Prescott tribute as city councillor dies
FRANCE’S PRESIDENT Emmanuel Macron has urged the United States to reject fear and isolationism.
Instead he urged it to embrace the historic bond between the two countries to launch a new era of 21st-century leadership and security.
Mr Macron told a joint meeting of Congress “the American and French people have had a rendezvous with freedom”. Speaking directly to President Donald Trump, Mr Macron turned to the top issues of Syria, the Iran nuclear deal, free trade and the Paris accord on climate change, topics where he and Mr Trump disagree.
He urged the United States not to retreat from its historic and military role in world affairs.
At times during the hour-long speech, delivered in English, he took turns playing into his friendly relationship with Mr Trump, while nudging, forcefully at times, against their differences.
He reiterated French support for US sanctions on North Korea toward the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, and said as for Iran, “our objective is clear: Iran shall never possess any nuclear weapons”.
Lord Prescott was among those paying tribute to city Councillor Ken Turner – father of Hull East MP Karl Turner – who has died.
Lord Prescott said he was “devastated beyond belief”, tweeting: “He served his union, his ward and his party with passion, commitment and great humour.” Before being elected in 2003, Mr Turner was a full-time official for the National Union of Seamen. BRITAIN HAS launched a renewed attack on Russia’s support for Syrian President Bashar Assad, accusing the Kremlin of giving him a “green flag” to commit human rights atrocities against his own people.
Speaking at an international donors conference in Brussels, International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt defended US-led missile strikes against the Syrian regime, saying Moscow had blocked every attempt to hold it to account for its illegal use of chemical weapons.
Her intervention came as Russia announced it would be providing Syria with a sophisticated new air defence system after the strikes earlier this month.
Colonel General Sergei Rudskoi said the new missile defence systems would be delivered “soon”. He did not specify the type of weapons, but Russian media reports have said Moscow was considering supplying Damascus with the S-300 surface-to-air missile system.
Ms Mordaunt said yesterday that Britain had joined the “limited and targeted” missile strikes as the regime had shown it had “the capability and the intent” to use chemical weapons against the civilian population.
“It is also clear the Syrian regime and its backers, Russia and Iran, will attempt to block every diplomatic effort to hold the regime accountable for these reprehensible and illegal tactics,” she said. “In wielding its UN veto 12 times on Syria, Russia has given a green flag to Assad to perpetrate human rights atrocities against his own people.”
The United Nations is seeking to raise more than $7bn (£5bn) at the donors’ conference attended by about 80 countries, organisations and partners helping to provide aid for victims of the conflict.
Britain has said it will donate another £250 million over the next two years, taking its total support to £450 million this year, with another £300 million in 2019. The European Union hopes the meeting will provide fresh impetus to revive stalled peace moves under the UN.
Magician Dynamo has said his campaign to get Syrian refugee children into education has helped him get better faster in his battle with Chron’s disease.
The Bradford-born star recently addressed world leaders in Brussels in a bid to secure funding to get refugee children into schools. He said: “It’s given me something really serious to focus on that has meant that I’m not focused on myself.” UNITE UNION leader Len McCluskey has voiced “disgust” at backbench Labour critics of Jeremy Corbyn, raising the prospect that those who attacked him over issues like anti-Semitism could face mandatory reselection.
Mr McCluskey was in turn accused of undermining the Labour leader’s efforts to tackle anti-Semitism, which saw him meet leaders of the Jewish community on Tuesday night.
The attempt to smooth relations with the community backfired for Mr Corbyn as leaders of the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC) accused him of failing to back his words with action.
Board of Deputies president Jonathan Arkush and JLC chair Jonathan Goldstein said “a deep cultural change” was needed within Labour to rebuild trust.
Meanwhile, dozens of Labour MPs marched in support of Jewish colleague Ruth Smeeth as she prepared to give evidence at the disciplinary hearing of a suspended party member accused of anti-Semitism. They were met by a small group of protesters carrying placards and chanting their support for activist Marc Wadsworth, who was suspended after launching a verbal attack on Ms Smeeth.
Writing in the magazine, Mr McCluskey accused MPs in Labour’s centrist faction of “working overtime trying to present the Labour Party as a morass of misogyny, antiSemitism and bullying”.
While stressing his own opposition to anti-Semitism, he accused “promiscuous critics” of “polluting” the leader’s efforts to tackle the problem.