General news

• Mother jailed for biting woman's nose off in 'shark-like' Butlins attack

  13-02-2015 23:58
  
  A mother has been handed a six-year jail sentence after she bit a chunk out of a woman's nose like a“shark”, during a children’s pantomime.
  
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• Met's refusal to police London rally 'may be human rights breach'

  13-02-2015 23:47
  
  Move to make Million Women Rise demonstrators pay for security in effect bans protest for those who cannot afford to pay, say criticsThe Metropolitan police has been warned it risks breaching the European convention on human rights by refusing to police a second planned protest in central London next month.For the past seven years campaigners have marked International Women’s Day by marching through the UK capital in an event that has always been stewarded by the police. But this year the orga
  
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• Chapel Hill shooting suspect Craig Hicks had at least a dozen guns at his home, police say

  13-02-2015 23:47
  
  The man accused of shooting and killing three Muslim students in North Carolina had at least a dozen weapons in his home along with a large quantity of ammunition, search warrants show, according to an Associated Press report.
  
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• Fiancee’s wise words help Liverpool’s Simon Mignolet reclaim best form

  13-02-2015 23:30
  
  Belgium international says advice from Jasmien led him to stop overthinking and play his natural game after a worrying run of formDrawing a distinction between his character and the flash, impulsive Premier League stereotype is important to Simon Mignolet. “I am not the sort of person who will wake up and go and buy myself a Ferrari,” he stresses when, in truth, no explanation is required. Forget his degree in political science or fluency in four languages, Mignolet has set himself apart by
  
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• Arsène Wenger: language barrier may hinder Arsenal’s Gabriel Paulista

  13-02-2015 23:30
  
  • Wenger warns against expecting miracles from Brazilian
  • Arsenal manager: ‘He’s the first defender I’ve brought in with no English’
  • Gabriel could make his Arsenal debut against MiddlesbroughFor Gabriel Paulista, the pressure stands to be intense. Never mind the size of the fee that took him from Villarreal to Arsenal last month, the Brazilian centre-half has been held up as the solution to one of the London club’s biggest problems – the lack of adequate defensive cover.
  
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• Simon Mignolet interview: Liverpool goalkeeper has a new mantra - think less, act more

  13-02-2015 23:30
  
  It is the fact that Simon Mignolet has prepared notes for this conversation which reveals the most. He indicated to Liverpool’s press people that he wanted to talk and, while doing so, keeps going back to “the thing I wanted to say today” in a way that tells this is not just another football interview but a sculpted insight, into how a player’s game can unravel and be put back together again.
  
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• Your Money: Cashing in on holiday currency

  13-02-2015 23:15 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Getting the best deals on foreign currency
  
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• Tim Cook: 'Sacrificing our right to privacy can have dire consequences' – video

  13-02-2015 23:13
  
  Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during the White House summit on cybersecurity and consumer protection in Palo Alto, California, on Friday. Cook's remarks came Cook's remarks came as many in the tech community have expressed concerns about government attempts to weaken encryption Continue reading...
  
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• Bridegroom who couldn't remember the name of the woman he planned to marry is jailed for attempting to break UK immigration laws

  13-02-2015 23:10
  A bridegroom who couldn’t remember the name of the woman he planned to marry has been jailed for attempting to undergo a bogus wedding to cheat immigration laws.
  
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• Hi-tech new look for View-Master

  13-02-2015 23:06
  
  Mattel and Google are aiming to give the 75-year-old View-Master device a new lease of life by updating the iconic stereoscopic photo viewer with smartphone compatibility and virtual reality technology.
  
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• England fall short against USA as Alex Morgan header proves decisive

  13-02-2015 23:05
  
  • England 0-1 USAEngland deserved at least a draw, insisted their head coach Mark Sampson after a game in which his team had an equalising goal incorrectly ruled out for offside after the striker Alex Morgan’s 25th-minute opener for the USA. But after another defeat to one of the world’s top nations, and with the World Cup finals in Canada only four months away, Sampson concluded ruefully that, “eventually, we’ve got to find away to win.”Finding a way to win against the best will be
  
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• US President Obama says cyber-security among greatest challenges

  13-02-2015 23:04
  
  US President Barack Obama on Friday said cyber-security is one of the biggest challenges to the future of the US economy and signed an executive order to promote the sharing of information between technology companies and Washington.
  
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• Hospital's A&E consultants all quit

  13-02-2015 23:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The entire consultant team running Accident and Emergency services at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch has resigned.
  
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• Bigger, fitter, faster: why rugby union is too strong for its own good

  13-02-2015 23:00
  
  Fans are increasingly hankering for the old days of specialist craftsmen rather than hard-running line-breakersPlenty has been said and written about modern rugby union but it was England’s oldest living player who offered this week’s most lacerating verdict. “There is no room for finesse any more,” lamented Harry Walker, who made his Test debut in 1947 and celebrated his 100th birthday on Wednesday. “If someone beats one man about three others hit him. They have got no chance. It’s
  
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• 2015 Cricket World Cup: With India flagging Pakistan may edge history-laden clash

  13-02-2015 22:51
  
  When the matches were being allocated for this World Cup, the city of Adelaide made its preferences plain. Above all, it wanted to stage the encounter between India and Pakistan.
  
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• Aston Villa in advanced talks with Tim Sherwood over manager’s job

  13-02-2015 22:48
  
  • Villa targeting progressive manager to replace Paul Lambert
  • Club has not been in contact with Glenn HoddleAston Villa are closing in on Tim Sherwood and the Midlands club are in advanced talks with the 46-year-old with a view to him replacing Paul Lambert as manager. Although nothing has been formally agreed, Sherwood has held discussions with Tom Fox, the Villa chief executive, and it is possible that an announcement could be made before fifth-round FA Cup tie at home against Leiceste
  
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• US eases restrictions on imports from Cuban entrepreneurs

  13-02-2015 22:38
  
  Ban lifted on good and services but the list of restricted items remains long – cigars, tobacco, vehicles and agricultural products still not permitted Another huge barrier between America and Cuba fell on Friday, when the US eased import restrictions from the island. Tobacco, however, remained on the banned list.Cuban entrepreneurs will be allowed to sell items to the US again, the State Department was set to announce on Friday, though many goods will remain under embargo – including the c
  
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• Tim Sherwood on brink of taking Aston Villa job

  13-02-2015 22:21
  
  Tim Sherwood is the only manager Aston Villa have spoken to in their quest to replace Paul Lambert and the club are hoping to come to an agreement with the former Tottenham Hotspur man over the weekend.
  
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• Binge drinking in decline among young adults

  13-02-2015 22:19
  
  The nation’s attitude towards drinking may be changing, as young people turning away from binging and adults consume less alcohol in general.
  
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• Freed Al-Jazeera journalist: Why can’t Canada get me home? 

  13-02-2015 22:09
  
  Mohamed Fahmy, Al-Jazeera’s Canadian-Egyptian television bureau chief freed on bail by an Egyptian judge on Thursday, last night angrily attacked Canada for mistakes which he said have left him trapped in Egypt and alleged “epic negligence” on the part of his television employer.
  
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• Steve Strange: a beautiful maverick who understood the power of myth

  13-02-2015 22:06
  
  Gary Kemp remembers the charismatic Blitz Kid at the heart of the New Romantic movement
  The1980s began in 1978 when a young Welsh boy called Steve Strange waved his magic wand upon the heads of his young hopefuls waiting to descend the stairs into his Tuesday night dreamworld. Exotically dressed fashion students, ex-soul boys and disaffected punks, all redesigned on a shoestring, stood out boldly against the backdrop of grey, seedy Soho, unrecognisable from today’s alfresco, laissez-faire boys
  
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• Cinderella review – Kenneth Branagh's perky, pretty cupcake of a fairytale

  13-02-2015 22:00
  
  Disney’s live-action remake of its own classic cartoon benefits from Branagh’s literary twinkle, but is hardly following Frozen’s quasi-feminist leadHere’s a question for an enlightened-age Cinderella. If every woman in the land gets to try on one blasted glass slipper for a shot at Prince Charming’s hand in marriage, why does the wicked, widowed stepmother never have a go? Is she too old? Too ugly? Too imperfectly coiffed? None is an accusation you could fairly level against Cate Blan
  
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• Dawn Richard: too good to ignore

  13-02-2015 21:54
  
  Why are we talking about Beck v Beyoncé when we could be listening to something truly innovative – such as Dawn Richard’s Blackheart?After a week in which the biggest music story was an awards show proving itself, yet again, to be backwards and meaningless, you wouldn’t think that 2015 is shaping up to be one of the most exciting years for new music in recent memory. Not that the artists responsible have a hope of getting anywhere near as close to a Grammy as Beyoncé , but Levon Vi
  
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• Isis fighters in suicide attack on Iraqi air base

  13-02-2015 21:48
  
  No Iraqi or US troops were killed or wounded on attack on al-Asad air base in Iraq’s Anbar province, but most of the Isis fighters diedIslamic State fighters led a suicide attack on an air base where US and coalition troops are training Iraqi forces after taking a nearby town, the first territorial gain by the militant group in months, the Pentagon said on Friday.Most of the Isis fighters died in the attack, killed either by Iraqi government forces or by detonating their suicide vests, said Na
  
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• Chapel Hill shooting: President Barack Obama denounces 'brutal and outrageous murders'

  13-02-2015 21:42
  
  President Barack Obama has made his first public comments about the three young Muslims shot in Chapel Hill calling them “brutal and outrageous murders”.
  
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• Barclays fails to win dismissal of New York 'dark pool' lawsuit

  13-02-2015 21:41
  
  A New York judge on Friday rejected Barclays Plc's effort to dismiss state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's lawsuit accusing it of defrauding clients about its private securities trading platform, known as a dark pool. Justice Shirley Werner Kornreich of the State Supreme Court in Manhattan said it was premature to dismiss Schneiderman's claim under the state's Martin Act, a powerful law used to fight securities fraud. The judge also dismissed a claim that Schneiderman tr
  
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• Death penalty in the US: Pennsylvania governor puts moratorium on executions

  13-02-2015 21:33
  
  All executions in Pennsylvania are off as of Friday morning, when Gov. Tom Wolf placed a moratorium on capital punishment in the state, pending a study on the issue.
  
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• Giving birth while shackled may be illegal, but mothers still have to endure it

  13-02-2015 21:25
  
  A New York state law passed in 2009 bans the use of restraints during labor and postpartum recovery yet incarcerated women report still being shackled Imagine being pregnant and going into labor. Now imagine having handcuffs around your wrists attached to a chain, leading to a chain wrapped around your waist. Another chain leads from your waist to your feet, where cuffs keep them only inches apart. This is a practice known as shackling.Across the United States, prison policy dictates that people
  
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• American Sniper Chris Kyle murder trial: Video shows alleged killer fleeing police in truck

  13-02-2015 21:22
  
  Jurors at the trial of the man accused of killing 'American Sniper' Chris Kyle have been shown video footage showing the suspect fleeing from police.
  
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• UKIP donor threatens to sue satirist

  13-02-2015 21:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  UKIP donor Arron Banks threatens to sue Armando Iannucci over remarks the satirist made on the BBC's Question Time.
  
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• American Sniper Chris Kyle murder trial: Accused killer spoke of 'hell, voodoo and the apocalypse'

  13-02-2015 21:02
  
  Officials searching the home of the former US marine charged with shooting dead American Sniper Chris Kyle found marijuana, an empty bottle of whiskey and anti-psychotic medication, a court in Texas has been told. The previous day jurors were told the accused had talked to police about “hell, voodoo and the apocalypse”
  
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• Fake wedding man forgets bride name

  13-02-2015 20:49
  
  A fake wedding couple have been jailed for immigration offences after the groom had to ask his wife-to-be's name.
  
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• North Korea reaches peak hyperbole with 310 new slogans including: 'Let us turn ours into a country of mushrooms!'

  13-02-2015 20:32
  North Korea has unveiled a series of hyperbolic, vegetable-themed new slogans aimed at citizens of the hermit kingdom.
  
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• 'Paranoid' mum kills herself and son

  13-02-2015 20:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A mother killed herself and young son while gripped with "paranoia" her ex-boyfriend was "hunting" her down, an inquest hears.
  
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• New food scandal over peanuts is 'more serious' than the horsemeat crisis

  13-02-2015 20:09
  
  Britain’s food supply network is facing a scandal even more serious than the horsemeat crisis, a leading expert has warned, after the Government’s new food crime unit launched an investigation into the undeclared use of nuts that are potentially life-threatening to allergy sufferers.
  
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• David Carr: Journalist and authority on digital media who wrote an acclaimed memoir of his fight against drug addiction

  13-02-2015 20:08
  David Carr was a much-loved and respected journalist who wrote a well-received memoir about his fight with drug addiction.
  
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• Steve Strange: Lead singer with Visage and club owner who became the leading light of the 1980s New Romantic movement

  13-02-2015 20:06
  A flamboyant figure with a self-destructive streak, Steve Strange was one of the prime movers behind the New Romantic movement which changed the shape, look and sound of the British music scene at the tail end of the 1970s and introduced several of the acts who dominated the charts around the world in the first half of the '80s.
  
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• Andrew Rosenfeld: Businessman who made a fortune from property then became a noted philanthropist and Labour Party donor

  13-02-2015 20:05
  Andrew Rosenfeld, who has died aged 52, was an entrepreneur who made a £100 million fortune from property development through his company, Minerva, and ploughed back considerable sums into supporting charitable causes and the Labour Party.
  
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• New food GCSE: A Michelin-star teacher's guide to the syllabus

  13-02-2015 20:03
  
  I have two firm memories of home economics lessons at school – repeatedly getting detention for forgetting my ingredients and spending an entire summer term watching tenuous foodie films such as My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
  
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• My Michelin-star teacher for the new food GCSE

  13-02-2015 20:03
  
  I have two firm memories of home economics lessons at school – repeatedly getting detention for forgetting my ingredients and spending an entire summer term watching tenuous foodie films such as My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
  
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• Neil Patrick Harris: The Oscars host with a magic touch

  13-02-2015 19:58
  
  It might seem like a great gig, but an offer to host the Oscars can be something of a poisoned chalice. Two years ago, Seth MacFarlane offended many viewers with jokes about women and Jews.
  
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• In the eye of a mega-drought: Researchers warn US should prepare for 'unprecedented drought conditions' unlike anything in the past 1,000 years

  13-02-2015 19:53
  Since the turn of this century, the US south-west has spent more than a decade in drought. Last year was the warmest on record in California, which is in the middle of its driest spell for more than 400 years. But according to a new scientific study, that’s nothing compared to what comes next.
  
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• In the eye of a mega-drought: Researchers warn US should prepare for 'unprecedented drought conditions' unlike anything in past 1,000 years

  13-02-2015 19:53
  Since the turn of this century, the US south-west has spent more than a decade in drought. Last year was the warmest on record in California, which is in the middle of its driest spell for more than 400 years. But according to a new scientific study, that’s nothing compared to what comes next.
  
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• Shane Burcaw: Disabled blogger hits back at strangers who ask if his girlfriend is his nurse

  13-02-2015 19:50
  
  Shane Burcaw, a young writer with disabilities, became so exacerbated by strangers asking if his girlfriend is his carer that he decided to write about it in his local paper.
  
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• Sir Peter Hendy: The Tube boss, a golf society, and a night of ‘exciting tight dresses’

  13-02-2015 19:42
  
  The London Mayor, Boris Johnson, was facing demands tonight to discipline his transport chief for attending a “sexist” men-only dinner where the only women present were waitresses, can-can dancers and “a glamorous string quartet playing exciting music in even more exciting tight dresses”.
  
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• Mars rovers: Shortlist of 100 applicants for the one-way trip to the Red Planet to be announced

  13-02-2015 19:38
  
  Some have said it’s a pie-in-the-sky idea, but it’s not: it’s a pie-on-Mars idea. And, for the moment at least, it is beyond Nasa’s reach.
  
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• Don McLean's American Pie manuscript set to go up for auction

  13-02-2015 19:37
  
  Don McLean fans have long argued over the meaning of “American Pie”, the song variously described as an “icon of American music” and an “enduring enigma”.
  
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• Danny Alexander hits back at Jeremy Browne's criticism of the Lib Dem leadership

  13-02-2015 19:31
  
  Danny Alexander, the Treasury minister, has hit back at scathing criticism of Nick Clegg’s strategy by the Liberal Democrat MP Jeremy Browne.
  
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• A defence of our role in Coalition, whatever Jeremy Browne thinks

  13-02-2015 19:30
  
  In 2010, our economy was still reeling from the effects of the 2008 crash. With huge economic challenges, and no plan to deal with them, Britain was on the brink. That was the backdrop for the talks which led to the formation of the coalition, which I led for the Liberal Democrats.
  
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• Ukraine crisis: At least 25 dead as rebels seize more territory ahead of ceasefire deadline

  13-02-2015 19:30
  
  Russian-backed rebels launched a deadly last-minute effort to seize more Ukrainian territory yesterday, including a strategic railway hub, before a ceasefire is meant to take effect at midnight Ukraine time tonight.
  
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