Birthdays

TODAY: Air Marshal Sir Robert Alcock, 55; Sir John Blofeld, High Court judge, 60; Mr Robert Compton, former chairman, Time-Life International, 70; Mr Bill Crozier, radio producer, 68; Mr Peter de Savary, entrepreneur and yachtsman, 48; Mr Greville Janner MP, 64; Mr Toby Jessel MP, 58; Sir Kenneth Jones QC, former legal adviser, the Home Office, 82; Mr Theodore Maiman, physicist and inventor of the laser, 65; Dame Margaret Miles, educationist, 81; Miss Julia Trevelyan Oman, television, film and theatre designer, 62; Mr Terry Patchett MP, 52; Mr Hermann Prey, baritone, 63; Mr Giles Slaughter, headmaster, University College School, 55; Dr Derek Stevenson, former secretary, BMA, 81; Mr John Stride, actor, 56; Mr Gough Whitlam QC, former Australian prime minister, 76.

TOMORROW: Mr Alan Bamford, former principal of Homerton College, Cambridge, 62; Mr Milton Berle, comedian, 84; Miss Chili Bouchier, actress, 83; Sir John Bremridge, former chairman, Cathay Pacific Airways, 67; Mr John Bullock, senior partner, Coopers & Lybrand Deloitte, 59; Sir Alastair Burnet, broadcaster, 64; Viscount Camrose, former chairman, the Daily Telegraph, 83; Mr Van Cliburn, pianist, 58; Mr Bill Cosby, comedian and actor, 55; Miss Annabel Croft, broadcaster and former tennis player, 26; Sir John Cuckney, chairman, 3i Group, 67; Mr Gareth Edwards, former rugby player, 45; Admiral Sir John Hamilton, 82; Sir Arthur Hetherington, former chairman, British Gas, 81; Mr Thomas Illtyd James, retired surgeon, 92; Mr Michael Kenward, science writer, 47; Mr Michael Gough Matthews, director, Royal College of Music, 61; Mr Paul May, former deputy chairman, John Lewis Partnership, 85; Sir William Montagu- Pollock, former diplomat, 89; Mr Roy Palmer, cricket umpire, 50; Professor Sir Randolph Quirk, former president, British Academy, 72; Miss Jennifer Saunders, comedienne and actress, 34; Mr Robin Squire MP, Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, 48; Professor Sir Charles Stuart- Harris, physician, 83; Sir Harold Walker MP, 65; Mr Frank Windsor, actor, 65.

European League

for Economic

Co-operation

Professor Jack Shaw, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Scotland and Executive Member of the British Section of the European League for Economic Co-operation, chaired a conference yesterday on 'Developing Europe's Regions after 1992: new ideas for the new Europe' at Wilton Castle, Cleveland.

The speakers were:

Mr Bruce Millan, EC Commissioner responsible for Regional Policy; Baroness Denton of Wakefield, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Consumer Affairs and Small Firms; Mr Hartmut Osterburg, Vice-Manager of the Information Office of the Free State of Bavaria, Brussels; Dr Jean-Marie Ernecq, Directeur de l'Etablissement public foncier du Nord Pas de Calais; Dr John Bridge, Chief Executive, Northern Development Company; Mr George Hunter, Chief Executive, Belasis Hall Technology Park; Sir Donald Walters, Vice-Chairman of the Institute of Welsh Affairs and Deputy Chairman of the Welsh Development Agency; Professor Gavin McCrone, Professor of Applied Economics, Glasgow University.

The participants were welcomed by Dr JP Carrick, Wilton Site Operations Manager, ICI Chemicals and Polymers Ltd. The conference was preceded by an eve of conference dinner hosted by Sir Denys Henderson, Chairman of ICI plc.