Newsnight 25 February, 2005

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Tuesday's programme, presented by Kirsty Wark, covers the following stories:

Rape convictions fall

Conviction rates for rape in England and Wales have fallen to an all time low, while the number of reported attacks are increasingly rapidly. The report blames some of the rise on binge drinking among women. Is there a danger that this analysis could lead to some blame being attached to the victim?

The study also discovered a culture of scepticism among police and prosecutors, with only 14% of cases reaching court. Home Office Minister, Baroness Scotland, whether some men now believe rape is a relatively low risk crime.

Terror Report

The plaintive cry went up from Tony Blair at his press conference today - does no one want to ask me about the minimum wage? Tipping the minimum wage over £5 was today's "big" government announcement. But it was overshadowed by a report by an important parliamentary committee which says the government's new terrorism law undermines British principles and could be in breach of European law.

Iraqi TV

And what's on Iraqi TV now that Saddam's schedulers have been retired? David Lomax reports on new television habits in Iraq - some of them very similar to our own - soaps, reality TV shows and, bizarrely, news stories about the impending nuptials at Windsor.

Newsnight is followed by Newsnight Review at 11pm click here to find out what Mark Lawson and panel will be reviewing

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