News in Brief

Blair waits on IRA

Tony Blair met Bertie Ahern, his Irish counterpart, in Downing Street to review prospects of reviving the peace process as the wait continued for an IRA statement. A response to Gerry Adams’s general election campaign call for the IRA fully to embrace a political path has been expected for some weeks.

Midwife leads

A midwife has been elected president of Unison, Britain’s largest trade union. Christine Wilde, who works on the Isle of Wight, was a vice-president and long-standing member of the union. Ms Wilde, a grandmother, said that she intends to set up a shelter for children who have lost their parents through Aids.

Wimbledon up

Attendances during the first week of Wimbledon were up by 15 per cent on last year. Nearly 250,000 entered the All England Club, which spent £2 million refunding visitors last year when two days were lost to rain. There were fears that numbers will now fall owing to the absence of any Britons in the fourth round.

Prince’s praise

Songs of Praise is to feature a tribute by the Prince of Wales to his grandmother and their shared love of a remote corner of northeast Scotland. In an edition to be screened on BBC1 on September 11, the Prince will be interviewed at Castle of Mey, bought by the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 1952.

Discrimination lessons for Met

Senior Metropolitan police officers came under fire for behaving like a “pack of rottweilers” whenever they get a hint of discrimination.

Glen Smyth, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said that lessons had to be learnt after a white police officer accused of racism by an Asian colleague won his racial and sexual discrimination case. Detective Constable Tom Hassell, 60, brought the case against the Metropolitan Police to an employment tribunal after he was investigated for remarks allegedly made during a police training session in 1999.

Conran fraudster

A fraudster whose victims included Sir Terence Conran was ordered by Worcester Crown Court to pay back £450,000 or risk a further three years in jail. Darren Steadman, 35, was imprisoned for 4½ years last year after being convicted of stealing almost £1 million from the bank account of Sir Terence.

Cancer drug

A licence was granted for the breast cancer drug Arimidex, or anastrozole, after the biggest trial yet conducted, involving 9,300 women over five years. Results showed that it reduced risk of the disease returning after surgery by 25 per cent, and from spreading by 16 per cent, compared with tamoxifen treatment.

Prison death

A prisoner has been found dead in his cell at HMP Liverpool hanging by his belt. Timothy Davenport, 40, was sentenced to six years in jail for theft in July 2002. A Prison Service spokeswoman said: “As with all deaths within the prison estate, there will be an investigation by the Prisons Ombudsman.”

Smart funeral

Family and friends of Billy Smart Jr, including Bruce Forsyth, turned out for his funeral. The owner of Billy Smart’s Circus died on May 23, aged 70. Hundreds of people attended the service at St Peter’s Church, Winkfield, Berkshire. The ceremony included a gun salute by members of the US Cavalry.

Pacemaker to lift depression

A pacemaker for the brain can lift the cloud of severe clinical depression from patients for whom other therapies fail, research at the University of Bristol has indicated. The technique, which uses electricity to turn down excessive activity in part of the brain, brought immediate improvements in mood to four of the six chronically depressed patients in the trial, allowing them to resume a normal life.

Graffiti vandal

A graffiti vandal who daubed his nickname “Ribs” at more than 200 locations across London faces prison after pleading guilty to nine counts of criminal damage. Robert Lee, 23, caused tens of thousands of pounds of damage on various buildings and train stations over the course of 10 years.

Van Persie freed

Robin van Persie, 21, the Arsenal forward, was released from custody after being held by Dutch police for two weeks on suspicion of rape. The footballer was arrested in Rotterdam on June 13 after a woman filed charges against him. He remains a suspect, a prosecution spokeswoman said, but could return to England.

Drug pupil held

A boy of 10 was arrested on suspicion of supplying Class A drugs to pupils at his school in Chatham. He had allegedly given tablets to two boys, who showed them to their parents. Staff called the police. The drug had been prescribed, Kent Police said. “We are not dealing with crack or heroin or anything like that.”

Job satisfaction

Female satisfaction with work has dropped in the past 15 years. Women used to be far happier than men, whose level of contentment has remained stable, according to findings presented at Bath University. Analysts believe that this may stem from increasing pressure on women to compete with men for better jobs.

Kidnap escape

A kidnap victim leapt from his car as it was being driven along the M6 by two men who had abducted him at gunpoint. The man, aged 32, who has not been named, was abducted by two bearded black men in their twenties in Stockport but escaped from the car while it was travelling at speed.

All thumbs

A magician had to pay £130 for a locksmith to release him after his thumbs got trapped in miniature handcuffs. Tony McNamara wished he could disappear when his trick backfired. Paramedics tried to free him, but an emergency locksmith was needed to release the magician from Enfield, North London.

Park with a view

Clyde View Park, on the banks of the Clyde, will open next month as part of a £500 million expansion of Braehead. The newly named park covers seven acres and links Braehead with the planned Renfrew Riverside development, which will have more than 2,000 homes on 185 acres of waterfront land.

Brussels wants to scrap South

The European Commission is proposing to scrap the South of Scotland as a separate European funding region from 2007 to 2013. Instead, Dumfries and Galloway will be grouped with West Scotland, and the Scottish Borders will be classified as East Scotland.

The newly formed South of Scotland Alliance believes it is unfair to put the Borders on the same footing as Edinburgh and that it should be treated like Highlands and Islands.

Man’s body found

Police found a body believed to be that of a 55-year-old hill walker from Stirlingshire. He had been reported overdue from a walk in the Glenshee area by his partner. Rescuers had tried without success to contact the man, who was well equipped, on his mobile phone. It is thought he may have had a medical problem.

Self-harm case

An arthritis sufferer who discharged a 12-bore shot-gun at his hand to relieve his pain was detained for a further period in a psychiatric hospital. Alexander Bain, 38, a former music teacher, had admitted breaching the peace at a clay-pigeon range in Aberdeenshire, causing an employee fear and alarm.