Upholstered folding chairs

The brothers of murdered toddler James Bulger have spoken for the first time about growing up without their sibling - and how the family has made sure he is never forgotten. James’ brother Michael, 27, and half-brothers Thomas, 22 and Leon, 21, revealed how their mother Denise always leaves an empty chair for James at the Christmas table, and still talks about him “as if he is there”. And they told how their mum was extra protective over them as they grew up, never allowing them our of her sight - even on school trips - and making sure she always walked behind them when they went out together. The new documentary, Lost Boy: The Killing of James Bulger , recounts the abduction and murder of two-year-old James in February 1993, a crime that horrified the nation. Michael, born nine months after James’ disappearance, said: “Being James’ brother is not a weird thing. “We have always grown up knowing he was there, what he was like, his character, In the household, we talk … [Read more...] about James Bulger’s brothers reveal they keep spare chair around table for murdered toddler

Philip Jansen, the chief executive of BT Group, gave boardroom colleagues an ultimatum over his own future that led to the departure this week of the company's chairman, Jan du Plessis. Sky News has learnt that Mr Jansen told fellow directors of the telecoms giant over a period of several months that he had become frustrated with the speed at which BT was taking key strategic decisions. The BT chief, who joined in 2019, indicated that he was prepared to resign unless Mr du Plessis was replaced by a chairman who could accelerate the pace of change at the former state monopoly, according to several people close to the company. Mr du Plessis, one of the most experienced chairmen in corporate Britain, said on Monday that he would leave once a successor was identified. He has chaired companies including SAB Miller, the brewer, and British American Tobacco, and held non-executive directorships at Marks & Spencer and Lloyds Banking Group. Advertisement Mr … [Read more...] about BT chief Jansen gave board ultimatum over chairman’s future

SINGAPORE: The government is reinforcing its social safety net, especially for older Singaporeans. Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Monday unveiled measures to ensure healthcare remains affordable for this group. Presenting Singapore's Budget 2013 in Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said the country's healthcare financing has to evolve as society gets older and with growing demand for quality care. A key principle, even as healthcare expenditure goes up, is that Singaporeans' out-of-pocket share of medical costs should fall, with the government taking on a larger share of costs, said Mr Tharman. He added the needs of the middle-income group should also be met. The measures include a S$1 billion top-up to the Medifund, an endowment fund to help needy Singaporeans, including the middle-income group, pay for their medical bills. There will also be a S$250 million top-up to ElderCare Fund to strengthen support for … [Read more...] about Budget 2013: Measures to ensure healthcare remains affordable

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) has proposed to The Workers' Party (WP) to run a joint campaign in the Punggol East by-election. SDP's Secretary-General Chee Soon Juan wants to field a candidate from the SDP in the joint campaign. At a news conference on Friday evening, Dr Chee said the proposal was in the spirit of compromise and cooperation. He explained that if the opposition wins the by-election, the SDP gets to enter Parliament and The Workers' Party will run the Punggol East Town Council. Dr Chee said that the SDP Member of Parliament will chair the town council, but will leave the day-to-day running of the town council to the WP. He hopes this arrangement will signal better cooperation between opposition parties in the future. Dr Chee said he was disappointed the WP hasn't replied to his earlier invitation to discuss both parties' participation in the by-election. He said the SDP has emailed the proposal to WP, and is seeking a meeting with WP … [Read more...] about SDP proposes joint campaign with WP in Punggol East by-election

SINGAPORE: As Singapore ramps up the number of healthcare institutions under its Masterplan 2020, a main challenge is to beef up its healthcare workforce. The Deputy Chair of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Health, Dr Fatimah Lateef, said manpower planning is of utmost importance to meeting the increasing demand for healthcare services. The demand for healthcare workers is expected to grow from 50,000 in 2011 to 91,000 in 2030, according to the National Population and Talent Division. Of these, 28,000 are projected to be foreign healthcare workers, up from 13,000 in 2011. And filling up these jobs remains an uphill task. Dr Fatimah said: "For an emergency department which sees about 500-600 patients a day, we are really understaffed at a tertiary level. So I think in primary health as well at polyclinics, we need to boost this as well. "Now with an ageing population and with community, step-down care and long-term care, to just rely on local manpower alone, … [Read more...] about Manpower planning needed to meet increasing demand for healthcare services