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Controversial homes project unveiled Details of the first phase of a massive and controversial government house building scheme in the south east of England have been announced on Wednesday. (BBC, 30 Jul 2003) Torso in the Thames: 21 people arrested in police raids Police investigating the murder of a young African boy whose dismembered torso was found in the Thames have arrested a gang suspected of bringing hundreds of people, including many children, into Britain illegally. (Telegraph, 30 Jul 2003) Library thwarts Patriot Act snooping Librarians across the country have raised their voices in objection to the USA Patriot Act - and those in Boulder may have found an end-run around the law. (Denver Post, 29 Jul 2003) Taxpayers 'bail out congestion charge company' Ken Livingstone's transport authority has been forced to bail out the private company administering the congestion charge with £31 million of taxpayers' money. Transport for London, TfL, which oversees the central London scheme, stepped in after contractor Capita said it was not making a profit from the five-month-old scheme. (Ananova, 29 Jul 2003) Government targets 'health tourists' Failed asylum seekers, business travellers and their families are among those targeted by a Government bid to tackle so-called "health tourists" exploiting the NHS. Announcing the proposals, the health minister, John Hutton, also said the job of NHS staff assessing who was eligible for free treatment would be easier if a universal ID card was introduced. (Ananova, 29 Jul 2003) DPublic sector swells under New Labour Labour has hired 344,000 extra people to work for the Government since it took office, with the state now employing 5.3m people, or one in five of the workforce, according to figures released yesterday. (Telegraph, 29 Jul 2003) Rise in recruits ends VSO crisis Six months after reporting a 40 per cent fall in applications, there has been a 20 per cent rise in the number of volunteers at VSO, the development charity. (Telegraph, 29 Jul 2003) Iris recognition - a new game of eye spy to speed the passenger's journey Iris-recognition machines, which can identify people by reading the distinctive pattern surrounding the pupil of the eye, are to be installed at 10 British airports within a year. (Guardian, 29 Jul 2003) Fear and anger drives the strikers ...The kneejerk coverage of the British Airways walkouts has been as predictable as it is outdated, missing the point that this is very much a 21st-century dispute about flexible working and how far new technology should control the way we work. (Guardian, 29 Jul 2003) First-time buyers 'paying £3 billion in costs' First-time buyers are collectively paying out nearly £3 billion on the costs associated with moving house, according to research. (Ananova, 29 Jul 2003) Global warming is now a weapon of mass destruction If political leaders have one duty above all others, it is to protect the security of their people. Thus it was, according to the prime minister, to protect Britain's security against Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction that this country went to war in Iraq. And yet our long-term security is threatened by a problem at least as dangerous as chemical, nuclear or biological weapons, or indeed international terrorism: human-induced climate change. (Guardian, 28 Jul 2003) £1.5bn boost to council housing In a dramatic policy shift, the government will today renew its faith in council housing - until recently destined to a slow death - with a £1.5bn boost to improve sub-standard homes around England. (Guardian, 28 Jul 2003) 'Illegal' police sting causes case collapse A prosecution based on a huge undercover police operation in which £15 million was laundered then returned to suspected drug dealers was thrown out of court today. (Guardian, 28 Jul 2003) US watchdog stands firm on media ownership proposals US media regulator Michael Powell has defended plans to relax media ownership rules in America days after the proposed changes were overwhelmingly opposed by congressmen. (Guardian, 28 Jul 2003) Zhivago row in Russian schools A row has broken out between the Russian government and a group of the country's top writers over removing literary classics about the repression of the Soviet era from the school syllabus. Mr Iskander said the most important books for study were Kon Armia by Isaak Babel and Doktor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak. He added that two novels by Yuri Dombrovski - The Curator of Antiquities and The Faculty of Unnecessary Things - were among the greatest novels about the 1930s. He said the move to clear the list of such books was led by "pure bureaucrat psychology". (Guardian, 28 Jul 2003) African teachers face deportation Teachers recruited from Africa to fill school vacancies last year are facing deportation next term following a slump in the jobs market. (Guardian, 28 Jul 2003) Notting Hill carnival goes corporate as blue-chip companies plan hospitality tents The Notting Hill carnival, once troubled by rioting, drugs and street crime, may join Henley and Ascot on the corporate social calendar. (Independent, 25 Jul 2003) Protest over Nationwide director's pay-off Members of Nationwide Building Society have lodged a protest vote over a director's £889,000 pay-off. (Ananova, 24 Jul 2003) Shell profits up 50% Profits at Shell remain buoyant despite a recent weakening in crude oil prices. (Ananova, 24 Jul 2003) League table shames worst prisons The best jails will receive extra money for improvements The worst three prisons in England and Wales have been named by the Prison Service for the first time. HMP Holloway and HMP Brixton in London, along with HMP Dartmoor in Devon, were the only three out of the 138 jails to receive the lowest score. (BBC, 24 Jul 2003) MPs criticise transfer policy The government's policy of transferring council homes to housing associations is costing the taxpayer billions of pounds and delivering questionable benefits, MPs said today. (Guardian, 24 Jul 2003) Cheaper than the police At the heart of the problem with British schools lies a determination to socialise children rather than educate them. ...Britain remains what it has always been - an ancien regime state of the kind that would have been familiar to 18th-century Europeans. The British state, for most of its history, has taken little interest in education, seeing it as something for the churches or private individuals to establish and run their own schools. (Guardian, 23 Jul 2003) 'Well over' 600 die in battle for Liberian capital Liberia's defence minister says "well over" 600 people have died in a fierce battle for the capital Monrovia. (Ananova, 22 Jul 2003) Target culture 'threatens' services Targets for health and education have long been controversial Standards in health and education are under threat because the government is setting too many targets, an influential committee of MPs has said. (BBC, 21 Jul 2003) Engaging the African Diaspora For the first time, the African Union has invited Africa's diaspora (those who trace their roots back to the continent) to actively take part in the region's development. (Africa Recovery via allafrica.com, 21 Jul 2003) British beaches 'gone within 100 years' Summers spent building sandcastles on the beach could be a distant memory by the end of the century. Climate change is changing the face of the British coastline, eroding beaches and marshes. (BBC, 21 Jul 2003) The bad old days of colonialism Less than 30 years after Australia quit its colony of Papua New Guinea, Canberra's administrators are going back to Melanesia this week. (Guardian, 21 July 2003) Freed Archer arrives home Lord Archer has arrived back at home after being released from prison. (Ananova, 21 Jul 2003) Twin talent The similarities are startling. Not only do they look like mirror images of one another, they dress alike, behave alike, think alike.... such that when one begins to say something, the other invariably joins in to complete the sentence. (Sunday Tribune, 20 Jul 2003) Look beyond the street In this week's email exchange, Lee Jasper and Dr Tony Sewell argue over why so many black boys under-achieve at school. (Guardian, 19 Jul 2003) Passport fees rise The price of a standard passport will rise 27% from October - nearly 10 times the rate of inflation - to pay for new anti-fraud measures. (Ananova, 18 Jul 2003) Stagecoach boss gets 72% pay rise Brian Souter, one of the founders of transport group Stagecoach, picked up a 72% pay rise last year after switching from chairman to chief executive. (Ananova, 18 Jul 2003) Borrowing figures setback for Brown The Chancellor's hopes of meeting borrowing targets set at this year's Budget have been dealt a fresh blow. Public sector net borrowing stood at £13.8 billion in the first three months of the financial year - half Gordon Brown's full-year estimate of £27 billion. (Ananova, 18 Jul 2003) Lord Archer to live at london penthouse after release Lord Archer will live at his London penthouse and not at the family home in Cambridgeshire when he is released from jail on Monday. The disgraced peer, 63, has asked probation officers to register his multi-million pound Thames-side flat as his home. (Ananova, 18 Jul 2003) TV viewers to decide fate of historic buildings A coffin factory and TB sanatorium are among the buildings which could be preserved for future generations through a Pop Idol-style show. BBC2's Restoration starts next month, with 10 hour-long shows outlining why each of the 30 buildings should be saved and inviting viewers to cast their votes. (Ananova, 18 Jul 2003) Tabloids 'stoke fear of crime' Attitudes to crime are hugely influenced by newspaper reports, with tabloid readers almost twice as likely to be worried about crime as those who favour broadsheets, according to government figures. (Guardian, 17 Jul 2003) Cost of occupation: £5m a day - human cost extra The cost to British taxpayers of invading and occupying Iraq will be far in excess of £5bn, with £1bn being spent even before the first shot was fired, defence sources said yesterday. (Guardian, 17 Jul 2003) Streets that police themselves The best way to prevent street crime is not only to put more bobbies on the beat, but to encourage more people to become pedestrians. (Guardian, 17 Jul 2003) Pharmacy shake-up rejected by Government Supermarkets could be allowed to expand the number of in-store pharmacies, under measures announced by the Government today. ...Patricia Hewitt, the Trade and Industry Spokesman, insisted the proposals would not "jeopardise the vital role played by community pharmacies, particularly in poorer and rural areas". (Times, 17 Jul 2003) E-government 'needs rebooting' Computer literate people should gradually be forced to go online to use public services, says a leading think tank. (BBC, 17 Jul 2004) EU clamps down on false food claims Food advertisers are to be barred from making vague or misleading claims about the health benefits of eating their products under new European rules proposed today. (Guardian, 16 Jul 2003) New community code ‘lacks bite’ A national code of practice designed to boost trust between the community sector and the Government “lacks teeth” and has marginalised the interests of the very groups it is supposed to serve, according to community group representatives. (Regeneration & Renewal, 16 July 2003) India call centres better, claims BT chief BT has hit back at protests over the export of jobs and said that call centres set up in India a few months ago were already providing a better quality of service than in this country. (Ananova, 16 Jul 2003) Meaningless food health claims set for EU ban Vague or meaningless health claims made by food manufacturers are to be banned under proposed European legislation. (Ananova, 16 Jul 2003) Prison population to top 80,000 The already overcrowded prison population is set to go on rising and will top 80,000 within the next three years, a senior Home Office civil servant warned yesterday. ...Prison numbers in England and Wales passed the record 74,000-mark last Friday and Mr Narey, who oversees the prisons, probation and youth justice services, revealed that overcrowding - with 14,000 prisoners, one in five of the total, having to "double up" in cells designed for one - is not going to get any better over the next three years. (Guardian, 16 Jul 2003) Q&A: charity reform A fundamental shakeup of Britain's 400-year-old charity law was launched by the government today. (Guardian, 16 Jul 2003) New Supreme Court spells move away from Parliament Details have been announced of the Government's proposals for a new Supreme Court to replace the House of Lords' judicial functions. (Ananova, 14 Jul 2003) Department for Constitutional Affairs Consultation Paper Constitutional reform: a Supreme Court for the United Kingdom Government powers wind farm revolution Off-shore wind farms are to be expanded with the potential to power one in six homes and create up to 20,000 new jobs. (Ananova, 14 Jul 2003) Store cards 'fleecing customers' Credit card companies behind expensive store cards have been accused of being "designer loan-sharks" by a committee of MPs. (BBC, 14 Jul 2003) Outrage at US plan to mortgage Iraqi oil American plans to mortgage Iraq's future oil supplies to pay for expensive postwar reconstruction work risk a repeat of mistakes made with Germany after the First World War, debt relief campaigners said this weekend. (Observer, 13 Jul 2003) Governing Council heralds new Iraqi democracy The seeds of a new government in Iraq have been sown, with the inaugural sitting of a 25-member Governing Council. (Ananova, 13 Jul 2003) Brown ally resigns to fight against EU's free lunch Michael Wills, a Home Office minister and close ally of the chancellor, Gordon Brown, last night resigned to launch a campaign to secure trade justice for developing countries and reform the common agricultural policy. (Guardian, 12 Jul 2003) A grubby business As class polarisation grows, the classic posture of submission makes a stealthy comeback. "We scrub your floors the old-fashioned way," boasts the brochure from Merry Maids, the largest of the residential cleaning services that have sprung up across the US in the past two decades, "on our hands and knees." (Guardian, 12 Jul 2003) Thousands remember massacre Thousands of survivors of Europe's worst massacre of civilians since the Second World War have buried 282 more identified bodies. The ceremony in Bosnia marked the eighth anniversary of the slaughter. Shortly before the end of the 1992-95 war, up to 8,000 Muslims, mostly men and boys, were killed at Srebrenica by Bosnian Serb soldiers. (Ananova, 11 Jul 2003) Rail information service could be moved abroad Unions have expressed concern after it emerged the National Rail Enquiries line could be transferred abroad when new contracts are tendered. (Ananova, 11 Jul 2003) Hundreds cheer as Mandela unveils plaque Nelson Mandela has unveiled a plaque at the former home of two eminent anti-apartheid activists in London. Hundreds of people gathered outside 13 Lyme Street, Camden, north London, as the former South African President paid a personal tribute to Ruth First and her husband, Joe Slovo. (Ananova, 11 Jul 2003) MPs lambast card issuers Credit card bosses are encouraging consumer debt by allowing customers to "tiptoe to disaster", according to the chairman of the Treasury select committee, John McFall. (Guardian, 10 Jul 2003) Nuclear clean-up costs may double The cost of decommissioning the country's Magnox nuclear power stations has started to soar and could be double the estimated level, leaving the taxpayer with a £3.2bn bill, it emerged yesterday. (Guardian, 10 Jul 2003) Snakehead woman built illegal immigrant empire Barely 5ft (1.5m) tall and slightly built, Jing Ping Chen has mastered the art of looking frail and demure. It is a talent that has served her well: few who have met her can believe that she is capable of harsh language, let alone acts of violence. (Guardian, 10 Jul 2003) Paine in the bums The House of Commons has done a brave thing today in the course of a close examination of Quangoland - the most thorough and clear-eyed for years. (Guardian, 10 Jul 2003) This is the future of online newspapers The Guardian yesterday announced that it was going to start charging for online services, making it the last UK broadsheet newspaper to install a paid-for element on its website. The end of universal free news content has finally come. (The Register, 9 Jul 2003) Experts investigating cause of Sudanese airliner crash Aviation experts are examining a Sudanese airliner's black box and other evidence to determine why the plane crashed shortly after takeoff, killing 116 people. (Ananova, 9 Jul 2003) Blair insists Guantanamo Britons must have lawful trial Britain is making "active representations" to US authorities over the trial of UK citizens held at Guantanamo Bay. (Ananova, 9 Jul 2003) Police worker sacked for being illegal immigrant A police community support officer has been dismissed after it emerged he was an illegal immigrant. (Ananova, 9 Jul 2003) Prisoner's racist killing 'a shocking catalogue of failure' The Prison Service has been accused of a shocking catalogue of failure after a young Asian inmate was battered to death by a racist cellmate. The Commission for Racial Equality published results of a formal investigation carried out under its special powers into the death of Zahid Mubarek at Feltham young offenders' institution in March 2000. (Ananova, 9 Jul 2003) Go-ahead for huge road-building programme The Government has announced a multi-billion-pound road-building programme. (Ananova, 9 Jul 2003) School canteen users pay with their eyes An eye scanner that can identify individuals by scanning the unique image of a person's iris is being launched at a secondary school canteen. (Ananova, 9 Jul 2003) Woman, 102, dies after eviction from care home A widow of 102 has died 17 days after being evicted from a care home to make way for more a profitable, private resident. Winifred Humphrey had been living at Bradley House, near Whitstable, Kent, for almost a decade when she was told that she would have to get out because the home's owners felt that the level of fees being paid by Kent county council was inadequate. (Telegraph, 9 July 2003) WorldCom to pay record fine A US court has approved a plan to make WorldCom pay a record $750m (£450m) to investors who lost money as a result of its accounting fraud. (BBC, 7 Jul 2003) UK workers win consultation rights The government has set out draft legislation aimed at forcing bosses to consult their staff on all management decisions affecting employment. (BBC, 7 Jul 2003) Girobank disappears in A&L brand makeover Girobank, the banking network set up by Harold Wilson's Labour government in 1968 to serve people without bank accounts, is to lose its famous but dated name in a branding makeover. (Telegraph, 7 Jul 2003) Blunkett's ID cards 'threat to freedom' David Blunkett was accused by civil liberties campaigners last night of planning "the biggest threat to freedom since the Second World War" after a leaked memo showed he is pushing the Cabinet to back national identity cards for everyone aged 16 and over. (Telegraph, 7 Jul 2003) See Privacy International. Gay priest turns down Bishop of Reading post Gay priest Canon Jeffrey John is to withdraw his acceptance of the post of the Bishop of Reading, it has been announced. (Ananova, 6 Jul 2003) Perfidious Albion Recent revelations will have made unsettling reading for those who still believe in Britain's essentially benign approach to world affairs: evidence of British collusion with loyalist paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland engaging in "targeted assassinations" of suspected IRA members, for example, and the mounting anger over the way in which the government not only doctored intelligence reports on weapons of mass destruction, but also misled the House of Commons, and indeed the whole country, over the nature of the threat posed by Saddam Hussein. Review of Web of Deceit: Britain's Real Role in the World by Mark Curtis (256pp, Vintage, £7.99). (Guardian, 5 Jul 2003) Clerics issue fatwah on anyone proposing secular laws Islamic leaders in Sudan have issued a fatwah on anyone who calls for the introduction of secular laws in the country. (Ananova, 4 Jul 2003) Home equity borrowing hits record £13.5bn Britons have borrowed a record £13.5 billion from the value of their homes during the first three months of this year. (Ananova, 4 Jul 2003) British prisoners to face US terror trials British detainees at Guantanamo Bay will be among the first prisoners to face trial by secretive military tribunals. (Ananova, 4 Jul 2003) Kew is newest 'world wonder' Kew Gardens is to join the likes of the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China as a modern wonder of the world. (BBC, 4 Jul 2003)  Fatal overdose boy was victim of school bullies, claims motherAn 11-year-old took an overdose of painkillers after being bullied at school, his mother claimed yesterday. Thomas Thompson, whose ambition had been to become a scientist, was found by his mother, Sandra, at the family's home in Wallasey, Merseyside. She called an ambulance but he died before reaching hospital. (Telegraph, 4 Jul 2003) Why Bush Will Avoid Liberia, Congo, Sudan And Others THERE are plenty of hotspots in Africa these days. President Bush will be steering clear of them on his five-country tour of the continent next week. (New Vision via allafrica.com, 3 Jul 2003) Move to end discrimination will bring economic and social benefits The consultation paper, Equality and Diversity: Age Matters, plans to prohibit direct and indirect discrimination by employers, providers of vocational training and trade unions, professional associations and employers' organisations, to bring Britain into line with the European employment directive by October 1 2006. (Guardian, 3 Jul 2003) HSBC to offer 'Islamic mortgages' HSBC is to become the first UK high street bank to offer mortgages and current accounts designed to comply with Islamic law. (Ananova, 2 Jul 2003) Schools struggling with citizenship Secondary schools in England seem confused and complacent about the new subject of citizenship, inspectors are warning. (BBC, 2 Jul 2004) Oshiomhole: Why Refineries Don't Work President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has said that the nation's oil refineries are not operating at optimal capacity due to what he alleged, as a con spiracy between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and oil marketers. (This Day via allafrica.com, 1 Jul 2003) Hong Kong Protests Anti-Subversion Law A new law targeting crimes against the state drew hundreds of thousands of people into the streets of Hong Kong on Tuesday in a protest that overshadowed the sixth anniversary of the handover of the territory from Britain to China. (Guardian, 1 Jul 2003) Shack suspended above Santiago in 'real life reality show' A one-roomed shack has been suspended 40ft above Santiago city centre for a reality show to raise awareness of Chile's housing problems. (Ananova, 1 Jul 2003) Dairy diet may prevent asthma Young children who regularly eat products containing milk fat are less likely to develop asthma, research suggests. (BBC, 1 Jul 2003) |
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updated:
3 Sep
2004