December 7, 2010, 10:47 am
![Image]( "UK 'feared Megrahi death in prison'")
The British government feared that Libya would take "harsh and immediate action" against its interests if the Lockerbie bomber died in prison, according to leaked US diplomatic cables.
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi made "thuggish" threats to halt all trade deals with the UK and harass embassy staff if Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was not freed.
Tripoli also offered a "parade of treats" to the Scottish devolved administration if it let the convicted mass killer go - although the incentives were refused.
Details of the fraught contacts between Libya and Britain over al-Megrahi are revealed in documents obtained by controversial website WikiLeaks and seen by the Guardian.
The American charge d'affaires in London, Richard LeBaron, wrote in a cable to his bosses in October 2008: "The Libyans have told HMG [Her Majesty's Government] flat out that there will be 'enormous repercussions' for the UK-Libya bilateral relationship if Megrahi's early release is not handled properly."
The cable said the US embassy had been given this information by two British officials - Downing Street's North Africa adviser Ben Lyons, and Rob Dixon, his counterpart at the Foreign Office.
The Scottish Government eventually released al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds in August last year because he was suffering from terminal prostate cancer. However, the move caused fury in the US amid suggestions that it was linked to lucrative British oil deals with Libya.
Al-Megrahi received a hero's welcome on his return to the country and is still alive more than a year later.
Since becoming Prime Minister David Cameron has condemned the decision to free al-Megrahi as "completely wrong".
In January 2009, the US ambassador to Libya, Gene Cretz, confirmed in a cable that "dire" reprisals had been threatened against the UK and London was braced to take "dramatic" steps for self-protection.
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December 7, 2010, 10:58 am
![Image]( "Rare book sells for record £7m")
A rare copy of the "most expensive book in the world" surpassed pre-sale estimates to fetch more than £7 million at auction.
Sotheby's said the price of £7,321,250, including buyer's premium, paid for John James Audubon's Birds Of America was a record for any printed book at auction.
The illustrated book by the renowned ornithologist, naturalist and painter (1785-1851), a landmark of natural history, was expected to fetch between £4 million and £6 million.
It was bought by Michael Tollemache, a London dealer, a spokesman for Sotheby's said.
Mr Tollemache was bidding in the room at the London sale and described the work afterwards as "priceless".
Sotheby's said the hammer price for the book was £6.5 million.
Also sold in the auction was a first collected edition of Shakespeare's plays, the First Folio, which dates from 1623 and fetched £1,497,250 including buyer's premium.
It was bought by US dealer Stephan Loewentheil, he added.
Both books formed part of the sale, Magnificent Books, Manuscripts and Drawings from the Collection of Frederick, 2nd Lord Hesketh, the Property of the Trustees of the 2nd Baron Hesketh's Will Trust.
Auction house book specialist David Goldthorpe said before the sale: "Unlike other libraries which specifically focus on, for instance, literature, history or science, the 50 lots coming from this magnificent collection are an example of what is known as 'high spot collecting' - when a collector seeks out the very best across a range of fields."
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December 7, 2010, 10:58 am
![Image]( "Clegg facing rebellion over fees")
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg is facing a significant rebellion over tuition fee hikes after failing to persuade MPs to "walk through the fire" with him.
Speaking after a meeting of the parliamentary party, Mr Clegg announced that all his ministers would be voting in favour of the controversial increases.
But the leadership has accepted that many backbenchers will oppose the measures on Thursday, while ministerial aides will not be disciplined for choosing to abstain.
The Deputy Prime Minister made a last-ditch effort to win over his MPs in a 20-minute speech behind closed doors in the House of Commons.
He told the meeting he had hoped the party could "walk through the fire" together by collectively abstaining in the key ballot on Thursday, but it had become clear that was not possible.
He conceded that all Lib Dems held strong views on the issue, and praised the way they had conducted themselves without showing personal animosity in a "difficult" position.
But he insisted that "to govern was to choose" and, with money tight, the coalition had decided to pump funds into early years education.
Afterwards, Mr Clegg said that the threat of a ministerial revolt over the policy had disappeared, despite transport minister Norman Baker previously suggesting he had not decided which way to vote.
"I've listened to the debate, I've listened to the protesters, I've listened to my party and, having done that, I can announce now that all Liberal Democrat ministers - every single one - will vote for this measure when it comes to the vote on Thursday," Mr Clegg said.
"Because in these difficult circumstances, where the country doesn't have very much money, this is the best and fairest possibly way to ensure we have world-class universities for generations to come and that youngsters for generations to come can not only dream of going to university but can go to university irrespective of the circumstances of their birth."
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December 7, 2010, 10:58 am
![Image]( "35 injured in X Factor band surge")
Thirty-five people were treated for minor injuries on Tuesday night as thousands of fans braved the cold to watch X Factor finalists One Direction perform, the ambulance service said.
The boy band, mentored on the ITV1 show by Simon Cowell, performed a short open-air set in Wolverhampton's Queen Square.
West Midlands Ambulance Service said nearly 4,000 fans attended the show, with the first casualty being found more than three hours before the group took to the stage.
A spokesman said most of the injuries were caused by "the effects of the cold and over-excitement".
He said: "The band didn't come on stage until just before 8pm, but the first casualty was found in Lichfield Street at 4.45pm with a head injury. After treatment she was discharged on scene.
"Another five casualties were dealt with about half an hour later. Three hadn't eaten or drunk all day, one had felt faint and the fifth was hyperventilating.
"The latter two patients also had insufficient clothing on for the conditions. After treatment, getting warmed up and eating something, all five were discharged.
"At about 6.20pm a further patient reported to ambulance staff feeling unwell. Again after assessment, the patient was discharged on scene."
The spokesman added: "Just before the band took to the stage there was a surge in the crowd. A total of 28 people were lifted out over the barriers at the front. Eight were assessed by ambulance staff but did not require hospital treatment and went back into the crowd. In the main the fans were in good spirits despite the temperature dropping to minus seven degrees Celsius."
West Midlands Ambulance Service sent one ambulance and three officers to the event, in support of the private medical event cover.
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December 7, 2010, 10:58 am
![Image]( "Young hit in £5bn Irish budget cuts")
Young families, the unemployed and middle income earners have been left holding the bill for Ireland's banking binge after a six billion euro (£5 million) austerity budget was unveiled.
Cuts to child benefit alongside income tax reform will leave average families thousands of euro less well off, while weekly payments to social welfare recipients will be slashed.
Taoiseach Brian Cowen will remain among the best paid leaders in the world even after a 14,000 euro (£11,800) pay cut, and the government was damned for refusing to hike taxes on the wealthiest.
Finance minister Brian Lenihan insisted the Fianna Fail/Green coalition had recognised its past mistakes and is now putting the country on the road to recovery.
"This budget is our first step in ensuring that we can get back firmly on our own feet," he said.
"It is a substantial down payment on the journey back to economic health. We can emerge from this dark time as a stronger and fitter economy to provide sustainable jobs and decent public services for all our citizens."
But the Opposition, trade union leaders, anti-poverty campaigners, children's rights organisations and others denounced the draconian package as an attack on the poor, middle income earners and the vulnerable.
Emergency sittings will attempt to fast-track the reforms through the Irish parliament this week and into the early days of the new year.
The coalition will then face the wrath of voters with a general election expected in February or March.
The only groups to escape the savage Budget were the elderly on the state pension and the super-rich - the tax breaks they use will go, but not immediately.
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December 7, 2010, 10:58 am
![Image]( "Cloned products 'need no labelling'")
Milk and meat from the offspring of cloned animals does not need special authorisation before reaching supermarket shelves, the food safety watchdog will tell the Government today.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) Board said there were no food safety reasons for regulating the produce sold from cattle or pigs bred from cloned animals.
The decision could pave the way for such foodstuffs to be sold freely and unlabelled on the high street.
Under European law, food or drink produced from cloned animals must pass a safety evaluation and get approval under the Novel Food Regulations before they are marketed.
But the FSA ruled there was no difference between the composition of meat or milk from the descendants of cloned animals and that from conventionally-reared animals.
It also said there was no need to introduce mandatory labelling because it would offer no food safety benefit to shoppers.
The board's conclusions came after a probe was launched when it emerged beef from the offspring of a cloned cow had been sold and eaten in the UK.
According to the minutes of September's board meeting, members discussed how the public had "little appetite" for food from cloned animals but said ministers should be advised that regulating such produce would be difficult.
The board agreed to advise ministers that the marketing of food from cloned animals should be subject to authorisation as novel foods.
Members also agreed to follow the European Commission by recommending food from the offspring of cloned animals does not need authorisation.
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December 7, 2010, 6:11 pm
![Image]( "SA murder victim's husband arrested")
A British newlywed accused of paying to have his bride killed on their honeymoon in South Africa has been arrested in the UK on suspicion of conspiring to murder her.
Shrien Dewani, whose wife Anni was shot dead last month as they visited a township, was held on Tuesday night by Scotland Yard extradition officers after a request from the South African authorities.
It followed a court hearing in South Africa, during which taxi driver Zola Tongo said he was offered 15,000 rand (£1,300) by the 30-year-old businessman to kill his wife. The Dewani family dismissed the allegation as "totally ludicrous".
Mr Dewani, from Westbury-on-Trym in Bristol, handed himself in at a police station in the city, the Metropolitan Police said. He is due to appear at the City of Westminster Magistrates' Court.
Swedish Mrs Dewani, 28, was shot dead on November 13 after the couple's taxi was hijacked in the impoverished Gugulethu township in Cape Town.
Mr Dewani, who was released along with the driver by the carjackers, returned to England after the murder and has always denied any involvement in his wife's death.
At Western Cape High Court, Tongo said the businessman offered £1,300 for the killing just hours after the couple arrived in the country last month.
Tongo's allegation formed part of a plea agreement drawn up with prosecutors at the court, where he was jailed for 18 years for his part in the killing on November 13.
Mr Dewani's spokesman Max Clifford described the accusations as the latest in a string of false allegations against his client.
In a statement, the Dewani family said: "Shrien is totally innocent of any involvement in this heinous crime. These allegations are totally ludicrous and very hurtful to a young man who is grieving the loss of the woman he loved, his chosen life partner".
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December 7, 2010, 6:12 pm
![Image]( "Claudia's father in rights appeal")
The father of missing chef Claudia Lawrence has backed a campaign calling for more rights for families left in limbo by a disappearance.
Peter Lawrence, 63, said families had no simple way to deal with unresolved practical issues such as property, bank accounts and insurance because it was impossible to prove whether a missing person was dead or alive.
Mr Lawrence, whose daughter went missing from York in March last year, added it was "absolutely necessary" for families to be given more support as he backed the Missing Rights campaign to give families the same rights as victims of crime.
"One of the things I have found over the past 21 months Claudia's been missing is that nobody has any rights. It's impossible to deal on a legal basis with the property, or even day-to-day matters like the tax or insurance, if somebody is missing," he said.
Missing People, the charity behind the campaign, called for a "presumption of death" act to be introduced in England and Wales, for banks to introduce standard mortgage arrangements for families of missing people and for insurance companies to freeze or take over a missing relative's policy payments.
Mr Lawrence, from Slingsby, North Yorkshire, added that, as a solicitor, he was lucky in many ways as he knew who to contact and where to find help.
He was joined by Rachel Elias, the sister of missing Manic Street Preachers guitarist Richard Edwards, who called for an "overall change in culture" to ensure missing people and their families were properly supported.
There were over 330,000 incidents of people going missing last year, the charity said.
It called for a missing persons co-ordinator in each region who would hold local services to account, a named single point of contact in the police for someone dealing with their case and for all unidentified bodies to be checked against missing person reports.
More support for families was also needed, the charity said as it called for a network of specially trained counsellors to be developed to support their needs.
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December 7, 2010, 6:23 pm
![Image]( "Millions mark John Lennon's death")
Millions of people will remember John Lennon on Wednesday, exactly 30 years after the former Beatle was murdered.
His widow Yoko Ono led the tributes, saying the world was still learning from his messages of peace.
She said: "On this tragic anniversary, please join me in remembering John with deep love and respect. The world was lucky to have known him. We still learn so much from him today. John, I love you."
Ono, who was beside Lennon when he was gunned down in New York, will perform at a charity concert she has organised in Japan called Dream Power John Lennon Super Live.
Now in its 10th year, some of the country's top artists will gather to participate in the gig at Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, which raises money for schools for deprived children all over the world.
The focus of the memorials in the UK will be in Lennon's home city of Liverpool, where hundreds of people are expected to attend a vigil tonight.
They will gather around a monument dedicated to the singer to light candles and sing songs. Peace and Harmony was unveiled earlier this year by Lennon's former wife Cynthia and their son Julian in Chavasse Park.
Local musicians will lead the wellwishers and Beatles fans as they celebrate the life of one of Liverpool's best-loved sons.
Lennon was shot dead outside the Dakota building where the couple lived in Manhattan on December 8, 1980, two months after his 40th birthday.
Fans on the other side of the Atlantic are expected to pay their respects at the Strawberry Fields memorial garden in Central Park, directly opposite the spot where he was blasted by crazed fan Mark Chapman.
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December 7, 2010, 6:23 pm
![Image]( "Three energy firms 'worst rated'")
Three of the biggest energy companies in the UK have been given just two stars by a consumer watchdog in a new complaints league table.
EDF, npower and ScottishPower were given the worst star rating by Consumer Focus for the number of complaints they received in relation to their market share.
Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) came top of the league table with four stars, while British Gas and E.On both received three stars.
The consumer watchdog ranked the "Big Six" energy firms to help consumers decide which supplier will give them the fewest problems or best handle any complaints.
Scores were weighted to take into account the severity of each complaint such as the length of time it took to be resolved.
Consumer Focus said the "Big Six" received 4.6 million complaints in the last financial year.
Its research showed consumers wanted to be able to compare how companies handled complaints when considering switching supplier.
Energy UK, which represents the "Big Six" electricity and gas suppliers, said a uSwitch survey in September found customer satisfaction was at an all time high of 73%.
Christine McGourty, director of Energy UK, said: "Britain's energy companies have co-operated with Consumer Focus over the past year on this. The opportunity to provide consumers with more information on the industry's performance is welcome.
"In a competitive market, all energy companies take customer service extremely seriously. In independent surveys, customer satisfaction levels have markedly improved in recent years."
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December 7, 2010, 6:23 pm
![Image]( "Hundreds stranded by heavy snow")
Hundreds of cars have been stranded on snowbound roads for a second night as temperatures plunged towards minus 20C.
Drivers across central Scotland were forced to abandon their vehicles after the worst wintry weather for several decades brought the country's busiest highways to a halt.
Many cars and lorries remained where they were left after the bitterly cold conditions left gritters unable to get them moving safely.
As the big freeze kept its grip on the country, more than 100 vehicles were also trapped on an exposed route in North Yorkshire when a sudden heavy snow shower came in. Police said all the cars stuck on the A171 near Whitby were later released.
But Britons do not have long to wait from some respite from the freezing conditions, forecasters say, with temperatures throughout the UK on Friday expected to be above zero for the whole day.
Next week is likely to herald more wintry weather, however. More snow was expected across north-east Scotland, Northern Ireland and in Yorkshire and Humber, with widespread icy roads expected up and down the country.
Overnight temperatures in Scotland were expected to drop to minus 20C, with minus 15C in Yorkshire and parts of Cumbria. London was just below freezing.
Scotland has been worst hit by this week's latest blast of snow and ice. Nearly half of children were also turned away from class north of the border as schools closed their doors.
The M8 motorway between Glasgow and Edinburgh - where hundreds of cars are still stranded - remained closed westbound between junctions one and four, after gritters were unable to remove thick ice.
Scottish first Minister Alex Salmond admitted his government had been "caught out" by a "perfect storm" of heavy snow and bitter cold.
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December 7, 2010, 6:23 pm
![Image]( "Warning over signs of meningitis")
People are needlessly dying from meningitis because they believe a rash is the main or only symptom, according to a poll.
Some 71% of more than 1,300 adults thought a rash was the most prominent sign while 11% of people could not list any symptoms at all.
The Meningitis Trust, which carried out the poll, warned that a rash which does not fade under pressure is a key sign of blood poisoning, but does not always appear.
When it does, it can be one of the last symptoms to arrive and it is frequently "too late".
The charity said meningitis can start with flu-like symptoms including a fever, headache, vomiting and muscle pain.
Other signs are a fever accompanied by cold hands and feet, drowsiness, confusion, pale blotchy skin, stiff neck, a dislike of bright lights and seizures.
Babies are often floppy and unresponsive, dislike being touched and suffer rapid breathing or have a moaning cry.
The soft spot on the top of their head may also bulge.
Sue Davie, chief executive of the charity, said people must "not wait for a rash".
She added: "By thinking meningitis is just a rash, people are dying. It is time the public takes notice and makes a fight against this terrifying, deadly disease."
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December 7, 2010, 6:23 pm
![Image]( "Thousands at tuition fees protests")
Thousands of students and lecturers up and down the country are expected to take to the streets to demonstrate against the Government's proposals to treble university tuition fees.
The day of action comes ahead of bigger planned protests on Thursday as MPs gear up for a controversial vote on plans to charge students up to £9,000 per year in fees.
The National Union of Students and the University and College Union said peaceful protests will be held at universities nationwide.
There will be a city centre protest in Birmingham and a mass Christmas card and letter writing session in Bournemouth, with students marching to the sorting office to deliver their letters.
Students in Bristol will hold a candlelit procession through the city centre, while those in Plymouth will also hold a candlelit vigil.
In Coventry there will be a walkout and marches are planned in Exeter, Warwick and Gloucestershire. Cambridge and Brighton will also hold protests.
Demonstrations will take place in Worcester and Staffordshire, with an all-night sit-up of debates and discussion in Wolverhampton, plus an "unfair fun fair" in Sheffield.
In London, students at King's College will hold an animal fancy dress petition gathering, with a planned protest outside the office of Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone.
There will be a mass lobby of MPs on the day of the vote, followed by a march through London and afternoon rally in Westminster.
A candlelit vigil will be held at Victoria Embankment on Thursday evening with 9,000 candles representing the potential new fee level. Occupations and sit-ins are already taking place at universities including Bradford, Leeds and University College London.
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December 8, 2010, 12:35 am
![Image]( "Newlywed 'wants to clear name'")
A British newlywed accused of paying to have his bride killed on their honeymoon in South Africa has welcomed the chance to clear his name through the courts.
Shrien Dewani, whose wife Anni was shot dead last month as they visited a township, is being held by Scotland Yard extradition officers after a request from the South African authorities.
Ahead of his hearing at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, a statement released on his behalf by lawyer Clare Montgomery QC said: "Shrien Dewani had no involvement in the death of his wife Anni.
"He is devastated by her murder and the false allegations that have been made against him and welcomes the chance to clear his name through the courts.
"He will appear before the City of Westminster Magistrates' Court this afternoon and, in the circumstances, has been advised it would not be right for him to make any further comment outside the court."
Mr Dewani was arrested on suspicion of conspiring to murder his new bride after a court hearing in South Africa on Tuesday, during which taxi driver Zola Tongo said the 30-year-old businessman offered 15,000 rand (£1,300) to kill her.
The Dewani family has dismissed the allegation as "totally ludicrous".
Mr Dewani, from Westbury-on-Trym in Bristol, handed himself in at a police station in the south-west English city on Tuesday, the Metropolitan Police said. Swedish Mrs Dewani, 28, was shot dead on November 13 after the couple's taxi was hijacked in the impoverished Gugulethu township in Cape Town.
Mr Dewani, who was released along with the driver by the carjackers, returned to England after the murder and has always denied any involvement in his wife's death.
At Western Cape High Court on Tuesday, Tongo claimed the businessman offered £1,300 for the killing just hours after the couple arrived in the country last month. Tongo's allegation formed part of a plea bargain drawn up with prosecutors at the court, where he was jailed for 18 years for his part in the killing on November 13.
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December 8, 2010, 12:35 am
![Image]( "Briton dies at detention centre")
A British man who died in an Australian immigration centre has been named by sources as 29-year-old David Saunders.
Mr Saunders, who was due to be deported, is believed to have committed suicide.
He is the third person to die at the Villawood Immigration Detention Centre in Sydney in as many months, prompting calls for an investigation into how the centre is run.
The man was discovered not breathing in his high-security accommodation block at about 3.20am.
A spokesman for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) said: "The deceased had been detained for breaching his visa conditions and was on a removal pathway. It is understood the man, who had no further avenues for appeal, was wanted in the UK for serious criminal offences."
Other detainees told refugee activists Mr Saunders took his own life. He had reportedly told other detainees he had been in Australia for six months and in the high-security "stage one" area for over a month.
Tensions are running high at the immigration centre where two previous apparent suicides sparked week-long protests and hunger strikes.
Fijian Josefa Rauluni, 36, threw himself off a building at Villawood on September 20, hours before he was due to be flown home, and Iraqi Ahmad Al Eqabi was found dead in his shower on November 16.
Ian Rintoul, of the Refugee Action Coalition, called for an immediate inquiry into the detention regime, saying: "The immigration department cannot explain this away. Something must be done to break the vicious downward spiral that has developed at Villawood."
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We can confirm there has been a death of a British national in Villawood Immigration Detention Centre. Next of kin have been informed and we stand ready to provide consular assistance to them."
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December 8, 2010, 12:41 am
![Image]( "One Direction fans need treatment")
Thirty-five people were treated for minor injuries as thousands of fans braved the cold to watch X Factor finalists One Direction perform, the ambulance service said.
The boy band, mentored on the ITV1 show by Simon Cowell, performed a short open-air set in Wolverhampton's Queen Square.
West Midlands Ambulance Service said nearly 4,000 fans attended the show, with the first casualty being found more than three hours before the group took to the stage.
A spokesman said most of the injuries were caused by "the effects of the cold and over-excitement".
He said: "The band didn't come on stage until just before 8pm, but the first casualty was found in Lichfield Street at 4.45pm with a head injury. After treatment she was discharged on scene.
"Another five casualties were dealt with about half an hour later. Three hadn't eaten or drunk all day, one had felt faint and the fifth was hyperventilating.
"The latter two patients also had insufficient clothing on for the conditions. After treatment, getting warmed up and eating something, all five were discharged.
"At about 6.20pm a further patient reported to ambulance staff feeling unwell. Again after assessment, the patient was discharged on scene."
The spokesman added: "Just before the band took to the stage there was a surge in the crowd. A total of 28 people were lifted out over the barriers at the front. Eight were assessed by ambulance staff but did not require hospital treatment and went back into the crowd. In the main the fans were in good spirits despite the temperature dropping to minus seven degrees Celsius."
Fellow finalists Cher Lloyd, Rebecca Ferguson and Matt Cardle have also performed this week ahead of this weekend's finale.
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December 8, 2010, 12:41 am
![Image]( "New concessions ahead of fees vote")
Ministers have offered a series of concessions to critics of the Government's higher education reforms as the coalition sought to head off a major backbench rebellion.
Ahead of Thursday's crunch Commons vote, Business Secretary Vince Cable announced further measures designed to ease the financial burden on students from poorer backgrounds.
They included increasing the number of part-time students who would no longer face upfront tuition fees and increasing the threshold at which existing graduates have to start repaying their loans.
The move comes as Dr Cable and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg face a revolt among Lib Dem backbenchers intent on honouring a pre-election pledge to oppose an increase in tuition fees.
After a meeting with Lib Dem MPs on Tuesday night, Mr Clegg announced that all of the party's ministers would be voting for the highly contentious rise in the vote.
Dr Cable acknowledged that the "enhancements" to the package were made in response to the concerns of universities, students and MPs.
National Union of Students president Aaron Porter said the latest announcement would not bring an end to the protests that have been seen over recent weeks.
"It doesn't change the overall direction of travel here and, if anything, these are an admission from the Government that what they are trying to pursue is something that politicians and the general public at large are not comfortable with," he told the BBC.
"The headlines, of course, are the withdrawal of £3 billion of funding and that cost being passed on to students, and that will not satisfy those on the streets that we have seen in recent weeks and I'm sure those that will continue to protest today and tomorrow."
Mr Clegg has appealed to his 56 MPs to "walk through the fire" with him on the reform package, which will see some course fees treble to £9,000 a year.
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December 8, 2010, 12:41 am
![Image]( "Russia makes spy 'sabotage' claims")
Russia has accused "influential forces" in the UK of trying to sabotage relations between the two countries.
Responding to the arrest and detention of alleged spy Ekaterina Zatuliveter, the Russian foreign ministry urged Britain to prove with "concrete acts" its commitment to improving co-operation between London and Moscow.
Miss Zatuliveter, 25, is facing deportation from the UK amid suspicions that she used her position as an assistant to MP Mike Hancock to pass documents to Russian intelligence.
Russian diplomats have been pressing for information from the Foreign Office and Home Office about why she is being held.
In a sign of Moscow's anger at her treatment in the UK, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement: "As for the eagerness with which some media in the UK are trying to stage a vaudeville about the worn-out spy plot, this cannot fail to awaken pity.
"We have no illusions that in Britain there are and will be highly influential forces, who are not interested in the normalisation of Russian-British relations.
"We hope, however, that the London Government's stated policy of improving bilateral co-operation will be reinforced by concrete acts."
Alexander Sternik, Russia's charge d'affaires in the UK, claimed that Britain had so far failed to provide information about the charges against Miss Zatuliveter.
Known as Katia, she has protested her innocence and says she is confident she will win an appeal against her deportation.
Her father, Andrei Zatuliveter, also criticised her treatment. "I always thought that England was a democratic country. People cannot be detained for no reason," he told the BBC.
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December 8, 2010, 12:41 am
![Image]( "Public 'should help clear roads'")
The public should have access to grit and salt supplies to help clear roads, the Transport Secretary has suggested as the worst December weather for 19 years continued.
With icy weather warnings in place across much of the country, Philip Hammond said people should have access to supplies so they can tackle roads and pavements which are not treated by councils.
Forecasters said the prolonged cold weather and snowfall is the worst for December since 1981, with the Christmas period also likely to see frost, ice and snow showers.
Severe weather warnings were in place across Scotland, Northern Ireland, Yorkshire and Humber and East Midlands.
Mr Hammond told BBC Breakfast: "In many cases people would like to have the opportunity to have access to grit and salt supplies so that on roads that are not on the council's gritting route they can... make the pavements a bit easier, make it a bit easier for them to get out of their driveways.
"People have always dug their way out of their own driveways... and I would encourage people who are able to do that kind of thing to continue doing it for themselves and for neighbours who are perhaps less able to."
He added that there was no need to call in the Army in England because councils were still able to call contractors if they needed help clearing roads.
On Tuesday night temperatures dropped to minus 18C at Shap Fell in Cumbria, while Edinburgh saw minus 15C, and the Manchester area minus 10C.
Met Office forecaster John Hammond said: "December has got off to a very cold start. The last time we saw prolonged cold weather in December with such low temperatures and this amount of snow fall was 1981."
Temperatures will drop beyond minus 10C again tonight in parts of Scotland and the North East, with the mercury across the country dipping below zero. Motorists were warned to watch out for ice on untreated roads.
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December 8, 2010, 12:41 am
![Image]( "Gender pay gap declines to 15.5%")
The gender pay gap has fallen by almost 1% to 15.5% based on average earnings of full-time workers, official figures have shown.
The difference in men's and women's earnings narrowed from 16.4% after a bigger rise in the hourly earnings of women over the past year, said the Office for National Statistics.
Men's average hourly pay was £16.25, up by 1.1% from a year ago, while women's pay increased by 2.2% to £13.73.
On another way of measuring the gender pay gap, the so-called median rate, the difference narrowed from 12.2% to 10.2%, the biggest drop since the measure began in 1997.
The figure is the level at which half of pay falls above and half below and is based on full-timers' hourly pay rates, excluding overtime.
ONS statistician Mark Williams said: "This year's results continue the pattern we've seen in recent years of the gender pay gap tending to get narrower. In 1997 the gender pay gap in median earnings for full-timers was around 17% and it's now dropped to around 10%."
Almost nine out of 10 male workers were full-time compared with 58% of women, while the UK workforce was made up of 12.7 million men and 12.3 million women, the figures for the year to April showed.
Median weekly earnings for all full-time workers were £499, up by 2.1% from the previous year, with men earning £538 compared with £439 for women.
The figure was highest in London at £642 and lowest in Northern Ireland at £441.
Earnings of part-time workers increased by 0.7% to £154, with women earning more than men at £157 compared with £142, said the ONS.
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The British government feared that Libya would take "harsh and immediate action" against its interests if the Lockerbie bomber died in prison, according to leaked US diplomatic cables.
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi made "thuggish" threats to halt all trade deals with the UK and harass embassy staff if Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was not freed.
Tripoli also offered a "parade of treats" to the Scottish devolved administration if it let the convicted mass killer go - although the incentives were refused.
Details of the fraught contacts between Libya and Britain over al-Megrahi are revealed in documents obtained by controversial website WikiLeaks and seen by the Guardian.
The American charge d'affaires in London, Richard LeBaron, wrote in a cable to his bosses in October 2008: "The Libyans have told HMG [Her Majesty's Government] flat out that there will be 'enormous repercussions' for the UK-Libya bilateral relationship if Megrahi's early release is not handled properly."
The cable said the US embassy had been given this information by two British officials - Downing Street's North Africa adviser Ben Lyons, and Rob Dixon, his counterpart at the Foreign Office.
The Scottish Government eventually released al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds in August last year because he was suffering from terminal prostate cancer. However, the move caused fury in the US amid suggestions that it was linked to lucrative British oil deals with Libya.
Al-Megrahi received a hero's welcome on his return to the country and is still alive more than a year later.
Since becoming Prime Minister David Cameron has condemned the decision to free al-Megrahi as "completely wrong".
In January 2009, the US ambassador to Libya, Gene Cretz, confirmed in a cable that "dire" reprisals had been threatened against the UK and London was braced to take "dramatic" steps for self-protection.
A rare copy of the "most expensive book in the world" surpassed pre-sale estimates to fetch more than £7 million at auction.
Sotheby's said the price of £7,321,250, including buyer's premium, paid for John James Audubon's Birds Of America was a record for any printed book at auction.
The illustrated book by the renowned ornithologist, naturalist and painter (1785-1851), a landmark of natural history, was expected to fetch between £4 million and £6 million.
It was bought by Michael Tollemache, a London dealer, a spokesman for Sotheby's said.
Mr Tollemache was bidding in the room at the London sale and described the work afterwards as "priceless".
Sotheby's said the hammer price for the book was £6.5 million.
Also sold in the auction was a first collected edition of Shakespeare's plays, the First Folio, which dates from 1623 and fetched £1,497,250 including buyer's premium.
It was bought by US dealer Stephan Loewentheil, he added.
Both books formed part of the sale, Magnificent Books, Manuscripts and Drawings from the Collection of Frederick, 2nd Lord Hesketh, the Property of the Trustees of the 2nd Baron Hesketh's Will Trust.
Auction house book specialist David Goldthorpe said before the sale: "Unlike other libraries which specifically focus on, for instance, literature, history or science, the 50 lots coming from this magnificent collection are an example of what is known as 'high spot collecting' - when a collector seeks out the very best across a range of fields."
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg is facing a significant rebellion over tuition fee hikes after failing to persuade MPs to "walk through the fire" with him.
Speaking after a meeting of the parliamentary party, Mr Clegg announced that all his ministers would be voting in favour of the controversial increases.
But the leadership has accepted that many backbenchers will oppose the measures on Thursday, while ministerial aides will not be disciplined for choosing to abstain.
The Deputy Prime Minister made a last-ditch effort to win over his MPs in a 20-minute speech behind closed doors in the House of Commons.
He told the meeting he had hoped the party could "walk through the fire" together by collectively abstaining in the key ballot on Thursday, but it had become clear that was not possible.
He conceded that all Lib Dems held strong views on the issue, and praised the way they had conducted themselves without showing personal animosity in a "difficult" position.
But he insisted that "to govern was to choose" and, with money tight, the coalition had decided to pump funds into early years education.
Afterwards, Mr Clegg said that the threat of a ministerial revolt over the policy had disappeared, despite transport minister Norman Baker previously suggesting he had not decided which way to vote.
"I've listened to the debate, I've listened to the protesters, I've listened to my party and, having done that, I can announce now that all Liberal Democrat ministers - every single one - will vote for this measure when it comes to the vote on Thursday," Mr Clegg said.
"Because in these difficult circumstances, where the country doesn't have very much money, this is the best and fairest possibly way to ensure we have world-class universities for generations to come and that youngsters for generations to come can not only dream of going to university but can go to university irrespective of the circumstances of their birth."
Thirty-five people were treated for minor injuries on Tuesday night as thousands of fans braved the cold to watch X Factor finalists One Direction perform, the ambulance service said.
The boy band, mentored on the ITV1 show by Simon Cowell, performed a short open-air set in Wolverhampton's Queen Square.
West Midlands Ambulance Service said nearly 4,000 fans attended the show, with the first casualty being found more than three hours before the group took to the stage.
A spokesman said most of the injuries were caused by "the effects of the cold and over-excitement".
He said: "The band didn't come on stage until just before 8pm, but the first casualty was found in Lichfield Street at 4.45pm with a head injury. After treatment she was discharged on scene.
"Another five casualties were dealt with about half an hour later. Three hadn't eaten or drunk all day, one had felt faint and the fifth was hyperventilating.
"The latter two patients also had insufficient clothing on for the conditions. After treatment, getting warmed up and eating something, all five were discharged.
"At about 6.20pm a further patient reported to ambulance staff feeling unwell. Again after assessment, the patient was discharged on scene."
The spokesman added: "Just before the band took to the stage there was a surge in the crowd. A total of 28 people were lifted out over the barriers at the front. Eight were assessed by ambulance staff but did not require hospital treatment and went back into the crowd. In the main the fans were in good spirits despite the temperature dropping to minus seven degrees Celsius."
West Midlands Ambulance Service sent one ambulance and three officers to the event, in support of the private medical event cover.
Young families, the unemployed and middle income earners have been left holding the bill for Ireland's banking binge after a six billion euro (£5 million) austerity budget was unveiled.
Cuts to child benefit alongside income tax reform will leave average families thousands of euro less well off, while weekly payments to social welfare recipients will be slashed.
Taoiseach Brian Cowen will remain among the best paid leaders in the world even after a 14,000 euro (£11,800) pay cut, and the government was damned for refusing to hike taxes on the wealthiest.
Finance minister Brian Lenihan insisted the Fianna Fail/Green coalition had recognised its past mistakes and is now putting the country on the road to recovery.
"This budget is our first step in ensuring that we can get back firmly on our own feet," he said.
"It is a substantial down payment on the journey back to economic health. We can emerge from this dark time as a stronger and fitter economy to provide sustainable jobs and decent public services for all our citizens."
But the Opposition, trade union leaders, anti-poverty campaigners, children's rights organisations and others denounced the draconian package as an attack on the poor, middle income earners and the vulnerable.
Emergency sittings will attempt to fast-track the reforms through the Irish parliament this week and into the early days of the new year.
The coalition will then face the wrath of voters with a general election expected in February or March.
The only groups to escape the savage Budget were the elderly on the state pension and the super-rich - the tax breaks they use will go, but not immediately.
Milk and meat from the offspring of cloned animals does not need special authorisation before reaching supermarket shelves, the food safety watchdog will tell the Government today.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) Board said there were no food safety reasons for regulating the produce sold from cattle or pigs bred from cloned animals.
The decision could pave the way for such foodstuffs to be sold freely and unlabelled on the high street.
Under European law, food or drink produced from cloned animals must pass a safety evaluation and get approval under the Novel Food Regulations before they are marketed.
But the FSA ruled there was no difference between the composition of meat or milk from the descendants of cloned animals and that from conventionally-reared animals.
It also said there was no need to introduce mandatory labelling because it would offer no food safety benefit to shoppers.
The board's conclusions came after a probe was launched when it emerged beef from the offspring of a cloned cow had been sold and eaten in the UK.
According to the minutes of September's board meeting, members discussed how the public had "little appetite" for food from cloned animals but said ministers should be advised that regulating such produce would be difficult.
The board agreed to advise ministers that the marketing of food from cloned animals should be subject to authorisation as novel foods.
Members also agreed to follow the European Commission by recommending food from the offspring of cloned animals does not need authorisation.
A British newlywed accused of paying to have his bride killed on their honeymoon in South Africa has been arrested in the UK on suspicion of conspiring to murder her.
Shrien Dewani, whose wife Anni was shot dead last month as they visited a township, was held on Tuesday night by Scotland Yard extradition officers after a request from the South African authorities.
It followed a court hearing in South Africa, during which taxi driver Zola Tongo said he was offered 15,000 rand (£1,300) by the 30-year-old businessman to kill his wife. The Dewani family dismissed the allegation as "totally ludicrous".
Mr Dewani, from Westbury-on-Trym in Bristol, handed himself in at a police station in the city, the Metropolitan Police said. He is due to appear at the City of Westminster Magistrates' Court.
Swedish Mrs Dewani, 28, was shot dead on November 13 after the couple's taxi was hijacked in the impoverished Gugulethu township in Cape Town.
Mr Dewani, who was released along with the driver by the carjackers, returned to England after the murder and has always denied any involvement in his wife's death.
At Western Cape High Court, Tongo said the businessman offered £1,300 for the killing just hours after the couple arrived in the country last month.
Tongo's allegation formed part of a plea agreement drawn up with prosecutors at the court, where he was jailed for 18 years for his part in the killing on November 13.
Mr Dewani's spokesman Max Clifford described the accusations as the latest in a string of false allegations against his client.
In a statement, the Dewani family said: "Shrien is totally innocent of any involvement in this heinous crime. These allegations are totally ludicrous and very hurtful to a young man who is grieving the loss of the woman he loved, his chosen life partner".
The father of missing chef Claudia Lawrence has backed a campaign calling for more rights for families left in limbo by a disappearance.
Peter Lawrence, 63, said families had no simple way to deal with unresolved practical issues such as property, bank accounts and insurance because it was impossible to prove whether a missing person was dead or alive.
Mr Lawrence, whose daughter went missing from York in March last year, added it was "absolutely necessary" for families to be given more support as he backed the Missing Rights campaign to give families the same rights as victims of crime.
"One of the things I have found over the past 21 months Claudia's been missing is that nobody has any rights. It's impossible to deal on a legal basis with the property, or even day-to-day matters like the tax or insurance, if somebody is missing," he said.
Missing People, the charity behind the campaign, called for a "presumption of death" act to be introduced in England and Wales, for banks to introduce standard mortgage arrangements for families of missing people and for insurance companies to freeze or take over a missing relative's policy payments.
Mr Lawrence, from Slingsby, North Yorkshire, added that, as a solicitor, he was lucky in many ways as he knew who to contact and where to find help.
He was joined by Rachel Elias, the sister of missing Manic Street Preachers guitarist Richard Edwards, who called for an "overall change in culture" to ensure missing people and their families were properly supported.
There were over 330,000 incidents of people going missing last year, the charity said.
It called for a missing persons co-ordinator in each region who would hold local services to account, a named single point of contact in the police for someone dealing with their case and for all unidentified bodies to be checked against missing person reports.
More support for families was also needed, the charity said as it called for a network of specially trained counsellors to be developed to support their needs.
Millions of people will remember John Lennon on Wednesday, exactly 30 years after the former Beatle was murdered.
His widow Yoko Ono led the tributes, saying the world was still learning from his messages of peace.
She said: "On this tragic anniversary, please join me in remembering John with deep love and respect. The world was lucky to have known him. We still learn so much from him today. John, I love you."
Ono, who was beside Lennon when he was gunned down in New York, will perform at a charity concert she has organised in Japan called Dream Power John Lennon Super Live.
Now in its 10th year, some of the country's top artists will gather to participate in the gig at Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, which raises money for schools for deprived children all over the world.
The focus of the memorials in the UK will be in Lennon's home city of Liverpool, where hundreds of people are expected to attend a vigil tonight.
They will gather around a monument dedicated to the singer to light candles and sing songs. Peace and Harmony was unveiled earlier this year by Lennon's former wife Cynthia and their son Julian in Chavasse Park.
Local musicians will lead the wellwishers and Beatles fans as they celebrate the life of one of Liverpool's best-loved sons.
Lennon was shot dead outside the Dakota building where the couple lived in Manhattan on December 8, 1980, two months after his 40th birthday.
Fans on the other side of the Atlantic are expected to pay their respects at the Strawberry Fields memorial garden in Central Park, directly opposite the spot where he was blasted by crazed fan Mark Chapman.
Three of the biggest energy companies in the UK have been given just two stars by a consumer watchdog in a new complaints league table.
EDF, npower and ScottishPower were given the worst star rating by Consumer Focus for the number of complaints they received in relation to their market share.
Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) came top of the league table with four stars, while British Gas and E.On both received three stars.
The consumer watchdog ranked the "Big Six" energy firms to help consumers decide which supplier will give them the fewest problems or best handle any complaints.
Scores were weighted to take into account the severity of each complaint such as the length of time it took to be resolved.
Consumer Focus said the "Big Six" received 4.6 million complaints in the last financial year.
Its research showed consumers wanted to be able to compare how companies handled complaints when considering switching supplier.
Energy UK, which represents the "Big Six" electricity and gas suppliers, said a uSwitch survey in September found customer satisfaction was at an all time high of 73%.
Christine McGourty, director of Energy UK, said: "Britain's energy companies have co-operated with Consumer Focus over the past year on this. The opportunity to provide consumers with more information on the industry's performance is welcome.
"In a competitive market, all energy companies take customer service extremely seriously. In independent surveys, customer satisfaction levels have markedly improved in recent years."
Hundreds of cars have been stranded on snowbound roads for a second night as temperatures plunged towards minus 20C.
Drivers across central Scotland were forced to abandon their vehicles after the worst wintry weather for several decades brought the country's busiest highways to a halt.
Many cars and lorries remained where they were left after the bitterly cold conditions left gritters unable to get them moving safely.
As the big freeze kept its grip on the country, more than 100 vehicles were also trapped on an exposed route in North Yorkshire when a sudden heavy snow shower came in. Police said all the cars stuck on the A171 near Whitby were later released.
But Britons do not have long to wait from some respite from the freezing conditions, forecasters say, with temperatures throughout the UK on Friday expected to be above zero for the whole day.
Next week is likely to herald more wintry weather, however. More snow was expected across north-east Scotland, Northern Ireland and in Yorkshire and Humber, with widespread icy roads expected up and down the country.
Overnight temperatures in Scotland were expected to drop to minus 20C, with minus 15C in Yorkshire and parts of Cumbria. London was just below freezing.
Scotland has been worst hit by this week's latest blast of snow and ice. Nearly half of children were also turned away from class north of the border as schools closed their doors.
The M8 motorway between Glasgow and Edinburgh - where hundreds of cars are still stranded - remained closed westbound between junctions one and four, after gritters were unable to remove thick ice.
Scottish first Minister Alex Salmond admitted his government had been "caught out" by a "perfect storm" of heavy snow and bitter cold.
People are needlessly dying from meningitis because they believe a rash is the main or only symptom, according to a poll.
Some 71% of more than 1,300 adults thought a rash was the most prominent sign while 11% of people could not list any symptoms at all.
The Meningitis Trust, which carried out the poll, warned that a rash which does not fade under pressure is a key sign of blood poisoning, but does not always appear.
When it does, it can be one of the last symptoms to arrive and it is frequently "too late".
The charity said meningitis can start with flu-like symptoms including a fever, headache, vomiting and muscle pain.
Other signs are a fever accompanied by cold hands and feet, drowsiness, confusion, pale blotchy skin, stiff neck, a dislike of bright lights and seizures.
Babies are often floppy and unresponsive, dislike being touched and suffer rapid breathing or have a moaning cry.
The soft spot on the top of their head may also bulge.
Sue Davie, chief executive of the charity, said people must "not wait for a rash".
She added: "By thinking meningitis is just a rash, people are dying. It is time the public takes notice and makes a fight against this terrifying, deadly disease."
Thousands of students and lecturers up and down the country are expected to take to the streets to demonstrate against the Government's proposals to treble university tuition fees.
The day of action comes ahead of bigger planned protests on Thursday as MPs gear up for a controversial vote on plans to charge students up to £9,000 per year in fees.
The National Union of Students and the University and College Union said peaceful protests will be held at universities nationwide.
There will be a city centre protest in Birmingham and a mass Christmas card and letter writing session in Bournemouth, with students marching to the sorting office to deliver their letters.
Students in Bristol will hold a candlelit procession through the city centre, while those in Plymouth will also hold a candlelit vigil.
In Coventry there will be a walkout and marches are planned in Exeter, Warwick and Gloucestershire. Cambridge and Brighton will also hold protests.
Demonstrations will take place in Worcester and Staffordshire, with an all-night sit-up of debates and discussion in Wolverhampton, plus an "unfair fun fair" in Sheffield.
In London, students at King's College will hold an animal fancy dress petition gathering, with a planned protest outside the office of Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone.
There will be a mass lobby of MPs on the day of the vote, followed by a march through London and afternoon rally in Westminster.
A candlelit vigil will be held at Victoria Embankment on Thursday evening with 9,000 candles representing the potential new fee level. Occupations and sit-ins are already taking place at universities including Bradford, Leeds and University College London.
A British man who died in an Australian immigration centre has been named by sources as 29-year-old David Saunders.
Mr Saunders, who was due to be deported, is believed to have committed suicide.
He is the third person to die at the Villawood Immigration Detention Centre in Sydney in as many months, prompting calls for an investigation into how the centre is run.
The man was discovered not breathing in his high-security accommodation block at about 3.20am.
A spokesman for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) said: "The deceased had been detained for breaching his visa conditions and was on a removal pathway. It is understood the man, who had no further avenues for appeal, was wanted in the UK for serious criminal offences."
Other detainees told refugee activists Mr Saunders took his own life. He had reportedly told other detainees he had been in Australia for six months and in the high-security "stage one" area for over a month.
Tensions are running high at the immigration centre where two previous apparent suicides sparked week-long protests and hunger strikes.
Fijian Josefa Rauluni, 36, threw himself off a building at Villawood on September 20, hours before he was due to be flown home, and Iraqi Ahmad Al Eqabi was found dead in his shower on November 16.
Ian Rintoul, of the Refugee Action Coalition, called for an immediate inquiry into the detention regime, saying: "The immigration department cannot explain this away. Something must be done to break the vicious downward spiral that has developed at Villawood."
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We can confirm there has been a death of a British national in Villawood Immigration Detention Centre. Next of kin have been informed and we stand ready to provide consular assistance to them."
Thirty-five people were treated for minor injuries as thousands of fans braved the cold to watch X Factor finalists One Direction perform, the ambulance service said.
The boy band, mentored on the ITV1 show by Simon Cowell, performed a short open-air set in Wolverhampton's Queen Square.
West Midlands Ambulance Service said nearly 4,000 fans attended the show, with the first casualty being found more than three hours before the group took to the stage.
A spokesman said most of the injuries were caused by "the effects of the cold and over-excitement".
He said: "The band didn't come on stage until just before 8pm, but the first casualty was found in Lichfield Street at 4.45pm with a head injury. After treatment she was discharged on scene.
"Another five casualties were dealt with about half an hour later. Three hadn't eaten or drunk all day, one had felt faint and the fifth was hyperventilating.
"The latter two patients also had insufficient clothing on for the conditions. After treatment, getting warmed up and eating something, all five were discharged.
"At about 6.20pm a further patient reported to ambulance staff feeling unwell. Again after assessment, the patient was discharged on scene."
The spokesman added: "Just before the band took to the stage there was a surge in the crowd. A total of 28 people were lifted out over the barriers at the front. Eight were assessed by ambulance staff but did not require hospital treatment and went back into the crowd. In the main the fans were in good spirits despite the temperature dropping to minus seven degrees Celsius."
Fellow finalists Cher Lloyd, Rebecca Ferguson and Matt Cardle have also performed this week ahead of this weekend's finale.
Ministers have offered a series of concessions to critics of the Government's higher education reforms as the coalition sought to head off a major backbench rebellion.
Ahead of Thursday's crunch Commons vote, Business Secretary Vince Cable announced further measures designed to ease the financial burden on students from poorer backgrounds.
They included increasing the number of part-time students who would no longer face upfront tuition fees and increasing the threshold at which existing graduates have to start repaying their loans.
The move comes as Dr Cable and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg face a revolt among Lib Dem backbenchers intent on honouring a pre-election pledge to oppose an increase in tuition fees.
After a meeting with Lib Dem MPs on Tuesday night, Mr Clegg announced that all of the party's ministers would be voting for the highly contentious rise in the vote.
Dr Cable acknowledged that the "enhancements" to the package were made in response to the concerns of universities, students and MPs.
National Union of Students president Aaron Porter said the latest announcement would not bring an end to the protests that have been seen over recent weeks.
"It doesn't change the overall direction of travel here and, if anything, these are an admission from the Government that what they are trying to pursue is something that politicians and the general public at large are not comfortable with," he told the BBC.
"The headlines, of course, are the withdrawal of £3 billion of funding and that cost being passed on to students, and that will not satisfy those on the streets that we have seen in recent weeks and I'm sure those that will continue to protest today and tomorrow."
Mr Clegg has appealed to his 56 MPs to "walk through the fire" with him on the reform package, which will see some course fees treble to £9,000 a year.
Russia has accused "influential forces" in the UK of trying to sabotage relations between the two countries.
Responding to the arrest and detention of alleged spy Ekaterina Zatuliveter, the Russian foreign ministry urged Britain to prove with "concrete acts" its commitment to improving co-operation between London and Moscow.
Miss Zatuliveter, 25, is facing deportation from the UK amid suspicions that she used her position as an assistant to MP Mike Hancock to pass documents to Russian intelligence.
Russian diplomats have been pressing for information from the Foreign Office and Home Office about why she is being held.
In a sign of Moscow's anger at her treatment in the UK, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement: "As for the eagerness with which some media in the UK are trying to stage a vaudeville about the worn-out spy plot, this cannot fail to awaken pity.
"We have no illusions that in Britain there are and will be highly influential forces, who are not interested in the normalisation of Russian-British relations.
"We hope, however, that the London Government's stated policy of improving bilateral co-operation will be reinforced by concrete acts."
Alexander Sternik, Russia's charge d'affaires in the UK, claimed that Britain had so far failed to provide information about the charges against Miss Zatuliveter.
Known as Katia, she has protested her innocence and says she is confident she will win an appeal against her deportation.
Her father, Andrei Zatuliveter, also criticised her treatment. "I always thought that England was a democratic country. People cannot be detained for no reason," he told the BBC.
The public should have access to grit and salt supplies to help clear roads, the Transport Secretary has suggested as the worst December weather for 19 years continued.
With icy weather warnings in place across much of the country, Philip Hammond said people should have access to supplies so they can tackle roads and pavements which are not treated by councils.
Forecasters said the prolonged cold weather and snowfall is the worst for December since 1981, with the Christmas period also likely to see frost, ice and snow showers.
Severe weather warnings were in place across Scotland, Northern Ireland, Yorkshire and Humber and East Midlands.
Mr Hammond told BBC Breakfast: "In many cases people would like to have the opportunity to have access to grit and salt supplies so that on roads that are not on the council's gritting route they can... make the pavements a bit easier, make it a bit easier for them to get out of their driveways.
"People have always dug their way out of their own driveways... and I would encourage people who are able to do that kind of thing to continue doing it for themselves and for neighbours who are perhaps less able to."
He added that there was no need to call in the Army in England because councils were still able to call contractors if they needed help clearing roads.
On Tuesday night temperatures dropped to minus 18C at Shap Fell in Cumbria, while Edinburgh saw minus 15C, and the Manchester area minus 10C.
Met Office forecaster John Hammond said: "December has got off to a very cold start. The last time we saw prolonged cold weather in December with such low temperatures and this amount of snow fall was 1981."
Temperatures will drop beyond minus 10C again tonight in parts of Scotland and the North East, with the mercury across the country dipping below zero. Motorists were warned to watch out for ice on untreated roads.
The gender pay gap has fallen by almost 1% to 15.5% based on average earnings of full-time workers, official figures have shown.
The difference in men's and women's earnings narrowed from 16.4% after a bigger rise in the hourly earnings of women over the past year, said the Office for National Statistics.
Men's average hourly pay was £16.25, up by 1.1% from a year ago, while women's pay increased by 2.2% to £13.73.
On another way of measuring the gender pay gap, the so-called median rate, the difference narrowed from 12.2% to 10.2%, the biggest drop since the measure began in 1997.
The figure is the level at which half of pay falls above and half below and is based on full-timers' hourly pay rates, excluding overtime.
ONS statistician Mark Williams said: "This year's results continue the pattern we've seen in recent years of the gender pay gap tending to get narrower. In 1997 the gender pay gap in median earnings for full-timers was around 17% and it's now dropped to around 10%."
Almost nine out of 10 male workers were full-time compared with 58% of women, while the UK workforce was made up of 12.7 million men and 12.3 million women, the figures for the year to April showed.
Median weekly earnings for all full-time workers were £499, up by 2.1% from the previous year, with men earning £538 compared with £439 for women.
The figure was highest in London at £642 and lowest in Northern Ireland at £441.
Earnings of part-time workers increased by 0.7% to £154, with women earning more than men at £157 compared with £142, said the ONS.
