Funding of £123K for events showcasing best of Guernsey
'Great help'
Director of La Beltane festival Jolie Rose said the next edition was going to be "bigger and better" with an "amazing line-up planned and more fabulous activities throughout the day to enjoy. "The TMB has also given money to Guernsey Rally. Director Caren Vidamour said it "will be of great help to us ensuring the 2025 Guernsey Rally is a spectacular local event and enjoyed by its many supporters".
The rally returns on 28 February and 1 March after last year's event was cancelled by the States which said it could not justify the administration involved.Other organisations receiving grants include the Art for Guernsey Renoir Walk, A Table in Guernsey Food Festival, the Guernsey Military Group – 2025 Liberation Tour and St James Events – Global Collection Festival.There is also money for sporting events including Tornado Fitness Racing Series and the men's and women's Twenty20 international teams.
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The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
South Korean president urges Japan to confront its wartime history in Liberation Address
South Korean president Lee Jae Myung has urged Japan to confront its colonial past, while reaffirming the need for future cooperation. In his Liberation Day address on 15 August, marking 80 years since the end of Japanese colonial rule, Mr Lee said many South Koreans 'still bear the pain of past injustices,' and stressed that unresolved historical grievances continue to hinder bilateral ties. 'We must remember the dreams of those who resisted Japanese colonial rule while holding on to hope that one day Korea and Japan could become true neighbours,' he said during the ceremony in the country's capital Seoul, according to a report by The Korea Herald. 'It is time to squarely face the past while also wisely stepping forward into the future.' 'Japan is our neighbour across the sea as well as an indispensable partner in our economic development,' he said. Mr Lee's remarks come at a delicate moment in Seoul-Tokyo relations. Though Japan is seen as an indispensable partner in trade and security, historical disputes over Japan's wartime use of forced labour and the issue of ' comfort women,' have long strained ties. South Korean courts have ruled in favour of victims seeking redress, but Tokyo maintains that all compensation was settled under the 1965 treaty normalising diplomatic relations. Despite his past reputation as a vocal critic of Japan, Lee has adopted a more pragmatic tone since taking office in June. He has shown support for continuing the previous administration's compensation plan, which would use a South Korean government-backed fund rather than demanding payment from Japanese firms directly. He reiterated his commitment to 'shuttle diplomacy' with Tokyo with reciprocal visits and frequent talks with the Japanese prime minister Shigeru Ishiba, whom he is set to meet in Tokyo on 23 August. Tensions also flared this week after Japanese ministers visited the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, a site seen by many Koreans as glorifying Japanese war criminals. Seoul's foreign ministry responded with a formal protest, saying such actions glorify 'Japan's war of aggression and enshrines war criminals'. In his speech, Mr Lee also acknowledged the ongoing pain of wartime sexual slavery victims. 'Comfort women still live without freedom and peace of mind, even 80 years after liberation,' he said in a separate address on Thursday, vowing to restore their dignity and honour. The president also used the occasion to outline a broader diplomatic strategy rooted in reconciliation and peace, particularly toward North Korea. He declared that South Korea would not seek reunification by absorption, in contrast to the rhetoric of his predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol, who previously referred to North Korea as a 'frozen kingdom' needing liberation. 'We affirm our respect for the North's current system,' Mr Lee said, a Korea Times report stated. 'We will not pursue any form of unification by absorption and have no intention of engaging in hostile acts.' He pledged gradual steps to restore the 2018 inter-Korean military pact that was suspended under the Yoon administration. The agreement aimed to halt all hostile military activity near the border, and Lee's government has already removed propaganda loudspeakers and discouraged leaflet campaigns. The South Korean military said last week that North Korea had also begun dismantling its own loudspeakers along the inter-Korean border, though Pyongyang later denied this, raising doubt on any immediate thaw in relations. In a statement published in KCNA news agency on Thursday, Kim Yo Jong, deputy director of North Korea's propaganda department, said: 'We have never removed loudspeakers installed on the border area and are not willing to remove them.' 'We have clarified on several occasions that we have no will to improve relations with the ROK, the US faithful servant and ally, and this conclusive stand and viewpoint will be fixed in our constitution in the future,' Ms Kim added, referring to South Korea as the Republic of Korea. Lee also reaffirmed that a peaceful Korean Peninsula requires both denuclearisation and sustained dialogue. While acknowledging the difficulty of the task, he called for inter-Korean and US-North Korea negotiations, supported by international cooperation, to lay the groundwork for eventual peace. Looking inward, Lee used the Liberation Day platform to pay tribute to Korean independence fighters, pledging expanded compensation for their families and the preservation of historical memory. 'Honouring the proud history of our struggle against imperial Japan is how we protect our community's past, present, and future,' he said. He closed his address with a call for domestic political reform, expressing regret over 'divisive politics rooted in outdated ideologies and factions,' and urging a culture of dialogue and compromise.
ITV News
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- ITV News
Sark to issue its first official postage stamps with Liberation and wildflowers showcased
Sark will issue its first official postage stamps with designs to commemorate Liberation and wildflowers. The small Channel Island, which is home to around 500 people, will release two sets through Guernsey Post. The first is subject to Royal approval as it shows the Princess Royal during her tour of the Bailiwick in May, marking 80 years since the end of German Occupation. It also details poignant historic images, such as German troops leaving Sark on 17 June 1945 and Dame Sibyl Hathaway posing with members of British Force 135 after Liberation. The second stamp series highlights Sark's rich array of native flora with more than 600 species of wildflowers growing across the island. Several are showcased, including rock sea-lavender and the sand crocus, through photographs taken by local resident Sue Daly. Bridget Yabsley, head of philatelic at Guernsey Post, says: "The commemorative stamps reflect the character and resilience of Sark's community and we are honoured to mark this important time in its history. "Sark boasts spectacular displays of wild flowers and is home to rare species of plants and flowers found in few other places in the world, let alone the British Isles. We expect strong interest in both sets from collectors around the world." The 80th Liberation stamp series will be issued on Wednesday 27 August, with the Wildflower Definitives released a week later on Wednesday 3 September. Both are available to pre-order from a fortnight before their release dates.
ITV News
30-07-2025
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Tied pub tenants in Jersey demand urgent change to alcohol pricing structure so they can survive
Pub tenants in Jersey are calling for the prices they pay for alcohol and rent to be lowered to help them make money again. Colin Foster, who owns The Daily Globe in St Helier, is closing the pub in December. He says the company he rents from, Randalls Jersey, is charging full commercial rent and makes him pay more for the alcohol he sells when compared to traders who are not tied to a brewery. Colin, who claims to be one of Randalls' longest-serving tenants, told ITV News that the company used to offer him discounts on alcohol but that benefit was removed in his current lease agreement. Some tied tenants in the UK can buy guest ales to sell, something Colin cannot do in Jersey. Colin said: "The pricing structure for tenants is way outdated. They [Randalls Jersey] know it and they should have done something about it years ago. "If you're free trade, you're going to get all your products at a massively reduced price compared to what we pay." He added: "We're not happy about it, none of the tenants are happy about it but I think I'm one of the few people who will talk about it." Colin adds that he knows of tenants who have "lost everything" as a result of the increased cost of running their businesses. ITV News has spoken to a number of pubs in Jersey, both free houses and tenanted pubs, and found differences in the prices being charged, per keg for the same products by Randalls Jersey and the other island pub company Liberation. For example, for a keg of well-known Irish stout beer, tenanted pubs in Jersey told us they are paying between £280 and £290. But free houses said they are paying between £165 to £170. Despite these price discrepancies, it is not unusual for breweries, like Randalls Jersey and Liberation, to charge tenants more for their products. Often tied tenants are given reduced rent and support with running their business. However, there have been concerns over the perceived power imbalance between breweries and tenants, something which led to the introduction of the UK's Pubs Code in 2016. The code aims to give tied tenants more power in business negotiations as well as giving them more transparent information and allow them the right to purchase from other breweries at certain points in their tenancy. Both Jersey's government and its Licensing Assembly declined to comment on whether a similar scheme could be introduced in the island. In response to concerns raised by tied tenants, like Colin, both Randalls Jersey and Liberation sent us statements. Randalls said: "With regards to your request for a statement or interview relating to Randalls structure and pricing with relation to their tenancies. Please note that this information is commercially sensitive and therefore the company will not comment." While Liberation said: "Our valued tenants are incredibly important to us and we're rightly proud of what they and their teams deliver, adding essential vibrancy to Jersey's hospitality sector and the island's economy day in, day out. "Since the well-documented changes to Jersey's licensing laws, we have been reviewing what we offer tenants and are in the final stages of agreeing plans regarding product pricing, business support and an ongoing programme of site investment." Jersey's Competition Regulatory Authority (JCRA) told ITV News that reviewing alcohol pricing was considered in 2022. In a statement, it said: "This is an issue that was considered by the JCRA as part of its review of the Guidance on Alcohol Pricing and Promotions published in 2022. "One of the recommendations that fell out of that review was that the Authority would continue to monitor the position with tied pubs in the on-licence sector. "It wasn't feasible to investigate the issue with the Guidance in place. The Guidance was updated this year but there needs to be more time to assess the impact that change has on the sector from a competition perspective; it is something that the Authority will continue to keep an eye on and, if further action is needed, the Authority will consider that at the appropriate time.'
