Wednesday 28 September 2011


Welcoming its first visitors, the awe inspiring opening featured retailers pulling out all the stops with an offering of fashion shows, celebrity appearances, giveaways, and musical performances held not only today, on opening day, but throughout the month of September and beyond, securing Westfield Stratford City's reputation as the key retail and lifestyle destination for London and the South East

Opening day retailer offerings ran the gamut from Forever 21's goody bag giveaway snapped up by their first 500 customers, Hotel Chocolat's exclusive prosecco and chocolate tastings, to Look Magazine's Pop-Up Lounge offering exclusive insider fashion and beauty events, Westfield Stratford City offered an opening day extravaganza across the board
The Westfield Group (ASX: WDC) today launched its most iconic and ambitious project to date in East London. The £1.8 billion Westfield Stratford City retail project will be the gateway to the London 2012 Olympic Park and is the largest urban shopping centre in Europe. This landmark 1.9 million square feet development marks the next chapter in retail and leisure development in the United Kingdom, serving a catchment area of over 4 million people.

















Mr. Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport will address a VIP reception following the launch and global rock star Nicole Scherzinger will entertain the opening day guests.

The retail development will be owned in a partnership between Westfield, who will own 50%, and APG of the Netherlands and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board jointly owning the other 50%.

Westfield Stratford City is anchored by flagship John Lewis, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose stores, a 17-screen Vue cinema, and the UK’s largest casino operated by Aspers. With 250 shops plus 70 places to dine, it will create a new lifestyle destination for East London. Stratford City also includes three hotels and 130,000 square feet of office space which is the first phase of a total of 1.1 million square feet office precinct and 1,200 residential dwellings which are expected to be developed after the 2012 Olympic Games.

As part of one of the largest urban regeneration projects ever undertaken in the UK, Westfield Stratford City is located on the doorstep to the Olympic Park and three quarters of all spectators are expected to walk directly through the centre on their way from the transport hubs to the Park.

The Chairman of Westfield Group said: “We are immensely proud of this world-class shopping centre which is the culmination of over 50 years’ experience and firmly cements our position in the UK market which we entered just over 10 years ago. The project has been delivered on time, on budget and over 95% leased at opening.”

Jeremy Hunt said: “This is a hugely significant day for East London. Europe’s biggest urban shopping centre opening beside the Olympic Park is a massive vote of confidence in the area and proof of the powerful effect London 2012 is having on this part of the city. It will be a fabulous showcase for some of the best British retail businesses and brands, especially during the Games. And as a significant new local employer it is a fundamental part of the lasting legacy of London’s Games.”

Boris Johnson said: "Westfield Stratford City has already played, and will continue to play, a crucial role in the remarkable regeneration of East London. Thousands of jobs for Londoners, millions in investment and one of the best shopping destinations in the world are a fantastic legacy which has been delivered years earlier than would have been possible without the 2012 Games. The Westfield Group has helped secure a bright future for this long-neglected corner of the capital."

Co-CEO of Westfield Group Steven Lowy AM said: “Westfield Stratford City represents the latest evolution of our thinking and skills in design, retail and leisure mix, technology and sustainability. We have been delighted with the performance of Westfield London in the 3 years since opening and that centre is expected to shortly reach £1 billion in annual retail sales. We would expect that in time, our two London centres will be the 2 top performing urban centres in Europe, have retail sales of over £2 billion, attract over 50 million consumer visits per annum and create over 25,000 permanent jobs in London.

“We hope to build on our learnings and relationships from our recent iconic projects at Sydney, San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and take these forward into many more of the world’s great cities, a process we have already begun with our recent announcements in Milan, New York World Trade Centre and Brazil.”

Mr. Michael Gutman, Westfield Group Managing Director UK/Europe and New Markets said: “The retail and leisure mix that our team has delivered at Westfield Stratford City has exceeded all our expectations particularly as it was delivered through the global financial crisis and was clearly assisted by the strong focus on London by many international brands from the US and elsewhere.

“The range of large global specialty stores is the most extensive to date on a Westfield project and includes: from the US; Apple, Forever 21, GAP, Hollister, Gilly Hicks and Urban Outfitters, from the UK; All Saints, Boots, Monsoon, New Look, Primark, River Island, Superdry and Topshop, and from Europe; Cos, H+M, Hugo Boss, Prada, The Sting, and Zara.”

Public transport connectivity to the centre is unparalleled with a new station entrance hall for Stratford Regional station, one of London’s busiest transport hubs, built directly underneath the centre with direct connection to the London network. The centre has direct access into Stratford International station and has parking spaces for 5,000 cars.

The centre incorporates the latest evolution of Westfield’s focus on enhancing the consumer experience by the use of technology, including advanced car park payment and guidance system, find your car service, digital media streaming and new spectacular screen formats, free wi-fi throughout and the latest in mobile applications for retailers and consumers.

The centre is also setting new benchmarks in sustainability with its own Combined Cooling and Heating Power Plant on site which will generate 75% of the centre’s energy. Westfield has worked with the London Borough of Newham to create the Skills Place – Newham, a permanent retail academy training local people for a career in retail helping to lower unemployment levels in the borough. At least 2,000 of the 10,000 permanent jobs created today have gone to the local unemployed.

ENDS


For more information:
UK
Laura Passam
Corporate Affairs
Westfield
+44 20 7061 1861
laura.passam@westfield-uk.com
Video (11)AudioImage (148)Other

Tuesday 27 September 2011

George Osborne plans cuts in corporation tax for the banks.

It’s the wrong choice.

Now some of you would like no fees at all.

I understand that.

But it wouldn’t be responsible to make promises I can’t keep.

That’s Nick Clegg’s job.

Let me tell you what I would do.

If we were in government now, we’d be cutting the costs of going to university from a maximum of £9,000 to £6,000.

To the young people who want to get on and contribute to our country my message is simple.

I won’t let you be priced out of your future.

Labour is on your side.

We can’t afford to carry on with so many young people locked out of opportunity.

Three thousand of our brightest young people, at state schools, get the grades to go to our most competitive universities.

But they never go.

That can’t be right.

It creates a sense that there is no something for something deal.

I went to a fantastic local school.

It was a tough area but it was a school that changed lives.

But the truth is that the problem in some of our schools is not just investment.

It’s also about values.

Of bright children held back when aspirations are low.

Or when closed circles at the top of society shut them out.

In any one year more than a quarter of our schools don’t even send five kids to the most competitive universities.

Is anyone seriously telling me that there aren’t pupils at any of those schools who are good enough to go?

It’s got to change.

And we will change it.

Here is my challenge to those schools and universities.

Raise your game.

To the schools not doing enough I say:

Lift your ambition, lift your sights.

To the universities not opening up I say:

Open your eyes, open your doors.

Say to the very brightest children at every school: if you get the grades, you’ll get a place.

And it’s not just in our schools that I want to change the values that get rewarded.

It’s right across society.

The new bargain must demand responsibility from all.

We’ve got to put an end to the idea that those at the top can take whatever they can, regardless of what they give back.

It’s why we must end the cosy cartels of the way top pay is set in our economy.

So every pay committee should have an employee on the board.

And the something for something deal requires that sacrifice as well as prosperity is fairly shared.

Have you noticed how uncomfortable David Cameron is when he has to talk about responsibility at the very top?

He found it easy to be tough on you.

VAT went up.

He called it a tough decision.

Tax credits were cut.

He said they couldn’t be afforded.

Help paying for childcare was hit.

He said it was the only thing he could do.

When you have had to pay, it’s always necessary, it’s always permanent, it can never be reversed.

And yet at the same time they are straining at the leash to cut the 50p tax rate for people earning over £3,000 a week.

Only David Cameron could believe that you make ordinary families work harder by making them poorer and you make the rich work harder by making them richer.

It’s wrong.

It’s the wrong priority.

It’s based on the wrong values.

How dare they say we’re all in it together.

So we need a new bargain at the top of society, and in our benefits system too.

So it rewards the right people with the right values.

But it isn’t delivering that.

And we’ve got to fix it.

If you think putting it right means just stripping away welfare then you are better off with Iain Duncan Smith and David Cameron.

But at the same time we have to face the truth.

Even after reforms of recent years, we still have a system where reward for work is not high enough.

Where benefits are too easy to come by for those who don’t deserve them and too low for those who do.

So if what you want is a welfare system that works for working people then I’m prepared to take the tough decisions to make that a reality.

Take social housing.

When we have a housing shortage, choices have to be made.

Do we treat the person who contributes to their community the same as the person who doesn’t?

My answer is no.

Our first duty should be to help the person who shows responsibility.

And I say every council should recognise the contribution that people are making.

David Cameron likes to talk tough on welfare, but do you know who the big losers are from his changes?

Time and again it’s those who work hard, who try to get on.

It’s the cancer patients who have worked all their lives but now lose their support.

It’s the couple who have put money aside and saved, but now lose their tax credits.

And it is the single mum working as a dinner lady who loses help with her childcare.

It’s wrong.

And we have got to change it.

And while those who do the right thing are hit hard, the demands on those who don’t work aren’t tough enough.

Gone is the something for something requirement that every young person out of work for six months will be required to work.

This Government won’t make the commitment to help our young people back to work.

It’s wrong and we would change it.

Decency, fairness, helping those who do the right thing.

I believe in a benefits system with values.

And I believe in the value of work.

Labour.

Think about that word.

The party of work.

Now under my leadership, we will be the party which makes welfare work too.

And it’s not just in our benefits system that I want to change the way government works.

It’s in our public services as well.

Millions of public servants deliver a fantastic service every day of every week.

But we all know that sometimes powerful organisations can become unaccountable.

Work not in the interests of those who need them but in their own interests.

That's what vested interests are.

My task, our responsibility, is to make government work better for people.

The patient frustrated when they can’t be seen by the person they want.

The victim of crime who just wants their case properly investigated.

You know what it’s like.

You stand in the queue.

You hang on the phone.

You fill in the form.

And then all you get?

Computer says no.

We need to change that.

To give power to the public.

Like the power to the elderly couple to choose whether they are cared for in a care home or in their own home.

Or the parents I know struggling with their council on their child’s special needs who want to know who else is facing the same challenges.

So I will take on the vested interests wherever they are because that is how we defend the public interest.

And there is no greater public interest than our National Health Service.

Cherished by all of us.

Founded by Labour.

Saved by Labour.

Today defended by Labour once again.

Why does Britain care so much for the NHS?

Because, more than any other institution in our country, the values of the NHS are our values.

It doesn’t matter who you are.

Or what you earn.

The NHS offers the highest quality care when we need it.

I saw it this year with the birth of our son, Sam.

Like millions of other families, mine had the best of care from doctors, nurses.

And nobody asked me for my credit card at the door.

And when I look at everything this Tory Government is doing, it is the NHS that shocks me most.

Why?

Because David Cameron told us he was different.

You remember.

The posters.

The soundbites.

David Cameron knew the British people did not trust the Tories with our NHS.

So he told us he wasn’t the usual type of Tory.

And he asked for your trust.

And then he got into Downing Street.

And within a year – within a year – he’d gone back on every word he’d said.

No more top-down reorganisations?

He betrayed your trust.

No more hospital closures?

He betrayed your trust.

No more long waits?

He betrayed your trust.

And the biggest betrayal of all?

The values of the NHS.

Britain’s values.

The values he promised to protect.

Betrayed.

Hospitals to be fined millions of pounds if they break the rules of David Cameron’s free-market healthcare system.

The old values that have failed our economy now being imported to our most prized institution: the NHS.

Let me tell David Cameron this.

It’s the oldest truth in politics.

He knows it and now the public know it.

You can’t trust the Tories with the NHS.

And let me tell the British people:

If you want someone who will rip up the old rules so that the country works for you, don’t expect it from this Prime Minister.

On the 50p tax rate, on the banks, on the closed circles of Britain, on welfare, on the NHS, he’s not about a new set of rules.

He’s the last gasp of the old rules.

The wrong values for our country and the wrong values for our time.

You know Britain needs to change.

Every day of your life seems like a tough fight.

To make ends meet.

To do the best by your kids.

To look after your Mum or Dad.

And it will be a tough fight to change Britain.

But I’m up for the fight.

The fight for a new bargain.

A new bargain in our economy so reward is linked to effort.

A new bargain based on your values so we can pay our way in the world.

A new bargain to ensure responsibility from top to bottom.

And a new bargain to break open the closed circles, and break up vested interests, that hold our country back.

I aspire to be your Prime Minister not for more of the same.

But to write a new chapter in our country’s history.

The promise of Britain lies in its people.

The tragedy of Britain is that it is not being met.

My mission.

Our mission.

To fulfil the promise of each so we fulfil the promise of Britain.




Ends



Monday 26 September 2011




Press release
Monday 26th September 2011

For immediate use




John Denham's Speech to Labour Party Conference




- CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY -



Conference.

Last week, in Birmingham, Vince Cable gave the Lib Dems what's been described as the most depressing speech by a Cabinet minister in modern political history.

I haven't come to Liverpool to spread doom and gloom.

You're not Lib Dems. You haven't come here to wallow in it.

There's no easy way forward.

The deficit must be dealt with.

World markets are in turmoil.

The world we face is so fiercely competitive it will be harder than ever before to pay our way and build a better future for young people.

But we know there is a way forward for Britain and its families.

But first I have got a message for Vince Cable and the rest of the Tory-led Government.

If you're depressed, stop making things worse.

Stop saying you will tax the banks and get them lending.

When you know you're cutting their taxes and they're cutting their lending.

You tripled university fees, scrapped the RDAs, slashed support for business. And you haven’t even paid out a penny from the Regional Growth Fund, 14 months since you launched it.

You cut too far and too fast.

Turned the entire department of growth into the department of stagnation.

No wonder you’re depressed.

Last week you said that 50 companies are going to get a hot line to ministers.

It's not 50 companies who need a hot line to ministers.

It's the entire British economy!

I went to Bombardier in Derby. I asked three young apprentices about their future.

One said “I want to go as far as I can. Mr Walton” - that's Colin Walton the MD – “Mr Walton used to be an apprentice once.”

That was the promise of Britain.

Hard work taking you as far as your talent would allow.

Each generation doing better than their parents.

But Philip Hammond gave the Thameslink contract to Germany.

Those young ambitions hang by a thread.

You may be wondering why ministers won’t reopen the contract?

It's not because of the finer points of EU competition law.

It's because, in their heart of hearts, they think government should just stand by and watch.

Stand by and watch while wages fall, jobs go, and companies suffer.

But I tell you, Conference, in difficult times governments can't just stand by and watch.

Governments can shape the choices companies make; they can encourage investment in critical parts of the economy; they can use procurement to foster skills, innovation and new markets; they can create the transparency that brings fair pay.

Governments can shape markets by the competition rules they set, the institutions they create for finance research and technology - and by their vision for the future.

Conference, we can make the changes Britain needs; to build a different and stronger economy; in which good companies grow; and rewards are fairly shared.

We say:

If you've got a business idea; you work all hours; you make a go of it; make a million; we'll cheer you all the way.

But we won't if you're the director of a failing company who takes a million you don't deserve.

It’s not our job to run companies, but what Government does makes a difference to the way business leaders run their companies.

In the economy we want, we will say the company that invests long-term is better for Britain than the one that just wants a quick buck.

We will say the company with fair pay at every level is better for Britain than one with obscene rewards at the top and poverty pay at the bottom

We will say the company that innovates is better for Britain than the company that sits back and exploits its monopoly.

We will say the company that trains is better for Britain than one that just says someone else could do your job for less.

These are the choices the best companies in Britain are already making.

But some are not.

Look at all the scams - from payment protection insurance to fuel bills no one understands, from hidden credit card charges to insurance referrals.

They’ve all got one thing in common.

There are people at the top who knew it was wrong.

But they didn’t think it was their responsibility to stop it.

But when prices are rising and wages are falling people can’t afford to be ripped off. It’s got to stop.

So I've asked former Chief Executive of the National Consumer Council, Ed Mayo, to lead our investigation into how we can end the corporate cultures that con consumers.

Conference, business has real concern about regulation. And the worst is regulation that holds good companies back, but doesn't hinder the bad.

So be very clear.

We'll tackle the bad.

We'll back the good.

Griffon Hoverworks in my Southampton constituency sells the world's best hovercraft - a British invention - to 40 countries around the world.

There are thousands of British companies like that.

In engineering, and in film, theatre and the arts;

In life sciences and in architecture;

In advanced manufacturing and in computer games;

In fashion and in law and in IT;

In finance yes, and green technologies.

Companies run by people as bright and as inventive as any British people have ever been.

But there are not enough of them.

They aren't big enough.

And too often they get taken over before they grow.

We will only pay our way in the world if those companies grow and prosper.

And we will only pay our way if the world's biggest companies also want to have a stake in Britain's future.

They don't want government telling them how to run their business. But they don't want government just to stand by and watch either.

Ministers wasted a year on a growth plan so useless it's already being re-written.

So I'll tell you what they should do now.

Back Ed Balls’ five point plan for economic growth.

Cut VAT and get the economy moving.

Tax bank bonuses to build houses, create jobs for young people and back fast growing small business.

Don't stand by and watch.

Do it now.

Small businesses are hurting. If you can't get banks lending, don't just stand by and watch. Get the Green Investment Bank going now, reform the banks the public owns, and like Ed Miliband, Ed Balls and me, look at the case for a national investment bank.

Listen to the CBI and unlock investment in greening and renewing the infrastructure for a new economy.

Don't just stand by and watch.

Do it now.

Get business round the table and agree where Britain will take on the world. Show how we will deliver the technologies, the capabilities, the skills to do it. Give them the confidence to invest.

Don’t just stand by and watch.

Do it now.

Back Labour’s plans to cap fees and then tell every university in every region to concentrate on getting skills, technology and research to British business.

And Vince – one more thing, when you celebrated the one bit of really good news all year - the investments in Nissan, BMW and JLR - didn't you notice that in every one trade unions were full partners in that success; why not say that instead of just union bashing?

Conference, when Ed Miliband asked me and the Shadow Business Team - Gareth, Gordon, Nia, Ian, Chi, Chuka, Tony and Wilf – he said get out and listen to thousands of businesses across Britain.

Everything I've said today comes from things British business has said to us.

From oil in Aberdeen to renewables in Wrexham.

Chambers of Commerce in Norwich to car makers in Sunderland.

Manufacturers in Leeds to bioscience in London.

Hi-tech start-ups in Cambridge to banks in Birmingham.

And it's because of what they told us, not what we told them, that I can tell you that British business, working with Labour, can build a better future for Britain, can build a country where the promise of Britain is honoured once more.




Ends









Press release
Monday 26th September 2011

For immediate use




Peter Hain's Speech to Labour Party Conference




- CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY -



Wales, thank you.

The tragedy reminded us of grim times in the past we thought would never be repeated.

But the strongest message of support we can send to the traumatised and grieving families of the four miners, is this.

The Labour Party stands today as we always have done in the best spirit and the proud tradition of miners and their communities, to fight and to win again for justice and equality for all.

Conference it's great to be here again as Shadow Secretary of State for Wales.

While Cameron and Clegg privatise the health service in England and hand it over to American companies, Labour running Wales stays true to the vision of the great Aneurin Bevan: an NHS for the people, by the people, of the people.

While Cameron and Clegg treble student fees in England, Labour running Wales has refused to do so, refused to saddle students with debts of £50,000, refused to put universities beyond the reach of youngsters from low income families.

While Cameron and Clegg push through right wing cuts and policies in England, Labour in Wales is doing our best to protect the people from the savage consequences of this extremism.

Colleagues - and now, the Leader of the only Labour government in Britain, who in May, with Ed Miliband's active support, won with the best ever Labour vote in any Welsh Assembly election.

Give a big welcome to the Welsh First Minister, Carwyn Jones.




Ends

Friday 23 September 2011

Eritrean Ambassador Delivers Presentation to Scottish MPs

Edinburgh: On Tuesday 20th September 2011 Eritrean Ambassador of the state of Eritrea to the UK and Ireland H.E. Tesfamichael Grahtu delivered an insightful presentation to Scottish Parliamentarians. The event took place at the avant-grade Scottish parliament situated in the Hollyrood area of Scotland’s capital Edinburgh.

Organised by the Eritrean Scottish friends in association with Cross Party Group on International Development, the Ambassador was invited to address Scottish parliamentarians on Water, Self Reliance and sustainability from African perspective, the Ambassador also gave extensive presentation on why we hear so much about drought in the Horn of Africa, but not in Eritrea?
Amongst the participants were members of the Scottish parliament, diplomats, high scholars, and various representatives of Scottish institutions. The opening remarks was conducted by Sarah Boyack MSP (Convener) followed by the Ambassadors extensive briefing on the challenges that faced Eritrea from the time of independence that ranged from food shortage, devastated economy, education, to health drawing upon how the government overturned the situation by the means pragmatic approach and by implementing the strategy of self reliance.

The Ambassador also mentioned that it was not a miracle that Eritrea achieved a bumper harvest in 2010 as a result of the concerted effort done in transforming the agriculture sector and the promotion of food security. He also further explained that there is no complacency as food security goes beyond the fulfillment of the demands of just few years. The long term strategic goal and effort to promote food security continues to be a major issue of sustainability but will definitely require time, space and organization. Nonetheless the pragmatic policies and practice have certainly so far shown that “it can be done” and there is already the political will and commitment to go along the path.

Ambassador Gerahtu also linked the issue of water security with the basic values & drive for transformation of a new Eritrea. He further discussed the three pillars needed for the goal, which was owning own decision, self-reliance, and building national capacity.

Towards the end of the presentation the participants were given the opportunity to ask the Ambassador questions on health, education, as well as mining, tourism and the other sectors that could revitalize the Eritrean economy? Adequate answers including current achievements with regards to the millennium development goals, as well as the policies that the government of Eritrea is taking on the over all diversification of the economy for the purposes of sustainability were clearly explained.

According to Mr Gordon Peters and Mr Michael Freudenberg members of the Eritrean Scottish friendship the outcome of the presentation was enlightening and was one that gave an insight into the overall issue of aid and how nations should take Eritrea as a model. In addition to that most of the participants expressed extreme satisfaction in the presentation both on content and delivery.

Head of the Eritrean community in Scotland Ms Mariem Yassin on her part noted that it is also to be recalled that the continued effort of the Eritrean Scottish friendship on people to people diplomacy is a continuation of the Eritrean Martyr’s Park in Scotland that was established in Campsie Glen, near Lennoxtown by the Eritrean Community in collaboration with Forestry Commission (Scotland) in March 2010 after a concerted effort since 2008.
This event also comes at a time where extensive diplomatic efforts are under way, high-level Eritrean delegations led by President Isaias Afewerki have been traveling abroad ranging from state visits to Uganda & Equatorial Guinea. Currently the president is in New York attending the 66th session of the UN General Assembly. The Presidents visit covers the addressing of the General Assembly, holding high level diplomatic talks, and also a seminar for Ertreans residing in North America.

Embassy Media

Edinburgh, Scotland

Thursday 22 September 2011

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

______________________________________________________________________________

For Immediate Release September 21, 2011





REMARKS BY PRESIDENT OBAMA

AND PRIME MINISTER CAMERON OF THE UNITED KINGDOM



Waldorf Astoria Hotel

New York, New York





3:55 P.M. EDT





PRESIDENT OBAMA: Let me welcome Prime Minister Cameron to the United States and New York. Obviously, there is an extraordinary special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom, and I am very fortunate that over the last year or two, David and I have been able to, I think, establish an excellent friendship as well.



And that’s part of what makes the alliance between the United States and the United Kingdom so important, is that it’s grounded not only in shared values and broad-based agreement on policy, but it’s also based on the individual relationships that we have and the friendships and joint traditions that we have.



We’ve got a lot to talk about. We have worked closely together to help bring about freedom and peace in Libya. We are coordinating closely in managing a very difficult time for the global economy. We are keenly interested in finding a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. On all these issues, I’ve always found Prime Minister Cameron to be an outstanding partner.



And so I’m very grateful for his friendship, his hard work, and his dedication and his leadership on the global stage, and I look forward to a very productive discussion today.



Welcome.



PRIME MINISTER CAMERON: Thank you. If I may say thank you, Barack, for that warm welcome. It’s great to be back -- great to be back in New York, and particularly on this, the 10th anniversary of 9/11, a reminder of how our countries always work together in defeating terror and trying to make our world a safer place.



As you say, we worked very closely together on Libya, and I think we’re getting to a good conclusion there, with a real chance of freedom and democracy for those people. We’re working closely together on Afghanistan; also the Middle East peace process, where we're desperate to get that moving again. And I’m looking forward to discussions on the world economy, which we will follow up in Cannes at the G20, where we’ve got to get the world economy moving.



So these are very important times. I think the relationship is as strong as it’s ever been, and it’s been a pleasure working with you these last 16 months.



PRESIDENT OBAMA: Excellent. Thank you very much, everybody.



Q Can you give us your reaction to the hikers being released?



PRESIDENT OBAMA: We are thrilled that the hikers were released, and we are thrilled for the families. It was the right thing to do. They shouldn’t have been held in the first place, but we’re glad they’re now home.



END 3:58 P.M. EDT

Monday 19 September 2011

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Tarehe 10 ya mwezi Septemba, siku moja tu kabla ya Kumbukumbu ya Septemba 11, siku ambayo dunia nzima inakumbuka maadhimisho ya miaka 10 ya Septemba 11, Zanzibar ilipata Maafa ya kihistoria.

Jina langu ni SABRY, muathirika wa maafa ya kusikitisha ya MV Spice katika visiwa vya Zanzibar ambayo siku ya tarehe 9 Ijumaa ambapo meli hii, kwa kweli si meli ni Ferry tu ambayo imesajiliwa kubeba mizigo kutoka Zanzibar tu kwa sababu ya Usajili wake wa kazi katika Dare salaam, Tanzania ilikuwa imezuliwa na SUMATRA, Mamlaka ambayo inasimamia Usafiri wa Nchi Kavu na baharini Tanzania Bara kwa Sababu ya Hali Yake ya Usalam ana Kiufundi.

Nini kilichotokea. . . .?
"Baada ya kuadhimisha kumalizika kwa Mwezi wa Ramadhani, Nilikuwa na ndoto mbaya juu ya familia yangu, na kwa sababu mke Wangu alipanga kusafiri, nilikuwa na wasiwasi sana kuhusu safari hii." Alisema Sabry.

Ni Utamaduni hapa Zanzibar kwamba, wakati familia inafunga ndoa ni lazima wanafamilia wote wa Familia wahudhurie na kutoa baraka kwa Bwana Harusi na bibi Harusi na kuwaaga. Kwa sababu ya mila hii nilitoa ruhusa kwa mke wangu kuhudhuria sherehe huko Matuuni Pemba, Kisiwa Cha Pili cha Zanzibar akiwa na Wifi Yake, Amina Mmanga na mtoto wake Mariam.

Nilifanya Maandalizi yote kwa ajili ya safari hii ikiwa ni pamoja na kuandamana naye mpaka Bandarini lakini sikuweza kupata fursa ya kumpeleka hadi ndani kwa sababu hali ilikuwa mbaya kwani eneo la bandari kulikua na wasafiri wapatao 3,000 ambao wote wanataka kupanda ndani ya Meli hio. Nilimkabidhi mke wangu kwa Kaka yake ili amsaidie apande Ndani ya Boti, Sikujua kumbe Niliyakabidhi Maisha yake kwa Mungu.

Safari Iipoaanza . . . .
Meli ilianza Safari yake kutoka Dare salaam, siku ya Ijumaa tarehe 9 Lakini Ripoti zisizothibitishwa zinasema kuwa, meli ilikuwa imebeba mizigo na abiria zaidi ya uwezo wake na hii iliwafanya SUMATRA kuingilia kati na kuidhuia meli mpaka baadhi ya Mizigo iliposhushwa. Mabaharia Walishusha baadhi ya mizigo hadi SUMATRA waalipokubaliana na Hali hio na Kuruhusu Meli kuondoka.

MV Spice iliwasili Kisiwani Zanzibar siku hio hio jioni na abiria wapatao 300 (watoto wachanga na Wanaoingia bila ya Tiketi hawajahesabiwa) na ukadiriaji wa Abiria zaidi ya 100 ambawo hawakuwa katika Orodha ya meli. Moja ya tatu tu ya wasafiri kutoka Dare salaam walimaliza safari yao katika Bandari ya Zanzibar na inakadiriwa watu kati ya 200-250 walibaki ndani na Meli kwa Safari inayofuatiya, Safari ya Pemba.

Safari ya Pemba Ikaanza.
MV Spice ilikuwa tayari na Wasafiri 350 na mizigo ambayo ni pamoja na chuma, Ngano, Mchele, Saruji na magari, inakadiriwa Mzigo tu ulikua Tani 500!.

Usalama wala Meli mara nyingi unaweza kuathiriwa na hali ya hewa mbaya , Bahari Chafu, Kugongana na Chombo chengine au miamba. Aidha, kanuni za Bahari zinataka Nahodha na Baharia kulinda usalama wa Abiria wao ikiwemo kufuata kanuni zote za usafiri wa Baharini kama Kujaza kwa Idadi na Kuwa na Makoti ya Kuogelea kutokana na Namba ya abiria waliochukua ama zaidi.

Katika Mamlaka ya Bandari Zanzibar Meli iliruhusiwa kubeba watu 610 ambao walikua Wasafiri Wapya kwa mujibu wa Orodha ya meli ikiwa ni pamoja na watoto zaidi ya 400 ambawo hawakuonyeshwa katika Orodha ya Meli sababu waliruhusiwa kupanda meli bila tiketi. Tunasema zaidi ya watoto 400 kwa sababu ni Mila na Silka hapa Zanzibar kwa watoto kusafiri na kwenda kula Sikukuu ya Eid na Familia zao maana Shule pia huwa zimefungwa kwa Kipindi kirefu. Pia kuna idadi ya Abiria wengi ambao hawakukata Tiketi walipigwa Mihuri Mikononi na Idadi yao haijulikani.

Hivyo jumla ya idadi ya wasafiri waliopanda Boti hii Inakadiriwa kuwa kati ya 1500 – 2500.

Wakati wa kuondoka Bandarini Zanzibar kuna baadhi ya Abiria wametoa Ushuhuda kua walipoona Meli imejaa sana walishuka na Jamaa zao lakini Mabaharia walipoona hivyo kwa tamaa ya Biashara waliwazuia wasitoke wengine wanasema waliwazuia wasitoke maana ingeanzisha vurugu na Meli ilikua imeshaanza kuyumba wakati bado ipo Bandarini! .Pia walipoanza kuiondoa Meli ilianza kuyumba na wakaamua kuirudisha tena Bandarini na Kuitazama Tatizo Kisha walipoona haiyumbi tena, Haoooo wakaanza Safari ya Pemba.Kawaida inachukua masaa Nane Mpaka Kumi Kufika Pemba.Kuna Ripoti zisizothibitishwa kua hata Mmiliki wa Meli aliaambiwa kuhusu hatari kama Nahodha angeondoa Meli, ila baada ya kushauriana na Wenzako Wakasema, "Haya Ombeni Mungu" na Safari ikaanza,Kilisema Chanzo hiki cha Habari.

Haya, Na Safari ya Pemba Ikaanza . . . . . .

"Ilikuwa karibu na usiku wa manane wakati nilipopokea simu kutoka kwa Shemegi Yangu, Dada wa Mke wangu Akisema,Sabri Jikaze Kaka angu, kuna taarifa ambazo hazijathibitishwa kwamba MV Spice Islander inazama! Hamadi ! Nilishtuka sana na Taarifa hizi na kutokana na Hali ya Wasiwasi niliyokua nayo kabla mke wangu hajasafiri niliziamini Taarifa hizi na Kuanza Kumuombea Mke wangu "! Alisema Sabry

Sabry akaendelea, Nilikuja Kujua Baadae kuwa Mke wangu alimpigia Simu Dada ake na Kumwambia “ Mpaka sasa Meli inazama na Dada tusameheane, Mwambie Shemegi Yako tusameheane na muniombee dua mi natangulia nawasubiri Akhera . . . . Simu ikakatika dalii za Kuishiwa Chaji.” Alimazia Sabry

Mamlaka za Zanzibar zina Nini la kusemaaaaa ... ..
Mpaka sasa Ripoti za Serikali ya Zanzibar zinasema Abiria waliosajiliwa na meli hio ni 610 Lakini cha Kujiuliza, Ni hao hao waliotangaza watu waliookolewa ni 619 na Maiti zilizopatikana ni 202, Je, Wanajua Hesabu vizuri hawa!

Baada ya Juhudi binafsi ya Wabunge, Hadi sasa watu wafuatao hawajulikani Walipo, Kojani (108) Ole (157) Micheweni (88) Magogoni (184) Wete (149) Gando (418) Mtambwe (214) na Konde (96)Jumla watu ambao inaaminika waliku katika meli hii na hawajapatikana ni 1,596,Sasa tukijumlisha na Maiti (202) na waliookolewa (619) Jumla ya watu waliokuemo ni (2,214) Kwenye Meli iliyosajiliwa Kuchukua Mizigo na abiria wachache.

Kwenye mahojiano rasmi na Shirika la Utangazaji la Tanzania (TBC), Muheshimiwa Hamad Masoud (Engineer) Waziri wa Usafiri Zanzibar alisema kuwa, kati ya sababu ya ajali hii ni kwamba Wazanzibari wana mila ya kusafiri kwa makundi na Kifamilia, watoto wengi, na wanaweza kupanda melini hata kama itajaa vipi, Alisisitiza kuwa Serikali ina sehemu yake ya kuhakikisha Ajali kama hii kamwe haitokei tena.

Sasa Mamlaka zitujibu Masuala yafuatayo

1. Mara nyingi Mamlaka za Zanzibar zimeweza Kuzuia Mandamano ya Kupinga Serikali, Wanafunzi au Mikusanyiko ya Dini, Imeshindwaje kuzuia Meli hii isiondoke, Au Walikua washalala?

2. Muda Mfupi uliopiopita kuna Ajali ya meli iliwahi kutokea ya MV Fatihi ambayo kwa Uzembe ilizama Wakati imeshafika Bandarini ikitokea Daresalaam, Japo kuna watu waliwahi Kushuka lakini Baadhi hawakuwahi na kufa Maji.Tume ikaundwa na Jambo Moja ililoligundua ni kwamba Meli zinapakia sana Mizigo na Watu, Mbovu sana na hazina Vifaa vya kutosha wakati wa dharura na Serikali ikawahakikishia wananchi kua Ajali kama hii haitoweza kutokea tena, Baada ya Ajali hii, Je Serikali inasemaje?

3.Kabla Meli haijaanza safari Maafisa wa Bandari, kabla hawajairuhusu meli kuondoka ni wajibu wao kuangalia utabiri wa hali ya hewa; kama kuna Maboya ya kutosha katika kila kiti na sehemu za wazi hasa za Milangoni za Meli , Mstari wa kuonesha Alama ya Kuelea kwa Meli upo katika kipimo Sahihi kuonesha kua hakuna dalili ya uzito ulipotiliza.Je haya yote yalizingwatiwa?

Baadhi ya Ripoti zinasema, Bado Kuna maiti wengi kwenye Melii hii Ambayo imezama Takribani Mita 350 Chini ya Bahari kiasi ya kufanya Mabingwa wa kijeshi wa Kuzamia kutoka Afrika kusini kushindwa kuifikia maana Vyombo vyao vya kisasa vinawawezesha kuzama Mita 50 tu chini ya Bahari.Kama wazungu wameshindwa wataweza Wabongo!

Mengi yanasemwa na yatasemwa kua, Kama hamu yao ilikua ni Kutengeneza TITANIC ya ZANZIBAR, Wamefanikiwa.Na wajiandae kwenda HOLLYWOOD Kuchukua Mshindi wa Filamu za Baharini.

Ushuhuda

"Nilikuwa katika MV Spice Islander na tulipofika Nungwi meli ilipasuka na kuanza kuingiza Maji Upande Mmoja, Mabahari walitunadia kuelekea Upande wa Pili ambao nao ulikati na Maji yakaanza Kuingia.Taharuki ikaanza na Mabaharia Wakatangaza Hali ya Hatari kila mtu ajiokoe,tukatupiwa magodoro Mapya Baharini na wengine wakavaa makoti ya kuogolea na tukapiga Mbizi (Tukajitupa Baharini) "alisema mmoja wa wasafiri

"Niliona idadi ya maiti wengi pwani ya Nungwi" Kilisema Chanzo chengine cha Habari.

“Hakika sote tumeumbwa na Mungu, Na Hakika sote kwake

Wednesday 14 September 2011

Press release
Embargoed until 00.01 Hrs, Tuesday 13 September 2011



Young people need the support of careers services now more than ever - Burnham


Labour call opposition day debate on the Tory-led Government to act now to guarantee face-to-face careers advice for young people

Andy Burnham MP, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, said:

“Young people need the support of careers services now more than ever, because of decisions this Tory-led Government has made to scrap the Education Maintenance Allowance, the Future Jobs Fund and to triple tuition fees.

“Life is already much harder and more competitive for this generation, with many young people having to work for free to get their foot on the ladder. More and more, they need to rely on family connections to arrange opportunities.

“Ministers are hopelessly out of touch and are allowing careers services for young people to be destroyed. These services are vital for young people from less well-off and less well-connected backgrounds.

“This Government is stack ing the odds even more against these young people and risking a lost generation – it’s time they listened to their own advisers and stopped the meltdown of the careers services.

“The future of the country rests on the choices that today’s young people make, and the Government must give them concrete and clear guidance on options for education, training or employment.

“Abandoning Britain's youth to the dole doesn't save money - it wastes their talent and wastes money, making it harder to get the deficit down.”



Ends



Editor's notes:



1. With youth unemployment at record levels, Labour is calling on the Government to act now to guarantee face-to-face careers advice for young people. The text of the motion tabled by Labour is:

That this House believes that the Government should act urgently to guarantee face to face careers advice for all young people in schools.

2. The Government’s mismanagement of this policy has been so severe that their own Advisory Group considered resigning and made their concerns public last month. The Tory-chaired Education Select Committee has criticised their actions and their own Advocate for Access to Education, Simon Hughes, has said that the Government should “act urgently to guarantee face to face careers advice for all young people in schools”.

“The government should act urgently to guarantee face to face ca reers advice for all young people in schools.”

Report to the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister from the Advocate for Access to Education, ‘The Hughes Report’, July 2011:



http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/education-advocate-report.pdf



“We recommend that the all age careers service should be funded by the Department for Education for face to face career guidance for young people.”

Education Select Committee report into Participation by 16-19 year olds in education and training, July 2011:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmeduc/850/850i.pdf

3. Labour supported the proposal for an all-age National Careers Service but instead of delivering on this commitment, the Government has cut £200m from careers service and claims that a web and telephone service is sufficient for young people. Alongside the decision to scrap work-related learning, the meltdown of careers services makes clear that this Government is taking our schools backwards not forwards, and failing to think about what young people need to get on in the modern world.

4. UNISON research has revealed that of 144 local authorities that only 15 will maintain what the researchers termed as a "substantial" universal careers service. They identified 12 councils as making extreme cuts to Connexions services and at least 49 as reducing or removing the universal careers element of the Connexions service. At least 105 councils have reduced staffing levels and 50 hav e closed Connexions centres. Over 4000 advisers have lost their jobs.













General Meeting Invitation
Saturday, September 17, 2011 from 3:00 PM - 5:30 PM
ANC London Interim Branch General Meeting

Please join us for the next general meeting of the ANC London Interim Branch. As we approach the celebration of the birth of our beloved leader Oliver Tambo, we call on all members to attend in order to help us design and implement our new programmes which will take our branch forward into the future.
Please RSVP by emailing your details to info@anclb.org.uk
Address Details:

Covent Garden Dragon Hall Trust
17 Stukeley Street
Newton Street Room
London, London WC2B 5LT

Tuesday 13 September 2011

Press release
Tuesday 13 September 2011

For immediate use



Speech to TUC Conference - Ed Miliband



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Ed Miliband MP, Leader of the Labour Party, speaking to TUC Conference is expected to say:

Friends, 10 years ago, Tony Blair came to the TUC.

But he didn’t deliver the speech he came with.

We all know why.

Indeed some of you were there that day in Brighton.

Trying to comprehend what had happened.

United in shock and sorrow with those who feared for their loved ones.

We said at the time, we would never forget.

And we won’t.

So let us today remember all those who died, including the British citizens and the heroic public service workers, the 343 New York City firefighters.

I am proud to come here today as Labour’s leader.

Proud of the relationship between the trade unions and the Labour Party, based on shared values of equality , fairness and social justice.

But most of all, I’m proud to be here because of who you represent:

The hard working men and women of Britain.

The people who look who look after the sick, who teach our children, and who through their hard work create the wealth of this country.

People like the Sodexo dinner ladies I met in Richmond last year.

They told me of their situation:

No sick pay.

Shift patterns changed without any notice.

Having to buy their own uniforms.

We can all imagine the strain that put on them and their families.

Struggling to make ends meet.

Not knowing when they were going to be called to work.

Losing money if they were ill.

This is the story of too many people in Britain today.

And surely these low-paid women had no chance against one of the most powerful companies in the world?

Wrong.

They got together, they sought the help of a union, Unison, and they campaigned for these basic rights.

And friends, thanks to their determination, things have changed.

They won better pay, sick pay, and recognition for their union.

Let us applaud them for what they have achieved and the example they have shown.

I also think of the Vauxhall car workers I met in Ellesmere Port.

During the recession in 2008, their whole plant and the livelihoods of those workers were under threat.

What did they do?

They sat down with the management.

They worked through the problems.

They made some sacrifices.

And by doing that they saved their jobs.

Let us applaud them too for what they achieved.

These two stories show what trade unions can do for the hard working people they represent.

But you won’t hear about this in most discussions of your work.

Too often the spotlight of publicity falls elsewhere.

But I come to this conference as a Labour leader who be lieves you deserve credit for these stories, the daily work you do.

And what do people say about new democracies around the world?

Even the Tories.

They say the right to join a trade union is vital.

If we say it abroad, we should say it at home too.

These are the reasons why I value the link between the trade union movement and the Labour Party.

It is why I will resist any attempt to break it.

And it explains why I want reforms to the Labour Party to strengthen our movement.

The three million trade union levy payers – working men and women – are a huge asset to our party.

They should never, ever, feel like passive or unwanted members of our movement.

I want them to feel part of it.

Proud of it.

And I want us reaching out to the people who are not members of our party, not even members of the trade unions, to hear their voices too.

That is the way we become a stronger movement.

Of co urse, there are times when you and I will disagree.

You will speak your mind.

And so will I.

But our link is secure enough, mature enough, to deal with disagreement.

Because the relationship between party and unions is not about romance or nostalgia.

It is about respect and shared values.

It is a relationship in which we listen to each other when we disagree.

And we know that what unites us is greater than what divides us.

Ok, by now maybe you’re thinking, hang on, we’ve seen this movie before.

He’s about to get to the bit where he tells us to “modernise or die.”

You’re half right.

I am going to talk about change.

But I’m not just going to talk about how people need to change to suit our economy.

I’m also going to talk about how we change our economy to suit the needs of people.

Because I reject the fatalism and pessimism that can surround the debate about economic change.

Leadership is not simply about telling people to accept change being forced upon them.

It is also about helping people to shape change, and shape their futures.

That is what our movement at its best has always been about.

So today I want to talk about the big choice our country faces over the coming years.

Whether we carry on as we are, or change the way our country works for the hard working men and women you represent.

Let’s face facts.

The British economy isn’t working for millions of people in our country.

Most people’s living standards are squeezed while those at the top see runaway rewards.

In the face of massive competition from countries like China and India, too often the British answer has been to compete on the basis of low pay and low skills.

And too often it leaves workers facing insecure prospects.

My message to you today is not simply about this Government.

Not sim ply about the immediate economic difficulties we face.

It is something more profound.

We have to challenge many of the assumptions on which economic policy has been based for a generation.

If we don’t, we will fail the next generation.

Financial services are important to Britain and will continue to be so.

But unless we broaden our economic base and tackle irresponsibility of the banks we will be exposed to crisis as we were in 2007.

Jobs must be our priority, and we must ensure they are decent jobs at decent wages and opportunities are extended to all our young people.

We need to reward entrepreneurship and wealth creation.

But if we just shrug our shoulders about inequality, as we have too often in the past, it will hurt not just our society but our economy too.

Changing these assumptions presents huge challenges for all of us.

For the next Labour Government.

For business.

And for the trade un ion movement.

I want to talk to you today about how we as a country can build that new economy.

That starts with a plan for growth.

We all know there needs to be a Plan B.

We know what the Tories’ Plan A stands for.

Austerity.

We have had nine months of the British economy flat on its back.

Growth close to zero.

Unemployment up.

1 in 5 young people out of work.

And what does George Osborne say?

Britain is a “safe haven”.

Tell that to the thousands of people who lost their jobs last month.

Tell that to the 16,000 businesses that have gone bust in the last four quarters.

Tell that to the millions of British families struggling to make ends meet.

There is no safe haven for them.

The Tories have forgotten the fundamental lesson:

You cannot simply cut your way out of a deficit.

You need to grow your economy as well.

The Government’s policies are hurting.

But they are not working.

And what is the result?

Tens of billions of extra borrowing over the coming years, above what they had predicted.

The evidence is piling up showing how the Tories are wrong to be cutting too far and too fast.

And how they are failing to share the burden of deficit reduction fairly.

Between those who were responsible for creating the crisis.

And those who were not.

A trebling of student fees.

Rising rail fares.

And higher pension contributions.

In government, we worked with trade unions to reform public sector pensions.

We sat down and we negotiated.

It was difficult but we got an agreement.

That shows the way we should reform pensions in this country.

It’s not about change versus no change.

It’s about what kind of change, and how it’s done.

The Tories have set about reform in completely the wrong way.

Even befor e John Hutton’s report was complete, they announced a 3 per cent surcharge on millions of your members.

It was a typically bad move by a bad government trying to pick a fight.

So I fully understand why millions of decent public sector workers feel angry.

But while negotiations were going on, I do believe it was a mistake for strikes to happen.

I continue to believe that.

But what we need now is meaningful negotiation to prevent further confrontation over the autumn.

Ministers need to show public sector workers – and the people who rely upon those services – that they are serious about finding a way forward.

The Tories claim to be the party of reform.

But their actions risk derailing the vital reform of public sector pensions because many people may now opt out of the system.

That won’t save money.

It will end up costing the taxpayer billions of pounds.

And at the same time as we see millions of hard working families being hit, who is getting a tax cut?

This year they are cutting taxes for the banks.

And now what is George Osborne obsession?

Cutting the 50 pence tax rate.

For the richest 1 per cent of the population.

For people who earn over £150,000 a year.

They have raised VAT.

They have cut tax credits.

And they say that these changes are set in stone, and will not be reversed.

It tells you everything you need to know about this Government that at the same time they are chomping at the bit to cut the 50p tax rate.

And what excuse do they plan to hide behind?

The claim that it doesn’t raise that much money because people avoid paying it.

It is nonsense.

But if that is the best they can do, I’ve got a suggestion:

Mr Osborne, I’ve got a message for you.

If people are avoiding their taxes it’s your job to stop them.

And what do they offer for the other 99 per cent of the population?


Greater insecurity.

Make it easier to sack people.

Reduce protection against unfair dismissal.

This isn’t an accident.

It’s because of their values.

What they believe.

The message is clear.

It’s one rule for those at the top.

Another rule for everyone else.

They say there is no alternative.

But there is.

It is fairer and it makes economic sense.

First, prioritise tax cuts for the hard-working majority, not the super-rich.

Cut VAT now to 17.5 per cent to get the economy moving again.

Second, insist that those who caused the crisis help pay to put it right.

Renew the bankers’ bonus tax and use the money to support enterprise, put the young unemployed back to work, and to build homes.

Third, provide some international leadership.

Because if every country and continent simply focuses on it s own strategy we will never get the growth we need.

And I say to this Government, if you want an export led recovery, you won’t get it from the world engaging in collective austerity.

So these are things Ed Balls and I would be doing to get growth going at home and abroad.

But the challenge we face is even greater.

This is not just another turn of the business cycle.

A successful economic future can only be built on a different set of values.

Hard work.

Long-term commitment.

And responsibility.

A new economy will mean rejecting outdated ideas.

Rejecting the old view that the best government is always less government.

The old view that short term shareholder interests are always in best for Britain’s companies.

And the old view from some on both sides of industry, that employee representation must mean confrontation not cooperation.

A new economy will mean the government, employers, and t he workforce all shouldering new responsibilities.

Government must ensure the rules of the system favour the long term, the patient investment, the responsible business. Because paying our way in the world is going to be tougher than it’s ever been.

The short-term, fast buck, low pay solution.

That won't win when we are competing with China and India.

And it's no good government just walking away.

If we're going to be the very best at the things we are good at - advanced manufacturing, creative industries, business services, pharmaceuticals, renewables - then government has to work in partnership with business.

To understand what technologies and skills we need for the future.

To provide the certainty they need to invest.

To look at what government buys so that innovative companies can grow.

And that includes companies like Bombardier – being sold down the river by this Government.

To make sure good regula tion lets companies win new markets.

And to build in every region and nation the universities, the skills, banking services, and the leadership in cities and regions, that will let companies grow and create jobs.

Sometimes government should get out of the way.

Sometimes the way it regulates does hold back small business.

But sometimes government should lead.

And the financial crisis showed that.

The crisis also has significant implications for the way government will operate in the coming years.

We are not going to be able to spend our way to a new economy.

The deficit caused by the banking crisis is not going to be cured easily.

We need economic growth, and we need people to pay their fair share of taxes.

But if we were in government, we would also be making some cuts in spending.

I sometimes hear it said that Labour opposes every cut.


Some people might wish that was true.

But it’s not.

We committed ourselves to halving the deficit over four years.

That would mean cuts.

Like our plans for a 12 per cent cut in the police budget – not the 20 per cent being implemented by this Government.

Like cuts to the road programme.

And yes, reform of some benefits too.

And there are cuts that the Tories will impose that we will not be able to reverse when we return to government.

And getting the deficit down means rooting out waste too.

We all recognise that not every penny that the last Government spent was spent wisely.

All of us know that there is waste in any government.

In this Government too.

I say stop the waste.

Stop the waste of £100 million on creating another tier of politicians with elected police commissioners.

And stop the waste of billion s of pounds on an NHS reorganisation.

A reorganisation that nobody wants and nobody voted for.

So government has to change if we’re to support the new economy.

But so do our businesses.

In Britain, we should reward productive companies, not predators.

So the way our banks work needs to change.

Not just separating the retail and investment divisions, but greater competition too.

If we can strike off rogue doctors and lawyers, the banking industry must be willing to strike off those bankers who do damage to their customers, their institutions and their country.

And we shouldn’t pretend to be neutral about the way different businesses are run.

Between the way Southern Cross ran its business, and how Rolls Royce chooses to run its.

The new economy must mean more firms who invest long-term and pay their employees fairly.

That is why, back in power, we will ensure that every firm that gets a major contract from government provides apprenticeships.

Good employers recognise the need to foster co-operation between managers and workers.

Others need to do this better.

And, let’s face it, some need to make a start.

Business leaders need to explain how their salaries are related to performance.

Over the last 12 years, chief executive salaries in Britain’s top companies have quadrupled while share prices have remained flat.

In some cases these rewards are deserved.

But in others they are because of the closed circle of people that sit on remuneration committees, handing out pay and bonuses.

Frankly it’s not good enough and it has to change.

Some companies already have workers on the committee that decides top pay.

I say, every company should have an employee on their remuneration committee, so the right pay is set and it is justified.

So for me, the demand for change is from government, employers and trade unions.

For you, the trade unions, the challenge of the new economy is this:

To recognize that Britain needs to raise its game if we are to meet the challenges of the future.

And to get private sector employers in the new economy to recognize that you are relevant to that future.

Unions can offer businesses the prospect of better employee relations.

As you did during the recession.

Of course the right to industrial action will be necessary, as a last resort.

But in truth, strikes are always the consequence of failure.

Failure we cannot afford as a nation.

Instead your real role is as partners in the new economy.

But, as you know better than I, just 15 per cent of the private sector workforce are members of trade unions.

You know that you need to change, if that is to change.
That is why so many unions are making huge efforts to engage with the other 85 per cent.

But you know the biggest ch allenge you face when you try to do this: relevance.

Relevance in how firms grow.

Relevance in how workers get on.

Relevance right across the private sector.

And you know you will never have relevance for many workers in this country if you allow yourselves to be painted as the opponents of change.

No.

In the new economy you can, and must, be the agents of the right kind of change.

You know the new economy that emerges from this crisis must be built on foundations of co-operation, not conflict, in the workplace.

Let me end with this thought.

I know what a tough time many of your members are having at the moment.

Tough times that are also being felt by millions who aren’t your members around this country too.

The economic crisis is casting a long shadow over the hard working families of this country.

The decent men and women, who do the right thing, and who just want their kids and grandkids to hav e better chances than them.

So it feels like quite a dark time.

But the reason I am in politics, the reason I believe in the power of politics, is because these things are not inevitable.

So yes this generation, in one sense, faces a huge set of challenges that come out of the economic crisis.

But in another sense, as we always know, out of crisis comes the chance to think about the kind of economy and society we want to build.

The opportunity to grasp the change we need in this country.

To say, it doesn’t have to be this way.

An opportunity to rewrite the rules.

To build an economy that works for the hardworking majority.

To build a society that restores responsibility from top to bottom.

To build a country that stands up for the next generation, that fulfils the promise of Britain.

And to build the more prosperous, the more just, the more equal, Britain we all want to see.

Ends







Editor's notes:






For more information, please contact the Labour Party press office on 020 7783 1393.



All news releases are issued on a check against delivery basis and any portion of the speech not actually delivered should be regarded as private and confidential.





















Bernard Hogan-Howe has been named as as the new Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service.

Following his appointment he said: "Thank you to the Home Secretary, the Mayor and the Metropolitan Police Authority for the honour of appointing me as the next Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

"I would like to pay tribute to the work done by my predecessor Sir Paul Stephenson and I look forward to building on this in the future.

"I would also like to acknowledge the calibre of the other candidates for this position - in particular Tim Godwin who has done such outstanding work as the Acting Commissioner during some very testing times for the Met.

"It is clear to me that the men and women who work for the Metropolitan Police are dedicated and professional, and work for a service that London can be proud of. "

"It is my intention to build on public trust in the MPS and lead a service that criminals will fear and staff will be proud to work for."






MTOTO MZURI ABUTHEINA KUTOKA TANZANIA ANASEMA ASSALAM ALAIKUM

HAPA AKISEREBUKA 'BESIDEI' YAKE








Remarks at Voices of September 11th Luncheon


Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of StateMarriott Hotel

New York, New York

September 11, 2011


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


SECRETARY CLINTON: I am honored indeed to be here with all of you, and I thank you so much, Mary, and I thank each and every one of you who have been part of what Voices of September 11th has meant to families and also to our nation. I had the privilege this morning of spending about an hour and a half down by the memorial and meeting with and talking to and listening to a lot of the families who were seeing it for the first time.

Like many of them, I had resisted going before it was complete, because I didn’t want to see something still in process; I wanted to see it finished. And like many of them, I had looked at the pictures of the plans and I couldn’t quite envision what it would look like. And I came away this morning so grateful, because the memorial provides a place for people to come to reflect, to remember, to be close to their loved one. And so many this morning said to me that it was an enormous comfort.

I am convinced that many of the actions, the reforms, the changes that we have taken in our country in the last 10 years are due, in large measure, to the Voices of September 11th families. And many of you turned your grief into a commitment on behalf of those you lost and on behalf of the nation that mourned with you.

I know Mary had an idea in her mind that she wanted to be active after losing her 24-year-old son Brad. But as she just confessed, I don’t think she fully grasped what that would mean. People rank what they’re most afraid of, and even today at the top of the list public speaking is the number one fear. And there was Mary and Beverly and others who were stepping forward who had never given a thought to being on a public stage speaking to hundreds, even thousands, of their fellow citizens. But in this case, it was absolutely essential, and I thank you for being willing to do that, Mary. And we all grieve Beverly’s loss, who started this organization with you.

I remember Mary telling me in those early meetings that she wanted to ensure that nobody else had to walk in her shoes. And family members began asking the questions about what happened and why. And when the Voices of September 11th was founded, you carried through with your questions by being the catalyst behind the creation of the 9/11 Commission. It was family members who began poring over the details of skyscraper security, radio interoperability, government reform. And you didn’t take no for an answer, and for that, again, I am grateful.

Some of you had a time when you had to ask yourself why, what, and who, me. Somebody else needs to do this, you perhaps thought. Somebody else needs to take the leadership in trying to get the answers. And you looked around and realized that, really, it had to be you. Those of us who were in public service at the time stood ready to help, but I am convinced that we would not have succeeded without your perseverance and your persistence.

As a senator, I was proud to bring your cause to Congress, to represent victims and families. And the work is not finished. There are still specific tasks coming out even 10 years later. The continuing need for medical care for those who were on the pile – they still need our support. As the members of the 9/11 Commission just made clear recently, many of their recommendations still need to be enacted.

As we commemorate the opening of the memorial, we know that we still have work to do to bring all those who were part of attacking us to justice. But I can tell you it was a particular satisfaction for me, as a former senator of New York, to be in the team in the Obama Administration that made sure bin Ladin was brought to justice. (Applause.)

As I have said and as President Obama has said, we will not rest until all those who were part of planning and facilitating the attacks are similarly brought to justice. We are capturing and killing terrorists. We are disrupting cells and conspiracies. And as the 9/11 Commission asked us to, we are breaking down the bureaucratic silos inside the Executive Branch and working across the whole of government.

We do have to recognize that we are engaged in a long-term struggle to face down and defeat the murderous ideology that continues to incite violence around the world. And while we will never give up our right to use military force as needed, we have to use every tool in our arsenal.

I gave a speech Friday at John Jay College outlining the many efforts that we are undertaking. I can tell you that the State Department and the United States Agency for International Development that are under my authority are working to blunt the drivers of extremism. We are putting a decade’s worth of lessons to work to launch targeted efforts to undermine terrorist recruitment. We are working along with a coalition of other nations to choke off the illicit financing networks that pay for terrorist training camps, the propaganda and the operations. We are building the capacity of other nations to deal with terrorist threats that they face before they challenge the people of those countries or us. We are training thousands of police and anti-terrorism officials across the globe, and we are creating new forums for nations to deepen our counterterrorism cooperation.

Our diplomats are out in the field and in cyberspace exposing al-Qaida’s hypocrisy and brutality, and the enormous toll it has inflicted, above all, on Muslims. Even though the United States, thankfully, has not experienced another attack since 9/11, London has, Madrid has, Mumbai has, Islamabad has, Jakarta, Bali – other places continue to be attacked. And we want to make sure that every person understands that these violent extremists are not representing any religion. They are representing evil and nihilism, and they need to be stopped by all people.

We don’t just want to capture and kill terrorist leaders. We want to make them irrelevant. We want to prevent them from attracting new recruits. We want to end the attraction they have for young people.

Now, we’re making progress, but this weekend’s threats are one more reminder that we still face danger and we have to stay vigilant. We have to keep our eye on what we are fighting against, but we also have to remember what we are fighting for. Because our goal, after all, is not merely to defeat our enemies, but to represent the best of humanity, the values and traditions that are America at our core.

Our struggle against terrorism is rooted in our strengths as a society, and one of those strengths is resilience. Resilience has been a theme of this organization. How does one nurture it? How does one create it where it is absent? Think about what each of you has gone through. Before September 11, 2001, the people in this room would have been strangers to one another. Now, you are a community – not of your choosing, but because of the circumstance of your loss.

But that community has reached out to now 13,000 families. That community has a website which, as Mary just told me, has millions and millions of hits. Because it is, of course, first and foremost, about our particular loss in New York, in Washington, and in Pennsylvania. But resilience is sought after by people far from New York who are wondering what they too can do to survive a tragedy, to channel their grief, to be part of a new community.

I don’t need to tell you what a difficult decade America has had or list for you the challenges we face. But I will say this: America’s strength and leadership in the world is more important today than it has ever been. This country is called to greatness. We are charged to be a force for good. And we must summon that spirit, those feelings we all had after 9/11.

As one man who lost his wife said, “The way I see it, we’re already connected. People don’t see it. A fog that makes you forget we are all connected and knitted together instantly got lifted, and we need to get back to that.” I know we can, because that’s who we are.

I look at all of you and those whom I’ve met and talked with this morning, and I cannot say I even can imagine the long nights – sleepless, tear-filled, sorrowful – that each of you has experienced. But I have also seen the strength and, yes, the resilience. And today, as I met the woman who brought her lawn chair with her so she could sit down in front of her son’s name and tell me for the first time she felt close to him, or the family of a fire chief whom I had the privilege of knowing with now 15 grandchildren clustered around his name taking rubbings, or the child who came up to me and said, “I want to show you where my mother is,” it was for me an important place to be – not because I’m a Secretary of State or I used to be a senator, but because I’m a mom, because I'm an American.

And what you did was so American. I am honored to represent our country all across the world. I don’t know of any other place that has the history and the habits of volunteerism, of coming together, of deciding to go forward, the way we do here in this great country of ours. So let us work together to remind not only our country and the world but ourselves who we are, what we’re capable of, what we can accomplish when we’re at our best, how we face down terror and violence and choose life, choose the future. And let us not stop working together to make that future worthy of the sacrifice of all those whose names appear on the magnificent memorial we saw today.

Thank you all very much. (Applause.)

Monday 12 September 2011


Arik Air accepts international credit cards on www.arikair.com



Arik Air has introduced the option to pay with international credit cards (VISA, MasterCard) for tickets purchased on the website: www.arikair.com



International credit card payment will be available anywhere in the world. The credit card transactions will be processed in the local currencies of US dollars (USD), British Pounds (GBP) or South African Rand (ZAR). When accepting credit card payments, Arik Air will take advantage of the additional security measures such as Verified by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode systems as well as an advanced fraud prevention system made available by the Payment Service Provider. This will ensure the transactions are safe for Arik Air and Arik’s online customers.



Kevin Steele, Senior VP Commercial Arik Air, commented on the introduction of the new payment system:

“The introduction of the credit card option will now make payment easier for our customers as well as expedite bookings without having to go to a sales office, travel agent or airport ticketing office as has been the practice up until now. The whole process is simpler and more convenient to the passenger and we have taken every step to ensure that it is a secure system.

“Whilst this is a major step for Arik as well as our regular customers, we are still working on a solution to implement a local Nigerian Naira credit card payment solution. We will hopefully be able to offer this service to all passengers very soon.”



ENDS










Swalat Ghaib kwa ajili ya maafa yalio tokea zanzibar ilio fanyika msikiti wa Manor Park London

Sunday 11 September 2011




































BEN TELEVISION
25 ASHLEY ROAD
TOTTENHAM
LONDON, N17 9LJ
09/Sept/2011



RE: PRESS RELEASE

RE: BEN TV DIPLOMATIC AWARDS 2011
This to announce that The Tanzania , Uganda and Kenya High commissions in London have been nominated to receive awards in the following categories:


• Diaspora growth, development and involvement

• Good customer service at the High commission/embassy

• Positive projection of country’s image abroad

• Economic and Cultural diplomacy

• Country’s Human Development


Other categories to be awarded are:
Diplomat of the year from Africa, Caribbean and Pacific 2011
Diplomat of the Year from the Americas
Deputy Head of mission of the year
Distinguished contribution to diplomacy

The night will recognise and celebrate the diplomatic achievements made within the African, Caribbean and Pacific regions on the 4th November 2011 at the Hilton park lane Hotel

Which category do you think fits your High commission? Please send your entries, comments and nominations to swahilidiaries@yahoo.co.uk, or newdealafrica@yahoo.co.uk


The BEN TV DIPLOMATIC AWARDS will be adding glamour to Africa’s Golden Jubilee celebrations with:

* Top Nollywood stars & the best of African film stars
* UK celebrities and crème de la crème
* Diplomats and professionals


For further information: email swahilidiaries@yahoo.co.uk,newdealafrica.co.uk

Signed.
Ayoub mzee
Public/current Affairs Desk
BEN TV SKY 184
TEL + 44 7960811614/+442088088800

Notes
Africa is truly a great nation with great people. We celebrate Africa at 52. We celebrate you and other great people like you as an inspiration to the next generation of leaders.

BEN TV is a Black and ethnic oriented ,urban , diverse and cosmopolitan Family channel ,established to provide a whole some mix of entertainment ,educative and informational programmes suitable for family viewing .It also includes a range of cultured programming to empower ,transform and challenge the conventional perception of Africa, Caribbean and African Diaspora

Saturday 10 September 2011

This is the M1 north bound , has any one been on this road recently ? as you approach miltonkeynes man , its a night mare




Just waiting for a movement on the M1




This is terrible accident that i stumpled on on the sides of the A406 as one approaches the junction that goes to wood ford. For what ever reasons , there is always an accident around this area .Is it a black spot?















The London Para olympic trials at Traflager square with the support of the english premier league palyers.fOR 12 DAYS IN THE SUMMER OF 2012 THE EYES OF THE WORLD WILL BE FOCUSED on the Paralympics Games in London
























The BBC was ther to carry the event LIVE