:00:09. > :00:14.Good evening and welcome to BBC Channel Islands. The headlines:
:00:14. > :00:19.Free nursery places for all but how will Guernsey pay for it?
:00:19. > :00:23.Plus, a global conservation battle lands in Jersey.
:00:23. > :00:33.And get used to seeing Bobbies on bikes. The retro weapon in the
:00:33. > :00:40.
:00:40. > :00:43.Free nursery education for all three and four-year-olds. That's
:00:43. > :00:46.the plan from Guernsey's Education Minister, who says the island is
:00:46. > :00:51.falling behind Jersey and the UK when it comes to providing free
:00:51. > :00:54.pre-school care. Lack of States funding has been the sticking point
:00:54. > :01:00.in the past so will the private sector step in to provide this
:01:00. > :01:04.public service? Mike Wilkins reports.
:01:04. > :01:07.Giving the next generation the best start in life. That's what many
:01:07. > :01:14.parents want for their children and it's what Guernsey's Education
:01:14. > :01:19.Department feels they deserve. still in full-time employment as
:01:19. > :01:23.well as my partner so we have to find care and a childminder so it
:01:23. > :01:27.is not the best thing. I want to spend more time with him but I
:01:27. > :01:32.can't just walk to because child care is so expensive. How much does
:01:32. > :01:37.it cost a week? He goes two mornings a week but put a child
:01:37. > :01:40.minder on top and you are over �1,000 a month. Financially it
:01:41. > :01:43.would have been good and for most parents, especially if they are
:01:43. > :01:47.working and having to juggle financial commitments with work
:01:47. > :01:51.commitments. It's estimated it will cost just over �1.5 million a year
:01:51. > :01:55.to provide 15 hours of free nursery care a week, but there's no money
:01:55. > :01:58.in the budget to fund it. Jersey provides 20 hours of free nursery
:01:58. > :02:06.care per week and Guernsey's Education Minister feels her island
:02:06. > :02:11.is lagging behind. We are indeed behind the times. If you look at
:02:11. > :02:17.most jurisdictions across Europe, for example, Guernsey is one of the
:02:17. > :02:21.few jurisdictions that does not offer some form of pre-school
:02:21. > :02:27.education so it is about time that we did it and certainly the
:02:27. > :02:28.education department are very keen to progress in this area. Keen to
:02:29. > :02:31.progress perhaps. I've spoken to Guernsey's pre-
:02:31. > :02:34.school learning alliance who told me that nothing's been confirmed
:02:34. > :02:39.and that discussions are still ongoing to see whether a private-
:02:40. > :02:43.public partnership can be agreed. So there is help for parents but
:02:43. > :02:48.when nothing has yet been agreed in principle and there is no money
:02:48. > :02:50.available, there is still some way to go before child care costs
:02:50. > :02:55.tumble. Jersey's former Bailiff has
:02:55. > :02:58.announced he'll be standing for election to the States in October.
:02:58. > :03:03.Sir Philip Bailhache is the first former Bailiff in living memory to
:03:03. > :03:10.stand for Senator. He has resigned as one of the islands' judges so he
:03:10. > :03:12.can stand as he believes the States need to be reformed. The most
:03:12. > :03:17.important constitutional reform is to reduce the number of members of
:03:17. > :03:21.the States. When we had committee government, every member of the
:03:21. > :03:25.States could say to himself or herself, I am a member of the
:03:25. > :03:30.government of Josie, and feel proud of playing a part in that
:03:30. > :03:35.government -- of Jersey. Now that has changed and the result is there
:03:35. > :03:37.are too many members of the States with not enough to do and the devil
:03:37. > :03:40.makes work for idle hands. Guernsey's Home Department is
:03:40. > :03:45.refusing to confirm reports that a visitor was left locked in Les
:03:45. > :03:50.Nicolles Prison for 23 hours. They have confirmed an incident is being
:03:50. > :03:53.investigated but would not be drawn on the exact circumstances. It's
:03:53. > :03:56.being suggested a women went to the toilet while visiting an inmate and
:03:56. > :04:00.was inadvertently locked in. People trying to get into work are
:04:00. > :04:02.being discriminated against because of their age, gender or race.
:04:02. > :04:06.That's according to two charities that represent employees and
:04:06. > :04:14.employers. They say a new discrimination law is taking too
:04:14. > :04:20.long to enact and that businesses actually want the new law. At the
:04:20. > :04:23.moment, the employment law works very well. Once people have served
:04:23. > :04:27.their 26 weeks. But when people are not employed and looking for
:04:27. > :04:31.employment, that stage is not covered and that is often where
:04:31. > :04:33.discrimination can take place. You're watching the BBC in the
:04:33. > :04:43.Channel Islands. Later in Spotlight with Justin and Victoria. Find out
:04:43. > :04:45.what and who got this 150-year-old Demonstrators have been making
:04:45. > :04:50.their voices heard at the start of the International Whaling
:04:50. > :04:53.Commission's conference in Jersey. The Commission will hear from those
:04:53. > :05:02.for and against whaling but it was the protestors outside who were
:05:02. > :05:05.making the loudest noise today, as Edward Sault reports.
:05:05. > :05:13.Their message was loud. Their message was clear. Whaling should
:05:13. > :05:18.be banned. There is no need to kill them at all. There are so many
:05:18. > :05:23.other things you can do. There should not be any wailing and his
:05:23. > :05:27.commission has a responsibility. are representing people from all
:05:27. > :05:32.over the world who do not support the capture and killing of these
:05:32. > :05:41.beautiful creatures in the sea. Inside it was a lot quieter. Over
:05:41. > :05:51.80 countries, NGOs and charities were represented. They still hunt
:05:51. > :05:54.whales commerically. -- Japan was one of the country's here. We know
:05:54. > :05:59.that we cannot change countries' positions but both sides need to be
:05:59. > :06:02.treated equally. But not everyone agrees. Those in
:06:02. > :06:06.charge of this ship sails around the world make it its mission to
:06:06. > :06:10.stop whaling. And it's come to Jersey to to make sure people hear
:06:10. > :06:14.their message. The most difficult part is finding the fleet but once
:06:14. > :06:19.we find it, we can shut them down and that prevents them from loading
:06:19. > :06:25.dead whales and if they can't load them then they cannot kill them.
:06:25. > :06:29.any progress is likely to be slow. This is the 63rd conference. It is
:06:29. > :06:34.unclear what will happen. The main anger has been directed at Japan
:06:34. > :06:37.but no one is entirely sure what its plans are at the moment.
:06:37. > :06:43.Obviously this tsunami may have affected his future plans regarding
:06:43. > :06:48.whaling. Behind the air of peace there are still real issues, how it
:06:48. > :06:51.will play out. It is difficult to say. So don't expect this
:06:51. > :06:57.conference to make any drastic changes to whaling. It will
:06:57. > :07:00.certainly make a lot of noise though.
:07:01. > :07:04.Jersey Police has a new weapon in the fight against crime but it's
:07:04. > :07:08.not the most modern of technology. It's good, old-fashioned pedal
:07:08. > :07:12.bikes. Ten police officers are being trained to patrol the island
:07:12. > :07:15.on two wheels. The re-introduction of police bikes has already been
:07:15. > :07:20.successfully trialled in the UK. Amy Harris reports.
:07:20. > :07:27.Bobbies on bikes. A new scheme to fight crime in Jersey. These are
:07:27. > :07:33.among ten police officers who will patrol the island on two wheels.
:07:33. > :07:36.is exciting. It will be good fun to get out in amongst the community in
:07:36. > :07:42.a more approachable vehicle. It's believed cycling cops will mean
:07:42. > :07:46.more flexibility and a higher public profile. It is about being
:07:46. > :07:50.approachable as well and cost- efficiency. Hopefully it is an
:07:50. > :07:55.opportunity for officers to engage more with younger members of
:07:55. > :07:58.society as well, perhaps talk about the bikes. They a good police bikes
:07:58. > :08:03.and hopefully they have some street credibility. This week the cycle
:08:03. > :08:07.team is getting training from this UK based officer. This is a
:08:07. > :08:12.protective cover... Patrolling on push bikes is a tried and tested
:08:12. > :08:17.formula in many forces there. a very effective tool in the fact
:08:17. > :08:20.you have this development etc but also the fact that it gives the
:08:20. > :08:24.public reassurance in the fact that there of police officers doing
:08:24. > :08:27.their job. The bikes have been paid for out of Jersey Police's vehicle
:08:27. > :08:31.budget. It's believed they will be just as useful as other modes of
:08:31. > :08:37.transport to put the brakes on crime.
:08:37. > :08:40.Football now. And with just under a month till Guernsey FC plays its
:08:40. > :08:46.first match in the English Combined Counties League, their new kit has
:08:46. > :08:51.been revealed. The emerald and white home shirt will soon go on
:08:51. > :08:54.sale, though it'll set you back �30. The club has a friendly with AFC
:08:54. > :08:58.Wimbledon this Saturday ahead of its first league fixture against
:08:58. > :09:06.Knaphill on the 6th August. The players and coaching staff have
:09:06. > :09:11.told the BBC they hope the public will get behind them. We are all
:09:11. > :09:15.still club players but ultimately, we are now Guernsey FC players as
:09:15. > :09:23.well, and we had the community will really get behind this project and
:09:23. > :09:27.come out in force to support us and help us get the results we need.
:09:27. > :09:30.There will be Beanie hats and scarves and flags so it there will
:09:30. > :09:34.be other bits and pieces that we will introduce over the course of
:09:35. > :09:39.the season but we really would like to see as many people wearing the
:09:39. > :09:43.Guernsey sheds as possible. It would be fantastic. Come down and
:09:43. > :09:49.watch a football match like you would in the UK, to have a lot of
:09:49. > :09:51.people wearing your colours would be absolutely fantastic.
:09:51. > :09:59.Former pop-star Gareth Gates will be Jersey's Mister Battle at this
:09:59. > :10:02.years Battle of Flowers. The runner-up in TV show Pop Idol,
:10:02. > :10:05.Gareth has had a string of hit songs and has recently been
:10:05. > :10:14.performing in the West End in Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor
:10:14. > :10:24.He'll take his place next to Miss Battle in the parade in a month's
:10:24. > :10:25.
:10:25. > :10:30.time. It looks like we have got some wet
:10:30. > :10:36.weather heading our way briefly for tomorrow. An area of low pressure
:10:36. > :10:41.is developing over France and that will bring a line of rain, possibly
:10:41. > :10:45.thundery. Not a lot at the moment as you can see. The area of low
:10:45. > :10:53.pressure over the central part of Spain moves into France over the
:10:53. > :10:58.next 24 hours. By the time we get to Wednesday, it has moved away
:10:59. > :11:05.again. So briefly for tomorrow, rather cloudy and at times quite
:11:05. > :11:13.wet, too. Especially for Josie. Overnight, they cloud will increase.
:11:13. > :11:17.-- especially for Jersey. By the morning, Jersey has the rain. A few
:11:18. > :11:22.light showers further north of the other islands. Some of the patchy
:11:22. > :11:28.rain will get towards Guernsey. They will tend to fade away before
:11:28. > :11:33.returning more widely at the end of the afternoon. A small risk in some
:11:33. > :11:38.of the reign of thunder and lightning. Winds from the North
:11:38. > :11:48.East. They will freshen a bit. We continue to see patchy rain into
:11:48. > :12:10.
:12:10. > :12:20.Here is the forecast for the rest Thursday and Friday, both days will
:12:20. > :12:29.
:12:29. > :12:37.be dry but become increasingly Tomorrow, Roger is serving up a