The Prince of Wales has been visiting flood victims still homeless three months after the floods of last autumn.
The torrential rain which deluged the town of Keighley, near Bradford, left 400 people homeless at the end of October last year.
They were forced out of their homes when the River Aire burst its banks leaving some streets under three feet of water.
Locals were forced to spend several days in the local Keighley Leisure Centre where they received shelter and hot meals. They have been in temporary accommodation ever since.
Restoration work
Prince Charles is visiting restoration work being done in the Stockbridge area of the town where most of the flood victims are from.
The Prince's visit follows a plea from a local councillor in Stockbridge who said locals "still have a disaster on their hands".
Flood defences in the area have been given a £1.65m boost by the Yorkshire flood defence committee. It will be paid for by local authorities in the area.
It brings to £18.1m the amount of money that has been allocated for flood defences in Yorkshire in the last year.
Earlier on Monday, Prince Charles visited the Timothy Taylor brewery in Keighley.
He surprised many of the 60 strong staff in the brewery by saying he preferred "the black stuff", Guinness, to its flagship bitter, Landlord, which he confessed was too bitter for his liking.
It is the second visit by Prince Charles to flood victims in Yorkshire.
In November he visited York and pronounced himself surprised at how high the floodwater had risen in the town.
In December he visited flood victims in North Wales.
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Prince's Saudi visit goes ahead(Electronic Telegraph)
A VISIT by the Prince of Wales to Saudi Arabia will go ahead despite controversy over the televised "confession" of a British man accused of carrying out two bombings in Riyadh which killed one Briton and injured another. The three-day visit, described as "semi-private", had been under review following the statement read out by Alexander Mitchell, 44, who works at a military hospital in Riyadh.
Five other Britons are being held in the kingdom for alleged alcohol offences. Saudi authorities are trying to extradite another, Gary O'Nions, 55, who is held in Dubai. The Prince will fly out on Friday to meet the Saudi royal family, and to open an exhibition of his paintings and those of Prince Khalid Al Faisal.
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Investigation after guardsman found dead(Yahoo: Ananova)
Five guardsmen are being questioned by police after a young Scots Guard was found dead near Buckingham Palace.
Martin Rimmer, 22, was found slumped in a corridor at Wellington Barracks in Birdcage Walk, London.
Sources say it appeared he had been drinking with fellow guardsmen before his death.
The death is being treated as suspicious. Results of a post-mortem have proved inconclusive.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said Mr Rimmer had been in the Army for two years and was from Clitheroe in Lancashire.
"Until the cause of death is established we can say very little," the spokesman said.
"Five guardsmen were arrested and are helping police with inquiries."
A source said: "It appears that this was a drink-related incident and toxicology tests are being carried out."
The guardsmen are being questioned at separate police stations across central London.
Police said that all sudden deaths are treated as suspicious. Mr Rimmer's family had been told of the tragedy.
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Princess Margaret skips winter trip(Yahoo: Reuters)
LONDON (Reuters) - Princess Margaret, the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth, has called off her annual trip to the West Indies, Buckingham Palace said.
The 70-year princess has been advised by her doctor to rest after suffering a suspected second stroke last month.
"Doctors have advised she has not yet made sufficient recovery to undertake a long flight," a palace spokeswoman said.
Princess Margaret first visited Mustique in 1972 and this will be only the second time she has not made her annual trip. In 1991 the princess chose not to travel because of the Gulf War.
The spokeswoman said the princess would not be carrying out official engagements in the near future.
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Children 'dumped' at Diana garden(Yahoo: This Is London)
By Peter Gruner
Security is being stepped up at the Princess Diana Memorial playground in Kensington Gardens amid concern over vandalism and parents "dumping" their children while they go shopping.
A new CCTV monitoring system is to be installed at the famous Peter Pan galleon following a spate of break-ins at night. No damage has yet been caused but the playground has been left littered with empty beer cans.
Another problem is that parents have been leaving their children with no super-vision at the site while they go off and shop. Signs have gone up warning that children must not be left unattended. Theresa Short, the assistant manager of Kensington Gardens said: "It's seen as such a safe environment, with plenty of staff around, that we have had parents actually leaving children and going off and doing the shopping. It's very unfair both to the child and our staff."
The announcement of the increased security measures comes on the day that the playground receives a prestigious Government award for excellence. The playground has attracted more than a million visitors in the seven months since it opened.
Mrs Short, 34, a horticulturist who is married to a Royal Parks Police inspector, looks after the day-to-day running of the park. She was singled out for particular praise by the Charter Mark organ-isers.
Ian McCartney, the Cabinet Office Minister who is responsible for the Charter Mark initiative, said: "Theresa's commitment to the children in the park, and the professionalism that she applies to her job every day is inspiring.
"This is what the Charter Mark is all about, people going the extra mile actively looking for ways to provide a better service. "People like Theresa say they're just 'doing their job', but they're doing a fantastic job and they deserve recognition."
Royal Parks officials are being presented with the Charter Mark Award at an event hosted by Cabinet Office Minister Mo Mowlam.
The playground is so popular that even the rain can't keep children away. One mother, Dr Maureen Quigley, a radiologist at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, said she would have preferred to wait for a clearer day but said she was "virtually dragged" out of the house by her son Jonathan, 18 months, who insists on visiting the playground every day, come rain or shine.
The £1.7 million Peter Pan-themed adventure playground, a stone's throw from the late Princess's former home in Kensington Palace Gardens, with provision for children with special needs, has attracted interest from other UK local authorities and abroad.
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Queen's Gallantry Medal for man who gave his life for others(Yahoo: Reuters)
LONDON (Reuters) - A man who gave his life to secure the release of fellow hostages in Cambodia has been awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal.
Christopher Howes, who was managing a group of mine clearers in the Siem Reap province of Cambodia, was shot dead by Khmer Rouge guerrillas after refusing to leave his team to return to base for ransom money.
The guerrillas released the team members but kept Howes at their headquarters for several days before shooting him dead.
Four people have also received Commendations for Bravery.
Civilian Paul Fletcher received the award for saving the life of a young boy who had fallen into a flooded river drain, while Ghulam Muhammad was commended for his actions in preventing intruders from gaining entry to a private property. Khaled Shaheenziada, also a civilian, was honoured for his persistence in intervening to prevent an assault on a member of the public by a group of youths.
Fire-fighter Stephen John Oxford from Leicestershire was awarded for rescuing a man who was trapped in an aggregate hopper of a stone crushing facility at a quarry.