• Tsunami survivors struggle for food and fuel as snow falls • Helicopter mission to cool spent fuel rods abandoned • Emperor says he is ‘deeply worried’ in rare TV address • Read the latest summary of events • Read the Guardian’s latest news story 2.31pm (11.31pm JST): It seems that a small number of people are benefiting from the nuclear scare: Adam Gabbatt reports here how sales of potassium iodide supplements, intended to limit the risk from radiation, have soared in the US and Canada. 2.23pm (11.23pm JST): The New York Times has gone big today on comments by Yukio Edano, variously described as the chief cabinet secretary or the government’s chief spokesman, that a cloud of steam rising from the No 3 reactor at the Fukushima nuclear plant indicated that the reactor’s containment vessel, designed to keep in radiation, might have been ruptured. At a subsequent press conference he said that there was little chance of serious damage. But as the NYT notes, the “rapid and at times confusing pronouncements” by Japan’s government are far from reassuring. 1.58pm (10.58pm JST): James Randerson has sent through some more interesting nuclear context, from the UK’s Institution of Mechanical Engineers . He particularly highlights this snippet: A concern for the people not just of Japan but the Pan Pacific area is whether Fukushima will turn into the next Chernobyl with radiation spread over a big area. The answer is that this scenario is highly unlikely, because of the wildly different design of the two reactors. The reason why radiation was disseminated so widely from Chernobyl with such devastating effects was a carbon fire. Some 1,200 tonnes of carbon were in the reactor at Chernobyl and this caused the fire which projected radioactive material up into the upper atmosphere causing it to be carried across most of Europe. There is no carbon in the reactors at Fukushima, and this means that even if a large amount of radioactive material were to leak from the plant, it would only affect the local area. The Japanese authorities acted swiftly and decisively in evacuating people living within 20km of the plant, and ensuring people living within 30km of the plant remained in their homes, with windows and doors closed. The radiation measured so far at Fukushima is 100,000 times less than that at Chernobyl. 1.46pm (10.46pm JST: My colleague Martin Shuttleworth has updated the Guardian’s before and after pictures showing the devastation caused by the Japanese tsunami . The images show a lot of is yet to recede from the worst hit areas. 1.41pm (10.41pm JST: Ian Sample, the Guardian’s science correspondent, has been talking to Andrew Sherry, director of the Dalton Nuclear Institute at Manchester University, about steam seen rising from the reactor 3. Ian says the fact steam is escaping does not necessarily mean any of the “serious containment structures” within reactor 3 have been damaged: Specifically, I wondered how the steam could be radioactive, given all the containment systems that surround the reactor core. This is different to the steam that is released regularly when the engineers vent the pressure vessel after pumping it full of seawater. One likely scenario is this: high pressures in the reactor vessel can cause it to dump steam into what’s called a torus beneath it. This is a metal donut half-filled with water. That torus was thought to be damaged in yesterday’s explosion, so steam might be leaking from that. Crucially, the torus is outside any of the serious containment structures – only the outer building can hold the radioactive steam in, but the outer building was torn apart in an explosion. Another source of the steam is water boiling at the spent fuel rod pools. 1.30pm (10.30pm JST): Good afternoon, welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the Japanese humanitarian crisis and latest updates on conditions at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Here’s a summary of the days events so far: • Authorities are struggling to control the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant , where the situation in reactors No 3 and No 4 remains fast-moving and perilous. Reactor 3 is a particular worry – Japan’s government said today that there a “possibility” that the reactor’s primary containment vessel for radiation had been damaged after steam was seen rising into the air. Attempts to drop water from helicopters was abandoned due to radiation levels. The latest mooted plan involves a police water cannon truck. Staff dousing reactors with seawater were forced to evacuate part of the building for a period this morning after radiation levels surged. These later receded and staff returned. French government ministers have urged the country’s nationals in Tokyo to leave Japan or else head south in case radiation is blown onto the capital, saying Japanese authorities had “visibly lost control”. • The country faces an increasingly desperate humanitarian crisis caused by the direct effects of Friday’s huge earthquake and resultant tsunami, one made worse by freezing weather. The official death toll has now hit 4,255 deaths, with 8,194 people registered as unaccounted for. Survivors, many of them homeless, are struggling with a wave of cold weather forecast to last well into this week, with night time temperatures dipping to -5C in some places. • Japan’s emperor, Akihito, has made a rare TV appearance to express his condolences to his people and his worry at the nuclear situation. • Following its precipitous plunge yesterday, Tokyo’s stock market bounced back nearly 6%. Japan’s central bank has injected a further $40bn into the financial markets. You can read our previous live blog following Wednesday’s developments here . Japan earthquake and tsunami Japan Natural disasters and extreme weather Nuclear power Fukushima plant status Adam Gabbatt Peter Walker guardian.co.uk
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enlarge When you lose senior citizens and you claim to be a conservative, you might want to rethink your policies. 1500 senior citizens gathered in Lansing, Michigan to protest Governor Rick Snyder’s plan to tax their pensions as ordinary income. “I’ve never been political, but this is a power grab,” said Jennifer Cherrette, 55, a Lansing-area retired state employee who said her pension is less than $20,000 a year. “And it’s not about the budget. It’s about our governor taking our money and giving it to big business. And now he wants those emergency managers. It’s wrong, and it’s not about the budget.” She added, “This isn’t about old people, this about working America and killing the middle class.” Retiree Bob Fox, 67, of Hartland, said the state should raise the tax on beer rather than tax his pension. “It’s going to a tax cut for big business, that’s the problem,” he said. Patricia Matlock, a retired Highland Park teacher, said she paid taxes on her pension savings and it would be unfair to tax her pension benefits. The pension provision is part of the larger effort on the part of Michigan Republicans and Governor Snyder to cut corporate income taxes by 81% by increasing taxes on the poor, elderly and middle class by 36%. As bad as Wisconsin governor Scott Walker is, Rick Snyder makes him look like Santa Claus, despite Snyder’s efforts to paint himself as a non-partisan “problem-solver” . Michiganders have a response. They plan a peaceful takeover of the State Capitol in response to the ongoing efforts of Republicans to marginalize the people in favor of corporate “persons”. It cannot happen soon enough. I wish them all good luck.
Continue reading …NYT’s David Carr Defends Need for NPR, Mocks Idea of ‘Journalistic Independence’ at Murdoch’s News Corp.
March 16, 2011 No CommentNew York Times media reporter and columnist David Carr discussed the surprising recent audience gains of the newly controversial National Public Radio in “ Gains For NPR Are Clouded, ” featured on the front of Monday’s Business Day section. Carr sometimes grasps the conservative point of view on media issues, but on Monday he joined his boss, Executive Editor Bill Keller , in chiding the journalism of News Corporation, the media consortium owned by Rupert Murdoch. (Carr also went after the purported conservative bias at Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal in a December 14, 2009 column, “ Tilting Rightward at Journal .” On Monday he described an NPR under siege while defending the necessity of publicly funded journalism against new calls for budget restraint. It is an argument that is not just being made here, but in Europe as well, historically a sanctuary for publicly financed media organizations. In 2009 in a now notorious speech, James Murdoch of the News Corporation railed against being forced to compete with the publicly financed BBC, suggesting that “the scope of its activities and ambitions is chilling,” and that the private sector was perfectly capable of informing Britons. “The only reliable, durable and perpetual guarantor of independence is profit,” he suggested. I’ll just skip the joke about a News Corporation executive talking about journalistic independence and point out that the invisible hand is not going to send a lot of reporters to far-flung conflicts or to cover hard news that is the opposite of sexy. Carr dubiously denied NPR has an “overt political agenda,” but did fault NPR fundraiser Ron Schiller (caught on hidden camera calling the Tea Party racist) for playing into conservative beliefs with a lecture on wine that “reinforced every extant stereotype of NPR as a collective of wine-sipping, conservative-hating boobs drunk on their own specialness.” Many in Congress, including Mr. DeMint, have argued that NPR’s serving of news comes with a heaping side dish of squishy liberal ideology. And that’s true to a point. In terms of assignments and sensibility, NPR has always been more blue than red, but it’s not as if it has an overt political agenda. Working in public broadcasting probably disposes you to certain kinds of government assistance — to public broadcasting, for example. [Ron] Schiller, in his secretly taped remarks, seemed to agree, and provided plenty of ammunition for NPR’s critics, even suggesting it might be better off in the long run without public money. And not only did Mr. Schiller call members of the Tea Party racists, but he followed up with a ponderous lecture on a varietal of wine — which is not a winning topic when lunching with devout Muslims, even fake ones — and thus reinforced every extant stereotype of NPR as a collective of wine-sipping, conservative-hating boobs drunk on their own specialness .
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The station has had to prove its worth since it was threatened with closure a year ago. A jump in listeners suggests it has The news started to spread almost as soon as Andy Parfitt, the controller of the BBC Asian Network, began to speak to staff on Monday afternoon. Asian music artists started the party by announcing that they had heard, via some indiscreet DJs perhaps, that the station was being saved and that Bhangra, Bollywood and all the other manifestations of the Asian sound would continue to be championed by the BBC Asian Network. In the midst of all this euphoria some people had missed the comment about this being an update not an announcement. This is not a done deal and the BBC Asian Network has not been saved – it is still ultimately in the hands of the BBC Trust, which will make its final decision towards the end of this year. For the many people who work for the BBC Asian Network in Birmingham, Leicester and London it was a statement of intent, that someone, somewhere, in the upper echelons of the BBC felt that the station was worth saving. For the staff and broadcasters this was a vindication of the huge effort that had been put into turning the station around, from one that was perceived to be failing, to one that has increased its listening figures by 33% in one year . It was over a year ago that I wrote an article here outlining how absurd I found the idea of closing the Asian Network down was. I can only assume that, try as they might, the BBC has still not managed to find a way to serve the large and influential British Asian audience that is better than the way the Asian Network currently does it. Each and every day my show asks questions that many other radio stations would shy away from asking. It was my show that inquired whether there was a cultural dimension to the rape gangs operating in the north of England before the mainstream were brave enough to do so. The BBC Asian Network provides a place for British Asian people of all ages to experience high quality broadcasting that is free of commercial pressures while understanding that it has to justify why it spends the public money that it does. The news coverage is of a very high standard, the unique experiences offered to our listeners such as the audiences with stars of music and cinema, and the commitment to specialist music at night with Bobby Friction’s Sony award winning show , proves that our audience values what we do and is being drawn to us in increasing numbers. In the year that has passed since I wrote that article, with a cloud permanently hanging over us all, it is a testament to the vision for the network and the strength of my friends and colleagues that there are more people listening in. The BBC Asian Network did not have the benefit of being able to draw on powerful friends in the media to put its case across. It had to rely on quiet diplomacy and getting the right schedule in place while reaching out to its audience and asking them to spread the word. There are those who feel that the station is not value for money , and a year ago it would have been an argument that would have carried some weight, but the considerable increase in audience figure proves it has found its place. If, as is being reported, the Asian Network will remain but with half the budget, then that is what we will be given. Why should the Asian Network be immune from the cuts that both public and privately funded bodies are being subjected to? The answer is of course that it shouldn’t. On Saturday afternoon while watching my three-year-old son play toddler football I got into a conversation with another dad, a non-Asian hedge fund manager. When I mentioned that I was a Radio 1 DJ he looked impressed; when I mentioned that I also presented a show on the BBC Asian Network a look of pity spread across his face as he said: “Aren’t you closing down?” This is what we have had to contend with for the past year. For now there seems to have been a change of heart from up on high, and there is a glimmer of hope that the BBC Asian Network may survive as a national digital radio station, though with a much reduced budget. The listeners have spoken and told the BBC that this is a station worth saving and one that is relevant to their life experience. The BBC is not Midsomer; there are many stories to be told emanating from the diverse communities that make up this country, and the BBC Asian Network plays a big part in helping to articulate them. Asian Network BBC Radio industry Nihal Arthanayake guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …The station has had to prove its worth since it was threatened with closure a year ago. A jump in listeners suggests it has The news started to spread almost as soon as Andy Parfitt, the controller of the BBC Asian Network, began to speak to staff on Monday afternoon. Asian music artists started the party by announcing that they had heard, via some indiscreet DJs perhaps, that the station was being saved and that Bhangra, Bollywood and all the other manifestations of the Asian sound would continue to be championed by the BBC Asian Network. In the midst of all this euphoria some people had missed the comment about this being an update not an announcement. This is not a done deal and the BBC Asian Network has not been saved – it is still ultimately in the hands of the BBC Trust, which will make its final decision towards the end of this year. For the many people who work for the BBC Asian Network in Birmingham, Leicester and London it was a statement of intent, that someone, somewhere, in the upper echelons of the BBC felt that the station was worth saving. For the staff and broadcasters this was a vindication of the huge effort that had been put into turning the station around, from one that was perceived to be failing, to one that has increased its listening figures by 33% in one year . It was over a year ago that I wrote an article here outlining how absurd I found the idea of closing the Asian Network down was. I can only assume that, try as they might, the BBC has still not managed to find a way to serve the large and influential British Asian audience that is better than the way the Asian Network currently does it. Each and every day my show asks questions that many other radio stations would shy away from asking. It was my show that inquired whether there was a cultural dimension to the rape gangs operating in the north of England before the mainstream were brave enough to do so. The BBC Asian Network provides a place for British Asian people of all ages to experience high quality broadcasting that is free of commercial pressures while understanding that it has to justify why it spends the public money that it does. The news coverage is of a very high standard, the unique experiences offered to our listeners such as the audiences with stars of music and cinema, and the commitment to specialist music at night with Bobby Friction’s Sony award winning show , proves that our audience values what we do and is being drawn to us in increasing numbers. In the year that has passed since I wrote that article, with a cloud permanently hanging over us all, it is a testament to the vision for the network and the strength of my friends and colleagues that there are more people listening in. The BBC Asian Network did not have the benefit of being able to draw on powerful friends in the media to put its case across. It had to rely on quiet diplomacy and getting the right schedule in place while reaching out to its audience and asking them to spread the word. There are those who feel that the station is not value for money , and a year ago it would have been an argument that would have carried some weight, but the considerable increase in audience figure proves it has found its place. If, as is being reported, the Asian Network will remain but with half the budget, then that is what we will be given. Why should the Asian Network be immune from the cuts that both public and privately funded bodies are being subjected to? The answer is of course that it shouldn’t. On Saturday afternoon while watching my three-year-old son play toddler football I got into a conversation with another dad, a non-Asian hedge fund manager. When I mentioned that I was a Radio 1 DJ he looked impressed; when I mentioned that I also presented a show on the BBC Asian Network a look of pity spread across his face as he said: “Aren’t you closing down?” This is what we have had to contend with for the past year. For now there seems to have been a change of heart from up on high, and there is a glimmer of hope that the BBC Asian Network may survive as a national digital radio station, though with a much reduced budget. The listeners have spoken and told the BBC that this is a station worth saving and one that is relevant to their life experience. The BBC is not Midsomer; there are many stories to be told emanating from the diverse communities that make up this country, and the BBC Asian Network plays a big part in helping to articulate them. Asian Network BBC Radio industry Nihal Arthanayake guardian.co.uk
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Raymond Davis leaves jail with US consulate officials after ‘blood money ‘paid to victims’ families Raymond Davis, the CIA spy charged with murder in Pakistan , has been freed after the families of two dead men agreed to drop charges in exchange for financial compensation. The law minister of Punjab province, Rana Sanaullah, made the announcement hours after Davis appeared at a makeshift court in the jail where he was being held. Davis was freed under the Islamic “blood money” provision of Pakistani law, whereby an accused murderer can be freed on payment of financial compensation to the family of the victim. Television stations reported that the American spy had left the jail with US consulate officials and was being flown on a special flight to London. The sudden release of the 36-year-old former Green Beret is the dramatic conclusion of a case that has become a national obsession in Pakistan since Davis opened fire on two men in Lahore on 27 January, killing both of them. Davis claimed he was acting in self-defence against robbers but Pakistani prosecutors said the evidence suggested he intended to kill the two men, and charged him with murder. Some Pakistani officials said the two men were linked to Pakistan’s ISI spy agency, which quickly became embroiled in a barely concealed row with the CIA. The case has become a major block to already fragile relations between Pakistan and the US, with officials from President Barack Obama down insisting that Davis was a bona fide diplomat who deserved diplomatic immunity. Pakistani officials were reluctant to declare his status but the former foreign minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, insisted that the CIA employee did not qualify. A lawyer for one of the families told a local television station that the families had been taken to the jail and forced to sign the pardon papers. Sanaullah claimed his government played no part in Davis’s release. But Najam Sethi, a respected analyst, said on Twitter that chief minister Shahbaz Sharif had played a “key secret role”. Pakistan United States CIA Declan Walsh guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Raymond Davis leaves jail with US consulate officials after ‘blood money ‘paid to victims’ families Raymond Davis, the CIA spy charged with murder in Pakistan , has been freed after the families of two dead men agreed to drop charges in exchange for financial compensation. The law minister of Punjab province, Rana Sanaullah, made the announcement hours after Davis appeared at a makeshift court in the jail where he was being held. Davis was freed under the Islamic “blood money” provision of Pakistani law, whereby an accused murderer can be freed on payment of financial compensation to the family of the victim. Television stations reported that the American spy had left the jail with US consulate officials and was being flown on a special flight to London. The sudden release of the 36-year-old former Green Beret is the dramatic conclusion of a case that has become a national obsession in Pakistan since Davis opened fire on two men in Lahore on 27 January, killing both of them. Davis claimed he was acting in self-defence against robbers but Pakistani prosecutors said the evidence suggested he intended to kill the two men, and charged him with murder. Some Pakistani officials said the two men were linked to Pakistan’s ISI spy agency, which quickly became embroiled in a barely concealed row with the CIA. The case has become a major block to already fragile relations between Pakistan and the US, with officials from President Barack Obama down insisting that Davis was a bona fide diplomat who deserved diplomatic immunity. Pakistani officials were reluctant to declare his status but the former foreign minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, insisted that the CIA employee did not qualify. A lawyer for one of the families told a local television station that the families had been taken to the jail and forced to sign the pardon papers. Sanaullah claimed his government played no part in Davis’s release. But Najam Sethi, a respected analyst, said on Twitter that chief minister Shahbaz Sharif had played a “key secret role”. Pakistan United States CIA Declan Walsh guardian.co.uk
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People wanting to buy wedding presents asked to give instead to a charitable fund Prince William and his fiancee, Kate Middleton, have asked people wishing to give them wedding presents to donate instead to a fund for 26 charities, many supporting disadvantaged inner-city children. A statement issued by Clarence House said: “Having been touched by the goodwill shown them since the announcement of their engagement, Prince William and Miss Middleton have asked that anyone who might wish to give them a wedding gift consider giving instead to a charitable fund. “Many of the charities are little known, without existing royal patronage, and undertake excellent work within specific communities. They are charities that have a particular resonance with Prince William and Miss Middleton and reflect issues in which the couple have been particularly interested in their lives to date.” The announcement may stop some of the lavish gifts bestowed on Prince Charles and Princess Diana at their wedding in 1981, such as a jewel-encrusted dhow from the Emir of Bahrain which ended up being sold by a royal servant to a West End jeweller, and the charities concerned expressed delight at the couple’s gesture. Michael de Giorgio, chief executive of Greenhouse Schools, which provides holiday sporting activities for London children, said the decision to include the charity on the list represented a royal endorsement: “The royal couple have shown the level of social entrepreneurism that will be required to tackle the most pressing social problems.” Among the charities are Peace Players, which promotes cross-community cohesion by teaching children basketball in Northern Ireland; Oily Cart, a children’s theatre group working specially with disabled groups; Into University, which encourages teenagers to apply for higher education; Beat Bullying; Combat Stress and Cruse Bereavement Care for the children of military casualties. Charities working in Australia, New Zealand and Canada will also benefit. The prince is on his way to New Zealand to meet those involved in the Christchurch earthquake and the Pike River mine disaster last November, before heading to Queensland to visit the site of the January floods there. The charities are grouped depending on their work and donations can be earmarked for particular groups: Changing lives through arts and sport; Children fulfilling their potential; Help and care at home; Support for service personnel and their families; and Conservation for future generations. Donations can be made through the www.royalweddingcharityfund.org website. They will be held in a dedicated account by the Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry and grants will be distributed in partnership with the charities to ensure maximum impact. The list of charities Peace Players Ocean Youth Trust Greenhouse Schools Oily Cart Dance United Into University Venture Trust Beat Bullying Keyfund A National Voice Association for Children’s Palliative Care (ACT) Youth Access Community Foundation in Wales Community Foundation in Scotland Community Foundation in Berkshire Combat Stress Cruse Bereavement Care for Children of Forces’ Families Household Cavalry Benevolent Fund Irish Guards Appeal Army Widows Association Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund ZSL EarthWatch The Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary New Zealand government’s Christchurch earthquake appeal Royal Flying Doctor Service – Australia Royal wedding Monarchy Stephen Bates guardian.co.uk
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People wanting to buy wedding presents asked to give instead to a charitable fund Prince William and his fiancee, Kate Middleton, have asked people wishing to give them wedding presents to donate instead to a fund for 26 charities, many supporting disadvantaged inner-city children. A statement issued by Clarence House said: “Having been touched by the goodwill shown them since the announcement of their engagement, Prince William and Miss Middleton have asked that anyone who might wish to give them a wedding gift consider giving instead to a charitable fund. “Many of the charities are little known, without existing royal patronage, and undertake excellent work within specific communities. They are charities that have a particular resonance with Prince William and Miss Middleton and reflect issues in which the couple have been particularly interested in their lives to date.” The announcement may stop some of the lavish gifts bestowed on Prince Charles and Princess Diana at their wedding in 1981, such as a jewel-encrusted dhow from the Emir of Bahrain which ended up being sold by a royal servant to a West End jeweller, and the charities concerned expressed delight at the couple’s gesture. Michael de Giorgio, chief executive of Greenhouse Schools, which provides holiday sporting activities for London children, said the decision to include the charity on the list represented a royal endorsement: “The royal couple have shown the level of social entrepreneurism that will be required to tackle the most pressing social problems.” Among the charities are Peace Players, which promotes cross-community cohesion by teaching children basketball in Northern Ireland; Oily Cart, a children’s theatre group working specially with disabled groups; Into University, which encourages teenagers to apply for higher education; Beat Bullying; Combat Stress and Cruse Bereavement Care for the children of military casualties. Charities working in Australia, New Zealand and Canada will also benefit. The prince is on his way to New Zealand to meet those involved in the Christchurch earthquake and the Pike River mine disaster last November, before heading to Queensland to visit the site of the January floods there. The charities are grouped depending on their work and donations can be earmarked for particular groups: Changing lives through arts and sport; Children fulfilling their potential; Help and care at home; Support for service personnel and their families; and Conservation for future generations. Donations can be made through the www.royalweddingcharityfund.org website. They will be held in a dedicated account by the Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry and grants will be distributed in partnership with the charities to ensure maximum impact. The list of charities Peace Players Ocean Youth Trust Greenhouse Schools Oily Cart Dance United Into University Venture Trust Beat Bullying Keyfund A National Voice Association for Children’s Palliative Care (ACT) Youth Access Community Foundation in Wales Community Foundation in Scotland Community Foundation in Berkshire Combat Stress Cruse Bereavement Care for Children of Forces’ Families Household Cavalry Benevolent Fund Irish Guards Appeal Army Widows Association Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund ZSL EarthWatch The Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary New Zealand government’s Christchurch earthquake appeal Royal Flying Doctor Service – Australia Royal wedding Monarchy Stephen Bates guardian.co.uk
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People wanting to buy wedding presents asked to give instead to a charitable fund Prince William and his fiancee, Kate Middleton, have asked people wishing to give them wedding presents to donate instead to a fund for 26 charities, many supporting disadvantaged inner-city children. A statement issued by Clarence House said: “Having been touched by the goodwill shown them since the announcement of their engagement, Prince William and Miss Middleton have asked that anyone who might wish to give them a wedding gift consider giving instead to a charitable fund. “Many of the charities are little known, without existing royal patronage, and undertake excellent work within specific communities. They are charities that have a particular resonance with Prince William and Miss Middleton and reflect issues in which the couple have been particularly interested in their lives to date.” The announcement may stop some of the lavish gifts bestowed on Prince Charles and Princess Diana at their wedding in 1981, such as a jewel-encrusted dhow from the Emir of Bahrain which ended up being sold by a royal servant to a West End jeweller, and the charities concerned expressed delight at the couple’s gesture. Michael de Giorgio, chief executive of Greenhouse Schools, which provides holiday sporting activities for London children, said the decision to include the charity on the list represented a royal endorsement: “The royal couple have shown the level of social entrepreneurism that will be required to tackle the most pressing social problems.” Among the charities are Peace Players, which promotes cross-community cohesion by teaching children basketball in Northern Ireland; Oily Cart, a children’s theatre group working specially with disabled groups; Into University, which encourages teenagers to apply for higher education; Beat Bullying; Combat Stress and Cruse Bereavement Care for the children of military casualties. Charities working in Australia, New Zealand and Canada will also benefit. The prince is on his way to New Zealand to meet those involved in the Christchurch earthquake and the Pike River mine disaster last November, before heading to Queensland to visit the site of the January floods there. The charities are grouped depending on their work and donations can be earmarked for particular groups: Changing lives through arts and sport; Children fulfilling their potential; Help and care at home; Support for service personnel and their families; and Conservation for future generations. Donations can be made through the www.royalweddingcharityfund.org website. They will be held in a dedicated account by the Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry and grants will be distributed in partnership with the charities to ensure maximum impact. The list of charities Peace Players Ocean Youth Trust Greenhouse Schools Oily Cart Dance United Into University Venture Trust Beat Bullying Keyfund A National Voice Association for Children’s Palliative Care (ACT) Youth Access Community Foundation in Wales Community Foundation in Scotland Community Foundation in Berkshire Combat Stress Cruse Bereavement Care for Children of Forces’ Families Household Cavalry Benevolent Fund Irish Guards Appeal Army Widows Association Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund ZSL EarthWatch The Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary New Zealand government’s Christchurch earthquake appeal Royal Flying Doctor Service – Australia Royal wedding Monarchy Stephen Bates guardian.co.uk
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