Three terror arrests
Three men were arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences. Two were detained
at Manchester Airport and one in the Accrington area.
A spokesman for Lancashire police said that the three men were all of Asian
origin, aged between 21 and 23 and from Blackburn. Officers were searching
the suspects’ homes last night.
Antigua charges
Two women appeared in court in Antigua in connection with the murders of Ben
and Catherine Mullany, both 31, from Pontardawe, South Wales, who were shot
on the last day of their honeymoon last month at the Cocos Hotel and Resort.
The suspects have not been named.
Early birds report
Many British birds are laying their eggs about a week earlier than in the
1960s as a result of climate change, a report by the British Trust for
Ornithology, which surveyed 30,000 nests, found. There are concerns that
this could mean the birds are out of sync with food sources on which they
feed their young.
Chart-topper dies
Lita Roza, the first woman to have a No 1 record in the UK - with How Much
is that Doggy in the Window - has died at the age of 82. The song topped
the Hit Parade in March 1953, but Roza, from Liverpool, despised it and
refused to sing it again. She preferred to sing ballads and was a vocalist
with Ted Heath.
Sarcophagi found in city centre Newcastle upon Tyne
Two Roman sandstone sarcophagi thought to be 1,800 years old have been
uncovered in the city centre by a team from Durham University. They are
believed to have been used to bury members of a rich and powerful family
from the adjacent, walled fort of Pons Aelius, whose West Gate would have
been only yards away.
One sarcophagus has already been opened. It contained the poorly preserved
skeleton of a child, aged about 6, which was submerged in sludge. The other
will be opened this morning.
Other discoveries at the site, in Forth Street, include cremation urns, a
cobbled Roman road, two wells, the foundations of Roman shops and workers’
homes and flint tools from Stone Age hunter-gatherers.
Young soldier honours her brother
The sister of one of the youngest soldiers to be killed in Afghanistan spoke
of her pride as she graduated from the Army Foundation College in Harrogate,
North Yorkshire. Emma Ford, 17, a junior soldier from Chesterfield whose
brother Ben, 18, was killed in an explosion last September, said: “I wanted
to make my brother proud and that’s what I have done.”
City lawyer wins bullying case
A lawyer has won her case against the firm that she said had bullied her to
resign from her £140,000-a-year job in the City. Gill Switalski, 51, who is
seeking a record £19 million in compensation, told an employment tribunal
that F&C Management and her boss, Marrack Tonkin, made her mentally ill
by sidelining her and then put pressure on her to make her even more ill.
The tribunal ruled that she had been constructively dismissed and had been
subjected to sex discrimination, victimisation and harassment. The level of
compensation will be decided next year.
1920s ‘sat-nav’ watch goes on show
A 1920s “sat-nav” wristwatch is one of 50 historic gadgets on show at the
British Library. It uses tiny scrolls of road maps loaded inside the watch
to guide its owner to his destination. The exhibits, which include a
self-pouring tea pot and a firefighting grenade, come from the collection of
Maurice Collins, of Muswell Hill, North London. The display continues until
November 10.
Fly-past cancelled to avoid ‘waste’ claims
A fly-past to mark the return of HMS Ark Royal to Portsmouth from the
US has been cancelled amid fears that the Navy could be accused of wasting
taxpayers’ money. The commanding officer had hoped that his brother would
fly a Harrier over the ship, but an e-mail from Fleet Headquarters, sent
accidentally to a local newspaper, strongly advised against it, referring to
the use of Chinook helicopters by Princes William and Harry.
Bowel cancer find
Between 10 and 20 per cent of people with bowel cancer have an abnormal gene
that is present in only 1 to 3 per cent of people not affected by the
disease, scientists in Chicago and Columbus, Ohio, report in Science.
The variant raises the lifetime risk of colorectal cancer from 6 per cent to
50 per cent.
Drowned girl named
A five-year-old girl who died after she was swept away in a rain-swollen river
at Stratton, north Cornwall, was named as Abbie Patterson, from Pyworthy,
Devon. She fell into the River Stratt as she threw a football for her dogs
at a play area. She had run off unnoticed after her mother briefly turned
her back.
Suicide bomb victim
A British soldier who was killed when a suicide bomber drove a car into a
convoy in Afghanistan has been named as Signaller Wayne Bland, 21, from
Leeds. He died after the attack in Kabul on Monday. Two fellow soldiers from
16 Signal Regiment were wounded. Afghan police said that three civilians
were also killed.
Woman impaled
A woman was treated in hospital after she fell and became impaled on a statue
of Kali, the Hindu goddess of destruction. The woman, 30, from Salford,
Greater Manchester, landed on a decorative 7.5cm (3in) metal spike, which
pierced her arm. Firefighters had to remove part of the statue using a
hacksaw.
Honeymoon deaths
Two women appeared in court in Antigua in connection with the murder of Ben
and Catherine Mullany, both 31, from Pontardawe, South Wales, who were shot
on the last day of their honeymoon last month at the Cocos Hotel and Resort.
The suspects, who have not been named, are charged with offences connected
to the deaths.
Fuel vouchers plan
The Government is planning to issue fuel vouchers to parents struggling to pay
their bills. The vouchers, worth between £50 and £100, will be available to
six million of the poorest families who are eligible for child tax credits.
The move is to be part of the Prime Minister’s economic recovery package
this autumn.
‘Terror’ of obesity
The threat to Britain and the NHS from rising obesity is as grave as that
posed by terrorism, according to David Hunter, a public heath expert at
Durham University. He said ministers should be taking bold action,
compelling manufacturers to reduce the salt, fat and sugar content of their
products.
Five hits by composer A young composer has gained five A grades at A
level and won a place to study music at Cambridge University. Andrew
Hadfield, 18, of Waterlooville, Hampshire, was among the Highly Commended
winners of the Young Composers’ Competition this year.
He achieved his A levels in music, mathematics, further maths, chemistry and
physics. Andrew plays clarinet, piano and saxophone and also sings.
Royal achievement
Princess Eugenie achieved three A levels at what appear to be the highest
grades of any member of the Royal Family. She had A grades in art and
English literature, and a B in history of art. The Duke and Duchess of York
released a joint statement saying: “Eugenie has worked extremely hard
towards these justifiably fantastic results.” The Princess attended
Marlborough College in Wiltshire.
Olympics delay result
Jemma Lowe, 18, is refusing to find out her A-level results until she returns
from Beijing, where she is swimming at the Olympic Games today. Jemma took A
levels in mathematics, biology and PE. Her sister, Naomi, said: “I’ve
been told to go and pick up her results from school but not to open the
envelope.”
Refugee makes Oxford
Waheed Safi arrived in England three years ago after his family were forced to
flee Afghanistan. Yesterday he achieved four A levels at grade A, and has
won a place at Oxford University to study engineering science. Waheed, 18,
could not speak English three years ago.
He said: “Back home you would look at chemistry books and just read them and
memorise them. Here it is different. There are labs and you can do
experiments and see them and understand them.”
Howzat for success?
Holly Colvin, 18, who plays cricket for England, achieved four A grades at A
level, in mathematics, chemistry, biology and Latin. The teenager missed two
weeks of school while playing for the Ashes in Australia. She said:
“Combining cricket and studying was not as bad as everyone makes out. The
school was really helpful.”
Holly will take a gap year before taking up a place at Durham University. She
has been accepted by the New South Wales cricket academy and will play for a
club in Sydney.
Lottery numbers
The winning numbers in last night’s Lotto main draw were 5, 9, 10, 11, 23, 26,
bonus 12. The Thunderball numbers were 1, 9, 13, 15, 19, Thunderball 11.
Dream Number was 2, 0, 3, 6, 7, 2, 0.
ID card hurdle
The national identity card scheme could be hampered by the poor quality of
four million pensioners’ fingerprints, according to the Government’s
scientific advisers. A report from the biometrics assurance group gave
warning that it was hard to obtain good quality fingerprints from the
over-75s.
