THE govenor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, called for banks to be broken up according to their principal function -- utility services or risky ventures -- to prevent them from becoming too big to be allowed to fail.
THE prime minister Gordon Brown disagreed with the governor, pointing out that both types of specialist banks had almost failed in the crisis of one year ago.
IN the United States President Obama's pay czar told senior staff of companies that still owed the government money to take salary cuts of up to 90 per cent. Two major banks, an insurance company and two car manufactures were the affected companies.
A large audience in Britain watched an edition of the BBC programme Question Time in which Nick Griffin, the leader of the extreme right-wing British National Party, took part. The BBC had been criticised for inviting Mr Griffin but it defended itself by pointing out that his party participated in UK elections.