December 2004 in Britain and Ireland

31 December 2004

• The UK is leading the world's efforts to gather funds to help those victims of the Asian tsunami. Charities have reported that up to £1m per hour is being donated. The confirmed British death toll now stands at 29 (23 in Thailand, 3 in Sri Lanka and 3 in the Maldives). (BBC).
• The New Year's Honours list is announced; notable recipients include Digby Jones, leader of the CBI, and Mike Tomlinson, education expert, who will both receive knighthoods, and Dr. Michael Foale, first Briton to walk in space, will be made a CBE. The realm of sport is heavily featured, with Matthew Pinsent, Olympic rower receiving a knighthood, and Kelly Holmes, Olympic runner, and Tanni Grey-Thompson, Paralympian, becoming Dames. (BBC)
• Home Office records have shown that 2004 saw the number of jail suicides equal the record of 2002, with 95 fatalities.

30 December 2004

• British charities raise an 'unprecedented' £20m from public donations in appeals for the victims of the Asian tsunami. £5m had already been raised before yesterday's TV and radio appeal was broadcast. By this morning the total had reached £20m, with the appeal website struggling to cope. (BBC)
• The Equal Opportunities Commission claims that women are still being held back in terms of career development because of inflexible work practices and outdated attitudes. (BBC)
• Proposals to control the size of the wild deer population are published by the government. (BBC)
• South Africa hold out in the final day of the second Test against England to secure a draw, bringing to an end England's eight-game winning streak. The final score: England 139 & 570-9 dec, South Africa 332 & 290-8; bad light stops play with 15 overs remaining. (BBC)

29 December 2004

• The confirmed British death toll in Sunday's earthquake has risen to 26 (20 in Thailand, 3 in Sri Lanka and 3 in the Maldives). A granddaughter of actor and director Richard Attenborough is amongst the dead at Phuket; his daughter is also missing, as is her mother-in-law. Up to 100 Britons are still unaccounted for in Sri Lanka alone. (BBC).
• A murder hunt has started as the strangled body of a heavily pregnant 14 year old girl is found in a Telford churchyard. (BBC)
• A rise in the number of escaped prisoners has been the target of attacks from the Conservatives. (BBC).
• With one day's play remaining in the second Test, South Africa are set a target of 378 to win against England. At close of play on Wednesday, their score is 21-1. (BBC)

28 December 2004

• The list of British casualties in Sunday's earthquake currently stands at 13 (nine in Thailand, four in Sri Lanka and 3 in the Maldives) as the first survivors begin to arrive home. There are no Irish casualties currently reported, although concerns are growing about two Irishwomen missing in Thailand. (BBC) (RTÉ)
• The probation officer's union has said that they believe the use of anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) will have to be reviewed because in some cases the penalty for breaching the order exceeds the penalty for the original offence. (BBC)
• Leading trade union Amicus, which represents 1.2m workers in the UK, has threatened to publish a list of companies that fail to effectively tackle bullying. (BBC)
• The number of visits to national museums has risen by 75 percent in the three years since admission charges were abolished. (BBC)
• The English cricket team open their second innings with a first-wicket stand of 273 between Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss. They close the third day's action on 281-1, 88 runs ahead of the South African first innings total. (BBC)

27 December 2004

• At least 15 Britons have been reported dead, including 10 in Thailand, and thousands more are stranded in the aftermath of Sunday's earthquake in south-east Asia. (BBC)
• Police are to trial a scheme in seven areas of the UK which will allow them to impose on-the-spot fines for vandalism and underage drinking. (BBC)
• Two men have been arrested in connection with an incident where a man died after being stabbed at a Christmas party in London. (BBC)
• Cricket - South Africa close their first innings with a score of 339. England start their second innings and reach 30/0 by the close of play. (scorecard)

26 December 2004

• In the second Test match between England and South Africa, a ninth successive English victory looks unlikely as they collapse to a score of 139 all out in their first innings. (BBC)

25 December 2004

• HM Queen Elizabeth II sends her annual Christmas Message to the UK and the Commonwealth. Her theme is cultural and religious diversity, and the benefits of a tolerant society. In a break from tradition, Her Majesty also sends a special radio Christmas Message to the UK armed forces. It is the first time she has made a separate radio broadcast. (BBC) (BBC)

24 December 2004

• Employees at nearly 300 main post offices stage a strike from lunchtime today to protest against requests by management to work until 1600 GMT instead of the customary Christmas Eve closing time of 1230 GMT. (BBC)
• A 30 year old man is arrested in connection with yesterday's London knife attacks. The man, who has not yet been charged, has a history of mental health problems. A 58 year old man died in the attacks and one of the remaining five victims is described as having life-threatening injuries. (BBC)
• Police release serial numbers for £1.5m of the £22m stolen from the Northern Bank's headquarters in Belfast. The serial numbers run from BC8500001 to BC8550000, BC9100001 to BC9150000 and BC9350001 to BC9400000. (BBC)

23 December 2004

• A murder hunt is started by police in north London today after a man dies and four others are injured in a series of knife attacks. (BBC)
• A pilot scheme involving Community Support Officers is to be extended to the rest of England and Wales. The force, set up to assist the police, has been given new powers to detain suspects for a period of 30 minutes. (BBC)
• Opponents of the fox hunting ban passed using the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949 say that they will challenge the legitimacy of the Act in order to overturn the ban. They also say that should this challenge fail, they would seek an injunction to temporarily postpone the ban. Prime Minister Tony Blair says that he would not seek to stop such an injunction. (BBC)
• The Conservative party claims that government offices in Whitehall have doubled the rate at which they are shredding documents ahead of the new year, when the Freedom of Information Act 2000 will take effect. The Act gives the public access to files that would have previously been closed for 30 years. (BBC)
• Police indicate that they have narrowed down the suspects of Monday's bank robbery in Belfast to three paramilitary groups and two groups involved in organised crime. (BBC)

22 December 2004

• Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) investigate a suspected incendiary attack on a shop in Ballymena, County Antrim. The incident is the sixth such suspected attack in four days; a major blaze occurred at a B&Q shop on Monday. It is thought a campaign by dissident republicans may be to blame. (RTÉ)(RTÉ)
• Irish president Mary McAleese refers the Health (Amendment) (No 2) Bill to the Supreme Court of Ireland to have its constitutionality tested, after advice from her Council of State. The bill seeks to retrospectively legalise automatic pension deductions from pensioners in state care. (Irish Times - eircom.net) (2)
• After talking to troops in Baghdad, British Prime Minister Tony Blair continues his tour of the Middle East, visiting Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. The leaders discuss Israel's likely withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. (BBC)
• Police are given new roadside powers to test drivers they suspect of being under the influence of drugs. (BBC)
• Detectives are examining the burnt out remains of a car which may have been used as a part of Monday's bank robbery in Belfast. (BBC)
• The inquiry by Sir Alan Budd into former Home Secretary David Blunkett's conduct over a "fast tracked" visa application has failed to clear him of abusing his position. (Reuters)

21 December 2004

• Monaghan General Hospital in the Republic of Ireland is fined 370,000 euro for "inefficiencies" under an Irish Government policy of financially penalising or rewarding health boards according to their performance. Several incidents during the past year across the Northeastern Health Board have resulted in fatalities, due to inadequate facilities at Monaghan, and transfer of patients to Cavan. Irish Independent - eircom.net
• The Scottish Executive buys the Skye Bridge back from its private sector owners, terminating the collection of tolls. (BBC)
• An estimated 30 million pounds has been reported stolen from the headquarters of Northern Bank in Belfast. Two members of staff and their families are reported to have been held hostage before the robbery. (BBC) (Reuters)
• Neil Foster of the Birmingham Stage Company is considering the Old Rep Theatre in Birmingham as an alternative venue for the Sikh play Behzti, saying the decision to cancel the play last week had been taken by "cowards". (BBC)
• Two inquiries into the conduct and events leading to the resignation of former Home Secretary David Blunkett are today due to report on their findings. (BBC)
• UK charity Save the Children are to withdraw staff from Darfur after two of the agencies staff are killed in attacks. (BBC)
• England complete a record-breaking eighth successive Test win, taking 35 minutes to score the 49 runs required to beat South Africa on the final day of the match. (BBC)

20 December 2004

• The House of Commons gives the Identity Cards Bill a second reading, voting in favour by a margin of 385 to 93. (BBC)
• The fight to re-route part of the planned M3 motorway in Ireland away from the Hill of Tara is being brought before the European Commission. Campaigners maintain that the route through the archaeologically rich Tara-Skyne valley will irreparably damage the region's heritage, while the National Roads Authority and others say that the route originally preferred by an environmental impact assessment would not adequately serve traffic needs. (Irish Times - eircom.net)
• The Irish president, Mary McAleese, convenes a Council of State meeting for Tuesday to discuss the Health Amendment (2) Bill. The debate, only the third such meeting under McAleese, will discuss the proposals to legalise the deduction of up to 80% of pensions for those in state-owned nursing homes. The Council will declare as to whether the bill is constitutional in their view. (RTÉ)(Irish Independent - eircom.net)

18 December 2004

• Hundreds of Sikh demonstrators protest outside a Birmingham theatre against a play (Behzti) depicting sex abuse and murder in a Sikh temple. Some demonstrators break into the theatre, smashing windows and damaging equipment. (BBC)
• Andrew Strauss becomes the first cricketer to score centuries in his first test against three countries as England move to 227 for 1 in reply to South Africa's 337 in the first Test cricket in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. (Cricinfo)
• Campaigners gather in Edinburgh to protest against plans to merge Scotland's regiments. (BBC)
• Senior members of the legal profession in Jersey suggest that Jersey should consider declaring independence from Britain. (Jersey Evening Post)

17 December 2004

• The Reformed Formal Inquiry into the 1974 loss of the deep sea trawler FV Gaul concludes that she was lost because disposal chutes were left open during heavy weather. Relatives of the lost crew, however, remain convinced that there is more to the story, probably relating to her alleged (but dismissed by the inquiry) role in espionage. [2]
• Maxine Carr applies to the High Court for a Mary Bell order, that would prevent all reports (including word of mouth reports) identifying her or reporting her whereabouts or other personal details. (Daily Mirror)
• Beatle George Harrison's guitar sells in New York for £294,000. (BBC)
• Spain's main opposition party reacts angrily over plans by London and Madrid to give the Gibraltar Government influence over Gibraltar's future by having an equal say in meetings between the British and Spanish Governments. The first tripartate talks are planned for February 2005. (BBC) (Gibraltar Chronicle)
• Three suspected IRA members who were accused of training rebels in Colombia flee while on bail. An appeals court overturned their earlier appeals yesterday. They had been sentenced to prison for 17 years. (BBC) (Ireland Online)

16 December 2004

• Newcastle United go into the last 32 of the UEFA Cup after a 1-1 draw with Sporting Clube de Portugal. (BBC)
• The Scottish Parliament votes to condemn "any cuts and mergers" that may result from a major restructuring announced by British Secretary of State for Defence Geoff Hoon today in the House of Commons. (BBC)
• The Irish Government passes legislation through the Dáil, to legalise automatic pension deductions from pensioners in publicly funded nursing homes. Those who previously had deductions illegally taken will be compensated by up to €2,000, though this will not necessarily result in full remuneration for some. The Health (Amendment) (No 2) Bill should now be approved by the Seanad. (RTÉ) (RTÉ)
• The Irish Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern is to meet with British Prime Minister Tony Blair in Brussels today on the fringes of a European Union summit. The main issue will be the governments' next move to try to resolve the stalemate in the Northern Ireland peace process over photographic evidence of Provisional Irish Republican Army decommissioning. (Irish Times - eircom.net)
• The British the Law Lords, rule that the suspension of habeas corpus for foreign nationals detained under the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 is illegal, being incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights. (BBC)
• British Secretary of State for Defence Geoff Hoon announces a major restructuring of the Army, which will see four battalions cut and regiments merged. (BBC)

15 December 2004

• UK Home Secretary David Blunkett resigns from his post in the wake of numerous controversies. He is replaced by Charles Clarke, the Secretary of State for Education and Skills. Ruth Kelly takes over from Clarke as Education Secretary and becomes the sixth woman in prime minister Tony Blair's Cabinet. Kelly is replaced as Cabinet Office minister by David Miliband.(Sky) (BBC)
• Cricket: The England and Wales Cricket Board announces new broadcasting deals with BSkyB, Five, the BBC and TalkSPORT. From 2006 to 2009, all England home test matches and One Day Internationals, plus domestic competition coverage will be televised on Sky Sports, with highlights on Five. Test Match Special survives, as the BBC retains exclusive rights for radio coverage to home internationals, and non-exclusive rights to domestic county games. TalkSPORT has won non-exclusive rights to radio coverage of Twenty20 games. The deals will earn English cricket £220m over 2006-9. (ECB)
• Rangers F.C. are knocked out of the UEFA Cup after losing 0-2 at home to Auxerre. (BBC)
• The captain of a Royal Navy warship has been relieved of his command and ordered to return to the UK after a complaint from a junior officer serving under him. Commander David Axon was ordered off HMS Somerset, a Type 23 frigate, while the vessel was in port in Gibraltar, on the way back to Britain from a tour of duty in the Gulf. (Gibraltar Chronicle)
• Jersey is to get a direct daily freight link to Cherbourg early next year that could revolutionise the way Islanders shop for major purchases. Jersey Evening Post

14 December 2004

• Nick Griffin and John Tyndall, the current and previous leaders of the far-right British National Party, are arrested and bailed in relation to investigations by British police into suspicion of incitement to racial hatred. (BBC)
• Donald Gelling MLC has been elected by Tynwald as the new Chief Minister of the Isle of Man, returning as leader of the Manx Government following the resignation of Richard Corkill MHK. (Isle of Man Guide)

9 December 2004

• The British Law Lords hold treatment of Czech Roma by UK immigration officers at Prague airport to be discriminatory. (opinions) Since the enlargement of the European Union earlier this year, free movement of EU citizens includes Czechs. (Guardian) (BBC)
• Lord Dubs presents the Succession to the Crown Bill (bill) in the United Kingdom Parliament. (Guardian)

8 December 2004

• The European Union says it is not ready to lift its 15-year-old arms embargo on the People's Republic of China, set after the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. (BBC)

6 December 2004

• Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams recommends that Sinn Féin support a British-Irish power-sharing plan for Northern Ireland that involves the public decommissioning of the arms held by the Irish Republican Army. Ian Paisley of the Democratic Unionist Party may become first minister of Northern Ireland, with former IRA member Martin McGuinness as his deputy. (BBC)

2 December 2004

• British Member of Parliament and anti-war activist George Galloway wins his libel case against the Daily Telegraph, which during the invasion of Iraq had published a story suggesting that Galloway had been in the pay of Saddam Hussein. (BBC)
• The European Union takes over from NATO in peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largely replacing the NATO-led SFOR with a new Eufor. (BBC)

1 December 2004

• David Blunkett, U.K. Home Secretary, insists that he did no wrong in the controversy surrounding the alleged misuse of his position, and receives the backing of Prime Minister Tony Blair. Sir Alan Budd is appointed to carry out an independent enquiry. (BBC)