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962 primary schools 'fail on 3Rs'

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Image Almost a thousand primary schools are failing to give their pupils a decent grounding in reading, writing and arithmetic, official figures suggest. Newly published data shows that 962 primaries in England would be classed as failing under tough new targets announced by the Government last month. The statistic comes in new primary school league tables, which also highlight the chaos caused by this year's boycott of national curriculum, or Sats, tests. The new target, published in an education White Paper, said primaries will fall below the bar if fewer than 60% of their pupils reach Level 4 - the standard expected of the age group - in English and maths and fewer youngsters make two levels of progress in the subjects than the national average. According to the latest figures, the national average for English this year was 87% making two levels of progress and for maths it was 86%. Those that fail to reach the target face closure or being taken over. The primary school league tables show that 962 schools, out of around 11,500 for whom results are known, fail to meet this threshold. This figure will have been affected by the boycott. Last year, 1,631 schools would have fallen below, the Department for Education said. The target was introduced as part of a major overhaul of England's schools system, and Schools Minister Nick Gibb insisted the new standards were "firm but fair". He said the statistics show that many primaries are providing a "first-class education." But he added: "Currently half of all 10 and 11-year-old boys who qualify for free school meals are being let down by our education system. It is unacceptable that after seven years of primary school these children are not at the standard in English and maths that they need to flourish at secondary school." The primary school league tables show how every 11-year-old in England performed in English and maths tests. Data for a quarter of schools, around 4,000 in total, is missing due to a boycott by two teaching unions, the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the National Association of Headteachers (NAHT). The tables reveal that slightly more primaries scored full marks than last year. They suggest that 289 primaries succeeded in making sure every 11-year-old left with Level 4 in both English and maths, compared to 282 last year.

Heavy blade used in double killing

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Image A woman who was killed with her son died from "multiple head injuries consistent with a heavy bladed instrument", a post-mortem examination has revealed. Sally Cox, 43, and Martin Faulkner, 22, who were named by neighbours, were butchered at their home in Banbury, Oxfordshire, early on Monday. Neighbours said the pair were killed with an axe, and hours later detectives arrested a 45-year-old man who is said to be Mrs Cox's ex-partner. Police described the murder scene as "horrific". A Thames Valley Police spokesman said: "A post-mortem on the woman has concluded she died from multiple head injuries consistent with a heavy bladed instrument. "The post-mortem on the body of a 22-year-old man will take place (on Monday). "Formal identification of both bodies will take place after that, hopefully later (on Monday)." The pair were apparently killed in the house and Mrs Cox's daughters, aged 13 and 19, managed to escape. The older sister, believed to be called Amy, was badly injured and the 13-year-old, thought to be Katie, was uninjured but "severely traumatised". The police spokesman added: "A 19-year-old woman is being treated in John Radcliffe Hospital where she is in a serious but stable condition."

Berlusconi wins confidence votes

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Image Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi has won back-to-back votes of confidence in parliament but was left with a wafer-thin majority that will make it hard for him to govern effectively. In the second and most dramatic of the votes, he survived a no-confidence motion in the lower house by three votes. Voting was briefly interrupted after scuffles broke out during the tense session. Earlier in the day, Mr Berlusconi had secured a more comfortable victory in a confidence vote at the Senate. The votes were called following a spate of sex scandals and a break-up with a close ally that cost Mr Berlusconi support and threw into question whether he could still muster a parliamentary majority.

BA long-haul fuel surcharge to rise

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Image British Airways is to increase its fuel surcharge on long-haul flights by £10. From Thursday, passengers will pay a surcharge of between £63 and £108 depending on which cabin they are in and how long their flight is. BA said the rise "reflects the substantial recent increase in the price of oil". For economy class passengers on long-haul flights of less than nine hours - which would include New York - the increase takes the surcharge to £63. Travellers in economy on flights of more than nine hours will have to pay £76 from Thursday. For those in World Traveller Plus - a grade up from economy - the new surcharge total will be £73 for long-haul flights under nine hours and £94.50 for those over nine hours. First class and Club World (business class) will pay £88 for long-haul flights of less than nine hours and £108 for those exceeding nine hours. BA said there would be no surcharge increases on its short-haul flights. The rise comes only a few weeks after the rise in the UK airport departure Air Passenger Duty tax.

Police arrest 182 over fees demos

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Image More than 180 people have been arrested by police investigating rioting during the series of protests against rising student tuition fees. Senior officers said the vast majority of the 182 suspects were aged between 17 and 25 and have never been involved in violence or criminal acts before. Detective Chief Superintendent Matt Horne, who is leading the inquiry, said he expects the figure to grow considerably as 80 officers comb through video footage. Speaking at New Scotland Yard, where protesters are expected to attempt to "kettle" police later, he said the inquiry could take months to complete. He said: "182 individuals have now been arrested as a result of the four demonstrations and we anticipate that number to grow significantly. What struck me is the number of people arrested who did not go that day with necessarily any intention of committing any violent action." Mr Horne said there was a "stark contrast" between scenes in Westminster and homes with crying parents and shocked young people when police turn up. He added: "I would urge those who turn up for protests to think about the impact this could have on their future careers. When they are shown footage of their actions that day some are shocked by the impact of their behaviour." Met Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson said the cost of policing the demonstrations is significant and he has been "stripping London out" to meet the demand. The senior officer said almost 3,000 officers were deployed last Thursday and he was proud of their professionalism in the face of unprecedented provocation and violence. Sir Paul also said a report by Commander Ian Quinton into the attack on the royal car in Regent Street will be completed by Friday and handed to the Home Secretary.

Forecasters predict white Christmas

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Image The prospect of a white Christmas has become more likely as Britons prepare for another Arctic blast to hit the UK this week. Forecasters said snow and bitterly cold weather are on the way after a brief reprieve of milder conditions. With less than a fortnight to go to Christmas, winds from the north look set to bring a band of rain and high winds on Thursday followed immediately by snow across the country. Aisling Creevey, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "We've had a little bit of a reprieve over the last few days - pretty much everywhere is at risk from snow and icy conditions as the temperature drops on Thursday. "And temperatures could be down to minus 10C in Scotland and to minus 4C and minus 5C across the country overnight on Friday." Thursday night will mark the shift back to the big freeze, with temperatures dropping to between minus 3C and minus 6C and a widespread frost after a few days of milder temperatures, according to MeteoGroup. Snow is set to feature throughout the weekend. David Price, a forecaster for the Met Office, said there would be 5cm-10cm of snow over much of the country, with some higher areas of Scotland facing as much as 20cm. Looking further ahead Jonathan Powell, a forecaster with Positive Weather Solutions, said: "Our models are showing we will see a white Christmas. The most likely places to have one are Scotland, north-east England, the east coast, the South East and London. It's going to happen." MeteoGroup insisted it was too early to forecast a white Christmas, but the bookies have slashed their odds on it happening. Aberdeen is William Hill's 9/4 favourite to see snow at Christmas, with Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle at 3/1. Odds on a blanket of the white stuff covering cities such as London, Leeds and Liverpool were 4/1.

Hunt for Sweden bomber accomplices

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Image Detectives are hunting the accomplices of the British-based Stockholm suicide bomber. Taimour Abdulwahab al-Abdaly, 28, killed himself and wounded two people in a botched attack in the Swedish capital on Saturday afternoon. The Swedish authorities said the failed bombing appeared "well-planned" and they are working on the assumption that the Iraq-born Bedfordshire University graduate was helped by others. Police are now minutely examining material left by the bomber for clues about his accomplices. This includes an audio message emailed to police and a Swedish news agency before the attack in which a man thought to be Abdulwahab warns that "we are for real and do now exist among you Europeans". There is speculation among counter-terrorism experts that a cough on the recording, believed to have been sent from the extremist's mobile phone, may have been made by another person. Jihadist websites were filled with grotesque tributes to the bomber, including poems and epitaphs describing him as a "hero martyr". Swedish officials said on Monday that Abdulwahab apparently carried out his mission alone but had backing from others. Chief public prosecutor Tomas Lindstrand said: "We know from previous experience that this type of crime usually involves more than one individual. The attack appears to have been well-planned, and we assume that the suicide bomber had accomplices." Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt told BBC2's Newsnight that the authorities were making an "intensive" effort to discover who was working with Abdulwahab. "It might be that he was operating on that particular night alone, but it might be that preparations and training or whatever was part of a wider network," he said. "That is obviously something that the authorities are extremely keen to try to find out." Mr Bildt added that Stockholm avoided a massive catastrophe by only a matter of minutes. "It looks like he was heading into probably the most crowded place in Stockholm at the most crowded time of the year," he said. "He was heading into a place where, if he had exploded all the ordnance he had with him - and that was quite substantial - it would have been mass casualties of a sort we haven't seen in Europe for quite some time."

UK 'tops obesity league in Europe'

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Image The UK has the highest level of obesity in Europe, according to an influential health study. The Association of Public Health Observatories revealed that the West Midlands was the fattest region in the European Union, with 29% of adults classed as obese. The level was double that of the EU average of 14%. The UK also had one of the highest levels of teenage pregnancies out of the 27 countries studied. The report focused on 37 different factors in each region such as causes of death, population range, risk factors and health facilities. The West Midlands and the North East have the top two levels of obesity in adults in the EU respectively. The North East also has the highest level of teenage pregnancy in the UK. The report also revealed that cancer mortality rates for women were high in comparison to other EU countries. The rate in the South East region was the highest in the UK at 185 per 100,000, followed by Scotland at 179 per 100,000. The European average was 139.5 per 100,000. But the report also contained some positive findings, with the levels of adults who smoke being lower than in many other countries studied. Report author Professor John Wilkinson explained: "For some cases the UK is not doing very well. The obvious one is obesity where we are at the top of the league. "The fine grading of the report shows that in areas where we think we are doing better in terms of obesity, such as the South East region, we are still actually far behind areas such as Scandinavia. The findings demonstrate that even in parts of the UK where we think we are doing quite well there's a long way to go."

Forensics service to be wound up

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Image The Forensic Science Service (FSS) is to be wound up, the Government has confirmed. Crime Prevention Minister James Brokenshire said action needed to be taken as the service was making operational losses of £2 million per month and was likely to run out of money by January. The aim is that there will be "no continuing state interest in a forensics provider by March 2012", Mr Brokenshire told MPs. Mr Brokenshire said: "The current challenging forensics market has put the FSS back into serious financial difficulty. "FSS is currently making operating losses of around £2 million per month. "Its cash is due to run out as early as January next year. "It is vital we take clear and decisive action to sort this out." In a written statement to MPs, he continued: "The police have advised us that their spend on external forensic suppliers will continue to fall over the next few years as forces seek to maximise efficiencies in this area. HMIC (Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary) concur with this assessment. We have therefore decided to support the wind down of the FSS, transferring or selling off as much of its operations as possible. "We will work with FSS management and staff, Acpo (Association of Chief Police Officers) and other suppliers to ensure an orderly transition but our firm ambition is that there will be no continuing state interest in a forensics provider by March 2012." The FSS employs about 1,650 staff and has been a Government-owned company since 2005, an FSS spokeswoman said.

Food and clothing push up inflation

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Image A record surge in both food and clothing costs drove up the rate of inflation in November, official figures have revealed. The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rate of inflation was 3.3% last month, up from 3.2% in October, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. The increase was driven by a 1.6% rise in food prices and 2% in clothing costs - the highest increases for both sectors in an October to November period since records began. The figures will disappoint the Bank of England - tasked with bringing the rate of inflation down to a 2% target - although policymakers did predict a spike in the cost of living towards the end of the year. The Bank has battled with stubbornly-high inflation all year, but is convinced it is driven by temporary price shocks, such as volatile food and petrol costs. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has resisted lifting interest rates from a historic low of 0.5% to curb inflation, as the economic recovery in the UK slows down. The rise in food prices was driven by an increase in flour, breakfast cereals and poultry costs. The ONS said there was anecdotal evidence to suggest crop problems seen in countries including Russia earlier this year could be contributing to the rise in food costs. The City had predicted clothing prices to hold or even decrease in November, as retailers introduced discounts earlier than expected. But the latest figures reveal the cost of garments increased, including men's casual jackets, men's casual short-sleeve shirts and women's formal wear. The main downward pressures on inflation between October and November came from recreation and culture, air transport and petrol, the ONS said. Air fares were down 6.4%, driven by a drop in prices on European routes. Petrol rose by 1.6% in the period - compared to 2.8% last year - which reflects a rise of 1.8p per litre. Other measures of inflation also increased. The headline rate of Retail Prices Index of inflation now stands at 4.7%, up from 4.5% last month.

Man charged over police stabbings

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Image Police have charged a 30-year-old man over a knife attack in which two police officers were stabbed after they challenged a suspect during a routine bus ticket check. Scotland Yard said unemployed John Paul Onyenaychi was charged with two counts of attempted murder against a police constable and a police community support officer. They were injured after they approached a passenger at a bus stop in New Broadway, Ealing, on Wednesday afternoon. The 27-year-old PCSO was treated in hospital before being released several hours later. The second victim remains in a "serious but stable condition".

Welfare plans 'will raise poverty'

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Image Hundreds of thousands of people will be dragged into poverty by the Government's tax and benefit reforms, according to research. The respected Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) forecasts an overall rise in poverty among both children and working-age adults over the next three years. Its findings contradict Chancellor George Osborne's claims that the spending review will not increase child poverty over the next two years. His claims were "totally unacceptable" and "disastrous", according to campaign groups, who demanded a re-think of the coalition's cuts programme. The IFS predicted a rise in absolute poverty, defined as households with a real-terms income of less than 60% of the median in 2010-11, of 900,000 people by the end of 2014. Relative poverty, measured against the median in any given year, will increase by 800,000, it said. The figures show the first rise in absolute child poverty for 15 years and would have been higher still except for a general decline in living standards as average earnings fail to keep up with inflation. The research shows that the Government's tax and benefit changes, compared with the policies inherited from Labour in May, will increase absolute poverty by 200,000 children and 200,000 working-age adults in 2012-13. "This finding is at odds with the Government's claim in the 2010 spending review that its reforms will have no measurable impact on child poverty in 2012-13," the IFS said. But the Treasury insisted there is "considerable uncertainty" in the IFS results which means they "may not be meaningful".

New power plants could put bills up

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Image Energy bills could rise by hundreds of pounds under plans for the construction of a new generation of power plants unveiled by the Government. But ministers insisted that prices would have risen anyway, and the estimated £160 average hike in annual bills as a result of the new proposals is 4% less than would happen if nothing changed. Energy Secretary Chris Huhne said private-sector investment of £110 billion in new power stations and grid upgrades is needed over the next decade to replace ageing plants, to hit the UK's climate change targets and to ensure that the lights do not go out. He set out a four-pronged approach to ensure that investment goes into low-carbon energy from renewables, nuclear and cleaner fossil fuels, and to encourage new providers to enter a market currently dominated by six big companies. The proposals, which are subject to consultation ahead of a White Paper in March and legislation to be completed by 2012, involve: Increasing the cost of fossil fuel-based energy by pushing up the carbon price to between £20 and £40 a tonne by 2020; top-up payments to guarantee revenues for low-carbon electricity even if the wholesale price falls. Additional financial support for the construction of reserve plants to provide a "safety cushion" as Britain increasingly relies on electricity from intermittent sources such as wind; and a cap on CO2 emissions of 450-600 grammes per kilowatt/hour generated, which should ensure that all future coal-powered plants use carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology. Unveiling what he described as the biggest reform of the UK's electricity market since the privatisations of the 1980s, Mr Huhne acknowledged that bills would get bigger, but insisted that in the long run the changes will protect consumers' interests. "While prices will rise in the medium term, the additional impact of the reform packages will be small, but by 2030 consumer bills will be lower than if we did not reform the market," he said in a statement to the House of Commons. He warned MPs that "without action, we will face a real and growing threat to the security of our supply". Demand for electricity could double by 2050, said Mr Huhne. But a quarter of the UK's power plants need to be replaced over the next 10 years, and EU targets require Britain to increase the proportion of electricity coming from renewable sources from 7% to 30% by 2020. "We have a once-in-a-generation chance to rebuild our energy market, rebuild investor confidence and rebuild our power stations," said Mr Huhne, adding: "Like privatisation before it, this will be a seismic shift, securing investment in cleaner, greener power. And delivering secure, affordable and low-carbon energy for decades to come."

IPCC to probe 'attack' on protester

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Image The police watchdog will supervise an investigation into complaints that a student fees protester was hit with a police baton, dragged from his wheelchair and pulled across the street. Jody McIntyre said he was the victim of unprovoked action by the police after video footage of the incident was shown amid claims the police used disproportionate force in dealing with student demonstrators on December 9. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said it received a complaint from the Metropolitan Police and decided it should be investigated further by the Met's Directorate of Professional Standards under the supervision of the IPCC. The IPCC said it has received a total of 111 complaints since the first student demonstration last month, with 100 of these relating to the Met, Britain's largest force. A spokeswoman said one aspect of Mr McIntyre's complaint was that his treatment "amounted to discrimination on the basis of his disability". He claimed he was assaulted by an officer with a baton, then by officers who removed him from his wheelchair and carried him from the demonstration, she said. He also claimed that, later the same day, he was assaulted by an officer who tipped him out of his wheelchair on to the ground and then dragged him across the road to the pavement. Deborah Glass, the IPCC Commissioner for London, said: "There is no doubt that this footage is disturbing and it is right that it should be thoroughly investigated, both for Mr McIntyre and in the wider public interest. "Supervising an investigation gives the IPCC the power to set the terms of reference for the investigation, which means we can also make sure that Mr McIntyre is consulted right from the start. "The MPS DPS will regularly report to the IPCC on the progress of the investigation and update the IPCC at specific milestones, including when any officers involved have been identified and their accounts have been taken, and when eyewitness, video or CCTV evidence is gathered."

Conviction upheld in Meredith case

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Image Italy's highest criminal court has upheld the conviction and 16-year prison sentence of an Ivory Coast man for the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher. The British student was found stabbed in the neck and lying in a pool of blood in the room of a flat she shared with American student Amanda Knox of Seattle, who was convicted in a separate trial of the murder and sentenced to 26 years. Knox's appeal trial recently began in Perugia, a town in Umbria famed for its university with a large population of foreign students. Co-defendant in that appeal is her former boyfriend, Italian Raffaele Sollecito, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the murder. Rudy Hermann Guede, from the Ivory Coast, Knox and Sollecito have each denied killing Kercher. A lawyer for the Kercher family, who attended Thursday's session, expressed "satisfaction for closing the case" against Guede. When American Knox appeared in court last week at her appeal trial, she broke down in tears while making an emotional speech to the court. She called herself the innocent victim of an "enormous" mistake and denied being the "dangerous, diabolical, jealous, uncaring, violent" person described by the prosecution. She declared that Sollecito was also wrongly convicted. At the appeal trial, defence lawyers for Knox and Sollecito are seeking a full review on the forensic evidence, including disputed DNA evidence that was found on a knife allegedly used in the murder and on the clasp of Kercher's bra.

Fury at crash driver's asylum win

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Image A man whose daughter was killed by a failed asylum-seeker has spoken of his fury after he was allowed to remain in the UK. Hit-and-run driver Aso Mohammed Ibrahim, 33, an Iraqi Kurd, left 12-year-old Amy Houston dying under the wheels of his car while already banned from driving. He was jailed for four months but allowed to remain in the UK on his release. Backed by Amy's father Paul Houston, the UK Border Agency appealed against that decision. Mr Houston, 41, from Darwen, Lancashire, was left to make the decision to turn off Amy's life support machine hours after the crash in Blackburn, Lancs, in November 2003. He has since campaigned to get Ibrahim deported in a tortuous legal battle spanning seven years. The Upper Tribunal of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber sitting in Manchester also heard Ibrahim, who now has a family in the UK, had a string of criminal convictions. But Ibrahim's lawyers claimed human rights laws permitted him to remain in the country on the grounds of his right to life and to family life, and two senior immigration judges have now rejected the appeal. Reacting to the ruling, Mr Houston said: "I'm really angry. We should all be angry. It is a ridiculous state of affairs," he said. "I'm battling away here on my own. This is a perversity of our society. What are the judges saying here? They are saying it doesn't matter what you do when you come here, who you kill, what laws you break, as long as you have a child here you can stay? "You work hard, play by the rules, pay your taxes and this is how you get treated. What does that say about politicians, our leaders and the legal system? It's a joke. Where are my human rights?" Lawyers for the Border Agency asked for Ibrahim to be deported on the grounds that the judge who originally allowed him leave to remain on the basis of his right to a family life did so incorrectly. Although he now has two children, there was little evidence he was living at the same address and so could not claim a right to family life, it was argued. But Senior Immigration Judges Lane and Taylor, in a reserved judgment now made public, rejected the appeal. They said the original decision should stand but added that the outcome might well have been different if the process to remove Ibrahim had begun before he had children.

Weather hits Christmas deliveries

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Image Thousands of families have been warned they could be in for a miserable Christmas because online gifts may not be delivered and homes could go without heating. A backlog of around four million parcels has developed as private carriers struggle to overcome delays caused by the snow and ice. And with the predicted second big freeze about to grip Britain, experts warned it will only get worse. The news came as MPs were told rocketing oil prices and restricted deliveries could also mean thousands of homes going without heating this winter. The Government admitted the situation could become "very serious" if it snows again. Many homes may have to wait for as long as four weeks for oil to be delivered. In the last month alone prices jumped from under 40p a litre to more than 70p in some cases, amid allegations oil companies are fixing their prices. The Office of Fair Trading will look for any cases of price-fixing, energy minister Charles Hendry told the Commons. Parcel and carrier management firm Global Freight Solutions said it could be the first year in which depots and offices do not clear all their gifts. "This year in Scotland and the North East it is likely Father Christmas won't be coming," said director Simon Veale, who warned that dealing with the backlog is like "bailing water out of a sinking ship". Mr Veale went on: "There are likely to be more than four million new parcels in the system every day this week on top of several million more which still had to be cleared from the recent extreme weather. "No-one in the industry likes the prospect of not making collections or deliveries and everyone's working around the clock to do what they can to ensure that items arrive on time but the reality is that some will not."

Freed Assange vows to continue work

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Image WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has vowed to "continue his work and protest his innocence" after being released on bail. The 39-year-old whistleblower was greeted outside the London's High Court by cheers from his supporters and the microphones and cameras of the world's press following his nine-day stint on remand. He said it was "great to smell the fresh air of London", before going on to thank "all the people around the world who had faith in me". Assange walked out of the High Court shortly before 6pm on Thursday, just hours after a judge ruled that he should be released. The Australian is wanted in Sweden for alleged sex offences which he denies and is facing extradition proceedings in the new year. His lawyers have accused the Swedish authorities of waging a "vendetta" against him. In a further twist, Assange suggested that he may face separate prosecution in the US. He told the BBC that he had heard "a rumour from my lawyers in the United States, we have not confirmed yet, that there has been an indictment made against me in the US". A spokeswoman from the US Department of Justice would only confirm that there is "an ongoing investigation into the WikiLeaks matter". At the High Court, Mr Justice Ouseley rejected submissions that the risk Assange poses made it impossible to set him free, and he accepted offers by the Australian's supporters to stump up £200,000 as a cash deposit and a number of other sureties.

Human rights question over fees

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Image Charging university students up to £9,000 a year in tuition fees may contravene human rights law. The hike - agreed by MPs in the Commons last week - may be open to challenge because it could discriminate against poorer students. A legal opinion, published by Public Interest Lawyers (PIL), says it is plain that students from less well-off backgrounds will not be able to pay back the debts incurred if fees hit this level. Ethnic minority groups are over-represented in the poorer sections of UK society, it says, and so a disproportionate number of students from these groups could be prevented from going to university. The opinion, by barristers at Matrix Chambers, says: "There are in our view concerns as to whether the proposed changes would pass muster given that the burden of proof is on the state to justify retrogressive steps. "In our view, there appear to have been alternative means open to the Government which might have reduced the likely disproportionate impact. In particular, it is not clear whether the likely advantages of a graduate tax or the possibility of means-testing in setting fees, as regards access to university by lower-income students (this because it avoids the problem of debt) have been adequately taken into account." PIL solicitor Phil Shiner said: "The coalition Government need to take urgent legal advice as they have clearly not thought about the human rights implications of their proposal. Whole tranches of our society will now be excluded from higher education. It is blindingly obvious that using the so-called financial crisis as a guise, this Government has set out to permanently change higher education to one based on elitism." But a spokesman for the Department for Business Innovation and Skills said: "Our package is designed to extend social mobility, not restrict it. "It is irresponsible to claim that people from poorer backgrounds will not be able to go to university. Indeed, independent analysis by the IFS has shown that our proposals are more progressive than the current system. "Under our plans, there are no upfront fees and graduates don't make any repayments until they are in well-paid employment. There is a more generous maintenance package than now, as well as a new National Scholarship Programme targeting prospective students from disadvantaged backgrounds."

Safety fears over coastguard cuts

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Image The Government has slashed the number of 24-hour coastguard stations from 18 to three sparking fears about safety around the UK's coast. Shipping Minister Mike Penning said the major reorganisation of the Coastguard would improve services and cut costs. He added that the current system was "not well placed" to meet the challenge of larger ships, congested seas and the increasing number of people visiting coastal areas for leisure activities. Trade unions reacted with fury, with the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union saying the Government was "hacking away at life or death services". Western Isles MP Angus MacNeil said the Government was "putting saving money before saving lives". Shadow transport minister Jim Fitzpatrick said: "There are real fears about the ability of such a reduced service to respond to incidents in good time and the loss of local knowledge can only hinder search and rescue operations." In addition to the 18 coastguard maritime rescue co-ordination centres there is a small centre on the Thames in London which will be unaffected by the proposals which will now be consulted on in a 14-week exercise. In the Government's plan, there will be three 24-hour operational centres - at Aberdeen, in the Southampton/Portsmouth area and at Dover. In addition, there will be five sub-centres open during daylight hours - at Swansea, at Falmouth in Cornwall, at Bridlington (Humber) in Yorkshire and at either Belfast or Liverpool and at either Stornoway or Shetland. Mr Penning said the Aberdeen and Southampton/Portsmouth centres would be "maritime operations centres capable of managing maritime incidents wherever and whenever they occur and with improved information systems, together with a 24-hour centre at Dover looking over the busy Channel traffic separation scheme". The sub-centres would be "fully integrated into the national network around the coast and operating during daylight hours". RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "It's a shocking indictment on this ConDem Government that plans to cut our coastguards could even be considered, let alone implemented, and shows that they are quite prepared to hack away at life or death services. These proposals must be fought tooth and nail every step of the way."
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