North Korean diplomacy heats up

news.bbc.co.uk - North Korea tells China it is committed to a non-nuclear peninsula, say reports, as a top UN envoy heads to Pyongyang. More... (Asia)

Pakistan leader survives attack

news.bbc.co.uk - A senior Pakistani politician survives an attempt on his life after gunmen fire at him in the city of Rawalpindi. More... (Asia)

Murder inquiry into skeleton find

news.bbc.co.uk - Police investigate the death of a woman whose skeleton was found wrapped in carpet at a Manchester building site. More... (England)

Guscott criticises 'stodgy' Wales

news.bbc.co.uk - BBC pundit and ex-England centre urges Wales to attack with pace and says they have become a 'stodgy' team to their own detriment. More... (Wales)

Lloyds and RBS 'failing to lend'

news.bbc.co.uk - Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds are criticised by MPs for failing to lend enough to homeowners and businesses. More...

Diver's body recovered from wreck

news.bbc.co.uk - The remains of a male diver have been recovered from a wreck in Scapa Flow in Orkney, Northern Constabulary say. More... (UK)

Toyota Prius among recall of hybrid cars in Japan

www.guardian.co.uk - Carmaker recalls more than 220,000 vehicles over brake problems as media reports move could spread worldwideToyota is to recall more than 220,000 hybrid cars in Japan, including its Prius model, it confirmed today, while media reports claimed the recall could spread to more than 400,000 hybrids around the world.The move comes amid complaints in Japan and the US over a brake defect that can cause temporary brake failure at low speeds, particularly on bumpy or slippery surfaces. The world's biggest carmaker is already faces criticism over the recent recall of more than 8m cars worldwide affected by potentially dangerous acceleration problems.Reports today said 223,000 hybrid cars in Japan would be recalled, while an internal document obtained by Reuters said the recall would be extended to 436,000 cars worldwide. A global recall could affect almost 7,000 owners of the third-generation Prius in the UK.Toyota announced the Japanese recall across four hybrid models - the 2010 Prius model, the Prius PHV, the SAI and the Lexus HS250h. But Reuters said the report, which has not been made public, showed the firm would recall a further 213,000 cars outside Japan, including 150,000 in the US.Toyota's president, Akio Toyoda, and its executive in charge of quality control, Shinichi Sasaki, were due to give details of the latest recall in Tokyo this afternoon.The carmaker is battling to save its reputation, particularly in the key US market, where it faces lawsuits linked to accidents, an investigation by highway authorities and mounting criticism of its handling of the crisis by the Obama administration.Toyoda, the grandson of the company's founder, attempted to reassure US drivers in an op-ed article in the Washington Post. "I have spoken with US transportation secretary, Ray LaHood, and given him my personal assurance that lines of communications with safety agencies and regulators will be kept open, that we will communicate more frequently and that we will be more vigilant in responding to those officials on all matters," he said.The recall of the latest version of the Prius in Japan is expected to be followed by similar measures in the US and Europe. The model is sold in about 60 countries, with sales totalling just over 300,000 since the first models were rolled out last spring.Toyota said it had fixed the software glitch responsible for the braking problem in the Prius models that went on sale since last month, but had yet to do repair models sold before then.Analysts accused the firm, which waited a week to discuss the brake defect after the first complaints were reported in the media, of being in a state of denial."Listening to management now, I think they still think there isn't a real problem with the Prius," Christopher Richter, auto analyst at CLSA Asia Pacific Markets, said before the Prius recall was announced."But at this point you don't resist, because right now any Toyota vehicle that is perceived to have a problem you just say, 'We fix it.' That's how you win back trust."ToyotaJapanAutomotive industryUnited StatesJustin McCurryguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds More...

Diagnosis laughter... Clown doctors get lottery boost

news.bbc.co.uk - A drive to recruit more clowns to entertain sick children in hospitals and hospices across Northern Ireland receives a funding boost. More... (Northern Ireland)

Skeleton found at building site

news.bbc.co.uk - Police investigate the death of a woman whose skeleton was found wrapped in carpet at a Manchester building site. More... (UK)

Swiss bank UBS returns to profit

news.bbc.co.uk - Swiss bank UBS reports its first quarterly profit for a year, helped by lower costs and a large tax credit More... (Europe)

Writing off the UK's last palaeographer

www.guardian.co.uk - The decision by a London university to axe the UK's only chair in palaeography has been met by outrage from the world's most eminent classicists. John Crace on why the study of ancient writings matters - and why history will be lost without itDry, dusty and shortly to be dead. Palaeographers are used to making sense of fragments of ancient manuscripts, but King's College London couldn't have been plainer when it announced recently that it was to close the UK's only chair of palaeography. From ­September, the current holder of the chair, Professor David Ganz, will be out of a job, and the subject will no longer exist as a separate academic discipline in British universities. Its survival will now depend entirely on the whim of classicists and medievalists studying in other fields.The decision took everyone by ­surprise. "It was only recently that Rick Trainor [the principal of King's] was calling the humanities department [to which palaeography is attached] the jewel in the university's crown," says Dr Mary Beard, professor of ­classics at Cambridge University. "There had been a complete overhaul of ­minority disciplines in the mid-1990s, so there was consensus that everything had been pared down to the bare minimum."How things change. With Lord Mandelson - in his incarnation as secretary of state for business, industry and skills - now imposing a minimum 10% cut in spending throughout higher education, universities are looking to slash and burn departments. And esoteric subjects such as palaeography are easy targets; they attract comparatively few students and, most importantly, comparatively little in the way of research grants - the only way the past few governments have measured a subject's worth.But if Trainor was hoping palaeography would do the decent thing, he badly misjudged the situation. Professor Ganz - the fourth person to have held the chair since it was endowed in 1949 - didn't roll over and die quietly. "On the assumption that this means the end of the chair of palaeography, I am having to fight for my subject," he says, "and I have been deeply moved by the level of support from friends, many of whom I have never met."That's pretty much all Ganz is saying for now - but, having initially raised a very restrained, academic form of hell, others are now doing the talking for him. A Facebook page to save the chair has more than 4,000 members, and many of the world's most distinguished classicists have petitioned King's to ­reconsider its position. Even his ­students are stepping in to defend him. "Without a palaeography professor such as David Ganz, not only will King's be sorely deprived of a basis on which to teach almost every other university discipline," says Alexandra Maccarini, "but the study of humanities everywhere will suffer from the absence of a devoted specialist in the subject."In its strictest sense, palaeography is the study of ancient manuscripts whereby scholars can read texts - often partial, as many exist only in fragments - and localise and date handwriting accurately. This may sound arcane, and to some extent it is. But it is also the building block of all classical and ­medieval scholarship. According to Ganz: "Anyone who goes into a ­university library will within a week find an ancient manuscript that no one has yet properly understood.""It is academic forensic science," agrees Dr Irving Finkel, assistant keeper in the department of the ­Middle East at the British Museum. "Many of the printed texts we use today - be they the Bible, Livy's poems or Shakespeare's plays - do not come from a single text. They are a collation of various manuscripts that may have been altered by scribes over time. A palaeographer can help determine which is likely to be the most authentic."It's about understanding the codes, the signs and the ligatures [common abbreviations] that were in use at different periods of a language's evolution, so you can interpret words that may have been rubbed away and see what may have been added at a later date."Academics, of course, enjoy a good squabble, so it's hard to get universal agreement on what does and doesn't fall within palaeography's reach. For some it includes major finds such as the Rosetta Stone, from which ­hieroglyphics were first decoded, and Linear B, the ancient Minoan script translated by Michael Ventris. ­Others insist that, as they were carved in stone, they fall within epigraphy. Some restrict ­palaeography to merely classical texts; others include medieval and Renaissance texts.Either way, the point is much the same. It's not just that we wouldn't have a clue what the Dead Sea Scrolls or the Cyrus Cylinder (over which the British Museum and the Iranian government are currently locking horns) actually mean without palaeography; we wouldn't know how to evaluate their historical importance. Multiply this by every fragment and every hand-written folio, and the history of the world begins to be up for grabs."Palaeography is not simply an arcane auxiliary science," says Professor Jeffrey Hamburger, chair of medieval studies at Harvard University. "It is as basic to the training and practice of ­historians as mastery of Dos or Unix might be to a computer scientist.Not that palaeography has the answer to everything. No one has still made head or tail of Linear A (dating back to around 1900BC), and the Indus ­Valley script of the third millennium BC is still a mystery. But just days before King's made the announcement, its sister London institution, University College, was boasting how two of Ganz's former students, Dr Simon ­Corcoran and Dr Benet Salway, had pieced together 17 fragments of parchment that form an important ­Roman law code - believed to be the only original evidence yet discovered of the Gregorian Codex (a collection of constitutions upon which a substantial part of most modern European civil law ­systems are built) that had been thought lost for ever.Giving up on palaeography is like giving up on art, history and culture. It's like deciding we know all we want to know about the past, so we're not going to bother to find out any more: "It's not as if we can come back to it in 15 years' time if we then decide there's enough money," says Beard. "Palaeography can't be taught in an online tutorial; it's a skill handed down from one academic to another. If King's does go through with its decision, it's the end of the subject in this country."Reading the past: What palaeographers have done for usDead Sea ScrollsA collection of about 900 documents on parchment and papyrus, ­written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, ­dating from about 150BC to AD70. Discovered between 1947 and 1956 in 11 caves on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea. The earliest surviving ­examples of Biblical texts.Indus Valley ScriptMore than 600 symbols have been found - primarily on seals - belonging to the Indus Valley civilisation of 3,000BC. Most inscriptions are only four or five symbols in length. The longest is 26 symbols. Scholars have yet to decode them, though it hasn't stopped them arguing whether it does actually constitute a genuine language.Rosetta StoneTechnically one for epigraphers, but many palaeographers claim it for themselves. The stone, discovered by the French in 1799, contained three parallel texts - hieroglyphs, demotic and Greek - and was the key that ­enabled scholars to decode ­hieroglyphics for the first time.BeowulfThe most important work in Anglo-Saxon literature, the Old-English epic poem of 3,182 lines is known from a single manuscript that is estimated to date from AD1000. The manuscript has crumbled over time and scholars are still working on its preservation and revealing lost letters of the poem.Oxyrhynchus PapyriA collection of documents from the Ptolemaic and Roman eras excavated from the old rubbish mounds of Oxyrhynchus, an ancient Egyptian site thought so unimportant it was left almost untouched for centuries. Extracts from the plays of Menander and the Gospel of St Thomas are among the most important finds.Cuts and closuresHigher educationGeographyGeologyPeople in scienceScienceJohn Craceguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds More...

Iran 'ups nuclear fuel enriching'

news.bbc.co.uk - Iran has begun the process of enriching uranium to 20% at its plant at Natanz in defiance of the West, state media says. More... (Middle East)

Iran ups nuclear fuel enrichment

news.bbc.co.uk - Iran begins enriching uranium to 20% at its plant at Natanz in defiance of Western powers, Iranian state media says. More... (Middle East)

Many die in India tractor crash

news.bbc.co.uk - At least 23 people are killed when a vehicle overturns in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, police say. More... (Asia)

Toyota in global recall of Prius

news.bbc.co.uk - Toyota recalls thousands of Prius hybrid cars in Japan because of braking problems, as it tries to limit damage from a stream of problems. More...

'Trigger' vote support expected

news.bbc.co.uk - Assembly members are expected to support a "trigger" vote on a referendum on further powers. More... (Wales)

MLA proposes double-jobbing bill

news.bbc.co.uk - A bill will be introduced in Stormont later aimed at ending double-jobbing between the Assembly and local councils. More... (Northern Ireland)

Sri Lanka opposition mulls move

news.bbc.co.uk - Opposition politicians in Sri Lanka begin talks to decide what to do following the arrest of their defeated presidential candidate. More... (Asia)

Delay threat to shopping centre

news.bbc.co.uk - New shopping centre developers are "frustrated" at trying to persuade a government agency to move from the site. More... (Wales)

Unused flights cost taxpayer £70k

news.bbc.co.uk - Seven government departments have spent almost £70,000 in five years on flights which were never used. More... (UK)

Eye worries for young diabetics

news.bbc.co.uk - Doctors say more younger diabetics are needing sight-saving treatment for a condition older patients normally develop. More... (Wales)

Pompey hopeful over court battle

news.bbc.co.uk - Portsmouth say they are close to reaching an agreement to avoid being wound up in the High Court. More... (England)

'Tube taxi'

news.bbc.co.uk - Desperate Burmese find ways to cross the Thai border More... (Asia)

GM crop battle

news.bbc.co.uk - India set to rule on growing transgenic aubergines More... (Asia)

Tory cuts pave the way for a return to 80s dole queues | Polly Toynbee

www.guardian.co.uk - Conservative plans to axe longer term support suggest they still think unemployment is a price worth paying for ideologyAs certain as death and taxes are the deep cuts to come. Whoever is in power, the axe will fall. But where, how soon and how cruelly will depend on who wins the election. Labour, unwisely, is ­giving a premature foretaste with Peter ­Mandelson's university cuts. But David Cameron and George Osborne, whatever their jittery differences in pre-election language, are pledged to consign ­considerably more public employees to the dole than ­Labour is, tipping yet more private sector employees out of work as they go.In this worst recession since the 1930s, with 5% of the economy wiped out permanently, and years before ­output creeps back to where it was, unemployment should be far worse than in the early 80s recession. Based on previous recessions the predictions were that, by now, at least 3 ­million would be on the dole. Yet look at the comparison with the 80s. Back then, though growth restarted in 1981, unemployment kept soaring upwards long afterwards, reaching a peak of 3.3 million in 1986, some 12% of the then working population. Yet in this far worse recession only 2.46m - 7.8% of the working population - are out of work. True, January's figures, published next week, will almost certainly rise, with Christmas employees laid off, and many more will follow in future cuts. But still the numbers so far defy the gravity of the economic situation.Why? In Brighton Jobcentre Plus the comparative figures are remarkable: in 1983 there were 17,000 registered ­unemployed, but currently there are 5,600. One personal adviser who started work here in 1979 said what they can offer the unemployed now - helped by close contact with employers, urging them to take on the unemployed - bears no resemblance to back then.The 1980s signing-on offices - think the queue in The Full Monty - with their plastic seats bolted down to linoleum floors, offered a brief interview from behind a scratched reinforced window with bad-tempered, harassed staff who pushed people into pretty useless training or compulsory work schemes that led nowhere. Many were shunted on to invalidity benefit to keep the headline jobless figures down, whereas now the new system diverts people away from invalidity benefit to the official job-­seeking rolls. Lone parents used to be parked on income support, not registered as unemployed; whereas now those with children of seven or older join the register. Both those changes add to the official numbers out of work, which makes the difference between then and now even more striking.Two weeks ago the Young Person's Guarantee came into force, giving every 18 to 24 year-old out of work for six months a job or training - an improvement on the original New Deal, in that personal advisers give more specialised help. The Future Jobs Fund, which has also just rolled out nationally, is unlike any previous programme. It is ­creating 170,000 jobs mainly for 18 to 24 year-olds by giving employers £6,500 to take on each extra unemployed young ­person. Crucially, these jobs pay the minimum wage: a local panel, ­including the trade unions, checks to make sure the new jobs aren't cheap substitutes for old ones. Brighton has done well partly because the ­(Conservative) ­council has embraced it enthusiastically, offering a wide array of new jobs and apprenticeships.The day I visited Jobcentre Plus, I watched Jon, a 19-year-old, stare at the new list of jobs on offer with surprised excitement. He had been one of the 10% missing Neets - not in employment or education - since he left school at 16 with no qualifications. He only bothered to sign on unemployed six months ago. Forty jobs of all kinds had just been ­created by the Future Jobs Fund in the local NHS - manual, clerical, clinical assistants, all sorts - and he bounced off with the details of a jobs fair in the Funky Fish nightclub this week.Two graduates, out of work since leaving university last summer, unable to find even part-time waiting or cleaning work, were likewise delighted with the long list of new jobs that the Future Jobs Fund had produced for them: photographic assistant, trainee teaching assistant, football coaching, creative apprenticeships and many more - 112 in this office so far. (These two had long abandoned hope of graduate jobs.) Half the employers offering jobs for six months have agreed to match the funds and extend them to a year. Alarm at memories of the lost 1980s ­generation stirs employers to take on young ­people - but so does the money to pay for it. This is expensive - but cheap enough if it stops people falling into ­lifelong unemployability.Examining the Tory plans in their Get Britain Working document, the Future Jobs Fund is one of the many schemes on the party's list for the chop, to be wound up into a new work programme. The specialised New Deal for Lone Parents would go, too, despite its good track record. The Tories promise more apprenticeships, but the government is already bringing in a guaranteed apprenticeship for everyone who is qualified.Staff in Brighton were particularly upset by Conservative plans to outsource all the unemployed to private contractors after just six months, instead of after a year, as now. "We do a very good job here, with very good staff, and it's really rewarding," said one manager. The Tory outsourcing plan must be ideologically driven as it will be phenomenally expensive: 90% of the unemployed find jobs within a year. Jobcentre Plus costs less per person than the private contractors, so the Tories would pay a hefty deadweight sum for people who would find work anyway - all money the Tories opposed spending. Surprisingly low unemployment means that contractors have had fewer people sent to them than they budgeted for.David Cameron was an adviser to Chancellor Norman Lamont during the last recession, when he told the Commons that unemployment was "a price worth paying". Cameron no doubt no longer thinks so, but instead of threatening to axe the best back-to-work programmes, he might recall that in both the 80s and 90s recessions, more than a million people were unemployed for longer than a year: at present there are just 200,000. In the 1980s, there were 17 times more young people out of work for over a year than there are now. The many reasons are not all due to the jobcentres, but they deserve a fair slice of the credit. The crisis and its aftermath may prove to be the time when having a Labour, not a Conservative, government has mattered most.Unemployment and employment statisticsJob lossesJob huntingRecessionPeter MandelsonDavid CameronConservativesLabourPolly Toynbeeguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds More...

Chinese quake activist sentenced

news.bbc.co.uk - An activist who questioned why so many people died in a huge earthquake in China last year is jailed five years for subversion. More... (Asia)

Toyota makes mass recall of Prius

news.bbc.co.uk - Toyota recalls thousands of Prius hybrid cars in Japan because of braking problems, as it tries to limit damage from a stream of problems. More... (Asia)

Ukraine awaits Tymoshenko's move

news.bbc.co.uk - Ukraine is waiting for Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to either contest results from the presidential election, or quit. More... (Europe)

Amnesty report slams alumina mine run by Vedanta subsidiary in India

www.guardian.co.uk - Mine in Orissa state is causing air and water pollution that threatens the health of local people and their access to water, report findsA report by Amnesty International out today found that an alumina refinery in eastern India operated by a subsidiary of mining company Vedanta is causing air and water pollution that threatens the health of local people and their access to water.Amnesty International UK director Kate Allen said: "People have a right to water and to a healthy environment but Vedanta has failed to respect these rights in Orissa. Villagers were given scant and misleading information about the potential impact of the alumina refinery and mining project."They are living in the shadow of a massive refinery, breathing polluted air and afraid to drink from and bathe in a river that is one of the main sources of water in the region."One local woman told Amnesty International that she used to bathe in the river but is now scared of taking her children there. "Both my sons have had rashes and blisters," she said. Amnesty recorded many similar accounts from people living around the Lanjigarh refinery.Vedanta wants to expand the refinery sixfold but Allen said that the FTSE 100 company must ensure that its existing operations respect human rights before considering any expansion.The Dongria Kondh tribe yesterday appealed to Avatar director James Cameron to help them stop Vedanta from opening a nearby bauxite mine on their sacred land.Amnesty is also calling on the Indian authorities to set up a process to seek the free, prior and informed consent of the Dongria Kondh before allowing mining to proceed.The report also discovered that Vedanta has failed to act upon the findings of the British government regarding its proposed bauxite mine. In October, a government agency charged with promoting guidelines on ethical corporate behaviour for multinational companies adopted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found that Vedanta had "failed to engage the Dongria Kondh in adequate and timely consultations about construction of the mine". The government said it "could not find any record of the views of the ­Dongria Kondh about the construction of the bauxite mine in the Niyamgiri Hills ever having been collected and/or taken into consideration by the company".The Church of England last week said it had sold its £3.8m stake in Vedanta after mounting pressure to disinvest."We are not satisfied that Vedanta has shown, or is likely in future to show, the level of respect for human rights and local communities that we expect," said the church in a statement, adding that maintaining investments in Vedanta "would be inconsistent with the church investing bodies' joint ethical investment policy."Vedanta ResourcesMiningMiningIndiaKathryn Hopkinsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds More...

When will Tiger Woods make his comeback?

www.guardian.co.uk - Tiger Woods will not be making his comeback at the Accenture World Matchplay in Tucson next week. Then again, he might be. It depends on how inclined you are to believe speculation that started last week with an un-attributed, un-sourced story in the Herald-Sun of Melbourne. The blog chooses not believe that story, although this is not a reflection on the Herald-Sun, which has an unblemished record when it comes to scooping the rest of the world on all matters relating to Aussie rules football. But Tiger at the Accenture?That would mean several things would have to happen, and several people would have to be proved wrong, including the unnamed source "close to Woods" who allegedly told Foxnews.com "as far as I know (Woods' return) will not be at the Match Play". Strangely enough, an official connected to the running of the Tucson event used almost same form of words yesterday in response to a query from the blog: "Is he playing here? Off the record? Not as far as we know."The key question here is - how far does anyone know? The answer, it seems, is not very far at all; not unless you happen to be Tiger Woods or his wife Elin Nordegren. As for "sources close to Woods" - they may indeed once have been "close to Woods" but given the upheaval in his life, given his past propensity towards secrecy and given suggestions that several of those closely associated to him in the past haven't been in contact with him since the crash (and not just the former NBA player Charles Barkley), it could be that they know less than they are inclined to admit. Notwithstanding the creditable efforts of TMZ and Radaronline (both of whom appear to be getting whatever information they have from people who have, one way or another, come into contact with the Woods circus over the last 10 weeks rather than from people inside the Woods camp) this has been the most un-crackable story in sport since - well, the secret life of Tiger Woods prior to November's car crash. The absence of credible, verifiable information out there is staggering. Who says Tiger has lost control of his life? Of all the remarkable things about this story, perhaps the most remarkable is that Woods - to the detriment of his image and his financial well-being - has been able to keep the public in the dark. Obviously, he failed in this when it came to the so-called revelations about his alleged mistresses but, beyond that, what do we really know about what happened on the night of the car crash outside his home and what has happened since? The answer, truly, is not much. I mention all of the above as a pre-amble to address the question of what happens next, as well as preparing you for sad but true answer: I don't know. Clearly, this is a journalistic failure but what else can I do - I've made the calls. I have asked the questions. I have neither the inclination or the funds to solicit for "insider" gossip, and even if I did I wouldn't know who to pay. After all, there are no "insiders" when it comes to this story. There are only rumours. And echo chambers, where the rumours you heard last week bounce around for a few days and then come back to you. However, for what it's worth, it is possible to make some educated guesses. Firstly, Tiger probably won't play at the matchplay for reasons stated above and also because Accenture, which sponsors the tournament, was the first of Woods' corporate sponsors to dump him in the wake of the scandal. If past behaviour is any indication of future conduct, Woods, who is unlikely to have shed his long memory through all of this, will not reward Accenture for this act by rewarding them with the greatest gift of free publicity since John, Luke, Mark et al sat down and wrote the New Testament. Nick Faldo has said he expects Woods to return at the Masters and that this would be "a great place to start". For whom? For someone with an unhealthy self-obsession perhaps; someone who might be under the mistaken impression that this - meaning golf, life, the first major championship of the year , whatever - is all about him. It's not, of course - which is why Woods will surely have enough sense and common courtesy to dismiss out of hand the silly advice of Faldo. The Masters should be about the golf and about every competitior in the field, not about the world no1 and his desire to return to public life at a tournament where TMZ.com is least likely to be granted accreditation. Another possibility is that Woods could decide to miss the Masters and, indeed, the rest of the 2010 season. Alan Shipnuck of Sport's Illustrated made a every believable case for such a scenario in his most recent Golf.com mailbag:I don't think he would go to sex addiction rehab if he wasn't trying to save his marriage. There's obviously some very heavy lifting to do on that front, and it doesn't conform neatly to the PGA Tour schedule. If Elin stays you have to assume a lot of Tiger's other intimates have to go, so he could be looking at a sweeping shakeup in his business and personal life. Then he has to find the will to get his game back into fighting shape. The last thing Tiger wants to do is show up and struggle, further puncturing his aura. At this point I'd be stunned if he plays the Masters. If he's not back for the U.S. Open I could easily see him shutting it down until 2011.It is hard to argue with that. However, it is even harder to argue with the logic of the betting markets, and as of the last few days the flow of money has been towards Woods making a return before the Masters. Jim Furyk, who might be assumed to know Woods a little better than most of the PGA Tour, given that they have been paired together in several team competitions through the years, had this to say the other day:"If I had to bet, I'd bet we'd see him at Augusta. Tiger hasn't come out and made any real public statements, so it's hard to figure out. Everyone is guessing it will be Augusta. Whether he comes out earlier, or there, I have no idea."Assuming the matchplay and the Masters are out, that leaves the PGA Tour stops at Phoenix, Palm Beach Gardens (the Honda Classic), Doral (the CA Championship), Innsbrook (the Transitions Championship), the Bay Hill Invitational, the Shell Houston Open and the Tavistock Cup, a two-day exhibition event to be staged at Isleworth, where Woods has his family home (or at least did until November). Of those we can dismiss Phoenix, Palm Beach Gardens and Innsbrook - Phoenix because it is a zoo and the other two because Woods has no recent history of supporting those events. There have been reports that he is planning to come back at the Tavistock Cup, mainly because it is an "invitation only" event held at a private country club, with restricted access for the public and the press. Again, TMZ published this story, citing as its source "someone who works for the Woods family". No offence but would someone who works for the Woods family really be discussing his affairs with TMZ? However, a comeback at Isleworth does make a certain sense - Woods does owe them something after all the unwanted attention he has heaped on the place - but if he is serious about competing at the Masters is a two-day hit-and-giggle tournament with his mates really the best preparation? Probably not. That leaves either the CA Championship at Doral, or the Bay Hill Invitational - tournaments, and venues, where Woods has won numerous times in the past. He might play both, or he might play just one. If it is just one then it will be Bay Hill and for the following reasons:It takes place at the end of March, which will give him more time to get ready to play - especially if, as I was told the other (not by someone who works for the Woods family, I should add) he hasn't swung a golf since last March.Bay Hill is in Orlando, close to home; in other words, close to complete privacy after the day is over. Bay Hill is smaller and more intimate than Doral; the galleries are more "golf" orientated there, as opposed to those at Doral, which are more "event" orientated. There will be more casual fans at Doral, by which I mean more fans who are likely to get tanked up on beer on a Saturday afternoon and shout epithets at the top of Tiger's backswing.Bay Hill is Arnold Palmer's tournament. God only knows the world was wrong about many things when it came to Woods lifestyle and attitudes. But he has always given the impression that he liked and respected Palmer. Was he faking that too? I don't think so. Everyone likes Arnie, right? And finally, I think he will come back at Bay Hill because it is run by Woods' management company IMG, who will be able to control who gets in to cover what will be one of the biggest sporting occasions of the year. Speaking of which, I applied for my accreditation weeks ago and haven't heard anything since. Is there something someone isn't telling me?GolfTiger WoodsLawrence Doneganguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds More... (Golf)

Haitian 'lasts 27 days in rubble'

news.bbc.co.uk - The family of a Haitian man says he has survived four weeks under rubble since the devastating quake hit of 12 January. More... (Americas)

Haitian 'lasts 28 days in rubble'

news.bbc.co.uk - The family of a Haitian man says he has survived four weeks under rubble since the devastating quake hit of 12 January. More... (Americas)

BBC revealing total performer pay

news.bbc.co.uk - The BBC is to reveal the total amount paid to its performers who broadcast on radio and television. More... (UK)

BBC to reveal total performer pay

news.bbc.co.uk - The BBC is to reveal the total amount paid to its performers who broadcast on radio and television. More... (UK)

'Third-hand smoke' risk warning

news.bbc.co.uk - Lingering residue from tobacco smoke that clings to upholstery, clothing and the skin releases cancer-causing agents, warn experts. More...

Smartphone keys get quantum trick

news.bbc.co.uk - A quantum physics trick is set to give smartphones and hand-held devices pressure-sensitive switches and touchscreens. More...

Brain injury linked to gambling

news.bbc.co.uk - Californian scientists think they may have discovered the part of the brain which makes people fear losing money. More...

Fertile forties pregnancy warning

news.bbc.co.uk - Experts fear older women are ditching contraception in the mistaken belief that fertility inevitably wanes at a certain age. More... (UK)

Online safety for five-year-olds

news.bbc.co.uk - Children as young as five are being targeted in a safety campaign launched as part of EU Internet Safety Day. More...

Fish plant plan before committee

news.bbc.co.uk - A proposal to convert a site used for rearing chickens into a fish processing plant is to go before Highland councillors. More... (Scotland)

Graduate salaries 'stay at £25k'

news.bbc.co.uk - Research suggests the average graduate salary will remain at £25,000 for the second year running. More... (UK)

Rally against school budget cuts

news.bbc.co.uk - Parents are due to hold a rally outside the City Chambers in Edinburgh in protest about school budget cuts of £2m. More... (Scotland)

'Shake and bake' with iPhone app

news.bbc.co.uk - An iPhone application designed in Dundee helps minimise waste by suggesting recipes to cook with leftover food. More... (Scotland)

'Shake and bake' iPhone app aims to cut waste

news.bbc.co.uk - An iPhone application designed in Dundee helps minimise waste by suggesting recipes to cook with leftover food. More... (Scotland)

'Shake and bake' with iPone app

news.bbc.co.uk - An iPhone application designed in Dundee helps minimise waste by suggesting recipes to cook with leftover food. More... (Scotland)

Teacher training under fire

news.bbc.co.uk - MPs say entry requirements for teacher training courses in England are too low and damage the status of the profession. More... (England)

Teacher qualifications 'too low'

news.bbc.co.uk - MPs say entry requirements for teacher training courses in England are too low and damage the status of the profession. More... (England)

Student awaits terror case ruling

news.bbc.co.uk - A man branded a "wannabe suicide bomber" will learn if he is to be released after his conviction was overturned. More... (Scotland)

Housing crisis 'worst since WWII'

news.bbc.co.uk - The house building industry says Scotland is facing its worst housing crisis since World War II and recovery could take years. More... (Scotland)

Inquiry into Scottish trafficking

news.bbc.co.uk - An inquiry begins to establish the extent of human trafficking in Scotland and whether victims have enough protection. More...

US soldier 'waterboards' daughter

news.bbc.co.uk - A US soldier is arrested after allegedly waterboarding his four-year-old daughter for not reciting the alphabet, say Washington state police. More... (Americas)

Water punishment for US child

news.bbc.co.uk - A US soldier is arrested after allegedly punishing his four-year-old daughter with water for not reciting the alphabet. More... (Americas)

Soldier 'waterboarded' daughter

news.bbc.co.uk - A US soldier is arrested after allegedly waterboarding his four-year-old daughter for not reciting the alphabet. More... (Americas)

Hero pilot

news.bbc.co.uk - Captain thought he would die in Heathrow crash More... (England)

'I thought I'd die'

news.bbc.co.uk - Hero pilot on the Heathrow crash landing More... (UK)

Ice 'probable cause' of BA crash

news.bbc.co.uk - The fault which caused a plane to crash land at Heathrow airport in January 2008 was "unrecognised", a report says. More... (UK)

Ghosn's goal

news.bbc.co.uk - Nissan-Renault's head plans an electric-car future. More...

Minogue privacy complaint upheld

news.bbc.co.uk - The press watchdog upholds two complaints by X Factor judge Dannii Minogue against the Daily Mirror and Daily Record for invasion of privacy. More... (UK)

UK to launch civilian aid group

news.bbc.co.uk - A UK civilian stabilisation group is to be launched later to help rebuild countries hit by conflict or disaster. More... (UK)

Rajasthan Royals' tie-up with Hamsphire has ECB hot under collar

www.guardian.co.uk - Plans for annual Twenty20 festivals may fall foul of ECB Rajasthan link-up with Hampshire and Cape CobrasGrand plans announced yesterday by the Rajasthan Royals to stage a Twenty20 cricket festival in England this July will be met with stiff resistance from the England and Wales Cricket Board. Rajasthan, who won the first Indian Premier League, launched their franchise concept at Lord's yesterday with their captain and former Hampshire player Shane Warne.Rajasthan are entering into partnership with four teams from around the world, including Hampshire. The South African side Cape Cobras and Trinidad & Tobago are also joining the brand, while the Victorian Bushrangers are in negotiations.A statement from the organisers read: "Royals2020 will be a dynamic partnership of leading cricket clubs with the aim of creating the 'World's First Global Sporting Franchise'."The teams will play under the same name, wear identical kit and share players and profits. At the centre of the plan is a series of annual Royals Festivals, the first of which is slated to be staged in England over three days at the end of July. However, the ECB must rubber-stamp any professional tournament in England and there would be no advantage in sanctioning the competition in case it deflected attention away from the relaunch of England's own Twenty20 cup. The date suggested for the inaugural Royals Festival, somewhere among the 10 days at the end of July, would clash with the quarter-finals of the domestic Twenty20.It is also believed that Sky TV would claim automatic rights to coverage of any tournament in England under the terms of its rights agreement and the ECB - already shaken by potential losses should the government rule that the Ashes must return to free-to-air television - would be bound to support them.There is a third reason, too, why the ECB would oppose the idea: the criticism that the domestic programme is already overcrowded. The ECB has yet to receive an official application from Rajasthan Royals. When they do, it will be referred to a sub-committee, which will consider whether the proposals will benefit the game in England. Middlesex did gain authorisation for a one-day game against the Royals last summer, and if Hampshire requested the same the odds are that it would be rapidly agreed. A tournament, though, might well be regarded as a dangerous precedent.The franchise concept will be monitored closely by other IPL teams, who are likely to follow suit. Middlesex and Leicestershire had also been in negotiations with Rajasthan. The Delhi Daredevils already have a memorandum of understanding with Nashua Titans of South Africa regarding player exchanges and commercial tie-ins and the Kolkata Knight Riders are known to be keen to get involved in the England.The Rajasthan Royals chairman, Manoj Badale, acknowledged that the biggest single obstacle to be overcome in the scheme was the opposition of national boards."There is the potential for issues around scheduling, and around ensuring that anything we do with our partner clubs adheres to domestic regulations, and being sensitive about the media rights constraints that exist around the world." Despite that, further Royals Festivals have been scheduled to take place in Australia, South Africa and the UAE over the next 18 months.Warne slams Strauss, page 7 CricketHampshireShane WarneAndy BullDavid Hoppsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds More... (Cricket)

Tony McCoy will make little difference to Denman, but it may be enough to lift the Cheltenham Gold Cup

www.guardian.co.uk - The owners of the second favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup are hoping the champion can give them the crucial edgeThe decision by the owners of Denman to book Tony McCoy for the ride in the Gold Cup next month was hardly unexpected - the champion jockey had been long odds-on to get the call. Nor was the criticism that followed from some of Denman's fans and backers, who suggested that it would have been more sporting to keep faith with Sam Thomas, who steered Denman to a comprehensive victory in 2008.It is an understandable point of view, for all that it is rooted in an idea of National Hunt racing as somehow more decent and less ruthless than the Flat, which owes rather more to romance than reality these days.But while Paul Barber and Harry Findlay were certainly grateful for Thomas's faultless tactical ride on Denman two years ago, the booking was hardly an oath signed in blood. Had Thomas not left Paul Nicholls to join Tom George's yard as stable jockey, he might have had more cause for complaint, but racing is no different to any other walk of life. Things change and people move on.A more interesting question is just how much difference McCoy might make. Denman, after all, is hardly a difficult ride. A little mulish at times, perhaps, and a tank of a horse for sure, but it does not necessarily follow that he needs a man of iron on top. Indeed, as Denman's exceptional effort in the Hennessy in November demonstrated once again, he is as brave, straightforward and generous as they come at the business end of a race.Barber himself suggested last week that by having another jockey - Thomas, presumably - aboard Denman at Cheltenham, they might be "theoretically giving away several pounds". But that, like so many statements where jockeys' abilities are concerned, is a mixture of hunch, partiality and complete guesswork.One who has tried to bring a little more rigour to the business of comparing jockeys is John Whitley whose company, Racing Research, publishes an annual ranking of riders under both codes according to how well horses performed for different partners.Kieren Fallon, even in his apprentice days, regularly appeared towards the top of Whitley's ratings. There was even a suggestion that he got his break as stable jockey to Jack and Lynda Ramsden as a result. Over jumps, meanwhile, Wayne Hutchinson was an interesting new entry into Whitley's top five last season. This season's data for Hutchinson is just as intriguing, particularly his level-stakes profit of +48, the best of any rider in the top 25.That figure owes a lot to Temoin's 40‑1 win at Sandown in December, but Whitley's aim is to be as objective as possible when assessing jockeys, and it is interesting that his ratings are expressed in tenths of a pound in weight. There is very little to choose between many of the leading riders, in other words, and the difference between the jockey at the top of the table and the many dozens in the big fat middle is rarely much more than two pounds.But the crucial point, of course, is that when a race can be decided by a nose, a tenth of a pound might be all you need. Sam Thomas is very able but like the great majority of his colleagues, he is not quite as good as McCoy. Denman will probably need to run the race of his life to beat Kauto Star, and McCoy is slightly more likely than Thomas to summon it from him. That is why Barber and Findlay could not pass up the chance to book the champion jockey. McCoy will not make much difference, but it could easily be more than enough.Horse racingTony McCoyDenmanKauto StarCheltenham festivalGreg Woodguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds More... (Horse racing)

Terror asset Bill passes Commons

news.bbc.co.uk - Emergency legislation is rushed through the House of Commons to allow the assets of suspected terrorists to be frozen. More... (UK)

Letters: Banks, tax havens and corruption

www.guardian.co.uk - I was both fascinated and disgusted by reports about BAE (6 February) but was not sure what shocked me most. Was it the bribery? Or the fact that BAE was and is peddling the tools of death? Or the fact that some of the systems they sold went to poor countries who had absolutely no need for such hi-tech equipment.However, one aspect of your report especially clicked with me: that much of the illicit cash had been passing through intermediaries and bank accounts in various tax havens. If you want to tackle corruption, both in commercial fields and in governmental fields (eg the ministers of poorer countries skimming off money), then you need transparency, something which is made impossible by the existence of tax havens and offshore facilities.Last year I seem to remember Gordon Brown and Barack Obama pledging to close down tax havens, and so I would be interested to know what progress they have made - especially progress regarding "home-grown" tax havens such as Delaware and the Channel Islands.Action against these would be a significant coup both in the battle against corruption and the need to stop banks and other commercial organisations hiding their dealings in secretive locations.Alan SearleCologne, Germany  Some of the evidence heard at the US Senate investigation into overseas corruption (Report, 5 February) was cartoonish in its sleaziness, eg the gushing email from a US lawyer acting for Teodorin Obiang, son of Equatorial Guinea's president, which read: "Thank you very much for inviting me to the Kandy Halloween party at The Playboy Mansion and getting me the VIP treatment. I had an awesome time. I met many beautiful women, and I have the photos, email addresses and phone numbers to prove it."But in spite of the entertainment value of these leaks, the issue at stake is intensely serious. Corruption and state looting, facilitated by irresponsible western banks, lawyers and other professionals, is condemning citizens of developing countries to abject poverty.Global Witness has been campaigning for reform of banking regulation to prevent banks facilitating corruption, including through the introduction of proper safeguards and monitoring. Our report, The Secret Life of a Shopaholic, revealed how US banks allowed Obiang to bring $75m into the country between 2005 and 2007. Thankfully, the US authorities have started to act: we welcome their proactive response and look forward to hearing the outcome of the Senate investigation.Shamefully, the UK government is yet to show willing, despite the demonstrated complicity of British banks in corruption. Rather than half-heartedly chiding bailed-out bankers on the size of their bonuses, the UK government should commit to urgently re-evaluate our financial system to ensure we are not providing a safe house for corrupt funds.Anthea Lawson Senior campaigner, Global WitnessThe BAE filesBAE SystemsArms tradeUnited StatesSerious Fraud OfficeTax avoidanceBankingguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds More...

High street feels the January chill

www.guardian.co.uk - Wintry weather helps push January sales to a 15-year low Retail figures dash government's hope of spring election boostThe high street suffered its worst January in at least 15 years last month as snow storms, higher VAT and anxious consumers all took their toll on sales, the British Retail Consortium reports today.The warning from the BRC that trading in 2010 got off to an "awful" start will dent the government's hopes of accelerating growth in the run-up to a spring poll and will also cast further doubt on David Cameron's plans to cut spending in a snap post-election budget.The BRC said a bumper Christmas had been followed by a new year hangover, with sales down 0.7% in January. It was the worst start to the year since the BRC started releasing data 15 years ago and reflected falling sales of non-essentials, such as books and furniture, as people were unable or unwilling to brave the bad weather.For politicians facing battered consumer confidence and high unemployment, there are fears that the grim January was not confined to the high street. There is already survey evidence that the harsh weather has knocked other parts of the economy. After growth came in at just 0.1% in the final quarter of 2009, the government will be hoping the snow has not derailed the recovery and prompted a fresh dip in the first three months of this year.Stephen Robertson, the trade body's director general, said January's performance was in "stark contrast" to an upbeat December, when some retailers posted double-digit sales growth."The coldest January since 1987 boosted food sales at the start of the month, as shoppers stocked up. But food sales growth melted with the snow. The month as a whole was significantly weaker than December," he said.The snow boosted sales of knitwear, winter boots and electric blankets, but smaller shops struggled to stay open, clothes shoppers stayed home - including during the normally busy winter sales weeks - and DIY and gardening sales also suffered. Non-essentials were knocked, the BRC said, with book sales falling at the fastest rate in more than a year.The blow to January sales was not just as a result of the bad weather. The government reintroduced the 17.5% VAT rate, after having reduced it to 15% in December 2008 in a bid to stimulate spending. While Christmas prompted many shoppers to spend as pent-up demand from the year boiled over, economic and political uncertainty encouraged them to tighten their belts again in January.Helen Dickinson, head of retail at the report's sponsor, the auditors KPMG, said consumers were worried about further job losses, the prospect of other tax rises and the risk of interest rate rises later in the year."The underlying trend is difficult to read, but there is no doubt that the strong sales we saw in December 2009 are not indicative of the trend for the rest of this year," she said.Philip Shaw, an economist at specialist bank Investec, said: "Because of the relative size of the service sector, GDP was probably negatively impacted over January as a whole." He did not predict a prolonged effect. He added: "The likelihood is that was a temporary factor and there will be a catch-up in February - unless of course we see blizzards in February."In a report into 2009's snow storms, the Centre for Economics and Business Research thinktank estimated there would be a daily loss of £900m, using the calculation of UK GDP per day of about £4.5bn and a 20% loss in productivity, as people stayed home from work or were less effective once they got there.Demand for gas soared in January while outside the utility sector there were reports of a boost for Domino's Pizza, Pets at Home, which sold more dog coats and rabbit hutch covers, and Dairy Crest as milk sales jumped.The BRC said the snow boosted food sales in the first week of January as people stocked up on essentials. Over the month, food, clothing and footwear showed gains on a year ago, but homewares and furniture showed declines - echoing economists predictions that the snow could delay, but not necessarily cancel, major purchases.While the high street suffered in the blizzards, there was a boost to home shopping as internet, mail order and phone sales of non-food items jumped 14.6% in January.The snow did not just hurt retailers in January. In the housing market, activity was hit by the bad weather although prices continued to rise, according to a report from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, also released today.However, surveyors reported that buyer inquiries fell for the first time in 14 months."The cold snap in January clearly had a huge impact upon both supply and demand in the housing market with activity coming to a halt amidst the seasonal chaos. Activity and interest is likely to pick up in the coming months as the market experiences a spring bounce," said RICS spokesman Ian Perry."House prices are likely to rise in the short term but if more supply continues to come onto the market, it is possible that the market will run out of steam in the latter part of the year."Retail industryRecessionConsumer spendingGreen shootsTaxConsumer affairsKatie Allenguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds More...

High street feels the January chill as shoppers stay away

www.guardian.co.uk - Wintry weather helps push January sales to a 15-year low Retail figures dash government's hope of spring election boostThe high street suffered its worst January in at least 15 years last month as snow storms, higher VAT and anxious consumers all took their toll on sales, the British Retail Consortium reports today.The warning from the BRC that trading in 2010 got off to an "awful" start will dent the government's hopes of accelerating growth in the run-up to a spring poll and will also cast further doubt on David Cameron's plans to cut spending in a snap post-election budget.The BRC said a bumper Christmas had been followed by a new year hangover, with sales down 0.7% in January. It was the worst start to the year since the BRC started releasing data 15 years ago and reflected falling sales of non-essentials, such as books and furniture, as people were unable or unwilling to brave the bad weather.For politicians facing battered consumer confidence and high unemployment, there are fears that the grim January was not confined to the high street. There is already survey evidence that the harsh weather has knocked other parts of the economy. After growth came in at just 0.1% in the final quarter of 2009, the government will be hoping the snow has not derailed the recovery and prompted a fresh dip in the first three months of this year.Stephen Robertson, the trade body's director general, said January's performance was in "stark contrast" to an upbeat December, when some retailers posted double-digit sales growth."The coldest January since 1987 boosted food sales at the start of the month, as shoppers stocked up. But food sales growth melted with the snow. The month as a whole was significantly weaker than December," he said.The snow boosted sales of knitwear, winter boots and electric blankets, but smaller shops struggled to stay open, clothes shoppers stayed home - including during the normally busy winter sales weeks - and DIY and gardening sales also suffered. Non-essentials were knocked, the BRC said, with book sales falling at the fastest rate in more than a year.The blow to January sales was not just as a result of the bad weather. The government reintroduced the 17.5% VAT rate, after having reduced it to 15% in December 2008 in a bid to stimulate spending. While Christmas prompted many shoppers to spend as pent-up demand from the year boiled over, economic and political uncertainty encouraged them to tighten their belts again in January.Helen Dickinson, head of retail at the report's sponsor, the auditors KPMG, said consumers were worried about further job losses, the prospect of other tax rises and the risk of interest rate rises later in the year."The underlying trend is difficult to read, but there is no doubt that the strong sales we saw in December 2009 are not indicative of the trend for the rest of this year," she said.Philip Shaw, an economist at specialist bank Investec, said: "Because of the relative size of the service sector, GDP was probably negatively impacted over January as a whole." He did not predict a prolonged effect. He added: "The likelihood is that was a temporary factor and there will be a catch-up in February - unless of course we see blizzards in February."In a report into 2009's snow storms, the Centre for Economics and Business Research thinktank estimated there would be a daily loss of £900m, using the calculation of UK GDP per day of about £4.5bn and a 20% loss in productivity, as people stayed home from work or were less effective once they got there.Demand for gas soared in January while outside the utility sector there were reports of a boost for Domino's Pizza, Pets at Home, which sold more dog coats and rabbit hutch covers, and Dairy Crest as milk sales jumped.The BRC said the snow boosted food sales in the first week of January as people stocked up on essentials. Over the month, food, clothing and footwear showed gains on a year ago, but homewares and furniture showed declines - echoing economists predictions that the snow could delay, but not necessarily cancel, major purchases.While the high street suffered in the blizzards, there was a boost to home shopping as internet, mail order and phone sales of non-food items jumped 14.6% in January.The snow did not just hurt retailers in January. In the housing market, activity was hit by the bad weather although prices continued to rise, according to a report from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, also released today.However, surveyors reported that buyer inquiries fell for the first time in 14 months."The cold snap in January clearly had a huge impact upon both supply and demand in the housing market with activity coming to a halt amidst the seasonal chaos. Activity and interest is likely to pick up in the coming months as the market experiences a spring bounce," said RICS spokesman Ian Perry."House prices are likely to rise in the short term but if more supply continues to come onto the market, it is possible that the market will run out of steam in the latter part of the year."Retail industryRecessionConsumer spendingGreen shootsTaxConsumer affairsKatie Allenguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds More...

Alistair Darling criticised over hidden £18bn indemnity plan

www.guardian.co.uk - Treasury flouted rules to conceal underwriting plan at the height of the banking crisis, according to report by MPsThe Treasury flouted parliamentary rules to conceal an £18bn plan to underwrite loans made by the Bank of England to failing banks at the height of the ­banking crisis, according to a report by MPs today.The chancellor, Alistair Darling, refused to inform parliament of the plans to indemnify the rescue packages for RBS and HBOS - using ­public money - for fear it would start a run on the banks, plunging the financial system into deeper crisis, the public accounts committee says. MPs on the committee said there was "no excuse for flouting parliamentary procedure".The committee's report into the Treasury's handling of the banking crisis, which saw £850bn in public money used to rescue the system, also condemns the lack of accountability of banks that are now partly government owned and the lack of leverage ministers have to ensure they live up to their legal commitments to lend to businesses in order to kickstart the economy.The decision to grant City-style bonus deals without clearly defined objectives to external consultants employed by the Treasury's financial stability unit was "wholly unacceptable" in the public sector, it says.Edward Leigh, the committee chairman, said the £850bn package maintained stability and protected businesses, but it was not certain what the long-term cost to the taxpayer would be. Hundreds of billions were still at risk, depending on the price the government ultimately gets when it sells its stake in the banks.He said: "The poor performance of the bailed-out banks, most notably RBS and the Lloyd's Banking Group, in meeting commitments to lend to struggling businesses has occasioned widespread dismay. The Treasury does not seem to know why the banks are not lending and has few sanctions available to make them change their minds."To those of us who attach the highest importance to adhering to parliamentary procedure, it was of significant constitutional importance that the chancellor failed for 13 months to notify parliament of an £18bn indemnity his department had granted to the Bank of England …"Sir Nick Macpherson, the permanent secretary to the Treasury, told the committee that Darling had rejected his advice to disclose the loans to the chairs of parliamentary committees, in contravention of procedure. In October 2008 the Treasury authorised a £60bn loan from the Bank of England to HBOS and RBS, indemnified by £18bn. That loan was not made public for another year to avoid panic on the high street, but, the report says, "to reduce the risk of leak", the chancellor also vetoed informing parliament via the committee chairs, who in exceptional circumstances can agree to keep sensitive matters confidential.The Treasury said: "At all times the Treasury worked to make sure taxpayer money was used wisely. The potential losses we may face as a result of our emergency actions are less than those expected in a number of other countries, including the US." Although success fees were written into consultants' contracts, none were ever paid.Economic policyFinancial crisisBank of EnglandAlistair DarlingBankingBanks and building societiesPolly Curtisguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds More...

Post office closure consultations 'a sham', says consumer group

www.guardian.co.uk - Post Office Ltd 'missed opportunities' to discover how closures would effect local communitiesThe national consultation that led to the government's controversial post office closure programme was deeply flawed and so ineffective that it was regarded by many consumers as "a sham", a hard-hitting report will claim today. Research carried out by the consumer champion Consumer Focus reveals that although record numbers of people responded to the exercise, the Post Office failed to engage with them and missed the opportunity to understand how the planned cutbacks would destroy local communities.Consumer Focus says its report, Seen and Heard? Consumer Engagement in the Post Office Closure Programme, identifies lessons for providers of other essential but vulnerable local services such as libraries and community transport.The closure programme and consultation were overseen by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, which in May 2007 announced that Post Office Ltd would close 2,500 branches and set up 500 new outreach services. Post Office Ltd consulted on each of its closure and outreach proposals for a six-week period, to determine which post offices would shut. Public consultations followed an 11-week period in which local authorities and the then industry watchdog, Postwatch, could seek changes to the proposals.While Post Office Ltd reportedly received 190,000 formal responses to its consultation, Postwatch received a further 15,000 submissions. Consumer Focus's research suggests wider consumer engagement with the programme was significantly higher, with an estimated 2.7 million consumers making their views known through signed petitions, public meetings, responses to newspaper campaigns and letters to MPs and other elected officials - as well as formal responses to the consultation through Post Office Ltd.However, only about one in 13 directly contributed to the formal decision-­making process. The report warns: "As a result Post Office Ltd missed opportunities to obtain valuable local knowledge of how cutbacks would affect communities, and many consumers were left feeling that the consultation process was a sham."Andy Burrows, public services expert for Consumer Focus, said: "With difficult times ahead, Consumer Focus urges public service providers who may face cuts, such as local authorities responsible for social care, community transport and libraries, to engage with consumers to ensure service changes meet their needs."Lord Young, minister for postal affairs, commented: "The post office closures which took place were difficult but necessary to ensure the viability of the rest of the network and stop it losing half a million pounds a day. Post Office Ltd is now on a more sound financial footing and the government has made it clear that it will not support another round of closures. Robust consultations took place across the country with 2.7 million people making their views known. This led to 353 closure proposals being withdrawn."But the criticism mirrors that of the public accounts committee, which late last year accused the government of showing a "real lack of concern" for people affected by the thousands of post office closures in recent years.Postal serviceRural affairsConsumer affairsLocal politicsRebecca Smithersguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds More...

Letters: Making sure the lights don't go out

www.guardian.co.uk - Given the long lead times for building new electricity capacity we should all be concerned that around a quarter of the UK's electricity generating capacity must be replaced in the next 10 years (Only state intervention can keep the lights on, says Ofgem, 4 February). However, it is even more worrying that plans to replace this shortfall are so poorly advanced. Some 20 gigawatts of new capacity are "under way", but only 8GW is actually under construction. It would not take much to go wrong for power cuts to become widespread.However, before politicians start blaming the UK's liberalised energy ­markets and call for a return to full government control, it is worth remembering that political indecision has contributed greatly to the possibility of an "energy crunch". Investors in new capacity can deal with market risks, but often find the burden of political and regulatory risk more challenging. Demonising large energy companies over their pricing and threatening windfall taxes may win votes, but it will not bring new capacity on line. Delays in obtaining planning approval for new power stations do not help either.Graeme LeachChief economist, Institute of Directors Ofgem's Damascene conversion to state supervision of the privatised energy industry is a big step in the right direction. This is long overdue in a world of pretend competition that characterises the results of past dogmatic privatisations. However, more radical changes are needed if the new CEGB is given a proper role, including: responsibility for planning and commissioning capacity; reducing the absurd plethora of pricing schemes to a small number of national tariffs; reversing the structure of current tariffs so that low-energy users are no longer penalised; raising the 5% energy VAT to the general rate and phasing in carbon pricing; setting and enforcing energy-saving targets for the energy companies. Above all, dealing with climate change demands that the energy ­industry is controlled by the state and not just influenced by it.Patrick NewmanDirector of IT development, Energywatch 2000-02  Hidden deep in the appendices of Ofgem's Project Discovery report is the unnerving admission that four of the six main energy suppliers consider the findings to be too optimistic; uSwitch warns that bills could top £4,000 a year by 2020 (£2,000-a-year fuel bill nears, 4 January). Any massive rise in the cost of energy will not just affect domestic consumers, but all industrial, commercial and public sector consumers as well. Cheap energy has been the lifeblood of our extravagant existence, and the impact of higher costs on the economy and our lifestyles could be profound.The report focuses on the £200bn of capital investment required. I can't see the equally vital analysis of likely future gas prices, in the context of rapidly approaching peak oil. While gas is more abundant than oil, their prices are closely linked. As we wean ourselves off fossil fuels, our appetite for electricity will grow. Ground-source heat pumps, battery charging and hydrolising water all need reliable electricity supplies.We are told that the government will be making announcements on this issue at the time of the budget. Let's hope that this government and the next one really get to grip with the issue.Jeffrey StreuleStewkley, Bedfordshire  It is good news that British Gas has dropped the unfair price differential on pre-payment meters, which effectively meant those customers on the least income were often paying the most (Money, 6 February). Charities such as ours have often criticised meter tariffs as aggravating fuel poverty. However, while pre-payment customers will now pay the same as customers paying with cash or cheque, they will still pay more than those able to pay via direct debit. Many poor families aren't able to do this. Moreover, even with the cuts, there are cheaper suppliers to be found online - but the same vulnerable families are often without access to the internet. British Gas's initiative is welcome but cannot address this problem alone.Helen DentChief executive, Family ActionUtilitiesRegulatorsGasEnergy industryEnergyGasRenewable energyCarbon emissionsPovertyEnergy billsHousehold billsConsumer affairsEconomic policyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds More...

Earlier springs could destroy delicate balance of UK wildlife, study shows

www.guardian.co.uk - Global warming could be changing seasonal timing with profound consequences, according to analysis of 726 species of plants and animalsAs snow flurries continued to cause disruption across the country today, spring may feel further away than ever. But recent winters have been ending earlier than ever before, according to a new assessment of Britain's wildlife that reveals global warming could be disrupting the delicate balance of nature.The analysis confirms that spring and summer are occurring earlier, but also shows that this trend appears to be accelerating. The shift could pose problems for animals, birds and fish that rely on springtime flowering of plants to supply food for their young.Stephen Thackeray, a biologist at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in Lancaster, who co-led the research said: "This is about the desynchronisation of events during the year. Animals and birds time their reproduction to coincide with periods when there will be an abundance of food. If changes mean there is not enough food available then this could have negative consequences for their offspring."The new study compiled 25,000 records of springtime trends for 726 species of plants, animals, plankton, insects, amphibians, birds and fish across land, sea and freshwater habitats. It analysed them for changes in the timing of lifecycle events, such as egg laying, first flights and flowering, a science known as phenology.The results showed that more than 80% of trends between 1976 and 2005 indicated earlier seasonal events. On average, the study showed the seasonal timing of reproduction and population growth shifted forward by eleven days over the period, and that the change has accelerated recently.Thackeray said: "This is the first time that data have been analysed with enough consistency to allow a meaningful comparison of patterns of changing seasonal timing in the UK among such a diverse range of plants and animals."The study used records drawn from the work of thousands of volunteers who, as part of the UK phenology network, have made painstaking observations of the behaviour of wildlife in gardens and public spaces. It also relies on professional scientists, who have analysed habitats such as the plankton content of water drawn from lakes and coastal waters.The research, published in the journal Global Change Biology, found large differences between species in the rate at which seasonal events have altered. Changes have been most rapid for many organisms at the bottom of food chains, such as plants and the animals that eat them. Predators have shown slower overall changes in the seasonal timing of their lifecycle events. This could spell problems, as the seasonal timing of reproduction is often matched to the time of year when food supply increases, so that offspring receive food needed to survive. A key question, the scientists say, is whether animals higher up the food chain can adapt to the faster rates of change in the plants and animals they feed on.Sarah Wanless, who also co-led the research, said: "It is important to realise that this analysis doesn't identify which predator-prey relationships are most at risk from disruption due to changes in timing. What is does do is highlight that the recorded changes need urgent investigation, particularly for species with high economic or conservation importance."Not all of the species showed a shift to earlier lifecycle events. Some, such as seabirds, now lay their eggs later in the year than they did before. But the scientists said the overall results show that climate warming is having an impact, and that the effect could get worse as temperatures continue to rise.Richard Smithers of the Woodland Trust said: "Phenology is the canary in the cage. The results of this new study make real our changing climate and its potential to have profound consequences for the complex web of life."Thackeray said it was difficult to generalise about how the changing climate has affected individual species across Britain, because most of the observations were for specific locations. One study found that oak trees were producing leaves 0.9 days earlier each year, while another found blue tits had changed their time of egg laying by 0.3 days a year. Other research found that hazel flowered a day earlier, and orange tip butterflies took their first flights 0.7 days earlier.The study involved scientists from 12 UK research institutions, including Butterfly Conservation, Freshwater Biological Association, People's Trust for Endangered Species and the National Pollen and Aerobiology Research Unit at the University of Worcester.Many of the organisations have now started follow-on research to see which species could be negatively affected by the change in timings and what could be done to help.Writing in the journal, the scientists warn: "If current patterns and rates of phenological change are indicative of future trends, future climate warming may exacerbate trophic mismatching, further disrupting the functioning, persistence and resilience of major ecosystems and having a major impact on ecosystem services."WildlifeClimate changeBiodiversityAnimalsBirdsInsectsConservationMarine lifePlantsDavid Adamguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds More...

Why sport should be about the cast, not the directors | Richard Williams

www.guardian.co.uk - Venerating Howard Hawks at the expense of Humphrey Bogart makes a kind of sense, but it translates badly to sportEvery now and then we need to be reminded that sport is about the people who play it, not those who design the way it is played. This may not be the most appropriate thought in the immediate aftermath of the Super Bowl, the pinnacle of a sport that introduced us to coaches with earpieces absorbing information from spotters seated high up in the stands, but it was reassuring to hear that a degree of player power was apparently exercised in the run-up to England's victory over Wales at Twickenham on Saturday.It may have been not much more than a healthy and perfectly natural exchange of opinions, slightly exaggerated in the retelling. But it was interesting that, in the days leading up to the match, several England players put their heads above the parapet to observe that something had to change about the way Martin Johnson's team were performing. And although the team's aura of stolidity was not dispelled overnight, at least there was a bit more of a sense that the players were being allowed to express themselves.Whatever it was that took place, it seems to work for England. Back in 2003, after a series of turgid victories had taken Clive Woodward's side to the semi-finals of the Rugby World Cup, the senior players - Johnson among them - quietly exerted a greater degree of control as they faced the closing stages of the tournament. Not surprisingly, perhaps, "player power" appears nowhere in the index to the book Woodward subsequently wrote to explain his techniques for getting players to do as they are told.Four years later the squad sent to France with the task of defending the trophy reacted to an early drubbing by South Africa by holding a meeting with Brian Ashton at which the squad's entire tactical approach was, shall we say, reassessed. On that occasion Lawrence Dallaglio and Mike Catt were among the senior players who spoke up, and the team made it to the final.Even more famous, because it happened in football rather than rugby, was the outburst of English player power that occurred during Italia 90, when Bobby Robson's senior players, including Gary Lineker, responded to an opening 1‑1 draw with the Republic of Ireland by demanding a switch in the defensive formation to incorporate a sweeper for the next match, against the Holland of Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten. A reluctant Robson went along with the plan and stuck with the new five-man defence all the way to elimination in the semi-final.Because managers are the only ones trusted to talk freely to the media, their importance has become distorted. Every story about Liverpool, for instance, turns out to be about Rafa Benítez. Maybe the idea came from the cinema, where the French invented the theory of the auteur. Venerating Howard Hawks at the expense of Humphrey Bogart makes a kind of sense, but it translates badly to sport.Watching Arsène Wenger trying to micro-manage his players from the technical areas at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, the thought occurred that the game would be much healthier if he and other managers were kept at a safe distance and allowed to communicate with their players only during the half‑time interval. The same is true of tennis coaches, the recipients of all those beseeching glances from their players between points, and of Formula One team directors, whose exchanges with their drivers should be limited to old-fashioned pit boards.The Tour de France made a start last year when a stage was run without the radios that enable team directors to tell their riders exactly what they have to do to close down the riders in the breakaway up ahead. Naturally, there was a chorus of dissent from the team directors. But always remember that the job of the manager or coach is to remove the element of unpredictability from their sport - the very thing, of course, that drew us to it in the first place.Sir Stan's boots kicked into touch by the Special OneSometimes the discrepancy between football's past and its present values comes sharply into focus. On the very day last week that the National Archive released documents revealing that in 1945 the Blackpool and England team‑mates Stanley Matthews and Stan Mortensen sold coffee and soap on the black market while visiting Belgium with an FA Services team, DaMarcus Beasley was also in the news. The United States striker, now on Rangers' books, had a bit of bad luck when his car was set on fire outside his home in Glasgow's west end. The car was a £60,000 BMW. Beasley, we were informed, recently launched his own "personalised diamond jewellery range".Matthews was, of course, English football's first superstar. Later this month the boots that he wore in the 1953 FA Cup final - the one in which Blackpool beat Bolton 4‑3, and that came to bear his name - will be auctioned by Bonhams in a sale whose offerings also include with the second of the two Premier League winners' medals that José Mourinho tossed to the Stamford Bridge crowd on the day in 2006 that Chelsea beat Manchester United to clinch their second title in a row. The estimate for Sir Stan's boots, apparently the very ones that had Bolton's defenders tripping over their own feet and that crossed the ball for Bill Perry's last-minute winner? £6,000‑£8,000. And for José's bauble? £12,000-£15,000.Steep cost of being a Brit As predicted, the British Ski and Snowboard Federation went into administration last week, owing money all over the place and most notably to athletes who had paid their own expenses in the innocent belief that they would be reimbursed by the governing body. Think about that as Chemmy Alcott zips down the piste in pursuit of a medal. As her Austrian and Swiss rivals hurl themselves down ice walls at 80mph, they are almost certainly not preoccupied by the small matter of £20,000 missing from their personal bank accounts.Button's seat of learning It was only the first day of testing for the new grand prix season, but you would have to say that spending a morning in the pits adjusting the seat of his McLaren was not the most auspicious of ways for Jenson Button to begin the defence of his world championship.England rugby union teamSix Nations rugbyRugby unionRichard Williamsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds More... (Rugby union)

Better worker rights laws urged

news.bbc.co.uk - Laws protecting workers' rights need to be improved to properly tackle poverty, a charity says. More... (UK)

Benefit payout errors 'too high'

news.bbc.co.uk - Overpayment of benefits due to official errors has doubled from £400m to £800m since 2000, says a committee of MPs. More...

MPs to decide on vote referendum

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Ofgem label shows 'green' power

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Canada airbase boss held for murders

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Canada base boss held for murders

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Baby born after derby ticket wait

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January chill for housing market

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Duff and Serkis land gongs in London film awards

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West eyes 'strong' Iran sanctions

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Capital One doubles credit card rates

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Pompey 'close to evading wind-up'

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Driver seriously injured in crash

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BSkyB to sell most of ITV stake

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Ukraine's Yanukovych reaches for victory

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New scheme to help police widows

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Sale sign Dafydd James until end of the season

www.guardian.co.uk - Wing had few first-team opportunities at Cardiff Blues We are delighted to have him, says Sale director of rugbyThe former Wales and Lions wing Dafydd James has joined Sale a short-term deal until the end of the season.The 34-year-old, who was the first player to score 25 tries in the Heineken Cup, joined the Cardiff Blues last summer after having his contract terminated by the Scarlets, but has found first-team opportunities hard to come by at Cardiff City Stadium.The Sharks have been troubled by injuries across their three-quarter line, with the Samoa centre Andy Tuilagi being the latest to face a spell on the sidelines with a broken arm, and they will be hoping James can provide them with some much needed strength in depth.The Sale director of rugby, Kingsley Jones, said: "We're delighted that Dafydd has agreed to join us until the end of the season. He can play at centre or on the wing, positions where we've had injury problems this year."Sale SharksGuinness PremiershipRugby unionguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds More... (Rugby union)

Jackson doctor denies manslaughter

news.bbc.co.uk - Michael Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray, denies a charge of involuntary manslaughter over the singer's death. More... (Americas)

Tories 'will not scrap car levy'

news.bbc.co.uk - Nottingham's disputed workplace levy will not be cancelled if the Conservatives come to power, the party says. More... (England)

Super League votes against culling two clubs

www.guardian.co.uk - Decision will come as a relief to struggling teams RFL still committed to promoting a Championship clubThe Super League clubs have moved quickly to end speculation that the competition could be cut by two teams in 2012 by voting to stick with the current 14 for at least another four seasons.The decision, which was made at a meeting of all 14 clubs with the Rugby Football League today, is a major surprise and will have come as an equally big relief to at least six clubs whose licences would have been seriously threatened by the mooted cull.The RFL is committed to promoting at least one current Championship club when the current three-year licences run out at the end of the 2011 season, meaning that a reduction to 12 teams would have led to at least three Super League clubs being demoted.Now only one will definitely go, with the problems that have forced the Cru­saders to shed their Celtic prefix and decamp from Bridgend to Wrexham ­providing one ­obvious and easy option, and further reducing the pressure on other Super League clubs who are struggling on or off the field.The RFL plans to make an announcement on which Championship club - or possibly clubs - are to be promoted next spring, with Widnes the strong favourites but Halifax, Barrow and Toulouse also planning to apply.The 14 Super League clubs will already have begun the process of reapplying for their licences by then, although it is highly unlikely that any of them would be told of their demotion until the end of the season.The first full weekend of fixtures have provided the clubs and the Super League competition with a major boost, as the seven games attracted an aggregate attendance of 78,090 - the best since the reorganisation of 1996.The Catalans prop Remi Casty is in danger of suspension after being put on report in the Wakefield game for an alleged high tackle on Paul Johnson. Casty's case has been referred to the RFL's disciplinary hearing on Tuesday.Huddersfield's Andy Raleigh has also been referred to the hearing for a dangerous late tackle on the Bradford scrum half Matt Orford in last Friday's televised Yorkshire derby. Any suspension for Raleigh would leave Huddersfield short of props for their trip to Hull on Friday, as Keith Mason has been ruled out for six to eight weeks with the chest injury he suffered in the first minute against Bradford.St Helens will discover on Tuesday the full cost of their 32-12 home defeat by a Sean Long-inspired Hull team on Saturday. Ade Gardner, Sia Soliola and James Graham are awaiting the results of scans on respective rib, ankle and chest injuries, although all three are considered doubtful for next Sunday's trip to Bradford. Francis Meli, the Samoa wing who missed the Hull game after returning home to Auckland for personal reasons, is now back in the country and the Saints coach Mick Potter is confident that he will return at Odsal.Super LeagueRugby leagueAndy Wilsonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds More... (Rugby league)

Six appointed to parading group

news.bbc.co.uk - The office of the first and deputy first minister confirm who will be on a working group to examine the issue of parading. More... (Northern Ireland)

The case for climate action must be remade from the ground upwards | Ian Katz

www.guardian.co.uk - With the science under siege and the politics in disarray, it may fall to civil society to keep this still crucial fight aliveWhat a difference three months makes. Back in November, the world broadly agreed that emissions of carbon dioxide were heating up the planet and that we needed to do something about it, even if we couldn't agree exactly what. And though we'd had the usual pre-summit rollercoaster ride of dire predictions and naive exhortations (yes, I plead guilty to some of those), even hardheaded types dared to hope that Copenhagen might produce the basis of a global climate treaty.As late as 7 December, 56 newspapers around the world could declare in a common, Guardian-led editorial: "The politicians in Copenhagen have the power to shape history's judgment on this generation: one that saw a ­challenge and rose to it, or one so stupid that we saw calamity coming but did nothing to avert it."Now, with climate science under siege and climate politics in disarray, that sounds like the rhetoric of another age. The American commentator Walter Russell Mead recently captured the mood: "The global warming movement as we have known it is dead … basically, Sarah Palin 1, Al Gore zip." A senior British diplomat compares those trying to secure global action on climate change post-Copenhagen to "small groups wandering in different directions around the battlefield like a beaten army". A leading scientist offers an equally pithy assessment: "Everybody is completely clueless."Not depressed yet? This weekend a BBC poll showed a dramatic fall in the number of people who believe warming is happening; carbon markets have ­tumbled; a Guardian survey of over 30 leading figures involved in climate negotiations found almost none who believed a global deal was possible this year; in Australia a man who described climate change as "absolute crap" could soon be prime minister.What went wrong? How long have you got: the leak of the "climategate" emails that showed scientists behaving just as tribally as their detractors, the ­Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's great ­glacier meltdown (enough "gates" for now), the abject failure of ­Copenhagen, Obama's Massachusetts disaster and a bitterly cold winter in much of Europe and the US. If you doubt the effect of the last of these, take a look at stories like "The mini-ice age starts here" in the Daily Mail, or the website entitled If Global Warming Is Real Then Why Is It Cold?. Add to that lot a mildly hysterical binary culture in which the case for action on climate change is either unanswerable or in tatters, and the perfect storm is complete.It's worth considering a few of these setbacks in a bit more detail. What Fred Pearce's brilliant investigation of the East Anglia emails, published last week in the Guardian, showed was embattled scientists doing some pretty shabby things: conspiring to keep sceptics out of journals, using every trick they could to avoid handing over data to their ­critics and, in at least one case, ­apparently trying to hide weaknesses in a major piece of research.The apparent abuse of the peer review process is perhaps the most worrying aspect because it is meant to be the gold standard that allows us to distinguish credible science from pseudoscience.It is hard to see how Phil Jones, the director of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit and some of his colleagues will escape censure for the behaviour Pearce exposed. But it is also worth pointing out what neither he nor any other journalist has so far found: any evidence of scientists fiddling their results, or indeed anything that calls into question the scientific case that man is causing dangerous ­climate change.Given that, some, particularly in the climate science community, have wondered why the Guardian devoted so much energy and space to excavating the affair. Myles Allen, a distinguished Oxford physicist, suggested on Comment is Free that the Guardian was "hoping against hope to turn up a genuine error which fundamentally alters conclusions". The truth couldn't be further away, but only by looking thoroughly under every rock can those of us pressing for action on climate change maintain with confidence that the scientific case remains sound.Which brings us to the dismal case of the IPCC and the Himalayan glaciers. Many scientists are still bemused at how the expert panel could have made quite such an eye-watering howler: the Â­prediction that the glaciers would melt by 2035 was not just wrong but wrong by a factor of 10. One scientist tells me that glaciologists had spotted the error and notified the IPCC about it as early as last September, but no effort was made to correct it.One-off mistakes happen, of course, even in the most ­scrupulous organisations, but the glaciers affair seems to point to some wider ­problems. The first is that not all IPCC-cited ­science is quite what the public ­imagined it to be. Landing with a thud every five years or so, the panel's vast "assessment reports" have been treated as scientific tablets of stone: Here is What We Know About Climate Change Now.But many of us have been shocked to discover that some claims are based on research conducted by pressure groups, or even journalists. Whereas so-called Working Group I, which deals with the pure science, is based almost exclusively on peer-reviewed work, the latest report into the impacts of warming, Working Group II, leans ­heavily on "grey literature". Researchers argue that is necessary because peer review studies simply aren't available for many of the remote areas the report seeks to cover, but the result is a fat target for critics: In recent weeks there have been a string of ­stories about apparently flaky assertions in the report. The IPCC's problems have been compounded by an approach to crisis management best characterised as "aim at foot, fire". Having failed for months to correct the glacier error, the panel's chairman, Rajendra Pachauri, then ­managed to come across as haughty and unapologetic. The posse of journalists and bloggers now hounding him with (unfair, I think) allegations of venality and hypocrisy, will not stop till he has been cast into the rising sea.The consequences (and causes) of the Copenhagen lash-up may take a little longer to divine. Certainly it showed that China was not ready to accept the constraints on its growth that a legally binding carbon settlement would entail. And that Europe was not prepared to lead the way to a low carbon world by cutting deeper in the hope that others would follow.But whatever the full postmortem reveals, it is clear that the energy has drained from the push for a global deal. Before Copenhagen a senior British negotiator told me it was crucial that the politicians at least agreed a clear timetable to a legal deal: "We can go into extra time but we can't afford a replay." In his analogy the crowd have left the stadium and there is no scheduled replay.Back then Gordon Brown warned that the world needed to seal a deal within the first six months of 2010. In the runup to a dangerous mid-term election, President Obama would not risk trying to push a controversial cap and trade bill through the US Congress.And that was before the Democrats' shock defeat in Massachussets. Since then only the most relentless optimists - climate change secretary Ed Miliband among them - suggest this year might see the US climate bill many regard as the necessary prerequisite for a global deal.So far, so grim, but what can be done? First, climate scientists must make a public commitment to greater openness. They should acknowledge that the huge implications and importance of what they do mean the public expect and are entitled to a greater degree of scrutiny of their work. They should repudiate the laager mentality and evasions of the East Anglia researchers. Instead of grudgingly yielding to Freedom of Information requests, they should publish their data and workings online wherever possible.In the longer term more open ways of reviewing science should be explored. Royal Society president Martin Rees talks about an Amazon-style system where reviewers can openly rate papers online. It is in this spirit that the Guardian will today publish Pearce's full 28,000 word account of the East Anglia emails affair online and invite anyone involved to tell us if we've got it right.Next, the case for action must be remade from the ground up. It's no good politicians and scientists going on TV and insisting that the overwhelming body of climate science has not been touched by the scandals. They need to go back to first principles and explain how we know that CO2 causes warming, how we know CO2 levels are rising, how we know it's our fault, and how we can predict what is likely to happen if we don't act.Following that, the credibility of the IPCC - or some form of scientific high court - must be restored. In the short term that means appointing independent experts to review any alleged errors in the panel's reports. At the same time the IPCC should renounce, or at least severely restrict the use of, grey ­literature. "If that means you can't be comprehensive then don't be," says a senior scientist advocating this course. There is a strong case for more radical reforms: the panel should be replaced by a body controlled by national scientific academies rather than governments.Those who want action on climate change will probably have to accept a more incremental approach. Mead describes the effort to secure a global deal as "like asking a jellyfish to climb a flight of stairs; you can poke and prod all you want, you can cajole and you can threaten. But you are asking for something that you just can't get". Even the head of an NGO who has argued passionately for a binding, comprehensive deal tells me: "Maybe you've got to unpick the uber-deal and work out which bits are possible to do now, and build confidence."Finally, anyone who cares about this issue must fight to keep it alive. With Barack Obama embroiled in a domestic political battle, powerful advocates like Ed Miliband and Gordon Brown likely soon to exit the stage and European leaders notably reticent in Copenhagen, it is hard to see where the political leadership for a global deal will come from. So it may fall to civil society - to individuals, organisations and businesses - to pick up the baton. Only if we show our commitment to this issue will our leaders apply themselves to it with the energy and determination required.Climate changeClimate changeClimate change scepticismCarbon emissionsIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)Ian Katzguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds More... (Climate)

Poll quandary

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Mother-to-be goes into labour queuing for derby cup tie ticket

news.bbc.co.uk - A mother-to-be goes into labour queuing for tickets for the FA Cup fifth round clash between rival clubs Southampton and Portsmouth. More... (England)

Sweet and sour start for Super League as Catalans players held by police

www.guardian.co.uk - Five Catalans players detained after Leeds brawl Successful start to season tainted by off-field incidentsThe arrest of five Catalans Dragons players for their involvement in a brawl in Leeds city centre in the early hours of Monday morning took the shine off the most successful opening weekend in the Super League's 15-year history.The Catalans players were unable to fly home to Perpignan with their team-mates following Sunday's 28-20 defeat at Wakefield in their first game of the season after being detained by West Yorkshire Police. They were due to be interviewed this afternoon although no charges have yet been laid.A police spokesman had earlier confirmed that nine men were in custody following an incident in Boar Lane, near the hotel where the Catalans team were staying, at 2.15am.It was the second off-field incident to taint the Super League inside a month, following the arrest of six Huddersfield players during a pre-season training trip to Newcastle as part of a police investigation into an alleged rape. They have been bailed until 18 March.Whatever the outcomes of the two cases, they have brought unwanted publicity to the game at a time when the Rugby Football League would prefer to be celebrating the best-attended opening round of Super League fixtures since the competition was launched in 1996. The weekend's seven matches attracted an aggregate attendance of 78,090, with the prospect of two more gates of at least 15,000 on Friday when Sean Long makes his home debut for Hull against Huddersfield, and Wigan face Hull KR.The Catalans prop Remi Casty remains in danger of suspension after being put on report in the Wakefield game for an alleged high tackle on Paul Johnson. Casty's case has been referred to the Rugby Football League's disciplinary hearing tomorrow.Huddersfield's Andy Raleigh has also been referred to the hearing for an alleged late tackle on the Bradford scrum-half Matt Orford in last Friday's televised Yorkshire derby. Any suspension for Raleigh would leave Huddersfield short of props for their trip to Hull, as Keith Mason has been ruled out for six to eight weeks with the chest injury he suffered in the first minute against Bradford.St Helens will discover on Tuesday the full cost of their 32-12 home defeat by a Long-inspired Hull team on Saturday. Ade Gardner, Sia Soliola and James Graham are awaiting the results of scans on respective rib, ankle and chest injuries, although all three are considered doubtful for next Sunday's trip to Bradford. Francis Meli, the Samoa wing who missed the Hull game after returning home to Auckland for personal reasons, is now back in the country and the Saints coach Mick Potter is confident that he will return at Odsal.Catalans DragonsSuper LeagueRugby leagueAndy Wilsonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds More... (Rugby league)

Jonny Wilkinson gets his kicks but fails to inspire England

www.guardian.co.uk - It was Danny Care who was the tactical hub for England against Wales and not WilkinsonJonny Wilkinson admitted last week to being fascinated by theoretical physics, a field which, apparently, attempts to explain natural phenomena. The England fly-half has long been regarded as a phenomenon but few have argued there is much natural about a player renowned for his obsessive work ethic, attention to detail and strength of character that has seen him return time and again from ­serious injuries.Yet England's unnatural phenomenon is a strength and a weakness. A player opponents fear because he rarely misses goal-kicks and can drop goals with either foot, he has been at his most assured in general play when armed with a more instinctive player, such as Mike Catt and Will Greenwood in the years leading up to England's World Cup success in 2003, but far less so in the days since.Against Wales on Saturday it was Toby Flood who inspired most of England's few back moves, not Wilkinson. The No10 only passed the ball five times in the match, whereas he kicked 14 times. Two of the passes came in the opening ­couple of minutes and he did not make one pass in the final 38 minutes as England defended a healthy lead. The scrum-half, Danny Care, was England's tactical hub: he made 38 passes, and only 15 of them were to his outside-half as he used his forwards to attack the gainline. Remarkably, Wilkinson only touched the ball twice in the third quarter of the match.It contrasted with the opening Six Nations match against Wales at Twickenham in 2008. England were again defending a lead when Wilkinson threw out a long pass deep in his own half to Danny Cipriani which went over the replacement's head. It gave Wales the position from which they scored their first try on their way to victory. After England went 17 points ahead last Saturday, every time Wilkinson touched the ball, he kicked it.England had been criticised for ­playing Wilkinson deep last November, when they scored one try in three Tests. They struggled to get over the gainline and by the final match, against New ­Zealand, they abandoned the attacking ploy of using Shane Geraghty at inside-centre and replaced him with a basher, Ayoola Erinle."England came under pressure when they played Jonny deep in the autumn," said Neil Jenkins, the Wales kicking coach who was pitchside at Twickenham on Saturday. "They took a lot of criticism and Jonny came under some flak, but he is such a talented player, big tackler and proven match-winner with the temperament for the big occasion that it was always going to be about finding a system that accommodated him."They pushed him up against us [on Saturday] and he played a lot flatter. They tweaked their tactics from the autumn, and Flood, a clever footballer in Flutey's mode, was a help to him. England clearly want to offer an attacking threat and it is difficult to do so from deep. You have to play close to the gainline."England kicked a fair amount of ball away but I expect them to run more as the tournament goes on. Jonny is one of the best goal-kickers the game has ever seen and England will play adopt the system that best suits him. He does give them direction and Martin Johnson, quite rightly, has a lot of faith in him."England's three tries came after Wales had been in possession. Wilkinson was involved in the first two, supplying a pass to Ugo Monye after Care's quickly taken free-kick in his own half that set up the position from which the home side scored at the end of the opening half and then setting up the ruck that provided Care with the opening for the second."It was a guessing game when we went into camp who England would pick at scrum-half," said Jenkins, a team-mate of Wilkinson on the 2001 Lions tour to Australia. "Care varied his game, kicked pretty well and England chased hard, putting our catchers under pressure. They slowed things down in the rucks and they got their tactics spot on. They kicked more than us but when you are behind you run the ball more. We needed to be a bit more intelligent: just because you are chasing a game does not mean that you have to chuck the ball about from everywhere."Riki Flutey is expected to be fit for England's second game in the Six Nations against Italy in Rome on Sunday. Flood's preferred position is outside-half but Flutey is a genuine 12 who offers the tactical direction that is Wilkinson's balm."There is still tons we can improve on as a team, and from my point of view that includes decision-making and game management," said Wilkinson, who opted to keep his kicks in play rather than go for touch, even though Wales's lineout was struggling. Had he pressed home that advantage, England might have emerged more convincing winners.England rugby union teamJonny WilkinsonSix Nations rugbyRugby unionPaul Reesguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds More... (Rugby union)

Wordsworth on cloud nine in battle of the U's

news.bbc.co.uk - Anthony Wordsworth scores twice as Colchester defeat local rivals Southend in their League One fixture. More... (England)

GP's 'trust' of care home accused

news.bbc.co.uk - A Somerset doctor told a court that he had trusted a care home manageress on trial for murdering two elderly women. More... (England)

Alun Wyn Jones will not pay for the 'sin' which tripped up Wales

www.guardian.co.uk - Second-row escapes with warning about future behaviour Warren Gatland keeps faith with player for Scotland gameWales are set to keep faith with the second-row Alun Wyn Jones when they name their team to face Scotland in Cardiff on Saturday. Jones was accused by his coach, Warren Gatland, of costing his side victory at Twickenham last weekend after he was sent to the sin-bin for a trip and England scored 17 unanswered points in his absence.Gatland said after the 30-17 defeat that he would consider dropping Jones, who led Wales against Italy in last year's Six Nations, but he has since calmed down and is likely to content himself with a stern rebuke and a warning about future behaviour."We've all made mistakes and Alun Wyn did on the weekend," said the Wales kicking coach, Neil Jenkins. "We've had other players in the past who have been sin-binned and we've come through it unscathed. That was not the case on Saturday, but that is how it goes. Things get said, but I do not think he will be dropped."We have learned from it and moved on. Alun is a superb player and we have to make sure that we do not lose our discipline against Scotland. Alun will not have to prove anything on Saturday. He knows he made a mistake but he has learned his harsh lesson."The Wales wing Shane Williams said the players were behind Jones. "We are ­sticking by him," he said. "I know there were a number of unhappy Welsh people on Saturday, but no one is more disappointed than Alun Wyn. If I know him, he will bounce back even stronger from this and I hope he plays on Saturday because he is one of our best players."Wales hope to have the prop Gethin Jenkins fit to face Scotland after he missed the Twickenham trip with a calf strain, but his fellow Lion Matthew Rees may need surgery to sort out a recurrent groin problem. Jenkins will return to full ­training on Thursday, when Wales will decide whether Rees should have an operation, which would rule him out for the rest of the season, or play on.The scrum-half Dwayne Peel, another groin victim, hopes to make his comeback for Sale at Wasps on Sunday while Wales's first choice in the position, Mike ­Phillips, who has not played since damaging ankle ligaments last October, hopes to play in a club match this weekend before returning to action with the Ospreys next week.Wales may have lost the chance of a grand slam, but Williams said they still had all to play for. "We have four matches to go and we can win the title. It is not an impossible task but we know he will have to be far better against Scotland than we were at Twickenham."Wales rugby union teamSix Nations rugbyRugby unionPaul Reesguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds More... (Rugby union)

Ballack aims broadside at Wenger

news.bbc.co.uk - Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack hits out at Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger's criticism of his team following the Gunners' 2-0 defeat on Sunday. More... (UK)