The officials lost contact with the guerrillas after 19 September, bringing the crisis that began in early July to a stalemate and leaving the captives facing a freezing Himalayan winter.
“All of them are safe, but one British hostage and the US hostage are sick,” KB Jandial, a spokesman for the government of the state of [...]

Get a copy of the full policy terms and conditions up front.o Make certain the insurer is a member of the Insurance Ombudsman’s scheme for resolving complaints (0171-928 7600) or at least the Personal Insurance Arbitration Scheme run by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (0171- 837 4483).This is vital given the frequent disappointment on claims. [...]

And Ian Morris, director of communications for Bass, added that under Rae’s leadership the group had “achieved many objectives to promote sensible drinking”.But events over the past year have undermined confidence in the Portman Group’s much-vaunted independence.The problems began in December 1994, when it was revealed that the group had offered selected British academics pounds [...]

Mr Major was said to have promised that British ministers would “take the Irish side through any House of Commons statement” before it was made.Dublin said this was not done and that Mr Major’s statement was faxed to the Irish government only about 30 minutes before he delivered it in the Commons.Any attempt to persuade [...]

The first trials, in 1989, saw just 49 defendants tagged by the courts. However, the white paper is expected to reduce judicial discretion by imposing minimum prison terms on repeat burglars and drug dealers.But for all the talk of tougher sentences, ministers are becoming acutely aware of the growing crisis in the prisons.The news that [...]

This year marks the bicentenary of Burns’s death, and during the celebrations we’ll no doubt hear him described in many other ways; during last week’s Burns Suppers I imagine he was proclaimed as a socialist, a nationalist, an internationalist, a simple ploughman, or – the revisionist view – not quite any of these things. I [...]

STA Travel (0171-361 6262) has a fare of pounds 487 on Emirates via Dubai. You can obtain a visa more quickly in Hong Kong if you are travelling via the territory, and pay only HK$100 (about pounds 8).There have been some reports that the documents of British visitors are being checked especially assiduously by Chinese [...]

Further, he was himself an 11-plus failure, and deeply opposes selection. As John Major taunted Mr Blair at Commons Question Time on Tuesday, the deputy leader was unable to conceal his feelings.However, by Wednesday, when Ms Harman faced the Parliamentary Labour Party, Mr Blair had already talked Mr Prescott round at a private meeting. The [...]

“Why don’t you come along next time,” he whispered with a conspiratorial smile, “go on – it’s easy.””I may be skint but I’m not mad,” I replied.Over the space of the next four weeks, those restraining sticks of common sense, reason and naked fear were whittled away by a classic double act that I had [...]

Newlove went off with a suspected broken thumb on Sunday, but passed an examination yesterday. Simon Booth, however, is out for at least three weeks with medial ligament damage, putting his Wembley place in some doubt. Derek McVey is under consideration as his replacement against Wigan.McRae is asking the Rugby League whether four replacements will [...]