Tag Archives: political

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Jeremy Corbyn statement on the passing of Tam Dalyell

Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party  said:

“I’m so sad to hear of the death of my good friend and comrade Tam Dalyell. Our thoughts are with his family.

“Tam was a titan of parliamentary scrutiny, fearless in pursuit of the truth. From Iraq to the miners’ strike, he doggedly fought to expose official wrongdoing and cover ups.

“The title of his autobiography summed Tam up to a tee: ‘The Importance of Being Awkward.’

“But he was much more than that: Tam was an outstanding parliamentarian, a socialist and internationalist, and a champion of the underdog, here and abroad.”

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Labour • • •

UN-backed measles vaccination campaign to reach 4.7 million children in north-east Nigeria

26 January 2017 – A major vaccination campaign against a measles outbreak in northeast Nigeria is reaching 4.7 million children, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

“Security has improved in some areas so we have acted quickly to access places we could not previously reach and protect children from the spread of a very dangerous disease,” said Mohamed Fall, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, in a news release.

The campaign, concluding this week, is covering the three states most affected by the Boko Haram conflict – Adamawa, Borno and Yobe – where insecurity has limited vaccination efforts. “We are still extremely concerned about children living in large areas of Borno state that are not yet accessible,” said Mr. Fall.

In 2016, there were approximately 25,000 cases of measles among children in Nigeria; 97 per cent of the cases were in children under the age of ten and at least a hundred children died.

Measles infections tend to increase during the first half of the year because of higher temperatures. Measles vaccination coverage across Nigeria remains low, with a little over 50 per cent of children reached, but in areas affected by conflict, children are particularly vulnerable.

The risks for malnourished children who have weakened immunity are further heightened.

The vaccination campaign, conducted in partnership with the Nigerian Government, the World Health Organization (WHO), and several non-governmental organizations, also includes a vitamin A supplement for children under five to boost their immunity, as well as de-worming tablets.

The emergency in northeast Nigeria remains acute with more than 1.6 million people displaced because of the conflict.

Of the $115 million called for in 2016, only $51 million was received. In 2017, UNICEF is seeking $150 million to respond to the urgent humanitarian needs in northeast Nigeria.

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UN – Top News Stories • • • •

News story: MOD partners with industry to promote UK prosperity

The MOD and Boeing are working together to build UK prosperity, growth, and exports across the country. As part of their commitment to the UK, Boeing signed the UK aerospace industry’s Supply Chain Competitiveness Charter, which is designed to strengthen relationships between companies and their suppliers, so that they work together more effectively to raise UK productivity and competitiveness.

Highlights of the joint initiative so far include:

  • A new commercial airline hangar to be constructed at Gatwick airport, supporting more than 100 jobs

  • Collaboration on a new £100m P-8A operational support and training base at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, creating more than 100 new jobs

  • Boeing facilitated a visit to Seattle for 37 UK suppliers to deepen their relationships with Boeing driving enhanced prosperity in the UK

  • Training courses for UK suppliers on how to win additional business with the company, further enhancing the competitiveness of the UK supply chain

  • Education partnerships with the Royal Academy of Engineering and the RAF Air Training Corps in Northern Ireland, which reached more than 5,000 young people in the UK last year

Minister Harriett Baldwin said:

Britain’s defence industry plays a key role delivering an economy that works for everyone. Across the UK, Britain’s defence companies provide highly skilled, well-paid jobs with world class manufacturing exports.

Boeing expects to increase their UK workforce by 50% by 2020. This joint initiative is a prime example of the cutting edge, high-skilled, job-creating investment that our industrial strategy seeks to harness to make Britain one of the most competitive places in the world to innovate, build businesses and deliver secure, long-term prosperity for all.

The government’s Industrial Strategy will seek to make fresh choices about how the UK shapes its economy and presents an opportunity to deliver a bold, long term Industrial Strategy that builds on strengths and prepares for the years ahead. Following a period of consultation, the government intends to publish an Industrial Strategy white paper in 2017 that will set out the plan for full and long term delivery. 

Marc Allen, president of Boeing International, said:

Boeing’s partnership with the UK, which dates back to the 1930s, goes from strength to strength today. Boeing values the UK’s aerospace and defence capabilities. In both 2015 and 2016 Boeing in the UK hired, on average, a new employee per day and our relationship with the UK supply chain today has more than doubled in value since 2011.

This growth continues in 2017 and beyond, with further significant announcements to follow in the future, building on our initiative’s achievements already in place.

There is much more to come from the strategic prosperity initiative. During their meeting Minister Harriett Baldwin and Marc Allen looked ahead to the next six months of collaboration:

  • Boeing will increase bid opportunities for UK suppliers and work with the government to enhance UK competitiveness. The aim is for UK companies to double their supply work with Boeing and win higher proportions of content on future Boeing aircraft.

  • Boeing will make the UK its European base for training, maintenance, repair and overhaul across its defence fixed-wing and rotary platforms.

  • Boeing will make the UK a base for defence exports to Europe and the Middle East, increasing UK employment and investment.

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HM Government • • •

News story: Apprenticeship Delivery Board – 12 months on

Today (Thursday, 26 January) the ADB came together to recognise and acknowledge its achievements in the 12 months since it was formed.

The Apprenticeship Delivery Board (ADB), created to advise on expanding apprenticeships nationally, are working with the National Apprenticeship Service to increase the number of apprenticeship places that employers offer in both the public and private sector. The ADB is a key tool in driving the delivery of 3 million apprenticeship starts during this parliament.

Chaired by David Meller, Chair of the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network and reporting directly to Skills Minister Robert Halfon MP, members of the board include:

  • David Abraham, Chief Executive of Channel 4
  • Melanie Hayes, Resourcing and Development Director, Compass Group
  • Dr Andrew Parmley, Lord Mayor of London
  • Mike Thompson, Head of Employability at Barclays
  • Rami Ranger CBE, Chairman of Sun Mark Ltd
  • Simon Blagden CBE, Non-Executive Chairman at Fujitsu
  • James Wates CBE, Chairman, Wates Construction
  • Julie Taylor, Director General, Head Office and Commissioning Services, Ministry of Defence
  • Judith Nelson, Retail Sector member

Today’s event highlighted the many employers and intermediaries that the ADB have already engaged with, including the likes of Bauer Media, Claire’s Accessories, Harris Trust, Prudential and Yahoo!.

Richard Harrington MP, was in attendance and he recognised five employers for their continued commitment to apprenticeships: Deloitte, Screwfix/Kingfisher, Leonard Cheshire Disability, Faccenda, and O2 – whilst also recognising the commitment of the ADB members.

David Meller said:

This is an important milestone for the ADB. In the last 12 months we have engaged with leading employers in England to expand the current apprenticeship programme and to reach out to those not previously involved with apprenticeships. This is just the start of the journey and the very recent announcements on the Industrial Strategy and Institute for Apprenticeships will also be considered and embraced within the ADB brief.

We couldn’t have achieved the great things we have so far had it not been for the commitment of the board and today we want to thank them for their support.

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HM Government • • •