General news

• Tony Blair 'privately urged Gaddafi to stand aside during uprising'

  01-10-2015 22:49
  
  Tony Blair privately urged Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi to stand aside as rebellion erupted against his regime, according to newly released correspondence.
  
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• Corbyn Seeks Labour Recovery In Scotland

  01-10-2015 21:16
  
  Jeremy Corbyn has insisted Labour is the true anti-austerity party on his first visit to Scotland since being elected leader. The veteran left-winger travelled north of the border in a push to rebuild support after Labour's virtual wipeout in the May election at the hands of the SNP. His party now has just one MP in Scotland, compared to 41 in 2010.
  
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• Council 'Did Not Think Sinkhole Would Collapse'

  01-10-2015 20:29
  
  Hertfordshire County Council said it was told about a hole in the footpath last week, but following an inspection "there was no reason to suspect that the hole would collapse". Julie Langford, who lives on the street, told Sky News she had been unable to take her car out of the driveway to head to work on Thursday morning. According to Peter Hobbs, an engineering geologist with the British Geological Survey, sinkholes are caused by the dissolution of rock, such as chalk.
  
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• Two British women killed in late-night Spain sea swim named

  01-10-2015 20:13
  
  Two British women who died in the Mediterranean following a late-night swim have been named in reports as Lisa Coggins and Tracey Aston.
  
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• Scientists 'reconcile unimaginable coincidence' to explain dinosaur extinction

  01-10-2015 20:00
  
  Dinosaurs were wiped out by a double-whammy disaster caused by a meteor impact followed by a volcanic storm, compelling new evidence has shown.
  
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• Teenager who strangled girl to have sex with her convicted of murder

  01-10-2015 19:58
  
  A teenager who strangled an 18-year-old girl to have sex with her has been convicted of murder.
  
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• Cramond Burial Bodies Could Be Dark Ages Nobles

  01-10-2015 19:48
  
  Archaeologists have recreated the faces of skeletons found in a car park 40 years ago - and found they could be members of a noble family from the Dark Ages. The nine bodies, discovered in a mass burial site in Cramond, Edinburgh, in 1975, were initially thought to be victims of the mediaeval Black Death. The 1,500-year-old finds have raised the question of whether Cramond, believed to be the oldest occupied village in Scotland, was the site of a royal stronghold.
  
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• Volkswagen halts 4,000 UK sales over diesel emissions scandal

  01-10-2015 19:31
  
  Volkswagen has taken 4,000 vehicles off the market in the wake of the diesel emissions scandal.
  
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• Health watchdog investigates NHS hospital trust's 'unacceptable' £29.5m deficit

  01-10-2015 19:31
  
  A health watchdog has launched an investigation into an "unacceptable" £29.5 million deficit run up by an NHS hospital trust.
  
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• Former star trader says UK watchdog 'shamed' him in Deutsche notice

  01-10-2015 19:21
  LONDON (Reuters) - Lawyers representing former Deutsche Bank star trader Christian Bittar on Thursday accused the UK watchdog of denying him his right of reply despite publicly "shaming" him with scant regard to protecting his identity when fining the German lender.
  
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• Bursaries rise to £30,000 in bid to attract top physics graduates to teaching

  01-10-2015 19:01
  
  Top graduates are being offered an extra £5,000 to teach physics compared to last year, taking the bursary up to £30,000.
  
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• Police unsure if Shoreham Airshow crash pilot fit enough to be quizzed

  01-10-2015 18:45
  
  Police are still waiting to question the pilot of a jet that crashed during the Shoreham Airshow, killing 11 men, because his "fitness" has not been confirmed.
  
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• Police Taser 'most likely cause' of petrol man's fireball death

  01-10-2015 18:27
  
  A 50,000-volt police Taser was the "most likely" cause of a petrol-soaked man catching fire and dying, an inquest jury has ruled.
  
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• Labour has 'real' commitment in austerity fight, Jeremy Corbyn says

  01-10-2015 18:19
  
  New Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said his party, unlike the SNP, has a "real" commitment to fighting austerity.
  
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• Europe's migrant influx turning British voters against EU - 'Out' funder

  01-10-2015 18:18
  
  By Guy Faulconbridge and Kate Holton LONDON (Reuters) - Europe's rushed acceptance of hundreds of thousands of migrants is turning many Britons against the European Union ahead of a vote on membership that Prime Minister David Cameron could call as early as March, a funder of the Out campaign said. Arron Banks, a multi-millionaire British insurance tycoon who is bankrolling the Leave. EU campaign, said Cameron's attempt to renegotiate Britain's EU ties was doomed to failure and that events may p
  
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• St Albans' sinkhole 'appeared a week ago and injured postman'

  01-10-2015 18:15
  
  A giant sinkhole that opened up in a residential street in St Albans, forcing the evacuation of 20 people, first appeared a week ago and injured a postman working on the street, Royal Mail said.
  
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• Duke shows off rugby skills at Coach Core scheme for Welsh apprentices

  01-10-2015 18:06
  
  The Duke of Cambridge said he has the rugby skills to play for Wales as he joined young apprentice coaches for a training session.
  
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• Wales v Fiji: Rugby World Cup 2015 – live!

  01-10-2015 18:04
  
  Rugby World Cup Pool A updates from the Millennium StadiumDigital wallchart: tables, fixtures, results and more
  And email [email protected] or tweet @ianmccourt 5.04pm BSTThe kick is from out wide but Volavola manages to direct it between the posts by this much. 5.02pm BST13 mins Another scrum to Wales. Will Faletau have to pick and go again like the last time? Eh, no because he won’t get the chance as Wales are absolutely destroyed by Fiji. From that they point for the posts ...
  
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• Beauty really is in eye of beholder, 'nature or nurture' study shows

  01-10-2015 18:00
  
  Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder, a "nature or nurture" study has found.
  
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• VW suspends 4,000 vehicles from sale in UK

  01-10-2015 17:54
  
  Carmaker temporarily halts sale of 4,000 unsold diesel-fueled VW, Audi, Skoda and SEAT vehicles because they contain emissions-cheating softwareVW has suspended the sale of 4,000 vehicles in the UK on fears that they contain the same software that was used for cheating US emissions tests.The vehicles, which represent around 3% of the car group’s UK stock, covers VW, Audi, Skoda and SEAT brands. It will continue to sell all unaffected cars. Continue reading...
  
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• Global manufacturing growth slows - live updates

  01-10-2015 17:49
  
  All the latest economic and financial news, as China’s factory output falls at its fastest pace in six years and British firms trim workforcesLatest: US factory growth slows sharplyUK manufacturing ‘lacklustre’ as firms cut jobsEurozone factory growth is slowingChinese factory growth contracts again 4.49pm BSTBloomberg’s Joe Wiesenthal has done a nice piece rounding up the good and bad economic news today.On the worrying side, manufacturing growth in the US, China, the eu
  
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• Art is universal – no country should claim a masterpiece for their own

  01-10-2015 17:37
  
  Two Rembrandt portraits have been jointly bought by France and the Netherlands. Why not, when art belongs to us all?There was a weighty meeting between two international leaders at the UN this week. But it did not involve war. It was about art. François Hollande and Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte shook hands on an extraordinary deal that means a pair of portraits by Rembrandt will be bought jointly from a member of the Rothschild family by the Netherlands and France, and shown alternatel
  
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• London's garden bridge: the end of the road?

  01-10-2015 17:35
  
  It has seemed impervious to criticism up to now, but is the flawed fairytale plan to build a forest across the Thames finally beginning to wither?It has been damned by the worthies of St Paul’s Cathedral, drawn thousands of signatures of public opposition and been slammed by Labour’s next London mayoral candidate but, like some undead zombie forest intent on haunting the Thames, the garden bridge just won’t go away.Related: London's Garden bridge: 'It feels like we're trying to
  
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• Volkswagen Suspends Sale Of 4,000 Vehicles

  01-10-2015 17:28
  
  Volkswagen has suspended the sale of 4,000 vehicles in the UK in the wake of the diesel emissions scandal. The company said that suspending from sale vehicles with the EA189 engine was a voluntary measure which affects VW passenger cars, commercial vehicles, Seat, Skoda and Audi cars and represents 3% of new vehicle stock held in the UK. It comes after the German car maker admitted that 11 million of its diesel vehicles worldwide were fitted with defeat device software to con testers i
  
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• Sexual violence in Kenya: 'To the police, rape wasn’t a crime'

  01-10-2015 17:28
  
  Wangu Kanja was a victim of sexual violence, she is now using her experience to remove stigma and help survivors access psychological and legal supportIn 2002 I was travelling back from work in Nairobi when I was carjacked and raped at gunpoint; I was 27. One man started telling me to undress and I said I can’t do it, until he removed his gun, gave me a bullet and told me to decide whether I want to live or to die. Those were the only two choices that I had.After the incident I went to rep
  
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• Two British women die in rough seas off the coast of Spain

  01-10-2015 17:26
  
  Two British women died after getting into trouble in rough seas off the coast of Spain, local police said.
  
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• Volkswagen halts 4,000 UK vehicle sales amid emissions scandal

  01-10-2015 17:19
  
  Volkswagen has suspended the sale of 4,000 vehicles in the UK in the wake of the diesel emissions scandal, the company said.
  
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• A criminal justice reform bill that doesn't end mandatory minimums isn't enough | Chandra Bozelko

  01-10-2015 17:15
  
  Requiring judges to impose certain sentences regardless of the facts of the case or the circumstances of the defendants impedes rather than improves justiceToo often we forget that our judicial branch is supposed to be a criminal justice system, not a criminal sentencing system: sometimes convictions do not have to be made and sometimes punishments do not have to be severe (depending on the particular facts of the case) in order to achieve justice. But, though we might be moving away from the Wa
  
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• Why we’re voting against the social housing right-to-buy deal

  01-10-2015 17:14
  
  Here at Red Kite community housing, we think the ballot to extend right to buy could be another bedroom tax moment in the makingWe are open to change and thrive on being innovative. We are acutely aware that home ownership is moving beyond the reach of an ever-increasing section of our community, and that there are many different shades of housing need. Meeting this new housing need will require different solutions and for us to help those that the sector hasn’t traditionally housed before
  
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• Philippe Petit's real-life walk between the twin towers – in pictures

  01-10-2015 17:06
  
  In 1974, Frenchman Philippe Petit walked across a tightrope stretched between the World Trade Center’s twin towers. The 1,350ft-high walk was six years in the planning, and afterwards Petit was arrested and taken for a psychiatric evaluation. A film of the event, The Walk, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt was released in the US on Wednesday Continue reading...
  
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• Baking disasters: your GuardianWitness contributions

  01-10-2015 17:06
  
  Ambitious cooking projects can go very wrong. Ahead of this year’s Great British Bake Off final we’d like to see your worst baking mishaps. Whether it’s a soufflé with a mind of its own or icing resembling a surrealist painting, share your disastrous baking creations with usContinue reading...
  
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• It’s Britain that needs to ‘move on’ over slavery – away from the myths | Kehinde Andrews

  01-10-2015 17:05
  
  David Cameron in Jamaica once again made much of so-called abolition of slavery, ignoring Britain’s central place in atrocitiesDuring his tour of Jamaica this week, David Cameron dismissed the growing calls for Britain to apologise and pay reparations for the nation’s role in the transatlantic slave trade. He argued that Jamaica needed to “move on” from that horrendous chapter in history, and spoke of Britain’s pride in its role in abolishing the slave trade.During
  
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• Shocked Pensioners Fined For Littering After They Dropped Cherry Stones

  01-10-2015 16:59
  
  A retired couple who were enjoying a bag of cherries under a tree in the sunshine were slapped with a £160 fine by council workers who accused them of LITTERING.
  
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• French Vogue: what we've learned from its 95 years on fashion's frontline

  01-10-2015 16:52
  
  The seminal style magazine is celebrating its 95th anniversary with a special edition featuring all the requisite Vogue themes: cigarettes, nudity and the odd flash of nippleWe think our colleagues at French Vogue will take it as a compliment when we say they are one part journalistic endeavour, one part style goals. The editorial teams – led for the past five years by Emanuelle Alt, and before that by Carine Roitfeld – strut around Paris fashion week en masse, like Reservoir Dogs bu
  
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• There’s nothing misguided about the left’s concern for Muslims | David Shariatmadari

  01-10-2015 16:49
  
  When Maryam Namazie’s invitation to speak at the University of Warwick was blocked, Twitter erupted. What motivated the students who didn’t want her there?On Saturday reports emerged that Warwick University student union had blocked an event organised by its Atheists, Secularists and Humanists Society. The guest of honour was Maryam Namazie, who campaigns against religious ideology, with a particular focus on Islam. A student union official wrote to the society, saying, “There
  
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• Labour 'doing great', Jeremy Corbyn says on Edinburgh visit

  01-10-2015 16:49
  
  Jeremy Corbyn insisted Labour is "doing great" as he made his first visit to Scotland since being elected party leader.
  
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• British boy, 14, plotted Anzac Day parade terror 'massacre'

  01-10-2015 16:49
  
  A 14-year-old British boy came within days of successfully plotting an Anzac Day terror "massacre" in Australia after he was radicalised by online Islamic State propaganda, a court has heard.
  
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• BSE found in cow on Welsh farm

  01-10-2015 16:44
  
  Authorities have described the case, the first in Wales since 2013, as an isolated incident that hasn’t affected food chainA case of BSE – so-called “mad cow disease” – has been found in an animal on a farm in Wales.The case is the first in Wales since 2013 but the devolved government in Cardiff described it as isolated and said the animal had not entered the human food chain. There have been six cases in the UK since 2013.Continue reading...
  
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• Crowdfund project seeks to fund mission to the moon

  01-10-2015 16:41
  
  A crowdfunding project aimed at the moon has blasted off on a mission to raise a million dollars (£660,000) in 30 days.
  
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• ANZAC Terror Plot Teen Had 'Beheading List'

  01-10-2015 16:31
  
  A massacre was thwarted after police uncovered a terrorist plot being directed by a schoolboy from his bedroom in Blackburn, a court has heard. The Islamic State supporter, described as highly intelligent but "abusive and aggressive" to his teachers, pretended to be an adult online at the age of 14 so he could influence like-minded people across the world. Police believe that when they raided the Lancashire schoolboy's home a "major terrorist plot" was just days away from being put into action.
  
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• Sylvia Plath’s suicide note - did it name a final lover?

  01-10-2015 16:30
  
  The received wisdom is that Sylvia Plath killed herself after Ted Hughes left her for another woman. But, as Jonathan Bate reveals, the story of her last letter changes everything
  The biographer’s work is never done. There comes a time when you have scoured the archives, emptied the library shelves and spoken to all the surviving witnesses who are willing to share their stories. Every new detail is merely reinforcing the arc of the narrative you have shaped. That is the time to let it go,
  
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• Footballer Jailed For Breaking Opponent's Leg

  01-10-2015 16:28
  
  Nathaniel Kerr, 27, leapt into the air before stamping on Stuart Parson's outstretched leg in a "vicious attack". The attack took place early in a match in Stockport, Greater Manchester after Mr Parsons became involved in a verbal argument with an opposing player. Kerr, of HMP Forest Bank, pleaded guilty to assault at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court.
  
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• If Jeremy Corbyn lacks one thing, it’s the powerful poetry of vision | Giles Fraser: Loose canon

  01-10-2015 16:22
  
  Yes, I want the new non-flashy style of politics. But history shows us that great leaders need to marry authenticity with charisma and inspiring rhetoricIt began on 12 April 1906 in Azusa Street, Los Angeles. That was where William J Seymour, the one-eyed son of former slaves, first began to speak in tongues, thus kicking off the whole Charismatic movement that was in large part responsible for the extraordinary revival and numerical success of global Christianity throughout the 20th century. Jo
  
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• Hero Dad Dies From Cancer After Raising £500k To Help Daughter Battling Same Disease

  01-10-2015 16:22
  
  Tom Attwater, 32, has been labelled a hero after ignoring his own disease to ensure that six-year-old Kelli Smith was given the best start chance of life
  
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• Bear Grylls criticised for caving without a helmet in ITV show

  01-10-2015 16:13
  
  Cave Rescue Organisation says adventurer’s portrayal of caving in Yorkshire Dales is irresponsible and dangerousThe adventurer and TV presenter Bear Grylls has been heavily criticised by a cave and mountain rescue team for showing “a total disregard for safety” in his latest ITV series.In Britain’s Biggest Adventures with Bear Grylls, the presenter visits the Long Churn cave system in the Yorkshire Dales, the site of fatal accidents in recent years, without basic equipmen
  
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• US-backed Syrian rebels say they have been hit by Russian airstrikes

  01-10-2015 16:11
  
  Commander of group that has received CIA training says camp in Idlib province was struck by about 20 missiles in two separate sortiesUS-backed rebels in Syria say they were hit by Russian airstrikes on Thursday, on the second day of Russia’s air campaign over the country.The commander of the Liwa Suqour al-Jabal rebel group, which has received training by the CIA, says a training camp in Idlib province was struck by about 20 missiles in two separate sorties.Continue reading...
  
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• Supermoon rises over New Zealand – timelapse video

  01-10-2015 16:08
  
  Timelapse of a ‘supermoon’ rising over a hill in Wellington, New Zealand. Astrophotographer Mark Gee captured the footage on Sunday. At its closest point, known as perigee, the moon was 225,622 miles (363,104 km) from Earth. At the moon’s most distant point, known as apogee, it is 252,088 miles (406,696 km) awaySuper blood moon: red lunar eclipse seen around the world Continue reading...
  
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• Two British women die in late-night Costa Brava swim tragedy

  01-10-2015 15:34
  
  Two British women have died after getting into trouble in rough seas off the coast of Spain.
  
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• Russia launches fresh airstrikes on Syria targets

  01-10-2015 15:32
  
  Russian defence ministry says Kremlin is targeting a list of well known militant organisations in north-west Syria and not just Islamic StateRussia has bombed targets in north-west Syria for a second day, as the Kremlin said it was going after a list of well known militant organisations and not just Islamic State.The Russian defence ministry said planes hit 12 Isis targets, including a command centre and two arms depots, though the areas where it said the strikes took place are not held by Isis.
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn visits Scotland - Politics live

  01-10-2015 15:31
  
  Rolling coverage of all the day’s political developments as they happen 2.31pm BSTJeremy Corbyn has told the Guardian that he would offer Scottish Labour “hard work and dour activities” in its fight to close a widening gap with the Scottish National party.In Edinburgh on his first visit since winning the Labour leadership contest, he denied he brought unique properties to the job of rescuing the battered party from a record low in Scottish opinion polls. He said: “Oh, the
  
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