General news

• PM Calls Emergency Meeting After North Flooded

  26-12-2015 23:55
  
  David Cameron is to chair an emergency meeting as almost 10,000 homes remain without power following unprecedented rainfall in the north of England. Floods Minister Rory Stewart said rainfall in some areas reached levels "nobody's ever seen before" on Boxing Day - and another day of heavy rain is expected on Sunday. The Environment Agency has issued 31 red flood warnings - signifying a "danger to life" - for Lancashire and Yorkshire.
  
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• Foreign Shoppers Help Boost Boxing Day Sales

  26-12-2015 22:18
  
  Millions of shoppers descended on the high street for the Boxing Day sales - with wealthy Chinese tourists helping to bump up takings. Jace Tyrrell, chief executive of New West End Company, which represents retailers in Bond Street, Regent Street and Oxford Street, said wealthy tourists were fuelling sales. "We are in the West End, which is a huge international draw, so we see a lot of international shoppers here - 50% of our shoppers are tourists, particularly from China, the Middle East and th
  
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• PM to chair Cobra meeting as homes evacuated amid flooding

  26-12-2015 22:15
  
  Prime Minister David Cameron will chair an emergency flood meeting as thousands of homes across the north of England experienced the effects of widespread flooding.
  
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• Bumper takings as millions hit Boxing Day sales

  26-12-2015 21:27
  
  Millions of bargain-hunters have descended on the high street for the Boxing Day sales - with wealthy Chinese tourists helping to fuel bumper takings.
  
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• EastEnders murder a case of mistaken identity

  26-12-2015 21:16
  The answer to which Walford resident would not survive Christmas was answered in grisly fashion as a tragic case of mistaken identity led to a Boxing Day murder in EastEnders.
  
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• New console owners unable to log on to PlayStation Network

  26-12-2015 21:08
  A glitch has stolen Christmas, according to owners of new PlayStations.
  
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• Shoppers flee after 'machete fight' in shopping centre

  26-12-2015 20:46
  
  Boxing Day shoppers have told how they ran "for their lives" after a group of youths had a fight believed to have involved a 2ft-long machete.
  
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• Armed Police Sent To Bromley Shopping Centre

  26-12-2015 19:58
  
  Armed police have been called to a shopping centre in south London after reports of a man wielding a machete. One officer was holding a 2ft-long machete. The panic in Intu shopping centre, which used to be known as The Glades, in Bromley, was apparently sparked by a fight between two men armed with knives.
  
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• Downton Abbey bosses deny show ending due to Dame Maggie Smith exit

  26-12-2015 17:29
  Downton Abbey bosses have denied reports the show ended because they could not secure Dame Maggie Smith for a seventh series.
  
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• Man dies after being pulled out of Bridlington Harbour on Christmas Day

  26-12-2015 17:13
  A man has drowned after being pulled out of the water at Bridlington Harbour on Christmas Day.
  
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• Woman dies in hospital on Christmas Day after being hit by car

  26-12-2015 16:48
  A woman died on Christmas Day after being hit by a car whose driver failed to stop.
  
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• Shoppers brave wind and rain to hit Boxing Day sales

  26-12-2015 16:48
  Thousands of bargain hunters have hit the stores to take advantage of discounts of up to 70% in the Boxing Day sales.
  
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• Police offer £1,000 reward in missing person inquiry

  26-12-2015 16:48
  
  Police in Lincolnshire have taken an "unusual step" in offering a £1,000 reward for information about a missing person.
  
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• Murder probe launched after man dies in Christmas Day fire

  26-12-2015 16:48
  Detectives have launched a murder investigation after a man in his 60s died in a house fire on Christmas Day.
  
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• Man, 52, arrested in fatal stabbing inquiry

  26-12-2015 16:48
  
  A 52-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a man was stabbed to death on Boxing Day.
  
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• Atlantic Challenge rowers celebrate Christmas at sea

  26-12-2015 16:48
  
  Four British women attempting to break an Atlantic rowing record have celebrated Christmas at sea with carols and cheer.
  
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• Father And Child Killed In Christmas Day Crash

  26-12-2015 16:47
  A father and his three-year-old child have been killed in a Christmas Day car crash.
  
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• Torrential rain brings flooding to northern England

  26-12-2015 16:23
  
  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Meteorological Office issued two of its most severe weather warnings on Saturday after days of torrential rain in northern England caused rivers to burst their banks and flood several villages.
  
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• Man and three-year-old child die in Christmas Day car crash

  26-12-2015 15:38
  
  A man and child have died in a car crash on Christmas Day.
  
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• Tourist influx helping to fuel Boxing-Day sales push

  26-12-2015 14:29
  
  Millions of bargain hunters have descended on the high street for the Boxing Day sales - with wealthy Chinese tourists helping to fuel record takings at shops.
  
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• Sports Minister: Consign Fox Hunting To History

  26-12-2015 14:15
  
  The sports minister has said that parliament has "better things to be concerned with" than holding a vote on repealing the Hunting Act. Tracey Crouch said fox hunting is a "pursuit from the past" that should be "consigned to history", despite a government pledge for a free vote on the issue. With Boxing Day hunts taking place, a new poll suggests that more than 80% of the public oppose legalising hunting with dogs again.
  
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• Severe flood warnings double as UK lashed by downpours

  26-12-2015 13:46
  
  The number of severe flood warnings has doubled in the last hour as hundreds of residents were evacuated from their homes.
  
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• 'Danger To Life' Flood Warnings For The North

  26-12-2015 13:14
  
  Rare red flood warnings - the severest possible, signifying a "danger to life" - have been issued for Lancashire and Yorkshire today. Floods Minister Rory Stewart said that rainfall levels in the flood-hit areas were unprecedented. By 10am, residents in some Lancashire villages were pictured desperately bailing out water from their homes, with buckets.
  
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• Floods: 'It's Getting Worse And Worse'

  26-12-2015 13:08
  
  Speaking to Sky News' Frazer Maude, Ms Brown said: "I've never seen it as bad as this - it's heartbreaking. "It's just been non-stop rain - it's been getting gradually worse and worse as the morning's gone on.
  
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• You're doing a cracking job, William tells Antarctic explorer

  26-12-2015 12:49
  The Duke of Cambridge has sent a Christmas message to an explorer trekking to the South Pole, and told him "you are doing a cracking job".
  
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• Top EU officials 'cost taxpayers more than £50m in pay and perks'

  26-12-2015 12:33
  Ukip has accused the European Union of protecting the pay and perks of its top officials whilst forcing member states to impose painful spending cuts.
  
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• Downton Abbey wins Christmas Day ratings battle

  26-12-2015 12:33
  The final episode of Downton Abbey beat Strictly Come Dancing's Christmas Special to win the battle of the Christmas Day ratings, as 6.6 million tuned in to wish a fond farewell to the Crawleys.
  
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• Met Office issues red weather warning amid flooding in Lancashire and Yorkshire

  26-12-2015 12:23
  
  A second red weather warning - danger to life - has been issued by the Met Office as Lancashire and Yorkshire are hit by severe floods.
  
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• Sir Ben Ainslie joins fight to save oysters in Solent

  26-12-2015 11:45
  The collapse of the multimillion-pound oyster fishing industry in the Solent is being tackled by Sir Ben Ainslie and his America's Cup racing team.
  
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• Man and child killed in Christmas Day car crash

  26-12-2015 11:45
  A man and child have died in a car crash on Christmas Day.
  
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• Bargain hunters kick off £3bn Boxing Day sales frenzy

  26-12-2015 11:23
  
  Bargain hunters started queuing early this morning for the Boxing Day sales as experts predicted 22 million people will hit the shops today.
  
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• Severe Rainfall May Last Till Wednesday

  26-12-2015 11:06
  
  Floods and dangerous driving conditions are expected today across southern Scotland, northern England and north Wales. Lancashire, Cumbria, west Yorkshire and north Wales are most at risk from disruption. That's not as intense as the rainfall event which brought the severe impacts earlier in the month (341mm fell at Honister Pass on 5 December).
  
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• FTSE rollercoaster leaves investors out of pocket

  26-12-2015 11:05
  The FTSE 100 Index has been on a rollercoaster ride in 2015 that ultimately left investors unsteady on their feet and out of pocket.
  
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• 'Danger To Life' Flood Warnings For Lancashire

  26-12-2015 09:06
  
  Rare red flood warnings - the severest possible, signifying a "danger to life" - have been issued for Lancashire today. People in Lancashire have been urged not to travel, after seven red flood warnings were issued by the Environment Agency and the Met Office. Referring to Lancashire, the Met Office said: "Very severe weather conditions are expected.
  
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• Severe flood warnings issued as more rain lashes Britain

  26-12-2015 08:39
  
  Severe flood warnings are in place as rain lashes parts of Britain prompting a vast operation that saw the Army on the streets of Cumbria.
  
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• Severe Flood Warnings As Cumbria Braces For Rain

  26-12-2015 04:51
  
  Flood-hit communities in Cumbria are bracing for almost five inches of rainfall today as further downpours test sandbag defences deployed by Army troops. The Environment Agency (EA) has also issued five severe flood warnings for Lancashire - two for the River Ribble and three for the River Calder - meaning severe flooding is expected to pose a danger to life. A further 72 flood warnings are in place for regions across England and Wales, meaning flooding is expected, and another 113 flood alerts
  
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• Radiohead: We Were Asked To Write Bond Theme

  26-12-2015 04:51
  
  Radiohead have revealed they were asked to write a song for Spectre before the task was eventually handed to Sam Smith. It is not clear why their track, which they have released for free on Soundcloud, did not make it into the 26th Bond film. However, it was Sam Smith who did the honours with Writing's On The Wall.
  
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• Severe flood warnings issued with Storm Eva approaching

  26-12-2015 04:35
  
  Severe flood warnings are in place as Storm Eva sweeps in prompting a vast operation that saw the Army on the streets of Cumbria.
  
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• Boxing Day Shoppers To Spend £3.74bn On Sales

  26-12-2015 03:07
  Many major retailers began their sales online on Christmas Eve, although the high street is still hoping for a record turnover this Boxing Day. Shoppers are predicted to spend a total of £3.74bn in the Boxing Day sales, up 6% on last year, according to figures from VoucherCodes.co.uk and the Centre for Retail Research. Britons have already spent more than £700m on Christmas Day .
  
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• Avoid A&E Unless 'Absolutely Necessary'

  26-12-2015 02:06
  
  Senior doctors are warning people to stay away from A&E departments over the Christmas period unless it is "absolutely necessary". A recent report by the Nuffield Trust said emergency admissions to hospital due to alcohol have increased by more than 50% in six years. The number of people attending A&E with probable alcohol poisoning has doubled over the same period, the report adds.
  
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• Storm Eva set to test flood defences amid warnings of heavy rain

  26-12-2015 01:12
  
  Storm Eva is set to test flood defences deployed as part of a vast operation that saw the Army on the streets of Cumbria.
  
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• Opposition to legalising fox hunting at all-time high, poll shows

  26-12-2015 01:12
  
  The sports minister has suggested parliament has "better things to be concerned with" than fulfilling the government's pledge to hold a vote on repealing the Hunting Act.
  
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• Mother who helped refugees on her break to Kos returning next year

  26-12-2015 01:12
  
  A mother-of-three who spent her summer holiday to Kos helping refugees fleeing war-torn Syria has said she is planning on making the same trip next year.
  
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• Merger and acquisition activity among UK firms jumps to 15-year high

  26-12-2015 01:12
  
  Mega deals came back into fashion in the City last year, with chief executives becoming more confident as the drama of the financial crisis faded into the background.
  
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• Lower income households 'struggling to pay for accommodation'

  26-12-2015 01:12
  
  More than one in four of the poorest households has had difficulty paying for their accommodation in the last year, compared with just 7% of those in the top fifth by income, according to a new report.
  
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• 'Avoid A&E over Christmas', fit and healthy people told

  26-12-2015 01:12
  
  Top doctors have urged fit and healthy people not to go to A&E during the busy Christmas period unless "absolutely necessary".
  
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• Anti-terror programme, Prevent, 'lacking referrals from Muslim community'

  26-12-2015 01:12
  
  A fraction of referrals to a key Government anti-terror scheme are being made from within the Muslim community, according to reports.
  
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• 22 million shoppers set to splash out billions in Boxing Day spree

  26-12-2015 01:12
  
  Shoppers will hit the high street in their millions today to spend as much as £3.74 billion as stores reopen for the Boxing Day sales.
  
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• UK set to head western Europe's best-performing economies, report forecasts

  26-12-2015 01:07
  The UK is set to become the best performing economy in western Europe next year, and is likely to overtake powerhouses Germany and Japan in the 2030s, a report said today.
  
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