Young kids should get new Prevnar U.S. experts contend

WASHINGTON Wed Feb 24, 2010 12:11pm EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Children under the age of 5 who already got four doses of Pfizer Inc"s Prevnar vaccine should get a fifth booster dose of the new version that covers more strains of pneumonia-causing bacteria, the U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices said on Wednesday.

Health

The committee, which advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, already recommended that unvaccinated infants get the 13-strain version of the new vaccine, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved just minutes before the committee"s vote.

(Reporting by Maggie Fox; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)

Health

Budget 2010: minute-by-minute live coverage

Philip Webster & , : {}

It was a Budget speech unlike any other we have seen in recent years. Gordon Brown"s were always political and, in the days of plenty, he invariably had a huge giveaway tax or spend in the last few lines to send his troops away happy.

But here was his ostensibly dour successor the man who admitted that the forces of Hell were unleashed against him by No 10 for telling the truth about the recession coming out with the most electioneering display one could remember from a chancellor.

Mr Darling had nothing, or very little, to give away on this occasion. The conventions of Parliament dictate that Budget speeches do not refer directly to the Opposition parties, let alone their leading politicians. The speech is meant to be such a serious occasion that the Speaker does not allow interventions from MPs. Nothing must interrupt the flow of the nation"s bank manager.

But when Mr Darling sat down after an hour the cheers from Labour MPs were undoubtedly genuine. For a man with virtually nothing up his sleeve he had given them quite a bit to shout about.

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And he did it by being openly political and going close to tearing up the Budget Day conventions. He did it with an announcement that was also a joke. By saving to the last his pledge to crack down on tax evasion in Belize, Mr Darling gave Labour MPs their "Ashcroft moment" and they loved it.

When he added that it would come into effect within days, rather than the ten years it had taken for the Conservatives to come clean about Lord Ashcroft"s tax status, he brought the House down.

Whatever the Forces of Hell did to Mr Darling, here suddenly at the end of the Budget was the music hall comedian. The Treasury expects to make little from Belize. Nothing is forecast as a gain from that territory in the Red Book. But the facts could not get in the way of a good quip.

His big surprise announcement was also blatantly electoral in motive. Overnight it had been leaked to the broadcasters that Mr Darling would raise the starting stamp duty threshold for first-time buyers to 250,000.

Labour"s strategists had banked, rightly, that the Chancellor would get a bigger cheer for the method chosen to pay for it a super stamp duty tax on properties worth more than 1 million. It was a classic Robin Hood attack in election terms it may be seen as setting North against South but it made the Labour side feel better.

David Cameron went ahead and accused Labour of stealing his idea the help for first-time buyers but he could hardly claim to have thought up the means of paying for it.

It was a strange occasion because Mr Darling won plaudits for announcing the biggest budget deficit in history 167 billion because that grotesque figure was 11 billion lower than he had predicted in November.

Better-than-expected tax receipts and consequential lower debt interest helped him to that figure. But as Mr Cameron pointed out later, it was hardly something to gloat about.

Almost all of the Budget had that political feel.

Again without referring directly to his opponents Mr Darling"s message was that Labour"s actions from Northern Rock, to bailing out the banks, to stimulating the economy had been proved right and would not have been done had the Conservatives been in power.

Apart from the Belize joke it may be one of those Budgets whose measures, such as they were, will be quickly forgotten.

But it is Mr Darling rather than Mr Brown who has fired the election starting gun.

England set upon behind after Tamim Iqbal onslaught

Simon Wilde & , : {}

England bowling attacks have taken a small poundings in their time but the attack that Bangladeshs Tamim Iqbal launched yesterday on his 21st birthday was fit to live with the majority appropriate of them. When drinks were taken after the initial hour of the second Test review here at the Shere Bangla stadium, Tamim had the jot down books at his mercy.

Unbeaten on 74 from 48 balls out of a measure of 95 for one, all he unequivocally had to do was bat for an additional hour in sequence to turn the fifth batsman in history, and the initial given Pakistans Majid Khan in 1976, to measure a century prior to lunch on the opening day of a Test. If he had one after an additional motoring as he had been, the fastest Test hundred in Middle East 74 balls by Majid was his for the taking.

Unfortunately for him, Alastair Cook swallowed his honour and went ultra-defensive usually fourteen overs in to the game. It became majority harder for Tamim to overcome the margin opposite the dual spinners, England carrying prepared their blunder of the initial Test by bringing in the uncapped James Tredwell (at the responsibility of a batsman, Michael Carberry) to partner Graeme Swann.

Chafing at the bit, Tamim on 85 top-edged a brush that gave Tredwell a initial Test wicket that competence with time come to be cherished even some-more than it is now. Tamim looks each bit his countrys initial luminary batsman, a near-certainty for a full of health IPL stipulate at a small theatre and, if any county arch senior manager has got something about him, a remunerative small army in the Friends Provident Twenty20 this summer.

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He is Bangladeshs homogeneous of Virender Sehwag and he could go a prolonged proceed towards assisting his immature group settle themselves. England could positively do with somebody similar to him at the tip of their order. As Tredwell observed, Tamims good item is that he has no fear.

From a clever cricketing family and station 5ft 11in, Tamim was the main reason because Bangladesh went in to lunch on a towering 139 for three, the majority dear initial event of a Test England had endured given the turn of the century. Minds were expel at the back of to Leeds 1976 when Roy Fredericks and Gordon Greenidge had swept West Indies to 147 but loss in the initial session.

The worth of Tamims innings was that it enabled Bangladesh to be rival at the start, given in Chittagong they put up a quarrel usually when it was as well late. His belligerence forced errors on England, who reprieved him on 4 and 35, the second time to a possibility to Cook on top of his head at midst on that Tamim described as a birthday gift.

His charm, and that of his team, is that they proceed each form of the diversion the same way, throwing the bat as joyfully in a five-day diversion as in a 20-overs one. Shakib Al Hasan even attempted a Dilshan-style dip over his head opposite Swann. It strike him in the face.

Bangladesh pushed on in the afternoon by Mahmudullah, Junaid Siddique and Shakib, the second event bringing an additional 111 for the loss of two. They were streamer for their majority appropriate ever total in a days fool around but Shakib descending leg-before to Tredwell in the initial over after tea, and the attainment of the second new ball, authorised England to scratch things at the back of a little.

England were hugely beholden for the tools played by their dual off-spinners. Having bowled some-more overs in Chittagong than in any prior Test, Swann sent down thirty overs in a day, whilst Tredwell got by 29.

Swann was called on in the eighth over with the measure already 43. His initial over cost eight and his third twenty as Tamim slog-swept him or strike him true for 3 fours and a six. That brought up Tamims 50 off 34 balls, that does not review as well really bad with Englands fastest fifty in twenty-eight balls by Sir Ian Botham given that they have been personification Tests given 1877. Swann afterwards went for dual some-more fours in his fourth over, that is not utterly what we have come to design from the worlds highest-ranked turn bowler.

But in tandem with Tredwell, Swann progressively regained belligerent and during the day claimed 3 some-more lbw victims, receiving his total in Tests to 31. Among England spinners, this put him turn with Monty Panesar and one at the back of Jim Laker.

Tredwell showed the solid spirit that had got him in to the group in the initial place. Helped, admittedly, by the defensive fields, he conceded usually eight runs in his initial 6 overs and helped to request the stop on the drifting start.

He was to after dump short and was cut mercilessly, but by the close he had claimed the dual majority critical wickets of the day, not a bad lapse for someone who feared his possibility of Test cricket competence have left after he was surprisingly left out in Chittagong. Had this been so, his shining catch as a surrogate fielder for one round would have represented a uncertain career in Tests.

Creditably though Tredwell performed, Panesar right away on pre-season debate with his new county, Sussex, in the Middle East can cruise himself hapless not to be here now. There are a small poor wickets to be had and when they go to Australia after this year, England would certainly cite a left-arm spinner to be operative to one side Swann rather than a second offie.

Bangladesh: initial inningsIqbal c Prior b Tredwell 85Kayes c Finn b Broad 12Siddique lbw b Swann 39Islam lbw b Swann 0Mahmudullah c Collingwood b Finn 59Shakib al Hasan lbw b Tredwell 49Mushfiqur Rahim c Prior b Bresnan 30Naeem Islam not out 32Abdur Razzak lbw b Swann 3Shafiul Islam not out 8Extras (lb10 b1 nb1) 12Total 8 wkts (94 overs) 330

To bat: Rubel Hossain.

Fall: 1-53 2-119 3-122 4-167 5-226 6-254 7-301 8-314

Bowling: Broad 14-4-48-1; Bresnan 13-4-40-1; Swann 30-4-94-3; Finn 7-2-44-1; Tredwell 29-5-82-2; Collingwood 1-0-8-0

England: Alastair Cook (captain), Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Ian Bell, Matt Prior, Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann, Steven Finn, James Tredwell.

Umpires: A L Hill and R J Tucker

hair wig

HSBC trainer Michael Geoghegan gives 4m reward to charity

Iain Dey & , : {}

MICHAEL GEOGHEGAN, the arch senior manager of HSBC, has incited down the possibility to spin Britains best-paid bank trainer by handing a multi-million-pound reward to charity.

He is in line for a payout of close to 4m after HSBCs clever performance. This week it is approaching to inform annual enlarge of 10 billion.

Rather than give up the bonus, Geoghegan plans to pass it on to a series of childrens charities. The move follows open protests over payments to Britains bank bosses.

Stephen Hester, the arch senior manager of Royal Bank of Scotland, gave up his right to a 1.6m reward last week in an bid to damp open anger.

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Eric Daniels, the arch senior manager of Lloyds Banking Group, was offering a 2.25m reward by his house but additionally chose to spin it down.

Hester and Daniels were deemed to have warranted the payments in annoy of outrageous waste racked up by their banks.

Peter Sands, the arch senior manager of Standard Chartered, is believed to be removing a reward of some-more than 1m. It appears that the former McKinsey consultant, who helped to designer the RBS and Lloyds bailouts, plans to accept the payout. Standard Chartered, that specialises in Africa and Asia, has couple of UK operations.

Geoghegans preference comes after a prolonged contend with shareholders over pay.

The bank had longed for to give him and financial senior manager Douglas Flint income increases of up to 40%. Shareholders deserted those plans, but indicated that they would have no conflict to bonuses being paid, since the banks plain opening via the credit crunch.

It is accepted Geoghegan motionless to give his reward to gift prior to he learnt that shareholders had deserted plans to enlarge his 1.1m-a-year salary. He and his mother Jania are long-time supporters of Education Africa, a gift that specialises in ancillary schools projects, especially in South Africa.

The rest of the HSBC senior manager group is approaching to share a reward pool of up to 15m. Flint is thought to be due for a payout of about 2.5m. Stuart Gulliver, the head of HSBCs investment promissory note arm, is estimated to be in line for a reward value some-more than 3m.

A handful of alternative tip HSBC bankers next house turn are approaching to get multi-million bruise windfalls. It is not well known if any plan to follow Geoghegans example.

All the bonuses are approaching to be paid in shares and paid in instalments over multiform years.

Stephen Green, the HSBC chairman, asked to stop being awarded reward payments last year.

Green, who wrote a book last year on the probity and ethics of banking, has been one of the majority outspoken critics of compensate practices in the industry.

hair wig

QA : Lord Ashcroft the non-dom

& , : {}

What has Lord Ashcroft told us that is new?

After years of speculation, the Conservative Partys main donor has certified he is non-dom, radically definition he pays no British taxes on his abroad fortune. This is authorised if a proprietor has clever links to an additional country.

What alternative countries does he have links with?

He is a adult of Belize, where most of his commercial operation sovereignty is based. He is additionally a belonger of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Both are in the Commonwealth.

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What does it meant for the Conservatives?

Lord Ashcroft has since some-more than �10 million to the Tories and his aim seats plan might bind feat for them in a parsimonious contest. Critics might contend it is astray that a domestic celebration is being saved from unfamiliar money that has been free from UK taxes. But the Conservatives point to Labours billionaire donor Lord Paul, a self-confessed non-dom.

Didnt Lord Ashcroft contend that he dictated to rearrange his affairs in sequence to lapse to live in Britain?

He did. He betrothed William Hague, the Tory personality who due his chair in the Lords, that he would take up permanent chateau in Britain prior to entering the Upper House.

If he is a permanent resident, because doesnt he compensate taxes similar to the rest of us?

Lord Ashcroft says currently that, in successive discourse with the Government, permanent chateau was to meant a long-term resident.

Isnt it astray for legislators to set taxes that they dont have to pay?

See Lord Paul (above).

Five questions that Lord Ashcroft and the Conservative Party still need to answer

1 When, if ever, did Lord Ashcroft discuss it a) Mr Hague b) Iain Duncan Smith c) Michael Howard and d) David Cameron that he paid no UK taxes on any of his estimated �1.1 billion abroad fortune?

2 Why has Lord Ashcroft one after another to lay in the House of Lords even after Mr Cameron pronounced such non-taxpayers should be released from Parliament?

3 Why did Lord Ashcroft and Mr Hague furnish a signed, witnessed, transparent and undeniable . . . honest and contracting declaration that he would turn henceforth proprietor in Britain usually prior to he was since a nobility usually for the newly ennobled office worker to outlay ten years avoiding full UK taxes?

4 Why did the Conservative Party accept some-more than �5 million from Lord Ashcroft after nominating him for a chair in the Lords whilst his abroad gain stayed free from British tax?

5 Why has Lord Ashcroft right away certified he is a non-dom after insisting for years, to the annoyance of Tory politicians, that his taxation standing is private?

Iceland at risk of siege over disaster to pay off loans

Suzy Jagger, Politics and Business Correspondent & , : {}

Talks in between Iceland and the Treasury over the amends of a $5 billion (�3.3 billion) bailout loan strike a stand-off yesterday after the Government in Reykjavik insisted that the due seductiveness check was as well onerous.

While Johanna Sigurdardottir, the Icelandic Prime Minister, pronounced that she hoped a understanding was still probable in the short term, Britain and the Netherlands, that are due the money, are perturbed that a revised seductiveness amends report has been rejected.

If the stand-off continues, it is approaching that Icelanders will effectively opinion to reject repaying the income in a referendum scheduled for Mar 6.

The British and Dutch governments concluded to magnify a $5.5 billion rescue loan to Iceland at the tallness of the promissory note predicament in 2008 to guarantee the deposits of UK charities, internal authorities and people who had invested with Icesave, an online sell section of the collapsed lender Landsbanki.

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The Times suggested dual weeks ago that Alistair Darling had been warned in a minute by Sir Nick Macpherson, his tip polite menial in the Treasury, that British taxpayers competence not get their income behind from Iceland. The Chancellor abandoned his advice.

At the finish of last year, Iceland and Britain concluded a grave amends report of the loan. Under the terms, Iceland would compensate devalue seductiveness of 5.5 per cent on the collateral owed.

Since then, Iceland has reneged on the conditions of the deal, arguing that the seductiveness payments are as well high. Britain and the Netherlands returned with a reduce suggest of seductiveness payments totalling 2.5 per cent on top of the bottom rate, with the hold up of the loan still to be agreed. Iceland deserted the revised offer.

A UK Treasury orator said: From the UKs perspective, we have an requisite to safeguard income supposing by UK taxpayers to the Icelandic remuneration intrigue is recovered in full. These conditions paint the most appropriate suggest and we hold it is strongly in the seductiveness of Iceland to determine them.

The deadlock could have farreaching implications for Iceland since it threatens to cut the nation off from much-needed appropriation from the International Monetary Fund and alternative countries in the Nordic region. It additionally endangers the focus to stick on the European Union. Both measures are seen as being key to the countrys recovery.

Spending cuts contingency be spelt out to save stumbling sterling

Phil McHugh: Opinion & , : {}

As regard grows for the UKs mercantile position, argent is starting to see similar to a bleeding animal. The astringency of the incident was underlined by central total display supervision borrowing at �4.3 billion in Jan the initial Jan borrowing on record. It is at large approaching that the bill shortfall could surpass �180 billion only underneath thirteen per cent of GDP commanding even that of Greece. The Governments headache is strong when we throw in stuttering mercantile expansion at a small 0.1 per cent for the last entertain of 2009, weakening commercial operation and debt lending and bad sell sales.

Cutting open spending has shaped the key choosing dissimilarity in between Labour and the Conservatives. However, conjunction celebration is laying the mercantile plans obviously on the table, heading to disbelief in the markets. This month the bruise has forsaken 3.75 per cent opposite the US dollar but, some-more tellingly, it has depressed some-more than 1 per cent opposite the euro, even in the light of the fallout from Greece.

While the International Monetary Fund and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development have uttered their concerns about the UKs mercantile position, it is the credit rating agencies that the Government will need to appease, and quickly. Fitch has already warned that the UK is one of the countries majority exposed to losing the AAA standing and last year Standard & Poors downgraded the opinion for Britains credit rating from fast to negative.

Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England, not long ago asserted that the rating is ours to lose and that governments need to have a transparent and convincing plan for expelling the constructional deficit. Yet there is a graphic miss of distinctness and credit there is still no reason of how.

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With the ultimate polls display a squeezing in the Tory lead, there is a risk that a hung council will forestall the origination of a transparent and deliverable process on shortening the deficit.

Alongside domestic difficulty we have low mercantile uncertainty. Can we rely on acceleration entrance down towards 2 per cent after this year? Can we pretence expansion forecasts and necessity targets will be met? Can we know the destiny goods of quantitative easing? We cannot, and the banking markets and, one would assume, credit rating agencies do not similar to disbelief it becomes contagious.

The hazard of a cut in the UK emperor rating on the behind of a immeasurable debt weight could be the main Achilles heel for sterling. Any downgrading in the emperor rating would enlarge the cost of borrowing, with critical implications for the UKs recovery. A tumble in argent would simulate a mystic loss of mercantile virility, lead to higher import prices and lift inflationary pressure. UK gilts would additionally struggle. Couple rising acceleration with stuttering expansion and we face the awaiting of the UKs monetary repute lying in tatters.

The Government needs to be far clearer on the mercantile plans; movement and distinctness are needed. The Conservatives additionally need to denote their plans in item and economists need to regard themselves some-more with how and what to cut. As the Roman reflective thinker Seneca said: Economy is as well late when you are at the bottom of your purse.

? Phil McHugh is head of corporate trade at Currencies Direct