A recent commenter worries about Green Backyard and Seeding Futures, the latter having received £6,000 capital investment from Council in January. Seeding Futures are based at the hospice at Thorpe Hall, where there were previously some good things, including a small plant centre often useful. Let’s hope this is the start of a Council-funded revival.
Continue reading “Green Backyard and Seeding Futures – Updated”
BBC World Service News 09:00 GMT Sunday 22nd May 2011
BBC World Service News
09:00 GMT Sunday 22nd May 2011
Newsreader: Jonathan Izard
President Obama has indicated that he would be prepared to order another covert operation against Al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders in Pakistan, despite the row with Islamabad that followed the killing of Osama Bin Laden. Mr Obama was speaking in a BBC interview. Steve Kingston reports from Washington. (TAPE) The discovery and killing of the Al-Qaeda leader in Pakistan shattered relations between Washington and Islamabad. But Mr. Obama says that if the target is right, he’s prepared to do the same again. He was asked by the BBC’s Andrew Marr whether he would order a similar strike against the Taliban leader Mullah Omar. Continue reading “BBC World Service News 09:00 GMT Sunday 22nd May 2011”
BBC World Service News 09:00 GMT Saturday 21st May 2011
BBC World Service News
09:00 GMT Saturday 21st May 2011
Newsreader: Zoe Diamond
Tens of thousands of people are continuing their protest in the centre of the Spanish capital, in defiance of a ban on demonstrations on the eve of local elections. The protests began six days ago, as a spontaneous sit-in at a main square in Madrid by young Spaniards, frustrated at youth unemployment. They filled the square with tarpaulins and banners demanding an end to what they call the dictatorship of the markets. One protestor, Juan Lopez, said unemployment was affecting an entire generation. (TAPE) “For the general population, it’s already 21.3% that is unemployed, which is almost five million people. And for the young people, it’s 43% of our generation that is unemployed. So we are already starting to speak about a lost generation of Spanish people.”(LIVE)
The World Food Programme says that it’s having to cut the rations being distributed in Somalia, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without any food at all. Our Africa editor Martin Plaut reports. (TAPE) The World Food Programme says a lack of funding has forced it to cut rations to Somailis since February, to eke out supplies. The WFP told the BBC it only has about a third of the food it needs to feed one million people. 40% are getting nothing at all. Even those being fed are getting less than half the food they need. In the next few weeks the WFP will be meeting international donors, to try to find $53 million to meet the needs of Somalis until the end of this year. (LIVE)
Continue reading “BBC World Service News 09:00 GMT Saturday 21st May 2011”
A Rose by Any Other Name
This is a welcome opportunity to clear up a mystery surrounding the Peterborough Development Partnership. It was pointed out here that despite the fact that they were deeply involved in developing the Peterborough District Hospital site, there seems to be little trace of them out there on the Internet.
Continue reading “A Rose by Any Other Name”
BBC World Service News 05:00 GMT Friday 20th May 2011
BBC World Service News
05:00 GMT Friday 20th May 2011
Newsreader: David Legg
President Obama’s statement of support for a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders with Israel has received a cool response. In a major Middle East policy speech, he said a continguous Palestine should be the goal, after mutually agreed land swaps. (TAPE) President Obama: We believe the borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines, with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognised borders are established for both states. The Palestinian people must have the right to govern themselves, and reach their full potential, in a sovereign and contiguous state. (LIVE) The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, called the speech “empty words”. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the 1967 borderlines as “indefensible”. President Obama also said that in the wider Middle East region, the United States’ top priority was to back democratic reforms. He expressed support for those who took part in recent uprisings, and he outlined a region-wide initiative to support economic development.
Continue reading “BBC World Service News 05:00 GMT Friday 20th May 2011”
Use of Consultants – Council Statement
08:35 Friday 25th March 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
ANDY GALL: Yesterday we brought you the outcome of the inquiry into whether Peterborough City Council is spending too much money on consultants. The three-man panel made 31 recommendations to the Scrutiny Committee, and called for the process of hiring consultants to be made more transparent. PCC couldn’t put someone up to talk to us, because the report will be discussed at a Cabinet meeting in June, but they did send a statement.
VO: “Peterborough City Council has some of the best controls in the country for managing and monitoring its use of consultants. We are already implementing many of the recommendations in the report as part of our drive for greater transparency, and ensuring we are always providing the best value for money for our taxpayers. Over the past 4 years we’ve been able to take £68 million out of our budget because of this work. We’d like to thank the consultants who’ve worked for us in the past, and those who continue to work for us, for sharing their expertise with our staff to enable us to improve the skills and knowledge we have within our own workforce.”
ANDY GALL: And in today’s Evening Telegraph you can get Council Leader Marco Cereste’s thoughts and comments on the report.
Flack Magazine in Cambridge
10:08 Thursday 19th May 2011
Mid-Morning Show BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
ANDY HARPER: As we heard earlier from some people locally, they’re learning new skills, and it’s been a way of turning their lives around. This is all part of Adult Learner’s Week, when thousands of activities are being held across the County to inspire us to do something new. Well Carol went to an event yesterday afternoon, and joined in the celebration of the achievements of some.
CAROL CARMAN: I did Andy. It was really heartening. It was indeed a celebration of, if you like, various forms of adult education, whether it’s going back to college and getting your O-Levels and A-Levels or whatever, apprenticeships, or, as we’re going to hear pretty soon, homeless people getting involved in producing a magazine called Flack. It’s just finished its pilot stage. It’s a What’s On listing magazine, and it’s been put together by homeless people. And they’ve written articles for it, and gained new IT skills, and things like that. Kevin Appleby is one of those people. Continue reading “Flack Magazine in Cambridge”
Nuclear Safety in Eastern Europe
05:32 GMT Thursday 19th May 2011
The World Today
BBC World Service
TOM HAGLER: In the wake of the Fukushima disaster in Japan, a number of countries are taking a fresh look at the security of their own nuclear facilities. And that includes member states of the European Union. 143 nuclear reactors within the EU are due to undergo a set of so called “stress tests”, a move likely to be discussed at today’s meeting of the Nuclear Energy Forum in Prague. Our Eastern Europe correspondent Nick Thorpe has visited Romania’s one and only nuclear power station in Cernavodă near the Black Sea, and Nick joins us now. Nick, tell us first of all what sort of tests are under discussion within the EU at the moment. Continue reading “Nuclear Safety in Eastern Europe”