General news

• The #LabourPurgeSongs hashtag is hilariously making the best of a bad situation

  26-08-2016 23:20
  
  Reggae, UK garage, Madonna – inspiration came for a variety of places for this Twitter trend!
  
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• Hotel guests told to stay indoors as bomb disposal team called in to Birmingham

  26-08-2016 21:50
  
  It follows the arrests of five men on suspicion of terror offences.
  
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• What's the big deal with the burkini?

  26-08-2016 21:20
  
  We delve into the furore and take a look at the history of the burkini.
  
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• Labour party says resolves conference security stand-off

  26-08-2016 20:13
  Labour Party said on Friday it had found a new security company to guard its conference, avoiding an embarrassing confrontation with a union that had objected to the previous firm and threatened to picket the event. Labour, already in the throes of a divisive leadership contest, had faced a stand-off with the GMB union, traditionally one of its biggest supporters. GMB, which represents security industry workers, had objected to the use of security provider Showsec, saying it had refused to sign
  
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• Bomb disposal squad deployed in central England after arrests

  26-08-2016 19:52
  An army bomb disposal team was deployed to an area in Birmingham, central England, on Friday after police arrested five men on suspicion of preparing acts of terrorism. The West Midlands police force said as a result of one of the arrests, an army bomb disposal team had been called in as a precautionary measure to the Lee Bank area of Birmingham. The Fire Brigade said it had been assisting the police with the operation.
  
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• Bomb Disposal Team Called: Five Terror Arrests In West Midlands

  26-08-2016 19:19
  An Army bomb disposal team has been called to the Lee Bank area of Birmingham after five men were arrested on terror charges. Another two men, aged 18 and 24, were arrested at their homes in Birmingham and the fifth man, 28, was arrested in another location in Birmingham. West Midlands Police say that, as a result of one of the arrests, an Army bomb disposal team has been called in.
  
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• The band Chvrches give their take on festival etiquette

  26-08-2016 19:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  BBC News goes backstage at the Reading Festival to meet the band Chvrches.
  
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• YouTube's best and brightest Stand Up To Cancer with 1,000 hours of fundraising

  26-08-2016 18:50
  
  Reams of filmed content are planned to raise funds that’ll help fight the disease.
  
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• British economy escapes Brexit blow, for now

  26-08-2016 18:50
  By Andy Bruce LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's high streets are heaving with shoppers despite June's shock vote to leave the European Union, big companies have reported few signs of distress and some tabloid newspapers are even talking about a post-Brexit economic boom. The overwhelming view from economists is that it is too early to know how Britain will cope with years of Brexit uncertainty - but there is a growing belief the country can avoid a recession that only weeks ago was regarded as likely
  
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• Search For 'Distinct' Van Amid 'Abducted Boy'

  26-08-2016 18:12
  
  Police investigating a possible child abduction have released more details of the black VW transporter van that the boy may have been bundled into. The "distinct" vehicle has a 02 number plate and three alloy wheels while the front passenger side one is black and not alloy.
  
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• Black Lives Matter protesters demand justice for Kingsley Burrell in Birmingham

  26-08-2016 18:02
  
  100 protesters in Birmingham join demands for action
  
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• Three-Quarters Of Britons Confused By Beach Safety Flags Colours

  26-08-2016 17:56
  
  Half of Britons feel poorly informed about beach safety, and three quarters do not know the colour of beach safety flags, a Sky Data Snap Poll reveals. Some 50% of the public say they know little or nothing about safety flags at the beach, while 45% say they are very or fairly well informed. Only a quarter (26%) of under-34s said they were well-informed about beach safety flags, compared with just over half for older people.
  
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• Rating firm DBRS considering European office as Brexit insurance

  26-08-2016 17:41
  The London-based credit-rating agency DBRS says it will need to open a new office in mainland Europe if Britain's vote to leave the European Union affects its business in the EU. A new office may be required to maintain an EU licence, which DBRS needs to sell its services in Europe and remain one of the European Central Bank's recognised rating firms, DBRS's European head, Detlef Scholzk, told Reuters. "Registration and supervision by ESMA (European Securities and Markets Authority) is important
  
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• Redhill bike 'relates to unconnected individual'

  26-08-2016 17:16 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Police have made another appeal for information after the reported abduction of a child in Redhill, Surrey.
  
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• Three Men Charged Over Sale Of Mixed Beef And Horsemeat

  26-08-2016 16:46
  Three men have been charged with fraud in connection with the sale of mixed beef and horsemeat products. The men are Alex Ostler-Beech, 43, from Hull, 57-year-old Ulrik Nielsen from Gentofte, Denmark, and Andrew Sideras, 54, from Southgate. The Crown Prosecution Service said they were accused of dishonestly arranging "for beef and horsemeat to be combined for sale as beef".
  
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• Sir Richard Branson 'thought he would die' in bike crash

  26-08-2016 16:45 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson says he thought he was "going to die" after crashing his bike on the Caribbean island of Virgin Gorda.
  
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• Roman massacre

  26-08-2016 16:30 via bbc.co.uk
  
  BBC Scotland's Willie Johnston reports from a flat-topped hill in Dumfriesshire which could have a more bloody past than previously suspected.
  
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• Three charged with selling horsemeat as beef in Britain

  26-08-2016 16:22
  Three men have been charged with fraud for allegedly selling horsemeat as beef in Britain in 2012, prosecutors said on Friday. Eating horsemeat is culturally taboo in Britain and in 2013 the country's food industry was rocked by scandal when it emerged that horsemeat was being sold in some imported beef products. Investigations at the time found that companies including Britain's biggest supermarket Tesco and fast-food chain Burger King were selling beef products that contained horsemeat.
  
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• Optometrist Honey Rose Sentenced Over Death Of Vincent Barker

  26-08-2016 16:22
  An optometrist who failed to spot a fatal brain condition during a child's eye test has been given a two-year suspended prison sentence. Honey Rose, 35, failed to notice that Vincent Barker had swollen optic discs when she examined him during a routine eye test at a Boots branch in Ipswich. Rose, of East Ham, East London, was convicted of gross negligence manslaughter at Ipswich Crown Court.
  
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• How much exercise is safe during pregnancy?

  26-08-2016 16:21 via bbc.co.uk
  
  There are conflicting views on whether it's safe to exercise during pregnancy - we hear from a former Olympian and mums.
  
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• French court has overturned the controversial burkini ban

  26-08-2016 16:13
  
  After global outrage, the ruling has been reconsidered.
  
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• Men To Be Charged Over Sale Of Mixed Beef And Horsemeat

  26-08-2016 16:11
  Three men are to be charged with fraud in connection with the sale of mixed beef and horsemeat products, the Crown Prosecution Service has said. City of London Police has named the men as Alex Ostler-Beech, who is 43 and from Hull, 57-year-old Ulrik Nielsen from Gentofte in Denmark, and Andrew Sideras, 54, from Southgate. The Crown Prosecution Service said they were accused of dishonestly arranging "for beef and horsemeat to be combined for sale as beef".
  
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• Virgin Boss Branson's Life 'Flashed Before Eyes' In Bike Crash

  26-08-2016 16:09
  Virgin boss Richard Branson has said his life "flashed before his eyes" after a dramatic cycle crash in the Caribbean. Sir Richard, who lives on his private Caribbean island of Necker, was in neighbouring Virgin Gorda when the accident happened. "I was wearing a helmet that saved my life (however, perhaps they should build bike helmets that protect the side of the face too - does anyone know of one?).
  
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• Searching for history along the Thames

  26-08-2016 16:04
  A torch on his head, Jason Sandy scours the nighttime London foreshores of the Thames river, searching for objects that could offer a glimpse of life in the British capital hundreds of years ago. "Over 2,000 years of time, everything has been thrown into the Thames, accidentally lost ... dropped so 2,000 years of history are down there," he said. Sandy, originally from Chicago, has found numerous artefacts like a Tudor comb, Victorian toothbrush and a Roman women's hair pin, which the Museum of
  
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• Deadly corn-on-cob husk removed from dog's intestine

  26-08-2016 16:02 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A dog is recovering after vets removed half of its intestine during surgery to take out a corn-on-the cob husk.
  
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• Batman suit boasting 23 gadgets earns Guinness World Record

  26-08-2016 15:49
  Boasting a "bat tracker", a bat sign projector for the nighttime sky, smoke guns and an array of other devices, a Batman costume fitted with 23 gadgets has earned a place in the Guinness World Records book. The bulky black-caped suit, made by Batman fan and special effects expert Julian Checkley, takes the title for "the most functional gadgets on a cosplay suit", Guinness World Records said in a statement. The costume, which will feature in the "Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2017", is
  
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• 'I really thought I was going to die' - Billionaire Richard Branson in severe biking accident

  26-08-2016 15:21
  
  The Virgin founder still hopes to climb Mount Etna next month…
  
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• Grieving Father Of Mike Bindon Warns Bank Holiday Weekend Beachgoers

  26-08-2016 15:20
  
  Phil Bindon's son Mike, who was an experienced fisherman, was lost at sea in January 2014, aged 23, after being swept away by an unexpected wave at Polzeath in Cornwall. Mr Bindon on Friday urged people to take heed of the RNLI's Respect The Water campaign following the deaths of 12 people in the seas around the UK since last Friday, including a two-year-old girl and her father in Newquay. Mr Bindon told Sky News: "It was a normal day, he (Mike) set out with a friend of his to go look
  
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• British backpacker injured fleeing Australia attack that killed Mia Ayliffe-Chung 'devastated' by her death

  26-08-2016 15:17
  
  Mia’s friend Chris Porter reportedly jumped from a building to flee the suspect.
  
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• Three men charged with horsemeat sales fraud

  26-08-2016 15:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Three men have been charged with fraud for allegedly conspiring to sell horsemeat as beef.
  
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• The three Britons killed in the Italian earthquake have been named

  26-08-2016 15:06
  
  Their bereaved families have also paid tribute to the help of the Italian rescuers and hospital staff.
  
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• Vincent Barker death: Optometrist Honey Rose given two-year suspended sentence

  26-08-2016 14:51 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An optometrist who failed to spot an eye condition in a boy who later died is given a suspended sentence.
  
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• Sarah Dahane death: Mother pleads guilty to murder

  26-08-2016 14:38 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The mother of a toddler who was found dead at home pleads guilty to murder.
  
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• Three Britons Killed In Italy Quake Named

  26-08-2016 14:28
  Three Britons who were killed by the Italian earthquake have been named. Will Henniker-Gotley, Maria Henniker-Gotley and Marcos Burnett were among the 267 people killed by the 6.2-magnitude quake on Wednesday morning. Mr and Mrs Henniker-Gotley died when their apartment in Sommati, near Amatrice, collapsed.
  
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• Lifeguards To Patrol Camber Sands After Five Men Died

  26-08-2016 14:25
  
  The lifeboat and lifeguard group will also be giving out safety information at Camber Sands in East Sussex. Nitharsan Ravi's brother, Ajirthan, said the group had been caught by a rapidly rising tide and were unable to swim to shore because of the current.
  
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• UN blames UK politicians for Brexit hate crime spike

  26-08-2016 14:18 via bbc.co.uk
  
  "Anti-immigrant" rhetoric by UK politicians during the EU referendum helped to fuel a spike in race hate crimes before and after the vote, a UN body says.
  
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• County Down binmen dump sausage rolls and win £70,000

  26-08-2016 14:13 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Two County Down council workers win £70,000 on the National Lottery after deciding to spend their sausage roll money on scratchcards.
  
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• Hinkley Point Nuclear Plant 'Not Essential' For UK Energy

  26-08-2016 14:09
  
  A new nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point is not needed for the UK to meet its energy and climate change targets, a report claims. The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) argues that more wind farms and gas-fired power stations would be enough to keep the lights on, while also saving £1bn a year. The new power infrastructure would also have to be combined with measures to manage energy demand, but the ECIU says its research shows Hinkley Point C is "not essenti
  
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• Troubled Labour party faces new woe over annual conference

  26-08-2016 13:59
  Britain's opposition Labour Party, already in the throes of a bitterly divisive leadership contest after June's Brexit vote, is facing more turmoil as a row over security jeopardises the staging of its annual conference. One of Labour's biggest supporting trade unions has objected to the proposed security firm, and now a potential replacement, G4S , has declined a last-minute request to step into the breach. Labour is due to begin its conference in Liverpool, north west England, on Sept. 25, the
  
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• Drone footage of destroyed Burmese temples is the most haunting thing you'll see all day

  26-08-2016 13:54
  
  An earthquake has wreaked havoc on the historic site.
  
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• Italy earthquake: Boy, 14, among three UK deaths

  26-08-2016 13:24 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A 14-year-old boy from London was among three Britons killed in the earthquake in central Italy.
  
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• Tommy Cooper's 'gag file' to be preserved by Victoria & Albert museum

  26-08-2016 13:15 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Tommy Cooper's "gag file", in which the late comedian meticulously recorded his jokes, is to be preserved by the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
  
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• V&A buys comic legend Tommy Cooper's archive - just like that

  26-08-2016 13:06
  
  Highlights include a filing cabinet of gags.
  
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• Judge's 'LOL' as he jails online boaster who ducked sentence

  26-08-2016 13:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A man who avoided prison after being convicted of a street attack is jailed for refusing to perform unpaid work then boasting about it online.
  
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• Brexit to-do list

  26-08-2016 12:54 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Battling ministers, the search for staff and working out what kind of deal to go for - how the Whitehall machine is gearing up for Brexit.
  
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• Police helicopter searches for boy 'seen taken into van'

  26-08-2016 12:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A report of a boy being taken in a black VW van in Surrey is being treated with "utmost urgency", say police, who are using a helicopter in the search.
  
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• Ashley Faces Personal Revolt Over Sports Direct Leadership

  26-08-2016 12:42
  
  Mike Ashley faces a major revolt over his leadership of Sports Direct International after one of the world’s leading voting advisors urged the retailer’s investors to oppose his re-election at next month’s annual meeting. Sky News has obtained a note produced by Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), which produces voting recommendations ahead of company meetings, which flags the "serious operational, governance and risk oversight concerns which have come to the fore during
  
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• Millions travel for bank holiday weekend

  26-08-2016 12:39 via bbc.co.uk
  
  About 5.1 million people will head off on breaks within the UK over the bank holiday weekend, the tourism agency VisitEngland says.
  
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• Vulnerable man's attacker jailed after online boast

  26-08-2016 12:11 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A man who avoided prison after being convicted of a street attack is jailed for refusing to perform unpaid work then boasting about it online.
  
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• Camber Sands deaths: Lifeguards to patrol over bank holiday

  26-08-2016 12:02 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Lifeguards are to be deployed over the bank holiday weekend at Camber Sands, where five friends died during a day trip to the coast.
  
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