Determined Darling

Alistair Darling has insisted that Britain will “get through” the credit crisis because “the economy is fundamentally strong”. But he said that Labour needed to “sharpen up” and deliver a clear message to voters. The Chancellor added that the Government’s slide in popularity was due to a “number of factors”.

Harman inquiry halts

Scotland Yard has abandoned an investigation into a proxy donation to Harriet Harman’s campaign for the deputy leadership of the Labour Party. Although the matter concerning Ms Harman has been dropped, a wider investigation is continuing into the donations made by David Abrahams, a businessman.

Ruling on TB cattle

Organic farmers lost their High Court case to stop the slaughter of dairy cattle that tested positive for bovine TB. The Higher Burrow Organic Farm Partnership in Somerset was seeking the retesting of prize organic animals because there was disparity in the results between skin and blood tests.

Obesity cancer risk

Breast cancer is often diagnosed later in obese women than those of normal weight, while fatter women respond less well to treatment and thinner women have higher survival rates, researchers from the Jules Bordet Institute in Brussels told the European Breast Cancer Conference in Berlin.

Shannon’s mother to face November trial

Karen Matthews will go on trial later this year accused of offences relating to the alleged abduction of her daughter Shannon, a judge ruled.

Ms Matthews, 32, is charged with perverting the course of justice and child neglect in relation to the disappearance of Shannon, 9, in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, in February.

A judge at Leeds Crown Court told her she will go on trial on November 11 alongside Michael Donovan, who is charged with kidnapping and false imprisonment. Ms Matthews, of Moorside Road, Dewsbury, appeared by videolink from New Hall Prison, near Wakefield.

Boy found hanged

A schoolboy with a love of sailing has been found hanging at his home, prompting fears that he may have been playing with knots and ropes when he died. The parents of nine-year-old Morgan Pound found him dead at the family home in Newlyn, Cornwall. Police are trying to establish the circumstances surrounding the boy’s death, which is not being treated as suspicious.

Burglar stays in jail

A builder who was jailed for burglary has had his conviction quashed by the Court of Appeal after a legal challenge over an ear-print found on a window pane. Mark Kempster, 42, from Netley, Southampton, who was jailed in 2001, will remain behind bars because the judges refused to rule that their decision affected the safety of his three other convictions. He is expected to be released in December.

Survivors fly home

Survivors of the Ecuadorean bus crash in which five British women were killed arrived back in Britain after their gap-year adventure was cut short by the tragedy. Members of the VentureCo expedition, including the 12 British survivors, flew into Heathrow to be greeted by their loved ones. Four teenagers and a 26-year-old tour leader died when their bus was hit by a lorry.

Dying cyclist ‘ignored’

Motorists who drove around the body of a cyclist as he lay dying on a road have been condemned as “inhumane”. Stephen Wills, 55, suffered fatal head injuries after being knocked off his bike in South Manchester by joyriders in a stolen car, which was found burnt out nearby. One motorist may have driven over the dying man, breaking his legs. A police source said: “It’s hard to believe drivers refused to stop and help.”

Policeman charged

A policeman has been charged in connection with the continuing investigation into the alleged misuse of American Express cards by Scotland Yard officers. Detective Sergeant Richard de Cadenet, 38, who is one of three people arrested, will appear before magistrates on April 24 accused of misfeasance in a public office. The Yard has withdrawn the credit cards from more than 1,000 holders.

Lewis storms the US

Leona Lewis has become the first British artist to debut at No 1 in the US album chart. The former receptionist from East London made music history with her first album Spirit. The X Factor winner’s success comes three weeks after she became the first British female solo artist in 21 years to top the US singles chart. Lewis, 23, is due to perform before 30 million people when she sings on American Idol this month.

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