General news

• Corbyn Faces Litmus Test As Votes Counted

  05-05-2016 23:13
  
  Jeremy Corbyn is facing his first major electoral test since becoming Labour leader as votes are counted in elections across the UK. Speaking after voting at a polling station in Islington, Mr Corbyn said he expected his party to perform well. In England, local elections have been taking place in 124 councils - with thousands of seats up for grabs.
  
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• Counting begins in biggest test of political opinion since general election

  05-05-2016 23:06
  
  Counting has begun in the biggest test of political opinion since the general election, after polling stations closed across the UK at 10pm.
  
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• Blunder Sees Voters Turned Away In Barnet

  05-05-2016 23:02
  
  Hundreds of voters were turned away from 155 polling stations in north London after a mistake meant names were missing from voting lists. People in Barnet who tried to cast their votes before going to work were told to go away and "return later if possible". Among them was the Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, who was turned away and unable to return because he was flying out to Amsterdam.
  
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• London Set To Be Key Election Battleground

  05-05-2016 22:59
  
  Sadiq Khan is today expected to make history, with the son of an immigrant bus driver on course to become the first Muslim mayor of a major western city. As Londoners took to the polls on Thursday, senior Tories were privately admitting their man Zac Goldsmith was on course to lose to the Labour candidate, ending the Conservatives' two-term reign at City Hall under Boris Johnson. While Johnson edged to victory over Ken Livingstone in 2012, Goldsmith has faced an uphill battle in the Labour-domin
  
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• Talks on new junior doctors' contract set to restart

  05-05-2016 22:22
  
  Talks between the Government and the British Medical Association (BMA) over the new junior doctors' contract look set to go ahead.
  
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• Scientists seek to unravel genius within da Vinci DNA code

  05-05-2016 22:00
  
  Experts embarking on a major project to investigate the genius of Leonardo da Vinci hope to extract DNA from the Renaissance Man's fingerprints.
  
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• Doctors Dispute Talks Raise Hopes Of Deal

  05-05-2016 21:46
  
  Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said he hopes the British Medical Association (BMA) will "talk constructively" after he offered to pause plans to impose the new junior doctors' contract. Hopes of a breakthrough in the long-running dispute came when the BMA - which represents junior doctors - agreed to return to the negotiating table after the five-day suspension was announced. The Government is still committed to introducing the new contract in August, but Mr Hunt is hopeful new talks will brea
  
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• 'Proud Londoner' Damian Lewis slams Boris Johnson over 'Dubai on Thames' promise

  05-05-2016 21:43
  
  Damian Lewis has condemned outgoing mayor Boris Johnson for reneging on his promise not to turn London into "Dubai on Thames".
  
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• Readers recommend: share your songs about sinners

  05-05-2016 21:00
  
  Which songs do you think our reader should include on next week’s playlist? Make your nominations by Monday 9 MayThis week we want to hear about music about sinners – repentant or otherwise – taking into account song titles, lyrics or deeper meanings wither you have interpreted or musicians have spoken about.Nominate and tell us why in the comments. You can find a list of all songs previously picked and so ineligible here.Continue reading...
  
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• Voting Glitch As Ballots Cast On Super Thursday

  05-05-2016 20:52
  
  As voting got under way, some people in Barnet, north London, experienced difficulties with registration and voters were asked to "return to their polling station later if possible". A spokesman said: "We are advising people who were unable to vote this morning to return again before the polling stations close if at all possible. David Cameron arrived with his wife, Samantha, at a Westminster polling station to cast his vote while Jeremy Corbyn voted at a primary school in Islington, north
  
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• 31 fall ill after disease outbreak linked to petting farm

  05-05-2016 19:59
  
  More than 30 people have fallen ill after a disease outbreak linked to a petting farm, health officials said.
  
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• London mayor may be Labour's lone bright spot in local elections

  05-05-2016 19:56
  By Elizabeth Piper and Nadeem Shad LONDON (Reuters) - Labour candidate Sadiq Khan looked set on Thursday to become the first Muslim elected mayor of London, loosening the ruling Conservatives' hold on Britain's financial centre after a campaign marred by charges of anti-Semitism and extremism. Opinion polls and voters suggested Labour would lose seats in some traditional strongholds, testing the authority of its new left-wing leader, Jeremy Corbyn.
  
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• Kent Police Fired Four Shots As Suspect Killed

  05-05-2016 19:52
  
  Two firearms officers fired their weapons twice each during a pre-planned operation in Kent which ended with a suspect's death. William Smith, 36, died from gunshot wounds sustained in the shooting in Smiths Lane, Goudhurst, on 1 May. He was on bail over the death of 73-year-old Roy Blackman, who was bludgeoned to dead at his home in Headcorn Road, Biddenden, on 21 March.
  
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• Bitcoin's self-proclaimed 'founder' backtracks

  05-05-2016 19:19
  An Australian entrepreneur who came forward this week as the founder of digital currency Bitcoin appears to have backtracked on the claim.
  
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• UK sees hottest day of 2016 as temperatures hit 21C

  05-05-2016 18:51
  The UK saw the hottest day of the year on Thursday as temperatures soared to 21C (70F) in London.
  
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• Britain's 'In' campaign leads by 4 percent points - JPMorgan poll analysis

  05-05-2016 18:44
  The campaign to keep Britain in the European Union is 4 percentage points ahead of the "Out" campaign, though that lead has halved since February, JPMorgan said in an analysis of recent opinion polls. While polls, which failed to predict Prime Minister David Cameron's victory in Britain's 2015 national election, have cast the June 23 referendum as too close to call, betting odds have indicated a strong probability of a vote to remain. In an analysis of recent polling data, JPMorgan said the "In"
  
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• Prince Harry plays polo in Florida's Palm Beach

  05-05-2016 18:31
  Prince Harry braved stormy weather in Palm Beach, Florida on Wednesday, leading his team to victory in a polo tournament in the name of his charity, Sentebale, which supports young people living with HIV/AIDS in Lesotho, Africa. At the exclusive event, he addressed a crowd of about 300 guests who came to watch him play in the Sentebale Royal Salute Polo Cup and help raise money and awareness for his charity, and announced that the organisation was growing. The money raised will help send 1,500 y
  
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• Antibody from lung cancer patients offers hope of new approach to treatment

  05-05-2016 18:13
  
  A therapeutic agent taken from lung cancer patients whose immune systems protect them from advanced disease has shown a striking ability to destroy tumours in the laboratory.
  
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• Nerve stress study could pave way for new approach to treating Alzheimer's

  05-05-2016 18:00
  
  A discovery linking nerve stress and Alzheimer's could pave the way for a completely new approach to treating the disease, scientists believe.
  
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• MPs wonder whether 'Boaty McVolte-face' is on cards over poll-winning ship name

  05-05-2016 17:52
  
  MPs are to quiz research bosses on the public competition to name a new polar vessel which saw Boaty McBoatface emerge as the runaway winner.
  
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• Scottish isle a world away from fireworks of native son Trump

  05-05-2016 17:23
  By Elisabeth O'Leary ISLE OF LEWIS, Scotland (Reuters) - Donald Trump has played up his family roots from Lewis, an island off the northwestern tip of Scotland, but his success in the U.S. Republican presidential battle has not drawn the kind of rapture the billionaire might like from his home crowd. Trump's mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, emigrated to the United States from the Lewis village of Tong in the early 1930s, and a visit from her property mogul son would certainly interest the friendly inh
  
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• Magic Mike Actor In Morrissey-Backed Smiths Film

  05-05-2016 17:17
  
  Magic Mike actor Joe Manganiello will produce and star in a Morrissey-approved drama about a fan of The Smiths who plotted to hold a radio station hostage. Shoplifters Of The World will focus on a fan's plot in 1988 to take over a radio station in Denver, hoping to force the DJ to play Smiths tracks on repeat. The film will be written by music documentary maker Stephen Kijak, who has secured the music rights to The Smiths' songs.
  
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• Jamie Vardy endured tattoo marathon ahead of Leicester triumph

  05-05-2016 16:52
  
  Leicester City star Jamie Vardy limbered up to watch the title-clinching match between Chelsea and Tottenham with a gruelling seven-hour session in the tattooist's chair.
  
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• BT to invest £6bn in network upgrade in bid to see off threat of Openreach split

  05-05-2016 16:00
  
  BT has pledged to spend £6 billion on faster mobile and broadband services across the UK over the next three years to see off the threat of a forced split of its network arm.
  
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• Blanket ban on 'legal highs' to come into force this month

  05-05-2016 15:48
  A blanket ban on so-called "legal highs" will come into force at the end of the month, the Government has confirmed.
  
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• Police chief 'lied to lawyer and spent public cash on affair cover-up'

  05-05-2016 15:47
  A police chief lied to the force's top lawyer and spent public money to cover up the affair he was having with another high-ranking officer, a tribunal has heard.
  
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• Man accused of 'road rage' murder not giving evidence at trial

  05-05-2016 15:47
  
  A man accused of the "road rage" murder of a retired solicitor will not be giving evidence at his trial, a jury has been told.
  
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• Emergency proxy votes offered amid Barnet Council poll blunder

  05-05-2016 15:46
  
  Emergency proxy votes are being offered to residents in north London after council bungling meant many voters were turned away from the ballot box.
  
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• Government 'to take over youth prison where staff allegedly assaulted children'

  05-05-2016 15:24
  The Ministry of Justice is to take over the running of a scandal-hit youth prison, according to reports.
  
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• Anti-Terror Police Arrest 14 People At Funeral

  05-05-2016 15:22
  
  Anti-terror police have arrested 14 men during a raid at the funeral of a dissident republican in Northern Ireland. Michael Barr was shot dead last month by two gunmen who burst into the Sunset House pub in Dublin and hit him up to three times. The 35-year-old from Strabane, County Tyrone, died at the scene.
  
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• Marathon collapse Afghanistan veteran hailed as 'hero' at funeral

  05-05-2016 15:17
  
  An Afghanistan veteran who died after collapsing during the London Marathon has been hailed a "hero" and an "inspiration" at his funeral.
  
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• Donald Trump deserves respect for success during 'gruelling' primaries, says PM

  05-05-2016 15:17
  
  Donald Trump deserves "respect" for emerging as the Republican presumptive nominee for the US presidency, Prime Minister David Cameron has insisted - even though he still condemns the reality TV star's views on Muslims.
  
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• Damian Lewis set for Our Kind Of Traitor premiere

  05-05-2016 15:17
  
  Damian Lewis won multiple awards as terrorist-turned-CIA agent Nicholas Brody in Homeland, and is now hoping to replicate that success in a gritty new role as a ruthless MI6 spy.
  
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• New Apple app launches in Britain that pays people to get fit

  05-05-2016 15:09
  By Eric Auchard FRANKFURT (Reuters) - A free smartphone app that will pay people to be physically active launches on Wednesday in Britain, with users given digital "sweatcoins" depending on how many steps they take that can be exchanged for rewards or traded like money. It's the latest initiative in an emerging fitness economy that includes all manner of monitoring devices, apps that reward activity with vouchers and even experiments in offering cheap insurance to people who can demonstrate they
  
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• Widow leaves court during video of man accused of murder speaking of stabbing

  05-05-2016 14:42
  
  The widow of a retired solicitor killed in an alleged "road rage" stabbing walked out of court as the man accused of murdering him recalled the knifing.
  
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• Schools minister 'already seen test question he got wrong'

  05-05-2016 14:42
  
  Schools minister Nick Gibb said he had already seen the exam question for 11-year-olds that he got wrong live on air.
  
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• Murder Suspect Held Over Chip Shop Attack

  05-05-2016 14:42
  
  Police are trying to find witnesses to a violent attack which left a man dead outside a chip shop in Leigh, Wigan. Detective Chief Inspector Jane Little from GMP's Major Incident Team said: "I would like to offer my heartfelt condolences to the man's family at this incredibly difficult time and we currently have specially trained officers working to provide them with support.
  
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• Hunt willing to 'pause' contract introduction if junior doctors agree to talks

  05-05-2016 14:42
  
  Jeremy Hunt is willing to "pause" the introduction of new contracts if junior doctors agree to talks.
  
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• First trade mission to Argentina in decade aims to lift exports to Latin America

  05-05-2016 14:42
  
  A minister is leading the Government's first trade mission to Argentina in 10 years.
  
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• Financial structure at care homes group Four Seasons 'unsustainable'

  05-05-2016 14:42
  Britain's biggest care homes group Four Seasons is running out of cash and risks falling into the hands of its creditors this year, credit ratings agency Moody's has warned.
  
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• David Cameron and Boris Johnson take EU referendum battle to Countryfile

  05-05-2016 14:42
  
  The Prime Minister and Boris Johnson will take their rivalry over Europe to the green fields of Countryfile in the coming weeks as they battle to win the rural vote.
  
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• Bryant calls Trump 'Grayling with a hairpiece' in Commons EU jibe

  05-05-2016 14:42
  
  Donald Trump was described as Chris Grayling "with a hairpiece" as Labour and Tory frontbenchers traded insults over the EU referendum and "gutter" politics.
  
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• Brexit 'would make UK less attractive to Japanese investors': Shinzo Abe

  05-05-2016 14:23
  
  Brexit would make the UK "less attractive" to Japanese investors, the country's premier Shinzo Abe has warned in Downing Street.
  
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• Labour set to recapture London after bitter mayoral campaign

  05-05-2016 13:57
  By Elizabeth Piper and Nadeem Shad LONDON (Reuters) - Labour candidate Sadiq Khan was set on Thursday to become the first Muslim to be elected mayor of London, loosening the ruling Conservatives' hold on Britain's financial centre after a campaign marred by charges of anti-Semitism and extremism. Opinion polls suggested the main opposition party would lose seats in some traditional strongholds, testing the authority of its new left-wing leader, Jeremy Corbyn.
  
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• Junior Doctors Talks Move A Step Closer

  05-05-2016 13:56
  
  Talks to resolve the junior doctors dispute have taken a step closer after the Government agreed to pause work on the controversial new contracts. In return, junior doctors are being asked to stop planning further strike action for the same length of time - but have yet to agree to do so. The British Medical Association has to tell the Department of Health by Monday if it is willing to reach this compromise to move the talks forward.
  
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