Podcast
Interview with Stefan Singer, Director, Global Energy Policy, WWF
Posted October 7th, 2008 by quarsanDemonstrators gather as MEP's back caps on carbon emissions from power stations
As MEPs met to decide on a range of climate change issues in Brussels, protestors campaigning against the construction of 50 coal fired power plants held a lively demonstration outside the parliament under the slogan, No More Coal.
Stefan Singer, Director Global Energy Policy, World Wildlife Fund explained what they were asking for, “We want the policymakers, especially in the Parliament to address the emerging threat of coal. Coal is coming back in a big way, it is cheap and abundantly available, but it is the biggest offender to the climate system. It has the highest emissions and it is dirty. We need to do something this if we want to take climate change seriously.”
He denied that he was anti-coal, but suggested that putting a cap on emissions would force power generators to look for ways of using cleaner coal in a more efficient way and developing renewable energy sources. MEPs were also asked to look into co-ordinating the European power grid to make it more responsive and efficient.
The European Parliament's environment committee voted to supply billions of euros to help test carbon capture and storage technology (CCS), something Stefan backs, saying if CCS works then there is a future for coal.
Interview With Georgia's Minister for Education
Posted September 8th, 2008 by quarsanToday, I attended a meeting on Georgia and the EU, organised by the Centre for European Policy Studies. During a break I managed to get an interview with Ghia Nodia, the Georgian Minister for Education.
I also came accross two interesting papers, Post-Mortem on Europe’s First War of the 21st Century by CEPS Michael Emerson and Ghia Nordia's The war for Georgia: Russia, the west, the future
The interview is here (mp3 6:28 min 2.96MB)
It seems that the EU visit to Moscow has been quite successful: Russia agrees to a deadline for withdrawl
Blairwatch Interviews Nigel Farage As The Votes Come in
Posted June 13th, 2008 by quarsanThis morning I interviewed Nigel Farage MEP, leader of UKIP and of the EU Parliament's Independence and Democracy movement.
He had many interesting things to say regarding security, electoral reform, David Davis and civil liberties and the rise of the political class. As you would expect, this interview had to be interrupted several times, because of his job and positionand recording was paused at times, so I apologise for this, but the interview is worth listening to for anyone interested or involved in Europe.
Part One (25:38 mins 13MB)
Part Two (14:06 mins, 6.45MB)
Report on Alan Johnston Vigil
Posted April 16th, 2007 by quarsanThere was a good turn out on this hot day and as BBC Brussels staff lined up holding portraits of Alan, the spokesman, Johnny Diamond gave an impassioned speech to remember him and a direct plea for his release.
Margot Wallstrom, vice-president of the commission said the EU would do all it could as did Leila Shahid, the Palestinian Authority's envoy to the EU.
Listen to our interview with Johnny Diamond (mp3) on the kidnapping and the difficulties facing journalists
Podcast 3: Interview with Lieutenant Commander Steve Tatham, author and EX Royal Navy Spokesman
Posted March 1st, 2006 by ringverse| Our final Podcast from Doha is an extended interview with Lieutenant Commander Steve Tatham. Steve was the Royal Navy Spokesman during the 2003 war in Iraq, and Afghanistan, and is still a serving Officer in the Royal Navy. However, it should be understood that he is speaking here in a personal capacity, and his views do not represent those of HMG, the MoD or the Royal Navy. Steve's book was published yesterday: |
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Published in the United Kingdom by Hurst & Company
January 2006 ISBN 1850658110
Published in the USA by CASEMATE
REVIEWS
-–Hugh Miles, author of Al Jazeera: How Arab TV News Challenged the World
--Martin Bell, former war correspondent and independent MP
--Professor Fred Halliday. London School of Economics
Podcast 2: Interview with Hugh Miles, author and journalist
Posted February 11th, 2006 by ringverseOur second interview from the al-jazeera Forum last week. This is a 20 minute interview with Hugh Miles, author of "al-Jazeera, How Arab TV News Challenged the World".
Listen Here
Hugh goes into detail about al-Jazeera, its values, it's significance and it's potential. For anyone who wants a quick grounding in this listen here, if you want to go into the subject further, go to Amazon and buy the book, it's highly recommended.
Hugh Miles is an award-winning freelance writer and journalist. In 2000 he was The Times Young Journalist of the year. He has written for The Sunday Times, The Guardian, The London Review of Books, Time Out Magazine, History Today and others, and his writing on Al Jazeera has been translated into Arabic for publication in the Middle East.
His interest in the Arab world stems from his childhood - he was born in Saudi Arabia, attended primary school in Libya and later went on to read Arabic at Oxford. His father, now retired was a British diplomat.
During the invasion of Iraq he worked freelance for Sky News and spent three weeks monitoring several Arab news stations, including Al Jazeera. This experience led him to write his first book, "Al Jazeera - How Arab TV News Challenged the World" which was published in January in the UK, by Time Warner Books.
Besides writing, he also works as a freelance consultant, often for a UK consultancy company called MEC International (Middle East Consultants), which helps Western companies do business in the Middle East. In recent months he has spoken at various conferences about propaganda, the news in Iraq, and the future of the Arab media. Amongst others, he has recently addressed the BBC, Sandhurst Military Academy and the US Government in Washington
Podcast 1: Breakfast with Dahr Jamail
Posted February 8th, 2006 by ringverseThe first of a series of interviews we conducted whilst we were at the al-Jazeera Forum last week.
This is a 20 minute Breakfast Interview with Dahr Jamail, covering his experiences in Iraq and Fallujah, the failings of mainstream media in reporting Iraq, and the potential for disaster if the rhetoric directed at Iran turns into US action.
His dispatches were quickly recognized as an important media resource and he is now writing for the Inter Press Service, The Asia Times and many other outlets. His reports have also been published with The Nation, The Sunday Herald, Islam Online, the Guardian and the Independent to name just a few. Dahr's dispatches and hard news stories have been translated into French, Polish, German, Dutch, Spanish, Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese, Arabic and Turkish. On radio as well as television, Dahr reports for Democracy Now!, the BBC, and numerous other stations around the globe. Dahr is also special correspondent for Flashpoints.
Dahr has spent a total of 8 months in occupied Iraq as one of only a few independent US journalists in the country. Dahr uses the DahrJamailIraq.com website and his popular mailing list to disseminate his dispatches.
Podcast 0: A little Light Relief
Posted December 18th, 2005 by ringverseWe would like to dedicate this to George Dubya, in honour of his current little constitutional difficulties...
It is a remix of an Alabama3 remix of the gospel classic 'God's Unchanging Hand', featuring American presidents past and present, introduced by Don Rumsfeld.

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