| Donald Trump hints again at presidency run Donald Trump has hinted again he is planning to run for the US presidency after being presented with an honorary degree by a Scottish university. telegraph.co.uk |
Squashed tomato! Belfast councillor's leap costs £24,000 Council employee dressed as tomato at food fair suffered slipped disc when former mayor failed to hurdle her in botched publicity stuntA former Belfast mayor is ruing an expensive slip-up after his failure to vault a giant human tomato cost his council £24,000.Jim Rodgers accidentally hit a Belfast city council employee, Lorraine Mallon, on the head in a publicity stunt that went spectacularly wrong. Mallon, who was dressed as a tomato for a photocall to promote a gourmet food fair, suffered a slipped disc.She brought a negligence case against the council and a settlement reached this week in the Belfast high court paid her £24,021.75. The council also agreed to cover the cost of the action.Mallon has been unable to return to her job in the arts section of the council's development department.Egged on by press photographers, Rodgers tried to jump over her but slipped on wet grass on his run-up and kneed her in the back of the head.The Ulster Unionist councillor said yesterday it would not be appropriate for him to comment on the outcome of the case, but at the time of the incident in September 2007 he apologised for his stumble, saying he attempted the act of athleticism at the request of photographers."I have been absolutely devastated over what has happened," Rodgers said. "There had been three false runs and I think Lorraine thought this was just another one. I just caught the top of her head and unfortunately I injured her."Rodgers said he was confident he would have made the jump if he hadn't slipped. "I'm very fit and look after myself, but it was just one of those unfortunate things."Photograph: Paul Faith/PANorthern Irelandguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Former health chief at inquiry The former chief executive of the Northern Health Trust says health officials made it clear to her during the C. difficile outbreak that negative publicity about the health service was unwelcome. bbc.co.uk |
As U.S. Mumbles, Britain Speaks Out Cameron tilts the special relationship in a new direction. nytimes.com |
Britain must prepare for casualty spike in Afghanistan, Cameron warns David Cameron warned yesterday that there would be more British deaths in Afghanistan this summer but said that the threat to Britain of an al-Qaeda attack from the region had dropped. timesonline.co.uk |