WHAT HAPPENED ON 17th January 2001?

16th January 2001

CLINTON ADVISERS IN LONDON FOR NI TALKS

Some of President Clinton's senior advisers are involved in trying to end an impasse over policing & decomissioning in Northern Ireland. A Downing Street spokesman confirmed officials led by US security adviser Jim Steinberg were in London for talks. Mr Steinberg was in Belfast last year for talks with all the parties. The White House team was also speaking to officials from Dublin Downing Street said.

17th January 2001

BLAIR HEADS TO BELFAST FOR PEACE TALKS

Prime Minister Tony Blair is flying to Belfast later this afternoon to try to break the deadlock in the Northern Ireland peace process. A spokesman played down hopes of an imminent breakthrough but said talks might establish whether agreement on oustanding issues could be achieved. Mr Blair will try to speak to Ulster unionists & the SDLP before leaving. He is likely to speak to President Clinton by telephone this evening.

17th January 2001

£20 000 FINE FOLLOWING McDONALD'S DEATH

The former owners of a McDonald's restaurant franchise have been fined #20 000 after the death of a student. Ciara McGinley was electrocuted by a faulty hand dryer in the toilets of the Belfast restaurant in June 1998. Diamond Restaurants Ltd pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the safety of staff & customers. The owners of the franchise have also been warned to expect to pay legal costs of £20 000.

16th January 2001

What People were saying on

"A much better name than Consignia for the Post Office would have been Resignia."

G StJ Penney of Shropshire in a letter to The Daily Telegraph.

"He is like a sponge. He knows more than practically anyone you can think of about practically everything."

Roger Clinton about his half-brother the outgoing President Bill Clinton.

"Blessed are the young for they shall inherit the National Debt."

Sir Malcolm Rifkind President of the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party requoting President Herbert Hoover.

17th January 2001

BLAIR HEADS TO BELFAST FOR PEACE TALKS

Prime Minister Tony Blair is flying to Belfast later this afternoon to try to break the deadlock in the Northern Ireland peace process. A spokesman played down hopes of an imminent breakthrough but said talks might establish whether agreement on oustanding issues could be achieved. Mr Blair will try to speak to Ulster unionists & the SDLP before leaving. He is likely to speak to President Clinton by telephone this evening.

17th January 2001

CLINTON AT RISK OF CANCER ` DOCTORS

President Clinton's doctors say he has an above-average risk of developing cancer after a cancerous spot was removed from his back last week. The US leader's chief doctor Connie Mariano said his risk of a recurrence of basal cell skin cancer was low. But he faced a higher risk than the average because of fair skin & years of sun exposure she said. The president's dermatologist said the spot had been "a little pearly".

16th January 2001

RETURN TO "DEVOLUTION DEAL" URGED BY MP

Sinn Fein has urged a return to a deal on devolution it says the Government struck with the IRA last year. MP Martin McGuinness says the IRA agreed to weapons inspections in return for the restoration of devolution RUC reform and scaling down of army bases. But Tony Blair had been "unable to fufil the commitments" he made the MP said on the BBC's Breakfast with Frost. N Ireland Secretary Peter Mandelson's RUC reform was an "awful mess" he said

17th January 2001

BLAIR HEADS TO BELFAST FOR PEACE TALKS

Prime Minister Tony Blair is flying to Belfast later this afternoon to try to break the deadlock in the Northern Ireland peace process. A spokesman played down hopes of an imminent breakthrough but said talks might establish whether agreement on oustanding issues could be achieved. Mr Blair will try to speak to Ulster unionists & the SDLP before leaving. He is likely to speak to President Clinton by telephone this evening.

17th January 2001

SWITZERLAND World football governing body Fifa has agreed to withdraw plans to reform the system of transfering players between European clubs at a meeting with European counterpart Uefa. GERMANY The authorities have ordered meat inspectors to tighten controls following the seizure in Northern Ireland of 41 tonnes of German beef contaminated with spinal cord.

16th January 2001

PROTESTERS OFFER ONE-WAY TICKET TO PERU

Japanese protesters have offered Peru's disgraced ex-president Alberto Fujimori a one-way air ticket back home so he can answer corruption allegations. Some 30 members of the Peace Boat organisation marched to his house in Tokyo but guards refused to accept the economy-class ticket. Mr Fujimori who has Japanese nationality has been accused of illegally putting millions of dollars in overseas bank accounts. He says he will only return if cleared.

17th January 2001

BLAIR HEADS TO BELFAST FOR PEACE TALKS

Prime Minister Tony Blair is flying to Belfast later this afternoon to try to break the deadlock in the Northern Ireland peace process. A spokesman played down hopes of an imminent breakthrough but said talks might establish whether agreement on oustanding issues could be achieved. Mr Blair will try to speak to Ulster unionists & the SDLP before leaving. He is likely to speak to President Clinton by telephone this evening.

17th January 2001

PEACE SOON WOULD BE A SURPRISE ` ISRAEL

A breakthrough in Middle East peace talks is unlikely before Israel's prime ministerial election on February 6 Israeli officials have said. It would be "very surprising" if an agreement was reached by then Prime Minister Ehud Barak's spokesman said. But many analysts believe Mr Barak's best chance of re-election rests with securing a deal with the Palestinians. Negotiators for both sides have met several times over the past few days.

16th January 2001

CONFUSION OVER FATE OF CONGO'S KABILA

Doubts remain over the fate of Congo's President Laurent Kabila who was shot in an apparent assassination attempt. A government spokesman quoted by the AFP news agency said he was wounded in yesterday's attack but is still alive. AFP added that his son General Joseph Kabila will take charge. Meanwhile Reuters quoted Zimbabwean government officials as saying Mr Kabila had died on a plane en route to Zimbabwe for medical treatment.

17th January 2001

BLAIR HEADS TO BELFAST FOR PEACE TALKS

Prime Minister Tony Blair is flying to Belfast later this afternoon to try to break the deadlock in the Northern Ireland peace process. A spokesman played down hopes of an imminent breakthrough but said talks might establish whether agreement on oustanding issues could be achieved. Mr Blair will try to speak to Ulster unionists & the SDLP before leaving. He is likely to speak to President Clinton by telephone this evening.

17th January 2001

INDIA

A second test-launch of the Agni-II intermediate ballistic missile has been reportedly carried out. After the first test-fire last year Pakistan responded by firing its own missile. IRAQ President Saddam Hussein marked the 10th anniversary of the Gulf War with a TV address claiming Iraq had triumphed over its enemies in the war and would triumph again with God's help

16th January 2001

BLAIR "DEPLORES" INTERNET BABIES BUY

Prime Minister Tony Blair has told the Commons that he deplores the internet adoption of US twins by British couple Judith & Alan Kilshaw. "I think everyone feels it is absolutely deplorable that children are traded in this way " he said. He wants a review of the law to avoid the UK being caught up in future cases. A US couple paid an internet agency #4 000 in an attempt to adopt the twins who were then re-sold to the Kilshaws.

17th January 2001

BLAIR HEADS TO BELFAST FOR PEACE TALKS

Prime Minister Tony Blair is flying to Belfast later this afternoon to try to break the deadlock in the Northern Ireland peace process. A spokesman played down hopes of an imminent breakthrough but said talks might establish whether agreement on oustanding issues could be achieved. Mr Blair will try to speak to Ulster unionists & the SDLP before leaving. He is likely to speak to President Clinton by telephone this evening.

17th January 2001

YUGOSLAVS AT LOGGERHEADS OVER FUTURE

Talks between the presidents of Yugoslavia & Montenegro have ended without any decision on how to reorganise the federal state. The Serbian prime minister-designate Zoran Djindjic attended the failed talks but said the two leaders had agreed to continue negotiations. Montenegrin leaders want to declare independence then rejoin Yugoslavia under a loose confederation. Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica opposes weakening the federation.

16th January 2001

BLAIR "DEPLORES" INTERNET BABIES BUY

Prime Minister Tony Blair has told the Commons that he deplores the internet adoption of US twins by British couple Judith & Alan Kilshaw. "I think everyone feels it is absolutely deplorable that children are traded in this way " he said. He wants a review of the law to avoid the UK being caught up in future cases. A US couple paid an internet agency #4 000 in an attempt to adopt the twins who were then re-sold to the Kilshaws.

17th January 2001

BLAIR HEADS TO BELFAST FOR PEACE TALKS

Prime Minister Tony Blair is flying to Belfast later this afternoon to try to break the deadlock in the Northern Ireland peace process. A spokesman played down hopes of an imminent breakthrough but said talks might establish whether agreement on oustanding issues could be achieved. Mr Blair will try to speak to Ulster unionists & the SDLP before leaving. He is likely to speak to President Clinton by telephone this evening.

17th January 2001

AGENDA AT WESTMINSTER

Cabinet Office Minister Mo Mowlam will answer questions from MPs in the Commons before Tony Blair & William Hague meet over the dispatch boxes. Home Secretary Jack Straw will then open committee stage debate on the Hunting Bill. In the Lords debates will focus on marriage & traditional family values. Peers will also be debating HM Prison Blantyre House & paying for the care of the elderly.

16th January 2001

What People were saying on

"A much better name than Consignia for the Post Office would have been Resignia."

G StJ Penney of Shropshire in a letter to The Daily Telegraph.

"He is like a sponge. He knows more than practically anyone you can think of about practically everything."

Roger Clinton about his half-brother the outgoing President Bill Clinton.

"Blessed are the young for they shall inherit the National Debt."

Sir Malcolm Rifkind President of the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party requoting President Herbert Hoover.

17th January 2001

BLAIR HEADS TO BELFAST FOR PEACE TALKS

Prime Minister Tony Blair is flying to Belfast later this afternoon to try to break the deadlock in the Northern Ireland peace process. A spokesman played down hopes of an imminent breakthrough but said talks might establish whether agreement on oustanding issues could be achieved. Mr Blair will try to speak to Ulster unionists & the SDLP before leaving. He is likely to speak to President Clinton by telephone this evening.

17th January 2001

TORIES TO MISS OUT ON EU PARTY FUNDING

The Tories are to miss out on a share of multi-million pound funding given to political parties by the European Union The money will only go to political parties which are part of a group with seats in at least five member states. Shadow Foreign Secretary Francis Maude said the party was being discriminated against because it has no direct link with other European political groups. Both Labour & the Liberal Democrats will qualify for some of the funding.

16th January 2001

What People were saying on

"A much better name than Consignia for the Post Office would have been Resignia."

G StJ Penney of Shropshire in a letter to The Daily Telegraph.

"He is like a sponge. He knows more than practically anyone you can think of about practically everything."

Roger Clinton about his half-brother the outgoing President Bill Clinton.

"Blessed are the young for they shall inherit the National Debt."

Sir Malcolm Rifkind President of the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party requoting President Herbert Hoover.

17th January 2001

BLAIR HEADS TO BELFAST FOR PEACE TALKS

Prime Minister Tony Blair is flying to Belfast later this afternoon to try to break the deadlock in the Northern Ireland peace process. A spokesman played down hopes of an imminent breakthrough but said talks might establish whether agreement on oustanding issues could be achieved. Mr Blair will try to speak to Ulster unionists & the SDLP before leaving. He is likely to speak to President Clinton by telephone this evening.

17th January 2001

GOVT URGED TO REMAIN FOCUSED ON PEACE

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has urged the Government not to allow Peter Mandelson's resignation to distract it from the search for peace in N Ireland. Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble praised Mr Mandelson in the Commons. He said his work in Northern Ireland had been appreciated by many people. The Democratic Unionist Party said few tears would be shed for Mr Mandelson who "refused to recognise" it spoke for the majority of the unionist community.