The Barclay brothers, billionaire owners of the Daily and Sunday Telegraph , are planning to move the titles back to the Fleet Street area of London after 15 years in Docklands. The move, said to be top of the brothers' list of priorities once their redundancy programme, announced last week, is completed, is the first by a national newspaper group following the Eighties exodus from the area, which had been the home of the publishing industry for centuries. Last week, chief executive Murdoch MacLennan prompted anger by announcing plans to cut 300 jobs, including 90 among the group's 521 journalists. The National Union of Journalists has threatened to ballot staff for a strike if the redundancies are not shelved by 12pm tomorrow. The redundancy plans are intended to fund a £150 million investment in new presses.
MacArthur set to smash record as she sails towards finish line
Yachtswoman Ellen MacArthur is set to write another chapter in maritime history by becoming the fastest person ever to sail round the world alone.
Despite many setbacks, the 28-year-old is poised break the record for circumnavigating the world solo and non-stop set last year by Francis Joyon. She must reach the finish midway between Lizard Point in Cornwall and Ushant, north-west France, by 7.04am on Wednesda. By late yesterday MacArthur was two days and four hours ahead of Joyon's time of 72 days, 22 hours, 54 minutes and 22 seconds. But gales expected in the north Atlantic could force her to take a longer route.
Doctors deny 'right to life' row
Doctors' leaders have strongly denied that the financial costs of caring for coma patients should ever form part of a decision on whether to keep them alive. A row over whether patients should be denied food and water if they fall into a coma has been sparked by leaked government papers which put forward an economic argument for withdrawing any treatment. The government has refused to comment on the documents, which appear to set out the Department of Health's case before they submit a paper to the Court of Appeal over a forthcoming test case concerning a terminally ill patient. The paper apparently argues that the case could lead to 'an unprecedented right for a patient to demand and receive medical treatment of his choosing, not limited to artificial nutrition and hydration'.
Release for Jonathan King
Disgraced pop mogul Jonathan King, 60, will be released from jail within weeks and hopes to see his conviction for sexually molesting schoolboys quashed, his lawyer said. He was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2001 for offences against five youths aged 13 to 15, but probation officers have recommended that he be released on parole by the end of March because he is no longer considered a danger to society. King failed in an appeal against his conviction two years ago.
BBC1 gets into books
BBC1 is to challenge the success of Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan's bookclub on Channel 4 with its own literary debate show. The corporation's chief weapon will be Jeremy Vine, who is to front the programme, called Page Turners. Based around a studio discussion of three books and featuring guest celebrities and famous novelists, the show will be an important part of the channel's spring morning schedule.
Paul defends Heather
Paul McCartney, above, has defended his second wife, Heather, who has been accused of being a 'golddigger, wicked stepmother and publicity seeker'. Writing on his wife's official website, he says : 'It hurts me to see her wounded by these scurrilous reports.' He dismissed rumours of a rift with his children, saying they all 'get on great' with Heather.
Museum strike
Workers at some of Britain's biggest museums will cause disruption by staging a strike that will coincide with many schools' half-term holidays. Staff from the Science Museum in London, the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television in Bradford, and the National Railway Museum in York will stage a one-day walk-out this month over a below-market rate pay rise they rejected as 'derisory'.
