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Algerians mull next steps after vote Voters in Algeria have backed government plans to grant an amnesty to those jailed for killings during the country's bloody civil war, in which 100,000 people died. (BBC, 30 Sep 2005) Government's secrecy culture blocks freedom of information The operation of the Freedom of Information Act is in severe difficulties because of a mounting backlog of appeals against Government secrecy. (Times, 30 Sep 2005) Algerian voters back peace plan Algerians have overwhelmingly approved a government peace plan aimed at ending a decade-long civil war that left about 100,000 dead. (BBC, 30 Sep 2005) Why class is permanent, even in this golden age of equality The social class into which you are born remains the best indicator of where you will stay for the rest of your life, according to a long-term study published yesterday. (Times, 30 Sep 2005) Minimum wage increasing to £5.05 The minimum wage will rise on 1 October, benefiting more than one million workers. (BBC, 29 Sep 2005) Labour leaders lose housing vote The Labour Party's leadership suffered a fourth defeat as the conference neared its end, with a vote for a fair share of funding for council housing. (BBC, 29 Sep 2005) Liars' brains 'are not the same' Habitual liars' brains differ from those of honest people, a study says. (BBC, 29 Sep 2005) Brazil bishop makes river protest A Roman Catholic bishop in Brazil has gone on hunger strike and says he is prepared to die unless a controversial environmental project is cancelled. Luiz Flavio Cappio, 59, is protesting against plans to divert some of the water from the Sao Francisco river. (BBC, 29 Sep 2005) Africans die in Spanish enclave At least five people have been killed during a mass attempt by migrants to get into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa. (BBC, 29 Sep 2005) Indian unions call 24-hour strike Leftist Indian trade unions have called a day-long, nationwide strike on Thursday to protest against the government's economic reforms. (BBC, 28 Sep 2005) Arctic ice 'disappearing quickly' The area covered by sea ice in the Arctic has shrunk for a fourth consecutive year, according to new data released by US scientists. (BBC, 28 Sep 2005) DBlair and Reid 'held secret talks with Saudis on £40bn arms deal' Tony Blair and John Reid held secret talks with Saudi Arabia to strike a £40 billion arms deal, it was reported yesterday. (Scotsman, 28 Sep 2005) Al-Jazeera Condemns Conviction of Reporter The pan-Arab TV channel Al-Jazeera condemned a Spanish court's finding Monday that one of its journalists had collaborated with terrorists, accusing the judges of violating legal principles. "It was a black day in the history of Spanish justice," Al-Jazeera news editor Ahmed al-Sheik told the channel from Madrid minutes after the court sentenced Tayssir Alouny to seven years' imprisonment for collaboration with a terrorist organization. (Guardian, 26 Sep 2005) DR Congo to deport Ugandan rebels The Democratic Republic of Congo will disarm and return to Uganda a group of Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels. (BBC, 26 Sep 2005) Ten in appeal against deportation Ten foreign nationals accused of posing a threat to national security are appealing against their deportation. (BBC, 26 Sep 2005) Cockling witness 'pushed to lie' The former girlfriend of one of the Morecambe Bay cockling disaster defendants was "pressured" into lying to the police, a court has heard. (BBC, 23 Sep 2005) Shoppers 'threat to orang-utans' Demand for crisps, bread, lipstick and soap could drive orang-utans to extinction, research suggests. The UK alone imports nearly a million tonnes of palm oil a year for use in such products, but campaigners say plantations for it destroy rainforests. (BBC, 23 Sep 2005) Mine safety drive fails in China By Daniel Griffiths China has admitted that a campaign to get officials to give up illegal stakes in the country's highly profitable but dangerous coal mines has failed. (BBC, 23 Sep 2005) Britons warned over 'segregation' The UK must enforce "equality, participation and interaction" to avoid US-style segregation, the head of the Commission for Racial Equality says. (BBC, 22 Sep 2005) Rhythm and blues Prince Charles's latest experiment in community planning is inspired by a village in Florida. It hopes to transform UK housebuilding. (Guardian, 21 Sep 2005) High pesticide levels found in free fruit for schoolchildren Free fruit and vegetables distributed by the government to children contain over 25% more pesticide residues than fruit and vegetables on sale in shops, according to an analysis by the Soil Association of the results of official tests. (Guardian, 21 Sep 2005) Prince accused over plans for model town Prince Charles was accused yesterday of supporting an "alien, unneighbourly" development of flats and shops at his model town in Dorset. Opponents of the proposals claimed too many homes were intended to be built on the corner plot in Poundbury, the testing ground for many of the prince's planning principles. (Guardian, 21 Sep 2005) Moving target Why do Romanian Roma pupils always seem to be late for school and their attendance sporadic? Why are their parents unable to keep appointments at the doctors? And why do they insist on leaving younger siblings in the charge of teenage brothers and sisters? (Guardian, 21 Sep 2005) End right to citizenship by birth, says French minister The centuries-old right of any person born in France to claim citizenship should be scrapped because thousands of people are abusing the law to gain access to European standards of social security and healthcare in the French dependencies, a government minister said yesterday. (Guardian, 21 Sep 2005) Senegal may tunnel under Gambia Senegal's president has suggested building a tunnel under Gambia to link the country's north and south. (BBC, 21 Sep 2005) Cocklers' desperate struggle to escape rising tide The final moments of the cockle pickers who drowned in the Morecambe Bay tragedy were revealed in harrowing detail to a jury yesterday. (Telegraph, 21 Sep 2005) Long life mobile battery 'vital' Top of the list for the most desirable feature of a next generation mobile device is not some fancy new function, but a battery that lasts much longer. (BBC, 21 Sep 2005) American dream eludes the poorest All around the world the lasting images of Hurricane Katrina were not of the storm, but of the poor. (BBC, 21 Sep 2005) Amnesty urged for illegal immigrants The government should offer an amnesty to all illegal immigrants before tightening procedures to restrict further entry into Britain, the Liberal Democrats' home affairs spokesman urges today. (Guardian, 19 Sep 2005) Trawler steamed into germ warfare site and no one said a word Winston Churchill's government was prepared to let Blackpool suffer the Black Death rather than admit experimenting with germ warfare, a survivor of a test that went awry said yesterday. (Telegraph, 19 Sep 2005) Secret life of the office cleaner Britain's cleaning industry is worth £9bn - but the immigrant cleaners doing our dirty work are increasingly living in a secret world of abuse, intimidation and illegality. (19 Sep 2005) Please stop fetishising integration. Equality is what we really need Where race is concerned there are, it seems, some words that just don't go together. No matter how many young drunken white men beat each other up over the weekend, there is no such thing as white-on-white crime. No matter how many non-white people flee inner-city neighbourhoods for better schools and services, there is no such thing as "black flight". And no matter how bitter their ethnic divides, white people never engage in "tribal conflict". ...The racial group in Britain that has the hardest time integrating is white people. A YouGov poll for the Commission for Racial Equality last year showed that 83% of whites have no friends who are practising Muslims, while only 48% of non-white people do. It revealed that 94% of whites, compared with 47% of people from ethnic minorities, say most or all their friends are white. (Guardian, 19 Sep 2005) Racism blamed as black pupils struggle Black children are being condemned to failure early in their school careers because of racist attitudes among teachers, a leading academic says. (Times, 19 Sep 2005) DClarke to unveil jails overhaul Home Secretary Charles Clarke is to unveil proposals for restructuring the Prisons Service estate so criminals can serve their sentence closer to home. ...Mr Blunkett and Lord Carter, the former Home Office adviser, had wanted to peg the population - currently 77,0000 - at 80,000. (Scotsman, 19 Sep 2005) First broadcast for Latin channel A new pan-Latin American TV channel, Telesur, has begun its first broadcast from the Venezuelan capital, Caracas. (BBC, 17 Jul 2005) Coffee trail To find the place where coffee began, you travel to Ethiopia, and drive out west, to the village of Choche, and then you abandon the car and follow a dirt track up into the hills. (Guardian, 16 Sep 2005) George Bush's address on hurricane relief This is the full text of a speech George Bush gave in New Orleans, Louisiana, on relief for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. ...When communities are rebuilt, they must be even better and stronger than before the storm. Within the Gulf region are some of the most beautiful and historic places in America. As all of us saw on television, there's also some deep, persistent poverty in this region, as well. That poverty has roots in a history of racial discrimination, which cut off generations from the opportunity of America. We have a duty to confront this poverty with bold action. So let us restore all that we have cherished from yesterday, and let us rise above the legacy of inequality... (Guardian, 16 Sep 2005) General Pinochet's dance with justice Chile's former ruler Gen Augusto Pinochet has once again been stripped of his immunity to face prosecution over allegations of human rights abuses under his rule. (BBC, 15 Sep 2005) BAE 'payments to Pinochet firms' UK arms manufacturer BAE has paid over £1m to front companies for the Chilean General Augusto Pinochet, documents obtained by the Guardian show. (BBC, 15 Sep 2005) Aceh rebels begin giving up guns Rebels in the Indonesian province of Aceh have handed over their first batch of weapons in a crucial stage of a peace process with the government. (BBC, 15 Sep 2005) Do we need new anti-terror laws? Britain already has some of the toughest anti-terrorist laws in the world. The police can hold someone suspected of a terrorist offence for two weeks before charging or releasing them - so why does the government want to extend that period to three months? (BBC, 15 Sep 2005) Scores killed in Baghdad attacks More than 150 people have been killed and hundreds injured in a series of bomb attacks and shootings across Iraq. (BBC, 14 Sep 2005) Future dark for 16-year-old school leavers The large number of Britons who leave school at 16 are condemning themselves to a life of poorly paid work and a higher risk of unemployment, according to an international study published yesterday. (Guardian, 14 Sep 2005) Shoot to kill is the safest option, says Met chief Police in London remain under orders to shoot to kill suspected suicide bombers despite the death of an innocent man in July, Sir Ian Blair, the head of Scotland Yard, said yesterday. ...Sir Ian, the Metropolitan police commissioner, has been under pressure over the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, a Brazilian national, on July 22, the day after four alleged suicide bombers sought to stage a second attack on the capital in two weeks. (Telegraph, 14 Sep 2005) All the fun of an arms fair, but only kinetic killing allowed It's not an arms fair, apparently. It's a tri-service defence exhibition. The threat most clearly on display, therefore, is death by euphemism. (Guardian, 14 Sep 2005) Social housing raises residents' hackles in chic districts of Paris For rent: spacious 110 sq metre three-bed duplex apartment on top floor of luxury block. Quiet street in Paris's most sought-after residential districts. Spectacular views of Eiffel Tower. €680 a month. (Guardian, 14 Sep 2005) Weather forecasters to warn Prescott over new homes plan Meteorologists are to warn John Prescott that his plans for thousands of new homes could change weather patterns. (Guardian, 13 Sep 2005) Governors' services 'valued' at £770 million School governors do it for nothing. Not the sexiest bumper sticker ever, yet British schools would be lost without the services of governing bodies. (Times, 13 Sep 2005) Bushmen beg to keep their freedom The Bushmen of the Kalahari - among Africa's last indigenous peoples - are on the verge of losing their ancestral homeland after the Government of Botswana stepped up a campaign to force them into squalid resettlement camps. (Times, 12 Sep 2005) Disney launches new HK theme park Disney has opened a new $1.8bn (£1bn) theme park in Hong Kong, the firm's biggest foray into the Chinese market. (BBC, 12 Sep 2005) Talks on new emblem for Red Cross The Swiss government is hosting two days of talks in Geneva in an effort to agree on a new emblem for the International Red Cross. At the moment, the only two emblems recognised under the Geneva Conventions are the red cross and the red crescent. Some countries are reluctant to use either symbol and want a new emblem which has no religious connotations. There is a proposal for a neutral emblem: a red diamond on a white background, called the Red Crystal. (BBC, 12 Sep 2005) Soup runs 'not helping homeless' Groups providing soup kitchens for London's homeless are failing to help the most vulnerable, a report says. (BBC, 11 Sep 2005) Scars on the Chernobyl landscape A recent United Nations report into the long-term consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear accident of 1986 has concluded that the death toll will be lower than previously estimated. (BBC, 10 Sep 2005) Guantanamo strike in second month A hunger strike by detainees at the US Guantanamo Bay prison camp has entered a second month, says the US military. (BBC, 9 Sep 2005) 'Cover-up' over rich and poor health gap The government is today accused by doctors of covering up the true scale of the health gap between rich and poor in the UK. (Guardian, 9 Sep 2005) Objectivity is our lifeblood What's happened in the past few days has been remarkable, ridiculous and, in some ways, rather encouraging. The Times, having devoted two pages to the attack on me on Saturday, had decided by Monday that it was worth no more than a "chuckle". (Guardian, 9 Sep 2005) Power to the victims of New Orleans On September 4, six days after Katrina hit, I saw the first glimmer of hope. "The people of New Orleans will not go quietly into the night, scattering across this country to become homeless in countless other cities while federal relief funds are funnelled into rebuilding casinos, hotels, chemical plants. We will not stand idly by while this disaster is used as an opportunity to replace our homes with newly built mansions and condos in a gentrified New Orleans." (Guardian, 9 Sep 2005) Activists target handcuffs firm Campaigners have targeted a Birmingham firm which they say makes "shackles" used at the Guantanamo Bay camp. Comedian Mark Thomas joined protesters in orange jumpsuits from pressure group Reprieve outside the headquarters of Hiatts in Birmingham. (BBC, 8 Sep 2005) Guantanamo hunger strike staged Scores of detainees at the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba have begun a hunger strike, human rights lawyers have said. (BBC, 2 Sep 2005) Life 'worse for world's poorest' Many of the world's poorest countries are doing worse in 2005 than they were 15 years ago, a major UN report says. (BBC, 7 Sep 2005) British immigration map revealed Immigration made up more than half of Britain's population growth from 1991 to 2001, says a BBC-published report. (BBC, 7 Sep 2005) MP criticised in gypsy grant row A row has broken out after a Conservative MP criticised a £48,000 lottery award for a project for schools on gypsy and travelling communities. (BBC, 7 Sep 2005) Campbell link to Humphrys 'set-up' New evidence of what John Humphrys described as a "stitch-up" linked to his long-running row with the Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell emerged yesterday. (Telegraph, 6 Sep 2005) DAt least 14 killed in Paris apartment block blaze A fire killed 14 people in a suspected arson attack in a high-rise apartment block in Paris yesterday, the third serious blaze in the French capital in just over a week, police said. (Scotsman, 5 Sep 2005) Survivors reveal Superdome horror The bedraggled crowds may have left the Superdome, but the dead remain where they fell. (BBC, 4 Sep 2005) Professor Sir Joseph Rotblat Professor Sir Joseph Rotblat, who died on Wednesday aged 96, was the only scientist during the Second World War to leave the Los Alamos atomic bomb development programme - the Manhattan Project - for reasons of personal conscience. (Telegraph, 3 Sep 2005) The presenter famous for being blunt refuses to be silenced When John Humphrys spoke to his audience of PR professionals on the cruise ship Oriana, he had clearly forgotten the iron rule imposed by his parents when he was a boy. (Times, 3 Sep 2005) Blair calls for better parenting Respect for other people must be learnt within families first, said Tony Blair as he launched a new drive against bad parenting and anti-social behaviour. ! (BBC, 2 Sep 2005) Guantanamo hunger strike staged Scores of detainees at the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba have begun a hunger strike, human rights lawyers have said. (BBC, 2 Sep 2005) Shias hold pro-constitution march Thousands of Shias have marched in the southern Iraqi city of Basra to back the new constitution and to mourn 1,000 pilgrims who died in a stampede. (BBC, 2 Sep 2005) EU admits constitution is on ice European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has acknowledged that the EU will not have a constitution for "at least two or three years". (Telegraph, 2 Sep 2005) Iraq begins to bury stampede dead The first funerals are taking place in Iraq of the victims of Wednesday's stampede during a Shia religious procession in the capital, Baghdad. More than 960 people died in the stampede, apparently triggered by rumours of an imminent suicide attack. (BBC, 1 Sep 2005) Jewish gunman was no terrorist, Israel rules Four Arab Israelis shot dead by a soldier opposed to the closure of the Gaza Strip settlements are not victims of "terror" because their killer was Jewish, Israel's defence ministry has ruled, and so their families are not entitled to the usual compensation for life. The ministry concluded that the law only recognises terrorism as committed by "organisations hostile to Israel" even though the prime minister, Ariel Sharon, described the killings by Private Eden Nathan Zaada, 19, as "a despicable act by a bloodthirsty terrorist." (Guardian, 1 Sep 2005) |
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updated:
7 Nov
2005