General news

• 'Pandemonium' as Britons flee Dubai's New Year's Eve skyscraper inferno

  31-12-2015 23:18
  
  Britons caught up in a towering blaze on New Year's Eve in Dubai have shared stories of their escape from the burning building.
  
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• Squatters ordered out of Royal Mint building amid fears of an illegal New Year's Eve RAVE

  31-12-2015 22:50 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  SQUATTERS have been ordered to leave the former Royal Mint building over fears of an illegal New Year's Eve rave.
  
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• Stringent security measures as UK prepares to welcome 2016

  31-12-2015 22:43
  
  Crowds are gathering on the banks of the River Thames and in city centres across the UK as they wait to count in the New Year.
  
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• NY ex-con charged with planning New Year's Eve bar attack - WPEC

  31-12-2015 22:37 via
  Wall Street Journal
  NY ex-con charged with planning New Year's Eve bar attack
  WPEC
  ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) -- Federal authorities say a New York ex-con has been arrested on charges he was planning a New Year's Eve attack at a bar to prove to the Islamic State he was worthy to join it in Syria. Twenty-five-year-old Emanuel Lutchman was ...
  Rochester cancels fireworks after New Year's Eve attack plotThe Sun Herald
  Suspected ISIS backer held for New York attack plotJerusalem Post Israel Newsall
  

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• Islington stabbing victim named as top medic

  31-12-2015 20:58
  A man who was stabbed to death days after Christmas has been named as Dr Jeroen Ensink, a lecturer at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
  
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• Widow Mugged While At Husband's Graveside

  31-12-2015 20:21
  
  An elderly woman's handbag has been snatched while she was tending to her late husband's grave.
  
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• Images released of missing Northumberland woman Sally Allan

  31-12-2015 19:43
  Police have released CCTV images of the last confirmed sighting of a woman who went missing on Boxing Day.
  
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• Lloyd Webber prepared for 'long search' to find UK School of Rock cast

  31-12-2015 18:17
  Andrew Lloyd Webber is concerned it will be "quite a long search" to find the right children for his UK production of School of Rock.
  
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• Two Boys Kidnapped From Home By Masked Men

  31-12-2015 18:08
  
  Detective Inspector Nicola Hurdley of Thames Valley Police said officers were still investigating what happened and a possible motive behind it. "Officers are currently patrolling in the area and anyone who has any concerns can approach officers and speak to them," she said.
  
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• Flood warnings to continue into New Year

  31-12-2015 18:00
  
  Flood-hit regions of the UK will continue to face high river levels into the New Year, the Environment Agency (EA) has warned.
  
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• Manhunt launched after 'sickening' attack on Coventry woman

  31-12-2015 17:34
  A nationwide manhunt has been launched after a "sickening" pre-Christmas attack which left a 21-year-old woman with a shattered jaw.
  
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• Osborne Accused After Banking Review Scrapped

  31-12-2015 17:29
  
  The Chancellor is under fire after a City regulator dropped its review into Britain's banking culture. Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said that if George Osborne does not use his influence to keep the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) review going, he will be letting down the public. Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron, meanwhile, said that any "hope of change and progress" had been "dashed" as a result of the decision.
  
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• Farmer jailed for shooting dead burglar arrested for possession of illegal firearm

  31-12-2015 16:57 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  A FARMER jailed for shooting dead a teenage burglar has been arrested for possession of an illegal firearm.
  
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• Judge criticises social services over boy cared for by paedophile relative

  31-12-2015 16:54
  
  A family court judge has criticised council social services bosses after hearing how a boy spent at least two years living with a relative who was a convicted paedophile.
  
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• Squatters at ex-Royal Mint complex ordered to leave by judge

  31-12-2015 16:51
  
  Anti-capitalist squatters have been ordered by the High Court to leave the former Royal Mint complex opposite the Tower of London after a judge said there was "a real risk" it could become the venue for an illegal New Year's Eve rave.
  
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• Britain's banking regulator ditches review of industry culture

  31-12-2015 16:40
  
  LONDON (Reuters) - A public review of Britain's banking culture has been scrapped just months after it was announced, with the UK regulator saying on Thursday it had opted instead to work with lenders individually to address any concerns.
  
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• 'Stupid' Simon Danczuk apologises over sex texts to teenage girl

  31-12-2015 16:04
  MP Simon Danczuk has apologised "unreservedly" for "inappropriate" behaviour after being suspended from the Labour Party for sending sexually explicit messages to a teenage girl.
  
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• '3,000 police officers on duty in London' for New Year's Eve fireworks display

  31-12-2015 15:39
  
  Every available officer at the Metropolitan Police's disposal will be on duty tonight - including hundreds of specially trained firearms personnel.
  
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• Norfolk farmer Tony Martin held over 'illegal firearm'

  31-12-2015 15:24
  Tony Martin, the Norfolk farmer jailed for shooting dead a teenage burglar, has been arrested for possession of an illegal firearm, sources said.
  
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• Farmer Tony Martin Arrested On Firearm Offence

  31-12-2015 15:06
  Farmer Tony Martin, who shot a burglar in 1999, has been arrested on suspicion of possessing an illegal firearm, Sky News understands.
  
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• Footsie finishes with a whimper after turbulent year

  31-12-2015 14:59
  The FTSE 100 Index left investors out of pocket this year, finishing 4.9% down to close at 6242.3.
  
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• Kayaker's Body Found After Storm Frank Floods

  31-12-2015 14:52
  Wintry conditions could replace wind and rain, forecasters have warned, as Britain continues to recover from the effects of Storm Frank. It comes as the body of a kayaker who went missing as downpours and gales battered Scotland has been found. The man, who was in his 50s, was reported to have got into difficulties on the River Findhorn in Moray on Wednesday and Police Scotland confirmed he was recovered from the river at around 9am on Thursday.
  
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• Celebrities who died in 2015

  31-12-2015 14:48
  
  A host of stars including household names from showbusiness, politics and sport died in 2015. Here we remember some of them.
  
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• Spring arrives early after warmest December on record

  31-12-2015 14:32
  
  Britain's topsy turvy weather means that spring has come four months early with this December being the warmest on record, according to latest figures from the Met Office.
  
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• Royal Mint squatters ordered by High Court to leave complex

  31-12-2015 14:32
  A group of anti-capitalist squatters have been ordered by the High Court to leave the former Royal Mint complex opposite the Tower of London.
  
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• BBC website outage caused by cyber attack

  31-12-2015 14:16
  A technical issue that knocked all the BBC's websites offline was the result of a cyber attack, the corporation has reported.
  
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• North Sea storm forces oil platform evacuations, output shutdown

  31-12-2015 14:10
  
  OSLO (Reuters) - A fierce storm in the North Sea forced oil firms to evacuate platforms and shut down production on Thursday on concerns that they could be hit by a drifting barge that had broken its anchor.
  
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• BBC reports own websites hit by cyber attack

  31-12-2015 13:42
  The BBC's online services, including its news website and iPlayer catch-up TV platform, were taken down on Thursday by a large web attack, the British broadcaster reported. The BBC's sites, which rank only behind Google and Facebook in visitor numbers in Britain, according to Internet analytics firm comScore, were hit from 0700 GMT, with many users receiving an error message rather than content. The BBC press office said it would not confirm or deny it had been hit by an attack.
  
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• Controversial Gongs For Crosby And HMRC Boss

  31-12-2015 13:21
  
  Tawdry and tainted: just some of the scornful descriptions of a New Year's Honours list which has left David Cameron accused of cronyism and rewarding failed bureaucrats. The chief crony to be rewarded is the knighted Lynton Crosby, the blunt-speaking Aussie election guru who masterminded the Tories' 2015 general election victory and helped Boris Johnson win election as Mayor of London in 2008 and 2012. The most controversial reward for failure is a damehood for Lin Homer, a career civil servant
  
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• Simon Danczuk suspended from Labour Party amid sex text allegations

  31-12-2015 13:20
  Simon Danczuk's membership of the Labour Party has been suspended following allegations he sent sexually explicit messages to a 17-year-old girl, the party has announced.
  
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• Homes evacuated after 20ft sinkhole opens in pavement

  31-12-2015 13:20
  Homes have been evacuated and a street closed off after a 20ft deep sinkhole suddenly appeared in a pavement.
  
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• MP Simon Danczuk Suspended From Labour Party

  31-12-2015 13:19
  
  Simon Danczuk has been suspended from the Labour Party following allegations he sent sexually explicit messages to a 17-year-old girl.
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn hails Environment Agency staff on visit to flood-hit York

  31-12-2015 13:05
  
  Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has praised Environment Agency staff for their "superhuman efforts" to protect homes and businesses from floods.
  
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• Britain to review airport shop sales as retailers pocket tax savings

  31-12-2015 13:05
  Britain is to review airport retail sales after some businesses were found to be pocketing about half of tax savings meant for passengers, rather than passing on the discount, the government said on Thursday. Most retailers at British airports, who include WH Smith and Dixons Carphone , ask passengers to show boarding cards when paying for goods, typically citing security as the reason. The report prompted a backlash from consumers, with many refusing to show their boarding cards to retailers.
  
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• Labour criticises knighthood for Conservative election guru

  31-12-2015 13:01
  The award of a knighthood to Lynton Crosby, the political strategist who led the Conservatives' successful election campaign, undermined the integrity of Britain's honours system, opposition MPs said on Thursday. The Australian, who worked for the Conservatives for a short period earlier this year, was knighted for political service in a New Year's honours list that critics said rewarded Conservative party "cronies and donors". Opposition Labour home affairs spokesman Andy Burnham condemned the
  
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• British Runner Finishes 11,000-Mile Challenge

  31-12-2015 12:39
  Solo runner Jamie Ramsay has run the equivalent to 403 marathons from Vancouver in Canada to Argentina's capital Buenos Aires. Mr Ramsay, from Edinburgh, finished his run around 4pm local time on Wednesday. He was raising money and awareness for three charities - CALM (dedicated to preventing male suicide), WaterAid and Macmillan.
  
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• Widow mugged for handbag while tending husband's grave

  31-12-2015 12:02
  An elderly widow had her handbag snatched while she was cleaning her late husband's grave on Christmas Eve , police said.
  
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• 'Wicked Fairy' Katie Price joining Loose Women panel

  31-12-2015 12:02
  Former glamour model Katie Price has been made a panellist on Loose Women - and plans to be "the most outspoken of them all".
  
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• Salford and Pontefract 'tops for property sales in 2015'

  31-12-2015 12:02
  Salford and Pontefract were the biggest property hotspots of 2015, according to a survey of house sales taking place in towns across England and Wales.
  
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• Judge hits at social services over boy cared for by paedophile relative

  31-12-2015 12:02
  Social services staff have come under fire after a family court judge heard how a boy spent at least two years living with a relative who was a convicted paedophile.
  
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• BP orders complete evacuation of Valhall field in North Sea, production shut down

  31-12-2015 11:49
  
  OSLO (Reuters) - BP said it ordered a total evacuation of its Valhall platform in the North Sea on Thursday after a barge broke its anchor and was drifting towards the installation following a storm.
  
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• WATCH: Knife-wielding robbers abandon heist and flee in terror after SPOOKY SCREAM

  31-12-2015 11:02 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  THIS is the dramatic moment knife-wielding masked men fled in terror after a brave shopkeeper SCREAMED at them.
  
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• Sick patients face weeks without medicine as online pharmacy goes into meltdown

  31-12-2015 11:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  THOUSANDS of patients face weeks without vital medicines after Britain’s biggest online pharmacy went into what has been described as "meltdown".
  
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• Sports Direct to pay all staff more than minimum wage

  31-12-2015 10:25
  
  Under-fire retailer Sports Direct International has pledged to pay its employees above the national minimum wage from January 1, in a move which will cost the firm £10 million.
  
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• George Osborne accused after regulator ditches review into banking culture

  31-12-2015 10:20
  
  George Osborne has been accused of forcing regulators to ditch a review into Britain's banking culture under pressure from the industry's biggest names.
  
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• Prompt prices firm as temperatures set to drop

  31-12-2015 10:16
  LONDON (Reuters) - Prompt British gas prices were firm on Thursday as cooler temperatures over the coming days were expected to push up demand for gas for heating in the short term. Gas for day-ahead delivery was up 0.15 pence at 32.70 pence per therm (p/therm) by 0854 GMT, while prices further along the curve eased. "There is no cold snap in the horizon except for the few days right after New Year," Thomson Reuters Point Carbon analysts said. ...
  
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• Retailers hit hard in 2015 as consumers enjoy unprecedented discounting

  31-12-2015 09:36
  Consumers have little to complain about following a year of rising disposable incomes and unprecedented discounting, but the story is significantly less positive for retailers.
  
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• Queen's 90th birthday falls in busy year for the Royals

  31-12-2015 09:36
  Milestone birthdays - young and old - a tour of India and an Olympic dream are just some of the events the Royal Family has to look forward to in 2016.
  
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• FTSE lost ground in 2015 amid 'difficult year for investors'

  31-12-2015 09:36
  The FTSE 100 Index lost ground in 2015 and brokers do not expect 2016 to be much better, with the market weighed down by low commodity prices and slowing growth in emerging markets.
  
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• FCA'S review of banking culture is scrapped

  31-12-2015 08:42
  
  A review into Britain's banking culture in the wake of the Libor rate-rigging scandal has been ditched.
  
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