The European Commission has proposed giving at least 150m euro (£134m; $220m) in compensation to farmers hit by the deadly E. coli outbreak.
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Fire crews came from as far afield as Fishguard and Carmarthen
Around 40 firefighters have spent the night tackling a large hill fire in Pembrokeshire.
Residents living in High Street, Solva, were asked to leave their homes as the gorse blaze, covering three hectares, threatened to reach their properties.
Trees and grass near some of the houses in the street were doused with water as a precaution but the fire was put out before spreading that far.
Emergency services received the call at 2325 BST on Monday.
“The conditions of the incident at the incident were very challenging for the crews with steep terrain and strong winds,” said Mid and West Wales fire service incident commander group manager Steve Bryant.
“Our fire fighters adapted well to these conditions and worked hard to deal with the incident safely.”
At its peak, crews from St David’s, Fishguard, Cardigan, Haverfordwest, Milford Haven and specialist units from Pembroke Dock and Carmarthen were at the scene.
Five appliances along with a high volume pump, an environment protection unit, a water bowser and a new welfare unit were in use.
A water tower with a hose reel jet was used near homes to make sure they were not affected by the fire.
There are still four appliances at the scene on Tuesday morning damping down what is left of the grass and gorse.
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HMV has struggled with falling sales of CDs and DVDs
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Troubled music and DVD retailer HMV has agreed a new refinancing package with its lenders, worth £220m.
But the company faces high interest rates and fees as part of the new deal.
The deal includes issuing the lenders with warrants worth 5% of the company, which will be converted into shares next year.
In May it sold its Waterstone’s book chain for £53m to a fund controlled by Russian billionaire Alexander Mamut, who already owns 6% of HMV.
HMV has estimated debts of £170m and has issued several profit warnings this year.
The company’s share price rose 6% to 13p at the start of trading in London, following the announcement.
The group has faced increased competition from online retailers and supermarkets, and has seen sales of CDs and DVDs fall as a result, leading to the planned closure of 60 stores this year.
HMV’s main lenders are taxpayer-backed Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group.
“HMV’s executives – led by chief executive Simon Fox – have little more than two years to get the business into shape”
Read Robert’s blog in full
But the new money will not come cheap – the interest rate payable is 4 percentage points above Libor, or the benchmark market rate.
The package is made up of separate £70m and £90m loans, and a £60m credit facility, which can be called upon if needed.
And the company faces an “exit fee” due on the £90m loan when it is repaid, which would rise to 14% by January 2013 if the loan has not been repaid by then.
Chief executive Simon Fox said the new bank facility “represents another important milestone in securing the financial stability of the group”.
BBC business editor Robert Peston said HMV’s executives had little more than two years to get the business into shape, “at the risk that the flame of this well-known retailer could yet be extinguished”.
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Police investigating alleged serious abuse at a care home near Bristol following undercover filming by the BBC arrest two women.
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The prime minister has faced professional and political opposition to his plans
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David Cameron is to set out “five guarantees” for the future of the NHS in England amid details of when changes to planned reforms will be considered.
The prime minister will insist the NHS will remain free at the point of use, care will be improved, budgets will rise and waiting times be “kept low”.
Labour said the PM had broken pledges on the NHS and could not be trusted.
A group looking at how controversial NHS reforms can be improved is expected to report to Cabinet early next week.
Ministers are awaiting the findings of the Future Forum, the body set up to lead the consultation on the coalition’s proposed shake-up of the NHS.
The government’s plans to give GPs more commissioning powers , increase competition in the NHS and abolish primary care trusts have been criticised by medical professionals and are on hold pending the results of a “listening exercise” which concluded last week.
In the latest of a series of speeches aimed at reassuring people about the NHS shake-up, Mr Cameron will say that ministers have “learnt a lot about how to make our plans better” during the two-month consultation.
He will restate the government’s case for modernising the health service – plans which have caused tension between Conservative and Lib Dem partners – saying that, if no action is taken, the NHS could “buckle under the pressure of an ageing population and the rising cost of treatments”.
But again promising to get patients and NHS professionals on board with the plans, he will outline “five guarantees” about the future shape of the NHS.
He will say:
The NHS will remain a universal serviceChanges will improve “efficient and integrated care” not hinder itHospital waiting times will be “kept low”NHS spending will be increased, not reducedThe NHS will not be sold off and competition will benefit patients
“We will modernise the NHS – because changing the NHS today is the only way to protect the NHS for tomorrow,” he will say.
“We will stick by our core principle of an NHS that is more efficient, more transparent and more diverse… But I will make sure at all times that any of the changes we make to the NHS will always be consistent with upholding these five guarantees.
“There can be no compromise on this. It is what patients expect. It is what doctors and nurses want. And it is what this government will deliver.”
“David Cameron is desperately trying to make ‘I love the NHS’ his signature tune but the reality is very different”
John Healey Shadow Health SecretaryNHS overhaul: What next?
Ministers have already conceded there will be substantial changes to the Health and Social Care Bill as a result of the process but the opposition, and the doctors’ body the British Medical Association, have called for the legislation to be scrapped entirely.
“David Cameron is desperately trying to make ‘I love the NHS’ his signature tune but the reality is very different,” Shadow Health Secretary John Healey said.
“With real terms cuts to funding, more patients waiting longer and ideological plans to break up services, he has broken his personal pledge to protect the NHS and is instead taking it backwards. The NHS is not safe in his hands.”
The BBC understands the Future Forum report will be delivered to Cabinet either next Monday or Tuesday and ministers will respond swiftly.
It is understood there will be no decision on whether to send the bill back to committee stage in the Commons, which would entail detailed further scrutiny by MPs and further delay to the proposals, until ministers have digested the report’s recommendations.
In a recent speech, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg suggested such an outcome was likely.
Mr Clegg has also said he will oppose the idea of a regulator promoting competition in the health service, seemingly put himself at odds with Health Secretary Andrew Lansley – the architect of the proposed reforms.
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MEP Francisco Sosa-Wagner demands compensation for Spain’s farmers
The European Commission has proposed a 150m euro (£134m; $220m) aid package to help farmers whose products have been hit by the current E. coli outbreak.
Producers of salad vegetables have seen sales plummet in the outbreak, which has killed 22 people and sickened more than 2,400.
EU agriculture ministers are holding crisis talks in Luxembourg.
The EU health commissioner said the outbreak was limited to north Germany and did not need Europe-wide controls.
John Dalli also warned against releasing unproven information on the outbreak, saying it had spread fear and adversely affected farm producers.
European agriculture commissioner Dacian Ciolos told journalists ahead of the Luxembourg talks: “I will propose 150m euros today.
Analysis
This may turn out to be little more than an opening bid. The European Commission wants governments to release 150m euros in aid to European vegetable producers but that will still leave farmers with massive losses.
Spain has already threatened to take Germany to court if it does not cover 100% of the losses its farmers have incurred, and they are estimated to be running at more than 200m euros a week.
Other countries will also be making claims – Dutch farmers are thought to be 80m euros down – and some will resist efforts for money to be paid from central EU funds. The Commission proposal will cover less than a third of the total losses, and it will probably make use of a farm crisis fund within the EU budget.
But if that is what gets agreed, it may leave no-one entirely satisfied. At a time when European farmers are already worried about the effects of drought, the huge fall in the sale and price of fresh vegetables could do lasting damage.
“I hope that the authorities will be able to give an answer on the source of the infection as quickly as possible. Without this answer, it will be difficult to regain the trust of consumers, which is essential for the market to regain its strength.”
Compensation will cover the period from late May to late June, he said, but the amount paid could change once each country’s reported losses are known.
Spain has been demanding 100% compensation from Germany for huge losses suffered by its farmers because of the false accusation that the outbreak began in Spanish cucumbers.
Spain’s fruit and vegetables exporters association has estimated losses at 225m euros (£200m) a week.
All the deaths from the outbreak, bar one in Sweden, have been in Germany. Twelve countries have been affected, with the cases outside Germany linked to travel there.
The latest focus for the source has been on bean sprouts from a German organic farm in Uelzen, 100km (62 miles) south of Hamburg. However, of 40 samples examined from the farm, the first 23 tested negative.
Earlier Mr Dalli told the European Parliament: “I stress that the outbreak is limited geographically to the area surrounding the city of Hamburg, so there is no reason to take action on a European level.
“[EU-wide] measures against any product are disproportionate.”
EU health commissioner John Dalli said unjustified fears were being spread
Detailing how the crisis unfolded, he said that originally pinpointing cucumbers from Spain as the source had been wrong.
He said: “It’s crucial that national authorities don’t rush to give information on the source of infection when it’s not justified by the science.
“That creates fears and problems for our food producers. We must be careful not to make premature conclusions.”
After he spoke, Spanish delegate Francisco Sosa-Wagner held up a cucumber during his speech, saying: “We need to restore the honour of the cucumber.”
Health adviceWash fruit and vegetables before eating themPeel or cook fruit and vegetablesWash hands regularly to prevent person-to-person spread of E. coli strain
Source: UK Health Protection Agency
Q&A: E. coli outbreak
BBC Europe correspondent Chris Morris says the EU agriculture ministers will want to know how close experts are to identifying the source, amid mounting criticism of the investigation.
On Monday, Germany’s Lower Saxony agriculture ministry said that “investigations are continuing”, as it announced that the first tests from the farm in Uelzen had proved negative.
It added that it did not expect “any short-term conclusions”, and that given the complex testing procedure, the remaining 17 samples may not be returned for a few more days.
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