from the Daily Mail An energy firm in the UK is raising rates. This adds to the concern that many more people will not be able to stay warm this winter. The firm E.ON will raise gas bills by 26% and energy bills by 15%. They blame soaring prices for gas on the wholesale market. - KaleA spokesman for watchdog Energywatch warned last night: 'There'll be no respite for consumers from higher energy bills.'For the four suppliers who haven't raised prices for the second time this year (nPower, E.on, Scottish&Southern Energy and Scottish Power) it's now a matter of how much they will increase bills and when.' While Centrica and its rivals are cashing in from household bills, more and more Britons are falling into fuel poverty, which is defined as spending over ten per cent of disposable...
from the London News A new study warns that the gap between the rich and poor in the UK has doubled in the past 30 years. The report called the "Poverty and Inequality and Children" says that the gap is now the largest in Europe.The TUC union study found that while disposable income for the wealthiest in society has risen to more than 700 pounds a week, that of the poorest has only gone up marginally - and is still less than 200 pounds.It claims more Britons are living below the breadline than 20 years ago, and that no other European country has such a gulf between rich and poor.According to The Telegraph, the report also claims inequality dramatically affects children's chances in life, with babies born to poor mothers more likely to develop health problems in later life, and...
from the BBC The debate on how to solve child poverty in the UK seems to be a highly charged debate. Here is the latest salvo. - Kale George Osborne is set to claim that the Tories are best placed to tackle poverty and create a fair society.The shadow chancellor is also expected to say Gordon Brown has burdened future generations by reckless borrowing.Ahead of his speech he said "simply chucking money at people" was not enough without tackling worklessness and improving educational chances.Treasury minister Angela Eagle said the Tories were trying to avoid scrutiny about "unfunded and unfair policies".There are 900,000 more people in severe poverty than in 1997, the shadow chancellor will say in a speech to think tank Demos.Autumn relaunchHe is also expected to accuse the prime minister...
from Wales Online It's been a while since we've had an article on UK politics in regards to poverty. A policy adviser in the UK examines the impacts the government has made on poverty. - KaleIn an essay entitled Still Living on the Edge? published in the University of Wales Press academic series Contemporary Wales, Prof Dave Adamson, who helped shape the Welsh Assembly Government’s Communities First initiative, claims:There has been little change in poverty levels in many communities since 1996;Many adults in deprived areas expect to be limited by illness and this illness is not always due to industrial disease; Educational failure is the foundation of poverty in Wales, and; It was difficult to see any specific impact from WAG policies on poverty.Prof Adamson, of the University of...
from the Irish Times A new NGO from the UK has warned that 100 million more African people are at rick of extreme poverty. They site the collapse of the world trade talks and the rising cost of food. - Kaleby GENEVIEVE CARBERYAt the launch of Self Help Africa, the merger of Irish charity Self Help Development International and UK-based agency Harvest Help, the organisation's chief executive Ray Jordan said farming and rural development were key to freedom from hunger and poverty."Up to 80 per cent of Africans rely on agriculture for their livelihoods," said Mr Jordan. Unless rural communities and grassroots food production is central to international development, the poverty crisis would get worse, he warned.Costs of transport and fertiliser, growth of biofuels, and population expansion...
At 3pm British Summer Time on July 30th around 100 climate activists took an uncultivated field around a kilometer from Kingsnorth Power Plant in Kent. The 2008 Climate Camp has begun.
The exact location of this site was a closely guarded secret until it was taken, so as to avoid police obstruction. Now that the site has been taken everyone has been taken, everyone is invited so if you are in the UK…get down there! (travel guide) I`ll see you in a couple of days–me and many kilograms of audio visual recording equipment! I`m hoping to record as many of the over 200 workshops (full program) as i possibly can.
The Camp for Climate Action is in its third year in the UK and judging by past years it will be an exciting, educational and above all inspirational event.
Hannah Abbots...
from the Guardian Britain has a scheme to give money to poor students so they can attend university. This story fills in the details. - Kaleby Anthea LipsettUniversities will offer four times as many poor but bright pupils from London, the Black Country and Greater Manchester a place at summer schools aimed at getting them to pursue higher education.The summer schools at top universities, including Cambridge University, will be run from August as part of the national Young Gifted & Talented programme. They include master classes in forensic science and creative workshops.A total of 21,882 summer school places will be offered by 37 universities this year, up from an average of 5,478 places over the last three years.The summer schools are part of the City Challenge scheme introduced by...
from the AFP via Google Here is more on the Anglican bishops march that took place in London on Thursday. - KaleLONDON — Hundreds of Anglican bishops from around the world were among 1,500 people who marched through central London Thursday calling for urgent action to tackle global poverty.Prime Minister Gordon Brown lent his support to their calls, telling them in a speech afterwards that the march was "one of the greatest public demonstrations of faith that this country has ever seen".The march, organised during a once-a-decade gathering of the Anglican church underway in Canterbury, was aimed at calling on world leaders to do more to meet the UN Millenium Development Goals set in 2000 to tackle world poverty.In a letter intended as a manifesto for the march, the church's top cleric,...
from the Telepraph Streets where no one works, and the only people on the corners are dealing drugs. This is in the UK as well, as a new study sheds light on this. - KaleThe gulf between rich and poor in Britain's inner cities is wider now than at any point since Victorian times, the Tories will say today.By Simon JohnsonThey highlight new research showing some of the country's most deprived communities are literally next door to the most prosperous.Despite their proximity, these ghettos are described as being "on a different planet" - rife with drug dealers, gangs, knives, guns and children being raised in squalor.They say the figures are a damning indictment of New Labour's policies.Chris Grayling, the Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, said: "What we are seeing is the growth of a...
from The Telegraph Here is some video from the Faith In Action rally that happened in Britain yesterday. - Kale Link to full article. May expire in future....
from the BBC The leader of one of Britain's biggest insurance companies is now back now urging government to do more. - Kale By Gareth JonesThe former head of one of the world's biggest insurance companies has just come to the end of a year working for charity in Africa.Richard Harvey, who as chief executive of Aviva ran a global operation employing 60,000 people, has been casting a critical business eye over the aid industry.This time last year Richard Harvey was still enjoying the perks of office.His chauffeur-driven limo had dropped him off at Aviva Tower, an executive lift had whisked him non-stop to the luxurious 23rd floor where he was greeted by his top team.High above the City of London Mr Harvey spoke to his staff, gathered for his leaving do, about his impending departure."I...
from the Independent, UK Looks like a big event to mobilize the UK to help meet the Millennium Development Goals will occur today as a part of a conference of Anglican Bishops. - Kale By James MacintyreGordon Brown will warn today that the historic commitments made by the United Nations in 2000 to relieve poverty in the developing world are in danger of being missed.The Prime Minister will reaffirm his commitment to the Millennium Development Goals in a speech to the Lambeth conference of Anglican bishops which moves temporarily from Canterbury to London today. He will say that while good progress is being made on some targets – such as on the eradication of extreme poverty – other areas including education and sanitation need urgent improvement.Mr Brown staved off an attempt to...
from Ananova The Government has been urged to take action after a report found that the number of destitute asylum seekers and refugees had increased by 180% in just 18 months.The survey by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT) revealed that there were 331 destitute asylum seekers on the streets of Leeds, West Yorkshire - an increase from 118 in 2006.A trust spokesman said this was just a sample of the tens of thousands of asylum seekers, refused asylum seekers and refugees now living destitute in the UK.The More Destitution in Leeds report, which follows a survey carried out in the same city 18 months ago, found that asylum seekers were forced into poverty without access to health care and education or permission to work.The number of children recorded as destitute in Leeds has...
from the Financial Times A report from a UK parliament committee asks for the doubling of aid to the UN's World Food Programme. - Kale By Javier Blas in LondonDonations to the United Nations' World Food Programme must double to secure aid for those pushed into poverty by rising food and fuel prices and to compensate for higher procurement costs, a report warned yesterday.The UK parliament's International Development Committee said that significant increases to the WFP's budget would probably be needed in the short term and sustained over the years. "The usual annual total of $3bn [€1.9bn, £1.5bn] in voluntary contributions may need to double."Last year, the WFP received donations of $2.7bn, up from $1.7bn in 1998. After mounting an appeal this year, the WFP received $2.6bn in the...
from the Daily Record This is a story on the charity called Mary's Meals. This charity gives a lot lore than food to the children of Liberia. - KaleBy Samantha BoothORPHANED children wandering alone around city streets is not an unusual sight in Liberia.The war-torn country is home to thousands of youngsters who have lost parents in the battles between factions who seek to gain control over the gold and diamond mines.Many are former child soldiers who are desperately trying to adapt to life free from enslavement by the rival armies.Some are simply lost and lonely children looking for a way to stave off starvation.Life in Liberia, on the west coast of Africa, is particularly cruel for youngsters with a disability.One nine-year-old deaf boy was found wandering the streets in the city of...
from ReutersHere are some more details on the EU's newly proposed food fund. It is already being welcomed by NGO's that work in Africa. - Kale By Jeremy SmithBRUSSELS - The European Commission backed a plan on Friday to give 1 billion euros to farmers in Africa next year to help tackle high food prices and boost output, despite opposition by many EU states.The EU cash, largely the result of underspending and leeway in the bloc's massive agriculture budget, comprises 750 million euros earmarked for 2008 and the remainder for 2009. This year's amount could be given retrospectively from mid-June. At least eight EU member countries, including Britain, Sweden and the Netherlands, have questioned the legality of the scheme but have not challenged the merit of the idea.EU ministers and the...
from Community Care, UK This article covers a children's serivces conference in the UK that addressed child poverty. - KaleDirectors should ensure that early intervention and child poverty are priorities, says ministerby Daniel LombardChildren's minister Beverley Hughes last week urged directors of children's services to play a lead role in harnessing local support for the government's campaign to eradicate child poverty by 2020.Hughes told the Association of Directors of Children's Services annual conference that directors should forge partnerships with local authority and primary care trust senior managers to ensure they prioritised child poverty and a "shift to early intervention" in children's services. She said this should be reflected in funding contributions from agencies.The...
from journal Live, UK This is a look into the future for fair trade. With prices going up and the climate changing, will fair trade still be able to help? - Kaleby Jane Hall, The JournalAs the credit crunch bites and we become more conscious about how we spend our money, what does the future hold for prime food brands like Fairtrade? Jane Hall finds out.IMAGINE having to permanently forego your morning wake-up shot of Peruvian coffee or soothing cup of Assam tea.Worse still, muse on what it would be like to never again enjoy the pleasure of eating a banana, drinking pineapple juice or adding an exotic twist to your fruit salad with slices of mango and papaya.Contemplate what life would be like with no more lemons, limes, grapefruit or lychees. No more demerara sugar, cashews or raisins....
from Reuters Even prosperous countries are growing more food do to food secuirity concerns. As this Reuters article explains, the British government has a new report on ways to tackle the global food crisis. - Kale By Nigel HuntLONDON - More fertiliser in Africa, a global trade pact and maybe even genetically modified crops could help tackle global food security as rising prices drive millions into poverty, Britain's farm ministry said on Thursday.Britons are increasingly growing their own food as prices rise and fears mount about future supplies, the ministry said in a report launching a debate on food security. "High energy prices, poor harvests, rising demand from a growing population, use of biofuels and export bans have all pushed up prices and ... have sparked riots and...
from Wales Online, UK by Steffan Rhys, Western MailQUESTIONS were being asked last night about the effectiveness of the Welsh Assembly Government’s measures to tackle poverty, after an official report revealed the most deprived areas in Wales.The Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2008 showed that little has changed since 2005 in terms of the country’s most deprived areas.Merthyr Tydfil, Blaenau Gwent, Neath Port Talbot and Rhondda Cynon Taf still had the largest proportion of their wards in the most deprived 10% of wards in Wales, leading AMs and community leaders to doubt the impact investment has had in the country’s most vulnerable areas.Meanwhile, Rhyl West was named as Wales’ single most deprived ward, moving above Butetown in Cardiff, which topped the list in 2005.The...
from the Daily Mail, UK By Steve Doughty A single man or woman needs to earn more than £13,400 a year to live decently, a research report found yesterday.It said that anyone making that money can achieve a living standard that most people in the country would consider acceptable.The £13,400 level means someone can pay rent on a council flat and afford food, heating and occasional treats like a cinema ticket or a simple meal out, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said.Rowntree, a research group widely respected on the political left, said an individual could expect to reach the benchmark by earning just over £1 an hour more than the minimum wage for 37 1/2 hours a week.Its report warned that getting to a socially acceptable standard of living is much harder for a traditional family with a...
from the Blackpool GazetteBy Lisa EttridgeIT may look as though Beacon Hill has gone wild – but in fact these furry friends have been teaching pupils about world poverty.The Bispham school was chosen to host the national launch of a new online game which aims to tests the international knowledge of students.To mark the launch, International Development Minister Gillian Merron paid a flying visit to see the game in action and to speak of her recent experiences in Malawi and Zambia.The interactive quiz game, called Race Against Global Poverty, is aimed towards young people between 11 and 16 and has been developed by the Department For International Development as a way to make learning about the world more fun.Beacon Hill was chosen as the launch school for their ongoing work on...
from The Irish Times by Jason MichaelMinister for Lifelong Learning Seán Haughey today outlined the Government’s strategy in fighting social and educational disadvantage.Speaking at the opening of Combat Poverty’s national conference Overcoming Barriers to Educational Disadvantage , he said the Government’s commitment to addressing social exclusion and educational disadvantage is evident in the social partnership agreement, the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion, and the National Development Plan. “ Towards 2016 and the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion adopt a life-cycle approach in addressing these issues. Working with the social partners the Government has set a number of long-term goals which aim to significantly improve the educational opportunities and...
“Should the public come to believe that the scientific issues are settled, their views about global warming will change accordingly. Therefore, you need to continue to make the lack of scientific certainty a primary issue in the debate.”
The delightful Frank Luntz, in a memo to the US Republican Party, 2003
“Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice and rising global average sea level.”
4th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2007
“Few PR offences have been so obvious, so successful and so despicable as the attack on the scientific certainty of climate change.”
Jim Hogg, PR professional,...
from the BBC Tackling the low pay of women is the key to ending child poverty in the UK, according to the TUC.A third of women in work earn less than £100 a week, but the figure falls to 14% for men, the TUC says.The government has pledged to halve child poverty by 2010 and end it a decade later.But the latest figures showed that the number of children living in poverty rose for a second year to 2.9 million, before housing costs, in 2006-2007.The main measure of relative poverty used by the government is the number of people living in households with income 60% below the median household, with the poverty line adjusted for family size.Mothers 'trapped'Research by the TUC, the End Child Poverty coalition and the Fawcett Society said that women's low pay had "huge implications" for their...
from the Journal Liveby Jane Hall, The JournalTWO North East restaurants are showing that a commitment to Fairtrade and support for local producers can be a recipe for success.Owners of modern Northumbrian restaurant Grainger Rooms and popular Fairtrade eatery The Open Kitchen, Chris Slaughter and Chris Jewitt, have joined forces to show that dining out does not need to be an ethical minefield.The two Newcastle-based businesses, which already stock a high amount of goods sourced from producers in the third world as well as from within this region, will be among the first restaurants in the North East to stock new to the market Fairtrade Merlot Reserve and Sauvignon Blanc by Chilean company Lautaro.Owner and head chef of Grainger Rooms, Chris Slaughter, said: “Supporting Fairtrade...
from Ananova The global food crisis has reignited the row over genetically modified crops after a Government minister said the UK should consider whether GM could help address spiralling prices.Green groups reacted angrily to comments by Environment Minister Phil Woolas that there was "a growing question of whether GM crops can help the developing world out of the current food price crisis".Friends of the Earth said the Government had been seriously misled if it thought GM crops were going to stop the food crisis, as they did not increase yield or tackle hunger or poverty.And Greenpeace accused the biotech industry of "abusing the misery of millions of hungry people" by trying to promote its products as a solution to rising food prices.The new row over GM's role in tackling hunger came...
from Ekklesia By agency reporterIn the run up to the G8 summit in Japan, presidents of nine Catholic Bishops’ Conferences have called on G8 nations to honour their commitments to reduce global poverty and tackle climate change.In a letter to the G8 leaders, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor and Cardinal Keith O’Brien along with the other seven presidents of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences in G8 countries called for the promises made at Gleneagles in 2005 and in Heiligendamn in 2007 to be reaffirmed and built upon.Responding to the letter Prime Minister Gordon Brown today (Thursday) praised the Catholic Church for its outstanding leadership in tackling global poverty and climate change as he called for a re-doubling of efforts across the world to address these issues.In 2005, the...
“You should be ashamed of yourself”, said a man on the train this morning, berating a fellow commuter who had just barged his way onto the train as the doors were closing. “You knocked that woman over. You even swore at her.”
The accused looked duly bashful. “I didn’t mean to” came his childish response, “and I wasn’t swearing at her, I was swearing at the other people”.
Last week, the UN accused the Congolese government of using excessive force in recent military-style police operations in Bas Congo. According to the UN, ‘at least 100’ people were killed, wounded captives were summarily executed, houses were looted and razed, and bodies were collected and disposed of.
The same thing happened last year. Excuse my lack of objectivity, but it’s disgusting, and the...
Imagine our surprise on finding the austere Wellington Monument surrounded by this....