General news

• Call to ban students with poor English and maths skills from university

  28-01-2016 23:56
  
  Students who are struggling with literacy and numeracy should not be able to go to university, a major international report suggests.
  
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• Jamie Oliver says no reason why PM can't do right thing on childhood obesity

  28-01-2016 23:52
  Jamie Oliver has said there is no reason why David Cameron cannot do "the right thing" about a childhood obesity strategy.
  
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• PM 'Pleased' Over EU Benefits Brake Proposal

  28-01-2016 23:38
  
  David Cameron has said the proposed "emergency brake" being offered by the EU to limit migrant benefits shows Europe is "taking on board" his concerns. Sources close to negotiations say it would allow the Government to ban new EU migrants from claiming benefits for four years - but only if it could prove the welfare system was "under excessive strain". European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is expected to give details on the proposal when he meets Mr Cameron in Brussels on F
  
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• Microsoft hails software as driving force behind strong financial results

  28-01-2016 23:16
  Microsoft has hailed its software as the driving force behind strong financial results for the end of 2015.
  
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• Cameron agrees to take child refugees but campaigners say it’s STILL not enough

  28-01-2016 23:04 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  HUMAN rights activists have called on Prime Minister David Cameron to do more to help the plight of refugees.
  
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• Man Charged With University Lecturer's Murder

  28-01-2016 22:57
  
  A man has been charged with the murder of a 30-year-old university lecturer who was stabbed on his way to work. Mark Loveridge, 37, of Borough Road in Mitcham, south London, is accused of murdering Daniel Young. He is also charged with grievous bodily harm after a 23-year-old man was stabbed in the buttocks on the same morning.
  
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• Man charged with murder of university lecturer killed on his way to work

  28-01-2016 22:54
  Police have charged a man with the murder of a young university lecturer killed on his way to work.
  
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• Amazon sales rise £3.5 billion, but share price slumps

  28-01-2016 22:54
  Amazon announced a sales rise of more than five billion US dollars (£3.5bn) in its latest financial results, but share prices slumped as the firm missed investor expectations.
  
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• Booze giant Diageo is latest firm to say it would keep trading here in event of Brexit

  28-01-2016 22:46 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  DIAGEO, the world’s largest maker of Scotch whisky, has said that there would be no dramatic immediate effect on its business from a possible Brexit.
  
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• London commuter belts more racially integrated than Jeremy Corbyn's constituency

  28-01-2016 22:18 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  JEREMY Corbyn’s constituency has less integration between white people and ethnic minorities than some towns, it has emerged.
  
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• Google's £130 million tax deal could be investigated by Brussels

  28-01-2016 21:32
  
  Google's tax deal with the UK authorities could be investigated by Brussels as George Osborne maintained the agreement was a "major success".
  
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• Women can make the grade says first female Armed Forces Minister

  28-01-2016 21:16
  
  Britain's first female Armed Forces Minister insists women can make the grade - amid a review into whether both sexes should be allowed to fight on the frontline together.
  
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• Top French accolade for British designer Sir Paul Smith

  28-01-2016 21:16
  
  British designer Sir Paul Smith has been awarded France's highest honour for a career that has left an "indelible mark" on French fashion.
  
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• Cameron Defends 'Bunch Of Migrants' Jibe

  28-01-2016 21:05
  
  David Cameron has defended his "bunch of migrants" jibe saying it was clearly a dig at Labour's open-door policy on immigration. He said he was simply commenting on Jeremy Corbyn's trip to the Calais refugee camps at the weekend and the Labour leader's assertion Britain should let the 3,000 migrants there in. Mr Cameron told Sky News:  "I was very clear what I meant yesterday, which was to say that Labour have an open-door policy.
  
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• Jo Brand finishes 150-mile coast-to-coast walk for Sport Relief in Liverpool

  28-01-2016 20:45
  Jo Brand has finished her 150-mile coast-to-coast walk for Sport Relief by arriving in Liverpool bang on schedule.
  
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• Facebook flips switch for live video on iPhone app

  28-01-2016 20:39
  Facebook is ready to start broadcasting live video on its iPhone app.
  
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• Man carrying two handguns arrested at Disneyland Paris

  28-01-2016 20:14
  A man carrying two handguns has been arrested at Disneyland Paris.
  
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• Roadside Body Could Be Missing 'Big Man'

  28-01-2016 20:01
  
  A body found by workers clearing a roadside verge may have lain undiscovered for years, say police.
  
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• Babylonians 'used geometry to track path of Jupiter'

  28-01-2016 20:00
  Babylonians used geometry to track the path of Jupiter some 1,400 years before the technique was re-invented in 14th century Europe, research has shown.
  
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• Facebook to expand Like feature with five Reactions emojis

  28-01-2016 19:21
  Facebook is to expand its Like feature with five new emoji options called Reactions.
  
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• Ex-Cop Hopes Bellfield Admits More Crimes

  28-01-2016 18:43
  
  A retired detective says he hopes serial killer Levi Bellfield confesses to carrying out other unsolved attacks. Police have said they believe Bellfield could be linked to around 20 attacks on women, including the murder of his schoolfriend on Hounslow Heath in 1980. On Wednesday he finally confessed to the murder of Milly Dowler, 13, who was abducted on her way home from school in Walton-on-Thames in March 2002.
  
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• Tone it down - suspected thief found with 38 mobile phones stuffed in trousers

  28-01-2016 18:27
  A suspected thief was found with 38 mobile phones stuffed down his trousers at a concert by rock band The Libertines.
  
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• David Cameron announces £20m of funding to boost North Sea industry

  28-01-2016 18:27
  The UK Government is making £20 million of cash available for surveys in the North Sea in a bid to aid the struggling oil and gas sector.
  
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• David Cameron: 'Emergency brake' plan shows EU is taking on board my concerns

  28-01-2016 18:26
  
  David Cameron claimed a proposed "emergency brake" to ease pressure from migrants on public services shows that Europe is "taking on board" his concerns.
  
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• Too much exercise can affect body's ability to lose weight

  28-01-2016 18:21
  Hitting the gym in the hope of burning up calories to lose weight can backfire as the body adapts to higher activity levels, a study has found.
  
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• Amber Alert As Storm Gertrude Heads For UK

  28-01-2016 18:01
  
  The Met Office has issued an amber warning for Storm Gertrude which is due to arrive on Friday and is predicted to bring more heavy rain and winds gusting up to 90mph. The alert means "be prepared" for high winds in Northern Ireland, Scotland and north-west and north-east England. Parts of the British Isles are also forecast to see snow and ice as extreme winter weather continues.
  
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• Man arrested with two handguns at Disneyland Paris hotel

  28-01-2016 17:59
  A man has been arrested with two handguns at a hotel at Disneyland Paris, police said.
  
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• Missing Lottery Winner Claims £33m Jackpot

  28-01-2016 17:54
  
  Camelot says it has received a valid claim for the £33m lottery jackpot, ending an almost three-week search for the lucky winner. The National Lottery operator said it was "pleased to announce" that the winning ticket, worth a massive £33,035,323, has been found. A National Lottery spokesperson said: "We're delighted that the winner of this amazing prize has now come forward and we hope that they will enjoy their win.
  
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• Boris Flushed With Pride At New 'Super Sewer'

  28-01-2016 17:43
  
  The first of London's two new 'super sewers' has been opened by Mayor Boris Johnson after four years of construction work. The Lee Tunnel is the biggest project undertaken by the UK water industry since it was privatised in 1989. Costing £678m, it runs from Thames Water's Abbey Mills pumping station to Beckton sewage works.
  
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• PM Cameron welcomes proposals to curb EU migration - spokesman

  28-01-2016 17:22
  British Prime Minister David Cameron welcomes discussion of alternative proposals to his plan to curb welfare payments to European Union migrants but his original proposal remains on the table, his spokesman said on Thursday. The EU is offering Britain a new "emergency brake" rule that could give it the right to deny benefits to new EU workers for up to four years, sources close to the renegotiation of Britain's EU relationship told Reuters earlier.
  
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• Lawyer sees possible parallels in deaths of two Russians in UK exile

  28-01-2016 17:06
  
  WOKING, England (Reuters) - A week after a British inquiry ruled that Russian President Vladimir Putin probably approved the murder of an ex-KGB agent in London, a court heard on Thursday that the sudden death of a Russian mafia whistleblower had "potential parallels".
  
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• Reoffending rates for young criminals 'at highest level for more than 10 years'

  28-01-2016 16:53
  Reoffending rates among young criminals are at the highest level for more than 10 years, new figures show.
  
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• Whisky maker Diageo toasts Britain's EU membership

  28-01-2016 16:40
  By Martinne Geller LONDON (Reuters) - Diageo, the world's largest maker of Scotch whisky, supports Britain staying in the European Union but its chief executive said he sees no dramatic immediate effect on its business from a possible "Brexit". The maker of Johnnie Walker Scotch, Smirnoff vodka and Tanqueray gin was in favour of British membership because of easier trade within Europe and the rest of the world, Chief Executive Ivan Menezes told reporters on Thursday.
  
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• Apple recalls decade's worth of wall plug adaptors over safety concerns

  28-01-2016 16:33
  
  Apple is recalling more than a decade's worth of wall plug adaptors due to safety concerns.
  
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• David Cameron rejects claims over unaccompanied child refugees in Europe

  28-01-2016 16:05
  
  David Cameron has rejected claims the Government is ignoring the plight of thousands of unaccompanied child refugees stranded in Europe after fleeing the fighting in Syria and other conflict zones.
  
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• Catherine Zeta-Jones hits out at lack of Hollywood roles for older women

  28-01-2016 15:59
  Catherine Zeta-Jones has said the lack of good roles for actresses over 40 is because "big bosses" in Hollywood feel they do not capture the imagination of moviegoers.
  
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• £33m Lottery Jackpot Claimant Facing Trial

  28-01-2016 15:49
  
  A grandmother who staked a claim to a £33m National Lottery jackpot is facing a criminal trial, it has emerged. Susanne Hinte, from Warndon, Worcester, is accused of stealing a purse and an Xbox controller from a home in January 2015. She pleaded not guilty to the offences last summer and is due back at Birmingham Magistrates' Court in March.
  
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• Zika could be declared global emergency due to 'explosive' virus spread

  28-01-2016 15:38
  The World Health Organisation (WHO) could be set to declare Zika a global emergency following the "explosive" spread of the virus.
  
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• Male sex hormones 'help towards successful pregnancy'

  28-01-2016 15:37
  Male hormones play a crucial role in the womb and may help explain why fertility treatment often fails in older women, a study suggests.
  
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• PM Defends 'Bunch Of Migrants' Jibe

  28-01-2016 15:24
  
  David Cameron has defended his "bunch of migrants" jibe saying it was clearly a dig at Labour's open-door policy on immigration. The Prime Minister said he did not accept the remarks were "intemperate" and added that he was simply commenting on Jeremy Corbyn's trip to the Calais refugee camps at the weekend and his assertion Britain should let 3,000 migrants in. Mr Cameron said those in the camps in Calais and Dunkirk should be claiming asylum in France because it was a "safe country" but added
  
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• Three Days Left To Solve GCHQ Xmas Puzzle

  28-01-2016 15:23
  
  GCHQ says time is running out for someone to solve its head-scratching Christmas puzzle. But on Wednesday GCHQ revealed that although around 30,000 players have reached the final stage, none have successfully completed the puzzle. GCHQ's website attracted unprecedented levels of visitors eager to take the challenge over the Christmas period.
  
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• EU To Offer Cameron 'Migrant Brake' Deal

  28-01-2016 15:13
  
  The EU is to offer David Cameron an "emergency brake" deal to limit migrant benefits as part of renegotiations, is is claimed. Sources close to negotiations on Britain's new deal with the EU told Reuters news agency that under the proposals the Government will be allowed to ban new EU migrants from claiming benefits for four years - but only if it can prove the welfare system was "under excessive strain". The Prime Minister will discuss the offer with European Commission President Jean-Claude Ju
  
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• Wikipedia trustee resigns after editors back vote of no confidence

  28-01-2016 15:04
  
  A trustee of Wikipedia's governing body has resigned after coming under pressure from the site's editors.
  
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• Manhunt after six children are sexually assaulted on their way to school

  28-01-2016 14:46 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  A MANHUNT has been launched after six children were sexually assaulted on their way to school.
  
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• Storm Gertrude set to sweep in with 90mph gusts

  28-01-2016 14:31
  Storm Gertrude is expected to bring further heavy rain and wind gusts of up to 90mph on Friday.
  
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• Children given 25 gender options in 'profoundly confusing' survey

  28-01-2016 14:31
  Children have been asked to describe their gender from a list of more than 20 different options in a survey criticised as "profoundly confusing".
  
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• Attacks on prison staff reach highest level in at least 10 years

  28-01-2016 14:31
  Attacks on prison staff are at their highest level for at least a decade amid soaring levels of violence in jails, new figures reveal.
  
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• Google Deal A 'Major Success' Osborne Insists

  28-01-2016 14:25
  
  George Osborne has come under further pressure over Google's tax after it emerged the £130m deal is set to be investigated by Europe and MPs for being unfair. Labour and SNP MPs have called on the EU’s Competition Commissioner to examine the deal, described by politicians on all sides as "derisory". And the powerful Public Accounts Committee has summoned Google and HMRC to explain themselves next month.
  
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• Praise rail firms when trains run on time, says Tory MP

  28-01-2016 14:03
  Rail companies should be praised when trains run on time, a Tory MP has said.
  
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• Osborne hails Google tax deal a 'major success'

  28-01-2016 13:54
  
  George Osborne has insisted a tax deal with Google is a "major success" amid complaints that the internet giant has been let off too lightly and calls for an investigation into a possible breach of EU rules.
  
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