Minority Students UK

Russia may back further UN sanctions after Tehran announces Natanz plant has begun production of 20% enriched uranium

Iran began enrichment of higher grade uranium today, state TV said, ignoring the threat of further UN sanctions by the US and its allies.

Iran's Arabic-language television channel, al-Alam, said production of 20% enriched uranium had started at the Natanz plant.

Ali Shirzadian, a spokesman for the country's Atomic Energy Organisation, told ­Reuters that "preparatory work" had began at 9:30am in presence of representatives from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said on Sunday that Iran would produce uranium enriched to a level of 20%. That announcement was greeted with alarm in the west and raised fears that Tehran wants to advance a nuclear weapons programme.

The US and France led calls for what would be a fourth, broader set of punitive UN security council sanctions. A senior politician in Russia, which in the past has urged talks rather than punishment, also said economic measures should be considered.

The Pentagon stepped up the pressure for sanctions saying it wanted measures in place "within weeks, not months". The remarks from Russia raise the prospect of China standing alone among the major powers in opposing sanctions against Iran.

Today China called for more talks and refused to comment on the prospect of economic measures. A foreign ministry spokesman, Ma Zhaoxu, said: "I hope the relevant parties will step up efforts and push for progress in the dialogue and negotiations."

Last night, the head of the Iran's atomic agency said it would not further increase the enrichment levels for the uranium if the west provides fuel for the reactor at the Tehran nuclear research centre.

"Whenever they provide the fuel, we will halt production of 20%," Ali Akbar Salehi told state TV,

The percentage measures of enrichment refer to concentration of the most fissile isotope, U-235 – which can sustain fission chain reaction. A weapon small enough to put on a missile would require uranium enriched to more than 90% U-235. Iran was previously enriching uranium to 3.5%.

The Islamic republic, which insists its nuclear programme is aimed at generating electricity, says it needs 20% fuel for the research reactor producing isotopes for medical use.

Ahmadinejad's announcement on Sunday came 48 hours after Iran's foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, said a deal on exporting its uranium abroad to have it enriched was close to being finalised. An similar agreement last October to export its uranium rods to France eventually unravelled.

• Iran
• Nuclear weapons
• United States
• Russia
• United Nations
• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

Nicholas Hoult and Matthew Goode, stars of Tom Ford's A Single Man, talk to Paul MacInnes

Cold weather and heavy snow forecast for parts of UK and conditions set to worsen later in the week

Bitterly cold weather has returned to the UK and forecasters warn that conditions will worsen later in the week with a warning of heavy snow for parts of the south-east.

Last night temperatures again plunged below zero in some parts of the country with biting winds and snow flurries adding to the chill. There are fears that grit supplies nationwide have not been replenished since the cold snap in January, raising the prospect of further difficulties for motorists.

The Met Office warned there could be heavy snow in the south-east England later in the week with as much as 15cm on high ground. It issued an early warning for heavy and possibly drifting snow for east Sussex, Kent and Medway for Thursday and Friday. There will also be a risk of widespread ice on the roads.

The chilly weather is forecast to last into the weekend, but conditions are not expected to be as bad as last month's big freeze.

John Hutchinson, forecaster with MeteoGroup, said snow showers in the east would be broken by sunny spells today and tomorrow before turning heavier towards the end of the week.

He said: "Most of the sleet and snow will be in eastern areas, and Kent will see the worst of it.

"Through today there will be sunny spells with the wintry showers in eastern parts and temperatures will rise to between 3C and 5C. That bit more sunshine will mean the snow will struggle to settle during the day, though it could settle over the hills in north-east England."

A spokeswoman for Kent police said drivers are being warned to take extra care while the wintry conditions persist and a Highways Agency spokesman said there are warnings for drivers to take care throughout southern and eastern England.

The Welsh Local Government Association warned at the weekend that councils across the UK had failed to stock up on enough grit since the January cold snap to withstand another bout of freezing weather.

Steve Thomas, the Welsh LGA chief executive, said: "We are not just talking about Wales here but the whole of the UK."

But David Sparks, chairman of the Local Government Association transport and regeneration board, said councils would continue to "work tirelessly" to keep roads and people safe and to make sure essential services could still function.

Sparks, a councillor on Dudley Metropolitan borough council, in the West Midlands, said local authorities would work together to share salt supplies and make sure it was available in the worst affected areas.

"Despite forecasts of a mild winter, many councils stockpiled more salt this year but after the longest cold snap in 30 years, systems are stretched but are holding up," he said.

"With more snow forecast for some parts of the UK, everyone, including central government and the Highways Agency, is going to have to carefully manage the way they use salt.

"Although in some areas, last month's snow and freezing weather went away, councils in many places have had to continue to grit the roads.

"Councils have been working hard to replenish their salt stocks with some authorities importing salt from abroad, but they can only restock as fast as salt suppliers can dig salt out of the ground.

The average temperature last month of 1.1C (34F) was colder than for any January since 1987 and it was the ninth lowest recorded in the past 100 years. Parts of Scotland and the north-east of England experienced snow as deep as 58cm, while the lowest temperature was -22.3C, recorded in Altnaharra in Sutherland, in the Highlands, on 7 January.

• Weather
• Transport

Around 8,500 British Prius owners affected in recall of almost 0.5m vehicles by carmaker hit by string of recent safety scares

Toyota is to recall almost half a million hybrid cars worldwide, including its Prius model, in the latest blow to the carmaker's reputation following a string of safety scares.

The recall will begin immediately in Japan before similar measures are implemented overseas, the firm said today. The action could affect about 8,500 owners of the third-generation Prius in the UK.

Today's announcement follows about 200 complaints in Japan and the US over a software glitch in its best-selling Prius petrol-electric hybrid that can cause temporary brake failure at low speeds on bumpy or icy roads.

"I apologise for causing trouble and worries for many customers over the quality and safety of Toyota," its embattled president, Akio Toyoda, told reporters in Tokyo today, his second public apology in less than a week.

"We sincerely acknowledge safety concerns from our customers. We have decided to recall as we regard safety for our customers as our foremost priority. We will redouble our commitment to quality as a lifeline of our company. We will do everything in our power to regain the confidence of our customers."

Toyota informed the transport ministry of the recall of 223,000 hybrid cars in Japan across four models: about 200,000 of the 2010 Prius model and much smaller numbers of the Prius plug-in hybrid, the SAI and the Lexus HS250h.

It said it would take remedial measures concerning a further 213,000 hybrid cars outside Japan, including the US and Europe, taking the total number of vehicles affected to around 437,000.

The new Prius is sold in about 60 countries, with sales totalling more than 300,000 vehicles since the first models were rolled out last spring.

Toyota, the world's biggest carmaker, is already faces criticism following the recent recall of more than 8m cars worldwide affected by potentially dangerous acceleration problems.

The Prius, the world's most popular hybrid, was Japan's top-selling car last year and hailed as the ultimate in green auto technology. But mounting fears over its safety could unravel Toyota's attempts to dominate the growing market in fuel-efficient vehicles.

In the US Toyota is battling to save its reputation in the face of lawsuits linked to accidents, an investigation by highway authorities and mounting criticism of its handling of the crisis by the Obama administration.

The brake defect has been responsible for four crashes in which two people were injured, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which has launched an investigation. There have been no reports of similar accidents in the UK.

The recall of the Prius represents a worst-case scenario for Toyota now that safety doubts surrounding its cars have spread to its hitherto fiercely loyal customers in Japan.

"Toyota has been, beyond any doubts, the top player in hybrid car segment, and the fact that Prius and other hybrid models will be part of this massive recall significantly dents its image," said Suh Sung-moon, an analyst at Korea Investment and Securities in Seoul.

Toyoda, the grandson of the company's founder, promised to work closely with US regulators following criticism that the company had only recalled cars with faulty accelerators under pressure from the US government.

"I have spoken with US transportation secretary, Ray LaHood, and given him my personal assurance that lines of communications with safety agencies and regulators will be kept open, that we will communicate more frequently and that we will be more vigilant in responding to those officials on all matters," Toyoda wrote in today's Washington Post.

He said the firm was working around the clock to fix the problem, but conceded that it needed to do more to regain the trust of American drivers. "We are taking responsibility for our mistakes, learning from them and acting immediately to address the concerns of consumers and independent government regulators."

Toyota said it had fixed the software glitch responsible for the braking problem in Prius models that went on sale from late last month, but had yet to repair models sold before then.

The admission that it had started fixing the brake glitch about a week before it went public with the problem has prompted allegations of a cover-up.

The firm will start informing Japan dealers immediately about the glitch, which takes about 40 minutes to repair.

Industry watchers said Toyota's handling of the recalls had seriously damaged its brand image. "Until the recent crisis, Toyota was the best performing and most valuable car brand in the world," said David Haigh, the chief executive of Brand Finance, a UK consultancy, adding that the Prius had "put Toyota right at the leading edge of the green car movement".

He added: "Sadly, the inept way Akio Toyoda and his management team have handled the recent crisis has massively damaged the brand."

The firm has been widely criticised for failing to deal more quickly with the defects. It took almost two weeks for Toyoda, who was made president last summer, to comment publicly after the accelerator recall was announced last month.

The company is also anticipating a flurry of lawsuits in the US over the brake problem, in addition to those already filed in connection with "sticky" accelerators.

Today it was reported that the owner of a 2010 Prius has sued Toyota in Los Angeles, claiming that the company had failed to fix the brake defect.

Toyota's North America chief executive, Yoshimi Inaba, is due to come under pressure to explain his firm's poor handling of the recall when he testifies in front of a congressional committee in Washington tomorrow.

• Toyota
• Automotive industry
• United States
• Japan

Fault which caused BA plane to crash at Heathrow two years ago was not covered by safety requirements, says report

The fault which caused a British Airways plane to crash land at Heathrow airport two years ago, narrowly missing the airport's perimeter road and nearby buildings, was not covered by aviation safety requirements at the time, an official report said today.

The Boeing 777 lost power due to a restricted fuel flow to both engines, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said. It concluded that the crash on 17 January 2008 was probably caused by a buildup of ice in the fuel system on the plane, which was carrying 136 passengers. No one was seriously injured.

The ice probably formed from water that occurred naturally in the fuel, and when fuel temperatures were at a "sticky range" when ice crystals were most likely to adhere to their surroundings, the report said. Safety regulations "did not take account of this phenomenon as the risk was unrecognised at that time".

Research in the 1950s had identified the problem of ice formation in fuel systems from dissolved or trapped water but did not identify the possibility of accumulated ice restricting fuel flow.

The AAIB concluded that the fuel oil heat exchanger on the plane was susceptible to restriction when presented with a high concentration of soft ice and a fuel temperature below -10C.

Having lost power, the BA flight, arriving from Beijing, came down within the airfield boundary at Heathrow but 330 metres short of the runway, sliding 372 metres before coming to rest.

The left main landing gear (MLG) collapsed and the right MLG separated from the plane. Everyone was safely evacuated. Thirty-four passengers and 12 cabin crew suffered minor injuries, mainly to the back and neck. One passenger broke a leg.

The report said the cabin crew, led by the captain, Peter Burkill, became aware of a possible engine thrust problem just 43 seconds before touchdown.

Losing speed, the crew, hailed as heroes after the crash, tried to increase engine thrust but there was no response from the engines. A mayday call was put out three seconds before touchdown.

There was not enough time for the flight crew to brief the cabin crew or issue a command for passengers to brace themselves, the report said.

There was a significant fuel leak, and an oxygen leak caused by damage to the passenger oxygen bottles from part of the MLG.

On 28 November 2008 a Delta Airlines Boeing 777 suffered a similar ice problem while flying over the US. This prompted an investigation by America's National Transportation Safety Board, with the AAIB having an accredited representative.

Nine safety recommendations were made following earlier AAIB reports into the BA incident and a further nine were made today, including some which address plane "crashworthiness" – the ability of an aircraft to withstand an accident. Boeing and the aero engine company Rolls-Royce have taken steps to prevent the ice phenomenon from happening again.

A BA spokesman welcomed the report. He said that although there were no specific safety recommendations for the airline, it had worked with the relevant authorities and manufacturers "to ensure that the highest safety levels are maintained".

• Plane crashes
• British Airways
• Airline industry
• Air transport

Minute-by-minute coverage as Labour's general election coordinator, Douglas Alexander, and Andy Burnham, the health secretary, outline the party's plans for the NHS

9.59am: I'm at Victoria Street now in the holding room, waiting for the press conference to begin. Coffee and biscuits are available.

Reading Gordon Brown's speech, I see that Labour's health policy has got more guarantees than a branch of Currys. There's a cancer guarantee, a waiting time guarantee, a GP access guarantee, a health check guarantee and a care guarantee.

8.58am: The Labour party is holding another campaign press conference this morning.

Douglas Alexander, the general election co-ordinator, and Andy Burnham, the health secretary, have invited journalists to their HQ at Victoria Street to hear them "outline Labour's campaign for the NHS and the threat posed by David Cameron and the Conservative party policy on the NHS".

I'm not sure how good it's going to be; Gordon Brown delivered a big speech on the NHS just yesterday. But if they don't have much new to say about the NHS, there are plenty of other topics to ask about. The press conference starts at 10am.

• Health policy
• Labour
• NHS
• Health

Sam Wollaston was looking forward to helping out at Marcus Wareing's Michelin-starred restaurant. But even his bread cutting didn't cut the mustard

Marcus Wareing is that one who had a tiff with Gordon Ramsay, and their beautiful ­relationship ended ­acrimoniously with lots of cheffy shouting. Marcus went it alone, at his restaurant at the Berkeley hotel, ­imaginatively called Marcus ­Wareing at the Berkeley (just in case you forget who runs it or where it is). And he's ­doing very nicely thank you. Not only has he emerged from his mentor's shadow, some say he's beginning to eclipse the shouty one. Harden's ­Restaurant Guide says MWatB is where you'll get the best meal in London, ­satisfied critics have belched and ­refilled their pens with ­purple ink, ­Marcus has Michelin stars coming out of his ears. Well, two. So far . . .

And I'm spending a day in the kitchen. Brilliant, I enjoy a bit a cooking, I'll help him get that third star. I do a lovely spaghetti vongole. Except that this is fine, fine dining. They'll probably get me to fillet the turbot, and then I'll knock out some abuse mouches (that's French, for mistreat flies), mmmmm . . .

Oh. I'm on apple-balling – scooping out little balls from the surface of the fruit, with just the right amount of skin. Hey, I've seen King Lear, I can do this. They need to be the right size, and taken from under the red skin, where the flesh is sweeter. Then they are dropped in lemon water, to be used later in a starter – foie gras ­ballotine, lime salt, Dorset crab, pearl tapioca and coriander cress. My apple balls will be sprinkled over the tapioca.

I'm cool with a bit of apple-balling. I mean you wouldn't get to come to the Guardian for a day and get given a prominent column on the comment pages to have a bash at. I'm sure it won't be long before my potential shines through and they give me something with a bit more responsibility. Not the fish, sadly: it seems Marcus trusts no one apart from his number two with that, and fillets with a surgical steeliness. But maybe when lunch service gets going, they'll put me on venison or something. Yes chef. Or oui as they say around here (that's French for yes chef).

Oh. I'm off apple-balling. Marguerite, one of 22 chefs here, says it's too early – they'd be sitting in the water for too long. That's obviously the reason, and absolutely not because my apple balls aren't up to scratch. Marguerite seems to know what she's doing. Everyone does – there's a quiet efficiency about the place, people getting on with their work. No drama, shouting or swearing, no banter even, just focused food preparation. As lunch service gets underway there's a noticeable increase in the ­tension in the air, but it never boils over. The cook who's chatting won't be concentrating, Marcus tells me. It's a bit disappointing. I was hoping for more of a Hell's Kitchen experience. Maybe they're all just too tired; here, a chef's working day begins at 8am and finishes at midnight, sometimes even one the next morning. That's a 17-hour day!

Right, what next? Should I maybe poach the Anjou pigeons, with smoked field mushrooms, kohlrabi and ­liquorice? No, I shouldn't. But someone says I can pick some chervil. It's not Marguerite's idea, she seems to have gone off me doing anything, and later I catch her balling her own apples. Huh, she's probably worried I'll show her up.

By picking some chervil, they don't mean I should go out into Hyde Park to find it, they mean remove the leaves from the stalks. Do you know how big a chervil leaf is? Tiny, that's how big, and it takes me an hour to do a whole bunch. I'm trying to do it well though. Marcus says the way to judge a chef is not by watching them do something with fois gras or caviar. Instead, watch how carefully and lovingly they prepare the simple things, their carrots, onions or potatoes. "The chef who insults the carrots is the arsehole of the kitchen."

I'm guessing that applies to herbs too, so I'm treating this chervil with the greatest respect. And I pass the test with flying colours it seems, because after the chervil they let me loose on . . . the watercress. Same thing, picking the leaves off the stalk. They really don't like stalks around here – apparently they're too bitter and don't contain enough chlorophyll. My watercress, once picked, is going to be blended into something with an intense water-­cressiness and an intense greenness, to go with the slowly poached wild sea bass. It's going to be a while though – 140g is a lot of watercress leaves.

So much of this fine-dining malarky is about the presentation. Plating up is a highly skilled and intricate operation – keyhole surgery, practically. It's not ­surprising that the atmosphere is one of intense concentration. ­Marguerite adds rings of pearly breaking foam to little atolls of foie gras. The apple balls – her apple balls, I think mine have been ­quietly disposed of (out, vile apple balls!) – are sprinkled delicately around. A cap-sized stem of coriander cress needs to be delicately righted. And ­everything has to be given the nod from Marcus before going through to the other world beyond the swing door.

My work here is not entirely ­finished. I must have caught someone's eye, most probably Marcus's, because ­suddenly I'm put to work again. The job? Slicing bread. Which you may think is not ­exactly rocket science but actually around here it is. ­Consistency is the key – in angle across French stick, in thickness – or rather thinness – of slice, in velocity of knife. Some ­initial attempts are rejected. But then I ­remember the golden rule, the carrot one, which must apply to bread as well. I've been insulting the bloody bread. So I take a deep breath, refocus, and start again, this time with respect. And suddenly my bread starts to get the nod, and I cannot begin to tell you what a honour that is. It seems I'm not the ­arsehole of the kitchen after all, though Marguerite may disagree.

• Chefs
• Restaurants
• Food & drink

Satellite broadcaster offloads majority of 17.9% stake following two-year legal battle to retain shares in ITV

BSkyB has sold the majority of its controversial stake in ITV for £196m, representing a loss of around £350m.

The broadcaster placed 404m shares – representing a 10.4% stake in the company – with Morgan Stanley at 48.5p a share. Sky said it would retain its remaining shareholding of just under 7.5% for the medium term and remained a "committed shareholder".

Morgan Stanley sold the shares to institutions, for 49.5p.

The sale represented the end of a two-year legal battle by Sky to hang on to the shares, which it bought in a surprise raid in November 2006 to block a potential takeover of ITV by cable company NTL, now part of Virgin Media.

In a statement, the company said: "Sky intends to retain its residual 7.5% investment in ITV for the medium term and to remain a committed shareholder of ITV."

Sky acquired 696m shares for £940m at 135p a share. Since then ITV's share price plunged to a low of less than 20p, but has since recovered.

The satellite broadcaster has already factored in the loss in value of the past 18 months, writing down the worth of the stake to 20p a share for accounting purposes. In July 2008 the company wrote down the value of the stake by £616m in a non-cash accounting impairment charge. Last year BSkyB made a £191m writedown.

James Murdoch was the Sky chief executive who made the audacious swoop for the ITV stake in late 2006.

He is now Sky's chairman, and chairman and chief executive for Europe and Asia of its largest shareholder, News Corporation. Jeremy Darroch replaced Murdoch as Sky chief executive in December 2007.

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• BSkyB
• BSkyB
• ITV
• ITV
• Media business
• Television industry