General news

• Aleppo battle: UN chief warns of 'atrocities against civilians' - BBC News

  12-12-2016 23:54 via bbc.co.uk
  
  BBC News
  Aleppo battle: UN chief warns of 'atrocities against civilians'
  BBC News
  UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced alarm "over reports of atrocities against a large number of civilians" in Syria's city of Aleppo. Mr Ban urged all the sides, particularly Syria's government and its allies, to protect civilians. UN ...
  Syrians in Aleppo warn of atrocities and post final goodbyes on TwitterITV News
  Aleppo residents issue evacuation plea as Assad loyalists tighten gripThe Guardian
  Syria r
  
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• Post Office workers are going on strike before Christmas and people aren't quite sure how to feel about it

  12-12-2016 23:46
  
  People online are conflicted about the five-day strike workers are planning.
  
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• Brexit may take longer than two years to finalise, Hammond warns

  12-12-2016 23:03
  Philip Hammond says the UK's future relationship with the EU may not be fully determined by the deadline for Brexit. The Chancellor told MPs there is an "emerging view" among businesses, regulators and some politicians that the two-year timeframe after Article 50 is triggered may not be long enough to reach a "clear and firm end state". Giving evidence at the Treasury Select Committee, he suggested a transitional deal may be required to prevent a sudden "cliff edge" change in trade arrangements
  
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• Which First Dog on the Moon creature are you? Take the test in our festive special!

  12-12-2016 22:29 via theguardian.com
  
  Are you Brenda the Civil Disobedience Penguin, Fiona the Unemployed Bettong, A Racist Carrot, the ABC Interpretive Dance Bandicoot, Ian the Climate Denialist Potato or Pancetta Mandibles? Take this quiz to find your First Dog on the Moon soulmate• Help fund our journalism (including cartooning) through a one-off or monthly contributionThis is Ian the Climate Denialist Potato and his mum, Irene. What are they doing in this picture?Taking the pledge at the weekly meeting of the Greg Hunt Enth
  
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• Bold looks dominate the red carpet at the BBC Music Awards

  12-12-2016 22:06
  
  There wasn’t much basic black on show on one of music’s biggest nights.
  
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• Premier League boss Richard Scudamore: Reviewing abuse claims 'difficult'

  12-12-2016 21:50
  All clubs connected with allegations of historical child sexual abuse will be asked to account for their actions, the Premier League executive chairman has said. Speaking publicly for the first time since allegations of abuse at a number of clubs surfaced, Richard Scudamore said he had confidence in current safeguarding measures for children, and that all clubs were reviewing their practices. Premier League leaders Chelsea have been linked to the scandal after it emerged that the club paid
  
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• This teenage refugee scored impeccably on his exam results even though he only learned English two years ago

  12-12-2016 21:49
  You can’t keep this young man down.
  
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• Colby Cosh: The rabid imbeciles of the 'Moral Elector' movement to steal Trump's election - National Post

  12-12-2016 21:26 via news.nationalpost.com
  
  National Post
  Colby Cosh: The rabid imbeciles of the 'Moral Elector' movement to steal Trump's election
  National Post
  In the U.S. right now, a gang of traumatized artists and intellectuals is proposing that members of the Electoral College should ignore the result of November's election and collectively choose some president other than (Choke! Gag!) Donald Trump.
  Secret CIA assessment says Russia was trying to help Trump win White HouseWashington Post
  Russian Hackers Acted to Aid Trump in Elect
  
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• Five days of Post Office strikes before Christmas

  12-12-2016 21:08
  Post Office workers are to stage five days of strikes in the week leading up to Christmas. The Communication Workers Union (CWU) said the walkout would include Christmas Eve. A spokesman defended the decision to strike, saying the union feared the Post Office "as we know it" will cease to exist unless "we stand up now".
  
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• Post Office workers to strike in week before Christmas

  12-12-2016 20:49
  Post Office workers are to stage five days of strikes in the week leading up to Christmas. The Communication Workers Union (CWU) said the walkout will include Christmas Eve. A spokesman defended the decision to strike, saying the union feared the Post Office "as we know it" will cease to exist unless "we stand up now".
  
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• UK should address workers forming companies to cut tax bill - Hammond

  12-12-2016 20:01
  Britain should address the way some workers use companies to lessen their tax bill, Chancellor Philip Hammond said on Monday, adding that any changes were an issue for the long term. Hammond suggested the tax system should differentiate between those who create companies to take genuine risk and invest capital, and those who use companies as a "hollow structure" to pay themselves through dividends in order to pay a lower rate of tax to income tax.
  
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• BREAKING: Christmas chaos as Post Office to strike for FIVE DAYS in lead up to December 25

  12-12-2016 19:53 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  POST Office workers have announced they will be striking in the five days before Christmas.
  
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• Garden dug up in search for missing Margaret Fleming

  12-12-2016 19:40
  Margaret Fleming, 36, was reported missing on 28 October by two carers who are believed to live at her home in Inverkip, Inverclyde. Detectives say Ms Fleming has few contactable friends or family and checks on education, employment, health and welfare records have shown no trace of her. Ms Fleming is described as about 5ft 5in tall, with collar length black hair and brown eyes, and of heavy build.
  
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• Six injured after Ferrari collides with pedestrians in Battersea

  12-12-2016 19:21
  The driver has been arrested.
  
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• MPs to size up post-Brexit bridging deal for banks

  12-12-2016 19:13
  By Huw Jones LONDON (Reuters) - A deal to bridge the gap between Britain leaving the European Union and the introduction of its new trading terms with the bloc could shield financial firms from any abrupt changes and ultimately keep them based in the UK, a senior MP said, finding support from the finance ministry. Banks in Britain have said their fingers are "hovering over the relocate button" because they still don't have a clear idea of what life after leaving the EU will look like. Financial
  
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• Ferrari driver arrested after seven pedestrians are injured - Sunday World

  12-12-2016 19:09 via sundayworld.com
  
  Sunday World
  Ferrari driver arrested after seven pedestrians are injured
  Sunday World
  A Ferrari driver has been arrested after seven pedestrians were injured in a collision with his sports car. Two people remain in hospital after the incident in Battersea Park Road, south London, shortly before 10.30am on Monday. Five other pedestrians ...and more »
  
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• BREAKING: Former BBC weatherman Ian McCaskill dies aged 78

  12-12-2016 19:07 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  MUCH-LOVED BBC weatherman Ian McCaskill has died age 78 after battling dementia for five years.
  
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• Grandmother who went to hospital with broken arm died after name mix-up, inquest hears

  12-12-2016 19:01 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  A GRANDMOTHER who went into hospital with a broken arm died after a fatal mix-up with her name meant staff never realised she was there.
  
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• Six hurt as Ferrari ploughs into pedestrians in Battersea

  12-12-2016 18:45
  Six people were injured when a Ferrari ploughed into pedestrians on a pavement in south London. One resident near the accident on Battersea Park Road, Battersea, told the Evening Standard: "I heard a boom and then just people screaming and crying. Police, London Air Ambulance and London Ambulance Service attended the scene at about 10.30am on Monday.
  
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• Man linked to Forest Hill station stabbing 'shouted death to Muslims'

  12-12-2016 18:39
  
  A man has been arrested following the incident.
  
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• Forest Hill station stabbing: Knifeman shouted 'I want to kill me a Muslim'

  12-12-2016 18:39
  A knifeman who reportedly stabbed a rail passenger in front of his wife in southeast London shouted "I want to kill me a Muslim", according to a witness.
  
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• UK won't stop flow of highly skilled workers after Brexit - Hammond

  12-12-2016 18:31
  Britain will introduce a system to control the flow of workers from EU countries once it leaves the bloc but will not cut off the supply of skilled staff needed by British companies, Chancellor Philip Hammond said on Monday. "I can't conceive of any circumstance in which we would use that system to choke off the supply of highly skilled, highly paid workers," Hammond told MPs. Hammond has said workers in areas such as financial services will continue to be able to work in Britain after it leaves
  
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• UK investigators help smash illegal immigrant smuggling gang

  12-12-2016 18:31
  British investigators have helped smash an international crime gang charging illegal immigrants €10,000 (£8,371) to be smuggled into the UK. The UK's National Crime Agency worked with Greek police who arrested 24 suspects during raids in Athens. A 46-year-old British woman was one of nine other suspects arrested by Home Office investigators during linked raids in Manchester, Northampton and Glasgow last week.
  
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• Hammond backs Brexit transition, says would help EU too

  12-12-2016 18:31
  British Chancellor Philip Hammond backed the idea of a transition period between Britain leaving the European Union and the finalisation of its new relationship with the bloc, and said EU countries also stood to gain. "I don't think we should approach this on the basis that we need transitional arrangements, because I think we can only get to a situation where we have a transition if there is a genuine meeting of minds on both sides of this negotiation that they are beneficial," Hammond told mem
  
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• UK adopts official anti-Semitism definition as attacks rise

  12-12-2016 18:21
  Theresa May has said the UK is adopting an international formal definition of anti-Semitism in an effort to tackle hatred against Jewish people. The Prime Minster said culprits were getting away with anti-Semitic behaviour or language "because the term is ill defined". Mrs May, speaking in London at an event held by the Conservative Friends of Israel, described the move as a "ground-breaking step" in the fight to tackle rising anti-Jewish attacks.
  
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• One way to celebrate! Couple need help decorating huge 52ft tall CHRISTMAS TREE

  12-12-2016 18:09 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  MANY families go to extreme lengths to celebrate Christmas.
  
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• Forest Hill stabbing: Knifeman chased train passengers while shouting 'I want to kill a Muslim' - Evening Standard

  12-12-2016 17:59 via standard.co.uk
  
  Evening Standard
  Forest Hill stabbing: Knifeman chased train passengers while shouting 'I want to kill a Muslim'
  Evening Standard
  A knifeman who stabbed a passenger on a train in south London marched through the carriages shouting “I want to kill a Muslim”, according to witnesses. Police arrested a 38-year-old on suspicion of GBH following the incident at Forest Hill station at ...
  Forest Hill station: Man 'stabbed' and attacker on loose in London horrorDaily Star
  Forest Hill: Passe
  
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• Southern rail warns against travel as strikes court challenge fails

  12-12-2016 17:52
  
  Southern Railway strikes are set to cause pre-Christmas chaos this week as 500,000 passengers are left unable to travel. Commuters have already faced months of disruption because of industrial action, staff shortages and other problems - and many have said their bosses are getting fed up of staff struggling to get to work. Charles Horton, Chief Executive of Govia Thameslink Railway, said: "We had a responsibility to the travelling public to do what we could to stop this unprecedented strike
  
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• British men jailed for funding Brussels bomb suspect

  12-12-2016 17:39
  Two Britons were jailed on Monday for funding terrorism by handing cash to Brussels bombing suspect Mohamed Abrini, "the man in the hat". Abrini, 31, was arrested in Belgium in April in connection with a suicide bombing at Brussels' Zaventem Airport and a blast at a metro station in which 32 people died. Abrini has been charged with being part of a terrorist organisation and is awaiting trial.
  
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• Can the law do anything to stop fake news?

  12-12-2016 17:38
  
  Not really, no.
  
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• Two Britons jailed after giving cash to Brussels bombing suspect

  12-12-2016 17:37
  
  Two British men who gave money to one of the main suspects in the Paris and Brussels atrocities have been sent to prison. Zakaria Boufassil and Mohammed Ali Ahmed secretly met Mohamed Abrini in a Birmingham park last year and handed him £3,000 in cash - months before a terror attack in the French capital killed 130 people. Abrini then allegedly went on to help with the attacks on Brussels airport and a metro station on 22 March this year, which killed 32 people.
  
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• Young rugby player died after slipping during a tackle and hitting his head, inquest hears

  12-12-2016 17:29 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  A PROMISING young rugby player died in a "tragic accident" after he slipped during a tackle and hit his head on the ground, an inquest has heard.
  
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• Outrage as Southern Rail set to cause TRAVEL CHAOS after planned strike gets go ahead

  12-12-2016 17:16 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  HUNDREDS of thousands of commuters have been urged not to travel on Southern Rail on Tuesday as a planned strike looks set to cripple the network.
  
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• Half a dozen people injured after Ferrari supercar ploughs into pedestrians

  12-12-2016 17:07 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  SIX pedestrians were injured after a Ferrari 458 Speciale hit them in Battersea, south London.
  
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• Two by two, pantomime horses trot charitably through London

  12-12-2016 16:59
  Competitors galloped and neighed through the streets of southeast London on Sunday in a pantomime horse race. "It's for charity and it showcases Greenwich and London in all its fun," said Greenwich local Richard Pearson, who was named winner with his son.
  
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• 'I voted for a safe choice': readers on the Romanian election

  12-12-2016 16:54 via theguardian.com
  
  We asked readers how they voted in the Romanian parliamentary elections. Here’s what some of them said
  The Romanian centre-left party the Social Democrats (PSD) have won the country’s parliamentary elections following the departure of its last socialist prime minister due to corruption.
  The Social Democrats won 46% of Sunday’s election votes with the National Liberal Party (PNL) coming second with around 20%. Founded in 2015, new anti-corruption party Save Romania Union (USR) c
  
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• Forest Hill station stabbing: Knifeman shouted 'I want to kill a Muslim'

  12-12-2016 16:54
  A knifeman who reportedly stabbed a rail passenger at a train station in southeast London shouted, "I want to kill a Muslim", according to a witness. One man was injured in the attack at Forest Hill station at around lunchtime on Monday. Witnesses described the "horrific" attack and its aftermath on Twitter.
  
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• Christmas dinner 'fatbergs' could cause flooding, warn water companies

  12-12-2016 16:53
  Christmas dinner with all the traditional trimmings could lead to congealed cooking oil and grease blocking drains up and down the country, water companies have warned. Engineers from Severn Trent Water have been digging tons of the greasy gunk - which sets in a solid mass known as "fatbergs" - out of sewers in the West Midlands. The company - and others across the country - are warning customers to think twice before tipping cooking oil down the drain.
  
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• 'Don't travel': London commuters face misery as train drivers strike

  12-12-2016 16:50
  Hundreds of thousands of commuters in south London and southern England along with travellers to Gatwick Airport were facing travel misery on Tuesday as a strike by train drivers was set to bring rail services to a standstill. Drivers working for Southern Rail, which runs trains from central London to Gatwick and Brighton on the south coast, will walk out for 48 hours over a long-running dispute about whose job it should be to open and close the train doors. Southern, run by Govia Thameslink Rai
  
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• Exclusive - Fox nears firm bid for Sky via scheme of arrangement: sources

  12-12-2016 16:41
  By Sophie Sassard and Kate Holton LONDON (Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch's Twenty-First Century Fox aims to table a firm cash bid valuing British broadcaster Sky at 10.75 pounds per share as early as Wednesday to help him buy the rest of the company, four people familiar with the matter said. This could make it easier for Fox to wrap up a deal as it would only require 75 percent approval from shareholders, against 90 percent through a straight takeover under UK rules. This comes after Fox made a prop
  
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• Is Brexit trigger reversible? Irish court case planned

  12-12-2016 16:40
  By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - A crowdfunded legal challenge to determine whether Britain's divorce from the European Union can be reversed once it has been triggered will be submitted to the Irish High Court before Christmas, the lawyer behind the move said on Monday. Lawyers for the British government have said the process is irrevocable once started, but some EU leaders say Britain can change its mind. Jolyon Maugham, a London tax lawyer, wants his case to go eventually to the European
  
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• Man stabs passenger in London then shouts "I want to kill a Muslim" - Daily Mirror

  12-12-2016 16:30
  A man stabbed a passenger on a train at a south London station and then chased people shouting: "I want to kill a Muslim", the Daily Mirror reported on Monday, in an incident police said was not "terrorism-related." Shoppers and other travellers ran away as the man roamed the streets for up to 15 minutes, the newspaper reported. "A man has been arrested after a man was seriously assaulted at Forest Hill station this afternoon," British Transport Police said in a statement on their website.
  
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• Labour to ask urgent parliamentary question on Fox bid for Sky

  12-12-2016 16:08
  Britain's main opposition Labour Party will ask an urgent question in parliament on Monday about the proposed bid by Rupert Murdoch's Twenty-First Century Fox for pay-TV company Sky , the parliamentary website said. It did not say what question Kevin Brennan, Labour's culture, media and sport spokesman would pose, but opposition lawmakers say Murdoch's takeover bid must be investigated by competition authorities to make sure the deal does not hand the billionaire too much control over Britain's
  
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• BREAKING NEWS: Men who gave £3,000 to 'Man in the Hat' Brussels bombing suspect jailed

  12-12-2016 16:05 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  TWO men who supplied £3,000 to Brussels bombing suspect Mohamed Abrini, dubbed the 'Man in the Hat', have been jailed today.
  
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• Border force agents check EU FISHING QUOTAS instead of stopping 'illegal migrants'

  12-12-2016 16:05 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  FISHERMEN have hit out at “absolutely shocking” Border Force agents who are using their migrant patrol boats to instead check they are sticking to EU fishing quotas.
  
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• WATCH: Tory MP left spluttering on Daily Politics as he is quizzed over PM trouser row

  12-12-2016 15:47 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  A TORY MP was left visibly uncomfortable after being quizzed on Daily Politics over the row about Theresa May's trousers which has led to a former Cabinet member being banned from No 10.
  
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• Fox to bid for Sky this week via scheme of arrangement - sources

  12-12-2016 15:22
  By Sophie Sassard LONDON (Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch's Twenty-First Century Fox aims to make a firm cash bid for British broadcaster Sky this week, valuing the company at 10.75 pounds per share, several people familiar with the matter said on Monday. Fox and Sky have agreed to press ahead with a scheme of arrangement which could make it easier for Fox to get the deal approved as it requires just 75 percent of approval from shareholders, said the sources. Murdoch is also expected to keep Sky's chi
  
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• Girls have criticised an FA document for giving 'brainless baby Barbie' football tips

  12-12-2016 15:19
  
  Students have hit back in letters to Martin Glenn.
  
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• Could squid and chips be a taste of things to come in UK?

  12-12-2016 15:13
  Squid and chips - hardly a household favourite at the moment but a new study suggests traditional cold-water fish like cod and haddock are disappearing from Britain's warming waters. A report on fish populations in the North Sea shows rising sea temperatures are leading to an increase in warm-water fish like squid, sardines and anchovies. "In the long term we will need to adapt our diets," said Dr. John Pinnegar, who was presenting the findings on Monday at the British Ecological Society’s
  
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• ‘I want to kill Muslims’ Knifeman stabs man on train & chases passengers at London station

  12-12-2016 14:55 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  A MAN has been arrested after a "serious assault" in a London train station this lunchtime.
  
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