General news

• Dutch intelligence agency spied on Russian hacking group - media

  25-01-2018 23:42
  The Dutch intelligence agency AIVD spied on the Russian group believed to be behind the hack of the Democratic Party ahead of U.S. elections, local media reported on Thursday.Current affairs programme Nieuwsuur and newspaper de Volkskrant based the story on several anonymous intelligence sources in the Netherlands and the United States.The Moscow-based group known as Cozy Bear is widely suspected of hacking the Democratic Party and is believed to be linked to the Russian government.
  
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• Labour peer sacked from front bench over Presidents Club event attendance

  25-01-2018 23:23
  Labour says Lord Mendelsohn has been asked to "step back from the front bench" after it emerged he attended the Presidents Club dinner.The peer was effectively sacked from the party's front benches in the Lords after details of his attendance at the Presidents Club fundraising event came to light.A Labour Lords spokesman said: "Jeremy Corbyn has this evening asked Lord Mendelsohn to step back from the front bench as he attended the Presidents Club dinner, and he has agreed to do so.
  
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• Theresa May disowns Hammond's remarks as MPs rebel over Brexit

  25-01-2018 22:30
  Philip Hammond said the government would seek only ‘modest’ changes in its relationship with the EU.Theresa May has bowed to pressure from Eurosceptic MPs and disowned remarks by the chancellor, Philip Hammond, as she struggled to quell a fresh Tory revolt over Brexit that could threaten her leadership.Hammond enraged leave MPs in his own party on Thursday by telling business leaders in the Swiss ski resort of Davos that the government would seek only “modest” changes in
  
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• Davos's unlikely man - British socialist puts Alpine elite on notice

  25-01-2018 21:39
  John McDonnell, a proud socialist who wants to run Britain's economy and tear up the rules of capitalism, isn't the kind of guy you expect to find rubbing shoulders with the global elite at a Swiss ski resort."It's a bit like being Daniel in the lion's den, but someone has to come here and just give them a bit of a shake," McDonnell, who cites Karl Marx among his key economic influences, told Reuters in Davos.Grey-haired and soft-spoken, belying decades of experience rallying crowds for Britain'
  
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• Tessa Jowell receives standing ovation in Lords after emotional cancer plea

  25-01-2018 21:26
  A packed House of Lords stood and applauded after former cabinet minister Tessa Jowell made one of the most emotional speeches heard in parliament for many years about her battle against brain cancer.Looking frail and weak, wearing a hat to hide the effects of chemotherapy and with her voice occasionaly faltering and croaking, she spoke for 10 minutes appealing for Government backing for new cancer treatment.The Health and Social Care Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, sat on the step in front of the thron
  
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• Workers at University of London strike to end outsourcing

  25-01-2018 21:24
  Outsourced workers at the University of London are campaigning to be brought in-house, holding a strike on Thursday to support their demands.Cleaners, security guards, porters and other workers want to be employed directly by the university, which they hope will give them greater security, improved benefits and the ability to better negotiate with their employers.While they are essential to the running of the university, many of them are currently supplied to the institution by an external facil
  
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• U.S. President Trump talks up dollar in Davos

  25-01-2018 20:41
  U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he ultimately wants the dollar to be strong, contradicting comments made by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin one day earlier."The dollar is going to get stronger and stronger and ultimately I want to see a strong dollar," Trump said in an interview with CNBC, adding that Mnuchin's comments had been misinterpreted.
  
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• MPs pile pressure on big four audit firms over Carillion collapse

  25-01-2018 20:41
  Two powerful panels of MPs are piling pressure on the world's biggest audit firms to disclose their links to Carillion as they prepare to quiz the collapsed construction group's former bosses.Sky News has learnt that the big four auditors - Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) - have received letters from the Business and Work and Pensions select committees ‎demanding that they reveal within a week work they had undertaken for Carillion since 2008.The move comes amid growing c
  
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• Tory MPs considering coup against May as frustration builds

  25-01-2018 20:35
  Conservative MPs are considering another attempt at ousting Theresa May if the local elections go badly, as disillusionment with her leadership bubbles up among backbenchers once again.A string of MPs have told the Guardian that criticism from Nick Boles, a former minister, of her “timidity and lack of ambition” has struck a chord within the parliamentary party, especially among those who believe she is falling short on domestic issues.One former minister said the most dangerous time
  
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• Exclusive: Presidents Club guest defends sleaze dinner, saying 'it was no Roman orgy'

  25-01-2018 20:33
  A businessman who attended the controversial Presidents Club fundraiser at the centre of sexual harassment allegations has denied it was a "Roman orgy".In an exclusive interview with Sky News, the man insisted there was nothing "sinister" about the men-only event at London's Dorchester Hotel and many of the guests had faced "peer pressure" to attend.The man - who asked not to be named - told Sky News: "I was certainly shocked at the scale and way it's been portrayed.
  
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• Sexual Harassment: What You Can Do To Counter It At Work

  25-01-2018 20:13
  The scandal over the rampant sexual harassment at the men-only Presidents Club charity dinner has thrown up questions about whether staff are being bamboozled into doing nothing about bad behaviour they endure.
  
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• EU could dash hopes for UK to remain in aviation safety agency

  25-01-2018 20:13
  Britain could be excluded from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) after it quits the EU, raising the prospect of increased certification costs for airlines and manufacturers and dashing London's hopes of keeping its membership.EASA ensures airlines respect safety rules and certifies aerospace products across the bloc, helping to bring down the costs of development and production within the industry.In addition, the EU has a bilateral agreement with the United States under which they acce
  
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• Britain has been ‘cowed’ by Brussels, says Jacob Rees-Mogg

  25-01-2018 20:13
  Tory Eurosceptic MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, who said Brexit should not be a ‘damage limitation exercise’.Tory divisions over Brexit have been starkly exposed by the backbench Eurosceptic Jacob Rees-Mogg, who has stepped up his condemnation of Theresa May’s approach to leaving the European Union, accusing the government of being “cowed” by Brussels.While the chancellor, Philip Hammond, was in Davos, telling business leaders he hoped the EU and Britain would only move &ldquo
  
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• Twitter fails to find 'strong enough evidence' to link Russia with Brexit vote

  25-01-2018 20:02
  Twitter has told a parliamentary inquiry that it has found little evidence of Russian involvement in the 2016 EU referendum campaign.Writing to Damian Collins MP, who is leading the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee's inquiry into fake news and misinformation, the social media platform said it had examined accounts identified by City University as potentially being Russian state-sponsored.The Internet Research Agency is a Russian online influence agency.
  
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• Birmingham beggar 'saved' by job offer

  25-01-2018 19:58 via bbc.co.uk
  Kriss Wilkes says he was in a desperate place when he was offered a job by a passer-by.
  
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• This man’s sneezing commuter story is a tale of bravery in desperate circumstances

  25-01-2018 19:50
  This sneezing teen is everybody’s hero.
  
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• Meirelles Says Lula Absence Will Benefit Centrist Candidates

  25-01-2018 19:06
  Jan.25 -- Brazil's Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles discusses the country's economy and upcoming elections with Bloomberg's Erik Schatzker at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
  
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• Sadiq Khan challenges release of rapist John Worboys

  25-01-2018 19:03
  John Worboys, 60, was moved to Belmarsh prison in London last weekend, and his release is expected in the next few weeks.The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is launching legal action to challenge the Parole Board over its decision to release the black-cab rapist John Worboys.In a statement on Thursday afternoon, Khan said: “I have today lodged with the court an application for judicial review of the Parole Board’s decision to release the convicted rapist John Worboys.
  
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• Incoherent policies on sugar and alcohol

  25-01-2018 19:00
  A stockpile of sugar beet at the British Sugar factory in Bury St Edmunds.The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has drawn attention to the lack of “coherence” in current policies on obesity and sugar (Report, 23 January).Thus, one arm of government is trying to increase the production of sugar, while another seeks to reduce its consumption.
  
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• Carer filmed slapping Kettering dementia patient

  25-01-2018 18:57 via bbc.co.uk
  The 78-year-old is slapped and told she stinks by the carer, who was given a police caution.
  
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• Tory minister declines John Humphrys interview over pay comments

  25-01-2018 18:54
  Tracey Crouch is the minister for sports and civil society.A Conservative minister refused to be interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme after John Humphrys made light of a colleague’s fight for equal pay, it can be revealed.The Guardian understands that the stand taken by Tracey Crouch has been followed by a number of other female MPs, who are using informal parliamentary networks to encourage a potential boycott.
  
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• Toyota South Africa recalls more than 700,000 vehicles

  25-01-2018 18:52
  CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - Japanese carmaker Toyota's <7203.T> South African unit recalled more than 700,000 vehicles because of an issue with safety bags used in the cars, an official at Toyota South Africa said.
  
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• Louis Vuitton-owner LVMH upbeat as Chinese shoppers lift sales

  25-01-2018 18:48
  Louis Vuitton owner LVMH , the world's biggest luxury goods maker, delivered better-than-expected sales growth in the fourth quarter as it benefited like many peers from a steady recovery in Asian demand.The French company, whose 70 brands range from Dom Perignon champagne to fashion houses like Fendi and Givenchy, said sales rose 11 percent between October and December on a like-for-like basis, which strips out currency swings.
  
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• Donald Trump promises 'tremendous' UK trade increase

  25-01-2018 18:24
  Donald Trump has promised a "tremendous" increase in trade with the UK at a short meeting with Theresa May in Davos.Speaking during a photo opportunity at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, Mr Trump said the US and UK are "very much joined at the hip".Mr Trump told her: "It's great to see you.
  
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• London court backs Sberbank, Franklin Templeton on IBA debt restructuring

  25-01-2018 18:23
  MOSCOW/BAKU/LONDON (Reuters) - A London court has sided with Franklin Templeton Investment Management and Russia's Sberbankin a ruling relating to International Bank of Azerbaijan's (IBA) debt restructuring, potentially delaying the process.As part of the restructuring process, IBA had obtained in May 2017 a moratorium from the London court in relation to the restructuring.
  
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• Three times more people dying from flu in UK than last winter

  25-01-2018 18:13
  Public Health England says the flu outbreak is the worst since 2010-11.Three times as many people are dying of flu this winter compared with last year, with the UK death toll from the virus hitting 155, figures show.Across the UK last week 35 people died of flu – more than three times the 11 deaths recorded in the corresponding seven days last January.
  
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• London Mayor Sadiq Khan asks court to review decision to free rapist John Worboys

  25-01-2018 18:13
  The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has lodged an application for a judicial review of the decision to free rapist John Worboys.The Labour politician said he lodged an application following the decision of the Parole Board.For victims, and all Londoners, it must be properly scrutinised in the courts.
  
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• Presidents Club guest defends sleaze dinner, saying 'it was no Roman orgy'

  25-01-2018 18:11
  A businessman who attended the controversial Presidents Club fundraiser at the centre of sexual harassment allegations has denied it was a "Roman orgy".In an exclusive interview with Sky News, the man insisted there was nothing "sinister" about the men-only event at London's Dorchester Hotel and many of the guests had faced "peer pressure" to attend.The man - who asked not to be named - told Sky News: "I was certainly shocked at the scale and way it's been portrayed.
  
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• Law Society takes action over cuts to legal aid fees

  25-01-2018 18:10
  The Law Society has launched legal action over cuts to fees paid to defence lawyers for reading criminal evidence, warning that more miscarriages of justice will result.The body, which represents solicitors in England and Wales, has begun judicial review proceedings challenging the decision by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to reduce legal aid payments from last October.Before October, the MoJ’s formula in the “litigators graduated fee scheme” rewarded criminal solicitors for re
  
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• Rise in rough sleeping is no surprise – it’s now a routine sight

  25-01-2018 18:09
  Walking back from the park early on Monday morning I counted three people sleeping in a hedge along the railway tracks that lead from Euston station, and quickly forgot about it.Rough sleeping in the north London borough of Camden has increased by 647%, according to government figures released on Thursday.Camden reported the largest increase in rough sleeping of any area in England, from 17 rough sleepers in 2016 (an optimistic estimate) to 127 counted this year.
  
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• Leader to laggard - UK economy loses ground after Brexit vote

  25-01-2018 18:07
  Britain's economy has fared better than the gloomy expectations made at the time of the 2016 Brexit vote, but it has been helped mainly by a strong pick-up in global growth and many of its peers are growing more quickly.Following is a summary of how Britain's economic performance compares with that of other rich nations.Britain grew more slowly than every other G7 country over the first three quarters of 2017.
  
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• LVMH operating income up 18 percent in 2017 amid China comeback

  25-01-2018 18:01
  PARIS (Reuters) - LVMH , the world's biggest luxury goods maker, posted an 18 percent rise in operating income for 2017 on Thursday, in line with forecasts, as robust demand from China boosted sales and the group took full control of its Christian Dior label.
  
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• Toby Young Was Asked About 'Embarrassing' Past In Interview For Watchdog, Chair Reveals

  25-01-2018 17:46
  Toby Young was asked in his interview for the universities regulator whether there was anything in his past that could be embarrassing if he was appointed to a role on its board, the watchdog’s boss has said.
  
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• Two more lawmakers mull joining legal case to show UK can stop Brexit alone

  25-01-2018 17:44
  Two more lawmakers in Britain's national parliament are considering joining a legal case seeking to show that Britain can, if it chooses, alone change its mind on Brexit, intensifying its potential political scope.Labour's Chris Leslie, along with Liberal Democrat lawmaker Tom Brake, want to add their names to Scottish litigation aimed at showing that Britain can, if the case arises, reverse its decision to leave the world's biggest trading bloc.The petition, filed in Scotland's Court of Session
  
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• One in eight secondary schools in England are ‘failing’

  25-01-2018 17:29
  Officials say the rise in underperforming schools is because of technical changes to the points system.A growing number of secondary schools in England have been labelled as underperforming, with one in eight falling below the government’s new minimum standard, according to official data.Statistics from the Department for Education (DfE) show that 365 mainstream secondary schools (12%) fell below the floor standard last year, up from 282 (9.3%) in 2016.
  
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• Sadiq Khan challenges release of John Worboys

  25-01-2018 17:25
  ‘Londoners need to know that those in authority are doing everything they can to keep them safe,’ Sadiq Khan said.The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is launching legal action to challenge the Parole Board over its decision to release the black-cab rapist John Worboys.In a statement on Thursday afternoon, Khan said: “I have today lodged with the court an application for judicial review of the Parole Board’s decision to release the convicted rapist John Worboys.
  
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• Philip Hammond: MPs may not have 'full Brexit details' before key vote on deal

  25-01-2018 17:24
  Philip Hammond has sparked anger by claiming MPs will not have "full details" of the future UK-EU relationship when Parliament votes on a Brexit deal.The Chancellor said the Government expected the "high-level shape" of an agreement to be "emerging", but did not commit to a full deal having been negotiated before the House of Commons and House of Lords have their say.Last month, ministers suffered a defeat on key Brexit legislation after a Tory rebellion saw an amendment, calling for a "meaningf
  
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• Who were the Deepcut four?

  25-01-2018 17:23 via bbc.co.uk
  The four young Army recruits died from gunshot wounds in unexplained circumstances at Deepcut.
  
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• Britain to tighten financial checks on fracking firms

  25-01-2018 16:45
  Britain is tightening controls on firms hoping to carry out hydraulic fracking in parts of the country by adding a financial health check to the application process, the government said on Thursday.Substantial amounts of shale gas are estimated to be trapped in underground rocks and the British government wants to exploit them to help offset declining North Sea oil and gas output, create jobs and boost economic growth.No fracking - which involves extracting gas obtained from rocks broken up or f
  
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• European shares fall as Draghi remarks keep euro running

  25-01-2018 16:32
  MILAN/LONDON (Reuters) - European shares fell on Thursday as remarks from European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi kept the euro running, sending the currency to fresh three-year highs against the dollar.
  
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• Fall in apprenticeships may force 'radical rethink' of UK policy

  25-01-2018 16:01
  The government is under renewed pressure to implement a “radical rethink” of apprenticeships after a near 27% fall in the number taking up trainee posts in the last quarter of 2017.The biggest drop came in “intermediate” apprenticeships, the basic level, which dropped 38% to 52,000.The highest level of apprenticeships – known as degree apprenticeships – rose nearly 27% to 11,600.
  
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• Flu outbreak in England 'starting to slow'

  25-01-2018 15:57
  The spread of influenza has slowed in the last week, with only a modest rise in the number of patients attending GPs with flu-like symptoms compared with last week.There has been an 11% rise in the flu hospitalisation rate, a 42% increase in the GP consultation rate with flu-like illness compared with the previous week, and an 8% drop in the flu intensive care admission rate.The main strains circulating continue to be flu A(H3N2), A(H1N1) and Flu B, according to Public Health England .
  
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• Fashion retailer Asos posts 23% sales rise in 'challenging' UK market

  25-01-2018 15:32
  Online fashion retailer Asos has emerged as a Christmas retail winner as UK sales grew by nearly a quarter despite a "challenging market".Shares in the UK-based group rose 3% after the update underlined the advantage of internet-only players over traditional rivals with large numbers of bricks-and-mortar stores - many of which had a tough festive season.Asos said total group sales were up 30% to £790m for the four months to the end of December, while the UK saw a 23% increase to £301
  
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• Trump takes "America First" to Davos globalists

  25-01-2018 14:56
  President Donald Trump flew overnight to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he will push his "America First" agenda and seek more fair, reciprocal trade between the United States and its allies. Sonia Legg reports.
  
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• U.S. says illicit activity is top cryptocurrency concern

  25-01-2018 14:54
  Washington's main concern about the rise of cryptocurrencies is to make sure they are not used for illicit activity, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Thursday as he urged nations to join the United States in regulating them."My number-one focus on cryptocurrencies, whether that be digital currencies or bitcoin or other things, is that we want to make sure that they're not used for illicit activities," he told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
  
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• May says world cannot pull in different directions on trade

  25-01-2018 14:45
  DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May told business leaders in Davos on Thursday that countries must not start pulling in different directions on trade.
  
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• Britain will not reverse Brexit, Hammond tells CEOs in Davos

  25-01-2018 14:22
  Britain will not be reversing Brexit, Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond told business chiefs in Davos."Britain will be leaving the EU on the 29th of March 2019," Hammond said.Hammond said it was important to have an arrangement which allowed free trade between Britain and the world's largest trading bloc to continue.
  
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• The definitive guide to adulting levels according to super proud grown-ups on Twitter

  25-01-2018 14:20
  From paying bills, getting an early night and taking out a mortgage there seems to be a general consensus as to how tasks rate.
  
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• Mortgage approvals by UK banks 'falling off a cliff'

  25-01-2018 14:17
  Mortgage approvals by British banks fell to their lowest level for almost five years last month, industry figures show.Lenders approved 36,115 home loans in December, the weakest level since April 2013.The figure was 19% down on the same month a year before and also weaker than the 39,007 level seen in November, UK Finance said.
  
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• MoD to launch defence review that will be completed by summer

  25-01-2018 14:10
  The defence secretary, Gavin Williamson, right, says the review will not be ‘fiscally neutral’.The Ministry of Defence will embark on a new review of the military’s needs, to be completed by the summer, the government has confirmed.MPs on both sides of the Commons largely welcomed the review, named the Defence Modernisation Programme, after Conservative MPs had threatened a revolt against cuts.
  
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