General news

• Eddie Izzard urges voters to keep faith with EU in university debate

  24-05-2016 21:49
  
  Eddie Izzard has admitted he thinks the European Union is difficult and too bureaucratic but urged young people to vote to stay in and "make it work".
  
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• Alesha Dixon Pulls Out Of Brexit Concert

  24-05-2016 21:02
  
  Alesha Dixon and boyband 5ive have pulled out of a Brexit concert after realising it was "more of a political rally". Dixon, a singer and Britain's Got Talent Judge, as well as 5ive members Ritchie Neville and Scott Robinson had been among headline acts at the event endorsed by Leave.EU. They were due to appear with East 17, Sister Sledge, Gwen Dickey from Rose Royce, and "top Leave campaigners for the final rally of the referendum rally" which included UKIP leader Nigel Farage, Liam Fox and Kat
  
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• Model accused of murdering millionaire breaks down as court shown body photos

  24-05-2016 20:28
  
  A jury has heard how a Slovakian model accused of murdering a British millionaire at his luxury home in Spain went on the run across Europe before handing herself in to police.
  
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• Murder Inquiry After Woman Found Dead At House

  24-05-2016 20:05
  
  A murder investigation is under way after a woman was found dead at a house in Luton. The woman, thought to be a mother of four young children, was pronounced dead at the scene after police and ambulance crews arrived in Overstone Road at about 11.30pm on Monday.
  
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• Frenchman Capable of Murder, Says Ex-Wife

  24-05-2016 20:00
  
  Sylvie Escaffre, 53, who used to be married to 54 year-old Jean-Louis Cayrou told a court he became a violent, abusive husband. Cayrou denies murdering Patricia Wilson who vanished from her home in the village of Vabre-Tizac, near Toulouse, in August 2012. Mrs Escaffre was married to Cayrou between 1988 and 2000, and had two sons with him.
  
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• 'Disgraced' Children's Unit To Be Run By Trust

  24-05-2016 19:25
  
  A children's services department in Birmingham labelled a "national disgrace" by Ofsted is to be taken over and run by a voluntary trust, following years of criticism. Birmingham City Council says the trust will run the department under a "new model" which will put social workers at its centre. In 2014 the Government appointed Lord Norman Warner to drive a three-year improvement plan at the unit after years of failings, and the authority said "expected progress has been made".
  
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• Serious Fraud Office re-examines funding model

  24-05-2016 19:23
  By Kirstin Ridley LONDON (Reuters) - The Serious Fraud Office (SFO), Britain's leading fraud and corruption investigator and prosecutor, said on Tuesday it was re-examining a funding model that has been criticised for risking weakening investigations and delaying cases. The CPSI said such a model, which allows the SFO to shore up its staffing levels with external experts for big cases, could damage investigations, did not provide value for money and prevented the agency from building future expe
  
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• Jury shown crime scene images in trial of gardener accused of Briton's murder

  24-05-2016 19:22
  
  Trails of blood which led through the rural French house where British expat Patricia Wilson was killed have been shown to the jury, as her gardener and lover stands trial accused of murder.
  
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• Theresa May criticises lack of diversity in fire and rescue crews

  24-05-2016 19:00
  
  Theresa May has attacked a lack of diversity in fire and rescue teams as she set out plans to reform the service.
  
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• Cameron's ex-policy chief Steve Hilton 'excited' by Jeremy Corbyn election

  24-05-2016 18:57
  
  David Cameron's former policy guru said he was "excited" by the election of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader on the back of a grassroots push against conventional politics.
  
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• Alesha Dixon and Five pull out of Brexit gig but East 17 may stay another day

  24-05-2016 18:57
  
  Alesha Dixon has joined boyband Five in pulling out of a Brexit gig after discovering it is a political rally.
  
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• Bank of England's Carney, under fresh fire, defends Brexit message

  24-05-2016 18:32
  By David Milliken and Huw Jones LONDON (Reuters) - Bank of England Governor Mark Carney on Tuesday defended the central bank's decision to flag the risks of leaving the European Union, coming under renewed attack from a lawmaker who has been highly critical of his role in the Brexit debate. Carney said the Bank might have to make a big reassessment of its stance on interest rates if Britain votes to leave the EU in the referendum on June 23 - widely known as Brexit - and that was something it fe
  
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• Scots' social rights at risk in EU vote, Edinburgh minister says

  24-05-2016 18:28
  By Alastair Macdonald BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Scots must vote to keep Britain in the European Union or risk social rights protected by the EU being eroded under the "tender mercies" of post-Brexit London governments, a Scottish minister said on Tuesday. Visiting Brussels after last week being named Europe minister in the devolved Scottish government, Alasdair Allan told Reuters a British vote next month to leave the EU could jeopardise trade and labour rights cherished by Scots and would lead to ne
  
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• Football Hooligans Warned To Hand In Passports

  24-05-2016 18:24
  
  Almost 2,000 known troublemakers will be prevented from travelling to France in the coming weeks, as UK and French authorities attempt to reduce the risk of violence at Euro 2016. Dozens of British police will travel to the various host cities to help act as liaison officers and intelligence gatherers. The French authorities have serious concerns, not just about the potential of fan-related violence, but also about the risk to the tournament from terrorism.
  
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• Pink Panther's Cato Actor Burt Kwouk Dies

  24-05-2016 18:20
  
  Burt Kwouk, best known for playing Inspector Clouseau's manservant Cato Fong in the Pink Panther films, has died aged 85. A statement said: "Beloved actor Burt Kwouk has sadly passed peacefully away 24th May. He started acting after attending college in the US and in 1964 he was cast as the servant Kato, the spelling of which was later changed to Cato, in the second Inspector Clouseau comedy, A Shot In The Dark.
  
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• Experts Urge Surgery To Cure Type-2 Diabetes

  24-05-2016 18:11
  
  Up to 100,000 people in the UK should be offered weight-loss surgery in the hope of curing their diabetes, world experts have said. A leading group of international diabetes organisations, including Diabetes UK, says the evidence is now so strong that obesity surgery can also reverse type-2 diabetes that it should be considered a standard treatment option. So far 11 scientific trials have shown that surgery to reduce the size of a patient’s stomach can reduce blood sugar levels below the t
  
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• Too Dangerous To Search For Didcot Victims

  24-05-2016 17:43
  
  The operation to recover the bodies of the three men who died in the Didcot power station collapse has been halted. Ken Cresswell, 57, and John Shaw, 61, both from Rotherham, and 34-year-old Chris Huxtable from Swansea, have been missing since an iron and steel structure came down at the south Oxfordshire site in February. The company in charge of the site, RWE Power, says it is too dangerous to continue efforts to find them.
  
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• Europeans: what do you like about living and working in the UK?

  24-05-2016 17:38
  
  If you’re a European in the UK we’d like to hear what you do for a living and why you enjoy living in the UK
  Ahead of the EU referendum economists have been scrutinising how jobs will be affected if the UK was to leave Europe, and what Brexit might mean for employment rights. Related: Work after Brexit: the biggest winners and losers for UK jobsContinue reading...
  
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• Prince Charles has private meetings with Northern Ireland political leaders

  24-05-2016 17:03
  
  The Prince of Wales has met Northern Ireland's political leaders on the second day of his visit to the region.
  
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• Donald Trump and Boris Johnson pictured in passionate artwork embrace

  24-05-2016 17:03
  Donald Trump and Boris Johnson have been pictured in a passionate embrace in a 15ft-high artwork painted on to a building in Bristol.
  
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• Big match for Jamie Vardy but honeymoon must wait for Euro 2016-bound striker

  24-05-2016 16:56
  
  Leicester City star Jamie Vardy is set to marry his fiancee Rebekah Nicholson in a lavish ceremony on Wednesday.
  
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• Weight-loss surgery 'cost-effective option' in fight against Type 2 diabetes

  24-05-2016 16:55
  
  Up to 100,000 people in the UK should be given weight-loss surgery in the hope of achieving remission from Type 2 diabetes, world experts have said.
  
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• 5ive Pull Out Of 'Political' Brexit Concert

  24-05-2016 16:51
  
  The boyband 5ive have pulled out of a Brexit concert where they would have headlined alongside Nigel Farage after realising it was a political rally. Two of the boyband members - Ritchie Neville and Scott Robinson - had been among headline acts at the event which was endorsed by Leave.EU. They were due to appear with East 17, Alesha Dixon, Sister Sledge, Gwen Dickey from Rose Royce, and "top Leave campaigners for the final rally of the referendum rally" which included Mr Farage, Liam Fox and Kat
  
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• Google search: Paris office raided in 'tax fraud and money laundering' probe

  24-05-2016 16:40
  
  Google's Paris office has been raided by French police as part of an investigation into tax fraud and money laundering.
  
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• Mother Sobs In Court Over Girl's Death

  24-05-2016 16:39
  
  Jennie Gray sobbed in court as she told jurors she had not made the call for six-year-old Ellie Butler sooner because she believed "she was gone already". The 36-year-old graphic designer then admitted she misled investigators out of fear that her partner Ben Butler - Ellie's Dad - would be blamed for harming her, as he had been before. Gray told the court she had returned to their home in south London and "saw Ben on the floor shaking and I was frightened".
  
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• Have you lost friends as you've got older? | Sarah Marsh

  24-05-2016 16:34
  
  A study suggests that after the age of 25 we don’t have as many friends. Tell us if this seems accurate based on your own experiences
  There is no doubt that friendships change over time, but is there also a point when they start to fade?This is something scientists have looked at in a study that shows both men and women continue to make lots of friends until the age of 25. After this, it’s claimed that friendships begin to fall away rapidly, with the decline continuing for the rest o
  
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• Pink Panther actor Burt Kwouk dies aged 85

  24-05-2016 16:32
  
  Burt Kwouk, best known for playing Cato Fong in the Pink Panther films, has died aged 85.
  
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• Gardener was capable of Briton's murder, ex-wife tells French trial

  24-05-2016 16:16
  
  The ex-wife of a gardener accused of killing his British lover in rural France has told a court she believes he was capable of committing the crime, prompting sobs from relatives of the defendant.
  
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• Twitter gives users more leeway with their 140 characters

  24-05-2016 16:05
  
  Twitter users will be given extra room to rant, rave and reach out after bosses announced changes to its signature 140-character limit amid efforts to compete with its rivals.
  
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• Safety zone halts work to recover bodies from Didcot power station collapse

  24-05-2016 15:55
  
  Work to recover the bodies of three men killed in the Didcot power station collapse has been halted because contractors have reached a 50-metre exclusion zone.
  
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• Police expect quarter of a million ticketless UK football fans at Euro 2016

  24-05-2016 15:55
  
  Up to 500,000 British football fans, around half of whom do not have tickets, are expected to travel to France for Euro 2016, police have said.
  
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• 'Walkable neighbourhoods' could help tackle obesity, study finds

  24-05-2016 15:45
  
  Town planners could help reduce obesity by designing living environments that encourage walking, research suggests.
  
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• UK voters evenly split ahead of EU referendum - ICM online poll

  24-05-2016 15:33
  British voters are evenly split on whether Britain should remain in or leave the European Union ahead of a June 23 referendum to settle the question, an ICM poll showed on Tuesday. A total of 45 percent of those asked said they would vote to stay in the world's largest trading bloc, with the same proportion of respondents saying they would back a British exit. Last week, ICM's online poll showed 47 percent of people favoured a British exit with 43 percent in favour of remaining, but due to chang
  
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• Ellie Butler's mother admits lying about her death 'to protect an innocent man'

  24-05-2016 15:01
  
  The mother of tragic Ellie Butler has admitted lying about the death of her daughter "to protect an innocent man".
  
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• Sleepwalkers' stories: 'I could have died and no one would have known' | Guardian readers and Sarah Marsh

  24-05-2016 14:28
  
  One in 50 adults are believed to suffer from episodes of sleepwalking. Here, five people tell us about their experiencesPolice covered up a naked sleepwalker in Manchester this weekend after finding them wandering the streets.The person in question is said to have seen the funny side of their nocturnal adventures, asking for a selfie from the officers who found them. Continue reading...
  
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• Brewery kit for beer-making dating back 5,000 years found in China

  24-05-2016 14:09
  
  A brewery kit for beer-making dating back 5,000 years has been discovered among artefacts from an archaeological site in northern China.
  
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• Man Denies Attempted Murder At Tube Station

  24-05-2016 13:58
  
  A man has admitted trying to stab four people at a Tube station in east London, but has denied trying to murder a man in the same attack. Muhaydin Mire appeared at the Old Bailey in the capital on Tuesday via videolink from prison. He denied one count of attempted murder, but admitted four counts of attempted wounding at Leytonstone Tube station on 5 December last year.
  
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• Tony Blair in admission over Iraq as he calls for 'proper ground war' against IS

  24-05-2016 13:52
  
  Tony Blair admitted the West "underestimated" the problems in Iraq after the toppling of Saddam Hussein as he called for British ground troops to return to the region to take on Islamic State (IS).
  
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• HMS Queen Elizabeth captain hails 'special moment' as he takes command of ship

  24-05-2016 13:52
  
  The first commanding officer of HMS Queen Elizabeth has hailed "a truly seminal moment for Scotland" as he took command of what he expects to be the last major aircraft carrier built in the United Kingdom.
  
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• Ellie Butler's mother sobs as she admits delaying calling 999

  24-05-2016 13:52
  
  The mother of tragic Ellie Butler sobbed as she admitted delaying calling 999 for her daughter, as "she was gone already".
  
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• Children's services at Birmingham City Council to be run by voluntary trust

  24-05-2016 13:52
  
  Children's services at one of the country's biggest councils is to be run by a voluntary trust following years of criticism.
  
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• Britain investigating reports its cluster bombs used in Yemen

  24-05-2016 13:44
  Britain is urgently investigating reports that cluster munitions made in the country had been used by a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, foreign minister Philip Hammond told parliament on Tuesday. A report published by Amnesty International on Monday said it had documented the use of cluster bombs in Yemen that had been manufactured in Britain in the 1970s. "The MoD (Ministry of Defence) is now urgently investigating the allegations that have been made," Hammond told parliament.
  
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• Bank of England policymakers appear before parliament

  24-05-2016 13:39
  Bank of England Governor Mark Carney and Monetary Policy Committee members Ben Broadbent, Gertjan Vlieghe and Martin Weale are appearing in front of parliament's Treasury Select Committee to answer questions. The focus of the questions was on issues related to Britain's June 23 referendum on whether to remain in the European Union, and what the Bank of England has said or will say about that. MARK CARNEY WHAT THE BANK MIGHT SAY BEFORE EU REFERENDUM: "We in my judgment have highlighted the key ec
  
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• Businessman Found Dead With 'Gun In Left Hand'

  24-05-2016 13:38
  
  Giving evidence in the trial of Slovakian model Mayka Kukucova, who is charged with murdering Andrew Bush, the officer said he found the victim at his luxury Marbella home "on the floor, near the front door". Appearing in court for the second day, the 26-year-old said she did not realise Mr Bush was dead when she fled to Madrid to meet her boyfriend before the pair took a bus to Slovakia, because she was "terrified" for herself and her family. Once there she handed herself in to police and after
  
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• UK banks ditching fintech, foreign customers to cut costs

  24-05-2016 13:34
  By Huw Jones LONDON (Reuters) - Banks are ditching customers such as financial technology firms and foreign nationals to cut the cost of complying with tougher capital and anti-money laundering rules, an independent study for Britain's markets watchdog said on Tuesday. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which commissioned the 73-page study of how banks were lowering their risk, warned lenders on Tuesday they could fall foul of competition law if they refuse new business or close accounts wit
  
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• Workers Vote For Strike Over Night Tube Row

  24-05-2016 13:27
  
  London Underground maintenance and engineering workers have voted to go on strike in a row linked to the new night Tube, the RMT union said. It comes a day after it was announced by new mayor Sadiq Khan that London's all-night Tube service would launch on two Underground lines on 19 August. The strike ballot result is the first faced by the new mayor since he took over from Boris Johnson earlier this month.
  
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• PM Says Tories Can Come Together After EU Row

  24-05-2016 13:24
  
  David Cameron has admitted to Tory in-fighting problems but insisted the party could come together again after the EU referendum. The Prime Minister said arguments during the campaign were to be expected but insisted that his ministers and MPs would be able to put their differences aside come 24 June. Mr Cameron and George Osborne suffered a significant Tory backlash over the Treasury report released on Monday claiming Brexit would see up to 820,000 people losing their jobs, trigger a year-
  
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• Model accused of murdering millionaire ex breaks down as court shown body photos

  24-05-2016 13:23
  
  A Slovakian model accused of killing a British millionaire at his luxury home in Spain broke down as images of her former partner's body were shown in court.
  
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• EDF says cannot give timing for UK nuclear investment decision

  24-05-2016 13:03
  By Susanna Twidale LONDON (Reuters) - EDF cannot give a definitive time for when the French utility will make an investment decision regarding the Hinkley C nuclear project in Britain, EDF Energy CEO Vincent de Rivaz told British lawmakers on Tuesday. It is expected to produce seven percent of Britain's electricity when built, but a final investment decision has been delayed as EDF secures partners and financing. De Rivaz told members of parliament's energy and climate change committee some
  
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• Paul Gambaccini to host Radio 2's Pick Of The Pops

  24-05-2016 13:01
  
  Paul Gambaccini is to replace Tony Blackburn as the presenter of BBC Radio 2's Pick Of The Pops.
  
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