Snowmail: Spanair plane crash

Last Modified: 20 Aug 2008
By: Krishnan Guru-Murthy

In tonight's show.

Breaking news right now after a Spanair flight from Madrid to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands crashed on take-off from Madrid terminal four. Details very sketchy at the moment and casuality figures varying widely. The government has confirmed 45 dead but the fears are that it is much greater.

Initial reports suggest a fire in one of the engines before the plane veered off and crashed in flames. We'll have the latest.

Paedophile plan backfires

Also tonight the home office plan to look rather smart by announcing that Gary Glitter and other convicted paedophiles could be stopped from travelling abroad for longer periods of time appears to have backfired. Glitter is still apparently refusing to leave the transit lounge at Bangkok airport, and one wonders whether the pre-publicity about this new government policy has anything to do with it. He may of course just not want to come home. Either way it's all a bit of a fiasco.

BAA to sell Gatwick and Stansted?

We don't wish this programme to have an unfortunate theme around airports, but it may have one by accident. There is a good chance that the Spanish-owned BAA which runs most of Britain's main airports will be forced to sell off Stansted and Gatwick in the interest of promoting competition and a better quality of service. The recommendation is only provisional but we will be looking into the pros and cons.

A fairer Tory Britain?

Shadow chancellor George Osborne has made a speech and written an article trying to promote the Conservatives as the party of fairness. He talks of being rewarded for work, supporting Labour policy on spreading opportunity in the workforce, and of reducing the burden of government debt. Opponents have leapt on this as the proof that the real Tory agenda is to cut spending in order to cut taxes and that that will be disastrous in an economic downturn.

We hope to be talking to Mr Osborne about whether there is substance to his claims about the Conservative party having the ideas to make Britain fairer.

Obama behind in the polls

Form America Sarah Smith will report on the faltering in the Obama bandwagon. One poll puts McCain ahead today, just as Obama is to announce his running mate this week. Is the great Democratic hope about to hit a seriously rough patch?

Diana and the Duchess

And the row over the promos for the new Keira Knightley film The Duchess. Apparently the trailermen have cut in some images of Princess Dianna to make a direct comparison between her and her ancestor, the Duchess of Devonshire. Stephanie West is on the trail.