May292017

News story: UK Armed Forces recognised for support to UN Peacekeeping

MOD
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Today (29 May) is the annual International Day of UN Peacekeepers, which was marked by a number of events in London on Wednesday.

The day also commemorates those who have lost their lives while serving on Peacekeeping operations. Over 100 UK service personnel make up part of more than 3,500 personnel from around the world who have died serving as UN Peacekeepers since 1948, and they were remembered during a ceremony and wreath-laying at the Cenotaph.

Commander of Joint Forces Command General Sir Chris Deverell and Foreign Office Minister for Asia and Pacific Alok Sharma laid wreaths during the event, and wreaths were also laid by representatives from nearly 100 Embassies and High Commissions, the Chief Inspector of the Constabulary, UN Veterans Association, widows and schoolchildren.

The Band of the Welsh Guards performed at the wreath-laying, and Wednesday’s events also included a Conference at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI), opened by Vice Chief of the Defence Staff General Sir Gordon Messenger.

Vice Chief of the Defence Staff General Sir Gordon Messenger opened a conference at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies. Crown Copyright.
Vice Chief of the Defence Staff General Sir Gordon Messenger opened a conference at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies. Crown Copyright.

Over 690 UK military personnel are currently deployed in support of multiple UN Peacekeeping missions, the majority in South Sudan, Cyprus and Somalia. The largest of these deployments, with nearly 400 British troops now deployed, is in South Sudan to support the UN’s mission in country.

Commander of Joint Forces Command General Sir Chris Deverell said:

Today, on the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, we pay tribute to the 3,500 personnel from over 120 countries who have died while serving the United Nations. When peacekeepers deploy they do so on behalf of the international community and in support of efforts by previously warring parties to find a path to peace. I am grateful to each person who deploys, and very proud that over 690 members of the UK Armed Forces are currently deployed as part of this effort.

The UK contribution to the UN Mission in South Sudan includes engineering tasks and the construction and running of a temporary field hospital, to be followed by a permanent facility which will provide medical care for over 1,800 UN Peacekeepers and UN staff.

May292017

Vote Labour to oppose another divisive independence referendum

Scottish Labour
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In seats across Scotland, including Edinburgh South, it is only Labour that can beat the SNP.

As our new advert shows, the Tories just aren’t at the races – and a vote for them or the LibDems will just let the SNP in.

By backing Labour on June 8, voters can tell Nicola Sturgeon to drop her plans for a divisive second independence referendum.

Labour will never support independence and every Labour MP elected will fight the SNP’s unwanted plan to break up Britain.

A vote for the Tories or the Lib Dems will simply let the SNP in and embolden Nicola Sturgeon. Only by voting Labour on June 8 can we defeat the SNP.

May292017

Tories need to come clean on social care cap before election

UKIP
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UKIP Economic Spokesman Patrick O’Flynn has demanded Theresa May and her ministers declare before polling day what cap they intend to impose on social care bills.

He has also suggested voters use Twitter to contact their local Tory candidate using the hashtag #whatisthecap to increase pressure for a further climbdown.

Mr O’Flynn last week led calls for a cap to be imposed after the Tory manifesto proposed taking bills out of the estates of deceased persons who had needed social care on a completely uncapped basis.

Following an outcry, Theresa May performed a partial U-turn by announcing there would after all be a cap. But she has so far refused to say what it will be or even give an approximate figure.

On Sunday, Home Secretary Amber Rudd failed to deny suggestions by Andrew Marr that the cap could be as high as £300,000.

May292017

Clegg: May’s approach to Brexit is a threat to national security

Liberal Democrats
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The Schengen Information System (SIS II) is an EU-wide database on organised criminal and terrorist suspects across 28 countries, including 35,000 people wanted under a European Arrest Warrant. It includes alerts on suspected ‘foreign fighters’ – people who have travelled to Syria and elsewhere to fight for ISIS.

• UK police and security services queried the database over half a billion times in 2016 – equivalent to 16 checks a second.

• 53 people are detained and questioned under anti-terrorism laws at ports and airports every day, where they can be checked against the database by UK Border Force officers.

• In April 2016, the UK received 25 hits on alerts issued by other participating countries in relation to individuals who could pose a risk to national security.

• The UK would lose access to the database under Theresa May’s plans to leave the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice. Unless this position changes, UK authorities will see their access to the database cut off on 29th March 2019.
Nick Clegg has challenged Theresa May to answer three vital questions:
1. How will we maintain access to SIS II without accepting the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice?

2. What contingency plans has she put in place to mitigate the loss of this information on the movement of terrorist suspects across the continent?

3. How will we issue instructions to other EU countries to stop and question terror suspects if we are no longer part of this system?
Nick Clegg commented:
“Theresa May’s extreme approach to Brexit will have the direct consequence of severing our ties to a fantastically useful weapon in our armoury against terrorism.

“By refusing to accept a role for the European Court of Justice in policing this European-wide database, she has ruled out our future participation it.

“It is hard to overstate the importance of this database. We check it 16 times a second, looking for security threats that have been flagged to us by other European countries. And we use it to tell other countries to stop and question people who we think are potential terrorists.

“This is euroscepticism gone mad. If she fails to back down, Theresa May’s approach to Brexit poses a direct threat to our national security.”

May292017

Ayurvedic medicine still remains an important component of our healthcare system: Vice President

India
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The Vice President of India, Shri M. Hamid Ansari has said that Ayurvedic medicine still remains an important component of our healthcare system. He was addressing the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth, here today. The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik, the President of Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth, Shri Devender Triguna and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.