Politics

The Queen returns home at the end of a sixteen-day tour of Australia on a scheduled flight along with paying passengers (1 Ap). The royal visit, which was  marked by low-key and courteous anti-royalist demonstrations, has to all appearances bolstered the monarchy’s cause in that country. It now looks certain that although she will not be opening the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, the Monarch will return to preside over the Heads of Commonwealth summit there in 2001.

The early hours of the Tory party’s two-day Spring Forum in Harrogate are overshadowed by the controversy over Michael Ashcroft’s elevation to the House of Lords (1 Ap.). The Treasurer of the Conservative party was awarded a peerage on the nomination of William Hague as a reward for sorting out the party’s finances, despite strong objections from many senior Tories. 
William Hague tells his party that it can win the general election, which must take place within two years. He says that the government’s policies on taxes, Europe and the pound have alienated millions of voters, which is an opportunity for the Conservatives.

The EU/Africa Summit held by leaders from Africa and the European Union in Cairo to discuss political and economic cooperation (3 Ap.) is overshadowed by political unrest in Zimbabwe. Robin Cook, the foreign secretary says the EU will insist that people should have the right to peaceful protest in Zimbabwe, and that the forthcoming elections should be free and fair.
Ministers from Zimbabwe and Britain meet (27 Ap.) in London to try to solve differences over farm occupations and violence in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe would like the UK to help fund the transfer of land from white farmers to black Zmibabweans. Britain will supply funds only if the farm occupations end. Robert Mugabe is using the issue to stay in power. The talks end in deadlock, which arouses the dismay of white farmers. The members of the Zimbabwean delegation are to meet Commonwealth ministers next week. Britain wants the ending of violence and the restoration of the rule of law and government according to democratic principles.

A military spokesman from Iraq says that fourteen Iraqi people have been killed and nineteen wounded during American and British air-raids in the south of Iraq. He reports that civilian installations and residential areas have been bombed (6 Ap.).

Ken Livingstone, who has been suspended from the Labour party for a month, is officially expelled from it (3 Ap.). He announced a month ago that he would run as an independent in the election for mayor of London (the election is due to take place on 4 May).
Canvassing returns by the Liberal Democrats show that Ken Livingstone, the independent candidate for mayor of London is running first in voting intentions. Steven Norris, the Conservative candidate, is running second, Susan Kramer (Lib Dem) third and Frank Dobson, the official Labour candidate, fourth (8 Ap.).
Tony Blair backs Dobson and endorses him as the “serious candidate,” but promises to “work with whoever’s the mayor” (13 Ap.).
Ken Livingstone, the ex-Labour independent candidate for mayor of London publishes his manifesto (18 Ap.). He retreats on previous pledges to introduce congestion charges for cars and bond issues to finance London’s tube system. He promises an open and inclusive style of government, a new dot.com site, 2,000 more police, 10,000 “green jobs” to improve the environment and the freeze of tube fares.

The Royal Navy’s new generation of attack submarines is to be fitted with stealth imaging equipment to detect what is happening on the surface (television cameras, thermal imagers and sensors will transmit a 360° picture to the commander). They will no longer need periscopes.

Bernie Grant, Labour MP for Tottenham, dies at 56. He was a black member of parliament. Although he had claimed after the 1985 Broadwater Farm riots (in his constituency north of London) that the police had got a “bloody good hiding,” he was the most important figure in improving relations between the police and residents of black areas of Tottenham later.

Tony Blair welcomes Vladimir Putin in London (17 Ap.): he believes that Putin is ready to embrace a new relationship with Europe and the United States. However, the visit provokes criticism from some quarters because of Russia’s military operations in Chechnya.

Paddy Ashdown, the former Lib Dem leader, announces he will be publishing two volumes of diaries, including accounts of conversations with Tony Blair (17 Ap.).

Twelve soldiers who served in the Balkans intend to sue the Ministry of Defence (MoD) because they suffer chronic health problems: they think their symptoms are due to exposure to depleted uranium in anti-tank missiles (16 Ap.).
Two hundred and eighty veterans of recent conflicts (Falklands, Gulf, Kosovo, Bosnia, Northern Ireland) are taking action against the MoD because they are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (21 Ap.); they claim the MoD has not contributed to diagnose and treat the condition. The MoD says it has given the best treatment available. If the MoD loses the case, it will have to pay out huge sums of money.

A leaked National Audit Office draft report shows that British forces, the RAF in particular, nearly ran out of ammunitions during the Kosovo conflict, which only lasted for three months (24 Ap.). Supplies of medicine, including morphine, neared their sell-by date; there was a shortage of medical staff, signals personnel and logistics experts; one-third of personal radios were out of order; radios were not secure and Serb forces could overhear conversations; there was a lack of reconnaissance aircraft. However, the report shows that administration had improved since the Bosnia campaign. Food was “high quality and good variety” and financial management was high standard. The report stresses the success of British peacekeeping troops in Kosovo and says it was a “testament to their professionalism and commitment.”
A government spokesman denies the contents of the draft report (25 Ap.). According to him, this simply shows that British military forces are overstretched.

In order to raise the turnout at local elections, some local authorities organise “early voting” which starts on 25 Ap. Others use electronic voting or allow many voters to vote by post. Polling day is normally on 4 May.

Michael Heseltine, the former Conservative deputy Prime Minister, announces that he is stepping down as an MP at the next general election (27 Ap.). He has served in the House of Commons for 34 years.

Car industry

Rover

The chairman of BMW, Joachim Milberg, claims that he warned Stephen Byers, the trade and industry secretary, as early as December 1999 that he might have to sell Rover (1 Ap.). Byers says he had no advance warning.

BMW is cutting the price of Rover’s main models to sell the 30,000 vehicles parked in storage areas beside the Longbridge and Cowley plants (1 Ap.).

Around 40,000 people (workers and their families, trade union officials and church leaders) hold a giant rally in central Birmingham to protest at BMW’s decision to sell off its Rover Longbridge plant. The closure of the plant puts thousands of jobs at risk not only in Birmingham but also in component manufacturing companies across the West Midlands (1 Ap.).

Tony Blair rules out any move by the government to rescue Rover in the wake of its sell-off by BMW (2 Ap.).

Government transcripts released to MPs (5 Ap.) show that Stephen Byers never asked BMW whether it intended to sell off Rover and that BMW did not volunteer its plans.

Stephen Byers supports the creation of a consortium committed to mass car production at Longbridge, near Birmingham. It is to be headed by John Towers, the former chief executive of the Rover group, who is 52 and received a CBE for his services to the motor industry. The rescue operation, which is nicknamed “Project Phoenix,” consists of a consortium of capitalists, some wealthy Rover dealerships, and trade unions. It is an alternative plan to the offer from the Alchemy venture fund, which intends to shed thousands of jobs and concentrate on sports cars.

Rover unions make public a BMW memorandum (5 Ap.) that declared its “total commitment” to the Longbridge factory a few weeks before it decided to sell it as well as Rover. Union officials and Mr Byers used BMW’s letter to show that the company had deceived the government and the workforce. Mr Byers, who is fighting for his political life, insists that he received no hint from BMW that it was about to sell Rover.

The Quandt family prepares to sell BMW and believes that Ford and Volkswagen are likely to compete to buy the business (9 Ap.).

British Union leaders go to Munich to meet BMW managers (13 Ap.) over the sale of Rover. Redundancy notices have been placed in the Rover factories as part of the preparation for the redundancy process. The unions claim that 5,000 workers might be sacked.

Alchemy discusses the takeover of the bulk of Rover (13 Ap.). The Alchemy company is to launch new MG models within 18 months of taking over. Workers are to get full redundancy entitlement.

In the House of Commons, Stephen Byers is cleared by the trade and industry committee of having advance knowledge of BMW’s intentions of dumping Rover (13 Ap.)

BMW is presented with an alternative offer for Rover from the consortium headed by John Towers (14 Ap.). Mr Towers’ plan would mean fewer job losses than the Alchemy plan, according to the unions.

Stephen Byers puts pressure on BMW for it to give a fair hearing to the Towers bid, which could save thousands of jobs (25 Ap.). Friday 28 April is the deadline for bids, but Towers needs more time to put the financial package together. 

John Towers meets BMW (26 Ap.). There is growing fear that BMW will sign with Alchemy within the next few days.

Although a deal between Alchemy and BMW was all but done, talks between the two companies break down and Alchemy pulls out (28 Ap.). BMW gives the Rover negotiations an extra month, which may enable John Towers to put his financial package together.

The Rover Unions meet the BMW board following the collapse of the negotiations with Alchemy (29 Ap.): they want to prevent BMW from closing Longbridge and to convince BMW to consider the Towers bid, which does not stand a very good chance. BMW argues it is impossible to make a profit at Longbridge considering the strength of the pound. It is probably easier and cheaper for BMW to close Longbridge down.

Ford

Ford plans to end car production at Dagenham (21 Ap.) which is already on one shift. Ford has too much production capacity in Europe.

Tony Blair is to hold talks with the Ford management (24 Ap.) about the future of the Dagenham factory. Ford intends to transfer car assembly to Germany, which it sees as its European base for manufacturing. Part of the problem is due to the high value of the pound. This is the second blow in the car industry for the government (see “Rover” section above). 

Ford will only make a decision on the fate of the Dagenham factory in May (25 Ap.). The plant can only survive if taxpayers’ money is injected into it.

Other news

Honda is committed to the UK. It announces (10 Ap.) it will build 4x4 cars in Swindon. The car industry is hit hard by the high level of the pound.

A study carried out by the Competition Commission shows that cars are more expensive in the UK than anywhere else in Europe. Car manufacturers deny this, but accept that pre-tax list prices are higher in the UK than in any other EU country.

Industry

Britain’s textile industry, which employs over 300,000 workers, is in crisis (6 Ap.). More than 40,000 workers, mainly women, have been made redundant during the past year as many factories closed in the North and in the Midlands. Lay-offs have been fuelled by Marks and Spencer’s decision to end contracts with some clothing manufacturers. The textile and clothing strategy group, which includes unions, academics and industry leaders, argue that a rescue package similar to the £130m offered to Rover should be given to the textile industry. However, some DTI officials “are not convinced of the merit in supporting investment in this sector.”

Barclays closes 171 of its rural branches (Ap. 7) and only retains 1,700, a move which turns out to be a public relations disaster: customers, church leaders and politicians condemn the move. The main high street banks, which have shut over 2,000 branches in five years, think they only need a network of 700 to 800 branches each.

A Sunday Times survey shows that British consumers pay up to 47 per cent more than Americans for their personal computers (9 Ap.). A few days earlier, Dixons, the UK’s biggest electrical retailer, was accused of trying to rig the market in the sale of personal computers: it had allegedly engaged in secret exclusive deals with Packard Bell and Compaq to limit the supply of their home computers solely to its stores. 

The government announces a shake-up in the management of water in England and Wales (10 Ap.). People will have a chance to plan and manage water supplies in their own region. The National Environment Agency will have more flexibility to manage new licences: the demand for new homes with all modern conveniences places strains on water supplies, especially in dry regions such as East Anglia.

The National Audit Office presents a report on Railtrack to Parliament (12 Ap.). Its findings show that the tracks are in the worst condition since takeover and that the Rail Regulator has not monitored things adequately. The National Audit Office wants to know what Railtrack has done with the money and the bonuses it has received from the government.

The government unveils a £100m financial assistance plan (17 Ap.) to save coal pits in Labour heartlands. It is the first subsidy the mining industry has received since privatisation five years ago. Only 17 deep mines are left. Ministers are confident the lifeline will save Ellington in Northumberland and Clipstone in Nottighamshire, which were due to close. This will save 3,000 jobs.

Economy

The computer system of the London Stock Exchange crashes (4 Ap.) during the night before the last day of the financial year (5 Ap.). The crash brings chaos for traders: all business is suspended for seven hours on what should have been a very busy time.

A three-per-cent growth rate and inflation below two per cent in the Euro-zone show that the Euro is beginning to have an impact: the use of the Euro has increased trade between the eleven countries which have adopted it. Taxes are due to go down in France and Germany, but the UK is still not in line with the Euro.

Britain’s housing market has reached a peak which is higher than the 1989 surge. House prices have soared in the South and languished in many parts of the North. Yet increased stamp duty, high interest rates and the abolition of mortgage tax relief at the beginning of April are likely to lead to a slowdown.

Shipyard workers complain that the high value of the pound makes their products uncompetitive in the European market.

The European Parliament decides that producers of genetically modified (GM) products will be legally liable for the damage they make to the environment. Some products are already grown experimentally. It is feared that this will restrict trials.

Sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses present a petition of three million signatures to the House of Commons. The government intends to scrap their benefits agency work (they are paid a fixed rate for each transaction and rely on money from this source for 40per cent of their incomes). They claim this threatens their jobs (12 Ap.). Alastair Campbell claims that the taxpayer will save £400m if benefits are paid directly into bank accounts rather than over the Post Office counter. The move threatens rural post offices, which may be saved (13 Ap.) by a deal with high street banks under which local post offices would provide banking for people who do not have a bank account.

The health and safety executive publishes its third interim report: it raises doubts about whether Michael Hodder, the inexperienced driver, can be blamed for the Paddington rail crash in which 31 people died in October 1999 (14 Ap.). Misaligned rails may have caused vibrations which may have passed a “false” green signal. The report also draws attention to the “unusual design” of signal 109. Before the crash, Railtrack organised several meetings following complaints about the signal. The inspectorate is examining other factors (low bridges, the curve of the track outside Paddington, etc.).
The health and safety executive questions the role of the Railway Inspectorate and the quality of data supplied by Railtrack (17 Ap.). Its report suggests the inspectorate did not have a central system for collecting information on the underlying causes of signals passed at danger. It accuses Railtrack of keeping poor data. It may lead to the creation of a transport safety body covering rail and civil aviation.

Sellafield, the nuclear reprocessing plant, faces a new security scandal after it was discovered that four workers had forged entry passes. British Nuclear Fuels announces important management and safety changes (18 Ap.) at Sellafield following the report by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate published in February.

Standard Life, the insurance company, is forced to conduct a poll on demutualisation (25 Ap.). Many of its policyholders would like it to become a public limited company, which could bring each of them a £6,000 windfall. The vote will take place in June.

Asylum seekers

Britain introduces measures to reduce the growing number of asylum seekers (3 Ap.). Benefits are to be paid in the form of vouchers only usable at certain shops. The aim of the measure is to remove a financial incentive for seeking asylum. Asylum seekers are to be dispersed around the country and lorry drivers who bring in illegal immigrants fined. In 1999 there was a 50per cent increase in asylum applications, which increased concern over abuse of the system.

The Liberal Democrats ask the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) to investigate the approach of Labour and the Conservatives as far as asylum seekers are concerned (10 Ap.) The Libdems accuse both parties of using inflammatory language likely to increase hostility towards asylum seekers. Both parties reject the charge. William Hague, the Conservative leader, has used the influx of asylum seekers as a basic theme for the Conservative campaign for the local election. 

The number of adjudicators who examine the case of asylum seekers is to be doubled in an attempt to deal with the rising number of applicants. The Human Rights Act, which is due to come into force in October, will give asylum seekers new opportunities to make an appeal (11 Ap.)

Bill Morris, the leader of the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU), says (14 Ap.) that there is “institutional racism at the heart of the government.” He accuses ministers of fostering a “climate of fear and loathing” on asylum and immigration questions. His scathing attack is due to the government’s decision to distribute vouchers instead of benefits to asylum seekers. The government say they are surprised.

The government is planning to repatriate thousands of mainly ethnic Albanian refugees from Kosovo (18 Ap.) who have been in Britain since 1999. Only those with exceptional circumstances will be allowed to stay.

William Hague, the leader of the Conservative party, delivers a speech to the Social Market Foundation (18 Ap.) in which he calls for all new asylum-seekers to be placed in “reception centres” while their cases are heard (at the moment, asylum seekers are dispersed around the country). The centres would be secure places, not prisons. He believes that Britain is seen as a “soft touch” on asylum. The government warns the measure could double the cost of the asylum system. The government accused Mr Hague of trying to “stir and exploit” the issue in the run-up to the May 4 local elections.

Senior Conservative backbenchers are unhappy about William Hague’s asylum seekers policy. They believe the issue is getting out of control and the Conservative leader’s speeches risk stirring up racial tensions (22 Ap.).

The pressure on Kosovo refugees to return home increases (22 Ap.). Some have already left Britain. Other countries, such as Germany and Australia, have forced refugees to go home. The United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) is concerned about the expulsions.

The Home Office releases figures (25 Ap.) which show that immigration officers dealt with a record number of applications for asylum in March. The asylum backlog is beginning to clear.

Society

The Lord Chancellor announces that the number of solicitors doing legal aid work will be halved from about 11,000 to 5,000 under plans to reform  legal aid in Britain (1 Ap.). To appease his critics, the Lord Chancellor says that those who will remain already do 80 per cent of the cases. 

Counsel and Care, a charity which offers support to elderly people and campaigns on their behalf, says in a report (4 Ap.) that in some homes the interests of residents “comes a very poor second to economic necessity and market management.” Today 90 per cent of care places are in the hands of the private sector. Local authority funding is only provided after a long struggle. Counsel and Care wants a regulator to ensure that elderly people are treated “more like consumers and less like assets.”

In an effort to help former prisoners, soldiers and the young homeless, John Prescott is to publish a green paper on housing. It proposes a shake-up of current rules: so far, families automatically go to the top of the waiting list. According to the Department of the Environment, in 1999 in England, 242,460 people were homeless (3,600 of them were under 19). The green paper also envisages that housing associations might provide low-cost rented housing.

Frank Field, a former government minister, suggests that patients should be sent abroad for operations to cut some of the stress on the NHS (9 Ap.). He argues that sending patients to India or China would quicken their treatment and would be much cheaper. The idea is dismissed by the government as unworkable.

The government plans to overhaul licensing laws which date back to the First World War: the then government instituted tight laws on the opening hours of pubs because it wanted to stop ammunitions workers, mainly women, from turning up too drunk at work. Jack Straw, the present home secretary, presents a White Paper in Parliament (10 Ap.) which deals with the complicated licensing system. Straw argues that the licensing hours for pubs and clubs, which were changed in 1988 in England, are “strange.”  He wants to toughen policing arrangements and introduce sanctions against pubs and clubs where there is violence, drug dealing or rowdiness. He wishes to encourage sensible social drinking. Under the new arrangements, which may not come to the Statute Book before the general election, pubs will open 24 hours a day and children will be allowed into the bars of all pubs as long as they do not consume alcohol. Licensing will be moved from magistrates’ courts to new boards set up by the local council.

A study published in The Times shows that successful universities are socially exclusive: the probability of winning a place at one of the top 13 universities is 25 times greater for those from a private school than for those who come from a deprived neighbourhood (10 Ap.).

The state pension is increased by 75p to £67.50 a week, a sum which all charities dealing with pensioners call “measly” (10 Ap.).
Gordon Brown, the chancellor of the exchequer, plans a £2 to £3 increase to pensions before the general election (22 Ap.) in an attempt to alleviate criticism .

Junior Church of England clergy are up in arms about what they see as arbitrary dismissals by their bishops. The Employment Relations Act excludes clergy, so curates have no job security & no right to redress. It is proposed that a civil tribunal of three should investigate, which would mean that the accusation would be written on paper in preparation for the Court hearing. However, the Courts are expensive and such a system might change the pastoral relationship between bishops and curates into a relationship between employer and employee.

The government unveils a ten-year campaign to tackle poverty (12 Ap.) in some of the poorest areas of the UK. The government wants to improve life in those areas by cutting crime and disorder, creating jobs, improving public services and encouraging private firms to help with the renewal of such neighbourhoods.

Class numbers have fallen in primary schools, which corresponds to one of the Labour party’s manifesto pledges. But secondary schools, where the class sizes have steadily increased, are neglected.
Teachers are considering taking action: they want their workload to be reduced and their working week to be shortened (13 Ap.).

The number of applications to study full time at British universities has fallen for the third year running. Mature students turn their back on full-time study; they prefer part-time study for financial reasons. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, fees are paid in advance. However, the number of applications for Scottish universities has increased, possibly because fees are only due after graduation (14 Ap.).

The Association of Teachers and Lecturers warns that one in three secondary school pupils has been bullied in the last twelve months. According to a Mori poll, more than half 11-year-olds have reported incidents, compared to a quarter 15-16-year-olds. The government has set targets to reduce the number of children excluded from schools by a third by 2002. Teachers are worried this will make it impossible to enforce discipline.

The Association of Teachers and Lecturers warn that tests are a danger to pupils because of the stress involved (18 Ap.). The school standards minister, Estelle Morris, says the teachers are exaggerating.

The Association of Teachers and Lecturers accuse Chris Woodhead, the chief inspector of schools, of contributing to the suicide of a primary school teacher because he allowed Ofsted inspectors to put too much pressure on staff during routine inspections (18 Ap.).

A Church Action Poverty’s report recommends the introduction of restrictions on lending by alternative companies, which impose rates of several hundred per cent interest. This mainly affects very poor people since banks refuse to lend them any money (17 Ap.).

Tony Martin, who killed a 16-year-old burglar when two youngsters had entered his isolated farm in Norfolk, is sentenced for life (19 Ap.). His lawyers are planning to appeal.
Court officials meet (25 Ap.) in Norwich to discuss allegations that some members of the jury were intimidated during Tony Martin’s trial. No action will be taken over the allegations (25 Ap.).
William Hague, the Conservative leader, calls for a change in the law on self-defence (26 Ap.) following the Tony Martin case. He thinks law-abiding citizens who defend their homes should be given greater legal protection. Labour accuses Hague of tapping on people’s fears on the eve of the May local election.
A Mori poll shows that 75 per cent of the population sympathise with Tony Martin and only 4 per cent sympathise with the burglar (27 Ap.).
A majority of the population feel that the police do not protect citizens in rural areas.

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) is stepping up its campaign against performance-related pay. The government plans to pay a £2,000 bonus in September to experienced teachers whose pupils score well in national tests and exams. At its conference in Harrogate, the NUT delegates argue that all teachers should get better pay with no strings attached (21 Ap.).
The  National Union of Teachers is in favour of a one-day strike over the question of performance-related pay (21 Ap.).
Estelle Morris, the school standards minister, tries to reassure NUT teachers in an address to the Harrogate Conference (23 Ap.). About 400 delegates walk out in protest at the start of her speech while others persistently heckle her.
NUT teachers are worried that pupils will feel stressed because of performance-related pay: teachers will pressure them into doing well in the tests. Consequently, they want to boycott SATs.
The NUT is considering how to protest against performance-related pay. Members are split on the type of action to take. There is to be a ballot on a work to rule, involving a boycott of duties going beyond teachers’ basic contractual commitments, which will threaten sports coaching, drama clubs, school trips and other initiatives.
On the last day of their conference (25 Ap.), delegates at the NUT conference vote for a one-day strike ballot of all members.

Mr Blunkett, the education secretary, addresses the delegates at the annual conference of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers in Llandudno (North Wales) (27 Ap.). He says teachers should emphasise the difference between right and wrong and “instil a bit of politeness and decency in the behaviour of the next generation.” He announces some measures to improve discipline in schools, including the creation of learning support units within 1,000 schools (or “sin bins”) over the next two years. This measure aims at fighting exclusions and at educating unruly pupils in the schools, but away from mainstream pupils.

Health

The Consumers Association, which has tested two of the most popular brands of hands-free mobile phones, has found their users are subjected to more, rather than less, radiation (4 Ap.).

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics calls for a change in the law which would allow human cloning techniques to be used for research purposes (5 Ap.). The research would enable scientists to learn how to produce human tissues which could be used for transplant. Any changes in the law are likely to be controversial, especially among religious and anti-abortion groups.

A junior doctor, Rita Pal, claims elderly people are denied life-saving treatment, are neglected and are given drugs to hasten death in an effort to clear hospital beds.
Age Concern, a charity, claims that some elderly patients are denied potentially life saving treatment because of their age, as part of an unwritten policy (13 Ap.). It argues that this is discrimination against the elderly. The British Medical Association (BMA) denies this is a way of rationing scarce health resources.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence has told Health Authorities and trusts not to restrict drugs for breast and ovarian cancer on account of costs.

An Oxford surgical team flies to Texas (9 Ap.) to assist in an operation to implant a miniature artificial heart called Jarvick 2000. The Oxford Heart Centre at the John Radcliffe hospital has done much of the development work on the mini heart pump.

A survey shows that one in eight young people in Britain have attempted or contemplated suicide. Suicide accounts for a fifth of all deaths in the 15 to 34 age group. Depression Alliance, a charity, says a third of people in the UK have money worries which cause them major stress.

The number of tuberculosis cases has increased to more than 6,000 cases in 1998, with 400 dying of the disease. Yet in 1999 the government suspended vaccination of children in all schools because of manufacturing problems at the sole licensed manufacturer in the UK, Celltech Medeva in Liverpool. The government is considering abandoning the national school programme because it feels it is not cost-effective. Specialists expect more people to contract TB as a result.

The Department of Health says that research on CJD and BSE shows that there will not be huge numbers of people who get CJD (28 Ap.). The government’s chief medical officer welcomes the news.

Miscellaneous

Hirst’s £1 million bronze sculpture, which he has called “Hymn” - a play on the male pronoun “him” - is a six-metre replica of a £14.99 toy manufactured by Humbrol. The toy was originally designed to show the anatomical features and internal organs of human beings. The finding sparks off a controversy in which the artist is accused of lacking imagination.

Two volumes of the Doomsday Book are exhibited in the White Tower of the Tower of London.

The current owner of Ben Nevis, Duncan Fairfax-Lucy, announces that he has decided to sell it to the John Muir Trust, one of the country’s leading conservation charities, for £450,000.

In an interview to The Times, Princess Anne bemoans the increasing tendency of people to remain single and live on their own (4 Ap.). She argues the traditional family meal could soon be a thing of the past. More and more people only grab a meal while they are on the move, or eat in front of the television. A survey claims only 9 per cent of families sit down to have a meal together and nearly a quarter of people do not have dining tables.

Greg Dyke, the BBC director-general, announces details of reorganisation which aims at reducing administrative costs and putting more money into programmes (3 Ap.).
He has decided to scrap hundreds of management posts at the BBC, in an effort to devote more money to programmes (5 Ap.).

Betty Boothroyd, the Speaker of the House of Commons, decides that MPs are not allowed to breastfeed their babies (6 Ap.). The Speaker, herself a woman, says that breast milk is food, and nobody is allowed to eat in Parliament. The ruling comes after over 150 MPs complained that there are no child care facilities in the House and that the hours are long and erratic.

The Church of England introduces a new prayer book (6 Ap.) which is called Common Worship. It replaces the Alternative Service Book introduced twenty years ago, which was not fully accepted by traditionalists. The new prayer book is meant to combine the best of the old Prayer Book and of the Alternative Service Book.

Supporters of the racist historian David Irving are to be sued for payment of £2m in costs incurred in his libel action, which failed last week (10 Ap.). Irving took Deborah Lipstadt, an American academic, and her publisher, Penguin Books, for libel: he argued she had accused him of denying the existence of the Holocaust in her book Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory. Although the judge accepts that Mr Irving’s “knowledge of World War Two is unparalleled,” he concludes that Mr Irving has “for his own ideological reasons persistently and deliberately misrepresented and manipulated historical evidence.” The judge finds that Mr Irving is an “active Holocaust-denier” and a “racist who associates with right-wing extremists who promote neo-Nazism.”.

In Istanbul, two Leeds United supporters, Kevin Speight (40, a pub landlord and father of two) and Christopher Loftus (37, an engineer) are killed on the eve of a UEFA Cup semi-final match against Galatasaray. Six other Leeds fans are injured (5 Ap.).
Following the death of two football supporters in Istanbul, Leeds United places full-page advertisements in newspapers (20 Ap.) to appeal for calm for the second leg of the match. Turks are banned from attending the match, although some are travelling individually. 
Twenty-three people are arrested by West Yorkshire police before and after the match between Leeds and Galatasaray (20 Ap.) and fourteen are charged. Television crews are attacked and windows of buses which carry Turkish fans are smashed. Leeds is knocked out of the competition.

Thirty-thousand runners, many of whom raise money for charities, take part in the London marathon. It is won by a Portugese athlete, Antonio Pinto, who finishes in two hours and six minutes (16 Ap.).

During the Easter weekend, the department of trade and industry steps up its campaign to recommend safety tips during DIY (Do-it-yourself) activities (21 Ap.).

OFTEL changes telephone numbers in several areas including London (22 Ap.) in an attempt to increase the number of telephone lines.

Motorists are told to stay away from the Silverstone Grand Prix (22 Ap.) because the fields which are to be used as car parks are flooded, so there is no parking space. Motoring fans are angry that the race has been moved from mid-summer to April. The change in date is going to cost the organisers £3m.
Up to 30,000 visitors miss the race at Silverstone for lack of parking space. Plans are made to move the date of the event back to summer (23 Ap.).

In order to alleviate the lack of graveyard space, the government considers proposals to let local councils dig up graves after 100 years and reuse them. The remaining bones and furniture would be reburied at the bottom of the grave.

Attendances at the Millennium Dome are not as good as expected during the Easter weekend. Pierre-Yves Gerbeau, chief executive of the New Millenium Experience Company (NMEC), believes that people preferred to go away for the Easter break. Much has been done to ease the queueing and to make sure that all shows are working. He admits that, up to now, the product was not right. He is optimistic about the summer, although many people are not interested in visiting the Dome. To break even, the show needs ten million visitors, which is an ambitious target.

An AA report shows that one in three road tunnels in Britain is not safe. That includes the Tyne tunnel which does not have any fire security devices (26 Ap.).

On the anniversary of the murder of Jill Dando,the BBC presenter, the police set up a temporary police station near her home in Fulham (26 Ap.) to ask people for additional information. The police hope that the murderer watched the latest BBC Crime Watch programme ten days ago. Following the programme, the police have had new evidence; they think the murderer was a lone stalker.

Germaine Greer, the feminist academic author of The Female Eunuch and The Whole Woman, is assaulted and held hostage (23 Ap.) at her home by a female student who has developed a fixation for her.

The Lowry Gallery opens (27 Ap.) in Salford, near Manchester. Around one hundred of the artist’s paintings are displayed there (Lowry is famous for his northern scenes and his matchstick characters). It is hoped that the opening of the Gallery will contribute to the regeneration of one of Britain’s poorest cities.

Marie-José Arquié
Université de Metz

Sources
BBC Radio 4, Today programme
The Sunday Times 
The Economist
http://www.britainusa.com/bis/mediarev/mediarev.htm
http://www.newsunlimited.co.uk