General news

• Train station toilets take millions every year

  07-09-2015 23:55
  
  London Victoria tops the list of money-making railway toilet facilities, taking £2.3m over three financial years
  The true cost of spending a penny at a train station has been discovered – and some station toilets take many hundreds of thousands of pounds every year, according to data released by Network Rail.London Victoria made the most money, raking in £2.3m from passengers over the past three financial years, while Euston took £1.8m, King’s Cross £1.4m and
  
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• 'Spots' the rare white alligator has died in Louisiana aged 28

  07-09-2015 23:44
  
  And so farewell Spots. You had it pretty good, all things considered.
  
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• EU referendum: David Cameron suffers defeat in parliament over 'purdah' rules

  07-09-2015 23:35
  
  Government loses by 27 votes as Tory Eurosceptics and Labour oppose proposed changes to rules that restrict campaigning in month before electionDavid Cameron has suffered a humiliating defeat over the EU referendum as Tory rebels and Labour put aside their differences to oppose changes to the rules that restrict government campaigning before an election.The government lost by 27 votes as a group of Tory backbenchers argued that Downing Street was trying to unduly influence the result in favour o
  
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• Giant hailstones pound Naples - video

  07-09-2015 23:28
  
  Amateur footage shows giant hailstones falling in and around Naples on Saturday. The storm, that has left several people and animals injured, caused panic across the city as hailstones well over 5cm in diameter came hurtling out of the sky with enough force to smash windows, roof tiles and car windscreens Continue reading...
  
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• Uber raises $1.2bn for China expansion – reports

  07-09-2015 23:20
  
  Online taxi-hailng firm expected to make announcement on SundayUber hopes to operate in 50 Chinese cities within a year
  Uber has raised $1.2bn for its expansion into China, according to an interview with its chief executive, Travis Kalanick, published by Sina, a Chinese-language website.Related: Uber blocked on biggest Chinese messaging appContinue reading...
  
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• Schoolgirl referee 'almost quit' after verbal abuse from touchline reduced her to tears

  07-09-2015 23:18
  
  Football referees endure all sorts of abuse from the fans when they officiate at tense premiership matches and have come to expect virtually every insult and four-lettered word possible to be hurled in their direction.
  
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• Amanda Knox conviction was based on 'flawed and hastily constructed' case, says Italy's top court

  07-09-2015 23:02
  
  Italy's top criminal court has issuing a scathing criticism of the country’s prosecutor for presenting a “flawed and hastily constructed” case against Amanda Knox and her former Italian boyfriend.
  
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• Alistair Carmichael is on trial live on TV over the leaked Nicola Sturgeon memo – but it's less than riveting viewing

  07-09-2015 23:02
  At one point as the cameras rolled for the first time in Edinburgh’s Court of Session, former Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael was mentioned in the same breath as Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
  
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• Euro 2016 qualifying: Northern Ireland's late equaliser, Republic win - as it happened

  07-09-2015 23:00
  
  A 92nd minute equaliser by Kyle Lafferty gave Northern Ireland a 1-1 draw with Hungary, while the Republic beat Georgia 1-0 10.00pm BSTAnd that should do for this. Cheers all for reading - have a good night.9.55pm BSTAnd finally Group I, where Portugal’s injury-time winner puts them in good shape to go through. They can seal both qualification and top spot with a win over Denmark in their next game. Continue reading...
  
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• 'Brexit' would harm peace process, warns Irish foreign minister

  07-09-2015 22:59
  
  Charles Flanagan said UK remaining in Europe was vital to Irish interests, with EU ‘a powerful, if understated, force for good for everyone in Northern Ireland’
  A British exit from the European Union would be bad for Ireland and the Irish peace process, the republic’s foreign minister has warned. Continue reading...
  
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• David Cameron faces scrutiny over drone strikes against Britons in Syria

  07-09-2015 22:50
  
  Prime minister justifies ‘act of self-defence’ in which UK citizens fighting alongside Isis were targeted by an unmanned aerial drone outside formal conflictDavid Cameron is facing questions over Britain’s decision to follow the US model of drone strikes after the prime minister confirmed that the government had authorised an unprecedented aerial strike in Syria that killed two Britons fighting alongside Islamic State (Isis).Speaking to the Commons on its first day back after t
  
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• Video - Dozens of beachgoers come together to save 14ft great white shark on Cape Cod beach

  07-09-2015 22:45
  
  Dozens of beachgoers banded together in Cape Cod in an attempt to save a 14-ft great white shark, after the powerful predator found itself helpless and suffocating on the sand.
  
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• American teacher murdered in Nepal while volunteering for earthquake relief

  07-09-2015 22:45
  
  An art teacher from Austin, Texas who traveled to Nepal to help with earthquake recovery has been beaten to death.
  
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• Cameron loses parliamentary vote over EU referendum rules

  07-09-2015 22:40
  
  Prime Minister David Cameron suffered an embarrassing defeat in parliament on Monday after Eurosceptic members of his Conservatives joined forces with opposition MPs to reject proposed rules for a European Union membership referendum. While Cameron's MPs back the idea of holding the referendum, due by the end of 2017, many had expressed concern about plans not to halt government activity in the run up to the vote, arguing it could influence the outcome.
  
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• PM Suffers Commons Defeat Over EU Vote Rules

  07-09-2015 22:37
  
  David Cameron has suffered an embarrassing defeat over changes to the EU referendum campaign rules.
  
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• Donald Macintyre's sketch: Nigel Farage gets anti-EU show back on the road… and hopes Jeremy Corbyn is a winner

  07-09-2015 22:31
  
  Outside the Pet Rescue Centre in Cliftonville, Nigel Farage hands Mick Solly his new “Say NO” EU referendum leaflet, asking: “What EU concessions will David Cameron win for Britain? Answer: Whatever Angela Merkel lets him have.” Solly, a man out of diamond-geezer central casting, stares for a moment at the unflattering portrait of the German Chancellor, before declaring: “I buried my gran three weeks ago and she looked better than that.”
  
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• Refugee crisis: The grim reality faced by the Syrian refugees stranded in Lebanon

  07-09-2015 22:17
  
  “I would go by sea if I could,” says Hiba Sayyed softly, her lips pursing in quiet anger as she speaks. “But it costs $5,000 and I don’t have that money. If I had it, yes, even if I might die in the sea I would go – life here is too hard.”
  
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• Gang Jailed For Grooming Vulnerable Schoolgirls

  07-09-2015 22:07
  
  A woman groomed to have sex with almost 70 men before she turned 16 watched as members of the child abuse ring who "took away" her teenage years were handed lengthy prison sentences. Six were convicted at the Old Bailey of offences including multiple rape of a child under 13, child prostitution and administering a substance to "stupefy" a girl in order to engage in sexual activity. Most of the offences related to Child A, who told the court in a statement that she was now battling depression and
  
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• Refugee crisis: Munich's citizens welcome refugees with open arms

  07-09-2015 22:05
  
  Munich’s first 20,000 refugees came and went, sent on their way with the good wishes of a city proud to help. On Monday another 10,000 were expected and the willingness of Munich residents to provide sanctuary appeared to be boundless.
  
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• EU referendum: Government defeated over 'purdah' rules for poll

  07-09-2015 22:00
  
  David Cameron has been defeated in the House of Commons for the first time as a majority Conservative Prime Minister, losing a vote on the purdah rules for the EU referendum 312 to 285, majority 27.
  
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• Elizabeth II vs Victoria: Who's the winner in this ultimate game of thrones?

  07-09-2015 21:45
  
  The Queen is tantalisingly close to claiming her place in the history books as Britain's longest reigning monarch. Tomorrow, on Wednesday 9 September, 63 years and 216 days will have passed since the death of her father, George VI. That is precisely the number of years and days between Queen Victoria's accession to the throne, on the death of her uncle, William IV in 1837, and her own death in January 1901. By Thursday, The Queen's reign will have been longer even than Victoria's.
  
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• Air India flight catches fire mid-air while landing at Delhi airport, injuring at least four

  07-09-2015 21:39
  
  An Air India flight set on fire mid-air as it prepared for landing in Delhi, injuring at least four people.
  
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• VIDEO: 'Life before Sex Pistols pointless'

  07-09-2015 21:37 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Former Sex Pistols lead singer John Lydon says his life felt "pointless and aimless" until he joined the band that changed British music history.
  
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• Refugee crisis: Is climate change affecting mass migration?

  07-09-2015 21:37
  
  John Kerry painted an apocalyptic vision of climate change last week as he addressed a global warming conference in Alaska. "You think migration is a challenge in Europe today because of extremism, wait until you see what happens when there's an absence of water, an absence of food, or one tribe fighting against another for mere survival," the US secretary of state warned. Few experts would argue with Kerry's analysis of the future, but some would argue his vision is already upon us.
  
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• Refugee crisis: Where are all these people coming from and why?

  07-09-2015 21:31
  
  It is an era of violence in the Middle East and North Africa, with nine civil wars now going on in Islamic countries between Pakistan and Nigeria. This is why there are so many refugees fleeing for their lives. Half of the 23 million population of Syria have been forced from their homes, with four million becoming refugees in other countries.
  
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• Influential shale gas body 'is packed with pro-fracking supporters'

  07-09-2015 21:28
  
  The European Ombudsman is to investigate allegations that an influential group examining shale gas development is packed with pro-fracking supporters.
  
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• No sympathy for Briton killed in RAF drone strike, says childhood friend

  07-09-2015 21:16
  
  A friend of a British Islamic State fighter killed in an RAF drone strike has said he feels no sympathy for the dead man.
  
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• El Salvador clinic 'swapped our baby son and sold him to child traffickers'

  07-09-2015 21:15
  
  A British man and his wife, who believe their son was swapped with another newborn at a hospital in El Salvador and sold to child traffickers, have made an emotional public plea for his return.
  
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• Tax credit cuts to cost Britain's five million poorest children £750 each a year

  07-09-2015 21:05
  
  Five million of Britain’s poorest children will lose an average of £750 each a year because of the Government’s cuts to tax credits, The Independent has learnt.
  
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• Labour leadership contest: Two-thirds of people think Jeremy Corbyn would be unlikely to win next general election

  07-09-2015 21:00
  
  Two out of three people believe that Jeremy Corbyn would be unlikely to lead Labour to victory at the next general election, according to a poll for The Independent.
  
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• David Cameron links British jihadist killed in Syria drone strike with series of UK terror plots

  07-09-2015 20:53
  
  Two British jihadists have been killed in the first air strike carried out by the RAF in Syria in a significant escalation of the UK’s role in the war against Isis.
  
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• Climate change talks our 'last chance', say Pacific islands: 'This is not politics, it's survival'

  07-09-2015 20:45
  
  Pacific island nations under threat from rising seas have warned that climate talks in Paris represent the “last chance” to save them from obliteration.
  
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• Refugee crisis: How should homeowners go about helping to provide shelter?

  07-09-2015 20:37
  
  I have a spare room. Where do I start?
  
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• Withdrawal of snake bite anti-venom by producer puts tens of thousands of lives at risk - all because it's not profitable

  07-09-2015 20:15
  Once bitten, the farmers and goat herders of sub-Saharan Africa are likely to visit traditional healers. There, many are offered “black stone”, a rock that is supposed to be placed on the wound. An agonising death or amputation of limbs often follows. It is a world away from the laboratories of Sanofi Pasteur, the world’s largest producer of vaccines.
  
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• UK to take 20,000 Syrian refugees to fulfil moral responsibility - David Cameron

  07-09-2015 20:14
  
  Britain is to resettle up to 20,000 refugees from Syria over the next five years, Prime Minister David Cameron has announced.
  
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• UK set for brief blast of summer sunshine

  07-09-2015 20:03
  
  Temperatures are set to soar above average across the UK after a dismal August saw Britain experience its coldest summer in three years.
  
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• Large variations in amounts police forces spend on equipment

  07-09-2015 20:03
  
  Some police forces spend 10 times more than others on the same pieces of equipment, new figures reveal.
  
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• Cameron says UK drone strike killed British IS fighters in Syria

  07-09-2015 20:03
  
  By William James and Kylie MacLellan LONDON (Reuters) - Britain has killed two of its own nationals who had been fighting for Islamic State (IS) and plotting attacks on British soil, in its first air strike in Syria, Prime Minister David Cameron said on Monday. Despite not having a parliamentary mandate to take military action in Syria, Cameron told MPs that, as an act of self-defence, Briton Reyaad Khan had been targeted and killed in a precision drone strike in the country. Cameron said the st
  
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• Humanitarian charities tell David Cameron his plan to take in up to 20,000 Syrian refugees by 2020 is not enough

  07-09-2015 20:01
  
  David Cameron has been told his promise to take in up to 20,000 refugees by 2020 is not enough.
  
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• Duma arson attack: Israel 'protects rather than arrests' killers of Palestinian family and other anti-Arab extremists, says Palestinian leader

  07-09-2015 19:59
  The leading Palestinian spokeswoman Hanan Ashrawi has accused Israel of protecting rather than arresting perpetrators of anti-Arab attacks.
  
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• BBC accused of making 'appalling' error by omitting Hull from Blitz Cities TV series

  07-09-2015 19:59
  
  The BBC has been accused of putting celebrity before historical accuracy and ignoring the suffering endured by Britain’s most bomb-damaged city in a new TV series about the Blitz.
  
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• British monarchy richer than ever as queen's reign reaches record

  07-09-2015 19:49
  
  A Reuters analysis of royal assets shows that the British monarchy has had a bumper few decades by benefiting from a rise in house and land prices. According to a Reuters estimate based on the monarchy's interests in its key investment vehicle, royal estates and its trove of treasures, the British monarchy has nominal assets worth about 22.8 billion pounds ($34.8 billion).
  
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• NHS patients to be given option of travelling to Calais for surgical procedures

  07-09-2015 19:48
  
  NHS patients in Kent are set to be offered the choice of travelling to Calais for surgical treatments, local health commissioners have confirmed.
  
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• MPs plan emergency debate on refugee crisis

  07-09-2015 19:47
  
  MPs will take part in an emergency debate on the refugee crisis tomorrow after an application from Labour leadership candidate Yvette Cooper.
  
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• Britain says to take in 20,000 Syrian refugees over five years

  07-09-2015 19:44
  
  By David Milliken LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron pledged on Monday to take in up to 20,000 Syrian refugees over the next five years, responding to public clamour for his government to help those fleeing civil war in the country. "We are proposing that Britain should resettle up to 20,000 Syrian refuges over the rest of this parliament. Cameron has been under pressure from the media and his European counterparts to take in far more refugees to help with the wider migrant crisis,
  
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• Fossilfinder photo project asks public to help trace origins of human race

  07-09-2015 19:34
  
  A £2 million citizen science project will recruit thousands of members of the public to help fossil hunters trace the origins of the human race in Africa.
  
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• Hitler secretly made the weapons of the future during the Second World War

  07-09-2015 19:32
  
  Hitler's Nazi engineers made technological developments which were innovative and far ahead of their time, manufacturing weapons such as sonic cannons, x-ray guns and land cruisers.
  
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• Motion capture technology to end 'stiff and unrealistic' on-screen animals

  07-09-2015 19:23
  
  Actors are warned about working with animals but scientists have now found a way of working with cats, dogs and horses without the risk of unreliable results.
  
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• Syrian child refugees 'to be deported at age 18'

  07-09-2015 19:16
  
  Syrian refugee children who are allowed into to the UK under new measures announced by David Cameron will be deported when they reach 18, it has been claimed.
  
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• Huge increase in babies born addicted to drugs in US

  07-09-2015 19:11
  
  One baby is born every half an hour addicted to some form of painkiller or opiate in the US, new figures have revealed.
  
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