Alan Bates tells inquiry Post Office spent decades ‘lying and trying to discredit me’

Alan Bates, who has led the campaign to rectify what has been called the UK’s biggest miscarriage of justice, has accused the Post Office of spending two decades “denying, lying, defending and attempting to discredit and silence me”. He also described the response of Ed Davey, a former Post Office minister and now leader of…

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Storm Kathleen: 200 evacuated after River Arun overflows in West Sussex

Beach huts have been blown into the sea, more than 200 people have been evacuated and fire services have warned people affected by flooding to get to high ground as Storm Kathleen hit Easter holiday hotspots along the south coast. Evacuations in West Sussex went ahead after the River Arun overflowed its banks, with further…

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Man arrested over fatal stabbing of woman in Bradford city centre

A man who went on the run after allegedly murdering a woman as she pushed her baby in a pram has been arrested after a four-day manhunt. Habibur Masum, 25, was wanted on suspicion of fatally stabbing Kulsuma Akter, 27, as she shopped with her friend in Bradford city centre on Saturday. Police raided properties…

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‘Hardest Geezer’ Russ Cook enjoys a day off running after epic Africa journey

After sinking a strawberry daiquiri and a few beers and enjoying a reunion with his girlfriend after more than a year apart, Russ Cook, AKA the “Hardest Geezer”, who completed his 9,940-mile (16,000km) run along the entire length of Africa on Sunday, woke up feeling “a little bit frosty, a little bit tired”. And for…

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Disinformation on cholera led to Mozambique ferry disaster, officials say

Disinformation over a cholera outbreak has been blamed for the deaths of almost 100 people after an overcrowded makeshift ferry sank off Mozambique. At least 96 people, many of them children, drowned with another 26 still missing after the converted fishing boat capsized late on Sunday. Officials said the vessel was crowded with panicked passengers…

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‘I’m a little bit tired’: Briton becomes first person to run the length of Africa

After more than 9,940 miles (16,000km) over 352 days across 16 countries, Russ Cook, aka the “Hardest Geezer”, has completed the mammoth challenge of running the length of Africa. The 27-year-old endurance athlete from Worthing, West Sussex, crossed the finish line in Tunisia on Sunday afternoon, and planned to celebrate with a party – as…

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Fears of violence grow as Somalia scraps power-sharing system

An overhaul of Somalia’s constitution, scrapping its power-sharing system and handing the president increased control, is threatening to destabilise the fragile country, as its wealthiest and most stable state refuses to recognise the changes. The amendments risk worsening violence, the information minister from the semi-autonomous state of Puntland has warned. Mohamud Aidid Dirir told the…

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Macron to say France and allies could have stopped Rwanda genocide in 1994

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has said France and its western and African allies “could have stopped” Rwanda’s 1994 genocide but did not have the will to halt the slaughter of an estimated 800,000 people, mostly ethnic Tutsis. In a video message to be published on Sunday to mark the 30th anniversary of the genocide,…

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‘A mystical experience’: millions watch total solar eclipse sweep across North America

The ethereal spectacle of a total solar eclipse swept across North America on Monday afternoon, giving tens millions of people in Mexico, the US and Canada the chance to witness a rare and dazzling celestial show. Almost 32 million people were in the path of totality as the moon’s shadow crossed the Mexico-Texas border at…

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