General news

• Jose Mourinho Signs As Man Utd Manager

  26-05-2016 21:06
  
  Jose Mourinho has signed a contract to become the new Manchester United manager, according to Sky sources. Sky Sports News HQ reporter Andy Burton, who is outside Mourinho's house, said the Portuguese returned earlier from a central London hotel where the deal was signed. The Portuguese becomes United's third manager in as many years following Louis Van Gaal and David Moyes.
  
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• Is Mourinho Deal A Crash Waiting To Happen?

  26-05-2016 21:02
  
  Either way, Manchester United have strapped themselves in for what will doubtless be a thrilling ride , complete with highs, lows and stomach-churning moments. Perceived wisdom, reflected inside Old Trafford and the United power base near Green Park in Central London, has been that Mourinho might not be their sort of chap. When Sir Alex Ferguson pointed them in the direction of David Moyes to grasp the torch he had carried so successfully for 27 years, it was in the hope of a dynasty being smoot
  
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• Readers recommend: share songs with extraordinary vocals

  26-05-2016 21:00
  
  Our reader suggests Janis Joplin or Freddie Mercury as jumping off points: make your suggestion in the comments and they’ll pick a playlist next week
  This week we want your musical recommendations with unusual or extraordinary vocals. Maybe the voice is extraordinary or distinctive to begin with, or a particular vocal performance is out-of-this-world? Either way, and however you interpret what the word ‘extraordinary’ constitutes – pick your tune and make your suggestions
  
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• Young Girls Paralysed After Driver's Car Chase

  26-05-2016 20:47
  
  Five-year-old Katrina Raiba and eight-year-old Karlina were travelling in their father's Vauxhall Signum when they suffered life-changing injuries in the smash. Video from the dashboard camera of the victims' car showed Andrew Nay's Land Rover Discovery veer towards them on the A509 near Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, last October. Nay, of Corby, Northamptonshire, who has worked for Land Rover as a lead off-road driving instructor, was seen laughing and smiling with his passenger before the c
  
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• Speedboat Capsizes Killing British Tourist

  26-05-2016 20:41
  
  A British woman has died after a speedboat capsized off the Thai island of Koh Samui, the Foreign Office said. Another British woman was among the 21 people reportedly injured when the boat, carrying 32 passengers and four crew flipped over as it returned from a day trip to Mu Ko Ang Thong marine park. A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: "We are supporting the family of a British woman who has sadly died following a boat accident near Koh Samui, Thailand.
  
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• 'Skinhead' Brexit vote poster criticised for playing on race

  26-05-2016 19:41
  By William James LONDON (Reuters) - A poster designed to encourage ethnic minorities to vote in next month's European Union membership referendum sparked fierce criticism on Thursday as figures on both sides of the EU debate objected to the depiction of an aggressive white man berating a elderly Asian woman. The striking tableau is the latest attempt to engage voters in the debate over Britain's future ahead of the June 23 referendum, in which public opinion is evenly split and many remain undec
  
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• MPs reject Mike Ashley's demands over parliamentary summons

  26-05-2016 19:35
  By Paul Sandle and James Davey LONDON (Reuters) - MPs have rejected an invitation to visit Sports Direct's headquarters, which the retailer's billionaire founder Mike Ashley had set as a pre-condition for him to appear in parliament to answer questions about workers' treatment. The lower house of parliament's Business, Innovation and Skills Committee said it would not accept Ashley placing conditions on his attendance. Ashley had been summoned to appear before the committee on June 7, a request
  
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• Why is France being racked by strikes and protests over its labour bill? – video

  26-05-2016 19:12
  
  French unions are protesting against President Hollande’s proposed reforms to labour protection laws. As tens of thousands take to the streets across the country, there are fuel shortages and proposals to expand strikes to the rail network and nuclear industry. France is set to host the Euro 2016 finals in June, and neither strikers nor the government seem inclined to back down Continue reading...
  
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• Riders Rescued From Paulton's Park Rollercoaster

  26-05-2016 18:44
  
  Fourteen people have been rescued from high above Paulton's Park in Hampshire after the brand new rollercoaster they were riding broke down. The visitors were on the sit-down Velociraptor ride at Paultons Park in Hampshire when it stopped around 45ft (14 metres) in the air. Rob Griffiths, head of marketing and communications at Paultons Park, said: "We can confirm that after 11am this morning we had to carry out a well-practised manual evacuation of the Velociraptor ride.
  
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• Australian family facing deportation highlights UK immigration headache

  26-05-2016 18:28
  By Elisabeth O'Leary EDINBURGH (Reuters) - An Australian family who came to Scotland four years ago during a drive to attract people to live in rural areas, is now battling deportation under British immigration rules which changed after they arrived. Kathryn and Gregg Brain and their seven-year-old son Lachlan, who has learnt Scotland's ancient Gaelic language at school, arrived in 2011 as part of a plan backed by the British government to help prop up an ageing and shrinking population in the H
  
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• Javid: Pensions Changes Will Only Apply To Tata

  26-05-2016 18:00
  
  Any changes to Tata Steel's pension scheme will only apply to the company and will not pave the way for others to follow, the Government has said. The Business Secretary Sajid Javid said he was "wary of setting a precedent" as efforts continue to find a buyer for the firm's UK operations. He added that no decision has been made, but he hopes the pensions issue can be resolved "as quickly as possible" because that would help the sale of Tata's assets.
  
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• Turning 90, Winnie-the-Pooh meets queen in new story

  26-05-2016 17:40
  Winnie-the-Pooh turns 90 this year and the much-loved children's character returns for a new adventure in which he meets someone else celebrating the same significant birthday -- Britain's Queen Elizabeth. "Winnie-the-Pooh and the Royal Birthday" sees the popular bear from A.A. Milne's children's stories travel to London with friends Christopher Robin, Piglet and Eeyore, where they take in the famous sites and arrive at Buckingham Palace. Elizabeth turned 90 last month while Milne's first Winnie
  
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• Junior Doctors Plotted To Drag Out Spat: Leak

  26-05-2016 17:35
  
  Junior doctors plotted to drag out the dispute over weekend pay and tie the Department of Health "in knots" for up to 18 months, leaked messages reveal. The WhatsApp messages reveal the tactics employed by medics during the protracted dispute with the Government, which led to hundreds of thousands of cancelled operations and appointments. They also suggest that despite the junior doctors' insistence they were only worried about patients' safety, they were actually almost wholly concerned with cu
  
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• Couple who eloped 50 years ago set to celebrate their Golden Wedding anniversary

  26-05-2016 17:29 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  WHEN teenage lovers Noel Hicks and Jean Beales eloped, their friends and family said the marriage would not last more than six months.
  
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• What impact do shocking and dramatic photos have on you?

  26-05-2016 17:21
  
  On the frontpage of many papers today is a picture of a boat carrying migrants capsizing in the Mediterranean sea. How do such photos affect you?It’s likely that today you were confronted with the arresting image of a boat, which carries migrants, capsizing in the Mediterranean. It tipped over “due to overcrowding and instability caused by the high number of people on board”, the Italian navy said in a statement. Those on board clung desperately to the deck or dropped into the
  
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• Eurotunnel boss sees no Brexit impact, was joking about duty free boost

  26-05-2016 16:57
  By Dominique Vidalon and Pascale Denis PARIS (Reuters) - The boss of Eurotunnel said on Thursday that Britain leaving the European Union would have little impact on the under-the-English-Channel business, dismissing as a joke his prediction last year about getting a boost from new duty-free shopping. Chief Executive Jacques Gounon also told Reuters in an interview that he was expecting higher second-quarter sales for Eurotunnel - which runs under the water between England and France - because of
  
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• Riders stuck 45FT in the air after new rollercoaster breaks down

  26-05-2016 16:31 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  PASSENGERS were stranded 45ft up in the air after a brand new rollercoaster broke down.
  
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• Far more donations to 'Out' than 'In' ahead of UK's EU referendum

  26-05-2016 16:24
  By Estelle Shirbon LONDON (Reuters) - Groups campaigning for Britain to leave the European Union have pulled ahead of those urging Britons to remain in the bloc in the race to raise funds, the Electoral Commission said on Thursday. Britons will vote on June 23 on whether to remain in the 28-member EU, the world's largest trading bloc, a choice with far-reaching consequences for politics, the economy, defence and diplomacy in Britain and far beyond. Opinion polls have given conflicting steers on
  
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• Terrifying 999 Calls During Bank Robberies

  26-05-2016 16:17
  
  The six men, who stole up to £1.5m over six years in targeted robberies around Merseyside and Cheshire, manhandled, threatened and injured victims as they made off with cash from banks and post offices. Employees said the robberies were "absolutely petrifying" in personal statements read out during the gang's sentence hearing at Liverpool Crown Court. One victim, who worked at a Liverpool branch of Halifax, said she feared for her and her colleagues' lives during the robbery, and needed co
  
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• Struggling to get your work done? Just STAND UP at your desk

  26-05-2016 16:17 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  STANDING up boosts your productivity by almost a half, research out today has revealed.
  
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• So much for integration! Cameron slashes funding for migrants' English lessons

  26-05-2016 16:07 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  THE Government has been blasted after cutting funding for migrant English classes by 55 per cent since 2009 - despite constantly calling for new visitors to learn the language.
  
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• ‘Stoned’ sheep went on ‘psychotic rampage’ after eating remains of cannabis factory

  26-05-2016 15:40 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  A FLOCK of sheep went on a “psychotic rampage” on a small town in Wales after eating cannabis plants that were dumped from an illegal factory.
  
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• Female Army veteran used electric shock collar to punish defenceless toddler

  26-05-2016 15:16 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  A WOMAN who inflicted electric shocks on a toddler using an animal-training collar during a catalogue of cruelty is facing jail.
  
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• London-bound Turkish Airlines flight diverted as mobile phone sparks terror fears

  26-05-2016 15:12 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  A PASSENGER plane on its way to London from Istanbul was diverted and made an emergency landing amid fears an unclaimed mobile phone posed a terror threat.
  
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• Britain plans steel pensions overhaul to ease sale of Tata assets

  26-05-2016 14:18
  By Andy Bruce LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's government said on Thursday it had started discussions on overhauling the deficit-laden British Steel Pension Scheme, a major stumbling block for potential buyers of Tata Steel's UK assets. With serious offers now on the table for Tata Steel UK, Britain's government is racing against time to find a way to put the company's British pension fund on a sound footing to help facilitate a sale. The consultation is looking at separating the pension scheme from
  
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• Serial Killer Loses Human Rights Court Battle

  26-05-2016 13:19
  
  Serial killer Joanna Dennehy has lost her bid for damages for human rights violations after being put in solitary confinement in prison. The High Court rejected her claim which was brought after she was placed in isolation at HMP Bronzefield near Ashford in Surrey, after prison guards apparently found a plot to escape in her diary. Her barrister, Hugh Southey QC, argued at a hearing in March that her incarceration had taken a heavy toll.
  
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• More donations to 'Out' than to 'In' ahead of UK's EU referendum

  26-05-2016 13:13
  Groups campaigning for Britain to vote to leave the European Union in a June 23 referendum far outperformed those campaigning for an "In" vote in terms of donations in recent weeks, new figures from the Electoral Commission showed on Thursday.
  
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• EU Net Migration Highest On Record

  26-05-2016 13:03
  
  EU net migration has hit a record high at 184,000, the last immigration figures to be released before the referendum show. It is an increase of 10,000 on the previous year, according to the Office for National Statistics, and will be seized upon by Brexit campaigners for whom immigration is a key issue. The rise has been driven by a 17,000 increase in the number of people coming to the UK from Romania and Bulgaria in the last year, taking the total from those countries to 52,000.
  
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• Boris Hits Back At Juncker On EU Reality Jibe

  26-05-2016 13:02
  
  Boris Johnson has hit back at Jean-Claude Juncker after the European Commission president accused him of needing a reality check on his EU facts. The former London mayor dismissed Mr Juncker's jibe saying that what he was telling British people during the EU referendum campaign was "in line with reality". Mr Johnson's attacks on the EU have included him comparing its ambitions for European unity to those of Hitler.
  
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• Readers recommend playlist: songs about ships and boats

  26-05-2016 13:00
  
  Reader Scott Blair picks from your nautical suggestions this week, with Queen, Lulu, Seth Lakeman and – naturally – Bryan Ferry all setting sail
  Below is this week’s playlist – the theme interpreted and tunes picked by a reader from the comments on last week’s callout. Thanks for your suggestions. Read more about the weekly format of the Readers recommend series at the end of the piece.I feel almost over-qualified to be choosing the playlist for the current topic, g
  
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• VIDEO: 'We didn't need to change Top Gear'

  26-05-2016 11:52
  
  Chris Evans says he is finally getting excited about his new job on Top Gear, ahead of the revamped show's first airing this weekend.
  
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• UK business investment falls ahead of EU referendum

  26-05-2016 11:51
  By Ana Nicolaci da Costa and William Schomberg LONDON (Reuters) - Business investment in Britain fell in early 2016, a sign that uncertainty caused by the country's impending referendum on European Union membership is weighing on companies. Growth in the economy slowed to 0.4 percent in the January-March period, the Office for National Statistics confirmed on Thursday, and many economists said it might lose further momentum in the second quarter. Business investment fell in annual terms for the
  
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• As EU vote looms, migration to Britain nears record high

  26-05-2016 11:51
  By Costas Pitas LONDON (Reuters) - Net migration to Britain reached its second highest level on record in 2015, according to the final set of official data to be released before an EU referendum in which the number of new arrivals from Europe has driven much opposition to the bloc. Net migration, the difference between the number of people entering and leaving Britain, hit 333,000 in 2015, the second-highest level for a 12-month period since records began in 1975, the Office for National Statist
  
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• Will Cristiano Ronaldo break his own scoring record against Atlético Madrid?

  26-05-2016 11:49
  
  Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 16 goals in the Champions League this season – as many as Atlético Madrid – but Saturday’s opponents have Europe’s best defenceBy Ben McAleer for WhoScored?, part of the Guardian Sport NetworkReal Madrid secured La Décima in 2014 after chasing their 10th European Cup for 12 years. Sergio Ramos’ header deep into second-half injury time cancelled out Diego Godin’s opener to set Real Madrid on their way against Atl&eacut
  
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• Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga on Loving, interracial marriage and gay rights – video interview

  26-05-2016 11:23
  
  At the Cannes film festival, Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga, the stars of Jeff Nichols’s Loving, a biopic of Richard and Mildred Loving, a white man and a black woman who were arrested in Virginia in 1958 for marrying, talk to Nigel M Smith. They tell how their case echoes through to the legilisation of gay marriage in modern America. Nichols explains why he wasn’t keen on making the couple’s story a traditional court room drama Continue reading...
  
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• Britain proposes fee cap on cashing in pension pots

  26-05-2016 11:15
  By Huw Jones LONDON (Reuters) - Charges on Britons cashing in their pension early will be capped at 1 percent of the pot's value from March 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority proposed on Thursday. The FCA also said that insurers will not be able to apply any early exit charge for personal pension contracts entered into after the proposed new rules come into force. "This is an important step so people feel able to access their pension savings should they wish to," FCA Director of Strategy and
  
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• UK Special Forces 'Blow Up IS Suicide Truck'

  26-05-2016 11:07
  
  British special forces have been praised for saving lives after reportedly blowing up an Islamic State (IS) "suicide truck" in Libya earlier this month. UK forces fired a missile at a truck, doubling up as a bomb, as it approached a bridge towards the city of Misrata, destroying the vehicle, a Libyan military commander has been quoted as saying. Commander Durat of Misrata's Third Force militia told The Times the incident happened on 12 May, with UK forces taking decisive action.
  
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• Britain to consult on steel pensions in drive to find buyer for Tata Steel UK

  26-05-2016 11:01
  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's government said on Thursday it had launched a consultation to overhaul the deficit-laden British Steel Pension Scheme, a major stumbling block for potential buyers of Tata Steel's UK assets. "The consultation includes a full range of options that consider whether and how the scheme could be separated from the existing sponsoring employer and whether it will be necessary to reduce the benefits within the scheme," pensions minister Stephen Crabb said in a written state
  
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• Complaints Over Payday Loans Triple In A Year

  26-05-2016 09:45
  
  New figures from the Financial Ombudsman reveal that disputes over payday loans increased by 178% in the year to March despite the fact that new controls and caps have been introduced in an attempt to regulate the system. Rules introduced in January 2015 mean that interest rates on payday loads are capped at 0.8% per day, and the Financial Conduct Authority also ordered that stricter affordability checks be carried out before loans are agreed. The statistics, which are released on an annual basi
  
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• Fear, money and racism: what’s our problem with diversity on screen? – video

  26-05-2016 08:56
  
  The lack of diversity in film and television dominated the debate during awards season. But away from the Oscars, the UK picture is also bleak: the film Bafta acting nominees have been almost exclusively white for two years running. Leah Green looks beyond the headlines to see why diversity remains such a problem in the UK film and TV industries Continue reading...
  
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• 'Clear Signs' Missed Stopping Youth Suicide

  26-05-2016 07:45
  
  "Clear warning signs" are being missed to prevent most suicides among young people, a charity has warned, as research shows more than half of under-20s who killed themselves in recent years had previously self-harmed. The University of Manchester says more than 25% of the 130 young people in England who died by suicide between January 2014 and April 2015 had expressed suicidal ideas in the week before their death.
  
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• UK seaside attractions: readers’ travel tips

  26-05-2016 07:30
  
  There’s a lot more to the Great British Seaside than buckets and spades and fish and chips. There are lawnmower and magic museums for a start, say our readers
  Post a tip for next week’s competition and you could win a £200 hotel voucherMuch like hundreds of other seaside towns, Southport has a pier, ice-creams, a funfair ... but what other towns don’t have is the British Lawnmower Museum. Accessed via a gardening store, for just £2 admission you can enjoy a cracklin
  
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• 'We were told nothing about it' Parents stunned as bus full of REFUGEES arrives at school

  26-05-2016 07:07 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  PARENTS were left stunned when a bus jam-packed with Syrian refugees arrived unannounced at their children’s school.
  
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• Winnie-The-Pooh's Chance Meeting With The Queen

  26-05-2016 04:35
  
  Winnie-the-Pooh has met the Queen for the first time - after the pair bumped into each other outside Buckingham Palace. Winnie-The-Pooh And The Royal Birthday sees Pooh travel to Buckingham Palace with Christopher Robin, Piglet and Eeyore to deliver a special present to the 90-year-old monarch. The Queen is pictured in the book listening to Pooh as he recites her a birthday "hum" after a chance encounter when he spots her going for a stroll outside the Palace.
  
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• 'Clear Signs' Missed Stopping Suicide In Young

  26-05-2016 03:40
  
  "Clear warning signs" are being missed to prevent most suicides among young people, a charity has warned, as research shows more than half of under 20s who killed themselves in recent years had previously self-harmed. The University of Manchester says more than 25% of the 130 young people in England who died by suicide between January 2014 and April 2015 had expressed suicidal ideas in the week before their death.
  
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• Alan Sugar: Brexit Would Be A 'Disaster' For UK

  26-05-2016 01:09
  
  The Government's new enterprise tsar Alan Sugar has told Sky News that leaving the European Union would lead to a "disaster" for the UK. The Apprentice TV star said: "We have to stay in. He said the UK sells to 500 million consumers in Europe and the goods "flow freely".
  
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• Memory lane: Care home transformed into vintage train carriage for dementia patients

  26-05-2016 01:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  A CARE home is taking dementia patients on a trip back in time with a room in their building transformed into a vintage train carriage.
  
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• Boy, 16, admits trying to rob a shopkeeper with a bottle of SOY SAUCE

  26-05-2016 01:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  A TEENAGER has admitted trying to rob a shopkeeper with a bottle of soy sauce.
  
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