A01   1 <#FLOB:A01\><h_><p_>Labour pledges reversal of NHS hospital 
A01   2 opt-outs<p/>
A01   3 <p_>By Stephen Castle<p/>
A01   4 <p_>Political Correspondent<p/><h/>
A01   5 <p_>ROBIN COOK, Labour's health spokesman, yesterday repeated party 
A01   6 opposition to the internal market in the National Health Service 
A01   7 and said there had been <quote_>"no secret pacts with health 
A01   8 service <}_><-|>manager<+|>managers<}/>"<quote/> to maintain 
A01   9 hospital trusts.<p/>
A01  10 <p_>Speaking to prospective Labour parliamentary candidates in 
A01  11 London, Mr Cook said his party <quote_>"will bring back into the 
A01  12 local NHS all those hospitals that have opted out"<quote/>. "If 
A01  13 there is an election in November and we win office we will stop any 
A01  14 hospital in the pipeline."<p/>
A01  15 <p_>He and his colleagues are concerned that managers have told 
A01  16 some NGS staff that a Labour government would accept trust status 
A01  17 as a <tf_>fait accompli<tf/>. However, Mr Cook said Tory 
A01  18 plans for an internal market demonstrated the division between the 
A01  19 values of the two parties.<p/>
A01  20 <p_>Using the United States as an example, he argued that markets 
A01  21 in health care are flawed because they stimulate demand and 
A01  22 encourage unnecessary treatment, and because they focus attention 
A01  23 on costs of episodes of health care. Resources are also being 
A01  24 concentrated on those with higher <quote_>"purchasing 
A01  25 power"<quote/>.<p/>
A01  26 <p_>The briefing on health for parliamentary candidates underlines 
A01  27 Labour's determination to keep the issue high on the political 
A01  28 agenda.<p/>
A01  29 <p_>Mr Cook said Labour is committed to structural reforms of the 
A01  30 health authorities, including a deployment of some mangers to 
A01  31 long-term planning while others concentrate on everyday 
A01  32 administration.<p/>
A01  33 
A01  34 <h_><p_>Singapore's voters give regime a shock<p/>
A01  35 <p_>From Kevin Hamlin in Singapore<p/><h/>
A01  36 <p_>SINGAPORE's ruling People's Action Party (PAP) suffered 
A01  37 stunning losses in Saturday's general election, opening a new 
A01  38 political chapter in the island republic and raising questions over 
A01  39 Goh Chok Tong's future as Prime Minister.<p/>
A01  40 <p_>Though by most yardsticks the PAP won a landslide victory, 
A01  41 having secured 77 seats in the 81-seat parliament, Mr Goh was 
A01  42 visibly shaken by the opposition's winning four seats. The PAP's 
A01  43 share of vote dipped to 61 per cent from 63.2 per cent in 1988. The 
A01  44 Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), which previously held the only 
A01  45 opposition seat, won three seats while the Workers Party took one. 
A01  46 The opposition had never previously held more than two seats.<p/>
A01  47 <p_>Mr Goh, who took over from the iron-fisted Lee Kuan Yew nine 
A01  48 months ago, had asked for a ringing endorsement of his more liberal 
A01  49 style of government. With the economy booming and Mr Goh riding a 
A01  50 wave of popular support, many expected him to romp home. But the 
A01  51 opposition surprised the PAP by contesting only 40 seats, believing 
A01  52 that more Singaporeans would vote for them if there was no 
A01  53 possibility of a freak upset for the PAP. Mr Goh yesterday conceded 
A01  54 that the strategy had hurt the PAP but scolded Singaporeans for 
A01  55 <quote_>"wanting their cake and eating it"<quote/>.<p/>
A01  56 <p_><quote_>"I called this election to seek a solid endorsement for 
A01  57 my leadership,"<quote/> Mr Goh said. <quote_>"That solid 
A01  58 endorsement did not come. The PAP's role will now be that of a 
A01  59 conventional governing party [in a] partisan situation. This is a 
A01  60 new situation. Politics in Singapore cannot go on as before. 
A01  61 Certain things have to change now."<quote/> Mr Goh threatened to 
A01  62 withdraw basic services from constituencies where opposition 
A01  63 candidates had won. He said he could be <quote_>"a little 
A01  64 deaf"<quote/> to the needs of people in opposition seats. He also 
A01  65 accused opposition candidates in one constituency of using racial 
A01  66 politics to win votes from the minority Malays and said this caused 
A01  67 him to be <quote_>"deeply concerned for the future shape of 
A01  68 politics in multi-racial Singapore"<quote/>. Malays account for 
A01  69 about 15 per cent of the population, Indians 6 per cent and Chinese 
A01  70 the remainder.<p/>
A01  71 <p_>Jubilant opposition parties, led by Chiam See Tong's SDP, 
A01  72 reacted angrily to Mr Goh's threat to withdraw constituency 
A01  73 services. <quote_>"He is the Prime Minister of the whole nation and 
A01  74 not just of constituencies that are sympathetic to the 
A01  75 PAP,"<quote/> Mr Chiam said. <quote_>"I hope he will look at things 
A01  76 from the national point of view and not just from his party 
A01  77 interests."<quote/> <quote_>"The first thing Goh should do is to 
A01  78 respect the choice of the people,"<quote/> said Low Thia Khiang, 
A01  79 who became the Workers Party's sole member of parliament.<p/>
A01  80 <p_>Some opposition politicians believe the outcome could signal 
A01  81 the beginning of the end for Mr Goh's brief reign. J B Jeyaretnam, 
A01  82 head of the Workers Party, said: <quote_>"Goh is on his way 
A01  83 out,"<quote/> and suggested that Brigadier-General Lee Hsien Loong, 
A01  84 the Deputy Prime Minister and Lee Kuan Yew's son, may make a bid 
A01  85 for the leadership. The ambitious Lee junior is believed to favour 
A01  86 his father's tougher style of leadership, and many observers 
A01  87 believe Lee senior remains the ultimate puppet master.<p/>
A01  88 <p_>But Mr Goh said his position was secure. Though he occupied 
A01  89 centre stage, the election campaign was a team effort, not a 
A01  90 <quote_>"solo show"<quote/>, he said, adding that Lee junior was in 
A01  91 charge of campaign strategy. Mr Goh acknowledged that the loss of 
A01  92 votes meant he had to ask himself some fundamental questions.<p/>
A01  93 <p_>However, Mr Chiam said the people were the victors and that 
A01  94 yesterday was a landmark in Singapore's political development. 
A01  95 <quote_>"The PAP treat all Singaporeans like little 
A01  96 children,"<quote/> he said. <quote_>"We, the opposition, have 
A01  97 changed that style to make them realise that the relationship 
A01  98 between government and the people is not a parent and child 
A01  99 relationship, but a relationship of equals."<quote/><p/>
A01 100 
A01 101 <h_><p_>Kinnock looks to autumn poll as TUC toes the line<p/>
A01 102 <p_>By Barrie Clement<p/>
A01 103 <p_>Labour Editor<p/><h/>
A01 104 <p_>A <}_><-|>BOYANT<+|>BUOYANT<}/> Neil Kinnock yesterday put 
A01 105 Scottish MPs on general election alert for 7 November after the 
A01 106 Trades Union congress voted overwhelmingly to reject a potentially 
A01 107 damaging motion on employment law proposed by Arthur Scargill.<p/>
A01 108 <p_>Mr. Kinnock, who was attending a dinner with the TUC's ruling 
A01 109 General Council, said that date would allow John Major to use the 
A01 110 Conservative Party Conference as an election platform. The Labour 
A01 111 leader indicated that the party was ready for the Prime Minister to 
A01 112 go to the country on November 7, 14, 21 <quote_>"or any day except 
A01 113 Christmas Day"<quote/>.<p/>
A01 114 <p_>Earlier, Congress had defeated a motion calling for the repeal 
A01 115 of <quote_>"all anti-union legislation"<quote/> - tabled by Mr 
A01 116 Scargill, president of the National Union of Mineworkers - by 
A01 117 5,809,000 votes to 2,270,000. A motion backing Labour's line was 
A01 118 passed by an even larger margin.<p/>
A01 119 <p_>Mr Kinnock said the votes had helped Labour. <quote_>"The 
A01 120 decision signifies a constructive attitude towards industrial 
A01 121 relations in Britain which is reciprocated by many managers. Trade 
A01 122 Unions and the public recognise the need for a fair set of rules 
A01 123 and not a punitive excess of legislation."<quote/><p/>
A01 124 <p_>The decision to endorse Labour policy was backed by the 
A01 125 left-wing leadership of the Transport and General Workers' Union 
A01 126 and confirmed the increasing marginalisation of hardliners in the 
A01 127 labour movement.<p/>
A01 128 <p_>Tony Blair, Labour's employment spokesman, said the decision 
A01 129 left Michael Howard, the Secretary of State for Employment, 
A01 130 <quote_>"looking foolish and out of date, scrabbling around to make 
A01 131 party political capital out of industrial relations rather than 
A01 132 working to improve them."<quote/><p/>
A01 133 <p_>However, Mr Howard hit back in a statement issued by 
A01 134 Conservative Central Office in which he declared that the debate 
A01 135 had been <quote_>"a sham"<quote/> and that there was no 
A01 136 <quote_>"practical difference"<quote/> between the two motions 
A01 137 under discussion.<p/>
A01 138 <p_>Proposing the resolution regarded as Labour loyalist, Ron Todd, 
A01 139 general secretary of the TGWU, said unions did not want to go back 
A01 140 to 1979, when Government embarked on five pieces of employment 
A01 141 legislation.<p/>
A01 142 <p_>Mr. Todd said the whole TUC debate on the issue would be 
A01 143 academic without the return of a Labour government. <quote_>"I am 
A01 144 not interested in debates about the width of a butterfly's wings 
A01 145 when my members are being slaughtered from Land's End to John 
A01 146 O'Groats."<quote/><p/>
A01 147 <p_>He said the proposition backed by the NUM was 
A01 148 <quote|>"ambiguous", indicating that it could mean a future Labour 
A01 149 government should repeal laws on strike ballots and leadership 
A01 150 elections.<p/>
A01 151 <p_>In reply, Mr Scargill said the motion simply called for Britain 
A01 152 to honour the conventions on labour law drawn up by the 
A01 153 International Labour Organisation and the United Nations. 
A01 154 <quote_>"That was the best possible defence to put before the 
A01 155 British people,"<quote/> he said.<p/>
A01 156 <p_>Democratic procedures should be determined by union members 
A01 157 <quote_>"free of state interference"<quote/>, he said. The 
A01 158 <quote_>"ameliorist tendency"<quote/> in the union movement had got 
A01 159 it wrong. The media would represent the decision as a ploy to get 
A01 160 the Labour Party elected. <quote_>"Far better to be open and 
A01 161 honest,"<quote/> Mr Scargill said.<p/>
A01 162 <p_>Referring to Mr Scargill, Bill Jordan, right-wing leader of the 
A01 163 Amalgamated Engineering Union, said: <quote_>"Look east Arthur. 
A01 164 Real people power is sweeping away yesterday's people and 
A01 165 yesterdays's ideas."<quote/><p/>
A01 166 
A01 167 <h_><p_>Peking Polishes its image as Major arrives<p/>
A01 168 <p_>From Andrew Higgins in Peking<p/><h/>
A01 169 <p_>IN AN attempt to pre-empt criticism of its human rights record 
A01 170 by John Major, who arrives in Peking today, China yesterday issued 
A01 171 a detailed health report on two dissident intellectuals jailed as 
A01 172 <quote|>"masterminds" of the 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy 
A01 173 movement.<p/>
A01 174 <p_>The report confirmed for the first time that the two men, Wang 
A01 175 Juntao and Chen Ziming, had gone on hunger strike last month to 
A01 176 protest against prison conditions, but said they had ended their 
A01 177 fast and were now in <quote|>"basically" good health. It admitted, 
A01 178 however, that Mr Wang had suffered a <quote_>"relapse of 
A01 179 hepatitis"<quote/> as claimed by his wife and previously denied by 
A01 180 authorities. The relapse was due, the report said, to his 
A01 181 <quote_>"irregular eating in the recent time"<quote/>. A prison 
A01 182 doctor denied rumours of serious ill health and said both prisoners 
A01 183 were receiving full and effective medical care.<p/>
A01 184 <p_>Branded as the ringleaders of the 1989 democracy movement, Mr 
A01 185 Wang and Mr Chen were both jailed for 13 years and are being held, 
A01 186 their families say, in solitary confinement in Peking.<p/>
A01 187 <p_>China rarely makes an official comment on political detainees 
A01 188 and the timing of yesterday's unusually detailed account suggests a 
A01 189 clear attempt to avert possibly embarrassing human rights 
A01 190 complaints by Mr Major.<p/>
A01 191 <p_>Two of China's harshest critics in the US Congress are also in 
A01 192 Peking: Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat who led an unsuccessful 
A01 193 campaign to lift China's most favoured nation trading status and 
A01 194 Stephen Solarz, a New York Democrat. But it is John Major's visit 
A01 195 that really counts for China. It will not only seal an agreement on 
A01 196 the vexed issue of a new airport for Hong Kong but will also signal 
A01 197 the end of China's post-Tiananmen quarantine.<p/>
A01 198 <p_>Arriving from Moscow, where he placed a wreath to three victims 
A01 199 of the failed coup, Mr Major will be the first Western leader to 
A01 200 visit Peking since the Tiananmen massacre two years ago. China 
A01 201 seems eager to capitalise on the trip, with a Foreign Ministry 
A01 202 spokesman telling the BBC last week that it marked the 
A01 203 <quote_>"full normalisation of relations"<quote/> after the 
A01 204 <quote_>"twists and turns"<quote/> that followed the Tiananmen 
A01 205 killings.<p/>
A01 206 <p_>British Diplomats are more reluctant to concede such a 
A01 207 breakthrough. And Mr Major will have to tread carefully. In Peking 
A01 208 he will avoid the delicate question of wreaths, honouring neither 
A01 209 the Communist party's heroes nor its victims, when he visits 
A01 210 Tiananmen Square for a salute.<p/>
A01 211 <p_>Under fire from opposition leaders for agreeing to meet China's 
A01 212 hardline leaders while rejoicing at the demise of old-style 
A01 213 Communism in Moscow, Mr Major has come under strong pressure to 
A01 214 speak out firmly on Chinese human rights abuses when he meets 
A01 215 President Yang Shangkun and the Prime Minister, Li Peng, two of the 
A01 216 principal architects of the 4 June massacre. He will also meet the 
A01 217 Communist Party leader, Jiang Zemin, but is unlikely to meet the 
A01 218 one man who still matters most: the nominally retired 87-year-old 
A01 219 Deng Xiaoping.<p/>
A01 220 <p_>Douglas Hurd, the Foreign Secretary, yesterday defended Mr 
A01 221 Major's trip to Peking, insisting it <quote_>"does not confer our 
A01 222 seal of approval"<quote/> on the Peking regime or the bloodshed 
A01 223 around Tiananmen. <quote_>"The events in the Soviet Union will have 
A01 224 shown the Chinese leadership that nothing stays the same,"<quote/> 
A01 225 he wrote in <tf_>The Independent on Sunday<tf/>. <quote_>"It is not 
A01 226 for us to say how and when change will come. It is for us to speak 
A01 227 our minds and at the same time reason with those who govern 
A01 228 China."<quote/><p/>
A01 229 <p_>British officials refuse to say whether Mr Major will raise the 
A01 230 cases of specific political detainees, though Downing Street has 
A01 231 made much of a meeting to be held tomorrow between Mr Major and a 
A01 232 group of Chinese students.
A01 233 
A02   1 <#FLOB:A02\><h_><p_>Clarke: I'd have quit if Maggie stayed<p/>
A02   2 <p_>by Political Correspondent<p/><h/>
A02   3 <p_>EDUCATION Secretary Kenneth Clarke confirmed yesterday that he 
A02   4 would have resigned from the Government if Mrs Thatcher had carried 
A02   5 on in power.<p/>
A02   6 <p_><quote_>"I did reach the conclusion that I probably was going 
A02   7 to resign; indeed I would have resigned had she gone on,"<quote/> 
A02   8 he said on the Channel 4 Pursuit of Power programme.<p/>
A02   9 <p_>During the Tory leadership crisis last autumn, Mr Clarke 
A02  10 advised Mrs Thatcher to stand down for the sake of the party.<p/>
A02  11 <p_><quote_>"I advised her that she should not go on and in my 
A02  12 opinion she ought to step down,"<quote/> he said yesterday.<p/>
A02  13 <p_><quote_>"I acted on the principle that if you are serving a 
A02  14 friend as your boss, what you owe that boss is your candid, 
A02  15 truthful, non self-interested advice."<quote/><p/>
A02  16 <p_>By hanging on, he said, Mrs Thatcher would have destroyed the 
A02  17 authority of both the Government and the party. Under the 
A02  18 leadership of someone else, both could recover.<p/>
A02  19 <p_><quote_>"I think we were in the position of generals persuading 
A02  20 Napoleon to leave the field of battle at Waterloo,"<quote/> said Mr 
A02  21 Clarke.<p/>
A02  22 <p_><quote_>"At the end of the first ballot, to go on and to win 
A02  23 this battle by a small majority - I did not even think she would win 
A02  24 it, I thought she would lose it - would have meant her authority was 
A02  25 broken."<quote/><p/>
A02  26 <h|>Disagreed
A02  27 <p_><quote_>"But a proper contest, with a successor coming in, 
A02  28 restored the authority of the premiership, the leadership of the 
A02  29 party, and the Government."<quote/><p/>
A02  30 <p_>He did not tell Mrs Thatcher directly that he would quit if she 
A02  31 refused to go but he claimed she knew his intentions. <quote_>"I am 
A02  32 sure she did;"<quote/> he said.<p/>
A02  33 <p_>He had always enjoyed working alongside Mrs Thatcher on a 
A02  34 <quote_>"very candid basis"<quote/>.<p/>
A02  35 <p_><quote_>"It was not uncomfortable in the Thatcher Government. 
A02  36 It was fun, she was a very dynamic leader, and it was extremely 
A02  37 entertaining to work alongside her if you did not mind having a 
A02  38 robust leader. She made us take very courageous 
A02  39 decisions."<quote/><p/>
A02  40 <p_>He disagreed, however, with her dicision, in the wake of Sir 
A02  41 Geoffrey Howe's resignation, to switch him from the Department of 
A02  42 Health and into Education. She believed that the battle over NHS 
A02  43 reforms had been won but he tried to persuade her against a 
A02  44 move.<p/>
A02  45 
A02  46 <h_><p_>Power to the people to win better service<p/>
A02  47 <p_>By JOHN DEANS<p/><h/>
A02  48 <p_>JOHN MAJOR will launch a Tory offensive today by unveiling his 
A02  49 long-awaited Citizens' Charter.<p/>
A02  50 <p_>Its 50-plus proposals amount to a dynamic bid to strengthen 
A02  51 people-power in Britain.<p/>
A02  52 <p_>Local authorities and public service companies will be forced 
A02  53 to raise standards or risk paying compensation.<p/>
A02  54 <p_>For the first time, individuals or consumer groups facing the 
A02  55 shutdown of a vital council service, like refuse collection, will 
A02  56 be able to take civil court action over the threat.<p/>
A02  57 <h|>Contempt
A02  58 <p_>Courts will have the twin powers of issuing an injuction to 
A02  59 stop an illegal dispute and ordering a council to maintain 
A02  60 essential services.<p/>
A02  61 <p_>It means that a Left-wing authority which refuses to crack down 
A02  62 on industrial action can be legally forced to do so or face stiff 
A02  63 fines for contempt.<p/>
A02  64 <p_>The Charter will also strengthen the powers of the watchdog 
A02  65 bodies overseeing privatised water, gas and electricity 
A02  66 companies.<p/>
A02  67 <p_>They will be able to consider financial compensation for 
A02  68 consumers hit by prolonged disruption of supplies or a severe fall 
A02  69 in standards. British Rail season ticket holders who suffer from 
A02  70 persistently poor services will qualify for free-travel 
A02  71 vouchers.<p/>
A02  72 <p_>Labour has accused ministers of trying to water down Mr Major's 
A02  73 original plans for the charter.<p/>
A02  74 <p_>But one senior minister said last night: <quote_>"The launch 
A02  75 will show they have actually been beefed up. At the moment there is 
A02  76 virtually nothing the individual can do if public services break 
A02  77 down. Under the charter people will have more power in their 
A02  78 hands."<quote/><p/>
A02  79 <p_>The charter is the key weapon in a new Tory initiative designed 
A02  80 to build on the party's continuing popularity revival and Mr 
A02  81 Major's own strong voter support, particularly after his success at 
A02  82 the G7 summit.<p/>
A02  83 <p_>The plans outlined today will be amplified in mini-charters 
A02  84 from individual departments - plus a 'handy guide' which may be 
A02  85 distributed to households.<p/>
A02  86 <p_>The latest Harris poll, published by the Observer yesterday, 
A02  87 confirmed the recent trend in Mr Major's favour, slicing Labour's 
A02  88 lead to only 3 per cent, and showing the Tories picking up support 
A02  89 from both Neil Kinnock's party and Paddy Ashdown's Liberal 
A02  90 Democrats.<p/>
A02  91 <p_>The survey gives Labour 42 per cent and Tories 39, with the 
A02  92 Liberal Democrats struggling at 14 per cent.<p/>
A02  93 <p_>Despite such encouragement, the Premier gave a strong signal 
A02  94 yesterday that he is still planning for a 1992 election, rather 
A02  95 than one this autumn.<p/>
A02  96 <p_>In a newspaper interview, he emphasised the importance of 
A02  97 bringing negotiations on the future of the European Community to a 
A02  98 conclusion at the next EC summit, in December.<p/>
A02  99 <p_>He declared: <quote_>"I don't intend to take any risks of 
A02 100 having any other party negotiate at those 
A02 101 inter<?_>-<?/>governmental conferences that will be so important to 
A02 102 Britain's future."<quote/><p/>
A02 103 <p_>With the Tory attack looming, Labour fired off a pre-emptive 
A02 104 broadside yesterday.<p/>
A02 105 <p_>Shadow chancellor John Smith said the claim that Britain will 
A02 106 be out of recession by Christmas was <quote|>"bogus", and 
A02 107 environment spokesman Bryan Gould said the Government had run out 
A02 108 of ideas.<p/>
A02 109 <p_>Shadow transport secretary John Prescott will today unveil 
A02 110 Labour's plans to make BR run on time by threatening to sack 
A02 111 managers who fail to meet standards of quality and reliability.<p/>
A02 112 
A02 113 <h_><p_>The buck stops here, pledges water supremo<p/>
A02 114 <p_>by DOMINIC KENNEDY<p/><h/>
A02 115 <p_>THE head of the water company at the centre of the 
A02 116 contamination scare spoke yesterday of his anguish over 
A02 117 <quote_>"this rotten affair"<quote/>.<p/>
A02 118 <p_>And Sir John Page insisted: <quote_>"The buck stops 
A02 119 here."<quote/><p/>
A02 120 <p_>The former Tory MP, who is chairman of Three Valleys Water 
A02 121 Services, said: <quote_>"Ever since six this morning I have been 
A02 122 wandering about worrying like hell. This is a very serious affair. 
A02 123 It is the unthinkable, that untreated water should go out. Our team 
A02 124 is completely overwhelmed by this awful event."<quote/><p/>
A02 125 <p_>Sir John was out at a dinner party when the contamination was 
A02 126 confirmed. He could not be contacted and learned of the 
A02 127 developments only when he returned in the early hours of Sunday to 
A02 128 his home in Taplow, Buckinghamshire.<p/>
A02 129 <p_>He woke at 6am and listened to radio news bulletins about the 
A02 130 pollution, then visited the company HQ in Rickmansworth before 
A02 131 returning home.<p/>
A02 132 <p_><quote_>"I want to get the whole thing operationally 
A02 133 right,"<quote/> he said. <quote_>"For the next 24 hours I'm going 
A02 134 to be at the end of the telephone and probably at very frequent 
A02 135 meetings."<quote/><p/>
A02 136 <h|>Inquiry
A02 137 <p_>Sir John, former MP for Harrow West, retired at the last 
A02 138 General Election after 27 years. His successor Robert Hughes, whose 
A02 139 constituents have been affected by the scare, pulled no punches 
A02 140 yesterday. <quote_>"While we all appreciate accidents can happen, 
A02 141 water is now an expensive commodity for all of my constituents and 
A02 142 such an accident is completely unacceptable,"<quote/> said Mr 
A02 143 Hughes.<p/>
A02 144 <p_><quote_>"I demand a full public inquiry into the activities of 
A02 145 the company and will be seeking a debate in Parliament."<quote/><p/>
A02 146 <p_>Reports that the company failed to warn consumers until several 
A02 147 hours after the fault was detected should be investigated urgently, 
A02 148 added Mr Hughes. Sir John said: <quote_>"I think the concern of 
A02 149 Robert Hughes is appropriate and completely legitimate. I intend to 
A02 150 speak to him as soon as possible. We have nothing to 
A02 151 hide."<quote/><p/>
A02 152 <p_>Asked whether the company would compensate families who have 
A02 153 paid for bottled water he said: <quote_>"We haven't thought about 
A02 154 that detail as yet."<quote/><p/>
A02 155 <p_>Sir John's involvement with the water industry began nine years 
A02 156 ago when he became a director of Colne Valley Water Company. He 
A02 157 became chairman three years before it merged with the neighbouring 
A02 158 suppliers, Lee Valley Water Company and Rickmansworth Water 
A02 159 Company, in 1990. The merger, creating the seventh-largest UK water 
A02 160 company, was approved by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission. The 
A02 161 French giant Compagnie Generale des Eaux, which
A02 162 already owned 28 per cent of Colne, 16 per cent of Rickmansworth
A02 163 and the whole of Lee, bought the newly-merged company. CGE is the 
A02 164 largest water group in the world, and has interests in waste 
A02 165 disposal, funeral services, utilities and construction.<p/>
A02 166 <p_>The area covered by Three Valleys was unaffected by the 
A02 167 privatisation of the water industry. Its water has been 
A02 168 traditionally supplied by the private sector.<p/>
A02 169 <p_>The three smaller water companies still exist, and are known to 
A02 170 customers by their old names. Their boards of directors are 
A02 171 identical: Jim McGown is chairman, and Robert Simpson is deputy 
A02 172 chairman. They also have two non-executive directors, Peter Darby, 
A02 173 head of finance, and Richard Medhurst, head of water quality. They 
A02 174 are subsidiaries of Three Valleys, which is chaired by Sir John. 
A02 175 Its directors include Mr McGown and Mr Simpson, plus Jean-Claude 
A02 176 Banon from General Utilities, the London branch of 
A02 177 <foreign_>Compagnie Generale des Eaux<foreign/>. The other 
A02 178 directors all served with the three old companies. They are Jim 
A02 179 Bolton, former chairman of Lee Valley, John Hasledene, former 
A02 180 director of Colne Valley and Lee Valley, Michael Ross-Collins, 
A02 181 former director of Rickmansworth and Colne Valley, Jean-Pierre 
A02 182 Tardieu, former director of Lee Valley, and John Paterson, former 
A02 183 director of Lee Valley.<p/>
A02 184 <p_>Mr McGown, Mr Simpson, Mr Bolton and Mr Ross-Collins all live 
A02 185 in the area supplied by Three Valleys Water Services.<p/>
A02 186 <p_>CGE's British water companies also include North Surrey, 
A02 187 Folkestone and Tendring Hundred.<p/>
A02 188 
A02 189 <h_><p_>Major on top of the world<p/>
A02 190 <p_>By JOHN DEANS, Political Correspondent<p_><h/>
A02 191 <p_>JOHN MAJOR returned from triumph on the world stage last night 
A02 192 to deliver his most upbeat economic forecast yet.<p/>
A02 193 <p_>After winning hearts in Moscow and a grudging respect in 
A02 194 Peking, he turned his attention to domestic agenda which is looking 
A02 195 increasingly favourable.<p/>
A02 196 <p_><quote_>"We are beginning to see the economy turning 
A02 197 round,"<quote/> he said. <quote_>"That has an effect on 
A02 198 expectations and behaviour.<p/>
A02 199 <p_>People begin to spend again, which means the economy begins to 
A02 200 grow and there is a general virtuous circle."<quote/>
A02 201 <p_>Although voicing regret about unemployment, he forecast that 
A02 202 inflation would be down to 4 per cent by the end of the year and 
A02 203 recession would soon be a thing of the past. But on the speculation 
A02 204 about a possible November election the Premier remained cool. 
A02 205 <quote_>"I'm in no particular rush,"<quote/> he said.<p/>
A02 206 <p_>His confidence was echoed by Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd, 
A02 207 who flew home from Hongkong with him and declared later: <quote_>"A 
A02 208 fourth term of government is firmly within our grasp. The most 
A02 209 striking indicator is the increased optimism among ordinary voters. 
A02 210 They are now more optimistic about the economy than at any time in 
A02 211 the past three years."<quote/><p/>
A02 212 <p_>While the history-making may be over for now, there will be no 
A02 213 let up in Mr Major's itinerary. He and his wife Norma spend the 
A02 214 weekend with the Queen at Balmoral, followed by a two-day tour of 
A02 215 Scotland where Tory constituencies remain vulnerable. On Wednesday, 
A02 216 the Premier flies to Paris for talks with President Mitterand and 
A02 217 meetings with leaders from Russia and the newly-emerging 
A02 218 democracies of Eastern Europe.<p/>
A02 219 <p_>After that, he embarks on a programme of visits to marginal 
A02 220 constituencies around Britain. While careful not to rule out the 
A02 221 autumn option completely, the Prime Minster has made it clear that 
A02 222 one high priority is to ensure that he represents Britain in the 
A02 223 next stage of negotiations on European union in December.<p/>
A02 224 <p_>The latest popularity research brought more bad news for the 
A02 225 Labour Party last night.<p/>
A02 226 <p_>The Newsnight poll of polls, analysing four of the main recent 
A02 227 surveys, put the Conservatives one point ahead and showed 60 per 
A02 228 cent of the electorate satisfied with John Major's performance.<p/>
A02 229 <h|>Dropped
A02 230 <p_>The result did not take into account yesterday's Gallup poll, 
A02 231 which gave the Tories a 4.5 per cent lead, or the latest fall in 
A02 232 interest rates.<p/>
A02 233 <p_>Newsnight gave the Tories 41 per cent, three per cent up since 
A02 234 the last similar survey, while Labour dropped back three points.<p/>
A02 235 <p_>The Liberal Democrats gained one, to 15 per cent.<p/>
A02 236 <p_>Backing for Mr Major increased by six points while 
A02 237 dissatisfaction with Mr Kinnock rose two to 52 per cent.<p/>
A02 238 <p_>Labour's campaign coordinator Jack Cunningham insisted last 
A02 239 night that domestic affairs would rescue his party. <quote_>"This 
A02 240 is what will determine the outcome of the election,"<quote/> he 
A02 241 said.<p/>
A02 242 
A03   1 <#FLOB:A03\><h_><p_>How the Kurds were saved from Saddam<p/><h/>
A03   2 <p_>The creation of a save haven for the Kurds inside Iraq was 
A03   3 achieved only after a fortnight of intense manoeuvring. The man who 
A03   4 displayed the greatest diplomacy on the world stage was the prime 
A03   5 minister. For, as <tf_>Nicholas Wood<tf/> in London and <tf_>Martin 
A03   6 Fletcher<tf/> in Washington report, it was his skills which turned 
A03   7 a scheme fraught with political difficulties into reality.<p/>
A03   8 <p_>THE lowest point in John Major's 15-day personal Odyssey to 
A03   9 bring succour to the legions of dispossessed Kurds dying in their 
A03  10 thousands of cold and hunger in the mountains of northern Iraq came 
A03  11 at Arsenal football club a fortnight ago yesterday.<p/>
A03  12 <p_>The prime minister, a keen Chelsea supporter, could not have 
A03  13 been comforted by the sight of their London rivals crushing Aston 
A03  14 Villa 5-0. But far more painful for him was the realisation that 
A03  15 Margaret Thatcher, his predecessor, had emerged from enforced 
A03  16 retirement to champion the cause of the refugees.<p/>
A03  17 <p_>That same afternoon, Mrs Thatcher had stepped onto her 
A03  18 Belgravia pavement to tell the world that <quote_>"legal 
A03  19 niceties"<quote/> could not be allowed to stand in the way of a 
A03  20 people's salvation. Mr Major, already under fire for his alleged 
A03  21 dallying over the poll tax, could have imagined the rest. The 
A03  22 Kurdish emigr<*_>e-acute<*/>s duly obliged, letting it be 
A03  23 known that they had appreciated the chance to talk to a 
A03  24 <quote_>"doer not a ditherer"<quote/>.<p/>
A03  25 <p_>By the time he had reached Highbury stadium, Mr Major, from the 
A03  26 comfort of his bullet-proof Daimler, had acted to limit the damage. 
A03  27 After frantic discussions with his aides, including at least three 
A03  28 telephone calls during the match, he brought forward the 
A03  29 announcement of an outline plan to bring relief to the Kurds.<p/>
A03  30 <p_>Nevertheless, the morning headlines made grim reading. 
A03  31 <quote_>"The voice of conscience ... It takes Maggie to speak out 
A03  32 for the Kurds"<quote/> trumpeted the <tf_>Daily Mail<tf/> over a 
A03  33 story contrasting George Bush's enthusiasm for golf and Mr Major's 
A03  34 passion for football with Mrs Thatcher's sense of occasion. That 
A03  35 Thursday, April 4, Mr Major cut short his week's break in 
A03  36 Huntingdon to return to London to take charge of the biggest 
A03  37 political problem to hit his desk since arriving in the hot 
A03  38 seat.<p/>
A03  39 <p_>As ever in politics, the criticism was not totally fair. 
A03  40 According to one senior Foreign Office source yesterday, after 
A03  41 witnessing the harrowing scenes on television of the Kurds fleeing 
A03  42 from President Saddam Hussein's avenging army, the prime minister 
A03  43 had been driving forward an international relief operation on 
A03  44 behalf of the Kurds two days before Mrs Thatcher dramatically 
A03  45 raised the stakes.<p/>
A03  46 <p_>Tristan Garel-Jones, the Foreign Office duty minister during 
A03  47 the Easter recess, had been left in no doubt of the prime 
A03  48 minister's intentions by Stephen Wall, his private secretary 
A03  49 responsible for foreign affairs, on the Monday before. <quote_>"The 
A03  50 message was simple: this thing is serious. We want action 
A03  51 now,"<quote/> the source said yesterday. But for the next two days 
A03  52 Whitehall's wheels ground slowly as the Overseas Development 
A03  53 Administration wavered over the pounds20 million costs of the Major 
A03  54 plan.<p/>
A03  55 <p_>By Wednesday, even before Mrs Thatcher's sensational 
A03  56 intervention, things were beginning to take shape. On Thursday, 
A03  57 April 4 Mr. Major gave details of the pounds20 million mountain 
A03  58 airlift, while still ruling out military intervention. But the real 
A03  59 work was going on behind the scenes on a plan that was to take the 
A03  60 European Community and the Americans unawares at special summit of 
A03  61 EC leaders in Luxembourg on the following Monday.<p/>
A03  62 <p_>With Douglas Hurd, the foreign secretary, on top of Taishan, 
A03  63 China's most sacred mountain, Mr Major took personal charge of what 
A03  64 was to be unveiled as the safe havens plan in Luxembourg. As one 
A03  65 delighted minister put it yesterday, <quote_>"he saw the greasy 
A03  66 ball lying on the grass, scooped it up, rubbed it twice on his 
A03  67 shirt, put his head down, and ran for the line. It was 
A03  68 magic."<quote/> The prime minister had 'bounced' both the Americans 
A03  69 and the Europeans into following Britain's lead.<p/>
A03  70 <p_>The details of the prime minister's <quote_>"safe 
A03  71 haven"<quote/> plan were not finalised until he reached Luxembourg 
A03  72 on the Monday of the EC summit. But before he announced them, he 
A03  73 secured another diplomatic deal with President Mitterrand of 
A03  74 France.<p/>
A03  75 <p_>In the shadow of the summit, the French chaired a meeting of 
A03  76 the Western European Union which pledged aid to southeast Turkey. 
A03  77 The French want the EC to absorb the union and play a military role 
A03  78 in Europe, something Britain and the US have resisted. By letting M 
A03  79 Mitterrand have his way, Mr Major won French backing for his plan. 
A03  80 On the flight to Luxembourg, Mr Major was warned about the risks of 
A03  81 pressing his scheme by close advisers. <quote_>"He was warned that 
A03  82 the US was not on board and that the administration wanted to get 
A03  83 their troops back home,"<quote/> one insider said. <quote_>"He was 
A03  84 told he would need troops to make the safe havens plan work. We all 
A03  85 said to him "we cannot guarantee success on this. You have to 
A03  86 realise there is a possibility of failure and that the Americans 
A03  87 and the Europeans might say no."<quote/><p/>
A03  88 <p_>Mr Major, perhaps determined to rid himself of the dithering 
A03  89 tag once and for all, was adamant that they should press on. Backed 
A03  90 by Douglas Hogg, junior minister at the Foreign Office, he told his 
A03  91 officials. <quote_>"It's the right thing to do. Get on with 
A03  92 it."<quote/> At the prime minister's behest, Mr O'Donnell performed 
A03  93 one vital service, translating the mandarin words of the Foreign 
A03  94 Office into a four-point plan that could be ready<&|>sic! 
A03  95 assimilated by the media.<p/>
A03  96 <p_>The Americans were told of the plan only after the prime 
A03  97 minister arrived in Luxembourg. Mr Wall briefed Brent Scowcroft, 
A03  98 the national security adviser, and Mr Major sent a message direct 
A03  99 to President Bush. Sir David Hannay, Britain's ambassador to the 
A03 100 UN, set about persuading the Russians and the Chinese that by 
A03 101 interfering in Iraq Britain was not seeking to set a precedent for 
A03 102 Georgia and Tibet.<p/>
A03 103 <p_>Mr Major's enclave proposal received the chilliest of 
A03 104 receptions in Washington. Unwilling publicly to snub an ally, 
A03 105 Marlin Fitzwater, the White House press secretary, instead damned 
A03 106 it with faint praise, saying it had <quote_>"some merits"<quote/> 
A03 107 and was <quote_>"worthy of consideration."<quote/> Privately senior 
A03 108 administration officials complained that the British had failed to 
A03 109 consult Washington before putting the idea to the EC and listed a 
A03 110 string of objections.<p/>
A03 111 <p_>The Americans had already been caught on the hop the day before 
A03 112 when Richard Cheney, the US defence secretary, had found himself in 
A03 113 the studios of ABC Television when the Turkish president, Turgut 
A03 114 Ozal, announced a <quote/>"buffer state"<quote/> proposal on 
A03 115 air.<p/>
A03 116 <p_>One senior American official told <tf_>The Times<tf/> that the 
A03 117 idea would never get through the UN Security Council because China 
A03 118 and the Soviet Union would argue that it violated the sovereignty 
A03 119 of a member state. It threatened the permanent fragmentation of 
A03 120 Iraq because the enclaves, once established, would be far harder to 
A03 121 dismantle. It would almost certainly mean US troops re-entering 
A03 122 Iraq because <quote_>"we don't see anyone else 
A03 123 volunteering"<quote/>.<p/>
A03 124 <p_>In the face of British and European determination to forge 
A03 125 ahead, the Bush administration was obliged to devise its own 
A03 126 counterplan which was first disclosed by an official travelling 
A03 127 from Turkey to the Middle East with Mr Baker on Wednesday last 
A03 128 week.<p/>
A03 129 <p_>Mr Fitzwater announced that America had told the Iraqis to 
A03 130 cease all military activities in the air and on the ground north of 
A03 131 parallel 36 so that relief operations could proceed unhindered, 
A03 132 thus creating what White House officials privately admitted was a 
A03 133 de facto safe haven.<p/>
A03 134 <p_>That night Mr Bush telephoned Mr Major, and after a 20-minute 
A03 135 conversation Downing Street and the White House both issued 
A03 136 statements saying the two leaders had agreed on the need for a safe 
A03 137 haven.<p/>
A03 138 <p_>In a telephone conversation conducted on first name terms, Mr 
A03 139 Major told the US leader that aid would not be enough and it was 
A03 140 vital to get the Kurds off the mountains. Sir David Hannay tackled 
A03 141 the problem of convincing the UN to abandon the cherished principle 
A03 142 of non-intervention, and by Monday, after talks with 
A03 143 Se<*_>n-tilde<*/>or P<*_>e-acute<*/>rez de Cu<*_>e-acute<*/>llar, 
A03 144 the UN secretary general, he was making headway.<p/>
A03 145 <p_>Mr Major then spoke to President Bush and Se<*_>n-tilde<*/>or 
A03 146 P<*_>e-acute<*/>rez de Cu<*_>e-acute<*/>llar on Tuesday night, 
A03 147 firming up an agreement that insiders reckoned was 70 per cent in 
A03 148 the bag.<p/>
A03 149 <p_>By the time of the joint Washington and Downing Street 
A03 150 announcements about the use of force to secure the havens, the 
A03 151 prime minister's days as a ditherer - if not President Bush's 
A03 152 - appeared to be numbered.<p/>
A03 153 
A03 154 <h_><p_>Role of West poses dilemma for Rafsanjani<p/>
A03 155 <p_>From EDWARD GORMAN in TEHRAN<p/><h/>
A03 156 <p_>THE decision to go ahead with plans for safe areas in northern 
A03 157 Iraq has left the Iranian government out in the cold. Tehran is 
A03 158 coping with the largest number of Kurdish refugees, and according 
A03 159 to Western diplomats, seems in a dilemma about how to respond.<p/>
A03 160 <p_><quote_>"They haven't made up their minds what they 
A03 161 want,"<quote/> commented one senior Western envoy, who said Tehran 
A03 162 has been wrongfooted since the concept of a safe haven or enclave 
A03 163 was first mooted. <quote_>"They have a real dilemma, which they 
A03 164 haven't resolved, which has important political and humanitarian 
A03 165 dimensions,"<quote/> he added.<p/>
A03 166 <p_>Throughout the Gulf confrontation, President Rafsanjani's 
A03 167 approach has combined conflicting impulses. Like the United States, 
A03 168 Iran does not want to see Iraq break up, and like America, it wants 
A03 169 President Saddam Hussein pushed out of power.<p/>
A03 170 <p_>But despite denouncing the invasion and annexation of Kuwait, 
A03 171 it has also attacked American and allied military involvement in 
A03 172 the region and called for a withdrawal. Recently it has blamed 
A03 173 America for encouraging the Kurds in their uprising, and for 
A03 174 ignoring the plight of refugees on the Iran-Iraq border.<p/>
A03 175 <p_>Tehran has been shut out of the president's plan because it is 
A03 176 largely a response to Turkey's needs and because of the continuing 
A03 177 deep fracture in American-Iranian relations. It can be expected to 
A03 178 criticise the proposals because they involve further deployments of 
A03 179 allied troops and will fuel fears here that the Americans are not 
A03 180 sincere in their undertakings to withdraw from the region.<p/>
A03 181 <p_>The Iranian government is understandably nervous of any 
A03 182 solution to the Kurdish problem which helps to formalise Kurdish 
A03 183 aspirations to a separate or autonomous state, and the implications 
A03 184 that may have for millions of Kurds living on the Iranian side of 
A03 185 the border.<p/>
A03 186 <p_>However, President Rafsanjani has made it clear he wishes to 
A03 187 see the eventual repatriation of refugees from Iran. Some observers 
A03 188 believe he may choose publicly to distance himself from the 
A03 189 American plan, while allowing or encouraging as many refugees to 
A03 190 return home under its auspices as wish to do so. This will require 
A03 191 careful presentation by the president, who cannot afford to be seen 
A03 192 by his people to be participating in, or endorsing, an 
A03 193 American-brokered solution.<p/>
A03 194 
A03 195 <h_><p_>Insults pepper Bonn accord<p/>
A03 196 <p_>From IAN MURRAY IN BONN<p/><h/>
A03 197 <p_>IT SEEMED a good idea when the German government and opposition 
A03 198 agreed last Friday to work together in two committees to rescue 
A03 199 eastern Germany from economic collapse. Before a single meeting can 
A03 200 be arranged, however, both sides are at each other's throat.<p/>
A03 201 <p_>Helmut Kohl, the chancellor, yesterday ruled out any idea that 
A03 202 the Social Democrats (SPD) would be allowed to discuss government 
A03 203 policy. Hans-Jochen Vogel, the opposition leader, implied this made 
A03 204 little difference since the government was now largely following 
A03 205 the interventionist policy of the SPD.<p/>
A03 206 <p_>The tone of the exchanges is growing more vitriolic. The 
A03 207 chancellor should whistle off the firebrands of his party, said 
A03 208 Frau Herta D<*_>a-umlaut<*/>ubler-Gmelin, the deputy SPD leader. 
A03 209 The SPD was falsely raising the expectations of poor people in 
A03 210 eastern Germany, countered Volker R<*_>u-umlaut<*/>he, general 
A03 211 secretary of the chancellor's Christian Democrats (CDU).<p/>
A03 212 <p_>Certainly electioneering is involved, since 
A03 213 Rhineland-Palatinate, Herr Kohl's home state, votes for a new 
A03 214 parliament on Sunday. Voters there have always picked a CDU 
A03 215 government, but opinion polls show the SPD in the lead, and Herr 
A03 216 Kohl's party risks a humiliating defeat.<p/>
A03 217 <p_>Despite the argument, the government has abandoned its reliance 
A03 218 on private investment to pull the east out of economic 
A03 219 difficulties. Treuhand, the agency set up to privatise 
A03 220 old communist combines, is now helping lame<?_>-<?/>duck industries 
A03 221 to survive rather than killing them off.<p/>
A03 222 
A04   1 <#FLOB:A04\><h_><p_>Ceasefire boosts talks on Ulster<p/>
A04   2 <p_>By Our Belfast Correspondent and Ralph Atkins<p/><h/>
A04   3 <p_>LOYALIST PARAMILITARIES in Northern Ireland last night said 
A04   4 they would enforce a qualified 'ceasefire' to coincide with the 
A04   5 start in less than two weeks of formal talks on the province's 
A04   6 political future.<p/>
A04   7 <p_>A statement issued in Belfast by the so-called 
A04   8 <quote_>"Combined Loyalist Military Command"<quote/> said the 
A04   9 suspension of operational hostilities was a genuine attempt to 
A04  10 assist the talks process initiated by Mr Peter Brooke, Northern 
A04  11 Ireland secretary.<p/>
A04  12 <p_>However, the statement said loyalist groups retained the right 
A04  13 to take what it called <quote_>"defensive or retaliatory 
A04  14 action"<quote/> - assumed to mean in response to action by the 
A04  15 Irish Republican Army.<p/>
A04  16 <p_>Although the gesture comes from organisations abhorred by the 
A04  17 government and the province's constitutional parties, it gives a 
A04  18 further fillip to Mr Brooke who defied the expectations of many in 
A04  19 winning agreement last month for round table talks.<p/>
A04  20 <p_>Loyalist murder gangs in Northern Ireland have been behind far 
A04  21 more killings in the province this year than the IRA.<p/>
A04  22 <p_>Mr Brian Mawhinney, minister of state at the Northern Ireland 
A04  23 Office, had earlier announced a starting date of April 30 for the 
A04  24 round table-talks which will cover alternatives to the 1985 
A04  25 Anglo-Irish Agreement as well as devolution in the province.<p/>
A04  26 <p_>Details of the three or four man negotiating teams are expected 
A04  27 to be announced shortly by the four political parties involved.<p/>
A04  28 <p_>The ceasefire move follows a series of meetings recently 
A04  29 between leaders of the outlawed Ulster Volunteer Force and the 
A04  30 Ulster Defence Association, which is still legal in the 
A04  31 province.<p/>
A04  32 <p_>The UVF, sometimes using its flag of convenience, the 
A04  33 Protestant Action Force, has been behind 11 murders in recent 
A04  34 weeks. One outrage last month in which two teenaged girls and a 
A04  35 young man were shot dead at a mobile shop in County Armagh 
A04  36 horrified all sections of the community.<p/>
A04  37 <p_>Mr Peter Robinson, deputy leader of the Democratic Unionist 
A04  38 Party, welcomed the ceasefire saying it was indicative of the mood 
A04  39 of the vast majority of people who wished to see peaceful solutions 
A04  40 to <}_><-|>Norther<+|>Northern<}/> Ireland's problems.<p/>
A04  41 <p_>British and Irish ministers will meet a week tomorrow for a 
A04  42 conference under the 1985 agreement, which Unionist leaders are 
A04  43 anxious to see replaced. After then the workings of the agreement 
A04  44 will, in effect, be suspended for about 10 weeks while talks take 
A04  45 place. Round table talks will start with a brief series of 
A04  46 bilaterals with Mr Brooke to agree an agenda.<p/>
A04  47 <p_>The Garda, the Irish police, have launched a high level inquiry 
A04  48 into reports that a top secret Garda document was in possession of 
A04  49 the IRA and had led to the murder of a protestant man in Northern 
A04  50 Ireland.<p/>
A04  51 <p_>Mr Ian Sproule was shot dead by the IRA outside his parents 
A04  52 home in County Tyrone last Saturday morning. The Garda document 
A04  53 reportedly listed Mr Sproule as a member of the Ulster Volunteer 
A04  54 Force, an illegal loyalist paramilitary group.<p/>
A04  55 <p_>The documented allegedly says Mr Sproule had been responsible 
A04  56 for incendiary attacks on premises in the Irish Republic in 
A04  57 1987.<p/>
A04  58 <p_>The Northern Ireland Office said it had expressed concern about 
A04  59 the allegations to the Dublin government. It said: <quote_>"The 
A04  60 greatest care must be taken with information of such sensitive 
A04  61 nature,"<quote/> and hoped the Garda investigation would be 
A04  62 <quote_>"swift, full and comprehensive"<quote/>.<p/>
A04  63 
A04  64 <h_><p_>Excitement found in the middle lane<p/>
A04  65 <p_><tf_>Ivo Dawnay<tf/> discovers the driving passion within the 
A04  66 Green Party<p/><h/>
A04  67 <p_>FOR MORE than two-and-a-half-years, the political control of 
A04  68 Nottingham City Council, has depended on the antique mechanics of a 
A04  69 10-year-old, scarlet Ford Escort.<p/>
A04  70 <p_>In that time, its owner - 68-year-old Councillor John Peck, DFC 
A04  71 - has successfully negotiated both uncounted traffic hazards and 
A04  72 the potential pitfalls of holding the balance of power in the 
A04  73 central England authority between 27 Labour and 27 Tory 
A04  74 colleagues.<p/>
A04  75 <p_>A journey in this politically-crucial machine, nonetheless, 
A04  76 gives the lie to the claim that the homely world of local 
A04  77 government is unexciting.<p/>
A04  78 <p_>As Mr Peck - travelling at about 22mph on a busy commuter road 
A04  79 - explained his agonised decision to abandon communism for the 
A04  80 Green Party, there were several moments your petrified reporter was 
A04  81 convinced that his pivotal role was granted only by the grace of 
A04  82 God.<p/>
A04  83 <p_>If his driving skills might be questioned, Mr Peck is 
A04  84 undoubtedly a formidable argument in the case for devolved 
A04  85 power.<p/>
A04  86 <p_>By successfully campaigning on issues like grass-cutting and 
A04  87 street-lighting, he has kept Labour in power and in check. His most 
A04  88 prestigious victory was won by voting with the Tories to halt 
A04  89 industrial development on local allotments.<p/>
A04  90 <p_>Above all, he believes politics should be as close as is 
A04  91 feasibly possible to the people it affects. As an example, he cites 
A04  92 the case of a High Street amusement arcade opposed locally and at 
A04  93 council level but that eventually won approval on appeal.<p/>
A04  94 <p_><quote_>"If the dispute is between people on the ground and the 
A04  95 planning authority, then go to arbitration,"<quote/> he argues. 
A04  96 <quote_>"But if there is not a dispute, then I don't see why some 
A04  97 bugger in bloody London should interfere."<quote/><p/>
A04  98 <p_>As must be the case in many of the local elections now under 
A04  99 way, <quote_>"bloody London"<quote/> - birthplace of the poll tax 
A04 100 and instigator of the squeeze on local spending - is probably more 
A04 101 crucial to Nottingham than who runs the council.<p/>
A04 102 <p_>With Nottingham Forest football team in the FA Cup Final, busy 
A04 103 shopping centres, a diversified business base and a prize-winning 
A04 104 polytechnic, the city appears to be weathering recession almost 
A04 105 cheerfully.<p/>
A04 106 <p_>Local development needs - a new Light Rapid Transport system 
A04 107 and electrification of the Midland railway - enjoy all-party 
A04 108 support. So, too, does the desire to win back the powers granted to 
A04 109 the county council in the 1974 re-organisation.<p/>
A04 110 <p_>Indeed, one understandably anonymous local businessman conceded 
A04 111 that many of his colleagues were as happy to see Labour in the 
A04 112 magnificent 1929 Council House as the Tories.<p/>
A04 113 <p_><quote_>"Both lots agree on the main issue of fighting to 
A04 114 develop Nottingham,"<quote/> he said. <quote_>"The 
A04 115 headline-grabbing issues are always peripheral."<quote/><p/>
A04 116 <p_>That view is fiercely contested by the two main parties which 
A04 117 are aware that with the three marginal Westminster seats (one 
A04 118 Labour, two Tory) at stake, Nottingham is a weather-vane for the 
A04 119 imminent general election.<p/>
A04 120 <p_>To make it more central still, the city's battles are being 
A04 121 fought on propaganda and ideological territory strongly similar to 
A04 122 that mapped-out in national headquarters.<p/>
A04 123 <p_>In consequence, Mr Bill Bradbury, the no-nonsense Tory leader, 
A04 124 concedes that Labour has so far successfully sold its 
A04 125 <quote|>"modern" image. But he goes on to warn of a hidden agenda 
A04 126 of irresponsible high-spending on <quote|>"loony" leftism which 
A04 127 once included a <quote_>"world first"<quote/> of gay swimming 
A04 128 sessions at city pools.<p/>
A04 129 <p_>Mr John Taylor, Labour's bearded deputy leader, counters that 
A04 130 his party is now the champion of <quote_>"enabling local 
A04 131 government"<quote/> in partnership with the private sector, while 
A04 132 the Tories inhabit an out-dated Thatcherite past of ineffective 
A04 133 market forces.<p/>
A04 134 <p_>Pointing to a number of development schemes for vacant land, he 
A04 135 says constructive intervention in the local economy is the only 
A04 136 alternative to simply leaving Nottingham's future to the ebbs and 
A04 137 flows of the national economy.<p/>
A04 138 <p_>Bounce that claim back off Councillor Bradbury and he will 
A04 139 replies<&|>sic! that several of the projects were actually initiated 
A04 140 by the Tories.<p/>
A04 141 <p_>If the party political arguments soon sound sterile, however, 
A04 142 the Nottingham microcosm is an interesting reflection of the 
A04 143 national picture. Both parties are wrestling for the centre ground 
A04 144 on <}_><-|>plaforms<+|>platforms<}/> of sound management based on 
A04 145 private and public sector partnership.<p/>
A04 146 <p_>With the poll-tax fiasco and the Tories' high 1987 vote 
A04 147 achieved on a tide of national affluence, Labour must, and almost 
A04 148 certainly will, win outright control of the city this time. But 
A04 149 whether the margin will be adequate to augur a General Election 
A04 150 victory remains doubtful.<p/>
A04 151 <p_>As one neutral city leader put it: <quote_>"If interest rates 
A04 152 drop to 10 per cent and inflation is down to five per cent, that is 
A04 153 also pretty persuasive."<quote/><p/>
A04 154 
A04 155 <h_><p_>Kurdish groups welcome protection for refugees but raise 
A04 156 further questions for allies<p/>
A04 157 <p_>Iraqi stability <quote_>"may hinge on Kurd problem"<quote/><p/>
A04 158 <p_>By <tf_>Victor Mallet<tf/>, Middle East Correspondent, in 
A04 159 London<p/><h/>
A04 160 <p_>THE DECISION to send US, British and French troops to establish 
A04 161 and defend Kurdish refugee camps in northern Iraq raises the 
A04 162 question of how long the Kurds will need protection from their own 
A04 163 government.<p/>
A04 164 <p_>The answer, according to Kurdish refugees and exiles, is that 
A04 165 the United Nations or the western powers will have to safeguard 
A04 166 Iraq's 4m Kurds at least until President Saddam Hussein is 
A04 167 overthrown, and possibly longer.<p/>
A04 168 <p_>Kurdish groups yesterday welcomed US President George Bush's 
A04 169 announcement on the deployment of troops to protect Kurdish zones 
A04 170 in northern Iraq, but they emphasised that the move responded to 
A04 171 urgent humanitarian needs without providing a political solution to 
A04 172 the Kurdish problem.<p/>
A04 173 <p_>Most Iraqi Kurds, including the main opposition groups fighting 
A04 174 the Iraqi government, have oficially rejected separatism and are 
A04 175 demanding autonomy within a united and democratic Iraq.<p/>
A04 176 <p_>Few of them, remembering the killings of recent days, the 
A04 177 gassing of Kurds at Halabja in 1988 and the destruction of 4,000 
A04 178 Kurdish villages on Mr Saddam's orders, will ever be persuaded to 
A04 179 accept at face value Mr Saddam's periodic offers of amnesty to 
A04 180 Kurdish refugees.<p/>
A04 181 <p_>Kurds say that even if Mr Saddam is removed, Arab nationalist 
A04 182 and anti-Kurdish sentiments fostered by the Iraqi authorities may 
A04 183 cause further misery for the Kurdish people.<p/>
A04 184 <p_><quote_>"We don't want to be reduced to a refugee population in 
A04 185 a number of camps,"<quote/> said Dr Kamal Mirawdeli, director of 
A04 186 the Kurdish Information and Educational Project in London.<p/>
A04 187 <p_><quote_>"But even if the <foreign|>Shia come to 
A04 188 power, or another government - a pro-Saudi government - there is not 
A04 189 guarantee that they won't behave in the same way ... The only 
A04 190 guarantee is for there to be a federal state and for the UN to 
A04 191 recognise that."<quote/><p/>
A04 192 <p_>Kurds facing long stays in bleak refugee camps are acutely 
A04 193 aware of the mistakes made by their Palestinian fellow-refugees. 
A04 194 They fear they may live to regret leaving their homes in the face 
A04 195 of real or threatened persecution, and moderate Kurds are anxious 
A04 196 to restrain those who advocate terrorism.<p/>
A04 197 <p_><quote_>"If we're going to have a permanent refugee problem 
A04 198 then obviously it's going to be worse, a lot worse than 
A04 199 expected,"<quote/> said Mr Abbas Vali, senior politics lecturer at 
A04 200 the University of Wales at Swansea. <quote_>"It's going to be a 
A04 201 breeding ground for all sorts of negative tendencies in the Kurdish 
A04 202 movement."<quote/><p/>
A04 203 <p_>The Kurds have few qualms about seeking military help from the 
A04 204 outside world. They argue that the world has obligations under the 
A04 205 Genocide Convention of 1948. They point out that foreign 
A04 206 intervention to help peoples subjected to tyranny is not 
A04 207 unprecedented and they cite the US invasion of Panama in 1989 and 
A04 208 the Tanzanian overthrow of Uganda's Idi Amin 10 years earlier.<p/>
A04 209 <p_>Kurdish guerrilla groups resent the suggestion that they 
A04 210 miscalculated by launching an ill-advised rebellion throughout 
A04 211 Iraqi Kurdistan after the allies defeated Mr Saddam's army and 
A04 212 drove it out of Kuwait.<p/>
A04 213 <p_>What in fact occured was a spontaneous popular uprising that 
A04 214 the guerrillas could not ignore. At first they had only 10,000 
A04 215 fighters under arms but their ranks were swelled by mass defections 
A04 216 from the government's Kurdish militia.<p/>
A04 217 <p_>All were lightly armed and could not hope to hold the towns 
A04 218 when confronted with Iraqi tanks, artillery and helicopter 
A04 219 gunships.<p/>
A04 220 <p_>They were defeated in Kirkuk but elsewhere they simply melted 
A04 221 into the hills to continue the fight.<p/>
A04 222 <p_>Civilians in towns, meanwhile, took fright as the government 
A04 223 again seized control and took its revenge; in the old days they 
A04 224 would have taken refuge in their mountain villages, but Mr Saddam 
A04 225 had destroyed these. They fled to Iran and Turkey, leaving Iraqi 
A04 226 Kurdistan all but deserted and suffering the catastrophe which has 
A04 227 finally embarrassed the US and its allies into taking action.<p/>
A04 228 <p_>If the Iraqi Kurds are ever to leave the refugee camps, which 
A04 229 have yet to be built to receive them, and if the international 
A04 230 community is ever to be relieved of the responsibility of 
A04 231 protecting them, the Kurds will have to become part of Iraq's 
A04 232 political system.<p/>
A04 233 <p_>Kurds insist that the successful achievement of this aim, which 
A04 234 could be accompanied by a better deal for the Kurds in Turkey and 
A04 235 Iran as the Turks and the Iranians seek better relations with the 
A04 236 west, depends on the removal of Mr Saddam.<p/>
A04 237 
A05   1 <#FLOB:A05\><h_><p_>THE SOVIET CRISIS<p/>
A05   2 <p_>How power trickle from the old guard became a torrent<p/>
A05   3 <p_>By John Kampfner in Moscow<p/><h/>
A05   4 <p_>THE shake-up of political structures proposed yesterday by 
A05   5 President Gorbachev and republican leaders is much more radical 
A05   6 than the Kremlin chief had planned before the failed coup.<p/>
A05   7 <p_>In the old days, the Communist party reigned supreme. The 
A05   8 government and parliament were rubber<?_>-<?/>stamping bodies. The 
A05   9 leader of the country was the party General Secretary.<p/>
A05  10 <p_>He would meet the party <foreign|>Politburo, a group of 10 to 
A05  11 20, usually once a week. The <foreign|>Politburo would make all 
A05  12 major decisions on day-to-day government. It was answerable to the 
A05  13 party Central Committee, up to 400-strong, which oversaw policy.<p/>
A05  14 <p_>The committee had the power to remove the General Secretary, 
A05  15 which it did in the case of Nikita Khrushchev. It in turn was 
A05  16 elected by a party congress which was usually convened every five 
A05  17 years.<p/>
A05  18 <p_>The Supreme Soviet met twice a year to approve everything, 
A05  19 while the Council of Ministers, up to 60-strong, enacted 
A05  20 legislation.<p/>
A05  21 <p_>The 15 republics were completely subservient to the wishes of 
A05  22 the centre. The Russian Federation did not have its own parliament, 
A05  23 and basically existed only on paper.<p/>
A05  24 <p_>The first partly-free elections took place in 1989. These were 
A05  25 to the Congress of People's Deputies, a parliament of more than 
A05  26 2,000 deputies that was to meet twice a year to set the broad 
A05  27 agenda.<p/>
A05  28 <p_>The Congress elected the new-look Supreme Soviet, which would 
A05  29 sit permanently. Last year, as he became frustrated at the slow 
A05  30 pace of parliament, Mr Gorbachev sought and gained special powers, 
A05  31 to issue decrees and to make the Cabinet of Ministers (the new 
A05  32 trimmed-down government) directly answerable to him.<p/>
A05  33 <p_>He appointed two advisory bodies, the Presidential Council - a 
A05  34 kind of think-tank - and the Federation Council, comprising 
A05  35 the heads of the 15 republics. He later replaced the Presidential 
A05  36 Council with a Security Council to advise on national and 
A05  37 international security.<p/>
A05  38 <p_>Meanwhile, the party continued to function much as it had 
A05  39 always done.<p/>
A05  40 <p_>The republics were to form identical structures. It was Mr. 
A05  41 Gorbachev's hope that they would receive a modicum of autonomy.<p/>
A05  42 <p_>The grand plan fell apart when the Baltic and other republics 
A05  43 proclaimed their sovereignty, and when Mr Boris Yeltsin rose to 
A05  44 power in the Russian Federation.<p/>
A05  45 <p_>Mr Yeltsin and republican leaders sought jurisdiction over 
A05  46 their own affairs and natural resources. Mr Gorbachev finally 
A05  47 obtained the agreement of nine republics on a Union Treaty which 
A05  48 would devolve limited powers from the Kremlin.<p/>
A05  49 <p_>The failed coup, and Mr Yeltsin's leadership of the resistance, 
A05  50 put paid to that. Mr Yeltsin stepped into the power vacuum, 
A05  51 effectively taking over much of the running of the country's 
A05  52 political and economic system.<p/>
A05  53 <p_>Eleven of the 15 republics have now declared some sort of 
A05  54 independence.<p/>
A05  55 <p_>To prevent a complete break-up, Mr Gorbachev, Mr Yeltsin and 
A05  56 other republican leaders have agreed to work out a radically 
A05  57 different treaty, allowing the republics to determine their 
A05  58 relationship with the remaining federal structures.<p/>
A05  59 <p_>In the interim, an Inter<?_>-<?/>republican Economic Committee 
A05  60 will co-ordinate management of the economy. A State Council, 
A05  61 comprising Mr Gorbachev and republican leaders, will work out joint 
A05  62 approaches to security and foreign policy issues and run the armed 
A05  63 forces.<p/>
A05  64 <p_>A Council of Representatives, comprising 20 deputies from each 
A05  65 participating republic, will serve as an interim parliament. All 
A05  66 the other central institutions are likely to fall by the 
A05  67 wayside.<p/>
A05  68 <p_>Mr Gorbachev has, in effect, ceded joint control of the country 
A05  69 to republican leaders. The terms of a future constitution and other 
A05  70 longterm decisions will rest in collective hands for as long as the 
A05  71 republics continue to acknowledge any role for federal 
A05  72 authorities.<p/>
A05  73 <p_><*_>black-circle<*/>Mr Douglas Hogg, Foreign Office Minister, 
A05  74 begins a three-day visit to the Baltic states today, the first by a 
A05  75 British minister or official for more than 50 years.<p/>
A05  76 
A05  77 <h_><p_>Peace hopes as Serbs agree to ceasefire<p/>
A05  78 <p_>EC mediators make breakthrough in Yugoslavian crisis<p/>
A05  79 <p_>By Michael Montgomery in Belgrade and Boris Johnson in 
A05  80 Brussels<p/><h/>
A05  81 <p_>EUROPEAN COMMUNITY attempts at mediation in Yogoslavia appeared 
A05  82 finally to have paid off last night after Serbia unexpectedly 
A05  83 agreed to a ceasefire and an EC-sponsored peace conference.<p/>
A05  84 <p_>Jubilant officials in The Hague, which holds the presidency of 
A05  85 the Common Market, said the conference would be held in the Dutch 
A05  86 capital <quote_>"in the short term"<quote/>, probably later this 
A05  87 month.<p/>
A05  88 <p_>The breakthrough came after Mr Vladimir Jovanovic, the Serbian 
A05  89 Foreign Minister, indicated Serbia's willingness to accept the EC 
A05  90 terms on Saturday night, just as the Community-imposed deadline for 
A05  91 agreement was to expire.<p/>
A05  92 <p_>Yugoslav leaders, including Mr Slobodan Milosevic, the Serbian 
A05  93 President, were last night expected to put their signature to the 
A05  94 EC plan.<p/>
A05  95 <p_>Mr Hans von den Broek, Dutch Foreign Minister, flew to Belgrade 
A05  96 to settle the detailed terms of the cease-fire with the Yugoslav 
A05  97 federal authorities and the leaders of individual republics, 
A05  98 including Mr Milosevic.<p/>
A05  99 <p_>The plan calls for EC observers to monitor a ceasefire in 
A05 100 Croatia, a peace conference of all parties to the conflict, and 
A05 101 Western arbitration.<p/>
A05 102 <p_>Mr Jovanovic said the memorandum agreed on by the 12-nation 
A05 103 Community last week <quote_>"starts from good intentions, is 
A05 104 reasonable, well balanced and does not favour any side"<quote/>.<p/>
A05 105 <p_>But he rejected EC statements blaming Serbia and Serbian 
A05 106 guerrillas in Croatia for the fighting.<p/>
A05 107 <p_>The <quote_>"memorandum of understanding"<quote/> will be 
A05 108 similar to the Brioni accord, an EC spokesman said. That agreement, 
A05 109 signed on a Yugoslav Adriatic island in July, contributed to a 
A05 110 lasting ceasefire in Slovenia, which declared independence along 
A05 111 with Croatia on June 25.<p/>
A05 112 <p_>But as fighting between Serbs and Croats continued yesterday, 
A05 113 causing heavy damage in several Croatian towns, there was deep 
A05 114 concern that the new plan may face the same fate as earlier 
A05 115 attempts to bring peace to Yugoslavia, which quickly collapsed in 
A05 116 fresh violence.<p/>
A05 117 <p_>Belgrade television reported that the western Croatian town of 
A05 118 Gospic was engulfed in flames after heavy clashes erupted between 
A05 119 local Serbs and Croatian national guardsmen. It said the casualty 
A05 120 figures were uncertain but were expected to be high.<p/>
A05 121 <p_>There were also more rebel mortar attacks reported in eastern 
A05 122 Croatia, near the town of Vinkvoci.<p/>
A05 123 <p_>In a bizarre development, Zagreb and Ljubljana airports 
A05 124 remained closed after Yugoslav army and Croatian forces fought a 
A05 125 brief gun battle on Saturday over a plane carrying arms which were 
A05 126 allegedly destined for Croatia.<p/>
A05 127 <p_>The fighting erupted after air force jets forced down two 
A05 128 airliners heading for Slovenia under suspicion that they were 
A05 129 carrying weapons.<p/>
A05 130 <p_>Croatian leaders yesterday expressed hope that the EC plan 
A05 131 would eventually lead to recognition of their independence. In a 
A05 132 gesture to Community heads, Croatian leaders at the weekend 
A05 133 postponed plans for a full mobilisation of the population and other 
A05 134 emergency measures.<p/>
A05 135 <p_><quote_>"A declaration of war at this time would not have 
A05 136 positive international connotations,"<quote/> said President Franjo 
A05 137 Tudjman of Croatia.<p/>
A05 138 <p_>The Croatian government gave Mr Tudjman powers to declare 
A05 139 wartime conditions <quote_>"in the case of the widening of the war 
A05 140 against Croatia"<quote/>.<p/>
A05 141 <p_>Mr Tudjman's arch-rival, Mr Milosevic, already enjoys sweeping 
A05 142 emergency powers in Serbia.<p/>
A05 143 <p_>Croatia has blamed Serbia and the Serb-dominated federal army 
A05 144 for supporting a rebellion among the 600,000-strong Serb minority 
A05 145 in the breakaway republic. More <}_><-|>that<+|>than<}/> 300 people 
A05 146 have been killed since June.<p/>
A05 147 <p_>EC officials last week appeared to back Croatia by producing 
A05 148 evidence of recent army bombardments of civilian targets in 
A05 149 Croatia.<p/>
A05 150 <p_>In London, the Foreign Office was cautiously optimistic that 
A05 151 the latest EC plan would work. Diplomats are too wary of Mr 
A05 152 Milosevic's intentions to be certain that this is not merely 
A05 153 another self-seeking manoeuvre.<p/>
A05 154 <p_>The most important Serbian concession is to allow EC observers 
A05 155 to be sent into Croatia as well as Slovenia.<p/>
A05 156 <p_>The Serbian decision to come to terms appears to follow the EC 
A05 157 ultimatum setting a deadline for agreement by yesterday.<p/>
A05 158 
A05 159 <h_><p_>Major goes fishing for airport agreement<p/>
A05 160 <p_>By Robert Hardman in Peking<p/><h/>
A05 161 <p_>JOHN MAJOR must be growing tired of fishing. A few days ago, he 
A05 162 was trying to look happy as George Bush whisked him off on various 
A05 163 fruitless speedboat missions to snare Kennebunkport's finest.<p/>
A05 164 <p_>Last night, on the other side of the globe, he found himself 
A05 165 back on the water at Peking's special VIP residence, the Diaoyutai, 
A05 166 which means <quote_>"Catching Fish Platform"<quote/>.<p/>
A05 167 <p_>Fortunately for Mr Major, no one was expecting a catch on this 
A05 168 occasion. In fact, as an embassy official explained: <quote_>"The 
A05 169 Diaoyutai Lakes are full of rather special ornamental carp and 
A05 170 there would be a serious diplomatic incident if anybody caught 
A05 171 one."<quote/> This trip, though, is one of Mr Major's trickiest yet 
A05 172 and the potential for diplomatic upset extends far beyond fishing 
A05 173 rights.<p/>
A05 174 <p_>Downing Street knows that Tiananmen Square is marked indelibly 
A05 175 on Western minds, but knows, equally, that Britain must secure the 
A05 176 Hong Kong airport agreement to ensure confidence in the colony 
A05 177 after 1997.<p/>
A05 178 <p_>Since Peking realises just how much Britain needs the deal, it 
A05 179 demanded that Mr Major - and his kudos as world leader - come in 
A05 180 person to sign it.<p/>
A05 181 <p_>The prime Minister did his best to look glum as he stepped on 
A05 182 to Peking's tarmac. But buoyed by his success in Moscow and with 
A05 183 his tendency to smile when smiled at, he could not stifle a happy 
A05 184 handshake with the welcoming party led by Mr Huang Yicheng, the 
A05 185 Energy Minister.<p/>
A05 186 <p_>By the time his convoy had reached the Great Hall of the People 
A05 187 in Tiananmen Square, via the same Avenue of Eternal Peace route 
A05 188 chosen by the tanks in 1989, he was managing a scowl. Here, he met 
A05 189 Mr Li Peng, the Chinese Prime Minister. He kept his salutations to 
A05 190 a <quote_>"thank you"<quote/> before an audience of three 
A05 191 goose-stepping platoons, bayonets fixed, a gun battery and the 
A05 192 Peking public behind barriers a quarter-of-a-mile away.<p/>
A05 193 
A05 194 <h_><p_>Owen's 2 MPs to stay on after he quits<p/>
A05 195 <p_>By Jonathan Petre, Political Staff<p/><h/>
A05 196 <p_>THE TWO MPs who stayed loyal to Dr David Owen following the 
A05 197 merger of his Social Democrat party with the Liberals are expected 
A05 198 to fight the next election under the independent Social Democrat 
A05 199 banner, despite their former leader's decision to retire from the 
A05 200 Commons.<p/>
A05 201 <p_>Mr John Cartwright, MP for Woolwich and former chief whip in 
A05 202 the SDP, and Mrs Rosie Barnes, MP for Greenwich, have indicated to 
A05 203 Dr Owen they will continue as Social Democrats, Mr Harold Luscombe, 
A05 204 chairman of the Plymouth SDP, said yesterday.<p/>
A05 205 <p_>Dr Owen, one of the original <quote_>"Gang of Four"<quote/> who 
A05 206 left the Labour party to establish the Social Democrats with the 
A05 207 1981 Limehouse Declaration, is to stand down as an MP for Plymouth, 
A05 208 which he has represented for 25 years, at the next election.<p/>
A05 209 <p_>His announcement is certain to raise questions about the 
A05 210 political survival of his two colleagues, who will find it 
A05 211 increasingly difficult to hold on to their seats if they remain 
A05 212 unattached to one of the mainstream parties.<p/>
A05 213 <p_>The news of his decision was followed by a call from Mr Charles 
A05 214 Kennedy, president of the Liberal Democrats, for all Dr Owen's 
A05 215 supporters to join their <quote_>"natural political home"<quote/>, 
A05 216 the Liberal Democrats.<p/>
A05 217 <p_>Meanwhile, Dr Owen, 53, said yesterday that he did not want to 
A05 218 hang on at Westminster <quote_>"like a fading pop star"<quote/>.<p/>
A05 219 <p_>Mr Major expressed sorrow that Dr Owen, a former Labour Foreign 
A05 220 Secretary, was leaving politics, and said that talks had taken 
A05 221 place to see whether a deal could be struck under which Dr Owen 
A05 222 would endorse the Tory party at the next election in return for it 
A05 223 not running candidates against Mr Cartwright and Mrs Barnes.<p/>
A05 224 <p_><quote_>"Although David Owen is of a different party, I am 
A05 225 sorry he is leaving the Commons,"<quote/> Mr Major said. Dr Owen, 
A05 226 who has represented Plymouth Devonport and previously Plymouth 
A05 227 Sutton, has been dropping broad hints for some time that he might 
A05 228 retire from the Commons at the next election.<p/>
A05 229 <p_>With the effective demise of the Social Democrats last year, 
A05 230 his position appeared increasingly isolated, and he held talks with 
A05 231 both Labour and the Tories to try to find a political home.<p/>
A05 232 <p_><quote_>"It is nice of people to say that I should stay on in 
A05 233 politics,"<quote/> he said on TV-am yesterday. <quote_>"But I watch 
A05 234 those politicians hanging around the corridors at Westminster like 
A05 235 fading pop stars. I do not want to be that.<p/>
A05 236 <p_>"There are other things to do."<quote/><p/>
A05 237 
A06   1 <#FLOB:A06\><h_><p_>Union fury at 'aliens' Jap jibe<p/>
A06   2 <p_>Leftie rapped<p/>
A06   3 <p_>By Patrick Hennessy<p/><h/>
A06   4 <p_>HARD-Left union leader Ken Gill was branded a racist in a row 
A06   5 over Japanese companies yesterday.<p/>
A06   6 <p_>Mr Gill of the MSF manufacturing union claimed they brought an 
A06   7 <quote_>"alien approach"<quote/> to a British business.<p/>
A06   8 <p_>He said Jap firms forced unions into undignified 
A06   9 <quote_>"beauty contests"<quote/> where they had to fight each 
A06  10 other for single-union deals to represent all workers in a 
A06  11 plant.<p/>
A06  12 <h|>Backing
A06  13 <p_>But engineers' leader Gavin Laird told the TUC conference in 
A06  14 Glasgow that Mr Gill was guilty of "sheer hypocrisy" and racism.<p/>
A06  15 <p_>He said the MSF itself was involved in a <quote_>"beauty 
A06  16 contest"<quote/> to represent 1,700 workers at a new Toyota car 
A06  17 plant.<p/>
A06  18 <p_>And he said Mr Gill's attack on the Japanese was a 
A06  19 <quote_>"racist and negative piece of contraband."<quote/><p/>
A06  20 <p_>But the conference backed Mr Gill and turned its back on 
A06  21 single-union deals.<p/>
A06  22 <p_>The row wrecked the carefully-staged show of unity which TUC 
A06  23 chief Norman Willis had worked for.<p/>
A06  24 
A06  25 <h_><p_>Gorby treaty to cut Soviet power<p/><h/>
A06  26 <p_>PRESIDENT Mikhail Gorbachev and 10 Soviet republics yesterday 
A06  27 launched plans for a new-look USSR.<p/>
A06  28 <p_>Gorby and leaders of 10 of the 15 republics revealed the 
A06  29 shake-up of the country's constitution to the Congress of 
A06  30 Deputies.<p/>
A06  31 <p_>They called for a new treaty allowing each republic to decide 
A06  32 how closely it was linked to the Soviet government.<p/>
A06  33 <p_>Temporary committees would run the country until the new 
A06  34 constitution was ready.<p/>
A06  35 <h|>Decision
A06  36 <p_>Meanwhile, President Bush yesterday said the U.S. was ready to 
A06  37 set up diplomatic relations with the Baltic states 
A06  38 <quote|>"immediately".<p/>
A06  39 <p_>The U.S. had always backed their independence, and would do 
A06  40 <quote_>"whatever it could to help,"<quote/> he said.<p/>
A06  41 <p_>Mr Bush said he would send a diplomat to the Baltics to help 
A06  42 carry out his decision.<p/>
A06  43 <p_>NEW liberal KGB chief Vadim Bakatin said yesterday he wants his 
A06  44 organisation to co-operate with British secret services.<p/>
A06  45 
A06  46 <h_><p_>5 things to remember before going in November<p/>
A06  47 <p_>By TREVOR KAVANAGH, Political Editor<p/><h/>
A06  48 <p_>THERE are five good reasons why Prime Minister John Major will 
A06  49 think long and hard before firing the starting gun for a November 
A06  50 election.<p/>
A06  51 <p_>First, recent opinion polls are the only ones for many months 
A06  52 to show the Tories in the lead. Mr Major says he doesn't trust 
A06  53 individual <quote|>"snapshots" of voting trends.<p/>
A06  54 <p_>But he has noted the sudden drop on Labour's support - well 
A06  55 below the crucial 40 per cent for the first time this year - and 
A06  56 the country's growing confidence over the state of the economy.<p/>
A06  57 <p_>Second, previous Tory governments have been wrong-footed by 
A06  58 opinion polls, especially in 1964 when Labour ended 13 years of 
A06  59 Tory rule.<p/>
A06  60 <h|>Power
A06  61 <p_>But then Labour was led by Harold Wilson, regarded as the most 
A06  62 dynamic politician of the age.<p/>
A06  63 <p_>No one could say the same for Neil Kinnock, whose popularity 
A06  64 slumps further in every poll as John Major's grows.<p/>
A06  65 <p_>Third, the Tories risk the worst of all possible worlds with a 
A06  66 hung parliament and the tiny party of Liberal Democrats ruling the 
A06  67 roost by holding the balance of power.<p/>
A06  68 <p_>This is the real spectre that haunts Mr Major, who does not 
A06  69 believe Labour can win outright.<p/>
A06  70 <p_>It explains why he has been so nice to Liberal leader Paddy 
A06  71 Ashdown and to Dr David Owen, even though his SDP is virtually 
A06  72 extinct.<p/>
A06  73 <p_>Fourth, opinion poll leads can evaporate overnight.<p/>
A06  74 <p_>Much of Mr Major's growing popularity has emerged after his 
A06  75 headline-grabbing visits to American President George Bush, the 
A06  76 Soviet Union's Mikhail Gorbachev and Russia's Boris Yeltsin, and 
A06  77 the rulers of Red China.<p/>
A06  78 <p_>But globe-trotting statesmanship is quickly forgotten when 
A06  79 people come to put their cross on a ballot paper.<p/>
A06  80 <h|>Ballot
A06  81 <p_>John Major knows this. He has told friends the election will be 
A06  82 decided by the state of the economy and how voters feel about their 
A06  83 own personal prospects.<p/>
A06  84 <p_>That's why he triggered this week's surprise cut in mortgages, 
A06  85 well before anyone predicted it.<p/>
A06  86 <p_>This dramatically alters Chancellor Norman Lamont's deliberate 
A06  87 policy of letting the City adjust to the idea of lower interest 
A06  88 rates before he cuts them.<p/>
A06  89 <p_>It also gives the Prime Minister time for another cut before 
A06  90 November.
A06  91 In the meantime, he is delighted with statements from economists 
A06  92 and bankers that the recession is all but over.<p/>
A06  93 <p_>Fifth, and decisively, is the question mark over the real level 
A06  94 of support for the Government.<p/>
A06  95 <p_>Tory experts believe Mr Major needs eight weeks with a lead of 
A06  96 at least five per cent.<p/>
A06  97 <p_>Most governments lose support during election campaigns, 
A06  98 although Mrs Thatcher broke the pattern in 1987 by remaining steady 
A06  99 from beginning to end.<p/>
A06 100 <h|>Lead
A06 101 <p_>So Mr Major needs a commanding eight to 10 per cent margin over 
A06 102 Labour as he crosses the starting line.<p/>
A06 103 <p_>If he has that sort of lead by the time he addresses the Tory 
A06 104 Party conference in October, forget about the four other reasons 
A06 105 for caution.<p/>
A06 106 <p_>He will be about to name the day.<p/>
A06 107 
A06 108 <h_><p_>BT STRIKE THREAT OVER PLANS TO CHOP 1,000<p/>
A06 109 <p_>More 192 staff hit<p/>
A06 110 <p_>By PATRICK HENNESSY and MARK SOLOMONS<p/><h/>
A06 111 <p_>FURIOUS union leaders last night threatened an all-out strike 
A06 112 over plans by British Telecom to sack another 1,000 operators.<p/>
A06 113 <p_>Those threatened are directory inquiry staff following a 
A06 114 dramatic fall in 192 calls since the introduction of the 44.5p 
A06 115 charge.<p/>
A06 116 <p_>Communication workers boss Alan Tuffin stormed at the TUC 
A06 117 conference: <quote_>"How can a company that is awash with money 
A06 118 treat people in this way?<p/>
A06 119 <p_>"BT used to be known as a caring company but they have now lost 
A06 120 that image."<quote/> BT - which makes profits of pounds105 a second 
A06 121 - plan to axe 6,500 operator jobs by the end of 1992.<p/>
A06 122 <p_>The further 1,000 jobs will go as part of BT's proposals to 
A06 123 close 17 directory inquiry centres.<p/>
A06 124 <p_>The communications  union claim 1,100 jobs will go in total.<p/>
A06 125 <p_>Mr Tuffin said the company's 20,000 operators would be balloted 
A06 126 on strike action.<p/>
A06 127 <p_>He also warned they could pull the plug on 999 calls for the 
A06 128 first time.
A06 129 Union leaders say the workers - who have an average of between 10 
A06 130 and 20 years service - deserve better redundancy packages.<p/>
A06 131 <p_>Most of those set to go are women earning around pounds168 a 
A06 132 week.<p/>
A06 133 <p_>Mr Tuffin told the Glasgow conference that he would appeal to 
A06 134 BT's pounds536,000-a-year chairman, Iain Vallance, to come up with 
A06 135 a better deal.<p/>
A06 136 <p_>He said: <quote_>"We will recommend the 20,000 operators vote 
A06 137 to strike.<p_>
A06 138 <p_>"Traditionally we arrange cover for emergency service calls. 
A06 139 But that is a matter for my national executive."<quote/><p/>
A06 140 <p_>BT claims 192 calls have fallen 25 per cent since the 
A06 141 introduction of the 44.5p charge.<p/>
A06 142 
A06 143 <h_><p_>GRIM TASK - Mr Major inspects troops next to Tiananmen 
A06 144 Square yesterday followed by <quote|>"Butcher" Li Peng who ordered 
A06 145 the student massacre there in 1989<p/>
A06 146 <p_>SCREAMING MOB HOWL DOWN PM's SPEECH<p/>
A06 147 <p_>From TREVOR KAVANAGH in Peking<p/><h/>
A06 148 <p_>PREMIER John Major was drowned out by a screaming mob last 
A06 149 night as he warned the Butcher of Tiananmen Square that China faced 
A06 150 the same fate as Communist Russia.<p/>
A06 151 <p_>His speech could not be heard as Chinese officials suddenly 
A06 152 bundled newsmen out of Peking's Great Hall of the People in an 
A06 153 astonishing display of diplomatic bad manners.<p/>
A06 154 <p_>The Chinese had hoped to turn the visit into a propaganda coup. 
A06 155 But they were clearly taken aback by the Premier's blunt opening 
A06 156 address.<p/>
A06 157 <p_>Shouts of <quote_>"Out - now"<quote/> started up as Mr Major 
A06 158 told Chinese Premier Li Peng: <quote_>"The old order is 
A06 159 changing."<quote/><p/>
A06 160 <p_>His voice was drowned out by Chinese guards who pushed members 
A06 161 of the British party, including the press, out of the room.<p/>
A06 162 <p_>Norma Major looked on amazed but Mr Li watched without raising 
A06 163 a finger.<p/>
A06 164 <p_>Reporters and cameramen were kneed in the back and equipment 
A06 165 clattered to the floor making the translation of Mr Major's remarks 
A06 166 almost inaudible to his hardline host.<p/>
A06 167 <p_>Mr Li was responsible for the massacre of hundreds of students 
A06 168 when he ordered tanks to crush a pro-democracy rally in Tiananmen 
A06 169 Square in 1989. Shots rang out over the square - roped off to the 
A06 170 citizens of Peking - as Chinese troops fired a 19-gun salute in Mr 
A06 171 Major's honour.<p/>
A06 172 <h|>Changing
A06 173 <p_>Premier Li, desperate to win a face-saving return to the world 
A06 174 community, welcomed Mr Major with hopes of a new understanding.<p/>
A06 175 <p_>But his smile faded as Mr Major, angered by claims he is giving 
A06 176 China a propaganda coup, warned him Communism was on the way out. 
A06 177 <quote_>I have just come from Moscow,"<quote/> he said. <quote_>"We 
A06 178 live in a changing world in which events move rapidly, sometimes in 
A06 179 an unexpected way."<quote/><p/>
A06 180 <p_>Chinese leaders traditionally ignore any reference to their 
A06 181 appalling human rights record by foreign visitors.<p/>
A06 182 <p_>But as he flew into Peking from Moscow, Mr Major said: 
A06 183 <quote_>"An important part of the dialogue will be on human 
A06 184 rights.<quote/><p/>
A06 185 <p_><quote_>"China has been through a period of isolation. It needs 
A06 186 people going in and telling it what the world thinks."<quote/><p/>
A06 187 
A06 188 <h_><p_>KINNOCK LOW-PAY <quote|>"U-TURN"<p/>
A06 189 <p_>By EBEN BLACK<p/><h/>
A06 190 <p_>LABOUR leader Neil Kinnock was accused last night of doing a 
A06 191 U-turn over moves to boost wages for the low-paid if he comes to 
A06 192 power.<p/>
A06 193 <p_>His party has promised to give all workers a minimum pounds3.40 
A06 194 an hour - but Mr Kinnock has now admitted that plans to further 
A06 195 boost the figure to pounds4.50 will be shelved for five years.<p/>
A06 196 <p_>Employment Secretary Michael Howard said: <quote_>"Mr Kinnock's 
A06 197 latest U-turn on the minimum wage shows he has the consistency of a 
A06 198 weathercock. He can run but he cannot hide on this issue."<quote/> 
A06 199 Mr Kinnock told the business magazine Director that Labour would 
A06 200 <quote|>"promptly" introduce the pounds3.40 minimum - half the 
A06 201 national average.<p/>
A06 202 <p_>But he added: <quote_>"Any advance on that is going to be 
A06 203 entirely dependent on the performance of the economy."<quote/><p/>
A06 204 <p_>The Tories claim Labour's plans will cost up to two million 
A06 205 jobs.<p/>
A06 206 
A06 207 <h_><p_>WE WILL CUT ARMS FOR AID PLEDGE GORBY MEN<p/>
A06 208 <p_>From TREVOR KAVANAGH in Moscow<p/><h/>
A06 209 <p_>JOHN MAJOR last night won huge concessions from Soviet leaders 
A06 210 when they pledged to cut arms spending in return for Western 
A06 211 aid.<p/>
A06 212 <p_>They also promised to start scrapping state control and make 
A06 213 major strides towards a capitalist-style economy.<p/>
A06 214 <p_>Mr Major - whose statesmanship has hoisted the Tories into a 
A06 215 two-point poll lead over Labour - was the first Western leader to 
A06 216 visit the Kremlin since the failed Red coup.<p/>
A06 217 <p_>During nine hours of talks with Mikhail Gorbachev, Boris 
A06 218 Yeltsin and their aides, he told them there would 
A06 219 <}_><-|>no<+|>not<}/> be cash aid until military spending was 
A06 220 cut.<p/>
A06 221 <p_>Russian prime minister Ivan Silaev told Mr Major: <quote_>"We 
A06 222 would expect defence spending in 1992 to be slashed and cut 
A06 223 considerably over the medium term."<quote/><p/>
A06 224 <p_>Mr Major was delighted when Mr Silaev admitted the West was 
A06 225 right to demand reforms.<p/>
A06 226 <p_>And he was taken aback when top economist Girgory Yavlinsky 
A06 227 said too much aid could be harmful unless the country transforms 
A06 228 its bankrupt system.<p/>
A06 229 <h|>Close
A06 230 <p_>Mr Major is ready now to trigger food and technical aid from 
A06 231 the G7 group of richest nations, of which he is current 
A06 232 chairman.<p/>
A06 233 <p_>He will also offer to send in experts on food retailing from 
A06 234 giants like Tesco and corner shop co-ops like Spar.<p/>
A06 235 <p_>The West will also help the economies of Hungary, Poland and 
A06 236 Czechoslovakia by giving Soviet food credits to spend in their 
A06 237 former satellite neighbours.<p/>
A06 238 <p_>Mr Major later praised Gorbachev's courage during the failed 
A06 239 coup. But he stressed he believes Yeltsin is the man for the 
A06 240 future.<p/>
A06 241 <p_>He said: <quote_>"His leadership will be essential<quote/><p/>
A06 242 
A06 243 <h_><p_>Unions to snub Tory jobs plan<p/>
A06 244 <p_>By PATRICK HENNESSY<p/><h/>
A06 245 <p_>A PLAN to help 60,000 jobless youngsters find work each year 
A06 246 will be rejected by the TUC conference today.<p/>
A06 247 <p_>The Government's pounds180 million Employment Action scheme, 
A06 248 starting next month, enables young people to do community work if 
A06 249 they cannot get jobs.<p/>
A06 250 <p_>But NALGO local government workers, led by Alan Jinkinson, last 
A06 251 night claimed the plan was <quote|>"disgraceful."<p/>
A06 252 <h|>Boycott
A06 253 <p_>A spokesman said: <quote_>"Under this, the unemployed would 
A06 254 work on community projects for a derisory pounds10 a week on top of 
A06 255 benefit."<quote/><p/>
A06 256 <p_>Ron Todd's giant TGWU also opposes the scheme - making a 
A06 257 boycott certain to be approved at by the TUC in Glasgow.<p/>
A06 258 <p_>MR TODD last night refused to back miners' boss Arthur 
A06 259 Scargill's strikers' charter, urging Labour to scrap anti-union 
A06 260 laws.<p/>
A06 261 <p_>He said: <quote_>"I don't want a return to flying 
A06 262 pickets."<quote/><p/>
A06 263 
A07   1 <#FLOB:A07\><h_><p_>Dexter's backing his England flops<p/>
A07   2 <p_>By Colin Bateman<p/><h/>
A07   3 <p_>ENGLAND'S Test selectors performed a remarkable act of faith 
A07   4 when they named their first Sunday squad of the summer 
A07   5 yesterday.<p/>
A07   6 <p_>They have shown faith in the ability and fitness of the 11 who 
A07   7 lost the last Test, naming them all for the fourth Test against the 
A07   8 West Indies which starts in Birmingham on Thursday.<p/>
A07   9 <p_>They have shown faith in Chris Lewis, the talented but fragile 
A07  10 Leicestershire allrounder who is recalled despite leaving doctors 
A07  11 baffled over the dizzy spells which have forced him to pull out 
A07  12 minutes before his last two Tests at home.<p/>
A07  13 <h|>Experienced
A07  14 <p_>Yesterday's announcement of the 12 for Edgbaston must have 
A07  15 caused disappointment for several player's-in-waiting but their 
A07  16 chances could yet come through injuries.<p/>
A07  17 <p_>Mike Atherton's durability for a five-day Test without a rest 
A07  18 day is still in doubt because of his stomach strain, while Robin 
A07  19 Smith's damaged finger makes it painful for him to bat against even 
A07  20 a county attack.<p/>
A07  21 <p_>Glamorgan's Hugh Morris, as he was at Trent Bridge, is on 
A07  22 stand-by.<p/>
A07  23 <p_>Despite the fitness doubts and the lack of runs this series 
A07  24 from Atherton, Graeme Hick and Allan Lamb - 158 runs from 15 
A07  25 innings - the selectors decided on an unchanged top six for the 
A07  26 fourth consecutive Test, although they will consider the order.<p/>
A07  27 <p_>Chairman Ted Dexter said: <quote_>"We felt these batsmen were 
A07  28 the best at the start of the summer and we still feel they are the 
A07  29 best.<p/>
A07  30 <p_>"Selection is dictated by having three experienced batsmen in 
A07  31 Gooch, Lamb and Smith and three at various stages on the learning 
A07  32 curve in Atherton, Hick and Ramprakash.<p/>
A07  33 <p_>"The three 'learners' are all talented players and we see no 
A07  34 point in stopping the learning process.<p/>
A07  35 <p_>"Of the experienced batsmen, Lamb is the only one struggling 
A07  36 and we are confident he is as likely to produce as anyone."<quote/> 
A07  37 The challengers have clearly not made much of an impression. Apart 
A07  38 from Morris being in his permanent stand-by position, Devon Malcolm 
A07  39 and Dermot Reeve are dropped after being in the squad for the third 
A07  40 Test.<p/>
A07  41 <h|>Pilloried
A07  42 <p_>There is no hint of a breakthrough either for David Gower, who 
A07  43 is beginning to find his touch again, or Ian Botham, who must 
A07  44 surely recognise that England will now never rate him again as a 
A07  45 Test class all-rounder.<p/>
A07  46 <p_>And Phil Tufnell must patiently keep taking wickets for 
A07  47 Middlesex until the selectors decide his face fits once more. The 
A07  48 conviction shown by Graham Gooch, Micky Stewart and Dexter in their 
A07  49 players has to be admired if not agreed with.<p/>
A07  50 <p_>The last time the West Indies were here in 1988 the selectors 
A07  51 were pilloried after using four captains and 23 players in a series 
A07  52 lost 4-0. This summer England have used 13 players and are an 
A07  53 honourable 1-1 with two to play.<p/>
A07  54 <p_>As opposed to the major overhaul performed before every Test in 
A07  55 1988, England this summer have refused even regular services with 
A07  56 Gooch clinging firmly to the wheel hoping the wheels don't come off 
A07  57 on the last lap.<p/>
A07  58 <p_>Lewis's recall is, without doubt, the most daring thing the 
A07  59 selectors have done throughout the series.<p/>
A07  60 <h|>Problems
A07  61 <p_>England will want him to play at Edgbaston on what is expected 
A07  62 to be a slow wicket in place of spinner Richard Illingworth or 
A07  63 strike bowler David Lawrence.<p/>
A07  64 <p_>Lewis is understandably as conderned about his fitness as he is 
A07  65 upset about suggestions that some of his problems are figments of 
A07  66 his imagination, and that he spends more time on the physio's couch 
A07  67 than on the field.<p/>
A07  68 <p_>Encouragingly, since the Headingley Test, he has not missed a 
A07  69 Championship match with Leicester, scoring useful runs and bowling 
A07  70 182 overs taking 20 wickets.<p/>
A07  71 <p_>Edgbaston will be as vital a game for Lewis as it will be for 
A07  72 England.<p/>
A07  73 
A07  74 <h_><p_>Simply Finch perfect: Nice guy Ian holds his nerve this 
A07  75 time to clinch top prize<p/><h/>
A07  76 <p_>IAN BAKER-WHO they called him before yesterday. Today he is the 
A07  77 Finch who flew away with the greatest prize in golf.<p/>
A07  78 <p_>One of the few known facts about the tall, handsome 
A07  79 avocado-farmer's son before he claimed the 120th Open Championship 
A07  80 was that he had been hyphenated at birth.<p/>
A07  81 <p_>Now with his two-stroke win at Royal Birkdale he has not only 
A07  82 claimed his first major and pounds90,000 but also buried the 
A07  83 memories of a fateful day at St Andrews seven years ago.<p/>
A07  84 <p_>Baker-Finch, who wears spectacles because of a punch landed by 
A07  85 a jealous drunk in a pub four years ago, led going into the last 
A07  86 round of The Open in 1984 but choked so spectacularly it looked 
A07  87 like the work of the Boston Strangler.<p/>
A07  88 <h|>Swoon
A07  89 <p_>Yesterday he played so impeccably it was as if the golfing gods 
A07  90 had decided he was now good enough to have an identity in the 
A07  91 game.<p/>
A07  92 <p_>No longer just the golfer ladies swoon over and ask to 
A07  93 autograph parts of their bodies normally clothed. No more just the 
A07  94 Dark Shark, as he is known in Australia.<p/>
A07  95 <p_>Fellow countryman Mike Harwood, the former PGA champion, made 
A07  96 it an Aussie one-two to prove that if Europeans may collectively be 
A07  97 still the best in the world, Australians have claims to be no worse 
A07  98 than second best.<p/>
A07  99 <p_>Baker-Finch was typically gracious in victory, commiserating 
A07 100 with Harwood and going on to thank the British public for their 
A07 101 support not just throughout the week, but during his earlier years 
A07 102 on the European Tour.<p/>
A07 103 <p_><quote_>"I have always felt your support and I hope that now I 
A07 104 am no longer a loser you will still stay right behind me,"<quote/> 
A07 105 he said. <quote_>"The pain of the other couple of times I had a 
A07 106 chance to do it really gave me the strength to go out and do it 
A07 107 today."<quote/><p/>
A07 108 <p_>Baker-Finch, who spent his childhood packing eggs, sent the 
A07 109 world's top golfers packing. And how.<p/>
A07 110 <p_>THE lad from a farm close to a one-horse stop called 
A07 111 Peachester, near Brisbane, became a world figure with some of the 
A07 112 best golf ever seen in the last round of a major championship.<p/>
A07 113 <p_>Baker-Finch soared to the turn in just 29 blows to make a 
A07 114 mockery of Seve Ballesteros's claims of the previous night that the 
A07 115 occasion could get to those ahead of him.<p/>
A07 116 <p_>It was Ballesteros who benefited most from Baker-Finch's demise 
A07 117 at St Andrews in '84. This time Seve collapsed, dropping a couple 
A07 118 of shots in the first three holes and never seen again.<p/>
A07 119 <p_>Ballesteros, two shots behind at the start and extremely 
A07 120 confident, never had the faintest whiff of a sixth major 
A07 121 championship.<p/>
A07 122 <p_>His words of the previous night were an inspiration for Harwood 
A07 123 but not Baker-Finch, who stayed low profile all week before making 
A07 124 his statement of intent on Saturday.  Baker-Finch, among the nicest 
A07 125 men ever to lift the silver claret jug, stayed in a small house, 
A07 126 did not read a newspaper and filled his mind with nothing more 
A07 127 complicated than what he was going to fix for two-year-old daughter 
A07 128 Hayley.<p/>
A07 129 <p_>YESTERDAY he netted five birdies in the first seven holes, 
A07 130 silently announcing through his golf: This one's mine.<p/>
A07 131 <p_>He had been locked at four under par with American Mark 
A07 132 O'Meara, a Birkdale specialist, at the start. But in the most 
A07 133 devastating opening burst in living memory Baker-Finch, another 
A07 134 disciple of the David Leadbetter coaching methods, whacked his 
A07 135 opponents with every club in his bag.<p/>
A07 136 <p_>By the time his ball reached the bottom of the cup at the 
A07 137 seventh for his fifth birdie in six holes, the rest were so far 
A07 138 behind they needed radar to trace him.<p/>
A07 139 <p_>Baker-Finch never stopped concentrating. He realised that the 
A07 140 equally tall Harwood was a gutsy fighter. He was also aware that 
A07 141 American Fred Couples, shooting from the pack, was dangerous when 
A07 142 the putts were dropping for him ... and they did with mounting 
A07 143 regularity.<p/>
A07 144 <p_>It was not to be their turn. Harwood could not get close enough 
A07 145 while Couples, who went from level par to five under in six holes 
A07 146 around the turn, could not put on further pressure although there 
A07 147 were birdie opportunities still to come.<p/>
A07 148 <p_>It was not generally a good day for Britain or Europe. Top of 
A07 149 our heroes was Eamon Darcy, whose level-par round for a three-under 
A07 150 aggregate was good enough for joint fifth place and enough money to 
A07 151 ensure a Ryder Cup place at the start of the season.<p/>
A07 152 <p_>BALLESTEROS stayed on the outer edges of the leader board but 
A07 153 it was a bitterly disappointed Spaniard who left Southport on just 
A07 154 one under par, seven strokes back alongside German Bernhard Langer 
A07 155 in joint ninth place.<p/>
A07 156 <p_>US Masters champion Ian Woosnam threatened to provoke some 
A07 157 British interest with a couple of early birdies but the mighty 
A07 158 Welshman had not quite been in control of his game all week and the 
A07 159 challenge petered out.<p/>
A07 160 <p_>It was always going to be too much for defending champion Nick 
A07 161 Faldo to make up, starting the day seven shots behind and 
A07 162 desperately searching for a rythm on the greens.<p/>
A07 163 <p_>Faldo finished the day one over and now needs an invitation 
A07 164 from skipper Bernard Gallacher to make the Ryder Cup team.<p/>
A07 165 <p_><quote_>"Tee to green I played as well as the winner but I just 
A07 166 could not make putts,"<quote/> said Faldo, who will not compete in 
A07 167 any more Cup qualifying events and is already outside the top nine 
A07 168 automatic qualifiers.<p/>
A07 169 <p_><quote_>"It will be nice to get on to good greens because I 
A07 170 have struggled so badly on these. Selection for the Ryder Cup is 
A07 171 now in Mr Gallacher's hands."<quote/><p/>
A07 172 <p_>Unfortunately he cannot pick Ian Baker-Finch, one of the 
A07 173 best-known golfers in the world.<p/>
A07 174 <p_><*_>black-circle<*/>BAKER-FINCH'S triumph left bookies more 
A07 175 than pounds1 million poorer.<p/>
A07 176 <p_><quote_>"William Hill alone will pay out a third of a million 
A07 177 to punters who took pretournament odds of 50-1,"<quote/> said a 
A07 178 spokesman.<p/>
A07 179 
A07 180 <h_><p_>French take sparkle out of Diamond day<p/>
A07 181 <p_>By The Scout (John Garnsey)<p/><h/>
A07 182 <p_>FRENCH challenger Epervier Bleu, second favourite for 
A07 183 Saturday's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes will 
A07 184 not run.<p/>
A07 185 <p_>Owner Daniel Wildenstein has amazingly spurned Ascot's great 
A07 186 midsummer prize and decided instead that his four-year-old should 
A07 187 be kept for the Ciga Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in October.<p/>
A07 188 <p_>In hastily revised betting after the shock decision, Corals 
A07 189 hardened the English and Irish Derby hero Generous to 4-6 
A07 190 favourite.<p/>
A07 191 <p_>Next best at 13-2 is Generous's St Leger winning stable 
A07 192 companion Snurge - only certain to run if the ground does not turn 
A07 193 fast.<p/>
A07 194 <p_>Ladbrokes, having just issued their ante-post list for the 
A07 195 first time before the Epervier Bleu defection, have now suspended 
A07 196 all betting and are awaiting today's declarations.<p/>
A07 197 <p_>Trainer Elie Lellouche and Wildenstein consider the race too 
A07 198 exacting for Epervier Bleu and fear it would jeopardise his Arc 
A07 199 chance. They are also worried about the ground, currently forecast 
A07 200 as good to firm, becoming fast.<p/>
A07 201 <p_>Epervier Bleu was second in last year's Arc. He has raced just 
A07 202 twice this season and will now be rested until the Prix Foy at 
A07 203 Longchamps on September 15th before tackling his main target on 
A07 204 October 6th.<p/>
A07 205 <p_>His withdrawal from the King George bears all the hallmarks of 
A07 206 a cynical tactical decision. One has to question whether there was 
A07 207 ever any serious intention to run at Ascot unless something had 
A07 208 gone wrong with Generous.<p/>
A07 209 <p_>So far all is well with England's star and there is massive 
A07 210 optimism in the Paul Cole camp. The trainer predicts: <quote_>"The 
A07 211 firmer the ground gets, the further he'll win."<quote/><p/>
A07 212 <p_>Generous may also have been dealt a favour by the presence of 
A07 213 Lester Piggott's mount Saddlers Hall. This improving King Edward 
A07 214 VII Stakes winner has to go a fast, even gallop which will spare 
A07 215 Generous the chore of doing his own dinkey work.<p/>
A07 216 <p_>Saddlers Hall, on whom Lester bids for an eighth King George 
A07 217 triumph, is quoted at 8-1 - four points shorter than his senior 
A07 218 stable companion Rock Hopper whom many now reckon the value of the 
A07 219 race.<p/>
A07 220 <p_>Said Ladbrokes' Mike Dillon: <quote_>"If the going's fast, 
A07 221 Sanglamore won't run and Pat Eddery will be free for Rock Hopper 
A07 222 who could then start 5-1 second favourite!"<quote/><p/>
A07 223 <p_>The Rock Hopper form took a knock in France yesterday, however. 
A07 224  Topanoora, demoted in favour of the Michael Stoute horse after 
A07 225 being first past the post in the Hardwicke at Royal Ascot, failed 
A07 226 to cope with a revitalized Toulon in the Prix Maurice de Nieuil at 
A07 227 Maisons-Lafitte.<p/>
A07 228 
A08
   1 <#FLOB:A08\><h_><p_>Brilliant Shadayid has pace to land Haydock 
A08   2 Sprint<p/>
A08   3 <p_>By HOTSPUR (J A McGrath)<p/><h/>
A08   4 <p_>THE OMENS look good for Shadayid in today's Ladbroke Sprint Cup 
A08   5 at Haydock Park following the eye-catching victory of her 
A08   6 stable-companion and younger half-brother, Badie, at Kempton Park 
A08   7 yesterday.<p/>
A08   8 <p_>Shadayid, who shares favouritism with the sponsors at 2-1 with 
A08   9 Skeikh Albadou - the Nunthorpe Stakes winner - is a brilliant 
A08  10 filly, unquestionably too explosive and eager for middle distances, 
A08  11 but one with enough class to win the 1,000 Guineas and gain a place 
A08  12 in the Gold Seal Oaks.<p/>
A08  13 <p_>She faces a difficult task in coming back to a sprint trip, but 
A08  14 as John Dunlop, her trainer, points out: <quote_>"She had enough 
A08  15 speed to be beating good fillies in the Fred Darling at Newbury, so 
A08  16 she should be able to cope with six furlongs."<quote/><p/>
A08  17 <p_>Shadayid gets my vote today to beat Mystiko, the 2,000 Guineas 
A08  18 winner.<p/>
A08  19 <p_>Badie, we are told, is a completely different type to his 
A08  20 half-sister, being described yesterday by Dunlop as something of a 
A08  21 playboy earlier on. <quote_>"He's a very well balanced colt, but he 
A08  22 had done nothing and although I say he was a playboy, he was a 
A08  23 sweet character just the same."<quote/><p/>
A08  24 <p_>The significant feature of this exciting win was that Badie 
A08  25 only really started to make ground after being taken to the outside 
A08  26 and when fully balanced in the final furlong. He absolutely flew, 
A08  27 pegging back the leader Lucky Lindy to score by half a length, 
A08  28 going away.<p/>
A08  29 <p_>Bookmaker reaction was swift, with both Coral's and Landbrokes 
A08  30 now quoting the Blushing Groom colt at 25-1 for next year's 2,000 
A08  31 guineas.<p/>
A08  32 <p_>But Willie Carson, the winning jockey, stressed that this colt 
A08  33 was <quote|>"potentially" a very nice type of horse, before adding 
A08  34 that he thought Badie capable of winning a good race. <quote_>"Two 
A08  35 and a half furlongs out, they quickened and they left me,"<quote/> 
A08  36 said Carson. <quote_>"But in the last furlong, he gave me a thrill 
A08  37 with the speed he showed."<quote/><p/>
A08  38 <p_>Shadayid's task today was made slightly easier with the 
A08  39 announcement that Elbio would be a non-runner after puncturing the 
A08  40 sole of his off-fore after stepping on a flint.<p/>
A08  41 <p_>At Kempton Park, Quest For Fame should have little trouble in 
A08  42 landing the Bonus-Print September Stakes on his way to a run in the 
A08  43 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp on Oct 
A08  44 6. Quest For Fame will be an odds-on chance and those looking for 
A08  45 value may try an each-way bet on Pelorus in the Geoffrey Hamlyn 
A08  46 Handicap.<p/>
A08  47 <p_>Lester Piggot is selected to win today's National Stakes at The 
A08  48 Curragh on El Prado, but his mount in tomorrrow's Moyglare Stakes, 
A08  49 Fairy Fable, faces a tougher task, with Well Beyond, the mount of 
A08  50 Richard Quinn, preferred.<p/>
A08  51 <p_>In France tomorrow, Hector Protector is fancied to maintain his 
A08  52 outstanding record in the Prix du Moulin de 
A08  53 Longchamp, in which Bold Russian may prove best of the 
A08  54 three British raiders.<p/>
A08  55 <p_>Arazi is favoured in the Prix de la 
A08  56 Salamandre, while Further Flight can take the 
A08  57 Prix Gladiateur for Barry Hills and his son 
A08  58 Michael.<p/>
A08  59 <p_>Alan Munro missed riding at Kempton yesterday due to torn 
A08  60 ligaments in his right ankle, sustained in a fall at Salisbury on 
A08  61 Thursday. He will also be out of action today and commences his 
A08  62 10-day riding ban tomorrow.<p/>
A08  63 
A08  64 <h_><p_>Hampshire banking on Gower to plot Surrey downfall<p/>
A08  65 <p_>By Christopher Martin-Jenkins<p/><h/>
A08  66 <p_>HAMPSHIRES'S decision to make David Gower captain for the 
A08  67 county's first ever NatWest Trophy final against Surrey at Lord's 
A08  68 today is a welcome return to the limelight for Gower himself after 
A08  69 a sad decline in personal fortune from the high point of his two 
A08  70 midwinter hundreds for England in Australia.<p/>
A08  71 <p_>But Gower would not have wished upon his friend, Mark Nicholas, 
A08  72 who persuaded him to go to Hampshire, the broken finger which has 
A08  73 forced him to hand over the reins a the 11th hour.<p/>
A08  74 <p_>The personal disaster which deprived Nicholas of the natural 
A08  75 climax, not just to his benefit season but to his seventh season as 
A08  76 captain of Hampshire, is only one of several reasons for Surrey's 
A08  77 clear favouritism.<p/>
A08  78 <p_>Not only are Hampshire without their desperately unlucky 
A08  79 captain, who loves this event enough to attend it every year as a 
A08  80 spectator, but also their most prolific batsman, Chris Smith.<p/>
A08  81 <p_>Most unfortunately, not least in view of his record benefit for 
A08  82 the county last season, he was unable to postpone his new job as 
A08  83 marketing manager for the West Australian Cricket Association.<p/>
A08  84 <p_>More significant, however, than these negative factors are the 
A08  85 positive ones in favour of Surrey. They have just beaten Hampshire 
A08  86 in the championship by 171 runs. Waqar Younis took 12 for 92 in the 
A08  87 match.<p/>
A08  88 <p_>He can only bowl 12 overs today but that was enough to make him 
A08  89 the difference between victory and defeat in the last two rounds. 
A08  90 He is, without doubt, the world's most incisive bowler.<p/>
A08  91 <p_>Waqar, profiled on this page by the man who plucked him from 
A08  92 middle-eastern obscurity, is a cricketer quite unspoilt by the 
A08  93 world-weary cynicism which sometimes afflicts players of renown 
A08  94 after a few years at the top.<p/>
A08  95 <p_>Nor has he spared himself in two extraordinary seasons for 
A08  96 Surrey so far: 58 first-class wickets at 28 last year at the age of 
A08  97 18; 104 this time at a cost of 15 each.<p/>
A08  98 <p_>More than 50 per cent of them have been bowled while 81 per 
A08  99 cent of his 141 wickets overall this season have either been bowled 
A08 100 or lbw. He bowls straight, pitches it up, swings it both ways and 
A08 101 is as quick as an assassin's knife.<p/>
A08 102 <p_>It would be no surprise if Imran Khan advises him to take 
A08 103 things a little more easily when he returns to the Oval after next 
A08 104 year's tour of England with Pakistan.<p/>
A08 105 <p_>But he will not be holding back today and if the pitch is dry 
A08 106 at the start as it should be, Gower, Terry and Hampshire's own 
A08 107 trump card, Robin Smith, may prefer to face Waqar before lunch than 
A08 108 after tea. Hampshire, however, won their semi-final batting second, 
A08 109 Surrey going in first.<p/>
A08 110 <p_>It is often in this third or fourth spell of a one-day match 
A08 111 that Waqar is at his most explosive. For this reason Ian Greig will 
A08 112 use him in short bursts, keeping him for the moments when wickets 
A08 113 are most needed.<p/>
A08 114 <p_>In both the quarter and semi-finals, against Essex and 
A08 115 Northamptonshire, Waqar produced wickets on demand and Greig's 
A08 116 hardest decision might come if he were to do in the first hour or 
A08 117 so today what Phil DeFreitas did for Lancashire in last year's 
A08 118 final: five for 19 to emphasise the value of fielding first in a 
A08 119 game starting at 10.30am.<p/>
A08 120 <p_>Alarming reports from Lord's this week indicated a pitch being 
A08 121 carefully protected from the sun by the ground-staff, so 
A08 122 much so that Hampshire were thinking of leaving out Shaun Udal, 
A08 123 whose off-spin has served them so well in limited-overs cricket all 
A08 124 season. Happily, however, I can report that the pitch is straw 
A08 125 coloured and that Udal will play in a nicely balanced team.<p/>
A08 126 <p_>Hampshire are here at last after seven previous losing 
A08 127 semi-finals. Their nine-wicket defeat of Warwickshire this time was 
A08 128 their sixth semi-final appearance in nine years. Their chairman, 
A08 129 Donald Rich, has been walking from Winchester to London, as he 
A08 130 promised he would if they finally made it.<p/>
A08 131 <p_>Surrey's fielding stood out almost as clearly as Waqar's 
A08 132 match-winning quality in the victories which followed their tense 
A08 133 and narrow <quote|>"bowl-out" defeat of Oxfordshire in the Ken 
A08 134 Barrington Centre.<p/>
A08 135 <p_>They, too, have an important bowler in their young 
A08 136 off<?_>-<?/>spinner, James Boiling, and they have a more than 
A08 137 useful replacement in Mark Feltham in the unlikely event of Martin 
A08 138 Bicknell failing a test this morning on a groin strain. (It is 
A08 139 traditional for <tf|>someone to have a test on a groin strain!)<p/>
A08 140 <p_>Gower may have the headlines this morning but it would be no 
A08 141 surprise if two up and coming left-handers, Darren Bicknell and 
A08 142 Graham Thorpe, claim them in his stead tomorrow - alongside Waqar, 
A08 143 of course.<p/>
A08 144 
A08 145 <h_><p_>British riders take the lead after dressage<p/>
A08 146 <p_>By Alan Smith<p/><h/>
A08 147 <p_>MARY THOMSON on King William and Karen Straker with Get Smart 
A08 148 gave Britain an excellent start to the European Three-day Event 
A08 149 Championship at Punchestown, Ireland, yesterday.<p/>
A08 150 <p_>At the end of the first day of dressage, they are lying first 
A08 151 and second, with a mere 0.2 of a penalty point between them. The 
A08 152 British team are also in the lead, by only four points from 
A08 153 Germany.<p/>
A08 154 <p_>Miss Thomson could not have made a better championship debut, 
A08 155 although her eight-year-old, King William, on which she won last 
A08 156 month's British Open, was <quote_>"stronger than usual, a little 
A08 157 more on edge."<quote/><p/>
A08 158 <p_><quote_>"He's still young and naive, so I let him look around 
A08 159 before the start, but what is good is how, although he is so keen, 
A08 160 he still controls himself. There is so much improvement in 
A08 161 him."<quote/><p/>
A08 162 <p_>Tomorrow's speed and endurance will be his big test, but, apart 
A08 163 from an unlucky slip-up on the flat, he went round Badminton well 
A08 164 in May.<p/>
A08 165 <p_>Miss Straker and the 11-year-old Get Smart, which she bought as 
A08 166 a four-year-old, set the early pace. Although he was in the Seoul 
A08 167 Olympic and the 1990 world championship silver-medal teams, 
A08 168 this was the best test he had ever done.<p/>
A08 169 <p_>Get Smart was given his worst marks for his walk, but 
A08 170 everything else made up for that.<p/>
A08 171 <p_>For much of the year he has been in pure dressage competitions, 
A08 172 under the tutelage of Jane Bartle-Wilson.<p/>
A08 173 <p_>But Miss Straker believes the cross-country course will suit 
A08 174 her horse. <quote_>"It is a galloping course, with fences to kick 
A08 175 on at,"<quote/> she said.<p/>
A08 176 <p_>Germany's Seoul Olympic team gold-medallists, Claus Erhorn, on 
A08 177 his new ride, the 14-year-old Clanger, and Matthias Baumann on 
A08 178 Alabaster, ended the day third and fourth.<p/>
A08 179 <p_>British-born Mandy Stibbe, who was nearly killed in a riding 
A08 180 accident early in the year, is fifth for Holland on Autumn 
A08 181 Heyday.<p/>
A08 182 <p_>The British team, sponsored by the Horse Trials Support Group, 
A08 183 were drawn first of the 10 competing countries, which meant that 
A08 184 Richard Walker and Jacana were first into the dressage arena.<p/>
A08 185 <p_>After the traumas of the previous day's horse inspection, when 
A08 186 Jacana was held over for a second look before being passed, the 
A08 187 tension was that much greater.
A08 188 The dressage judges, who comprise the ground jury, were also in 
A08 189 charge of the horse inspection.<p/>
A08 190 <p_>Jacana's short-striding action always counts against him in a 
A08 191 dressage test, but Walker's expertise showed him to good effect, 
A08 192 and they finished the day in 12th place.<p/>
A08 193 
A08 194 <h_><p_>Germany's surprise package exposed<p/>
A08 195 <p_>By Graham Turner<p/><h/>
A08 196 <p_>IT HAS been a bad week for Hansa Rostock. Last Wednesday they 
A08 197 were leading Fortuna Cologne 3-1 after 88 minutes, but the Division 
A08 198 Two North tail-enders knocked them out of the German Cup by scoring 
A08 199 twice in the last two minutes and twice more in extra-time to run 
A08 200 up a 5-3 scoreline. Hansa's 2-0 defeat in Duisburg yesterday robbed 
A08 201 them of top spot in the <foreign|>Bundesliga.<p/>
A08 202 <p_>The Rostock bubble had been expected to burst. Their League and 
A08 203 Cup double had provided the colophon for East German soccer history 
A08 204 and secured, along with runners-up <tf_>Dynamo Dresden<tf/> access 
A08 205 to the unified first division. But standards on and off the pitch 
A08 206 were rated so inferior to <foreign|>Bundesliga parameters that DDR 
A08 207 could have signified Dynamo Dresden Relegated and the Dead Ducks of 
A08 208 Rostock.<p/>
A08 209 <p_>Eyebrows were raised when Hansa opened the league by beating 
A08 210 <tf|>Nuremberg 4-0 to go top. A week later Rostock travelled to 
A08 211 Munich and beat <tf|>Bayern 2-1 in the Olympic Stadium.<p/>
A08 212 <p_>Hansa then confounded all and sundry by consolidating a 
A08 213 position among the front-runners. Given the lack of big-name 
A08 214 players, credit must go to coach Uwe Reinders.<p/>
A08 215 <p_>Injury forced Reinders, now 36, to retire in 1988 after a 
A08 216 career which saw him play for Scwarz-Weiss<&|>sic! Essen, Werder 
A08 217 Bremen, Bordeaux and Eintracht Brunswick. The man who admits to 
A08 218 having owed casinos pounds300,000 at one stage decided on one more 
A08 219 gamble.<p/>
A08 220 <p_>Having turned down lucrative offers and healed a rift with club 
A08 221 president Gerd Kirsche, he has extended his contract until 1993.<p/>
A08 222 <p_>When top scorer Henri Fuchs left for <tf|>Cologne this summer, 
A08 223 Hansa were ear-marked as cannon-fodder for the big guns.<p/>
A08 224 
A09   1 <#FLOB:A09\><h_><p_>Hearts and power<p/><h/>
A09   2 <p_>VICTORIA BURGOYNE was 18 when she married Christopher Dunhill, 
A09   3 the substance-snorting heir to a slice of the pounds1billion 
A09   4 Rothmans fortune jailed for cocaine dealing in 1988. She was 19 
A09   5 when they divorced.<p/>
A09   6 <p_>Now, at 29, she has taken up her pen to write a novel about a 
A09   7 rich, glamorous but troubled family. She tells me: <quote_>"I was 
A09   8 always being asked to write the story. Then I was approached by a 
A09   9 publishing house to write a book based around that kind of dynasty. 
A09  10 They thought I had a lot to call on. I am interested in writing 
A09  11 about families, broken hearts and intrigue, but it will be entirely 
A09  12 fictitious - whatever people want to read into it."<quote/><p/>
A09  13 <p_>When not hunched over a steaming page, Victoria - she already 
A09  14 has a thriller, Savaged, under her literary belt - has been 
A09  15 supervising her company Kyng Screen Productions' first situation 
A09  16 comedy for Channel 4, entitled When.<p/>
A09  17 <p_>And she is shortly to grace the screen herself, in ITV's The 
A09  18 Bill.<p/>
A09  19 <h|>Sweetheart
A09  20 <p_>But the breathless pace of writing, acting and producing has 
A09  21 taken its toll on her relationship with Gallic songster Frederick 
A09  22 Bertelot, 29.<p/>
A09  23 <p_>She says: <quote_>"I'm seeing other people, but there's nothing 
A09  24 serious. I'm very frightened of getting married again. When you get 
A09  25 married to a childhood sweetheart and it doesn't work, you question 
A09  26 your judgement in people."<quote/><p/>
A09  27 <p_>She is looking for <quote_>"a creative, spiritually-orientated 
A09  28 millionaire"<quote/><p/>.
A09  29 <p_>In the meantime, she is contenting herself by drawing on her 
A09  30 nuptial experiences for commercial fiction.<p/>
A09  31 
A09  32 <h_><p_>Best caught short with an own goal<p/><h/>
A09  33 <p_>GEORGE BEST, legendary footballer, notorious imbiber and 
A09  34 undischarged bankrupt, now finds himself in a <quote|>"ludricrous" 
A09  35 Catch 22 situation.<p/>
A09  36 <p_>He is being pursued by the Inland Revenue for pounds60,000. He 
A09  37 has, in a trust fund in Belfast, pounds60,000 from the testimonial 
A09  38 match held in his honour three years ago.<p/>
A09  39 <p_>He is unable, however, to match the two together.<p/>
A09  40 <p_><quote_>"The trustees say they won't release the money to me 
A09  41 until I've discharged my bankruptcy,"<quote/> he tells me 
A09  42 plaintively.<p/>
A09  43 <p_><quote_>"They say I must use my own money to pay off my 
A09  44 bankruptcy before they'll give me my money. But I don't have any 
A09  45 money, except the money they're holding."<quote/><p/>
A09  46 <p_>It is a disturbing aftermath to that exultant night at 
A09  47 Belfast's international Windsor Park stadium, when 27,000 fans 
A09  48 turned out in pouring rain to pay their tribute to the player the 
A09  49 great Pele once described as the best in the world.<p/>
A09  50 <p_>HIS financial affairs then already in disarray with the Inland 
A09  51 Revenue demanding pounds16,000 - it has since spiralled to its 
A09  52 current level because of compound interest - George initially 
A09  53 requested that the gate money be set aside for the education of his 
A09  54 son Calum, now ten.<p/>
A09  55 <p_>Separate measures have since been taken to safeguard Calum's 
A09  56 education and George has appealed to his chief trustee, Belfast 
A09  57 soccer administrator Derek Wade, to release the money.<p/>
A09  58 <p_>In vain, I fear.<p/>
A09  59 <p_>Testimonial match treasurer and fellow trustee David Crawford 
A09  60 tells me: <quote_>"The testimonial was for George, not for the 
A09  61 bankruptcy court. If the fans who attended knew the proceeds would 
A09  62 be going straight to the Inland Revenue, they wouldn't have gone 
A09  63 near the game."<quote/><p/>
A09  64 <p_>George does not agree. Nor does the Revenue. As I have 
A09  65 reported, it has appointed prominent Belfast solicitor Sir Oliver 
A09  66 Napier to recover the trust money from the bank account where it 
A09  67 has sat since 1988.<p/>
A09  68 <p_>To that end, Napier has summoned Wade to appear in court in 
A09  69 Belfast - and the hearing, adjourned earlier this summer, is 
A09  70 expected to take place before the end of the year.<p/>
A09  71 <p_>George, bewildered and angrily declaring that the whole thing 
A09  72 <quote|>"stinks", is planning to take action of his own.<p/>
A09  73 <p_>As he complains: <quote_>"Because I'm bankrupt, I cannot earn a 
A09  74 living. The trustees keep saying that what they are doing will be 
A09  75 to my benefit at the end of the day.<p/>
A09  76 <p_>"Well, it is the end of the day. I'm still legally bankrupt and 
A09  77 the debt is going up every day."<quote/><p/>
A09  78 <p_>IF THE matter is not resolved in his favour - and soon - he is 
A09  79 threatening to fly to Belfast where he will call a Press conference 
A09  80 to explain his sorry side of this financial mess.<p/>
A09  81 <p_>I can only add that when Paul Gascoigne says he will not be 
A09  82 happy until he stops playing football, he is talking rot.<p/>
A09  83 <p_>And if he doesn't believe me, he should ask George.<p/>
A09  84 
A09  85 <h_><p_>Bathtime has the Majors all in a whirl<p/><h/>
A09  86 <p_>SAFELY home after his dash across the world, the Prime Minister 
A09  87 settled down yesterday to consider a new-found remedy to relax from 
A09  88 the rigours of life in the political fast lane.<p/>
A09  89 <p_>On his way through Kennebunkport, Moscow, Peking and Hong Kong, 
A09  90 John Major apparently discovered the delights afforded by a 
A09  91 whirlpool bath. And having come across one way to soak off the dust 
A09  92 of travel, Major and wife Norma duly headed straight for a 
A09  93 builders' merchant near his Cambridgeshire home at the weekend.<p/>
A09  94 <p_>There the PM studied an array of whirlpool baths while Norma 
A09  95 read through brochures in the quest for the one to grace their new 
A09  96 bathroom.<p/>
A09  97 <p_>With the true caution of one faced with the prospect of workmen 
A09  98 tramping through the house, Major says: <quote_>"We're just 
A09  99 considering a few ideas."<quote/><p/>
A09 100 <p_>And before driving back to his home at nearby Great Stukely, he 
A09 101 helpfully emphasised the great deliberations going on: <quote_>"We 
A09 102 are looking at new bathrooms for our home, but we haven't made a 
A09 103 final decision yet."<quote/><p/>
A09 104 <p_>Nor even on a date of the General Election?<p/>
A09 105 <p_><quote_>"No. I'd much rather talk about bathrooms."<quote/><p/>
A09 106 <p_>Staff at the store would too, but a spokesman reluctantly 
A09 107 hiding his excitement conceded: <quote_>"We think his privacy 
A09 108 should be respected."<quote/><p/>
A09 109 <p_>However, I am delightfully told by one customer, rightly too 
A09 110 embarrassed to be named: <quote_>"I went in to look at kitchen 
A09 111 units and saw Mrs Major in deep conversation with a man in a grey 
A09 112 suit whom I thought was a salesman. They were looking at whirlpool 
A09 113 baths.<p/>
A09 114 <p_>"I couldn't believe it when the 'salesman' turned round and it 
A09 115 was the Prime Minister."<quote/><p/>
A09 116 
A09 117 <h_><p_>Anne's visit puts Eire on royal map<p/><h/>
A09 118 <p_>IN A significant breakthrough yesterday, Princess Anne became 
A09 119 the first member of the Royal Family to visit the Irish Republic 
A09 120 since Earl Mountbatten was blown up by the IRA 12 years ago.<p/>
A09 121 <p_>Officials, fearing demonstrations, kept the visit quiet. But 
A09 122 the Princess Royal, 41, with daughter Zara, 10, was warmly cheered 
A09 123 visiting the European Equestrian Championships at Punchestown, 
A09 124 County Kildare, and even lunched with Eire premier Charles 
A09 125 Haughey.<p/>
A09 126 <h|>Informal
A09 127 <p_>Her role as president of the International Equestrian 
A09 128 Federation gave Anne the perfect opportunity for an informal visit, 
A09 129 even if surrounded by armed Special Branch detectives, as guest of 
A09 130 the Championships organising committee.<p/>
A09 131 <p_>Clad in business-like blue blazer and white skirt she toured 
A09 132 jumps by jeep before lunch with Haughey. It was an event few would 
A09 133 have thought possible after Mountbatten's slaughter.<p/>
A09 134 <h|>Explosion
A09 135 <p_>Princess Margaret was the last royal visitor before that, way 
A09 136 back in the Sixties. She stayed at Birr Castle in County Offaly 
A09 137 with her then husband the Earl of Snowdon, but their trip was 
A09 138 marred by a small terrorist explosion near the estate walls.<p/>
A09 139 <p_>Only three months ago, however, Eire President Mary Robinson 
A09 140 made an historic official visit to Britain, leading to 
A09 141 Fine Gael spokesman Brendan McGahon calling for 
A09 142 a royal return match, saying: <quote_>"There is a distinguished 
A09 143 Royal Family in Britain and we should receive them in the same 
A09 144 manner President Robinson was received."<quote/><p/>
A09 145 
A09 146 <h_><p_>High-flying Major's new status symbol<p/><h/>
A09 147 <p_>PRIME Minister John Major is in need of an aeroplane befitting 
A09 148 his sudden status as a globe-trotting international statesman.<p/>
A09 149 <p_>That is why he flew first to Russia, then on to China, not in 
A09 150 the ageing VC 10 so favoured by his predecessor, but in a pounds35 
A09 151 million TriStar.<p/>
A09 152 <p_>Speed, of course, is one factor. The VC10, all of 234 years 
A09 153 old, is slower and requires many more refuelling stops.<p/>
A09 154 <p_>Then, of course, there is the delicate and unspoken matter of 
A09 155 statesmanly status.<p/>
A09 156 <p_>France's President Mitterrand travels in a supersonic Concorde. 
A09 157 The President of the United States flies in one of two Boeing 
A09 158 747-200Bs which stand six-storey high, have been dubbed the Flying 
A09 159 Taj Mahals, and cost over pounds600 million.<p/>
A09 160 <p_>The VC-10-borne Prime Minister is belittled by such high-flying 
A09 161 comparison - a point given illustration when he flew into the 
A09 162 airforce base near Kennebunkport to consult with George Bush and 
A09 163 found himself dwarfed alongside one of the president's mighty 
A09 164 Boeings.<p/>
A09 165 <p_>The switch to the TriStar - this one is supplied by British 
A09 166 Airways - could signal the move towards the privatisation of VIP 
A09 167 travel which has traditionally been handled by the RAF.<p/>
A09 168 <p_>It has certainly brought the British Premier into the modern 
A09 169 age of government air travel - and represents yet another definite 
A09 170 break from the Thatcher era.<p/>
A09 171 <p_>The TriStar's configuration is comfortable - the seats are 
A09 172 first class and there are single beds for Major, his wife Norma, 
A09 173 Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd and Downing Street foreign affairs 
A09 174 specialist Sir Percy Craddock.<p/>
A09 175 <p_>Its communication equipment, provided by the electronic spies 
A09 176 at GCHG, is of the most sophisticated variety.<p/>
A09 177 <p_>It allows the Prime Minister to communicate instantly with 
A09 178 president Bush. Just as importantly, it has enabled him to keep up 
A09 179 with Chelsea's football scores.<p/>
A09 180 
A09 181 <h_><p_>And Another Thing...<p/><h/>
A09 182 <p_>GOOD news for the Princess Royal from Scotland, where fears 
A09 183 that her friend, Old Etonian farmer John Corbett, 44, might follow 
A09 184 HRH into the divorce courts have proved premature.<p/>
A09 185 <p_>Lord Rowallan's son, who lost his family seat - Rowallan Castle 
A09 186 - after being hit by massive death duties, is now down to his last 
A09 187 1,000 acres after selling the castle plus 6,000 acres to a leisure 
A09 188 consortium.<p/>
A09 189 <p_>Corbett, who frequently entertained Anne and Mark Phillips at 
A09 190 Rowallan, has decided to take a tolerant attitude towards his wife 
A09 191 Sandie's fondness for a member of the Scottish horse show 
A09 192 fraternity, which has been the talk of equine Scotland.<p/>
A09 193 <p_>He married former groom, Sandie, 29, after divorcing his first 
A09 194 wife Jane, and assures me: <quote_>"There was never a 
A09 195 split."<quote/><p/>
A09 196 
A09 197 <h_><p_>A fortune up in smoke for tobacco heir<p/><h/>
A09 198 <p_>RECLUSIVE tobacco heiress Doris Duke, one of the richest women 
A09 199 in the world, has disinherited her adopted daughter, Chandi Hefner 
A09 200 - for daring to consort with a man Doris does not approve of.<p/>
A09 201 <p_>Chandi - no relation to Hugh - has been dating a big, 
A09 202 good-looking bodyguard who once worked for Doris in Hawaii.<p/>
A09 203 <p_>Doris - worth 874 million dollars at my last count and who 
A09 204 recently put up the 4.6 million dollar bail for the Philippines' 
A09 205 former first lady, Imelda Marcos when facing fraud charges in New 
A09 206 York - objected. And she is used to getting her own way.<p/>
A09 207 <p_>She wanted to see Chandi, who is in her 20s, married - but only 
A09 208 to someone who met her socially formidable criteria.<p/>
A09 209 <p_>When Chandi refused to break off her romance with the 
A09 210 bodyguard, Doris, 78 - her father founded the giant American 
A09 211 Tobacco Company - promptly ordered her out of her mansion. She also 
A09 212 got her lawyers to retrieve the trust fund she had set up for 
A09 213 <quote|>"daughter".<p/>
A09 214 <p_>This strikes me as a charming example of pot calling kettle 
A09 215 black - for Doris's own romantic record is hardly one to set before 
A09 216 a daughter, even an adopted one.<p/>
A09 217 <p_>She divorced her first husband, American banker and former US 
A09 218 Minister to Canada, James R Cromwell, after eight years on the 
A09 219 grounds of "systematic mental and physical cruelty". She then 
A09 220 married Dominican "diplomat" and unconscienced playboy Porfirio 
A09 221 Rubirosa (a Parisian newspaper reporting the wedding mistakenly 
A09 222 called her Madame Doris Duck).<p/>
A09 223 <h|>Playboy
A09 224 <p_>She paid him off with a million dollars - a lot of money in 
A09 225 1949 - after just 13 months (Rubirosa, who died the quintessential 
A09 226 playboy's death by driving his Ferrari into a tree, collected 
A09 227 another million dollar divorce settlement off Woolworth's heiress 
A09 228 Barbara Hutton).<p/>
A09 229 <p_>Her next marital excursion was with a bandleader called Joseph 
A09 230 Castro. That union also went the way of all flesh; they were 
A09 231 divorced eight years later.<p/>
A09 232 <p_>In between there were brief grapples with Errol Flynn, a Tory 
A09 233 MP and sundry others.<p/>
A09 234 <p_>Doris survived her flings with her finances intact. Chandi - La 
A09 235 Duke took her in after her own family threw her out for joining the 
A09 236 Hare Krishnas - has not.<p/>
A09 237 
A10   1 <#FLOB:A10\><h_><p_>Hooky still plays a diplomatic service<p/><h/>
A10   2 <p_>JUST over a year ago Our Man In Baghdad, Sir Harold Walker, was 
A10   3 one of the busiest and best known faces in Britain - scarcely a 
A10   4 news bulletin went by without word of his efforts to placate Saddam 
A10   5 Hussein on our behalf.<p/>
A10   6 <p_>But what has happened to Sir Harold's career since he returned 
A10   7 from Iraq earlier this year? With the prospect of official 
A10   8 retirement only 13 months away, Winchester-educated Walker appears 
A10   9 to be in limbo.<p/>
A10  10 <p_>In a typically cryptic reply to the question of what Sir Harold 
A10  11 is up to, the Foreign Office says: <quote_>"We don't know what his 
A10  12 next job will be as he's still officially in his post. However, 
A10  13 there's no Ambassador in Baghdad."<quote/><p/>
A10  14 <p_>Walker is by no means wasting his time: he has swopped the 
A10  15 diplomatic champagne cocktail parties for the G&T stockbrocker belt 
A10  16 of Woking and its socially ambitious tennis circuit.<p/>
A10  17 <p_>Since he came back to Britain 'Hooky' - so called because of 
A10  18 the gold hook his father Admiral Sir Harold Walker wore after 
A10  19 losing a hand in the First World War - has been busily improving 
A10  20 his game and taking part in county matches and local 
A10  21 tournaments.<p/>
A10  22 
A10  23 <h_><p_>Melinda makes it to the West End...<p/><h/>
A10  24 <p_>AUSTRALIAN singer and dancer Melinda O'Connor will be opening a 
A10  25 few tinnies to celebrate landing her first West End part - as the 
A10  26 butcher's wife in Mike Batt's adaptation of Lewis Carroll's The 
A10  27 Hunting of the Snark which opens at the Prince Edward Theatre next 
A10  28 month.<p/>
A10  29 <p_>After leaving her home in Melbourne last year to tour as a 
A10  30 backing singer for pop star Jason Donovan, 24-year-old Melinda 
A10  31 decided to stay on in England and try her luck on the stage. 
A10  32 <quote_>"It's like a dream come true,"<quote/> she tells me. 
A10  33 <quote_>"Most Australian performers want to come over and star in a 
A10  34 West End musical. There isn't the scope back home - there are far 
A10  35 too many people and far fewer shows."<quote/><p/>
A10  36 <p_>Aspiring Romeos will be glad to know that Melinda is still 
A10  37 unattached: <quote_>"I'm looking for any nice eligible 
A10  38 Englishman,"<quote/> she says. <quote_>"If love walks into my life 
A10  39 I'll be happy, but I've got a strong nucleus of 
A10  40 friends."<quote/><p/>
A10  41 <p_>But any boyfriends should be aware they might have to take a 
A10  42 back seat in Melinda's life. <quote_>"My ultimate ambition is to be 
A10  43 a rock star - with all-male backing vocals!"<quote/><p/>
A10  44 
A10  45 <h_><p_>We're getting married all over again, says Travolta<p/>
A10  46 <p_>From DAVID CLARIDGE in Paris<p/><h/>
A10  47 <p_>HOURS after his wedding ceremony to actress Kelly Preston, John 
A10  48 Travolta announced last night that they would be doing it all over 
A10  49 again.<p/>
A10  50 <p_>The couple, who exchanged vows in a midnight ceremony at a 
A10  51 Paris hotel on Thursday, will go through another ceremony in 
A10  52 America next week.<p/>
A10  53 <p_><quote_>"We have to get married again in the United States for 
A10  54 legal purposes,"<quote/> said the actor. <quote_>"This was more of 
A10  55 a blessing."<quote/><p/>
A10  56 <p_>For a marriage to be valid under French law one of the partners 
A10  57 has to have lived for a month in the area where the ceremony takes 
A10  58 place.<p/>
A10  59 <p_>Asked whether the wedding was legal Travolta replied: 
A10  60 <quote_>"Well, I don't know, we'll see, but we'll back it up with 
A10  61 the real one when we get back home."<quote/><p/>
A10  62 <p_>The couple spent much of yesterday locked in their hotel room 
A10  63 with a Do Not Disturb sign on the door, emerging late in the 
A10  64 afternoon for Travolta to take part in a French TV chat show.<p/>
A10  65 <p_>Before stepping into the lift he cupped Kelly's face in his 
A10  66 hands, stroked her cheeks and kissed her as he whispered: 
A10  67 <quote_>"Bye, baby, see you later."<quote/><p/>
A10  68 <p_>Travolta, 37, said he had chosen Paris for the ceremony because 
A10  69 <quote_>"It's the most romantic city in the world."<p/>
A10  70 <p_>And he revealed: <quote_>"I planned it about five months ago. 
A10  71 It was my idea because Kelly had never seen Paris before.<p/>
A10  72 <p_>"Now we are looking forward to going home. I have just bought 
A10  73 her a lovely new home in Maine."<quote/><p/>
A10  74 <h|>Fantastic
A10  75 <p_>Kelly, who is expecting a baby in April, showed off the 
A10  76 earrings and bracelet he had given her as a wedding present, and 
A10  77 said of the ceremony: <quote_>"It was fantastic."<quote/><p/>
A10  78 <p_>There were four witnesses to the ceremony at the city's Hotel 
A10  79 Crillon. Staff there knew nothing of the couple's plans until 
A10  80 Kelly, 28, arrived in her bridal gown.<p/>
A10  81 <p_>The group celebrated with champagne before Travolta and Kelly, 
A10  82 who first met on the set of the film The Experts, returned to the 
A10  83 five-star Plaza Athenee.<p/>
A10  84 <p_>The couple will fly back to the U.S. tomorrow after a stay in 
A10  85 Deauville, Normandy, for a charity screening of Travolta's film The 
A10  86 Tender.<p/>
A10  87 
A10  88 <h_><p_>AND A CLOSE CALL FOR THE DUCHESS...<p/>
A10  89 <p_>Fergie dashes to the court of King Jimbo<p/><h/>
A10  90 <p_>THE Duchess of York showed a turn of speed to watch an old 
A10  91 friend triumph at tennis yesterday.<p/>
A10  92 <p_>She dashed from her last official engagement in New York - at 
A10  93 the mayor's residence - back to her Manhattan hotel.<p/>
A10  94 <p_>After changing into informal clothes she virtually sprinted to 
A10  95 her car before taking the Van Wyck expressway to Flushing Meadow 
A10  96 stadium, where Jimmy Connors was on court.<p/>
A10  97 <p_>The Wimbledon favourite is attempting, at 39, to become the 
A10  98 oldest Grand Slam winner in modern times. The Duchess, aided by a 
A10  99 police escort, arrived for the last ten minutes of his 
A10 100 quarter-final victory in the U.S. Open.<p/>
A10 101 <p_>She was ushered to a courtside box reserved for Connors' 
A10 102 entourage. <quote_>"She said she'd had a prior engagement and I 
A10 103 joked with her that she'd arrived at the right time,"<quote/> said 
A10 104 British tennis star John Lloyd. <quote_>"She was obviously well 
A10 105 into it and kept turning round to her bodyguard and saying how 
A10 106 exciting it all was."<quote/><p/>
A10 107 <p_>The four-set victory over Dutch opponent Paul Haarhuis behind 
A10 108 him, Connors met the Duchess in a private room beneath the 
A10 109 grandstand. <quote_>"Yes, we're friends,"<quote/> he said 
A10 110 afterwards. <quote_>"We've known each other for a few years and 
A10 111 she's a very nice lady."<quote/><p/>
A10 112 <p_>Vitas Gerulaitis, a former tennis rival of Connors and his best 
A10 113 friend, said: <quote_>"The Duchess is friends with Jimmy and Patti 
A10 114 (his wife) and she invites them for dinner when they are in London. 
A10 115 She got to know Patti first after they had met at 
A10 116 Wimbledon."<quote/><p/>
A10 117 <p_>Last night the Duchess, whom American TV commentators have been 
A10 118 comparing to a young Jackie Kennedy, was jetting to Los Angeles for 
A10 119 a glittering dinner party with a superstar cast.<p/>
A10 120 <p_>First stop was at the Beverly Hills home of Hollywood's richest 
A10 121 man, Marvin Davis, and his wife Barbara, the town's premier 
A10 122 party-giver. The guest-list of more than 60 is a closely guarded 
A10 123 secret but Sylvester Stallone, Liza Minnelli, Angela Lansbury and 
A10 124 Frank Sinatra are reported to be on it.<p/>
A10 125 <p_>Davis, a power-player in nearly every major showbusiness merger 
A10 126 in the past 20 years, is reported to be worth pounds1billion. 
A10 127 <quote_>"His invitations are the ones people die for,"<quote/> said 
A10 128 one socialite.<p/>
A10 129 <p_>The Duchess has been accompanied on her American tour by 
A10 130 Princess Bea, an equerry, a royal detective and private 
A10 131 secretary.<p/>
A10 132 <p_>A Buckingham Palace spokesman said she had been invited to New 
A10 133 York by the British American Chamber of Commerce. <quote_>"They 
A10 134 have paid the cost of the flights to New York,"<quote/> he said. 
A10 135 <quote_>"The trip to Los Angeles is a private visit and under these 
A10 136 circumstances the Duchess would pay for the cost of 
A10 137 this."<quote/><p/>
A10 138 <p_>Last year the Duchess had to pay her own bill for a 
A10 139 pounds1,000-a-night suite at the Plaza Athene hotel in Manhattan 
A10 140 after organisers of a fund-raising dinner were understood to have 
A10 141 balked at picking up the cost.<p/>
A10 142 
A10 143 <h_><p_>Ol<*_>e-acute<*/>! They're on a Royal holiday<p/><h/>
A10 144 <p_>FOLLOWING growing unrest among their concerned friends at the 
A10 145 amount of time they spend apart, the Prince and Princess of Wales 
A10 146 have suddenly changed their holiday plans: they will now be 
A10 147 spending a week together on Majorca in August. The couple have 
A10 148 spent four previous vacations on the Balearic island, but this year 
A10 149 their plans for a similar break were dropped. Now, at short notice, 
A10 150 their host King Juan Carlos has altered his schedule and will join 
A10 151 Charles and Diana midway through their stay at the Spanish 
A10 152 monarch's Marivent palace in Palma.<p/>
A10 153 <p_>Charles will fly to Majorca after joining the rest of the Royal 
A10 154 Family at Sandringham on August 4 to celebrate the Queen Mother's 
A10 155 91st birthday. He will be on his own for two days, sketching and 
A10 156 painting watercolours, before Diana arrives with William and 
A10 157 Harry.<p/>
A10 158 <p_>Last year's holiday on Majorca was not a particularly happy 
A10 159 one: Charles was unable to join in much of the fun - his arm was 
A10 160 still strapped up following his polo accident and he was in 
A10 161 agony.<p/>
A10 162 <p_>Then there was the unfortunate matter of The Sun publishing a 
A10 163 picture of the Prince embracing <quote_>"old flame"<quote/> Lady 
A10 164 Romsey - in fact he was comforting her after she had told him her 
A10 165 five-year-old daughter Leonora was suffering from cancer. The 
A10 166 Murdoch rag had to print a grovelling apology.<p/>
A10 167 
A10 168 <h_><p_>Amanda springs a surprise<p/><h/>
A10 169 <p_>AFTER living blissfully together for three years, photographer 
A10 170 Willie Christie, 41, and Derek Nimmo's only daughter Amanda 
A10 171 revealed at their weekend wedding reception they had further good 
A10 172 news - she is expecting a baby.<p/>
A10 173 <p_>Willie, first cousin of Jockey Club stalwart and Yorkshire 
A10 174 landowner the Marquis of Zetland, was previously married to Grace 
A10 175 Coddington, fashion editor of American Vogue, and has a daughter 
A10 176 Scarlett, 13, by another liaison.<p/>
A10 177 <p_>Amanda, 32, was attended at the Chelsea register office 
A10 178 ceremony by her Guards-costumed five-year-old son George from her 
A10 179 first marriage to Nicholas Howard, whose family owns Castle Howard 
A10 180 and 10,000 Yorkshire acres.<p/>
A10 181 <p_><quote_>"I feel I am going to have another son - anyway that's 
A10 182 what Willie wants, and I'm thinking that way too,"<quote/> said 
A10 183 Amanda, whose former husband is also getting married - their 1983 
A10 184 wedding was at the ultra-fashionable St Margaret's Westminster and 
A10 185 the union lasted four years.<p/>
A10 186 <p_>The couple spent their honeymoon night at The Dorchester, but 
A10 187 are delaying the honeymoon proper until next month - where they 
A10 188 will stay in The Hamptons, Long Island with Willie's sister 
A10 189 Carolyne and her husband Roger Waters, co-founder of Pink Floyd and 
A10 190 composer of most of the supergroup's hits.<p/>
A10 191 
A10 192 <h_><p_>Martha keeps her distance...<p/><h/>
A10 193 <p_>IN the highly unlikely event of any romance between Prince 
A10 194 Edward and his fifth cousin, Princess Martha Louise of Norway, the 
A10 195 two did their best to distance themselves from each other when 
A10 196 Edward joined a gathering of the Norwegian Royal Family in Oslo at 
A10 197 the weekend.<p/>
A10 198 <p_>The petite princess, 19, pointedly invited both her past 
A10 199 boyfried Thomas Salvesen, and her current escort Navy cadet Per 
A10 200 Gunnar Haugen, to a banquet marking the 18th birthday of her 
A10 201 brother, Crown Prince Haakon Magnus. Edward spent much of the 
A10 202 evening talking to Martha-Louise's father, Oxford graduate King 
A10 203 Harald.<p/>
A10 204 <p_><quote_>"There is absolutely no question of anything going on 
A10 205 between the Prince and Martha Louise,"<quote/> says a British 
A10 206 courtier. <quote_>"Edward was there representing the Queen at what 
A10 207 was a significant event in the Norwegian royal 
A10 208 calendar."<quote/><p/>
A10 209 
A10 210 <h_><p_>Proposal accepted: Andrew and Rachael<p/><h/>
A10 211 <p_>HAVING reached 40 without succumbing to marriage, would-be Tory 
A10 212 MP Andrew Robathan - the man selected to take over Nigel Lawson's 
A10 213 safe seat of Blaby, Leicestershire - took just two months to 
A10 214 propose to girlfriend Rachael Maunder.<p/>
A10 215 <p_><quote_>"Would you call that a whirlwind? I don't think so. I 
A10 216 think by this age I know what I want!"<quote/> says retired 
A10 217 Coldstream Guards officer Andrew who met his fiancee at a dinner 
A10 218 party a week after finishing service in the Gulf war.<p/>
A10 219 <p_>Devon farmer's daughter Rachael, 29, a City fund manager, will 
A10 220 make an ideal MP's wife - at Bath University she was chairman of 
A10 221 the Conservative Association.<p/>
A10 222 <p_><quote_>"I've always been interested in politics and thought 
A10 223 about it as a career myself,"<quote/> she tells me. <quote_>"But I 
A10 224 love my job and intend to continue with it after 
A10 225 marriage."<quote/><p/>
A10 226 <p_>Planning a Christmas wedding, Andrew is also preparing for high 
A10 227 office by driving a bus - a job for which John Major was rejected - 
A10 228 as part of his special interest in the politics of Transport.<p/>
A10 229 <p_><quote_>"I don't think I'll be co-author of another economic 
A10 230 revolution,"<quote/> he says modestly, <quote_>"but you've got to 
A10 231 start somewhere. Right now I just want to get elected."<quote/><p/>
A10 232 <p_>And the first step is to take a wife...<p/>
A10 233 
A11   1 <#FLOB:A11\><h_><p_>City fights to keep open the doors<p/><h/>
A11   2 <p_>BRISTOL has a wealth of museums. In its centre is the Bristol 
A11   3 City Museum and Art Gallery, almost 170 years old and occupying a 
A11   4 listed Edwardian building (Our Arts Correspondent writes).<p/>
A11   5 <p_>There are eight branches, ranging from the Industrial museum to 
A11   6 St Nicholas's, a former parish church whose collections trace the 
A11   7 medieval development of the city.<p/>
A11   8 <p_>Attendances have been steadily rising to a respectable 700,000 
A11   9 last year when the city museum had two very successful exhibitions, 
A11  10 on Georges Braque and Great Sea Dragons, about locally discovered 
A11  11 fossils. Admission to all the branches is free but the main 
A11  12 museum's shop is a source of revenue, taking pounds156,000 last 
A11  13 year.<p/>
A11  14 <p_>All the museums are under some degree of threat with charge 
A11  15 capping leading to a jobs freeze. The council has to cut pounds5 
A11  16 million from its budget and its museums are a discretionary area of 
A11  17 funding.<p/>
A11  18 <p_>Fred Pidgeon, vice-chairman of the leisure services committee, 
A11  19 said: <quote_>"The freeze affects the security warders and without 
A11  20 them the museums can't open. St Nicholas's isn't open some days - 
A11  21 and sometimes for weeks - because we can't find the staff, and 
A11  22 there may have to be fulltime closure."<quote/><p/>
A11  23 <p_>Last year the city put pounds2.3 million into its museums, 
A11  24 compared with pounds2 million the year before. Then, when the 
A11  25 authority was charge-capped, pounds30,000 had to be lopped off and 
A11  26 this year no allocation has so far been made while an appeal 
A11  27 against a second year's capping is pending.<p/>
A11  28 <p_>Mr Pidgeon said that keeping open the main museum was the 
A11  29 priority <quote_>"and we'll charge admission over my dead 
A11  30 body".<quote/><p/>
A11  31 
A11  32 <h_><p_>Judge acquits teacher of murdering his parents<p/>
A11  33 <p_>By Paul Wilkinson<p/><h/>
A11  34 <p_>AN UNEMPLOYED teacher accused of murdering his parents for 
A11  35 their money was acquitted yesterday after a Home Office forensic 
A11  36 scientist said he could not have committed the crime.<p/>
A11  37 <p_>Jeffery Dunkley was accused of killing his mother Miriam, aged 
A11  38 59, and his father Fred, aged 63, by battering them with a hammer 
A11  39 and dumping their bodies in their garage before setting it ablaze. 
A11  40 But yesterday at the Central Criminal Court, Dr. Clive Candy, an 
A11  41 expert in fire investigation, said Mr. Dunkley would not have time 
A11  42 to carry out the acts at the house in Wembley, north London, before 
A11  43 he visited his mother-in-law 15 minutes drive away.<p/>
A11  44 <p_>She timed his arrival as 5.45pm, right in the middle of her 
A11  45 favourite soap, <tf|>Neighbours, but the scientist, giving evidence 
A11  46 for the prosecution on the third day of the trial, said it was 
A11  47 impossible for the fire to have been started before 5.50pm. David 
A11  48 Paget, for the prosecution, then said that he would not offer 
A11  49 further evidence and the jury was directed by Mr Justice Blofeld to 
A11  50 return not-guilty verdicts.<p/>
A11  51 <p_>Outside court detectives said they had no plans to reopen the 
A11  52 case. The prosecution had contended that Mr Dunkley, aged 36, 
A11  53 carried out the killings in the 25 Minutes between his parents 
A11  54 coming home at 5.20 and his arrival at his in-laws. His alleged 
A11  55 motive was preventing them leaving their pounds250,000 estate to 
A11  56 his eight-year-old son instead of him.<p/>
A11  57 <p_>Initially detectives investigating the deaths on January 23, 
A11  58 1989 were baffled as to motive. Nothing was stolen from their home. 
A11  59 Police attention eventually focused on the son, who earlier had 
A11  60 told police he had called at his parents' home the evening they 
A11  61 died, but got no reply.<p/>
A11  62 <p_>In March last year he was charged with murder, but the 
A11  63 following month Brent magistrates dismissed the case. Three months 
A11  64 later the prosecuting authorities successfully sought a voluntary 
A11  65 bill from a High Court judge to send the case direct to jury 
A11  66 trial.<p/>
A11  67 <p_>Directing the jury to acquit Mr Dunkley, of Watford, 
A11  68 Hertfordshire, Mr Justice Blofeld said the only evidence was 
A11  69 circumstantial and the timing did not support the Crown's case.<p/>
A11  70 
A11  71 <h_><p_>Hail mars play at Lord's<p/><h/>
A11  72 <p_>AN UMPIRE at the MCC vs Middlesex cricket match at Lord's 
A11  73 donned gloves and scarves yesterday to protect himself from biting 
A11  74 winds as the April weather turned again. Spectators accustomed to 
A11  75 the odd April shower had to suffer hail as the match started (Alice 
A11  76 Thomson writes).<p/>
A11  77 <p_>Winds reached 35 knots and the temperature in London dropped to 
A11  78 5deg F. The London Weather Centre forecast strong breezes and rain 
A11  79 today, freezing temperatures at night and ground frost over the 
A11  80 weekend. A spokesman said that by Friday it would be cold and windy 
A11  81 with wintry showers.<p/>
A11  82 
A11  83 <h_><p_>Marriage rate falls but number of divorces stabilises<p/>
A11  84 <p_>By Jill Sherman, social services correspondent<p/><h/>
A11  85 <p_>FEWER single people are getting married and those who have 
A11  86 tried it once are increasingly reluctant to repeat the experience, 
A11  87 according to the latest official statistics. As four in ten 
A11  88 marriages, 37 per cent, now end in divorce, couples are instead 
A11  89 opting to live with each other without going through the marriage 
A11  90 ceremony.<p/>
A11  91 <p_>The Office of Population Censuses and Surveys reports that 
A11  92 marriage rates fell from 56 to 45 per thousand unmarried men and 
A11  93 from 45 to 38 per thousand unmarried women between 1981 and 1989. 
A11  94 Although the number of marriages has changed little since 1981 the 
A11  95 number of men and women eligible to marry has increased 
A11  96 considerably.<p/>
A11  97 <p_>The remarriage rate for divorced men and women has fallen even 
A11  98 more dramatically during the same period, from 130 to 77 per 
A11  99 thousand divorced men and from 91 to 60 per thousand divorced 
A11 100 women. In spite of that trend, one in six marriages is between 
A11 101 couples where one partner has been divorced and one in 12 is 
A11 102 between two divorcees. In 1989 there were 347,000 marriages in 
A11 103 England and Wales, 2000 fewer than the previous year. Divorce rates 
A11 104 have stayed fairly constant with 151,000 divorces in 1989, 1 per 
A11 105 cent fewer than in 1988, but up on 1987.<p/>
A11 106 <p_>The report also shows that couples are waiting until they are 
A11 107 older before committing themselves to marriage. The median age of 
A11 108 grooms is now at 27.7 years, while for brides it is 25.6 years. 
A11 109 Couples are most a risk of a marital break-up during their mid to 
A11 110 late 20s. Thirty-one in every thousand husbands in this age group 
A11 111 divorced, against 29 in every thousand wives.<p/>
A11 112 <p_>The report shows that three-quarters of couples who divorced in 
A11 113 1989 had married as a bachelor and spinster. In a further 16 per 
A11 114 cent, one partner was divorcing again and in 8 per cent both 
A11 115 partners were divorcing again.<p/>
A11 116 <p_>The report predicts that one in four children would experience 
A11 117 divorce in their family before reaching 16. However, the actual 
A11 118 numbers involved fell by 1 per cent between 1988 and 1989 to 
A11 119 148,000 children under 16.<p/>
A11 120 <p_>Fifty-four per cent of divorces granted to wives were awarded 
A11 121 on husbands' unreasonable behaviour and about one-quarter on 
A11 122 husbands' adultery. In one in six cases (17 per cent) the divorce 
A11 123 was awarded after two years' separation.<p/>
A11 124 <O_>table: marriages and divorces 1979-89<O/>
A11 125 
A11 126 <h_><p_>North Sea deal over dismissal of strikers<p/>
A11 127 <p_>By Kerry Gill<p/><h/>
A11 128 <p_>NORTH Sea oil and gas companies are expecting a summer of 
A11 129 industrial peace after agreement was reached yesterday between 
A11 130 unions and the Offshore Contractors' Council over the dismissal 
A11 131 last year of workers who took part in unofficial strikes.<p/>
A11 132 <p_>A panel of council representatives and union officials is to 
A11 133 examine outstanding grievances of men dismissed and who want to 
A11 134 return to work offshore. Those who were dismissed will have 14 days 
A11 135 to lodge grievances after the first meeting of the panel.<p/>
A11 136 <p_>The agreement excludes workers who have cases outstanding at 
A11 137 industrial tribunals, have received redundancy payments or who have 
A11 138 been re-engaged on contracts.<p/>
A11 139 <p_>Last year's series of unofficial 24-hour strikes involved 
A11 140 thousands of men employed by contractors on offshore work. The 
A11 141 dispute was an attempt to improve working conditions and safety. 
A11 142 Many workers were dismissed after holding sit-ins on platforms but 
A11 143 a truce was called to let the official unions hold talks with the 
A11 144 employers.<p/>
A11 145 
A11 146 <h_><p_>Professors defend training of teachers<p/>
A11 147 <p_>By John O'Leary<p/>
A11 148 <p_>higher education correspondent<p/><h/>
A11 149 <p_>THE heads of university teacher training departments yesterday 
A11 150 launched a counterattack on critics who accuse them of frustrating 
A11 151 the government's attempts to raise standards in schools.<p/>
A11 152 <p_>At a press conference in London to announce increased demand 
A11 153 for training places, the Universities Council for the Education of 
A11 154 Teachers issued a statement saying that many of critics were 
A11 155 ill-informed and politically motivated.<p/>
A11 156 <p_>The professors emphasised that the content of their courses, 
A11 157 including the balance between theory and practice, had to be 
A11 158 approved by the education secretary. <quote_>"The criticisms that 
A11 159 too much time is spent on psychology and on sociology are patently 
A11 160 false."<quote/><p/>
A11 161 <p_>Professor Tony Becher, of Sussex university, said: <quote_>"The 
A11 162 Tory party is dominated by raving right-wing think tanks."<quote/> 
A11 163 Some publications that it had issued had contained falsehood 
A11 164 couched in terms calculated to attract publicity, he said.<p/>
A11 165 
A11 166 <h_><p_>Sharp increase in railway suicides<p/>
A11 167 <p_>By Michael Dynes, transport correspondent<p/><h/>
A11 168 <p_>THE number of suicides on London Underground has increased by 
A11 169 40 per cent since the 1960s, similar to the rise on mainline 
A11 170 railways, an international conference on railway suicide was told 
A11 171 yesterday.<p/>
A11 172 <p_>Figures show that 3,240 people committed suicide on London 
A11 173 Underground between 1940 and 1990. There are now on average 100 
A11 174 incidents on the network each year, about 60 of which end in death. 
A11 175 Most incidents involve young males, many of whom are receiving 
A11 176 psychiatric help and have no fixed home. The research shows that a 
A11 177 disproportionate number of suicide attempts are at stations near 
A11 178 psychiatric hospitals.<p/>
A11 179 <p_>The findings are the interim results of a three-year project 
A11 180 commissioned by London Underground to identify why people jump 
A11 181 under trains, the effects of such incidents on staff, the 
A11 182 disruption caused, and how suicide attempts can be discouraged. The 
A11 183 research is being conducted by Richard Farmer and a team from the 
A11 184 public health and epidemiology department of Charing Cross and 
A11 185 Westminster medical school.<p/>
A11 186 <p_>Train drivers have a one in 35 chance of being involved with a 
A11 187 suicide attempt every year. That increases to one in 20 on the 
A11 188 Northern Line because of the high number of psychiatric hospitals 
A11 189 on the route. Researchers found that a "one under" club had 
A11 190 developed among drivers who encountered suicide attempts.<p/>
A11 191 <p_>Those drivers often have post-traumatic stress disorders and 
A11 192 depression, including flashbacks, feelings of guilt, sleepless 
A11 193 nights and difficulty in driving trains. Stresses may lead to 
A11 194 alcoholism, marital problems, and phobias, highlighting a need for 
A11 195 better counselling.<p/>
A11 196 <p_>Henry Fitzhugh, marketing director of London Underground, said: 
A11 197 <quote_>"When someone throws themselves under a train at Victoria 
A11 198 station in the middle of the rush hour, it locks up the system for 
A11 199 about an hour, and that has a time value of pounds50.000 to 
A11 200 pounds70.000."<quote/><p/>
A11 201 <p_>People attempting suicide tended to opt for something they 
A11 202 thought would work, Dr. Fitzhugh said. However, 46 per cent of 
A11 203 people who attempted suicide by throwing themselves under a train 
A11 204 survived, often severely maimed, he said.<p/>
A11 205 <p_>London Underground is hoping to reduce the number of suicide 
A11 206 attempts by examining station layouts, reducing the risk of death 
A11 207 with more pits under the tracks along platforms, and liaising with 
A11 208 psychiatric hospitals to identify vulnerable patients.<p/>
A11 209 
A11 210 <h_><p_>Court finds against social fund appeals<p/>
A11 211 <p_>By Jill Sherman<p/>
A11 212 <p_>social services correspondent<p/><h/>
A11 213 <p_>THREE men who were refused payments from the government's 
A11 214 social fund failed in their challenge in the High Court 
A11 215 yesterday.<p/>
A11 216 <p_>Lord Justice Mann ruled that the government was entitled to 
A11 217 exclude some claims from the fund, which he described as 
A11 218 <quote_>"the last public resort to which impoverished members of 
A11 219 society can turn"<quote/>.<p/>
A11 220 <p_>John Healey, aged 48, had appealed against a refusal to give 
A11 221 him pounds150 for clothing after being discharged from a 
A11 222 psychiatric home. Fund officers had denied the money because he was 
A11 223 in residential care, a category which can be excluded from 
A11 224 eligibility for social fund payments. The judge said that this 
A11 225 interpretation of the rules was correct.<p/>
A11 226 <p_>Harry Smith, who lives in a caravan in a layby at Dilwyn, 
A11 227 Hereford and Worcester, with his wife and daughter, wanted 
A11 228 pounds1,000 to replace his caravan which was small and damp. 
A11 229 However, the judge said the claim was to cover costs excluded from 
A11 230 the fund.<p/>
A11 231 <p_>The court also upheld directives which excluded Sam Stitt, of 
A11 232 Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, from receiving pounds85 to help to pay for 
A11 233 assistance in looking after his six children while he was on an 
A11 234 employment training scheme.<p/>
A11 235 
A12   1 <#FLOB:A12\><h_><p_>Church Gays Row<p/><h/>
A12   2 <p_>A TOP churchman who launched a pulpit blast against gay 
A12   3 marriages and women priests was confronted by a furious worshipper 
A12   4 yesterday.<p/>
A12   5 <p_>The Archdeacon of York, the Venerable George Austin, said the 
A12   6 Church of England was <quote_>"suffering from a sickness from which 
A12   7 it might never recover."<quote/> He called for the Church to be 
A12   8 split and told supporters of gay marriages and female priests: 
A12   9 <quote_>"We cannot worship with you."<quote/><p/>
A12  10 <p_>As the 60-year-old Archdeacon left the nave of York's famous 
A12  11 Minster, one fuming worshipper accused him of <quote_>"misusing the 
A12  12 pulpit."<quote/> The man, who refused to be named, said later: 
A12  13 <quote_>"I was very distressed and told him so."<quote/><p/>
A12  14 <p_>The Archdeacon also slammed people who questioned miracles and 
A12  15 the virgin birth.<p/>
A12  16 
A12  17 <h_><p_>Snoozing wife killed by wasp<p/><h/>
A12  18 <p_>A WASP sting killed a pensioner in just ten minutes 
A12  19 yesterday.<p/>
A12  20 <p_>Hazel Smith, 71, was stung inside the mouth as she snoozed 
A12  21 under a plum tree in her garden.<p/>
A12  22 <p_>She staggered into the house but collapsed in front of her 
A12  23 horrified husband, Vernon, 68.<p/>
A12  24 <p_>He tried to revive his wife as her mouth swelled up, 
A12  25 restricting her breathing. But she died before an ambulance reached 
A12  26 the home in Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset.<p/>
A12  27 <p_>Allergy expert Dr Alan Franklyn said <quote_>"toxic 
A12  28 shock"<quote/> from stings affected about one in a hundred 
A12  29 people.<p/>
A12  30 
A12  31 <h_><p_>IRA planted fire-bombs<p/>
A12  32 <p_>by MIRROR REPORTER<p/><h/>
A12  33 <p_>THE IRA yesterday threatened a fire-bomb war as it claimed 
A12  34 responsibility for the deadly devices discovered in London in the 
A12  35 past week.<p/>
A12  36 <p_>Three were found under the seat of a Tube train at a depot in 
A12  37 Hammersmith, forcing a big search of the Underground.<p/>
A12  38 <p_>On Saturday, a device was uncovered at a bookshop in Charing 
A12  39 Cross Road in the West End.<p/>
A12  40 <p_>And last month, the nearby Cambridge pub was fire-bombed.<p/>
A12  41 <p_>Yesterday in Dublin, the IRA said all three incidents were its 
A12  42 work. They also admitted planting similar devices in April, at a 
A12  43 Manchester shopping precinct and Preston rail station.<p/>
A12  44 <p_>It is the first time the IRA has used fire-bombs in mainland 
A12  45 Britain.<p/>
A12  46 <p_>And they warned that attacks would continue.<p/>
A12  47 
A12  48 <h_><p_>Our war secrets are dumped on rubbish tip<p/>
A12  49 <p_>By Peter Kane<p/><h/>
A12  50 <p_>SECRET papers about vital war weapons and anti-terrorist 
A12  51 systems have been found dumped near John Major's home.<p/>
A12  52 <p_>The bundle of 46 documents - some stamped 'Confidential' in red 
A12  53 letters - were uncovered on a rubbish tip.<p/>
A12  54 <p_>The tip is only a few miles from the Prime Minister's home at 
A12  55 Huntingdon, Cambs.<p/>
A12  56 <p_>The papers include details on how to operate weapons. One is 
A12  57 the remote-controlled Army robot - codenamed Wheelbarrow - used to 
A12  58 inspect suspect terrorist bombs on the streets of Northern 
A12  59 Ireland.<p/>
A12  60 <p_><tf_>The discovery is sure to embarrass Mr Major and Ministers 
A12  61 anxious to crack down on security blunders.<tf/><p/>
A12  62 <p_>In the hands of terrorists the papers would give an almost 
A12  63 complete, step-by-step guide to many strategic weapons.<p/>
A12  64 <h|>Rockets
A12  65 <p_>A 27-page Defence Ministry book lists the ex-directory phone 
A12  66 numbers of defence staff and foreign attaches in London.<p/>
A12  67 <p_><tf_>The Wheelbarrow dossier's ten chapters reveal the secret 
A12  68 workings of the life-saving robot.<tf/><p/>
A12  69 <p_>A document meant only for Army commanders gives details about 
A12  70 flares, rockets and two anti-tank missiles - Hot and Hellfire - 
A12  71 fired from Lynx combat helicopters.<p/>
A12  72 <p_>A brochure on the Challenger tank - used impressively in the 
A12  73 Gulf War - reveals details about its computerised firing control 
A12  74 system.<p/>
A12  75 <p_><quote_>"The contents of this book may not be made available to 
A12  76 any third party,"<quote/> says a warning.<p/>
A12  77 <p_>A handbook and separate maintenance manual on the crowd-control 
A12  78 riot gun, Arwen Ace, says users can accurately hit ringleaders at 
A12  79 100 metres... <quote_>"well beyond stone-throwing 
A12  80 range."<quote/><p/>
A12  81 <p_>The gun is made at the Government's former Royal Ordnance 
A12  82 factory in Nottingham.<p/>
A12  83 <p_>Another paper details security arrangements at one of the key 
A12  84 arms factories near London.<p/>
A12  85 <p_><tf_>It tells of plans for alarm systems linked with New 
A12  86 Scotland Yard and the Metropolitan Police.<tf/><p/>
A12  87 <p_>The Defence Ministry refused to comment on the dumped 
A12  88 secrets.<p/>
A12  89 <p_>The Daily Mirror will today hand all the documents to the 
A12  90 police for inspection.<p/>
A12  91 
A12  92 <h_><p_>Sainsbury joins food price war<p/>
A12  93 <p_>By JAN WALSH<p/><h/>
A12  94 <p_>SAINSBURY opens fire in its food price war against Tesco today 
A12  95 with a salve of big savings.<p/>
A12  96 <p_>The heftiest cut is 37 per cent off fresh English leg of lamb - 
A12  97 down from pounds1.88 to pounds1.18 a pound.<p/>
A12  98 <p_>Brown bread, farmhouse cheddar, red dessert apples, tomatoes 
A12  99 and four-pack cans of bitter are also far cheaper.<p/>
A12 100 <p_>The savings are not as many or as huge as Tesco's most 
A12 101 sensational - but those ended at the weekend.<p/>
A12 102 <p_>And although Sainsbury offers only about 10 special reductions 
A12 103 a week, the promotion is set to go on until December 23.<p/>
A12 104 
A12 105 <h_><p_>Pilot gets jailed for heli-crash<p/>
A12 106 <p_>By WILLIAM DANIELS<p/><h/>
A12 107 <p_>A VETERAN ex-Army helicopter pilot was jailed yesterday for 
A12 108 killing two passengers during a terrifying low-flying 'war games' 
A12 109 display.<p/>
A12 110 <p_>Businessmen Christopher Durrant and Richard Smith died when the 
A12 111 helicopter struck a power line 27ft above the ground.<p/>
A12 112 <p_>They were passengers when 41-year-old pilot John Wright 
A12 113 demonstrated a <quote_>"Falklands run"<quote/> along a narrow 
A12 114 wooded valley.<p/>
A12 115 <p_>He went into a severe dive and plummeted from 1,000ft to 
A12 116 30ft.<p/>
A12 117 <h|>Radar
A12 118 <p_>Then, at speeds of almost 200mph, he hopped over hedges, jinked 
A12 119 past trees and banked steeply from side to side.<p/>
A12 120 <p_>It was the sort of flying Army pilots did in the Falklands to 
A12 121 avoid Argentine radar, he told them.<p/>
A12 122 <p_>A jury at Stafford Crown Court found Wright, of Carluke, 
A12 123 Lanarkshire, guilty of manslaughter. He was jailed for 18 
A12 124 months.<p/>
A12 125 <p_>The court heard that for 10 years pilots employed by the JCB 
A12 126 digger firm had thrilled visitors being ferried to the firm's 
A12 127 headquarters in Rocester, Staffs, by low flying.<p/>
A12 128 
A12 129 <h_><p_>Flagship hospital boss out<p/><h/>
A12 130 <p_>THE FINANCE chief of the Government's flagship opt-out hospital 
A12 131 quit yesterday after falling out with bosses.<p/>
A12 132 <p_>Peter Burroughs resigned as finance director of Guy's in London 
A12 133 less than 24 hours after an official visit by Prime Minister John 
A12 134 Major.<p/>
A12 135 <p_>Mr Burroughs, who led Guy's application to opt out of the NHS, 
A12 136 blamed <quote_>"differences of opinion"<quote/> with the trust 
A12 137 board of the hospital, which is heading for a pounds6.8 million 
A12 138 loss.<p/>
A12 139 <p_>Last night Labour health spokesman Robin Cook called for a halt 
A12 140 to the second wave of opt-outs <quote_>"until we find out what has 
A12 141 gone wrong with the flagship."<quote/><p/>
A12 142 
A12 143 <h_><p_>Fury as fish ban gets axe<p/>
A12 144 <p_>By David Bradshaw<p/><h/>
A12 145 <p_>FURIOUS MPs demanded action by Premier John Major last night 
A12 146 after the European Court overruled an Act of Parliament for the 
A12 147 first time.<p/>
A12 148 <p_>It ruled that Britain's ban on Spanish fishing boats within 200 
A12 149 miles of its shores was unlawful. The decision could allow foreign 
A12 150 boats to plunder British fish stocks and bring claims for millions 
A12 151 of pounds in compensation from Spanish fishermen.<p/>
A12 152 <p_>The Government faced immediate demands from MPs to bring in a 
A12 153 new law to keep the fishing ban.<p/>
A12 154 <p_>Anti-European Tories used the ruling to step up their campaign 
A12 155 against Brussels.<p/>
A12 156 <p_>Tory Sir Teddy Taylor said: <quote_>"This is bad news for the 
A12 157 fishing industry, but it demonstrates how much of Britain's 
A12 158 democratic power has been thrown away."<quote/><p/>
A12 159 <p_>Labour MP David Clark said it was a disaster for fishermen.<p/>
A12 160 
A12 161 <h_><p_>Big Mac gets gun guards on crazy island<p/>
A12 162 <p_>From GEOFF SUTTON in Playa de las Americas<p/><h/>
A12 163 <p_><}_><-|>GUN-TOTNG<+|>GUN-TOTING<}/> security men have been 
A12 164 hired to protect a burger bar from thugs on the booze-crazy holiday 
A12 165 isle of Tenerife.<p/>
A12 166 <p_>The two Spaniards were brought in by local McDonald's bosses 
A12 167 afraid their customers could be attacked by troublemakers who 
A12 168 terrorise tourists.<p/>
A12 169 <p_>With pistols slung from their belts, the henchmen also carry 
A12 170 truncheons and handcuffs as they stare at British youngsters 
A12 171 munching Big Macs and fries.<p/>
A12 172 <p_>Even in America's toughest areas - like New York's Bronx - 
A12 173 McDonald's does not bring in armed heavies.<p/>
A12 174 <p_>But the resort of Playa de las Americas has been dubbed The 
A12 175 Wild West, with holidaymakers falling prey to drunken gangs, drug 
A12 176 dealers and local thugs.<p/>
A12 177 <p_><tf_>Vigilante mobs patrol the streets, dishing out their own 
A12 178 punishment.<tf/><p/>
A12 179 <p_>One, Jose Garcia, has been accused of killing 19-year-old Mark 
A12 180 Staples, from Coventry, who was savagely headbutted.<p/>
A12 181 <p_>In another attack, Robert Whiting, 24, was beaten with a chair 
A12 182 by two English timeshare touts.<p/>
A12 183 <p_>Robert, from Broxbourne, Herts, suffered a fractured skull and 
A12 184 was yesterday drifting in and out of consciousness at the island's 
A12 185 main intensive care unit.<p/>
A12 186 <h|>Drunk
A12 187 <p_>Marie Mar, manageress of the McDonald's branch said: 
A12 188 <quote_>"Late at night it gets packed with kids who have gone 
A12 189 crazy.<p/>
A12 190 <p_>"They come in drunk, on drugs or whatever and our guards make 
A12 191 sure they don't misbehave."<quote/><p/>
A12 192 <p_>Thousands of young Britons flock to Tenerife for their 
A12 193 holidays.<p/>
A12 194 <p_><tf_>Many sleep rough and get cash by timeshare touting and 
A12 195 mugging.<tf/><p/>
A12 196 <p_>But Julie Grundy, 19, from Enfield, Middlesex, said: 
A12 197 <quote_>"The authorities always seem to take the Spanish side.<p/>
A12 198 <p_>"It's over the top to have guards with guns in a 
A12 199 McDonald's."<quote/><p/>
A12 200 
A12 201 <h_><p_>MY CANAL 'KILLER' DAD<p/>
A12 202 <p_>By MARTIN PHILLIPS<p/><h/>
A12 203 <p_>A MAN cleared of murder 13 years ago told a court yesterday how 
A12 204 his stepfather brutally killed 16-year-old schoolgirl Lynn 
A12 205 Siddons.<p/>
A12 206 <p_>Fitzroy Brookes, 27, claimed his father, Michael, grabbed Lynn 
A12 207 from behind by a canal.<p/>
A12 208 <p_>He said: <quote_>"He told me to stab her and I stabbed her 
A12 209 about six times, but not hard.<p/>
A12 210 <p_>"Then my father was stabbing her. He put her head in the water 
A12 211 and put his foot on her head.<p/>
A12 212 <p_>"Then he dragged her away and stabbed her a few more 
A12 213 times."<quote/><p/>
A12 214 <p_>Fitzroy Brookes had been ordered to give evidence in a High 
A12 215 Court case brought by Lynn's mother, Gail Halford.<p/>
A12 216 <p_>Mrs Halford, 46, of Derby, is suing the two men for damages 
A12 217 although neither has been convicted of Lynn's death.<p/>
A12 218 <p_>Fitzroy Brookes, 15 at the time of the killing, was cleared of 
A12 219 her murder. Michael Brookes denies any involvement and has never 
A12 220 been charged.<p/>
A12 221 
A12 222 <h_><p_>WHO KILLED SEX-MAD SAHRAH'S HUSBAND?<p/>
A12 223 <p_>Riddle as lover is cleared<p/>
A12 224 <p_>By PETER KANE<p/><h/>
A12 225 <p_>POLICE were last night deciding their next move in the hunt for 
A12 226 the killer of Andrew Pilch after his wife's lover was cleared of 
A12 227 murdering him.<p/>
A12 228 <p_>Handyman Kevin Hearle, 23, who fell for Andrew's randy wife 
A12 229 Sarah, broke down and sobbed in the dock as he was found not 
A12 230 guilty.<p/>
A12 231 <p_>The court had heard that Hearle - with the help of two 
A12 232 accomplices - strangled cerebral palsy victim Andrew, 34, in a 
A12 233 jealous rage.<p/>
A12 234 <p_>Sex-mad Sarah, 29, was the prosecution's star witness, claiming 
A12 235 she came home to discover the three fleeing the murder scene.<p/>
A12 236 <p_>But yesterday the man-eating nurse was branded a 
A12 237 <quote_>"proven liar"<quote/> by the judge, Mr Justice Ognall.<p/>
A12 238 <p_>He said the jury was free to decide she could not be trusted 
A12 239 because of her amazing sexual exploits with a string of lovers.<p/>
A12 240 <p_>The judge added: <quote_>"She repeatedly betrayed her husband. 
A12 241 You can find that a witness is wholly feckless and utterly 
A12 242 immoral.<p/>
A12 243 <p_>"And you can find that a witness is a proven liar ...as Sarah 
A12 244 Pilch obviously is."<quote/> The judge said she had claimed that 
A12 245 she and her computer expert husband were not sexually suited.<p/>
A12 246 <p_><tf_>He added: "<quote_>Bearing in mind her sexual appetite and 
A12 247 liaisons it might be difficult to find anyone with whom she was 
A12 248 sexually compatible."<quote/><tf/><p/>
A12 249 <p_>Mum-of-two Sarah had told an earlier court that she had lost 
A12 250 count of the lovers she had taken during the year before.<p/>
A12 251 <p_>Kevin Hearle, her live-in handyman, was the third of those she 
A12 252 could remember - after a carpenter and a plumber.<p/>
A12 253 <h|>Suspect
A12 254 <p_>Sarah had claimed she caught Kevin, his brother Nigel, 25, and 
A12 255 a friend, Andrew Watts, 21, red-handed at her cottage in Elsing, 
A12 256 Norfolk.<p/>
A12 257 <p_>But the court heard that she failed to tell police for four 
A12 258 days - until a series of post-mortems finally revealed Andrew had 
A12 259 been murdered.<p/>
A12 260 <p_>At the height of the murder hunt Sarah was arrested as suspect 
A12 261 but was freed without charge.<p/>
A12 262 <p_>The judge told the jury that Sarah stood to gain a 
A12 263 pounds100,000 insurance payout on her husband's death.<p/>
A12 264 <p_>He said she had been persistently dishonest when quizzed by 
A12 265 police.<p/>
A12 266 <p_><tf_>And he suggested the jury ask themselves "<quote_>Did 
A12 267 Sarah Pilch lie to protect herself because she alone - or with 
A12 268 others - killed the husband she despised?"<quote/><tf/><p/>
A12 269 <p_>After the verdict clearing all three men, the police boss in 
A12 270 charge of the murder hunt said the case was not yet closed.<p/>
A12 271 <p_>Sarah was not in court to see the men she accused walk free. 
A12 272 She has gone into hiding after finding a new love.<p/>
A12 273 
A13   1 <#FLOB:A13\><h_><p_>Leader of council quits after BCCI loss<p/><h/>
A13   2 <p_>THE LEADER of Western Isles council, which lost pounds23m in 
A13   3 the collapse of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, said 
A13   4 yesterday he was resigning.<p/>
A13   5 <p_>The Rev Donald Macaulay, convener of the council, said his 
A13   6 resignation - which he described as a matter of principle - would 
A13   7 take effect next Tuesday. He said he would continue on the council 
A13   8 as a member for the Uig division.<p/>
A13   9 <p_>Mr Macaulay faced calls for his resignation at public meetings 
A13  10 immediately after the BCCI crisis broke in July.<p/>
A13  11 <p_>His leadership was also criticised at the council's last 
A13  12 meeting, two weeks ago.<p/>
A13  13 <p_>He says in a letter: <quote_>"Although I had nothing whatsoever 
A13  14 to do with the investment of money with the bank, it is a matter of 
A13  15 honour that I show my sympathy for the people of the Western Isles 
A13  16 in the loss that we all have suffered."<quote/><p/>
A13  17 <p_>Mr Macaulay was elected convener in May last year. He had 
A13  18 previously served two four-year terms as convener when the council 
A13  19 was set up in 1975.<p/>
A13  20 <p_>Western Isles was one of more than 40 councils which had put 
A13  21 money into the bank. The funds were deposited at the discretion of 
A13  22 Donald Macleod, the finance director. An external inquiry by 
A13  23 Professor Alan Alexander into the affair is under way.<p/>
A13  24 
A13  25 <h_><p_>Rapist who broke into homes jailed for 20 years<p/><h/>
A13  26 <p_>A RAPIST who preyed on women in two south-east London suburbs 
A13  27 was jailed for 20 years by a judge at the Old Bailey yesterday.<p/>
A13  28 <p_>Ian Smith, 32, broke into terraced houses in Woolwich and 
A13  29 Charlton at night and threatened his victims with knives from their 
A13  30 kitchens, or said he would harm their children, before raping 
A13  31 them.<p/>
A13  32 <p_>Det Sgt Bernhard Page, who was in charge of the case, told the 
A13  33 court that all the victims were rehoused because they could not 
A13  34 bear to remain in their homes. They still suffered psychological 
A13  35 problems and needed counselling. He said Smith previously had a 
A13  36 string of convictions for burglary.<p/>
A13  37 <p_>Smith, of Marion Road, Charlton, was originally charged with 
A13  38 sex attacks on eight women and robbing two more, from 1988 to 1990. 
A13  39 He was found guilty of three rapes and admitted one burglary and 
A13  40 one robbery, in separate trials.<p/>
A13  41 <p_>He dismissed his counsel and defended himself in two rape 
A13  42 trials. One victim collapsed in the witness box as he forced her to 
A13  43 recount her ordeal.<p/>
A13  44 <p_>After obtaining guilty verdicts in the three trials, the 
A13  45 prosecution did not proceed with the others, to spare the women the 
A13  46 ordeal of being cross-examined by Smith. Judge Bruce Laughland 
A13  47 ordered the charges to lie on the file.<p/>
A13  48 
A13  49 <h_><p_>Council accused over sex abuse in children's homes<p/><h/>
A13  50 <p_>A REPORT into the biggest case of alleged sexual and physical 
A13  51 abuse in local authority children's homes is being examined by the 
A13  52 Department of Health, writes David Nicholson-Lord.<p/>
A13  53 <p_>The report accuses Leicestershire social services department of 
A13  54 inadequate supervision, poor discipline and political involvement 
A13  55 over 13 years from 1973.<p/>
A13  56 <p_>The department said yesterday that it took the allegations 
A13  57 <quote_>"extremely seriously".<quote/><p/>
A13  58 <p_>During an 18-month police inquiry, many former residents of 
A13  59 homes alleged that they experienced abuse including buggery, actual 
A13  60 bodily harm and gross indecency. Some staff also claimed they had 
A13  61 been abused.<p/>
A13  62 <p_>The report cites claims that the alleged perpetrators were 
A13  63 protected by <quote_>"friends in high places".<quote/><p/>
A13  64 <p_>Three men, former Leicestershire social workers, face court 
A13  65 proceedings this month over allegations of child abuse.<p/>
A13  66 
A13  67 <h_><p_>Man blames police for killing drunken cellmate, court 
A13  68 told<p/>
A13  69 <p_>By Heather Mills, Home Affairs Correspondent<p/><h_>
A13  70 <p_>A RESTAURATEUR accused of kicking and stamping to death his 
A13  71 drunken cellmate in a London police station, claimed police carried 
A13  72 out the fatal attack, an Old Bailey jury was told yesterday.<p/>
A13  73 <p_>Malcolm Kennedy, 44, who denies murder, allegedly told another 
A13  74 officer that a sergeant had entered the cell and repeatedly kacked 
A13  75 his cellmate in the head.<p/>
A13  76 <p_>Patrick Quinn, 56, was found lying face down in a pool of blood 
A13  77 in a cell, known as 'the tank', at Hammersmith police station on 
A13  78 Christmas Eve last year. His face was bruised and torn and his ribs 
A13  79 fractured. The injuries to his chest were consistent with someone 
A13  80 jumping on him with both feet, crushing his heart and larynx, it 
A13  81 was alleged.<p/>
A13  82 <p_>Mr Quinn, of Hammersmith, west London, had been sharing the 
A13  83 cell with Mr Kennedy, who had also been arrested for drunkenness, 
A13  84 the court was told.<p/>
A13  85 <p_>Timothy Langdale, for the prosecution, said Mr Kennedy had 
A13  86 blood on his hands and trousers and on his shoes, which were on the 
A13  87 bench. <quote_>"You may think there can be no other candidate when 
A13  88 you have two men locked in a cell together,"<quote/> he told the 
A13  89 jury.<p/>
A13  90 <p_>He said a feature of the case was that the prosecution could 
A13  91 not suggest a motive. The two men were unknown to each other until 
A13  92 placed in the cell. However, he said that Mr Kennedy, who had been 
A13  93 drinking heavily was <quote_>"hardly in a normal state"<quote/> and 
A13  94 that could have provoked an <quote_>"uncontrolled and sudden 
A13  95 attack"<quote/>.<p/>
A13  96 <p_>The court would hear evidence that the blood stains on his 
A13  97 shoes and clothing were consistent with him having taken part in 
A13  98 the attack.<p/>
A13  99 <p_>But Mr Kennedy, of Stoke Newington, north London, allegedly 
A13 100 told officers that he had been splashed with blood when a sergeant 
A13 101 had attacked Mr Quinn. He said he had got blood on his clothes when 
A13 102 he had gone to Mr Quinn's aid and tried to revive him.<p/>
A13 103 <p_>Mr Langdale told the jury: <quote_>"No doubt it will be 
A13 104 suggested it was someone else who carried out the attack for some 
A13 105 reason or another.<p/>
A13 106 <p_>"You will have to consider the evidence you hear about that and 
A13 107 decide is it something which casts doubt that Kennedy was 
A13 108 responsible, or is it a sign of a guilty man casting about rather 
A13 109 desperately for something to say to avoid the consequences of what 
A13 110 he did that evening?"<quote/><p/>
A13 111 <p_>The trial resumes today.<p/>
A13 112 
A13 113 <h_><p_>Ashworth patient <quote/>"killed by drug"<quote/><p/><h/>
A13 114 <p_>A PATIENT at a high security hospital probably died from an 
A13 115 unusually high dose of an anti-psychotic drug, an inquiry was told 
A13 116 yesterday.<p/>
A13 117 <p_>Sean Walton, 20, a sex offender, died on 1 March 1988 in a 
A13 118 locked seclusion room at Ashworth Hospital, Merseyside.<p/>
A13 119 <p_>A post-mortem examination failed to find the cause of death.<p/>
A13 120 <p_>Professor Malcolm Lader, of the Institute of Psychiatry at the 
A13 121 University of London, said the dosage of Pimozide given to Walton 
A13 122 had been doubled on 9 February 1988.<p/>
A13 123 <p_><quote_>"When one is using an already substantial dose of 
A13 124 anti-psychotic drugs it is cautious to give a slower 
A13 125 increase,"<quote/> he told the Liverpool inquiry investigating 
A13 126 complaints procedures at Ashworth.<p/>
A13 127 <p_>He said the dosage was <quote_>"not usual but it may have been 
A13 128 justifiable in view of the rapid deterioration in his behaviour 
A13 129 that took place in that time."<quote/><p/>
A13 130 <p_>He said: <quote_>"We now believe that Pimozide is particularly 
A13 131 related to cardiac abnormalities - but that is something that has 
A13 132 come up <}_><-|>on<+|>in<}/> the last two years or so."<quote/><p/>
A13 133 <p_>He put the chances of Pimozide causing Walton's death at 40 per 
A13 134 cent, adding: <quote_>"I believe it is the most likely 
A13 135 cause."<quote/><p/>
A13 136 <p_>Walton was sent to Ashworth when he was 15 years old after 
A13 137 pleading guilty at Chester Crown Court to charges of indecent 
A13 138 assault and abduction.<p/>
A13 139 <p_>His sister Lynn, 30, earlier told the inquiry he lived in fear 
A13 140 of the nurses who looked after him and believed people were trying 
A13 141 to kill him.<p/>
A13 142 <p_>She said when the body reached the funeral directors they told 
A13 143 family members at first it was in too much of a mess for them to 
A13 144 see.<p/>
A13 145 <p_>But they were later allowed to see him in the chapel, where he 
A13 146 appeared <quote_>"100 years old. He looked terrible. He looked 
A13 147 really bad."<quote/><p/>
A13 148 <p_>Miss Walton said: <quote_>"I saw bruising around his head, 
A13 149 definitely."<quote/><p/>
A13 150 <p_>Mark Beck, 25, a patient, said he was on 
A13 151 <}_><-|>Firs<+|>First<}/> Ward with Walton on 29 February 1988, 
A13 152 when he saw a nurse tap him three times on the head with a billiard 
A13 153 cue. <quote_>"It was like jabbing,"<quote/> he said.<p/>
A13 154 <p_>The hearing was adjourned until today.<p/>
A13 155 
A13 156 <h_><p_>Sculpture beyond the pail for suspicious US Customs<p/>
A13 157 <p_>By Steve Boggan<p/><h/>
A13 158 <p_>THE CUSTOMS officers in Philadelphia could be forgiven for 
A13 159 being suspicious of the package presented to them: three buckets 
A13 160 welded together with a sealed metal lid. Was it a bomb? Was 
A13 161 contraband inside? There was only one way to find out - to drill 
A13 162 holes in the buckets and tear off the lids.<p/>
A13 163 <p_>They discovered the buckets held nothing more sinister than 
A13 164 sand. But there was nothing harmless about their tampering. They 
A13 165 had destroyed a pounds12,100 work of art. <tf_>Third Hand<tf/> by 
A13 166 Richard Wentworth had been bought by Gene Locks, a Philadelphia 
A13 167 lawyer and gallery owner who had entrusted its safe passage to 
A13 168 British Airways. When he arrived at the airport to pick up the 
A13 169 sculpture, he was less than pleased. <quote_>"I don't know how they 
A13 170 could have failed to realise it was a work of art,"<quote/> he 
A13 171 said. <quote_>"It was in a crate, there was a photograph inside and 
A13 172 a brochure about it. I was devastated."<quote/><p/>
A13 173 <p_>Mr Locks's and BA's versions of how the sculpture came to be 
A13 174 rearranged are quite different. In a subsequent case before a 
A13 175 federal court in Philadelphia, he said the airline had accepted his 
A13 176 crate as ordinary baggage and promised to load it on his flight 
A13 177 from Britain.<p/>
A13 178 <p_>When he arrived, however, there was no crate. <quote_>"It came 
A13 179 the next day, but they didn't call me and they didn't see it safely 
A13 180 through Customs,"<quote/> he said. BA says Mr Locks checked in his 
A13 181 baggage before his flight and later tried to take the sculpture on 
A13 182 board as hand luggage, which was not allowed. BA and US Customs 
A13 183 successfully defended suits brought against them by Mr Locks. But 
A13 184 the legal judgment says that BA is liable to pay him the going rate 
A13 185 for goods damaged under the Warsaw Convention, which regulates 
A13 186 international air travel.<p/>
A13 187 <p_>That states that Mr Locks is entitled to $9.07 (pounds5.87) per 
A13 188 pound weight in compensation. The sculpture weighed 10lb. 
A13 189 <quote_>"They say they'll send me $90.70,"<quote/> he said. 
A13 190 <quote_>"I told them to keep it."<quote/><p/>
A13 191 
A13 192 <h_><p_>Baby poster 'banned' by advertising watchdog<p/><h/>
A13 193 <p_>THE ADVERTISING Standards Authority yesterday asked Benetton, 
A13 194 the fashion retailer, to withdraw a poster which shows a new-born 
A13 195 baby smeared in blood.<p/>
A13 196 <p_>The authority also asked publishers and poster contractors to 
A13 197 back the move and said the advert was <quote_>"effectively 
A13 198 banned"<quote/>. Its announcement was coupled with a sharply-worded 
A13 199 attack on the clothes company- rare for the authority which 
A13 200 operates a code of practice through widespread consent in the 
A13 201 industry. <quote_>"Benetton has displayed a conspicuous disregard 
A13 202 for the sensitivities of the public,"<quote/> a statement said.<p/>
A13 203 <p_>The watchdog group said it was reacting to more than 800 
A13 204 complaints about the posters, showing the baby with umbilical cord 
A13 205 still attached.<p/>
A13 206 <p_>A Benetton spokeswoman in London said the authority's 
A13 207 announcement had been faxed to the company's headquarters in Italy. 
A13 208 <quote_>"All I can say is that this poster was part of our 
A13 209 advertising, which has long been concerned with human links and 
A13 210 human emotions. It is a strong, profound image of a fundamental 
A13 211 moment in all human life."<quote/><p/>
A13 212 <p_>Caroline Crawford, authority spokeswoman, said the strong 
A13 213 language used in its statement was a reaction to Benetton's 
A13 214 decision to ignore its advice not to use the poster. <quote_>"In 
A13 215 practice what we have announced amounts to a ban on the 
A13 216 poster,"<quote/> she said. <quote_>"We don't have legal powers to 
A13 217 prohibit it, but our aim is clearly to have the advertisement 
A13 218 withdrawn. It is unusual for any advertiser to warrant this level 
A13 219 of criticism. But normally advertisers who seek our advice don't 
A13 220 then ignore it."<quote/> The authority had every confidence its 
A13 221 call for the poster to be withdrawn would be heeded.<p/>
A13 222 <p_>The baby poster - also being used in magazines in Italy and the 
A13 223 US - appeared on London hoardings last week, with plans for the 
A13 224 campaign to go nationwide this week.<p/>
A13 225 <p_>The authority statement said: <quote_>"Benetton have been 
A13 226 severely criticised by the advertising authority for provoking 
A13 227 public distress and outrage in their current poster campaign, which 
A13 228 they are being asked to withdraw."<quote/><p/>
A13 229 <p_>The advertising agency responsible for buying poster space for 
A13 230 the clothes company had been told in July that the advertisement 
A13 231 was likely to cause considerable offence if it appeared.<p/>
A13 232 
A14   1 <#FLOB:A14\><h_><p_>Peru's cholera epidemic spreads to its 
A14   2 neighbours<p/>
A14   3 <p_>Malcolm Coad reports from Santiago that the continent's river 
A14   4 systems may be infected<p/><h/>
A14   5 <p_>AFTER decades free of cholera, a three-month epidemic centred 
A14   6 on Peru has established South America as a world focus of the 
A14   7 disease. Experts in the region talk of it becoming endemic for at 
A14   8 least 15 years and warn that it could soon advance towards the 
A14   9 borders of the United States.<p/>
A14  10 <p_>The death toll in Peru has reached nearly 1,000, with more than 
A14  11 140,000 infected, and the first cases were confirmed this week in 
A14  12 Chile and Brazil. In both countries the cases appeared to indicate 
A14  13 what is most feared: that the continent's river systems are now 
A14  14 infected, making the spread of the disease extremely difficult to 
A14  15 control.<p/>
A14  16 <p_>In Ecuador, the country's Medical Association said 100 people 
A14  17 had died of a total of 5,000 cases, and accused the government of 
A14  18 suppressing information about the epidemic in the interests of 
A14  19 tourism and the country's fishing industry. Officially, 59 people 
A14  20 have died and 682 more are sick.<p/>
A14  21 <p_>In Colombia, also a neighbour of Peru, one death and 81 cases 
A14  22 have been reported in border areas. But health ministry sources 
A14  23 estimated that if the outbreak takes serious hold it could lead to 
A14  24 more than 85,000 cases.<p/>
A14  25 <p_>Cholera thrives where sewage is pumped directly into seas and 
A14  26 rivers, vegetable crops are irrigated by untreated water and 
A14  27 sanitary systems are fragile. Spread by human faeces in water and 
A14  28 food, it is easily cured if caught early, but otherwise can kill 
A14  29 within hours.<p/>
A14  30 <p_>Latin America has suffered few cases since early this century, 
A14  31 and the last serious epidemics were in the 1880s. Peruvian experts 
A14  32 believe that this outbreak was brought by ship from Asia and spread 
A14  33 through miserable local sanitary conditions and fish caught along 
A14  34 the country's coastline.<p/>
A14  35 <p_>From fishing and industrial towns on Peru's northern coastline, 
A14  36 the disease spread inland to the the country's Amazon region and 
A14  37 across the Ecuadorean border, apparently carried by ocean currents 
A14  38 and fishermen who work on either side of the frontier.<p/>
A14  39 <p_><quote_>"Cholera will remain in Ecuador for about 15 years, and 
A14  40 will become endemic,"<quote/> said Francisco Plaza, the head of 
A14  41 Ecuador's Medical Association, echoing similar warnings by Peruvian 
A14  42 experts. Mr Plaza added that the country's main river, the Guayas, 
A14  43 was infected.<p/>
A14  44 <p_>The cases in Brazil, one confirmed and three likely, are in the 
A14  45 Amazon town of Tabatinga, where Brazil, Colombia and Peru meet. 
A14  46 Experts believe that the infection was brought from Peru by the 
A14  47 local river, the Solimoes, the main originating branch of the 
A14  48 Amazon.<p/>
A14  49 <p_>This, and the presence of hundreds of thousands of illegal gold 
A14  50 diggers moving between the Colombian Amazon region and Brazil's 
A14  51 main cities, has led the Brazilian authorities to expect a serious 
A14  52 outbreak, potentially affecting up to 3 million Brazilians.<p/>
A14  53 <p_>The case in Chile, confirmed in Santiago on Tuesday, also 
A14  54 appeared to be due to infection of vegetables by contaminated river 
A14  55 water - though the origin is a mystery, given the city's distance 
A14  56 from infected countries and lack of direct river connection with 
A14  57 them.<p/>
A14  58 <p_>Last weekend, Presidents Jorge Serrano of Guatemala, Rafael 
A14  59 Callejas of Honduras and Rafael Calder<*_>o-acute<*/>n of Costa 
A14  60 Rica met in Guatemala to discuss ways of preventing the spread of 
A14  61 the epidemic through Central America, where its arrival is expected 
A14  62 imminently.<p/>
A14  63 <p_>The three leaders called for urgent aid, especially from the US 
A14  64 and Mexico, for regional prevention programmes.<p/>
A14  65 <p_><quote_>"With this we will not only prevent disasters from the 
A14  66 illness in Central America, but help prevent cholera from spreading 
A14  67 to the United States and Mexico,"<quote/> said President 
A14  68 Calder<*_>o-acute<*/>n.<p/>
A14  69 <p_>Similar calls for help are likely from Saturday when regional 
A14  70 health ministers begin a three-day meeting in Sucre, Bolivia, to 
A14  71 discuss the crisis.<p/>
A14  72 
A14  73 <h_><p_>Care threat lifted on abuse case children<p/>
A14  74 <p_>Peter Hetherington<p/><h/>
A14  75 <p_>THE nine children at the centre of the Orkney child abuse row 
A14  76 will not be taken into care again unless <quote_>"miraculous new 
A14  77 evidence"<quote/> is produced.<p/>
A14  78 <p_>Rowan MacCallum, the Orkney Islands council's director of 
A14  79 administration and legal services, said a court would almost 
A14  80 certainly rule further place of safety orders 
A14  81 <quote|>"incompetent".<p/>
A14  82 <p_>Earlier, Paul Lee, the social work director, had declined to 
A14  83 give an assurance that the children, who were taken from their 
A14  84 homes six weeks ago then reunited with parents, would not be 
A14  85 returned to care.<p/>
A14  86 <p_>Mr MacCallum later clarified the position. He said that in 
A14  87 theory Mr Lee could begin the process again. But he added: 
A14  88 <quote_>"For the nine children I do not think there is any danger 
A14  89 of them being taken in unless some miraculous new evidence was 
A14  90 forthcoming."<quote/><p/>
A14  91 <p_>At a special council meeting yesterday councillors called for a 
A14  92 full judicial inquiry into the controversy after categorical 
A14  93 denials from Mr Lee that more children had been placed on an 
A14  94 <quote_>"at risk"<quote/> register.<p/>
A14  95 <p_>Mr Lee, backed by his committee chairman, promised more 
A14  96 resources and new policy options to handle allegations of child 
A14  97 abuse.<p/>
A14  98 <p_>Councillors heard that the council, unlike other authorities, 
A14  99 had no guidelines or procedures for handling abuse cases when the 
A14 100 nine children, aged from eight to 15, were taken from their homes 
A14 101 in dawn raids on the island of South Ronaldsay.<p/>
A14 102 <p_>They were reunited with parents two weeks ago after a judge 
A14 103 described allegations of ritual abuse as fatally flawed. This week 
A14 104 the acting administrator of Orkney Children's Panel announced that 
A14 105 he would be appealing to Scotland's Court of Session.<p/>
A14 106 <p_>Members yesterday heard that their small social work 
A14 107 department, which had to enlist the help of other agencies and 
A14 108 mainland social workers to round up the nine children, had been 
A14 109 underfunded and under<?_>-<?/>staffed for a long time.<p/>
A14 110 <p_>The meeting only began after the convener, Jackie Tait, and Mr 
A14 111 MacCallum threatened to call police to eject several reporters 
A14 112 because the session had been billed as private.<p/>
A14 113 <p_>Eventually the press was admitted and councillors voted to hold 
A14 114 part of the meeting in public, against the advice of Mr Tait and Mr 
A14 115 MacCallum.<p/>
A14 116 <p_>With some South Ronaldsay parents and their supporters sitting 
A14 117 behind councillors, Mr Lee emphasised that there was no list of 
A14 118 <quote_>"21 or 23 children"<quote/> believed to be at risk.<p/>
A14 119 <p_>Earlier, one councillor, Spencer Rosie, who has strongly 
A14 120 criticised the social work department, said Orkney had been denied 
A14 121 proper local child abuse guidance and procedures involving other 
A14 122 agencies although he had raised the question of such an approach 
A14 123 two years ago.<p/>
A14 124 <p_>It had not been possible to proceed because the authority had 
A14 125 been in dispute with the children's panel administrator, who was 
A14 126 suspended last year. She is appealing against the decision.<p/>
A14 127 <p_>Mr Rosie wanted assurances that children would no longer be 
A14 128 taken from Orkney to foster homes on the mainland.<p/>
A14 129 <p_>Mairhi Trickett, the social work committee chairman, replied: 
A14 130 <quote_>"I do not think we will ever be able to make a bland 
A14 131 statement that we will not send children outside 
A14 132 Orkney."<quote/><p/>
A14 133 <p_>She said that Mr Lee, who took over a year ago, had now got new 
A14 134 management and staff - but since November (when the allegations 
A14 135 apparently began) the department had been extremely stretched and 
A14 136 new procedures had to be put to one side <quote_>"to get the work 
A14 137 done."<quote/><p/>
A14 138 <p_>Councillors decided to hold another meeting behind closed doors 
A14 139 when representatives from the Royal Scottish Society for the 
A14 140 Prevention of Cruelty to Children could give more details.<p/>
A14 141 
A14 142 <h_><p_>Fewer treated from NHS waiting lists<p/>
A14 143 <p_>David Brindle, Social Services Correspondent<p/><h/>
A14 144 <p_>FEWER patients are being treated from hospital waiting lists, 
A14 145 official figures revealed yesterday as the Government congratulated 
A14 146 itself on treating more patients than ever before.<p/>
A14 147 <p_>The fall in the number of people receiving in-patient and 
A14 148 day-case care was disclosed in the delayed waiting list figures for 
A14 149 England for September 1990. Ministers published the statistics to 
A14 150 coincide with a Labour-inspired Commons debate on the National 
A14 151 Health Service.<p/>
A14 152 <p_>The figures show a fall in the number of patients waiting for 
A14 153 treatment, a total 906,400, and the number of those waiting longer 
A14 154 than a year, 202,700; a further 51,200 are not counted because they 
A14 155 had deferred their operations.<p/>
A14 156 <p_>However, the totals do not tally with those calculated last 
A14 157 December by the Guardian and last February by the Health Service 
A14 158 Journal, each of which separately obtained the figures which the 14 
A14 159 health regions said they were submitting to the Department of 
A14 160 Health for the September count.<p/>
A14 161 <p_>Both these round-ups showed a rise in the number of people 
A14 162 waiting.<p/>
A14 163 <p_>On the same basis as the official figures, both the Guardian 
A14 164 and the journal produced totals of more than 940,000, rising from 
A14 165 an official total of 912,800 for March 1990.<p/>
A14 166 <p_>Comparison of yesterday's statistics with those given to the 
A14 167 Guardian shows that 13 of the 14 health regions have had their 
A14 168 figures reduced markedly. Only Mersey is given the same figures as 
A14 169 those it originally announced.<p/>
A14 170 <p_>The department said it was possible the figures had changed 
A14 171 during the detailed validation process, ensuring they were all 
A14 172 presented on precisely the same terms. <quote_>"We are confident 
A14 173 that the statistics are correct."<quote/><p/>
A14 174 <p_>The figures reveal that 138,000 patients were taken off waiting 
A14 175 lists in the six months to last September 30 <quote_>"for reasons 
A14 176 other than treatment"<quote/>, reflecting the drive to clear the 
A14 177 lists of 'phantom patients' no longer needing or considered to need 
A14 178 operations.<p/>
A14 179 <p_>William Waldegrave, Health Secretary, said the figures showed 
A14 180 good progress in cutting waiting times. There had been a fall of 
A14 181 2.5 per cent in numbers waiting longer than a year, and provisional 
A14 182 returns for the period from last September to February indicated a 
A14 183 further fall of 12 per cent.<p/>
A14 184 <p_>However, the statistics show that 12,300 fewer patients were 
A14 185 treated from waiting lists in the six months to last September.<p/>
A14 186 <p_>Robin Cook, the shadow health secretary, said the figures were 
A14 187 the worst September totals on record. <quote_>"It is breathtaking 
A14 188 that ministers should be using today's debate in Parliament to 
A14 189 congratulate themselves on their stewardship of the 
A14 190 NHS."<quote/><p/>
A14 191 <p_>Dr Jeremy Lee-Potter, chairman of the British Medical 
A14 192 Association's ruling council, said: <quote_>"The fact that patients 
A14 193 still have to wait 21 weeks to get into hospital for treatment and 
A14 194 12 weeks for day surgery demonstrates yet again that the health 
A14 195 service has not got enough money to treat patients in a reasonable 
A14 196 time."<quote/><p/>
A14 197 
A14 198 <h_><p_>Oil spill reaches Italian beaches<p/>
A14 199 <p_>Reuter in Genoa<p/><h/>
A14 200 <p_>SOUTH-EASTERLY winds yesterday blew thick oil from a sunken 
A14 201 supertanker on to Italian Riviera beaches which had previously 
A14 202 escaped pollution.<p/>
A14 203 <p_>Hundreds of soldiers, volunteers, hoteliers and fishermen 
A14 204 worked frantically to scoop up oily slime from beaches after a 
A14 205 sudden weather change pushed floating crude landwards, blackening 
A14 206 pebbly shores.<p/>
A14 207 <p_>In Rome the environment minister, Giorgio Ruffolo, said that an 
A14 208 all-out effort was under way to contain the pollution caused after 
A14 209 the 109,000-ton Cypriot-registered tanker Haven blew up last 
A14 210 Thursday.<p/>
A14 211 <p_><quote_>"We have avoided a catastrophe. What we have is just a 
A14 212 grave accident,"<quote/> the minister told reporters.<p/>
A14 213 <p_>Mr Ruffollo said that anti-pollution vessels earlier this week 
A14 214 skimmed off just under a third of the 145,000 barrels of crude oil 
A14 215 estimated to have leaked into the sea. The tanker, carrying more 
A14 216 than one million barrels of crude, sank in the Bay of Genoa on 
A14 217 Sunday after a three-day blaze.<p/>
A14 218 <p_><quote_>"Until now we believed that most of the crude was still 
A14 219 inside the tanker. Thanks to underwater pictures, we now know that 
A14 220 what is left is less than we estimated,"<quote/> he said.<p/>
A14 221 <p_>Local authorities are promising that the Ligurian coast will be 
A14 222 clean in time for the tourist season. Liguria earns $2 billion 
A14 223 a year from northern European sun-bathers.<p/>
A14 224 <p_>"We are optimistic everything will be cleaned up. We won't 
A14 225 sleep until it is," said Giuseppe Monti, a Savona 
A14 226 hotel<?_>-<?/>owner. <quote_>"It would be a terrible blow if it 
A14 227 wasn't."<quote/> Hoteliers in Savona, one of the towns most 
A14 228 affected by the spill, say that 10 per cent of foreign tour groups 
A14 229 have yet to confirm their bookings.<p/>
A14 230 <p_>In Genoa, renowned for its fine fish dishes, people have shied 
A14 231 away from seafood since the Haven sank, apparently convinced that 
A14 232 local fish are polluted.<p/>
A14 233 
A14 234 <h_><p_>Infiltrator kills Israeli farmer<p/><h/>
A14 235 <p_>An Israeli farmer was shot dead and three others injured in a 
A14 236 border settlement yesterday by an Arab infiltrator who crossed from 
A14 237 Jordan. It was the area's second clash in three days. The Arab was 
A14 238 also killed, <tf_>writes Ian Black in Jerusalem.<tf/><p/>
A14 239 
A15   1 <#FLOB:A15\><h_><p_>Jones & Shipman plans significant US 
A15   2 expansion<p/>
A15   3 <p_>By Andrew Baxter<p/><h/>
A15   4 <p_>JONES & SHIPMAN, the Leicester-based machine tool manufacturer, 
A15   5 plans a significant expansion of its US activities through the 
A15   6 acquisition of Rhode Island-based Brown & Sharpe Grinding Machines 
A15   7 (BSGM), a joint venture between J&S and Brown & Sharpe of the 
A15   8 US.<p/>
A15   9 <p_>J&S has reached agreement in principle to acquire Brown & 
A15  10 Sharpe's share of BSGM, which was set up in 1989 to provide a 
A15  11 marketing and servicing facility for the two companies in North 
A15  12 America.<p/>
A15  13 <p_>No terms for the deal were disclosed, but the sum is unlikely 
A15  14 to be large. At the end of last month Brown & Sharpe, once the 
A15  15 largest US machine tool maker, announced it was pulling out of the 
A15  16 industry to concentrate on its metrology products.<p/>
A15  17 <p_>Mr John Wareing, J&S managing director, said the acquisition 
A15  18 would make the Leicester company solely responsible for sales and 
A15  19 service of its machines in North America. Additionally, J&S will 
A15  20 acquire the rights to Brown & Sharpe's Hi-Tech creep-feed grinders 
A15  21 and Techmaster surface grinders. Production will be moved from 
A15  22 Rhode Island to Leicester.<p/>
A15  23 <p_>Creep-feed machines grind the workpiece at a slow pace but with 
A15  24 deep cuts, and are ideal for composite materials and ceramics which 
A15  25 would crack under normal grinding. J&S will now be able to compete 
A15  26 with three European manufacturers of creep-feed grinders, which are 
A15  27 heavily used by the aerospace industry.<p/>
A15  28 <p_>Mr Wareing said the deal would add at least pounds3m-pounds4m 
A15  29 to annual sales. In the 15 months to end-March 1990, the company 
A15  30 made pre-tax profits of pounds2.1m on sales of pounds30.9m.<p/>
A15  31 
A15  32 <h_><p_>Chile changes the rules for conversion<p/>
A15  33 <p_>The central bank has responded to pressure from investors, 
A15  34 writes Leslie Crawford<p/><h/>
A15  35 <p_>CHILE'S central bank, under pressure from foreign and Chilean 
A15  36 investors, has relaxed the rules of its debt-equity conversion 
A15  37 programme.<p/>
A15  38 <p_>Foreign companies who used debt swaps to invest in Chile can 
A15  39 now repatriate capital after three years, instead of the 10 years 
A15  40 stipulated in the original debt-conversion contracts.<p/>
A15  41 <p_>But those who wish to unlock their investments before 10 years 
A15  42 will have to pay a penalty. The central bank says it will charge an 
A15  43 exist fee based on the length of time the company has been in 
A15  44 Chile, and on the bonus the company gained through the purchase of 
A15  45 Chilean debt at a discount on the secondary markets.<p/>
A15  46 <p_>The central bank says the exit fee will put companies who 
A15  47 invested through debt swaps, otherwise known as Chapter XIX of the 
A15  48 Compendium of Foreign Exchange Regulations, on an equal footing 
A15  49 with foreign investors who brought their own capital into Chile.<p/>
A15  50 <p_>The central bank adopted these more flexible rules due to the 
A15  51 difficulties two large foreign investors are having in trying to 
A15  52 pull out of Chile. Carter Holt Harvey, the New Zealand forestry 
A15  53 group, is seeking a buyer for its $500m stake in Copec, Chile's 
A15  54 largest private industrial group, and Security Pacific, the US 
A15  55 bank, has been unable to sell 60 per cent of its Chilean bank.<p/>
A15  56 <p_>Both companies were among the first to take advantage of the 
A15  57 incentives offered by Chile's debt swap programme. Carter Holt 
A15  58 bought into Copec in 1987 with a $161m debt swap.<p/>
A15  59 <p_>It later expanded its Chilean holdings in forestry, cellulose 
A15  60 production and fishing with $135m of its own resources. It also 
A15  61 launched a $1.2bn investment programme with Chile's Angelini group, 
A15  62 the other main shareholder in Copec.<p/>
A15  63 <p_>Given that the bulk of these investments will begin to bear 
A15  64 fruit next year, when Copec's $600m Arauco II cellulose plant comes 
A15  65 on stream, Carter Holt's plans to sell its Chilean assets came as a 
A15  66 surprise, The New Zealand group said in February that the sale 
A15  67 would ease the company's debt burden following a series of 
A15  68 acquisitions in Australia and at home.<p/>
A15  69 <p_>But under the old Chapter XIX rules, Carter Holt's divestment 
A15  70 plans hit a snag: it had signed a pact with Mr Anacleto Angelini in 
A15  71 1987 giving his group the first option to purchase Carter Holt's 
A15  72 Copec shares if the New Zealanders ever decided to pull out of 
A15  73 Chile. And by selling to a Chilean group, the proceeds would remain 
A15  74 tied in Chile until 1997.<p/>
A15  75 <p_>So Copec joined the growing chorus of corporate critics against 
A15  76 the central bank. <quote_>"It is grossly unfair to forbid Chileans 
A15  77 from taking over these investments,"<quote/> says Mr Jose Antonio 
A15  78 Guzman Dumas, Copec's vice-president.<p/>
A15  79 <p_>Security Pacific says it is in a different boat. It set up 
A15  80 operations in Santiago in 1987, converting $68m of Chilean debt 
A15  81 that it held in its own books. <quote_>"The subsidy issue therefore 
A15  82 does not arise,"<quote/> argues Mr Rodrigo Mu<*_>n-tilde<*/>oz, the 
A15  83 general manager at Security Pacific Valores.<p/>
A15  84 <p_>The US bank, which has closed operations in several European 
A15  85 capitals in order to strengthen reserves at home, says it would not 
A15  86 be pulling out of Chile completely. It wants to sell 60 per cent of 
A15  87 its Chilean assets to the bank's local employees. This has already 
A15  88 been approved by Chile's banking regulators.<p/>
A15  89 <p_>With the new Chapter XIX rules, both Security Pacific and 
A15  90 Carter Holt will be able to unlock their investments in Chile, 
A15  91 subject to the central bank's exit fee.<p/>
A15  92 <p_>The new rules effectively spell the end of Chile's 
A15  93 debt-conversion programme, which has retired $3.6bn of debt over 
A15  94 the past six years. For the past year, critics have argued that the 
A15  95 usefulness of the scheme had run its course and that the central 
A15  96 bank was deliberately blocking Chileans from participating in the 
A15  97 country's investment bonanza.<p/>
A15  98 <p_>With Chilean debt now trading at close to 85 per cent of par 
A15  99 value in the secondary markets, there is very little to gain from 
A15 100 Chapter XIX swaps. They have all but ceased. Direct foreign 
A15 101 investment, however, totalled over $1.4bn last year.<p/>
A15 102 <p_>The critics argued that with so much money pouring into the 
A15 103 country, the central bank could afford to be more flexible in its 
A15 104 foreign investment rules. By easing restrictions now, at a time 
A15 105 when the country's net international reserves total a record 
A15 106 $5.73bn, the central bank will be averting a sudden swell of 
A15 107 capital repatriation in the second half of the decade.<p/>
A15 108 
A15 109 <h_><p_>A better tale for 1991<p/><h/>
A15 110 <p_>After last year's investment setback, equity market buoyancy in 
A15 111 the first quarter of 1991 has dramatically changed the pension fund 
A15 112 picture, writes Barry Riley. But scheme surpluses are likely to 
A15 113 fall, partly because of the European Court judgment on sex 
A15 114 equality.<p/>
A15 115 <p_>IT WAS important to get 1990 out of the way. After a brilliant 
A15 116 decade for investment performance during the 1980s, UK pension fund 
A15 117 managers were overdue for a market setback. In fact, the minus 10.5 
A15 118 per cent median rate of return was the first negative result in 
A15 119 nominal terms since 1974.<p/>
A15 120 <p_>But fund managers will now be hoping that the shake-out in the 
A15 121 markets has been left well behind. Certainly the first quarter of 
A15 122 1991 has presented a dramatically different picture, with equities 
A15 123 buoyant around the world: the FT-Actuaries World Index jumped 21 
A15 124 per cent in sterling terms in the three months, a highly 
A15 125 encouraging statistic given that the average UK pension fund held 
A15 126 around three-quarters of its portfolio in equities at the end of 
A15 127 last year.<p/>
A15 128 <p_>This stock market strength has been of considerable commercial 
A15 129 importance. The fees of external fund managers are generally 
A15 130 calculated on the basis of the value of portfolios at the end of 
A15 131 each calendar quarter. When stock markets hit their low points at 
A15 132 the end of the third quarter of 1990, fund managers were squeezed 
A15 133 nastily, while their costs were rising quite fast. It was not much 
A15 134 better in December. But March will have brought a substantial 
A15 135 recovery in income.<p/>
A15 136 <p_>For UK pension schemes themselves, however, the arithmetic of 
A15 137 poverty or prosperity is done very differently. Surpluses and 
A15 138 deficiencies are calculated on the basis of actuarial rather than 
A15 139 market valuations. In general, these are income-based, certainly 
A15 140 for UK equities, which make up more than half of most 
A15 141 portfolios.<p/>
A15 142 <p_>Therefore, because dividends continued to be buoyant for much 
A15 143 of last year, with a rise of 11 per cent for the year as a whole, 
A15 144 many schemes stayed comfortably in surplus.<p/>
A15 145 <p_>In a curious way, this turned out badly for fund management 
A15 146 companies. The over<?_>-<?/>funded pension schemes very often 
A15 147 enjoyed contribution holidays, thus choking off much of the cash 
A15 148 flow into their funds.<p/>
A15 149 <p_>According to the WM Company's performance measurement service 
A15 150 the new money flowing into UK occupational pension schemes in 1980 
A15 151 was equivalent to 19 per cent of their initial value, whereas 10 
A15 152 years later it was less than 4 per cent, implying net shrinkage 
A15 153 after adjustment for investment income.<p/>
A15 154 <p_>The strange 1990 picture of bloated funds and squeezed fund 
A15 155 managers will now change quite quickly, however. Not only have 
A15 156 market values risen, thus increasing the investment managers' 
A15 157 revenues quite sharply, but the scene is set for a very rapid 
A15 158 rundown of pension scheme surpluses.<p/>
A15 159 <p_>This is firstly because dividend growth is bound to slow down 
A15 160 very sharply this year. After averaging an extraordinary 16 per 
A15 161 cent a year during the second half of the 1980s, the rate of 
A15 162 increase may well drop to under 5 per cent for 1991 because of the 
A15 163 economic squeeze on companies. This increase is likely to be less 
A15 164 than the underlying growth of average employee earnings (still 
A15 165 running at 9.5 per cent).<p/>
A15 166 <p_>Another important consideration is that large unfunded 
A15 167 liabilities are crystallising for many pension schemes. These 
A15 168 relate in part to the so-called Barber judgment in the European 
A15 169 Court on equal treatment for the sexes, which could impose equal 
A15 170 retirement ages and other expensive adjustments on schemes. At the 
A15 171 same time, the Social Security Act 1990 laid down that partial 
A15 172 inflation-proofing of benefits (limited price indexation, or LPI, 
A15 173 of up to a limit of 5 per cent a year) must be applied in future, 
A15 174 after a certain A-Day, the date of which has yet to be announced. 
A15 175 In addition, to the extend that there are surpluses in the scheme, 
A15 176 this LPI protection must be backdated to cover past service.<p/>
A15 177 <p_>What is bad news for schemes could nevertheless be good for 
A15 178 pension fund managers, as extra contributions and top-ups begin to 
A15 179 roll in; at least, this will be true unless the pressure on final 
A15 180 salary-linked schemes becomes so intense that companies decided to 
A15 181 wind them up in favour of cheaper arrangements.<p/>
A15 182 <p_>In these potentially troubled times, however, UK pension fund 
A15 183 managers can justifiably point to the very high returns that they 
A15 184 have succeeded in generating over many years. According to the 
A15 185 other main performance measurement service, Caps, the average rate 
A15 186 of return achieved by the median fund over the past 10 years has 
A15 187 been 15.4 per cent.<p/>
A15 188 <p_>This is a considerably high return than has been enjoyed by 
A15 189 typical funds in the US or on the Continent, even after adjustment 
A15 190 for currency changes. The uniquely aggressive strategy of UK funds, 
A15 191 relying heavily on equities, has paid off handsomely. The one bad 
A15 192 year, 1990, has only made a small dent in this record.<p/>
A15 193 <p_>In the latest edition of Phillips & Drew Fund Management's 
A15 194 <tf_>Pension Fund Indicators<tf/>, perhaps the best source-book on 
A15 195 UK pension fund investment, Mr Jim McCaughan, a PDFM director, 
A15 196 argues: <quote_>"The long-term investor might justifiably regard 
A15 197 the unsettled market conditions of 1990 as a blessing since 
A15 198 opportunities were presented to acquire investments at favourable 
A15 199 prices."<quote/><p/>
A15 200 <p_>Yet the equity orientation of UK pension funds has relied 
A15 201 heavily on the willingness of British companies to adopt a high 
A15 202 pay-out strategy. That has led to criticism from the UK corporate 
A15 203 sector on the grounds that continental and Japanese companies do 
A15 204 not face the same pressures from their own institutional 
A15 205 shareholders.<p/>
A15 206 <p_>Moreover the entry of the UK to full membership of the European 
A15 207 Monetary System six months ago posed the possibility of fundamental 
A15 208 structural change. Has the focus of UK funds on equities been 
A15 209 merely the consequence of persistent UK inflation? Will bonds be 
A15 210 much more attractive if they offer a reliable real rate of return? 
A15 211 But Mr McCaughan does not see UK fund managers going back to 
A15 212 government bonds, in which they invested heavily during the 1970s. 
A15 213 <quote_>"Pension funds no longer see themselves as natural buyers 
A15 214 of gilts,"<quote/> he says.<p/>
A15 215 
A16   1 <#FLOB:A16\><h_><p_>Bad news all round in the year of the cash 
A16   2 call<p/>
A16   3 <p_>Gloom is the key word for the results season, as Heather Connon 
A16   4 reports<p/><h/>
A16   5 <p_>COMPANIES representing 40 per cent of the value of the stock 
A16   6 market are due to publish results in the next six weeks. And the 
A16   7 picture they paint is likely to be one of almost unremitting 
A16   8 gloom.<p/>
A16   9 <p_>The results will cover the first six months of the year when 
A16  10 Britain was in the grip of one of the worst recessions since the 
A16  11 war. Companies as diverse as BAT Industries and BTR, George Wimpey 
A16  12 and T&N, all reporting this week, will demonstrate this as they 
A16  13 report plummeting profits, or even losses. Later in the month, RTZ, 
A16  14 Rolls Royce, Ratners, Dalgety and Prudential Corporation are likely 
A16  15 to add to the stream of bad news.<p/>
A16  16 <p_>But even the worst reporting season for a decade is unlikely to 
A16  17 halt the stately rise of the FT-SE 100, up more than a quarter 
A16  18 since the beginning of the year. The market already knows the news 
A16  19 will be bad - after all, its analysts have spent the best part of 
A16  20 the last year downgrading forecasts. But this is expected to be the 
A16  21 worst period and the market's eyes are firmly on the upside, which 
A16  22 means next year and 1993.<p/>
A16  23 <p_>It is, however, still possible that the reporting season will 
A16  24 cause the market to falter. The two key factors will be the level 
A16  25 of rights issues and what company chairmen say about current 
A16  26 trading.<p/>
A16  27 <p_>This has been the year of the rights issue. Already, companies 
A16  28 have raised more than pounds7bn to repair ravaged balance sheets 
A16  29 and to prepare them for the upturn. Most analysts expect at least a 
A16  30 further pounds3bn of cash calls by the year-end, which will put the 
A16  31 total at pounds10m compared with only pounds3.7bn last year and 
A16  32 pounds7bn in the peak year of 1987. There are many potential 
A16  33 candidates with large borrowings and low interest and dividend 
A16  34 cover. The market favourites, however, are Blue Circle - which 
A16  35 reports on Thursday - and Cadbury Schweppes, which produces 
A16  36 interims on 11 September.<p/>
A16  37 <p_>So far, most of the cash calls have been easily absorbed. But 
A16  38 the institutional cash mountain is fast being depleted. Analysts at 
A16  39 UBS Phillips&Drew estimate that institutions were holding 
A16  40 pounds25bn at the beginning of the year. Since then, they have not 
A16  41 only swallowed the rights issues, but also the pounds4.9bn water 
A16  42 privatisation and added significantly to their holdings of gilts - 
A16  43 perhaps by as much as pounds10bn by the end of the year. Paul 
A16  44 Walton, UK equity strategist at James Capel, thinks future rights 
A16  45 issues could start straining institutional tolerance, and companies 
A16  46 asking for more funds could see their shares suffer - particularly 
A16  47 if they have been forced to offer a large discount to get the issue 
A16  48 away. So far, the discount to the share price has averaged about 20 
A16  49 per cent; as the year goes on, that could grow.<p/>
A16  50 <p_>For most companies reporting over the next few weeks, the 
A16  51 statement on current trading will be studied with much more 
A16  52 interest than the figures themselves. The hope is that chairmen 
A16  53 will now be saying the economy is bumping along the bottom and 
A16  54 there are glimmers of hope on the horizon.<p/>
A16  55 <p_>County NatWest believes unexpectedly bad news could mean a 
A16  56 period of consolidation. But, as Mr Walton says, that is likely to 
A16  57 be the lull before the surge as the recovery picks up next year.<p/>
A16  58 
A16  59 <h_><p_>Headlam acquisition near<p/><h/>
A16  60 <p_>THE FOOTWEAR company Headlam Group, were Colin Wyman was ousted 
A16  61 as chairman in May, said yesterday that it was involved in talks to 
A16  62 make a <quote_>"very substantial acquisition"<quote/>, writes 
A16  63 Robert Cole.<p/>
A16  64 <p_>The company said negotiations to buy a textiles distribution 
A16  65 concern with a turnover of pounds85m were near to completion.<p/>
A16  66 <p_>The news prompted a flurry of activity in the Northampton-based 
A16  67 company's shares. The stock closed up 4p at 62p.<p/>
A16  68 <p_>On figures for 1990 the acquisition will increase the size of 
A16  69 the company threefold. Headlam made pounds458,000 pre-tax profits 
A16  70 in 1990 on sales of pounds23.3m, down from pounds936,000 
A16  71 previously.<p/>
A16  72 <p_>Releasing the annual results in April, Headlam said it was 
A16  73 persevering with its acquisitive policy despite having drawn a 
A16  74 blank on several occasions.<p/>
A16  75 
A16  76 <h_><p_>Why laggard GEC needs new boss<p/>
A16  77 <p_>Clare Dobie, City Editor, argues that finally Lord Weinstock's 
A16  78 day has come<p/><h/>
A16  79 <p_>LORD Weinstock once said he would know when to leave GEC. 
A16  80 Nobody would have to tell him.<p/>
A16  81 <p_>But after 28 years as managing director of Britain's biggest 
A16  82 electronics company, that time has now come. Once regarded as the 
A16  83 country's most brilliant industrialist, his reputation has become 
A16  84 tarnished.<p/>
A16  85 <p_>'Arnie' has outstayed his welcome. The company he created 
A16  86 through an unusual combination of spark and attention to detail is 
A16  87 in decline, with falling profits and a lagging share price.<p/>
A16  88 <p_>Investors, who are seeing other shares race ahead, have a rare 
A16  89 chance to express their views on Friday at the company's annual 
A16  90 meeting. But experience suggests none will voice criticism.<p/>
A16  91 <p_>To be fair, they have little power. Though shareholders will be 
A16  92 asked to vote on the position of his 39-year-old son, Simon, they 
A16  93 will not have the chance to vote on Lord Weinstock's continued 
A16  94 presence on the board, despite his 67 years of age. Other directors 
A16  95 are subject to re-election every three years, but not Lord 
A16  96 Weinstock. Thanks to a provision in the company's articles, adopted 
A16  97 in 1900, the managing director is exempt from the requirement for 
A16  98 re-election.<p/>
A16  99 <p_>While many shareholders privately criticise the company's 
A16 100 recent performance, they are reluctant to say anything unfavourable 
A16 101 in public. He remains widely revered for the achievements of the 
A16 102 1960s.<p/>
A16 103 <p_>A statistics graduate and former civil servant, he joined what 
A16 104 was to become GEC at the invitation of his father-in-law. Michael 
A16 105 Sobell, in 1954. In 1967, it acquired Associated Electrical 
A16 106 Industries and a year later English Electric.<p/>
A16 107 <p_>Unlike the AEI bid, the deal with EE, then the largest merger 
A16 108 seen in the UK, was friendly. It had the backing not just of Lord 
A16 109 Nelson, who headed EE, but of the Labour government.<p/>
A16 110 <p_>GEC was seen as a standard-bearer for Britain in general and 
A16 111 the electronics industry in particular (something which would be 
A16 112 anathema to the present Government, with its opposition to picking 
A16 113 winners). Lord Weinstock became an industrial hero, credited with 
A16 114 single-handedly improving Britain's balance of payments. He was 
A16 115 widely feared and respected.<p/>
A16 116 <p_>Relations with government have remained an important feature of 
A16 117 the company's operations, in part reflecting its dependence on the 
A16 118 Ministry of Defence. The current chairman is Lord Prior, the former 
A16 119 secretary of state for employment. And his predecessors include 
A16 120 former Tory ministers Lords Carrington and Aldington.<p/>
A16 121 <p_>Several other characteristics visible in 1968, the 
A16 122 anno<&|>sic! mirabilis, remain traits of the company to 
A16 123 this day. They include meanness (the company is known ironically as 
A16 124 the Generous Electric Company), attention to detail - Lord 
A16 125 Weinstock reportedly once said, <quote_>"Once you drop the detail 
A16 126 then I believe the justification for my activity comes to an 
A16 127 end"<quote/> - and a determination to have cash in the bank.<p/>
A16 128 <p_>Over the years the style may have hardly changed but the 
A16 129 performance has - for the worse. In the past 10 years, pre-tax 
A16 130 profits, earnings per share and net assets have all fallen in real 
A16 131 terms (after adjusting for the effects of inflation).<p/>
A16 132 <p_>But GEC's stated pre-tax profits rose 40 per cent. In the same 
A16 133 period the profits of two other leading British companies, ICI and 
A16 134 Marks and Spencer, rose by 190 and 177 per cent respectively.<p/>
A16 135 <p_>Its performance also looks dull by the side of overseas 
A16 136 electronics companies such as Siemens of Germany, where after-tax 
A16 137 profits rose 228 per cent in the last decade.<p/>
A16 138 <p_>GEC's poor profits performance has been reflected on the stock 
A16 139 market. Anyone investing pounds100 in GEC's shares 10 years ago 
A16 140 would find they were worth almost the same today, though the 
A16 141 pounds100 buys substantially less.<p/>
A16 142 <p_>The same amount invested in either ICI or M&S would have been 
A16 143 worth more than pounds400 - although an investor in GEC would have 
A16 144 received some compensation in the form of dividends.<p/>
A16 145 <p_>There are other causes for concern about GEC's recent record. 
A16 146 The company is well known for having a huge cash pile, which peaked 
A16 147 at pounds1,7bn in 1987.<p/>
A16 148 <p_>While the cash has saved GEC from any financial embarrassment 
A16 149 during the recession, it also suggests the company has failed to 
A16 150 find industrial projects offering comparable returns.<p/>
A16 151 <p_>Research and development spending, though high by UK standards, 
A16 152 lags behind the company's international competitors. Assuming the 
A16 153 company's disclosed spending of pounds435m was by the 
A16 154 majority-owned companies, R&D accounted for 7.2 per cent of sales 
A16 155 last year, against 11 per cent at Siemens. Another worry is the 
A16 156 continuing dependence on the (declining) defence industry. Broker 
A16 157 BZW reckons it accounts for 23 per cent of attributable profits.<p/>
A16 158 <p_>Then there was the loss in 1986 of the Nimrod defence contract 
A16 159 after nine years and nearly pounds1bn. This was a major blow, 
A16 160 putting into doubt GEC's reputation as a reliable defence 
A16 161 supplier.<p/>
A16 162 <p_>Lord Weinstock responded with spirit, instructing managers to 
A16 163 double profits in the next three or four years. Collectively, they 
A16 164 failed to deliver.<p/>
A16 165 <p_>He then took a different approach, launching a second bid for 
A16 166 Plessey, long a thorn in GEC's side, in 1989 together with 
A16 167 Siemens.<p/>
A16 168 <p_>The bid was accompanied by a dramatic switch of strategy. 
A16 169 Having criticised Plessey for forming joint ventures, GEC went 
A16 170 about linking up with not just Siemens, but Alsthom of France and 
A16 171 General Electric of the US as well.<p/>
A16 172 <p_>For a short period Lord Weinstock appeared to be back to his 
A16 173 old form, taking the initiative. His sense of humour seemed to 
A16 174 improve as he announced each successive deal.<p/>
A16 175 <p_>But the promise of that period has not been fulfilled.<p/>
A16 176 <p_>GEC and Siemens have virtually gone their separate ways, and 
A16 177 their only remaining major joint venture is GPT, the 
A16 178 telecommunications company.<p/>
A16 179 <p_>The business owned by GE is small, focused on domestic 
A16 180 appliances. And the larger venture with Alsthom, which makes power 
A16 181 plants and fast trains, has so far proved financially 
A16 182 disappointing.<p/>
A16 183 <p_>Margins in the joint ventures were 4.4 per cent against 9.2 per 
A16 184 cent for the majority-owned businesses.<p/>
A16 185 <p_>As well as performance, there are worries that the joint 
A16 186 ventures may have made GEC less vulnerable to a bid.<p/>
A16 187 <p_>In other circumstances a takeover might be the market's 
A16 188 solution to the problem of underperformance.<p/>
A16 189 <p_>But any bidder, even assuming he could obtain approval from the 
A16 190 MoD for a change of control, would risk losing large chunks of 
A16 191 business to the joint venture partners.<p/>
A16 192 <p_>If market forces cannot change GEC, who or what can?<p/>
A16 193 <p_>Shareholders, including Prudential Corporation which owns 7 per 
A16 194 cent of the company, must be among the best placed to put pressure 
A16 195 on the board. (The Prudential's former head of investments is a 
A16 196 director of GEC).<p/>
A16 197 <p_>Though the larger institutions have proved ready to intervene 
A16 198 in the affairs of small companies such as Tace, with sales of 
A16 199 pounds36m, they are often reluctant to act in the case of larger 
A16 200 companies such as GEC, which has sales of pounds9,5bn and 119,000 
A16 201 employees.<p/>
A16 202 <p_>The larger institutions nearly all profess to be interested in 
A16 203 what has become known as <quote_>"corporate governance"<quote/>. If 
A16 204 it is to mean anything, they must act over GEC. Otherwise how can 
A16 205 their repeated call for companies to appoint non-executives to 
A16 206 boards, to split the roles of chairmen and chief executives and for 
A16 207 improved access be taken seriously?<p/>
A16 208 <p_>If shareholders have had a quiet word with Lord Weinstock or 
A16 209 his fellow directors, it has not had any noticeable effect. If they 
A16 210 have not, why not? Are they scared?<p/>
A16 211 <p_>Some suggest that in recognition of Lord Weinstock's earlier 
A16 212 achievements, they are prepared to wait for him to retire, 
A16 213 presumably within the next three years. They might, however, speak 
A16 214 out if there was any sign of his son succeeding him to the top 
A16 215 job.<p/>
A16 216 <p_>Other would rather the authorities - effectively the Bank of 
A16 217 England - acted, presumably remaining behind the scenes, to put 
A16 218 pressure on him to step down.<p/>
A16 219 <p_>But if neither the shareholders nor the bank does move, it 
A16 220 would be up to the directors. They could get rid of Lord Weinstock. 
A16 221 He should be quick to take the hint. Back in 1968 he said: 
A16 222 <quote_>"If they [the directors] ceased to trust me I would have to 
A16 223 go."<quote/><p/>
A16 224 
A17   1 <#FLOB:A17\><h_><p_>Villain with a voice of honey<p/>
A17   2 <p_>Alan Rickman is best known for a string of sinister roles - but 
A17   3 he hates being typecast, he tells James Delingpole<p/><h/>
A17   4 <p_>AT ONE stage Alan Rickman threatened to smash my face in. At 
A17   5 least I thought he did. But I wasn't quite paying attention. His 
A17   6 voice has such as mesmeric quality that it is terribly easy to 
A17   7 drift off on the delicious musicality of his speech and forget what 
A17   8 it is he is actually saying.<p/>
A17   9 <p_>It came towards the end of our chat. Someone had mentioned 
A17  10 beforehand that Rickman was not an easy person to interview, so it 
A17  11 was some time before I plucked up the courage to ask him any really 
A17  12 difficult questions.<p/>
A17  13 <p_>But when at last I accused him of being cold, cynical and 
A17  14 reptilian, he struck. <quote_>"I'm really interested in not having 
A17  15 brick walls put up in front of me,"<quote/> he said, referring to 
A17  16 those journalists who sought to reduce him to a few easy 
A17  17 adjectives. <quote_>"And if it means the brick builder gets my fist 
A17  18 in their face, then so be it."<quote/><p/>
A17  19 <p_>So, as I discovered when I played back my tape of the 
A17  20 interview, his threat had not been as direct as I had imagined. But 
A17  21 he had made his point. Alan Rickman does not like being 
A17  22 typecast.<p/>
A17  23 <p_>The problem is that, for much of his career, he has been unable 
A17  24 to avoid it. He has played the demonic lead in <tf|>Mephisto, the 
A17  25 camp but chilling baddies in <tf_>Die Hard<tf/> and <tf_>Robin 
A17  26 Hood: Prince of the Thieves<tf/>, the icy Valmont in <tf_>Les 
A17  27 Liaisons Dangereuses<tf/>... None of these people are exactly the 
A17  28 sort you'd trust to look after your cat while you are away on 
A17  29 holiday.<p/>
A17  30 <p_>What must make it even more frustrating for Rickman is that he 
A17  31 is so terribly good at playing these villains. When his Sheriff of 
A17  32 Nottingham snarls <quote_>"No more merciful beheadings!"<quote/> 
A17  33 you long to see his goodie-goodie rival, Kevin Costner's Robin 
A17  34 Hood, swinging from the nearest gibbet.<p/>
A17  35 <p_>This was the reason why Costner decided to re-shoot and re-edit 
A17  36 the film. Rickman denies that there was any friction on the set, 
A17  37 but it is an open secret that, when preview audiences saw the film 
A17  38 in its original form, they found the Sheriff much more sympathetic 
A17  39 than Robin.<p/>
A17  40 <p_>Robin Hood may well be the last time Rickman plays the second 
A17  41 string to anybody's bow. Hollywood loves him. So does the West End 
A17  42 and Broadway, where he distinguished himself in <tf_>Les Liaisons 
A17  43 Dangereuses<tf/>. And even the British film industry has reason to 
A17  44 be grateful for his performances in its latest offerings, 
A17  45 <tf_>Close My Eyes<tf/> and <tf_>Truly, Madly, Deeply<tf/>.<p/>
A17  46 <p_>Rickman may have reached an age at which, as he told one 
A17  47 interviewer, he is <quote_>"too old to play Hamlet"<quote/>, but 
A17  48 virtually any other leading part he wants is there for the asking. 
A17  49 At last, he believes, he will be able to confound those casting 
A17  50 directors who simply want him to repeat his best-known roles.<p/>
A17  51 <p_>It is understandable that his hackles rise when he is accused 
A17  52 of specialising in cold, arid cynics. In his defence he cites 
A17  53 <tf_>The Lucky Chance<tf/> at the Royal Court. <quote_>"I was 
A17  54 playing somebody completely open, energised, with a mission, not at 
A17  55 all cynical, not at all laid-back, not at all any of those words 
A17  56 and people said "Gosh, I didn't know you could do 
A17  57 that.'"<quote/><p/>
A17  58 <p_>Perhaps he just been<&|>sic! unlucky. It was not his 
A17  59 fault that, say, the television series <tf_>The Barchester 
A17  60 Chronicles<tf/> - in which he played the loathsome Obadiah Slope - 
A17  61 succeeded, while the film <tf_>The January Man<tf/> - in which he 
A17  62 played a nice guy - did not.<p/>
A17  63 <p_>And yet, he does have this peculiar ability to invest even his 
A17  64 most likeable characters with a vaguely chilling quality. In 
A17  65 <tf_>Close My Eyes<tf/>, for example, he plays a generous - and 
A17  66 totally harmless - rich cuckold. But Rickman endows his character 
A17  67 with such an intense inner life that you suspect that, at any 
A17  68 moment, he might be about to commit some monstrous act of 
A17  69 violence.<p/>
A17  70 <p_>When I put this to him, Rickman adopts a pained expression. 
A17  71 <quote_>"There is a certain warmth, I would have thought,"<quote/> 
A17  72 he says, before suggesting that what I saw as coldness was in fact 
A17  73 <quote|>"watchfulness". Seeing I am not convinced, he goes on: 
A17  74 <quote_>"This is me. I have a certain pitch to my voice, a certain 
A17  75 way of framing my sentences."<quote/><p/>
A17  76 <p_>And there is some truth in that. He speaks slowly, deliberately 
A17  77 and almost dreamily, with each phrase fading languorously into a 
A17  78 honeyed, dying fall. He sounds intelligent, sometimes sibilantly 
A17  79 dangerous, but always ineffably seductive.<p/>
A17  80 <p_>This could well be Rickman's secret. It is why, for example, 
A17  81 his portrayal of the callous rou<*_>e-acute<*/> in <tf_>Les 
A17  82 Liaisons Dangereuses<tf/> was so painfully sympathetic. And why, 
A17  83 after an hour's exposure to his hypnotic charm, I felt a desperate 
A17  84 urge to write the most gushingly favourable interview sycophancy 
A17  85 could devise.<p/>
A17  86 <p_>He works this trick yet again in his latest West End play, 
A17  87 <tf_>Tango at the End of Winter<tf/>. Although he is playing a 
A17  88 madman, Rickman does it with such quiet reasonableness that his 
A17  89 character's weird vision of the world threatens to overwhelm the 
A17  90 supposedly sane view of those who surround him.<p/>
A17  91 <p_>It may sound reminiscent of <tf_>King Lear<tf/> or <tf_>Henry 
A17  92 IV<tf/>, but the difference is that Shakespeare and Pirandello give 
A17  93 their characters a head start by granting them the most compelling 
A17  94 speeches. The text of <tf_>Tango<tf/> does not have this 
A17  95 sophistication. The skill is all Rickman's.<p/>
A17  96 <p_>While there is now no shortage of directors willing to pay 
A17  97 tribute to his talents, it was not always so. Rickman entered RADA 
A17  98 late - having trained as a graphic designer at Chelsea and The 
A17  99 Royal College of Art - and it was some time before he found his 
A17 100 feet on the stage.<p/>
A17 101 <p_><quote_>"When Alan first came to Stratford,"<quote/> one RSC 
A17 102 director recalls, <quote_>"it was terribly embarrassing. There was 
A17 103 one season when he was so awful that we had a directors' meeting 
A17 104 and we asked each other 'What <tf_>are<tf/> we going to do with 
A17 105 him?' But then he just grew up. And suddenly every one wanted this 
A17 106 wonderful new leading man."<quote/><p/>
A17 107 <p_>Rickman himself does not set too much store by his stint at 
A17 108 Stratford. <quote_>"I was with the RSC for three years but I also 
A17 109 spent seven years doing plays at the Bush, at Hampstead, and the 
A17 110 Royal Court, which I regard just as much as my spiritual 
A17 111 home."<quote/><p/>
A17 112 <p_>He resents the way regional theatre has declined since 
A17 113 <quote_>"Thatcher put the boot in"<quote/>. He explains: 
A17 114 <quote_>"When I left drama school you could go to a repertory 
A17 115 theatre and be in a Shakespeare play or something large where you 
A17 116 could go and make ghastly mistakes. About the only places where you 
A17 117 can do that now are the RSC and the National. Everyone's making 
A17 118 their mistakes in great big places."<quote/><p/>
A17 119 <p_>When talking about the <quote_>"state of the theatre"<quote/>, 
A17 120 Rickman sounds almost excited - which is to say that his voice 
A17 121 rises a few decibels higher than his customary half-whisper. The 
A17 122 only other time he appears to stir from his customary languor is 
A17 123 when I attempt to define him with a few glib adjectives.<p/>
A17 124 <p_>Just as he loathes typecasting, so he is unwilling to have his 
A17 125 personality summed up in a newspaper profile. Which may be why 
A17 126 Rickman has acquired his "difficult" reputation and why - albeit 
A17 127 with a sharky grin - he made his little remark about fists and 
A17 128 brick walls.<p/>
A17 129 
A17 130 <h_><p_>'Gaslight' amid the candyfloss<p/>
A17 131 <p_>Byron Rogers makes a pilgrimage to Sheringham, where England's 
A17 132 last seaside rep company is ending its summer season<p/><h/>
A17 133 <p_>ENGLAND ends here, at the North Sea, and its traditions survive 
A17 134 in the way an empire survives in its extremities long after the 
A17 135 centre has crumbled. You get the growing sensation when you arrive 
A17 136 in Sheringham in Norfolk that you have stepped back 40 years. There 
A17 137 are no Chinese or Indian restaurants, few multiple stores, and 
A17 138 people live above their shops the way they did everywhere once. 
A17 139 Just down the coast at Cromer is the last end-of-pier variety show 
A17 140 and here the last English seaside rep is in summer season.<p/>
A17 141 <p_><quote_>"I came here on holidays when I was seven,"<quote/> 
A17 142 says John Laing, who finds himself back again after a long absence, 
A17 143 this time to act. <quote_>"The town's not changed at all, perhaps 
A17 144 because it's so small, so inaccessible. People come here to die. If 
A17 145 we're lucky they'll come to watch weekly rep, and then 
A17 146 die."<quote/><p/>
A17 147 <p_>Whatever happens in his subsequent career the actor will never 
A17 148 forget Wednesdays: Wednesdays was when the weekly change round 
A17 149 occurred. In the morning he rehearsed and in the evenings appeared 
A17 150 in the last performance of the old week's play. When all that was 
A17 151 over he helped to pull down one set and build another.<p/>
A17 152 <p_>John Laing will remember panic too, an old friend by the end. 
A17 153 Three days before he was due to star in <tf_>Gaslight<tf/> earlier 
A17 154 this season, he prowled the rehearsal stage, colliding with 
A17 155 furniture and still reading his part aloud. In five weeks he was to 
A17 156 appear in five different productions. Nothing, not even the wistful 
A17 157 terror of old actors (<quote_>"My dear boy, weekly rep ... 
A17 158 Omigod"<quote/>) had prepared him for this. <quote_>"On stage it is 
A17 159 a matter of who stands where and who sits down where. There's no 
A17 160 time for anything else."<quote/><p/>
A17 161 <p_>But mostly he will remember the local woman in the ticket box. 
A17 162 The company had taken a risk staging Christopher Fry's <tf_>A 
A17 163 Phoenix Too Frequent<tf/>, a verse play, but as the curious 
A17 164 shuffled in from the beach she had her finest hour. <quote_>"It's 
A17 165 set in a tomb,"<quote/> she explained to the customers. 
A17 166 <quote_>"The husband's dead and his widow's going to sit there 
A17 167 until she dies too."<quote/> And he heard her say without drawing 
A17 168 breath, <quote_>"It's a comedy."<quote/><p/>
A17 169 <p_>The last year-round weekly rep closed in the 1970s in 
A17 170 Bexhill-on-Sea, and actress Gillian Kerrod, still in her thirties 
A17 171 and another of the Sheringham hoofers this summer, marvelled that 
A17 172 she should remember its Penguin Players, who now seem part of that 
A17 173 pre-history when actors were expected to provide their own 
A17 174 wardrobes and travelled with skips full of formal dress.<p/>
A17 175 <p_>The Little Theatre at Sheringham is a remarkable place, with 
A17 176 seating for only 200, but everything you would expect to find in a 
A17 177 commercial theatre is here in miniature: the bar, the 
A17 178 dressing-rooms (or room), the upper circle. And its survival is 
A17 179 even more remarkable. Once a factory for boiling whelks, it 
A17 180 subsequently became a department store, then a cinema, at which 
A17 181 point the local council bought it, and began the tradition of 
A17 182 summer rep in 1960. Thirteen years later, the council leased it to 
A17 183 the town's amateur dramatic society. Since then, Sheringham has 
A17 184 looked after its own, putting on plays, collecting funds, but the 
A17 185 summer professional rep persisted.<p/>
A17 186 <p_>To cut costs, you need a tiny company, and for the last five 
A17 187 years Stepen Warden ran a summer season here with just six actors, 
A17 188 chosen for their ability to age 10 years, or lose 15. Their small 
A17 189 number restricted the plays that they put on, and there was the 
A17 190 problem of audiences, cosseted by type-casting on television, who 
A17 191 stared in bewilderment at wigs and make-up. In the end Warden felt 
A17 192 he could not go on, and it seemed the last seaside rep would 
A17 193 close.<p/>
A17 194 <p_>But geography came to the rescue. Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire is 
A17 195 halfway between the studios in Manchester of Granada Television and 
A17 196 of Yorkshire TV in Leeds; many actors now live in Hebden Bridge, 
A17 197 waiting for their phones to ring.<p/>
A17 198 <p_>Four years ago they formed their own company, Bridge Players, 
A17 199 put on plays in the town's theatre and went on tours. On one of 
A17 200 these there was a blank Saturday night (<quote_>"Dreadful thing for 
A17 201 a struggling company"<quote/>), when Freda Kelsall, the artistic 
A17 202 director, remembered the strange little theatre she had seen when 
A17 203 looking for an East Coast location for a TV series. So the players 
A17 204 came to Sheringham.<p/>
A17 205 <p_>It occurred to her then that the problems of weekly summer rep 
A17 206 might be overcome simply by doubling up with Hebden Bridge.
A17 207 
A18   1 <#FLOB:A18\><h_><p_>From the Stage of the Globe<p/><h/>
A18   2 <p_>I TAKE OUT my bankcard. In the bottom right-hand corner is a 
A18   3 picture of Shakespeare over-printed with the words <quote_>"Cheque 
A18   4 guarantee"<quote/>. But hold the card up to the light and something 
A18   5 strange happens. The colour, form and angle of Shakespeare's face 
A18   6 alters: in profile he seems to be a beaming Bard, head-on he is a 
A18   7 sombre sage. The picture is a kitsch symbol of a basic truth.<p/>
A18   8 <p_>Shakespeare stands for order, security, reliability. At the 
A18   9 same time, he is shifting, elusive, infinitely variable. It is a 
A18  10 duality which lies at the heart of the modern Shakespeare 
A18  11 industry.<p/>
A18  12 <p_>Others have written eloquently about Shakespeare's double role 
A18  13 as a national icon and pluralistic dramatist. Terence Hawkes in 
A18  14 That Shakespeherian Rag shows how modern critics - Bradley, 
A18  15 Raleigh, Dover Wilson - all accommodated Shakespeare to their own 
A18  16 world view. For the aptly-named Walter Raleigh in 1907 Shakespeare 
A18  17 indeed became a symbol of maleness, Englishness and even linguistic 
A18  18 imperialism. As Hawkes remarks, <quote_>"Shakespeare is always a 
A18  19 powerful ideological weapon available in times of crisis."<quote/> 
A18  20 For politicians he is constantly a handy source of quotation: on 
A18  21 the day of the Gulf ceasefire, Sir Julian Amery remarked of Saddam 
A18  22 Hussein, <quote_>"We have scotched the snake, not killed 
A18  23 it"<quote/> (apparently forgetting these words are spoken by, and 
A18  24 not about, Macbeth). For business enterprises, Shakespeare is a 
A18  25 potent commercial weapon. In a recent Stratford programme, British 
A18  26 Telecom had an advert telling us that <quote_>"Poor communication 
A18  27 was the death of those star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet. While 
A18  28 the speed and clarity of today's communication might well have 
A18  29 saved them."<quote/> Though, personally, I wouldn't bank on it.<p/>
A18  30 <p_>So, on the one hand, we have the Stratford lad as symbol of 
A18  31 national pride and quality goods; and, before we sneer at cultural 
A18  32 imperialism, I should add that there is something moving about 
A18  33 watching British companies, as I can testify, playing Shakespeare 
A18  34 to large, attentive, Bard-hungry throngs in places as diverse as 
A18  35 Athens and Tbilisi.<p/>
A18  36 <p_>But, on the other hand, there is the infinitely more mysterious 
A18  37 Shakespeare: the dramatist of no fixed abode whose work takes on 
A18  38 new resonances in different cultures. In Europe he seems European: 
A18  39 in Asia, Asian. And of his booming popularity, there is no doubt. 
A18  40 The sold-out productions in Paris this spring have been Peter 
A18  41 Zadek's <tf_>Mesure pour Mesure<tf/> and Peter Brook's <tf_>La 
A18  42 Temp<*_>e-grave<*/>te<tf/>. In Hamburg on a recent Sunday night,
A18  43 I found there was a choice at the two major theatres between 
A18  44 J<*_>u-umlaut<*/>rgen Flimm's <tf_>Was Ihr Wollt<tf/> (Twelfth
A18  45 Night) and Michael Bodganov's <tf_>Romeo und Julia<tf/>. No wonder
A18  46 the Germans call him <foreign_>"unser Shakespeare"<foreign/>.<p/>
A18  47 <p_>Sampling recent Euro-Shakespeare productions, I discovered 
A18  48 several facts. One is that the current Bard-boom is not just a 
A18  49 testament to his genius but a direct comment on the universal 
A18  50 dearth of new dramatists. Another is that he reverses the old adage 
A18  51 that poetry is what gets lost in translation: in fact, it is 
A18  52 Shakespeare's prose that is curiously untranslatable. And, most 
A18  53 crucially of all, that there is gain as well as loss in freeing 
A18  54 Shakespeare from the rigorous explicitness of the English tongue. 
A18  55 There is a mythical quality in his work which transcends language 
A18  56 and may even be liberated by a foreign perspective.<p/>
A18  57 <p_>As a classic example I would take J<*_>u-umlaut<*/>rgen Flimm's
A18  58 stunning production of <tf_>Was Ihr Wollt<tf/> at Hamburg's Thalia 
A18  59 Theater which I saw three days after Peter Hall's fine version at the
A18  60 Playhouse.<p/>
A18  61 <p_>LIKE HALL, Flimm recognises that this is a play dominated by 
A18  62 the sea: the Hamburg setting is a tilted circular greensward behind 
A18  63 which is a cut-out cave leading on to a shimmering marine 
A18  64 perspective. But Flimm enjoys certain practical advantages not 
A18  65 found in England: one is the luxury of 12 weeks' rehearsal (Hall 
A18  66 had six). Another is a continental philosophy of lighting which 
A18  67 creates mystery by casting the forestage in shadow. What is most 
A18  68 striking, however, is the way Teutonic intellectualism, which we 
A18  69 casually deride, turns Twelfth Night into an exploration of the 
A18  70 Platonic idea of love as a link between the sensible and the 
A18  71 eternal world.<p/>
A18  72 <p_>Eros is the guiding spirit of Flimm's production, which pushes 
A18  73 the play's sexual confusion further than any version I have seen: 
A18  74 Claudia Kaske's bosomy Olivia finds in Annette Paulmann's Cesario 
A18  75 an image of perfection which leads her to unbutton her bodice and 
A18  76 hitch up her skirts in a direct attempt at seduction. Jan Josef 
A18  77 Liefers' self-loving Orsino looks curiously like Cesario whom he 
A18  78 clasps to his bosom and cradles lovingly in his lap. And Sebastian 
A18  79 and Antonio embrace not only each other but the Platonic idea that 
A18  80 truth and beauty may be achieved by mutual affection between 
A18  81 persons of the same sex. Released from English inhibitions, the 
A18  82 play becomes a study in the varieties of Platonic love.<p/>
A18  83 <p_>What you lose in German, even in Reinhard Palm's good, 
A18  84 Schlegel-based translation, is the pun-filled richness of the 
A18  85 comedy. Feste, the emotional key to Hall's production, is here a 
A18  86 mere cipher: it is fascinating to note that a line like <quote_>"I 
A18  87 live by the church"<quote/> loses its double-meaning in German. If 
A18  88 the production is still very funny, it is because Flimm compensates 
A18  89 physically for what is lost verbally. His Sir Toby, for instance, 
A18  90 is a balletic, balloon-panted drunk who, at the prospect of 
A18  91 Malvolio's yellow stockings, hurls himself thrice to the ground 
A18  92 with a ferocity unseen since the heyday of Norman Wisdom. And the 
A18  93 Maria, at the same point, actually wets her knickers with 
A18  94 excitement. But, for all the comic excess, the mythical power of 
A18  95 the play still emerges and there are two moments of pure mastery: 
A18  96 Viola vehemently stripping off her tunic on <quote_>"Disguise, I 
A18  97 see thou art wickedness"<quote/> and the vengeful, anguished cries 
A18  98 of Malvolio reverberating offstage during Feste's plangent final 
A18  99 song.<p/>
A18 100 <p_>As Flimm's production shows, something strange happens when you 
A18 101 lose the English language and context: you release the play's 
A18 102 metaphorical power. It is an issue which directors Peter Brook and 
A18 103 Peter Stein recently debated at Braunschweig. Stein, who despatched 
A18 104 his Berlin actors to Warwickshire before even attempting As You 
A18 105 Like It, believes you can research your way into Shakespeare's 
A18 106 truth. Brook argued that you inevitably lose 70 per cent of 
A18 107 Shakespeare in translation but that some mysterious quiddity 
A18 108 remains. I would go even further and say that foreign Shakespeare, 
A18 109 because it is a kind of analogue to the original, sometimes 
A18 110 uncovers aspects of the work we have forgotten.<p/>
A18 111 <p_>The case of Peter Zadek is especially fascinating. He was born 
A18 112 in Berlin, came to England as a child in 1933 and returned to 
A18 113 Germany in 1958 to become one of the country's most controversial 
A18 114 directors. His two most recent Shakespeare productions - <tf_>Der 
A18 115 Kaufmann von Venedig<tf/> (The Merchant Of Venice) for the Vienna 
A18 116 Burgtheater and <tf_>Mesure pour Mesure<tf/> for the 
A18 117 Od<*_>e-acute<*/>on in Paris - are particularly fascinating: both 
A18 118 offer partial visions of the play concerned while, at the same 
A18 119 time, forcing you to rethink its meaning.<p/>
A18 120 <p_>Zadek's Merchant was certainly bold and radical in that it 
A18 121 subordinated questions of anti-Semitism to an examination of 
A18 122 capitalist morality. He set the action in contemporary Wall Street 
A18 123 and cast as Shylock a blond, indisputably Aryan actor, Gert Voss, 
A18 124 who could, as Zadek said, play Siegfried or an SS officer. This led 
A18 125 to a totally assimilated Shylock whose hatred of Antonio was 
A18 126 financial rather than racial. It also produced one richly comic 
A18 127 moment when Eva Mattes' Portia, arriving in court, turned to the 
A18 128 Homburg-hatted Antonio and asked <quote_>"Ist Ihr Name 
A18 129 Shylock?"<quote/> at which point Voss tetchily interposed, 
A18 130 <quote_>"Shylock ist <tf_>mein<tf/> Name."<quote/><p/>
A18 131 <p_>By underplaying the racial aspect, Zadek reminded us that the 
A18 132 real protagonist of The Merchant is money: money lent, borrowed, 
A18 133 sought and invested. Solario and Solanio became a couple of 
A18 134 small-time brokers busily reading the financial papers. Bassanio 
A18 135 turned up in Belmont with his business cronies who offered shrewd 
A18 136 market advice about which casket to plump for. And Shylock in the 
A18 137 trial became less an heroic victim than a cool capitalist: advised 
A18 138 to have a surgeon standing by, he spent a good couple of minutes 
A18 139 scanning the contract and, at the end, far from being devastated by 
A18 140 his losses he wrote out promissory-notes and made a dignified exit 
A18 141 presumably to ring up his Swiss bank manager.<p/>
A18 142 <p_>In one sense, Zadek's reading works against the text. If you 
A18 143 deprive Shylock of any overt sense of alienation or persecution, 
A18 144 you simply make him a bloodthirsty version of Michael Douglas's 
A18 145 Gekko rather than an historically tormented figure seeking a 
A18 146 legitimate revenge. But you also highlight another aspect of the 
A18 147 play: the fact that Venice is, in Sigurd Burckhardt's words, 
A18 148 <quote_>"a closed world, inherently conservative, because it knows 
A18 149 that it stands or falls with the sacredness of contracts."<quote/> 
A18 150 Just, in fact, like Wall Street.<p/>
A18 151 <p_>I felt much the same ambivalence recently while watching 
A18 152 Zadek's French production of <tf_>Mesure pour Mesure<tf/> at the 
A18 153 Od<*_>e-acute<*/>on in Paris. What one gained, largely because of 
A18 154 an astounding performance by Isabelle Huppert, was fresh insight 
A18 155 into the character of Isabella as well as into the cynicism of a 
A18 156 Catholic culture about religious dissembling. What one lost was 
A18 157 that peculiarly Shakespearian juxtaposition of the earthy and the 
A18 158 sublime, the prosaic and the poetic. Shakespeare's comedy simply 
A18 159 doesn't travel well.<p/>
A18 160 <p_>Huppert, however, reminded us that great acting is something 
A18 161 that almost transcends language. In Britain the tencency is to play 
A18 162 Isabella (<quote_>"More than our brother is our chastity"<quote/>) 
A18 163 as a figure of righteous moral fervour: Huppert made her a woman 
A18 164 constantly torn between the call of the cloister and the demands of 
A18 165 the flesh. Preparing to enter the order of St Clare, she was all 
A18 166 tremulous uncertainty as she gazed wistfully in a vanity-mirror 
A18 167 while wiping off her lipstick. In her great confrontations with 
A18 168 Angelo she was, to borrow a phrase of Arnold Bennett's, 
A18 169 <quote_>"flushed and thrilling with virginity"<quote/>: she also 
A18 170 took seriously on board Angelo's arguments about female fragility, 
A18 171 readily admitting <quote_>"nous sommes tendres comme l'est notre 
A18 172 complexion."<quote/> But Huppert also made Isabella sufficiently 
A18 173 worldly to whip off her wimple and share a glass of bubbly with the 
A18 174 Duke, to win Mariana round to the bed-trick with insouciant gaiety 
A18 175 and, at the last, nervously to slip her hand into the Duke's.<p/>
A18 176 <p_>What you lose in French is the leprous comedy of the Viennese 
A18 177 gaol-scenes here translated by Mr Zadek into a crude 
A18 178 <foreign|>Galgenhumor. Pompey's great speech about the 
A18 179 prison-inmates (<quote_>"wild Half-can that stabbed Pots"<quote/>) 
A18 180 here became the excuse for him to enter with a female corpse whose 
A18 181 leg he proceeded to saw off like a bungling conjurer. All this in 
A18 182 spite of a superb translation by Jean-Michel Deprats that made one 
A18 183 question Jean-Louis Barrault's assertion that Shakespeare's entry 
A18 184 on the French stage begins with a crime in that <quote_>"in order 
A18 185 to cross the Channel he has to be shorn of his poetic 
A18 186 garb."<quote/><p/>
A18 187 <p_>Well does he? Deprats wrote a fascinating article in the Paris 
A18 188 programme describing how the simplest phrases are often the most 
A18 189 untranslatable. How, he asked, do you render Claudio's definition 
A18 190 of death: <quote_>"This sensible warm motion to become a kneaded 
A18 191 clod."<quote/> In fact, he does it very well: <quote_>"... Ce corps 
A18 192 sensible, chaud, mobile devenir/ Un motte de terre 
A18 193 glaise."<quote/><p/>
A18 194 <p_>That at least has the right balance and sense of metamorphosing 
A18 195 decay.<p/>
A18 196 <p_>IT ALSO seems preferable to Jean-Claude 
A18 197 Carri<*_>e-grave<*/>re's prose paraphrase, for Peter Brook's 1978 
A18 198 Paris production, which renders the same passage as: <quote_>"... 
A18 199 cette chaleur sensible qui bouge devenir une p<*_>a-circ<*/>te 
A18 200 boueuse."<quote/> Carri<*_>e-grave<*/>re gives you the sense while 
A18 201 Deprats gives you a hint of the Shakespearean rhythm.<p/>
A18 202 <p_>But, given that translation is always a bare approximate, the 
A18 203 fundamental truth is that foreign Shakespeare is both necessary and 
A18 204 instructive. Transpose the language and the plays take on new 
A18 205 colours and meanings: the further you get geographically from 
A18 206 England, the more chameleon-like they become. Hamlet in Romanian, 
A18 207 as we discovered from Alexandra Tocilescu's Bulandra Theatre 
A18 208 production at the National, actually seems to become an East 
A18 209 European play about a decaying tyranny.<p/>
A18 210 <p_>An even more extreme example was Yukio Ninagawa's unforgettable 
A18 211 Japanese Macbeth, seen in Edinburgh and London, which shifted the 
A18 212 action to a world of 16th century Samurai warriors, blood-red 
A18 213 sunsets and cascading cherry-blossom symbolising death and human 
A18 214 transience. Like Kurosawa's films, Throne Of Blood and Ran, 
A18 215 Ninagawa's production suggested that Shakespeare was, mysteriously, 
A18 216 a Japanese dramatist.<p/>
A18 217 
A19   1 <#FLOB:A19\><h_><p_>Lenny of the Lamp<p_>
A19   2 <p_>Henry goes through torture to conjure up some giggles<p/>
A19   3 <p_>By ALEC LOM<p/><h/>
A19   4 <p_>MASTER of mimicry Lenny Henry loves to conjure up a little 
A19   5 magic in the make-up department.<p/>
A19   6 <p_>For his Hollywood movie <tf_>True Identity<tf/>, he pasted hot 
A19   7 rubber on his face for eight hours to transform himself into a 
A19   8 white man.<p/>
A19   9 <p_>Now Britain's top black showbiz star is up to his old tricks 
A19  10 once again. This time he's endured seven agonising hours in a 
A19  11 hairdresser's chair to create a crazy new role.<p/>
A19  12 <p_>In <tf_>Bernard And The Genie<tf/>, a 70-minute comic fantasy 
A19  13 film, Lenny plays a Rastafarian spirit named Josephus.<p/>
A19  14 <p_>He said: <quote_>"I told the guy in the salon I wanted to look 
A19  15 really different this time. I didn't want to be Lenny. So they 
A19  16 waxed me on dreadlock hair extensions.<p/>
A19  17 <p_>"It took seven hours to staple on 80 shoulder-length 
A19  18 dreadlocks. It was agony."<quote/><p/>
A19  19 <p_>BUT Josephus is no ordinary genie. He's a cool cat who is into 
A19  20 junk food and Arnold Schwarzenegger videos.<p/>
A19  21 <p_>The story is set three days before Christmas when young art 
A19  22 dealer Bernard Bottle (comic actor Alan Cumming) is sacked by his 
A19  23 heartless boss, played by Rowan Atkinson. When his fiancee dumps 
A19  24 him for his best friend, she strips their luxury apartment of all 
A19  25 her belongings, forgetting only an antique lamp.<p/>
A19  26 <p_><quote_>"Bernard rubs it absent-mindedly and I leap out and 
A19  27 immediately try to kill him,"<quote/> raves Lenny, 33.<p/>
A19  28 <p_><quote_>"Like, for the last 2,000 years inside that lamp, I've 
A19  29 been thinking there's no way I'm going to obey anybody when I get 
A19  30 out. The ensuing fight is real Douglas Fairbanks Jnr stuff. But 
A19  31 they become friends eventually."<quote/> There is a magic carpet 
A19  32 ride round London, people's pockets suddenly fill with gold and 
A19  33 Ninja Turtle is created out of thin air.<p/>
A19  34 <p_><tf_>Live Aid<tf/> hero Bob Geldorf and arts presenter Melvyn 
A19  35 Bragg pop up in puffs of smoke to make cameo appearances.<p/>
A19  36 <p_><quote_>"It's really great to be back working in 
A19  37 Britain,"<quote/> says the Midland-born comic, who is spending 
A19  38 Christmas with his wife Dawn French at their lavish Georgian home 
A19  39 near Windsor. But it's not likely to be a quiet affair. <quote_>"I 
A19  40 think this year I'm going to take charge of the turkey. But it 
A19  41 could be a disaster,"<quote/> he said.<p/>
A19  42 <p_><quote_>"When we had Christmas over in America last year, I 
A19  43 cooked the turkey ... and the oven caught fire."<quote/><p/>
A19  44 
A19  45 <h_><p_>We're no fools!<p/>
A19  46 <p_><quote_>"Hollywood is where the big careers are 
A19  47 made"<quote/><p/>
A19  48 <p_>By TONY PURNELL<p/><h/>
A19  49 <p_>ONLY fools or wild horses would drag Del Boy Trotter away from 
A19  50 his latest venture - and if it goes to plan, life's going to be 
A19  51 <quote|>"cushty" for actor David Jason.<p/>
A19  52 <p_>David, star of BBC's <tf_>Only Fools and Horses<tf/>, has taken 
A19  53 Del Boy to Miami for Christmas, and he's hoping the Yanks are going 
A19  54 to make him several offers he can't refuse.<p/>
A19  55 <p_>The 51-year-old has his fingers crossed that the two-part 
A19  56 transatlantic <tf_>Only Fools<tf/> special - called <tf_>Miamy 
A19  57 Twice<tf/> - will lead to international stardom.<p/>
A19  58 <p_>Because, although he is the most bankable star on the box in 
A19  59 Britain earning pounds300,000 a year, his name ain't worth a dime 
A19  60 in the States.<p/>
A19  61 <p_>David said: <quote_>"Hollywood is where international careers 
A19  62 are made - look at a good old London boy like Michael 
A19  63 Caine."<quote/><p/>
A19  64 <p_>But he's got a long way to go.<p/>
A19  65 <p_><quote_>"David Who? Never heard of him,"<quote/> said 
A19  66 sun-bathing Sam Blumberg from Wisconsin on Miami Beach.<p/>
A19  67 <p_>THE Christmas special sees Del Boy and that plonker Rodney 
A19  68 mistaken for mobsters while on holiday in Florida.<p/>
A19  69 <p_>Familiar faces from the US cop series <tf_>Miami Vice<tf/> were 
A19  70 recruited as extras, and gave the comedy series, which has been top 
A19  71 of the ratings over here for 10 years, the thumbs up.<p/>
A19  72 <p_>During a break in filming, David said: <quote_>"The show has 
A19  73 never been seen in the States, but when we showed a video of one to 
A19  74 the American cast and crew they fell about."<quote/><p/>
A19  75 <p_><quote_>"We always thought there would be a problem with some 
A19  76 of the slang, but language didn't prove a barrier."<quote/><p/>
A19  77 <p_>Nicholas Lyndhurst, who plays Rodders, chipped in: <quote_>"We 
A19  78 spent a while explaining 'git', and expressions like Lovely Jubbly 
A19  79 puzzled them!"<quote/><p/>
A19  80 <p_>The pair hope that trotting across the Atlantic with Trotters 
A19  81 Independent Trading Company will lead to the Americans snapping up 
A19  82 all 53 programmes.<p/>
A19  83 <p_>Said David, who also stars in Yorkshire TV's <tf_>The Darling 
A19  84 Buds of May<tf/> and their new cop series <tf_>Jack Frost<tf/>: 
A19  85 <quote_>"We hope they will take Del Boy and Rodney to their hearts, 
A19  86 as the British have done.<p/>
A19  87 <p_>"As a career move it would be marvellous for me. It would be 
A19  88 nice to move forwards and upwards - not backwards.<p/>
A19  89 <p_>"As it is, they don't know me from Adam in the States. I don't 
A19  90 want to go over there and sit for a year just waiting for the phone 
A19  91 to ring."<quote/><p/>
A19  92 <p_>He pointed out that TV stardom led to movie careers for the 
A19  93 Yanks.<p/>
A19  94 <p_><quote_>"Look at Bruce Willis from Moonlighting and Taxi's 
A19  95 Danny DeVito. If Only Fools was a success in the States it would 
A19  96 make all the difference for me."<quote/><p/>
A19  97 <p_>Wise words. Out on the streets the pair caused disappointment 
A19  98 everywhere.<p/>
A19  99 <p_>At Key Biscayne a buzz of excitement went around when locals 
A19 100 were told an English TV comedy was being filmed.<p/>
A19 101 <p_><quote_>"Gee. Great. Is it Benny Hill?"<quote/> asked a guy at 
A19 102 the gas station.<p/>
A19 103 <p_>Despite the generation gap, the pair agree about a lot of 
A19 104 things - particularly the thrill of flying.<p/>
A19 105 <p_>David is a qualified glider pilot, and 30-year-old Nicholas has 
A19 106 a private pilot's licence - and a wicked sense of humour.<p/>
A19 107 <p_>WHEN he had an afternoon off filming, he buzzed the skyscraper 
A19 108 hotel where the rest of the <tf_>Only Fools<tf/> cast were 
A19 109 filming.<p/>
A19 110 <p_>Recalled David: <quote_>"The plonker decided to come round and 
A19 111 waggle his wings, and forced us to interrupt filming.<p/>
A19 112 <p_>"When I heard the plane, I said: "If that's Nick, I'll break 
A19 113 his legs." Later I discovered to my horror that it was!"<quote/><p/>
A19 114 <p_>They also both admit they have no intention of quitting the 
A19 115 show.<p/>
A19 116 <p_>Producer Gareth Gwenlan added: <quote_>"No one is going to say 
A19 117 there will never be another one."<quote/><p/>
A19 118 
A19 119 <h_><p_>Who dunnit?<p/>
A19 120 <p_>NOT ME SAYS MAJOR, I WAS IN BED WITH A JEFFREY ARCHER<p/>
A19 121 <p_>By HILARY KINGSLEY<p/><h/>
A19 122 <p_>TOP Tories are busy doing the dirty on their leader Margaret 
A19 123 Thatcher.<p/>
A19 124 <p_>The Prime Minister is about to become Yesterday's Woman. 
A19 125 History is being written.<p/>
A19 126 <p_>And where's John Major while all this is happening? Gosh, there 
A19 127 he is in bed in his true-blue Marks and Sparks pyjamas, with a 
A19 128 specially-supplied early copy of the next Jeffrey Archer Thriller. 
A19 129 He has toothache. Ahh!<p/>
A19 130 <p_>Could anyone doubt his complete innocence in this political 
A19 131 plot?<p/>
A19 132 <p_> <quote|>"Hmm," says diplomatic Keith Drinkel, the actor who 
A19 133 plays him with a special grey hairpiece and specs in <tf_>Thatcher, 
A19 134 The Final Days<tf/> on Wednesday.<p/>
A19 135 <p_><quote_>"John Major was away from the centre of the action - 
A19 136 having his wisdom teeth out. He waited for the right moment and you 
A19 137 have to ask yourself "Why?"."<quote/><p/>
A19 138 <p_>KEITH added: <quote_>"He did not attend the resignation Cabinet 
A19 139 meeting. In fact Mr Major was conspicuous by his absence.<p/>
A19 140 <p_>"I don't think he was overwhelmed at the way things turned out. 
A19 141 But that's just my opinion."<quote/><p/>
A19 142 <p_>Granada TV's dramatised documentary carefully avoids opinions 
A19 143 and guesses.<p/>
A19 144 <p_>It's painstakingly based on research, every coming and going, 
A19 145 phonecall, nod and wink authenticated. Nothing has been included 
A19 146 that couldn't be checked.<p/>
A19 147 <p_>Details such as the bracelet Mrs T. wore in that fatal Cabinet 
A19 148 meeting, to the title of the book John Major read in bed - <tf_>As 
A19 149 the Crow Flies<tf/> - are accurate.<p/>
A19 150 <p_><quote_>"But we didn't, of course, know what he might have said 
A19 151 to his wife Norma, so we left it out,"<quote/> said Keith.<p/>
A19 152 <p_><quote_>"And we didn't know whether he had teeth out on both 
A19 153 sides of his mouth so we went for the most obvious side, the left, 
A19 154 and I had my mouth padded out."<quote/><p/>
A19 155 <p_>This makes the sudden downfall of the Iron Lady - Sylvia Syms 
A19 156 in a performance of Thatcherite force - all the more riveting.<p/>
A19 157 <p_><quote_>"We did joke that Sylvia was behaving like Mrs Thatcher 
A19 158 to the rest of us at some stages,"<quote/> said Keith.<p/>
A19 159 <p_><quote_>"But that's because she's such a brilliant actress and 
A19 160 she was determined to get it absolutely right."<quote/><p/>
A19 161 <p_>Sylvia, a Labour Party supporter, was particularly proud of 
A19 162 what she called <quote_>"the cobra smile"<quote/> that she 
A19 163 developed for the part.<p/>
A19 164 <p_>But her portrayal is far removed from an impersonation. So is 
A19 165 Keith's.<p/>
A19 166 <p_><quote_>"We weren't trying for Madam Tussaud 
A19 167 looka<?_>-<?/>likes, we went for interpretations,"<quote/> said 
A19 168 Yorkshire-born Keith, 46, best known for his long stint in 
A19 169 <tf_>Family At War<tf/> and his many successes on the stage.<p/>
A19 170 <p_>SOME actors were too worried to portray living politicians, and 
A19 171 refused.<p/>
A19 172 <p_>Bruce Alexander, who plays John Selwyn Gummer, got teased. But 
A19 173 Keith had no qualms.<p/>
A19 174 <p_><quote_>"I watched news <}_><-|>film<+|>films<}/> of Major and
A19 175 listened to his voice for hours but I didn't try to copy his
A19 176 strangulated speech. I think that happens only when he's tense.<p/>
A19 177 <p_>"What's interesting is that he has changed. I suppose all 
A19 178 politicians learn to play the media game. His voice has gone down 
A19 179 and his clothes have altered. I believe he now goes to 
A19 180 Acqua<?_>-<?/>scutum - as <tf|>She does."<quote/><p/>
A19 181 <p_>Keith's background is in some ways similar to his character's. 
A19 182 The Majors were once circus folk, the Drinkels had an Armed Forces 
A19 183 entertainment show. Keith's dad was a stand-up comic, his mother 
A19 184 was a tap dancer.<p/>
A19 185 <p_>Keith said: <quote_>"I'm going to ask to buy the hairpiece and 
A19 186 specs. Maybe I can open supermarkets as him and do John Major 
A19 187 strippograms!"<quote/><p/>
A19 188 
A19 189 <h_><p_>London's Burning - OR IS IT?<p/>
A19 190 <p_>EVEN THE PARROT'S STUFFED<p/>
A19 191 <p_>By TONY PURNELL<p/><h/>
A19 192 <p_>THE flames lick the sky as the Blue Watch crew from Blackwall 
A19 193 Fire Station answer another 999 call.<p/>
A19 194 <p_>The 14 million viewers who follow <tf_>London's Burning<tf/> 
A19 195 become transfixed as their heroes brave the heat and smoke in 
A19 196 another dramatic scene. But they could be in for a rude 
A19 197 awakening.<p/>
A19 198 F<p_>or when Britain's favourite firefighters go to blazes, the 
A19 199 flames are a sham ... <tf_>London isn't Burning<tf/>.<p/>
A19 200 <p_>The actors are under strict instructions to aim their water 
A19 201 hoses to miss. When the director shouts <quote|>"Cut!" the flames 
A19 202 are turned off at a tap. Just like that.<p/>
A19 203 <p_>Secrets of the hugely successful show are revealed in a 
A19 204 behind-the-scenes documentary which pours cold water on the 
A19 205 daredevil exploits of the stars.<p/>
A19 206 <p_>It is the special effects team and the stuntmen who emerge as 
A19 207 the real heroes.<p/>
A19 208 <p_>Special effects co-ordinator Tom Harris says: <quote_>"People 
A19 209 say our fires look more realistic than the real thing but nothing 
A19 210 burns.<quote/><p/>
A19 211 <p_><quote_>"All our fires come from gas jets with totally 
A19 212 controllable flames which can go up and down and on and off 
A19 213 whenever we want them too<&|>sic!. When the director calls 
A19 214 <quote|>"Cut!" the flames go out.<quote/><p/>
A19 215 <p_><tf_>OUR aim is to make everything as safe as possible, then 
A19 216 make it look as dangerous as possible.<tf/><p/>
A19 217 <p_><quote_>"But we don't take any risks. It is real flame and it 
A19 218 is very hot. We make sure there are escape routes for the stuntmen 
A19 219 - and we always have extinguishers and wet towels standing by just 
A19 220 in case anything goes wrong."<quote/><p/>
A19 221 <p_>In the new series of <tf_>London's Burning<tf/>, Blue Watch 
A19 222 tackle their most spectacular blaze - at a timber yard. It was 
A19 223 filmed at a derelict factory in Cambridgeshire.<p/>
A19 224 <p_>The blaze, with big explosions controlled by a machine called a 
A19 225 Woofer, was created with the help of 2,500ft of gas pipes letting 
A19 226 out 10 tons of liquid petroleum gas.<p/>
A19 227 <p_>It was tackled with 11 appliances and 7,000ft of hose pumping 
A19 228 out water at a rate of 2,500 gallons a minute - taken from a nearby 
A19 229 lake because of a hosepipe ban!<p/>
A19 230 <p_>But the water has to miss the flames to keep the spectacular 
A19 231 special effects alive for the cameras.<p/>
A19 232 <p_>Other pumps belch out smoke to make sure there is smoke without 
A19 233 fire.<p/>
A19 234 <p_>The firefighters being blown sky high in our exclusive pictures 
A19 235 as a tanker explodes were acrobatic stuntmen - who did not even 
A19 236 singe their eyebrows.<p/>
A19 237 <p_>The emergency calls, or <quote|>"shouts" as they are called in 
A19 238 the fire brigade, often put the stars in uncomfortable 
A19 239 situations.<p/>
A19 240 <p_>When Glen Murphy was seen carrying out a rescue in a dirty 
A19 241 sewer, clean water was pumped in for health reasons.<p/>
A19 242 
A20   1 <#FLOB:A20\><h_><p_>Major takes tough line on charter<p/>
A20   2 <p_>by Julia Langdon and David Wastell<p/><h/>
A20   3 <p_>MR MAJOR has rejected all proposals from his Cabinet colleagues 
A20   4 for inclusion in the planned Citizens' Charter.Their suggestions 
A20   5 have so far failed to match his radical ideas for improving public 
A20   6 services.<p/>
A20   7 <p_>All Whitehall departments were asked to submit their plans for 
A20   8 inclusion in a White Paper. But the draft ideas originally 
A20   9 submitted a fortnight ago have now been returned to the individual 
A20  10 ministries with orders attached for a more thorough examination of 
A20  11 the options.<p/>
A20  12 <p_>One source said the first drafts were <quote_>"an instant 
A20  13 mandarin response"<quote/>, which did not meet Mr Major's 
A20  14 requirements for a completely new approach.<p/>
A20  15 <p_>Apparently, there are no culprits whose submissions were found 
A20  16 particularly wanting, but all departments failed to impress.<p/>
A20  17 <p_>The White Paper is still supposed to be published before the 
A20  18 end of July, and ministers and civil servants have been asked to 
A20  19 work flat out to produce alternative proposals.<p/>
A20  20 <p_>The problem with the original plans was that they did not 
A20  21 produce any new thinking along the lines suggested by Mr Major. 
A20  22 None of the material was <quote_>"instantly usable"<quote/> in the 
A20  23 form in which it was put forward.<p/>
A20  24 <p_>The Prime Minister wants government departments to develop 
A20  25 procedures which will give people more control over the public 
A20  26 services with which they come in contact. <quote_>"He wants them to 
A20  27 be given some power, some control, some levers - so they are not 
A20  28 constantly faced with a huge bureaucracy,"<quote/> said one 
A20  29 government source who knows Mr Major's mind on the subject. 
A20  30 <quote_>"He wants mechanisms which make a difference."<quote/><p/>
A20  31 <p_>The work is being co-ordinated by an official working group in 
A20  32 the Cabinet Office. But the Prime Minister has also asked Mr 
A20  33 Francis Maude, Financial Secretary to the Treasury, to deal with 
A20  34 ministers involved in the project. The Treasury is playing a key 
A20  35 role in the exercise, although it is not intended that there should 
A20  36 be <quote_>"new money"<quote/> assigned to it.<p/>
A20  37 <p_>This was part of the problem in the response from the 
A20  38 individual departments.<p/>
A20  39 <p_>A source said: <quote_>"There was just a general tendency for 
A20  40 everyone to say: <quote_>"Everything is all right and we're doing 
A20  41 jolly well and there's not much scope for improvement without 
A20  42 spending more money."<quote/>"<quote/><p/>
A20  43 <p_>There were also hints that the ministerial reaction had been 
A20  44 inhibited by the innate distaste of the civil service for dramatic 
A20  45 changes in practice and procedure.<p/>
A20  46 <p_>Mr Major has now let ministers know that he wants the issue 
A20  47 considered more thoroughly, and that there should be <quote_>"a bit 
A20  48 more lateral thinking"<quote/> if the Citizens' Charter is not to 
A20  49 risk being a political flop.<p/>
A20  50 <p_>The kind of changes that are being considered are illustrated 
A20  51 by the nature of the requests that have now been made to the Home 
A20  52 Office and the Department of Education and Science.<p/>
A20  53 <p_>Mr Kenneth Baker, Home Secretary, has been asked to review 
A20  54 departmental thinking on the police inspectorate, which was not 
A20  55 included in the first submissions made by the Home Office.<p/>
A20  56 <p_>Whitehall sources said yesterday that Mr Major had intended the 
A20  57 White Paper to extend to monitoring the performance not just of 
A20  58 public services themselves, but of the quangos and other bodies set 
A20  59 up to scrutinise them.<p/>
A20  60 <p_>Although the police inspectorate is technically independent, it 
A20  61 is made up largely of senior policemen and other professionals. Mr 
A20  62 Major does not regard them as being sufficiently detached.<p/>
A20  63 <p_>A similar criticism was made of the Department of Education and 
A20  64 Science, which failed to include the schools inspectorate in its 
A20  65 submissions. Mr Kenneth Clarke, Education Secretary, who is already 
A20  66 drawing up plans for a review of the inspectorate, has been asked 
A20  67 to include these within his department's proposals for the 
A20  68 Citizens' Charter as well.<p/>
A20  69 <p_>Although there are plans to include any necessary legislation 
A20  70 in the next Queen's Speech, it is not envisaged that there will be 
A20  71 huge legislative changes. Most of what is planned could be achieved 
A20  72 within existing powers, through the application of general 
A20  73 principles across all Whitehall departments.<p/>
A20  74 
A20  75 <h_><p_>Wavering Bush wooed by Yeltsin<p/>
A20  76 <p_>by Xan Smiley in Washington<p/><h/>
A20  77 <p_>PRESIDENT Bush is likely to hold an <quote_>"unofficial 
A20  78 summit"<quote/> with Mr Boris Yeltsin, the Russian Federation 
A20  79 leader, in Washington next month before seeing President Gorbachev 
A20  80 in London or Moscow according to sources close to the White 
A20  81 House.<p/>
A20  82 <p_>Mr Gorbachev, increasingly desperate for foreign aid and 
A20  83 approval, has been seeking observer status at the July meeting in 
A20  84 London of the seven leading industrialised countries, the G-7 
A20  85 group, as well as a proper summit with Mr Bush in Moscow to sign a 
A20  86 long-range missile treaty, but neither meeting has been agreed by 
A20  87 the White House.<p/>
A20  88 <p_>Western doubts over the wisdom of signing <quote_>"blank 
A20  89 cheques"<quote/> for aid to the Soviet Union and anger about Soviet 
A20  90 cheating over last year's conventional arms accord continue to 
A20  91 stymie the super<?_>-<?/>power meetings, which Mr Gorbachev needs 
A20  92 more than Mr Bush.<p/>
A20  93 <p_>But a flurry of diplomatic and economic exchanges between 
A20  94 Soviet and American politicians, generals and academics over the 
A20  95 past week, together with signs that Mr Gorbachev has moved back 
A20  96 towards the reformist centre, are sharply re-focusing American 
A20  97 attention towards Moscow and provoking a heated debate over future 
A20  98 policy.<p/>
A20  99 <p_>The most important emerging feature of the American-Soviet 
A20 100 relationship is a tight conditionality - unthinkable a year ago - 
A20 101 that would accompany any aid package, with the supply of food, 
A20 102 money and technical help likely to be dependent on political 
A20 103 reforms, including fresh elections, that might well lead to the 
A20 104 final demise of the Soviet Communist party and of Mr Gorbachev 
A20 105 himself.<p/>
A20 106 <p_>Mr Bush instinctively still wants to <quote_>"help 
A20 107 Gorby"<quote/>, while Mr James Baker, Secretary of State, and Mr 
A20 108 Brent Scowcroft, National Security Adviser, remain wary of Mr 
A20 109 Yeltsin.<p/>
A20 110 <p_>But Mr Dick Cheney, Defence Secretary, and Mr Robert Gates, the 
A20 111 incoming CIA director, bolstered by a lobby of academic advisers, 
A20 112 argue that economic reform is feasible only when the Communist 
A20 113 party establishment has been swept away.<p/>
A20 114 <p_><quote_>"The impulse to stick with Gorby is very 
A20 115 strong,"<quote/> said a senior State Department source recently.<p/>
A20 116 <p_>But a White House adviser told the <tf_>The Sunday 
A20 117 Telegraph<tf/>: <quote_>"There's a different Yeltsin these days ... 
A20 118 He's been transformed by the chairmanship of the Russian Federation 
A20 119 ... and has turned out to be a very skilful politician."<quote/> By 
A20 120 June, American analysts believe, he should be the first 
A20 121 freely-elected leader of Russia.<p/>
A20 122 <p_>A half-way view, which may carry the day, places greater faith 
A20 123 in the current fragile Gorbachev-Yeltsin alliance hanging together, 
A20 124 and argues for aid to be granted incrementally to the republics, 
A20 125 the non-Communist city councils and enterprises, and to some 
A20 126 departments still under Moscow's control, in agreement with Mr 
A20 127 Gorbachev and the nine Soviet Republican leaders, once they have 
A20 128 worked out a modus vivendi between themselves.<p/>
A20 129 <p_>Though the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and some 
A20 130 G-7 members are ready to step forward with loans for a 
A20 131 stabilisation plan, the money is likely to fall far short of the 
A20 132 $30 billion (pounds17 billion) spread over three years, 
A20 133 recently suggested by the influential Harvard professor, Dr Jeffrey 
A20 134 Sachs, let alone the $150 billion (pounds86 billion) over 
A20 135 five years some Russians are demanding.<p/>
A20 136 <p_><quote_>"The amounts are totally unrealistic,"<quote/> said a 
A20 137 State Department official, adding: <quote_>"Mr Bush's inclination 
A20 138 is to be helpful, even if it means suspending his usual 
A20 139 prudence."<quote/><p/>
A20 140 <p_>But sources in Congress are more sceptical. The main problem 
A20 141 for policy-planners, said a House Foreign Affairs Committee expert, 
A20 142 is that <quote_>"nobody has much of a clue what's really happening 
A20 143 in the Soviet Union right now".<quote/> An academic said: 
A20 144 <quote_>"The whole thing is in the melting pot again."<quote/><p/>
A20 145 <p_>Officially, Mr Yeltsin will probably be a guest of the Senate, 
A20 146 whose two party leaders have invited him to Washington.<p/>
A20 147 <p_>But whereas last year Mr Bush merely <quote_>"dropped 
A20 148 in"<quote/> on Mr Yeltsin during a short meeting with Mr Scowcroft 
A20 149 at the White House, this time, in his probably new position as 
A20 150 President of the Russian Federation, he is expected to have 
A20 151 full-blown meetings with the American President and Secretary of 
A20 152 State.<p/>
A20 153 
A20 154 <h_><p_>Ragamuffin rebels await their victory<p/>
A20 155 <p_>by Paul Vellely,<p/>
A20 156 <p_>on the Dekhamhare Front, in rebel-held Eritrea<p/><h/>
A20 157 <p_>ALL month the tanks had been trundling audaciously along the 
A20 158 worn-out old road which winds its way north through the Ethiopian 
A20 159 highlands. There were three or four of them most days, it seemed, 
A20 160 chewing up the tarmac which was already soft from the midday 
A20 161 sun.<p/>
A20 162 <p_>They were battered Soviet T-54s and T-55s, relics of the 
A20 163 Brezhnev era when armies all over Africa were equipped with heavy 
A20 164 weaponry to fight out the Cold War by proxy. When the Americans 
A20 165 dropped their support for Ethiopia, the Russians stepped in and 
A20 166 armed what became the biggest army in black Africa.<p/>
A20 167 <p_>But the tanks were no longer driven by soldiers of the 
A20 168 Ethiopian army. They were part of a substantial arsenal captured by 
A20 169 the forces of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front which for the 
A20 170 past 30 years has been fighting for independence for the former 
A20 171 Italian colony forcibly annexed by Ethiopia in 1962.<p/>
A20 172 <p_>The ragamuffin appearance of the EPLF troops was deceptive. In 
A20 173 their teens and early twenties and dressed in a mixture of army 
A20 174 fatigues and civilian clothing, they looked, sprawled across the 
A20 175 exterior of the Soviet armour, like a bunch of joyriders. But in 
A20 176 recent years they have proved a formidable fighting force, driving 
A20 177 the Ethiopian Second Army before them.<p/>
A20 178 <p_>On Friday, after a long siege, the provincial capital, Asmara 
A20 179 fell to rebel troops. Even before the founder of Ethiopian 
A20 180 socialism, Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam, fled last week to a large 
A20 181 private ranch in Zimbabwe as his troops were pushed into defensive 
A20 182 positions around the capital, Addis Ababa, the young fighters of 
A20 183 the EPLF felt relaxed and confident. The tanks moved openly in 
A20 184 broad daylight where until a few months ago they would have 
A20 185 travelled only by night for fear of Ethiopian MiGs.<p/>
A20 186 <p_>They were open too about their preparations at the front line 
A20 187 around Dekhamhare, the last obstacle before Asmara and its airport 
A20 188 came within range of their artillery. New tank tracks were being 
A20 189 built up to the front line with its networks of trenches hundreds 
A20 190 of miles long.<p/>
A20 191 <p_>Under cover of darkness, a convoy of lorries carrying more than 
A20 192 3,000 fighters, men and women, moved laboriously up an improvised 
A20 193 road along a rocky gulley from Eritrea's second port, Massawa, 
A20 194 captured last year. A thousand more moved on foot.<p/>
A20 195 <p_>The assault came last Sunday. After two days of fierce fighting 
A20 196 six government divisions of around 50,000 troops were scattered. 
A20 197 The EPLF swept down on Dekhamhare and pushed forward to take the 
A20 198 ridge on the other side of the town. <}_><-|>The<+|>Then<}/> it was 
A20 199 all downhill to Asmara.<p/>
A20 200 <p_>For the Ethiopian regime in Addis, bringing in reinforcements 
A20 201 was out of the question. Its three other armies were all pinned 
A20 202 down elsewhere. The EPLF had moved to within 30 miles of Assab, 
A20 203 keeping the government troops there fully occupied.<p/>
A20 204 <p_>At the same time, rebels of the Ethiopian Peoples' 
A20 205 Revolutionary Democratic Front, made up of liberation movements 
A20 206 from the Tigray, Afar and Oromo ethnic groups, intensified their 
A20 207 push towards Addis Ababa. Progress was swift, chief of staff of the 
A20 208 Eritrean army, Sebhat Ephrem, said, because the government army was 
A20 209 made up of conscripts. <quote_>"Their most professional troops are 
A20 210 pinned-down in Asmara. Addis Ababa is defended only by conscripts. 
A20 211 Those we have captured are just raw recruits with only one month's 
A20 212 training.<quote/><p/>
A20 213 <p_>To the south, the Third Army defending the capital on its 
A20 214 northern flank was encircled by troops of the Democratic Front at 
A20 215 the towns of Dese and Kombolcha, key distribution centres for the 
A20 216 international food aid operation to feed seven million Ethiopians 
A20 217 said to be at risk of starvation. By Wednesday the news from the 
A20 218 south was that the government's three divisions had been dispersed 
A20 219 and 5,000 men captured or killed.<p/>
A20 220 <p_>To the west, the rebels took the town of Ambo and then, in an 
A20 221 outflanking movement earlier this week, cut off the Ethiopians at 
A20 222 Addis Alem, 35 miles from the capital capturing a large amount of 
A20 223 heavy armour, killing 5,000 troops and taking 1,700 prisoners.<p/>
A20 224 <p_>By Friday, many Ethiopian units and hundreds of individual 
A20 225 soldiers had fallen back to Addis Ababa, where residents reported 
A20 226 an air of quiet apprehension with many troops milling around 
A20 227 without apparent purpose.<p/>
A20 228 
A21   1 <#FLOB:A21\><h_><p_>Want your secret prison plans back, Ken?<p/>
A21   2 <p_>Escape route file dumped<p/>
A21   3 <p_>EXCLUSIVE by CHRIS BLYTHE<p/><h/>
A21   4 <p_>TOP secret plans for Britain's most secure prison - built to 
A21   5 defy IRA escape bids - have been found in a pub garden.<p/>
A21   6 <p_>Now the News of the World has returned them to Home Secretary 
A21   7 Kenneth Baker.<p/>
A21   8 <p_>Colditz-style Belmarsh prison at Woolwich, South London, opened 
A21   9 ten days ago.<p/>
A21  10 <p_>It will house the country's most dangerous Category A prisoners 
A21  11 including IRA terrorists, sex offenders, murderers and armed 
A21  12 robbers.<p/>
A21  13 <p_>Worried Home Office chiefs vowed to move them there after the 
A21  14 escape of IRA terrorists Nessan Quinlivan and Pearse McAuley from 
A21  15 Brixton on July 7.<p/>
A21  16 <h|>TUNNEL
A21  17 <p_>The dumped plans include details of a hush-hush underground 
A21  18 tunnel which is the key to security at the showpiece pounds109 
A21  19 million jail.<p/>
A21  20 <p_>Brewery worker Fred Day found the documents on a bench in the 
A21  21 garden of the Cutty Sark pub overlooking the River Thames in 
A21  22 London's Greenwich.<p/>
A21  23 <p_><tf_><quote_>"These plans could provide the blueprint for an 
A21  24 escape for any terrorist or sex fiend who got their hands on 
A21  25 them,"<quote/> he declared.<tf/><p/>
A21  26 <p_><quote_>"If this is what the Home Office call top security then 
A21  27 Gold help us."<quote/><p/>
A21  28 <p_>The 45-year-old former publican said: <quote_>"The papers were 
A21  29 just lying there in a blue folder - the sort of thing a schoolkid 
A21  30 might use.<p/>
A21  31 <p_>"I couldn't believe my eyes when I opened it up and saw top 
A21  32 secret plans for a so-called maximum security prison.<p/>
A21  33 <p_>"I'd heard all the fuss about how Belmarsh was impossible to 
A21  34 escape from and all the amazing security measures the Home Office 
A21  35 had taken.<p/>
A21  36 <p_>"This makes a mockery of the whole thing."<quote/><p/>
A21  37 <p_>He added: <quote_>"I dread to think who left the papers on the 
A21  38 bench.<p/>
A21  39 <p_>"For all I know it could be someone planning an escape 
A21  40 already.<p/>
A21  41 <p_>"I immediately decided to hand them in to the News of the 
A21  42 World, as it's the paper that always gets action."<quote/><p/>
A21  43 <p_>Yesterday, a News of the World reporter arranged to deliver the 
A21  44 documents to Home Office HQ in Westminster.<p/>
A21  45 <p_>Two security officials took them away for examination. The 
A21  46 dumped folder contains a detailed map setting out the location of 
A21  47 security grilles and gates.<p/>
A21  48 <p_>It also shows the route of the underground tunnel through which 
A21  49 remand prisoners will be taken for appearances at a court within 
A21  50 the jail.<p/>
A21  51 <p_>Belmarsh is designed to house 841 inmates, of which 48 will be 
A21  52 high risk Category A prisoners.<p/>
A21  53 <p_>They will be locked in a special prison within a prison in the 
A21  54 middle of the complex.<p/>
A21  55 <p_>This is the second security scandal at the jail.<p/>
A21  56 <p_>Just two days after Belmarsh opened it was revealed there was 
A21  57 no X-ray screening equipment for visitors which could prevent 
A21  58 another IRA-style breakout.<p/>
A21  59 <p_>Home Office spokesman Mr Robert Thomas said: <quote_>"I can't 
A21  60 say where these documents come from or who left them. We'll look 
A21  61 into it."<quote/><p/>
A21  62 <p_>In a prepared statement he said: <quote_>"The security of a 
A21  63 prison is not dependent on its layout but on its physical 
A21  64 security.<quote/><p/>
A21  65 <h|>LAYOUT
A21  66 <p_><quote_>"Prisoners and visitors soon become familiar with the 
A21  67 layout of a prison but they don't know what security systems 
A21  68 exist.<p/>
A21  69 <p_>"The Property Services Authority act as project manager for all 
A21  70 Home Office prison building projects until the building is 
A21  71 completed and formally handed over - in the case of Belmarsh at the 
A21  72 beginning of this year.<p/>
A21  73 <p_>"Prison plans are issued on a need to know basis. Each 
A21  74 contractor only receives plans that relate to his area of work.<p/>
A21  75 <p_><tf_>"As you would expect, plans relating to security aspects 
A21  76 of the designs are very strictly controlled."<quote/><tf/><p/>
A21  77 
A21  78 <h_><p_>Pounds18 - Labour's Tax Blow to Nurses<p/>
A21  79 <p_>exclusive by Norman Lamont<p/>
A21  80 <p_>Bigger Bills for all<p/><h/>
A21  81 <p_>IT'S time Neil Kinnock came clean. He declares on TV that 
A21  82 <quote_>"people pay enough in taxes"<quote/> yet he is also 
A21  83 publicly committed to RAISING them!<p/>
A21  84 <p_>Every Labour government since Attlee has put up taxes. If Mr 
A21  85 Kinnock came to power he would have to do the same - and EVERYBODY 
A21  86 would have to pay, not just the better off.<p/>
A21  87 <p_>Labour has broken its promise to put a price tag on its 
A21  88 spending pledges.<p/>
A21  89 <p_>But I've done my homework and they add up to at least pounds35 
A21  90 billion.<p/>
A21  91 <p_>To pay for all this Labour must, sooner or later, put up taxes 
A21  92 by pounds35 billion a year. They pretend this would only hurt the 
A21  93 well-off. But the sums don't add up.<p/>
A21  94 <h|>RELISH
A21  95 <p_>To raise the money they need, Labour's John Smith will hit the 
A21  96 ordinary taxpayer - even a nurse will have to find an extra 
A21  97 pounds18 a week.<p/>
A21  98 <p_>The truth is, Labour <tf|>like taxes. They put them up not with 
A21  99 regret but with relish. They want to use the tax system to penalise 
A21 100 the hard-working and successful.<p/>
A21 101 <p_>There are <tf|>EIGHT proposals for tax increases spelled out in 
A21 102 their policy documents. These include taxes on savings, higher 
A21 103 National Insurance Contributions if you earn over pounds20,300, 
A21 104 increased capital gains and inheritance tax.<p/>
A21 105 <p_>And the top rate of income tax would go up from 40p to 50p.<p/>
A21 106 <p_>Yes, these would all hit the better-off. But savers, small 
A21 107 shareholders, and married couples with no children would also 
A21 108 suffer.<p/>
A21 109 <h|>LAWS
A21 110 <p_>How much extra tax would this grim list produce? About pounds10 
A21 111 billion a year. That's a lot of money - but from Labour's point of 
A21 112 view it's not enough.<p/>
A21 113 <p_>As I say, their spending plans will cost at least pounds35 
A21 114 billion a year. So that leaves them with a pounds25 billion gap.<p/>
A21 115 <p_>And that gap reveals Labour's hidden tax plan - on top of the 
A21 116 increases they've already told us about they must raise those 
A21 117 missing billions to finance their extravagant programme.<p/>
A21 118 <p_>Where will this money come from? From the ordinary taxpayer, of 
A21 119 course. For, try as they might, Labour can't change the laws of 
A21 120 arithmetic.<p/>
A21 121 <p_>There simply aren't enough of the better-paid to provide for 
A21 122 their spending plans.<p/>
A21 123 <p_>So to raise that extra pounds25 billion, taxes on 
A21 124 <tf|>everybody would have to rise - by the equivalent of 10p in the 
A21 125 basic rate.<p/>
A21 126 <p_>Ten pence sounds like a lot. <tf_>It is a lot.<tf/> It is more 
A21 127 than the tax cuts made by the Conservatives since 1979.<p/>
A21 128 <p_>I've worked out what it would cost ordinary workers - you can 
A21 129 see from my chart <O_>chart<O/> it means huge tax bills all 
A21 130 round.<p/>
A21 131 <h|>MASSIVE
A21 132 <p_>Labour must either ACCEPT they will have to put up taxes or 
A21 133 TELL us which spending plans they will drop.<p/>
A21 134 <p_>Of course, they'll do no such thing. Labour would put up taxes 
A21 135 not just by a little; not just for the better off, and not just by 
A21 136 the eight measures they've admitted.<p/>
A21 137 <p_>Increases would be massive - and for everybody.<p/>
A21 138 <p_><tf_>If youre on average earnings it would cost you pounds25 a 
A21 139 week.<tf/><p/>
A21 140 
A21 141 <h_><p_>MAJOR TELLS POLL SECRETS TO QUEEN<p/>
A21 142 <p_>By IAIN MACASKILL<p/><h/>
A21 143 <p_>PREMIER John Major told the Queen his secret election plans 
A21 144 yesterday - and promised another interest rate cut within a 
A21 145 month.<p/>
A21 146 <p_>Mr Major, spending the weekend at Balmoral with his family, 
A21 147 discussed possible poll dates, including November 7.<p/>
A21 148 <p_>Election fever cooled slightly as a new opinion poll showed the 
A21 149 Tories just two points ahead of Labour. A survey earlier in the 
A21 150 week had given them a four-point lead. The new poll for the 
A21 151 Independent on Sunday gives the Tories 41 per cent and Labour 
A21 152 39.<p/>
A21 153 <p_>But that still represents a six-point swing to the Tories 
A21 154 inside a month. And Mr Major is under increasing pressure to call 
A21 155 an autumn election as the economy continues to pick up.<p/>
A21 156 <p_>Inflation is due to drop below 5% for the first time in three 
A21 157 years on Friday. Retail sales are still rising and prices of raw 
A21 158 materials dropping.<p/>
A21 159 <p_>However, neither Tory MPs nor the party's rank and file want a 
A21 160 November election, two new polls show today.<p/>
A21 161 <p_>A Sunday Telegraph/-Gallup survey of 101 MPs reveals just 17 in 
A21 162 favour. And a Sunday Times study of officials in the 72 key Tory 
A21 163 marginal seats shows only 24 per cent want November.<p/>
A21 164 <p_>Meanwhile, Labour are anxious for Mr Major to set an election 
A21 165 date at the Tory conference in Blackpool next month.<p/>
A21 166 <p_>The delay is putting a serve strain on their finances, a report 
A21 167 by the party's executive reveals.<p/>
A21 168 <p_>Extra staff hired when a June election was expected are being 
A21 169 kept on. Party bosses may have to increase membership from pounds10 
A21 170 to pounds15.<p/>
A21 171 <p_>Deputy leader Roy Hattersley last night challenged ministers to 
A21 172 pre-election TV debates.<p/>
A21 173 <p_>He suggested John Major v Neil Kinnock, John Smith v Norman 
A21 174 Lamont, Gordon Brown v Peter Lilley and himself v Kenneth Baker.<p/>
A21 175 <p_>Mr Hattersley said: <quote_>"I've been hanging around too long 
A21 176 wanting to be Home Secretary and I want it now."<quote/><p/>
A21 177 <p_>Bookies William Hill took pounds30,000-worth of bets last week 
A21 178 on a November poll and make it even-money favourite.<p/>
A21 179 <p_>Liberal Democrats met yesterday to plan election strategy at 
A21 180 their Bournemouth conference.<p/>
A21 181 
A21 182 <h_><p_>You'd rather have a pint with honest John<p/>
A21 183 <p_>By TIM SPANTON<p/><h/>
A21 184 <p_>PREMIER John Major gets the nation's vote as Mr Nice Guy. An 
A21 185 opinion poll conducted specially for the News of the World rates 
A21 186 the Prime Minister as the most honest MP in Britain. He is also the 
A21 187 politician you'd most like to have a pint or a meal with.<p/>
A21 188 <p_>In contrast, Labour leader Neil Kinnock got the thumb down. He 
A21 189 is the leader you LEAST TRUST to become Premier and the most 
A21 190 obnoxious.<p/>
A21 191 <p_>Mr Major, apart from top scores for HONESTY (33 per cent) and 
A21 192 TRUST (38), also heads the women voters' list as the SEXIEST MP 
A21 193 (22).<p/>
A21 194 <p_>He comfortably beat more conventional heart-throbs like Paddy 
A21 195 Ashdown and David Owen (both 17).<p/>
A21 196 <h|>Performance
A21 197 <p_>As a DINNER OR PUB COMPANION, he won a table-topping 20 per 
A21 198 cent vote, easily beating Mr Kinnock, Mr Ashdown and ex-PM Maggie 
A21 199 Thatcher.<p/>
A21 200 <p_><tf_>Perhaps you reckon his expense account would be 
A21 201 bigger!<tf/><p/>
A21 202 <p_>Only one statistic spoiled the Premier's all-round performance 
A21 203 - 18 per cent of you reckon he's a bit of a BORE.<p/>
A21 204 <p_>He even outscored Mrs Thatcher and Ted Heath combined. In the 
A21 205 SEXIEST WOMAN stakes, Tory Edwina Currie - who makes no secret of 
A21 206 her preference for wearing stockings - got the men's vote.<p/>
A21 207 <p_>She scored 29 per cent, with Labour's Harriet Harman second on 
A21 208 18 and the SDP's Rosie Barnes third on 14.<p/>
A21 209 <p_>We also asked who you would take with you to a DESERT 
A21 210 ISLAND.<p/>
A21 211 <p_>Mr Major (19 per cent) and Edwina (17) were tops with women and 
A21 212 men.<p/>
A21 213 <p_>The men's list has two surprises - Mr Ashdown (9) and Mr Major 
A21 214 (8).<p/>
A21 215 <p_><tf_>Leaving out the possibility of a big gay vote, it seems 
A21 216 some marooned men rate practical help higher than creature 
A21 217 comforts.<tf/><p/>
A21 218 <p_>Mr Kinnock's troubles go on and on. As well as top scores for 
A21 219 untrustworthiness (44 per cent) and being obnoxious (19), he is 
A21 220 also No.1 WAFFLER.<p/>
A21 221 <p_>But it isn't all bad news - Neil is also the WITTIEST MP. He 
A21 222 scored 19 per cent, beating Left-winger Dennis Skinner (12).<p/>
A21 223 <p_><tf_>Maggie Thatcher isn't far behind in unpopularity.<tf/><p/>
A21 224 <p_>She is the second-least trusted (15 per cent) and second most 
A21 225 obnoxious (17). Her 6 per cent honesty rating is behind Kinnock's 9 
A21 226 per cent.<p/>
A21 227 <p_>The big consolation for Mr Kinnock is that 78 per cent of 
A21 228 people say they voted mainly for a party, not a leader.<p/>
A21 229 <p_>But if he went, deputy leader Roy Hattersley would not be a 
A21 230 popular choice to TAKE OVER.<p/>
A21 231 <p_>He polled only 14 per cent, against Shadow Chancellor John 
A21 232 Smith's 29 per cent.<p/>
A21 233 <p_>Michael 'Tarzan' Heseltine (29) is top choice to succeed Mr 
A21 234 Major, followed by Douglas Hurd (17). Favoured substitute for the 
A21 235 Libs' Paddy Ashdown is David Steel (27), followed by David Owen 
A21 236 (23), who isn't even in the party!<p/>
A21 237 <p_>A WHOS WHO of the Cabinet and their Labour shadows shows 
A21 238 people's knowledge of politicians is shadowy indeed.<p/>
A21 239 <p_><tf_>Apart from party leaders, only Chancellor Norman Lamont 
A21 240 (53 per cent) was known to more than half those polled.<tf/><p/>
A21 241 <h|>Favourite
A21 242 <p_><tf_>And 56 per cent want the<tf/> VOTING SYSTEM changed to 
A21 243 proportional representation, favoured by the Liberals.<p/>
A21 244 <p_>Labour is rated best able to deal with the health service, 
A21 245 housing, public transport, unemployment and education.<p/>
A21 246 <p_>The Tories are rated best on foreign affairs, defence, 
A21 247 inflation, Europe and the economy.<p/>
A21 248 <p_><tf_>Last night, the Tories were 8-13 favourites with bookies 
A21 249 William Hill to win the next election. Labour were 6-5.<tf/><p/>
A21 250 
A22   1 <#FLOB:A22\><h_><p_>KING ANDREW THE SAVIOUR<p/>
A22   2 <p_>From Steve Edwards in Suva, Fiji<p/><h/>
A22   3 <p_>ROB ANDREW hauled England's Grand Slam heroes back from the 
A22   4 brink of a disastrous Test defeat against Fiji in Suva 
A22   5 yesterday.<p/>
A22   6 <p_>Man-of-the-match Andrew kicked two drop goals, scored his first 
A22   7 England try and made another for Rory Underwood.<p/>
A22   8 <p_>The result rescued a tour that was floundering after just one 
A22   9 win in four attempts.<p/>
A22  10 <p_>Now England have the confidence to face the daunting challenge 
A22  11 of Australia in Sydney next Saturday.<p/>
A22  12 <p_>Andrew's first touchdown, in his 34th game for England, was a 
A22  13 great moment for him.<p/>
A22  14 <p_>True, it was a 'dog's dinner' of a try with Andrew falling on 
A22  15 the ball after two players from each side had missed an 
A22  16 up-and-under on the Fiji line. But that didn't matter to Andrew.<p/>
A22  17 <p_><quote_>"Yes, it was special for me, although I haven't been 
A22  18 too worried about scoring as long as the team's been 
A22  19 winning,"<quote/> he said.<p/>
A22  20 <p_><quote_>"I think that was our best win because Fiji have 
A22  21 improved tremendously since we last faced them and they gave us all 
A22  22 kinds of problems."<quote/><p/>
A22  23 <p_>Fiji had England on the rack for the first 20 minutes of the 
A22  24 second half. The scores were tied 12-12 and Fiji fired four drop 
A22  25 goal attempts wide.<p/>
A22  26 <p_>It took a brilliant solo break by Andrew to create a try for 
A22  27 old schoolmate Underwood on the right wing to end the siege. 
A22  28 Underwood extended his try record to 28 on the day he became 
A22  29 England's most capped player of all time with 44 appearances.<p/>
A22  30 <p_>All the doubts raised by a poor run-up to the Test were erased 
A22  31 by a team that finished with just nine of the Grand Slam side.<p/>
A22  32 <p_>Injuries and loss of form forced the selectors to break up the 
A22  33 European champions, and their decisions were proved right.<p/>
A22  34 <p_>Full back Jon Webb kicked ten points in his first Test for two 
A22  35 years.<p/>
A22  36 <p_>Martin Bayfield made an outstanding debut at lock alongside 
A22  37 Nigel Redman, who only came into the game yesterday morning when 
A22  38 Paul Ackford pulled out with an ankle injury.<p/>
A22  39 <p_>Captain Will Carling had no doubts that the 20 minutes after 
A22  40 half-time was the toughest period of the tour so far.<p/>
A22  41 <p_><quote_>"If we had gone behind, it would have been the end of 
A22  42 the game,"<quote/> said Carling.<p/>
A22  43 <p_>England's other try scorer was prop Jeff Probyn, and that was 
A22  44 set up by new-boy Bayfield.<p/>
A22  45 <p_><*_>black-circle<*/>Jon Hall, the Bath flanker, flies home to 
A22  46 England tomorrow for an exploratory operation on his right knee.<p/>
A22  47 
A22  48 <h_><p_>England's struggling star will know his fate at 
A22  49 lunchtime<p/>
A22  50 <p_>DON'T ROAST LAMB!<p/>
A22  51 <p_>That will only help Windies win the war<p/>
A22  52 <p_>Says Robin Smith<p/>
A22  53 <p_>By Steve Whiting<p/><h/>
A22  54 <p_>ENGLAND batting star Robin Smith last night pleaded with Ted 
A22  55 Dexter and the Test selectors ... don't axe Allan Lamb.<p/>
A22  56 <p_>The nuggety little Northants captain is having one of his worst 
A22  57 patches in Test cricket with only 54 runs from five innings against 
A22  58 the West Indies.<p/>
A22  59 <p_>People are already forgetting the two fighting hundreds he made 
A22  60 in the Caribbean two winters ago and want him left out of next 
A22  61 Thursday's fourth Cornhill Test at Edgbaston.<p/>
A22  62 <p_>But not Smith, whose early batting exploits in South Africa 
A22  63 were often inspired by Lamb's example, and who still feels a buzz 
A22  64 when he is at the other end.<p_>
A22  65 <p_><quote_>"Lambie was looking good when he made 29 in the second 
A22  66 dig at Trent Bridge,"<quote/> he says.<p/>
A22  67 <p_><tf_><quote_>"The West Indies would love to see us leave him 
A22  68 out. They admire him tremendously and I know he gets on 
A22  69 exceptionally well with all of them.<tf/><p/>
A22  70 <p_>"They respect him for what he has done against them. He has 
A22  71 played very well against them in difficult conditions and they know 
A22  72 that.<quote/><p/>
A22  73 <p_><tf_>He plays county cricket with Curtly Ambrose and that will 
A22  74 give him a bit of extra edge, even though Ambie has got him out a 
A22  75 couple of times in this series.<tf/><p/>
A22  76 <p_><quote_>"Ambie might run in to him in a Test match and bowl him 
A22  77 a brilliant ball that flies off the outside edge down to third 
A22  78 man.<p/>
A22  79 <p_>"Allan will run past Ambie and say 'Why can't you bowl like 
A22  80 that for Northants?'<p/>
A22  81 <p_>"There'll be a little bit of fun between them, but Ambie will 
A22  82 be charged up by Allan saying that, and Allan will be charged up by 
A22  83 not wanting to get out to him.<p/>
A22  84 <p_><tf_>"He knows that next year he'll be taking a lot of stick in 
A22  85 the Northants dressing room if Ambrose knocks him over too 
A22  86 often."<quote/><tf/><p/>
A22  87 <p_>This week it was Smith, averaging 93.66 from 281 runs in the 
A22  88 series so far, who gave England their biggest scare.<p/>
A22  89 <p_>He dropped out of Hampshire's game against Worcestershire at 
A22  90 Portsmouth with a pain in the finger struck by an Ambrose beamer at 
A22  91 Southampton three weeks ago.<p/>
A22  92 <p_><tf_>There was an even bigger scare when he went on to field on 
A22  93 Wednesday as sub for his brother Chris, whose wife Julie was in 
A22  94 hospital for the birth of their first child.<tf/><p/>
A22  95 <p_>But Robin knew all was well when he pulled down a scorching 
A22  96 catch at midwicket to remove Phil Newport.<p/>
A22  97 <p_>Straightaway he knew he was fit to play in the current game 
A22  98 against Warwickshire and the fourth Test.<p/>
A22  99 <p_><quote_>"There was no way I was going to miss the 
A22 100 Test,"<quote/> he said.<p/>
A22 101 <p_><quote_>"I did all the right things - I had my finger X-rayed 
A22 102 and I knew it wasn't broken, so I'm not taking a risk."<quote/><p/>
A22 103 <p_>England's other injury worry is opener Mike Atherton, who 
A22 104 proved his fitness in Lancashire's Championship clash against 
A22 105 Middlesex yesterday.<p/>
A22 106 <p_><tf_>That honour could be lined up for Glamorgan lefthander 
A22 107 Hugh Morris, but his pair against the West Indians at Swansea last 
A22 108 week could hardly have come at a worse time.<tf/><p/>
A22 109 <p_>A sparkling 84 at Cheltenham yesterday means he might still be 
A22 110 in when the team is announced at lunchtime today - if only on the 
A22 111 basis that lightning can't strike three times in the same place!<p/>
A22 112 <p_>If he isn't, watch out for Kent's Mark Benson or even, as an 
A22 113 outside gamble, Surrey's Darren Bicknell ... also lefthanders.<p_>
A22 114 <p_>Graeme Hick must have made his place safe with a brilliant 141 
A22 115 against Hampshire this week to follow his 88 in the Benson and 
A22 116 Hedges Cup Final.<p/>
A22 117 <p_>But thank goodness England aren't the only team with 
A22 118 problems.<p/>
A22 119 <p_>Clayton Lambert's 99 against Glamorgan at Swansea this week 
A22 120 might clinch him the opener's place held shakily until now by Phil 
A22 121 Simmons.<p/>
A22 122 <p_>And there is a strong rumour that the West Indies' 22-year-old 
A22 123 lefthander Brian Lara only needs runs against Kent this weekend to 
A22 124 clinch his first Test cap.<p/>
A22 125 <p_>And fast bowler Malcolm Marshall - who ended Lamb's innings at 
A22 126 Trent Bridge - is having to rest after falling down the steps at 
A22 127 the team's hotel.<p/>
A22 128 <p_>The doubts surrounding both Atherton and the weather might lead 
A22 129 England to announce 13 players. My squad:<p/>
A22 130 <p_><tf_>Gooch, Morris, Atherton, Hick, Ramprakash, Smith, Lamb, 
A22 131 Russell, Pringle, DeFreitas, Illingworth, Lawrence, 
A22 132 Malcolm.<tf/><p/>
A22 133 
A22 134 <h_><p_>GRAF UP FOR CUP<p/>
A22 135 <p_>By Hugh Jamieson<p/><h/>
A22 136 <p_>WIMBLEDON champion Steffi Graf is back in the mood to spearhead 
A22 137 Germany's bid for Federation Cup glory in Nottingham this week.<p/>
A22 138 <p_>Graf, the girl who once ruled the world in awesome fashion, 
A22 139 signalled her comeback by regaining her Wimbledon crown with a 
A22 140 gutsy win over Argentinian star Gabriela Sabatini.<p/>
A22 141 <p_>While Yugoslavia's world number one, Monica Seles, delays a 
A22 142 decision on playing after controversially withdrawing from 
A22 143 Wimbledon at the last minute, 22-year-old Graf is radiating smiles 
A22 144 again.<p/>
A22 145 <p_><tf_>Her career was torn apart last year with her father, 
A22 146 Peter, involved in a sex scandal - but since he was cleared in a 
A22 147 paternity case, Steffi has started to move in for the kill.<tf/><p/>
A22 148 <p_>Dad Peter says: <quote_>"She has now got over injuries 
A22 149 involving her wrist, arm and shoulder. But, more importantly, she 
A22 150 is happy again with her life - on and off the court. It's like she 
A22 151 has been born again and we are now seeing the real 
A22 152 Steffi."<quote/><p/>
A22 153 <p_>Seles has been playing in an exhibition in New Jersey but her 
A22 154 aim to play in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics could be threatened if 
A22 155 she doesn't appear at Nottingham.<p/>
A22 156 <p_><tf_><quote_>"Monica seems to be a little bit mixed up but we 
A22 157 still expect her to honour her commitments and play Federation 
A22 158 Cup,"<quote/> says International Tennis Federation spokesman Ian 
A22 159 Barnes.<tf/><p/>
A22 160 <p_>Britain, beaten by the holders USA in last year's 
A22 161 quarter-finals, take on New Zealand in the opening round with our 
A22 162 hopes resting on Jo Durie, Monique Javer, Clare Wood and Samantha 
A22 163 Smith.<p/>
A22 164 <p_>A record 56 teams are in the Cup and, after a qualifying round, 
A22 165 the main competition begins tomorrow with 32 teams.<p/>
A22 166 
A22 167 <h_><p_>Mike back on the Test trail<p/><h/>
A22 168 <p_>MIKE ATHERTON yesterday scored the runs that should keep him in 
A22 169 the England team for the fourth Test at Edgbaston this week writes 
A22 170 STEVE WHITING.<p/>
A22 171 <p_>Middlesex spinners John Emburey and Phil Tufnell, on a slow 
A22 172 turner at Uxbridge, may not quite match up to the fury of the West 
A22 173 Indies' mean machine.<p/>
A22 174 <p_>But Atherton's 91 in almost five hours, coming after a run of 
A22 175 49 in five Test innings as England's opener, showed he is over the 
A22 176 stomach injury that kept him out against Notts earlier in the 
A22 177 week.<p/>
A22 178 <p_>It was also enough for England manager Micky Stewart to say: 
A22 179 <quote_>"Now he is in the frame, like everyone else, including Ian 
A22 180 Botham."<quote/><p/>
A22 181 <p_>What Atherton didn't need was his sad end, controversially 
A22 182 given out leg before as he swept Tufnell. It was his highest first 
A22 183 class score since 62 against Derbyshire in May. Lancashire went on 
A22 184 to make 329 - a lead of 79.<p/>
A22 185 <h|>Victim
A22 186 <p_>Botham did his hopes of an England recall little good, despite 
A22 187 Stewart's assurances.<p/>
A22 188 <p_>'Beefy' fell for only five to Derbyshire's Allan Warner as 
A22 189 WORCESTERSHIRE were dismissed for only 218 and, following on 154 
A22 190 behind at Kidderminster, closed at 110-4.<p/>
A22 191 <p_>Graeme Hick, desperately looking for another big innings boost, 
A22 192 managed only 24 before falling victim to Derbyshire's teenage pace 
A22 193 sensation Dominic Cork. Worse was to come for Hick when he was run 
A22 194 out for three in the second innings.<p/>
A22 195 <p_>Botham's long-time England colleague David Gower will have to 
A22 196 wait for a chance to overhaul Geoff Boycott's England run aggregate 
A22 197 record.<p/>
A22 198 <p_>Gower didn't last long against WARWICKSHIRE tearaway Allan 
A22 199 Donald, making only 18 before becoming the South African's 51st 
A22 200 first class victim of the season. HAMPSHIRE lost Robin Smith for a 
A22 201 duck as they struggled to 176 all out - a lead of 250.<p/>
A22 202 <h|>Stuttered
A22 203 <p_>Darren Bicknell, Surrey's opener who could come into the 
A22 204 England selector's reckoning, gave them a timely nudge with a fine 
A22 205 80 against YORKSHIRE at Guildford, passing 1,000 first class runs 
A22 206 for the season on his home ground. After Surrey declared at 250-2 - 
A22 207 39 behind - Yorkshire were in trouble at 42-3.<p/>
A22 208 <p_>WEST INDIES opener Phil Simmons guaranteed keeping his Test 
A22 209 place after hitting a patient 77 against KENT at Canterbury. His 
A22 210 place had been in danger following a total of only 86 runs in six 
A22 211 innings in the series.<p/>
A22 212 <p_>Brian Lara, who might have grabbed Simmons' Test spot, made 
A22 213 only 19. But Gus Logie warmed up for Edgbaston with a whirlwind 70 
A22 214 off 76 balls as the tourists reached 310-7.<p/>
A22 215 
A22 216 <h_><p_>Platt's that - at pounds5.5m<p/><h/>
A22 217 <p_>DAVID PLATT finally joined Bari last night in a record-busting 
A22 218 pounds5.5 million deal.<p/>
A22 219 <p_>Aston Villa's England star signed for the Italians after eight 
A22 220 hours of talks.<p/>
A22 221 <p_>The pounds5.5m deal shatters the British transfer record set 
A22 222 when England winger Chris Waddle went from Tottenham to Marseille 
A22 223 for pounds4.25m.<p/>
A22 224 <p_>Platt, once given a free transfer by Manchester United and 
A22 225 bought by Villa from Crewe for pounds200,000, has signed a 
A22 226 three-year contract worth about pounds4million.<p/>
A22 227 <h|>Move
A22 228 <p_>Bari beat off a late move by Marseille and Platt said: 
A22 229 <quote_>"I'm very excited about going to Italy.<p/>
A22 230 <p_>"It seems to have taken an age for the transfer to be 
A22 231 completed, but I'm 100 per cent certain it's the right 
A22 232 decision."<quote/><p/>
A22 233 <p_>Platt, with seven goals in his 21 England appearances, added: 
A22 234 <quote_>"I've spoken to Graham Taylor and he assures me joining 
A22 235 Bari won't affect my England prospects."<quote/> Villa chairman 
A22 236 Doug Ellis said: <quote_>"Given the size of the transfer, it is 
A22 237 only right I spell out the size of the fee.<p/>
A22 238 <p_>"We have added one extra clause - Villa will receive 50 per 
A22 239 cent of the differential if David is sold on by Bari."<quote/><p/>
A22 240 
A23   1 <#FLOB:A23\><h_><p_>All Amigo needs is right draw<p/>
A23   2 <p_>by Jonathan Powell<p/><h/>
A23   3 <p_>LIMITLESS courage gives doughty sprinter Amigo Menor the chance 
A23   4 of completing a notable handicap double in the William Hill 
A23   5 Stewards Cup of Goodwood on Tuesday.<p/>
A23   6 <p_>Amigo Menor was lame before and after winning the Wokingham 
A23   7 Stakes at Ascot last month. Ice packs and a jacuzzi boot 
A23   8 helped numb the pain of a mysterious foot problem in the hours 
A23   9 before the race. Two days later an abscess burst in the foot.<p/>
A23  10 <p_>The infection lingered for a fortnight but since then his 
A23  11 recovery has been swift.<p/>
A23  12 <h_><p_>Good Draw<p/><h/>
A23  13 <p_><quote_>"It was touch and go whether he ran at Ascot until the 
A23  14 last moment. The horse's attitude was crucial. He is laid back and 
A23  15 very tough,"<quote/> reports David Murray-Smith, who took over 
A23  16 Amigo Menor from Kim Brassey last winter.<p/>
A23  17 <p_><quote_>"It was 17 days before he came right but he is best 
A23  18 when fresh and seems back to his old form again. Given a good draw 
A23  19 on Tuesday, I am hopeful."<quote/><p/>
A23  20 <p_>The trainer's faith in his new arrival was sorely tested after 
A23  21 two uncompromising runs early this season. The horse's work at home 
A23  22 was uninspiring.<p/>
A23  23 <p_><quote_>"I was so disappointed with Amigo Menor I tried 
A23  24 blinkers on him two day before Lingfield just to make sure and his 
A23  25 rider could not pull him up,"<quote/> he recalls.<p/>
A23  26 <p_>Knight of mercy achieved this elusive sprint double a year ago. 
A23  27 He made a promising comeback behind Amigo Menor at Ascot after a 
A23  28 knee operation and is much fancied to win the Stewards Cup 
A23  29 again.<p/>
A23  30 <p_>Punters have gone for an old fashioned coup on Desert Dirham in 
A23  31 the Schweppes Golden Mile on Thursday. Three weeks ago he was 
A23  32 available at 25-1. This weekend you are unlikely to beat 5-1. His 
A23  33 recent homework at Newmarket suggests he might be a Group horse but 
A23  34 as ever, with horses, there is a snag.<p/>
A23  35 <p_>Two facile successes in uncompetitive races leave Desert Dirham 
A23  36 ill-prepared for battle against seasoned handicappers. Yet ... he 
A23  37 might have a stone in hand.<p/>
A23  38 <p_>Even hardy professionals like Superoo can become hopeless 
A23  39 trapped in a race.<p/>
A23  40 <p_>It happened to him at Newmarket earlier this month where he was 
A23  41 one of the unluckiest losers of the season in the Bunbury Cup.<p/>
A23  42 <h|>Fastest
A23  43 <p_><quote_>"He has to be held up and brought with a late run so 
A23  44 you need luck in running. We did not get it last time but I don't 
A23  45 blame his jockey Nicky Adams,"<quote/> reflects his trainer John 
A23  46 Sutcliffe.<p/>
A23  47 <p_>Dilum, more relaxed now, is a banker on Wednesday and the 
A23  48 admirable Jack Berry expects speedy Another Episode to win on 
A23  49 Friday.<p/>
A23  50 <p_><quote_>"Pat Eddery thought this fellow was the fastest 
A23  51 two-year-old he had ever sat on when he won at Windsor,"<quote/> 
A23  52 reveals Berry.<p/>
A23  53 
A23  54 <h_><p_>Pipe is staying one jump ahead<p/>
A23  55 <p_>by Richard Pitman<p/><h/>
A23  56 <p_>CHAMPION trainer Martin Pipe has registered another first.<p/>
A23  57 <p_>He is going to advertise on HTV television and SIS.<p/>
A23  58 <p_><quote_>"There must be thousands of people in Britain who, 
A23  59 given some encouragement, would love to share in the fun of owning 
A23  60 winners,"<quote/> explained Pipe. <quote_>"Other businesses build 
A23  61 in advertising budgets, why shouldn't racing benefit from it, 
A23  62 too?"<quote/><p/>
A23  63 <p_>This week Pipe sends a pre-season three-strong raiding party to 
A23  64 the renowned six-day Galway Festival in the West of Ireland after a 
A23  65 reconnaissance trip of 12 months ago.<p/>
A23  66 <p_>A warm-up for our jumping season which starts on Friday? 
A23  67 <quote_>"No, mine don't need prep races,"<quote/> he said. 
A23  68 <quote_>"I only run horses when they are fit. Racing them to bring 
A23  69 them on often puts them back instead.<p/>
A23  70 <p_>"Tri Folene has the best chance of victory on Tuesday. 
A23  71 Takemethere will run well on Wednesday while Sweet 'N' Twenty will 
A23  72 shake them all up in the Galway Plate on Thursday."<quote/><p/>
A23  73 <p_>Pipe's all-consuming immersion in his business means he has had 
A23  74 just three days holidaying in Jersey and a week in Brixham 
A23  75 interrupted by a bloodstock sale. He says: <quote_>"Life's one long 
A23  76 holiday."<quote/> Typical of the man!<p/>
A23  77 
A23  78 <h_><p_>Miracle Mal the most banned jock of them all<p/>
A23  79 <p_>EXCLUSIVE by Barry Newcombe<p/><h/>
A23  80 <p_>THEY call him Miracle Mal. <quote_>"He is flash,"<quote/> says 
A23  81 an observer. <quote_>"Anyone who drives a Pontiac Trans-Am and 
A23  82 smokes cigars that are too big for him is flash. But he can ride a 
A23  83 horse as though he belongs."<quote/><p/>
A23  84 <p_>On this particular winter day in Sydney, with the sun masking 
A23  85 the cold wind coming from the heart of Australia, Miracle Mal is 
A23  86 off the pace at the Rosehill racecourse.<p/>
A23  87 <p_>But the curiosity interest remains. Malcolm Johnston is one of 
A23  88 the great jockeys in Australian racing with 1,800 winners in more 
A23  89 than 9,000 rides.<p/>
A23  90 <p_>He is also creeping with some certainty towards a statistic 
A23  91 that fills him with little pride. He has been suspended from racing 
A23  92 48 times. The half century looms and he knows there is little he 
A23  93 can do about it.<p/>
A23  94 <p_><quote_>"It is a record I am not proud of,"<quote/> he says. 
A23  95 <quote_>"The suspensions have all been for careless riding and on 
A23  96 top of those I have had 100 or more reprimands.<p/>
A23  97 <p_>"The suspensions have been for different periods, usually two 
A23  98 weeks. I had six weeks once, three weeks recently. It has cost me 
A23  99 because I am professional rider. But they are minor incidents, a 
A23 100 miscalculation, an eagerness, every jockey has them.<p/>
A23 101 <p_>"I maintain I am a great winner. Winning is everything and I 
A23 102 love the achievement. But I tread a fine line."<quote/><p/>
A23 103 <h|>Incidents
A23 104 <p_>Crossing that line is expensive. Johnston, 34, was suspended 
A23 105 for an incident on the Wyong course in 1976 and another jockey 
A23 106 involved, who fell and broke a thigh, sued for damages.<p/>
A23 107 <p_>Nearly 15 years on, Johnston was found guilty of negligence. 
A23 108 When all the legal avenues were exploited and closed off, Johnston 
A23 109 had to pay out pounds125,000.<p/>
A23 110 <p_><quote_>"I had to sell a house,"<quote/> he says. <quote_>"That 
A23 111 amount of money is like five years down the track.<p/>
A23 112 <p_>"I kept saying it wasn't worrying me but it was eating a big 
A23 113 hole in my guts. When it was over I was totally relieved it was out 
A23 114 of my system. I had to start again. I'm a tough character and I 
A23 115 have shown in the past I can claw my way back."<quote/><p/>
A23 116 <p_>Johnston's experience had a ripple effect through Australian 
A23 117 professional sport and all jockeys instantly took out public 
A23 118 liability insurance at an annual premium of pounds2,600.<p/>
A23 119 <p_>Johnston's friends held money-raising schemes to help him. But 
A23 120 he knows he has to help himself, out on the track where he has been 
A23 121 riding since he was 15.<p/>
A23 122 <p_>Johnston, the eldest child in a family of seven, comes from a 
A23 123 township called Forbes, 300 miles west of Sydney. His father drove 
A23 124 22-wheel trucks and a young Malcolm would travel with him, dreaming 
A23 125 of becoming a Rugby league star. But Johnston's grandfather 
A23 126 persuaded him to join Theo Green's stable in Sydney when he was 
A23 127 15.<p/>
A23 128 <p_>The first time he rode a racehorse he fell off, as all the 
A23 129 stable lads said he would and broke his left ankle and cut his neck 
A23 130 which needed 14 stitches. he rode his first winner when he was 16 
A23 131 1/2.<p/>
A23 132 <p_><quote_>"Everyone has a gift,"<quote/> he says, <quote_>"mine 
A23 133 is to ride. Finding it in me was a fluke. I have been champion 
A23 134 jockey four times in 16 years, runner up five times. I can't 
A23 135 complain."<quote/><p/>
A23 136 <p_>The most common photograph in Johnston's trophy room is of a 
A23 137 horse called Kingston Town. Together they won six Derbies, three 
A23 138 Oaks, two St Legers, the Sydney Cup and the Adelaide Cup, and ran 
A23 139 second in the Melbourne Cup.<p/>
A23 140 <p_>Johnson says: <quote_>"He was the greatest horse this country 
A23 141 has ever seen, a superstar who won 31 times, 28 of them with me up. 
A23 142 The other times he won I was suspended.<p/>
A23 143 <p_>"He was a good mate, a freak, a horse who knew what it was all 
A23 144 about. He was the first to win a million dollars and he still won 
A23 145 even when he broke down in his last race.<quote/><p/>
A23 146 <h|>Superstitions
A23 147 <p_><quote_>"I used to ride him at tracks before race meetings. 
A23 148 People just wanted to see him. I last saw him two years ago and he 
A23 149 died a couple of months back."<quote/><p/>
A23 150 <p_>It is time for Johnston to ride on. He is riddled with 
A23 151 superstitions, from never wearing green to always wearing a 
A23 152 ten-year-old vest.<p/>
A23 153 <p_>He has coloured leather on the tops of his boots and carries a 
A23 154 white whip. The word Miracle is stitched into his riding pants. You 
A23 155 see it as he walks away from you.<p/>
A23 156 <p_><quote_>"I'm a survivor,"<quote/> he says. <quote_>"Worse 
A23 157 things happen than have happened to me. When I was an apprentice 
A23 158 there was a young kid coming up behind me. I used to bunk with him. 
A23 159 He won a race on Time to Fly and next up had his first fall. He 
A23 160 never recovered from it. That makes you think."<quote/><p/>
A23 161 
A23 162 <h_><p_>England bushwhacked<p/>
A23 163 <p_>Lynagh and Campese fire out World Cup warning<p/>
A23 164 <p_>Barry Newcombe in Sydney<p/>
A23 165 <p_>Australia 40 England 15<p/><h/>
A23 166 <p_>DAVID CAMPESE and Michael Lynagh shredded England's Grand slam 
A23 167 status at the Sydney Football Stadium and wiped out any prospect of 
A23 168 England winning a Test in Australia for the first time.<p/>
A23 169 <p_>Campese's two tries and Lynagh's 20 points were stunning 
A23 170 additions to the world record figures they already hold.<p/>
A23 171 <p_>The difference was in inspiration. The two master play-makers, 
A23 172 Campese with his unpredictable menace and astonishing finishing 
A23 173 power on the wing, and Lynagh at fly-half, lifted this young 
A23 174 Australian side to new heights.<p/>
A23 175 <p_>Will Carling and Jeremy Guscott were no less forceful in the 
A23 176 England midfield but too often operated in isolation and could 
A23 177 produce only one try.<p/>
A23 178 <p_>Long before the end, England were trying to play a wide and 
A23 179 expansive game, which was not how they won the Grand slam this 
A23 180 year.<p/>
A23 181 <p_>But it was a response to Australia's sharpness in all things 
A23 182 and England will have realised from this match that they stand no 
A23 183 chance in the World Cup unless they broaden their attack and find 
A23 184 more pace.<p/>
A23 185 <p_>It was always a risk to come to Australia in the middle of the 
A23 186 close season and the cost to England is their second heaviest 
A23 187 defeat - the worst being the 42-15 loss to New Zealand in the 
A23 188 bloodstained battle of Wellington six years ago.<p/>
A23 189 <p_>England did not collect any injuries that will affect 
A23 190 availability for the World Cup. What they did receive was another 
A23 191 clear show of power in the Southern hemisphere.<p/>
A23 192 <p_>Most of the 40,000 crowd would have been happy to see Australia 
A23 193 installed as Cup favorites after leading England from the sixth 
A23 194 minute and scoring five tries.<p/>
A23 195 <p_>Three of those tries come from close range scrums. England have 
A23 196 struggled through their tour of seven matches and four defeats to 
A23 197 impose themselves in similar situations.<p/>
A23 198 <p_>Australia showed them how, with fast hands and minds. On top of 
A23 199 that was the class work of Campese and Lynagh.<p/>
A23 200 <p_>One of Campese's tries came down the line from a scrum. The 
A23 201 other had him leaping to take the ball on the bounce after Nick 
A23 202 Farr-Jones had kicked to the corner with the England defence only a 
A23 203 fraction adrift. A fraction is all Campese needs.<p/>
A23 204 <p_>Almost the last move of the match was Lynagh's wicked kick to 
A23 205 the England posts. Tiring men could not deal with it und Australia 
A23 206 re-won the ball for their flanker Willie 'Tongan Torpedo' 
A23 207 Ofahengaue to score his second try.<p/>
A23 208 <p_>England threatened most in the first half. Carling and Guscott, 
A23 209 in contrasting ways, broke Australia's defence often enough and 
A23 210 Chris Oti was also difficult to halt.<p/>
A23 211 <p_>A big punch-through by Oti set up the opportunity for England's 
A23 212 lone try. When Oti was checked, England changed direction and 
A23 213 Carling beat two players in a narrow corridor on the wing before 
A23 214 putting Guscott through after 14 minutes.<p/>
A23 215 <p_>Australia were ahead 16-9 at half-time and were much more the 
A23 216 dominant force after that.<p/>
A23 217 <p_>Carling fashioned England's best attack of the second half but 
A23 218 all too often they were playing the game much too far from the 
A23 219 Australian line and for the first time this year did not protect 
A23 220 their possession well enough.<p/>
A23 221 <p_>In six days Australia have scored 103 points against Wales and 
A23 222 England. And a side with an average age of 24 against 28 by England 
A23 223 has to be considered World Cup Finalists at this point.<p/>
A23 224 
A24   1 <#FLOB:A24\><h_><p_>90 INJURED IN TRAIN TUNNEL TERROR CRASH<p/>
A24   2 <p_>PEOPLE REPORTERS<p/><h/>
A24   3 <p_>MORE than 90 passengers were injured yesterday in a horrifying 
A24   4 pile-up between two trains in the middle of the Severn Tunnel.<p/>
A24   5 <p_>Dazed and terrified travellers had to wait in the darkness for 
A24   6 two hours before rescuers reached them.<p/>
A24   7 <p_>Ten people were seriously hurt but no one died in the accident, 
A24   8 which happened when the 8.30am Paddington to Cardiff InterCity 125 
A24   9 was rammed from behind by the 7am Portsmouth to Cardiff 
A24  10 Sprinter.<p/>
A24  11 <p_>Emergency crews on both sides of the tunnel put a pre-arranged 
A24  12 plan into operation and a resuce train with medics, police and 
A24  13 fire<?_>-<?/>fighters was sent inside.<p/>
A24  14 <p_>But it was nearly two hours before the first casualties were 
A24  15 brought out.<p/>
A24  16 <p_>Among them was the seriously injured driver of the Sprinter, 
A24  17 Steve Carpenter, 36, of Fratton, Portsmouth, who was trapped in the 
A24  18 wreckage of his cab.<p/>
A24  19 <p_>A young doctor who was a passenger on the Sprinter was hailed 
A24  20 as the hero of the crash.<p/>
A24  21 <p_>He gave the driver first aid and checked the condition of the 
A24  22 other casualties while waiting for rescuers to arrive.<p/>
A24  23 <p_><tf_>He was then able to give ambulancemen his expert 
A24  24 assessment of the cases needing the most urgent treatment.<tf/><p/>
A24  25 <p_>One rescuer said: <quote_>"He was brilliant. He told us the 
A24  26 chap to worry about was the train driver and we spent about 90 
A24  27 minutes cutting him free.<p/>
A24  28 <p_>"The doctor must have been shocked but he put that to one side 
A24  29 and did a professional job."<quote/><p/>
A24  30 <h|>Panic
A24  31 <p_>Adam Stirling, 27, from Southville, Bristol, a passenger in the 
A24  32 Sprinter, said: <quote_>"There was a sudden loud crash and all the 
A24  33 lights went out. There was panic for maybe 30 seconds but everyone 
A24  34 was quite calm after that."<quote/>
A24  35 <p_>The four-mile-long Severn Tunnel opened in 1886 and is one of 
A24  36 the longest operated by BR. High-speed lines were laid in 1970.<p/>
A24  37 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>Last night BR revealed a major signal fault had 
A24  38 existed in the tunnel for several hours before the crash. One of 
A24  39 the drivers had been warned but it was uncertain whether the other 
A24  40 had been.<p/>
A24  41 
A24  42 <h_><p_>Britain alone in Europe<p/>
A24  43 <p_>By NIGEL NELSON<p/><h/>
A24  44 <p_>BRITAIN will be isolated by 11 votes to 1 over the key issue of 
A24  45 a single currency at next week's EC summit in Maastricht.<p/>
A24  46 <p_>Every nation except Britain backs the change, says a briefing 
A24  47 for Government ministers obtained by The People.<p/>
A24  48 <p_>But despite this, Financial Secretary Francis Maude warned that 
A24  49 any agreement must be on our terms.<p/>
A24  50 <p_><quote_>"If we entered a single currency in the wrong 
A24  51 conditions it would be catastrophic,"<quote/> he said.<p/>
A24  52 <p_>Meanwhile Tory Chairman Chris Patten claimed Britain had won 
A24  53 the battle over a 48-hour week. The EC had wanted to restrict the 
A24  54 number of hours people work.<p/>
A24  55 
A24  56 <h_><p_>IRA MAN DROPS BAG OF GUNS IN THE STREET<p/>
A24  57 <p_>Christmas terror warning as cop seizes weapons<p/>
A24  58 <p_>By SHARON COLLINS<p/><h/>
A24  59 <p_>FEARS of a Christmas terror blitz by the IRA grew last night 
A24  60 after a bag of guns was found in a London street.<p/>
A24  61 <p_>Anti-terrorist police launched a massive hunt following the 
A24  62 discovery of <quote_>"weapons believed intended for acts of 
A24  63 terrorism."<quote/><p/>
A24  64 <p_>The find is a new setback for the IRA just two weeks after a 
A24  65 Provo bomb girl and a male accomplice blew themselves to bits at St 
A24  66 Albans, Herts.<p/>
A24  67 <p_>Their bomb went off as they tried to plant it during a concert 
A24  68 by the band of the Blues and Royals.<p/>
A24  69 <p_><tf_>An off-duty policeman foiled the latest planned attack 
A24  70 when he challenged a man acting suspiciously in Wanstead, East 
A24  71 London.<tf/><p/>
A24  72 <p_>Police are understood to be working on the theory that the man, 
A24  73 possibly a member of an IRA 'active service' unit, was about to act 
A24  74 as a bodyguard in a terrorist operation.<p/>
A24  75 <p_>Another possibility is that he was moving from one safe house 
A24  76 to another.<p/>
A24  77 <p_>A Scotland Yard spokesman said: <quote_>"Our officer displayed 
A24  78 extreme bravery and initiative.<p/>
A24  79 <h|>Dropped
A24  80 <p_><quote_>"The man dropped the bag and ran off. Inside the bag, 
A24  81 the officer discovered a number of weapons.<p/>
A24  82 <p_>"Extensive inquiries are now being conducted throughout 
A24  83 London."<quote/><p/>
A24  84 <p_>One report said Semtex explosive and bomb-making gear was also 
A24  85 found nearby.<p/>
A24  86 <p_>The Wanstead drama and the St Albans 'own goal' follow a series 
A24  87 of recent setbacks suffered by terrorists on the British 
A24  88 mainland.<p/>
A24  89 <p_>In October, two IRA suspects, one apparently armed, fled after 
A24  90 being shot at by sentries at St Omer Barracks in Aldershot, 
A24  91 Hants.<p/>
A24  92 <p_>Last June, a bomb containing more than 20lbs of Semtex and 
A24  93 timed to go off while the Blues and Royals were playing, was 
A24  94 defused outside a theatre in Hayes, West London.<p/>
A24  95 <p_>Three incendiary devices, similar to those used by the IRA, 
A24  96 were found under the seat of a Tube train in August.<p/>
A24  97 <p_>And 20 firebombs were found smouldering in a hold-all at 
A24  98 Preston railway station, Lancs, in April.<p/>
A24  99 
A24 100 <h_><p_>Sacked Sir tied up girl<p/>
A24 101 <p_>By PAUL DAVIDSON<p/><h/>
A24 102 <p_>A TEACHER was sacked this week after tying a teenage girl to a 
A24 103 rugby post for a photo session and showing 13-year-olds an X-rated 
A24 104 movie.<p/>
A24 105 <p_>David Mundy bound the girl on the school field, then let pupils 
A24 106 take pictures of her.<p/>
A24 107 <p_>Later he let them watch Aliens which features graphic violence 
A24 108 and foul language.<p/>
A24 109 <p_>Education chiefs gave Mr Mundy, 40, the boot at a disciplinary 
A24 110 hearing.<p/>
A24 111 <p_>But nearly 200 parents are backing popular Mr Mundy's appeal 
A24 112 and want him back.<p/>
A24 113 <p_><tf_>He taught English, geography and history at the 400-pupil 
A24 114 Cliffe Woods Middle School, Rochester, Kent, for 17 years and was 
A24 115 head of fourth year.<tf/><p/>
A24 116 <p_>He organised the photo session to provide a front cover for a 
A24 117 school magazine showing the pain education sometimes causes 
A24 118 children.<p/>
A24 119 <p_>Sue Prescott, one of the parents backing him, said: <quote_>"He 
A24 120 is an unusual teacher, but he works kids hard. They also have lots 
A24 121 of fun with him. He is the most popular teacher in the 
A24 122 school."<quote/><p/>
A24 123 
A24 124 <h_><p_>BAKER'S BEDSIDE VISIT TO HERO COPS<p/>
A24 125 <p_>Hospital tribute to murdered sergeant and stab attack Pcs<p/>
A24 126 <p_>By LOUISA HATFIELD<p/><h/>
A24 127 <p_>HOME SECRETARY Kenneth Baker paid tribute yesterday to the 
A24 128 courage of murdered police sergeant Alan King and two wounded 
A24 129 Pcs.<p/>
A24 130 <p_>After hospital bedside visits to stab victims John Jenkinson, 
A24 131 25, and Harold Castrey, 26, he said:<p/>
A24 132 <p_><quote_>"These men were very courageous - as was Sgt King, who 
A24 133 was stabbed and killed in the course of duty."<quote/> He added: 
A24 134 <quote_>"The police are the thin blue line in our country which 
A24 135 stands between order and chaos."<quote/><p/>
A24 136 <p_>Meanwhile, a junior doctor was praised for saving Pc 
A24 137 Jenkinson's life by keeping his finger in a three-inch deep neck 
A24 138 wound for three hours.<p/>
A24 139 <p_><tf_>His swift action also saved Pc Castrey, said consultant 
A24 140 surgeon Stephen Ebbs at Mayday Hospital, Croydon.<tf_><p/>
A24 141 <p_>The two officers, <quote_>"serious but stable"<quote/> after 
A24 142 having their wounds heavily stitched, were stabbed while tackling 
A24 143 car thieves at Thornton Heath, South London, on Friday.<p/>
A24 144 <p_>Sgt King, 41, died 14 hours earlier, after being stabbed twice 
A24 145 in Walthamstow, East London.<p/>
A24 146 <p_>His grief-stricken widow Monica, 45, whom he married just 19 
A24 147 months ago described him as a <quote_>"people's policeman."<quote/> 
A24 148 Mother-of-four Mrs King added: <quote_>"He was a good copper, a 
A24 149 professional in everything he did. He loved being on the streets 
A24 150 with the community and not stuck behind a desk.<p/>
A24 151 <p_><tf_>He died doing a job he loved. He had a passion for life 
A24 152 and once said: 'You just don't know what's round the 
A24 153 corner.'"<quote/><tf/><p/>
A24 154 <p_>Two men are being questioned about the killing.<p/>
A24 155 
A24 156 <h_><p_>Militant MP gets boot by Labour<p/><h/>
A24 157 <p_>LEFT-WING MP Dave Nellist was last night kicked out of the 
A24 158 Labour Party for being a member of the outlawed Militant 
A24 159 Tendency.<p/>
A24 160 <p_>A party spokesman said Mr Nellist had broken Labour's rules and 
A24 161 was <quote_>"therefore ineligible for membership of the party and 
A24 162 has been expelled."<quote/><p/>
A24 163 <p_>Banner-waving supporters had greeted the 39-year-old Coventry 
A24 164 South-East MP as he arrived for a disciplinary hearing at Labour's 
A24 165 West Midlands HQ in West Bromwich.<p/>
A24 166 <p_><tf_>He faced evidence from a <}_><-|>100-age<+|>100-page<}/> 
A24 167 dossier alleging he was a member of Militant, which he 
A24 168 denied.<tf/><p/>
A24 169 <p_>Liverpool Broadgreen MP Terry Fields has also been thrown out 
A24 170 by Labour for being a member of Militant, and is standing against 
A24 171 the official Labour candidate at the next election.<p/>
A24 172 <p_>Earlier Mr Nellist refused to say whether he will be following 
A24 173 Mr Field's example.<p/>
A24 174 <p_><quote_>"I'm not holding a gun to the head of the Labour 
A24 175 Party,"<quote/> he added. <quote_>"I am not trying to blackmail 
A24 176 anybody."<quote/><p/>
A24 177 
A24 178 <h_><p_>BIG CHILL CAUSES MAYHEM IN BRR-ITAIN<p/>
A24 179 <p_>PEOPLE REPORTERS<p/><h/>
A24 180 <p_>AS the Arctic weather tightened its grip on Britain last night, 
A24 181 a rash of accidents turned roads into death traps.<p/>
A24 182 <p_>The Midlands and the South were hit by black ice and freezing 
A24 183 fog. Police advised drivers to stay home. And huge delays built up 
A24 184 at airports.<p/>
A24 185 <p_>Near WINCHESTER, Hants, five people were seriously injured in 
A24 186 two crashes within minutes of each other on the A272 at Cheesefoot 
A24 187 Head. The victims included a three-year-old boy. Six people were 
A24 188 hurt in a ten vehicle pile-up in thick fog on the M1 near 
A24 189 HARPENDEN, Hertfordshire. The southbound carriageway was closed for 
A24 190 an hour.<p/>
A24 191 <p_>A spate of accidents closed the A42 in Leicestershire, the A12 
A24 192 in Essex, the Dartford Bridge and the M4.<p/>
A24 193 <p_>A driver left a trail of 17 crashes when he drove the wrong way 
A24 194 down the A52 dual carriageway between NOTTINGHAM and DERBY.<p/>
A24 195 <p_>A police spokesman said: <quote_>"It's madness out there and 
A24 196 people are still driving too fast."<quote/><p/>
A24 197 <p_>The chill was blamed for a dangerous rise in air pollution in 
A24 198 London.<p/>
A24 199 <p_>An elderly man was killed when he slipped on ice outside his 
A24 200 home at READING, Berks.<p/>
A24 201 <p_>An air-sea rescue helicopter was scouring a river at ROCHESTER, 
A24 202 Kent, last night, for a man reported missing in a small dinghy.<p/>
A24 203 <p_>In KING'S LYNN; Norfolk, two pensioners died of hypothermia.<p/>
A24 204 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>THIRTEEN matches in the Football League, 
A24 205 including three from the First Division, were cancelled. Rugby 
A24 206 union and racing were also hit.<p/>
A24 207 
A24 208 <h_><p_>BOMB No 4 HITS CENTRE<p/>
A24 209 <p_>By LOUISA HATFIELD.<p/><h/>
A24 210 <p_>LONDON'S Brent Cross Shopping Centre was evacuated last night 
A24 211 after yet another firebomb was found. No one was hurt after the 
A24 212 device - found in W.H. Smith's - was safely defused.<p/>
A24 213 <p_>Two bombs had gone off earlier at C&A and Fenwick's in the 
A24 214 North London precinct as suspected IRA terrorists stepped up a 
A24 215 Christmas terror blitz.<p/>
A24 216 <p_>A third was found at the centre's John Lewis store but just 
A24 217 'fizzled out.'<p/>
A24 218 <p_>Detectives believe the bombers sneaked the devices in during 
A24 219 late-night shopping on Friday. Again no one was injured.<p/>
A24 220 <p_>On one of the busiest days of the year, however, an estimated 
A24 221 pounds5 million was lost as shoppers were locked out.<p/>
A24 222 <p_><quote_>"Everyone has lost a fortune,"<quote/> said one 
A24 223 boss.<p/>
A24 224 <p_>The attacks bore IRA hallmarks - the bombs were similar to 
A24 225 those used in recent strikes in Blackpool, Manchester and 
A24 226 London.<p/>
A24 227 <p_><tf_>This time, water sprinklers caused more damage than the 
A24 228 bombs.<tf/><p/>
A24 229 <p_>The earlier incendiaries, disguised as a cigarette box, a cigar 
A24 230 box and a cassette case, were hidden in jumpers.<p/>
A24 231 <p_>Staff joined a search for other devices and the 82-shop centre 
A24 232 finally reopened at 1.30pm.<p/>
A24 233 <p_>The new bomb wasn't discovered until six hours later.<p/>
A24 234 <p_>Last night, Commander George Churchill-Coleman, head of 
A24 235 Scotland Yard's anti-terrorist squad, warned the public that they 
A24 236 should be on their guard against bombers at all times.<p/>
A24 237 
A24 238 <h_><p_>EURO DEAL - ON AIDS<p/>
A24 239 <p_>By NIGEL NELSON<p/><h/>
A24 240 <p_>JOHN Major and other EC leaders will unite tomorrow in a bid to 
A24 241 find a cure for AIDS.<p/>
A24 242 <p_>They will pledge member nations to pooling information and 
A24 243 research on the killer disease.<p/>
A24 244 <p_>But it's one of the few things they WILL agree on at the 
A24 245 historic Maastricht summit.<p/>
A24 246 <p_>Mr Major will insist on Britain's right to opt out of a single 
A24 247 currency. France and Germany are determined to have Euro-money by 
A24 248 1999.<p/>
A24 249 <p_>Germany, Belgium, Holland and Italy want a federal Europe and 
A24 250 more powers for the European Parliament. Britain doesn't.<p/>
A24 251 <p_>Ireland and Denmark want referenda on the single currency. Mr 
A24 252 Major is resisting Mrs Thatcher's demands for a referendum here.<p/>
A24 253 <p_>Mr Major was far from confident an agreement would be struck. 
A24 254 <quote_>"It's poised in the balance,"<quote/> he said last 
A24 255 night.<p/>
A24 256 <p_>But if he does come back with a deal that's good for Britain, 
A24 257 Labour leader Neil Kinnock and his troops will vote FOR the 
A24 258 Government in the Commons.<p/>
A24 259 <p_>Labour foreign spokesman George Robertson said: <quote_>"We are 
A24 260 seen as good Europeans."<quote/><p/>
A24 261 
A25   1 <#FLOB:A25\><h_><p_>AITC faces split threat<p/>
A25   2 <p_>by Jeff Prestridge<p/><h/>
A25   3 <p_>THE Association of Investment Trust Companies, the trade body 
A25   4 representing the pounds20 billion investment trust industry, is 
A25   5 losing its battle to stop a number of top companies defecting.<p/>
A25   6 <p_>The walk-out, which was led by the pounds572 million British 
A25   7 Investment Trust and could extend to another 14 trusts, has been 
A25   8 inspired by AITC's decision to ask members for more fees to support 
A25   9 a marketing campaign.<p/>
A25  10 <p_>The seeds of the campaign were sown last year by AITC chairman 
A25  11 Philip Chappell when he called on the 200 members to cough up 
A25  12 pounds5 million to launch an assault on the private investor 
A25  13 market. The plan is to drive discounts down by doubling the number 
A25  14 of private investors.<p/>
A25  15 <p_>While Chappell's plans were watered down to pounds1.7 million, 
A25  16 the effect is members' fees, payable this month, have doubled. Five 
A25  17 companies, British Investment, RIT Capital Partners, Grahams 
A25  18 Rintoul, Glasgow Income and Yeoman, have said they will not pay so 
A25  19 they will have to resign. Other trusts yet to make up their minds 
A25  20 include Gartmore America and the pounds320 million Scottish 
A25  21 National trust.<p/>
A25  22 <p_>The reasons for the revolt are numerous. Some trusts feel the 
A25  23 campaign will not benefit them directly because they are already 
A25  24 standing at a premium to net asset value. others with wind-up dates 
A25  25 soon are miffed they are having to pay the same fees as other 
A25  26 trusts.<p/>
A25  27 <p_>Last week, AITC's executive committee discussed the crisis to 
A25  28 see if a compromise could be worked out. It is believed chairman 
A25  29 Michael Hart und Chappell agreed to visit the waverers.<p/>
A25  30 <p_>AITC's Lesley Renvoize said: <quote_>"It is sad to lose any 
A25  31 member but hopefully they will be back. British Investment has left 
A25  32 before and we'd welcome it back."<quote/><p/>
A25  33 
A25  34 <h_><p_>Hellenic adds fizz to investment in Greece<p/>
A25  35 <p_>by Ray Mgadzah<p/><h/>
A25  36 <p_>CAPITALISM with a Greek flavour is on the march and British 
A25  37 investors are being offered the chance to quench their thirst for 
A25  38 foreign shares by backing Greece's top soft drinks bottler Hellenic 
A25  39 Bottling Company.<p/>
A25  40 <p_>Hellenic, headed by Gerard Reidy, is expected shortly to become 
A25  41 the first Greek company to set aside a sizeable part of its equity 
A25  42 for foreigners in a pioneering offer expected to raise nearly 
A25  43 pounds70 million through a listing on the Athens stock market.<p/>
A25  44 <p_>That would put a value of pounds300 million on Hellenic, which 
A25  45 holds the Coca-Cola franchise for Greece, Ireland und Nigeria and 
A25  46 also supplies fruit juices. Hellenic has two- thirds of the Greek 
A25  47 soft drinks market and half of its fruit juice sales. Its offer 
A25  48 will mark the first move by Greece to entice foreign capital by 
A25  49 allowing investors to take part in new issues. Other companies, 
A25  50 including the soon-to-be privatised telephone service are also 
A25  51 expected to target foreigners. Thanks to legal changes, Hellenic is 
A25  52 setting aside 6.5 per cent of its equity for the overseas offer.<p/>
A25  53 <p_>The British are expected to pick up the lion's share of the 
A25  54 foreign tranche. Hellenic, which is owned by Leventis-Ioannou 
A25  55 Group, is offering 25 per cent of its shares in the float. It is 
A25  56 being advised by merchant bank Schroders with Hellenic Industrial 
A25  57 Development Bank as lead bank. City institutions tend to show a 
A25  58 greater thirst for foreign stock than Europeans but Greek shares 
A25  59 have usually been offered in numbers too small to attract 
A25  60 interest.<p/>
A25  61 <p_>Leventis-Ioannou's activities include Middle East construction. 
A25  62 It is controlled by two of Greece's leading families.<p/>
A25  63 
A25  64 <h_><p_>Lloyd's capacity hit as members quit<p/>
A25  65 <p_>by Robert Tyerman<p/><h/>
A25  66 <p_>THE Lloyd's of London insurance market now admits its capacity 
A25  67 to write insurance is falling fast as syndicate losses and the 
A25  68 prospect of its first overall deficit since 1967 cause a rising 
A25  69 tide of members to quit.<p/>
A25  70 <p_><quote_>"Capacity is already well down from last year's 
A25  71 pounds11.25 billion,"<quote/> Lime Street spokesman Nick Doak told 
A25  72 the <tf_>Sunday Telegraph<tf/>. Some observers estimate it could 
A25  73 have fallen to under pounds8 billion by next year.<p/>
A25  74 <p_>Until recently, although membership had fallen from its 1980s 
A25  75 peak of 33,000 to 26,700, capacity was being maintained, as 
A25  76 individual members committed more of their wealth to the market. 
A25  77 With the pound strong against the dollar Lloyds's all-important 
A25  78 ability to take on American risks was also enhanced. This trend was 
A25  79 not unwelcome to Lloyd's chairman David Coleridge and the council, 
A25  80 which felt a return to fewer, more substantial und less panicky 
A25  81 members would be appropriate for today's tough conditions.<p/>
A25  82 <p_>But capacity is now falling while the dollar is rising again 
A25  83 und increasing concern is being expressed about the amounts owed by 
A25  84 insurance syndicates to the Lloyd's American Trust Fund, which 
A25  85 collects and distributes dollar-denominated premiums and claims.<p/>
A25  86 <p_>A leading underwriter is believed to have pulled out of the 
A25  87 hull market because he feels premiums are too low, while more bad 
A25  88 loss news is expected from the Gooder-Walker syndicates 290 and 
A25  89 298, which wrote excess-of-loss among other business, some brought 
A25  90 by broker Bill Brown's Walsham group.<p/>
A25  91 <p_>This comes on top of the pounds320 million losses faced by 
A25  92 members of the Feltrim syndicates and the hundreds of millions 
A25  93 potentially payable on pollution claims.<p/>
A25  94 <p_>It is thought the Lloyd's authorities would like to see the 
A25  95 number of syndicates and members' agencies reduced to produce a 
A25  96 more streamlined, better equipped market.<p/>
A25  97 <p_>Some sources have suggested a bottom limit of 300 members per 
A25  98 agent. Other market practitioners would like to see members 
A25  99 required to write a minimum cover of pounds500,000 and deposit 
A25 100 pounds10,000 cash apiece to create a substantial reserve.<p/>
A25 101 
A25 102 <h_><p_>Cray fishes with pounds111m for bait<p/><h/>
A25 103 <p_>HOURS after he launched Cray Electronics' pounds111 million 
A25 104 hostile bid for software consultancy SD-Scicon on Friday, chairman 
A25 105 Sir Peter Michael was in confident mood.<p/>
A25 106 <p_>From a basement room in the old City morgue, home of an 
A25 107 adviser, Michael outlined the plan that he hoped would sound the 
A25 108 death knell for the independence of a 1980s glamour stock that has 
A25 109 turned into a 1990s fallen angel.<p/>
A25 110 <p_>He summed up his message with the words: <quote_>"SD-Scicon is 
A25 111 a company that has no management, no strategy and no 
A25 112 profits."<quote/> The share bid with a cash alternative was final 
A25 113 in the absence of a counter offer and shareholders would do best to 
A25 114 take it - or so he said.<p/>
A25 115 <p_>SD-Scicon chief executive Philip Swinstead, who has a stake in 
A25 116 the company worth pounds5.6 million, is expected to put up a fierce 
A25 117 defence. Analysts reckon the offer may flush out rival bids. In the 
A25 118 past bids from Sema, Cap Gemini Sogeti and Thorn EMI have been 
A25 119 mooted.<p/>
A25 120 <p_>Either way the scene is set for a bruising contest.<p/>
A25 121 <p_>In one corner stands Michael, former chairman of UEI, the 
A25 122 electronics and engineering group sold for pounds500 million to 
A25 123 Carlton Communications in 1989. He is advised by Morgan Grenfell. 
A25 124 Michael led a new team into Cray another fallen 1980s glamour 
A25 125 stock, 18 months ago. Now he has SD-Scicon's biggest shareholder, 
A25 126 British Aerospace, with 25 per cent, on his side.<p/>
A25 127 <p_>In the other corner stands Swinstead, SD-Scicon's founder. He 
A25 128 retook the helm a few months ago, revamping the board, appointing a 
A25 129 non-executive chairman. Samuel Montagu is advising.<p/>
A25 130 <p_>The prize is a company that has fallen on hard times. This year 
A25 131 analysts' forecasts range from pounds5 million to pounds11 million, 
A25 132 revealing the extent of uncertainty surrounding the group's future 
A25 133 after a run of poor results. Its woes are blamed on the pounds70 
A25 134 million takeover by Systems Designers of Scicon in 1988, one of a 
A25 135 number of purchases made by Swinstead, and loss-making contracts, 
A25 136 some of which are subject to litigation.<p/>
A25 137 <p_>In 1984, two years after it made its stock market debut, 
A25 138 Systems Designers stood on a historic p/e of 78. The shares peaked 
A25 139 at 118p in 1986 but now Cray is offering just 42p.<p/>
A25 140 <p_>Swinstead has chosen to keep a low profile so the task of 
A25 141 fronting the defence has fallen on chairman John Jackson, who also 
A25 142 heads Cambridge Electronics Industries.<p/>
A25 143 <p_>Jackson explains the cornerstone of his defence. Cray wants 
A25 144 SD-Scicon on the cheap when it is coming through a difficult time, 
A25 145 he says. Shareholders are set to reap the reward if they remain 
A25 146 loyal.<p/>
A25 147 <p_>SD-Scicon supporters say recent software bidders have paid a 
A25 148 price above the sales of their target. Examples include the 
A25 149 takeover of Hoskyns by Cap Gemini Sogeti and the purchase of 
A25 150 Quotient by ACT.<p/>
A25 151 <p_>CGS paid pounds286 million for sales of pounds189 million while 
A25 152 ACT paid pounds27 million for about pounds22 million of sales. 
A25 153 SD-Scicon has sales of pounds256 million but Cray is offering less 
A25 154 than half of this.<p/>
A25 155 <p_>But Michael counters that SD-Scicon is overshadowed by 
A25 156 loss-making contracts, against which it wrote off pounds20 million 
A25 157 last year. They cast doubt on the quality of what remains.<p/>
A25 158 <p_>Some analysts share this view. <quote_>"Scicon is a can of 
A25 159 worms. It is going to take the best management in the world to sort 
A25 160 it out,"<quote/> says Tressan MaCarthy of Panmure Gordon.<p/>
A25 161 <p_>SD-Scicon says hostile bids are anathema to people businesses. 
A25 162 But investors might have other ideas and may, like BAe, choose to 
A25 163 take what is left of their money and run.<p/>
A25 164 <p_>Ray Mgadzah<p/>
A25 165 
A25 166 <h_><p_>Grampian bids for pounds56m tonic<p/><h/>
A25 167 <quote_>"WHAT we are proposing is effectively a management 
A25 168 buy-in."<quote/> Grampian Holdings chairman Bill Bughes wants to 
A25 169 persuade investors his pounds56.5 million hostile bid for 
A25 170 pharmaceutical group Macarthy, owner of Savory&Moore and John 
A25 171 Bell&Croydon, is more than an opportunistic calling of the low 
A25 172 point in Macarthy's fortunes.<p/>
A25 173 <p_>Macarthy, whose last dividend was paid out of reserves, sees it 
A25 174 differently. "My first reaction was one of amazement," says chief 
A25 175 executive Ian Parsons. Some investors were more prescient. The 
A25 176 Stock Exchange is investigating the spurt in Macarthy's share price 
A25 177 from 160p on Tuesday morning to 192p on Wednesday before the bid 
A25 178 announcement.<p/>
A25 179 <p_>Few believe Grampian's present mix of convertible and equity 
A25 180 worth 206.4p a share will be the last word - Macarthy now stands at 
A25 181 230p. But a return to near 1989's peak of 355p is not to be 
A25 182 expected, even if another bidder enters the fray.<p/>
A25 183 <p_>Parsons, in the driving seat since August 1989 after the 
A25 184 departure of Nicholas Ward, insists his team can make it grow 
A25 185 without help from Glasgow-based Grampian, whose operations range 
A25 186 from veterinary products to sports shoes.<p/>
A25 187 <p_>The Macarthy camp suggests Grampian is just a ragbag. Hughes 
A25 188 claims a strategy of going for market leadership in <quote_>"niche 
A25 189 products"<quote/>. This makes a logical target of Macarthy, with 
A25 190 such gems as Farillon, distributor to hospitals and wholesalers of 
A25 191 insulin and rubella vaccine.<p/>
A25 192 <p_>Recent comparisons favour Grampian, whose profits rose 220 per 
A25 193 cent between 1986 and 1990 to pounds13.1 million. Macarthy's 
A25 194 increased by only 7 per cent to a depressed pounds4.6 million. Over 
A25 195 that time, it has underperformed the FT All-Share Index by nearly 
A25 196 50 per cent, while Grampian shares have outperformed Macarthy's by 
A25 197 almost 400 per cent. In 1986 institutions led by John Govett put in 
A25 198 Ward as chairman. An Ernest Saunders 
A25 199 prot<*_>e-acute<*/>g<*_>e-acute<*/> at Guinness, where he headed 
A25 200 retailing, Ward set about beefing up Macarthy.<p/>
A25 201 <p_>But he took it into pharmaceuticals wholesaling just when one 
A25 202 of the two market leaders, Unichem, was gobbling up market share by 
A25 203 offering stakes to retailers in return for exclusivity and making 
A25 204 life tough for competitors.<p/>
A25 205 <p_>Macarthy bought the Drummond pharmacists from Guinness for 
A25 206 pounds42.6 million in 1987, funded by a rights issue at pounds4. 
A25 207 Much earlier, Hughes had spent 10 years building up Drummond. In 
A25 208 1988 Macarthy bid pounds65 million for Unichem itself. It failed 
A25 209 and Macarthy's market share slumped from 11 per cent to 5 per cent 
A25 210 until the courts ruled Unichem's share stake distribution scheme 
A25 211 illegal in mid-1989 - it has since returned to more than 10 per 
A25 212 cent.<p/>
A25 213 <p_>Last August Macarthy sold its wholesale business to the Dutch 
A25 214 Medicopharma group for pounds15.75 million, at a pounds6 million 
A25 215 loss. Parsons points to recent turnrounds in veterinary products 
A25 216 and elsewhere. Analysts expect a modest profits upturn to between 
A25 217 pounds5 million and pounds5.5 million in the year to September 
A25 218 1991.<p/>
A25 219 <p_>Macarthy's five-year contract to source 90 per cent of certain 
A25 220 drugs from Medicopharma might make AAH and Unichem, with their own 
A25 221 franchises, think twice before bidding but Lloyds Chemists might be 
A25 222 interested.<p/>
A25 223 <p_>The Grampian package offers an historic p/e ratio of 17.8 and a 
A25 224 yield increase of 4 per cent.
A25 225 
A26   1 <#FLOB:A26\><h_><p_><quote_>"Hanging on by our fingernails without 
A26   2 a safety net"<quote/><p/>
A26   3 <p_>Nicholas Kenyon looks at the state of London's two opera houses 
A26   4 in the wake of five important resignations last week<p/><h/>
A26   5 <p_>IN THE high-risk world of opera, to lose a star singer may be 
A26   6 regarded as a misfortune; to lose - as have the two London opera 
A26   7 houses in the course of a single week - a chairman, a principal 
A26   8 conductor, a music director and a director of productions, suggests 
A26   9 not so much carelessness as crisis. Is large-scale opera now as 
A26  10 financially implausible as London Zoo? Will the fat cats be sold 
A26  11 off to Europe, productions junked for firewood, and the opera 
A26  12 houses reduced to empty listed buildings?<p/>
A26  13 <p_>It all depends how you present your state of change. The 
A26  14 English National Opera, confirming Peter Jonas's daring leap into 
A26  15 the jaws of conservative Munich, and announcing that both music 
A26  16 director Mark Elder and productions director David Poutney would 
A26  17 follow him out of the Coliseum at the same time, did it positively, 
A26  18 and with a firm declaration that this was the strongest possible 
A26  19 artistic decision for the company to take.<p/>
A26  20 <p_>Their rosy picture can be disputed. Attendances in this largely 
A26  21 twentieth-century season are down to 72 per cent, creating an 
A26  22 pounds800.000 deficit which will have to be clawed back next 
A26  23 season: October at the Coliseum will be nothing but 
A26  24 <tf|>Boh<*_>e-grave<*/>me and <tf|>Mikado. Criticism of the 
A26  25 ingrained house style of some ENO productions is growing, and there 
A26  26 is an imminent danger of stagnation: was the team right to quit 
A26  27 while it was still ahead?<p/>
A26  28 <p_>Jonas said that was <quote_>"a rather malignant way to look at 
A26  29 it. I'm happy here at the moment. I'm so happy I could weep. But 
A26  30 that means it's the time to think about moving on."<quote/> Demob 
A26  31 happy, he admitted: <quote_>"There have been many times when I've 
A26  32 just wanted to be totally sick and disappear in the stalls and just 
A26  33 thought 'Oh my God, how did we get entangled in this co-production 
A26  34 of a new work' and thought it was a dreadful mistake."<quote/><p/>
A26  35 <p_>ENO has walked the tight-rope of adventure, <quote_>"hanging on 
A26  36 by our fingernails without any netting underneath"<quote/>, as 
A26  37 Jonas puts it; but by linking its wild imagination to a strong 
A26  38 decision-making structure, it has kept the public and the funders 
A26  39 on its side.<p/>
A26  40 <p_>Jonas says that mistakes have been coped with <quote_>"by 
A26  41 skating over some of them with a bit of adept PR, or using our 
A26  42 marking and our image well, and relying on our good 
A26  43 reputation"<quote/>. He can admit all this cheerfully because his 
A26  44 tenure is perceived as an overwhelming success that has changed 
A26  45 opera in this country forever.<p/>
A26  46 <p_>If there is weeping for joy at the Coliseum, the gnashing of 
A26  47 teeth is more likely to be heard down the road at Covent Garden. 
A26  48 The House has still to announce its future plans later this month, 
A26  49 but the contrastingly random, uncoordinated resignations last week 
A26  50 of chairman Lord Sainsbury as well as Jeffrey Tate as principal 
A26  51 conductor have added fuel to the fire of those who claim that the 
A26  52 Royal Opera's artistic direction is unsure and its structure 
A26  53 diffuse. It faces continual criticism form the press, critics, and 
A26  54 - the latest indignity - the sponsors themselves, particularly 
A26  55 damaging at a time when shortfall of pounds2 million in budgeted 
A26  56 sponsorship is the root cause of its present deficit.<p/>
A26  57 <p_>Lord Sainsbury's departing whinges about the failure of the 
A26  58 Arts Council to ensure special treatment for the Royal Opera were 
A26  59 offensive to the underfunded arts community throughout the country, 
A26  60 particularly since he has greater ease of access than anyone to 
A26  61 argue his case at the highest levels of government. But they are 
A26  62 especially ironic at a time when the Arts Council has actually 
A26  63 produced some significant increases in subsidy in partnership with 
A26  64 other funders: a new pounds2.6m grant for the Royal Shakespeare 
A26  65 Company at the Barbican, and a virtual doubling of the London 
A26  66 Symphony Orchestra's grant to pounds2m, both thanks to matching 
A26  67 funds from the City Corporation.<p/>
A26  68 <p_>Both these modest windfalls have been contingent on highly 
A26  69 positive recent appraisals of the organisations' work by the Arts 
A26  70 Council. It is six years since Clive Priestley looked at Covent 
A26  71 Garden. Next week the council will announce its new appraisal team 
A26  72 to examine the workings of the Royal Opera over the next few 
A26  73 months: Hans Landesmann of the Salzburg Festival, Baroness Warnock, 
A26  74 the composer Nigel Osborne, and Brian Ivory, the deputy director of 
A26  75 the Scottish Arts Council, who is managing director of Highland 
A26  76 Distilleries.<p/>
A26  77 <p_>At least this last appointment may give some comfort to the 
A26  78 beleaguered Glaswegian general director at Covent Garden, Jeremy 
A26  79 Isaacs. With the urban and civilised Angus Stirling of the National 
A26  80 Trust as chairman in place of Sainsbury, Isaacs may find himself on 
A26  81 a longer leash to accomplish those changes he feels are 
A26  82 necessary.<p/>
A26  83 <p_>Last Tuesday afternoon he outlined to his Opera Board a new 
A26  84 plan for the future, including speculation on a post-Bernard 
A26  85 Haitink music directorship that included the names of Abbado and 
A26  86 Muti, as well as the possibility of younger names to cover the 
A26  87 long-delayed and still doubtful closure of the house, now put back 
A26  88 to at least 1996. But this formulation of policy comes against a 
A26  89 background of uncertainty and poor morale - fuelled by the 
A26  90 mishandling of recent redundancies - described by insiders last 
A26  91 week as <quote_>"absolutely appalling"<quote/>.<p/>
A26  92 <p_>Isaacs argues the deficit will be cut by <quote_>"hard 
A26  93 graft"<quote/>, reducing rehearsal time for this autumn's <tf|>Ring 
A26  94 cycle while inserting 10 performances of <tf|>Rigoletto (<quote_>"I 
A26  95 confess to you that we probably overrehearse"<quote/>), pushing 
A26  96 forward redundancies in chorus and orchestra with a plan to make 65 
A26  97 house retirement age (<quote_>"some of them are past their sell-by 
A26  98 date"<quote/>).<p/>
A26  99 <p_>More controversially, Isaacs is taking himself the formulation 
A26 100 of operatic policy. I asked him if he saw his role as that of 
A26 101 artistic director of the opera company: <quote_>"Yes it is, of 
A26 102 course. I'll qualify that because I don't want to be in any way 
A26 103 offensive to Paul Findlay, the opera director, who does an infinity 
A26 104 of work I could never contemplate. But I am the ultimate arbiter of 
A26 105 a group of colleagues, some of whom meet regularly and some 
A26 106 irregularly."<quote/> He believes in giving them freedom of action: 
A26 107 <quote_>"Accountability is the enemy of responsibility. If you 
A26 108 really want people to be responsible, don't keep asking them to 
A26 109 account for themselves. I sometimes feel that about my own job in 
A26 110 relation to the board."<quote/><p/>
A26 111 <p_>At a press conference later this month, Isaacs will say that 
A26 112 alongside the use of the finest singers and conductors <quote_>"we 
A26 113 are progressing rather more slowly than I would like towards the 
A26 114 adoption of less naturalistic, more imaginative production styles. 
A26 115 I saw Achim Freyer's <tf|>Iphig<*_>e-acute<*/>nie in Amsterdam the 
A26 116 other day, and that had more good visual ideas in the first 10 
A26 117 minutes than I've seen in this house for a year."<quote/> This 
A26 118 approach may cause difficulties, both with conductors and with 
A26 119 director of production John Cox.<p/>
A26 120 <p_>One strongly expressed view from the outside is that the only 
A26 121 way forward is for Isaacs to leave opera to the experts and 
A26 122 retrench to the vital position of chief executive, bringing in a 
A26 123 new vigorous opera director to forge a detailed policy with a 
A26 124 committed new music director.<p/>
A26 125 
A26 126 <h_><p_>Rupert Christiansen went to Chicago to hear Luciano 
A26 127 Pavarotti tackle Otello and the mid-life crisis<p/>
A26 128 <p_>The bigger you are, the harder it is<p/><h/>
A26 129 <p_><quote_>"HE'S VERY up at the moment"<quote/>, claimed Irene 
A26 130 Jones, president of the Luciano Pavarotti Appreciation Society. But 
A26 131 in Chicago last Monday nobody could be so sure: big Lucy, the great 
A26 132 Italian tenor of his generation, was meeting the biggest challenge 
A26 133 of his career, as he attempted for the first time the epic 
A26 134 title-role in Verdi's <tf|>Otello. Disaster loomed.<p/>
A26 135 <p_>For days before the performance, Pavarotti had been winding 
A26 136 himself into a frenzy of nervous tension. <quote_>"He's been in a 
A26 137 pretty vile mood,"<quote/> confided a Decca executive, anxiously 
A26 138 preparing for a 'live' recording, to be released in the autumn. A 
A26 139 few years ago he was cancelling performances on the grounds of an 
A26 140 allergy to stage dust; now he's gone weak at the knees - not with 
A26 141 rapture, but with a condition variously described as gout, 
A26 142 arthritis, and 'excess tonnage', which makes standing still 
A26 143 physical agony. Add to this a week in and out of bed with a 
A26 144 feverish cough, and you have one very volatile superstar.<p/>
A26 145 <p_>His panic was not irrational. For an Italian Tenor, Otello is 
A26 146 the big one, demanding a voice which can scale down for subtlety, 
A26 147 blast open with passion and cruise everywhere in between. 
A26 148 <quote_>"You never know where the booby-traps lie,"<quote/> 
A26 149 Pavarotti says. <quote_>"I will never be confident about this 
A26 150 part."<quote/> In other words, it's a killer and the list of 
A26 151 Pavarotti's predecessors - Caruso, Gigli, Bjoerling, Bergonzi - who 
A26 152 never braved it is longer than the list of those who have.<p/>
A26 153 <p_>For the past 15 years, the role has been monopolised by Placido 
A26 154 Domingo, but invasion of his rival's territory was not the reason 
A26 155 Pavarotti risked his throat. He is a cautious man. He has only sung 
A26 156 the aria for which he is World-Cup famous, 'Nessun 
A26 157 dorma', once on stage in costume: the rest of 
A26 158 <tf|>Turandot is too heavy for him. Nor does he enjoy the arduous 
A26 159 process of learning complex new works, since he relies more on his 
A26 160 instincts than his intellect. <quote_>"You have to grab him by the 
A26 161 hand and sit him down,"<quote/> as one colleague put it. 
A26 162 <quote_>"He's not a great reader of scores."<quote/><p/>
A26 163 <p_>But Pavarotti is 55, and deep into the mid-life crisis which so 
A26 164 many great singers are forced to confront. It is caused by the 
A26 165 knotting up of what people expect of you, what you want to give 
A26 166 them, and what your voice allows you to deliver. This year marks 
A26 167 Pavarotti's thirtieth year as a professional singer; he can't go on 
A26 168 trotting out 'Nessun dorma' for ever and to 
A26 169 keep up this status, he has to prove he has some extra mileage in 
A26 170 his vocal tank.<p/>
A26 171 <p_>Domingo has found conducting a useful second string, but this 
A26 172 option is not open to Pavarotti. Apart from the physical problems, 
A26 173 his technical knowledge of music is said to be embarrassingly 
A26 174 small. He tried producing in Venice in 1988, with Donizetti's 
A26 175 <tf_>La favorita,<tf/> but was discouraged by backstage sabotage on 
A26 176 the first night: the hero's defiantly flourished sword flopped like 
A26 177 old rhubarb, reducing the audience to hysterics.<p/>
A26 178 <p_>Why should Chicago be more generous? It is a city where his 
A26 179 image has been badly dented: in 1989, Ardis Krainik, director of 
A26 180 the Lyric Opera, publicly 'sacked' him in perpetuity for reneging 
A26 181 on 25 out of 41 scheduled performances. <quote_>"She and I can live 
A26 182 with great pleasure without each other,"<quote/> Pavarotti says and 
A26 183 as if to prove the point, he returned to sing Otello down the road 
A26 184 in Orchestra Hall, home of the Chicago Symphonic Orchestra. Through 
A26 185 the agency of Ray Minshull, doyen of Decca's recording producers 
A26 186 and a man Pavarotti describes as <quote_>"one of my two best 
A26 187 friends"<quote/>, a plush package was assembled.<p/>
A26 188 <p_>After 22 years as music director of the Chicago Symphony, Sir 
A26 189 Georg Solti was in search of a blockbuster on which to bow out; 
A26 190 Kiri Te Kanawa and Leo Nucci were free to sing Desdemona and Iago. 
A26 191 From Pavarotti's point of view, probably the most attractive 
A26 192 feature was the opportunity to sing such a demanding role in 
A26 193 concert, without the additional strain of blacking up and 
A26 194 struggling into costume. He also wanted to know whether the 
A26 195 critics, about whom he is surprisingly sensitive, would approve. 
A26 196 Telling the world that he would <quote_>"never be confident about 
A26 197 this part"<quote/> was a way of hedging his bets.<p/>
A26 198 <p_>Six months of preparation followed, during which he was drilled 
A26 199 by his repetiteur, Leone Magiera, and inspired by some long 
A26 200 telephone conversation with Solti. But as Monday's packed house 
A26 201 watched Pavarotti pull himself painfully on to the platform, the 
A26 202 odds on success looked long. Slumping down on to a padded throne, 
A26 203 raised several degrees above the level of the other soloists, he 
A26 204 looked like an oriental potentate with a headache.<p/>
A26 205 <p_>Beside him was a table crammed with refreshments and 
A26 206 medicaments.
A26 207 
A27   1 <#FLOB:A27\><h_><p_>PLAN REFUSED<p/>
A27   2 <p_>Club may appeal over big new sports complex<p/>
A27   3 <p_>ROLAND WATSON<p/><h/>
A27   4 <p_>COVENTRY and North Warwickshire sports club may appeal against 
A27   5 the decision to refuse it planning permission for massive 
A27   6 development in the green belt.
A27   7 The top city club wanted to build a major sporting complex on 
A27   8 farmland near Stoneleigh.<p/>
A27   9 <p_>It wants to leave its Binley Road HQ, where sport has been 
A27  10 played for 80 years, because upkeep costs are outstripping 
A27  11 income.<p/>
A27  12 <p_>The aim of the move would be to increase membership, improve 
A27  13 facilities and strengthen finances.<p/>
A27  14 <p_>But councillors in Warwick have dashed the club's hopes.<p/>
A27  15 <p_>They unanimously threw out the scheme saying it was far too 
A27  16 large for the proposed site.<p/>
A27  17 <p_>The huge complex would have covered 42 acres of land at New Era 
A27  18 Farm, Kings Hill Lane, Stoneleigh.<p/>
A27  19 <p_>The plans showed eight squash courts, snooker tables, bars and 
A27  20 restaurants and changing rooms.<p/>
A27  21 <p_>The outside facilities would have included two rugby pitches, 
A27  22 two hockey pitches, two cricket squares, 14 tennis courts and 
A27  23 parking space for 317 cars and seven coaches.<p/>
A27  24 <p_>But they were too large for Warwick District Council to agree 
A27  25 to.<p/>
A27  26 <p_>But club officials have expressed disappointment at the 
A27  27 dismissal.<p/>
A27  28 <p_>Chairman David Blundell said he was amazed at the council's 
A27  29 decision.<p/>
A27  30 <p_>He said: <quote_>"It's disappointing. Some of the comments on 
A27  31 why the application has been turned down are laughable."<quote/><p/>
A27  32 <p_>And he added: <quote_>"It amazes me that people could object to 
A27  33 such a worthwhile scheme. I don't think people have fully 
A27  34 investigated the application."<quote/><p/>
A27  35 <p_>Mr Blundell said:<quote_>"It's certainly not the end of the 
A27  36 matter.<p/>
A27  37 <p_>"We have the option to appeal and we will have to consider our 
A27  38 position carefully."<quote/><p/>
A27  39 
A27  40 <h_><p_>Inspectors go private<p/>
A27  41 <p_>Schools given cash to buy in new teams<p/>
A27  42 <p_>JULIE CHAMBERLAIN<p/><h/>
A27  43 <p_>STATE SCHOOLS are to be given pounds75 million a year from 
A27  44 local education authority budgets to 'buy in' teams of 
A27  45 inspectors.<p/>
A27  46 <p_>They will be eligible for cash grants of up to pounds2,500 
A27  47 under the Citizen's Charter, education secretary Kenneth Clarke 
A27  48 announced.<p/>
A27  49 <p_>The radical shake-up will allow private firms to compete for 
A27  50 work to check school standards.<p/>
A27  51 <p_>Inspection teams must include non-educationalists - most local 
A27  52 authority and HMI inspectors are former teachers.<p/>
A27  53 <p_>Independent schools will be expected to pay for their own 
A27  54 inspection.
A27  55 <h|>Incredible
A27  56 <p_>The announcement was greeted with scepticism by teachers' union 
A27  57 leaders in Coventry and Warwickshire.<p/>
A27  58 <p_>Charles Holbrook, spokesman for Warwickshire National Union of 
A27  59 Teachers, said he found the suggestion that anyone could inspect 
A27  60 schools incredible and predicted the move would not inspire 
A27  61 confidence among parents.<p/>
A27  62 <p_>The inspectors will produce jargon-free reports for all parents 
A27  63 every three or four years, and they will also be sent league tables 
A27  64 of the performance of all schools in their area, which will be 
A27  65 published in local newspapers.<p/>
A27  66 <p_>They will include state, private and grant-maintained schools 
A27  67 and City Technology Colleges.<p/>
A27  68 <h|>Resources
A27  69 <p_>Mr Holbrook said: <quote_>"I find it quite extraordinary and I 
A27  70 think teachers will be completely dismayed by the 
A27  71 suggestion."<quote/><p/>
A27  72 <p_>Cllr Bob Holland, vice-chairman of Coventry's education 
A27  73 committee, said: <quote_>"What parents would like, on the whole, is 
A27  74 better resources in their schools and local authorities left to 
A27  75 continue to help teachers to adapt to the national curriculum and 
A27  76 to continue to raise standards."<quote/><p/>
A27  77 <p_>Alan Oglesby, president of the Coventry branch of the Assistant 
A27  78 Masters and Mistresses Association, described the idea of 
A27  79 inspectorates where there would be no members of the teaching 
A27  80 profession as <quote_>"absolutely ridiculous."<quote/><p/>
A27  81 
A27  82 <h_><p_>Secret chemical weapons found<p/><h/>
A27  83 <p_>BAGHDAD - United Nations inspectors have discovered about 
A27  84 46,000 pieces of chemical munitions in Iraq, - about four times the 
A27  85 11,000 to 12,000 that Baghdad originally declared.<p/>
A27  86 <p_>Rolf Ekeus, head of a UN special arms commission, said the 
A27  87 weapons included bombs, rockets, grenades, artillery shells and 
A27  88 missile warheads.<p/>
A27  89 <p_>Iraq also had some 3,000 tonnes of 'precursors' - chemicals 
A27  90 used to manufacture chemical weapons - although it had declared 
A27  91 only about 650 tonnes.<p/>
A27  92 <p_>Ekeus and Hans Blix, the director general of the International 
A27  93 Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), held a news conference after briefing 
A27  94 Security Council members privately on progress made in identifying 
A27  95 and scrapping Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.<p/>
A27  96 <p_>UN inspectors last month paid an exploratory visit to a 
A27  97 sprawling site near Samarra, north-west of Baghdad, where Iraqi 
A27  98 chemical weapons are stored, often under hazardous conditions.<p/>
A27  99 <p_>Ekeus said about 70 inspectors would be sent back in mid-August 
A27 100 and would spend about six weeks combing the area.<p/>
A27 101 <h_><p_>Nerve gas<p/><h/>
A27 102 <p_>He said a large number of the chemical weapons were filled with 
A27 103 comparatively harmless tear gas - but in such a way as to make them 
A27 104 usable for military rather than crowd-control purposes.<p/>
A27 105 <p_>A number of missile warheads were filled with sarin, a nerve 
A27 106 gas.<p/>
A27 107 <p_>The first UN mission searching for biological weapons is due to 
A27 108 enter Iraq later this week.<p/>
A27 109 <p_>Iraq has said it had no biological weapons programme but Ekeus 
A27 110 said: <quote_>"We will now investigate if that statement is 
A27 111 true."<quote/><p/>
A27 112 <p_><*_>square<*/>The Prime Minister is expected to reply strongly 
A27 113 today to Labour claims of a deepening scandal over alleged breaches 
A27 114 of the arms embargo on Iraq.<p/>
A27 115 <p_>Allan Rogers, Labour's defence procurement spokesman, claimed 
A27 116 in a letter to Mr Major that Parliament had been misled about the 
A27 117 alleged export of arms and military material to Iraq.<p/>
A27 118 
A27 119 
A27 120 <h_><p_>FINANCIAL CRISIS<p/>
A27 121 <p_>Police may be called in to college probe<p/>
A27 122 <p_>ROLAND WATSON<p/><h/>
A27 123 <p_>POLICE could be called in to help unravel the financial scandal 
A27 124 at Coventry Technical College, Labour councillors have been 
A27 125 told.<p/>
A27 126 <p_>City council leader Jim Cunningham has written to all members 
A27 127 of the Labour group on the city council warning them of the 
A27 128 possibility.<p/>
A27 129 <p_>Cllr Cunningham's letter also reveals that external auditors 
A27 130 have been called in.<p/>
A27 131 <p_>It says a number of college officials will not be allowed to 
A27 132 leave until investigations into the college's finances have 
A27 133 finished.<p/>
A27 134 <p_>It also raises the possibility that the council may be poll tax 
A27 135 capped as a result of the massive deficit.<p/>
A27 136 <p_>Four top officers have resigned from the tech, which took 
A27 137 control of its finances a year ago, since its pounds3.2 million 
A27 138 deficit became apparent in April.<p/>
A27 139 <p_>Earlier this month, the <tf_>Evening Telegraph<tf/> revealed a 
A27 140 confidential council report which highlighted high-spending on 
A27 141 hospitality, including alcohol and trips abroad.<p/>
A27 142 <p_>Cllr Cunningham, a governor at the tech, said in the letter 
A27 143 that regular meetings were being held to see that <quote_>"matters 
A27 144 were proceeding properly."<quote/><p/>
A27 145 <p_>It says that apart from the four officers who have already quit 
A27 146 <quote_>"several other persons have been identified and 
A27 147 investigations are still on-going and those people will not be 
A27 148 allowed severance terms before investigations are 
A27 149 complete."<quote/><p/>
A27 150 <p_>It says the review has already identified information to 
A27 151 justify calling in external auditors.<p/>
A27 152 <p_>It adds that his information <quote_>"may result in action 
A27 153 against named individuals and may also result in the involvement of 
A27 154 the police."<quote/><p/>
A27 155 
A27 156 <h_><p_>Freed! John McCarthy released after 1,943 days in Beirut 
A27 157 hell<p/>
A27 158 <p_>FINLAY MARSHALL<p/><h/>
A27 159 <p_>BRITISH hostage John McCarthy felt the sun on his face for the 
A27 160 first time in more than five years today.<p/>
A27 161 <p_>Islamic Jihad in Beirut released him from the 
A27 162 nightmare that had kept him in chains and blindfolds for nearly 
A27 163 2,000 days and nights.<p/>
A27 164 <p_>At noon, British ambassador Andrew Green was summoned to the 
A27 165 Syrian embassy to take delivery of the 34-year-old hostage.<p/>
A27 166 <p_>First reports said he looked thin and strained, with a heavy 
A27 167 growth of beard.<p/>
A27 168 <p_>Whitehall sources said no statement would be issued by the 
A27 169 Foreign Office until Mr McCarthy was in British hands.<p/>
A27 170 <p_>But church bells rang out in London within moments of news.<p/>
A27 171 <p_>In St Bride's, the journalists' church in Fleet Street, there 
A27 172 were tears of joy.<p/>
A27 173 <p_>Isabel Souder, the wife of one of the chaplains at the church, 
A27 174 wept as she placed a fresh arrangement of pink and white summer 
A27 175 flowers next to McCarthy's picture.<p/>
A27 176 <p_><quote_>"It's just great, I'm so happy."<quote/><p/>
A27 177 <p_>His girlfriend Jill Morrell, who for four years didn't know 
A27 178 whether he was alive or dead, said: <quote_>"I think I screamed ... 
A27 179 just a little bit.<p/>
A27 180 <p_>"It's a mixture of emotions, I just feel ecstatic and it's 
A27 181 difficult to take in or think about the implication of it all.<p/>
A27 182 <p_>"There is no time, there's so many emotions coming out all at 
A27 183 once.<p/>
A27 184 <p_>"We are still waiting to see what he looks like, how he is, 
A27 185 what his mental health is.<p/>
A27 186 <p_>"We know nothing about him. Still ...what we know he has just 
A27 187 been set free.<&|>sic!"<quote/><p/>
A27 188 <p_>The news was sent around the world after Islamic 
A27 189 Jihad group issued a statement with a black-and-white 
A27 190 photograph to an international news agency.<p/>
A27 191 <p_>BBC reporter Michael MacMillan in Damascus said in a 
A27 192 mid-morning newscast: <quote_>"All that we know is that John 
A27 193 McCarthy was released within the past 15 minutes.
A27 194 "The handover took place in west Beirut - McCarthy was freed into 
A27 195 the hands of UN envoy Giandomenico Picco.<quote/><p/>
A27 196 <p_>McCarthy is expected to be flown directly to RAF Lyneham in 
A27 197 Wiltshire.<p/>
A27 198 <p_>A specialist aero-medical team may fly out to Damascus to 
A27 199 accompany him home aboard an RAF aircraft.<p/>
A27 200 
A27 201 <h_><p_>Light of Freedom ends five years of terror<p/>
A27 202 <p_>Hostage John McCarthy emerges from the horror of blindfolds and 
A27 203 chains in the dank basements of Beirut<p/><h/>
A27 204 <p_>BEIRUT - Hostage John McCarthy's release marks the end of five 
A27 205 years of terror, chains and blindfolds in the basements of 
A27 206 Beirut.<p/>
A27 207 <p_>Since his kidnap in 1986, the TV reporter has spent most of his 
A27 208 life blindfolded and chained.<p/>
A27 209 <p_>He has had no contact with the outside world and would not have 
A27 210 even known he was being released until minutes before he was handed 
A27 211 over by his captors.<p/>
A27 212 <p_>But hostages who met John while he was held prisoner say he 
A27 213 coped with the experience well.<p/>
A27 214 <p_>Cellmate Brian Keenan, released in August last year, paid the 
A27 215 finest tribute to John.<p/>
A27 216 <p_>He said: <quote_>"As a man, I have watched him grow and 
A27 217 deepen.<p/>
A27 218 <p_>"How can I forget him, his humour, his abundant love of life, 
A27 219 which at so many times seemed to diminish to almost extinction 
A27 220 those grinding moments of hopelessness?"<quote/><p/>
A27 221 <p_>McCarthy, at 34 the youngest of the Beirut hostages, had spent 
A27 222 only five weeks in Lebanon before his disappearance.<p/>
A27 223 <p_>Standing in for the bureau chief of Worldwide Television News 
A27 224 was his first foreign assignment.<p/>
A27 225 <h|>Security
A27 226 <p_>When American F1-11s bombed Libya from bases in Britain, he was 
A27 227 ordered home for his safety.<p/>
A27 228 <p_>It was typical that he should have insisted on a warm farewell 
A27 229 to Lebanese friends, his drivers and staff at the Commodore Hotel, 
A27 230 but in doing so he broke one of the foremost security rules.<p/>
A27 231 <p_>His two-car convoy had been travelling only minutes on the way 
A27 232 to the airport when his car was intercepted.<p/>
A27 233 <p_>Someone who had witnessed McCarthy's preparations to leave had 
A27 234 tipped off the kidnappers.<p/>
A27 235 <p_>Girlfriend Jill Morrell had taken the day off from her job at 
A27 236 WTN offices in London and was planning to meet him at Heathrow 
A27 237 Airport. Her life since then has been dominated by the campaign for 
A27 238 McCarthy's release.<p/>
A27 239 <p_>The couple had been going out three years and were hoping to 
A27 240 buy a flat together.<p/>
A27 241 <p_>Miss Morrell took her campaign to Damascus to urge the Syrians 
A27 242 to use their influence in Lebanon; to Tunis to talk to Yasser 
A27 243 Arafat, the Palestinian leader; to Paris to meet freed French 
A27 244 hostages; and to Strasbourg to meet members of the European 
A27 245 Parliament.<p/>
A27 246 <p_>Her unstinting efforts kept McCarthy in the public eye, though 
A27 247 it was to be more than four years before the first news that he was 
A27 248 alive and well.<p/>
A27 249 <p_>That came from American Frank Reed, whose release in May 1990 
A27 250 revealed the awful existence of the British hostages in tiny, 
A27 251 mosquito-infested cells, never allowed to see daylight and 
A27 252 unchained for only about an hour a day for exercise.<p/>
A27 253 <p_>Reed, McCarthy and Keenan developed a remarkable bond during 
A27 254 their months together. They kept each other's spirits up and their 
A27 255 humour intact.<p/>
A27 256 <p_>They played poker and dominoes for up to 17 hours and read 
A27 257 voraciously whatever the guards brought them, from pulp novels to 
A27 258 the K to Z sections of an American encyclopaedia.<p/>
A27 259 <p_>For a few months in 1988, they had a radio and followed the 
A27 260 news on the BBC World Service - the speculation of possible hostage 
A27 261 releases and the dashed hopes.<p/>
A27 262 <p_>One day, the radio was taken from them without explanation and 
A27 263 their last link with the outside world was severed.<p/>
A27 264 
A28   1 <#FLOB:A28\><h_><p_>Beleaguered Ministers shocked by grassroots 
A28   2 reaction to a possible levy on property<p/>
A28   3 <p_>Cool views delay plans for new tax<p/>
A28   4 <p_>By PHIL MURPHY, Political Correspondent<p/><h/>
A28   5 <p_>THE cool response by Tory activists to the Government's 
A28   6 proposed replacement for the poll tax has delayed even the 
A28   7 publishing of outline plans, it emerged yesterday.<p/>
A28   8 <p_>Sources close to the review said that Ministers were shocked at 
A28   9 the lack of enthusiasm and the occasional outright criticism of 
A28  10 their blueprint replacement at the Conservatives' Central Council 
A28  11 meeting in Southport last month.<p/>
A28  12 <p_>That meeting, the second largest gathering of Tory activists of 
A28  13 the year, heard some Conservatives warn against a property tax and 
A28  14 the Environment Secretary, Mr Michael Heseltine, was given a cool 
A28  15 reception.<p/>
A28  16 <p_>Ministers realised then that the presentation of the combined 
A28  17 property and head tax could be crucial to its success and even its 
A28  18 acceptance in the party.<p/>
A28  19 <p_>A decision to take the review steadily and resist strong 
A28  20 pressure for an announcement was made shortly after Southport.<p/>
A28  21 <p_>This means that a final decision on the proposed local tax will 
A28  22 not come until just before the summer recess, probably in the first 
A28  23 half of July.<p/>
A28  24 <p_>With all three main parties launching their local government 
A28  25 election campaigns today, this delay will provide ammunition 
A28  26 against the Tories for Labour and the Liberal Democrats.<p/>
A28  27 <p_>The prospects of Ministers flagging up one of a package of 
A28  28 options as their preferred solution when they publish a 
A28  29 consultative document within the next few weeks also appeared to be 
A28  30 receding yesterday.<p/>
A28  31 <p_>Although the Tory chairman, Mr Chris Patten, is believed to 
A28  32 favour highlighting one option, one source involved in the review 
A28  33 said that any indication of a preference by Ministers could ruin 
A28  34 the consultation process with party members, local government and 
A28  35 voters.<p/>
A28  36 <p_>After the Thatcher Government's misjudgement of the likely 
A28  37 response to the poll tax by failing to consult, the Prime Minister 
A28  38 and his colleagues are intent on avoiding a similar mistake this 
A28  39 time.<p/>
A28  40 <p_>Some say it will be preferable to risk losing some seats in the 
A28  41 May 2 round of local government elections and get the package right 
A28  42 rather than to allow themselves to be forced into a quick fix and 
A28  43 suffer later.<p/>
A28  44 <p_>Government sources were hinting yesterday that the consultative 
A28  45 document, containing a series of options, might not be ready even 
A28  46 after next week's Cabinet meeting.<p/>
A28  47 <p_>Downing Street is hoping that a meeting of the Cabinet 
A28  48 committee considering the replacement tax will take place tomorrow 
A28  49 but this is not certain. Earlier in the week a series of informal 
A28  50 meetings were all that were expected.<p/>
A28  51 <p_>One source said: <quote_>"The earliest we think it (the 
A28  52 consultative document) will come will be next week or the week 
A28  53 after. It's got to go to Cabinet. It won't be able to go to this 
A28  54 week's Cabinet. It could even be the week after next."<quote/><p/>
A28  55 <p_>The continuing delays suggest at best an attempt to fine-tune 
A28  56 the package but, at worst, disarray over the way forward.<p/>
A28  57 <p_>Labour's local government spokesman, Mr David Blunkett, rounded 
A28  58 on the Government last night.<p/>
A28  59 <p_>He said: <quote_>"It is sheer hypocrisy for the Conservatives 
A28  60 to delay their detailed alternative proposals to the poll tax and 
A28  61 existing local government structure and functions when they 
A28  62 themselves chided the Labour Party exactly 12 months ago for 'not 
A28  63 having a clear alternative'.<p/>
A28  64 <p_>"It is now time for the Government - with all the resources 
A28  65 that they possess through the Civil Service and computer facilities 
A28  66 - to spell out for the British electorate just what their policies 
A28  67 mean.<p/>
A28  68 <p_>"If they do not, then it is clear that the British electorate 
A28  69 will be unable to make a judgment on what exactly the Conservatives 
A28  70 have to offer in the local elections.<p/>
A28  71 <p_>"Their candidates across the country will be offering local 
A28  72 people nothing. Their own supporters will have no clear idea what 
A28  73 it is that they are expected to vote on and the conclusion will 
A28  74 have to be drawn that the confusion, dithering and incompetence 
A28  75 will continue."<quote/><p/>
A28  76 <p_>But there is a boost for the beleaguered Mr Major today: 15 
A28  77 Parliamentary hopefuls and councillors backing him are publishing a 
A28  78 statement of support.<p/>
A28  79 
A28  80 <h_><p_>Kinnock to woo floating voters in crucial conference 
A28  81 speech<p/>
A28  82 <p_>By PHIL MURPHY, Political Correspondent at the Labour Party 
A28  83 conference in Brighton<p/><h/>
A28  84 <p_>THE Labour leader, Mr Neil Kinnock, will today seek to woo the 
A28  85 floating voters with a vision of Labour Britain as a land of 
A28  86 opportunity for all.<p/>
A28  87 <p_>In a crucial speech, Mr Kinnock will use his annual keynote 
A28  88 address to the party conference to contrast his vision of a Labour 
A28  89 government offering opportunity for the many with what he claims is 
A28  90 a Tory administration offering opportunity only for the few.<p/>
A28  91 <p_>Mr Kinnock will also seek to bolster confidence in Labour's 
A28  92 ability to manage the economy. He will claim that a Labour 
A28  93 government will be committed to sustained growth, freed from the 
A28  94 boom and bust of the Tory years.<p/>
A28  95 <p_>His speech follows the outlining by the Shadow Chancellor, Mr 
A28  96 John Smith, and the Shadow Trade and Industry Secretary, Mr Gordon 
A28  97 Brown, of party economic policy at the conference yesterday.<p/>
A28  98 <p_>Mr Smith repeated his pledge to increase retirement pensions by 
A28  99 pounds5 for a single pensioner and pounds8 for a married couple, 
A28 100 and also his promise to increase child benefit to the level it 
A28 101 would have been had the Tories not restrained it - pounds9.55 per 
A28 102 week.<p/>
A28 103 <p_>Labour would end what Mr Smith called <quote_>"The scandal of 
A28 104 poverty pay"<quote/> with a minimum wage set first at pounds3.40 
A28 105 per hour, and would restore the direct link between pensions and 
A28 106 earnings and prices - a link severed by the Tories.<p/>
A28 107 <p_>The Shadow Chancellor also repeated his plan to pay for 
A28 108 increased pensions and child benefit through an increase in 
A28 109 top-rate income tax from 40p to 50p.<p/>
A28 110 <p_>Mr Smith stressed again a constant theme of conference - 
A28 111 Labour's drive to use more of the talents of the British people.<p/>
A28 112 <p_>He said: <quote_>"I want to see a nation energised by the 
A28 113 skills of its workforce and the technology of the workplace. I want 
A28 114 us to build a society where imaginative training programmes and 
A28 115 decent child care provision enable women who want to work and make 
A28 116 their vital contribution to our economy and to our 
A28 117 society."<quote/><p/>
A28 118 <p_>The Shadow Trade and Industry Secretary, Mr Brown, heralded 
A28 119 <quote_>"a new investment decade"<quote/> under Labour. Three new 
A28 120 investment initiatives in manufacturing, skills and technology 
A28 121 would, he claimed, make Britain the training and technology capital 
A28 122 of the world.<p/>
A28 123 <p_>He also announced an emergency jobs and training package, to be 
A28 124 implemented in the <quote_>"first few days"<quote/> of a Labour 
A28 125 government, investing in manufacturing, setting up industrial 
A28 126 development agencies in the regions, and a new defence 
A28 127 diversification agency.<p/>
A28 128 <p_>But he drew the most fervent applause for his attacks on the 
A28 129 Tories.<p/>
A28 130 <p_>Mr Brown accused the Prime Minister of presiding over 
A28 131 <quote_>"one of the worst collapses in manufacturing investment 
A28 132 since the 1930s"<quote/>.<p/>
A28 133 <p_>Referring to secret donations to the Tory Party by a Greek 
A28 134 billionaire, he said: <quote_>"Let us recall their theme in 1987 - 
A28 135 making Britain great again.<p/>
A28 136 <p_>"And this from a party that now disgracefully depends on 
A28 137 American-style election dirty tricks, on dubious Hong Kong 
A28 138 donations and, most shamefully of all, on a Greek billionaire 
A28 139 moving his money out of colonels and into Majors - an affront to 
A28 140 democracy and to Britain."<quote/><p/>
A28 141 <p_>He said the people who had done best under the Tories were the 
A28 142 5,000 millionaires, who had become multi-millionaires.<p/>
A28 143 <p_><quote_>"The 5,0000 who have had cumulative tax cuts of pounds5 
A28 144 bn - money which should have gone to child benefit and 
A28 145 pensions."<quote/><p/>
A28 146 <p_>It was the <quote_>"Tory version of the feeding of the 
A28 147 5,000"<quote/>, he said.<p/>
A28 148 <p_>Earlier, the Shadow Employment Secretary, Mr Tony Blair, 
A28 149 fiercely attacked the Government over the length of Britain's dole 
A28 150 queues, saying: <quote_>"A Government that tolerates three million 
A28 151 unemployed and more is a Government prepared to shatter the 
A28 152 cohesion on which our society depends."<quote/><p/>
A28 153 <p_>He said Labour would legislate to require all employers to make 
A28 154 a minimum investment in training, or pay a contribution to a local 
A28 155 or national training effort.<p/>
A28 156 
A28 157 <h_><p_>Governor <quote_>"reported IRA Plot"<quote/><p/>
A28 158 <p_>Brixton row fuels pressure on Baker<p/>
A28 159 <p_>By PHIL MURPHY, Political Correspondent<p/><h/>
A28 160 <p_>DEMANDS for the Home Secretary, Mr Kenneth Baker, to resign 
A28 161 erupted again last night after the sacked governor of Brixton 
A28 162 Prison spoke out over the IRA jail-break affair.<p/>
A28 163 <p_>Mr Reg Withers claimed he had passed on to his superiors 
A28 164 reports that two suspected IRA terrorists were planning to break 
A28 165 out of Brixton, months before their successful escape in July.<p/>
A28 166 <p_>It emerged yesterday that the IRA tried to force a member of 
A28 167 staff at Brixton Prison to smuggle a gun to the two suspects, 
A28 168 Nessan Quinlivan and Pearse McAuley.<p/>
A28 169 <p_>The attempt backfired when Mr Withers was told of the plan in 
A28 170 February, and alerted the Home Office Prison Department.<p/>
A28 171 <p_>As part of the effort to thwart any breach of security the two 
A28 172 IRA suspects were moved from D-wing to A-wing at Brixton.<p/>
A28 173 <p_>But five months later, on July 7, Quinlivan and McAuley pulled 
A28 174 a loaded gun on officers escorting them from the prison chapel and 
A28 175 escaped over the prison wall.<p/>
A28 176 <p_>Mr Withers later yesterday retracted suggestions that he had 
A28 177 written directly to the Home Office calling for Quinlivan and 
A28 178 McAuley to be transferred from Brixton - but the Home Office 
A28 179 accepted that the former governor had issued a warning to the 
A28 180 Prison Department.<p/>
A28 181 <p_>A Home Office spokeswoman said that the disciplinary inquiry 
A28 182 now under way would consider whether anyone should face action as a 
A28 183 result of failure to pass that information on to senior Prison 
A28 184 Department and Home Office staff and Ministers.<p/>
A28 185 <p_>The same spokeswoman said that the Home Secretary would not be 
A28 186 resigning.<p/>
A28 187 <p_>However, serious questions are being asked about the Prison 
A28 188 Department's failure to act on the tip-off, which was also backed 
A28 189 up by police information.<p/>
A28 190 <p_>The police information, which also warned that the escape 
A28 191 attempt would take place after Mass in the prison chapel, was 
A28 192 apparently not passed to Mr Withers.<p/>
A28 193 <p_>Mr Withers, 59, has been told to take leave until his 
A28 194 retirement in October, following an inquiry into the incident by 
A28 195 the Chief Inspector of Prisons, Judge Stephen Tumim.<p/>
A28 196 <p_>Mr Baker, who is on holiday in France, rejected a call from the 
A28 197 Shadow Home Secretary, Mr Roy Hattersley, for a full public inquiry 
A28 198 into the circumstances of the Brixton escape.<p/>
A28 199 <p_>The Labour spokesman also called for publication of as much as 
A28 200 possible of the Tumim report into the break-out. Only sections of 
A28 201 the report were released earlier in the week.<p/>
A28 202 <p_>Mr Hattersley warned that, without such a public inquiry, Mr 
A28 203 Baker's position might become impossible. Earlier this week the 
A28 204 Shadow Home Secretary had stopped short of calling for Mr Baker's 
A28 205 resignation.<p/>
A28 206 <p_>Now he believes that, without further clarification of what 
A28 207 happened, Mr Baker might have to go.<p/>
A28 208 <p_>The Liberal Democrats last night repeated their view that the 
A28 209 Home Secretary should quit.<p/>
A28 210 <p_>A spokesman, Mr Mike Carr, said: <quote_>"This whole business 
A28 211 is getting murkier and murkier. Earlier in the week we called for 
A28 212 the Home Secretary's resignation. In the light of Mr Withers's 
A28 213 comments we are now certain that that was the right thing to 
A28 214 do."<quote/><p/>
A28 215 <p_>The controversy stoked up by the decision to force Mr Withers 
A28 216 to take early retirement had taken a fresh turn when the former 
A28 217 governor broke his silence over the affair.<p/>
A28 218 <p_>In a report in the London Evening Standard, Mr Withers said: 
A28 219 <quote_>"I'm being blamed for things which were absolutely outside 
A28 220 of my control. It is not in my power to move prisoners.<p/>
A28 221 <p_>"I made a report to my superiors indicating that these men 
A28 222 should not be in Brixton. I am very distressed that all this has 
A28 223 been laid at my door."<quote/><p/>
A28 224 <p_>Though he later spelled out in a statement that he was not 
A28 225 claiming to have written to the Home Office requesting the 
A28 226 transfer, the underlying allegation that he did contact the Prison 
A28 227 Department remained intact.<p/>
A28 228 <p_>However Mr Baker's deputy, the Home Office Minister, Mrs Angela 
A28 229 Rumbold insisted: <quote_>"The governor had prior warning. The Home 
A28 230 Secretary and I did not. If we had been told we would have done 
A28 231 something."<quote/><p/>
A28 232 <p_>Responding to Mr Hattersley's calls for an inquiry and for 
A28 233 publication of more of the Tumin report, Mrs Rumbold said in a 
A28 234 letter to the Shadow Home Secretary last night:
A28 235 
A29   1 <#FLOB:A29\><h_><p_>Drink-drive row: Council chief resigns<p/>
A29   2 <p_>By Carl Slater<p/><h/>
A29   3 <p_>A COUNCIL chief at the centre of a drink-drive storm has 
A29   4 resigned.<p/>
A29   5 <p_>Mr Michael Suter, chief executive of Shropshire County Council, 
A29   6 stepped down following talks with leaders of political groups on 
A29   7 the authority.<p/>
A29   8 <p_>Mr Suter, who lives near Market Drayton, was on paid leave 
A29   9 pending an inquiry into his disqualification from driving.<p/>
A29  10 <h|>Convicted
A29  11 <p_>He was banned after being convicted of a drink-drive charge 
A29  12 earlier this year.<p/>
A29  13 <p_>Mr Suter, 47, was convicted of the offence in Nottinghamshire, 
A29  14 where he was the former county deputy clerk.<p/>
A29  15 <p_>No one from the county council would comment about Mr Suter's 
A29  16 resignation, but it is believed it follows talks between Mr Suter 
A29  17 and political group leaders about his driving ban.<p/>
A29  18 <h_><p_>Paid leave<p/><h/>
A29  19 <p_>Last week, a secret letter was circulated to all councillors 
A29  20 informing them that an investigation was to be conducted by a small 
A29  21 group of elected members into the conduct of Mr Suter in connection 
A29  22 with his disqualification.<p/>
A29  23 <p_>Mr Suter had agreed to take paid leave while the inquiry was 
A29  24 held but has now resigned.<p/>
A29  25 <p_>Mr Suter, who lives at Weston-under-Redcastle, near Market 
A29  26 Drayton, had been with the county council for five years. He was 
A29  27 unavailable for comment.<p/>
A29  28 
A29  29 <h_><p_>MP pledges all-out battle on merger<p/><h/>
A29  30 <p_>A FINAL plea for a rethink on controversial Government plans to 
A29  31 merge the Staffordshire and Cheshire Regiments under a cut back of 
A29  32 the armed forces is to be made by Stafford MP Bill Cash.<p/>
A29  33 <p_>He pledged to fight an all-out battle to persuade Defence 
A29  34 Minister Tom King to change his mind and reprieve the two 
A29  35 battalions.<p/>
A29  36 <p_>Mr Cash said he would be seeking to meet Mr King right up to 
A29  37 the crucial armed forces debate on Monday when Parliament 
A29  38 reassembles after the summer recess.<p/>
A29  39 <p_>The Stafford MP, who is spear-heading the fight to halt the 
A29  40 amalgamations, said: <quote_>"I hope the Government will listen. 
A29  41 These are important matters which go to the heart of this country 
A29  42 and the defence of the realm."<quote/><p/>
A29  43 <p_>The amalgamation has been put forward as part of a plan to 
A29  44 reduce the size of the Army from 55 battalions to 38.<p/>
A29  45 <p_>Earlier, Minister of State Mr King said claims that defence 
A29  46 cuts had not been thought through were unjust.<p/>
A29  47 <p_>Meanwhile, top-level talks will be held at the House of Commons 
A29  48 on Monday in a bid to stop the merger.<p/>
A29  49 <p_>The move will coincide with the presentation of a 100,000-name 
A29  50 anti-merger petition to the Ministry of Defence. Six coachloads of 
A29  51 Staffordshire Regiment supporters will travel to London from 
A29  52 Whittington Barracks in Lichfield to hand it over.<p/>
A29  53 
A29  54 <h_><p_>Miners will be balloted on pay claim action<p/>
A29  55 <p_>By Peter Holmes<p/><h/>
A29  56 <p_>MINERS at North Staffordshire's closure-threatened pits are to 
A29  57 be balloted on industrial action over a pay claim.<p/>
A29  58 <p_>Leaders of the National Union of Mineworkers opted for the vote 
A29  59 at a special meeting at the union's Sheffield headquarters.<p/>
A29  60 <p_>The leaders are believed to want an end to inflation-linked pay 
A29  61 rises imposed on the 69,000-strong union by British Coal after the 
A29  62 miners' strike of 1984-5.<p/>
A29  63 <p_>Secret voting will take place among members at Trentham 
A29  64 Superpit and Silverdale Colliery within the next four weeks, with 
A29  65 the union recommending industrial action to press its 
A29  66 <quote|>"substantial" pay claim.<p/>
A29  67 <p_>The NUM has not revealed details of the demand.<p/>
A29  68 <p_>Mr John Connon, president of the 3,000-strong Midlands Area, 
A29  69 said: <quote_>"The decision of the special conference was to ask 
A29  70 the members to approve - on an individual basis - industrial 
A29  71 action.<quote/><p/>
A29  72 <p_><quote_>"Although we do not want to take industrial action, we 
A29  73 may be forced to press British Coal to discuss a substantial pay 
A29  74 rise.<quote/><p/>
A29  75 <p_><quote_>"It would be a start if they agreed to negotiate with 
A29  76 us at all."<quote/><p/>
A29  77 <p_>The union has refused to join pay talks with British Coal since 
A29  78 the end of the miners' strike because of the presence of 
A29  79 representatives from the rival Union of Democratic Mineworkers.<p/>
A29  80 <h|>Negotiated
A29  81 <p_>In return, BC has negotiated rises with the UDM which have then 
A29  82 been imposed on the NUM members.<p/>
A29  83 <p_>Industrial action being considered would involve an overtime 
A29  84 ban with the miners refusing to carry out safety work outside 
A29  85 normal hours.<p/>
A29  86 <p_>This could lead to major disruption in the pits with 
A29  87 underground workers forced to wait for safety inspections - 
A29  88 normally done at weekends - to be completed before they start 
A29  89 work.<p/>
A29  90 <p_>It was revealed last week that all surface work at the 
A29  91 Florence, Longton, site of the Trentham mine would end next year 
A29  92 with operations transferred to the Hem Heath site.<p/>
A29  93 <p_>And a leaked report to the Government said that both the 
A29  94 remaining pits were ear-marked for closure with the loss of 3,000 
A29  95 jobs under plans for privatisation.<p/>
A29  96 
A29  97 <h_><p_>Tories are urged to curb the 'feudalism' of big 
A29  98 breweries<p/>
A29  99 <p_>Landlords fear hundreds of pubs may close<p/>
A29 100 <p_>By Andrew Stanistreet<p/><h/>
A29 101 <p_>PUBLICANS are to lobby the Tory Conference in Blackpool in a 
A29 102 bid to prevent hundreds of licensees losing their jobs.<p/>
A29 103 <p_>They claim brewers have taken advantage of new legislation to 
A29 104 introduce controversial leases which will drive tenant landlords 
A29 105 into bankruptcy.<p/>
A29 106 <h|>Agreements
A29 107 <p_>Licensed victuallers' association officials say breweries have 
A29 108 used a Monopolies and Mergers Commission decision to cut the number 
A29 109 of pubs they run as an excuse to boost rents and scrap maintenance 
A29 110 agreements in their remaining premises.<p/>
A29 111 <p_>Jim Hayburn, spokesman for the Macclesfield and Congleton LVA, 
A29 112 said: <quote_>"The new leases are a recipe for bankruptcy. Rents 
A29 113 are going up astronomically while the breweries at the same time 
A29 114 are divesting themselves of responsibility for care and 
A29 115 maintenance.<p/>
A29 116 <p_>"It will mean that prices will rise, hundreds of pubs will no 
A29 117 longer be viable and many landlords will be forced out of their 
A29 118 livelihoods.<p/>
A29 119 <p_>"What we want is for the Government to force the brewers to 
A29 120 either allow us to buy the pubs in a competitive market, or to rent 
A29 121 them at a commercial rent, not just to let us be dictated to 
A29 122 through a feudal system of ownership."<quote/><p/>
A29 123 <p_>And Mr Roy Peddie, a former chairman of the North Staffordshire 
A29 124 LVA and now the national organisation's president-elect, said: 
A29 125 <quote_>"We will be lobbying the conference to drive home the fact 
A29 126 that the Government is not doing enough to protect 
A29 127 licensees.<quote/><p/>
A29 128 <p_>"In many cases the new brewery leases are little better than 
A29 129 notices to quit.<quote/><p/>
A29 130 <h|>Adopted
A29 131 <p_><quote_>"We want an early review of how the new legislation has 
A29 132 been adopted by the breweries."<quote/><p/>
A29 133 <p_>Dozens of landlords will travel to Blackpool today from North 
A29 134 Staffordshire and South Cheshire to put their case at the 
A29 135 conference.<p/>
A29 136 
A29 137 <h_><p_>New services will cost Staffordshire pounds5.6m<p/>
A29 138 <p_>Child care revolution<p/><h/>
A29 139 <p_>On Monday the Government's new Children Act 1989 becomes law. 
A29 140 It is the biggest upheaval in care services since the welfare state 
A29 141 was established more than 40 years ago. But the wide-ranging 
A29 142 reforms will cost millions to implement. For Staffordshire county 
A29 143 council, rocked by the Pin down scandal and strapped for cash, will 
A29 144 it mean just another funding headache? Reporter MARIANNE CURPHEY 
A29 145 investigates.<p/>
A29 146 <p_>STAFFORDSHIRE'S social services department says it needs 145 
A29 147 extra staff and pounds5.6 million to put the Children Act 1989 into 
A29 148 force.<p/>
A29 149 <p_>But director Christine Walby knows the county council faces the 
A29 150 threat of charge-capping and having its budget cut by the 
A29 151 Government.<p/>
A29 152 <p_><quote_>"It is a concern,"<quote/> she says. <quote_>"I am 
A29 153 worried that we will not be able to do what we want to do. We may 
A29 154 have to redefine our priorities, but that could mean closing down 
A29 155 other essential services.<p/>
A29 156 <p_>"Nothing we do in social services is a luxury - it is all vital 
A29 157 work."<quote/><p/>
A29 158 <p_>The new Act, presented in a White Paper even before the 
A29 159 Cleveland child abuse scandal of 1988, will mean the biggest 
A29 160 changes to welfare in Britain for 40 years.<p/>
A29 161 <p_>Ministers hope the legislation will create a revolution in 
A29 162 child care and a new emphasis on the responsibility of parents.<p/>
A29 163 <h_><p_>Social workers<p/><h/>
A29 164 <p_>But it will also mean more work for social workers, courts, and 
A29 165 child protection officers.<p/>
A29 166 <p_>More foster parents and social services staff will need to be 
A29 167 recruited and day care centres for families in difficulties will 
A29 168 have to be built.<p/>
A29 169 <p_>The new law aims to protect the child while ensuring that both 
A29 170 child and parents have a say in their future.<p/>
A29 171 <p_>From Monday:<p/>
A29 172 <p_><*_>black-square<*/>Children will no longer be received into 
A29 173 voluntary care when parents have temporary difficulties in 
A29 174 coping.<p/>
A29 175 <p_>Instead the stigma of being 'in care' will be removed and 
A29 176 social workers will be responsible for setting up a support service 
A29 177 for families so children can be <quote_>"given 
A29 178 accomodation"<quote/> elsewhere.<p/>
A29 179 <p_>This could mean recruiting child-minders to take the pressure 
A29 180 off parents, and <}_><-|>couselling<+|>counselling<}/> the whole 
A29 181 family at one of the new day care centres.<p/>
A29 182 <p_><*_>black-square<*/>Children are no longer seen as the property 
A29 183 of their parents - they are now regarded as individuals who can 
A29 184 have a say over their future.<p/>
A29 185 <p_><*_>black-square<*/>Custody and access disappear and new orders 
A29 186 covering where a child lives and who has contact with him or her 
A29 187 come into force.<p/>
A29 188 <p_><*_>black-square<*/>The old 'place of safety' order - under 
A29 189 which a child could be removed from the family home for 28 days - 
A29 190 ends. It is replaced by a new emergency protection order under 
A29 191 which a child can be removed for up to eight days for 
A29 192 protection.<p/>
A29 193 <p_><*_>black-square<*/>Children in need of social services care 
A29 194 will for the first time include disabled children. Every local 
A29 195 authority will be required to keep a register of disabled children 
A29 196 in its area.<p/>
A29 197 <p_><*_>black-square<*/>Special attention must be paid to the 
A29 198 racial group from which the child comes. Social workers must try to 
A29 199 recruit foster parents from the same group as that of the child.<p/>
A29 200 <p_><*_>black-square<*/>Children's homes, now called community 
A29 201 homes, will have to issue special guidelines for staff on 
A29 202 admittance and reception of the child, methods of care and control, 
A29 203 log books and diary planning, confidentiality, and financial 
A29 204 administration.<p/>
A29 205 <p_><*_>black-square<*/>Independent schools with less than 50 
A29 206 boarders will be classed as children's homes and subject to the 
A29 207 same rules and inspections.<p/>
A29 208 <p_><*_>black-square<*/>Alleged abusers, rather than the children 
A29 209 they abuse, will in some cases be persuaded to leave the family 
A29 210 home.<p/>
A29 211 <p_>Social services worker Maggie Holmes explained: <quote_>"The 
A29 212 Act has huge implications for social services 
A29 213 departments.<quote/><p/>
A29 214 <h_><p_>70 new staff<p/><h/>
A29 215 <p_><quote_>"It is designed to bring in good working practices for 
A29 216 social workers.<p/>
A29 217 <p_>"The main shift is from parental 'rights' to their 
A29 218 responsibility. "Even when a child is in local authority care 
A29 219 parents keep their responsibilities to the child."<quote/><p/>
A29 220 <p_>Christine Walby added: <quote_>"A major change is the 
A29 221 shortening of court deadlines when deciding the future of 
A29 222 children.<p/>
A29 223 <p_>"We are taking on around 70 new staff but we would have liked 
A29 224 to have recruited them 12 months ago.<p/>
A29 225 <p_>"Now our existing staff who are already stretched will face the 
A29 226 full brunt when the new legislation comes into force."<quote/><p/>
A29 227 <p_>Social services committee chairman Mike Poulter welcomed the 
A29 228 new Act as <quote_>"a magnificent, major achievement."<quote/><p/>
A29 229 <p_>But he warned: <quote_>"Unless the Government allows us to 
A29 230 raise more money we will not be able to deliver the services that 
A29 231 this Act requires.<p/>
A29 232 <p_>"There will be an enormous ammount of new services, new court 
A29 233 work, preventative measures to try to prevent families breaking 
A29 234 up.<p/>
A29 235 <p_>"But family counselling will require day care centres and at 
A29 236 least one new centre will have to be built in each 
A29 237 area."<quote/><p/>
A29 238 <p_>He wants the Government to allow the county council to raise 
A29 239 more cash for the changes, even though it could cost the poll tax 
A29 240 payer money.<p/>
A29 241 <p_><quote_>"At present we cannot raise more funds as we are within 
A29 242 pounds1,000 of our spending budget and face being capped if we 
A29 243 spend any more,"<quote/> he said.<p/>
A29 244 <p_><quote_>"But the public wants to see children properly cared 
A29 245 for and I believe they are prepared to pay for it.<p/>
A29 246 <p_>"The department has just advertised for almost 70 new staff and 
A29 247 received four times as many applications as there were 
A29 248 places."<quote/><p/>
A29 249 <p_>Around pounds2 million was made available to social services 
A29 250 after the Pin down report by Allan Levy QC and Barbara Kahan was 
A29 251 published in May this year.<p/>
A29 252 <p_>The pounds5,000 a day inquiry heard how children in homes were 
A29 253 kept in solitary confinement dressed only in their underwear.<p/>
A29 254 <p_>It blamed a lack of skilled residential staff, inadequate 
A29 255 staffing and staff under pressure.<p/>
A29 256 <h_><p_>Special paid leave<p/><h/>
A29 257 <p_>When Christine Walby, 51, moved into her pounds61,000-a-year 
A29 258 post as social services director, she knew she was walking into a 
A29 259 department in crisis.<p/>
A29 260 
A30   1 <#FLOB:A30\><h_><p_>Tories taunted over jobs<p/><h/>
A30   2 <p_>OPPOSITION leader Neil Kinnock taunted ministers over the 
A30   3 latest unemployment increase, saying: <quote_>"The longer this 
A30   4 Cabinet hangs on to its jobs, the more other people are going to 
A30   5 lose theirs."<quote/><p/>
A30   6 <p_>But Commons Leader John MacGregor, deputising at question time 
A30   7 for Prime Minister John Major, said Labour would <quote_>"lose more 
A30   8 jobs, more permanently"<quote/>.<p/>
A30   9 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>The Government is to close its Jobshare scheme - 
A30  10 involving cash incentives for employers to provide additional 
A30  11 employment - at the end of the year, junior employment minister 
A30  12 Robert Jackson disclosed.<p/>
A30  13 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>A National Health Service debate to <quote_>"nail 
A30  14 Labour's smears and fears"<quote/>, was announced for Monday by Mr 
A30  15 MacGregor. Health Secretary William Waldegrave will open it on a 
A30  16 motion entitled <quote_>"The Prime Minister's pledge to continue 
A30  17 free hospital treatment for everyone"<quote/>.<p/>
A30  18 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>Labour's Eric Illsley (Barnsley Central) claimed 
A30  19 that a <quote_>"luxury holiday fact-finding mission to a Paris 
A30  20 hotel"<quote/> has been arranged for Barnsley District General 
A30  21 Hospital staff in preparation for NHS trust status. Mr MacGregor 
A30  22 said health reforms were making big savings, <quote_>"all of which 
A30  23 are being directed at patient care"<quote/>.<p/>
A30  24 <p_>British plans to train African National Congress members would 
A30  25 discriminate against Zulus and prejudge the outcome of Pretoria's 
A30  26 reforms, Sir Ian Lloyd (Con Havant) protested. But Mr MacGregor 
A30  27 said the move would greatly help with <quote_>"race relations and 
A30  28 the future in South Africa."<quote/><p/>
A30  29 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>Increasing Government department errors pose the 
A30  30 risk of fraud and corruption, Public Accounts Committee chairman 
A30  31 Robert Sheldon warned. He paid tribute to <quote_>"very high 
A30  32 standards"<quote/> of vigilance on public spending, but warned: 
A30  33 <quote_>"Once fraud and corruption gets a hold in any particular 
A30  34 area, that is when you are in trouble."<quote/><p/>
A30  35 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>Shadow Commons leader Dr Jack Cunningham demanded 
A30  36 a statement by Home Secretary Kenneth Baker on franchises after it 
A30  37 emerged that ex-premier Margaret Thatcher told TV-am she was 
A30  38 <quote_>"heartbroken"<quote/> it lost its battle to broadcast. Mr 
A30  39 MacGregor said licence allocation was a matter for the Independent 
A30  40 Televison Commission, not the Government.<p/>
A30  41 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>The introduction of tax on hospital volunteer 
A30  42 drivers' mileage claims will be phased in gradually over a number 
A30  43 of years, Treasury Financial Secretary Francis Maude announced. He 
A30  44 said he was aware of much concern about the issue.<p/>
A30  45 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>Moves to outlaw the sale of tickets on the day of 
A30  46 a soccer match without the home club's authority, were pledged by 
A30  47 junior Home Office minister Peter Lloyd <quote_>"when Parliamentary 
A30  48 time allows."<quote/><p/>
A30  49 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>The phasing out of drift nets for salmon fishing 
A30  50 off England's north-east coast was backed by Agriculture Minister 
A30  51 John Gummer and Scottish fisheries minister Lord Strathclyde. They 
A30  52 said the change should be made <quote_>"gradually, so as not to 
A30  53 cause unnecessary hardship."<quote/><p/>
A30  54 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>Parliament is to be prorogued at the end of next 
A30  55 Tuesday's business until the Queen's Speech on October 31, which 
A30  56 opens the new session, Mr MacGregor announced.<p/>
A30  57 
A30  58 <h_><p_>King quashes army cut protests<p/><h/>
A30  59 <p_>DEFENCE Secretary Tom King brushed aside widespread opposition 
A30  60 to Army cuts, dealing a blow to campaigners who marched on the 
A30  61 Commons with almost 1m signatures.<p/>
A30  62 <p_>He made clear there was no going back on plans to reduce 
A30  63 infantry battalions from 55 to 38 and Army size from 160,000 to 
A30  64 116,000.<p/>
A30  65 <p_>Mr King announced a big cut in Britain's nuclear free fall 
A30  66 bombs, as part of an overall Nato stockpile reduction to be 
A30  67 announced later this week.<p/>
A30  68 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>Controversial low-flying training by fighter jets 
A30  69 is to be cut by almost a third over the next three years, junior 
A30  70 Defence Procurement minister Kenneth Carlisle announced. But there 
A30  71 will be an increase in other forms of low-flying, principally by 
A30  72 helicopters and the new propellor-driven Tucano trainer.<p/>
A30  73 <p_>Mr Carlisle also announced that the ice patrol ship HMS 
A30  74 Endurance, which played a key role in the Falklands conflict, is to 
A30  75 be decommissioned. It will be replaced by the MV Polar Circle, to 
A30  76 be leased from Norway from November.<p/>
A30  77 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>The future of the Tower of London's Beefeaters 
A30  78 and the public duties of the Household Division - both world famous 
A30  79 tourist attractions - will be <quote_>"kept under review"<quote/> 
A30  80 during planning for Army restructuring, armed forces minister 
A30  81 Archie Hamilton said.<p/>
A30  82 <p_>But he insisted the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals would 
A30  83 continue to form a Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment for their 
A30  84 ceremonial role.<p/>
A30  85 <p_>Mr Hamilton said in a series of Commons written replies 
A30  86 yesterday that the three battalions of Foot Guards normally based 
A30  87 in the London area might be given increased manpower <quote_>"to 
A30  88 facilitate the discharge of public duties"<quote/>.<p/>
A30  89 <p_>The Commandant of the Royal Military School of Music was also 
A30  90 reviewing the future structure and location of Army bands, he 
A30  91 said.<p/>
A30  92 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>Transport Secretary Malcolm Rifkind hinted that 
A30  93 some Government money might after all be made available to finance 
A30  94 the Channel Tunnel rail link. Until now, ministers have firmly 
A30  95 ruled out any state funding of the multi-billion-pound project.<p/>
A30  96 <p_>Mr Rifkind said: <quote_>"I have indicated very clearly that 
A30  97 what I would like to see is a private sector-funded project. That's 
A30  98 what we believe would be the most desirable."<quote/> But he added: 
A30  99 <quote/>"If proposals come forward which fall short of that, we 
A30 100 will consider that in the circumstances of the time."<quote/><p/>
A30 101 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>Commons Leader John MacGregor claimed Labour was 
A30 102 <quote|>"retreating" on its accusations that the Government wants 
A30 103 to privatise the health service.<p/>
A30 104 <p_>Replying to a demand by the Opposition's Dr. Jack Cunningham 
A30 105 for a statement from Health Secretary William Waldegrave about 
A30 106 <quote_>"creeping privatisation of the NHS"<quote/>, Mr MacGregor 
A30 107 said: <quote_>"There are simply no charges to respond 
A30 108 to."<quote/><p/>
A30 109 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>The EC cannot use its forces to separate warring 
A30 110 sides in Yugoslavia, Foreign Office Minister Douglas Hogg said. He 
A30 111 insisted: <quote_>"The solution can only be a political one, freely 
A30 112 reached among the Yugoslavs themselves."<quote/><p/>
A30 113 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>Legislation paving the way for privatisation of 
A30 114 British Rail will not be presented to Parliament until after the 
A30 115 election, Transport Minister Roger Freeman said.<p/>
A30 116 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>Prime Minister John Major set out in a written 
A30 117 reply those aspects of his Citizen's Charter which will need new 
A30 118 legislation. The first Bills to implement his pledges to increase 
A30 119 accountability by public services to their users are expected to be 
A30 120 included in the October 31 Queen's Speech.<p/>
A30 121 
A30 122 <h_><p_>MPs back cuts in forces<p/><h/>
A30 123 <p_>MINISTERS fought off the threatened backbench rebellion over 
A30 124 their plans to slash the armed forces as seven Tories defied their 
A30 125 whips and voted against the Government.<p/>
A30 126 <p_>The defence estimates were approved by 324 votes to 66, the 
A30 127 Opposition abstaining, after a stormy two-day debate on the 
A30 128 changes. Labour's amendment recognising the scope for further 
A30 129 reductions in defence spending and urging more help for ex-service 
A30 130 personnel lost by 345 votes to 238.<p/>
A30 131 <h|>Conflict
A30 132 <p_>Britain's ability to fight another Gulf-style conflict would 
A30 133 not be hindered, Defence Procurement Minister Alan Clark 
A30 134 insisted.<p/>
A30 135 <p_>Mr Clark announced the setting-up of a working group to examine 
A30 136 UK nuclear weapons safety, the outcome of investigations into the 
A30 137 loss of six Tornado aircraft in the Gulf War and a project 
A30 138 definition contract for two new amphibious assault ships.<p/>
A30 139 <p_>Defence Secretary Tom King said there will be a 
A30 140 <quote_>"significant reduction"<quote/> in civilians employed by 
A30 141 the forces.<p/>
A30 142 <p_>Mortgages at preferential rates will be available to full-time 
A30 143 members of the armed forces from next month, Armed Forces Minister 
A30 144 Archie Hamilton said. He also disclosed that servicemen made 
A30 145 redundant will receive special capital payments.<p/>
A30 146 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>Plans to crack down on squatting in empty homes 
A30 147 and shops were announced by Home Secretary Kenneth Baker, who said: 
A30 148 <quote_>"The law needs to be changed to safeguard the rights of 
A30 149 owners."<quote/> A consultation paper includes the option of 
A30 150 extending the criminal law on squatting.<p/>
A30 151 <p_>Shadow home secretary Roy Hattersley backed the view that 
A30 152 action should be taken, but said: <quote_>"If the Government is 
A30 153 serious about squatting, it needs to do something about 
A30 154 homelessness."<quote/><p/>
A30 155 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>Labour leader Neil Kinnock renewed battle over 
A30 156 the health service. He asked Commons Leader John MacGregor, 
A30 157 standing in for Prime Minister MrJohn Major at question time: 
A30 158 <quote_>"Can you tell us what the Government proposes to do to stop 
A30 159 the process of privatisation of the NHS?"<quote/><p/>
A30 160 <p_>Mr MacGregor replied: <quote_>"The reforms we are pursuing are 
A30 161 not creeping privatisation. They are getting proper reform to 
A30 162 ensure the resources are better directed to patient 
A30 163 care."<quote/><p/>
A30 164 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>The Government was defeated in the Lords over the 
A30 165 universities' role in its planned privatisation of the research 
A30 166 body, the British Technology Group. Voting was 111 to 102 for an 
A30 167 amendment to the British Technology Group Bill.<p/>
A30 168 
A30 169 <h_><p_>Major to take full PM's pay<p/><h/>
A30 170 <p_>JOHN Major is likely to take his full pay rise as Prime 
A30 171 Minister, unlike his predecessor Margaret Thatcher.<p/>
A30 172 <p_>He is not expected to keep his salary pegged to that of fellow 
A30 173 Cabinet ministers when the rises are announced next month, 
A30 174 Government sources have indicated.<p/>
A30 175 <p_>Mrs Thatcher drew the same salary as her Cabinet colleagues and 
A30 176 did not take the extra available to her as PM.<p/>
A30 177 <h|>Mortgage
A30 178 <p_>Downing Street sources said: <quote_>"The Prime Minister does 
A30 179 draw his full salary, unlike Mrs Thatcher. He has a mortgage to pay 
A30 180 and a lot of other commitments."<quote/><p/>
A30 181 <p_>Ministers look set to be awarded a below-inflation pay rise - 
A30 182 but MPs will enjoy a 6.5% rise in January. With their pay now 
A30 183 linked to the civil service scale, MPs' salaries will rise from 
A30 184 pounds28,790 to pounds30,854.<p/>
A30 185 
A30 186 <h_><p_>Government accused of victimising poor people<p/><h/>
A30 187 <p_>THE number of people on Income Support paying poll tax arrears 
A30 188 in Kirklees has more than doubled in three months.<p/>
A30 189 <p_>And figures released by the Labour Party show that nationally 
A30 190 the numbers have increased by 54%.<p/>
A30 191 <p_>Demanding Government intervention, Shadow Secretary of State 
A30 192 for Social Security Michael Meacher has called for 100% poll tax 
A30 193 rebates for pensioners, the unemployed and people on benefit.<p/>
A30 194 <p_>He accused the Government of victimising the poorest section of 
A30 195 the community by chasing them for punitive payments.<p/>
A30 196 <p_>The number of claimants in Kirklees paying community charge 
A30 197 arrears shot from 62 in May this year to 137 in August.<p/>
A30 198 <p_>The figures supplied by the Benefits Agency revealed that 
A30 199 throughout the UK numbers rose from nearly 58,000 to just over 
A30 200 89,000 in the same period.<p/>
A30 201 <p_>Mr Meacher said: <quote_>"At the present rate of increase, by 
A30 202 next year there will be more than 250,000 people having poll tax 
A30 203 arrears deducted from Income Support.<p/>
A30 204 <p_>"These will be in addition to the 430,000 repaying loans to the 
A30 205 Social Fund, 250,000 repaying electricity and gas arrears, 80,000 
A30 206 paying rent arrears and 45,000 paying water charge 
A30 207 arrears."<quote/><p/>
A30 208 <p_>Money was being taken from people who were existing on 
A30 209 appallingly low benefits, said Mr Meacher.<p/>
A30 210 <p_>Huge variations across the country in the number who were being 
A30 211 pursued for deductions from benefit showed how unfair the poll tax 
A30 212 was.<p/>
A30 213 <p_><quote_>"The local authorities have told Environment Secretary 
A30 214 Michael Heseltine that it is not effective to pursue benefit 
A30 215 claimants for non-payment of their 20% poll tax liability,"<quote/> 
A30 216 said Mr Meacher.<p/>
A30 217 <p_><quote_>"Some of these debts will never be collected. Mr 
A30 218 Heseltine himself has proposed that those on benefit will not have 
A30 219 to pay his council tax."<quote/><p/>
A30 220 <p_>He added: <quote_>"But for a further year from April 1992, 
A30 221 councils will be obliged to impose this punitive poll tax on the 
A30 222 very poorest, and to fruitlessly pursue those who cannot pay. It is 
A30 223 victimisation of the poorest people."<quote/><p/>
A30 224 
A30 225 <h_><p_><quote|>"Disgraceful" response to pleas<p/>
A30 226 <p_>Forum criticises lack of support from Tory MP<p/><h/>
A30 227 <p_>COLNE Valley MP Graham Riddick was criticised last night for 
A30 228 his <quote|>"disgraceful" response to pleas to fight cutbacks in 
A30 229 police manpower.<p/>
A30 230 <p_>Holmfirth Police Community Forum is now writing to the Tory MP 
A30 231 to complain at his lack of support and request he attends the next 
A30 232 meeting of the forum - of which he is a member.<p/>
A30 233 <p_>They wrote to him in July asking for help in reducing budget 
A30 234 cutbacks forced on West Yorkshire Police Authority by Government 
A30 235 capping threats.<p/>
A30 236 <p_>But forum vice-chairman Kirklees Clr Bob Mortimer attacked the 
A30 237 response Mr Riddick made in a letter to the group as an 
A30 238 <quote_>"absolute disgrace"<quote/>.<p/>
A30 239 <p_>From next April the authority faces slashing pounds4m from its 
A30 240 budget and losing 420 police officers and hundreds of civilian 
A30 241 staff, said Clr Mortimer.<p/>
A30 242 <h_><p_>Home Secretary<p/><h/>
A30 243 <p_>Mr Riddick wrote that he had informed West Yorkshire's Chief 
A30 244 Constable of his and the forum's concern over reduced manning 
A30 245 levels next year because of the cash crisis.<p/>
A30 246 <p_>He had also written to the Home Secretary who had gone 
A30 247 <quote_>"as far as he was able to go in saying that the authority 
A30 248 would not be capped even if its budget did exceed the capping 
A30 249 limit"<quote/>.<p/>
A30 250 
A31   1 <#FLOB:A31\><h_><p_>S Yorks women <quote_>"suffer low 
A31   2 pay"<quote/><p/>
A31   3 <p_>By Helen Barnes<p/><h/>
A31   4 <p_>WOMEN manual workers in South Yorkshire are the lowest paid in 
A31   5 the country.<p/>
A31   6 <p_>A new survey shows womens pay lags far behind the rates for 
A31   7 men.<p/>
A31   8 <p_>A woman full-time manual worker in Yorkshire and Humberside 
A31   9 could, on average, hope to receive barely half the average gross 
A31  10 weekly wage for all workers.<p/>
A31  11 <p_>The report issued by Labour employment spokesman Tony Blair and 
A31  12 shadow minister for women Jo Richardson hit at the <quote_>"poverty 
A31  13 and inequality"<quote/> facing women.<p/>
A31  14 <p_>Sheffield Central MP Richard Caborn, Labour spokesman on trade 
A31  15 and industry, said Britain needed a minimum wage and continous 
A31  16 training to upgrade skills.<p/>
A31  17 <p_><quote_>"As long as there is this pool of workers on poverty 
A31  18 wages we will not be realising the potential of our 
A31  19 workforce,"<quote/> he said.<p/>
A31  20 <p_>Chairman of Sheffield council personnel committee Coun Mike 
A31  21 Bower, said many women earned less than pounds100 a week with some 
A31  22 women working for private cleaning firms earning as little as 
A31  23 pound1 an hour.<p/>
A31  24 <p_>A minimum wage would hold no worries for the council, which 
A31  25 already paid over that rate, he said.<p/>
A31  26 <p_>South Yorkshire was a low-pay area because unemployment left 
A31  27 workers little bargaining power.<p/>
A31  28 <p_>Figures from the Low Pay Unit said the average gross pay for 
A31  29 manual women workers in Yorkshire and Humberside was 
A31  30 pounds149.10.<p/>
A31  31 <p_>Women non-manual workers received just over three-quarters of 
A31  32 the regional average of all workers - the second lowest in 
A31  33 England.<p/>
A31  34 <p_>Female manual workers in Yorkshire and Humberside were paid 
A31  35 just under 61 per cent of the average for men, including overtime - 
A31  36 the third lowest out of the eight English regions.<p/>
A31  37 
A31  38 <h_><p_>Hospitals lining up for new Trust bid<p/>
A31  39 <p_>By Hugh Lawrence, Parliamentary Correspondent<p/><h/>
A31  40 <p_>MORE hospital opt-outs in South Yorkshire could be on the way 
A31  41 in a new wave for 1993.<p/>
A31  42 <p_>A new list of possibles follows Health Secretary William 
A31  43 Waldegraves approval for more than 100 hospitals and health units 
A31  44 around the country to opt out of health authority control and 
A31  45 become self-governing from next April.<p/>
A31  46 <p_>Now he has given a green light for more to go ahead with 
A31  47 putting in formal opt-out applications after voicing initial 
A31  48 <quote_>"expressions of interest"<quote/>.<p/>
A31  49 <p_>The list of units now being allowed to put in applications for 
A31  50 opting out from April 1993 includes: Barnsley District General 
A31  51 Hospital, Rotherham General Hospitals, Derbyshire Royal Infirmary, 
A31  52 Derbyshire Ambulance Service and Rotherham Priority Health 
A31  53 Services.<p/>
A31  54 <p_>These are among more than 150 hospitals and health units 
A31  55 nationwide being told by Mr Waldegrave they can make a bid for 
A31  56 approval for self-governing Trust status from 1993.<p/>
A31  57 <p_>And Sheffield MPs have accused the Government of ignoring the 
A31  58 wishes of people on hospital opt-outs.<p/>
A31  59 <p_>Labour MPs Bill Michie (Heeley), Richard Caborn (Sheffield 
A31  60 Central), David Blunkett (Brightside), Martin Flannery 
A31  61 (Hillsborough) and Sir Patrick Duffy (Attercliffe) protested the 
A31  62 latest batch of opt-out hospitals and services had been given a 
A31  63 go-ahead before the first wave had been properly assessed.<p/>
A31  64 <p_>In a Commons motion also backed by North-East Derbyshire MP 
A31  65 Harry Barnes, they say most Sheffield people, the City Council, 
A31  66 health workers, trade unions, GPs and the Community Health Council 
A31  67 were <quote_>"totally opposed"<quote/> to switches to 
A31  68 self-governing Trust status. The MPs say peoples views had been 
A31  69 <quote_>"contemptuously ignored"<quote/>.<p/>
A31  70 
A31  71 <h_><p_>Protest as minister rejects final plea - strike call marks 
A31  72 closure of library<p/>
A31  73 <p_>By Jill Ward and Neil Fieldhouse<p/><h/>
A31  74 <p_>LIBRARY Staff across Sheffield were threatening strike action 
A31  75 this afternoon. They were planning the protest at staff cuts and 
A31  76 the decision to close Ecclesall Library.<p/>
A31  77 <p_>But campaigners fighting to keep the branch open admit their 
A31  78 chances are now slim after being told the Government has refused to 
A31  79 intervene to save it.<p/>
A31  80 <p_>Conservative leader David Heslop said the community wouls 
A31  81 oppose any plans by the Labour-controlled city council to use the 
A31  82 site for housing or anything other than leisure.<p/>
A31  83 <h|><quote|>"Appalled"
A31  84 <p_>He spoke out after returning from a trip to Westminster, where 
A31  85 he made a personal plea to ministers to block the shutdown. He 
A31  86 argued that the council was breaching its legal duty to provide 
A31  87 library services.<p/>
A31  88 <p_>Said Mr. Heslop: <quote_>"The response was that the council was 
A31  89 a duty to provide a service across the city in general, not to an 
A31  90 area in particular and so was not in breach,"<quote/> he said.<p/>
A31  91 <p_><quote_>"But the minister was also appalled at the closedown, 
A31  92 which is clearly for political reasons and will leave a void in 
A31  93 library provision in the south west.<quote/><p/>
A31  94 <p_>Meanwhile library chiefs are advising the public to phone their 
A31  95 branch libraries to see if they will be open later today. Officials 
A31  96 from the national and Local Government Officers Association have 
A31  97 called on their members to strike this afternoon and attend a 
A31  98 protest rally at Ecclesall Library.<p/>
A31  99 
A31 100 <h_><p_>Secret bid for cash to boost run down areas<p/>
A31 101 <p_>By Neil Fieldhouse, Political Editor<p/><h/>
A31 102 <p_>SHEFFIELD'S best kept secret - which could unlock doors to a 
A31 103 new future for the city - was being delivered to the Government 
A31 104 this afternoon.<p/>
A31 105 <p_>Two city council officials took details of Sheffield's bid for 
A31 106 a share in a pounds350m urban aid package announced by Environment 
A31 107 Secretary Michael Heseltine to tackle decay and decline.<p/>
A31 108 <h_><p_>Wide area<p/><h/>
A31 109 <p_>Fifteen areas have been invited to compete for City Challenge 
A31 110 funds - but only ten will win.<p/>
A31 111 <p_>Sheffield has kept its ideas strictly under wraps to prevent 
A31 112 rivals gaining inside information to steal an advantage.<p/>
A31 113 <p_>And officials this afternoon declined to give away any clues 
A31 114 before delivering the package to Mr Heseltine's office by today's 
A31 115 deadline for submissions.<p/>
A31 116 <p_>All that is known is that Sheffield proposes the funds should 
A31 117 be spent in a wide area across Attercliffe, the Manor, city centre, 
A31 118 Wybourn and Kelham.<p/>
A31 119 <p_>The project, put together by a partnership of the council, 
A31 120 development corporation, and the private sector, would improve the 
A31 121 fabric of Sheffield as well as create new training and employment 
A31 122 opportunities.<p/>
A31 123 <p_><quote_>"It would provide the resources to turn our vision of 
A31 124 the future Sheffield into a reality,"<quote/> said businessman 
A31 125 Norman Adsetts.<p/>
A31 126 
A31 127 <h_><p_>City closure schools in pledge to fight on<p/>
A31 128 <p_>By Neil Fieldhouse, Political Editor<p/><h/>
A31 129 <p_>CITY schools are today drawing up battle plans after the 
A31 130 council voted through a package of closures and mergers amid angry 
A31 131 and stormy scenes in the Town Hall.<p/>
A31 132 <p_>Scores of parents, governors, teachers and children lobbied 
A31 133 councillors as they arrived for a special meeting, but failed to 
A31 134 win a single change.<p/>
A31 135 <p_>Labour used its overwhelming majority to throw out demands for 
A31 136 a re-think of the proposals, led by the Conservatives and Liberal 
A31 137 Democrats and backed by protesters who packed the public gallery. 
A31 138 The council agreed to axe Bolsterstone J and I, Clifford F, 
A31 139 Handsworth F, Roscoe Bank J and I, Stand House F, Warren J and I, 
A31 140 Norfolk Secondary and the sixth form at Abbeydale Grange.<p/>
A31 141 <p_>All have vowed to challenge the decision, including many of the 
A31 142 40 schools which will be merged.<p/>
A31 143 <h_><p_>Threatened change<p/><h/>
A31 144 <p_>They argue that the proposals are no longer <quote|>"logical" 
A31 145 and schools which are smaller and less viable than their own have 
A31 146 been reprieved on political not educational grounds - a charge 
A31 147 hotly denied by Labour.<p/>
A31 148 <p_>Chapeltown's Warren School headteacher Andy Chambers today said 
A31 149 the doomed schools would continue to battle individually and 
A31 150 collectively for survival.<p/>
A31 151 <p_>He said: <quote_>"We will put in our objections to the council 
A31 152 and in September we will be going to London to put our case to the 
A31 153 Secretary of State for Education.
A31 154 <p_>"We could have accepted it if 20 schools were to close as there 
A31 155 would have been substantial savings. Surplus places would have been 
A31 156 lost and the council would get more Government money.<p/>
A31 157 <p_>"But closing seven excellent schools is not going to save 
A31 158 anything. We are all very upset about how the review has been 
A31 159 done."<quote/><p/>
A31 160 <p_>Education chairman Steve Jones told the meeting amid boos and 
A31 161 hisses from the gallery that it had been <quote_>"an open and 
A31 162 honest"<quote/> review and it was only natural that schools would 
A31 163 oppose threatened change.<p/>
A31 164 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>A last-ditch plan to save Bolsterstone Infant and 
A31 165 Junior School from closure will be discussed tomorrow in a meeting 
A31 166 at the school hall at 7.30pm. The school is earmarked for closure 
A31 167 next September and parents and teachers are considering opting out 
A31 168 of city council control.<p/>
A31 169 
A31 170 <h_><p_><quote_>"Bully Boy"<quote/> rap by Tory MP<p/>
A31 171 <p_>By Hugh Lawrence<p/><h/>
A31 172 <p_>SHEFFIELD Tory MP Irvine Patnick has accused city councillors 
A31 173 of <quote_>"bully boy"<quote/> bias against areas which do not back 
A31 174 Labour.<p/>
A31 175 <p_>He hit out about school and library closures and claimed the 
A31 176 council was penalising the Tory-voting area of Hallam.<p/>
A31 177 <p_>Mr Patnick said: <quote_>"They are like political bully boys 
A31 178 saying if you live in one area we will protect you, live in another 
A31 179 political area with a different MP and councillors and you are for 
A31 180 the chop."<quote/><p/>
A31 181 <p_>The onslaught came in a row about school closure decisions.<p/>
A31 182 <p_>Today Mr Patnick stepped up protests about closure plans for 
A31 183 Clifford CE School. Attempts by opposition councilors to have 
A31 184 Bolsterstone CE School and Warren Junior and Infant School removed 
A31 185 from the closure list have also been rejected.<p/>
A31 186 <p_>Mr Patnick blasted plans to close Ecclesall Library, which he 
A31 187 said was one of the most popular and best-used in the city.<p/>
A31 188 
A31 189 <h_><p_>Sheffield <quote_>"will go the way of Liverpool"<quote/><p/>
A31 190 <p_>By Neil Fieldhouse, Political Editor<p/><h/>
A31 191 <p_>SHEFFIELD is on course to become a second Liverpool with the 
A31 192 city facing a budget gap of between pounds30m and pounds40m next 
A31 193 year, union officials fear.<p/>
A31 194 <p_>Council workers predict widespread cuts to jobs and services 
A31 195 which could plunge the city into damaging strikes and conflict this 
A31 196 winter.<p/>
A31 197 <p_>The Council's controlling Labour group was fast to give 
A31 198 assurances that they will manage the situation better than their 
A31 199 strife-torn Liverpool colleagues - and appealed to workers to 
A31 200 help.<p/>
A31 201 <p_>They dismissed visions of rubbish piled high in the streets, 
A31 202 bodies unburied and a council with its leadership and city in 
A31 203 disarray and torn apart.<p/>
A31 204 <p_>Finance chairman Howard Knight said they have already managed 
A31 205 to avoid one winter of discontent - and would survive next year, 
A31 206 although he admitted great difficulties.<p/>
A31 207 <p_>He said Sheffield faced a deficit of pounds30m to pounds40m if 
A31 208 inflation and Government support remains the same.<p/>
A31 209 <p_><quote_>"It will not be possible to make those reductions 
A31 210 without devastating effects on services,"<quote/> he added.<p/>
A31 211 <p_>He made a public plea to unions and workers. <quote_>"We either 
A31 212 work together or sink.<quote/><p/>
A31 213 <p_>He spoke out after local government workers union NALGO's 
A31 214 Sheffield branch said it was meeting tonight to vote on passing on 
A31 215 its support to colleagues in Liverpool.<p/>
A31 216 <p_>Spokesman David Granville said: <quote_>"The position there 
A31 217 highlights the similarity between the two cities and how narrowly 
A31 218 we avoided the same thing here.<p/>
A31 219 <p_>"We in Sheffield are under no illusions.<p/>
A31 220 <p_>"We are very concerned that under the weight of the financial 
A31 221 costs of the World Student Games in particular we could be in for a 
A31 222 very difficult period.<quote/><p/>
A31 223 <p_>This year nearly 2,000 Sheffield council workers volunteered to 
A31 224 give up their jobs and Labour ordered spending cuts and freezes 
A31 225 across the board.<p/>
A31 226 
A31 227 <h_><p_>Drive to bring back life to the valley<p/>
A31 228 <p_>By Neil Fieldhouse, Political Editor<p/><h/>
A31 229 <p_>MORE than 4,000 jobs and the complete reclamation of the UK's 
A31 230 worst area of dereliction would the prize if South Yorkshire wins 
A31 231 one of its two City Challenge bids.<p/>
A31 232 <p_>The package will be officially unwrapped on Monday when 
A31 233 Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham put their case to the Government 
A31 234 for being one of 15 areas chosen to share pounds350m of grant 
A31 235 aid.<p/>
A31 236 <p_>The three towns want pounds39.5m to help transform the Dearne 
A31 237 Valley area, reclaiming the vast Wath/Manvers pit site - which is 
A31 238 officially the biggest eyesore in the country - and pumping new 
A31 239 life into the decaying communities.<p/>
A31 240 <p_>Twenty other areas are also competing for a share including 
A31 241 neighboring Sheffield.<p/>
A31 242 <h|>Partnership
A31 243 <p_>If the Dearne Valley succeeds, projects to get support would 
A31 244 include new bisness and industry developments, housing, a new 
A31 245 college, golf course and national centre for the environment.<p/>
A31 246 <p_> They would also include a hotel, large tracts of parkland and 
A31 247 an array of training and support scheme for residents aimed at 
A31 248 getting the region back to work.<p/>
A31 249 <p_>The five-year package will be put to Envinronment Minister 
A31 250 Robert Key on Monday morning although no decision on whether the 
A31 251 Dearne has succeeded is expected until the end of this month.<p/>
A31 252 <p_>A partnership of Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham councils and 
A31 253 private business will put <}_><-|>foward<+|>forward<}/> the 
A31 254 ideas.<p/>
A31 255 
A32   1 <#FLOB:A32\><h_><p_>Strength in depth the key<p/>
A32   2 <p_><*_>black-square<*/>ATHLETICS<p/><h/>
A32   3 <p_>SPRINGHEAD HARRIERS strength in depth shone through as they 
A32   4 swept to a last-ditch win over Goole Youth AC.<p/>
A32   5 <p_>Honours were even with only the youths and senior men's relays 
A32   6 to come and Springhead won them both with some spectacular running 
A32   7 to clinch victory by just four points, 173-169.<p/>
A32   8 <p_>Many personal bests were set and there were new club records 
A32   9 from Adele Foster with 27 seconds in the under 15 girls 200m and 
A32  10 for close rivals Claire Dunn, 27.1 and Jacquie Burke 27.3.<p/>
A32  11 <p_> Richard Woodmansey - the new find of the season in the senior 
A32  12 men's group, set a new record in the long jump with a leap of 5.13m 
A32  13 and in the youths section Paul Cooper turned his back on the track 
A32  14 and leapt 6.31m in the long jump which was never bettered on the 
A32  15 day.<p/>
A32  16 <p_>Young Marc Webster shone in the under 11 minor boys' shot with 
A32  17 5.07m and there were two new records in the men's javelin from 
A32  18 junior Craig Napper with 40.46m and from Mark Hewson with 42.54m on 
A32  19 his senior debut.<p/>
A32  20 <p_>Finally, Allison English pulled out a tremendous leap of 4.31m, 
A32  21 in the under 13 minor girls' long jump to set a season's best and 
A32  22 then followed that up with a winning leg in the 4x100m relay which 
A32  23 Springhead won in 59.1.<p/>
A32  24 <p_><*_>bullet<*/>East Hull Harriers' Peter Harrison made a winning 
A32  25 comeback at the weekend.<p/>
A32  26 <p_>On Sunday he came first in the 800m in the Humberside Masters 
A32  27 held at the Costello Stadium and he completed a hat-trick of wins 
A32  28 by romping home in the 1500 and 800m in the 50-54 age group.<p/>
A32  29 <p_>On Saturday he claimed second place<&|>sic! he'd had in the 
A32  30 East Hull Harriers Summer League.<p/>
A32  31 
A32  32 <h_><p_>Lambert makes a swift return<p/>
A32  33 <p_>By Malcolm Richardson<p/>
A32  34 <p_>SEAHAWKS REPORTER<p/><h/>
A32  35 <p_>HUMBERSIDE Seahawks player-coach Dale Lambert today 
A32  36 praised the fracture clinic at Hull Royal Infirmary for 'altering' 
A32  37 his fiberglass cast which means he can now make his come-back in 
A32  38 tonight's Pennine Cup clash with Blackburn Blackhawks at the Ice 
A32  39 Arena (5.45).<p/>
A32  40 <p_><quote_>"They have been marvellous to make such adjustments to 
A32  41 the cast which means I can now get a glove on"<quote/> enthused 
A32  42 Lambert, who has a broken thumb and is being forced to make his 
A32  43 return two weeks earlier than anticipated - and against doctor's 
A32  44 orders!<p/>
A32  45 <p_><quote_>"No-one wants me to play for another couple of weeks 
A32  46 but I don't see I have any alternative"<quote/> says Lambert.<p/>
A32  47 <p_><quote_>"With our guest import Ransome Durcar having this week 
A32  48 signed for Durham we just haven't been able to find a replacement - 
A32  49 and in any case I need to get back into the thick of the 
A32  50 action."<p/>
A32  51 <p_>Disappointed with much of the Seahawks' recent performances he 
A32  52 has been issuing a battle-cry this week to shake them out of their 
A32  53 summertime blues.<p/>
A32  54 <p_><quote_>"The holiday is over, it's time we all got back to 
A32  55 work"<quote/> he storms.<p/>
A32  56 <p_>Tonight the Seahawks hold an 11-4 lead from the first leg of 
A32  57 the Pennine Cup, a new challenge match between the two clubs, and 
A32  58 Lambert is using the chance to try out his fitness.<p/>
A32  59 <p_><quote_>"I've been out for a couple of weeks and I need to get 
A32  60 used to the pace of the game again,"<quote/> he says.<p/>
A32  61 <p_><quote_>"Sunday's match is much more important when we play 
A32  62 Billingham in the Autumn Cup<quote/> (5.45 at the Ice Arena).<p/>
A32  63 <p_><quote_>"The British Ice Hockey Association have given us a 
A32  64 second chance in this competition and we have to grab 
A32  65 it."<quote/><p/>
A32  66 <p_>The Seahawks were beaten 9-6 at Telford on Tuesday but the BIHA 
A32  67 overturned the result and gave the Seahawks a 5-0 win after Telford 
A32  68 illegally iced import Dan Sweeney.<p/>
A32  69 <p_>It means the Seahawks now surprisingly top the table on goal 
A32  70 difference from Nottingham, who, however, have a match in hand.<p/>
A32  71 <p_>All the signs are that the group champions will be decided on 
A32  72 the final match - when Nottingham visit Hull on September 29.<p/>
A32  73 
A32  74 <h_><p_>Hull II hold on for Yorkshire League victory<p/>
A32  75 <p_><*_>black-square<*/>TABLE TENNIS<p/><h/>
A32  76 <p_>SEVEN of Hull's Yorkshire Table Tennis League sides went into 
A32  77 action last week, with five matches taking place on Humberside and 
A32  78 the Mens II and Ladies travelling to Scarborough and Leeds 
A32  79 respectively.<p/>
A32  80 <p_>Hull's Division 1 side got away to a winning start despite a 
A32  81 maximum for Ashley Hodgson for Scarborough. Dave Randerson, Ian 
A32  82 Parker and Mark Farnill each scored two victories for Hull II who 
A32  83 ran out 6-4 winners.<p/>
A32  84 <p_>Hull III 9, Keighley 1. Dave Burnham and Mark Williams (3 each) 
A32  85 and newcomer from York, Chris Haynes (2) scored well in Hull III's 
A32  86 runaway 9-1 win over Keighley.<p/>
A32  87 <p_>Leeds II 6. Hull Ladies 4. Hull Ladies, with Irene and Nicky 
A32  88 Thompson, the first mother and daughter combination to represent 
A32  89 the county both winning twice, went down 6-4 to Leeds II.<p/>
A32  90 <p_>Hull Vet 3, York 7. Mick Farnill (2), Dave Bartlett scored wins 
A32  91 as Hull Vets went down 7-3 to York. Terry Jarvis won twice as Hull 
A32  92 Vet II lost 8-2 to Bradford. Hull Vet III were 7-3 winners over 
A32  93 Halifax with seven games going the distance. Alan Hedley (3), Ron 
A32  94 Wicks and Mick North (2) were in good form for Hull IV as they 
A32  95 defeated Dewsbury III 8-2.<p/>
A32  96 <p_>There was considerable success for the city's young stars at 
A32  97 the Final Yorkshire Junior/Cadet Trials held at Leeds over the 
A32  98 weekend.<p/>
A32  99 <p_>Phil Neal, who attained a national No. 3 ranking with the 
A32 100 Cadets last season, and is now in his first year as a Junior, took 
A32 101 top place in the Junior Boys ahead of his closest rival Andrew 
A32 102 Nicholls (Selby) with Mark Smith (Bradford) and Richard Potter 
A32 103 (Leeds) taking the remaining places in the four strong squad 
A32 104 eligible to go through to the National trials at Lilleshall on 
A32 105 December 28.<p/>
A32 106 <p_>With the Cadets, Wayne Marsh took the last of the three 
A32 107 National places available, behind Tony Hudson (Leeds) and David 
A32 108 Smith (Huddersfield), thanks to a fine victory over Hudson which 
A32 109 clinched his place.<p/>
A32 110 <p_>Keeping the east of the county to the fore among the girls was 
A32 111 Zoe Fisher, who competed at both levels and claimed two second 
A32 112 places.<p/>
A32 113 <p_>Both Neal and Miss Fisher have been named in the Yorkshire 
A32 114 Junior Division 1 side to meet Clwyd at Bradford on December 1, 
A32 115 with Fisher making her County debut.<p/>
A32 116 <p_>Following the trials, Marsh travelled down to St. Ives 
A32 117 (Cambridgeshire) where he teamed up with Andrew Sugarman, excused 
A32 118 trials by virtue of his national ranking, and Peter Marshall to 
A32 119 compete in the St. Ives Invitation Team Tournament.<p/>
A32 120 <p_>Ninety Six players in 32 teams came out in the morning, and the 
A32 121 Hull boys came comfortably through their group of eight, taking top 
A32 122 place without the loss of a set.<p/>
A32 123 <p_>The semi-final brought yet another straight sets win over 
A32 124 Brentwood, who included Stephen Joslin, two wins over Marsh to his 
A32 125 credit this season, but there was to be no stopping the Hull boys 
A32 126 now, and they despatched Bedford, semi-final winners over 
A32 127 Stadt Tallendorf from Germany, again by the 3-0 
A32 128 margin.<p/>
A32 129 <p_>With all three Hull boys returning a clean sheet, the award for 
A32 130 'Player of the Tournament' was not straightforward, the decision 
A32 131 finally going in favour of Sugarman following a points 
A32 132 countback.<p/>
A32 133 
A32 134 <h_><p_>Classy Cas again destroy the Rovers<p/>
A32 135 <p_>By John Fieldhouse<p/>
A32 136 <p_>HULL KR REPORTER<p/><h/>
A32 137 <p_>HULL KR coach George Fairbairn reckons Leeds are his favourite 
A32 138 side.<p/>
A32 139 <p_>On the evidence of yesterday's clash at Craven Park, it's a 
A32 140 fair bet that Castleford must currently rank as his least favourite!
A32 141 Two weeks ago, they dumped Fairbairn's local heroes out of the 
A32 142 Yorkshire Cup in emphatic style.<p/>
A32 143 <p_>And yesterday, the men from Wheldon road breezed into Craven 
A32 144 Park ... and proceeded to hand out a top flight lesson to Rovers 
A32 145 before steaming back along the M62 with two precious points tucked 
A32 146 safely in their bag.<p/>
A32 147 <p_>Rovers approached the match full of hope, especially after the 
A32 148 much-needed win at Swinton last Sunday.<p/>
A32 149 <p_>But 'classy Cas' were a much tougher proposition, hardly 
A32 150 surprising really as their line-up packed in seven full 
A32 151 internationals.<p/>
A32 152 <p_>They possessed the power and pace when it mattered most. Rovers 
A32 153 never stopped battling with rookie prop Chris Harrison setting a 
A32 154 tremendous lead but on the day they lacked the know-how when - and 
A32 155 where - it mattered most.<p/>
A32 156 <p_>Rovers couldn't have made a better start. Like the majority of 
A32 157 games this season, they attacked strongly from the kick-off and 
A32 158 this time they got vital points on the board.<p/>
A32 159 <p_>But Castleford clawed their way back into a 10-6 lead after 16 
A32 160 minutes and then led 14-12 at the interval before effectively 
A32 161 settling the match with two touchdowns in the opening quarter of 
A32 162 the second half.<p/>
A32 163 <p_>First, power-packed loose forward Tawera 
A32 164 <}_><-|>Nickau<+|>Nikau<}/> pounded through some shoddy tackling to 
A32 165 set up a try for fellow Kiwi international Richard 
A32 166 <}_><-|>Blakburn<+|>Blackburn<}/>.<p/>
A32 167 <p_>Cas' then struck again with another long range effort, full 
A32 168 back Graham Steadman sidestepping his way through another poor bout 
A32 169 of tackling before sending Blackburn romping over from 25 yards 
A32 170 out.<p/>
A32 171 <p_>Rovers found themselves trailing 22-12 with just 20 minutes 
A32 172 remaining. They were in need of a miracle but those are in pretty 
A32 173 short supply at Craven Park these days.<p/>
A32 174 <p_>At least Rovers battled until the bitter end and Castleford did 
A32 175 their best to help, committing a series of handling errors while 
A32 176 watching prop Keith England sin-binned after he hit-out at home sub 
A32 177 Wayne Jackson at a play-the-ball.<p/>
A32 178 <p_>Rovers did have their chances but, unlike Castleford, they 
A32 179 lacked the players with the authority to turn possible half-gaps 
A32 180 into clear-cut openings.<p/>
A32 181 <p_>Those two second half tries may have eventually proved the 
A32 182 matchwinners but Castleford always had the edge in players like Lee 
A32 183 Crooks, Nikau, Steadman and Blackburn.<p/>
A32 184 <p_>Rovers, it must be said, hardly helped themselves with some 
A32 185 poor tactical work, particularly in the opening half.<p/>
A32 186 <p_>When they were pinned back in their own 25, they persisted in 
A32 187 trying to play their way out of trouble when what was called for 
A32 188 was the 'order of the boot' - as far down field as possible.<p/>
A32 189 <p_>Five times, Rovers lost the ball inside their own 25. On two 
A32 190 occasions Castleford cashed in with tries - the other three times 
A32 191 Rovers just managed to keep the visitors out.<p/>
A32 192 <p_>Rovers did produce a kicking game in the second half and 
A32 193 succeeded in driving Castleford back.<p/>
A32 194 <p_>For the first time in the match players like Crooks and 
A32 195 Steadman looked vulnerable as they were forced to 
A32 196 <}_><-|>beck-pedal<+|>back-pedal<}/>. By then, though, the damage 
A32 197 had already been done.<p/>
A32 198 <p_>Former Hull favourite Crooks was a mighty figure for Castleford 
A32 199 but his efforts were more than matched by Harrison, who produced a 
A32 200 thundering display.<p/>
A32 201 <p_>There were fine efforts by fellow packmen Paul Fletcher, Andy 
A32 202 Thompson and Paul Speckman while Richard Chamberlain again 
A32 203 impressed in his second senior outing.<p/>
A32 204 <p_>But that all-important spark was missing behind the scrum. Half 
A32 205 backs Gary Chatfield and debutante Troy McCarthy worked hard - but 
A32 206 that's not enough, though, to crack sides of Castleford's 
A32 207 calibre.<p/>
A32 208 <p_>The threequarters had a particularly torrid time and it was 
A32 209 left to full back Mike Fletcher to often make most progress against 
A32 210 a resolute defence.<p/>
A32 211 <p_>That electrifying start by the Robins was set up by a Chatfield 
A32 212 touchfinder. Chamberlain took the resulting scrum against the head 
A32 213 and Castleford hardly knew what hit them as they were slapped back 
A32 214 onto their own line.<p/>
A32 215 <p_>The try duly came - in bizzare style. Chatfield's up and under 
A32 216 sliced off his boot, and went backwards.<p/>
A32 217 <p_>McCarthy, though, gathered the ball and fed Paul Lyman who 
A32 218 powered over with three defenders hanging grimly on his back. 
A32 219 Fletcher goaled.<p/>
A32 220 <p_>The good start was soon just a memory as Castleford powered 
A32 221 back. Dominating possession, they pressed strongly and Steadman's 
A32 222 kick on the sixth tackle squirmed out of Chatfield's grasp and 
A32 223 Anderson took full advantage to score.<p/>
A32 224 <p_>Steadman the provider proved to be Steadman the scorer just a 
A32 225 few minutes later, crossing after yet another of his kicks caught 
A32 226 Rovers flat-footed and short-handed on their own line. Crooks 
A32 227 goaled.<p/>
A32 228 <p_>It says much for the spirit and character in Rovers camp that 
A32 229 they hit back in the 29th minute.<p/>
A32 230 <p_>Thompson almost made the line and when Castleford were 
A32 231 penalised at a scrum, a quick tap saw McCarthy send Mike Fletcher 
A32 232 over beneath the posts.<p/>
A32 233 
A33   1 <#FLOB:A33\><h_><p_>Winning start for new pair<p/>
A33   2 <p_>by William Kings<p/><h/>
A33   3 <p_>GILLIAN CLARK, the England badminton international who has won 
A33   4 the European women's doubles title with three different partners, 
A33   5 got her new pairing with Julie Bradbury off to a winning start by 
A33   6 taking the Puma Wimbledon Open title.<p/>
A33   7 <p_><quote_>"Not bad for an over 30,"<quote/> said the Surrey 
A33   8 player after she and national singles champion Bradbury beat 
A33   9 Gillian Gowers and Sara Sankey, two of her previous partners.<p/>
A33  10 <p_>Miss Clark is chasing her 100th major Badminton final at the 
A33  11 Canadian Open later this month. She has won 63 of them.<p/>
A33  12 <p_>The England squad leave for Canada tomorrow but England No.2 
A33  13 Steve Butler stays behind for treatment on an ankle injury which 
A33  14 forced him to retire in the men's singles semi-finals.<p/>
A33  15 <p_>Meanwhile England had to settle for doubles success at 
A33  16 Wimbledon as Elena Rybkina won an all-Soviet women's final with 
A33  17 Irina Serova and Anders Nielsen proved no match for Denmark's 
A33  18 holder, Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen in the men's final.<p/>
A33  19 <p_>Dave Wright and Nick Ponting repeated their national win over 
A33  20 Andy Goode and Chris Hunt to retain their men's doubles title while 
A33  21 Goode and Gowers beat Soviet pairing Irina Serova and Andrei 
A33  22 Antropov to keep their mixed crown.<p/>
A33  23 
A33  24 <h_><p_>Young steps in for Joe<p/><h/>
A33  25 <p_>STEVE YOUNG proved himself a capable replacement for injured 
A33  26 San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana when he threw three 
A33  27 touchdown passes, including a 70-yarder to Jerry Rice, in the 34-14 
A33  28 win over the San Diego Chargers.<p/>
A33  29 <p_>Young threw for 348 yards and wide receiver Rice had nine 
A33  30 receptions for 150 yards including a pair of touchdowns. It will be 
A33  31 interesting to hear what the 49ers have to say at a press 
A33  32 conference scheduled for today concerning their star Montana, out 
A33  33 for at least four weeks with tendonitis in the right elbow.<p/>
A33  34 <p_>Kicker Tony Zendejas kicked field goals of 29, 50, 32 and 33 
A33  35 yards as the Los Angeles Rams inflicted a 19-13 defeat on Super 
A33  36 Bowl winners New York Giants.<p/>
A33  37 <p_>Jim Kelly threw a career best six touchdown passes to guide 
A33  38 Super Bowl runners-up Buffalo Bills to a 52-34 victory over the 
A33  39 Pittsburgh Steelers. Four of Kelly's scoring passes went to wide 
A33  40 receiver Don Beebe, the longest a 34-yarder, as the Bills had their 
A33  41 second-highest scoring day ever.<p/>
A33  42 
A33  43 <h_><p_>A rugby challenge for Wales<p/>
A33  44 <p_>Collins takes a break from riots<p/>
A33  45 <p_>by Chris Jones<p/><h/>
A33  46 <p_>CARDIFF flanker Richie Collins has warmed up for Wales's 
A33  47 crucial match with France tonight - by facing rioting mobs.<p/>
A33  48 <p_>Collins, a police officer, has been on duty in the Ely area of 
A33  49 Cardiff which has seen repeated outbreaks of violence. Collins made 
A33  50 it to the final training session yesterday after two nights on the 
A33  51 front line and said: <quote_>"I am a policeman and I had to be on 
A33  52 duty.<p/>
A33  53 <p_>"But I am glad to have got away for this game. There is a great 
A33  54 spirit in the squad and I am pleased to be relieved of those police 
A33  55 duties to be part of what I believe will be a big night for Welsh 
A33  56 rugby."<quote/><p/>
A33  57 <p_>The Welsh team has been radically changed since the 60-point 
A33  58 hammering by Australia in Brisbane in July. There is a new manager, 
A33  59 coach and captain and - according to pre-match build up - a new 
A33  60 self belief.<p/>
A33  61 <p_>Captain Ieuan Evans, of Llanelli, said: <quote_>"There is a 
A33  62 confidence in this team which may surprise a lot of people. That 
A33  63 doesn't mean we'll beat France but we may achieve a result that not 
A33  64 many are expecting.<p/>
A33  65 <p_>"Our coach Alan Davis has given us something which has been 
A33  66 lacking, self belief."<quote/><p/>
A33  67 <p_>All Welsh supporters want to see this team play with the pride 
A33  68 that was lacking in Brisbane. A solid performance, particularly up 
A33  69 front, will give Wales hope and open the way for a better World Cup 
A33  70 challenge next month.<p/>
A33  71 <p_>Alan Davies, the ex-England B coach, is masterminding the Welsh 
A33  72 recovery and he said: <quote_>"When I first came to Wales I 
A33  73 expected to find good players - and they are here. I am more than 
A33  74 happy with the progress we have made although, realistically, 
A33  75 no-one should expect us to win against a well organised side like 
A33  76 France."<quote/><p/>
A33  77 <p_>This match has been arranged to mark the arrival of floodlights 
A33  78 at the National Stadium, needed for World Cup matches. They will 
A33  79 also be used for the Welsh soccer team's internationals.<p/>
A33  80 <p_>THE Combined London Old Boys went down 16-6 to the Soviet Union 
A33  81 at Croxley Green last night after taking a 6-0 lead through Carl 
A33  82 Pugh's boot.<p/>
A33  83 <p_>The Soviets, who face England on Saturday at Twickenham, 
A33  84 eventually subdued the lively CLOB side and ran in three tries. But 
A33  85 England still <|?>looks to have an easy ride on Saturday.<p/>
A33  86 <p_>LONDON WELSH, whose previous disciplinary problems have forced 
A33  87 a shut-down at the club, have banned themselves again for two weeks 
A33  88 after more trouble.<p/>
A33  89 <p_>Two players were sent off at a tournament in Newbury at the 
A33  90 weekend. Emyr Blease has been banned sine die 
A33  91 and Mark Davies for the rest of the season.<p/>
A33  92 <p_>The club has cancelled fixtures for two weeks and that includes 
A33  93 first team games with Bedford (14 Sept) and Penarth (21 Sept).<p/>
A33  94 <p_>Last season the club shut down for a week after a run of 
A33  95 dismissals.<p/>
A33  96 <p_>SCREENSPORT has paid an undisclosed fee to broadcast all but 
A33  97 one of the 32 World Cup <}_><-|>match<+|>matches<}/> live to 65 
A33  98 countries in Europe. Andy Ripley and Clive Woodward, the ex-England 
A33  99 stars, will commentate for the service.<p/>
A33 100 
A33 101 <h_><p_>Lyle can see light at end of the tunnel<p/>
A33 102 <p_>RENTON LAIDLAW on good news for a nice guy<p/><h/>
A33 103 <p_>THROUGHOUT the last three years of his golfing torment the fans 
A33 104 have never deserted Sandy Lyle and he has never given up hope that 
A33 105 he would return to his winning ways.<p/>
A33 106 <p_>As he stumbled from one golfing coach to another - he has used 
A33 107 seven - it looked as if his efforts would be in vain but he refused 
A33 108 to accept that he was a premature back number.<p/>
A33 109 <p_>Now, after finishing second in the European Open at Walton 
A33 110 Heath in which he finished with two rounds of 69 and 67, Lyle is 
A33 111 ready to talk again about winning.<p/>
A33 112 <p_>His last Volvo Tour event victory was on 5 June, 1988. That was 
A33 113 the Dunhill masters. He won the World Match-play title in October 
A33 114 of that year but that is not a Tour event.<p/>
A33 115 <p_>Although never a serious challenger on the final day of the 
A33 116 European Open to the impressive winner, Mike Harwood, Lyle can take 
A33 117 comfort from the fact that what he did last week is a clear sign 
A33 118 that he has emerged from the tunnel of despair that almost engulfed 
A33 119 him.<p/>
A33 120 <p_>Lyle may be the gentlest of sportsmen and is easily the most 
A33 121 approachable of all the stars but he is also a fighter.<p/>
A33 122 <p_>The gracious golfer who, in 1985, became the first British 
A33 123 winner of The Open since Tony Jacklin in 1969, and whose 1988 
A33 124 success at the US Masters started the run of British triumphs at 
A33 125 Augusta, refused to accept the glory days were over.<p/>
A33 126 <p_>The last three years have been a nightmare. Just consider his 
A33 127 record in Europe in official events since 1988.<p/>
A33 128 <p_>That year he played 12 times, finished first once, second once, 
A33 129 had four third place finishes, a sixth and two sevenths.<p/>
A33 130 <p_>In 1989 he played 11 events and had a fourth, an eighth and a 
A33 131 10th. In 1990 he had a fourth and two eighths from 10 appearances 
A33 132 and this year he has played 12 tournaments and come second once, 
A33 133 eighth once and 10th once.<p/>
A33 134 <p_>Nothing to write home about but he never became bitter or 
A33 135 lashed out.<p/>
A33 136 <p_>Of course, in that time he has played in America and in 1989 
A33 137 was second in the Los Angeles Open and this year had two 16th place 
A33 138 finishes in majors, two further reasons for him to think positively 
A33 139 about the future.<p/>
A33 140 <p_><quote_>"I'm not dead and buried yet,"<quote/> he said at 
A33 141 Walton Heath.<p/>
A33 142 <p_><quote_>"I've produced this form just too late to make the 
A33 143 Ryder Cup team this year but I'll be back in 1993."<quote/><p/>
A33 144 <p_>Typically he insists that European team captain Bernard 
A33 145 Gallacher was right to choose Mark James as his final 'pick' when 
A33 146 Jose Maria Olazabal and Nick Faldo also required invitations.<p/>
A33 147 <p_>Maybe had Faldo and Olazabal played more events in Europe and 
A33 148 made the side automatically, there might have been room for 
A33 149 Lyle.<p/>
A33 150 <p_>His second place finish at Walton Heath was due, he said, to 
A33 151 returning to his father, his original teacher, and putting into 
A33 152 practice his advice to slow down his swing.<p/>
A33 153 <p_>The result was that almost every shot was hit flush out of the 
A33 154 middle of the club.<p/>
A33 155 <p_>At Walton Heath he beat everyone except Harwood, second in The 
A33 156 Open this year and winner of the Volvo PGA and Volvo Masters titles 
A33 157 last year.<p/>
A33 158 <p_>Harwood, who had benefitted from a tuning up session with David 
A33 159 Leadbetter representative Denis Pugh, based at Quietwaters in 
A33 160 Essex, saw off the challenge of Seve Ballesteros over the closing 
A33 161 five holes, which he covered in three shots better than the 
A33 162 Spaniard.<p/>
A33 163 <p_>Yet at Walton Heath where the ambitious Birchgrey company and 
A33 164 new sponsor General Accident made such a fine start to what 
A33 165 promises to be a long and rewarding relationship with the European 
A33 166 Open, the talking point was the performance of Lyle.<p/>
A33 167 <p_>And, at last, it was all positive.<p/>
A33 168 
A33 169 <h_><p_>Pickard blast sparks Edberg<p/>
A33 170 <p_>Peter Blackman in New York<p/><h/>
A33 171 <p_>STEFAN EDBERG produced his old Wimbledon form to earn an 
A33 172 immaculate 7-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory over Michael Chang and 
A33 173 reach<&|>sic! the last eight at the US Open here.<p/>
A33 174 <p_>But to achieve this win Edberg had to endure a pre-match 'ear 
A33 175 bashing' session from his British coach Tony Pickard, who was 
A33 176 unhappy with the Swede's concentration in the big matches.<p/>
A33 177 <p_><quote_>"He kept falling asleep,"<quote/> said Pickard. 
A33 178 <quote_>"I'd let things drag on too long, so during a practice 
A33 179 session I took him to one side and read the riot act to him. It 
A33 180 just had to be done.<p/>
A33 181 <p_>"Stefan obviously understood what I was telling him. The real 
A33 182 message was that against the top opponents in a cut throat business 
A33 183 he will lose unless he concentrates on every point, and I mean 
A33 184 every point, even if he is on court for five hours."<quote/><p/>
A33 185 <p_>Edberg hates playing under floodlights, particularly at 
A33 186 Flushing Meadow, but he was encouraged by holding a 7-3 career lead 
A33 187 over the in-form Chang.<p/>
A33 188 <p_>The first set took 71 minutes with Edberg winning the tie break 
A33 189 7-2. That performance seemed to weaken Chang's resolve while 
A33 190 Edberg's game soared to the exciting levels that has made him twice 
A33 191 the Wimbledon champion.<p/>
A33 192 <p_><quote_>"That's more like it,"<quote/> beamed Pickard, while 
A33 193 Edberg said: <quote_>"I had to play my best tennis to beat him. 
A33 194 It's tough against him because he fights right to the end.<p/>
A33 195 <p_>"I was so pumped up for this one and I really wanted to win. I 
A33 196 reckon this is the best I have played all summer. And I have 
A33 197 conquered those night match blues."<quote/><p/>
A33 198 <p_>Chang was stunned by Edberg's determination and match tactics 
A33 199 of keeping the ball low.<p/>
A33 200 <p_><quote_>"Stefan pulled off the big shots on the big points and 
A33 201 that is what turned it his way."<quote/><p/>
A33 202 <p_>Fifth seed Ivan Lendl will meet Wimbledon champion Michael 
A33 203 Stich in the quarter<?_>-<?/>finals after stopping the towering 
A33 204 Croatian Goran Ivanisevic 7-5, 6-7, 6-4, 6-2 in three hours 30 
A33 205 minutes.<p/>
A33 206 <p_>Ivanisevic moaned about back trouble and said that Stich would 
A33 207 beat the Czech. Lendl countered with a few barbs of his own after 
A33 208 being told about Ivanisevic's after match views.<p/>
A33 209 <p_><quote_>"He has had a bad back, has he? Well, I'd like to have 
A33 210 back pain while serving at 125 miles an hour,"<quote/> said Lendl 
A33 211 as he bit deep into his bottom lip. <quote_>"All his shots are wild 
A33 212 and he seems to self destruct mentally."<quote/><p/>
A33 213 <p_>What about the comment on a Stich win? Lendl's eyes clouded. 
A33 214 <quote_>"That's what he said, did he? Well, let us just wait and 
A33 215 see. That's his opinion. But I can tell you this. The match against 
A33 216 Stich is a big match for me. The winner goes into the semi-finals 
A33 217 and when I meet him I will not be saying to myself that he is the 
A33 218 Wimbledon champion.
A33 219 
A34   1 <#FLOB:A34\><h_><p_>Fire destroys rare block of stables<p/><h/>
A34   2 <p_>A rare Victorian stable block - believed to be one of only two 
A34   3 of its kind in Norfolk - was destroyed by fire yesterday.<p/>
A34   4 <p_>A pile of twisted, charred timbers was all that remained of the 
A34   5 elegant 19th century building after flames had torn through 300 
A34   6 bales of straw.<p/>
A34   7 <p_>Firemen fought for an hour to bring the blaze at New Buckenham 
A34   8 under control.<p/>
A34   9 <p_>Owners Keith and Barbara Carr-Hodgson were heartbroken as they 
A34  10 stood in the doorway of their home and watched the prized building 
A34  11 being torn apart.<p/>
A34  12 <p_><quote_>"It can be rebuilt but it will never be the same again. 
A34  13 I was terrified it would spread to the house,"<quote/> said Mrs 
A34  14 Carr-Hodgson.<p/>
A34  15 <p_>They were thankful their prize stallion, normally housed in a 
A34  16 box at the back of the stables, was away at stud.<p/>
A34  17 <p_><quote_>"We would never have got him out,"<quote/> Mrs 
A34  18 Carr-Hodgson said.<p/>
A34  19 <p_>The fireman leading the operation, Station Officer Nigel 
A34  20 Monument, praised the crews of four engines - from Wymondham, 
A34  21 Attleborough and East Harling - for stemming the fire's spread.<p/>
A34  22 <p_>They managed to save the adjoining tack room, containing 
A34  23 several saddles and stopped its spread to adjacent buildings and 
A34  24 the house, The Grange.<p/>
A34  25 <p_>The couple's six horses were out at meadow when the fire 
A34  26 started.<p/>
A34  27 <p_>Its cause had not been established last night, but it is not 
A34  28 thought to be suspicious.<p/>
A34  29 
A34  30 <h_><p_>Destroy rabbits plea by farmers<p/><h/>
A34  31 <p_>Farmers are demanding that rabbits at a wildlife haven should 
A34  32 be wiped out because they are damaging crops.<p/>
A34  33 <p_>Dorothy Pratt and her sons, whose farm borders 30 acres of 
A34  34 prime fen land, are threatening to present their parish council 
A34  35 with a bill for crop damage unless it arranges for the rabbits to 
A34  36 be shot or gassed.<p/>
A34  37 <p_>For years, they claim, the animals have scurried off Hinderclay 
A34  38 fen, which is also popular with birdwatchers and ramblers. Now they 
A34  39 are asking the parish to take responsibility.<p/>
A34  40 <p_><quote_>"They run the fen and should keep the rabbits down. 
A34  41 Farming is difficult enough now without rabbits eating the 
A34  42 crops,"<quote/> said Mrs Pratt, of Grove Farm.<p/>
A34  43 <p_>Other farmers protect the perimeter of their land with wire. 
A34  44 But the Pratts say they should not have to pay for defences.<p/>
A34  45 <p_>Hinderclay chairman Robin de Vere Green said a man awarded 
A34  46 shooting rights by the council was doing his best to control the 
A34  47 rabbits. <quote_>"But there are so many, and they are burrowed in 
A34  48 everywhere."<quote/><p/>
A34  49 <p_>The Pratts could do their own shooting on the land, which is 
A34  50 crossed by the Knettishall Heath to Lowestoft footpath, he said. 
A34  51 <quote_>"But it will be pointed out to them that it is used as a 
A34  52 place for people to walk, which makes it difficult to 
A34  53 shoot."<quote/><p/>
A34  54 <p_>The parish looks after the fen - an extension of the Redgrave 
A34  55 and Lopham fens, and part of the Waveney Valley Project - for its 
A34  56 charity owners.<p/>
A34  57 
A34  58 <h_><p_>Town theatre hit by fire - but shows will go on<p/><h/>
A34  59 <p_>Fire destroyed Wisbech theatre's auditorium over the weekend, 
A34  60 forcing the summer prgramme of events to be re-housed.<p/>
A34  61 <p_>The blaze started in the stage area of Angles Theatre at about 
A34  62 4am on Saturday and spread to the basement.<p/>
A34  63 <p_>Chairman of the theatre, John Smith, said it was fortunate the 
A34  64 fire was detected otherwise the whole of the Georgian theatre, the 
A34  65 second oldest in the country still in use, would have been 
A34  66 wrecked.<p/>
A34  67 <p_><quote_>"We are thankful to a policeman who happened to be 
A34  68 passing over Wisbech bridge and smelled smoke. If he hadn't found 
A34  69 the fire the damage would have been much worse,"<quote/> he 
A34  70 said.<p/>
A34  71 <p_>Built in 1793, it was used as a theatre until 1846 when it was 
A34  72 taken over for other uses, including church services. It was 
A34  73 revived as a theatre 13 years ago.<p/>
A34  74 <p_>The present acting area, which was ruined by the blaze, used to 
A34  75 be the pit where poorer classes would sit.<p/>
A34  76 <p_>Firemen said the blaze started in a chaise longue, possibly by 
A34  77 a cigarette end. It was not being treated as suspicious.<p/>
A34  78 <p_>Two crews from Wisbech and one from West Walton fought the 
A34  79 blaze through the basement, and finally left the building at 11 
A34  80 am.<p/>
A34  81 <p_>A spokesman said the old timber and structure of the theatre 
A34  82 made it a difficult task. The whole theatre area, including a new 
A34  83 lighting board, was damaged by smoke.<p/>
A34  84 <p_>Fortunately, most of the planned events at the theatre can be 
A34  85 held in the studio, Mr Smith said, although he added it was too 
A34  86 early to know when the stage area would re-open.<p/>
A34  87 <p_><quote_>"The autumn programme starts on September 14 and we are 
A34  88 going all out to be ready for then,"<quote/> Mr Smith said.<p/>
A34  89 <p_>The theatre usually closes during August, and this is the first 
A34  90 year events have been organised for the summer - Sunday lunch jazz 
A34  91 music, and children's workshops, will now have to be held in either 
A34  92 the studio or bar area.<p/>
A34  93 <p_>An appeal is being launched to get the theatre back into 
A34  94 action, which Mr Smith said would cost tens of thousands of 
A34  95 pounds.<p/>
A34  96 <p_>The theatre's emergency Phoenix Fund will help back the cost of 
A34  97 some repairs, but more money would be needed.<p/>
A34  98 <p_><quote_>"We would be grateful of any help to get the theatre 
A34  99 back into operation. There is a lot of work to be done."<quote/><p/>
A34 100 
A34 101 <h_><p_>How pub was saved from fire<p/><h/>
A34 102 <p_>A fire-bombed Norwich pub was saved from inferno by reinforced 
A34 103 glass windows fitted a day before the attack.<p/>
A34 104 <p_>Fire-raisers threw two Molotov cocktails at the Four Leafed 
A34 105 Clover pub, Clover Hill, Bowthorpe, at about 1am on Saturday in the 
A34 106 latest in a series of vandal attacks.<p/>
A34 107 <p_>Temporary manager Dominic Cullen said he was thankful that a 
A34 108 reinforced glass window - fitted after a previous attack by vandals 
A34 109 on Thursday - stopped one bomb from landing inside and starting a 
A34 110 blaze.<p/>
A34 111 <p_>Nobody was in the pub when the two bombs were thrown - one 
A34 112 exploding near the entrance and the other crashing against the 
A34 113 window of the pub's off-sales shop.<p/>
A34 114 <p_>Mr Cullen, who has a flat at the back of the pub, reckoned he 
A34 115 had a lucky escape.<p/>
A34 116 <p_><quote_>"It makes me angry but I will not let them get on top 
A34 117 of me,"<quote/> he said.<p/>
A34 118 <p_>If fire had taken hold he would have had to clamber out of the 
A34 119 window of his flat and jump on to the roof at the side to 
A34 120 escape.<p/>
A34 121 <p_>Witness Roger Mitchell, who lives opposite the pub, told how 
A34 122 his bedroom was illuminated by the blaze which broke out near the 
A34 123 front door of the pub.<p/>
A34 124 <p_><quote_>"It looked like a Molotov cocktail had been thrown at 
A34 125 the front of the pub and there was also a flash round the other 
A34 126 side when another firebomb struck a window,"<quote/> he said.<p/>
A34 127 <p_>He said there had been previous vandal attacks but added: 
A34 128 <quote_>"When it gets to petrol bombing I think you are talking 
A34 129 about a different category from breaking windows. Some sanity is 
A34 130 required here."<quote/><p/>
A34 131 <p_>Mr Cullen said it was up to the local community to get together 
A34 132 to sort out vandal problems in the area before someone got hurt.<p/>
A34 133 <p_>Chief Insp Bernie Kerrison, head of Norwich CID, appealed for 
A34 134 anyone who saw anything suspicious to contact the police.<p/>
A34 135 
A34 136 <h_><p_>Tragedy in rail tunnel<p/><h/>
A34 137 <p_>A young Norfolk man died after being hit by a train in a tunnel 
A34 138 just outside King's Cross railway station in London.<p/>
A34 139 <p_>The man, whose name is not being released until formal 
A34 140 identification, suffered extensive head injuries when he was struck 
A34 141 by a King's Cross to Peterborough night train.<p/>
A34 142 <p_>The body of the man, who is aged around 25 and comes from 
A34 143 Fakenham, was found on the track after it was spotted by a train 
A34 144 driver.<p/>
A34 145 <p_>British Transport Police are treating the death as a possible 
A34 146 suicide and say there are no suspicious circumstances.<p/>
A34 147 <p_>Insp Allan Couper, of the British Transport Police, said the 
A34 148 exact circumstances surrounding the death were not known, but he 
A34 149 added: <quote_>"He knew what he was doing."<quote/><p/>
A34 150 <p_>Insp Couper went on: <quote_>"All we know is that the driver of 
A34 151 the 22.40 to Peterborough saw the body which he believed he had 
A34 152 struck. It was in the Copenhagen tunnel."<quote/><p/>
A34 153 <p_>It is thought that the man was not a passenger on the train, 
A34 154 which continued its journey afterwards. Relatives have been 
A34 155 informed by Fakenham police and an inquest will be held.<p/>
A34 156 
A34 157 <h_><p_>Bugs trigger alarms as county goes Continental<p/><h/>
A34 158 <p_>Swarms of thunderbugs enjoying the heatwave set alarm bells 
A34 159 ringing all over Norfolk as they clogged fire sensors, triggering 
A34 160 false call-outs for emergency teams.<p/>
A34 161 <p_>County fire crews answered at least 18 false alarms within 48 
A34 162 hours, as thousands of the tiny black flies blocked smoke-detector 
A34 163 systems.<p/>
A34 164 <p_>The bugs are hatching in their millions as Norfolk basks in hot 
A34 165 and humid weather, with temperatures matching European hotspots 
A34 166 like the Canary Islands, the Algarve and Corfu.<p/>
A34 167 <p_>The sun also brought thousands of holidaymakers flocking to 
A34 168 Norfolk's beaches yesterday as mid-afternoon temperatures reached 
A34 169 25C (77F) across most of the county - seven degrees above the July 
A34 170 average - making it one of the warmest places in Britain.<p/>
A34 171 <p_>Police said roads into resorts including Yarmouth, Lowestoft 
A34 172 and King's Lynn were <quote_>"very busy,"<quote/> with some local 
A34 173 diversions for roadworks, but there were no major problems.<p/>
A34 174 <p_>Weathermen say the Mediterranean conditions are set to 
A34 175 continue, apart from a short mid-week break when there may be some 
A34 176 showers.<p/>
A34 177 <p_>Colin Corkerton of Norwich Weather Centre said today would stay 
A34 178 hot and dry. Tuesday and Wednesday will turn a little cooler and 
A34 179 fresher with showers.<p/>
A34 180 <p_><quote_>"But it will not be too bad, and by the end of the week 
A34 181 it should be very warm again, with a lot of dry weather still to 
A34 182 come,"<quote/> he said.<p/>
A34 183 <p_>There is still a long way to go, however, to reach the 1991 
A34 184 high of 90F (32C) recorded in Cromer on July 11.<p/>
A34 185 <p_>The current hot spell, with south-south easterly winds and very 
A34 186 little cloud, is coming across from the Continent.<p/>
A34 187 <p_>AA Roadwatch said holiday weather had not been matched by 
A34 188 holiday traffic so far, despite a six-mile snarl up at the Dartford 
A34 189 Tunnel earlier as thousands of London motorists headed for Kent.<p/>
A34 190 <p_>A spokesman added: <quote_>"There are obviously a lot of people 
A34 191 out so we expect there may be some problems later when people 
A34 192 decide to go home."<quote/><p/>
A34 193 <p_>But, while some drivers were stranded because of overheated 
A34 194 engines, skippers in the Channel were battling through thick 
A34 195 fog.<p/>
A34 196 <p_>A coastguard at Dover, Kent, said: <quote_>"The rest of the 
A34 197 county may be sunning itself, but there is thick fog in the 
A34 198 Channel.<p/>
A34 199 <p_>"Vessels are reporting visibility down to just half a mile. 
A34 200 They can't see where they're going and are relying on us, and their 
A34 201 own radar."<quote/><p/>
A34 202 
A34 203 <h_><p_>Race to halt sewage plan<p/><h/>
A34 204 <p_>A NORFOLK MP will this week make an 11th-hour bid to halt 
A34 205 controversial plans for a big new seaside sewage works.<p/>
A34 206 <p_>North Norfolk MP Ralph Howell will hold a top-level meeting 
A34 207 with Anglian Water chairman Bernard Henderson in a final attempt to 
A34 208 find another site for the project, which has sparked a storm of 
A34 209 protest in Cromer.<p/>
A34 210 <p_>But the meeting is scheduled to take place on Thursday morning 
A34 211 - when councillors are holding a separate meeting which could give 
A34 212 the go-ahead for the project.<p/>
A34 213 <p_>So the campaign to stop Anglian Water building the sewage works 
A34 214 in the Cromer countryside has become a race against time, with Mr 
A34 215 Howell now hoping to hold his talks with Mr Henderson before 
A34 216 Thursday's crucial council meeting.<p/>
A34 217 <p_>The MP said at the weekend: <quote_>"I shall certainly try to 
A34 218 see Mr Henderson earlier than planned. I am trying to get in touch 
A34 219 with him."<quote/><p/>
A34 220 <p_>Planners will urge North Norfolk District Council development 
A34 221 committee on Thursday to give their blessing to the proposed waste 
A34 222 water treatment centre at Sandy Lane, Cromer.<p/>
A34 223 <p_>Angry neighbours have formed a residents' association to fight 
A34 224 the project, but AW is now suggesting a new access to the site 
A34 225 which would stop sewage works traffic passing their homes.<p/>
A34 226 <p_>A report from North Norfolk chief planning officer David Evans 
A34 227 to Thursday's development committee meeting urges councillors to 
A34 228 give permission for the sewage works when technical problems have 
A34 229 been ironed out.<p/>
A34 230 <p_>But Mr Howell is denouncing Anglian Water's attitude to the 
A34 231 project as <quote_>"heavy handed"<quote/>, insisting that a better 
A34 232 site must be found.<p/>
A34 233 
A35   1 <#FLOB:A35\><h_><p_>Jail for 'sex orgy' blackmail woman<p/><h/>
A35   2 <p_>A WOMAN who tried to blackmail the Halifax building society by 
A35   3 threatening to expose a sex scandal was yesterday jailed for a 
A35   4 year.<p/>
A35   5 <p_>Employee Paula Kimberley, 24, said her revelations of orgies 
A35   6 and blue movie sessions would rock the society to its foundations, 
A35   7 Leeds Crown Court heard.<p/>
A35   8 <p_>She warned that if the Halifax refused to pay her pounds10,000 
A35   9 she would give the story to the newspapers.<p/>
A35  10 <p_>Kimberley, of Addiscombe, south London, who worked for the 
A35  11 Halifax's property services division in the City, admitted 
A35  12 blackmail.<p/>
A35  13 <p_>Judge Vivian Hurwitz said she had shown a strange mix of 
A35  14 <}_><-|>naivete<+|>naivet<*_>e-acute<}/><&_>or-naivety<&/> and 
A35  15 deviousness.<p/>
A35  16 <p_>The court was told Kimberley telephoned the society's 
A35  17 headquarters in Halifax, West Yorkshire, saying she had proof that 
A35  18 people in its property services arm had indulged in sex orgies.<p/>
A35  19 <p_>Roger Scott, prosecuting, said the allegations turned out to be 
A35  20 untrue.<p/>
A35  21 <p_>Kimberley contacted the head of group corporate affairs, James 
A35  22 Murgatroyd, in October 1990, calling herself Michelle - her middle 
A35  23 name.<p/>
A35  24 <p_><quote_>"She said she intended to go to the media with her 
A35  25 story. However, she said she would not do anything until she had 
A35  26 given the Halifax the opportunity to make her an offer not to 
A35  27 talk."<quote/><p/>
A35  28 <p_>The police were informed and, when she called again, Kimberley 
A35  29 was told to speak with Graham Pepper, head of internal audit, who, 
A35  30 several calls later, offered her pounds10,000 to keep quiet.<p/>
A35  31 <p_>Simon Gauge, for Kimberley, said she hatched the plan to get 
A35  32 back at her superiors.<p/>
A35  33 
A35  34 <h_><p_>Spurned boyfriend stabbed love rival<p/><h/>
A35  35 <p_>A 20-YEAR-OLD man who stabbed his love rival six times was sent 
A35  36 to a young offenders' institution for six years yesterday.<p/>
A35  37 <p_>York Crown Court heard Lee Christian Wilstrop lured Paul 
A35  38 Hibbard from his ex-girlfriend's house and then attacked him.<p/>
A35  39 <p_>He stabbed him repeatedly in the back - causing the collapse of 
A35  40 both his lungs - and later told police <quote_>"It was me or 
A35  41 him"<quote/>.<p/>
A35  42 <p_>Wilstrop, of Bishopthorpe Road, York, admitted wounding with 
A35  43 intent to do grievous bodily harm.<p/>
A35  44 <p_>It was the culmination of a vendetta between the two men over 
A35  45 their triangular relationship with Donna Dawson, 22, who had lived 
A35  46 with them both.<p/>
A35  47 <p_>She and Mr Hibbard had been going out for five years and had 
A35  48 two children, but it was a stormy relationship and they had split 
A35  49 up several times, said Andrew Kershaw, prosecuting.<p/>
A35  50 <p_>Ms Dawson had a relationship with Wilstrop two years ago but 
A35  51 returned to Mr Hibbard, while still occasionally seeing the other 
A35  52 man.<p/>
A35  53 <p_>This led to several incidents between the two men, with Mr 
A35  54 Hibbard alleging that Wilstrop tried to run him over and on another 
A35  55 occasion that he hit him with a claw hammer.<p/>
A35  56 <p_>Wilstrop told police his rival had made several threats and had 
A35  57 poured a tar-like substance over his car and slashed its tyres.<p/>
A35  58 <p_>Matters came to a head when a man called at Ms Dawson's home in 
A35  59 Balmoral Terrace, York, claiming he had some money for Mr 
A35  60 Hibbard.<p/>
A35  61 <p_>But when Mr Hibbard came to the door he was dragged outside to 
A35  62 where Wilstrop was waiting, and stabbed. He was rushed to hospital 
A35  63 with both lungs collapsing and a fractured rib.<p/>
A35  64 <p_>Judge John Cotton told him: <quote_>"It was pure good chance 
A35  65 you did not kill him."<quote/><p/>
A35  66 <p_>Stephen Twist, mitigating, said Ms Dawson had played the two 
A35  67 men off each other.<p/>
A35  68 <p_><quote_>"Wilstrop was placed in a tormented situation. There 
A35  69 was huge passion flowing in a number of directions,"<quote/> he 
A35  70 said.<p/>
A35  71 
A35  72 <h_><p_>Prisoner flees from funeral<p/><h/>
A35  73 <p_>A PRISONER was on the run last night after stabbing two guards 
A35  74 escorting him to his brother's funeral.<p/>
A35  75 <p_>Thomas Mullins, 37, had been allowed out of Albany Prison on 
A35  76 the Isle of Wight to attend the funeral in south London.<p/>
A35  77 <p_>He made his escape at the crematorium in Camberwell after 
A35  78 asking to go to the toilet. Two of the three escort guards went 
A35  79 with him, but Mullins drew a knife and attacked them.<p/>
A35  80 <p_>One guard was stabbed in the back and the other in the back and 
A35  81 stomach.<p/>
A35  82 <p_>A Home Office spokeswoman said: <quote_>"The first officer is 
A35  83 believed not to be seriously injured. The one who was stabbed both 
A35  84 in the back and stomach is in a stable condition in hospital and 
A35  85 likely to be detained."<quote/> The name of the hospital was not 
A35  86 revealed.<p/>
A35  87 <p_>It is thought that Mullins, who was sentenced at Inner London 
A35  88 Crown Court in November, 1989, to six years for possession of 
A35  89 drugs, was passed the knife at the crematorium, the spokeswoman 
A35  90 said.<p/>
A35  91 <p_>He was thoroughly searched before leaving Albany in a prison 
A35  92 van, she added. An investigation into the escape was 
A35  93 <quote_>"already underway"<quote/>.<p/>
A35  94 <p_>Scotland Yard warned the public not to approach Mullins.<p/>
A35  95 <p_>It was believed the escape was pre-planned - at least one man 
A35  96 was waiting outside the crematorium to drive him away, a spokesman 
A35  97 said.<p/>
A35  98 <p_>Mullins is described as 5ft 8ins tall and of medium to stocky 
A35  99 build. He has long, brown hair, tied in a pony-tail, a beard and a 
A35 100 moustache.<p/>
A35 101 <p_>Det Supt Bill Lavers denied the escape was another blow for 
A35 102 prison officers' credibility.<p/>
A35 103 <p_><quote_>"I don't think there is any reason for 
A35 104 embarrassment,"<quote/> he said.<p/>
A35 105 <p_><quote_>"These two blokes came out this morning to bring him to 
A35 106 a funeral and have very nearly been killed."<quote/><p/>
A35 107 
A35 108 <h_><p_>Careless farmer must pay<p/><h/>
A35 109 <p_>A FARMER was fined pounds250 yesterday after he admitted 
A35 110 failing to comply with an isolation order for a cow.<p/>
A35 111 <p_>John Watson, of Brough, also admitted failing to have a tag on 
A35 112 the cow, and was fined a further pounds25. Total costs were 
A35 113 pounds67.<p/>
A35 114 <p_>Ed Chicken, prosecuting at Richmond for North Yorkshire trading 
A35 115 standards department, said the cow aborted, and was placed in 
A35 116 isolation on April 18 while tests were carried out to see if the 
A35 117 animal had brucellosis, a disease which can be transmitted to 
A35 118 humans.<p/>
A35 119 <p_>The cow should not have been moved until Watson was told by 
A35 120 letter, but when the vet telephoned him on May 2 to say she wanted 
A35 121 another blood sample, she was told the cow had been sold. Watson 
A35 122 sold the cow at Darlington Market on April 29.<p/>
A35 123 <p_>Michael Luxmoore, defending, said Watson had no experience of 
A35 124 brucellosis isolation, and did not read the isolation order given 
A35 125 to him by the vet. He assumed that because he had not heard 
A35 126 anything in eleven days, the cow was all right.<p/>
A35 127 <p_>Mr Luxmoore said the cow had an ear tag when it was bought, but 
A35 128 the tag must have fallen off. Another was placed on it before it 
A35 129 was sold.<p/>
A35 130 
A35 131 <h_><p_>Pig transport offences man fined pounds225<p/><h/>
A35 132 <p_>FARMER Malcolm Metcalfe was fined pounds200 yesterday for 
A35 133 carrying pigs in a lorry without a protective partition.<p/>
A35 134 <p_>Metcalfe, of Gilling West, near Richmond, was also fined 
A35 135 pounds25 for moving unmarked pigs to a slaughterhouse and ordered 
A35 136 to pay pounds38 costs.<p/>
A35 137 <p_>His lorry, containing 20 live pigs, was stopped in a routine 
A35 138 check on its way to a bacon factory in Leeming, near Bedale, said 
A35 139 Ed Chicken, prosecuting.<p/>
A35 140 <p_>A trading standards officer found a partition was in the lorry 
A35 141 but was not being used. The pigs were not marked with a red cross 
A35 142 required by law.<p/>
A35 143 <p_>Metcalfe did not appear and sent no plea, but in a letter said 
A35 144 he had spent all morning digging out his farm lane after a heavy 
A35 145 snowstorm and had no time mark<&|>sic! the pigs.<p/>
A35 146 <p_>He also told the trading standards officer he did not use the 
A35 147 partition because the pigs were comfortably loaded.<p/>
A35 148 
A35 149 <h_><p_>Tough action against gipsies<p/><h/>
A35 150 <p_>TOUGH action to clamp down on rogue gipsy encampments in County 
A35 151 Durham has been welcomed by local councillors.<p/>
A35 152 <p_>Officers at Sedgefield District Council say they will not 
A35 153 hesitate to act against travellers who set up home on local 
A35 154 authority land.<p/>
A35 155 <p_>The warning follows a flood of complaints over gipsies who 
A35 156 settled on the All Saints industrial estate, Shildon.<p/>
A35 157 <p_>Following the protests, solicitors acting on behalf of the 
A35 158 district council sought a court order to have the illegal 
A35 159 encampment moved on. That action prompted the gipsies to leave 
A35 160 yesterday.<p/>
A35 161 <p_>Shildon councillor Walter Nunn welcomed the <quote_>"get 
A35 162 though"<quote/> policy, adding: <quote_>"This sort of thing has 
A35 163 been a problem for years. It's about time we put a stop to it once 
A35 164 and for all."<quote/><p/>
A35 165 <p_>Coun Nunn said he had received several complaints from 
A35 166 residents fed up with the noise and nuisance caused by 
A35 167 travellers.<p/>
A35 168 <p_><quote_>"The rubbish builds up because they don't have proper 
A35 169 toilets and some of them earn money on the side by buying and 
A35 170 selling scrap metal.<p/>
A35 171 <p_>"We have designated sites for gipsy families, with running 
A35 172 water supplies and toilet facilities. It seems like a waste of time 
A35 173 if they don't bother to use them."<quote/><p/>
A35 174 <p_>Council solicitor Peter Devlin said unauthorised travellers 
A35 175 would be given a 24 hour deadline to get out before the authority 
A35 176 began court action.<p/>
A35 177 <p_>He said: <quote_>"If we receive a complaint then the council 
A35 178 will act upon that information. If these people settle on 
A35 179 unauthorised sites then they must accept the 
A35 180 consequences."<quote/><p/>
A35 181 <p_>The Sedgefield district already has an authorised gipsy site at 
A35 182 East Howle, near Ferry hill. Travellers can also use two sites in 
A35 183 neighbouring Wear Valley.<p/>
A35 184 
A35 185 <h_><p_>Camper dies in holiday cliff fall<p/><h/>
A35 186 <p_>A TEENAGER died and another is gravely ill after falling 200ft 
A35 187 down cliffs on the Yorkshire Coast yesterday.<p/>
A35 188 <p_>Paul Drake and David Davis, both 19, were among a group of six 
A35 189 from Leeds camping at the Blue Dolphin holiday park between 
A35 190 Scarborough and Filey.<p/>
A35 191 <p_>Security staff at the centre raised the alarm after youths 
A35 192 raced for help when their friends plunged over the notorious 
A35 193 cliffs, which have claimed several lives over the years. They were 
A35 194 believed to be on their way back to their tents after a night 
A35 195 out.<p/>
A35 196 <p_>Filey Coastguards found Mr Drake at the foot of the cliffs 
A35 197 already dead, and Mr Davies close by with multiple head 
A35 198 injuries.<p/>
A35 199 
A35 200 <h_><p_>Fear for five in fishing tragedy<p/><h/>
A35 201 <p_>FIVE people were feared drowned after a 43-tonne fishing boat 
A35 202 sank in dense fog yesterday 20 miles off the Kent coast in the 
A35 203 English Channel.<p/>
A35 204 <p_>The body of a crew member was recovered off Ramsgate and a 
A35 205 search was continuing for the four other missing crew.<p/>
A35 206 <p_>Dover coastguards said the cause of the tragedy was still 
A35 207 unknown. But station officer Eric Musson said the 21ft Ocean Hound 
A35 208 had been fishing in a busy shipping lane.<p/>
A35 209 <p_><quote_>"We are obviously investigating the possibility that a 
A35 210 ship may have hit the vessel."<quote/><p/>
A35 211 <p_>Fishermen in Brixham, Devon, were <quote|>"devastated" by the 
A35 212 loss of the Ocean Hound, one of the port's largest boats.<p/>
A35 213 <p_>It was the third Devon-registered fishing boat to be lost since 
A35 214 Christmas.<p/>
A35 215 <p_><quote_>"The skipper's son was only aboard because it was a 
A35 216 summer trip. It was his summer holidays and he went to sea with his 
A35 217 dad,"<quote/> said Paul Jarrett, superintendent of the Royal 
A35 218 National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen.<p/>
A35 219 <p_><quote_>"The port is in a state of shock and filled with 
A35 220 horror,"<quote/> he said.<p/>
A35 221 <p_><quote_>"Yet another boat has been lost, yet more fishermen's 
A35 222 lives have been lost. It's sickening.<p/>
A35 223 <p_>"When fishermen get hurt, the fishing community here in Brixham 
A35 224 feels hurt.<p/>
A35 225 <p_>"It is the worst loss suffered here in Brixham for many 
A35 226 years.<p/>
A35 227 <p_>"The ship's owner, Philip Bowditch, is totally 
A35 228 devastated."<quote/><p/>
A35 229 <p_>The ship's skipper Alan Nicholson, 40, and son James, 17, lived 
A35 230 in Paignton, Devon.<p/>
A35 231 
A35 232 <h_><p_>Father saves teenager trapped in school fire<p/><h/>
A35 233 <p_>A FATHER last night smashed a window in a desperate bid to 
A35 234 rescue a teenager trapped inside a blazing school.<p/>
A35 235 <p_>The man, who does not want to be named, used an onlooker's 
A35 236 jumper round his hand to break the glass at Darlington's Whinfield 
A35 237 Infant School.<p/>
A35 238 <p_>He sprang into action after a youngster who spotted flames and 
A35 239 smoke raised the alarm.<p/>
A35 240 <p_>The 22-year-old man, a machinist who lives in nearby Augusta 
A35 241 Close, discovered the teenager struggling to escape through a 
A35 242 classroom window.<p/>
A35 243 <p_>The boy then ran through smoke to the other end of the 
A35 244 building, where his rescuer had managed to break the window.<p/>
A35 245 <p_>The youth was taken to hospital for cuts and burns to his hands 
A35 246 and was later discharged.<p/>
A35 247 <p_>Six firemen wearing breathing apparatus were among the crew 
A35 248 which tackled the blaze, thought to have been underway for about 
A35 249 half an hour before their arrival.<p/>
A35 250 
A36   1 <#FLOB:A36\><h_><p_>Woman was dragged from pub by boyfriend<p/><h/>
A36   2 <p_>A TERRIFIED woman was dragged from a pub and struck by her 
A36   3 irate boyfriend, Durham magistrates heard.<p/>
A36   4 <p_>Police, alerted by May Todd's screams, found her with marks to 
A36   5 her face and pinned against a fence by David Newman.<p/>
A36   6 <p_>Fiona Lees, prosecuting, said Miss Todd ran away and Newman was 
A36   7 arrested after a sustained struggle.<p/>
A36   8 <p_>She told the court that the pair had rowed before Newman left 
A36   9 their house in Braunspeth Estate, New Brancepeth, one evening in 
A36  10 June.<p/>
A36  11 <p_>He went for a drink at a pub in nearby Brandon, but later came 
A36  12 across Miss Todd and became angry, wanting to know who was 
A36  13 babysitting.<p/>
A36  14 <p_>John McGlone, in mitigation, said Newman was unhappy when he 
A36  15 saw her out and told her to go home, but an argument developed when 
A36  16 she told him she was going nightclubbing.<p/>
A36  17 <p_>Miss Todd had explained her eldest son, aged 16, from a 
A36  18 previous relationship, was watching the other children.<p/>
A36  19 <p_>Mr McGlone said the couple were now reconciled and he had 
A36  20 resumed his duties as a father.<p/>
A36  21 <p_>Newman, 27, an unemployed landscape gardener, was fined pounds50, 
A36  22 and pounds30 costs, after admitting causing fear or 
A36  23 provocation of violence and resisting a police constable.<p/>
A36  24 <p_>Magistrates' chairman Allan Thompson told him the <quote_>"sad 
A36  25 part"<quote/> of the case was that he believed Newman did care for 
A36  26 the children.<p/>
A36  27 
A36  28 <h_><p_>Staff catch fuel thief<p/><h/>
A36  29 <p_>STAFF at a North haulage firm turned detective to trap a diesel 
A36  30 thief.<p/>
A36  31 <p_>They hid overnight at their depot and spotted holidaymaker 
A36  32 Colin Dowson helping himself to fuel in a raid in the early 
A36  33 hours.<p/>
A36  34 <p_>They phoned the police but, when officers arrived, Dowson 
A36  35 jumped in his car and sped off.<p/>
A36  36 <p_>A high-speed chase down narrow country lanes ended when Dowson 
A36  37 skidded off the road and crashed, magistrates at Hexham heard.<p/>
A36  38 <h|>Accomplice
A36  39 <p_>Dowson, 29, of Spencer Street, Heaton, Newcastle, and an 
A36  40 accomplice were seen with two five-gallon drums and a hosepipe 
A36  41 trying to syphon diesel from parked wagons.<p/>
A36  42 <p_>After the police chase, Dowson and his companion ran off, but 
A36  43 he gave himself up to police the next day as they had his car.<p/>
A36  44 <p_>The jobless father-of-three admitted attempted theft and going 
A36  45 equipped for theft and was fined pounds75.<p/>
A36  46 
A36  47 <h_><p_>Brother rescued as boat sinks<p/><h/>
A36  48 <p_>PETER Schaap today told how he rescued his brother as a 
A36  49 stricken trawler sank off the Tyne.<p/>
A36  50 <p_>The 42-year-old fisherman went to help brother Franz when his 
A36  51 vessel <tf_>Lagan Lomea<tf/> started taking in water eight miles 
A36  52 out to sea.<p/>
A36  53 <p_>Franz, the only man on board, had to jump to the safety of 
A36  54 Peter's boat <tf_>The Triumph<tf/>.<p/>
A36  55 <p_><quote_>"I put a pump aboard his ship and water was going out 
A36  56 of her, but as soon as I started towing she started to turn on her 
A36  57 side,"<quote/> said Peter, of Kettlewell Terrace, North Shields.<p/>
A36  58 <p_><quote_>"Franz wanted to stay on board, but I talked him out of 
A36  59 it. He was shattered from bailing out by hand with a 
A36  60 bucket."<quote/><p/>
A36  61 <h|>Called
A36  62 <p_>Franz was today seeing insurers in Fleetwood, near Blackpool, 
A36  63 about the loss. The sinking yesterday came as North Tyneside 
A36  64 Council waited for results of tests made on <tf_>Lagan 
A36  65 Lomea<tf/>.<p/>
A36  66 <p_>The public analyst was called in after winch and net wires were 
A36  67 found to be hot, even after being hosed down by firemen.<p/>
A36  68 <p_>The catch of fish is in cold storage and is undergoing a series 
A36  69 of tests.<p/>
A36  70 
A36  71 <h_><p_>Students dash to safety after blaze<p/>
A36  72 <p_>Firemen save pair from roof<p/>
A36  73 <p_>By LESLEY ALEXANDER<p/><h/>
A36  74 <p_>FIREMEN used an extension ladder to rescue two terrified 
A36  75 students from the roof of their house after a suspected arson 
A36  76 attack today.<p/>
A36  77 <p_>Clare Packham, 21, and Darren Ridley, 20, of Heaton Road, 
A36  78 Heaton, Newcastle, reached the roof through a skylight window in 
A36  79 the attic after they battled their way through the smoke-filled 
A36  80 house.<p/>
A36  81 <p_>They were taken to Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary, 
A36  82 suffering the effects of smoke inhalation, but they were later 
A36  83 released.<p/>
A36  84 <p_>Fire broke out at the rear doors of the three-storey building 
A36  85 just after 4am today and smoke quickly swept through the house.<p/>
A36  86 <p_>Sixteen firefighters from Fossway and Pilgrim Street stations 
A36  87 took 20 minutes to control the blaze.<p/>
A36  88 <p_>The cause of the blaze is still being investigated, but firemen 
A36  89 believe furniture may have been set alight outside the back of the 
A36  90 house.<p/>
A36  91 <h|>Gutted
A36  92 <p_>Neighbour Marion McClen, 49, of Guildford Place, said: 
A36  93 <quote_>"I was woken by the sound of firemen shouting and I saw the 
A36  94 building completely gutted by smoke.<p/>
A36  95 <p_>"There are fires here all the time and the flats across the 
A36  96 road in Cheltenham Terrace have been set alight several times.<p/>
A36  97 <p_>"I don't know who is doing this, but there are a lot of glue 
A36  98 sniffers in the area."<quote/><p/>
A36  99 <p_>Meanwhile, a second fire caused smoke damage to the back of a 
A36 100 garage in Guildford Place early today.<p/>
A36 101 <p_>The cause of the blaze is being investigated.<p/>
A36 102 <p_>Det Insp Trevor Ord, of the East End CID, said: <quote_>"We are 
A36 103 treating the fires as suspicious.<p/>
A36 104 <p_>"We would like to hear from anyone who may have seen any 
A36 105 activity at the rear of the flat or at the garage in the early 
A36 106 hours today."<quote/><p/>
A36 107 
A36 108 <h_><p_>Governor was ignored - claim<p/><h/>
A36 109 <p_>THE Home Office ignored a request by Brixton prison governor 
A36 110 Reg Withers to transfer two IRA suspects who later escaped at 
A36 111 gunpoint, it was claimed today.<p/>
A36 112 <p_>The Prison Governors' Association said Mr Withers asked for IRA 
A36 113 suspects Nessan Quinlivan and Pearse McAuley to be transferred 
A36 114 after receiving information from a source within the jail that they 
A36 115 were planning a break-out.<p/>
A36 116 <p_>He took action which he believed thwarted any immediate escape 
A36 117 bid, but heard nothing further from the Home Office, Prison 
A36 118 Department, the PGA said.<p/>
A36 119 <p_>Mr Withers was also told nothing of the police tip-off and the 
A36 120 allegations added impetus to the political row surrounding the 
A36 121 escape.<p/>
A36 122 
A36 123 <h_><p_>Schoolgirl is hurt in window fall<p/><h/>
A36 124 <p_>A NORTH-East teenager was today recovering in hospital after 
A36 125 she was seriously injured when she fell from a third-floor window 
A36 126 during a school holiday in France.<p/>
A36 127 <p_>Ruth Lawrie, 13, of Byron Avenue, Hebburn, fractured her hip 
A36 128 and suffered other injuries in the accident, which is being 
A36 129 investigated by education officials.<p/>
A36 130 <p_>Ruth was one of 38 pupils from Hebburn Comprehensive School on 
A36 131 the end-of-term holiday in Dinard, Brittany.<p/>
A36 132 <p_>After the accident on July 22, she spent nine days in a 
A36 133 hospital in Dinard and at the weekend, she was flown back to 
A36 134 England.<p/>
A36 135 <p_>She is now in a comfortable condition at South Tyneside 
A36 136 Hospital.<p/>
A36 137 <p_>South Tyneside's head of schools division, Jack Burn, said 
A36 138 there were five teachers and a trained nurse with the party of 
A36 139 children. He was happy with the pupil-teacher ratio during the 
A36 140 holiday.<p/>
A36 141 <p_>He said Ruth shared a room with three other girls, but none of 
A36 142 the others was there when the accident happened.<p/>
A36 143 <p_>Senior school staff involved in the holiday had been questioned 
A36 144 by education department officers, but Ruth had not yet been 
A36 145 interviewed because of her injuries.<p/>
A36 146 <p_>Mr Burn said: <quote_>"We are satisfied all the guidelines on 
A36 147 foreign visits were adhered to and that supervision was more than 
A36 148 adequate."<quote/><p/>
A36 149 
A36 150 <h_><p_>Bus company raps closure plan<p/><h/>
A36 151 <p_>BUS bosses have attacked plans to close one of Newcastle's 
A36 152 busiest bus stations, used by thousands of shoppers a day.<p/>
A36 153 <p_>City planners say the underground Eldon Square bus concourse is 
A36 154 squalid, noisy and fume-filled and buses using it cause congestion 
A36 155 in Percy Street.<p/>
A36 156 <p_>They want operators to use stops elsewhere - and are thinking 
A36 157 of building a new bus station at Gallowgate.<p/>
A36 158 <p_>But the idea, outlined in the city council's draft unitary 
A36 159 development plan, is strongly criticised by Busways. It rejects the 
A36 160 congestion claim and declares: <quote_>"The proposal is to be 
A36 161 deplored."<quote/><p/>
A36 162 <h|>Improved
A36 163 <p_>The company says Eldon Square should be improved, not closed: 
A36 164 <quote_>"The concourse is the most conveniently located bus station 
A36 165 for shopping purposes in the entire central area."<quote/><p/>
A36 166 <p_>Busways welcomes the statement that buses should be given 
A36 167 priority, but adds: <quote_>"We believe the policies need to go 
A36 168 further and actively promote the use of public transport to avoid 
A36 169 the excesses of congestion which will otherwise occur."<quote/><p/>
A36 170 <p_>The company points out that while more than half the population 
A36 171 use buses to get about they represent only three per cent of 
A36 172 vehicles on the roads.<p/>
A36 173 <p_>And it says the idea of extending the Metro into the West End 
A36 174 of Newcastle is likely to be too costly. Improved bus services were 
A36 175 a better alternative.<p/>
A36 176 <p_>The company is particularly critical of plans to pedestrianise 
A36 177 the Bigg Market and the area in front of the Theatre Royal.<p/>
A36 178 
A36 179 <h_><p_>New cash rules cause row<p/><h/>
A36 180 <p_>THOUSANDS of council-house tenants in the North-East will be 
A36 181 affected if a housing cash shake-up goes ahead.<p/>
A36 182 <p_>Under Government proposals, more money for modernisation and 
A36 183 repairs will be given to authorities which meet new Whitehall 
A36 184 guidelines rather than the formula which measures an areas's social 
A36 185 needs.<p/>
A36 186 <h|>Need
A36 187 <p_>Environment Secretary Michael Heseltine said the change would 
A36 188 benefit tenants.<p/>
A36 189 <p_><quote_>"We are no longer prepared to allocate hundreds of 
A36 190 millions of pounds each year to authorities who show scant regard 
A36 191 for the conditions in which their tenants live,"<quote/> he 
A36 192 said.<p/>
A36 193 <p_>But the move was criticised by Newcastle City Council leader 
A36 194 Coun Jeremy Beecham, who is also chairman of the Association of 
A36 195 Metropolitan Authorities.<p/>
A36 196 <p_><quote_>"Allocations for housing expenditure should be based on 
A36 197 housing need only,"<quote/> he said.<p/>
A36 198 <p_><quote_>"Tenants' chances of having their homes repaired will 
A36 199 now depend not on the state of their home but on whether the 
A36 200 council can dance to a Government tune."<quote/><p/>
A36 201 
A36 202 <h_><p_>Bidding to stop bail bandits<p/><h/>
A36 203 <p_>BAIL bandits could face up to two years imprisonment under 
A36 204 legislation being drawn up in the wake of research conducted in the 
A36 205 North-East.<p/>
A36 206 <p_>The research, published in May, revealed up to a third of all 
A36 207 crime is committed by people already on bail for other offences.<p/>
A36 208 <p_>The new crime - committing an offence while on bail - is being 
A36 209 considered by Home Office Minister John Patten, who said: 
A36 210 <quote_>"There is a hard<?_>-<?/>-core element we are determined to 
A36 211 target. This measure would make further criminal activity while 
A36 212 awaiting trial simply not worth the risk."<quote/><p/>
A36 213 <p_>Those found guilty of the new offence would be liable for 
A36 214 sentence on the original charge as well as the subsequent crime.<p/>
A36 215 <p_>A spokesman for the Northumbria Force, which compiled the 
A36 216 research, welcomed the move. He said: <quote_>"We are very pleased 
A36 217 the Home Office is considering what we have said all along - that 
A36 218 there should be a new offence. Our own research has already shown 
A36 219 that 30 per cent of people on bail re-offend."<quote/><p/>
A36 220 
A36 221 <h_><p_>Fewer crimes in town<p/><h/>
A36 222 <p_>TOWN centre trouble in Blyth Valley is being slashed, making it 
A36 223 one of the safest places in the country, said police chief Ken 
A36 224 Latimer.<p/>
A36 225 <p_>Chief Insp Latimer said that new figures show that street 
A36 226 muggings in the Northumberland borough were tiny.<p/>
A36 227 <p_>In the five months leading up to May, there were just 123 
A36 228 reported cases of assaults and woundings in the Blyth police 
A36 229 sub-division, he said.<p/>
A36 230 <p_>But <quote_>"99.9 per cent"<quote/> of these involved domestic 
A36 231 violence in the home or young lads picking on each other while 
A36 232 drunk, rather than people being mugged by strangers, he added.<p/>
A36 233 <p_>Addressing the Blyth Valley Crime Prevention Panel, Chief Insp 
A36 234 Latimer said: <quote_>"People can walk the streets without fear of 
A36 235 attack."<quote/><p/>
A36 236 <p_>He went on to say that a total number of 3,821 crimes had been 
A36 237 reported in that period, a drop of nearly three per cent on the 
A36 238 same period last years.<p/>
A36 239 
A36 240 <h_><p_>Bends attack diver stable<p/><h/>
A36 241 <p_>A DIVER is recovering in a police decompression chamber.<p/>
A36 242 <p_>Geoffrey Hardacre, of Windsor Terrace, Whitley Bay, was diving 
A36 243 off St Mary's Island when he suffered an attack of the bends.<p/>
A36 244 <p_>An RAF helicopter was diverted from a nearby exercise to rescue 
A36 245 Mr Hardacre, 47, after fellow divers on the boat, <tf|>Scarthi, 
A36 246 raised the alarm.<p/>
A36 247 <p_>He was airlifted to the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle, 
A36 248 then transferred to the Northumbria Police diving school's 
A36 249 decompression unit at Sunderland.<p/>
A36 250 <p_>A spokesman at the school said: <quote_>"At the moment, he is 
A36 251 stable. he is showing some slight improvement but it is a slow 
A36 252 process.<p/>
A36 253 <p_>"He came in suffering from pins and needles, which is a symptom 
A36 254 of the bends, and I believe his case is quite severe.<p/>
A36 255 <p_>"Mr Hardacre has been in the decompression chamber since 5pm 
A36 256 yesterday and will stay there until Wednesday."<quote/><p/>
A36 257 
A37   1 <#FLOB:A37\><h_><p_>Hi-tech phones<p/><h/>
A37   2 <p_>CLAPHAM gets a hi-tech telephone exchange next week.<p/>
A37   3 <p_>Faster connection, better voice quality and the possibility of 
A37   4 threeway dialling, call diversion and short-code dialling are among 
A37   5 its facilities.<p/>
A37   6 <p_>The switch to the new pounds125,000 digital exchange takes 
A37   7 place at 8.30am next Tuesday and brings with it changes to 
A37   8 individual numbers, the area code, and some local codes.<p/>
A37   9 <p_>All Clapham three-figure numbers will be preceded by 51.<p/>
A37  10 <p_>The area code becomes 05242 (replacing 04685).<p/>
A37  11 <p_>Local code changes are listed in the current Cumbria and North 
A37  12 Lancashire phone book.<p/>
A37  13 <p_>From day one, free itemised accounts will be available to those 
A37  14 who choose to have them, as well as a free barring service to 
A37  15 prevent unauthorised calls to premium rate numbers.<p/>
A37  16 <p_>Exchange modernisation manager Ian Bell said: <quote_>"BT's 
A37  17 annual pounds2.5 billion network modernisation programme continues 
A37  18 apace."<quote/><p/>
A37  19 <p_>The new exchange brings the very latest technology and 
A37  20 telephone services to the area.<p/>
A37  21 
A37  22 <h_><p_>Planning approval was not obtained<p/><h/>
A37  23 <p_>CRAVEN district Council is to take action on two unauthorised 
A37  24 construction works in Settle and the use of a garage on Mewith 
A37  25 Bentham, for unauthorised purposes.<p/>
A37  26 <p_>The council's planning and development committee heard that all 
A37  27 Settle Conservative Club's first floor windows had been blocked up 
A37  28 without planning permission.<p/>
A37  29 <p_>A recommendation that retrospective planning permission be 
A37  30 refused was agreed with, and the use of remedial enforcement action 
A37  31 was approved.<p/>
A37  32 <p_>Councillors also agreed that broken glass set in cement should 
A37  33 be removed from the northern boundary wall of the Folly in Settle's 
A37  34 High Street. The folly is a Grade One listed building, and it was 
A37  35 considered that the broken glass was detrimental to its 
A37  36 character.<p/>
A37  37 <p_>Further enforcement action was agreed upon to stop a garage at 
A37  38 Old Pottery Barn, Lane Head, Mewith, Bentham, being put to use as 
A37  39 business premises. The garage is presumed to be used to store 
A37  40 building materials, the meeting heard.<p/>
A37  41 <p_>Councillors agreed this was inappropriate because of the 
A37  42 residential nature of the area and such activity should be 
A37  43 curtailed.<p/>
A37  44 
A37  45 <h_><p_>Homes appeal dismissed<p/><h/>
A37  46 <p_>AN APPEAL against Lancaster City Council's refusal to grant 
A37  47 planning permission for two houses at Strands Farm, Hornby, has 
A37  48 been dismissed.<p/>
A37  49 <p_>Planning inspector Mrs Norah Ball said last week that the 
A37  50 proposed development would <quote_>"lead to the erosion of the 
A37  51 rural attractiveness of the area, contrary to policies that seek to 
A37  52 protect the countryside."<quote/><p/>
A37  53 <p_>Mr Nick Gillibrand, representing the appellant, Mr Peter 
A37  54 Norris, of Strands Farm, contended at a hearing in Lancaster in 
A37  55 June that the two semi<?_>-<?/>detached houses his client wished to 
A37  56 have erected would not comprise desirable landscape, there being 
A37  57 gravel tips opposite.<p/>
A37  58 <p_>He said the site, in Station Road, followed the linear 
A37  59 development of Hornby. It was, he said, an infill development 
A37  60 between the village centre and Butt Yeats and was, as such, within 
A37  61 the village boundary.<p/>
A37  62 <p_>Mrs Ball, however, maintained that the village boundary was 
A37  63 marked by the former railway line. <quote_>"Development on the 
A37  64 appeal site would consolidate an area of housing outside the 
A37  65 village and, in so doing, it would undesirably extend the village 
A37  66 limits,"<quote/> she said.<p/>
A37  67 <p_>Dismissing the appeal, she concluded: <quote_>"This proposal 
A37  68 would cause unacceptable harm."<quote/><p/>
A37  69 
A37  70 <h_><p_>President opens bowls pavilion<p/><h/>
A37  71 <p_>THE click of <}_><-|>camers<+|>cameras<}/> and the snip of 
A37  72 scissors replaced the scud of bowls at Ingleborough Bowling Club, 
A37  73 on Saturday, as the official opening of the new pavilion marked the 
A37  74 culmination of months of hard work.<p/>
A37  75 <p_>Chairman Mr Dennis Wilson extended a welcome to members and 
A37  76 other visitors to the opening and recalled the founding of the club 
A37  77 by five people in January 1975.<p/>
A37  78 <p_>One of the founders, Mrs Ruby Howarth, was at Saturdays's 
A37  79 ceremony.<p/>
A37  80 <p_>Also present was the architect of the banking and bowling 
A37  81 green, Coun Malcolm Riley, in his capacity as vice-chairman of 
A37  82 Craven District Council.<p/>
A37  83 <p_>Although the idea of a pavilion was mooted back in 1975, it was 
A37  84 not until last year that work actually started on the pounds4,500 
A37  85 project.<p/>
A37  86 <p_>The club had pounds2,500 in hand and other finance was obtained 
A37  87 by grants.<p/>
A37  88 <p_>The Bull Land Charity gave pounds250 and were represented by 
A37  89 Miss Margaret Benson.<p/>
A37  90 <p_>Craven District Council donated pounds900, Ingleton Parish 
A37  91 Council pounds500 and Ingleton Community Council pounds500.<p/>
A37  92 <p_>Parish Council chairman Coun Mrs E. Wilkinson and Mr A. Brown 
A37  93 of the Community Council, were at the official opening. The club 
A37  94 also received anonymous donations and held their own fund-raising 
A37  95 efforts.<p/>
A37  96 <p_>Mrs Howarth, now president of the club, cut a gold ribbon to 
A37  97 officially open the new pavilion.<p/>
A37  98 <p_>She was presented with a bouquet of flowers by young Ben 
A37  99 Close.<p/>
A37 100 <p_>Honorary members present each received a special key to 
A37 101 commemorate the occasion.<p/>
A37 102 
A37 103 <h_><p_>A lift for disabled bathers<p/><h/>
A37 104 <p_>ACCESS to local swimming facilities has been made easier for 
A37 105 disabled people thanks to a special pool hoist at Heysham Pool.<p/>
A37 106 <p_>The hoist which, together with other adaptations has cost 
A37 107 pounds12,000, can lower into the water anyone who uses a wheelchair 
A37 108 or who has problems climbing down steps.<p/>
A37 109 <p_>A similar system is soon to be installed at Lancaster Kingsway 
A37 110 Centre pool.<p/>
A37 111 <p_>Launching the hoist facility at Heysham, chairman of the 
A37 112 Heysham Pool Management Committee, Coun Mrs Joyce Taylor, thanked 
A37 113 Nuclear Electric, BBC Children in Need, North West Water and the 
A37 114 local Inner Wheel Club for their contributions towards the cost.<p/>
A37 115 <p_>The remainder has been met jointly by the city and county 
A37 116 councils.<p/>
A37 117 <p_>Coun Mrs Taylor added: <quote_>"We have gone from having no 
A37 118 facilities for disabled people to having something quite splendid. 
A37 119 I hope now it will be well used by people, they have as much right 
A37 120 as anyone else to use our pools and access is very 
A37 121 important."<quote/><p/>
A37 122 <p_>She mentioned one elderly lady who had never used the pool 
A37 123 before but who had been in every day since the hoist was installed 
A37 124 last week and has now bought a season ticket.<p/>
A37 125 
A37 126 <h_><p_>Magistrate refuses club owner's licence<p/><h/>
A37 127 <p_>A LANCASTER club owner - recently found guilty of illegally 
A37 128 selling alcohol - was deemed unfit to hold a liquor licence at his 
A37 129 newly developed premises by licensing magistrates last Thursday.<p/>
A37 130 <p_>After adjourning for almost two hours, the bench turned down an 
A37 131 application by Mr Trevor Morley to have his provisional licence for 
A37 132 Liberty's Video bar, Spring Garden Street, converted to a full 
A37 133 justices licence.<p/>
A37 134 <p_>Mr Morley (50) of Walnut Bank Lodge, Ashton-with-Stodday, was 
A37 135 recently fined a total of pounds6,428 for illegally selling alcohol 
A37 136 to the public at Liberty's Video Bar at the end of May.<p/>
A37 137 <p_>Voicing police objections to Mr Morley's application, 
A37 138 barrister, Miss Kim Foudy said that concerns about whether Mr 
A37 139 Morley was a fit and proper person to hold a liquor licence lie 
A37 140 squarely on the fact that he had been found guilty of trading 
A37 141 illegally.<p/>
A37 142 <p_>She described how, as a licensee in Lancaster for 10 years, Mr 
A37 143 Morley's decision to open without a full licence was not an error 
A37 144 due to inexperience and said: <quote_>"It comes down to plain, 
A37 145 old-fashioned greed. He knew he had to get a final grant but 
A37 146 decided to ride roughshod over licensing laws."<quote/><p/>
A37 147 <p_>The success of Brooks nightclub in Dalton Square and Churchills 
A37 148 pub in Spring Garden Street meant that Mr Morley was not a man with 
A37 149 no other visible means of support, added Miss Foudy, and that, 
A37 150 although he was right to fully cooperate with the police when the 
A37 151 illegal trading had been discovered, he had no real alternative.<p/>
A37 152 <p_><quote_>"He couldn't wait to have the provisional grant made 
A37 153 final and decided to open to make a profit. He exhibited a blatant 
A37 154 disregard of the rules and made decisions for himself which were 
A37 155 over and above those rules.<p/>
A37 156 <p_>"By giving Mr Morley a second chance it would be a slap in the 
A37 157 face for licensees who habitually abide to the letter of the 
A37 158 law,"<quote/> she said.<p/>
A37 159 <p_>Bought and developed at a cost of more than pounds500,000, 
A37 160 Liberty's Video Bar opened to the public illegally for eight days 
A37 161 on May 24. Police were informed on June 6 when Mr Morley appeared 
A37 162 before the magistrates on a separate matter to oppose another 
A37 163 applicant and the bar immediately closed down.<p/>
A37 164 <p_>Asked why he had broken the licensing laws, Mr Morley said he 
A37 165 had had plenty of time to reflect and was unable to come up with an 
A37 166 adequate reason.<p/>
A37 167 <p_><quote_>"Any excuse would sound facetious. I can't give a 
A37 168 satisfactory explanation. It is something I did and I'm very sorry 
A37 169 for what has happened - the whole event has crushed us,"<quote/> he 
A37 170 said.<p/>
A37 171 <p_>Defending barrister, Mr Peter Openshaw said that the 
A37 172 proceedings which had been taken had humbled and publicly 
A37 173 humiliated Mr Morley.<p/>
A37 174 <p_>He added that financial pressure caused by borrowing from the 
A37 175 bank and the brewery had caused Mr Morley to <quote_>"jump the 
A37 176 gun"<quote/>, and that previous to this <quote_>"act of 
A37 177 folly"<quote/> Mr Morley had been an exemplary licensee.<p/>
A37 178 <p_><quote_>"It is a serious error but it is an isolated 
A37 179 one,"<quote/> said Mr Openshaw.<p/>
A37 180 
A37 181 <h_><p_>Mystery of death<p/><h/>
A37 182 <p_>STRENUOUS police inquiries have failed to throw light on how a 
A37 183 man came to be found with fatal injuries at the bottom of a flight 
A37 184 of stairs in Dirty Den's licenced premises, Morecambe, one Sunday 
A37 185 night.<p/>
A37 186 <p_>An open verdict was recorded by coroner, Mr George Howson, 
A37 187 after last Friday's inquest in Lancaster into the death of Mr John 
A37 188 Francis Bowe (also known as John Barry), aged 49, of Westminster 
A37 189 Road, Morecambe.<p/>
A37 190 <p_>Mr Bowe's body was identified by his sister who travelled from 
A37 191 southern Ireland.<p/>
A37 192 <p_>Ambulanceman Mr Gregory Delaney said he could get no sense out 
A37 193 of two people whom he found standing over Mr Bowe, shouting at him. 
A37 194 They were intoxicated. Mr Bowe died in hospital on May 19, some 
A37 195 three weeks after having been found unconscious at Dirty Den's.<p/>
A37 196 <p_>A consultant pathologist said that death resulted from a head 
A37 197 injury.<p/>
A37 198 <p_>Mr Howson said that the inquiry had of necessity to terminate 
A37 199 in an unsatisfactory state due to lack of evidence surrounding the 
A37 200 circumstances of Mr Bowe's apparent fall.<p/>
A37 201 <p_>Mr Bowe was born in southern Ireland and was believed to have 
A37 202 been divorced.<p/>
A37 203 
A37 204 <h_><p_>Driver fell asleep at the wheel<p/><h/>
A37 205 <p_>A DRIVER who crashed into the back of a car on the M6 after 
A37 206 falling asleep at the wheel had been drinking, Lancaster 
A37 207 magistrates heard on Wednesday of last week.<p/>
A37 208 <p_>Gordon Henderson (48), of Westfield Grove, Morecambe, pleaded 
A37 209 guilty to driving without due care and attention, while over the 
A37 210 limit, and failing to stop after an accident on June 2.<p/>
A37 211 <p_>Prosecuting, Mr Eric Liddle told the court that at about 1.30am 
A37 212 on June 2, Henderson was driving his car on the M6 near Quernmore. 
A37 213 Mr Graham, who was driving in convoy with another motorist, was 
A37 214 travelling at about 60mph when he felt Anderson's car go into the 
A37 215 back of his. Henderson didn't stop and Mr Graham and the other 
A37 216 motorist pulled alongside him and told him to pull over.<p/>
A37 217 <p_>The police were called and Henderson was given a breath test 
A37 218 and found to have a reading of 58mg, the legal limit is 35mg.<p/>
A37 219 <p_>Henderson told the police that he thought the accident had 
A37 220 happened as a result of him dozing off at the wheel, but couldn't 
A37 221 give any explanation why he didn't stop.<p/>
A37 222 <p_>Defending, Mr Michael Willey told the court that Henderson, a 
A37 223 contracts manager in Morecambe, had a comparatively clean driving 
A37 224 licence considering the amount of travel his job involved.<p/>
A37 225 <p_>Henderson had been working in Yorkshire on the Saturday, and 
A37 226 decided to combine business and pleasure by calling in on his 
A37 227 wife's relatives who lived there.<p/>
A37 228 <p_>While he was there he drank four cans of beer and had two 
A37 229 glasses of whisky,. He waited until about 11.30pm before he left, 
A37 230 hoping that the effects of the alcohol would have worn off by 
A37 231 then.<p/>
A37 232 <p_>It was 1.30am when the accident happened, and Henderson had 
A37 233 fallen asleep at the wheel of his car. He felt the car hit 
A37 234 something, but thought it had been the central reservation. The 
A37 235 witness said they had seen Henderson earlier on the hard shoulder 
A37 236 with a headlight missing from his car.<p/>
A37 237 <p_>Mr Willey said Henderson was alarmed when the other people 
A37 238 tried to get him off the motorway and didn't realise why.<p/>
A37 239 <p_>Henderson was fined pounds400 and pounds20 costs, his licence 
A37 240 was endorsed and he was disqualified from driving for 12 months.<p/>
A37 241 
A38   1 <#FLOB:A38\><h_><p_>Rover halts its exports to US of luxury 
A38   2 cars<p/><h/>
A38   3 <p_>Rover is to halt exports of its luxury Sterling cars to America 
A38   4 because of drastically falling sales. The company said the 
A38   5 recession in the United States and rapidly-changing exchange rates 
A38   6 had badly affected trading.<p/>
A38   7 <p_>It intends to concentrate on Europe and the Far East 
A38   8 <quote_>"where there are more positive business 
A38   9 opportunities."<quote/><p/>
A38  10 <p_>Chief executive George Simpson said: <quote_>"Sales in the US 
A38  11 for European cars have declined significantly.<p/>
A38  12 <p_>"Additionally, exchange rate volatility continues to have an 
A38  13 adverse effect on trading conditions and profit 
A38  14 opportunities."<quote/><p/>
A38  15 <p_>Sterling is Rover's top-of-the range 2.7-litre car and has been 
A38  16 on sale in America since early 1987.<p/>
A38  17 <h|>Best
A38  18 <p_>Sales then were just over 14,000 but the 1990 figure plummeted 
A38  19 to a mere 3,317.<p/>
A38  20 <p_><quote_>"It is particularly disappointing to have to make this 
A38  21 decision when our cars, our US organisation and our dealers have 
A38  22 made such progress in meeting the demands of the American 
A38  23 customer,"<quote/> Mr Simpson said.<p/>
A38  24 <p_><quote_>"However, a combination of the business and economic 
A38  25 conditions and the major future investment required to make 
A38  26 Sterling a truly successful brand in the US, indicate that it is 
A38  27 best for the Group as a whole to concentrate its future resources 
A38  28 on the development of other markets."<quote/><p/>
A38  29 <p_>He said the decision would mean some job losses in the States 
A38  30 but not in the UK.<p/>
A38  31 
A38  32 <h_><p_>Auctions underline market optimism<p/>
A38  33 <p_>By Eve Standing<p/><h/>
A38  34 <p_>MANY people faced with the task of selling a difficult or 
A38  35 unusual property have a problem, and one of the best courses of 
A38  36 action is to go to auction.<p/>
A38  37 <p_>All the talk of recession has led many people to think that 
A38  38 little is being spent on properties, with everyone taking a 
A38  39 short-term view of property as an investment.<p/>
A38  40 <p_>But this year auction activity has demonstrated there is still 
A38  41 plenty of interest and shows an underlying confidence that the 
A38  42 market will recover.<p/>
A38  43 <p_>Estate agents reported that sales have often been well 
A38  44 attended. Earlier in the year it was obvious that the volatility of 
A38  45 the previous six months in the auctions sector was diminishing, 
A38  46 with buyers acknowledging that better times lay ahead and 
A38  47 anticipating a good fall in interest rates.<p/>
A38  48 <h|>Rewarded
A38  49 <p_>Their optimism has been rewarded. They bought wisely in the 
A38  50 late winter and early spring and have since seen interest rates 
A38  51 fall quite rapidly, generating more growth and confidence.<p/>
A38  52 <p_>According to one estate agent, a recent auction saw five lots 
A38  53 presented for sale and of these four were sold - and all at a good 
A38  54 margin above the guide price.<p/>
A38  55 <p_>They represented a wide cross section of property types ranging 
A38  56 from a semi detached with structural problems to a nicely situated 
A38  57 three-bedroom detached on a corner plot.<p/>
A38  58 <p_>Often an auction can provide the benefits of getting several 
A38  59 potential buyers together in one place on the same day.<p/>
A38  60 <p_>The element of competition brings just regards for the vendor 
A38  61 and also brings benefits for owners of other, similar 
A38  62 properties.<p/>
A38  63 <p_>Every unsuccessful bidder at one auction is a potential buyer 
A38  64 at the next as his demand still needs to be satisfied. Good auction 
A38  65 sales also bring other potential vendors out of the woodwork, 
A38  66 ensuring a constant supply of properties with potential.<p/>
A38  67 <p_>The advantage to the vendor is that at the end of the auction 
A38  68 he can end up with a form contract for a sale - the deal is sealed 
A38  69 on the day and backed by the commitment of a non - returnable ten 
A38  70 per cent deposit.<p/>
A38  71 <p_>While it would be wrong to assume that an auction is the answer 
A38  72 to everyone with a home which is out of the ordinary, it offers a 
A38  73 great many people the chance to turn what they see as a problem 
A38  74 into ready cash.<p/>
A38  75 
A38  76 <h_><p_>Big sales drive from new base<p/><h/>
A38  77 <p_>BLACK COUNTRY car sales group West Midland Motors is 
A38  78 forecasting a big surge in sales after moving into a prestigious 
A38  79 new head-quarters on a prime site at Horseley Heath, Great Bridge, 
A38  80 Tipton.<p/>
A38  81 <p_>Managing Director Steve Price said the company will be able to 
A38  82 offer the choice and service to achieve ambitious new targets.<p/>
A38  83 <p_>They also planning to exploit the big gap opening up in favour 
A38  84 of the nearly-new car market.<p/>
A38  85 <p_><quote_>"The price differential between low mileage 
A38  86 H-registration cars and the cost of a new model is giving us a big 
A38  87 sales advantage,"<quote/> said Mr Price.<p/>
A38  88 <p_><quote_>"Even companies, which in the past bought new, are 
A38  89 coming to us when replacing their fleets,"<quote/> he commented.<p/>
A38  90 <p_>The move to the new site with a showpiece frontage was from 
A38  91 former premises at Leabrook Road, Wednesbury.<p/>
A38  92 <p_>The operation was backed by the Black Country Development 
A38  93 Corporation which helped West Midlands Motors find the new site.<p/>
A38  94 <p_>The BCDC insisted on high specifications for the new Showrooms 
A38  95 and service centre.<p/>
A38  96 <p_>The showroom carries a stock of 35 cars with a total choice on 
A38  97 the site of 140 models.<p/>
A38  98 <p_>With new servicing and valeting facilities, Mr Price said their 
A38  99 main concern was to look after their customers.<p/>
A38 100 <p_>The range of top quality used cars takes in Ford, Austin Rover 
A38 101 and Vauxhall, as well as foreign cars.<p/>
A38 102 <p_>There is also a section of prestige cars including Rolls Royce, 
A38 103 Mercedes, Jaguar and Porsche.<p/>
A38 104 <p_>Giving examples of nearly-new bargains, Mr Price quotes a Rover 
A38 105 GSi 16 valve, costing around pounds14,000 on the road. West Midland 
A38 106 Motors can supply a mint <}_><-|>condtion<+|>condition<}/> 
A38 107 H-registration model for around pounds9,000.<p/>
A38 108 <p_>A Cavalier 1600 L 5-door, cost around pounds11,700 on the road 
A38 109 compared with an H-registration price of pounds7,500.<p/>
A38 110 <p_>A Ford Granada 2.9i Scorpio costs just under pounds28,000 new 
A38 111 on the road compared with an H-registration price of 
A38 112 pounds12,900.<p/>
A38 113 <p_>As part of the improved services on offer, former salesman Neil 
A38 114 Timms is heading a new financial department to deal with hire 
A38 115 purchase, leasing and extended warranties.<p/>
A38 116 <p_>On the sales side are the experienced team of Stephen 
A38 117 Arblaster, Roy Westbrook who have been with the company eight 
A38 118 years. Roger Norridge is the newest member of the team having 
A38 119 joined from a local Rover dealership.<p/>
A38 120 <p_>With the new facilities and service and sales back-up, Mr Price 
A38 121 is expecting <}_><-|>an<+|>a<}/> 50 per cent increase in turnover 
A38 122 this year on the previous total of pounds6 million.<p/>
A38 123 
A38 124 <h_><p_>Polly Peck salvage plan<p/><h/>
A38 125 <p_>Creditors of Polly Peck International have agreed to a 
A38 126 restructuring plan in order to salvage what they could from the 
A38 127 wreckage of the collapsed fruit-to-electronics group.<p/>
A38 128 <p_>Administrators from Coopers and Lybrand Deloitte said yesterday 
A38 129 that the survival package offered their best chance of recovering 
A38 130 at least some of the pounds1.1 billion the company owed.<p/>
A38 131 <p_>The scheme was accepted at a meeting of creditors at Alexandra 
A38 132 Palace in north London after there were no votes against on a show 
A38 133 of hands.<p/>
A38 134 <p_>Before the meeting the administrators said they had received 
A38 135 proxy votes in favour of the plans from creditors owed more than 
A38 136 pounds33 million while proxies against represented less than 
A38 137 pounds2,000.<p/>
A38 138 <p_>Seating had been arranged for up to 2,500 creditors with a 
A38 139 closed circuit television available to transmit proceedings to any 
A38 140 overflow but in the event the hall was barely one-third full.<p/>
A38 141 <p_>The meeting was told by Michael Jordan of Coopers and Lybrand 
A38 142 that the alternative to restructuring - the immediate liquidation 
A38 143 of the group's assets - was likely to yield a return of just 20p in 
A38 144 the pound.<p/>
A38 145 
A38 146 <h_><p_>Speyhawk will clip its wings<p/><h/>
A38 147 <p_>Property develop Speyhawk is scaling down operations after 
A38 148 reporting a first-half loss of more than pounds10 million.<p/>
A38 149 <p_>The company made a profit of pounds6 million in the previous 
A38 150 six months.<p/>
A38 151 <p_>Turnover was down by two-thirds from pounds130 million to 
A38 152 pounds42 million.<p/>
A38 153 <p_>And today the board announced that no interim dividend would be 
A38 154 paid and that there would be no payment on preference shares.<p/>
A38 155 <p_><quote_>"Conditions have dictated that operations be scaled 
A38 156 down enabling overheads to be reduced and the management to focus 
A38 157 on the group's immediate objectives,"<quote/> a company spokesman 
A38 158 said.<p/>
A38 159 <p_><quote_>"The board continues to guide the group through 
A38 160 difficult times which will only recover gradually.<p/>
A38 161 <p_>"The continuance of extremely difficult trading conditions is 
A38 162 such that no improvement in the prospects for the group can yet be 
A38 163 expected."<quote/><p/>
A38 164 <p_>He said work was continuing on developments at Wimblendon, 
A38 165 Harrogate, Croydon and Windsor.<p/>
A38 166 
A38 167 
A38 168 <h_><p_>City's crowning jewel<p/><h/>
A38 169 <p_>Asprey proved there's no such thing as a recession for the 
A38 170 really rich today, by showcasing a glittering display of 
A38 171 profits.<p/>
A38 172 <p_>Chairman John Rolls Asprey claimed that trading in all the 
A38 173 group's shops had been hit by the recession, but it certainly 
A38 174 didn't look that way from this side of the jewellery display. 
A38 175 Annual sales were up by a third to shade over pounds100 million, 
A38 176 which sent profits at the top peoples' shop up by pounds2.5 million 
A38 177 to more than pounds24 million. Mr Asprey said the company's success 
A38 178 in recent years had been founded on serving the <quote_>"top end of 
A38 179 the luxury market for an international clientele."<quote/><p/>
A38 180 <p_>The City thought the profits were much what had been expected 
A38 181 and the excellent news left the shares unmoved.<p/>
A38 182 
A38 183 <h_><p_>Dan-Air still flying despite pounds38m losses<p/><h/>
A38 184 <p_>Company doctor David James revealed today that his last patient 
A38 185 - the Davies&Newman group - had survived 1990 on two wings and a 
A38 186 prayer, despite losses of more than pounds38 million.<p/>
A38 187 <p_>He was called in last November, whilst helping rebuild Eagle 
A38 188 Trust, to see if the Dan-Air parent could be saved.<p/>
A38 189 <p_>Today Mr James said: <quote_>"Despite appalling difficulties 
A38 190 during the last year the group has survived.<p/>
A38 191 <p_>"Provided it can now achieve the essential level of new capital 
A38 192 support to maintain and develop its market position, I believe it 
A38 193 will again become a valuable investment."<quote/><p/>
A38 194 <p_>Mr James said the year-end trading loss of pounds25 million had 
A38 195 been in line with forecasts. The loss on ordinary activities - 
A38 196 before taxation credit of pounds12.8 million - was pounds38.7 
A38 197 million.<p/>
A38 198 <p_>The board has decided that no dividend can be declared for 
A38 199 1990.<p/>
A38 200 <p_>Today Mr James indicated that a rights' issue ear was likely 
A38 201 this autumn.<p/>
A38 202 
A38 203 <h_><p_>Index on the slide<p/><h/>
A38 204 <p_>Prices tumbled today as the London markets followed the line 
A38 205 from Germany.<p/>
A38 206 <p_>A string of dismal company results left the FT-SE nursing a 
A38 207 24-point loss at one stage.<p/>
A38 208 <p_>Trafalgar House were one of the few bright spots, climbing 5p 
A38 209 after a report that P&O may buy its Cunard cargo interests.<p/>
A38 210 <p_>British Steel was again under pressure, down 5p ahead of 
A38 211 Monday's results.<p/>
A38 212 <p_>Anglia TV, down 8p, reflected its massive profits' slide.<p/>
A38 213 <p_>BTR dipped 8p after its Thomas Tilling subsidiary revealed a 13 
A38 214 per cent fall in profits, while reaction to Burton's pounds161 
A38 215 million cash call saw it lose 2p.<p/>
A38 216 <p_>By early afternoon, more than 40 million Burton shares had 
A38 217 changed hands.<p/>
A38 218 
A38 219 <h_><p_>Overseas aid to Syltone<p/><h/>
A38 220 <p_>Truck and trailer parts supplier Syltone fought off the motor 
A38 221 industry slump by travelling overseas to grab new business.<p/>
A38 222 <p_>Bradford-based Syltone turned in profits up pounds320,000 to 
A38 223 pounds2.7 million.<p/>
A38 224 <p_>Chairman Tony Clegg said the 13.2 per cent rise was earned by 
A38 225 expanding overseas.<p/>
A38 226 <p_>Sales were up pounds1 million to more than pounds33 million.<p/>
A38 227 <p_>Mr Clegg said: <quote_>"Our French, Dutch Italian and United 
A38 228 States subsidiaries have all returned excellent results.<quote/><p/>
A38 229 <p_>The foreign ventures had also helped keep the UK factories 
A38 230 busy.<p/>
A38 231 <p_>Syltone's overseas sales leapt nearly 3.5 million to pounds18 
A38 232 million, while the home figure dropped pounds2.5 million to 
A38 233 pounds15.6 million.<p/>
A38 234 <p_>A final dividend of 6p, makes 9p total, up 1p.<p/>
A38 235 
A38 236 <h_><p_>Poor show by TV firm<p/><h/>
A38 237 <p_>Video and TV equipment suppliers Avesco broadcast a sorry 
A38 238 message to shareholders today with profits down more than pounds4 
A38 239 million over the year.<p/>
A38 240 <p_>But it said that longer term prospects were excellent.<p/>
A38 241 <p_><quote_>"The difficult trading conditions of the last year are 
A38 242 likely to continue for the immediate future,"<quote/> said chairman 
A38 243 Richard Murray.<p/>
A38 244 <p_><quote_>"But the awarding of the ITV franchises in October will 
A38 245 provide a stimulus to the UK television market."<quote/><p/>
A38 246 <p_>He believed the television industry worldwide would grow 
A38 247 strongly over the next decade.<p/>
A38 248 <p_><quote_>"The benefits of new broadcasting channels and 
A38 249 increased broadcasting hours are still to come,"<quote/> he 
A38 250 said.<p/>
A38 251 <p_><quote_>"They, plus the wish of the less advanced nations of 
A38 252 the world to catch up, can only lead to a resumption of strong 
A38 253 demand for the products and services which we offer."<quote/><p/>
A38 254 <p_>Final dividend is 1p, making 1.5p.<p/>
A38 255 
A38 256 <h_><p_>Cash fall<h/><p/>
A38 257 <p_>Engineering to textiles group Thomas Tilling sewed up profits 
A38 258 of pounds152 million over the year.<p/>
A38 259 <p_>The figure was pounds23 million down on last time.<p/>
A38 260 
A39   1 <#FLOB:A39\><h_><p_>It's official - Manchester has a black music 
A39   2 scene!<p/>
A39   3 <p_>Hot on the street<p/><h/>
A39   4 <p_>OK - as from Saturday night, courtesy of Channel 4 TV's And It 
A39   5 Wasn't A Dream documentary, it's official - Manchester has a black 
A39   6 music scene. But don't make the mistake when you see Saturday's 
A39   7 short and by now outdated documentary, that they've covered it 
A39   8 all.<p/>
A39   9 <p_>As local black poet and writer Lemn Sissay once said. 
A39  10 <quote_>"That square mile or so that makes up Moss Side and Hulme 
A39  11 is the most creative square mile in terms of talent in 
A39  12 Britain."<quote/><p/>
A39  13 <p_>Lemn Sissay does not come from the Hulme area, he is in fact 
A39  14 from Leigh, so it's at least a fairly unbiased opinion. But that 
A39  15 square mile is truly brimming with talent.<p/>
A39  16 <p_>On the rap music scene people are familiar with The Ruthless 
A39  17 Rap Assassins and MC Buzz B, but three young guys hot on the street 
A39  18 looking for a way through are Original Fourth Generation, until 
A39  19 recently going under the name Rebels In Effect.<p/>
A39  20 <p_>Stylistically they are different to both the Rap Assassins and 
A39  21 MC Buzz B, but they share a common bond in that lyrically they are 
A39  22 out to speak their minds and tell it like it is and maybe could and 
A39  23 should be better.<p/>
A39  24 <p_>Yes, one thing rappers from this area have is plenty to rap 
A39  25 about. Unemployment is high, prospects low, crime on the increase, 
A39  26 opportunities on the decrease. Drugs and violence are the symptoms 
A39  27 of the desease of neglect. It's anger at that neglect that is 
A39  28 peppered throughout the lyrics of Original 4th Generation, 
A39  29 Mancunians with an attitude and a half.<p/>
A39  30 <p_>When trying to find a reference point for this band's music 
A39  31 think Curtis Mayfield and the halycon days of seventies funk. The 
A39  32 best track I've heard from the Original 4th Generation is the 
A39  33 superb Find Ya Mind. It's education through rap, Gil Scott Heron's 
A39  34 The Revolution Will Not Be Televised for the nineties carried on a 
A39  35 wave of pure funk.<p/>
A39  36 <p_>On their track, The Search For Inner Peace Through Poetry, they 
A39  37 slam in with a sampled bass from the Temptation's Psychedelic Shack 
A39  38 and then ease into some mellowish vibes.<p/>
A39  39 <p_>The use of special textures in the music and the fact that it's 
A39  40 the rap's content rather than off-beat styles that carry the 
A39  41 message through nice and clear, is due partly to Original 4th 
A39  42 Generation's work with local production and song writing team 
A39  43 Chapter And The Verse, but there is more to come.<p/>
A39  44 <p_>People in the music industry in Britain are slow to wake up to 
A39  45 the fact that British black music is alive and kicking outside of 
A39  46 London.<p/>
A39  47 <p_>The latest tactic employed by Manchester's artists on the dance 
A39  48 scene is to sneak in the backdoor with white labels and create a 
A39  49 buzz in the capital through the radio stations like Kiss FM and 
A39  50 Jazz FM and the club scene, before anyone finds out they aren't 
A39  51 from London.<p/>
A39  52 <p_>But while everyone else in this city seems to be thinking that 
A39  53 until they've appeared on Top Of The Pops they haven't made it, 
A39  54 Original 4th Generation , The Rap Assassins, MC Buzz B and Chapter 
A39  55 And The Verse know it's the quality, originality and honesty of 
A39  56 your music that really counts. <p/>
A39  57 
A39  58 <h_><p_>The write way to commit murder<p/>
A39  59 <p_><quote_>"Advice and information are vital to anyone who wants 
A39  60 to get into print and that is what we try to supply"<quote/><p/>
A39  61 <p_>by BERNARD SILK<p/><h/>
A39  62 <p_>YOU'RE writing a crime thriller and want to bump off a victim 
A39  63 with a spectacular poisoning.<p/>
A39  64 <p_>But what substance would your killer need and in what 
A39  65 quantity?<p/>
A39  66 <p_>Deadly Doses, the writers' handbook to poisons and antidotes 
A39  67 supplies the necessary information (and presumably for real 
A39  68 killers, too, but that's another story).<p/>
A39  69 <p_>Similarly, if your fictional murderer wishes to indulge in some 
A39  70 gunplay, instant expertise is at hand via Armed and Dangerous, the 
A39  71 crime writers' guide to weapons.<p/>
A39  72 <p_>They are just a couple of the 150 titles from the shelves of 
A39  73 Freelance Press Services, the Salford-based agency which helps 
A39  74 budding and established writers all over Britain - and indeed the 
A39  75 world.<p/>
A39  76 <p_>Arthur Waite, who's 81, founded the company more than 60 years 
A39  77 ago and reckons it's the country's longest-established agency of 
A39  78 its type after the London School of Journalism.<p/>
A39  79 <p_>For many years now, he's been helping writers to get their work 
A39  80 into print with the aid of his daughter Saundrea.<p/>
A39  81 <p_>But it all started for Arthur when he became a founder member 
A39  82 of the Manchester and District Table Tennis League in the 1920s.<p/>
A39  83 <p_>He proved such a whizz at the sport that he was soon playing 
A39  84 for the England team. <p/>
A39  85 <p_>That led to articles for national newspapers (no, he didn't use 
A39  86 ghostwriters) - and Arthur went on to pen two big-selling books 
A39  87 about table tennis.<p/>
A39  88 <h_><p_>Eagle comic<p/><h/>
A39  89 <p_>Soon he had extended his activities to writing children's 
A39  90 stories which were featured in many publications of the time, and 
A39  91 was publishing a popular children's magazine The Merry Go Round, 
A39  92 later to be incorporated into the legendary Eagle comic.<p/>
A39  93 <p_>These days, he still runs a correspondance course of writing 
A39  94 for children, as well as publishing the Freelance Market News.<p/>
A39  95 <p_>Arthur explains: <quote_>"It's a monthly newsletter for 
A39  96 freelance writers and photographers, keeping them up to date with 
A39  97 what's going on in the world of newspapers and magazines.<p/>
A39  98 <p_>"It deals with both fiction and general interest articles. 
A39  99 Editors and publishers tell us when they are starting new 
A39 100 publications, and people in the business let us know the latest on 
A39 101 who's buying what.<p/>
A39 102 <p_>"We mention about 60 or 70 markets for writers each month, some 
A39 103 which they might never find out about in the ordinary run of 
A39 104 things.<p/>
A39 105 <p_>"And there's an overseas supplement every three months which 
A39 106 gives the same information about foreign markets - we get that 
A39 107 through contacts in many countries.<p/>
A39 108 <p_>"Our clients range from teenagers to pensioners, and from 
A39 109 complete beginners to established writers who use us to find work. 
A39 110 Some markets are constantly diminishing as others are growing so 
A39 111 it's vital to be in the know."<quote/><p/>
A39 112 <p_>Saundrea, who began as an advertising copywriter and later 
A39 113 joined her father in the business, reckons the service is unique. 
A39 114 She is editor of Freelance Market news.<p/>
A39 115 <p_><quote_>"I don't think that anyone else supplies this sort of 
A39 116 information on the scale that we do, and we also stock what is 
A39 117 probably the biggest library of writers' self-help books in 
A39 118 Britain.<p/>
A39 119 <p_>"They deal with every conceivable sort of writing - crime, 
A39 120 romance, horror, novel-writing, poetry, TV scriptwriting ... plus 
A39 121 specialist advice books like Deadly Doses."<quote/><p/>
A39 122 <p_>Freelance Market News has a circulation of around 2,000 across 
A39 123 Britain, Europe, America, Australia - there are even Japanese 
A39 124 subscribers - and there is constant feedback from the writers 
A39 125 themselves.<p/>
A39 126 <p_><quote_>"Some write to tell us of their successes. It's very 
A39 127 satisfying to get an excited letter from someone who has just sold 
A39 128 an article or even succeeded in getting a book accepted by a 
A39 129 publisher,"<quote/> says Arthur.<p/>
A39 130 <p_><quote_>"Many of our clients are published authors of 
A39 131 thrillers, romances or short stories and we have a file of 
A39 132 testimonials from people we have helped."<quote/><p/>
A39 133 <p_>Sometimes the agency has to stick up for its clients in more 
A39 134 practical fashion.<p/>
A39 135 <p_><quote_>"We mention magazines which are good payers - and bad 
A39 136 payers - in Freelance Market News,"<quote/> says Saundrea.<p/>
A39 137 <p_><quote_>"If we highlight a bad payer it sometimes seems to spur 
A39 138 them into bucking up the cash flow to the writers.<p/>
A39 139 <p_>"Now and again we will chivvy a slow-paying magazine with a 
A39 140 letter on behalf of a specific writer and it's surprising how often 
A39 141 it gets results."<quote/><p/>
A39 142 
A39 143 <h_><p_>Manchester is gearing up for the city's annual arts 
A39 144 jamboree and for the first time it's got the 'International' tag - 
A39 145 so will the world sit up and take notice?<p/>
A39 146 <p_>Festival fever<p/>
A39 147 <p_>by RACHEL PUGH<p/><h/>
A39 148 <p_>IT'S starting with fireworks and, thanks to a new vital 
A39 149 ingredient, festival organisers expect it will more than explode 
A39 150 onto the European arts scene.<p/>
A39 151 <p_>For collaborators in Manchester's annual arts festival, which 
A39 152 starts on August 31 until September 30, have for the first time 
A39 153 taken the step of calling it 'International'.<p/>
A39 154 <p_>Television is the new addition to a formula which they believe 
A39 155 will make culture vultures the world over sit up and take notice. 
A39 156 They hope, with time, it will prove as big a draw as anything 
A39 157 offered at Edinburgh or Salzburg.<p/>
A39 158 <p_>Granada Television has invested pounds600,000 in the event and 
A39 159 is joining the two main sponsors Manchester City Council and 
A39 160 Central Manchester Development Corporation to transform it into the 
A39 161 country's only Festival of Arts and Television.<p/>
A39 162 <p_>A string of international stars of music, theatre and 
A39 163 literature and a rich hinterland of fringe events will attract 
A39 164 audiences from a wide area. But what makes this festival different 
A39 165 is the 15 hours of coverage - two of them nationally shown - which 
A39 166 Granada is planning for this year.<p/>
A39 167 <p_>Granada's head of art, William Burdett-Coutts, who started the 
A39 168 Edinburgh assembly rooms, believes the innovations are crucial in 
A39 169 Manchester festival's search for international status.<p/>
A39 170 <p_>He said: <quote_>"Manchester has got to 
A39 171 <}_><-|>develope<+|>develop<}/> a particular character for its 
A39 172 festival and use it from its sales point. There is no point in 
A39 173 creating a festival just for the sake of getting a few people 
A39 174 together.<p/>
A39 175 <h|>Valuable
A39 176 <p_><quote_>"A festival has to be more than quick entertainment. It 
A39 177 has to be part of the strategy for a city's long-term economic 
A39 178 development."<quote/><p/>
A39 179 <p_>In future years, as it establishes itself there are plans to 
A39 180 increase television coverage and involve the making of videos, to 
A39 181 provide a valuable new area of operation for the industry and to 
A39 182 attract more international names and money to the city.<p/>
A39 183 <p_>Festival director, Phil Jones, is convinced that the festival 
A39 184 has what it takes: <quote_>"It's an internationally credible 
A39 185 festival, with internationally credible events. There's something 
A39 186 in it for everybody."<quote/><p/>
A39 187 <p_>There is no shortage of big names with artists like the 
A39 188 Lab<*_>e-grave<*/>que sisters (appearing with the 
A39 189 Hall<*_>e-acute<*/> on September 8 in a concert sponsored by the 
A39 190 <tf_>Manchester Evening News<tf/>) the Medici and the Brodsky 
A39 191 string quartets, the Fairer Sax, Miriam Stoppard and pianist Imogen 
A39 192 Cooper.<p/>
A39 193 <p_>They are also joined by a whole string of lesser known 
A39 194 performers from abroad like the anarchic, violent and raunchy 
A39 195 circus troupe Archaos, from France, Jamaican heavyweight singer 
A39 196 Shabba Ranks and Jaleo Flamenco from Spain, to give the festival a 
A39 197 truly international flavour.<p/>
A39 198 <p_>Events like the Festival of Manchester Writing, which coincides 
A39 199 with the main event, have been brought under its umbrella.<p/>
A39 200 <p_>A glance at the festival's history reveals that it has been 
A39 201 going in some form, developing from the organ festival for the past 
A39 202 17 years. Only in the last five years has it expanded to produce a 
A39 203 comprehensive programme across the spectrum of the arts.<p/>
A39 204 <p_>Local events involving artists from Manchester's rich and 
A39 205 diverse ethnic communities have always featured largely in the 
A39 206 programme. This year is no exception when punters can sample 
A39 207 anything from the Chinese evening catered for by the Yang Sing 
A39 208 restaurant or the rhythms of Manchester heavy reggae band Dread and 
A39 209 Dread at Band on the Wall, to the Green Room's review of 
A39 210 Manchester's African community.<p/>
A39 211 <p_>Phil Jones said: <quote_>"It has always been an accessible, 
A39 212 populist festival with a big emphasis on the community."<quote/><p/>
A39 213 <h|>Reputations
A39 214 <p_>Cheltenham, Glynderbourne, Aldeburgh - all big names. But they 
A39 215 depend little on local resources. They have won their reputations 
A39 216 by drawing people from outside in.<p/>
A39 217 <p_>But now Manchester is trying to gain a world reputation. There 
A39 218 was last year's unsuccessful bid to host the 1996 Olympics, for 
A39 219 which the Arts Festival became the Olympic Festival, complete with 
A39 220 stars of the calibre of opera soprano Kiri Te Kanawa. Undaunted it 
A39 221 is also trying for the 2000 games.<p/>
A39 222 <p_>The latest target for Manchester is to be accepted as City of 
A39 223 Culture 1994 - the year selected for a celebration of theatre and 
A39 224 drama. The city has put in a nomination which, if successful, would 
A39 225 win it pounds250,000 of Arts Council funding. Festival organisers 
A39 226 hope that its entry to international class will provide some 
A39 227 leverage, to add to the long-standing tradition of theatre.<p/>
A39 228 <p_>Phil Jones said: <quote_>"It will not be the be-all and end-all 
A39 229 of our bid, but it will certainly make a difference."<quote/><p/>
A39 230 <p_>The day art-hungry Sheilas and Bruces are seen boarding jumbos 
A39 231 in Melbourne in droves bound for Manchester, the city's festival 
A39 232 organisers will truly be able to boast they have achieved their 
A39 233 aim.<p/>
A39 234 
A40   1 <#FLOB:A40\><h_><p_>Praying for help<p/><h/>
A40   2 <p_>AS houses get older, things start to go wrong. Most of us from 
A40   3 time to time find ourselves having to fork out for some new slates, 
A40   4 a length of replacement guttering or maybe a bit of repair work on 
A40   5 a cracked wall.<p/>
A40   6 <p_>With a bit of luck the bill will be counted in hundreds of 
A40   7 pounds. But when our magnificent churches start showing their age, 
A40   8 the bills can run into millions. And finding the money to pay is a 
A40   9 clergyman's nightmare. TOM MOORE reports.<p/>
A40  10 <p_>CHURCHES are a big problem in Brighton. They are cracking up, 
A40  11 crumbling and rapidly tumbling into a shocking state of leaky 
A40  12 disrepair.<p/>
A40  13 <p_>The town's eight Anglican churches face a pounds7 million bill, 
A40  14 just to restore them to safe and dry places in which to pray.<p/>
A40  15 <p_>And with starving millions worldwide taking first call on the 
A40  16 pockets of charity givers, churchmen concede that collecting this 
A40  17 sort of cash for bricks and mortar is going to be an uphill, if not 
A40  18 impossible struggle.<p/>
A40  19 <p_><quote_>"It's a real headache,"<quote/> says Canon Dominic 
A40  20 Walker, Vicar of Brighton. <quote_>"The problem is that the 
A40  21 churches were mostly built at about the same time, between 1830 and 
A40  22 1890, so they are all growing old together.<p/>
A40  23 <p_>"The roofs have started to leak and the stone and brickwork has 
A40  24 started to crumble."<quote/><p/>
A40  25 <p_>St Bartholomew's in Ann Street needs about pounds1 million to 
A40  26 put it right. Brighton's showpiece parish church, St Peter's in 
A40  27 London Road, needs pounds500,000. Repair work on St Michael's in 
A40  28 Victoria Road will cost pounds400,000.<p/>
A40  29 <p_>AND the bank-busting pounds2 million to pounds3 million needed 
A40  30 by St Paul's in West Street means the church hall and vicarage will 
A40  31 have to be sold to developers in order to pay the bill.<p/>
A40  32 <p_>Canon Walker says: <quote_>"The ravages of rain, wind and salt 
A40  33 air over the past 100 years or so have taken their toll.<p/>
A40  34 <p_>"We are not talking about raising money for 'luxuries'. We are 
A40  35 talking about basic things such as repointing crumbling brickwork, 
A40  36 mending roofs to keep out the rain and putting in new electric 
A40  37 wiring to make the churches safe.<p/>
A40  38 <p_>"It is work that must be done urgently or the churches will 
A40  39 become unusable."<quote/><p/>
A40  40 <p_>And here is a major dilemma. Even if, as a last resort, it was 
A40  41 decided to close down a church, money would not be saved. 
A40  42 <quote_>"It would become the subject of a preservation order which 
A40  43 would mean it could not be knocked down and sold to 
A40  44 developers,"<quote/> Canon Walker explains.<p/>
A40  45 <p_><quote_>"By law, we would still be obliged to maintain the 
A40  46 building, even if there were no services there, and that would be a 
A40  47 very costly business."<quote/><p/>
A40  48 <p_>So how can the money be raised? The regular Sunday collection 
A40  49 doesn't really help. <quote_>"This is used to help pay the clergy 
A40  50 and bills like heating and lighting. There are jumble sales of 
A40  51 course, but you cannot raise pounds1 million at a jumble 
A40  52 sale,"<quote/> says Cannon Walker.<p/>
A40  53 <p_><quote_>"There are various trusts which specialise in 
A40  54 preserving ancient buildings. The trouble is they tend to think the 
A40  55 South East is rich enough to pay for its own churches so they 
A40  56 concentrate their money on the North."<quote/><p/>
A40  57 <p_>One answer seems to be the employment of professional 
A40  58 fund-raisers.<p/>
A40  59 <p_>ST Michael's decided on this solution when they launched their 
A40  60 pounds400,000 appeal in September 1989. They employed the 
A40  61 London-based company Molineux Fund Raising and the decision seems 
A40  62 to have paid off.<p/>
A40  63 <p_><quote_>"Already we have raised more than half of what we 
A40  64 need,"<quote/> says Kit Sharp, parish clerk at St Michael's.<p/>
A40  65 <p_>The first step was to persuade a number of influential people 
A40  66 to become patrons of the appeal. These included chairman of the 
A40  67 Arts Council Lord Palumbo and Brighton Pavilion MP Julian Amery.<p/>
A40  68 <p_><quote_>"The firm also prepares hundreds of letters for us 
A40  69 asking for donations to the appeal,"<quote/> says Kit. <quote_>"We 
A40  70 trawl through Who's Who before sending them out and also compile a 
A40  71 list of everyone in Sussex who may be interested.<p/>
A40  72 <p_>"The fund raisers help us with the publicity and have advised 
A40  73 us on the trusts most likely to support us. The whole appeal has 
A40  74 been run on a professional and businesslike basis. It wouldn't have 
A40  75 worked otherwise."<quote/><p/>
A40  76 <p_>Delighted as he is with the professional approach, Kit remains 
A40  77 full of praise for the amateur efforts that have helped boost the 
A40  78 appeal. But he adds: <quote_>"Let's face it, it is much harder to 
A40  79 raise money for bricks and mortar than it is to for starving 
A40  80 children. But we have shown that it can be done."<quote/><p/>
A40  81 
A40  82 <h_><p_>No nerves for talented Katie<p/><h/>
A40  83 <p_>FOR someone who has never acted in front of an audience before, 
A40  84 11-year-old KATIE DAVIES is showing bags of nerve.<p/>
A40  85 <p_>Every night until the end of September, the Tangmere youngster 
A40  86 is playing the part of Myrtle Panmure in Preserving Mr Panmure at 
A40  87 Chichester's 1,400-seater Festival Theatre.<p/>
A40  88 <p_><quote_>"I got nervous before the show for the first couple of 
A40  89 nights, but I'm fine now,"<quote/> says Katie.<p/>
A40  90 <p_>She was picked from more than 60 hopefuls for the part of 
A40  91 precocious Myrtle, Mr Panmure's daughter, in Pinero's Edwardian 
A40  92 comedy.<p/>
A40  93 <p_>Katie had a lot of lines to learn and some long words, such as 
A40  94 'rhapsodical', which she admits she still doesn't know the meaning 
A40  95 of.<p/>
A40  96 <p_>As for the character she plays, Katie thinks Myrtle is 
A40  97 <quote_>"obnoxious"<quote/> and not at all like her.<p/>
A40  98 <p_>Commitment to the play means that Katie will be missing the 
A40  99 first few weeks of term at her new school, St Margaret's, in 
A40 100 Midhurst.<p/>
A40 101 <p_>But since she intends to make the theatre her career, she 
A40 102 doesn't mind too much.<p/>
A40 103 <p_>She has had speech and drama lessons since she was four years 
A40 104 old. Her current tutor is HILDA JACKMAN.<p/>
A40 105 <p_><quote_>"I'd like to do serious drama more than 
A40 106 comedy,"<quote/> says Katie, even though she raises a good few 
A40 107 laughs as Myrtle.<p/>
A40 108 
A40 109 <h_><p_>Scofield backs society that packs a Punch<p/><h/>
A40 110 <p_>ONE OF England's greatest actors has agreed to be patron of a 
A40 111 fledgling Sussex literary society.<p/>
A40 112 <p_>Classical actor Paul Scofield has given his support to the Mark 
A40 113 Lemon Society, named after the first editor of Punch.<p/>
A40 114 <p_>It was launched this summer to mark the 150th anniversary of 
A40 115 Punch and to revive interest in Lemon, who lived in Crawley and was 
A40 116 a close friend of Charles Dickens.<p/>
A40 117 <p_>Mr Scofield, who lives in Balcombe, said: <quote_>"I agreed to 
A40 118 be patron simply because it seemed to me to be a very interesting 
A40 119 society.<p/>
A40 120 <p_>"I am a great fan of Dickens although I have gone off Punch a 
A40 121 bit. It seems to have lost some of its charm and old character 
A40 122 recently."<quote/><p/>
A40 123 <p_>Mr Scofield has just returned to Sussex after completing 
A40 124 filming of the late Bruce Chatwin's play Utz in Prague and 
A40 125 Hamburg.<p/>
A40 126 <p_>He is acclaimed by many as England's greatest classical actor 
A40 127 and is best known for his portrayal of King Lear with the Royal 
A40 128 Shakespeare Company, the West End play Amadeus and the film of Sir 
A40 129 Thomas More's life, A Man For All Seasons.<p/>
A40 130 <p_>He was asked to be patron by society founders the Rev Michael 
A40 131 Goode, rector of St John's, Crawley, and local historian Roger 
A40 132 Bastable, who both felt that Mark Lemon's time in Crawley between 
A40 133 1857 and 1870 was largely unknown by younger generations. They are 
A40 134 planning a number of literary events and outings and will hold the 
A40 135 society's first meeting on September 14 at St John's Church, when 
A40 136 extracts from the letters and diaries of Harold Nicolson and Vita 
A40 137 Sackville West will be read.<p/>
A40 138 
A40 139 <h_><p_>Unflappable Fred!<p/>
A40 140 <p_>(The face that's launched a thousand Coast to Coasts)<p/><h/>
A40 141 <p_>FRED DINENAGE is the senior Coast to Coast presenter at the TVS 
A40 142 news programme's Southampton headquarters. It's a job he's been 
A40 143 doing for seven and a half years and the culmination of 27 years in 
A40 144 television, mostly in the South and South East.<p/>
A40 145 <p_>Argus TV Editor MIKE HOWARD and photographer TONY TREE met the 
A40 146 man dubbed the Grand Old Man of Television in the South.<p/>
A40 147 <p_>THERE are just fifteen minutes to go before the TVS regional 
A40 148 news programme Coast to Coast goes on air. In the mixing gallery 
A40 149 outside the studio all hell is breaking loose as tapes go missing, 
A40 150 stories fall out of the running order and the director begins to 
A40 151 pull out his hair.<p/>
A40 152 <p_>But in the studio itself all is calm. You can occasionally hear 
A40 153 the sound of a pen on paper - but that's just Fred Dinenage 
A40 154 completing a crossword in one of the many morning and evening 
A40 155 papers he reads every day.<p/>
A40 156 <p_>If you hear any slurping - and you won't, Fred is much too 
A40 157 polite for that - he might be sipping a last cup of coffee or 
A40 158 sucking a mint.<p/>
A40 159 <p_>The crossword, the coffee and the mint are a firmly established 
A40 160 part of Fred's ritual as he prepares for the main evening news 
A40 161 bulletin.<p/>
A40 162 <p_>As always he will read the news with aplomb and authority. He's 
A40 163 smartly, maybe fastidiously dressed, looks completely unflappable 
A40 164 and is always ready with an easy quip to his co-presenter Fern 
A40 165 Britton (seen with him in our main picture) and the technicians 
A40 166 surrounding him.<p/>
A40 167 <p_>But in the final few minutes before the red light shows he's 
A40 168 'on air', the jokes stop, he gets a final dab of powder from the 
A40 169 make-up girl, shuffles a few papers and he's ready.<p/>
A40 170 <p_><quote_>"Good evening. There are reports tonight ... "<quote/> 
A40 171 So begins his umpteenth newscast.<p/>
A40 172 <p_>His manner will be smooth and unhurried and his voice carefully 
A40 173 modulated with no trace of his northern accent. It will remain that 
A40 174 way until the final credits roll twenty minutes later.<p/>
A40 175 <p_>Fred says: <quote_>"It is vitally important to be calm and 
A40 176 appear unhurried and unflappable, even when the most diabolical 
A40 177 things go wrong.<p/>
A40 178 <p_>"A newscaster's job is to present the news, not sell him or 
A40 179 herself although we must let some personality get through because 
A40 180 some of our stories and links need that.<p/>
A40 181 <p_>"And we have to be authoritative without being pompous and be 
A40 182 aware that a light item shouldn't be taken at a rollicking pace 
A40 183 because it might be followed by a piece of bad news."<quote/><p/>
A40 184 <p_>Fred, 49, is a former Evening Argus journalist who was first 
A40 185 persuaded to try television by another ex-Evening Argus journalist 
A40 186 now BBC music presenter, Anne Nightingale.<p/>
A40 187 <p_>And he nearly lost his opportunity.<p/>
A40 188 <p_>He said: <quote_>"Annie had told me how marvellous it was in 
A40 189 television. All I wanted was a job on a national newspaper but I 
A40 190 did arrange to go for a screen test and interview with the old 
A40 191 Southern Television people in Southampton for a job presenting 
A40 192 Three-Go-Round, a children's show which predated BBC's Blue 
A40 193 Peter.<p/>
A40 194 <p_>"But on the day I overslept and missed the train so I went back 
A40 195 to bed and forgot the whole thing.<p/>
A40 196 <p_>"The following Sunday morning the producer arrived and wanted 
A40 197 to talk to the 'rude chap' who didn't turn up. I finally went for a 
A40 198 test and was offered the job, initially for seven weeks but that 
A40 199 became 18 months.<p/>
A40 200 <p_>"At first television terrified me but it all worked well and I 
A40 201 came to love it.<p/>
A40 202 <p_>"After Three-Go-Round came a spell as a reporter on Southern 
A40 203 Television's Day by Day news show and I was doing that at the same 
A40 204 time as I began to do How, which became the ITV's longest running 
A40 205 children's programme.<p/>
A40 206 <p_>"I then got a spot doing sport for Yorkshire Television and 
A40 207 that led to full-time freelancing which I did for 18 
A40 208 years."<quote/><p/>
A40 209 <p_>In that time Fred worked for virtually every ITV company. You 
A40 210 name the show and he's probably done it.<p/>
A40 211 <p_>He says: <quote_>"Perhaps the greatest opportunity was covering 
A40 212 the Olympic Games in Moscow and Munich for the network and becoming 
A40 213 number two presenter on the ITV's flagship sports programme World 
A40 214 of Sport.<p/>
A40 215 <p_>"I also hosted the Miss Great Britain Contest for five years 
A40 216 which was a lot of fun.<p/>
A40 217 <p_>"But the problem with freelancing was that I was never at home. 
A40 218 I have a 19-year-old daughter Caroline who as a child almost never 
A40 219 saw me. When the twins came along I decided to pack in the 
A40 220 freelancing and settle for one company.<p/>
A40 221 <p_>"I joined the staff here on Coast to Coast in 1984.
A40 222 
A41   1 <#FLOB:A41\><h_><p_>Dons Hot and Cold<p/>
A41   2 <p_>By BILL MCFARLANE<p/><h/>
A41   3 <p_>AFTER THE exotic climes of Bermuda, Aberdeen were brought back 
A41   4 to earth with a bang in unglamorous Kirkcaldy.<p/>
A41   5 <p_>In fairness, the Dons started well. But, long before the end, 
A41   6 the effects of their 22-hour return trip on Thursday were all too 
A41   7 obvious.<p/>
A41   8 <p_>Not that too much should be read into this game.<p/>
A41   9 <p_>Indeed, we even had the bizarre spectacle of four players all 
A41  10 wearing No.16 jerseys at the same time!<p/>
A41  11 <p_>One player certainly took proceedings far more seriously than 
A41  12 most - Theo Snelders.<p/>
A41  13 <p_>Just after half-time, he was penalised for over-carrying the 
A41  14 ball and voiced his disapproval so strongly that referee Taylor saw 
A41  15 fit to administer a lengthy lecture.<p/>
A41  16 <p_>From the resulting free-kick, Raith's new signing, Craig 
A41  17 Brewster, blasted the ball low past the Dutch keeper.<p/>
A41  18 <p_>Before the end, Snelders was also involved in a fiery exchange 
A41  19 with team-mate Steward McKimmie, with the pair almost coming to 
A41  20 blows.<p/>
A41  21 <p_>Aberdeen had gone ahead in the first half after Hans Gillhaus 
A41  22 played a snappy one-two with Grant before firing the ball home.<p/>
A41  23 <p_>Then, 13 minutes from the end, Gillhaus dispossesses Coyle and 
A41  24 young Scott Booth took full advantage to score the winner.<p/>
A41  25 <p_>Aberdeen played well within themselves.<p/>
A41  26 <p_>Raith, now full-time again, were well organised and Brewster 
A41  27 could prove to be an astute signing.<p/>
A41  28 
A41  29 <h_><p_>Captains' headache<p/>
A41  30 <p_>By DOUG PROCTOR<p/><h/>
A41  31 <p_>DON CHERRY may not be one of golf's household names.<p/>
A41  32 <p_>But he was the man responsible for the R&A having to cough up 
A41  33 pounds98,400 for the additional players who made the halfway cut at 
A41  34 Royal Birkdale last weekend, courtesy of the ten-shot rule.<p/>
A41  35 <p_>Cherry was an American Walker Cup player, who made a long putt 
A41  36 on the 36th green at The Masters to eliminate Ben Hogan and Gary 
A41  37 Middlecoff at the halfway stage, even though they were less than 
A41  38 ten strokes back.<p/>
A41  39 <h_><p_>Standard Practice<p/><h/>
A41  40 <p_>Thereafter the ten-stroke rule was introduced and has now 
A41  41 become standard practice.<p/>
A41  42 <p_>Cherry was also a top night club singer whose solitary hit 
A41  43 single "Band of Gold", lies somewhere in my box of 78s!<p/>
A41  44 <p_>He helped provide a pot of gold for the lucky 40-odd players 
A41  45 who left Borkdale pounds2,400 richer.<p/>
A41  46 <p_>But Cherry's historical feat did little to help either of the 
A41  47 two Ryder Cup captains in their search for wildcard competitors for 
A41  48 the showdown at Kiawah Island in September.<p/>
A41  49 <p_>Among the Europeans, Sam Torrance made the biggest move over 
A41  50 the last 36 holes and he is virtually assured of a place in Bernard 
A41  51 Gallacher's side.<p/>
A41  52 <p_>Tom Kite's 68, 69 finish, meanwhile, was the most-prominent 
A41  53 American move from the rear of the field.<p/>
A41  54 <p_>He is now only one spot out of Dave Stockton's side and should 
A41  55 sneak in.<p/>
A41  56 <p_>Even so, the differing method of selection by each side is 
A41  57 causing headaches for both captains.<p/>
A41  58 <p_>They both feel strongly that the US PGA and its British 
A41  59 counterpart should use identical systems.<p/>
A41  60 <p_>The American method is based over players' performances in the 
A41  61 past two years while the Europeans only take into account the 
A41  62 current season.<p/>
A41  63 <p_>Americans earn points for finishing in the top ten in 
A41  64 tournaments but the European side is picked from the top 
A41  65 earners.<p/>
A41  66 <p_>Stockton will be allowed two of his own choices with Gallacher 
A41  67 having three.<p/>
A41  68 <p_>Anomalies occur in each system, with Wayne Levi the 
A41  69 most-glaring example.<p/>
A41  70 <p_>Last year, a career-best of over $1 million winnings put 
A41  71 him into contention.<p/>
A41  72 <p_>He's now number eight on the American list - despite not being 
A41  73 in the top 60 on the money list this year!<p/>
A41  74 <p_>Conversely, a win at Borkdale, worth pounds90,000, could have 
A41  75 catapulted a number of Europeans from nowhere into the Ryder Cup 
A41  76 team.<p/>
A41  77 <p_>Of course, no selection process is without controversy and 
A41  78 doubtless many will take the view that each camp is entitled to do 
A41  79 what they will.<p/>
A41  80 
A41  81 <h_><p_>Tony's Tokyo Target<p/>
A41  82 <p_>By BARRY DOUGLAS<p/><h/>
A41  83 <p_>ONE OF Britain's best chances of a medal at the athletics World 
A41  84 Championships in Tokyo next month comes in the 110 metre hurdles, 
A41  85 where we've two truly world-class competitors.<p/>
A41  86 <p_>The event's been dominated in Britain by Colin Jackson over the 
A41  87 past couple of seasons, but his international team-mate Tony 
A41  88 Jarrett (left)<O_>photo<O/> has been making progress recently.<p/>
A41  89 <p_>Following his less than happy experience in the Stockholm Grand 
A41  90 Prix meeting, where he fell, Jarrett was up early in the morning 
A41  91 before the recent Parcelforce Games at Crystal Palace meeting to 
A41  92 improve his start.<p/>
A41  93 <p_>The work obviously paid off, with Tony claiming the scalp of 
A41  94 Jackson, as well as American Tony Deas, despite windy 
A41  95 conditions.<p/>
A41  96 <p_><quote_>"The funny thing is that I like running into a 
A41  97 headwind. I hate running with the wind behind me - it brings me on 
A41  98 to the hurdles too quickly."<quote/><p/>
A41  99 <p_>Despite that victory, Tony is reluctant to place himself among 
A41 100 the top half-dozen hurdlers in the world.<p/>
A41 101 <p_><quote_>"I've been taking a step up every year, but it's still 
A41 102 too early in the season. I'm just concentrating on getting ready 
A41 103 for the World Championships."<quote/><p/>
A41 104 <p_>Though he's not one to blow his own trumpet, Tony clearly 
A41 105 believes he can win a medal in Tokyo.<p/>
A41 106 <p_><quote_>"If I didn't I wouldn't be in the sport, but it's going 
A41 107 to be very hard.<p/>
A41 108 <p_>"Greg Foster is running reasonably fast, and I know Colin is 
A41 109 going to be ready."<quote/><p/>
A41 110 <p_>Although he's a top international, Tony still keeps in touch 
A41 111 with the grass roots of the sport through his club, Haringey.<p/>
A41 112 <p_>Much of that is due to the debt of thanks he owes the club 
A41 113 founder, the late Ron Pickering.<p/>
A41 114 <p_><quote_>"As far as running is concerned, he's the person who 
A41 115 brought me up. He also helped me out financially when there was no 
A41 116 money,"<quote/> recalls Tony.<p/>
A41 117 <p_><quote_>"Ron played a big part in my career. At the Olympics, a 
A41 118 lot of people didn't think I could get to the final but he 
A41 119 encouraged me and told me I could do it.<p/>
A41 120 <p_>"He was a great man and he'll be sadly missed."<quote/><p/>
A41 121 
A41 122 <h_><p_>HONDA'S THANK YOU TO THE FLYING SCOT<p/>
A41 123 <p_>Steve gets his reward<p/>
A41 124 <p_>By BARRY DOUGLAS<p/><h/>
A41 125 <p_>STEVE HISLOP'S record-breaking performance in the Isle of Man 
A41 126 TT series has lined up a Grand Prix future with Honda.<p/>
A41 127 <p_>The Flying Scot, who finished third in last weekend's Suzuka 
A41 128 endurance race, looks set to be given a factory-prepared Honda 
A41 129 machine for a crack at the 250cc World title next season. To gain 
A41 130 experience for that challenge, Steve (above) will be on the grid 
A41 131 for this afternoon's 250cc event at the British Grand Prix at 
A41 132 Donington Park.<p/>
A41 133 <p_>Honda's decision is the fulfilment of a dream for the 
A41 134 29-year-old Hawick rider.<p/>
A41 135 <p_><quote_>"You always want to be competing against the best, and 
A41 136 to have a chance of getting a decent finish, you need the best 
A41 137 bike,"<quote/> says Steve.<p/>
A41 138 <p_><quote_>"I had my first ride on a factory-prepared bike in 
A41 139 Japan.<p/>
A41 140 <p_>"The difference between that bike, and the machine I usually 
A41 141 ride, was incredible."<quote/><p/>
A41 142 <p_>Steve, and partner Jason Fogarty, scorched round the Suzuka 
A41 143 track for 192 laps in the latest leg of the World endurance 
A41 144 Championship. Hislop finished third behind winners Wayne Gardner 
A41 145 and Michael Doohan.<p/>
A41 146 <p_><quote_>"I was told fairly late in the day that I'd be riding a 
A41 147 factory bike.<p/>
A41 148 <p_>"I think it was Honda's way of thanking me for winning three 
A41 149 races at the Isle of Man TT again, and giving them a good 
A41 150 show."<quote/><p/>
A41 151 <p_>Steve admits he was determined to repay Honda's faith with a 
A41 152 strong showing, despite the horrendous conditions.<p/>
A41 153 <p_>Heavy rain made the track so treacherous, fellow Scot Niall 
A41 154 Mackenzie suffered the indignity of two crashes, before struggling 
A41 155 home in 22nd place.<p/>
A41 156 <p_><quote_>"With the race being in Japan, all the top works bosses 
A41 157 were there watching, and I hope I did enough to impress them.<p/>
A41 158 <p_>"Honda have already indicated they will consider sending a 
A41 159 factory bike to the next major leg of the endurance Championship in 
A41 160 Australia.<p/>
A41 161 <p_>"It would be fantastic if they did."<quote/><p/>
A41 162 <p_>Steve has every reason to push Honda for another chance on a 
A41 163 factory bike.<p/>
A41 164 <p_>He currently leads the World Endurance Championship, and a good 
A41 165 finish in Australia could see him clinch the title.<p/>
A41 166 <p_><quote_>"There are a couple of races before then, but I'm 
A41 167 pretty confident I'll pick up enough points in those to keep me in 
A41 168 contention.<p/>
A41 169 <p_>"If Honda do provide me with a factory machine, I'll be 
A41 170 competing on a par with the top riders in the world.<p/>
A41 171 <p_>"As long as I'm given a winning chance, I think I can match the 
A41 172 best, and capture the world title."<quote/><p/>
A41 173 <p_>Mackenzie, too is being given an opportunity to shine this 
A41 174 afternoon.<p/>
A41 175 <h_><p_>No Hesitation<p/><h/>
A41 176 <p_>Yamaha offered Niall a one-off deal to return to 500cc action, 
A41 177 and the Dunblane-based star didn't have to think twice about 
A41 178 competing in his home Grand Prix.<p/>
A41 179 <p_>The 500cc title race has so far mirrored its Formula One 
A41 180 counterpart.<p/>
A41 181 <p_>The current leader and defending champion, Wayne Rainey also 
A41 182 has just a narrow eight point lead, despite four wins like Ayrton 
A41 183 Senna.<p/>
A41 184 <p_>His main rival is the Australian Honda rider Michael Doohan.<p/>
A41 185 <p_>However, Californian Rainey's Yamaha is expected to win this 
A41 186 afternoon, as Donington is a circuit which should favour his 
A41 187 bike.<p/>
A41 188 <p_>Without any long straights, the riders must either be braking 
A41 189 or accelerating all the time.<p/>
A41 190 <p_>It means steering skill, rather than all-out power, will be the 
A41 191 crucial factor.<p/>
A41 192 <p_>With Yamaha enjoying an advantage over Honda in that 
A41 193 department, Doohan will have his work cut out to narrow the gap.<p/>
A41 194 
A41 195 <p_>63 sets up Woosnam<p/>
A41 196 <p_>IAN WOOSNAM, the 33-year-old Welshman, looks set to win the 
A41 197 first prize of pounds100,000 at the Scandinavian Masters in 
A41 198 Stockholm today.<p/>
A41 199 <p_>Woosnam blazed round the 6747-yard Drottningholm course in a 
A41 200 magnificent nine-under-par 63 in his third round yesterday to go to 
A41 201 17 under for a 199 aggregate and take a two-shot lead over David 
A41 202 James of Scotland.<p/>
A41 203 <p_>It was vintage Woosnam, with seven birdies and an eagle in a 
A41 204 bogey-free round putting him in good heart not only for the final 
A41 205 today, but also for the U.S. PGA championship at the Crooked Stick 
A41 206 Club, Indiana, next week.<p/>
A41 207 <p_>This week he has shot 67, 69, 63 on a par 72 course, and said 
A41 208 of his form, <quote_>"I played well the first two days, but could 
A41 209 not make the putts.<p/>
A41 210 <p_>"But it was only a matter of time and being patient and the 
A41 211 putts were sure to come."<quote/><p/>
A41 212 <p_>Had he hit top form too early with a major championship coming 
A41 213 up?<p/>
A41 214 <p_>Woosnam scoffed at this idea, saying, <quote_>"I don't mind 
A41 215 what week it is. I shall play well next week or I won't play well, 
A41 216 but I shall be very happy to win the Scandinavian 
A41 217 Masters."<quote/><p/>
A41 218 <p_>Yesterday he birdied the first two holes with putts of seven 
A41 219 and 15 feet, and then had another at the fifth, where he slotted a 
A41 220 12-foot putt. His only blemish came when he hit the long seventh in 
A41 221 two and three-putted, but he quickly made amends.<p/>
A41 222 <p_>At the 563-yard eighth he was almost on with a drive and a 
A41 223 three-iron, and then chipped in for an eagle three from 18 
A41 224 yards.<p/>
A41 225 <p_>He went to the turn in 31 and birdied the eleventh, thirteenth 
A41 226 and fifteenth to go to 16 under par for the tournament.<p/>
A41 227 <p_>When he drove into a bunker at the last it looked as if he 
A41 228 would have to be content with a par five, but Woosnam splashed out 
A41 229 with a five-iron and then sent an eight-iron approach to 10 feet. 
A41 230 He holed the putt for yet another birdie.<p/>
A41 231 <p_>Modest Mames, who shot a 68, said, <quote_>"I wasn't really 
A41 232 pleased with my round because I didn't swing the club too 
A41 233 well."<quote/><p/>
A41 234 <p_>Would he be nervous when he played with Woosnam in the final 
A41 235 round? <quote_>"I'm bound to be a little nervous,"<quote/> said 
A41 236 James, <quote_>"but not because of Ian. I don't care what he 
A41 237 does.<p/>
A41 238 <p_>"All I am interested in is playing well myself. I'm in a good 
A41 239 position, but I still do not think I have an outstanding chance of 
A41 240 winning."<quote/><p/>
A41 241 <p_>James had five birdies and a bogey in his round, but added, 
A41 242 <quote_>"I did quite well to get my score, because I missed quite a 
A41 243 few putts."<quote/><p/>
A41 244 <p_>Another Scot, Colin Montgomerie, is lying third, two shots 
A41 245 behind James.<p/>
A41 246 
A42   1 <#FLOB:A42\><h_><p_>Ex-chairman Roger bows out of political life<p/>
A42   2 <p_>By ANNE EDWARDS<p/><h/>
A42   3 <p_>FORMER chairman of Buckinghamshire County Council, Roger 
A42   4 Parker-Jervis of Great Hampden, the member for Naphill, has 
A42   5 announced his retirement from county council at the next election 
A42   6 in 1993.<p/>
A42   7 <p_>Approaching 60, Roger has retired as land agent for the Hampden 
A42   8 Estate, a job which he and his father George held in succession for 
A42   9 more than 50 years. He intends to spend his retirement "doing all 
A42  10 the things I like doing - particularly painting." He and his wife 
A42  11 Diana returned in March from a trip to visit one of their two sons 
A42  12 in Australia, which explains much of his absence from County Hall 
A42  13 and the increasingly rare opportunities to hear the cogent speeches 
A42  14 for which he is well-known.<p/>
A42  15 <p_>The man who personally took on central Government Ministers 
A42  16 over the lack of support grant for Buckinghamshire when he was 
A42  17 chairman from '81 to '85, says he now has <quote_>"a splendid 
A42  18 detachment from the rhetoric of politics."<quote/><p/>
A42  19 <p_>He told us: <quote_>"I do understand how ex-Prime Ministers 
A42  20 feel, but it is much better to let those who are fully involved get 
A42  21 on whith the job. A lot of councillors put in an enormous amount of 
A42  22 work - I used to myself at one time, three or four full days a 
A42  23 week."<quote/> He is, he adds: <quote_>"A very great supporter of 
A42  24 chairman Mrs Miscampbell."<quote/><p/>
A42  25 <p_>His views are strong on local government review. Local 
A42  26 government has been so messed around that it really needs radical 
A42  27 reappraisals, he says. <quote_>"It is a terrible, terrible mess. 
A42  28 This is not a criticism of those who serve on local government, but 
A42  29 I am highly critical of what the Conservative Government has done 
A42  30 to emasculate local freedom of choice and local 
A42  31 taxation."<quote/><p/>
A42  32 <p_>Roger feels that local government review will not succeed, 
A42  33 unless it is by partisan agreement as to how local government 
A42  34 should operate for the foreseeable future. He fears the politicians 
A42  35 may make matters no better, as with the council tax - merely moving 
A42  36 from one pretty disastrous area into another.<p/>
A42  37 <p_><quote_>"Now you have entered the realms of the paid councillor 
A42  38 where people are getting modest remuneration for a lot of work, do 
A42  39 we need so many members?"<quote/> he says. <quote_>"Should we not 
A42  40 have unitary authorities for Buckinghamshire that has, say, 20 
A42  41 people on it, and pay them properly, with an elected chief 
A42  42 executive.<p/>
A42  43 <p_>"Messing around with the present systems is wrong. We must wipe 
A42  44 the board clean have a radical review."<quote/><p/>
A42  45 
A42  46 <h_><p_>Victoria cuts a dash<p/><h/>
A42  47 <p_>THE robe worn by Victoria Dashwood at her christening was used 
A42  48 by her grandfather, Sir Francis, at his baptism.<p/>
A42  49 <p_>Victoria Lucinda Dashwood, first child of Lucinda and Edward 
A42  50 Dashwood, was christened on Saturday at the church of St Lawrence, 
A42  51 West Wycombe. The Rev Michael Staines, vicar of West Wycombe, 
A42  52 performed the service attended by immediate family and a small 
A42  53 number of friends.<p/>
A42  54 <p_>Flowers in the shape of a 'V' decorated the church and the 
A42  55 hymns All Things Bright and Beautiful and O Jesus I have Promised 
A42  56 were sung.<p/>
A42  57 <p_>Baby Victoria, Sir Francis' first grand-daughter, is named 
A42  58 after Edward's mother, Lady Victoria, who died in 1976. Victoria 
A42  59 behaved perfectly all afternoon, but did the expected thing at the 
A42  60 baptism - cried and splashed the vicar with water.<p/>
A42  61 <p_>Lucinda wore a navy dress with white polka dots white jacket 
A42  62 and white feathered hat for the occasion.<p/>
A42  63 <p_>The christening was followed by a tea at West Wycombe House.<p/>
A42  64 <p_>Godparents are Edward's sister Caroline, Mungo Tennant, who was 
A42  65 Edward's best man at his wedding, Geordie Kitston and Alexandra De 
A42  66 Ferranti.<p/>
A42  67 
A42  68 <h_><p_>First aider gets award<p/><h/>
A42  69 <p_>NURSE Joan Dawson has been awarded one of the highest awards in 
A42  70 the Order of St John.<p/>
A42  71 <p_>Joan 55, of The Meadows, Flackwell Heath, was presented with 
A42  72 the award of officer sister by the Lord Prior, Lord Grey, at a 
A42  73 ceremony at Clerkenwell gate.<p/>
A42  74 <p_>She said: <quote_>"It's for continuing work with the order of 
A42  75 St John. I have been doing it for 15 years now. It's quite 
A42  76 difficult to get - you have to be put forward by somebody and 
A42  77 accepted by the order."<quote/><p/>
A42  78 <p_>Many of the people who work in and around Heathrow airport have 
A42  79 been taught first aid techniques by Joan, who works in the Civil 
A42  80 Aviation Centre at Feltham in Middlesex.<p/>
A42  81 
A42  82 <h_><p_>Tragic Maxine's big night out<p/>
A42  83 <p_>By JULIAN BRYANT<p/><h/>
A42  84 <p_>FRIENDS and well-wishers rallied round to give the wife of 
A42  85 comatose John Smith a memorable birthday treat.<p/>
A42  86 <p_>Maxine Smith, of Hillview Road, High Wycombe, will celebrate 
A42  87 her 35th birthday next Wednesday without her husband who is being 
A42  88 cared for at Wycombe General Hospital. John, 38, was in a road 
A42  89 accident on April 19 and has never regained consciousness.<p/>
A42  90 <p_>On Monday, Maxine was joined by her daughter Louise, ten, to 
A42  91 celebrate her birthday with a night out at the London Palladium.<p/>
A42  92 <p_>They went to see Jason Donovan in the musical Joseph and the 
A42  93 Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat after friends collected the money for 
A42  94 the tickets and other treats.<p/>
A42  95 <p_>Organiser Irene Clarke, of Old Forge Close, High Wycombe, had 
A42  96 the idea when she found out from Louise that the birthday was 
A42  97 coming up and that they both wanted to see the show.<p/>
A42  98 <p_>Harrison and Sons Ltd, Mr Smith's employer, made a large 
A42  99 contribution to the fund which was also added to by friends, 
A42 100 neighbours and also Irene's husband, Colin, who runs C. Clarke 
A42 101 Property Maintenance.<p/>
A42 102 <p_>A1 Taxis waived the profit when they provided a luxurious Volvo 
A42 103 to drive them in style to and from the theatre.<p/>
A42 104 <p_>Maxine and Louise were given a big send-off and were presented 
A42 105 with flowers and chocolates. They were also accompanied by Irene's 
A42 106 daughter Nichola, 16.<p/>
A42 107 <p_>Afterwards, Maxine said that although she was a David Essex 
A42 108 fan, she had been impressed by Jason.<p/>
A42 109 <p_><quote_>"I think he was brilliant. I screamed. Louise was 
A42 110 gobsmacked. When we were driving home on the Westway, the girls 
A42 111 were on cloud nine because Jason Donovan was singing on the 
A42 112 radio.<p/>
A42 113 <p_>"I was very touched when I was given the tickets,"<quote/> she 
A42 114 said.<p/>
A42 115 <p_>She added that her husband's condition had not changed 
A42 116 significantly.<p/>
A42 117 <p_><quote_>"I am just praying. It is a long ordeal,"<quote/> she 
A42 118 said.<p/>
A42 119 <p_>The couple's fifteenth wedding anniversary is on July 9.<p/>
A42 120 
A42 121 <h_><p_>Holly the owl wings her way home<p/>
A42 122 <p_>Owners reunited with pet<p/>
A42 123 <p_>By STAFF REPORTER<p/><h/>
A42 124 <p_>A LOST barn owl has been reclaimed by its owners after they saw 
A42 125 a story about it in the Bucks Free Press.<p/>
A42 126 <p_>Teri Godfrey was devastated when her year-old owl Holly went 
A42 127 missing last Sunday - she had reared the bird by hand from when it 
A42 128 was two weeks old.<p/>
A42 129 <p_>Holly escaped while Teri was trying to teach her how to fly, 
A42 130 and turned up in Margaret Oliver's garage in Fernside, Hazlemere, 
A42 131 four days later.<p/>
A42 132 <p_><quote_>"We looked around for her and kept leaving food 
A42 133 out,"<quote/> said Teri, who lives in Hazlemere.<p/>
A42 134 <p_><quote_>"I was really in tears because we hand-reared her from 
A42 135 a chick."<quote/><p/>
A42 136 <p_>Teri added that for future flying lessons Holly would be on a 
A42 137 line.<p/>
A42 138 <p_><quote_>"Once you have had them and fed them yourself they 
A42 139 wouldn't be able to survive very long in the wild,"<quote/> she 
A42 140 said.<p/>
A42 141 
A42 142 <h_><p_>What a Carry On<p/><h/>
A42 143 <p_>CARRY On star Barbara Windsor made a 500-mile round trip to 
A42 144 bowl the first ball in a charity cricket match - only for rain to 
A42 145 stop play.<p/>
A42 146 <p_>Winchmore Hill Cricket Club was hoping to raise money for the 
A42 147 Imperial Cancer Research Fund but incessant rain on Saturday caused 
A42 148 cancellation of the match.<p/>
A42 149 <p_>Barbara, who owns a pub and restaurant in Winchmore Hill, made 
A42 150 a dash from Bradford to get to the game on Sunday before returning 
A42 151 to Newcastle where she is appearing at the Theatre Royal in the 
A42 152 popular musical Guys and Dolls.<p/>
A42 153 <p_>Chairman of Winchmore Hill Cricket Pavilion Club, Derek Sears, 
A42 154 who organised the event, was not however deterred by the wash 
A42 155 out.<p/>
A42 156 <p_><quote_>"It was very big disappointment,"<quote/> he said, but 
A42 157 added: <quote_>"We will do one next year. You cannot have two days 
A42 158 like that surely? It was the worst day they have had for three 
A42 159 years."<quote/><p/>
A42 160 <p_>But despite the weather, the fundraiser is still expected to 
A42 161 make some money from an evening Barn Dance and food sold in the 
A42 162 marquee put up at the pitch.<p/>
A42 163 <p_>Two hundred people crammed into the marquee and out of the rain 
A42 164 to watch a celebrity darts match.<p/>
A42 165 
A42 166 <h_><p_>John dons the robes of office<p/><h/>
A42 167 <p_>FORMER coroner John Roberts stood before the Lord Chancellor 
A42 168 this week to be sworn in as a judge.<p/>
A42 169 <p_>He and wife Patricia went to the House of Lords on Tuesday 
A42 170 after Mr Roberts resigned as south Buckinghamshire Coroner the 
A42 171 previous day.<p/>
A42 172 <p_>Mr Roberts, 56, has had to resign from everything, including 
A42 173 being a managing partner at Winter-Taylors solicitors in High 
A42 174 Wycombe, to be completely impartial.<p/>
A42 175 <p_>He is already a recorder in crown and county courts but being a 
A42 176 judge on the Thames Valley circuit is a prestigious step up.<p/>
A42 177 <p_>His coroner's officer PC Dennis Cannon said it had been a 
A42 178 privilege to work for Mr Roberts and he would be missed.<p/>
A42 179 
A42 180 <h_><p_>Skies open for Astronomer Heather<p/><h/>
A42 181 <p_>THE heavens opened when TV astronomer Heather Cooper visited 
A42 182 the Wycombe Astronomical Society last week.<p/>
A42 183 <p_>Heather was due to lay the foundation stone for the society's 
A42 184 new observatory but rain forced organisers to abandon the ceremony 
A42 185 last week.<p/>
A42 186 <p_>Undeterred by the weather conditions, Heather, who is the 
A42 187 group's president, still managed to help members celebrate their 
A42 188 tenth anniversary last week when she cut the birthday cake at 
A42 189 Woodrow High House, Woodrow, Amersham.<p/>
A42 190 <p_>Shaun Taylor, who started up the group, said despite not being 
A42 191 able to lay the stone Heather had promised to return to see how the 
A42 192 building work was progressing.<p/>
A42 193 <p_>He said: <quote_>"Because of the rain it was not ideal and we 
A42 194 also had to cancel the concrete. We are hoping to finish the 
A42 195 observatory this year or early next year."<quote/><p/>
A42 196 
A42 197 <h_><p_>Duchess boosts Brenda's recovery<p/><h/>
A42 198 <p_>THE Duchess of Kent brightened up 70-year-old Brenda Martin's 
A42 199 day when she stopped for a long chat during a day hospice visit on 
A42 200 Friday.<p/>
A42 201 <p_>Brenda received a much-needed boost to help her recover from 
A42 202 illness and went home on Tuesday to Dene Wood, Totteridge, with a 
A42 203 big smile on her face.<p/>
A42 204 <p_><quote_>"Brenda has been in the home on two occasions. She was 
A42 205 absolutely delighted to meet the Duchess,"<quote/> said matron 
A42 206 Marilyn Cottrell, from Conigre, Chinnor.<p/>
A42 207 <p_><quote_>"The Duchess took a real interest in how Brenda was 
A42 208 feeling and what treatment she had received here and how she had 
A42 209 benefited.<p/>
A42 210 <p_>"I saw her on Tuesday and she was still bright-eyed over the 
A42 211 visit. it was a real high spot of the day - it really gave her a 
A42 212 boost.<quote/><p/>
A42 213 <p_>Marilyn invited the Duchess to Sue Ryder Home at Nettlebed when 
A42 214 she heard she was coming to live in the village.<p/>
A42 215 
A42 216 <h_><p_>Prize pupils get profit<p/>
A42 217 <p_>By JUDY WARSCHAUER<p/><h/>
A42 218 <p_>PLAYING for Profit 1991 ended in grand style on Tuesday with 
A42 219 the prize-giving at Equity&Law.<p/>
A42 220 <p_>High Wycombe Mayor Val Letheren and Bucks Free Press editor Tim 
A42 221 Blott presented the prizes to the winners of the schools' 
A42 222 competition, organised through the High Wycombe Education Commerce 
A42 223 and Industry Partnership.<p/>
A42 224 <p_>This year's theme was Caring through Profit with the 21 teams, 
A42 225 all in the fourth year, taking part being set the the task of 
A42 226 designing an aid for use by the disabled.<p/>
A42 227 <p_>Peter Moss, personnel general mangager at Equity&Law, welcoming 
A42 228 the guests, explained Playing for Profit was one of the links 
A42 229 existing between industrialists and schools to promote awareness in 
A42 230 this area.<p/>
A42 231 <p_>"The teams perform a real task with an end product, with a time 
A42 232 limit which produces a vivid experience and one they will 
A42 233 remember," said Mr Moss.<p/>
A42 234 <p_>For the first time the partnership introduced a cup for the 
A42 235 winning team to be kept for a year.<p/>
A42 236 <p_>Overall winner: John Hampden Grammar School which received 
A42 237 pounds500 for the school, and pounds25 and a certificate for each 
A42 238 team member; 2nd: Baconsfield High School which received pounds350 
A42 239 for the school, and pounds20 and a certificate for each team 
A42 240 member; 3rd: Wycombe High School which received pounds200 for the 
A42 241 school, and pounds15 and a certificate for each team member; 
A42 242 winners runners-up competition: Wycombe Abbey which received 
A42 243 pounds100 for the school and pounds10 and a certificate for each 
A42 244 team member.<p/>
A42 245 
A43   1 <#FLOB:A43\><h_><p_>School site sold to mystery buyer<p/><h/>
A43   2 <p_>A WEST Cumbrian company has bought the former grammar school 
A43   3 buildings at Cockermouth which stand on five acres of land at the 
A43   4 junction of Lorton Road and Strawberry Howe Road.<p/>
A43   5 <p_>Cumbria County Council's corporate property department 
A43   6 confirmed the sale, subject to contracts and planning 
A43   7 permission.<p/>
A43   8 <p_>The name of the company and its plans for the building have not 
A43   9 yet been made public.<p/>
A43  10 <p_>The old grammar school buildings were closed in July this year 
A43  11 and were offered for sale by tender.<p/>
A43  12 <p_>The grammar school was merged with Derwent School in 1984 and 
A43  13 vacated following the move to a single site at Castlegate Drive, 
A43  14 which was redeveloped at a cost of pounds1.5 million.<p/>
A43  15 <p_>The remaining 25 acres of land have been earmarked as the 
A43  16 possible location for a new Cockermouth primary school and were not 
A43  17 offered for sale.<p/>
A43  18 <p_>Richard Moore, for the corporate property department, 
A43  19 confirmed: <quote_>"The buildings and the five acres they occupy 
A43  20 have been sold to a local company, subject to contract and planning 
A43  21 permission.<p/>
A43  22 <p_>"A new school may be built on part of the remaining land, but 
A43  23 that is way off in the future. There are no plans to sell the land 
A43  24 although we may consider leasing it."<quote/><p/>
A43  25 <p_>Cockermouth rugby union club had been hoping to buy part of the 
A43  26 land to develop as a multi-sports complex in conjunction with other 
A43  27 sports clubs in the town.<p/>
A43  28 
A43  29 <h_><p_>Big black-out as storms blow<p/><h/>
A43  30 <p_>THOUSANDS of homes in West Cumbria were without electricity 
A43  31 yesterday after high winds lashed coastal towns and some inland 
A43  32 villages.<p/>
A43  33 <p_>The power was cut around 2am after tree branches were blown 
A43  34 onto power lines.<p/>
A43  35 <p_>Norweb electricians worked throughout the morning to restore 
A43  36 supply to nearly 2,000 people in the west of the county and 900 in 
A43  37 the east who were affected by the cuts.<p/>
A43  38 <p_>But three schools remained closed after the power failures 
A43  39 affected overnight heating supplies giving pupils at Netherhall 
A43  40 Secondary School and primary schools in Dearham and Crosby an extra 
A43  41 day's holiday.<p/>
A43  42 <p_>Norweb spokesman Stan Harrison said he expected everybody to be 
A43  43 reconnected by yesterday tea-time.<p/>
A43  44 <p_>He said: <quote_>"Most of the people in West Cumbria were back 
A43  45 on supply within a few hours.<p/>
A43  46 <p_>"The last people to be reconnected were in the Lorton Valley 
A43  47 and around Egremont but they should have been alright by the late 
A43  48 afternoon."<quote/><p/>
A43  49 <p_><*_>dot<*/>Baker Michael Armstrong, of 3 Wood Street, Maryport 
A43  50 awoke to find a roof from a neighbouring house in his back 
A43  51 garden.<p/>
A43  52 <p_>An empty house on the cliffside below, badly damaged by fire 
A43  53 five weeks ago, is under renovation, and the whole of the 
A43  54 partially-completed roof had been lifted by the gusting 80 mph 
A43  55 winds, tossed high into the air, turned upside down, blocking their 
A43  56 back door.<p/>
A43  57 
A43  58 <h_><p_>Answering alarm call costs man his licence<p/><h/>
A43  59 <p_>A MAN who went to help police after hearing a burglar alarm has 
A43  60 lost his driving licence for a year.<p/>
A43  61 <p_>Nigel Lymer, 27, of Richmond Close, Workington admitted drink 
A43  62 driving when he appeared before West Allerdale Magistrates.<p/>
A43  63 <p_>The court heard he was only six milligrams over the legal 
A43  64 limit.<p/>
A43  65 <p_>Mr Kevin Commons, defending, said Lymer had gone for a drink in 
A43  66 the Ship and had intended to leave his van in the Washington Street 
A43  67 car park overnight.<p/>
A43  68 <p_>But he leapt into action on hearing the St. John's precinct 
A43  69 alarm go off as he is a key holder for the Workington town centre 
A43  70 precinct and had often been called out after hours to open up.<p/>
A43  71 <p_>However after police checked premises and talked to Lymer they 
A43  72 smelt alcohol on his breath and he was breathalysed.<p/>
A43  73 <p_>A blood analysis taken at Workington Police Station showed 
A43  74 Lymer was just six milligrams over the legal limit.<p/>
A43  75 <p_>Mr Commons asked magistrates to be as lenient as possible under 
A43  76 the circumstances as Lymer had only been doing his public duty.<p/>
A43  77 <p_>Magistrates gave an absolute order of discharge for the offence 
A43  78 but had no choice but to bring in the ban which must be imposed by 
A43  79 law.<p/>
A43  80 
A43  81 <h_><p_>Police probe car offences<p/><h/>
A43  82 <p_>POLICE are investigating a number of offences relating to cars 
A43  83 which occured over the week-end.<p/>
A43  84 <p_>A Ford Granada registered YRM 278T was taken from Salterbeck 
A43  85 and a Ford Cortina number JEF 209W was taken from Park Lane in 
A43  86 Workington.<p/>
A43  87 <p_>The locks of cars in Brayton Street, Workington and outside 
A43  88 Smiths factory, Workington were damaged, while at Maryport a Nissan 
A43  89 <}_><-|>Prarie<+|>Prairie<}/> was damaged to the tune of pounds110 
A43  90 at Bounty Avenue and pounds100 worth of damage was caused to a 
A43  91 vehicle at Dobie's Garage.<p/>
A43  92 <p_>At High Brigham a windscreen was stolen from an unattended Ford 
A43  93 Escort and at Harrington pounds40 worth of damage was caused to the 
A43  94 windscreen of a Toyota.<p/>
A43  95 
A43  96 <h_><p_>Man dies in bus accident<p/><h/>
A43  97 <p_>A PENSIONER died yesterday morning after a traffic accident 
A43  98 with a bus at Moorclose Road, Workington.<p/>
A43  99 <p_>Mr William Plaskett, who lived in Moorclose Road, close to the 
A43 100 scene was near to his own parked car when the accident happened at 
A43 101 7.20 am opposite the Ogden and Lawson copper foundry.<p/>
A43 102 <p_>Mr Plaskett, who was in his late 60's, leaves a wife, Karen, as 
A43 103 well as two young children. Martin and Stacey are both under 
A43 104 six.<p/>
A43 105 <p_>Cumberland Motor Services said the bus involved in the accident 
A43 106 was on a town service route and had left Brierydale at 7.15 am 
A43 107 travelling to the town centre. The driver was Mr Alan Lavery of 
A43 108 Workington who was said to be extremely shocked by the accident.<p/>
A43 109 <p_>The company's operations manager, Mr Paul Coupar, said: 
A43 110 <quote_>"The accident happened on the 7.15 am Brierydale to 
A43 111 Workington journey. After the second stop at Moorclose Road the bus 
A43 112 was in collision with someone who was believed to have emerged from 
A43 113 a car. A statement has been provided to the police. It is a tragic 
A43 114 accident."<quote/><p/>
A43 115 
A43 116 <h_><p_>Sex attacker jailed after hostage ordeal<p/><h/>
A43 117 <p_>SEX-ATTACKER Shaun Riley has been jailed for 18 months after 
A43 118 holding a couple hostage and twice seriously indecently assaulting 
A43 119 the woman.<p/>
A43 120 <p_>Just seven weeks before the incident he had been released from 
A43 121 a ten year sentence after the Appeal Court quashed a conviction for 
A43 122 rape and indecent assault.<p/>
A43 123 <p_>Carlisle Crown Court also heard that the Workington woman, a 
A43 124 34-year-old mother, alleged that Riley had raped her two years 
A43 125 earlier, on New Year's Eve 1988.<p/>
A43 126 <p_>No charges relating to that incident were ever brought to 
A43 127 court.<p/>
A43 128 <p_>A jury took less than an hour to convict Riley, 24, of Grasmere 
A43 129 Avenue, Workington, of the two indecent assaults.<p/>
A43 130 <h|>Imprisoned
A43 131 <p_>Judge Charles Mahon sentenced him to 18 months jail in addition 
A43 132 to a five year term for robbery that Riley has just started.<p/>
A43 133 <p_>He told Riley: <quote_>"You intimidated this couple and 
A43 134 imprisoned them in this woman's home for two or three hours.<p/>
A43 135 <p_>"The very nature of the second attack was much nastier than the 
A43 136 first one and left the woman cowering against a wall saying 'keep 
A43 137 him from me'."<quote/><p/>
A43 138 <p_>The court had earlier heard the woman and her elderly male 
A43 139 friend had been eating in a Workington Chinese restaurant, when she 
A43 140 spotted a man she later found to be Riley beckoning her over. She 
A43 141 ignored him.<p/>
A43 142 <p_>But, when the couple left, Riley followed and tried to 
A43 143 intimidate the grey-haired elderly man.<p/>
A43 144 <p_>The victim claimed Riley was talking constantly about the Gulf 
A43 145 War and how he was due to leave to command a platoon of men.<p/>
A43 146 <p_>He followed her back to the flat and forced his way into the 
A43 147 hallway where, she told the court, he lifted up her t-shirt and 
A43 148 tried to pull down her knickers.<p/>
A43 149 <p_>She screamed out for her friend before escaping and running out 
A43 150 into the street to look for a policeman.<p/>
A43 151 <p_>The friend followed and found her crying hysterically in the 
A43 152 street.<p/>
A43 153 <p_>He managed to calm her down and took her back to the flat, only 
A43 154 to find Riley hiding at the bottom of the stairs.<p/>
A43 155 <p_>Riley claimed "military training" had taught him how to enter 
A43 156 buildings undetected.<p/>
A43 157 <p_>He told the friend to lock himself in an upstairs toilet and 
A43 158 then attempted to have sex with the woman.<p/>
A43 159 
A43 160 <h_><p_>Driver in terror on dual road<p/><h/>
A43 161 <p_>A KESWICK motorist claimed she was terrified when a car was 
A43 162 driven alongside her for almost the lenght of a dual carriageway in 
A43 163 Allerdale.<p/>
A43 164 <p_>Amanda Miller, of Windebrowe Avenue, told West Allerdale 
A43 165 magistrates: <quote_>"He just decided he wanted to intimidate us. I 
A43 166 was terrified."<quote/><p/>
A43 167 <p_>But the other driver, Ian Tyson, 31, of The Hill, Brigham, said 
A43 168 he was simply trying to overtake and accused Mrs Miller of 
A43 169 accelerating to stop him.<p/>
A43 170 <p_>Tyson denied charges alleging he drove recklessly or, as an 
A43 171 alternative, without reasonable consideration for other road 
A43 172 users.<p/>
A43 173 <p_>He was found guilty of driving without reasonable consideration 
A43 174 on the A66 road near Bassenthwaite Lake and was fined pounds100.<p/>
A43 175 <p_>The court heard that the incident began near Embleton where, 
A43 176 each alleged, they were dazzled by the other.<p/>
A43 177 <p_>Mrs Miller said that while driving home at night she overtook 
A43 178 Tyson who then drove right up behind her with his headlights on 
A43 179 full.<p/>
A43 180 <p_>Once on the dual carriageway beside Bassenthwaite Lake, she 
A43 181 said, Tyson pulled along side her sounding his horn.<p/>
A43 182 <p_>Mrs Miller, who had three passengers in her car, said she tried 
A43 183 to accelerate away. She claimed he then pulled in front and began 
A43 184 braking and flashing his rear fog lights. She said she eventually 
A43 185 stopped at a lay-by.<p/>
A43 186 <p_>Tyson told the court that when Mrs Miller drove up behind him 
A43 187 she had her lights on full beam and that cars coming in the 
A43 188 opposite direction were flashing her.<p/>
A43 189 <p_>He said that once ahead Mrs Miller slowed down and that when he 
A43 190 started to over-take her on the dual carriageway she accelerated to 
A43 191 stop him.<p/>
A43 192 
A43 193 <h_><p_>Prisoner lashed out at officer<p/><h/>
A43 194 <p_>PENT up frustration caused a prisoner to lash out with a plate, 
A43 195 hitting a police officer in the face, West Allerdale magistrates 
A43 196 heard.<p/>
A43 197 <p_>PC Ian Armstrong suffered swelling and bruising in the assault 
A43 198 at the police cells in Workington.<p/>
A43 199 <p_>Darren Clarke, 22, of Cusack Crescent, Workington, admitted 
A43 200 causing actual bodily harm to PC Armstrong and was ordered to do 
A43 201 200 hours of community service and to pay Mr Armstrong pounds75 
A43 202 compensation.<p/>
A43 203 <p_>His solicitor, Kevin Commons, said Clarke's then girl-frind - 
A43 204 they are now married - had suffered a miscarriage.<p/>
A43 205 <p_>Mr Commons said that during a visit officers had had to drag 
A43 206 her from the cell and that during the incident Clarke hit out.<p/>
A43 207 <p_>He said: <quote_>"It was frustration more than any wish to hurt 
A43 208 this police officer. He <}_><-|>apologies<+|>apologises<}/> for 
A43 209 that."<quote/><p/>
A43 210 <p_>Clarke also admitted two charges of handling stolen goods - 
A43 211 bedding and electrical goods found during a police search of his 
A43 212 home.<p/>
A43 213 <p_>Before the court with Clarke was Mark Moore, 19, of Cusack 
A43 214 Crescent, who also admitted two charges of handling stolen 
A43 215 goods.<p/>
A43 216 <p_>Mr Commons said Moore had paid Clarke <quote_>"in kind"<quote/> 
A43 217 with the goods for joinery jobs done by him.<p/>
A43 218 <p_>Clarke further admitted driving on the Pica-Frizington road 
A43 219 without an excise licence, a driving licence or insurance, and with 
A43 220 a defective tyre and brakes.<p/>
A43 221 <p_>Mr Commons said Clarke had already been punished for the 
A43 222 motoring offences having been inflicted with injuries requiring 
A43 223 surgery.<p/>
A43 224 <p_>He asked the court to give Clarke, who has numerous 
A43 225 convictions, a chance to build a new life with his new wife.<p/>
A43 226 <p_>For the handling Clarke was ordered to do 150 hours of 
A43 227 community service to run concurrently with the assault sentence.<p/>
A43 228 <p_>He was given conditional discharges for the motoring offences 
A43 229 and banned from driving for six months under the totting up 
A43 230 regulations.<p/>
A43 231 <p_>Mr Commons said Moore turned a <quote_>"blind eye"<quote/> to 
A43 232 the fact that the property was probably stolen.<p/>
A43 233 <p_>He said Moore <quote_>"is a young man who hasn't much going for 
A43 234 him but who is looking forward to having a family and improving his 
A43 235 life."<quote/><p/>
A43 236 <p_>Moore was ordered to do 150 hours of community service.<p/>
A43 237 
A43 238 <h_><p_>Man in road was a hazard<p/><h/>
A43 239 <p_>KESWICK magistrates fined a 31 year old man pounds50 after 
A43 240 hearing how he caused a <quote_>"substantial hazard"<quote/> by 
A43 241 wandering across the A66 road at Braithwaite.<p/>
A43 242 <p_>Michael Carr, Norfolk Arms, Penruddock, Penrith, pleaded guilty 
A43 243 to obstructing the highway.<p/>
A43 244 <p_>Prosecutor Charles Bland said police found Carr wandering on 
A43 245 the A66 and it appeared he was drunk. Cars were having to slow down 
A43 246 to drive around him.<p/>
A43 247 
A44   1 <#FLOB:A44\><h_><p_>Prof's sentences pass judgement on judges<p/>
A44   2 <p_>By ANDREW CHATFIELD<p/><h/>
A44   3 <p_>PROFESSOR John Griffith believes writing books is simply part 
A44   4 and parcel of being an academic. Writing a book that provoked 
A44   5 bitter controversy was a bonus, especially when The Politics Of The 
A44   6 Judiciary achieved the highest accolade the chattering classes can 
A44   7 bestow - extended correspondence in The Times.<p/>
A44   8 <p_>It is a book which asked for trouble by taking on the 
A44   9 establishment, and one that was written by a man who is a former 
A44  10 Labour councillor.<p/>
A44  11 <p_>Its central theme is that British judges cannot be neutral but 
A44  12 have to make political decisions all the time in the way they 
A44  13 interpret the public interest. <quote_>"We had great 
A44  14 fun,"<quote/>says Prof Griffith now, recalling the furore and 
A44  15 especially an angry article written by one London School of 
A44  16 Economics colleague. <quote_>"He more or less accused me of being a 
A44  17 subversive."<quote/><p/>
A44  18 <p_>The professor was also delighted to read a comment by Lord 
A44  19 Denning himself that: <quote_>"The youngsters believe that we come 
A44  20 from a narrow background. It is all nonsense. They get it from that 
A44  21 man Griffith."<quote/><p/>
A44  22 <p_>He admits the reaction was a bonus. <quote_>"I was delighted. 
A44  23 After all, it is a polemical book, or rather an argumentative and 
A44  24 controversial book, and naturally one likes the 
A44  25 controversy."<quote/><p/>
A44  26 <p_>And, he adds: <quote_>"The result of all that was that it sold 
A44  27 like mad."<quote/><p/>
A44  28 <p_>Since it first appeared in 1977, the book has been published in 
A44  29 three more editions. <quote_>"I was lucky in a way because ever 
A44  30 since I wrote it the courts seem to have got themselves into more 
A44  31 and more trouble,"<quote/> he says.<p/>
A44  32 <p_>Professor Griffith, now 72 and living in Marlow, was brought up 
A44  33 in Cardiff, the son of a Baptist minister.<p/>
A44  34 <p_>He was educated at Taunton School and the LSE. He considered 
A44  35 the civil service as a career, but was then offered a place 
A44  36 teaching law at the University of Wales.<p/>
A44  37 <p_>Most of his teaching life was spent at the LSE, but in 1986 he 
A44  38 was approached to stand for election when the post of Chancellor at 
A44  39 Manchester University fell vacant. To his amazement he was elected, 
A44  40 and he still holds that post.<p/>
A44  41 <p_>Today, he lives in The Close, Marlow, with his wife Barbara, 
A44  42 and is mentioned in Who's Who.<p/>
A44  43 <p_>Despite his successes, he is modest about his literary 
A44  44 achievements because he is equally modest about his academic 
A44  45 status, saying he is not an outstanding scholar.<p/>
A44  46 <p_><quote_>"If I am any good at anything, I am good at teaching 
A44  47 and secondarily at research,"<quote/> he explains.<p/>
A44  48 <p_>His most recent original book was a text-book called Parliament 
A44  49 - Functions, Practice and Procedures.<p/>
A44  50 <p_><quote_>"I think I have consciously written two sorts of books. 
A44  51 Books for my teaching purposes and then the more political and 
A44  52 polemical type of writing,"<quote/> he says. <quote_>"I am a fairly 
A44  53 political animal and I like writing polemical works. I suppose this 
A44  54 is simply because I am interested in politics.<p/>
A44  55 <p_><quote_>"I have been a Labour supporter all my life and I was 
A44  56 on Marlow Urban District Council and the county council as a Labour 
A44  57 member."<quote/><p/>
A44  58 <p_>HIS main battle as a councillor was over plans to replace 
A44  59 Marlow bridge with a much wider version, a move which he believes 
A44  60 would have been disastrous for the town.<p/>
A44  61 <p_><quote_>"Politically I just think that today all the major 
A44  62 questions cannot be solved by the market,"<quote/> he says.<p/>
A44  63 <p_><quote_>"The major questions are things like pollution, housing 
A44  64 and the health service, and these questions are not, by their very 
A44  65 nature, things for which the market can provide."<quote/><p/>
A44  66 
A44  67 <h_><p_>Music-mad tycoon banks on taking rock band to the top<p/>
A44  68 <p_>Millionaire takes Wrekless gamble<p/><h/>
A44  69 <p_>Millionaire Graham Granaski has always had a passion for music, 
A44  70 so he leapt at the chance to promote local rock group Wrekless. 
A44  71 DAVID CLOUGH went to meet him at his home in Hazlemere<p/><h/>
A44  72 <p_>GRAHAM Granaski is a self-made man. His luxury home, 
A44  73 Brackenwood House in Hazlemere, valued two years ago at two million 
A44  74 pounds, is a testament to his acquired status.<p/>
A44  75 <p_>A pair of old-fashioned red telephone boxes direct the visitor 
A44  76 to Graham's back garden, which is only part filled with around 40 
A44  77 cars.<p/>
A44  78 <p_><quote_>"Oh yes, they're mine,"<quote/> he cheerfully confirms. 
A44  79 The question of when he finds time to drive them springs to mind 
A44  80 but not to the lips, as Graham leads the way inside.<p/>
A44  81 <p_>There, three roadie types sit having a drink and apparently 
A44  82 doing little else. It later transpires one of them is a guitarist 
A44  83 with Wrekless.<p/>
A44  84 <p_>Graham shows me into an adjoining room dominated by an indoor 
A44  85 swimming pool. More interestingly, though, around the room are a 
A44  86 number of framed gold discs.<p/>
A44  87 <p_>Graham says he managed to indulge his love of pop music after 
A44  88 joining the Variety Club two years ago and that he came by the 
A44  89 discs through contacts there.<p/>
A44  90 <p_>He has a similar story to tell about how he came to own the 
A44  91 original Beatles drumskin from 1961, which sits proudly at one end 
A44  92 of the pool.<p/>
A44  93 <h|>Memorabilia
A44  94 <p_>On a nearby wall, hangs a framed affidavit from Ringo Starr, 
A44  95 made in an attempt to stop him buying the drumskin.<p/>
A44  96 <p_>Exact details about how Graham came by his impressive 
A44  97 collection of pop memorabilia are not easy to establish. 
A44  98 <quote_>"It's through my contacts with the Variety Club,"<quote/> 
A44  99 is his stock reply.<p/>
A44 100 <p_>But he does mention a man called Noel Smith, the road manager 
A44 101 with Pink Floyd, who helped him get hold of The Beatles' drumskin 
A44 102 at <}_><-|>least<+|>last<}/>.<p/>
A44 103 <p_><quote_>"He recorded with Pink Floyd in the Abbey Road studios. 
A44 104 It was through him that I got some of the Dire Straits stuff, 
A44 105 too,"<quote/> Graham explains.<p/>
A44 106 <p_>Graham is clearly delighted with his collection. His pleasure 
A44 107 at owning such famous pop artefacts is born of a longstanding love 
A44 108 of the music scene.<p/>
A44 109 <p_>"I've always been into music, ever since I can remember, and 
A44 110 having things like this around is a real thrill," he says.<p/>
A44 111 <p_>On the subject of how he made the money to buy such things, 
A44 112 Graham is less forthcoming. It's not so much that he's understated 
A44 113 about his business life, as that he cannot prevent his enthusiasm 
A44 114 for his latest music project overshadowing everything else.<p/>
A44 115 <p_>But while he may be bubbling over with ideas for Wrekless, whom 
A44 116 he has been promoting for four months, Graham has no plans to slow 
A44 117 down on the business front.<p/>
A44 118 <p_>He volunteers a short personal history. After leaving 
A44 119 Beaconsfield Secondary Modern (now The Beaconsfield School), he 
A44 120 became an apprentice carpenter and joiner, before going into 
A44 121 landscape gardening. Neither career worked out.<p/>
A44 122 <p_><quote_>"I started out with nothing, really. But then I went 
A44 123 into car sales and after that property,"<quote/> he says.<p/>
A44 124 <p_>Graham now owns a garage in London called High Performance 
A44 125 Cars. His path from failed landscape gardener to property 
A44 126 millionaire is not  an obvious one.<p/>
A44 127 <p_>But Graham elucidates the situation with one short and telling 
A44 128 statement: <quote_>"I am good at one thing, and that's making 
A44 129 money."<quote/><p/>
A44 130 <p_>That undoubted gift has put Graham in the enviable position 
A44 131 today of being able to spend his time doing just what he wants.<p/>
A44 132 <p_>What he wants at the moment is to see Wrekless make it big and 
A44 133 he makes a good job of convincing people he really believes in the 
A44 134 band.<p/>
A44 135 <h|>Succeed
A44 136 <p_><quote_>"I think they'll do it. I don't see why not,"<quote/> 
A44 137 he repeats several times.<p/>
A44 138 <p_>Of course, a man like Graham has not made his money by just 
A44 139 hoping for the best. He knows the importance of making people 
A44 140 believe he is going to succeed.<p/>
A44 141 <p_>But, for all his commercial know-how when it comes to promoting 
A44 142 Wrekless, Graham has taken on the project as an indulgence, not an 
A44 143 out and out money-making venture.<p/>
A44 144 <p_><quote_>"I am doing this because I would have loved to have 
A44 145 been in a band when I was their age,"<quote/> he says.<p/>
A44 146 <p_>At 40, Graham has finally got round to finding some time for 
A44 147 his pop music passion.<p/>
A44 148 <p_>He cannot contain his excitement as he shows me a video clip of 
A44 149 the band: <quote_>"They are good, aren't they? I think they can do 
A44 150 it,"<quote/> he enthuses.<p/>
A44 151 <p_><quote_>"But we're just having fun, you know. I don't want to 
A44 152 make any money out of this,"<quote/> he adds, forgetting himself 
A44 153 for a second.<p/>
A44 154 <p_><quote_>"Well, I do really, but we want to enjoy this as well. 
A44 155 It's really great."<quote/><p/>
A44 156 
A44 157 <h_><p_>Mike's in the pinko with a socialist hit<p/>
A44 158 <p_>MUSIC NEWS<p/>
A44 159 <p_>By ANDREW CHATFIELD<p/><h/>
A44 160 <p_>LIBERAL Democrat councillor Michael Brand has reached the final 
A44 161 stage of prestigious national musical-writing contest with a work 
A44 162 based on a great socialist novel.<p/>
A44 163 <p_>He believes Don't Come Monday, based on Robert Tressell's The 
A44 164 Ragged-Trousered Philanthropist, is the first brass band 
A44 165 musical.<p/>
A44 166 <p_>But he denies it betrays any secret yearnings to go Red. 
A44 167 <quote_>"It was my grandfather's fault. He was a great trade 
A44 168 unionist,"<quote/> he explains. <quote_>"He gave me the book when I 
A44 169 was about 18, just as I was going up to Oxford, and he said: 'Look 
A44 170 here, my boy, just in case you get the wrong idea, have a look at 
A44 171 this'."<quote/><p/>
A44 172 <p_>Years later, he conceived the idea of transferring that 
A44 173 Edwardian tale of industrial strife to the stage.<p/>
A44 174 <p_><quote_>"I was interested because socialists have more strong 
A44 175 feelings about things,"<quote/> he says. <quote_>"But the next 
A44 176 musical might be about Hitler or something."<quote/><p/>
A44 177 <p_>It is the fourth musical written by this versatile music 
A44 178 publisher, who was elected to represent Amersham-on-the-Hill on 
A44 179 Chiltern District Council at the May elections.<p/>
A44 180 <p_>He lives in the town's Redding Drive with his wife and family. 
A44 181 The judging panel of the Quest For New Musicals competition, which 
A44 182 includes Richard Stilgoe, like the sample tape so much it was 
A44 183 chosen as one of 30 out of nearly 500 entries to go through to the 
A44 184 final stage.<p/>
A44 185 <p_>The best eight will be performed in a five-day festival in 
A44 186 September, but the others will all be contracted to Buxton Opera 
A44 187 House in Derbyshire.<p/>
A44 188 <p_>Michael is now completing the musical with the help of friend 
A44 189 and lyricist Ian Chippendale, financial director of the Theatre 
A44 190 Royal Windsor.<p/>
A44 191 <p_>HE began writing musicals while studying music at Oxford. His 
A44 192 first, based on Max Beerbohm's novel about Zuleika Dobson, was 
A44 193 staged at The Playhouse, Oxford.<p/>
A44 194 <p_><quote_>"It is a terrible ego trip top sit there in the theatre 
A44 195 and watch people enjoy what you have written,"<quote/> he says. 
A44 196 <quote_>"After that, it is terribly difficult to stop."<quote/><p/>
A44 197 <p_>Michael then wrote a musical with TV comedian Mel Smith, whom 
A44 198 he met at university. But the piece, based on the Story of Cyrano 
A44 199 De Bergerac, did not quite work.<p/>
A44 200 <p_>His next musical was about a jazz band and grew out of a period 
A44 201 spent working as a producer on BBC Radio Two.<p/>
A44 202 <p_>Big-time success has still eluded him. But the advice of top 
A44 203 producer Patrick Garland, who directed the hit West End show Billy, 
A44 204 has kept him going.<p/>
A44 205 <p_><quote_>"He said there are no set routes for getting a musical 
A44 206 on,"<quote/> says Michael.<p/>
A44 207 <p_><quote_>"If you write a novel or a play, you send it to an 
A44 208 agent and, if he likes it, he sends it to a publisher and he takes 
A44 209 it or not. There are no easy routes for a musical. If what you 
A44 210 write is good, don't let anyone put you off."<quote/><p/>
A44 211 <p_>The brass band music gives Don't Come Monday a unique style, 
A44 212 something vital in any musical success.<p/>
A44 213 <p_><quote_>"I think the story has a unique aptness to the current 
A44 214 recession,"<quote/> explains Michael. <quote_>"It is a time when 
A44 215 people are rethinking what they stand for, and why they are working 
A44 216 and what they are doing. it is not just a musical to entertain. It 
A44 217 has dramatic content."<quote/><p/>
A44 218 <p_>But he adds a comment he applies to all musicals. <quote_>"It 
A44 219 is not really a work of art. it is a commercial thing."<quote/><p/>
A44 220 <p_>And it is expensive. To make a demo tape with any chance of 
A44 221 success costs about pounds5.000, he estimates.<p/>
A44 222 <p_>Although he currently runs the R Smith and Co music publishing 
A44 223 business in Wingrave, his creative work has a strong pull. 
A44 224 <quote_>"If I am absolutely honest, I would love to do that all the 
A44 225 time, but the chances of earning a living at it are literally a 
A44 226 million to one."<quote/><p/>
A44 227 
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