Archive
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HGV seat belts are useless
I’ve just read about the lorry drivers not wearing seat belts (Oxford Mail, May 29). I’m a lorry driver and the only time a seat belt will be of any use is if I’m struck from behind. Scania presented a case to the EU Traffic Commission in Brussels showing
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Morris display prank condemned
PRANKSTERS have been condemned after they defaced a window display celebrating one of Oxford’s famous sons. They broke into the display at the site of William Morris’s first garage in Longwall Street and put the face of a young man over two pictures
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M40 CRASH: Emergency crews tell of operation
MOTORISTS endured a day of delays after a gas canister was found in the wreckage of a pile-up on the M40 that killed a lorry driver. Two articulated lorries and a van crashed on the southbound stretch of the M40 near junction 10 at Cherwell
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Author's ex-home to host nude paint session
THE former home of novelist Graham Greene and the family of Cardinal John Henry Newman is to be the setting for a series of workshops involving naked bodies and paint. Former porn star Annie Sprinkle and her partner Elizabeth Stephens will be hosting
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Boris's expense claim for wreath 'a mistake'
FORMER county MP Boris Johnson has admitted putting in a claim for the cost of a Remembrance Sunday wreath on his Parliamentary expenses. Mr Johnson, who stepped down as a Henley MP after being elected Mayor of London in May last year, said the £16.50
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Flypast marks RAF tankers' farewell to Iraq
CREWS from 101 Squadron came home to RAF Brize Norton tonight after almost 19 years serving in the Middle East. A flypast of the squadron’s VC10 tanker aircraft was held at the base at Carterton to mark the return home of the air-to-air refuelling
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Student becomes county's ninth swine flu case
AN OXFORD University student was last night confirmed as having swine flu. The postgraduate zoology student became the ninth person in Oxford to be diagnosed with the virus after falling ill during a visit to the USA. But Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust
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Magilton back at United!
Queens Park Rangers have appointed former Oxford United favourite Jim Magilton as their new manager. And the 40-year-old ex-Northern Ireland international will return to his old club on July 24 when he brings his Rangers side to the Kassam Stadium for
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University of Oxford student contracts swine flu
A University of Oxford student has become the latest person to have contracted swine flu. The postgraduate student had been to Arizona and is believed to have contracted it there. An Oxfordshire PCT spokesman said the man, who has not
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Swine flu: Oxford University student contracts virus
A University of Oxford student has become the latest person in the county to have contracted swine flu. The postgraduate student had recently visited Arizona, in the south-west of the United States, and is believed to have been infected by
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HORSE RACING: Roche quits at Blewbury
Liam Roche, who arrived at Blewbury’s Churn Stables last November with such high hopes, is quitting the state-of-the-art yard. Roche has taken the decision after his dream turned into a nightmare when the British Horseracing Authority refused to grant
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Royal Mail is incompetent
ROYAL Mail must be one of the most incompetent, inefficient and non customer-service focused organizations in the country. On May 1, I a received a card through the door to say they were unable to deliver a package as it was too large for the letter
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Bicester to get a job club
A NEW job club aimed at getting unemployed people back to work is to open in Bicester. Job clubs have already opened at Banbury and Oxford Town Hall and the city’s Blackbird Leys estate. The idea of the club is for people who have lost
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GOLF: O'Connor storms to salver success
Katherine O’Connor stormed to victory by nine shots in the Frilford Heath Scratch Salver. The 19-year-old Tadmarton Heath member shone in wet and blustery conditions to finish on five-under-par. O’Connor, who plays off plus one, shot a four-under-par
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Jailed for driving at brother's robber
AN ELECTRICIAN who drove his car at another man and knocked him unconscious has been jailed for nine months. Stuart Webb left Paul Ricketts with cuts to his head when he knocked him down in St Martin’s Road, Rose Hill, after pursuing him across Oxford
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Women limber up for weekend's Race for Life
THOUSANDS of women are warming up to raise money and remember loved ones at this weekend’s Race for Life events in Oxford. Women and children can walk, jog or run 5km around the University Parks on Saturday and Sunday. The annual fundraising events,
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GOLF: Laker shines
Burford member Abi Laker (pictured) won the girls’ event in the South of England Schools Championship at Hadden Hill. Laker, 15, battled her way through some wet and windy conditions to card two solid five-over-par rounds of 77. The Henry Box School
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GOLF: Chippy march on
Chipping Norton Norton consolidated their lead at the top of Section 2 in the Shaw Gibbs Oxfordshire Foursomes League with a 2-1 win at Studley Wood. Chippy’s points came from debutant Jon Rose and Matt Johnson, plus Shaun Kench and Danny Phillips.
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Rogue trader dumped chippings, then demanded £265
A rogue trader left empty handed after dumping stone chippings on a driveway – and demanding more than £250. The man, who was aided by two accomplices, initially told Caroline Howkins, of South Hinksey, near Oxford, that she could have the unwanted stones
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GOLF: Pair clinch play-off
Adam Wootton and Mark Stevens clinched Oxford City’s FH Taylor Bowl in a play-off. Wootton’s experience made the difference in the 36-hole foursomes event as they edged out Keith Henley and Andy Hooker after both pairs finished on nett 141. It needed
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Charity concert raises money for Gulshat
A band will play a charity concert in Abingdon in aid of Cumnor Primary School pupil Gulshat Kadyrova – a 10-year-old girl born without hip sockets. The event has been organised to raise money for Gulshat, who came with her mother from Turkmenistan in
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GOLF: Results round-up
OXFORD LADIES Medal No 7: 1 G Hawley 104-33=71, 2 M Findlay 83-11=72, 3 J Glover 99-26=73 (cb). Medal No 8: 1 C Whittle 88-17=71 (cb), 2 M Brown 96-25=71, 3 J Glover 98-26=72. Lillian Barrett Trophy: 1 G Hawley, 2 C Whittle (cb). NORTH OXFORD
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Local share prices (PM)
AEA Technology 16 BMW 2349 Electrocomponents 148.5 Nationwide Accident Repair 85.5 Oxford Biomedica 10.4 Oxford Catalysts 52 Oxford Instruments 142 Reed Elsevier 483.5 RM 168.5 RPS Group 196.75 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
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The Insider
These Tories can be really quite cool. As well as being a looker, Nicola Blackwood, the party's prospective Parliamentary candidate for Oxford West & Abingdon, lists the Kings of Leon, Michael McIntyre and Come Dine With Me among her favourite things
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Desperate measure
HAS anyone had difficulty accessing the disabled toilet facility in Sainsbury’s Kidlington supermarket? Despite my serious complaint to head office and the store, the toilet remains locked. Sainsbury’s excuse is laughable: It’s locked
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Burglars steal £15k china collection
A retired teacher fears burglars may have staked out her house before stealing thousands of pounds worth of collectable china. Rosemary Harris, of Stonesfield, said she had been left terrified after burglars got in through a window and emptied
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Witney firefighter's friends donate to memorial fund
FRIENDS and family of a Witney retained firefighter killed in a motorbike crash have raised more than £1,800 for charity in his memory. Simon Mackrory’s partner of nine years, Laura McGilligan, has created a web page in tribute to her “ray of sunshine
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Light and fruity wines for a barbecue
I am almost frightened to say it but it is looking very much as though summer is here. Warm, sunny days mean at least two things to us Brits: shorts and barbecues. Regular readers will know that I am not always the most enthusiastic barbecue person.
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We're not stupid
HOORAY for Evan Harris for extending his lease at our expense, but he must think we are stupid. We mere mortals are expected to pay our Capital Gains Tax at the end of the year in which the transaction is completed not when we think we will, as he suggests
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I'd do it again, says Fabia
MY RECENT appearance on Britain’s Got Talent was the most nerve-wracking, rollercoaster ride I have ever experienced. If I could do it all again I damn well would! I know Oxford has many talented people living behind their bedroom curtains, singing into
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Barton gets ready to Bash the blues away
ORGANISERS are putting the finishing touches to plans for a fun day on an Oxford estate. Now all they need is the sunshine. Bouncy castles, face painting, and even baby massage have all been organised for this summer’s Barton Bash at the Barton
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Donnington Doorstep celebrates its silver anniversary
A DAYCARE centre that has helped hundreds of vulnerable children and families is celebrating 25 years of aid to the local community with a free fun day, starting at 2pm on Saturday. The Donnington Doorstep family drop-in centre in Townsend
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Give us 20mph limits like Oxford
CAMPAIGNERS are fighting to improve road safety and bring in a 20mph speed limit in Witney. Concerned pedestrianswant to follow in the footsteps of the Oxford Pedestrians Association, which two months ago won its fight for 20mph speed limits on most
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Passion for justice
A FORMER Oxfam director who “made the charity what it is” has been remembered for battling conflict and injustice. Michael Harris, from Witney, died at a care home in Hailey on Monday, May 25, aged 89. His daughter Janet Harris said: “In her book A
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Sign up to leave car at home for a day
SCORES of people across Bicester have signed up to ditch their car and get on their bike for a day. Bicester Town Council is taking part in Bike Week by making Friday, June 19, a cycle day. So far, the town’s two secondary schools and businesses including
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BOWLS: County taste mixed fortunes
Oxfordshire experienced mixed fortunes in their two latest friendly matches with a win over Somerset followed by a defeat by Gloucestershire. Oxon beat Somerset 119-109 at Chipping Norton. Selector and Blackbird Leys’s Herbie Payne’s four received the
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Residents fight to save Northway Centre
HOUSEHOLDERS on an Oxford estate are calling on councillors to think again before giving permission to knock down an office block. Oxford City Council’s executive board agreed last month to demolish its Northway Centre, in Dora Carr Close, on the Northway
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BOWLS: Super Oxon off to flier in cup
Oxfordshire's new-look side made a flying start to their EBA Middleton Cup campaign with a resounding 131-98 victory over Hampshire in their opening Group 3B game at Banbury Central. With new manager Calvin Carpenter recalling seven players to the line-up
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Sunitinib campaigner Stephen Dallison
THE funeral of cancer victim Stephen Dallison 35, who fought a high-profile campaign to be prescribed the life-extending drug Sunitinib, is being held in Oxford on June 5. Mr Dallison, of Iffley Road, Oxford, died at the Churchill Hospital
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BOWLS: Carterton stun Central in a thriller
Carterton stopped reigning champions Banbury Central in their tracks with an exciting 4-2 win in Division 1 of the Oxford and District League, sponsored by Yarnton Nurseries. Central had won their opening two matches in great style, but they had to give
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Police guard against election fraud
Thames Valley Police said they would be working to ensure tomorrow's local council and European Parliament elections are free and fair. Officers will be doing everything possible to prevent electoral fraud in the Thames Valley. Det Insp Dave Edmondson
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The more you cycle, the safer it gets
CTC, the national cyclists’ organisation, has just published a really interesting report that corroborates the oft-quoted wisdom that cycling gets safer the more people do it. Countries in Europe with high levels of cycle use tend to be less
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ATHLETICS: England makes grade in opener
Oxford City’s Hannah England clocked a World Championships qualifying time at the first attempt as she made an outstanding start to the outdoor season on Monday. England, who has just completed a four-year biochemistry degree course at Birmingham University
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M40 reopens after crash
The M40 motorway has now reopened in both directions following this morning’s fatal crash. The northbound and southbound carriageways were shut after two lorries and a van collided near junction 10 at Cherwell Valley Services at around 5.45am. A lorry
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ATHLETICS: City boost promotion bid with fine win
Oxford City boosted their bid for promotion to the Premier Division of the National Young Athletes League with victory in their Southern 1 West meeting at Tilsley Park. City finished 38 points clear of host club Radley to cement their good start to the
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ATHLETICS: Barnshaw storms home
Abingdon Amblers finished sixth in their Southern 2 West Young Athletes League match at Walton. However, there were a number of national graded performances. Peter Barnshaw led the way with a grade one time of 57.3 secs in the under 17 boys’ 400m hurdles
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ATHLETICS: Tyers is star for battling Radley
Radley finished equal-second in their Southern Womens League Premier Division match at Eton. They were no match for a strong Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow, but they produced nine event victories to finish level with Brighton and move up to sixth place
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ATHLETICS: Williamson is on song
EYNSHAM Roadrunner Kate Williamson landed the vet 55 prize at the Edinburgh Marathon. Wiliamson, 62, clocked 3hrs 37mins 39secs. l DUE to record entries, the second Mota-vation race of the season at Bletchingdon this evening (7.30pm) will not accept
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M40 CRASH: Motorway reopened
The M40 has reopened in both directions following this morning’s fatal crash. The northbound and southbound carriageways were shut after two lorries and a van collided near junction 10 at Cherwell Valley Services at about 5.45am. A lorry driver died
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RUGBY: Dark Blues prop is capped
Will Johnson made his international debut for USA in their 27-10 defeat to Ireland. The 25-year-old Oxford University prop could only make the bench for Oxford Harlequins in the Oxfordshire Cup final – and was then sent off. But he started at tight-head
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RUGBY: Burrows in Quins switch
Former Chinnor captain Craig Burrows has joined rivals Oxford Harlequins as a player-coach. The 33-year-old lock led Chinnor to the South West 1 title in 2006 and has also skippered Oxfordshire. He will now oversee Quins’ forwards and is teaming up
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RUGBY: Hawks spread their wings
HENLEY Hawks will have an enlarged squad when they start their National 2 South campaign in September. Hawks are also entering a second team in Canterbury Shield Division 2, which will ensure more players get match action every week. Henley begin pre-season
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Explain expenses
Keith Mitchell (Not Your Business, Oxford Mail June 1) says that figures for county council allowances and expenses should be published monthly, not yearly. But we are still only told the total figure that each councillor claimed, and we are never
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Turner gears up for Le Mans
The countdown has begun and the 2009 Le Mans 24 Hours is now just ten days away. Chacombe-based Darren Turner returns to the scene of his two class victories as part of Aston Martin’s LMP1 squad, competing for the outright win in what is arguably the
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Now let's look at directorships
It does not matter which political party you support, nobody can condone the recent behaviour of those MPs who have taken advantage of a system for claiming second home expenses, introduced by Thatcher in place of giving MPs a pay increase. Perhaps
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A jump to the left
I read the reports of our local MPs’ expenses (Oxford Mail, May 12). I bet you a sovereign to a hayseed if constituents were to pay their MPs’ expenses, the decimal point in their final amount would jump a couple of places to the left. The poet and one-time
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Buses and cycles do not mix
Recently London Road, Headington, has been resurfaced and re-marked following roadworks. Prior to this work the cycle tracks shared the wide pavements. Now they’ve been marked to use the bus lanes. Apart from the fact that buses and cycles do not
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One in three
Living with cancer has been a roller coaster ride of changing emotions. At first, I was full of gloom and despondency. Then, as I came to accept what was happening, things began to change for the better and I became more in touch with my spiritual side
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M40 partly reopens
Police said part of the M40 has reopened after the Fire Service declared the scene of a fatal crash safe. The M40 at junction 9 northbound was reopened just after 1pm. One lane will remain closed past the scene but the other two will remain
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M40 CRASH: Two lanes reopened
Police have reopened the M40 where two lorries and a van crashed, killing one man early this morning. The northbound stretch of the motorway from junction 9 was closed after the crash at 5.43am. All three lanes have now reopened, but
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Woman stabbed in Banbury street attack
A woman was stabbed in the stomach in an attack early yesterday morning. The 26-year-old woman was stabbed in Victoria Place, Grimsbury, Banbury, at about 1.30am. She called police who arrested a 34-year-old man in West Street on suspicion of grievous
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What was big in the year of the drought
An arresting sentence in Sebastian Faulks’s fine novel Engleby (2007) brought a smile to my lips as soon as I read it. “I couldn’t stand another article about 1970s fashion, Abba or tank-tops. This kind of decade-drivel used to be the territory of Chicks
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The decade of Bunty and Blossom Toes
An arresting sentence in Sebastian Faulks’s fine novel Engleby (2007) brought a smile to my lips as soon as I read it. “I couldn’t stand another article about 1970s fashion, Abba or tank-tops. This kind of decade-drivel used to be the territory of Chicks
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Woman stabbed in stomach
A woman was stabbed in the stomach in an attack in Banbury. The 26-year-old woman was stabbed in Victoria Place, in Grimsbury, Banbury, at about 1.30am yesterday. She called police who arrested a 34-year-old man in West Street on suspicion of causing
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Wild about Wild Thyme
The commitment to local produce demonstrated by Chipping Norton’s excellent new restaurant Wild Thyme can hardly extend, for obvious reasons, to produce from the sea. The town is said to be as far from the coast as you can get in England, so the definition
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Picnic – come rain or shine
Its been a warm week in the Garden, but that hasn’t stopped our horticultural team getting on with jobs that simply need to be done at this time of year. There are veggies to be planted out along with a whole host of annual plants that need to get established
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How to Buy Food That's Truly Local
Several years ago, a group of food enthusiasts from Wallingford got together to see what they could do to encourage us all to eat locally produced food and live a more sustainable lifestyle. Their aim was to build a sustainable future for the town and
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Falstaff: Glyndebourne
Glyndebourne’s new production of Verdi’s delicious final opera Falstaff is a triumph for the Oxford-based baritone Christopher Purves who plays the title role with enormous distinction, his flawless singing matched by a rare comic gift as an actor. He
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Terminator Salvation and Last Chance Harvey
Man battles the machines once again in an all-guns-blazing reboot of the Terminator series, which sows the seeds of a new trilogy charting John Connor’s rise to leader of the Resistance in the aftermath of Judgment Day. The fourth film, Terminator Salvation
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Ondine: Royal Ballet, Covent Garden
This was the first night of the 50th anniversary revival of Frederick Ashton’s full length ballet, Ondine. The work was created as a showcase for Margot Fonteyn, who had great success in the leading role of the eponymous water-nymph who has no soul, but
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Turner/Rothko: Tate Britain
Is it a Turner? Is it a Rothko? With Turner’s Three Seascapes (see right) placed next to Mark Rothko’s Untitled in the Clore Galleries at Tate Britain, you can see why you might wonder. There are obvious parallels: horizontal banding, preoccupation with
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Cosi fan tutte: English National Opera, London Coliseum
The days of ‘opera in English’ as a cause, at times almost a crusade, have long passed. Surtitles have confined it to history, and its use by English National Opera at the Coliseum in their new Cosi fan tutte — even in Martin Fitzpatrick’s literate and
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Tick Tick Boom: OFS Studio, Oxford
A struggling writer waiting tables in New York is sitting on the ticking time bomb of turning 30. As his birthday approaches he feels growing pressure to change his life and make something of himself. His best friend Mike has given up acting and got a
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Society of Wood Engravers: Art Jericho
The society, founded in 1921 in the 1920s by artists themselves, including Eric Gill and Lucian Pissarro, is the principal rallying point for wood engraving and other relief print making. Wood engraving involves cutting the wood on the hard end of the
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Chris Andrews: Blackwell's
Oxford photographer Chris Andrews always aims to show us the world as it is – but he often has to rise long before the dawn chorus to do this. The early morning sun and the mist that covers the landscape as a new day emerges throw a gentle light
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Art From the Heart: Piddington
Do discover the brilliant colours of Africa hidden away in a farm near High Wycombe, overflowing with the work of some gifted artists who use only local materials for their handmade creations. Going into the blue and white bedroom you will be tempted
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Much Ado About Nothing: Regent's Park, London
long with the Proms and deckchairs in St James’s Park, the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is one London’s summer institutions. However vigorously you’ve been pressed into the armpit of a sweaty city-worker on the Jubilee Line, or how maddened you’ve been
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Stilettos in the Key of G: Jacqueline du Pre Music Building
Whimsical, sensual, witty, intriguing . . . Pia de Richemont’s Stilettos in the Key of G, which premiered last Friday, is all of these things, and the result is a powerful, gripping and extraordinary drama. Described as a “play within a concert, a concert
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Just Between Ourselves: Royal & Derngate, Northampton
The Royal & Derngate begins its summer-long celebration of Alan Ayckbourn’s 70th birthday with a superb revival of his 1977 success (though a limited one) Just Between Ourselves. Artistic triumph though the production undoubtedly is, however, one has
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Sign of the Times: Oxford Playhouse
This is nearly a good play. It falls at the last because of the jargon and focus group feel of the second half – a well meaning but now past-it take on working life. It would undoubtedly have been more meaningful and clever two decades ago, when Alan
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Local share prices
AEA Technology 15.75 BMW 2336 Electrocomponents 149.25 Nationwide Accident Repair 84.5 Oxford Biomedica 10.5 Oxford Catalyst 52 Oxford Instruments 142 Reed Elsevier 499.25 RM 171 RPS Group 198 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
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M40 closure: Diversions in place
Highway bosses have said they are unsure when the M40 will reopen following the death of a man in a crash. Two lorries and a van collided on the southbound carriageway at Junction 10 at 5.43am today, with both north and southbound carriageways
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Update: Death crash closes M40
A lorry driver was killed in a crash today which has closed the M40 in Oxfordshire. Police were called at 5.43am to reports of a collision between two lorries and a van on the southbound carriageway near Junction 10 at Ardley. One lorry
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M40 UPDATE: Diversions in place
Highway bosses have said they are unsure when the M40 will reopen following the death of a man in a crash. Two lorries and a van collided on the southbound carriageway at Junction 10 at 5.43am today, with both north and southbound carriageways
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M40 shut as driver killed
A driver has been killed in a crash today which is expected to shut the M40 in Oxfordshire for the morning. Police were called at 5.43am to reports of a collision between two lorries and a van at Junction 10 going south. One lorry is
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Headington bank accounts raided
Scores of people have had their bank accounts emptied after thieves put a card skimming device on a cash machine in Oxford. About 80 customers from the Coventry Building Society alone have reported having money stolen after they used an Abbey machine
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United to face mighty Rangers in friendly
Oxford United are set to play one of the most famous clubs in the world in pre-season. They will take on Scottish giants Rangers in a behind-closed-doors friendly at the Glasgow club’s £14m training ground on Tuesday, July 21. It was originally mooted
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ATM CRIME: Card skimmers raid accounts in Headington
scores of people have had their bank accounts emptied after thieves put a card skimming device on a cash machine in Oxford. About 80 customers from the Coventry Building Society alone have reported having money stolen after they used an Abbey
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Voters urged to have their say
Voters in Oxfordshire are being urged to make their voices heard and influence how almost £4bn is spent over the next four years. Elections take place tomorrow for every seat on Oxfordshire County Council and to choose the South East’s Members
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Your vote will make a difference tomorrow
T OMORROW is an extremely important day for everyone living in Oxfordshire. For 15 precious hours between 7am and 10pm, those eligible to vote have a once-in-four-years chance to alter the political landscape in the
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Crime suspects on TV show's most wanted list
A SUSPECTED rapist and a man accused of attempted murder in Oxford were last night named by Crimewatch as two of the 25 most wanted man in the country. The BBC marked 25 years of the television programme with a special appeal last night and
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Date set for Witney shopping scheme opening
THE official opening date for Witney’s long-awaited new town centre shopping development has been announced, along with the creation of new jobs. Marriotts Close will bring a “huge boost” to the town when it opens on October 29, West Oxfordshire District
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ELECTIONS 09: Have your say on polling day
VOTERS in Oxfordshire are being urged to make their voices heard and influence how nearly £4bn is spent over the next four years. Elections take place tomorrow for every seat on Oxfordshire County Council and to choose the South East’s Members
