General news

• Poppy Day Plotter’s '77911' Terror Phone Code

  14-12-2015 23:01
  
  A man found guilty of plotting a Remembrance Sunday terror attack used the mobile phone pass code 77911 - a reference to the London and Twin Towers attacks, police have said. Nadir Syed, 22, planned to carry out an execution in London last year in a bid to copy Lee Rigby's brutal killing, Woolwich Crown Court heard. Jurors were told Syed - inspired by an Islamic State fatwa - was obsessed with the murder of Fusilier Rigby, who was hacked to death by two extremists in Woolwich 
  
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• Two thirds of police forces 'letting down vulnerable victims'

  14-12-2015 23:00
  
  More than two thirds of police forces in England and Wales are letting down vulnerable victims, a new report suggests.
  
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• Firearms Officer To Be Suspended Over Shooting

  14-12-2015 22:00
  
  A police firearms officer is to be suspended and could face prosecution over the fatal shooting of a man in north London. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said it has launched a criminal homicide investigation. This could see the police face murder or manslaughter charges over Mr Baker's death, which happened near Wood Green Crown Court.
  
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• Amazon 'Pulls Hoverboards Amid Safety Fears'

  14-12-2015 21:31
  
  Amazon's UK website appears to have stopped selling hoverboards pending safety reviews amid fears some models could explode or catch fire. But earlier this month it was revealed National Trading Standards (NTS) have confiscated 15,000 of them at ports and airports around the UK since October over concerns about cheap and dangerous imitations. Chargers, cabling and batteries were also found to fail safety standards.
  
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• DJ Fox Emotional As He Is Cleared In Sex Trial

  14-12-2015 21:23
  
  DJ Neil Fox says he has had a "long and arduous journey" after being found not guilty of all the indecent and sexual assault charges against him. The former Pop Idol judge had always denied the 10 allegations, which related to six women. He broke down in tears as the verdict was read out at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London.
  
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• DJ Neil Fox cleared of sex abuse charges

  14-12-2015 21:05
  
  Radio DJ Neil Fox shared a kiss with his wife and declared that he "cannot wait to be broadcasting again" after being cleared of all charges in his sex abuse trial.
  
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• Scotland Bill: Governments agree to final fiscal rules deal deadline

  14-12-2015 21:00
  
  The Scottish and UK governments have agreed that a final deal on the fiscal rules accompanying the Scotland Bill should be in place by February, Nicola Sturgeon said following a meeting at Downing Street.
  
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• Firearms officer could be prosecuted over fatal shooting

  14-12-2015 20:20
  
  A police firearms officer will be suspended and could face prosecution for murder after a man was shot dead during an alleged attempt to spring two convicts from a prison van.
  
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• Presidential Hopeful On UK's Muslim 'Enclaves'

  14-12-2015 20:19
  
  Republican presidential hopeful Ben Carson has told Sky News that London must decide if it is "happy" with "multiple Sharia courts and enclaves of people who have a different way of living". Asked if he agreed with Republican front-runner Donald Trump that Europe, and in particular London, has a "Muslim problem", the retired neurosurgeon said: "I guess it depends on what Europe wants, I guess it depends what London wants. After being criticised for an interview in which he suggested there were "
  
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• Hatton Garden ringleader 'slept in his mother's dressing gown and a fez hat'

  14-12-2015 20:10
  
  One of the Hatton Garden raid ringleaders was obsessed with crime and would sleep in his mum's dressing gown and a fez hat, a court heard.
  
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• Devolution finance deal 'by February'

  14-12-2015 20:05 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Nicola Sturgeon says a framework for devolution of more powers on tax and welfare to Scotland should be agreed by February after meeting David Cameron at Downing Street.
  
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• UK government warns Sports Direct it will act if wage laws flouted

  14-12-2015 19:51
  
  Sports Direct , the British sportswear retailer controlled by high profile businessman Mike Ashley, came under fire in the British parliament on Monday over allegations it has not been paying the minimum wage. The FTSE 100 company has been in the spotlight after the Guardian newspaper reported last Thursday that lengthy and unpaid security checks of staff at its main warehouse in Shirebrook, central England, meant that some workers effectively earned less than legal levels. Sports Direct said on
  
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• Cable: Ministers Should Buy Rolls-Royce Stake

  14-12-2015 19:13
  
  Ministers should look at acquiring an economic interest in Rolls-Royce Holdings which goes beyond its existing 'golden share' in the company, according to Sir Vince Cable, the former business secretary. Speaking exclusively to Sky News, Sir Vince argued that Rolls-Royce presented a case for Government intervention which was "much stronger" than that of AstraZeneca, the pharmaceuticals giant that last year rebuffed an unsolicited takeover bid from Pfizer, its US rival. One of the ideas under disc
  
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• Peers defeat Labour's votes at 16 bid

  14-12-2015 19:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The government defeats a fresh bid by Labour to lower the EU referendum voting age to 16, as legislation paving the way for the poll is approved by Parliament.
  
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• Girl Charged With Killing Her Newborn Baby

  14-12-2015 18:42
  
  A 15-year-old girl has been charged with killing her own baby after giving birth.
  
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• Cleared DJ Neil Fox 'can't wait to return to broadcasting'

  14-12-2015 18:37
  
  Radio DJ Neil Fox said he "cannot wait to be broadcasting again" after being cleared of all charges in his sex abuse trial.
  
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• DJ Fox Emotional After Cleared Of Sex Charges

  14-12-2015 18:35
  
  DJ Neil Fox says he has had a "long and arduous journey" after being found not guilty of all the indecent and sexual assault charges against him. The former Pop Idol judge had always denied the nine allegations, which related to six women.
  
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• UK can get EU reform agreement in all target areas - Europe minister

  14-12-2015 18:23
  
  There is a way to go on the renegotiation of Britain's relationship with the European Union but a "good agreement" can be reached in all the areas Britain is targeting, Europe minister David Lidington said on Monday. Prime Minister David Cameron has promised to reform Britain's EU ties before a membership referendum by the end of 2017 but his plans to curb some welfare payments to EU migrant workers have proved a particular stumbling block. "There is a way to go but I think we can get a good agr
  
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• HBOS investigation should have included CEO Hornby, lawyer says

  14-12-2015 18:22
  
  By Huw Jones and Steve Slater LONDON (Reuters) - An investigation into the former bosses of collapsed British bank HBOS was "materially flawed" and should have also scrutinised ex-chief executive Andy Hornby, a lawyer who wrote a report on the failure said on Monday. HBOS, which traded under the brands Halifax and Bank of Scotland, had to be rescued in a government-engineered takeover by Lloyds, which subsequently needed a 20 billion pound taxpayer bailout of its own. Andrew Green, the lawyer wh
  
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• Man Guilty Of Planning Poppy Day Terror Attack

  14-12-2015 18:17
  
  Inspired by an Islamic State fatwa, Nadir Syed, 22, planned to carry out an execution in a bid to copy soldier Lee Rigby's brutal killing, Woolwich Crown Court heard. Jurors were told Syed was obsessed with the murder of Fusilier Rigby, who was hacked to death by two Islamist extremists near Woolwich barracks in 2013. Syed was fixated by violence and knives and "unnaturally interested in murders and beheadings", his six-week trial heard.
  
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• Raid on 'Europe's biggest drug dealer'

  14-12-2015 18:15 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Dramatic footage from Spain shows a raid on the home of a British man accused of running Europe's largest drug-trafficking network.
  
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• Fallon promises 'bigger' Royal Navy

  14-12-2015 18:10 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Increased spending will result in a "bigger" Royal Navy, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon says, as he announces new £13.5m shipbuilding contract.
  
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• Father 'very disappointed' as MoD fails to submit Deepcut documents

  14-12-2015 18:03
  
  The Ministry of Defence has failed to submit crucial documents before a deadline in the case of a young solider who died at Deepcut Barracks.
  
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• Medics sentenced for boy's death

  14-12-2015 18:02 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A doctor and nurse who "seriously neglected" a six-year-old boy who died in hospital are given suspended sentences for his manslaughter.
  
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• VIDEO: CCTV 'shows theft of Christmas trees'

  14-12-2015 18:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Police have released CCTV footage which they say shows almost 200 Christmas trees being stolen from a south Manchester shop
  
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• VIDEO: Neil Fox: 'Today I have been vindicated'

  14-12-2015 17:43 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The radio DJ Dr Fox has been cleared of all charges of sexually and indecently abusing young fans and colleagues.
  
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• DJ Neil Fox cleared of sex assaults

  14-12-2015 17:31 via bbc.co.uk
  
  DJ Neil Fox is cleared of sexually and indecently abusing young fans and colleagues, after what he describes as a "long and arduous" trial.
  
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• Jihadist convicted of plotting Remembrance Day attack

  14-12-2015 17:20
  
  A jihadist who was inspired by an Islamic State fatwa to plot a Lee Rigby-style terrorist attack around Remembrance Day has been found guilty of planning an act of terror, it can now be reported.
  
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• Man guilty of IS-inspired knife plan

  14-12-2015 17:18 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A man is convicted of preparing to carry out a knife attack in London, having been inspired by a fatwa issued by the leaders of so-called Islamic State.
  
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• VIDEO: Shaker Aamer: My first words to my wife

  14-12-2015 17:16 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Shaker Aamer speaks to the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire about his homecoming, after being held in Guantanamo Bay without trial for nearly 14 years.
  
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• RSPCA Appeal Over Video Of Man Punching Dog

  14-12-2015 17:10
  
  Footage of a man repeatedly punching a dog has been released by the RSPCA in a bid for information. The violent assault on the terrified dog, which is believed to be an American bulldog, was recorded on a street in Lancashire by a member of the public who reported it to the RSCPA. The RSPCA have issued an appeal for witnesses who may know the man or the whereabouts of the dog.
  
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• Pastor On Trial Over 'Satanic Islam' Sermon

  14-12-2015 17:03
  
  An evangelical pastor has gone on trial in Northern Ireland accused of making "grossly offensive" remarks about Islam. Pastor James McConnell, 78, denies two charges relating to a sermon he preached at his church last year. Belfast Magistrates Court was told he had described Islam as "satanic", "heathen" and "a doctrine spawned in hell".
  
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• The Onesie For Horses: Shetland Pony Snuggles Up In A ‘Foursie’

  14-12-2015 16:54
  
  Dubbed the “foursie”, the piece of clothing is a snug fit on Daffy, who received his new threads as a gift from Ascot Racecourse.
  
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• Jones overhauls England backroom

  14-12-2015 16:45 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Coaches Mike Catt, Andy Farrell and Graham Rowntree leave the England set-up, following head coach Eddie Jones' arrival.
  
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• Girl accused of killing newborn baby

  14-12-2015 16:45 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A 15-year-old girl appears in court accused of killing her baby shortly after giving birth.
  
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• Car crash driver murdered cyclist

  14-12-2015 16:37 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A motorist who deliberately crashed his car into a cyclist admits murder.
  
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• Osborne accused of 'buckling to pressure' from banks on accountability

  14-12-2015 16:25
  
  Chancellor George Osborne has been accused of "buckling to pressure" from the big banks after it emerged he is planning to water down a tough accountability measure introduced in the wake of the financial crash.
  
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• Bridgend nurses jailed after making up blood sugar readings for patients

  14-12-2015 16:25
  
  Two senior nurses have been jailed after they made up blood sugar readings of vulnerable patients at a hospital in Wales.
  
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• VIDEO: Harry makes Diana HIV hospital visit

  14-12-2015 16:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Prince Harry follows in his mother's footsteps with a visit to Mildmay, a dedicated HIV hospital and charity in east London.
  
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• Hatton Garden Raider 'Slept In A Fez Hat'

  14-12-2015 16:00
  
  A man who admitted playing a role in the Hatton Garden jewellery heist was "eccentric to extremes" and went to bed wearing his mother's dressing gown and a fez hat, a court heard. Daniel Jones, 60, would speak to his terrier dog Rocket as if it were human and he was obsessed with crime and personal fitness, his friend of 30 years, Carl Wood, told Woolwich Crown Court. Wood said: "Danny is a very sensitive guy, a very funny man, eccentric to extremes.
  
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• Harry visits Diana-backed HIV hospital

  14-12-2015 15:47 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Prince Harry follows in the footsteps of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, and visits a HIV hospital that was supported by her.
  
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• Four Remanded Over 'Prison Van Break Plot'

  14-12-2015 15:44
  
  Nathan Mason, Gokay Sogucakli, Ozcan Eren and Eren Hasyer were detained following a police operation near Wood Green Crown Court in north London on 11 December. A 28-year-old man from Tottenham, named in reports as Jermaine Baker, was killed after being shot by a police officer at the scene. The four defendants have all been accused of trying to help Izzet Eren, 32, and Erwin Amoyaw-Gyamfi, 29, escape on their way to the court on Friday.
  
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• Britain ready to consider alternatives to curb migration says Hammond

  14-12-2015 15:33
  
  Britain is ready to consider alternative measures to control EU migration amid widespread opposition to a proposed curb on benefits, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has said.
  
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• VIDEO: Mum's hospital care was a 'catastrophe'

  14-12-2015 15:32 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Three nurses who admitted wilfully neglecting vulnerable patients on a stroke ward have been sentenced.
  
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• EU to launch new border force plan

  14-12-2015 15:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Controversial plans for an EU Border and Coast Guard force are almost ready, in an EU drive to stem the influx of migrants.
  
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• Nurses jailed over faked results

  14-12-2015 14:54 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Two nurses are jailed and a third given a community sentence for faking blood glucose test results on patients.
  
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• X Factor viewing figures down despite big name stars

  14-12-2015 14:52
  
  The X Factor's final viewing figures were down compared to last year, despite performances by some of the biggest names in showbiz.
  
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• Businessman condemns tree thieves who 'almost ruined Christmas'

  14-12-2015 14:52
  
  A businessman who had 190 Christmas trees stolen from him has said that the callous thieves "almost ruined" Christmas for his customers.
  
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• Hatton Garden raider 'like Walter Mitty'

  14-12-2015 14:44 via bbc.co.uk
  
  One of the Hatton Garden raid ringleaders was "eccentric to extremes" and a "bit of a Walter Mitty", a court is told.
  
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• X Factor final recovers with 8.4m viewers

  14-12-2015 14:32 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The X Factor final results show is watched by 8.4 million viewers, an improvement on the programme's recent ratings, but still down on last year's final.
  
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