07/04/2012 BBC Weekend News

Good afternoon. The Chancellor, George Osborne, has

said he would be very happy for the Government to consider publishing

the personal tax returns of senior ministers in the interest of

greater transparency. However, the proposal has been

criticised by backbench MPs in his own constituency who say it would

be a distraction from serious debate and policies.

George Osborne once famously said, we are all in this together, but in

these tough economic times, do the public believe politicians are in

the same boat as them? The Chancellor has gone out of his way

to stress he wouldn't benefit personally from his cut in the top

rate of income tax. But now, he's suggesting that in future, some

senior Cabinet Ministers might be forced to disclose their tax

affairs. In an interview with In London's Mayoral election, the

tax affairs of the main candidates have in recent days been subject of

heated exchanges between Conservative Boris Johnson and

Labour's Ken Livingstone. Whatever is necessary to publish, I'll

publish it, yes. You will publish yours? Was that a yes or no, I'm

happy to publish details of everything I've earned in the last

four years, are you going to do the same? Of course I will. Good.

the sort of thing they are used to in the US. Presidential hopeful

Mitt Romney faced criticism over his tax affairs, but here, some are

worried. I don't think it would enrich the British elect raling

experience if every run-of-the-mill councillor and MP had to reveal

years and years of back tax records and the whole election, instead of

being about what you are going to do for the people and institution,

is about whether he avoided too much tax because his pension

contribution was too big. The tax system is full of loopholes. At a

time when there are cries about tax avoidance, there will be a pressure

for the MPs to publish their own affairs. Since the expenses scandal,

Parliament's been seeking to restore trust in politics. The

Chancellor isn't saying they'll definitely disclose the tax details,

but by floating the possibility, it opens a debate which could change

the style of British politics. You can see a full list of

candidates in London's Mayoral elections on the BBC News website.

One of the main teaching unions as voted to escalate industrial action

in their dispute with the Government over pay, pensions and

working conditions. The vote by members of the NASUWT

at their conference in Birmingham raises the prospect of strikes

closing schools in the autumn. From Birmingham, our education

correspondent, Reeta Chakrabarti reports.

Teachers in Birmingham today agreed to escalate industrial action after

a motion which accused the Government of a vicious assault on

teachers. Conference now endorses the work of National Executive in

setting out the next phase of the union's industrial action campaign

which will include the escalation of action short of strike action

and strike action. I move. The vote was carried and could now

mean more strikes are on the way. Their grievances are two fold:

They're angry about their pensions into which they pay more and may

have to work longer for and they are opposed to the spread of

academies publicly funded independent schools which they say

will break up state education. Downhills School in London has

become a flash point. This is a poorly pe forming school which the

Government is forcing to become an academy. It's one of the reasons

fuelling the strike vote. This vote brings strikes in schools this

autumn one step closer. But Government sources have been

bulkish, depending their reforms to school and telling teachers that

they have pensions those in the private keck for can only dream of.

An avalanche has struck a Pakistani military base in the Himalayas,

burying more than 100 soldiers. The man are trapped in a batallion

headquarters in the Siachen glacier in Kashmir. Orla Gearin is in

Pakistan with the latest. What are you hearing?

It's hard to imagine a worse place in which to try and mount a rescue

operation. This is some of the most remote, most inhospitable terrain

on earth. This rescue operation has is a race not only against time but

subzero temperatures. The Army says there is a frantic search for life

going on now, high in the Himalayas, involving helicopters, hundreds of

troops, medical teams and rescue dogs. A spokesman stressed that

this was an avalanche on a massive scale. It struck this morning just

before six local time, engulfed the entire base, burying 117 soldiers

alive, probably as many of them were still sleeping. The Army say

they expect the rescue mission to last for days but locals warn that

the hopes of findingping many people alive must be quite slim and

there are already reports of difficulties in getting heavy

lifting equipment to the area because it is so remote and there

simply are no roads. England's cricketers have beaten

Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the second and final test in Colombo.

The result levels the series and means England retain their position

at the top of the world rankings. Alex South reports. In cricketing

terms, it's been a winter of it is content for England, four straight

defeats for Strauss's side have hardly made team talks easy. Not

today. Just give Swann the ball and he'll do the rest. As soon as the

man of the series, Jayawardene was gone, the rest followed. An

inspiring performance by the flying Swann. The winning target was just

94. It should have been easy peacey, but this is England. Strauss gave

fans the sinking feeling again -- easy peasy. Alastair Cook was

determined to see his side home but he needed help. Trott normally so

solid couldn't oblige, undone by spin and ultimately the review

system. As the temperature rose, the

coolest man in Colombo calmed everyone down. Pietersen picked upd

where he left off, dominating the Sri Lankan bowlers and there was