James Rabey
BBC Radio Guernsey

The UK Home Office and Crown Dependencies have been told they cannot appeal a ruling to make public communications they had about Syrian refugees, an advocacy group says.

Former Guernsey politician and self-styled transparency campaigner Tony Webber was working for the government correspondence between the UK, Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man on the resettling of Syrian refugees to be made public.

Director of the Campaign for Freedom of Information advocacy group Maurice Frankel said Mr Webber's claim had succeeded.

Mr Webber called the ruling a "victory for open and transparent government".

Guernsey's most senior politician, Deputy Gavin St Pier, had previously warned that releasing the documents would have "severe repercussions" for inter-government dialogue.

BBC Weather

Through Wednesday evening and overnight, it will remain breezy with clear spells, but also further scattered showers. The showers could be heavy at times.

Minimum temperature: 8 to 11C (46 to 52F).

Thursday will be a rather windy day with some sunny spells, but also further showers. The showers could become frequent for a time and could be heavy.

Maximum temperature: 7 to 10C (45 to 50F).

Jersey:

Guernsey:

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

Jersey Met has issued an orange weather warning for wind across the islands.

Image source, Jersey Met

BBC Radio Jersey

Plans to build 65 new, affordable homes on protected land in St Peter's Village will not be debated in Jersey's States Assembly next week.

Constable Richard Vibert has postponed discussions by a fortnight so he can hear the views of residents at a parish assembly on 14 March.

He said parishioners would be asked if they wanted to continue with the plans as they were, or to make changes to them.

An initial application - from States-owned housing company Andium - was rejected last year after planning ruled it breached the Island Plan.

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

Guernsey Post has announced it will be introducing changes to its postal products and the associated rates from 1 April.

The changes include:

• The cost of a Bailiwick letter will rise by 2p from 46p to 48p
• The price of a UK letter will rise by 3p from 62p to 65p
• The introduction of a 250g weight step for small parcels to the UK means the price on items below this weight will fall by 12% to £3.28
• The price of a letter to Europe will rise from 76p to 80p
• The price of a letter to the rest of the world will rise from 85p to 90p

Guernsey Post will also launch a new online postage calculator which it said would "make it much easier for customers to identify the right service for their destination at the best price".

Image source, Guernsey Post

BBC Radio Jersey

From July, it's likely everyone living in Jersey will be considered to be an organ donor - unless they say they don't want to be.

Last year, the States backed plans for an opt-out organ donation system.

People currently have to choose to join the donation register.

Politicians will be asked to approve the final law in early June and the new system should be launched the following month, Deputy Richard Renouf, told a scrutiny panel.

A new opt-out system for organ donation in England was approved by the UK House of Lords last month, external and is due come into effect in spring 2020.

BBC Radio Jersey

Jersey authorities are considering moving the swimming pool from the Waterfront to Fort Regent.

The old pool at the fort closed 16 years ago and is now derelict, with campaigners having repeatedly asked for it to be reinstated.

Now, the States is to spend £150,000 on investigating what should happen to the fort in the future.

Senator Steve Pallet, who's in charge of sport in the island, said they were already considering moving the waterfront pool - and the cinema - there.

Image source, Google

Jersey Evening Post

A single-engine Gulfstream American AA-5A Cheetah has been parked on the grass at the airport for about a decade, external and no-one seems to know who owns it.

Rob Byrne
BBC News Online

Lord Alf Dubs is set to meet Jersey's chief minister on a visit to the island later this month.

His Jersey visit is part of efforts to get Britain's Crown Dependencies to accept child refugees from countries affected by war.

Lord Dubs first came to Britain aged six as a refugee fleeing Nazi persecution.

He will speak at Hautlieu School on 21 March, before meeting John Le Fondre on 22 March, the States of Jersey said.

Jersey's government - along with Guernsey and the Isle of Man - has consistently said it would not accept refugees as part of the UK's Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme, citing legal hurdles.

But they have also pointed to the "life-saving humanitarian aid", external they fund.

BBC Radio Jersey

Volunteers are collecting boxes of sanitary products and underwear to give to secondary school pupils in Jersey.

The Red Box Project, external gives donated sanitary items to young girls who cannot afford to buy them or do not feel comfortable talking to their family about it.

The project's team said it hoped to have enough donations by the end of this year to start distributing the boxes in the island.

There are collection bins at both Grande Marches stores in St Helier and St Peter for people to donate items.

Simon Fairclough
Guernsey Political Reporter

People working in Guernsey's education sector will have their say on a new framework for inspecting island schools.

The consultation on the draft new schools' inspection framework has been developed in conjunction with Ofsted.

The English body is taking over as the inspectorate of Bailiwick schools from September this year.

Previously, island schools were assessed against a framework produced by Education Scotland.

The six-week consultation is open to all education workers in the States' sector, the professional associations and unions.

BBC Radio Jersey

Two Jersey teenagers say being involved in creating the new Children's Plan, external has made them feel that the government cares about their opinions.

The plan states all children in the island should grow up in a safe environment, have the opportunities to learn and achieve, live a healthy life, and be valued and involved.

Government officials have been in schools and colleges across the island to get thoughts on what children need from the plan.

Diana and Rachel, from Haute Vallee Secondary School, said it was important the government continued to include them...

Guernsey Press

Guernsey Waste has warned that people caught throwing away household waste in a public litter bin, external could face a bill for the clear-up, or potentially a court appearance with conviction carrying a fine of up to £1,000.

Bringing you the news, sport, travel and weather for the Channel Islands

Rob Byrne
BBC News Online

Guernsey's chief minister has warned UK MPs that amendments to the Financial Services Bill are based on "misperceptions" over financial transparency.

The bill was pulled by the government on Monday, but will return to the House Commons before Britain is due to leave the European Union.

The amendments seek to force the islands to make company ownership information public, bringing the Crown Dependencies of Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man in line with the UK and its Overseas Territories.

Image source, Parliamentlive.tv

In the letter,, external Deputy Gavin St Pier writes the amendments are "based on common misperceptions about registers of beneficial ownership and transparency".

There was no evidence public registers of ultimate business owners, such as the UK's, were any more effective than Guernsey's private model of fighting financial crime, Deputy St Pier wrote.

He also branded the attempt to legislate "without our consent" as going against a "centuries-held constitutional rule".

Backers of the amendment argued tackling anonymous offshore companies was an important tool in the fight against money laundering, tax avoidance and tax evasion.

Such companies feature heavily in offshore leaks such as the Paradise and Panama Papers.

Hayley Westcott
BBC News Online

Jersey Met says winds of force seven can be expected.

Image source, Jersey Met

Alex Osborne
BBC Weather

A mainly dry start to Wednesday. It will then be a breezy day with some sunny spells, but also showers pushing in from the west.

The showers could be heavy with the risk of hail and thunder.

Maximum temperature: 9 to 12C (48 to 54F).

BBC Radio Guernsey

Image source, Getty Images

More needs to be done to improve Guernsey's tourism offering, the politician responsible for the industry has conceded.

It is after a damning independent report found the island's tourism product was "stale, shabby and out of date."

The PwC report found the number of visitors was unlikely to grow, partly due to poor connectivity to the island.

Deputy Dawn Tindall said: "It's not good. It was produced in 2017, at the instructions of the previous committee, which I wasn't on.

"But even so, there's no holds barred there and clearly identifies a lot to do."

Rob Byrne
BBC News Online

Image source, Getty Images

Lord Alf Dubs, who came to Britain as a child refugee fleeing Nazi persecution, will visit Jersey later this month.

He will be trying to persuade the island to accept child refugees from countries affected by war.

It's hoped his speech at Hautlieu School on 21 March will allay fears adults posing as child refugees could enter Jersey, the local charity hosting him says.

Beth Gallichan, from the Jersey Cares Refugee Aid Group, said "innocent" children caught up conflict deserved to be helped.

"Just being able to be compassionate as an island, and potentially look at a small number of appropriate children is the correct way to be thinking," she said.

Jersey's government - along with Guernsey and the Isle of Man - have consistently said they would not accept refugees as part of the UK's Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme, citing legal hurdles.

They also pointed to the "life-saving humanitarian aid", external they funded.

A decision is also expected soon on whether correspondence between the islands on the matter of taking Syrian Refugees should be made public.