• ‘Historic’ first ever victory in regional Landtag vote • Chancellor suffers after U-turn on nuclear power The Green party has taken power from Angela Merkel’s conservatives in one of Germany’s richest states, exit polls from the Baden-Württemberg elections suggest. The chancellor’s Christian Democratic Union party, or CDU, had ruled the region’s state legislature for almost 58 years but found itself on the wrong side of the nuclear debate following Fukushima. Even before the Japanese earthquake, the party was unpopular locally for sanctioning a multibillion euro project to build a railway station in Stuttgart. Support for the CDU slumped from 44.2% in elections in 2006 to 38.2, according to an ARD broadcaster’s exit poll. The state parliament’s new leader would be Winfried Kretschmann, 62, a spiky-haired former science teacher. He is likely to become the Green party’s first regional “minister president” after his party gained 25% of the vote; enough, when combined with the 23.5% polled by the centre-left Social Democratic party, to form a coalition. Minister presidents are powerful on a national as well as a regional level, because they have a vote in Germany’s upper house, the Bundesrat, and can veto legislation. It would mark a historic win for the minority party, which polled 11.7% in Baden-Württemberg in 2006. Even when the Greens were in government in a coalition with Gerhard Schröder’s Social Democrats between 1998 and 2005, and had Joschka Fischer as foreign minister, the party never managed to win a regional “Landtag” election. “We have written history,” said Claudia Roth, joint leader of the Green party, speaking in Berlin after polls closed. Dressed head-to-toe in green, including glittery emerald ballet pumps, she said the result would have repercussions far beyond the borders of Baden-Württemberg. It was, she said, “a resounding slap in the face” for Merkel’s coalition. Commentators have suggested such a dramatic CDU defeat makes Merkel’s position untenable. It would be “the beginning of the end” for her, wrote one on Spiegel Online on Friday. Others suggest the leader known as Iron Angie will plough on until the general election in 2013. Also voting on Sunday was Rhineland-Palatinate state, where a separate ARD exit poll saw the Social Democrats retain power but only by agreeing to a coalition government with the Greens. The SPD fell 10 percentage points to 35.5%, while the Greens appeared to have more than trebled their vote, with 17%, according to the exit poll, and will send representatives to that regional parliament for the first time. The Christian Democrats are seen gaining 1.2% to 34%. But this minor gain did little to numb the pain in Baden-Württemberg; though the CDU, according to the exit poll, did win more votes than any other single party, its preferred coalition partner, the pro-business Free Democratic party, performed abysmally. The ARD exit poll puts the FDP at 5%, down from 10.7% in 2006. In Rheinland-Pfalz, the FDP failed to get the 5% minimum necessary to gain any seats in the state parliament. This poor showing poses difficult questions for the FDP’s leader, the unpopular foreign minister Guido Westerwelle. It could also call into question the national CDU-FDP coalition in power since autumn 2009. Within half an hour of the first exit poll, Daniel Bahr, an FDP politician from Nordrhein-Westfalen, told ARD his party needed to consider a “change of personnel”. The Green vote was helped by the argument in Germany over its 17 nuclear power plants, heightened by the Fukushima disaster. In the aftermath, Merkel performed an 180-degree policy change by announcing the closure of seven stations built before 1980. She also said she was committed to speeding up total withdrawal from nuclear power. This was six months after she had ignored public opinion by extending the life of the 17 plants by an average 12 years; in this, one of her most vociferous supporters was Baden-Württemberg’s minister president, Stefan Mappus; he paid the price for his loyalty. Germany Europe Nuclear power Energy Green party Angela Merkel Helen Pidd guardian.co.uk
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• Plans based on average of £7,500, not top-rate fees • Cost to government may hit education spending The government could be forced to spend almost £1bn more than expected over the next four years to cover the cost of tuition fees, as a growing number of universities set out plans to charge the maximum of £9,000 a year. From autumn next year, universities will be allowed to almost treble the amount they now charge, as part of a reform of the funding of higher education. The initial charge is borne by the government, which pays the fee for each student in the form of a loan before recovering its money once the student has graduated and finds a job that pays more than £21,000. Critics fear that the government will claw back the initial outlay from other higher education spending, potentially leading to fewer university places or cuts in research budgets. David Willetts, the universities minister, had anticipated that a market would develop, with institutions charging a wide range of fees, but a picture is emerging of the majority of institutions charging the top rate. Of the 16 universities that have so far stated how much they intend to charge, 13 want the maximum – University College London, Birmingham and Lancaster being the latest to do so. Willetts predicted that the average across the whole of higher education would be £7,500. It now looks much higher, but the Treasury has used the £7,500 average to determine how much universities should receive for research, teaching and building grants, among other things. Figures from the House of Commons library show that if the average is £8,600, the government will have to spend £960m more in the next four years. If it is only slightly higher, at £7,900, it is £340m extra. But if the average is £8,900, the government will have to pay out an extra £1.23bn. The funds could be deducted from universities’ budgets and could mean fewer places on degree courses or a cut to the research or teaching grant. A total of £940m has already been cut from English universities’ budgets for teaching, research and site renovation for the next academic year, a 12.6% reduction. However, last week’s budget awarded an extra £100m to research. Gareth Thomas, the shadow universities minister, said either universities would have their funds cut or the government would have to reconsider altogether. He said: “The government repeatedly promised that fees over £6,000 would be the exception, but it is increasingly clear that they are powerless to stop most universities charging closer to £9,000. This will push up average fees beyond the £7,500 estimate on which the government’s spending plans are based, requiring deeper cuts elsewhere in the higher education budget.” Other universities seeking the £9,000 maximum are Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London, Exeter, Essex, Aston, Manchester, Warwick and Durham. St Mary’s University College, Twickenham has said it plans to charge £8,000. Universities that charge more than £6,000 must set out a plan, or access agreement, to widen their pool of students beyond white, middle-class teenagers, and this must be approved as adequate by the government’s access watchdog, the Office for Fair Access. Institutions have until 19 April to submit their access agreements to Offa, which will give its verdicts in July. Tuition fees Higher education Students Liberal-Conservative coalition Education policy Jessica Shepherd guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …That big spike in radiation levels 10 million times normal that Fukushima Dai-ichi reported earlier? Inaccurate, red-faced officials at Tokyo Electric Power Co now say. “The number is not credible,” says a spokesman. “We are very sorry.” The apology came after employees fled the complex’s Unit 2 reactor when a…
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Union leaders condemn actions of several hundred not associated with main rally who caused damage and clashed with police in parts of central London More than 200 protesters are in police custody and a clean-up operation is under way after anti-cuts activists smashed shop windows in London’s West End and clashed with riot police following Saturday’s peaceful TUC Hyde Park rally. Union leaders condemned the actions of several hundred people not associated with the main rally who wreaked havoc along Oxford Street, Regent Street and Piccadilly, targeting shops and banks, cracking windows, throwing paint and hurling missiles including, said police, lightbulbs filled with ammonia. At least 84 people were injured, including 31 officers, 12 of whom required hospital treatment for “relatively minor injuries”. The day ended with late-night confrontations between police and around 300 demonstrators, who converged on Trafalgar Square where they were contained until the early hours. The TUC general secretary, Brendan Barber, said he “bitterly regretted” the violence that occurred away from the main march and rally, which had been attended by “between 250,000 and 500,000″ and was hailed a “fantastic success”. Organisers hoped the actions of a small number of activists would not detract from the massive anti-cuts protest and the powerful message “middle Britain” had sent to the government. Senior Labour figures have mounted a co-ordinated defence of the demonstration, condemning the violence but demanding that the government answer the charge made by thousands of peaceful marchers. Shadow ministers were also forced to defend Miliband’s decision to attend the event, after Tory accusations that he had aligned himself with unions against all deficit reduction. Michael Fallon, the deputy chairman of the Conservative party, accused Labour of “breathtaking levels of deceit over the economy” and Miliband personally of “insulting” the suffragettes and anti-Apartheid movement by comparing their struggle to opposition to government cuts in his address to the rally. Vince Cable, the business secretary, insisted that the government was listening to citizens who were lawfully demonstrating against its programme of cuts, but said it would not alter its course. “Certainly we’re listening, and I talk regularly to the trade union movement. I think [it's] important we have a dialogue with them, but we’re not going to change the basic economic strategy,” he said. Jim Murphy, the shadow defence secretary, condemned a “tiny minority of violent, parasitic, unrepresentative hooligans who are trying to destroy” the right to peaceful protest. “He [Miliband] said he acknowledged there was a need for tough choices and some cuts, and it seems that on the one hand you’ve got the government who are saying that all of these cuts are necessary and on the other you have a minority of demonstrators who say none of the cuts are necessary,” he told the BBC’s Politics Show. Miliband told the crowds on Saturday: “We come in the traditions that have marched in peaceful but powerful protest for justice, fairness and political change. “The suffragettes who fought for votes for women and won. The civil rights movement in America that fought against racism and won. The anti-Apartheid movement that fought the horror of that system and won.” Murphy said his comments reflected the scale of public feeling against the cuts, but Harriett Baldwin, MP for West Worcestershire, said: “For Ed Miliband to compare himself to the anti-Apartheid campaigners fighting for equal rights for blacks, or to the suffragettes’ struggle for votes for women, just beggars belief. His self-important comments are an insult to those who risked and gave their lives in the fight for equality.” Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said “violent thugs and criminals” who took part in the clashes should face the full force of the law. “I do hope that the government listens to that strength of feeling, there were people from all walks of life there… and there was this very strong message that people do think that the government has got this wrong.” The Metropolitan police confirmed 201 people had been arrested and were being held in 21 police stations across the capital. Detectives have begun examining CCTV footage from the stores and buildings in the streets affected. Commander Bob Broadhurst, in charge of the Met operation, claimed officers had had to deal with “mindless yobs” around Trafalgar Square. “We’ve had a number of – I hestitate to call them protesters – a bunch of people that ended up in Trafalgar Square.” A group of between 100 and 150 people ran off, ripping open litter bins and throwing bricks and flares, he said. “This is just mindless vandalism, hooliganism, it’s nothing to do with protest”, said Broadhurst, adding the force would never have enough officers to protect every building in central London. There was criticism of the police operation, with accusations that officers should have been better prepared. Former Met deputy assistant commissioner Brian Paddick said there were not enough officers “in the right place at the right time”. He added: “There was a lot more I think they could have done”. But London’s deputy mayor, Kit Malthouse, said criticisms of alleged intelligence failings by the Met were “unfair” and that officers had carried out “a huge amount of work” in preparation for the march. Malthouse, who chairs the Metropolitan police authority, condemned perpetrators of the violence as “fascist agitators” and a “nasty bunch of black-shirted thugs”. In Trafalgar Square, where demonstrators had scrawled graffiti on Nelson’s Column and on one of its four bronze lions, street cleaners were busy jet-hosing the paving stones as part of a clean-up operation likely to cost tens of thousands of pounds. Red paint still remained on the 2012 Olympic clock, and a placard reading “Kill the Cuts” hung from the bronze statue of Saint Vincent. Cleaning teams were also in force outside Topshop’s flagship store in Oxford Circus, targeted by protesters who threw paint, fireworks and smoke grenades in protest over allegations of tax avoidance by big businesses. The store was open for business by 11am on Sunday. At luxury grocery store Fortnum & Mason on Piccadilly, which the campaign group UK Uncut claimed was occupied by around 200 of its supporters, paint was being scrubbed from brickwork. Meanwhile, workmen boarded up nine windows which had been smashed on the front facade of the Ritz hotel nearby. Guests had been moved to a private dining area at the rear of the hotel during the disturbances. Emergency glaziers were replacing smashed windows with boards at Santander and Lloyds TSB branches in Piccadilly. Unions are planning fresh campaigns in the coming days against cuts in the NHS, as well as considering co-ordinated industrial action. Public sector cuts Liberal-Conservative coalition TUC Trade unions Economic policy Labour Ed Miliband Yvette Cooper London Police Caroline Davies Polly Curtis guardian.co.uk
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Adam Posen calls for another round of quantitative easing and insists the Bank should not raise interest rates The Bank of England’s leading dove has predicted that inflation will tumble to 1.5% by the middle of next year as George Osborne’s austerity drive and the underlying weakness of the economy stifle consumer spending. In an interview with the Guardian, Adam Posen admitted he had sleepless nights over his call for more money to be pumped into the economy and said he would not seek re-election to Threadneedle Street’s monetary policy committee if his view turned out to be wrong. Posen said: “If I have made the wrong call, not only will I switch my vote, I would not pursue a second term. They should have somebody who gets it right and not me. I am accountable for my performance. I’m holding my nerve because it is the right thing to do.” The American academic said he would be profoundly affected if it was proved that he had erred in voting repeatedly for bank rate to be pegged at 0.5% and for more money to be pumped into the economy through quantitative easing. “It would not just be terrible that I had messed up for other people but it is also my fundamental world view that I have been testing. “I would take it deeply and personally, which is why I have laid awake at night thinking about it.” But Posen said recent trends in the economy had left him convinced that inflation would fall back below the government’s 2% target in the second half of next year, as the temporary factors pushing up prices washed out of the system and the economy slowed down. This analysis, he said, chimed with the views expressed in recent speeches by the Bank’s governor, Mervyn King, and Charlie Bean, one of the two deputy governors. Three members of the MPC – Andrew Sentance, Martin Weale and Spencer Dale – voted for higher interest rates this month, but Posen challenged their view on four separate counts. He said so-called “core inflation”, which strips out the effects of fuel, food costs and taxes such as VAT, did not suggest that the economy was overheating; the recent strength in manufacturing only affected 13% of the UK’s total output and was not replicated in other parts of the economy; it was too simplistic to say that the economy was overheating if inflation was high; and it would only be costly to take a wait-and-see approach to raising interest rates if there was a risk of an inflationary spiral. “We could get inflation back to target really fast if we put the economy through the wringer,” he said. Posen added that the real debate inside the MPC was whether the increase in inflation to 4.4% would lead to consumers and businesses believing that there had been a permanent upward shift, and thus have knock-on effects on wages and prices. “I don’t see that as a material risk given all else that is going on, which is why I have been leaning the way I have.” He echoed King in calling a small increase in bank rate futile, as any rise would have to be reversed, damaging the Bank’s credibility. Posen said that whatever the merits of the government’s austerity plans, higher taxes and reductions in public spending would have a “meaningful” dampening effect on consumer spending and overall demand in the economy. “Household consumption is going to be pretty darn weak. It may even contract a little”. Consumers, he said, were unlikely to run down their savings in an attempt to maintain spending patterns, while the weakness of trade unions meant it would be hard for wage bargainers to push up pay settlements in response to higher inflation. “Wages will be the dog that doesn’t bark,” he said. Posen said he disliked the idea that interest rates had to be brought back to a more normal level after being cut to 0.5% in early 2009, the lowest level since the Bank was founded in 1694. “If I am a firefighter fighting a fire I don’t say I have pumped more water than I have ever pumped in my life so I must have pumped too much. You stop pumping when the fire is out.” Posen was also sceptical about some economists’ suggestion that the government’s deficit reduction plan could help growth by boosting confidence in financial markets, leading to a fall in long-term interest rates and higher investment. Inflation Bank of England Consumer spending Interest rates Economics Economic policy George Osborne Larry Elliott guardian.co.uk
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Business secretary in agreement with the chancellor over tax rate, but says the wealthy have to ‘pay their share’ The business secretary, Vince Cable, has confirmed the 50p rate on tax will be abolished – and revealed the government would consider bringing in a ‘mansions tax’ to ensure the wealthiest pay their way. The chancellor, George Osborne, ordered a review of tax on top earners in the budget last week, restating that the 50p rate on those who earn above £150,000 was only temporary, and triggering speculation that the rate could be wound down as soon as 2013. Cable in two interviews raised the issue of the rate and alternatives to it. The move would leave the government exposed to accusations that it is softening taxes for the rich, amid intense public anxiety about the fairness of the cuts. The business secretary’s intervention comes just a day after up to 500,000 people took to the streets to demonstrate against the government’s economic plans. Labour pointed out that the coalition would be reducing the tax for the richest while forcing the poorest to lose the largest proportion of their pay packets through the VAT hike. Cable, who argued in opposition for a 0.5% levy on properties worth more than £1m, told the BBC’s Politics Show: “I and George Osborne agree that we have to move away from extremely high marginal rates of tax on income, including that [the 50p rate of tax].” He told BBC Radio 5 Live: “It moved up to 50p in an emergency because we had to have a sense of solidarity that everybody was bearing some of the pain, and the chancellor said in the budget that we’re going to have to move away from that. I agree with him. The Liberal Democrats agree with him. “But it needs to be a change which is fair overall and does take account of the fact that the wealthy have got to pay their share. The emphasis may well have to shift from high marginal rates of tax on income which are undesirable, to taxation of wealth, including property, and the chancellor said that, as much as that, in his budget.” Asked if he was advocating a mansion tax, he said: “Well, there is a very strong argument … that you need to have a proper base for taxing property and I’m sure that’s one of the things we’re going to have to look at as we change away from these very high marginal rates.” Labour originally introduced the tax rate last year, and the Tories promised to keep it temporarily. Osborne said at the budget: “I am clear that the 50p tax rate would do lasting damage to our economy if it were to become permanent. That is why I regard it as a temporary measure.” The Treasury expressed concern about how much revenue the higher rate was bringing in. The Office for Budget Responsibility later revealed that it expected £2bn of the revenue to go uncollected amid evidence that companies had paid large bonuses prior to its introduction to avoid paying part of the costs. A Treasury spokesman said last week’s budget set out all existing tax plans. Treasury sources also distanced it from Cable’s proposals, saying there was “no detailed planning” on taxes for top earners currently being developed by officials. Cable has raised the possibility of a new mansion tax amid increasing nervousness in the coalition over the AV referendum in May. The issue will prove the biggest test for the coalition, as a totemic policy for the Lib Dems and a test of David Cameron’s leadership to his backbenchers, all of whom oppose AV. If the Lib Dems lose, the leadership will need to prove to the rank and file that it is making serious gains elsewhere. A mansions tax would appeal to the disillusioned left of the party. Asked about the effect the referendum could have on the coalition, Cable said he was “pretty sure” the government would survive it, even if the Lib Dems fail to secure AV: “I am pretty sure it would [survive]. But there is a lot at stake and that is why we are fighting hard for it.” He added: “We are a grown-up party, we have not thrown our toys out of the pram because things happen we disagree with. I think you will find the approach to this whole thing is a very mature one.” The competing campaigns for the referendum step up a gear on Monday when the No to AV group launch a national advertising campaign appealing to people to keep the one person one vote system. Matthew Elliott, director of the No campaign, said: “One person, one vote is the cornerstone of our democracy. It represents our most profound political belief. It is a statement that when it comes to electing those who lead us, we each have an equal say and an equal voice. That is why we are clear in our aim: Keep One Person, One Vote and stop supporters of extremist, fringe parties getting more than one vote.” The Yes to Fairer Votes campaign Monday publishes the names of all its funders, demanding that the No campaign does the same. It has received £951,000 from the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust, £909,517 from the Electoral Reform Society and £114,000 from the Electoral Commission. Vince Cable George Osborne Tax and spending Economic policy Liberal Democrats AV Electoral reform Tax Polly Curtis guardian.co.uk
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• At least 12 people killed in Latakia as unrest spreads • State news agency blames violence on outside forces The Syrian army has been deployed in force in the port city of Latakia after two days of fierce anti-government protests in which at least 12 people were killed. A government source blamed the deaths on “attacks by armed elements on the families and districts of Latakia”, according to the official Sana news agency. But activists accused the military of opening fire on protesters in the city, where they say the offices of the ruling Ba’ath party have been torched. Latakia is a majority Sunni town 220 miles north of the capital, and also home to the minority Alawite sect of President Bashar al-Assad, making unrest there particularly sensitive. In a move to placate protesters, authorities said they had decided to lift the emergency laws. But the absence of a timetable has been widely viewed in Damascus as delaying tactics by the government. The emergency laws restrict public gatherings and authorise arrests on the basis of threats to national security. Observers said significant changes were needed immediately to quell the spreading unrest. Until Friday, protesters had been concentrated in the southern Hauran region around the city of Deraa. “This is a meaningless pledge to remove the emergency law when people can be detained by other laws,” said Rime Allaf, a Syrian analyst at London’s Chatham House. “Everybody is waiting for the president to speak and take some steps to tell the people he is in control.” A Syrian spokesman said Assad, who has not addressed the nation since turmoil started to sweep the region two months ago, was expected to speak soon. His silence has angered many Syrians, who feel he has not acknowledged the seriousness of the crisis facing the regime’s 43-year rule. “During the whole turmoil in the Middle East, he has not come out and spoken to us,” said one resident in Damascus. “Now, many people have been killed here and he has still not personally said a word.” In further moves to quell unrest, Syria’s government is this week expected to resign, announce an amendment to article 8 of the constitution which defines the Ba’ath party as the “leading party in the society and the state”, and a law preventing the detention of reporters. But that promise came in the wake of a crackdown on the media. On Friday the Reuters bureau chief was deported, while scores of local journalists have reported being intimidated or detained. The lack of information is causing confusion in the country, with state media broadcasting the government line that has repeatedly blamed the past 10 days of unrest on outside forces. “They are waging a war of propaganda,” said a 32-year-old Syrian. “I am scared that many will choose to believe it. Meanwhile it makes those who realise just angrier and less willing to accept anything they say.” Syria, which has a Sunni majority, is ruled by the minority Alawite sect. Fears of sectarian strife are one of the main stabilising factors for Christians, Druze and other minority groups. Despite the government’s claims, largely nationalist slogans have been heard. Meanwhile, reports said around 100 lawyers had marched in the southern Druze town of Sweida, calling for an investigation into the deaths of Syrians and an end to the crackdown in Deraa. Local human rights activists say more than 100 people may have been killed since the start of protests on 18 March, and scores more injured. Analysts say that time is running out for Assad to announce reforms to redeem a regime which is looking increasingly weak and confused. “People were not calling for revolution at first. They were calling for more freedom, something which the president can still deliver,” said Allaf. But others say there may be no soft landing. “There are many who perhaps rightly believe that if you give an inch, demands will grow and soon there will be nothing left,” said Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at Oklahoma University. Meanwhile Iran, troubled by protests in an ally country, has portrayed Syrian pro-democracy protesters as “agitators” in the state media. Iran has spoken out in support of demonstrators in Bahrain and Yemen and praised Tunisians, Egyptians and Libyans for their democracy-seeking movements, but has found itself in a peculiar situation with the unrest in Syria. Iran’s Irna state news agency reported from Damascus that a group of “agitators” had confessed on Syrian state television that they had been hired by Israel to create disturbance and insecurity in Syria. Irna quoted the Syrian Sana state news agency as saying: “This group of people travelled a while ago to Israel and have been paid to send photos and videos taken from the unrest in Syria to foreigners.” Iran’s opposition says the reaction of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s government to the protests in Syria showed the hypocrisy of the Iranian regime, which has praised the pro-democracy movements abroad, except Syria, while refusing to allow a peaceful demonstration at home. At the same time, Israel said on Sunday it was worried that Iran might be participating in the suppression of protesters in Syria. Katherine Marsh is a pseudonym for a journalist living in Damascus Syria Protest Middle East Saeed Kamali Dehghan guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …For more than three decades, one of America’s most famous luxury resorts was also home to a secret nuclear bunker for Congress, and now NPR takes a look at the secrets of the Walmart-sized shelter surreptitiously tucked into the hills of West Virginia. It’s hidden in plain sight in the…
Continue reading …Reports in Spanish media say man’s throat was slashed with broken bottle after argument broke out on cricket tour A British tourist has been killed in the Spanish island resort of Magaluf in what was reported to be a bar brawl. Gary Vigors reportedly got into an argument with a fellow Briton with whom he was on a cricket tour. His throat was slashed with a broken bottle and he bled to death following the fracas, according to reports in the Spanish press. The Spanish authorities are investigating the incident. A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: “We can confirm the death of a British national in Magaluf, in Spain. Consular staff are in contact with the next of kin and providing consular assistance.” Spain Europe Crime guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Baby Jessica—the 18-month-old girl who was trapped in an abandoned water well for two and a half days in 1987, captivating America—is a baby no more, reports the AP. She turned 25 yesterday, old enough at last to have access to an $800,000 trust fund, left to…
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