Owen Wightman’s parents described him as a “perfect little man”
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Police hunting a hit-and-run driver who left a six-year-old boy to die in West Yorkshire have said they had a good response from the public.
Owen Wightman, of Kettlethorpe, Wakefield, was hit by a car on Fishponds Lane, in nearby Chapelthorpe, shortly after midday on Saturday.
CCTV is being examined after the driver, believed to be a young white male, failed to stop at the scene.
The Sun newspaper has put up a £10,000 reward in the search for the driver.
West Yorkshire Police said they were following up a number of calls from the public.
Speaking earlier, Det Supt Paul Taylor, from the force’s homicide and major inquiry team, said CCTV of the car taken from a passing bus was being analysed.
“I would appeal for the driver to come forward and give his version of events prior to us receiving information about what vehicle it was and prior to us knocking on his door,” he said.
He said the driver of the car was believed to have got out and inspected his vehicle for damage immediately after the incident.
The vehicle involved was a small, grey or light-coloured hatchback and officers said it was “likely to have front-end damage as a result of the collision”.
In a statement released on Monday, Owen’s parents Joanne and Neil said their son was “a bundle of joy – our little ray of sunshine”.
Owen’s brother left a note at the crash scene saying he was the “best bro’ ever”
Mr Taylor said the boy’s parents were “devastated, absolutely devastated”.
He said: “When you see a picture of Owen you’ll realise what a perfect little boy he was.
“Absolute angel. Blue eyes. Blond hair. And you can imagine what a blow this must be to his mum and dad and his family.”
The youngster had been out playing and was on his way home when he was hit by the car.
Masses of floral tributes and teddy bears have been left at the crash scene.
Owen’s elder brother Jack left a note which read: “You were the best bro’ ever.
“Even when we used to fight and argue I still loved you anyway.”
Another note said: “To mummy and daddy’s little soldier, forever in our hearts, love u always.”
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An Aberdeen teacher who claimed she was forced to leave her job after being bullied and locked in a cupboard wins her tribunal case.
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The RAF is involved in a Nato mission to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya
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The prime minister has criticised military chiefs who have spoken out in public about the UK’s role in Libya.
It comes after the RAF’s second-in-command said “huge” demands were being placed on equipment and personnel.
David Cameron said: “There are moments when I wake up and read the newspapers and think: ‘I tell you what, you do the fighting and I’ll do the talking’.”
He said military leaders were “absolutely clear” the mission could be kept going for as long as necessary.
“Time is on our side, not on Gaddafi’s side,” he said in a news conference.
Last week, the First Sea Lord, Sir Mark Stanhope, warned that continuing operations in Libya beyond September would mean taking ships away from other tasks.
And in briefing notes obtained by The Daily Telegraph and published on Tuesday, Air Chief Marshal Sir Simon Bryant, said morale among personnel was “fragile” and their fighting spirit was being threatened by being over-worked.
He said the service was being stretched by intense air operations in Afghanistan and the Middle East.
According to the briefing paper, ACM Bryant warned MPs in May that many areas of the RAF were “running hot”, while service personnel’s sense that the nation valued their efforts was being undermined by the government’s defence cuts.
ACM Bryant said: “The true strength is in our people in continuing to deliver, despite all that’s asked of them.
“Morale remains fragile. Although fighting spirit remains positive, this assessment will be challenged by individual harmony targets as Operation Ellamy [in Libya] endures [after September].”
He continued: “The impact of SDSR [strategic defence and security review] continues to undermine the sense of being valued. There is concern over the perceived lack of strategic direction which is restricting confidence in the senior leadership.”
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At least 22 people have been killed in bombings in Diwaniya in central Iraq, officials say.
The attack occurred outside the provincial governor’s house and may have involved two separate suicide car bombers. Dozens more people are reported to have been wounded.
Diwaniya is about 80 miles (130 km) south of the capital, Baghdad.
Violence in Iraq has fallen sharply from its peak in 2006, but bombings and shootings occur on a daily basis.
Most of the victims are reported to be policemen.
It is not clear whether the governor has been injured.
Diwaniya is in a mainly Shia region and several of Iraq’s armed groups are said to be active in the area.
Last week, gunmen and suicide bombers stormed a provincial council building in the city of Baquba, killing at least eight people.
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Large rallies in support of President Bashar al-Assad are being held in cities across Syria, a day after the leader addressed the nation.
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Defending champion Serena Williams overcomes Aravane Rezai 6-3 3-6 6-1 in her first-round clash at Wimbledon.
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Donald Clegg was banned from driving for a year by the magistrates
A doctor from Greater Manchester has been banned from driving after he failed to convince magistrates he had been drink driving in his sleep.
GP Donald Clegg, 59, was involved in a crash in Bury New Road in Prestwich in December. He was found behind the wheel in his dressing gown and slippers.
He claimed the sleepwalking meant he was not conscious of his actions, Bury Magistrates’ Court heard.
But the bench banned Clegg, of Prestwich, from driving for 12 months.
He had admitted driving with excess alcohol and without due care and attention but only because of his state of “parasomnia”.
Clegg was almost four times over the limit when he got out of bed and into his car on 8 December.
“We take into account you had been drinking heavily, evidenced by the high reading, and driving some distance on a major road, an accident occurred and you posed a significant risk”
Jean Hinkley Chair of the bench
He drove for a mile while still “asleep” before crashing into parked cars. He was talking incoherently about driving to his mother’s house when bystanders snapped the car key in the ignition to stop him driving away again, the court heard.
The GP claimed the first he knew of the incident was when he woke up in a police cell.
The prosecution did not dispute Clegg was sleepwalking.
Clegg’s lawyer asked the court to use “special reasons” to suspend any driving ban – normally automatic for drink-driving.
A breath test showed he had 127 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.
Such a reading normally attracts a driving ban for about three years and possibly a short jail term.
But magistrates banned him for a year, fined him £650 and ordered he should pay £300 in costs and the £15 victim surcharge.
Jean Hinkley, chair of the bench, told Clegg: “We take into account you had been drinking heavily, evidenced by the high reading, and driving some distance on a major road, an accident occurred and you posed a significant risk.”
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Six-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer faces Mikhail Kukushkin in Centre Court’s second match of the day.
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The Queen and Prince Philip have been to lunch with the Camerons at 10 Downing Street in an event to mark Prince Philip’s 90th birthday.
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British and Irish Lions rugby international, Stephen Ferris, denies assaulting two men in Belfast city centre.
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Football pundit Andy Gray has accepted £20,000 in damages from the News of the World over phone hacking.
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Too much alcohol, drugs, sex and poor hygiene are the main health risks at festivals, an expert is warning.
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The Soca website was taken offline by an apparent denial of service attack
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A 19-year-old man has been arrested in Wickford, Essex, in connection with the hacking of websites.
On Monday the UK Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) was forced to take its website offline after it was attacked by Lulz Security hackers.
Scotland Yard would not confirm the arrest was connected but did say that it followed a series of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks.
Tuesday’s raid was a “pre-planned, intelligence-led” operation, it said.
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A ribbon of volcanic ash from the Chilean volcano passes high over South Africa earlier this week. Pic: AFP Photo/Nasa Modis
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The ash cloud from the Chilean volcano Puyehue-Cordon Caulle is causing renewed chaos for flights in Australia.
Last week, tens of thousands of flights were affected as airlines grounded flights, and now the cloud has returned after drifting around the world.
Adelaide airport has been shut, and flights are being cancelled out of Canberra and Sydney for the first time.
Qantas said it was simply too dangerous to fly as the ash cloud from the volcano did another lap of the planet.
With the cloud hovering right above the flight path, Adelaide airport in South Australia has been shut throughout Tuesday.
Domestic flights are also being grounded in the capital Canberra and Sydney, the busiest airport in the country.
International flights operating in and out of Sydney are currently under review.
Last week, some airlines, such as Virgin Australia, flew below and around the ash cloud, but this time they have been advised against doing so.
Qantas said its policy was not to fly below the ash cloud, because it brought risks that it was simply not prepared to take.
Last week, 100,000 passengers and 700 flights were affected by the ash plume in Australia and New Zealand.
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Mr Cameron said he wished Greece well but the UK would not contribute to any further bailout
The eurozone will not be allowed to collapse, David Cameron has said, since the countries using the single currency have so much “invested in it”.
The prime minister said that for its 17 members, the eurozone was a “key part” of their national identities and they “will not let it fail”.
It comes after former foreign secretary Jack Straw said the euro “cannot last” amid the Greek debt crisis.
The PM restated the UK would not take part directly in any Greek rescue.
As it is not a member of the single currency, the UK would not have to contribute to any further EU-wide bailout.
However, as a member of the International Monetary Fund it could be liable for a share of loan guarantees to Greece – and UK banks have an estimated £2.4bn in investments tied up there.
Members of the single currency have said Greece must agree further austerity measures before receiving a further £10bn, raising the prospect of the country defaulting on its debts should it be unable to do this.
“The countries that joined the euro have an enormous amount invested in it and do not want it to, and will not let it, fail”
David Cameron UK Prime MinisterEurozone ‘will collapse’ – Straw
A growing number of UK politicians have said this is the best way to resolve Greece’s long-term economic difficulties and the country should be allowed to leave the eurozone.
Former Labour Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has gone further, saying the euro was facing a “slow death” and the UK should accept that monetary union as a project could not survive in its current form.
But asked about the eurozone’s future on Tuesday, Mr Cameron said he expected it to survive its current crisis.
“The countries that joined the euro have an enormous amount invested in it and do not want it to, and will not let it, fail,” he said at a press conference in No 10.
“They see it as an absolute key part of their national interest and identities and I would not doubt their resolve in any way.”
The Greek government wants a similar rescue deal to the £68bn ($110bn) bailout it received last year.
However, eurozone finance ministers are awaiting the outcome of a series of votes in the Greek Parliament – the first of which is on Tuesday – before deciding whether to hand over the latest tranche of money.
Turbulence in the eurozone was not good for the UK, Mr Cameron stressed, since 40% of UK export trade was with countries using the single currency.
“Britain struggles when the eurozone struggles,” he added.
“The consequences of severe turbulence (in the eurozone) could be bad for Britain.”
The prime minister, who said he had always been “passionately opposed” to the UK joining the single currency, said he wished Greece well in its difficulties but the UK would not be participating in any financial rescue.
“The point about Greece that the chancellor and I have both made is we were not involved in the first bailout of Greece. It would be quite wrong now to bring Britain into this bailout.”
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