General news

• VIDEO: Why polls do not tell full story

  30-04-2015 23:58 via bbc.co.uk
  
  With a week to go, the opinion polls are still suggesting a close result though it's important to underline they are only snapshots of opinion and they are not predictions.
  
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• VIDEO: Leaders grilled on Question Time

  30-04-2015 23:53 via bbc.co.uk
  
  David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg have answered questions from voters in a BBC Question Time Election Special.
  
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• Nepal quake survivor returns home

  30-04-2015 23:51 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A Northern Ireland mountaineer returns home days after witnessing the deadly earthquake in Nepal.
  
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• Clegg not sorry for 'brave' coalition

  30-04-2015 23:48 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg says he will never apologise for his "brave and plucky" decision to enter coalition with the Conservatives.
  
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• VIDEO: Police officer denies fabricating story

  30-04-2015 23:42 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A senior police officer in South Yorkshire at the time of the Hillsborough football disaster, has denied claims he was asked to invent a story about Liverpool fans being drunk at the ground.
  
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• Butcher appointed Newport manager

  30-04-2015 23:38 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Newport County appoint former England captain Terry Butcher as their new manager on a two-year deal.
  
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• Andy McSmith's Sketch: Feisty audience is the real star of an enlightening show

  30-04-2015 23:37
  
  It turns out that David Cameron was right after all. Putting the three party leaders in front of an alert and often hostile studio audience, one after another, actually shed more light than a three-way debate conducted from behind lecterns was ever likely to. The audience was the star of the show. Some were passionately anti-Tory, others equally hostile to Labour, and most were contemptuous of the Liberal Democrats. They gave the three leaders the sort of grilling politicians used to face in tho
  
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• Man rescued after home 'gas blast'

  30-04-2015 23:34 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A man is injured after a suspected gas explosion badly damages a home in Greater Manchester.
  
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• General Election 2015: Ed Miliband insists he will not do deal with SNP to become PM

  30-04-2015 23:31
  
  Ed Miliband has said he would rather lose the opportunity to become prime minister than strike a deal with the Scottish National Party to prop up a minority Labour government.
  
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• Miliband: I'd Rather Lose Than Do SNP Deal

  30-04-2015 23:25
  
  Ed Miliband has said if being prime minister meant a deal with the SNP then there would be no Labour government. It is the furthest the Labour leader has gone on ruling out any agreement with the Scottish National Party, leaving little wriggle room for post 7 May negotiations. As the General Election campaign enters its endgame both Mr Miliband and David Cameron attempted to persuade to help them win a majority victory in a week’s time. An ICM/Guardian poll on the  TV battle, with 30-minute s
  
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• i named National Newspaper of the Year

  30-04-2015 23:21
  
  i, the sister paper of The Independent, has been named National Newspaper of the Year at the 2015 News Awards.
  
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• Labour leader Miliband stumbles after live TV questions from voters

  30-04-2015 23:11
  
  After a grilling from voters on live television less than a week before Britain's May 7 general election, opposition Labour leader Ed Miliband stumbled as he left the stage on Thursday. "It flew by for me, maybe not for the audience," Miliband said with a smile before waving to the audience and then stumbling and waving again as he left a small stage on a television set in the northern city of Leeds. Cast by opponents as socially awkward, Miliband has recently polished his public
  
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• Freddie Gray died from injuries sustained in police van, report says

  30-04-2015 23:06
  
  Freddie Gray’s fatal injury was sustained inside the police van when his head hit a bolt in the back of the paddy wagon, according to a Baltimore local news station claiming to have been briefed on the police report and the medical examiner’s findings.
  
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• Baltimore: Freddie Gray died from injuries sustained in police van, report says

  30-04-2015 23:06
  
  Freddie Gray’s fatal injury was sustained inside the police van when his head hit a bolt in the back of the paddy wagon, according to a Baltimore local news station claiming to have been briefed on the police report and the medical examiner’s findings.
  
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• Victim's video helps jail rapist

  30-04-2015 23:04 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A rape victim who was found dead before her attacker's trial helped to convict him "from beyond the grave", police say.
  
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• Question Time election debate: How the three party leaders fared in the spotlight

  30-04-2015 23:01
  
  David Cameron
  
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• Poll puts PM ahead after TV test

  30-04-2015 23:00
  
  David Cameron came out on top in an instant poll following the last major televised set-piece of the General Election campaign, in which he was challenged over Conservative plans to cut welfare and Ed Miliband said there would be no Labour government if it meant relying on the support of the Scottish National Party.
  
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• Live longer by walking, not sitting

  30-04-2015 23:00
  
  Trading just two minutes of sitting for walking can help you live longer, scientists claim.
  
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• The Game, BBC2, TV review: Tom Hughes looks very much the Burberry model he is in this John le Carré-style spy thriller

  30-04-2015 23:00
  With The Honourable Woman and the Johnny Worricker trilogy, BBC2 has developed a reputation for icy cool espionage thrillers and six-part series The Game seems to fit the bill perfectly.
  
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• General Election 2015: Tory minister admits bedroom tax is 'not an easy sell' on the doorstep

  30-04-2015 23:00
  
  The so-called bedroom tax is “not an easy sell” on the election doorstep, a Tory Cabinet minister has privately admitted as he suggested that tenants struggling to pay the charge should move to a different part of the country.
  
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• Cameron wins last TV contest of election campaign - poll

  30-04-2015 22:57
  
  LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron won the last major TV contest of Britain's election campaign, a snap Guardian/ICM poll showed on Thursday, with 44 percent of viewers saying he had performed best on the night. Conservative Party leader Cameron, up for re-election on Thursday next week, was subjected to 30 minutes of questions from a BBC TV audience. Labour leader Ed Miliband and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg were then - in turn - questioned by the same audience. The poll
  
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• Stars reveal sadness at Downton end

  30-04-2015 22:49
  
  Downton Abbey stars have spoken of their sadness that the hugely successful period drama is drawing to a close.
  
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• EU defeat wouldn't kill UKIP - Farage

  30-04-2015 22:41 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A referendum vote to stay in the EU would not make UKIP "redundant", party leader Nigel Farage says.
  
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• VIDEO: Clegg: 'I'm not going to be PM'

  30-04-2015 22:35 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Nick Clegg says he will not be prime minister after the General Election in the final televised leaders event.
  
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• PM: No plans to cut child benefit

  30-04-2015 22:29 via bbc.co.uk
  
  David Cameron rejects Lib Dem claims the Conservatives are planning to cut child benefit and tax credit if they remain in power.
  
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• Miliband: I'd pass on PM job rather than do deal with Scots nationalists

  30-04-2015 22:24
  
  British Labour Party leader Ed Miliband said on Thursday he'd rather stay in opposition than do a deal with Scottish nationalists after a close national election next week in which no party is expected to win a majority. Opinion polls show the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) is on track to wipe out Labour in Scotland making it harder for the left-wing party to secure an overall majority in the 650-seat Westminster Parliament. The SNP has offered to support a minority Labour g
  
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• Leaders' TV Battle Kicks Off Election End Game

  30-04-2015 22:21
  
  Ed Miliband ruled out a post-election coalition or deal with the SNP saying if that's what it took then there would be no Labour government. The Labour leader went further on ruling out a pact with the Scottish Nationalists than he has gone before as both he and David Cameron attempted to persuade voters to help them win a majority in a week's time. Mr Miliband said he could not work with Nicola Sturgeon's party because he could not work with a party that wanted to break up the u
  
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• Who really benefits from loyalty cards, members-club offers and random freebies?

  30-04-2015 22:20
  
  On the British high street, those in search of a cup of coffee or a casual meal are not short of options. Costa and Starbucks stores jostle for space with Pizza Express, Nando's and Pret A Manger. For chains such as these, competition is fierce and getting fiercer. That's why adding loyalty to the menu is a growing priority for Britain's restaurateurs, whose mixed platter of incentives range from points-based rewards cards to smartphone apps and membership schemes. But as efforts increase, it's
  
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• Calbuco volcano erupts in Chile for third time in two weeks prompting further evacuations

  30-04-2015 22:18
  
  The Calbuco volcano has erupted for the third time in two weeks, sending dark bursts of ash billowing 2.5 miles into the air and prompting Chilean officials to order a new evacuation of nearby residents.
  
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• VIDEO: Miliband: 'Labour did not overspend'

  30-04-2015 22:10 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Ed Miliband has been questioned over Labour's record on spending in the final televised leaders event before the election.
  
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• David Cameron's father left assets in Jersey tax haven for family to inherit

  30-04-2015 22:07
  
  David Cameron’s father left assets offshore in the tax haven of Jersey when he died more than four years ago, it has been reported.
  
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• Carcraft Collapse Could See Customers Lose Cash

  30-04-2015 21:58
  
  Five hundred jobs are going and thousands of customers could be out of pocket after the collapse of one of the UK's biggest used cars dealers. MoT, warranty, servicing and breakdown cover agreements with Carcraft are to be made void. Administrators Grant Thornton said it would be contacting people to let them know that all or part of their contracts will no longer be honoured. Carcraft, established in Rochdale in 1951, operated 10 forecourts in locations such as Rochdale, Sheffield, Leeds,
  
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• Fuel poverty killed 15,000 people last winter

  30-04-2015 21:56
  
  An estimated 15,000 people died unnecessarily from December to March because they were living in homes they couldn’t afford to heat, new figures show.
  
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• Leaders on spot over spending plans

  30-04-2015 21:54
  
  David Cameron and Ed Miliband have been put on the spot over their economic plans, as the Conservative leader denied he wants to cut benefits for children and his rival in the race for 10 Downing Street said he did not accept Labour overspent when it was last in power.
  
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• I'm Here But You've Gone exhibition smells of pandas, pop stars - and an awful lot of sex

  30-04-2015 21:50
  
  However accessible art galleries may have become, I'm Here But You've Gone is an exhibition where visitors are expected to be sniffy. Eight up-and-coming London-based artists were invited by Fiorucci Art Trust to utilise the 5,000 fragrances in the "oil library" of Creative Perfumers, a workshop that creates bespoke fragrances.
  
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• Pacquiao 'not same since knockout'

  30-04-2015 21:42 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Floyd Mayweather's father says Manny Pacquiao has never recovered from being knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez in 2013.
  
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• Politicians and campaigners call to stem the ‘shameful' exodus of the poor from London

  30-04-2015 21:40
  
  Politicians and campaigners are calling for a radical overhaul of housing policy in London after The Independent revealed that 50,000 homeless families have been pushed out of boroughs.
  
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• Pay attention - or do badly at GCSE

  30-04-2015 21:39
  
  Children who do not pay attention in class at age seven are less likely to score good GCSE results, research suggests.
  
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• School governors tell parents mosque visit is compulsory after 'guns and violence' fears

  30-04-2015 21:27
  
  Parents choosing to withdraw their children from a school trip to a mosque over fears they would witness “guns and violence” have been told by governors that any absences will not be approved, amid concerns over damage to community relations.
  
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• VIDEO: Cameron: 'I rejected child benefit cut'

  30-04-2015 21:24 via bbc.co.uk
  
  David Cameron is questioned over the Conservatives plans for benefits cuts in the final televised leaders event before the election.
  
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• Starbucks continues to sell water drawn from drought-stricken California

  30-04-2015 21:19
  
  Starbucks continues to sell its Ethos brand of bottled water, even though some of that water is drawn from springs in drought-stricken California, according to a report from Mother Jones.
  
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• Hillsborough inquest: Ex-chief denies saying police tried to blame drunk fans

  30-04-2015 21:16
  
  The most senior police officer to give evidence to the Hillsborough inquests was yesterday confronted with claims that he confided in an acquaintance that his force was planning to "concoct a story that Liverpool fans were drunk".
  
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• Rail power cut disruption continues

  30-04-2015 21:12 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Major delays will affect trains in south London all evening following an earlier power cut after thousands of passengers were stranded during rush hour.
  
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• Britain sends Chinooks to aid Nepal

  30-04-2015 21:12 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Three RAF Chinook helicopters are being sent to help the relief effort in Nepal, International Development Secretary Justine Greening says.
  
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• Lake Michigan winter ice melts, revealing shipwrecks beneath crystal-clear water

  30-04-2015 21:12
  
  Lake Michigan is currently so clear that it is possible to view the wreckage of several ships at the bottom.
  
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• General Election 2015: Can top showbiz agent turned Labour candidate Michael Foster keep his cool on the campaign trail?

  30-04-2015 21:08
  Michael Foster’s steely blue eyes bore into mine. The lips of the top showbiz agent-turned-Labour candidate for the Cornish constituency of Camborne and Redruth grow visibly thinner.
  
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• Nepal earthquake: Inside 'classic medieval village' that is now a place of desperation and sorrow

  30-04-2015 21:01
  
  It has been, for many years, a prized destination for travellers from across the world seeking culture and history in Nepal. Lonely Planet is just one of many guides lavish in its praise, describing Bungamati as “a classic medieval village… one of the prettiest in the valley”.
  
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• Jackie magazine closed over 20 years ago but it now has its own Seventies clothes range

  30-04-2015 21:00
  
  A few years ago, the journalist and broadcaster Nina Myskow was at the BBC to promote a coffee-table book celebrating Jackie, the bestselling girls' magazine of the 1970s. Myskow, who had edited the title between 1974 and 1978, had provided its introduction, and required little excuse now to wallow in nostalgia. So there she was, striding down one of the BBC's many corridors with a copy of the book under her arm when, she says: "I passed a smart, intelligent-looking and no doubt very powerful f
  
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• General Election 2015: Green energy tycoon spreads his bets with campaign donations

  30-04-2015 21:00
  
  A green energy tycoon who benefited significantly from environmental subsidies introduced by Labour has donated £100,000 to Ed Miliband’s election campaign, a week after he gave £30,000 to the Liberal Democrats.
  
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• Vicars are employed by God not the Church, says court in landmark ruling

  30-04-2015 20:46
  
  A vicar who lost a four-year battle over his right to claim for unfair dismissal has cleared up one question – vicars are not employed by the Church, but called by God.
  
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