General news

• Freud's 'Pregnant Girl' fetches £16m at auction

  10-02-2016 23:30
  One of Lucian Freud's most famous paintings has sold for more than £16 million at auction.
  
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• Twitter fails to add new users in last quarter of 2015

  10-02-2016 23:12
  
  The number of active Twitter users failed to rise in the last three months of 2015, the social network has reported, as it continues to struggle.
  
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• Judy Murray 'thrilled to bits' at birth of granddaughter

  10-02-2016 22:56
  Judy Murray has thanked people for their well wishes on the birth of her first granddaughter.
  
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• Migrants heading for EU could boost support for Brexit, warns Donald Tusk - The Independent

  10-02-2016 22:55 via
  The Independent
  Migrants heading for EU could boost support for Brexit, warns Donald Tusk
  The Independent
  The Polish politician leading efforts to renegotiate Britain's place in the European Union has warned the negotiations are “very fragile” as he stepped up efforts to clinch a deal at next week's EU summit. Donald Tusk, the European Council president ...
  Refugees 'Tested EU Solidarity To The Limit'Sky News
  Benn: Case for EU now stronger than everAOL UK
  Britain's EU negotiations r
  

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• David Bowie's son to be a dad

  10-02-2016 22:55
  David Bowie's son Duncan Jones has announced he is to be a father for the first time.
  
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• Liverpool Scrap £77 Tickets After Walkout

  10-02-2016 22:35
  
  Liverpool FC have scrapped plans to charge £77 for some tickets and apologised to supporters for "distress caused". It comes after an estimated 10,000 fans walked out of Anfield in the 77th minute of Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Sunderland on Saturday in protest. The changes would have meant some supporters paying more than £1,000 for a season ticket for the first time, though other ticket prices would have reduced.
  
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• EU warns UK deal 'fragile' as Paris, East seek changes

  10-02-2016 21:09
  By Alastair Macdonald and Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A draft accord to help keep Britain in the European Union is "very fragile", a top EU official warned on Wednesday as France and eastern states pushed for changes before leaders meet to try and seal the deal next week. European Council President Donald Tusk, who agreed reform proposals last week with British Prime Minister David Cameron, said they were "balanced and solid" and he hoped to finalise them when he chairs a Brussels su
  
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• Female suicide bombers kill over 60 people in northeast Nigeria - officials - Reuters UK

  10-02-2016 19:56 via
  Reuters UK
  Female suicide bombers kill over 60 people in northeast Nigeria - officials
  Reuters UK
  MAIDUGURI, Nigeria Two female suicide bombers killed more than 60 people at a camp for people displaced by an insurgency of the jihadist Boko Haram group in the northeast Nigerian town of Dikwa, military and emergency officials said on Wednesday.and more »
  

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• Ministers accused of failing to protect steel industry from cheap imports

  10-02-2016 19:54
  Steel manufacturers and unions have accused ministers of failing to protect the industry from cheap Chinese imports by blocking EU plans for tougher anti-dumping action.
  
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• Harry Potter returns in '8th story' script of London play

  10-02-2016 19:48
  (Reuters) - Harry Potter is coming back - for everyone. Nine years after publication of the last novel in the best-selling series about the boy wizard, what has been billed as the "epic 8th Harry Potter story" will be published worldwide in July. "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts I & II," a script version of the upcoming, sold-out London play, will be published in physical book form in North America and Britain, and globally as a digital ebook.
  
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• Peter Phillips quits Queen's birthday lunch role amid 'conflict of interest'

  10-02-2016 19:45
  Peter Phillips has stepped down as a trustee of a charity which will distribute funds from the Queen's 90th birthday lunch because of a conflict of interest.
  
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• German train crash: Black box investigation rules out technical failure - NEWS.com.au

  10-02-2016 19:38 via
  NEWS.com.au
  German train crash: Black box investigation rules out technical failure
  NEWS.com.au
  WARNING: Disturbing video. HARROWING video has emerged purporting to show the immediate aftermath of the horrific train crash in Germany which left at least 10 people dead and 81 injured. The head-on collision occurred on a single-track rail near the ...
  German police focus on signal controllerSBSall 233 news articles »
  

• Britain's EU reform negotiations remain 'fragile', admits Donald Tusk

  10-02-2016 19:26
  Negotiations over Britain's EU membership reforms remain "fragile", European Council president Donald Tusk said as he announced he was cancelling other engagements to try to ensure agreement at a summit next week.
  
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• EU-UK deal 'very fragile' but Tusk hopeful for summit

  10-02-2016 18:45
  By Alastair Macdonald BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Negotiations between London and other EU states to help keep Britain in the European Union are "very fragile", European Council President Donald Tusk said on Wednesday, though he said he still hoped for a deal at a EU summit next week. "I am in a process of intensive talks about my proposal for the UK settlement," said Tusk, who last week brokered a draft accord and will chair the summit in Brussels on Feb. 18-19. "I am confident that this is a balanced
  
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• MP On £74K A Year Says He Can't Afford House

  10-02-2016 18:43
  
  A Conservative MP who has an annual salary almost three times the national average has moved back in with his parents because he cannot afford to buy a house. William Wragg, who earns £74,000 a year, said he has become part of the so-called "boomerang generation" while he saves for a deposit. Mr Wragg - who represents Hazel Grove in Stockport, Greater Manchester - told ITV's The Granada Debate that he was "paid extremely well", but has moved back home with his parents in the North West to
  
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• Doctors' dispute: It's 'fair deal', says Jeremy Hunt as thousands walk out

  10-02-2016 18:38
  
  Jeremy Hunt has insisted doctors are getting a "fair deal" as he described the latest strike as "very damaging".
  
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• Tusk confident of EU deal for Britain next week

  10-02-2016 17:55
  Talks between Britain and other European Union governments on a deal to keep London in the 28-nation bloc are fragile, the chairman of bloc's leaders said, but added he was confident a deal would be found at an EU summit next week.
  
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• George Osborne's brother faces being struck off over affair

  10-02-2016 17:52
  Chancellor George Osborne's psychiatrist brother faces being struck off from the medical profession after he had a two-year affair with his "vulnerable" patient.
  
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• Zika alarm sparks run on supply of scientific virus samples

  10-02-2016 17:50
  By Ben Hirschler LONDON (Reuters) - Porton Down, the British government centre famous for its Cold War germ warfare research, said on Wednesday it was working hard to keep up with demand for Zika virus samples as scientists around the world scramble for them. The National Collection of Pathogenic Viruses (NCPV) is one of a handful of centres worldwide that make viruses available to authorised scientists - and not all of them have managed to satisfy their customers. The non-profit ATCC in Virgini
  
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• Love me do - Sir Paul McCartney and Skype team up for Valentine's Day mojis

  10-02-2016 17:44
  Sir Paul McCartney has expanded his repertoire by composing music for a range of moving emoticons known as mojis.
  
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• NIESR estimates GDP growth slowed to 0.4 percent in January

  10-02-2016 17:42
  NIESR estimated that Britain's economy grew at a quarterly rate of 0.4 percent in the three months to January, down from 0.5 percent in the last three months of 2015. Official industrial output data for December, released earlier in the day, showed the sharpest monthly decline in industrial output in more than three years. "The softening of growth in the three months to January was primarily driven by weakness in the production sector at the end of last year," NIESR researcher James Warren said.
  
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• Sky Poll: 74% Of Public Back Doctors' Strike

  10-02-2016 17:36
  
  Almost three quarters of people polled by Sky News say they support a 24-hour walkout by junior doctors.
  
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• Former boss of City regulator warns of peer-to-peer lending losses

  10-02-2016 17:28
  Former City regulator chairman Lord Adair Turner has issued a warning about the fledgling peer-to-peer lending industry - predicting losses which will "make the worst bankers look like absolute lending geniuses".
  
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• Met Chief Orders Review Of Child Abuse Cases

  10-02-2016 17:22
  
  Met Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe has ordered a review into how his force deals with VIP child abuse cases. It follows the furore surrounding Operation Midland which continues to investigate allegations of murder and sexual assault centred on Westminster in the 70s and 80s. Scotland Yard has already conceded it should not have described the allegations from principal witness known only as Nick as "credible and true" in the early stages of their investigation.
  
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• Judge to review Met's handling of historical sex abuse probes

  10-02-2016 17:14
  Controversial historical sex abuse investigations such as the probe set up to examine claims of a VIP paedophile ring in Westminster will be scrutinised by an independent review.
  
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• Birmingham pub bombings: Police told to produce evidence over mole tip-off claim

  10-02-2016 17:08
  
  West Midlands Police's chief constable has been ordered to produce any information surrounding a claim the force may have been tipped off in advance of the Birmingham pub bombings by an IRA "mole".
  
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• Harry Potter to return to bookstores in script for London play

  10-02-2016 16:45
  Harry Potter, the boy wizard hero of a series of best-selling books and hit movies, will return to British and U.S. bookstores this summer with the release of the script for an upcoming London stage play that chronicles Potter's adult life. "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" depicts the hero as an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic and father of three children who is grappling "with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs," the Scholastic Corp publisher said on Wednesday. The pla
  
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• Harry Potter Play Script To Hit The Shelves

  10-02-2016 16:39
  
  Harry Potter is returning to bookstores this summer with the release of the script for the upcoming London play which follows the wizard as an adult. Harry Potter And The Cursed Child depicts the hero as an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic and father of three children who is grappling "with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs", the Scholastic Corp publisher said. Billed as a "special rehearsal edition", the first printing of the script may vary from what is seen on stage in
  
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• Twitter timeline feature allows users to prioritise 'most important' tweets

  10-02-2016 16:35
  Twitter is to give users the ability to filter out boring and inane tweets from the people they follow.
  
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• Daughter pays tribute to company boss shot dead in Birmingham warehouse raid

  10-02-2016 16:28
  The daughter of a businessman who was shot by armed raiders has described his murder as "horrific" - and urged anyone shielding his killers to give her father justice.
  
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• Google's driverless car system is legally the driver says US regulator

  10-02-2016 16:25
  Google's driverless car system, a sophisticated piece of artificial intelligence, is now being declared the legal driver by a US regulator.
  
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• Briton Jailed After Going To Syria To Join IS

  10-02-2016 15:52
  
  A British man who travelled to Syria to join Islamic State has been jailed for seven years. The court heard how Uddin travelled to Syria on 4 November 2014, intending to join IS - also known as Daesh - and fighting for them. On 12 December of the same year, he crossed the border back into Turkey where he was held by the authorities because he did not have any travel documents.
  
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• Police 'Tipped Off' About Birmingham Bombings

  10-02-2016 15:24
  
  West Midlands Police may have been tipped off about the Birmingham pub bombings by an IRA "mole" before they happened. The claim was made at a three-day hearing to decide whether to reopen the inquest into the deaths of the 21 victims. Ashley Underwood QC told the Birmingham and Solihull coroner Louise Hunt there was "reason to believe it's the case".
  
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• Sky Poll: 74% Of Public Back Junior Doctors

  10-02-2016 15:16
  
  Almost three quarters of people polled by Sky News say they support today's walkout by junior doctors. A total of 74% of those polled - within 45 minutes of the picket lines opening - said they supported the action, while 26% said they did not. The results appeared to mirror the response at picket lines where many people joined striking medics outside hospitals or showed their support by beeping their car horns as they drove past and by bringing them hot beverages, biscuits and cake.
  
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• Experts expected to announce they've found Einstein's gravitational waves

  10-02-2016 14:49
  Scientists may be poised to make a major announcement that will open a new window on the universe.
  
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• Adam Johnson Pleads Guilty To Sex Charge

  10-02-2016 14:40
  
  Footballer Adam Johnson has admitted one count of sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl and one count of grooming. However, the Sunderland winger continues to deny two charges of sexual activity with the same child. The 28-year-old, from Castle Eden, County Durham, appeared at Bradford Crown Court.
  
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• Deepcut trainees faced 'sexualised, morally chaotic' environment, inquest told

  10-02-2016 14:35
  
  Young soldiers training at Deepcut Army barracks lived in a "highly sexualised" environment where senior staff preyed on recruits in an "abuse and misuse" of power, an inquest heard.
  
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• Trio face jail for helping teen jihadi join Syria fighters

  10-02-2016 14:33
  
  Three young men are facing jail for helping a teenage jihadi follow in his big brother's footsteps and join fighters in Syria.
  
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• The Jump's Beth Tweddle walks 'a few steps' after neck surgery

  10-02-2016 14:33
  Britain's most successful gymnast Beth Tweddle has walked "a few steps" with assistance from medics following neck surgery - but a timescale for her recovery is uncertain, her parents said.
  
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• Birmingham pub bombings: 'IRA mole could have tipped off police'

  10-02-2016 14:33
  
  West Midlands Police may have been tipped off about the Birmingham pub bombings by an IRA "mole" before the deadly blasts, a coroner has been told.
  
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• Doctors getting 'fair deal', says Jeremy Hunt as thousands walk out

  10-02-2016 14:24
  
  Jeremy Hunt has insisted doctors are getting a "fair deal" as he described the latest strike as "very damaging".
  
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• Wartime Sweethearts Reunite After 72 Years

  10-02-2016 14:19
  
  Norwood Thomas was a 21-year-old paratrooper when he met 17-year-old British girl Joyce Morris in London just before D-Day. After the war ended he returned to his native America but the pair wrote letters to each other, Mr Thomas even asking his beloved to come to the US and marry him. She stopped writing and both she and Mr Thomas eventually married other people.
  
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• England winger Adam Johnson groomed 15-year-old girl for sexual activity

  10-02-2016 14:10
  
  England footballer Adam Johnson has pleaded guilty to grooming and sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl on the first day of his trial.
  
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• TV viewers complain about Happy Valley 'mumbling'

  10-02-2016 11:59
  
  TV viewers have complained about the "shocking" sound quality on BBC drama Happy Valley.
  
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• Tunbridge Wells Hospital's weekend policy criticised after grandmother's death

  10-02-2016 11:59
  
  A coroner has blasted a hospital over its failure to send a grandmother for a potentially life-saving CT scan amid its "highly unsatisfactory" weekend arrangements.
  
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• Brother's pride at Bernie Sanders victory in US primary contest

  10-02-2016 11:59
  The brother of US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has spoken of his pride at his sibling's romping primary victory over Democrat nomination rival Hillary Clinton.
  
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• Minister: No Plans To Cut Drink Drive Limit

  10-02-2016 11:42
  
  The Government has dismissed reports it is planning to reduce the drink drive limit in England and Wales. Road Safety Minister Andrew Jones said: "We have no plans to change the drink drive limit. "The Government believes rigorous enforcement and serious penalties for drink drivers are a more effective deterrent than changing the drink driving limit.
  
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• Dowler Family Statement: Read The Full Text

  10-02-2016 11:24
  
  Here is the full statement from the family of Milly Dowler after her killer Levi Bellfield gave details of his crimes. "In May 2015 - nearly nine months ago - we were informed that Bellfield had requested to speak to Surrey Police about Milly. "Bellfield made it clear to police that he would only speak to female police officers.
  
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• Milly Dowler's Family Speak Of 'Torment'

  10-02-2016 10:25
  
  Murdered teenager Milly Dowler's family have spoken of the "torment and pain" after her killer finally told police of his crimes.
  
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• Crackdown On Britain's Most Wanted Fraudsters

  10-02-2016 10:25
  
  Britain's 10 most wanted suspected fraudsters are to be identified as the Home Secretary announces a crackdown on fraud that "shames our financial system". The list will be put together by a new joint taskforce made up of senior officials from the banking industry, law enforcement agencies and government. The taskforce's aim is to speed up intelligence sharing between those key groups to ensure that they all work together for best effect to curb the activities of serious and organised crime gang
  
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