Immediate backlash from nearby residents over sonic boom.1980: Concorde flies from London to New York in record 2 hours, 59mins, 36 seconds.1989: First sign of engineering problems as section of rudder falls off during take-off from Christchurch. Two more rudder failures in the next two years.2000: July: Air France Concorde crashes in Paris, killing all 109 passengers and crew.2001: Flights resumed after safety precautions are introduced.2003 April: British Airways and Air France announce end of commercial flights.. A landscape painting by Egon Schiele that was looted from its Jewish owners by the Nazis is expected to fetch up to £7m when it is offered for sale at Sotheby’s in London in June. The 1916 work, Krumauer Landschaft (Stadt und Fluss) – View of Krumau – was recently handed to the heirs of the Viennese art collectors Willy and Daisy Hellmann, from whom the painting was seized in 1938. It was given to its rightful owners after research by Sotheby’s.Erika Jakubovits, executive director of the Presidency of the Jewish Community of Austria, said: “Sixty years on [from the Holocaust], it is important to recognise the enduring rights of victims and their heirs.”. Tony Blair and the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, have immersed themselves in an emergency effort to rescue their Northern Ireland peace process initiative after it was stopped in its tracks last night. It had been hoped that the IRA declaration would be impressive enough for Mr Trimble to take it to his party and persuade doubters in the ranks to go back into government with Sinn Fein.Mr Trimble said the two governments realised the statement was “wholly inadequate”.

Fragments of it had been read to him, he said, “and from what I’ve heard it’s not even in the ballpark”.The Ulster Unionist leader said the process could be put back on track but only if there was “massive movement from the republican movements in the next day or two”.The general sense is that a renewed attempt to reach agreement will be launched, with an informal deadline being set as the middle of next week. London and Dublin can be expected to make a determined effort to salvage the negotiations, which have been going on for months, and which have established a significant amount of common ground.The vital issue will be whether the IRA can be budged from its present position. The governments will wish to explore whether its language represents its final position or whether the organisation can deliver the greater clarity required.The Sinn Fein president, Gerry Adams, signalled yesterday that his party wants further movement from the governments on issues such as a commitment from Unionists not to bring down a restored Belfast Assembly, as well as policing and justice powers. Describing him as “a mere lackey, a serf”, Mr Paisley declared: “Mr Blair is a giant against terrorism outside the United Kingdom but he is a tiny dwarf when it comes to terrorism within the United Kingdom.”. Trade unions told Gordon Brown yesterday that he will have a fight on his hands if he tries to dismantle the long-standing system of national pay bargaining in the public sector. Problems in recruiting essential workers in London and the South-east have forced reform on to the Government’s agenda.Mr Brown insisted yesterday that national pay bargaining would continue.

He said: “What I am looking at is how the North-east, the North-west, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can all enjoy the benefits of the strong economy.”That requires a strategy for full employment that depends on both flexibility and fairness. The fairness is guaranteed by the national minimum wage and national tax credits. But, of course, there is going to be flexibility in the way that the economies are going to develop in future years.”Senior figures at the TUC said the Chancellor retreated in private discussions yesterday from the idea that regional pay bargaining would be brought in.Dave Prentis, leader of Unison, Britain’s biggest union, said: “It’s a stupid idea … National arrangements have enough flexibility to allow employers to deal with local recruitment difficulties.” He added: “People should be paid the rate for the job regardless of where they live.”Derek Simpson, joint general secretary of Amicus, said regional inflation figures would be useful where local negotiations already took place. He added: “We must guard against the danger, however, that it could be used to destroy national bargaining in the public service.”John Edmonds, general secretary of the GMB union, said: “If this is a first step towards breaking up national pay bargaining for public-sector workers, it could lead to major and unjust pay disparities.”Jack Dromey, a national official of the Transport and General Workers’ Union, said any move by local government employers to end national pay bargaining would “inevitably” lead to a strike. Mr Dromey, a candidate to be elected the union’s general secretary, said: “Local bargaining would be a recipe for chaos and confusion.