Miliband 'appalled' by Royal Wedding strikes threat
Labour leader Ed Miliband has said he is "appalled" by the idea of trade unions planning strikes to disrupt Royal Wedding celebrations.
He told the BBC such a plan of action would be "absolutely the wrong thing to do" and a "sign of failure".
There have been reports of transport and public sector strikes on 29 April, but unions have played down the idea in recent days.
David Cameron has suggested changing the law to make it harder to strike.
London Underground drivers in the Aslef union had been considering walking out on the day of Prince William's marriage to Kate Middleton, but the threat has been removed as talks with Transport for London officials take place.
'Heroic failures'
British Airways cabin crew have also talked of striking on the same day and over the Easter period. But, last week, Len McCluskey, the general secretary-elect of the Unite union, said there was "no likelihood" of such action.
There are, however, suggestions that public sector workers may protest on the day against the effects of government cuts, including pay freezes and job losses.
Mr Miliband told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: "I'm appalled by the idea that there are going to be strikes to disrupt the Royal Wedding. That's absolutely the wrong thing for the trade unions to do.
"I would totally condemn that and similarly in relation to the Olympics...
"Strikes are a last resort and a sign of failure on both sides... They are not the way you change a government. The way you change a government is through the ballot box."
He added: "What we are not going to do under my leadership is go back to the heroic failures of the 1980s."
The prime minister has suggested he could look at the law on industrial action, amid calls for strike ballots to be unlawful if under half of a union's membership takes part.
In his BBC interview, Mr Miliband said he had been talking to Lib Dem deputy leader Simon Hughes about the coalition's scrapping of the Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA) for teenagers in England.
He added that he hope disaffected Lib Dems would "join" Labour in opposing the change, as the EMA had "created educational opportunity in this country".
Mr Hughes told Sky News he had held talks with Mr Miliband "at my instigation", but added that, in his job as "access advocate" for the prime minister, it was important to speak to all parties.
He said he wanted to find "common ground" on the EMA.
MPs are set to vote on Wednesday on a Labour motion calling for the allowance to be retained.
On other matters, Mr Miliband said Labour had got "a job to do to win back economic credibility" following the financial crisis.
But he insisted that the annual state borrowing of 2% of national income prior to the crisis had been "manageable". It was only the reduction in tax revenue caused by the banking crash which had driven the deficit up beyond 10% and made it a problem, he added.
Mr Miliband also admitted that Gordon Brown had been wrong to claim the Labour government had ended the economic cycle of rapid growth and recession, saying: "Clearly, we should not have said there would be no boom and bust. That was clearly a mistake."
However, Conservative deputy chairman Michael Fallon said: "Ed Miliband is treating people like fools. Labour's reckless overspending left Britain with the largest structural deficit in the G7 when the financial crisis hit.
"Ed Miliband still won't admit Labour maxed out the nation's credit card. In fact he says he'd do it all again. How can anyone trust Labour with the economy when its leader is still in denial about his party's mistakes?"
Award season goes full speed with Golden Globes
The Golden Globes show kicks off the Hollywood awards season Sunday with 26 trophies handed out by an array of stars, including teenage pop sensation Justin Bieber.
Comedian Ricky Gervais promises to push the envelope of acceptable TV humor in his second year as host of the glitzy dinner party at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
The red-carpet buzz is not entirely on the awards because of a lawsuit filed by two former publicists for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the group that controls the show.
The lawsuit accused the HFPA, which is composed of about 85 foreign journalists, of taking gifts and money in exchange for nominations.
The charges came from Michael Russell and Stephen Locascio, who were fired last year from their jobs, which included defending the Golden Globes from similar charges in the past, the lawsuit said.
"Obviously, we see it as sour grapes," HFPA President Philip Berk told HLN "Showbiz Tonight" co-host Brooke Anderson.
"The King's Speech" leads the expectations at the 68th annual Golden Globes with seven nominations, competing in almost every category for which the film is eligible.
"The King's Speech," starring Colin Firth as a stammering King George VI, competes for the best drama film with "The Social Network," "Black Swan," "The Fighter" and sci-fi hit "Inception."
Firth is also a favorite for best actor in a drama film, versus "Social Network" star Jesse Eisenberg.
Natalie Portman is a favorite for best actress in a drama for her role as a ballerina in "Black Swan."
Annette Bening, who portrayed a lesbian mom in "The Kids Are All Right," has been touted as a favorite for best actress in a musical or comedy.
Berk defended this year's decision to nominate "The Tourist" for best comedy or musical when it did not fair well at the box office or with critics.
"There was a very strong support and genuine enthusiasm among members who loved the movie," Berk said.
Berk said voters were also "kind of limited in movies to choose."
"It was not a particularly good year for comedy and musicals," Berk said.
The lawsuit's allegations of corruption by the Golden Globes group "are absolutely 100% false," he said. "I promise that everything that Michael Russell has said about me is not true."
BUJU BANTON FRIENDS: BUJU LIVE.COM WATCH LIVE STREAM FROM 5-10 p.m.
For the biggest concert in Reggae Music History. There will be a webcast of Buju & Friends: The Before The Dawn Concert. Live Webcast To Reach Reggae Fans Across The Globe, Lime TV subscribers will be able to watch the event via telephone. However; fans who may not be able to make to this “monumental event” will not miss out.
Below is a complete list of events surrounding this monumental concert from Urban Relations Marketing Group:
Friday: Before the Dawn | The Welcome Party
Place: Seminole Hard Rock Casino & Hotel | Opium
Everyone FREE w/ a Flag
Special Invited Guest: Shaggy | Stephen Marley | Wayne Wonder | Tarrus Riley & More….
Sunday: The Before the Dawn Concert
Featuring TARRUS RILEY | DEAN FRASER | EVERTON BLENDER | KONSHENS | FREDDIE MCGREGOR | NADINE SUTHERLAND | STEPHAN MARLEY | WAYNE WONDER, GRAMPS MORGAN, SHAGGY | SLY & ROBBIE | DJ KHALED & SO MUCH MORE | BACKED BY THE SHILOH BAND
Place: Bayfront Park
Visit: www.BujuLive.com
Sunday: The Official After Party
Place: Mansion | South Beach
Music By: Massive B | Fergie n Springer | Stone Love and More…………
Catch RTC's ER on Monday at 4pm with the Connoisseur for the review with Nikki Z who is in Miami for the show.
Swizz Beatz’s Ex to Star in VH1 Reality Show
Mashonda wants the world to know that Alicia Keys didn’t steal her thunder when she scooped up her ex-hubby, Swizz Beatz. She wants everyone to know that she too is a fabulous, independent woman who knows how to turn things up.
So she and Fabolous’ girlfriend Kimberly Bustamante and Jim Jones’ girlfriend Christine “Chrissy” Lampkin are about to be a part of a new reality show on VH1, “Love & Hip-Hop.”
Formatted much like popular reality shows like “Basketball Wives” and “Football Wives,” the interesting mix of girlfriends and ex-wives of big industry stars are embarking on a public adventure through the life and times of, well, the lovers of rappers.
“The show is about strength and womanhood. I’m excited about the show and the women on it,” said Mashonda, in light of the women attempting to make a name in the entertainment industry.
Since the split with Beatz, Mashonda has been pretty open about her feelings toward the situation. She’s even called Alicia Keys a “homewrecker.” But whether or not the issue will be brought up in the show is yet to be revealed, although that would be a great selling point.
Besides that, Mashonda seemingly has moved on rather gracefully, welcoming the couple’s son Egypt into the lives of his new sibling Kaseem Jr.
The show is scheduled to air March 21.
'Baby Doc' Duvalier returns to Haiti from exile
The former president of Haiti, Jean-Claude Duvalier, has returned to the country, 25 years after he was overthrown by a popular revolt.
Mr Duvalier - also known as "Baby Doc" - arrived on a flight from France, where he has been living in exile.
It is not clear why he has returned to Haiti, where he is accused of massive corruption.
Haiti is in the midst of a political crisis over disputed presidential elections.
US eases travel restrictions to Cuba
The Obama administration on Friday eased restrictions on Americans’ travel to Cuba in what it says is an effort to encourage more contact between nationals of both countries.
“The president has directed that changes be made to regulations and policies governing purposeful travel, non-family remittances and US airports supporting licensed charter flights to and from Cuba,” the White House said in a statement.
“These measures will increase people-to-people contact; support civil society in Cuba; enhance the free flow of information to, from, and among the Cuban people; and help promote their independence from Cuban authorities.
“The president believes these actions, combined with the continuation of the embargo, are important steps in reaching the widely shared goal of a Cuba that respects the basic rights of all its citizens,” the statement said.
The administration said these steps build on Obama’s April 2009 actions in helping to reunite “divided Cuban families; to facilitate greater telecommunications with the Cuban people; and to increase humanitarian flows to Cuba”.
The White House said the directed changes will be enacted through modifications to existing Cuban Assets Control and Customs and Border Protection regulations and policies and will take effect upon publication of modified regulations in the Federal Register within two weeks.
To enhance contact with the Cuban people and support civil society through “purposeful travel,” including religious, cultural, and educational travel, the president has directed that regulations and policies be modified to allow religious organisations to sponsor religious travel to Cuba under a general license.
The regulations and policies would also facilitate educational exchanges by allowing accredited institutions of higher education to sponsor travel to Cuba for course work for academic credit under a general license and allow students to participate through academic institutions other than their own.
In addition, the regulations would, among other things, restore specific licensing of educational exchanges not involving academic study pursuant to a degree programme under the auspices of an organisation that sponsors and organises people-to-people programmes, the White House said.
To help expand the economic independence of the Cuban people and to support a “more vibrant Cuban civil society”, the president has also directed the regulations governing non-family remittances be modified to restore a general license category for any US person to send remittances, up to US$500 per quarter, to non-family members in Cuba to support.
Obama said the remittances cannot be provided to senior Cuban government officials or senior members of the Cuban Communist Party.
“The modifications will not change the designation of airports in Cuba that are eligible to send or receive licensed charter flights to and from the United States,” the statement said.
The administration said it had expected to announce the measures months ago, but they were delayed because of concerns about their possible impact on the 2010 midterm elections.
The announcement also comes as the Cuban government is carrying out a sweeping economic overhaul, including layoffs of hundreds of thousands of state workers.
Source:CMC
CARICOM Community Council meets tomorrow
Preparations for the Twenty-Second Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of Government is among the agenda items for the Twenty-Seventh Meeting of the Community Council of Ministers, which will be held in Georgetown tomorrow.
The Council is the second highest body in CARICOM. At tomorrow’s meeting, the Council will also examine arrangements for the Inter-Sessional Meeting to be held in Grenada, in February 2011.
Ministers on the Council will consider and approve the work programme and budget of the CARICOM Secretariat and the Caribbean Knowledge and Learning Network Agency (CKLNA).
The Community Council is expected to engage in a follow-up discussion to the Special Meeting of the Conference on Governance, which was held in Grenada, August last.
In this context, it will examine the establishment of a Permanent Committee of CARICOM Ambassadors (PCCA) within the structure of the Caribbean Community, and review the operations of the CARICOM Secretariat.
Further, the Council will be considering matters currently engaging the attention of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD), and the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED). Among the COHSOD issues are: the establishment of the Regional Tertiary Education System; the Regional Tertiary Education Council; and the Caribbean Public Health Agency.
With regard to COTED, the Council has been asked to approve the 2011 Work Programme and Budget of the CARICOM Competition Commission (CCC) and a non-reciprocal trading arrangement agreed for Haiti over a three-year period.
At the meeting at the CARICOM Secretariat Headquarters at Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, the Council will also receive an update on the preparation of a Strategic Plan for Regional Development, as well as the schedule of other major meetings within the Community in the first quarter of 2011
PNP ready for 'Dudus' enquiry
The People’s National Party says it is now ready to fully participate in the enquiry.
PNP Deputy General Secretary, Julian Robinson says the party’s concerns have been addressed by the Government.
The PNP had said it was not consulted by the Government during the establishment of the Commission. The party had also raised questions about the appointments of Emil George, who chairs the enquiry and Donald Scharchmidt.
The enquiry will probe events which led to the extradition of Christopher Coke to the United States on June 24, ten months after a request was made for him to face drug and gun-running charges by the US.
The delay in his extradition involved the hiring of the law firm Manatt, Phelps and Phillips which claimed it was representing the Government in treaty matters.
More than 70 people were killed in fierce gunfights between members of the security forces and gunmen loyal to Mr. Coke, in the attempt to enter Tivoli Gardens and arrest him.
IMF approves US$49 million disbursement to Jamaica
The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday completed the third review of Jamaica’s economic performance under the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA).
Completion of the review enables the immediate disbursement of an amount equivalent to SDR 31.9 million (about US$49.3 million), bringing total disbursements under the arrangement to SDR 541.8million (about US$838.2 million).
Jamaica’s performance under the program has been positive overall and all end-September quantitative performance criteria were met, the IMF said.
The Executive Board approved modifications of certain performance criteria, including a small relaxation of some fiscal targets to accommodate spending related to Tropical Storm Nicole and an increase in the floor on net international reserves.
The IMF’s Executive Board approved a 27-month SBA in an amount equivalent to SDR 820.5 million (about US$1.27 billion) on February 4,.
Following the Executive Board discussion on Jamaica, Murilo Portugal, deputy managing director and acting chair, said, “Overall performance under the Stand-By Arrangement has been satisfactory. Signs of recovery have emerged, with net job creation for the first time in four quarters, and inflationary pressures remain subdued, allowing an accommodative monetary policy. The authorities’ macroeconomic program continues to focus on restoring fiscal sustainability and increasing the economy’s resilience to external shocks. Further progress is necessary on the fiscal and structural reform agenda. Enhancing competitiveness and the overall investment climate is key to boosting potential growth.”
Jay Cutler accounts for 4 TDs as Bears throttle Seahawks
Football's oldest rivalry has a grand new prize: a spot in the Super Bowl.
The Bears' 35-24 dismantling of overmatched Seattle on Sunday sets up the biggest game in their 90-year series with the Packers. Chicago and Green Bay will play for the 182nd time next Sunday, but their first meeting for the NFC title.
Jay Cutler ran for two touchdowns and threw for two as Chicago (12-5) pounded the Seahawks (8-10) from the outset, gliding through the snowflakes to score 21 first-half points. The defense was monstrous enough when it mattered, shutting down an offense that scored 41 points against New Orleans last week, but that gained only 111 through three periods at Soldier Field, where Seattle managed a 23-20 victory in October.
Although it got closer at the end, this was the result many projected the first division winner with a losing record would sustain, making it difficult to measure how good the Bears are. The NFL will find out next week against the Packers, who have beaten third-seeded Philadelphia and top-seeded Atlanta on the road this month. But to compare these Bears with the "Super Bowl Shuffle" bunch that won Chicago's only Super Bowl 25 years ago is a stretch.
"Now that we have beaten the Seahawks, it just doesn't get any better, as I see it, than for the NFC championship coming down to the Packers coming down on our turf this time," Bears coach Lovie Smith said. "The Packers and Bears to finish it up."
Cutler, in his first postseason game, showed none of the wild swings that often have marked his five-year career. He did show some shifty moves on a 6-yard run that made it 21-0, essentially turning everyone's attention to next weekend.
"We're both familiar with each other, so nothing's going to be new," Cutler said. "We have our hands full."
Not much was expected of the Bears when the season began, but they've improved mightily since falling to 4-3 heading into their bye week. They clinched a playoff berth with two games remaining, grabbing their first NFC North championship since 2006 -- when they lost to Indianapolis in the Super Bowl.
Unlike Atlanta and Pittsburgh on Saturday, they showed no rust from having a bye in dominating Seattle. Then again, the Seahawks showed none of the surging emotions or big-play abilities they sprung on the Saints at home. It was merely a one-week reprieve, and they went even flatter after tight end John Carlson was carted off with a head injury in the first quarter following a nasty spill; Carlson landed on the side of his helmet and his shoulder, but had movement in his extremities.
Seattle lost cornerback Marcus Trufant to a head injury in the third quarter when he collided with Kellen Davis' knee while trying to make a tackle. Trufant also was carted off, but he also had feeling in his extremities.
Chicago put away the game with touchdowns on three of its first four possessions, by which time Brian Urlacher, Julius Peppers and the rest of the defense had taken charge.
"Now we're back, playing together, hopefully peaking at the right time," Urlacher said.
Greg Olsen, showing impressive speed for a tight end, streaked past safety Lawyer Milloy for a 58-yard TD reception on Chicago's third offensive play. Chester Taylor added a 1-yard TD run and Cutler's 6-yarder built an insurmountable lead.
Cutler liked using his feet so much he added a 9-yard sprint in the third quarter to make it 28-0. He even threw in a 21-yard scramble in the fourth quarter and finished with 43 yards rushing, 9 more than the Seahawks.
"It was fun," Cutler said of his own shuffling. "That first one was called, second one was kind of improv."
Olindo Mare's 30-yard field goal got the first points for Seattle, which will get mixed reviews in Pete Carroll's first season as coach. The Seahawks went 7-9, hardly what they had in mind when they hired Carroll away from Southern Cal. Still, they won the weak NFC West, and they eliminated the defending Super Bowl champions in the wild-card round.
"It took a long time for them to ... fight and compete and do the things we want them to do," Carroll said. "I would have loved to have got this game today that so many people didn't think we could. I see where we're going and I'm proud of that."
But the prospect of a .500 team playing for a berth in the Super Bowl is gone, even though Matt Hasselbeck threw for three fourth-quarter touchdowns.
So bring on the Packers, who lost to the Bears 33-14 at Wrigley Field on Dec. 14, 1941 in their only previous playoff meeting. Green Bay beat Chicago 10-3 in the season finale to clinch a playoff spot earlier this month. The Packers haven't been to the Super Bowl since the 1997 season, when they lost to Denver.
Source:AP