VoiceofRussia UK

Title: Horsemeat scandal: the VoR debate
Runtime: 28:11
Date posted: 13 years ago
Description: Cottage pie has now joined the list of contaminated ready-meals after it was found to have been delivered to 47 schools in Lancashire. So far the Food Standards Agency has found 29 items sold as beef in fact contain horsemeat; they include frozen lasagne, spaghetti Bolognese and frozen burgers. To discuss the issue - and the matter of public confidence - VoR's Juliet Spear spoke to: Professor Mike Lean, one of the world's leading nutritionists and Head of Human Nutrition at the University of Glasgow; Andrew Webb, food journalist and Editor of lovefood.com; Rob Lions, Deputy Editor of Spiked and Nick Andrews, a blogger on hamburger-me.com.

http://ruvr.co.uk/2013_02_15/Horsemeat-FSA-consumers-safe/

Title: Exclusive: Where next at the Vatican?
Runtime: 41:37
Date posted: 13 years ago
Description: What is the legacy of Pope Benedict and what is in store for the next leader of the world's Catholics? Is this the time for an African pope? VoR's Brendan Cole and Rob Sachs chair a round-table debate on the papal succession.
VoR's Brendan Cole and Rob Sachs discuss this with:

Peter D. Williams from Catholic Voices;

Ivor Makutzov in Moscow, who is editor in chief of religio.ru;

Fr Thomas Reese, from Woodstock Theological Center, Georgetown University.

UK and Argentina no closer over Falklands row

Title: UK and Argentina no closer over Falklands row
Runtime: 28:35
Date posted: 13 years ago
Description: Britain's foreign secretary William Hague has accused Argentina of bullying the Falkland Islanders following months of fierce accusations from Buenos Aires culminating in Argentina refusing to join talks because the islanders were represented. VoR's Brendan Cole discusses this with his guests.
Ahead of a referendum in the Falkland Islands on keeping its status as a British overseas territory, can Argentina and the UK both come to some agreement on the islands?

VoR's Brendan Cole discusses this with his guests:

Dr Alasdair Pinkerton, lecturer in Geography and Geopolitics at Royal Holloway University of London;

Neil Clark, a journalist and author;

Mike Summers, a member of the Legislative Assembly for the Islands;

and in Buenos Aires, Adrian Salbuchi,a political analyst and author, and founder of the Argentine Second Republic Movement.

3-WAY: US "has a gun to our head" on nuclear plans - Iran

Title: 3-WAY: US "has a gun to our head" on nuclear plans - Iran
Runtime: 30:00
Date posted: 13 years ago
Description: Iran has refused direct talks with the US over its nuclear plans, because of increased sanctions, which Teheran says is "like holding a gun at our head". VoR's Brendan Cole in London and Rob Sachs in Washington, discuss this with Seyed Ali Alavi, a London-based Iranian scholar and analyst, Greg Thieman, who is a senior fellow with the Arms Control Association and from Moscow, they are joined by Andrey Baklitskiy, Research Fellow and Head of Russian Center for Policy Studies
http://ruvr.co.uk/2013_02_09/Iran-US-nuclear-arms-control-policy-studies/

Should the EU term Hezbollah terrorists?

Title: Should the EU term Hezbollah terrorists?
Runtime: 28:31
Date posted: 13 years ago
Description: Hezbollah is Lebanon's strongest armed group and is also a political party. It receives support from Iran and is said to be fighting with Syrian government forces against the rebellion there.The US, UK and the Netherlands already consider Hezbollah to be a terrorist group -- should the EU follow suit?

Joining VoR's Tom Spender to debate the question are: Nadim Shehadi, Associate Fellow with the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House; Karl Sharro, a Middle East commentator and blogger; Shashank Joshi, a Research Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, joining the debate over the telephone; Dmitry Babich, VoR's in-house commentator, also joining over the telephone

Title: UK banks - more power to the people
Runtime: 28:29
Date posted: 13 years ago
Description: Four years after the beginning of the financial crisis, British Chancellor George Osborne has announced the biggest shake-up of the banking industry in decades. His plans have stirred up the British Banking Association, which is calling them "bad economics". VoR's Daniel Cinna talks to: Jason Karaian, senior finance editor at the Economist Intelligence Unit; Robert Oxley, campaign manager at the Taxpayers Alliance; Kevin Mountford, head of banking at MoneySupermarket.com; Dr Richard Wellings, deputy editorial director at the Institute of Economic Affairs.

http://ruvr.co.uk/2013_02_08/UK-banking-system/

Title: Should you smack children?
Runtime: 28:33
Date posted: 13 years ago
Description: The Children's Rights Alliance for England says disciplining young children with a smack is a breach of a UN treaty which outlaws any form of violence against children. Meanwhile the Justice Secretary says parents should be allowed to smack their child. VoR's Juliet Spare hosts a debate.
Joining Juliet are:

Mary Crowley, President of the International Federation for Parenting Education

Peter Cuthbertson, Director for the Centre for Crime Prevention

Pat Gordon-Smith, campaigner with the Children Are Unbeatable! Alliance

Steven Woolfe, City of London spokesman for the UK Independence Party, who is on the telephone.

Title: Out with the pen, in with the iPad
Runtime: 28:30
Date posted: 13 years ago
Description: Is it time to put away the pens and paper and give all pupils and teachers their own iPad? A secondary school in Bolton in Lancashire is doing just that.The Essa Academy is the first school in the UK to roll out the Apple devices including iPads, iPods and MacBooks.
Pupils take tests on their iPads with results being sent to the teachers tablet for marking.
Some marks are given instantly -- for example when multiple choice tests are set - cutting down the teacher's workload. And the Headteacher of Essa Academy say they've also reduced their annual photocopying bill from £80,000 to just £50,000.

VoR's Daniel Cinna talks to Ann Thunhurst from Jisc Advance, which promotes technology in schools; David Weston, chief executive of the Teacher Development Trust; Peter Rudd, a Reader in Education at the Institute for Effective Education and Chris Williams, a primary school teacher.

Fraud in the world of high art in Russia

Title: Fraud in the world of high art in Russia
Runtime: 4:44
Date posted: 13 years ago
Description: A businessman has been formally charged with defrauding a charitable fund set up by Valery Gergiev, principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra and director of the Mariinsky theatre in St. Petersburg. VoR's Alice Lagnado has more.

Meanwhile at the Bolshoi, artistic director Sergei Filin is starting treatment in Germany to save his eyesight after an acid attack.

Title: Britam tells VoR it was hacked
Runtime: 6:07
Date posted: 13 years ago
Description: A British security company, Britam Defence, has been forced to deny claims that it is involved in a plot to destabilise Syria http://ruvr.co.uk/2013_01_30/Britam-security-hack/

The allegations spring from a series of online posts by a blogger purporting to reveal that the company had been offered large amounts of money from a source in Qatar to recruit Russian-speaking mercenaries who could detonate a chemical weapon inside Syria. The posts also suggest that such a plot would have the approval of the USA

Private school education: hypocrisy of the liberals?

Title: Private school education: hypocrisy of the liberals?
Runtime: 28:30
Date posted: 13 years ago
Description: UK deputy prime minister Nick Clegg has been criticised for saying he would consider sending his child to a private school. The statement comes less than a year after he spoke publicly about the "corrosive" rift in education between private and state schools. VoR's Brendan Cole discusses the broader issue of private versus state schools and obstacles to social mobility in British society with: Mark Thompson, the Liberal Democrat political blogger; Conrad Landin, the Labour activist and associate editor of Left Futures; Barnaby Lenon, the chairman of the Independent Schools Council and former headmaster of Harrow School; Alka Sehgal-Cuthbert, a teacher who is doing a PhD in philosophy of education

Mandatory drug tests at work - good idea, bad idea?

Title: Mandatory drug tests at work - good idea, bad idea?
Runtime: 28:30
Date posted: 13 years ago
Description: Should workers such as teachers and nurses face mandatory drug tests at work? The question arises after the Chief Commissioner for the Metropolitan police told MPs that such testing would deter youngsters from taking up cannabis. VoR's Juliet Spare hosts a discussion on the topic.

Juliet is joined by employment lawyer Philip Landau; Party leader of Cannabis Law Reform Peter Reynolds; and Mary Brett, Trustee of Cannabis Skunk Sense charity. Mary is also a former biology teacher.

Should women have a combat role in the army?

Title: Should women have a combat role in the army?
Runtime: 28:14
Date posted: 13 years ago
Description: In January, the US military lifted a ban on women serving in combat roles.The move has re-opened the debate over women serving in combat roles in the British military. So should the UK follow America's lead and allow women into combat roles?

VoR's Tom Spender discusses this with Major Judith Webb, a former senior army officer who in 1982 became the first woman to command an all-male field squadron; Richard Norton-Taylor, Defence and security editor at the Guardian; and Alison Baskerville, a former RAF sergeant and now a photojournalist who has documented life for British Female Engagement Officers in Afghanistan.

3-WAY: Egypt two years after the revolution - an uneasy state

Title: 3-WAY: Egypt two years after the revolution - an uneasy state
Runtime: 30:01
Date posted: 13 years ago
Description: Unrest continues in Egypt following the declaration of emergency. VoR's Brendan Cole in London and Rob Sachs in Washington discussed this with the London-based Egyptian opposition activist Mohamed Emara, Dean Ahmadwho is president for the Maryland-based Minaret for Freedom Institute and the Middle East correspondent for the Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya, Nikolai Surkov.

Title: India rape case widely condemned
Runtime: 28:31
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: The international reaction to a brutal rape case in India has put the treatment of women top of the social agenda. The 23-year-old was travelling with a friend on a bus when she was attacked, gang-raped, and murdered. VoR hosts a panel discussion on the issue.
The incident has been condemned by the United Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment Woman.

In the UK, Labour MP Virendra Sharma has appealed for a debate on the Delhi case, calling for greater protection for women across the world.

VoR's Juliet Spare discusses this with Virendra Sharma, as well as by Ruchira Gupta, founder president of the women's rights organization campaigning against sex trafficking, Apne Aap Women Worldwide; barrister and Professor of Law Jennifer Temkin; and Georgia Arlott, a journalist who has travelled in India.
Photo: Getty Images

Title: 'Slutshaming' -valid in any way?
Runtime: 28:36
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: A trend known as 'slut-shaming' has emerged on the internet in recent years. Posting on social networking sites such as Facebook, Tumblr or Twitter, teenage girls -- and sometimes boys -- humiliate girls for the way they dress or look, which they say is 'sluttish'. VoR's Tom Spender hosts a heated debate.

Title: UK brain drain or global swap shop?
Runtime: 28:36
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: Conservative MP Nick de Bois says that the UK is suffering from a so-called brain drain, as too many intelligent British university graduates are going to work abroad. VoR's Juliet Spare hosts a lively debate on whether these fears are founded, or this is simply the global skills 'swap shop' in play.

Recent statistics from the Office for National Statistics reveal that between 2001 and 2011 more than three million people left the UK.

Joining Juliet Spare in the studio is Conservative Nick de Bois; Felix Mitchell, Director and Founder of Instant Impact; Dr Brad Blitz a Professor of Human and Political Geography at Kingston University and Rudi Dray who emigrated to Hong Kong with his wife and child to work as a teacher.

Our panel debate on Cameron and an EU referendum

Title: Our panel debate on Cameron and an EU referendum
Runtime: 28:36
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: VoR's Tom Spender asks a mixed panel if David Cameron's announcement that he would hold an 'In/Out' referendum on the EU if re-elected is a significant milestone in British history or just an attempt to kick a tricky political issue down the road until after the next election.

Joining us in the London studio for the debate were: George Eaton, editor of The Staggers blog, New Statesman; Dr Henning Meyer, Editor of Social Europe Journal and a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Government Department of the London School of Economics and Political Science; David Coburn, UKIP London Region Chairman; and by phone, Nikki Sinclaire, Independent MEP, the founder of the Campaign for a Referendum.

3-WAY: Moscow, Washington and London discuss Israel

Title: 3-WAY: Moscow, Washington and London discuss Israel
Runtime: 37:03
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: After the polls, the horse trading gets underway as Benjamin Netanyahu tries to form a coalition. What kind of government has the election produced and what will it mean both for the country and the region?

Natanyahu's Likud-Beitenu alliance lost a quarter of its seats in the Knesset and has offered to work with the newly-formed Yesh Atid party, led by Yair Lapid.

In this discussion between Voice of Russia's London, Moscow and Washington studios, VoR's Brendan Cole and Rob Sachs discuss this with Rachel Shabi, a journalist and author of the book "Not the Enemy: Israel's Jews from Arab Lands".

In Moscow, we have Eitan Weiss, first secretary of the Israeli Embassy in Russia and Dan Arbell, scholar-in-residence at the Centre for Israeli Studies at the American University and a 25-year veteran of the Israeli foreign service.

Photo: Rex Features

Africa, the new front for the war on terrorism

Title: Africa, the new front for the war on terrorism
Runtime: 28:34
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: The hostage crisis in Algeria confirmed fears that Africa is the new front for the war on terrorism. What is the aftermath of the seizure of the In Amenas facility in the Sahara and how does it fit into a regional fight against the Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)? Listen in to our special report.

VoR's Brendan Cole discusses the issue with his guests: Dr Berny Sèbe, lecturer in colonial and post-colonial studies, University of Birmingham; Nick Butler, former BP executive and now Professor and Chair of the Kings Policy Institute at Kings College London; Dr Gita Subrahmanyam, North Africa expert at the London School of Economics; and Françoise Wasservogel, Secretary General of the Paris-based International Agency for the North of Mali.

Photo: Getty Images

Title: The future of the British high street
Runtime: 28:31
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: HMV, Jessops and Blockbuster - high street names in trouble as they face a rise in consumer shopping online for the likes of photographic equipment, CDs, DVDs and games; and a shift to digital downloading. Tune in to VoR's in-depth discussion on the future of the British high street.
The chief executive of HMV has insisted that the chain still has a future on the British high street.

The major high street retailer called in administrators last week - soon after the photographic chain Jessops.

But the third casualty since Christmas was the DVD and game rental firm Blockbuster.

They announced this week that they will close 129 of their 528 stores - making 760 people redundant.

Joining me for today's discussion is Andrew Harrison, Editor of the music publication, Q magazine; Liberal-democrat blogger Mark Thompson; Walaa Idris, who is a political activist and advisor to small businesses; and joining us on the phone, Julian Dobson, a...

Title: Generation of loneliness
Runtime: 28:33
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: Statistics show almost 2.5 million people are growing old alone; living in a house they own, without a partner or children. This is not surprising, given that marriages in the UK are at their lowest rate ever. VoR's Juliet Spare discusses with guests what it is like to be lonely and why marriage is going out of fashion.

Tony Benn hits out at unelected EU officials

Title: Tony Benn hits out at unelected EU officials
Runtime: 4:41
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: Veteran Labour politician Tony Benn has criticised unelected officials who run the European Union and accused them of "empire-building". He speaks to VoR about his view that the UK should remain within the EU but "not be part of the empire".
As the Conservative party wrangles with backbench appeals to claw back powers from Brussels, threatening another rift within the party, there are calls for an in-out referendum on Europe.

The US administration has made plain its preference that Britain remains part of the EU and takes a leading role.

Tony Benn, who retired as a Labour MP in 2001, voted unsuccesfully against continuing membership of the European Economic Community in 1975.

He wrote in his diary that he "loathed" the EEC. Today, his views are no less emphatic.
Photo: Voice of Russia

Exclusive: Voice of Russia talks to Camila Batmanghelidjh

Title: Exclusive: Voice of Russia talks to Camila Batmanghelidjh
Runtime: 28:31
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: The founder of Kids Company, a charity operating drop-in and therapy centres for abused and vulnerable children in London talks exclusively to VoR. Camila Batmanghelidjh says, "it's not climate change we should be worrying about, it's the time bomb of children suffering from emotional rot".

Hillary Clinton leaves the world stage ... for now

Title: Hillary Clinton leaves the world stage ... for now
Runtime: 28:31
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: VoR's Hywel Davies analyses Hillary Clinton's decision to step down from her role as Secretary of State and examines how she leaves US foreign policy. She is still -- for just a few more days -- possibly the most powerful woman in the world.
Hillary Clinton has been US Secretary of State for the last four years, a period that saw damaging foreign and diplomatic information through Wikleaks, the Arab Spring, the fall of Gaddafi and the US mission to kill Osama bin Laden.

So has the first female to hold this post succeeded or have the sceptics who criticised her appointment in 2008 ben proved correct? VoR discusses her tenure and legacy with Mattia Toaldo, a fellow from the Institute for the Study of the Americas at the University of London, Matthew Jamison, a consultant fellow at the Royal United Services Institute and Alex Spillius, Diplomatic Correspondent for the Daily Telegraph.

Photo: Getty Images

Title: Fox hunting: illegal but continuing
Runtime: 28:34
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: In 2005 the very traditional British pursuit of fox-hunting was banned. However, animal rights campaigners claim there is little enforcement and the law is routinely flouted. VoR discusses the future of hunting in Britain.
Tom Spender is joined by in VoR's London studios by Sian Lovatt, dressage rider and journalist; Jim Barrington, welfare consultant to the Countryside Alliance and former Executive Director of the League Against Cruel Sports; Vanessa Hudson, leader of the political party Animals Count; and on the phone, Sir Gerald Kaufman, Labour MP and opponent of foxhunting.
Photo: Getty Images

Title: Child brides, a cruel custom
Runtime: 28:31
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: One in seven girls in developing countries is married off before the age of 15 to a man twice as old as she is. These child brides are often forced to leave school, and subjected to domestic violence and sexual abuse. Listen in to VoR's in-depth report.

Every day, some 25,000 girls under the age of 18 - mainly in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa - are being married off to much older men.

Juliet Spare is joined in the studio by: Naana Otoo-Oyortey, Executive Director of Foundation for Women's Health Research and Development (FORWARD, UK); Margaret Owen, Director of Widows for Peace through Democracy; Waleed Ahmad, Librarian and Head of Visits Department at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in London. And on the telephone, Sameem Ali, who campaigns against forced marriages.
Photo: Getty Images

Debate over gay clergy: is the Church split?

Title: Debate over gay clergy: is the Church split?
Runtime: 28:31
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: The Church of England has said that gay men can become bishops, if they are celibate. African Anglicans have threatened to break away from the Church of England over the decision. Does this have the potential to split the Anglican communion?
VoR's Brendan Cole discusses this with Alison Ruoff, lay member of the General Synod of the Church of England; Reverend Peter Ould, who is Church of England and a prominent blogger; John Blowers, spokesperson for the Evangelical Fellowship for Lesbian and Gay Christians; and Savitri Hensman, vice chair of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement.

Photo: Getty Images

Title: Fiscal cliff - the drama continues
Runtime: 28:31
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: VoR's Hywel Davies discusses the state of the economy in the United States with a group of experts as optimism cools over the recent Republican-Democrat deal to stave off fiscal cliff disaster.
On the 1st of January, after last ditch talks, President Barack Obama and the Republican leader of the House John Boehner agreed to a deal to prevent automatic tax rises and spending cuts which economists say could have cut GDP by 5%, sending the US into recession.

But the deal between the President and Congress was finally hammered out, raising taxes for the very rich and sending stock markets soaring.

Now, just over a week later, some of that optimism has cooled as economists and politicians worry that the deal did nothing about the US government's debts.

By March the federal government will need to get permission to raise its borrowing limit -- setting the stage for another fiscal-cliff style confrontation between Democrats and Republicans.
...

Title: Pakistan: polio vaccination re-starts
Runtime: 28:30
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: The country's polio eradication programme is again underway after six health workers who had been vaccinating children were killed last week. How do attacks on those carrying out vaccinations play into the war on terror and tackling the Taliban? Listen in on our in-depth discussion.
VoR's Brendan Cole discusses the issue with senior research fellow for the Asia programme at Chatham House, Gareth Price; Heidi Larson, senior lecturer at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; Abdul Majid Katme from the Islamic Medical Association; and Zeenia Satti, an Islamabad-based columnist and security analyst.

Title: Juju rituals, sexual slavery in UK
Runtime: 28:32
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: Young women and girls are being lured from their home countries with offers of work and trafficked into Britain, only to be forced into prostitution. Authorities have uncovered a trend where West African 'juju' witchcraft is used to manipulate them into submission. VoR takes an in-depth look at the issue.

In October last year Osezua Osloase, a Nigerian people smuggler, was convicted at Canterbury Crown Court of five counts of trafficking for sexual exploitation, one count of rape and one count of sexual activity with a child, and jailed for 20 years.

He had used 'juju' rituals to coerce his victims into beliveing that they had a debt of bondage to him and a demi-god, which they had to pay off through working as prostitutes for him. Police found that at least 28 victims were smuggled in and out of Britain to the rest of Europe over a 14-month period, earning him up to £1.5mn.

He targeted vulnerable individuals such as orphans, enticing them with ...

Too posh to push or too scared to give birth?

Title: Too posh to push or too scared to give birth?
Runtime: 28:01
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: Latest figures from the Health and Social Care Information Centre reveal that last year 25% of mothers in England had a caesarean. Why so many? Are these mums-to-be squeamish, scared, or sensible? Listen in as VoR discusses the question with midwives and other birth experts.

So, does pushing for normal birth always give the best psychological outcome for mothers and babies?

VoR's Juliet Spare is joined by Pauline Hull, co-author of 'Choosing Caesarean: A Natural Birth Plan; Toni Harman, co-creator of the One World Birth film; Virginia Howes, an independent midwife; Zara Chamberlain, who is an NHS midwife counsellor in Kent; and Maureen Treadwell, co-founder of the Birth Trauma Association.

'It takes time to fall in love with London'

Title: 'It takes time to fall in love with London'
Runtime: 10:21
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: That's what blogger and marketer Konstantin Pinaev says, but he means it in a totally positive way. Captivated by the city's vibrancy back in 2005, he told his girlfriend - now wife - that Plan A of moving to the US was off, and London was very much on.

Teenage sex education - a candid discussion

Title: Teenage sex education - a candid discussion
Runtime: 28:01
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: Britain has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies and abortions in Western Europe. Extreme pornographic images online have been blamed for giving youngsters a distorted view of sex and relationships. In this candid discussion, VoR asks - are we getting sex education right in the UK?

A recent EU-wide survey found that a quarter of 9-16-year-olds had seen sexual images. And in October a sex education website called Respect Yourself, created by a team from Warwickshire County Council working with the NHS, went online. The site uses explicit pictures of a naked couple, a 'sextionary' with slang terms for sexual organs, and a Q&A for all kinds of sexual acts.

It provoked widespread criticism from various family charities and pressure groups. But the people behind the website say it's just presenting an honest view to teenagers of what sex is like.

Joining VoR's Tim Walklate to discuss sex education in the UK is Dr Hannah Maslen, a post-doctoral resea...

Boat race protester Trenton Oldfield explains what 'pushed me into the river'

Title: Boat race protester Trenton Oldfield explains what 'pushed me into the river'
Runtime: 28:31
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: In April 2012 a man swam across the River Thames during the famous Oxford versus Cambridge boat race. His name was Trenton Oldfield and he was later sentenced to six months imprisonment for 'causing a public nuisance'. He says he wanted to stage a protest at elitism and inequality in British society.

Trenton Oldfield is one of the founders of 'This is Not a Gateway' - a platform for critical projects and ideas related to cities.

On his release from prison Trenton came into the studios of Voice of Russia. Tim Ecott asked him what had prompted his protest in the first place.
Photo: Getty Images

Do rich pensioners deserve a winter fuel allowance?

Title: Do rich pensioners deserve a winter fuel allowance?
Runtime: 28:31
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: Anyone in the UK born before the 5th July 1951 should have received an automatic Winter Fuel Payment from the government, whether you've applied for it or not. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg wants to means test the winter fuel allowance and universal benefits.
VoR's Juliet Spare hosts a lively debate with Kevin Meagher, the Associate Editor of Labour Uncut; Mark Thompson, a Lib Dem blogger; activist Christine Ward, Chair of Pensioners Campaign UK; and Anthony Mathan, spokesperson for the Intergenerational Foundation.

Online dating: are Brits worse at flirting than other Europeans?

Title: Online dating: are Brits worse at flirting than other Europeans?
Runtime: 28:31
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: The UK is the online dating capital of Europe, according to a new survey. More than nine million Brits are logging on in the hope of finding partners. It's an industry that last year generated £170 million for the UK economy.
Such is the demand here that Britain has produced 1,500 of Europe's 5,000 dating websites and about 30% of new relationships are thought to begin online.

So what's going on here? Are British people much worse at flirting than other Europeans - or is online dating simple a more efficient way to find your dream partner?

Joining VoR's Tom Spender to discuss this are: Liz Hoggard, features writer at the Evening Standard and co-author of 'Dangerous Women: the Guide to Modern Life'; Liz Hodgkinson, author and journalist; Henning Wiechers, chief executive of Metaflake, which compiled the research; and Graham Jones, a web psychologist.
http://ruvr.co.uk/2012_12_25/Online-dating-Brits-Europe/

Foie gras: animal torture or traditional delicacy?

Title: Foie gras: animal torture or traditional delicacy?
Runtime: 28:31
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: Foie gras - one of the traditional delicacies in French cuisine - is controversial because of its production methods. Is foie gras production animal torture, as defined by animal rights activists, or a traditional delicacy, dating back centuries, whose production is no crueler than other products?

VoR's Brendan Cole disucussed this with Thomas Maieli, a French chef living in the UK and the managing director of 'Mr Ducks delicacies' which produces and distributes duck products to food delis and retailers in London; Nick Lander, restaurant correspondent for the Financial Times; Mimi Bekhechi, Associate Director for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA); and Justin Kerswell, campaigns manager for Vegetarians International Voice for Animals (Viva!).
http://ruvr.co.uk/2012_12_26/Foie-gras-animal-torture-traditional-delicacy/

John Kerry a 'safe pair of hands' as he's to replace Hillary Clinton

Title: John Kerry a 'safe pair of hands' as he's to replace Hillary Clinton
Runtime: 4:11
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: US President Barack Obama will nominate John Kerry to be his next secretary of state. If confirmed by the Senate, Mr Kerry would replace Hillary Clinton as the country's top foreign representative. John Kerry ran as Democratic presidential candidate in 2004 and is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
VoR's Brendan Cole talked to Scott Lucas, professor of American Studies at the University of Birmingham, who says that Hillary Clinton hasn't actually done much to change US policy.

Photo: Getty Images

Dump Lib Dems, they're 'hopeless', says MP Peter Bone

Title: Dump Lib Dems, they're 'hopeless', says MP Peter Bone
Runtime: 5:34
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: One of the most vociferous critics of current government policy on Europe and on the proposals for gay marriage is the Conservative MP for Wellingborough - Peter Bone. In our exclusive interview he blames Lib Dems for failing the coalition.
With a swing away from Conservative to UKIP being widely reported, VoR's Tim Ecott asks Peter Bone why he thinks the party is losing its way on lots of key issues.

Photo: VoR

Bullet proof backpacks for kids: surge in sales

Title: Bullet proof backpacks for kids: surge in sales
Runtime: 2:24
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: The Newtown shootings have boosted sales for US companies selling bullet proof equipment for children, like the armored backpacks pictured above.
Twenty-six people were shot dead in the small town of Newtown in Connecticut last Friday. Most of those killed were children under ten.

VoR's Tim Ecott talked to the President of one of the companies making those backpacks, Rick Craig of Amendment II.

Photo: Amendment II

3-WAY: guests in Washington, Moscow and London discuss gun control and mental illness

Title: 3-WAY: guests in Washington, Moscow and London discuss gun control and mental illness
Runtime: 26:01
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: In the aftermath of the shootings at an elementary school in Newtown Connecticut, more of the slain children were buried this week, while the National Rifle Association (NRA) called for armed guards in schools, sparking more intense debate on the issue of gun control in the US.
We ask, are there shortcomings in American mental health provisions and how can gun crime be dealt with?

VoR's Brendan Cole discusses this with Ken Hurst, who is chairman of TNT Multimedia Ltd and a journalist who researches gun crime. In Moscow we have Vadim Kozulin, an arms expert from the PIR centre and joining presenter Rob Sachs in the US is Dr Wayne Lindstrom, who is CEO of Mental Health America.

UK census: Christianity will soon be gone?

Title: UK census: Christianity will soon be gone?
Runtime: 28:31
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: The UK census has shown that the number of people calling themselves Christian has fallen from 72% a decade ago to 59% today. It also found the number of people who say they have no religion at all has doubled.
What does this say about society and the state of faith in the UK?

VOR's Brendan Cole discusses this with Lynda Rose, an Anglican priest and director for Voice for Justice UK; Fiyaz Mughal, Founder and Director at Faith Matters; and David Pollock, trustee of the British Humanist Association.
Photo: Getty Images

$Is fracking the future of British energy?$

Title: Is fracking the future of British energy?
Runtime: 28:31
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: UK government has given the go-ahead for a firm to resume the controversial technique known as fracking -- or hydraulic fracturing -- to extract natural gas from shale rock in Lancashire. The company -- Cuadrilla -- had suspended operations after its activity was thought to have caused two tremors near Blackpool.
Fracking sees a mixture of water, sand and some chemicals pumped into a well under high pressure to force the gas from the rock.

In the US, large-scale fracking has seen gas prices tumble by more than half and is credited with helping the country's economic recovery. Over here, Energy Secretary Ed Davey says shale gas is a promising new energy resource.

But environmentalists say fracking can contaminate water supplies and cause air pollution. They warn that if the UK commits to power from fossil fuels then it will miss its targets for reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

So is fracking the future of British energy?

VoR's ...

Britain's homeless: 'a hand up, rather than a hand out'

Title: Britain's homeless: 'a hand up, rather than a hand out'
Runtime: 28:31
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: Britain's Housing Minister Mark Prisk has recently said he doesn't believe the public should give money or food to the homeless. He urged the public to put 'a hand up, rather than a hand out'. He says people should call the newly launched 'homeless hotline' when they are worried about a rough sleeper.
The national helpline backed by 500 homelessness charities will then alert local support services about a homeless person's location and circumstances to give them help.

The Government say the national helpline is an alternative to hand-outs.

In 2009 the London mayor, Boris Johnson, said he would eradicate rough sleeping in the capital by 2012.

But the numbers of homeless have been rising sharply -- up 43% in 2011-12 compared with the previous year. That's according to the 'Combined Homelessness and Information Network' who work for the Greater London Authority.

Meanwhile, according to the homeless charity Shelter there are now 52,...

Title: Anger from the stands: soccer shame?
Runtime: 28:31
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: In recent weeks there have been a series of high-profile incidents where footballers have been subjected to violent abuse from the terraces. Last Sunday, Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand was hit by an object as he celebrated his side's winning goal against Manchester City in a hotly contested derby.

In October, Chris Kirkland, the Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper, was hit in the face by a Leeds fan who had invaded the pitch.

British football had in recent years been lauded as a sport that had cleaned up its act, but is football heading back to the dark days when the terraces were a testosterone fuelled tribal zone?

The Voice of Russia's Tim Walklate discusses this with Michael Jarman, a former professional footballer and Chief Equity Strategist; Dr Victor Thompson, a sports psychologist; Steve Powell, Director of Policy at the Football Supporters' Federation; and Jamie Jackson, Manchester football correspondent for the Guardian and Observer.
...

27 killed in Connecticut: VoR talks to Newtown local church minister, everyone 'in shock' he says

Title: 27 killed in Connecticut: VoR talks to Newtown local church minister, everyone 'in shock' he says
Runtime: 3:10
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: At least 27 people including 18 children are reported to have been killed at a primary school in Connecticut in the US. SWAT teams were called to Sandy Hook primary school in Newtown at 9.41am local time. One attacker is reported to be a 20-year-old man with ties to the school. There were unconfirmed reports of a second shooter after witnesses reported hearing dozens of shots fired, according to Reuters.

VoR's Brendan Cole spoke with Rocky Veach, a minister at Connections Church in Newtown. He told Voice of Russia that the community was in shock.

"People are so confused, they are trying to figure out what has happened. I'm still in shock," he said.

Veach was living in Denver in 1999 when the Columbine massacre happened. That attack, which left 13 dead, was the worst school shooting to have taken place in the US until now.

"There are more people involved in this shooting. I know how tough it is and I know what people are going through...

Same-sex marriages legal in Britain by 2015

Title: Same-sex marriages legal in Britain by 2015
Runtime: 28:32
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: Same-sex couples in England and Wales are set to be allowed to marry under new plans. However the Church of England and Church in Wales will be banned in law from offering same-sex marriages.

The plan to legally allow same sex couples to get married has divided politicians, campaigners and religious groups.

Other religious organisations like The Quakers of Britain will be able to opt into holding ceremonies.

VoR Juliet Spare discusses this with Terence Weldon, author and blogger for queeringthechurch.com; Andrew Marsh, Campaigns Director for Christian Concern; Joseph Musgrave, Political Director at Out4Marriage and Dr Sharon James, Coalition for Marriage campaign group.

Photo: Getty Images

Title: Time to call time on the British pub?
Runtime: 17:12
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: Around 20 pubs every week go out of business in the UK. What is the future of this great British institution?

VOR's Brendan Cole discusses this with Neil Williams, communications manager for the British Beer and Pub Association; David Smith, economics editor of the Sunday Times; and James Nicholls, research manager at Alcohol Research UK and author of the book 'The Politics of Alcohol, a history of the drink question in England'.

Photo: Flickr

'From a Continent of Wars': the EU's Nobel Peace Prize

Title: 'From a Continent of Wars': the EU's Nobel Peace Prize
Runtime: 28:32
Date posted: 14 years ago
Description: The European Union is to officially receive the Nobel Peace Prize at a ceremony in Oslo. The Chairman of the Nobel Committee says the EU has transformed Europe 'from a continent of wars to a continent of peace'. Instead of focusing on the current European crisis of economic problems and soaring unemployment -- the Nobel Committee have focused on the work that the EU has done over the past 60 years.

Back in the 1950's -- the EU was just six countries who agreed to work together on coal and steel production. Now it has 27 member states -- and a new one on the way with Croatia soon to join next year.

But with Greece's future in the Euro bloc in danger, raging unemployment in Spain -- and the very future of the Eurozone under threat -- is this the right time to award the EU the Nobel Prize for Peace? Or is it finally being recognised as a force for good?

VoR's Daniel Cinna discusses the Nobel Prize for Peace with his guests: Ian Dunt, Editor of politi...

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