Prince Harry Labelled ‘Slave Master’ By Protesters On Tour Of Jamaica

Prince Harry was labelled a “slave master” as he faced a small protest on his tour of Jamaica.

Harry was met with demonstrators as he arrived at the William Knibb Baptist church in Falmouth, Jamaica to pay tribute to Knibb, who campaigned against slavery.

Three demonstrators waved placards. One read: “Down with Harry the slave master”, while another demanded “reparations for 400 years of slavery” and asked: “Your Granny says slavery was not a crime, what do you think Harry?”.

Stephen Riviere, of the Hanover Rastafarian group, said: “The House of Windsor has made a fortune off the back of slavery and the Jamaican government should ditch the monarchy as soon as possible.”

Earlier Harry showed off his prowess on the firing range, and proved he is a top marksman. But he also changed his plans to join in an abseiling demonstration after the news that six British soldiers had been killed in a single incident in Afghanistan.

Later Harry, 27, laughed as nearby geese began clucking before the William Knibb Memorial High School choir performed a comic song about Jamaican food.

Iran: Cameron, Merkel And Sarkozy Demand Regime Ends Nuclear Ambitions

David Cameron, Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy have issued a statement amid EU oil sanctions imposed against Iran today.

The move comes after Britain joined the United States and France in sending a flotilla of warships through the sensitive Strait of Hormuz as tensions escalate of over the regime’s controversial nuclear programme.

The statement said: “Today, the EU agreed an unprecedented package of sanctions on Iran, including a full ban on Iranian oil exports.

“Our message is clear. We have no quarrel with the Iranian people. But the Iranian leadership has failed to restore international confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear programme. We will not accept Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon. Iran has so far had no regard for its international obligations and is already exporting and threatening violence around its region.

“We call on Iran’s leadership immediately to suspend its sensitive nuclear activities and abide fully by its international obligations. The door is open to Iran to engage in serious and meaningful negotiations about its nuclear programme. Until Iran comes to the table, we will be united behind strong measures to undermine the regime’s ability to fund its nuclear programme, and to demonstrate the cost of a path that threatens the peace and security of us all.”

Gurkhas ‘Set To Be Hit Hardest By Defence Cuts’

The government’s “shoddy” treatment of Gurkhas was criticised by Labour on Friday, as reports suggested they will be hit by the latest defence cuts.

 

The BBC reported the Nepalese infantrymen will bear the brunt of the 5,000 Ministry of Defence (MoD) redundancies, due to be announced on Tuesday.

 

It is feared the Royal Gurkha Rifles, who have served alongside the British Army for almost 200 years, will be disproportionately affected relative to their ranks, which total 3,500.

 

Shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy said in a statement: “This is a shoddy way to treat those who have shown years of bravery for our country.

 

“This is the second painful cut the Gurkhas have had to endure in just a few months.

London 2012 Olympics To Be Protected By 13,500 Armed Forces Personnel

Around 13,500 armed forces personnel will deployed to defend the London Olympics, the Ministry of Defence has announced.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said on Thursday that he expected 7,500 soldiers to be stationed around the Olympic venues in the capital itself, while the remainder provide security across the rest of the country at various events.

“This defence contribution is on a similar scale to that deployed at other recent Olympic Games and will contribute to ensuring a safe, secure and enjoyable 2012,” he said.

“Olympics. Defence will continue to be able to support current and contingent operations during the Games and my priority will remain the troops we have deployed on operations, including in Afghanistan, before, during and after the Olympics.”

There are currently between 9,500 and 10,000 British armed forces personnel deployed in Afghanistan.

There will also be a 1,000 strong rapid-reaction force ready to respond to emergency situations.

Hamond said the total venue guard-force would likely be around 23,700. The funding for security operations at London 2012 was recently doubled raising overall security costs for the 2012 games to more than 1 billion pounds

In addition to the troops, the Royal Navy’s largest warship HMS Ocean will be stationed in the Thames near Greenwhich as a helicopter landing platform and to provide security on the river.

HMS Bulwark meanwhile will patrol Weymouth Bay, providing security for the sailing competitions.

RAF Typhoon jets will also patrol London’s skies supported by helicopters from HMS Ocean and ground based air defence systems.

In November it was reported that the United States was considering sending 1,000 security agents, including 500 from the FBI, to protect its athletes and diplomats at the games.

According to the Guardian, Scotland Yard’s response to the summer riots undermined US officials’ confidence in the ability of Britain to police the Games.

Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Britain ‘May Be Without Fully Operational Aircraft Carrier Until 2030’

The full costs of scaling back Britain’s aircraft carrier programme are still not fully understood by the Government more than a year after the changes were made in the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), a cross-party committee of MPs has said.

The cash savings from the revised plan will only be £600 million and there remained “considerable uncertainty” about the cost of modifying one of the new ships to accommodate a different kind of fighter jet, according to the Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

That would not be known until December 2012, the committee said. It accused the Ministry of Defence (MOD) of focusing on “short-term” affordability in drawing up options for the SDSR to cover a £38 billion black hole in its budget.

Under the SDSR plans set out in October 2010, the construction of the two Queen Elizabeth class carriers ordered by the previous Labour government is going ahead.

However, one of the ships will be mothballed to save costs and the other will be converted to operate a cheaper Joint Strike Fighter, rather than the short take-off, vertical-landing (STOVL) version planned by Labour.

There will be no carrier aircraft capability between 2011 and 2020.

In a report critical of the long-term value for money of the Government’s revised carrier programme, the PAC said: “To convert the ship has changed the profile of risks and costs, and the costs are not yet fully understood. The switch from the STOVL variant of the Joint Strike Fighter to the carrier variant has reduced the technical risks associated with the STOVL aircraft.

Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Liam Fox Resigns Amid Controversy Surrounding Access To MOD By Friend Adam Werritty

Before to resign he could be in tension, however, he is tension free now and somebody possible candidate for that post could be happy and does not know that s/he will be under unexpected pressure, because s/he also could not do anything there.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Gurkhas To Be Made Redundant In Army Cuts

Whetehr they want or not they have no option.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Gurkhas And RAF In Firing Line As MoD Makes Cuts

Their struggle continues with long term uncertaint­y
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Kent campaigner launches petition to ‘save’ Gurkhas

BBC News

A campaigner who fought for the right of former Gurkhas to settle in the UK has launched a petition to defend the

The Royal Gurkha Rifles are based in Folkestone

regiment from defence cuts.

Peter Carroll said he did not want to see the Gurkhas “sacrificed” following speculation that they were vulnerable in the government’s spending review.

Mr Carroll, a councillor in Folkestone, Kent, where the Royal Gurkha Rifles are based, led Joanna Lumley’s campaign.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said speculation on the review is unfounded.

The government’s strategic defence and security review (SDSR) is due to report in October.