembly is dissolved for May’s election, so that universities have time to prepare.

“Access to higher education should be on the basis of the individual’s potential to benefit, and not on the basis of what they can afford to pay”

Leighton Andrews AM Education minister

They will come into force for students starting new courses from September 2012.

The assembly government will meet the cost of extra fees for students from Wales attending any UK university.

Students from Wales will be subsidised by the assembly government wherever they study in the UK.

Last week details of how the grant will be funded were released to BBC Wales under the Freedom of Information Act.

The figures showed £51.7m will go to English or other UK universities outside Wales who have accepted students from Wales.

The total spending on grants for Welsh students over the next nine years will be £1.5bn, of which £427m will go to English universities.

In a written statement to AMs, Mr Andrews said: “Central to the Welsh Assembly Government’s policy is the principle that access to higher education should be on the basis of the individual’s potential to benefit, and not on the basis of what they can afford to pay.

“The decision to set the basic fee level at £4,000 reflects the importance the Welsh Assembly Government places on the contribution which higher education makes to social justice.”

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Facebook answers mobile rumours

Facebook on phoneFacebook will help phone manufacturers achieve “deep integration” of its services

Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg has responded to rumors that the company is planning to launch its own mobile phone.

He told delegates at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to expect multiple devices built around the social network.

However, he appeared to dismiss the idea of a Facebook-branded handset.

It had been speculated that the company was working with a major manufacturer, as Google did on its Nexus phones.

“A lot has been made about a single Facebook phone,” said Mr Zuckerberg.

“But this year, you can expect do see dozens of phones with much deeper social integration than we have so far”.

He was referring to the Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) provided by Facebook that allow phone manufacturers to build social networking into their operating systems.

Pushing a software solution, rather than getting into the hardware business is the right approach for Facebook, according to Gareth Beavis, mobile editor at Techradar.com.

“It gives operators and brands the opportunity to shape the system as they see fit,” he said.

Mr Beavis said he thought that Facebook integration would prove a strong selling point for cheaper smartphones, which lack the sophisticated features of higher-end devices.

Facebook plans to continue extending its presence within the mobile world.

“Phones are inherently social devices and the industry is just beginning to discover what’s possible,” said Mr Zuckerberg.

According to figures from comScore, 30.8% of users accessing social networking did so from smartphones in January 2011.

For owners of lower-end non-smartphones the figure was just 6.8%.

“Phones are inherently social devices and the industry is just beginning to discover what’s possible”

Mark Zuckerberg Facebook founder

Moves are being made to bring the social networking expecience to those more basic handsets.

Also at Mobile World Congress, Dutch security firm Gemalto launched a Facebook sim card, designed to work in any GSM phone.

The enhanced chip brings basic features such as status updating and Facebook messaging.

It works by translating social networking updates into 160 character text messages.

The system does not require a mobile internet connection and could help extend access across the developing world.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Larry the new Downing St cat ‘is a good ratter’

Humphrey, the former Downing Street catThe new cat will follow in the footsteps of previous resident Humphrey
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A new resident is to move into No 10 with David Cameron set to welcome a cat into his official residence.

The four-year old tabby cat, believed to be called Larry, is to join the prime minister and his family from the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.

The arrival, due on Tuesday, follows weeks of speculation about potential pest control measures after a rat was seen outside No 10.

Humphrey was the last cat to occupy No 10, from 1989 to 1997.

He was adopted after wandering into the building as a stray while Margaret Thatcher was prime minister, and remained throughout the administration of John Major.

He moved out six months after Labour’s 1997 general election win, with Tony Blair’s wife Cherie denying reports that her dislike for the animal was to blame.

Humphrey died in March 2006 at the home of a civil servant who cared for him during his “retirement”.

The last feline to live in Downing Street was former Chancellor Alistair Darling’s cat Sybil.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Barclays reports £6.07bn profits

Bob Diamond outside Barclays in Canary WharfBob Diamond said bonus payments had been influenced by the government

Banking group Barclays has reported pre-tax profits of £6.07bn for the full-year 2010, slightly higher than analysts were expecting.

This was a rise of almost a third on the £4.59bn profit the bank made in 2009, Barclays said.

Money put aside for bad loans fell 30% against a year earlier, to £5.67bn.

Group performance-related pay was down 7% to £3.4bn compared with 2009, and down 12% at the bank’s investment banking arm, Barclays Capital (Barcap).

The 2010 pre-tax profit figure refers to the bank’s continuing operations. This time last year, Barclays reported profits of £11.6bn for 2009, a figure which was inflated by the sale of its BGI fund management arm to US firm BlackRock.

“Barclays has opened the bank reporting season in some style, exceeding analyst estimates despite a challenging 2010,” said Richard Hunter at Hargreaves Lansdown.

“In all, the results are representative of something of a return to normality.”

Bonuses at Barcap totalled £2.6bn, while profits at the division almost doubled to £4.78bn on revenues of £13.6bn.

“Salaries went up very significantly to compensate for the pressure to bring down bonuses”

Robert Peston BBC business editor

The bank said that, in line with new regulations, bonus payments would be deferred over three years and would not be paid unless the bank had sufficient capital in reserve.

“We are committed to demonstrating that we are both responsible in our compensation decisions and practices and that we take our regulatory obligations and UK government commitments seriously,” said Bob Diamond, Barclay’s chief executive.

He added that bonus payments had been directly influenced by Project Merlin, a deal agreed with the government last week.

Under the terms of the deal, the UK’s top banks agreed to curb bonuses and lend more to small and medium-sized businesses – about £190bn in total this year.

However, total pay, including salaries, pensions and bonuses for the 24,800 bankers working at Barcap was about £236,000 on average, up from £196,000 in 2009, said BBC business editor Robert Peston.

“Salaries went up very significantly – by 40% to 50% in some cases – to compensate for the pressure to bring down bonuses,” he added.

Total group revenues came in at £31.44bn.

Lending in the UK was almost unchanged at £36bn compared with £35bn in 2009, although this figure does not include the £7.5bn in loans arising from the acquisition of Standard Life Bank.

In the UK, the bank paid £2.8bn in tax, while globally it paid £6.1bn.

“I am proud of what we achieved in 2010, especially our profit growth and enhanced capital and liquidity positions,” said Mr Diamond.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Blackberry dismisses Nokia jibe

PlaybookMr Balsillie said that the biggest change to the company was entering the tablet market

Research In Motion’s boss has dismissed suggestions that its Blackberry devices are no longer a major player in the smartphone race.

Jim Balsillie told BBC News that the firm should not be written off.

It follows comments by Nokia’s Stephen Elop, who said that the smartphone ecosystem was now a three horse race between Windows, Android and Apple.

“I don’t know how you can say that we are not in the race,” said Mr Balsillie at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

He said that Blackberry had experienced 70% growth last year and was the number one phone in the UK.

Figures from research firm Gfk show that the phone maker had 28.2% of the UK smartphone market in 2010.

However, the firm trails Google, Nokia and Apple in terms of market share, according to figures from Canalys.

“Are people writing us off? We have had huge growth in the last year. I wouldn’t write us off,” he said.

He was also keen to shake off RIM’s business focussed image.

“80% of our subscribers are consumers.”

Blackberry is forging a new link with younger, teenage consumers who are flocking to the handset because of Blackberry messaging.

Analysts have characterised 2011 as a year of transition for Blackberry as it moves away from its traditional business roots.

But for Mr Balsillie the greatest change is the move into larger devices.

“The biggest transition for us is that we are coming out with tablets,” he said.

The firm announced its Playbook tablet device in September 2010.

In Barcelona, the firm also said that would be launching a 4G Playbook in the second half of the year. None of its tablets have yet hit shop shelves, but are expected in the coming weeks.

It has been a difficult year for RIM in countries such as Saudi Arabia and India, where governments want to gain greater access to the tight security system used for Blackberry’s business users.

Mr Balsillie said the company’s policy had not changed, despite significant growth amongst Indian consumers.

“We want to abide by local laws while also supporting our systems,” he said.

RIM has always maintained that it cannot interfere with the encryption system set up to protect its business customers’ messages.

It remained in talks with the government in India, said a spokesman.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Egypt army sets reform deadline

Egyptian policemen stage a protest in Tahrir Square. 14 Feb 2011The military is trying to quell strikes and protests still being held around the country

Egypt’s ruling military council has announced that work on reforming the country’s constitution is to be completed in 10 days.

A committee led by a retired judge has been tasked with proposing legal changes, said the council.

It earlier suspended the current constitution, which was amended during ousted President Hosni Mubarak’s tenure to strengthen his grip on power.

Mr Mubarak stepped down last week after more than two weeks of protests.

The higher military council – which assumed power after Mr Mubarak stepped down – said on Tuesday that the amended constitution would be put to a popular referendum.

The eight-member committee is mostly made up of experts in constitutional law but it includes a senior figure from the opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood.

It is headed by Tariq el-Bishri, considered one of Egypt’s top legal minds, and on Tuesday held its opening meeting with Defence Minister Mohamed Hussein Tantawi.

The committee is instructed to “amend all articles as it sees fit to guarantee democracy and the integrity of presidential and parliamentary elections”.

The BBC’s Jon Leyne in Cairo says it looks as if the military council is fulfilling its pledge to hand the country back to civilian rule as quickly as possible.

Tahrir Square 15 Feb 2011Tahrir Square, the focus of protests in Cairo, has largely returned to normal

The speed of the move will reassure the opposition, he says, although there might be some nervousness about whether it is an attempt to push through changes in too much of a rush.

The military council has also repeated its calls for an end to strikes that spread across the country during Sunday and Monday.

The stoppages are dealing a further blow to Egypt’s ailing economy, damaged by three weeks of unrest.

“The supreme council is aware of the economic and social circumstances society is undergoing, but these issues cannot be resolved before the strikes and sit-ins end,” the state news agency Mena quoted the military as saying.

“The result of that will be disastrous,” it added.

Strikes eased on Tuesday, mainly because offices and businesses were closed for an Islamic holiday.

But correspondents said some smaller protests continued in provinces outside Cairo, mainly called by workers demanding higher pay.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

First-time buyers ‘face big bill’

FlatsLenders are asking for significant deposits for all types of homes

Housing and lending bodies are facing government calls to lend to first-time buyers – but the UK’s major lenders are not at Tuesday’s summit.

Housing minister Grant Shapps has summoned various parties to “frank and open” discussions on difficulties for first-time buyers.

The government estimates 1.4 million households want to own their own home, but face a mortgage squeeze.

However, the major lenders were not specifically invited to the meeting.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) and the Building Societies Association – which represent lenders – are attending the summit.

Mr Shapps is expected to use the meeting to call on banks to offer more help to first-time buyers, such as creating new products specifically aimed at helping people get on the property ladder.

Figures show a downward trend in first-time buyer numbers throughout 2010.

There was a sharp fall at the end of the year, according to the British Bankers’ Association (BBA), although this was skewed by the rush to beat the end of the stamp duty holiday at the end of 2009.

‘Lenders were right to be careful’

Nearly three years ago, Adam Gannon, of Bolton, e-mailed the BBC to express how difficult it was to get a mortgage.

He had been saving for a year.

After buying his first home a year ago, his views have changed slightly.

“Saving up initially was the hardest part,” he said.

“But they [lenders] were right to be careful. They got themselves into a difficult situation in the first place because of what they lent out.”

First-time buyers are regarded as crucial to any housing revival, but many have only been able to get onto the ladder with financial assistance from relatives.

The average deposit required when buying a property was 23% in December, according to the BBA, up from 21% the previous month.

This has been partly the result of strict lending criteria from mortgage providers – including turning down potential borrowers with any blot on their credit history.

“We want to do more to help aspiring first-time buyers – the average age of the first-time buyer with no support from their family is now 37, and there are 1.4 million households who aspire to own a home but are simply unable to do so because of house prices and mortgage availability,” Mr Shapps said.

“So I am calling together key figures from across industry to discuss how we can tackle this problem. This cannot be achieved simply by top-down diktats from government – there will need to be a unified effort and creative solutions from across the board to make sure we do not lock young people out of the housing market.”

Extra help cannot come soon enough for Nick and Marie Smith. They had been renting a home for four years, while saving for a deposit.

Nick and Marie SmithNick and Marie Smith have been trying to save up for a deposit

The couple, who have two young children, realised that to raise enough money they needed to move in with Mr Smith’s mother in Wiltshire.

“It cannot be for ever. I would be nice to be together in our own home,” said Mrs Smith.

They were keen for Mr Shapps to demand that lenders loosen their lending criteria.

“They have got to do something about this level of deposit. It is just ridiculous. Nobody can save that level of deposit,” Mr Smith said.

“It does not just affect first-time buyers, it affects everyone up the chain. He [Mr Shapps] really needs to get something going and improve their lending.

“The banks should be working for us, not the other way around.”

Separate research from housing website Rightmove found that 23% of people who planned to buy a property in the coming year would be first-time buyers.

Generally, it is thought that double this proportion of first-time buyers is a sign of a healthy housing market.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Rude gesture speeding man fined

Rider making rude gesturePaul Collins was spotted by officers riding along the same road
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A speeding motorcyclist who made a rude gesture at a speed camera because “his mates told him he would not get caught” has been fined.

Paul Collins was riding his bike, which had no front registration plate, at 48mph in a 30mph zone along Maybray King Way in Southampton last October.

Police traced him through his distinctive bike which was later spotted by officers on the same road.

Collins, 26, of Hillson Drive, Fareham, admitted speeding and was fined £117.

He was also given five points on his licence at Southampton Magistrates’ Court and fined a further £60 for driving otherwise in accordance to his licence.

Pc Mick Gear, from Hampshire Police, said: “When we visited him at home, the rider admitted the offence, telling us his mates told him he wouldn’t get caught.

“I think this is a lesson to all irresponsible motorcyclists that we will seek to prosecute anyone caught speeding through these areas.

“Collins did so knowingly and his arrogance was plain to see from the enforcement image.

“I hope the sentence will encourage other riders to be more responsible.”

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