PORTRAIT OF THE WEEK
The Government was severely criti- cised for its far-reaching overhaul of the Welfare State, which began to take effect, although Ministers believe that the Opposition and various welfare lobbies were deliberately overstressing worst cases in an attempt to discredit what they regard as essential changes in a system which was becoming increasingly complicated, expen- sive and a 'protector of the work-shy'. The Bank of England reduced its base rate by half a per cent to eight per cent, a move that is expected to spark off a mortgage war. Jaguar cars headed for an all-out strike after a row over plans to speed up the production line. The Independent Television Association, which represents the 16 independent television companies, agreed to scrap key provisions in its nation- al agreements with the four broadcasting unions. Mr Eric Heffer's campaign for deputy leadership of the Labour Party suffered a reverse when the General Secretary of his sponsoring trade union, UCATT, urged his executive to back Mr Hattersley. Mr Neil Kinnock's home in Ealing was attacked by two men who threw a lump of concrete through his living room window. An Old Bailey jury heard how Targeting the poor
proceeds from the gold stolen in the £26 million Brink's-Mat raid at Heathrow had been invested in the Docklands property boom and had now doubled in value. Scientists have shown that the Atlantic is getting rougher. Waves in its north-eastern region have increased in size by over a quarter in the past 25 years; they say 'this is going to worry the Department of Energy no end'. The Scottish golfer, Sandy Lyle, won the US Masters tournament at Augus- ta, Georgia. Rhyme 'n' Reason won the Grand National. Sir Denis Hamilton, re- garded by many as the the greatest post- war British editor, died.
IRAN was suspected of complicity in the hijacking of the Kuwaiti airways jumbo jet which was forced to land at Mashad in Northern Iran. From there, having re- leased many of its passengers, including all the British ones, it flew to Cyprus. Once on the ground the hijackers began to murder their captives. After two were killed; 12 others were freed and the aeroplane allowed to fly to Algiers. Israel expelled eight Palestinian activists by sending them to southern Lebanon and leaving them there. The US agreed to be a guarantor, along with the Russians, to the agreement whereby the Soviet Union will pull out its troops from Afghanistan from May. The Mayor of New York, Mario Cuomo, said for the first time that he would refuse to be drafted as the Democratic Party's pres- idential candidate at a brokered conven- tion: this was thought to be helpful to Governor Dukakis in his bid to secure the nomination from the Revd Jesse Jackson. Ciriaco De Mita announced that he was able to form a government in Italy — the 48th since the last war. Islamabad and Rawalpindi were bombarded by missiles and military shells after an enormous explosion at an army ammunition dump killing some hundred people and injuring hundreds more. The French author, Fran- coise Sagan, facing charges of possessing cocaine, was supported by a petition signed by leading members of the French 'glitter- ati', claiming to want to be charged along with the once-fashionable novelist. Miss Sagan claims that she was charged because of her support for President Mitterrand in this month's forthcoming presidential elec- tions. The Order 'of the Knights of Malta elected a Scottish aristocrat, Fra Andrew Bertie, as its 78th Grand Master. MStJT
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