General news

• TV Presenter Charlie Webster 'Knows She Nearly Died' In Rio

  18-08-2016 21:44
  
  TV sports presenter Charlie Webster has been able to speak to her family after being taken out of a coma during treatment for a rare strain of malaria in Rio. The 33-year-old former Sky Sports News presenter remains in intensive care, having fallen seriously ill after completing a 3,000-mile charity cycle from London.
  
  Read more

• What is going on with Ryan Lochte and his claims about being robbed in Rio?

  18-08-2016 21:35
  
  It’s a very confusing story. Strap yourself in.
  
  Read more

• Anxious British students receive exam results

  18-08-2016 20:43
  LONDON (Reuters) - Anxious students across Britain received their A-level exam results on Thursday, with early figures showing an increase in the number of applicants securing places in higher education compared with last year. University admissions service UCAS said that by midnight, the number of applicants accepted for a place at UK universities and colleges had risen 3 percent to 424,000. "This is the highest number recorded on A-level results day," UCAS said on its website. (Writing by Mari
  
  Read more

• British Ebola nurse 'concealed temperature' on return from Sierra Leone - media

  18-08-2016 20:24
  A Scottish nurse who contracted then recovered from Ebola is facing disciplinary action over allegations she concealed her temperature on her return from Sierra Leone, according to charges from a nursing watchdog seen by British media. Pauline Cafferkey, 39, contracted Ebola in December 2014 when she was working in a treatment facility in Sierra Leone at the height of the epidemic which swept through West Africa. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) alleged in a case hearing published on thei
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Gossip website Gawker to shut down next week after losing Hulk Hogan sex case

  18-08-2016 19:48
  
  Gawker was ordered to pay £106 million in damages after losing the invasion-of-privacy case.
  
  Read more

• Donald Trump randomly claimed people will call him Mr Brexit and Twitter responded in the best way

  18-08-2016 19:38
  
  Sorry, but we’re still just very confused by what Trump meant when he tweeted: “They will soon be calling me MR. BREXIT!”
  
  Read more

• Antlers that Hunter S Thompson stole from Ernest Hemingway finally returned by bemused wife after 50 years

  18-08-2016 19:35
  
  The elk antlers hung in a garage near Thompson’s home after he nabbed them.
  
  Read more

• Brexit 'fireworks' give comics rich pickings at Edinburgh

  18-08-2016 19:23
  By Elisabeth O'Leary EDINBURGH (Reuters) - For comics at this year's Edinburgh festival, Britain's vote to leave the European Union has been a blessing and a curse. "I would like to thank the political establishment for giving me the opportunity of rewriting this script every ... day," jokes Matt Forde at the start of his show. Like countless other stand-ups in Edinburgh - the annual career-defining showcase for comic talent - Forde had to rewrite his routine after the June 23 Brexit vote left h
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Two Police Investigated Over Dalian Atkinson Taser Death

  18-08-2016 19:08
  Two police officers are under criminal investigation over the death of former Premier League footballer Dalian Atkinson.
  
  Read more

• Team GB's Alistair Brownlee Wins Second Olympic Triathlon Gold

  18-08-2016 19:08
  Great Britain's Alistair Brownlee has become the first person to successfully defend his Olympic triathlon title. On Rio's Copacabana, the pair finished comfortably clear of South Africa's bronze medallist Henri Schoeman. Meanwhile, Great Britain's Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark have won the women's sailing 470 class.
  
  Read more

• Manchester A Better Place To Live Than London, Rankings Say

  18-08-2016 18:28
  Manchester is a better place to live than London, according to an annual ranking of cities around the world.
  
  Read more

• See Pro Green on his sick bed: Rapper finally gets hernia op

  18-08-2016 18:10
  
  The star, real name Stephen Manderson, is prepping for surgery.
  
  Read more

• Alistair Brownlee Wins Second Olympic Triathlon Gold

  18-08-2016 17:47
  Britain's Alistair Brownlee has successfully defended his Olympic triathlon title, while his brother Jonny has claimed the silver.
  
  Read more

• Teen Led Police On 125mph Chase With Two Children In Back Seat

  18-08-2016 17:29
  A video of a teenage driver reaching speeds of 125mph with a baby and a girl in the back of his car has been released by Gloucester Police. Kieran Hayward was filmed by a patrol car speeding through the streets of Gloucester as he desperately tried to evade capture. Hayward, from Gloucester, was sentenced to six months in a young offenders' institution by a judge at Gloucester Crown Court last week.
  
  Read more

• Ebola Nurse Pauline Cafferkey Faces Disciplinary Action

  18-08-2016 17:15
  Ebola nurse Pauline Cafferkey faces disciplinary action over claims she gave dishonest answers to medical staff after returning from Africa. The Scottish medical worker is alleged to have concealed the fact she had a high temperature during screening at Heathrow Airport. The Nursing and Midwifery Council alleges that she "allowed an incorrect temperature to be recorded" on 29 December, 2014.
  
  Read more

• BBC set to push back news broadcast to cover women's hockey final at the Olympics

  18-08-2016 16:52
  
  According to Great Britain Hockey, the BBC is holding back its nightly news broadcast for the women’s hockey final.
  
  Read more

• Funding for the Paralympics has finally been released, but it may be too late for poorer nations

  18-08-2016 16:19
  
  Grants to Paralympic nations are three weeks late.
  
  Read more

• Nando's is giving free chicken to anyone who got their A-level results today

  18-08-2016 15:40
  
  What would we do without Nando’s.
  
  Read more

• Teen 'Who Stole Car With Baby Inside' Refuses To Appear In Court

  18-08-2016 15:07
  A teenager accused of stealing a car with two children inside, including a baby, has refused to appear in court. Martin Cawley, 19, was scheduled to appear at Wood Green Crown Court via video-link. It is alleged that he struck as a 27-year-old woman was parking her Vauxhall Astra in Kempe Road, Enfield, north London, on 2 July.
  
  Read more

• Asda Sales Slump To Record Low At Struggling Supermarket

  18-08-2016 14:50
  Sales at supermarket chain Asda have plunged 7.5% as the company reported its worst ever quarterly performance. It is the eighth consecutive quarterly fall for the struggling supermarket, which is owned by Walmart, and worse than the 5.7% drop for the three months to 30 March. The figures highlight the challenge facing Asda's new CEO Sean Clarke, who took over the role last month, and is tasked with an ambitious strategy to turn the company around with a £
  
  Read more

• Obesity Action Plan: How Strategy Was 'Watered Down'

  18-08-2016 14:11
  
  Charity Action On Sugar has said the Government's obesity plan is "doomed to fail" amid claims that lobbying has led to the strategy being "watered down". In October last year, Public Health England made eight key recommendations to the Department of Health, calling for a ban on sugar products at supermarket tills and an end to junk food advertising aimed at children. It claimed that restrictions on price promotions for high-sugar food and drink could cut consumption by 6%.
  
  Read more

• Cadaver Dogs Brought In To Solve Mystery Of Severed Feet

  18-08-2016 14:07
  It is not thought the severed limbs are linked to any crime and police believe they may have come from a macabre private collection. All the feet were found within a few hundred years of each other in and around Weston Park in Bath, between February and July this year. Avon and Somerset police expect ongoing tests on the other two to come to the same conclusion.
  
  Read more

• Jamie Oliver Says Obesity Plan 'Underwhelming' And 'Disappointing'

  18-08-2016 13:55
  
  TV chef Jamie Oliver has joined health campaigners in criticising the Government for an "unforgivable missed opportunity" to curb childhood obesity. Oliver, who was instrumental in pushing the Government to introduce a sugar tax, said he was "in shock" over details contained in the the obesity action plan and said the strategy was "underwhelming" and "disappointing". Government advisers had recommended bans on junk food advertising and an end to price promotions on unhealthy
  
  Read more

• Graduate Wages Premium Likely To Fall - Report

  18-08-2016 13:54
  New research warns that future graduates are less likely to enjoy significantly higher wages than those without a degree, according to research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). "The fact that the dramatic increase in the number of graduates in the early '90's did not have any discernible negative impact on graduates' wages relative to school-leavers is remarkable," said Wenchao Jin, PhD Scholar at the IFS.
  
  Read more

• Almost half of 2015 graduates have moved back in with their parents

  18-08-2016 13:42
  
  And 52% believe their degree was not worth the fee.
  
  Read more

• The ceiling collapsed on a Southern train

  18-08-2016 13:41
  
  Passengers were left shaken but avoided injury.
  
  Read more

• Haunting footage shows a young boy being rescued after an airstrike in Syria

  18-08-2016 13:12
  
  Activists have released the video showing some of the horrors that happen in Aleppo.
  
  Read more

• Cadaver Dogs Brought In To Try And Solve Mystery Of Severed Feet

  18-08-2016 12:24
  It is not thought the severed limbs are linked to any crime and police believe they may have come from a macabre private collection. All the feet were found within a few hundred years of each other in and around Weston Park in Bath, between February and July this year. Avon and Somerset police expect ongoing tests on the other two to come to the same conclusion.
  
  Read more

• Britain launches soft drinks sugar tax to fight obesity

  18-08-2016 12:24
  By Kate Kelland LONDON (Reuters) - Britain on Thursday said it would tax companies which sell sugary soft drinks and invest that money in health programmes for school children, part of a long-awaited strategy to curb childhood obesity that critics say is too weak. Drinks companies were also angered by the plan which urges industry to cut sugar in products aimed at children, saying nearly a third of those aged 2 to 15 are already overweight or obese. In a statement announcing details of the strat
  
  Read more

• Retailers Boosted As Spending Rises After Brexit Vote

  18-08-2016 12:10
  Shoppers have shrugged off post-Brexit fears as retail sales increased by more than expected in July, according to official figures. Retail sales volumes, including fuel, increased by 1.4% in July compared with June, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, exceeding all forecasts that pointed towards a 0.2% rise. "These are strong numbers showing a pronounced increase in sales compared with last July," said chief economic adviser at the ONS, Joe Grice.
  
  Read more

• Team GB Athlete 'Robbed At Gunpoint' At Rio Olympics

  18-08-2016 11:58
  A Team GB athlete has been robbed as they returned to their accommodation during the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, according to reports. A spokesman for the British Olympic Association confirmed an unnamed British competitor was involved in an incident in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The newspaper reported that Team GB officials sent an email to athletes, warning them not to wear their kit outside the athletes' village and not to take taxis for their own safety.
  
  Read more

• British shoppers defy Brexit shock as spending jumps in July

  18-08-2016 11:22
  By Andy Bruce and William Schomberg LONDON (Reuters) - Shoppers in Britain shrugged off June's shock Brexit vote as retail sales jumped by much more than expected last month, adding to signs there has been little immediate hit for consumers. Data released earlier this week also showed little immediate impact of the Brexit vote on the labour market but there were signs of inflation pressures building after the plunge in sterling, which could eat into the spending power of households going forward
  
  Read more

• Retail Sales Rise As Spending Jumps In July

  18-08-2016 11:05
  Shoppers have shrugged off post-Brexit fears as retail sales increased by more than expected in July, according to official figures. Retail sales volumes, including fuel sales, increased by 1.4% in July compared with June, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, exceeding all forecasts that pointed towards a 0.2% rise. "These are strong numbers showing a pronounced increase in sales compared with last July," said chief economic adviser at the ONS, Joe Grice.
  
  Read more

• Theft Involving Team GB Athlete Confirmed

  18-08-2016 11:03
  A Team GB athlete has become a victim of crime as they returned to their accommodation during the Olympic Games in Rio. A British Olympic Association spokesman said: "We can confirm there has been an incident of theft involving a Team GB athlete returning to their accommodation. The Guardian has reported Team GB officials sent an email to athletes, which said "following a significant security incident overnight," athletes must not wear Team GB kit out of the village, and
  
  Read more

• Don't worry if you didn't get the A-level results you wanted, these celebs prove you can be a success anyway

  18-08-2016 11:02
  
  This lot still made it, and you can too!
  
  Read more

• The Spin: subscribe to our weekly cricket newsletter

  18-08-2016 10:58
  
  Get our weekly email round-up of the latest events and headlines
  Let our team of writers be your guide to the cricketing world, as they analyse the big stories, revisit the week’s matches and other happenings, and look further afield. Sign up below to start receiving The Spin in your inbox. View the latest edition here.Try our other sports emails: there’s daily football news and gossip in The Fiver, a weekly rugby union catch-up in The Breakdown, and our seven-day round-up of the bes
  
  Read more

• A-level Gap Between Cleverest Boys And Girls Narrows

  18-08-2016 10:52
  
  The gap between the very top-performing girls and boys at A-level has narrowed for the first time in five years. The proportion of A* being awarded to students in 2016 also dropped, official figures show. The proportion of students offered the coveted A* and A grades in the UK dropped slightly, from 25.9% in 2015 to 25.8% this year.
  
  Read more

• TV Presenter Charlie Webster In Coma After Contracting Malaria

  18-08-2016 10:50
  
  Television sports presenter Charlie Webster is in a coma at a Rio hospital after contracting a rare strain of malaria. The former Sky Sports News presenter fell seriously ill after completing a 3,000-mile charity cycle from London. Initially doctors thought she was dehydrated following the gruelling six-week Ride to Rio challenge.
  
  Read more

• Ex-BHS Worker: Sir Philip Must Return To UK To Sort Pension Mess

  18-08-2016 10:47
  
  Sir Philip Green has been urged to stop "swanning about" on his yacht, get on a private plane and sort out the BHS crisis. Despite promising MPs two months ago that he would "sort" the pensions blackhole caused by the high street chain collapse, Sir Philip has taken no action, the co-chairman of the BHS Inquiry Committee Iain Wright has told Sky News. Mr Wright said it had been a "frustratingly slow" delay for a "deal-maker" who could "buy and sell companies in a matter of days".
  
  Read more

• A-levels: What To Do If You Don't Get The Grades You Need

  18-08-2016 10:44
  Thousands of students will fall short of the grades they need for their first choice university - so what are the options?
  
  Read more

• UK shoppers defy Brexit shock as spending jumps in July

  18-08-2016 10:33
  Shoppers in Britain shrugged off June's shock Brexit vote as retail sales jumped by much more than expected last month, official data showed on Thursday, Warm weather boosted clothes sales and the pound's plunge tempted overseas buyers to splash out on luxury items such as watches and jewellery. Thursday's figures represent the first official data to shed light on how consumer demand has performed since the unexpected decision by voters to leave the European Union in the June 23 referendum. Data
  
  Read more

• Britain needs new race strategy as report shows 'entrenched' unfairness

  18-08-2016 10:11
  Ethnic minorities face "entrenched and far-reaching" inequality and, combined with a rise in hate crime since Britain voted to leave the European Union, the government must come up with a long-term strategy, an independent report said on Thursday. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), a public body, found that the life chances of young people from ethnic minorities in Britain had deteriorated over the past five years after looking at areas such as education and health. David Isaac, wh
  
  Read more

• Ex-BHS Worker: Sir Philip Must Get Back To UK Over Pension Mess

  18-08-2016 09:42
  Sir Philip Green needs to stop "swanning about" on his yacht, get on a private plane and sort out the BHS crisis, a former worker has said. Ex-store manager Lin Macmillan said the retail tycoon should be sorting out the failed firm's pension black hole rather than sailing around the Greek islands on his new super yacht.
  
  Read more

• Everything you need to know about the Government's strategy to tackle childhood obesity

  18-08-2016 09:38
  
  Health experts have condemned the “watered-down” strategy.
  
  Read more

• The number of pupils awarded top A-level grades are expected to rise

  18-08-2016 09:33
  
  And males could overtake females in top grades for the first time since 2006.
  
  Read more

• Record Number Of A-level Students Get University Place

  18-08-2016 09:20
  A record number of A-level students have achieved a university place, up 3% on last year, the chief executive of Ucas has said. Mary Curnock Cook, head of the body which manages university admissions, said 424,000 students will be offered their first or second choice of degree course. The news came as thousands of students are preparing to collect their results amid warnings of "greater volatility" in this year's marks.
  
  Read more

• Ofgem proposes cutting National Grid budget by 185.4 million pounds

  18-08-2016 08:58
  (Reuters) - Britain's energy regulator Ofgem has proposed scrapping some 185.4 million pounds worth of power and gas projects due to be undertaken by National Grid, it said on Thursday. Ofgem, which sets the amount of cash which is granted to National Grid to improve and maintain the country's electricity and gas distribution networks, launched a review into some transmission projects in May. Its biggest proposed cutback to National Grid's budget relates to a 168.8 million-pound Avonmouth gas pi
  
  Read more

• University students 'being failed by patchiness in standards'

  18-08-2016 08:52
  
  Wondering where your £9,000 a year went?
  
  Read more

• Mo Farah survived another stumble, Team GB's women hockey team made their first final and everything else you missed overnight at Rio

  18-08-2016 08:49
  
  Despite the lack of medals, there wasn’t a lack of action in Brazil.
  
  Read more

• Fears For UK Staff As Cisco Systems 'Prepares To Cut 5,500 Jobs'

  18-08-2016 08:44
  Cisco Systems is reportedly planning to lay off up to 5,500 employees, in what would be the largest job cull in the company's history. Cisco has an estimated 5,000 staff in 14 towns and cities across the UK, but it is not known how many British employees will be affected by the cuts. Despite the cutbacks, recent announcements appear to show that Cisco remains committed to its UK operations, which began nearly 25 years ago.
  
  Read more

Follow @GeneralnewsUK on Twitter!