The UK’s DNA data base – what do you think?

Over on our stories section, we’ve suggested the UK’s growing DNA library and the current events arising from the debate surrounding it as something that we’d like to know more about. The Home Office declares it a “vital crime-fighting tool” that had linked more than 410,000 crime scenes with a DNA match and a possible lead to an offender between 1998 and March 2009. However The Human Genetics Commission, an advisory body to the government has stated it’s concern that “function creep” has seen the DNA store turn from a database of offenders into a list of suspects.

Over three-quarters of black men aged between 18 and 35 are on the system. And eight percent of the British population is on the database meaning that proportionally to population it is the world’s biggest.

“Parliament has never formally debated the establishment of the National DNA Database and safeguards around it,” commission chairman Professor Jonathan Montgomery.

Here at Global for me, we’d also like to know what your opinion is so vote in our poll below!

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Ticker: child kidnapping, bombs in Philippines, Lebanese-Israeli border and 16 new ministers for Bulgaria

story ticker

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[Story Ticker] July 29 update

Afternoon again, bloggers.

Our story ticker has been updated today with 4 new additions.

For newcomers, Global for me is a crowdsourced, crowdfunded journalism project by Global Radio News. Our mission is connecting you, the user, to the reporter behind the news desk.

Read our mission as well as challenge to the journalism industry for more information, and feel free to contact us with questions.

Also, the ticker has been condensed into one, singular post that will be updated daily. Have a look, we hope we’ve made it easier for you.

Onto the stories…

• Child sacrifice and kidnapping in Uganda by Duncan Woodside

KINSHASHA, Congo – The abduction of children in Uganda has surged by nearly 40% compared to figures for 2006. The country has long been bedevilled by kidnapping, with the notorious Lord’s Resistance Army specialising in the enslavement of children as soldiers. But the latest rise in abductions – to an annual rate of more than three hundred – is not due to the rebels, who have been largely exiled to neighbouring Congo; instead, it seems that the rising popularity of ‘child sacrifice’ is to blame. Read on.

• Despite peace pledges, bombs in southern Philippines by Simon Roughneen

Singapore – Government and Muslim rebels in the southern Philippines both signed ceasefires over the weekend, renewing hopes that a stalled peace deal could be implemented, giving autonomy to Muslim regions in the largely Catholic country’s south, after three decades of on-off fighting and multiple kidnaps of foreigners. Read on.

• The Lebanese-Israeli border by Austin Mackell

TEHRAN, Iran – Tensions are escalating along the Lebanese border with Israel. A new Israeli outpost on the border has apparently upset both Hezbollah and the Lebanese army and reports suggest that they have come very close to engaging with Israeli’s near the outpost. Read on.

• New PM Borisov has picked 16 ministers for the next Bulgarian government by Jordan Jordanovich

SOFIA, Bulgaria – Boyko Borisov, leader of the GERB party and the future Prime Minister of Bulgaria, has announced the names of the Ministers for the new Bulgarian government. At a special ceremony at the Bulgarian Presidency, Borisov handed back to President Georgi Parvanov the mandate to appoint a new cabinet. The new Bulgarian government consists of 15 Ministers. Including former senior World Bank economist Simeon Djankov as the new Minister of Finance. Read on.

All of these have been added to our growing ticker. Check it daily to see updates.

If you’re interested in suggesting or funding a story, see our Suggest and Fund page.

Happy reading,

Kim

–GFM Team

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E-mail your story ideas to  

Join our discussions on Twitter. @GFMEditor

• Read our Global for me challenge. Make the news work for you.

• Interested in helping make this stories come to light? Hop over to the Suggest and Fund page.

Day two of Xinjiang province protests – why the violence?

ticker: China

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Afternoon, bloggers!

China’s Xinjiang province is topping news headlines again today with a second day of violent protests. Today, our story ticker brings up this story for readers like you and for our correspondents in China.

The developing story, from our main website…

Following the riots in the Xinjiang region on Sunday by Muslim Uighurs which left 156 dead, racial tensions in the region have reached tipping point. As 10,000 Han Chinese marched through Urumqi on Tuesday afternoon the potential for further catasrophic tragedy seems ever more likely…

The Uighur people claim that they have been repressed for years by the Chinese government. They say that their plight has been ignored – due to the success of Chinese propoganda. They allege that the Chinese have successfully portrayed them to the West as Muslims with links to al-Qaeda and simultaneously to Muslim majority countries as pro-west Muslims, as not true Muslims. So that no one is interested in the truth…

In a nation as economical with the truth as China, do you want to know the real story in Xinjiang? What has really been taking place and who is really responsible?

Find out here at Global For Me, where we have the reporters in place to find the answers to your stories…

So here’s the catch…

In order to make this story happen, GFM needs interest as well as donations to get the story done. The idea is all about crowdsourced journalism, as well as connecting directly with the reporter behind the news desk.

Read through our list of Global Radio News freelance reporters who work inside China. One of those correspondents could potentially work for you.

Remember, GFM’s goal is to create journalism for you, and support freelancers working hard all over the world to deliver the news.

If you’re already interested, contact us right away, or comment below.

Sincerely,
Kim
–GFM Team

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E-mail your story ideas to  

A call for investigative journalism: Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme – GFM Story Ticker

ticker: alert

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Afternoon, bloggers!

Kim here, we have a story ticker alert. Our ticker will always sound when our Global for me users send us story ideas.

Remember, if GFM receives enough user interest as well as donation pledges, we can ring up one of our worldwide correspondents to pick up the story for you.

It’s all about connecting to the reporter behind that news desk.

Enough ado. Here’s what GFM received from Ivor Sutton:

E-mail Header

To: Global for me
Sent: 29 June 2009 19:54

Submitted Headline

Banking Abuse of Governments ‘Loan Guarantee Scheme‘

Story Pitch (full text)

The Governments SFLGS (Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme) was produced with the objective of giving ‘the many’ an opportunity to start-up their business ideas. The banks were given the incentive of a government 75% guarantee to implement this ‘scheme’ and the sole task of confirming the ‘viability’ of a business plan and thus providing the necessary funding. Over the last 5-years or so there has been strong evidence that some High Street Banks have ‘Abused the SFLGS’ through banking Maladministration combined with a total lack of ‘customer care’ during the banks funding procedure. IBAS (Independent Advisory Service) has a whole web page devoted to this rather appalling issues that failed to be addressed by politicians, particularly those who were part of a government who were in bed with the bankers throughout this period. Goto: www.ibas.co.uk/SFLGS.htm (for details). In 2004 my business start-up was confirmed ‘viable’ by a Bank and then the basis or product that enabled the opportunity for funding (SFLGS) was ‘Abused’ by this particular bank. Delays at the start, eventually lead to extreme delays. A funding procedure that was meant to take only 5-weeks – took 5-months to complete – and thus proved financially detrimental to the viability of my business. My business manager resigned his post and my business partner and I were left with the ‘burdon of high delay cost’ created by the bank, and the stress and frustration of what ACTUALLy happened. The bank FAILED in the way in which it presented its ‘procedures’ and its ‘customer’ care’ – this in itself was an intolerable failing! My viable business was no longer ‘viable’ as the ‘high cost of delays’ created by this bank created many issues that prevented trading. Everything had in fact ‘changed!’ The financial forecast that was once successful and in full agreement with this bank, was no longer a ‘passage of opportunity’ – instead, it was a ‘root for failure’. And, as a result of this ‘Banking Abuse’, I lost my ‘viable’ business – and eventually my Home. The Financial Ombudsman Service seemingly did all it could to uphold this banking culture. As one of their Adjudicator’s was responsible for dealing with my case – and later I found out that this same Adjudicator was responsible for dealing with similar cases from individuals I did not know at this particular moment in time. It was therefore very strange that this Adjudicator should conclude in all 3 cases that ‘the bank did nothing wrong!” Investigative Journalism is not as active as it should be. Its decline does more to deny the ‘rights’ of redress for many individuals in our communities. In fact, its decline does little to uphold our Democracy – enabling Unfairness and Injustice to grow and thus minimising the Trust and Confidence that is needed in order to strengthen the connection between Politics and the Public, and to weaken the disconnection and dissillusionment that can lead to crime. The aim for me and the others who have suffered a similar fate as me, is to have the support of an Invetsigative Journalist. It is with this type of Journalism that could provide the answers of ‘quantification’ based on the amount of similar cases that the FOS has on record. As you are aware, the Financial Ombudsman Service is not bound by the ‘freedom of Information Act’. Yes, this is a Disgrace! Especially given that their relationship with bankers are also part of this appalling ‘culture’. I am sure you will agree, that the fate that was placed at those who resided from disadvantaged backgrounds is an appalling level of injustice that cannot go unmeasured and untreated. The banks remain arrogant and dismissive while many try to keep the roof over their heads. the fight should have been with political support on our side. However, though their was a brief debate at Westminister Hall in May 2009, it also failed to address these issues in its entirety. Finally, as I, and my contacts, remain strong with full knowledge and evidence of the actual events that took place in our cases, we remain confident that Investigative Journalism will get to the heart of the matter and provide the opening for Truth and Justice to teh many who have been failed by this appalling banking culture.

Thank you, Ivor. If this story is to become reality, there is a laundry list of things to do.

To Ivor, as well as our other GFMers, what do you think?

• Are there others interested in an investigative story into the British Parliament’s Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme, or SFLGS?
• What format would you like a story like this produced in?

Don’t hold back. E-mail us you ideas or simply comment below.

And as a quick note…

Note our ticker format: story suggestions are posted as is, unedited – and personal contact information is withheld unless otherwise specifed. This is to maintain the integrity of the journalism process, as well as not spread personal e-mail addresses around!

Again, many thanks to Ivor. Expect future updates should this story move forward…!

Kim

–GFM Team

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E-mail your story ideas to  

GFM would like to thank Flickr user casey.marshall for the stopwatch graphic used in this post. Retrieved and adapted under the Creative Commons license, 1 July 2009.

Requested attribution to the work:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rsdio/ / CC BY 2.0

Thank you!