General news

• Remember those elderly Polish ravers? They've joined the campaign to save Fabric

  02-09-2016 23:38
  
  What a couple of legends.
  
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• Obama to meet May during G20 in China - official

  02-09-2016 23:20
  U.S. President Barack Obama will hold a formal meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May during the G20 summit in China on Sunday, a White House official said. The meeting is their first since May took office in July.
  
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• Ian McEwan's new novel is about a foetus Hamlet commentating on modern life (yes, really)

  02-09-2016 20:56
  
  It’s all very disconcerting.
  
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• Microbeads In Household Products May Be Banned As Early As Next Year

  02-09-2016 20:05
  
  Microbeads in household products such as toothpastes and beauty products may be outlawed from next year, Sky News understands. The move follows a report from MPs citing damage caused by the tiny plastic balls to marine wildlife and contamination of the human food chain. According to MPs on the Environmental Audit Committee, 680 tons of the beads are used in the UK each year.
  
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• Sturgeon's Indy supporters launch Scot currency - but value is less than MUGABE'S DOLLAR

  02-09-2016 19:49 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  SCOTTISH independence supporters have launched their own currency in a madcap move to support the break-up the UK.
  
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• The BBC News app just sent out a notification in Bengali - but it wasn't a hack, just a human error

  02-09-2016 19:46
  
  Everyone was pretty confused – but it’s put Bengali on the Twitter map.
  
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• In vigil for drowned Syrian boy, Britain urged to take in 400 children from Calais camp

  02-09-2016 19:29
  In a vigil on Friday marking the first anniversary of the drowning of Syrian toddler Alan Kurdi, campaigners urged the British government to take in almost 400 unaccompanied children stranded in the so-called Jungle camp in northern France. An image of three-year-old Kurdi's lifeless body washed up on a Turkish beach last year sparked global outrage and drew attention to the plight of children fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa. Campaign group Citizens UK called on Amber Rudd,
  
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• These people got more jail time than Brock Turner

  02-09-2016 19:23
  
  You really won’t expect some of these.
  
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• Sprinkle of Glitter quits YouTube to create a new channel aimed at adults

  02-09-2016 17:10
  
  Louise Pentland aka Sprinkle of Glitter announces quitting her YouTube channel.
  
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• Royal Marine Charged With Northern Ireland Terrorism Offences

  02-09-2016 16:47
  A serving member of the British armed forces has been charged with terrorism offences, Scotland Yard said. Ciaran Maxwell, who was arrested at his base in Taunton last week, will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court later on Friday charged with three offences including obtaining items to be used in explosives. :: Obtaining articles connected with an act of terrorism, specifically chemicals and components to be used in explosives and an image of an adapted Police Service of Nor
  
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• Member of UK armed forces charged with Northern Ireland-related terrorism offences

  02-09-2016 16:36
  A serving member of the British armed forces was charged with terrorism offences on Friday in connection with Northern Ireland, London's Metropolitan Police said. Ciaran Maxwell, 30, was arrested in Somerset, southwest England, last month. Police said related property searches in Exminster were now complete but those at a wooded area in Devon would continue into next week.
  
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• Brock Turner has walked free - three months after being jailed for sexual assault

  02-09-2016 16:21
  
  He left Santa Clara County jail without making a statement.
  
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• Caroline Lucas to share role as leader of the Green Party

  02-09-2016 15:37
  
  Lucas is apparently keen to form ties with the Labour party, as well as others.
  
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• Majority Of People Back Junior Doctors Over Strikes

  02-09-2016 15:25
  
  Most people continue to back the junior doctors' strikes, but support has fallen dramatically since earlier in the year, a Sky Data Snap Poll reveals. When asked to choose whether they support or oppose the strikes due to take place from 12 to 16 September, 57% of Britons said they support junior doctors, while 43% oppose them. Voters aged 55 or over are opposed to the strikes by 53% to 47%, though there is stronger support for the junior doctors' position among younger voters.
  
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• This reformed gangster is about to embark on an adventure challenge with Sir Richard Branson

  02-09-2016 15:23
  
  Karl Lokko got involved with Big Change – a foundation created by Branson’s children – two years ago.
  
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• Female MP Ruth Smeeth Received 20,000 Pieces Of Abuse In 12 Hours

  02-09-2016 14:50
  
  A Labour MP wants her party leader to "name and shame" people who are abusive on social media after receiving 25,000 offensive messages in just a few months. Ruth Smeeth, MP for North Stoke-on-Trent, said that counter terrorism police have launched an investigation into at a least one of the messages - a death threat calling for her to be hanged from the gallows. "I know that Jeremy Corbyn would condemn this, but it's not about condemning, it's about what people are doing in his name.
  
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• Britain committed to European foreign policy, security - Johnson

  02-09-2016 14:50
  Britain is committed to European foreign and security cooperation even though it is preparing to leave the European Union, its foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, said on Friday as he arrived for talks with other EU ministers. Johnson, a former mayor of London and a colourful politician with a long record of gaffes and scandals, was a high-profile "Leave" campaigner in Britain's June referendum which resulted in a vote to quit the EU bloc. As Britain and the other 27 EU states gear up for painful
  
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• Berkeley Group halts half-built 20 million-pound London housing scheme

  02-09-2016 14:46
  By Tom Bergin LONDON (Reuters) - UK housebuilder Berkeley Group Holdings Plc has halted construction at a 20 million-pound luxury housing project in London, it said on Friday. Berkeley Group declined to say why it stopped construction last month at the Barnes Village scheme in southwest London, where homes were expected to sell for up to 5 million pounds, local residents said. "The London market has got a bit tougher post-Brexit," he said, referring to the June referendum on EU membership.
  
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• Man, 23, Appears In Court After Police Chase Crash Deaths In Penge

  02-09-2016 14:32
  A man has appeared in court charged with causing the deaths of a boy and a woman who were hit by a stolen car being chased by police. Makayah McDermott, 10, and his aunt Rosie Cooper, 34, were killed in the collision on Lennard Road in Penge, southeast London, on Wednesday afternoon. Joshua Dobby, 23, is alleged to have lost control of a stolen car which mounted the kerb and hit a bollard before crashing into Makayah and Ms Cooper.
  
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• Blackheath Murder: Man 'To Plead Not Guilty' Over Banker Death

  02-09-2016 14:31
  A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of a banker in Blackheath, southeast London. Oliver Dearlove died in hospital after he was allegedly punched while waiting for a taxi in the early hours of Sunday. Trevor Timon, 31, of Heavitree Road, Woolwich, has been charged with murder and assault.
  
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• Police Issue 'Urgent' Missing Girl Appeal In Leeds

  02-09-2016 14:29
  Police say they are becoming "increasingly concerned" over the disappearance of a 12-year-old girl in Leeds. Alesha Daniel-Howell was last seen at around 8.45pm on Thursday night in Chapeltown, northeast Leeds.
  
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• Strike-prone Southern rail risks further public ire as parent company's profits surge

  02-09-2016 14:27
  By Sarah Young LONDON (Reuters) - British transport company Go-Ahead, parent of strike-hit Southern rail company, reported a 17 percent rise in annual profit on Friday, potentially adding to the anger of London commuters that use its cancellation-prone train services. Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which is 65 percent owned by Go-Ahead alongside France's Keolis and operates Southern, has faced widespread criticism from passengers, politicians and the media after months of strikes, cancellations
  
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• Business Chiefs Pile Pressure On May Over Runway Expansion

  02-09-2016 14:24
  
  Theresa May will face renewed calls from business leaders next week to kick off the construction of a new runway in the south-east amid warnings that the UK is losing £1.1m every hour in international trade opportunities because of capacity constraints. Sky News has learnt that the lobbying group Let Britain Fly, which operates under the London First inward investment agency, is circulating a letter among private sector bosses calling on the Prime Minister to act swiftly on airport expansi
  
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• A Year Since Iconic Photo Of Alan Kurdi, Dad Says Little Has Changed

  02-09-2016 14:17
  
  The father of Syrian boy Alan Kurdi, whose image prompted a global outcry about the refugee crisis, has said little has changed in the year since his son's death. A year on, his father, Abdullah Kurdi, who now lives in Iraq, has expressed his disappointment that more has not been done to address the plight of refugees. On the anniversary of Alan's death, faith leaders, council chiefs and celebrities gathered for a memorial outside the Home Office and handed in a letter for Home Secretary Amber R
  
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• Trolls Should Be 'Named And Shamed' - Labour MP Ruth Smeeth

  02-09-2016 14:16
  A Labour MP wants her party leader to "name and shame" people who are abusive on social media after receiving 25,000 offensive messages in just a few months. Ruth Smeeth, MP for North Stoke-on-Trent, said that counter terrorism police have launched an investigation into at a least one of the messages - a death threat calling for her to be hanged from the gallows. "I know that Jeremy Corbyn would condemn this, but it's not about condemning, it's about what people are doing in his name.
  
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• Mums Of Young Children 'Locked Out Of Work'

  02-09-2016 14:06
  
  Women with young children are a third less likely to be in work than men, according to trade union research. The report by the TUC found that on average 64% of mothers with children aged up to four were in paid employment, compared to 93% of fathers of pre-school age children. The employment rate for mothers were increased as their children grew older.
  
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• Sturgeon launches new Scottish independence drive after 'seismic' Brexit vote

  02-09-2016 13:59
  By Elisabeth O'Leary STIRLING, Scotland (Reuters) - The Scottish National Party is to send out thousands of its faithful to measure the appetite for independence, leader Nicola Sturgeon announced on Friday, raising the political stakes further as Britain decides how it will leave the European Union. The first minister of the devolved Scottish government said Britain's June vote to leave the EU, dragging Scotland with it, had shifted the debate dramatically just two years after Scots voted by 10
  
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• Britain's strike-prone Southern rail risks further public ire as parent company's profits surge

  02-09-2016 13:18
  By Sarah Young LONDON (Reuters) - British transport company Go-Ahead, parent of strike-hit Southern rail company, reported a 17 percent rise in annual profit on Friday, potentially adding to the anger of London commuters that use its cancellation-prone train services. Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which is 65 percent owned by Go-Ahead alongside France's Keolis and operates Southern, has faced widespread criticism from passengers, politicians and the media after months of strikes, cancellations
  
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• 9 facts about the Great Fire of London that are more interesting than what you learned at school

  02-09-2016 13:07
  
  From using gunpowder to stop the flames to the efforts of schoolboys, here are some facts you may not know about the Great Fire of London.
  
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• The SNP Presses For A New Look At Scottish Independence

  02-09-2016 13:04
  
  Nicola Sturgeon has signalled her determination to push again for an independent Scotland in the wake of the UK's vote to leave the EU. In a speech in Stirling - where William Wallace won a victory against the English that was featured in the film Braveheart - the SNP leader outlined plans for a "listening exercise" to reignite the debate on independence. It comes after Scotland voted largely in favour of remaining in the EU, while much of England and Wales voted to leave.
  
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• Athletics - More than a million people apply for London 2017 tickets

  02-09-2016 12:56
  More than a million people have applied for tickets for next year's world athletics championships in London where greats Usain Bolt and Mo Farah will compete for the final time on the track. Jamaican Bolt, who completed a triple-triple of 100, 200 and 4x100 metres relay at last month's Olympics, and Briton Farah, who retained the 5,000 and 10,000 titles in Rio, have both said next year's championships will be their last. Bolt plans to hang up his spikes after the event while Farah intends to swi
  
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• Man Remanded After Police Chase Crash Deaths In Penge

  02-09-2016 12:50
  A man has appeared in court charged with causing the deaths of a boy and a woman who were hit by a stolen car being chased by police. Makayah McDermott, 10, and his aunt Rosie Cooper, 34, were killed in the collision on Lennard Road in Penge, southeast London, on Wednesday afternoon. Joshua Dobby, 23, is alleged to have lost control of a stolen car which mounted the kerb and hit a bollard before crashing into Makayah and Ms Cooper.
  
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• UK construction downturn eases, adding to signs economy holding up

  02-09-2016 12:29
  By Andy Bruce LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's construction industry largely recovered in August from a downturn that started just before June's vote to leave the European Union, according to a survey on Friday that added to signs the economy is stabilising. The construction survey follows a surprisingly upbeat manufacturing PMI on Thursday, which could prompt the Bank of England to rethink the need to cut interest rates again this year. "The near-stabilisation in construction activity in August ...
  
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• Twelve-Year-Old Girl Raped In Manchester Park

  02-09-2016 12:22
  A 12-year-old girl has been raped in a park in Manchester, police have said. Officers were called to Crowcroft Park in Levenshulme at around 11.20pm on Thursday night after reports of concern for the girl. On their arrival they discovered that the youngster had been raped, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.
  
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• And 2015's most popular baby names are...

  02-09-2016 12:02
  
  Does your favourite make the list?
  
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• Oxford University accepts more state school pupils amid diversity drive

  02-09-2016 11:52
  
  Almost 60% of students will come from a state-educated background this year.
  
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• Construction Improvement Eases Recession Fear

  02-09-2016 11:50
  
  Britain's struggling construction sector largely recovered from its post-Brexit slump last month adding to hopes that EU referendum uncertainty may be limited.
  
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• Sign up for the Guardian Documentaries newsletter: our free short film email

  02-09-2016 11:27 via theguardian.com
  
  Be the first to see our latest thought-provoking films, bringing you bold and original storytelling from around the worldDiscover the stories behind our latest short films, learn more about our international film-makers, and join us for exclusive documentary events. We’ll also share a selection of our favourite films, from our archives and from further afield, for you to enjoy. Sign up below.Can’t wait for the next newsletter? Start exploring our archive now. Continue reading...
  
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• Sturgeon announces new Scottish independence drive after "seismic" Brexit vote

  02-09-2016 11:18
  By Elisabeth O'Leary STIRLING, Scotland (Reuters) - Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon launched a new independence drive on Friday, urging supporters to join the country's "biggest ever political listening exercise" to gauge public appetite for a new referendum. Two years after Scots voted by 10 percentage points to reject independence, Sturgeon told her Scottish National Party (SNP) that Britain's vote to leave the European Union had radically changed the debate.
  
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• Blackheath Murder: Man Due In Court Over Banker Death

  02-09-2016 10:36
  A man has been charged with murder after the death of a banker in Blackheath, southeast London. Oliver Dearlove died in hospital after he was allegedly punched while waiting for a taxi in the early hours of Sunday. Trevor Timon, 31, of Heavitree Road, Woolwich, has been charged with murder and assault.
  
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• UK construction downturn eases more than expected in August - PMI

  02-09-2016 10:34
  Britain's construction industry largely recovered in August from a downturn that started just before June's vote to leave the European Union, according to a survey on Friday that added to signs the economy is stabilising. "The downturn in UK construction activity has eased considerably since July, primarily helped by a much slower decline in commercial building," said Tim Moore, senior economist at survey compiler Markit.
  
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• Charity Head Claims PTSD Overused To Raise Funds

  02-09-2016 10:17
  Armed Forces charities have been accused of exaggerating the issue of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to raise more funds, according to the head of a veterans' charity. The way in which PTSD is used is getting "out of hand" according to Ed Parker, co-founder and CEO of Walking With The Wounded. Mr Parker said the end of involvement in conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan meant that images of people physically injured could no longer be relied on - so the condition of PTSD was being
  
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• Rail Chaos Firm Sees Profits Surge But Boss Turns Down Pay Hike

  02-09-2016 10:03
  
  The boss of the company that operates disruption-hit Southern Rail has declined a salary hike and bonus as it reported a surge in annual profits. Go-Ahead said David Brown had made the decision on his pay because it had "not delivered the required levels of passenger service on our Southern routes". Mr Brown apologised "to the people whose lives have been affected during this time".
  
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• Rail Boss Turns Down Bonus After Disruption

  02-09-2016 09:21
  The boss of the company that operates disruption-hit Southern Rail has declined a salary hike and bonus as it reported a surge in annual profits. Go-Ahead said David Brown had made the decision on his pay because it had "not delivered the required levels of passenger service on our Southern routes". Pre-tax profits at the bus and rail operator rose 27% to £99.8m for the year to 2 July.
  
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• Prestigious US university accepts youngest ever student, aged 12

  02-09-2016 09:21
  
  Jeremy Shuler was reading books in English and Korean before he was two.
  
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• Man Charged After Police Chase Crash Deaths In Penge

  02-09-2016 09:13
  Makayah McDermott, 10, and his aunt Rosie Cooper, 34, were killed in the collision on Lennard Road in Penge, southeast London, on Wednesday afternoon. Ms Dobson added: "Her life was her family and her daughter.
  
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• Man charged over deaths of child actor and aunt in police chase crash

  02-09-2016 08:51
  
  The 23-year-old is accused of two counts of causing death by dangerous driving.
  
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• Graduate Job Vacancies Shrinking - Report

  02-09-2016 08:48
  The number of job vacancies for graduates has fallen this year for the first time since the financial crisis, new figures show. Positions fell by 8% to 19,732, according to the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR). Some employers said they were "repackaging" graduate posts as higher apprenticeships in response to the Government's drive to boost apprenticeship numbers, including a levy on companies and incentives to take on apprentices.
  
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• It's been a year since the death of Alan Kurdi, but how has the refugee crisis changed?

  02-09-2016 08:41
  
  The toddler drowned after his family attempted the perilous sea crossing into Europe.
  
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• Sturgeon announces new Scottish independence drive after "seismic" Brexit

  02-09-2016 08:35
  Scotland's first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, launches a new independence drive on Friday, asking supporters to engage in the country's "biggest ever political listening exercise" so she can gauge support for a fresh referendum. The head of Scotland's devolved government will say that "seismic changes" after Britain's vote to leave the European Union and the prospect of a long period of Conservative rule in Britain's national parliament mean that a new debate on Scotland's future is necessary
  
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