General news

• UK picks Joe and Jake for Eurovision

  26-02-2016 22:57 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Former The Voice contestants Joe Woolford and Jake Shakeshaft are chosen to represent the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest following a public vote.
  
  Read more

• Sacked Blackburn Backed By Other Radio Bosses

  26-02-2016 22:44
  
  Fired BBC DJ Tony Blackburn has received the backing of other radio employers - after describing the sacking as "scandalous". The veteran broadcaster was fired because his evidence to the Jimmy Savile sex abuse inquiry "fell short" of the standards demanded, according to BBC Director General Tony Hall. Dame Janet Smith, who wrote the report into the Savile abuse, said that Blackburn was included as a witness because of claims he "seduced" 15-year-old Claire McAlpine.
  
  Read more

• Budget 2016: How will pensions change?

  26-02-2016 22:34 via bbc.co.uk
  
  How might the chancellor tax pension contributions?
  
  Read more

• Waterfall Death: Victim 'Lived For Life'

  26-02-2016 22:28
  
  A former Royal Navy sailor was among three British tourists who died while climbing waterfalls in Vietnam, it has emerged. The family of 25-year-old Christian Sloan said his death was "a very sad loss to us" and he "lived for life". The bodies of Mr Sloan and two women, aged 19 and 25, were  recovered downstream from the Datanla waterfalls in the central Lam Dong province - a popular tourist spot.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Vietnam waterfalls tragedy: Family pays tribute to former Navy man

  26-02-2016 21:21
  
  The family of a former Royal Navy sailor who died while climbing waterfalls in Vietnam said his death "is a very sad loss to us" and he "lived for life".
  
  Read more

• Village Goose Killed In Drive-By Shooting

  26-02-2016 20:12
  
  The bird was paddling along when a gunman in a 4x4 allegedly opened fire as the vehicle was driven through Sandon in Hertfordshire on Sunday afternoon. Residents then removed the bird, simply called 'Goose', from the pond before being buried. Gay Ayton, who lives in the village, described the bird as a "character" which used to chaperone ducklings around the roads to keep them safe.
  
  Read more

• Osborne warns of deeper spending cuts after growth falls short

  26-02-2016 20:11
  By Andy Bruce LONDON (Reuters) - Chancellor George Osborne warned that he might cut public spending more deeply than he previously planned after the country's economic growth fell short of the pace foreseen in his plans to wipe out the country's budget deficit. Osborne, due to make an annual budget statement on March 16, said official growth figures announced on Thursday showed Britain's economy was smaller than he had hoped for. Osborne's comments stood at odds with an appeal by the Internation
  
  Read more

• VIDEO: Dashcam video of motorway near miss

  26-02-2016 19:30 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Police have released footage of the moment an officer was nearly hit by a skidding car on the M57, as part of their effort to persuade motorists to slow down in bad weather.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• George Osborne set to reveal more spending cuts amid economic storm clouds

  26-02-2016 19:20
  George Osborne has warned he is poised to unleash a fresh wave of spending cuts in next month's budget.
  
  Read more

• School calls police over 'UKIP boy'

  26-02-2016 19:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Staff at a school in Hampshire call police after a 15-year-old boy looks at UKIP's website in class.
  
  Read more

• VIDEO: Osborne warns of further spending cuts

  26-02-2016 19:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Chancellor George Osborne warns he may have to make extra cuts to public spending at next month's Budget.
  
  Read more

• Family tribute to Vietnam waterfalls death man who 'lived for life'

  26-02-2016 18:55
  
  The family of a former Royal Navy sailor who died while climbing waterfalls in Vietnam said his death "is a very sad loss to us" and he "lived for life".
  
  Read more

• Waterfall Death: Victim Was 'Popular Young Man'

  26-02-2016 18:52
  
  Tributes have been paid to one of three British tourists who died while climbing waterfalls in Vietnam. The family of Christian Sloan said his death was "a very sad loss to us". They added: "He was a very popular young man, formerly in the Royal Navy, who had many, many friends not just locally but around the world.
  
  Read more

• Hatton Garden 'Master' Admitted To Hospital

  26-02-2016 18:51
  
  One of the Hatton Garden raiders has reportedly been admitted to hospital while waiting to be sentenced for his role in the £14m heist. It is believed Brian Reader, 76, who has been described as the mastermind behind the burglary, was moved from Belmarsh Prison on Wednesday. A statement issued by the Prison Service said: "An HMP Belmarsh prisoner was taken to hospital on 24 February.
  
  Read more

• Hatton Garden raid ringleader in intensive care

  26-02-2016 18:16
  
  One of the ringleaders of the Hatton Garden jewellery raid is in intensive care after falling ill in custody.
  
  Read more

• Rotherham child sex gang leader Arshid Hussain given 35-year sentence

  26-02-2016 17:42
  
  The ringleader of a gang who groomed, raped and abused teenage girls in Rotherham has been jailed for 35 years by a judge who told him: "The harm you have caused is of unimaginable proportions".
  
  Read more

• Sterling's fall shows EU referendum 'no parlour game' - Osborne

  26-02-2016 17:31
  By Estelle Shirbon LONDON (Reuters) - Leaving the European Union would be a "profound economic shock" for Britain and this week's drop in the value of its sterling currency drives home the real-world consequences of the "In-Out" debate, Chancellor of Exchequer George Osborne said on Friday. Britain is gearing up for a June 23 referendum on whether to stay in or withdraw from the 28-member EU, and the pound has fallen to seven-year lows against the dollar this week due to worries about what "Brex
  
  Read more

• VIDEO: A short history of odd book titles

  26-02-2016 17:30 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The nominees for the year's oddest book title have been announced.
  
  Read more

• R.I.P. Friends Reunited

  26-02-2016 17:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Final bell has rung for school reunion site
  
  Read more

• David Cameron slams ex-Tory leader's hope of improved deal after EU exit vote

  26-02-2016 16:45
  
  David Cameron has blasted as "complete fiction" a former Tory leader's claim that Britain could obtain an improved reform deal from the EU by voting Leave in the referendum.
  
  Read more

• G4S to sell UK children's services arm amid abuse probe

  26-02-2016 16:41
  
  G4S, the private security company, is to sell its UK children's services business - weeks after a damning undercover investigation was broadcast.
  
  Read more

• Vulnerable adult 'kept in disgusting room as punishment'

  26-02-2016 16:31
  A vulnerable adult has told a court how he blew the whistle on care home managers running a regime where disabled residents were allegedly imprisoned in empty rooms as punishment.
  
  Read more

• Calais Jungle camp: '10 adults moved out' as clearance starts

  26-02-2016 16:31
  The first phase of clearing migrants and refugees from the Jungle camp in Calais has gone ahead after a judge approved mass evictions.
  
  Read more

• Rotherham Abuse Ringleader Jailed For 35 Years

  26-02-2016 16:30
  
  The ringleader of a gang of six people who groomed, raped and abused teenage girls in Rotherham has been jailed for 35 years. Arshid Hussain, 40, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to rape, 11 indecent assaults, three rapes and a series of other charges during his trial at Sheffield Crown Court. His brothers Basharat Hussain, 39, and Bannaras Hussain, 36, have also been sentenced to spend 25 years and 19 years in jail respectively.
  
  Read more

• Adam Johnson Sex Case 'Is Classic Grooming'

  26-02-2016 16:24
  
  Footballer Adam Johnson was a man who had "lied and lied and lied again" over his sexual encounters with a 15-year-old girl, a jury has heard. Prosecutor Kate Blackwell QC described the player's behaviour as a "classic case of grooming, grooming in its purest form". Giving her closing speech on the 11th day of the trial at Bradford Crown Court, she told jurors they should see through his "transparent cloak of rectitude" to the "core of his deceit and lies".
  
  Read more

• British Tourists Die On Vietnam Waterfall Tour

  26-02-2016 16:19
  
  Three British tourists have died while climbing waterfalls in Vietnam, the Foreign Office has confirmed. The  bodies of one man and two women, reportedly aged 19 and 25, have been recovered downstream of the Datanla waterfalls in the central Lam Dong province - a popular tourist spot. Their cause of death has not been confirmed, but the group are thought to have slipped and fallen while exploring the area, Vietnam's Thanh Nien News quoted one local police chief as saying.
  
  Read more

• Sugar Tax Decision Delayed Until Summer

  26-02-2016 16:18
  
  The Government has delayed the publication of its childhood obesity strategy, which includes a decision on a sugar tax. The Department of Health said in a statement there was more work to do, despite suggestions David Cameron may have delayed publication because he is busy with the EU referendum. Mr Cameron has spoken out against a sugar tax in the past, but last month he signalled a softening of his opposition.
  
  Read more

• Brothers Jailed For Mocking Judge On Facebook

  26-02-2016 16:12
  
  Two brothers have been jailed for two years after mocking a judge on Facebook for handing them a suspended sentence for drug dealing. "Cannot believe my luck 2 year suspended sentance (sic) beats the 3 year jail yes pal! Beverly [sic] Lunt go suck my ****," Daniel wrote, just 40 minutes after escaping a jail term.
  
  Read more

• EU Referendum: PM To Visit Northern Ireland

  26-02-2016 16:00
  
  David Cameron will visit Northern Ireland on Saturday as part of his EU referendum campaign, Downing Street has said.
  
  Read more

• MPs' Salaries Will Rise To Nearly £75,000

  26-02-2016 15:52
  
  MPs' salaries will rise by 1.3% from April to £74,962, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) has said. IPSA said in a statement: "This is in line with our determination on MPs' pay, published in July 2015, where we committed to adjusting MPs' pay for the rest of this Parliament at the same rate as changes in public sector earnings published by the Office for National Statistics. IPSA has faced widespread criticism of its handling of the issue.
  
  Read more

• Gang jailed for sex crimes in English town at centre of abuse scandal

  26-02-2016 15:40
  LONDON (Reuters) - Five people were jailed on Friday for multiple sex crimes against young girls in Rotherham, the northern English town that hit the headlines two years ago when it was revealed that as many as 1,400 children had been abused by gangs. The group, which included three British Asian brothers, their uncle and two white women, systematically carried out the sexual exploitation of 15 victims, aged between 11 and 21, over a period of 16 years from 1987, prosecutors said. They groomed v
  
  Read more

• Facebook will do 'better job' on hate speech in Germany, says Mark Zuckerberg

  26-02-2016 15:31
  
  Mark Zuckerberg has conceded that Facebook did not do enough until recently to police hate speech on the social media site in Germany, but said it has made progress and has heard the message "loud and clear".
  
  Read more

• G4S decides to sell UK Children's Services division

  26-02-2016 15:28
  G4S, the world's largest security company, has decided to sell its UK Children's Services division, which includes a training centre for young offenders at the centre of a storm over allegations of mistreatment. The company said on Friday it had started a process to sell the business, which includes 13 children's homes and contracts to manage two youth training centres for the British government. The division has come under scrutiny over its management of the Medway secure training centre in Roc
  
  Read more

• Carer Found Guilty Of Bedridden Dad's Murder

  26-02-2016 15:26
  
  A woman who was the sole carer of her bedridden father has been found guilty of murder after she suffocated the 67-year-old due to his "intolerable" multiple sclerosis. A jury at the Old Bailey convicted 36-year-old Claire Darbyshire after almost 12 hours of deliberations. The court heard Darbyshire killed her father Brian at the home they shared in Dagenham, east London, on 2 September last year.
  
  Read more

• Three Britons killed in Vietnam waterfalls incident

  26-02-2016 15:24
  
  Three British tourists have died while climbing waterfalls with an unauthorised tour guide.
  
  Read more

• The law and chequebook journalism

  26-02-2016 15:20 via bbc.co.uk
  
  What did the investigation into newspaper payments achieve?
  
  Read more

• 'Holy Grail' Beatles Record Heads To Auction

  26-02-2016 15:02
  
  A "Holy Grail" demo record by The Beatles which spent years in a loft is to go on sale next month. The disc was pressed at the HMV record store on Oxford Street before the group's manager Brian Epstein handwrote the title tracks and presented it to record company boss George Martin in 1962. Despite Martin's initial scepticism about the Fab Four he offered them a recording contract from EMI - and the rest is history.
  
  Read more

• Childhood obesity strategy delayed until summer

  26-02-2016 14:55
  
  The Government's strategy for tacking childhood obesity in England will be delayed until the summer, the Department of Health has said.
  
  Read more

• Secondary schools struggling to keep up with demand

  26-02-2016 14:54
  
  Rising numbers of secondary schools are struggling to keep up with demand amid intense competition for places, it has been suggested.
  
  Read more

• G4S to sell contract for abuse probe training centre

  26-02-2016 14:54
  G4S is to sell its UK children's services business, which includes 13 children's homes and its contracts to manage two secure training centres.
  
  Read more

• Brothers jailed after judge mocked on Facebook for suspended sentences

  26-02-2016 14:54
  Two brothers hauled back to court for mocking a judge on Facebook after she decided not to send them to prison for drug dealing have now been jailed for two years.
  
  Read more

• Brexit 'poses risk to LSE merger with Deutsche Borse'

  26-02-2016 14:49
  
  The London Stock Exchange has warned its proposed £20 billion tie-up with Germany's Deutsche Borse could be scuppered if Britain leaves the European Union.
  
  Read more

• Bolton Wanderers FC chiefs hope to end season in black

  26-02-2016 14:49
  
  Bolton Wanderers' bosses hope that a sale to a consortium headed by former striker Dean Holdsworth will allow the struggling Sky Bet Championship club to finish the season with money in the bank, a judge has heard.
  
  Read more

• Tony Blackburn: BBC 'sacked me for telling the truth' about abuse probe

  26-02-2016 14:48
  Tony Blackburn has said the BBC "scandalously" sacked him for "telling the truth" and has tarnished his good name.
  
  Read more

• Osborne blasted by Eurosceptics over exchange rate comments

  26-02-2016 14:48
  
  George Osborne has been criticised by Tory Eurosceptics for breaking convention by commenting on the future direction of the exchange rate of the pound when warning against Britain leaving the EU.
  
  Read more

• Cameron to visit Northern Ireland amid EU campaign

  26-02-2016 14:48
  
  David Cameron is to visit Northern Ireland on Saturday as part of his EU referendum campaign, Downing Street has confirmed.
  
  Read more

• 2.5% rise in house prices shows biggest monthly hike since 2002

  26-02-2016 14:48
  House prices recorded their biggest monthly jump since 2002 in January, with a 2.5% increase, Land Registry figures show.
  
  Read more

• Thousands of children have decayed teeth out in hospital

  26-02-2016 14:41
  
  Thousands of young children have had decayed teeth removed in England's hospitals over the last four years.
  
  Read more

• UK Politicians Want To Stop Redskins' London Game

  26-02-2016 14:37
  
  Two British politicians have written to the NFL calling on it to stop the Washington Redskins from playing in London later this year because of concerns about the team's name. Labour Party MPs Ruth Smeeth and Ian Austin wrote in a letter that the NFL "should consider changing the name of the Washington franchise or, at a minimum, send a different team to our country to represent the sport, one that does not promote a racial slur". The Redskins are set to face the Cincinnati Bengals on 30 October
  
  Read more

• Alleged ex-IRA chief Thomas Murphy jailed for tax evasion but protests innocence

  26-02-2016 14:31
  Alleged former IRA leader Thomas "Slab" Murphy was behind bars for the first time on Friday.
  
  Read more

Follow @GeneralnewsUK on Twitter!