Key Quotes for 2009

A world perspective in bite-size chunks
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Last update: Wednesday 25th March
 
Gordon Brown hailed an “historic” agreement between world powers that they will not allow global temperatures to rise by more than 2 degrees Celsius and will cut greenhouse emissions by 80% by 2050. The Prime Minister said the deal, by G8 nations in Italy, paved the way for a global agreement at the UN conference in Copenhagen this December.
EnvironmentThe Sentinel- 9 July 2009
 
A campaign group has warned that advertising condoms on TV at times when children as young as 10 could be viewing may lead to a rise in sexually transmitted diseases and abortions among the young. In its submission to the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP), Right To Life warned that the proposed changes in the regulations would be counter-productive and lead children into harm’s way. RTL claimed that the proposals flouted the declared principles of the BCAP on legality, honesty, of not promoting promiscuity and of “doing harm”.
SexThe Universe- July 2009
 
A drunken British man had to be saved by police after he began handing out thousands of Euro at a Spanish airport. The mystery visitor at Mallorca Airport was dishevelled and smelly, but had come into inheritance and quickly attracted a crowd when he began giving away bundles of Euro. Officers found 52,000E (about £44,960) on the man, who flew to the island from Manchester, and persuaded him to go home.
Travel/TourismThe Sentinel- 9 July 2009
 
Pope Benedict XVI stressed the Catholic Church’s opposition to abortion and stem cell research in his first meeting with US President Barack Obama. The pope pressed the Vatican’s case with Mr Obama, who is already under fire from some conservative Catholics and Bishops in the US. The 30-minute meeting at the Vatican on July 10 was described by both sides as positive, constructive talks between two men who agree on helping the poor and pushing for peace in the Middle East, but disagree on what the Vatican considers prime ethical issues.
ChurchThe Universe- July 2009
 
Parents claim the recession is making it harder for them to fund their children through university, a survey revealed. Around 74% of parents said they were struggling to meet the costs of higher education, with 12% turning to their child’s grandparents for help, according to the Association of Investment Companies. Despite that help, 24% of students still expect to graduate with £20,000 of debt, while 39% expect to owe between £10,000 and £20,000.
EducationThe Sentinel- 9 July 2009
 
The Church must be involved in restoring our country's values – that was the message from the Evangelical Alliance to Gordon Brown in a letter and prayer handed to Downing Street recently. As Britain reels from crises of financial and political integrity, the Alliance’s new General Director Steve Clifford has challenged the Prime Minister to invite the Church, with its expertise on values and community involvement, to contribute practically to the policy dialogue on the solutions. Clifford reminded the Prime Minister of his speech on the eve of the G20, when he said religious leaders need to provide a “shared moral sense” to help in the crisis. “You invited us then to build a new world together, and we agree with you that we need to believe in something greater than ourselves to do this,” said Clifford.
ChurchKeep The Faith- July 2009
 
Passenger complaints have soared on the rail line running through North Staffordshire – despite a £9 billion upgrade. West Coast Mainline operator Virgin Trains received 52.1 per cent more complaints in the twelve months ending March 2009 than in the previous twelve months, figures from the Office of Rail Regulation showed. In the year 2007-2008, 360 complaints per 100,000 passenger journeys were received from the London-Scotland line, which runs via Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent and Crewe. Last year the figure soared to 548. The statistics also showed that only 76.4 per cent of trains ran on time in January to March 2009 – well below the national average of 90.3 per cent.
Travel/TourismThe Sentinel- 10 July 2009
 
A controversial move to relax the law on assisted dying was thrown out by the Lords on Tuesday night. Peers voted by 194 to 141, a majority of 53, to reject Labour ex-Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer of Thoroton’s proposal to allow people to help someone with a terminal illness travel to a country where assisted suicide is legal. All three major parties allowed peers a free vote on the amendment to the Coroners and Justice Bill. The amendment, which was co-sponsored by Labour former health minister Baroness Jay of Paddington, had attracted wide-spread debate in the media and criticism from Church leaders.
PoliticsThe Universe- July 2009
 
Orders have been placed to secure enough swine flu vaccines for the entire population under plans from being drawn up by the NHS to tackle the spread of the virus, it has emerged. The Department of Health said the vaccine was still being developed but it expected supplies to start becoming available by early autumn. By the end of the year, around 60 million doses will be available, a spokesman said.
HealthThe Sentinel- 13 July 2009
 
Doctors attending the annual conference of the British Medical Association have rejected calls for a change in the law to allow assisted suicide. In a motion presented by Tameside doctor Kailish Chand, doctors were asked to change legislation to allow assisted death for mentally competent, terminally ill patients and for protection from persecution for those accompanying a patient at an assisted death. In a reaffirmation of its long-held opposition to assisted suicide, the BMA position reflected opinion polls which regularly find that two-thirds of doctors do not wish to see a change in the law. Dr Brian Keighley, deputy chairman of the BMA in Scotland, said: “It is clear that doctors do not wish to play a role in assisting a patient’s death”.
HealthThe Universe- July 2009
 
Professor Richard Dawkins, the prominent atheist, has helped set up a summer camp where children will be taught rational scepticism alongside the more traditional activities of canoeing and swimming. The evolutionary biologist and author of 'The God Delusion' has subsidised the five-day atheist summer camp in Somerset. Camp-goers will be given lessons in rational scepticism, sessions in moral philosophy and evolutionary biology and taught to disprove phenomena such as crop circles and telepathy… The retreat is for children aged 8 to 17 and will rival traditional faith-based breaks run by the Scouts and church groups.
Odd FactsSalvationist- July 2009
 
Doctors should be free to act in accordance with their consciences and should be able to pray for patients, participants in the British Medical Association’s (BMA) annual meeting in Liverpool were told. A number of BMA’s divisions, and the BMA’s Agenda Committee, put forward motions implicitly critical of the suspension of Baptist nurse Caroline Petrie for praying with patients.
The Agenda Committee said that ‘offering to pray for a patient should not be grounds for suspension’, and called on Health Departments ‘to allow appropriate consensual discussion of spiritual matters within the NHS, when done with respect for the views and sensitivities of individuals’.
HealthSalvationist- July 2009
 
A petition signed by 20,000 Christians concerned about the possible gagging of free speech was handed to the Queen on Tuesday. The petitioners are worried that Clause 61 of the Coroners and Justice Bill is an attempt by the government to make it illegal for people to teach a literalist version of the Bible’s teaching on sexuality. Those signing are also concerned about plans by a small group of peers who are trying to legalise assisted suicide by tabling amendments to the same bill. Andrea Minchiello Williams, barrister and founder of CCFON and CLC, delivered a copy to Buckingham Palace at 12.30pm and an hour later delivered it to Downing Street.
Religious PersecutionChurch of England- July 2009
 
A Labour MP has said he is relieved that the Government has backed down on plans to make national identity cards compulsory. Ministers had claimed the cards would counter the threat of international terrorism and other serious crime. However, Stoke-on-Trent Central MP Mark Fisher said he felt the Government’s argument never made sense. He said “This was a draft and unpopular policy which has cost the best part of £1 billion and would have cost many times that – to no good end. I’m pleased common sense has prevailed”.
PoliticsThe Sentinel- 8 July 2009
 
The BNP is facing the threat of a legal injunction which could lead to fines or even imprisonment over a potential breach of race discrimination law relating to its membership policies. The Equality and Human Rights Commission gave the party until 20th July to amend its constitution to make sure it did not discriminate against members on grounds of race. Earlier the party said the move was politically motivated.
PoliticsThe Sentinel- 24 June 2009
 
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