News in Brief

Tories hire agency

An advertising agency that boasts about its work for the Stop the War in Iraq campaign has been hired by David Cameron to help to modernise the image of the Conservative Party.

Karmarama, whose clients include Ikea, will work on posters for the local elections in May. If the company’s campaign is successful it will be in line for the advertising contract which M & C Saatchi held until the last general election. The agency came to national prominence in 2003 when it created the “Make Tea Not War” poster for the anti-Iraq war march in Hyde Park. The campaign was funded by the Stop the War Coalition. The Tory Party continues to support British military involvement in Iraq.

Strain on shelters

Eastern European immigrants are placing a strain on night shelters and hostels for the homeless, a charity has said. A survey of shelters by Homeless Link suggests that one in seven people trying to use their services are Eastern Europeans. “Homelessness charities are not equipped to meet (their) needs,” it said.

Energy inequality

A coalition of consumer groups, including Energywatch, has called for energy suppliers to stop charging the poor more for energy. Millions of low-income homes use pre-paid meters but, it costs them up to £173 more for gas and up to £113 more for electricity a year compared with billed customers.

Swamp fever case

The first case in Britain of swamp fever — a viral disease that is potentially fatal in horses — has been confirmed after a foal in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, was put down. Restrictions have been put in place around the premises where the foal lived, and will remain there for at least 90 days.

Divorce victory for ‘ugly’ wife

A man’s attempt to stop his wife divorcing him after he called her ugly and said he would marry a “beautiful” wife polygamously was blocked at the Court of Appeal.

Kulsum Khan had left Muhammad Habeebuddin Ahmed after he told her she “needed plastic surgery” and said he would take as a second wife a woman whom he had met online. Ms Khan was granted a decree nisi by Judge Hawksworth at Leeds County Court last year. Mr Ahmed told the appeal court that the judge had been insensitive to cultural and religious differences and that his human rights has been breached.

Polygamy is permitted under Islamic law.

Lord Justice Wilson said that Mr Ahmed was motivated more by “concern for potential financial consequences than any genuine desire to keep the marriage alive.”

War protest trial

Two protesters broke into RAF Fairford, which is used by US B52 bombers, causing nearly £10,000 of damage, Bristol Crown Court was told. Dr Margaret Jones, 55, and Arthur Milling, 58, who deny charges of conspiracy, said that they wanted to disarm weapons of mass destruction. The trial continues.

Bilingual school

The first bilingual state primary school opens today. Twenty-eight children will join the reception class at Wix Primary School in Battersea, South London, where they will be taught all their subjects in both languages. The initiative is being supported by Wandsworth Council and the French Government.

Squatters ousted

Squatters who held noisy 24-hour parties at a mansion in St John’s Wood in North London have been evicted by police. The eight-bedroom home, worth £14 million, was said to have been littered with beer cans and covered in graffiti. The house is due to be demolished to make way for a new development.

Suspicious death

A woman of 75 has been found dead in her home in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, with multiple injuries to her upper body. Her body was found after police and firefighters were called to a blaze at the bungalow. Detectives are treating her death as suspicious and have appealed for information.

Hitler’s desk sale

A desk and chair that once belonged to Adolf Hitler are up for sale. The items of furniture from his apartment in Munich are expected to fetch a total of $1 million (£525,000). The pieces were acquired by an anonymous American collector after being sold by the US Government in the early 1970s.

Fines ‘not fit to replace’ trials

The trial of eight men accused of plotting to blow up airliners is not expected to be held until 2008, the Old Bailey was told. The men, aged between 19 and 28, are each charged with conspiracy to murder and preparing to assemble and detonate explosive devices on aircraft. They were remanded in custody.

Bomb plot hearing

Smoking study

Passive smoking greatly increases the risks of wheezing and breathlessness, research suggests. The results, presented at the congress of the European Respiratory Society in Munich, add persuasive data to evidence that passive smoke is harmful. Jan-Christer Janson, of Uppsala University, Sweden, conducted the study.

Shop stabbing

A shopkeeper was stabbed to death after intervening in an argument between his wife and two customers. Siraperakash Supramaniam, 33, bled to death after being attacked near his shop in Wembley, North London. Two men and a woman were arrested but released without charge.

L-tests cancelled

Thousands of driving tests were cancelled as examiners went on strike over job cuts and changes to working practices proposed by the Driving Standards Agency. The examiners’ union said that almost 2,000 walked out for 24 hours and up to 4,000 tests, more than half the total, were cancelled.

Animal souvenirs

Up to 600,000 Britons bought animal parts as souvenirs while holidaying abroad in the past five years, a survey suggested. Reptile skin items, animal teeth and coral were among the items brought home. The YouGov poll was commissioned by the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

Titanic saved

A man who faced having his 100ft replica model of the Titanic destroyed has been told that it can remain in his garden in Inverness. Highland Council had warned Stan Fraser, 42, that he needed retrospective planning permission for his scale model of the liner, but councillors have ruled that it can remain.