Arms firm BAE is facing embarrassment after announcing the loss of 1,000 jobs. BAE had defended a recent arms deal with India by saying it would protect UK jobs.
The arms company BAE Systems is facing embarrassment today (9 September) after announcing the loss of 1,000 jobs at five sites around England. BAE has long defended the arms industry by emphasising the number of jobs that it brings to Britain.
The company said that there are likely to be 212 jobs losses at Brough in East Yorkshire. This is particularly controversial given BAE's claim in July that their deal to sell Hawk jets to India would protect jobs in Brough.
In addition, 298 jobs are expected to go at Warton in Lancashire. The other cuts will be spread across Chadderton, Farnborough and Samlesbury.
"Potential job losses are in manufacturing, engineering and associated support functions,” said Kevin Taylor, Managing Director of BAE's Military Air Solutions division.
He added, "These potential job losses result from the impact of the changes in the defence programme announced in December 2009, together with other workload changes”.
Hugh Scullion, General Secretary of the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions (CSEU) said, “The unions are shocked at the scale of these losses and will be demanding an explanation from BAE”.
But the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) said that news of the job losses was “no surprise”.
CAAT spokesperson Kaye Stearman told Ekklesia, “BAE has been shedding UK jobs for several years, despite wrapping their activities in a patriotic image”.
Today's news seems to have validated CAAT's insistence in July that the arms deal with India would not protect jobs at Brough, as BAE had claimed. CAAT pointed out that the planes are to be manufactured in India.
When seeking support in Britain, BAE has been keen to present itself as a British company, although the UK now accounts for only a minority of its business, staff and shareholders.
Campaigners have criticised the level of financial and political support that ministers of all three leading parties have given to the arms industry in recent years, particularly through UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), a government unit that promotes British exports. UKTI devotes more staff to supporting the arms industry than to all civil sectors combined, although arms account for less than two per cent of visible UK exports.
Stearman urged the government to ensure “that the undoubted skills possessed by these redundant workers can be re-employed in productive and socially useful industries, such as renewable energy technology”.
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The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Southwark, Peter Smith, has promised to "pass on" calls for Benedict XVI to "open the Vatican's secret sex abuse files".
The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Southwark, Peter Smith, has promised to "pass on" calls by the Protest the Pope campaign for Benedict XVI to "open the Vatican's secret sex abuse files and hand them over the relevant police authorities worldwide”.
The Archbishop's pledge came at a meeting with organisers of the Protest the Pope campaign, held yesterday (8 September) with the approval of the Roman Catholic Bishops of England and Wales.
The human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said he was “pleased and reassured” that Smith had agreed to forward the request.
Tatchell was one of the delegation who met the Archbishop, along with Andrew Copson of the British Humanist Association, Terry Sanderson of the National Secular Society and Marco Tranchino.
Tatchell argued that, “The Pope's condemnation of sex abuse by clergy will never be taken seriously until he agrees to pass to the police in countries around the world the evidence the Vatican has compiled on child molesting priests, bishops and cardinals”.
The meeting comes ahead of the Pope's state visit to Britain next week. Benedict XVI will speak at Glasgow, Birmingham and London from 16 – 19 September.
"During his visit to Britain, Benedict should apologise for his own personal shortcomings, instead of merely apologising for the behaviour of other clergy,” insisted Tatchell.
The Pope has also faced criticism from within the Catholic Church in the run-up to his arrival. Catholic Voices for Reform (CV4R) this week published a list of questions to be given to the Pope. They cover a range of issues, including sexual ethics and child abuse.
CV4R, an umbrella organisation for a number of pro-reform Catholic groups in the UK, suggested that, “The abuse crisis has highlighted to the world that the institutional Church is too monarchical, lacks transparency and accountability”.
They asked, “How can the Church draw on the skills and abilities of the laity in moving towards a healthy, accountable and professional Church government at central and local level?”
Neither CV4R nor any other religious organisation has joined the Protest the Pope campaign, a coalition which currently includes twenty-one groups.
A spokesperson for the campaign, Paul Blanchard, told The Friend, an independent Quaker magazine, that membership of the coalition is open to “anyone who wants to protest [against] the pope’s visit”. Asked why no religious groups had joined, he said “that’s a matter for them and not for us”. He insisted that the coalition is “not anti-Catholic”.
It has been suggested that the Catholic authorities fear unruly or even violent demonstrations during the papal visit. But Tatchell said that the Archbishop had “accepted our assurances” that they “plan no disruptions” and are “committed to peaceful, lawful protests”.
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AP - President Barack Obama says his chief of staff would make a "terrific mayor" of Chicago. But Obama says he expects Rahm Emanuel to hold off on deciding whether to enter the race until after the midterm elections.
AP - President Barack Obama is exhorting a Florida minister to "listen to those better angels" and call off his plan to engage in a Quran-burning protest this weekend.
AP - Tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews from around the world gathered in a small Ukrainian city Thursday to mark the Jewish New Year at the tomb of their spiritual leader — an apparent record for the annual all-male pilgrimage banned for decades by the Soviets.
AP - President Barack Obama is exhorting a Florida minister to "listen to those better angels" and call off his plan to engage in a Quran-burning protest this weekend.
AP - Suzi Hanks reads Playboy magazine for the articles. And the jokes. And the letters and cartoons.
Former Church of Scotland general assembly moderators have praised the work of the Kirk’s HIV charity as it hits a £1 million fundraising milestone.
A group of former Church of Scotland General Assembly moderators have praised the work of the Kirk’s HIV charity as it hits a £1 million fundraising milestone.
In 2010, almost £200,000 has been raised for the Church of Scotland HIV/AIDS Project, which supports frontline care across the world. The vast majority of this money came from congregations and members of the Presbyterian Christian denomination which is the largest in Scotland.
A group of former Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, including the former chief inspector of HM Prisons in Scotland, the Very Rev Dr Andrew McLellan, hailed the Project’s work as a “fantastic achievement” after it broke the £1 million barrier.
Dr McLellan declared: “When people mumble that the church is in crisis this remarkable story needs to be told."
He continued: “The Project has been encouraging congregations to face up to tough questions on HIV, challenging the church to combat the stigma and discrimination which so often still accompanies an HIV positive diagnosis.
“Raising awareness and working with partner churches and other agencies in no fewer than 20 countries, the Church’s support has often been a lifeline for people and families living with HIV.
“This £1 million has been used to support people infected and affected by HIV, both at home and overseas; and it has been raised by local churches from all over Scotland.”
Among other former Moderators backing the Project are the Very Rev Alan Main, Kilmarnock minister the Very Rev David Lacey, and Dr Alison Elliot, the first female to hold the position in the Kirk.
Set up in 2002, the Church of Scotland HIV/AIDS Project equips and supports partner churches and grassroots schemes in over 25 countries.
Domestically, the Project encourages congregations to face up to the challenges surrounding HIV, including combating stigma and prejudice, raising awareness and educating people of all ages about the virus.
As it worked towards the £1 million total, the Project became well known for imaginative fundraising initiatives, such as humourous sketches for Christmas services and “Souper Sunday” – where congregations held a soup and sandwich lunch after worship with all proceeds going to the fund.
In May 2010, the Project’s report to the General Assembly warned of “disastrous consequences” if governments were to retreat from international funding commitments in the fight against HIV and Aids.
The Kirk agreed it was imperative that the global recession was not used as an excuse for countries to stop contributing to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, which enables developing countries to purchase the necessary anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs).
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The Anglican Bishop of Chichester, the Rt Rev John Hind, says that a US church's threat to burn the Qur'an reminds him of Nazi book-burning.
The Anglican Bishop of Chichester, the Rt Rev John Hind, says that a US church's threat to burn the Qur'an reminds him of Nazi book-burning.
The bishop, who is on the traditionalist wing of the Church of England, says he is “horrified” by the 50-member church’s plan to desecrate the holy book of Islam.
“Christians in the West especially need to be aware of the effect of their statements and actions on Christians in other parts of the world,” declared the bishop.
“[It] reminded me of the Nazi burning of Jewish religious texts,” he added.
One of the quotes at the memorial on Bebelplatz in Berlin, where the Nazis publicly destroyed texts they disapproved of, is from doyen German essayist Christian Johann Heinrich Heine. It reads: ""Those who begin by burning books will end by burning people."
Inter-faith advisers for the Diocese of Chichester, the Rev John Chitham and Mary-Jane Burkitt, have urged Christians to offer a clear counterpoint to the threatened actions of the Dove church in Florida, by demonstrating love towards their Muslim neighbours.
“The news that an obscure pastor in the USA is going to publicly burn copies of the [Qur'an] fills us with dismay,” they made clear in a statement.
They went on: “Jesus message is one of love: to love our neighbour and to love our enemy. Most Muslims are simply our good neighbours. “We are called by Jesus to love and not to hate, and we hope and pray that all Christians... will live up to his call.”
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The DEC Pakistan Floods Appeal has now reached £47 million, Disasters Emergency Committee chief Brendan Paddy has announced.
The DEC Pakistan Floods Appeal has now reached £47 million, Disasters Emergency Committee chief Brendan Paddy has announced.
The NGOs involved say that as global media attention migrates elsewhere, continued relief and longer term development assistance for those effected by the monsoon remains vital.
Just as important is continuing pressure on national governments and international institutions to fulfil their pledges in the immediate aftermath of the disaster.
The Disasters Emergency Committee was formed in 1963 and is an umbrella organisation for 13 humanitarian aid agencies in the UK.
It members are Action Aid, Age UK, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, Islamic Relief, Merlin, Oxfam, Save the Children, Tearfund and World Vision.
The Pakistan Floods have been described as the greatest humanitarian disaster in living memory. An area the size of England is flooded and estimates currently put the number of people affected at around 20 million.
Around 8 million remain in desperate and urgent need of assistance, and with homes and livelihoods swept away, development agencies say they will need more help in the months to come.
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To make a donation to the DEC Pakistan appeal call the 24 hour hotline on 0370 60 60 900, visit http://www.dec.org.uk or donate over the counter at any post office or high street bank, or send a cheque. You can also donate £5 by texting the word GIVE to 70707
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The General Secretary of the World Council of Churches has sent a message of peace to Muslim leaders, marking the end of Ramadan.
The General Secretary of the World Council of Churches has offered greetings, solidarity and a message of peace to the Muslim leaders of the world as they end the month of Ramadan (Id al-Fitr).
In his letter, the Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, who comes from an evangelical background in Norway, also said the WCC and its member churches around the world reject and firmly condemn acts that might cause violence between Muslim and Christian communities, such as the reported plans of a small church in Florida, United States, to burn the Qur'an.
Other faith communities, world leaders and international organisations have also condemned the proposed actions of the so-called Dove International Christian Center in the USA, which is actually a small local fundamentalist group.
“Religious leaders have a unique role and the moral responsibility to work towards reconciliation and healing within their own communities and between communities," proclaimed the world churches' chief in his letter to Muslim leaders.
He added: "We are encouraged therefore, by the interfaith solidarity expressed by the churches, religious communities and leaders in the United States, including in the State of Florida.”
The WCC is an ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, that today brings together 349 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million Christians in over 110 countries. It works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church.
The full letter can be read here: http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/general-secretary/messag...
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