Uneasy calm in Turkey protest square
By Anonymous on Jun 12, 2013 03:21 am 12 June 2013 Last updated at 03:21 ET 
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Debris is strewn across Taksim Square
There is an uneasy calm in central Istanbul after an night of clashes which saw Turkish riot police disperse anti-government demonstrators.
The protesters had gathered on Taksim Square after a day of sporadic clashes.
Many have regrouped in nearby Gezi Park, whose proposed redevelopment sparked the protests which have widened into nationwide anti-government unrest.
The prime minister has said there will be no tolerance of people he accuses of seeking to harm Turkey.
The demonstrators accuse Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of becoming increasingly authoritarian and trying to impose conservative Islamic values on a secular state.
Mr Erdogan is due to meet a group of people - including an actress, a singer and a writer - who he hopes can mediate with the protesters.
It had been suggested he would hold talks with protest organisers, but they told the BBC that they had not been approached by the prime minister - and would refuse to meet him even if they were.
They added that they did not recognise any of the group that Mr Erdogan was due to meet as representatives of the protesters in the park.
Makeshift clinics Thousands converged on the square as night fell on Tuesday and were repelled by water cannon, rubber bullets and tear gas.
Many peaceful demonstrators were also caught in the clashes, and volunteers set up makeshift clinics to treat anyone injured.
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Jeremy Bowen saw the protesters clash with police
Many of the dispersed demonstrators sought shelter in nearby areas, including Gezi Park. Police said they did not plan to enter the park.
Throughout Tuesday, riot police repeatedly clashed with protesters throwing bottles, stones and firebombs.
Security forces cleared the square, only for the demonstrators to return.
Istanbul Governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu had earlier struck a conciliatory note, but he went on television on Tuesday night to declare: "We will continue our measures in an unremitting manner, whether day or night, until marginal elements are cleared and the square is open to the people."
Mr Erdogan has defended the police action, saying that an environmental movement has been hijacked.
In a televised speech, he said: "To those who... are at Taksim and elsewhere taking part in the demonstrations with sincere feelings: I call on you to leave those places and to end these incidents and I send you my love.
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Mr Erdogan says protesters' actions have infringed on people's freedom
"But for those who want to continue with the incidents I say: 'It's over.'
"As of now we have no tolerance for them."
The protests began on 31 May.
The Turkish Human Rights Foundation says four people have been killed, including one policeman.
Some 5,000 protesters have been treated for injuries or the effects of tear gas, while officials say 600 police officers have also been injured.
Protests have also occurred in the capital, Ankara, with smaller demonstrations in many other cities.
Police in Ankara have used water cannon and tear gas to break up demonstrations almost every night.
The United States, a key ally of Turkey, has expressed concern about events and urged dialogue between government and protesters.
"We believe that Turkey's long-term stability, security and prosperity is best guaranteed by upholding the fundamental freedoms of expression, assembly and association, and a free independent media," White House spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said.
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Fall in UK wages 'unprecedented'
By Anonymous on Jun 11, 2013 07:01 pm 11 June 2013 Last updated at 19:01 ET 
Workers may be accepting lower wages for fear of greater competition in the jobs market
Wages have fallen more in real terms during the current economic downturn than ever before, according to a report.
One third of workers who stayed in the same job saw a wage cut or freeze between 2010 and 2011, said the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).
"The falls in nominal wages... during this recession are unprecedented," said Claire Crawford from the IFS.
This may explain why unemployment has not been higher, she added.
Economists have puzzled over the fact that, since the recession began in 2008, the UK has seen the longest and deepest loss of output in a century - and yet employment has dropped by much less than in previous recessions.
The conundrum is known as the "productivity puzzle".
"Lone parents and older workers, for example, are not withdrawing from the labour market as they have in previous recessions, which may in part be driven by changes to the welfare system, " the report said.
"This means that workers may be experiencing greater competition for jobs and hence may be more willing to accept lower wages than before."
'Less severe' The IFS analysis looked at salaries in real terms - which takes the inflation rate into account.
It showed that many UK companies, particularly smaller businesses, have cut wages rather than lay off staff. Larger companies tended to reduce their workforce more but maintain wages.
"To the extent that it is better for individuals to stay in work, albeit with lower wages, than to become unemployed, the long-term consequences of this recession in terms of labour market performance may be less severe than following the high unemployment recessions of the 1980s and 1990s," Ms Crawford said.
In addition, the IFS pointed out that fewer workers are unionised or covered by collective wage agreements and they tended to see smaller wage increases.
It also found that inequality has fallen - in sharp contrast to the 1980s recession and its aftermath - and that older workers have been much less affected than younger generations.
A Treasury spokesman said that despite the UK recovering from "the longest and deepest" recession in a century, the labour market had remained strong.
"The government understands the pressures that households face with the cost of living and has taken action to help including increasing the personal allowance, taking 2.7 million people out of income tax altogether and saving a typical taxpayer over £700, and freezing fuel duty for nearly three-and-a-half years," he said.
On Tuesday the TUC said that total pay in some parts of the UK has shrunk by more than 10% since the start of the downturn in 2007. It said that north-west and south-west England had seen the sharpest cuts - 10.6% and 10.1% respectively.
Read in browser » US general: 'Do not abandon Afghans'
By Anonymous on Jun 12, 2013 03:19 am 11 June 2013 Last updated at 23:48 ET 
Progress made so far may not be sustainable, Gen Dunford said
The US general who will oversee the end of the Nato mission in Afghanistan has said there will have to be talks with the Taliban at some stage.
Gen Joseph Dunford told the BBC the international community would need to go on supporting the Afghan army after Nato combat troops leave next year.
Without that support, he said, the gains that have been made in democracy and women's rights could be reversed.
Gen Dunford said Afghanistan's progress as a nation was in no way guaranteed.
He is the last commander of Nato's International Security Assistance Force (Isaf), and is expected to remain in the post until the end of next year, when Nato combat troops are scheduled to leave.
Not 'completely sustainable' Speaking to the BBC in Kunduz, in the north of the country, he warned that progress on important issues could be reversed without further international commitment.
He said: "At this point we have made significant progress, but we are not yet at the point where it is completely sustainable.
"That really is the focus of effort over the next 18 months. That's why we need to start now - especially with the Afghan security forces - to talk about 2018, not 2014. That period of time will allow these gains to be sustainable."
Next week, the last districts in the country will be handed over to full Afghan government control, with some international troops remaining in a supporting role.
General Dunford said Afghan forces were "getting good enough" to fight the conflict, but stressed that talking to the Taliban was critical for the country's future.
They were not the only enemy, and many criminal groups had joined the complex insurgency, he added.
The warning comes amid a fresh wave of violence in Afghanistan, believed to have been carried out by the Taliban.
On Tuesday, a suicide bomb attack in Kabul killed at least 16 people and injured more than 40 others outside the Supreme Court.
The previous day, seven insurgents, including suicide bombers, laid siege to the city's main airport for four hours before they were killed.
The BBC's David Loyn, in Afghanistan, says the group appear to be demonstrating that they can still hit high-profile targets, despite a heightened alert in the run-up to the security handover next month.
Read in browser » Network Rail told to cut £2bn costs
By Anonymous on Jun 12, 2013 03:26 am 12 June 2013 Last updated at 02:11 ET 
The regulator says the savings must not come at the expense of safety
Network Rail has been told by the rail regulator that it must find savings of £2bn over the next five years.
But the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) said the cost cuts must not come at the expense of safety.
It has also set tougher targets for punctuality with a demand for at least nine out of ten trains running on time on all routes.
Network Rail welcomed the proposals and said it would respond in September, once it had analysed the findings.
The ORR said the cost savings should be achieved by better implementation of new technologies, better management of the railways and more efficient ways of working.
It added that it approved a £12bn plan to enhance capacity to deal with the 14% anticipated increase in passengers by 2019.
ORR chief executive Richard Price said the "industry must continue to improve its efficiency to reduce its dependence on public subsidy".
"Passengers will benefit from increases in capacity through a major programme of enhancements and improvements in punctuality, tackling in particular the worst-performing lines."
"Not only that, we are proposing that rail users should have more say in what enhancements to the railways are delivered and how," he added.
A Network Rail spokesperson said:
"There is no question that our railway needs to sustain the high levels of investment seen in recent years if we are to continue expanding the railway to provide for the ever growing numbers of passengers and trains."
"Getting the balance right in making the choices between performance, growth and value for money is critical if we are to build on efficiency savings of around 40% achieved over the last two control periods."
Read in browser » Zuma: We pray for 'fighter' Mandela
By Anonymous on Jun 11, 2013 06:02 pm 11 June 2013 Last updated at 14:04 ET 
President Zuma described Mr Mandela as 'the father of democracy in South Africa'
South African President Jacob Zuma says Nelson Mandela is "very serious but stabilised" in hospital and that "all are praying" for his recovery.
Mr Zuma said the doctors were doing a "very good job", adding that the former president was a "good fighter".
The 94-year-old is spending his fourth day in a Pretoria hospital suffering from a recurrent lung infection.
Relatives, including his ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, visited the ailing former leader on Monday.
The former president has been in intensive care since he was admitted to the hospital on Saturday for the third time this year.
In December, Mr Mandela spent 18 days undergoing treatment for a lung infection and gallstones.
Referring to Mr Mandela as "the father of democracy in South Africa", Mr Zuma said: "We need him to be with us and I'm sure all the messages that have been pouring in to wish him a speedy recovery are highly welcome.
"And I'm sure, knowing him as I do, he is a good fighter. He will be with us very soon."
Mr Zuma was speaking in a televised interview broadcast on Tuesday evening, having been given a "thorough briefing" on Monday by Mr Mandela's doctors.
Mr Zuma said: "I was very confident that they know what they are doing and they are doing a very good job, whilst he is very serious but he is stabilised and we are all praying for him, really, to recuperate quickly. We need him to go with us."
Read in browser » British wheat crop 'falls by third'
By Anonymous on Jun 11, 2013 08:46 pm 11 June 2013 Last updated at 20:46 ET 
Britain's wheat crop could be below average for the second year in a row, the NFU warned
Britain's wheat harvest this year could be almost 30% smaller than it was last year due to extreme weather, the National Farmers' Union has warned.
It said the reduction, calculated after a "snapshot" poll, came after arable crops had been battered by severe snow, rain and flooding since the autumn.
Figures in April had already revealed the area planted with winter wheat was down by a quarter on the previous year.
The NFU also said members were losing confidence about their prospects.
The organisation's poll - which questioned 76 farmers covering 16,000 hectares (40,000 acres) of land - suggested that wheat production would be below average for the second year in a row.
Last year's harvest already showed lower volumes and quality due to weather extremes - with heavy rain and flooding following months of drought, the NFU said.
And in a separate survey, the NFU found nearly half of arable farmers (45%) felt less confident about the prospects for their farm businesses in the next 12 months compared with 2012.
'Supporting the industry' NFU combinable crops chairman Andrew Watts said: "A myriad of factors have hit arable farms this year, from the extreme weather through to news that there will be restrictions on neonicotinoids (neuro-active insecticides) to come in the future.
"Our poll is a snapshot, but it is extremely worrying that planted area remaining viable for 2013 harvest on those farms looks set to be 29% smaller than last year. If this plays out nationally, we will be below average production for the second year in a row."
He went on: "The saving grace in past years has been crop protection technology which can help maintain yield potential and all-important grain quality by guarding against pests and ensure crops are more drought and flood resistant."
However, he said lobbying had led to potential restrictions on the use of certain pesticides amid concerns about their impact on bees and fungicides.
It was "hardly surprising" that short-term confidence was so low under those circumstances, he added.
"If the experts are to be believed and extreme weather is to become more frequent over the coming years, we must look at ways of supporting the industry."
The NFU urged the government to support farmers by ensuring pesticides - which protect crops - continued to be used to safeguard future harvests.
It also called for ministers to keep reforming the system which pays farming subsidies, to ensure its members were not at a disadvantage compared with other EU farmers.
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