General news

• Planner acclaimed for his devotion to the preservation of the environment and national parks of Scotland 

  25-12-2014 23:45
  
  Huge progress in the improvement of the environment was achieved in Scotland in the wake of legislation following the Royal Commission on Local Government chaired by Lord Wheatley, which established regional authorities. Strathclyde Region transformed the provision of services, particularly in the outer islands.
  
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• Dapper Laughs act is resurrected despite sexism accusations

  25-12-2014 23:43
  
  Daniel O’Reilly had declared his comedy act ‘dead’ but reversed the decision in YouTube message on ChristmasThe comedian behind the controversial Dapper Laughs act has resurrected the character after declaring him “dead” last month and apologising following accusations of sexism.The performer, real name Daniel O’Reilly, posted a Christmas message on YouTube proclaiming that “Dapper’s Back”. Continue reading...
  
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• Virna Lisi: Actress who established her name in Italy then worked with Frank Sinatra, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis

  25-12-2014 23:42
  
  The beautiful Italian actress Virna Lisi had a prolific career, including a stay in Hollywood in the mid-1960s when she was leading lady to such stars as Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis and Frank Sinatra. Her best Hollywood role was that of the sensuous mate of Jack Lemmon in the frothy comedy How To Murder Your Wife (1965) in which her entrance, emerging from a giant cake during a stag party dressed only in a bikini, is an acclaimed moment of the period (and a popular item on YouTube).
  
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• Jeremy Lloyd: Actor and writer who teamed up with David Croft for two comedy classics, 'Are You Being Served?' and ''Allo 'Allo!'

  25-12-2014 23:37
  Jeremy Lloyd and his co-writer, David Croft, were the writing duo behind two of the biggest favourites of the golden era of comedy television, Are You Being Served? and ’Allo ’Allo!, both of which brought their quirky brand of British humour to millions of viewers.
  
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• US business review of 2014: Thriving markets receive biggest boost from China

  25-12-2014 23:33
  
  Despite the anaemic economic recovery in the US, it was another decent 12 months for American stock markets. Globalisation has resulted in the Dow Jones and the S&P becoming less a reflection of the state of the American economy as a whole, and more a reflection of American companies’ global reach. Many American corporations remained as profitable as ever, while ordinary Americans continued to struggle.
  
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• Business review of 2014: Tescopoly no more - Britain’s year of corporate turmoil

  25-12-2014 23:32
  
  With Britain’s economy in recovery, the FTSE 100 at its strongest since the financial crisis and England still in possession of the Ashes, City workers had every reason to enjoy the 2013 festive season.
  
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• Adam Lallana believes Liverpool have found system to turn things around

  25-12-2014 23:30
  
  • Brendan Rodgers’ search for solution has impressed Lallana
  • Lallana: ‘I was trying too hard when I first arrived at Liverpool’
  • Martin Skrtel claims Liverpool have turned the cornerThere are times when game plans, philosophies and long-term aspirations take a back seat and, as Adam Lallana puts it, “you just have to show a bit of bottle”. That time is now for Liverpool and, for all the justified criticism of Brendan Rodgers’ team, bottle has helped alleviate the growing
  
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• Sunderland’s Gus Poyet wants season to start earlier to allow winter break

  25-12-2014 23:30
  
  • Sunderland manager says December schedule is crazy
  • Poyet claims month off in the summer would be enough
  • How Sunderland improved after 8-0 drubbing by SouthamptonIn a perfect world Gus Poyet would like to see the domestic football season mirroring school terms with breaks every holiday permitting players and managers to fly abroad with their families.The Sunderland manager, whose team face Hull at home on Boxing Day, appreciates his vision of “our season running parallel to the
  
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• Mario Balotelli will have to get used to Liverpool bench, says Brendan Rodgers

  25-12-2014 23:30
  
  • Italian striker’s future in doubt again after new criticism
  • Rodgers: ‘Intensity and pressing isn’t part of his game’
  • Burnley v Liverpool: match preview
  • Mario Balotelli banned for Instagram postMario Balotelli has been warned by Brendan Rodgers that he may have to adjust to a regular substitute role at Liverpool as he is unsuited to the high-intensity, pressing game the manager demands at Anfield.The Italian striker is available for Liverpool’s visit to Burnley on
  
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• Chelsea’s José Mourinho regrets ‘stupid and silly’ criticism of West Ham

  25-12-2014 23:30
  
  • Mourinho claimed West Ham play ‘19th-century football’
  • Chelsea manager hails work of West Ham’s Sam Allardyce
  • Chelsea’s Fernando Torres set to rejoin Atlético Madrid Continue reading...
  
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• Arsène Wenger: Arsenal have not gone backwards but injuries have cost us

  25-12-2014 23:30
  
  • Not one of Arsenal’s summer signings a failure, says Wenger
  • Arsenal manager makes the case for a January break
  • Mikel Arteta ruled out of festive periodArsène Wenger has rejected the allegation that Arsenal have gone backwards in the Premier League this season, arguing that the club’s horrendous injury problems have simply been too much.Arsenal were level on 36 points with the leaders Liverpool on Christmas Day last season whereas this time out – also after 17 matches
  
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• Alan Pardew: Newcastle need better possession against Manchester United

  25-12-2014 23:30
  
  • Newcastle face Louis van Gaal’s side on Boxing Day
  • Pardew: Van Gaal brings security United lacked under Moyes
  • Steven Taylor: we can make up for derby loss at Old TraffordAlan Pardew knows Newcastle United can be extremely accomplished on the counterattack but his new year’s resolution is to improve their ball retention and tempo control. “Two areas of this team need improvement,” said Pardew looking ahead to the Boxing Day trip to Manchester United. “For the man in the
  
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• Manchester man charged over hit-and-run crash that killed two pedestrians

  25-12-2014 23:08
  
  A 20-year-old man has been charged with dangerous driving over a hit-and-run crash that killed two pedestrians, police said.
  
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• Queen and Welby find two sides to war story - The Times (subscription)

  25-12-2014 23:07 via thetimes.co.uk
  
  The Times (subscription)
  Queen and Welby find two sides to war story
  The Times (subscription)
  The Queen and the Archbishop of Canterbury both reflected on the First World War truce in their Christmas Day messages, but they drew different conclusions. The Queen urged millions of viewers to be inspired by the story of German and British soldiers ...
  Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby cancels Christmas Day sermon over ...The Independent
  Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby cancels Christm
  
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• EastEnders Christmas Day special, TV review: It's all about the Carters this Christmas - and Danny Dyer is brilliant

  25-12-2014 23:05
  EastEnders Christmas specials are known for their shouty, over-the-top soap drama but tonight the show has done itself proud thanks to Danny Dyer.
  
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• Dapper Laughs 'back from the dead'

  25-12-2014 22:51
  
  The comedian behind the controversial Dapper Laughs act has resurrected the character after declaring him "dead" last month and apologising following accusations of sexism.
  
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• Peter Piot interview: 'I never imagined the Ebola virus would get out of control'

  25-12-2014 22:30
  
  In 1976, when Peter Piot, a young Belgian microbiologist, was sent to investigate an outbreak of a mysterious virus in a remote part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (then Zaire), he could never have predicted how the new pathogen that he viewed through his microscope would change his life – nor the devastation it would cause nearly four decades later.
  
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• Exclusive: UK must act to guard against pandemics, says scientist who discovered Ebola virus

  25-12-2014 22:28
  
  The UK must create a new health security agency to guard against future pandemics, according to the scientist who discovered the Ebola virus. Professor Peter Piot said Britain and Europe lacked “an epidemic intelligence service” with global reach, leaving them “vulnerable” and less able to intervene in overseas health crises such as the Ebola outbreak, which has killed thousands of people in West Africa.
  
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• PlayStation and Xbox facing issues after Christmas Day hack

  25-12-2014 22:07
  
  Xbox Live and PlayStation Network went down after attack linked to Lizard Squad, rendering them more unpopular with the gaming communityAs hackers go, their technical skills aren’t bad – they managed to carry out a denial-of-service attack on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network that disrupted use of the games at a peak Christmas moment.But really whoever is behind the “Lizard Squad” should stick to the digital language of naughts and ones, because when it comes to words – well, you be th
  
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• Christmas in Gaza: A season without hope as fears grow that conflict with Israel will soon reignite

  25-12-2014 22:00
  
  The sermons were about the sacrifice made by the Saviour, an affirmation of faith and belief in redemption, as befits a service on Christmas Day. But this is Gaza and there were also reminders of shared suffering and sorrow, the need for unity at a time of turbulence – a message reaching out to all fellow Palestinians.
  
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• Ban alcohol firms from sponsoring sports clubs and events, doctors urge

  25-12-2014 22:00
  
  Leaders of Britain’s nurses and A&E specialists say deals like Everton and Celtic’s beer and cider tie-ups fuel underage drinking
  
  Letter: protect children – stop alcohol sponsorship of sportLeading doctors are demanding a ban on alcohol firms sponsoring sports clubs and events because they claim that the “outrageous” practice is fuelling underage drinking by children.The leaders of Britain’s nurses, A&E specialists and hospital doctors are among those urging ministers to
  
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• Call the Midwife Christmas Special, TV review: Jenny Lee may have left, but Miranda Hart and the rest of the midwives deliver the goods

  25-12-2014 22:00
  This was the third consecutive Call The Midwife Christmas special, not quite a yuletide institution, but established enough that it comes with expectations: at least one drama-fuelled birth, a social history lesson, and to be left with a warm fuzzy feeling – not just as a result of festive over-indulgence. This episode delivered, if with a sprinkling of mawkishness, but we’ll let it off because if there’s a time for sickly sweet, it’s today.
  
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• Coleman staying with Doctor Who

  25-12-2014 21:24 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Jenna Coleman is to stay playing the role of Doctor Who's assistant Clara Oswald for another series of the show.
  
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• Exclusive: Tory benefits freeze means tax cuts won't help low-income families

  25-12-2014 21:20
  
  Tax cuts promised by the three main parties will be no more than an illusion for up to 3.3m low income families, according to research for The Independent.
  
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• Man charged over hit-and-run deaths

  25-12-2014 21:09
  
  A man has been charged with dangerous driving over a hit-and-run that killed two pedestrians, police said.
  
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• Jordanian pilot’s father appeals to Islamic State

  25-12-2014 21:04
  
  Militants have given no word about Muadh al-Kasasbeh, who was captured after his plane came down over SyriaThe father of a Jordanian pilot captured by the Islamic State group in Syria pleaded for his son’s release on Thursday, asking him to treat him well in captivity as a fellow Muslim.There has been silence from the extremists about the fate of their captive, First Lieutenant Muadh al-Kasasbeh, since gunmen from the group dragged him away following his crash on Wednesday morning. Continue re
  
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• Boxing Day tsunami: 10 years on, the scars are not hard to find in Aceh

  25-12-2014 21:00
  
  The Guardian has tracked the fortunes of Nusa, Indonesia, since the deadly wave. A decade on, the shockwaves are still being feltIn the afternoons, after days of heavy rain, the boys in the village clamber up the wall of the shed, letting out screams of elation as they jump into the swollen river in their underwear. Clamber, jump, swim – repeat. By the riverbank their mothers slap soapy clothes on a concrete slab while their sisters catch fish in clear plastic cups, holding them up for communa
  
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• Man shot by San Diego police with stun gun dies

  25-12-2014 20:57
  
  Police said 40-year-old man jumped over counter and attacked inspector after being escorted to a separate area for questioning at nation’s busiest crossiestSan Diego police say a 40-year-old man died after a border inspector shot him with a stun gun at the nation’s busiest crossing.Police said Thursday that the man jumped over a counter and attacked an inspector after being escorted to a separate area for questioning at the San Ysidro port of entry between San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico. A re
  
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• City Link goes into administration, with 'substantial redundancies' expected among 2,727 staff members

  25-12-2014 20:55
  
  Parcel delivery company City Link, which employs 2,727 workers, has gone into administration.
  
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• Smith wins another Strictly title

  25-12-2014 20:50 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Olympic gymnast Louis Smith wins his second Strictly Come Dancing title after triumphing in the 2014 Christmas special.
  
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• Christmas is cancelled for Chinese university students in effort to 'resist the expansion of Western culture'

  25-12-2014 20:47
  
  A Chinese university has banned its students from partaking in any Christmas festivities, despite the festival growing in stature in the country, urging them to “resist the expansion of Western culture”.
  
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• British national killed in Ethiopia

  25-12-2014 20:43 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Foreign Office confirms the death of a British national in Ethiopia, as media reports say a 47-year-old tourist was accidentally shot with a rifle.
  
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• Don't throw everything into the blue bin: seven tips for smart Christmas recycling

  25-12-2014 20:43
  
  After the gifts are unwrapped and the food is eaten, the holidays often leave us with a lot of trash. Here’s a guide to making sure it all ends up in the right place Trash cans routinely overflow during the holiday season, when we generate over 25% more waste than usual. Happily, so do recycling bins: a higher percentage of waste ends up in the blue bins over the holidays than during the rest of the year, says Tom Carpenter, director of sustainability services at Waste Management, North Americ
  
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• Egyptian activist’s ‘Made in Prison’ handbags catch on outside

  25-12-2014 20:29
  
  Asmaa Hamdy receives dozens of orders for her woollen bags, scarves and braceletsShe was jailed for protesting against the removal of Egypt’s first freely elected president, Mohamed Morsi. But Asmaa Hamdy, a dentistry student, has been spending her sentence knitting woollen handbags, to keep herself busy and send the message that imagination is free. And her “Made in Prison” line is proving popular.Since last summer’s regime change, thousands of political prisoners have gone into Egyptia
  
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• Coleman sticking with Doctor Who

  25-12-2014 20:26
  
  Doctor Who star Jenna Coleman has revealed she will stay with the show for another series - putting an end to rumours she was set to quit.
  
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• Paramedic dies after ambulance station collision - Scotsman

  25-12-2014 20:25 via scotsman.com
  
  Scotsman
  Paramedic dies after ambulance station collision
  Scotsman
  A PARAMEDIC has died after she was knocked down in an ambulance station car park in Kilmarnock. Alison Smith, 51, from Irvine, was hit by a vehicle at the Scottish Ambulance Service station on Western Road around 7.00am on Tuesday morning. She was ...
  Paramedic dies following collisionSurrey Comet
  
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• Doctor Who recap: Last Christmas

  25-12-2014 20:15
  
  After last year’s overblown special, this one played to the show’s claustrophobic strengths – and was probably the most Christmassy Christmas special they’ve ever doneMerry Christmas! And how about that: probably the only story that will ever be told in which “and I woke up and it was all a dream” was not a lazy get-out but a miraculous fist-pump of a happy ending. Continue reading...
  
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• Doctor Who: Jenna Coleman to stay on as Peter Capaldi’s assistant in next series

  25-12-2014 20:12
  
  It looks like Jenna Coleman will be appearing in the next series of Doctor Who despite widespread rumours that her character was going to leave.
  
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• Doctor Who: Jenna Coleman to stay on as Peter Capaldi’s assistant Clara Oswald in next series

  25-12-2014 20:12
  
  It looks like Jenna Coleman will be appearing in the next series of Doctor Who despite widespread rumours that her character was going to leave.
  
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• Doctor Who Christmas Special TV review: There are no ho-ho-hos with Nick Frost's badass Santa

  25-12-2014 20:10
  
  Santa just got badass. The aptly-named Nick Frost gives a fantastic performance as a straight-talking, salt-of-the-Earth Santa Claus tonight. But overall, this year's special struggles to make sense.
  
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• British tourist shot dead in church in Ethiopia in 'gun accident'

  25-12-2014 20:04
  
  A British tourist has been killed in Ethiopia, the Foreign Office said.
  
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• Paramedic dies following collision

  25-12-2014 20:00
  
  A paramedic has died after being knocked down in an ambulance station car park.
  
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• Back with a bong: why we need stoner movies more than ever

  25-12-2014 20:00
  
  What is it that we love about cinema’s stoners? As Inherent Vice hits our screens, we look at how toking antiheroes like The Big Lebowski’s Dude freed the weed from the dopey comedies of Cheech and ChongThe shot of the year comes early for UK audiences in 2015 – a tableau in Inherent Vice. Owen Wilson – lost boy astray in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Californian dream – settles for dinner at the centre of a 20-strong congress of dropouts, longhairs, freak-flag-flyers, patchouli princes and
  
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• Antonio Martin shooting: Protesters back on the streets of St Louis after second police shooting

  25-12-2014 19:58
  
  St Louis was on edge again today after a shooting late on Tuesday of a black man at a petrol station in the suburb of Berkeley by a white police officer. The incident sparked new rounds of protests that began almost immediately and lasted into the early hours of Christmas Day.
  
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• Louis Smith triumphs in Strictly Come Dancing special

  25-12-2014 19:49
  
  Olympic gymnast wins festive contest overseen by Sir Bruce ForsythOlympic gymnast Louis Smith has won the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special, in which Sir Bruce Forsyth returned to the ballroom.The 25-year-old competed against fellow contestants from previous series – Rachel Stevens, Lisa Riley, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Chris Hollins and Russell Grant – in the TV special. Continue reading...
  
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• Nicaragua faces questions over new canal after protest deaths, links to China and fears over environmental impact

  25-12-2014 19:48
  Police in Nicaragua have denied claims that at least two people were killed during violent protests that followed Monday’s inauguration of work on a proposed 173-mile canal to connect the Atlantic to the Pacific.
  
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• Paramedic dies after collision

  25-12-2014 19:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A paramedic dies in hospital after being knocked down at an ambulance station car park in Kilmarnock, Police Scotland say.
  
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• ‘Love Activists’ succeed in offering Christmas lunch to London homeless

  25-12-2014 19:25
  
  Uncooked meal on street follows standoff and squatters’ eviction on Christmas Eve morning from former RBS bank in LondonA group of squatters, known as the “Love Activists”, have provided an uncooked Christmas lunch to homeless Londoners on the pavement outside the former bank they had been occupying, after they were evicted from the premises on Christmas Eve morning. They have vowed to continue their protests.The group of 20 activists occupied the imposing grade ll listed building on the c
  
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• Smith triumphs as Sir Bruce returns

  25-12-2014 19:15
  
  Olympic gymnast Louis Smith has added another trophy to his collection after winning the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special, in which Sir Bruce Forsyth returned to the ballroom.
  
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• British tourist killed in Ethiopia

  25-12-2014 19:15
  
  A British tourist has been killed in Ethiopia, the Foreign Office said.
  
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