More anti-war rallies to be held
The Stop The War Coalition, which is co-ordinating protests against the war, said on Tuesday
demonstrators will take to the streets once again. The group's chairman Andrew Murray said: "There
will be protests all over the country this weekend against the war, particularly targeting Labour
MPs who broke their word to constituents never to support a war without UN authority." Peace rallies
are being planned in cities and towns all over the UK, including Southampton, Kettering, Bedford and
parts of London. As the US-led attack on Iraq runs into increasing resistance, anti-war movements in
both the US and the UK have kept pressure up on US President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Tony
Blair. But the turnout of recent rallies has not been as large as before the war broke out. A peace
rally in London last week drew roughly a quarter of the estimated one million protestors who
marched in capital in mid-February. Meanwhile, anti-war protestors using themselves as road blocks
have failed to stop a consignment of bombs on their way to reach B-52 bombers stationed at RAF
Fairford in Gloucestershire. The convoy, which reportedly was made up of five articulated lorries
each carrying two containers, was protected by a large police escort. According to eye witness
reports, the peace protestors stopped the convoy by parking a car on the road, before chaining
themselves to it. The protestors said they managed to stop the convoy for about five minutes.
No arrests were made. The demonstrators wanted to stop the convoy because they believed it was
carrying non-guided bombs used in carpet bombing to 14 B-52 bombers based at Fairford.
Life sentence for 'music row' murder
(BBC) - A man who confronted his neighbour with a knife after he complained about loud music has
been jailed for life for murder. The jury at Maidstone Crown Court ruled Mark Laverick had killed
Stephen Norrington by stabbing him to death with a 12 inch kitchen knife. The trial heard the
34-year-old clashed with his next door neighbour outside their homes in Herne Bay, Kent.
Laverick had told the court he took the knife with him because Mr Norrington had threatened him in
the past. The court heard 39-year-old Mr Norrington described as a 21 stone gentle giant, who had
been plagued by noisy drunken parties at Laverick's house in Partridge Close. He worked as a lorry
driver and often had to get up early in the morning. Stephen Norrington died from his stab wounds
When he banged on the door to complain in August last year a scuffle broke out in which Laverick was
armed with the knife. The defendant had told the court he went back indoors, leaving his neighbour
on the ground and did not realise he had been hurt until he heard him crying out to his wife. Mr
Norrington died from his injuries a short time later. Laverick, a father-of-four, told the court he
only intended to use the knife to scare Mr Norrington, of whom he was "terrified". The jury found
him guilty of murder by an 11 to one majority. Mr Justice Nelson told him: "The jury have convicted
you of murder in what was an unprovoked assault with a knife on an unarmed man who had come to
complain about the loud music that you were playing."
More Central Line stations open
(BBC) - A second stretch of Central Line has reopened on Monday afternoon. Services on the western
section between Ealing Broadway and Marble Arch resumed shortly after 1530 GMT. They will run at 10
minute intervals but West Acton and Queensway stations remain closed. London Underground (LU) had
already begun a limited service between Woodford and Bethnal Green on the eastern part of the line.
LU said it hopes to have the whole line running by Easter, after services were suspended when a
train derailed at Chancery Lane in January injuring 32 people. More than 80 trains have had to be
modified to make the Central Line safe. At present there are still no trains running through the
line's busiest area in the heart of London - a section that includes Bond Street, Oxford Circus and
Tottenham Court Road stations. As a result, LU is advising commuters to use alternative routes. Paul
Godier, LU's managing director, said: "We know the situation has caused frustration among Tube
travellers, but we hope they appreciate our commitment to making sure the line is safe."
The line is the longest on the Tube network, stretching from West Ruislip in west London to Epping
in Essex.
