David Cameron woke up to an unusual sight yesterday as 10 Downing Street was bathed in pink light.
The building – and a police officer on duty outside the famous door – were turned pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The Prime Minister said: “I’m delighted we are able help raise awareness of breast cancer, a disease that affects thousands of women every year, as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Tackling cancer is a priority for this government and we want to raise survival rates to be among the best in Europe.
“Early detection can massively increase the chances of survival, which is why fantastic campaigns like this are so important.”
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, with more than 48,000 people diagnosed and around 12,000 dying of the disease each year. (PA)
Princely praise
The Prince of Wales praised Muammar Gaddafi and told him he was “heartened” by the way relations between Libya and the United Kingdom were developing in a letter to the former dictator, it has been reported yesterday.
Heir to the throne Charles wrote to the deposed leader on June 7, 2007, calling him “Your Excellency” and commending his work with Christians and the British Council, according to The Times of London.
Royal sources said the letter, sent on the advice of the government, was aimed at helping secure the release of six Bulgarian medical workers who were falsely imprisoned in Libya for infecting children with HIV. (PA)
All a blur
The former drummer from Britpop band Blur is hoping to become an MP at the next general election.
Musician Dave Rowntree, who played on hits including Girls And Boys, Parklife and Song 2, is one of four candidates on Labour’s selection shortlist to decide who will stand for the party in Norwich South – the seat held by former home secretary Charles Clarke until last year.
The Colchester-born 47-year-old, who owns a cottage in the village of Spixworth on the outskirts of the city, hopes to win the seat back from Liberal Democrat Simon Wright when the country next goes to the polls. (PA)
Tailor made
An exhibit celebrating 150 years of the tuxedo is on display in the New York town that lent its name to the jacket.
The first one was made in Savile Row in 1860 for the Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VII.
When American millionaire James Potter visited England in the 1880s, he obtained one and took it home to his country club in the town of Tuxedo, where it caught on. (PA)
Buzz off
A truck carrying 25 million bees overturned in Utah, closing the road.
Experts are still trying to work out how to capture or eliminate them.
The truck driver and a passenger needed hospital treatment for stings after the accident. (PA)
Bitten testicles
A woman who admitted biting off her boyfriend’s testicles has been warned she could be jailed.
Maria Topp, 44, from Wreckenton, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm at Newcastle Crown Court, yesterday.
She bit Martin Douglas, her partner of five years, during a drunken brawl at his flat in February. She was granted bail to be sentenced next month and Recorder Robin Mairs warned her: “All options are open and that will include locking you up.”
She cannot remember biting her partner, but can recall their fight, and the court accepted that violence had been used by both sides. (PA)
Royal exposure
A young Australian man has been charged with exposing himself and being a public nuisance as Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II passed by, police said on Monday.
Tens of thousands of people turned out to see the visiting monarch as she toured the Queensland capital, her first visit since the state was hit by devastating floods which killed more than 30 people in January.
But among the crowd was one man who allegedly exposed himself.
ABC News reported that the man allegedly flashed his buttocks at the queen. He will appear in court later this month. (AFP)
ETA at José?
Spanish-born superstar chef José Andres is offering jobs to members of the Basque separatist group ETA who are willing to lay down their arms and ask forgiveness for past violence.
“If any member of ETA seeks work, I’ll give it to them. Surrender your weapons. And one word: Sorry. The hardest part is behind you. Act. Thank you,” Mr Andres said on Monday on his Twitter feed, which has nearly 44,000 followers.
The celebrated chef, who was born in the Asturias region of Spain, owns an archipelago of highly regarded restaurants in Washington as well as eateries in Beverly Hills and Las Vegas. (AFP)