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Greek Prime Minister In Talks With International Creditors

Greek PM Alexis Tsipras has held intense talks with international creditors in efforts to find a solution to Greece’s debt crisis.
Mr Tsipras has criticised lenders for rejecting his latest reform proposals, which they say are not viable.
Late night talks with the European Commission, the European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) ended without agreement.
Greece must pay the IMF €1.6bn (£1.1bn) within days or face default.
Talks in Brussels between Mr Tsipras and Greece’s creditors are expected to resume at 09:00 (07:00 GMT) ahead of a Eurogroup meeting of eurozone finance ministers scheduled for 13:00 (11:00 GMT).
They hope to cut a deal that would release further loans to Greece before it runs out of money.
On Wednesday, finance ministers cut short a meeting that had been meant to finalise a deal.
Mr Tsipras held several hours of talks but officials said there was little sign of a breakthrough, with differences over whether the reform plan should have an emphasis on tax rises or pension and spending cuts.
The negotiations reconvened in the evening but again ended without a deal.
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David Cameron comments Calais scenes « totally unacceptable »

Scenes of hundreds of migrants in Calais trying to board lorries to the UK during a strike were « totally unacceptable », PM David Cameron says.
Ministers said a « significant number » of would-be migrants had been stopped during the French ferry worker strike.
Mr Cameron told MPs it was important to work with France to tackle the problem and warned against « either side trying to point the finger of blame ».
Cross-Channel transport is returning to normal although there are delays.
Ferry, Eurotunnel and Eurostar services are running mostly to schedule, but those delayed on Tuesday face waits to rebook trains.
The M20 in Kent is closed between junctions 8 and 9 as parts of the motorway are used to create a queue for lorries heading to the continent. The operation will last for the rest of Wednesday, Kent Police said.

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Met Police Training Facility:Asbestos Concern

Up to 30,000 police officers might have come into contact with asbestos at training facilities, the Metropolitan Police have said.

The force confirmed it was examining a number of buildings used for firearms training between 1980 and 2007.
It also said it was in the process of contacting « a large number of officers » who might have been affected.
At one time asbestos was frequently used as a building material.

5,000 Deaths

Exposure to asbestos can cause serious and potentially-fatal diseases including mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis.
It is thought it is generally only people who regularly work directly with materials containing asbestos who are at any serious health risk but Health and Safety Executive figures estimate there are 5,000 deaths a year caused by exposure to the substance.
Short-term exposure is not considered to pose a danger.

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Aer Lingus Takeover Bid A ‘compelling’ Offer

The head of airline group IAG has called his company’s takeover offer for Aer Lingus « compelling » as it seeks support for the bid from Ryanair.
The Irish government, which owns 25% of the airline, has accepted IAG’s €1.36bn (£961m) bid, after receiving promises over jobs and key traffic routes.
However, Ryanair, which owns 29.8% of Aer Lingus, has yet to reveal whether it will accept the offer.
IAG boss Willie Walsh said he was « hopeful » Ryanair would accept.
Although Aer Lingus’ shares rose 2.6% on Wednesday, at €2.44 they are below the €2.55 a share offer value. Shares in IAG, which owns British Airways and Iberia, were up 1.4%.

However, IAG boss Willie Walsh said that offer « was the limit ».
Mr Walsh said: « We’re hopeful that Ryanair will see this as an attractive offer for their stake in Aer Lingus and we will wait to see what Ryanair and the Ryanair board says in response to this. »

Mr Walsh said there was a « compelling offer » on the table for its shareholders: « I believe Ryanair will see the merit of the case we have made, the value we are offering in terms of this takeover and will want to see the deal go through. »
He added he had not talked to Ryanair in recent weeks.

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US Court Issues Temporary Hold On Deporting Immigrants

A US court has backed a temporary hold on President Barack Obama’s plans to shield almost five million illegal immigrants from deportation.
The hold was imposed after 26 states launched a legal challenge against the executive action, alleging it was unconstitutional.
An appeals court has now denied a government request to overturn it.
The White House said the action was essential to fix a « broken immigration system ».
Under the plans, announced last year, people who entered the US illegally as children and parents of children who are US citizens would be offered temporary protection from deportation.

Aside from arguing President Obama acted outside his authority, the states say the move forces them to invest more in law enforcement, health care and education.
The 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling keeps the plans on hold while the states’ legal challenge proceeds.
It is not clear yet whether the Obama administration will appeal.

The White House said the president acted within his powers to fix a « broken immigration system ».
The Justice Department has argued that immigration policy is for the federal government to determine, not the states.
The department is now evaluating its next steps, a US official told Reuters on the condition of anonymity.
The Republican governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, who has been a persistent critic of the president’s immigration policies, tweeted: « The constitution wins ».