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Protests as BBC scraps planned green day
London (AFP) Sept 6, 2007 The BBC has dropped plans to hold a day of programming highlighting the threat from climate change, it said Thursday, in a move which has drawn sharp criticism from environmental groups. The "Planet Relief" telethon had been pencilled in for early next year and was due to feature stars including Emmy Award-winning comedian Ricky Gervais. But it was ditched after some senior BBC executives said that taking action on global warming was not in the publicly-funded broadcaster's remit. Peter Barron, editor of the corporation's flagship news television programme "Newsnight", said last week it was "not the corporation's job to save the planet" and called for "Planet Relief" to be scrapped. The corporation's head of TV news, Peter Horrocks, added that it was not the BBC's job to lead opinion on a subject. The BBC, which viewers help fund through an annual 135 pound (200 euro, 273 dollar) licence fee, faces frequent attacks from British newspapers over its alleged liberal bias, a claim which is angrily refuted by many of its leading lights. In June, a report commissioned by the BBC warned it to take more care over impartiality, citing an episode of popular sitcom "The Vicar Of Dibley" which promoted the Make Poverty History campaign to help developing countries. A BBC spokeswoman said that the decision to scrap "Planet Relief" was not influenced by debate over the corporation's impartiality and said that the event had never been formally commissioned. "Our audiences tell us they are most receptive to documentary or factual style programming as a means of learning about the issues surrounding this subject, and as part of this learning we have made the decision not to proceed with the Planet Relief event," she added. The decision was labelled "very disappointing" by Tony Juniper, director of leading environmental campaign group Friends of the Earth. "The science of climate change is very clear and if approached in the right way, taking up this very serious issue would not compromise the BBC's impartiality," he said. "After all, the corporation has worked in a similar manner to that intended for 'Planet Relief' on child welfare, international development and wildlife protection." Benedict Southworth, director of the World Development Movement, which campaigns against global poverty, added: "Unless the BBC hadn't noticed, all the main political parties in this country recognise that climate change is a fact and needs to be tackled." The row comes weeks after another embarrassment for the BBC, when it wrongly implied in a documentary trailer released in July that Queen Elizabeth II had stormed out of a photo shoot with celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz. The same month, it suspended several members of staff over a competition-rigging scandal. Related Links Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com
Thousands without power as California sizzles
Los Angeles (AFP) Sept 4, 2007Around 40,000 homes across California were without power Tuesday as searing temperatures roasted the region and drained the electricity grid, authorities said. |
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