UK news

• Town halls pay £12m to repair cars damaged by potholes: Nearly 90 motorists a week are being handed compensation 

  25-12-2016 23:58 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Over the past four years, councils across the UK have settled nearly 19,000 compensation claims and have just under 6,000 more outstanding.
  
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• New drone owners are warned to read the rules on flying the gadgets before testing out their Christmas presents after a string of near misses

  25-12-2016 23:58 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Police and aviation authorities in the UK have urged drone users to read up on strict rules about the remote-controlled gadgets before they took them for their first spin.
  
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• Government’s Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act designed to combat terrorism is being used by councils to spy on members of the public

  25-12-2016 23:52 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Covert surveillance powers designed to combat terrorism and organised crime have been used by councils to spy on people feeding pigeons and failing to clear up dog mess.
  
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• Mystery over why Raheem Sterling can't sell his £1.2m mansion complete with Michael Jackson-themed room

  25-12-2016 23:46 via mirror.co.uk
  
  The Manchester City midfielder - who used to play for Liverpool FC - dropped the asking price to £1.2m, £50k less than he paid for it in the first place, but still can't shift it
  
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• TV's dog star bow-wows out...at 98! Pet who appeared in Midsomer Murders, Cranford and host of TV adverts hangs up his collar for a well-earned retirement

  25-12-2016 23:37 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Sykes, one of Britain’s hardest-working TV stars, has finally retired. He played DCI Barnaby’s dog in Midsomer Murders, while also appearing in Thinkbox’s ‘Every Home Needs a Harvey’ advert.
  
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• Brexit is 'God-given' chance to steal business from Britain, Donald Trump's trade aide declares

  25-12-2016 23:33 via mirror.co.uk
  
  Billionaire businessman Wilbur Ross will be responsible for negotiating a free trade deal with the UK and his comments will raise concerns over the incoming US administration
  
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• Len Goodman bids an emotional farewell to Strictly Come Dancing during Christmas special after 12 years

  25-12-2016 23:28 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Len Goodman bid an emotional farewell to the BBC One series on Sunday night, as he handed out his last ever 10 to Frankie Bridge during the Christmas special.
  
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• Frustrated Swiss army chiefs ban sexy selfies because female army recruits continue to flaunt the rules

  25-12-2016 23:28 via mirror.co.uk
  Army has said it has found that new recruits, and mostly women, are obsessively taking snaps of themselves and posting them to their personal social media accounts
  
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• RSPCA may be forced to stop prosecuting in hunting and animal cruelty cases over 'conflict of interest'

  25-12-2016 23:24 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  As thousands prepare to attend annual Boxing Day hunts, law officials have let it be known that the Crown Prosecution Service has more than enough ‘capacity’ to pursue allegations on its own.
  
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• Increasingly furious Swiss army chiefs forced to ban sexy selfies because female army recruits flaunt the rules

  25-12-2016 23:21 via mirror.co.uk
  
  Army has said it has found that new recruits, and mostly women, are obsessively taking snaps of themselves and posting them to their personal social media accounts
  
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• NBA on Christmas Day: Golden State Warriors v Cleveland Cavaliers – live!

  25-12-2016 23:12
  
  LeBron James and Steph Curry meet in replay of NBA FinalsEmail [email protected] or tweet @HunterFelt 10.12pm GMTWarriors 108-105 Cavaliers, 1:14, 4th quarterDraymond Green with the dunk! The Warriors have tied it. 10.10pm GMTWarriors 103-105 Cavaliers, 1:43, 4th quarterDurant misses a jumper, Shumpert gets the biggest rebound in the game. James gets the ball back, takes it to the basket for a layup AND he draws a foul on Green!Continue reading...
  
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• Scores die in Democratic Republic of Congo as violence spreads amid political instability

  25-12-2016 23:06
  
  Attacks have surged across the country in the past week alongside violent protests over president Joseph Kabila’s failure to step down Militias in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo killed at least 34 civilians over the weekend, the army and local activists said, the mounting violence stoking concerns over political instability.Attacks have surged across the country in the past week alongside violent protests over president Joseph Kabila’s failure to step down at the end of his con
  
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• Brave Sophie is living proof we need a change in organ donation laws

  25-12-2016 23:06 via mirror.co.uk
  
  The brave three-year-old has had a heart transplant, something her parents feared would never happen
  
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• Dad's 'junior wood-burning kit' Christmas present ordered for 11yr-old girl from Amazon turns out to be SEX TOY

  25-12-2016 22:36 via mirror.co.uk
  
  Alex Bai from Rhode Island was horrified to be sent 'the love eggs' to give to his young daughter - and is further furious at the way the online retailer has treated his complaint
  
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• Dad's 'junior wood-burning kit' Christmas present ordered for 11-yr-old girl from Amazon turns out to be SEX TOY

  25-12-2016 22:36 via mirror.co.uk
  
  Alex Bai was horrified to be sent 'the love eggs' to give to his young daughter - and is further furious at the way the online retailer has treated his complaint
  
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• Jeremy Clarkson angers Argentina AGAIN two years after Top Gear number plate row as he tells the people of Tierra Del Fuego to 'sod off' in a rather unfestive Christmas tweet 

  25-12-2016 22:30 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Jeremy Clarkson has declared war on Argentina again with a very unseasonally aggressive tweet, two years after his famous Falklands number plate row.
  
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• Beijing isn't a sentient life form. But on my first day there, I believed it hated me | Benjamin Law

  25-12-2016 22:30
  
  ‘Hey, Beijing!’ I was saying. ‘I’m a guest, all by myself, and I’ve only been here for a few hours. Give me a break!’ There was silence, before Beijing repliedIt’s often been said that hell is the absence of other people, and for most of my life I’ve generally agreed. For more than 30 years now, I’ve basically been a human relay baton, happily passed from a big family (childhood) to friends and flatmates (teens and early 20s), before finally
  
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• Carrie Fisher in 'stable condition' two days after reported heart attack

  25-12-2016 22:13
  
  Star Wars actor has been hospitalized since Friday after going into cardiac arrest while aboard an 11-hour flight from London to Los AngelesActor and writer Carrie Fisher was in “stable condition” on Sunday, two days after reportedly suffering a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles.Fisher’s mother, actor Debbie Reynolds, said the family would update the public with any further developments before thanking fans for their well wishes. Continue reading...
  
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• Brave Ben Baddeley spends Christmas with his family as treatment 'changes his life'

  25-12-2016 22:13 via mirror.co.uk
  
  Mirror readers raised more than £20,000 so Ben could have treatment that had been cancelled due to Tory cuts
  
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• Do I need to get Snapchat? And would you please explain it to me?

  25-12-2016 22:03
  
  The app was designed to be impenetrable for the over 30s. If you take the plunge, there’s a few things you need to knowThis holiday season, it’s you likely observed teenaged family members posing for selfies with dog ears, flower crowns and other whimsical post-production add-ons. That was Snapchat, a messaging app launched in 2012 that is beloved of teenagers and 20-somethings. Continue reading...
  
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• Toddler's 'Christmas miracle' as DJ saves her life when she choked on shopping trip

  25-12-2016 22:00 via mirror.co.uk
  
  Layla Copper, from Hartlepool, "turned blue" when she was on a shopping trip with her mum
  
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• Three-year-old's Christmas miracle as she finally gets the new heart that will save her life

  25-12-2016 22:00 via mirror.co.uk
  
  Last Christmas Sophie Maxwell was desperately ill and her parents were told to prepare for the worst
  
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• Berlin terror attack doctors say 'nothing could prepare them for the horror'

  25-12-2016 22:00 via mirror.co.uk
  
  The skill and response from medics in Berlin prevented the death toll being higher
  
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• Will you ever be able to marry your sex robot? Expert debates the question on everyone's lips

  25-12-2016 21:52 via mirror.co.uk
  
  Robotic sex dolls are just around the corner, but will you ever be able to walk one down the aisle with one - well here's the answer
  
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• Man arrested over death of webcam girl who starred in Geordie Shore released without charge on Christmas Day

  25-12-2016 21:48 via mirror.co.uk
  
  Glamour model Aimee Spencer, 27 - who was also known by the stage name Carla Mai - died a week after falling from a first-floor window in Brighton, East Sussex
  
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• Carrie Fisher 'stable' after cardiac arrest

  25-12-2016 21:47 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Star Wars actress is in stable condition after suffering a cardiac arrest, her mother says.
  
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• Carrie Fisher in 'stable condition' after heart attack

  25-12-2016 21:47 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Star Wars actress is in stable condition after suffering a cardiac arrest, her mother says.
  
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• Egypt arrests Al-Jazeera journalist over 'provoking sedition'

  25-12-2016 21:42
  
  Mahmoud Hussein is being held on charges of disturbing public security and spreading false news, but broadcaster said he was in the country on vacationEgypt confirmed on Sunday that it had arrested an Al-Jazeera news producer, accusing him of “provoking sedition” on behalf of the Qatar-based broadcaster that it considers a mouthpiece of the banned Muslim Brotherhood.Judicial sources said Mahmoud Hussein, who was detained on Friday, was being held on charges of disturbing public secur
  
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• Couple's home destroyed in blaze on Christmas Day when candles on tree turned it into a fireball

  25-12-2016 21:38 via mirror.co.uk
  
  The couple in their 80s were demonstrating traditional Christmas candles to their grandchildren
  
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• Carrie Fisher's mum Debbie Reynolds says daughter is still 'stable' fighting for her life after massive heart attack

  25-12-2016 21:35 via mirror.co.uk
  
  The Hollywood siren tweeted the update - promising to share any further update with fans while also thanking them - an hour after Mark Hamill said he 'wanted his princess home'
  
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• Strictly bids farewell to Len Goodman

  25-12-2016 21:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Strictly Come Dancing head judge Len Goodman receives a special tribute during his final appearance.
  
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• Crowds pack London's Leicester Square as cinemas open on Christmas Day for the first time

  25-12-2016 21:13 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  The Odeon group scheduled more than 120 screenings in 20 of its cinemas. Queues formed to buy tickets at the box office in London’s Leicester Square branch.
  
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• Huge plume of black smoke fills the sky after a massive fire breaks out at an Israeli oil refinery

  25-12-2016 21:06 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  A huge fire has broken out in Haifa, after a fuel storage tank set ablaze at an Israeli oil refinery. The tank in question, which has a 12,000-cubic meter capacity, was around 10% full when it caught on fire.
  
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• Hats off for the beret! Traditional French headwear becomes haute couture

  25-12-2016 21:00
  
  Stereotypical French peasant hat rebounds from sales slump to sell for upwards of €1,000 in Paris boutiquesCould the Basque beret – which ranks alongside the accordion, baguette and Citroën 2CV as one of the caricatural symbols of France – be making a sartorial comeback?One of France’s last remaining beret-makers, Laulhère, which supplies the traditional headgear to the French army, has opened a boutique on Paris’s rue Faubourg Saint Honoré, a ston
  
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• Desperate dad jailed on Christmas Eve after trying to steal presents for kids from B&M

  25-12-2016 20:57 via mirror.co.uk
  
  Instead of Ian Hamilton, 42, spending Christmas with his children he was spending it in jail after theft from B&M stores in Dundee
  
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• Parents name baby girl born on Christmas Day after Star Wars' Princess Leia in tribute to Carrie Fisher

  25-12-2016 20:55 via mirror.co.uk
  
  This little 'rogue one' wasn’t born in a galaxy far, far away but at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd in Bodelwyddan, Wales, at 10.04am this morning - two weeks early - weighing 6lb 9oz
  
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• How long can you keep Christmas dinner leftovers in the fridge? Timings for turkey, stuffing, veg and more

  25-12-2016 20:55 via mirror.co.uk
  
  Many families will be left with large piles of leftovers, with on average households in the UK spending £28 on food and drink that will be thrown away
  
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• Takeaway feeds dozens of FREE Christmas dinners to the homeless and needy

  25-12-2016 20:20 via mirror.co.uk
  
  The Classic Fish Bar in Birmingham decided to open its doors to serve turkey dinners with all the trimmings on Christmas Day
  
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• Dramatic aerial photos reveal the devastation caused when a Christmas Day fire tore through a man’s home, while four pets die and two families left homeless in second blaze 

  25-12-2016 20:18 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Four family pets were killed in a house fire this morning in Birmingham, that has left two families homeless at Christmas. In another blaze, in Worthing, at least one person suffered hand burns.
  
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• Chile jolted by major 7.6-magnitude earthquake

  25-12-2016 20:14
  
  Evacuation order and tsunami watch lifted three hours after the Christmas Day quake struck, allowing 5,000 people to return homeA major 7.6-magnitude earthquake hit southern Chile on Sunday, prompting thousands to evacuate coastal areas, but no fatalities or major damage were reported. Chile’s national emergency office (Onemi) lifted both the evacuation order and a tsunami watch three hours after the Christmas Day quake struck and told nearly 5,000 people who had been evacuated they could
  
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• Russian military plane crashes in Black Sea, 'killing 92'

  25-12-2016 20:07 via bbc.co.uk
  
  All 92 people on board a Russian military plane are feared dead after it crashed into the Black Sea.
  
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• Revealed: British councils used Ripa to secretly spy on public

  25-12-2016 20:00
  
  Local authorities used Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act to follow people, including dog walkers, over five yearsCouncils were given permission to carry out more than 55,000 days of covert surveillance over five years, including spying on people walking dogs, feeding pigeons and fly-tipping, the Guardian can reveal.A mass freedom of information request has found 186 local authorities – two-thirds of the 283 that responded – used the government’s Regulation of Investigatory
  
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• Glass ceiling hard to crack for Lizzie Kelly despite big-race successes

  25-12-2016 20:00
  
  Boxing Day marks the first anniversary of her initial Grade One win but, without her stepfather trainer, Nick Williams, she would be winless this season and without a ride in the King George VI ChaseBoxing Day 2015 was the afternoon when Lizzie Kelly’s riding career took a huge stride forward. Her four-length victory on Tea For Two in the Kauto Star Novice Chase at Kempton Park was the first win ever recorded by a female jockey in a Grade One jumps event in Britain or Ireland, and Kelly&rs
  
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• German city evacuated after discovery of unexploded RAF bomb

  25-12-2016 19:57
  
  Residents of 32,000 households in Augsburg allowed to return after 1.8-tonne second world war bomb is successfully defusedExplosives experts have defused a large second world war bomb in the German city of Augsburg, clearing the way for thousands of evacuated residents to return and hold their Christmas celebrations at home.City police tweeted that they had “good news at Christmas” just before 7pm local time (18.00 GMT). Before that, they had been unable to say how long residents wou
  
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• Doctor Who Christmas special 2016: The Return of Doctor Mysterio

  25-12-2016 19:45
  
  It’s Doctor Who does superheroes, with the joyous return of the reliably daft 12th Doctor, Matt Lucas and the monsters with zips for headsSpoiler alert: this blog contains details of the Doctor Who Christmas special, The Return of Doctor Mysterio. Continue reading...
  
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• Brexit leads to more than 100 firms looking to move business from Britain to Ireland

  25-12-2016 19:45 via mirror.co.uk
  
  The bulk of the interest has come from banks and financial institutions based in the City of London
  
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• Overexcited grown man attacked by 'jerk' cat while opening Christmas present and he has the scars to prove it

  25-12-2016 19:36 via mirror.co.uk
  
  Andrew Woodard from Macon, Georgia, was filmed opening the gift of a PlayStation 4 when he couldn't believe his luck - and what happened next showed even cats get jealous
  
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• French police investigate Christmas Eve killing in Marseille

  25-12-2016 19:34
  
  19-year-old victim reportedly shot 15 times after three attackers storm cafe and open fire
  French police are investigating the fatal Christmas Eve killing of a 19-year-old in Marseille in which the victim was reportedly shot 15 times.Three attackers stormed a cafe in the city late on Saturday and opened fire using a Kalashnikov-style rifle, the prosecutor’s office said. Continue reading...
  
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• MoD made 44 allegations of corruption on defence contracts since 2011

  25-12-2016 19:33
  
  Figures released to parliament by defence minister prompt call for MoD to exclude firms involved in wrongdoing from biddingThe Ministry of Defence has made dozens of allegations of bribery and corruption involving Britain’s multibillion-pound defence budget, prompting warnings that more should be done to tackle the problem.Forty-four allegations have been referred to law enforcement agencies by the Ministry of Defence since 2011, according to figures released to parliament by defence minis
  
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• Wolf population explosion in Europe as predators now 'at the gates of Paris'

  25-12-2016 19:31 via mirror.co.uk
  
  There are now an estimated 12,000 wolves in Europe, leading to calls for the animal to lose its “strictly protected” status
  
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