PORTRAIT OF THE WEEK
Mr Gordon Brown, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, presented his first Budget, which among other things implemented Labour's scheme of a 'windfall tax' on recently privatised utilities and came up with various wheezes for raising money without breaking undertakings about income tax given before the election. The pound rose to its highest level since 1991. Mr William Hague, the Leader of the Opposition, announced his forthcoming marriage before the year is out to Miss Fflon Jenkins, until recently a civil servant in the Welsh Office. Sir Edward Heath said on television that Mr Hague had 'no idea, no experience and no hope'. Mr Jack Straw, the Home Secretary, appointed Lord Jus- tice Stuart-Smith to hold another inquiry into the rush at Hillsborough football stadi- um which killed 96 people in 1989. British Airways continued its disputes with air crew and ground staff. Post Office profits rose by 36 per cent to £577 million. Mr Michael Hickey, who was released from prison in February after 18 years and given leave to appeal against his conviction of the killing of Carl Bridgewater, was fined £200 for stealing a diamond ring in Birmingham. The marching season in Northern Ireland got into its stride with government efforts to cope with the Orange parade from Drumcree Church, intended to pass through the nationalist Garvaghy Road. June turned out to have been the wettest in England and Wales this century; rain dis- rupted play at Wimbledon. More than 80,000 of the 90,000 pigeons in a race from Nantes to England were said to have per- ished.
CHINA took control of Hong Kong; the last Governor, Mr Chris Patten, sent a cable to London saying: 'I have relin- quished the administration of this govern- ment. God save the Queen.' President Jiang Zemin of China and the Premier, Mr Li Peng, refused to go to the banquet held by the British before the handover. Prince Charles and Mr Tony Blair, the British Prime Minister, made encouraging noises towards the Chinese in the hope that these would persuade them to abide by undertak- ings to hold elections shortly and to pre- serve the liberties of the people of Hong Kong. In the small hours after the takeover the new Chinese-appointed 60-member leg- islature passed the Reunification Bill, curb- ing the right to demonstrate and to organ- ise political parties. North Korea agreed to join South Korea, the United States and China in August in negotiations to end the Korean war formally. The Socialists won the elections in Albania and Mr Sali Berisha conceded the presidency to Mr Fatos Nano. Civil war continued in the Republic of Congo with fighting around Brazzaville between the forces of President Pascal Lissouba and those of the former dictator Denis Sassou-Nguesso, despite mediation by President Omar Bongo of Gabon. Mike Tyson was disqualified after biting a piece out of the ear of his oppo- nent, Evander Holyfield, the World Boxing Association champion, during their title fight in Las Vegas. Mr Michael Foale, an Englishman, and his two Russian space- shipmates struggled to mend parts of the orbiting space station Mir after a cargo ship smashed into its laboratory module. A 3,000-foot volcano in the Soufriere Hills on the Caribbean island of Montserrat erupted again; more than 20 people were killed, hundreds fled their homes, and the num- bers who have emigrated reached half the population of 11,000. Mexico City airport was closed by an eruption of Popocatepetl. Robert Mitchum, the film actor, died aged 79. An outbreak of the airborne Coxsackie virus in Malaysia, which has killed 30 peo- ple since April, was blamed for discourag- ing tourists.
CSH
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