THE Press Complaints Commission yesterday fired a warning shot across the bows of the tabloids in the hope of averting a re-run of xenophobic Euro 96 for France 98. The PCC chairman, Lord Wakeham, asked editors to ensure that, in the run-up to France 98, “their reporting and comment does nothing to incite violence, disorder or other unlawful behaviour, or to foster any from of xenophobia that could contribute directly to such incitement.”
The statement was issued as the PCC ruled on a Daily Star headline in March which criticised the French authorities’ allocation of World Cup tickets to English fans. The headline, “Frogs Need a Good Kicking”, was described as “a misjudgement” but within the Code of Practice. The PCC received 300 complaints from readers over tabloid coverage of Euro 96, particularly in the build-up to England’s semi-final clash with Germany.Headlines such as the Mirror’s “Achtung! Surrender” and war references were felt by many to have misjudged the mood of the nation and sparked fears of hooliganism in an otherwise peaceful tournament.The PCC later said the tone of some of the reporting around Euro 96 was wrong but did not single out any newspaper. Yesterday Lord Wakeham appealed to tabloid editors not to incite violence among fans.”We want to have robust reporting of the World Cup and we don’t mind people being partisan – of course not, we want British teams to win.”But I don’t want any newspapers inadvertently, or in any other way, inciting fans to violence and to cause trouble.

There’s going to be triumph, there’s going to be joy, there’s possibly going to be disappointment, and all our headlines have got to be eye-catching and sensational.”It’s of great personal interest to us to report it responsibly and to get behind our boys.”We’re not going to go out and say ‘we’re going to invade France’, or encourage our fans to behave in a hooligan-type way.”But the thing works both ways. It’s funny that the First Lady is the first person to hit the glass ceiling.”Travolta said he played the President as a composite of several presidents, “but mainly it reflects on Clinton”.Injecting an inevitable luvvyish touch, Thompson said that, in making the film, “we cried a lot actually.”You get to a point where you think `that’s so true about people!’”. He is a complex human being.”There’s a naivete and innocence about this character which our own President has – I hope.”Thompson claimed she had not based her characterisation on Hillary Clinton: “I didn’t want to do an imitation of her because that would be just an excuse to make people think `what has she got wrong?’ It was more thrilling for me to create an imaginary character.”Anyway, she added, Ms Clinton spoke so rarely on television “partly because she is not given much of a voice. “I was out in the sun yesterday so I’ve got all different colours.”Travolta said that Mr Clinton, who he knows socially, had not yet seen the film which has opened in America to good reviews but only average box office receipts.It was interesting that Thompson and Travolta appeared to disagree about the cleverness of the characters they play in the film.Thompson declared: “This woman has got more intelligence in her little finger than he’s got in his whole body.”But Travolta claimed: “The man has high integrity in his political urges and I think he is a decent man. If you’re looking for it, it’s there.”John Travolta, who plays the Clinton figure, Jack Stanton, delighted questioners by revealing that President Bill Clinton, far from being hurt by the movie, invited Travolta to come to a party in character so that the two of them could do a speech together.”I declined,” Travolta said, “because I decided it was best to leave the character on the screen and not do parties I think that shows the President’s sense of humour. Thompson plays Susan, a First Lady ruthlessly determined to help her husband to power and equally determined to survive in her marriage while implying her increasing suffering from the humiliations and embarrassments at the public disclosures of infidelities.Thompson, in newly cropped, red hair set off by a bright orange sundress, stole the show at the press conference, clowning around when she wasn’t speaking fluent French and translating for her colleagues.She said she was “terrified” of the opening gala “I hope the frock’s all right,” she said.

I was very tempted for a moment but I withheld my urge.”Emma Thompson interjected intriguingly at that point, saying: “He doesn’t often hold his urge.”Thompson and Travolta both give excellent performances as the President and First Lady in the film which opens in Britain in August. I took part of the scene out of the movie because there was disappointment [in the preview audience] that these two were meant to be the good guys.”They were meant to be more steadfast than this I cut it down but not out. Emma Thompson plays the Hillary Clinton figure in the film, none too loosely based on the Clintons’ journey to power. Lester plays the campaign manager.
In the novel from which the film is adapted, the two have a one-night affair. In the movie which opened the festival last night, although Lester comforts Thompson when she hears of her husband’s infidelities, the pair just stare at each other meaningfully.At a press conference in Cannes yesterday, veteran director Mike Nichols was challenged by an American journalist that he had “cut out an interracial love scene”.Nicols replied: “I did have it cut out after the first preview I didn’t think about the interracial element.

Mr Laverty said yesterday: “The families were so shocked they did not know what to do and asked me for advice. Central Police’s chief constable William Wilson said he had invited James Mackay, assistant chief constable of Tayside Police, to undertake a review of how the inquiry was handled.
The dead boy’s father, Larry, yesterday attacked the force because he said Lawrence’s brother Dennis, then 12, was a suspect in the first investigation.. We all thought that that particular village needed to be aware of what was happening and I wanted to alert people to the dangers.”. THE director of Primary Colors, the top film at the Cannes Film Festival, was yesterday accused of cutting an interracial love scene between Emma Thompson and black British actor Adrian Lester.

Darren Laverty, 30, who distributed 400 leaflets warning that the man was living in a house in the village, was charged earlier this week after being stopped by police. A FATHER-OF-TWO who warned people in a Welsh village about a convicted child sex offender living in the community has been charged with harassment under new laws designed to stop stalkers. Brian Beattie, 33, was found guilty of murdering Lawrence Haggert in the victim’s home in March 1996. A POLICE chief called in an outside force to investigate the handling of an inquiry in the murder of a 15-year-old Celtic hopeful after his killer was jailed for life yesterday. Mrs Dixon was blown off her feet by the blast and received cuts and bruises. Serena was saved by the person next to her shielding her with his body.Mr Dixon, who runs a nursing home with his wife, said: “It was a surprise to receive the letter from Mr Blair, but it shows he was listening to us.