News Headlines - 30 December 2011

▽Revealed: The Thatcherite plan to abandon Liverpool - Politics.co.uk
http://www.politics.co.uk/news/2011/12/30/revealed-thatcher-s-plan-to-abandon-liverpool
The Thatcher government briefly considered leaving Liverpool to a period of "managed decline", according to confidential government documents released today.
Cabinet meetings in the wake of the Toxteth riots of 1981 saw then-chancellor Sir Geoffrey Howe urge Margaret Thatcher not to waste "scarce resources" on Liverpool.

▽Manchester shooting: father heard of death on Facebook - Telegraph.co.uk
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8984097/Manchester-shooting-father-heard-of-death-on-Facebook.html
The father of the Indian student shot dead in Manchester on Boxing Day has revealed that he found out about his son's death over Facebook.

▽Government reveals 'alarming' pension shortfall - Telegraph.co.uk
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/pensions/8962224/Government-reveals-alarming-pension-shortfall.html
Ministers yesterday said they were "alarmed" by the figures and warned that millions of British workers facing a "poorer future" when they retire.
The new analysis by the Department for Work and Pensions found that the number of working-age people saving into a private pension fell from 46 per cent in 2000 to 38 per cent last year.

▽Italian Government Bonds Poised for Worst Year Since 1992 as Bunds Rally - Bloomberg
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-30/german-government-bonds-snap-3-day-gain-paring-largest-returns-since-2008.html
Italian 10-year bond yields held at more than 7 percent, with the debt poised to complete its worst year since at least 1992 after fallout from Europe’s debt crisis spread to some of the region’s largest economies.

▽Japan's Nikkei at lowest year-end level since 1982 - BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16361976
The Nikkei 225 index finished Friday up 0.7% to 8,455.35
... The Nikkei is still more than 10% above the low of 7,621.92 it set in October 2008, in the aftermath of the global financial crisis.