PORTRAIT OF THE WEEK
`And now the latest news on the HIV lover . .
Mr Lamont, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, finally acknowledged that full recovery from the recession could take up to three years within the constraints of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism. The Government faced controversy over reports suggesting that the Top Salaries Review Body had recommended rises of up to 30 per cent for senior civil servants, judges and service personnel. Mr Major ordered a report on a Birmingham man infected with the Aids virus who is said to have infected at least four women, one of whom has died, after officials said they had insufficient powers to deal with the case. The Daily Mir- ror wrote off nearly £500 million against the plundering of the company and its pension fund by Robert Maxwell. His sons Kevin and Ian were arrested and charged with frauds and thefts totalling £135 million. The Inspector of Constabulary refused Derbyshire Police Force a certificate of efficiency, the first time this has happened in Britain. Disgruntled names at the Lloyd's insurance market, up to 4,500 of whom are said to face this year average losses of £100,000, announced they would try to force a no confidence vote in the market's chairman and council. A consortium led by
the Laing construction family put forward proposals to turn London Zoo into a £61 million rainforest conservation centre. The Zoo received £1 million from the Emir of Kuwait, enabling it to stay open until next spring. In Bradford, a bogus doctor who, during 30 years of illegal practice pre- scribed shampoo to be taken orally and once told a lady with a sore throat to drink creosote, was jailed for five years. Kitty Godfree, Wimbledon singles tennis cham- pion in 1924 and 1926, died aged 96. A lock of Byron's hair was sold for £4,620 in an auction to a man who said it was an 'incred- ibly romantic' gift for one of his children.
THERE WAS relief among EEC ministers at the result of the Irish referendum on the Maastricht Treaty, which endorsed the pact by a majority of two to one. In Luxembourg EEC transport ministers agreed to remove restrictions on air travel for the single mar- ket, raising hopes of cheaper fares across the community. In South Africa the ANC called off talks on constitutional reforms with the white government after accusing the security forces of involvement in the massacre of 39 of its supporters in the township of Boipatong. In Israel Mr
Yitzhak Rabin's Labour Party was set to form a new government after making sub- stantial gains in the general election, having campaigned for a more conciliatory atti- tude to peace talks with the country's Arab neighbours and a halt to Jewish settlements in the occupied territories. President Havel of Czechoslovakia called for a referendum on plans announced by Czech and Slovak leaders to split the country in two later this year. Attempts by UN forces to reopen Sarajevo airport had to be abandoned in the face of renewed heavy fighting in the city, which has now been besieged by Serb irregulars for over two months. Presidents Yeltsin of Russia and Kravchuk of the Ukraine unexpectedly announced they had agreed to continued joint command of the former Soviet Black Sea Fleet, resolving tensions which had threatened to lead to conflict between them. Hundreds of Somali refugees were feared drowned after jump- ing off a ship to swim to Yemen, while UN officials said that those remaining on board were dying at the rate of one an hour from heat, hunger and thirst. In America the Vice President, Mr Dan Quayle, was shown during a televised visit to a school to be
unable to spell the word 'potato'. KLE
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