General news

• Eleven-Year-Old Boy Killed In Hit-And-Run

  29-02-2016 21:46
  
  Police say the boy was hit by a car on Moss Street West at the junction with Mowbray Street at 4.45pm. Sergeant Paul Higgins, of the serious collision investigation unit, said: "A child has tragically been killed in a collision and we are doing all we can to trace the driver of the vehicle. "While we are in the early stages of our investigation we believe the car involved is a dark grey or black Mercedes A or B class and it will have damage to the front nearside headlight.
  
  Read more

• Shrimp-like creature's fossil reveals secrets of prehistoric nervous system

  29-02-2016 21:00
  A shrimp-like creature that lived 500 million years ago has given scientists a breath-taking glimpse of its ancient nervous system.
  
  Read more

• Lack of sleep can lead to high-calorie snacking, scientists believe

  29-02-2016 21:00
  
  Lack of sleep can make tempting snacks irresistible due to an effect scientists compare with the "marijuana munchies".
  
  Read more

• Gang Guilty Of Plot To Steal £57m Of Artefacts

  29-02-2016 19:54
  
  Six members of the same family were involved in the conspiracy, including Richard Sheridan, the former spokesman for travellers fighting eviction from Dale Farm in Essex. The 47-year-old, from Cottenham, Cambridgeshire was convicted along with his father John "Cash" O'Brien, 68, of Wolverhampton, Daniel "Turkey" O'Brien, 45, John "Kerry" O'Brien, 26, Michael Hegarty, 43 - all from Cottenham - and Richard "Kerry" O'Brien, 31, from Dale Farm in Billericay. Along with eight other men
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• 13 facing jail over plot to steal £57m in rhino horn and Chinese artefacts

  29-02-2016 19:49
  Thirteen members of an organised crime gang are facing jail after plotting to steal rhino horn and Chinese artefacts worth up to £57 million in a series of museum raids.
  
  Read more

• David Cameron: EU Remain campaign is Project Fact not Project Fear

  29-02-2016 19:28
  
  David Cameron has rejected accusations that the Remain camp is engaged in a "Project Fear" scaremongering campaign in the EU referendum, insisting that he is interested only in "Project Fact".
  
  Read more

• Google self-driving car collides with public bus in California

  29-02-2016 19:18
  A self-driving car being tested by Google has collided with a public bus in California, an accident report revealed.
  
  Read more

• Dead Baby Found Hidden Near Village Footpath

  29-02-2016 19:17
  
  A baby's body has been discovered wrapped in a black bag and hidden in bushes in an Oxfordshire village. "This investigation is in its very early stages and officers are working to trace the mother of the child as she may require urgent medical attention," said Detective Inspector Jim Holmes, of Thames Valley Police.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Cameron hits back at critics with 'Project Fact'

  29-02-2016 18:55
  By Elizabeth Piper IPSWICH, England (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron hit back on Monday at critics who accuse him of using scare tactics to keep Britain in the European Union, saying he was behind "Project Fact" not "Project Fear". Talking to students in the eastern English town of Ipswich, Cameron sought to play down deep divisions in his Conservative Party, saying any debate over EU membership should be about issues not individuals. "The only project I am interested in is 'Project Fact
  
  Read more

• WhatsApp warns users with older phones that service may not work on the devices

  29-02-2016 18:26
  Users of WhatsApp with older mobile phones may find that the messaging service no longer works on their device.
  
  Read more

• State education system 'dangerously lop-sided'

  29-02-2016 18:02
  The state education system is "dangerously lop-sided" and fails to teach children the social and workplace skills they need for their future, according to a university leader.
  
  Read more

• Company Fined £350k For 46 Million Cold Calls

  29-02-2016 16:56
  
  The largest-ever fine for cold-calling has been handed down by the Information Commissioner's Office. Information Commissioner Christopher Graham said: "This is one of the worst cases of cold calling we have ever come across. "A company director admitted that once the ICO became involved, the company shut down.
  
  Read more

• Man accused of masterminding guns plot 'bragged of being gangster'

  29-02-2016 16:46
  
  A criminal mastermind bragged "we now officially gangsters" after smuggling a massive arsenal of Eastern European guns into the UK with a street value of more than £100,000, a court has heard.
  
  Read more

• Chris Evans 'a real team player' on Top Gear, says BBC TV chief

  29-02-2016 16:41
  
  Top Gear host Chris Evans is a team player and it is "rubbish" to suggest otherwise, according to a BBC boss.
  
  Read more

• Riot police fire tear gas as demolition teams move into Jungle migrant camp

  29-02-2016 15:20
  French riot police have fired tear gas as demolition teams moved in to start dismantling makeshift homes at the Calais migrant camp known as The Jungle.
  
  Read more

• Man gets 32 years for 'sickening' murder of Muslim pensioner

  29-02-2016 15:20
  A 30-year-old man has been told he must serve a minimum of 32 years in prison for the "sickening" racist murder of an 81-year-old man as he walked to his mosque.
  
  Read more

• Sir John Hurt returns to London stage in play with Branagh

  29-02-2016 15:19
  Sir John Hurt is returning to the London stage for the first time in a decade and will star alongside Sir Kenneth Branagh.
  
  Read more

• Search for mother after baby's body found on village path

  29-02-2016 15:19
  A baby's body has been found on a footpath in a village near Oxford.
  
  Read more

• Cold-calling firm fined record £350,000 over 46 million nuisance calls

  29-02-2016 15:19
  A cold-calling company that spammed people with a "staggering" 46 million nuisance calls has been dealt a record fine by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
  
  Read more

• Husband of disabled woman describes 'heartache' at 'bedroom tax'

  29-02-2016 15:13
  The husband of a disabled woman who is challenging the controversial so-called "bedroom tax" at the UK's highest court has described the "heartache" they have suffered following changes to housing benefit regulations.
  
  Read more

• Flights Delayed After Spillage On Gatwick Runway

  29-02-2016 14:51
  
  At least 19 incoming flights were diverted and dozens more delayed following a suspected oil spillage on the runway at London's Gatwick Airport.
  
  Read more

• UK's Most Struggling Towns And Cities In North

  29-02-2016 14:50
  
  Ten of the UK's 12 most struggling towns and cities are in the North of England, new research shows. Critics say the findings undermine George Osborne's plan to create a Northern Powerhouse to bridge the North-South divide. Rochdale's economy is declining most steeply, followed by Burnley, Bolton, Blackburn and Hull, according to a report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
  
  Read more

• Greece's 'erratic Marxist' Varoufakis advises Britain's Labour Party, Corbyn says

  29-02-2016 14:37
  By Guy Faulconbridge and Kate Holton LONDON (Reuters) - Yanis Varoufakis, the self-described "erratic Marxist" who took Greece to the brink of a euro zone exit by battling creditors over the conditions for a bailout, has got a new role: advising Britain's opposition Labour Party. The former Greek finance minister who shuns neckties and says the European Union is falling apart will advise Labour due to his negotiating experience during the euro zone debt crisis, said Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
  
  Read more

• Emergency crews in disaster training as 'building collapses into Tube station'

  29-02-2016 14:37
  Emergency crews took part in a graphic mock-up of the aftermath of a building collapse into a Tube station to test their response to mass casualties.
  
  Read more

• UK government says EU exit could lead to decade of uncertainty

  29-02-2016 14:32
  A British exit from the European Union could lead to 10 years or more of damaging uncertainty while a new relationship with both the bloc and other countries is negotiated, the British government said on Monday. Prime Minister David Cameron, who earlier this month agreed a deal with other EU leaders to reform Britain's relationship with the bloc, is campaigning for an 'In' vote in a referendum on UK membership to be held on June 23 although a number of his own ministers back a British exit. In a
  
  Read more

• UK regulators say won't apply EU bonus cap to all banks

  29-02-2016 14:24
  By Huw Jones LONDON (Reuters) - British financial regulators have said they won't apply the European Union's cap on banker bonuses to smaller lenders that pose fewer risks to the financial system. National regulators must explain if they diverge from the rules as set out by the bloc's European Banking Authority (EBA). The Bank of England's Prudential Regulation Authority, and the Financial Conduct Authority said in a joint statement they have told the EBA that they disagree with a blanket applic
  
  Read more

• Cameron's EU deal may disappoint wavering British voters - Sturgeon

  29-02-2016 14:10
  By Kylie MacLellan LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron's renegotiation of Britain's relationship with the European Union might not have done enough to persuade undecided voters to back staying in the bloc, the nationalist leader of Scotland said on Monday. Cameron, who is campaigning for an 'In' vote at a June 23 referendum, has said a deal reached with the EU earlier this month addresses voters' key concerns with the bloc through measures such as curbing EU migrants' access to some
  
  Read more

• Credit card sized gadget 'best-selling computer made in UK'

  29-02-2016 13:53
  An affordable gadget the size of a credit card has become the best-selling UK-made computer, according to its developers.
  
  Read more

• Brexit would drive pound down to parity with euro, warns UBS - business live

  29-02-2016 13:49
  
  All the day’s economic and financial news, as UBS says sterling would suffer a sharp correction if Britain votes to leave the EULatest: UBS says Brexit would hammer the poundMervyn King says Eurozone is doomedChina cuts RRREurozone is back in deflationEuropean markets fall after G20 damp squib 12.49pm GMTBritain’s smaller City banks and investment companies are being spared new European rules on bonuses, designed to avoid excessive risk-taking.Since the introduction of the bonus cap,
  
  Read more

• Four detained Hong Kong booksellers appear on Chinese TV

  29-02-2016 13:48
  
  Men admit to selling unauthorised books in China, and TV report says they were arrested in two cities in southern China, not in Hong KongFour of the five Hong Kong booksellers who went missing in October have appeared on Chinese television, saying they were detained for “illegal book trading” in mainland China. The five booksellers – including a British and a Swedish national – had been linked to a Hong Kong publisher and bookstore that specialised in scandalous books on
  
  Read more

• Runway at London's Gatwick Airport re-opens after spillage

  29-02-2016 13:41
  London's Gatwick Airport said its runway had reopened after a spillage caused its temporary closure on Monday, leading some flights to be delayed or diverted. The airport, to the south of London, was forced to close the runway to departures and arrivals for about an hour after the spillage, meaning some inbound flights were diverted to other airports. "There may still be delays, so please check with your airline for the latest information," the airport said on its website.
  
  Read more

• Police in Devon kept dog in cage for two years without exercise

  29-02-2016 13:40
  
  Stella, held under Dangerous Dogs Act in 2014, was not allowed to be exercised by staff at kennels, against RSPCA guidelinesPolice ordered a dog they suspected to be dangerous to be locked in a 0.9m by 2.8m (3ft by 9ft) cage for two years without it being allowed any exercise.Stella, a pitbull-type dog, was placed in a kennel on effective death row after officers seized her in Devon in 2014. Police reportedly told workers at the private kennels not to exercise any dogs held under the 1991 Danger
  
  Read more

• Eurosceptic ministers reject claim Brexit could mean 'decade of uncertainty'

  29-02-2016 13:39
  
  Government divisions on the European Union deepened as Eurosceptic ministers poured scorn on claims that a vote to leave could create a "decade or more of uncertainty".
  
  Read more

• UN set for Syria aid deliveries on third day of partial ceasefire

  29-02-2016 13:31
  
  Thousands at risk of starvation, says office of UN human rights chief, as French foreign minister calls for taskforce to evaluate ceasefire breachesThe UN is poised to start delivering food, medicine and other supplies to more than 150,000 people under siege in Syria, as a fragile truce entered its third day.The office of the UN human rights chief said thousands of people risk starving to death in besieged towns and villages that are inaccessible to humanitarian aid groups. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Raspberry Pi 3: the credit card-sized 1.2GHz PC that costs $35

  29-02-2016 13:19
  
  Raspberry Pi foundation launches new model as it announces 8m devices have been sold in four years, making it the UK’s all-time bestselling computerThe Raspberry Pi foundation has launched the latest generation of its flagship credit card-sized computer as it announced sales have topped 8m, making it the UK’s all-time bestselling computer.The Raspberry Pi 3, released on Monday, costs $35 (£25), the same as its predecessor (although still seven times more than the ultra-stripped
  
  Read more

• Poland's changes to court system 'risking democracy'

  29-02-2016 13:17
  
  Leaked draft opinion from advisers to the Council of Europe also warns of dangers to the rule of law and human rightsChanges to Poland’s supreme court endanger the rule of law, democracy and human rights, according to a draft opinion from Europe’s leading constitutional experts. The draft from the Venice Commission, legal experts who advise the Council of Europe, called on the Polish government to strike out provisions of a controversial law reforming the country’s highest cour
  
  Read more

• Andy Murray: ‘I want my daughter to be proud of her dad when she grows up’

  29-02-2016 13:15
  
  In an exclusive interview, his first since the birth of his daughter, Andy Murray discusses the challenges and delights of fatherhood, his grand slam fears and why he has not lost the psychological battle with Novak DjokovicJust after seven o’clock on a winter evening, at the end of a long day in which he has returned to his old life of being the second best tennis player in the world, Andy Murray stretches out on a sofa at Queen’s Club in London. It’s cold and dark outside but
  
  Read more

• Gatwick runway reopens after oil spillage chaos

  29-02-2016 13:11
  
  Dozens of flights were delayed and diverted when the runway at Gatwick was closed due to a suspected oil spillage.
  
  Read more

• Consumer borrowing shows biggest increase for a decade

  29-02-2016 13:07
  
  Borrowing on credit cards, loans and overdrafts rose £1.6bn in January, according to Bank of England figuresUK consumers have “rediscovered their zeal for borrowing” according to economists, as latest official figures showed unsecured borrowing rose by 9.1% in the 12 months to January - the biggest annual increase for a decade.Borrowing on credit cards, loans and overdrafts increased by £1.6bn during the month, the Bank of England said, compared with an average of £
  
  Read more

• India budget targets farmers and promises infrastructure upgrades

  29-02-2016 13:05
  
  Finance minister Arun Jaitley increased spending on infrastructure by 22%India unveiled a fire-fighting budget on Monday that seeks to win back support among rural voters for prime minister Narendra Modi’s government and sustain growth against a grim global backdrop - all without borrowing more.Finance minister Arun Jaitley’s third budget marked a strategic shift by addressing rural distress in a country of 1.3 billion, where two-fifths of families rely on farming and are reeling fro
  
  Read more

• Don’t be smug, technology is eating middle-class jobs too

  29-02-2016 13:02
  
  Warnings about the impact of tech on existing patterns of employment is an upgrade of an old story. Has the digital revolution been overstated? “One million jobs to vanish in 10 years,” shout the Monday morning headlines just to get the week off to a good start. But it’s not another scary intervention in the referendum debate by a pro-European or a Brexiter. It’s more serious than that. The culprit on this occasion is the British Retail Consortium (BRC), the people who sp
  
  Read more

• Vermont gun lobby bypasses Sanders v Clinton in attempt to cut down suicides

  29-02-2016 13:00
  
  As its senator is forced to fight his presidential opponent over his record on gun control, the New England state is home to a push to educate sellers When Vermont considered tightening its gun laws last year, hundreds of citizens wearing hunter orange showed up at the state house to protest.Related: Hillary Clinton defeats Bernie Sanders to win South Carolina primaryContinue reading...
  
  Read more

• Trump's rise is the return of the demagogue

  29-02-2016 13:00
  
  Like Pat Buchanan and Ross Perot before him, the Republican frontrunner plays on voters’ worst fears. But the toxicity of his message – and his success – far eclipses theirsThe rally In Lowell, Massachusetts, was a classic Donald Trump event: 8,000 people packing the venue to capacity, a crowd still angry over the loss of manufacturing jobs (long ago, Lowell was the center of a vibrant textiles industry) and an influx of immigrants to the area. On this cold day in January, Trum
  
  Read more

• Joanna Lumley as Viola in Twelfth Night: 'I left no ring with her' – video

  29-02-2016 13:00
  
  To mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, we asked leading actors to perform key speeches from his plays. Here, Joanna Lumley speaks Viola’s soliloquy from Twelfth Night, Act II, Scene 2. Viola, disguised as a page boy, wonders why the countess Olivia has sent her a ring and whether Olivia has fallen in love with her.
  Read the full text for this speech
  Read more about Shakespeare SolosJoanna Lumley stars in Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie, which is released on 1 JulyView t
  
  Read more

• Gold's price rally has diehard fans excited – but for how long?

  29-02-2016 13:00
  
  Gold prices may rise a bit more if the economic uncertainty continues, but the environments that fostered gold’s all-time higher moves aren’t the same nowChina is wobbling, oil is plummeting, Britain is threatening to quit Europe. And the gold bugs couldn’t be happier. With a 15% gain in 2016, gold’s rally has its diehard fans excited. But for how long?This is the metal’s best start since 1980, when gold prices rallied about 270% to then all-time highs of $850 an ou
  
  Read more

• Teargas fired as refugees try to breach Greece-Macedonia border

  29-02-2016 12:53
  
  Macedonian police fire teargas as hundreds of people bring down gate with metal poleMacedonian police have fired teargas as a group of refugees broke through a fence at the small frontier town of Idomeni on the Greek-Macedonian border.A crush developed when rumours spread that Macedonian authorities were opening the border after it had been fully sealed for several hours. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Female recruits at Deepcut told to 'keep mouths shut' after body found

  29-02-2016 12:53
  Female recruits at Deepcut barracks were told to "keep their mouths shut" after the body of a young soldier was found, an inquest has heard.
  
  Read more

• Does city life make us more or less lonely? Share your stories

  29-02-2016 12:50
  
  Cities are full of people, but often that doesn’t stop us from feeling alone in them. Share your experiences of how big-city life impacts on lonelinessCities are places where people come together, hubs of culture and trade – it would seem that if anything, a metropolis is the antidote to loneliness. And yet, in a context where anxiety and depression rates are higher in urban rather than rural settings, the reality may be anything but. “You can be lonely anywhere,” writes
  
  Read more

• World's biggest floating solar farm powers up outside London

  29-02-2016 12:44
  
  Five years in planning and due to be finished in early March, more than 23,000 solar panels will be floated on the Queen Elizabeth II reservoir near Heathrow and used to generate power for local water treatment plants On a vast manmade lake on the outskirts of London, work is nearing completion on what will soon be Europe’s largest floating solar power farm – and will briefly be the world’s biggest. But few are likely to see the 23,000 solar panels on the Queen Elizabeth II res
  
  Read more

• Gatwick airport reopens after flights grounded due to runway oil spill

  29-02-2016 12:40
  
  Flight arrivals and departures recommence at West Sussex airport following disruption in the morningGatwick has reopened after an oil spillage on the runway caused disruption to the airport.No flights were able to land or take off at the West Sussex airport from 10.15am until 11.38am on Tuesday. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

Follow @GeneralnewsUK on Twitter!