UK news archive

28.02.2005 British consumers lead the world in buying Fairtrade products which guarantee a fair deal to farmers in developing countries. Sales will enjoy a further boost from tomorrow with the start of Fairtrade Fortnight.
From: Fairtrade Foundation

25.02.2005 Friends of the Earth has won a Pyrrhic victory in a High Court action against the government's aviation White Paper. As long as aviation remains exempt from action on climate change, there can be no public confidence in plans to expand airports.

25.02.2005 e-charity is booming just as much as e-commerce. The Charities Aid Foundation reports massive increases in the use of its facilities for online donations to UK charities during 2004.

24.02.2005 Do Africans want British management consultants to recommend that British water companies take over ownership of their water supplies? Do British taxpayers want to pay these consultancy fees? The World Development Movement continues to ask awkward questions.

23.02.2005 Ken Livingstone is in big trouble over his refusal to apologise for remarks to a journalist which have been interpreted as diminishing the significance of the Holocaust. In a rare public display of support for the Mayor, Black Information Link says that he has worked tirelessly to fight racism, in contrast to the owners of the Evening Standard.

23.02.2005 The result of the Edinburgh referendum has significantly dented the prospect of congestion charging throughout the UK. Scottish environmentalists take their defeat in reasonably good spirit.

22.02.2005 A voluntary Supermarket Code of Practice was introduced in 2002. Since then, the concentration of power of the big chains has increased and farmworkers are quitting the industry every day. A consortium of environmental and consumer groups says it's time for the government to face the facts that voluntary codes don't work.

22.02.2005 As latest opinion polls raise the possibility of a close fight, the Liberal Democrats steal a march on the other parties by publishing an ethnic minority manifesto.

21.02.2005 Two million ordinary voters who marched against the war in Iraq are angry that MPs who backed Tony Blair have not been made accountable and may be returned to Parliamant to repeat their folly. A new campaign launched today aims to provide election support for MPs who voted against the war.

21.02.2005 The glittering West End premiere of a Hollywood movie is unfamiliar territory for the leading human rights campaign group, Amnesty International. Today it plays the lead role of hosting the launch of Hotel Rwanda, hoping no doubt that new awareness of the 1994 genocide will bring much-needed attention to current events in Sudan.

21.02.2005 Can ethnic minority screenwriters in the UK succeed in the fiercely competitive film business? How can we achieve diversity in film and broadcasting media? The winners of an innovative competition have created short films drawing on the Bollywood genre to explore these questions.

17.02.2005 The American civil rights activist and politician, Jesse Jackson, plans to engage in the UK election campaign by encouraging black voters to exploit their electoral power, especially in marginal constituencies.

17.02.2005 Health experts express no doubts in recommending that the citizens of Edinburgh vote in favour of a traffic congestion charge for the city. The result of the referendum may influence the future of congestion charges in the UK.

14.02.2005 As the government digs itself linto a deeper hole on migration policy and anti-terror legislation, the Refugee Council offers a five point plan based on the principle of fairness, and recognition that violence, torture and persecution remain facts of life in many countries.

11.02.2005 Last night's Brit Awards ceremony may prove to be the tipping point for public recognition of the Make Poverty History campaign. Sales of white bands are booming and the celebs love them.

10.02.2005 An example of what happens when politicians scramble for votes with tough migration policies: forced deportations to Zimbabwe resumed last November. How can the Mugabe regime be considered as respectful to international standards of human rights?

10.02.2005 UK celebrities, including the leaders of all three main political parties, have endorsed a campaign to boycott tourism to Burma in protest at the repressive regime. Aung San Suu Kyi, the detained leader of Burma’s democracy movement, supports the boycott.

09.02.2005 The current party political competition for tough migration policies will doubtless cover the question of access to the National Health Service, especially in relation to HIV/AIDS sufferers. The Terence Higgins Trust is campaigning for withdrawal of knee jerk regulations introduced last year which restrict the availability of free treatment.

07.02.2005 As Tony Blair achieves a record for longevity as a Labour Prime Minister, Friends of the Earth takes a look at his environmental achievement. Definitely no records in sight.

07.02.2005 The development agency CAFOD is caught between a rock and a hard place on strategies to fight HIV/AIDS. Advocate the use of condoms and its donor base of catholic churchgoers threatens a boycott; deny their role and instead face derision of the development community.