News

Chris Powell had his Obama moment just before Christmas; Already a well respected coaching assistance to Sven Goran Erickson at Leicester City he was approached by the new manager at Newcastle, Alan Pardew, to be his ‘number two’ but he turned the job down.

Simon Parker updates on the battle to end child detention.

Radio 4’s midweek programme hosted by Libby Purves should have been one of those celebratory moments for Black people and particularly Dame Kelly Holmes. Three of her four three guests were either Black or mixed heritage and all three overcame adversity to become very successful.

Aside from economic gloom, 2011 is already set a record for disaster and flooding.

On top of the major devastation of Australia, Brazil and Sri Lanka being underwater, flood alerts have today been announced for Wales.

Reports today say that three flood warnings are in place across Wales following heavy rain overnight.

Three rivers are on flood alert in the south Wales Valleys and parts of west and mid Wales, while firefighters have been called to deal with incidents of flooding in homes in the south and mid Wales.

A new London-based African and Caribbean Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise that will work with Government and developmental agencies internationally will launch at the House of Commons next week.

The African and Caribbean Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise, London, (ACCCE London) says it will support and empower black and minority–led businesses in the London and South East region and follows the Bristol/South West Chamber that was set up in 2009.

I recently saw the film ‘Conviction’ made by Avon & Somerset Police on Isa Ibrahim, the Bristol man convicted of plotting to bomb Broadmead Shopping Centre. I must say it was well made and for once fairly balanced in terms of how it presented Islam and Muslims.  It recognised and acknowledged that it was the Muslim community in Bristol that had reported him and indeed prevented another atrocity on British soil.

Local Councillors in Luton have written to the Home Secretary ahead of a march by the rightwing extremist group the English Defence League (EDL) planned for February 5th.

The leaders of the Labour, Tory and Conservative groups wrote to Theresa May on Friday, asking for her support should they choose to pursue a ban on the march.

Councillors Hazel Simmons, David Franks and Michael Garrett wrote: “We recognise that a ‘banning order’ on the EDL and counter demonstrators, would not prohibit them from holding a static demonstration.

The Coalition Government has announced new plans to extend the scope of the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) in a bid to make government and other public bodies more transparent and open to scrutiny by the public.

Will the Equality Act 2010 make caste a thing of the past?  Asks Ashley Chisholm, founder of the mixed race charity MixTogether.

December 2010 saw the publication of a study by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, entitled ‘Caste discrimination and harassment in Great Britain’.

Most young MPs starting out at Westminster would be happy to just sit, watch and learn. Unless that is your name is Chuka Umunna. He does all of that-sit, watch and learn but also a great deal more.

Yesterday on the Treasury Select Committee looking at banking, the MP for Streatham, almost single-handedly, took on Barclay's Bob Diamond, the most powerful banker in the country, perhaps in Europe, and frankly made mince meat of him.