Press release Sunday 31st March 2013 Burnham: Labour will repeal Cameron's NHS market - Hundreds of new NHS bodies have not been properly established, leaving NHS at "maximum risk" according to NHS chief. - From Monday, NHS open to full-blown commercialisation - Doctors required to put all contracts out to tender and hospitals able to earn up to 49% of income treating private patients - Doctors not empowered or engaged by changes -New figures from Labour reveal a third of laid-off managers, 2200, have been re-employed in the new structure. Labour today warns that the NHS has been placed on a "fast-track to fragmentation and privatisation". David Cameron's NHS re-organisation comes into force on Monday, after a long and bruising battle with NHS staff and patients. However, a new survey by Labour on the Government's re-organisation of the NHS reveals that there is already evidence of increased privatisation, conflicts of interest and a growing postcode lottery. GP commissioners are being forced to open up all contracts to 'Any Qualified Provider' and already 396 community services across England have been privatised. Labour's NHS Check report reveals that the NHS has spent £3.45 billion on the re-organisation. Over £1 billion has been spent on redundancy payments and new figures from Labour reveal a third of laid-off managers, 2200, have been re-employed in the new structure. In addition, hundreds of the new NHS bodies have missed the 1 April 2013 deadline for authorisation. David Nicholson, the Chief Executive of NHS England, has conceded that the NHS is now at "maximum risk". On Monday, Labour will commit to repeal David Cameron's Health and Social Care Act and the market system it foists on the NHS. Labour would maintain the NHS bodies created by the Act to prevent the upheaval of another re-organisation. But it makes a clear commitment to restore the legal framework of a universal, collaborative health service. Andy Burnham MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, launching Labour’s NHS Check report on the dangerous flaws in the re-organisation, said: "David Cameron has placed the National Health Service on a fast-track to fragmentation and privatisation. "He has siphoned over £3 billion out of the front-line and blown it on a back-office re-organisation that no-one wanted and for which nobody voted. "The British public have never given him permission to put the NHS up for sale. "Thousands of managers have received six-figure pay-offs while thousands of nurses have been given their P45s. Nothing more clearly illustrates a Government with its priorities wrong. "Far from letting ‘doctors decide’, Ministers are forcing the medical profession to open up all NHS services to the market. Hundreds of new private companies now risk fragmenting patient care when more integration is needed. “With today’s changes, David Cameron has put profits before patients in the NHS. Doctors will not be in control, but required to offer up the NHS to the lowest bidder. That’s why Labour will repeal the Government’s free market and put the right values back at the heart of the NHS.” Ends Press release Sunday 31st March 2013 ***EMBARGOED UNTIL 0001 Hrs, Monday 01 April 2013*** 96,041 into 3,688 won’t go – councils unprepared for impact of David Cameron’s Bedroom Tax Councils will be unable to help 19 out of 20 families hit by the Bedroom Tax, new figures have revealed. Labour Party FoI requests to 37 local authorities show 96,041 families will be hit by the Bedroom Tax which comes into force today. But the figures show there are only 3,688 one and two-bedroom council properties available for families who wanted to move to avoid the tax. The Bedroom Tax means that tenants in social housing will have their Housing Benefit reduced by 14 per cent if they have one spare bedroom, and 25 per cent if they have two or more spare bedrooms. But this new information proves that there are not enough smaller properties for affected families to move to, even if they are willing to do so. For the 37 councils that provided full data, 96,041 families are expected to be affected by the Bedroom Tax, but just 3,688 one- and two-bedroom properties are available – just 3.8 per cent of the homes required to rehouse the families who are hit Another 26 councils who responded to the FOI request said that they expected a total of 45,669 families to be affected, but were unable to say how many smaller properties were available in their area. Local authorities from all over the country, and in both urban and rural areas, are badly affected. For example: In Birmingham, 13,557 households are affected by the Bedroom tax, but just 368 one- and two-bedroom properties are currently unoccupied In South Lanarkshire, 5,461 households are affected, but just 245 one- and two-bedroom properties are currently unoccupied In Doncaster, 3,853 households are affected, but just 92 one- and two-bedroom properties are currently unoccupied In Cardiff, 3,951 households are affected, but just 115 one- and two-bedroom properties are currently unoccupied In Wandsworth, 2,005 households are affected, but just 10 one- and two-bedroom properties are currently unoccupied In Wiltshire, there are no unoccupied one-and two-bedroom properties at all, for 2,953 affected households Liam Byrne MP, Labour’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, said: “These shocking new figures reveal the big lie behind this Government's cruel bedroom tax. They say it’s not a tax but 96 per cent of people hit by the tax have nowhere to move to. “In the same week that millionaires get a huge tax cut, hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people will be hit by a vicious tax they can't escape. “This wicked bedroom tax is going to rip neighbour from neighbour, force vulnerable people to food banks and loan sharks, and end up costing Britain more than it saves as tenants are forced to go homeless or move into the expensive private rented sector. It is the worst possible blend of cruelty and incompetence. The Government must think again and drop this tax now.”</ p> Local Authority Number of households affected by the Bedroom Tax Number of unoccupied one- and two-bedroom council properties available Argyll and Bute 826 unknown Barnsley 3664 125 Bedford 1250 unknown Birmingham 13557 368 Bromley 1950 unknown Calderdale 1503 unknown Cardiff 3951 115 Central Bedfordshire 1548 31 Cheltenham 769 33 Comhairle nan Eilean Siar 300 unknown Cornwall 3328 65 Denbighshire 365 9 Doncaster 3853 92 Dudley 4005 363 East Ayrshire 3100 189 Falkirk 3057 174 Fife 526 70 Flintshire 1152 unknown Gloucestershire 540 3 Hartlepool 1666 unknown Havering 630 75 Herefordshire 1278 unknown Highland 2000 164 Hillingdon 1300 70 Hull* 4700 73 Kensington and Chelsea 1103 unknown Kirklees 3200 257 Medway 1551 18 Milton Keynes 2104 101 Monmouthshire 636 unknown Newham 2132 94 North Ayrshire 2645 30 North East Licolnshire 1800 55 Perth and Kinross 759 79 Plymouth 2357 unknown Portsmouth 1550 60 Reading 1009 unknown Refrewshire 2762 unknown Rochdale 2477 unknown Rochdale 2477 unknown Salford 1714 81 Sandwell 5600 206 Scottish Border 1120 unknown Sefton 3649 18 Shetland 175 15 South Lanarkshire 5461 245 South Tyneside 2961 124 Southampton 2064 110 Stirling 879 21 Stockton 2625 unknown Stroud 454 18 Sunderland 5234 unknown Telford and Wrekin 2611 unknown Thurrock 1492 127 Torbay 685 unknown Torfaen 1500 unknown Walsall 4338 unknown Wandsworth 2005 10 West Berks 772 unknown West Lothian 2400 unknown Westminster 1255 unknown Wiltshire 2953 0 Windsor and Maidenhead 383 unknown Total 141,710 3,688 Total (for those providing full data) 96,041 3,688 * Hull’s information provided by Hull City Council in a letter to Diana Johnson MP – not as a response to Labour’s FOI request Ends

	Join Us on Facebook | Add Friends | Join Us DOM Benedictine Bottle with a German-French War History

World Security Network reporting from Paris in France, March 29, 2013

Dear Friends of the World Security Network, As a gesture of French-German Friendship and 60 years of the Elysee Treaty, Dr. Hubertus Hoffmann, Founder of the World Security Network Foundation, presented Admiral ret Pierre Lacoste, former Director of the French Foreign Intelligence, in Paris a bottle of DOM Benedictine with a history. Admiral ret Pierre Lacoste (right) with Dr. Hubertus Hoffmann celebrating the Franco-German friendship in Paris, France. His father conquered the Chateau Benedictine in Normandy in 1940 as an officer of a heavy artillery unit of the Wehrmacht. Impressed by the DOM Benedictine, the soldiers unloaded two trucks full of ammunition and loaded many boxes of this 43% alcohol sweet herb spirit instead. These trucks made it several thousand kilometers to cold Russia and back again. Whenever Captain Georg-Günther Hoffmann was celebrating the birth of a child, a marriage of an officer or paid the last respect for fallen companions, the codeword "Kommandeurs-Reserve" (commanders reserve) was used and a bottle opened. "Now you know why the Wehrmacht lost WW II - not enough ammunition and a secret French weapon in use...Let's remember and drink a toast to our long-term friendship in NATO and the EU, finally becoming friends after hundreds of years of hate and fighting each other," Dr. Hoffmann told the French admiral.

Ayoub  mzee wih Her Excellency Tumusiime Rhoda Peace is the Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture at the African Union. Prior to assuming this portfolio, H.E Tumusiime held various senior positions in the Government of the Republic of Uganda, including Commissioner for Agriculture Planning and Commissioner for Women and Development. She is a holder a Bachelors’ Degree in Agricultural Economics,  a Masters Degree in Economics, Planning and Managing Rural Development, and a Diploma in Women and Development.

 Chama  Cha Mapinduz i- London – Uingereza  kinaridhia Salaam za CCM-Makao Makuu kuungana na Watanzania wote kuwatakia kila la kheri na fanaka katika kusherehekea Sikuu Kuu ya PASAKA 2013.

Aidha CCM UK  inayo imani kubwa kuwa Sherehe hii ya Pasaka itakuwa kigezo cha kuwakaribisha Watanzania wa Imani zote kujitazama kwa wongufu na kuridhia misingi mikuu ya Uhuru na Umoja wa Taifa letu.

CCM UK inaungana na Watanzania wote kukememea dhidi ya vichocheo vya aina zote zinazohatarisha usalama wa raia na mali zao, uhuru wao wa kuabudu na kusujudu ndani na nje ya mipaka ya Tanzania.

Kwa kuwa Dhamira kuu ya Pasaka ni kujenga Umoja na Uhuru, CCM UK inawatakia kila la kheri.

MUNGU IBARIKI TANZANIA.

Imetolewa na Idara ya Siasa na Uenezi.

CCM – UNITED KINGDOM.

AFRICAN UNION		UNION AFRICAINE
		UNIÃO AFRICANA
Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA       P. O. Box 3243      Telephone:    517 700      Fax:   513036

MESSAGE OF CONGRATULATIONS BY H.E ERASTUS MWENCHA, DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION TO PRESIDENT ELECT H.E UHURU KENYATTA.

It is with great humility that I hereby extend warm hearted congratulations on your election as the fourth President of the Republic of Kenya.  I also wish to congratulate my fellow compatriots for the peaceful elections and for turning up in large numbers to exercise their constitutional right.   May I pay tribute to both your victory statement and message to all Kenyans after the Supreme Court ruling clearly demonstrating your magnanimity in reaching out to your competitors and  giving assurance that your government will serve all. Kenya has done proud to Africa as a beacon of hope and through this peaceful transition and by  showing majority in democracy.  The challenge ahead is now to push on the frontiers of development to achieve sustainable development and prosperity. May the Almighy God grant you wisdom, courage and good health as you preside over the affairs of our beloved country.

Your Excellency Mr President elect, please be assured of my highest consideration and esteem.

Erastus Mwencha

Deputy Chairperson

African Union Commission.

Rwanda's first female pilot takes to the skies at 24

Photograph: Sean Jones for the Guardian

Rwanda's first female pilot, Esther Mbabazi, 24, said 'being a pilot really was my childhood dream'.

By Jenny Clover in Kigali

Esther Mbabazi trained to fly Rwandair regional jets despite her father being killed in a plane crash when she was eight
Esther Mbabazi was eight years old when her father was killed in a crash as the plane he was flying in overshot the runway landing in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
So when, a few years later she announced her intention to train as a pilot, the plan was not well received by some of her family. But at the age of 24, Mbabazi has made history as the first female Rwandan pilot – although as a woman she says she doesn't make flight announcements because it scares the passengers.
"Some people questioned why I wanted to do it, they thought I wanted to be a pilot to find out what happened to my dad, but that didn't have anything to do with it," Mbabazi said.
"Being a pilot really was my childhood dream, I don't think anything was going to stop it. It started when I travelled with my family and we would get the free things for kids, like the backpacks. I really liked that and I just liked to travel. The whole intrigue of this big bird in the sky, I was amazed. That and the free backpacks planted the seed."
Mbabazi, who is fluent in five languages, trained at the Soroti flight school in Uganda before being sponsored to continue her training in Florida by national carrier Rwandair. She now flies the company's CRJ-900 regional jets across Africa.
The death of her father has influenced the way she flies. "It has moulded my character as a pilot, and I think what happened to my dad makes me a little more safe. It could have stopped me, but an accident is an accident. If someone is knocked over in a car you don't stop driving. As a pastor's child I know that you have to let stuff go."
One person who never questioned Mbabazi's plans was her mother, Ruth. A strong farmer and businesswoman, she wasn't fazed to see her daughter take to the air after what the death of her husband, who was a Pentecostal pastor before his death.
"I didn't get any resistance from my mum," Mbabazi said. "In her time she was the only girl in her electricity class, so she doesn't have any issues with what I do. She has five children and whether we want to do fashion or aviation, as long as we're doing something we're interested in, she's happy."

Ethiopian Airlines is pleased to announce that it will commence three weekly flights to Blantyre, Malawi and Ndola, Zambia effective March 31, 2013.

Blantyre, Malawi		Ndola, Zambia
Blantyre is the commercial and industrial capital of Malawi. It will be Ethiopian 44th destination in Africa and the second in Malawi next to Lilongwe. "Ethiopian, as a flagship carrier of Africa, is pleased to add Blantyre to its wide route network and to offer passengers to and from the city the best possible connectivity through its Addis Ababa hub," said Tewolde Gebremariam, CEO of Ethiopian. Passengers to and from Blantyre will now enjoy smooth and hassle free connections to destinations in Ethiopian route network such as London, Hong Kong, Dubai, Washington D.C and Toronto.		Ndola, the third largest city in Zambia, is the industrial and commercial center in the copper belt province of the country. Ndola will be Ethiopian 45th African and the 72nd international destination. It will also be its second destination in Zambia next to Lusaka. "We are proud to add Ndola to Ethiopian wide route network.  It is a continuation of our efforts to achieve the goal of connecting Africa to the world, by adding multiple points in Africa and serving the air connectivity needs of the continent," said Tewolde Gebremariam, CEO of Ethiopian. With the new service, passengers to and from Ndola will find convenient and hassle free connection to destinations in Ethiopian wide route network such as Mumbai, Dubai, London, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Cairo and Peking.

Reconciliation between Israel and Turkey

Press Statement

John Kerry
Secretary of State

Washington, DC

---

The reconciliation between Israel and Turkey is a very important development that will help advance the cause of peace and stability in the region. Prime Minister Netanyahu and Prime Minister Erdogan deserve great credit for showing the leadership necessary to make this possible.

As I discussed with Prime Minister Netanyahu this evening, this will help Israel meet the many challenges it faces in the region. We look forward to an expeditious implementation of the agreement and the full normalization of relations so Israel and Turkey can work together to advance their common interests.ãã

C.African Republic capital falls to rebels, Bozize flees

Bozize (above) had crossed the Oubangi river into Congo on Sunday morning.

newvision

BANGUI - Rebels in Central African Republic seized control of the country's riverside capital Bangui on Sunday, forcing President Francois Bozize to flee into neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, government officials said.

At least six South African soldiers were killed in clashes with the rebels, a Reuters witness said. A United Nations source said the force, in the country to train the army along with hundreds of regional peacekeepers, was preparing to leave.

The Seleka rebel coalition resumed hostilities this week in the mineral-rich former French colony, vowing to oust Bozize, whom it accused of breaking a January peace agreement to integrate its fighters into the army.

The landlocked country, racked by rural rebellions for more than a decade, has extensive and unprotected borders and the rebel advance added to instability in the heart of Africa.

As the loose coalition of rebels - some of them former rivals - tightened their grip on Bangui, it was unclear who would replace Bozize or whether the power-sharing government of Prime Minister Nicolas Tiangaye would remain in place.

"The rebels control the town," said presidency spokesman Gaston Mackouzangba. "I hope there will not be any reprisals."

Government spokesman Crepin Mboli-Goumba said the Seleka rebels controlled all the strategic locations in the city.

A presidential advisor, who asked not to be named, said Bozize had crossed the Oubangi river into Congo on Sunday morning as rebel forces headed for the presidential palace. Bozize had seized power in a 2003 military coup.

A United Nations official in Congo said Kinshasa's government asked the U.N. refugee agency to help move 25 members of Bozize's family out of the border town of Zongo on Sunday.

Congo's Information Minister Lambert Mende told Reuters President Bozize was not among the family members who arrived in Zongo and said his arrival in the country had not been announced to Congolese authorities.

"The palace has just fallen. We have the palace," Eric Massi, a Seleka spokesman, told Reuters by telephone from Paris.

SOUTH AFRICANS ATTACKED

The rebels fought their way to the northern suburbs of the riverside capital late on Saturday before an overnight lull in the fighting. But residents said heavy weapons fire erupted across Bangui around 8 AM (0700 GMT).

Massi said the rebels had broken through a line of South African soldiers during their push into the city.

Around 400 South African troops are currently in the country. "I saw the bodies of six South African soldiers. They had all been shot. Their vehicles were also destroyed. Other South African soldiers came to recover the bodies," a Reuters witness said.

Regional peacekeeping sources said the South Africans had fought alongside the Central African Republic's army on Saturday.

"I cannot confirm that we were fighting alongside (the CAR army) but we fell under attack and we defended ourselves and we repulsed the attackers," South African army spokesman Brigadier-General Xolani Mabanga told private South African news channel eENCA.

Reached by Reuters, he said he could give no further details of the incident, saying it was an "operational matter."

A source with the United Nations in Bangui said South African troops were preparing to leave the country.

"They took substantial losses and have asked for French support to load their troops and take off," said the source, adding she had heard anywhere between two and 12 South African soldiers had been killed.

France, which already has some 250 soldiers stationed in the Central African Republic, sent in another company of 150 troops to secure Bangui's international airport, a diplomatic source said on Saturday.

Seleka, a loose umbrella group of insurgents, fought its way to the gates of the capital late last year after accusing Bozize of failing to honour an earlier peace deal to give its fighters cash and jobs in exchange for laying down their arms.

The Seleka rebels received several key ministerial portfolios under a power-sharing agreement specified by January's peace deal, and one of their leaders was named deputy prime minister in charge of national defence.

However, rebels and opposition figures accused Bozize at the time of tampering with the agreed deal to secure important ministerial posts for his loyalists.

The violence is the latest in a series of rebel incursions, clashes and coups that have plagued the nation since its independence from France in 1960.
Reuters
 

Taswira za Awali Kutoka Wizara ya Mambo ya Nje na Ushirikiano wa Kimataifa:Rais Xi Jinping wa China awasili nchini kwa ziara ya siku mbili apokewa na Rais Jakaya Kikwete

 Rais wa China, Mhe. Xi Jinping na mke wake wakiteremka kwenye ndege mara baada ya kuwasili kwenye Uwanja wa Ndege wa Kimataifa wa Julius Nyerere Jijini Dar es Salaam kwa Ziara ya Kitaifa ya siku mbili hapa nchini.

 Mhe. Rais Xi Jinping na Mhe. Rais Kikwete wakiwa katika Jukwaa Maalum wakati nyimbo za mataifa yao zilipokuwa zikipigwa sambamba na mizinga 21 kwa heshima ya Mhe. Rais Xi Jinping.

 Mhe. Rais Xi Jinping akikagua Gwaride Maalum lililoandaliwa kwa heshima yake.

 Mhe. Rais  Xi Jinping na mwenyeji wake Mhe. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, Rais wa Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania wakiwasalimia baadhi ya kina mama wa Dar es Salaam waliofika Uwanjani hapo kwa ajili ya mapokezi.

 Mhe. Rais Xi Jinping na mwenyeji wake Mhe. Rais Kikwete kwa pamoja na wake zao wakifurahia burudan iliyokuwa ikitolewa  na moja ya viku ndi vya burudani vilivyokuwa uwanjani hapo mara baada ya Rais Xi Jinping kuwasili nchini.

Mhe. Rais Xi Jinping na Mhe. Rais Kikwete wakiondoka uwanjani hapo mara baada ya mapokezi.Picha Zote na Wizara ya Mambo ya Nje na Ushirikiano wa Kimataifa

Yvette Cooper: This highly critical report shows that practical failings in the immigration system are getting worse Commenting on the Home Affairs Select Committee Report, The Work of the UK Border Agency (July-September 2012), Yvette Cooper MP Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary said:

“This highly critical report shows that practical failings in the immigration system are getting worse. Instead of increasing the rhetoric on immigration David Cameron and Theresa May need to deal with these serious failings on illegal immigration, enforcement and effectiveness.

"As we have said for some time, Britain does not need an arms race on immigration rhetoric, it needs practical measures to make sure the system works and immigration is properly managed and controlled.

“The list of failures under Theresa May identified in this report is extensive and too serious to ignore.

"The Home Secretary wrote off nearly 100,000 asylum seeker applications last year without proper checks.

"Fewer foreign criminals are being deported and more are being released into the community instead. In addition since the election there has been a 50 per cent drop in the number of people refused entry, fewer illegal migrants have been deported, more people have absconded at the border, fewer have been caught, and the number of businesses fined for employing illegal workers has gone down.

"Delays in dealing with asylum cases are getting worse - leaving recognised refugees in limbo and making it harder to send failed cases home.

"And at the same time visa delays for legitimate migrants who bring money into the economy are getting worse - only 20% of 'entrepreneur applications' and 14% of student postal applications are being dealt with on time.

“The Home Secretary is ignoring illegal immigration and visa delays because they don't count towards her net migration target. And problems for UKBA are likely to increase as last week’s Budget made clear an extra £200m is being taken out of UKBA on top of the £700m cut already delivered.

"These practical failings undermine effectiveness and public confidence in the entire system. Instead of rhetoric, it is important Ministers get the basics right especially tackling illegal immigration, improving effectiveness and enforcement so the system properly works"

 
Yvette Cooper: This highly critical report shows that practical failings in the immigration system are getting worse Commenting on the Home Affairs Select Committee Report, The Work of the UK Border Agency (July-September 2012), Yvette Cooper MP Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary said:

“This highly critical report shows that practical failings in the immigration system are getting worse. Instead of increasing the rhetoric on immigration David Cameron and Theresa May need to deal with these serious failings on illegal immigration, enforcement and effectiveness.

"As we have said for some time, Britain does not need an arms race on immigration rhetoric, it needs practical measures to make sure the system works and immigration is properly managed and controlled.

“The list of failures under Theresa May identified in this report is extensive and too serious to ignore.

"The Home Secretary wrote off nearly 100,000 asylum seeker applications last year without proper checks.

"Fewer foreign criminals are being deported and more are being released into the community instead. In addition since the election there has been a 50 per cent drop in the number of people refused entry, fewer illegal migrants have been deported, more people have absconded at the border, fewer have been caught, and the number of businesses fined for employing illegal workers has gone down.

"Delays in dealing with asylum cases are getting worse - leaving recognised refugees in limbo and making it harder to send failed cases home.

"And at the same time visa delays for legitimate migrants who bring money into the economy are getting worse - only 20% of 'entrepreneur applications' and 14% of student postal applications are being dealt with on time.

“The Home Secretary is ignoring illegal immigration and visa delays because they don't count towards her net migration target. And problems for UKBA are likely to increase as last week’s Budget made clear an extra £200m is being taken out of UKBA on top of the £700m cut already delivered.

"These practical failings undermine effectiveness and public confidence in the entire system. Instead of rhetoric, it is important Ministers get the basics right especially tackling illegal immigration, improving effectiveness and enforcement so the system properly works"