But the opposition maintain that cheating, mostly by people provided with fake documents who voted for Mr Yanukovych multiple times at different polling stations, filched three million votes.However, Mr Yanukovych warned Mr Yushchenko that nearly half the country voted for each of them and if they do not come to some agreement whoever wins will represent only part of the country. Mr Yanukovych also warned of a possible break-up of Ukraine, an echo of warnings made by his allies, governors of the eastern regions where the country’s large ethnic Russian minority predominantly live. Investigators believe the murderer was a former patient with a grudge against the women or a hatred of the institution.The health minister, Philippe Douste-Blazy, a former doctor at the nearby town of Lourdes, has announced a moratorium on all closures of beds in psychiatric wards More than 50,000 have been lost in the past 20 years. This time it was played out under Yushchenko’s rules in the only debate before the Boxing Day rerun of last month’s presidential election.The opposition, backed by international observers, declared that the original election had been rigged in favour of the government candidate, Mr Yanukovych, a view upheld by Ukraine’s Supreme Court, which ordered a repeat election for next Sunday.Mr Yushchenko, not known for aggressive rhetoric, came out fighting, saying: “You the viewers may be asking why we two guys are back here again. Ukraine’s bitter presidential rivals clashed last night on live television in their first face-to-face encounter since the massive street protests that propelled the country into the international spotlight and overturned the election result.
The eagerly awaited debate lived up to its billing as the West-leaning Viktor Yushchenko accused the Russian-backed Prime Minister, Viktor Yanukovych, of trying to steal the November run-off.The pair’s only previous television appearance was a strictly choreographed affair with the subjects agreed upon beforehand and no room for real debate The old format was at the insistence of the Yanukovych camp. Repeated calls for improved security on psychiatric units have been ignored, according to medical unions.. The body of the other woman was found near by, with her throat cut.Police believe the attacker came from outside the hospital as the 22 patients in the mental unit, aged between 65 and 102, mostly suffer from Alzheimer’s or senility and are not thought to have been capable of such a savage attack.The psychiatric wing where the attack took place is part of a large hospital, the Centre Hospitalier des Pyr?es.

Police found the decapitated body of one of the women in the patients’ lounge Her head had been placed on a television set. A former psychiatric patient was yesterday arrested for questioning about the macabre double murder of a nurse and auxiliary nurse at a mental hospital in Pau in the French Pyrenees at the weekend.
The double killing – which has caused a wave of revulsion throughout France and provoked questions about the under-funding of psychiatric medicine – is now believed to have been an act of “revenge”.Five suspects were arrested and quickly released on Sunday but the new suspect, described as a deranged former inmate, was still being held and questioned last night.The two nurses, Chantal Klimaszewski, 48, and Lucette Gariod, 40, were attacked with a long knife or sabre. Robbers have stolen millions of pounds from a bank in the centre of Belfast, it was revealed today. If you don’t get it right and are left with too much stock to sell in too short a time then the punishment can be heavy.”. The Government is considering a ban on smoking in public places in Northern Ireland, it was confirmed today.

Others, including Gap, French Connection, Footlocker and Dorothy Perkins, point out that their sales had long been planned for the week before Christmas. Some stores, including Debenhams and Marks & Spencer, have been resorting to one-day “specials” with discounts across their outlets to entice shoppers.According to the experts, it all amounts to a complex game of retail cat and mouse. Mr Rothwell said yesterday: “What tends to happen is that the retailers who are doing well in this period keep quiet and those who aren’t attract the attention We think it will actually be a very good year “But it’s a ruthless game this time of year. “Volumes are going up in terms of what the shops are managing to sell. The question is what they are doing to their profit margins to achieve those margins,” he said.In the next three days it is predicted that consumers will spend at least £7bn, potentially making those 72 hours the difference between a disastrous and a respectable Christmas for companies and chain stores forced to discount.Retailers who have already launched their end of season sales include the Wigan-based JJB Sports and the general department store Allders, which announced last week that it was looking for a buyer. David Smyth, the company’s business planning director, said: “We are still on track to see FootFall exceed last year.