A JOINT attack by Julian Davidson, Tory candidate in the Newbury by-election, and Gillian Shephard, Secretary of State for Employment, on David Rendel, the Liberal Democrat, for ‘talking down’ economic recovery, drew a counterblast yesterday from Paddy Ashdown against ‘wildly talking it up’ to win votes. To an extent, he said, ‘Serbian aggression has been rewarded.’Asked if events had shown that aggression had paid, Lord Owen said ‘It’s easy just to say ‘yes’ to that question. Therefore, Avis rental agents will always review the contract with the client and reiterate the insurance options, at the point of collection. The United Nations, facing extreme shortages of soldiers elsewhere in the country, has been forced to withdraw some from the enclaves, leaving them more vulnerable to Serbian attack.

If criminals know that any policeman they face is armed, they will be tempted to get in the first shot. Exuding insidious superiority, he affects to be disappointed that ‘that stuff on the floor’ he saw during one of his snoopings on Helen’s sex life was just the hunt for a dropped contact lens. But instead Mr Clinton’s visit has been overshadowed by the success not only of old Communists but also of Vladimir Zhirinovsky and his anything-but-liberal Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).The US leader will not meet him, which Mr Zhirinovsky says will only boost his popularity. It is a policy of unspoken military intimidation.THE vital point, rarely mentioned in the speeches of Western leaders, is that there is almost total agreement among Russian politicians, from ‘liberals’ to Zhirinovsky, on the desirability of dominating the ‘near abroad’. Mushroom risotto is better than ever with a shot of dried porcini.

After all, a lot of Jeffrey Archer’s novels don’t have people in, only androids called Graham. The new(ish) format could also resurrect the 20- 30,000 word novella, a largely lost art form; John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men fits snugly on to a couple of tapes.As publishers dream of new outlets – not just bookshops and record stores but garages as well – so authors are growing wary of the new medium. The heat will not help the Netherlands either.’We shall be attacking and looking for goals, as that is our style,’ Bergkamp said. Reporter and cameraman continued working at Monday’s massacre (29 dead, 200 injured) long after feebler souls would have scarpered.

3RANGERS, led by two goals from Ally McCoist, overcame a spirited challenge from St Johnstone in the Skol Cup semi-final at Hampden last night to progress comfortably to next month’s final. Hong Kong Chinese autocracy had prevailed and suffocated the interests of the ordinary citizen; in four years it will be the Peking Chinese autocracy that will carry on a similar, and probably even more repressive, tradition.If there had been a securely established experience of democracy, Peking would have found this difficult to dismantle. Round three will be fought any day now, but I am not sure that my own fighting weight matches that of my opponent. In a friend’s garden recently I saw a white Daphne mezereum which stood almost 5ft tall, much larger than usual. St Martin’s has been resurrected.The St Martin’s Church Appeal in the Independent has encouraged other organisations to send money to New Delhi over the course of the year; it has also put Mr Murch in touch with the architect’s 99-year-old wife and his daughter, who are both living in Canada.Mr Murch has saved St Martin’s, but he needs a further pounds 5,000 to complete the restoration of nave, aisles and choir, their peeling plaster walls, rickety parquet floors and damaged or missing furniture and fittings.Most readers who responded to the appeal had no doubts about the significance of the church and its ministry, but a few donors asked why this church – Mr Murch’s ministry aside – was considered to be such a great building by critics and historians.