Soldier killed

A British soldier was killed in southern Afghanistan yesterday “as a result of enemy action”, the Ministry of Defence said. He was with the 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment in Helmand province. The man, who will be named today, is the 56th British soldier to die in Afghanistan since 2001.

Putting an oar in

Pensioners on the Isles of Scilly have protested that they will not benefit from free bus travel for elderly people from next April. The group are instead demanding free boat passes in an area that has no bus service. Andrew George, the local MP, is backing an amendment to the Concessionary Bus Travel Bill.

Spin on new stop powers ‘divisive’

Harriet Harman, the Justice Minister and a candidate for Labour’s deputy leadership, urged an end to “the culture of spin” after proposals to give police tough new powers to stop and question anyone were released to the press before MPs knew of them. It was “wrong and divisive”.

The scheme may go before Parliament in the autumn. Anyone who refused to give their name or explain what they were doing could be charged with obstructing the police and fined up to £5,000.

Hazel Blears, the Labour Party chairwoman, described it as “a flexible and sensible addition to the range of police powers”.

Longbridge reopens

The car plant at Longbridge, Birmingham, will reopen officially today. It closed two years ago with the loss of almost 6,000 jobs after the collapse of Rover. Nanjing Automobile Corporation, the new Chinese owner, will build MG TF sports cars there. The first models are due off the production line this year.

Flights resume

The City of Derry airport was due to reopen at midnight after regulatory officials approved fresh passenger safety measures. The Northern Ireland airport was closed on Thursday after CAA officials found that there had been unsatisfactory repairs to an aircraft parking area and it had no effective bird control.

Iraq ‘stress’ rise

A survey by the King’s Centre for Military Health Research in London revealed that the number of reservists posted to Iraq since 2003 who are suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder has doubled from 3 to 6 per cent. Rates remained steady among regulars. Reservists were more likely to be deployed alone.

Gazza has surgery

Paul Gascoigne was said to be recovering well after emergency surgery at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle upon Tyne for a perforated stomach ulcer. The former England footballer became ill during his 40th birthday celebrations at a Gateshead hotel on Sunday.

Taxi driver murder suspect remanded

A man appeared in court charged with murdering an elderly taxi driver who was run over by his own cab.

Luke Aujila, 20, from Gravesend, Kent, is accused of killing Gian Chand Bajar, 71. Mr Bajar, a father of five who was semi-retired, was assaulted and run over by his Skoda Octavia on Wednesday.

The defendant was remanded in custody by Medway magistrates to appear at Maidstone Crown Court on June 11.

Boy’s death charge

A teenager has appeared in court in Blackpool charged with the murder of a schoolboy. Thomas Knowles, 18, was remanded in custody by magistrates. Sam Brown, 16, died from a stab wound last week. A 15-year-old, who cannot be named, appeared at the same court on Saturday and was remanded in custody.

Abuse nurse quits

A nurse has resigned after telling a heart attack patient that he had no right to complain about being left lying in urine for two hours on a trolley. Mark Wright, 39, was shocked when the nurse refused to listen and started shouting abuse at him in front of other patients at Weston General Hospital in Somerset.

Police fraud inquiry

An inquiry into the finances of the National Black Police Association found no evidence of fraud, the association said. The Home Office froze the association’s funds last month after finding out that no proper accounts had been filed since 2003. It said that it would consider the inquiry’s recommendations.

Car crash anxiety

Nearly half of all motorists who have been in an accident suffer flashbacks, nightmares or stress. A YouGov poll for the insurers More Than suggests that 41 per cent of Britons involved in crashes experience continuing anxiety. Drivers can take up to five years to recover from the stress of an accident.

Stars could merge

Astronomers have pinpointed two large stars orbiting close to each other in space that could merge to create a huge “super sun”, 100 times bigger than our own. The binary star system, located in a galaxy orbiting the Milky Way, has been captured by Nasa scientists using satellite and ground-based telescopes.

Lipman’s award

Maureen Lipman won an award for being an example of how to use the English language “as an instrument of gaiety and fun as well as learning”. The actress, the third winner of the annual award from the Listening Books charity, received it at the Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts.

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