Daily Newspaper Review, Week Five: The Daily Mirror


Monday, 11/10/10

Front Page
It is claimed murdered aid worker Linda Norgrove could have been saved if Nato had not intervened. Afghan elders said they were talking to her Al-Qaeda captors and was close to Linda’s release just before she was killed by a suicide bomber as US troops tried to rescue her.

Political News
The Business Secretary, Vince Cable had announced his plans for rise in tuition fees over graduate tax, which could see fees go up to £10,000 a year. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg was faced with strong backbench hostility over the controversial plans.

Business News
British Airways boss, Willie Walsh warned yesterday millions of people will not be able to afford long haul flights with next month’s rise in air tax. The move will also force airlines out of business as they will be unable to afford the new-low emission jets.


Tuesday, 12/10/10

Front Page
It was alleged that the 36 year old aid worker Linda Norgrove, who was held hostage in Afghanistan, was killed in a suicide blast. However, the PM David Cameron has said “Evidence suggest Linda could have died from a taskforce grenade”, as officials study a film footage that caught a US soldier lobby the grenade into the camp Linda was held captive in.

Political News
The coalition is still in disagreement over tuition fees as the Lib Dems strongly oppose any system which may result in pricing the poorest student out of the top universities. The PM David Cameron said yesterday, “Everybody has to come to compromise because the truth is that we all want the same thing.”

Business News
The economy suffers from reduced spending as Britons tighten their wallet strings due to the government spending cuts. Reports revealed slowdown of high street sales, with tumbling house prices and businesses suffering from a decrease in orders amid fears of job losses.


Friday, 15/10/10

Front Page
Kate moss weds her long-term partner Jamie Hince at a low-key ceremony held in Sicily. Only close friends and family attended the event were she tied the not with her rock star boyfriend in bare foot and a see-through white gown.

Political News
Hilary Clinton declared each country should be able to make appropriate contributions to the efforts of Nato, in the wake of the PM David Cameron finalising the planned military cutbacks. The US secretary of state admitted she was afraid the controversial slashes to Briatin’s defence budget could result in Nato suffering.

Business News
The justice minister, Ken Clarke has warned the economy is still in “grave danger” of collapse, which contradicted the Prime minister who said two weeks ago the economy was “out of danger.”   Clarke said the debt crisis was unprecedented and people should prepare for it.

Daily Newspaper Review, Week Four: The Guardian 


Monday, 04/10/10 

Front Page

In his speech to the Conservative party conference in Birmingham, the Chancellor George Osborne has declared that in order to avoid a decade of dept, he plans to cut Britain’s £109bn structural deficit in one parliament. The controversial plan will see swift and deep cuts made to public spending, saying the alternative of delayed deficit reduction will mean extra interest payment to foreign governments. 

Political News

A senior journalist who had worked alongside Andy Coulsen has claimed Coulsen personally listened to intercepted voicemail messages of public figures when he was editing the News of the World. The prime minister’s media advisor has always denied having any knowledge of the illegal activities carried out by the paper’s journalists 

Business News

The New Economic Foundation warns Britain’s bank may soon need more government aid despite a bailout of £1.2tn. The funding from the Bank of England which the Bank’s currently rely upon to prop up the system after the collapse of Lehman Brothers is set to run out by the end of 2012, which means that banks will need to raise £25bn a month to plug the funding gap. 


Tuesday, 05/10/10 

Front Page

George Osborne’s plans to withdraw child benefit from parents earning enough to pay the higher-rate-tax have prompted warnings that he was punishing the party’s middle class base. Osborne also announced a benefits cap of £26,000 per year for workless households to counteract the accusations, though many senior backbenchers feared the attack on child benefit was badly misdirected. 

Political News

Tom Watson, a former Labour minister has called upon David Cameron to make a statement in parliament about the allegations made against his media advisor Andy Coulsen following new revelations surrounding the case, which was aired in an edition of Channel 4’s Dispatches last night.
 

Business News

Sir Phillip Hampton, the RBS chairmen calls for regulation rather than self-imposed restraint in order to reduce City bonuses, amid forecasts of financial firms preparing to pay out £7bn in bonuses this year. 


Wednesday, 06/10/10 

Front Page

David Cameron was forced to apologise to voters for breaking election promises, after the Chancellor George Osborne announced to withdraw child benefit from the higher rate taxpayers. The controversial plans contradict the party’s commitment to family values and undermined the universalist base of the welfare state, which the Prime Minister had promised to preserve in the election. 

Political News

David Cameron defends his media advisor Andy Coulsen after Channel 4’s dispatches programme on phone hacking claims. The Prime Minister said nobody in his team is unsackable, but there has been no complaint made about Coulsen’s competency in his current job in contrast to the years of Alastair Campbell. 

Business News

Tesco’s chief executive Sir Terry Leahy has declared that the UK is not heading for a double dip recession, and will neither be derailed by the government’s spending cuts. He claimed UK economy will be pulled through into a stable recovery by Asia’s stronger rebound. 


Thursday, 07/10/10
 
Front Page
Amidst criticisms for being evasive about the scale of the spending cuts, David Cameron called for a united nation to pull together to survive the hard times ahead. In his speech to the Conservative conference, the Prime minister said, the coalition was not only about cuts but “an attempt to create a country based not on Labour’s selfish individualism but one based on mutual responsibility”. 

Political News

The US and Afghan Government recently made contact with the most feared insurgent group in Afghanistan, the Haqqani network who have the closest ties with al-Qaida. Direct talks were held between Hamid Karzi’s government and senior members of the Haqqani Network, though US contacts have been indirect through a western intermediary. 

Business News

Many of Britain’s biggest retailers are in talks with ministers regarding selling home energy improvements such as insulation under the governments “green deal” programme. Tesco, B&Q and Marks & Spencer are among the companies lined up to market the coalitions programme in encouraging home-energy measures.

Daily Newspaper Review, Week Three: The Daily Telegraph 

Monday, 27/09/10 

Front Page

Ed Miliband is elected as the leader of the Labour party in a surprise victory over his brother David Miliband who was the Labour MP’s favourite. Ed Miliband declares the end of new Labour in a bid to distance himself from the legacy of Tony Blair as he states he will now lead the “new generation” back into power.

Political News

Armed Forces Chiefs are urged to sell off their manor houses and discontinue using domestic staff in a bid to reduce Ministry of Defence costs by £200million a year. Ministers are increasingly concerned with the extra benefits being offered to top Chiefs as being inappropriate after the MP’s expenses scandal.

Business News

Chinese food company Bright Food is set to challenge the Business Secretary Vince Cable’s efforts to stiffen acquisition regulations which protect UK companies from foreign takeovers. The Shanghai-Based food company is claimed to be in talks with United Biscuits to spend approximately £2billion on one of the country’s largest food businesses, housing brands such as McVitie’s and Jacobs. 

Tuesday, 28/09/10

Front Page

A senior Bank of England official Charles Bean has warned savers to stop complaining and start spending in a bid to help the economy. He said older households who had previously enjoyed property price rises, now should not expect to live of interests as he admitted that low returns was part of the economic recovery strategy. 

Political News

The European Commission official has urged the British Government to scrap the habitual residency test, which is used to establish whether migrants are eligible for benefit support. The EU says Britain’s rules to combat benefit tourism is illegal. 

Business News

Shareholders of HSBC have requested the bank to crack down on leaks, as the bank proposes to launch an investigation into how confidential details of its succession plans were leaked days before a board meeting took place to decide on the issue. 

Wednesday, 29/09/10 

Front Page

Defence Secretary Liam Fox attacks the defence cuts in a private letter to David Cameron. He warns ‘Draconian’ cuts to defence spending could be detrimental for the Government while the country is at war, which seriously risks damaging troop’s morale.

Political News

Ed Miliband uses his maiden speech to condemn the Iraq war, which causes the rift between his elder brother to widen. David Miliband scolds Harriet Harman after she applauded his brother’s declaration, stating “Why are you clapping? You voted for it”, to which she replied, “I am clapping because, as you know, I am supporting him”.

Business News

A senior policy maker has stated that the Bank of England should restart printing presses and pump more money into the economy in order to prevent a “lost decade” of low growth and high unemployment. Adam Posen, an external member of the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee asks for a second round of quantitative easing, after already injecting £200billion into the economy.

Thursday, 30/09/10 

Front Page

David Cameron faces strong oppositions after the Armed Forces staunchly support Liam Fox’s protest against the cuts to the defence spending. However, although the Prime minister defended Liam Fox’s right to argue against the cuts, he and George Osborne, the Chancellor urged the Defence Secretary to seek further cost-cutting measures. 

Political News

It has emerged David Miliband to turn his back on front line-politics as he feared his presence in his brothers shadow cabinet would initiate in-fighting, a factor most accustomed to Tony Blair and Gordon Brown era. 

Business News

Lloyd Blankfein, the chief executive of Goldman Sachs has warned that banks could relocate some of their operations out of Europe if regulations become too tedious. However, Goldman Sachs said it was committed to Europe despite the chief executive’s comments. 

Friday, 01/10/10 

Front Page

The bank of England has warned that it will now be even harder for first time buyers to obtain a mortgage, while those who want to renew their mortgage will be offered less attractive deals. The banks are imposing even tighter rules when lending, as they fear the higher unemployment rate forecasted will result in more homeowners defaulting on loans.

Political News

Vince Cable backs Dr Liam Fox in his protest against the defence cuts. He is one of several Liberal Democrat ministers who is supporting Dr Liam’s struggle with David Cameron to resume the navy’s £2billion programme for two new aircraft carriers. 

Business News

Hedge funds are demanding that the Irish Government pay more for the £26billion dept they hold in the Anglo Irish Bank.