General news

• Philip Hammond cautiously welcomes Russia's partial withdrawal from Syria

  14-03-2016 23:25
  
  The Foreign Secretary has given a cautious welcome to a Russian move to pull troops out of Syria.
  
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• Labour's handling of anti-Semitism questioned as MP Berger receives 'vile' abuse

  14-03-2016 23:25
  Labour faced dissent over its handling of anti-Semitism after Jeremy Corbyn said "vile" abuse against an MP was unacceptable but the party defended the readmission of a previously-banned activist.
  
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• Inherited high cholesterol levels 'twice as common as previously believed'

  14-03-2016 21:00
  Genetically inherited high levels of cholesterol are twice as common as previously thought, new research suggests.
  
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• PC's Death: Accused Just Released From Prison

  14-03-2016 20:41
  
  A teenage car thief who caused the death of a policeman while he was being chased by patrol cars had only been released from prison three weeks earlier after another police pursuit in which he hit a lamppost. Clayton Williams told Manchester Crown Court he would do "anything" to avoid going back to jail, after two police cars started chasing him weeks after his release. The 19-year-old is accused of using a stolen Mitsubishi pick-up truck as a "weapon" to drive at PC Dave Phillips, 34, killing h
  
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• Horse-sized dinosaur species find linked to T. rex development

  14-03-2016 20:00
  The discovery of remains belonging to a new species of horse-sized dinosaur is shedding light on how Tyrannosaurus rex (T. rex) became one of Earth's top predators, according to scientists.
  
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• Ministers warned not to rush through surveillance powers Bill

  14-03-2016 19:50
  Ministers have been warned not to try to rush through controversial surveillance powers - including accessing internet records and "bulk" data collection - amid claims they lack sufficient safeguards to protect individual privacy.
  
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• 'I had just got out of jail', teenager accused of Pc's murder tells court

  14-03-2016 19:50
  A teenage car thief who caused the death of a policeman while being chased by patrol cars had only been out of jail for three weeks after another police pursuit when he crashed into a lamppost.
  
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• Duke of Cambridge says the world has just five to ten years to save the rhino

  14-03-2016 19:47
  The Duke of Cambridge has said the world has just five to ten years to save the rhino - and warned it will be "devastating for humanity" if the species becomes extinct.
  
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• HIV treatment 'could help prevent skin cancer drug resistance'

  14-03-2016 19:43
  An HIV treatment could bring experts "one step closer" to preventing skin cancer from becoming drug resistant, a study suggests.
  
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• Sixth Form Teachers' Strike Can Go Ahead

  14-03-2016 19:20
  
  A strike by teachers at sixth form colleges in England scheduled for tomorrow can go ahead, the High Court has said. The industrial action planned by the National Union of Teachers (NUT) will continue after Mr Justice Kerr refused to grant the Education Secretary an urgent declaration that the action was unlawful. There was no current dispute between the NUT and the colleges, the teachers' employers, because a pay claim was settled in February.
  
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• Advertising junk food 'could be banned from children's online content'

  14-03-2016 18:40
  
  Advertising junk food could soon be banned from children's content streamed online in a bid to tackle the obesity epidemic, the UK's advertising watchdog has said.
  
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• Queen's 'steadfast devotion' hailed by Kofi Annan at Commonwealth Day service

  14-03-2016 18:20
  
  Former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan has marked the Queen's 90th year by praising her "steadfast devotion" to the Commonwealth.
  
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• Sixth form teachers' strike to go ahead after court ruling

  14-03-2016 17:57
  A strike by teachers at sixth form colleges in England on Tuesday can go ahead, the High Court has ruled.
  
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• ExoMars 2016 begins 300 million-mile mission to search for life on Red Planet

  14-03-2016 17:32
  
  Europe's greatest interplanetary adventure, the search for life on Mars, has taken off with the launch of a spacecraft programmed to sniff out methane around the Red Planet.
  
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• Boxer Found Guilty Of Assaulting Ex-Girlfriend

  14-03-2016 17:06
  
  Champion boxer Jamie Cox has been convicted of assaulting his ex-girlfriend after breaking into her flat. In contrast, they found Ms Gribovskaja’s account "credible and convincing". Cox, who appeared under his real name, Jamie Russan, was convicted of assault by beating, violence to secure entry, harassment and criminal damage.
  
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• Researchers find schizophrenia risk 35 times higher with just one faulty gene

  14-03-2016 17:00
  
  A single defective gene increases the risk of schizophrenia 35 times and is involved in a range of neurodevelopmental disorders, research has shown.
  
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• MP's anger as 'tearful' serial killer Joanna Dennehy claims damages

  14-03-2016 16:51
  
  A serial killer's High Court claim for damages after becoming "tearful and upset" while segregated in jail has been condemned by an MP as a "misuse" of human rights laws.
  
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• Meningitis B vaccination 'would prove cost-effective'

  14-03-2016 16:51
  The man behind the most-signed online petition in parliamentary history has said a price should not be put on a child's life, ahead of a high-level debate on his meningitis B vaccine campaign.
  
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• Employers Say University Isn't The Only Way

  14-03-2016 16:42
  
  Apprenticeships are increasingly important for employers who are hiring and looking to grow their business, according to the latest data from trade bodies. University degrees were traditionally seen as the best way to get a job. CMI chief executive Ann Francke told Sky News they offered a "good deal" and schools needed to do more to highlight the alternatives to university, saying many parents and pupils weren't aware of what else was on offer.
  
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• 'Unappreciated' senior judges 'feel very unloved'

  14-03-2016 15:14
  Senior judges feel unloved and their morale is at a low ebb, a leading judicial figure has said.
  
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• Teachers at sixth form colleges face last-minute High Court bid to stop strike

  14-03-2016 15:14
  Teachers at sixth form colleges are facing a last-minute High Court bid to stop their strike.
  
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• Joan Bakewell 'distressed to cause pain' with anorexia 'narcissism' remarks

  14-03-2016 15:14
  Labour peer Joan Bakewell has admitted causing "enormous upset" after she claimed a rise in eating disorders among young people was a sign of "narcissism".
  
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• Composer Sir Peter Maxwell Davies dies at 81

  14-03-2016 15:14
  Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, co mposer and former Master of the Queen's Music has died, his management has said.
  
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• RBS chairman says Cameron's EU deal could bolster ECB's powers

  14-03-2016 15:07
  Britain's 'special status' deal with the European Union, aimed in part at securing London's future as a financial centre, could ultimately bolster the power of the European Central Bank, the chairman of Royal Bank of Scotland said on Monday. Britain is preparing to vote in June on a deal struck by Prime Minister David Cameron to keep the island nation in the 28-member European Union (EU). The arrangement allows Britain to tweak EU rules, eroding the power of the European Banking Authority (EBA),
  
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• BBC's 'Top Gear' spins into more controversy with Whitehall stunt

  14-03-2016 15:06
  Images splashed across the pages of British newspapers, showed the show's co-host, U.S. actor Matt LeBlanc, speeding and spinning a car along a deserted Whitehall, the road near Parliament which is home to government offices as well as the Cenotaph, focal point for Britain's Remembrance Day services. "On behalf of the Top Gear team and Matt, I would like to apologise unreservedly for what these images seem to portray." Retired army officer Colonel Richard Kemp said the filming on Sunday was an e
  
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• GPs computer alert system developed for easier discovery of sepsis in patients

  14-03-2016 14:56
  
  Patients with sepsis may be more easily identified thanks to a new computer alert system for GPs.
  
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• RBS Cuts 550 Jobs In Move To Automated Service

  14-03-2016 14:53
  
  RBS is to cut around 550 jobs in the UK as it moves away from offering face-to-face advice to automated services. Some 220 jobs will be lost as RBS introduces an online investment platform, more than 250 jobs will go from its insurance services division, as well as 80 administrative support staff. Face-to-face investment guidance will only be available for people who have £250,000 or more to invest.
  
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• Diet 'not a decisive factor' in extinction of the Neanderthals

  14-03-2016 14:43
  
  When they were not dining on mammoth meat, Neanderthals were munching nuts, berries and roots, research suggests.
  
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• Mystery Man Found Dead On Moor Was Poisoned

  14-03-2016 14:35
  
  A mystery man who was found dead on moorland before Christmas had strychnine, the highly toxic substance used in rat poison, in his system. He was next seen on CCTV at Euston at 9:50am, where he bought a return ticket to Manchester Piccadilly for £81 in cash. Arriving in Manchester at 12:07pm, he spent 53 minutes wandering around the station before heading into the city centre.
  
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• Philip Hammond defends right of foreign leaders to have voice in EU debate

  14-03-2016 13:34
  The Foreign Secretary has clashed with Boris Johnson over his claim it would be " hypocrisy" for Barack Obama to intervene in the EU referendum debate.
  
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• Baron Cohen's Brothers Grimsby Flops In US

  14-03-2016 12:55
  
  The film's name was changed for US audiences, but Sacha Baron Cohen's The Brothers Grimsby has still proved to be a flop across the Atlantic. The movie, called Grimsby in the UK, opened to just $3.2m (£2.2m) at the box office, raising questions about the British comedian's bankability. "We certainly wanted more," said Rory Bruer, Sony's distribution chief.
  
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• Brexit and Britain - what would it mean for UK trade?

  14-03-2016 12:37
  By William Schomberg LONDON (Reuters) - The stakes will be high for Britain's historic role as a free-trading nation when it holds a referendum on whether to stay in the European Union on June 23. There is no precedent for an economy as big as Britain's leaving a trade bloc, and the rival campaigns paint contrasting pictures of what quitting the EU might mean for its trade. Britain's most important trade partnership is with the EU's single market, the world's biggest trade area.
  
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• Police contact Health and Safety Executive over twins' fish tank deaths

  14-03-2016 12:30
  The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is liaising with police following the death of twin brothers who drowned after falling into a fish tank at the family home.
  
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• 'Disrespectful' Top Gear Cenotaph stunt 'should not be shown', says Chris Evans

  14-03-2016 12:30
  
  Chris Evans has said footage for the new Top Gear series filmed near the Cenotaph in London is “disrespectful” and should not be broadcast. Co-host Matt LeBlanc and a professional driver performed stunts near the war memorial on Whitehall. “They look so disrespectful,” he said before adding that there are “mitigating circumstances”.
  
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• Britain to foster 'robo' financial advice to cut costs for consumer

  14-03-2016 12:23
  By Huw Jones LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's financial regulator wants to encourage the availability of automated, or "robo", financial advice, already common in the United States, to cut the cost of such advice for less well-off consumers. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Treasury said on Monday there was a "clear need" for regulatory intervention to reduce the cost of financial advice and make it more accessible. Announcing proposals to improve the market for financial advice, they s
  
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• Warning of increased foreign travel costs if UK leaves the European Union

  14-03-2016 11:44
  Foreign travel is " likely to become more expensive" if Britain leaves the EU, an industry body has claimed.
  
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• British Teen Wins £174K Drone Racing Prize

  14-03-2016 11:44
  
  A team led by a British teenager has taken won the £174,000 first prize at a major drone racing event in Dubai. Luke Bannister's Tornado X-Blades Banni UK took the biggest share of a near-$1m prize pot after beating Russian and Dutch competition in the final race round 12 laps of a Tron-esque glowing 591-metre track. The races, lasting around 10 minutes, saw pilots wearing goggles linked up to a feed from their drones as they zipped round a course that had Dubai marina's skyscrapers a
  
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• 1,000-Year-Old Chess Set To Be Auctioned

  14-03-2016 11:41
  
  The set is believed to have been made in the city of Nishapur, northeast Persia (the former name for Iran), in the Samanid period and consists of pieces that are the equivalent to modern pawns, knights, bishops, rook and the king and queen. It is believed to have originated in India some time before the 6th century before spreading to Persia and the rest of Europe and Asia along trade routes including the Silk Road.
  
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• Wonder Brings Songs In The Key Of Life To UK

  14-03-2016 11:35
  
  Stevie Wonder is to perform his award-winning album Songs In The Key Of Life in its entirety in London's Hyde Park this summer. The 1976 album, released by Motown Records, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and features hits such as Sir Duke, Isn't She Lovely and I Wish. Songs In The Key of Life has been cited as a major influence by many of the world's biggest stars, including Sir Elton John, Prince and Michael Jackson.
  
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• Spacecraft blasts off to begin search for life on Mars

  14-03-2016 10:56
  
  A European spacecraft programmed to sniff out atmospheric evidence of life on Mars has blasted into space.
  
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• Night Tube To Start Running 'In August'

  14-03-2016 10:11
  London Underground's all-night service is reportedly scheduled to start running in August. Transport for London (TfL) is yet to give dates for the launch, but plans have been drawn up to roll it out line by line, sources have told the Press Association. The night Tube service will then start on Central, Northern and Piccadilly lines in September, it is believed.
  
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• No-Dough Zone: Ducks Being Given Less Bread

  14-03-2016 09:58
  
  Ducks around the country are feasting on a healthier diet after members of the public were urged to stop treating them to breadcrumbs, new figures show. A public poll by Canal and River Trust suggests a 20% drop in the number of people feeding bread to ducks since it launched its campaign last year. A diet consisting of seeds, fruit and vegetables fits the bill for ducks.
  
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• Evans apologises after 'furore' over Top Gear Cenotaph stunt

  14-03-2016 09:34
  Chris Evans has apologised "unreservedly" after scenes for the new Top Gear series were filmed near the Cenotaph in central London.
  
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• Guidance call after six-week-old baby among hundreds left home alone

  14-03-2016 09:06
  More than 500 people were arrested on suspicion of neglect last year for leaving a child alone.
  
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• All-night Tube 'will start running in August'

  14-03-2016 09:06
  London Underground's long-awaited new night Tube is pencilled in to be launched in August, sources have revealed.
  
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• Charles and Camilla to begin tour of Balkans

  14-03-2016 08:21
  The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will start a royal tour of the Balkans today.
  
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• Sixth-form teachers face legal challenge over funding strike

  14-03-2016 07:11
  Sixth-form teachers planning a strike on Tuesday to protest at "inadequate funding" are facing a government challenge over the legality of the action.
  
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• Civilians killed in terror rampage at Ivory Coast tourist hotspot

  14-03-2016 07:11
  At least 16 people have died after armed men stormed an Ivory Coast beach resort.
  
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• Super-rare whales make big splash in Cape Cod

  14-03-2016 06:14
  Cape Cod is seeing a lot more of some big-fish tourists - endangered right whales enticed by the fine dining possibilities of its plankton-rich bay.
  
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• Horse Wears Tweed Ahead Of Cheltenham Festival

  14-03-2016 03:48
  
  A noble steed has modelled a specially designed tweed suit ahead of this week's Cheltenham Festival - giving the term "clothes horse" a whole new meaning.
  
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