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´óÏó´«Ã½ BLOGS - Newsnight: From the web team

Archives for January 2011

Monday 31 January 2011

Sarah McDermott | 12:22 UK time, Monday, 31 January 2011

The demonstrations in Egypt have entered their seventh day, causing beleaguered President Hosni Mubarak to announce a new cabinet which excludes his Interior Minister Habib al-Adly - a hate figure for the protesters.

Tonight, we will have the latest on the situation, and our correspondent Tim Whewell has visited one of the working class areas of Cairo to gauge feeling amongst some of the city's poorest residents - do they support the protests? Will they accept the sop of Mubarak's reshuffle? Or will they only be satisfied if the president himself goes?

In the studio Mark Urban will be reporting on the diplomatic tightrope walk Western governments, in particular the US, are engaged in and we will be discussing what is likely to happen next.

Also Michael Crick reports on a deal struck in Westminster to end the impasse which has been blocking progress of a bill to allow a referendum on the voting system and fewer parliamentary constituencies.

Plus, we look into the activities of UK Uncut, joining the protest group as they target businesses and stores who they claim are avoiding paying taxes, and speaking to supporters and critics.

Jeremy's back in the presenter's chair - join him at 2230 on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

You can get more news and chat about the programme on (don't forget to use the hashtag #newsnight) and on .

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From earlier:

We'll be hearing from our team on the ground in Cairo, where tens of thousands of people have gathered for a seventh day of protest, calling for a general strike.

And we have a piece about protest closer to home, filmed with the group UK Uncut at a demo in central against stores and brands who they claim avoid tax by registering abroad, at which police used CS spray on several protesters.

More details here, later.

Friday 28 January 2011

Verity Murphy | 13:48 UK time, Friday, 28 January 2011

Here's Emily with details of tonight's programme:

Our correspondent Tim Whewell and his producer and cameraman have spent all day in the thick of the riots in Cairo. So comprehensively has the country's communication system been shut down that it's been almost impossible to stay in touch with them all day. We hope to bring you the latest from them tonight.

But of course, this story is not about our difficulties in bringing you a broadcast, but whether Egypt is on the verge of an all-out revolution. And if Egypt - often seen as the leading force in the Arab world and the political gateway to the West - follows Tunisia, then which countries might be next?

So many questions follow that one: How will Western leaders approach relations with Egypt if their key ally in the Arab world is overturned? Is this Barack Obama's longed-for Change We Can Believe In? Or is it Change That Will Terrify the Living Daylights out of him?

We'll ask key players in the UK government and the US.

And, the Archbishop of Canterbury has called on the UK government to rethink the status of Ugandan asylum seekers in the light of the murder of prominent gay activist David Kato. Will they? We're on the case.

Do join me for more at 10.30pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

Emily

Thursday 27 January 2011

Sarah McDermott | 11:41 UK time, Thursday, 27 January 2011

Here's more detail on tonight's programme:

Tonight we return to a story which we first investigated last year - devices which were sold as bomb detectors, but which cannot possibly detect explosives or anything else for that matter.

Now Newsnight has uncovered evidence that the UK government and British Army helped to market the useless "detectors" around the world.

Tim Whewell is in Egypt where anti-government protests are continuing. He has spent the day with students as they prepare for tomorrow's day of action.

Stephanie Flanders in Davos has an exclusive interview with Google's Eric Schmidt, who it was announced last week will be resigning as CEO but continuing as executive chairman. How is his role changing and where does the company face the increasing threat from Facebook and social media.

And Liz MacKean reports on the death of Ugandan gay rights campaigner David Kato. Last year Mr Kato sued a local newspaper which outed him as homosexual.

Wednesday 26 January 2011

Sarah McDermott | 11:53 UK time, Wednesday, 26 January 2011

Here's Emily with news of how tonight's programme is looking at 1700:

The off-mic rule:

The school gate heckle today to passing mums was "and how many of YOU know the offside rule?"

And that was just from the headmaster.

Everyone thinks something about the sacking of Sky Sports presenter Andy Gray on the grounds of his sexist remarks.

And tonight we want to explore exactly what it's all about. Has Sky Sports morphed into the Guardian overnight? Was the louche, brash, but unexceptionally sexist Gray fired to make room for another breed of female-friendly broadcaster? And what to make of the move to fire people for the things they say off-mic?

Hell, there'd be nothing left of the ´óÏó´«Ã½...

First though, Scotland Yard says it is to reopen investigations into the phone hacking scandal.

The news is breaking as I write, that they've received significant new information. We'll see how that develops.

The joke that used to do the rounds in Labour circles was that if the Conservatives wanted to row back the surveillance society, all they had to do was get rid of Andy Coulson.

Well, they've done that. And today they've announced the tweaks to control orders which allow them to give them a new name - Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures (TPIMs) - and satisfy their Lib Dem colleagues they've got rid of them. We'll ask the Home Secretary Theresa May what's actually changed.

And away from the bright lights of the interrogation room to the murky undergrowth of the Forestry Commission.

Hundreds of thousands of people are preparing to fight any move by the government to sell off our woodland to private owners.

Katharine Hamnett - the designer - will join us live (and livid), and we'll have the first interview with DEFRA ahead of the decision tomorrow.

Do join me at 10:30pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

Emily


Tuesday 25 January 2011

Sarah McDermott | 10:33 UK time, Tuesday, 25 January 2011

Tonight our Economics editor Paul Mason will be giving us his take on the news that the UK's economy suffered a shock contraction of 0.5% in the last three months of 2010.

How significant a moment is this? And what does it mean in terms of government strategy going forward - will they change policy if this persists?

The Chancellor George Osborne has blamed the severe weather for the weak figures, but maintains he has no intention of changing his programme of cuts to public spending.

We'll be joined in debate by former chancellor Alistair Darling, and Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Justine Greening.

Then Jackie Long has a rare interview with South African athlete Caster Semenya who talks about her dispute with the International Association of Athletics Federations over gender tests to prove that she was a women.

And the nominations for this year's Academy Awards have just been announced with British movie The King's Speech leading the nominations with 12 nods, including best film and best actor for Colin Firth.

We'll be joined by screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, whose film The Social Network has received 8 nods.

Do join us at 2230 on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

You can get more news and chat about the programme on (don't forget to use the hashtag #newsnight) and on .

Monday 24 January 2011

Verity Murphy | 13:21 UK time, Monday, 24 January 2011

Here's Kirsty with more detail on what's happening on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two at 10.30pm:

Hello to viewers wherever you are.

We are watching the aftermath of the deadly Moscow airport attack and will bring you any developments and analysis later tonight.

But right now we are focussing on the Middle East. By the time we go on air we expect to have more revelations from the al-Jazeera/Guardian leak of a cache of Palestinian records which have already offered the most extraordinary insight into the peace process negotiations, just how much ground the Palestinian negotiators were prepared to give, and how hardline the response of the Israelis.

There is always a health warning though. We don't know if these are the totality of the documents and whether there are others which tell a different story.

Nonetheless, what has been the fallout of the revelations, and will they change the US approach to Israel in particular?

We have also been following up the "revolution" in Tunisia, trying to ascertain whether there will by any contagion. Tim Whewell has been filming in Jordan where he found people prepared to speak out against the royal family, despite the threat of the law.

The outgoing director of the CBI Sir Richard Lambert who stands down on Friday has fired off a broadside at the government over its growth strategy, or - as he sees it - the lack of it. He claims the government is not doing enough to promote growth at a time when spending cuts are likely to squeeze domestic demand.

"It's taken a series of policy initiatives for political reasons, apparently careless of the damage that might do to business and job creation."

He does though broadly agree with the speed and scale of planned spending cuts. We're bidding for the chancellor and his new shadow.

Join me at 10.30pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

Kirsty

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From earlier:

Mark Urban will be reporting on the extraordinary leaked Palestinian-Israeli negotiation documents which purport to show the Palestinians offering major concessions to Israel.

Tim Whewell has been to Jordan to test the temperature and find out how Arabs feel in light of the recent unrest in Tunisia.

Richard Watson will have more on the phone hacking story and Stephen Smith has a film about the artwork produced by acclaimed author Beryl Bainbridge after each of her books.

More details later.

Friday 21 January 2011

Verity Murphy | 11:43 UK time, Friday, 21 January 2011

Here's Stephanie Flanders with details of tonight's programme:

"What did you know, and when did you know it?" It's the question that has dogged Andy Coulson - and his boss - since the former News of the World Editor became David Cameron's director of communications in 2007.

Explaining his resignation today, he said "when the spokesman needs a spokesman, it's time to move on".

Downing Street may have hoped that Tony Blair's return to the Chilcot inquiry would help take the spotlight off his departure. Not a bit of it. Westminster and Fleet Street can talk of little else.

Conspiracy theorists are wondering whether News International executives had a hand in his departure, eager to finally get the phone-tapping scandal off the front pages.

Questions are also swirling around the police investigation, and whether new evidence could leave Mr Coulson with fresh questions to answer. And what does it tell us about David Cameron's judgment, that he chose Mr Coulson in the first place, then held on to him for so long?

There are so many strands to this story, it's hard to know where to start. But we have the former News Corp executive, Andrew Neil and Lord (John) Prescott to help us tie them all up for you with a pretty bow at 10.30 tonight.

And then there's Tony Blair. In his memoirs he writes that he felt a mixture of "anger and anguish" when Sir John Chilcot asked him last year whether he had any regrets about the war in Iraq. We heard more anguish on that question today.

But for the rest, Mr Blair once again gave what is known in the trade as a robust account of himself. Has his second testimony taught us anything we didn't know about the war and the events leading up to it?

David Grossman will be doing the forensics, and I'll be discussing them live with the former leader of the Liberal Democrats, Ming Campbell, and Lord Falconer, Tony's Blair's old friend and former lord chancellor.

And that's all we have time for. In the space of 24 hours, Tony Blair has (almost) said sorry about Iraq and two key figures from the frontline of British politics have resigned. Who ever said Friday was a quiet day in Westminster?!

Join me at 10.30pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

Stephanie

Thursday 20 January 2011

Len Freeman | 11:25 UK time, Thursday, 20 January 2011

Here's Matt Frei with details of tonight's Newsnight:

Westminster is aflutter with the unfolding story of the two Eds - Milliband and Balls.

Can these former rivals make nice and reconcile what looked like economic differences?

Is the party that was haunted and weakened for years by the tussle between Tony and Gordon setting itself up for the battle of the Eds?

Many questions and we haven't even asked the most obvious one, whether the well-liked Alan Johnson was pushed for his lacklustre performance on the most important brief in British politics or whether he did in fact resign for personal reasons.

The coalition government may relish the apparent confusion at the top of the Labour Party.

They have already hammered the point that Ed Balls is son of Brown. He is intimately associated with the economic policies of the past.

But he has enormous support within the Labour rank and file and, unlike the man he replaces, he DOES know how to do his numbers.

So who should be more afraid of Ed? The other Ed or George? On Newsnight we will explore all the angles and implications.

Wednesday 19 January 2011

Len Freeman | 11:33 UK time, Wednesday, 19 January 2011

Here is Matt Frei with details of Wednesday's programme:

Tamper with the NHS at your peril. That seems to be the lesson from recent history and it is one which David Cameron has apparently thumbed his nose at by introducing the most sweeping changes to the Health Service in England since its creation in 1948. We will be asking the government, the opposition and a troika of GPs whether this amounts to a radical but necessary make-over or an unwise gamble.

There is clearly no shortage of Hutzbah in Downing Street. The government finds itself caught between the rock of inflation and the hard place of a sputtering recovery relying on historically low interest rates. Before you can say Events, Dear Boy, Events - along comes another - the highest youth unemployment figures since records began. But is the combination of austerity policies and a bleak economy creating a '68 generation of disaffected youth? Or will circumstances just cow young people into submission?

And finally Henry Kissinger, the gravel voiced Maestro of Realpolitik is here to tell us what's at stake in the awkward dance between China and America. He first went to the Middle Kingdom with his then boss Richard Nixon, when the country was a largely agrarian state emerging from the trauma of revolution and famine. Now China has become America's banker.

Do join me at 10.30pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

Matt

Tuesday 18 January 2011

Verity Murphy | 12:54 UK time, Tuesday, 18 January 2011

Here's Kirsty with details of tonight's programme:

UK inflation jumped in December - the Consumer Prices Index rose from 3.3% in November to 3.7% the following month.

Mervyn King appears quite sanguine, but will the pressure to lift interest rates to curb inflation be overwhelming, and is there, as some commentators suggest, any evidence that "inflating away the debt" is an attractive proposition for the powers that be?

Paul Mason will have his analysis on UK inflation, and what is driving it here, and globally.

With the Chinese President Hu Jintao arriving in Washington for a state visit this evening, Matt Frei reports on the attitude of ordinary Americans to the rise of a rival superpower, and what they think their government should be doing about it.

And what impact will Steve Jobs' sabbatical have on Apple? He is the face of the company. Is he their fortune too? Apple's quarterly figures are out just an hour before we go on air and are expected to be better than good, but the share price is slipping. After the iPad who will deliver the next big thing for Apple?

Please join us at 10.30pm, Kirsty

Monday 17 January 2011

Verity Murphy | 12:34 UK time, Monday, 17 January 2011

Here's more detail on Monday's Newsnight, which is being presented by Matt Frei.

Tunisia's prime minister has announced a national unity government, which includes several sitting ministers and some opposition figures, days after President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was ousted after two decades in power.

But will the new line-up be enough to satisfy people demanding complete change at the top? And will it cool the temperature on the streets, where there have been more protests today.

Tonight we have a report from the capital Tunis by Lyse Doucet. And in the studio Mark Urban will be asking how the West is likely to respond to the new leadership.

Also, the internet was supposed to help free oppressed people, but has it instead become a tool for stifling dissent?

Tonight we talk to Evgeny Morozov, who questions the idea that the internet is inherently an emancipator in his book The Net Delusion.

Today the US celebrates the life and work of civil right campaigner Martin Luther King. King's I Have a Dream speech, delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963, is often cited as one of the best speeches of the 20th Century.

And this week sees the 50th anniversary of another great speech from that era - JFK's inauguration address in which he famously urged Americans to "ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country".

Tonight, we discuss what makes a great speech with Tony Blair advisor Alastair Campbell, George W Bush speechwriter David Frum, and, fresh from the Golden Globes where Colin Firth won the best actor award for The King's Speech, the film's director Tom Hooper.

Join Matt Frei at 10.30pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

Friday 14 January 2011

Sarah McDermott | 11:17 UK time, Friday, 14 January 2011

Here's what's coming up on tonight's programme:

Ed Miliband has said Labour's by-election victory in Oldham East and Saddleworth is the "first step in a long journey" for his party and sends a clear message to the Coalition. Lib Dem Elwyn Watkins came second in the poll, while the Tories - who have denied "soft pedalling" to help their coalition partners - saw their vote share halved.

Tonight Iain Watson reports on the challenges the result poses for David Cameron and the coalition, and our political panel - Danny Finkelstein, Peter Hyman and Olly Grender - will give their verdict on a fascinating result.

We'll have the latest on the unrest in Tunisia - what is the regional significance of all this? Mark Urban will put today's turbulent events into context.

And Matt Prodger is in Somerset investigating if new health reforms could lead to "back door privatisation" of the NHS, as critics claim. A significant number of GPs consortiums have already signed deals with large multi-national private health companies - should patients be concerned?

Do join Gavin at 10.30pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

On Monday it's Martin Luther King Day and that evening on the programme we'll be joined by a close friend of Dr King - Clarence B Jones - who helped to write what has become known as one of the best speeches of the 20th Century.

But what other speeches deserve to be ranked alongside 'I Have a Dream'?

We'd like you to hear what you think are the best speeches since the Second World War. .

Thursday 13 January 2011

Verity Murphy | 11:49 UK time, Thursday, 13 January 2011

More detail on tonight's programme:

Tonight Richard Watson will bring us more on the extraordinary story of Mark Kennedy, the undercover police officer who spent seven years posing as a climate activist.

In the studio we'll be asking about the lines of control in undercover police investigations and how such operations are regulated.

In 2000 when fuel protesters took to the streets to complain about the high price of fuel, the average cost for a litre of unleaded petrol was 80p. At the start of this month the average of cost of a litre of unleaded was £1.24.

David Grossman will report on what lies behind the rising cost and whether the government is likely to ease motorists' misery in the months ahead or add to it.

Plus, this week there has been a jump in the number of flu deaths. According to Health Protection Agency figures released today the virus killed 62 people, bringing the total number of deaths to 112 since October. Susan Watts will be talking us through the figures and what they signify.

And Michael Crick will be at the count in Oldham East and Saddleworth, where constituents have been voting in the first by-election of this parliament.

Wednesday 12 January 2011

Sarah McDermott | 10:54 UK time, Wednesday, 12 January 2011

Here's Emily with news of tonight's special programme:

Tonight we're in Oldham East and Saddleworth, and joined by a live studio audience and top politicians to mark this first electoral test of the Coalition.

I've just walked into a tea dance in the very room in which former Labour minister Phil Woolas was ejected from his seat.

There, to the strains of a sequence waltz, Oldham's rather sprightly seniors are showing that even on the greyest day of year this place does not conform to the nickname bestowed on it by (largely southern) journos. Old and Sad it ain't.

Tomorrow the dancers and the rest of this Pennine-nestled town will be asked to vote in the first by-election of the year, and of the Coalition government.

Luminous orange works well in the dark and, if the poster campaign is anything to go by, the Lib Dems have won that contest at least.

But they might not get the same glow from the voters themselves this time - by-elections tend to be much less cuddly when you're in government.

Tonight a studio audience of local voters from across the political spectrum get to put their questions to Conservative Baroness Warsi, President of the Lib Dems Tim Farron, and the shadow work and pensions secretary, Douglas Alexander.

Michael Crick reports from the ground, plus we bring you the latest from PMQs, and new revelations about the government's plans to curb bankers' bonuses.

Will Oldham's MP be voted in on local issues? Or will the politics of Westminster, the issues of trust and the grievances that people feel more widely with their leaders define the result?

It's all to play for here on the last day of the campaign.

Join me at 10.30pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two from Oldham.

Emily

You can get more news and chat about the programme on (don't forget to use the hashtag #newsnight) and on .

Tuesday 11 January 2011

Verity Murphy | 11:34 UK time, Tuesday, 11 January 2011

Here's Emily with more on tonight's programme:

I wonder how many ´óÏó´«Ã½ executives have been pinged e-mails by their female presenters and reporters this afternoon with the immortal words "Ha! Can't sack me now!" Of course, they still can. But from today it may become harder to do so for reasons of age or looks.

I'm imagining presenters everywhere punching the air with relief at the victory Miriam O'Reilly has secured against her former employer. And I'm imagining TV producers everywhere scratching their heads and wondering where this leaves their right to chose whom to hire for a programme they control. Tonight we ask whether the landmark case has the potential to end what has been deemed a vastly outdated - and unfair practice - or whether it will fundamentally change editorial independence and the way television is run.

Before that though, Bob Diamond appeared before the Treasury Select Committee today in order not to tell them whether he had accepted an £8m bonus this year from Barclays.
He made the point - rather skilfully - that banks have failed to explain to people how their remuneration structure works and that is why it is sometimes deemed unfair. So in the interests of clarity we're inviting those from the city to explain the process - and politicians to tell us whether they've now lost their appetite for the battle of the bonus.

Michael Crick will be in Oldham East and Saddleworth - ahead of the first by-election since the coalition was formed and since the Lib Dems saw their poll numbers sink so dramatically in the face of the tuition fees vote.

And Steve Smith gets to meet Gilbert and George. Or should I say Gilbert and George get to meet Steve Smith.

Do join me - 1030pm ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two

Emily

Monday 10 January 2011

Sarah McDermott | 10:18 UK time, Monday, 10 January 2011

Here's Kirsty with more on tonight's programme:

Are the Met and other forces right to send undercover police officers out to infiltrate protest groups, and how many of these officers are there around the UK?

We kick off tonight with exclusive revelations which get inside the mind of Pc Mark Kennedy, AKA Mark Stone, who posed for seven years as a green activist, taking a leading role in big protests.

He says he has resigned from the Met, telling friends he regrets it all.

His decision to recant apparently stems from the case centring on allegations of a conspiracy to break into Ratcliffe-on-Soar coal-fired power station which was abandoned by the prosecution today, when details of the role Mark Kennedy played began to emerge.

President Barack Obama led a minute's silence today for the victims of the Arizona shootings, which left six dead and 14 injured, including Democrat congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head.

The shooting has started a row over whether inflammatory right-wing rhetoric played any part in the attack in Tucson when a gunman targeted a "meet and greet".

Sarah Palin often uses metaphors about weapons such as "don't retreat, reload," but she is hardly unique in this.

So do the Democrats sense "an easy target" or an opportunity to score a "direct hit" on the Tea Party and, by association, Republicans who now have a majority in the House of Representatives?

On Friday's Newsnight, in the wake of the sentencing of two Asian men for their role in the sexual abuse of girls in the Derby area, former home secretary Jack Straw accused some men of Pakistani heritage of seeing young vulnerable white girls as "easy meat".

Critics say that it is not an issue of race and have condemned Mr Straw's comments. Tonight Jackie Long returns to the story.

And the international economist Dambisa Moyo, whose bestseller Dead Aid challenged received wisdom about Western aid for Africa, is publishing her next big analysis on Thursday, How the West was Lost: Fifty Years of Economic Folly, in which she says if nothing is done the US will end up as a second tier economy.

She brings her arguments to the programme tonight.

Do join us, Kirsty.

Friday 7 January 2011

Verity Murphy | 14:44 UK time, Friday, 7 January 2011

More detail on tonight's programme, which will be presented by Stephanie Flanders:

The ringleaders of a gang which groomed and abused teenage girls in Derby in a campaign of rape and assault spanning two years have been handed indeterminate jail sentences.

Some children's charities say that such on-street grooming of young girls by older men, where girls are targeted outside, including at the school gates, is a growing problem.

But debate is raging over whether there is a racial element to the practice.

There have been claims that the majority of men convicted of on-street grooming have been Asians of Pakistani origin, and that most of their victims have been white.

However, today the authors of the first independent analysis of the issue have voiced concerns that limited data from a small, geographically concentrated area is being used to characterise a whole crime.

Jackie Long has been finding out where the truth lies.

Also tonight - Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said today that the US economy is showing signs of a "self-sustaining recovery", but is not growing fast enough to reduce high jobless levels.

His statement came despite Labor Department figures showing that the US unemployment rate dropped to 9.4% in December from 9.8% in November, the biggest since April 1998.

So America a safe bet for investors or not? Stephanie Flanders will be finding out.

And Stephen Smith will be bringing us an all-American fairy tale.

Thursday 6 January 2011

Verity Murphy | 12:32 UK time, Thursday, 6 January 2011

Here's Kirsty Wark with more details on tonight's programme:

Roll up roll up for the third instalment in our Newsnight 2011 starter pack.

Tonight our Economics editor Paul Mason delivers a succinct critique of the only show in town. This will be the year of the euro drama. Welcome to Estonia, but will that beautiful country, and all the other eurozone countries be searching for a new national currency before the end of the year?

Just one statistic to make your ears bleed, courtesy of The Guardian's Larry Elliot, Spain's intra-eurozone bank-to-bank debt is $1 trillion. So which eurozone country will need money fastest this year, and when will the help run out?

I'll be asking France's Finance Minister, Christine Lagarde, and then talking to market players and economic experts.

The Health Protection Agency has announced that this week 11 more people have died from flu across the UK, taking the total who have died in this outbreak to 50. Although on the basis of the number of reported cases it does not amount to an epidemic.

Last year the government was accused of overreacting to the outbreak of flu and talking the potential fatalities up, so this year have they so far been proved broadly correct in their low key approach, despite criticisms of patchy vaccine supplies in England?

We'll be discussing how complex an issue it is for politicians and clinicians to predict and react to a flu outbreak.

And how will Australia cope with the loss of The Ashes, when sporting prowess is such a big part of the national psyche (and not exactly a given in the British Isles). We'll be speaking to two antipodeans.

Wednesday 5 January 2011

Verity Murphy | 11:46 UK time, Wednesday, 5 January 2011

Here's Kirsty with more details on tonight's programme:

The realities of governing can hit principles like a freight train. For both partners in the coalition government their opposition to Control Orders whilst Labour was in power is coming back to haunt them big time.

Introduced as a temporary and emergency measure by Tony Blair in 2005 they are still with us, with their imposition of indefinite restrictions on liberty, but yet not subject to the rigour of the courts.

We are about to find from the government whether they will be scrapped, remain, or be rebranded as something else.

Tonight we investigate just how effective they are, and what might happen to our national security if they are no more.

Why is it so hard to get a handle on this year's flu outbreak? It is predominantly swine flu but its symptoms go from one end of the scale to the other - from mild shivers to fatalities.

The Westminster government has been criticised for insufficient warnings in England and Wales, and a failure to run advertisements, as they did last year, which alerted people to the need for flu jabs.

Our Science Editor Susan Watts has been finding out whether we are now facing a flu epidemic, and if so what needs to be done by the NHS, and the politicians.

Kick start the year with Newsnight - the second instalment. Last night Mark Urban predicted some of the big global issues of 2011, tonight our Political editor Michael Crick reveals what he thinks will make the political weather this year - the players, the politics and the big flashpoints.

And Newsnight's political panel will be here to discuss it all.


Tuesday 4 January 2011

Sarah McDermott | 11:46 UK time, Tuesday, 4 January 2011

Here's Kirsty with news of our first programme of 2011:

A Happy New Year to all Newsnight viewers, wherever you are in the world, and I hope we will illuminate 2011 for you!

Tonight, we will be looking at the issues expected to dominate global politics in 2011. Which countries will be flexing their political and economic muscles this year? Will new wars break out? Will China rule the waves? What will the US troop draw down in Afghanistan mean for the country? Our Diplomatic editor Mark Urban will give us his analysis and then we have a top notch panel for our discussion.

But before all of that we begin with a look at the political row behind the rise in VAT. David Grossman will report on the clash between Labour and the coalition over whether the increase from 17.5% to 20% is a "progressive" or "regressive" tax.

And in the studio we will be talking to a government minister and their opposition shadow.

Plus, we have a follow-up investigation on homeopathy. Join us at 2230 on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two.

You can get more news and chat about the programme on (don't forget to use the hashtag #newsnight) and on .
------------------------------------------------------------------------

From earlier:
Tonight in our first programme of the year, Mark Urban will be taking a diplomatic look ahead to 2011. Then we have an investigation about the homeopathic remedies being offered to travellers against diseases including malaria and yellow fever - which could be putting lives at risk.

And as the top rate of VAT rises from 17.5% to 20% we'll consider the political row surrounding the change and the economic implications.

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