General news

• Floods preparedness rethink pledged as more downpours forecast

  28-12-2015 21:23
  
  The Environment Agency (EA) has promised a "complete rethink" of preparedness for flooding as Storm Frank threatens to bring more misery.
  
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• Philip Hammond praises RAF role as IS forced from Iraqi city Ramadi

  28-12-2015 20:49
  
  Islamic State's loss of Ramadi to Iraqi forces is a "significant blow" to the extremists, Philip Hammond said as he hailed the "key role" played by the RAF.
  
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• No British Europe, EU conservative leader says

  28-12-2015 20:28
  German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Bavarian allies will support British Prime Minister David Cameron if he wants to address Europe's weaknesses but do not want a British Europe, an EU conservative leader told a German newspaper. Britain is due to hold a referendum on whether to remain in the European Union by the end of 2017. After a meeting with Cameron earlier this month, the EU's political leaders agreed there must be a compromise to keep Britain in the bloc.
  
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• Christmas Confidential lets households get rid of unwanted gifts

  28-12-2015 19:47
  As another festive period draws to a close, many households across Britain will be determining fates for scores of unwanted gifts.
  
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• Care home manager convinced gunman to surrender weapon after fatal shooting

  28-12-2015 19:47
  
  The manager at a care home where an 81-year-old woman was shot dead has described how she convinced the alleged gunman to hand over his weapon.
  
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• Elderly Woman Shot Dead At Care Home Named

  28-12-2015 19:32
  
  An 81-year-old woman allegedly shot dead by a relative at a care home in Walton-on-the-Naze has been provisionally identified as Rita King, Essex Police said. Officers launched a murder investigation after finding the woman dead at the scene inside De La Mer House on Naze Park Road shortly after 9am. Local reports say the woman was shot and detectives say a revolver has been recovered and a man arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder remains in police custody. Essex Police said the man
  
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• Floods: Storm Frank To Bring More Wind And Rain

  28-12-2015 19:22
  
  The Met Office has issued more weather warnings for wind and heavy rain with Storm Frank forecast to sweep across much of the country on Tuesday into Wednesday. A statement released by the office said: "Storm Frank will bring gales or severe gales to western parts of the UK from Tuesday evening into Wednesday. "Gusts of 55-65 mph are likely quite widely, with gusts reaching 70-80 mph in exposed areas, particularly in northwest Scotland, and later Shetland.
  
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• Octogenarian shot dead by fellow care-home resident in Britain

  28-12-2015 18:42
  
  LONDON (Reuters) - A woman in her eighties was shot dead on Monday in a care home in an English seaside town, apparently by a fellow-resident, police said.
  
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• Call for national strategy to cut demand for electricity

  28-12-2015 18:30
  Political parties in Scotland should commit to a national strategy to help businesses and consumers reduce and manage their demand for electricity, environmental and energy groups have said.
  
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• Prince of Wales gives £2,000 to marching disputes church

  28-12-2015 18:28
  
  The Prince of Wales has donated £2,000 to a Catholic Church at the centre of bitter marching disputes involving Protestant loyal orders in Northern Ireland.
  
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• Shopping centre incident boy, 16, admits possessing machete

  28-12-2015 18:10
  
  A teenage boy accused of involvement in a Boxing Day row that sent shoppers running for their lives has admitted possessing a machete and been given bail.
  
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• Woman dies in care home 'shooting'

  28-12-2015 17:19 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A woman thought to be in her 80s dies after apparently being shot by a fellow octogenarian resident at a care home in Essex, police say.
  
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• Shotgun injuries man targeted deliberately, police say

  28-12-2015 17:15
  A man found with shotgun injuries was the victim of a targeted hit, detectives believe.
  
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• Taxi driver robbed of takings after assault on Boxing Day

  28-12-2015 17:10
  A taxi driver was assaulted and robbed of his takings in the early hours of Boxing Day.
  
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• Man charged after three Doncaster pedestrians killed in Boxing Day crash

  28-12-2015 17:10
  A man has been charged with multiple offences after a car ploughed into a group of pedestrians on Boxing Day leaving three people dead and a man fighting for his life hospital.
  
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• England well placed for SA victory

  28-12-2015 17:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Joe Root, Stuart Broad and Moeen Ali help England tighten their grip on the first Test against South Africa in Durban.
  
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• Flood defences 'need complete rethink'

  28-12-2015 17:07 via bbc.co.uk
  
  There needs to be a "complete rethink" of the UK's flood defences following unprecedented flooding across northern England, the Environment Agency says.
  
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• Teenager bailed after 'knife fight'

  28-12-2015 17:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A 16-year-old boy is bailed after admitting possessing a machete following an alleged knife fight at a London shopping centre on Boxing Day.
  
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• Woman killed in Enniskillen house fire

  28-12-2015 16:56
  
  A woman has died in a fire at a house in Co Fermanagh.
  
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• 'War zone' village of Croston braced for more flooding misery

  28-12-2015 16:54
  Residents of a Lancashire village remain on high alert after being told they could face further flooding in what they feel is already a "war zone".
  
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• Minister celebrates 'vibrant' year for British food and drink exports

  28-12-2015 16:54
  UK businesses have exported peanut butter to the Netherlands, tea to China and sausages to the Caribbean in a "vibrant" year for the sector.
  
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• Newlyweds' big day survives rising floodwater in Selby

  28-12-2015 16:53
  
  A bride who worried that her wedding was in jeopardy of being washed-out due to rising flood waters has managed to tie the knot.
  
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• VIDEO: Footage of RAF helicopter relief

  28-12-2015 16:51 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An RAF Chinook helicopter airlifts equipment needed to repair the Foss Barrier, on the River Foss in York.
  
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• VIDEO: Boat journey down flooded York street

  28-12-2015 16:45 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The River Ouse is thought to have stabilised in York, where hundreds of people had to leave flooded homes following torrential rain over Christmas.
  
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• Elderly Woman Shot Dead At Essex Care Home

  28-12-2015 16:31
  
  Essex police have confirmed they have launched a murder investigation after finding the woman, thought to be in her 80s, inside De La Mer House on Naze Park Road, Walton-on-the-Naze. Essex Police said the man was also a resident at the care home. Detectives from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate have taken over the investigation.
  
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• Cameron: We'll Reassess Flood Defence Spending

  28-12-2015 15:58
  
  David Cameron has told Sky News he will reassess Government spending after floods devastated large areas of northern England. Mr Cameron said it was clear that flood defences do not "always do enough". Speaking at a sandbag depot, Mr Cameron said: "We are spending more in this parliament than the last one and in the last parliament we spent more than the one before that.
  
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• Bolton Wanderers 1-0 Blackburn Rovers

  28-12-2015 15:57 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Gary Madine scores the only goal as Bolton end a run of 17 games without a win by beating Blackburn in the Championship.
  
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• Cameron hails flood defence work as extreme weather strategy 'rethink' urged

  28-12-2015 15:34
  
  David Cameron has defended funding for flood prevention amid calls for a "complete rethink" of preparations for increasingly extreme weather.
  
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• Baron Cohen donates £670,000 for Syria

  28-12-2015 15:10 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen and his wife, the actress Isla Fisher, donate £670,000 to two charities helping people in Syria and neighbouring countries.
  
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• Second World War boat ends ferry life to go on display

  28-12-2015 14:55
  A boat used to rescue fallen airmen in the Second World War is to go on display after spending more than 60 years working as a ferry.
  
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• Probe into Tesco over suppliers code claims to be published in January

  28-12-2015 14:55
  An investigation into Tesco's relationships with suppliers is now due to be published towards the end of January, almost a year after the regulator said it had "reasonable suspicion" that the supermarket giant had breached the Groceries Supply Code of Practice.
  
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• Boy, 16, bailed over Boxing Day machete row at shopping centre

  28-12-2015 14:42
  
  A teenage boy accused of involvement in a Boxing Day row that sent shoppers running for their lives has admitted possessing a machete - and been given bail.
  
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• Care home resident arrested after elderly woman shot dead

  28-12-2015 14:40
  
  Police have launched a murder inquiry after a woman in her 80s was shot dead at a care home.
  
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• Elderly woman dies in house fire

  28-12-2015 14:34 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An elderly woman dies in a house fire in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh.
  
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• Train firm apology over cancellations

  28-12-2015 14:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A train company apologises for cancelling services on one of the busiest post-Christmas shopping days.
  
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• Elderly woman rescued in house blast

  28-12-2015 13:38 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An elderly woman is rescued from rubble after an explosion at a house in Wolverhampton.
  
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• Young home ownership 'at record low'

  28-12-2015 13:34 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The percentage of young people who own their own home is falling, data suggests, as experts predict strong price growth in 2016.
  
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• Man seriously hurt in air gun shooting

  28-12-2015 13:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A man suffers a life-threatening chest injury after being shot with an air gun.
  
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• VIDEO: When will your gift vouchers expire?

  28-12-2015 13:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Gift cards were in the top five most popular presents this Christmas, but every year £300m is wasted on vouchers which cannot be used any more.
  
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• David Cameron Visits Flood-Hit Areas

  28-12-2015 12:44
  
  David Cameron is likely to face tough questions later as he visits communities affected by unprecedented flooding in the north of England. Thousands of people have been affected as river levels keep rising in York - where entire streets have been submerged. One thousand more are on standby to help in Leeds, Greater Manchester and swathes of Yorkshire and Lancashire which are also affected.
  
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• Woman Freed After Blast Destroys Home

  28-12-2015 12:36
  
  The blast, at a bungalow in Penn Road, Wolverhampton, injured two other people in passing cars, West Midlands Police said. An elderly woman was rescued from the wreckage of the building by emergency services shortly after 8am.
  
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• Leeds council leader urges action over 'north-south floods divide'

  28-12-2015 12:24
  The council leader in flood-hit Leeds has said the Government needs to act now to stop what she sees as a north-south gap in support for prevention schemes.
  
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• Schools 'Must Teach Britain Is Christian'

  28-12-2015 12:18
  
  Schools must teach that Britain is a Christian country, the Education Secretary has said. Nicky Morgan also said non-religious beliefs need not be given "equal parity" with religious beliefs. Under the new Department for Education guidelines, non-faith schools have to reflect the fact that British religious traditions "are in the main Christian" while taking into account teaching about other religions.
  
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• VIDEO: Police bravery award after mosque stabbing

  28-12-2015 12:11 via bbc.co.uk
  
  PC Adam Koch was stabbed twice through his armoured vest when he responded to reports of an armed man attacking worshippers at a mosque in Birmingham.
  
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• William's air ambulance crews move to purpose-built site

  28-12-2015 12:00
  Crews at the air ambulance charity where the Duke of Cambridge works as a pilot have moved to a new base which should help improve their life-saving capabilities.
  
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• RAF strikes help Iraqis win back Ramadi from IS

  28-12-2015 11:52
  RAF air strikes aided the Iraqi push to retake the city of Ramadi from Islamic State control, the Ministry of Defence said after operations in the region continued at "high intensity" during the festive period in the UK.
  
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• Guptill hits 17-ball 50 in NZ victory

  28-12-2015 11:45 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Martin Guptill narrowly misses out on a world record as New Zealand beat Sri Lanka to go 2-0 up in their one-day series.
  
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• Insurers To Pass On Whiplash Reform Savings

  28-12-2015 11:38
  
  Insurers say they will pass on the full savings from reforms to reduce false whiplash claims – which the Government says could mean annual premiums falling by around £50. It follows Chancellor George Osborne's announcement in the Autumn Statement that the Government would end the right to cash compensation for minor whiplash injuries. The proposals would also see the upper limit for personal injury claims to be dealt with by the small claims court raised from £1,000 to £5
  
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• Woman rescued from rubble after 'gas blast' destroys bungalow

  28-12-2015 11:31
  An elderly woman has been freed from her home following a suspected gas explosion.
  
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• Bill For Flood Damage 'Could Top £1.5bn'

  28-12-2015 11:28
  
  Economic losses caused by the flooding that has devastated parts of Britain could top £1.5bn, experts believe. Insurers are expected to shoulder the bulk of the burden after first Storm Desmond and then Storm Eva saw waters swamp large swathes of the country, according to accountants PwC. PwC's Mohammad Khan said: "We would give a very initial estimate of economic losses of between £900m and £1.3bn, with the insurance industry bearing between £700m to £1bn of this.
  
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