Scottish nationalists are 'monstering' UK supporters, says Alistair Darling

Alistair Darling said the behaviour towards a businessman who spoke out in favour of staying in the UK was 'disgraceful'. Photograph: David Cheskin/PA

Nationalist campaigners are bringing shame to Scotland by the way in which they "monster" supporters of the United Kingdom, the former chancellor Alistair Darling has said.

As a new poll showed a growth in support for independence, the head of the Better Together campaign accused nationalists of being "consistently negative" about supporters of the UK.

Darling told the Andrew Marr Show on BBC1: "The negativity is largely coming from the nationalists. In the last week alone when anyone speaks out against them they monster them. We had a businessman earlier in the week who said he thought staying in the UK was good for his business – the behaviour towards him was disgraceful. It brought shame on Scotland.

"Equally the CBI was monstered when they appeared before a committee in the Scottish parliament. We are the ones who are being positive about the case for the UK. The nationalists are consistently negative and will consistently do anything to shout down anyone who speaks out against them."

A Panelbase poll published in the Sunday Times showed that the pro-union lead among voters had been cut to six points from more than 24 points last year. The poll found that – once "don't knows" are excluded – 47% intend to vote for independence and 53% intend to vote to remain in the UK. It is the strongest support for independence this year.

Darling was answering criticism that the Better Together campaign is overly negative. His remarks about a businessman criticised by nationalists referred to Keith Cochrane, the chief executive of the Weir Group, who warned of an increase in business costs if Scotland becomes independent.

Maria Miller row is at risk of becoming witch-hunt, says Iain Duncan Smith

Maria Miller is the victim of 'media antipathy' over her role introducing Leveson proposals, said Iain Duncan Smith. Photograph: David Jones/PA

Iain Duncan Smith has offered tentative support for a proposal to end the right of MPs to regulate their own affairs, warning that the continuing focus on expenses because of the row over Maria Miller's housing claims is "eating away at the credibility of parliament".

As a poll found that 82% of Tories believed that Miller should lose her jobover her expenses, the work and pensions secretary said he was "very open" to a proposal by parliament's expenses watchdog to introduce independent regulation of MPs.

"I think the sooner we can get rid of this nonsense the better," he said. But Duncan Smith offered strong personal support for the culture secretary as he came close to suggesting that she has been the victim of a witch-hunt.

Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show on BBC1, he said Miller was a victim of "media antipathy" in light of her role introducing the Leveson proposals. Many Tories were also angry with her after she introduced gay marriage, he added.

The work and pensions secretary raised the prospect of a major overhaul of the way MPs regulate their affairs as Miller faced a third consecutive day of damaging headlines about her expenses.

The culture secretary was forced by the Commons standards committee to repay £5,800 in overclaimed expenses in mortgage payments related to her "second" home in Wimbledon. She was also asked to apologise for her conduct towards Kathryn Hudson, the parliament standards commissioner, after documents showed that she accused the watchdog of acting outside the law.

Duncan Smith, who worked closely with Miller in her previous ministerial post as minister for the disabled, offered strong personal support for the culture secretary. He said: "I am enormously fond of her. She has done a very good job in a very difficult set of circumstances with the Leveson inquiry that has stirred up a lot of media antipathy to her.

"And also the gay marriage stuff – there are a lot of Conservatives out there who, perhaps, were not necessarily in support of it all and so feel rather bitter about that. I have known her to be a reasonable and honest person."

Duncan Smith said the prime minister would have to consider the row over Miller's expenses. But he said: "I am supportive of Maria because if we are not careful we end up with a witch-hunt of somebody. The committee has told her to repay some money and she should apologise and she has done both those."

In a sign that the government acknowledges the damage from another row over expenses, Duncan Smith said he was open to a proposal by Sir Ian Kennedy, the chairman of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa), to end the right of MPs to sit in judgment on their peers.

John Mann, the Labour MP who lodged the original complaint about Miller, has been highly critical after the standards committee, which includes 10 MPs and three non-voting lay members, recommended that Miller should repay £5,800 in expenses. This was considerably lower than the £45,000 proposed by Hudson.

Duncan Smith said it may be right to end the way in which MPs have the sole right – apart from the non-voting lay members of the standards committee – to sit in judgment on the findings by the independent standards watchdog.

He said of the proposals by the Ipsa head: "I am very happy for that to be debated. I am amongst a number of those who feel this goes on and on and on eating away at the credibility of parliament. Whatever it takes to restore that credibility – I am very open to independent people looking at this. Personally I think the sooner we can get rid of this nonsense the better."

A poll by Survation for the Mail on Sunday found overwhelming opposition to Miller. The poll found that 78% thought Miller should lose her cabinet post. It found that 82% of Tories thought she should go.

An unnamed minister told the Sunday Telegraph that Miller should lose her cabinet post because her conduct was "incompatible" with her role as a cabinet minister.

Kennedy, the Ipsa head, said Miller's conduct showed the need to end the right of MPs to regulate their own affairs. Ipsa was established after the expenses scandal in 2009 when MPs handed the running of expenses to an independent body. Wrongdoing is investigated by the standards commissioner but the standards committee makes the final judgment on any findings.

Kennedy told the Sunday Times: "We have made great progress in cleaning up the problems of the past. To avoid further damage to parliament in the future, it should have the confidence to give away powers in regulating itself and see that independent regulation is the best, most transparent way forward."

The future of European space travel

On the International Space Station, observing the Earth, exploring Mars: Germany and Europe are closely involved in current developments in space research. Will we soon see manned flights to the Moon again - or beyond? The European Space Agency (ESA) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) have big plans for 2013. For the scientists there, the forthcoming launch of new satellites for the European navigation system 'Galileo' and commercial communication satellites is almost routine. Far more exciting for them are the numerous space probes and Earth observation systems which will enable researchers at both institutions to gaze into the depths of the universe, and better understand our own planet. There's a lot the researchers can learn about Earth from space. The ESA will soon be launching several Earth observation satellites. The small cube-satellite Proba-V, for example, will track developments in the plant world. The SWARM mission, comprising three house-sized satellites able to look deep beneath the Earth's crust, will observe changes in the Earth's magnetic fields. The International Space Station is also an important research center. It circles Earth at an altitude of 360 to 400 kilometers (223–248 miles), giving scientists the opportunity to experience zero gravity and obtain a special view of the planet. New generation of space travel In mid-June 2013 the European space shuttle, the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), will be launched for the penultimate time to take supplies to the ISS. The US space agency NASA discontinued its space shuttle program three years ago. Once the last ATV is launched in 2014, only Russian Soyuz space capsules will still be operational for the transport of astronauts and cargo. For the ESA and the DLR, that's reason enough to continue to develop the ATV - this time in conjunction with the Americans. The new model, called ORION, will transport not only goods, but also people. 'This cooperation with NASA is something very special,' says Thomas Reiter, former astronaut and current director of Human Spaceflight Operations at the ESA, in an interview with DW, 'because it is the first time we, together with NASA, are actually playing a role in a critical field of the development of manned transport systems.' The ESA controls the central drive module for the space capsules. This includes life-support systems such as the controls for the temperature and air supply. What Reiter finds particularly exciting about the collaboration is that the system won't just fly to the ISS. Its remit is much wider: The first two test flights will travel around the Moon. Research for knowledge There are currently no plans in either the US or Europe for manned missions to the Moon, or to Mars. But the development of the ORION Capsule is just one of many small steps that will enable humans to explore the universe, says Johann-Dietrich Wörner, Chairman of the DLR, in an interview with DW. 'Man, in his boundless curiosity, which he has at least while he is young, is determined to explore distant worlds,' says Wörner. Scientists, he adds, simply maintain this curiosity well into later life. According to Wörner, it is above all those scientific missions which are not - or not initially - focussed on commercial gain that tend to bring back surprising results which then prove to be of great use to mankind. It's thanks to research at the ISS that medical science now knows a lot more about the immune system, or the salt content of the body. Space travel has turned humans into the subjects of research. This is also one reason why the DLR is currently building a new medical research center in Cologne, Germany. The Environment Habitat Laboratory (ENVIHAB) will examine the effects of environmental conditions on the human body. The researchers are interested in more than just long stays away from Earth, such as a voyage to Mars: They will also be looking at problems closer to home. ENVIHAB could, for example, conduct sleep studies to explore the effects of noise on the body. 'We could also study the effect on humans of long-haul flights with reduced air pressure,' says Wörner. Self-disposing rockets The DLR is not only involved in the space capsule project, but also in the development of European carrier rockets. Germany is providing financial support for the further development of the ARIANE 5 launcher. The ARIANE 5 ME will have a greater loading capacity. 'Above all,' says Wörner, 'it will also be able to decelerate its upper stage so that it burns up on reentry into the Earth's atmosphere.' This will help to reduce space debris. 16,000 known objects more than a centimeter across are already circling the Earth at speeds of up to 28,000 kilometers per hour. All this space debris has the potential to cause serious damage to satellites, or even to the ISS itself. To try to make sure this doesn't happen, the DLR has initiated the German Orbital Servicing Mission (DEOS), a kind of orbiting service station and garbage truck for satellites. The DEOS module is designed to capture satellites whose propulsion engines have failed. 'If they can be repaired,' explains Thomas Reiter from the ESA, 'they can then be put back into orbit. Alternatively, they can either be brought down to the lower levels of the Earth's atmosphere in a controlled crash, or taken in the other direction - to a safe orbit far away from Earth, where they won't bother anyone.'

Hidden ocean on Saturn’s moon bolsters life theory

Saturn's moon Enceladus is home to an ocean of melted water beneath its surface, and could be a source for alien microbes, scientists said.

The first measurements of the subsurface water at the south pole of the small and icy moon were made by the US space agency's Cassini spacecraft, and are described in the journal Science.

The body of water is about the size of Lake Superior, the second largest lake on Earth, and has a rocky bottom which could create conditions that allow tiny life forms to thrive.

Researchers first raised the possibility of a below-ground ocean on Enceladus in 2005, after water vapor was detected spewing from vents near the moon's southern pole.

"Material from Enceladus' south polar jets contains salty water and organic molecules, the basic chemical ingredients for life," said Linda Spilker, Cassini project scientist at NASA.

"Their discovery expanded our view of the 'habitable zone' within our solar system and in planetary systems of other stars," she added.

"This new validation that an ocean of water underlies the jets furthers understanding about this intriguing environment."

The Cassini spacecraft detected the shape of Enceladus' gravity field during three flybys from 2010 to 2012.

The gravitational tug exerted on the unmanned orbiter was carefully analyzed for clues about what the interior of Enceladus contained.

Researchers believe the 500-kilometer (310-mile) wide moon's ocean is encased beneath a thick crust of crystal ice.

"For the first time, we have used a geophysical method to determine the internal structure of Enceladus," said co-author David Stevenson, professor of planetary science at Caltech.

"This then provides one possible story to explain why water is gushing out of these fractures we see at the south pole."

The Cassini mission is led by NASA, with the cooperation of the Italian Space Agency and European Space Agency.

The spacecraft was launched 2004 and has visited all of Saturn's largest moons.

The sixth planet from the Sun, Saturn is characterized by its unusual rings and has 53 known moons and nine provisional moons.

German real earnings dip for first time in four years

For the first time since the recession in 2009, German workers earned less in real terms last year than the previous one, the National Statistics Office (Destatis) reported Friday.

Real earnings dipped slightly by 0.1 percent, compared with 2012 figures after rising by at least 0.5 percent annually in the three previous years.

Gross monthly incomes rose by 1.4 percent in 2013, but a slightly higher 1.5-percent rise in consumer prices meant that employees were left with less in their pockets.

Wage disparities

Destatis noted that one reason for the relatively small increase in nominal earnings was the small rise in income observed in companies not bound by collective wage agreements.

'On the other hand, a decline in extra payments also contributed to the end result,' the office said in a press release, alluding to the fact that many firms had stopped paying extra holiday-related bonuses or Christmas-season bonuses.

Destatis said a typical full-time employee received roughly 45,500 euros ($62,400) in gross wages last year, with those working in the banking and insurance sectors getting most and employees in the catering and hotel industry being at the lower end of the table

Dubai overtakes Heathrow as the world’s busiest airport

According to the latest statistics, Dubai International airport overtook London Heathrow as the world’s busiest airport in February.

The number of passengers passing through Dubai International Airport with almost 2 million more.

The title change is not a surprise with Dubai International passenger numbers falling just short of Heathrow’s in 2013.

Dubai aims to stay on track to claim the number one spot by next year.

Kick start South Korea

South Korea has one of the fastest growing and most hi-tech economies in the world. So it’s an extremely attractive market for SMEs (small and medium sized) European companies specialising in the latest technologies. Thanks to their expertise in ultrasonic suspension technology for non contact handling of surface-sensitive and fragile products, one German SME is now working with one of the largest hi-tech companies in Korea. To prepare for developing their business here, the company came on three business trips organised by the EU Gateway Programme, a preparation which has served them well. Josef Zimmermann, the managing director of ZS-Handling, explained: 'It meant we could increase our Korean market general turnover from 0 to 25% within one year. Also, expanding our staff from 11 to 20. And we can address all our target industries: solar power, semi conductors and platform displays.' One of the keys to success was identifying the right partner in South Korea. So Josef Zimmermann and his team worked with an agency which has been established in the country for 55 years, and has an in-depth knowledge of the hi-tech sector there. Since 2009, 350 companies, most of them SMEs, have taken part in the EU Gateway Programme in Korea. During these week-long business trips, participants receive financial help, information about their objectives on the Korean market, and of course they meet potential partners. The results are excellent. One of the architects of the EU Gateway Programme in Korea is Paolo Caridi. He said,EU Delegation to the Republic of Korea'For me there are three key figures: more than 60% of participating companies find a local partner through the programme, half of them decide to invest in targeting the Korean market, and 25% of them increase their turnover thanks to the programme.' Business opportunities in Korea are very attractive to European SMEs, and trading agreements are also very helpful. Paolo Caridi said, 'We have a free trade agreement, the only one with an Asian country. This agreement has had a huge impact: from 2011 to 2013, exports increased by 24%, and for the first time in 15 years we have a surplus trade balance with South Korea.' Summing up, Josef Zimmermann said, 'For me, there are 3 keys to success: identify your market and customers, find the right partner that fits you perfectly, and be aware that it makes take time to enter the market.'