General news

• U.S., Britain eye letting spy agencies, police seek email, chat data from companies

  05-02-2016 23:19
  By Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. and UK spy agencies and police may soon be allowed to directly ask media companies in each others' countries for email and online chat data for people being investigated, under a tentative bilateral deal, officials said on Friday. As governments worldwide and online companies struggle to strike a balance between privacy rights and law enforcement imperatives, three U.S. officials confirmed a pact is in the works, although it would require congression
  
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• Boy, 16, arrested after Oxford bank robbery

  05-02-2016 22:17
  
  A 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of taking part in an armed robbery on a bank.
  
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• Bridget Jones's Baby costume designer is new Great British Sewing Bee judge

  05-02-2016 21:35
  The Great British Sewing Bee will return with host Claudia Winkleman, and the costume designer of Bridget Jones's Baby as a new judge.
  
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• Twitter moves to actively seek out terrorist supporters

  05-02-2016 21:33
  
  Twitter says it is now using spam-fighting technology to seek out and automatically flag accounts that might be promoting terrorist activity.
  
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• Ex-Merseyside Police sergeant jailed after forcing prostitute into sex act

  05-02-2016 21:14
  An on-duty police sergeant who forced a prostitute to perform a sex act or face arrest has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.
  
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• Dumper Truck Rampage Caught On Police Cameras

  05-02-2016 21:07
  
  Aerial footage shows a quarry worker in a 20-tonne dumper truck crashing into police cars during a low-speed chase. Nicholas Churchill, 40, was high on amphetamines when he left a trail of destruction across Norfolk and Suffolk. He was followed by six police cars and a helicopter for two hours during the 40-mile pursuit, Norwich Crown Court heard.
  
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• One dead, two injured in shooting at boxing match weigh-in at Dublin hotel

  05-02-2016 21:02
  Gunmen dressed up in police uniforms opened fire in an Irish hotel lobby, killing one man and seriously injuring two others, during a packed weigh-in for a European boxing title fight.
  
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• Zayn Malik's Pillowtalk tops singles chart

  05-02-2016 20:19
  Zayn Malik's debut solo single Pillowtalk has gone straight in at number one and is the fastest-selling song of the year so far.
  
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• Mother 'begged Muslim convert son who was killed in battle not to go to Syria'

  05-02-2016 19:54
  An anguished mother has described in court how she begged her Muslim convert son not to go to Syria - months before he was killed in battle.
  
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• Married MP was heard giggling in colleague's bedroom, employment tribunal told

  05-02-2016 19:54
  A married Tory MP was heard "giggling" in a colleague's bedroom the night before "sheepishly" emerging from the bathroom in his pants, a tribunal heard.
  
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• Heart surgery on boy, one, was performed 'appropriately' coroner rules

  05-02-2016 19:54
  Heart surgery carried out on a one-year-old boy at a unit just days before operations were suspended over controversial claims about safety was performed "competently and appropriately", a coroner has ruled.
  
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• Poland's Kaczynski backs deal with Cameron to keep Britain in EU

  05-02-2016 19:40
  By Adrian Krajewski and William James WARSAW/COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron secured the support of Poland's most powerful man on Friday for a proposed deal to keep Britain in the European Union, though an opinion poll suggested voters may still reject continued membership in a planned referendum. To win a vote expected in June on staying in the EU, Cameron says he needs a pact to curb benefits for new migrant workers from EU countries, an opt-out from moves towards political
  
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• Zayn scores fastest-selling single of 2016 with solo release

  05-02-2016 19:02
  The debut solo of former One Direction singer Zayn shot straight to the top of the British charts on Friday as the fastest-selling single of 2016 so far, while David Bowie continued to dominate the albums. Zayn's "Pillowtalk" notched up combined sales of 112,000 with 4.97 million streams, according to the Official Charts Company. Zayn Malik left One Direction last March after five years with the hugely successful boyband that was first discovered on ITV television talent show "X Factor." Pillowt
  
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• Assange's 'Victory Of Historical Importance'

  05-02-2016 18:28
  
  WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has claimed a "victory of historical importance" after a UN panel ruled his stay in a London embassy amounts to "arbitrary detention". Mr Assange gave a statement from the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy in west London, where he has been holed up since June 2012, having been granted political asylum. The UK has maintained it will arrest the 44-year-old Australian should he leave the embassy - and then extradite him to Sweden, where he faces a rape claim.
  
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• Man arrested in mother-of-four Caroline Andrews murder probe

  05-02-2016 18:21
  
  A man wanted over the suspicious death of a mother-of-four has been arrested as police confirmed they are treating the incident as murder.
  
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• Angry Assange in embassy balcony tirade over UK response to 'detention' report

  05-02-2016 17:34
  
  WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has made a rare appearance on the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy after launching an attack against the Government for its "insulting" response to a UN working group report on his detention.
  
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• EU Deal 'Irreversible', Insists David Cameron

  05-02-2016 17:10
  
  David Cameron has insisted a finalised EU reform deal would be "irreversible" as the UK would have a veto. He was speaking after the European Parliament President Martin Schulz told Sky News that everything could be reversed, including legally binding decisions. But during a visit to meet with his counterpart in Copenhagen, Mr Cameron said while it was technically reversible, Britain would need to agree to it.
  
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• Cameron says any EU reform deal would be irreversible

  05-02-2016 16:33
  Prime Minister David Cameron said on Friday that any deal agreed with the European Union on reforming Britain's relationship with the bloc would be irreversible. At a news conference with Danish Prime Minister Lars Rasmussen, Cameron said that if a deal were agreed at a February summit, all EU members would have to agree to reverse it - something Britain was unlikely to do after it had proposed the deal in the first place. "It would only be reversible if all 28 countries including Britain agree
  
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• Cameron dismisses claims EU reforms package could be reversed

  05-02-2016 16:30
  
  David Cameron has dismissed claims that his EU reform package could be undone in the future even if it is agreed at a crucial Brussels summit later this month.
  
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• Saracens in research project that could have bruising impact on contact sports

  05-02-2016 16:14
  Players from the Saracens rugby club are taking part in a research project that could have a bruising impact on their sport and others with high levels of physical contact.
  
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• Accused 'flash crash' trader's actions not a crime in UK, court hears

  05-02-2016 16:01
  By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - A London-based trader, accused by the U.S. of contributing to the 2010 Wall Street "flash crash", should not be extradited because the offences he is accused of are not crimes in Britain, his lawyers said on Friday. Navinder Sarao also had only a "gossamer thin" link to the 2010 market plunge, his lawyer Joel Smith told London's Westminster Magistrates Court. "Anybody who knows anything seems to be saying (it's) nothing to do with Mr Sarao," Smith said.
  
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• Britain's EU Deal 'Reversible' - Schulz

  05-02-2016 15:52
  
  The President of the European Parliament has cast doubt on David Cameron's claim that an EU reform deal would be "irreversible". In comments likely to prove unhelpful to the Prime Minister as he seeks to rally support for his proposed reforms, Martin Schulz told Sky News that legally binding decisions were also "reversible". This contradicts claims by Downing Street that the draft measures, if agreed at a summit later this month, would be "legally binding and irreversible".
  
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• Family Of Murdered Boss Want 'Justice'

  05-02-2016 15:43
  
  Father-of-four Akhtar Javeed, who lived in east London and helped to run Birmingham-based food and drink firm Direct Source 3, died in hospital after suffering a gunshot wound in Rea Street South, Digbeth. In a statement issued through West Midlands Police on Friday, his family described the 56-year-old as a "loving grandfather" and "honest man". "He was a loving grandfather and his grandchild was the apple of his eye.
  
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• Teenager found guilty of murdering schoolboy love rival in cemetery

  05-02-2016 15:32
  
  A teenager has been convicted of murdering a 14-year-old love rival in a cemetery.
  
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• GPs turning to locum doctors amid staffing crisis, report reveals

  05-02-2016 15:32
  
  GP practices are having to turn to locum doctors to solve a staffing crisis, while consultations with patients are too short to provide safe care, according to a report.
  
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• European Court fight woman 'is Abu Hamza's daughter-in-law'

  05-02-2016 15:32
  
  A Moroccan woman with a criminal record whose fight against deportation has been boosted by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) advocate general is the daughter-in-law of radical cleric Abu Hamza, a Tory MP has said.
  
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• Nearly 30 sperm whales wash up and die on North Sea beaches

  05-02-2016 15:01
  By Sarah Young LONDON (Reuters) - A sixth sperm whale has died on a British beach, the latest of nearly 30 to have become stranded in shallow waters on the coastline of Europe's North Sea over the past month. As marine pathologists cut samples from the whale's carcass on the windswept expanse of sand at low tide, scientists said it was too early to know exactly why so many whales had taken a wrong turn into the North Sea. Since mid-January, 29 sperm whales have died on beaches in the Netherlands
  
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• Pc David Rathband's family defiant after losing High Court negligence case

  05-02-2016 14:48
  
  The family of shot Pc David Rathband remained defiant after losing a High Court negligence case against his former employer and being ordered to pay at least £100,000 costs.
  
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• Assange Claims 'Vindication' After UN Ruling

  05-02-2016 14:47
  
  WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has said a UN panel ruling that his stay in a London embassy amounts to arbitrary detention is "vindication". Mr Assange has been holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in west London since June 2012 having been granted political asylum. The UK has maintained it will arrest the 44-year-old should he leave the embassy - and then extradite him to Sweden, where he faces a rape claim.
  
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• Rathband Family's £100k Bill Over Lost Claim

  05-02-2016 14:33
  
  The family of PC David Rathband have branded Northumbria police as "cruel" after losing their High Court negligence claim against the force. Relatives of the late traffic officer had argued he should have been warned about Raoul Moat's threats against the police before the gunman shot him in the face in July 2010. PC Rathband's siblings said that had he been told he would not have been sitting stationary in his patrol car.
  
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• Harry thanks soldiers for flood rescue efforts after storms

  05-02-2016 14:28
  Prince Harry has met soldiers deployed to flood-ravaged regions which were left devastated by the recent storms to thank them for their efforts in aiding recovery.
  
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• WikiLeaks' Assange calls on Sweden, Britain to allow him freedom after U.N. panel report

  05-02-2016 14:14
  By Costas Pitas and Andy Bruce LONDON (Reuters) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange called on Britain and Sweden on Friday to let him freely leave the Ecuadorian embassy in London after a U.N. panel ruled he had been arbitrarily detained and should be awarded compensation. Assange, a computer hacker who enraged the United States by publishing hundreds of thousands of secret U.S. diplomatic cables, has been holed up in the embassy since June 2012 to avoid a rape investigation in Sweden.
  
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• Post-Mortem Tests On North Sea Sperm Whale

  05-02-2016 14:10
  
  A post-mortem examination is being carried out on the latest sperm whale to become stranded on the east coast of England in the hope of finding out why it ended up in the North Sea. Rob Deaville, from the Zoological Society of London, who is leading the examination, said the information gathered may help explain why it keeps happening. "The big question is why we have had 29 sperm whales around the North Sea in four different countries and why they are in the North Sea in the first place.
  
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• Julian Assange brands Government response to UN panel 'insulting'

  05-02-2016 13:37
  
  WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange remained inside the Ecuadorian Embassy today, launching an attack against the Government for its "insulting" response to a UN working group report on his detention.
  
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• Passenger breaks jaw as Nitro Circus motorbike stunt goes wrong

  05-02-2016 13:30
  A man suffered a broken jaw and another was taken to hospital when a stunt at an extreme motorsports show went wrong.
  
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• PM Cameron wins approval from Poland's Kaczynski on deal to keep Britain in EU

  05-02-2016 13:29
  By Adrian Krajewski and Kate Holton WARSAW/LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron appeared to win support from Poland on Friday for a proposed deal to keep Britain in the European Union, though an opinion poll suggested voters could still reject membership by as much as nine percentage points. Cameron says he needs a deal to restrict EU migrant benefits, recover powers from Brussels and defend Britain against greater integration of the euro zone if he is going to be able to sell it to v
  
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• Becky Watts: Pair Who Hid Body Parts Jailed

  05-02-2016 13:28
  
  A couple have been jailed after "unwittingly" hiding the dismembered body of murdered teenager Becky Watts in their garden shed, believing it was drugs or stolen property. Karl Demetrius, 30, and Jaydene Parsons, 23, admitted a charge of assisting Nathan Matthews after he killed his stepsister last year. Matthews, a former TA soldier, suffocated 16-year-old Becky at her home in Crown Hill, Bristol, while kidnapping her with his girlfriend Shauna Hoare, 21, on 19 February.
  
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• Rathband Family Must Pay £100k Over Lost Claim

  05-02-2016 13:20
  
  The family of PC David Rathband have branded Northumbria police as "cruel" after losing their High Court negligence claim against the force. Relatives of the late traffic officer had argued he should have been warned about Raoul Moat's threats against the police before the gunman shot him in the face in July 2010. PC Rathband's siblings said that had he been told he would not have been sitting stationary in his patrol car.
  
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• Tina Hobley exits The Jump after dislocating elbow and fracturing arm

  05-02-2016 13:07
  
  Holby City actress Tina Hobley has pulled out of winter sports show The Jump after dislocating her elbow and fracturing her arm in two places, making her the first celebrity to leave through injury.
  
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• UN group's Assange detention report 'frankly ridiculous' says Hammond

  05-02-2016 12:27
  
  Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has branded a United Nations working group report on the "arbitrary detention" of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange as "frankly ridiculous".
  
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• Why Low Oil Prices Could Be Bad For You

  05-02-2016 12:26
  
  The recent oil rout has been championed as good news for the UK economy, but if you care about your retirement you may learn to feel differently. Despite the Bank of England's deputy governor insisting that the fall in oil prices has been a "net good" for the UK economy, there's a chance your pension pot has felt some pain. That could result in a lower retirement income or having to retire at an older age than you hoped.
  
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• Tests planned on Hunstanton whale after spate of deaths

  05-02-2016 12:01
  
  Tests are to be carried out on a whale which died after washing up on a Norfolk beach in an attempt to explain a spate of recent deaths.
  
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• Matt LeBlanc 'ducking paparazzi' after Top Gear announcement

  05-02-2016 12:01
  
  Matt LeBlanc has said he cannot believe the reaction to his Top Gear appointment.
  
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• BG Group back in black despite oil price pressure

  05-02-2016 12:01
  
  Oil and gas exploration firm BG Group has guided the business back into the black despite continued pressure from tumbling oil prices.
  
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• Armed police in manhunt after woman's death

  05-02-2016 12:01
  
  A manhunt involving armed police is under way after the death of a woman in a village.
  
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• Pc David Rathband's family lose negligence claim against Northumbria Police

  05-02-2016 11:50
  The family of Pc David Rathband have lost their High Court negligence claim against the shot policeman's employer Northumbria Police.
  
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• Couple who 'unwittingly' helped hide Becky Watts' remains jailed

  05-02-2016 11:45
  A couple who "unwittingly" helped the murderer of Becky Watts by hiding her remains in their garden shed have been jailed.
  
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• Hammond calls U.N. Assange report 'ridiculous'

  05-02-2016 11:30
  
  LONDON (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond poured scorn on a UN working group report on Julian Assange, calling it ridiculous, and said the Wikileaks founder was a fugitive from justice.
  
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• UK Foreign Secretary calls U.N. Assange report 'ridiculous'

  05-02-2016 11:29
  British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond poured scorn on a UN working group report on Julian Assange, calling it ridiculous, and said the Wikileaks founder was a fugitive from justice. The panel ruled Assange is being "arbitrarily detained" in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he fled in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden. Julian Assange is a fugitive from justice.
  
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• Sounds of ships and wind farms 'may alter marine ecosystem'

  05-02-2016 11:00
  Underwater sound linked to human activity could alter the behaviour of seabed creatures which play a vital role in marine ecosystems, according to new research.
  
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