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Rail firms say 'wrong kind of question' made them give inaccurate fare details Train companies blamed the "wrong kind of questions" yesterday for giving incorrect information on fares in two out of three cases. (Independent, 30 Apr 2002) In on the tide, the guns and rockets that fuel this fight It was the day of the black barrels. Everyone along the Gaza seashore remembers the day. (Independent, 29 Apr 2002) Armed police to crack down on gun crime Police officers brandishing machine guns and pistols have taken to the streets in a bid to tackle armed crime. (Ananova, 29 Apr 2002) Police to be stationed in toughest schools Uniformed police are to be stationed in England's toughest schools under proposals unveiled by Education Secretary, Estelle Morris. (Ananova, 29 Apr 2002) American navy 'helped Venezuelan coup' The United States had been considering a coup to overthrow the elected Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, since last June, a former US intelligence officer claimed yesterday. (Guardian, 29 Apr 2002) University to arm eco-warriors with legal sword and shield They have pursued polluters, challenged developers and chained themselves to trees. Now Britain's eco-warriors have the chance to qualify in the art of environmental activism at university. (Guardian, 29 Apr 2002) School leavers do not know how to budget, survey Researcher have found that school leavers may be street wise but many are still unsure of how to budget for food, rent and bills. (Ananova, 29 Apr 2002) 'Every cloned animal suffers from defects' The man who helped create Dolly the sheep says every cloned animal is genetically and physically defective. (Ananova, 28 Apr 2002) Fifth of Britons back ‘greater nationalism’ MORE than a fifth of people in Britain say they would vote for a strongly nationalist party which adopted tough anti-immigration policies, a poll for The Sunday Times shows. (Sunday Times, 28 Apr 2002) Star's wife takes Sellafield protest to No 10 Bono's wife has delivered a personal protest against the Sellafield nuclear plant to No 10 Downing Street. (Ananova, 26 Apr 2002) Raising Alexandria Library This was supposed to be a big week in the library world. The rebuilt great library of Alexandria, Egypt -- a $200 million facility that will house as many as 8 million books -- was scheduled to be officially inaugurated in festivities throughout the week, with everyone from Jimmy Carter to Stephen Jay Gould to Umberto Eco on hand for the opening. (Wired, 25 Apr 2002) Blunkett walks into storm of opposition FURY greeted David Blunkett’s reference yesterday to the children of asylum-seekers “swamping” local schools as he justified plans to educate them with new accommodation centres. (Times, 25 Apr 2002) N.C. linguists trying to quantify ebonics Rural African-Americans increasingly speak the urban-sounding dialect called ebonics, even when their grandparents sound like their white neighbors. (Nando Times, 25 Apr 2002) Spain recovers drowned migrants The bodies have been recovered of 11 immigrants who were illegally trying to reach Spain from North Africa. The small fishing boat in which they were travelling had capsized near the island of Lanzarote. (BBC, 25 Apr 2002) Water watchdog gets a new voice A watchdog dedicated to representing water consumers' interests is being relaunched with a new name. WaterVoice is the new name for the Ofwat National Consumer Council and the 10 regional Ofwat Customer Service Committees. (Ananova, 24 Apr 2002) Hazards of helping Encouraging more volunteers to support public services could endanger vulnerable people. The warning comes from the Association of Directors of Social Services in response to a call for the government to require public agencies to meet targets for volunteer involvement. (Guardian, 24 Apr 2002) Mother beheaded in front of daughters by Mugabe militants A 53-year-old woman was beheaded in front of two of her daughters, aged 10 and 17, by supporters of Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's President, because of her suspected backing for the opposition. (Independent, 24 Apr 2002) Story later discredited: Zimbabwe holds reporter over 'decapitation' story (Independent, 12 May 2002) Ouseley warns of racial deadlock The author of a scathing report that blamed many of the racial problems in Bradford on segregation and institutional fear has said no progress has been made since he published his findings last year. (Independent, 23 Apr 2002) Honoring Earth's defenders Three North American natives who are resisting oil development in the Arctic and a Somali who has fought deforestation in her homeland are among this year's winners of the Goldman Prize, the world's richest and most prestigious environmental award. (San Francisco Chronicle, 22 Apr 2002) Far-right post workers ‘read mail of opponents’ THE British National party has been intercepting its political opponents’ mail for more than 10 years, says a whistleblower inside the far-right group. (Sunday Times, 21 Apr 2002) St George comes under fire The dragon-slayer's red cross was the symbol of the Crusades against Islam and has been adopted by causes ranging from football fans to the Royal Navy. But, as BBC News Online's Simon Pipe reports, some critics say St George's Day is best ignored. (BBC, 21 Apr 2002) Bush energy policy critic ousted as head of climate change panel The Bush administration was accused of pandering to the oil industry last night after an outspoken critic of America's energy policy was voted out of his job as chairman of the world's premier scientific body on climate change. (Independent, 20 Apr 2002) Backpackers rescued from armed robbers by tribesmen A British student backpacking in Africa was saved from armed bandits by spear toting tribesmen, it is reported. (Ananova, 20 Apr 2002) NASA axing orbital debris research program Budget overruns are prompting the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to end its 23-year-old Orbital Debris Program Office on Oct. 1, space agency officials admitted on Friday, even though orbital debris is acknowledged as a serious problem for the space shuttle, International Space Station and satellites in low-Earth orbit. (United Press International, 19 Apr 2002) Canary Wharf bans 'muddy' builders Thousands of construction workers have been banned from shops and restaurants at Canary Wharf in London. The ban follows alleged complaints about their dirty clothes and boots. (BBC, 18 Apr 2002) City goes back to the drawing board after 'no' vote Britain's biggest council landlord today set up an independent housing commission to help it find the £1bn it needs to bring its crumbling homes up to scratch after tenants rejected plans to sell off the homes to a housing association. (Guardian, 18 Apr 2002) UN moves to curb bio-piracy A United Nations conference has agreed new measures to prevent so-called bio-piracy, the use of wild plants by international companies to develop products such as medicines without rewarding the countries from which they are taken. (BBC, 17 Apr 2002) Education committee uses ILA firm The education and skills select committee, which is investigating a multi-million pound training fraud scandal, has itself used the services of Capita, a company scrutinised by the inquiry. (BBC, 17 Apr 2002) Billionaire defends 'working classes' Ken Livingstone’s advisor on housing has condemned as ‘pure greed’ a plan to use land earmarked for the working classes for luxury apartments. It follows a legal action by the eighth Earl of Cadogan, reportedly worth £1.2 billion, to stop developers Dano Ltd building the four £1.5 million houses on land in Chelsea, London. Dano claims that the 70-year-old covenant is out of date and that ‘the words "working classes" are not now capable of any meaningful definition’. (Inside Housing, 17 Apr 2002) Man Freezes On Plane The DAS Air cargo jet impounded by Heathrow Airport authorities over the weekend was released on Sunday evening and proceeded to West Africa, sources at DAS Air offices have said. (New Vision, 17 Apr 2003) Don't believe everything you read in the papers about Venezuela Here's what we read this week: On Friday, Hugo Chavez, the unpopular, dictatorial potentate of Venezuela, resigned. When confronted over his ordering the shooting of antigovernment protestors, he turned over the presidency to progressive, democratic forces, namely, the military and the chief of Venezuela's business council. (Guardian, 17 Apr 2002) Council bans 'sexist' chocolate bar campaign Nestle Rowntree has been banned by a council from handing out Yorkie bars following complaints that its advertising campaign was sexist. (Ananova, 16 Apr 2002) Too few ethnic minority stars fronting entertainment TV, report claims ... ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 all rely on white presenters, according to Independent Television Commission. (Ananova, 16 Apr 2002) Magistrates to get more power over sentences Magistrates' powers to impose prison sentences will be increased from a maximum of six months to 12 and a formal system of sentence discounts introduced to encourage defendants to plead guilty, in an attempt to reduce the number of jury trials. (Guardian, 15 Apr 2002) Stowaway's body found in plane The body of a stowaway, believed to be of African origin, has been found in the undercarriage of a freight plane in Heathrow Airport. (BBC, 15 Apr 2002) Councils face burning issue of rubbish Government failure to come up with safety rules for composting waste from dustbins is forcing local authorities to build controversial incinerators to burn millions of tonnes of household rubbish. (Guardian, 15 Apr 2002) Lawrence suspects face new charges The alleged killers of teenager Stephen Lawrence may face fresh criminal charges more than nine years after his death, it emerged today. (Standard, 15 Apr 2002) Frozen stowaway found at Heathrow Engineers at Heathrow airport have discovered the frozen body of a stowaway in the undercarriage of a freight plane, police said today. (Standard, 15 Apr 2002) Minimum wage to rise by 10p an hour Low-paid workers are to receive a 10p-an-hour rise - the second increase in the minimum wage in six months. From October, the minimum wage earned by more than 1.5 million workers will go up to £4.20 an hour. The youth rate paid to 18-21 year-old workers will also increase by 10p to £3.60 an hour. (Ananova, 14 Apr 2002) Mowlam accuses Labour of 'vicious, violent' smear campaign Mo Mowlam is to use a forthcoming television documentary to accuse ex-colleagues of a "vicious, violent, appalling" smear campaign against her. (Ananova, 14 Apr 2002) DInquiry into Paddick 'smear campaign' An investigation has been ordered into claims that Commander Brian Paddick, the controversial Scotland Yard officer, is the victim of a smear campaign by senior colleagues. (Independent, 12 Apr 2002) Prison 'thinking courses' cut crime Courses which teach criminals how to think properly have cut the inmates' re-offending rates by up to 14%. (Ananova, 12 Apr 2002) Consumers 'confused about digital TV' New research suggests Britons are confused about digital television. (Ananova, 12 Apr 2002) Chancellor calls for codebreakers in war on terrorist funds Gordon Brown has called for a new generation of codebreakers to come forward to track down the secret flow of international terrorist funds. (Ananova, 12 Apr 2002) Chief of the Innu comments on Basarwa The plight of the Basarwa, who are being forced off their land by the government, has caught the attention of many people around the world. Amongst them are the Innu, a tribe of Indians living in the north of Canada. Their Chief, Peter Penashue, was so moved by what he heard that he has written the following plea to the people of Botswana. (Survival International News Release, from The Reporter, 12 Apr 2002) Israel confirms 100 killed in refugee camp assault The Israeli army has confirmed that 100 Palestinians have been killed and many more have been wounded in an assault on Jenin refugee camp. (Ananova, 12 Apr 2002) 40 Soweto activists denied bail - sent to notorious prison Apartheid is back! 40 SECC protestors were denied bail and sent to the notorious jail - Diepkloof prison - they will be incarcerated until 16th April while police "verify their home addresses" 100 members of the Soweto Electricity Crisis Committee were arrested last Saturday for protesting outside the Mayor of Johannesburg's house. They were also shot at more than 8 times by the Mayor's bodyguard who was standing on the roof. (Nologo, 12 Apr 2002) Mortgage lenders concerned over tenants' rights Banks and building societies are attempting to block proposals by government legal experts to give housing association tenants more rights. (Guardian, 12 Apr 2002) Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill Published today. (House of Common, 12 Apr 2002) All aboard the groovy train Sam Williams and his publisher, O'Reilly, have taken a brave step into the unknown with Free As In Freedom, a biography of Richard Stallman, the founder of the free software movement. (Guardian, 11 Apr 2002) Full text Free as in freedom. UK citizens' fingerprints and iris scans to go on database The Government is planning to create a national database which may carry details of citizens' fingerprints and iris scans. (Ananova, 11 Apr 2002) Middle-class pupils take over scheme for the poor WHITE middle-class students have taken over a scheme designed to identify bright children from poor backgrounds, a report has concluded. (Times, 11 Apr 2002) Activists invade Whitehall in rainforest protest THE Government stood accused of astounding hypocrisy by environmental groups last night after the arrest of 37 Greenpeace activists who had invaded a Whitehall building being fitted with wood from endangered rainforests. (Times, 11 Apr 2002) Also: Furniture makers in love with sapele's qualities. 37 held over 'Whitehall rainforest' protest A protest which saw Greenpeace campaigners invade Government buildings in a hunt for illegal rainforest wood has ended with 37 arrests. (Ananova, 10 Apr 2002) Bushmen take Botswana's government to court The Gana and Gwi 'Bushmen', who have been evicted from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, are taking Botswana's government to court. The Bushmen hope that the case, which has started in Lobatse today, will enable them to return to the Reserve, where they have lived for thousands of years. (Survival International, 10 Apr 2002) EU Lawmakers Make Producers Responsible for Electroscrap The European Parliament is determined to ban consumers from throwing old computers, hairdryers, cookers, toasters and other such appliances in the bin with unsorted waste and to make individual producers finance the recycling or safe disposal of electroscrap. (Lycos Environmental News Service, 10 Apr 2002) 3,000 post office jobs threatened Sub-postmasters were today considering a restructuring plan which could lead to the closure of 3,000 post offices in towns and cities across the UK. (Guardian, 10 Apr 2002) Feature: Best practice in stakeholder dialogue #1 Organisations in all sectors are under increasing pressure to ‘involve’. Some are doing it well, some badly. Some are running scared. As an ‘involvement’ professional there is one problem I come across more and more – the language. We need to get better at using the language of involvement, especially when communicating to others what we are trying to involve them in. (Ethical Corporation, 10 Apr 2002) Field experts Community leaders are voicing growing resentment that regeneration schemes are primarily regenerating the profits of outside consultants. ... One scheme, however, recognised this problem early on and has come up with a solution it says was obvious: it set up its own consultancy. The move by the Royds Community Association in Bradford has proved so successful that it now regularly wins work elsewhere... (Guardian, 10 Apr 2002) Toasters, PCs, radios: everything must go in the EU recycling bin. But who foots the bill? First it was cars, then it was fridges. This week everything from toasters to cellphones, from radios to steam irons, will fall under the scope of Europe's great push for recycling. (Independent, 9 Apr 2002) Tenants win new powers Tenant led housing associations can now become charities after a long campaign by tenant activists forced a u-turn by the charity commission. (Guardian, 9 Apr 2002) Allow us to make a suggestion, Mr Brown It looks as though, after a bad attack of cold feet, ministers have steeled themselves to spending the £600m or so that it will cost to extend Educational Maintenance Allowances to all parts of the country by 2004. (Guardian, 9 Apr 2002) Koreans take a short cut on the road to English The Koreans, the Japanese and the Chinese are among the world's most dedicated learners of English, but they share a common weakness, the inability of many to distinguish between the sounds of the letters "l" and "r". Now, after decades of cruel jokes about "rice" and "lice",Korean doctors claim to have found a miraculous cure: a surgical operation to improve English pronunciation. (Independent, 9 Apr 2002) DClosure of remittance company averted The UN Development Programme (UNDP) for Somalia has helped avert the closure of the Dahabshiil Money Transfer Company (DMTC), the largest remaining such company in Somalia, a UNDP press statement said. According to the statement, following consultations with all involved parties, the Wells Fargo Bank in the USA has suspended its decision to close down DMTC accounts. DMTC was the second-largest money transfer company in Somalia before the closure Al-Barakat in November last year. (IRIN, 8 Apr 2002) Heart of gold So this is what a social enterprise looks like. In the lengthening spring shadows of the tower of Tate Modern and the great wheel of the London Eye, 59 new homes for key city workers and their families are packed handsomely around a landscaped courtyard. Cross-subsidised by shops, workshops, restaurants and cafes, this £14.5m social housing scheme is a model of its kind, architecturally, socially, economically and politically. (Guardian, 8 Apr 2002) Breakfast with Frost: Interview with Binyamin Netanyahu "The UN said that 7,000 civilians died in Afghanistan among them a thousand babies, does that make the American claim and the British claim that they're right in Afghanistan spurious?" (BBC, 7 Apr 2002) Governments struggle to cope as elderly outnumber children In the next few decades there will be more senior citizens in the world than children, according to United Nations projections. (Ananova, 7 Apr 2002) Campaigners welcome scrapping of 'degrading' asylum vouchers Campaigners have welcomed the imminent abolition of the controversial asylum voucher system. (Ananova, 6 Apr 2002) White nations and Black History TO THE anonymous Returning Resident who wrote the piece "Appreciating White Nations" in The Gleaner of March 27, 2002, I certainly cannot blame you for keeping your identity a secret. Perhaps it would be wise for you to return to wherever you came from as it is safe to say that you are a fervent proselyte of First-World colonial and imperialistic propaganda. (Reader's letter, Jamaica Gleaner, 6 Apr 2002) 'Boycott Esso' call over attempt to oust green expert Motorists across Britain are being urged by environmentalists to boycott Esso petrol stations following claims that their parent company collaborated with the Bush administration in a bid to undermine the world's most influential exponent of global warming theory. (Independent, 6 Apr 2002) Getting credit to where it's due Each year income support worth more than £940m goes unclaimed - and most of those who miss out are the elderly. What are claimants entitled to? (Guardian, 6 Apr 2002) Meat is murder Nicholas Lezard is alarmed to find out what's in his hamburgers in Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. (Guardian book review, 6 Apr 2002) So, should you rent or buy? It is still cheaper to buy than to rent in the UK despite continuing surges in house prices and the boom in buy-to-let, according to research published this week. (Guardian, 6 Apr 2002) We have our own development vision Vision 2020 is an Andhra Pradesh government strategy that has been developed without the participation of those it claims it will raise out of poverty. As small farmers and concerned Indian citizens, we have monitored the "consultation" process to which Clare Short (Letters, April 4) refers. (Guardian, 6 Apr 2002) New era dawns as Glasgow casts off council housing THE end of council housing as generations have known it was heralded yesterday when Glasgow's 80,000 tenants voted to transfer the city's entire stock to a housing association. (Times, 6 Apr 2002) Tenants vote for end to council housing The era of council housing was brought to a close in Glasgow yesterday after the city's council tenants voted to transfer their homes out of the control of the council and into the hands of a privately funded housing association. (Guardian, 6 Apr 2002) Blair faces tax bill for holiday at Egypt's expense Tony Blair is facing a tax bill running into thousands of pounds after he accepted an all expenses paid holiday for his family at a luxury Red Sea resort from the Egyptian government. (Guardian, 6 Apr 2002) CIA 'ran covert missions' to stop Communist coup After 26 bloody years, Angola and Unita rebels call an end to Africa's longest running civil war American forces were involved in a pre-emptive covert attempt to prevent the Communist takeover of Angola,according to newly released documents that reveal the US lied about events that led to years of chaos and war in southern Africa. (Independent, 5 Apr 2002) Database of faces to replace ID parades Traditional criminal identification parades, used by the police for decades to help witnesses pick out suspects from a range of lookalikes, are being scrapped in favour of a video system, the Home Office said yesterday. (Independent, 5 Apr 2002) Chiracs' grocery bills top £1m President Jacques Chirac's personal grocery bills, almost all of them paid in cash, totalled a barely believable £1.4m in the eight years he was mayor of Paris, according to a report published yesterday. (Guardian, 4 Apr 2002) 'Dishonest' food labellers to be named and shamed The Consumers' Association is to name and shame food manufacturers who make what it believes are "dishonest" claims on their packaging. (Ananova, 4 Apr 2002) Organic food 'isn't always healthier' Consumers are buying some organic food wrongly believing it is healthier for them than the standard and cheaper alternatives, a study has found. (Ananova, 4 Mar 2002) Boot camps 'only make young thugs bolder' MILITARY-style “boot camp” regimes for young criminals fail to reduce reoffending significantly but produce fitter, healthier and more self-confident offenders, according to a report. (Times, 4 Apr 2002) Virgin forests 'becoming a myth' say experts A report into the health of the world's forests warns they are still being lost at a disastrous rate. Experts now estimate that 40% of the world's remaining virgin forest will be lost within 20 years. (Ananova, 3 Apr 2002) 'Choice FM DJs groped bottoms' Managers and DJs at one of London's leading commercial radio stations have been accused of repeated sexual harassment by two women employees. (Standard, 3 Apr 2002) 'Genocide masterminds' boycott Rwanda war crimes trial Four former senior Rwandan army officers accused of genocide in the 1994 war in Rwanda have gone on trial. (Ananova, 2 Apr 2002) Royal Marines fly into Afghanistan Britain's first combat troops have arrived in Afghanistan. An advance party of between 60 to 70 soldiers from 45 Commando Royal Marines touched down at Bagram Air Base outside the capital, Kabul, under the cover of darkness. (Ananova, 2 Apr 2002) A new imperialism cooked up over a Texan barbecue Robert Cooper is an unusual public servant. Until recently he was one of Tony Blair's close personal foreign policy advisers, and he remains the most adventurous geopolitical thinker in the Foreign Office. He is rare for three reasons. He is creative beyond the norm. He does his thinking in public: last week Tam Dalyell called him a maniac, because he wrote an article advocating new empires as a plausible remedy for current global ills. (Guardian, 2 Apr 2002) Hong Kong starts to remove illegal Chinese migrants AS HUNDREDS of migrants from mainland China defied orders to leave Hong Kong yesterday, a crowd of parents who have the right to live there but whose children lack residential rights pleaded with officials to let them stay. (Times, 2 Apr 2002) Byers boosts low-cost housing Changes to planning laws to increase the supply of low cost affordable houses, especially in the south-east, are to be introduced by Stephen Byers, the transport and local government secretary. (Guardian, 2 Apr 2002) Competition Commission launches inquiry into mobile phone charges The Competition Commission is investigating claims that mobile phone companies are making excessive profits by overcharging customers. (Ananova, 2 Apr 2002) Rwandan genocide suspect set for trial A trial is set to open at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) of a military officer accused of masterminding the slaughter of 800,000 people in Rwanda in 1994. Two million Hutus flee to Zaire, now the DRC Colonel Theoneste Bagosora, aged 61, is facing 12 charges, including genocide and conspiracy to commit genocide, when he appears in court in Arusha, in northern Tanzania. (BBC, 2 Apr 2002) Meningitis death toll now 672 A meningitis epidemic in Burkina Faso has now caused 672 deaths from 4,758 cases recorded since January, the Ministry of Health reported on Friday. (IRIN, 1 Apr 2002) The Majesty of the Commons: A review of David Bollier's Silent Theft Say we wake up one morning and dis-cover we'll be getting a new bill each month---for air. The Bush administration has decided to privatize the air; corporations will now own it and charge for its use. (Washington Monthly, 1 Apr 2002). Also at TomPaine.com. |
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updated:
10 Aug
2003