The Labour leader Ed Miliband has told Andrew Marr he doesn’t like the idea of a coordinated strike
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Labour leader Ed Miliband has said he is “appalled” by the idea of trade unions planning strikes to disrupt Royal Wedding celebrations.
He told the BBC such a plan of action would be “absolutely the wrong thing to do” and a “sign of failure”.
There have been reports of transport and public sector strikes on 29 April, but unions have played down the idea in recent days.
David Cameron has suggested changing the law to make it harder to strike.
London Underground drivers in the Aslef union had been considering walking out on the day of Prince William’s marriage to Kate Middleton, but the threat has been removed as talks with Transport for London officials take place.
British Airways cabin crew have also talked of striking on the same day and over the Easter period. But, last week, Len McCluskey, the general secretary-elect of the Unite union, said there was “no likelihood” of such action.
There are, however, suggestions that public sector workers may protest on the day against the effects of government cuts, including pay freezes and job losses.
Mr Miliband told BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show: “I’m appalled by the idea that there are going to be strikes to disrupt the Royal Wedding. That’s absolutely the wrong thing for the trade unions to do.
“I would totally condemn that and similarly in relation to the Olympics…
“Strikes are a last resort and a sign of failure on both sides… They are not the way you change a government. The way you change a government is through the ballot box.”
He added: “What we are not going to do under my leadership is go back to the heroic failures of the 1980s.”
The prime minister has suggested he could look at the law on industrial action, amid calls for strike ballots to be unlawful if under half of a union’s membership takes part.
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Three women are killed in a stampede at a crowded three-storey nightclub in the Hungarian capital, Budapest.
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The Conservatives fought a “very gentle” campaign for the Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles says.
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Ms Le Pen looks set to be a genuine contender in the 2012 presidential elections
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France’s far-right National Front has named Marine Le Pen as its new leader at a party conference.
She is succeeding her father Jean-Marie Le Pen, who founded the FN in 1972.
On Saturday party sources reported that she had secured two-thirds of votes against rival Bruno Gollnisch in a recent referendum of members.
The anti-immigrant FN has been shunned by France’s main parties, but Ms Le Pen has said she wants to break with the party’s xenophobic image.
In a combative farewell speech on Saturday Mr Le Pen, 82, insisted that “unceasing immigration” posed a threat to France.
“All my comments were distorted from their true meaning… because I refused to submit to the dictatorship of the thought police,” he told cheering supporters at the conference in the central city of Tours.
He added that it was up to FN members to ensure the party’s future success under a new leader.
“I entrust you with the destiny of our movement… its unity, its pugnacity,” he said.
French TV footage showed Marine Le Pen, 42, crying as she applauded her father.
Although Mr Le Pen’s five presidential bids have failed, the FN has steadily grown under his leadership. In recent elections the party has been able to garner about 15% of the vote.
In 2002 he came a shock second in the first round of presidential elections, but lost the second round to incumbent Jacques Chirac.
A recent poll suggested the party could come third in presidential elections to be held in 2012.
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British actress Susannah York has died at the age of 72 after suffering from cancer, her son has said.
She appeared in film, TV and theatre during a career which began in the 1960s.
She was nominated for a best supporting actress Oscar for her role in the 1969 film They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? and won a Bafta for the same role.
Her son Orlando Wells told the Telegraph newspaper that she was “an absolutely fantastic mother”.
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Lord Owen, a founder of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), says he could rejoin Labour after being impressed by Ed Miliband’s leadership.
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Pope Shenouda III says Egypt should do more to protect its Coptic Christians
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Egypt has sentenced a man to death for killing six Coptic Christians and a Muslim policeman in January 2010.
Mohamed Ahmed Hussein was found guilty of shooting the group outside a midnight Mass for Coptic Christmas in Naga Hamady, southern Egypt.
The attack was thought to be revenge for the alleged rape of a 12-year-old Muslim girl by a Christian man.
The court ruling comes two weeks after a suicide bomber killed 23 people at a Coptic church in Alexandria.
Coptic Christians make up 10% of Egypt’s 80 million population.
They have often complained of harassment and discrimination, and argue that attacks on them go unpunished or result in light sentences.
The head of Egypt’s Coptic church, Pope Shenouda III, has urged the government to do more to address their concerns.
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Shane Watson hits a majestic unbeaten 161 for Australia as they win the opening one-day international against England with five balls to spare in Melbourne.
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A man is questioned on suspicion of murder after police find a body on the fourth floor of a vacant Brighton property.
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Some residents have formed impromptu militias to protect their homes
Tunisian political leaders have started efforts to fill the power vacuum created by the fall of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali amid mass protests.
Interim leader Foued Mebazaa – who was sworn in on Saturday – promised to form a unity government.
The country appears to be mostly quiet, although gunfire was heard in Tunis during a second overnight curfew.
The previous night had seen widespread violence, including looting, torching of buildings and deadly jail riots.
A state of emergency remains in force and there is very little economic activity. Schools, government offices and most shops are closed
The BBC’s Adam Mynott in Tunis says the immediate future of the country, thrown into unprecedented turmoil, is in the hands of the military.
Mr Mebazaa, who until Saturday was the Speaker of parliament, has asked Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi to form a national unity government.
“All Tunisians without exception and exclusion must be associated in the political process,” Mr Mebazaa said in a televised address.
Opposition leader Najib Chebbi told France’s RTL radio that he had already held talks with Mr Ghannouchi about taking part.
He said his main demand was that elections should be held “within six or seven months” under international supervision.
Under the present Tunisian constitution a presidential election must be held within 60 days.
Another opposition figure, Mustafa Ben Jaafar, told Reuters news agency that he too had been contacted and called for “real reforms”.
Further talks are expected on Sunday.
The exiled head of Tunisia’s banned Islamist party, Rached Ghannouchi, said he would return to the country within weeks.
Speaking to the BBC in London, he said Tunisians had got rid of a dictator, but they had a long way to go were a long way from bringing down the dictatorship.
The centre of Tunis has been sealed off by troops guarding key public buildings. Helicopters are patrolling overhead.
Residents in some areas have armed themselves with sticks and clubs, forming impromptu militias to protect their homes.
Fall from power17 Dec: Man sets himself on fire in Sidi Bouzid over lack of jobs, sparking protests24 Dec: Protester shot dead in central Tunisia28 Dec: Protests spread to Tunis8-10 Jan: Dozens of deaths reported in crackdown on protests12 Jan: Interior minister sacked13 Jan: President Ben Ali promises to step down in 201414 Jan: Mr Ben Ali dissolves parliament after new mass rally, then steps down and flees15 Jan: Parliamentary Speaker Foued Mebazaa sworn in as interim president
Profile: Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali Tunisia holidaymakers back in UKA resident of Nabeul, south of Tunis, Haythem Houissa, told the BBC that he had joined a volunteer group “to help clean up and guard our city”.
“The security situation is much better since yesterday,” he added.
Some of the violence is being blamed on supporters of Mr Ben Ali.
However many attacks appeared to target businesses and buildings connected with the former president and his family.
A hospital source in Tunis told AFP news agency that Imed Trabelsi, the nephew of Mr Ben Ali’s powerful wife, had been stabbed to death on Saturday.
Saturday’s deadliest incident was in Monastir, about 160km (100 miles) south of Tunis, where fire swept though a prison, killing at least 42 people.
The leader of neighbouring Libya, Muammar Gaddafi, praised Mr Ben Ali, whom he said he still considered the “legal president of Tunisia”.
“You have suffered a great loss… There is none better than Zine (Mr Ben Ali) to govern Tunisia,” he said in a speech broadcast on state television.
In the past month, protests have swept the country over unemployment, food price rises and corruption. Police used live ammunition against protesters and dozens died.
Mr Ben Ali, who had been in power for 23 years, fled to Saudi Arabia on Friday, after the unrest culminated in a giant rally against him. He was only Tunisia’s second president since independence in 1956.
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