Stormont resumes business as usual
Northern Ireland’s politicians return to Stormont today to resume a meeting suspended on Friday when Michael Stone, the convicted loyalist killer, attacked the Province’s parliament building.
Mr Stone was charged this weekend with five counts of attempted murder. He told police that he planned to kill Gerry Adams, the Sinn Fein president, and his colleague Martin McGuinness. But his claims looked increasingly like the ramblings of a self-deluded loner yesterday, when it emerged that he had told journalists that he wanted to go back to prison.
Man dies on railing
Advertisement
A teenager has died after becoming impaled on spiked railings. Steven Whale, 19, from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, was found in the early hours of Saturday on a church fence in the town, a police spokeswoman said. He was freed by fire crews using hydraulic cutting gear, but died later in hospital.
Patients’ survey
Patients who find it difficult to get an appointment with their GP may be able to contribute to a reduction in the surgery’s income by complaining in a new survey. The Department of Health is planning to use a satisfaction survey of five million patients to determine a proportion of surgery income.
Surgeons shortage
One of Britain’s top doctors has warned the Government that there needs to be a large increase in the number of NHS surgeons. Bernard Ribeiro, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said that the Department of Health must double its plan for an extra 2,700 consultants by 2010.
Advertisement
Bonus for troops
Troops sent overseas will get an immediate separation allowance, which could mean an extra £600 for soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq. Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, said that troops would get the allowance as soon as they deployed rather than having to wait 100 days, as they had to previously.
Minister met casino bidder on US visit
Another government minister travelled to the United States to meet Philip Anschutz, who wants to turn the Millennium Dome into a casino. Lord Falconer of Thoroton, formerly minister in charge of the Dome, flew to the US in 2002 to discuss Mr Anschutz’s plans for the building. Whitehall officials said that Lord Falconer had stayed in an hotel at public expense, not as a guest of Mr Anschutz’s companies, unlike John Prescott.
Museum stabbing
Advertisement
A man stabbed a woman to death on the third floor of the World Museum Liverpool, then plunged to his death from a nearby balcony. The pair, who were thought to have been in their late teens or early 20s, knew each other, police said. Officers would not confirm that the man had killed himself.
Parking row death
A dispute over a parking space is believed to have led to the death of a man in Aldershot, Hampshire. Neighbours said that the victim, who was in his 50s, had been arguing with another man about who had the right to park their car in a residents’ bay. The man was pronounced dead in hospital. An investigation is under way.
Memento theft plea
The mother of an army officer who was killed in Afghanistan has appealed for the return of mementoes given to her by her son. Captain David Patten, 38, died while serving in Helmand province this year. His mother, Mary, returned to her home in Coleraine, in Co Londonderry, to find that it had been ransacked.
Advertisement
Parachute release
A two-person parachute will be unveiled by the Ministry of Defence this week. First details of the “piggy-back” tandem parachute will appear in the official RAF newspaper. It will be used for special operations and is due to enter service in the summer. Secret trials have already taken place in Arizona.
Booth is out of here
Lauren Booth, Tony Blair’s sister-in-law, has been kicked off I’m a Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here! Ms Booth, 39, who had been in the jungle for 15 days, is the fourth contestant to be voted off the ITV1 show. She said afterwards that she thought Jason Donovan or Myleene Klass would win the contest.
Calming lights
Advertisement
Pink floodlights are to be installed near known trouble spots in Preston, Lancashire, in an attempt to halt the rise of street crime. Police officers say that the lights will create a calming influence over unruly teenagers. The lights also accentuate skin blemishes, such as acne, and police hope this will deter teenage gangs.
Male contraceptive pill ‘in five years’
A male contraceptive pill that works in a single dose and can be taken before sex could be available in five years. The pill, which is being developed at King’s College London, contains chemicals that prevent ejaculation without affecting the intensity of the orgasm. It would also be hormone-free, meaning there would be no side-effects such as hot flushes. The Family Planning Association said that the pill would liberate women.
Animal test ethics
An animal ethics centre, which claims to be the first think-tank of its kind in the world, has opened in Oxford. The Centre for Animal Ethics aims to foster informed debate on issues such as animal testing. Its director is Professor Andrew Linzey, an Anglican priest, writer and Oxford University theologian.
Body found at pub
A murder investigation has been started after a man’s body was found behind the Open Hearth pub in Corby, Northamptonshire. The man, who has not been identified, is believed to have been in his twenties or thirties and have lived locally. Police searched the area and arrested two men on suspicion of murder.
Grave mistake
The vicar of St Andrew’s Church in Owslebury, near Winchester, Hampshire, is to face a church court hearing after a man was buried in the wrong grave. John and Pauline Hood were devastated when they saw that Alan Povey had been buried in a plot they had reserved next to the grave of their son.
Unlucky for some
Monday the 27th, not Friday the 13th, should be regarded as the unluckiest day, an insurer says. A study of one million claims by AA Insurance found that more people had an accident on this date than on any other. The insurer said that many of the accidents befell people in their own homes.
Cabbie ‘worst job’
Driving a black cab in London is Britain’s most difficult job, say researchers for the Discovery Channel. Jobs were ranked by risk of death or injury, working hours, skill levels and mental and physical stress. Working on a trawler in the North Sea was second; chopping trees in the Great Yorkshire Forest was third.
Net gain in friends
Britons have an average of 54 friends, research suggests. A study of 1,000 adults by Microsoft found that the number of friends was 64 per cent higher than in 2003, partly due to improvements in communications. One in three respondents said that they had made friends with someone via the internet.