20/03/2016 BBC Weekend News


20/03/2016

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48 hours after his dramatic resignation, Iain Duncan Smith

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accuses the government of losing its way.

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The former Work and Pensions Secretary says he was frustrated

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I think it is in danger of drifting in a direction that divides society,

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Downing Street says the government is determined to control welfare

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spending and make the system fairer for everyone.

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More arrivals on the Greek islands - despite the new deal allowing

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refugees and migrants to be deported back to Turkey.

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Cuba awaits Obama - due to arrive this evening

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for the first US presidential visit in nearly 90 years.

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And Newcastle salvage some pride in the Tyne Wear

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And Newcastle salvage some pride in the Tyne Wear

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Iain Duncan Smith says he resigned from the government because he felt

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as Work and Pensions Secretary, he said he disagreed

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with a reduction in the welfare cap and felt increasingly isolated

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He said he'd come under what he called "massive pressure"

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to deliver savings ahead of last week's budget.

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The impact of his resignation rippled through government. Two days

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on, Iain Duncan Smith dealt another devastating blow. In his first

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interview since stepping down, he delivered a damning indictment of

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government policy, claiming it was balancing the books on the backs of

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the poor. I am concerned this government, that I want to succeed,

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is not able to do the kind of things it should, because it has become too

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focused on narrowly getting the deficit down without saying where it

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should fall, other than simply on those who can less afford to have

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that fall on them. Iain Duncan Smith has presided over deep cuts to

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benefits for the past six years, but said they had now gone too far. He

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blamed increasing pressure from the Treasury to find short-term savings

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claiming the brunt of cuts were falling on people of working age and

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saying he was an isolated voice, arguing for compassionate

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conservatism. I only care for one thing and one thing only. It is the

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people but don't get the choices my children get, are left behind. I

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don't want them left behind. It is painful to resign. But I am because

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it is the only way I can do this. Because what is happening at the

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moment is immoral. It is in danger of drifting in a direction that

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divides society rather than United. And that is unfair. We will be

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spending more in real terms... A row over the region budget which

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included disability cuts and tax deductions for middle earners was

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the final score. But Mr Duncan Smith said his discontent had been brewing

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for months. He had endorsed the government's policies to cap public

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spending, but became uneasy last year. After the last election,

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arbitrarily, the welfare cap was lowered, which put us under

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pressure, just to meet the cap. Critics claimed the real motivation

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behind this attack is Iain Duncan Smith's desire to lead the EU, so

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damaged those campaigning to stay, which he flatly denied. He said,

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this wasn't personal. But offered a lukewarm endorsement of the

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Chancellor. Would George Osborne make a good Prime Minister? Sorry I

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missed the question. Would George Osborne make a good Prime Minister.

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If he was to stand, and he was elected, I hope he would. But it is

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the same for anybody else. It is the Chancellor's economic decisions that

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bear the brunt of this criticism. Vomit sources point out Iain Duncan

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Smith was at the top table throughout. Iain Duncan Smith has

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been in cabinet for six years, he hasn't been a spectator, he has been

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part of delivering the progress we made in making sure we are one

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Nation government, that we help everybody. Spending on disability

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has gone up every year. We make sure more people are in employment and we

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always help the people who are the lowest paid. But the manner of his

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departure has laid their ideological divisions at the heart of government

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and handed ammunition to its critics.

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Iain Duncan Smith spent six years as Work and Pensions Secretary -

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seeing himself as a social reformer at a time when the Treasury

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was seeking to make savings in the sizeable welfare budget.

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Our political correspondent Chris Mason looks now

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Any government trying to save money is likely to home in on the welfare

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budget. Let's take a look at where our taxes go. A third of all

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government spending goes on welfare. But the biggest chunk of that 42%,

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is spent on pensions, which are protected from cuts. You are never

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going to get the deficit down without doing something to that

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budget. The issue for the government is they are protecting the bit that

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goes to pensioners. That means bigger cuts on average to the

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benefits that go to people of working age. And that has left

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people like this lady feeling unfairly targeted and squeezed. It

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is pretty much the most vulnerable people in society that are taking

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the worst hit from changes, not just regards disability. I really

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seriously think it needs to be rethought. There are other areas

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that can be budgeted. The government hoped it would keep a lid on welfare

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spending by imposing a cap. There is a restriction on what benefits

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individual households can get every year. Soon to be cut from ?26,000 a

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year to 20,000. All 23,000 in London. Iain Duncan Smith is

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supposed to have supported it, but it doesn't save that much money.

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What annoys Iain Duncan Smith's was the second cap on his department's

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overall spending. With ministers facing awkward questions about their

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budgeting and the rows that have rumbled within the Cabinet, it has

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given Labour chance to point out it's not just them who suffer from

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blasts of internal turbulence. They want an explanation from the

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Chancellor, and soon. We have asked George Osborne to come to Parliament

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and explain his stance on the budget. This budget is falling

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apart. I can't see how he cannot consider his position now. Tomorrow,

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ministers will begin explaining exactly what they plan to do. And

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whilst there will be a new Work and Pensions Secretary at the helm, the

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challenge remains, shaking up welfare is hard enough when there is

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lots of money around. It is harder still when there isn't.

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Let's join Alex Forsyth in Downing Street. A dramatic 48 hours, after

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Iain Duncan Smith said today, where does the government stand? Iain

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Duncan Smith chose to ask if we are all in this age of us there it is

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something Prime Minister and the Chancellor have been saying for

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years. Iain Duncan Smith said he has done this to re-force a rethink, a

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change in government direction. But his critics point out some of his

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welfare reforms are already flailing. The fact he has pitched

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himself against the government over the EU referendum, it means he had

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little to lose. You could try to preserve his legacy by going now, as

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a man who takes a principled stance. Whatever you think about his reasons

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for resigning, he has left a lot of anger and resentment behind, at the

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point he has exposed differences at the very heart of government. Thank

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you very much. The deal between Turkey and the EU -

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aimed at tackling the migrant crisis From today, those arriving illegally

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in Greece face being sent But despite the new rules hundreds

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of migrants landed on the Greek islands today - our correspondent

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James Reynolds sent this Short time after dawn,

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a boat full of migrants is escorted It's early in the day,

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but they may be too late. These migrants have

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made it to Europe. But if the new Deal

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is implemented properly, they may not get to stay

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here for all that long. Europe may choose to send them

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back across these waters Deportations may begin in the coming

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days. The new arrivals don't appear

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to know that the rules have changed. You and everyone here might have

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to go back to Turkey. She is five months pregnant

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with their first child. They think they've got here just

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before the deadline. Today is the first

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day of the new rules. For now, they will be sent to this

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fortified island camp. The EU promises to send hundreds

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of judges to hear asylum But rights groups doubt

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the promise of fair We know at the moment the asylum

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system in Greece is already So it is very difficult to see how

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people coming to the island will receive the individual

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assessments and the individual support they need in order

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to claim asylum in Greece. And this island is still working

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through its backlog of existing migrants who have been sent

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to the Greek mainland. Deporting new arrivals

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back to Turkey may be A bus carrying foreign students has

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crashed in Spain killing at least 13 The passengers were returning

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from a bonfire festival in Valencia when the bus overturned

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on a motorway. The students on board were studying

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at Barcelona University as part President Obama arrives in Cuba this

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evening for a landmark visit - the first by a serving US President

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for nearly 90 years. The trip has taken

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months of negotiation, after Mr Obama and his

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Cuban counterpart Raul Castro, decided to reinstate

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diplomatic ties last summer. Our North America Editor Jon Sopel

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joins us from Havana. The president will arrive in old

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Havana in about four hours. We're not being told where he is going,

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for security reasons, but you don't need to be a detective to work it

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out. Follow the smell of fresh paint along certain streets, that have

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already been resurfaced. This is an important trip for Cuba and the US.

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The word historic, is often overused, today it is justified.

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For 50 years, Cuba has been a tourist no-go zone for Americans.

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But a revolution is coming. Soon, 110 scheduled flights a day will be

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arriving from the US into small, ill-equipped airports. Airlines like

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this are eyeing a massive new untapped tourism market. At the

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moment for the US all you have is the odd charter flight going in. And

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therefore, when we think about the potential for Havana and Cuba, it is

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vast and could become the largest market in the Caribbean. Huge

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numbers of American companies all want to ride their luck. This rodeo

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is part of an agricultural show. Communist countries used to measure

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economic prowess bike tractor production. It is not without irony,

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the first American company to set up on the island since the flooring of

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relations, will be selling farm machinery to the Cubans. I was here

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when the revolution happened and it feels like a very important aspect

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of history. To me, being able to participate in bringing true, S, the

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two peoples together is a very important issue. And it is historic,

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two peoples together is a very 90 years since the last American

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president stepped foot on Cuban soil. Then it was Calvin Coolidge.

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Today the excitement will be greater when Barack Obama arrives. Even 18

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months ago, the idea Barack when Barack Obama arrives. Even 18

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would come to old Havana and Walkabout, would be

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would come to old Havana and absurd. But that is what he will do

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later. When he does, 50 years of Cold War hostility will become

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history. And a new era in Cuban-American relations will begin.

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Yes, yes... The president wants to keep it light, taking part in this

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get. Yes. Old Havana feels like a place frozen in time, but change is

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coming and coming quickly. Barack Obama's visit, the vivid symbol of

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this new course. all of them with significance

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beyond the usual rivalries. In Manchester - United got

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the better of City winning 1-0. And the relegation battle

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between Newcastle and Sunderland The Tyne Wear derby is a big deal at

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the best of times, let alone when both clubs are threatened with

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relegation. It is why they have hired two proven managers whose

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rivalry is as intense as that of their teens. The importance was

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reflected on the pitch. Chances are both ends, before the visitors made

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the first move. Sunderland had one six of their last meetings with you

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cattle and Jermain Defoe put them on course to make it seven. The magpies

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might be mystified how many bodies failed to deny Jermain Defoe, when

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shortly after it took only one to repel Perez. Were almost caught at

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the back but Rob Elliott came to the rescue and how crucial that saved

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with prove when this was queued up and this time there was no stopping

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it. He ended Newcastle's losing streak against Sunderland, but

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staying in the Premier League with the bigger hurdle. And then a battle

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towards the other end of the table. This hasn't been a vintage season

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for the Manchester side, but well city won the League Cup and remain

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in the Champions League, United can point to Marcus Ratchford. The

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18-year-old might have contributed to another, had this been given as a

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penalty. The bad news continued the city as they lost Joe Hart to

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penalty. The bad news continued the and then prevented from equalising

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by the smallest of margins. City's title hopes all but over. United are

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vying with them for top four finish, thanks again the local lad.

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Southampton came from behind to beat Liverpool 3-2.

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And Tottenham closed the gap-again on leaders Leicester to five points

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Bottom of the Scottish Premiership - Dundee United scraped a late draw

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against their next-door neighbours Dundee.

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Billy McKay scored both United's goals as they came from 2-nil down.

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They're now seven points behind 2nd from bottom Kilmarnock.

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There was a dramatic start to the new Formula one season.

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Nico Rosberg won the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

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But the race will be remembered for this spectacular crash involving

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The Spaniard walked away and said he was "lucky to be alive".

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Reigning World champion - Lewis Hamilton recovered from a poor

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British high-jumper Robbie Grabarz has made a dream comeback

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at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Portland

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After nearly giving-up the sport during a two-year injury break,

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the Olympic medallist showed he's "ready for Rio" -

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Before we go, congratulations to Eddie Izzard on a great sporting

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This is the moment that the comedian finished a remarkable 27 marathons

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in 27 days, under the statue of Nelson Mandela in Pretoria,

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He raised an incredible ?1.3 million for Sport Relief and had this to say

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I was trying to do something that might stir people's emotions

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Some people will go, "no, I don't care at all."

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But you people are not, you are wonderful people.

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So well done to you wonderful people.

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There's more throughout the evening on the BBC News Channel,

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