X-ray delay cancer patient dead

Altnagelvin HospitalThousands of patients were recalled to Altnagelvin after their X rays were not followed up
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At least one of four people whose cancer diagnosis was delayed at Londonderry’s Altnagelvin Hospital has since died.

Details of the person’s death emerged after the Western Trust revealed that four people had to wait up to 10 months for their cancer to be diagnosed.

The delays happened after written assessments of 18,500 X-rays were not carried out.

It is not yet clear whether the delay in diagnosis contributed to the death.

The Western Health Trust has refused to give details of the four people because of what it described as patient confidentiality.

The trust has apologised for the backlog in X-ray cases and said it has now been cleared.

It said the delay in carrying out the written assessments was caused by staff and equipment shortages.

The trust said the backlog had now been cleared. It also apologised to the patients affected.

The huge backlog emerged last July when it came to light that important reports had not been completed by clinicians.

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Employed ‘given housing priority’

Council blockPeople in employment would be prioritised on Westminster’s council house waiting list
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People in employment could be given priority in getting a council house over those who are unemployed, Westminster council has said.

The Conservative-run council said the policy was designed “to reward those who are in jobs”.

But Labour councillor Guthrie McKie said: “To discriminate against people for being unemployed is disgusting.”

A decision on the proposals will be made in February. If approved, plans will be implemented by April.

The council said the proposal was “designed to recognise positive contributions to society, reward those who are in jobs and to encourage those who are not currently employed to seek work”.

Under the council’s plans, working households will be defined as those where the main applicant or their partner are in work, have a permanent or temporary contract or are self-employed.

People who would be prioritised must have been working for a minimum of two years.

But Mr McKie said: “I don’t think its a good policy.

“There should be a level playing field. We are in a climate of unemployment increasing.

“This policy is driven by political ideology, not the need to resolve problems with social cohesion in the region.”

Westminster cabinet member for housing, Councillor Philippa Roe, said: “We want to introduce a system which is fairer to local people and rewards those in employment.

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UK confidence fall ‘astonishing’

Shoppers in LeedsConsumers are increasingly worried about the coming year, the report says

The confidence of UK consumers in the economy and their finances has suffered its biggest monthly drop in almost 20 years, a survey has suggested.

Rising VAT was a key factor behind the “astonishing” confidence fall, the GfK NOP Social Research report said.

The UK faced a “very painful period”, it added.

More government austerity measures and the surprise contraction in the economy meant talk of a double dip recession was “unavoidable”, the study said.

According to the GfK NOP Social Research report the eight-point fall in a key measure of consumer confidence between December and January, to minus 29, was the biggest monthly drop since the 1992 recession.

Meanwhile, the index representing people’s expectations of their financial situation over the next year slid to minus 12, down from plus 4 a year ago.

And the score for expectations for the economy over the next year was minus 30, compared with minus two a year ago.

Earlier this week official figures showed that UK GDP shrank by 0.5% in the final three months of 2010 – as the freezing December weather caused major disruption across the economy.

And last week, the Office for National Statistics said that the rate of CPI inflation had risen by more than expected to 3.8%.

Meanwhile at the beginning of this month – the standard rate of VAT increased from 17.5% to 20%.

“The VAT increase is the first of the government’s austerity measures that has had a widespread impact on consumers, and it seems to have hit people’s economic confidence hard, especially as the biggest drop was in consumers’ appetite for major purchases,” said GfK’s managing director Nick Moon.

“With inflation on the up and the full force of the cuts yet to hit, these figures could be the beginning of a very painful period.

“There is a chance that these figures represent a post-Christmas blip but even if there is a rally in February it is extremely unlikely that it will reverse this massive drop.”

On Friday, analysts said that the rise in VAT appeared to be a key factor in declining weekly sales at department store John Lewis, which fell 2.2% on the same week a year earlier.

“The slowdown in John Lewis sales is particularly notable as the company has been clearly out-performing the retail sector as a whole,” said IHS Global Insight economist Howard Archer.

“The John Lewis figures suggest that consumers are becoming increasingly less prepared, or less able, to spend as higher inflation and muted earnings growth squeezes their purchasing power.”

However, John Lewis said it was difficult to make comparisons with last year, as snowfall in January 2010 had created fluctuations in trade.

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Blair ‘feared Cabinet Iraq leaks’

Sir Gus O'DonnellSir Gus has been Cabinet Secretary for more than five years
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Tony Blair was “reluctant” to hold Cabinet discussions about Iraq because he thought details would be leaked, the UK’s top civil servant has said.

Sir Gus O’Donnell told the Iraq Inquiry that Mr Blair did not believe Cabinet was “a safe space” in which to debate the issues involved in going to war.

The number of informal meetings meant records of discussions were not “as complete” as he would like, he added.

Several former mandarins have queried the way Cabinet discussed going to war.

Sir Gus O’Donnell is the latest senior official to appear before the Chilcot inquiry as it completes its final series of public hearings.

He was the top civil servant at the Treasury in the run-up to the 2003 war before becoming Cabinet Secretary in 2005.

Sir Gus told the inquiry that the Blair government had fewer Cabinet meetings than his immediate predecessors and his successors as prime ministers because he took a “certain view” about what could be achieved through collective decisions.

Asked why this was the case, Sir Gus said he believed the prime minister had concerns about how watertight discussions in Cabinet would be.

“I think one of the reasons the prime minister was reluctant, at times, to take as many Cabinet discussions as possible was because he felt that they would become very public, very quickly,” he told the inquiry.

Sir Gus said Cabinet should ideally be a “safe space” in which ministers were listened to and could “openly challenge” policy but in the knowledge that discussions would remain confidential and that Cabinet would ultimately agree a “single position”.

“You have to understand why would he [Mr Blair] not go for these meetings and I think it was because we would have thought it was not a safe space.”

While Cabinet must remain the “ultimate” decision-making body, he said officials needed to be “ruthless” about leaks and other issues which eroded trust and meant sensitive issues could not be discussed freely.

Several Cabinet ministers, led by Robin Cook and Clare Short, were unhappy with policy on Iraq, Mr Cook resigning in protest on the ever of war, although a clear majority backed the invasion.

Sir Gus said Mr Blair preferred to work with “smaller” ad-hoc groups of ministers and advisers.

“The nature of formality was diminished. If you reduce the formality, you don’t have such good records of what happened and when you come to do audits, it is not as complete as any cabinet secretary would want it to be.

“By virtue of that, some of the people that are excluded from decisions can feel, just that, excluded and you don’t get the full contribution of everyone to a joined-up decision.”

Lord Turnbull, Sir Gus O’Donnell predecessor, has said the Cabinet “did not know the score” when backing the invasion as it had not seen crucial papers.

But, in his evidence, Mr Blair has insisted that there was frequent and robust discussion of Iraq in Cabinet and that he would be “astonished” if ministers were unaware of the military preparations than were going on in the summer of 2002.

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Leave my son alone, says James Blunt’s mum

James BluntJames Blunt was educated at two independent schools
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Singer James Blunt’s mother has defended her son against “harsh criticism” from British critics over his public school background.

Jane Blount contacted BBC Radio 4’s Today programme after hearing a feature about an increase in pop stars who have been privately educated.

During the report, record producer Pete Waterman said the music industry had become “snobbish”.

Mrs Blount said it was unfair Blunt was criticised “because of his background”.

The feature mentioned the likes of Lily Allen, Florence Welch and Coldplay’s Chris Martin, who all attended private schools.

However, Blunt who attended independent boarding school Elstree in Berkshire, Harrow School in Harrow on the Hill and the University of Bristol, was not mentioned.

“We are relieved that on the whole James’s fan base take no notice of the critics”

Jane Blount

In an e-mail to the programme, Mrs Blount said: “I was most interested to hear Pete Waterman’s thoughts on public school rock stars.

“His attitude is reflected by most of the critics in the UK. My son James Blunt, who is hugely appreciated worldwide, receives harsh criticism here and we have, rather sadly, been aware that it is because of his background.

“We are relieved that on the whole James’s fanbase take no notice of the critics.”

She went on to say that his latest album, Stay the Night, “is doing so well around the world”.

Waterman, best known for his production team Stock, Aitken and Waterman – which worked with pop artists like Kylie Minogue in the 80s, said the argument that pop stars must now be educated was worse than it ever has been.

“The major companies dominate and they see a CV and if you haven’t got 96 O levels, you ain’t getting a job,” he said.

“In the old days, you got a job in the music industry because you knew something about music. Now when they see your CV they don’t take you unless you’ve been to university, full stop.”

“It’s become snobbish. It’s become a snobbish culture.”

Mrs Blount said she felt Waterman’s argument was flawed.

“Peter Waterman contradicted himself finally as he said that no number of exams will make you popular or successful in the music world.”

Today presenter Evan Davis told listeners: “We’re very pleased that Mrs Blount listens to the programme.”

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‘Suicide bomber’ hits Kabul store

breaking news

An explosion has hit a supermarket popular with foreigners in the Afghan capital Kabul, say police.

It was not immediately clear what caused the blast, not far from the British embassy.

Police said a gas canister may have been to blame, but one report said it may have been a suicide bombing.

The explosion reportedly wounded at least two people. Witnesses said a fire was burning inside the store.

Mary Hayden, a consultant who was in the supermarket, told the Associated Press news agency: “A bomb went off. Everyone was running to the back of the building.”

Violence in Afghanistan is at its worst level since the overthrow of the Taliban government in late 2001.

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Husband killer gets two year term

Scene of the body findPiotr Rafacz was found dead in his north Belfast flat

A woman who admitted the manslaughter of her husband has been jailed for two years at Belfast Crown Court.

The body of Piotr Rafacz, 29, was found at the home he shared with his wife Teresa and their three-year-old son, on the Cliftonville Road on 18 July, 2009.

Mr Justice Hart said Mrs Rafacz, 29, killed him as a “result of a momentary lapse of self-control by her in a spasm of anger”.

He said her husband had left their toddler son home alone to go drinking.

“It is proper to regard her conduct as lacking the necessary intent to kill or inflict really serious personal injury, not withstanding the severity of the kick and stamping to his head”

Mr Justice Hart Crown court judge

Mr Justice Hart said that when Rafacz went to work at 6.45 am she left her son in the care of her husband, an unemployed alcoholic.

He said that he accepted “that Rafacz returned home when she was tired after a long hard day at work to find her husband in a drunken condition”.

The judge said it was obvious, given the lack of any empty bottles in the flat, that he had left their baby son, “hungry and on his own in the flat for a lengthy period of time in all possibility several hours.”

Rafacz inflicted “serious harm upon her husband when she kicked him and stamped on his head when he lay on the ground”, he said.

He said that lashing out in the way she did at her drunken husband “as he lay defenceless on the ground amounted to ‘gratuitous violence'”.

However, he added “it is proper to regard her conduct as lacking the necessary intent to kill or inflict really serious personal injury, not withstanding the severity of the kick and stamping to his head”.

The judge said he took into account her guilty plea and other mitigating circumstances.

He sentenced her to four years – two years to be spent in custody and two on licence.

However, her time in custody will also take into account the time she was on remand before being granted bail while awaiting her trial.

Her 27-year-old brother, Pawel Czop, who had admitted withholding information from the police, was sentenced to 240 hours community service.

The judge said he did not “believe any useful purpose would be served by sending him back into custody” for a short period of time.

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Legal action plan on rail strike

An Arriva Trains carriageThe strike, planned for Friday, 4 February, would hit an estimated 32,000 rugby fans
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Arriva Trains Wales (ATW) is considering court action to prevent the rail strike planned on the opening day of the Six Nations rugby tournament.

The strike over pay is due next Friday when Wales host England at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

Wales rugby fans have said they expect travel chaos in Cardiff city centre on the night of the game.

Rail union RMT said the pay offer was unacceptable and would leave members with an effective pay cut.

ATW, which operates trains across Wales, confirmed it may seek a court injunction to stop the industrial action by members of RMT.

It said the strike would cause disruption and inconvenience for many thousands of rail passengers and rugby fans.

The train operator has said its offer of a 12% pay increase over two years, taking a driver’s basic salary to £39,117, was “very generous”.

The RMT disputes the 12% figure, saying the rise for this year is actually 3.7%, and claims it is an effective pay cut.

A union spokesperson said: “Our dispute is not with the rugby fans of Wales or England, our dispute is with ATW.

“It’s going to cause chaos in the centre of Cardiff – that’s the point of the strike but that doesn’t help the fans”

Rugby fan Dave Evans

“We decide on our tactics to force the issue with the company. We have to look at all the options.

“It’s forced the company to take this issue seriously. We’re not doing this to disrupt people who are going to the rugby.”

An estimated 32,000 fans usually use ATW’s services on match days, forcing many supporters to make other arrangements.

Pontypridd RFC finance director Peter Howells said: “We’ve almost filled one coach and we’re looking at getting another one.

“We would normally run one coach but because of the increased demand, we’re in the process of organising another.”

Wales rugby fan Dave Evans, from Cardiff, said: “The fans are presumably going to try to come down by car.

“That’s going to cause chaos in the centre of Cardiff – that’s the point of the strike but that doesn’t help the fans.”

Talks between the union and the train operator are expected to take place on Monday.

Transport Ieuan Wyn Jones has called on both sides to negotiate.

ATW employs 617 drivers of which 129 are in the RMT, with the remainder in the Aslef union. ATW does not expect the other drivers to cross the picket line.

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Teacher jailed for abusing boys

Andrew KingsleyAndrew Kingsley was a probationary teacher at a Fife school
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A 23-year-old teacher from Fife has been jailed for a minimum of five years for abusing 16 young boys.

Andrew Kingsley, from Dunfermline, admitted committing a string of sexual offences against boys as young as 12 over four years from August 2006.

Kingsley, who was known as Olly, worked at a school in Fife for five months until his arrest.

The music teacher has also been placed on a life long restriction order.

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Review of McCrone teaching deal

Classroom The McCrone deal gave guarantees on teacher pay and conditions
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Scottish ministers have announced a review of the size and cost of the country’s teaching workforce, under a re-examination of the McCrone deal.

The agreement, implemented in 2001 to modernise the profession, will be reviewed by Stirling University principal Prof Gerry McCormac.

It will also consider whether McCrone is suited to the newly-introduced Curriculum for Excellence.

Teachers currently work 35 hours, with 22.5 hours spent teaching.

Announcing the review, Education Secretary Mike Russell said: “Ten years on from the landmark report of the McCrone inquiry, and the agreement on pay and conditions which followed, the time is right for a fundamental review of the changes it has engineered.

“McCrone has undoubtedly delivered a well-paid, highly-qualified, professional workforce and we now have tens of thousands of talented teachers teaching hundreds of thousands of better-educated pupils.

“However a lot has changed in the past decade, most notably the introduction of Curriculum for Excellence, which provides new challenges for teachers and pupils, and we need to ensure we continue to attract the right kind of people into the profession to deliver this new approach to learning and teaching.”

The remit of the McCrone review will consider whether:

The agreement is delivering all the benefits that were intended for both teachers and pupilsIt is suited to the delivery of Curriculum for ExcellenceIt attracts the most-talented people into the teaching professionThe cost and size of the teacher workforce in the context of the current financial climate.

The original McCrone deal agreed between councils and teaching unions, guaranteed teachers more than 12 hours a week to spend marking and preparing lessons in school.

Prof McCormac said: “The review group will approach this challenging piece of work with an open mind.

“We will consider the views of all with an interest in Scottish education and make recommendations as to how future arrangements can be improved to achieve the expected outcomes.”

Scottish Labour accused Mr Russell of ‘abandoning proper practice’.

It said it appeared that he had made his mind up already and wanted to cut teachers’ pay and conditions.

Labour’s education spokesman Des McNulty said: “Teachers will rightly see this move as an attack on their conditions of service.

“So far Mr Russell has not indicated when this review will report and he also needs to provide clarity on that.”

Liberal Democrat education spokeswoman Margaret Smith MSP welcomed the McCormac review.

She said: “Liberal Democrats firmly believe that quality teachers are absolutely central to the delivery of a world class Scottish education system

“We are proud that many of the components of the McCrone deal such as the guaranteed induction year for new graduates have worked effectively, but also know that not all of them have been properly delivered.

“It is time now to build on the successes of McCrone and it is essential that this review is driven by what is in the best interests of Scottish education and not as a purely cost cutting exercise.”

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‘Anonymous’ defends web attacks

Julian AssangeAnonymous members launched web attacks in support of Julian Assange’s Wikileaks
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Web activist group Anonymous has criticised the arrest of its members claiming the web attacks they launched were a legitimate form of protest.

Five men were arrested yesterday in connection with web attacks carried out in support of Wikileaks.

Overnight, US law enforcers said they had executed 40 search warrants in conjunction with UK operation.

Anonymous said the action was a “serious declaration of war” by the UK government against it.

Despite Anonymous’ claims, in an open letter published online that denial of service attacks are a legitimate way to protest, UK law says such attacks, which bombard sites with data, are illegal.

The arrests of five of its members was “a sad mistake” by the UK authorities, Anonymous.

Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks should not be confused with malicious hacking, instead be regarded as “a new way of voicing civil protest”, it added.

What is a DDoS attack?A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack aims to make websites inaccessibleAttackers commonly use networks of compromised computers – called a botnet – that they control to launch the attacksHowever, the Anonymous attacks recruited volunteers to download a tool to create a “virtual” botnetBy overwhelming the target site with requests, the attackers can ensure that genuine visitors cannot reach the siteThese requests look like genuine web traffic so can be hard to filter outTypically, such attacks have been aimed at high-profile websites, such as those belonging to government departments, banks and political organisationsThey are illegal in most countriesQ&A: Web Attacks

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police’s Central e-Crime Unit arrested five men, aged between 15 and 26 in connection with offences under the Computer Misuse Act 1990.

That legislation makes it clear that launching DDoS attacks is illegal, said Graham Cluley, senior security analyst at Sophos.

“Most of the people that took part in the attacks in support of Wikileaks volunteered to do so,” he told BBC News.

The web attacks were mounted against firms such as Mastercard, PayPal and Amazon which had withdrawn their services to Wikileaks, in the wake of its publication of leaked embassy cables.

The DDoS attacks launched against those companies was done using a web toll known as the Low Orbit Ion Cannon (Loic).

That made it easy for authorities to locate those responsible, as Loic does nothing to mask the IP address of those initiating the flood of web traffic, said Cluley.

“Once you know someone’s IP address it’s relatively simple to find their physical address,” he said.

In December two Dutch teenagers were taken into custody and subsequently released over allegations that they had helped coordinate the attacks.

The five men arrested in the UK have been released on bail.

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Climate-proofing plans unveiled

Train goes past sea front in Scotland (PA)Climate change could affect several aspects of UK infrastructure
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Roads built to the same standards as the scorching south of France; fish moved from the overheated Lake District to cooler waters in Scotland; lighthouses threatened by rising seas.

From measures in use already to seemingly far-fetched scenarios for the future, these are some of the findings in the first batch of climate adaptation plans submitted to the environment ministry Defra.

Under the Climate Change Act, 91 major organisations responsible for key aspects of national infrastructure have to explain how they will cope if the climate alters as forecast.

The latest projections suggest the potential for major change – for example that it is “very likely” that southern England will on average be 2.2-6.8C warmer by the 2080s.

That range of possible warming reveals the huge uncertainties inherent in climate forecasting. Nevertheless the aim of the studies is to ensure that long-term planning takes account of the possible risks.

Many of the ideas for adaptation have been aired before but this is the first time they have been brought together in a formal set of strategies.

In its plan, the Highways Agency recognises the risk of roads deteriorating more rapidly in higher temperatures and more frequent extreme weather.

One solution, adopted in 2008, is to copy the specifications for road foundations used in southern France.

New Brighton lighthouseMost lighthouses are not at threat, but sea level rise is a concern

The Environment Agency warns that rising temperatures will be stressful for wildlife – with fish at the greatest risk.

It raises the radical option of relocating some fish species from the Lake District to habitats further north where the waters will be cooler.

The Trinity House Lighthouse Authority – which runs 68 lighthouses on the English and Welsh coasts – reckons the majority of its installations will face no impact.

But it details four lighthouses that would be threatened by sea-level rise unless action is taken, with a further nine whose landing docks may be at risk in future.

Trinity House estimates that five lighthouses may suffer from the erosion of the cliffs they stand on – but points out that this process may have nothing to do with climate change.

Network Rail raises concerns about keeping passengers cool in heatwaves, ensuring that rail lines do not buckle in high temperatures and preventing embankments collapsing as a result of flooding.

One of its most vulnerable stretches of track is on the south Devon coast between Dawlish and Teignmouth where storms have often seen waves break over the line.

Network Rail says the sea level at this point has risen 30cm since 1840 and is projected to rise by a further 70cm by 2050 and 1.45m by 2100. The risk of the track being ‘overtopped’ is predicted to increase by 50% by 2020 and to treble by 2080.

It has already invested £8.5m in the past 10 years in fortifying the sea defences and establishing an early warning system to watch for rockfalls from the cliffs.

Network Rail believes it is “ahead of the game” by planning for future changes but warns that any adaptation will need to be dove-tailed with flood protection schemes for neighbouring Teignmouth and Dawlish.

National Grid has submitted two reports – for gas and electricity. On gas, it warns that pipes could become exposed through subsidence or erosion and it is working to replace old metal pipes with ones made of polyethylene.

On electricity, it identifies 13 substations – unnamed – that are vulnerable to a one-in-a-century flood – a relatively high risk for such important assets.

The 2007 floods had provided a wake-up for the industry when a vital substation at Walham in Gloucester – serving tens of thousands of households – was almost overwhelmed.

Later this year, power companies, water utilities, harbour authorities and others will submit their plans, leading ultimately to a national adaptation strategy.

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French ban on gay marriage upheld

Sophie Hasslauer (left) and Corinne Cestino interviewed by AP in Val de Vesle, France, 24 JanuaryThe court heard the case of Sophie Hasslauer (left) and Corinne Cestino
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The French constitutional court has upheld a ban on gay marriage, which was challenged by a lesbian couple with four children.

The court ruled that the ban, challenged by Corinne Cestino and Sophie Hasslauer, was in keeping with the constitution.

Activists had hoped France would join states like Spain and Belgium in legalising same-sex marriage.

An opinion poll suggests most French people are in favour.

The TNS Sofres survey of 950 people suggests that 58% of French people approve while 35% oppose gay marriage.

The idea that the court should rule at all on gay marriage was condemned by the leader of France’s far-right National Front, Marine Le Pen.

The court, or Constitutional Council as it is formally known, reached its decision through a panel of eight judges, six men and two women.

While many European states recognise homosexual civil unions, only Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Sweden, Norway and Iceland legally acknowledge same-sex marriage.

Ms Cestino and Ms Hasslauer have lived together 15 years, are raising four children together, and already benefit from a French law recognising their partnership, but they cannot marry.

“It is not so much about getting married but about having the right to get married,” Ms Cestino, a paediatrician, told the Associated Press news agency.

“So, that is what we are asking for: just to be able, like anyone else, to choose to get married or not.”

At issue for the court were two articles in the civil code stipulating that marriage can only be between a man and a woman.

The couple’s lawyer had been hoping that the court would force the conservative government to sponsor a bill on gay marriage to send to parliament.

After a Green Party mayor in the south-western town of Begles officiated over a wedding of two gay men in 2004, France’s highest court annulled the marriage.

Under their civil union, the lesbian couple have tax benefits and other financial advantages, their lawyer Emmanuel Ludot explained.

But marriage, he added, confers “the responsibility to help each other in times of sickness or financial difficulty, inheritance rights and the joint custody of goods – and that’s without talking about the benefit for children, who are what we call ‘legitimised by marriage'”.

Ms Le Pen said she was “totally” opposed to same-sex marriage and that the French people, not the constitutional court, should decide on its validity.

She said she believed that most homosexuals did not want the right to marry either.

“The vast majority of homosexuals are not demanding the right to be different but the right to be left alone,” the far-right leader said.

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