Loophole lets banned meat into UK

27 February 2013 Last updated at 19:22 ET By Matt McGrath Environment correspondent, BBC News

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Sausage maker Kevin McWhinney campaigns for good quality food - he asks, what goes into cheap sausages?

The BBC has learned that European meat suppliers are using a loophole in the law to sell a banned low quality material to UK sausage makers.

E-mails indicate that suppliers are selling a form of mechanically recovered residue under different names so that it can be legally termed meat in Britain.

One of the UK's biggest sausage suppliers admitted that some of this meat is in their products but where used it is always declared.

Another manufacturer told the BBC he believes the product is being widely used in Britain.

In April 2012 the European Union told the British government that a type of mechanically separated meat (MSM) used across the UK could no longer count towards the meat content of a product.

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Called desinewed meat (DSM), it had been introduced into the UK in the 1990s and supporters argued that it was a higher form of recovered meat, retrieved from animal bones using low pressure water. Visually it is said to be similar to a fine mince, and closer to meat than the more liquid MSM "slurry".

The EU said DSM could still be used in UK meat products but could not be considered part of the meat content. This ban should also apply to desinewed meat across every member state.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

The UK should not be using this baader meat but as far as I am aware it is coming into the country and is being used..."

End Quote Kevin McWhinney Sausage manufacturer

But the BBC has learned that across Europe many suppliers continue to produce desinewed meat using different names including "Baader meat" and "3mm mince".

Baader meat is made using a machine from the Baader company in Germany and according to a spokesman, the device removes the membrane and the sinew and in the end "it is meat!"

Suppliers that use the Baader system in Germany, the Netherlands, France and Spain all stated they believed their desinewed products are outside the EU ban and can count towards the meat content of sausages and other foods.

In e-mails seen by the BBC, some of these companies say they are very keen to supply it to the UK.

"My information is that you only have to declare MSM, and Baader no," said one German based supplier.

"I know it is very strange but I didn't invent these laws," he writes.

A supplier of chicken meat made a similar point in another email:

"Declarable MSM is derived from chickens with all the meat and skin in its original format and minced via the Baader machine, all the bones are separated mechanically. This format can be declared as meat in the ingredients."

Baader process

Mark Fiddy is the managing director of Poultex, a UK based international meat and poultry trading firm. I asked him if his company sold Baader meat in the UK.

"Well we supply that product, I can't say who we supply it to or what they do with it, but we supply that product," he said.

I asked him if that Baader meat can count towards the actual meat content of a sausage in the UK.

He replied: "Well we buy and sell it, we're not responsible for the end labelling and what goes on meat contents and things like that."

Freshlink Foods is the largest private label frozen sausage supplier in the UK retail market. When contacted by BBC News they admitted that they did use Baader meat.

"Some Baader meat is used in our own branded product that goes into the foodservice market. Where used, this is clearly declared," they said in a statement.

Freshlink is a subsidiary of ABP Food Group, the company that owns Silvercrest Foods where the first products with equine DNA were discovered in January.

Other people close to the food processing industry in the UK suggest that the use of Baader meat is widespread.

Kevin McWhinney is a sausage maker in Northern Ireland who has been campaigning against the use of these types of meat residues for years.

"The UK should not be using this Baader meat but as far as I am aware it is coming into the country and is being used," he said.

This perspective is supported by Matt Starling, a lawyer with the firm Geldards who specialises in regulatory issues.

"We know that there are significant (EU) exports of Baader meat, and it is fair to assume, and that's the government's view, that it is being used to replace DSM," he told BBC News.

"And that view of the government was strongly made by the minister last year and is shared, as I understand, by the FSA."

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Meaty definitions

• MSM or mechanically separated meat is a red paste produced by forcing fragments of meat from animal bones using high pressure water
• DSM or desinewed meat is produced from the same source but using low pressure. The meat product is said to be more visually akin to a fine mince
• Baader meat is another type of desinewed meat, produced on a low pressure extraction machine made by German company, Baader

He said there was a legal inconsistency between the UK and the EU because the Commission hadn't specifically banned the Baader meat process.

"The matter hasn't been tested, but as things stand there appears to be no clear legal redress if a company does export Baader and it is used to replace the products that we were producing ourselves until they were banned last year."

When contacted by the BBC, a spokesman for the EU said that as far as the Union is concerned Baader meat is MSM.

Sausage maker Kevin McWhinney's family have been in the business for five generations - he agrees wholeheartedly with the position taken by the EU. Whether the process is called Baader meat or DSM or 3mm mince, to him it was all the same.

"The powers that be would have you think its different because it uses a low pressure - but it is the same bones, same scraps off the bones, the same machines, just with different pressure. Someone's just trying to invent a new product," he said.

Many people connected to the meat industry in Britain say the EU has "used a sledgehammer" against the UK on this issue, while letting other European countries effectively get away with continuing to sell similar products without restrictions.

Dr Duncan Campbell is one of Britain's most senior food inspectors and head of West Yorkshire Analytical Services.

"What is clear is that there is a lack of uniformity of enforcement of EU regulation - and that is the loophole that is allowing material to be counted as meat in another European member state - the same product would not be considered meat in the UK," he said.

But there is also the sense that the intense downward pressure on prices driven by supermarkets is pushing manufacturers to find the cheapest ingredients.

One EU based meat supplier pointed out that a half kilo of sausages was selling in one supermarket for less than a euro.

It was impossible, he said, to produce meat at that price without cutting corners.

Bottled water is more expensive than this, he added.

Follow Matt on Twitter.

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Disabled comment councillor resigns

28 February 2013 Last updated at 03:35 ET

A Cornwall councillor at the centre of a row over his remark about disabled children has resigned.

Collin Brewer had told a charity worker at an event that disabled children should be "put down" because they cost the authority too much money.

He made the comments to a Disability Cornwall member at a stall at County Hall in Truro in 2011.

Mr Brewer said it was unlikely he would be a candidate in the May elections. "I was wrong, I admit it," he said.

"I will continue to apologise," he added.

Steve Paget, the chairman of Disability Cornwall, said: "Finally he's seen sense and resigned. This situation should never have got to this stage.

"I'm publicly calling on the council to provide disability equality training for all councillors. I'm appalled it has taken this long to reach a conclusion."

Mr Brewer's comments came to light following a report by the council's standards committee after the charity made a formal complaint.

Continue reading the main story

He's done the right thing. He didn't have any choice. "

End Quote Phil Wills Parent

The committee ordered Mr Brewer to write an apology, which he completed.

Speaking after the report was made public, councillor John Wood, leader of the Independent Group, said: "As soon as I heard of the standards committee's findings I wrote to Mr Brewer and said as far as I was concerned he was no longer a member of our group.

"If I was in his position I would resign."

Theresa Court, who was on the Disability Cornwall stall, said she was "absolutely horrified" when she heard the "depraved comment".

Sue Bennie from Camborne, who has a 15-year-old son with disabilities, said: "All I can say is good job. He's probably helped a load of people.

"But if he had his ruling I would not have met my son. I'm glad the Cornish people have had words, and it's worked."

Phil Wills from Truro, whose son Josh is severely autistic, said: "He's done the right thing. He didn't have any choice.

"In any other job, you say that sort of thing, you would get sacked or suspended."

A Facebook page called "Cornwall Councillor Collin Brewer should resign", set up in response to the council's report, attracted 3,692 supporters.

Mr Brewer said: "It's very painful. I didn't sleep last night. I probably won't sleep tonight.

"I'm not eating. I think it will live with me. It's continual regret. I'm hoping I will cope with it. We will see."

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Voters go to the polls in Eastleigh

28 February 2013 Last updated at 03:36 ET

The voters of Eastleigh are set to choose a new MP in a by-election prompted by the resignation of former Lib Dem cabinet minister Chris Huhne.

Polling will continue until 22:00 GMT, with votes to be counted overnight on Thursday.

There are 14 candidates in total on the ballot papers.

Ahead of polling day, Eastleigh Council told the BBC it had issued 14,276 postal votes and that 9,485, or 66.4%, had been returned by Tuesday.

The total electorate for the constituency is 79,004.

From the constituency's creation in 1955 until 1994, Eastleigh was represented by the Conservatives. It has been held by the Lib Dems since.

This will be only the fifth occasion since the 1945 general election when the Lib Dems, or their predecessors the Liberals, have defended a parliamentary seat in a by-election.

The list of candidates in alphabetical order is:

• COLIN BEX - Wessex regionalists
• DAVID BISHOP - Elvis Loves Pets Party
• JIM DUGGAN - Peace Party
• RAY HALL - Beer, Baccy and Crumpet Party
• HOWLING LAUD HOPE - Monster Raving Loony William Hill Party
• MARIA HUTCHINGS - Conservative
• DIANE JAMES - UK Independence Party
• DR IAIN MACLENNAN - National Health Action Party
• KEVIN MILBURN - Christian Party "Proclaiming Christ's Lordship"
• JOHN O'FARRELL - Labour
• DARREN PROCTER - Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
• DANNY STUPPLE - Independent
• MIKE THORNTON - Liberal Democrats
• MICHAEL WALTERS - The English Democrats - "Putting England First!"

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US 'to step up' help to Syria rebels

28 February 2013 Last updated at 04:11 ET

New US Secretary of State John Kerry is meeting Syrian opposition leaders in Rome, as the US prepares to increase its support for rebels fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad.

He is attending a gathering of the Friends of Syria group of nations that support the Syrian opposition.

Mr Kerry is expected to announce increased "non-lethal" aid for the rebels but not weapons.

The UN estimates 70,000 people have died in the Syrian conflict since 2011.

Mr Kerry says US wants to "accelerate the political transition" in Syria.

Specific promises

The main opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC) had threatened to boycott the meeting in Rome in frustration at the "the world's silence" at the violence.

But it agreed to attend after the US and UK indicated there would be specific promises of aid.

The increased support is expected to involve food and medical supplies for rebel-controlled areas.

It could also include training, armoured vehicles and night-vision equipment, the New York Times reported, citing senior US officials.

The Obama administration has so far made it clear that it will not supply weapons to the Syrian rebels.

But arms are clearly what the Syrian opposition want and they are becoming ever more frustrated at the level of help they are getting, BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus says.

According to UN estimates, more that 70,000 people have been killed in Syria since the revolt against President Assad began nearly two years ago.

Opposition fighters have been constantly outgunned as President Assad's forces deploy tanks, aircraft and missiles against them.

Continue reading the main story

Aid to Syria opposition

• The US has provided $384m (£253m) in humanitarian aid to victims of the conflict in Syria
• It says it has also provided $54 million in "non-lethal" support to the political opposition, but not to rebel fighters
• Obama administration reported to be divided over whether to provide weapons, amid fears they could fall into the hands of militants who might later attack western interests
• EU nations also provide humanitarian and "non-lethal" aid, but an arms embargo is in force
• Syrian rebels thought to be getting covert weapons supplies from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey

The US Secretary of State, who succeeded Hillary Clinton, is on an 11-day tour of Europe and the Middle East.

Speaking in Paris on Wednesday, he said he wanted to hear from the Syrian opposition how best to end the bloodshed.

``We want their advice on how we can accelerate the prospects of a political solution because that is what we believe is the best path to peace, the best way to protect the interests of the Syrian people, the best way to end the killing,'' he said.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague has also said the UK is preparing to "significantly increase" its support for Syria's opposition.

Russia 'crucial'

Meanwhile, French President Francois Hollande is in Moscow to discuss Syria with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia is a key ally of President Assad, supplying him with weapons and blocking resolutions against him at the UN.

But it also been encouraging the Syrian government to hold direct talks with the opposition and has offered to host negotiations in Moscow.

Speaking before the meeting, President Hollande said Mr Putin had a crucial role to play in efforts to find a political solution to the conflict.

"We must finally start the process political dialogue that has not yet begun in Syria," Mr Hollande told Ekho Moskvy radio.

"A lot will depend on President Putin's stance."

Western powers say President Assad must step down as part of any political solution, as do the opposition, but Russia does not agree.

In contrast to the slow pace of diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, the fighting on the ground has continued to escalate, with grave humanitarian consequences.

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"Start Quote

Most of [the refugees] have lost everything"

End Quote Antonio Guterres UN High Commissioner for Refugees

'Tragedy'

On Wednesday UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said more than 40,000 Syrians were fleeing the country each week, and the total number of registered refugees was approaching one million.

"The refugee numbers are staggering, but they cannot convey the full extent of the tragedy.

"Three-quarters of the refugees are women and children; many of them have lost family members; most of them have lost everything," he told the Security Council.

In some of the latest fighting, activists say government jets bombed rebels who were attacking a police academy outside Aleppo, Syria's second city.

"The rebels are still trying to storm the school, but they can't because the regime is carrying out airstrikes and bombarding rebel forces," said the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based activist group.

Along with the capital Damascus, Aleppo is a key battleground in the conflict and has seen some of the most intense fighting.

Opposition groups are particularly enraged by what they say is the government's use of Scud missiles to bombard rebel-held areas of the city, causing mass civilian casualties.

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Council tax up despite incentives

28 February 2013 Last updated at 04:27 ET

More than 40% of councils in England are planning to increase council tax this year, according to a survey.

This is despite local authorities being offered money by the government to freeze bills.

However the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (Cipfa) survey suggested that the overall average increase would be less than 1%.

The Local Government Association said it had been a difficult decision for councils in the face of cuts.

Local authorities in England are being given extra money by central government for the third year running if they freeze bills.

But this time a larger number of councils are increasing council tax (41%) - last year 85% took up the government's offer.

Tight budgets

Cipfa said 102 out of 250 authorities surveyed planned to put up council tax in April, typically by about 1% percent.

Any increase over 2% percent is supposed to trigger a local referendum - but some councils are finding ways to increase it by more than that without a poll.

These councils have taken legal advice and plan to use a loophole that allows them to increase waste and transport costs by more than the 2% cap. Others have opted to put up taxes by 1.99%.

Continue reading the main story

All councils are having to strike an increasingly difficult balance between protecting hard-pressed taxpayers and maintaining local services"

End Quote Ian Carruthers Director of policy, Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy

A small number of authorities are managing to reduce council tax by finding more efficient ways to deliver services.

Regional variations included an average 1.2% rise across Yorkshire and Humber, and a 0.1% increase in London.

Cipfa director of policy Ian Carruthers said tight budgets meant councils had to make difficult choices between tax rises and cuts in services.

"Councillors must take council tax decisions based on local priorities," he said.

"As the pressures from this period of unprecedented austerity intensify, all councils are having to strike an increasingly difficult balance between protecting hard-pressed taxpayers and maintaining local services.

"The imminent changes to local authority funding systems are bringing added uncertainty to councils' financial management and making it more difficult than ever for councillors to take the medium and longer term decisions required."

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said the small average increase across England meant it was "a tax cut in real terms".

'Fully accountable'

A Local Government Association spokesman said: "This has been a tricky decision for councils.

"Collectively local authorities are facing a 33% cut in funding from government at the same time as the cost of providing services like adult social care is climbing through the roof.

"The council tax grant from government is very small when set against those pressures and it lasts just two years with no certainty beyond that.

"Ultimately councils have to take a long-term view. Some have clearly decided that increasing council tax is one way of meeting current costs and alleviating pressure in the longer term.

"Councils are fully accountable to their electorates for these decisions."

The Conservative leader of one council putting up tax - Canterbury City Council's John Gilbey - told BBC Radio 4's Today the government subsidy was for a limited amount of time.

This meant, he said, that when the extra money to freeze council tax ended, "you're still losing that permanent element of a tax base".

He added: "Don't forget we've got no compensation now, ever, for inflation. Our services, cost of services are going up, we're determined to keep a high standard of those services as long as possible, and also, in the end, to keep services going."

Asked about being a "democracy dodger" by increasing council tax by just below the 2% trigger for a referendum, he said that holding such a vote would cost up to £200,000.

He questioned why the government set the 2% trigger level if they were not happy for councils to go up to that figure.

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RBS lost £5.2bn in 'chastening' year

28 February 2013 Last updated at 04:33 ET

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has reported its fifth annual loss since it was rescued by the government in 2008.

The bank made a pre-tax loss of £5.17bn, hit by a series of charges. The year before, it lost £766m.

In a statement, the bank said it had been a "chastening" year, during which it sought to "put right past mistakes".

It has set aside money to cover PPI mis-selling, the mis-selling of interest rate swaps and its fine for attempting to fix Libor.

RBS is 81% owned by the government.

Much of the pre-tax loss came from a £4.6bn accounting charge for changes in the value of its own credit, which is a measure of how much it would cost to buy back its own liabilities.

The bank has taken a £5bn charge for loan impairments, which are write-offs to cover loans that are unlikely to be repaid.

Of that figure, £1.4bn came from its Ulster Bank division, pushing it into a loss of more than £1bn.

Continue reading the main story

Anthony Reuben Business reporter, BBC News

---

The rise in the operating profit is certainly an encouraging sign for RBS, allowing Stephen Hester to talk about light at the end of the tunnel.

But the footnote in the results that lists the factors excluded by operating profits runs to seven lines, covering embarrassing things like compensation for mis-selling PPI and interest rate swaps, and fines for trying to fix Libor.

Mr Hester says he hopes to have the worst of the skeletons out of the closet by the end of the year, because it is this cleaning up process that will make the bank fit to sell.

'Another choppy year'

It reported an operating profit of £3.5bn, which excludes all of the special charges and is a considerable improvement on the previous year's performance.

In a conference call for journalists, chief executive Stephen Hester warned of "another choppy year ahead of us", but added that "the light at the end of the tunnel is coming much closer".

The fine for attempting to fix the inter-bank lending rate, Libor, knocked £381m off the bank's profits, although it said it would be recovering £302m of that by reducing 2012 bonuses and clawing back previous ones.

It has taken a charge of £700m in the year for money it expects to have to pay out to cover mis-selling interest rate swaps.

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It also took a £450m charge in the last three months of the year to cover mis-selling of Payment Protection Insurance, taking its total provision to £2.2bn.

RBS set aside £215m to pay bonuses to its investment bankers, which Mr Hester stressed was considerably lower than other comparable banks.

Mr Hester said that the list of charges was "a powerful critique" of where the banking industry had gone wrong in the past, but added that he was confident that the "biggest and most wrenching cases can be recognised by the end of the year".

He also told the BBC that the bank would be in a "condition fit to sell" before the next election in 2015, but added: "There is no guarantee that the shares will be worth more than the government paid for them by that time."

Citizens sale

RBS has announced that it is going to begin the process of selling some of its US business, Citizens, on the stock exchange in about two years.

Continue reading the main story

The announcement was welcomed by Chancellor George Osborne as a sign of a greater focus on the UK.

"I have been very clear that I want to see RBS as a British-based bank, focused on serving British businesses and consumers, with a smaller international investment bank to support that activity, rather than to rival it," he said.

"I welcome RBS's announcement today to accelerate that strategy."

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UK net migration stands at 163,000

28 February 2013 Last updated at 04:40 ET

Net migration to the UK stands at 163,000, immigration figures show.

Net migration is the number of people coming to the UK for 12 months or more set against the number emigrating.

The government says it wants to cut net migration to the "tens of thousands" by 2015.

The figures from the Office for National Statistics cover the year to the end of June. The previous set of figures - to the end of March - showed net migration was 183,000.

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Excess drinking 'is under reported'

26 February 2013 Last updated at 22:53 ET

The amount of alcohol consumed in England could be much higher than previously thought, a study suggests.

University College London researchers compared alcohol sales figures with surveys of what people said they drank.

They found there was a significant shortfall with almost half of the alcohol sold unaccounted for in the consumption figures given by drinkers.

This suggests as many as three-quarters of people may be drinking above the recommended daily alcohol limit.

The researchers reached their estimates by factoring in the "missing" alcohol - and found excess drinking was far more than suggested by official figures, they told European Journal of Public Health.

Experts said much alcohol use went unreported, partly because drinkers did not admit or keep track of how much they consumed.

'Health implications'

The study found that 19% more men than previously thought were regularly exceeding their recommend daily limit - and 26% more women.

Total consumption across the week was also higher than officially thought - with 15% more men, and 11% more women drinking above the weekly guidelines.

The current recommendation set by the UK Chief Medical Officers is not to regularly exceed four units per day for men and three units a day for women; the Royal College of Physicians recommends weekly alcohol limits of 21 units for men and 14 units for women - although these are currently under review.

A unit of alcohol is roughly equivalent to half a pint of ordinary strength beer, or nearly one small glass of wine.

Sadie Boniface, lead author of the study at University College, said: "Currently we don't know who consumes almost half of all alcohol in England. This study was conducted to show what alcohol consumption would look like when all of what is sold is accounted for, if everyone under-reported equally.

"The results are putative, but they show that this gap between what is seen in the surveys and sales potentially has enormous implications for public health in England."

The team used alcohol sales data from Revenue and Customs and compared it with two self-reporting alcohol consumption surveys conducted in 2008 - the General Lifestyle Survey (GLF) which analysed average weekly alcohol consumption in 12,490 adults, and the Health Survey for England (HSE) which looked at consumption on the heaviest drinking day in the previous week among 9,608 adults.

Counting units

The researchers say they will now look at the characteristics of those that are under-reporting the number of drinks they have had, and why.

They suggest it may be down to drinking patterns and habits - those that are mixing drinks, and drinking at different venues, may be more likely to under-report.

The charity Alcohol Concern suggests irregular and chaotic drinking behaviour may play a part: "When we're totting up our drinks total we don't always count some occasions as proper drinking.

"We may underestimate drink sizes and their alcoholic content, and not count holidays and special occasions like weddings, birthdays and Christmas when we often drink a great deal more than usual."

The researchers suggest that government drinking guidelines need to reflect actual consumption instead of reported drinking - especially when ascertaining what levels are associated with harm.

The Department of Health says this will be taken into consideration in their alcohol consumption review.

It said: "We already know people underestimate what they drink and many drink too much. That's why we work to help people make healthier decisions, including the recent Change For Life campaign to help them track consumption and understand the impact on their health.

"We're also tackling excessive drinking through our proposed minimum unit price at 45p per unit, tougher licensing laws, more GP risk assessments, better access to specialist nurses and more specialised treatment."

Diane Abbott MP, Labour's shadow public health minister, said: "This has got to be a wake-up call for the government and the country, because after more than two years of bitter internal rows, the government has got cold feet about its only proposed alcohol harm policy.

"More needs to be done to tackle problem drinking, which costs the country £21bn."

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China letter urges political reforms

27 February 2013 Last updated at 00:45 ET By Celia Hatton BBC News, Beijing

Some of China's most prominent scholars, journalists and activists have released an open letter urging leaders to implement political reforms, for the second time in three months.

More than 100 people signed the open letter urging Beijing to ratify an international human rights treaty.

The letter was posted on several prominent Chinese websites and blogs.

It comes just days before Chinese leaders gather for the annual parliamentary session in Beijing.

At the meeting, new Communist Party leader Xi Jinping will be installed as China's president, taking over from Hu Jintao, completing the 10-yearly power transition.

'Feasible goal'

"We solemnly and openly propose the following as citizens of China," the letter begins, "that the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) be ratified, in order to further promote and establish the principles of human rights and constitutionalism in China."

The ICCPR is part of the International Bill of Human Rights created by the United Nations. It calls for basic civil and political rights of individuals, including freedom of religion, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.

Beijing signed the treaty in 1998 but the Chinese parliament has never ratified the document.

The open letter was signed by many prominent thinkers in China, including economist Mao Yushi, legal scholar He Weifang and Dai Qing, an outspoken political activist.

In December, many of the same people also signed a strongly worded open letter demanding political reform within China, including an independent judiciary and meaningful democratic change.

"If reforms to the system urgently needed by Chinese society keep being frustrated and stagnate without progress," December's letter warned, "then official corruption and dissatisfaction in society will boil up to a crisis point and China will once again miss the opportunity for peaceful reform, and slip into the turbulence and chaos of violent revolution."

The language in the more recent letter was much more conciliatory, acknowledging the difficulties of enacting meaningful political change within China while also emphasising that signing the ICCPR would be a "feasible" goal for Chinese leaders.

In an interview with the BBC, investigative journalist Wang Keqin said he was confident China's leaders would ratify the ICCPR during the upcoming parliamentary session, a goal he acknowledged was "very mild and conservative".

"We don't dare to dream that China will make a lot of progress in one giant leap," Mr Wang said. "The country develops step by step and our efforts are also aimed at changing things step by step. This is the embarrassing situation we are in now."

He did not want to identify the person who first wrote the letter and collected the signatures, blaming his reluctance on "China's special situation".

According to the China Media Project, a group based at Hong Kong University which monitors the Chinese media, this week's letter was scheduled to be released on Thursday.

However the authorities reportedly heard about the letter early, leading its supporters to bring publication forward by two days. Mention of the letter has since disappeared from many internet sites within China.

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EU ministers back fish dumping ban

27 February 2013 Last updated at 01:56 ET By Roger Harrabin BBC environment analyst

European Union fisheries ministers have agreed to phase out the controversial practice of dumping unwanted fish.

After a tense all-night meeting, ministers said a ban on "discards" should be phased in, starting in January 2014 for certain types of fish.

Ministers agreed some exemptions to the ban - but the European Parliament may still refuse to accept them.

It is a victory for campaigners who have demanded the end of a practice that has brought the EU into disrepute.

The UN says Europe has the world's worst record of throwing away fish. Almost a quarter of all catches go back overboard dead because they are not the fish the crews intended to catch.

'Historic moment'

The decision reached early on Wednesday morning was driven by northern European nations, including the UK.

They prevailed over mainly Mediterranean countries, which were fighting to protect the interests of their fishermen.

The ban will apply to pelagic stocks like herring and whiting from next year, and to white fish stocks from January 2016.

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How a UK trial uses CCTV on fishing boats to crack down on discards

Spain, France and Portugal managed to cling on to some restricted exemptions, particularly relating to crews operating far from land in mixed fisheries where the cost of landing unwanted fish is deemed to be prohibitive.

These crews will be allowed to discard 9%, shrinking to 7%. This figure is too high for the northern nations and the European Commission, which say the public expects that in a hungry world no fish should be thrown away.

Details of how exactly the discards ban will work in practice with the quota system or its projected replacement will be debated later.

The British government, one of the campaigners for change, said it was disappointed that the ban was not absolute, but that last night's result was an historic victory to end a "scandalous" policy.

It is one instance in which mass public pressure has clearly influenced the politicians, with almost a million people on the Online campaign site Avaaz demanding an end to discards.

UK Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon said: "This is a historic moment in reforming the broken Common Fisheries Policy. The scandal of discards has gone on for too long.

"I am disappointed that some of the measures required to put this ban into place are no longer as ambitious as I had hoped but it's a price I am willing to accept if it means we can get the other details right.

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The technology on trial at Denmark's North Sea Centre

"The result we have achieved today is another step in the right direction and will prove to be good for both fishermen and the marine environment."

The deal builds on a recent commitment to fish sustainably, and to allow more regional decision making. Many crucial details are still to be resolved over exactly what sustainably means, how the policy is enforced, how fishing crews are supported and how they are helped to buy gear that fishes more selectively.

Follow Roger on Twitter @rharrabin

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Rocket launcher find 'saved lives'

27 February 2013 Last updated at 03:15 ET

The recovery of a rocket launcher and what has been described as a warhead in west Belfast has saved lives, the Police Service of Northern Ireland have said.

Officers investigating dissident republican activity seized the weapons during a search of a house in Hawthorn Street, off the Springfield Road.

Homes were evacuated during the security alert on Tuesday evening.

The items have been taken away for examination.

A PSNI spokesman said: "These weapons systems are clearly intended to kill and we should be in no doubt that the recovery of these items has saved lives."

West Belfast MP Sinn Fein's Paul Maskey said it was a "very worrying development".

"This community welcomes the fact this weapon is now off the streets," he said.

'Shocked'

"(I have) no idea where it comes from, who had it. Obviously some form of dissident republicans have brought this into the area.

"Some people are stuck in the past and don't want to come out of it."

He said local people wanted the dissidents to come forward and explain why they have such weapons and why they are attacking the PSNI.

SDLP councillor Colin Keenan, who lives in Hawthorn Street, said local people were "shocked" that such weapons had been found in their area.

Mr Keenan said up to 10 houses had been evacuated and residents were given shelter in a nearby parish hall during the operation which began at about 20:00 GMT on Tuesday.

The residents were later allowed to return to their homes.

Earlier this month rocket launchers were intercepted in County Tipperary.

Irish police seized four rocket launchers and explosives believed to be en route to Northern Ireland.

Two men have already appeared before the Special Criminal Court in Dublin in connection with that find.

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Colder weather boosts British Gas

27 February 2013 Last updated at 04:18 ET

British Gas has reported a rise in profits for 2012 after colder weather led to people using more gas.

Profits from its residential energy supply arm rose 11% from a year earlier to £606m. It said gas consumption had risen by 12%.

But there has been some criticism that the company increased its prices in November when profits were rising.

Centrica, which owns British Gas, reported an adjusted operating profit of £2.7bn for 2012, up 14% from 2011.

Centrica chief executive Sam Laidlaw told the BBC that the firm's profit margins per household "actually went down", adding that the company had made just under £50 profit per customer household.

"A 5% margin on the business is the sort of margin we require" to make investments in new sources of energy, he added.

Centrica's dividends to shareholders have risen 6% and the company is also returning £500m to them.

Profits were up 16% to £312m at British Gas' residential services unit, which covers services such as boiler repairs.

The company also announced that Phil Bentley was stepping down from his role as managing director of British Gas to pursue his ambition to be a chief executive.

Cheapest tariff

British Gas raised its gas and electricity prices by 6% in November, which Mr Laidlaw stressed was "lower than any of our competitors".

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But Ann Robinson, director of consumer policy at the price comparison website Uswitch, said: "Seven out of 10 of us actually went without heating at some point during this winter and over a third of us have reported that we feel it's actually affected the quality of our life and also our health.

"So no, I don't think customers will be celebrating. I think they'll be wondering why on earth British Gas had to take this move in November when they are making such high profits."

All of the big six energy suppliers raised prices this winter, prompting Prime Minister David Cameron to step in and say he was going to force them to put customers on their cheapest tariffs.

Energy regulator Ofgem provided details of the plan last week, which will also limit the number of tariffs that suppliers can offer and force them to make bills clearer.

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Pope holds final Vatican audience

27 February 2013 Last updated at 04:39 ET

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LIVE: Benedict XVI holds final papal audience in Vatican

Tens of thousands of people have crowded into St Peter's Square in the Vatican for the Pope's final general audience before his resignation.

Papal audiences are normally held inside a Vatican hall in the winter.

But such is the level of interest that the event is being held outdoors and 50,000 tickets have been requested. As many as 200,000 people may attend.

After Benedict XVI steps down on Thursday, he will become known as "pope emeritus".

There has been no papal resignation since Pope Gregory XII abdicated in 1415.

Continue reading the main story

At the scene

Even before the sun was up, people began arriving at St Peter's. Hundreds queued in the cold grey light to make sure that they would have a good spot on the square when Pope Benedict makes his final public appearance.

People of all ages were streaming in. There were flags and balloons, chatter and laughter, and some singing up at the front. And when the gates finally opened, the crowd rushed in, with delighted young priests among those scampering across the cobblestones.

The Pope certainly has his critics within Catholicism and beyond. But nobody will be speaking badly of Benedict here today. The people queuing said they wanted a chance to see him last one time, and express their gratitude for his life of service to the Church.

Members of a group that had travelled the length of Italy talked of their emotions - happiness that the Pope had made a decision to retire that he felt was right for him, but sadness, too, at the departure of someone they regarded as a great man.

The surprise announcement of Benedict's abdication has required the rules of electing a successor to be changed to allow the next pope to be chosen before Holy Week, which leads up to Easter.

The Pope, 85, is making one of his last public appearances - using his trademark white "popemobile" to greet pilgrims in St Peter's Square.

Many of the cardinals who will elect his successor are in the square.

Chants of "Benedetto!" are erupting every so often and the mood is buoyant, reports the Associated Press.

Organisers say there will be no traditional kissing of the pontiff's hand because of the sheer size of the expected crowd.

"He doesn't want to favour one or the other of the pilgrims," Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told the AFP news agency.

The BBC's Alan Johnston in Rome says that on Thursday the Pope will travel by helicopter to his summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, about 15 miles (24km) south-east of Rome. He will cease to be Pope at 20:00 local time.

On Tuesday, it emerged that Benedict would be known as "pope emeritus" and would retain the honorific "His Holiness" after his abdication.

He will also continue to be known by his papal title of Benedict XVI, rather than reverting to Joseph Ratzinger.

He will wear his distinctive white cassock without any cape or trimmings.

He will surrender his gold ring of office, known as the fisherman's ring, and his personal seal will be destroyed in the same way as when a pope dies.

Benedict will also give up wearing his specially-made red leather loafers, instead wearing brown shoes hand-made for him by a craftsman during a brief visit to Mexico last year, the Vatican said.

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Nuns and monks were among thousands running into the square to take their place in history

Farewell

The title "emeritus" is used when a person of status, such as a professor or bishop, hands over their position, so their former rank can be retained in their title.

Continue reading the main story

Timeline to Thursday's resignation

• Thursday 1000 to 1115 GMT: Cardinals gather in the Vatican to bid farewell to Pope Benedict
• About 1515 GMT: Benedict is driven to a helipad within the Vatican
• About 1600 GMT: Papal helicopter flies to Castel Gandolfo near Rome
• About 1700 GMT: Pope appears at a window overlooking the public square in Castel Gandolfo to bless a crowd
• About 1900 GMT: Benedict ceases to be pope; Swiss guards at the entrance to Castel Gandolfo leave their posts

The Pope is to spend his final hours at his Vatican residence saying farewell to the cardinals who have been his closest aides during his eight-year pontificate, says the BBC's David Willey at the Vatican.

His personal archive of documents will be packed up and, at 20:00 (19:00 GMT) on Thursday, the Swiss Guard on duty at his Castel Gandolfo residence will be dismissed, to be replaced by Vatican police.

This will mark the formal end of his papacy and the beginning of the period of transition to his successor, due to be chosen next month.

From 4 March, the College of Cardinals will meet in general congregations to discuss the problems facing the Church and set a date for the start of the secret election, or conclave, to elect Pope Benedict's successor.

That successor will be chosen by 115 cardinal-electors (those younger than 80 years old) through ballots held in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel.

A two-thirds-plus-one vote majority is required. Sixty-seven of the electors were appointed by Benedict XVI, and the remainder by his predecessor John Paul II.

About half the cardinal-electors (60) are European - 21 of them Italian - and many have worked for the administrative body of the Church, the Curia, in Rome.

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Tesco vows to sell more British meat

27 February 2013 Last updated at 04:42 ET

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Tesco's Philip Clarke says the company is bringing meat production "closer to home"

The head of Tesco has pledged to bring meat production "closer to home" and work more closely with British farmers in response to the horsemeat scandal.

Philip Clarke said Tesco had also introduced a new testing process and that from July all chicken sold in its UK stores would be from British farms.

Mr Clarke and Environment Secretary Owen Paterson are to address the National Farmer Union's conference.

A NFU poll found 78% of people want more British food in supermarkets.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Clarke said he could not guarantee "right now today" that all of Tesco's products contained exactly what was on the label, but "that is our objective", he added.

"I'm sure that we will be able to say that in the future, once the testing regime is completely in place."

He said on the 300 tests that they had completed " most of them are fine" but that "three is too many".

Farmers' anger at the horsemeat scandal will be reflected at the national conference, NFU leaders have said - which is being held in Birmingham.

Many farmers believe the crisis over mis-labelled food has damaged consumer confidence in the supply chain.

NFU president Peter Kendall said: "Farmers have been furious about what has happened."

Gate to plate

"Farmers have spent many years working to ensure the British supply chain is fully traceable from farm to pack, and have upheld strong principles which are embodied in assurance schemes like Red Tractor.

"For me this is fundamental for consumer confidence."

But there is also a growing sense that this may be a moment of opportunity for British farmers.

They believe that tight regulations, including those introduced in response to the BSE crisis, mean their part of the food industry now sets the standard for others to follow.

Farmers have long called for the food supply chain, which can involve many traders and processors between farm gate and consumer plate, to be overhauled and simplified.

BBC rural affairs correspondent Jeremy Cooke said they hoped the horsemeat scandal could mean the rest of the industry - and the government - was ready to listen.

'Signal change'

Meanwhile, a poll for the NFU suggested that more than three-quarters of people wanted supermarkets to stock more food from British farms.

Also, some 43% of the 1,000 people surveyed said they were more likely to buy food traceable from UK farms in the wake of the horsemeat scandal.

Mr Kendall said: "Our research also demonstrates the strong demand for British-farmed products, and so retailers, processors and food service companies have a responsibility to ensure there is clear country of origin labelling on the products that consumers purchase."

Mr Clarke said his supermarket would work more closely with British farmers in response to the horsemeat scandal.

"The testing regime is intended to ensure that if it is not on the label it is not in the packet, if it is beef, it is beef, and nothing else.

"And that is the most comprehensive testing regime I have ever seen, and it's happening right now.

"The second thing is we're going to bring meat production a bit closer to home. We do buy some, particularly for our frozen products, out of Europe, and as we can we'll bring it closer to home.

"And the third thing is we're going to have more partnerships, more collaboration with farmers."

He added: "I hope that it doesn't mean price increases, but I can't stand here today and tell you that it won't.

"I hope it doesn't, I'll work to make sure it doesn't."

The director of the International Meat Trade Association, Liz Murphy, said passing off horsemeat as beef was criminal behaviour that had to be stamped out, as imported meat should be of equal standard to that produced in the UK.

"The public health and animal health conditions have to be the same," she said.

"So when we supply meat from outside the EU, that has to comply with the same conditions that our farmers do and our manufacturers and factories do in the UK."

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Dementia in care homes 'more common'

25 February 2013 Last updated at 19:28 ET By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News

More than 320,000 of the 400,000 people living in care homes in England, Wales and Northern Ireland now have dementia or severe memory problems, the Alzheimer's Society charity estimates.

It said the figure was almost 30% higher than previous estimates because of the rise in the ageing population and improvements in data collection.

Of 2,000 adults surveyed, 70% said they would be scared about going to a home.

Another two-thirds felt the sector was not doing enough to tackle abuse.

And just 41% of 1,100 family members and carers surveyed thought their loved ones' quality of life was good.

Continue reading the main story

• Dementia is an umbrella term describing a serious deterioration in mental functions, such as memory, language, orientation and judgement.
• There are many types, but Alzheimer's disease, which accounts for two-thirds of cases, is the most well-known.

Alzheimer's Society chief executive Jeremy Hughes said: "Society has such low expectation of care homes that people are settling for average.

"Throughout our lives we demand the best for ourselves and our children. Why do we expect less for our parents?

"We need government and care homes to work together to lift up expectations so people know they have the right to demand the best."

David Rogers, of the Local Government Association, which represents councils, said: "This report shows the lack of confidence in a care system which is buckling under the weight of rapidly growing demand and years of underfunding.

"Local authorities want to offer a service which goes beyond a basic level of care but this is becoming increasingly difficult as our population ages, costs climb and the already significant funding shortfall becomes even more severe."

Around one in three people over the age of 65 will develop dementia in their lifetime.

It is estimated that there are around 800,000 people in the UK who have dementia, but many have not yet been diagnosed.

The number of people with dementia is increasing because people are living longer.

By 2021 the number of people in the UK with dementia will have risen to almost 950,000, experts believe.

The government is looking to improve dementia care by building greater awareness and understanding of the condition, as well as pumping more money into research to find new treatments and hopefully a cure.

In October 2012, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced dedicated funding of up to £50m to NHS trusts and local authorities to help tailor hospitals and care homes to the needs of people with dementia.

There are around 20,000 care homes in the UK.

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Catholic church faces 'grave crisis'

26 February 2013 Last updated at 03:22 ET

A leading historian says Scotland's Roman Catholic Church is facing its gravest crisis since the Reformation.

Prof Tom Devine was speaking after the country's Cardinal Keith O'Brien resigned amid allegations of "inappropriate behaviour".

He is contesting the claims by three serving priests and a former priest.

Prof Devine said: "This is probably the gravest single public crisis to hit the Catholic Church in Scotland since the Reformation."

In his commentary piece published in the Daily Telegraph, he added: "Its effects in the short term are incalculable."

However, the senior Edinburgh University research professor believes that, although the faithful in Scotland would be stunned by the "seismic turn of events", the church had a powerful resilience that should not be underestimated.

The resignation of Cardinal O'Brien as archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh followed claims that he had acted inappropriately to four priests who had been in the ministry in the 1980s.

Britain's leading Roman Catholic cleric had been due to take part in the election of Pope Benedict's successor.

He had been expected to fly out to Rome and join his fellow cardinals to vote in the conclave.

However, Cardinal O'Brien issued a statement on Monday saying he would be resigning with immediate effect and would not participate in the vote.

He added: "I have valued the opportunity of serving the people of Scotland and overseas in various ways since becoming a priest.

"Looking back over my years of ministry: For any good I have been able to do, I thank God. For any failures, I apologise to all whom I have offended."

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Police to meet Lib Dems over Rennard

26 February 2013 Last updated at 04:05 ET

Liberal Democrat officials are to meet Metropolitan Police officers to discuss allegations made against the party's former chief executive Lord Rennard.

The Met said it was working with the party to establish whether any criminal activity had taken place.

A number of women have accused the peer of sexually inappropriate behaviour. Lord Rennard denies the allegations.

The Lib Dems are carrying out their own investigations. Lord Rennard has told of his "shock" at the allegations.

Election shadow

The question of how to handle the claims against Lord Rennard will be considered not only by the party but by the Specialist Investigations Command of the Metropolitan Police.

The meeting between the Met and Lib Dem officials on Tuesday follows a complaint by Labour MP John Mann.

Mr Mann told the BBC he had contacted the police because it was the "appropriate action" to take.

He said the Liberal Democrats had been trying to "politically manage" the issue rather than conducting a "proper investigation" into the allegations.

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Ex-Lib Dem activist Alison Smith who reported inappropriate behaviour by Lord Rennard in 2007, spoke to Newsnight

BBC political correspondent Ross Hawkins said Lord Rennard disputed allegations that were first broadcast last week and have cast a long shadow over the party's by-election campaign in Eastleigh.

The Lib Dems are preparing to defend the Hampshire seat on Thursday, following the resignation of Chris Huhne.

Alison Smith, one of those who has made allegations about his conduct, told the BBC's Newsnight that there was an "intolerable" culture within the party.

"It is going beyond a pat on the knee a lot of the time and even if it was just a pat on the knee who gets to decide what's an acceptable advance and what's not an acceptable advance? The power dynamics in these situations are quite scary," she said.

The Lib Dem investigations will consider claims about how allegations made among Lib Dems were handled in the past and what action should be taken in the future.

The party's deputy leader Simon Hughes said the police announcement was "compatible with what we want to do which is to make sure that nobody thinks that we're trying to hide anything.

"We're not, we're an open and transparent party."

Key strategist

The Lib Dems are conducting two inquiries - one into the specific complaints against Lord Rennard, which will be chaired by Alistair Webster QC, a criminal lawyer and former head of the Lib Dem Lawyers Association.

The other is into how the allegations were handled in the past, which will be independently chaired.

Two women told Channel 4 last Thursday that Lord Rennard had abused his position by inappropriately touching and propositioning them.

One of the women said she had spoken to two senior party figures about her claims but said no action had been taken.

Allegations from more women were broadcast on Friday. The incidents are alleged to have taken place between 2003 and 2007.

Lord Rennard, who was also a key strategist and adviser to a succession of party leaders, said he was "deeply shocked" about the allegations and said they were a "total distortion" of his character.

The peer said he knew of no complaints against him in his 27 years working for the party but he has temporarily stood aside from the Lib Dem group in the Lords to avoid "embarrassment" to the party.

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Italy deadlock after protest vote

26 February 2013 Last updated at 04:08 ET

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The BBC's Katya Adler says many people are lost for words over the result

Italy's parliamentary elections have ended in stalemate and the possibility of a hung parliament.

With all domestic votes counted, Pier Luigi Bersani's centre-left bloc won the lower house vote but has failed to secure a majority in the Senate.

News of the results led to a sharp fall on Italian financial markets.

Mr Berlusconi conceded the lower house vote but control of both houses is needed to govern. A protest movement led by comedian Beppe Grillo won 25%.

Meanwhile a bloc led by current Prime Minister Mario Monti came a poor fourth, with about 10%.

The outcome of the election, which comes amid a deep recession and tough austerity measures, was so close that the margin of victory given in interior ministry figures was less than 1% in both houses of parliament.

"It is clear to everyone that a very delicate situation is emerging for the country," said centre-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani as the last of the votes were being counted.

Continue reading the main story

A complicating factor in the election is the extraordinary performance of the protest movement led by the comedian Beppe Grillo. One in four voters backed a movement that was built on disgust against the political class. Many of its new MPs will be young and inexperienced.

There will now be a period of horse-trading to see whether any party can build a coalition to govern the country.

The centre-left will try first to form a coalition but many believe that within months there will have to be another election.

Italy is the third largest economy in the eurozone, and already there is anxiety in the markets as to where this results leaves economic reforms.

Mr Berlusconi conceded to his opponents in the lower house. He said that everyone should now reflect on what to do next, but fresh elections should be avoided. He would not do a deal with Mr Monti's centrist bloc, he added, saying that the prime minister's poor showing was down to popular discontent with his austerity measures.

With returns from all polling stations processed, the interior ministry figures gave Mr Bersani's centre-left bloc 29.54% of the vote for the lower house (Chamber of Deputies), barely ahead of the 29.18% polled by Mr Berlusconi's bloc.

Votes cast outside Italy are still to be collected.

Mr Bersani also won the national vote for the Senate, but was unable to secure the 158 seats required for a majority.

As bonus seats are distributed in the upper house according to regional votes, Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right bloc was expected to emerge with a higher number of seats.

Continue reading the main story

Chamber of Deputies (lower house):

• Pier Luigi Bersani's centre-left Democratic Party-led bloc: 29.54% of the vote
• Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right People of Freedom Party-led bloc: 29.18%
• Beppe Grillo's anti-austerity Five Star Movement: 25.55%
• Mario Monti's Civic Choice movement: 10.56%

The Senate (upper house):

• Neither of the two biggest parties and their allies thought to be close to the 158 seats needed to have a working majority
• Latest figures show the Democratic Party bloc winning about 113 seats (31.63% of the vote)
• The People of Freedom Party bloc to win 116 seats (30.72% of the vote)
• Five Star Movement to win 54 seats (23.79%)
• Civic Choice 18 seats (9.13%)

Source: Interior ministry

Mr Berlusconi was heading for victory in three of the four big regions - Lombardy in the north, Campania in the centre, and Sicily in the south.

'War of generations'

Initial exit polls on Monday afternoon gave Mr Bersani's bloc a clear victory, prompting the Milan stock market to soar by nearly 4%.

But as the close result became clear the markets fell back.

Italy's FTSE MIB index fell 4.7%, while London's FTSE 100 shed 1.5% and share markets in Frankfurt and Paris also fell more than 2%.

In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.55% and Asian markets lost between 0.7% and 2.2%.

The yield on Italian government bonds rose sharply, implying markets are more wary of lending to Italy.

The apparent split between left and right in the eurozone's third largest economy is likely to cause great anxiety among leaders in other EU member states.

The BBC's Gavin Hewitt says a period of horse-trading will now follow, and the leading blocs will try in turn to form a coalition.

But, with the electorate apparently so divided, many believe a second election will have to follow in a few months.

Mr Berlusconi, 76, left office in November 2011, facing claims of economic mismanagement as the eurozone struggled to contain Italy's debt crisis.

Italians have had more than a year of technocratic government under Mario Monti. But his attempts to reduce spending caused widespread public resentment and his decision to head a centrist list in the parliamentary elections attracted little more than 10% of the vote.

"Some supposed we'd get a slightly better result but I am very satisfied, we are very satisfied," he said.

In a surge in support, Beppe Grillo's anti-austerity Five Star Movement attracted 25.54% of the vote, making it the most popular single party in the lower chamber.

Correspondents say this was an extraordinary success for the Genoese comic, whose tours around the country throughout the election campaign - hurling insults against a discredited political class - resulted in his party performing well in both chambers.

"We've started a war of generations," Mr Grillo said in an audio statement on his website which taunted the leaders of the mainstream parties.

"They are all losers, they've been there for 25 to 30 years and they've led this country to catastrophe."

As the extent of his success became clear on Monday night, Mr Grillo's supporters in his home town of Genoa celebrated early into Tuesday morning.

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Fish discards ban 'may be diluted'

26 February 2013 Last updated at 04:24 ET By Roger Harrabin Environment analyst

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How a UK trial uses CCTV on fishing boats to crack down on discards

Europe's fisheries ministers may dilute plans for a total ban on the practice of discarding fish at sea, as they meet in Brussels.

An outright discards ban was widely welcomed when backed by the European Parliament last month, but it is being resisted by France, Spain and others.

Ministers will consider a compromise text, that a European Commission source described as "quite unacceptable".

It would delay fisheries reform beyond the current proposal of 2016-2019.

It would also allow maybe 7% of fish to be discarded, exempt some species from the ban altogether, and give fishing crews extra catch quotas for an interim period.

It would also allow blue whiting, one of the most abundant stocks of the North East Atlantic, to be dumped if it is inadvertently caught. Boarfish may also be exempt.

Some ministers are striving to soften the provisions of the reform package to protect their fleets from sudden change.

Hi-tech nets

But the Fisheries Commissioner, Maria Damanaki, urged ministers not to compromise.

"The politicians must listen to what the public is telling them," she said. "The public does not want fish to be just thrown away."

She said all caught fish should be landed; if they were of low value, they should be turned into fish meal.

Ms Damanaki was presented with a petition signed by nearly a million people demanding an end to discards, and for fishing at a level that allows stocks to replenish.

Campaigners were surprised and delighted last month when MEPs voted by a margin of around 4-1 in favour of sweeping reforms. The majority was far greater than had been predicted.

The Irish Fisheries Minister, Simon Coveney, who is chairing the meeting, said: "It is imperative that European Fisheries Ministers collectively take this progressive but challenging decision now and co-operate in agreeing appropriate and effective measures to eliminate discards with ambitious timelines."

But he is obliged at the meeting to find a joint position that the Council can negotiate with the Commission and parliament - and compromise will be difficult as several nations, including the UK, consider than any slipping from a total ban would be wrong.

The "progressive" nations fear that any discussion of exempt species would open the door for further exemptions.

In a review of global discarding, the UN noted that the north-east Atlantic had the highest discard level in the world, estimated at 1.3 million tonnes - the majority attributed to the EU. The Commission estimates that 23% of all fish caught by EU vessels are discarded.

Discussions at the Fisheries Council may last into the night, although on a less contentious note, ministers are likely to re-commit to better technology to prevent unwanted fish being caught in the first place

Follow Roger on Twitter @rharrabin

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Egypt balloon crash kills tourists

26 February 2013 Last updated at 04:38 ET

British, French, Hong Kong and Japanese nationals are among 19 tourists reportedly killed in a hot air balloon crash near the Egyptian city of Luxor.

The balloon was flying at 1,000 ft (300m) when it caught fire and exploded, plunging onto fields west of Luxor, officials said.

One witness told the BBC people were jumping out of the balloon, "from about the height of a seven-storey building".

Two people, including the balloon's pilot, reportedly survived the crash.

According to Egyptian police, the victims include nine from Hong Kong, four from Japan, two from the United Kingdom, two from France and two from Egypt.

Luxor lies on the banks of the River Nile and is home to some of Egypt's most famous pharaonic-era ruins.

Previous crashes

The crash happened on one of the many dawn hot air balloon flights that give tourists an aerial view of Luxor's famous sites, such as Karnak temple and the royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings.

Continue reading the main story

• Site of ancient city of Thebes
• Temples of Karnak and Luxor in city itself
• Royal tombs in Valley of the Kings and Queens lie across River Nile
• Dawn hot air balloon rides popular way to see sites
• Luxor has seen a drop in visitor numbers since the 2011 uprising

The balloon's operating company confirmed that a gas cylinder exploded on board the balloon, bringing it down in an agricultural area just outside Luxor.

Cherry Tohamy's balloon was landing when she heard an explosion and saw flames from a balloon above.

"Our pilot told us that the balloon had hit a high pressure electrical cable and a cylinder on board exploded," said Ms Tohamy, an Egyptian living in Kuwait who was on holiday in Luxor.

"People were jumping out of the balloon from about the height of a seven-storey building."

She said ambulances were at the scene within 15 minutes.

Another witness, US photographer Christopher Michel said his balloon was just about to land when he "heard an explosion and saw smoke".

The British foreign office told the BBC it was making urgent inquiries with its colleagues in Egypt to confirm reports of British casualties.

A spokesman from the Hong Kong government confirmed that nine Hong Kong residents were in the crash balloon and a team of immigration officers was being sent to Egypt.

Kuoni, the travel agency that organised their trip, said it believed there was a "high possibility that nine of our customers have died".

Hot air balloon crashes have happened in Luxor before. Two British women were among 16 injured when their balloon came down after hitting a communications tower in April 2009.

Balloons were grounded after that crash amid pledges to increase safety regulations for such flights.

But, says the BBC's Aleem Maqbool in Cairo, since the 2011 revolution that toppled President Hosni Mubarak, the rule of law is not being respected in many aspects of Egyptian life, so it has been difficult for the tourism ministry to impose its authority on sites like this.

Luxor, like many other parts of Egypt, has seen a sharp downturn in visitor numbers since the uprising.

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Staff suspended over pupil treatment

26 February 2013 Last updated at 04:41 ET

The head teacher and five staff members have been suspended from a primary school as police investigate the alleged ill treatment of pupils.

The staff at Revoe Primary School in Blackpool were suspended after concerns were raised before the half-term break last week, the council said.

It said no child was believed to have come to any harm but that it was a "serious situation".

Lancashire Constabulary has also confirmed it is investigating.

The allegations are not believed to be of a sexual nature.

Sarah Riding, cabinet member for education and schools, said the six had been replaced with temporary members of staff and parents had been informed.

'Early stages'

She said: "Before half term we were made aware of an issue at Revoe Primary School that raised concerns to us about the professional judgement made by a number of staff in relation to pupil well-being.

"These concerns have led to the suspension of six members of staff while a full investigation is carried out.

"It would not be appropriate to comment further on the nature of the investigation until it has been concluded."

A police spokeswoman said: "This allegation, like any allegation involving the well-being of young people, is being taken extremely seriously and will be thoroughly investigated as our priority is the safeguarding of young people.

"We are in the early stages of this inquiry and are working closely with the school and the local authority to establish the circumstances.

"No arrests have been made at this stage."

The school, on Grasmere Road, teaches children aged between two and 11 years old. It has about 400 pupils and employs about 70 members of staff.

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UK oil investment 'at 30-year high'

24 February 2013 Last updated at 19:05 ET

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Malcolm Webb, Oil and Gas UK: "The industry is creating tens of thousands of jobs, extra tax revenue and helping the balance of trade"

Investment in the North Sea is the highest for 30 years and rising, according to a report by an oil and gas trade body.

Companies looking for offshore energy invested £11.4bn in 2012, said Oil and Gas UK, which comprises more than 320 companies active in the area.

That will rise to £13bn this year, it predicted.

It credited the recent introduction of tax relief to encourage investment in "difficult projects".

"Here is some really good news for the UK," said Malcolm Webb, Oil and Gas UK's chief executive. "After two disappointing years brought about by tax uncertainty and consequent low investment, the UK continental shelf is now benefitting from record investment in new developments and in existing assets and infrastructure, the strongest for more than three decades."

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Oil and Gas UK, representing the sector and carrying out this survey, links the sharp drop in production over the past couple of years to tax raids by Gordon Brown last decade and by George Osborne in 2011"

End Quote

Chancellor George Osborne passed new relief measures last year so that gas fields in shallow waters will be exempt from a 32% tax on the first £500m of income. The UK government also plans to change tax rules on decommissioning.

"The recent introduction of targeted tax allowances to promote the development of a range of difficult projects, coupled with the government's ground-breaking commitment to provide certainty on decommissioning tax relief, has prompted global companies and independent businesses alike to take another look at the UK as an investment destination," Mr Webb said.

'New discoveries needed'

The number of projects submitted to the Department of Energy and Climate Change and given development approval almost doubled between 2011 and 2012. Thirty-three have been approved since January 2012.

But the body warned that the reserves that are now moving through into production have not been fully replaced with new discoveries.

Production in the UK fell to the equivalent of 1.55 million barrels of oil per day in 2012, down by 14% from 2011 and by 30% from 2010.

Mr Webb added: "Only 21 exploration wells per year on average were drilled over the last three years. As a result, in 2012 not enough barrels were discovered to replace all those produced.

"However, again, there is real cause for encouragement as the survey results lead us to forecast 130 exploration wells over the next three years which, alongside the use of new and improved sub-surface technology, should result in many more barrels being discovered."

According to the Scottish government, there are still 24 billion barrels of oil still to be recovered in the North Sea with a wholesale value of £1.5 trillion.

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Campaigners criticise PCC elections

24 February 2013 Last updated at 22:04 ET

The elections for police and crime commissioners "failed both candidates and voters alike", a report by the Electoral Reform Society has said.

The polls took place in 41 police force areas in England and Wales, and had a turnout of just 15%, a peacetime low.

The Electoral Reform Society said a poll it commissioned showed almost 90% of people still do not know who their elected representative is.

The Home Office said it would look at the points made in the report.

PCCs replaced police authorities in England and Wales - except in London - in what the Home Office described as "the biggest democratic reform in policing in our lifetimes".

The commissioners will be in post until 2016 and will have the power to set policing priorities, budgets and also to hire and fire chief constables.

'Left in the dark'

In its report, the Electoral Reform Society, an independent campaign group, described November's elections as "chaotic".

It said turnout was affected because they were held in winter, and voters were not given enough information.

A Populus poll commissioned by the society, and carried out last month, showed just 11% of the 1,624 respondents knew who their elected PCC was, it said.

The society has recommended that:

• Another major election should never be held in winter months, as it discourages people from turning out
• Voters should not be "left in the dark" about who or what they are voting for
• There should be a level playing field for candidates through well-designed election rules

Katie Ghose, chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society said: "This was a flagship policy designed to reconnect the public and the police. Yet, after spending £75m, nearly 90% of Britons have no idea who their elected police and crime commissioner even is.

"November's bungled poll failed both candidates and voters. Government mismanagement has handed our elected commissioners a poisoned chalice, and it remains unclear how they can overcome it.

"The Electoral Commission's forthcoming review must not pull its punches. The government has singularly failed to accept any responsibility and would like to see nothing more than a whitewash."

'Bigger mandate'

Last week, the Home Office was criticised for not having "sufficient resources or the level of expertise" required to run effective elections.

The Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA) - a body for electoral staff, which has more than 1,700 members - also criticised the timing of the PCC elections, saying it was "not in the interests of voters".

The Home Office gave an identical response to the latest criticisms.

"More than five million people turned out to vote for the first ever election of police and crime commissioners, giving them an infinitely bigger mandate than the unelected and invisible police authorities they replaced," a spokeswoman said.

"That number will only grow in the future as people see the real impact PCCs are already making in their areas, delivering on public priorities in tackling crime.

"The Home Office will look at the points made in this report, along with the conclusions of the Electoral Commission's upcoming assessment."

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EU ministers set for horsemeat talks

24 February 2013 Last updated at 22:14 ET

European Union agriculture ministers are set to meet in Brussels for talks widely expected to focus on the continent's growing horsemeat scandal.

The labelling of the origin of meat and the traceability of the products will be high on the agenda.

The scandal erupted last month when horsemeat was found in some beef meals and burgers in the UK and Ireland.

Since then, supermarkets across Europe have had to withdraw affected prepared meals from their shelves.

'Concrete action'

The BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Brussels says the original agenda of the ministerial meeting included support for rural communities and the common fisheries policy.

However, the ministers will now try to come up with measures to tackle the horsemeat scandal.

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• In mid-January, Irish food inspectors announced they had found horsemeat in some burgers stocked by UK supermarket chains
• Subsequently, up to 100% horsemeat found in several ranges of prepared frozen food in Britain, France and Sweden
• Concerns that a drug used to treat horses, and which may be harmful to humans, could be in food chain
• Meat traced from France through Cyprus and The Netherlands to Romanian abattoirs
• Investigation suggests adulteration was not accidental but the work of a criminal conspiracy

Our correspondent says that there seems to be consensus that this is a pan-European problem that requires a concerted approach.

France and Germany both want compulsory labelling and traceability.

UK Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said on Friday that he would "continue to insist on concrete, co-ordinated action right across Europe when I meet European agriculture ministers on Monday".

But a workable deal could be difficult, our correspondents says. The discovery of horsemeat has long, complex and poorly regulated supply chains in the meat industry.

At least a dozen countries are involved in the horsemeat affair, which implicates some of the biggest meat processors and food producers.

Italy joined the list on Saturday, reporting horsemeat in some lasagne products.

On Friday, Germany's consumer affairs ministry announced it had found traces of horse DNA in 67 of 830 food products tested.

Irish authorities on Friday suspended production at one processing plant after horsemeat was found labelled as beef.

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Day-Lewis makes Oscars history

25 February 2013 Last updated at 02:02 ET

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Watch some of the key moments of the ceremony

Daniel Day-Lewis has made Oscars history by becoming the first person to win the best actor prize three times.

The British-born star, who had been the runaway favourite, was rewarded for his role in Steven Spielberg's Lincoln.

"I really don't know how any of this happened. I do know I've received much more than my fair share of good fortune in my life," he said.

Ben Affleck's Iran-set rescue thriller Argo beat Lincoln to the top prize for best picture.

In a live broadcast from the White House, First Lady Michelle Obama joined Jack Nicholson to help present the best picture prize at the end of the night.

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"Start Quote

I do know I've received much more than my fair share of good fortune in my life"

End Quote Daniel Day-Lewis

Argo, directed by and starring Affleck, is the first best picture winner not to have also been nominated for best director since 1989's Driving Miss Daisy.

Oscars host Seth MacFarlane joked at the start of the ceremony: "Argo's story is so top-secret that its director remains unknown to the Academy."

Accepting his award alongside fellow producers George Clooney and Grant Heslov, Affleck paid tribute to the "genius" Steven Spielberg, who lost out in the same category.

Referring to his previous Oscar success with 1997's Good Will Hunting, he said: "I never thought I would be back here and I am because of so many of you who are here tonight.

"It doesn't matter how you get knocked down in life, all that matters is that you get up."

Daniel Day-Lewis, who holds UK-Irish citizenship, previously won best actor for My Left Foot (in 1990) and There Will Be Blood (2008) and has a reputation for immersing himself in his roles.

This year's victory puts Day-Lewis ahead of Hollywood legends Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando, Dustin Hoffman and Tom Hanks - who all have two best actor wins to their names.

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Anne Hathaway on winning her Oscar

Jennifer Lawrence won best actress for her role as a troubled young widow in Silver Linings Playbook.

The 22-year-old, who stumbled over her dress on her way to the stage, joked: "You guys are just standing up because you feel bad that I fell over and that's embarrassing."

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OSCARS - Main winners

Life Of Pi - Four awards, including best director for Ang Lee

Argo - Three awards, including best film

Les Miserables - Three awards, including best supporting actress for Anne Hathaway

Django Unchained, Lincoln, Skyfall - Two awards apiece

Surveying the audience in Hollywood's Dolby Theatre, she added: "This is nuts." It was the first Oscar win for Lawrence, who was previously nominated for best actress in 2011 for her performance in Winter's Bone.

Anne Hathaway won best supporting actress for her role as tragic factory worker Fantine in movie musical Les Miserables.

With her cropped hair and gaunt face, Hathaway's teary version of I Dreamed a Dream had made her an Oscar favourite. "It came true," the actress said when she collected her statuette.

Hathaway's Oscar was her first after previously nominated in 2008 for Rachel Getting Married.

She said: "Here's hoping that someday in the not too distant future, the misfortunes of Fantine will only be found in stories and not in real life."

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Adele: "Thank you so much, this is amazing."

British singer Adele won the Oscar for best original song for her Bond theme Skyfall, which she also performed during the show.

She struggled through tears to thank the Bond producers and her co-writer Paul Epworth, who collected the award alongside her.

Ang Lee won his second Oscar for directing Life of Pi, the adaption of Yann Martel's fantasy novel about a boy stranded in a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger. The film won four Oscars in total, more than any other film.

The Taiwanese-born director, who won previously for Brokeback Mountain in 2006, exclaimed: "Thank you, movie god!"

Life of Pi also picked up Oscars for cinematography, original score and visual effects.

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Watch the stars arrive at the 2013 Academy Awards

Christoph Waltz won his second Oscar for best supporting actor in a Quentin Tarantino film, this time for playing a German bounty hunter in the slave revenge story Django Unchained.

Picking up the award, Waltz offered thanks to his character Dr King Schultz and to "his creator and the creator of his awe-inspiring world, Quentin Tarantino".

The Austrian actor won his first Oscar as a Nazi colonel in Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds in 2010.

Tarantino won the original screenplay prize for Django Unchained, adding to the Oscar he won for writing Pulp Fiction in 1994. "I have to cast the right people to make those characters come alive and boy this time did I do it," he said.

The best adapted screenplay Oscar went to Chris Terrio for Argo, while Pixar's Scottish adventure Brave won best animated feature.

The award for costume design went to Briton Jacqueline Durran for Anna Karenina, who described the win as "completely overwhelming" and paid tribute to her children, who were "fast asleep in England".

The make-up and hairstyling award went to fellow Brits Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell for Les Miserables. Tom Hooper's musical also picked up the Oscar for sound mixing.

Unusually, there was a tie in the sound editing category - the Oscar was shared by Zero Dark Thirty and Skyfall.

Searching for Sugar Man, which tells the story of musician Rodriguez who disappeared from public view in the early 1970s but developed a cult following in South Africa, won the Oscar for best documentary.

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"Start Quote

I honestly cannot believe I'm here - It's an honour that everyone else said 'no'"

End Quote Seth MacFarlane on hosting the Oscars

Producer Simon Chinn said: "Rodriguez isn't here tonight because he didn't want to take any of the credit himself."

Austrian drama Amour won the Oscar for best foreign language film. The French-language film, directed by Michael Haneke, portrays the indignities of an elderly Parisian couple - Anne and Georges - as they cope with Anne's wish to die after a stroke.

The ceremony was hosted for the first time by Seth MacFarlane, who created the animated comedy Family Guy and directed the movie Ted.

"I honestly cannot believe I'm here," he quipped at the start of the show. "It's an honour that everyone else said 'no'."

The show also included a tribute to the James Bond franchise, followed by an appearance by Dame Shirley Bassey, who sang her theme song to the 1960s Bond classic Goldfinger.

A salute to movie musicals saw Chicago Oscar-winner Catherine Zeta-Jones and Dreamgirls winner Jennifer Hudson join Les Miserables cast members Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe, Helena Bonham Carter and Amanda Seyfried on stage.

During the section of the show that pays tribute to those who died in 2012, Barbra Streisand sang the late Marvin Hamlisch's The Way We Were, from the 1973 romantic drama in which she starred with Robert Redford. It was Streisand's first Oscars performance for 36 years.

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