General news

• VIDEO: Fall in UK unemployment figures

  18-02-2015 23:48 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The number of people out of work in the UK fell by 97,000 to 1.86 million in the three months to December.
  
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• President Barack Obama: 'We are not at war with Islam'

  18-02-2015 23:42
  
  President Barack Obama declared that the West must counter the propaganda barrage of Isis and confront issues such as economic inequality that made it easier for the militants to recruit. He also said Muslim leaders needed to do more.
  
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• Foo Fighters to headline Glastonbury

  18-02-2015 23:38 via bbc.co.uk
  
  After winning best international band at the NME Awards, Foo Fighters announce they are topping Friday night at this year's Glastonbury Festival.
  
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• NME Awards 2015: Kasabian win best band and best album

  18-02-2015 23:25
  
  They were snubbed by the Brits, but Kasabian remain the biggest beast in the rock jungle after sweeping the top prizes at the NME Awards.
  
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• Terror arrest of woman with baby

  18-02-2015 23:14 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A woman travelling with her one-year-old son is arrested at Heathrow Airport on suspicion of terrorism offences.
  
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• Man Arrested Over Becky Godden Murder

  18-02-2015 23:14
  
  A 51-year-old man has been arrested over the murder of a woman who disappeared in 2003, police say.
  
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• May calls for action on extremists

  18-02-2015 23:11
  
  Home Secretary Theresa May highlighted the need to counter the "warped narrative" of violent extremists at a Washington DC summit called by Barack Obama in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo massacre.
  
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• Man held over Becky Godden murder

  18-02-2015 23:11
  
  A 51-year-old man has been arrested over the murder of a woman who disappeared in 2003, police said.
  
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• Woman held in Syria terror probe

  18-02-2015 23:10
  
  A 25-year-old woman has been arrested at Heathrow on suspicion of Syria-related terrorism offences.
  
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• EastEnders star in live name mix-up

  18-02-2015 23:09
  
  Actress Jo Joyner fluffed her lines in a live section of EastEnders tonight when she confused the name of a character with the man playing him.
  
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• Video: Dangerous driver 'gambles with his life' in high-speed chase in Crawley

  18-02-2015 23:05
  
  Police have released dramatic footage showing a dangerous driver “gambling with his life” as he is pursued in a high-speed chase, which reached up to 118mph.
  
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• Wolf Hall, episode 5, TV review: Damian Lewis is so good as the capricious king that you want to slap him

  18-02-2015 23:00
  When it comes to pleasing a king, you just can’t win.
  
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• Punctuality, respect, constant exams: How Dame Sally Coates turned Burlington Danes around

  18-02-2015 23:00
  
  It took Sally Coates a while to decide whether to take on the challenge of turning Burlington Danes Academy around. After all, she was happy in her role as head of the Sacred Heart Catholic School in south London – "a smaller but similarly gritty" school in which she had worked for 20 years. Burlington Danes, though, had been described to her as "feral". "While I've never been a pushover, I wouldn't class behaviour management as a particular strength," she says in her book, Headstrong: 11 Les
  
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• American Sniper Chris Kyle’s alleged killer was ‘almost in a daze’ and allegedly confessed to the murders

  18-02-2015 22:58
  
  The man accused of killing Chris Kyle was “almost in a daze” and confessed to a pair of murders, a jury was told Wednesday during the defence’s first day of testimony at the trial of Eddie Ray Routh.
  
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• Honey Trap Murder Victim 'A Soft Target'

  18-02-2015 22:53
  
  Care assistant Leonie Granger, 25, is on trial at the Old Bailey accused for her part in the murder of 56-year-old Mehmet Hassan last March. Mr Hassan was tied up and kicked to death while his alleged killers filmed themselves throwing his cash winnings around his London flat, jurors were told. The professional gambler did not realise he was a "soft target" for the the woman he was treating to champagne at a smart London restaurant, the court heard. After the meal, Granger reported bac
  
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• Woman arrested at Heathrow Airport on suspicion of terrorism offences and child neglect, as she travels with her baby son

  18-02-2015 22:53
  A woman has been arrested at Heathrow Airport on suspicion of Syria-related terrorism offences and child neglect, as she was travelling with her baby son.
  
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• Abid Naseer trial: Terror suspect cross-examines man prosecutors say was part of same plot to attack US and UK

  18-02-2015 22:31
  A Pakistani terrorism suspect accused of being at the centre of a plot to carry out attacks in the US and UK came face to face with the man that prosecutors say was part of the same al-Qaeda conspiracy.
  
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• The Great Comic Relief Bake Off, TV review: Jonathan Ross flounders with flaccid profiteroles and grilled cake

  18-02-2015 22:30
  It was week two of The Great Comic Relief Bake Off and we had lots of questions. Have Mel and Sue fallen out? Can Abbey Clancy bake like she can dance? Would Gok Wan's profiteroles have more oomph than Jonathan Ross's? Who is Zoella? When will they let Ed Byrne come home from Uganda? Some answers below.
  
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• Foo Fighters to play Glastonbury

  18-02-2015 22:26
  
  Foo Fighters have revealed they are playing Glastonbury this year.
  
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• Nestlé to be the first major US confectioner to remove artificial colours and flavouring from its chocolate

  18-02-2015 22:26
  Nestlé plans to be the first major confectioner in the US to remove all artificial colours and flavouring from its chocolate products, the firm has announced.
  
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• Minecraft is much more than 'Lego online' - it's a creative classroom tool

  18-02-2015 22:15
  
  When Markus Persson began to code Minecraft one weekend in 2009, he imagined a game without levels, story or points set in a vast, free virtual world, the future of which would be at the behest of its users. In doing so he created a gaming monster which, to date, has been downloaded more than 60 million times and is so popular that videos just discussing the game on YouTube attract 2.4 billion views.
  
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• Wheeler: Not all tax avoidance bad

  18-02-2015 22:12
  
  A millionaire Ukip donor said the ordinary man on the street will do "whatever he can" to pay less tax.
  
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• Downing Street accused of being 'systemically negligent' with national security secrets after name of ex-SAS officer finds its way into the public domain

  18-02-2015 22:11
  Downing Street has been accused of “systemic” negligence in its approach to the handling of sensitive information – by the body charged with keeping threats to national security out of the media.
  
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• What we can all learn from the 10 Commandments of Andy Murray

  18-02-2015 22:00
  
  Given Andy Murray's mother's magnificent pastime of demolishing Yoko Ono's self-help insanity on Twitter, it would be intriguing to know what she makes of her son's now highly public 10-point plan for tennis success in Rotterdam this week.
  
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• Libya civil war: Italy ready to train anti-Isis forces to protect its own borders

  18-02-2015 21:57
  
  Italy has said it is ready to help monitor a ceasefire and train local armed forces to try  and halt Libya’s slide into chaos, as the United Nations Security Council met to discuss the crisis.
  
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• Ukraine crisis: Hollow posturing as Kiev's troops make bitter retreat from besieged Debaltseve

  18-02-2015 21:53
  
  Some of the soldiers were agitated, others euphoric. Shouts of “Glory to Ukraine” went up, and victory salutes were brandished. Yet their posturing seemed hollow, given the operation they were engaged in: Ukraine’s withdrawal from Debaltseve, after days of fighting against Russian-backed rebels in the strategic town.
  
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• Hillary Clinton’s foundation received donations from foreign governments and agency promoting Keystone XL

  18-02-2015 21:52
  
  As Hillary Clinton increasingly is mentioned as the top Democratic 2016 presidential candidate, a look into donations to her foundation by the Wall Street Journal has revealed gifts from foreign governments and a Canadian agency supporting the Keystone XL pipeline.
  
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• Libya civil war: Egyptian air strikes on Isis will only impede UN's work to bring about a peaceful resolution

  18-02-2015 21:46
  
  The chaos in Libya has grown steadily since the dictator Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown (with the significant help of Nato) more than three years ago. But it has taken yet another atrocity by Isis – this time the apparent beheading of 21 Egyptian Copts – to refocus the West’s attention on the anarchy in a country 300 miles south of Sicily.
  
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• Greece bailout battle: Germany cannot afford to grant Greece what it wishes

  18-02-2015 21:42
  
  The world of international financial diplomacy is unusually rich in euphemism. So Greece’s request for a six-month “extension” of its European loan should be understood for what it is; a further bailout. It is not, as might be assumed, an acceptance of the plan put forward by Greece’s EU partners for a renewal of the current bailout package. Germany, the eurozone’s unhappy lender of last resort, has made it perfectly apparent that it will not budge. It should not.
  
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• Controversial Durand Education Trust faces 'misconduct or mismanagement' inquiry by Charity Commission

  18-02-2015 21:40
  
  A controversial trust set up by a south London academy school is facing an official investigation into whether there has been “misconduct or mismanagement” of its affairs.
  
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• Leading headteacher exposes 'underhand' tactics used by schools to get round curbs on selection

  18-02-2015 21:33
  
  One of the UK’s leading headteachers lifts the lid today on the “underhand” tactics used by many schools to get round curbs on selecting pupils.
  
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• Does registering snappy Twitter handles pay off?

  18-02-2015 21:30
  
  Early adopters scoop the best online names. If your name is Simone, if you're ahead of the curve and have an eye for the next big online service, you'll have grabbed "simone" before any other Simones have got up and brushed their teeth. When they wander along a few weeks later, they'll have to be content with something like "simone_watkins34". Snappy names carry considerable kudos. People want them. They're worth something, though quantifying that worth can be tricky.
  
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• Breitling boss Thierry Prissert accused of homophobia by gay sales rep

  18-02-2015 21:28
  
  Luxury watchmaker Breitling may have hired David Beckham – who once said he was “very honoured” to be a gay icon – to help sell their brand, but according to a new lawsuit the US branch of the Swiss firm was less keen on having a gay sales rep in Frederick Cargian.
  
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• Je suis Mohammed: Palestinian cartoonist's depiction of the Prophet was intended to be favourable - but caused an uproar that saw him suspended from his job

  18-02-2015 21:25
  It was meant to be a favourable image, designed to counter negative stereotypes of Islam in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo shootings.
  
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• Runaway Prisoner Captured After Officers Stabbed

  18-02-2015 21:19
  
  A bank robber who allegedly stabbed two prison officers before fleeing a hospital has been detained in Belfast, police have said. Taser was deployed during Derek Brockwell's capture, and the Police Ombudsman has been informed. The 53-year-old made his escape as he was taken to Tallaght Hospital in south Dublin for a medical appointment. According to the Irish Prison Service, one prison officer was stabbed in the stomach with a knife and needed emergency surgery.
  
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• Esther McVey: I Want To Be PM One Day

  18-02-2015 21:18
  
  Employment Minister Esther McVey has said the one thing that no MP ever admits to: She wants to be Prime Minister. Asked if she wanted the top job during a Loose Women interview, the Tory MP responded: "If I had to give a yes or a no, I'll be honest and say ‘yes’.
  
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• Turkish woman 'strangled son' because she thought his large ears were ruining his life

  18-02-2015 20:50
  
  A mother in Turkey has been charged with murder after she allegedly strangled her 10-year-old son, because she thought his large ears were ruining his life.
  
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• Turkish woman ‘strangled son’ because he had large ears

  18-02-2015 20:50
  
  A mother in Turkey has been charged with murder after she allegedly strangled her 10-year-old son, because she thought his large ears were ruining his life.
  
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• Oscars 2015: The people choosing the outfits are the real stars of the Academy Awards

  18-02-2015 20:50
  
  Not for nothing did Gone With the Wind win eight Oscars at the 1940 Academy Awards. Its producer, David O Selznick, was the Harvey Weinstein of his day: a past master of awards campaigning.
  
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• Sainsbury’s and Morrisons remove Mexican foods as nuts are found in some spice packs

  18-02-2015 20:47
  
  Two major supermarkets have recalled a series of Mexican meal kits from their shelves over fears they could contain undeclared almonds – potentially fatal to anyone with a nut allergy.
  
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• Gendercide abortion law is ‘a risk to mothers’

  18-02-2015 20:44
  
  Women’s rights campaigners are calling on MPs to vote against criminalising abortion on grounds of a child’s gender because it could drive the problem underground.
  
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• Ukraine crisis: US waits to see if Minsk accord holds before sending Kiev heavy weapons

  18-02-2015 20:43
  
  The US has suspended the decision on whether to send heavy weapons to Ukraine while waiting to see whether an agreement signed last week in Minsk would lead to an end to the violence, the American envoy to Nato has disclosed.
  
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• Silvio Berlusconi paid women vast sums for their silence over 'bunga bunga' parties, say investigators

  18-02-2015 20:39
  
  Silvio Berlusconi has spent hundreds of thousands of euros on 21 young women, to ensure their silence over events at his “bunga bunga” parties, Italian prosecutors allege, as they prepare to wrap up the probe that could see the mogul indicted for judicial corruption – and therefore facing charges of tampering with witnesses.
  
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• Capita faces second inquiry into £1.5bn Whitehall jobs contract

  18-02-2015 20:37
  
  Capita is facing a second investigation into its handling of a major government contract after the controversial outsourcing giant was accused of imposing “absolutely appalling” terms on small businesses.
  
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• Jeb Bush claims 'I'm my own man', but he has a very familiar foreign policy team

  18-02-2015 20:35
  
  In his first major foreign policy speech since mooting a 2016 presidential run, Jeb Bush today sought to distance himself from the legacy of his father and brother, while damning the Obama administration for its “inconsistent and indecisive” approach to world affairs.
  
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• NHS missed cancer waiting times targets throughout 2014

  18-02-2015 20:34
  
  The NHS in England missed a key cancer waiting times target for the entire year 2014, official figures show.
  
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• Measles makes its mark all over again: One of humanity's oldest foes is back on the increase

  18-02-2015 20:30
  Abu Bakr Mohammad Ibn Zakariya al-Razi – the great Persian physician often described as the grandfather of pediatric medicine – was a meticulous man. Before the age of 30, he discovered ethanol, thanks to the careful application of the then new art of distillation.
  
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• Socialist revolt over France's economic reform programme leaves President Hollande facing an early parliamentary election

  18-02-2015 20:24
  President François Hollande’s economic reform programme is threatened by an outright rebellion by Socialist hard-liners in the national assembly.
  
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• Swiss authorities raid HSBC’s Geneva offices over tax claims

  18-02-2015 20:22
  
  HSBC’S Geneva offices were raided by Swiss prosecutors yesterday as they launched a criminal investigation into alleged money-laundering at Britain’s largest bank.
  
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• Greece bailout: Time is running out to avoid 'catastrophic' Greek exit from euro, warns EU

  18-02-2015 20:16
  
  Eurozone finance ministers and officials have warned that time was running out to avoid a “catastrophic” Greek exit from the single currency, as they awaited a new proposal from Athens aimed at keeping Greece afloat beyond the end of this month.
  
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