PORTRAIT OF THE WEEK
And anyway you know, I got hooked on the media. I tried to give it up only he wouldn't give up this other woman . .
The Queen announced in Parliament a series of Bills that her Government would try to pass, including one to let MI5 become involved in catching criminals, another allowing vouchers for nursery school care, and another to loosen rules on television channel ownership. This was characterised as over-political by the Oppo- sition, who denounced Dr Brian Mawhin- ney, the chairman of the Conservative Party, for offering to 'smoke out' Labour policy. Mr John Major, the Prime Minister, announced the imposition of an arms embargo against Nigeria. He also rejected calls made in a speech in England by Mr John Bruton, the Taoiseach of Ireland, for unconditional talks with parties including Sinn Fein, the political face of the Irish Republican Army; but Mr Major and Mr Bruton did agree to speak to one another on the telephone. The Princess of Wales is to broadcast to the nation on Panorama; she did not tell the Palace of her plans. A two-minute silence was observed by many Britons on Armistice Day as well as the fol- lowing day, Remembrance. Sunday. Mr Major was said' to to 15e*the' Oiorst. paid Prime Minister since ' 'state'. satiLiet introduced for ministers in 1830. Mr Tony Blair, the Leader of the Opposition, said: 'I want a tax r'pgime whetet through their hard work, risk and success, people can become wealthy.' Sir Nicholas Scott was selected to stand in the Conservative inter- est for the very safe new constituency of Kensington and Chelsea. A hearing was held into plans by Yorkshire Water to cut off supplies for subscribers at a time when the company and two others were asked by Ofwat, the official regulators, to explain shortcomings in their service. A Taiwanese company that makes television tubes is to build a £235 million plant in Lanarkshire, offering 3,000 jobs. Two trains collided at Paddington, closing the station for several hours. Sir Robert Stephens, the actor, died, aged 64. Mr Ian Hargreaves resigned as editor of the Independent, to be replaced as acting editor by Mr Charles Wilson, who is a director of the Mirror Group, which in effect controls the newspaper. The Govern- ment is to make illegal a pornographic satellite television channel TV Erotica. The Radio Times published a pin-up poster of an actor playing Darcy from the BBC dramatisation of Pride and Prejudice.
iKEN SARO-WIWA, a writer, and eight others. activists from the Ogoni tribe were hanged in Nigeria. Nigeria was then shunried from the Commonwealth and told by the Commonwealth Heads of Govern- ment Conference, meeting in New Zealand, that it would be expelled if it did not introduce democracy within two years. President Nelson Mandela of South Africa acted gingerly over the case, refusing to condemn Nigeria before the hangings, then proposing the suspension afterwards. The oil company Shell, against some of whose activities Saro-Wiwa had protested, said it was delaying a decision on investing in natural gas in Nigeria, for commercial reasons. The Court of Auditors found that £400 million of European Community funds had been misspent. An agreement to return eastern Slavonia to Croatian rule was signed in the United States by the warring parties. An American sailor admitted raping a 12-year-old girl in Japan. American sailors were told to spend a day contemplating standards of sexual morality. More than 800,000 public servants in America were sent home when the Federal Government ran out of money to pay them. A bomb killed five Americans, a Saudi and injured 60 at mili- tary base in Riyadh. Israel advanced plans to stop Jewish extremists entering the country. An avalanche killed more than 40 near Mount Everest. CSH
Previous page
