Boris Johnson A ‘Disgrace’ For Repeating ‘Misleading’ £350m Brexit Claim, Says Senior Tory MP

Boris Johnson has been branded a “disgrace” by a senior Conservative MP for repeating the claim that the UK sends £350m a week to the EU.

Sarah Wollaston, the chair of the Commons health committee, said the foreign secretary was once again deliberately “misleading” people.

During the referendum campaign, Johnson famously toured the country in a bus with the £350m figure plastered across its side with a promise to redirect the money to the NHS after Brexit.

In an interview with The Guardian on Monday, Johnson went even further and claimed the true cost of the UK’s membership of the EU would be £438m by 2022.

Wollaston told BBC Radio 5 Live on Wednesday morning, Wollaston said she had “no idea” why Johnson kept making the claim. “He should stop doing so,” she added.

“He should stop using that figure. I feel it was entirely a deliberate deception. They knew that figure was incorrect,” she said.

Wollaston, a former GP, initially had intended to back the ‘Leave’ campaign, but switched sides, in part due to the £350m figure.

“I had people [on the Leave campaign] repeatedly saying to me: ‘Well all that matters is people remember a big number’.

“I found that shocking. I think it’s absolutely shocking there are people continuing to use it. He should stop using it. It is a disgrace and I feel very strongly about that.”

Anna Soubry, one of the key pro-Remain Tory backbenchers, yesterday said Johnson had “conned″ voters with the NHS promise. “Our foreign secretary, who holds after all one of the Great Offices of State, is not squaring up and being honest with the British public – and they deserve honesty as we leave the European Union,” she told the BBC.

According to The Daily Telegraph, Johnson has told Theresa May she must give the NHS an extra £100m a week after Brexit in order to prevent Jeremy Corbyn from becoming prime minister. 

Labour has reported Johnson to the UK Statistics Authority over his claim the £350m figure is too low.

Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer said Johnson had “chosen to repeat this statement and expand on the claim even further. I do not believe this to be acceptable”.

In September, the UK Statistics Authority accused Johnson of a “a clear misuse” of figures for the £350m a week claim.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/boris-johnson-a-disgrace-for-repeating-misleading-ps350m-brexit-claim-says-senior-tory-mp_uk_5a5f26f3e4b096ecfca8e20d

Verdachtsfälle von Kindesmissbrauch durch Bundeswehrangehörige haben zugenommen

www.huffingtonpost.de/entry/verdachtsfalle-von-kindesmissbrauch-durch-bundeswehrangehorige-haben-zugenommen_de_5a5efcfbe4b096ecfca8a939

Why We Should Tackle The Global Challenge Of Uncorrected Poor Vision
I was in my forties when I discovered that I have an interiorised stammer – a relatively common problem, affecting over 750,000 people in the UK – and, thanks to a diagnosis and treatment from a speech therapist, I have been able to understand the condition and carry on with my career, knowing it is just part of who I am.

It just never occurred to me that it should hold me back. So, I am eager to find out the reasons why an estimated 2.5 billion people worldwide, according to the Clearly campaign, continue to suffer from a condition which hinders children’s education, undermines economic productivity and entrenches gender inequality, and yet is perfectly treatable: poor vision.

Affecting almost a third of the world’s population, uncorrected poor vision – by which I mean natural short-sightedness (myopia) or the gradual loss of vision that comes to everyone of a certain age (presbyopia) – proves to be a huge obstacle to global economic development.

Uncorrected poor vision creates a litany of small setbacks for people whose lives would be drastically improved with a straightforward solution: a simple pair of glasses.

It increases the toll of healthcare provision and the indirect costs of road and domestic accidents and informal family care, and it leads to lost income and workplace productivity.

And the total global cost is huge. Access Economics has estimated that the global cost of poor vision is as much as $3 trillion a year.

Poor vision itself is not the subject of any UN’s Security Council Resolutions or any of the Sustainable Development Goals. While there are laudable efforts to fund medical interventions for the 165 million people worldwide who could suffer sight loss without attention, there is no multilateral commitment in place to tackle poor vision.

Yet, if we were to tackle poor vision like we tackled diseases like polio, we would face enjoy significant economics returns, lift people out of poverty and improve the quality of life for literally billions of people.

Many of our multilateral health and development targets would be impossible to achieve without tackling poor vision. For example, global goals to deliver quality education, decent work and gender equality.

The important point is that glasses are genuinely affordable, costing as little as £1 to produce.

Outlining the objectives of the Clearly campaign, its founder James Chen has highlighted four obstacles standing in our way – what he calls ‘the four Ds’.

The first is diagnosis. In most countries, eye tests are the preserve of optometrists who generally need four years of training. Yet technology allows someone with just three days training to carry out a simple test. Of course, we should be training more optometrists but it is much cheaper to train community nurses, teachers and even entrepreneurs – as countries like Rwanda and Botswana are doing.

And even when people are diagnosed, the logistical challenges of distribution, getting glasses to where they are needed, holds back a nationwide solution. Most of the billions of people with poor vision live in rural parts of the developing world, but they are not totally inaccessible. If you can buy a bottle of coke or packet of biscuits in rural villages around the world, why can’t we distribute glasses too?

The lengthy supply chain and the payment of import taxes and duties add many dollars in value to the average pair of glasses – particularly prescription glasses – by the time they are sold, putting them out of reach to families on low incomes.

Organisations like Vision for a Nation and Vision Spring have sought to tackle this challenge by subsidising the cost of a pair of glasses in counties like Rwanda and Bangladesh in the hope of creating a market for glasses that cost as little as £1.

Yet the final ‘D’ – demand – still poses problems. Those who wear glasses have always encountered social stigma, which can stop even those with the right prescription from experiencing the improvements that glasses will bring. When the market reaches a critical mass, this problem can be overcome.

Since the invention of glasses 700 years ago – and their proliferation after the invention of the printing press – clear vision has transformed countless lives. Yet a third of the global population are still living a blurry life.

It’s time to help the whole world see.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/why-we-should-tackle-the-global-challenge-of-uncorrected-poor-vision_uk_5a5e3091e4b03c41896966fe

Top-News To Go: Martin Schulz will GroKo-Nachbesserungen nach zwei Jahren

www.huffingtonpost.de/entry/martin-schulz-will-groko-nachbesserungen-nach-zwei-jahren_de_5a5ee542e4b0ee2ff32b92f5

‘Home And Away’ Star Jessica Falkholt Dies Following Boxing Day Crash That Killed Her Parents And Sister

Former ‘Home And Away’ star Jessica Falkholt has died at the age of 29.

The actress, who played Hope Morrison on the Aussie soap in 2016, was seriously injured in a highway crash near Ulladulla, New South Wales, on Boxing Day.

Jessica’s parents died at the scene along with a 50-year-old man, after a four-wheel-drive crossed the road and collided with their car.

The soap star and her 21-year-old sister Annabelle were pulled from the wreckage before the vehicles became engulfed by flames.

Annabelle died in hospital soon afterwards. 

Despite undergoing surgery several times, Jessica remained in a coma, before dying on Tuesday (16 Jan).

News of her death was confirmed in a statement from St George Hospital in Sydney. A spokesperson said: “On behalf of the family of Jessica Falkholt, St George Hospital has been asked to advise the media and the community of Jessica’s passing today at 10.20am (local time).

“Jessica passed away from serious injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident on 26 December, 2017.

“The family has asked for privacy during this very difficult time.”

Channel Seven, the Australian broadcaster who produces ‘Home And Away’, stated: “Jessica’s shining talent was recognised and respected by all her cast mates and crew and her beautiful friendship treasured.

“We send our sincere condolences to her extended family and friends during this difficult time.”

During her two-month stint on the soap, Jessica’s character was kidnapped by Spike Lowe, and arrested for stealing credit card details before being sent to prison.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/jessica-falkholt-dead-dies-home-and-away-boxing-day-car-crash_uk_5a5ef288e4b00a7f171ba7c4

Minister Appointed To Tackle Loneliness Issues Raised By Jo Cox
A minister for loneliness has been appointed to help tackle the misery endured by around nine million Britons.

Theresa May has backed a series of recommendations made by the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness, which highlighted how widespread the problem is.

Cox, who was brutally murdered by a far-right terrorist, campaigned across the political divide before her death to find ways to combat loneliness.

As well as announcing Tracey Crouch will become the minister responsible for the issue, the Prime Minister said a cross-government strategy to find ways to stop people feeling lonely will be published later this year.

Great to see this leadership. Appointing a minister might not sound like much, but in tackling a complex crisis like loneliness that cuts across departments it will provide much needed leadership& accountability. Good luck @tracey_crouch, Jo would be over the moon. t.co/UepJk5hGJc

January 16, 2018
On Wednesday, May will host a Downing Street reception to celebrate Ms Cox’s legacy.

Ahead of the event, she said: “For far too many people, loneliness is the sad reality of modern life.

“I want to confront this challenge for our society and for all of us to take action to address the loneliness endured by the elderly, by carers, by those who have lost loved ones, people who have no one to talk to or share their thoughts and experiences with.

“Jo Cox recognised the scale of loneliness across the country and dedicated herself to doing all she could to help those affected.

“So I am pleased that Government can build on her legacy with a ministerial lead for loneliness who will work with the Commission, businesses and charities to shine a light on the issue and pull together all strands of Government to create the first ever strategy.

“We should all do everything we can to see that, in Jo’s memory, we bring an end to the acceptance of loneliness for good.”

Jo Cox’s husband, Brendan, welcomed the appointment, tweeting: “Great to see this leadership.

“Appointing a minister might not sound like much, but in tackling a complex crisis like loneliness that cuts across departments it will provide much needed leadership and accountability.

“Good luck Tracey Crouch, Jo would be over the moon.”

The Office for National Statistics will help to devise a method of measuring loneliness and a fund will be set up to allow Government and charities to find innovative ways to deal with the problem across all ages, backgrounds and communities.

Crouch said:  “I am sure that with the support of volunteers, campaigners, businesses and my fellow MPs from all sides of the House, we can make significant progress in defeating loneliness.

“This is an issue that Jo cared passionately about and we will honour her memory by tackling it, helping the millions of people across the UK who suffer from loneliness.”

A study by The Co-op and the British Red Cross showed more than nine million people always or often feel lonely, while Age UK found 200,000 older people have not had a conversation with a friend or relative in more than a month and Scope said up to 85% of young disabled adults feel lonely.

The Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness, chaired by Labour’s Rachel Reeves and Conservative Seema Kennedy, worked with 13 charities over the last year to help find solutions to the problem.

Reeves and Kennedy said: “We are really pleased to see that the Government is taking the issue of loneliness very seriously with its prompt response to our report. Jo Cox said that ‘young or old, loneliness doesn’t discriminate’.

“Throughout 2017 we have heard from new parents, children, disabled people, carers, refugees and older people about their experience of loneliness.

“We very much welcome that Government has accepted the Commission’s recommendations including the appointment of a new ministerial lead who will have the responsibility for creating a national strategy to tackle loneliness.”

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/minister-loneliness-jo-cox_uk_5a5ec023e4b0ee2ff32b84ad