General news

• Pete Burns

  24-10-2016 21:37 via bbc.co.uk
  
  From Top of the Pops to Celebrity Big Brother via lots of plastic surgery, Pete Burns was one of British pop's larger-than-life personalities.
  
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• British Steel pension shortfall shrinks to around $60 million

  24-10-2016 21:37
  By Barbara Lewis LONDON (Reuters) - The British Steel Pension Scheme's deficit has shrunk to around 50 million pounds ($61 million) from around 700 million pounds earlier this year, it said on Monday, adding it had been well-position to take advantage of currency movements. The pension scheme is seen as a major obstacle to a possible joint venture deal between Tata Steel, its principal sponsoring employer, and Germany's Thyssenkrupp to manage Tata's remaining UK operations. In an emailed stateme
  
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• British public's inflation fears show record jump - YouGov/Citi

  24-10-2016 21:21
  The British public's expectation for inflation in a year's time recorded its sharpest jump in more than a decade this month, driven by fears of higher import prices, a closely watched survey by polling company YouGov said on Monday. The survey for U.S. bank Citi showed that in October, people on average expected inflation in 12 months' time to be at 2.5 percent, up from September's expectation of 1.7 percent. "That inflation fears are squarely back on people's minds is also confirmed by the shar
  
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• What are the three options being considered to expand the UK's airport capacity?

  24-10-2016 20:22
  
  Will it be a new runway at Heathrow or one of the other options?
  
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• UK to contribute £36m to Calais 'Jungle' clearance

  24-10-2016 20:15
  The UK Government will contribute £36m towards the clearance and security of the Calais 'Jungle' camp, the Home Secretary says. In a statement given to the House of Commons, Amber Rudd said the clearance was in the national interest of "both the UK and France… an important step in bringing to an end the difficult situation".
  
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• Dead or Alive and Celebrity Big Brother star Pete Burns dies at 57

  24-10-2016 19:52
  Dead or Alive singer and former Celebrity Big Brother star Pete Burns has died after suffering a 'massive' cardiac arrest, aged 57.
  
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• Bakers who refused to make 'gay cake' say they felt 'victimised'

  24-10-2016 19:48
  
  A Christian couple from a Belfast bakery who refused to make a cake on a gay theme have told Sky News they felt "victimised". Mr McArthur said: "We're disappointed with the way it went. Sky's Ireland Correspondent, David Blevins, wondered how they felt about potentially being branded as "discriminatory or homophobic".
  
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• Police arrest man, but say London airport incident not 'terrorist-related'

  24-10-2016 19:38
  British police said on Monday that they had arrested a 25-year-old man in connection with an incident that led to the evacuation of hundreds of passengers from London City Airport on Friday, but that the matter was not "terrorist-related". "The man ... was arrested on suspicion of using a noxious substance to cause serious damage, an offence under section 113 of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001," London's Metropolitan Police said on Monday. Police said the arrest took place at a r
  
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• Sturgeon: 'Scotland won't be driven off Brexit cliff edge'

  24-10-2016 19:16
  
  The Scottish First Minister has hit back after Number 10 warned UK leaders not to "undermine" Brexit negotiations. As Theresa May met with the leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in Downing Street, her spokeswoman was busy warning that the Prime Minister expected them "to no way undermine the UK's position". The spokeswoman added that there would not be separate deals for Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland but one UK-wide approach to negotiations that will see th
  
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• Accused father admits 'losing his rag' with baby but denies murder

  24-10-2016 18:30
  A father who denies murdering his baby daughter has admitted throwing her onto a sofa after losing his temper. John Burrill admits causing the injuries which led to the death of two-month-old Daisy-Mae, but says he did not intend to kill her "in a million years". After his girlfriend Ashlee Cox tried unsuccessfully to calm her with a dummy, he took Daisy-Mae downstairs.
  
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• Man finds air raid shelter under drive

  24-10-2016 18:19 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A man discovered what is thought to be an air raid shelter under his driveway after his car wheel got stuck in a hole.
  
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• UK set to back new Heathrow runway in long-awaited airport decision

  24-10-2016 17:59
  By Kylie MacLellan and Sarah Young LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May is set to end decades of indecision by backing the expansion of Britain and Europe's busiest airport, Heathrow, finally kickstarting a project made more pressing by the vote to leave the EU. May and a small team of ministers will meet on Tuesday to choose between expanding Heathrow, to the west of London, or Gatwick, to the south - making a decision on airport expansion after more than 25 years of debate. Key oppone
  
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• No extradition for ex-Eggheads star CJ de Mooi over alleged killing

  24-10-2016 17:56
  Former Eggheads star CJ de Mooi will not be extradited to the Netherlands over an alleged killing. Dutch authorities have reportedly abandoned an attempt to extradite 46-year-old de Mooi, whose real name is Joseph Connagh, back to the Netherlands to face questioning.
  
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• May rejects talk of 'hard Brexit', says UK's options not binary

  24-10-2016 17:56
  British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday it was not accurate to suggest that Britain was headed for a "hard Brexit" because it does not face a binary choice between curbing immigration and getting a good trade deal with the EU. When an opposition Labour lawmaker suggested to May she had been "talking up" a so-called hard Brexit, in which Britain leaves the EU's lucrative single market in order to impose controls on immigration, she said: "There is no suggestion of that whatsoever." "We
  
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• At odds over Brexit, UK nations hold 'frustrating' talks on common stance

  24-10-2016 17:30
  By Kylie MacLellan LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May tried to persuade the leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on Monday to work with her government on a common Brexit negotiating position, but the Scottish leader dismissed the meeting as "deeply frustrating". May says that while the devolved governments of the UK's three smaller nations should give their views on what the terms of Brexit should be, they must not undermine the UK's strategy by seeking separate set
  
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• Heathrow airport is favourite ahead of runway decision

  24-10-2016 17:23
  
  After decades of procrastination and delay, the Government will tomorrow make the highly controversial decision of expanding an airport in southeast England. The UK needs greater airport capacity to increase its trade links with the rest of the world but there has been a long-running disagreement as to where this should take place. It is widely expected that Heathrow will be the winner but that Gatwick will be allowed to expand at a later date.
  
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• May says some EU leaders commended her Brexit speech

  24-10-2016 17:17
  British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday several European Union leaders had commended her on a speech to her ruling Conservative Party earlier this month that was widely seen as signalling a "hard Brexit" lay ahead. "What I found when I was in the European Council last week was a number of European leaders actually commending the speech that I had given at the Conservative Party conference," May told parliament.
  
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• These are the common treatments that might have a limited benefit to patients

  24-10-2016 17:10
  
  Doctors have warned that less is sometimes best when it comes to health care and treatments.
  
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• Witness gives evidence in 'acid bath' Grindr PC murder case

  24-10-2016 16:53
  The witness said he was not alarmed when he arrived outside Stefano Brizzi's flat in Southwark, south London, simply thinking someone inside must have been "throwing up" when he was told the date was cancelled. The man is giving evidence anonymously in the trial of alleged sadomasochist Brizzi, who is accused of strangling PC Gordon Semple during a Grindr date and then trying to dispose of his body in a bath of acid.
  
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• Scholars use Big Data to show Marlowe co-wrote three Shakespeare plays

  24-10-2016 16:18
  By Estelle Shirbon LONDON (Reuters) - A new edition of William Shakespeare's complete works will name Christopher Marlowe as co-author of three plays, shedding new light on the links between the two great playwrights after centuries of speculation and conspiracy theories. Marlowe will be listed as co-author of the three Henry VI plays in the New Oxford Shakespeare, due to be published in several instalments over the coming weeks by the Oxford University Press. "Shakespeare has entered the world
  
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• Man held after chemical incident at London City Airport

  24-10-2016 16:10
  
  Twenty-five people needed treatment at the scene, while two others were taken to hospital.
  
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• No 10 warns UK leaders not to 'undermine' Brexit negotiations

  24-10-2016 15:21
  
  The Scottish First Minister has hit back after Number 10 warned UK leaders not to "undermine" Brexit negotiations. As Theresa May met with the leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in Downing Street, her spokeswoman was busy warning that the Prime Minister expected them "to no way undermine the UK's position". The spokeswoman added that there would not be separate deals for Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland but one UK-wide approach to negotiations that will see th
  
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• Glasgow police officers 'deliberately' hit by car

  24-10-2016 15:13
  Two police officers are in a serious condition after being deliberately hit by a car. Detective Inspector Ian Hylands said: "Two police officers, in responding to an incident to help protect the public, have been badly injured.
  
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• Justin Bieber storms off stage during concert in Manchester

  24-10-2016 15:04
  
  Justin Bieber stormed off stage at his latest Manchester concert, after asking the fans to stop screaming in the gaps between songs. The Baby star dropped the mic and walked off stage during his Manchester Arena show on Sunday, after asking fans to stop screaming during his show. It's the third time the Canadian singer has mentioned his frustration with his fans' behaviour since the start of his Purpose world tour.
  
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• Ashers bakery in Belfast loses gay marriage cake legal challenge

  24-10-2016 14:59
  
  Belfast-based Ashers told gay activist Gareth Lee they would not make the cake featuring Sesame Street puppets and the logo of campaign group Queerspace. In a case taken by the Equality Commission, District Judge Isobel Brownlie ruled that the bakery had broken sexual orientation and political discrimination law and ordered it to pay £500. Three senior judges heard the appeal in Belfast in May and the reserved judgement was delivered on Monday.
  
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• Belfast bakery fails to overturn gay cake discrimination ruling

  24-10-2016 14:49
  By Amanda Ferguson BELFAST (Reuters) - A Northern Irish bakery that refused to bake a cake iced with a pro-gay slogan lost its bid to overturn its prosecution for discrimination on Monday as a local court rejected an appeal based on its owners' Christian beliefs. Ashers Baking Co in Belfast had been found guilty of discrimination in May last year for refusing to make a cake bearing the words "Support Gay Marriage" and a picture of characters Bert and Ernie from the television show Sesame Street.
  
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• Doctors reveal 40 'unnecessary' NHS treatments and tests

  24-10-2016 14:44
  Doctors are offering patients too many unnecessary tests and treatments, senior medics have warned. Plain old tap water is just as good as saline solution when it comes to cleaning cuts, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges has said, while X-rays and plaster casts are not always useful in some patients' cases. Professor Maureen Baker, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, described the report as "a dose of common sense".
  
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• What is the significance of the Calais 'Jungle'?

  24-10-2016 14:33
  
  Thousands of migrants are leaving the camp.
  
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• UK manufacturing exports rise on boost from weaker pound

  24-10-2016 14:07
  
  The latest Confederation of British Industry's industrial trends survey shows a growth in output and orders during the last quarter. Sterling has fallen by almost 20% against the dollar since the UK voted to leave the European Union in June. Rain Newton-Smith, the CBI's chief economist, said: "Manufacturers are optimistic about export prospects and export orders are growing, following the fall in sterling.
  
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• At odds over Brexit, UK nations discuss how to cooperate on terms

  24-10-2016 13:45
  By Kylie MacLellan LONDON (Reuters) - The leaders of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales met British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday to discuss what part the three nations will play in the Brexit process, a thorny issue that risks triggering a constitutional crisis. May proposes setting up a new committee to give the three devolved governments, which have varying degrees of autonomy from London, a formal avenue to express views on how Britain's future relationship with the European Union s
  
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• MPs warn Obama over extradition of autistic hacking suspect Lauri Love

  24-10-2016 13:37
  An autistic British man accused of hacking into US computers would be put at risk if he was extradited to the US,, MPs have warned Barack Obama. In a letter to the US President, which has been signed by 105 MPs, they caution that Lauri Love has a "long history of serious mental health issues" and stress "deep concern" for his safety. US authorities have been attempting to have Love extradited to face trial for a series of online attacks on the Federal Reserve, the US Army, NASA and the FBI
  
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• Let's see the £350m promised by Brexit campaigners for the NHS, say MPs

  24-10-2016 13:21
  
  The NHS must get the £350m a week extra it was promised by Brexit campaigners, MPs have demanded. More than 40 pro-EU MPs have written to Chancellor Philip Hammond to demand he signals the money will be made available for the health service in the Autumn Statement next month. The controversial claim was plastered across the Vote Leave bus during EU referendum campaigning but since key figures have appeared to retreat from the pledge.
  
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• Britain's devolved nations must not undermine Brexit talks - May's spokeswoman

  24-10-2016 13:21
  Britain's devolved governments should not undermine the country's negotiating position ahead of European Union exit talks by conducting their own discussions with the bloc, British Prime Minister Theresa May's spokeswoman said on Monday. "We've been very clear that we should be working together to secure the best possible deal for the whole country and we expect representatives of the devolved administrations to act in that way and to in no way undermine the UK's position," the spokeswoman said.
  
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• Calls for more research as football headers linked to memory loss

  24-10-2016 13:13
  The daughter of former England footballer Jeff Astle has called for more research after a study found that heading a ball can significantly affect a player's brain. Researchers at Stirling University monitored a group of players heading the ball 20 times, and said they identified "small but significant changes in brain function". Astle, a former West Bromwich Albion forward, died in 2002 at the age of 59 from a degenerative brain disease.
  
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• UK to announce airport decision to parliament on Tuesday - May's spokeswoman

  24-10-2016 12:51
  LONDON (Reuters) - British transport minister Chris Grayling will make a statement to parliament about airport expansion in south east England around 1130 GMT on Tuesday, Prime Minister Theresa May's spokeswoman said on Monday. May is due to chair a meeting of a small team of ministers on Tuesday to make the long-awaited decision over whether to give the go ahead for expansion to the west of London at Heathrow, Britain and Europe's busiest airport, or to the south at Gatwick. (Reporting by Willi
  
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• Latina sisters punk Eric Trump in the best possible way

  24-10-2016 12:48
  
  It’s Eric’s second gaffe in one week.
  
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• Christian bakers who refused to bake a pro-gay marriage cake have lost their appeal

  24-10-2016 12:40
  
  The original discrimination ruling has been upheld.
  
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• 'They are children too'

  24-10-2016 12:30 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A 13-year-old boy has been given a four year sentence for the rape of a nine-year-old boy. How does the system deal with such young sexual offenders and their victims?
  
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• British banker Rurik Jutting 'tortured murder victim' for three days in Hong Kong

  24-10-2016 12:12
  A British banker tortured one of his victims for three days before killing her and hiding her body in a suitcase, the jury at his murder trial in Hong Kong has been told. Rurik Jutting also filmed the torture of one of his victims on his mobile phone, the court heard. The 31-year-old admits manslaughter of the two Indonesian women on the grounds of diminished responsibility, but denies murder.
  
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• MPs appeal to President Obama to block extradition of British hacking suspect Lauri Love

  24-10-2016 12:04
  
  The 105 cross-party backbenchers have signed a letter to the American leader, stressing their “deep concern for the safety” of Lauri Love – who is accused of hacking.
  
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• Ashers' bakery loses gay marriage cake legal challenge

  24-10-2016 11:52
  Christian bakers who broke discrimination rules by refusing to make a cake with a pro-gay marriage slogan have lost their appeal. Belfast-based Ashers told gay activist Gareth Lee cake they would not make the cake featuring the Sesame Street puppets Bert and Ernie and the logo of Belfast campaign group Queerspace. Three senior judges heard the appeal in Belfast in May and the reserved judgement was delivered this morning.
  
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• May to offer Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland talks with Brexit minister

  24-10-2016 11:43
  Representatives of the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish governments will get a chance to tell Brexit minister David Davis how they hope Britain's future relationship with the EU will work, under plans the government announced on Monday. At a meeting on Monday, Prime Minister Theresa May will offer the leaders of the three devolved governments, which have varying degrees of autonomy, formal discussions on Brexit at least twice before the end of the year, her office said. "The country is facing
  
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• The exodus from the Calais 'Jungle' has begun

  24-10-2016 11:26
  
  Refugees and migrants are leaving ahead of the planned demolition of the camp.
  
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• Microsoft to raise enterprise prices in UK after pound plunges

  24-10-2016 11:08
  By Kate Holton LONDON (Reuters) - Microsoft plans to increase prices for some enterprise services by up to 22 percent in Britain following the plunge in the pound, likely hitting thousands of companies and government departments who rely on its cloud and software products. Microsoft said it would increase prices for its enterprise software by 13 percent and for its cloud services by 22 percent from Jan. 1 next year, becoming the latest tech company to raise fees in the wake of the vote to leave
  
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• The Scott Trust: why the Guardian is unique

  24-10-2016 11:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The Guardian’s ownership structure means any financial gains go into journalism rather than shareholders’ pockets, a priority that continues, says Liz Forgan, as she welcomes a new Scott Trust chairFrom the moment I arrived at the Guardian as a young writer, I knew I was joining a special place of open, independent, courageous journalism, free of political or commercial masters. And I knew that the reason the Guardian was not like any other newspaper was largely because of the Scott
  
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• Hong Kong jury to see 'torture' video as British banker's trial begins

  24-10-2016 10:44
  By Farah Master HONG KONG (Reuters) - A Hong Kong judge warned jurors that they will have to view video filmed by former British banker Rurik Jutting of the torture and vicious killing of two Indonesian women he is accused of murdering as the trial got under way on Monday. Jutting, who studied at Cambridge University and Winchester College, one of Britain's most prestigious private schools, pleaded not guilty to murder on grounds of "diminished responsibility". During the jury selection, Deputy
  
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• BHS lives on as new owners plan 'ambitious' overseas expansion

  24-10-2016 10:43
  
  The owners of the international arm of BHS are on the verge of securing deals with franchise partners in Africa, the Middle East and Europe. BHS International also has 11 franchise partners in charge of 61 stores in 14 countries, including Malta, Jordan, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Russia and the United Arab Emirates. The first overseas franchise store opened in 1985 and BHS International now plans to enter 10 new countries, which they would not identify, as contracts have yet to be sign
  
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• Teenage Tube alert suspect Damon Smith 'in love with IS'

  24-10-2016 10:29
  A man being questioned by police after a suspicious item was found at North Greenwich Tube station is 19-year-old Damon Smith, Sky sources can reveal. On Saturday, anti-terror police evacuated their former home in Tudor Road, Newton Abbot, after finding "an item they deemed suspicious". The discovery is linked to a device which was found at the North Greenwich Tube station, Metropolitan Police said.
  
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• British banker Rurik Jutting 'filmed torture of murder victim' in Hong Kong

  24-10-2016 10:22
  Former British banker Rurik Jutting filmed the torture of one of his victims on his mobile phone, jurors at his murder trial in Hong Kong have been told. Judge Michael Stuart-Moore warned them there were "particularly horrifying aspects to this case, with one victim subject to extreme violence and cruelty amounting to torture" before she died. "Much of what the jury will see or hear is very disturbing indeed," the judge said, but added that Jutting is entitled to a fair trial.
  
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• Women march in protest after man writes an open letter saying they should not wear yoga pants in public

  24-10-2016 10:05
  
  More than 300 people came out for the social media-driven event.
  
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