FREE Bad news sells. Good news inspires.
thenubiantimes.com
Alexandra Park Under Threat
Celebrate International Women’s Day
Hear the Tiger roar again
LOCAL NEWS PAGE 3
ENTERTAINMENT PAGE 10
SPORT PAGE 15
The changing face of Peace FM
What is going on at Peace FM? There have been reports of unrest, poor management and Police being called out to the station. Over the next few issues The Nubian Times aims to get to the bottom of this intriguing story and see what is being done to turn things around. Here we speak to acting Chair, Linford Sweeney...
P
eace FM is an African and Caribbean community radio station which broadcasts to Hulme and Moss Side, for some time now there have been concerns about the station, the way it has been run and the treatment of staff and volunteers. On 3rd February, a public meeting was called by Mrs Edwards, a senior member of
the group and chaired by Richard Davies – the principal aim of the meeting was to provide a platform for the community to comment on the concerns surrounding Peace FM. Unfortunately, the meeting veered almost immediately into chaos, with the chair unable to establish any real control. Tensions were clearly high, peo-
ple refused to stick to protocol and for over an hour the floor was a free for all with people speaking into the microphone without any invitation, sadly this anarchy was picked up by younger members of the community who were present. The public were urged not to mention any names in relevance to Peace FM for fear of legal impli-
cations, highlighting the severity of the situation at the station. At the meeting Mrs Erimna Bell stressed that neither she nor her husband had been dismissed from Peace FM, contrary to some suggestions, she also stated: “Peace FM is owned by Carisma and the station is actually called Peaceful Media.” The Nubian Times contacted Mrs Bell for comment in this article but she declined, citing legal reasons. According to Linford Sweeney, previous advisory board members included Mrs Edwards, Pastor Simpson and Delsierne Whaul. Mike Hood was the former chair of Peace FM who, along with numerous other members, chose to resign their post without explaining why. The current board members line up has a very different look with Christine Beaumont, Victoria Neyu, Daniel Davidson, Marcia Raynolds, Lorraine Hinks and Dawne Bowes all involved. Linford Sweeney is the current Chair of Peaceful Media Ltd, he did agree to speak with us and present his knowledge of the situation. He said: “Four people have been dismissed from peace Fm – the station Manager and former Director, a radio presenter and founding member, a DJ and founding member and another radio presenter.” According to Mr Sweeney, the two DJ’s, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were dismissed partly for things that were said,… cont. on page 3
MARCH ‘13
The Price of Life? Around £56,000 in China T
he world has been shocked to hear the story of Feng Jiamei, a young Chinese woman living in Shaanxi province and how she has been coerced into an abortion due to her falling pregnant with her second child. The one child law in China was implemented in 1978 as a means of reduc-
to the government. This was originally designed to ease the strain on China’s infrastructure and health services due to the rapidly expanding population. With a population of around 1.3 billion people living in China it is possible to see why such measures have been taken to slow the growth of the population of the country
ing the growing number of people in the country as overpopulation was becoming a large problem for the Chinese government. Literally
but the recent events surrounding Feng Jiamei have highlighted the ethical issues which accompany the one child policy. Feng Jiamei was a mother of one child who fell pregnant for a second time with the intention of keeping the second child. This would be acceptable if she was able to pay the tax associated with having a second child but the cost was considerably more than what she could afford. The current rate of the tax in China is around £56,000 if you decide to have another child. Feng… cont. on page 5
75% of the Chinese population support the policy due to the positive effects on the country’s infrastructure. translated from the Chinese as “Policy of birth planning”, the law stated that families who decide to have a second child must pay a second child tax
NEWS
BUSINESS LIFESTYLE SPORT
Shocking UK Youth Unemployment Figures. PAGE 4
Business is sweet for local confectioner.
PAGE 12
What’s all the fuss about Zumba fitness?
PAGE 8
2012 was a great year for B.M.E. sports men and women.
PAGE 15