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UK Pledges £2m To Deadly Cyclone Pam Victims

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 14 Maret 2015 | 22.55

The UK is giving up to £2m in aid to help the Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu where a devastating tropical cyclone is feared to have flattened entire communities.

Cyclone Pam is thought to have caused widespread destruction across the 65 inhabited Vanuatu islands, killing at least eight people, aid officials have said.

Unconfirmed reports say dozens more people are feared dead after the storm, which is one of the strongest ever recorded.

Britain's Department for International Development said "up to £1m" will be made immediately available to UN organisations and international aid agencies already working in the region following a request from the Vanuatu government.

An additional £1m will be made available through the UK's Rapid Response Facility, which provides emergency support.

The Category Five storm struck the South Pacific archipelago with winds of up to 210mph, threatening more than 267,000 residents.

The storm blew roofs off houses, uprooted trees and downed power lines. Officials in the capital Port Vila say there is no power or running water.

Save the Children's Vanuatu Country Director Tom Skirrow added: "The scene here this morning is complete devastation.

Chloe Morrison, a World Vision emergency communications officer, said: "The damage is quite extensive in Port Vila but there are so many more vulnerable islands."

Vanuatu is about a quarter of the way from Australia to Hawaii. About 47,000 people live in the capital. Most of those left their homes for the safety of shelters.

Speaking in Japan, where he was at a conference on global risk, President of Vanuatu Baldwin Lonsdale choked up as he said: "I stand to appeal on the behalf of the government and people of Vanuatu to the global community to give a lending hand in responding this very current calamities that have struck us."

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  1. Gallery: Fears Dozens Killed By Powerful Cyclone Pam

    There are fears dozens of people have been killed after Cyclone Pam stuck the Pacific's Vanuatu archipelago

The streets of Porta Vila are reportedly littered with debris and uprooted trees following the storm

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India: Nun Critical After Gang-Rape By Bandits

A 72-year-old nun has been gang-raped by bandits at a Christian missionary school in eastern India.

Up to a dozen attackers broke in at around 1am on Saturday before tying up several of the nuns on the premises.

The senior sister was raped as she tried to stop the men stealing from the Convent of Jesus and Mary School, in Ranaghat, West Bengal.

It is understood the nun was not taken to hospital until the following morning.

The woman is said to have been critically injured and has had surgery after the attack.

Father Dominic Gomes, Vicar General of Kolkata (Calcutta) Archdiocese, told Indian news channel NDTV: "After tying three of the five sisters, they entered the principal's room and ransacked it, destroying property and taking money, a laptop and a mobile phone."

Angry school students blocked a rail route and a major highway in protest after the incident.

West Bengal's Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said an inquiry had been launched by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Ms Banerjee said: "We strongly condemn the incident that took place at the Ranaghat Convent. CID will be examining all aspects to this horrific crime. Swift, strongest action to be taken."

State minister for urban affairs Firhad Hakim described the attack as "heinous" and called for the death penalty to be used on anyone found responsible, the Times of India reported.


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Clarkson Hints At Possible Top Gear Exit

Jeremy Clarkson has hinted he may be ready to leave Top Gear after being suspended over a bust-up with a producer.

Writing in his column for the Sun newspaper he appeared to refer to himself as a "dinosaur", explaining that "the day must come when you have to wave goodbye to the big monsters". 

He wrote: "Nature made a mistake when it invented the dinosaur. It was too big, too violent ...

"All the dinosaurs died and now, years later, no-one mourns their passing.

"These big, imposing creatures have no place in a world which has moved on."

Clarkson, 54, has been suspended over a row in which he allegedly tried to hit a producer, named in reports as Oisin Tymon. 

A petition calling for Clarkson to be reinstated has reached more than 840,000 signatures.

But the controversial presenter wrote: "You can start as many campaigns as you like and call on the support of politicians from all sides, but the day must come when you have to wave goodbye to the big monsters, and move on. 

"We lose one animal and get another. The world turns."

He goes on to say: "As you may have heard, I've been suspended by the BBC following a fracas at a North Yorkshire hotel.

"I don't intend to dwell here on what happened then or what will happen in the future. I'm sure you're as fed up with the story as I am.

"One of the things which has cheered me is how many people have expressed support in the last few days. I'm touched and grateful."

Clarkson is being summoned to appear before a BBC disciplinary panel that will decide his fate.

The panel will be chaired by Ken MacQuarrie, the head of BBC Scotland who conducted the investigation into Newsnight's false expose of Lord McAlpine.

The corporation has not revealed when or where the hearing will take place.

:: Read Sky News' interview with a family who say Clarkson launched into an expletive-ridden rant at the producer.

According to reports, he lashed out because he was unable to order a steak at the Simonstone Hall Hotel near Hawes, North Yorkshire, where the production team were staying.

The Sun and Daily Mirror said the hotel's chef had gone home by the time they arrived and they were only offered cold meat platters, although Clarkson had ordered a £21.95 steak.

The papers quoted a source who claimed Clarkson blamed Mr Tymon for not arranging hot food and said there had been a "scuffle".


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Ed Miliband Unveils Labour's Election Pledges

Ed Miliband has unveiled Labour's pledges for the General Election, covering the economy, the NHS, immigration and tuition fees.

The Labour leader said the choice for voters is not simply between parties and leaders, but between different visions of the country.

The party's five pledges are:

:: Economy -  Labour claims it will balance the books and cut the deficit every year.

:: Living standards - Boosted by Mr Miliband's pledge to freeze energy bills until 2017.

:: NHS - Labour says it will recruit 20,000 more nurses and 8,000 more GPs.

:: Immigration - People who come to the UK will not be able to claim benefits for at least two years.

:: Young people - Tuition fees cut to £6,000, more apprenticeships and smaller class sizes for primary school children.

Speaking to delegates in Birmingham, he said: "Today I urge the British people to choose optimism, to choose a country for the many, to choose the good of all, to choose hope - and to recognise that when working people succeed, nothing can stop us as a country."

Mr Miliband claimed "the Tory experiment" over the past five years had failed, and suggested that working people were £1,600 worse off because of David Cameron's Government.

He added: "We know what their plans mean - it means education cut, the NHS undermined, it means social care devastated, our infrastructure crumbling. Britain cannot afford to take that risk."

To applause from supporters, Mr Miliband also criticised the Prime Minister's decision not to participate in some of the upcoming TV election debates.

It is not the first time Labour has unveiled a pledge card. Tony Blair and John Prescott did so successfully in 1997, winning a landslide general election victory.

But the pledges were very different in 1997. First was cutting class sizes, second was quicker punishment for young offenders, third was cutting NHS waiting lists, while getting under-25s off benefits and no rise in income tax made up the other two.

Responding to Mr Miliband's speech, Conservative Party Chairman Grant Shapps said: "The real choice at this election is between the stability and strong leadership of David Cameron and the Conservatives working to a long-term economic plan, securing a better future for Britain.

"Or Ed Miliband carried into Downing Street in the pocket of Alex Salmond and the SNP - meaning more borrowing, more debt, higher taxes and weaker defences."


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Service Marks End Of Afghanistan Conflict

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 13 Maret 2015 | 22.55

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

The Queen has led the nation in paying tribute to those who served in Afghanistan over the last 13 years.

Veterans of the campaign as well as next of kin of the 453 service personnel killed in the war attended the special service at St Paul's Cathedral in London.

They were joined by the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, who himself served two tours in Afghanistan.

Prime Minister David Cameron, other political figures and members of the military were also at the service.

A ceremony has also been held in Kabul.

During the service in London, the Archbishop of Canterbury thanked those who fought in Afghanistan.

In his address, the Most Rev Justin Welby said: "Today is a moment for us to say thank you: thank you to all who served, whatever your role.

"We thank you for your faithfulness: you who left family behind, you who trained hard, you who did not turn from danger, you who suffered injury and you who risked yourselves to care for the injured.

"I'm told that each wounded person was supported by up to 80 others by the time they got home. Great is your faithfulness.

"We also thank those of you who stayed behind, who let your loved ones go: you who worried for their safety each day and took your phone to your bedside each night, you who lived with the pining of children, as well as your own fears. Great is your faithfulness."

"And we honour the faithfulness of all those who gave up their lives to give peace and security for others."

Prayers were said for those who were killed in the conflict, for families left behind while their loved ones served and for the Afghan people and its leaders.

A Memorial Cross made from used shell cases was processed through St Paul's Cathedral by representatives from the RAF, Royal Navy and Army.

After being blessed by the Archbishop, it was taken to the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire as part of a permanent installation.

After the service, a parade of servicemen marched through the streets of London ending at the Guildhall in the City.

It was made up of veterans representing many parts of the military.

There was also a flypast of aircraft that flew in the conflict: a Sea King helicopter, two Chinooks and two Apaches, followed by an RAF C-130 Hercules and two Tornado fast jets.

Various members of the Royal Family then hosted three receptions at the Honourable Artillery Company, Horse Guards Parade, and the Guildhall.


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Family: Clarkson Said He'd Have Colleague Fired

By Gerard Tubb, North of England Correspondent

Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson is facing new allegations over the "fracas" at a Yorkshire Dales hotel that led to his suspension by the BBC on Monday.

Four members of the same family who overheard the row say Clarkson told a colleague he would have him fired because there was no hot food at the end of a day's filming.

The Ward family from Leeds told Sky News that Clarkson ranted for up to half-an-hour at the Simonstone Hotel near Hawes and say they were shocked at his language and the way he treated his colleague.

They also claimed he criticised the BBC, saying it was "getting worse".

Sue Ward, 54, a medical receptionist, described Clarkson's behaviour towards the unnamed employee as shocking.

"He said he hadn't done his job properly, it was ridiculous that there was nothing to eat, obviously there was lots of expletives in between all this, and that he would be losing his job, he would see to it that he would lose his job," she said.

"Even someone who's really inept at their job should be told properly, in a proper manner," she said

"But the fact that it was in a public place, I didn't want to listen to that language."

Sue's brother in law Bob Ward, 60, said Clarkson arrived with his co-presenters by helicopter at around 9.30pm and refused to have his picture taken.

"I said 'Any chance of a selfie Jeremy?' and he said 'No, not with the day I've had today'."

Within minutes, Bob's wife Denise, 51, said Clarkson was shouting and swearing and had spoiled the evening they had been looking forward to.

"We were sort of, 'Ooh, celebrities, will we see them?' and then it was just the shock of how can someone be so rude?" she said.

"It was just the swearing and the length of time and this poor guy that he was ripping into," she added.

Top Gear is the BBC's biggest global brand, worth more than £50m a year, but with Clarkson suspended the next three episodes have been scrapped.

The only Top Gear fan among the Ward family, Sue's husband Alan, 56, agreed with the three quarters of a million people who have signed an online petition for Clarkson to keep his job.

"He's brash, we know what he's like, he's been in trouble before and I think he'll be in trouble again," he said.

"I think he'll continue to do that job because without Clarkson there's no Top Gear."

Sky News has approached Clarkson for a comment but he has not responded.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that Clarkson's Twitter profile has changed from saying, "I am a presenter on the BBC2 motoring show, Top Gear" to "I am probably a presenter on the BBC2 motoring show, Top Gear".

One fan responded by tweeting "brilliant", while an opponent wrote "You'll soon be changing the verb tense in your profile then?"


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Inside Osama Bin Laden's Tora Bora Hideaway

By Sky News US Team

Rare images of Osama bin Laden's hideout in the Afghan mountains offer a glimpse of the terror mastermind's life before he was forced to flee.

Bin Laden is seen smiling, hiking in the mountains or posing with a rifle in the photos taken in Tora Bora.

In two pictures, the late al Qaeda leader is sitting against a backdrop of Islamic books.

US forces raided Tora Bora after the 9/11 attacks as they searched for bin Laden, hearing his voice on radio several times, but they did not capture him.

At the time it was thought bin Laden was hiding in a cave system in the mountain, filled with weapons and ammunition.

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  1. Gallery: Bin Laden's Hideout From Air And Ground

    This aerial view of Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad shows the area (highlighted) before the building was built in 2004 and then again in 2011

This photograph was taken in 2005. It is believed bin Laden could have lived in the compound for up to six years before he was finally tracked down by the CIA in 2010

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New Footage 'Of British IS Schoolgirls'

Footage has emerged apparently showing three British schoolgirls in Turkey, before they fled to Syria to join IS militants.

Shamima Begum, Amira Abase and Kadiza Sultana all seem to appear in the footage and are talking to an Arab interpreter about a Syrian passport.

It is believed the footage was filmed by an individual arrested by Turkish officials yesterday and accused of being a "spy" from Canada.

The film was confiscated from the man after the girls were helped across the border into Syria to join militants, sources in Turkey said.

Sky's Ashish Joshi said it was unclear where or when the film was taken, though it is believed to be somewhere in Turkey.

"By releasing this footage, by holding it up, Turkey is saying to the rest of the world 'we are doing everything we can to stop people travelling through our country to join IS'," said Joshi.

Yesterday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu described the person who helped the girls cross into Syria as a "foreign spy".

He said that the individual was working for one of the states in the US-led coalition.

Mr Cavusoglu said the agent was not American, or from an EU state, but did not elaborate.

Other reports said the suspect was working for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).

However, Canadian government sources said they would not comment on "operational matters of national security".

The three schoolgirls flew from Gatwick to Istanbul on 17 February and are feared to have continued to Syria to become so-called "jihadi brides".

The girls, who all attended Bethnal Green Academy in East London, are believed to be staying in a house in the IS militants' stronghold Raqqa.

The teenagers are thought to have stolen family jewellery to fund their trip, Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley told MPs.

They paid more than £1,000 in cash to a travel agent for their flights to Turkey, the Home Affairs Select Committee heard.

It also emerged the trio were among seven schoolgirls who were handed letters by the police about another 15-year-old from Bethnal Green Academy who ran away to Syria in December.

Relatives of the girls have demanded an apology from the Met for failing to send the crucial letter directly to their parents.


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Turkey: Foreign Spy Detained Over UK Girls

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 12 Maret 2015 | 22.55

Turkey says it has detained a "foreign spy" for helping three British schoolgirls who travelled to Syria to join Islamic State.

The Turkish foreign minister said an intelligence agent working for one of the states in the US-led coalition had helped London teenagers Kadiza Sultana, 16, Shamima Begum, 15, and Amira Abase, 15, get to Syria.

In an interview published on the official Anatolia news agency, Mevlut Cavusoglu said: "Do you know who helped those girls? He was captured.

"He was someone working for the intelligence (service) of a country in the coalition."

Mr Cavusoglu said the agent in question was not American nor from an EU state but did not elaborate.

The three schoolgirls flew from Gatwick to Istanbul on 17 February and are feared to have continued to Syria to become so-called "jihadi brides".

The girls, who all attended Bethnal Green Academy in East London, are believed to be staying in a house in the IS militants' stronghold, Raqqa.

The teenagers are thought to have stolen family jewellery to fund their trip, Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley told MPs earlier this week.

They paid more than £1,000 in cash to a travel agent for their flights to Turkey, the Home Affairs Select Committee heard.

It also emerged the trio were among seven schoolgirls who were handed letters by the police about another 15-year-old from Bethnal Green Academy who ran away to Syria in December.

Relatives of the girls have demanded an apology from the Met for failing to send the crucial letter directly to their parents.

Abase Hussein, Amira's father, said if he had seen the police letter he would have talked his daughter out of leaving and taken away her passport.

Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe apologised for failing to communicate more directly with the families - but insisted there was nothing more the force could have done to stop the girls leaving the UK.

CCTV footage emerged last week which appeared to show the girls at a bus station in Istanbul.

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  1. Gallery: Three Schoolgirls From East London Missing

    These pictures were taken from Kadiza Sultana (l) and Shamima Begum's (r) Twitter accounts

Kadiza and Shamima are feared to be on their way to Syria with a third girl, 15-year-old Amira Abase

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Farage Race Views 'Deeply Concerning' Says PM

Nigel Farage, David Cameron and Ed Miliband were embroiled in a Twitter spat following the UKIP leader's comments that race equality laws should be scrapped.

Mr Farage said race discrimination laws in the workplace were no longer necessary and should be abolished.

His comments drew fire from David Cameron on Twitter who accused him of "attention seeking" and Ed Miliband, who described the remarks as "dangerous".

Mr Farage immediately returned fire accusing Mr Cameron of not caring and Mr Miliband of believing only in bureaucracy.

Speaking in an interview with the former equalities chief Trevor Phillips, Mr Farage said the worries over discrimination by employers would have been valid 40 years ago but not now.

Mr Farage, who described UKIP as "colour blind", said: "I think the situation that we now have, where an employer is not allowed to choose between a British-born person and somebody from Poland, is a ludicrous state of affairs.

"I would argue that the law does need changing, and that if an employer wishes to choose, or you can use the word 'discriminate' if you want to, but wishes to choose to employ a British-born person, they should be allowed to do so."

Mr Farage was described as "wrong and desperate for attention" by number 10 and was accused of "breathtaking ignorance" by Labour.

Nick Clegg also said he disagreed with Mr Farage's comments.

Mr Cameron tweeted: "Nigel Farage is attention seeking. The laws protect people from racial discrimination. It's deeply concerning he doesn't understand that."

Mr Farage immediately hit back posting: "@David_Cameron The people the law doesn't protect are British workers, black or white. Disturbing, though unsurprising, that u don't care."

Mr Miliband tweeted: "I think Nigel Farage's comments today are wrong, divisive and dangerous. The laws we have on equality represent our values as a country."

To which Mr Farage replied: "@Ed_Miliband The laws don't represent these values, Ed. The British people do. We believe in Britain. You believe in bureaucracy."

During the Channel 4 interview, Mr Farage also said people were more worried there were Muslims who wanted to form a "fifth column and kill us" and that there had not previously been a group who wanted to "change who we are".

He said: "So don't be surprised if there isn't a slight increase in people's worries and concerns.

"You know, when you've got British, when you've got people, born and bred in Cardiff, with British passports, going out to fight for Isis, don't be surprised if there isn't an uptick in concern."

He added: "There is an especial problem with some of the people who've come here and who are of the Muslim religion who don't want to become part of our culture.

"So there is no previous experience, in our history, of a migrant group that comes to Britain, that fundamentally wants to change who we are and what we are.

"That is, I think, above everything else, what people are really concerned about."

Shadow justice secretary Sadiq Khan said: "This is one of the most shocking things I have ever heard from a mainstream politician and demonstrates breathtaking ignorance.

"We have made huge progress on tackling racial inequality and discrimination in this country, partly because of Labour's strong anti-discrimination laws, but things are still far from perfect."

It comes as Gillian Duffy, who famously tackled Gordon Brown about the immigration issue during the 2010 election campaign, told Sky News she would be voting for Labour and not for UKIP.


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Suspended Clarkson To Appear Before BBC Panel

Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson is being summoned to appear before a BBC disciplinary panel that will decide his fate.

The panel will be chaired by Ken MacQuarrie, the head of BBC Scotland who conducted the investigation into Newsnight's false expose of Lord McAlpine.

A formal letter requesting Clarkson to attend the hearing was expected to be posted on Thursday, with witnesses being called by the end of the week.

The corporation has not revealed when or where the hearing will take place.

Clarkson has been suspended after allegedly punching Top Gear producer Oisin Tymon at the end of a day's filming in Newcastle.

According to reports, he lashed out because he was unable to order a steak at the Simonstone Hall Hotel near Hawes, North Yorkshire, where the production team were staying.

The Sun and Daily Mirror said the hotel's chef had gone home by the time they arrived and they were only offered cold meat platters, although Clarkson had ordered a £21.95 steak.

The papers quoted a source who claimed Clarkson blamed Mr Tymon for not arranging hot food and said there had been a "scuffle".

A spokesman for the hotel confirmed Clarkson was there for three days, adding: "There's been some pretty accurate reporting of what happened."

A BBC spokeswoman described the incident as a "fracas" and said no-one else had been suspended.

More than 650,000 people from across the world have signed an online petition demanding that Clarkson be reinstated.

Support has also come from Prime Minister David Cameron, who said he was a "huge talent".

The 54-year-old lives in his Witney constituency in Oxfordshire and is a friend.

Mr Cameron told BBC Midlands Today: "I don't know exactly what happened. He is a constituent of mine, he is a friend of mine, he is a huge talent.

"I hope this can be sorted out because (Top Gear) is a great programme and he is a great talent."

On Wednesday, Clarkson joked about his suspension as he left his flat in Kensington, telling the media scrum he was "just off to the job centre".

He added: "At least I'm going to be able to get to the Chelsea match tonight."

He was later photographed in the crowd at Stamford Bridge watching the Champions League game against Paris Saint-Germain.

It is understood Clarkson and his fellow Top Gear hosts James May and Richard Hammond were about to sign new three-year contracts.

Their present deal runs out this month, leaving Clarkson free to work for another broadcaster if he chooses.

The hotel "fracas" is the latest in a series of controversies which has seen him offend foreign diplomats, viewers, MPs and his own bosses at the BBC.

Clarkson was put on what was called his final warning last year after claims he used the N-word while reciting the nursery rhyme Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe during filming of the BBC2 programme.


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Author Sir Terry Pratchett Dies Aged 66

Author Sir Terry Pratchett has announced his death on his own Twitter feed at the age of 66, following a long battle with Alzheimer's.

His Twitter account said: "AT LAST, SIR TERRY, WE MUST WALK TOGETHER."

In his books, Death always speaks in capitals.

Another tweet posted on his account said: "Terry took Death's arm and followed him through the doors and on to the black desert under the endless night."

A final one simply said: "The End."

A statement issued following his death said the best-selling writer passed away at his home with his cat sleeping on his bed surrounded by his family on Thursday.

Diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2007, it said he battled the progressive disease with his trademark determination and creativity, and continued to write.

He completed his last book, a new Discworld novel, in the summer of 2014, before succumbing to the final stages of the disease.

Larry Finlay, MD at Transworld Publishers: "I was deeply saddened to learn that Sir Terry Pratchett has died. The world has lost one of its brightest, sharpest minds.

"In over 70 books, Terry enriched the planet like few before him. As all who read him know, Discworld was his vehicle to satirise this world: he did so brilliantly, with great skill, enormous humour and constant invention.

"Terry faced his Alzheimer's disease (an 'embuggerance', as he called it) publicly and bravely. Over the last few years, it was his writing that sustained him. His legacy will endure for decades to come.

"My sympathies go out to Terry's wife Lyn, their daughter Rhianna, to his close friend Rob Wilkins, and to all closest to him."

Sir Terry enjoyed stellar success with his Discworld series of comic fantasy novels, selling 70 million books worldwide.

A Just Giving page donating to the Research Institute to the Care of Older People (RICE) has been set up in his memory at https://www.justgiving.com/Terry-Pratchett


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Clarkson's Rise: 'You Can't Live Without Him'

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 11 Maret 2015 | 22.55

Jeremy Clarkson is best known for his role as a presenter on the hit BBC show Top Gear - and his outspoken and often politically incorrect views on a range of issues.

His comments have won him both admirers and detractors, although Clarkson maintains he should not be taken too seriously.

Now aged 54, he was born in Doncaster where his parents ran a business selling tea cosies, and then Paddington Bear toys.

Their success enabled Clarkson to go to Repton public school, from which he was apparently expelled for bad behaviour.

He took a job in the family business but in 1984 branched out on his own, forming the Motoring Press Agency, with journalist Jonathan Gill.

This led to him writing pieces for Performance Car and his acerbic wit later gained him contracts from The Sun and The Sunday Times.

In October 1988, Clarkson was invited to be one of the presenters on Top Gear. It was taken off air between 2000 and 2002, but since its return has become one of the most watched TV shows on BBC Two.

The show owes much to Clarkson's co-presenters James May and Richard Hammond, but his strong presence and uncompromising views have undoubtedly made him the driving force, as well as an icon for 'petrol heads'.

His disparaging comments - about Norfolk, workers at Hyundai, global warming, speeding, cyclists and Wales among others - have often landed him in hot water and led to calls for him to be sacked.

So far they have been resisted by the BBC, but there are fears the corporation may have no choice but to let him go after the latest episode in which he is alleged to have thrown a punch at one of Top Gear's producers.

The show is one of the BBC's biggest money spinners, pulling in millions of pounds from a devoted - and international - audience.

Its success - and Clarkson's vital part in it - saw BBC TV boss Danny Cohen compare him to a top-flight footballer, telling reporters last year that "no one is bigger than the club".

In an interview with Sky News, former ITV boss Michael Grade described him as the "Kevin Pietersen of broadcasting", adding: "You can't live with him or without him," he said.

Last year, Top Gear was censured by regulator Ofcom for breaching broadcasting rules after Clarkson used a "racial" term during the programme's Burma special, which had aired in March 2014.

The year ended with the show's crew having to flee Argentina after trouble erupted when it emerged they were using a Porsche with the registration number H982 FKL, which many saw as a reference to the Falklands conflict of 1982.

Top Gear's executive producer Andy Wilman described 2014 as "an annus horribilis" for the show after the claims of racism and the near-riot in Argentina.

It is difficult to find exact figures, but it is safe to say the show has made Clarkson and Wilman multi-millionaires.

The 2012 annual report and accounts of BBC Worldwide - the corporation's commercial arm - show it got a dividend of £4.5m in 2012 from a company called Bedder 6.

The company, which is registered at the west London base of BBC Worldwide was set up by Clarkson and Wilman.

The BBC then owned 50%, with Clarkson reportedly owning around 30% - meaning his dividend would have been around £2.7m in that year, on top of his BBC salary. He has since sold his stake to the corporation.


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Pistorius Filmed Playing Football In Prison

A video has emerged of Oscar Pistorius playing football in prison with a notorious Czech criminal.

The footage shows the disgraced sprinter enjoying a penalty shoot-out session with Radovan Krejcir in an empty exercise yard at Kgosi Mampuru Prison in Pretoria.

Pistorius, who was jailed for five years for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, is seen wearing shorts as he takes turns to play striker and goalkeeper.

South Africa's two most famous prisoners reportedly struck up a friendship after being transferred to the same wing.

The footage was shot from above on a mobile phone by another inmate and published in South Africa's Daily Sun newspaper.

At one point, the Paralympic gold medallist, 28, is seen moving a concrete-weighted pole out of the way so Krejcir has more room to shoot.

A spokesman for the department of correctional services said all inmates are allowed to have an hour of exercise a day.

Krejcir is facing multiple charges including kidnapping, attempted murder and drug dealing.


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Jeremy Clarkson: I'm Off To The Job Centre

Jeremy Clarkson: I'm Off To The Job Centre

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Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson joked he was "off to the Job Centre" as he left his London home after being suspended by the BBC.

When asked if he planned to resign after allegedly trying to punch one of the show's producers, he replied: "I've been suspended, haven't I?"

Appearing relaxed as he made his way to a waiting car, he then told reporters: "I'm off to the Job Centre."

More than 400,000 people have now signed an online petition calling for the 54-year-old to be reinstated

The Top Gear host was suspended and the show put on hold after he apparently became involved in a "fracas" at the end of filming in Newcastle.

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  1. Gallery: Top Gear In Production In North Yorkshire

These photographs taken last week show the Top Gear team filming in the Yorkshire Dales near Hawes. Pictures: Thomas Beresford @ North Yorkshire Snow Updates www.facebook.com/NorthYorkshireWeatherUpdates

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Jeremy Clarkson: I'm Off To The Job Centre

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Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson joked he was "off to the Job Centre" as he left his London home after being suspended by the BBC.

When asked if he planned to resign after allegedly trying to punch one of the show's producers, he replied: "I've been suspended, haven't I?"

Appearing relaxed as he made his way to a waiting car, he then told reporters: "I'm off to the Job Centre."

More than 400,000 people have now signed an online petition calling for the 54-year-old to be reinstated

The Top Gear host was suspended and the show put on hold after he apparently became involved in a "fracas" at the end of filming in Newcastle.

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  1. Gallery: Top Gear In Production In North Yorkshire

These photographs taken last week show the Top Gear team filming in the Yorkshire Dales near Hawes. Pictures: Thomas Beresford @ North Yorkshire Snow Updates www.facebook.com/NorthYorkshireWeatherUpdates

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Paris Metro Abuse: Five Men Due In Court

Five men involved in abusive behaviour on the Paris Metro ahead of a Chelsea match have been served with summonses.

The men will appear at Waltham Forest Magistrates' Court on 25 March "regarding a police application for football banning orders", Scotland Yard said.

Controversy erupted last month when Chelsea fans were filmed singing racist chants and refusing to let a black man on a train ahead of a Champions League match against Paris St Germain.

Some were heard to sing: "We're racist, and that's the way we like it".

Chelsea have suspended five supporters from attending matches following the incident after carrying out their own investigation.

Manager Jose Mourinho said he was "disgusted" and "ashamed" by the behaviour, adding that the club would be writing to the victim, Souleymane Sylla.

He told Sky Sports he hoped he would accept an invitation to attend the return game against Paris St German.

However, Mr Sylla told French newspaper Le Parisien: "I appreciate Mr Mourinho's invitation, but I can't get my head around being in a stadium at the moment".

In an interview with the Guardian, he said: "What happened has left me really afraid. I just want justice to be done, no more than that.

"I was a little bit hurt physically but in terms of morale I was hurt a lot. It has really affected my life. I can't go back into the Metro, it makes me really afraid.

"I don't think you should be denied the right to take the Metro because you're black. That's what they wanted."

News of the summonses comes as the two teams prepare to meet in the return leg of the tie at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge stadium in west London on Wednesday night.

The game is finely poised after the first leg ended in 1-1 draw. The winner will go through to the quarter-finals.

Football banning orders are issued by courts following a conviction for a football-related offence after a complaint by the Crown Prosecution Service or police.

They can last for between three and 10 years. Breaches of the orders can result in a sentence of up to six months in prison.


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Missing Girls: 'No Sign Of Radicalisation'

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 10 Maret 2015 | 22.55

The families of the three British girls who are thought to have joined Islamic State say they had no idea they had been radicalised.

Shamima Begum, 15, Kadiza Sultana, 16, and 15-year-old Amira Abase flew from Gatwick to Istanbul on February 17 and are feared to have continued to Syria to become so-called "jihadi brides".

According to reports, they are now staying in a house in the militants' stronghold, Raqqa.

Appearing before the Home Affairs Select Committee, Amira's father Hussen Abase, Khadija's cousin Fahmida Aziz and Shamima's older sister Sahima Begum said there were no indications the girls had been turned.

Responding to a question from Committee chair Keith Vaz, Sahima said: "My sister was into normal teenage things. She used to watch Keeping Up With The Kardashians."

Family solicitor Tasnime Akunjee told the committee the Metropolitan Police owes the parents an apology over the way a similar case was handled last year.

It has emerged that police gave the three schoolgirls - as well as four other girls - letters addressed to their families about another 15-year-old fellow pupil at Bethnal Green Academy who joined Islamic State in December.

However, the girls did not pass the letters on to their families, prompting questions over why it was not delivered directly to their parents.

Mr Akunjee said had the parents received the letter they would have been "on notice" for issues like radicalisation and foreign travel.

Sahima said she and her family "did what they could" to monitor Shamima's activities.

However, she added they would have done more had they known the first girl - a friend of Shamima's - had gone to Syria.

"We would have questioned that," she said.

Sahima said she was not aware of the Government's anti-radicalisation programme Prevent before her sister went missing.

She said her sister should have been given a risk assessment under the Prevent strategy when she was interviewed about her friend going missing last December.

Scotland Yard previously said that, "with the benefit of hindsight", letters addressed to seven girls' families could have been delivered directly to their parents.

Earlier on Tuesday the force said the parents had already been made aware by the school's deputy head that the 15-year-old girl had gone to Syria.

But it later issued a clarification stating the deputy head merely told the families that the girl had gone missing.

More follows...


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IS Defector: I Saw Jihadi John Kill Hostage

By Stuart Ramsay, Chief Correspondent

Sky News has spoken to a former member of Islamic State, who claims he witnessed the man known as Jihadi John murder Japanese hostage Kenji Goto.

The former translator said that the masked man in the video was indeed Mohammed Emwazi, the 26-year-old Londoner who has become the face of the world's most notorious terrorist organisation.

"Saleh" said Emwazi is employed as the chief killer of foreign hostages for Islamic State's media wing and that his murderous influence among the group is feared and respected.

Speaking from Turkey, where he fled to escape IS, Saleh explained in broken English how he was employed by the group to convince foreign hostages they were safe. He is the only person to admit seeing Emwazi kill.

He said: "When he killed Kenji Goto I live showed this [saw this] but not near, from a little [distance].

"After he was killed him, three or four person come and take over the body and put in a car. After that, John went on a different road.

"The big boss was there with them. Turkish man say 'put this camera there, change place there' but John [was] the big boss. All time, all time say to all 'fastly, fastly, fastly, we should finish'. So respect him. Only he talks orders – others do."

Saleh suggested Emwazi commanded such respect within the group because of his willingness to murder foreigners. 

"Maybe because he use the knife," he said. "I cannot understand why he is so strong. One man can kill and all people will respect. A Syrian man anyone [in IS] can kill. But strangers [foreigners], only John."

Saleh claims foreign hostages captured and murdered by the group were subjected to numerous mock executions until the procedure became normal. It could explain why many hostages appeared calm in execution videos published online by the group.

He said: "He would say to me 'say to them, no problem, only video, we don't kill you, we want from your government [to] stop attacking Syria. We don't have any problem with you; you are only our visitors'.

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  1. Gallery: Jihadi John's email exhanges with Cage and a reporter

    This email Mohammed Emwazi sent to a Mail On Sunday reporter in 2010 revealed his first encounter and his fear of MI5

He later made contact with the campaign group Cage and told them about clashes with border control officers

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Becky Watts' Phone And Computers Recovered

Police investigating the murder of teenager Becky Watts say they have recovered her mobile phone, laptop and tablet computer.

A statement from Avon and Somerset Police said the investigation into the 16-year-old's death is likely to continue for several weeks.

The officer leading the investigation, Detective Superintendent Liz Tunks, said: "There is likely to be ongoing police activity at properties in St George and Barton Hill for the next couple of weeks as part of our investigation into the murder of Becky Watts.

"There are specific forensic examinations which we need to complete to help establish exactly what happened to Becky.

"We'd like to reassure the local community that our primary aim is to conduct a meticulous and exhaustive inquiry into Becky's death and even though there have been charges brought in this case, it continues to be an active investigation.

"Although six people have been charged in connection with the case, specialist forensic examinations will continue to help establish the full circumstances surrounding Becky's death."

Becky vanished from her home in Bristol on 19 February, taking her electronic devices with her.

Parts of her dismembered body were found on 2 March.

Her stepbrother, Nathan Matthews, 28, has been charged with her murder. His girlfriend Shauna Hoare, 21 has been charged with perverting the course of justice.

Four others have been charged with assisting an offender by helping to dispose of and hide Becky's remains.

Two fundraising pages intended to help the teenager's family pay for her funeral have raised more than £11,000.


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Video Emerges Of Reality TV Helicopter Crash

Footage has emerged of a helicopter crash which killed ten people - including three French sports stars.

Amateur video shows two helicopters colliding and then plunging to the ground during filming for reality TV show Dropped in northern Argentina.

Camille Muffat, who won an Olympic gold medal in swimming at the London 2012 games, Olympic boxer Alexis Vastine, and champion sailor Florence Arthaud were in the two aircraft flying over mountains near Villa Castelli, in La Rioja province.

Photographs showed the burning wreckage in dry scrubland with people gathered nearby.

The other seven victims - five French TV production crew and two Argentine pilots - were not immediately named.

A statement from La Rioja's government confirmed the identities of the three athletes.

Ms Arthaud, 57, was considered one of the best sailors in the world and had won the 1990 Route du Rhum.

Ms Muffat, 25, won gold in the 400-metre freestyle in 2012, along with two other medals.

Mr Vastine, 28, won a bronze medal at the Beijing games in 2008 in the light welterweight category.

In her last Facebook post, Ms Muffat had written: "Everything is going well for me. Leaving Ushuaia early this morning. See you soon."

Former Arsenal footballer Sylvain Wiltord reportedly missed the doomed flight because he was voted off the show the day before.

The 40-year-old tweeted: "I'm sad for my friends, I'm trembling, I'm horrified, I have no words, I don't want to say anything."

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  1. Gallery: Argentina Helicopter Collision Kills Olympians

    French athletes Florence Arthaud (left), Camille Muffat (centre) and Alexis Vastine about to board the helicopter which crashed in Argentina, killing them and seven others

The wreckage of a helicopter crash in Villa Castelli, northern Argentina. The two aircraft apparently collided with 10 people on board. Crash images by Gabriel Gonzalez

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'Colossal' Tory Cuts Will Hit NHS, Says Balls

Written By Unknown on Senin, 09 Maret 2015 | 22.55

The "unprecedented" scale of Tory spending cuts would mean the NHS would end up footing the bill, the shadow chancellor has said.

Ed Balls said the Conservatives would take the country back to the 1930s with "colossal" cuts that would amount to £70bn in the next parliament.

He said: "Our analysis shows clearly - countries which reduce public spending at the pace George Osborne intends have found they have had no alternative but to cut health spending.

He added: "This shouldn't be a surprise. When George Osborne's plan means such extreme cuts to day-to-day departmental budgets, it's common sense that the NHS, which makes up a full third of the £317 billion spent in those budgets, ends up footing the bill."

In a speech in central London the shadow chancellor warned the cuts would lead to the smallest police force since comparable records began and the smallest Army since Oliver Cromwell's time.

It came as think-tank Royal United Services Institute warned defence cuts would put 30,000 jobs at risk leaving the combined forces with just 115,000 personnel by 2020.

Attempting to show that it was the Tories, and not Labour who could not be trusted on the economy, Mr Balls said if the Conservatives kept their promises to protect spending on health, schools and overseas aid other Government departments would have no budgets for day-to-day running.

He added: "Cuts on this scale would mean closing our embassies around the world, closing down all job centres and back-to-work programmes and all but ending central government's funding for local government. This is clearly impossible to countenance."

Conservative Party Chairman Grant Shapps said Mr Balls had "lost his marbles" by claming the Tories were planning "extreme" cuts.

He said the Institute for Fiscal Studies had put the Tory cuts at £30bn and the party had set it would meet this with £12bn welfare reductions, £13bn from Whitehall spending and £5bn by closing tax loopholes.

The Deputy Prime Minister added his criticism of Tory cuts during a separate speech in London.

He said: "They cannot embark on this right-wing lurch towards an ever-shrinking state and also somehow pretend that they can fund everything ... you can't.

"Something has to give."

Speaking alongside the Business Secretary, Vince Cable, Mr Clegg said the UK economy could overtake France and Germany by 2035 to be Europe's largest economy under Liberal Democrat plans.

The proposals would see the £4.6bn science budget ring-fenced and doubling innovation spending, increasing Government funding to more than £1bn by 2020-21.

He said: "The Liberal Democrats have rescued the economy and led the recovery. Now is the time to be ambitious about our future.

"We believe that by building a strong, modern, open economy we can become the powerhouse of Europe. We can grow faster than both France and Germany, overtaking them as the largest economy in Europe in 20 years' time."


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Woman Murdered While On Phone To Husband

A woman has been stabbed to death in a Sydney park shortly after telling her husband that a suspicious man was following her.

Prabha Arun Kumar was taking a shortcut through Parramatta Park at around 9.30pm on Saturday when she was murdered in what police say was a "horrific" attack.

She was just 300 metres from home when the killer stabbed her repeatedly in the neck.

Mrs Kumar was found by a passer-by but died in hospital from massive blood loss.

"She was walking while talking to [her husband] on the phone when she said that a suspicious-looking man was following her," brother-in-law Thrijesh Jayachandra told Indian newspaper The Hindu.

"The next moment he heard her scream for help and then plead with the man not to harm her and take all her belongings if he wanted.

"Seconds later, he heard her scream and say she was stabbed."

Police have released CCTV of Mrs Kumar walking from Parramatta Railway Station.

"Here we have an Indian national who has been in the country for some time, going about her business and ends up being killed in a very vicious way," said New South Wales homicide squad commander Michael Willing.

"It's a horrific crime. It's a very, very disturbing crime.

"We think that she sustained a number of injuries to the neck area with what we believe is a sharp-edged weapon."

Commander Willing said there was nothing to suggest the murder was racially motivated but that they were examining all possibilities.

Mrs Kumar, a 41-year-old IT worker, was planning to move back to India in April to be reunited with her nine-year-old daughter.

Her husband has now flown to Australia to help with the investigation.


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Cameron Pledges To Open 500 New Free Schools

By Jason Farrell, Political Correspondent

David Cameron says he wants to create 500 more free schools in the next parliament.

At a speech in London, the Prime Minister said the programme had been a great success, amid criticism from teachers' unions and the Labour Party.

Mr Cameron also announced the approval of 49 new free schools, as a report by the right-wing think tank Policy Exchange concluded the innovation is driving up standards at primary and secondary level.

Free schools have been the big education experiment of this Government so it is little surprise that, with an election coming, the Conservatives conclude it has been a huge success.

More than 400 have been approved under the scheme, which allows parents and teachers to set up their own schools, since 2010 creating more than 230,000 places.

One institution expecting approval will be based at a "boxing boot camp" in Hackney which will use daily training sessions in the ring to help children deal with their anger.

Mr Cameron said: "If you vote Conservative, you will see the continuation of the free schools programme at the rate you've seen in the last three years.

"That means, over the next parliament, we hope to open at least 500 new free schools resulting in 270,000 new school places."

According to Policy Exchange nearly three quarters (72%) of all open or approved mainstream free schools are in areas with a projected lack of places in the future.

But critics say some schools are being set up in areas where there is no need for them, that they are unaccountable and the initial findings do not warrant expanding the programme.

Henry Stewart from the Local Schools Network said: "It you look at the data for both primaries and secondary schools free schools don't have any effect on the other schools in the area, but what they have done is they've used up a huge amount of resource.

"Some £1.7bn is the capital spend on free schools to date and the National Audit Office found that 52% of free school places are in areas that don't need new places."

Education Minister Nicky Morgan insists 90% of the free schools approved were in areas where there were not enough school spaces.

She said: "At the heart of all this is about helping parents have a real choice."

The Policy Exchange report finds free schools are not dominated by the middle class and are eight times more likely to be located in the most deprived areas of England than the most affluent.

Jonathan Simons, head of education at Policy Exchange, said: "Policymakers should make decisions based on evidence and the evidence clearly shows that free schools drive up standards of nearby schools in the local community, particularly the ones which are lower performing.

"Restricting new free schools solely to areas of basic need will deprive pupils - especially in some of the poorest performing schools - from achieving better results."

Tristram Hunt MP, Labour's shadow education secretary, said: "Instead of focusing on the desperate need for more primary school places across the country and on spreading innovation right across the school system, David Cameron's government has spent at least £241m on free schools in areas that already have enough school places."


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Crufts Poison Claims: Second Dog Falls Ill

A second Irish setter has become "violently ill" after sitting close to a dog believed to have been poisoned at the world famous Crufts show.

It comes as the owners of Jagger, who died the day after appearing at the show, spoke of their devastation and rejected claims a rival could be responsible.

Jagger, who came second in his class, died a day after returning home to Belgium.

Sky's Enda Brady says an Ireland-based breeder has told him his dog, who was four benches down from Jagger, became "violently ill" on Thursday.

"He couldn't figure out what was going on," said Brady.

"The dog was very, very ill ... Now he feels it is quite obvious there may have been an attempt to tamper with his dog as well.

"He said it was 'deeply worrying' and 'very sinister'."

Jagger was owned by Belgian Aleksandra Lauwers and Leicester-based breeders Dee Milligan-Bott and her husband, Jeremy Bott.

They have said there is no doubt the dog was poisoned - but believe it is an isolated case.

West Midlands Police is liaising with Crufts officials and the NEC venue to secure potential evidence and examine CCTV.

Police in Belgium have also launched an investigation.

Ms Lauwers wrote on her Facebook page: "To person (sic) who has done it, hope you can sleep well knowing you have killed our love, family member and best friend to our son."

Ms Milligan-Bott described the dog's painful death as a "heinous crime" and claimed poisoned beef cubes were discovered after an autopsy, although a full toxicology report has yet to be released.

In a post on her Facebook page Ms Milligan-Bott said: "This (poisoning) resulted in a very painful death for our beautiful boy.

"The timings from the autopsy will make it clear the only place this could have been given to Jagger was while on his bench at Crufts." 

Appealing for information to find the person responsible, she said she was hopeful a fellow competitor was not involved.

"We can't and we won't think that this was the act of another exhibitor, if we thought this we couldn't go on, and the last 30 years would be a complete waste," she said.

"So I ask all of you to unite in finding the perpetrator who did this, and let's continue to produce and breed our gorgeous dogs who we are all so proud of."

Her husband, Jeremy Bott, said it was "out of the question" that other Crufts owners could have set out to kill Jagger.

The Kennel Club, which organises Crufts, released a statement confirming the dog's death.

"The Kennel Club is deeply shocked and saddened to hear that Jagger the Irish Setter died some 26 hours after leaving Crufts," it said.

"We have spoken to his owners and our heartfelt sympathies go out to them.

"We understand that the toxicology report is due next week and until that time we cannot know the cause of this tragic incident."

Crufts presenter Clare Balding said the situation is "awful for all concerned".

The four-day show finished on Sunday, with Scottish Terrier Knopa named Best In Show. 


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Teenage Victims Named After Fatal Car Crash

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 08 Maret 2015 | 22.55

The names of a grandmother and three teenagers killed in a two-car crash in Wales have been revealed.

The 17-year-olds and the 68-year-old woman died and two others are in hospital following the crash in Powys, Mid Wales, just before 10.15pm on Friday.

The woman was named by police as Margaret Elizabeth Challis, from the Merthyr area.

The teenagers were named locally as Corey Price, Rhodri Miller and his girlfriend Alesha O'Connor.

Rhodri, who was driving, had only recently passed his driving test and was also a talented scientist. 

Corey was a promising young footballer who had trained with the Cardiff City Football Academy.

The two young men died at the scene and Alesha died later in hospital.

All three were from Barry.

The crash happened as a number of vehicles travelled in a convoy on the A470 near Storey Arms, Brecon, between Libanus and RAC bends.

The two cars involved in the collision were a black Volkswagen Golf estate and a green Volkswagen Golf.

The teenagers were in the green Golf and Mrs Challis was a passenger in the black Golf estate, which was not believed to be part of the convoy.

Five male drivers, aged 17 and 18, who were in other vehicles, have been arrested, Dyfed Powys Police said.

The driver and front-seat passenger in the black Golf estate have been taken to hospital. The driver's condition is described as serious.

Superintendent Chris Curtis said: "This is a tragic incident and our thoughts are with the families at this difficult time.

"We are working with South Wales Police in order to provide support to the families affected and also the communities they live within.

"We will work with partners to ensure that the incident is fully investigated."

Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to contact Dyfed Powys Police on 101.


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