UK to back India Security Council seat
Tony Blair has said that Britain will support India’s attempt to secure a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. He also said that he hoped to use the chairmanship of the G8 next year to bring India and China into closer dialogue with the group of leading industrialised nations over climate change and the eradication of poverty.
Mr Blair and Manmohan Singh, the Indian Prime Minister, had talks yesterday at Downing Street, then made a joint declaration on co-operation on trade, science and technology and the war against terrorism.
Driver killed at wheel by gunman
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The police are appealing for witnesses after a 20-year-old man was shot dead in his car in Poplar, East London, on Sunday night.
The victim, who has not yet been named, was in his blue Mini in Brock Place, which is a quiet street, when the killer struck. The driver was rushed to Royal London Hospital just after 7pm but died minutes later.
Residents described hearing a shot before seeing smoke billowing out of the car. Gladys Rutter, 76, said: “There was a terrific noise, the sound of a motor revving up, then there was a bang. That must have been when the shot was fired.”
Detectives say they are keeping an open mind on the killer’s motives.
Tourists killed
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Two people were killed and more than 40 seriously injured in a bus crash in the Canary Islands. The bus, carrying mainly Scots, veered off the road in Gran Canaria, near Morgan. Seguro Holidays, the tour operators, have issued a number for relatives: 01625 511 935
Minister cleared
Kim Howells, the Transport Minister, will not be prosecuted for destroying documents during the 1984-85 miners’ strike. The MP for Pontypridd was interviewed by police in May about comments that he had made on a BBC programme.
Murder charge
A 15-year-old boy has appeared in court charged with the murder of Robert Levy, 16, who died of stab wounds in Hackney, East London, last Thursday. The boy was remanded in custody and will appear again before Enfield magistrates in North London tomorrow.
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Shooting inquiry
Police are investigating the past of a father shot dead outside his home. Daniel Blackett, 36, was shot three times in Thorpe Green near Virginia Water, Surrey, on Saturday. A source close to the inquiry said he had convictions for aggravated burglary and armed robbery.
Murder riddle
French police have lost all trace of Emilie da Franca, who could help to solve the murder of Joanna Parrish, 21, a Leeds University student whose naked body was found in the river near Auxerre in 1990. Mme da Franca later escaped her abductors, a man and woman, in the town.
Accounts frozen
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The Charity Commission has frozen the accounts of Gilbert Deya Ministries whose founder, Archbishop Gilbert Deya, is at the centre of allegations of baby trafficking. Twenty children were seized from the home of Mr Deya’s wife, Mary, and a couple linked to Mr Deya.
Paisley optimism
On the eve of fresh talks, Ian Paisley’s Democratic Unionists have voiced optimism about the prospects for a return to devolved government in Northern Ireland, raising hopes that they may be on the verge of agreeing a settlement with republicans.
Tube study
Councillors in Birmingham have agreed to fund a study into the possibility of building an underground transport network. The £150,000 study will look into whether tunnels could be built under the city centre as part of expansion plans for the existing tram system.
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Irish hunt fears
Irish hunt and field sports supporters expect to become the focus of animal rights activists if hunting with hounds is banned in England and Wales. Ireland would then be the last bastion of hunting in the British Isles. There are about 80 mounted and 139 foot packs in the Republic and the North.
Out of bounds
A ritual in which children are symbolically “whipped and pricked” to teach them the boundaries of their home town is threatened by fears about paedophiles. Council officials fear that paedophiles could hijack the “beating the bounds” ceremony in Poole, Dorset, and post pictures of it on the internet.
Leg ulcer hope
New hope for patients with chronic leg ulcers has come from a preliminary trial using an antiseptic to wash the wound. The research, by Joseph Selkon at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, offers a solution to a problem that is common among the elderly and costs the NHS £400 million a year.
Reds return
Red squirrels are recolonising a forest from which they had been forced out by greys. Five breeding pairs were put into the Newborough Forest on Anglesey, North Wales, a year ago and now 23 young reds are living among its conifers. Experts say that the population could reach 500 within five years.
Fathers arrested
Eleven members of Fathers 4 Justice were arrested after clashing with police outside Bristol County Court. The campaigners had turned up to support Jason Hatch, who staged the “Batman” protest at Buckingham Palace, during a hearing over access to his two children from his second marriage.
Murder charge
A 15-year-old boy was remanded in custody at Enfield Magistrates Court, North London, on charges of murdering a promising A-level student with ten GCSEs. Robert Levy, 16, was found by police in the street in Hackney, East London, shortly after he was stabbed on Thursday afternoon.