Osborne to outline £11.5bn of cuts
By Anonymous on Jun 26, 2013 02:50 am 25 June 2013 Last updated at 20:53 ET 
The latest Spending Review straddles the date of the next general election
Chancellor George Osborne is to set out where a further £11.5bn of government cuts will come from, when he lays out his Spending Review later.
Most Whitehall departments face budget reductions of 8% to 10% in 2015-16, but health and schools in England and the overseas aid budget are ring-fenced.
The government says it has made good progress in cutting the budget deficit and that further savings are necessary.
But Labour says the coalition's economic plan has failed.
Mr Osborne will outline the Spending Review, covering the 2015-16 financial year, in the House of Commons from 12:30 BST.
Intelligence winners BBC political editor Nick Robinson says there will be no fresh welfare cuts, but there will be more detail of a long-term plan to cap much welfare spending and a move to limit the payment of winter fuel allowance paid to pensioners who live abroad.
Continue reading the main story This was a day that was not in the chancellor's original plan. The age of austerity was scheduled to end before the next election and, with it, cuts to public spending.
However, the failure of the economy to grow and the deficit to carry on shrinking has forced George Osborne to announce a new round of cuts to begin a month before the next election in 2015.
After months of negotiations we will learn today which Whitehall departments - if not which precise programmes - are the losers, which the heavy losers and which will simply stand still.
Spending on the NHS, schools and overseas aid will continue to be protected and the intelligence services will be one of the few winners of a spending increase, he adds.
The next general election is scheduled for May 2015 and the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition has to set out its budgetary plans for the final few weeks of its time in office, irrespective of the outcome of the poll.
Labour has said that it would match the coalition's current spending totals for the full one-year period.
On Sunday, Mr Osborne announced that the Ministry of Defence would have to shed civilian staff, but the UK's military capacity would not be affected.
The last department to reach a settlement on its budget was Vince Cable's Department for Business and Skills.
The agreements followed weeks of arguments with ministers.
Continue reading the main story "Start Quote
Despite the many thousands of words that will appear in election manifestos in the months ahead, the hard numbers of this week's Spending Review will tell a more compelling story"
End Quote The chancellor had initially hoped to eliminate the structural deficit - the portion of borrowing that is not affected by changes in the economic cycle - entirely by 2014-15.
But the timeframe for this has slipped to 2017-18 and Mr Osborne will have to borrow £275bn more than he expected in this parliament than at the time of his first Budget in 2010.
The government says it has cut overall borrowing by a quarter since coming to power and by a third as a share of GDP.
Revised official figures released on Friday showed that borrowing rose slightly to £118.8bn in 2012-13 from £118.5bn the year before.
'Out of intensive care' Mr Osborne has indicated the coalition is determined to stick to its austerity plan, saying: "I'm confident we are coming out of intensive care and we can turn this country around. There's certainly a chance of a relapse if we abandon our plan."
But shadow financial secretary to the Treasury Chris Leslie said: "This Spending Review is happening because David Cameron and George Osborne's economic plan has failed.
Continue reading the main story What is the Spending Review?
- Government departments set out spending for set period of time
- George Osborne needs to find £11.5bn in savings
- The 2015-16 timetable is designed to last a little while beyond the next general election
"Three years of falling living standards and a flat-lining economy has led to billions more borrowing to pay for economic failure. Far from balancing the books by 2015, as the government promised, the chancellor is being forced to make even more cuts."
Ministers will also set out plans to invest billions of pounds in transport, science and other capital projects on Thursday.
Read in browser » 
Gillard, Rudd in leadership vote
By Anonymous on Jun 26, 2013 03:40 am 26 June 2013 Last updated at 01:07 ET 
Kevin Rudd has been a thorn in Julia Gillard's side since she ousted him in 2010
Supporters of former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd are seeking to force a Labor leadership vote aimed at ousting Julia Gillard, reports say.
A petition calling for a caucus meeting to vote on the party leadership is being circulated among Labor politicians, Australian reports say.
Australia is set for a general election in less than three months that polls suggest Labor will lose.
Any ballot that takes place must occur before parliament closes on 27 June.
Ms Gillard ousted Mr Rudd in a leadership challenge in 2010, but he remains more popular with voters.
Mr Rudd's position on any potential challenge remains unclear.
He declined to contest a leadership vote in March and said afterwards that there were "no circumstances" under which he would seek the top job.
Nonetheless speculation over a possible return has continued to rumble as Labor's poll figures have fallen ahead of the election on 14 September.
Read in browser » New bird species spotted in big city
By Anonymous on Jun 26, 2013 02:44 am 26 June 2013 Last updated at 02:44 ET 
Studies to differentiate the new species from other tailorbirds included analyses of their songs
A species of bird that is completely new to science has been discovered - hiding in plain sight in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh.
The Cambodian tailorbird (Orthotomus chaktomuk), as it has been named, was first spotted in 2009 during routine checks for avian flu.
More specimens have since been found in regions around the city and discerned from similar tailorbird species.
The discovery is outlined in the Oriental Bird Club journal, Forktail.
Tailorbirds are in the warbler family, and get their name from the meticulous preparation of their nests, weaving leaves together.
A detailed set of tests - from the birds' plumage to their songs and their genes - has now shown that O. chaktomuk is in fact a separate, new species.
It is exceptionally uncommon for undiscovered bird species to be found in urban contexts, but Oriental Bird Club council member Richard Thomas said that earlier in the year, he "went and saw this remarkable new tailorbird myself - in the middle of a road construction site".
The authors of the paper suggest that O. chaktomuk inhabits a small area, made up largely of dense scrubland in the floodplain of the Mekong river - at the edge of which Phnom Penh lies.
Birdwatchers do not tend to target this kind of ecosystem because most of the species it supports are abundant and widespread elsewhere in Southeast Asia.
"The modern discovery of an un-described bird species within the limits of a large populous city - not to mention 30 minutes from my home - is extraordinary," said study co-author Simon Mahood of the Wildlife Conservation Society.
"The discovery indicates that new species of birds may still be found in familiar and unexpected locations."
Because of the small and shrinking nature of the birds' habitat, the team has recommended that the bird be listed as "Near Threatened" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List.
Read in browser » US-UK intelligence-sharing 'vital'
By Anonymous on Jun 26, 2013 12:14 am 26 June 2013 Last updated at 00:14 ET 
William Hague described the US-UK relationship as "always solid but never slavish"
Britain and the US should have "nothing but pride" in their "indispensable intelligence-sharing relationship", the UK foreign secretary has said.
Speaking in Los Angeles, William Hague acknowledged the controversy over intelligence gathering by the UK's GCHQ and the US's National Security Agency.
But he said the nations operated "under the rule of law" and used information only to protect citizens' freedoms.
Mr Hague also praised the transatlantic "special relationship" as "solid".
In recent weeks there has been concern over the monitoring activities of the UK's eavesdropping centre, GCHQ.
It accessed information about UK citizens from the US National Security Agency's monitoring programme, Prism, documents leaked by American whistleblower Edward Snowden suggest.
GCHQ has insisted it is "scrupulous" in complying with the law.
"We should have nothing but pride in the unique and indispensable intelligence-sharing relationship between Britain and the United States," Mr Hague said in his speech at the Ronald Reagan Library.
"In recent weeks this has been a subject of some discussion.
"Let us be clear about it - in both our countries intelligence work takes place within a strong legal framework.
"We operate under the rule of law and are accountable for it. In some countries secret intelligence is used to control their people - in ours, it only exists to protect their freedoms."
'Bastion of freedom' Mr Hague also sought to portray the UK coalition government's policies as an ideological continuation of those espoused by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s.
He said: "Not all countries are willing to exert themselves to defend the freedoms they enjoy, but in the United Kingdom and United States of America we are.
"There is no greater bastion of freedom than the transatlantic alliance, and within it the special relationship, always solid but never slavish."
Mr Hague added: "Some say it is not possible to build up our countries' ties in other parts of the world without weakening those between us. But I say these things go together.
"The stronger our relationships are elsewhere in the world, the more we can do to support each other and our allies."
On broader policy, Mr Hague said: "We do not need to accept sleepwalking into decline any more than Reagan and Thatcher did before us.
"We have centuries of experience in building up democratic institutions - from our courts to our free media - that other countries wish to draw on and adapt from Burma to North Africa.
"We have the soft power and cultural appeal to attract and influence others and win over global opinion."
Mr Hague went on: "We have not yet exhausted all the means of building up and extending our influence. It is not so much the relative size of our power that matters in the 21st Century, but the nature of it, and how agile and effective we can be in exerting it."
Read in browser » Renewed US-Afghan pledge on talks
By Anonymous on Jun 25, 2013 09:46 pm 25 June 2013 Last updated at 19:57 ET 
Smoke could be seen rising from the compound after the attack
US and Afghan officials say they are committed to talks with the Taliban, despite an assault on a CIA station and government buildings on Monday.
The White House said President Barack Obama and counterpart Hamid Karzai had spoken following the attack, and had "reaffirmed" their commitment.
Taliban militants launched the attack with gunfire and bombs early on Monday.
Security forces repelled them, but four insurgents and three security guards were killed.
Guards from the presidential palace, defence ministry and personnel from the CIA station exchanged fire with the militants, in one of the most secure areas of Kabul.
Continue reading the main story Recent Kabul attacks
- 9 March: A suicide bomb attack on the Afghan defence ministry kills nine
- 16 May: At least 15 are killed and dozens wounded in a suicide bomb attack on a military convoy in the capital
- 24 May: A Nepali soldier is killed as well as an off-duty policeman as militants battle security forces in the city centre
- 10 June: Seven insurgents, including suicide bombers, lay siege to the main airport for four hours before they are killed
- 11 June: Suicide bomb attack kills at least 16 people and injures more than 40 outside the Supreme Court.
- 18 June: Three killed as bomb targets prominent politician Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq
Mr Karzai was in the palace at the time, but the target appears to have been the nearby Ariana hotel, which houses a CIA station.
Analysts say the Afghan Taliban have showed no sign of abating their assault on security targets, despite last week's announcement that they had set up an office in Doha in the Gulf state of Qatar for peace talks.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement that Mr Obama and Mr Karzai spoke over the phone on Tuesday, and were still committed to the planned talks.
"The leaders reaffirmed that an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process is the surest way to end violence and ensure lasting stability in Afghanistan and the region," he said.
"They reiterated their support for an office in Doha for the purpose of negotiations between the High Peace Council and authorised representatives of the Taliban."
Mr Karzai objected to the Taliban office, saying the flag and nameplate initially erected at the building showed they were trying to portray themselves as a government-in-exile.
Officials said the High Peace Council, the Afghan government body set up to lead peace efforts, would not take part unless the talks process was "Afghan-led".
The attack near the presidential palace, in the central district of Shash Darak, began at about 06:30 local time (02:00 GMT).
The militants initially targeted the palace's eastern gate - a few hundred metres from the actual building - where dozens of journalists had gathered for a news conference with Mr Karzai scheduled for 09:00.
Last week, Afghan forces assumed security responsibility for the whole of the country for the first time since the Taliban government was ousted in 2001.
International troops will remain in Afghanistan until the end of 2014, providing military back-up when needed.
Read in browser » News International changes name
By Anonymous on Jun 26, 2013 02:57 am 26 June 2013 Last updated at 02:04 ET 
News International, now News UK, publishes titles including the Sun
News International, the media company behind newspapers including the Times and the Sun, has changed its name to News UK.
The rebranding comes as part of a broader revamp of the company, owned by Rupert Murdoch, following the phone-hacking scandal.
The company has recently announced editorial changes at both the Times and the Sun.
It was forced to close its News of the World title in 2011.
Former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks is among those facing charges over the hacking scandal.
The BBC's media correspondent, David Sillito, says the new name is an attempt at "brand decontamination" following months of negative headlines surrounding the News International brand.
Read in browser » 
No comments:
Post a Comment