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Man held over student axe murder A second man has been arrested in connection with what is thought to be the racially motivated murder of black student Anthony Walker, say police. (BBC, 31 Jul 2005) EU pushes binding climate deal The European Union says it will push for legally binding global restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions. (28 Jul 2005) Brazilian's visa expired in 2003 The visa of Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes expired two years before he was shot by police, the Home Office says. (BBC, 28 Jul 2005) Cherie warns on anti-terror moves Civil liberties must not be undermined by the government as it responds to the London bomb attacks, prime minister Tony Blair's wife Cherie has warned. (BBC, 27 Jul 2005) Jail population predictions rise By June 2006, there could be 1,400 more prisoners in England and Wales than the highest predictions made this January, Home Office figures have revealed. (Guardian, 27 Jul 2005) Blair welcomes 'alliance of civilisations' plan Tony Blair has welcomed a plan for an "alliance of civilisations" to combat Islamist terrorism by bringing together Christian and Muslim nations, after meeting both the Spanish and Turkish leaders in Downing Street today. (Guardian, 27 Jul 2005) Reduced sentences to curb prison boom Senior judges are to urge the courts to cut average sentences by 15% in the hope of preventing the prison population soaring to more than 91,000 within five years, it emerged yesterday. Home Office ministers were forced yesterday to revise upwards their projections for prison numbers after the population inside Britain's jails reached a new record of 76,506 last Friday. (Guardian, 27 Jul 2005) View from the top Key words in the Blairite age include choice, reform, localism, contestability and community. Most make some sense but they are also slippery. There is nothing wrong with speechmakers blowing bubbles; the language of politics in our evolving democracy has to be baggy and flabby. But when it comes to making policy, precision is precious. Take this summer's ultra-fashionable usage, "community". (!) (Guardian, 27 Jul 2005) Algerian diplomats killed in Iraq Algeria has confirmed that two of its diplomats kidnapped last week in Baghdad have been killed. (BBC, 27 Jul 2005) Shot man not connected to bombing A man shot dead by police hunting the bombers behind Thursday's London attacks was unconnected to the incidents, police have confirmed. The man, who died at Stockwell Tube on Friday, has been named by police as Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes, 27. (BBC, 23 Jul 2005) Inner-city pro-hunt MP Hoey to lead countryside alliance Kate Hoey, the pro-hunting, inner-city Labour MP, is to be chairman of the Countryside Alliance, it was announced at the Game Fair yesterday. (Telegraph, 23 Jul 2005) MPs face cleaners' picket lines MPs and peers faced picket lines on Wednesday as Houses of Parliament cleaners staged their first strike. ...The cleaners, who are employed by two agencies, earn £5 an hour, have no sick pay or company pension scheme and receive 12 days' holiday a year. (BBC, 20 Jul 2005) Teenager wins curfew zones court battle A 15-year-old today won a landmark legal victory against child curfew zones used to tackle anti-social behaviour. (Telegraph, 20 Jul 2005) Iraq's catalogue of death There has been no bigger grey area in the Iraq conflict than the number of ordinary Iraqis killed and injured. (BBC, 19 Jul 2005) '25,000 civilians' killed in Iraq Nearly 25,000 civilians have died violently in Iraq since the US-led invasion in March 2003, a report says. (BBC, 19 Jul 2005) Iraq's descent into bombing quagmire n the last week this city has seen 22 car bombs, with 10 on a single day - last Friday. Not far from Baghdad, at Musayyib, between Hilla and Karbala, nearly 100 Shia Muslims were killed. (BBC, 19 Jul 2005) Brown 'cheating' claim on budget Chancellor Gordon Brown has been accused by his opponents of "cheating" after he announced changes in the way he will measure the budget deficit. The Treasury is planning to stretch the economic cycle to nine years to avoid breaching its "golden rule" on balancing the budget over the cycle. (BBC, 19 Jul 2005) All mod cons To the implacable left, one of New Labour's most persistent crimes is a tendency "to pander to the middle classes". From academy schools to tax cuts, Tony Blair's excesses are instantly blamed on the reactionary bourgeoisie. But when did the middle classes join the "forces of conservatism"? (Guardian, 16 Jul 2005) Food movement 'harms environment' The distribution of food across the UK in cars and lorries adds to pollution, congestion and climate change, a report by the government says. (BBC, 15 Jul 2005) Report sheds new light on 'food miles' Food transport has a significant and growing impact on road congestion, road accidents, climate change, noise and air pollution according to a new report published today by Defra. The environmental and social costs of the impacts are estimated at £9 billion per year with more than half due to road congestion. Consumers travel an average of 898 miles a year by car to shop for food and the quantity of food transported by heavy goods vehicles has doubled since 1974. Food transport now accounts for 25% of all HGV vehicle kilometres in the UK. (DEFRA Press Release, 15 Jul 2005) Full report: The validity of food miles as an indicator of sustainable development (PDF file) Jobs for the boys must be open to old men Job advertisements seeking "young" or "newly qualified" workers are to be outlawed under government regulations intended to end age discrimination at work. (Times, 15 Jul 2005) Shell costs double at Sakhalin Shell yesterday admitted that the cost of its huge oil and liquefied gas project on Sakhalin Island, off Russia's east coast, would double to $20bn (£11bn) and that the first deliveries would be delayed by six months to mid-2008. (Guardian, 15 Jul 2005) Civilians bear brunt of Iraqi insurgency Iraqi civilians and police officers are being killed by insurgents at a rate of more than 800 a month - one an hour, according to new figures released by the interior ministry. (Guardian, 15 Jul 2005) Eminent Briton refused entry Zaki Badawi, the chairman of the British Council of Mosques, was prevented from entering the United States after flying into New York on Wednesday. (Times, 15 Jul 2005) Britain's Armed Forces 'under legal siege' Six former chiefs of the defence staff rounded on politicians, lawyers, the Ministry of Defence and the military police yesterday, claiming that their handling of military prosecutions in Iraq was led by political correctness and ignored the realities of fighting. (Telegraph, 15 Jul 2005 China mine 'concealed death toll' The managers of an illegal coal mine in China concealed the bodies of miners killed in a gas explosion earlier this month, the Xinhua news agency reported. (BBC, 14 Jul 2005) Calls for calm as fear of severe backlash grows The announcement that the London blasts were the work of men police believe were British-born Muslim suicide bombers sparked fears of a backlash yesterday. (Guardian, 13 Jul 2005) Nine arrests over 'racist' murder Police investigating what is thought to be the racially-aggravated murder of a man from Pakistan in Nottingham are questioning nine people. Kamal Butt, 48, died after being attacked outside a corner shop in Hope Close, The Meadows, on Sunday. (BBC, 12 Jul 2005) Newspapers warn of threat to America from 'Londonistan' London has become a "feeding ground for hate" and a "crossroads for would-be terrorists" where Muslims exploit civil liberties to "openly preach jihad", according to newspapers in the United States. (Guardian, 12 Jul 2005) Chinese coal miners die in blast At least 22 miners have been killed and some 60 more are missing after a gas explosion in a coal mine in western China, state media has reported. (BBC, 11 Jul 2005) Iraq suspects suffocate in heat Nine building workers have died in Iraq after being arrested on suspicion of insurgent activity and then left in a closed metal container. (BBC, 11 Jul 2005) Thousands recall Srebrenica pain Tens of thousands of people are attending ceremonies marking the 10th anniversary of the massacre of Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica. (BBC, 11 Jul 2005) Greenpeace marks bombing anniversary The 20th anniversary of the bombing of the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior in Auckland harbour will be marked on 10 July. (BBC, 7 Jul 2005) Transport systems as terror targets Public transport networks in major cities are increasingly the target for terror attacks. The blasts on the Underground and on a bus in London come 15 months after the devastating train attacks in Madrid. (BBC, 7 Jul 2005) Jail whistleblower wins £477,000 A whistleblower who alleged abuse of inmates at Wakefield prison has been awarded compensation of £477,600 after winning a claim for unfair dismissal. The amount awarded to former prison officer Carol Lingard is thought to be the highest for a public sector claim. (BBC, 6 Jul 2005) |
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updated:
19 Aug
2005