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January 14, 2008

Foresight News year planner 2008

By Press Gazette

January

11 January
Liverpool European Capital of Culture 2008 – opening night
St George’s Hall, William Brown Street, Liverpool, 8.08pm Party to celebrate Liverpool’s tenure as Capital of Culture, which it shares with Stavanger, Norway for 2008.
www.liverpool08.com

12 January
60 years ago: First full-size supermarket opened
The Co-op at Manor Park, East London, became the first full-size supermarket in Britain.

14 January
Five years ago: Sun appointed first female editor
Former News of the World editor Rebekah Wade became The Sun’s first female editor, the first woman to edit a tabloid daily in modern times.

16 January
Media Ownership And The News – Rebekah Wade at Lords committee session
Committee Room tba, House of Lords, London SW1, 10.30am. Lords Communications Committee hears from Sun Editor; Press Association; David Schlesinger, editor-in-chief, Reuters; Pierre Lesourd, London bureau chief, Agence France Presse.
www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/communications.cfm

17 January
25 years ago: breakfast television introduced by BBC
Early morning television programming began in the UK when Breakfast Time was broadcast on BBC1.

21 January
Sally Brampton: book launch
Founding editor of Elle and The Sunday Times Style’s agony aunt is available to talk about Shoot The Damn Dog: A Memoir Of Depression, a personal account of her depressive illness.
www.bloomsbury.com

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

29 January
Social Networking And Blogging In Practice
Thistle Hotel, Marble Arch, London, W1
The inaugural PR Week event focuses on using new media as tools within a communications strategy.
www.prandsocialmedia.com
www.haymarketevents.com

February

1 February
25 years ago: TV-AM began broadcasting
ITV‘s breakfast television service went on air. It ran until 1992, when it was replaced by GMTV.

4 February
ACLU extraordinary rendition lawsuit – motion hearing
US District Court, Northern District of California, 280 South 1st Street, San José, 9am (5pm GMT)
www.cand.uscourts.gov

Radio 4 presenter on rape charge – trial
Wood Green Crown Court, Lordship Lane, London N22.
PM presenter Nigel Wrench appears charged with rape.

8 February
World Press Photo Awards – winner announced at news conference
Boekmanzaal, City Hall, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 11am (CET)
www.worldpressphoto.nl

9 February
20 years ago: cameras allowed in the Commons
MPs voted in favour of allowing television cameras into the chamber on an experimental basis.

13 February
30 years ago: first woman newscaster on TV
The UK’s first woman newscaster, Anna Ford, started work at ITN.

14 February
Most Fanciable MP
Adam Boulton, Sky News political editor, announces top 10 list on his blog.
www.adamboulton.typepad.com

25 February
90 years ago: Clause Four introduced into Labour Party
The now famous Clause Four of the Labour Party constitution was introduced. Tony Blair’s New Labour dropped the policy.

March

5 March
Deutsche Börse Photography Prize Awards 2008
The Photographers’ Gallery, London, WC2, 6.45pm
Presentation of £30k award, with runners-up receiving £3k each.
www.photonet.org.uk

19 March
AOP Photography Awards
Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London, EC1
Ceremony for members of the Association Of Photographers working in advertising and editorial. Exhibition of winning entries follows (19 March to 25 April).
www.the-aop.org
www.the-awards.com

20 March
Five years ago: war on Iraq began
First explosions in US-led campaign to overthrow Saddam Hussein rocked Baghdad, signalling the beginning of war in Iraq.

22 March
Terry Lloyd died five years ago
Death of the ITN reporter, killed while reporting from the Iraq war (born 21 November, 1952).

April
8 April
Press Gazette British Press Awards
Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London W1
www.pressgazette.co.uk

10 April
10 years ago: Good Friday Agreement signed
The UK and Irish governments and the province’s large parties, excluding the DUP, ended months of talks with a settlement designed to ensure peace in the province.

17 April
Scottish Press Awards
Radisson SAS Hotel, Glasgow
Covering all aspects of journalism in the Scottish national and local press. Categories include reporter, feature writer, entertainment writer, sports journalist and scoop of the year.
www.eventconsultants.com

25 April
For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming and James Bond
Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road, London SE1
Focuses on the author of the Bond novels, including research notes for the books and memorabilia from his time as a foreign correspondent in World War Two.
www.iwm.org.uk

25 April
25 years ago: alleged Hitler diaries published
German magazine Stern published the first extracts from the so-called Hitler Diaries. They were later published by The Sunday Times, but were found to be forgeries.

27 April
40 years ago: abortion legalised in the UK
Commencement of government-backed Private Members Bill, sponsored by the Liberal Party’s David Steel, passed into statute. The Abortion Act 1967 made it legal for a woman to terminate her pregnancy up to 28 weeks.

World Press Photo Awards
Oude Kerk, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Winners of the prestigious photojournalism competition are presented with their awards.
www.worldpressphoto.nl

May

3 May
One year ago: Madeleine McCann disappeared in Portugal
The three-year-old daughter of Gerry and Kate McCann disappeared from their Portuguese holiday apartment in the resort of Praia da Luz.

5 May
Lucy Siegle: book launch
Ethical journalist (The Observer, Grazia and Elle) is available to talk about To Die For: Is Fashion Wearing Out The World?, in which she examines how fashion damages the environment.
www.4thestate.co.uk

7 May
Magazines 2008
Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London W1
Magazines conference and awards.
www.ppa.co.uk

10 May
10 years ago: Sinn Fein changed its constitution
Sinn Fein ended its 75-year boycott of Northern Ireland institutions to allow members to sit in a new Ulster Assembly.

12 May
Sony Radio Academy Awards
Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London W1
Recognising national and regional stations and programmes in both the BBC and commercial radio.
www.radioawards.org
www.radioacademy.org

12-13 May 
FT Global Outsourcing and Offshoring Conference
The Landmark Hotel, 222 Marylebone Road, London NW1
www.ftconferences.co.uk

June

1 June
70 years ago: first Superman cartoon published
The character was created by Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel, two college students, and first appeared in DC comics.

2 June
Michael Bond: Paddington Here and Now
First Paddington Bear novel for 29 years, marking the character’s 50th anniversary (13 October).
www.harpercollins.co.uk
www.paddingtonbear.co.uk

7-29 June
2008 Uefa European Football Championship
Euro 2008 takes place in Austria and Switzerland.
www.uefa.com

13 June
Press Gazette Regional Press Awards
Royal Lancaster Hotel, London W2
www.pressgazette.co.uk

14 -15 June 2008 
The Rat Race Urban Adventure: Bristol
Rat Race Adventure Village, LloydsTSB Amphitheatre, Bristol. Participants compete in rookie and adventure class races.
www.ratraceadventure.com

23 June-6 July
Wimbledon 2008
The All England Club, Wimbledon, London SW19
www.wimbledon.org

27 June
Nelson Mandela 90th Birthday Concert
Hyde Park, London W1
Musical celebration of the former South African president’s life, in aid of Mandela’s 46664 HIV Aids campaign. Mandela turns 90 on 18 July.
www.4664.com

July

1 July
Evolution papers 150 years on
150 years since Alfred Russell Wallace and Charles Darwin presented their papers on the origin of the species and natural selection to the Linnean Society in London.

10 years ago: Northern Ireland Assembly was first convened
David Trimble and Seamus Mallon were elected as the province’s First and Second Ministers respectively and sat in the Northern Ireland’s first devolved assembly since 1974.

3 July
Alan Johnston
BBC Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston was released from captivity one year ago.

5 July
NHS turns 60
60 years since the National Health Service was created.

August

8 August
2008 Olympics
The Beijing Olympic Games kicks off at 1pm Chinese time (5am GMT)
en.beijing2008.ch

10 August
The Edinburgh Fringe Sunday
Garden party featuring free performances from Fringe shows, art displays, craft stalls and music.
www.edfringe.com

15 August
Manchester Pride festival
A celebration of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender life. Until 25 August.

22 August
Rhys Jones
One year since 11-year-old Liverpool boy Rhys Jones was shot dead on his way home from football practice.
www.manchesterpride.com

22 August
Carling Festivals
The annual three-day Reading and Leeds rock and pop festivals kick off.
www.carling.com/music

29 August
Blackpool lights up
Blackpool’s famous month-long Illuminations, one of the UK’s leading tourist attractions, gets underway.
www.blackpool-illuminations.net

Jacko’s birthday
The King of Pop Michael Jackson turns 50.

September

1 September
Ramadan
The annual Muslim festival of Ramadan runs for 29 or 30 days, marking the ninth month of the Muslim year.

2 September
Rothermere death anniversary
10 years since the death of the newspaper proprietor Viscount Rothermere, chairman of Associated Newspapers.

6 September
Pavarotti
One year ago the internationally acclaimed operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti died (born 12 October, 1935).

7 September
Many Google returns
The search engine Google’s 10th birthday.

21 September
Conference season begins
The Labour Party Conference gets underway in Manchester, running until 25 September.
www.labour.org.uk

27 September
Ford turns 100
100 years since Henry Ford’s Model T, the world’s first mass produced car, rolled off the production line.

28 September
Tory conference
The Conservative Party Conference runs until 1 October at Birmingham’s International Centre.
www.conservatives.com

October

1 October
50 years of space exploration
Nasa celebrates its 50th birthday.

Half marathon
The Great North Run, the world’s biggest half marathon, takes place.
www.greatrun.org

6 October
20 years ago: Pinochet quashed
Twentieth anniversary of Augusto Pinochet’s election defeat in Chile.

Sinn Fein leader celebrates
Gerry Adams is 60 today.

16 October
Kids TV flagship tuns 50
Blue Peter celebrates its 50th birthday.

31 October
Abortions
The first legal UK abortion clinic opened 40 years ago.

November

2 November 
30 years ago: Daily Star first published
First new national newspaper since the 1903 arrival of the Daily Mirror.

4 November
US Presidential election
The first election since 1928 not to feature an incumbent President or sitting Vice President, so both Democrat and Republican nominations are open.

14 November
Two birthdays
HRH The Prince of Wales and Paul Dacre are 60 today.

Cheltenham Racecourse, Gloucestershire
Top class jump racing fixture which includes the Paddy Power Gold Cup, the traditional curtain raiser for the National Hunt Season.
www.cheltenham.co.uk

15 November
25 years ago: Greenham Common women protested
Female protesters mounted their first demonstration at Greenham Common air base as Cruise missiles arrived at the US airbase in Berkshire.

Day Of The Imprisoned Writer
Organised by the writers’ organisation PEN to raise awareness of the attacks against writers, journalists, poets, publishers and editors worldwide.
www.internationalpen.org.uk

December

5 December
Motorway opened
Fifty years since the first stretch of motorway opened in the UK, the Preston bypass in Lancashire, opened by the then Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.

13 December
Saddam found five years ago
Five years ago US officials announced that Saddam Hussein, former leader of Iraq, had been found hiding in a hole in the ground near his hometown of Tikrit.

14 December
Universal suffrage
Ninety years since women first voted in a UK General Election.

31 December
Israel-Palestine conflict
Deadline for a peace treaty between Israel and Palestine, as agreed during an international conference on the Middle East peace process, at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, 27 November, 2007.

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