Expo 2010 under a critical eye

Speaking at the Chinese Communist Party's National Conference on Propaganda Work in March 1957, Mao Zedong told the assembled crowd that, "The Communist Party does not fear criticism because we are Marxists, the truth is on our side, and the basic masses, the workers and peasants, are on our side." , But criticism is exactly what China's Communist Party fears the most. It also fears the dissemination of the truth and that the workers and peasants may not be as loyal as they once were.

Free speech is not readily accepted in China, despite statements to the contrary by its present leaders. And those who criticise its achievements are soon rounded up by authorities. The latest focus of criticism is China's second coming out party, the EXPO 2010 currently being held in Shanghai.
Long before the EXPO 2010 started, the Propaganda Department had issued notices to newspapers and major web portals insisting on positive reports. 

Despite all the chaos during the opening, most of the official reports remained positive and there were very few negative comments online. Western media focused on long queues in searing heat, disappointed visitors and the extreme security. But China's official media spoke of the extravaganza on show. There has also been little discussion of the displacement of residents to make way for the exhibition or the disruption for foreigners who live in Shanghai.

One Chinese blogger who did air his point of view soon found himself being hauled off by local police. Blogger Bad Friend was summoned by security police for interrogation over tea upon writing an article, 10 sins of EXPO 2010, on his blog. After the tea session, he wrote another article, "La Dernière Classe", recording the conversation between the security police and himself. The exchange reflects the ideological conflict between a party-state nation represented by the security police and a people-orientated nation represented by the student blogger. The two original posts were deleted but still circulated widely online [Global Voices].

In particular the blogger criticised the fact that many residents near the Huangpu river were forced to move to make way for the EXPO. He highlights what he calls a violation of human rights with the Shanghai government monitoring over 100 thousand foreign residents, demanding they return home no later than 11pm. "This is a violation of personal freedom and privacy… And recently, human rights activists Feng Zhenghu's home was raided by police after he proposed holding an 'Injustice Expo'. His computer and modem were confiscated," the blogger writes. There is no demonstration zone, something that did exist though under strict supervision at the Beijing Olympics. This implies, the blogger asserts, that "all demonstrations during the Expo will be illegal as we don't have freedom of assembly and demonstration in China."

There has been some talk of the money poured into what is arguably the biggest ever EXPO. A Bad Friend calls it "a wasteful decorative engineering project" and compares the money allocated to the EXPO and other more pressing matters. "This Expo becomes the most expensive world Expo as the government has spent 400 billion yuan on it. The Central government only allocated an RMB 0.15 billion relief fund to fight against the drought that cost RMB 20 billion in economic damages and affected 60 million people. During the "Two Congresses", officials said that it only took RMB 160 billion annually to achieve universal health care. The spending on people's livelihood is much less than all these decorative projects…"

The EXPO has also destroyed cultural heritage with parts of Shanghai's old city being demolished. In what appears to be a wanton waste of resources many of the Expo pavilions will be demolished at the end of the exhibition, though a small number of them will be preserved in order to boost the property market.

Security is high both in and around the EXPO site. But some restrictions go beyond the banning of knife sales and the prohibition of lighters and matches on the exhibition site itself. The government, under the pretext of improving the city's look, has restricted people from hanging their clothes outdoors and stopped people from wearing pyjamas in the street. Real name registration is now required when buying chopping knives. Recently the Shanghai government also demanded residents to show their ID when buying rat poison and pesticides…

During the Beijing Olympic opening ceremony, western media focused on a miming singer and fake fireworks that had been enhanced with computer graphics. The Shanghai EXPO has not escaped criticism either. The plagiarized Expo theme song has been talked about a great deal in foreign news reports and Bad Friend also pours scorn on the incident. "We have lost our face before the opening of Expo. The theme song, estimated to have costed 10 million yuan has become a national shame…," he says.

Even the EXPO mascot Haibao has been liked to a copy of an American cartoon character called Gumby and more recently the trademark logo of a white goods manufacturer called Henan Xinxiang Haibao [Telegraph].

The slogan of EXPO is "Better City, Better Life" something which the Shanghai blogger find rather incongruous given the disruption surrounding the event.

But while western media is unimpeded in its commentary, the blogger was summoned by security police. The main purpose of the exchange, apart from delivering a warning to the blogger, was an examination of his thoughts with an attempt to identify the source of his ideas and whether or not there was a social network behind the scenes. The blogger called the tea session "La Dernière Classe" and wrote about his discussion with the local authorities.

He was asked to explain his opinions, and while he said he was not against Expo as an event, he was against its politicization. "The Expo, as an exhibition of culture and science development, can be an enlightening event in China. It is a platform for us to understand the world more. However, it is not necessary to turn it into a propaganda and post so many restriction on people's life," he told them. 

Asked where he received his ideas he explained he read foreign media sources which he described as "more independent and therefore trustworthy." The police official insisted "they are not that trustworthy" and that "they like to report negative news."

Freedom of expression, the blocking of Internet sites and even the Google spat with China's government were discussed as were issues over government corruption and openness. "Our country is getting strong and you only focus on the dark side," the official told the blogger. 

Conceding there had been some changes the blogger said, "The country has progress but not its people. There are many many such kind of problems."

And the end of the discussion the official told the blogger, "I have three demands, please remember: 1. don't write those kind of article any more; 2. Be objective, rational, accurate and all-dimensional in dealing with issues; 3. I wish you can find a good job. You have to deal with your life first and some issues are not of your concern."

The blogger was then allowed to leave, though his name will no doubt be marked by authorities as 'subversive'.

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British Airways strike off, for now

British Airways has won a High Court injunction to stop the latest series of strikes by its cabin staff. The first of four five-day walkouts had been due to begin at midnight but a decision by Justice McCombe has stopped the strike. The decision was based on a technicality and whether the Unite trade union followed rules in contacting its members with strike result details.

BA said it was delighted the strike would not go ahead. "We are delighted for our customers that Unite's plans for extreme and unjustified strike action cannot go ahead," a spokesman said. BA told the court that the planned four five-day strikes would have cost the airline £138 million. 

BA sought to block the strike claiming that a "tweet" sent out by Unite did not contain a full breakdown of the ballot result as it was obliged to do. The airline claimed that emails and texts sent to Unite members did not have the information required under the 1992 Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act. But Unite's national officer Steve Turner insisted the union had acted lawfully in informing its members of the ballot. The union said it posted notices on crew locations at London airports, and used text messages and e-mails to get the strike ballot result across to members.

However Justice McCombe was not convinced. "I am unable to say it is sufficiently clear that the union took the steps required by law at the time they were required," he said. Unite say they will appeal the injunction in the courts and attempt to go ahead with other planned strikes. The ruling by the court may be a crippling blow to Unite. The union may face a significant compensation claim because the February ballot was followed by seven days of walkouts in March that cost BA at least £43 million.

Despite the industrial action being stopped, passengers may still face disruption. Gatwick should see a full schedule, but several hundred flights from other airports will still be cancelled. British Airways explained that the last-minute ruling came too late for planes to be reinstated. The airline's operations are expected to have returned to normal by the weekend.

In the long term passengers travelling with the airline still face an uncertain year ahead. With the dispute itself unsettled, the threat of a strike may have merely been shifted until later in the summer. Nonetheless the ruling made yesterday brought welcome relief to many passengers who had already faced fresh disruption brought about from volcanic ash that once again shut British airspace. Most airports were back to normal by late Monday as winds pushed the volcanic plume to the north-east [BBC/Sky/Telegraph].

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Air travellers face more disruption

Air passengers are facing further disruption due to volcanic ash clouds and impending industrial action by British Airways. Parts of British airspace were closed over the weekend as authorities imposed bans on aircraft flying to a number of airports after ash from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano began to sweep across the country. Last month volcanic ash severely disrupted travel around the globe resulting in thousands of passengers being stranded and causing massive losses for airlines. The problems may be compounded if a strike planned by British Airways' cabin staff goes ahead this week.

Strike threat

A series of strikes are due to affect flights over the next three weeks. The company is to go to the High Court later to try to stop the latest strikes by its cabin staff and seek an injunction, just 24 hours before the first of four separate five-day walkouts is due to begin.

At the same time, both the government and conciliation service Acas will be making attempts to persuade BA and the Unite union to reach a settlement. Earlier this month, Unite members rejected the airline's fresh deal on pay and working conditions. While details of that deal were not given, Unite said BA had failed to restore the travel perks it withdrew from staff involved in the previous strikes in March. The first strike is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, ending on 22 May, with the three further strikes planned to begin on 24 May, 30 May and 5 June.

BA intend to appeal to a judge to declare the strike ballot unlawful because it failed to meet a legal requirement to provide everyone who took part with a full breakdown of results - including how many votes were cast; how many voted for industrial action; how many voted against and the number of spoiled papers.

However, some within the union are threatening a "guerrilla campaign". The industrial action comes as BA prepares to announce record annual losses. It also comes on the back of further losses from the disruption brought about by the volcanic ash cloud last month. Court papers show that last month's volcanic ash lockdown cost BA up to £120 million on top of £45 million in extra losses from the seven days of strike action in March. 

In an appeal to staff, Willie Walsh, the BA chief executive, said the strikes would only damage the airline and run the risk of redundancies. However Walsh has been accused of pursuing "petty, vindictive" actions against union members. Tony Woodley, the joint general secretary of Unite, said, "The reason [we are still in dispute] is that Mr Walsh is now taking petty, vindictive action by not putting our staff travel back on and at the same time victimising up to 50 of our people, five of whom have been sacked … it is absolutely scandalous."

Volcanic ash stops flights

As BA attempt to resolve their industrial dispute, other airlines were continuing to face problems with volcanic ash. A no-fly zone imposed over London was lifted at 7am, with flights grounded in other parts of the UK, including Scotland and Wales. However there are expected to be knock-on effects for passengers as Heathrow, Gatwick and London City airports restrict the number of flights allowed to take off and land following the ban.

Passengers are being urged to check with their airlines before travelling. Restrictions are expected in parts of the UK until Tuesday, the air traffic authority NATS said. Meanwhile the spread of ash was also beginning to affect parts of Europe early Monday. Dutch TV reported that airports in Amsterdam and Rotterdam were to close for at least eight hours from 07:00 CET [05:00 GMT]. Eurocontrol said it expects that approximately 1,000 flights will be cancelled due to volcanic ash on Monday.

In a statement released by NATS, they said "The volcanic ash cloud continues to change shape and two key areas affect operations stretching from the South of England to Northern Ireland, and over much of mainland Scotland to the Shetland Isles. As a result, no-fly zones have been imposed by the CAA in these areas, for the period 07:00 local until 13:00 local today [Monday]." Airports within the no-fly zones include all those in Northern Ireland, Ronaldsway, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness and Northern Scotland. Cardiff, Swansea, Bristol and Farnborough are also in the no-fly zone.

Heathrow and Gatwick airports will be clear of the no-fly zone however restrictions will have to be applied due to their close proximity to the no-fly zone particularly affecting Gatwick inbounds, the air authority said.

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Web users still at risk from clickjacking

Web users are still vulnerable to so called clickjacking despite its having been around for some time. Clickjacking, also known as UI redressing, is a malicious technique of tricking Web users into revealing confidential information or taking control of their computer while clicking on seemingly innocuous Web pages. A vulnerability across a variety of browsers and platforms, a clickjacking takes the form of embedded code or script that can execute without the user's knowledge, such as clicking on a button that appears to perform another function.

Clickjacking became well-known in 2008 after researchers Robert Hansen and Jeremiah Grossman discovered a type of attack involving Adobe Systems' Flash application that could give remote access to a victim's Web camera and microphone. Since that time, many Web sites and browser makers have taken steps to shore up their defences, but the vast majority of sites are not protected.

Social networking sites are particular targets, but the attacks might go further. And no browser is immune. Opening the Twitter interface Brizzly in Google Chrome might display the following warning: "Though it looks like it, there's a chance you're NOT looking at brizzly.com. This may have been a clickjacking attempt. Best advice: close this window or tab and type http://brizzly.com/ to get back to Brizzly". But the user may receive no warning at all.

The basic idea is that an attacker loads the content of an external site into the site being visited, sets the external content to be invisible and then overlays the page the user is looking at. When a link is clicked on the page one may in fact be clicking on the externally loaded page and about to load whatever the attacker intends.

"Clickjacking was first announced two years ago, but most sites aren't protected against it," says Paul Stone, a security consultant with Context Information Security in the UK, "And people don't realize how it works."

Facebook and Twitter both have suffered from clickjacking -- in December, Facebook was hit with an attack that came in the form of a comment on a user's account with a photo and a link. The link took the victim to a Web page that presented like a CAPTCHA or Turing test, and lured the user into clicking on the blue "Share" button on the Facebook page. A Web developer, meanwhile, released a proof-of-concept attack against Twitter that allowed an attacker to hijack a member's "update" function [Dark Reading].

In the end, there doesn't appear to be a an easy, or even complete, solution to the issue and where there are work arounds, they often create further problems [WebMonkey / Information Week]. All the major browser makers will have to address this issue soon as the issue may become more serious than just hitting social network sites. Banking and financial sites could also be compromised in the same way.Website designers also need to take the warnings seriously. These attacks, Stone says, work in the many versions of Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and Chrome. However, some have begun to address the issue. Internet Explorer 8, Safari version 4 and higher and Chrome version 2 and higher now recognize an HTTP header called X-Frame-Options. As long as a Web page is tagged with that, the browsers will prevent the Web site from being rendered within a frame, which clickjacking requires. Mozilla is planning to have the feature in a future version of Firefox.

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8 year old survives Tripoli plane crash

Reports say that an 8-year-old Dutch boy has survived a deadly plane crash at Tripoli airport. The Netherlands' prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende confirmed the survival of the boy at a press conference broadcast on Dutch TV. He said "dozens of Dutch people" were among the dead in the crash. The Libyan transport minister, Mohamed Zidan, said at least 96 people had died in the crash, though earlier Jerzy Buzek, the president of the European Parliament, was quoted as saying he had been told that about 100 people had been killed in the crash. 

Even the number of those on board varied. According to the airline the Airbus 330-200 was carrying 93 passengers and 11 crew members. However another source earlier told the AFP news agency there were 94 passengers and 11 crew members. The reason for the discrepancy was not immediately clear. British authorities are meanwhile trying to establish if any of its nationals were among those on board.

Weather was said to be good at the time of the incident with happened at 06:00 local time (04:00 GMT) Wednesday. The plane, Flight 771 from Johannesburg, came down as it approached Tripoli airport. Pictures showed debris covering a wide area with only the tail-fin being immediately recognisable as a part of what was once an aircraft. The aircraft was not filled to capacity carrying less than half of a possible 253 passengers.

Afriqiyah Airways, with its hub in Tripoli, was founded in 2001. It has 13 aircraft in its fleet and flies to 25 countries, principally in Africa, Europe and the Middle East. The reason behind the crash is not yet known however Libyan authorities have ruled out terrorism. Both black boxes had been recovered and are likely to help in establishing the cause of the disaster. The European Aviation Safety Agency [EASA], an arm of the European Union, is coordinating with Airbus and French investigators in helping to determine the cause of the crash. A team from the French-based agency will fly to Tripoli on Wednesday afternoon, Daniel Hoeltgen spokesman for the EASA said.

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Cameron begins to form his cabinet

As David Cameron starts his first day in office his first task will be to form a cabinet. Already he has handed the post of deputy prime minister to Liberal democrat leader Nick Clegg but many posts remain unfilled. William Hague has been placed in the role of foreign secretary. Speaking earlier he said, "I don't think it will be a weak coalition. It will be a strong government, the strongest we've had for some time." Conservative George Osborne has become the new chancellor of the exchequer, while the Liberal Democrat's Vince Cable has been tipped to join his team. On the subject of working with the new Chancellor, Cable told the BBC, with a smile and slight hesitation, "We've had our differences, but I think both of us realise that there's a massive task now facing this country. We're business-like. I'm happy to work with him." Veteran MP and former chancellor Ken Clarke will be the new justice secretary.

Conservatives Dr Liam Fox and Andrew Lansley have been given roles as defence secretary and health secretary respectively while Chris Huhne has been placed in the role of energy and climate change. Liberal Democrats David Lucas and Danny Alexander are also expected to get posts within the cabinet. Though nothing has been confirmed, Lucas is tipped for the role of education secretary while Alexander may take up the reins of Scottish secretary. Meanwhile the Conservative Michael Gove was tipped for home secretary though the post was later given to Theresa May. The former Times journalist and a key member of David Cameron's inner circle, Gove helps write many of Cameron's speeches. Twenty Liberal Democrats are expected to join the Tories with junior ministerial jobs [BBC / Telegraph / Papers: Sky].

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105 feared dead after Tripoli plane crash

A Libyan plane arriving from South Africa has crashed at Tripoli airport killing 105 people, a security official has told the AFP news agency. Among the dead were 94 passengers and 11 crew members, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. In a statement on Airport authorities said there were 93 passengers and 11 crew aboard

The crash occurred at 06:00 local time (04:00 GMT) Wednesday when the plane, flight 771, was trying to land. The plane was an Airbus 330 operated by the Tripoli-based Afriqiyah Airways. A statement on their website said there were 93 passengers and 11 crew aboard and that a search and rescue mission was underway [SMH / Press TV / Air Afriqiyah]

Libya has several Airbus aircraft in its fleet [Air Afriqiyah]. The reason behind the crash is not yet known.

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Conservatives form coalition with Lib Dems

The news emerged slowly last night and even by midnight the details were not completely clear, but after days of negotiations the Conservative party and the Liberal Democrats have finally struck a deal and formed a coalition government. Yesterday could be described as a frenetic day in politics. Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, left his house and was surrounded by a throng of media. David Cameron was greeted with similar scenes as he too left for London, but both could only say they were hopeful a deal could be struck. The Lib Dems had not only talked to the Conservatives however. The party had conducted clandestine talks over the weekend with the Labour party and were accused of two-timing by some Tories. By midday yesterday yesterday it began to emerge that no deal had been worked out with Labour and it seemed the only hope of forming a coalition was between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.

A huge throng of journalists and protesters had gathered at the Cabinet Office in Whitehall by the time the negotiating teams arrived at 2 pm. But they had a long wait before anyone emerged. It was just past 7:30 pm when Shadow foreign secretary William Hague left the building and spoke to reporters. He said the meeting with the Lib Dems had a "very positive atmosphere" and the negotiating team had "some recommendations to take back to David Cameron and our parliamentary colleagues". 

But still it remained only speculation that a deal had been forged. Only 10 minutes earlier Gordon Brown left Downing Street and announced he would step down as prime minister with immediate effect. "I wish the next prime minister well as he makes the important choices for the future. Only those who have held the office of prime minister can understand the full weight of its responsibilities and its great capacity for good. I have been privileged to learn much about the very best in human nature and a fair amount too about its frailties - including my own." He then headed for Buckingham Palace to meet the Queen and inform her of his standing down. Shortly after he went to Labour HQ, where he was expected to announce his plans to stand down as an MP, which would force a by-election in his Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath seat. However, despite much speculation, Brown will retain his seat.

David Cameron also headed for the palace to become the youngest prime minister since Lord Liverpool in 1812. As he departed from the palace crowds outside cheered as the car made its way to Downing Street where aides and advisers were waiting to greet him and celebrate the beginning of the first Conservative government for 13 years.

Speaking on the steps of Number 10 Cameron says the UK's best days lie ahead. He adds that he wants to rebuild trust in politics and promises to be "honest about what government can achieve". Talks between the Conservatives and the Lib Dems had brought around a "proper and full coalition" he said, and he pledged to build a more "responsible society".

Details of the deal were still not clear by midnight, though Downing Street did confirm Nick Clegg had been given the post of deputy prime minister. Other confirmed posts are William Hague as foreign secretary, Liam Fox as defence secretary and Andrew Lansley as health secretary. Lib Dem Danny Alexander is to become Scottish secretary, and the Lib Dems are expected to receive about 20 government jobs in total.

As midnight struck only a few details had emerged as to what might come from the deal between to two parties. The Lib Dems agreed to an emergency budget within 50 days and to a Tory budget reduction plan including £6 billion in cuts to non-frontline services in 2010/11. The two sides also agreed a commitment to a replacement for the Trident nuclear missile system but the programme will be scrutinised for value for money. The Lib Dems have agreed to a cap on immigration and a commitment not to join the euro for the lifetime of the parliament. No details on electoral reform were immediately forthcoming and further statements are expected later on Wednesday.

Meanwhile David Cameron was settling into his new home and receiving congratulatory phone calls. US President Barack Obama was the first international leader to call him. During his phone call, Obama congratulated David Cameron "for the successful campaign that he ran, and for becoming the new British prime minister". In a statement he said, "I reiterated my deep and personal commitment to the special relationship between our two countries - a bond that has endured for generations and across party lines, and that is essential to the security and prosperity of our two countries, and the world." Obama also praised Gordon Brown's "strong leadership during challenging times".

David Cameron also faces some challenging times ahead. Britain has an increasing deficit exceeding £600 billion. And even as the country emerges from a deep recession, financial problems in Europe will not make the next few years an easy ride. But Cameron was confident for the future and said the "coalition will throw up all sorts of difficulties but I believe that together we can provide that strong and stable government that our country needs." But he acknowledged it was "going to be hard and difficult work." [BBC / Sky]

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Electoral reform is no easy option

As Britain's party leaders attempt to form a coalition the main centre of discussion is that of electoral reform. The Liberal Democrats have long called for a change in the voting system while both the Conservatives and Labour have been resilient to change. The hung parliament which resulted from last Thursday's election has forced the two main parties to rethink their policy. Tory leader David Cameron has talked of fixing Britain's "broken political system" while Labour has put forward the proposal of an Alternative Vote. There is however several types of democratic voting systems, and parties as well as the electorate, if they get a referendum, face a difficult choice.

Currently Britain uses what is called the First Past The Post (FPTP) system. A voter will place a cross against their choice of a single candidate in a particular constituency. The candidate with the most votes in each constituency wins with all other votes counting for nothing. Proponents of proportional representation (PR) argue that it is the fact that many votes are discounted which makes the current system unfair. While the Green Party for example may obtain around 10% of the national vote, it has never until now obtained a seat in parliament. However many oppose a change saying that lunatic fringe parties would water down politics and disrupt the workings of government. 

Differing systems

One proposed system is the Single Transferable Vote. Each voter receives one vote, which can transfer from their first-preference to their second-preference and so on, as necessary. Candidates don't need a majority of votes to be elected, just a known 'quota', or share of the votes, determined by the size of the electorate and the number of positions to be filled. If a preferred candidate has no chance of being elected or has enough votes already, the vote is transferred to another candidate in accordance with the voter's instructions.

Additional Member System (AMS) is a hybrid voting system. It is part FPTP and part closed party list. Under AMS, each voter typically gets two votes, one for a real person, and one for a party. When all the votes are in, each constituency returns a winner, in the traditional FPTP style. If a candidate was standing in a constituency as well as on a party list, their name is taken off the list, with everyone below them moving up a place. The additional members would then be allocated with the aim of tallying the number of seats won by each party to their share of the vote.

With Party List systems, they can be split into two distinct forms: open and closed. The crucial difference is that in a closed party-list system, votes are cast for parties rather than people, whereas in an open party list system, votes are cast for individual candidates. Under List PR, voters elect candidates in multi-member districts, or sometimes an entire country. The more members per area increases the proportionality of the system, and, in an open-list system, the size of the ballot paper.

The Alternative Vote (AV) is what Labour is currently offering the LibDems in return for their support. Like FPTP, AV is used to elect representatives for single-member constituencies, except that rather than simply marking one solitary 'X' on the ballot paper, the voter has the chance to rank the candidates on offer. The voter thus puts a '1' by their first-preference candidate, and can continue, if they wish, to put a '2' by their second-preference, and so on, until they run out of names or wish not to add further preferences. If a candidate receives a majority of first-preference votes (more people put them as number one than all the rest combined), then they are elected. However, if no candidate gains a majority on first preferences, then the second-preference votes of the candidate who finished last on the first count are redistributed. The process is repeated until someone obtains more than 50%.

The Alternative Vote Plus (AV+)system was invented by the 1998 Independent Commission on the Voting System, commonly known as the Jenkins Commission. It was asked to recommend a voting system that fulfilled, or best fulfilled, four criteria: The maintenance of a geographical link between MP and constituency, the need for stable government, the desire for broad proportionality and an extension of voter choice

Total Representation (TR) is a mixed system that aims to make more votes count in constituency elections. It preserves a large element of the Westminster model with some proportional representation to ensure a greater representation of voters' preferences. Its distinctive feature is that it gives weight to the votes of unsuccessful candidates.

With the supplementary Vote there are two columns on the ballot paper - one for the first choice and one for the second choice. Votes are marked by placing one 'X' in each column, although voters are not required to make a second choice if they do not wish to. All the first-preference are tallied, and if a candidate has a majority, they are elected. If no candidate receives a majority, the top two candidates are retained, and the rest eliminated. The second-preference votes of the eliminated candidates are then counted, and any for either of the top two candidates are added to their first-round totals. Whichever candidate has the most votes after these second-preferences have been allocated is declared the winner.

The Limited Vote or Limited Voting, is a majoritarian voting system used in multi-member constituencies. The Limited Vote allows each elector more than one vote, but fewer votes than there are candidates to choose from. The candidates with the most votes is elected.

Approval Voting is much like FPTP, except that rather than voting for a single candidate, one can vote for as many as one wishes. No ranking is involved, so all the votes have equal weight. The candidate with the most votes wins.

Borda Count is a form of preferential voting where the rankings are converted into points, and the candidate who receives the most points is declared the winner. The number of points per place is decided by the number of options on offer to the voter. Candidates score one point for being ranked last, two for being next-to-last and so on, with the first-choice candidate receiving points equal to the total number of candidates. So if there were seven candidates standing for election, a candidate receiving a first-preference vote would receive seven points.

Some electoral systems involve a combination of different ways to obtain a seat in parliament. This usually involves some members being elected in single member constituencies and other members being elected from lists. Often the list element is used to make up for the disproportional outcomes in single member constituency elections.

Difficult choices

While there is iniquity in Britain's current voting system, many argue that the alternative would be repeated chaos seen in the last few day brought about by a hung parliament. Some have pointed at Israel's system of PR which has rarely brought stable government. Proportional representation favours minor parties, and produces bizarre, and fragile partnerships. In Israel, 1.5% of the vote is enough to win a seat in the Knesset. That means the Israeli Prime Minister of the day either joins with his or her main opposition party to form government or is forced to climb into bed with religious and nationalist extremists to obtain the numbers.

Proportional representation may bring more seats for the Green Party, but it will also provide platforms for less moderate views. In the last election PR may have given the Greens around 12 seats in parliament. However they may have sat in almost equal numbers with UKIP (UK Independence Party), the far-right British National Party and others. Other parties may also find themselves marginalised. Plaid Cymru, would likely have no seats since it only contests seats in Wales – it currently holds three.

The Electoral Reform Society released figures on what may have been the outcome in differing voting systems this week. Under the current FPTP system the Conservative obtained 307 seats against Labour's 258 and the LibDems' 57 with 28 seats going to other parties. Under a Single Transferable Vote it estimated the Conservative party would have achieved 246 over Labour's 207 while the LibDems would have secured 162 seats and 35 seats might have been taken by smaller parties. With AV as proposed by Labour, the Tories would have received 281 seats, Labour taking 262 and the LibDems 79 with 28 going to minor parties. While the hung parliament seen in this election has left a situation where no party has overall control, neither of the other two systems would have fared any better in producing what Labour call "stable government". In fact such systems would likely bring repeated coalition governments following every future election.

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Brown to quit as talks continue

According to a senior Liberal Democrat source, the process of forming a new government may be resolved within the next 24 hours. Both the Conservatives and Labour have held discussions with the LibDems in an attempt to form a coalition since the outcome of the general election left Britain with its first hung parliament in 36 years. Amid the wrangling has been the debate over the future of Britain's prime minister Gordon Brown who yesterday announced his intention to step down as Labour's leader [BBC / Sky].

Standing on the steps of Number 10, Gordon Brown said he hoped that his standing down would provide a clear path to form what he called "stable and principled government". He also accepted that Britain's failure to form a majority party was a reflection on his own leadership.

"If it becomes clear that the national interest, which is stable and principled government, can be best served by forming a coalition between the Labour party and the Liberal Democrats, then I believe I should discharge that duty to form that government which would in my view command a majority in the House of Commons in the Queen's speach and any other confidence votes," Brown told the assembled media. "I have no desire to stay in my position longer than is needed to ensure that past economic growth is assured and the process of political reform we have agreed moves forward quickly." 

"The reason that we have a hung parliament is that no single party and no single leader was able to win the full support of the country. As the leader of my party I must accept that that is a judgement on me. I therefore intend to ask the Labour party to set in train the processes needed its own leadership election. I would hope that it would be completed in time for the new leader to be in post by the time of the Labour party conference. I will play no part in that contest, I will back no individual candidate." [BBC]

Whether his announcement to stand down will make Labour more attractive to the LibDems is not yet clear. However, Labour are already offering to put an Alternative Vote [AV] system into law and hold a referendum asking voters to approve it. This would be highly attractive to the LibDems who have consistently called for voting reform. The Conservative party are resistant to changes in the political system and say that proportional representation would result in unstable and weak government as well as allowing fringe parties, such as the British National Party, a voice. Under AV no candidate is elected without at least 50% of the vote, after second preferences are taken into account. However, it is not considered to be full proportional representation.

Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, has already appeared to indicate that his party might side with Labour. Speaking yesterday he said while he was "very grateful to David Cameron and his negotiation team" and that "very constructive talks" had resulted in a "great deal of progress" they had not "reached a comprehensive partnership agreement for a full Parliament". As such, it was the "responsible thing to do" to open negotiations with the Labour Party he said. Talks with the Tories would continue however.

In what seemed like the clearest indication his party might be wooed by Labour, he said, "Gordon Brown has taken a difficult personal decision in the national interest,... And I think without prejudice to the talks that will now happen between Labour and the Liberal Democrats, Gordon Brown's decision is an important element which could help ensure a smooth transition to the stable government that everyone deserves."

There is some hostility among both Conservative and Liberal Democrat supporters to an alliance between the two. Even amongst Labour ranks there are some reservations about the LibDems and Labour joining forces. Labour backbencher Graham Stringer said he did not believe a coalition with the LibDems would work and could even damage the party. "I don't think it makes sense in the arithmetic - the numbers don't add up," Stringer said.

Britain's press mostly saw the announcement by Brown to quit as a cynical ploy to maintain power. The Daily Telegraph said the prime minister has been accused of a "sordid" attempt to keep Labour in power after offering to step down while the Daily Express claimed Britain was facing rule by a "coalition of losers" as Gordon Brown and Nick Clegg edged towards a "sordid" political stitch-up. The Daily Mail also warned of a constitutional crisis and called Monday's events a "Squalid Day for Democracy". The paper called Brown's announcement a cynical bid to keep Labour in power.

Rupert Murdoch owned papers also talked of potential chaos ensuing. Running with the headline "Going Brown", The Sun said there is "chaos" as Clegg flirts with Labour. The Wall Street Journal also talked of an ensuing political crisis.

Some papers saw Brown's decision as a pragmatic choice. The Times referred to Gordon Brown's announcement as his "parting shot" while the Financial Times said Brown had sacrificed himself to help forge a power-sharing deal between Labour and the LibDems. The Independent too sees Brown's resignation as a sacrifice to win the prize of a "progressive alliance".

Only the Mirror fully backed the PM, as it had throughout the campaign, running with the headline "For the Greater Gord". However, the Daily star was scathing of all the main party leaders. "Sort it out you Clowns" the tabloid blasted from its front page and called on the parties to concentrate on running the country [Papers: Sky].

As the largest party, the Conservatives could form a minority government but may find passing legislation difficult. If the Liberal Democrats joined with them the two would have to overcome political differences. Even if Labour managed to strike a coalition deal with the Liberal Democrats they would still fall short of holding an overall majority in the House of Commons and would need support of minority parties. The DUP [Democratic Unionist Party] in Northern Ireland would likely side with the Conservatives with the SDLP [Social Democratic and Labour Party] forming an alliance with Labour. However, even this would not give either side a clear majority. Both sides would then need to seek support from the Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru, the Green Party and the Alliance party in Northern Ireland. 

The SDLP and the Alliance party have given tacit support to Labour. Margaret Ritchie, leader of the SDLP, said, "The results in Britain have made today's decision by Gordon Brown almost inevitable. However, Mr Brown should be given credit for having listened to the message given to him by the public" [Belfast Telegraph]. The deciding factor is whether the LibDems will form a coalition with the Tories or Labour. The LibDems may even decide to allow both parties to battle each other without their full support leaving Britain without strong leadership, nor a clear political direction. Such a prospect may even lead to another election within a year, many political commentators suggest.

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Britain in limbo as talks resume

Speculation is mounting as to the outcome of talks held between Conservative leader David Cameron and Liberal Democrats leader Nick Clegg following last Thursday's election which left Britain with a hung parliament. The Conservative party fell just short of the required number of 326 seat in order to seize power gaining only 306 seats in parliament. Despite what was seen by some as a clear mandate from the electorate, Gordon Brown remains in power as the Prime Minister and was referred to as the squatter of No 10 by some of Britain's tabloids. Meanwhile the Conservatives have been hold talks with the Liberal Democrats in order to broker a deal and form a coalition. Brown has offered the LibDems talks if no deal is reached with the Conservatives.

But according to those attending the talks between the Tories and the LibDems, discussions seemed to be going well. The Conservative party's shadow foreign secretary William Hague, emerged from the Cabinet Office after a day of talks, and said, "The issues that we have covered have included political reform, economic issues and reduction of the deficit, banking reform, civil liberties, environmental issues. So, we've had good discussions about all of those areas. We are agreed that a central part of any agreement that we make will be economic stability and the reduction of the budget deficit, but each negotiating team is now going to report to our party leaders."

William Hague was also joined by shadow chancellor George Osborne, policy chief Oliver Letwin and chief of staff Ed Llewellyn. On the Liberal Democrats team were MPs Chris Huhne, the Lib Dem home affairs spokesman Andrew Stunell, David Laws and chief of staff Danny Alexander. In a brief statement Alexander described the talks as wide-ranging and "good", and also emphasised that a reduction of Britain's £163 billion [$242 billion] was important.

As talks were set to continue this week Gordon Brown remains prime minister, and government business continues, with Chancellor Alistair Darling attending a meeting of finance ministers in Brussels. However the uncertainty has prompted many papers to raise their concern if a resolution is not found soon. The Daily Mirror warned that the nation could be plunged into chaos if the Conservatives went it alone and formed a minority Government. And the Independent inferred that the talks had already stalled on the subject of electoral reform. Most papers were more critical of Gordon Brown who they accused of clinging to power. The Sun claimed Gordon Brown was trying to hijack a possible Tory/Lib Dem deal sparking fears of a City meltdown. Monday's Daily Mail focused on Gordon Brown's clandestine meeting with Nick Clegg, describing it as the PM's "last-ditch attempt to cling to power".

The Telegraph, a staunch supporter of the Conservatives, also led with the negotiations and ran with the headline "A Nation in Limbo". The Financial Times and the Daily Express said that a historic deal was close. The Financial Times saying that while David Cameron was edging closer to Number 10, a quick resolution to talks between the parties was key for the economy [Paper review: Sky]

Talks are set to resume this morning, though it is unclear if a deal will be reached by the end of today. Britain's Prime Minister remains to next possible contenders if the discussions fail. Earlier he thanked his party for their hard work leading up to the election and spoke of the importance to bring the uncertainty to an end. "The past few days have seen us enter a political landscape not considered possible a few short weeks ago - with the outcome of the election leading to no single party able to form a majority government," he wrote in an email to party supporters. "My duty as prime minister has been to seek to resolve this situation."

But already several Labour backbenchers have called for Brown to step down. MP George Howarth, a minister in the Blair government, said the only people capable of forming any kind of government were the Conservative Party, and that Labour should become a "constructive" opposition. Others were more scathing of the other parties. Labour party treasurer Jack Dromney said the "big choice" was for Clegg to decide whether to be a progressive party or "get into bed with the heirs of Mrs Thatcher". But Dromney said Labour were open to discussion. "If they wish to talk to us, we're ready to talk to them," Dromney said, a sentiment echoed by Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling.

While the Conservative gained 306 seats, Labour finished with 258 MPs, down 91, the Lib Dems 57, down five, and other parties 28. If Labour and the LibDems joined forces, they would still not be the largest grouping. With the support of the Northern Irish SDLP, one Alliance MP, and nationalists from Scotland and Wales they would reach 330, rising to 338 if the DUP, the independent unionist and the new Green MP joined them [BBC / Sky].

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Pound slumps on news of hung parliament

The pound has slumped to its lowest level against the dollar for more than a year, with the prospect of a hung parliament facing the UK. Sterling sank more than 2% at one stage. 

The pound dipped lower by a full cent against the dollar, dropping from over $1.48 to just above $1.47 as investors bet against the UK currency, in the minutes following the exit poll released after the polling booths closed at 10pm on Thursday. Overnight there were further losses with the pound falling to as low as $1.4596.

Sterling was also sharply lower against the euro, despite the chaos surrounding the single currency over recent days. Half an hour after the polls closed, a euro was worth around 86 pence, compared with 85 pence an hour earlier.

"All in all not good for the pound, gilts or equities," said Marc Ostwald, a strategist at Monument Securities. "The constitutional position is likely to be a lot messier than the markets have been discounting."

"It is not positive for sterling," said Paul Robinson, a currency expert at Barclays Capital. "But the real attention today for markets is on the crisis in the eurozone."

A limited number of UK government bond and equity futures opened overnight to allow investors to trade in a specially extended trading session as the election results were declared. Gilt futures initially rose as a string of results appeared to suggest that the exit poll had underestimated the Conservative vote and that David Cameron would be able to command a majority. However the optimism waned in the early hours of Friday as a hung parliament looked increasingly likely.

Steve Reid, co-head of gilts trading at Citigroup, said, "Every time we get a Tory seat we rally, then if it's Labour we head the other way."

Markets were expected to endure a testy opening, since after London closed Wall Street was rocked by a technical error which briefly sent the Dow Jones to its biggest intra-day fall since Black Monday in 1987.

The FTSE 100, which closed at 5,260.99 on Thursday and is down 5.3 percent this week, opened down 1%. European bourses follow Wall Street lower, amid growing fears about the European debt crisis. Germany's DAX slid 2% and France's CAC 40 lost 2.8%. The market rout also continued in Asia with Japan's Nikkei 225 sliding 3%.

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Inquiry will look into voting problems

The Electoral Commission has said it will hold an inquiry to see what when wrong after hundreds of voters found themselves unable to cast their vote in Britain's election. As the 10 pm deadline passed many voters found themselves locked out in long queues. There were problems in parts of London, Manchester, Sheffield, Birmingham, Liverpool, Newcastle and Surrey.

Social networking sites were alive with comments and complaints. Voters posted pictures on Twitter and videos on YouTube showing angry residents arguing with officials at polling stations. Many people said they were "fuming" and "very unhappy" that they had not been able to exercise their democratic right to vote.
The main political parties all expressed concerns and some results may be challenged. Meanwhile the Electoral Commission announced a "thorough review" of the situation. "Clearly we are going to look at this. The government is going to look at this. It may be that the law needs to change," the chair of the Electoral Commission, Jenny Watson said.

In one incident police were called to a polling station in Lewisham, south London, where about 300 people had still to vote by 10 pm. In Hackney, in east London, angry would-be voters staged a sit-in when polls closed. In his Sheffield Hallam constituency, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg went to offer his apologies to frustrated voters at a polling station in Ranmoor after they queued for more than three hours.
Much of the reason behind the problems was a lack of staff, but in some cases polling stations even ran out of ballot papers. A spokesman for Gordon Brown said the prime minister was "very concerned" about the reports of people being turned away from polling stations and "would support a thorough investigation into them". David Cameron also expressed his concern. "An early task for a new government is to get to the bottom of what has happened and make sure that it never happens again," he said.

The incidents sparked much debate in television studios. BBC political editor Nick Robinson said, "What a tragedy that, after a campaign which engaged and energised many who were previously cynical about politics, tonight's story may be being over-shadowed by the extraordinary revelation that Britain cannot competently run the most basic part of the democratic process."

The anger amongst the electorate was clear as television stations and news organisations received an overwhelming response from viewers. Jo-Ann Stranger, who failed to vote in Hackney South and Shoreditch, said it was an outrage. "I, along with about 100 other people, were turned away from our local polling station, having waited 45 minutes to vote. The officers closed the door on the queue at 9.50 pm, refusing entry to anyone standing outside," she said. "It is an outrage in a civilised country like ours that this can happen, especially to people who are trying to vote after doing a day's work."

Kathy Murray, from Withington, Manchester, said, "I'm fuming. I queued for over an hour and had the doors shut on me, along with about 250 others, at 10pm." Many described bad planning. "I am outraged that the council only provided one polling station with three booths in Leeds city centre. The queues were over 30 minutes long at least since 5pm. I was chatting to people in the queue at 9.30pm who came to vote earlier in the day but went away due to the length of the queue, and returned in the evening to find the same situation," Elaine from Leeds wrote on the BBC website.

Sam Shore from Hackney said he was "astounded" to have been denied the right to vote. "I arrived in good time to cast my vote, at 8.30pm, and after queuing for an hour and a half was turned away at 10pm. At least several hundred people were in the queue behind me. Surely something has to be done about this."

There may be more than an inquiry. Human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson QC told ITV News that people denied the right to vote could take legal action. "These people have a right to sue," he said, "They will get at least £750 in my view. Under the European Convention you have a right to vote. They were terribly disappointed, they should all sue and get money from the election commission, which seems to have incompetently overseen it."

The Electoral Commission said each returning officer decided the number of polling stations in their constituency and the number of electors allocated to each station. "There should have been sufficient resources allocated to ensure that everyone who wished to vote was able to do so," a statement said. If a legal challenge was successful in any of the areas, then the candidate would be unseated and a by-election called [BBC / FT].

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Greens take first seat in UK parliament

The Green Party in Britain has won its first seat in the UK parliament. Caroline Lucas will be the first Green Party MP after winning the Brighton Pavilion seat. Lucas, the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, notched up a majority of 1,252 over her nearest rival, Labour's Nancy Platts. 

"Thank you so much for putting the politics of hope above the politics of fear," Lucas told her constituents. "I pledge that I will do my very best to do you proud," she said, adding, "For once the word historic fits the bill."

She said a hung parliament would an "interesting" proposition "Both in terms of perhaps increasing our chances of getting a fairer electoral system, so that people's voices are properly heard. But also of course in giving the Greens that bit more influence." [BBC]

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Britain wakes up to a hung parliament

As the sun rose over Britain there was no clear winner in the 2010 election and all predictions were that the country would see its first hung parliament since 1974. Around the country the Conservative party took key seats from Labour and also from the Liberal Democrats. There was disappointment amongst the Labour ranks but few were willing to accept defeat completely.

Looking upset after losing her seat in Redditch, former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said it had been "an immense honour" to have served and "I'm obviously sad that's come to an end tonight". She said it was important to take part in elections "when you fear you're going to lose, as well as when you think you're going to win". BBC's Nick Robinson said the problem Jacqui Smith had was that she became synonymous with expenses abuse. "Remember those pornographic films - even before the Daily Telegraph got hold of that now infamous computer disk and set the whole scandalous ball rolling," Robinson commented on her loss.

Smith was not the only high profile departure. Local government minister Shahid Malik lost his seat to the Conservatives in Dewsbury. Earlier, health minister Phil Hope and defence minister Bill Rammell both said goodbye to theirs. However Ed Balls managed to scrape in and hold his Morley and Outwood seat. The BBC's veteran political correspondent David Dimbleby said the Tories had been denied their "Portillo moment". After the result, Balls acknowledged it was "quite close" and paid tribute to his Conservative opponent for fighting a "straight" and "decent" campaign.

It had been a bad night for Labour with more than 78 seats lost, most to the Conservatives. However few within the Labour party were willing to concede defeat throughout the night. Only David Blunkett admitted Labour had lost. "My instinct is that we have regrettably lost the election," he told the BBC. Neil Kinnock, a former candidate for prime minister himself, while not accepting the party was over said earlier that, "it' s not good."

However, despite the loses, it was still not clear what the final outcome would be as dawn approached. At 7 am the Conservative Party had won 282 seats against Labour's 227. The Liberal Democrats had failed to make any headway, losing some territory to the Conservatives. There were some surprises throughout the night too with the Green Party gaining its first parliamentary seat after taking the Brighton Pavilion constituency.

The final result may not be clear until midday, and even then there may be further political tussles if, as many pundits predict, a hung parliament results and Gordon Brown tries to cling to power under constitutional rules. The Conservatives were confident however. "I think it's already clear that Labour has lost the mandate to govern the country," David Cameron said in the early hours of Friday after holding his Whitney seat.

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Humiliation for Labour in election

Looking upset after losing her seat in Redditch, former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said it had been "an immense honour" to have served and "I'm obviously sad that's come to an end tonight". She said it was important to take part in elections "when you fear you're going to lose, as well as when you think you're going to win". BBC's Nick Robinson said the problem Jacqui Smith had was that she became synonymous with expenses abuse. "Remember those pornographic films - even before the Daily Telegraph got hold of that now infamous computer disk and set the whole scandalous ball rolling," Robinson commented on her loss.

Smith was not the only departure. Local government minister Shahid Malik lost his seat to the Conservatives in Dewsbury. Earlier, health minister Phil Hope and defence minister Bill Rammell both said goodbye to theirs. However Ed Balls managed to scrape in. The BBC's veteran political correspondent David Dimbleby said the Tories had been denied their "Portillo moment". After the result, Balls acknowledged it was "quite close" and paid tribute to his Conservative opponent for fighting a "straight" and "decent" campaign.

It had been a bad night for Labour with more than 55 seats lost, most to the Conservatives. However few within the Labour party were willing to concede defeat throughout the night. Only David Blunket admitted Labour had lost. "My instinct that we have regrettably lost the election," he told the BBC. Neil Kinnock while not accepting the party was over said earlier that, "it' s not good."

However, despite the loses, it was still not clear what the final outcome would be as dawn approached. At 5 am the Conservative Party had won 234 seats against Labour's 179. The Liberal Democrats had also failed to make any headway, losing some territory to the Conservatives.

The final result may not be clear until midday, and even then there may be further political tussles if, as many pundits predict, a hung parliament results. There are also likely to be recriminations after hundreds of voters were not allowed to cast their votes after staffing problems and ballot paper shortages in a number of constituencies. There were angry scenes at some polling stations with some residents holding sit-ins. In some instances police had to be called to keep order.

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UKIP's Nigel Farage in plane crash

UKIP's Nigel Farage, who is contesting Speaker John Bercow's seat in Buckingham in Britain's general election, has been involved a plane crash, it has been reported. Farage a Member of the European Parliament was not seriously injured in the crash, a UKIP spokeswoman said. "He's going to be fine," the spokeswoman said. Police said the plane came down shortly after 08:00 local time at an airfield in Northamptonshire. 

The pilot had to be cut out of the wreckage and has been airlifted to a hospital in Coventry. Farage is said to have walked from the crash relatively unscathed. Police said neither had life-threatening injuries. 

The plane, which had taken off 10 minutes prior to the crash, was pulling a UKIP banner reading "Vote for your country - vote UKIP". It is believed the banner may have become caught up in the engine.

Farage, who is MEP for the south east region of England announced last year that he would contest Speaker Bercow's seat in this election. None of the main three political parties are fielding a candidate in the Buckingham constituency in keeping with convention [Reuters / Sky News / BBC].

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UK: Papers back Tories as voting starts

After four weeks of political campaigning and three television debates, millions of people across Britain are preparing to cast their votes in the general election. Polling stations up and down the country opened at 07:00 BST [06:00 GMT] and people will be able to cast their ballots until 22:00 BST [21:00 GMT]. More than 44 million people are registered to vote but as in previous elections more than a quarter may abstain. The first declarations are expected at 23:00 BST. [22:00 GMT] however the last results may not come in until early Friday morning.

This campaign has been different from previous elections. Television debates helped to thrust Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg into the limelight and after the second such debate he was even tipped as coming a close second to the Conservatives. While the LibDems have floundered in the polls in the last week, it is Labour who have taken a bashing. A faux pas by Gordon Brown when he referred to a voter as a bigoted person, resulted in hostile reactions from British media and created a further slide in Labour's popularity. But the other parties have not been immune to criticism. There has been criticism across the board on MP's expenses, though the Liberal Democrats insisted they had been less guilty than others. Both the Conservatives and the LibDems have been criticised over their tax plans. And the economy and jobs have been a particular focus throughout.

The media, and even social media, has played an important part in getting the different parties' messages over. Twitter has been used for the first time in many cases by the main political parties to deliver their views. Facebook and YouTube have also helped in furthering their campaign. But it remains tradition media that helps form public opinion. And many newspapers have not been frightened of taking or even changing sides.

In alliance with the Conservative party The Daily Telegraph tops the list along with The Sunday Telegraph. "Built on the concept that the state should do less, better, and that decisions are best taken as closely as possible to where they impact, it addresses the straitened circumstances of the time..." an editorial in the Daily Telegraph read. "We believe that only a Conservative government can restore the nation's fortunes." The Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and the Express also backed the Tories, though the Mail did express some reservations. "Certainly, the Mail has had its doubts about David Cameron, sometimes wondering if he was another Clegg-like heir to Blair. But over the years and with every week of this campaign, he's grown in stature, displaying serious-minded conservative instincts and a tungsten determination to fulfil the Tories' traditional function of clearing up the mess left by Labour.." 

Murdoch owned titles also sided with David Cameron's party. While it is not unusual for the Times to swing to the right, The Sun and the News of the World both shifted their support from Labour which they had backed in previous elections and paid allegiance to the Conservatives. Labour had failed and was now backing David Cameron's Conservatives, the Sun newspaper told its readers. "The real story of the Labour years is one of under-achievement, rank failure and a vast expansion of wasteful government interference in everyone's lives. Britain needs a brave and wise Government to restore our self-respect, our natural entrepreneurship and the will of every family to improve its lot through its own efforts, without depending on handouts...We hope, and pray, that the next Government will have the guts and the determination to do these things. And we believe David Cameron should lead it." The News of the World, which withdrew its support for Labour after 13 years in March, explained its shifted position. "Overwhelmingly, on all fronts, this country is crying out for change. Which is why, after much soul-searching, the News of the World believes that David Cameron and the Tory Party must now be given the chance to run the country. Right now, they are our best hope for a brighter, saner, safer, more honourable future." The Times backed the Conservatives and referred to Labour as "tired, defensive and ruinously reliant on higher government spending."

A few papers gave their backing to the Liberal Democrats. The Guardian and the Observer both threw their support behind Nick Clegg's party. While the Times had moved from Labour to support the Tories, The Guardian moved in a different direction. "If the Guardian had a vote in the 2010 general election it would be cast enthusiastically for the Liberal Democrats," the paper said, "A year ago, the Guardian argued that Labour should persuade its leader to step down... Labour chose to hug Mr Brown close. It was the wrong decision then and it is clear, not least after his humiliation in Rochdale this week, that it is the wrong decision now." Its sister paper, The Observer also made Clegg the best choice for Britain, not least for what it called "a grossly unfair voting system" that was in need of reform. "The thrust of Nick Clegg's manifesto is right on political reform, right on tax reform that would redistribute wealth from high finance to ordinary citizen, right on liberty and equality," the paper says. 

Some papers, and several politicians in both the major parties have warned of the possibility of a hung parliament. However, The Independent on Sunday urged voters to "vote tactically" to ensure just that. "From electoral reform flows much else that we believe this country needs: green jobs, a fairer tax system, an urgent defence review and sustained investment in health and education," the paper says, "These values are perhaps best espoused by the Liberal Democrats."

Labour did maintain some support however. The Mirror was however the only national paper that stood by the party throughout the campaign. However even this bastion of the left urged voters to vote tactically in some cases and vote for the Liberal Democrats.

Broadcasters traditionally do not generally lean towards one party or another, attempting instead to display impartiality. However, the bias is more generally seen in what is reported rather than the way something is reported. Sky, being a Murdoch owned station, could be seen by some as being a little more favourable to the Conservatives. The affair over Brown's bigot gaffe fell into the hands of broadcasters however. Whether intentional or not, the recorded conversation made perfect television, for the BBC, Sky or CNN. And radio broadcasters also capitalised from the moment. The 'bigot' gaffe filled almost an entire show with Vanessa Feltz on BBC London and remained a topic throughout the week.

Chat shows and political debate on the actual day of the election is forbidden, though many newspapers are able to express their feelings. Thursdays papers mostly point to Labour losing with some differing in opinion as to whether Cameron will win or a hung parliament will emerge. The Guardian says David Cameron is on course to regain power after 13 years, with a poll for the paper showing an eight-point lead for the Tories over Labour. The Independent bills polling day as "the people's election" and cites 15 reasons to celebrate a campaign it says could change the face of British politics.
A cartoon and an editorial takes up the entire front page of The Times. It delivers the message that today is the moment when the country must stop running away from its debts. Britain's deficit is also the focus of the Daily Mail which points to "anarchy and murder on the streets of Athens", and says Britain's deficit may become worse than Greece's. The Wall street Journal also a echoes a warning saying a huge deficit awaits the election victor.

The Daily Express calls today D-Day, the most important election for decades and warns that a hung Parliament would be a disaster. The Telegraph meanwhile calls it a day of destiny and reports on David Cameron's final appeal to millions of undecided voters to "choose hope over fear." The Sun is more optimistic than most. A front page depicts David Cameron in a pasticke of the infamous Obama 'Hope' poster and runs with the headline "Our Only Hope" and a lead which reads "In Cameron we trust."

This election is all about trust. But it's not so much about whom the electorate trust the most, politicians are in the eyes of many untrustworthy, it is more a matter of who the voters trust the least. For some papers, and perhaps voters, disinterest has already set in. The Daily Star was less focused on the election than the revelation that Steven Gerrard's wife Alex fears rival football wives and girlfriends (WAGs) are trying to tear the couple apart. Riveting stuff!

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Christiane Amanpour quits CNN after 27 years

Christiane Amanpour has signed off from CNN after 27 years with the network. Amanpour has moved to ABC News, where she will anchor its Sunday morning program, "This Week," and contribute across the network. 

The face of CNN's international reporting, Amanpour premiered a daily show on CNN International and a Sunday foreign affairs show on CNN U.S. in September 2009. Speaking on CNN Friday she said, "This is our final broadcast, and I want to say what a privilege it has been to be at CNN for the past 27 years. To have had the opportunity to report the news to you all over the world, from all over the world. I have tried to be your eyes and ears in pursuit of the truth and the stories that beg to be told. That's been my mission in the field and here in the studio." [YouTube]

She also posted comments on her Twitter feed saying she was "thrilled to be joining the incredible team at ABC News." She described being asked to anchor 'This Week' which airs in August, as being "a tremendous and rare honor". Amanpour replaces George Stephanopoulos who became the new anchor of Good Morning America in December.

Despite leaving the 'most trusted name in news', Amanpour said she still had the "utmost respect, love and admiration for the company and everyone" who works there. "This has been my family and shared endeavor for the past 27 years and I am forever grateful and proud of all that we have accomplished," she said on the CNN blog.

Fifty two year old Amanpour who is married to James Rubin, former Assistant Secretary of State and spokesman for the US State Department, is the second major departure from the American news channel in the last few months. Last November Lou Dobbs, the last of the 29-year-old network's original anchors, quit to "pursue new opportunities."

CNN's President Jim Walton praised Amanpour's career and work at the network. "Over the years, Christiane and I have talked about her professional goals and personal interests, and more recently about the excitement of a new opportunity at this point in her career," Walton said in a statement. "While I don't presume to speak for her, as her colleague and friend for more than 25 years I know that this decision has not been an easy one. Since 1990 when Christiane became a CNN international correspondent, she has covered the defining news events of our time...Christiane has our gratitude, respect and sincere best wishes."

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NYC bomb suspect arrested

New York car bomb suspect Faisal Shahzad, arrested while attempting to board flight to Dubai, will appear in court Tuesday, authorities have said. 

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the New York City Police Department on Tuesday released a statement earlier, confirming his arrest and vowing to leave no stone unturned until every terrorist, whether homegrown or foreign-based, is neutralized. 

The joint statement said Faisal Shahzad had been taken into custody at 11:45 pm local time. Shahzad, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Pakistan, was taken into custody at John F. Kennedy International Airport after he was identified by the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Customs and Border Protection while attempting to take a flight to Dubai, the statement read.

Despite the arrest, the investigation was still ongoing. "We will not rest until every terrorist, whether homegrown or foreign-based, is neutralized and held to account," said United States Attorney Preet Bharara, FBI Special Agent-in-Charge George Venizelos, and New York City Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly.

Shahzad will appear in Manhattan federal court (500 Pearl Street, 5th Floor, New York, N.Y.) on Tuesday and be formally presented with charges related to the attempted terrorist attack [CNN / BBC / BNO].

tvnewswatch, Beijing, China

China sees rise in school attacks

There is mounting concern amongst parents and authorities in China after a spate of attacks targeted at school children. In the latest of a series of incident a man took a 5 year old girl hostage but was shot dead by armed police [China Daily]. In just over a month, four incidents involving knife-wielding men in four different provinces have resulted in the death of eight children and injured at least 52 others. Most of the cases occurred in schools or kindergartens.

The attacks have prompted authorities to impose stricter safeguards. Safety around schools has been strengthened and police in Beijing will be on patrol when students go to and leave schools. Some schools in the city have even said they will not let students leave unless parents come to pick them up. 

Knives have not been the only weapon. Friday saw one man attack children with a hammer before killing himself. Five kindergarten class children and a teacher were injured when Wang Yonglai attacked them with a hammer at Shangzhuang Primary School in Weifang City, Shandong Province. The 45 year old man, who had poured gasoline over himself prior to launching the attack, set fire to himself and died from his injuries. Four boys, aged four, six and seven, and one 6 year old girl suffered head injuries in the attack. They were taken to Fangzi District People's Hospital. Two were later transferred to Weifang Municipal People's Hospital however all were said to be in a stable condition. The teacher was injured while attempting to intervene. Guo Feng snatched the kids away from the hammer wielding assailant before he set himself on fire, the school's head teacher, Wang Fatang, told reporters [Xinhua].

On Thursday last week a man stabbed 29 children at a kindergarten in the town of Taixing in East China's Jiangsu province [China Daily]. Only the day before a man had gone on the rampage at a primary school in Leizhou in China's Guangdong province stabbing 15 students and a teacher. On April 12th a man named as Yang Jiaqin hacked a student and an elderly woman to death in the small village of Xizhen in China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.On March 23rd there was a deadly attack when 42 year old Zheng Minsheng stabbed 8 children to death at Nanping's elementary school in east China's Fujian province. The man was later executed.

On March 2nd, two children were killed after 40 year old Xu Ximei went bezerk with a kitchen knife in Guangdong village of Mazhan. The victims were aged two and four years. Three other children and a grandmother were also injured in the attack.

The attacks brought a response from senior Chinese leader Zhou Yongkang who has called it a "major political task" to ensure security at schools and kindergartens. "We must take fast action to strengthen security for schools and kindergartens to create a harmonious environment for children to study and grow up," Zhou, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said Monday.

The wave of violence has been dubbed cases of "social revenge" in China. Ji Jianlin, a professor of clinical psychology at Shanghai's Fudan University, says the incidents share some common features. "The attackers all have grudges against society. They all try to take revenge by attacking the young and vulnerable," Ji said. In fact one of the attackers claimed his actions had been out of vengeance. Xu Yuyuan told police that his knife attack last week was "his revenge on society" [Xinhua].

In part, the attacks reflect the social tension caused by rampant corruption and inequality. But Professor Ji points out that there is a lack of social and psychological support in China's rapidly changing society. "In the past, China's workers used to have social support from the unions or women's associations. They used to provide quite adequate support. It's now quite weak."

In smaller cities and towns this is especially true. In a country where people were once looked after from their birth until death, social change has not only left many Chinese without their traditional support mechanisms but also pushed a large number of people into relative poverty. Income gaps are widening between the rich and poor and there is growing resentment amongst many poorer Chinese citizens [BBC].

Beggars are a common sight in China. On subways stations and in the streets of Beijing burns victims, horribly disfigured cripples and destitute members of society can be seen begging for money. They can often be seen as an embarrassment by authorities who are known to clear them from the streets during state visits and prior to large high profile events. 

In the run up to last years National Day there were several knife attacks in Beijing. Although no motive was immediately forthcoming, it was suggested at the time that the attackers were prompted by feelings of resentment after losing their jobs. While the reasons behind such attacks cannot be simplified, it appears that as China develops and moves into the 21st century it is experiencing the same social ills that the west has long struggled with. Unfortunately, the tragedies seen in recent weeks will not be the last.

tvnewswatch, Beijing, China

Mayor Bloomberg confirms bomb found in NYC

A T-Shirt vendor, said to be a Vietnam war veteran, had alerted police to the vehicle which was subsequently found to contain an improvised explosive device, it has now emerged. Gas canisters, batteries, fireworks, clocks and 2 five [US] gallon gasoline containers [37.8 litres] were amongst the items found in the vehicle. Mayor Bloomberg has confirmed that explosives were found in a green Nissan Pathfinder.

"We avoided what could of been a very deadly event." Lou Palumbo a New York security expert said the city was "really fortunate." Speaking to CNN he said, "This could have bee a very cataclysmic event." Times Square remains closed and further investigations are continuing. Mayor Bloomberg said that the city had been fortunate the bomb did not explode as intended. "We were lucky," he said, "a deadly event was avoided." There are no clues as to who may have perpetrated the failed attack and May Bloomberg said, "We don't know who did this or why."

Thousands of tourists and theatregoers were cleared from Times Square in New York after police sealed off the area. Police say they received a report of smoke issuing from a Nissan Pathfinder parked on 45th Street just west of Seventh Avenue at 18:30 local time Saturday [23:15 GMT].

tvnewswatch, Beijing, China

Suspect device shuts Times Square

Thousands of tourists and theatregoers have been cleared from Times Square in New York after police sealed off the area and investigated a suspect device in a parked car. Police say they received a report of smoke issuing from a Nissan Pathfinder parked on 45th Street just west of Seventh Avenue at 18:30 local time Saturday [23:15 GMT] [BBC].

A bomb disposal team was dispatched and after some hours declared the scene safe. A New York Fire Department source later told Reuters the vehicle that caused the evacuation did contain explosives. However there was no immediate official confirmation. The suspect package did not explode, and it is not known whether the incident was an attempted terrorist attack.

Broadway was closed between at least 43rd and 46th Streets, and the police also appeared to be closing off part of Eighth Avenue according to the New York Times. Onlookers crowded against the metal barricades encircling the area, taking pictures with cellphones and video cameras, although only a swarm of flashing fire trucks and police cars was visible.

Even some four hours after the incident began there were few report emerging. At 03:00 GMT BBC News 24 gave a brief news flash regarding a suspect device in Times Square but gave few details. There were no reports on BBC World or CNN Asia. Some reports did flash across the social networking website Twitter however. The news feed @BreakingNews posted several updates. According to @mpoppel, who founded the feed, Obama had possibly been informed but that homeland security had yet to become involved [BNO]. A press conference is expected in the coming hours.

tvnewswatch, Beijing, China