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Cuban medical revolution: a global lifesaver
Dr Guevara March hosts talk at The University of Sheffield on how Havana doctors saved millions affected by catastrophes like the recent Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa always a step behind, more than 6,000 people have already died, including 120 health care workers fighting the disease, according to WHO. Praising the institution of the NHS, March, a veteran doctor herself, warned that with the continuing privatisation of the British health sector, doctors can’t be mobilised quickly enough when a catastrophe happens or an epidemic breaks out, which is clear in the light of recent events. “Always remember: this part of the world cannot survive without the other parts. We need to unite to stop and prevent these things to happen otherwise we will disappear as a species. We are the ones who have the last word,” March said.
By PEDRO JUAN GUTIÉRREZ
Cuba is more than just cigars and home of the Rumba. It is more than an exotic country trapped in a communist time capsule for 50 years. Beneath the ruins, this Caribbean island has revived from its ashes and now receives praise from the United Nations for its exemplary healthcare and educational systems. The Cuban health system is exemplary according to the UN’s World Health Organisation (WHO), which praised the efficiency and quality of the Cuban medical infrastructure. Although the island has been dramatically hit by US sanctions for more than half a century, Cuba rebuilt its healthcare after the Revolution. It is pioneering in providing healthcare for all layers of society, both nationally and internationally. Despite limited access to medical supplies, Cuba, with a population of 11m and a per capita income of only £3842, sent the largest medical personnel to the impoverished Haiti after the earthquake four years ago. This group alone cared for almost half of all patients. Cuba was also the first country to react to the latest Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The University of Sheffield welcomed Dr Aleida Guevara March, a paediatrician and the eldest daughter of revolutionist Che Guevara, to share her first-hand experience of rebuilding Cuban health care, today. The lecture, ‘The Greatest Story Never Told’, was held at the Students’ Union. It attracted over 500 people.
Medicine under embargo
Rebuilding health care in Cuba Before the 1950s Revolution, most of the doctors working in the poor, rural areas of Cuba were American. Cuban nationals couldn’t afford medical studies at university and the country heavily relied on foreign doctors.
‘Medicine and public health are basic human rights and you can’t negotiate with human suffering’ However, in the first year of the Revolution, half of the 6,000 American medical personnel fled the island, leaving a medically unprepared country behind, explained March. The government had to focus on the education of a new generation of Cuban doctors. Free universities, such as the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM), opened for students from all backgrounds, providing a small bursary (barely enough to cover bus fares) to support them. “We tried to make sure, that all the young people have a sense of quality so they want to study. Surprisingly it worked,” said March. Now there is one medic for every 137 citizens and medical teams in 109 countries around the world, with 37,000 medics currently working in Venezuela and Brazil only. Internationalism is coded into
Aleida Guevara March hosts a lecture at The University of Sheffield on Cuba’s international medical support Cubans. Medical students in Havana are encouraged to be always ready to serve anybody, anywhere in the world. The tradition of emergency medical relief goes back to the Revolution. Che Guevara, a doctor himself, came up with the idea of the first international brigade that consisted of freshly graduated doctors. “The young people are the vanguard, they have the freshest memories so they can create fresher solutions and with this spirit they can leave a legacy behind,” Guevara used to say. “Medicine and public health are basic human rights and you can’t negotiate with human suffering and we found that it is better to prevent illness than to cure it” said March. The Henry Brigade: a medical saviour Since 2005, Cuba leads the world in direct medical help by organising a permanent brigade of 10,000 doctors and technicians, called the ‘Henry Brigade’. “This group is trained and prepared to be brave. They know that they will be sent somewhere but they don’t know if they will make it back. You can’t buy this kind of sacrifice for economic reasons,” said March. The Caribbean island sent their
Merry parade of lights
first team to Algeria, which suffered from the withdrawal of French medical staff during the independence war. In 2005 they sent 2,400 medical workers to Kashmir after an earthquake, treating more than 70% of Pakistani citizens, building hospitals and donating medical equipment, largely funded by the Cuban state. Havana’s focus on education also means the introduction of literacy programmes and the training of new doctors in the developing countries it serves. March, a Marxist like her father, accompanied the brigade on several missions to Angola, Nicaragua and Ecuador as a paediatrician. She talked about a mission in North Argentina she had just returned from: “In only one day, an Argentinian doctor and I saw 60 children and 812 patients in a small village. I was shocked that specialists never went to that region. I work in a hospital in Cuba and if a kid needs it, I send them to a specialist. I couldn’t help these villagers because they needed a specialist and I am not one. These things don’t happen in Cuba. There’s a sense of security there.” While the original purpose of the brigade was to spread the ideals of communism in the 1960s, the movement has developed into one
of the most impressive medical projects in the world. Since their first mission, Cubans attended to people all over the world, becoming leaders in humanitarian work and recognised by WHO, who turned to them for help during the latest Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Pioneers in tackling Ebola It doesn’t receive a lot of Western media attention, but Cuba was the first to react to WHO’s international emergency call to fight Ebola. Although the US and Britain promised aid and thousands of troops, WHO has insisted they most urgently needed doctors and nurses. Cuba was the first to send 456 volunteers (the largest number of medical staff) to the frontline in October. Together with international volunteers, these doctors are in for the long haul.
‘ We need to unite to prevent these things, otherwise we will disappear as a species.’ Cuba’s medical internationalism came as a breath of fresh air for Ebola patients in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia. With the West
Cuban medical services are not only revolutionary but also the largest export of the country, linking emergency aid with economic development. “The Revolution is a problem of lifestyle for us. I would choose the Revolution over my two little daughters, because I want them to live with the same dignity as me. That’s why we won’t throw it away,” March said. However the remaining ‘cold war’ between the US and the island results in a suffocating trade embargo that make it harder for doctors to access medical supplies. “It is very difficult to find medicine. Medicines go through 5-6 intermediators so the FBI doesn’t know which company sold them. It’s dangerous because these companies can be fined $10m. “It is a lot of money to get powdered milk from New Zealand for example and we have to pay boat owners a lot of money because they can’t go to any US ports for months after being in Cuba, so they charge a lot,” March explained. Although the low-cost biotech industry that Cuba has developed over the years could benefit many developing countries, they cannot sell it because of the embargo. “Cuban researchers are focusing on scientific improvement and developing vaccines against prostate and breast cancer but we can’t sell it to you, because of the blockade. “They would do us a favour to lift the blockade. But meanwhile it’s still in place, we can do some things under the table, so don’t worry if you need a vaccine, we will see what we can do,” March said. Pleased with the turnout for the lecture Dr Steve Ludlam, head of the Politics department at the university said: “It is probably the biggest public lecture the Politics department has ever organised and we owe thanks to the Politics Society and the Latin American Society for co-hosting. Cuba’s medical internationalism is, as Sheffield alumnus Prof. John Kirk has put it, ‘the greatest story never told’. Because of Cuba’s rapid and unmatched commitment of medical volunteers to the terrifying frontline of the Ebola crisis, it is beginning to be properly recognised. To hear this story from Aleida, herself a veteran of medical missions in Africa, was gripping and inspirational.”
Ebola in brief • Ebola is a viral disease originating in Africa and was named after the Ebola River in Congo. The first Ebola outbreak was in 1979, when a young boy died in Sierra Leone. • Symptoms of Ebola include fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, joint and muscle pain and intense muscle weakness. These symptoms start suddenly, between two and 21 days after becoming infected. • People can become infected with the Ebola virus if they come into contact with the blood, body fluids or organs of an infected person. The virus is not spread by the airborne route. Only people with symptoms of Ebola can infect others. • It is thought that fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are natural Ebola virus hosts. Ebola is introduced into the human population through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals such as chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines found ill or dead or in the rainforest. The current outbreak of the Ebola virus mainly affects West Africa including Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. • Around 20,700 cases and more than 8,000 deaths have been reported across these countries by the World Health Organization. This is the largest known outbreak of Ebola. • There’s currently no licensed treatment or vaccine for Ebola virus disease. 1 in 3 people has immunity to the disease and survives. • The risk of Ebola arriving in the UK is low.
Cuban Ebola doctors
Local charity unique in country
The Snowdrop Project helps survivors of human trafficking By MAGDA SZABO
Christmas choir singing at the Lantern Parade in Dore village centre
There are more than 10,000 men, women and children trafficked to the UK into sex slavery and domestic servitude, according to the Home Office. Sheffield is a place of refuge for victims, who often find themselves alone in a foreign country. The Snowdrop Project, a recently registered charity based in Sheffield, helps victims with their transition back into the community.
Crowds of chatting children and their parents flooded the main square in a Sheffield suburb to celebrate the Lantern Parade tonight. The smell of roasted chestnuts filled the air, and cold hands clutched onto paper cups filled with spicy mulled wine. It was the perfect start for a Christmas season, filled with laughter, joy and a magical parade of lights in the dark December sky. Over a thousand people took part in the Christmas light switch on in the village centre of Dore, organised by local residents Terry and Helen Giles for the second year. It was all about families in Dore tonight. Children received presents wrapped in colourful gift wrapping and festive entertainment was provided by the 28-member, On Shine choir, fronted by Lizzy Mack. The choir, which started with only five women in the Dore and Totley United Reformed Church, became famous spreading a jolly
There are two safe houses in Sheffield, one of them is City Hearts operated by Hope City Church and the other one is called Ashiana, which has been working with Black, Asian and other minority women for over 30 years. The two safe houses provide 45 days of support for someone who has been identified as a victim of human trafficking. This is a statutory requirement, but after those 45 days the women are left alone. These women are usually seeking asylum and everything is up in the air for them when they leave the safe house. This period of time is not long enough for people at all to deal with things that happened to them. This is where the volunteer run Snowdrop Project steps in taking referrals, over the age of 18, from the safe houses. They provide a one to one case worker, helping the women transition out of the safe house into the community. Their goal is to empower women to live their own lives, providing a phase out support until victims get established. It is the first charity of
festive spirit all over the country. Musicians, from the Piping Band, dressed in Irish folklore dresses played on bagpipes and drums to lead the crowd in a cheerful parade through the main streets of the village. In front village high street- all dressed in festive decorations, staying open late-stood an organ grinder in a top hat, entertaining the kids before the parade of lights started. As the anticipation grew higher in the wintry village scenery the presenter asked the children who gathered in a large excited crowd at the front. ‘Are you ready boys and girls?’ ‘Yeeees,’ their sharp voices filled the air. ‘Let’s count down from ten,’ he replied. When the scouts switched on the village lights, people sang along to carols and the village Christmas tree came to life with light, starting the festive season with a wonderful memory for all.
its kind in the country. “You start the ball rolling in a safe house. Even if just talking about what happened, but then they are out on their own,” says Sarah Taylor, 29, who got involved with the project as a volunteer case worker at the very beginning, through its founder Lara Bundock. Now, she’s the Communications and Volunteer Manager of the Snowdrop Project, a recently registered charity working with victims of trafficking since 2012. According to Sarah, they want to emphasise that human trafficking doesn’t only mean sex trafficking. “Lots of people are brought over for domestic servitude. They work as a servant or as a slave in someone’s house, with no personal rights. That happens a lot.
trafficking experience she had been raped and she didn’t know this, but she was pregnant. She passed out while she was out in town and when the ambulance picked her up the inconsistencies of her story came to light and flags were raised by the ambulance service. She didn’t even realise but she was growing cannabis for the people she worked for. This is how she was rescued,” said Sarah.
‘You start the ball rolling in a safe house, but then they are out on their own’ “We have women, who were working for white British couples. Some come over to work for parents as an au pair. Trafficking comes in all sorts of guises. It can look very legit and sometimes people don’t know that they have been trafficked or that there’s anything wrong with the situations they find themselves in until they are rescued,” said Sarah, who studied Sociology at the University of Sheffield. Some women get rescued when they become aware of what is happening to them and try to run away. “My client was going out doing some errands for the house she was working in. As part of her
Lara B (left) and Sarah T (right) As part of the project, the large pool of volunteers decorate houses for women who were given a permanent housing. This means that a team goes to ‘do up’ the house before the client moves in, involving them in the process. “There was this woman, who was taken shopping to buy floor tiles for her house by her case worker. She just followed her case worker around in the shop and didn’t
make any decisions. Finally, the case worker told her ‘this is your house, this is your choice, you can pick whatever you want’. When the woman realised she can have anything she wants, she was walking around the shop with a huge grin on her face.
‘ They work as a servant or as a slave in someone’s house, with no personal rights’ “She had this sense of pride for being able to make a decision herself, which has been taken away from her in so many ways,” she said. The ethos of the project is communicating the strength and tenacity of the women they are working with. “One client was transported to England in a box, but now she has gone on to live an amazing and fulfilling life. This is where the ‘Snowdrop’ name comes from. This flower represents this beautiful bloom that grows after the harshest winter. It represents the fight that’s in these women,” said Sarah. Snowdrop has been working for two years, and was recently awarded an official charity status, which means more funding for this completely volunteer run project. “This was the final stamp of approval to forge the way where there hasn’t been a way,” Sarah said. To read more about the Snowdrop Project or to join their volunteer team go to their website: www. snowdropproject.co.uk
Prince meets with Jordan’s king Charles warns against the radicalisation of British Islamists By SIR WALTER SCOTT The Prince of Wales has condemned the “perverted and brutal misinterpretation of Islam” preached by Islamic State (IS) after meeting Iraqi Christians persecuted by the group. Charles heard the group’s moving stories last night when he arrived in Jordan for a Middle East tour - and when he met faith leaders today he highlighted the “horrors” committed in the name of religion. His visit came as he spoke out against the radicalisation of British Muslims during an interview with BBC Radio 2’s Sunday Hour programme, saying he thought people who were “born here, go to school here” would abide by those values “we hold dear”. Speaking at the start of an interfaith meeting of senior religious clerics from a range of faiths in the Jordanian capital Amman, the Prince said: “This initiative comes at a time when the situation in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere could not be more desperate. I do not need to tell you of course the horrors that have been inflicted in the name of religion. “All those who have any feeling have watched in agony as people of all faiths have been persecuted, and driven from their homes, tortured and killed in the most barbaric way imaginable.” Last night at the official Amman residence of Peter Millett, Britain’s Ambassador to Jordan, Charles met a small group of Iraqis who were driven from their homes by IS. One of the refugees gave a speech about their plight, telling Charles: “This is the seventh month that we are away from our homes and we don’t find any reason to return back. “Moreover we don’t want to do that because it is impossible to live with the people who destroyed our homes and destroyed our church.” Charles told the faith leaders who were joined by Jordan’s King Abdullah II: “Yesterday evening for instance I met a group of Iraqi Christians who have experienced His Majesty’s immense compassion firsthand.” He added: “People driven from their homes by individuals who adhere to a perverted and brutal misinterpretation of Islam, these Christians I met yesterday have found sanctuary in Amman thanks to His Majesty’s generosity.” Charles’s attack on Islamic State - also known in the Middle East by the Arabic acronym Daesh - is likely to be well received in Jordan, still grieving after the killing of its military pilot, shot down and later murdered by the terrorist group. Video footage showing 26-year-old Moaz al Kasasbeh being burned alive in a cage drew condemnation from across the world and in retaliation King Abdullah II, the nation’s ruler, vowed to wage a
Prince Charles started his Middle East tour in Jordan, a country still grieving after IS terrorists killed a military pilot
Klass apologises for ‘bonkers’post
By KARL MAY Myleene Klass has admitted she is unsure whether the mocking reply she posted online to emails from fellow school mothers makes her “courageous or an idiot”, but maintains she was trying to convey a serious message in a humorous way. The Classic FM presenter said there are “sadly” some hard feelings in the playground following the storm of publicity created by her social media posts about a class collection for birthday gifts, with some mothers reportedly complaining their confidences had been betrayed. But Klass, a mother-of-two who lives in north London, has explained her reasoning behind publicising the “bonkers” emails which, she confirmed, were a year old. Writing in the Daily Telegraph the 36-year-old said: “My intention was to stop all these serious, money-focused exchanges and remind parents, all of us under pressure to do the very best for our children, of what birthdays should be about. “Though they were old exchanges, I’ve received countless emails like this since.” The Classic FM presenter’s tonguein-cheek email reply had been entitled “Let’s put the fun back into Bdays!” and, in response to suggestions from mothers of gifts of a Kindle and desk for their children, she jokingly said her daughter Ava
might like a Unicorn. She added money could be donated at fictitious site www.getwhatyouregivenandendthismadness.com. In today’s Telegraph the former Hear’Say member said it is the responsibility of parents to “stop the culture of materialism that has become so embedded in our society”, questioning what expectations a child may have at 15 if they get a Kindle aged seven. She also spoke of the pressure some parents face at feeling an expectation to contribute £10 each time their child’s classmate has a birthday, although she admitted she is in “a privileged position” compared to many. Klass’ actions gained a mostly positive reaction, she said, but she admitted she understood where the emails’ authors were coming from, with one explaining that she saw it as problem-solving for a child to receive one gift instead of separate presents from each class member. Last month, Derek Nash, the father of a five-year-old boy criticised a mother who sent him an invoice for £15.95 for failing to give notice that his son, Alex wouldn’t be attending her child’s birthday party, held on a dry ski slope in Devon. She claimed she was left out fo pocket after the father failed to inform her of his sons absence on the party. While Nash said he did not have contact details for the mother, she said that all details had been on the party invite.
Supermarket daffodils poisonous Supermarkets have reportedly been asked to make sure daffodils are kept separate from fruit and vegetables in a bid to prevent customers mistakenly eating the poisonous plants. People have been known to mistake daffodil bulbs for onions and the stems for a popular Chinese vegetable, Public Health England (PHE) said. As a result the body has sent a letter to stores advising them how to avoid such occurrences this spring as the flower comes into season. If eaten daffodils can cause vomiting and diarrhoea and irritation to the mouth and throat, with symptoms lasting anywhere between four and 24 hours, according to the British Columbia Drug and Poison Information Centre. In the letter, entitled “Steps to avoid daffodil poisonings this spring”, PHE director Professor Paul Cosford said: “Each spring stores such as yours provide a wide selection of flowers, particularly cut daffodils and daffodil bulbs. “Unfortunately there are rare occasions when the bulbs are mistaken for onions, and the stems or leaves are mistaken for a type of vegetable popular in China. “As I’m sure you are aware, daffodils are dangerous if eaten and poisoning can occur as a result. “We are asking you to ensure that daffodils, are displayed well away from the produce or fruit and vegetable area.”
Lee ‘happy’ over mocking sequel
Author Harper Lee has said she is “happy as hell” about the publication of a sequel to her bestseller To Kill A Mockingbird after concerns were raised about the extent of her involvement in the project. The reclusive 88-year-old suffered a stroke in 2007 and was reported to have gone blind and The Washington Post reported “questions have been raised about how much control Lee is exercising” over the new book. The novel, called Go Set A Watchman, was written before To Kill A Mockingbird but was rejected by publishers who set her to work on the novel that made her famous. To Kill A Mockingbird, set around a rape trial in the racially-divided Deep South of the US, has sold more than 40 million copies since it was published in 1960.
BT buys EE for £12.5Bn
Deal will expand BT infrastructure to cellular By ARTHUR RANSOME
Klass posted a tongue-in-cheek response to fellow school parents’ birthday email
“harsh” war against IS. Jordanian fighters bombed IS militants, who control parts of neighbouring Syria and Iraq, over three consecutive days, ending their sorties yesterday with more than 50 missions. When Charles met Abdullah formally today the two men and their entourages held talks and the event was an opportunity for the heir to the throne to sympathise with the foreign monarch over the pilot’s death. The Prince was joined by International Development Secretary Justine Greening as her department has provided financial aid to Jordan. Speaking about the meeting at the Hussieneyah Palace, where the interfaith gathering was also held, Ms Greening said: “It enabled us to very directly pass on our shock and condolences to King Abdullah following the brutal execution of Moaz al Kasasbeh. “And alongside that we were able to talk about the work that the UK is doing to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Jordanian government and Jordanian people.” Earlier in the day the International Development Secretary announced a further £100 million of assistance for the Syrian crisis. More than 600,000 Syrian refugees have fled to Jordan since the start of the conflict and now make up a considerable part of Jordan’s population. The new support will help communities in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq deal with the extra pressures they face from the number of refugees fleeing across the borders from Syria. It will also support people affected by fighting inside Syria by providing food, medical care and relief items. Ms Greening said: “Almost four years since the start of the crisis, thousands of families are still unable to return home and are in need of our support. “The UK’s new £100 million pledge will ensure Syrian refugees and host communities in countries like Jordan can continue to receive food, water and shelter while shoring up stretched public services.” Earlier in the day the Prince and the International Development Secretary visited the Za’atari refugee camp, just 30 minutes’ drive from the Syrian border, and home to more than 80,000 people. They toured a supermarket and chatted to shoppers who told them about escaping Syria, and walked down its main street where Charles sampled fresh bread and tea from shops along the route. A short drive from Za’atari camp, Charles visited a secondary school for girls, another project funded through Government money. Charles congratulated the Jordanians on being “wonderfully kind and hospitable” for putting so many Syrian refugees up in their country.
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BT has agreed to buy Britain’s largest mobile operator EE in a cash and shares deal worth £12.5 billion. The deal, which BT said would create the UK’s leading communications provider, will be partly financed by a £1 billion share issue. Following the transaction, EE’s current owners Deutsche Telekom and Orange will hold stakes of 12% and 4% in BT. Deutsche will be entitled to a seat on the board. BT chief executive Gavin Patterson said: “This is a major milestone for BT as it will allow us to accelerate our mobility plans and increase our investment in them.” The group had announced in December that it was in talks to buy EE. BT said the transaction was subject to approval from shareholders and clearance from the Competition and Markets Authority. It is expected to complete before the end of the financial year ending in March 2016. It is buying what is currently the UK’s leading network, with 24.5 million direct mobile customers. However this position is under threat as Hutchison Whampoa, owner of rival Three, is in talks to buy number two operator O2. BT said that by combining EE’s 4G network with its extensive superfast broadband network it would have greater scope for future investment and product innovation. It said that it expected to achieve combined operating cost and spending synergies of around £360 million a year in
the fourth year after the deal completes. The group plans to sell a full range of its services to the combined customer base, including BT offering broadband, fixed line and pay-TV services to those EE customers who do not currently take a service from it. Mr Patterson said: “This is a very exciting time and a new chapter for BT.” BT had been planning to offer mobile consumer services through a wholesale tie-up with EE but said the takeover offered “far more control of our own destiny”. Mr Patterson appeared to signal cheaper deals for customers saying some savings from “simplifying the network” would be passed on. He said: “If you look across the continent, prices have come down to some extent when fixed and mobile products are sold as a bundle.” Mr Patterson said he expected the transaction to be passed by competition regulators without BT having to make any concessions and that, if it avoids an in-depth probe, it should be complete by the end of the summer. He said the deal did not reduce the number of mobile networks available in the UK and was consistent with telecoms firms in Europe which also had both fixed and mobile operations. The chief executive said the question of whether EE’s 580 shops would be re-branded was “something we’ll look at more around completion” though he added: “Initially, we’ll keep the EE brand.” Mr Patterson said the money being spent on the deal did not affect its plans ahead of the imminent Premier League rights auction as it limbers up for an expected multibillion-pound battle with
rival Sky. BT shares rose 3%. EE chief executive Olaf Swantee said: “Joining BT represents an exciting next stage for our company, customers and people. “In the last few years alone, we have built the UK’s biggest, fastest and best 4G network, significantly advancing the digital communications infrastructure for people and businesses across Britain. “Today’s announcement will ensure the UK remains at the forefront of the mobile revolution, bringing even more innovation and investment in world leading connectivity for our customers.” Deutsche Telekom chief executive Tim Hottges said: “The transaction is much more than just the creation of the leading integrated fixed and mobile network operator in Europe’s second largest economy. “We will be the largest individual shareholder in BT and are laying the foundations for our two companies to be able to work together in the future.” Orange chief executive Stephane Richard said: “This is a landmark transaction for Orange and the next natural step in the evolution of BT and EE.” Dan Ridsdale, analyst at Edison Investment Research, said: “In the space of a few months the UK telecoms landscape has changed enormously. As the majors fill in the gaps in their offerings, competition to offer multi-play bundles is going to step up significantly. “Whether this will be beneficial for consumers is a very different question. The bundling of services makes it much more difficult to compare pricing while more premium TV content is likely to move away from free to air.”
Sales of pensioner bonds extended By ERNEST HEMINGWAY Sales of high-interest bonds for pensioners will be extended for three months following unprecedented demand, George Osborne announced today. More than 600,000 over-65s have snapped up the market-leading savings opportunity since they were first offered last month. The rush to take advantage left some consumers struggling to get on the website as well as finding the phone lines jammed. A pot of up to £10 billion has been put aside for the 65-plus bonds and the opportunity cost to the taxpayer of the state borrowing from pensioners rather than the capital markets runs into “hundreds of millions of pounds”. The Chancellor told BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show that it was important to the economic recovery to encourage savers.
George Osborne announces extension “Our 65-plus pensioner bond has been the most successful savings product this country has ever seen. Over 600,000 pensioners have benefited from it. “What I can confirm today is that we are going to guarantee that it remains on sale for another three months.” Mark Littlewood, director general at
the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: “This announcement well and truly proves that we are not all in it together. “Borrowing more expensively than the Government needs to is effectively a direct subsidy to wealthy pensioners from the working-age population. “Pensioner bonds have never been anything other than a gimmick that will benefit pensioners at the expense of the taxpayer, and it beggars belief that the Government is prolonging such a foolish policy. It’s high time our politicians stopped buying votes with subsidies for the old and rich.” The ‘pensioner bonds’ offer a higher interest rate then those available in normal savings accounts. The Treasury said £7.5 billion in bonds - which offer annual interest rates of 4% over three year bonds and 2.8% for the one year - have been sold so far, with the total anticipated to double by the end of the period.
Harper Lee criticised over new book Its central characters, Scout, her brother Jem and their lawyer father Atticus, were brought to life in a 1962 film starring Gregory Peck. The new book revolves around the now-adult Scout’s return to her native Alabama from New York to visit her father. A spokeswoman for her publisher said: “Harper Lee still enjoys reading and uses a magnifying machine from the New York Institute for the Blind to read books, newspapers and documents.” Lee herself said: “I’m alive and kicking and happy as hell with the reactions to Watchman.” She previously said she had not realised the manuscript of her new book had survived and said she was “humbled and amazed” it was going to be published now. Go Set A Watchman will be published on July 14 by William Heinemann, which was the original UK publisher of To Kill A Mockingbird.
Magna Carta copy found
An edition of the Magna Carta which could be worth up to £10 million has been found after it lay forgotten in a council’s archives. The discovery of the version of the historical parchment which established the principle of the rule of law, in the files of the history department of Kent County Council, has been described as an important historical find by an expert. The document was found in the archives kept in Maidstone but belonging to the town of Sandwich. Speaking from Paris, Professor Nicholas Vincent, of the University of East Anglia, who authenticated the document, said: “It is a fantastic discovery which comes in the week that the four other known versions were brought together at the Houses of Parliament. “It is a fantastic piece of news for Sandwich which puts it in a small category of towns and institutions that own a 1300 issue.” Prof Vincent said the fact Sandwich had its own Magna Carta gives backing to the theory that it was issued more widely than previously thought to at least 50 cathedral towns and ports. And he added the discovery gives him hope that further copies will also turn up. There are only 24 editions of the Magna Carta in known existence around the world. Prof Vincent said: “It must have been much more widely distributed than previously thought because if Sandwich had one ... the chances are it went out to a lot of other towns. “And it is very likely that there are one or two out there somewhere that no one has spotted yet.”