The announcement that British troops in Afghanistan are to hand over responsibility for the Sangin area of Helmand to US soldiers has been described by the Ministry of Defence as a “redeployment”. But critics – pointing to the fact that the UK has suffered its heaviest losses in the area, with 99 deaths since 2001 – are calling it a “retreat” and the Taliban are hailing it as a “victory”
Archive for July, 2010
Turkish-Kurd talks urged after Istanbul bus bomb
By Murray Rowlands /Saturday, July 10th, 2010The bombing of a bus in Istanbul and the deaths of four soldiers and a civilian has dramatically underlined the need for positive ideas on all sides on how to resolve the long-running problem of Turkey’s troubled relationship with its Kurdish population
FBI swoop shows East and West are still spying on one another, but it’s all in the timing
By Marcus Papadopoulos /Saturday, July 10th, 2010Despite the over the top headlines – such as, inevitably, “Reds Under the Bed” – the arrest by the FBI of 10 alleged Russian agents in the United States reveals a couple of fundamental truths: that the end of the Cold War did not mean the end of espionage between East and West and that spying or, if you prefer, intelligence gathering, remains a standard operating practice for most governments
SNP pledges to build a thousand new council homes
By Keith Richmond /Saturday, July 10th, 2010The SNP government is to build 1,000 new council houses in Scotland at a cost of £120 million. First Minister Alex Salmond said: “We are working in partnership with local government to provide a new generation of council housing.” He said the scheme would create 2,000 new jobs
Voting reform plan is “complete travesty”, says Hain
By René Lavanchy /Saturday, July 10th, 2010Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg’s plans for electoral reform amount to a “complete travesty” with unforeseen damage for Wales, Shadow Welsh Secretary Peter Hain said this week
Europe-wide curbs on bank bonuses get the go ahead
By Ben Fox /Saturday, July 10th, 2010Plans to place strict curbs on bonuses and hedge fund managers have been given the green light by MEPs
Campaign to bring back Clause IV
By Chris McLaughlin /Saturday, July 10th, 2010Support is being canvassed for the reinstatement of the symbolic Clause IV in Labour’s constitution
Unions guarded over anti-strike law rumours
By René Lavanchy /Saturday, July 10th, 2010Unions have given a mixed response to media reports this week that the coalition Government may seek to tighten up industrial action law
Bosses’ pay rises even as share values fall
By Bernard and René Purcell and Lavanchy /Friday, July 9th, 2010Pay for FTSE100 bosses has jumped 5 per cent during the past two years despite falls in share value.
Cuts and slowdown add to double-dip recession fears
By Bernard Purcell /Friday, July 9th, 2010Government public spending cuts and the prospect of a renewed global economic slowdown are increasing fears among British company bosses of a double dip recession