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Critical Illness Insurance Cover
A serious illness, such as cancer or heart attack, affects one-in-four women and one-in-five men before retirement age.
Critical illness insurance is designed to ease the financial pressures by paying a tax-free lump sum if you become seriously ill or totally disabled.
You must normally survive at least one month after becoming critically ill, before the policy will pay out.
Also known as dread disease cover, critical illness insurance pays benefits on the diagnosis of certain specified critical illnesses.
The range of diseases covered has increased to more than 30, though contracts differ from one company to another.
All policies should cover seven core conditions. These are cancer, coronary artery bypass, heart attack, kidney failure, major organ transplant, multiple sclerosis and stroke. They will also pay out if a policyholder becomes permanently disabled as a result of injury or illness.
But not all conditions are necessarily covered.
In May 2003, insurers adopted new rules set by the Association of British Insurers, that tightened the conditions under which customers could claim on critical illness insurance (CII) policies.
The changes mean that policies won't cover conditions such as non-invasive skin cancers, and less advanced cases of prostate cancer. Tumours that have not yet invaded the organ or tissue, and lymphoma or Kaposi's sarcoma in the presence of HIV are excluded.
There are also more restrictive conditions for heart attacks.
There has to be evidence of typical chest pain, or changes in the electrocardiogram (ECG),for example, if a claim is to be successful. Cardiac conditions, such as angina, will not be covered.
For single people with no dependants, critical illness cover that pays off the mortgage is more important than having life cover, as it means you have fewer bills or a lump sum to play with if you are very unwell.
But it can also be useful if you are part of a couple. It provides a welcome financial boost at a time of emotional stress and financial hardship.
News block
| 09/07/2010 11:22 AM |
| Police expected to quiz PM's aide |
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The Metropolitan Police are likely to discuss new phone-hacking allegations with Downing Street communications chief Andy Coulson, its assistant commissioner says.
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| 09/07/2010 10:56 AM |
| Cell assault sergeant is jailed |
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A police officer who was caught on CCTV injuring a woman by throwing her into a cell is jailed for six months.
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| 09/07/2010 10:51 AM |
| Strike severely disrupts Tube |
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Some services resume on the London Underground following severe disruption on the first morning of a series of 24-hour strikes.
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| 09/07/2010 09:10 AM |
| Blitz commemorated at St Paul's |
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Pilots, firefighters, nurses and ambulance workers gather 70 years after battling through eight months of bombing raids over Britain's industrial centres.
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| 09/07/2010 06:32 AM |
| Carey heads up Booker shortlist |
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Australian author Peter Carey, who has already won the Man Booker prize twice, has made the shortlist for this year's prize.
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| 09/07/2010 10:26 AM |
| 'Youngest' double murderer jailed |
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A girl thought to be Britain's youngest female double murderer is given a life sentence and told she will serve a minimum of 14 years.
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| 09/07/2010 09:17 AM |
| Pension rallies hit French cities |
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Some 450,000 anti-government protesters join rallies across France and a national strike causes major disruption, amid rising anger over pension reforms.
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| 09/07/2010 07:31 AM |
| Diamond to be new Barclays chief |
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Bob Diamond is to become chief executive of Barclays, while HSBC chairman Stephen Green steps down to become a government trade minister.
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| 09/07/2010 10:06 AM |
| House group nears administration |
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Nearly 10,000 jobs are at risk as the property and environmental services giant Connaught faces collapse.
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| 09/07/2010 04:09 AM |
| UK slipping down graduate league |
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The UK is slipping behind international rivals in university places, according to figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
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| 09/07/2010 06:45 AM |
| Tax error letters start to arrive |
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UK tax authorities are bracing themselves for a deluge of complaints and enquiries after sending out fresh tax calculations.
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| 09/07/2010 05:23 AM |
| Most believe 'retirement is over' |
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Seven out of 10 people believe retirement as we know it will not be possible in the future, a BBC Newsnight poll finds.
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| 09/07/2010 05:46 AM |
| Tree house: Row breaks out over 35ft high leylandii |
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A dispute has broken out in a Plymouth street after a resident lets trees surrounding his property grow to 35ft.
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| 09/07/2010 11:05 AM |
| Crikey! Beano Club closes to new members |
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The club for dedicated fans of Dennis the Menace is to be replaced with a website in a bid to attract more members.
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| 09/07/2010 10:31 AM |
| Woods named in US Ryder Cup team |
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Tiger Woods is selected in the United States Ryder Cup team for Celtic Manor, as one of four wildcards along with Stewart Cink, Zach Johnson and Rickie Fowler.
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| 09/07/2010 11:25 AM |
| Live - England v Pakistan |
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England take on Pakistan in the second Twenty20 international in Cardiff, seeking their seventh win in a row.
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| 09/07/2010 05:55 AM |
| Harrison to take on champion Haye |
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David Haye will make the second defence of his WBA heavyweight title against fellow Brit and Olympic gold medallist Audley Harrison.
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| 09/07/2010 04:42 AM |
| Capello insists Rooney will play |
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England manager Fabio Capello insists striker Wayne Rooney will play in the Euro 2012 qualifier away to Switzerland on Tuesday.
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| 09/07/2010 10:00 AM |
| Live text - US Open day nine |
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Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters are in US Open quarter-final action, while Rafael Nadal also plays on day nine at Flushing Meadows.
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| 09/07/2010 08:39 AM |
| No helmet suspect killed in crash |
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A man suspected of being a motorbike thief who police refused to pursue because he was not wearing a helmet is killed riding a stolen bike.
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| 09/07/2010 08:37 AM |
| Golf course burnt body identified |
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A man whose body was set alight and dumped at a golf course is identified by police as a 37-year-old man from Brighton.
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| 09/07/2010 06:23 AM |
| Hit-and-run death teenager jailed |
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A 17-year-old is jailed for eight-and-a-half years after killing a father in a hit-and-run incident in Edinburgh.
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| 09/07/2010 09:16 AM |
| Huge growth at largest wind farm |
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A massive expansion is to take place at Europe's largest onshore wind farm in East Renfrewshire.
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| 09/07/2010 11:30 AM |
| Anxious wait for NI hip patients |
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Around 200 people in Northern Ireland could be affected after a hip implant was withdrawn on safety grounds
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| 09/07/2010 11:36 AM |
| Warning of 'prolonged recession' |
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The NI first minister, Peter Robinson, has warned that the expected cuts in public expenditure could be devastating for the local economy.
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| 09/07/2010 11:25 AM |
| Legionnaires' fear as woman dies |
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A 64-year-old woman has died of suspected Legionnaires' disease in south Wales.
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| 09/07/2010 08:40 AM |
| Pool fall badly injures tourist |
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A friend tells of a holidaymaker's serious accident at his hotel swimming pool in Majorca.
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| 09/07/2010 08:27 AM |
| Mozambique bread price climbdown |
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Mozambique says it will reverse the increase in the price of bread that sparked deadly riots last week.
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| 09/07/2010 07:57 AM |
| Arrests over Swaziland protests |
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Police in Swaziland arrest about 50 people ahead of protests against sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarchy, activists say.
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| 09/07/2010 03:31 AM |
| Gillard to stay as Australian PM |
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Julia Gillard is to remain as Australia's prime minister after winning the backing of two key independent MPs.
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| 09/07/2010 09:10 AM |
| China backs Burma's election plan |
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China urges international support for the Burmese general election planned for later this year, as Burma's leader begins a five-day visit to China.
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| 09/07/2010 11:05 AM |
| EU agrees new financial framework |
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European finance ministers agree a new framework for financial supervision, designed to help prevent future financial crises.
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| 09/07/2010 05:27 AM |
| EU's Barroso laments jobs crisis |
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The European Commission President, Jose Manuel Barroso, highlights unemployment as a major challenge, in his first "state of the union" speech.
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| 09/06/2010 08:24 PM |
| Guatemala mudslide search halted |
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Teams in Guatemala have to halt the search for bodies following devasting mudslides which have killed at least 45 people.
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| 09/07/2010 03:29 AM |
| Mexico begins army shooting probe |
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Mexico's defence ministry launches an inquiry after a man and his teenage son are shot dead at a military checkpoint.
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| 09/07/2010 05:38 AM |
| Iran stands firm on stoning case |
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Foreign powers should stop interfering in the case of an Iranian woman who was sentenced to death by stoning, Iran's foreign ministry says.
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| 09/07/2010 09:20 AM |
| Gunmen kill Iraqi TV presenter |
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Prominent al-Iraqiya TV presenter Riad al-Saray is shot dead in Baghdad by unknown attackers.
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| 09/07/2010 04:14 AM |
| Kabul Bank investors' cash frozen |
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Afghanistan's central bank follows its promise to back Kabul Bank by freezing the assets of leading investors.
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| 09/07/2010 11:31 AM |
| Car bomb targets Pakistan police |
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At least 12 people are dead after a car bomb exploded near a police base in north-west Pakistan, in the second deadly attack on police in the region in as many days.
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| 09/07/2010 09:41 AM |
| Petraeus warns over Koran burning |
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The US commander in Afghanistan warns troops' lives will be at risk if a Florida church goes ahead with its plan to throw copies of the Koran into a bonfire.
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| 09/07/2010 10:40 AM |
| Obama to back company tax breaks |
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President Obama is to call for company tax breaks in his bid to regain the initiative as mid-term elections loom.
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| 09/07/2010 06:09 AM |
| Ocado sees 30% rise in food sales |
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Online grocery retailer Ocado sees sales rose nearly 30% in the last quarter, but fails to prevent further share price falls.
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| 09/07/2010 06:40 AM |
| Oracle hires HP's ex chief exec |
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Tech stars join forces as Oracle's Larry Ellison brings in former HP boss Mark Hurd to replace Charles Phillips.
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| 09/06/2010 06:01 PM |
| Scam fear over electricity credit |
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Criminals have managed to clone prepayment meter keys in order to make money by offering discounted credit to customers.
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| 09/07/2010 07:24 AM |
| Cameron warns of challenges ahead |
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David Cameron returns to work following paternity leave telling his cabinet "this is the time the rubber hits the road".
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| 09/07/2010 11:06 AM |
| Warning on fixed term parliaments |
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The government's fixed-term parliaments bill could be vulnerable to legal challenge, the Commons' top official warns.
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| 09/07/2010 07:13 AM |
| Don't anoint leader, says Abbott |
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Diane Abbott warns against "anointing" Labour's next leader, saying the party must show it has "moved on" from Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
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| 09/06/2010 06:01 PM |
| UK radiotherapy 'lagging behind' |
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Too few UK cancer patients are receiving state-of-the-art radiotherapy care, experts from Cancer Research UK say.
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| 09/07/2010 02:07 AM |
| ME 'virus link' found in children |
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ME, or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, in children could be caused by a virus, scientists say.
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| 09/07/2010 06:16 AM |
| Gaps persist in cancer survival |
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Despite significant improvements in cancer survival rates across England, regional differences remain, national statistics show.
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| 09/07/2010 07:50 AM |
| Students 'put off by £7,000 fees' |
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A report suggests two-thirds of UK students would be put off university by fees of £7,000 a year.
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| 09/06/2010 05:22 AM |
| First 16 'free schools' revealed |
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The first 16 'free schools' to be set up are named by Education Secretary Michael Gove.
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| 09/06/2010 07:14 AM |
| Former head jailed for sex abuse |
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A former boarding school head teacher is jailed for 21 years for sexually abusing and beating pupils.
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| 09/07/2010 08:25 AM |
| TalkTalk rapped for malware trial |
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The UK's Information Commissioner has reprimanded ISP TalkTalk over recent unpublicised trials of its anti-malware system.
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| 09/07/2010 06:13 AM |
| PS3 update blocks hardware hack |
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Sony has released a "minor" update for its PlayStation 3 that closes a loophole that allowed users to run pirated software.
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| 09/06/2010 09:15 AM |
| UK mobile firms to merge networks |
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Customers of Orange and T-Mobile will soon be able to hop between the two mobile networks as the firms merge their networks.
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| 09/06/2010 05:47 PM |
| 'No climate link' to African wars |
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A study suggests climate change is not responsible for civil wars in Africa, challenging widely held assumptions.
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| 09/06/2010 06:19 PM |
| Inbred bees 'facing extinction' |
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Some of the UK's rarest bumblebees are at risk of becoming extinct as a result of inbreeding, research suggests.
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| 09/06/2010 07:18 AM |
| Red Planet 'may not be lifeless' |
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Carbon-rich organic molecules, which serve as the building blocks of life, may be present on Mars after all, say scientists.
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| 09/07/2010 11:27 AM |
| Stars turn out for Mercury Prize |
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Nominated artists Paul Weller, Dizzee Rascal and The XX are arriving in London for this year's prestigious Mercury Music Prize.
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| 09/07/2010 06:07 AM |
| One million tune in to Daybreak |
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More than one million people tune in to see the launch of ITV's new breakfast show Daybreak, but the BBC wins the ratings battle.
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| 09/07/2010 05:36 AM |
| Rock anthems vanishing from chart |
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Sales of rock singles have dropped 18% in the UK this year, according to figures from the Official Charts Company.
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| 09/06/2010 11:00 PM |
| The blackmarket in cutting agents |
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Street cocaine has long been diluted, but now the cutting agents themselves have spawned a black market.
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| 09/06/2010 06:35 AM |
| The 60s, but not as we know it |
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US drama Mad Men has won praise for its recreation of the 1960s, but it's not a classic depiction of the decade.
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| 09/03/2010 10:16 AM |
| Do our memories get better with age? |
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Our ability to recall events seems to sharpen as we get older, says Lisa Jardine, but can it be trusted to paint an accurate picture?
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| 11/05/2009 12:09 PM |
| Live: Superannuation Bill |
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MPs are debating a bill which proposes capping civil service redundancy payments at a maximum of one year's salary for compulsory redundancies and 15 months' salary for voluntary exits.
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| 09/07/2010 11:38 AM |
| Angelina Jolie visits Pakistan |
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Angelina Jolie has visited Nowshera in north-west Pakistan to highlight the plight of more than 20 million people affected by the country's worst ever floods.
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| 09/07/2010 09:42 AM |
| Blitz commemorated at St Paul's |
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Pilots, firefighters, nurses and ambulance workers who battled through the bombing raids of the Blitz came together at St Paul's Cathedral to commemorate the ordeal.
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| 09/07/2010 10:00 AM |
| 10m hedge incurs neighbours' wrath |
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Behind this tree in Plymouth is a semi-detached house - but the man who lives in it has refused to cut it back.
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| 09/07/2010 03:08 AM |
| Skyscraper climb using suction cups |
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A man has been arrested in San Francisco after climbing a skyscraper using suction cups.
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| 09/07/2010 09:47 AM |
| What to do if you get a tax letter |
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Nearly six million people who have paid the wrong amount of income tax will start to receive letters from the tax office on Tuesday, letting them know about the errors.
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| 09/07/2010 03:43 AM |
| Hurricane pilot remembers Blitz |
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Robert Hall chats to an ex-hurricane pilot who flew over London during the Blitz and a woman who's house was destroyed by German bombs.
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| 09/07/2010 12:24 AM |
| Inside UK's first Sikh temple school |
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Khalsa Primary school is the first Sikh school in the UK to be backed and partly funded by a Gurdwara, or Sikh temple.
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| 09/06/2010 07:35 PM |
| Andrea Bocelli concerts to mark 9/11 |
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Andrea Bocelli is inviting survivors of the attacks on 11 September 2001 in New York to concerts on the Amalfi coast.
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| 09/07/2010 02:22 AM |
| In pictures |
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The Blitz: Eight months of bombing began 70 years ago
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| 09/07/2010 03:25 AM |
| Music for dinner parties? |
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What the Mercury Prize tells us about British music
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| 09/06/2010 09:26 PM |
| How to fix Pakistan |
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Should Islamabad surrender some sovereignty to save the country?
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| 09/07/2010 11:14 AM |
| Booker shortlist |
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The six authors up for this year's literary prize
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| 09/07/2010 04:46 AM |
| Moral support |
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Families focus on keeping miners mentally strong
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