Ghulam Nabi Azad described homosexuality as ‘unnatural disease’ from the west at a HIV/Aids conference in New Delhi India’s health minister has derided homosexuality as an unnatural “disease” from the west, drawing criticism from activists who said the comments set back the country’s campaigns for gay rights and its fight against HIV. The comments, made on Monday by the health minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, at a conference on HIV/Aids in the Indian capital, New Delhi, echoed a common refrain in the conservative country that homosexuality is a western import. “Unfortunately this disease has come to our country too … where a man has sex with another man, which is completely unnatural and should not happen but does,” Azad said. Anjali Gopalan, who heads the NAZ Foundation, a rights group that works with HIV-positive people and promotes equal rights for homosexual people, said Azad’s comments were deeply troubling coming from the health minister of a country fighting a tough battle against HIV infections. “These comments help no cause. It’s definitely not going to help in our fight against HIV,” she told the Associated Press. Roughly 2.5 million Indians have HIV, making it the country with the largest number of people living with the virus in Asia. Experts say the marginalisation of gay people in India hinders the fight against the disease. “If you’re not going to invest in community building then gay people will continue to be marginalised,” she added. In 2009 the Delhi high court struck down a colonial era law – section 377 of the Indian penal code – that made sex between people of the same gender punishable by up to 10 years in prison. While actual criminal prosecutions were rare, the law was frequently used to harass people. The court ruling was noteworthy in a country where even heterosexual sex is rarely discussed openly. Over the last decade gay people are slowly gaining a degree of acceptance in parts of India, especially in its big cities. Many bars have gay nights, and some high-profile Bollywood films have dealt with gay issues. The last two years have also seen large gay pride parades in New Delhi and other big cities such as Mumbai and Calcutta. However, being gay remains deeply taboo in most of the country, and many gay people hide their sexual orientation from friends and families. India Gay rights HIV infection Sexual health Health Aids and HIV guardian.co.uk
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PM calls phone-hacking revelation ‘shocking’ and ‘a truly dreadful act’ as police reportedly meet News of the World chiefs Pressure is growing on News International after the prime minister joined in condemnation of the News of the World over the hacking of Milly Dowler’s phone . David Cameron said it was a “truly dreadful act” and urged police to “pursue this in the most vigorous way”. Police are due to meet with senior executives from News International on Tuesday morning, according to reports, with the role of Rebekah Brooks, editor of the News of the World at the time of the hacking, coming under increasing scrutiny. The current News International chief executive has insisted she will not resign. Speaking at a press conference in Afghanistan, Cameron said of the Guardian’s reports that the News of the World illegally targeted Milly Dowler and her family: “If they are true this is a truly dreadful act and a truly dreadful situation. “What I’ve read in the papers is quite shocking, that someone could do this knowing that the police were trying to find this person and find out what happened. “There is a police investigation into hacking allegations … they should investigate this without any fear, without any favour, without any worry about where the evidence should lead them. “They should pursue this in the most vigorous way that they can in order to get to the truth of what happened. “That is the absolute priority as a police investigation.” The BBC reported that police are to meet News of the World executives at 9.30am to discuss the phone hacking, although the Metropolitan police would not confirm the meeting. The BBC’s business editor, Robert Peston, wrote on his blog that Brooks “is not planning to resign”. Brooks was editor of the News of the World when the hacking took place, with Andy Coulson as her deputy. Coulson resigned as the prime minister’s media adviser in January. Peston quoted a News International executive as saying Rupert Murdoch “is backing [Brooks] 100%”. Former deputy prime minister Lord Prescott said on Twitter that he would write to the culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, demanding he block News Corp’s bid to take full control of pay-TV company BSkyB following the revelations about Dowler. However, John Whittingdale, the chairman of the culture, media and sport select committee, told BBC Radio 4′s Today programme that phone hacking at the News of the World should not taint the rest of Rupert Murdoch’s empire. “You cannot necessarily condemn the entire of News Corp just because of the actions of some individuals in another part of the organisation,” he said. “News International is a part of News Corp but it’s a different part. News Corp is a global enterprise and I don’t think one should condemn the entire organisation because something very clearly was going wrong in the News of the World.” When Today presenter Evan Davies pointed out to the Conservative MP that News International had denied wrongdoings at the News of the World despite having evidence that could suggest hacking was ongoing, Whittingdale responded: “Well, they denied it to my committee.” He added: “We were told that a thorough investigation had been carried out which had produced no evidence. Now, even at that time we expressed considerable doubts as to whether or not that investigation was thorough. “I think now we can almost certainly conclude that it wasn’t, and those are questions which still need to be addressed.” Labour has already called for an independent inquiry into journalistic practices at the newspaper. The shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, said the newspaper’s actions were “despicable” and called for a wide-ranging inquiry. “Everyone across the country will be deeply disturbed and horrified at this shocking news,” Cooper said. “The idea that private investigators working for a newspaper would hack into the phone of a missing 13-year-old girl is truly despicable.” Labour MP Tom Watson called on Monday for the prime minister to act over the phone hacking, but also laid some of the blame on his own party leader. “Surely now we should hear from David Cameron and Ed Miliband,” Watson said. “It’s utterly disgraceful that they’ve let this scandal run on for as long as it has. No more cowardice – we want action.” Miliband later said he was “shocked by the news of the hacking of Milly Dowler’s phone”. He added: “It beggars belief that anyone would undertake such a cruel and immoral act. “The police inquiry must get to the bottom of who was responsible for this and who was complicit in it.” Detectives from Scotland Yard’s new inquiry into phone hacking, Operation Weeting, are believed to have found evidence of the targeting of the Dowlers in a collection of 11,000 pages of notes kept by Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator jailed for phone hacking on behalf of the News of the World. In the last four weeks Met officers have approached Surrey police and taken formal statements from some of those involved in the original inquiry, who were concerned about how News of the World journalists intercepted – and deleted – the voicemail messages of Milly Dowler. The messages were deleted by journalists in the first few days after Milly’s disappearance to free up space for more messages. As a result friends and relatives of Milly concluded wrongly she might still be alive. Police also feared evidence may have been destroyed. Milly Dowler Phone hacking Crime News Corporation Media business News International Newspapers & magazines National newspapers Newspapers News of the World Rebekah Brooks Andy Coulson David Cameron John Prescott Privacy Privacy & the media Adam Gabbatt Nick Davies Amelia Hill guardian.co.uk
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• Up to 500,000 faulty Beko models could be in homes • Tower block blaze caused by fridge freezer, says fire service Householders with Beko frost-free fridge freezers are being urged by fire experts to check that the model they own is not one at the centre of a product safety warning, just days after a serious tower block blaze which has now been confirmed to have been caused by one of the manufacturer’s faulty appliances. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) believes the incident in Bermondsey, south London underlines the potentially serious danger of failure in the appliances which has already been flagged up by the company as a cause for concern. It is believed there could be as many as 500,000 of the potentially faulty fridge freezers still in homes and businesses throughout the UK. In the Bermondsey blaze last Tuesday one woman was treated for smoke inhalation and another 40 forced to flee the tower block. Investigators had thought initially that the fire was caused by lightning during a thunderstorm, but have now confirmed that it was caused by a faulty Beko fridge freezer. Fire chiefs are urging people to check if they own the particular models of Beko fridge freezer, which were manufactured between January 2000 and October 2006. There are believed to have been 20 fires in the capital involving the fridge freezers since 2008, which left 15 people injured and one dead. The coroner’s report on the latter is outstanding. People who own any of the appliances should contact Beko via their website – www.beko.co.uk – or calling their free phone number on 0800 009 4837 between 8.00am and 6.00pm Monday to Friday. Over the past three years LFB’s fire investigation team has been working to establish the link between a faulty defroster timer switch on the appliances and a number of house fires attended by its firefighters. The problem occurs when water gets into the defrost timer switch in the fridge freezer, which can lead to an electrical malfunction resulting in plastic components and other highly flammable insulation inside the appliance catching fire. The brigade formally alerted Beko to the problem in June 2010 and following meetings between Beko and fire investigators, the manufacturer has been trying to locate the products so that the fault can be corrected. However, LFB believes more needs to be done to alert people to the potential danger. Beko said in a statement that it was co-operating fully and that it would carry out free modifications to any of the faulty models: “We have contacted all retailers who sold these products to seek their help in identifying affected customers from their sales records. This has allowed us to mail these customers to make them aware of the issue and to urge them to contact our freephone number to arrange the modification. “We are working with a major electronics retailer to contact owners of these products and carry out a free of charge modification to replace the defrost timer. We have adopted a phased approach which allows us to make maximum use of their resource.” Beko said it had contacted over 200,000 owners and modified 11,000 fridge freezers to date. But LFB’s assistant commissioner for fire safety regulation, Steve Turek, said: “Any fire can be lethal but we are particularly concerned about this because fires involving any sort of fridge freezer develop rapidly and produce an enormous amount of toxic smoke. “Our expert fire investigators have had to work for a long time to confidently establish these faulty fridge freezers as the cause of a number of serious fires. Having established this link, we have worked closely with Beko to ensure the public is kept safe. “However, we urge everyone who has a Beko fridge freezer to check it is not one of those highlighted by the company as potentially faulty. We would also urge everyone to make sure they have a working smoke alarm in their house.” London Consumer affairs Firefighters Rebecca Smithers guardian.co.uk
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Labour demands inquiry as police reportedly meet newspaper to discuss phone hacking of murdered girl’s voicemail messages Pressure is growing on News International with Labour calling for an independent inquiry into journalistic practices at the News of the World over the hacking of Milly Dowler’s phone . The shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, called the newspaper’s actions “despicable” and said there should be a wide-ranging inquiry. The call comes amid reports that police are to meet with News of the World executives to discuss the hacking. “Everyone across the country will be deeply disturbed and horrified at this shocking news,” Cooper said on Monday. “The idea that private investigators working for a newspaper would hack into the phone of a missing 13-year-old girl is truly despicable.” Labour MP Tom Watson called on Monday for prime minister to act over the phone hacking, but also laid some of the blame on his own party leader. “Surely now we should hear from David Cameron and Ed Miliband,” Watson said. “It’s utterly disgraceful that they’ve let this scandal run on for as long as it has. No more cowardice – we want action.” Miliband later said he was “shocked by the news of the hacking of Milly Dowler’s phone”. He added: “It beggars belief that anyone would undertake such a cruel and immoral act. “The police inquiry must get to the bottom of who was responsible for this and who was complicit in it.” David Cameron, who was in Afghanistan on Monday, has yet to speak on the issue. The BBC reported that police are to meet News of the World executives to discuss the phone hacking, although the Metropolitan police would not confirm the news this morning. Detectives from Scotland Yard’s new inquiry into the phone hacking, Operation Weeting, are believed to have found evidence of the targeting of the Dowlers in a collection of 11,000 pages of notes kept by Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator jailed for phone hacking on behalf of the News of the World. In the last four weeks the Met officers have approached Surrey police and taken formal statements from some of those involved in the original inquiry, who were concerned about how News of the World journalists intercepted – and deleted – the voicemail messages of Milly Dowler. The messages were deleted by journalists in the first few days after Milly’s disappearance to free up space for more messages. As a result friends and relatives of Milly concluded wrongly that she might still be alive. Police also feared evidence may have been destroyed. Milly Dowler Phone hacking Crime Newspapers & magazines National newspapers Newspapers News Corporation Media business News International News of the World Privacy Privacy & the media Yvette Cooper Nick Davies Adam Gabbatt Amelia Hill guardian.co.uk
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Mexican prison authorities find woman’s husband curled up in foetal position in her suitcase as she left after conjugal visit Police say a woman was caught trying to sneak her common-law-husband out of a Mexican prison in a suitcase following a conjugal visit. A spokesman for police in the Caribbean state of Quintana Roo says staff at the prison in Chetumal noticed the woman seemed nervous and was pulling a black, wheeled suitcase that looked bulky. Spokesman Gerardo Campos said on Monday that prison guards checked the bag of 19-year-old Maria del Mar Arjona and found inmate Juan Ramirez Tijerina curled up inside in the foetal position. Ramirez is serving a 20-year sentence for a 2007 conviction for illegal weapons possession. Arjona was arrested and charges are pending. Mexico guardian.co.uk
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Ryu Matsumoto steps down after threatening funding would be withheld unless local leaders came up with workable plans Japan’s minister in charge of overseeing the reconstruction of the country’s devastated north-east coast resigned on Tuesday, just one week into the job, amid criticism that he offended victims of the 11 March earthquake and tsunami in comments captured by TV cameras. Ryu Matsumoto’s resignation could not have come at a worse time for the prime minister, Kan Naoto, who is struggling to pass legislation to fund Japan’s biggest reconstruction project since the end of the second world war. Matsumoto came under pressure to quit after a TV station broadcast footage of a testy meeting on Sunday with Yoshihiro Murai, the governor of tsunami-hit Miyagi prefecture. After Murai arrived a few minutes late, Matsumoto, in a passable impression of a hectoring schoolmaster, said: “When a guest comes to visit, do not call the guest in until you have arrived in the room. Do you understand?” Matsumoto, 60, suggested such sloppy manners would not be tolerated in the self-defence forces [SDF], where young people respected their elders. Murai, a 50-year-old former SDF member, nodded and smiled through clenched teeth. Matsumoto effectively sealed his fate when he warned Murai that the government would do nothing to help the region unless local leaders arrived at a consensus over post-disaster reconstruction. Perhaps sensing the mood had turned against him, Matsumoto quipped to reporters in the room: “That was all off the record, OK? Understand? You write this up, and it’ll be the end for your company.” Unfortunately for Matsumoto, the journalists simply ignored him. The exchange quickly appeared on YouTube , where it has been viewed more than a million times, and became a trending topic on Twitter and Facebook. In a separate meeting with Takuya Tasso, the governor of neighbouring Iwate prefecture, Matsumoto threatened to withhold funding unless local communities came up with workable reconstruction plans. On Monday night, Matsumoto apologised and blamed his indelicate remarks on his blood type. “If I hurt the feelings of the disaster victims, I would like to apologise,” he said. “I’m a type B and can have the tendency to be simplistic and straightforward at times. “My intentions don’t always come across perfectly. My wife called me earlier to point that out. I think I need to reflect on that.” The haematic reference wasn’t particularly outlandish in Japan, where many people believe their blood type defines their personality . But no one in the battered north-east appeared willing to forgive Matsumoto or his blood type. Jin Sato, the mayor of Minamisanriku, a badly damaged town, said the comments had added to the anguish of residents already disheartened by the slow pace of rebuilding. “I have been saying all along that this government has no sense of speed,” he told NHK. “My frank opinion is that this resignation drama is another misstep.” Matsumoto is not alone in committing a tsunami-related gaffe: Shintaro Ishihara, the governor of Tokyo, described the disaster as divine punishment for Japan’s culture of “egoism” and was re-elected weeks later. In an attempt to placate opposition MPs, Kan has promised to step down once three key bills – an extra budget, and legislation to allow fresh borrowing and promote renewable energy in the wake of the Fukushima Daiichi accident – have passed. His best hope is that Matsumoto’s swift departure helps smooth the way for a US$25bn-extra budget (£15.6bn) for disaster-hit areas and a compensation scheme for people who lost homes and businesses due to the nuclear crisis. But opposition MPs spied Matsumoto’s resignation as an opportunity to put Kan under fresh pressure to quit soon. Nobuteru Ishihara, secretary general of the Liberal Democratic party, said Kan’s resignation offered the best hope for the tsunami-affected region. The government’s chief spokesman, Yukio Edano, said Kan had no intention of stepping down early, adding that it would be “irresponsible” to resign while the reconstruction and energy bills were still being debated. Japan disaster Japan Justin McCurry guardian.co.uk
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Thirteen expected to enter not guilty pleas to charges of aggravated trespass in Fortnum & Mason store in March Activists accused of occupying the luxury London food retailer Fortnum & Mason during tax avoidance protests in March are expected to plead not guilty to charges of aggravated trespass on Tuesday. The case against five minors arrested during the UK Uncut demonstration was dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service last week but charges remain against 139 others. Of those, 13 are expected to enter pleas at City of Westminster magistrates court on Tuesday, when a trial date should also be set. Lawyers are pressing for the charges to be dropped against all those arrested after the occupation of the store. Mike Schwarz, a partner in criminal law at Bindmans, which is representing most of the accused, said his firm had written to the CPS arguing that it was in the public interest that the charges be withdrawn as they interfered with the right to peaceful protest. Similar concerns have been expressed by Liberty and by the Labour MP John McDonnell. Liberty said it “deplored” the offence of aggravated trespass, while McDonnell told the Independent that any trial would be “outrageous” and “fly in the face of public opinion”. Activists have also raised concerns about the way in which the arrests were carried out . Police officers at the scene described the occupation, which took place at the same time as massive public sector demonstrations against government cuts, as “non-violent” and “sensible”. Activists said the police tricked them into a mass arrest after giving assurances they would not be detained. In video footage obtained by the Guardian , a senior officer tells UK Uncut protesters that police are making sure it is “clear and safe” before letting them leave. Upon leaving the building the activists were kettled and arrested one by one. Some were held in cells for up to 24 hours. Raj Chada, a partner at law firm Hodge, Jones and Allen, who is representing 20 of those charged, although none of those expected to enter pleas on Tuesday, said: “This idea a senior officer told them to leave raises fundamental questions about police tactics for future public events if the police can’t be trusted.” UK Uncut London Police Protest Haroon Siddique guardian.co.uk
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UK’s last train maker says jobs must go at its Derby site after failing to secure the £3bn government deal Bombardier is to cut more than 1,400 jobs at the UK’s last remaining train manufacturing plant, in Derby, after losing a £3bn government contract to a German rival. The Canadian engineering giant said the completion of recent orders and failure to secure a deal for the Thameslink route made a near-50% cut in its workforce “inevitable.” Bombardier announced plans this morning to shed 983 temporary staff and 446 permanent workers at its Derby factory, a total of 1,429 jobs. A 90-day consultation will be launched. Bombardier said it had to lose nearly half of its 3,000 staff because four out of five production lines will be idle from September once contracts for the London Underground Victoria line and the London Midland franchise are completed. Francis Paonessa, head of Bombardier’s UK passenger division, said winning the Thameslink contract would have “secured workload at this site”. He added: “We regret this outcome but without new orders we cannot maintain the current level of employment and activity at Derby.” In a blow to the government’s plans for Britain to manufacture its way out of recession, Bombardier placed its UK operations under review after the Department for Transport awarded a contract to make carriages on London’s Thameslink rail route to Siemens of Germany, bypassing Britain’s last remaining train factory. Siemens won the deal for 1,200 carriages on the trans-London route last month, sparking widespread criticism from politicians and trade unions. Bombardier held an 8am press briefing on Tuesday morning at its Derby headquarters. Senior shop stewards will be briefed on job losses in time for the end of the night shift at 6am. The jobs blow comes after Lloyds Banking Group said last week that it would cut 15,000 jobs and experts warned of up to 10,000 job losses on the high street as a succession of retailers including Carpetright, Thorntons, TJ Hughes and Habitat said they would close stores. In a recent letter to the transport secretary, Philip Hammond, Bombardier warned that 1,200 jobs could be at risk at Derby even if it won the Thameslink contract. However, it had hoped that winning a deal for more than 1,000 carriages on the rail route would allow the company to retain many of the jobs. If it lost the Thameslink deal, it said, more jobs could go by the end of the year, amid doubts over the 350-strong engineering unit. The head of Bombardier’s works committee, John Pearson, said the company hoped the announcement would force the government to review the decision, with protests from local politicians and the Labour party and even expressions of concern from two cabinet ministers. “The company is going to use it as a political lever to try to get the government to change its mind about Thameslink,” said Pearson, 63, a member of the Unite trade union, who has worked at the Derby plant for 26 years. “We are the last train maker in this country. How can we let those skills go? If we want trains in the future they will have to come from abroad.” However, the government cannot review the decision. In a letter to David Cameron, Labour has claimed that up to 20,000 jobs could be hit by the Thameslink decision and looming cuts at Bombardier. The train maker’s manufacturing lines will grind to a halt in 2014 when it finishes a contract for London Underground trains. Future orders for the as-yet unbuilt Crossrail and High Speed Two projects are years from being tendered. Unite has written to two cabinet ministers in an effort to have the Thameslink decision reversed. Diana Holland, assistant general secretary of the UK’s largest trade union, said the move could be the “last straw” for Bombardier in the UK. In a letter to Hammond and Vince Cable, the business secretary, she said: “It is Unite’s belief that insufficient, if any, consideration was given to the social and economic implications of your department’s decision,” she said. “Similarly, we are confident that the business case for Bombardier is a strong one and, coupled with the need to safeguard national manufacturing, ought to have seen it awarded the contract.” The RMT trade union, which also represents workers at Derby, said the effect of the Siemens decision would be “devastating.” Bob Crow, RMT general secretary, said: “This act of political sabotage to a key element of the remaining UK manufacturing base could leave the nation that gave the world the railways building nothing but a few basic components.” The government believes its hands were tied over the Thameslink decision by European Union procurement rules, which state that any EU state must not allow a company’s location or nationality to influence contract awards. Nonetheless, Unite has pointed out that Germany’s state-owned rail operator, Deutsche Bahn, recently handed a €6bn (£5.4bn) high-speed train contract to Siemens. Cable and Hammond made pointed references to the perceived bias of contracts awarded elsewhere in Europe in a recent letter to the prime minister. Siemens, which employs 16,000 people in the UK, claims the contract will create up to 2,000 jobs in the UK supply chain. However, even though some components will be made in the UK the trains will be built in Germany. Manufacturing sector Job losses Transport Rail transport Travel & leisure Dan Milmo guardian.co.uk
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Fears 1,500 jobs at risk at Derby train factory after company loses £3bn Thameslink contract to Siemens of Germany Bombardier, the Canadian engineering group, will announce major job losses at its Derby train factory on Tuesday, amid fears that 1,500 workers are at risk after the business lost a £3bn government contract to a European rival. The company told trade union officials to expect “substantial” redundancies. Significant reductions appear to be inevitable after Bombardier warned the government privately in May that 1,200 posts were already at risk among the 3,000-strong workforce. It is thought that up to 350 more engineering jobs are under threat. In a blow to the government’s plans for Britain to manufacture its way out of recession, Bombardier has placed its UK operations under review after the Department for Transport awarded a contract to make carriages on London’s Thameslink rail route to Siemens of Germany, bypassing Britain’s last remaining train factory. The company has called an 8am press briefing on Tuesday morning at its Derby headquarters. Senior shop stewards will be briefed on job losses in time for the end of the night shift at 6am. It comes after Lloyds Banking Group said last week that it would cut 15,000 jobs and experts warned of up to 10,000 job losses on the high street as a succession of retailers including Carpetright, Thorntons, TJ Hughes and Habitat said they would close stores. In a recent letter to the transport secretary, Philip Hammond, Bombardier warned that 1,200 jobs could be at risk at Derby even if it won the Thameslink contract. However, it had hoped that winning a deal for more than 1,000 carriages on the rail route would allow the company to retain many of the jobs. If it lost the Thameslink deal, it said, more jobs could go by the end of the year, amid doubts over the 350-strong engineering unit. The head of Bombardier’s works committee, John Pearson, said the company hoped the announcement would force the government to review the decision, with protests from local politicians and the Labour party and even expressions of concern from two cabinet ministers. “The company is going to use it as a political lever to try to get the government to change its mind about Thameslink,” said Pearson, 63, a member of the Unite trade union, who has worked at the Derby plant for 26 years. “We are the last train maker in this country. How can we let those skills go? If we want trains in the future they will have to come from abroad.” However, the government cannot review the decision. It is understood that about 700 agency workers employed at Derby are most at risk, with the heaviest cuts expected to come from manufacturing staff. In a letter to David Cameron, Labour has claimed that up to 20,000 jobs could be hit by the Thameslink decision and looming cuts at Bombardier. Bombardier’s manufacturing lines will grind to a halt in 2014 when it finishes a contract for London Underground trains. Future orders for the as-yet unbuilt Crossrail and High Speed Two projects are years from being tendered. Unite has written to two cabinet ministers in an effort to have the Thameslink decision reversed. Diana Holland, assistant general secretary of the UK’s largest trade union, said the move could be the “last straw” for Bombardier in the UK. In a letter to Hammond and Vince Cable, the business secretary, she said: “It is Unite’s belief that insufficient, if any, consideration was given to the social and economic implications of your department’s decision,” she said. “Similarly, we are confident that the business case for Bombardier is a strong one and, coupled with the need to safeguard national manufacturing, ought to have seen it awarded the contract.” The RMT trade union, which also represents workers at Derby, said the effect of the Siemens decision would be “devastating.” Bob Crow, RMT general secretary, said: “This act of political sabotage to a key element of the remaining UK manufacturing base could leave the nation that gave the world the railways building nothing but a few basic components.” The government believes its hands were tied over the Thameslink decision by European Union procurement rules, which state that any EU state must not allow a company’s location or nationality to influence contract awards. Nonetheless, Unite has pointed out that Germany’s state-owned rail operator, Deutsche Bahn, recently handed a €6bn (£5.4bn) high-speed train contract to Siemens. Cable and Hammond made pointed references to the perceived bias of contracts awards elsewhere in Europe in a recent letter to the prime minister. Siemens, which employs 16,000 people in the UK, claims the contract will create up to 2,000 jobs in the UK supply chain. However, even though some components will be made in the UK the trains will be built in Germany. Job losses Rail transport Travel & leisure Dan Milmo guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …While celebrating our nation’s birthday, pause and raise your beer can and toast these famous Americans, born on the fourth of July. Highlights from the Daily Beast’s list: Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino: Which news do you find most surprising? That “The Situation” turns 30 today, or that his reality TV…
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