Friday, 3 August, 2007
- 3 Aug 07, 05:34 PM
From tonight's presenter, :
DARFUR
We begin tonight with Sudan as the myriad Darfur rebel factions arrive in Tanzania for UN sponsored negotiations ahead of peace talks with the Sudanese government. After what was described by some in the media as Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy's diplomatic triumph of agreeing to send troops to Sudan, we examine the challenges facing the UN over its resolution on Darfur. Is there the international will to make it work?
Christian Aid has told Newsnight that the UN mandate is weak and the wording gives the Sudanese Government the chance to wriggle out of their commitments. They feel it could take over nine months to deploy the 26,000 peacekeeping troops and there isn't enough of a sense of urgency. Marry that to a seemingly reluctant support for the plan from Sudan's president who only last week accused Britain and the US of overplaying the problem in Darfur. I'll be interviewing the Sudanese Ambassador to the UN live.
REPOSSESSIONS
The number of home repossessions in Britain has risen by an extraordinary 30% in the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2006. Why is it happening now and is this an indicator of worse to come in the housing market?
EU CONSTITUTION
Then we turn to the big political story that's been rumbling and grumbling this week. Have crucial parts of the draft European Treaty been lost in translation or not? How different is this draft treaty - published now in English - from the old one, and do the changes justify the government decision to abandon its manifesto commitment on a referendum? Political Editor Michael Crick investigates and then the Europe Minister Jim Murphy goes head-to-head with his political shadow, Mark Francois, over the issue of a referendum.
POLITICAL BLOGS
Some may describe Newsnight's daily e-mail as a bit of a blog but it鈥檚 only an infinitesimal part of the vast blogging universe. It is especially populated in the US where it is now having a significant impact on politics. This weekend, starting today, each of the eight US democratic contenders will be at a big political blogging convention in Chicago. We delve into the world of political blogging with a leading political blogger here, Iain Dale.
