General news

• Dismissed NHS whistleblower who exposed safety concerns handed £1.22m in damages

  04-02-2016 23:38
  An NHS whistleblower who was unfairly sacked after exposing concerns about patient safety has been awarded £1.22 million in damages by a hospital trust.
  
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• Charles handed a royal history lesson from 'Henry VIII'

  04-02-2016 23:38
  Actor Damian Lewis gave the Prince of Wales a history lesson on the monarchy as the pair discussed his role as Henry VIII at a charity dinner.
  
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• What a cracker...code-breakers win Christmas card challenge

  04-02-2016 23:00
  Three budding code-breakers have proved they are almost a match for the UK's national intelligence and security agency by winning its Christmas card cryptography challenge.
  
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• Simon Cowell's show still holds the X Factor for ITV bosses

  04-02-2016 22:56
  
  ITV has said it "fully intends" to continue "into 2017 and beyond" with the X Factor - despite reports the show could be rested following disappointing ratings and the acquisition of The Voice from the BBC.
  
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• Sperm Whale Stranded On Norfolk Beach Dies

  04-02-2016 22:41
  
  A sperm whale stranded on a beach in Norfolk has died despite efforts to save it. The British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) said the giant mammal died at about 8pm on Thursday - more than 12 hours after it was first spotted beached at Hunstanton.
  
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• 'Jihadi Jack's' parents 'arrested after trying to send him money'

  04-02-2016 22:15
  
  The parents of a British Muslim convert accused of joining Islamic State (IS) in Syria say they were arrested after trying to send him money.
  
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• Police Officers Sacked Over Death Of Teenager

  04-02-2016 22:12
  
  Two police officers have been sacked for gross misconduct following the death of 17-year-old George Verrier after a party in London. The Metropolitan Police said PC Claire Derbyshire and PC Peter Cruise "failed to ascertain the victim was 17 years old and that other young men were at the scene who had been drinking with juveniles". George Verrier was punched as he reportedly tried to play peacemaker during a fight in Bromley, southeast London, in September 2013.
  
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• Culture Secretary Ready To Campaign For Brexit

  04-02-2016 22:00
  
  Thatcherite Cabinet minister John Whittingdale has broken his silence on David Cameron’s EU renegotiation and signalled he stands ready to campaign for Britain to leave the European Union. The Culture Secretary, who was Margaret Thatcher’s political secretary in 10 Downing Street and one of her closest allies over many years, has been strongly Eurosceptic since becoming an MP in 1992. Before breaking his silence, Mr Whittingdale is known to have told Conservative MPs that he is likel
  
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• Ben Stiller's children not impressed by Justin Bieber role in Zoolander sequel

  04-02-2016 21:59
  Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor's children are distinctly unimpressed by Justin Bieber's cameo in their film star parents' latest movie, Zoolander No 2.
  
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• Stranded sperm whale dies

  04-02-2016 21:35
  
  A whale washed up on a beach in Norfolk has died, rescuers said.
  
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• John Whittingdale refuses to rule out support for Britain leaving the EU

  04-02-2016 21:01
  Cabinet minister John Whittingdale has indicated he stands ready to campaign for Britain to quit the European Union.
  
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• Police commissioners could open schools to protect children from 'life of crime'

  04-02-2016 20:31
  Police and crime commissioners could help set up free schools aimed at preventing children from falling into a life of crime, Theresa May has said.
  
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• Spread of devastating bee disease 'down to human trade and transport'

  04-02-2016 20:00
  The spread of a disease that is decimating global bee populations is man-made and driven by European honeybee populations, new research has found.
  
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• Iran says good commercial relations with Britain can resume

  04-02-2016 19:59
  LONDON (Reuters) - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Thursday that good economic and commercial relations could resume with Britain. "Iran and Britain have had traditionally good commercial and economic relations and I think those can resume," Zarif said at Chatham House in London. "We need to work together on moving the political relations forward." Iran has 9.3 percent of the world's proven oil reserves, the fourth largest after Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Canada, and 18.2
  
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• India Chipchase murder suspect likely to face trial in summer

  04-02-2016 19:34
  The suspect accused of killing a 20-year-old woman who went missing in Northampton is likely to stand trial in the summer, a court has heard.
  
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• David Cameron hails support for Syria refugees amid warnings of fresh 'disaster'

  04-02-2016 19:33
  
  David Cameron has hailed international pledges totalling more than £7 billion to ease the plight of Syrian refugees, amid warnings the latest onslaught by President Bashar Assad's forces could trigger a new mass exodus.
  
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• Slim Chance For Stranded Whale On High Tide

  04-02-2016 19:31
  
  The whale stranded at Hunstanton beach has been engulfed by the tide but rescuers say there is only a slim chance the 14m mammal could be refloated. Sealife experts had been trying to help the sperm whale on the Norfolk coast by splashing it with buckets of water to ease its discomfort. Hunstanton Sea Life Centre manager Nigel Croasdale told Sky News he was "not expecting a successful outcome" but said there was an outside chance of saving the whale.
  
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• WikiLeaks' Assange 'arbitrarily detained' in embassy, U.N. panel to say

  04-02-2016 19:01
  By Johan Ahlander and Guy Faulconbridge STOCKHOLM/LONDON (Reuters) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's three-and-a-half-year stay in the Ecuadorian embassy in London to avoid rape investigation in Sweden amounts to 'arbitrary detention', a United Nations panel will rule on Friday. The former computer hacker denies allegations of a 2010 rape in Sweden, saying the charge is a ploy that would eventually take him to the United States where a criminal investigation into the activities of WikiLeaks i
  
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• Company boss shot dead in warehouse raid

  04-02-2016 18:55
  
  A major manhunt is under way after a company director was shot dead during an armed raid on his drinks delivery firm's warehouse.
  
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• Assange 'Arbitrarily Detained' In Embassy

  04-02-2016 18:16
  
  Sweden's foreign ministry has said a UN report concludes that Julian Assange has been "arbitrarily detained" in a London embassy. The WikiLeaks founder, 44, has been holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in west London since June 2012 and has been granted political asylum by the Ecuador government. A lawyer for the 44-year-old told Associated Press news agency that if the UN panel rules he has been arbitrarily detained, then Sweden has no other option but to revoke an arrest warrant which could all
  
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• High Tide Reaches Stranded Norfolk Whale

  04-02-2016 18:11
  
  The whale stranded at Hunstanton beach is being engulfed by the tide as rescuers say there is a slim chance the 14m mammal could be refloated. Sealife experts had been trying to help the sperm whale on the Norfolk coast by splashing it with buckets of water to ease its discomfort. Hunstanton Sea Life Centre manager Nigel Croasdale told Sky News he was "not expecting a successful outcome" but said there was an outside chance of saving the whale.
  
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• Britain's pro-EU campaign predicts big victory in vote

  04-02-2016 18:09
  Britain will vote to stay in the EU by a "substantial margin" predicted the leader of a campaign to keep the world's fifth-largest economy in the trading bloc, slating the opposing "out" movement for what he said was failure to present an alternative to membership. Stuart Rose, chairman of the "Britain Stronger in Europe" group, was speaking as Prime Minister David Cameron tries to convince eurosceptics of the benefits of a potential new EU deal ahead of a referendum on membership possibly as ea
  
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• High-dose Lipitor statin treatment could restore sight, say scientists

  04-02-2016 18:01
  A common cholesterol-lowering drug can restore vision to patients with a hard-to-treat version of the leading cause of blindness in the developed world, research has shown.
  
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• Woman Fights To Use Dead Daughter's Eggs

  04-02-2016 18:00
  
  A woman who wants to use her dead daughter's frozen eggs to give birth to her own grandchildren has asked judges to let her continue her legal battle. The 60-year-old, whose daughter died of cancer, lost an action at the High Court last year. Two Court of Appeal judges in London were asked to grant her permission to challenge the earlier decision of Mr Justice Ouseley to dismiss her case.
  
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• Ancient 'wildebeest' used nasal trumpet to keep in touch with herd

  04-02-2016 18:00
  
  An ancient "wildebeest" shared a bizarre feature with herd dinosaurs that lived tens of millions of years before it, say scientists.
  
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• I hope you don't mind the gap: Sir Elton John performs for commuters

  04-02-2016 17:58
  Sir Elton John delighted commuters with an impromptu performance on a piano at London's St Pancras International station.
  
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• Amputee military men make history rowing across Atlantic

  04-02-2016 17:58
  Four wounded military men have earned their place in the history books after becoming the first all-amputee team to row across an ocean.
  
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• £7bn international aid pledge to tackle Syrian refugee crisis

  04-02-2016 17:39
  
  International leaders have pledged more than £7 billion to tackle the Syrian refugee crisis, David Cameron has announced.
  
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• WikiLeaks' Assange 'arbitrarily detained' in Ecuador's London embassy, U.N. panel to say

  04-02-2016 17:05
  By Johan Ahlander and Guy Faulconbridge STOCKHOLM/LONDON (Reuters) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's three-and-a-half-year stay in the Ecuadorian embassy in London to avoid rape investigation in Sweden amounts to 'arbitrary detention', a United Nations panel will rule on Friday.
  
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• Becky Watts: Pair 'Unwittingly' Hid Body Parts

  04-02-2016 16:36
  
  A couple "unwittingly" hid the dismembered body of murdered teenager Becky Watts in their garden shed believing it was drugs or stolen property, a court has been told. Karl Demetrius, 30, and Jaydene Parsons, 23, had been "motivated by money", said the prosecution. The pair admitted a charge of assisting Nathan Matthews after he killed his stepsister last year.
  
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• Investigator steps up probe into Spain murder

  04-02-2016 15:53
  A top investigator has released an artist's impression of a man seen in the vicinity of the murder of a Scottish man as his family mark what would have been his 30th birthday this week.
  
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• High Tide Hope For Stranded Norfolk Whale

  04-02-2016 15:32
  
  The only chance to save a whale stranded on Hunstanton beach is fast approaching, with a slim possibility that high tide could help refloat the 14m mammal. Sealife experts have been trying to help the sperm whale on the Norfolk coast by splashing it with buckets of water to ease its discomfort. It's a very sad sight," councillor Kate Dunbar told Sky News.
  
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• Sir Van Morrison 'exhilarated' over knighthood

  04-02-2016 15:02
  
  Sir Van Morrison described himself as just a "blue-eyed soul singer" from Belfast as he was knighted for a musical career that has enthralled audiences and delighted critics.
  
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• Ben Stiller looks to strut stuff at Zoolander sequel screening

  04-02-2016 15:02
  Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson and Will Ferrell will strut their stuff on the red carpet as they arrive for a "fashionable screening" of Zoolander No. 2 in London's Leicester Square.
  
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• Bank holds rates, slashes growth forecast amid 'unforgiving' conditions

  04-02-2016 14:57
  Bank of England governor Mark Carney said the UK was being buffeted by "unforgiving" conditions in the global economy as latest forecasts slashed Britain's growth outlook.
  
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• Child suicide statistics 'national scandal'

  04-02-2016 14:51
  Nearly 100 children aged 10 to 14 killed themselves in the UK in the past decade, according to the Office for National Statistics.
  
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• Wounded Dog Found Abandoned And Tied To A Gate

  04-02-2016 14:45
  
  The owner of a neglected and "extremely thin" dog that was found abandoned and tied to a gate is being sought by the RSPCA. A walker discovered the female Staffordshire bull terrier in Ullswater Drive in Middleton, Greater Manchester. Although the dog was not wearing an identification tag, she was microchipped and the RSPCA established that previous owners had named her Jazz.
  
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• Woman's plea to judges in fight to bear grandchild using dead daughter's eggs

  04-02-2016 14:39
  A woman who wants to use her dead daughter's frozen eggs to give birth to her own grandchild has urged leading judges to allow her to continue her legal battle.
  
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• Underground Toll Roads Planned To Cross London

  04-02-2016 14:32
  
  Boris Johnson has revealed plans for two toll-tunnels running across London to cope with the city's exploding population. The first tunnel, known as the Northern Cross City Corridor, would run from the A40 at Park Royal in west London to the A12 at Hackney Wick in east London. "London is booming and, as our great capital thrives, our ambitions for the veins and arteries that keep our city alive must grow with it," Mr Johnson said.
  
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• David Cameron accused of 'side-stepping' over EU reform proposals

  04-02-2016 14:29
  David Cameron has come under further pressure to produce measures aimed at boosting the powers of Westminster over Brussels as the Prime Minister continued attempting to build support for his reform demands.
  
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• Former BoE boss King, specialist in crisis management, joins Villa board

  04-02-2016 14:17
  Mervyn King, who headed the Bank of England as the country suffered one of its biggest-ever economic downturns, is about to take his turnaround skills to another ailing institution: soccer club Aston Villa. King slashed interest rates and printed money in a desperate bid to prop up the economy during his 10 years as governor of the Bank from 2003 to 2013. The club are languishing at the bottom of the Premier League and look set for relegation.
  
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• Crises spoil Chinese, Russian appetite for luxury London property

  04-02-2016 14:16
  By Costas Pitas and Ana Nicolaci da Costa LONDON (Reuters) - Crises at home and turmoil on world markets may have taken the shine off London's luxury property market for Chinese, Russian and Middle Eastern investors: some are even looking to sell up. From Russian oligarchs and Middle Eastern oil barons to newly-minted Chinese entrepreneurs, foreign buyers have driven a spending spree on London property over the past two decades, snapping up everything from opulent homes to iconic commercial prop
  
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• David Cameron urges more aid for Syria refugees amid fears of Assad attacks

  04-02-2016 14:11
  
  David Cameron has called on world leaders to step up aid for the Syrian refugees amid fears that a fresh onslaught by President Bashar Assad's forces will drive a new exodus from the country.
  
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• Tory MP apologises for failing to declare £400,000 in outside earnings

  04-02-2016 14:04
  A Tory MP has made a "sincere and heartfelt" apology to the House of Commons after failing to declare more than £400,000 of outside income on time.
  
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• Pro-Rape Pick-Up Artist Cancels UK Events

  04-02-2016 13:59
  
  A US self-styled pick-up artist who called for the legalisation of rape has been forced to cancel a controversial series of events in the UK, claiming he could not guarantee the safety of those wanting to attend. The cancellation has been welcomed by the Government, with a minister branding comments made by Daryush Valizadeh as "absolutely repulsive". Mr Valizadeh, who calls himself Roosh V, said while there would be no official Return of Kings events there was nothing to stop men gathering
  
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• Stranded Whale 'Alive' On Hunstanton Beach

  04-02-2016 13:56
  
  Sealife experts are trying to help a 14m sperm whale stranded on Hunstanton beach but say chances of rescuing the mammal are slim, with the tide still several hours away. Councillor Kate Dunbar told Sky News that people are pouring water on the mammal to try to make it comfortable. Hunstanton Sea Life Centre manager Nigel Croasdale told Sky News he was "not expecting a successful outcome" but said there was a slim chance of saving the whale.
  
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• Body Found As Police Search For Missing Woman

  04-02-2016 13:36
  Sally Allan, 59, from Ponteland, Northumberland, was last seen on camera on 26 December walking close to the river on Newcastle Quayside at 6am. Northumbria Police said a woman's body was found just after 1pm on Wednesday in water near Riverside Quay at Tynedock in South Shields. Mrs Allan's husband, Gordon, and their three children last month held a ceremony at the spot where she was last seen.
  
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• Billions pledged for Syria as tens of thousands flee bombardments

  04-02-2016 13:27
  By Estelle Shirbon and William James LONDON (Reuters) - Donor nations pledged on Thursday to give billions of dollars in aid to Syrians as world leaders gathered for a conference to tackle the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with Turkey reporting a new exodus of tens of thousands fleeing air strikes. With Syria's five-year-old civil war raging and another attempt at peace negotiations called off in Geneva after just a few days, the London conference will aim to address the needs of some 6 mil
  
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• Matt LeBlanc Joins Top Gear Presenter Line-Up

  04-02-2016 13:22
  
  Friends actor Matt LeBlanc has been revealed as one of the new presenters of Top Gear. The Friends star will join Chris Evans as part of the line-up for the new show which is due to air in May. Evans confirmed the news as he tweeted a picture of himself, LeBlanc and The Stig.
  
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• Interest rates held again as Bank of England slashes growth outlook

  04-02-2016 13:09
  The Bank of England has slashed its UK growth outlook and kept interest rates on hold once more as darkening gloom over the global economy pushed further back the prospect of a hike.
  
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