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Man charged with landlord murder

Steven CurranPolice believe the crash and Mr Curran’s death are linked

The wife of a landlord who was murdered outside their pub in East Lothian has spoken of the family’s devastation at their loss.

Steven Curran, who ran the Dolphin Inn at Whitecraig, was found at the back of the pub at about 0200 BST on Thursday.

His wife Jill said the 47-year-old was very family orientated and that she and their two daughters, aged six and 13, were the centre of his life.

Police are connecting the killing with a crash on the A1 near Dunbar.

A silver-coloured Toyota Celica, which collided with a central reservation and was found abandoned at about 0015 BST, is believed to have belonged to Mrs Curran.

Officers from Lothian and Borders Police said they were “confident” the two incidents were linked and appealed to anyone who saw a man walking alone in the countryside near the Broxburn Estate in Dunbar to contact them.

In a statement issued through the police, Mrs Curran said: “We are all devastated by recent events which have taken Steven from our close knit family.

“He was a much-loved husband, father, brother and son who will be sorely missed.”

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Thousands at union cuts protest

Sammy Wilson Sammy Wilson said trade union protests as a waste of time

The finance minister Sammy Wilson has said a planned trade unionist protest against spending cuts in Belfast on Saturday is a waste of time.

Unions say they are highlighting the plight of thousands of public sector workers who face redundancy.

But Mr Wilson said unions were “giving false hope to people that somehow or other by holding placards they can avoid these financial choices”.

He also accused the unions of using the cuts to gain political clout.

“In doing so, they are probably delaying or seeking to delay the whole process of trying to make a budget.”

The rally, which will begin at St Anne’s Cathedral and make its way to the City Hall, is being backed by the Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.

Liam Gallagher of the Derry Trade Union Council said the north-west would be particularly badly hit by the cuts because one in three people were employed in the public sector.

“We have been told that if this goes through, the figures are 20,000 to 25,000 public sector jobs and 16,000 knock-on job losses within the private sector.

“I think these are realistic figures and unfortunately that level of job loss will mean irreparable damage to the Northern Ireland economy.”

Economists have warned that redundancies are inevitable because of the cuts in public spending required by the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Construction and other industries reliant on capital investment face being particularly badly hit because of a bigger than expected cut in the capital budget.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Fire-hit pier reopens after refit

BBC Breakfast News

How the Weston Pier fire unfolded on the BBC and in the national press

Thousands of people queued in pouring rain for the reopening of Weston-super-Mare’s Grand Pier, which has undergone a £39m transformation.

There was no official ceremony, just the simple removal of a barrier.

A spokeswoman for the Somerset landmark – closed since fire destroyed its pavilion in July 2008 – said the pier could only hold 6,700 people.

Co-owner Michelle Michael said: “We’re very, very excited; the pier is everything we hoped it would be.”

Related stories

It now boasts the UK’s first laser maze and the only double one in the world.

The landmark, which has been redesigned with a modern glass fronted building by Bristol-based architects Angus Meek, is also home to Britain’s smallest rollercoaster – the Robocoaster – a large robotic arm ride.

While the biggest ride is a 300m electric floor pick-up go-kart track, which is the only one of its kind in the UK and cost £1m.

The pier was expected to be completed in June, but has been hit by several setbacks.

Grand Pier at Weston 6 October 2010 It has cost more than £39m to rebuild the pier

The reopening was attended by Tourism Minister John Penrose, who is also the MP for the town.

Earlier, the pier’s spokeswoman warned people to expect queues, but said there would be entertainers in the street to keep them occupied.

The Grade II-listed pier first opened in 1904.

The first pavilion was destroyed in a fire in 1930 and, two years ago, an electrical fault caused the second fire.

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‘Assault victim’ killed in crash

A driver has died after being struck by two cars following a row with another motorist, police said.

The 40-year-old was found at the junction of Trinity Road and Magdalen Road, in Wandsworth, late on Friday. He had earlier been assaulted.

The victim, in a Nissan Micra, and the driver of a Ford Fiesta had pulled up at the scene and were involved in an altercation, police said.

The victim was then hit by two other cars that failed to stop at the scene.

A 25-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assault and officers are also looking for the drivers of the two vehicles which struck the victim.

The Metropolitan police is yet to formally identify the victim. His next of kin have been informed.

A Met spokesman said: “At this early stage, it is believed that the man was the victim of an assault prior to being in collision with two vehicles that failed to stop at the scene.

“A 25-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of assault and is in custody at a south London police station.”

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Firefighters begin first walkout

Firefighters at the scene of a fire in Peckham, south- east London

Fire crews say they face the sack if they do not sign new contracts

Q&A: London fire strike

Firefighters in London have walked out for eight hours in a row over new contracts that include changes to the shift times.

Thousands of members of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) began their protest at 1000 BST.

The union claims London Fire Brigade (LFB) has threatened to sack those who do not sign up to the new shifts.

LFB has said it will respond to 999 calls, but said it may not be able to attend less urgent incidents.

London Fire Brigade said changes were needed so that the public would remain protected while budgets were squeezed.

At the start of the strike FBU general secretary Matt Wrack, who joined the picket line at Euston fire station, said he expected “solid support”.

He added: “London’s firefighters feel it is the only step they can now take.”

The union plans to walk out for eight hours again on 1 November.

A LFB spokesman said: “The Brigade’s contingency plan has been rolled out on schedule.

“All 162 contract staff providing the fire and rescue service in the capital today were deployed by 9am.

“During the day, 27 fire engines will provide the service, and throughout the day we will be reviewing our resources based on staff not taking part in the strike action,” he added.

London Fire commissioner Ron Dobson said: “We’ll be responding to 999 calls and doing everything we can to protect the public during this unnecessary FBU strike.”

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.