Political news

• Parliament Should Take Control Of Brexit If MPs Reject May's Deal - Labour

  25-03-2018 23:31
  Labour will launch a bid to block the Government from ripping the UK out of Europe without a deal should MPs reject Theresa May’s Brexit deal. Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer will table an amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill that will ensure ministers cannot force the UK to accept a no-deal exit from the bloc. Now, the Opposition is aiming to rewrite the Government’s Brexit legislation  by building a coalition of peers and MPs that will reject May’s &ldq
  
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• Theresa May fights to keep UK in EU satellite project

  25-03-2018 21:32 via ft.com
  Galileo contracts at risk as Brussels seeks to protect systems compromised by Brexit
  
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• May scrambles to avoid UK being frozen out of EU satellite project

  25-03-2018 21:32 via ft.com
  Galileo contracts at risk as Brussels seeks to protect systems being compromised by Brexit
  
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• Pressure builds over whistleblower’s Brexit spending claims

  25-03-2018 20:35 via ft.com
  Vote Leave group paid data analysts via BeLeave to skirt limits, alleges ex-campaigner
  
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• Greater Manchester Police Officer Hospitalised With Serious Injuries After Sword Attack

  25-03-2018 19:45
  A 23-year-old man has been arrested after a police officer was slashed with a sword, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.The force said the officer is currently in hospital with “serious injuries” following the incident in Whalley Range at around 1.50pm on Sunday.A number of roads remain closed around the scene in Demesne Road, GMP said. A 23-year-old man has been arrested after a police officer was slashed with a sword in Whalley Range.
  The incident happened about 1.50pm today
  
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• Jewish Leaders Plan Protest At Parliament Amid Jeremy Corbyn Anti-Semitism Row

  25-03-2018 19:10
  Jewish leaders are urging people to demonstrate outside parliament over Jeremy Corbyn’s apparent defence of an anti-semitic mural.The Labour leader has become embroiled in a row after a 2012 Facebook comment, in which he questioned why the mural should be removed, resurfaced.It depicts a group of Jewish men playing Monopoly on the backs of a group of emaciated people.The east London mural was painted over as Tower Hamlets Council had ruled it was anti-semitic, but Corbyn’s post
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn 'Sincerely Sorry' For Anti-Semitism 'Pockets' In Labour As Mural Row Escalates

  25-03-2018 19:10
  Jeremy Corbyn has pledged to root out “pockets of anti-semitism” within Labour, as Jewish leaders plan a demonstration outside parliament over his apparent defence of an anti-semitic mural.The Labour leader said he was “sincerely sorry for the pain which has been caused” and recognised “anti-semitism has occurred in pockets within the Labour Party.He said this as he became embroiled in a row over a 2012 Facebook comment, in which he questioned why the mural was
  
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• Sunday Shows Round-Up: Vote Leave On The Ropes, Michael Sheen And David Davis' Sick Bucket

  25-03-2018 18:23
  Guests @Jeremy_Hunt, @Keir_Starmer and @michaelsheen are joining @Peston over the coming hour. #Pestonpic.twitter.com/Br5rIRA7Vs— Peston on Sunday (@pestononsunday) March 25, 2018Between fresh allegations about the Brexit campaigning “cheating” and Owen Smith being sacked as Northern Ireland Secretary, it has been yet another hectic week in politics. Here’s HuffPost UK’s round-up of the Sunday politics shows to break it down for you. Vote Leave allegations
  
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• Peter Pickering Was Chief Suspect In 1965 Schoolgirl Murder, Police Reveal After He Dies

  25-03-2018 17:34
  An 80-year-old rapist and child killer, known as “the Beast of Wombwell”, was the chief suspect in a schoolgirl’s 1965 murder, police have announced after his death.Peter Pickering died on Saturday evening “after being taken ill in secure psychiatric accommodation”, police said, five days after he was convicted last week of the rape and false imprisonment of a woman in 1972.Announcing his death, West Yorkshire Police confirmed Pickering was arrested and interviewed
  
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• A Year Without Clothes Shopping

  25-03-2018 17:22
  Last week, The Times reported that Britons binned £12.5 billion worth of clothes during 2017, with 300,000 tonnes of textiles ending up in landfill. This environmental impact was a major motivation for the challenge I set myself last year – don’t buy any clothes for the entirety of 2017.I had a second motivation for taking on this challenge: a guilty conscience over having bought things that I neither needed or particularly liked, which then became part of an unnecessarily larg
  
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• The Advent Of Self-Defending Smart Cities

  25-03-2018 17:12
  Humans have been living in cities for thousands of years. Yet, while medieval city walls might have fallen to be replaced by roads and bridges connecting our modern metropolises, the essence of the city has remained unchanged. As technology has progressed, we have refined and built up these cities somewhat, but what’s the next step?Many functions a city needs to perform, and the challenges it faces, are similar to those of an organism. Unfortunately, our cities are currently far less sophi
  
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• Anti-Semitism and Brexit stir unrest between Corbyn and Labour MPs

  25-03-2018 17:08 via ft.com
  Smith sacking and mural row prompt calls for further explantation at Parliamentary Labour Party meeting
  
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• Why Rooney Mara’s Mary Magdalene Matters — Even If The Film Is Totally Tepid

  25-03-2018 16:57
  Mary Magdalene’s legacy is cloaked in myth, misinformation and misogyny.Characterised as a penitent prostitute who atones for her shady past by joining up with Jesus, the truth is, no gospel suggests that the first century, Jewish, Middle Eastern woman ever traded in sex. The lie began to persist in the sixth century, when Pope Gregory pulled an absolute zinger and gave a sermon conflating her with an anonymous woman looking for forgiveness from Christ and his crew.It’s a smear that&
  
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• Nuclear Deterrence: A Failed Doctrine?

  25-03-2018 16:29
  In the nuclear armed countries, our politicians routinely tell us that nuclear weapons are the ultimate guarantee of our security. They also claim that nuclear weapons have kept the peace through nuclear deterrence since their use by the USA against Japan in 1945 at the end of the Second World War.Here I present evidence in this article that throws serious doubt on both these claims.Are nuclear weapons the ultimate guarantee of our security?Following detailed research and the uncovering of numer
  
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• Jeremy Hunt Backs 10-Year Funding Deal For NHS

  25-03-2018 16:26
  .@Jeremy_Hunt tells @Peston more money for the NHS will have to come from higher taxes or growth of the economy. #Pestonpic.twitter.com/t1HPgHTX01— Peston on Sunday (@pestononsunday) March 25, 2018Jeremy Hunt has called for a 10-year funding deal for the NHS amid speculation the Government could back a ring-fenced tax rise to provide a cash boost.The Health and Social Care Secretary said a long-term deal would help the country cope with the challenges of Britain’s ageing population.H
  
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• David Davis has sick bucket on hand during BBC interview

  25-03-2018 16:15 via bbc.co.uk
  Brexit Secretary David Davis had a contingency when he was interviewed by Andrew Marr while feeling ill.
  
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• Ex-Catalan Leader Carles Puigdemont Arrested In Germany Over Referendum

  25-03-2018 15:54
  The former Catalan president has been detained in Germany after fleeing Spain to escape a potential prison sentence over last year’s referendum.Carles Puigdemont fled Spain four months ago. He faces up to 25 years in prison for organising the illegal referendum on secession last year.Puigdemont had entered Germany from Denmark after leaving Finland on Friday when it appeared police would arrest him there and begin an extradition process requested by Spain.His detention threatens to wo
  
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• Ex-Catalan Leader Carles Puigdemont Arrested In Germany Over Independence Referendum

  25-03-2018 15:54
  The former Catalan president has been detained in Germany after fleeing Spain to escape a potential prison sentence over last year’s referendum.Carles Puigdemont fled Spain four months ago. He faces up to 25 years in prison for organising the illegal referendum on secession last year.Puigdemont had entered Germany from Denmark after leaving Finland on Friday when it appeared police would arrest him there and begin an extradition process requested by Spain.His detention threatens to wo
  
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• Lys Assia Dead: Eurovision's First-Ever Winner Dies, Aged 94

  25-03-2018 15:18
  The first-ever winner of Eurovision, Lys Assia, has died at the age of 94.The singer represented Switzerland in the 1956 Song Contest with her song ‘Refrain’, going on to perform in two later contests. She died on Saturday (24 March) at the Zollikerberg Hospital in Zurich.Eurovision bosses called her the “Grande Dame of Eurovision” as they posted a tribute to her on Twitter. “We’re very sad to hear that Lys Assia - the Grande Dame of #Eurovision - ha
  
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• Tory MP cleared in misconduct probe

  25-03-2018 15:14 via bbc.co.uk
  Daniel Poulter had been accused of inappropriate behaviour towards female colleagues.
  
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• Actor Michael Sheen Heightens Speculation He Could Stand To Be A Labour MP

  25-03-2018 15:02
  .@MichaelSheen does not say no when @Peston asked if he would consider running to be the Labour candidate for Aberavon.
  And then @BenPBradshaw says he would welcome him as a colleague! #Pestonpic.twitter.com/pM91jQ1lK6— Peston on Sunday (@pestononsunday) March 25, 2018Michael Sheen has heightened speculation he could stand to be a Labour MP in future. The Welshman, who was nominated for a BAFTA for his performance as Tony Blair in The Queen, failed to rule out entering politics when h
  
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• BBC Newsreader George Alagiah: 'My Bowel Cancer Could Have Been Caught Earlier If I Was Tested In Scotland'

  25-03-2018 14:48
  BBC newsreader George Alagiah says his cancer could have been caught sooner if he was to have been tested in Scotland. The journalist, who is fighting stage four bowel cancer for the second time, has questioned why the screening age for the disease is at 60 in England when Scots can be tested from 50. There is less than a 10 percent chance of survival for at least five years for those with the disease as advances as George’s is.Speaking to The Times (£), George admitted he
  
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• Cambridge Analytica-linked firm 'boasted of poll interference'

  25-03-2018 14:44 via bbc.co.uk
  BBC sees papers suggesting Cambridge Analytica's parent company boasted of election interference.
  
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• Firm in data scandal 'made election boasts'

  25-03-2018 13:52 via bbc.co.uk
  The company that became Cambridge Analytica boasted about interfering in foreign elections, according to documents seen by the Sunday Politics.
  
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• David Davis Brings Sick Bucket Onto Andrew Marr Show

  25-03-2018 13:49
  David Davis powered through an appearance on the Andrew Marr Show on Sunday despite feeling so unwell he needed a sick bucket beside him.The poorly Brexit secretary also had a box of tissues and a glass of water on standby in the event he was ill live on air.The drastic measures were quickly spotted by political pundits on Twitter.There is a large bucket and some tissues next to David Davis on Marr 🤔🤢 pic.twitter.com/bgG4mQpUXg— Paul Brand (@PaulBrandITV) March 25, 2018Does
  
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• David Davis says a deal with EU is 'incredibly probable'

  25-03-2018 13:38 via bbc.co.uk
  The Brexit secretary says preparing for a stalemate is like having home insurance.
  
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• Boris Johnson Calls Vote Leave 'Cheating' Claims 'Utterly Ludicrous'

  25-03-2018 13:30
   Boris Johnson has branded claims Vote Leave “cheated” during the Brexit campaign “utterly ludicrous” as demands for answers over spending intensified on Sunday.The Foreign Secretary tweeted that the designated Leave campaign “won fair and square - and legally” after allegations by whistleblower Shahmir Sanni it used separate pro-Brexit group BeLeave to dodge strict spending limits set by the Electoral Commission. Vote Leave has strongly denied wrong
  
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• Senior Labour figures defend Corbyn in row over antisemitic mural

  25-03-2018 13:11
  Tom Watson and Keir Starmer say party leader voiced regret at appearing to support the imageSenior Labour figures have defended Jeremy Corbyn over his response to the antisemitism row within the party, after the Labour leader appeared to show his support for an antisemitic mural in 2012.The deputy leader, Tom Watson, and Labour’s Brexit secretary, Keir Starmer, both appeared on the Sunday morning politics TV programmes to condemn the mural Corbyn backed on free speech grounds in 2012. Cont
  
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• Environment Experts Quit Scottish Air Pollution Body

  25-03-2018 13:04
  Environmental experts have quit a group set up to oversee ministers’ strategy for tackling air pollution, citing frustration and deep disappointment over a lack of progress.Scottish Environment Link members resigned from the Cleaner Air for Scotland Governance Group (CAFSGG) after raising concerns around “commitment, ambition and urgency” and following “poor input” into plans for Scotland’s first low emission zone (LEZ) in Glasgow.Friends of the Earth Scotland
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn 'Does Not Have Anti-Semitic Bone In His Body,' Ally Says As Mural Row Engulfs Labour

  25-03-2018 12:31
  Shadow Transport Secretary Andy McDonald defends Jeremy Corbyn saying he "doesn't have a anti-Semitic bone in his body" pic.twitter.com/d15pctFhjb— Sunday with Paterson (@RidgeOnSunday) March 25, 2018Senior Labour figures have defended Jeremy Corbyn after he appeared to endorse a “horrible” anti-semitic mural. Shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald claimed Corbyn “does not have an anti-semitic bone in his body” while deputy leader Tom Watson said “
  
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• J.K. Rowling Blames Liking Transphobic Tweet On 'Middle-Aged Moment'

  25-03-2018 12:24
  J.K. Rowling has denied intentionally ‘liking’ a transphobic tweet. The ‘Harry Potter’ author came under fire from fans after they spotted she had liked a post containing a slur against trans women, referring to them as “men in dresses”. The tweet read: “I was shouted at by men at my first Labour Party meeting aged 18 because I asked them to remove a page 3 calendar. I’ve been told to toughen up, be louder, stronger, independent. I’
  
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• ITV Brands Claims Ant And Dec Will Be Replaced On 'I'm A Celebrity' 'Utter Nonsense'

  25-03-2018 11:31
  ITV has hit back at reports Ant and Dec are set to be replaced as hosts of ‘I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!’. The broadcaster branded claims new presenters will front the next series after Ant’s return to rehab “utter nonsense”. After the report was published in the Daily Star, a spokesperson told The Mirror: “It is utter nonsense to suggest that Ant and Dec are set to be replaced on ‘I’m A Celebrity’.”Howeve
  
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• Hunt to unveil plan for women to have same midwives through pregnancy

  25-03-2018 11:30
  Health secretary will say 3,000 extra maternity staff are to be trained over four yearsJeremy Hunt is setting out plans for expectant mothers to be cared for by the same midwives throughout their pregnancy in a bid to reduce miscarriages and stillbirths.The health and social care secretary will announce plans to train 3,000 extra midwives and maternity support staff over four years.Continue reading...
  
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• British Newspaper Editor Jailed For Killing Wife In Dubai

  25-03-2018 11:27
  The family of a woman who was killed by her husband in Dubai have said said “justice has not yet been done” after he was jailed for 10 years.British newspaper editor Francis Matthew was found guilty in the Emirate of killing his 62-year-old wife Jane Matthew with a hammer on July 4 last year.In a statement issued after they attended the sentencing, the victim’s family said: “Jane was a loving wife, mother, daughter, sister and aunt.“Losing her in such a brutal manne
  
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• ITV Defends Decision To Film Levi Bellfield Drama Near Home

  25-03-2018 11:12
  The makers of an ITV drama depicting the investigation into Milly Dowler murderer Levi Bellfield have defended their decision to film on location near his house.Starring Martin Clunes as a Metropolitan Police detective who pursued the killer, Manhunt focuses on the probe into the murder of 22-year-old Amelie Delagrange in 2004.Bellfield was jailed in 2008 for Delagrange’s murder and the 2003 murder of Marsha McDonnell, 19, after the two were linked.He was later convicted of murdering 13-ye
  
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• Scotland seeks to define sectarianism in law

  25-03-2018 11:06 via ft.com
  Move follows repeal of legislation banning offensive behaviour at football matches
  
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• Labour Open To Backing Second Brexit Referendum, Tom Watson Tells Andrew Marr

  25-03-2018 11:02
  Labour is open to backing a second Brexit referendum, deputy leader Tom Watson has said. Speaking on the BBC Andrew Marr Show, Jeremy Corbyn’s second-in-command said it was “highly unlikely” the party would begin calling for a poll on the Brexit deal, but when pressed, said “you should always keep your options open”. Shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald, however, told Sky News’ Niall Paterson he thought it was too late for any re-run of the poll
  
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• Whistleblower claims Brexit campaign dodged spending rules

  25-03-2018 09:51 via ft.com
  Vote Leave group paid data analysts via BeLeave to skirt limits, says ex-campaigner
  
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• Brexit campaign broke spending rules, claims whistleblower

  25-03-2018 09:51 via ft.com
  Vote Leave group paid data analysts via BeLeave to skirt limits, says ex-campaigner
  
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• Bins Over Brexit: Community Parties Tell Us What Really Matters To People In The 2018 Local Elections

  25-03-2018 09:09
  In less than six weeks, voters across England will go to the polls to decide who will represent them on their local council.  Yes, it’s that time of year.  Again. Thousands of seats are up for grabs in all 32 London boroughs and more than 150 councils of varying types, from metropolitan to rural district.The main parties are gearing up for the fight, with Jeremy Corbyn launching Labour’s campaign in Greater Manchester this week - promising a “referendum on auster
  
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• Brexit was making us a joke nation even before the blue passports | William Keegan

  25-03-2018 08:59
  Theresa May’s ‘transition’ deal is no cause for optimism amid this growing sense of farceDid I hear aright? Is the new, or rather “retro”, post-Brexit, true-blue British passport going to be manufactured in France? What a wonderful symbol of the futility and duplicity of the Brexiters’ promise to “take back control”!And what is this dire threat from the ubiquitous Jacob Rees-Mogg that the UK risks becoming a “joke nation” by giving in o
  
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• Politicians can’t control the digital giants with rules drawn up for the analogue era | Andrew Rawnsley

  25-03-2018 08:06
  Legislators need to be robust if we are to restore faith in the integrity of democratic politicsMatt Hancock, the ambitious minister with responsibility for digital, has won himself a few pixels of attention by saying that Facebook could be hit with a $1bn fine if it breaks the rules in future. That sounds like a big number to a British politician, but to a tech leviathan it is not even small change. Mark Zuckerberg will be more perturbed that $75bn has been wiped off the company’s market
  
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• This week in 1832 | From the Observer archive

  25-03-2018 08:04
  The Reform bill, giving votes to hundreds of thousands more people, finally passes through the House of CommonsThe Reform Bill has at length passed the Commons in a manner most satisfactory to its supporters and to the people. In a House of 594 Members, who were assembled on this extraordinary occasion, there were 355 for the third reading, and 239 against it, leaving a majority of 116. This number gives, proportion to the Members present, a result precisely the same as that of last year on the
  
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• How old ghosts are haunting Ireland | Susan McKay

  25-03-2018 08:04
  As Britain prepares to leave the EU, the Irish border question looms ever larger, stirring fears that the Troubles have not yet been consigned to the pastThe taxi was a big German four-wheel-drive affair, and as I got into the back seat I thanked the driver for his willingness to make the journey. The “beast from the east” was due to collide with Storm Emma and, south of the border, the government had warned people that a blizzard was imminent, that they should get home by 4pm and st
  
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• Increasing Numbers Of Men Are Looking For Support On Workplace Bullying - Here's Why

  25-03-2018 08:01
  Stephen never dreaded work before. But then the founder of the charity he worked for began repeatedly shouting and swearing at him. Stephen felt “intimidated” in the office started hating going to meetings. Eventually, he ended up leaving his role and changing careers.“The most striking thing was that this man could not see the impact he had on others,” explains Stephen (not his real name). “He surrounded himself with other men who were his mates, and
  
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• How To Make Work Experience Worthwhile, According to Careers Experts

  25-03-2018 08:01
  It can sometimes prove difficult just to organise a work placement and afford to complete it, so it’s no surprise that considering what exactly you want to get out of it – aside from ticking that essential box on your CV – can get lost among the general hassle. But whether you’re just starting out in your career or are considering a change of direction, work experience can tell you a huge amount about what it is you’d like (or not like) to do in the future, so it&rs
  
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• Brexit voices: how the new Britain will affect me and my work

  25-03-2018 01:05
  Five people talk about their hopes and fears for the future outside the EU` Continue reading...
  
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