Alan Blinkhorn - Urgent News: Egypt military 'agrees new government'

Alan Blinkhorn - Urgent News:
Egypt military 'agrees new government'

Egypt's military rulers have agreed to form a "national salvation government" and speed up the process towards presidential elections, reports say.

The move follows days of often violent protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square.

Delegates at a crisis meeting between political groups and the military said parliamentary elections next week would go ahead as scheduled.

They said presidential elections would take place before the end of June next year - a key demand of protesters.

Next week's elections are due to set in train a process of transition to democracy following the toppling of President Hosni Mubarak in February.

But many Egyptians fear the military intends to hold on to power, whatever the outcome of the polls.

The BBC's Kevin Connolly in Cairo says the readiness to bring forward presidential elections appears to be a major concession from the military.

Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Scaf), is expected to make a statement later, Egyptian TV reports.

Tens of thousands of people packed Tahrir Square on Tuesday evening following days of protests against the country's military rulers.

Read More:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15843425

Alan Blinkhorn - Urgent News: Why is unity so important to Europe?

Alan Blinkhorn - Urgent News:

Why is unity so important to Europe?

London (CNN) -- Europe's leaders are battling to keep the eurozone and the wider European Union together in the face of a financial crisis that threatens to split partnerships forged over more than half a century.

So why are they putting so much effort into preserving unity? And can they prevent today's debts and differences from dividing the continent for decades to come?


Why is unity so important to Europe?

The answer lies in Europe's history: The continent has historically been split by long-running conflicts that pitted neighboring countries against each other.

But despite this, the nations of Europe also share much in common, as Professor John Loughlin, of the University of Cambridge's department of politics and international studies explained.

"In the 19th century there was an idea that Europe had a natural unity, that its constituent parts shared an identity, a culture, a history," he told CNN.

Read More: www.CNN.com

Alan Blinkhorn - Urgent News: Soldier creates smartphone app to save the lives of burns victims on battlefield

Alan Blinkhorn - Urgent News:

Chris Seaton, former captain in the Royal Army Medical Corps, developed lifesaving burns app

A FORMER Army medic has created a pioneering smartphone app which could save the lives of soldiers badly burned on the battlefield.

Chris Seaton, once a captain in the Royal Army Medical Corps, is the mastermind behind the Mersey Burns app.

It lets medics do an exact and rapid calculation to see the precise amount of fluid a burns victim needs – something usually worked out with a pen and paper, which is time consuming and prone to error.

Chris said: “There are people who get burned out in Afghanistan and you can’t get them to a doctor or nurse – and if you get them to a combat medic they are going to be even more flustered than a doctor.

“After managing medics in Afghanistan I know the information and detail they have to take in and the pressure they have, so taking something and putting it in an app could solve all sorts of problems.”

Read more: www.mirror.co.uk

Alan Blinkhorn - Urgent News: New York police clear Occupy camp

Alan Blinkhorn - Urgent News:


New York police have dismantled the Occupy Wall Street camp in Zuccotti Park following a late-night raid.

Protesters were woken at 01:00 (06:00 GMT) and ordered to leave, before police began dismantling tents and removing property.

Occupy Wall Street was set up in September to protest against economic inequality and had inspired dozens of similar camps around the world.

A camp in Oakland, California was cleared overnight on Monday.

Police in New York gave an announcement as their operation began, telling protesters: "The city has determined that the continued occupation of Zuccotti Park poses an increasing health and fire safety hazard."

Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office released a message on Twitter saying protesters should "temporarily leave and remove tents and tarps" but could return once the park was clear.

Read More: www.bbc.co.uk

Alan Blinkhorn - Urgent News: Italy crisis: Senate to vote on austerity measures

Alan Blinkhorn - Urgent News:

Italy crisis: Senate to vote on austerity measures
The Italian senate has begun a debate - to be followed by a vote - on austerity measures designed to avoid a bailout of the eurozone's third largest economy.
The measures are likely to be approved, with the lower house voting at the weekend and paving the way for Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to resign.
A technocrat government possibly led by former EU commissioner Mario Monti is being debated.
On Thursday, Italy raised 5bn euros (£4.3bn) from new government bonds.
But this was at an interest rate of 6.087% to borrow the money for one year.
A vote in the upper house is expected on Friday afternoon or evening.
Mr Berlusconi, who lost his parliamentary majority in a vote on Tuesday, has promised to resign after the austerity measures are passed by both houses of parliament.
Nervous markets
Italy's leaders are desperate to signal that they can bring the country's finances under control, says the BBC's Alan Johnston in Rome, and they are moving fast.
Mr Monti, a well respected economist, is exactly the sort of man that the money markets would like to see take charge at this time of crisis, our correspondent says.
The austerity package foresees 59.8bn euros in savings from a mixture of spending cuts and tax rises, with the aim of balancing the budget by 2014. Measures include:

• An increase in VAT, from 20% to 21%

• A freeze on public-sector salaries until 2014

• The retirement age for women in the private sector will gradually rise, from 60 in 2014 until it reaches 65 in 2026, the same age as for men

• Measures to fight tax evasion will be strengthened, including a limit of 2,500 euros on cash transactions

• There will be a special tax on the energy sector

Read more on this story at: www.bbc.co.uk 

Alan Blinkhorn - Urgent News: Italy borrowing costs hit record 7

Alan Blinkhorn - Urgent News:



BBC.co.uk: 9 November 2011 Last updated at 16:19

Italy borrowing costs hit record 7%

Italy's cost of borrowing has touched a new record, a day after Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said he would resign once budget reforms were passed.

If Italy tried to borrow money today, payable in 10 years, it would have to pay an interest rate of more than 7%.

Investors fear that Italy could become the next victim of the debt crisis.

In a bid to calm markets, President Giorgio Napolitano said reforms would be passed and Mr Berlusconi would resign "within a few days".

The 7% level is widely viewed as unsustainable and was the point at which Portugal, Greece and the Irish Republic were forced to seek a bailout.

This so-called yield on Italian government debt is the highest since the euro was founded in 1999. In comparison, Germany's implied cost of borrowing for 10 years is 1.73%.

Read more at: www.bbc.co.uk