But he could also note that the commission's proposed solution would require time-consuming boundary changes and could not anyway be implemented until after the next election, thereby signalling that the promised referendum could safely wait until just before or just after that election.

ECONOMIST: The Jenkins recipe

Lord Liddle agreed to withdraw his motion but said he hoped the Boundary Commission would "in future take note of what has been said about how it should proceed".

BBC: Motion of regret

Bachelet, who was Chile's first woman president, ended a speech at the closing session of a two-week meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women on a personal note.

NPR: Michelle Bachelet Says She's Going Back To Chile

From Brussels, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in a congratulatory note that Napolitano will serve at a time when EU nations must "display great calmness, courage and farsightedness" amid calls from Europe's citizens for restored growth and jobs.

NPR: Napolitano Re-Elected Italy's President

He said Mr Burnham replied in a note dated 24 March 2010 saying he had asked the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to study the data.

BBC: Hospital deaths warning 'ignored'