General news

• 'No trade, no money!' Jacob Rees-Mogg's no-nonsense WARNING to Brussels over Brexit deal

  02-03-2018 23:35 via feedproxy.google.com
  JACOB REES-MOGG warned European Union officials it would be in their interest to strike a beneficial trade agreement with the United Kingdom if they want to avoid political upheaval in other member states.
  
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• SNP attacked as survey reveals NHS staff shortage fears

  02-03-2018 23:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  ONLY one in five ambulance service workers thinks the NHS has enough staff for them to do their job properly.
  
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• Police make arrests after Dublin supermarket attacked after storm

  02-03-2018 23:30
  Police in Dublin said on Friday they had made several arrests after an attack on a supermarket hours after the city was hit with its worst snowstorm in decades.Several Irish media outlets reported that the supermarket had been looted, but police and the owner of the supermarket declined to provide details of the incident.State broadcaster RTE showed video footage from social media of a mechanical digger pulling down part of a wall of the supermarket.
  
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• The Tuneless Choir: 'Singing like nobody's listening'

  02-03-2018 22:40 via bbc.co.uk
  The Tunbridge Wells Tuneless Choir was set up to give people who cannot hold a tune a safe place to sing.
  
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• Theresa May's Brexit vision dismissed as unrealistic in Brussels

  02-03-2018 20:48
  Theresa May needs ‘to move beyond vague aspirations’ says Guy Verhofstadt, the European parliament’s Brexit coordinator.Theresa May’s Mansion House speech on Britain’s future relationship with EU was dismissed as vague and unworkable in Brussels, although the bloc’s chief negotiator welcomed the prime minister’s belated acceptance of new trade barriers for UK exporters to Europe after Brexit.Michel Barnier said the UK’s clear confirmation that it w
  
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• Storm Emma: Weather causes accident and strands trains

  02-03-2018 20:18 via bbc.co.uk
  Storm Emma combined with snow has been causing havoc across the UK.
  
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• Drivers still ignoring snow warnings and 'risking lives'

  02-03-2018 19:51
  Chief Inspector Adrian Leisk, head of roads policing across Devon, Cornwall and Dorset, issued a stern warning on Twitter as thousands of motorists were left stranded across the UK."Colleagues have been rescuing hundreds of stranded motorists overnight and the icy roads are treacherous," he said, adding to his previous warning that "if we have to rescue you this may put another's life in danger".Meanwhile, high on the Pennines, on the M62, the military was called in to help rescue vehicles betwe
  
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• Death toll reaches 10 as destructive weather batters UK

  02-03-2018 19:46
  The UK is counting the cost of extraordinary blizzards that have brought parts of the country to a standstill, leaving death and destruction and bringing misery to tens of thousands of travellers.Major incidents were declared in Wiltshire, Avon and Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and Hampshire after many hundreds of drivers were stranded in their vehicles.Two more deaths were recorded on Friday, taking the death toll in weather-related incidents to 10.
  
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• Irish PM says remains concerned about UK Brexit position

  02-03-2018 19:33
  Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar on Friday said he remained concerned that British Prime Minister Theresa May did not fully recognise the implications of leaving the European Union's customs union and single market.May in a Friday speech urged the EU to show more flexibility in talks on a relationship after Brexit, saying Britain realised it could not get all it wanted but she believed an ambitious trade deal was still possible."She (May) has given a number of important reassurances today, whic
  
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• Setting out Brexit vision, Britain's May appeals to EU to show flexibility

  02-03-2018 18:58
  Prime Minister Theresa May urged the European Union on Friday to show more flexibility in talks on a future relationship after Brexit, saying Britain realised it could not get all it wanted but believed an ambitious trade deal was still possible.In a much-anticipated speech, May set out ambitions for a tailor-made free trade deal that would include financial services and said Britain would aim for associate membership of EU regulators covering chemicals, medicines and aerospace.Jettisoning an ea
  
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• Theresa May unveils fragile truce in third Brexit offering

  02-03-2018 18:50
  Theresa May called on people to ‘face up to facts’.If Theresa May’s first two speeches unfurled the promise of a “red, white and blue” Brexit, a cold grey day in March will be remembered as the moment a more faded flag was fluttered.As the nation took shelter from the beast from the east, this was intended to be May’s “reality bites” speech.
  
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• Ex-Trump adviser sold $31m in shares days before president announced steel tariffs

  02-03-2018 18:39 via theguardian.com
  Carl Icahn sold $31.3m of shares in a company dependent on steel imports days before the commerce department mooted stiff tariffs on importsTrump trade tariffs – business liveCarl Icahn, a former special adviser to Donald Trump, sold $31.3m of shares in a company heavily dependent on steel imports last week, shortly before Trump’s announcement of new tariffs sent its shares plummeting.Icahn, a billionaire investor who was a major Trump supporter, started selling shares in the crane a
  
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• Train Firms Tell Passengers 'Do Not Travel' Amid Storm Emma Chaos

  02-03-2018 18:32
  Despite amber and red weather warnings being lifted earlier, snow continued to wreak havoc on roads, railways and airport runways.Train companies initially said services at some of Britain’s busiest stations would “wind down” gradually, but as reports of widespread delays and cancellations mounted, Southeastern was forced to advise customers to “stay overnight” if they could.South West Trains followed soon after.
  
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• Southeastern Railway Tells Commuters 'Do Not Travel' As Storm Emma Chaos Continues

  02-03-2018 18:32
  Thousands face being stranded overnight as Southeastern railway became the first train company to advise all passengers “do not travel” on Friday while blizzard conditions crippled Britain’s transport network.Train companies initially said services at some of Britain’s busiest stations would “wind down” from 6pm, but as reports of widespread delays and cancellations mounted, Southeastern was forced to advise customers to “stay overnight” if they ca
  
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• ‘He made my day better’: everyday heroes emerge from snow chaos

  02-03-2018 18:30
  Ally Craggs, who runs a bed and breakfast in Newquay, Cornwall, opened her doors to people sleeping rough in the town as the weather took a turn for the worse.Craggs, who has been homeless herself and is a former outreach worker for a homelessness charity, spoke to the Guardian as she prepared a batch of beef curry for three men she had agreed to help – Ashley, Mike and Ed.“We were told last night [about someone in need],” Craggs said.
  
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• This teenager is going viral after painting a masterpiece onto her face

  02-03-2018 18:12
  Mariah Malik spent 11 hours creating the artwork.
  
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• Isis follower tried to create jihadist child army in east London

  02-03-2018 18:12
  An artist sketch of Umar Haque, 25, in court as video evidence is shown during his trial at the Old Bailey in London.Umar Haque, 25, taught an Islamic studies class despite having no teaching qualifications and being employed as an administrator.Police fear Haque attempted to radicalise at least 110 children, some of whom he was in contact with at the Ripple Road mosque in Barking, east London.
  
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• Universities threaten to punish striking staff over cancelled lectures

  02-03-2018 18:11
  Universities are threatening to punish staff who fail to make up for lectures and seminars cancelled during strikes, a move that union leaders say could prolong the industrial action.In one case the University of Kent has told staff that any failure to reschedule lectures or classes lost because of the strike would see them lose 50% to 100% of their pay “for every day where an individual continues to refuse to perform their full contract of employment”.Kent’s hardline stance ex
  
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• UK snow: Icy conditions cause more than 50 per cent rise in injuries from fall

  02-03-2018 18:11 via feedproxy.google.com
  ICY conditions have caused a more than 50 per cent rise in injuries from falls, figures from the ambulance service revealed yesterday. Falls on Wednesday increased by 52 per cent from the previous Wednesday and demand was up by six per cent from the previous week, the London Ambulance Service say.
  
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• Theresa May's latest Brexit speech shows all bets are off

  02-03-2018 18:06
  Outside the Mansion House, a remain campaigner was braving the freezing cold to offer journalists refreshments.This was Theresa May’s third landmark Brexit speech – following the ones at Lancaster House and in Florence – and she was under pressure to come up with something a little less vague than her previous offerings.With that off her chest, the prime minister then went on to give the speech she probably ought to have considered giving before the referendum when she was half
  
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• Theresa May defends 'cherry-picking' a Brexit deal in Mansion House speech

  02-03-2018 17:59
  Theresa May has used a landmark speech on Brexit to hit back at the EU's refusal to offer Britain a bespoke deal after it leaves the bloc.The Prime Minister lampooned the favoured phrase of Brussels' chief negotiator Michel Barnier in a bid to flesh out her Brexit vision.
  
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• Reaction to May's speech on Brexit

  02-03-2018 17:56
  (Reuters) - Following are reactions to British prime minister Theresa May's speech on Friday setting out her priorities for Brexit ahead of negotiations this year on a new relationship with the European Union.
  
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• After the snow comes freezing rain - UK hit by rare winter phenomenon

  02-03-2018 17:54
  Now Britain is struck by 'freezing rain' as it continues to struggle with the weather
  
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• Lloyd Gunton jailed for IS-inspired 'mass murder' plan in Cardiff

  02-03-2018 17:53
  A teenager has been jailed for a minimum of 11 years after planning an Islamic State-inspired vehicle attack in Cardiff.Lloyd Gunton, 17, had armed himself with a hammer and knife and wrote what was described as a martyrdom letter as part of his plot to kill "non-believers" in Cardiff.Judge Mark Wall QC told the court that Gunton had been "within hours of committing an act of atrocity on the streets of Cardiff".
  
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• Teenager given life sentence for planned Justin Bieber gig attack

  02-03-2018 17:48
  Lloyd Gunton, 17, armed himself with a hammer and knife and wrote a so-called martyrdom letter.A teenager who planned an Islamic State-inspired terrorist attack on a pop concert a month after the Manchester Arena bombing has been given a life sentence and told he will serve at least 11 years in prison before being considered for parole.Lloyd Gunton, 17, researched security for a Justin Bieber gig in Cardiff and wrote a “martyrdom letter”.
  
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• 'Teacher' guilty of recruiting 'army of children' for London attacks

  02-03-2018 17:47
  A self-styled teacher has been found guilty of trying to recruit an "army of children" for Islamic State inspired attacks in London.Umar Haque was convicted on Thursday of training young people, with role play and physical exercise, for attacks on 30 landmarks across the capital.The 25-year-old plotted to target landmarks including Big Ben, the Queen's Guard and Westfield shopping centre, using guns and a car packed with explosives.
  
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• Freezing Britain and the chill wind of austerity

  02-03-2018 17:43
  • This beastly blast of wintry weather serves to confirm my long-held assertion that spring, meteorological or otherwise, doesn’t start until the equinox on 21 March.• We farm in the Scottish Border hills and have a fair idea about what constitutes bad weather (in a British context).
  
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• Sinn Féin can be no saviours of Ireland

  02-03-2018 17:42
  Polly Toynbee (Come to parliament, Sinn Féin, as saviours of Ireland – and Britain, 1 March) aggrandises the former political wing of a paramilitary group.There is undoubtedly merit to her suggestion that Sinn Féin should take their seats in Westminster, as has been suggested by the taoiseach, Leo Varadkar.
  
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• Man convicted after running over Muslim woman in Leicester

  02-03-2018 17:39
  Paul Moore, who was convicted of attempted murder, also tried to hit a schoolgirl with his car.A man has been convicted of attempted murder after running over a Muslim woman and trying to hit a 12-year-old girl with his car in Leicester as “revenge” for terrorist attacks in London.Paul Moore, 21, struck Zaynab Hussein with his Volkswagen Up on 20 September last year after a night of heavy drinking.
  
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• Two more men held over deadly Leicester explosion

  02-03-2018 17:32
  Two more men have been arrested in connection with an explosion in Leicester that killed five people.Leicestershire Police said the suspects, who are both in their 30s and from East Anglia, were held on Friday.Three other men, arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of manslaughter, are still being questioned.
  
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• The Oscars: Will a Brit be crowned best actor - and should they be?

  02-03-2018 17:25
  Not since Muhammad Ali fought Joe Frazier had there been such a tough brawl to predict than that of this year's Oscars.What started off as a sure win for Gary Oldman for his portrayal of former British prime minister Winston Churchill now seems challenged by not one, not two, but three other stars.One of them, and the strongest challenger by far, is Daniel Day-Lewis in his last-ever (he says) role as irritable couturier Reynolds Woodcock in Paul Thomas Anderson's Phantom Thread.
  
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• Setting out Brexit vision, May appeals to EU to show flexibility

  02-03-2018 17:07
  Prime Minister Theresa May urged the European Union on Friday to show more flexibility in talks on a future relationship, saying Britain was ready to swallow the "hard facts" of Brexit but did not believe they prevented a successful trade deal.In a much-anticipated speech, May mixed a gentler tone, jettisoning an earlier strident tone that Britain would walk away from the Brexit talks, with an appeal to the EU to work together to solve some of the more difficult Brexit conundrums.
  
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• Theresa May says Brexit will reduce UK access to single market

  02-03-2018 17:06
  Theresa May has promised to be “straight with people” and face up to the “hard facts” of the Brexit process, including that leaving the single market will mean the UK and EU enjoy less access to each other’s markets.The prime minister admitted on Friday that the UK would continue to be affected by the European court of justice after leaving the EU, and would be constrained in its ability to lower regulatory standards for some goods.
  
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• Lose pay or face danger: Dilemma for couriers as extreme weather bites

  02-03-2018 16:49
  Gig economy workers are risking their safety in dangerous conditions because they fear losing a day's wages as snow and ice grip the UK.Bicycle couriers working in London told Sky News they must choose between missing pay or working in blizzard conditions.Jamie Ramstein said cycling through snowy days in his job as a medical courier was "non-stop risk" and sometimes "really dangerous".
  
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• EU's Barnier welcomes 'clarity' in May Brexit speech

  02-03-2018 16:49
  The European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier welcomed "clarity" from Prime Minister Theresa May on Friday and her recognition that Britain faces "trade-offs" when it leaves the EU single market and customs union."Clarity about UK leaving Single Market and Customs Union and recognition of trade-offs will inform ... guidelines re future FTA," Barnier tweeted after May delivered a keynote speech on future trade relations.
  
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• Factbox - May sets out stance for new trade ties with EU

  02-03-2018 16:33
  British Prime Minister Theresa May delivered a speech on Friday setting out her priorities for Brexit ahead of negotiations to forge a new relationship with the European Union.May stuck to her position that Britain and the EU should aim for a new kind of trade deal after Brexit.The EU's existing agreements with Norway and Canada were unsuitable because they would hurt supply chains and make it hard to keep an open border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, she said.
  
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• Robert Peston Drops Huge Clanger During Theresa May Brexit Questions

  02-03-2018 16:07
  Robert Peston was left seriously red-faced on Friday as he posed a question to Prime Minister Theresa May during her historic “Road to Brexit” speech. 
  
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• Hopeful but wary, pizza chain Sbarro plots Russia return

  02-03-2018 15:55
  U.S. pizza brand Sbarro is re-entering the Russian market, encouraged by a nascent economic recovery but wary of taking aggressive steps after its long-time franchisee fell prey to a downturn.Once Russia's top pizza chain, Sbarro saw most of its outlets shut in the past few years after its local partner got into financial trouble when oil prices collapsed and the West imposed sanctions on Moscow over Ukraine.Rival brands Papa John's and Domino's have expanded aggressively in Russia in the past s
  
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• Big freeze grips UK: Here's when it gets milder

  02-03-2018 15:52
  After one of the coldest starts to the meteorological spring, it looks like temperatures will recover a little over the coming days, especially in the south.Northern parts of the UK will hold onto the very cold conditions over the weekend, with further snow showers likely, especially over northern and eastern Scotland.Early next week, temperatures will improve a little, but it will stay cold for the time of year.
  
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• Highlights - May sets out Brexit vision for trade deal deeper than any other

  02-03-2018 15:50
  British Prime Minister Theresa May set out her vision on Friday for a Brexit deal deeper and wider than any free trade agreement in the world, telling the European Union it is in their "shared interest".
  
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• May sets out vision for frictionless trade after Brexit

  02-03-2018 15:47
  British Prime Minister Theresa May called on Friday for a deep partnership with the European Union after Brexit, setting out ambitions for a tailor-made deal with independent arbitration and new arrangements for regulation and financial services.In an attempt to add detail to Britain's Brexit negotiation, May said the new trading relationship will need binding reciprocal agreements but that British laws need not be the same as the EU to achieve the same regulatory outcomes.May said that in chemi
  
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• May says message to EU is clear: "let's get on with it"

  02-03-2018 15:47
  LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Friday Britain would not be buffeted by European Union demands in divorce talks nor would threaten to walk out of negotiations, adding her message to the bloc was "let's get on with it".
  
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• Teen jailed for Islamic State-inspired attack plan in Cardiff

  02-03-2018 15:42
  A teenager has been jailed for a minimum of 11 years after planning an Islamic State-inspired vehicle attack in Cardiff.Lloyd Gunton, 17, had armed himself with a hammer and knife and wrote what was described as a martyrdom letter as part of his plot to kill "non-believers" in Cardiff.Judge Mark Wall QC, who lifted the usual order banning the identification of those under 18, told the court that Gunton had been "within hours of committing n act of atrocity on the streets of Cardiff".
  
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• Gunman jailed over four-hour Nuneaton bowling alley siege

  02-03-2018 15:41
  A gunman who took hostages during a four-hour siege at a bowling alley in a "suicide by cop" bid has been jailed for 12 years.David Clarke was armed with a sawn-off shotgun, knives and a samurai sword when he burst into MFA Bowl in Nuneaton, Warwickshire and demanded to see his ex-girlfriend at 2.23pm on 22 October last year.
  
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• May's veiled swipe at EU and Barnier is BRILLIANT over Brussels' 'cherry-picking' drone

  02-03-2018 15:32 via feedproxy.google.com
  THERESA MAY has taken a swipe at the European Union in her latest Brexit speech, telling the European project that every trade negotiation involves “cherry picking”.
  
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• UK Weather Forecast: Transport Disruption Creates Friday Night Chaos

  02-03-2018 15:26
  Commuters have been urged to make their way home immediately amid mounting disruption at major transport hubs as blizzard conditions continue.Train companies said services at some of Britain’s busiest stations would “wind down” from 6pm, but there are already reports of widespread delays and cancellations.A yellow “be aware” weather warning of snow is still in place across Scotland until 11.55pm on Saturday and across some parts of the country over the weekend into
  
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• Trump defiant after criticism of steel and aluminium tariffs

  02-03-2018 15:12
  BRUSSELS/BEIJING (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday trade wars were good and easy to win, striking a defiant tone after global criticism of his plan to slap tariffs on imports of steel and aluminium that triggered a slide in world stock markets.The European Union pledged firm counter-measures, China urged Trump to show restraint and Canada, the biggest supplier of steel and aluminium to the United States, said it would retaliate if it is hit by U.S. duties.Trump said on Thurs
  
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• Drivers stuck for 18 hours in the snow as cold snap batters the UK

  02-03-2018 15:11
  One motorist said a gritter "slid sideways" and got stuck in the snow itself.Avon and Somerset Police said about 40 people travelling from London had been among those stranded through the night.Thomas Hamilton said he left his home in London at 6pm and was heading to a friend's farm when he got caught up, coming to a "standstill at the start of the A303 around midnight".
  
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• Stranded orchestra surprises Skegness wedding couple

  02-03-2018 15:08 via bbc.co.uk
  The BBC Concert Orchestra were snowed in and offered to play at the nuptials.
  
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• Snowstorms shut down Ireland, Britain calls in army for hospitals

  02-03-2018 15:08
  DUBLIN/EDINBURGH (Reuters) - Snowstorms shut most of Ireland on Friday and forced Britain to call in the army to help battle some of the worst weather seen for nearly 30 years.After a blast of Siberian cold dubbed "the beast from the east", southern Britain and Ireland were battered by Storm Emma that arrived from the south and blocked roads, grounded planes and stopped trains.Overnight blizzards left snow drifts up to three feet (90 cm) deep across Ireland and Scotland.
  
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