General news

• Early men and women were equal, say scientists

  14-05-2015 23:58
  
  Study shows that modern hunter-gatherer tribes operate on egalitarian basis, suggesting inequality was an aberration that came with the advent of agriculture
  Our prehistoric forebears are often portrayed as spear-wielding savages, but the earliest human societies are likely to have been founded on enlightened egalitarian principles, according to scientists.A study has shown that in contemporary hunter-gatherer tribes, men and women tend to have equal influence on where their group lives and who
  
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• Controversial fast-track trade bill clears procedural hurdle in US Senate

  14-05-2015 23:44
  
  Senators vote 65-33 to start debate on TPP billDemocrats secure votes on Africa trade rules and currency manipulationThe US Senate moved ahead with an important procedural vote to allow President Barack Obama to “fast-track” a controversial free trade deal on Thursday.By a vote of 65-33, the Senate voted to start debate on a bill that would allow Obama to submit the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) to Congress on an up-or-down vote. The trade agreement is a key priority of the Obama
  
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• Dnipro’s Yevhen Seleznyov sinks Napoli to seal Europa League final place

  14-05-2015 23:38
  
  As it happened: Read Tom Bryant’s MBM reportDnipro reached their first European final after Yevhen Seleznyov’s header was enough to give them a win over Napoli.The Ukrainian side, backed by a fervent crowd at Kiev’s Olympic stadium, completed a 2-1 aggregate win after drawing 1-1 in last week’s first leg when Seleznyov was also on target. Continue reading...
  
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• Andy Murray backed by Roger Federer after pulling out of Italian Open

  14-05-2015 23:32
  
  • World No2: ‘It’s one of the better pull-outs you can make’
  • Of course it’s a disappointment for the tournament, Federer adds
  • Murray pulls out of Italian Open citing fatigueIf, as he said a few years ago, the only reading Andy Murray has done since school were a couple of Harry Potter books he will be familiar with the concept of a wizard living among less-blessed mortals known as Muggles.He made the wholly correct decision to withdraw from the Rome Masters to ensure he is fres
  
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• Steven Gerrard on leaving Liverpool: ‘I always knew this moment was going to be the toughest’

  14-05-2015 23:30
  
  After 17 years, 708 games, 185 goals and 10 trophies, Steven Gerrard will make his 354th and final Anfield appearance on Saturday. Tickets are being sold for over £1,200 as fans clamour to bid farewell to the Liverpool captain, who is dreading the sound of the final whistle ...Your last competitive game at Anfield after 17 years – has the reality hit home yet? When I made the announcement in January this was the time I was dreading and regretting because I knew how tough it was going to be. B
  
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• W1A, Series 2, Episode 4, TV review: Funny? Yes, but we've heard all these jokes before

  14-05-2015 23:30
  
  Okay, here's the thing. So, like, the thing is The Independent's new Head of Better Content has told me it's, like, 'so Victorian' to review TV by just writing about the programme.
  
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• Steven Gerrard faces the final curtain after 17 years in spotlight

  14-05-2015 23:30
  
  It’s the advertisement on the Albert pub’s exterior wall, overlooking the Bill Shankly statue on the Anfield Road, which reveals the size of the chasm that will soon be at the heart of Liverpool.
  
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• Amtrak crash: Current signal system could have been modified to automatically reduce train speed

  14-05-2015 23:24
  
  The current signal system installed on the stretch of track where an Amtrak train crashed this week – killing eight people – could have been modified to automatically reduce the train’s speed, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.
  
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• Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg unwittingly opens old wounds between India and Pakistan over Kashmir with Internet.Org post

  14-05-2015 23:22
  Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has unwittingly reopened old wounds between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, with a post on his Timeline.
  
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• Ukip row letting off steam - Farage

  14-05-2015 23:20
  
  Nigel Farage has dismissed a bitter row over his leadership of Ukip as "people letting off steam", insisting a leadership contest would be a "massive, massive mistake".
  
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• Dnipro v Napoli: Europa League semi-final – live!

  14-05-2015 23:16
  
  Europa League semi-final, second leg updates from the Olympic StadiumLive scoreboard! Follow all of the night’s goals and games as they happenAnd feel free to email [email protected] or tweet @tombry 10.04pm BST Well, Napoli can hardly say they didn’t have their chances. They should have won the first leg by some distance but this match was tricky for them: the conditions were dreadful and the crowd was noisy and fiercely partisan. But still, they were probably the better team and h
  
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• Clarke Carlisle: Former footballer avoids jail but is told to seek help for his mental health problems

  14-05-2015 23:12
  The former Premier League footballer Clarke Carlisle has evaded a jail sentence and instead been banned from driving for three years after admitting his third drink-driving offence.
  
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• SNP prepared to overrule Cameron on a second independence referendum

  14-05-2015 23:00
  
  Party would attempt to push ahead with vote without prime minister’s consent if he refuses any future demand to hold one, a senior SNP source indicatedThe Scottish National party would be prepared to push ahead with a second independence referendum without David Cameron’s permission if the prime minister refuses any future demand to hold one, a senior party source in Westminster has indicated.The party would be prepared to try to overrule the prime minister and hold an indicative ballot of t
  
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• Australia lobbies Unesco to stop it from listing Great Barrier Reef as 'in danger'

  14-05-2015 23:00
  
  Frantic efforts to avoid adverse status for reef which could foil government plans to open up vast region in Queensland for new coal mines Read more: The financial case against Australia’s largest coal mine The Australian government is undertaking frantic diplomatic efforts to avoid the Great Barrier Reef being listed as “in danger” by the UN, amid rising international concern over the opening up of a vast region in the state of Queensland for gigantic new coal mines. Related: The Great Ba
  
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• Paris Hilton dazzles at awards show

  14-05-2015 22:50
  
  American socialite and businesswoman Paris Hilton dazzled in the gloom as she attended a London awards show tonight.
  
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• Ferguson saddened by Walsh's exit

  14-05-2015 22:50
  
  Former X Factor finalist Rebecca Ferguson has spoken of her sadness at Louis Walsh's departure from the reality show.
  
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• World's most tattooed female senior citizen Isobel Varley dies

  14-05-2015 22:45
  
  The work's most tattooed female pensioner, Isobel Varley, has died following a battle with  Alzheimer's disease. Despite only having her first tattoo in her late 40s, she went on to claim the Guinness World Record award for "most tattooed senior citizen (female)" and appeared in magazines, newspapers and advertisements across the globe.
  
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• Argentina halts football after player dies following collision with pillar

  14-05-2015 22:43
  
  • Emanuel Ortega died from injury sustained playing for San Martín de Burzaco
  • Argentinian FA president on postponements: ‘Everyone agreed to it’All professional football matches in Argentina this weekend have been called off out of respect for a player who died on Thursday after fracturing his skull during a match on 4 May.Argentinian football officials at first said they would postpone all fourth-division games, but later said they were calling off games in all divisions. Continue re
  
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• The rise of artisan bakeries has led to DIY classes and a Campaign for Real Bread

  14-05-2015 22:30
  
  It's not so long ago that you would only be able to buy "proper" bread if you were lucky enough to have a high-end deli or a wholefoods shop on your local high street. Now, such is our hunger for the real thing that supermarkets are catching on, and multiple artisan bakers are as sure a sign of gentrification on city streets as rows of estate agents once were.
  
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• Union boss blames Tory win on Murphy

  14-05-2015 22:15 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Union boss Len McCluskey calls for Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy to resign after "making certain" the Conservatives won the general election.
  
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• Everyone sneers at Charles’ letters – but I want to salute a polite and caring Prince

  14-05-2015 22:14
  
  Poor old Prince Charles. He talks to plants, he campaigns on behalf of the Patagonian toothfish, he’s a bit of a wally really.
  
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• Remember The Dress? Brain scientists now see the internet meme as an invaluable research tool

  14-05-2015 22:00
  
  Internet memes: here today, gone tomorrow, replaced by whatever new comedy pet antics, political gaffes or celebrity hubris are tweeting up a storm by lunchtime.
  
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• Private healthcare companies accused of using tax relief to undercut the NHS

  14-05-2015 21:56
  
  Private healthcare companies have been accused of getting unfair tax relief when competing with the NHS to provide treatments such as chemotherapy for patients at home.
  
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• Steve Bell on George Osborne's 'northern powerhouse' – cartoon

  14-05-2015 21:52
  
  Continue reading...
  
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• Single mothers more likely to suffer ill health, research finds

  14-05-2015 21:44
  
  Single mothers in England were found to be more likely to suffer poor health later on in life in an international study of women over 50.
  
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• Len McCluskey tells Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy to resign

  14-05-2015 21:36
  
  Leader of Unite union lays blame for Labour’s disastrous election result ‘very squarely at the feet of Scottish Labour’ and says Murphy should ‘leave the scene’ The leader of the Unite union, Len McCluskey, has blamed Labour’s general election defeat on the party’s Scottish leader, Jim Murphy, and called on him to resign.McCluskey said Murphy’s leadership of Scottish Labour had made the Tory victory a certainty because it allowed Conservatives to play “the anti-Scottish card”
  
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• N-Dubz star Dappy becomes latest rapper to back politician running for leadership

  14-05-2015 21:36
  
  Support for the Liberal Democrats may have collapsed in last week's election but the party will be able to count on an unlikely source of support - as long as leadership-hopeful Norman Lamb succeeds in his bid to replace Nick Clegg.
  
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• This British bill of rights could end the UK

  14-05-2015 21:32
  
  The Tories’ plans would leave some people in the United Kingdom with more rights than others. This is clearly untenableDavid Cameron has given Michael Gove the task of scrapping the Human Rights Act and curtailing the role of the European court of human rights. Gove, the new justice secretary, is probably unaware of how poisonous are the contents of the chalice passed into his hands. And Cameron wants a draft bill within the first 100 days of his new government.Adopted in 1998, the Human Right
  
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• Airports are installing yoga rooms to help tense travellers relax between flights

  14-05-2015 21:30
  
  When San Francisco International Airport opened the world's first airport yoga room in 2012, opinion was mixed. Some rolled their eyes at what they saw as a faddish room doomed to gather dust. Others couldn't believe that an idea so beautifully simple hadn't been implemented before now.
  
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• Wolfsburg’s Andre Schürrle to get Premier League league winner’s medal

  14-05-2015 21:29
  
  • Chelsea’s Mourinho texts André Schürrle to inform him of medal award
  • Winger made 14 appearances for Chelsea this season before moving
  • Atlético seek to deter Chelsea with £100m buyout clauses for prized pairThe former Chelsea forward Andre Schürrle has learned he will receive a Premier League winner’s medal, and José Mourinho has texted him with the news, the player said on Thursday.The German international made 14 appearances for Chelsea this season, mostly as a s
  
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• Lorry driver who killed cyclist after running a red light jailed for three years

  14-05-2015 21:26
  
  A “cavalier” lorry driver who ran a red light before killing a cyclist has been jailed for three-and-a-half years and given a 10-year driving ban.
  
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• Ukip row: Nigel Farage admits he has 'lost confidence of the party' as his leadership stands on the brink

  14-05-2015 21:16
  
  Nigel Farage admitted he had lost the confidence of his party as his leadership descended into crisis after Ukip was convulsed by faction-fighting, demands for his resignation and recriminations over its general election campaign.
  
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• People are tweeting #ItsBiggerThanKSU to support a black student accused of harassment by a college advisor

  14-05-2015 21:14
  
  A Georgia university is conducting an investigation after a black student was accused of harassment by a teacher for allegedly attempting to keep an academic appointment.
  
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• Harvey Weinstein: 'I’ve been married to Quentin Tarantino for 22 years – the best marriage of my life'

  14-05-2015 21:02
  
  Presenting his annual preview slate of upcoming Oscar hopefuls at the Cannes film festival, super-producer wheels on stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Sienna Miller and makes touching tribute to The Hateful Eight directorIn one of those surreal option crises that are always opening up for festivalgoers at Cannes — where FOMO anxiety always rules — journalists were last night forced to choose between going to the hugely admired and utterly gruelling Hungarian death-camp drama Son of Saul, or going to
  
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• O'Flynn 'should go over Farage row'

  14-05-2015 21:01
  
  Patrick O'Flynn has been urged to stand down as a Ukip spokesman after sparking bitter infighting and pressurising Nigel Farage's position as leader, a senior outgoing official said tonight.
  
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• Slaughter of Iraqi family in suspected US-led air strike hints at cost of war

  14-05-2015 21:01
  
  Five members of one family, including a pregnant woman and girl aged eight, died in one village. Other victims of the anti-Isis air campaign may go unrecordedMustafa was jolted awake by the sound of two large explosions. As the ground shook beneath him, he could hear a young woman screaming in the distance. Related: Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi 'seriously wounded in air strike'Continue reading...
  
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• Readers recommend: songs with deep voices

  14-05-2015 21:00
  
  How low can you go? Contralto to basso profundo, name songs featuring male or female voices with depth, as much in quality and expression, as pitch
  I remember the first time I hit it. Not so much a note clearly sung, as a groany rattle, a scrape, more a throaty spluttering cement mixer filled with sand and pebbles. I was 13, my voice had broken for a few months, but my larynx was still liable to leap uncontrollably into a momentary Mickey Mouse. My mate Michael, standing next to me, almost made
  
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• The death of Venice: Corrupt officials, mass tourism and soaring property prices have stifled life in the city

  14-05-2015 21:00
  
  It's a chilly Monday morning in Venice, and a breeze is cutting through the city's emerald canals. I'm standing at a busy gondola station, squashed between crowds of tourists, waiting not for a ride but a conversation with Diego Redolfi. It's prime tourist season, and free time is scarce for the 49-year-old oarsman.
  
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• Police officers vital to thwart terrorist attacks, says counter-terror chief

  14-05-2015 20:58
  
  Mark Rowley outlines essential contribution of regular officers and suggests police cuts could hamper counter-terrorism effort in time of growing threat
  Britain’s counter-terror chief has said he will fight for police to be kept on the beat, amid fears budget cuts will see fewer officers gathering the vital intelligence needed to thwart a growing tide of people trying to stage terrorist attacks.Assistant commissioner Mark Rowley’s comments came as he warned that hundreds of people who travel
  
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• Labour leadership race: Who is Mary Creagh?

  14-05-2015 20:57
  
  Mary Creagh became a surprise fifth entry in the race to replace Ed Miliband, joining Liz Kendall, Chuka Umunna, Andy Burnham and Yvette Cooper in the leadership contest.
  
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• Ukip row: Nigel Farage’s friends and foes

  14-05-2015 20:51
  
  The Loyalists
  
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• 'Wrong Un' Farage Aide 'Sacked' By UKIP

  14-05-2015 20:50
  
  Nigel Farage's top adviser has been "sacked" after he was accused of helping to turn the UKIP leader into a "snarling, thin-skinned and aggressive man". An extraordinary day of infighting has ended with chief of staff Raheem Kassam leaving his post - while party secretary Matthew Richardson has also offered his resignation. It comes after UKIP election chief Patrick O'Flynn told Sky News that Mr Farage was being advised by "wrong uns". Just a few hours lat
  
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• Jeb Bush changes course again, says he would not have invaded Iraq in 2003

  14-05-2015 20:48
  
  Jeb Bush has had a rough week when it comes to his hypothetical Iraq policy from 12 years ago.
  
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• Tim Farron says Lib Dems face the 'fight of their life' to recover popular support

  14-05-2015 20:43
  
  The Liberal Democrats face the “fight of their life” to recover popular support, the party’s former president Tim Farron has admitted, as he put his name forward to become leader.
  
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• Tim Farron says Lib Dems face the 'fight of their life' after announcing leadership bid

  14-05-2015 20:43
  
  The Liberal Democrats face the “fight of their life” to recover popular support, the party’s former president Tim Farron has admitted, as he put his name forward to become leader.
  
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• Lib Dem destruction kills appetite for coalitions, says Norman Lamb

  14-05-2015 20:36
  
  Party leadership contender, who faces showdown with Tim Farron, says smaller parties will not want to share government under the current electoral systemBritain’s smaller political parties will avoid forming future coalitions under the current “first-past-the-post” electoral system, Liberal Democrat leadership contender Norman Lamb says, following his party’s hammering at the polls.In a searingly frank assessment of the “massive experiment” of the coalition years, the former care min
  
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• Sepp Blatter among Fifa candidates ‘failing to engage on human rights’

  14-05-2015 20:32
  
  • Sepp Blatter among Fifa presidency candidates accused by expert body
  • Sport and Rights Alliance sent detailed questionnaires to all four candidates
  • Only Michael van Praag replied in detail to SRA questionnaire
  • Fifa president Blatter avoiding US travel, says ESPN documentaryThree of the four Fifa presidential candidates, including Sepp Blatter, have been accused by expert bodies of failing to provide detailed answers to questions on human rights and corruption that have dogged worl
  
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• Katherine 'The Great' Garrett-Cox claims attacks over her pay are down to her gender

  14-05-2015 20:26
  
  In the investment world, they call her Katherine The Great. But yesterday the business empress Katherine Garrett-Cox, chief executive of the £3.6bn fund management firm Alliance Trust, appeared to hint at a certain gender-based vulnerability.
  
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• Burundi's ultimate power struggle risks plunging the country back into civil war

  14-05-2015 20:26
  
  A decade after the end of a bloody civil war, Burundi is sliding back towards all-out conflict after a military coup and fierce fightback from forces loyal to President Pierre Nkurunziza.
  
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• Thoughtful son secretly films dating video to help his mother find love

  14-05-2015 20:21
  
  A thoughtful son is hoping the power of viral videos will help his incredible mother find ‘the one’.
  
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