General news

• Wife of Paris kosher grocery attacker Hayat Boumeddiene may be in new Isis video

  05-02-2015 23:56
  
  French authorities are reportedly investigating whether Hayat Boumeddiene, the wife of jihadi gunman Amedy Coulibaby who took 17 people hostage in Paris, is the woman in a new Isis video entitled “Blow up France 2”.
  
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• Myleene Klass: Stop the ‘bonkers’ birthday-present arms race

  05-02-2015 23:53
  
  Emails from mothers to the parents of their children’s school friends asking them to contribute towards a “class birthday gift” have reignited the debate around children’s party etiquette.
  
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• FGM trial: DPP to face questions over failed court case against doctor

  05-02-2015 23:45
  
  The Director of Public Prosecutions faces questions from MPs over her decision to charge a doctor with female genital mutilation days before she was due to be grilled about the failure to bring anyone to justice for the crime.
  
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• Twitter shares soar after sharp revenue increase but growth still slowing

  05-02-2015 23:41
  
  Revenues rise 97% to $479.1m in fourth quarterMonthly active users rise 20%, falling short of expectationsTwitter’s growth continued to slow in the fourth quarter, but the microblogging company’s shares soared in after-hours trading as it announced a sharp increase in revenues.The company has struggled over the last year as its share price plummeted amid continuing signs of slowing growth. Twitter announced on Thursday that monthly active users rose 20% to 288 million by the end of December
  
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• Andy McSmith's Diary: Culture Secretary rides to defence of posh entertainers like Eddie Redmayne, Benedict Cumberbatch and James Blunt

  05-02-2015 23:37
  Eddie Redmayne, Benedict Cumberbatch, James Blunt and all the entertainers who went to expensive schools have a friend in the Culture Secretary, Sajid Javid.
  
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• Football v Homophobia: Proud Lilywhites took on Gay Gooners to bring LGBT fans together – video

  05-02-2015 23:33
  
  As part of the Football v Homophobia month of action, two rival fan groups met in north London to play out a special version of the North London Derby. Proud Lilywhites took on Gay Gooners in a five-a-side match to bring together LGBT fans as well as ex-Spurs midfielder Steffen Freund and Troy Townsend from Kick It Out to stand together against homophobia and discrimination Continue reading...
  
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• Spurs’ Mauricio Pochettino: I always wanted to keep Emmanuel Adebayor

  05-02-2015 23:31
  
  • Tottenham Hotspur manager: player is recovering his confidence
  • Forward had been denied a loan move to West ham by chairman Daniel Levy
  • Tottenham v Arsenal: which players make our combined XI?Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that he always wanted Emmanuel Adebayor to stay at Tottenham Hotspur, as he looks to put the unsettling nature of the January transfer period behind him and his squad.Adebayor was one of a number of players who either wanted to leave White Hart Lane last month
  
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• Lady V eliminated from The Jump

  05-02-2015 23:27
  
  Lady Victoria Hervey has become the latest celebrity to be eliminated from winter sports competition The Jump.
  
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• Magician Dynamo hails Charles help

  05-02-2015 23:23
  
  Magician Dynamo has thanked the Prince of Wales for believing in him when he was a "kid with crazy ideas".
  
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• Germaphobes look away: Researchers map pathogens on the New York subway

  05-02-2015 23:13
  
  As if the New York City subway already wasn’t gross enough, scientists have found a way to make it even more cringe-inducing.
  
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• Evan Davis: Gays take more drugs as they don’t have kids

  05-02-2015 23:09
  
  Gay people are more likely to engage in destructive behaviour like taking illegal drugs because they lack the “discipline” of going home to a family and children, according to BBC Newsnight presenter Evan Davis.
  
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• Greek and German finance ministers clash at debt relief talks

  05-02-2015 23:09
  
  No agreement to disagree on Athens’ debts as Varoufakis brings up spectre of Greek nazism and Schäuble offers 500 German tax collectorsGreece’s radical Syriza government remained locked in a bitter standoff with its German paymasters, as finance minister Yanis Varoufakis issued a stark warning of the rise of nazism in his country if the eurozone fails to heed the democratic voice of Greek voters.As Varoufakis completed the last leg of a whistle-stop round-Europe tour to seek support for Syr
  
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• Ben Jennings on Britain's role in Iraq – cartoon

  05-02-2015 23:05
  
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• Wales v England: this is rugby noir – not just a World Cup warm-up

  05-02-2015 23:00
  
  The bigger picture follows later in the year but Friday’s Six Nations opener in Cardiff will be as fiercely fought as ever for two nations with a shared horror of losing to the other
  • The Guardian’s top 25 Six Nations players – interactive
  • Wales’ Warren Gatland has no need to play mind gamesIn seven months’ time the opening night of the Six Nations championship will feel like a world away. The Rugby World Cup will be about to kick off and even the most dyed-in-the-wool Wales
  
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• What makes one person seek out the spiciest chillis, while another enjoys only bland foods?

  05-02-2015 23:00
  
  Flaking a bite onto his fork, John McQuaid takes in the sight of the whole rockfish before him, its eyeballs, fins and tail visible beneath a chilli-dotted red curry sauce.
  
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• It's ludicrous to accuse inspectors of a witch-hunt against faith schools

  05-02-2015 22:54
  
  It’s often said that no one ever signed up to be an Ofsted inspector to boost their personal popularity ratings. The job of Her Majesty’s Inspectors is to report without fear or favour – to commend excellence where they find it, but also to hold up a mirror to poorly performing schools.
  
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• Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere hits back after shisha pipe picture

  05-02-2015 22:50
  
  • Midfielder responds in video posted on Instagram
  • Nightclub picture may lead to fine with club exasperated at actions
  • Scheduled to return soon from ankle ligament damageJack Wilshere has sought to highlight his professionalism by posting a video of himself working hard in training, after becoming embroiled in his latest smoking controversy – an indiscretion that has infuriated the Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger.Wilshere was pictured holding a shisha pipe at a London night
  
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• Ghana players, fans pelted with missiles in win over Equatorial Guinea

  05-02-2015 22:45
  
  • Ghana 3-0 Equatorial Guinea
  • J Ayew 42pen, Wakaso 45, A Ayew 75
  • Ghana v Equatorial Guinea – gallery of picturesThe Africa Cup of Nations semi-final between Equatorial Guinea and Ghana was suspended for 40 minutes on Thursday night after serious crowd disturbances led to a partial evacuation of the stadium.A tense atmosphere had ignited shortly before half-time when the home side, competing in their first semi-final, conceded two quick goals. After the first the home players were
  
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• Ghana v Equatorial Guinea: Africa Cup of Nations semi-final – live!

  05-02-2015 22:40
  
  Ghana coast through to final amid crowd trouble 9.24pm GMT There is no doubt that Ghana deserve their place in the final, where they will meet Ivory Coast in what could be a classic contest, assuming it goes ahead without a hitch. The consequences of the violence that forced a delay in this semi-final will be worth following. Equatorial Guinea should be banned, but it might not be a good idea to make such a decision before they host the final, especially with Equatorial Guinea scheduled to play
  
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• A US politician spent $100k on 'Downton Abbey' office decor - but that's drab compared to some of Britain's corridors of power

  05-02-2015 22:30
  Political office is precarious enough before public servants consider the walls between which they work, and how best to decorate them. A strapping young congressman from Illinois has discovered the price of excess: demands for an ethics enquiry on top of the $100,000 (£65,000) of public money he reportedly spent on a lavish "Downton Abbey" makeover.
  
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• Jordanian jets strike Isis targets with missiles bearing the message: 'For you - the enemies of Islam'

  05-02-2015 22:16
  
  Dozens of Jordanian fighter jets have launched bombing raids on Isis targets, hitting what are believed to have been training centres and weapons caches, two days after the militants released footage showing the burning alive of a downed Jordanian pilots.
  
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• TV Weatherman Denies Being 'Obsessed' With Boys

  05-02-2015 22:15
  TV weatherman Fred Talbot has denied he was "obsessed" with teenage boys during his teaching career. The alleged sex abuse "chancer" told the jury at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court that four of his accusers had "made up" the allegations.
  
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• Chief schools inspector accuses critics of creating a 'smokescreen' over investigations into homophobic bullying

  05-02-2015 22:14
  Chief schools inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw today hits back in the row over inspectors’ investigations into homophobic bullying - accusing critics of creating a “smokescreen for their own palpable weaknesses of leadership and management”.
  
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• US Supreme Court orders halt of Texas execution

  05-02-2015 22:00
  
  The US Supreme Court on Thursday delayed the execution of one of Texas’ longest-serving death row prisoners as the high court makes up its mind on his appeal claiming his 30 years on death row constitute cruel and unusual punishment.
  
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• Nikki Lane: All or Nothin’ review – mischief and carefree abandon

  05-02-2015 22:00
  
  (New West)Guitar-slinging singer Nikki Lane moonlights as a model and vintage fashion bargain-hunter, but knuckles down to her music. The Nashville-based South Carolina native begins her second album of country much as she means to go on, with a hell-for-leather proclamation that “it’s always the right time to do the wrong thing”. That sense of mischief and carefree abandon floats through most of All or Nothin’, centred on the tingles of newfound love, searing heartbreak and impulsive ca
  
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• £1bn tidal lagoon gets finance boost

  05-02-2015 21:55 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A £1bn plan for a tidal lagoon to generate power in Swansea Bay is given a £100m funding boost, BBC Wales understands.
  
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• Sicilian city of Agrigento 'bled dry' by corrupt councillors who earn up to €10,000 a time for 'ghost meetings'

  05-02-2015 21:52
  It is internationally renowned for its Valley of the Temples Unesco world heritage site, but is ranked as the least liveable town in Italy – infamous both for its deprivation and for the country’s most expensive drinking water, even though taps regularly run dry.
  
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• Nigeria will not delay presidential election over voter ID card delays

  05-02-2015 21:44
  
  Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari will square off in the polls on 14 February, following council of state decisionNigeria’s council of state has decided to stick with 14 February as the date for its presidential election, Imo state governor Rochas Okorocha said, quashing concerns that the poll may be postponed.National Security Advisor Sambo Dasuki caused outrage when he called for a delay last month due to the slow distribution of voter ID cards necessary for accreditation at the polls.
  
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• Marine Le Pen’s Oxford university speech delayed by protesters

  05-02-2015 21:36
  
  Appearance by leader of France’s far-right Front National party sparks protests by students chanting anti-fascist slogansA crowd of some 300 jeering, banner-waving demonstrators delayed by more than an hour a controversial speech by Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s far-right National Front, to the Oxford Union on Thursday.Security guards were forced to close the doors to the university’s debating society after a dozen balaclava-wearing anti-fascist protesters, chanting “Le Pen, neve
  
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• Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasaesbeh's grief-stricken wife on the horror of finding that Isis had immolated her husband

  05-02-2015 21:36
  
  When her mother first called her in tears, Anwar Tarawneh knew immediately that something was wrong.
  
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• Internet founder's plea for rules

  05-02-2015 21:30
  
  Access to the internet is becoming "more and more" like a human right, according to the inventor of the world wide web.
  
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• British jihadist posed with severed heads in Syria and faked his own death in an attempt to slip back into UK, court told

  05-02-2015 21:25
  A British jihadist, who was filmed holding severed heads while in Syria, joined a terrorist training camp before faking his own death and attempted to sneak back into the UK, a court has heard.
  
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• Rotherham chief executive apologises

  05-02-2015 21:21 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The interim chief executive of Rotherham Council apologises for its failure to act over the scandal of child sexual exploitation in the town.
  
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• Saudi Arabia's King Salman uses pardons and perks to make his mark in an attempt to win early goodwill

  05-02-2015 21:18
  
  Saudi Arabia’s new monarch isn’t wasting time. Since assuming the throne on 23 January, King Salman has elevated some of his closest relatives and sidelined previous power-brokers, tightened decision-making and promised lavish payouts designed to win early goodwill.
  
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• Andrew Lansley’s ‘damaging reforms at root of the current NHS crisis’

  05-02-2015 21:18
  
  The Coalition’s health reforms were “damaging and distracting” for the NHS, and government policy for the past two years has been “devoted to limiting the damage”, health experts have said.
  
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• The British Army launches drive to recruit more Muslims

  05-02-2015 21:17
  
  The Army is making a determined push to recruit Muslims in an attempt to counter the rise in radicalisation which has driven hundreds of young men from this country to join violent extremist groups like Isis and al-Shabaab.
  
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• Workers will get right to buy out bosses under Labour rule

  05-02-2015 21:16
  
  Employees would get the automatic right to club together to buy their company if it is put up for sale or floated on the stock market under moves being backed by Labour.
  
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• Chancellor ignored advice from Treasury to launch Help to Buy scheme

  05-02-2015 21:13
  
  The Chancellor’s economic justification for his Help to Buy programme was contradicted by the Treasury’s own internal analysis, The Independent has learned.
  
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• Glasgow bin lorry driver thinks of the six victims 'every minute of every day'

  05-02-2015 21:12
  
  The driver of a bin lorry that killed six Christmas shoppers in Glasgow has said that he thinks of the victims "every minute of every day".
  
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• State police investigating murder-suicide at University of South Carolina

  05-02-2015 21:09
  
  South Carolina state police have confirmed that two people are dead in a Thursday shooting on the University of South Carolina campus and are investigating it as a murder-suicide, according to news reports.
  
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• PM promises money to help victims

  05-02-2015 21:05
  
  Prime Minister David Cameron has said cash will be provided to help the victims of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham but he said "let's not pretend this was all a problem of money".
  
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• Visas for barred funeral family

  05-02-2015 20:38 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Visas are granted to the family of a five-year-old girl whose relatives had been barred from entering the UK for her funeral.
  
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• Mounds of soil made by termites found to hold back encroachment of the desert, scientists find

  05-02-2015 20:09
  
  They are considered to be pests with a taste for anything made out of wood, but for ecologists they could become a vital weapon against the steady advance of deserts around the world.
  
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• Health service ombudsman: Suicidal Norfolk author found dead in river after being sent home from hospital was 'let down' by NHS trusts

  05-02-2015 20:05
  A Norfolk author found dead in a river days after being sent home from hospital having expressed suicidal thoughts was “let down” by the two NHS trusts responsible for his care, the health service ombudsman has said.
  
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• Mushroom boosts research efforts

  05-02-2015 20:00
  
  A carnivorous edible mushroom that lives a double life as part of the woodland landscape and vicious predator is helping scientists find new ways of fighting human disease.
  
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• Lib Dems 'trying to take credit'

  05-02-2015 19:57
  
  Tory Chief Whip Michael Gove has hit out at the Liberal Democrats, accusing them of trying to take the credit for Conservative policies in government.
  
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• New York district attorney wants to keep Eric Garner grand jury transcripts confidential

  05-02-2015 19:50
  
  If Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan had his way, the transcripts from the grand jury that acquitted a New York police officer in the death of Eric Garner would be kept under wraps.
  
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• VIDEO: Why under 21s do not register to vote

  05-02-2015 19:49 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The BBC's Political Editor Nick Robinson has spent the day with young voters speaking to those who have already decided not to vote in May's election and those voting for the first time.
  
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• FGM: What is Female Genital Mutilation and why was the first doctor to stand trial in the UK acquitted?

  05-02-2015 19:47
  
  The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has been accused of bowing to “mounting” political pressure and a need to “get results” when it chose to launch an ill-judged trial against a young doctor for female genital mutilation, who was acquitted in less than 30 minutes.
  
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• New winter flu vaccine given to millions barely works, according to public health officials

  05-02-2015 19:39
  The winter flu vaccine given to millions of people in the UK barely works, public health officials have said.
  
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