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Eurozone plans integration move

Herman Van Rompuy says the permanent mechanism requires a change to the Lisbon Treaty

EU leaders say they are looking at ways to narrow the economic performance gaps that threaten the eurozone’s stability.

“We have to tackle the competitiveness gaps” in the 16-nation eurozone, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said.

France and Germany plan to present new proposals to address the problem. But they did not pledge new bail-out cash.

The leaders were speaking after an EU summit which saw agreement on a permanent mechanism to help any eurozone nation crippled by debts.

The UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, insisted that the new stability mechanism, planned to enter into force in 2013, “doesn’t affect the UK and doesn’t transfer any more powers to the European Union”.

Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel said the discussions “showed that we need more uniformity in our economic policies, and we will have to talk more about that in the coming months”.

The European Council President, Herman Van Rompuy, said EU leaders “have… the political will to do whatever is required to ensure the eurozone’s stability”.

This year debt-laden Greece and the Irish Republic have received emergency bail-outs, disbursed jointly by the EU and International Monetary Fund.

“The gulf between the weaker economies and Germany’s only grows”

Hewitt: Euro crisis unresolved

The 27 leaders, meeting in Brussels on Thursday, agreed that in 2013 the permanent mechanism would succeed the eurozone’s 750bn-euro (£637bn; $1tn) temporary bail-out fund, the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF).

But the summit conclusions on Friday noted that “only a very limited amount has been committed from the EFSF to support the Irish programme”.

Analysts say the EFSF would not be big enough to bail out Spain, if Madrid’s finances deteriorated to the point where it needed a rescue.

Setting up the new stability mechanism requires a change to the EU’s Lisbon Treaty.

Two sentences will be added to Article 136 of the treaty – a change that Germany demanded to make any future eurozone bail-out legally watertight.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel talks to Romanian President Traian Basescu, 16 Dec 10

The German chancellor (left) does not want to pour more euros into the current EU rescue fund

The new text, quoted by Mr Van Rompuy, says: “The member states whose currency is the euro may establish a stability mechanism, to be activated if indispensable to safeguard the stability of the euro area as a whole.

“The granting of any required financial assistance under the mechanism will be made subject to strict conditionality.”

The “strict conditionality” means that any eurozone country requiring such a rescue will have to act to tackle its debt or deficit.

The new mechanism will require private sector bondholders to share the cost of any debt restructuring on a case-by-case basis, Reuters news agency reports.

The summit comes amid continuing concern about stability in the eurozone, as national debts and deficits have soared above the EU’s targets.

Portugal and Spain have been under financial market scrutiny since the Irish Republic was forced to take an aid package of 85bn euros (£72bn; $113bn) last month.

The European Central Bank (ECB) has been buying billions of euros of sovereign debt to ease the pressure on the countries seen as most vulnerable in the eurozone. It is to double the reserves it holds – to 10.8bn euros, from 5.8bn euros at present.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Ghana’s Gyan crowned BBC winner

Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan is crowned 2010 BBC African Footballer of the Year, beating Dede Ayew, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure and Didier Drogba.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Christians ‘fleeing central Iraq’

Memorial at Our Lady of Salvation in Baghdad

Nearly 70 people died when security forces stormed the church in Baghdad to free dozens of hostages held by militants

The UN refugee agency says thousands of Iraqi Christians are fleeing from central provinces of the country.

They are seeking refuge in the relatively safe Kurdish-controlled region in the north.

The UN High Commission for Refugees said about 1,000 families have left Baghdad and Mosul province since an attack on a church left 68 people dead.

It said the flight of Christians to other parts of Iraq and abroad has become “a slow but steady exodus”.

The UNHCR also said it was dismayed that European governments are deporting failed Iraqi asylum seekers to areas of the country it does not consider safe.

ATTACKS ON IRAQI CHRISTIANS SINCE 2003

A woman prays in Baghdad's Syrian Catholic Church, days after it was targeted

Aug 2004 – series of bombings targets five churches, killing 11 peopleOctober 2006 – Orthodox priest Fr Boulos Iskander snatched in Mosul by group demanding ransom. Despite payment of the ransom, Fr Iskander was found beheaded and with his limbs amputatedJune 2007 – Fr Ragheed Ganni – a priest and secretary to Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahh, killed in 2008 – shot dead in his church along with three companionsJanuary 2008 – Bombs go off outside three Chaldean and Assyrian churches in Mosul, two churches in Kirkuk and four in BaghdadFebruary 2008 – Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahh kidnapped; body found in shallow grave two weeks laterApril 2008 – Fr Adel Youssef, an Assyrian Orthodox priest, shot dead by unknown assailantsFebruary 2010 – At least eight Christians die in a two-week spate of attacks in northern city of MosulOctober 2010 – Nearly 70 people died when security forces stormed a church in Baghdad to free dozens of hostages held by militantsIraqi Christians’ long history

“UNHCR strongly reiterates its call on countries to refrain from deporting Iraqis who originate from the most perilous parts of the country,” Melissa Fleming, the agency’s chief spokesperson, said.

Nearly 70 people died as security forces stormed a Catholic church in Baghdad to free dozens of hostages on 31 October.

A number of gunmen entered Our Lady of Salvation in the city’s Karrada district during Mass, sparking an hours-long stand-off.

UNHCR offices in Iraq are recording a significant increase in Christians fleeing Baghdad and Mosul for the the Kurdistan Regional Government Region and Nineva region, the UNHCR said.

“We have heard many accounts of people fleeing their homes after receiving direct threats. Some were able to take only a few belongings with them,” Ms Fleming said.

UNHCR offices in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon are reporting a growing number of Iraqi Christians arriving and contacting UNHCR for registration and help.

Churches and non-governmental organisations are warning the refugee agency to expect more people fleeing in the coming weeks.

While overall civilian casualties are lower this year than last, it appears that minority groups are increasingly susceptible to threats and attacks.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Bank bonus rules ‘to miss many’

The scale of bankers’ bonuses remains a controversial issue with the public

Most UK financial firms look set to be able to escape some of the strict rules aimed at curbing bankers’ bonuses, fresh City watchdog rules suggest.

The Financial Services Authority said its remuneration code was aligned to rules agreed by the EU’s Committee of European Banking Supervisors (CEBS).

But only the biggest banks must comply with all the guidelines, the FSA said.

Smaller UK firms – including some banks as well as hedge funds and asset managers – are exempt from some rules.

These include a rule that puts a tighter cap on the proportion of bonuses paid in cash, the FSA said.

Those firms also will not be required to have a UK-based remuneration committee.

The FSA’s previous code only applied to 26 banks – however 2,700 firms which it regulates will have to abide by the revised code.

A rule that applies to all firms is that any guaranteed bonuses must be applied across a company – not just certain divisions.

Financial institutions already covered by the FSA’s existing code will be required to implement the rules by 1 January, meaning they will affect bonuses for the current year, which will be paid out in January and February.

Other firms that are coming within scope of the rules for the first time must comply by 31 July at the latest.

There has been widespread anger amongst many politicians as well as the public over bankers’ pay.

On Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg issued a fresh warning to banks over excessive bonuses and the need to boost lending to small firms.

The deputy prime minister told the Financial Times that the government would not “stand idly by” if bonuses paid early next year were unacceptable.

Last week, the CEBS code was met with surprise by the British Bankers’ Association.

It called it a “dramatic” change compared with earlier proposals from a meeting of G20 leaders – raising fears that bankers may emigrate to more lightly-regulated countries.

And after the release of the FSA’s revised code, the BBA said that until there was “a genuinely global consensus on pay in financial services, the challenge for policymakers will be to ensure the UK continues to attract this valuable business”.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Blood donor appeal as stocks fall

Blood donations are needed to cover the Christmas period

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The NHS is appealing for people to donate blood because of low stocks caused by the bad weather.

The NHS Blood and Transplant Service said stocks of O negative have fallen below “preferred levels.”

O negative is an a key blood type because it can be given safely to patients in other blood groups.

The service, which covers England and north Wales, warns the return of the wintry weather could make the situation even worse.

O negative is the only safe option when a patient’s blood group is unknown or not immediately available.

This means it is vital in emergencies and for procedures on unborn babies.

Platelet donors who are due to donate are also being reminded to give now.

As platelets only have a shelf life of five days, it is vital that these stocks are constantly replenished.

Cancelled sessions

Sixty-nine blood donation sessions were cancelled in one week across England and North Wales during the worst of the weather.

At the sessions which did take place, fewer donors attended than would normally have been expected.

“ We especially need O negative donors at the moment as we have experienced higher than expected orders for this type of blood”

Joe Latham, NHSBT

In badly-affected areas the NHS Blood and Transplant service used 4×4 vehicles to move blood supplies to hospitals to ensure that patients received the treatment they needed.

Jon Latham, assistant director of blood donation at NHSBT, said: “We would like to thank everyone who has given blood over the past few weeks, particularly when the weather was bad.

“We rely on the generosity and commitment of volunteer donors to help us maintain the vital supply of blood to hospitals.”

He added: “To boost stocks we need to ensure that we make the most of the sessions that are going ahead to try to make up for the cancellations in other areas and urge donors to make every effort to attend if they possibly can.

“We especially need O negative donors at the moment as we have experienced higher than expected orders for this type of blood in the past week.”

Giving blood is vital to ensure that patients undergoing surgery and receiving treatment for cancer and blood diseases, such as leukaemia, continue to receive the transfusions they need.

To book an appointment to donate blood, call the Donor Line on 0300 123 23 23.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Week in pictures

The news in images from around the world this week

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Poles reject Russia crash report

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (right) hugs his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk at the crash site, photo 10 April

Russia pledged to fully investigate April’s crash

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Polish PM Donald Tusk has criticised an investigation by Russia into a deadly plane crash which killed the country’s president in April.

He said it was “unacceptable” and some conclusions “without foundation”.

Russia recently handed Poland a draft report of the incident after months of investigation, though it has not been made public.

Former President Lech Kaczynski and other senior officials were among 96 people killed in the crash.

The plane came down near the western Russian town of Smolensk.

Without revealing details of the report, Mr Tusk said it did not comply fully with the Chicago Convention which regulates international air travel.

“From the Polish point of view, the draft report from the Russian side as it has been sent is without question unacceptable,” he said in televised comments to reporters in Brussels.

“This negligence and mistakes or lack of positive reaction to what Poland has been asking for, all these things allow us to say that some of the report’s conclusions are without foundation,” he added.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visited Poland last week and reiterated a promise to cooperate over the crash investigation.

Poland’s first couple – along with other leading political and military figures – were on their way to a memorial ceremony for the World War II Katyn massacre when their plane crashed in poor weather on 10 April.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was praised for his sensitive handling of the situation in the aftermath of the crash, which killed all those on board.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Heavy snowfall brings disruption

Wintry weather is returning to Northern Ireland

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Northern Ireland is braced for another spell of severe wintry weather, with heavy snow forecast to fall right across the country on Friday.

The Met Office has issued a weather warning which will be in force from noon on Thursday until 1800 on Friday.

More heavy snow showers are expected over the weekend.

Northern Ireland has seen some of the most severe December weather for many years with more than 700 schools forced to close because of snow.

BBC NI weather presenter Barra Best said Wednesday night’s cold front will be followed by bitter Arctic winds which will cause temperatures to fall.

Although the thermometer will read 2 or 3C, the wind chill factor means it will feel more like -9 or -10C in places.

Temperatures will fall to below freezing over Friday night, but added wind chill during the early hours of Saturday will cause it to feel like -15C.

Regional Development Minister, Conor Murphy, has advised motorists to plan their journeys and check the latest travel advice.

Around 300 Road Service staff with 120 gritters and 11 snowblowers will be working to ensure main roads are salted.

Mr Murphy said that around 3,500 salt bins and 39,000 grit piles were stocked for use by members of the public to help prevent the formation of snow and ice on pavements and untreated roads.

The minister also gave advice to those wishing to help clear footpaths of snow or ice and said: “There is no law stopping you from clearing snow and ice on the pavement outside your home or business.

“I know this has been a concern and I want to reassure people that provided they clear snow and ice carefully they are unlikely to be held liable – this has been confirmed by the Attorney General.”

For further advice on clearing snow and ice visit: http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/iceandsnow

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Revellers warning as freeze bites

Cars struggling with snowy conditions in Tonyrefail last month

Heavier snow is expected on Saturday

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Much of Wales is waking to snow, with icy temperatures expected to bring treacherous conditions for seasonal party-goers later.

There are reports of up to a foot of snow falling in some parts. Anglesey and Bangor in the north west have been worst hit and there have been heavy snow falls in the west of the country.

The big freeze returns as police and paramedics are gearing up for one of the busiest party nights of the year, dubbed ‘Black Friday’.

Police urged party-goers to take extra care during the extreme weather.

On Thursday night the Met Office issued a severe weather warning of widespread icy roads and heavy snow for the whole of Wales.

It said outbreaks of rain, sleet and snow followed southwards by very cold air, would leave untreated surfaces icy, leading to dangerous driving conditions on Friday.

Strong winds were expected to cause drifting, with the deepest snow likely in Snowdonia with 20cm (8in) possible by early on Friday.

Temperatures are expected to drop as low as -15C (5F) by the weekend.

“With the wintry weather forecast for the coming days we would encourage everyone to extra care to keep themselves safe”

Supt Phil Davies South Wales Police

Heavier snow is forecast on Saturday with 5-10cm (2-4in) expected widely, and the possibility of 20-25cm in places (8-12in).

BBC Wales meteorologist Derek Brockway warned: “It will feel bitterly cold with a significant wind-chill, and next week will continue very cold, with a risk of snow showers and some very low night-time temperatures.”

With thousands of partygoers expected out on the streets of Wales’ cities and towns on Friday evening, police urged caution over personal safety.

The annual peak for the Christmas party season has been called “Black Friday” by emergency services.

Supt Phil Davies of South Wales Police said the force had a policing plan in place to ensure everyone could enjoy the party atmosphere safely and securely.

He said: “With the wintry weather forecast for the coming days we would encourage everyone to extra care to keep themselves safe.”

“The vast majority of people act responsibly and have a great time, but there are always a few people who are intent on breaking the law and spoiling it for others and we will not tolerate this small minority.”

Volunteers from St John Wales will be treating sick and injured casualties at medical centres in Cardiff, Bridgend, Blackwood and Blaenau Gwent as the festive celebrations get under way.

St John Wales a total of 92 casualties were treated by its volunteers this time last year. Of those casualties, only three needed further medical attention at the Princess of Wales Hospital.

Thousands of partygoers are expected on the streets of Wales on Friday evening

With western areas expected to be particularly badly hit by the weather Swansea council said it was making preparations for the combination of the icy roads and pavements and revellers.

Paramedics based in Castle Square will provide first aid triage for people with minor injuries.

While the council said that its grit supplies were fully stocked to enable the fleet of gritters to brave the harsh weather and treat over 40% of the city’s main road network.

Carl Humphrey said: “We have sufficient grit supplies with more on order. Our priority will be to ensure main roads are clear and safe to use.

“Obviously we can’t treat every road in Swansea and I would urge anyone out using untreated roads to use extra care.”

The council has also ensured that 450 grit bins dotted around the city are stocked with salt.

Mr Humphrey added, “These bins are available for residents to use sparingly to treat footways in residential areas.”

Meanwhile the NHS has issued advice to the public on how to stay safe during the wintry conditions.

A&E consultant Mike McCabe of Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board said: “We are finding that the majority of fractures and slip injuries are happening within five to 10 metres of people’s homes.

“Their own paths, driveways and gardens are the most dangerous areas. My advice is to stay indoors unless you really have to go outside.

“Don’t worry about putting the bins out or feeding the birds – they can wait. What’s important is that you stay safe during this exceptional cold snap.”

Public transport services have already fallen casualty to the weather, with the cancellation of the 1000 GMT sailing of the Stena Express (Lynx) between Holyhead and Dun Laoghaire.

A spokesman for Arriva Trains Wales said the company had been preparing for the severe weather conditions in a bid to protect its services.

Commercial director Mike Bagshaw said: “We will be doing our very best to keep services running, however if the weather is as bad as predicted, we would advise our passengers to check their trains before embarking on a journey”.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

California carbon trading passed

California approves the first US carbon-trading scheme, aimed at cutting greenhouse emissions by allowing firms to buy and sell polluting permits.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Freeze shuts schools and airports

Latest news Travel delay probe Schools and snow Snow: Your rights Your pictures

More snow is expected for many parts of the UK over the next 48 hours

Temperatures have plummeted overnight across the UK with widespread ice set to cause dangerous driving conditions.

Heavy snow and high winds produced blizzards across much of northern Scotland and police in the Highlands are advising against all travel.

Flights at Belfast, Aberdeen and Norwich airports are suspended and some train services are disrupted.

More snow is forecast later and on Saturday, with up to 25cm (10in) in Wales and southern and central England.

Energy Minister Charles Hendry has warned that more bad weather over Christmas could lead to “very serious” shortages of domestic heating oil.

The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for widespread icy roads for the whole of the UK.

There are also heavy snow warnings for Orkney and Shetland, Highlands and Outer Hebrides, Grampian, Northern Ireland, Wales and south-west England on Friday.

By Saturday, another band of heavy snow is forecast to affect much of England and Wales, with 5 to 10cm likely in many places and 20 to 25cm possible in some others.

Around the UKTravel problems as snow hits north Revellers warned on ‘Black Friday’ Severe weather in NI to continue

Problems overnight in northern Scotland include:

Several major roads, including a 50-mile stretch of the A9, have been blocked by snowPolice say conditions have been “particularly atrocious” in Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, and some motorists had to be rescued from their cars after becoming strandedAberdeen airport was closed on Thursday and disruption is likely to continue on Friday morningDozens of schools in the north-east of Scotland, the Highlands and the Islands are expected to be closed

New Scottish Transport Minister Keith Brown insisted Scotland was “very well prepared” and the authorities were doing all they could to keep trunk roads open.

But the BBC has been contacted by people in the Aberdeen area who have reported atrocious road conditions.

WEATHER AND TRAVEL INFO

Get the latest on travel problems via your local website Check if snow is forecast in your area at BBC Weather Details of motorway and local road closures and public transport disruption are available at BBC Travel News For advice on handling difficult driving conditions, see the Highways Agency website For information about severe weather warnings, see the Met Office website For information about staying healthy in the cold weather, see the NHS Winter Health website

Motorist Kirsty McCullough said: “It took me nearly fours hours to do a four-mile round-trip. It’s absolutely awful, the roads are sheet ice. They’ve not been gritted at all.”

Mr Brown’s predecessor Stewart Stevenson resigned after his department was criticised for its handling of the problems caused by the previous bout of severe weather.

Motoring organisation the AA said it had extra patrols on stand-by, while Network Rail said it had “snow teams in place” and would be “keeping equipment in strategic locations”.

Heavy snowfall during the past few weeks has caused huge disruption, especially in Scotland and north-east England.

Airports, roads and schools were closed, and companies are now warning of a backlog of deliveries which may not reach customers before Christmas.

The Royal Mail is putting on 7,000 delivery rounds this Sunday in a bid to ease the problem.

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Ambulance time target ‘scrapped’

It is thought new guidance on ambulance response times will be released at a future date

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A target requiring ambulances in England to attend less urgent 999 calls within 19 minutes is expected to be scrapped by the government.

The move forms part of a review into the way emergency health services in England are assesed.

It is thought an eight-minute response target for life-threatening emergencies will stay.

A new way of monitoring A&E performance is also to be introduced next year to improve the quality of care.

Ministers said the four-hour waiting limit was being retained, but hospitals will also be judged on other factors to get away from the sole focus on speed.

These include the number of unplanned re-attendances and patients who leave A&E without being seen.

The steps are part of Health Secretary Andrew Lansley’s drive to move away from what he considers to be the blunt system of targets which have been used in recent years.

“The new measures will focus on quality of care ”

Andrew Lansley Health Secretary

He has already relaxed the rules around the 18-week hospital waiting time target and the 48-hour limit to see a GP.

He said he still wanted A&E units to see patients within the four-hour deadline.

But he added time was not the only factor on which they should be judged.

In total there are eight measures, including the four-hour waiting limit, which A&E units will be monitored on from April.

Alongside unplanned re-attendances and patients leaving without being seen, hospitals will also be expected to measure how long patients have to wait until initial assessment.

Category A ambulance calls, which include the most serious life-threatening conditions, will still need to be responded to in eight minutes.

But the 19-minute target for less serious calls will be changed, although the full details are not yet known.

“This is an opportunity to transform emergency care to ensure it becomes the jewel in the crown of the NHS.”

John Heyworth College of Emergency Medicine

Mr Lansley said: “The new measures will focus on quality of care and what matters most to patients – giving a better indication of patient care than the previous process-led targets ever could.”

The move has been welcomed by doctors who had often complained that the sole focus on the four-hour target distorted priorities.

The coalition had already reduced the threshold for meeting it from 98% to 95% and the hope is that this new focus on other measures will create a new stress on quality.

John Heyworth, president of the College of Emergency Medicine, said: “This is an opportunity to transform emergency care to ensure it becomes the jewel in the crown of the NHS.”

The Patients Association said it was important to look at other measures, but added care should be taken to ensure the four-hour limit did not slip too often.

A spokeswoman said: “We do not want to go back to a situation where people are left on trolleys in A&E for days on end.”

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

UK banks ‘at risk from eurozone’

The Bank of England has highlighted concerns both in the eurozone and Asia

The continuing financial problems in the eurozone pose a threat to UK banks, the Bank of England has warned.

In its latest half-yearly Financial Stability Report, it calls for stringent new tests on the strength of European lenders.

It also wants a comprehensive solution to the financial situation affecting the eurozone.

The Bank further said “overheating” in emerging markets, such as China and India, could eventually hit UK lenders.

The Bank’s comments came after European Union leaders agreed to set up a permanent mechanism to bail out any member state whose large public deficits threaten the 16-nation eurozone.

Creating such a eurozone stability mechanism will require a change to the EU’s Lisbon Treaty – but the wording has now been agreed, diplomats say.

UK Bank of England is concerned about the continuing debt situation in the eurozone – the 16 nations that share the euro – because British banks have substantial investments in many of those countries and specifically their banks.

Regarding overheating in emerging markets, it points to stock markets in countries like India and Indonesia being at historically very high levels, and spiralling property prices in China.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Nipsa members take to the streets

Peter Robinson, Sammy Wilson and Martin McGuinness announced the agreement on the draft budget on Tuesday night

Members of NIPSA, Northern Ireland’s largest public service trade union are to hold protests on Friday in opposition to the planned spending cuts.

The protest comes days after Finance Minister Sammy Wilson unveiled a draft budget proposal.

The budget is intended to save NI £4bn over the next four years.

NIPSA wants the public to actively oppose the executive’s planned programme of spending cuts.

In presenting the proposals Mr Wilson described the deal as a “good Christmas present for the people of Northern Ireland”.

Brian Campfield, NIPSA General Secretary, said the budget proposed by the executive was “the manifestation of the UK Coalition Government’s austerity measures” being implemented in Northern Ireland.

“It represents without any doubt extremely bad news for the people of Northern Ireland and certainly if it is a Christmas present the donor has a black and twisted sense of humour,” he said.

“While the NI Executive may well have attempted to moderate the pain, any attempts to protect public services will be on the margins and the sheer scale of these unprecedented cuts will impact on local communities in a severe and detrimental way.”

BUDGET MEASURESPublic sector pay freezeHarbour Commissioners £125m contribution15p plastic bag levy£20m hardship fund introducedRates to rise in line with inflation

On Thursday, Chief Executive of the Health and Social Services Board John Compton told the BBC’s Nolan Show that 3,000 – 4,000 jobs would be lost from the health service as a direct result of the draft budget as it currently stands.

The protests on Friday are part of a planned European-wide day of action.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Japan warning over China military

Japanese Ground Defence Forces at a ceremony in Tokyo (file photo)

The review will shape Japan’s defence policy in the coming years

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Japan has unveiled sweeping changes to its national defence polices, boosting its southern forces in response to neighbouring China’s military rise.

Japan, which shares a maritime border with China, said Beijing’s military build-up was of global “concern”.

Japan will also strengthen its missile defences against the threat from a nuclear-armed North Korea.

The policy document has been approved by the cabinet and will shape Japan’s defence policy for the next 10 years.

Japan is changing its defence policy in response to the shifting balance of power in Asia, analysts say.

Defences will be scaled down in the north, where they have been deployed since the Cold War to counter an invasion from Russia.

The military focus will now be in the far-southern islands of Japan, closer to China.

Japan is concerned by China’s growing naval might and increased assertiveness in the East China and South China seas.

“China is rapidly modernising its military force and expanding activities in its neighbouring waters,” the new guidelines said.

“Together with the lack of transparency on China’s military and security issues, the trend is a concern for the region and the international community.”

Relations between Japan and China deteriorated sharply in September, after collisions between a Chinese trawler and Japanese patrol boats near a chain of disputed islands in the East China Sea.

The review paper said tanks would be cut by one-third, but Japan’s submarine fleet will be expanded and fighter jets upgraded.

A Japanese warship under military review near Yokohama (file pic)

Japan’s military is constitutionally banned from taking offensive action

North Korea’s missile and nuclear programmes were also described as a “pressing and serious destabilising factor”.

Pyongyang has fired missiles over Japan and staged nuclear tests in recent years, and last month unveiled a new uranium enrichment plant to US experts.

In response, more Patriot interceptor batteries will be deployed across Japan, and the number of warships which can shoot down missiles will be increased.

The paper called the Japan-US alliance “indispensable”. The US has a 50,000-strong troop presence in the country.

Japan said it would “promote confidence and co-operation with China and Russia” while also developing ties with the EU and Nato.

Japan’s military is bigger than the UK’s, but is forbidden by the country’s constitution from taking offensive action.

The BBC’s Roland Buerk, in Tokyo, says the new strategic stance will be closely watched in Asia, where Japan’s World War II aggression has been neither forgotten nor forgiven.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.