General news

• Air strikes alone won't defeat Islamic State, Kerry warns

  03-12-2015 23:20
  
  By Arshad Mohammed BELGRADE (Reuters) - Syrian and other Arab ground forces must be found to take on Islamic State, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday, saying the militant group would not be defeated by air strikes alone. Kerry was speaking hours after Britain began bombing Islamic State targets in Syria, joining forces with France and the United States, nearly three weeks after the jihadist group killed 130 people in attacks across Paris. British Prime Minister David Cameron sa
  
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• Labour MP Gets 'Death Threat' Over Syria Vote

  03-12-2015 23:15
  
  A Labour MP has received a potential death threat on Twitter after backing British airstrikes against Islamic State in Syria. Neil Coyle, who represents Bermondsey and Old Southwark, contacted the police with evidence of the alleged tweet - as the abuse had left him worried for his wife, staff and volunteers. Speaking to Sky News, Mr Coyle said he did not blame Jeremy Corbyn for the online bullying - but he did call on the Labour leader to distance himself from "people who think they are operati
  
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• Polls Close In Oldham West By-Election

  03-12-2015 23:10
  
  Polls have closed in the Oldham West and Royton by-election - the first of the current Parliament.
  
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• Moody's says Brexit would hurt UK economy, benefits unclear

  03-12-2015 22:44
  
  By William Schomberg LONDON (Reuters) - Ratings agency Moody's said on Thursday that a British exit from the European Union would hurt the country's economy by damaging trade and investment and could put its credit rating at risk of a downgrade. Moody's, spelling out its thinking about a so-called Brexit in more detail than before, said Britain would face a long period of uncertainty if it had to negotiate a trade deal with its former EU partners following a vote to leave the bloc. Prime Ministe
  
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• Coldplay perform new album tracks at church gig for fans in Hackney

  03-12-2015 22:29
  
  Coldplay created a paradise for their fans in a church on the eve of their new album launch.
  
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• Sky Poll: UK Strikes Make Many Feel 'Less Safe'

  03-12-2015 21:51
  
  Almost half of Britons feel less safe as a result of British airstrikes in Syria, an exclusive Sky Data Snap poll has revealed. Following Wednesday's parliamentary vote in favour of airstrikes targeting Islamic State in Syria, 43% of those surveyed said the strikes make them feel less safe. Only 20% of participants feel safer, despite David Cameron's claim that strikes will "keep the British people safe" - while 38% think the airstrikes will make no difference to their safety.
  
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• RAF Has 'Special Capabilities' In IS Fight

  03-12-2015 21:31
  
  The RAF's role in the campaign against Islamic State is tactically and strategically important thanks to its "special capabilities" and was not just symbolic, says a coalition spokesman. Tornado jets attacked an oilfield controlled by the militants in Syria hours after MPs voted to back UK bombing raids. Colonel Steve Warren told Sky News: "The Tornado is a fantastic all-weather aircraft", adding the RAF has "tremendous reconnaissance capabilities" and will help to "degrade the enemy's war-
  
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• Labour leadership condemns 'abuse and intimidation' targeting MPs in Syria row

  03-12-2015 21:13
  
  Labour's most senior figures have appealed for calm after bitter infighting continued following the party's split over bombing in Syria.
  
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• Police hunt masked knifeman who demanded cash from girl, 9

  03-12-2015 20:17
  
  A masked knifeman is being hunted by police after he approached a nine-year-old girl and demanded money.
  
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• EU's Tusk says deal to keep Britain in could come in February

  03-12-2015 20:14
  
  By Gabriela Baczynska and Kylie MacLellan BRUSSELS/LONDON (Reuters) - European Union leaders could clinch a deal with British Prime Minister David Cameron in February to prevent the bloc's second largest economy leaving, European Council President Donald Tusk said on Thursday. Cameron is seeking to renegotiate Britain's relationship with the bloc it joined in 1973 ahead of a referendum on membership to be held by the end of 2017. Some EU leaders are wary of agreeing to all of his demands, howeve
  
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• Saving migratory birds needs worldwide action, says study

  03-12-2015 20:00
  
  Global action is needed to save the world's migratory birds, many of which are at risk of extinction due to habitat loss along their flight paths, say experts.
  
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• Human skeleton found at Haydock school given burial service

  03-12-2015 19:26
  
  Pupils formed a guard of honour before a burial service for a school lab skeleton.
  
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• Cameron 'does not expect' to reach agreement on EU reforms at December summit

  03-12-2015 19:25
  
  A deal on the UK's demands for European Union reforms could be sealed in February after David Cameron was forced to accept an agreement could not be reached this month.
  
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• Alan Yentob quits as BBC creative director after scrutiny over charity role

  03-12-2015 19:09
  
  Alan Yentob has stepped down as BBC creative director, saying that his role at failed charity Kids Company was a "serious distraction".
  
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• Missing Light Aircraft Search Suspended

  03-12-2015 19:05
  
  A search for a light aircraft which went missing off the coast of Blackpool has been suspended due to failing light. The plane was travelling from the Isle of Man to Blackpool Airport with just the pilot on board, Lancashire Police said. A spokesperson for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said: "We got a call at 9.17am from police, the information given was that (there was) a light aircraft on route from the Isle of Man to Blackpool Airport with one person on board, obviously the pilot.
  
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• Sea search for missing Blackpool-bound light aircraft suspended

  03-12-2015 18:55
  
  The search for a missing light aircraft believed to have ditched into the sea off Blackpool has been suspended due to failing light.
  
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• We must be patient and persistent, warns PM after RAF's first Syria strikes

  03-12-2015 18:50
  
  Bearing down on Islamic State will require patience and persistence, David Cameron has warned, after RAF war planes mounted their first strikes against the extremists in their Syrian heartlands.
  
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• Identity Parade Helps Convict Sheep Rustlers

  03-12-2015 18:43
  
  Two farmers are facing prison after police held an identity parade to reunite stolen sheep with their owners. Charles Raine, 66, and his nephew Phillip, 46, were convicted of stealing the sheep by a jury at Teesside Crown Court. But 16 farmers from both sides of the Pennines picked out 116 sheep that belonged to them.
  
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• Men's weight affecting sperm genes 'could make children overweight'

  03-12-2015 18:00
  
  Sins of the fathers really can be passed on to their children as a result of a man's weight affecting the genes in his sperm, research suggests.
  
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• Theresa May's refusal to grant Egyptian family citizenship 'beyond scope' of law

  03-12-2015 17:50
  
  The Home Secretary's decision to refuse British citizenship to family members of a failed asylum seeker assessed to be an Islamist extremist has been overturned by the High Court.
  
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• IRA Disappeared Victim Shot In Head - Inquest

  03-12-2015 17:45
  
  A man whose remains were found in a bog in Ireland last year had been shot in the head in 1978, an inquest into his death has heard. Brendan Megraw was one of the so-called IRA Disappeared, a term given to people thought to have been abducted, murdered and secretly buried during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Dublin Coroner's Court heard the IRA admitted in 1999 to killing Mr Megraw and how his body was found in a drainage ditch on Oristown bog, near Kells, Co Meath in 2014.
  
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• EU reforms: PM accepts there will be no deal at this month's summit

  03-12-2015 17:21
  
  David Cameron has accepted that he will not get agreement on his EU renegotiation at this month's Brussels summit.
  
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• Got Ewe! Sheep rustlers convicted after failing to pull wool over jury's eyes

  03-12-2015 17:08
  
  Two members of the same farming family found with more than 100 stolen sheep were facing jail after police reunited the ewes with their rightful owners using identity parades.
  
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• Manchester City footballer Yaya Toure escapes driving ban after speeding offence

  03-12-2015 17:01
  
  Manchester City star Yaya Toure has escaped a driving ban with magistrates handing him six penalty points after he admitted speeding up to 101mph on a motorway in a turbo-charged Porsche.
  
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• British-built probe blasts off on 'unique European space mission'

  03-12-2015 16:50
  
  A British-built probe that will help to open a new window on the universe has blasted off from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
  
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• Courts charge on criminals scrapped by Justice Secretary Michael Gove

  03-12-2015 16:46
  
  A charge levied on convicted criminals will be scrapped within weeks following an avalanche of criticism.
  
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• Call Centres To Close With Loss Of 700 Jobs

  03-12-2015 16:41
  
  Two call centres run by operator Webhelp on behalf of retailer Shop Direct are to close with the loss of 700 jobs, the firm said. It said a site in Bolton would close next year while another in Aintree will shut in 2017. The sites operate for Shop Direct, the online retailer whose brands include Very.
  
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• PM Cameron does not expect EU reform deal in December - spokeswoman

  03-12-2015 16:39
  
  British Prime Minister David Cameron told German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday he did not expect to reach a deal on his planned EU reforms at December's European Council meeting, his spokeswoman said. Cameron has promised to renegotiate Britain's EU ties before holding a referendum on membership of the bloc by the end of 2017, but is struggling to convince other EU countries that all of his demands are reasonable. The spokeswoman said Cameron and Merkel agreed that good progress had been
  
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• Pregnant Woman Tried To Fight Off Stamp Attack

  03-12-2015 16:27
  
  Malorie Bantala, 22, was eight months pregnant when she was stamped and kicked outside her home in Peckham, south London. She told the Old Bailey how Kevin Wilson and an accomplice came out from behind bushes wearing crash helmets and scarves pulled up to their eyes. The attack "felt like ages" said Miss Bantala, whose baby boy was killed in the attack and had to be delivered stillborn by caesarean section.
  
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• Churchill Less Than Statesmanlike Over Bills

  03-12-2015 15:56
  
  Winston Churchill, probably the best-known British Prime Minister of the 20th century, once fell out with his tailor over unpaid bills. The man who did so much to encourage the country during World War Two had, in 1937, run up a bill of £197 - around £12,000 in today's money - with Savile Row tailor Henry Poole and Co by the time he was asked to pay up. The politician was so enraged by the request that he took offence, refused to settle the bill and never went to Poole's again.
  
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• Paramedic Students Make Brilliant Christmas Tree From Rubber Gloves

  03-12-2015 15:52
  
  Sometimes you just have to improvise...
  
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• UK wartime leader Winston Churchill refused to pay his tailor's bills

  03-12-2015 15:29
  
  Refusal to pay the bills of one's tailor was famously almost a point of honour among English gentlemen in past centuries and Winston Churchill was no exception, newly released archives show. Britain's World War Two leader had racked up a bill of 197 pounds by 1937 - around 12,000 pounds at today's prices - with Savile Row tailor Henry Poole and Co before he was finally asked to pay up. Despite the arrears, the tailor had continued to make clothes for Churchill, said James Sherwood, a historian w
  
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• Refugee Family's Citizenship Veto Unlawful

  03-12-2015 15:22
  
  The Home Secretary acted unlawfully by refusing British citizenship to the family of a failed asylum seeker, a judge has ruled. Ms May vetoed the request in 2014 to "deter potential extremists from involvement in extremist activity", declaring British citizenship was a privilege, not a right. But Mr Justice Ouseley declared the man's family, who have lived in Britain for more than 20 years, were themselves innocent of extremist behaviour and there was no law that allowed citizenship to be denied
  
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• Insurance Firms May Have To Help Compare

  03-12-2015 15:10
  
  Insurance firms may be forced to give people a comparison between their previous premium and their renewal quote. Proposals by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), aimed at helping consumers shop around for a better deal on their insurance, could come into force as early as March 2017. The plans follow concerns that many people are paying more to stay with the same firm for coverage such as motor, home, pet and medical insurance.
  
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• Britain joins Syria air war; Putin vows more sanctions on Turkey

  03-12-2015 14:49
  
  By Guy Faulconbridge and Andrew Osborn LONDON/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Britain joined U.S.-led air strikes against Islamic State in Syria on Thursday, but Vladimir Putin issued bitter new denunciations of Turkey for shooting down a Russian plane, demonstrating the limits to international solidarity. British Tornado jets took off from the Royal Air Force base at Akrotiri in Cyprus before dawn, hours after parliament in London voted 397-223 to support Prime Minister David Cameron's plan to extend air st
  
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• Mother spared jail 'by a whisker' after lies about Primark security guard

  03-12-2015 14:43
  
  A mother has avoided jail "by a whisker" after lying about a Primark security guard taking her baby from her while she was breastfeeding.
  
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• Selfies under scrutiny at London show

  03-12-2015 14:42
  
  By Farah Nayeri LONDON (Reuters) - People in London smile the least in their selfies while Moscow's selfie takers are predominantly women dressed to the nines, says a researcher involved in setting up a London show about selfies.     For its new exhibition "Big Bang Data", Somerset House has commissioned "Selfiecity London," a spotlight on 640 selfies selected out of a total of 152,462 public Instagram images taken in a single week in September in a 5-sq-km (2-sq-mile) radius arou
  
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• Home Secretary's refusal to grant Egyptian family UK citizenship ruled unlawful

  03-12-2015 14:17
  
  The Home Secretary's decision to refuse British citizenship to the wife and children of a failed asylum seeker as a "deterrent" to extremists has been declared unlawful by the High Court.
  
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• Syria air strikes: This will take patience and persistence, says David Cameron

  03-12-2015 14:02
  
  The operation to degrade Islamic State will require patience and persistence, David Cameron has warned, as RAF warplanes mounted their first strikes against the extremists in their Syrian heartlands.
  
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• Cancer 'may have adverse impact on heart function'

  03-12-2015 14:00
  
  Cancer may cause damage to the heart, according to new research.
  
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• Voters Go To Polls In Oldham By-Election

  03-12-2015 13:53
  
  Voters are going to the polls in Oldham West and Royton - a seat Labour has held for almost 50 years.
  
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• Benefit curbs for new arrivals at heart of David Cameron pitch for EU reform

  03-12-2015 13:51
  
  David Cameron's demand for a benefits curb for newly arrived workers from the European Union remains a "core part" of his re-negotiating strategy, Downing Street has said.
  
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• Labour splits exposed as John McDonnell warns on Hilary Benn speech

  03-12-2015 13:42
  
  Bitter divisions within the Labour Party over the war in Syria came to the fore in the wake of Wednesday's Commons vote, as shadow chancellor John McDonnell took a swipe at the impassioned speech in favour of bombing delivered by Hilary Benn.
  
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• McDonald's Faces EU Inquiry Into Tax Deals

  03-12-2015 13:39
  
  McDonald's is the latest multi-national firm to face an EU inquiry into its tax arrangements. Competition regulators confirmed a formal investigation into whether the fast-food chain's activities in Luxembourg constitute state aid. McDonald's has been accused by campaigners of avoiding around €1bn in tax over four years by channelling revenues from its restaurants through a division based in the country.
  
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• Review of security for MPs urged after abuse of those backing bombing in Syria

  03-12-2015 13:35
  
  Anti-war protesters bombarding MPs with images of dead babies and severed heads have prompted Commons calls for a review of politicians' security.
  
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• Jogger Dies After Falling In Front Of Lorry

  03-12-2015 13:29
  
  A jogger has died after he apparently fell from a grass verge and was hit by an oncoming lorry.
  
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• Criminal courts charge to be scrapped from December 24

  03-12-2015 13:29
  
  A controversial courts charge levied on criminals is to be scrapped within weeks, Michael Gove has confirmed.
  
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• EC probing McDonald's over claims of 'sweetheart' tax deal with Luxembourg

  03-12-2015 13:28
  
  Fast food chain McDonald's is being investigated by European authorities over allegations it struck a "sweetheart" tax deal with Luxembourg.
  
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• Alan Yentob Quits BBC Role Over Kids Company Row

  03-12-2015 13:28
  
  Alan Yentob has said the speculation about his role at the failed charity Kids Company means he can no longer continue as BBC creative director. Mr Yentob, who was chairman of trustees at the charity, has stepped down from his role at the corporation. He has always insisted there was no conflict of interest in his decision to call Newsnight about its investigation into Kids Company and had not "abused my position at the BBC".
  
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• Missing Aircraft 'May Have Ditched Into Sea'

  03-12-2015 13:13
  
  A search is under way for a light aircraft which has gone missing off the coast of Blackpool. The plane was travelling from the Isle of Man to Blackpool Airport with just the pilot on board, Lancashire Police said. A spokesperson for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said: "We got a call at 9.17am from police, the information given was that (there was) a light aircraft on route from the Isle of Man to Blackpool Airport with one person on board, obviously the pilot.
  
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