General news

• Tome Raiders: Rare Items Stolen From Libraries

  25-06-2015 23:50
  
  The theft of historically important books, manuscripts and maps has become such a serious problem that international experts are gathering in London to discuss how to tackle it. A conference at The British Library, called The Written Heritage of Mankind in Peril, aims to produce a set of principles that will "help prevent widespread theft and trafficking and restore stolen items to their rightful owners for the benefit of everyone". "Thieves have seen the phenomenal prices that ra
  
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• £45m to improve HMRC phone service

  25-06-2015 23:43
  
  HM Revenue and Customs is setting £45 million aside to improve customer service after figures showed that 7.2 million phone calls made to it in the last year went through to a "busy" tone instead of the caller being able to speak to someone.
  
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• Watchdog raises army reserve concern

  25-06-2015 23:39 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Ministry of Defence plans to recruit more army reservists are assessed as "unachievable" by a watchdog.
  
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• Two Bodies Found In Hunt For IRA 'Disappeared'

  25-06-2015 23:34
  
  The remains of two bodies have been found on reclaimed bogland in Ireland - where three of the IRA 'disappeared' are believed to have been secretly buried. The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains (ICLVR) said a dig on the farmland in Coghalstown, Co Meath, as part of the search for the remains of former monk Joe Lynskey unearthed one body in the morning. IRA victims Seamus Wright and Kevin McKee are believed to be buried in the same area, the ICLVR said.
  
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• VIDEO: Avengers star Patrick Macnee dies

  25-06-2015 23:30 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Actor Patrick Macnee, star of The Avengers TV series, has died in California at the age of 93.
  
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• President Obama interviews David Attenborough in unique White House encounter for BBC1

  25-06-2015 23:30
  
  Normally, it is President Obama who answers the questions. But on this occasion the US President invited Sir David Attenborough into the White House for a unique interview in which he grills the broadcasting legend about his career and prescriptions to save the planet.
  
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• Celebrity MasterChef, TV review: Comfort food or past its sell by date? I'd vote for the latter

  25-06-2015 23:23
  
  Perfect comfort food or past its sell by date? A decade since the BBC reheated MasterChef, with antipodean chomper John Torode and ‘pudding monster’ Gregg Wallace, the format is seen as a reliable old favourite. However, I can’t be the only one craving a few different flavours now and then and it could be that this particular dish needs to drop off the menu for a while. Even Loyd Grossman had to call it a day on the cogitating eventually – how long then until Gregg and John are forced i
  
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• EU reform timescale warning issued

  25-06-2015 23:04
  
  Treaty changes to reform the UK's relationship with the European Union (EU) may not be in place by the time of the in/out referendum David Cameron has promised by the end of 2017, British officials have confirmed.
  
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• People are upset that Walmart will no longer sell Confederate flag merchandise

  25-06-2015 23:02
  
  Walmart customers are voicing their concerns after the retailer discontinued the sales of Confederate flag merchandise.
  
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• Pentagon accuses Russia of 'playing with fire' over nuclear threats

  25-06-2015 23:02
  
  A senior Pentagon official has warned that Russia is "playing with fire" by suggesting it would threaten the use of nuclear weapons in international disputes, and added that Russia is attempting an intimidation campaign against Nato.
  
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• EU referendum: 'No chance' of change before Britain's in/out vote, admits David Cameron

  25-06-2015 23:00
  
  David Cameron has admitted that the referendum on whether Britain should stay in the European Union is likely to take place before the UK's new membership terms have been implemented in a new EU treaty.
  
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• Yemen crisis: War-raved country is 'one step away from famine', says United Nations official

  25-06-2015 22:47
  
  The United Nations envoy to Yemen has said that the country is “one step away from famine”, with nearly 80 per cent of its population in need of humanitarian aid, according to the organisation.
  
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• Yemen crisis: War-ravaged country 'one step away from famine', says United Nations official

  25-06-2015 22:47
  
  The United Nations envoy to Yemen has said that the country is “one step away from famine”, with nearly 80 per cent of its population in need of humanitarian aid, according to the organisation.
  
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• The lost art of eating heart: Cardiac cuisine is muscling in on the nose-to-tail menu

  25-06-2015 22:30
  
  It was one of those moments that closes a generation gap. Recoiling slightly from a proffered skewer of ox hearts at a reception in a Lima country club – who would want to chow down on this most visceral and recognisable of organs? – I suddenly had a flashback to childhood and the tiny heart served up to me like a precious jewel by my mother in the Friday night chicken soup.
  
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• Further EU integration could plunge Europe into war, says new Tory chair of defence committee

  25-06-2015 22:29
  
  Further European Union integration could plunge the EU’s member states into war with each other, the new chair of the parliamentary committee that scrutinises the armed forces has said.
  
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• Andy Tsege: Foreign secretary warns Ethiopia over treatment of Briton languishing on death row in the country

  25-06-2015 22:17
  
  Ethiopia has been warned by the foreign secretary over its detention of British death-row inmate Andargachew ‘Andy’ Tsege, as Philip Hammond attacked Addis Ababa's behaviour as "not acceptable".
  
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• Amama Mbabazi: 'If I didn't fear Idi Amin then, I won't have fear now,' says Uganda's former PM who has a history of bringing down tyrannical rulers

  25-06-2015 22:15
  “I could be arrested,” says Amama Mbabazi. “I would not be surprised – but I’ve been engaged in too many struggles against regimes to be fearful.”
  
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• Baltimore police shoot dead unarmed black man after answering domestic violence call

  25-06-2015 22:07
  
  Another probe is underway in the city of Baltimore after police officers shot and killed an unarmed black man after being called to investigate a case domestic abuse.
  
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• Empathy Museum: To understand others, we need to walk in their shoes - literally, says philosopher Roman Krznaric

  25-06-2015 22:00
  This September, the contemporary philosopher and empathy expert Roman Krznaric will open the Empathy Museum, the world's first museum dedicated to helping visitors develop the skill of putting themselves in others' shoes.
  
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• Two bodies found in Lynskey search

  25-06-2015 21:59
  
  The remains of two bodies have been found on reclaimed bogland in the Irish Republic where three of the IRA Disappeared are believed to have been secretly buried.
  
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• Man tries to jump New York subway tracks, fails spectacularly

  25-06-2015 21:57
  
  Mind the gap is not one of the messages given below ground in the New York City subway. But a young man clearly could have used that advice recently.
  
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• Man Guilty Of Lee Rigby 'Revenge' Murder Bid

  25-06-2015 21:54
  
  A man who almost severed an Asian dentist's hand in a machete attack which he said was "for Lee Rigby" has been found guilty of attempted murder. Zack Davies - who a court heard was "inspired" by Islamic State militant 'Jihadi John' - shouted "White Power" and "I did it for Lee Rigby" as he targeted his victim at Tesco in Mold, North Wales. The 26-year-old caused Dr Sarandev Bhambra "life-changing" injuries to the left hand, his ba
  
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• Obesity – the ticking time bomb which starts young

  25-06-2015 21:48 via bbc.co.uk
  
  It starts ticking young, says Hugh Pym
  
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• Trio face house fire murder charges

  25-06-2015 21:47
  
  Two brothers and their father have been charged with murdering three people who died in a house fire.
  
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• MP makes defence spending appeal

  25-06-2015 21:38
  
  It would be "unconscionable" to drop below the Nato 2% spending target, the new chairman of the Defence Select Committee has said.
  
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• George Osborne considers making BBC pay £600m cost of free TV licences

  25-06-2015 21:33
  
  The BBC is facing the threat of a budget cut that would be among the biggest in its 93-year history as George Osborne considers making the corporation carry the £600m-a-year cost of free television licences for the elderly.
  
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• Criminal courts across England and Wales could grind to a halt as lawyers protest legal aid cuts

  25-06-2015 21:30
  
  Criminal courts across England and Wales could begin grinding to a halt next week as lawyers down tools in protest against the Government’s cuts to legal aid. 
  
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• President Obama has joined the sainted fraternity of heckler-squashers

  25-06-2015 21:30
  
  You'd think Barack Obama had enough to cope with in his second term – Vladimir Putin, Angela Merkel, the Republicans in Congress, Islamic State – without having to deal with hecklers, too. But the normally urbane and unflappable president was clearly flapped when, at a reception this week in the White House's East Room to mark LGBT Pride Month, he was faced with sustained barracking from someone in the crowd.
  
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• Former Turks and Caicos premier’s corruption trial to go ahead - without a jury

  25-06-2015 21:24
  
  A key legal judgment could now reveal the true extent of how things may have been seriously adrift in the Caribbean islands of the Turks and Caicos.
  
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• Avengers Star Patrick Macnee Dies Aged 93

  25-06-2015 21:18
  
  Actor Patrick Macnee, best known for playing agent John Steed in the TV series The Avengers, has died aged 93 in California. He died of natural causes at his home in California with his family at his bedside, according to his son, Rupert. Macnee, who starred in the classic spy programme alongside Ian Hendry, Honor Blackman, Diana Rigg and Joanna Lumley, had lived in the US for the last 40 years.
  
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• Network Rail delays modernisation work

  25-06-2015 21:18
  LONDON (Reuters) - State-backed rail infrastructure operator Network Rail plans to delay or cut back on modernisation work because rising costs and missed targets have made its 38.5 billion-pound ($60.5 billion) investment plans untenable, the government said.
  
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• Burma's army retains its iron grip on the nation by blocking Aung San Suu Kyi bid to run for president

  25-06-2015 21:17
  
  Aung San Suu Kyi has effectively been barred from becoming Burma’s next president as the army, which ruled the nation with an iron fist for half a century, made clear it is still very much in charge.
  
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• Avengers actor Patrick Macnee dies

  25-06-2015 21:17
  
  Actor Patrick Macnee, who was best known for playing agent John Steed in the 1960s TV series The Avengers, has died at the age of 93.
  
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• Neo-Nazi attack on Asian dentist was a 'terrorist act', say family

  25-06-2015 21:17
  
  Relatives of an Asian dentist who was viciously attacked with a machete by a white supremacist have claimed the incident would have been reported as a terrorist act if their races had been reversed.
  
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• Three Charged With Murder Over Fatal Flat Fire

  25-06-2015 21:14
  
  Three men have been charged with murder following a house fire in Derbyshire that left three people dead.
  
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• Bring Your Dog To Work Day: Is having a mutt in your meeting productive?

  25-06-2015 21:00
  
  He was sitting next to you on the train this morning. He was cute. He seemed far more excited about his day than you and the rest of your fellow 8am commuters. If you spent your journey to work sitting next to an office-bound French bulldog, that's because tomorrow it's Bring Your Dog To Work Day, an annual nationwide event which raises money for animal welfare charities. And which may mean that leaving your Pret cheese and pickle baguette unattended on your desk this lunchtime is a little risk
  
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• British government calls emergency meeting over Calais migrant crisis

  25-06-2015 20:59
  
  LONDON (Reuters) - The British government said on Thursday it had called a meeting of its emergency response committee Cobra to discuss the migrant crisis in the French port of Calais and draw up contingency plans if further strike action exacerbates the situation.
  
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• Greece crisis: Debt-ridden country days from default and Grexit, but Eurogroup still holds out faint hope of a deal

  25-06-2015 20:53
  Greece remains deadlocked with its creditors, leaving Athens facing a potentially disastrous sovereign default in only four days.
  
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• Discovery of 25,000 diving tarantulas could prove lucrative for a tiny Australian outback community

  25-06-2015 20:48
  
  A tiny settlement in the sparsely-populated Northern Territory of Australia has been the subject of scientific attention, after it was discovered that a nearby flood plain is home to an infestation of 25,000 tarantulas from a newly-discovered species.
  
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• NBA Draft: Video highlights for the top-five prospects

  25-06-2015 20:47
  
  Years of hard work and sacrifice - not to mention a healthy dose of dreaming - will come to fruition on Thursday night when dozens of the top amateur and foreign basketball players in the world will be selected in the NBA Draft.
  
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• Patrick Macnee dead: Avengers star dies aged 93

  25-06-2015 20:43
  
  Patrick McNee, star of the legendary Avengers TV series, has died in California at the age of 93.The English-American actor, known for playing the secret agent John Steed in the 1960s television series, died at his home, Rancho Mirage, surrounded by his family. A statement on his website reads: "Wherever he went, he left behind a trove of memories." "He was at home wherever in the world he found himself. He had a knack for making friends, and keeping them."Notable deaths in 2015  Educated at E
  
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• Donald Macintyre's Sketch: All bets are off as Nick Clegg bamboozles Nick Ferrari with charm and innocence

  25-06-2015 20:33
  
  Just before the election, LBC presenter Nick Ferrari bet Nick Clegg (on air) £50 that he would not return as Deputy Prime Minister, and gave his stake to the Liberal Democrat leader.
  
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• Isis, a year of the caliphate: Have US tactics played into Islamist hands?

  25-06-2015 20:30
  
  The “Islamic State” is stronger than it was when it was first proclaimed on 29 June last year, shortly after Isis fighters captured much of northern and western Iraq. Its ability to go on winning victories was confirmed on 17 May this year in Iraq, when it seized Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, and again four days later in Syria, when it took Palmyra, one of the most famous cities of antiquity and at the centre of modern transport routes. 
  
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• Slump in North Sea oil revenues deals a blow to SNP hopes of full fiscal autonomy

  25-06-2015 20:29
  
  The SNP’s plan for full fiscal autonomy in Scotland has been dealt a blow after new figures showed a slump in projected oil revenues.
  
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• PM Concedes Vote May Happen Before Treaty Change

  25-06-2015 20:28
  
  The Prime Minister has conceded he is unlikely to secure changes to the treaties that bind Britain to Europe before the country votes in an in/out referendum. David Cameron is delivering his EU renegotiation strategy to European leaders this evening in a speech at a summit in Brussels. But the treaty changes needed to reform UK's relationship with the EU may not be in place for the referendum Mr Cameron has promised by the end of 2017.
  
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• Lancashire councillors prevented from blocking proposals for UK's first fracking site, says council member

  25-06-2015 20:23
  
  Lancashire councillors were prevented from blocking proposals for the UK’s first fracking site after receiving a legal warning that refusal would be “unreasonable” and risk a costly court appeal, a council member has claimed.
  
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• Police investigate possible hate crime after arsonist sets fire to black church in North Carolina

  25-06-2015 20:19
  
  Investigators have ruled that an arsonist set fire to a predominantly black church in North Carolina.
  
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• Univision drops Miss USA pageant and cuts ties with Donald Trump over comments about Mexican immigrants

  25-06-2015 20:15
  
  Univision is dropping the Miss USA pageant and says it will cut all business ties with Donald Trump over comments he made about Mexican immigrants.
  
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• Ferrari And Guns Seized In Traveller Raids

  25-06-2015 20:15
  
  A £166,000 Ferrari, cash, guns and swords were seized by police during a series of dawn raids targeting organised criminality in the traveller community. Senior detectives said they have arrested 20 people for a range of alleged offences, including money laundering, high-value theft and forced labour. Along with the 196mph supercar and "substantial" amount of cash, items including a Range Rover and a golf cart were confiscated by police.
  
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