General news

• Photo highlights of the day: Storm Frank and Egypt's first female bodybuilder

  30-12-2015 23:59
  
  The Guardian’s picture editors bring you a selection of the best photographs from around the world, including golden monkeys and a chess world champion Continue reading...
  
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• High-dose vitamin D hope for multiple sclerosis patients

  30-12-2015 23:38
  High doses of vitamin D can dampen down the hyperactive immune response linked to multiple sclerosis (MS), a study has found.
  
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• 'Proud and humbled' Dame Barbara Windsor leads New Year's Honours list

  30-12-2015 23:36
  Veteran actress Barbara Windsor has said she is "so very honoured, proud and extremely humbled" t o be awarded a damehood in the New Year's Honours.
  
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• Leave.EU campaign leader blames rules from Brussels for flooding

  30-12-2015 23:36
  The millionaire leader of a campaign for the UK to leave the European Union blamed rules from Brussels for flooding as he called on Britons to vote to "liberate" themselves in the referendum on EU membership promised by David Cameron.
  
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• Online fashion entrepreneur Natalie Massenet 'overwhelmed' to be made a dame

  30-12-2015 23:35
  Fashion entrepreneur Natalie Massenet said she was "thrilled and completely overwhelmed" to be made a dame in the New Year's Honours.
  
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• Tony McCoy receives knighthood in New Year honours after stellar racing career

  30-12-2015 23:30
  
  • Denis Law and John Surtees get CBEs for services to football and motor sport
  • Heather Rabbatts made a Dame for services to football and equalityTony McCoy has been awarded a knighthood in the New Year Honours in recognition of a glittering racing career in which he was crowned champion jockey for 20 consecutive years before his retirement in April.McCoy won every major prize in his sport, including a Grand National win at the 15th attempt on Don’t Push It in 2010. The 41-year-
  
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• Ebola specialists among those recognised in New Year honours

  30-12-2015 23:30
  
  Dr Michael Jacobs from the Royal Free London, where Will Pooley and Pauline Cafferkey were treated, among those to receive honoursThe role of British doctors, scientists and advisors in developing treatments that helped end the Ebola epidemic that killed 11,000 people worldwide has been recognised in the New Year honours list.Dr Michael Jacobs, the consultant who treated three Britons with the disease, said he was “honoured and humbled” to receive a knighthood for his services to the
  
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• Chelsea hit by Falcao setback as Hiddink hits back over Garde’s Rémy loan hint

  30-12-2015 23:30
  
  • Colombian likely to be out until end of January after thigh injury relapse
  • Chelsea unimpressed by Aston Villa making Loïc Rémy interest publicRadamel Falcao’s ineffective loan spell at Chelsea has endured yet another setback after the Colombia forward suffered a relapse of a thigh injury that is likely to rule him out until the end of January. Related: Aston Villa’s Rémi Garde targets loan move for Chelsea’s Loïc RémyContinue reading
  
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• Barbara Windsor and Siân Phillips made dames in honours list

  30-12-2015 23:30
  
  OBEs for Idris Elba, David Oyelowo, Damon Albarn and James Nesbitt; CBEs for Imelda Staunton, Peter Morgan and Beryl VertueRelated: New Year's honours 2016: the full list Two of the UK’s best known actors, Siân Phillips and Barbara Windsor, are made dames in the New Year honours. Continue reading...
  
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• A knighthood for Lynton Crosby: government under fire for political honours

  30-12-2015 23:30
  
  New Year honour for Australian election strategist once referred to as a rottweiler is outrageous, says LabourThe government has been accused of turning the honours system into an “old boy’s club” after Lynton Crosby, the political strategist who ran the Conservatives’ 2015 election campaign, was awarded a knighthood. Related: New Year's honours 2016: the full listContinue reading...
  
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• Homes evacuated and thousands without power as Storm Frank wreaks havoc

  30-12-2015 23:28
  
  Hundreds of homes have been evacuated and thousands are without power after Storm Frank battered the UK with heavy rain and high winds.
  
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• Nigerian president: we have firm evidence of oil corruption

  30-12-2015 23:17
  
  Muhammadu Buhari, who was elected in May on an anti-corruption ticket, says ‘mind-boggling’ sums of federal money had been stolenNigerian authorities have seen documents suggesting that the proceeds from past crude oil sales were diverted to personal accounts instead of reaching government coffers, the president, Muhammadu Buhari, said on Wednesday.
  Africa’s biggest economy faces its worst economic crisis in years, since it relies on oil exports for about 58% of government reve
  
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• Labour blast Tories for 'lack of transparency' over grammar school plan

  30-12-2015 22:56
  
  Requests for information about new ‘satellite school’ in Kent have been repeatedly rejected by governmentLabour has accused the government of a “continual lack of transparency” surrounding plans to open a grammar school in Kent.The education secretary, Nicky Morgan, revealed in October that she would allow the Weald of Kent girls’ grammar school in Tonbridge to build a new “satellite” school in Sevenoaks, nine miles away – making it the first selec
  
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• Sunderland’s nemesis Christian Benteke seals victory for Liverpool

  30-12-2015 22:53
  
  The final Premier League fixture of 2015 left Liverpool seventh and Sunderland seven points adrift of safety. While Christian Benteke’s latest goal against opponents he cannot seem to stop scoring against entitles Jürgen Klopp to think about a return to the Champions League the Wearsiders appear entrenched in 19th position.With only Aston Villa confronting a worse plight, Saturday’s game here between the bottom two threatens to be a dress rehearsal for Championship combat next s
  
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• Sunderland v Liverpool: Premier League – as it happened

  30-12-2015 22:40
  
  Christian Benteke won the points for Liverpool in a match that won’t live long in the memory for fans of either team 9.40pm GMTPeeep! Peep! Peeep! Despite the best attempts of Vito Mannone, who raced up for the corner, Liverpool take all three points and go seventh in the table courtesy of Christian Benteke’s goal 23 seconds into the second half. For Sunderland, it’s a fifth straight defeat and they remain deep in the doo-doo, with just Aston Villa behind them in the table. You
  
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• Bill Cosby: bail set at $1m during court appearance for sexual assault charges

  30-12-2015 22:34
  
  Cosby will pay 10% of bail after first appearing in court Wednesday over alleged assault of Andrea Constand, a former Temple University employee, in 2004Bill Cosby, the comedian and entertainer once known as “America’s dad”, appeared in court to face his first criminal charge for sexual misconduct on Wednesday, for an incident where he allegedly drugged and violated a woman who considered him to be her mentor. Related: Bill Cosby will finally face charges. There's no guarantee
  
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• Government responds to petition calling for UK ban on Donald Trump

  30-12-2015 21:54
  
  Response says Theresa May may exclude non-European Economic Area nationals, but did not mention Trump specificallyThe government has responded to a petition calling for Donald Trump to be banned from coming to Britain by pointing out that it has powers to exclude foreign nationals if their presence is “non-conducive to the public good”. Related: Donald Trump strikes chord with GOP voters over Muslims, poll findsContinue reading...
  
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• Ben Jennings on Oliver Letwin's comments on 1985 riots – cartoon

  30-12-2015 21:45
  
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• Experts criticise George Osborne over flood protection funding

  30-12-2015 21:15
  
  Tories promised £400m a year investment on flood defences but data shows spending was cut sharply at start of last parliamentGeorge Osborne has been accused of jeopardising Britain’s crumbling flood defences over the past five years by prioritising cuts to the deficit, and has also been warned that infrastructure spending may need to rise sharply to adapt to climate change.The warnings from leading academics came as parts of the UK were hit by Storm Frank on Wednesday, with hundreds
  
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• Brussels cancels new year celebrations over terror fears

  30-12-2015 21:12
  
  Announcement comes on same day Turkish police detain two suspected suicide bombers believed to be plotting atrocity in Ankara
  Authorities in Brussels have cancelled this year’s new year celebration plans over fears of a terrorist attack, on the same day that Turkey announced the foiling of a holiday attack plot.In Ankara, police detained two suspected Islamic State militants believed to be planning suicide bombings during new year celebrations in the capital city’s heart. “They
  
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• Sunderland v Liverpool: Premier League – live!

  30-12-2015 20:46
  
  Premier League updates from the game at the Stadium of LightSunderland have bid accepted for Lorient defender Lamine KonéTweet @bglendenning or email [email protected] 7.46pm GMT1 min: Sunderland get the ball rolling, with Lee Cattermole and Jermain Defoe doing the honours. The ball’s played back to Vito Mannone, who lumps it forward.7.44pm GMTNot long now: The teams are out on the pitch, with Sunderland’s players kitted out in their usual home kit of red and w
  
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• Storm Frank: more floods expected as gales and rain batter Britain and Ireland – live

  30-12-2015 20:42
  
  Environment Agency head to meet flood victimsThe storm so far: read the latest summary North of England braced for further flooding as Storm Frank hitsGeorge Monbiot: this flood was not only foretold – it was publicly subsidisedFlooding in the UK: how have you been affected? 7.40pm GMTThe Rochdale Labour MP Simon Danczuk has apologised after pictures emerged showing him in a bar on Boxing Day as floods swept through parts of the town.In a piece for the Rochdale Observer, he wrote:I would l
  
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• Puerto Rico will default on $37m in debt on New Year's Day, governor confirms

  30-12-2015 20:37
  
  Island commonwealth faces close to $1bn in interest payments in 2016 but governor says it will do ‘all it can’ to avoid shutting down government servicesPuerto Rico has run out of time and money and will default on $37m of its debt repayments on 1 January, Governor Alejandro Padilla confirmed on Wednesday.The troubled commonwealth is at loggerheads with investors over plans to restructure $70bn in debts that have triggered a financial crisis on the island leading to mass migration, s
  
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• Man charged after incendiary device left at shopping centre

  30-12-2015 20:19
  Detectives investigating an incident where an incendiary device was left at a shopping centre have charged a man, police have said.
  
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• Oil prices plummet again despite Saudi output

  30-12-2015 20:18
  
  Opec and US production falls as markets see price set to end 30% lower than last yearOil prices fell over 3% on Wednesday after new data showed US crude supplies continuing to grow while Saudi Arabia promised to keep up its policy of pumping its wells flat out.A barrel of benchmark Brent crude was changing hands for $36.58 at one stage, leaving it on track to end 2015 30% lower as demand failed to keep up with supply. Continue reading...
  
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• Oil prices plummet again as Saudis vow to maintain output

  30-12-2015 20:18
  
  Opec and US production falls as markets see price set to end 30% lower than last yearOil prices fell over 3% on Wednesday after new data showed US crude supplies continuing to grow while Saudi Arabia promised to keep up its policy of pumping its wells flat out. A barrel of benchmark Brent crude was changing hands for $36.58 at one stage, leaving it on track to end 2015 30% lower as demand failed to keep up with supply.The latest fall – in touching distance of 11-year lows – should be
  
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• Homes Evacuated As Frank Brings Fresh Deluge

  30-12-2015 20:18
  
  Hundreds of homes have been evacuated and more than 100 flood warnings are in place after Storm Frank brought a fresh onslaught of heavy rain and high winds to parts of the UK. Thousands remain without power in Scotland and hundreds more are off the grid in Northern Ireland, Wales and the southwest of England. Two severe "danger to life" flood warnings are in force - one in Whitesands in Dumfries and Galloway and the other for the River Tweed in Peebles in the Borders.
  
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• Sunderland have bid accepted for Lorient defender Lamine Koné

  30-12-2015 20:16
  
  • Ivory Coast international must still agree personal terms
  • Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce hoping to add to his squadSam Allardyce is closing in on his first January signing after French club Lorient accepted Sunderland’s bid for defender Lamine Koné. Related: Premier League club-by-club guide to the January transfer windowContinue reading...
  
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• Two British teenagers to face Auschwitz theft trial, says prosecutor

  30-12-2015 20:10
  
  Boys fined in Poland for stealing artefacts now said to be facing trial for same offence after changing plea to not guiltyTwo British teenagers, fined in June for stealing artefacts from the former Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz, will now face trial for the same offence, a Polish prosecutor said on Wednesday.The two, back in England, had been given a one-year probation along with the fine after pleading guilty in June, then released by Polish authorities. But they had since reversed their
  
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• The Guardian view on Afghanistan: a bad year for Ashraf Ghani | Editorial

  30-12-2015 20:08
  
  Afghanistan is experiencing weakness and disunity in both government and insurgent ranksThat the situation in Afghanistan is grim is not exactly news. It has always been dire and remains so. But 2016 has been a very bad year indeed. The Taliban now control more of the country, about 30%, than at any time since 2001 when they were pushed from power by western and Afghan forces after the Twin Towers attacks. Government forces have lost 19,000 dead and injured in the past 12 months. In October, Pre
  
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• Dramatic Rescue As Bus Stuck In Floodwater

  30-12-2015 20:08
  
  Police Scotland said 10 were airlifted to safety while two others were taken off by boat in the multi-agency operation. Officers as well as a fire and rescue team, the Coastguard, Royal Navy and one of its helicopters were called to the scene in Dailley, Ayrshire, at about 1.35pm. Eyewitness Joanne Clanahan told Sky News the bus got about halfway through the floodwater before getting stuck.
  
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• Bill Cosby charged with felony sexual assault in 2004 case

  30-12-2015 19:56
  
  Arrest warrant issued for 78-year-old over alleged sexual misconduct toward a former Temple University employee in 2004, his first criminal charge for assaultBill Cosby, the comedian and entertainer once known as “America’s dad”, faced his first criminal charge for sexual misconduct on Wednesday, for an incident where he allegedly drugged and violated a woman who considered him to be her mentor. Pennsylvania prosecutors have issued an arrest warrant for Cosby, 78, who is facing
  
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• North pole could be 35C warmer than average this week, warn meteorologists

  30-12-2015 19:52
  
  Due to the low pressure system that brought high winds and rain to the UK, the Arctic could be hotter than Chicago, Vienna and Istanbul on WednesdayThe north pole could be hotter than Chicago, Vienna or Istanbul on Wednesday due to the low pressure system that has brought tornados to Dallas and high winds and heavy rainfall to the UK.
  The Arctic could reach temperatures about 35C (63F) warmer than average for this time of year, meteorologists have warned. Continue reading...
  
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• Man Arrested After Looters Target Flooded Homes

  30-12-2015 19:28
  
  A man has been arrested on suspicion of theft after residents raised concerns about looting in flood-hit homes. Police had responded to reports in the Mytholmroyd area of West Yorkshire about a man acting suspiciously near wrecked properties on Wednesday. West Yorkshire Police said a "handful" of people in white vans have been seen acting suspiciously in Calderdale, with reports of thieves stealing electrical goods from outside homes.
  
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• St Louis faces more pain as Mississippi floods wreak havoc across three states

  30-12-2015 19:22
  
  Dozens of counties in Missouri, Arkansas and Illinois declared disaster areasEvacuations around St Louis as river levels set to rise again on ThursdayThe Mississippi valley remained gripped by record-breaking floods on Wednesday morning, after heavy rains doused the region over the Christmas weekend. At least 20 deaths have been linked to the flooding regionally, with river levels expected to rise through Thursday in especially hard-hit areas around St Louis, Missouri.Related: 'Historic' floodin
  
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• ‘A barrage of competing horrors’: how to survive New Year’s Eve

  30-12-2015 19:20
  
  Parties! Fireworks! Endless bonhomie! If ever there’s a night when you’re expected to have unrelenting fun, tonight is it. But what if the prospect fills you with dread? Here are your four options• Tim Dowling shares his 12 New Year’s resolutionsNew Year’s Eve is such a chore, isn’t it? Nobody enjoys it. Nobody has ever enjoyed it. In the entire duration of recorded human history, not a single person has ever approached New Year’s Eve with anything other
  
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• 12 foolproof New Year’s resolutions

  30-12-2015 19:20
  
  Every year, you make the same promises, and every year fail miserably. So, this New Year, why not try a whole new approach?• Stuart Heritage offers his New Year’s Eve survival guideNothing can spoil the start of a new year quite like a long list of promises you already know you are going to break. Some resolutions – the privations, mostly – get betrayed right away; others remind you of your ongoing failure to do something for months. But the cancellation of this annual con
  
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• Wylfa nuclear plant closes in Wales

  30-12-2015 19:15
  
  Station in Anglesey, the oldest in the UK, shuts as focus is on energy provider EDF over its plans for new facilities at Hinkley PointBritain’s oldest nuclear plant closed on Wednesday, leaving in its wake a £700m decommissioning bill and further questions about the UK’s ability to keep the lights on.The closure of the Wylfa plant in Wales after 44 years of service puts more pressure on EDF Energy to take a final investment decision for new reactors at Hinkley in Somerset. Cont
  
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• Gael García Bernal: ‘Donald Trump calls Mexicans rapists and drug dealers. ​It’s hate discourse’

  30-12-2015 19:15
  
  From Che Guevara to the iconoclastic conductor of Mozart in the Jungle, the Mexican star is no stranger to playing fiery revolutionaries. Now he’s ready to rise up against a certain ‘ignorant’ US presidential candidateIt’s not every day you meet a freedom fighter in the garden at the Four Seasons hotel in Beverly Hills, politely telling an assistant he needs more water, and to take his meetings outdoors instead of in that stuffy air-conditioned suite, but here he is, Che
  
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• Tim Peake to send message from space to Edinburgh Hogmanay

  30-12-2015 19:14
  
  British astronaut will help revellers welcome in new year when his words are beamed on to big screens during street partyA message from space will welcome in the new year for revellers at Edinburgh’s Hogmanay street party. The British astronaut Tim Peake will beam a message from the International Space Station on to screens at the event just before midnight on Thursday.Continue reading...
  
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• Several people 'stabbed' outside Manchester's Strangeways prison

  30-12-2015 19:10
  
  Witnesses report seeing armed police arresting people following incident on Bury New RoadPolice and paramedics have been scrambled to the busy main road outside Manchester’s Strangeways prison following reports of several people being stabbed.Witnesses outside the high security prison on Bury New Road reported a heavy police presence and armed officers arresting people in the middle of the street on Wednesday afternoon. One witness told the Manchester Evening News the incident happened rig
  
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• Labour 'must stop infighting and focus on May elections'

  30-12-2015 19:07
  
  Shadow minister without portfolio highlights importance of London mayoral elections and gaining ground in ScotlandLabour needs to “get its act together” by ending the focus on internal issues and instead showing that it will make progress in next May’s elections, the party’s shadow minister without portfolio has said.Expressing some exasperation about party infighting that has been reflected in talk of a shadow cabinet reshuffle, Jonathan Ashworth said party members want
  
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• Retailers told to prepare for lower spending throughout 2016

  30-12-2015 19:05
  
  Thinktank report says consumers are likely to divert spending to nights out and home improvement, with retail sales growth expected to fall year-on-year to 1.7%Retailers will experience slower growth in 2016 as consumers divert spending to nights out and improving their homes rather than shopping, according to a new forecast.Retail sales growth will slip back to around 1.7% in 2016 from about 1.8% this year, according to the KPMG/Ipsos retail thinktank, despite the fact that most consumers have
  
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• Scotland now on the receiving end as Storm Frank wreaks more mayhem

  30-12-2015 18:56
  Hundreds of homes have been evacuated and thousands are without power after Storm Frank battered the UK with heavy rain and high winds.
  
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• Storm Frank batters northern Britain

  30-12-2015 18:49
  
  LONDON (Reuters) - Torrential rain and gale force winds battered northern Britain on Wednesday, cutting power to thousands of homes and forcing some to evacuate flooded streets in the third major storm in a month.
  
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• FTSE down as oil prices fall and IMF boss predicts 'disappointing' global growth

  30-12-2015 18:46
  The Footsie closed lower, amid falling oil prices and a warning from the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that global growth next year would be "disappointing".
  
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• Squirrels, a teddy bear and UFO among 'cracking' excuses for windscreen damage

  30-12-2015 18:45
  
  Quarrelling squirrels, a teddy bear and a "UFO" are among the most bizarre explanations offered for windscreen cracks over the last year, according to a repair company.
  
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• Bill Cosby will finally face charges. There's no guarantee he'll face justice | Jessica Valenti

  30-12-2015 18:45
  
  It’s been 11 years since a woman first reported being sexually assaulted by Cosby. His arraignment is a start, but there are no sure things in a courtroomAfter more than 50 women came forward with horrific stories of alleged druggings and rapes over the course of more than 30 years, Bill Cosby may finally face a jury. Prosecutors in Pennsylvania announced today that Cosby will be charged with aggravated indecent assault, a felony in the first degree, stemming from allegations made 10 years
  
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• Man held after looters target flood-affected properties

  30-12-2015 18:44
  Police have arrested a 40-year-old on suspicion of theft after residents concerned about looting from flooded homes raised the alarm.
  
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• Belgian soldiers and police 'held orgy' during Brussels lockdown

  30-12-2015 18:43
  
  Two policewomen and eight soldiers alleged to have engaged in group sex while colleagues hunted for Paris terror attack suspectsSoldiers and police officers in Brussels held an orgy while the city was in lockdown over fears of a Paris-style attack by Islamist extremists, according to Belgian media reports.Two female police officers and eight soldiers are said to have engaged in group sex at a police station in the Brussels neighbourhood of Ganshoren while colleagues hunted for terror suspects. C
  
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