Chris Quevatre
BBC News Online

Take a look at this clip of Deputy Jan Kuttelwascher - who has come out against assisted dying - confronting campaigners outside the Royal Court this morning.

Campaigners can be heard saying "Please give us choice, please give us choice", while Deputy Kuttelwascher responds by saying: "I tell you, there's a number of people I'd like to assist in dying, but they'd object."

He also responds to another question by saying, "If you want to commit suicide, it's not a criminal offence."

Chris Quevatre
BBC News Online

Guernsey's debate on assisted dying has started.

If approved, the proposals, external - which were initiated by Guernsey's most senior politician - would see the establishment of a "working party" with a number of mandates:

1. Consult with the public, the committees for Health and Social Care, Employment and Social Security and Home Affairs, the Guernsey Disability Alliance, the General Medical Council and the British Medical Association
2. Make recommendations for the development of a legal regime to permit "assisted dying"
3. Those involved in consultations shall consider capacity legislation, legal and professional issues, the definitions of "terminally ill" and "residency", the definition and protection of "vulnerable people", the number of doctors and nurses that may be involved in the process, the requirement of judicial approval, provisions for conscientious objection, and resource implications

That's the meat of the proposals, although what we have just mentioned is only section four out of five in the propositions to be debated.

Other sections include the considerations of palliative care, capacity legislation, EU human rights law, and the inclusion of Alderney in the consultation process.

The amendments

Bear with me - this sounds more complicated than it is...

The whole debate is centred around amendment three, external of the requete, which will confusingly be debated first - amendments one, external, two, external, four, external and five, external will follow.

Amendment three has been proposed by deputies Gavin St Pier and Lyndon Trott, and contains the proposals themselves, updated to address the concerns of other politicians.

Amendments one, external and two, external contain those concerns and additions from other deputies, but they have all now been included or addressed in amendment three, external.

This means that if amendment three (the main proposal) is accepted by the States, amendments one, external and two, external are likely to be dropped, as they are included in amendment three, external.

Amendment four, external is looking to strengthen the human rights protections under which any assisted dying legal regime would sit.

Amendment five, external - which has been written up by deputies Jonathan Le Tocq and Heidi Soulsby - looks to tear up all the assisted dying proposals, and instead "improve quality of life and health outcomes for all islanders towards the end of their lives".

Is it just me or is the word "amendment" starting to sound strange? Well, if you say a word enough...

Chris Quevatre
BBC News Online

The assisted dying debate has begun in Guernsey, and the chief minister is the first to make his speech.

These proposals were put forward by Deputy Gavin St Pier, who opened his 29-page speech with an attempt to simplify the debate.

BBC Radio Jersey

The States of Jersey say the treasury minister's decision to sell half of a project on the Waterfront to a French firm was agreed eight months ago.

Senator Alan Maclean had been accused of rushing through a number of major decisions just before the election.

A States spokesperson said the minister's recent decision regarding the Horizon development added the final detail to the original decision made back in October last year.

A statement said it was the logical conclusion to a series of discussions and a process of ministerial oversight and due diligence that started last year, and it remained consistent with guidelines.

Mr Maclean is not seeking re-election.

Guernsey Press

No arrests were made at the Muratti final in what organisers are calling the most successful inter-island football match to be held in Jersey., external

BBC Radio Guernsey

Plans to develop Fort Tourgis in Alderney into a luxury hotel have taken a step closer as the State of Alderney's most senior committee has given its approval to revive old proposals.

The idea of turning it into a hotel was brought forward in 2004 but was scrapped following the economic recession.

The States believes the hotel could be open as early as 2020, as the developers, Move Development, said they would secure the necessary finance by July this year.

Alderney President of Policy and Finance James Dent said developing Fort Tourgis had the potential to make a huge difference to the island's economy.

The island's government will now draw up an agreement with the developers.

Ryan Morrison
BBC News Online

A declaration of independence by Guernseyman Steve Ogier is not valid, according to a States of Guernsey spokesman.

Mr Ogier wants to create his very own independent state within Guernsey - which he planned to call Everland - where he would be king.

He wants to build a house on his land, where a bunker currently resides but has been previously told by the States that the law wouldn't allow for development to go ahead.

The Policy and Resources Committee confirmed this again today, saying: "The land in question falls within the jurisdiction of the States of Guernsey. A mere declaration does not change that."

Chris Quevatre
BBC News Online

Guernsey's chief minister has given a robust defence of Guernsey's autonomy and constitutional independence.

Answering questions on last month's UK Parliament debate - which originally looked to force Crown Dependencies such as Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man to make their beneficial ownership registers public - Deputy Gavin St Pier said the island would defend its right to govern itself as often as it had to.

He added that Guernsey would make its ownership registers public if it became an international standard.

The UK Parliament debate ended up dropping the Crown Dependencies from the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill, although it will be attempting to legislate for the British Overseas Territories, such as the Cayman Islands.

We're still a while away from assisted dying at the moment.

Ryan Morrison
BBC News Online

Today is election day in Jersey, with polls open across the island until 20:00.

However, thousands of people had already cast their vote before the polls even opened.

For the past two elections the States Greffe has operated a pre-polling station in St Helier where anyone from across the island could turn up and vote if they knew they would not be able to make it on polling day.

The polling station opened at the start of May and closed at 14:00 on Monday. By that point, 3,113 people turned up to cast a vote.

Ryan Morrison
BBC News Online

The emergency services are rescuing a man from cliffs at Bonne Nuit in Jersey.

He's said to be conscious after a fall on rocks below the Cheval Roc Residential Home.

The St Catherine lifeboat said it hoped to take him from the rocks to the harbour at Bonne Nuit, where he'll be picked up by an ambulance.

BBC Radio Jersey

A set of stamps to mark the 75th anniversary of Operation Chastise, the World War Two mission more commonly known as the Dambusters Raid, has been issued by Jersey Post.

The story of the raid was made into the famous British film, The Dam Busters, released in 1955.

A spokesman for Jersey Post said the six stamps represented the mission in a style reminiscent of 1950s film posters.

Image source, Jersey Post

Chris Quevatre
BBC News Online

Everyone will be talking about assisted dying today, but it's not the only item on the docket, and it's not the first either.

The States of Guernsey is opening with tributes to two Guernsey residents who have contributed to public life in Guernsey.

Richard Ozanne, who died earlier this month aged 82, was a former deputy, conseiller, and president of the tourist board.

Renaut De Garis, who died last month aged 103, was a farmer and grower throughout the World War Two occupation, and went on to become a douzaine representative.

After the tributes, we will hear three statements on different topics from some senior committee members:

• A general update update from Deputy Barry Brehaut, the president of the Committee for the Environment and Infrastructure
• Chief Minister Gavin St Pier will be speaking about the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill that was debated in the UK Parliament and forced all overseas territories to make their beneficial ownership registers public
• Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen will be updating the States on the Committee for Economic Development's Digital Strategy

After those statements, there are three public appointments to confirm, and some legal matters to pass, including data protection law, and an amendment to drug law.

After all that, the debate begins.

It's hard to give a definite time as questions could be asked at various points in the morning, but I'd expect to get on to assisted dying before lunch at 12:30.

Chris Quevatre
BBC News Online

We'll be keeping you up to date with all the latest news from the assisted dying debate in Guernsey today, but if you want to listen live, it couldn't be easier.

All you need to do is click here, and you can catch every word from the States of Guernsey.

Meanwhile, we'll be posting regular updates to explain what's going on, and how the debate is shaping up.

BBC Weather

A tide alert has been issued by the Guernsey Airport Meteorological Observatory from 19:18 until 07:42 on Thursday on the east coast.

Tides are expected to reach 9.5m (31ft) with a north easterly wind up to force six.

Chris Quevatre
BBC News Online

A group of assisted dying campaigners have gathered on the steps of the States of Guernsey this morning in support of the proposals being debated today.

I'm told there are also some campaigners there against the proposals as well.

There are some police officers on the site to keep an eye on things, although no trouble is expected.

BBC Channel Islands News

A Blue Islands flight from Southampton to Guernsey had to land in Jersey last night after a technical issue was detected in one of the aircraft's hydraulic systems.

The ATR 72 landed safely and without incident in Jersey and was met by the airport's emergency services.

Passengers were able to leave the aircraft safely and were then transferred to another Blue Islands aircraft for travel onwards to Guernsey.

Engineers were conducting a full investigation into the cause of the fault, staff said.

BBC Radio Guernsey

Early healthcare intervention leads to better outcomes for children, according to the head of Children Services in Guernsey.

Nicky Gallienne was speaking as health care professionals from across Guernsey met to discuss service developments introduced in the past three years and how effective they had been.

The changes covered a wide range of issues, from weight management to residential care.

Ms Gallienne said the early intervention helped tackle obesity and spot issues before they developed. She said the conference would also allow them to review the work so far and spot any gaps in care.

BBC Radio Jersey

The Channel Islands Competition and Regulatory Authorities (CICRA) wants further investigation into a planned takeover of two restaurants - the Boat House in St Aubin and the Farmhouse in St John - by pub chain Randalls.

The authorities said they wanted a more detailed review of the deal to fully understand the impact of the takeover.

They said that, while most takeovers had little effect on competition, some could result in increased prices or less choice for customers.

Guernsey Press

Veterinary nurses marked their awareness month by helping to improve Guernsey’s marine environment., external

BBC Weather

Today will be a dry day with some bright or sunny spells, but also a fair amount of cloud at times too.

Breezy too with a moderate to fresh northerly wind.

Maximum temperature: 13 to 16C (55 to 61F).

Jersey:

Guernsey: