Alexander escapes action over donation

Wendy Alexander won a temporary respite from the troubles besetting her as Scottish Labour leader when she avoided criminal prosecution over an admitted illegal donation to her leadership campaign (Angus Macleod writes).

However, while the Electoral Commission found there was “not sufficient evidence” to establish that any attempt had been made to conceal an improper donation, it decided that she had not taken “all reasonable steps” to ensure she was not in receipt of an impermissible contribution.

Ms Alexander, a close friend and ally of Gordon Brown, maintained that she had been completely cleared of any intentional wrongdoing. But the verdict was derided by Scottish Nationalists as a whitewash.

Free phone enquiries

A free directory enquiries service – 0800 100 100 – is being introduced today. Callers will have to listen to a 20-second pitch before receiving requested information because the service is sustained through advertising. Callers from landlines and mobile and cable networks will not be charged.

Girl hanged herself

A 12-year-old girl hanged herself in front of her five-year-old sister after telling her: “Tell Mummy that I love her,” an inquest in Llangefni, Wales, was told. Rachel Dennis died last August after tying a scarf to a bannister. Her younger sister attempted to cut her free but failed. An open verdict was recorded.

Detergent drink girl avoids lung damage

A two-year-old girl who drank orange juice polluted with cleaning fluid while on a family holiday in Cyprus has suffered no permanent damage to her lungs, doctors said yesterday.

Annabel Rhodes, from Paddington, West London, faces further hospital tests in Nicosia to see how badly the fluid – thought to be nitric acid – damaged her oesophagus.

The girl became ill after a barman at the Curium Palace Hotel in Limassol unwittingly put the fluid in her drink.

Police are investigating what happened but have made no arrests. Staff at the four-star hotel have refused to comment.

Jail for bomb ‘joker’

A drunk air passenger who joked about having a bomb in her handbag was jailed for a year at Leicester Crown Court. Ann Hassell, 34, who had previous convictions for drugs, burglary and violent offences, admitted interference with the performance of a crew member on a flight from Crete. On landing the aircraft had to taxi to a remote part of East Midlands airport and wait for the all-clear.

Eviction death

A 77-year-old man died after being forcibly evicted from his council home. Police officers and bailiffs arrived with a court order to rehouse the man in Hackney, East London, but he refused to let them in. He was found collapsed on the pavement 20 minutes after he was relocated to another flat, and later died in hospital. The Metropolitan Police directorate of professional standards is investigating.

Tidal energy farm

A plan has been announced to create one of the world’s first commercial tidal energy schemes off the coast of North Wales. Npower said that it was working with Marine Current Turbines, in Bristol, to build a tidal “farm” off the northwest coast of Anglesey. It could be completed by 2011, subject to planning consent, and is expected to supply enough power for up to 6,000 homes.

Muslim scholar ban

The Muslim scholar Yusuf al-Qaradawi has been denied a visa to visit Britain, the Home Office said. Dr al-Qaradawi is understood to have requested entry for medical treatment. The decision was welcomed as “brave and correct” by the Community Security Trust, which works to prevent anti-Semitic attacks, but the British Muslim Initiative said that it was “an unwarranted insult to British Muslims”.

Potter on location

The cast and crew of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth in the series, started filming in Gloucester, where the cathedral and nearby King’s School will provide the setting for scenes at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This is the third time the school and cathedral grounds have been used in the series. The film’s British release is scheduled for November 21.

Miles Kington

The funeral of Miles Kington, the former Times columnist, will be held on February 11 at 1.30pm at the Haycombe Crematorium, Bath. Mr Kington was a prolific author and dramatist who coined the phrase Franglais, became this paper’s first jazz reviewer in 1967 and wrote the Moreoever column from 1981 to 1987. Mr Kington died at the age of 66 on January 30. A memorial service will be held in London in the spring.

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