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Climate Change
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The Guardian
Government manoeuvres on energy targets suggest that the way parliament works does voters - and the environment - no favours, says Stephen Tindale
Monday November 22, 2004
Two weeks ago, the government was guilty of yet another climate failure. This time the issue was energy efficiency: it refused to accept amendments to the housing bill - put forward by Conservatives and Liberal Democrats - which would have required the government to meet its own targets of making a 20% improvement in the efficiency of housing and, in particular, increase the efficiency of social housing.
The appalling state of housing in Britain not only leads to higher carbon emissions, but also contributes to the death of some 30,000 people a year who cannot afford to heat their homes. The government had committed itself on numerous occasions to these energy targets, but when faced with amendments which would have forced them to act, it ordered its backbench MPs to vote them down. |
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Bring back the Fairness Doctrine |
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US Government
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The site BSAlert.com has published an interesting article on the state of US Media and its political, social and economic effect on the country and the world, as well as how to change things. |
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New name of Infact: Corporate Accountability International |
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Tobacco Industry
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Dear Friend,
I'm proud to unveil the new name of Infact: Corporate Accountability International. The mission and purpose of the organization remain the same, but as we expand our work to protect people around the world from irresponsible and dangerous corporate actions, our new name and logo will help our organizing reach millions more people like you. |
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Mandelson targetted over Lobbying |
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EU Politics
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A giant Peter Mandelson 'puppet', operated by a 'European Corporate Lobbyist' welcomed the new European Commissioner to his first day at work today.? |
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Brussels rise draws lobbyists in numbers |
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EU Politics
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By Graham Bowley
International Herald Tribune
Thursday, November 18, 2004
BRUSSELS
One morning last week, Karl-Heinz Florenz, chairman of the European Parliament's powerful environment committee, sat in his 15th floor office as the phone rang incessantly and his computer chimed the arrival of a string of e-mails.
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Bushs slapdown for Blair on climate change |
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Climate Change
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The Independent on Sunday
By Geoffrey Lean and Francis Elliott
21 November 2004
President Bush has reprimanded Tony Blair for sounding the alarm over global warming and pressing for international action to combat it, senior Washington sources say.
They report that the White House has objected to the Prime Minister placing the issue at the top of the agenda when he heads the G8 group of the world's most powerful nations next year, and to the strong tone of his recent speeches warning of climate change. |
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Revealed: Tory adviser accused of dirty tricks |
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British Politics
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The Independent
By Francis Elliott, Deputy Political Editor
21 November 2004
Michael Howard has been secretly taking advice from a controversial pollster repeatedly accused of "dirty tricks", The Independent on Sunday can reveal.
The Conservative leader engaged the services of Mark Textor, a market research expert, two months ago but did not publicise the appointment. His reticence may be explained by Mr Textor's colourful career as a controversial adviser to right-wing politicians in his native Australia.
Among the more serious allegations made against him is that he helped to distribute a damaging questionnaire falsely claiming an opponent supported the right to abortion at nine months. |
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Junk food ads for children on television to be banned |
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Food Industry
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The Independent
By Andy McSmith, Political Editor
14 November 2004
Ministers will order television companies this week to come up with a new set of rules to stop children being exposed to advertisements encouraging them to fill their stomachs with unhealthy food or drink, or face an outright ban. |
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MoD vs the press: on the front line in Iraqs other war |
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Iraq
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The Independent
Deaths among Black Watch soldiers have meant a stream of damaging stories and put the Government and journalists on collision course. Jane Thynne reports on a relationship that is strained to breaking point
14 November 2004
As they do every year, press and politicians will converge today for the annual Remembrance Sunday services. But this year the relationship between those newspapers and the Government officials they liaise with appears to have reached an all-time low. |
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Iraq
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Editor & Publisher
Far from the battleground, and the eyes of reporters and cameramen, more than 400 wounded U.S. military personnel have been airlifted to Germany for medical treatment since the start of the Fallujah offensive.
By Greg Mitchell
NEW YORK (November 11, 2004) -- Dozens of embedded reporters re-enlisted this week, and hundreds of newspapers breathlessly recounted the invasion of the insurgent stronghold (which turned out to be not quite as strong as expected), as if it was the turning point in the war. The embeds were far from the scene, however, when several other rebel centers exploded in death and fury. |
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Britain launches everymans Guide to the EU |
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British Government
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Published: Tuesday 2 November 2004 08:55
EurActiv
Langues / Sprachen: [FR][DE]?
In Short:The British government has launched a 48-page
plain language guide to the EU and its Constitution in an
attempt to 'sell' Europe to its
citizens. |
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War on Terror
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Jon Ronson knew from his investigation into US military intelligence that top brass had adopted some strange practices. Jamal al-Harith, the Briton released from Guant?namo in the spring, confirmed it: here, in our second extract from Ronson's revealing new book, he describes the discordant sounds and apparently random music played to him during all-day interrogation sessions, and four psychological warfare experts give their reaction
Saturday November 6, 2004
The Guardian
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Revealed: secret plan to push happy pills |
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Big Pharma
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The Observer
MPs probe drugs giant's bid to boost Seroxat
Fears over new targets for anti-depressant
Jamie Doward and Robin McKie
Sunday November 7, 2004
Britain's largest drug company drew up a secret plan to double sales of the controversial anti-depressant Seroxat by marketing it as a cure for a raft of less serious mental conditions, The Observer can reveal today.
The contents of the 250-page document have alarmed health campaigners who accuse the firm, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), of putting profit before the therapeutic needs of patients by attempting to broaden the market for the drug which has been linked to a spate of suicides.
The revelation is likely to prompt further concerns about the role and influence of the pharmaceutical industry, which has come under severe scrutiny in recent months. The document is now being investigated by a parliamentary inquiry into the drugs industry. |
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The Embeds Are Back, as Deadly Assault on Fallujah Looms |
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Iraq
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Editor & Publisher
By Joe Strupp and Erin Olson
Published: November 05, 2004
NEW YORK The embeds are back. With a U.S. military assault on Iraqi insurgents in Fallujah pending, there has been a surge in news organizations seeking embedded slots with the Marine unit there, Pentagon officials told E&P today.
All 70 embed slots with the First Marine Expeditionary Force were filled two days ago, according to Sgt. Eric Grill of the Press Information Center in Baghdad.
That same Marine unit had only 15 embeds just one month ago. "It's filled up," Grill told E&P Friday. "There are no more slots." |
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British Government
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You won't have heard of the ,
but its members include some of the most powerful men and women in the
UK. Officially it exists to promote the 'special relationship', but it
has been described as a Trojan horse for US foreign policy. Even its
supporters joke that it's funded by the CIA. Should we be worried? Andy
Beckett reports
Saturday November 6, 2004
The Guardian |
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Lobby war looms as UK firms allot ?1m to fight bill |
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British Government
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The Guardian
David Hencke, Westminster correspondent
Tuesday November 2, 2004
A ?1m lobbying campaign has been launched to fight Tessa Jowell's plan to create new mega-casinos and remove slot machines from thousands of premises such as fish and chip shops and amusement arcades.
The campaign by traditional British gambling industry firms will fight large US and South African companies which have plans to open up to 41 mega-casinos in Britain. One big player, Caesar's Entertainment, which wants to open a casino at Wembley Stadium, will meet lobbyists today.
An email to members by Tim Batstone, president of the British Amusement Catering Trade Association (Bacta), which represents 685 firms from owners of arcades to slot machine manufacturers, has pledged a minimum of ?1m, with authorised spending of up to ?250,000 on lobbying ministers and MPs; ?500,000 on advertising and a further ?250,000 on research. |
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Activists hands tied for 7 years |
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Climate Change
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by Jonathan Birchall in New York
October 24 2004
http://news.ft.com/
Greenpeace has signed a court agreement that will prevent its supporters from staging any similar protests against ExxonMobil, not only in Texas but anywhere in the US, for seven years.
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Who funds leading Canadian think-tank? |
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PR Industry
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Who funds the Fraser?
The Fraser Institute's 30th anniversary a good time to review its financing, influence.
Dateline: Saturday, October 23, 2004
by Donald Gutstein
www.straightgoods.ca
Aspiring reporters are taught in journalism school to "follow the money" when doing business or government stories. Who's financing the project? Who will benefit from the rezoning or tax break? Who will lose out?
This year the Fraser Institute celebrates its 30th anniversary. A gala was held in Calgary two weeks ago attended by 1200 well-fed libertarians, conservatives and reactionaries. Only two numbers were mentioned in the news coverage: 30 and 1200. Missing in action was the more important number, 100 million: the dollars, more or less, that have been funnelled through the institute over the years.
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PR Industry
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The Observer
31 October 2004
Lucy Siegel
They pretend to be cuddly but, beneath the hype, ethical company policies are often just a 'greenwash'. Beware the corporate smile, warns Lucy Siegle
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Iraq
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The road to Abu Ghraib
Jon Ronson
Saturday October 30, 2004
The Guardian
In the wake of Vietnam, the US military were demoralised and prey to some fairly crazy ideas. They thought they could train 'super soldiers' with psychic powers. In this first extract from his revealing new book, Jon Ronson describes how their aspirations were perverted in the prisons of Iraq
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