Reports in Moscow suggested that the Russians might have agreed to work through a senior Russian officer in the K-For command structure.. PEKING HAS flatly rejected Washington’s claim that the Nato bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade was an error. State television yesterday ran a 15-minute rebuttal which poured scorn on the investigation results delivered by the US special envoy Thomas Pickering. The foreign ministry also warned that his claim that data from an old map led to the accidental bombing was not good enough.
“So far the explanations by the US side are not convincing.

It is up to the one who ties the knot to untie it,” the foreign ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said as Mr Pickering and his team headed back toWashington. They in turn warned that there was no other explanation to give and urged China to accept it.Already rocky Sino-US ties have hit rock bottom over the 7 May bombing, which killed three Chinese journalists and sparked protests across China against the alliance and particularly against the United States.While most Chinese still believe the bombing was deliberate, they blame Washington for the attack and have largely exonerated the other Nato members. Even Britain, which was singled out as the “running dog” to the United States in the protests straight after the bombing, is back in Peking’s good books.After fuming at the US explanation yesterday, top Chinese officials went on to hold talks with Stephen Byers, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, who was leading a trade mission to China.Mr Byers said Peking was in a conciliatory mood towards London and confirmed that the state visit to Britain by the Chinese President, Jiang Zemin, scheduled for the autumn, was still on the cards.”Both in tone and content, the meetings that I’ve held today have been positive … I’ve been made to feel very welcome by the Chinese,” Mr Byers said.. DR MARTENS shoes are not the symbol of Britishness they seem, an American company is claiming. Makers of the Union Jack-bearing shoes are being sued by an American company which alleges that thousands of Dr Martens shoe uppers are made in Thailand and not in England
Skechers USA has filed a lawsuit against the R Griggs Group for claiming that its shoes are “Made in Britain”.It is alleging false advertising and unfair competition claiming 70,000 pairs of the company’s shoe uppers are made in Thailand weekly.A spokesman for Dr Martens’ US distributors said the materials for the uppers were shipped to Thailand and stitched there before being sent back to Britain, and could therefore be accurately described as being made in Britain.The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court in Los Angeles on Monday, also alleges that some of the Union Jack flags on the shoes are sewn on in the Asian country..

THE “FATHER of Relativity” had a claim to the title of egg-head as well. The depth of Albert Einstein’s insight into the nature of the Universe was matched by the width of his brain, scientists have found. It was 15 per cent wider than that of people of normal intelligence, owing to extra development in what is known as the inferior parietal region. The findings are the first to suggest geniuses may have physically different brains.
Einstein, who died in 1955, insisted his brain be used for research. It was preserved but until now there had been no study of its anatomy. Canadian researchers have measured it and compared it with those of 35 men and 50 women of normal intelligence.It was similar to the others except for the inferior parietal region.

As a result of its extensive development, Einstein’s brain was 1cm wider. The researchers, writing in The Lancet, say this may explain why he tackled problems the way he did: “Einstein’s own description of his scientific thinking was that `words do not seem to play any role’ but there is `associative play’ of `more or less clear images’ of a `visual and muscular type’.Arguments about the biological basis of intelligence are unresolved, but with better measurement techniques and greater knowledge of the functions of parts of the brain, the researchers found a unique feature in Einstein’s: the absence of a groove, called a sulcus, through part of the parietal region.They think it may have allowed more neurons in this area to establish connections and work together more easily, creating an “extraordinarily large expanse of highly integrated cortex within a functional area”. In other words, where the rest of us have sparks, Einstein had fireworks.. LEGAL NOTE: Do not repeat false suggestion that McGartland was involved in/associated with drugs gangs or drugs crime. Ian Herbert and David McKittrick Former IRA infiltrator Martin McGartland last night had an armed guard by his hospital bedside Bob Collier

A FORMER police intelligence agent, who narrowly escaped being killed by the IRA in Belfast, yesterday had another close brush with death in Whitley Bay in the north of England.
Martin McGartland, who is credited with saving many lives while working as an undercover RUC agent within the IRA, survived being repeatedly shot at his home yesterday morning.Although he always feared the IRA would catch up with him, there were indications that criminals rather than Irish republicans may be responsible.Initial reports of the incident sent tremors through the Northern Ireland peace process. The political atmosphere eased, however, when the likelihood of IRA involvement diminished and a possible criminal motive emerged.Mr McGartland was in his back garden when a gunman climbed over a wall and shot him up to eight times in the chest.

The former agent was left lying in Duchess Street, a deserted back lane connecting the terraced streets.Blood was pouring from his side as paramedics carried him away but Mr McGartland, who was given an armed guard in hospital, was reportedly not in danger of losing his life. After surgery he was said to be in a stable condition.BBC reporter John Ware, who presented a documentary on Mr McGartland’s life, said: “It’s obviously possible that the IRA had a hand in this, but I know he did have friends on the fringes of the criminal world I don’t think he was involved in criminal activity himself. I know he became involved in a dispute a year or two ago with one side of a row between two gangs who were dealing in drugs. Marty himself had nothing whatever to do with the drugs but he was friendly with one of the gangs and I think he made his loyalty known.”Police investigating the shooting said they were keeping an open mind.Although Mr McGartland was for many years a thorn in the side of the IRA, the authorities latterly came to regard him as a major nuisance as he repeatedly criticised police forces and other agencies.In his book Fifty Dead Men Walking, Mr McGartland told the story of his extraordinary life in west Belfast, writing that as a youth he had been heavily involved in crime, in particular dealing in stolen goods.He was then approached by the RUC who urged him to infiltrate the IRA, which he successfully did, working with an active service unit and becoming the confidant of important IRA figures.