Posts tagged "attacks"

Davos 2012: David Cameron attacks EU for failure to tackle debt crisis

By James Chapman, Political Editor

Last updated at 5:57 AM on 27th January 2012

David Cameron today mounted a scathing attack on the European Union’s inability to tackle the financial crisis at the world economic forum in Switzerland

David Cameron tackled EU leaders head-on last night, warning that the euro is doomed to failure unless they take urgent action and declaring: ‘Tinkering simply isn’t going to cut it any more.’

The Prime Minister said the euro lacked all the features of a successful currency, bluntly telling Angela Merkel that Germany must transfer billions to debt-stricken eurozone nations if she wants it to survive.

Mr Cameron’s tone angered officials from France and Germany, coming just weeks after he vetoed their plans for a new EU-wide treaty to create a fiscal union.

Speaking to international leaders and business chiefs at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, he poured scorn on Franco-German proposals for a new ‘Tobin tax’ on financial transactions as ‘quite simply madness’.

Instead, he said EU leaders should be concentrating on providing real cash for their currently non-existent bailout fund, ensuring creaking banks have enough money to survive and sorting out the debt disaster in Greece.

Mr Cameron also suggested the eurozone should start to borrow as a single entity, so that the interest rates it has to pay are determined by an assessment of all member countries – an idea fiercely resisted by the German chancellor.

Indecision on how to respond to the crisis was ‘weighing down business confidence and investment’ across Europe, Mr Cameron said, and EU leaders had ‘to show the leadership our people are demanding’.

‘Tinkering here and there and hoping we’ll drift to a solution simply won’t cut it any more,’ he said. ‘This is time for boldness not caution.’

Yesterday EU chiefs stepped up their calls for Britain to contribute more to the International Monetary Fund, which acts as the world’s economic emergency service.

But the Prime Minister appears to be losing patience with Mrs Merkel, who is refusing to put cash behind the single currency.

‘Once markets lose confidence and dry up, you are left in an unsustainable position,’ he warned. In a clear reference to Germany, he said it was not enough simply to insist on rapid budget cuts on the edges of the eurozone.

‘The flipside of austerity in deficit countries must be action to put the weight of the surplus countries behind the euro,’ the Prime Minister said.

‘There a number of features common to all successful currency unions. A central bank that can comprehensively stand behind the currency and financial system.

‘The deepest possible economic integration with the flexibility to deal with economic shocks. And a system of fiscal transfers and collective debt issuance that can deal with the tensions and imbalances between different countries and regions within the union.  Currently it’s not that the eurozone doesn’t have all of these – it’s that it doesn’t really have any of these.’

Mr Cameron acknowledged the necessary steps were ‘radical and difficult’, adding: ‘They are why Britain didn’t join the eurozone. But they are what is needed if the single currency, as currently constituted, is to work.’

He added: ‘I understand why the eurozone members want a treaty inside the EU, but if they do, there have to be safeguards for those countries in the EU but who have no intention of joining the single currency.

‘I didn’t get those safeguards, so the treaty isn’t going ahead inside the EU.

‘But…to those who think that not signing the treaty means Britain is somehow walking away from Europe, let me tell you: nothing could be farther from the truth.

‘I stood on this platform only a year ago and said that Europe could recover its dynamism. I still believe we can. But only if we are bold.

‘Take bold decisions on deregulation, on opening up the single market, on innovation and trade, and address the fundamental issues at the heart of the eurozone crisis.  

‘All these decisions lie in our own hands. They are the test of Europe’s leaders in the months ahead.’

Labour leader Ed Miliband, also in Davos, said Mr Cameron should be ‘taking action at home to get our economy moving and working with other world leaders to get the global economy going’.

‘But he is not doing that. He is standing by his policy of collective austerity all round the world,’ he added.

Olli Rehn, the European Commissioner for economic and monetary affairs, said: ‘I trust that the United Kingdom will endorse an increase of IMF resources because that is also one essential element of overcoming this crisis.

‘That is something that the UK itself is calling for.’

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David Cameron defends capitalism and attacks fat-cat pay

By Tim Shipman

Last updated at 8:48 AM on 20th January 2012

Mr Cameron said the market and free enterprise are ‘the best imaginable force improving human wealth and happiness’

David Cameron made an unabashed defence of capitalism yesterday, calling free markets the ‘best imaginable force for improving human wealth and happiness’.

The Prime Minister announced plans for a crackdown on fat-cat executive pay next week and revealed he wants to pass a Bill to boost employee share ownership in co-operative businesses.

He admitted reforms were needed to ensure more people saw the benefit of the market, but in a riposte to Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg, who have sought to blame capitalism for the current economic malaise, Mr Cameron said: ‘We won’t build a better economy by turning our back on the free market. We’ll do it by making sure the market is fair as well as free.

‘Where others see problems with markets as a chance to weaken them, I see problems with markets as an opportunity to improve them.’
He argued that ‘open markets and free enterprise can actually promote morality’ because ‘they create a direct link between contribution and reward; between effort and outcome’.

Mr Cameron said the Government’s plans to rein in executive pay, to be announced next Tuesday by Business Secretary Vince Cable, were designed to re-establish the link between effort and reward, which had broken down in recent years with excessive rewards for the bosses of failing businesses.

Threats would be backed up with legislation, said Mr Cameron.

He added: ‘We should support business leaders who earn great rewards for building great businesses. That will inevitably mean some people will earn great rewards.

‘But that is a world away from what we’ve seen in recent years, where the bonus culture – particularly in the City – has got out of control, where  the link between risk, hard work, success and reward has been broken.’

In his speech, the Prime Minister conceded the recession had dented public confidence in the capitalist economy

The Prime Minister also vowed to help entrepreneurs who take great risks to build companies that can boost jobs.

The Government is set to launch a ‘Start Up Britain’ campaign next week to make it easier for people to launch new businesses.

The final plank of Mr Cameron’s plans to change the market will see the Government introduce a new Co-operatives Bill to simplify a rag bag of 17 different Bills dealing with mutual companies.

The Prime Minister echoed Mr Clegg’s calls for more employee share ownership, pointing out that it was part of a rich Tory tradition.

Ed Miliband said he did not believe Mr Cameron is ‘serious about the agenda’ of a capitalist economy

‘We need to open up markets and get more people engaged in a genuinely popular capitalism,’ he said. ‘A consistent Conservative theme has been the ambition of building a nation of shareholders, savers and home-owners.’

While calling for greater regulation of big banks, Mr Cameron said the Government would lift the burden of red tape from smaller businesses.

‘The last government got regulation completely the wrong way round. Small companies were strangled in red tape while the banks were allowed to let rip. We’re turning the tables on this.’

The Prime Minister accused Labour of creating the current crisis by failing to regulate the City. ‘The last government made a Faustian pact with the City,’ he said. ‘It encouraged a debt-crazed economy because it needed to pay for spiralling welfare costs and a top-down, interventionist state.’

Labour leader Ed Miliband told Mr Cameron: ‘Let’s judge you on your deeds and not your words.’ He challenged the Prime Minister to act on rip-off bank charges, exorbitant train fare increases and the ‘rigged’ energy market.

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Fresh blow for Milibands as Unison chief attacks ‘breathtaking naivety’ of Labour leader over cuts U-turn

By Jason Groves

Last updated at 1:47 AM on 19th January 2012

Fresh attack: Ed Miliband has faced yet more criticism – this time about capping public sector pay

Ed Miliband suffered a fresh blow to his authority last night as the biggest public sector union accused him of ‘breathtaking naivety’ over his U-turn on Coalition cuts.

Dave Prentis, the normally mild-mannered general secretary of the  Unison union, launched a blistering attack on the Labour leader over his decision to embrace a new cap on public sector pay.

Mr Prentis, whose union has given Labour £2million since Mr Miliband became leader, hinted that funding could be cut back or even ended unless the policy was reversed.

He added: ‘Ed Miliband’s naivety is breathtaking and his ill-thought-through comments will have unintended consequences.

‘At a time when hard-working families are struggling to make ends meet, the very party which they look to  to stand by them, has chosen instead to play cheap politics with their lives.’

His comments come amid a major union backlash over a decision by  Mr Miliband and Shadow Chancellor  Ed Balls to soften Labour’s  opposition to the Coalition’s deficit reduction plans.

Mr Miliband said that although Labour would continue to oppose the Government’s package of spending cuts, it would no longer pledge to reverse them if it returned to power.

Mr Balls said Labour would also now support the Government’s  decision to impose a 1 per cent  pay cap on public sector workers for two years.

Unite boss Len McCluskey, whose union is Labour’s biggest donor, has said the stance would ‘lead to the destruction of the party … and certain election defeat’. The GMB, which is the third of Labour’s big union donors, also hinted it could jettison the party unless Mr Miliband changed tack.

Last night Mr Prentis accused Mr Miliband of falling into a ‘Tory trap’.

He said: ‘We were told by Ed Miliband to be patient, to prepare for the long haul and that their economic plans needed to be cautious.

‘And we hoped that, as the economy worsened, Labour’s voice would get louder, more forceful and that Ed Miliband would step up and speak out against the tearing apart of  communities and families as they face insecurity and uncertainty.

‘But at a time when our members needed him most, he panicked and fell into the trap, ditching overnight a policy that challenged the Coalition. He has decided to embrace a Tory pay policy that hits millions of public service workers, particularly low-paid women – care workers, hospital cleaners and dinner ladies, who have already had two years of pay freezes and job losses.’

Mr Miliband hit back on Monday saying he would not change his policy ‘in the face of threats’.

Labour’s high command is nervous about alienating the unions, which bankroll the party. Some Labour MPs are also uneasy about the shift in policy, which is designed to begin the process of restoring the party’s battered credibility on the economy.

John Mann, a Labour member of the Commons Treasury committee, yesterday called on Mr Miliband  and Mr Balls to ‘go back to the drawing board’.

News | Mail Online

Doctors given aspirin warning: Pills cut heart attacks by 10% but raise risk of internal bleeding by nearly a third

By Jenny Hope

Last updated at 1:24 AM on 10th January 2012

Doctors should stop giving aspirin to ward off heart attacks in patients without cardiac disease, claim scientists.

British researchers behind the biggest study of its kind warn the tablets can harm the ‘worried well’ by raising the risk of stomach bleeding.

At the same time, it has no effect on deaths from heart problems or cancer, they said.

Aspirin: The pills, normally taken for light pain relief, are widely taken by people for their positive effects on cardiovascular health

But the scientists stress that patients with heart problems must keep taking aspirin as evidence that it prevents further attacks is indisputable.

Thousands of others who have not had a heart attack or stroke are prescribed low-dose aspirin in line with guidelines as they are feared to be at risk of cardiac attack.

In addition, healthy middle-aged people – the so-called worried well – regularly take aspirin bought over-the-counter at pharmacies in the hope it will benefit them.

Taking daily aspirin is known to cut the risk of repeat heart attacks and stroke by up to a third. But there has been uncertainty over whether it has the same benefit in patients who have never suffered an attack.

The latest study reviewed nine clinical trials involving more than 100,000 people without a history of cardiovascular disease. It found the risk of internal bleeding from aspirin cancels out any benefits to the heart.

Half of the patients took aspirin and half took an inactive substitute for an average of six years.

Taking aspirin daily, or every other day, cut the risk of heart attacks and strokes by 10 per cent, mainly due to a drop in non-fatal heart attacks. But there were no reductions in deaths from heart attacks or the number of strokes.

Double edged sword: Aspirin can cut the risk of heart attacks by 10 per cent, but was found to raise the risk of dangerous internal bleeding by 30 per cent

However, the benefit to the heart was almost entirely offset by a rise in the risk of internal bleeding affecting the stomach or brain.

Although one heart-related event was averted for every 120 people taking aspirin, one in 73 suffered bleeding during the same period.

Lead author Dr Rao Seshasai said people with a history of heart problems must not stop taking aspirin.

He said: ‘However, the benefits in those not known to have these conditions are far more modest than previously believed. In fact, aspirin may potentially result in considerable harm due to major bleeding.’

He said doctors should consider aspirin treatment on a ‘case-by-case basis’ for low-risk patients.

The study, published online in the Archives of Internal Medicine journal, was carried out by a team from Professor Kausik Ray’s group at St George’s, University of London.

It adds to growing evidence that giving aspirin where patients do not have symptoms of heart  disease is counter-productive. A report in the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin in 2009 said the practice should be abandoned.

And a UK study also in 2009 found aspirin can double the risk of dangerous internal bleeding in those without a history of heart disease while having no effect on the rate of heart attacks or strokes.

Natasha Stewart, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: ‘People who don’t have diagnosed heart disease shouldn’t take aspirin as the risk of bleeding may outweigh the benefits.’

Nick Henderson, executive director of the Aspirin Foundation, said the study was ‘at odds with so much existing medical opinion’.

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Baghdad attacks: 14 bomb blasts kill 63 just 5 days after US withdrew from Iraq

• Eleven neighbourhoods in central Baghdad hit by 16 blasts
• Sticky bombs on cars, roadside blasts and vehicles packed with explosives
• Sparks fears lack of U.S. presence will see country descend into anarchy
• Foreign Secretary William Hague condemns attacks as ‘cowardly’
  

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 1:46 AM on 23rd December 2011

At least 69 people were killed and more than 190 wounded in a wave of co-ordinated bombings across Baghdad yesterday, days after U.S. forces finally left.

The 16 blasts were immediately blamed on Al Qaeda in Iraq because of the sheer scale of the operation and the expertise involved.

A variety of bombing techniques were used in 11 neighbourhoods. There was one suicide bomber, two vehicles packed with explosives, some roadside bombs and other so-called ‘sticky’ bombs underneath cars.

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Devastated: Iraqi security forces inspect a crater caused by a car bomb in the Karrada area of Baghdad

Blasts: A series of bombs have exploded in central Baghdad in the first wave of violence since U.S. forces quit the country just days ago

Security spokesman Major General Qassim Atta said the bombers targeted schools, workers and an anti-corruption agency. ‘They were not security targets,’ he said. One blast killed seven people as they helped the victims of a previous explosion.

The carnage – the worst to hit Baghdad in months – came after the last American troops left Iraq last Sunday, nearly nine years after the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Many Iraqis had feared a return to sectarian violence without a U.S. military buffer.

Iraq’s fragile power-sharing government is grappling with its worst turmoil since its formation a year ago. Shi’ite, Sunni and Kurdish blocs share out government posts in a unwieldy system that has been impaired by political infighting since it began.

This week Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki moved to sideline two Sunni Muslim leaders, stirring tensions.

Al Qaeda is mainly Sunni and security officials believe insurgents had been waiting for a worsening sectarian relationship to unleash attacks.

Most appeared to hit Shi’ite neighbourhoods, although some Sunni areas were also targeted.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague condemned the attacks as ‘cowardly’. He has urged leaders to ‘pull together’ in the wake of the blasts to aid the country’s political stability.

He said: ‘I condemn the attacks that took place in Baghdad this morning, resulting in the death and injury of a large number of people. I offer my condolences to the bereaved and injured. These cowardly attacks come at a time of political tension in Iraq.

‘I hope that leaders from across the political and sectarian spectrum will pull together to establish a dialogue to ensure Iraq’s political stability and to build a stable future. The UK will support Iraq in its efforts to defeat extremism and terrorism.’

Iraqi officials said at least 14 blasts went off early this morning in 11 neighbourhoods around the city. The violence ranged from sticky bombs attached to cars to roadside bombs and vehicles packed with explosives.

In the southwestern neighbourhood of Karrada, where one of the victims was killed, sirens could be heard as ambulances rushed to the scene and a large plume of smoke rose over the explosion site.

Scene: Children walk past a pool of blood at the site of a bomb attack in the Alawi district of central Baghdad

Carnage: People leave a residential building damaged in a bomb attack in the Karrada district of central Baghdad

Um Hanin, in western Baghdad, said: ‘My baby was sleeping in her bed. Shards of glass have fallen on our heads. Her father hugged her and carried her. She is now scared in the next room. All countries are stable. Why don’t we have security and stability?’

While Baghdad and Iraq have become much safer over the years, explosions like today’s are still commonplace.

They come at a precarious time in Iraq’s political history, just days after American troops pulled out of Iraq.

The government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has accused the Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi of running a hit squad that targeted government officials. Al-Maliki is also pushing for a vote of no-confidence against another Sunni politician, the deputy prime minister Saleh al-Mutlaq.

Many Sunnis fear that this is part of a wider campaign to go after Sunni political figures in general and shore up Shiite control across the country at a critical time when all American troops have left Iraq.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the morning’s violence. But the coordinated nature of the assault and the fact that the attacks took place in numerous neighbourhoods suggested a planning capability only available to Al Qaeda in Iraq.

Many of the neighbourhoods were also Shiite areas which are a favourite target of the terrorist organisation. The Sunni extremist group often targets Shiites who they believe are not true Muslims.

Al Qaeda in Iraq is severely debilitated from its previous strength in the early years of the war, but is still able to launch coordinated and deadly assaults from time to time.

U.S. military officials have said they are worried about a resurgence of the group after the American military leaves the country.

If that happens, it could lead Shiite militants to fight back and attack Sunni targets, thus sending Iraq back to the sectarian violence it experienced just a few years ago.

Blame: Al Qaeda in Iraq has been singled out as the perpetrators behind the attacks

Remnants: A soldier’s boot and blood stains are seen on the ground after a bomb attack in the Alawi district of central Baghdad

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