NowMyNews

One night in 1938, a young Colin Davis elbowed his way into the living room of the modest terraced home that he shared with his mother, father, and six siblings, and placed a record on the turntable of the family’s battered wind-up gramophone. Turning up the volume, and ignoring the scratchy sound quality, he quickly became lost in ‘the power, the tenderness, the beauty [and] the ferocity’ of the opening passages of Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony. ‘It was a revelation,’ Davis recalled years later. ‘I had never heard so much energy concentrated into half an hour.’ From that day onwards, the 11-year-old schoolboy had a single aim in life. ‘I wanted to be a musician and I wanted to be a conductor,’ he said, jokingly describing it as ‘the most irrational decision that I have ever made’. So began a journey of extraordinary endeavour which finally came to an end last Sunday, after bringing Davis international acclaim, along with two Grammy Awards and a knighthood. Sir Colin died on April 14, a

The man who came within inches of murdering Margaret Thatcher was back in England yesterday – just two days after her funeral. Brighton bomber Patrick Magee, 61, who was given eight life sentences for killing five prominent Tories, now travels around the world lecturing on peace and reconciliation. Yesterday he made a speech on the subject at the University of Huddersfield where, remarkably, he insisted he was ‘not a violent person’. Magee was freed from jail in 1999 as part of the Good Friday Agreement after serving just 14 years behind bars. But he has never apologised for trying to wipe out Mrs Thatcher and her Cabinet during the Tory party conference in 1984. Following her death, he has declined to answer any questions about his role in one of Britain’s worst terrorist outrages. A close friend said he did not wish to speak on the subject. He was pictured in Belfast on Thursday, where he spends much of his time in pubs doing crosswords and sudoku puzzles. In the city, where Magee

The Church of England last night vowed to ‘turn the tide’ on a culture of lavish bonuses for bankers and business chiefs. In an unprecedented attack on the City mindset, the Church, which represents some 25 million people in Britain, will use the significant financial firepower of its investments to vote against excessive pay packages. It slammed the ‘culture of entitlement and greed’ in big businesses, saying it ‘rides roughshod’ over the Christian principles of justice and fairness. The Church of England’s pension scheme has £8billion of investments – giving it a sizeable say in the practices of some of Britain’s biggest companies. Its investments include RBS, Barclays, BP, Tesco, Shell and Vodafone, among other major UK firms. Now two out of three companies it invests in face a ‘no’ vote on their pay, under a new 18-page pay policy published yesterday. Written by the Church’s Ethical Investment Advisory Group (EIAG), it cites the teachings of the Old Testament, Jesus and Paul the

It had stood through war, pestilence and more than 1,200 years of whatever the British weather could throw at it. But now a historic tree believed to be the oldest oak in the land has finally been brought crashing down. The Pontfadog Oak was felled by 55mph gales that hit North Wales on Wednesday night. Collapse: Pontfadog Oak tree which has stood since the year 802 after it fell in the early hours of Thursday morning Debris: The tree fell as wind speed approached 60mph in areas near Chirk, north Wales Conservationists had repeatedly called for the ancient tree, which had a 42ft girth, to be supported so it could be preserved by future generations. But the £5,700 cost was considered too high, so nothing was done to protect the sessile oak. More... Doomed daffodils: Blooms meant for sale are left to rot after arriving late Look away now if you don't like flying: The terrifying moment a plane came in sideways as Britain is battered by 70mph gales It had grown at Chir

The controversial Speaker of the House of Commons has refused to reveal details of how he apparently avoided paying tax on his multi-million-pound grace-and-favour residence. John Bercow, who lives in the luxurious taxpayer-funded Westminster property with his equally controversial wife Sally, previously paid more than £4,000 a year because it was considered a ‘taxable benefit’. But this tax bill was mysteriously cut to zero in 2010/11, it has emerged. When asked for an explanation, the Speaker, who earns £140,000 a year, refused to explain his tax arrangements. Commons Speaker John Bercow has signed an exemption certifiate which means details of his tax bill for the flat cannot be released Mr Bercow – who stood for his office promising greater transparency – used an obscure piece of parliamentary legislation to avoid answering. He claimed that to reveal his tax arrangements would ‘prejudice’ his position as Speaker but critics said he risked ‘tarnishing the reputation of Parliament

A teacher at one of Britain’s top public schools has been arrested on suspicion of raping a former pupil. Dr Dean Johnson, a physics master at Charterhouse in Surrey, has been forced to leave the £31,680-a-year boarding school following the alleged incident. The divorced father-of-three, who was educated at Oxford and Cambridge, was held by police on April 12. The letter sent to parents of children at Charterhouse School informing them about a teacher who had an inappropriate relationship with a former pupil He has taught at the prestigious school for 12 years and was well-liked among students and teachers. The victim is understood to be a graduate in her 20s, who cannot be named for legal reasons. According to two former pupils who knew her, Dr Johnson and the girl had been involved in a secret relationship since her first year of sixth form – when she was 16. One of them, who didn’t wish to be identified, said: ‘She was quite quiet and was involved in societies he ran.’ Dr Johns

Dumped in a park, he looked like a cross between some tumbleweed and the contents of a barber shop’s bin. But the shocking shaggy dog story of Womble the Lhasa Apso had a happy ending yesterday – after he was rescued and given a smart new haircut. The three-year-old dog was found abandoned and seriously neglected, with fur so overgrown and matted he could barely walk or see. Scroll down for video Groomed: Womble the Lhasa Apso after having 2lb of excess fur removed by Dogs Trust staff Abandoned: Womble was found in a park in Leeds by a concerned member of the public Care: The dog was taken in by the local Dogs Trust and given a thorough grooming Only his tongue was visible beneath the tangle, thick with dirt and debris and containing rubbish ranging from a strip of Velcro to a sticky chocolate sweet – which led his rescuers to name him after the litter-collecting Wombles of Wimbledon Common. Staff at the Dogs Trust rehoming charity, which took in Womble, believe he had not be

Where’s your mobile phone? On the kichen table? Still in the pocket of the jacket you just took off to mow the lawn? And what about your computer — did you remember to log off after paying that bill? Perhaps you’re thinking: I’m at home — there’s nothing to worry about. But how would you feel if, at this very moment, your loving husband or wife was trawling through your private texts and messages? Astonishingly, 44 per cent of spouses do this, according to a major research study, conducted by the Internet Research Institute at Oxford University. Not only that, but there’s a 65 per cent chance that if a husband’s messages are being read by his wife, he’s also reading hers. However you interpret these figures — and there may be some innocent explanations — there are clearly an awful lot of husbands and wives who are prepared to spy on each other. And what they hope — and dread — to find, of course, is evidence of an affair. Sexual fidelity is one of the most important symbols of commitm

Susan A. Patton, the Princeton mom who wrote an editorial for the Ivy League school's newspaper urging co-eds to spend their college years in search of a husband, is fanning the flames of controversy again by describing single women in their thirties as 'man repellant.' 'A woman looking for a husband in her 30s gives off total desperation,' Patton said at a talk on Thursday for the American Whig-Cliosophic Society, a debate society at Princeton. 'You’ll never have a better concentration of outstanding men to choose from,' she added in her talk to an estimated 200 students. 'After college, your pool of men will shrink dramatically.' Controversy: Susan A. Patton, the Princeton mom urging Ivy League co-eds to find a husband, has warned students that single women in their thirties are 'man repellant' (pictured during an earlier CNN appearance) Patton, who was among the 200 'pioneer' women enrolled in the Ivy League school in 1973, bec

Former French president Nicholas Sarkozy is to be formally investigated amid claims he accepted £40million in under-the-table kickbacks from Colonel Gaddafi during his 2007 election campaign, it was revealed today. An official at the public prosecutor’s office said an inquiry had been opened after allegations by French-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine, himself under investigation over arms sales to Pakistan in the 1990s. Mr Sarkozy, 58, faces a range of charges including bribery and corruption, forgery, misuse of corporate assets and influence peddling, according to a judicial source. Double act: Former Libyan leader, Colonel Gaddafi being welcomed to Elysee Palace by Nicolas Sarkozy when he was President Old friends: Eyebrows were first raised when Gaddafi was honoured with a state visit to Paris in late 2007 in which Sarkozy referred to him as the 'Brother Leader' and was allowed to pitch his tent next to the Elysee Palace French law bans candidates from receiving