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Tuition fees vote ‘due in weeks’

Students and school children demonstrate against proposals to raise tuition fees

Nick Clegg has urged those who have taken to the streets to look hard at what is being proposed

A Commons vote on controversial plans to raise student tuition fees will be held before the end of the year.

Commons leader Sir George Young said a vote on plans to double fees in England and allow universities to charge more than £9,000 in some circumstances would take place before the end of the year.

The proposals have led to mass protests in London and other university cities.

No 10 has suggested Lib Dem ministers with concerns about the move would not be expected to vote for the proposals.

Lib Dem MPs are under fierce pressure after signing a pre-election pledge not to raise fees from their current £3,290 level and calling for them to be scrapped in the long term.

The coalition agreement gives Lib Dem MPs scope to abstain in votes on the issue but many prominent MPs – including Sir Menzies Campbell – have indicated they will vote against it.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has said he regrets his U-turn on fees but argues he is not able to implement several Lib Dem policies because the party is in coalition with the Conservatives.

He says the proposals are fairer than the current system as the level at which graduates will start to repay money will rise to £21,000, there will be additional support for the poorest students and upfront fees for part-time students will be axed.

Asked whether Lib Dem ministers would be expected not to vote against the policy, a No 10 spokesman said “we would expect them to abide by the coalition agreement”.

“Usually the principle of collective responsibility applies but we have a coalition government and there are provisions on specific issues,” he added.

The BBC’s Political Correspondent Iain Watson said there was no suggestion from Downing Street that Lib Dem ministers would be expected to actually vote for the proposals.

The Lib Dem parliamentary party was discussing a possible deal in which its government ministers would agree to abstain on the fee vote – in return for backbenchers being persuaded to abstain rather than vote against, he added.

Sir George Young did not give details of when the vote would actually take place but indicated it would happen before Parliament’s Christmas recess begins on 21 December.

Most Conservatives are in favour of lifting the current cap on fees – recommended by the Browne review last month – while Labour leader Ed Miliband supports a rival graduate tax proposal, the precise details of which have yet to be decided.

Shadow Commons leader Hilary Benn, for Labour, said an early vote on the fees increase demonstrated that the government was “desperate to try and get this out of the way”.

He said this would enable voters to “see every single Liberal Democrat who goes through the ‘aye’ lobby and breaks the pledge that they made”.

Student leaders have said protests against the proposals, which turned violent in London, and cuts in university funding will continue and have urged ministers to “sit up and take notice” of public anger.

But vice-chancellors have warned about what they say will be the devastating impact on universities if politicians fail to agree on increasing fees.

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

Happiness index ‘not woolly’ – PM

Health, education and income may be factors used to measure happiness

Diets quiz

Atkins, F-Plan, Miami Beach â€“ do you know your fad diets?

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

Queen’s tips for Kate during UAE visit

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh were greeted by cheering children on their second day of a five-day State visit to the Gulf.

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

Retail sales ‘higher’ in November

Retail sales rose in November, according to a CBI survey, but retailers are more concerned about the outlook for next year.

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

Students continue campus sit-ins

Student jumps over fence outside Oxford University's Radcliffe Camera building

The Bodleian Library protesters want Oxford University to pledge not to raise fees

Students are still occupying buildings, including Oxford’s Bodleian library, at eight universities after a UK-wide day of protests against tuition fee rises.

On Thursday morning, students remained in lecture theatres and other sites where they had spent the night at universities including Edinburgh, UCL, Cardiff, Newcastle, Plymouth and Leeds.

Protest leaders have announced a further day of action on 30 November.

Seventeen people were hurt in clashes at Wednesday’s march in London.

Thirty-two arrests were made after a police van was attacked and barricades thrown as protesters tried to break through police lines as thousands of people demonstrated at Whitehall.

School pupils walked out of lessons to join university and college students on local protest marches across the UK.

Protesters are angered by the government’s plans to allow universities in England to charge tuition fees of up to £9,000 a year and to make cuts of up to 80% to university teaching budgets.

Demonstrators at students' Whitehall protest

Protesters complained about being held for hours on Wednesday evening

Further education and sixth form students are also enraged by the scrapping of the educational maintenance allowance, which gives low-income 16-19 year olds up to £30 a week to help them continue in full time education.

On Thursday, Oxford University said “tens” of people, some of whom it believed were not students, were occupying the Radcliffe Camera, part of the Bodleian Library.

The students are calling on Oxford University to commit to not increasing fees for any courses, and pledge never to privatise.

Oxford University said it had asked the students to leave.

“The University of Oxford supports freedom of expression and the right to peaceful protest,” it said in a statement.

“However, this is an unlawful occupation and one that has caused considerable inconvenience and disruption,” it said.

At Edinburgh University, dozens of students stayed overnight in the Appleton Tower lecture building, while about 30 students have taken over a lecture theatre in Cardiff and 30 to 40 stayed put in Newcastle University’s Fine Arts building.

Occupations also continued at University College London, the School of Oriental and African Studies, Manchester, Plymouth, Leeds and Essex.

The sit-ins follow a day of protests around the UK on Wednesday.

The Education Activist Network said it showed the “mass, deep-seated and furious opposition to the government’s education cuts” and hailed walkouts, protests and marches yesterday “too numerous for the media to count”.

The group accused the police of “heavy-handed brutality” in its handling of Wednesday’s protest in London, criticising the police for “kettling” students as young as 14 for hours behind police lines in cold conditions.

But Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson defended the move and said forcibly holding protesters in one place was a “valued tactic to be used wisely and on the best information and carefully”.

Two of those injured were police officers.

The EAN said a further day of action, billed as a “national student strike” was being planned for Tuesday 30 November.

On Wednesday, Universities Minister David Willetts said students had not seemed to have understood the proposals on fees – and that they would not have to pay the higher fees up-front.

“Young people will be provided with the funds they need to meet whatever charges universities levy,” said Mr Willetts.

Under the government’s plans, graduates will start to pay their fees back once their incomes reach £21,000.

Debts not paid off after 30 years will be wiped out.

The proposals apply to England, but are likely to have knock-on effects in Wales and Northern Ireland, where students currently pay similar tuition fees to those in England.

Scottish students studying at Scottish universities do not have to pay fees, but there is increasing pressure for some form of graduate contribution to help fund the sector.

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

Dutch ask Germany to arrest Nazi

Dutch authorities issue a European arrest warrant for a Dutch-born Nazi war criminal, Klaas-Carel Faber, now living in Germany.

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

Fewer migrants coming to NI

The number of international migrants coming to live and work in Northern Ireland is falling, Statistics and Research Agency figures reveal.

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

Euro slides on Irish debt fears

Protesters outside government buildings in Dublin

Austerity measures are proving deeply unpopular

The euro has continued its slide against the dollar as investors digest the Irish Republic’s austerity plan.

The currency fell by almost half a cent to $1.3325, and has now fallen by more than three cents this week.

The four-year Irish plan is designed to save 15bn euros ($20bn; £13bn) through spending cuts and tax rises, but investors remain unconvinced.

The government is also negotiating a bail-out package with the European Union and International Monetary Fund.

This is expected to be worth about 85bn euros.

The austerity measures are designed to reduce the Republic’s budget deficit, which is the highest in the eurozone.

However, there are doubts about the Irish government’s growth estimates, which directly impact its deficit forecasts – many investors see them as overly-optimistic.

EURO V US DOLLAR Last Updated at 25 Nov 2010, 02:40 ET *Chart shows local time EUR:USD intraday chart

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The government still expects the economy to average 2-2.5% growth in 2011, and 3.5-4.5% the year after, whereas rating agency Standard & Poor’s has said it expects virtually no growth over the next two years.

There also are also doubts about the whether the government will be able to push through its austerity measures when parliament votes on the budget on 7 December.

Compounding this uncertainty are fears that the Irish debt crisis will spread to other countries with high deficits, in particular Portugal and Spain.

All these factors are putting pressure on the euro.

In total, the spending cuts announced in the recovery plan will amount to 10bn euros, while tax rises will bring in a further 5bn euros.

The cuts include 2.8bn euros of savings in social welfare spending, 24,750 public sector jobs cuts and a 1 euro reduction in the minimum wage, to 7.65 euros an hour.

The tax rises include an extra 1.9bn euros from income tax changes, an increase in VAT from 21% to 22% in 2013, and to 24% in 2014, and a new “site value” property tax to raise 200 euros from most homeowners by 2014.

The government has already implemented 15bn euros of cuts in the last two years.

The measures have proved deeply unpopular with the electorate, and junior government partner, the Green Party, has called for a general election in January.

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

Icy blast hits east of Scotland

The Met Office said the cold snap would worsen over the coming days

Harman plea over female violence

Ministers must show more commitment to the issue of tackling violence against women overseas, Shadow International Development Secretary Harriet Harman says.

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

Sick pay threat to council staff

Staff could lose pay for the first three days they are off sick, under proposals being discussed by Teignbridge District Council.

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

Joel recovering from hip surgery

Singer Billy Joel is recovering from double hip replacement surgery, a spokeswoman for the star reveals.

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

Big chill begins as snow arrives

The earliest widespread snowfall for 17 years looks to be taking hold across many parts of the UK, with the cold spell likely to last into next week.

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

NZ miners’ recovery ‘months away’

The miners are (top row L to R) Conrad John Adams, 43, Malcolm Campbell, 25, Glen Peter Cruse, 35, Allan John Dixon, 59, Zen Wodin Drew, 21, Christopher Peter Duggan, 31, Joseph Ray Dunbar, 17, John Leonard Hale, 45, Daniel Thomas Herk, 36, (second row L to R) David Mark Hoggart, 33, Richard Bennett Holling, 41, Andrew David Hurren, 32, Jacobus (Koos) Albertus Jonker, 47, William John Joynson, 49, Riki Steve Keane, 28, Terry David Kitchin, 41, Samuel Peter McKie, 26, Michael Nolan Hanmer Monk, 23, (bottom row L to R) Kane Barry Nieper, 33, Peter O"Neill, 55, Milton John Osborne, 54, Brendan John Palmer, 27, Benjamin David Rockhouse, 21, Peter James Rodger, 40, Blair David Sims, 28, Joshua Adam Ufer, 25 and Keith Thomas Valli, 62

The operator of the mine said it would make every effort to retrieve the men’s bodies. Francis Skiddy Marden and Stuart Gilbert Mudge are not pictured

Related stories

New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key has promised an investigation into the deaths of 29 miners at the Pike River mine on South Island.

Warning that it could take months to recover the bodies, Mr Key – who will visit Greymouth on Thursday – said the nation “needs answers”.

The men were declared dead on Wednesday after a second explosion ripped through the shaft where they were trapped.

Messages of condolences have poured in from around the world.

Mr Key told local media that an independent commission of inquiry would be established to look into the cause of the explosions that trapped and most likely killed the miners.

“We need answers to what happened at Pike River,” Mr Key said. “Clearly something’s gone terribly wrong and it’s now claimed the loves of 29 people.”

Mr Key warned that it could take months to recover the remains of the workers. The recovery operation could only take place “in a way that is safe to those that would undertake that mission”, he said as he arrived in Greymouth to visit grieving relatives.

Local high school principal Jim Luders said Greymouth, home to many of the miners, was devastated by the disaster.

New Zealand mine disasters

1879: Probable gas explosion kills 34 men and boys at Kaitangata mine

1896: Suspected gas explosion kills 65 men at Brunner mine, near Greymouth

1914: Gas explosion kills 43 men at Ralph’s mine in Huntly

1926: Explosion kills nine men at Dobson mine, near Greymouth

1939: Carbon monoxide asphyxiates 11 men at Glen Afton mine in Huntly

1967: Gas explosion kills 19 miners at Strongman mine, near Greymouth

2010: Explosions at Pike River mine, near Greymouth, are believed to have killed 29 miners

“Everyone here knows someone who’s down the mines and that’s what makes it so intensely personal,” he told Radio New Zealand.

As flags across New Zealand were flying at half-mast, the UK’s Queen Elizabeth, who is New Zealand’s head of state, said she was deeply saddened by the disaster.

“I send my thanks and deep appreciation to everyone who has worked so hard to attempt a rescue, and also to those who will have a part to play in the task of healing the pain that is being felt throughout New Zealand and around the world,” she said.

Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard said: “Our hearts go out to them and on behalf of the Australian people I give the condolences of this nation.” Australia had sent experts and equipment for the rescue effort at the Pike River mine.

Mr Key, who is to visit the grieving families in the town of Greymouth on Thursday, praised the efforts of the rescue teams, which some relatives have criticised.

“It wasn’t for the want of trying, or the willingness or the courage or the bravery of those that would have gone in to undertake the rescue – it was just the reality of the situation.”

Even before the second blast ended hopes of survival, rescuers did not manage to make contact with the miners – who included 24 New Zealanders, two Australians, two Britons and a South African.

Some grieving relatives accused the authorities of being too cautious in the efforts to save the men, trapped underground after an explosion on 19 November.

Prince Charles: “Our hearts go out to them”

Laurie Drew, whose 21-year-old son Zen was among those killed, said the miners’ families were angry that rescuers had not entered the mine after the first blast.

“They had their window of opportunity that Friday night, and now the truth can’t come out because no-one alive will be able to come out and tell the truth about what went on down there,” he said.

But mining rescue expert Andrew Watson told the BBC that the emergency crews would have been totally focused on trying to rescue their colleagues.

“There is absolutely no doubt that if it had been possible for them to enter the mine at any time, they would have done so,” he said.

Officials believed the poisonous and combustible atmosphere deep underground had made a swift rescue attempt impossible.

Police confirmed a second explosion had ripped through the mine at 1437 (0137 GMT) on Wednesday, ending hopes of a rescue.

Analysts say New Zealand’s mines have a good safety record, and this was the worst disaster for almost a century.

Pike River is not far from the Strongman mine, where an underground explosion killed 19 men in January 1967.

New Zealand’s worst mining disaster was in 1896, when a gas explosion at the Brunner mine, also near Greymouth, left 65 miners dead. It accessed the same coal seam as the Pike River mine.

Graphic: Cross section of the Pike River Mine showing location of trapped miners 2km inside the main access tunnel

New Zealand’s largest coal mineEmploys some 150 peopleOperational since 2008Accesses Brunner and Paparoa coal seams via 2.3km tunnel under Paparoa Ranges5.5m-wide, 4.5m-high tunnel bisects Hawera fault, through which methane gas is known to leakFirst blast is believed to have happened at 1530 (0230 GMT) on FridayTwo injured miners emerged from the tunnel entrance on Friday evening

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