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Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Novak Djokovic – Open d’Australie: Score en direct et mises à jour

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Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Novak Djokovic LIVE: la star serbe cherche à remporter le dixième record de l’Open d’Australie à Melbourne Park … mais son rival grec est prêt à gâcher la fête à la recherche de son premier titre du Grand Chelem

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Suivez le blog en direct de Sportsmail pour la finale de l’Open d’Australie entre Stefanos Tsitsipas et Novak Djokovic.

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Ukraine downs more than 25 drones in latest overnight Russian strikes

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Ukraine downed 26 drones overnight as Russia launched its latest salvo of aerial attacks, a senior Ukrainian military official said on Thursday.

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“On the night of March 28, 2024, the enemy launched a missile air strike against Ukraine using three Kh-22 cruise missiles and an Kh-31P anti-radar missile (from the Black Sea), an S-300 anti-aircraft guided missile (Donetsk) and 28 attack UAVs of the ‘Shahed-136/131’ type”, Mykola Oleshchuk, the head of Ukraine’s air force, wrote on Telegram.

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“Twenty-six attack UAVs of the ‘Shahed-136/131’ type were destroyed within Odesa, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions”, he said, without providing details on the missile strikes.

Russia regularly launches air attacks on Ukraine overnight and has escalated the strikes over the past few weeks, targeting key infrastructure, including power stations, in retaliation for fatal bombardments of Russia’s border regions.

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FRANCE 24’s Gulliver Cragg reports from Kyiv



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On Wednesday Russian strikes killed three people in eastern and southern Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Ukraine’s allies to speed up deliveries of warplanes and air defence systems to bolster Kyiv’s air defences.

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 (AFP)

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You’re never too old to get an STI! Experts call for over-50s to be taught ‘safe sex’ after rates of gonorrhoea, chlamydia and syphilis in retirement villages soar

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Over-50s should be taught safe sex to combat soaring STIs with rates doubling in the last decade, research suggests.

Rising divorce rates, the emergence of Viagra, dating apps and the growth of retirement villages have combined to mean ‘sexual risk taking is now common among older adults’.

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Rates of disease including gonorrhoea and syphilis have surged by almost a fifth in just four years among UK ‘baby boomers’.

Researchers found that, in England, 31,902 new STIs were recorded in the over 45s in 2015, which rose to 37,692 in 2019 - an increase of 18 per cent

Researchers found that, in England, 31,902 new STIs were recorded in the over 45s in 2015, which rose to 37,692 in 2019 – an increase of 18 per cent

Experts said this is likely an underestimate with embarrassment and lack of access to sexual health services meaning many will not seek help.

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Sex must become ‘normalised’ and part of routine healthcare for older generations, they say, rather than simply focusing on the young.

Professor Justyna Kowalska, of the Medical University of Warsaw, said: ‘People do not become asexual with age.

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‘In fact, with preventive medicine and improved lifestyles people are enjoying a healthy life and sex life for longer.

‘Older people often find greater satisfaction in their sex lives due to experience and known expectations.

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‘We need more role models like Samantha Jones in the TV show Sex and the City to challenge stereotypes around older sexuality.’

In England, 37,692 new STIs were recorded in the over 45s in 2019 compared to 31,902 in 2015 – an increase of 18 per cent.

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The study calls for better sex education in Baby Boomers as rates of diseases such as chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis in older people are skyrocketing

The study calls for better sex education in Baby Boomers as rates of diseases such as chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis in older people are skyrocketing

Meanwhile, half of men and almost a third of women aged 70 and over reported being sexually active, in a survey of sexual health in older adults in England.

Similarly, in a Swedish study, 46 per cent of individuals aged 60 years and older reported being sexually active, one in 10 aged 90 and above.

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But for many, a lack of sex education at school, combined with the no risk of unwanted pregnancies, can heighten risky behaviour.

Presenting her findings at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Barcelona, Professor Kowalska suggested sex education programmes should be tailored to the over 50s, ensuring any facilities are located within existing community settings.

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She added: ‘Sexual health campaigns are focused on young people and overlook the needs and experiences of those aged 50 and older.

‘Health promotion messages give the impression that condoms and concerns about STIs only apply to young people.

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‘But the dangers of undiagnosed and untreated STIs such as HPV-related cancers and onwards transmission are very real, particularly in this age group who are more likely to have underlying conditions such as heart disease and stroke.’

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Blinken and Macron to discuss Ukraine support and Gaza war in Paris talks

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will discuss support for Ukraine during talks in Paris next week with French President Emmanuel Macron, the State Department announced Wednesday.

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France is among the major military suppliers to Ukraine, which is facing an onslaught of Russian attacks.

President Joe Biden‘s request for billions of dollars in new US military aid to Kyiv is held up in the House of Representatives, led by the rival Republican Party.

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“Secretary Blinken will meet with French President Macron to discuss support for Ukraine, efforts to prevent escalation of the conflict in Gaza and a number of other important issues,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

France has advocated for a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, whereas the United States, Israel’s main ally, recently let pass a UN Security Council resolution that calls for a ceasefire during the month of Ramadan.

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It will be the first visit in nearly two years to France by Blinken, a fluent French speaker who grew up partly in Paris. Macron paid a state visit to Washington in December 2022.

After Paris, Blinken will head to Brussels for talks of NATO foreign ministers ahead of the alliance’s 75th anniversary summit in Washington in July.

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Blinken will also hold a three-way meeting in Brussels with EU leaders and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who has been seeking to branch out from his country’s historic alliance with Russia.

Blinken and the European Union will address “support for Armenia‘s economic resilience as it works to diversify its trade partnerships and to address humanitarian needs,” Miller said.

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Armenia was angered last year by Russia’s failure to prevent Azerbaijan from retaking the Nagorno-Karabakh region from ethnic Armenian rebels.

(AFP)

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Deadly Israeli strikes hit Gaza as fierce fighting takes place in north, south

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Gaza’s health ministry collects data from the enclave’s hospitals and the Palestinian Red Crescent.

The health ministry does not report how Palestinians were killed, whether from Israeli airstrikes and artillery barrages or errant Palestinian rocket fire. It describes all casualties as victims of “Israeli aggression”.

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The ministry also does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. 

Throughout four wars and numerous skirmishes between Israel and Hamas, UN agencies have cited the Hamas-run health ministry’s death tolls in regular reports. The International Committee of the Red Cross and Palestinian Red Crescent also use the numbers.

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In the aftermath of war, the UN humanitarian office has published final death tolls based on its own research into medical records. The UN’s counts have largely been consistent with the Gaza health ministry’s, with small discrepancies. 

For more on the Gaza health ministry’s tolls, click here.

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(FRANCE 24 with AP) 

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Aussie NBA great Andrew Bogut makes shocking claim about what AFL stars get up to in pubs and clubs: ‘If you’re surprised, you believe Santa Claus is real’

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  • Andrew Bogut was typically blunt on Channel Nine’s Today program
  • Claimed AFL stars dabbling in illegal drugs is nothing new
  • Comes as the AFL has been rocked by illicit drugs scandal
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Australian basketball great Andrew Bogut has claimed that plenty of AFL stars dabble in illegal drugs in Melbourne pubs and nightclubs – and that nobody should be shocked by allegations that the league has covered up positive results.

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It follows the code being rocked on Tuesday after a whistleblowing doctor once employed by the Melbourne Demons revealed allegations of secret illicit drugs tests which saw footy stars able to avoid detection on game days.

Others were allegedly told to fake injuries to avoid testing from World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) representatives.

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Federal MP Andrew Wilkie used his parliamentary privilege to drop the bombshell, with the AFL’s controversial three-strike policy for illicit drugs now firmly in the spotlight.

Speaking on Channel Nine’s Today program on Thursday morning, Bogut was typically blunt when quizzed about the supposed anti-social habits of AFL stars.

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Australian basketball great Andrew Bogut has made the shocking claim that plenty of AFL stars dabble in illegal drugs in Melbourne pubs and nightclubs

Australian basketball great Andrew Bogut has made the shocking claim that plenty of AFL stars dabble in illegal drugs in Melbourne pubs and nightclubs

Bogut's claim follows the AFL being rocked when a whistleblowing doctor revealed allegations of secret illicit drugs tests that enabled footy stars to avoid detection on game days

Bogut’s claim follows the AFL being rocked when a whistleblowing doctor revealed allegations of secret illicit drugs tests that enabled footy stars to avoid detection on game days

The AFL declared it's 'unapologetic' about steps taken to ensure players with illicit substances in their system do not take part in matches (pictured, CEO Andrew Dillon)

The AFL declared it’s ‘unapologetic’ about steps taken to ensure players with illicit substances in their system do not take part in matches (pictured, CEO Andrew Dillon)

Federal MP Andrew Wilkie used his parliamentary privilege to drop the illicit drugs in AFL bombshell (stock image)

Federal MP Andrew Wilkie used his parliamentary privilege to drop the illicit drugs in AFL bombshell (stock image) 

‘If you are surprised [by these revelations] you’d be shocked that Santa Claus isn’t real,’ the NBA championship winner with Golden State Warriors said. 

‘I mean, you know, anyone that’s gone out, anyone that’s gone out in Melbourne and visited nightclubs has seen for themselves what goes on.

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‘Put two and two together.’

Bogut said he has no time for performance-enhancing drug cheats in professional sport and believes those caught should be banned for life.

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He added modern day players indulging in recreational drugs such as cocaine ‘happens at some places’, where if you look hard enough, you can ‘see everything you want to see.’

The father of two wasn’t finished, pointing to Federal Government funding the AFL receives – and that as a result, the ‘code doesn’t want star players getting pinged for drug tests’.

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Bogut’s strong views come as the AFL declared it is ‘unapologetic’ about steps taken to ensure players with illicit substances in their system do not take part in matches.

It evoked a furious reaction from respected AFL identities such as former Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse, Port Adelaide chairman David Koch and Melbourne Demons great Garry Lyon.

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Two bodies recovered from submerged truck in Baltimore bridge collapse

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The bodies of two construction workers were found in the cold waters of Baltimore harbor Wednesday, trapped in their red pick-up truck after a giant cargo ship slammed into the bridge they had been filling potholes on, causing a thunderous collapse.

Maryland police announced the grim discovery at a press conference, adding that sonar shows what they believe are more vehicles trapped within the concrete and twisted steel debris of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

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Six of the eight-man construction crew are believed to have been killed, with four bodies yet to be found.

Warning that it was not safe for divers to try to penetrate the wreckage, police told a press conference that they were shifting to a salvage operation, removing the superstructure and then sending divers back in to recover the rest of the bodies.

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“Based on sonar scans, we firmly believe that the vehicles are encased in the superstructure and concrete that we tragically saw come down,” Colonel Roland Butler, the superintendent of Maryland’s state police, told a press conference.

Federal investigators also gave a detailed timeline of the tragedy based on preliminary findings from the ship’s voice data recorder.

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Marcel Muise, lead investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board, told a separate press conference that the container ship Dali, about 1,000 feet (300 meters) long and piled high with cargo, left dock at 12:39 am Tuesday en route to Asia.

At 1:24, alarms began sounding on the ship with indications of power trouble and the pilot soon radioed the port authority that the vessel was headed for the bridge, requesting tug boats.

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The call for help was heard by two Maryland Transportation Authority units on the bridge because of the roadwork, and they shut down all lanes of traffic, likely saving lives.

Muise told reporters that at 1:29 the voice data recorder captured “sounds consistent with the collision.”

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Nearly the entire steel structure — crossed by tens of thousands of motorists each day — collapsed within seconds, cascading over the bow of the ship, blocking one of the busiest US trading ports.

There was no chance to evacuate the eight workers filling potholes on the interstate directly above the oncoming ship.

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Butler named the two victims found Wednesday as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, a 35-year-old who had lived in Baltimore but was originally from Mexico, and his 26-year-old colleague Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, who lived in the suburb of Dundalk but came from Guatemala.

They were found in 25 feet of water, he said.

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Two others were pulled from the water alive in the moments after the collapse early Tuesday. One was uninjured, while the second was released from hospital Wednesday, Butler said.

Four more workers are presumed dead, vanished into the swirling currents and crumpled tangle of wrecked girders and pylons.

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‘Hard-working’ men

The vessel, which remained entangled in the debris Wednesday, was “stable,” Coast Guard Vice Admiral Peter Gautier told reporters at the White House, adding that the mostly Indian crew remained on board and were “very much engaged” in the investigation.

The NTSB said that at the time of the crash there were 23 crew on board including the two pilots.

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The agency said the ship held 56 containers of hazardous materials, some of which were breached after the bridge fell, leaving a sheen on the water.

Gautier insisted the ship did not present an environmental danger. Two other containers — of the total 4,700 — were lost overboard, he said.

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Officials said the missing workers were from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.

“They are all hard-working, humble men,” said Jesus Campos, a colleague of the eight workers, all employed by contractor Brawner Builders.

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One of those now presumed dead was father-of-three Miguel Luna, according to the nonprofit Casa, which serves immigrant communities.

Luna, from El Salvador, had left for work at 6:30 pm on Monday and never returned, Casa said.

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His wife, Maria del Carmen Castellon, told Telemundo 44 that she was “devastated” by the wait for any information.

Busy harbor blocked 

The ship had passed two overseas inspections in 2023, the maritime authority for Singapore, where the ship is flagged, said Wednesday, adding that a fault monitor gauge was fixed in June.

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The Port of Baltimore is the ninth-busiest major US port in terms of both foreign cargo handled and foreign cargo value, and is directly responsible for more than 15,000 jobs, supporting almost 140,000 more.

The effect on supply chains “clearly will not be trivial,” US Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg said, adding it was “too soon” to know when the port might reopen.

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“Rebuilding will not be quick, or easy, or cheap,” he cautioned.

(AFP)

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Could these bombshell secret recordings FINALLY land Post Office bosses in the dock? Tapes show company top brass knew about the Horizon IT scandal but kept jailing postmasters for YEARS – campaigner weeps as he listens and MP demands prosecutions

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Pressure was mounting on the Post Office to face criminal action last night after secret recordings proved its bosses covered up the Horizon IT scandal.

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They revealed that the company and Fujitsu knew their faulty computer system could alter sub-postmasters’ accounts more than ten years ago, despite denying this for years.

More than 900 sub-postmasters were convicted of theft, fraud and false accounting between 1999 and 2015 following faults in the Horizon system.

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And national outrage ensued after the scandal was depicted in the ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, based on campaigner Alan Bates’s bid for justice.

The recordings were made in 2013 when the Post Office hired forensic firm Second Sight to conduct an independent investigation.

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Pressure was mounting on the Post Office to face criminal action last night after secret recordings proved its bosses covered up the Horizon IT scandal

Pressure was mounting on the Post Office to face criminal action last night after secret recordings proved its bosses covered up the Horizon IT scandal

In one recording, the Second Sight accountants present their evidence to Post Office company secretary Ms Lyons and chief lawyer Ms Crichton ¿ one day before then CEO Paula Vennells (pictured) met with victims campaigner Lord Arbuthnot. The accountants can be heard strongly recommending that Ms Vennells is briefed on the failings of the system. They were later fired

In one recording, the Second Sight accountants present their evidence to Post Office company secretary Ms Lyons and chief lawyer Ms Crichton – one day before then CEO Paula Vennells (pictured) met with victims campaigner Lord Arbuthnot. The accountants can be heard strongly recommending that Ms Vennells is briefed on the failings of the system. They were later fired

The first involved a call with IT specialist Simon Baker, in which it is admitted there is a possibility that sub-postmasters’ accounts could be altered without their knowledge.

Mr Baker said: ‘If somebody in Bracknell had a brainstorm and wanted to do something, they could just do it.’ Fujitsu’s head office is based in Bracknell, west London.

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In another jaw-dropping moment, Mr Baker describes how he had informed Post Office executives Alwen Lyons and Susan Crichton that Fujitsu had admitted they could access sub-postmasters’ accounts secretly.

In previous revelations, it is understood that chief Horizon architect Gareth Jenkins told investigators as early as 2012 that the IT system could be accessed remotely by Fujitsu at its HQ. However, the Post Office did not admit this until 2019.

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In the second recording, the Second Sight accountants present their evidence to Post Office company secretary Ms Lyons and chief lawyer Ms Crichton – one day before then CEO Paula Vennells met with victims campaigner Lord Arbuthnot.

The accountants can be heard strongly recommending that Ms Vennells is briefed on the failings of the system. They were later fired.

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The recordings revealed that the company and Fujitsu knew their faulty computer system could alter sub-postmasters' accounts more than ten years ago, despite denying this for years

The recordings revealed that the company and Fujitsu knew their faulty computer system could alter sub-postmasters’ accounts more than ten years ago, despite denying this for years

Labour MP Liam Byrne, (pictured) chairman of the business and trade committee, said he felt 'pure rage' as he responded to what he says is the 'first evidence from 2013 that people knew there was a problem'

Labour MP Liam Byrne, (pictured) chairman of the business and trade committee, said he felt ‘pure rage’ as he responded to what he says is the ‘first evidence from 2013 that people knew there was a problem’

Labour MP Liam Byrne, chairman of the business and trade committee, said he felt ‘pure rage’ as he responded to what he says is the ‘first evidence from 2013 that people knew there was a problem’.

He said: ‘Not only did they mislead Parliament, they were sending people to prison as late as 2015. So two years after these recordings had been made.

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‘This is potentially perjury, this is contempt of Parliament, it’s a miscarriage of justice. I mean, there’s a whole host of sins here.

‘It does now beg the question as to whether the police have now got sufficient evidence to act.’

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Lord Arbuthnot broke down in tears when shown the evidence. He said: ‘I’ve been doing this for 14, 15 years now and to think that a British institution could behave like this, owned by us, is just terrible.’

Fujitsu, the Post Office and Mr Jenkins declined to comment. The public inquiry into the Horizon scandal resumes next month.

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Former postmaster Alan Bates, who is portrayed by Toby Jones (pictured) in the drama, led and won the initial legal battle after himself falling victim to the faults

Former postmaster Alan Bates, who is portrayed by Toby Jones (pictured) in the drama, led and won the initial legal battle after himself falling victim to the faults

The scandal is seen as one of the UK's biggest miscarriages of justice and has gained recent national attention over recent days thanks to Mr Bates Vs The Post Office airing on ITV

The scandal is seen as one of the UK’s biggest miscarriages of justice and has gained recent national attention over recent days thanks to Mr Bates Vs The Post Office airing on ITV

Timeline of a travesty that’s still playing out 25 years on

  • 1999: The Horizon IT system from Fujitsu starts being rolled out to Post Office branches, replacing traditional paper-based accounting methods.
  • 2003: Sub-postmaster Alan Bates had his contract terminated by the Post Office after he refused to accept liability for £1,200 of losses in his branch in Llandudno, North Wales.
  • 2004: The branch in Bridlington, East Yorkshire, run by Lee Castleton, showed a shortfall of £23,000 over a 12-week period. Mr Castleton repeatedly asked the Post Office for help, but was sacked and sued for refusing to repay the cash. He was made bankrupt after a two-year legal battle, ordered to pay more than £300,000 for the company’s legal bill.
  • 2006: Jo Hamilton, sub-postmaster at South Warnborough, Hampshire, was sacked over financial discrepancies. She re-mortgaged her house twice to fill the shortfall and was charged with theft of £36,000. She later admitted a lesser charge of false accounting to avoid jail.
  • 2009: Computer Weekly magazine told the story of seven postmasters who had experienced unexplained losses. The Justice for Sub-postmasters Alliance (JFSA) was formed.
  • 2010: Mr Bates, from JFSA, writes to minister Sir Ed Davey about the flawed Horizon system and urges him to intervene. His warnings were dismissed.
  • 2012: With MPs raising concerns about convictions and the Horizon system, the Post Office launches an external review, with forensic accountants Second Sight appointed to investigate.
  • 2013: An interim report by Second Sight reveals serious concerns and defects in the IT system. The Daily Mail reveals dozens of postmasters may have been wrongly taken to court and jailed.
  • 2015: It is revealed the Post Office failed to properly investigate why money was missing and concluded computer failures may have been to blame. The Post Office finally stops prosecuting sub-postmasters but 700 end up being convicted.
  • 2017: A group legal action is launched against the Post Office by 555 sub-postmasters.
  • 2019: The High Court case ends in a £43million settlement but much of the cash was swallowed up in legal fees and victims received around £20,000 each. Post Office chief Paula Vennells awarded a CBE in New Year’s honours.
  • 2020: The Post Office agrees not to oppose 44 sub-postmasters’ appeals against conviction.
  • 2021: A public inquiry begins and is ongoing. The Court of Appeal quashes a further 39 convictions.
  • 2022: The Government announces a new compensation scheme.
  • 2023: Every postal worker wrongly convicted for Horizon offences will receive £600,000 compensation.
  • 2024: Mr Bates vs The Post Office first aired on ITV1 on New Year’s Day.

 

Last month Post Office boss Nick Read was accused of giving ‘misleading’ evidence to MPs as they called for the firm to be stripped of its role in delivering compensation to victims of the Horizon IT scandal.

A report by the Commons business committee suggested Mr Read, who is under internal investigation over his conduct, misled MPs on ‘at least two counts’.

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These included the use of gagging orders and whether the Post Office had hired PR specialists to help deal with the crisis engulfing the firm.

The report branded the Post Office ‘not fit for purpose’ to administer payouts to postmasters.

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It called on the Government to immediately step in and remove the Post Office from ‘any involvement in delivering redress’ amid reports of a ‘toxic’ culture.

Post Office boss Nick Read was last month accused of giving 'misleading' evidence to MPs

Post Office boss Nick Read was last month accused of giving ‘misleading’ evidence to MPs

It branded the beleaguered firm’s leadership as being in ‘utter disarray’ amid claim and counter-claim about alleged bullying and sexism.

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The Post Office runs two compensation schemes and plays a key role in administering a third.

In one particularly damning passage, the report said: ‘The Post Office is not fit for purpose to administer any of the schemes of redress required to make amends for one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in British history.’

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Hundreds of sub-postmasters were wrongfully prosecuted after they were blamed for non-existent shortfalls in their accounts produced by faulty Fujitsu software, called Horizon. 

But just a fifth of the budget set aside for compensation has been paid out, the report said.

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It added: ‘The Government must immediately remove the Post Office from any involvement in delivering redress for sub-postmasters and the Government should set out to the Committee how it proposes to deliver swift and effective redress for sub-postmasters, and in what legally binding time frames.’ 

In February, the committee was told that some postmasters were receiving ‘insultingly low’ compensation offers.

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Regarding evidence given in recent months by Mr Read, it added: ‘Mr Read concurred that reform of the Post Office’s culture is still a ‘work in progress,’ not ‘job done.’ 

‘In that context, we note that Mr Read has supplied misleading evidence on at least two counts, relating to the Post Office’s use of, first, non-disclosure agreements and, secondly, PR firms.’

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In February, it emerged that the Post Office had hired PR firm TB Cardew on a £15,000 a month contract to help it deal with the fallout from the scandal.

Mr Read was also forced to clarify to the committee in a letter last month whether the Post Office used confidentiality agreements in reaching settlements with wronged postmasters

Mr Read was also forced to clarify to the committee in a letter last month whether the Post Office used confidentiality agreements in reaching settlements with wronged postmasters

But, in January, Mr Read denied that the Post Office had hired PR advisers in the wake of the ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office.

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Mr Read was also forced to clarify to the committee in a letter last month whether the Post Office used confidentiality agreements in reaching settlements with wronged postmasters. 

He had originally said ‘no’ when asked by MPs if it continued using confidentiality agreements.

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But his letter said: ‘On occasion Post Office enters into settlement agreements with postmasters, for example, to resolve disputes that may arise between Post Office and postmasters in the ordinary course of business.

‘Such settlement agreements include confidentiality provisions, as is the case in most organisations.’

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It comes as furious sub-postmasters wrongly convicted in Horizon scandal said they were ‘glad’  Ms Vennells is handing back CBE.

Ms Vennells said in January that she is ‘truly sorry’ for the ‘devastation’ the scandal had caused to staff falsely accused of fraud when her organisation routinely denied there were problems with its systems. 

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Former sub-postmistress Jo Hamilton said she was ‘glad’ the ex-Post Office had handed her CBE back, adding: ‘It’s a shame it took just a million people to cripple her conscience.’

Meanwhile, the Communication Workers Union reportedly said Ms Vennells should also hand back her millions in bonuses.

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Former Post Office boss Paula Vennells (pictured) intends to hand back her CBE with immediate effect amid the fallout of the Horizon IT scandal, which led to the wrongful prosecution of hundreds of sub-postmasters

Former Post Office boss Paula Vennells (pictured) intends to hand back her CBE with immediate effect amid the fallout of the Horizon IT scandal, which led to the wrongful prosecution of hundreds of sub-postmasters

It comes as ITV's new drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office has drawn a renewed interest in the scandal after airing last week, with Mr Bates being played by Toby Jones (pictured in the role)

It raised the case again and piled pressure on Ms Vennells

It comes as ITV’s new drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office has drawn a renewed interest in the scandal after airing last week, with Mr Bates being played by Toby Jones (pictured in the role). It raised the case again and piled pressure on Ms Vennells

Postmasters accused of theft by Post Office celebrate outside the High Court In London after they had their convictions overturned. Thirty-nine former sub-postmasters who were convicted of theft, fraud and false accounting due to the Post Office's defective Horizon accounting system had their names cleared by the Court of Appeal

Postmasters accused of theft by Post Office celebrate outside the High Court In London after they had their convictions overturned. Thirty-nine former sub-postmasters who were convicted of theft, fraud and false accounting due to the Post Office’s defective Horizon accounting system had their names cleared by the Court of Appeal

More than 1 million had signed an online petition calling for the former Post Office chief executive officer to hand back her CBE

More than 1 million had signed an online petition calling for the former Post Office chief executive officer to hand back her CBE

Ms Vennells said: 'I have listened and I confirm that I return my CBE with immediate effect' (File picture)

Ms Vennells said: ‘I have listened and I confirm that I return my CBE with immediate effect’ (File picture)

It said: ‘Since she received these bonuses while overseeing the most widespread miscarriage of justice in British history, it would only be right to return this money.’ 

Ms Hamilton, who was wrongfully convicted in 2008 of stealing thousands of pounds from the village shop in South Warnborough, Hampshire, said: ‘It shows the people have spoken – about everything really.

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‘It’s not just about her CBE, it’s about how disgusting the whole thing is.

‘We’re all sick and tired of people taking money, being paid exorbitant amounts of money, and politicians taking absolutely no notice of you whatsoever… I think the people are just sick of it.’

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Varchas Patel, whose father Vipin who was wrongfully convicted of fraud in 2011 after being accused of stealing £75,000 from his Post Office branch in Oxford, said: ‘My initial reaction is good, I’m glad. She doesn’t deserve that CBE, she never did deserve that CBE.

‘Now the big question for me is, who gave her that CBE?

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‘When she was given that CBE… there were two other things that happened – one, she was given a CBE, two, she was given a seat at the Cabinet Office and three, she was given a job as the chair of the Imperial College (Healthcare NHS Trust).

‘They gave her three golden handshakes for fighting Mr Bates in court.’

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Mr Patel added: ‘It’s not just Paula Vennells, there are others.

‘There are in-house Post Office lawyers, and especially the in-house investigators – the investigators who investigated the likes of my father and others.’

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Ms Vennells had also seen Prime Minister Rishi Sunak weigh in behind efforts to strip her of her CBE. 

Jo Hamilton, 66, was falsely accused of stealing £36,000 from a village shop in South Warnborough, Hampshire, and eventually pleaded guilty to false accounting in fear of going to jail

Jo Hamilton, 66, was falsely accused of stealing £36,000 from a village shop in South Warnborough, Hampshire, and eventually pleaded guilty to false accounting in fear of going to jail

Joe Hamilton (pictured) was falsely accused of stealing £36,000 from a village shop in South Warnborough, Hampshire, and eventually pleaded guilty to false accounting in fear of going to jai

Her nightmare started when the Horizon system started showing shortfalls in her accounts in 2003 – at one stage showing the amount double before her eyes

Mrs Hamilton is one the stars of a new ITV drama about the Post Office Horizon scandal called Mr Bates vs The Post Office. Pictured: Mrs Hamilton played by actor Monica Dolan

Mrs Hamilton is one the stars of a new ITV drama about the Post Office Horizon scandal called Mr Bates vs The Post Office. Pictured: Mrs Hamilton played by actor Monica Dolan 

Mrs Hamilton bought the village shop in 2001 and became the sub-postmaster two years later

Mrs Hamilton bought the village shop in 2001 and became the sub-postmaster two years later

The shamed ex-Post Office chief said: ‘I have listened and I confirm that I return my CBE with immediate effect.

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‘I am truly sorry for the devastation caused to the sub-postmasters and their families, whose lives were torn apart by being wrongly accused and wrongly prosecuted as a result of the Horizon system’.

Her decision to hand back her honour came after more than a million people signed an online petition to take it off her.

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It also followed Downing Street saying Mr Sunak would ‘strongly support’ an investigation by the Honours Forfeiture Committee into whether Ms Vennells should lose the award, which was given for her ‘services to the Post Office and to charity’.

Post Office minister Kevin Hollinrake also said she should consider voluntarily giving up the honour. 

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The bosses who pocketed millions

PAULA VENNELLS, 62

Network director from 2007, managing director in 2010 and chief executive from 2012 to 2019 on £4.9million. The part-time Anglican priest was in charge during the IT disaster. Pursued staff in a £90million court case. Urged to return CBE for ‘services to the PO and charity’.

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Paula Vennells, pictured, was network director from 2007, managing director in 2010 and chief executive from 2012 to 2019 on £4.9million

Paula Vennells, pictured, was network director from 2007, managing director in 2010 and chief executive from 2012 to 2019 on £4.9million

ALAN COOK

Also a CBE. Managing director from 2006 to 2010, when the firm prosecuted some 200 staff. Since leaving he has played a key role in a home repossessions scandal in Ireland, was chairman of Highways England as smart motorways were developed and led a failed attempt to sell the insurer LV to private equity.

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ALICE PERKINS, 72

Wife of ex-Labour home secretary Jack Straw and £100,000-a-year PO chairman from 2011 until 2015, when some 120 postmasters were prosecuted. She is accused of failing to deal with the scandal.

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DAME MOYA GREENE, 67

Earned £11.5million as chief executive of Royal Mail from 2010 to 2018. Accepted assurances that Post Office court cases were above board.

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TIM PARKER, 66

Due to step down as chairman having led the Post Office since October 2015. Nicknamed the Prince of Darkness for job-cutting zeal.

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