Key Quotes for 2011

A world perspective in bite-size chunks
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Last update: Wednesday 25th March
 
House prices continued to drop in January, according to a survey, as demand was dampened by fears that an interest rate hike was imminent. A balance of seven per cent of surveyors reported a decline in new buyer inquiries last month, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors said, as speculation mounted over whether the Bank of England would opt to lift historically low interest rates from 0.5 per cent.
The Bank of England will set interest rates at its monthly meeting this week.
HousingThe Sentinel, February 8, 2011
 
The Government has disputed Labour claims more than 10,000 police officers in England and Wales could be cut over the net two years. Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the job losses, revealed in a party survey of police forces across the country, showed the “shocking and brutal reality” of the Government’s spending cuts. Ms Cooper said the cuts were “only the beginning” as a third of forces had yet to announce reductions to their workforces.
PoliticsThe Sentinel, February 7 2011
 
Eighty-two per cent of adults in England and Wales say they belong to a religion, according to the latest social trend figures published by the Office for National Statistics. But, although Christianity was the faith most widely followed, only 32 per cent of those who said they were Christians practised their faith.
ChurchThe War Cry, 5 February 2011
 
Europe’s leaders warned the Egyptian authorities to answer their people with “political reform, not repression”. A statement agreed at a Brussels EU summit stopped short of calling on President Hosni Mubarak to step aside. But it challenged the regime to honour a £150 million-a-year EU “Association Agreement”, committing Egypt to push through political and economic reforms in return for trade concessions.
World IssuesThe Sentinel, February 5, 2011
 
The recession appears to have curbed drinking. From 2008 to 2009, average alcohol intake fell from 17.4 to 16.3 units a week for men and from 9.4 to 8 for women, according to the Office for National Statistics. But Don Shenker, of Alcohol Concern, said drinking would rise again with economic recovery. ‘Government policy should ensure alcohol becomes less affordable permanently, not just in a downturn,’ he said.
Social IssuesSalvationist, 5 February 2011
 
Britain’s soaring inflation is not down to temporary pressures and rates need to rise now to avoid more aggressive action in the future, a Bank of England policymaker has warned. Andrew Sentence, a member of the Bank’s Monetary Policy committee said in a speech “the time has come to act” and warned the Bank risked losing vital confidence in its ability to keep inflation to target by failing to increase rates. His comments come amid mounting pressure on the Bank as inflation rises more than expected.
MoneyThe Sentinel-January 25th 2011
 
Concerns have been raised that secondary schools could face a shortage in teachers after figures show the number of graduates applying for training courses has plummeted.
The numbers of people applying to train as secondary school teachers is down by about nine per cent this year, figures from the Graduate Teacher Training Register suggest.
In some subjects, it is believed applications are down by nearly 40 per cent.
MediaThe Sentinel January 29th 2011
 
Applications from pubs, bars and supermarkets to obtain a 24 hour drinking license have risen significantly during the past two years. A recent study by Sweet and Maxwell, a legal information firm, shows that 946 pubs and clubs can now sell alcohol round the clock. This compares with 637 in 2008. The number of supermarkets and smaller shops with a 24 hour license has risen by 32 per cent, and is still rising.
ShoppingDay One Magazine-February-May 2011
 
More than 11,000 individual written pledges to help halve extreme poverty were handed to MP’s on Tuesday. As part of the Micah challenge, the promises mark the end of a yearlong campaign that aims to remind countries of their commitment to the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). Joel Edwards, International Director of Micah challenge said “The fact that 60 million Christians made promises shows that the global church is one of the most powerful and readied agents for-change on poverty the world has ever seen.
World IssuesChurch of England-January 28th 2011
 
A Bigger than expected rise in inflation heaped more pressure on the Bank of England to increase interest rates as economists warned the cost of living is likely to continue to soar. The Consumer Prices index (CPI) rate of inflation rose to 3.7 per cent last month, its highest level since April and up from 3.3 per cent in November. Surging food costs, energy bills and petrol prices led to a month-on-month price increase of one per cent between November and December, the biggest monthly rise since 1996.
MoneyThe Sentinel January 19/2011
 
Incest could become legal in Switzerland, if the upper house of the Swiss parliament gets its way, it was reported in December. However, the move has been met with outrage from politicians on all sides, with one calling it 'completely repugnant'. The argument being put forward is that the current law banning incest is 'obselete', since only three cases have been dealt with by the courts since 1984. The upper house is also keen to point out that children will still be protected by laws governing abuse and paedophilia.
World IssuesEvangelical's Now February 2011
 
The rising popularity of living together without marrying is largely to blame for the increase in broken homes, according to a report by the Centre for Social Justice published in early December. The think tank called for marriage to be promoted as a means of improving family stability, since their analysis shows that unmarried couples are much more likely to separate than those who marry. Four-fifths of separations are by co-habitees, whereas only one-fifth are married couples divorcing.
FamilyEvangelical's Now February 2011
 
Telling women they can hold down a top-flight job and raise children themselves is a ‘feminist myth’ and the government should back off expecting the impossible from Britain’s mums, according to a new report published in January. The report, Feminist Myths and Magic medicine, argues that women are free to choose between entering senior career positions and raising children, but they will not be able to achieve both. She believes that policies which seek to promote equality of outcome are pointless: ‘People are confusing equal opportunities with equal outcomes’.
Social IssuesEvangelical's Now February 2011
 
A controversial attempt by homosexual activists to fundamentally redefine the nature of marriage through the European Court of human Rights began on December 23. The campaign saw four heterosexual couples apply for civil partnership licences and four same-sex couples apply for marriage licences, fully aware that their applications would be declined. They claim this is a breech of their human rights.
The LawEvangelical's Now February 2011
 
Draconian and politically correct rules which discriminate against Christians living out their faith in the public square have been slammed by the public in a new survey published in December, commissioned for Christian Concern’s Not Ashamed campaign. 72% of British adults believe that Christians should be able to refuse to act against their conscience without being penalized by their employer. 73% agree that the right of people to wear Christian symbols such as a cross in their workplace should be protected by law. 87% disagree that health care workers should be threatened with the sack for offering to pray with patients.
Religious PersecutionEvangelical's Now February 2011
 
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