Gowns but no mortar please

The peaceniks are out in force at Dundee University in the hope that BBC world affairs correspondent John Simpson will at last be able to receive an honorary degree. Work prevented Mr Simpson receiving an honorary doctorate of law last July and a new date of February 5 has been set.

Dundee's deputy principal Geoff Ward said: "When you decide to honour someone like John Simpson, who has a reputation for being on the spot wherever conflict breaks out in the world, you have to accept the risk that the university platform stands a chance of being upstaged by a full-scale war zone."