General news

• Katie Price Wants Web Trolls 'Named And Shamed'

  09-03-2016 23:27
  
  Katie Price has tweeted she was "so angry and upset" after online trolls mocked her teenage son Harvey. In angry posts on Twitter and Instagram, mother-of-five Price shared screenshots of the abuse and called on her followers to help identify the trolls. Meanwhile on Instagram, Price shared a post from someone who joked about sexually assaulting Harvey.
  
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• Floods Cause Travel Chaos In Central England

  09-03-2016 22:50
  
  Torrential rain and flooding have brought travel chaos to central England and caused a standoff between police and rail passengers in London. Some motorists needed rescuing from cars submerged in floodwater in the Midlands. The Environment Agency issued 43 flood warnings, meaning immediate action is required, as of 8.30pm on Wednesday - the majority in the Midlands.
  
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• Government drops plans to extend Sunday trading hours

  09-03-2016 22:22
  The Government has dropped plans to extend Sunday trading hours after suffering an humiliating Commons defeat at the hands of Tory rebels, Labour and the SNP.
  
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• Stabbed mother moved out of critical care

  09-03-2016 20:58
  A 40-year-old woman whose unborn child was safely delivered after she was repeatedly stabbed in a street attack has been moved from critical care in hospital.
  
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• Government loses parliamentary vote on longer Sunday trading hours

  09-03-2016 20:34
  EDINBURGH/LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron was rebuffed in parliament on Wednesday when members of his own party joined with opposition lawmakers to block government plans to allow shops to open for longer on a Sunday. "Sunday is still special for many and the government should ... ensure that there is a proper place for Sundays, for families, for businesses and for workers," Conservative lawmaker David Burrowes, who led the rebellion, said during a three-hour debate.
  
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• Bailey Gwynne: Mother's Tribute To 'Sweet Boy'

  09-03-2016 20:22
  
  The mother of Bailey Gwynne, the Aberdeen schoolboy stabbed to death, has paid tribute to her "sweet boy with a big dream". Kate Gwynne issued a statement following the conviction of a 16-year-old boy who killed her son at Cults Academy last October. "Our priority through the time of this trial was to be there for Bailey.
  
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• Government Loses Sunday Trading Vote

  09-03-2016 19:54
  
  The Government has been defeated in the Commons over its plans to extend Sunday trading hours in England and Wales. MPs voted by 317 to 286, a majority of 31, against proposals to increase Sunday opening hours from the current six-hour maximum. Twenty-six Conservative rebels joined forces with Labour and the Scottish National Party to vote against Chancellor George Osborne's plans.
  
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• Government defeated over plans to extend Sunday trading hours

  09-03-2016 19:21
  The Government has suffered an humiliating Commons defeat over plans to extend Sunday trading hours after Tory rebels joined forces with Labour and the SNP.
  
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• Arrests At Heathrow Over FGM Offences Overseas

  09-03-2016 19:20
  
  A man and a woman have been arrested at Heathrow Airport in connection with female genital mutilation (FGM) offences abroad, police say. It comes after a south London school raised concerns about a pupil who failed to attend class and was believed to have been taken to Somalia. Metropolitan Police officers from the Camberwell Child Abuse Investigation Team then successfully applied for a FGM Prevention Order.
  
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• New stem cell technique regrows lenses in eyes of infants with cataracts

  09-03-2016 19:00
  A new stem cell technique has resulted in the regrowth of functional lenses in the eyes of infants blinded by congenital cataracts.
  
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• Mum Set On Fire At Home 'Was Always Smiling'

  09-03-2016 18:56
  
  Julie Archer, 49, was found by police at a home on Surbiton Road in Newton Heath, Manchester, on the morning of 29 February. After suffering burns to 70% of her body, Ms Archer died in hospital a few days later. While there has not yet been a formal identification, police say they believe the woman is Ms Archer.
  
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• Sports Direct's Ashley warned of potential action over Parliament snub

  09-03-2016 18:50
  Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley has been told he could be in contempt of Parliament if he ignores a summons from MPs to answer questions about the treatment of workers at Britain's biggest sportswear retailer. The chairman of Parliament's Business, Innovation and Skills Committee, Iain Wright, said in a letter made public on Wednesday that Ashley had not responded to a request to attend parliament to answer questions, nor agreed in principle to attend. "Should you fail in your reply to agree t
  
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• Hatton Garden Heist Gang Jailed For 34 Years

  09-03-2016 18:46
  
  Five members of a gang involved in the £14m Hatton Garden jewel heist have been jailed for a total of 34 years. The raid carried out over the Easter bank holiday weekend last year in the heart of London's diamond district was the biggest burglary in English history. The thieves used an industrial drill to break into the vault at Hatton Garden Safety Deposit and stole cash, gold and precious gems, two-thirds of which is still missing.
  
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• Police officer describes seeing partner Pc Dave Phillips 'flying into the air'

  09-03-2016 18:30
  A rookie police officer told a court how his partner was mown down and killed in front of him as they scrambled to stop a teenage car thief.
  
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• Speaker 'Blocks' Sunday Trading Compromise

  09-03-2016 18:04
  
  Commons Speaker John Bercow has effectively blocked an attempted compromise on Sunday trading laws after the Government amendment offering to pilot the changes was lodged too late. The Government now faces defeat in the evening's vote after last night's decision by the Scottish National Party to oppose the measures. This morning, the Government circulated a proposal in the name of Business Secretary Sajid Javid, obtained by Sky News, to trial the liberalisation of Sunday trading in 12 localities
  
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• Analysis - Merkel's Turkish gamble: breakthrough or landmine in migrant crisis? - Reuters UK

  09-03-2016 17:43 via
  Reuters UK
  Analysis - Merkel's Turkish gamble: breakthrough or landmine in migrant crisis?
  Reuters UK
  BRUSSELS For the second time since Europe's migration crisis began last year, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has stunned her European Union partners by staking her political capital on a unilateral initiative and demanding their support. After rolling ...
  Germany's Merkel underestimated refugee crisisDaily Times
  Judgment Day Has Arrived For Merkel, And The Rise Of The Extreme Right Is Ter
  

• PC Dave Phillips Sent 'Flying Into Air'

  09-03-2016 17:32
  
  PC Thomas Birkett, 23, was just out of probation when he saw PC Dave Phillips killed by a Mitsubishi pick-up truck driven by Clayton Williams in Wallasey, Merseyside, in the early hours of 5 October last year. Williams, 19, who denies murder, is accused of using the vehicle as a "weapon" to deliberately run down the officer in a "cowardly and merciless act". PC Birkett told Manchester Crown Court he and PC Phillips had scrambled to help catch Williams, who was driving the vehicle stole
  
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• UK nuclear regulator does not foresee Flammanville reactor flaws at HPC

  09-03-2016 17:28
  Reactors at EDF's proposed Hinkley Point C nuclear project should not be vulnerable to the same weak spots as found in a reactor vessel at the company's Flammanville site in France, Britain's Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) said on Wednesday. Intractable problems at two nuclear plants under construction in France and Finland have threatened more delays to EDF's plan to build two Areva-designed European Pressurised Reactors (EPR) nuclear reactors in Britain at Hinkley Point in southwestern En
  
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• Roy 'Chubby' Brown gig 'inappropriate', says council

  09-03-2016 16:51
  Controversial comedian Roy "Chubby" Brown has been forced to cancel a Nottinghamshire gig - after a council deemed his brand of humour "inappropriate".
  
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• Lord Janner 'sexually abused children over 30 year period'

  09-03-2016 16:51
  Lord Janner is alleged to have sexually abused children over a period spanning more than 30 years and dating back to the 1950s, a public inquiry has heard.
  
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• Chinese hunt for property bargains from Dubai to Manchester

  09-03-2016 16:50
  By Clare Jim HONG KONG (Reuters) - As Chinese property investors heat up prices in many of the world's biggest cities, China buyers are now searching beyond traditional hot spots for bargains and higher returns, ranging from land in Dubai to student housing in Manchester. The investors range from wealthy individuals and private equity funds buying residential units to companies and funds setting up local joint ventures to invest in property projects. "People invest in emerging markets for higher
  
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• Six men sentenced for roles in Hatton Garden safe deposit raid

  09-03-2016 16:20
  Five men involved in the £14 million Hatton Garden jewellery raid have been jailed for up to seven years, while a sixth was given a suspended sentence.
  
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• Human Remains Found Near Petrol Station

  09-03-2016 16:18
  
  Police are investigating after human remains were found in undergrowth next to a supermarket petrol station.
  
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• Sun newspaper stands by 'Queen backs Brexit' claim after Palace complaint

  09-03-2016 16:16
  
  The Sun has said it stands by its story about the Queen voicing strong Eurosceptic views after Buckingham Palace said it has written to the press watchdog to register a complaint over the claims.
  
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• Palace complains over report Queen backs EU exit

  09-03-2016 16:11
  By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - Buckingham Palace said it had launched an official complaint with Britain's press watchdog on Wednesday over a newspaper report that Queen Elizabeth backs a British exit from the European Union, saying the monarch remains politically neutral. Under the front-page headline "Queen backs Brexit", The Sun newspaper quoted unidentified sources as saying that Elizabeth had made her opposition to British membership of the EU clear on at least two occasions over the
  
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• Government Backs Down On Sunday Trading

  09-03-2016 15:20
  
  The Government has backed down on plans to extend Sunday trading laws and offered Tory rebels the chance to trial it first. George Osborne was facing defeat at the hands of Conservative rebel MPs and SNP politicians over the plans to relax the rules in England and Wales in a vote in the House of Commons on Wednesday. However, Business Secretary Sajid Javid has tabled an amendment offering 12-month pilots in 12 areas after it appeared the SNP, Lib Dems and Labour had mustered enough votes to
  
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• Stuffed Animals Worth £100k Stolen In Burglary

  09-03-2016 15:16
  
  Police are asking for help in finding a number of valuable stuffed animals that were stolen during a burglary. The items taken from a taxidermy warehouse in Wandsworth, southwest London, include lions, a giraffe, a zebra, a sloth and a chimpanzee in a top hat. They also made off with antiques, including a globe, plus a total of 18 stuffed animals.
  
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• Premier League clubs cap away tickets at 30 pounds

  09-03-2016 15:14
  England's top flight football clubs have agreed to cap the price of tickets for away fans at 30 pounds for the next three seasons, the Premier League said on Wednesday. The decision follows high-profile campaigns by groups including the Football Supporters' Federation (FSF) who have called for a 20 pound limit - the "Twenty's plenty" initiative. "Clubs know that away fans have a unique status," the League said in a statement.
  
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• Palace Complains Over Queen Brexit Story

  09-03-2016 15:06
  
  Buckingham Palace has registered an official complaint over a story in The Sun which claimed that the "Queen backs Brexit". The Palace has written to the press watchdog over the claims the Queen expressed strong eurosceptic views that "left no room for doubt" about her views on the European Union. The newspaper said the monarch made her comments during a lunch with the former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg at Windsor Castle in 2011.
  
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• Premier League Clubs Back £30 Away Ticket Cap

  09-03-2016 14:57
  
  Premier League clubs have unanimously approved a £30 cap on tickets for away fans following an emergency meeting today. In a statement outlining the change, the Premier League said clubs recognised that away fans are "essential" for match atmosphere and have additional travel and ticket costs.
  
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• Banks Lose Case Over 'Houdini' Tax Schemes

  09-03-2016 14:49
  
  Banking giants UBS and Deutsche Bank have lost a marathon legal battle over bonus schemes totalling £183m that were designed to avoid tax. The Supreme Court ruled in favour of HM Revenue and Customs over the case dating back 12 years, which centred on "Houdini" schemes that were set up to take advantage of laws exempting certain types of pay-outs from tax. Judges found it was "hardly likely that Parliament intended it [the exemption] to apply to tax avoidance schemes" and ruled in favour o
  
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• 'Crisis' claims as record 801,000 workers on zero-hours contracts

  09-03-2016 14:41
  
  Insecure work in the UK is said to have reached "crisis" levels after figures showed that the number of workers on zero-hours contracts has increased by 104,000 to a record 801,000.
  
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• Doctors Will Leave NHS, Warns Hunt Medic

  09-03-2016 14:29
  
  The junior doctor who was ignored by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt as he tried to question him over the new contracts has warned doctors will quit the NHS. Speaking on Sky News as junior doctors began their first 48-hour strike in the ongoing dispute with the Government, Dr Dagan Lonsdale said the real danger was not industrial action but doctors leaving. Dr Lonsdale said medics would be forced to quit because they couldn't work under the new contract Mr Hunt is going to impose.
  
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• McCartney Mourns 'Second Father' George Martin

  09-03-2016 14:21
  
  Sir Paul McCartney has paid tribute to Sir George Martin, the record producer known as the Fifth Beatle who has died aged 90, calling him a "true gentleman and like a second father to me". Sir George's son Giles, who is also a producer, tweeted: "RIP dad. In a statement, Sir Paul said: "I have so many wonderful memories of this great man that will be with me forever.
  
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• Sir Paul and Ringo lead tributes to Beatles producer Sir George Martin

  09-03-2016 14:19
  
  Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have led tributes to Sir George Martin, the record producer known as the Fifth Beatle, who has died aged 90.
  
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• Supreme Court judges rule against 'Houdini' tax avoidance schemes

  09-03-2016 14:15
  The Supreme Court has ruled against "Houdini" schemes designed to avoid the payment of income tax on bankers' bonuses.
  
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• Make pensions more 'fun' with apps and gamification, suggests minister

  09-03-2016 14:15
  Pension providers should inject more "fun" into their offerings to encourage people to increase their retirement savings contributions, the pensions minister has told MPs.
  
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• Economic recovery built on sand, warns Jeremy Corbyn

  09-03-2016 14:15
  Britain's economic recovery is built on sand with a construction sector in recession, Jeremy Corbyn has warned.
  
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• David Cameron: I will not quit if UK votes for Brexit

  09-03-2016 14:15
  David Cameron has insisted he will not resign if Britain votes to leave the European Union in the forthcoming referendum.
  
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• Palace complains over report the Queen backs EU exit

  09-03-2016 14:14
  By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - Buckingham Palace said it had launched an official complaint with Britain's press watchdog on Wednesday over a newspaper report that Queen Elizabeth backs a British exit from the European Union, saying the monarch remains politically neutral. Under the front-page headline "Queen backs Brexit", The Sun newspaper quoted unidentified sources as saying that Elizabeth had made her opposition to British membership of the EU clear on at least two occasions over the
  
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• UK seeking to ease banking barriers with Iran, seals export finance deal

  09-03-2016 14:08
  By William James and Jonathan Saul LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is working with its European partners to help ease the impact of banking restrictions on trade with Iran, Business Secretary Sajid Javid said on Wednesday, adding that the UK had signed a deal to simplify the financing of exports. International sanctions, including banking restrictions, imposed against Iran ended in January under a deal with world powers in which Tehran agreed to curb its nuclear programme. This has left non-U.S. bank
  
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• Palace complains to press watchdog over Sun's 'Queen backs Brexit' claims

  09-03-2016 13:56
  
  Buckingham Palace has written to the press watchdog to register a complaint over claims that the Queen voiced strong Eurosceptic views during a lunch with the former deputy prime minister.
  
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• British Backpacker Stabbed In Sydney Sex Attack

  09-03-2016 13:55
  
  A British backpacker is recovering from stab wounds after fighting off a housemate with a knife when he allegedly tried to rape her. The 23-year-old woman resisted an initial attack before the man returned with a knife and stabbed her several times in the upper body in Sydney, police said.
  
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• British IndyCar Driver's Death 'Freak Accident'

  09-03-2016 13:43
  
  Justin Wilson was hit by a piece of flying debris during the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania in August. Race leader Sage Karam crashed his car into a barrier, causing debris to scatter across the track in the closing stages of the race. Drivers swerved to avoid the debris, but Sheffield born Wilson, 37, was hit on the helmet by a piece of Karam's car.
  
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• Scottish deficit nears £15bn as oil and gas revenues sink

  09-03-2016 13:35
  Scotland's deficit reached almost £15 billion in the last financial year after revenues from North Sea oil and gas fell by more than 50%, figures have revealed.
  
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• 'Fifth Beatle' George Martin dies aged 90

  09-03-2016 13:18
  LOS ANGELES/LONDON (Reuters) - George Martin, known as "the fifth Beatle" for his work in shaping the band that became one of the world's most influential music forces, has died at the age of 90. "I’m so sad to hear the news of the passing of dear George Martin," Beatle Paul McCartney said in a statement on Wednesday. "If anyone earned the title of the fifth Beatle it was George." A statement from Martin's family confirmed he had died peacefully at his home on Tuesday evening.
  
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• Trunki Loses Design Case Against Kiddee Rival

  09-03-2016 12:21
  
  The company behind Trunki suitcases has lost a Supreme Court battle with a rival over the design of children's ride-on luggage. Magmatic took PMS International, which sells Kiddee Case products, back to court on appeal last year, arguing Kiddee Cases that were decorated as animals or insects infringed its patents and they should be blocked from UK sale. In a reserved judgment, five Supreme Court justices ruled in favour of PMS - a decision Trunki's founder said would bring a "wave of uncertainty
  
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• Teenage pregnancy rate falls to record low, figures show

  09-03-2016 12:01
  
  The rate of teenage pregnancies has dipped to its lowest level since records began, official figures show.
  
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• G4S warns over asylum seekers contract as pre-tax profits rise to £327m

  09-03-2016 12:01
  Outsourcing giant G4S has warned that it could lose a further £57 million if the Government extends a key contract to house surging numbers of asylum seekers.
  
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• Brothers up in arms over EU referendum debate

  09-03-2016 12:01
  
  Two brothers who run separate haulage companies a stone's throw away from each other find themselves on different sides of the debate ahead of the EU referendum.
  
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