General news

• New Head Of Armed Forces Is Appointed

  21-01-2016 23:49
  
  Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach has been appointed the new Chief of the Defence Staff.
  
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• What are we to think?

  21-01-2016 23:30 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Prime minister in no hurry to conclude EU deal
  
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• Syrian refugees reunited with families in London after landmark legal case

  21-01-2016 23:29
  Four Syrian refugees who won a landmark legal case to come to Britain from "The Jungle" in Calais have been reunited with their families in London.
  
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• Sir Michael Caine tempted by role in Hatton Garden heist movie

  21-01-2016 22:09
  Sir Michael Caine has said he would star in a film about the Hatton Garden heist "in an instant".
  
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• Second man arrested over fatal stabbing of university lecturer

  21-01-2016 22:09
  A second man has been arrested in connection with the murder of a man who was stabbed to death on his way to work.
  
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• David Cameron confident UK will stay in European Union if reform deal struck

  21-01-2016 22:09
  David Cameron insisted he is "confident" the UK will remain in a reformed European Union if he gets the deal he is seeking for a new relationship with Brussels.
  
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• Man Found Dead In Burning Tent Had Been Beaten

  21-01-2016 21:33
  
  Daniel Smith, who had been sleeping rough on the streets of Manchester for a number of years, may have been alive when his tent was set alight. Mr Smith, from the Ashton-under-Lyne area, near Manchester, was found at around 1.20am on Wednesday in Irwell Street in Ordsall, Salford. Chief Superintendent Mary Doyle, from Greater Manchester Police, said: "This is a tragic situation and we are working with other agencies to assist the local community.
  
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• Prosecutors to review file on death of toddler Poppi Worthington

  21-01-2016 21:28
  The Crown Prosecution Service is reviewing its decision not to pursue criminal charges following the death of toddler Poppi Worthington after a High Court judge ruled the girl's father had sexually assaulted her.
  
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• Putin 'probably' approved murder of Litvinenko

  21-01-2016 20:29
  President Vladimir Putin probably approved a 2006 Russian intelligence operation to murder ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko with radioactive polonium-210 in London, a British inquiry concluded on Thursday, prompting a row with Moscow. Russia, which had declined to cooperate in the inquiry, cautioned pointedly that it could "poison" relations. Britain accused the Kremlin of uncivilised behaviour but did not immediately signal it would take any stronger action.
  
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• Brussels urges more migration within EU as Britain resists

  21-01-2016 20:20
  By Alastair Macdonald BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The EU urged Europeans on Thursday to cross borders to find work as the labour commissioner voiced "frustration" that British Prime Minister David Cameron's push to curb EU migration has held up plans to make this easier. "Mobility in itself is an asset for Europe," Marianne Thyssen told reporters as she presented an annual report on the labour market, showing migration within the bloc could hasten slow declines in the EU's 9.1-percent unemployment rate
  
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• North American prairie vole 'shows consoling traits towards distressed friends'

  21-01-2016 20:00
  A small fluffy rodent from North America displays genuine empathy if it sees a friend or relative in distress, say scientists.
  
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• Hunt For 10 Men Over Halloween Rave Violence

  21-01-2016 19:29
  
  Detectives are appealing for information about a disturbance in south London last Halloween in which 26 officers and a police dog were injured. Officers say they are particularly keen to identify and trace 10 men who were at the London Fire Brigade Workshop in Whitgift Street, Lambeth on the evening of 31 October. Police were called to the unlicensed music event following reports of disorder and criminal damage.
  
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• London stocks recover after Wednesday's £52bn losses

  21-01-2016 19:28
  The London market bounced back, after the turmoil of Wednesday's sell-off which saw £52 billion wiped off the value of top-flight shares.
  
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• Shoe retailer Brantano in administration

  21-01-2016 19:24
  Discount shoe retailer Brantano has gone into administration, putting 2,000 staff at risk just three months after it was bought by an investment firm.
  
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• Acrimony between UK and Russia after Vladimir Putin blamed for Litvinenko death

  21-01-2016 19:14
  
  Britain is embroiled in a furious diplomatic row with Russia after an inquiry concluded that President Vladimir Putin probably authorised the assassination of Alexander Litvinenko.
  
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• Police Officer Faces Meeting Over Poppi Death

  21-01-2016 18:36
  
  A serving police officer is to face a "performance meeting" over the investigation into the death of baby Poppi Worthington. The meeting has the power of dismissal if gross incompetence is proved, the Independent Police Complaints Commission said. Poppi, who was 13 months old, was found with serious injuries at her home in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, in December 2012, and later pronounced dead in hospital.
  
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• Sudanese refugee who walked Channel Tunnel to face trial

  21-01-2016 18:35
  By Estelle Shirbon CANTERBURY, England (Reuters) - A Sudanese man who walked through the Channel Tunnel from France in an extreme example of the desperate measures refugees are prepared to take to reach Britain will face trial for obstructing a railway, a court was told on Thursday. Abdul Haroun, who is from the war-ravaged region of Darfur, walked for close to 12 hours in near total darkness last August, dodging high-speed trains and evading security cameras, before he was arrested by British p
  
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• Syrian refugees set for UK arrival after landmark legal victory

  21-01-2016 18:30
  Four Syrian refugees who won a landmark legal case to come to Britain from "The Jungle" are set to arrive in London.
  
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• Weak sterling could offset oil and wages on inflation - BoE's Weale

  21-01-2016 18:28
  Sterling's fall could offset the drag on inflation that will come from the latest plunge in oil prices and weak wage growth, a Bank of England interest-rate setter was quoted as saying on Thursday. Martin Weale, one of the nine members of the BoE's Monetary Policy Committee, told Bloomberg News in an interview that he would not want to hold off on voting for a rate hike until he was "absolutely clear" that it was the right decision. Weale voted to raise rates in late 2014 but has held off since
  
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• 'Go' impulse in brain circuits makes habits hard to break

  21-01-2016 18:12
  
  Habits are hard to break because they have a lasting impact on brain circuits that govern compulsive behaviour, scientists have learned.
  
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• Brantano UK Collapses With 2,000 Jobs At Risk

  21-01-2016 18:12
  The value shoe retailer Brantano UK has gone into administration leaving 2,000 jobs at risk, just four months after it was bought by a specialist retail investor. Administrator PwC said Brantano's website and store network would continue to trade as normal for now. The firm, based in Coalville in Leicestershire, operates 140 stores and 60 concessions across the UK and is the only major retail casualty of the festive season to date.
  
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• Revealed: Where Was £33m Lotto Ticket Bought?

  21-01-2016 18:09
  
  An unclaimed lottery ticket worth £33m - half of the UK's biggest-ever Lotto jackpot - was bought in Worcester, Camelot has revealed. Camelot revealed the city where the second winning ticket was bought as it urged players to "check, double-check and triple-check their tickets". If it remains unclaimed, the £33m will go to National Lottery projects.
  
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• Markets bounce back after ECB president offers reassurances

  21-01-2016 18:08
  Global markets bounced back today, after the turmoil of Wednesday's sell-off which saw £52 billion wiped off the value of top-flight shares in London.
  
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• Convict Libor brokers only if they played 'significant' role, UK jury told

  21-01-2016 18:07
  By Kirstin Ridley LONDON (Reuters) - Jurors in Britain's second Libor trial were instructed on Thursday not to convict the six former brokers in the dock unless evidence showed they played a "significant" part in an alleged plot to help convicted trader Tom Hayes rig the benchmark interest rates. Outlining legal directions for the jury and beginning a summary of a trial that began last October, Judge Nicholas Hamblen also told jurors to put prejudice and sympathy aside when deciding the fate of
  
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• Litvinenko Killing: UK To 'Toughen Up' On Russia

  21-01-2016 18:02
  
  David Cameron has suggested fresh sanctions could be imposed on Russia, after an inquiry concluded Alexander Litvinenko was "deliberately poisoned" in an operation "probably" approved by Vladimir Putin. The Prime Minister insisted the UK is "toughening" up its action against Moscow - and announced fresh asset freezes against the two men responsible for the former spy's murder at a London hotel in 2006. He said Russia will be handled "with clear eyes and a very cold heart", and confirmed existing
  
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• Venus flytraps have got the number of their prey

  21-01-2016 18:00
  Venus flytraps may not cry "feed me" like the man-eating plant they inspired in the movie Little Shop Of Horrors - but they can count, scientists have discovered.
  
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• Caine: I'd Do Hatton Garden Film In An Instant

  21-01-2016 17:47
  
  Sir Michael Caine has told Sky News he would sign up for the film about the Hatton Garden heist "in an instant". Sir Michael said lead roles for actors his age are proving harder and harder to come by but revealed that director Paolo Sorrentino wrote this one specifically with him in mind. He stars alongside Harvey Keitel as two best friends who are on holiday in the Swiss Alps, reflecting on their lives.
  
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• Putin probably approved London murder of ex-KGB agent Litvinenko - UK inquiry

  21-01-2016 17:39
  By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin probably approved a 2006 Russian intelligence operation to murder ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko with radioactive polonium-210 in London, a British inquiry concluded on Thursday, prompting a row with Moscow. Russia, which had declined to cooperate in the inquiry, cautioned pointedly that it could "poison" relations. Britain accused the Kremlin of uncivilised behaviour but did not immediately signal it would take any stronger action
  
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• David Cameron: UK toughening response to Russia after Litvinenko death findings

  21-01-2016 17:20
  
  David Cameron insisted Britain was "toughening" up its response to Russia after a public inquiry implicated Vladimir Putin in the assassination of Alexander Litvinenko but conceded the UK must continue to have "some sort" of relationship with Moscow.
  
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• University access gap widens between rich and poor teenagers

  21-01-2016 17:08
  The gap between the proportion of rich and poor teenagers going to a top university is widening, new figures show.
  
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• Will Smith joins Oscars boycott in protest against all-white nominees

  21-01-2016 17:05
  Hollywood actor Will Smith has vowed to join a growing number of stars in boycotting this year's Oscars.
  
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• Britain's Cameron to call on business to support staying in EU

  21-01-2016 16:45
  By Elizabeth Piper and Martinne Geller DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron called on business on Thursday to speak out in favour of Britain staying in a reformed European Union, but warned those wanting a quick fix that he would settle only for the "right deal". Cameron, who was attending the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort of Davos, hit back at criticism that his decision to call a referendum increased global uncertainty, saying he was a democrat who wanted to "
  
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• 'Dangerous' World Needs Trident, Fallon Says

  21-01-2016 16:37
  
  Britain must retain a nuclear deterrent as an "ultimate insurance policy" and a vote to renew it will be held "shortly", the Defence Secretary has said. Speaking onboard HMS Vigilant, one of the UK's four ballistic nuclear submarines, Michael Fallon said the world was "much more dangerous and less predictable than when the deterrent first set sail in the 1960s". On Sunday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, a strident opponent of the nuclear deterrent, said that four new nuclear submarines could be bu
  
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• Mum who took child to Syria tells jury 'I didn't know about Islamic State'

  21-01-2016 16:35
  A mother accused of taking her son to Syria to join Islamic State (IS) has told a court she feared going straight to hell if she stayed in England.
  
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• Predator warning as draft Savile abuse report damns 'deferential' BBC culture

  21-01-2016 16:28
  Another "predatory child abuser" could be lurking at the BBC today, a leaked draft of a report into sexual abuse by broadcaster Jimmy Savile warns.
  
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• FTSE Rally As Draghi Hints At ECB Stimulus

  21-01-2016 16:13
  
  European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi has sparked a market rally as he hinted at more monetary stimulus amid global economic gloom. Earlier, markets had been struggling to recover ground a day after they suffered steep losses, with only muted gains. But Mr Draghi's comments bolstered the rally on London's leading share index and saw Germany's Dax and France's Cac 40 surging by more than 2%.
  
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• British Tourist Dies In Hotel Fall In Tenerife

  21-01-2016 15:36
  
  A British tourist has died after falling from the second floor of a hotel in Tenerife.
  
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• Trident nuclear deterrent has never been needed more, Michael Fallon says

  21-01-2016 15:16
  
  A nuclear deterrent has never been needed more than in today's less predictable, more dangerous world, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has said.
  
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• Greece migrant crisis: UK firefighter tells of baby girl's sea rescue

  21-01-2016 15:16
  
  A firefighter and former Army medic who volunteered to help save refugees arriving on the shores of Europe has described how he risked his own life to save a baby girl from drowning in the sea.
  
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• Cameron warns Argentina: No negotiation over sovereignty of Falklands

  21-01-2016 15:16
  
  David Cameron has warned Argentina's new president that Britain will not negotiate over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.
  
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• Accounting watchdog may launch inquiry into KPMG audits of HBOS

  21-01-2016 15:16
  
  The UK's accounting watchdog could launch an inquiry into how KPMG audited the books of lender HBOS in the run-up to its near collapse in the 2008 financial crisis.
  
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• David Cameron 'not in a hurry' to secure EU reform deal at Brussels summit

  21-01-2016 15:13
  David Cameron has insisted he is in "no hurry" to secure a deal on a package of reforms to Britain's EU membership at the upcoming Brussels summit in February.
  
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• Contactless cards used for £1bn of spending in one month

  21-01-2016 15:03
  A record £1 billion was spent using "tap and go" contactless cards in November, figures show.
  
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• Children Made To Have 'Sexual Acts' With Animals

  21-01-2016 14:52
  
  Children were made to engage in "sexual activities" with each other - and animals - at a hotel, a judge in a family court has said. Judge Hilary Watson said she was looking into cases involving four children aged between eight and 14. The allegations involved a man that the children knew, she added.
  
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• PM: If EU Deal Not Good Enough I Won't Take It

  21-01-2016 14:39
  
  David Cameron has said he is happy to walk away from the negotiating table at the EU summit in February if the deal on Britain's membership isn't right. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Prime Minister said his demands were "not outrageous asks that cannot be achieved". And he told other European leaders that he was in "no hurry" and he could hold out until toward the end of 2017 to get the right deal for Britain before holding a referendum on Britain's membership of the EU.
  
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• Cameron under pressure over Russia after Putin implicated in Litvinenko death

  21-01-2016 14:24
  
  David Cameron is under pressure to escalate reprisals against Russia after a public inquiry implicated Vladimir Putin in the assassination of Alexander Litvinenko.
  
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• Wall Street weighs into Britain's EU referendum - Goldman, JPMorgan back 'in' campaign

  21-01-2016 14:23
  By William James and Rachel Armstrong LONDON (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan are making large donations to the campaign to keep Britain inside the European Union, sources said, highlighting the concern among some of the world's biggest banks over the impact of a British exit. Goldman Sachs has agreed to donate a "substantial six-figure sum" according to one source, while JPMorgan was preparing to make a similar donation, another source familiar with the matter said. In the face of growing
  
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• WWI U-Boat Wreck Found By Wind Farm Divers

  21-01-2016 14:17
  
  The wreck was discovered by Scottish Power Renewables and its partner Vattenfall in 2012, but has only now been officially identified. Mark Dunkley, marine archaeologist at Historic England, said: "SM U-31 was commissioned into the Imperial German Navy in September 1914. "The discovery and identification of SM U-31 by ScottishPower Renewables and Vattenfall, lying some 91km east of Caister-on-Sea, Norfolk, is a significant achievement.
  
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• 900 UK Jobs Under Threat At Virgin Media

  21-01-2016 14:09
  
  Around 900 jobs are under threat at telecoms firm Virgin Media after it announced plans for a shake-up. The group, owned by US giant Liberty Global, warned that the redundancies were likely over the next two years as it undergoes a structural shake-up. Virgin, which offers broadband, TV and phone services, has more than 5 million customers.
  
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• Britain and Argentina see chance to reset strained relations

  21-01-2016 14:07
  Old foes Britain and Argentina said on Thursday there was an opportunity to open a new chapter in diplomatic relations after a meeting between British Prime Minister David Cameron and newly elected Argentine President Mauricio Macri. Relations between Britain and Argentina have been fraught since a brief war in 1982 which was triggered by a sovereignty dispute over the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic known as the Malvinas in Argentina.
  
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