As pointed out recently by the 2015 Lancet Commission on Health and Climate Change, the global health improvements witnessed in recent decades risk being undone by climate change.. We also know that most of the existing coal, oil and gas reserves must stay in the ground if this is to be avoided. However, the energy sector’s continued exploration for new fossil fuel reserves makes clear that they will only respond to market forces. The ethical and financial case for fossil fuel divestment is thus well founded, and widely supported by, amongst others, the President of the World Bank and Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO)- both public health physicians. Whilst we commend the Gates Foundation Asset Trust’s recent decision to divest $765.9 million worth of shares from ExxonMobil, we feel that this does not go far enough. By failing to divest from the major fossil fuel companies, the Gates Foundation is implicitly providing moral support to companies that continue to obstruct meaningful action to reduce GHG emissions. Just as important, it sends the wrong signal to many governments who continue to frame their energy policies under the influence of the fossil fuel industry. It also misses the opportunity to support a transition to a safer and healthier world through transfer of investment to the renewable energy sector. Constructive engagement with the fossil fuel industry is important, but the Gates Foundation is better placed to support the transformation of the energy sector if it does not simultaneously signal that it is morally acceptable to profit from industries that cause global warming and threaten the health, biodiversity and security of the planet. Yours sincerely, Dr David McCoy, Medact, UK Prof. Hugh Montgomery, University College London Prof Sue Atkinson and Dr Robin Stott, on behalf of the Climate and Health Council, UK Dr David Pencheon, Director, Sustainable Development Unit for the Health and Social Care System, UK ----------- If you are from outside the UK then please email [email protected] with the following details, and we will add you to the petition manually: Full name, Email, Job title, Country and whether you work in the health sector.

Since July 2013, the EU and the USA have been negotiating on a Transatlantic Trade and Investment partnership (TTIP). These negotiations are to determine which goods and services TTIP will apply to. These negotiations are in secret. MEPS, and MPs are not allowed to see the documentation. As tariffs between the EU and the US are low anyway, the main focus is on increasing trade through the harmonisation of standards as this will supposedly stimulate the economy.. What this actually means could well be a lowering of environmental standards and standards regarding hazardous chemicals and food safety, and labour rights, to the detriment of the majority of the population. TTIP also includes usage of the Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS). This allows corporations to sue Governments if a government passes a law which could infringe on the profit that that corporation expects to make. In the past, with other Trade agreements, the ISDS has been used to overturn democratic decisions by all levels of governments at significant public cost. ISDS provides for the usage of secret private arbitration tribunals which are held in secret, and there is no possibility of appeal against decisions. One case where a government has been dragged before an ISDS tribunal as a result of a decision by a local authority has already happened: In 1997, the US waste management company Metalclad sued the Mexican government as the municipality of Guadalcazar , in San Luis Potosi State , had rejected their application to run a hazardous waste depot. In spite of San Luis Potosi declaring the area a nature reserve, Metaclad sued Mexico , who had to pay a fine of $15.6 millions. This was possible under the Investor State dispute settlement, part of NAFTA, and also in TTIP.* Fines have been up to billions of dollars and the cost of an ISDS case averages $ 8,000,000. If governments start passing laws and making decisions out of fear of being sued by corporations then this will have a devastating effect on democracy, especially in times of austerity. Sourcing of supplies and employment by local governments is badly needed to local economies and TTIP could prevent this happening. Although local authorities would be bound by whatever will be in the final TTIP treaty, there has been no impact assessment of the effects of TTIP on local authorities, neither has there been any consultation of local governments or organisations representing local governments. They have not been allowed to scrutinise negotiation documents. What is especially important for local authorities is that under TTIP procurements for goods and services would have to be tendered across the entire EU and US area. Very likely is that the winners would be multi-national corporations. Local firms simply would not get a look-in and money otherwise supporting the local ecnomy and providing local jobs would go elsewhere. And besides, under the ISDS clause in TTIP any attempt by a local authority to reverse this could result in the UK being sued before a secret ISDS tribunal. This has already happened I other countries (see Metaclad suing Mexico because Guadalcazar council turned down a hazardous waste dump). We would like Barnet to join the hundreds of local authorities across Europe have declared themselves TTIP-free zones including over 26 local authorities in the UK including Conservative-run North Somerset,, 64 in Spain 450 in France and 300 in Germany, including Barnet's twin town Siegen-Wittgenstein.

It is important to the economy and confidence in Sierra Leone that British Airways reinstates flights to Sierra Leone. When the Ebola crisis hit Sierra Leone major airlines stopped flights. This led to the loss of thousands of jobs. It is now 10 days since Sierra Leone was declared Ebola free but British Airways have yet to re start flight http://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/destinations/freetown/flights-to-freetown?clickpage=destinations-en--africa--index&kmtag=c&ban=||ACC|1|LNK15|||||CampID||||L2||||||| S/Leone in talks over London-Freetown flights Par KC/as/APACréé le 2015-11-23 16:22:17 The authorities in Sierra Leone are reportedly in talks for a new flight linking their capital Freetown and London as repeated requests for British Airways (BA) to resumes its services remain fruitless. BA first suspended its flights to Freetown on August 2014, claiming fears of a possible transmission of the Ebola virus. That followed reports of cases where the disease was reported in foreign countries through air travel. However, over two weeks after Sierra Leone was declared free of the virus, the airline is reluctant to resume flights to the country. The new flight in the pipeline, according to the pro-government Torchlight newspaper in Freetown, which on Monday criticized the British government over BA`s continued reluctance, will be provided by Kevin McPhilips Travels. About seven airlines subsequently suspended flights to Freetown during the peak of the epidemic, but almost all of them, with the exception of BA, have since resumed flying to Freetown. BA has been a major concern because it was the only one linking directly the two cities. “Sierra Leoneans felt abandoned by the former colonial masters when even an attempt by Gambia Bird Airlines to resume direct flights was met with stiff rejection from the British government,” the Torchlight said in its Monday editorial. The paper said if all goes as planned, the new airline is scheduled to commence flight between Lungi International Airport in Freetown and Gatwick in London in December. But, Tony Rogers, who in February 2015 worked at the British-built Kerry Town Ebola Treatment Center in Freetown, finds the suspension of the flights as an “unjust” attempt at isolating the country. Rogers therefore set up an online petition on the site 38 Degrees. “I understand that there has been an enormous economic impact of loss of tourism and commercial trade by the airlines such as British Airways. “I understand that some airlines have returned but British Airways remains sadly reticent regarding reinstating flights,” the UK nurse told APA in an emailed statement. KC/as/APA - APANEWS

We now know that all of the offices in Bootle and Netherton – The Triad, Litherland House, St John’s House and Comben House – are set to close by or before 2020. This means that around 3,000 staff face a move to Liverpool. This will result in job losses, as they are among around 6,000 staff facing the move to Liverpool in the North West while the new Regional Centre will only hold between 2,800 and 3,100 staff. It will also devastate the local economy, putting many businesses particularly along Stanley Road who rely on HMRC staff custom to survive at risk of closure. We believe the plans in their entirety represent the simplistic vision of a senior civil service who like the way things look on paper, and don’t care in the slightest how their organisational pipe dream impacts on people. The reality is these plans hurt, both members and the Bootle community as a whole.

The Edinburgh International Festival's mission is to contribute to "many aspects of life, be it cultural and economic, education and society and enhances the lives of people not just in Edinburgh and Scotland, but around the world". We believe this vision is at odds with the human rights abuses and environmental destruction perpetrated by one of the Festival's sponsor: oil giant BP. BP is now being taken to court by Gilberto Torres (pictured above in the middle), former Columbian trade union leader, with the assistance of War on Want and a British law firm for being complicit in the crimes perpetrated by the oil company Ocensa. The company is accused of financing the torture, murder and disappearance of more than 12,000 people in the oil-rich and politically unstable region of Casanare. While issues of funding are of increasing importance to cultural institutions, we strongly believe there is no rationale to justify the reconciliation of fossil fuel corporations and the arts. Therefore, we are now calling on the Edinburgh International Festival to remove BP from its corporate sponsors.

The vast majority of visitors to Britain fly into London, with a list of things they want to see and do. Visiting Scotland is often high on their list. LOCH NESS is arguably the most world famous destination in Scotland. People across the world recognize the name LOCH NESS. To attract more visitors we should capitalise on this. Change the name to "Inverness LOCH NESS International Airport". We will then be competing strongly with Edinburgh and Glasgow Airports. This should also help to make the new Heathrow to Inverness flights busier, thus helping to retain this vital link.

This is immoral as such companies should not promote and profit from the impulse buying of sugary snacks, which increase the risk of obesity and diabetes. Furthermore, they should not impose such sales targets on their staff.

Last night, the full 6000 page TPPA treaty was released online for the general public. The trans-pacific partnership is a trade agreement signed by 12 Pacific Rim countries, and it is very much their version of TTIP, our agreement between the US and Europe. Although the deals text has been 'agreed to', it is still under scrutiny and has not been signed. In the wake of its release, I demand that TTIP's full text also be released. Whatever bargaining power and 'holding our cards close' techniques the negotiators were using, is now irrelevant. In the name of transparency and democracy, this document should be available for us all to see. Its a shame we have to make this demand in the first place. This document should have been public from the moment it began being negotiated. But now that TPPA is in public domain, TTIP should also be published. We demand that you publish the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership in its entirety, available for translation and with no chapters censored. Thanks very much. Lydia.

Farmers are throwing away tonnes of fresh food because supermarkets only accept “perfect” fruit and vegetables of an exact shape and size. The supermarkets are worried misshapen potatoes put customers off. But we are their customers - so let’s tell them we’ll buy fruit and veg that looks the way mother nature intended it. A huge petition, powered by shoppers, could convince supermarket bosses to stop rejecting perfectly good food.

Over 50 farmers have now lost their farms to Acorn Finance. It is described as Fraud in Parliament - see: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmhansrd/cm141111/halltext/141111h0001.htm Please see what happened to Mr Atkinson of Birks Farm, Cumbria: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-32326704

I am very deaf and rely on subtitling to make sense of what I am seeing. Generally speaking my complaint is aimed at recorded programmes in which subtitles are sometimes so far out of synchronicity, or simply absent for such long periods, that action on screen is over long before the words appear. Many channels appear not to use subtitling at all. I usually cannot watch them.

It is a matter of safety to have correct tyre pressures and a clean windscreen.