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Hundreds mourn miner killed in pit

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Hundreds mourn miner killed in pit Hundreds of friends, relatives and colleagues of a miner who died after a roof collapsed in a pit have said farewell to him at his funeral. Gerry Gibson's coffin was carried into Selby Abbey, in North Yorkshire, with a miner's helmet and fluorescent yellow vest placed on top. Mr Gibson, 49, from Sherburn-in-Elmet, North Yorkshire, died last week when he and a colleague were trapped by a rock fall in Kellingley Colliery, near Knottingley. The mourners were led by Mr Gibson's wife, Brenda, and his eldest son, Sean, who followed his coffin into the abbey, which was packed for the Requiem Mass. A major rescue operation was launched 2,625ft (800 metres) underground following the roof collapse on September 27. Rescuers pulled out Mr Gibson's colleague Phil Sheldon, who suffered minor injuries after being trapped by his leg. Mr Gibson was pronounced dead at the scene. An inquest this week heard he died from asphyxiation. His family have said they were devastated by his death and paid tribute to all those involved in the rescue effort. Mr Gibson was originally from Shotts, North Lanarkshire, and the Scottish National Union of Mineworkers said he would be "sorely missed".

PM demands Fox report by Monday

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PM demands Fox report by Monday Defence Secretary Liam Fox has attempted to play down claims that his relationship with a former flatmate breached ministerial guidelines as David Cameron demanded an urgent report into the row. Allegations have continued to surface over the unusual involvement Adam Werritty had in brokering meetings for Dr Fox, as well as the access he enjoyed to government despite having no formal parliamentary or Whitehall role. Downing Street insisted Dr Fox had the "full confidence" of the Prime Minister but later revealed that Mr Cameron had called on Britain's most senior civil servant, Sir Gus O'Donnell, to report back to him on Monday with the initial findings of an internal investigation into the claims. Those early conclusions were originally not due to be made until October 21. A Downing Street spokeswoman said: "The Prime Minister has asked the Cabinet Secretary to examine the initial findings of the Ministry of Defence Permanent Secretary's review, and report his conclusions to him on Monday." The row has dominated what should have been a public relations coup for Dr Fox as he made his first visit to Libya to meet the interim government and announce an additional package of support in the fight against arms proliferation. As well as holding talks in Tripoli with National Transitional Council (NTC) chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil and defence minister Jalal al-Digheily on the progress of military operations in the country he also travelled to Misrata to visit injured troops and civilians. But Dr Fox came under mounting pressure to answer questions about the allegations surfacing in the UK, including reports that Mr Werritty, best man at his wedding, arranged a meeting in a Dubai hotel, away from officials, with Dr Fox and a company interested in selling technology to the MoD. The Secretary of State said defence industry representatives asked for the meeting "when they happened to be sitting at a nearby table in a restaurant". He told the BBC: "It's not that unusual. But these questions are reasonable questions for people to ask and I don't mind that. That is what you get in a democratic society. I think it is right that we look into the details of them, that is why I asked a senior official in the MoD to look into that, and of course, I will stand by whatever the findings are." The Tory Cabinet minister initially ordered the internal investigation into the claims himself in an attempt to draw a line under the issue. That work is being carried out by Ursula Brennan, the Ministry of Defence's permanent secretary, who will come up with recommendations on "any action necessary in the light of these inquiries, including any action necessary to clarify the current guidance". Mr Cameron's request for a speedy report into the early findings of the investigation does not rule out a lengthy investigation continuing. Shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy ramped up the pressure on Dr Fox by demanding he makes an emergency statement to the House of Commons on Monday to answer the claims.

Protesters read out soldiers' names

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Protesters read out soldiers' names The names of 120 servicemen and women who died serving in Afghanistan have been read out at a protest in central London to mark the tenth anniversary of the war. Hundreds of people attended the Stop the War Coalition demonstration in Trafalgar Square, led by a former soldier who refused to fight and a 106-year-old peace activist. Ten dozen balloons were released into the air after protesters heard the names of the dead listed - one for each month since the war started. Lance Corporal Joe Glenton, who was court martialled and jailed for refusing to serve, read out a letter to the Prime Minister signed by more than 20 British and American former servicemen. He said: "We are making this statement in defiance of the propaganda and the lies in support of the so-called War on Terror for the last 10 years. "We know that these wars have nothing to do with democracy or security or women's rights or peace or stability. They are fought for money and power and nothing else. Our comrades' blood has lubricated the ambitions of the few." Hetty Bower, who was born in 1905, told demonstrators how she remembered the start of the First World War, and "lies" are still told in order to justify conflict. "I hear my father clearly saying, 'So, we are at war. This is where the lies begin'. And begin they did," she said. "We learned the Germans were cutting off the hands of the children in Belgium. The lies have changed, but they continue. May peace in the world prevail." Demonstrators applauded the speakers, who were introduced by Stop the War Coalition campaigner and Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn. Other people who addressed the crowd included Lauren Booth, the sister-in-law of former Prime Minister Tony Blair, and journalist Seumas Milne.

Jackson children hailed at concert

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Jackson children hailed at concert Michael Jackson's three children have been the guests of honour at a UK concert in memory of the superstar. Prince Michael, Paris and Blanket took to the stage in front of an audience of 50,000 for the Michael Jackson Forever concert at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. The children of the King of Pop, who died from a drug overdose at the age of 50 on June 25 2009, introduced a performance by Beyonce, who appeared via videolink from the United States to play the Jackson Five hit I Wanna Be Where You Are. As they stood on stage, dressed as various incarnations of their father's stage persona, they were greeted by tumultuous applause. Blanket, the youngest child, looked stunned by the noise and the lights but the elder two looked at ease on the stage. Introducing Beyonce, Paris said: "She is always pushing the envelope with her boundless energy and talent. "She carries the torch lit by our father and it gives me great pleasure to introduce this woman." Later they took to the stage, alongside all the stars who performed on the night, to end the concert with a performance of Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough. Paris and Prince Michael joined in with the singing although Blanket again looked uneasy on stage, standing motionless with his hands in his pockets. Beyonce, who wore her hair in a Jackson Five-style afro, revealed that the song she sang was the first song she performed with her former group Destiny's Child.

Woman dies after wheelchair plunge

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Woman dies after wheelchair plunge A severely disabled woman has died after she fell from a harbour wall while strapped into her electric wheelchair. Dorset Police said the woman, aged 20 and from Solihull in the West Midlands, was on the historic Cobb in Lyme Regis, Dorset, at around 12.45pm on Friday with her family waiting to take a charter boat cruise. But she fell from the harbour wall and sank to the bottom of the three-metre-deep harbour in the wheelchair. Her family, the boat skipper and RNLI personnel from the nearby lifeboat station dived in and managed to free her, taking her unconscious to the surface. She was flown by air ambulance to Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester but later died, Dorset Police said. They have launched an investigation into the death on the 19th-century harbour wall, which was popularised by the 1981 film The French Lieutenant's Woman starring Meryl Streep. A police spokesman said: "They were on holiday in Lyme Regis and were waiting to go on a charter boat trip when tragically the wheelchair fell into deep water. "Rescue efforts were made by the family, the boat skipper and later by emergency services, including coastguards, lifeboat and police. After considerable difficulty she was able to be freed." Dorset Police have launched an investigation and are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

UK plans extra funding for Libya

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UK plans extra funding for Libya Defence Secretary Liam Fox has announced £500,000 and extra military expertise to help Libya in the battle against arms proliferation. The package of support was announced during his first official tour of the state - a visit which has been overshadowed by a series of allegations at home about his working relationship with former flatmate Adam Werritty. Dr Fox flew out to Tripoli on Friday night and held talks with National Transitional Council (NTC) chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil and defence minister Jalal al-Digheily on progress of military operations in the country and the new government's plans for security. That includes the future shape and structure of the Libyan armed forces and how to manage the eventual end of UN operations. Dr Fox travelled to Misrata on Satruday, where injured fighters loyal to the interim government and civilian patients injured during the conflict are recovering. He said: "I am delighted to be making my first visit to Libya, and to have the opportunity to discuss with chairman Jalil how the United Kingdom can continue to provide assistance in the long term, particularly in terms of support with counter-proliferation expertise and transition to a stable future. "Those still fighting in Sirte and Bani Walid should take stock of what is going on around them. The country is now free from the tyrannical grip of the Gaddafi regime and, for them, it is quite clear that laying down their arms is the only avenue open to them if they wish to part of a peaceful, prosperous and democratic future for the people of Libya. "It is thanks to the decisive steps taken by the UK and the international community that a massacre by Gaddafi's forces was avoided in Benghazi and Misrata. I am incredibly proud of all the personnel of the British Armed Forces who were involved and I would like to reiterate my thanks to them for achieving what they have." As well as the money, two extra military advisers have also been assigned to support the NTC, the Defence Secretary said. The package of support comes on top of pledges made by Mr Cameron in Libya last month for £1 million from the UK Government's Conflict Pool and the deployment of two military advisers.

Dappy arrested in assault probe

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Dappy arrested in assault probe N-Dubz singer Dappy has been arrested on suspicion of attacking his girlfriend, sources have confirmed. The rapper, whose real name is Costadinos Contostavlos, was held after it was reported that Kaye Vassell had been assaulted at Chambon Place, west London. His girlfriend did not require hospital treatment and he was later released without charge. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "Officers arrested a 24-year-old man on suspicion of common assault. "The 21-year-old victim did not require hospital treatment." The couple, who have an on-off relationship, have had two sons together.

Thousands to protest over reforms

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Thousands to protest over reforms Thousands of people are expected to join a protest outside Parliament as part of a demonstration against the Government's controversial health reforms. Direct action group UK Uncut said trade unionists, pensioners, comedians including Josie Long and Mark Thomas and health workers will be among those planning to block Westminster Bridge. The protest, described as a "spectacular act of mass civil disobedience", is being held just days before the House of Lords debates the Health and Social Care Bill. A UK Uncut spokesman said: "Yes it will be disruptive and it will stop the traffic, but this is an emergency and if we want to save our NHS we need to shout as loud as we can. No-one voted for this bill, but together we can stop it." A Department of Health spokesman said: "The principles of our modernisation plans - patient power, clinical leadership, a focus on results - have been widely supported, as reported by the independent NHS Future Forum. "We accepted all of their recommendations to strengthen the bill but the most destabilising factor for the NHS would be greater uncertainty and delay of reform to the ultimate detriment of patients. We simply won't secure the future of the NHS without this bill." Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services union, said: "UK Uncut has described the threat to our NHS as an emergency and it is absolutely right. "The Government's Health and Social Care Bill represents the gravest threat to the NHS, one of our nation's finest achievements, since its foundation. "Peaceful protest and civil disobedience have a long and proud history in this country, and are a perfectly legitimate response to plans that no-one voted for and no-one wants. "This protest will send an important message of support to the brilliant doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers who work day in, day out to make our health service the envy of the world, and an equally important message of opposition to a Tory-led Government trying to unpick all of this."

Three die after car hits lamppost

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Three die after car hits lamppost Three people have died and another is critically ill in hospital after a car crashed into a lamppost, Lancashire Police said. The Peugeot hatchback left the A666 Bolton Road in Darwen before colliding with the post outside the Ocean Palace Restaurant. One person was pronounced dead at the scene and two more died shortly afterwards in Royal Blackburn Hospital, the force said. A fourth person was critically injured and is undergoing emergency surgery. Police are appealing for any witnesses to come forward as part of their investigation into the tragedy. Inspector Damian Kitchen from the Force Road Policing Unit said: "We are in the process of identifying the people involved and informing relatives. "An enquiry team has been established within the force roads policing unit and we are appealing for witnesses to come forward. "This is an extremely tragic incident which will impact on a number of families, and we will be doing everything possible to support them at this time."

Double rollover jackpot on offer

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Double rollover jackpot on offer Nobody has won the Lotto jackpot meaning Wednesday's draw will be a double rollover, Camelot said. The winning numbers were 16, 6, 22, 34, 30 and 26 and the bonus ball was 45. Draw machine Arthur and set of balls two were used. Some 10 ticket holders matched five main numbers and the bonus ball to win £128,813. Meanwhile 626 people won £1,286 by matching five of the six main numbers. Four numbers were matched by 31,805 people, who each won £55. There were 551,373 £10 winners who each matched three numbers. The Lotto HotPicks and Thunderball jackpots also went unclaimed tonight. The Thunderball numbers were 18, 39, 8, 37 and 3 while the Thunderball was 8. Wednesday's Lotto jackpot is estimated to be worth £9.3 million.

PM intervenes in Fox flatmate row

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PM intervenes in Fox flatmate row Beleaguered Defence Secretary Liam Fox is fighting for his political career after the row over his working relationship with a close friend deepened. Prime Minister David Cameron is poised to decide his fate on Monday after ordering the head of the civil service to urgently report back on an internal investigation into whether Dr Fox's links to Adam Werritty, a former flatmate, breached ministerial guidelines. A series of allegations have surfaced over the unusual involvement Mr Werritty had in brokering meetings for Dr Fox, as well as the access he enjoyed to government despite having no formal parliamentary or Whitehall role. Dr Fox was forced to issue an embarrassing statement clarifying comments he made earlier about how a meeting in Dubai with a businessman had been arranged after emails emerged that appeared to contradict him. But he also insisted he had nothing to hide and indicated he was the victim of a smear campaign. He told The Sunday Telegraph: "I have absolutely no fear of complete transparency in these matters. I think there are underlying issues behind these claims and the motivation is deeply suspect." Further revelations emerged, however, that cast doubt on previous claims made by Dr Fox that Mr Werritty, best man at his wedding, had never attended formal meetings with overseas dignitaries. According to the Observer, footage has been uncovered that shows Mr Werritty meeting Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa with Dr Fox in a London hotel last year. The controversy has dominated what should have been a publicity coup for Dr Fox as he made his first visit to Libya to meet the interim government and announced an additional package of support in the fight against arms proliferation. During the visit he was asked to answer allegations that Mr Werritty arranged the Dubai hotel meeting, away from officials, with him and a private equity company.

Pumpkins suffer in 'strange' year

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Pumpkins suffer in 'strange' year This year's unusual weather means Halloween pumpkins could be on the small side, the Royal Horticultural Society said. Gardeners trying to grow the fruit for Halloween lanterns have struggled in the face of an unusually dry spring and a cool, damp spell in late summer, to get pumpkins to grow well, the experts said. RHS principal horticultural adviser Leigh Hunt said: "It's been a strange year. To start with, a dry start to the summer meant plants struggled to get roots into the ground and establish properly." The conditions also allowed mildew to thrive, while a lack of high temperatures or long periods of sunshine through the summer stopped the plants developing properly. "It's not been a really long, good growing season. By August we were getting cooler temperatures into the night, and it slows down the plant and the way the fruit develops. "People were finding the flowers rotting off, other people were finding the fruits were coming but it was very slow, and where it got really soggy, they were getting some of the fruits rotting off." He said that in the south west and south east people struggled in the face of damp conditions, while in the Midlands it had been dry but not sunny. Other vegetables including tomatoes, which prefer a long, hot growing season, had not thrived, although some such as courgettes had done well. But Mr Hunt said that the news was not all bad for people wanting to carve Halloween pumpkins, as smaller fruit would be more suitable for children to have a go at turning into lanterns. And with orchards turning in a bumper year, there is plenty of English fruit for the traditional game of apple bobbing.

Protesters gather in New York park

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Protesters gather in New York park Several thousand Occupy Wall Street protesters have marched to New York City's Washington Square Park for a peaceful general assembly. Demonstrators marched from Manhattan's Zuccotti Park, the group's unofficial headquarters where protesters have been camped out for the last 22 days. The trek was peaceful and orderly. On Wednesday, dozens were arrested when thousands marched on Wall Street in their biggest show of support yet. Last Saturday, 700 people were arrested after they spilled on to the roadway while crossing the Brooklyn Bridge. Protesters are speaking out against corporate greed and the gap between the rich and poor. They say they have no leaders and are making decisions by consensus. Supporters have donated food, clothing and medical supplies. Some drop off their offerings, while others have posted them.

McCartney ties knot for third time

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McCartney ties knot for third time Sir Paul McCartney is set to marry for the third time, tying the knot with American heiress Nancy Shevell in front of close family and friends. It will be a trip down memory lane for the 69-year-old former Beatle with the happy pair expected to exchange vows at The Old Marylebone Town Hall in London, where he also married his first wife Linda. A reception will be held afterwards at Sir Paul's house in nearby St John's Wood where a marquee has been erected outside. During the celebration the music legend is reportedly set to perform a collection of his own songs, serenading his new wife with special renditions of Beatles hit Let it Be and Let Me Roll It, as well as a new number he has penned especially for the occasion. Shevell's dress has been designed by Sir Paul's daughter Stella, who also helped create a vegetarian, organic three-course meal, according to The Sunday Mirror. All of the former Beatle's five children are also said to be attending the wedding, while his younger brother Mike is said to be his best man. Sir Paul is also expected to pay tribute to late wife Linda in his wedding speech, reports suggest. A spokesman for Sir Paul said he could not comment on arrangements for the wedding, but yesterday the singer/songwriter happily posed for photographs with his brunette fiancee outside the gates of his home. Earlier in the day Shevell, who sits on the board of New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, looked happy and relaxed as she left the luxury pad in a pair of running shoes for a pre-wedding workout. The pair then reportedly visited the nearby Liberal Jewish Synagogue where Shevell, who is Jewish, marked the end of Yom Kippur. Last-minute preparations for the celebration were in full swing during the day with flowers and furniture carried into the marquee outside Sir Paul's home.

Jackson children take to stage

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Jackson children take to stage Michael Jackson's three children were guests of honour at a UK concert in memory of the superstar. Prince Michael, Paris and Blanket took to the stage in front of an audience of 50,000 for the Michael Jackson Forever concert at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday night. The children of the King of Pop, who died from a drug overdose at the age of 50 on June 25 2009, introduced a performance by Beyonce, who appeared via videolink from the United States to play the Jackson Five hit I Wanna Be Where You Are. As they stood on stage, dressed as various incarnations of their father's music persona, they were greeted by tumultuous applause. Blanket, the youngest child, looked stunned by the noise and the lights but the elder two looked at ease on the stage. Introducing Beyonce, Paris said: "She is always pushing the envelope with her boundless energy and talent. She carries the torch lit by our father and it gives me great pleasure to introduce this woman." Artists including Cee Lo Green, Christina Aguilera, Gladys Knight, JLS and Smokey Robinson performed at the event, which was organised by Jackson's brothers Tito, Marlon and Jackie and hosted by Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx with Fearne Cotton. Jackie said the family were happy to give something back to UK fans who had "been great to our family for many many years, supporting us". But the show was affected by several setbacks prior to taking place, and the initial announcement of the concert by the star's mother Katherine revealed divisions in the Jackson family. His brothers Jermaine and Randy said the concert was "inappropriate" and "ill-timed" because it is taking place during the criminal trial of Conrad Murray, the doctor charged with involuntary manslaughter in relation to the star's death, while a number of acts pulled out in the run up to the event.

PM criticised over midwife numbers

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PM criticised over midwife numbers David Cameron's failure to honour a promise to introduce an extra 3,000 midwives in England is putting the safety of mothers and unborn babies at risk, according to the leader of the Royal College of Midwives. Cathy Warwick said numbers of the health professionals have not kept pace with the birthrate in England, which has risen 22% in the past two decades, affecting quality of care. "Before he came into power David Cameron promised to increase the number of midwives in England by 3,000, describing them as 'overworked and demoralised'. Sadly, since then little has been done by this Government for maternity services," the RCM's general secretary told the Sunday Mirror. The college has launched an e-petition urging 5,000 extra midwives be trained to keep up with the added pressures, which include growing numbers of obese and older pregnant women. Mrs Warwick added: "When Mr Cameron was pressed to honour his pre-election promise, the response was more midwives were not needed because the birth rate was falling. Well, the birth rate figures came out in July and they had rocketed. "I have become so concerned about the shortage of midwives that I have lodged an e-petition with Parliament calling for the Government to set a target of 5,000 more NHS midwives in England. "Without this increase in midwife numbers and investment I have real fears that our maternity services could be heading towards a point where not only the quality of care is threatened, but safety as well." A Department of Health (DoH) spokesman said: "There are hundreds more midwives in the NHS than there were last year, and midwife training numbers are at record levels. "We are modernising the NHS so patients can continue to receive safe, high-quality maternity care and we are increasing funding for the NHS by £12.5 billion over the next four years, a sign of our commitment to protecting it for the future." According to DoH statistics, there were 522 more midwives in May this year than in 2010.

McCartney ties knot for third time

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McCartney ties knot for third time Sir Paul McCartney is set to marry for the third time, tying the knot with American heiress Nancy Shevell in front of close family and friends. It will be a trip down memory lane for the 69-year-old former Beatle, with the happy pair expected to exchange vows at The Old Marylebone Town Hall in London where he also married his first wife Linda. A reception will be held afterwards at Sir Paul's house in nearby St John's Wood, where a marquee has been erected outside. During the celebration the music legend is reportedly set to perform a collection of his own songs, serenading his new wife with special renditions of Beatles hit Let it Be and Let Me Roll It, as well as a new number he has penned especially for the occasion. Shevell's dress has been designed by Sir Paul's daughter Stella, who also helped create a vegetarian, organic three-course meal, according to The Sunday Mirror. All of the former Beatle's five children are also said to be attending the wedding, while his younger brother Mike is said to be his best man. Sir Paul is also expected to pay tribute to late wife Linda in his wedding speech, reports suggest. A spokesman for Sir Paul said he could not comment on arrangements for the wedding, but on Saturday the singer/songwriter happily posed for photographs with his brunette fiancee outside the gates of his home. Earlier in the day Shevell, who sits on the board of New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, looked happy and relaxed as she left the luxury pad in a pair of running shoes for a pre-wedding workout. The pair then reportedly visited the nearby Liberal Jewish Synagogue where Shevell, who is Jewish, marked the end of Yom Kippur. Last-minute preparations for the celebration were in full swing during the day with flowers and furniture seen being carried into the marquee outside Sir Paul's home.

'Rush' for new N-plants condemned

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'Rush' for new N-plants condemned Environmental campaigners have accused the Government of pushing forward with new nuclear power plants before lessons could be learned from the Fukushima disaster, ahead of the publication of a report on the crisis. This week the Department of Energy and Climate Change is expected to publish the final report into the implications for the UK nuclear industry of the disaster at the tsunami-hit Fukushima reactor in Japan. But Greenpeace is concerned that the inquiry has been conducted too fast to learn the lessons from the crisis which began when the nuclear plant was hit by a tsunami following the magnitude 9 earthquake in March, with information still emerging. And the green group said the Government had not even waited for the final report, conducted by nuclear chief inspector Dr Mike Weightman, before signalling the go-ahead for a new generation of nuclear power plants this summer. In initial findings published in May, Dr Weightman ruled out the need for the UK to curtail the operation of nuclear power stations in light of the situation in Japan. Dr Weightman said the possibility of similar natural events, which saw a magnitude-9 earthquake and 14-metre tsunami batter the Japanese coast, were not "credible" in the UK. He also said existing and planned nuclear power stations in this country were of a different design to those at Fukushima, which were rocked by explosions and damage to the reactors after the tsunami shut down power to the plants, knocking out their cooling facilities. And flooding risks were unlikely to prevent construction of new nuclear power stations at potential development sites in the UK, all of which are on the coast, he said. Dr Weightman said there was no need to change the current strategy for siting new nuclear power plants. But he said lessons could still be learned from the nuclear accident in Japan.

PM intervenes in Fox flatmate row

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PM intervenes in Fox flatmate row Beleaguered Defence Secretary Liam Fox is fighting for his political career after the row over his working relationship with a close friend deepened. Prime Minister David Cameron is poised to decide his fate on Monday after ordering the head of the civil service to urgently report back on an internal investigation into whether Dr Fox's links to Adam Werritty, a former flatmate, breached ministerial guidelines. A series of allegations have surfaced over the unusual involvement Mr Werritty had in brokering meetings for Dr Fox, as well as the access he enjoyed to Government despite having no formal parliamentary or Whitehall role. Dr Fox, who has been in Libya on what should have been a publicity coup as he met the country's interim government, was forced to issue an embarrassing statement clarifying comments he made earlier about how a meeting in Dubai in June with a businessman had been arranged. But he also insisted he has nothing to hide and indicated he is the victim of a smear campaign, telling The Sunday Telegraph: "I have absolutely no fear of complete transparency in these matters. I think there are underlying issues behind these claims and the motivation is deeply suspect." Further revelations emerged, however, that cast doubt on previous claims made by Dr Fox that Mr Werritty, best man at his wedding, had never attended formal meetings with overseas dignitaries. According to the Observer, footage has been uncovered that shows Mr Werritty meeting Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa with Dr Fox in a London hotel last year. During his visit to Libya, Dr Fox was asked to answer allegations that Mr Werritty arranged the Dubai hotel meeting, away from officials, with him and Harvey Boulter, chief executive of private equity company Porton Group. The Secretary of State said defence industry representatives asked for the meeting "when they happened to be sitting at a nearby table in a restaurant", but emails emerged later that appeared to confirm that Mr Werritty had been involved in setting up the discussions for some time - and Mr Boulter told the Guardian he first met Mr Werritty to arrange a meeting with Dr Fox in April. In a statement issued after the emails emerged, a spokeswoman for the minister said: "Dr Fox was referring to Mr Werritty, and not himself, bumping into Mr Boulter at a restaurant prior to the meeting."

Further QE possible says MPC member

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Further QE possible says MPC member There is "quite a lot of scope" for a further round of quantitative easing, a senior member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee has said. Martin Weale said that while central banks should not be seen as the solution to the "world's problems", a third round of QE is possible. His comments came following the recent decision by the Bank to boost its QE programme - effectively printing more cash - from £200 billion to £275 billion and hold interest rates at 0.5%. The move, dubbed QE2, is the first change to the programme since November 2009 and provided the clearest signal yet that the Bank thinks Britain is on the brink of a double-dip recession. Speaking to Dermot Murnaghan on Sky News on Sunday, Dr Weale said that with interest rates so low, the Bank could still pump more cash into the system as it tries to stimulate economic growth. He said: "There is quite a lot of scope for further quantitative easing. Before the purchases that we announced last week, the amount of Government debt in the system was actually higher than it had been before the earlier bout of quantitative easing. "There is quite a lot more that could be done but at the same time I think one has to recognise that central banks can't be expected on their own to resolve all of the world's problems." Dr Weale also denied the measure simply led to inflation without stimulating the economy, claiming the situation would be worse without the second round of QE. But he acknowledged there was "uncertainty" about the impact of QE. "I have not heard anyone suggesting that quantitative easing actually inhibits the growth of the economy, that it fails to provide support," he added. "Some people have suggested that it translates fairly directly into inflation without supporting economic growth, but I can't see any reason why that should be the case."
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