Full Coverage: United Kingdom

31.08.2004 The Northumberland County Council in the UK has instructed contractors to halt exports of domestic wastes to India for recycling.

30.08.2004 Rubbish from homes in the north east of the UK has been sent to India for recycling, reports reveal.

27.08.2004

27.08.2004 Be a kid for the day and raise lots of lolly to help lick child poverty with ActionAid on Friday 1 October. Find out how to take part.

27.08.2004 Enjoy a feast at the organic food festival. Visit an organic farm. Hold an organic dinner party. Pamper yourself with organic beauty products. Find out how you can take part in Organic Week, 4-12 September, organised by the Soil Association.

27.08.2004 Parents of an Iraqi man who died trying to enter Britain in 2001 are appealing to the British public to raise £3,100 to send home his body.

27.08.2004 A racist cartoon in the Sun newspaper showing Mark Thatcher being cooked by cannibals has provoked calls from campaigners for editor Rebekah Wade’s resignation.

27.08.2004 Scotland’s most powerful wind farm, Crystal Rig, opened this week. Friends of the Earth Scotland urge politicians to back further investment in onshore wind.

27.08.2004 12 MPs are reviving an ancient law to impeach UK Prime Minister Tony Blair for misleading Parliament about the reasons he gave for invading Iraq. Ironically, the legal firm taking on the case is Matrix, his wife’s chambers.

25.08.2004 The government's costly plans for compulsory identity cards are coming under the spotlight, with two anti-ID campaigns being launched in September. Through compulsory identification, the state is set to acquire unprecedented surveillance powers. Five corporations have been identified as behind Labour’s drive towards a surveillance society.

24.08.2004 Environmentalists have welcomed news that the world’s first commercial-scale floating wave energy converter, located in Orkney, Scotland, has completed its first week of electricity generation into the UK grid. With the UK coastline’s huge potential for wave and tidal power, campaigners believe this could help reduce our reliance on polluting fossil fuels and hazardous nuclear plants.

24.08.2004 Jamie Cullum, Basement Jaxx and the Divine Comedy were some of the many celebrities who showed their support for the “Vote for Trade Justice” campaign at the V2004 festival this weekend. Their votes along with hundreds signed by festivalgoers at V2004 will be gathered and counted at the launch of “Vote for Trade Justice” outside the Labour Party conference on 26 September.

23.08.2004 The proposed new Thames Gateway bridge will lead to more traffic congestion, air pollution and noise pollution, a new study for Transport for London has revealed. But campaigners have accused the study of downplaying the negative impacts of the bridge, which, they say, will cause even worse blight to local communities, while not necessarily creating the number of jobs promised.

23.08.2004 The Marine Conservation Society has launched the www.fishonline.org website to inform consumers how to select the most environmentally sustainable types and sources of seafood. Building on their Good Fish Guide, the marine environmental charity aims to promote fish from healthy, sustainable stocks caught using methods which minimise bycatch and habitat damage.

19.08.2004 Campaign groups that successfully fought a second Forth road bridge proposal 10 years ago have reformed to fight plans for a new crossing. Groups include the Cockburn Association, Friends of the Earth Scotland and TRANSform Scotland. The reassembled ForthRight Alliance proposes that the Forth Estuary Transport Authority should pursue sustainable transport alternatives instead of an additional road crossing.

18.08.2004 The British Government stands accused of damaging the environment and polluting watercourses in Papua New Guinea, as well as the abuse of workers' rights, in a letter sent by landowners on the island to the International Development Secretary Hilary Benn. Working with Friends of the Earth, the local land owners are calling for compensation for the damage done by Government-funded palm oil plantations on the island.

18.08.2004 Environmental campaigners have issued a weather warning as heavy rain caused flooding in southwest England and thundery rain threatened the rest of the country. This summer's unpredictable conditions could be a warning of things to come as the UK's climate becomes more unstable as a result of climate change, the environmentalists said.

17.08.2004 Human-made flame-retardant chemicals are contaminating our food supply, according to a recent study. The study looked at contaminant levels of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) in salmon. Of particular concern is the finding that Scottish farmed salmon had the second highest level in the study. The EU is currently considering introducing a new law to bring tighter regulation of such chemicals.

17.08.2004 Public hostility and official indifference are forcing many Gypsies and Travellers to live in third world conditions. The Commission for Racial Equality, in a move backed by the Local Government Association, is lobbying the government to amend the housing bill to reintroduce a statutory duty on councils to meet the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers.

17.08.2004 www.harrietkessie.com is a good example of how the internet can be used imaginatively to benefit and promote a minority business. The innovative website fronts the Harriet Kessie Hair Dressing Salon, set up by partners Harriet Kessie and Joseph Cudjoe three years ago. The salon was one of the finalists for Britain's Best New Company in the HSBC Start Up Stars Awards 2003.