Tuesday, May 07, 2019
CRIMINAL CAPITALISM
Kraft Heinz to restate nearly three years of financial reports after investigation
(Reuters) - Kraft Heinz Co will restate financial reports for a near three-year period to fix errors that resulted from lapses in procurement practices by some of its employees, the packaged food company said in a filing on Monday.
The company also said it received an additional subpoena from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in March, related to the assessment of goodwill and asset impairments and a request for documents associated with the procurement operations.
Kraft had disclosed a SEC subpoena in February related to an investigation into its accounting practices and, procurement procedures. Following the subpoena, the company initiated an investigation into the procurement practices.
Kraft Heinz said the misstatement was not “quantitatively material” to its financial reports, adding that its investigation was substantially complete and that it would continue to cooperate with the SEC.
Along with the subpoena, the company had also announced a $15.4 billion write-down of its Kraft and Oscar Mayer brands in February and Monday’s filing revealed that the misstatements would increase the amount by about $13 million.
Due to these findings, the company said it would not be able to timely file its quarterly report for the period ended March 30.
“While we expect there will be more change, the worst of the uncertainty surrounding financial statements appears to be over,” Consumer Edge Research’s Jonathan Feeney said.
Shares of the company were marginally up at $32.70 in noon trading.
Warren Buffett, whose Berkshire Hathaway Inc is Kraft Heinz’s largest shareholder with a 26.7 percent stake, told CNBC after Kraft Heinz disclosed the restatements that the company had his confidence.
The misstatements in Kraft’s reports for the years 2016, 2017 and the first nine months of 2018 mainly relates to the timing and recognition of supplier contracts in the procurement area.
The investigation and review required adjustments of about $208 million related to the costs of products sold and the findings from the investigation also revealed that there was no misconduct from any member of Kraft Heinz’s senior management.
Kraft also said it reviewed supplier contracts and found additional misstatements may or may not have resulted from the misconduct tied to its procurement practices.
“The company is taking action to improve our policies and procedures and will continue to strengthen our internal financial controls,” Kraft Heinz spokesman Michael Mullen said.
Reporting by Aishwarya Venugopal in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Sriraj Kalluvila
(Reuters) - Kraft Heinz Co will restate financial reports for a near three-year period to fix errors that resulted from lapses in procurement practices by some of its employees, the packaged food company said in a filing on Monday.
The company also said it received an additional subpoena from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in March, related to the assessment of goodwill and asset impairments and a request for documents associated with the procurement operations.
Kraft had disclosed a SEC subpoena in February related to an investigation into its accounting practices and, procurement procedures. Following the subpoena, the company initiated an investigation into the procurement practices.
Kraft Heinz said the misstatement was not “quantitatively material” to its financial reports, adding that its investigation was substantially complete and that it would continue to cooperate with the SEC.
Along with the subpoena, the company had also announced a $15.4 billion write-down of its Kraft and Oscar Mayer brands in February and Monday’s filing revealed that the misstatements would increase the amount by about $13 million.
Due to these findings, the company said it would not be able to timely file its quarterly report for the period ended March 30.
“While we expect there will be more change, the worst of the uncertainty surrounding financial statements appears to be over,” Consumer Edge Research’s Jonathan Feeney said.
Shares of the company were marginally up at $32.70 in noon trading.
Warren Buffett, whose Berkshire Hathaway Inc is Kraft Heinz’s largest shareholder with a 26.7 percent stake, told CNBC after Kraft Heinz disclosed the restatements that the company had his confidence.
The misstatements in Kraft’s reports for the years 2016, 2017 and the first nine months of 2018 mainly relates to the timing and recognition of supplier contracts in the procurement area.
The investigation and review required adjustments of about $208 million related to the costs of products sold and the findings from the investigation also revealed that there was no misconduct from any member of Kraft Heinz’s senior management.
Kraft also said it reviewed supplier contracts and found additional misstatements may or may not have resulted from the misconduct tied to its procurement practices.
“The company is taking action to improve our policies and procedures and will continue to strengthen our internal financial controls,” Kraft Heinz spokesman Michael Mullen said.
Reporting by Aishwarya Venugopal in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Sriraj Kalluvila
2.8 million people owe $495 billion , as of March
The $1.6 trillion in US student debt may not pose a direct threat to the economy, but it’s causing anguish that goes far beyond financial concerns for the people who owe it.
One in 15 borrowers has considered suicide due to their school loans, according to a survey of 829 people conducted last month by Student Loan Planner, a debt advisory group.
Most student debt is held by people with balances on the lower end of the scale, with only 0.8 percent of the US population owing more than $100,000 according to Deutsche Bank economists.
They have labelled the issue as a “micro problem” for individuals, rather than a macro problem for the economy.
Yet that still equates to 2.8 million people with around $495 billion in debt as of March, according to US Department of Education data.
Even more worrying is that it’s an increase of almost $61 billion since the end of 2017.
Student loans are the second-biggest kind of debt in America behind home mortgages and often more expensive to service relative to the amount owed because interest rates are generally higher.
Not to mention that unlike buying a home, an education isn’t a tangible asset that can be sold.
It’s also turning into a hot political issue as next year’s presidential election approaches.
Senator Elizabeth Warren has proposed a plan to cancel loans for many borrowers, while former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper addressed some of the knock-on effects for the economy in a presentation at the Milken Institute conference earlier this week.
BLOOMBERG
Jane Birkin et Serge Gainsbourg - Je T'aime,...Moi Non Plus https://youtu.be/k3Fa4lOQfbA
Fifty years ago, the sound of a woman having an orgasm was a No 1 hit. Its singer talks to Simon Hardeman about sex, Serge Gainsbourg and heavy breathing
In 1969, Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin’s “Je T’Aime… Moi Non Plus” became the first banned record and the first foreign-language single to reach No 1 in the UK. It still is, uniquely for such a pop hit, an erotic sound-collage of two people having sex.
Over a sultry, repetitive tune from a cheesy organ, the 22-year-old Birkin breathes, “je t’aime, je t’aime…”, while the 40-year-old Gainsbourg louchely growls “moi non plus” (“me neither”). It builds, via increasingly heavy breathing, to Birkin’s orgasmic chorusing of “tu vas, tu vas et tu viens/ entre mes reins” (“you come, you come and you go/ between my kidneys”). Yes, the words: I’ll come to them.
The song wasn’t written for Birkin. It was composed two years earlier at the behest of Brigitte Bardot, at that point probably the world’s most famous sex symbol, and with whom the French music producer and provocateur Gainsbourg was beginning an affair. Their recording, made in a vocal booth with very steamed-up windows, caused a scandal that led to her then-husband demanding its suppression (it was eventually released in 1986).
A COVER WAS DONE BY SEX MAGICK BAND PSYCHIC TV
Giulio Regeni: Cambridge student 'tortured to death for being British spy'
'We thought he was an English spy, we took him ... and after loading him in the car we had to beat him', witness allegedly says
Samuel Osborne @SamuelOsborne93
Giulio Regeni's body was found with broken bones and shattered teeth, and letters had been carved into his skin ( )
A Cambridge University student who was tortured to death in Egypt was murdered because he was suspected of being a British spy, according to a report in an Italian newspaper.
Giulio Regeni, an Italian man who was 28 at the time of his death, went missing in January 2016 before his body was discovered more than a week later at roadside in Cairo.
His body showed signs of torture, having suffered broken bones and shattered teeth, and letters had been carved into his skin.
Mr Regeni’s family believe he was killed by Egypt’s security services because he was researching labour unions which had opposed president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as part of his PhD at Cambridge University‘s Girton College.
Now a new witness has come forward and told Mr Regeni’s family he overheard an Egyptian intelligence agent speaking about “the Italian guy” and saying the student had been beaten because he was thought to be a British spy.
“We thought he was an English spy, we took him, I went and after loading him in the car we had to beat him,” the intelligence agent allegedly said, according to the Correre della Sera newspaper.
“I hit him in the face,” the agent reportedly added.
'We thought he was an English spy, we took him ... and after loading him in the car we had to beat him', witness allegedly says
Samuel Osborne @SamuelOsborne93
Giulio Regeni's body was found with broken bones and shattered teeth, and letters had been carved into his skin ( )
A Cambridge University student who was tortured to death in Egypt was murdered because he was suspected of being a British spy, according to a report in an Italian newspaper.
Giulio Regeni, an Italian man who was 28 at the time of his death, went missing in January 2016 before his body was discovered more than a week later at roadside in Cairo.
His body showed signs of torture, having suffered broken bones and shattered teeth, and letters had been carved into his skin.
Mr Regeni’s family believe he was killed by Egypt’s security services because he was researching labour unions which had opposed president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as part of his PhD at Cambridge University‘s Girton College.
Now a new witness has come forward and told Mr Regeni’s family he overheard an Egyptian intelligence agent speaking about “the Italian guy” and saying the student had been beaten because he was thought to be a British spy.
“We thought he was an English spy, we took him, I went and after loading him in the car we had to beat him,” the intelligence agent allegedly said, according to the Correre della Sera newspaper.
“I hit him in the face,” the agent reportedly added.
The conversation is said to have taken place at a police convention in an unnamed African country in 2017.
The Egyptian agent’s name was passed to Italian prosecutors, who believe the evidence is credible.
They have requested Egyptian prosecutors outline the agent’s whereabouts at the time of the alleged conversation in 2017.
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Egypt has strenuously denied its security services were involved in Mr Regeni’s death, and initially said he died in a car accident before blaming a gang for his murder.
Italy recalled its ambassador to Cairo in April 2016 in protest at the slow pace of the probe into Mr Regeni’s death, though a replacement was sent a year later.
The Egyptian agent’s name was passed to Italian prosecutors, who believe the evidence is credible.
They have requested Egyptian prosecutors outline the agent’s whereabouts at the time of the alleged conversation in 2017.
Support free-thinking journalism and subscribe to Independent Minds
Egypt has strenuously denied its security services were involved in Mr Regeni’s death, and initially said he died in a car accident before blaming a gang for his murder.
Italy recalled its ambassador to Cairo in April 2016 in protest at the slow pace of the probe into Mr Regeni’s death, though a replacement was sent a year later.
Turkey officials order re-run of Istanbul election, voiding win for Erdogan opposition
"We are thirsty for justice," opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu says
DICTATOR ERDOGAN FAILS TO WIN RIGGED ELECTION DEMANDS DO OVER
Borzou DaragahiIstanbul @borzou
10 hours ago
Getty
Turkish authorities on Monday ordered a redo of an election won by an opponent of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s political party, snatching away a major victory from the country’s opposition.
Under heavy pressure by Mr Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) Turkey’s High Election Commission (YSK), which is described as packed with the president’s loyalists, cancelled the results of 31 March Istanbul mayoral elections narrowly won by Ekrem Imamoglu, a rising star in the Turkish opposition.
The news was reported by Turkey's state-run Anatolia News Agency. It sent the Turkish lira, already battered by inflation and high borrowing costs, tumbling.
Mr Imamoglu appearing before a crowd of supporters struck a defiant tone.
"We won this election by the hard work of millions of people; they attempted to steal our rightfully won elections," he said. "We are thirsty for justice. The decision-makers in this country may be in a state unawareness, error or even treason, but we will never give up."
As shock and anger over the news spread, supporters of Mr Imamoglu began banging pots and pans in a cacophony of peaceful protest throughout the city.
"One of the worst days for Turkey’s beleaguered democracy," wrote Asli Adintasbas, a journalist and commentator.
Mr Imamoglu was handed the mandate to govern last month, lifting the spirits of Erdogan’s opponents, despite vague and unsubstantiated accusations of cheating and election fraud by the AKP and its loyalists.
Mr Imamoglu’s victory marked the first time in 25 years that Istanbul, a city of 16 million that is Turkey's economic powerhouse, fell out of the hands of Mr Erdogan’s political party. The AKP also lost control of the capital, Ankara, for the first time in 25 years but with a much larger margin.
The YSK overturned the election results on a technicality, arguing that some of those who served on election boards in the city were not civil servants. Mr Imamoglu mocked the ruling. "With the same election rules, a president has been elected, a referendum has been held, so there is also uncertainty over the Constitution and the President's position," he said.
Mr Imamoglu's opponent, Binali Yilidrim, said he would wait for the final election commission ruling to emerge before weighing in.
Istanbul is a major source of patronage cash, with real-estate deals used to seal ties between the AKP and developers who are the pillar of the party. Municipal election losses enraged AKP supporters, causing division within the party's ranks.
While new elections -- said to scheduled for either 23 June or 7 July -- could bring Istanbul back under the control of the AKP, it also carries political risk, should the party lose by even a larger margin. Already the party's handling of the election loss had made it look petty and power hungry, while cementing the unflappable Mr Imamoglu's stature as a national political phenomenon.
"The AKP has single-handedly created a hero of the people as the economy crashes around them," wrote commentator and frequent AKP critic Can Okar. "This is how the end begins."
AND PREDICTABLY THE DICTATOR OF TURKEY SAYS
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday the decision to re-run Istanbul's mayoral election was an important step toward strengthening democracy, describing the March vote as marred by "organized corruption" and illegality.
NANAIMO BYELECTION
May 6, 2019
Greens claim historic 2nd federal seat with upset byelection win in Nanaimo-Ladysmith
By Richard Zussman and Simon Little Global NewsUpdated: May 6, 2019 11:07 pm
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May is about to get some company in Ottawa.
The Green Party’s Paul Manly has won the Nanaimo-Ladysmith byelection, breaking through to win the party`s second seat in the House of Commons.
Manly becomes the second-ever federal Green Party candidate in Canada`s history to win an election, taking home more than 37 per cent of the vote.
WATCH: One-on-one interview with MP-Elect Paul Manly of the Green Party
Blair Wilson and Bruce Hyer both served as Green MPs but jumped to the party after winning elections for other parties.
Manly told cheering supporters that Monday’s win was the result of a positive campaign based on ideas.
“How we can change the economy that we are working in to protect the environment that we need for our health, for our children, for our grandchildren. How we can do a better job of taking care of people, those that are less fortunate,” he said.
“I’ve been working with people who have suffered, who have been homeless not of their own fault at all because of the way the economy has moved in this community. With the housing boom, stagnant wages. We know we can do better,” he said.
Manly maintained a double digit lead throughout the evening, and was on track to beat the second place finisher by close to 15 per cent.
Green Party Canada
✔@CanadianGreens
Greens across the country right now. We did it! #NanaimoLadysmith #cdnpoli #GreenWave #GreensWin
178
10:59 PM - May 6, 2019
80 people are talking about this
Manly was the only byelection candidate who ran in the 2015 general election in Nanaimo-Ladysmith.
In the that federal general election, the Greens finished fourth with 19.2 per cent, the strongest finish from a fourth place candidate in Canada.
The result is a serious blow to the NDP, who many pundits had favoured to win the byelection.
With nearly all the votes counted, the party looked likely to finish a disappointing third place, with about 23.5 per cent of the vote.
Richard Zussman
✔@richardzussman
.@ChiefBobbyc opens speech congratulating @paulmanly. Says NDP has the ‘clear foresight for what this country needs’ #CDNpoli
1
11:04 PM - May 6, 2019
Under leader Jagmeet Singh the party has now lost two held ridings: Nanaimo-Ladysmith and Outremont, former leader Thomas Mulcair’s seat that fell in February.
WATCH: Paul Manly on what changes he wants to see, now the he is an MP-elect
The loss stalls the third party at 40 seats across the country and loosens the stranglehold the party has on Vancouver Island. The Greens now hold two seats on the Island, compared to the five held by the NDP.
Chamberlin, a well known First Nations leader, is expected to run for the party again in October`s general election.
READ MORE: Voters head to polls for byelection in Nanaimo, an important indicator ahead of federal vote
Conservative candidate John Hirst did well in the north part of the riding, and while he earned more than 24 per cent of the vote — an improvement on the Conservatives’ 23.4 per cent in 2015 — he could not gather enough support in the rest of riding for a win.
Hirst, a father of six-month-old and two-year-old children, was taking his first crack at electoral politics and wants to consult with his family before committing to a run in the fall.
Liberal candidate Michelle Corfield finished fourth, a significant drop for the party that finished second in the riding four years ago. The Liberals tallied less than 11 per cent of the vote, less than half the 23.5 per cent they managed in 2015.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was required to call the byelection after Sheila Malcolmson resigned the seat in January. Malcolmson stepped down after she won the provincial byelecton in January.
Nanaimo voters will return to the ballot box in just five months, for the Oct. 21 general election.
© 2019 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
May 6, 2019
Greens claim historic 2nd federal seat with upset byelection win in Nanaimo-Ladysmith
By Richard Zussman and Simon Little Global NewsUpdated: May 6, 2019 11:07 pm
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May is about to get some company in Ottawa.
The Green Party’s Paul Manly has won the Nanaimo-Ladysmith byelection, breaking through to win the party`s second seat in the House of Commons.
Manly becomes the second-ever federal Green Party candidate in Canada`s history to win an election, taking home more than 37 per cent of the vote.
WATCH: One-on-one interview with MP-Elect Paul Manly of the Green Party
Blair Wilson and Bruce Hyer both served as Green MPs but jumped to the party after winning elections for other parties.
Manly told cheering supporters that Monday’s win was the result of a positive campaign based on ideas.
“How we can change the economy that we are working in to protect the environment that we need for our health, for our children, for our grandchildren. How we can do a better job of taking care of people, those that are less fortunate,” he said.
“I’ve been working with people who have suffered, who have been homeless not of their own fault at all because of the way the economy has moved in this community. With the housing boom, stagnant wages. We know we can do better,” he said.
Manly maintained a double digit lead throughout the evening, and was on track to beat the second place finisher by close to 15 per cent.
Green Party Canada
✔@CanadianGreens
Greens across the country right now. We did it! #NanaimoLadysmith #cdnpoli #GreenWave #GreensWin
178
10:59 PM - May 6, 2019
80 people are talking about this
Manly was the only byelection candidate who ran in the 2015 general election in Nanaimo-Ladysmith.
In the that federal general election, the Greens finished fourth with 19.2 per cent, the strongest finish from a fourth place candidate in Canada.
The result is a serious blow to the NDP, who many pundits had favoured to win the byelection.
With nearly all the votes counted, the party looked likely to finish a disappointing third place, with about 23.5 per cent of the vote.
Richard Zussman
✔@richardzussman
.@ChiefBobbyc opens speech congratulating @paulmanly. Says NDP has the ‘clear foresight for what this country needs’ #CDNpoli
1
11:04 PM - May 6, 2019
Under leader Jagmeet Singh the party has now lost two held ridings: Nanaimo-Ladysmith and Outremont, former leader Thomas Mulcair’s seat that fell in February.
WATCH: Paul Manly on what changes he wants to see, now the he is an MP-elect
The loss stalls the third party at 40 seats across the country and loosens the stranglehold the party has on Vancouver Island. The Greens now hold two seats on the Island, compared to the five held by the NDP.
Chamberlin, a well known First Nations leader, is expected to run for the party again in October`s general election.
READ MORE: Voters head to polls for byelection in Nanaimo, an important indicator ahead of federal vote
Conservative candidate John Hirst did well in the north part of the riding, and while he earned more than 24 per cent of the vote — an improvement on the Conservatives’ 23.4 per cent in 2015 — he could not gather enough support in the rest of riding for a win.
Hirst, a father of six-month-old and two-year-old children, was taking his first crack at electoral politics and wants to consult with his family before committing to a run in the fall.
Liberal candidate Michelle Corfield finished fourth, a significant drop for the party that finished second in the riding four years ago. The Liberals tallied less than 11 per cent of the vote, less than half the 23.5 per cent they managed in 2015.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was required to call the byelection after Sheila Malcolmson resigned the seat in January. Malcolmson stepped down after she won the provincial byelecton in January.
Nanaimo voters will return to the ballot box in just five months, for the Oct. 21 general election.
© 2019 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
XI'S CULTURAL REVOLUTION
China's social media 'army' of trolls wages war on Uighurs.
The Diba Central Army, a Chinese patriotic group, has been bombarding the Facebook pages of two pro-Uighur groups with an array of verbal grenades and offensive images.
Full story: http://u.afp.com/JY8L
AFP factfile on a 2018 report by Amnesty International on the "massive crackdown" of one million Muslims in China's western Xinjiang region
Monday, May 06, 2019
Grenfell Tower inquiry 'failing to deliver' as survivors and bereaved families 'lose faith', lawyers warn
Law firms accuse probe of showing 'complete disregard' for victims and their relatives and warn that, without urgent action, it will be 'shrouded in secrecy'
May BulmanSocial Affairs Correspondent @maybulman
The Independent
Lawyers representing those who survived the disaster and relatives of the deceased accused the probe of showing 'complete disregard' for their clients ( PA )
The Grenfell Tower inquiry is “failing to deliver” on promises it made to traumatised survivors and the families of victims, who have “lost faith” in the process, lawyers have warned.
Law firms representing those who survived the disaster and relatives of the deceased accused the probe of showing “complete disregard” for their clients and warned that, without urgent action, it would be “shrouded in secrecy”.
Despite assurances that chair Sir Martin Moore-Bick was expecting to deliver his interim report on the inquiry’s first phase by spring, the Grenfell community still does not have a date for its release.
And while Sir Martin initially said he was aiming for the second part of the inquiry to start at the end of 2019, it will now be early 2020 before hearings resume.
The inquiry team has been aiming to produce the report, based on the first phase of the inquiry, before 14 June – the second anniversary of the fire.
The Grenfell Tower inquiry is “failing to deliver” on promises it made to traumatised survivors and the families of victims, who have “lost faith” in the process, lawyers have warned.
Law firms representing those who survived the disaster and relatives of the deceased accused the probe of showing “complete disregard” for their clients and warned that, without urgent action, it would be “shrouded in secrecy”.
Despite assurances that chair Sir Martin Moore-Bick was expecting to deliver his interim report on the inquiry’s first phase by spring, the Grenfell community still does not have a date for its release.
And while Sir Martin initially said he was aiming for the second part of the inquiry to start at the end of 2019, it will now be early 2020 before hearings resume.
The inquiry team has been aiming to produce the report, based on the first phase of the inquiry, before 14 June – the second anniversary of the fire.
Grenfell Tower ‘was ticking time bomb after fire inspector cuts’
But less than a quarter of the 200,000 documents relevant to this phase, which will examine the wider issues surrounding the fire, have been disclosed.
The delays will exacerbate concerns about delays to any charges being brought, as the Metropolitan Police have said they must take the final report of the public inquiry into account before submitting a file to the Crown Prosecution Service.
Isabel Bathurst, who is representing a number of victims’ families for Slater and Gordon, one of the firms in the group of 11, said: “The families have lost faith in the inquiry and believe the process shows no humanity or fundamental interest in what they are fighting for.
“They collectively feel it is failing to deliver on its intended purpose and those in charge do not comprehend the extent of the trauma the victims and the victims’ families are still suffering every day.
“They deserve answers and to simply move the goal posts of when these will be provided is not acceptable.
“It is of their view that this inquiry has complete disregard for their voices and a total lack of respect for their loved ones who lost their lives, and therefore, their ability to fight for justice themselves.
“Unless these concerns are taken seriously now, there is a real belief that it will still be shrouded in secrecy by the time we reach the second anniversary –a situation we are not willing to accept.”
Watch more
But less than a quarter of the 200,000 documents relevant to this phase, which will examine the wider issues surrounding the fire, have been disclosed.
The delays will exacerbate concerns about delays to any charges being brought, as the Metropolitan Police have said they must take the final report of the public inquiry into account before submitting a file to the Crown Prosecution Service.
Isabel Bathurst, who is representing a number of victims’ families for Slater and Gordon, one of the firms in the group of 11, said: “The families have lost faith in the inquiry and believe the process shows no humanity or fundamental interest in what they are fighting for.
“They collectively feel it is failing to deliver on its intended purpose and those in charge do not comprehend the extent of the trauma the victims and the victims’ families are still suffering every day.
“They deserve answers and to simply move the goal posts of when these will be provided is not acceptable.
“It is of their view that this inquiry has complete disregard for their voices and a total lack of respect for their loved ones who lost their lives, and therefore, their ability to fight for justice themselves.
“Unless these concerns are taken seriously now, there is a real belief that it will still be shrouded in secrecy by the time we reach the second anniversary –a situation we are not willing to accept.”
Watch more
Grenfell Tower fire charges ‘unlikely before 2021’
The group of lawyers, which represents more than 90 core participants, has written to the inquiry pushing for the chair to make urgent fire safety recommendations for residents across the country.
A spokesperson for the inquiry said teams were in regular contact with families, with monthly public updates, drop-ins and written and face-to-face contact with groups and legal representatives.
“We recognise that publication of the phase one report is important for the bereaved, survivors and residents and all core participants,” she said.
“The drafting of the report is a very substantial exercise in which accuracy and thoroughness is key. The inquiry will update all core participants on the timing of publication of the phase one report in due course.”
Maria Chiejina, the sister of 60-year-old Vincent Chiejina, who died on the 17th floor of the tower, said the probe had “not delivered what an inquiry should deliver” and that the process “needs to be human”.
Grenfell United, a campaigning group representing survivors and the bereaved, added: “It’s May and we still don’t know what the schedule for the inquiry is for this year, never mind what the new venue will be or when to expect the phase one report.
Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began
Show all 18
“As we get closer to the second anniversary with no useful information people are increasingly frustrated and anxious. They need to put survivors and bereaved back at the heart of this process.”
Deborah Coles, the executive director of the charity Inquest, which has been supporting Grenfell families, said: “Getting to the truth of what happened is of benefit to us all.
“However, a lack of transparency and clear timeframes from the inquiry are causing unnecessary anxiety and anguish among bereaved families and survivors.”
Additional reporting by PA
The group of lawyers, which represents more than 90 core participants, has written to the inquiry pushing for the chair to make urgent fire safety recommendations for residents across the country.
A spokesperson for the inquiry said teams were in regular contact with families, with monthly public updates, drop-ins and written and face-to-face contact with groups and legal representatives.
“We recognise that publication of the phase one report is important for the bereaved, survivors and residents and all core participants,” she said.
“The drafting of the report is a very substantial exercise in which accuracy and thoroughness is key. The inquiry will update all core participants on the timing of publication of the phase one report in due course.”
Maria Chiejina, the sister of 60-year-old Vincent Chiejina, who died on the 17th floor of the tower, said the probe had “not delivered what an inquiry should deliver” and that the process “needs to be human”.
Grenfell United, a campaigning group representing survivors and the bereaved, added: “It’s May and we still don’t know what the schedule for the inquiry is for this year, never mind what the new venue will be or when to expect the phase one report.
Grenfell Tower Inquiry: photos of inside the flat where fire began
Show all 18
“As we get closer to the second anniversary with no useful information people are increasingly frustrated and anxious. They need to put survivors and bereaved back at the heart of this process.”
Deborah Coles, the executive director of the charity Inquest, which has been supporting Grenfell families, said: “Getting to the truth of what happened is of benefit to us all.
“However, a lack of transparency and clear timeframes from the inquiry are causing unnecessary anxiety and anguish among bereaved families and survivors.”
Additional reporting by PA
Huge 7.2-magnitude earthquake strikes Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea earthquake: 7.2 magnitude quake hits country
Quake strikes eastern edge of mountainous country
8 hours ago
The 7.2-magnitude earthquake was reported by USGS ( USGS )
A 7.2 magnitude earthquake has struck near Papua New Guinea, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) has said.
The quake struck 33km north west of the town of Bulolo in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
The epicentre of the strong quake was 127 km (79 miles) below the surface, the USGS said, in a region at the eastern edge of the mountainous country.
There were no immediate reports of damage.
There are currently no tsunami warnings in the region, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
The fire department in the eastern town of Lae said no one had yet called in to report damage or injuries so far following the quake.
It comes after Papua New Guinea was struck by a 7.5 magnitude quake which claimed the lives of more than 150 people last year.
Earthquakes are common in the country, which sits on the Pacific’s “Ring of Fire”, a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates
Its mountainous terrain means it often takes aid agencies and government officials days before they can gather information on damage and casualties.
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