General news

• Bad policy, good politics: Ed Balls’s determination to impose his mansion tax as soon as he can puts the Conservatives in a bind

  22-12-2014 23:38
  “The religion of socialism is the language of priorities,” said Nye Bevan, Labour saint and creator of the National Health Service. Now we have discovered the principal priority of one of his heirs, Ed Balls; taxing the homes of the rich. The shadow Chancellor, once so relaxed about the wealth created by the City of London, and the foreign money pouring into the capital, now tells us that the first thing he would do upon taking charge of the Treasury, presumably next May, would be to introdu
  
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• Stoke City vs Chelsea match report: John Terry and Cesc Fabregas strike to make Blues this year's Christmas No 1

  22-12-2014 23:15
  These are the games that Jose Mourinho is referring to when he talks about the long slog of winning a league title in England, the kind of first against 13 place encounters that would be easily ticked off by the big clubs in Spain or Italy but here have to be fought for to the very end.
  
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• Ed Balls interview: 'If I think about the deficit when I'm playing the piano, it all goes wrong'

  22-12-2014 23:02
  
  Behind closed Labour doors, a debate rages. Should it be a “bleeding stumps” party which promises deep spending cuts or a “bleeding hearts” one which shouts from the rooftops that it would spend up to £40bn more than the Conservatives on public services?
  
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• Former footballer Clarke Carlisle hospitalised after being hit by lorry

  22-12-2014 22:42
  
  Former Leeds, Burnley and QPR defender Clark Carlisle was rushed to hospital early this morning after being hit by a lorry.
  
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• Clarke Carlisle hospitalised: Former footballer seriously injured after being hit by lorry

  22-12-2014 22:42
  
  Former Leeds, Burnley and QPR defender Clarke Carlisle was rushed to hospital early this morning after being hit by a lorry.
  
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• Joe Cocker dead: Paul McCartney leads tributes to soul legend - he 'turned my song into an anthem'

  22-12-2014 22:18
  
  Joe Cocker, who died on Sunday of lung cancer at the age of 70, reached a career pinnacle during eight unforgettable minutes in 1969. His performance of the Beatles’ “With A Little Help From My Friends” at Woodstock was one of the highlights of the festival.
  
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• Joe Cocker dead: Appreciation – 'his voice was an instrument of soul-baring emotion, befitting a straightforwardly decent man who never lost his roots'

  22-12-2014 22:18
  
  Joe Cocker, who died on Sunday of lung cancer at the age of 70, reached a career pinnacle during eight unforgettable minutes in 1969. His performance of the Beatles’ "With A Little Help From My Friends" at Woodstock was one of the highlights of the festival.
  
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• Joe Cocker dead: Sir Paul McCartney leads tributes to legendary soul and rock singer who has died aged 70

  22-12-2014 22:14
  
  Heartfelt tributes have poured in for the legendary blues and soul singer Joe Cocker, who has died of lung cancer aged 70.
  
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• Joe Cocker dead: Sir Paul McCartney leads tributes – 'he turned my song into a soul anthem'

  22-12-2014 22:14
  
  Heartfelt tributes have poured in for the legendary blues and soul singer Joe Cocker, who has died of lung cancer aged 70.
  
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• Eleven hurt as man drives van into Christmas market in Nantes

  22-12-2014 21:58
  
  Eleven people were hurt, five seriously, when a van drove into a Christmas market in France.
  
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• Sony hack: Internet in North Korea is 'totally down' - but US makes no comment

  22-12-2014 21:41
  
  North Korea is experiencing widespread Internet outages. One expert says the country's online access is “totally down.”
  
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• Ed Balls: Labour government would fast-track the mansion tax

  22-12-2014 21:24
  
  Imposing a mansion tax on homes worth more than £2m would be one of the first acts of an incoming Labour government next May, Ed Balls has revealed.
  
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• North Korea internet access 'down'

  22-12-2014 21:24
  
  North Korea is experiencing serious internet problems, with experts warning that online access is "totally down".
  
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• Cameron has surrendered to his party's vote-repelling right wing - Financial Times

  22-12-2014 21:19 via ft.com
  Financial Times
  Cameron has surrendered to his party's vote-repelling right wing
  Financial Times
  A mere opinion poll that came out last week must count as one of the political moments of the year in Britain. It did not gauge anything as tangible as voting intention, the popularity of the party leaders or their perceived economic competence. Instead ...
  David Cameron warned Tory party is patronising Tory voters on immigrationThe Independent
  Lord Ashcroft: Discussing immigration detracts
  
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• Six people killed as Glasgow bin lorry crashes into pedestrians - The Guardian

  22-12-2014 21:18 via theguardian.com
  
  The Guardian
  Six people killed as Glasgow bin lorry crashes into pedestrians
  The Guardian
  Six people have been killed and eight were seriously injured after an out-of-control bin lorry ploughed into a crowd of pedestrians and shoppers in Glasgow city centre. The lethal accident happened at around 2.30pm on Monday on busy George Square, ...
  Six feared dead as bin lorry hits Christmas shoppers in GlasgowTelegraph.co.uk
  Six dead after bin lorry crashes into group of pedestrians in Glasgow cit
  
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• Westminster paedophile ring: Was second man killed over child abuse cover-up? - Mirror.co.uk

  22-12-2014 21:10 via mirror.co.uk
  
  Mirror.co.uk
  Westminster paedophile ring: Was second man killed over child abuse cover-up?
  Mirror.co.uk
  Two men may have been murdered as part of an establishment cover-up into child sex abuse allegations, an MP sensationally claimed today. A council official and a caretaker may have been killed to stop them exposing a Westminster paedophile ring, ...
  Three British MPs named in Scotland Yard documents on alleged Westminster ...National Post
  UK Police Investigating Five Alleged Pedophile Ri
  
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• Stoke City v Chelsea: Premier League – live! - The Guardian

  22-12-2014 21:02 via theguardian.com
  
  The Guardian
  Stoke City v Chelsea: Premier League – live!
  The Guardian
  John Terry celebrates as he scores the first goal from a Fabregas corner. Photograph: Michael Regan/Getty. Key events. Show. 15m ago 15:03GOAL! Stoke City 0-1 Chelsea (Terry, 2 min); 1h ago 14:17The teams! 2h ago 13:27Preamble ...
  Stoke City 0-1 Chelsea Premier League LIVE: John Terry heads Blues into ...Daily Mail
  Stoke City vs Chelsea: Chelsea can wear the Premier League crown if they top ...The Independent
  Stoke v
  
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• New York Mayor Bill de Blasio seeks to end controversy over NYPD killings

  22-12-2014 20:54
  
  New York’s under-fire mayor has said it was time to put aside the heated controversy that has gripped the city since the shooting of two police officers and stand with the families of the slain men. He said there should be no protests until the funerals of the men had been carried out.
  
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• Who was Joe Cocker? The life and career of the legendary singer after he dies ... - Mirror.co.uk

  22-12-2014 20:53 via mirror.co.uk
  
  Mirror.co.uk
  Who was Joe Cocker? The life and career of the legendary singer after he dies ...
  Mirror.co.uk
  Legendary singer Joe Cocker OBE died today aged 70 after battling cancer, and here we have paid tribute to the star with a look back at his life and successful career in the limelight. The Sixties pop hero 's agent described the star as "simply unique" and told ...
  Watch: The best of Joe CockerTelegraph.co.uk
  British blues legend Joe Cocker dead at 70Daily Mail
  Joe Cock
  
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• 11 hurt after van drives into Nantes Christmas market - Daily Mail

  22-12-2014 20:51 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Daily Mail
  11 hurt after van drives into Nantes Christmas market
  Daily Mail
  PARIS (AP) — A French official says 11 people are hurt, five seriously, after a van drove into a Christmas market in the western city of Nantes. An official for the Loire-Atlantique regional authorities, speaking on condition of anonymity because she was not ...
  Nantes Christmas shoppers hurt as man drives van into crowdThe Guardian
  France: 10 Injured After Van Ploughs Into MarketSky News
  Man rams van into Christ
  
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• Pope Francis sharply criticises Vatican bureaucracy - BBC News

  22-12-2014 20:46 via bbc.co.uk
  
  BBC News
  Pope Francis sharply criticises Vatican bureaucracy
  BBC News
  Pope Francis has sharply criticised the Vatican bureaucracy in a pre-Christmas address to cardinals, complaining of "spiritual Alzheimer's" and "the terrorism of gossip". He said the Curia - the administrative pinnacle of the Roman Catholic Church - was ...
  'Spiritual Alzheimer's': Pope Francis' stern lecture to Roman CuriaLos Angeles Times
  Pope Issues Blistering Critique of Vatica
  
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• Six killed by out-of-control lorry

  22-12-2014 20:40
  
  Six people died and eight others were injured after an out-of-control bin lorry careered through streets packed with Christmas shoppers.
  
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• Survivors urge scrapping of child abuse inquiry - Channel 4 News

  22-12-2014 20:40 via channel4.com
  
  Channel 4 News
  Survivors urge scrapping of child abuse inquiry
  Channel 4 News
  Dozens of child abuse survivors welcome Theresa May's indication that the panel conducting an inquiry into historical abuse could be disbanded to make way for a more powerful body. Theresa May. The inquiry has been beset by controversy after the two ...
  Child abuse inquiry must 'investigate historic murders of men with child abuse ...The Independent
  John Mann Calls For 'Suspicious Deaths' Of Westm
  
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• The appeal of the Virgin Mary: A supernatural hope at a time of scepticism

  22-12-2014 20:32
  
  After Noah and Moses comes the Virgin Mary. No, it’s not a telephone poll to decide which biblical character has the PX Factor (the two Greek letters interwoven and used by believers as a symbol of Christ). Instead it is the Hollywood queue for release dates for Bible-based epics. 
  
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• China offers Russia help with currency swap suggestion - Livemint

  22-12-2014 20:27 via livemint.com
  
  Livemint
  China offers Russia help with currency swap suggestion
  Livemint
  A file photo of Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. Photo: Reuters. Hong Kong/Beijing/Moscow: Two Chinese ministers offered support for Russia as President Vladimir Putin seeks to shore up the rouble without ...
  Russia in recession in 2015, ruble to stay pressured: Reuters pollReuters
  Fisher: No easy solution for Vladimir Putin and RussiaVancouver Sun
  Yuan-ruble swap shows
  
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• McCartney tribute to Joe Cocker

  22-12-2014 20:27
  
  Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney has led tributes to rock and blues singer Joe Cocker, who has died at the age of 70.
  
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• James Moore: Theresa May's migrant student plans to 'send 'em all back' is economic insanity

  22-12-2014 20:13
  
  Manufacturers are all the rage in modern Britain. After years of neglect the political classes have decided they love them, given the rather important role they need them to play in rebalancing the economy away from its over-reliance on banking and the City of London.
  
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• Two charged over off-duty Pc death

  22-12-2014 20:09
  
  Two men have been charged with the murder of an off-duty police constable.
  
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• £740m NHS boost is 'crisis cash'

  22-12-2014 20:09
  
  A £740 million cash boost for the Department of Health has been seized on by Labour as a further sign of "crisis" in the NHS.
  
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• Overnight Talks Expected As NI 'Progress Made'

  22-12-2014 20:04
  
  Politicians in Northern Ireland are expected to talk through the night in a bid to reach agreement on issues threatening the future of the devolved government.
  
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• Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy: I need £1m to fight rise of the SNP

  22-12-2014 19:56
  
  Labour’s newly-elected Scottish leader, Jim Murphy, has told his party’s major donors and fundraisers that he needs to find £1m to combat the rising fortunes of the SNP.
  
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• Is voicemail on its way out? Coca-Cola staff switch off to boost productivity

  22-12-2014 19:51
  
  Good news for anyone who has wasted minutes listening to rambling messages on their phone; voicemail appears to be on the way out.
  
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• Singer Joe Cocker dies aged 70

  22-12-2014 19:44
  
  Singer Joe Cocker has died at the age of 70.
  
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• Upscale Cambridge suburb Romsey riven by resident's bleak poem

  22-12-2014 19:43
  
  As Christmas poems go, it is an uncompromisingly bleak tale of “narrow, grubby streets” stalked by “sullen brats” who shoot cats with airguns, drunks who “don’t like what they see” and “sad-eyed little mums”.
  
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• Six people killed in bin lorry crash

  22-12-2014 19:42 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Six people have been killed and seven others seriously injured after an out-of-control bin lorry crashed into pedestrians in central Glasgow.
  
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• Amazing beard sculptures: One man takes the hipster trend to the next level

  22-12-2014 19:40
  
  Forget about the flower beards or beard baubles and think of a snowman sculpture instead, as one man turns his lengthy facial hair into bizarre, yet festive, works of art.
  
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• Builder fined for opening sluice gate

  22-12-2014 19:39 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A builder who tampered with sluice gates during last winter's floods on the Somerset Levels is fined £1,000.
  
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• Peshawar school attack: Pakistan 'to execute 500 terrorists' after lifting of death sentence moratorium

  22-12-2014 19:38
  
  Senior officials in Pakistan have confirmed that the government plans to execute 500 people convicted of terror offences over the coming weeks.
  
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• Stoke City vs Chelsea: Latest score and Twitter updates

  22-12-2014 19:31
  
  Tonight in the Premier League, Stoke City face the league leaders Chelsea at Britannia Stadium.
  
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• Joe Cocker dead: Legendary rock and soul singer dies of lung cancer, aged 70

  22-12-2014 19:29
  
  Legendary soul and rock singer Joe Cocker has died of lung cancer in the US state of Colorado, his management team has confirmed. He was 70.
  
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• Joe Cocker dead: Legendary rock and soul singer dies aged 70

  22-12-2014 19:29
  
  Legendary soul and rock singer Joe Cocker has died of lung cancer, his management team has confirmed. He was 70.
  
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• Child abuse inquiry must 'investigate historic murders of men with child abuse evidence'

  22-12-2014 19:22
  
  The murders of two potential whistleblowers into child abuse 30 years ago must be part of the police investigation into sex rings, a Labour MP has said.
  
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• Two men charged with PC's murder

  22-12-2014 19:22 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Two men are charged with the murder of off-duty Merseyside police constable Neil Doyle.
  
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• Two Men Charged With Merseyside PC Murder

  22-12-2014 19:21
  
  Two men have been charged with murdering a police constable who was attacked at the end of a Christmas night out with colleagues.
  
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• Man dies in police Taser shooting

  22-12-2014 19:16 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A man dies after being shot by police with a Taser during a suspected burglary in Staffordshire.
  
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• Former Chinese President’s aide Ling Jihua under investigation

  22-12-2014 19:16
  
  Ling Jihua, the top aide to the former President Hu Jintao, has been placed under investigation for unspecified disciplinary violations, the official Xinhua News Agency said today.
  
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• Man dies after he is hit by train

  22-12-2014 19:15 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A man dies after he is hit by a train at Dunmurry Halt station on the outskirts of Belfast.
  
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• Tunisia election: Choice of new President Beji Caid Essebs is a vote for stability

  22-12-2014 19:11
  
  Beji Caid Essebsi, 88, a veteran of the political establishment, has been voted in as President, according to official results in the first full, free presidential election since independence in 1956.
  
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• Following a plant and a spider, Sir David Attenborough now has a beetle named after him

  22-12-2014 19:10
  
  A newly discovered species of beetle has been named Trigonopterus attenboroughi – in honour of the television naturalist, Sir David Attenborough.
  
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• 90,000 French GPs go on strike until New Year’s Day - over plans that would make health system more like the NHS

  22-12-2014 19:07
  For 66 years, care which is free at the point of delivery has been integral to the NHS. Across the Channel, however, the issue is dividing the sprawling and economically flailing French health system.
  
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