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Highlights
Weather: Early cloud clears to sun. 12. Tonight's telly: The Crystal Maze (1990, Challenge) The very first episode, in which the team plays the games brilliantly but flunks at the end. Richard O'Brien camps it up wonderfully, and it's abundantly clear that this show will go far. ***** What passes for a foot and mouth policy falls into further turmoil after one misfiring and one misfortune. The misfiring: Pyres to burn livestock have released cancer-causing dioxins into the atmosphere, confessed Environment Minister Michael Meacher. The Department of Health launched an inquiry into the risks posed by burning animal carcasses Mr Meacher joined the Government's attempt to calm fears about the chemicals, some of the most potent carcinogens known, by saying that the amount was merely equal to "two bonfire nights". The misfortune: The first human case of foot and mouth is suspected as a slaughterman is suspected of having contracted the disease. There has been only one recorded case of foot and mouth being contracted by a human being in Great Britain, during the last outbreak in 1966. The general effects of the disease in that case were similar to influenza with some blisters. It is a mild short lived, self-limiting disease. Chechen rebels take hostages at a hotel in Istanbul. The gunmen, protesting against Russian military action in Chechnya, surrendered within hours. 13 gunmen were arrested and taken to Turkish police headquarters for questioning. They said they felt they had highlighted the plight of Chechnya and did not want to embarrass Turkey further, according to local government officials. All hostages were unharmed. Tony Blair shoved his oar in in a vain effort to defuse the row between the parties over race and the CRE pledge. Downing Street said it was entirely a matter for individual MPs whether they signed the declaration or not, given that it had already been endorsed by the leaders of all the main parties. Mr Blair's spokesdroid acknowledged the Conservatives had every right to challenge the Government's policies on asylum seekers. The conciliatory tone is the latest sign of Labour's desire to end a dispute that is damaging them more than the Tories.
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2001-04-24 (Tu)
Weather: It's wet. Wet, drizzly, pouring, damp. Until 5, when it finally clears. 11. Tonight's telly: Two more cases of suspected foot-and-mouth disease in humans today. No further details - not even location - were available at press time. London Underground reports another suspended service - a spray gun used to pump perfume on platforms has failed only a day after its high-profile launch. The scent is meant to improve the daily journeys of three million Tube passengers. However, LU cannot get one of the spray guns to work properly and spraying at St James's Park has been temporarily suspended. Creator Pierre Nuyens promised a "fresh, watery, floral bouquet of rose and jasmine with citrus top notes". This was not the perception of all those at the booking halls and platforms of the three stations chosen for the launch - St James's Park, Euston and Piccadilly Circus. Some said it smelled "rather like disinfectant". Staff at St James's Park suggested the perfume may have been applied too enthusiastically. "I could hardly breathe, the smell was that strong," said one employee. Maverick reformer Junichiro Koizumi defeats one of Japan's former prime ministers to win the ruling party presidency, guaranteeing his election as the next prime minister. Mr Koizumi's victory over Ryutaro Hashimoto followed an overwhelming show of support by rank-and-file members of the Liberal Democratic party (LDP) in the primaries. The unexpected election result reflects growing public disgust with the political establishment and the sour economy, and the LDP's desperate attempt to revamp its stick-in-the-mud image ahead of upper house parliamentary elections this summer.
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2001-04-25 (We)
Weather: Rain comes and goes. Mainly coming when I'm out of doors. Typical. Humid, too. 12 Tonight's Telly: At work, I'm looking after a database for the legal spods. They want me to do things with it, which is fair enough. Though the replacement system is already in the pipeline, I'm having to become more of an expert than anyone really wants, just to get the tasks done. I guess it's like throwing bricks onto the lake-bed to reach a point in space; eventually, the lake will become so shallow one can paddle and not swim. (Well, *I* know what the hell I'm on about.) Interesting listening on Radio 5 this morning. Usually unflappable presenters Worriker and Darbyshire were apologising for one of their earlier contributors, who had used (shall we say) unusually fruity language. I think it was the F-word, or the C-word. Then they go on to discuss the French Mlle Universe entrant, who just might be a Mr. The French correspondent reports that "the French don't give a shit." Only on live BBC radio... The government becomes the biggest advertiser in the first quarter of the year. They spent GBP631 million of taxpayer's money, promoting all the good things they've done since coming to power. Quite why this cost more than about 15p is beyond me. Irony is heaped on this as people remember that ten years ago, The Party launched an attack on Government advertising, claiming it was all Tory propaganda. Spearheading the attack then was a Rev A R P Blair. No Party spokesdroid is able to convincingly explain why propaganda then is legitimate publicity now. A dossier goes to the Crown Prosecution Service, in preparation for an indictment for Sadaam Hussein. The charges relate to his taking of 1500 British citizens after the 1990 invasion of Kuwait. Though the CPS and Attorney General seem unwilling to prosecute, the evidence is clearly there. Toppled Philippine president Joseph Estrada is arrested on corruption charges which allegedly involved procuring himself almost £60m. After weeks of legal wrangling and a last-minute flurry of moves aimed at keeping him out of jail, Mr Estrada was escorted from his home in Manila's opulent Greenhills district. |
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2001-04-26 (Th)
Weather: Sunny pretty much all the way through. 14. Tonight's Telly We've had a "team building" day scheduled for Monday for a long time. Turns out that the rest of the team have been talking about the manager behind their back, and there could be fireworks. Hopefully not. Fireworks are a distraction. The government relaxes the culling of healthy animals. Just slightly. It follows the publication of a photo of a calf. This future beefer had been protected by the corpses of other animals killed in the name of profit, and survived to beam out from every front page. It's the first time since Mrs Margaret Thatcher left office that public policy has been dictated by one cow. Tony Blair and Gordon Brown launch one of their key election weapons, the promise of a £250 baby bribe for every child. In a press conference at Downing Street, Blair set the battle lines for a general election which he is expected to announce formally in less than two weeks' time. The "Child Trust Fund" would see the State give poorer children a fund of up to £500 at birth. Each of the 750,000 babies born in Britain each year would get at least £250 with further payments at ages five, 11 and 16 to a maximum of £800. Although the final figures are still to be agreed, with interest and "modest" parental contributions of £5 a month the fund could total more than £3,000 by the time it could be claimed at 18. Michael Portillo derided the plan as a "joke", given, he said, that Mr Brown had discouraged savings with an array of stealth taxes.
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2001-04-27 (Fr)
Weather: Some sunshine, a lot of cloud, the odd shower. 13. A lot of the web's daily diarists have been pointing their readers in one direction. Kaycee's Journey Home. The eponymous heroine has already been the recipient of two miracles, and there are many, many people hoping against hope for a third. It's rare for me to have to stop reading or watching something because it's rising so many emotions. This is one such case. Like watching MSCL, I just *know* it's all going to end too soon, and that will hurt like anything, but the journey there is completely unmissable. Beware. This Is Powerful Stuff. Tonight's telly:
More Powerful Stuff in Buffy (Sky One) Spike trying to raise the dead should make a fantastic comedy plot, but it's dripping with seriousness. Anya is the comedy element, as usual. **** 1/2 Back on the bike, for the first time since the smash a couple of weeks ago. It's a very nervous time, seeking a slightly new route. I reckon it's a bit safer. Even though there are a couple more right turns involved, one is at a standing junction, the other towards the top of a hill where I've excellent visibility. Conservative party leader William Hague is heckled and jostled by protesters on a visit to Pudsey in Yorkshire. Three people wearing Alan Partridge masks asked Mr Hague if he was planning to sack John Townend (C, Yorkshire East) who reignited the race problem for the Conservatives when he declared that Labour believes the British to be a "mongrel race". When Vague stopped at a market to buy flowers for his wife, one of the protesters shouted: "Are those for Mr Townend?" Vague replied: "They are most definitely for my wife Fffffffffffion." More than a third of the farmers hit by foot and mouth disease plan to scale back their businesses, while some plan to quit altogether, according to a Farmer's Weekly survey. Of 128 farmers who saw infected livestock slaughtered, 6% said they planned to leave agriculture, while 36% said that they only planned to partially restock their farms. Monica Coghlan, the former prostitute at the centre of the Lord Archer libel trial has died after a crash. Ms Coghlan, 50, was driving a blue Ford Fiesta car when it was struck by a stolen Jaguar, allegedly driven by a fleeing armed robber, in Scammonden, West Yorkshire, yesterday. A 32-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the incident, West Yorkshire police said. Any link to Archer's forthcoming perjury trial is complete coincidence. Surely. |
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2001-04-28 (Sa)
Weather: Sunny for much of the day, but with some short, violent showers. 13. Today's telly:
Wanted (1996, UK Horizons) Episode 7, and it's foggy through Britain. We can't see pictures from tracker Paul Denchfield in Birmingham at all; his pair - James and Gary, businessmen from Bristol - feed sharks. And have a blazing row. And bend the rule-book to breaking point. Victoria Fay traces Lucy and Paul in Newcastle, a sweet Scouse pair who do their best to crush cars, and lead Vic on a wild-goose chase. Both pairs leave their boxes with £4000. Matt Randall traces John and Jonathan, taciturn folk from London. They're playing on home territory in the south of the city, and have managed to scale a climbing wall every day to take the maximum. Even in a low-drama episode, this is compelling viewing. *** 1/2 Into the city centre, have a mooch round the indoor markets, but there's not much happening. No-one's flogging The Tribe OST yet, which annoys. Vermin is having one of their more well-thought out sales, three old Madonna singles for a tenner; and two CDs for a twenty. Goo Goos (Dizzy Up the Girl) and Tom Petty (94 GH) fall to that promo. Italian opposition leader Silvio Berlusconi's media company will sue the Economist magazine for saying in yesterday's edition that he is unfit to lead a government. The media magnate was stunned that a magazine revered by Italy's business class could launch such an attack a fortnight before the general election in which his centre-right coalition expects to regain power. Football:
Manchester City prolonged their premier league existence for at least another week after a 1-0 home win over West Ham United on Saturday, but Bradford City were relegated after losing 2-1 at Everton. Coventry City's stay in the top flight looks set to end after 34 years as they went down 2-0 at home to Liverpool and now need to win their last two games to have any chance of survival.
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2001-04-29 (Su)
Weather: Sunny all day. 14. Yay! Some nice weather, in spite of the pessimistic forecast. Enough good weather to hang the washing outside to dry, and to cut the huge patch of land opposite for the first time in absolutely ages. Don't think the previous occupants ever really bothered. Today's telly:
Wanted (1996, Horizons) Last of the series sees the lovely Lucy & Paul become Santa's Little Helpers for a week, escape in Liverpool, and take £10,000. The mad John and Jonathan kiss a boss a day, get lost in York, hide out in Newcastle, get Paul Denchfield sopping wet on a false lead, and wind up £12,000 richer. And James and Gary go out as panto dames, then attempt to throw a bung to Dave McBride. They're thrown off the game, and pretend it was all a gag. Like we believe them. ***** Spanish Grand Prix David Coulthard stalls on the starting grid, smashes into an Arrows on the first lap, and has to come back to the pits. He's out of it. Meanwhile, Schuey leads until the second pit stop, when Mika Hakkinnen wins out. The Flying Finn is a dead cert for his fourth straight win at Barca as Schuey has to back off with an overheating engine. Nothing is certain in Formula One, though, as Mika's engine goes pop less than half a lap from the finish, allowing Michael Schumacher to score another win. Juan-Pablo Montoya finishes second, his first ever F1 finish, with Jaques "Jaques" Villneuve third - his first podium since winning the championship in 97. And Coulthard? Carved his way through the field and gave his team-mate a lift back to the pits, finishing fifth. Chart News
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