Archive

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ATHLETICS: Douglas out of sorts in London

OXFORD City triple jumper Nathan Douglas finished a distant eighth in Friday night’s Aviva London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace. Douglas looked out of sorts and he managed only one legal jump of 16.00m, along with five no-jumps. Christian

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No action over Benson man's death

Thames Valley Police said today that no further action was being taken against a 21-year-old man arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following the death of a man in Benson in June this year. The man was arrested following the death of pub landlord

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'Think before you leap' warning to bridge jumpers

“THINK before you jump.” That was the message from police divers and the Environment Agency who pulled four bikes, an axe, a laptop, and some scaffolding from the River Thames at Godstow Bridge in Oxford. They organised the dredging session on Wednesday

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Letting agency problems 'due to sickness'

CUSTOMERS were unable to contact an Oxford lettings agency due to a key member of staff being in hospital, its owner said yesterday. Tenants and landlords had experienced problems contacting Lyttons Property Services, based in Abingdon Road, for a number

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We reveal names of city benefit cheats

THE Oxford Mail has obtained a list of the benefits cheats who have conned thousands of pounds from the city’s taxpayers in recent months. In the whole of Oxfordshire, fraudulent housing and council-tax claims totalling £1.64m were uncovered

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Flora star goes back to her roots

Actress Olivia Hallinan, star of the BBC series Lark Rise to Candleford, was joined fans as she paid a visit to the Oxfordshire countryside, where the character she plays grew up. For three years Miss Hallinan has played Laura Timmins, based

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Special visitor steams in for GWR celebrations

A SPECIAL steam visitor arrived at the Cholsey & Wallingford Railway today. Great Western Railway tank locomotive No 6430 travelled to the railway from Llangollen, in Wales, as part of celebrations of the 175th anniversary of the GWR. The 1930s locomotive

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Two men admit Hi-Lo attack

Two men have pleaded guilty to robbery and assault following a fight at a popular East Oxford restaurant. Cameron Forbes, 21, of Kempson Crescent, pleaded guilty to one count of robbery and one count of actual bodily harm in relation to an

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Copper stolen from Kidlington school

Police are appealing for witnesses after thieves broke into a school in Kidlington and stole copper fittings worth more than £2,000. Between 4pm on August 4 and 9am on August 5, thieves broke into the boiler house of Gosford Hill Secondary

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The Oxford Imps: Gilded Balloon Teviot, Edinburgh

The Oxford Imps are more peppy by far than anyone has any right to be first thing in the afternoon at the Fringe, where venues routinely programme work well into the small hours of the morning. The success of their show — now a staple of the Festival

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The Oxford Revue Is Going Places: Underbelly, Cowgate, Edinburgh

If Horne and Corden are the Lidl of sketch comedy, and Fry and Laurie are the food court at Harrods, The Oxford Revue is the Waitrose: slightly higher than average quality and catering mostly to the middle class. That is, the majority of their

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Wait Until Dark: BlindSpot Productions, theSpaces @ Surgeons Hall, Edinburgh

The original production of Wait Until Dark, the final play by Frederick ‘Dial M For Murder’ Knott, ran for 347 performances on Broadway. Its many revivals have featured such luminaries as Honor Blackman, Audrey Hepburn, Alan Arkin, Quentin Tarantino

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Merger for Wellers Wealth Management

OXFORD: Hayley North has joined Wellers Wealth Management as managing director following the merger of her company North Financial with the independent financial adviser associate company of Wellers Accountants. North Financial will incorporate

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Local shares (PM)

AEA Technology 18 BMW 3445 Electrocomponents 210.5 Nationwide Accident Repair 82.5 Oxford Biomedica 9.9 Oxford Catalysts 73.5 Oxford Instruments 342.5 Reed Elsevier 536.75 RM 133 RPS Group 176.8 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley

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The worst cars Evah! Reliant Robin

When it comes to motoring, the British love something quirky that makes them stand out from the crowd. Three wheeler cars are a case in point. Indeed, since the dawn of motoring history it seems we have been intent on driving objects with a wheel missing

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On your marques for classic car show

OXFORDSHIRE’s rich car-making history will be the star of the show on Sunday as the Cowley classic car display revs up to return for its third year. Morris, Minis and MGs will take the pride of place among the Ferraris, Rolls Royces and Bentleys that

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MY WHEELS: Tender loving care

Q. What vehicle do you drive? A. Morris Commercial Fire Engine manufactured in 1939. Q. How long have you had it? A. Since 1986. Q. How much did it cost? A. Nothing. When it came off the road in 1969, 15 of the former works firemen got together

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MOTORMOUTH: The big switch-off

Ten days after the deactivation of speed cameras across Oxfordshire, and so far the merchants of doom have not been proven right. If we were to believe the anti speed lobby then the roads would resemble a scene from the movie Death Race 2000. Although

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THE CAR'S THE STAR: The Mean Machine

The Mean Machine was archetypal villain Dick Dastardly’s race car in the 1968-69 Hanna-Barbera cartoon Wacky Races. The series featured 11 racing drivers pitted against each other in various road rallies across America, with each hoping to win the title

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WHEELING IN: Mitsubishi L200 Double Cab 2.5 DI-D 4WD Barbarian Auto

ANY vehicle carrying a name like Warrior or Barbarian needs to be able to deliver on its promises. Big, bold and brash, Mitsubishi’s L200 pick-up is a load-lugger with a dash of Wild West attitude. And this self-confident 4x4 is continuing

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Face In The Crowd

We're launching our great new Face In The Crowd promotion in Monday's Oxford Mail that could win a lucky supporter £75. Our photographer will be taking pictures of the crowd at the home league games this season and we will then select one lucky supporter

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Witney couple reach 65th anniversary

A COUPLE whose romance was sealed over 18 months of letter writing have celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. Laura and George Bettis, of Eton Close, Cogges, Witney, met at a Christmas party in 1943, shortly before Mr Bettis joined the

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Fly fishing aims to throw off elite image

IT’s been one of the favourite pastimes of wealthy folk for centuries. But now enthusiasts are urging people from all walks of life to take up fly fishing, and are offering free lessons to set them on their way. Families from across the county are invited

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'Gannett grant helped us to improve services for elderly'

AN Oxfordshire charity has urged other good causes in the county to apply for a grant, which they say transformed their services. Age UK Oxfordshire, formerly Age Concern Oxfordshire, was granted £3,800 from the Oxford Mail’s parent company

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West Ham cup-tie tickets just £10 and £5

Ticket prices have been slashed for Oxford United's Carling Cup tie at Premier League West Ham on Tuesday August 24 (7.45). Adults will be able to get in for just £10, and entry for kids is just £5. With the match taking place during

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Chef Raymond Blanc fed up with exile from kitchen

HIS restaurant may have just been named one of Britain’s top three eateries, but, by his own admission, Raymond Blanc is grumpy. The chef saw his Michelin starred restaurant Le Manoir Aux Quat’ Saisons, in Great Milton, climb five places from

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Ramadan fasting provides food for thought

WHILE just missing breakfast would leave most people with painful, hunger pangs by mid-morning, Jamila and Kevin Dozier will spend the next month fasting for up to 18 hours a day. The couple, from Bicester, will have a snack at about 1.30am

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Would you share a lift to work to cut congestion on the roads?

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Sound investment

Danish hearing aid company GN Resound has taken two new sites in Oxfordshire as it expands its European operations. The company has shifted its head office from Weston-on-the-Green to a new site at Kirtlington Business Centre, while part of its distribution

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Call to breach skills gap

More than one in five employers in Oxfordshire are experiencing skills gaps in their workforce, according to a major survey of the county’s businesses. The figure of 21 per cent represents a five per cent rise from 2008 when the Oxfordshire Employer

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Witney homes rethink 'threatens vital link road'

PLANS for a “desperately needed” Witney link road could be in jepoardy because of a rethink on future housing development. Earlier this year, developers Gleeson Strategic Land (GSL) and Taylor Wimpey proposed building 1,400 homes on land off Hailey Road

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Motorway remains a big draw for business

A high-tech firm has set up its UK headquarters at a new building at Banbury Office Village, near the M40 motorway. US data storage company Active Storage, which specialises specialise in Apple technology, has taken the first floor of what is north Oxfordshire

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Recharging efforts at Milton Park

A company developing the technology for a new generation of rechargeable batteries for mobile phones, laptops and other gadgets has moved to Milton Park near Abingdon, with more than 30 staff. Nexeon, a spin-out from Imperial College, London, has moved

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Backing for county incinerator

Councillors have backed the decision to sign a multi-million-pound contract to build a waste incinerator in the north of the county. Last month, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet agreed to sign a 25-year contract with waste firm Viridor to build

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Electric dreams

Liberty Electric Cars, producer of the world’s first high-performance purely electric 4x4, is planning to employ another 30 people, at its head office on the Oxford Business Park during the next year — to add to the five already working there.

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Foreign students worth £5.5m to Oxford economy

FOREIGN students in higher education give a £5.5m-a-year boost to the Oxford economy, a report has revealed. Figures compiled for the banking firm Santander show there are 3,740 foreign students in Oxford, each spending an average of £93 a week on shopping

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Holiday home owners beware

The dream of owning a holiday home in the country or by the sea is likely to look considerably less attractive as the Government begins to crack down on the tax advantages of owning furnished holiday lets. In the emergency Budget in June, the previous

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Chemical burns fear for burglars

Police are appealing for witnesses after a burglary at a chemical engineering factory in Bicester last night. Officers were called to the factory in Wedgewood Road at about 9pm, after being alerted by an alarm monitoring company. Police said the

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Information is golden

At times, many investors feel that because there’s almost too much information, advice and/or techniques for them to absorb, it is easier to hand everything over to a financial adviser and say: “Get on with it.” There’s nothing wrong with that — nor

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CRICKET: Confident Hemming returns for semi

npower Village Cup Shipton-under-Wychwood captain Paul Hemming returns from holiday to lead his side into their semi-final at Rowledge on Sunday. And he is full of confidence that his side can get to Lord’s for the fourth time. Shipton

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Hammers cup-tie on the Tuesday

It has been confirmed today that Oxford United's Carling Cup second-round tie at West Ham will take place on Tuesday, August 24 (7.45). Ticket details to follow.

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Tesco store plans for Oxford pub site rejected

SUPERMARKET giant Tesco last night admitted it was “disappointed” that its plans to open another Oxford store have been blocked. Tesco submitted two planning applications to the city council to build a Tesco Express store on the site of the

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FOOTBALL: Gee sets his sights on making shake-up

North Leigh manager Mark Gee says there is no reason his side can’t emulate Cirencester Town and go up via the Division 1 South & West play-offs. Their campaign starts at home to Taunton on Saturday. “I regard Cirencester as the yardstick. And if they

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FOOTBALL: New boss Bourne is relishing the step-up

Abingdon United’s new boss Richie Bourne faces a journey into the unknown when he takes his side to Bridgwater for their Division 1 South & West opener on Saturday. It is the first time Bourne has managed at Southern League level. Bourne, who took

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FOOTBALL: Manager Peace hails capture of Gunn

Didcot Town boss Stuart Peace feels the signing of centre back Andy Gunn could be the key to a successful season – and help improve on last season’s finish. An impressive run moved Didcot, who start their campaign with a home game against Evesham

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FOOTBALL: Coleman can cut mustard with Puritans

Banbury United manager Billy Jeffrey says he is looking to talented youngster Joe Coleman to step-up again following last season’s excellent displays which culminated in him winning the player of the year award. Coleman, 19, who played in

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FIXTURES August 13

SATURDAY. FOOTBALL. NPOWER LEAGUE TWO. Oxford Utd v Bury. FOOTBALL LEAGUE YOUTH ALLIANCE. South West Conference: Oxford Utd v Plymouth Argyle. ZAMARETTO SOUTHERN LEAGUE. Premier Div: Cirencester Tn v Banbury Utd, Didcot Tn v Evesham, Oxford City

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Doctors issue warning on mental health cuts

TOP mental health consultants have voiced “grave concerns” about proposed cuts to mental health services in Oxfordshire in a letter leaked to the Oxford Mail. About £5.3m worth of service cuts are being planned to hit Oxfordshire, which could result

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CRICKET: Jewell out of basement battle

Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League Aston Rowant’s wicket-keeper batsman Alex Jewell misses tomorrow’s crunch Division 1 clash with Radlett with a dislocated and broken finger. And Rowant will discover whether Jewell is out for the season

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Jah wobble @ Oxford O2 Academy

ACCORDING to Jah Wobble, you can’t beat a good cup of tea. He doesn’t tell the audience whether he’s referring to a traditional Rosy Lee or something from further east, like Japanese Sencha. It’s more than likely that the porkpie-toting former Public

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It's a nil return for Bury boss Knill

Bury have lost their first two matches this season, but can count themselves unlucky. They outplayed Sheffield Wednesday for much of their Carling Cup first-round tie, only to lose 1-0. League One side Wednesday scored from their one real shot, while

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Oxford United are out to shake Bury

There are two people at Oxford United with a special reason for wanting to do well against Bury on Saturday. One is the manager, Chris Wilder, who came to Oxford from Gigg Lane, where he was No 2 to boss Alan Knill. And the other is ex-Manchester United

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Breast cancer survival rates on rise

FOUR out of five people diagnosed with breast cancer in the county are still alive five years later, but there is still “room for improvement” according to primary care trust NHS Oxfordshire. A Europe-wide study showed mortality rates for the

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COMMENT: Aim even higher

THE improvement in survival rates for breast cancer is to be welcomed. Eighty per cent of patients in the Thames Valley are still alive five years after diagnosis, but there is still one in five who are not because of this terrible disease.

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Local share prices (AM)

AEA Technology 18 BMW 34.87 Electrocomponents 208.6 Nationwide Accident Repair 82.5 Oxford Biomedica 9.9 Oxford Catalysts 72.5 Oxford Instruments 342.25 Reed Elsevier 537.75 RM 132.5 RPS Group 179.5 Courtesy of Redmayne

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FOOTBALL: Ford eyes play-off challenge

Oxford City boss Mike Ford has targeted a place in the Premier Division play-offs as they look to improve on last season’s 13th-place finish. And he is looking for winger Michael Lyon to provide the ammunition for new striker Dan Holman and

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Strange hero

HAVING read Tim Siret’s letter (Oxford Mail Viewpoints, July 27) in support of Joe Glenton (the coward soldier who went absent without leave when ordered to return to Afghanistan), calling him a hero, the anti-military, anti-Blair, anti-establishment

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Oxford United await next cup draw

The draw for the first round of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy takes place on Sky’s Soccer Am programme tomorrow. It is split into four sections and Oxford are in the Southern Section West, along with Bournemouth, Aldershot, Exeter, Southampton, Swindon

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Oxford United's summer signing Heslop raises the bar

Who is this guy? That was the reaction of many supporters seeing Simon Heslop for the first time this week. The central midfielder, who joined the U’s from Barnsley in the summer, was outstanding on his debut at Burton, and even better against

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Cabbages&Kings

IT was like the Gathering of the Clans, but without the kilts and pipes. The upper deck of the park-and-ride bus from Pear Tree echoed with strong Scottish tones from a dozen visitors, young and old. The only Englishmen were an immaculately-dressed elderly

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Worth every penny

YOU very kindly published an excellent article about the work done by the Rose Hill and Donnington Advice Centre (Oxford Mail, July 31). You reported that we saved our clients £115,000 last year but in fact our achievements are even greater than that

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Out of control

I HAVE just spent a long weekend in Oxford where I lived for 50 years. I left in May last year to live in Seaton, Devon. I am afraid that Oxford is now typical of what Britain is turning into and what most British people are complaining about

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Marathon mission

I AM writing on behalf of the Meningitis Trust to ask if any of your readers would like to take part in a world-class marathon, and join our team for the Chicago Marathon in October. We have eight spaces left in the race and they are completely free

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Medal questions

The letter by John T Walker (Oxford Mail Viewpoints, August 2) regarding justification of the medal awards made to members of the Parachute Regiment bears a considerable amount of wrong assertions and to put the record straight I would ask the

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Rushed decision on academy all wrong

The Conservative administration at County Hall voted this week to press ahead with plans to close Oxford School and put an academy in its place. In doing so it ignored the 78 per cent of respondents to the consultation who disagreed with the plans.

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CRICKET: Blanchard handed debut

Minor Counties Championship Ashley Blanchard will make his Championship debut when Oxfordshire take on Devon at Sidmouth, starting on Sunday. The Banbury seamer replaces the unavailable Stuart Hole for the Western Division match, which sees Oxon still

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M40 services to rise from ashes in £13m project

THESE artist’s impressions show what Cherwell Valley Services, near Bicester, will look like once it rises from the ashes. In April, the M40 service station near junction 10 was destroyed in a major fire and now plans are under way for a £13m

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Friday the 13th? It's my lucky day, says bride

FRIDAY the 13th is probably a day most people would want to avoid if they were planning to get hitched. But for bride-to-be Roshelle Rayfield, today is set to be just one of many memorable Friday the 13ths. Miss Rayfield has chosen the

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COMMENT: Think again over Asbos

THERESA May would be well-advised to put on her slingbacks and come down to Rose Hill before she kills off the Antisocial Behaviour Order. Asbos have been a controversial method since their inception. Some claim they are too easy to impose

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Boss warns buoyant Oxford United

OXFORD United boss Chris Wilder is warning his players, and the fans, not to get too carried away after Tuesday’s 6-1 win over Bristol Rovers. Tomorrow’s League Two match at home to Wilder’s old club Bury will be tough, he says. “This is a difficult

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Tutankhamun excavation archive goes online

THE huge archive of material relating to the discovery of King Tutankhamun has been put online for the first time. The comprehensive notes and photos recording the find by archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922, were donated to Oxford University’s first

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World tour cyclist gets back in saddle

A DOCTOR who had to abandon a round-the world cycle after just five months is back in the saddle after surgery. Dr Steve Fabes was four months into his five-year trip when doctors in Greece gave him the bad news that he needed keyhole surgery

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Family pays tribute to glider crash victim

THE family of a 25-year-old woman killed in a glider accident on Sunday have spoken of their devastation. University researcher Amy Barsby was flying solo during a competition at Bicester airfield, in Buckingham Road, when the glider spiralled

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Mysteries of King Tut made public

THE huge archive of material relating to the discovery of King Tutankhamun has been put online for the first time. The comprehensive notes and photos recording the find by archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922, were donated to Oxford University