This is tantamount to institutionalised abuse. Where else in our society would we tolerate such neglect without a huge public outcry?"
End QuoteDot GibsonNational Pensioners Convention
In terms of nutrition, standards seemed to have improved slightly, whereas for privacy and dignity the situation had worsened since 2011, the latest report said.
From the care sector, 316 of the 500 homes met all the standards.
Other problems highlighted included a lack of help in going to the toilet and lack of privacy when getting washed or dressed.
CQC chief executive David Behan said the findings were "disappointing".
"Safe, good quality care is not complex or time-consuming," he added.
Dot Gibson, of the National Pensioners Convention, said: "One report after another shows that we still cannot guarantee that when an older person goes into hospital or a care home that they will have their dignity respected.
"This is tantamount to institutionalised abuse. Where else in our society would we tolerate such neglect without a huge public outcry?"
Care Minister Norman Lamb said he expected "swift action" to be taken where services were not up to scratch.
"We want Britain to be the best country in the world to grow old in - but we have a lot of work to do," he said.
What's your experience of care for the elderly in hospitals and care homes? Please get in contact using the form below.
We should speak out when [chief executives] CEOs receive tens of millions of dollars in retirement packages but middle-class workers have not had a meaningful raise in years"
End QuoteGrowth and Opportunity Project report
"Our message was weak; our ground game was insufficient; we weren't inclusive; we were behind in both data and digital; our primary and debate process needed improvement," he added.
The 98-page Growth and Opportunity Project report concludes that while Republican principles may be sound, "the way we communicate our principles isn't resonating widely enough".
"Unless changes are made, it will be increasingly difficult for Republicans to win another presidential election in the near future," it concluded.
Mr Priebus, who unveiled the report at an event in Washington on Monday, discussed the stark findings of the report's interviews with some 50,000 people.
"Focus groups described our party as 'narrow minded', 'out of touch', and 'stuffy old men'," he said. "The perception that we're the party of the rich continues to grow."
Among dozens of recommendations, the report also calls for better use of digital technology and databases to engage supporters and raise money - in recognition of President Barack Obama's formidable political machine.
It also urges adopting stricter policies with corporations, loosening campaign finance laws and reducing the number of debates during presidential primaries.
"We should speak out when [chief executives] receive tens of millions of dollars in retirement packages, but middle-class workers have not had a meaningful raise in years," the report says.
Correspondents say the findings are a recognition that the party must abandon election strategies geared to its base of white male voters. Numbers of US minority voters, who tend to vote heavily Democratic, are growing much more quickly than those of white Americans.
But the findings may prove unpopular in some branches of the Republican party.
On the issue of immigration reform, political commentator Ann Coulter told the Conservative Political Action Conference over the weekend that Republicans would never win another national election if a path to earned citizenship became law.
But in a speech to the same event, former presidential nominee Mitt Romney said the party had not lost its way and must remain optimistic.
Up to a million people are expected at the Vatican to attend the inauguration Mass for Pope Francis.
Political and religious leaders from around the world are also attending the Mass in St Peter's Square, marking the official start of his papacy.
The first pontiff from the Americas, he has suggested he will take a more modest approach than his predecessors.
Pope Francis was elected by a conclave of cardinals last week to take over from Pope emeritus Benedict.
He became the first pontiff in 600 years to abdicate last month. Citing his age, 85, he said he could no longer continue in the post.
Pope Francis is expected to make a tour of St Peter's Square to greet the faithful before Mass begins at 09:30 (08:30 GMT).
After delivering a homily, he will be presented with his papal pallium made of lambs' wool and a gold-plated silver "fisherman's ring" bearing the image of St Paul holding two keys.
But the Pope has also asked for some of the pomp to be stripped away, the BBC's Tom Robbins reports from Rome.
The ring is second-hand and made of silver plated in gold, not the solid gold worn by his predecessor, our correspondent adds.
Leaders gather
The list of attendees for Monday's Mass includes US Vice-President Joe Biden and the spiritual head of the Orthodox Church, Patriarch Bartholomew.
He will be the first Orthodox patriarch to attend a papal inauguration Mass since the two branches of Christianity split more than 1,000 years ago.
Thirty-three groups of guests from various Christian Churches are expected in total, according to the Vatican, along with 16 delegations from Jewish communities, as well as representatives of other faiths.
Before his election last week, Pope Francis was Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, and Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner will be in attendance at the Mass.
On Monday, Ms Fernandez became the first foreign head of state to be received by Pope Francis and said she had asked for his intervention in the Falklands dispute between her country and the UK.
Thousands of people held overnight vigils across Argentina in preparation of Tuesday's Mass.
The event will be broadcast on giant screens set up outside the cathedral on Plaza de Mayor, the main square in the capital Buenos Aires.
Informal tone
Correspondents say that in his first few days in office, Pope Francis has been striking an informal and spontaneous tone, preferring anecdotes and off-the-cuff remarks to scripted speeches.
Speaking on Saturday, he emphasised that he wanted "a poor Church, for the poor".
He is the first pontiff to take the name of Francis, reminiscent of St Francis of Assisi, the 13th-Century son of an aristocrat who spurned a life of luxury to live with and for the poor.
He said the Holy Spirit had inspired the resignation of Benedict XVI and guided the cardinals choosing him as the next pontiff.
At the end of a Mass he celebrated on Sunday, he waited outside the church and greeted people as they left, like a parish priest, asking many of them to "pray for me".
Later, just a few minutes after delivering the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis sent his first Tweet as pontiff, writing: "Dear friends, I thank you from my heart and I ask you to continue to pray for me. Pope Francis."
Cyprus' parliament has begun debating an EU-IMF bailout package, after the government proposed changes to a controversial bank levy.
MPs were due to vote on the plan, hours after President Nicos Anastasiades said they were likely to reject it.
The finance ministry has proposed exempting savers with smaller deposits, but opposition remains fierce.
The controversial tax is a condition for Cyprus to get a 10bn-euro loan to rescue its banks.
Meanwhile, the UK ministry of defence has said a plane carrying 1m euros is heading to Cyprus as a contingency measure to provide military personnel and their families with emergency loans.
The money will be used for British personnel and their families if cash machines and debit cards stop working.
'Against the interests of Cyprus'
As the debate on Tuesday got under way, thousands of protesters had gathered outside the parliament building to voice their opposition to the plan.
The parliament speaker turned down a request from the ruling party to delay a vote.
A ruling party MP in Nicosia said party colleagues would abstain in the vote. The opposition is expected to vote against. No MPs are thought likely to back the bailout bill.
Several MPs denounced the proposed plan as "blackmail".
The plan was changed following outrage that ordinary savers would be forced to pay a levy of 6.75%. The new plan would keep that levy on deposits over 20,000 euros (£17,000), with those over 100,000 euros charged at 9.9%.
Mr Anastasiades has urged all parties to back the bailout, saying Cyprus will be bankrupt if the deal does not go ahead.
But he said earlier on Tuesday that MPs were likely to reject the levy, despite the modifications.
"They feel and they think it's unjust and that it is against the interests of Cyprus at large. But I have to admit that it was something which was not expected by the troika and by our friends, the Eurogroup."
He has called an emergency meeting of political party leaders on Wednesday morning to discuss the way forward.
EU finance ministers have warned that Cyprus's two biggest banks will collapse if the deal does not go through in some form.
The president of the Eurogroup of eurozone finance ministers, Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, emphasised on Monday that no other eurozone country would be forced to impose such a levy.
Opposition MP Pambos Papageorgiou says any tax on savers will be rejected by parliament
The Cyprus central bank chief, Panicos Demetriades, has warned that scrapping the tax on small savers would scupper the plan to raise 5.8bn euros in total from bank deposits. He also predicted account holders could suddenly withdraw 10% or more of the total in Cypriot banks if the levy was imposed.
Fearing a run on accounts, Cyprus has shut its banks until at least Thursday. The local stock exchange also remains closed.
Cyprus' banks were badly exposed to Greece, which has itself been the recipient of two huge bailouts.
Russian anger
Mr Demetriades said that he favoured imposing the levy only on deposits larger than 100,000 euros, with eurozone finance ministers also suggesting such a move.
Instead, they argue that wealthier savers should pay the levy at a higher rate - losing more than 15% of their investments, correspondents say.
However, many of those larger deposits are held by Russians, and Russian leaders have already reacted angrily to the Cypriot levy - on Monday President Vladimir Putin called it "unfair, unprofessional and dangerous".
Of the estimated 68bn euros in total held in Cypriot bank accounts about 40% belongs to foreigners - most of them thought to be Russians.
The government fears a higher levy on these larger deposits would prompt many large investors to withdraw from the island and would effectively destroy its financial sector.
Russia has also said it may reconsider the terms of a 2.5bn-euro loan it made to Cyprus in 2011, which was separate from the proposed eurozone bailout.
The BBC's Mark Lowen in Nicosia says it now appears that a proxy battle of sorts is taking place over Cyprus: on the one side the EU is pushing for a lighter burden on lower savers and, on the other, Russia is angry because its wealthy nationals would be taxed hard in Cyprus.
Meanwhile, the tiny Cypriot economy's future hangs in the balance.
Appleton, who left Blackpool
for the Rovers' job in January,
is replaced by reserve-team coach Gary Bowyer for the remainder of the season.
"I am disappointed to be leaving Blackburn Rovers," said Appleton.
The 37-year-old, who began the season at Portsmouth before his short-lived stints at Blackpool and Blackburn, added: "I would like to thank the players, and wish them all the best for the rest of the season.
"I would also like to say thanks to the fans who have made me feel so welcome over the past few months."
Blackburn managers in 2012-13
Appleton won four of his first seven games in charge of Rovers, but Blackburn have failed to win since knocking Arsenal out of the FA Cup and are 18th in the table, just four points above the relegation zone.
A
brief statement on the club website said:
"Blackburn Rovers FC can confirm that Michael Appleton has been relieved of his duties as manager along with assistant manager Ashley Westwood, first-team coach Darren Moore and head of senior recruitment Luke Dowling."
Appleton, who started the 2012-13 season in charge of troubled League One outfit Pompey,
moved to Blackpool in November
but was manager at Bloomfield Road for just over two months before switching to the Seasiders' Lancashire rivals.
Despite losing his first game at home to Charlton, his reign at Ewood Park began positively, the highlight being a
1-0 win against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium
that meant Blackburn progressed to the last eight of the FA Cup.
His last match in charge was a
1-1 draw with Burnley
on Sunday, although Blackburn needed a stoppage-time equaliser from David Dunn to avoid a first home defeat by the Clarets in 34 years.
In a statement released via his PR company, Appleton said: "I am disappointed to be leaving Blackburn Rovers. I would like to thank the players, and wish them all the best for the rest of the season. I would also like to say thanks to the fans who have made me feel so welcome over the past few months."
Blackburn's return to the second tier of English football after 11 seasons in the Premier League has been dominated by off-the-field issues, not least the uncertainty surrounding the managerial position.
Kean was "forced to resign" in September, with Blackburn in the Championship's top six, following months of protests from a section of Blackburn supporters against the Scot and owners Venky's.
Norwegian Berg, a former Rovers defender who won the Premier League title with the club in 1995, was
named as Kean's successor a month later
but won only one of his first 10 games as manager and was dismissed after just 57 days.
Blackburn were resurgent under Bowyer, winning three and drawing one of their four matches in all competitions under their reserve-team coach, before Appleton's appointment in January.
The ex-Manchester United, Preston and West Bromwich Albion midfielder was scheduled to face former club Blackpool at Ewood Park on 29 March.
Rovers have nine games remaining to preserve their Championship status and avoid a second consecutive relegation.
Blackburn's record goalscorer Simon Garner, who played for the club between 1978 and 1992 and scored 194 times, told BBC Radio 5 live: "I can't believe it. There were no murmurings, heard nothing that this was going to happen. After the last couple of results, Millwall and then Burnley, perhaps they were the final nail in the coffin.
Archive: Appleton on Blackburn owners
"I don't know if anyone would want the job. Three managers in a season - it looks like you lose a few games and you're sacked. Venky's don't seem to know how to handle a manager and the fans."
Last week, Dr Who actor and Blackburn fan
Matt Smith said:
"It's an absolute farce, a joke, it's being run by complete numpties. Great players, great team, great club and those berks have ruined it.
"They talk about getting rid of [former manager Sam] Allardyce because of the long ball - what the hell was that against Millwall?
"It was a woeful performance. It's the first time I've been embarrassed at the way the team played."
The government is to announce further spending cuts in Wednesday's Budget, with the savings going to large-scale infrastructure projects designed to boost economic growth.
Most Whitehall departments will have to cut 2% of their spending over the next two years, amounting to about £2.5bn.
But health, schools and HM Revenue & Customs budgets will be unaffected.
The cuts come on top of the 3% spending reductions announced for the next two years in last year's Autumn Statement.
In its 2010 spending review, the government originally announced departmental spending cuts averaging 19% - equivalent to £81bn - up to 2014-2015.
Chancellor George Osborne told his colleagues of the new austerity measures at Tuesday's cabinet meeting.
Overseas aid will also be shielded from the cuts, while local government and police budgets will be protected for the first year.
Unspent cash
However, other government departments - such as justice, environment and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - will be told to deliver a further 1% cut to their day-to-day budgets in both 2013-14 and 2014-15.
Number 10 insist there were no protests around the cabinet table when George Osborne unveiled his plans for yet more spending cuts.
And yet there were probably a fair number of ministers grinding their teeth in fury.
Why? Well because once again health, schools and overseas aid were protected, leaving the remaining departments to take an even bigger share of the pain.
The move is certain to fuel a growing view in Tory circles that ring-fencing makes no sense, is unfair and has to end.
Mr Osborne made clear at the weekend that the prime minister is determined to "do right by the NHS".
But he was rather less categorical about the prospects for the aid budget.
Recent polling evidence suggests many voters would also be quite happy to see an end to the cash increases for development spending.
And this latest spending squeeze can only add to the pressure on Mr Cameron to abandon his pledge to protect overseas aid at the next election.
A No 10 spokesman said the move had been made possible by under-spending by government departments this year, which "reflected the success that secretaries of state across the board have had, working with the Treasury, on bringing departmental resource spending down".
The Ministry of Defence is being given special leeway to roll over unspent cash worth £1.6bn over the next two years.
Total annual underspends across Whitehall have averaged about £6bn since 2007 and the figure for 2012-3 will be announced on Wednesday.
Energy Secretary Ed Davey, whose department will have to find extra savings, denied ministers had been taken by surprise by the chancellor's announcement, saying they had been given "more notice" of it than expected.
"What was really noticeable around the cabinet table was people supporting the overall approach not only of the chancellor but the Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander," he told the BBC.
"We have to get to grips with this (the deficit). In countries where they don't they're paying a very heavy price."
The government has come under pressure to increase spending on capital projects, such as roads and housing, with its critics saying it is not doing enough to help economic growth.
Lib Dem business secretary Vince Cable has led calls for this in cabinet but David Cameron and Nick Clegg have previously ruled out funding such a move by increased borrowing.
Lord Deighton, the minister charged with accelerating the delivery of major infrastructure projects, briefed cabinet on progress on Tuesday ahead of what are expected to be further announcements on growth initiatives on Wednesday.
The chancellor will give his fourth Budget speech on 20 March at 12:30 GMT
There is full coverage of the Budget and how it affects you on the BBC News website
You will also be able to watch the event on a special programme on BBC Two and the BBC News Channel from 11:30 GMT
For Labour, shadow Treasury minister Chris Leslie said: "If this is the only additional investment in infrastructure in the Budget, it will be a huge disappointment.
"Business groups, the IMF and even Vince Cable have all said now is the right time to invest, at record low interest rates, in building homes, road and schools to create jobs now and strengthen our economy for the future.
"The test for the Budget is whether it delivers bold action to kick-start our flatlining economy and significant tax cuts for middle and low income families, not a £3bn tax cut for the very richest and more of the same failing policies."
The TUC estimated that the extra £2.5bn a year for infrastructure would "boost growth by a measly 0.06%".
"With interest rates negative in real terms, the chancellor has the perfect opportunity to invest in Britain's future, rather than raiding departmental budgets to cover his failed economic strategy," said its general secretary Frances O'Grady.
Mr Osborne - who will carry out of a review of spending for 2015-6 in June - is under pressure due to the lack of growth in the economy and the loss of the UK's AAA credit rating last month. The government's target for eliminating the structural deficit has already slipped to 2017-8.
The Office for Budget Responsibility will publish its latest forecasts for economic growth and borrowing alongside the Budget.
Asked on Tuesday how the government planned to spend revenue raised by bringing forward state pension changes by a year to 2016, Downing Street said some of it would go to paying for the cap on social care costs.
A spokesman said the Treasury would announce in "due course" how the remainder would be spent.
The Football Association has opened talks with Owen about a possible ambassadorial role with England.
Owen added: "I have been very fortunate in that my career has taken me on a journey I could only have dreamed of."
He burst on to the scene as a teenager at Liverpool and made England's 1998 World Cup squad aged only 18. He announced himself on the world stage with a
memorable solo goal against Argentina in that tournament
and scored a hat-trick as England beat Germany 5-1 in Munich in September 2001.
He has scored 220 goals in his club career, winning the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup (three times) and Uefa Cup. Owen was also named European Footballer of the Year in 2001 - the first Englishman to achieve the accolade since Kevin Keegan in 1979.
Michael Owen retirement: Gary Lineker on 'unbelievable talent'
Owen joined Stoke City at the start of the season and has scored one goal in seven appearances.
"Having progressed through the ranks at Liverpool to make my first-team debut at 17, before embarking upon spells at Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke City, not to mention representing my country on 89 occasions, I now feel it is the right time to bring the curtain down on my career,"
Owen wrote in a statement on his website.
"None of this would have been possible without the tremendous support I have received from managers, coaches, fellow players, backroom staff, the supporters and my own personal sponsors. I would like to thank each and every one for the huge role they have played in helping me reach the top of my profession.
"Most of all, though, I would like to thank my family. To my beautiful wife Louise, for her continued love and support through the many ups and downs in my career and for affording me the most precious gift of all, our children.
"To my mum, who has always taken the brunt of my frustrations yet continues to keep our family so tight-knit, a trait that has formed the foundations of my own success. Her dedication to me and my brothers and sisters is immeasurable.
Memories to savour
"The departure may be low-key but the end of this season will bring the curtain down on the career of an outstanding striker at domestic and international level"
"Last but not least, my dad. We did it my old mate! From those freezing local parks to terrorising the best defenders in the world on the biggest stages of all. I couldn't have done it without you."
Chester-born Owen helped Liverpool to a treble of trophies in 2001 as they won the League Cup, FA Cup and Uefa Cup to end a six-year trophy drought. In that FA Cup win, he memorably scored two late goals to help Liverpool come from behind to beat Arsenal 2-1.
In total, Owen scored 158 goals in 297 appearances for the Anfield club before moving to
Real Madrid for £8m in 2004,
where he was part of the "Galacticos", including Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Roberto Carlos and Raul.
However, after eight consecutive seasons of hitting double figures in goals, he would only reach that mark again twice in the next eight years.
International pedigree
Owen remains the only Englishman to have scored in four major tournaments and is fourth on the all-time goalscoring list behind Sir Bobby Charlton, Gary Lineker and Jimmy Greaves
Injuries took their toll. Owen suffered a broken metatarsal in December 2005. Despite returning to fitness in time for the 2006 World Cup, he damaged the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the first minute of the group match against Sweden, and was out of action for almost a year.
Owen played fewer than 10 more times for his country after that tournament, with his last appearance for England coming
against France in 2008.
After four injury-blighted years at St James' Park, in which he still managed to score 30 goals in 79 appearances, the club were relegated from the Premier League. He later
signed for Manchester United
on a free transfer in 2009.
He signed an extension to his original contract after winning the Premier League title in 2010-11 and was an unused substitute in United's Champions League final defeat by Barcelona that year.
But his injury problems resurfaced, limiting his first-team chances and leading to his release from the club and subsequent move to Stoke.
Ed Davey said the new nuclear power station was a milestone on the road to decarbonisation
The first of a planned new generation of nuclear power plants in the UK has been given approval.
Energy Secretary Ed Davey told MPs in the Commons that he was granting planning consent for French energy giant EDF to construct Hinkley Point C in Somerset.
The proposed £14bn power plant would be capable of powering five million homes.
Mr Davey said the project was "of crucial national importance" but environmental groups reacted angrily.
25,000 jobs
The building of Hinkley Point C is expected to pave the way for a fleet of new plants across the UK.
It is estimated the project will create between 20,000 and 25,000 jobs during construction and 900 permanent jobs once in operation.
Nuclear plants are not breeding fast - it has taken a whole generation to get this close to a new pair.
But today's decision is only the start of a government struggle to fuel much of the country on atomic power.
Because Hinkley is the only nuclear plant queuing for planning permission at the moment.
What's more, the stations there will have to be subsidised massively by the public under a deal being "intensely" discussed by the Treasury. Its owners are asking for government guarantees that may possibly be challenged under EU competition law and the firm is still looking for a business partner.
And even if the plants at Hinkley actually do get off the ground, there is still a huge question mark over the rest of the new-build programme.
To replace historic capacity would need at least three more developments on this scale. But it's barely conceivable that the new-build programme could progress with no sign of a long-term nuclear waste disposal in prospect.
The stakes are high. The government's chief energy scientist David Mackay recently warned that to supply clean energy to industry would take a four-fold increase in nuclear power - or a 40-fold increase in wind power.
That's unless we all start saving energy with a level of frugality and invention which has eluded us so far.
BBC industry correspondent John Moylan said the power plant would cost more than the London 2012 Olympics.
Mr Davey told the Commons: "The planning decision to give consent to Hinkley Point follows a rigorous examination from the Planning Inspectorate, and detailed analysis within my department.
"This planned project adds to a number of new energy projects consented since May 2010, including wind farms and biomass and gas-fired power stations.
"It will benefit the local economy, through direct employment, the supply chain and the use of local services."
The news is a boost to the nuclear industry following a series of setbacks in plans to construct a new fleet of reactors in the UK, which ministers say are needed to cut carbon and keep the lights on.
It will lock a generation of consumers into higher energy bills, via a strike price that's expected to be double the current price of electricity"
End QuoteJohn SauvenGreenpeace chief executive
EDF says the project would generate taxes equivalent to a few percentage points of what the entire financial sector yields for the exchequer.
The energy giant is negotiating with ministers over what it can charge for the electricity Hinkley generates for decades to come.
Mr Davey said discussions on the strike price were ongoing, but he expected them to be concluded shortly.
EDF chief executive Vincent de Rivaz said "intensive discussions" were taking place.
He said: "To make this opportunity a reality, we need to reach agreement swiftly... It must offer a fair and balanced deal for consumers and investors."
Shadow energy secretary Caroline Flint welcomed the decision to grant planning consent.
"Today's announcement is an important milestone in the development of new nuclear build in the UK," she said.
"I am pleased to welcome it and reiterate our support for nuclear power alongside an expansion of renewable energy and investment in carbon capture and storage as part of a clean, secure and affordable energy supply for the future."
'Fair and balanced'
However, environmental groups have reacted angrily.
They raised concerns over the potentially high price for electricity the government will agree to in order to get the nuclear plant built, and over the issue of nuclear waste.
Greenpeace executive director John Sauven said: "It will lock a generation of consumers into higher energy bills, via a strike price that's expected to be double the current price of electricity, and it will distort energy policy by displacing newer, cleaner, cheaper technologies.
"With companies now saying the price of offshore wind will drop so much it will be on par with nuclear by 2020, there is no rationale for allowing Hinkley C to proceed."
Friends of the Earth's Policy and Campaigns Director Craig Bennett said: "The only way this plant will be built is if the government hands over a blank cheque from UK taxpayers to French developers, EDF.
"The most cost-effective way to cut carbon and keep the lights on is a combination of energy efficiency and investing in renewables."
Hinkley C would be one of the UK's biggest infrastructure projects for years with 5,600 workers on site at the peak of construction.
Unite's national officer for energy Kevin Coyne, said the decision to grant consent was a "massive boost for jobs".
But Dr Tim Fox, head of energy and environment at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, warned of a potential shortage of skilled engineers needed to build the plant.
"More needs to be done to increase the number of people choosing engineering as a career to overcome a skills shortage," he said.
"Over the next 10 years, the UK needs to be recruiting about 87,000 engineers a year, but worryingly we are currently producing just 46,000 engineers a year."
Hinkley Point C will be the third nuclear plant at the site.
Hinkley A, which is now being decommissioned, began generating in 1965 and was closed down in 1999. Hinkley B, which started generating in 1976, is due to be turned off in 2023.
The last nuclear plant built in the UK was Sizewell B in Suffolk. Building work for the plant, near Leiston, began in 1988 and it started operating seven years later.
Pope Francis has inaugurated his papacy at a Mass in Rome, calling on global leaders and all the people of the world to defend the poor and the weak.
Up to 200,000 people attended the Mass in St Peter's Square.
His homily focused on protection - of the environment, children, the elderly and those in need, who he said were "often the last we think about".
Francis was elected by a conclave of cardinals last week to take over from Benedict XVI.
Benedict became the first pontiff in 600 years to abdicate last month. Citing his age, 85, he said he could no longer continue in the post.
Papal ring
Pope Francis, formerly Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio and now the first pontiff from the Americas, has since his election called for a "Church for the poor" and has struck an informal and spontaneous tone.
A smiling Pope Francis greets the faithful from an open-topped Popemobile. Pale-blue and white flags of his native Argentina bob above the heads of the crowd. One symbol of historic change.
Other hints of change - the style and length of this inaugural Mass. The new Pope shortened it. Still magnificent, but with some of the pomp deliberately stripped away. Instead of all his cardinals demonstrating obedience, just six represented them all.
Pope Francis said in his homily that his power, to be authentic, should be service to others - especially the poorest and the weakest in the world. The new Pope apparently hopes to repair the reputation of the Catholic Church by reviving basic Christian teaching.
His chosen name, Francis, honours St Francis of Assisi, the 13th-Century son of an aristocrat who spurned a life of luxury to live with and for the poor.
Pope Francis' homily at the Mass began by focusing on Joseph and his role as protector - of Mary, Jesus and the Church.
Francis, 76, expanded the image, referring to Francis of Assisi and saying that the role of protector was not just a Christian one.
He said: "It means protecting all creation, the beauty of the created world... It means respecting each of God's creatures and respecting the environment in which we live.
"It means protecting people, showing loving concern for each and every person, especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last we think about."
Francis called on "all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and social life" to be protectors of creation.
"To protect creation, to protect every man and every woman, to look upon them with tenderness and love, is to open up a horizon of hope," Francis said.
Without care for the environment and fellow humans, "the way is opened to destruction and hearts are hardened", he said.
"Let us not allow omens of destruction and death to accompany the advance of this world."
Francis said the pope himself must be inspired by the lowly - "the poorest, the weakest, the least important, those who Matthew lists in the final judgment on love: the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, those in prison".
As Pope Francis celebrated his inaugural mass, his outward appearance signalled the style of his papacy which he has said aims to provide a "poor Church, for the poor".
Click on the numbers on the left to see how Pope Francis' choice of vestments and attire compare with those of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI.
Images: Reuters, AP
At his first appearance on the balcony of St Peter's, Pope Francis chose not to wear the red mozzetta (cape), a garment typically adopted by the newly-elected Pope.
He also chose not to wear the ornate Papal stole, except for the blessing.
Pope Benedict XVI in contrast wore both throughout his first blessing from the balcony.
The most recognised symbol of the Christian church around the world, the Pope wears a cross on the chest, usually suspended from the neck by a cord or chain.
Pope Francis opted for an iron cross rather than the ornate gold one preferred by his predecessor, in keeping with the more understated style of his pontificate.
A special ring, unique to each Pope, is presented as part of the inauguration mass.
Pope Francis selected a gold-plated, silver ring, which was initially designed for and held by the late Archbishop Pasquale Macchi, the longtime private secretary to Venerable Paul VI.
Benedict XVI wore a solid gold ring, crafted by Claudio Franchi and his family of goldsmiths.
Both rings show St. Peter casting out his net, symbolizing how popes are successors of the apostle Peter.
Along with the ring a pallium is placed on the Pope during inauguration mass. This is a narrow scarf woven of white lamb's wool - symbolizing Jesus as the good shepherd.
The chusable is the outermost vestment worn by clergy for the celebration of the Eucharist. Pope Francis wore mostly white, while Benedict XVI wore golden robes.
In contrast to Pope Francis' simple papal mitre, his predecessor's was ornate gold and with three levels of 'crowns' representing the powers of the Papacy in a simplified form.
One of the most commented on aspects of Benedict XVI's inaugural mass was his red leather loafers, which were made by his personal cobbler, Adriano Stefanelli.
In contrast Pope Francis wore plain, dark leather shoes.
It is said that before he left Buenos Aires for Rome, as Cardinal Bergoglio, he was wearing a pair of shoes so shabby that friends insisted on buying him a new pair.
Francis had begun the day by touring St Peter's Square in an open-topped Popemobile.
At one point he stepped down from the vehicle and approached the barriers to bless a disabled man.
Francis spent 20 minutes touring the square, waving to the pilgrims who flew flags and shouted: "Long live the Pope!"
Isaac Adroamabe from Uganda, said: "My first impression is that the Pope is very humble, and has taken the Church in his heart."
Seven-year-old Pietro Loretti, from Italy, said: "I like him because he loves the poor."
As the Mass began, Francis was presented with his papal pallium made of lambs' wool - symbolising his role as shepherd of his flock - and the fisherman's ring bearing the image of St Peter holding two keys.
With this, Francis officially began his office as the 266th pope.
Communion was distributed by some 500 priests throughout the crowd.
The Mass was co-celebrated by around 180 clergymen, including Adolfo Nicolas, the superior general of Pope Francis' Jesuit order.
The list of attendees also included Bartholomew, the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople.
Alistair Leithead says the crowd joined in during the prayers
He is the first Orthodox patriarch to attend a papal inauguration Mass since the two branches of Christianity split nearly 1,000 years ago.
The Pope later greeted the assembled dignitaries individually in St Peter's Basilica.
Hundreds of people also gathered in the early hours of Tuesday in Plaza de Mayor, the main square in Buenos Aires, to watch the Mass broadcast on giant screens set up outside the cathedral.
They erupted in joy as a call from the Pope, made an hour before his Mass, was played via loudspeakers.
He said: "My dear children, I know you're in the plaza. I know that you're making prayers. I need them very much."
19 March 2013Last updated at 03:21By Michelle WarwickerBBC Nature
Isolated water voles in London are being provided with miniature ladders to encourage them to venture further afield.
The wooden "superhighways" will allow voles to cross over high, vertical edges along the Grand Union Canal to reach new territories.
Conservationists hope the ladders could eventually be used nationwide to help genetically-isolated water voles on the UK's canals to meet and mix with other populations.
The ladders are being installed as part of a conservation project by the Canal and River Trust, which aims to reverse the dramatic decline in the UK's water voles in recent years.
They are being used for a small colony of water voles living at Hanwell Lock Flight, Ealing. But if successful, the ladders could be rolled out nationally as a new way of helping voles travel across canal banks.
The structures will allow the vole colony access to newly-constructed floating islands on the Grand Union Canal.
The manmade islands have been planted with vegetation for voles to nest in and feed on with the intention of extending the mammals' habitat and encouraging them to utilise more of the waterway.
Until now the voles have lived solely on a pond adjacent to the canal.
Similar contructions have been used in the past, most notably a ladder to help otters take a short cut over a dam at Ladybower reservoir, Derbyshire, instead of having to cross a road to reach the water body.
But the conservation team believe this project is the first time ladders have been used for the UK's water voles.
"I'm quite confident that [the voles] will use these ramps," said Canal and River Trust ecologist Leela O'Dea.
Before the installation of the ramps, tall steel sheets used along the canal edge had prevented voles living in the bank-side pond from using the canal.
"The water voles will be able to move from the pond, onto the floating islands, and then back up to the pond again. So we're basically just extending the habitat we have available," said Ms O'Dea.
She added that the conservation team would prefer to make canal banks "soft" so voles can burrow into them, but that the ladders provide a novel solution when this is not possible, such as when contaminated land restricts how canal banks can be altered.
The UK water vole population has declined by over 90% since the 1970s, largely due to habitat loss and predation by mink, according to the Canal and River Trust.
Slow-moving canals can act as ideal habitats for water voles, but many populations living in and around the waterways remain in one area and become genetically isolated.
"A lot of our water voles are in very small population groups which are fragmented, and that's a common thing you get as animals become more endangered," explained Ms O'Dea.
"But that does mean that they're not mixing with the next population that could be some 2km away.
"So it is really important to try to look at linear and lateral corridors to get the voles moving amongst themselves because we'll improve the genetic diversity and also improve their breeding habitat... improving their chance of surviving."
Ms O'Dea commented that while the exact consequences of a lack of genetic diversity in voles is unclear, if populations become "too inbred", they might be "more prone to different diseases" as well as "various genetic abnormalities that are going to be fed into all the [later] generations".
The Canal and River Trust's £100,000 conservation scheme will oversee projects in a number of England's canals, including adapting canal banks so they provide new homes for voles to burrow, and joining up more pockets of prime habitat to help the species spread.
A number of national newspapers are taking "high-level legal advice" about whether to co-operate with a new press watchdog established by royal charter and backed by legislation.
While the Independent welcomes the move, most papers are hostile and are holding back on making a decision.
They complain they were not represented in a meeting on Sunday night at which the three main parties struck a deal.
Press reform campaign group Hacked Off, meanwhile, had four members there.
Party leaders said the independent regulator - with powers to demand upfront apologies from UK publishers and impose £1m fines - would protect victims of press intrusion and preserve press freedom.
It will replace the current system, in which the press is self-regulated voluntarily through the Press Complaints Commission (PCC).
The deal follows Lord Justice Leveson's inquiry into press ethics which called for a new independent press watchdog, backed by legislation to ensure it was it was doing its job properly.
The inquiry found that journalists had hacked thousands of phones.
A joint statement from Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers, The Sun and Times publisher News International, the Daily Star and Daily Express publisher Northern & Shell, and the Telegraph Media Group said they would wait to decide if they would join the new regulator after consulting lawyers.
"No representative of the newspaper and magazine industry had any involvement in, or indeed any knowledge of, the cross-party talks on press regulation that took place on Sunday night.
I think we have to recognise the mess the industry got into. I mean, the industry did some very bad things and our existing regulator just wasn't up to the task"
End QuoteChris Blackwood, Independent editor
"We have only late this afternoon [Monday] seen the royal charter that the political parties have agreed between themselves and, more pertinently, the recognition criteria, early drafts of which contained several deeply contentious issues which have not yet been resolved with the industry."
On Tuesday, the Times said in its editorial it had been "a bleak episode in the story of freedom of the press in Britain" and that "the principle that a free press not subject to Parliamentary statute has been conceded".
The Newspaper Society, representing local papers, said the proposals agreed by the three parties would place "a crippling burden on the UK's 1,100 local newspapers, inhibiting freedom of speech and the freedom to publish".
That was, in part, because of the "huge financial penalties for newspapers which choose to be outside the system and an arbitration service which would open the floodgates to compensation claimants", president Adrian Jeakings said.
But Chris Blackwood, editor of the Independent, told BBC News: "We don't think it's too bad - it could have been a lot worse."
He added: "I think we have to recognise the mess the industry got into. I mean, the industry did some very bad things and our existing regulator just wasn't up to the task."
The 57-nation Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), meanwhile, warned that "a government-established regulatory body, regardless of how independent it is intended to be, could pose a threat to media freedom".
Prime Minister David Cameron said the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Labour had agreed on a new system of "tough independent self-regulation that will deliver for victims and meet the principles set out in (Leveson's) report".
He said a new system would ensure:
upfront apologies from the press to victims
fines of 1% of turnover for publishers, up to £1m
a self-regulatory body with independent appointments and funding
a robust standards code
a free arbitration service for victims
a speedy complaints system
The charter defines publishers as newspapers, magazines or websites containing news-related material.
But there remains confusion about moves to extend the new regulation to the internet, with Downing Street conceding it is not clear exactly which websites would be covered under the new rules.
Parents across the UK will be able to claim back up to £1,200 a year - or 20% of childcare costs - from 2015, under plans unveiled by the government.
Parents will be allowed to claim back 20% out of a total of around £6,000 - what they believe to be the average annual price of a childcare place.
The PM said the plans, expected to cost £1.4bn, would be a "boost direct to the pockets of hard-working families".
But Labour said parents would be disappointed not to get help sooner.
Britain has some of the highest childcare costs in the world, with many people with two or more children saying it does not make financial sense for both parents to work.
'Monumental battle'
The government says it expects the new tax-free childcare scheme to help 2.5 million working families.
That is significantly more than the current employer-supported childcare voucher scheme, which is provided by only around five per cent of employers.
But it is not yet clear whether parents will be better off under the new scheme or the existing voucher schemes.
This is a boost direct to the pockets of hard-working families in what will be one of the biggest measures ever introduced to help parents with childcare costs"
End QuoteDavid Cameron
To be eligible for the new support both parents will have to work, with each earning less than £150,000 a year.
Where one parent does not work, families will not receive support - which is said to be underline the government's support for making work pay.
Half of the funding for the new scheme will come from the abolition of the previous system of childcare vouchers, and in part by funding switched from elsewhere in Whitehall.
Sources across Whitehall told BBC Newsnight's political editor Allegra Stratton they were "jubilant" a deal had been struck, with one saying the four-month negotiations had been a "monumental battle".
But Prime Minister David Cameron said too many families were finding paying for childcare "tough" and were "often stopped from working the hours they'd like".
"This is a boost direct to the pockets of hard-working families in what will be one of the biggest measures ever introduced to help parents with childcare costs," he added.
'Work pays'
Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg said he wanted to help "every family to get on in life".
He said: "The rising cost of childcare is one of the biggest challenges parents face and it means many mums and dads simply can't afford to work.
"This not only hurts them financially, but is bad for the economy too. This announcement of a £1bn investment in childcare will make sure it pays to work."
Under the current employer supported childcare voucher scheme, parents can receive vouchers for childcare worth up to £55 a week. This sum is deducted from their salary before tax is paid.
The saving in tax and national insurance is typically worth about £900 a year for a basic-rate taxpayer. Where both parents work, families can save about £1,800 a year.
These vouchers are available only to employees whose employer is part of the scheme, but the new policy is expected to be open to all working parents who meet the criteria.
Parents who already claim childcare vouchers through the old scheme will be able to continue to do so if they wish, but it will be closed to new claimants who will be moved to the new tax-free childcare scheme.
The new system will be phased in from autumn 2015, with children under five helped in the first year. The scheme will then build up over time to include all children under the age of 12.
The government has already announced changes to allow nurseries and childminders in England to look after more children, which it says will make more childcare places available and reduce costs for parents in the "long term".
Labour's shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg said: "Parents will be disappointed that three years into this government they will not get any help with childcare costs for another two and a half years.
"While working parents won't get any help before the next election, David Cameron is happy to help millionaires with a tax cut now."
He said the measure would not make up for the cuts the government has already made to support for children.
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Finance ministers from the eurozone have asked Cyprus to reduce the burden on small investors from a proposed levy on savings, linked to a bailout.
Plans for a one-off tax of 6.75% on savings up to 100,000 euros (£86,000; $130,000) have outraged Cypriots.
Banks in Cyprus are to remain closed until Thursday, as efforts to revise an international bailout package continue.
A parliamentary vote on the package has been repeatedly postponed, but is now expected on Tuesday.
The 10bn-euro bailout agreed with the EU and IMF demands that all bank customers pay a one-off levy.
The government's efforts to shift more of the burden onto wealthier depositors enraged Russians, who form the bulk of overseas investors and have deposits worth billions of dollars in Cypriot banks.
Russian President Vladimir Putin called the proposed levy "unfair, unprofessional and dangerous", and Moscow has expressed frustration Russia was not included in European decision-making on Cyprus.
Threat to confidence
Under the currently agreed terms of the levy, depositors with less than 100,000 euros in Cyprus accounts would pay a one-off tax of 6.75%, while those with sums over that threshold would pay 9.9%.
But the move has outraged Cypriots and sparked heavy cash withdrawals from banks.
Since the start of the financial crisis there has been a guarantee that deposits under 100,000 euros in banks in the EU would be protected.
Many observers believe the Cypriot levy breaks the spirit of that agreement, and there is concern that it could also damage the confidence of depositors in other eurozone countries, reports the BBC's Chris Morris in Brussels.
Cypriots will tell you they're a resilient nation. They bounced back from the war of 1974 and became a prosperous EU member three decades later.
But even they are feeling defeated by this shock tax. "Daylight robbery" is what many here call it.
"If Brussels insists on this, we should leave the EU altogether," one elderly gentleman told me in a Nicosia cafe.
And that is perhaps the lasting damage of this affair - a tiny yet proud EU member now feels bullied and blackmailed by the powerful, the old north-south division of Europe widening again.
Yet many argue Cyprus sleepwalked into this mess. For years it thrived as a tax haven, its banking sector eight times the size of its economy. The warning signs were there but few were willing to heed them.
Eurozone finance ministers - the Eurogroup - discussed the situation in a conference call on Monday evening.
Following the talks, its president Jeroen Dijsselbloem issued a statement saying the group "continues to be of the view that small depositors should be treated differently from large depositors and reaffirms the importance of fully guaranteeing deposits below 100,000 euros".
He said Cyprus would "introduce more progressivity in the one-off levy" - in other words, shift the burden away from small savers towards bigger depositors - provided that the same amount of funds, 5.8bn euros, was raised.
Mr Dijsselbloem urged "a swift decision by the Cypriot authorities and parliament to rapidly implement the agreed measures".
Vote 'close'
President Anastasiades has been holding talks with ministers and MPs at the parliament building in Nicosia, where hundreds of people noisily protested on Monday.
The BBC's Mark Lowen in Nicosia says there are suggestions Mr Anastasiades may want to lower the former rate to 3%, while raising the levy on the larger depositors to 12.5%.
The debate and vote in Cyprus' parliament is now scheduled for 18:00 local time (16:00 GMT) on Tuesday. It was to have been held on Sunday.
The president's Democratic Rally has 20 seats in the 56-member assembly and needs other parties' support to ratify the deal.
The vote remains too close to call, correspondents say.
Speaker Yiannakis Omirou, of the EDEK party, said: "Parliament is called to legalise a decision to rob depositors blind, against every written and unwritten law. We refuse to subscribe to this."
Mr Anastasiades insists that without the bailout Cyprus could face bankruptcy and a possible exit from the eurozone - a fear echoed by European officials.
The US has called for a "responsible and fair" resolution.
Protesters in Cyprus have held up banners blaming Germany for the controversial bailout deal, but Germany says it always favoured protecting bank accounts with up to 100,000 euros, and insists it was the Cypriot government, European Commission and ECB that decided on the levy terms.
Earlier European Commission spokesman Simon O'Connor defended the group's actions, saying its original decision on the bailout was "taken by unanimity, all the member states of the eurozone, including Cyprus".
Stock markets in the US, Asia and Europe fell in early trading, though some of their losses were recouped later in the day. The euro also fell.
Cyprus may only be a tiny fraction of the eurozone economy, our Brussels correspondent says. But the sense of uncertainty surrounding it is sending shivers through the financial markets.
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18 March 2013Last updated at 20:13 ETBy Jane O'BrienBBC News, Washington
Can art help delay the symptoms of dementia?
Proponents of the arts have long argued that creative therapy can help aging patients. Now, scientists have begun investigating that claim.
Shula Strassfeld holds back the emotion as she describes dancing with her 92-year-old father, a wheelchair-bound victim of dementia.
"I went to visit him for his birthday and we danced. We put on some music and I moved his wheelchair around. The look on his face was absolutely priceless," she says.
"Even though the next day he didn't remember it had happened, his soul remembered. His body remembered. There was something in him that had changed because of that experience. He was more alert, he was more active - and I just wish I could do that every day."
Strassfeld, 66, is a professional dancer, teacher, and member of Dance Exchange, a Washington DC-based company that has collaborated with neuroscientists and independent health organisations to explore the benefits of music and movement for older people.
She says the anecdotal evidence of these benefits is overwhelming.
Now, researchers are beginning to suggest that her attempt to connect with her father through dance may have scientific merit. Studies show that dance might benefit dementia sufferers through its ability to stimulate many different functions of the brain.
"A choreographed dance is not only one in which a person is gaining physical aerobic capacity, but they're also listening to music and moving their body in unison with that," says Thomas Prohaska, dean of the College of Health and Human Services at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.
The anecdotal information and the limited trials that we've seen clearly suggest that we have something very important here."
End QuoteThomas ProhaskaGeorge Mason University
"What's happening is that [participants] are beginning to understand the nature of movement and sequencing. As a function of that they improve cognitive skills that don't normally show up in other forms of intervention."
A new report from a National Academies workshop on the arts and aging warns that the number of Americans with Alzheimer's Disease will more than double by 2050 to 13.2 million, from about 5.1 million today. The direct cost of their care will soar to $1.1tn (£730bn) from $172bn over the same period.
The report looks at various ways the arts may address some of the symptoms of such chronic diseases, as well as the need for more research.
"Most of the studies that have tried to demonstrate these effects haven't really met the rigorous standards of scientific research," says Lis Nielsen, programme director in the Division of Behavioral and Social Research at the National Institute on Aging (NIA).
"In addition, there are very few studies that have had a cost-benefit analysis. So if we want to be able to both fund arts programmes and encourage them to be adopted by the wider community we really need to show there are proven health benefits."
That is why the NIA is funding new research on ways the arts can help people age more healthfully and maintain their independence longer.
"At one level we're interested in some of the basic mechanisms, things that you can study through neuroscience or other approaches, that explain how arts improve health," she says, "whether it's improving your cognitive function, perceptual abilities, and other capabilities for everyday function.
"At the other level we're interested in how programmes can be developed and sustained to impact people's health. If we find that a programme has a health benefit then we would really like to know we can make it accessible to a lot of people."
Such research is becoming an urgent priority for policy makers.
About 40 million people in America - 13% of the population - are older than 65, and 5.5 million have surpassed 85. But many among the nation's aging population also suffer from chronic disease.
"The healthcare system really needs to pay attention much more than it has in the past to primary prevention among older adults, to improve the health of individuals and help them maintain it," says Prohaska.
"I would suggest that art has a major role. Where it stands in the scheme of things is yet to be determined."
Even absent definitive scientific proof of its effectiveness, many healthcare programmes offer arts activity as a therapy or health intervention.
Iona's Wellness and Arts Center in Washington DC incorporates the arts in all areas of its services for seniors. The centre has a 93-year-old artist in residence, curates exhibitions on the premises, and collaborates with one of the nation's oldest art museums, the Phillips Collection.
Such activities are part of a holistic approach to aging, says Gay Hanna, executive director of the National Center for Creative Aging.
"The arts are intrinsically part of us," she says. "We are aesthetic beings and that's how we process the world."
And as the need for cost-effective healthcare increases, Hanna believes the arts will play a greater role in healthy aging. "The evidence for the arts and humanities has grown exponentially over the last 20 years," she says.
"The anecdotal information and the limited trials that we've seen clearly suggest that we have something very important here that we have not given full attention to," says Prohaska.
"Just 20 years ago, the field of physical activity and aging was in its infancy and now everyone recognizes the potential impact on chronic conditions, primary prevention, and cognitive status. It turns out that the arts could have a beneficial impact too.
"Hopefully it won't take us 20 years to get to that level."
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