Virgin offers train upgrade deal news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8057663.stm

1. Virgin's current franchise deal with the government ends in 2012. Sir Richard Branson has said London-to-Birmingham journeys could be cut to below an hour and London to Glasgow below four hours, and the southern end of the line could be connected to Heathrow Airport or the high-speed line to the Channel Tunnel It would cost at least £1bn and Virgin would make the investment if it could rely on running the trains well into the 2030s, he added. There are growing calls for train companies to be given more freedom to invest in services. The Conservatives have said they would offer operators longer franchises. But the government has tightened its grip on private train operators. Virgin offers train upgrade dealhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8057663.stm

2. Virgin offers train upgrade dealhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8057663.stm • Why do the rail regulators renegotiate operating franchises every few years? • What would be the advantages and disadvantages of a longer licence: • To the train operators • To the passengers • To the government • Licences should only run for longer if…. • Licences should not run for longer because….

3. Measles outbreak 'worst in years'http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8057661.stm • There has been a "massive" measles outbreak in Wales. • Numbers this year are already four times the highest figure recorded over the past 13 years. • Latest figures show that only 86% of two-year-olds in Wales have been given the MMR vaccine, ranging in different areas from 78% to 92%. • The vaccine needs a 95% uptake to achieve the ‘herd immunity’ needed to ensure the disease cannot take a hold in individuals who are not vaccinated.

4. Measles outbreak 'worst in years'http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8057661.stm • Draw a graph to show the reason for offering all children free vaccinations against Measles • What role does information play in this case? Show that on your graph as well • Could the government make vaccinations such as the MMR compulsory? • The government should not make vaccinations such as the MMR compulsory because…..however…..

5. Obama moves to curb car emissionshttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8056908.stm • Obama has announced tough targets for new fuel-efficient vehicles in order to cut pollution and lower dependence on oil imports. • Manufacturers would be required to begin improving fuel efficiency by 5% a year from 2012. • 5% yearly rises in fuel efficiency from 2012 through 2016 • Cuts oil consumption by estimated 1.8bn barrels • 34% reduction in emissions by 2016 • Cuts equal taking 177m cars off the road • Price of cars may rise by $1,300 • The president said this would be offset by lower fuel cost within three years • The savings in oil will amount to last year's combined US imports from Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Libya and Nigeria

6. Obama moves to curb car emissionshttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8056908.stm • Who benefits most from these proposals? • Identify any risks of government failure that you see in the proposals • What is needed to make them work?

7. Shell shareholders revolt on payhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8058103.stm • Shell has been criticised for awarding bonuses as part of a long-term incentive plan despite missing performance targets. • Almost 60% of Shell's shareholders voted against its remuneration report • Shell's incentive award targets are largely based on its performance against rivals BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil and France's Total, with the company expected to outperform three of its peers. • Despite record profits last year on soaring oil prices, Shell was ranked fourth out of five.

8. Shell shareholders revolt on payhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8058103.stm • Why do shareholders have the right to take this action? • Should directors receive long-term incentive payments? • What are the economic benefits of incentive payments? • Directors of companies should receive long-term incentive payments if…..

9. Further slowdown in UK inflationhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8057032.stm • CPI fell to 2.3% from 2.9% in March, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. • The decline was more than economists expected. The annual inflation reading was the lowest in more than a year. • RPI fell further to -1.2% from -0.4%, the biggest drop since records began in 1948. • This decline was also greater than expected. • The Bank of England expects CPI to fall further during the year, particularly given the rapid and ongoing deterioration in the labour market

10. Further slowdown in UK inflationhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8057032.stm • Why does CPI remain at a higher rate than RPI? • What risks are posed for the UK economy by deflation? • What does the extent of those risks depend on? • Should the government make fighting deflation its main macroeconomic objective at present?

11. And finally….MPs to debate changes to expenseshttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8058736.stm • Major changes to MPs' expenses are to be debated as Gordon Brown warns of the need to end the "gentlemen's club". • Commons Speaker Michael Martin proposed emergency changes on Tuesday, after announcing he would quit over the row. • Gordon Brown has suggested that, rather than the House of Commons being ‘self-regulated’, their expenses should be subject to ‘independent regulation’

12. And finally….MPs to debate changes to expenseshttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8058736.stm • And the question is… • …on the assumption that MP’s do need some form of recompense for the costs of living in constituencies (their first place of work) which may be remote from Westminster as their second place of work… • What form of regulation would you, as new voters, suggest in order to give you confidence in the system?