A plaque has been unveiled to commemorate the life of singer Dusty Springfield who died two years ago. The Music Heritage plaque is sited outside her former house at 38 Aubrey Walk, Kensington and is the first plaque of its kind.

Dusty Springfield recorded the classics 'I Only Want To Be With You', 'You Don't Have to Say You Love Me' and the classic album 'Dusty In Memphis'. Although most of her hits were in the 60's she made a comeback in the 80's working with the Pet Shop Boys producing the songs 'What Have I Done To Deserve This' and 'Scandal'.

Among those who attended the unveiling of the plaque included 60's stars Dave Dee, Peter Noone and Dave Berry, and DJ's Alan Freeman and Tony Blackburn.

A memorial tree has also been planted to commemorate Dusty in Kew Gardens.

A bitter dispute has broken out about the upkeep of the Royal Parks. The row, between the Friends of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens and park authorities , is over vandalism, neglect and public consultation.

John Epson, chairman of the Friends of Hyde Park, has written to the 800 members of the organisation complaining at the 'indifference' of parks staff, the lack of consultation over cycle paths and the staging of large commercial public events in the parks.

A further complaint is that the popular Elfin Oak, opposite the Princess Diana memorial playground in Kensington Gardens, has still not been repaired after being vandalised last year. Two glass roof panels above the oak were smashed and 12 hand-crafted ornamental figurines damaged by vandals throwing sticks and bricks.

Describing the accusations as "very unfair", Royal Parks Agency chief executive Will Weston said: "We hold regular meetings with the group. Mr Epson's office is actually located in the park so he has easy access to any official at any time.

"We did consult him on the cycle trail but it may be that he didn't get the result that he wanted. We do consult on a regular basis but there is a limit with eight major parks, each of which has at least two dozen different stakeholder groups."

Mr Weston added: "Most people are extremely impressed with the general cleanliness of the parks. We've had contact from a group from Chicago who say they want to come over and see how we do it."

The Royal Parks Agency is currently investigating ways of restoring the Elfin Oak and protecting it from further vandalism.

The Tories propose that anyone caught placing prostitutes' cards in phone boxes faces a six-month prison sentence under Tory proposals.

The Conservatives will seize on the issue to embarrass the Government a year after ministers promised to outlaw the "carding" industry.

Last June Home Office Minister Charles Clarke said the activity would be made a criminal offence but no legislation has yet been brought to Parliament. Next week Tory peers will attempt to hijack the Government's Criminal Justice and Police Bill when it reaches the Lords. They will seek to insert a clause which would create an offence of "placing of advertisements relating to prostitution".

The move, which is unlikely to succeed, is welcomed by Westminster council which has led the fight against the cards.

Shadow home secretary Ann Widdecombe said: "Cards in phone boxes advertising prostitutes and other sexual services are a blight on central London and other parts of the country and offend local residents and visitors alike.

"Labour promised months ago to take action to tackle this eyesore, but they have failed to deliver, despite the fact that they have introduced a massive Criminal Justice Bill this year. "We have today tabled an amendment to the Criminal Justice and Police Bill to make it a criminal offence to put prostitutes' cards in phone boxes. Perhaps, even at this late stage, we will see some action."

BT removes 150,000 cards a week from its 700 central London phone boxes. Across Britain, an estimated 13 million cards are distributed every year. Telephone users and council workers have been threatened with violence for attempting to intervene.

Last month Kensington and Chelsea council obtained an injunction against Gary Hughes, 35, who has been prosecuted 21 times in seven years for plastering kiosks with cards. He believes new laws will make no difference because there are plenty of people willing to do the job.

The Home Office first issued a consultation paper in May 1999 which proposed, among other options, a ban on card distribution. A year later, Mr Clarke said criminalisation was the Government's preferred option and added: "The new criminal offence will give us the powers to crack down on this illegal and undesirable practice." Later the Government made clear it wanted a nationwide ban on cards, rather than an optional one for local councils.

However, the Criminal Justice and Police Bill was published in January with no reference to the problem, raising fears that ministers would leave the matter to be dealt with in a private member's Bill.

A former butler of Diana, Princess of Wales was today charged with stealing tens of thousands of pounds worth of jewellery from her estate after she died.

Harold Brown, now Princess Margaret's butler at Kensington Palace was bailed after appearing before magistrates charged with four counts of theft.

Brown, of Tunbridge Wells, was arrested in November by police investigating the disappearance of a jewel-encrusted Arab dhow, valued at anything between £30,000 and £500,000. He was initially suspended from his post but was later reinstated because of Margaret's ill-health. The model dhow, or sailing boat, was a wedding gift to Diana and Prince Charles from the Emir of Bahrain.

Paul Burrell, 42, who was Diana's most trusted aide, has also been arrested and is on police bail until May, while police investigate the allegations. In January they raided his Cheshire home and took away scores of items. He denies any wrongdoing.

Mr Brown is alleged to have stolen valuable jewels and money. He is charged with stealing a jewelled daffodil motif, a model dhow and base, a bangle and a pair of earrings, and £1,200.

Diana's Butler Arrested Over Theft - 19/01/01

Three local hospitals, Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, Hammersmith Hospital Trust and St Mary's Paddington have been included in the list of the Top 40 hospitals in the UK today.

The list has been compiled by a leading health service bench-marking company CHKS, based on issues such as death rates, cancelled operations and waiting times. More than three million anonymous patient records were examined as part of the exercise.

It is the first time UK hospitals have been compared using up to date data and follows similar exercises in America and Spain. Graham Harries, CHKS chief executive, said:

"What all the 40 top hospitals have achieved is a high level of performance across all the indicators, and that demonstrates to us and their local residents that their hospitals are well managed and focused on the needs of their patients."

QPR face the unhappy prospect of playing in the Second Division next year after their worst league campaign in 34 years. Eight years ago QPR finished in the Premiership ahead of Arsenal, Liverpool and Leeds, next season they will by battling it out with the likes of Bury, Brentford and Brighton.

Its a disaster for the club financially who will lose £570,000 a month in television rights. With other revenues estimated to fall by £1.8million as a result of dropping into the Second Division, the total cost of relegation is estimated at £4million.

To compound these problems QPR are still looking for a new owner after the company went into administration earlier this month - also 22 players come to the end of their contract at the end of the season and their sponsors, the troubled mobile phone company Ericsson, look likely to abandon them after this season.

A London-based Russian businessman has been arrested in connection with running a huge international arms smuggling ring.

Alexander Zhukov 47, who has a £1million pound penthouse in Kensington was held by police as he flew home to his holiday home in Sardinia. He was one of six people arrested in the Italian police operation, codenamed Vlada, which received help from British officers at the National Crime Intelligence Service.

Zhukov's oil company Sintez corporation is believed to have used work permits granted to them to ease travel for Russian mafia through European border controls.

After raiding Sintez's offices in Turin and London, police have finally been able to link a massive arms shipment captured in 1994 to the company. Officials in Italy yesterday put on display the vast quantity of arms that had been seized, including 30,000 AK47 Kalashnikov rifles, 400 guided missiles and hundreds of boxes of ammunition which had been seized on a ship, the Jadran Express, in Venice.

Manufactured in the Ukraine, they were first shipped to Izmir in Turkey before sailing on to Port Said and Venice, where they were to be delivered to customers in the Balkans. The weapons were seized in 1994, but police had been unable to trace the supply route until they infiltrated the gang.

After his arrest Zhukov was secretly flown in a military jet under armed guard to a jail in Turin. Turin police chief Paolo Tamponi said: "We have to say thank-you to the police forces of several European countries who helped contribute to the success of this operation. Without their cooperation and help none of this would have been achieved. From the evidence we have gathered we believe that Zhukov was involved in the traffic of arms.

John Prescott has stepped into the row over the conversion of a former student hall of residence in Chelsea into expensive apartments. He has instructed Kensington & Chelsea council not to issue a letter granting planning permission to the developers without his "specific authorisation" because the scheme does not involve any provision of social housing.

Last month the council approved the application by developer Earlsmead for the £70million pound scheme for the building in Manresa Road. There was controversy surrounding the developers claim that because the development contained only 14 main flats that they did not have to take account of the regulations that state that any development of 15 flats or more should contain provision for social housing.

The planning committee rejected this argument because the developers also wanted to build 9 further one bedroom apartments for "staff accommodation", making a total of 23 flats.

The controversy was heightened however because Kensington & Chelsea council voted narrowly in favour of not levying a compensatory payment on the developers to provide social housing elsewhere, which under current guidelines could have amounted to at least £750,000. Instead the council agreed to "a financial contribution not exceeding £80,000" for "environmental improvements in the vicinity", and up to £15,000 "for a public work of art".

Labour councillor Rima Horton welcomed Mr Prescott's intervention, saying: "The council's decision was a disgrace. They approved a moneyspinning scheme for flats which would almost certainly be occupied by foreign buyers, while refusing to demand a contribution towards affordable housing.

"I hope Mr Prescott orders the entire issue to be discussed properly at a public inquiry."

Planning chairman Barry Phelps said the application was approved because it "offered real gains in open space, a reduction in traffic and major improvements to the conservation area".

The fourteen main flats range from seven to 17 rooms, and are likely to be sold for between £3.5 million and £10 million. The largest apartment, spanning the entire frontage, with 17 grand rooms, is said to be for the occupation of Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

It has been confirmed that the body of the woman found in a shallow grave near Beaconsfield is that of Sinead Healey who disappeared from her West Kensington flat last October.

Neighbours mourned her death yesterday. They said they had feared the worst when 26-year-old Miss Healey, from west Kensington, disappeared after meeting a mystery caller last October. Craig Roberts, 45, of Gliddon Road, where Miss Healey lived alone, said: "It is really sad. Because she has been missing for so long, I knew it would not end well. It is such a shame."

Joan Barker, 71, said: "The poor girl. It's such a waste of a young person's life. She was young and had her whole life in front of her." Miss Healey's body was found near Beaconsfield cricket club.

Suspended Superintendent Ali Dizai has lodge employment tribunal proceedings against the Metropolitan force, claiming "appalling" racial discrimination.

Dizai was suspended from his £52,000 a year job in January following allegations of dishonesty, attempting to pervert the course of justice and personal misconduct. It followed an extensive investigation which is thought to have involved up to 40 officers and was overseen by the Police Complaints Authority. No charges have been brought against him despite the £2million cost of the investigation.

Dizai was based in the Kensington & Chelsea division and was one of the highest ranking ethnic officers in the UK and a prominent member of the National Black Police Association.

A lawyer acting on behalf of Dizai has demanded a full apology and compensation from the force. Speaking after proceedings were started at the central London tribunal, solicitor Sadiq Khan said: "I want a declaration from the Met that they racially discriminated against my client and an apology with compensation for injury to his feelings.

Suspended Met Officer Seeks Redress - 03/04/01

Charges Revealed Against Suspended Black Police Chief - 28/02/01

'Racist witch-hunt' led to police chief's suspension - 20/02/01

Prominent ethnic minority police officer suspended - 19/01/01

Rumours emerged over the bank holiday weekend that former Tory chancellor Michael Clarke has plans to launch a post-election challenge for the leadership of the the Tory party with Michael Portillo.

Even as Kenneth Clarke rejected the reports, friends were suggesting that it could be a perfect partnership that could unite the party under a pro-Euro banner. Rumours suggest that Clarke would back Portillo as leader in return for being promised the freedom, as a senior shadow minister, to campaign in a referendum to replace the pound with the euro.

The media frenzy was fed by a former Tory MEP, John Stevens who spoke of the plot to overthrow William Hague. Stevens, founder of the breakaway pro-Euro Conservatives, claimed Mr Clarke wanted to use Mr Portillo as a Trojan horse, to secure pro-Europeans more influence within the party. He alleged that Mr Clarke had "got a strategy to back Mr Portillo and put the Tory Left back into the driving seat".

In the wake of the scandal involving Sophie Wessex's business activities, concerns have now been raised over the private business and charitable activities of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.

Foreign Office sources told the Guardian newspaper that there was a "serious concern" in diplomatic circles over the Kent's lifestyle, which has seen them carry out more than 20 trips in the last 15 months, paid for by an array of organisations. Few if any of the trips are paid for by the Kents.

Their financial arrangements have long been a soure of debate among senior courtiers and ministers. Prince Michael, the second son of the Duke of Kent, does not carry out official engagements and therefore receives no money from the civil list. His office says that this justifies his commercial activities which include consultancy work through his company Cantium Services, which last year had debts of more than £200,000.

The Kent's finance two households, one at their four-storey grace-and-favour apartment in Kensington Palace and the other at their £1.6million pound country home in Gloucestershire.

The Renta-Kents, so called because of a series of commercial ventures where they tried to cash in on their royal titles face particular criticism over their foreign travel. This year Prince Michael has already visited Dubai, India, Australia and the US, while his wife has travelled to Peru and the US.

Although they never travel on official royal business, the Foreign Office arranges for the Kents to get VIP airport privileges on all their trips. That is the only diplomatic facility they are entitled to, but sources claim that approaches have been made to embassies for other support. In 1996, the prince was caught in the centre of a storm after it emerged that he had used the facilities of the British embassy in Beijing while on private business trip to China.

In the long run, it is understood that senior royals want the more minor figures to vacate the palace. However, it is unlikely that Princess Margaret would be forced out in her current state of health, so the plan is on hold in the meantime.

QPR's first win in over 10 games means that relegation can still be avoided.

Rangers 2-0 win against fellow strugglers Tranmere came through goals by Andy Thomson and Peter Crouch, and although they are still second from bottom it leaves them with a chance of catching the sides above, including next week's opponents Huddersfield.

Holloway said: "We still have to rely on others, but if we can beat Huddersfield it would give us a real chance."

Sixty-five MPs including Kensington North MP Karen Buck, signed a Commons early day motion yesterday welcoming the review of the business activities of members of the royal family and calling for "a register of royal interests" to be considered.

The motion "applauds the decision of Buckingham Palace to consider issuing guidance on how the business affairs of working members of the royal family might be conducted in future".

Well over half the Royal Borough's schools have qualified for Government performance bonuses this year - more than twice the national average.

The bonuses - known as School Achievement Awards - range from £4,000 for the smallest school to £28,000 for the largest and are intended to reward teachers for improved test results.The schools themselves will decide how to distribute the cash amongst the staff.

There are two levels of award: one for improvement, the other for excellence. In the Royal Borough, 60% of schools qualified for an Achievement Award, and of these nearly three quarters were for excellence. Nationwide, just 25% of schools qualified for an Achievement Award, and of these only 1 in 4 were for excellence.

"Once again the Royal Borough's schools have outstripped expectations," said Education Chairman, Councillor Christopher Buckmaster, "and not just expectation in the capital, but in the country as a whole. I'm delighted to se the achievements of our teachers recognised in this concrete way."

The schools receiving a School Achievement Award: Chelsea Open Air Nursery, Avondale Park, Ashburnham, Bevington, Bousfield, Christ Church, Fox, Oratory, Our Lady of Victories, Oxford Gardens, Park Walk, St Barnabas and St Philip, St Charles, St Clement and St James, St Cuthbert with St Matthias, St Francis of Assisi, St Joseph's, St Mary's, St Mary Abbots, Thomas Jones, Servite, Sion Manning and Cardinal Vaughan.

Plans by auction house Christie's to extend their premises in South Kensington are being opposed by local residents including cellist Julian Lloyd Webber, Claus Von Bulow and Stefanie Powers.

Over 200 people attended a public meeting to express their discontent to Kensington & Chelsea Council. The protestors claim that the auction house has already detrimentally affected the area over the years, and fear that the planned changes will lead to even more disruption.Houses in the surrounding streets are among the most expensive in the UK and can sell for much as £5million.

In a letter of protest, Julian Lloyd Webber said, "The expansion of Christie's has already severely damaged the character of what was once an attractive residential area of Kensington, and the new development proposal will degenerate the neighbourhood further."

Leaked documents regarding Marks & Spencer's trading figures show that the company's sales are continuing to fall. Even departments that were previously regarded as their strongest performers including lingerie and women's clothing, have seen sales fall in the last three months.

The leak will lead to further embarrassment for the management who announced a major restructuring plan two weeks ago. The figures are thought to have been leaked by middle management, who are angered at the decision to maintain bonus payments to high level managers whilst all other company bonuses have been cancelled.

Further difficulties are being faced by M&S; over their decision to cease trading outside the UK. Legal action is being taken against the company by European employees because they were given no advanced warning over the closure plans.

A former soldier is appearing in court this week accused of illegally possessing firearms and explosives which he kept in a hotel in South Kensington.

The court heard that Dennis Rutter, 36, allegedly pulled out a gun in the presence of a friend while boasting that he could obtain other weapons for his 'work' from London's police armouries.

Rutter, a former soldier in the First Cheshire Regiment, is accused of hiding 1.5kg of plastic explosive, detonators and a box of .22 bullets under the communal bathtub at the Belvedere Hotel in Grenville Place, South Kensington.

The cache was reported to the police after the hotel's manager discovered what he thought were sticks of dynamite hidden under a bathtub during routine manintenance.

Rutter, of Hemstal Road, West Hampstead, denies possession. The trial continues.

South Kensington station was the centre of disruption for thousands of rush hour commuters last night. Engineer's discovered a dangerous "dip" on a stretch of line near the station, and tubes on the District and Circle lines were seriously delayed.

District lines have already been seriously disrupted over the last few months due to tunnel work at Earls Court. This is scheduled to be completed by 14 May.

A Kensington mansion has come on the market for £65million, making it the most expensive private home to go on sale in the capital. Two former embassy buildings in Kensington Palace Gardens have been joined into one massive mansion, refurbished and improved over a six-year period.
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Superintendent Ali Dizaei, the police officer suspended after a massive investigation that has been described as a 'racist witch hunt', yesterday launched a fightback against the Met.

One of the countries top ethnic minority policemen and tipped as a future chief constable, Dizai was suspended from his £50,000 job in January over a range of allegations including assault, misuse of drugs, deception, seeking pecuniary advantage, corrupt practice, divulging confidential information, unregistered business interests, sex with prostitutes, accepting gratuities and being beholden to individuals, all of which are denied.

Supt Dizaei, who has joint British and Iranian citizenship and was based at Kensington police station, in west London, has not yet been charged with any criminal or disciplinary offence. Supporters will today demand the Met "put up or shut up".

Two of the counts contained in the disciplinary notice and part of a third allegation are true. Supt Dizaei did accept a Filofax and diary from a casino, two tickets for a World Wrestling Federation event in London, and seven tickets for an Iranian music concert he was policing, and did drive a car with diplomatic licence plates belonging to a friend for two days.

Supporters say these are either very minor offences or not even offences at all against the police disciplinary code.

The other allegations are described by the National Black Police Association, representing Supt Dizaei, as either false or trivial and not warranting the manpower and estimated £1m expense of the operation against him.

The investigation against Supt Dizaei was staffed and resourced to the same level as a murder inquiry, with up to 42 officers involved at one stage.

Tory MP Peter Bottomley, who tabled parliamentary questions about the affair, said the size of the investigation can only be justified if it produces "a series of very serious criminal charges". Scotland Yard and the Home Office refused to confirm or deny whether covert surveillance, including phone taps, were used. At least one surveillance team was also deployed to tail the officer, who was legal adviser to the National Black Police Association, and has a doctorate in law.

The NBPA chairman, Sergeant Ravi Chand, says he believes the investigation is crumbling. "It is not the norm to investigate alleged trivial offences if you suspect a senior officer of serious criminal offences. The only reason is if you fear that the bigger allegations are crumbling. It is a racist witch-hunt."

One allegation has already seemingly backfired. Officers went to the Met branch of the National Black Police Association, which they believed had been deceived. Supt Dizaei had claimed £688 for a plane ticket to speak in Los Angeles last year.

Officers said he had been supposed to talk about the Stephen Lawrence case, but instead spoke about broader policing issues and that this might amount to deception.

A senior official described the allegation as rubbish.

Charges Revealed Against Suspended Black Police Chief - 28/02/01

'Racist witch-hunt' led to police chief's suspension - 20/02/01

Prominent ethnic minority police officer suspended - 19/01/01

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