PORTRAIT OF THE WEEK
Star wars Both the main political parties had reason to believe that they had done well in the local elections: Labour with a net gain of 104 seats, the Conservatives — who have had disastrous results in recent years — with a net gain of five, although their poor performance in Scotland indicated that they have not hit rock bottom there yet. The former 'Alliance' parties, howev- er, did badly. Mr David Alton's Bill to stop abortions after 18 weeks was talked out of time on the floor of the House of Com- mons. He said that he had been a victim of 'procedural mugging' and would carry on the fight. At Dover and Calais frustrated lorry drivers blockaded the ferry ports causing chaos to trade and traffic with the Continent. The Government's community charge proposals ran into choppy waters in the House of Lords, much of the opposi- tion coming from their own beriches where Lords Pym and Carr have emerged as their sternest critics. In a case with huge implica- tions the Law Lords ruled that a female shipyard canteen cook should be paid the same as men doing comparable work. Despite offers by the Bank of England the pound continued to rise on the foreign exchange markets: up to DM3.16, $1.88. There were calls for the Government to prevent the proposed takeover by the Swiss group Nestle of the British chocolate giant, Rowntree. Zola Budd, said to be suffering from nervous exhaustion follow- ing her harrying by black African states, announced that she was to retire from sport for a 'prolonged period'. A widow left more than £2.75 million to the kSPCA, but no specific instructions as to the welfare of her own cat, Kitty. The Japanese prime minister visited Britain; his wife presented Mrs Thatcher with a minia- ture bread oven and two boxes of instant 'Bread Mix'. Graeme Hick scored 405, not out, for Worcestershire against Somerset.
THE American President and his wife stand accused in a book by the former White House chief of staff, Mr Donald Regan, of consulting an astrologer, Ms Joan Quigley, before making important decisions of state. The President's calendar is said to have been separated into 'good', 'bad' and 'iffy' days — depending on astrological factors. Perhaps more signifi- cantly, Mr Regan said that Mr Reagan suffered from 'missing determination' in making decisions and that he never saw the President 'issue a direct order'. A group of about 100 dissidents from all over the Soviet Union met in Moscow to set up an opposition political party -- the Democra- tic Union. In Poland the strike at the Gdansk shipyards ended after nine days with the workers winning no concessions from the Polish authorities. The Danish general election result left the political parties in much the same position as before. The right-of-centre minority gov- ernment of Mr Paul Schluter was expected to hold on to power in the post-election bargaining. Frangois Mitterrand was re- elected President of France in the run-off against Prime Minister Jacques Chirac, who then tendered his resignation and was replaced by the Socialist Michel Rocard. Israeli troops pulled out of South Lebanon after their 'punitive raid', leaving 43 dead. Following four days of savage fighting in Beirut between rival Shi'ite militias the Syrian military commander said that his forces would soon use 'decisive means' to end the clashes.
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