Living with the world's first face transplant

27 November 2012 Last updated at 00:02 GMT By Mike Lanchin BBC World Service, Amiens Isabelle Dinoire before her injuries, just after the operation, and in 2009 Seven years ago Isabelle Dinoire became the first-ever person to have a face transplant. In a rare interview, she describes how she copes with the stares, and her yearning to meet the family of the woman whose face became her own.

"The most difficult thing is to find myself again, as the person I was, with the face I had before the accident. But I know that's not possible," says the 45-year-old mother of two from northern France.

"When I look in the mirror, I see a mixture of the two [of us]. The donor is always with me."

After a moment, she adds: "She saved my life."

Dinoire regularly turns down media requests and rarely agrees to be photographed. She comes across as relaxed and self-assured, but her traumatic ordeal has left its mark, physically and mentally.

She still has a visible scar running from above her nose to down under her chin where specialist doctors at Amiens University Hospital in northern France, spent 15 hours sewing the donor's face on to hers. One of her eyes is slightly drooping.

Speaking with a slight impediment - and with almost alarming simplicity - she recounts how, in a fit of depression in May 2005, she took an overdose of sleeping pills in an attempt to end her life.

She awoke to find herself at home, lying beside a pool of blood, with her pet Labrador at her side. The dog had apparently found her unconscious, and desperate to rouse her, had gnawed away at her face.

"I couldn't even begin to imagine it was my face or my blood - or that the dog had chewed my face," she says.

The injuries to her mouth, nose and chin were so extreme that doctors immediately ruled out a routine face reconstruction. Instead they proposed a ground-breaking face transplant.

Continue reading the main story November 2005 - Isabelle Dinoire becomes the first person in the world to have a face transplant (nose, lips and chin) in FranceApril 2010 - The world's first full face transplant is done by a team of doctors in SpainMarch 2012 - US doctors conduct the most extensive face transplant to date (above - image courtesy University of Maryland Medical Center)There have also been face transplants in Turkey and China"From the first time I saw myself in the mirror after the operation I knew it was a victory. It didn't look that good because of all the bandages, but I had a nose, I had a mouth - it was fantastic," she says. "I could see in the eyes of the nurses that it was a success."

Unable to speak properly due to a tracheotomy done for the operation, all she could murmur was a simple, "Thank you."

Dinoire's delight at her new face, however, quickly turned sour. She was completely unprepared for the attention her case brought her.

Pursued by the media, harassed by passers-by and curious onlookers, Dinoire spent months after the operation hidden away at home, not daring to venture out.

"It was excruciating. I live in a small town and so everyone knew my story. It wasn't easy at the beginning. Children would laugh at me and everyone would say, 'Look it's her, it's her.'" She felt like "a circus animal".

Nowadays, people still recognise her around town, but the attention is "not as brutal" as before, she says.

"With time I have got used to my own face. This is what I look like, what I am like, who I am. If people stare at me insistently, I don't care any more, I just stare back!" she says, with a hint of a smile.

But has her personality changed as well as her outward appearance? "No" she replies quickly, "I am the same, just with a different face."

According to Prof Sylvie Testelin, one of the team that operated on Dinoire in Amiens, not every patient with severe facial injuries can be offered the chance of a transplant.

In 2005 no-one was really sure of the long-term effects on patients of taking a cocktail of drugs for the rest of their lives to prevent their body rejecting the new tissue.

But in the case of Dinoire - and the two other people in France who have had successful transplants since then - the benefits have far outweighed the risks.

"Nobody can imagine what it's like to live without a face. She [Isabelle] can. But we must be sure it is right for the patient," says Testelin.

Worldwide there have been a dozen or so successful operations - in the US, Spain, Turkey and China. "You cannot imagine the number of people who have wanted transplants, but it's not a game or a race to do more and more," she says.

One day Dinoire will have to face up to the possibility of a major rejection by her body, says Testelin. As her doctor, she too has to be prepared for this - though she hopes that day never comes.

Continue reading the main story Face from dead donor is removed - veins, arteries, skin, muscles, and even some bones are takenThe patient is anaesthetised partway through surgery on the donor The donor face and accompanying blood vessels are stitched to the patient Dinoire is more sanguine about her future. "I tell myself it will be all right. If I take my drugs everything should go well," she says.

She spends her days visiting a few close friends and walking her new pet dog - she was devastated that the Labrador she had in 2005 was put down.

Still prone to bouts of depression, she says she constantly thinks about the dead woman whose face she was given. Right after the operation she would surf the internet in search of details of the anonymous donor - whose identity French law will never allow her to know.

"When I feel down, or depressed, I look at myself in the mirror again and think of her. And I tell myself, I'm not allowed to give up. She gives me hope."

One day Dinoire would even like to be able to meet the woman's family, to thank them for what she describes as their "magical donation".

Mike Lanchin's interview with Isabelle Dinoire was broadcast on the BBC World Service's Witness programme. You can download a podcast of the programme or browse the archive.

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Airbus, Boeing launch airliner ad war as rivalry heats up

An Airbus A380 takes off for a flying display at the 47th Paris Air Show at Le Bourget airport near Paris, June 21, 2007.

Credit: Reuters/Pascal Rossignol

By Tim Hepher

PARIS | Tue Nov 27, 2012 6:29am EST

PARIS (Reuters) - Airbus and Boeing have clashed over the performance of their latest revamped models as the aerospace companies battle for market share by offering fuel savings to cash-starved airlines.

The dispute is being splashed across the columns of specialist industry magazines in a series of negative ads as the world's dominant aircraft makers battle to maintain their share of the $100 billion a year commercial airliner market.

In the latest exchange, Airbus ran an advertisement in Aviation Week on Monday accusing its rival of "exaggerating the capabilities" of both the 737 and the latest 747 models.

The ad featured a Boeing aircraft with an elongated nose in the style of Pinocchio under the headline: "Why is our competitor stretching the truth?"

Airbus sales chief John Leahy said the European aircraft maker had chosen the Pinocchio theme in response to recent Boeing advertisements claiming a massive advantage for Boeing aircraft.

"They are blatantly misrepresenting the truth by orders of magnitude," Leahy told Reuters. "What is going on is just over the top."

Boeing defended its advertising.

"We believe in - and history has shown - the superior performance of our products and services. We stand behind our performance claims," said Boeing Commercial Airplanes spokesman Marc Birtel.

"Ultimately, our customers will decide based on their experience and analysis relative to their needs."

The exchange is the latest evidence of tensions that have escalated steadily since both companies took a gamble by tweaking their most popular models to offer fuel savings.

The decisions triggered an avalanche of orders, first for the revamped Airbus A320neo and then the Boeing 737 MAX. But industry sources say that has not prevented prices from coming under pressure as each side fights for market share.

With oil prices representing about 40 percent of airline operating costs, every litre of fuel saved represents potentially valuable business for aircraft and engine makers.

"This is an industry that thrives on producing incremental products, where just a couple of percentage points in performance can make a dramatic difference," said aerospace analyst Richard Aboulafia of Virginia-based Teal Group.

"There is no prize for being second."

CONTRADICTORY CLAIMS

The Boeing 737 is the U.S. company's most popular aircraft and competes with the Airbus A320 in the largest segment of the aircraft market, estimated at $2 trillion over 20 years.

Both planemakers are bringing out revamped versions of these roughly 150-seat jets from around the middle of the decade.

Boeing says its 737 MAX 8 will cost 8 percent less to operate per seat than the revamped A320neo. Airbus says the Airbus aircraft has a 3.3 percent cost advantage per seat.

Much of that discrepancy is due to a basic disagreement over the relative merits of the existing generation of aircraft.

Boeing says its 737 is already 8 percent more efficient per seat than the current A320. Airbus says the roughly 50/50 market split in recent years indicates the aircraft are comparable.

"I will claim an extra couple of percent better for mine and they should be claiming a couple of percent better for theirs, and if you talk to most airlines, they say they come out about equal," Leahy said in a telephone interview.

Such contradictory claims are also being made for some of their largest aircraft.

Boeing's 747-8 is a stretched 467-seat version of its legendary jumbo jet and is designed to compete with the 525-seat Airbus A380 superjumbo, the world's largest airliner.

In ads, Boeing says the total trip costs of the 747-8 are 26 percent less than an A380. Airbus says the 747-8 has 10 percent lower trip costs, but that the A380 is 30 percent bigger, allowing airlines to gain by filling up the extra seats.

Rivalry between Airbus and Boeing comes as no surprise, but rhetoric has sharpened as Boeing looks set to recover the top spot in the industry by out selling Airbus this year. Airbus says its rival is merely catching up after a record European year in 2011.

Industry analysts and executives say competition has also intensified since Ray Conner stepped up from being Boeing sales chief to become president of the commercial division in June.

Rivalries in aerospace are fierce and Leahy has himself been accused by Boeing executives of overstepping boundaries at airshow appearances, but detailed attacks are rare.

Monday's Airbus advertisement is not Pinocchio's first appearance in the take no-prisoners world of aviation.

At the Farnborough Airshow in 1994, the head of Boeing's jetliner unit compared an Airbus executive to Pinocchio in a spat over market share, according to Flight International.

In 2010, Ryanair Holdings Plc (RYA.I) Chief Executive Michael O'Leary apologised and paid damages to top European rival Stelios Haji-Iouannou for depicting the easyJet Plc (EZJ.L) founder as Pinocchio and suggesting he was lying about on-time performance. (Reporting by Tim Hepher. Editing by Andre Grenon)

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Babylonian artefact to tour US

28 November 2012 Last updated at 01:55 GMT One of the British Museum's most iconic objects, the Cyrus Cylinder, will tour five major museums in the US next year.

The cylinder, often referred to as the first bill of human rights, "must be shared as widely as possible", said museum director Neil MacGregor.

It is inscribed the earliest form of writing - Babylonian cuneiform.

The cylinder has never been taken to the US before and will tour Washington DC in March, going on to Houston, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

The inscriptions were made on the clay artefact on the orders of the Persian King Cyrus the Great after he captured Babylon in 539BC.

The inscription appears to encourage freedom of worship throughout the Persian Empire and to allow deported people to return to their homelands, according to the museum.

The artefact was found in Babylon, in modern Iraq, in 1879 during a British Museum excavation and has been on display ever since.

'Speak across time and space'

Seen as a symbol of tolerance and respect for different peoples and different faiths, a copy of the cylinder is on display in the United Nations building in New York.

Alireza Rastegar, chairman of the board of trustees of Iran Heritage Foundation America, said: "The Cyrus Cylinder and its message of respect for diversity and universal human rights carries a timely message about tolerance for all of us today."

MacGregor added: "Objects are uniquely able to speak across time and space... I am delighted that it will travel to the US and am hugely grateful to both our US partners and the Iran Heritage Foundation for making this possible."

The exhibition, called, Cyrus Cylinder in Ancient Persia, will feature 16 objects and will showcase innovations under Persian rule in the Ancient Near East between 550 BC and 331 BC.

Hosts include Smithsonian's Arthur M Sackler Gallery in Washington DC, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco and the J Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, where the tour will culminate in October 2013.

The cylinder was previously lent by the museum to the National Museum of Iran in 2010 - 2011, where it was seen by more than one million people.

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Why did Joey Barton put on a weird French accent?

27 November 2012 Last updated at 15:06 GMT Joey Barton is yet to become fluent in French English footballer Joey Barton has been much mocked for conducting a press conference in Marseille in a French accent. But why do some English speakers put on accents when in other countries?

Joey Barton has already defended himself after a wave of lampoonery of his accent while speaking to journalists following his league debut for Marseille.

During the appearance, Barton chatted to reporters in a French accent worthy of BBC sitcom 'Allo 'Allo! - his neatly-trimmed moustache and head-nodding mannerisms all adding to the spectacle.

For many a football fan it evoked memories of the now infamous interview former England boss Steve McClaren gave in 2008 when he spoke English in a Dutch accent.

Barton has yet to offer an explanation but has hinted to his 1.7 million Twitter followers that he may have used the "Bartonese" - as it has since been dubbed - in jest.

Joey Barton adopts French accent after Ligue 1 debut

"Steve MaClaren [sic] eat your heart out..." he posted on Twitter after the press conference.

But he also tweeted about the difficulty of speaking to a room full of French journalists in "Scouse", saying that adopting the accent of an 'Allo Allo!' character was the only way he could be understood.

There is a well-founded stereotype that Britons speak louder and more slowly when abroad. But why do some attempt the accent of the country they are visiting?

Dr Karen Douglas, reader in psychology at the University of Kent, says there is a common phenomenon known as "speech accommodation" where people might adapt their speech style - accent, intonation, and so on - depending on the context they are in.

"One thing that might be going on is that Barton is adapting his speech style to sound French because he's in France," she says.

"Psychologists theorise that people do this sort of thing for a number of reasons but [it is] mainly to make themselves understood and to make themselves more likeable."

Douglas says that, most often, people will do this subconsciously - and it is likely that this is what was going on in Barton's case.

Continue reading the main story Psychological phenomenon of "speech accommodation" where people change to fit contextIt is often a subconscious attempt to be friendly"It's unlikely that he's doing this with the conscious goal to be liked - or to offend anyone. [But] this is one of the perhaps unintended effects," she says.

Kim Stephenson, a researcher on the impact of accents, says Brits tend to take one of two approaches - they go "very, very English" or they adopt the accent they are hearing around them.

He says mostly it is well-meaning and perhaps out of a feeling of self-consciousness that they do not know the language. In short, they overcompensate - hence the mimicking.

"The trouble is what usually happens is the English don't have much idea of how other languages actually work, so what tends to happen is that in France you end up sounding like [you are in] 'Allo 'Allo!, in Italy like Chico Marx, etc."

He says mimicking an accent can mean treading a fine line between appearing friendly or offensive.

"It's either seen as a joke or it's seen as insulting because it doesn't work very well," he adds.

Stephenson says Barton may have been trying to mimic the speech rhythms or patterns of the French players - and he was probably doing this unintentionally.

"It may be that if he's hearing lots of broken English with French accents he has subconsciously started to mimic it. But he is probably smart enough that I suspect he must know [what he is doing] and he is just trying to be friendly. It's probably not a good plan," says Stephenson.

Officer Crabtree represented a high-water mark of French-accented English

Even if the French don't get the joke, it is unlikely his attempts have made him easier to understand.

"For most people it's easier to understand someone when the language is very clear. If you start slurring it or changing the stresses and leaving gaps [in sentences] it's harder to understand," says Stephenson.

But do foreigners adopt accents in the same way as Brits?

"Speech accommodation is something that occurs in other linguistic cultures as well," says Douglas.

But a European is more likely to speak another language than a British person thanks to more emphasis on learning. "The reason one might be less likely to hear a German 'putting on' an Italian accent in Italy is that they are likely to be speaking Italian," says Dr Ghada Khattab, lecturer in phonetics at Newcastle University.

So a word of advice to Barton - and others - is to learn the language, even if just a few token words.

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Sunderland 0-0 QPR

90:00 +4:00 Full time Full Time The match has reached full-time.

90:00 +2:43

Jose Bosingwa fouled by James McClean, the ref awards a free kick. Rob Green restarts play with the free kick.

90:00 +0:44

The ball is crossed by James McClean.

89:11

The ball is crossed by Phil Bardsley.

88:01

Effort from just outside the area by Danny Rose goes over the target.

87:37

The ball is delivered by Shaun Wright-Phillips.

87:12

Shaun Wright-Phillips takes a shot. Save made by Simon Mignolet.

86:34

The ball is swung over by James McClean, Rob Green makes a clearance.

84:57

Unfair challenge on Jose Bosingwa by James McClean results in a free kick. Direct free kick taken by Rob Green.

81:58

Inswinging corner taken right-footed by Esteban Granero, clearance by Carlos Cuellar.

80:44

Free kick taken by Danny Rose.

80:44 Booking Booking Jamie Mackie receives a yellow card.

80:34

Unfair challenge on Danny Rose by Jamie Mackie results in a free kick.

80:15

Drilled right-footed shot by Sebastian Larsson. Comfortable save by Rob Green.

80:09

James McClean crosses the ball, clearance made by Clint Hill.

76:47 Substitution Substitution (Sunderland) makes a substitution, with Louis Saha coming on for Craig Gardner.

76:47 Substitution Substitution Adel Taarabt goes off and Shaun Wright-Phillips comes on.

76:06

A cross is delivered by Jose Bosingwa, Matthew Kilgallon makes a clearance.

75:52

Jose Bosingwa crosses the ball, Matthew Kilgallon makes a clearance.

75:14

Craig Gardner concedes a free kick for a foul on Adel Taarabt. Esteban Granero restarts play with the free kick.

74:24

The ball is sent over by Danny Rose.

73:45

Jamie Mackie gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Danny Rose. Free kick taken by Danny Rose.

72:16

Jack Colback has a drilled shot. Blocked by Stephane Mbia.

71:24

The ball is crossed by Djibril Cisse, clearance by Sebastian Larsson.

70:51

Centre by Phil Bardsley, Clint Hill makes a clearance.

69:02

Adam Johnson is flagged offside by the assistant referee. Indirect free kick taken by Rob Green.

69:02 Substitution Substitution James McClean comes on in place of Adam Johnson.

69:02

The official flags Adam Johnson offside. Free kick taken by Rob Green.

67:46

Direct effort from the free kick comes in from Craig Gardner, Esteban Granero gets a block in.

67:46 Booking Booking Clint Hill goes into the referee's book.

67:38

Clint Hill challenges Jack Colback unfairly and gives away a free kick.

66:50

Adel Taarabt takes the inswinging corner, Matthew Kilgallon manages to make a clearance.

65:50

Unfair challenge on Ji-Sung Park by Stephane Sessegnon results in a free kick. Free kick crossed by Esteban Granero, clearance by Phil Bardsley.

65:16

Corner taken short by Esteban Granero.

65:09

The ball is crossed by Jamie Mackie, Matthew Kilgallon gets a block in.

64:07 Substitution Substitution Samba Diakite goes off and Ji-Sung Park comes on.

63:06

Corner taken by Sebastian Larsson from the left by-line to the near post, Steven Fletcher takes a shot. Save by Rob Green.

62:29

Foul by Jamie Mackie on Danny Rose, free kick awarded. Danny Rose takes the free kick.

61:09

Craig Gardner challenges Armand Traore unfairly and gives away a free kick. Esteban Granero crosses the ball in from the free kick. Ryan Nelsen is caught offside. Free kick taken by Simon Mignolet.

59:52

Foul by Sebastian Larsson on Esteban Granero, free kick awarded. Jose Bosingwa restarts play with the free kick.

59:42

The ball is sent over by Adam Johnson, Ryan Nelsen makes a clearance.

58:55

Jamie Mackie challenges Stephane Sessegnon unfairly and gives away a free kick. Danny Rose takes the direct free kick.

57:37

Stephane Mbia produces a right-footed shot from outside the box and misses left.

56:33

Craig Gardner crosses the ball. Steven Fletcher is ruled offside. Jose Bosingwa restarts play with the free kick.

55:52

Shot from 30 yards by Phil Bardsley. Ryan Nelsen gets a block in. Corner from the right by-line taken by Adam Johnson, Clint Hill manages to make a clearance.

55:04

Samba Diakite gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Adam Johnson. The free kick is swung in right-footed by Sebastian Larsson, clearance by Djibril Cisse.

54:21

Simon Mignolet takes the free kick.

54:21 Booking Booking Samba Diakite goes into the referee's book for unsporting behaviour.

54:14

Free kick awarded for a foul by Samba Diakite on Danny Rose.

53:23

Adel Taarabt produces a cross, save by Simon Mignolet.

52:23

Adel Taarabt takes the chance to get an effort at goal. Blocked by Djibril Cisse.

52:23

Effort from 25 yards by Adel Taarabt. Blocked by Djibril Cisse.

50:12

Free kick taken by Esteban Granero.

50:12 Booking Booking Carlos Cuellar is shown a yellow card.

50:02

Carlos Cuellar gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Armand Traore.

48:45

Esteban Granero takes a shot. Save by Simon Mignolet.

45:39

Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Jack Colback by Samba Diakite. Jack Colback takes the direct free kick.

45:01

The second half kicks off.

45:01 Substitution Substitution (QPR) makes a substitution, with Rob Green coming on for Soares Julio Cesar.

37:29

Adel Taarabt takes a shot. Matthew Kilgallon gets a block in.

44:05

Corner from the left by-line taken by Adel Taarabt, Ryan Nelsen takes a shot. Save made by Simon Mignolet.

41:03

Outswinging corner taken by Adam Johnson, Craig Gardner has a headed effort at goal from close in which goes wide right of the goal.

40:45

Shot from 12 yards by Steven Fletcher. Soares Julio Cesar makes a brilliant save.

40:38 Half time Half Time The referee calls an end to the first half.

37:16

Jamie Mackie takes a shot. Simon Mignolet makes a fantastic save. Adel Taarabt takes a shot. Clearance by Phil Bardsley.

37:16

Jamie Mackie takes a shot. Simon Mignolet makes a brilliant save. Adel Taarabt takes a shot. Clearance by Phil Bardsley.

37:20

Adel Taarabt takes a shot. Blocked by Matthew Kilgallon.

33:31

Phil Bardsley takes a shot from deep inside the box clearing the bar.

33:31

Shot by Phil Bardsley from outside the area goes high over the crossbar.

32:29

Free kick awarded for a foul by Phil Bardsley on Adel Taarabt. Stephane Mbia takes the free kick.

31:09

Djibril Cisse fouled by Danny Rose, the ref awards a free kick. Samba Diakite takes the free kick.

30:48

Stephane Sessegnon takes a shot. Jose Bosingwa gets a block in.

27:57

Jose Bosingwa crosses the ball, Phil Bardsley manages to make a clearance.

27:41

Sebastian Larsson challenges Esteban Granero unfairly and gives away a free kick. Free kick taken by Adel Taarabt.

26:29

Djibril Cisse takes a shot. Blocked by Carlos Cuellar.

24:13

Samba Diakite challenges Danny Rose unfairly and gives away a free kick. Shot on goal comes in from Craig Gardner from the free kick, clearance made by Clint Hill.

23:35

The ball is delivered by Samba Diakite.

23:22

Armand Traore delivers the ball, Steven Fletcher makes a clearance.

23:13

Short corner taken by Esteban Granero from the left by-line.

23:04

A cross is delivered by Djibril Cisse, clearance by Phil Bardsley.

21:31

Unfair challenge on Jack Colback by Adel Taarabt results in a free kick. Direct free kick taken by Sebastian Larsson.

20:47

Stephane Sessegnon produces a right-footed shot from just outside the box that goes wide right of the target.

19:05

Foul by Djibril Cisse on Jack Colback, free kick awarded. Jack Colback restarts play with the free kick.

18:30

Djibril Cisse produces a right-footed shot from outside the penalty box and misses wide left of the target.

17:18

Outswinging corner taken from the left by-line by Adam Johnson, Jamie Mackie makes a clearance.

16:12

Unfair challenge on Stephane Sessegnon by Samba Diakite results in a free kick. Adam Johnson delivers the ball from the free kick left-footed from right wing, save by Soares Julio Cesar.

14:57

The ball is delivered by Armand Traore, Carlos Cuellar makes a clearance.

13:26

Corner taken by Esteban Granero from the right by-line, clearance by Craig Gardner.

13:16

Djibril Cisse takes a shot. Matthew Kilgallon gets a block in.

12:29

Adam Johnson produces a cross, clearance by Ryan Nelsen.

11:54

Corner taken right-footed by Esteban Granero, clearance made by Phil Bardsley.

11:40

Curled right-footed shot by Djibril Cisse. Save by Simon Mignolet.

10:17

Centre by Steven Fletcher, comfortable save by Soares Julio Cesar.

9:32

Corner from the left by-line taken by Sebastian Larsson, save made by Soares Julio Cesar.

9:21

Steven Fletcher delivers the ball, Stephane Mbia makes a clearance.

8:15

Corner taken by Adel Taarabt from the left by-line to the near post, Craig Gardner makes a clearance.

8:09

The ball is crossed by Armand Traore, clearance made by Carlos Cuellar.

6:56

Free kick awarded for a foul by Samba Diakite on Steven Fletcher. Sebastian Larsson restarts play with the free kick.

5:43 Substitution Substitution Jack Colback joins the action as a substitute, replacing Lee Cattermole.

3:54

Free kick awarded for a foul by Ryan Nelsen on Steven Fletcher. Direct effort from the free kick comes in from Craig Gardner.

3:17

Adel Taarabt crosses the ball, Djibril Cisse takes a shot. Comfortable save by Simon Mignolet.

1:49

The offside flag is raised against Craig Gardner. Indirect free kick taken by Soares Julio Cesar.

0:30

Foul by Jamie Mackie on Danny Rose, free kick awarded. Simon Mignolet takes the direct free kick.

0:17

Jamie Mackie delivers the ball, clearance by Sebastian Larsson.

0:00

The game begins.

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Taxman seeks legal right to speed

27 November 2012 Last updated at 17:32 GMT By Kayte Rath Political reporter, BBC News The government wants "rigorous" emergency vehicle training HM Revenue and Customs has asked to be on a revised list of emergency services allowed to break the legal speed limit.

HMRC wants the powers for covert surveillance of organised crime.

The request was revealed as the Department for Transport consults on allowing speed limit exemptions to be extended to services beyond the police, fire and ambulance services.

These would include bomb disposal units, vehicles carrying organs for transplant and coastguard vehicles.

Ministers said it was right revise the rules for those whose work "can mean the difference between life and death".

The proposals would see the law changed to require emergency drivers to complete high-speed training before they are able to drive over the speed limit.

There is also a proposal to exempt paramedics and other medical personnel from having to wear seatbelts in the back of ambulances, particularly when providing emergency treatment on the move.

While emergency service drivers are not exempt from the offences of dangerous and careless driving, the current legislation allows drivers in some circumstances to break speed limits legally, as well as exempting them from certain traffic regulations.

The government wants more vehicles to be able to drive above the speed limit where lives are at risk.

Road Safety Minister Stephen Hammond said: "Police, fire and ambulance service drivers are highly trained individuals who are at times required to exceed the speed limit in order to save lives.

"It is only right that we look at allowing other services whose duties can mean the difference between life and death to exceed the speed limit when responding to emergencies.

"It is also time to look at the legal requirements of emergency vehicle training so we can build on the rigorous standards the police, fire and ambulance services have already applied through their code of practice."

Organisations who have already requested a speed limit exemption - as well as HM Revenue and Customs - are the security services for vehicles that are involved in covert surveillance, Civil Aviation Fire and Rescue and Mountain Rescue.

Others that could be allowed to break the speed limit include Forestry Commission vehicles involved in fire fighting, the Coal Authority as part of mine rescue efforts and the Blood Transfusion Service.

The consultation closes on 27 February 2013.

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VIDEO: Lifeboat rescue in flooded flats

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