10/04/2014 BBC News at One


10/04/2014

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A new crisis at the Co-op as former City minister Lord Myners quits the

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board, a board he wanted to scrap. It's another significant blow for

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the business. It lost its chief executive last month and is facing

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losses of up to ?2 billion. We'll be getting analysis from our business

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editor. Also this lunchtime... At his murder trial, Oscar Pistorius is

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accused of only being concerned about himself. I had to go to

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training, she knew I had to go to lunch. It's all about Mr Pistorius.

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New research suggests hundreds of millions of pounds may have been

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wasted on a drug for flu that works no better than paracetamol. Nearly

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30,000 people died in England in 2010 because of long-term exposure

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to air pollution. And the Royal ascent that never quite got off the

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ground. On BBC London. London City Airport

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to close to make way for new homes according to a think tank. And how a

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pilot using traceable liquid is the Met's latest tool to tackle

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burglaries. Good afternoon, and welcome to the

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BBC's News at One. The troubles of the Co-op Group deepened today after

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the resignation of one of its board members, the former Labour City

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Minister, Lord Myners. He was in charge of a review that was due to

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recommend wide-ranging changes, including replacement of the Board.

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But even before the report was finished, some parts of the group

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said they would reject his proposals. It's just the latest in a

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litany of problems to hit the business, which is facing losses of

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up to ?2 billion. Here's our chief economics correspondent, Hugh Pym.

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These are troubled times at the Co-op. Attempts to provide a more

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commercial edge and streamline the board have hit a brick wall. Last

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month, the chief executive walked out over a row over his pay packet,

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and now a senior independent director has quit. The former Labour

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Minister Lord Myners was brought into carry out a review. He has now

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gone, after his reform proposals were opposed by some in the Co-op

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movement. In a video for Co-op members last month he had an

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uncompromising message. At the moment, if you ask the question, are

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we truly democratic? No. We led by a board that is fit for purpose? No.

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Do we enjoy the full and undoubted support without any hesitation from

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our bankers? No. Some outsiders agree with Lord Myners that the

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Co-op asked to change. It's very important that the Co-op understands

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that the old way is over, finished and gone and someone has to grab it,

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take it forward, communicate and deliver. The Co-op, owned by its

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members, has a complex structure with independent regional societies

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electing some directors. Some say Lord Myners' plans went too far. It

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seems they do not enjoy the support of the vast majority of elected

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members. Lord Myners knows this very well. It certainly doesn't enjoy the

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support of all of the independent societies. Many of the Co-op's

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problems stem from the banking subsidiary. It needed funding to

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plug a hole in its balance sheet. Outside investors have to be brought

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in the Co-op has lost overall control of the bank. Embarrassing

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revelations about the personal life of the former chairman, the reverend

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Paul Flowers, raised questions about the lack of experience of those in

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charge the bank. The Co-op has a long established presence of

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Britain's high street, but there are now a whole range of questions over

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its future, including how it governs itself, where sources of finance for

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investment might come from and how it might look to customers in years

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to come. Results from the bank tomorrow and the group next week are

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expected to reveal big losses. Another reminder of the scale of the

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challenge facing those still at the helm of the Co-op. Let's speak to

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our business editor, Kamal Ahmed. It's a business that seems to lurch

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from crisis to crisis. A huge concern if you work there, but what

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about everybody else? It's quite easy to view the Co-op as a homespun

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charity vistas, a sort of Miss Marple of the high street, but this

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is a very big British business. It has 8 million members, 2800 retail

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shops. It has Britain's biggest funerals business and its third

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largest pharmacy. It also has a 30% stake in Co-op Bank, which has 4.7

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million customers. So this is important. What is going on here is

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a power battle. To put it simply, on the one side you have the

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traditionalists. These are the people who think that's what the

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Co-op is really about, feel they've got their Co-op DNA. The notion of a

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cooperative society in them. And then the modernisers, of which Lord

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Myners is probably one of the leaders. He thinks that the Co-op to

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survive, and it's got a lot of problems, needs to completely change

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the way it is governed. That is the big problem, the big battle. With

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Lord Myners' departure last night, it looks like those traditional

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members are fighting back and are probably now in the ascendancy.

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Marks and Spencer has revealed that its general merchandise sales fell

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for the fourth quarter, down 0.6%. But like-for-like clothing sales

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were up 0.6%. M also reported a small rise in food sales. Oscar

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Pistorius has been accused of bullying his girlfriend, Reeva

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Steenkamp, before her death. The South African athlete has been

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undergoing some tough cross examination at his trial for

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murdering the model on St Valentine's Day last year. Let's

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cross to Pretoria and our correspondent Andrew Harding, who's

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been watching the morning's proceedings.

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Yes, for the first time this week, no tears in court this morning from

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Oscar Pistorius. But his character and credibility once again came

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under withering criticism from the prosecutor who was cross-examining

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him. Repeatedly accusing the athlete of lying about his evidence to the

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court will stop and, as usual, there were no pictures of Pistorius

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broadcast as he gave evidence this morning. Jacket on and heading back

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into court for a second gruelling day of cross-examination. Oscar

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Pistorius calls this the fight for his life. The prosecutor's first

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topic, the athlete's relationship with Reeva Steenkamp. Those angry

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texts she sent him, and his excuses. I had to go to training, I had to go

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to lunch. It is about you. The prosecutor said it was clear from

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the texts that Pistorius was deeply self-centred. Your life is just

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about you, what is important to Oscar. Oscar shouldn't get into

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trouble, this shouldn't get into the media. You are very concerned about

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what is good for Oscar. Bent to the incident when Pistorius fired a

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friend's gun under a table in a crowded restaurant. The athlete told

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the court, my finger was not on the trigger. He was called a liar. I

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must accept that in your version the gun went off by itself. He gave you

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a bun, it went off by itself. I don't recall how the fire Ron went

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off, I know my finger was not on the trigger. The prosecutor suggested

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there was a pattern, that Pistorius did not want to accept the blame for

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anything. He linked it to the athlete's suggestion that he'd shot

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through a toilet door, killing Reeva Steenkamp, accidentally. It's the

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strangest day today, you just don't take responsibility for anything,

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you just don't do anything wrong. You are lying. The prosecutor sought

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to show Pistorius was often reckless with guns, asking him why he would

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carry a loaded pistol to a boating party. You can't conceal a fire Ron

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in shorts without a shirt so that nobody can see it. I can't say I was

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wearing a shirt, I can't remember. I wasn't there, I'm testing you. It's

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your version, do tell the court, I took my gun to get together on a

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boat. A bruising morning for the athlete and the cross-examination

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continues. And remember those two witnesses, former friends of

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Pistorius, who said he'd fired a pistol through a car sunroof. Today,

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the athlete accused both of them of fabricating evidence. The prosecutor

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then moved onto the key incident in this trial, those four bullets that

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Pistorius fired through his toilet door, killing Reeva Steenkamp.

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Again, pressuring the athlete to admit it wasn't something he'd done

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accidentally. There'll be updates on the trial throughout the day on the

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BBC News Channel. Plus a special programme each evening with the key

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moments of the day. That's at 7.30pm on the BBC News Channel. The Office

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for National Statistics says it underestimated the net flow of

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migrants into the UK between 2001 and 2011 by 346000. It says a

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substantial number of citizens arriving in Britain from the eight

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countries that joined the European Union in 2004, including Poland,

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were missed in official figures. Australian search teams have

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discovered more signals in the area where they think Malaysian Airlines

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flight MH370 may have been lost. Officials say they could be from a

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"man-made source". An Australian vessel picked up four acoustic

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signals in the area, twice over the weekend and twice on Tuesday. The

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flight vanished 33 days ago with 239 people on board. Back in 2006, at

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the height of the concerns over an outbreak of bird-flu, a drug called

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Tamiflu seemed to offer the best hope of preventing the spread of the

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disease. Hundreds of millions of pounds was spent on stockpiling the

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drug here in the UK. But now a review has concluded it was a waste

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of money because it may be no more effective at fighting flu than

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paracetamol. Here's our medical correspondent, Fergus Walsh. Huge

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stocks of Tamiflu were distributed during the swine flu pandemic of

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2009. It's an anti-Bible and should ease symptoms. But researchers, who

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spent five years fighting to get access to all the data from clinical

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trials, say the drugs don't work. Or at least not very well. The Cochrane

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Collaboration, a global health care research network, say the drugs

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shorten symptoms by half a day, it may be no better than paracetamol.

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They say there's no good evidence it reduces hospital admissions or

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complications, and it the risk of nausea, vomiting and other

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side-effects. What is more worrying, we don't have the clear benefits,

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which compensation reduction, any harms have been accentuated, and

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this is in otherwise healthy people. Start to use that in elderly

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people, children, this is deeply worrying. But this detailed review

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is at odds with a recent study from Nottingham University, funded by the

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manufacturers, Roche, which looked at 30,000 hospital admissions

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worldwide, and found that early use of the drug halved the risk of

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death. Roche says no wonder The Who, US and health bodies all recommend

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Tamiflu. There's a clear consensus across all of those people, and that

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is a significant body of expertise that have looked at our data and

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share the same position that we do, that Tamiflu is a very useful

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medicine for what is a serious respiratory infection that can lead

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to death in some instances. This drug has been a blockbuster which

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has made billions, but for critics it symbolises a culture of secrecy

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within the pharmaceutical industry. With some companies cherry picking

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the data they release from clinical trials that shows their products in

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the best light. The Health Secretary said suggestions that drug companies

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withheld data is worrying. The Government has to decide by the end

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of the year whether to renew its stockpile of Tamiflu. Fergus Walsh,

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BBC News. Long term exposure to air pollution led to around 25,000

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deaths in England in 2010, and local authorities need to do more to

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protect people. That's according to the latest figures from Public

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Health England. Let's speak to our environment analyst, Roger Harrabin.

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That's a very striking figure. It is. We can't say for certain that

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the figure is accurate. It's an estimate, because people don't

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instantly die of air pollution. This is where air pollution is associated

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with hastening death from heart problems or lung problems,

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particularly striking in London where one in 12 deaths are

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associated with air pollution. Much less bad in northern Scotland and

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Northern Ireland. The interesting thing about these figures is they

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should be going down. Air pollution is supposed to be improving in the

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UK it's not, because the government is failing to implement an EU

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directive on this and campaign groups for people with heart and

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lung problems are extremely unhappy about that. Schools in Wales are

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struggling to improve and suffer from a lack of a long-term vision.

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That's the findings of a review into the Welsh education system, carried

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out by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. But it

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did praise "positive" learning conditions, as our Wales

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correspondent, Hywel Griffith, now reports. Right, if you could all

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face before a second, we are going to start on this worksheet. Learning

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to get results. These pupils in Port Talbot are revising for their GCSE

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exams in the summer. Their school has a good record. But to many

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others in Wales are making -- failing to make the grade. The last

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set of international tests for 15-year-old ranked Wales as 43rd out

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of 65 countries in maths, 41st for reading and 36 for science. Making

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it the worst performing part of the UK and trailing well behind

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countries like Poland and Slovenia. The body which once the tests says

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it is an education system that is trying to improve but doesn't have a

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clear direction. We believe you need to have a longer term vision of what

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the Welsh learners should be learning, who they should be and

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what Wales wants out of their students. It's a question some

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teachers have been left asking, too. A decade after scrapping SAT tests,

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the Welsh Government has brought in new tests on numeracy and literacy,

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creating confusion in some classrooms. I feel worried for some

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pupils who are in school currently because they, too, must be asking,

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what do you want from us? What are the output is you want for us in

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terms of success? The Labour government in Wales says its

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education plan is clear. So what is it? What is your long-term vision?

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Excellence. In an international context. What does it mean for a

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pupil or their parent? What it means in simple terms is that Welsh

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people, young people in Wales can expect the very best in terms of

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their educational experience. And in an international context, they will

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have a passport to success, whether that's true qualifications or the

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wider skills they need. That could take them wherever they need to go.

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Where Welsh schools have been told to go is into the top 20 countries

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internationally by 2015. An ambition that will test the whole system. Our

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top story this lunchtime. The former city Minister Lord Myners has quit

:16:29.:16:31.

the board of the Co-op Group over objections to his planned changes.

:16:32.:16:35.

And still to come, why the government is giving a ?10 million

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loan to help ease the closure of two of the UK's deep coal mines.

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Later on BBC London, the capital's businesses say they are feeling

:16:46.:16:49.

confident, so why are they finding it so hard to recruit staff? If you

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think original artwork is out of your league, think again. You too

:16:54.:16:57.

could own a Banksy, but you will have to share it.

:16:58.:17:05.

The parents of two sisters who died in the Hillsborough disaster have

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been trying to put into words their loss at the inquest into their

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deaths. Clever and Jenni Hicks said their daughters, Sarah and

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Victoria, had been too bright, beautiful innocent young women, who

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had lived together and died together -- clever. Judith Moritz has been at

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the inquest in Warrington. The court has been continuing the

:17:30.:17:32.

process of hearing statements from the families of all of those who

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died at Hillsborough and of the 96, who were killed, seven were women.

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Two of those word teenage sisters, Sarah and Victoria Hicks.

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The 96. It is the number and collective name of all those who

:17:49.:17:51.

died at Hillsborough. But the families of every one of the

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disaster's victims have been telling their individual stories to the

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court. Today, the jury heard about sisters Sarah and Victoria Hicks.

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Ricky, on the left, was 15. Sarah, on the right, 19. If she had lived,

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today would have been her 44th birthday. The girls went to the

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match that day with their parents. Today, their father told the jury

:18:15.:18:19.

that Hillsborough had caused the end of his marriage to their mother,

:18:20.:18:24.

Jenny. They both came to court to speak about the loss of the two

:18:25.:18:30.

girls. It is an opportunity to let the court know what lovely people my

:18:31.:18:34.

daughters were. That is the way I am looking at it. I am proud and

:18:35.:18:39.

privileged to speak, to be given the opportunity to speak about them

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today. I have written difficult things, political stuff, clever,

:18:43.:18:48.

technical things, but to try to encapsulate two people in this case

:18:49.:18:53.

on a couple of sides of a four, for it to project that person, is

:18:54.:18:58.

extremely difficult to do. Trevor Hicks told the jury, it is not that

:18:59.:19:02.

losing two is twice as bad, it is that you lose everything. The

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present, the future and any purpose. The most difficult thing for me is

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the sheer waste of Sarah and Vicky's lives. Jenny described her

:19:12.:19:15.

daughters as two bright, beautiful innocent young women. I left you as

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you went into a football ground, she said, and a few hours later you were

:19:20.:19:24.

dead. Trevor Hicks spoke to reporters after the end of the last

:19:25.:19:28.

Hillsborough inquests in 1991. He and Jenny have campaigned on behalf

:19:29.:19:31.

of those bereaved for many years. But today, they spoke about how

:19:32.:19:36.

Hillsborough destroyed their own family.

:19:37.:19:40.

The inquests have adjourned for the day and they will not be sitting

:19:41.:19:45.

next week because on Tuesday, instead of coming here to court, the

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survivors and the bereaved of Hillsborough will be going to a

:19:50.:19:54.

service at Anfield, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Britain's

:19:55.:20:02.

worst sporting disaster. Two of UK's deep coal mines are to

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get ?10 million to help them close. The mines, owned by UK Coal, are due

:20:08.:20:12.

to shut in the next 18 months with the loss of around 1300 months jobs,

:20:13.:20:16.

but the government says it will load the money because it would cost the

:20:17.:20:20.

taxpayer more if they went into insolvency now. Let's speak to our

:20:21.:20:25.

correspondent Phil Bodmer, who is outside Kellingley Colliery in North

:20:26.:20:29.

Yorkshire. NUM officials and UK Coal bosses

:20:30.:20:33.

have been locked in talks at Kellingley, discussing this loan

:20:34.:20:35.

offer from the government. The Energy Secretary Michael Fallon says

:20:36.:20:39.

it is a good offer and if the unions don't accept it then this pit and

:20:40.:20:43.

Thoresby in Nottinghamshire could become insolvent as early as next

:20:44.:20:47.

week. That would the results in the loss of several thousand jobs. The

:20:48.:20:50.

union says it is unhappy. They wanted more time and money to make

:20:51.:20:56.

this colliery and Thoresby a going concern. However, UK Coal say if

:20:57.:21:01.

they don't accept it then up to 2000 jobs could be at risk. The union

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says we are likely to be burning coal for the next decade, much of

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that coal is imported from Columbia and Russia. They say we should be

:21:11.:21:14.

burning coal which come -- can be mined here in Kellingley and

:21:15.:21:18.

Thoresby, transported to power stations more cheaply. The

:21:19.:21:24.

discussions are ongoing. Most students in England will still

:21:25.:21:27.

be paying back loans from the university days in their 40s and 50s

:21:28.:21:31.

and many will never clear the debt. That is according to research by the

:21:32.:21:35.

Institute of fiscal studies which suggests graduate on lower salaries

:21:36.:21:38.

will pay back less than they would have been expected to while higher

:21:39.:21:42.

earners will end up paying more. Luke Walton reports.

:21:43.:21:46.

Study at university has long been a chance to expand your mind and your

:21:47.:21:51.

ambitions but today's report says students in England will pay the

:21:52.:21:55.

price long after graduation. Its figures suggest the average student

:21:56.:21:58.

will pay back nearly twice as much because of changes to student loans

:21:59.:22:02.

and higher tuition fees. And though lower paid graduates will pay less,

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the burden on those on middle and higher incomes will increase and

:22:07.:22:12.

continue until they are 50. Universities insist a degree still

:22:13.:22:15.

represents a good investment, one that leads to higher incomes in the

:22:16.:22:18.

future. But for the current generation of students there is

:22:19.:22:22.

another, less positive legacy, in the shape of a debt that can last 30

:22:23.:22:27.

years. Today's students will be paying back less in their 20s but

:22:28.:22:31.

more in their 40s, when they have significant family bill pressures on

:22:32.:22:34.

the irony is the government probably won't get around half the loans it

:22:35.:22:39.

has paid out so there is a double debt trap in the system. Do students

:22:40.:22:44.

think it is money well spent? It is an intimidating amount, but we are

:22:45.:22:51.

stuck with it. It is a lot of money but I would rather have a degree and

:22:52.:22:54.

better prospects of a job afterwards. Ministers insist their

:22:55.:22:59.

report -- their reforms were necessary to make higher education

:23:00.:23:01.

more financially viable. This system is leading to savings for the

:23:02.:23:07.

taxpayer, savings and public expenditure. It is bringing more

:23:08.:23:11.

money into our universities so that the teaching experience of a student

:23:12.:23:16.

at university is better. There is more resource behind him or her at

:23:17.:23:21.

university. The picture is different elsewhere in the UK. Welsh and

:23:22.:23:25.

Northern Irish students pay less for tuition. Scottish students don't pay

:23:26.:23:29.

for it at all if a study in their own country. In England, the numbers

:23:30.:23:34.

going to university and stayed buoyant despite much higher fees but

:23:35.:23:37.

there are questions about the policy's long-term cost.

:23:38.:23:42.

It is the biggest democratic election the world has ever seen

:23:43.:23:46.

up-to-date, is crucial day innings day where 814 million people are

:23:47.:23:51.

eligible to vote. Polling is taking place across 14 states including the

:23:52.:23:55.

capital Delhi. We won't know the result until May the 16th. Let's

:23:56.:24:01.

cross to Delhi and Jon Sopel. Yes, the figures are eye-popping,

:24:02.:24:06.

aren't they? 91 constituencies are voting today. Over 100 million

:24:07.:24:11.

people are eligible to vote. The polling stations here in Delhi are

:24:12.:24:16.

open for another five minutes and already the turnout is significantly

:24:17.:24:21.

up on 2009. That is seen to be good news for the challenger, the BJP led

:24:22.:24:26.

by Narendra Modi. Let's get this report from our Delhi correspondent,

:24:27.:24:28.

Andrew North. The quiet dignity of democracy in

:24:29.:24:32.

action. From here in North Delhi to southern India, millions of voters

:24:33.:24:38.

are going to the polls. Many bringing their families as the

:24:39.:24:42.

voting means a public holiday. Before casting their ballots

:24:43.:24:44.

everyone has their finger marked with ink to prevent fraud. This

:24:45.:24:51.

electrician came to vote early, bringing his six-month-old grandson

:24:52.:24:57.

to the polling station. Like many other Muslims living in this part of

:24:58.:25:01.

Delhi, he said he was staying loyal to the ruling Congress party.

:25:02.:25:09.

TRANSLATION: I have always voted for the Congress and the Gandhi family.

:25:10.:25:14.

Inflation is an issue for us but it's not the fault of the Congress

:25:15.:25:17.

party. But others said it was time for change and were backing the

:25:18.:25:24.

opposition BJP candidate. TRANSLATION: Narendra Modi has clean

:25:25.:25:27.

politics. People say all sorts of things in elections and they say

:25:28.:25:31.

he's against Muslims, but I say he should get a chance. We should see

:25:32.:25:37.

how he performs. As well as in Delhi, voters are casting ballots in

:25:38.:25:39.

nearly a fifth of India's parliamentary seats in this latest

:25:40.:25:44.

round of voting. But it will be another month before the world's

:25:45.:25:48.

biggest election is over. There's been a steady flow of voters

:25:49.:25:51.

arriving at this polling station in Delhi'S old city on what is the

:25:52.:25:54.

biggest day so far in India's marathon elections. Voters have been

:25:55.:25:58.

saying issues like corruption and inflation are deciding their votes

:25:59.:26:01.

but others are talking about old loyalties. We won't know the result

:26:02.:26:16.

until the middle of May. Every newspaper has this this

:26:17.:26:20.

morning. Front page advert of Narendra Modi for the BJP, him on

:26:21.:26:25.

page three, him on page five, him on the back pages of the newspapers.

:26:26.:26:29.

The BJP clearly have the money. They also think they have got the

:26:30.:26:36.

momentum. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

:26:37.:26:39.

have been paying their respects to New Zealand's warded. They were

:26:40.:26:43.

visiting the town of Glenn on South Island and later toured a museum of

:26:44.:26:47.

World War I memorabilia owned by the Lord Of The Rings film director

:26:48.:26:51.

Peter Jackson. Here is our royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell at

:26:52.:26:54.

the start of his report does contain some flash photography.

:26:55.:26:58.

They are taking on a greater share of the workload of William's

:26:59.:27:01.

grandmother now, particularly the long haul journeys like this one to

:27:02.:27:06.

New Zealand. So for William and Catherine, their state receptions in

:27:07.:27:10.

their honour, speeches to be made and jokes about George. He is a

:27:11.:27:14.

Bonnie Langford and you will be pleased to know he is currently

:27:15.:27:17.

preparing for life as a prop forward. -- he is a bonny lad. This

:27:18.:27:25.

couple's first public engagement of the visit had been to pay tribute to

:27:26.:27:33.

New Zealand's warded. The country placed itself immediately up

:27:34.:27:37.

Britain's side in 1914, 17,000 New Zealanders were killed in the First

:27:38.:27:41.

World War. In denim on the South Island, William and Catherine

:27:42.:27:44.

stepped forward together to place a wreath at the town's War Memorial --

:27:45.:27:50.

in denim. They met veterans. William top one group, Catherine another.

:27:51.:27:56.

Men with their memories of war, recalled slowly, listened to

:27:57.:28:02.

carefully. Hands were clasped and -- clasped and confidence is shared.

:28:03.:28:06.

Then to the crowds, predominantly women, frequently mothers who had

:28:07.:28:10.

brought their babies. A chance for Catherine to show off sharp and

:28:11.:28:13.

communication skills and to be reminded that babies don't

:28:14.:28:18.

necessarily regard reading the Duchess of the moment not to be

:28:19.:28:24.

sneezed at. There is a serious point of course amid all the royal visit

:28:25.:28:28.

frivolity. Does New Zealand want to keep Britain's kings or queens as

:28:29.:28:33.

their head of state? New Zealand has certainly flirted with the idea of

:28:34.:28:37.

moving on from the monarchy in the past, but when you come out into

:28:38.:28:42.

small, rural communities like this, support for the monarchy is still

:28:43.:28:48.

strong. I think Will and Kate will be wonderful to be the king and

:28:49.:28:52.

queen. It will be lovely. Can you imagine a King George of New

:28:53.:28:56.

Zealand? Absolutely, why not? Absolutely. He and his son represent

:28:57.:29:03.

the long-term future of the monarchy and at the moment there is no real

:29:04.:29:07.

evidence that New Zealand is pressing for change.

:29:08.:29:13.

Time for a look at the weather with Phil Avery.

:29:14.:29:20.

Good afternoon. This was the scene recently, I believe that is Muswell

:29:21.:29:25.

Hill in north London. The blossom is out here. Over the next few days it

:29:26.:29:28.

will feel like spring for many others. Dry and bright, mild days

:29:29.:29:32.

but some chilly nights starting as early as tonight. There is an if and

:29:33.:29:38.

but, in the form of this old weather front. It has been a bother for

:29:39.:29:42.

Northern Ireland and so too for southern parts of Scotland and the

:29:43.:29:46.

other side of the Solway. We will come back to that because we are not

:29:47.:29:50.

done with it even though it looks as if it is fading away. To the north

:29:51.:29:55.

of that the skies are brighter, but there are some sharp showers

:29:56.:29:59.

rattling in on a noticeable west to south-westerly breeze across the top

:30:00.:30:02.

end of Scotland. Some of those are getting down to the central belt.

:30:03.:30:07.

That front, we will come back to that in a second, then further

:30:08.:30:11.

south, it is dry and fine for the most part but the cloud, rather like

:30:12.:30:15.

yesterday, is beginning to show signs of developing across the South

:30:16.:30:19.

West and Wales. It may be this becomes the focus for warm or two

:30:20.:30:24.

showers. Overnight that front will reinvigorate itself for a time,

:30:25.:30:30.

before it fades as it drifts towards the south. Behind it the skies were

:30:31.:30:35.

clear. Those are the towns and city temperatures. In the countryside,

:30:36.:30:40.

well, much cooler. In fact, there may be pockets of frost around. Bear

:30:41.:30:44.

that in mind. A little bit of missed as well. The last of the weather

:30:45.:30:49.

front takes its time to get away from the south-east and you might

:30:50.:30:52.

find a spot of drizzle on that. We will thicken up the cloud of --

:30:53.:30:57.

across the North of Scotland again. In between, a lot of dry weather

:30:58.:31:02.

around and you, if any, showers to report. That weather front becomes

:31:03.:31:07.

on Friday and into Saturday more of a player for a greater part of

:31:08.:31:10.

Scotland and Northern Ireland. Notice the number of isobars, it is

:31:11.:31:15.

going to be quite breezy. This puts me in mind of the process we have

:31:16.:31:18.

just gone through of the front eventually getting down towards the

:31:19.:31:22.

Solway, through Northern Ireland too. A lot of dry weather ahead of

:31:23.:31:28.

it. That will be the forecast for Sunday's London Marathon, a chilly

:31:29.:31:31.

start and don't be on the course too long because beyond 2pm it could get

:31:32.:31:36.

warmer, possibly 16 Celsius. A lot of dry weather across the British

:31:37.:31:39.

Isles on Sunday except perhaps the far north of Scotland with more

:31:40.:31:45.

cloud, wind and rain there. The top story. The former city

:31:46.:31:49.

Minister Lord Myners has quit the board of the Co-op Group Robert

:31:50.:31:50.

objections to his

:31:51.:31:53.

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