General news

• 'Hard Brexit' is the only Brexit warns EU president Donald Tusk

  13-10-2016 23:54
  "Hard Brexit" is the only offer on the table, European Council president Donald Tusk has warned, unless the UK changes its mind and decides to stay in the EU. In a strongly-worded intervention, Mr Tusk insisted the UK would not be able to retain the benefits of European Union membership whilst also blocking free movement of people and ending contributions to the Brussels budget. Mr Tusk said it was "useless to speculate about soft Brexit", which would enable the UK to retain the closest possible
  
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• London Zoo's escaped silverback gorilla, Kumbuka, found

  13-10-2016 22:50
  
  Officials described the escape of Kumbuka as a “minor incident.”
  
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• Keepers subdue escaped western lowland gorilla at London Zoo

  13-10-2016 22:42
  
  London Zoo was put on lock-down after a male gorilla escaped from its enclosure on Thursday afternoon. Others were locked inside buildings at the zoo, which is one of London's top tourist spots. The 18-year-old western lowland gorilla named Kumbuka was eventually subdued by vets and returned to his den.
  
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• It's not over yet: Poland's abortion row explained

  13-10-2016 21:41
  
  Despite women taking to the street in their thousands, Poland’s governing party is still pursuing stricter laws.
  
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• Gorilla briefly escapes its London Zoo enclosure

  13-10-2016 21:32
  LONDON (Reuters) - A gorilla escaped from its enclosure at London Zoo on Thursday and some visitors had to be locked inside a cafe for their own safety before it was recaptured, British media reported. The creature was caught after reportedly being tranquilised, the Press Association said. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said the incident was now over. A gorilla named Harambe became the centre of global media attention earlier this year after being killed by staff at the Cincinnati Zoo in the Un
  
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• London Zoo was put on lockdown after a gorilla escaped from its enclosure

  13-10-2016 21:21
  
  Armed police were called to look for the gorilla, which was reportedly shot with a tranquilliser dart and recaptured.
  
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• The answer to the housing crisis may be found in a shipping container in Brighton

  13-10-2016 20:57
  
  That is, if you want to live in a small box …
  
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• Keepers subdue escaped gorilla at London Zoo

  13-10-2016 20:47
  
  London Zoo was put on lock-down for almost four hours after a gorilla escaped from its enclosure on Thursday afternoon. Others were locked inside buildings at the zoo, which is one of London's top tourist spots. The gorilla was eventually recaptured after being subdued by keepers using a tranquiliser dart.
  
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• The escaped London Zoo gorilla already has two Twitter accounts

  13-10-2016 20:46
  
  It is not a breaking news story until the parody accounts turn up on Twitter.
  
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• Marmite lovers can relax - the Tesco-Unilever stand-off is over

  13-10-2016 20:23
  
  The delicious yeasty spread will now be “fully available”.
  
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• A London Zoo gorilla 'escaped' and the Harambe tweets were unstoppable

  13-10-2016 20:22
  
  It’s 2016, so naturally when reports came in of an escaped gorilla at London Zoo, everyone immediately thought the same thing: Harambe. ZSL London Zoo said it was “managing an incident” – though Scotland Yard said it was “concluded” at around 6.45pm amid reports the gorilla had been shot with a tranquilliser dart and recaptured. […]
  
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• Tesco, Unilever settle prices row after pound's Brexit dive

  13-10-2016 20:19
  By James Davey and Martinne Geller LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's biggest retailer, Tesco, settled a pricing row with Unilever after halting online sales of goods produced by the Anglo-Dutch giant in a dispute caused by a plunge in the pound since Britons voted to leave the EU. The dispute between Tesco and one of the world's largest consumer goods companies was a first clear sign for consumers of the turbulence unleashed by the Brexit vote and of how it could hurt them. Products such as Persil wa
  
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• EU's Tusk says Britain might yet back out of Brexit

  13-10-2016 19:54
  By Alastair Macdonald BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Britain might ultimately decide not leave the European Union as the EU will not offer London any softer terms than a damaging "hard Brexit", Donald Tusk, who will run the negotiations for Brussels, said on Thursday. The European Council president said such a reversal of the June referendum was improbable.
  
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• Gorilla 'on the loose' at London Zoo

  13-10-2016 19:42
  
  Footage on social media shows armed police in the zoo’s grounds.
  
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• Man claims police brutality in 'headlock' video footage

  13-10-2016 19:41
  A man has accused the Metropolitan Police of brutality after an officer was filmed appearing to place him in a headlock. The alleged victim said he suffered a "vicious assault" by the policeman, who claimed he had spat at him. Moments before, the man had shouted "why are you lying" at the officer in the Tower Hamlets area of London.
  
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• Unilever says supply situation with Tesco now resolved

  13-10-2016 19:37
  LONDON (Reuters) - Unilever said on Thursday it has now settled its pricing dispute with Tesco , Britain's biggest supermarkets operator. "Unilever is pleased to confirm that the supply situation with Tesco in the UK and Ireland has now been successfully resolved," the company said in a brief statement. (Reporting by Martinne Geller; Editing by Greg Mahlich)
  
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• Gorilla escapes from enclosure in London Zoo - British media

  13-10-2016 19:29
  LONDON (Reuters) - A gorilla has escaped from its enclosure in London Zoo and visitors have been locked inside attractions while staff try to catch it, British media reported on Thursday. "We are managing the incident," the zoo said in a short statement, ITV News reported. (Reporting by Andy Bruce; editing by Sarah Young)
  
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• Badly-burnt and headless body of man found in lay-by

  13-10-2016 19:28
  The badly-burnt body of a man dumped in a lay-by in Derbyshire had no head, arms or legs, police have revealed. The lay-by is situated off the A628, just east of Tintwistle in Derbyshire and north of Valehouse and Rhodeswood reservoirs. The area, which is close to the Peak District National Park, is popular with dog walkers and ramblers.
  
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• MPs to vote on stripping Sir Philip Green of knighthood

  13-10-2016 19:22
  MPs will vote on whether Sir Philip Green should be stripped of his knighthood after the row over the collapse of BHS. Tabled by Conservative backbencher Richard Fuller MP, the amendment says that Sir Philip's actions with regards to the downfall of BHS "raise the question of whether he should be allowed to continue to be a holder of the honour", which he received for his services to the retail industry. Sir Philip attracted significant criticism during the final days of the BHS, which went
  
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• Gorilla on the loose at London Zoo, visitors say

  13-10-2016 19:20
  Visitors to London Zoo say they have been locked inside attractions amid reports a gorilla is on the loose.
  
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• Scotland's Sturgeon sparks Brexit duel with May, plans independence bill

  13-10-2016 18:36
  By Elisabeth O'Leary GLASGOW (Reuters) - Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon raised the prospect of a second independence referendum by 2019, accusing the British government of ignoring Scotland's interests by pursuing a "hard" exit from the European Union. Speaking at the start of her Scottish National Party's (SNP) bi-annual conference on Thursday, Sturgeon said her devolved government would publish a draft independence referendum bill as early as next week. Questions about the future of t
  
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• EU's Tusk says Britain's choice is 'hard Brexit' or 'no Brexit'

  13-10-2016 18:21
  European Council President Donald Tusk raised the prospect on Thursday that Britain might ultimately not leave the European Union because it would discover that any form of divorce from the EU will mean a damaging "hard Brexit". The former Polish premier, who will oversee negotiations between London and Brussels, stressed that such a reversal of the result of June's referendum was highly improbable. "It is useless to speculate about 'soft Brexit'," he said in a speech at the European Policy Cent
  
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• Boris Johnson says UK should support 'EU Army' in wake of Brexit

  13-10-2016 17:29
  The UK cannot reasonably stand in the way of any potential "EU Army" after voting for Brexit, Boris Johnson has said. The Foreign Secretary said we should be prepared to be "supportive" of the European Union creating its own defence capability should it come to that. Speaking to the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, he said that rather than trying to block attempts to develop a common EU defence policy, the UK should instead be looking at ways to offer support.
  
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• Russian Orthodox Patriarch, Britain's Queen Elizabeth to meet in London - TASS

  13-10-2016 17:21
  The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, will meet Britain's Queen Elizabeth during a visit to London this weekend, Russia's TASS news agency reported on Thursday. The meeting between Kirill and Queen Elizabeth, who is Supreme Governor of the Church of England, comes at a time when relations between London and Moscow are strained over Syria and the Ukraine crisis.
  
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• Tesco pulls Unilever goods in prices row after Brexit vote

  13-10-2016 17:13
  By James Davey and Martinne Geller LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's biggest retailer, Tesco , halted online sales of top-selling goods produced by Unilever in a pricing row following a plunge in the pound since Britons voted to leave the European Union. The dispute between Tesco and one of the world's largest consumer goods companies was one of the first clear signs for consumers of the turbulence unleashed by the Brexit vote and of how it could hurt them. Products such as Persil washing powder, Ben
  
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• Britons most concerned about immigration in global 'worries poll'

  13-10-2016 16:54
  By Temesghen Debesai LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Britain is the country most worried about immigration and border control, even as it readies its exit from the European Union, according to a global survey published on Thursday. Forty-two percent of Britons surveyed said they feared immigration, compared to 41 percent in Germany and 33 percent in Sweden, which both have taken much larger numbers of migrants in proportion to their population than the UK. Britain will trigger the formal p
  
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• UK to force suspected criminals to reveal source of wealth

  13-10-2016 16:39
  Britain will give law enforcement agencies the power to force suspected criminals to explain the source of their wealth under new legislation published on Thursday. The government said the Criminal Finances Bill, which is subject to parliament's approval, would introduce "unexplained wealth orders", under which those who are not able to say where their wealth came from will face having their assets seized.
  
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• Alleged serial Killer Stephen Port 'rang sister about body in his bed'

  13-10-2016 16:37
  Asked by prosecutor Jonathan Rees QC how long the man had been in that state, she said it had been "a day and a night" during which time he had been to work at a bus depot in West Ham. Stephen Port is alleged to have committed murder by spiking drinks with the date rape drug GHB so that he could have sex with men while they were unconscious. It was around the time of the death of Slovakian Gabriel Kovari.
  
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• UK's Brexit vote had no constitutional substance, court hears

  13-10-2016 15:32
  By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's EU referendum in June had no constitutional substance at all, according to lawyers leading a bid to force the government to seek parliamentary approval before starting the formal process of leaving the bloc. "It was an advisory referendum, no more than that," David Pannick told the High Court on Thursday. Prime Minister Theresa May has said she will trigger Article 50 of the EU Lisbon Treaty, the mechanism by which Britain begins a two-year process
  
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• Scottish Government to publish plans for second independence referendum

  13-10-2016 15:28
  Nicola Sturgeon has revealed plans for a second independence referendum so Scotland can reconsider the issue in light of the Brexit vote and "do so before the UK leaves the EU". Scotland's First Minister said the Scottish Government would be publishing an Independence Referendum Bill next week for consultation. Ms Sturgeon warned Prime Minister Theresa May: "If you think for one single second that I'm not serious about doing what it takes to protect Scotland's interests, then think aga
  
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• Plunging pound and threats put EU farm workers off the UK

  13-10-2016 15:27
  By Kate Holton SUCKLEY, England (Reuters) - For the last 18 years, Jerzy Kwapniewski has left his home in Poland to spend the summer months picking apples and hops on a farm in central England. The 50-year-old seasonal worker is one of many east Europeans who, shaken by the fallout from Britain's vote to leave the EU, have either left the country early or indicated a reluctance to return next year. "After ... 18 years coming every year I have to think that it ... may change for me and my colleag
  
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• European Union to take hard line with UK in divorce proceedings

  13-10-2016 15:18
  By Jonathan Cable LONDON (Reuters) - The European Union will take a hard line during the two-year divorce negotiations with Britain, a Reuters poll of economists found, while a crash in the value of the pound is set to push inflation above the Bank of England's target next year. Concern about how much inflation might rise has split economists' views on interest rates. Twenty-seven of 53 respondents in the poll predict a cut in Bank rate in the fourth quarter, with 22 of them saying it will be by
  
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• Britain's EU divorce won't be acrimonious, says Johnson

  13-10-2016 14:56
  By William James and Kylie MacLellan LONDON (Reuters) - Foreign minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday Britain's exit from the European Union would not be acrimonious, adding he hoped to negotiate a new relationship with the bloc that would be more valuable than the current one. Last week, sterling fell to a 31-year low against the dollar on a view that Prime Minister Theresa May was backing a disruptive exit from the bloc giving immigration controls priority over a preferential trading relatio
  
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• Scotland's Sturgeon to publish draft independence bill in Brexit duel with May

  13-10-2016 14:52
  By Elisabeth O'Leary GLASGOW (Reuters) - First Minister Nicola Sturgeon raised the prospect of a second independence referendum being held by 2019 as she accused the British government of ignoring Scottish interests in its desire to achieve a "hard" exit from the European union. Speaking at the start of her ruling Scottish National Party's (SNP) bi-annual conference on Thursday, she said her devolved government would publish a draft independence referendum bill as early as next week. Sturgeon sa
  
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• Ched Evans judge warns jury they are not expected to 'judge morals'

  13-10-2016 14:49
  The jurors who will decide the fate of footballer Ched Evans have been given their final instructions by the judge, as the case enters its final days. Evans, 27, was originally found guilty after a trial four years ago but this conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal, which ordered a re-trial. On the seventh day of the re-trial, judge Mrs Justice Nicola Davies told jurors they would need to decide between two issues.
  
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• 'Great poet' Bob Dylan first musician to win Nobel Prize in Literature

  13-10-2016 14:43
  
  He is the first American winner of the prize since Toni Morrison in 1992.
  
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• Jessica Ennis-Hill retires from professional athletics

  13-10-2016 14:37
  
  Jessica Ennis-Hill, who won gold for Great Britain at the London 2012 Olympics, has retired from athletics. Former England footballer Rio Ferdinand congratulated Ms Ennis-Hill on her career and tweeted her to wish her luck in the "next chapter" of her life. Former heptathlete Kelly Sotherton tweeted: "It's sad to hear that @J_Ennis has retired before @London2017. She has achieved the pinnacle of sport & is a fabulous role model for anyone".
  
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• Sterling steadies after rollercoaster linked to Brexit debate

  13-10-2016 14:29
  
  An absence of new 'hard' Brexit talk appears to have had a calming influence on the value of the pound following days of wild fluctuations.
  
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• Monarch calls on the Government to lift flight ban to Sharm el-Sheikh

  13-10-2016 13:54
  
  The boss of Monarch Airlines has said he would "love" for flights to begin again between the UK and Sharm el-Sheikh. At the annual convention of UK travel organisation Abta in Abu Dhabi, he said the flight ban should be lifted as it is a "very important market".
  
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• UK is facing a '£18 billion divorce bill for Brexit'

  13-10-2016 13:39
  
  Ouch. Leaving the European Union could cost us a lot.
  
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• Race or religious hate crimes up 41% after Brexit vote

  13-10-2016 13:39
  
  Allegations of crimes motivated by race or religious hate have increased 41% since the Brexit vote, says the Home Office. There were 3,886 such crimes logged in July 2015, rising to 5,468 in July this year. Hate crime is defined by police as "any criminal offence which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice towards someone based on a personal characteristic".
  
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• Theresa May has no legal power to start Brexit, High Court told

  13-10-2016 13:33
  
  Theresa May does not have the legal power to trigger Article 50 and start the Brexit process, the High Court has been told. The claim was made by a barrister representing London businesswoman Gina Miller, who is leading a group challenging the Prime Minister's right to start Britain's exit from the European Union without a vote in Parliament. Ms Miller is an investment fund manager and philanthropist living in London who voted Remain in the 23 June EU referendum.
  
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• #Marmitegate: Jars are selling on eBay for as much as £100,000 because that's just the ridiculous world we live in now

  13-10-2016 12:58
  
  This is what you’ve made the people do, Unilever, Tesco and Brexit. We hope you’re all happy.
  
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• Man sent Papa John's to check on grandma after Hurricane Matthew hits Florida

  13-10-2016 12:46
  
  Phone lines being down did not stop this man’s search for his grandmother.
  
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• Johnson plays down fears of acrimonious EU divorce

  13-10-2016 12:34
  Foreign minister Boris Johnson dismissed fears on Thursday that Britain was heading for an acrimonious divorce with the European Union, instead portraying Brexit as the opportunity for a new relationship. "I think it is so important to recast this whole conversation and ... to stop thinking of it as this acrimonious divorce. It's not going to be like that, it's going to be the development of a new European partnership between Britain and the EU," he told a parliamentary committee.
  
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• Hate crime allegations rise 41% after Brexit

  13-10-2016 11:59
  
  Allegations of racially and religiously aggravated crimes in England and Wales rose by 41% in the year to July 2016.
  
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• Supermarkets join Tesco's Marmite price war with Unilever

  13-10-2016 11:54
  Tesco is not alone in its price battle with a major supplier, which has resulted in the chain failing to restock many top household brands. Other supermarkets have told Sky News they are having similar talks on price with Unilever, which is understood to have sought to add 10% to its wholesale prices. The dispute with Tesco resulted in the supermarket reporting "availability issues" with scores of Unilever products on Wednesday night - with many shown to be "unavailable" on its website.
  
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• #Marmitegate: Jars are selling on eBay for as much as £10,000 because that's just the ridiculous world we live in now

  13-10-2016 11:50
  
  This is what you’ve made the people do, Unilever, Tesco and Brexit. We hope you’re all happy.
  
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• Punishing UK financial industry doesn't makes sense for EU - minister

  13-10-2016 10:59
  Punishing Britain's financial sector during negotiations on the country's exit from the European Union would not make economic sense for the bloc, British foreign minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday. "Any attempt, as it were, to punish UK financial services, as the former governor of the Bank of England said ... it doesn't make economic sense for Europe," Johnson told a committee of lawmakers.
  
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• Rail passenger compensation for trains over 15 minutes late

  13-10-2016 10:58
  Rail passengers will soon be able to claim compensation for trains that are more than 15 minutes late, under Government plans. The Department for Transport (DfT) said Delay Repay 15, as it is to be known, would be launched "soon" for Southern customers. Existing compensation rules mean passengers can only claim payouts when services are delayed by at least 30 minutes.
  
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