Snowmail: anger over Gaza raids
Updated on 02 January 2009
There are growing protests around the world after the latest Israeli aerial bomb attacks targeting Hamas.
A lot of people may have decided to tag today onto their extended New Year holiday, but we are back to our regular 7pm half hour programme on Friday tonight.
Jonathan Rugman reports tonight on the situation in Gaza. With growing protests around the world, and the deaths of three Palestinian children, in the latest Israeli aerial bomb attacks targeting Hamas, the Israelis have begun allowing foreign passport-holding Palestinians to leave the territory. Does it suggest a ground assault is now imminent?
To watch Timeline: a history of violence click here
To see Gallery - the Hamas-Israeli conflict click here
House prices hit new record low
At home...the first working day of the New Year brings new grim news of the state of the housing market and bank lending. (House prices down 16.2 per cent - the biggest fall since 1983).
With savings rates at an all time low, the Nationwide has announced it won't pass on the full rate cuts (with another expected next Monday) to mortgage holders on its tracker products - citing the pain of savers as justification.
The Yorkshire Building Society is putting a so-called "collar" on any of the trackers that didn't already have one (70 per cent already did). And one of their executives is coming on the programme tonight to explain why; and what they make of Gordon Brown's strategy for "rescuing" Britain's economy by encouraging borrowing, rather than saving and the true cost to British banking of bailing out all those savers who had money in Icelandic banks.
To see 'The morning after...' by Hack: click here:
Government focuses on obesity
With McDonald's one of the big corporate winners in the recession, as downsize Britain takes refuge in cheap comfort eating...we have a junk food themed focus too.
This is the seventh year in a row that I remember the programme running a report on the government's latest project to tackle Britain's growing obesity programme.
Several separate pieces of recently reported research have claimed that:
a) By the time children are five it's too late to reverse obesity (Early Birds Diabetes Study of 233 children published in the journal, Paediatrics)
b) 90 per cent of children will be overweight by 2050 (chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, quoted today) and
c) that an entire generation of children has gone through primary school in those seven years of health strategies and come out fatter at the other end.
Tonight's focus is on the government's £75m marketing campaign over three years, under the "Change4Life" slogan; which features Claymation adverts by Aardman featuring plasticine stickmen in a Morph-meets Keith Haring style having active fun.
But the National Obesity Forum has been telling our reporter James Blake that they're deeply worried that the entire campaign is founded on corporate partnership with the likes of PepsiCo who make cola and Doritos) and Kelloggs (think cereals that "turn the milk chocolatey").
The Forum tells Channel 4 News they fear that companies could use their association with Change4Life to subvert the central strategy, and promote the very fizzy drinks and fast foods that are such a big factor in child obesity (especially as drinks vending machines and junk food advertising have been pulled from schools and children's TV in recent years).
Lipsmackin thirst quenchin ace tastin motivatin good buzzin cool talkin high walkin fast livin ever givin cool fizzin fatbustin Pepsi?
Brother of 'kidnapped' nurse speaks
The brother of the nurse, rescued after apparently being held in the boot of her own car for 10 days has been talking about her ordeal.
Sri Lankan troops capture Tigers' HQ
And Alex Thomson reports on the Sri Lankan government's claim of a breakthrough in their fight against the separatist Tamil Tigers - saying they've captured their headquarters. Within minutes of the President's announcement of the victory in Kilinochchi, a suicide bomber in the capital Colombo, killed three airmen outside the air force HQ.
