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By Christian Oliver TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran on Saturday refused to stop uranium enrichment after a U.N. report said it had done little or nothing to prove it was not developing nuclear weapons. Instead, it repeated a long-standing offer to let international inspectors make unannounced checks as long as the U.N. Security Council -- invoked by the West several months ago to put pressure on Iran -- dropped the case. Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), d ...

More than 30 police officers have been drafted in to search for a man who sexually assaulted a nine-year-old girl in her bedroom in Doncaster. The victim awoke on Wednesday night to find a man in the room she was sharing with two other children. He assaulted her before escaping out of a window. On Saturday, police were investigating sightings of a suspect after calls from neighbours on the Trafalgar estate. Forensic examinations were continuing at the victim's home, police said. 'Good respon ...

Graeme Dott needs just one more frame to qualify for his second World Championship final after surging into a 16-8 lead over Ronnie O'Sullivan. Resuming level at 8-8 overnight, Dott won all eight frames on Saturday in the third session of their semi-final. The Scot took the first with a break of 92, emerged victorious from a tactical battle in the next, and runs of 86 and 49 put him 12-8 ahead at the interval. Dott continued his relentless charge on the resumption as O'Sullivan lost form. Th ...

John Prescott is expected to face more revelations about his affair with his diary secretary after she gave an interview to a Sunday newspaper. Tracey Temple has been paid in excess of £100,000 to talk about the affair to the Mail on Sunday. Her publicist Max Clifford told the BBC that the Cabinet Office did nothing to help Ms Temple cope with the media storm when the affair became public. However, the government insisted Ms Temple had been given support. Mr Clifford told BBC Radio Four ...

By John Mehaffey LONDON (Reuters) - Steve McClaren, the hot favourite to take over as England manager, has faced an early example of the media scrutiny which persuaded Portuguese coach Luiz Felipe Scolari he no longer wanted the job. The Middlesbrough manager has been forced to confess to The Sun newspaper that he had a three-month affair with a secretary during a trial separation from his wife. "I don't know why this has come out at this time but I want to clear it up," McClaren said in a st ...

A man has been charged with murder over the death of a pensioner who died after being mugged in Belfast city centre, police have said. James Connor, 67, from Hartington Court died in hospital after being assaulted and robbed near Ann Street in the city centre, at about 1730 BST on Wednesday. Mr Connor was hit on the head during the robbery in Wilson Court. A 38-year-old man is expected to appear in Belfast Magistrates Court on Monday charged with his murder.

The government must give up its "continuing obsession" with testing England's schoolchildren, a head teachers' leader has said. Desmond Hamilton, president of the National Association of Head Teachers, also demanded that no class should exceed 30 pupils in size. Personalised teaching - not "tests for tots" - was needed, he told the NAHT's annual conference in Harrogate. Ministers say tests are essential for raising standards. 'Invisible and intangible' Dr Hamilton told conference delegates ...

LONDON (Reuters) - A "minuscule" amount of cannabis has been found at the Scottish home of Defence Secretary John Reid, police and sources close to the minister said on Saturday. Strathclyde police said less than 1 gram (0.03 ounces) of cannabis resin, with a street value of 85 pence, had been found in Reid's home during a routine security search, but that no charges would be brought. A source close to Reid told Reuters the drug had probably been there for 20 years, during which time hundreds  ...

ALLENTOWN, Pennsylvania (AP) -- A couple who thought they were watching their epileptic dog being euthanized actually witnessed a simple sedation procedure concocted so the veterinary clinic could later give the canine to another owner, their lawsuit alleges. Dana and Gary Ganyer said they cried while watching what they thought was the death of Annie, a 2-year-old German shepherd that had increasingly frequent and debilitating seizures. But in a lawsuit filed in Bucks County last week, they co ...

Trainer Martin Pipe has shocked the racing world by announcing his immediate retirement from the sport. The 60-year-old will hand over the reins at his Nicholashayne yard in Somerset to his son David. Pipe's retirement comes on the final day of the jump racing season, when chief rival Paul Nicholls will take the champion trainer title. Pipe secured his 15th National Hunt trainers' crown last year, narrowly beating Nicholls into second place. It was no secret David was due to take over from h ...