Brown deal to quash Planning Bill rebels

The Prime Minister has made concessions to try to head off a Labour rebellion over the Planning Bill (Jill Sherman and Philip Webster write).

The Government still faces a Commons revolt tonight but Clive Betts is to withdraw his amendment when MPs vote on whether a commission will decide big infrastructure developments. In a deal with the rebels by Mr Brown, the siting of nuclear stations and airports will be decided by ministers. The Government has also indicated that after two years a review will decide whether the ministerial role should be restored.

Tree-branch death

An 11-year-old boy was crushed by a tree branch while sheltering from the rain on a school trip, an inquest in Norwich was told. Daniel Mullinger, of Colchester, who was taking part in an orienteering exercise at Felbrigg Hall, in Norfolk, was struck on the head, and three pupils were injured. The inquest continues.

Afghanistan death

The fatal casualty toll in Afghanistan this month rose to ten after a soldier from the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment was killed in a gun battle with the Taleban in the Upper Sangin Valley of northern Helmand province. The Ministry of Defence has informed the next of kin.

Germ funding needed

The escape of foot-and-mouth disease from a secure laboratory last year could be repeated unless there are significant changes to the funding and management of places that handle dangerous germs, a Commons select committee said. It was also concerned that ministers had not yet considered the issue.

Coach driver jailed for drink-drive crash

A driver who crashed a National Express coach while over the drink-drive limit has been jailed for ten months. Leslie Weinberg, 35, tipped the coach on its side at Newport Pagnell services on the M1 motorway when he took a bend too fast in September and hit the kerb. Six passengers were seriously injured in the crash, and 21 others also hurt. Aylesbury Crown Court was told that calculations suggested that Weinberg, of West Bromwich, was probably two times over the drink-drive alcohol limit when he started his journey in Birmingham, bound for Stansted airport in Essex.

Arrest over fuel death

A 21-year-old man has been arrested by police investigating the death of a farmer's wife who collapsed after a diesel raid at her home. The man was held on suspicion of assault, theft and theft of a motor vehicle by officers investigating the death of Rosemary Dove, 68, at her home in Bishop Middleham, Co Durham. The thieves' battered Mitsubishi pick-up truck was found burnt out ten miles away.

Lennon's beetles

An outbreak of beetles loathed by gardeners for ruining lawns has been detected at John Lennon's boyhood home in Liverpool. Ecologists at the National Trust, which owns Mendips, where Lennon lived with his Aunt Mimi, discovered the garden chafers in a wildlife survey of the property. “They seem to be everywhere,” a spokesman said. “That doesn't bode well for the lawn.”

Weight drug approved

A controversial weight-loss drug has been approved for use by the NHS. Rimonabant, whose brand name is Acomplia, is made by Sanofi Aventis. It will be available to overweight patients who cannot take, or who have had no success with, two other drugs, orlistat and sibutramine. The approval comes despite concerns about the drug's alleged side-effects, including depression and sleep disorders.

Thirteen in saloon car

A motorist who drove a car with 12 passengers, none of whom was wearing a seatbelt, has been banned from driving for 12 months, fined £500 and ordered to pay £400 costs. Llandudno magistrates heard that when Abraham Gniwosch, 31, from Tottenham, North London, was stopped in his five-seat Volvo near Craig-y-Don, Llandudno, his passengers included nine children aged between 1 and 10.

Raids on allotments

Thieves are raiding allotments across the Black Country and Staffordshire. Rhubarb, potatoes and onions were part of a haul stolen from an allotment near Cannock, while security had to be increased at patches in West Bromwich. Allan Rees, of the National Society of Allotments and Leisure Gardening, said: “Families are getting poorer and this is one way of putting food on the table.”

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