Americans face piracy site blocks

13 May 2011 Last updated at 10:47 GMT

Americans face piracy website blocking

The proposed law aims to limit web access to counterfeit goods sold online

Websites that link to pirated music and movies or sell counterfeit goods could soon be blocked in America.

US politicians are about to consider legislation which includes a raft of measures to clamp down on such sites.

The Protect IP bill gives government and copyright holders tools to stop Americans reaching illegal material.

Digital rights groups said they were "dismayed" by the proposals and feared the effect the final law would have on the internet.

Bad actors

"The Protect IP Act targets the most egregious actors, and is an important first step to putting a stop to online piracy and sale of counterfeit goods," said Senator Patrick Leahy in a statement released as the bill began its progress through the US legislature.

"Both law enforcement and rights holders are currently limited in the remedies available to combat websites dedicated to offering infringing content and products," said Senator Leahy, one of 10 politicians backing the proposal.

The Protect IP legislation is a re-write of the controversial Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA) that narrowly failed to become law in late 2010.

The law is being opposed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) which warned that it was no less problematic than its predecessor.

"We are no less dismayed by this most recent incarnation than we were with last year's draft," said Abigail Phillips, senior staff attorney at the EFF. She said the remedies suggested in Protect IP raised "serious First Amendment concerns about lawful expression".

Sites targeted under the Protect IP (Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property) Act would be removed from the internet's address books making them hard to find by their well-known domain name.

It allows the blocking of any domains that infringing sites switch to in order to avoid blocking. The bill also contains clauses that would force search engines to stop listing so-called infringing sites in their indexes.

As well as letting government take action, the Protect IP Act would allow copyright holders to apply for court orders to get sites blocked or de-listed.

Payment firms and ad networks could also be told to stop providing services to sites found to be infringing copyright or peddling fake goods.

Sherwin Sly, deputy legal director at the Public Knowledge digital rights group, said Protect IP threatened to unravel the consensus that the net is built upon.

If passed, it would "accelerate" the net down a path that could lead to governments everywhere sanitising online content so citizens only get what those in power think they should see, he said.

Limewire pays $105m settlement

13 May 2011 Last updated at 11:31 GMT

Limewire pays $105m settlement to music firms

The court case against Limewire began in 2006

File-sharing software company Limewire has reached an out of court settlement with record labels that sued it for helping people pirate music.

The Lime Group, which developed the Limewire system, has agreed to pay $105m (£64.6m) to 13 music firms.

The figure is far less than the billion dollar bill for damages that the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) claimed it was owed.

The prolonged legal fight has led to Limewire being shut down.

Mitch Bainwol, chairman of the RIAA - which represents record labels - said the organisation was pleased with the result.

"This hard fought victory is reason for celebration by the entire music community, its fans and the legal services that play by the rules," said Mr Bainwol in a statement.

Limewire was a program that used peer-to-peer technology to help people find media on other computers and let others see their libraries of files.

The RIAA first took legal action against Limewire in 2006 shortly after concluding a $115m settlement with peer-to-peer software maker Kazaa.

In May 2010, the judge overseeing the case ruled that Limewire and its creator Mark Gorton had infringed copyright and aided others in downloading pirated music.

Another court ruling in the case in October 2010 led to the effective closure of Limewire as it was banned from letting people search, download, upload or trade files using the program.

An official updated version of the program has been distributed that stops people using Limewire to swap files in this way.

However, a pirate edition has been produced that leaves those services intact.

Number of adult learners 'falls'

13 May 2011 Last updated at 02:46 GMT

Fall in UK adults engaged in learning, survey finds

By Katherine Sellgren BBC News education reporter

The fall in the number of male adult learners represents a particular challenge, says the charity

The number of adult learners in the UK has fallen - with a particular decline among men, an annual survey suggests.

This year's National Institute of Adult Continuing Education survey - of 4,957 people - found a slight fall in adults in learning, down from 21% to 20%.

But there was concern that the number of men who had been in learning in the past three years had fallen to 37% - the lowest level since the mid-1990s.

This was a "fundamental challenge for policy makers", the charity said.

The annual survey from National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) - a charity which promotes adult learning - asked respondents to assess whether or not they identified themselves as a learner.

It was based on a survey of 4,957 people in the UK aged 17 and over carried out in February and March.

The type of "learning" could be formal, work-based, online or self-directed and covers a range of areas from academic subjects to recreational activities.

'Learning society'

The results indicated that the number of men who have been in learning over the past three years (37%) is at its lowest level since the NIACE survey began in 1996.

Participation in learning among those in the least skilled jobs and those outside the labour market fell seven percentage points from 2010 from 30% to 23%.

Professional and managerial groups were twice as likely (52%) to participate in learning than the unskilled and unemployed.

But younger learners were on the increase - with participation in learning increasing among those aged 17 to 24, up from 58% in 2010 to 71% this year.

This is set against a decrease across all other age groups, with learning activities for adults aged 65 to 74 dropping from 23% last year to 17% in 2011.

NIACE chief executive Alan Tuckett said: "If Britain is to recover economically it has to invest in the whole of its workforce, not just the young.

"With an ageing labour force we need to encourage people to prolong their active working and learning lives, reducing learning opportunities will hardly help with the well-being or work-readiness of Britain's third age adults.

"But overall, the most concerning aspects of this year's survey are the lowest ever figures of participation for men and for the least skilled and those outside the labour market.

"When you take these findings, with the reported decline in people's intentions to take up learning in the future, you have a fundamental challenge for policy makers, employers and providers.

"We won't have a learning society unless everyone takes their share of responsibility to create it."

Watchdog to probe exam standards

13 May 2011 Last updated at 10:20 GMT

Watchdog to investigate exam standards

GCSE results have been rising consecutively for 22 years

Fears that GCSEs and A-levels are getting easier are to be investigated by the exams standards watchdog.

Ofqual said it would gather evidence and listen to views in what it described as an "objective and constructive debate" on the issue.

GCSE results have been rising for more than 20 years, and 27% of A-level students received As or A*s last year.

Education Secretary Michael Gove has made it clear he wants exams to be rigorous and demanding.

Ofqual spoke out as this year's exam season gets under way, with 800,000 pupils across England, Wales and Northern Ireland revising for their GCSE and A-level exams.

'Firm but fair'

Ofqual's new chief executive Glenys Stacey told the Daily Telegraph: "We do a lot of work to maintain standards on all the key qualifications across the board on subject matters and subject levels.

"But there is still a public concern over standards and a feeling that things aren't what they used to be.

"Well, I would like to understand that better and actually bring some evidence to the debate as well. I want an objective and constructive debate."

She said her investigation would be "firm but fair".

An Ofqual spokesman said that in the past the watchdog had focussed on the technical standards of individual exams.

However it now wanted to draw all the evidence together because it was aware of a public perception of falling standards.

Ofqual will also look at competition between exam boards and the use of modular exams - where exams are broken down into smaller units. This often leads to a high number of re-sits.

International comparisons

A number of studies have suggested exams are getting easier, and there have been attempts to tighten standards up by reducing the amount of course work.

Mr Gove has already called for exams taken in England to be compared with tests taken in other countries and has asked Ofsted to run a separate inquiry into standards in vocational exams.

The Department for Education did not wish to comment on Ofqual's plans.

Teachers' legal bid over pensions

13 May 2011 Last updated at 15:15 GMT

Teachers mount legal battle over pensions

By Hannah Richardson BBC News education reporter

Teachers have been working out how much the change will cost them

A teachers' union is mounting a High Court challenge to government changes to their pension scheme.

The Nasuwt union is seeking a judicial review over the switch from the higher RPI to the lower CPI index of inflation.

Chancellor George Osborne announced the change for public sector pensions in his emergency budget last June, saving £11bn a year by 2014-15.

The government said it stood by the move.

The CPI method of calculating inflation - which does not include housing costs - is usually lower than the RPI definition.

The Nasuwt say the change means retiring teachers could lose up to £10,000 a year. It lodged papers with the High Court earlier this month.

General secretary Chris Keates said the change effectively broke the "contract" between teachers and the government because staff would have given consideration to the level of pension they were to get when they took decisions about if and when to retire.

'Good case'

She said: "It's been such a devastating change and it's been imposed - it's not up for negotiation with the government. They took a unilateral decision to do this.

"We took legal advice and on the basis of what our lawyers say, we think there is a good case to be made. If we win, it will have a massive impact for teachers."

Nasuwt has joined with the Fire Brigades Union, the Prison Officers Association, the PCS civil servants' union and Unite to mount the challenge.

As part of their legal case, the Nasuwt has drawn up a range of case studies for teachers leaving the profession at different stages and mapping out what the changes mean for those individuals.

If the case goes in favour of the unions, then these examples would set precedents for teachers and other workers in similar positions.

'Preferred measure'

A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions said: "We are currently considering the claims but stand by our policy to move to the CPI for the up-rating of pensions and benefits.

"The CPI is an internationally recognised measure of inflation and is the Bank of England's preferred measure."

The case comes as the Nasuwt publishes the results of a survey of 35,000 members suggesting nine out of 10 would support industrial action over future planned changes to their pensions.

However, the Nasuwt has committed itself to the TUC-led negotiations with the government before balloting for action.

But Ms Keates added: "Should the coalition government either fail to take seriously the concerns of teachers or fail to use the negotiations with the TUC genuinely and seriously to seek an agreed outcome, then the overwhelming support for industrial action among NASUWT members will be translated into reality with inevitable widespread disruption."

A number of other teaching unions have said they will ballot on strike action over pension changes.

Twitter boost for Japan doctors

13 May 2011 Last updated at 07:13 GMT

Twitter 'vital' link to patients, say doctors in Japan

The earthquake in Japan left many people with long-term health problems without medication

In the aftermath of the earthquake in Japan, Twitter is proving "an excellent system" for communicating with chronically-ill patients, say doctors.

In letters written to The Lancet, Japanese doctors say social networking sites have been vital in notifying patients where to get medication.

Although telephone networks were disrupted after the earthquake, internet access remained reliable.

But Japan must now strengthen its primary care system, they said.

The letters, which appear in the Correspondence section of The Lancet, were written by Japanese doctors across the country.

They talk about the health care consequences of the earthquake and tsunami disaster which occurred in Japan in March.

In one letter, Dr Yuichi Tamura and and Dr Keiichi Kukuda, from the department of cardiology at Keio University School of Medicine in Tokyo, described their initial concern over how to get drugs to patients with pulmonary hypertension after the disaster.

"Forming a supply chain for such drugs in the earliest stages of the disaster was difficult; however we found that social networking services could have a useful role."

Using the 're-tweet' facility on Twitter allowed information to be spread rapidly, they said.

"We were able to notify displaced patients via Twitter on where to acquire medications. These 'tweets' immediately spread through patients' networks, and consequently most could attend to their essential treatments."

On the move

But they also needed the hands-on help of countless medical staff to deliver drugs and oxygen.

"Our experience has shown that social networking services, run concurrently with physical support, were significant in triumphing over many difficulties in the recent catastrophe," they wrote.

In another letter, doctors describe how they transferred 600 dialysis patients from the area near the Fukushima nuclear power plant over 200km to another city to receive the urgent care they needed.

The patients were unable to bring their medical records with them on the journey from Iwaki to Niigata in the north west of Japan.

Dr Junichiro James Kazama, from Niigata University Hospital, said his team's experience of two previous earthquakes helped in the mass transfer.

"The transfer of 600 haemodialysis patients is an unprecedented event.

"However this mass relocation seems to be merely the beginning, because the accident recovery operation is still underway at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant," Dr Kazama wrote.

In other letters, doctors criticised the weakness of the Japan's primary care system, saying that patients normally have to go straight to hospital if they want to be treated for anything.

After the earthquake and tsunami, this situation created chaos.

"Hospitals were unable to tend to patients with non-urgent but important needs such as treatment of hypertension, diabetes, gastroenteritis, and so forth. Japan needs to strengthen its primary-care system," wrote Dr Jay Starkey from the University of Iowa and Dr Shoichi Maeda from Keio University in Tokyo.

IVF multiple births 'coming down'

13 May 2011 Last updated at 07:12 GMT

IVF multiple births 'coming down' says HFEA

The HFEA wants to reduce the percentage of IVF births resulting in more than one child.

The proportion of risky multiple births during IVF treatment is falling according to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).

Multiple birth pregnancies have a higher chance of miscarriage, and of leading to premature birth and of babies with cerebral palsy.

The HFEA said 23.6% of IVF births led to more than one child at the beginning of 2008, which fell to 22% in mid 2009.

The Multiple Births Foundation said it was "great news".

Multiple births are a consequence of increasing the odds of IVF working. Implanting more embryos increases the chance of success, but also the chance of twins or triplets.

The HFEA has introduced targets for reducing multiple births because of the health concerns for mother and child.

It has aimed for fewer than 24% IVF births resulting in more than one child by April 2010, 20% by April 2011 and 15% by April 2012.

One by one

Multiple births have health risks for the babies and the mother.

The reduction so far has largely been down to increased use of a technique called single embryo transfer.

Only one embryo is implanted in women who have the greatest chance of getting pregnant. HFEA figures show this has not affected the success rate.

Professor Lisa Jardine, chair of the HFEA said: "It is excellent news that the number of multiple births is coming down whilst overall success rates for patients are still being maintained. This shows that the policy is proving successful."

Susan Seenan, from the Infertility Network UK, said: "With full funding on the NHS - if patients could access three cycles - a lot more women would be willing and able to go for single embryo transfer.

"Some women who are only getting one cycle feel they are limiting their chances of success."

Jane Denton, director of the Multiple Births Foundation said: "There is no doubt that a multiple pregnancy creates risks for both mother and babies. The good news is that the strategy is working."

Drugs 'reduce' HIV transmission

12 May 2011 Last updated at 21:02 GMT

Anti-retroviral drugs 'help reduce' HIV transmission

By James Gallagher Health reporter, BBC News

Drugs can reduce the risk of the HIV virus spreading

An HIV-positive person who takes anti-retroviral drugs after diagnosis, rather than when their health declines, can cut the risk of spreading the virus to uninfected partners by 96%, according to a study.

The United States National Institutes of Health sampled 1,763 couples in which one partner was infected by HIV.

It was abandoned four years early as the trial was so successful.

The World Health Organization said it was a "crucial development".

The study began in 2005 at 13 sites across across Africa, Asia and the Americas.

HIV-positive patients were split into two groups. In one, individuals were immediately given a course of anti-retroviral drugs.

The other group only received the treatment when their white blood cell count fell.

Both were given counselling on safe sex practices, free condoms and treatment for sexually transmitted infections.

Among those immediately starting anti-retroviral therapy there was only one case of transmission between partners.

In the other group there were 27 HIV transmissions.

'Renewed commitment'

"This breakthrough is a serious game changer and will drive the prevention revolution forward. It makes HIV treatment a new priority prevention option," said Michel Sidibe, executive director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids (UNAIDS).

But he warned that it would cost more than ten billion dollars to provide drugs to the ten million people worldwide who are currently not receiving medication for HIV.

The World Health Organization says sexual transmission accounts for 80% of all new HIV infections. Its director general, Dr Margaret Chan, described the announcement as a "crucial development"

She added: "The findings from this study will further strengthen and support the new guidance that WHO is releasing in July to help people living with HIV protect their partners."

The value of anti-retrovirals, in preventing transmission, had been speculated for some time after observational studies, but researchers say this is the first time it has been proven in clinical trials.

Keith Alcorn, from the NAM, an HIV/AIDS charity, said: "This study resoundingly confirms what lots of smaller studies have been telling us for several years.

"International donors cannot ignore the evidence any longer: HIV treatment is a very powerful form of HIV prevention, and could have a major effect on the HIV epidemic in the worst-affected countries.

"What we need now is a renewed commitment to HIV treatment, and studies to show how to get the maximum benefit out of this breakthrough at country level."

UKIP in control of first council

13 May 2011 Last updated at 14:25 GMT

UKIP takes control of first council

The UK Independence Party has taken control of its first council in the UK.

The party has won control of Ramsey Town Council in Cambridgeshire.

UKIP won nine out of 17 seats in an election in which all the seats were contested.

The party already held the Cambridgeshire County Council seat for Ramsey and two of the three Huntingdonshire District Council seats for the ward.

Ramsey Town Council has the same legal status as a parish council with a brief to represent the local community, deliver some local services and improve the quality of life.

Peter Reeve, the UKIP group leader on Huntingdonshire District Council, also won a seat on the town council in the election last week.

Big society

Previously the party had just one seat on the town council.

Mr Reeve, who is also the party's Eastern region organiser, said: "Like all UKIP councillors, we believe in rolling up our sleeves and getting on with the work that needs to be achieved in our local community.

"The Conservatives talk about localism - we are actually practising it.

"We will be standing up for volunteers and the third sector and will be making grants to them to help the big society develop."

He said under UKIP the council would be inclusive and would encourage people to take an interest in their town.

"We are a libertarian party in the centre ground of public opinion," he added.

Mr Reeves' partner Lisa Duffy, also a UKIP town councillor, has become Ramsey's mayor.

She was UKIP's agent in the Barnsley Central by-election in March where the party came second to Labour.

UKIP gained its first local councillors in Newcastle in 2007.

The party now has hundreds of town and parish councillors across the UK and has 23 district councillors, having gained four more in last week's local elections.

Incomes 'may fall to 2004 levels'

13 May 2011 Last updated at 09:57 GMT

Household incomes in UK 'may return to 2004 levels'

 

Child poverty fell during the Labour government's tenure but not by as much as targeted

Households in the UK may be facing the biggest drop in income for 30 years, a leading economic think tank has warned.

Average income could fall 3% this year, the steepest drop since 1981 and taking households back to 2004-5 levels.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies said average take-home incomes actually rose during recent recession due to low inflation and higher social benefits.

But IFS analysis suggests the long-term effects of the recession and higher inflation will squeeze incomes.

Lower wage increases and the corrosive effect of rising inflation mean that it is "entirely possible" that income this financial year (2010-11) will return to levels of six years ago, the policy group said.

IFS research economist Wenchao Jin said: "The figures tell a story of pain delayed, but not pain avoided."

The comments echo those of Bank of England governor Mervyn King who has repeatedly warned households that they face a significant cut in their spending power.

On Wednesday Mr King suggested households should be braced for another double-digit rise in energy bills, possibly pushing inflation to 5% by the end of the year.

The IFS analysed newly-released data for the financial year 2009-10, the last year of the Labour government.

While the study shows average incomes rising faster than inflation in 2008-10, it says in the 2010-11 fiscal year they may have undershot.

The IFS also said child poverty had fallen but not by enough to meet the old Labour government's target.

Tony Blair's administration said it would halve child poverty by 2010, but the IFS said that it would only have fallen by a quarter.

Ms Jin said: "Average living standards rose over the recent recession, likely to be driven by large increases in benefits and tax credit rates.

"However, this type of growth cannot be sustained in the long term, and the outlook for incomes in 2010-11 is considerably bleaker, with the long-term effects of the recession on living standards delayed rather than avoided."

Lagging benefits

The data, from the Department for Work and Pensions, showed median incomes rose 1% above the rate of inflation in 2009-10, after also having risen above inflation the previous fiscal year.

The IFS attributed a large part of this "surprising" result to the way in which benefits are calculated.

Benefits are indexed to inflation with a lag of several months.

As inflation fell during the recession, it meant that benefits rose each year much faster than the then-current inflation rate.

But during the last fiscal year the effect was reversed - inflation took off rapidly, whereas benefits continued to be indexed to the earlier, lower inflation rate.

Other data showed that earnings undershot inflation by 3.8% during the first 11 months of the year.

The IFS said that if its forecast of a 3% fall in median incomes in 2010-11 was correct it would be the biggest such fall since 1981 and would bring the median income back down to its level of 2004-05.

In March, a study by the IFS and the BBC said that median incomes in the UK had fallen by 1.6% a year between 2008 and 2011.

Poverty rates

In the new report, the institute also looked at the Labour government's record on reducing poverty in the UK.

Relative poverty rates for the elderly and children did fall during Labour's 13 years in government - thanks largely to benefits rising above the rate of inflation - and are now at their lowest levels since the 1980s.

But among working-age adults without children, poverty has risen to new highs.

It also found that overall income inequality had not improved, remaining near its highest level since records began in the 1960s.

UK parties clash over euro growth

13 May 2011 Last updated at 13:05 GMT

Eurozone economic growth data prompts political clash

The strength of the eurozone economic figures surprised some analysts

The government and Labour have clashed over data showing that the eurozone is growing faster than the UK economy.

The 17-nation eurozone bloc grew 0.8% in the first three months of 2011, with Germany expanding 1.5% and France 1%.

Labour's shadow chancellor Ed Balls seized on the figures as proof that the UK was now in the economic "slow lane" with growth of 0.5% in the same period.

But a spokesman for the Prime Minister said it was "good news" that Britain's big export partners were growing.

The strength of the economic data for the 17 countries that use the euro surprised some economists and included a strong 0.8% growth rate from debt-laden Greece, although this came after a very deep contraction.

Mr Balls said: "These figures expose how, since George Osborne's spending review and VAT rise, Britain's economy has gone from the economic fast lane to the slow lane.

"As our economy has flatlined with zero growth over the last six months countries like France, Belgium, the Netherlands and even Spain have overtaken us while Germany is powering ahead."

He said that, like the UK, all these major economies were hit by the global financial crisis and must reduce their deficits.

"But while they are now growing strongly, our recovery has been choked off," Mr Balls said.

'Banking bust'

But the Prime Minister's spokesman said the UK had the largest deficit in the EU with unprecedented public and personal debt, and a banking crisis.

He said: "We have a lot of work to do to rebalance our economy and get it going again, we should welcome the growth in France and Germany."

France and Germany had broader economic bases and were less reliant on a single sector of the economy, he said.

The government also pointed out that the US had grown by 0.4% at the beginning of the year - slower than the UK.

A Treasury spokesman added: "The government is having to deal with a deficit four times bigger than Germany's. Our banking bust was matched only by [the Republic of] Ireland. Our housing bust second only to Spain's.

"But despite this, UK homeowners and small businesses are benefiting from the same low interest rates as in Germany and France."

Waterstone's bid talk boosts HMV

13 May 2011 Last updated at 15:22 GMT

Waterstone's bid report prompts HMV share rise

Continue reading the main story

Shares in HMV have risen sharply on an unconfirmed report it has received a bid for its bookshop chain Waterstone's from a Russian billionaire.

The shares rose at much as 12.5% after the Financial Times reported Alexander Mamut had made a £43m cash offer for the 300-outlet book chain.

He already owns 6% of HMV, which has issued a string of profits warnings.

The retailer said last month that it expected profits to be about 25% lower than it had hoped.

HMV's representatives would not comment on the report.

Its business prospects have been declining quickly. In March HMV said it expected to make £38m this year, but one month later it said it would only make £30m.

It has estimated debts of £130m and is under pressure from its bankers to raise cash.

The group owns 285 HMV stores and 314 Waterstone's bookstores in the UK and Ireland.

Its international business comprises 125 stores in Canada, five in Hong Kong and two in Singapore.

HMV announced in March that it was exploring options to sell its Waterstone's stores.

The company has faced fierce competition from supermarkets and online retailers such as Amazon and iTunes.

Homeowners 'ready to remortgage'

13 May 2011 Last updated at 09:37 GMT

Homeowners looking to remortgage, CML says

The mortgage market has had a slow start to the year, figures have shown

Expectations of interest rate increases led to larger numbers of homeowners remortgaging in March, UK lenders say.

There were 33,900 remortgage loans advanced during the month - up 16% compared with the previous month, the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) said.

The figure is 17% higher than the same month a year ago.

Home loans for house purchases also proved to be more popular, although the lenders' body said the market remained "subdued".

The number of these loans was up 24% compared with the previous month. However, it was 17% down on March 2010, and the CML warned against reading too much into one month's figures.

"We saw a significant increase in both house purchase and remortgage lending in March but, over the first quarter of the year as a whole, the picture was subdued and that is unlikely to change for the foreseeable future," said CML director general Michael Coogan.

He said that the string of bank holidays could have affected mortgage market activity since March.

Rate guessing

Remortgaging accounted for 37% of all lending during the first three months, up from 30% during the previous quarter.

The CML said it was likely that this was linked to expectations of an interest rate rise in the coming months, making mortgages more expensive, even if this increase was only small.

The number of home loans made in March to first-time buyers was 28% higher than in February, but 17% lower than a year earlier.

Typically, buyers now have to provide a 21% deposit to get on the property ladder for the first time. This is a little less difficult than the 24% typical deposit required a year ago, the CML figures show.

Only 4% of first-time buyers now choose an interest-only mortgage compared with 30% before the financial crisis, when these loans were much more available from lenders.

This has meant buyers have be forced to save up before buying a home which, in turn, has pushed up the cost of renting, according to Jonathan Moore, director of flatsharing website Easyroommate.co.uk.

"The rental sector is groaning under the strain of the influx of frustrated buyers," he said.

Eurozone's growth rate speeds up

13 May 2011 Last updated at 10:13 GMT

Eurozone's economic growth accelerates

Domestic demand was a key driver of German growth

The economy of the 17 countries that use the euro grew by 0.8% in the first three months of 2011, up from 0.3% in the previous quarter.

Germany was largely responsible for the better-than-expected figure, reporting growth of 1.5% in the period.

There was a surprisingly strong 0.8% growth rate from debt-laden Greece.

France grew 1%, Italy and Spain grew 0.1% and 0.3% respectively and Portugal slid into recession after contracting for the second quarter in a row.

Growth there declined by 0.7%, following a 0.6% contraction in the final quarter of 2010.

"This is almost certainly as good as it gets for the eurozone and growth seems likely to moderate over the coming months in face of significant headwinds," said Howard Archer at IHS Global Insight.

'Huge positive surprise'

Greece's positive showing in the quarterly figures was a surprise, although compared with the same quarter of the previous year, the economy has contracted by 4.8%.

Platon Monokroussos at EFG Eurobanka said the figures were, "a huge positive surprise, a reading that is significantly above market expectations".

He attributed the growth in the quarter to a recovery in exports.

Ken Wattret at BNP Paribas said: "Big picture-wise, once again the theme is divergence between the core and periphery and the core countries account for the vast majority of euro area output.

"The periphery are getting the worst of both worlds. The core countries like Germany are doing really well and that's keeping the euro strong, and it's making the ECB [European Central Bank] more inclined to tighten policy."

He added that what the countries on the periphery really needed was low interest rates and a weaker euro.

Spain's struggle

Portugal's downturn is expected to get worse as a result of the austerity measures agreed as part of its bail-out by the EU and the IMF.

Italy's growth figure was worse than expected, with the 0.1% rate the same as it was for the last three months of 2010.

Last month, the Italian government cut its growth forecast for the whole of 2011 from 1.3% to 1.1%.

The rise in Spain's latest quarterly growth rate to 0.3% from 0.2% in the previous quarter is more encouraging as the country tries to avoid a third consecutive year of contracting GDP.

It is struggling to deal with an unemployment rate of 21.29%, which is the highest in the industrialised world, as it attempts to recover from the financial crisis and a property slump.

For comparison, UK GDP grew by 0.5% in the first three months of 2011 and the US by 0.4%.

Germany 'fantastic'

Figures earlier in the week showed that German exports and imports had both risen to their highest monthly level since records began in 1950.

Germany's GDP figures from Destatis showed that domestic demand had been one of the strongest drivers of growth.

The country's growth figures were "fantastic", according to Christian Schulz at Berenberg Bank.

"Consumption will become more and more the engine of growth in the future, since unemployment is dropping starkly," he said.

"France also expanded robustly. The eurozone core remains the anchor for the entire currency union."

France's growth rate was its fastest since the second quarter of 2006.

France's economy minister Christine Lagarde said she was now "very confident that the (government) forecast of 2% growth for 2011 can be met".

She added that the manufacturing sector had been a particularly strong driver of growth in France.

US gets access to Bin Laden wives

13 May 2011 Last updated at 18:06 GMT

US officials get access to Bin Laden wives in Pakistan

One of Bin Laden's widows has said he lived in Pakistan for more than seven years

US officials have had access to three of Osama Bin Laden's widows in Pakistan, the White House has said.

Spokesman Jay Carney gave no further details, but the US wants to obtain information about the al-Qaeda leader's life since he disappeared in late 2001.

The women were taken into Pakistani custody after surviving the raid by US commandos on Bin Laden's compound in the city of Abbottabad on 2 May.

One official said interviews with them had not been particularly forthcoming.

Pakistan has said it will repatriate the widows and their children. One of the women is from Yemen; the other two are from Saudi Arabia.

Analysts say they could offer rare details about his life on the run.

One of the wives has told Pakistani investigators that he lived in Pakistan for more than seven years. Another has said she moved to Abbottabad in 2006, a year after their home was built, and had never left its upper floors.

Before the raid, Bin Laden's whereabouts had been unknown since he escaped from the mountains of Tora Bora in southern Afghanistan during an assault by US and Afghan forces in December 2001.

Reports of Guantanamo Bay interrogations published by Wikileaks quote one of Bin Laden's aides, Awar Gul, as saying he fled from Tora Bora to the Afghan city of Jalalabad and then to the north-eastern province of Kunar, rather than to Pakistan, where the US focused its search.

And instead of later heading as the US thought to the Pakistani tribal region of Waziristan, the Guantanamo documents suggest Bin Laden headed to Khwar, which is only 40 miles (70km) from Abbottabad, according to the Associated Press.

'Trust deficit'

Relations between Pakistan and the US have deteriorated since it emerged that the al-Qaeda leader managed to live without detection for five years about a kilometre from Pakistan Military Academy.

Pakistan's government is angry that it was not told about the raid and that its sovereignty was violated. US officials have meanwhile questioned whether the Inter-Services Intelligence agency knew Bin Laden's location.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said there is a widening rift between the allies, that they differ on how to fight terrorism, and that relations between the ISI and the CIA have broken down.

"I have not met or spoken to [US officials] since [the raid]," he told Time magazine. "Whatever information we are receiving is from the media."

"When there's a trust deficit, there will be problems in intelligence sharing," he warned.

On Friday, the chairman of Pakistan's Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Gen Khalid Shameem Wynne, cancelled an forthcoming five-day visit to the US, an official told the BBC. No reason was given for the decision.

US to open Louisiana flood gates

13 May 2011 Last updated at 14:56 GMT

Mississippi River flood: US to open Louisiana gates

The Morganza Floodway was completed in 1954 and is 20 miles (32.2km) long and five miles wide

US engineers are preparing to flood up to three million acres in southern Louisiana in a bid to protect large cities along the Mississippi River.

The Army Corps of Engineers said it could open a floodway to divert water from the river this weekend. As many as 25,000 people are preparing to leave.

Opening the Morganza Floodway would ease pressure on levees protecting the cities of Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

The Mississippi River has risen to levels not seen in decades this year.

Fed by rainwater and the spring thaw, the river and its tributaries have caused massive flooding upstream, and officials have said the flooding in Louisiana is the worst since 1927.

If, as expected, the Army Corps of Engineers this weekend opens the Morganza floodway for the first time in 38 years, it will unleash Mississippi River water through the Atchafalaya River basin, flooding parts of seven parishes in southern Louisiana near the Gulf of Mexico.

Much of the water would end up in swamplands, bayous and backwater lakes but several thousand homes are at risk of flooding.

"My message to our people is they don't need to be delaying," Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal said on Thursday. "Move their valuables. Think about where they would go."

Earlier this week, the Mississippi River flooded parts of Memphis, Tennessee, the city famed as one of the birthplaces of rock and roll and blues music.

Further upstream, the Army Corps of Engineers has opened floodways in Missouri to keep pressure off levees protecting the town of Cairo, Illinois.

The US government has said farmers whose land has been flooded will be reimbursed for destroyed crops.

Afghan 'policeman' kills Nato duo

13 May 2011 Last updated at 14:25 GMT

Afghanistan: 'Policeman' kills two Nato soldiers

Nato's exit strategy for Afghanistan involves progressively handing over to the local security forces

Two Nato soldiers have been shot dead by a man dressed as a policeman in the country's south, officials say.

The shooting was the latest in a spate of incidents involving gunmen in security uniforms targeting Nato forces.

The deadliest such attack was last month when a veteran Afghan military pilot killed eight US soldiers and a civilian contractor at Kabul airport.

The Taliban said the gunman was working for them.

Nato is due to begin transferring power to local Afghan forces in July.

Gunman in hospital

The Nato soldiers were inside a police compound in Helmand where they had been mentoring an Afghan National Civil Order brigade when they were gunned down, Nato said in a statement.

Other soldiers returned fire and the gunman was wounded and and taken to hospital. The names and nationalities of the victims were not released.

"While this is a serious incident, the actions of this individual do not reflect the overall actions of our Afghan partners," said US Marine Corps Maj Gen James Laster, International Security Assistance Force Joint Command Deputy Chief of Staff Joint Operations.

"We remain committed to our partners and to our mission here."

Nato's exit strategy for Afghanistan involves progressively handing over to the local security forces.

Seven provinces and cities were named in the first tranche of areas to be transferred to local control in July.

There are now more than 260,000 Afghan security personnel, of whom more than 160,000 were trained over the past year.

The US is investing $11bn (£6.82bn) a year in the training mission.

But with so many new recruits being taken on, there are questions over the vetting process, the extent to which the Taliban may have infiltrated those forces, and their loyalty and reliability, correspondents say.

Communists routed in West Bengal

13 May 2011 Last updated at 16:33 GMT

India: Mamata Banerjee routs communists in West Bengal

Mamata Banerjee's supporters have been celebrating outside her house in Calcutta

The world's longest-serving democratically-elected communist government has lost elections in the Indian state of West Bengal.

The communists - in power since 1977 but now blamed for the state's economic decline - have conceded defeat.

Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC) is on course to win a landslide.

In Tamil Nadu, a key ally of the governing Congress party has also been defeated following allegations of corruption which have rocked India.

Vote counting is also taking place in two other states and the union territory of Pondicherry.

The communists are facing a stiff challenge in the southern state of Kerala. In Assam in the north-east the Congress party looks set to be returned with a large majority.

Correspondents say the results again prove that the focus has shifted to regional parties in Indian politics. The elections also provide a distraction from corruption scandals which have dogged the government for months.

Although Congress will be pleased its ally has done so well in West Bengal, results from the south may give the party pause for thought ahead of general elections due by 2014.

In Tamil Nadu support for its ally, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), has slumped. In Kerala, Congress, which won 16 of 20 seats in the last general election, has also seen its vote share significantly eroded.

Correspondents also point out that the mercurial Ms Banerjee will negotiate from a position of strength in future alliance talks, and her participation cannot be taken for granted.

'End to autocracy'

Ms Banerjee is a crucial federal ally of the Congress party and the two parties fought the election together.

She says the communists have failed West Bengal's 90 million people by causing its economic decline.

"This is a victory of democracy, victory of 'Maa, Maati Manush' [mother, land and people]," Ms Banerjee told her supporters after early trends gave her party a massive majority.

"We will give good governance. There will be an end to autocracy and atrocities. This is the victory of people against years of oppression," she said.

The BBC's Soutik Biswas in Calcutta says a large number of supporters have gathered outside her house, waving TMC flags and chanting victory slogans.

By early afternoon India time, and with most votes counted, the scale of the communist defeat was clear and outgoing Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya tendered his resignation to the state governor.

The BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Calcutta: People are celebrating

Provisional results on the Election Commission website show the left-wing alliance winning only about a quarter of the 235 seats they took in 2006.

Mr Bhattachary lost his seat in the rout, as did most other leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

'Anti-incumbency'

In Tamil Nadu, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) opposition party, led by former film actress J Jayalalitha, has also won a landslide. Ms Jayalalitha's supporters have already begun distributing sweets and dancing in the state capital, Madras (Chennai).

Her rival, DMK party leader Karunanidhi, has tendered his resignation.

Correspondents say the DMK, a federal ally of Congress, is blamed by many for power cuts and price rises in Tamil Nadu.

The anti-incumbency factor is also thought to have played a role in its defeat, as well as accusations that the state government failed to speak up for Sri Lankan Tamils.

In Assam, Congress seems to be heading back to power with a large majority, while Kerala appears too close to call.

More than 140 million people were eligible to vote in the assembly elections held over April and May.

Three killed in Yemen protests

13 May 2011 Last updated at 16:26 GMT

Yemen: Three killed in protests against Saleh

Tens of thousands gathered in the capital Sanaa on Friday

Three people have been killed and 18 wounded in anti-government protests in Yemen, say witnesses.

Crowds gathered in Ibb, Taiz and the capital Sanaa to demand that President Ali Abdullah Saleh leave office.

But in a defiant speech to supporters, Mr Saleh declared: "We will defend ourselves by all means."

Meanwhile, Qatar has pulled out of mediation efforts aimed at ending Yemen's political crisis, accusing the president of "indecision and delays".

The Gulf state was among six nations pushing a deal for Mr Saleh to step down after 32 years in power, in exchange for immunity from prosecution.

'Playing with fire'

In Ibb, a city south of Sanaa, three people were killed and 15 wounded when troops shot at protesters, medics and witnesses told Reuters news agency.

Three more demonstrators were wounded by gunfire in Yemen's third city, Taiz.

More than 170 people are reported to have been killed since the unrest began in January, but Yemen's 65-year-old leader has resisted calls for him to quit.

Mr Saleh has been in power for 32 years and refuses to quit

Addressing a crowd of loyalists gathered in the capital Sanaa on Friday, he called on the opposition to "stop playing with fire".

Tens of thousands of opposition protesters had gathered in Sanaa calling for Mr Saleh to "get out".

Armoured vehicles, troops and even military academy students with batons were deployed to contain a sea of protesters stretching 7km (four miles) down a main street.

An attempt by neighbouring Gulf states to resolve the crisis suffered a blow on Friday when Qatar withdrew from mediation talks, blaming the embattled Mr Saleh.

The decision to pull out was based on "indecision and delays in the signature of the proposed agreement" and "the intensity of clashes" in Yemen, the Qatari foreign ministry said.

The remaining members of the Gulf Cooperation Council - which includes Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait - said they would try to keep the peace pact alive.

But Yemeni opposition leader Mohammed Qahtan declared the transition plan "dead" and called on protesters to "intensify the peaceful revolt" until the president stands down.

Three dead in new Syria protests

13 May 2011 Last updated at 19:00 GMT

Syria protests: Three killed in Homs after prayers

Amateur footage has emerged of various demonstrations on Friday

At least three people have been killed as thousands attended anti-government protests across Syria after Friday prayers, human rights activists say.

The casualties were reported in the country's third city, Homs, where at least one demonstrator was shot in the head when security forces opened fire.

There were also reports of gunfire in the restive southern city of Deraa.

Earlier, an opposition leader said President Bashar al-Assad had promised troops would not fire on protesters.

Louai al-Hussain was quoting a presidential adviser, Buthaina Shaaban, after talks with officials to negotiate an end to the crisis.

Ms Shaaban made a similar statement when demonstrations began in mid-March. As many as 850 people may have been killed since then.

Homs has been the scene of a major military operation since Monday. Areas have been shelled by tanks, and troops have been conducting house-to-house searches and arrests to find or intimidate protesters.

The Syrian government says it is pursuing "armed terrorist gangs", which it blames for the deaths of about 98 soldiers and members of the security services nationwide, and 22 police officers.

'Huge crowd'

As Friday prayers came to an end, reports started to come in of protest marches leaving mosques in many parts of the country.

The first came from the mostly Kurdish, north-eastern town of Qamishli, where protesters carried a huge flag with the word "freedom" spelled out in Kurdish. There were some scuffles, but the rally ended peacefully.

Protests were also reported in a number of other towns and cities, including in the centre of Homs, where at least three people were killed, activists told the BBC.

"At first they opened fire in the air but the people continued... and then they shot directly into the crowd," one told the Associated Press.

Witnesses also said there were protests in central Hama, where Mr Assad's father crushed an uprising by the Muslim Brotherhood in 1982.

Security forces initially held back, but later used batons, tear gas and water cannons to disperse the large crowd, they added. Protesters succeeded in ripping down a portrait of the president on the town hall.

There were also said to be gatherings in the Zahra, Mezzeh and Muhajirin areas of Damascus, and several outlying suburbs.

In the northern suburbs of Barzeh and Saqba, to the north of the capital, protesters reportedly chanted: "We want the overthrow of the regime."

In the north-eastern town of Douma, arrests were reported, while in Daraya, to the west, security forces and militiamen fired tear gas.

One activist told the Associated Press that two people had been killed in Damascus and one in a village outside Deraa, the epicentre of the anti-government unrest.

The Syrian government says it is pursuing "armed terrorist gangs"

Information Minister Adnan Hassan Mahmoud said army units had completed their withdrawal from Deraa and started a gradual withdrawal from the coastal city of Baniyas.

Residents of Deraa said there were still tanks outside mosques and that troops had fired into the air to disperse a large demonstration after Friday prayers, while those in Baniyas said hundreds of troops were still deployed there.

Mr Mahmoud also said there would be a "national and comprehensive dialogue" in all governorates in the coming days.

Meanwhile, the UK Foreign Office said that its political director, Geoffrey Adams, had summoned Syrian ambassador Sami Khiyami to express its "profound concern about the Syrian government's violent repression of its own citizens".

The UK along with its EU partners "would take further measures to hold the regime to account", including further sanctions targeting senior officials, unless the crackdown stopped, Mr Adams warned.

A spokesman of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said earlier that 700 to 850 people had been killed in the two-month-long crackdown. The figure was based on accounts from rights activists.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says it fears hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people in Syria have been detained.

Reports from Syria are hard to verify independently, as foreign journalists are not allowed into the country.

CLICKABLE

Qamishli

A mobile phone snapshot, reportedly taken in Qamishli on 29 April, shows protesters carrying banners written in Arabic and Kurdish demanding democracy.

Damascus

This footage, which the BBC cannot verify, seems to show demonstrators in Midan, central Damascus, on Friday afternoon. A source in Damascus says he could see a lot of security and police officers in the main areas of Damascus after protests began after Friday prayers finished.

<--

Talbisah

This unverified video seems to show a peaceful protest in Talbisah. Moments into the footage, tanks fire on unarmed civilians. Wyre Davis reports.

-->

Deraa

A soldier walks past men in civilian clothes lying on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs in this still photo taken from an amateur video.

Homs

11 May: The Times' chief foreign correspondent, Martin Fletcher, tells the BBC Radio Four's Today programme how he was detained in Homs and the hard line that Syria is taking with protesters.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7725 100 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

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Brazil forest law vote postponed

12 May 2011 Last updated at 11:04 GMT

Brazil Congress again delays vote on key forest law

Deforestation of the Amazon has slowed in recent years

Brazil's Chamber of Deputies has again postponed a vote on controversial changes that would ease a key law on forest protection.

After a marathon 12-hour debate that saw renewed splits over the proposals, the vote was put off until next week.

The Forest Code currently requires that 80% of a landholding in the Amazon remain forest, 20% in other areas.

Proponents of change say the law impedes economic development and Brazil must open more land for agriculture.

Brazil's Forest Code, enacted in 1934 and subsequently amended in 1965, sets out how much of his land a farmer can deforest.

The changes were put forward by Aldo Rebelo, leader of Brazil's Communist Party (PCdoB) and backed by a group in Congress known as the "ruralists" who want Brazil to develop its agribusiness sector.

Amazon pressure

Mr Rebelo argues that the current rules unfairly discriminate against small farmers, denying them the chance to grow more and climb out of poverty.

Other changes include reducing the amount of forest that must be preserved along the banks of streams and rivers.

It was also proposed to grant an amnesty to landowners with property below a certain size who cut down trees on their land before 2009.

Environmentalists say if passed the changes could accelerate deforestation.

Last December, a government report said deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon had fallen to its lowest rate for 22 years.

Environmental groups have warned that Brazil's economic growth, as well as increasing global demand for agricultural produce, could increase pressure on the Amazon rainforest in the coming years.

While enforcement of the Forest Code has been lax in many areas, it has provided a tool for the authorities to go after the worst offenders, environmentalists say.

After days of wrangling over the proposal, agreement had been reached in some areas only for divisions to emerge during the debate on Wednesday.

If passed by the Chamber of Deputies, the proposed amendments would go to the Senate for a vote.

Mexican 'drug cartel leader' held

13 May 2011 Last updated at 18:37 GMT

Mexico: 'Sinaloa cartel head' Martin Beltran held

Martin Beltran Coronel was arrested in a wealthy neighbourhood, officials say

Mexican soldiers have captured a man they say is a suspected leader of the powerful Sinaloa drug cartel.

Martin Beltran Coronel, known as "The Eagle", is said to have succeeded the late Ignacio Coronel, one of the cartel's leaders who was killed in a shoot-out last July.

Three other people were arrested with him.

Soldiers also seized weapons, jewellery and more than $400,000, (£247,000) in cash, army officials told reporters.

The operation targeted drug-trafficking from Central and South America.

More than 30,000 people have died in spiralling violence in Mexico since President Felipe Calderon launched his "war on drugs" in 2006.

In another blow to the Sinaloa cartel, police in Colombia say they have captured a man they accuse of being the main supplier of cocaine to the Mexican cartel.

Hermel Arnubio Alarcon, known as "The Midget", was arrested in an upmarket neighbourhood in Santiago de Cali, in the west of the country.

Prosecutors say he sent large shipments of cocaine to Mexico using sophisticated submarines to avoid being caught by security forces patrolling the surface.

Spain mourns earthquake victims

13 May 2011 Last updated at 14:33 GMT

Grieving Spain mourns Lorca earthquake victims

Crown Prince Felipe consoles the bereaved before the funeral Mass in Lorca

The earthquake-stricken Spanish town of Lorca has held a funeral Mass for victims of Wednesday's disaster.

Nine people were killed when a magnitude-5.1 quake struck the town, just two hours after one measuring 4.4.

Spanish PM Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and Crown Prince Felipe and his wife were among hundreds attending the Mass in a large hangar-like structure.

Thousands of buildings in the historic town have been damaged or destroyed and many residents have left.

Mayor Francisco Jodar said 80% of buildings in Lorca - a town of 93,000 - suffered some damage.

Some have gone to stay with friends and family in other areas, because their homes are unsafe or they fear aftershocks.

Troops and emergency workers have put up tents for thousands of homeless people still in Lorca.

As the funeral Mass began, Crown Prince Felipe and his wife Letizia consoled grieving mourners. Hundreds attended the service.

The Mass was said for all nine victims in front of four coffins. Among those who died were a 13-year-old boy and a 22-year-old woman who was eight months pregnant.

'Solidarity and reconstruction'

Other funerals were being held elsewhere in Lorca.

Earlier, Mr Zapatero toured the worst affected area of the town.

"It is my conviction that we are going to meet this test," he said.

"This earthquake has hit hard, it's been strong, it's made a huge impact. But our country is stronger. Our will and solidarity and our commitment to rebuild, are stronger."

Inspection teams are going house to house assessing the damage before declaring which buildings are safe to return to. Some are so badly damaged that they will have to be demolished.

On Thursday some residents were briefly allowed back into their homes to salvage what belongings they could from the rubble. Spanish TV pictures showed many in tears.

Shops, restaurants and schools have been closed and a stream of cars has left the town, which is in the Murcia region of southern Spain.

Bulldozers have been clearing streets of rubble and crushed cars. Many ancient buildings were among those badly damaged.

A large number of the residents left behind are immigrant labourers who have nowhere else to go.

The Spanish government has deployed about 800 personnel to the town, including emergency units, troops and police, Mr Zapatero said.

Seismologists say they expect smaller aftershocks in the area, which lies close to the geological fault line separating Europe and Africa.

The quakes were shallow and caused significant damage despite being relatively low in magnitude. The region's sandy soil also made the impact worse.

Many of the town's buildings may have had pre-existing structural problems, said Luis Suarez, head of Spain's College of Geologists.

The quake was the deadliest tremor to hit Spain since 1956 when an earthquake killed 11 people in Albolote, Granada.

EU concern at Danish border plan

13 May 2011 Last updated at 15:25 GMT

Schengen migrants: EU concern at Danish border plan

The Oeresund Bridge links Denmark with Sweden

The EU has voiced concerns over Denmark's plans to reintroduce controls on internal borders, abolished under the Schengen Agreement.

European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso questioned whether the measures would be compatible with the principle of free movement.

Denmark has denied its plan will violate EU treaties.

Officials say they will maintain passport-free travel using customs patrols to fight crime.

EU interior ministers said on Thursday that the Schengen rules needed to be clarified to deter countries from unilaterally reimposing border checks.

They were reviewing the 25-nation agreement because of tensions over this year's influx of migrants from North Africa.

More than 25,000 Africans, most of them Tunisians, have arrived by boat in Italy since unrest began in the Arab world this year.

'Real concerns'

On Wednesday, Denmark announced that it would reinstate control booths on its borders with Germany and Sweden within weeks.

It said it would carry out random checks of cars and passports, deploying more customs officers and video surveillance to tackle cross-border crime.

In a letter to Danish Prime Minister Lars Lekke Rasmussen on Friday, Mr Barroso said an initial legal assessment of the move raised "important doubts about whether the proposed measures, if implemented in the 'intensive and permanent' way that has been announced, would be in line with Denmark's obligations under European and international law".

He referred in particular to the obligation to respect "free movement of goods, persons, services and capital, and the provisions of the Schengen Borders Code".

Cecilia Malmstrom, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, said later that the commission had "real concerns" over the prospect of "a permanent and visible customs control at all Danish borders".

The commission, she said, would ask Denmark for information about the legal basis for its envisaged checks.

"I call on the Danish government to refrain from taking unilateral steps and to make sure that any measures taken are in line with the relevant law," she said.

"The commission stands ready to continue the dialogue with Denmark. But it will, if needed, use the tools at its disposal to guarantee the respect of EU law."

Schengen allows for the temporary reimposition of border controls in special cases to ensure public order but France and Italy say a migrant surge is also grounds for reintroducing such checks.

The European Commission says such measures should be "an absolute last resort".

Modifications to Schengen could be approved at a European summit next month.

China rebuffs new Tibetan leader

13 May 2011 Last updated at 14:58 GMT

China 'will not talk' to new Tibetan leader

Lobsang Sangay has said he is ready to negotiate with China "anytime, anywhere"

China appears to have ruled out talks with the Tibetan government-in-exile's new prime minister, Lobsang Sangay.

A top Chinese official dealing with Tibetan contacts said Beijing would only meet with representatives of the Dalai Lama.

In an interview with state media, Zhu Weiqun said the exile government was an illegal group with no recognition.

Mr Sangay was elected by Tibetan exiles around the world last month to take on the Dalai Lama's political role.

The Dalai Lama said in March that he wanted to devolve this responsibility to an elected official, saying that such a move was in the best interests of the Tibetan people.

The Dalai Lama will retain his role as Tibetan spiritual leader.

Analysts say he aims to ensure that even if China's government tries to select the next Dalai Lama, the Tibetans will have an elected leader they can look to who is outside China and beyond the Communist Party's control.

In recent years, the Communist Party's United Front Work Department has held unsuccessful on-off talks with the Dalai Lama's envoys.

And Vice-Minister Zhu's comments show little hope of improved relations between Beijing and the new exiled leadership in India.

In an interview with the official "Chinese Tibet" magazine, Mr Zhu described the government-in-exile as "a splittist political clique that has betrayed the motherland".

He said there was "nothing legal about them" and that they had "no status to 'talk' with the central government's representatives".

Mr Sangay, a Harvard University academic, said in a recent interview that he was ready to negotiate with China "anytime, anywhere".

He says his government will seek genuine autonomy for Tibet under Chinese rule by following the "middle path" advocated by the Dalai Lama.

Analysts say Mr Sangay faces a tough challenge as the elected head of a government which no country recognises and with China as an opponent which has shown no sign of wanting to compromise.

Japan agrees nuclear damages plan

13 May 2011 Last updated at 10:07 GMT

Japan's government approves Tepco compensation scheme

Fukushima's nuclear reactor sparked fears of a meltdown

Japan's government has approved a plan to help Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) compensate victims of the crisis at its tsunami-crippled nuclear plant.

Payouts are expected to run into the tens of billions of dollars over the Fukushima nuclear plant breakdown.

The assistance could help Tepco avoid bankruptcy, but the government insisted it was not meant as a bail-out.

Meanwhile, this summer the firm also plans to restart thermal power plants shut since the March earthquake.

Oil-powered

The move is to help it avoid possible power shortages during the peak season for demand.

Tepco plans to restart the 600 megawatt No 2 unit and 1,000 megawatt No 4 unit, both oil-fired, at its Hirono thermal plant, about 20 km (12 miles) south of the Fukushima plant.

A 1,000 MW coal-fired unit at Hitachinaka in Ibaraki, north of Tokyo, will also come into operation.

The crisis has brought Tepco, Asia's biggest power firm, to the brink of ruin and there has been concern about how the company would pay a massive compensation bill.

Now Japan's government has agreed to use taxpayer's money to help - reports say more than $60bn.

Strict conditions

Under the plan a state-backed institution will be created from which Tepco can draw money to pay out claims.

In return the company will fall under close government supervision. It will remain listed on the stock exchange but will use profits to pay back the money over a period of years.

Tepco - which serves an area that accounts for 33% of Japan's economy - had earlier agreed to drastic restructuring in return for government help.

Items from houses located near the Fukushima plant are having to be screened for radiation exposure

The conditions agreed by the company include massive cost-cutting, no upper limit for compensation payouts and accepting an investigation of its management.

Other electricity companies with nuclear power stations will also be expected to contribute, says the BBC's Roland Buerk in Tokyo.

The government is expected to provide as much support as needed to prevent companies from going into the red, and is expected to fund the scheme by issuing special-purpose bonds.

The scheme eases fears that Tepco's problems could destabilise Japan's financial markets.

But it may face opposition in parliament if it is seen as too lenient on shareholders and management, our correspondent says.

Japanese media have reported that Tepco may have to raise electricity prices in order to help pay for payments.

Tepco's shares dropped on Friday and were trading about 6% lower at 452 yen.

Banking stocks also fell, on fears they may have to rework their loan agreements with Tepco.

Plant shutdown

Meanwhile, the operators of Japan's ageing Hamaoka nuclear plant south-west of Tokyo say they have begun shutting down one of its last two functioning reactors.

The plant is located in the Tokai region near a tectonic faultline just 200km from Tokyo.

Seismologists have long warned that a major earthquake is overdue in the region.

Last week Prime Minister Naoto Kan called for the plant's closure in the light of the catastrophic events at the Fukushima plant.

On Thursday, Tepco said that damage to a reactor at the Fukushima plant was worse than originally thought.

Water is leaking from the pressure vessel surrounding reactor 1 - probably because of damage caused by exposed fuel rods melting, according to a spokesman.

Cooling systems to the reactors were knocked out by the tsunami, causing fuel rods to overheat. There were subsequently explosions in the buildings housing four reactors, three of which had been operating at the time of the earthquake.

Engineers are pumping water into the reactors to cool them as they work to restore the damaged cooling systems.

Tepco has said that it may take up to nine months to achieve a cold shut-down at the plant.

Uganda's anti-gay bill 'shelved'

13 May 2011 Last updated at 14:29 GMT

Uganda anti-gay bill 'shelved by parliament'

MP David Bahati said the bill had sparked debate

Uganda's parliament has adjourned without debating a controversial bill which includes the death penalty for some homosexual acts.

It had been reported that a vote could be held on Friday.

The Anti-Homosexuality Bill has been condemned by Western leaders and human rights groups, some of whom are celebrating "victory".

The bill, first introduced in 2009, could still be brought up when the new parliament meets later this year.

Uganda is a largely conservative society and many people condemn homosexuality both as un-African and un-Christian.

But in recent years, some gay rights groups have been set up in the country.

Homosexual acts are already illegal in Uganda but the bill would increase the penalty for those convicted to life in prison.

Those found guilty of of "aggravated homosexuality" - defined as when one of the participants is a minor, HIV-positive, disabled or a "serial offender" - would face the death penalty.

Anyone failing to report to the authorities a person they knew to be homosexual would also be liable to prosecution.

International pressure

Internet campaign group Avaaz said the bill's lack of progress was a "victory for all Ugandans and people across the world who value human rights".

"We must now ensure this heinous bill can never return to parliament again," said Avaaz campaign director Alice Jay.

Gay rights campaigner David Kato was killed in January

Maria Burnett of Human Rights Watch said it would still be a very long fight to stop the Ugandan legislation as "the issue has not gone away".

"The international pressure over the last year and a half has been very important to show that Uganda cannot act in isolation from the international community," she said.

US President Barack Obama has condemned the bill and donors have urged Uganda's government to ensure the measures never become law.

But David Bahati, the MP who introduced the private member's bill, said he would try to re-introduce it when the next parliament convened after February's elections, and said it had achieved his goal of sparking debate.

"We have made important steps in raising the issue and that will continue," he was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

In January, David Kato, a campaigner who led condemnation of the bill, was murdered not long after suing a paper that outed him as gay. Police denied the killing was because of his sexuality.

Three months before the murder, Uganda's Rolling Stone newspaper had published the photographs of several people it said were gay, with the headline "Hang them."