General news

• EU leaders agree to give Parliament role in preparing for Brexit talks - Tusk

  15-12-2016 23:38
  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU leaders have agreed to invite representatives of the European Parliament to participate in meetings to prepare for Britain's departure from the bloc, European Council President Donald Tusk said on Thursday. At a news conference, Tusk said leaders had discussed the Parliament's plea for a greater role in negotiations on Britain's divorce after the chamber's outgoing speaker warned them that it could block a Brexit deal. (Reporting by Alastair Macdonald, editing by Elizabet
  
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• Baby Lily's death inspired mitochondrial disease fight

  15-12-2016 21:41
  Liz Curtis's daughter Lily was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease just after being born and died at just seven-months-old. Ms Curtis now runs a charity - The Lily Foundation - which supports families and raises money for research into mitochondrial diseases. Lily was just seven weeks old when she was diagnosed with a mitochondrial disease.
  
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• From New York to London, rapid talks seal Sky-Fox deal

  15-12-2016 21:03
  By Kate Holton and Sophie Sassard LONDON (Reuters) - British business veteran Martin Gilbert was at his desk in early December when he received the call he had been expecting for years. James Murdoch wanted to meet. Days later, Gilbert, the deputy chairman of Sky , was in the New York offices of Twenty-First Century Fox meeting James, brother Lachlan, father Rupert and the U.S. firm's finance director John Nallen.
  
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• Readers recommend: share your songs about nightmares

  15-12-2016 21:00
  
  Make your nomination in the comments and a reader will pick the best eligible tracks for a playlist next week – you have until Monday 19 December We had readers recommend songs about dreams back in 2006 but, in the words of this week’s guru, who will select the new, darker list, they were “all a bit nicey-nicey”. Related: Readers recommend playlist: your songs about finishingContinue reading...
  
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• Jihadist Humza Ali went paintballing to train to join IS in Syria

  15-12-2016 20:49
  An apprentice bricklayer convicted of trying to join Islamic State fighters in Syria trained for battle at a paintballing centre, a court heard. A three-week trial at Birmingham Crown Court heard that Ali wanted to "fight until I die" in Syria. Ali, of Ward End, Birmingham, denied dissemination of terrorist material and trying to travel to Syria for terrorist purposes.
  
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• Maple Mill fire sees homes evacuated in Oldham

  15-12-2016 20:37
  Hundreds of people were told to leave their homes after fire struck an industrial building in Oldham, northeast of Manchester. It was already "well-developed" when the first band of 80 firefighters arrived, said Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service Area Commander Warren Pickstone. Firefighters took around seven hours to get the flames under control, having to withdraw at one point after part of the building collapsed and the heat became too intense.
  
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• UK faces Brexit settlement bill of up to £50bn, Sky sources say

  15-12-2016 20:28
  
  The European Commission's chief negotiator is working on the basis the UK would have to pay a Brexit settlement fee of 50-60 billion euros (£42bn-£50bn) for outstanding liabilities, Sky sources say. The Commission chief negotiator Michel Barnier has mentioned this figure to EU leaders in his tour of EU capitals.
  
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• Borough Market's evening of cheese was probably the most middle class 'disaster' you can get

  15-12-2016 19:46
  
  Get ready for the fromage-based puns.
  
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• Murdoch's Fox agrees 11.7 billion pounds Sky deal to expand empire

  15-12-2016 19:19
  Rupert Murdoch's Twenty-First Century Fox has struck a 11.7 billion pounds deal to buy European pay-TV firm Sky that unites a media empire across two continents and helps it take on rivals like Netflix in the battle for viewers. Fox said it would pay 10.75 pounds per share - or 11.7 billion pounds - for the 61 percent of Sky it does not already own to control a business with 22 million customers in Britain, Ireland, Italy, Germany and Austria. People familiar with the matter told Reuters the Ame
  
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• It looks like Wes Morgan just signed a sponsorship deal with Captain Morgan rum

  15-12-2016 18:05
  
  The 32-year-old posted a picture that appears to be of his contract with the drinks company.
  
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• Southern Railway strike: Talks fail to put an end to dispute

  15-12-2016 18:04
  
  Southern Railway passengers face a third day of strikes in a week after talks aimed at ending the dispute broke up without agreement. Aslef said it was open for any future discussions. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: "I am deeply disappointed that this totally unnecessary strike action is to continue and causing thousands of passengers more disruption and misery.
  
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• Leaders must sort out Brexit negotiating stance, says May

  15-12-2016 17:24
  By Elizabeth Piper and Alastair Macdonald BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May said on Thursday it was right for EU leaders to discuss Brexit without her over dinner, suggesting they needed time to sort out their position and prepare for Britain's divorce negotiations. At the start of a summit which EU leaders will follow by sharing a dinner without the British prime minister, May sought to reinforce her message that, while still a member, Britain will play a full part in discussions
  
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• UK train strike to continue as talks fail to end dispute

  15-12-2016 17:23
  By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - A strike by train drivers which has brought rail services in southern England to a standstill and caused chaos for hundreds of thousands of London commuters will continue after talks on Thursday failed to end the dispute. Drivers on the Southern Rail network will begin a 24-hour stoppage at midnight following two days of strikes earlier in the week which caused Britain's worst rail disruption for two decades. "Passengers and businesses are being held to ranso
  
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• Paedophile and ex-police officer Gordon Anglesea dies in hospital

  15-12-2016 16:58
  Convicted paedophile and former North Wales Police superintendent Gordon Anglesea has died in hospital.
  
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• Southern rail strike: Talks fail to put an end to dispute

  15-12-2016 16:57
  The third Southern rail strike of the week will go ahead tomorrow after talks aimed at ending the dispute ended without agreement. "The Office of Rail and Road and the Rail Safety Standards Board have stated that drivers closing doors is a safe mode of operation.
  
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• British commercial property values rise for second straight month since Brexit - MSCI

  15-12-2016 16:55
  British commercial property values rose in November for the second straight month since Britain voted in June to leave the European Union, having declined in the first three months after the vote, according to a survey published on Thursday. Fears for property prices in the immediate aftermath of the Brexit vote had some investors rushing to pull their cash out of commercial property funds, causing a temporary lock-up on around 18 billion pounds in assets. The British economy has shown unexpecte
  
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• Pictured: Nurse, 37, and her seven-year-old son found dead in London - Daily Mail

  15-12-2016 16:52 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Daily Mail
  Pictured: Nurse, 37, and her seven-year-old son found dead in London
  Daily Mail
  The bodies of a seven-year-old boy and a woman have been found at a home in west London. Sinead Higgins, 37, and her son Oisin O'Driscoll were found dead at their semi-detached house in Ruislip yesterday morning. The deaths are currently being ...
  Murder probe as body of mother and son, 7, found in home after police forced their way inMirror.co.uk
  Ruislip murder: First picture of mother found dead al
  
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• Rio Ferdinand donates presents worth £500000 to children's charity - Belfast Telegraph

  15-12-2016 16:42 via belfasttelegraph.co.uk
  
  Belfast Telegraph
  Rio Ferdinand donates presents worth £500000 to children's charity
  Belfast Telegraph
  Former England and Manchester United footballer Rio Ferdinand has donated £500,000 worth of presents to children living in poverty this Christmas. The soccer star and the team at his restaurant Rosso pledged their support to the Cash for Kids Mission ...
  Rio Ferdinand donating £500000 of toys to give to needy children this ChristmasDaily Mail
  Rio Ferdinand shows his clas
  
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• Punch Taverns in multi-million pound deal with Heineken

  15-12-2016 16:40
  Punch Taverns has agreed to a carve-up of its pub estate in a £403m deal which will see Dutch brewer Heineken become the UK's third largest operator. Heineken, which also owns the Strongbow and Foster's brands, is paying £305m to swallow up 1,900 pubs, while partner Patron Capital will take on 1,300. The agreement saw the bidders fight off a rival proposal from Punch co-founder Alan McIntosh.
  
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• Whey too popular: foodies angered by crowds at London cheese festival - The Guardian

  15-12-2016 16:37 via theguardian.com
  
  The Guardian
  Whey too popular: foodies angered by crowds at London cheese festival
  The Guardian
  It was billed as a “fromage-themed extravaganza” but a cheese festival at London's historic Borough Market left a bad taste in the mouth of many foodies who complained of dangerous overcrowding. More than 18,000 people on Facebook indicated they were ...and more »
  
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• Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox has reached an agreement to take over broadcaster Sky for £11.7 billion - Daily Mail

  15-12-2016 16:27 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Daily Mail
  Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox has reached an agreement to take over broadcaster Sky for £11.7 billion
  Daily Mail
  Divided: Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox has reached an agreement to take over broadcaster Sky for £11.7billion. Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox has reached an agreement to take over broadcaster Sky for £11.7billion. Culture Secretary Karen ...
  Rupert Murdoch confirms £11.7bn Sky bidThe Guardian
  Sky takeover 'a patsy deal'BBC News
  Ruper
  
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• Hundreds leave Aleppo under rebel withdrawal deal - Daily Mail

  15-12-2016 16:10 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Daily Mail
  Hundreds leave Aleppo under rebel withdrawal deal
  Daily Mail
  Hundreds of civilians and rebels left Aleppo on Thursday under an evacuation deal that will allow Syria's regime to take full control of the city after years of fighting. The rebel withdrawal began a month to the day after President Bashar al-Assad's ...
  Aleppo Syria battle: Evacuation of rebel-held east under wayBBC News
  The latest from Aleppo: Assad says 'history is being made' in AleppoCTV News
  Aleppo evacuations begin a
  
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• Investor Royal London asks Sky committee for more information

  15-12-2016 16:04
  Investor Royal London Asset Management on Thursday asked Sky's independent committee of directors for more information on the advice on which they based their acceptance of a $14.6 billion (11.69 billion pound) offer from Twenty-First Century Fox. Rupert Murdoch's Fox said earlier on Thursday it had agreed to buy European pay-TV firm Sky, sticking to its earlier offer despite complaints from some investors. "We would urge the independent committee of Sky directors, who recommended that sharehold
  
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• Murdoch's Fox agrees 11.69 billion pounds deal to buy Sky and bolster empire

  15-12-2016 16:01
  By Kate Holton and Paul Sandle LONDON (Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch's Twenty-First Century Fox has struck a $14.6 billion (11.69 billion pounds) deal to buy European pay-TV firm Sky that consolidates a media empire across two continents and helps it take on rivals like Netflix in the battle for viewers. Fox, which announced a preliminary deal on Friday, said it would pay 10.75 pounds per share - or 11.6 billion pounds - for the 61 percent of Sky it does not already own to fully acquire its 22 milli
  
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• Labour MPs target 'Scrooge' employers in 'embarrassing' Christmas song

  15-12-2016 16:01
  
  The honourable members donned Santa hats and antlers to record the single, which is to the tune of the 1980s hit Do They Know It's Christmas? Some of the best-known names in British business are mentioned in the song: "B&Q, Tesco and Waitrose, John Lewis, Caffe Nero and Eat. MP Siobhain McDonagh, who organised the recording last week, told Sky News: "We are not anti-business, we love business.
  
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• Oxford food scientist reveals perfect cheese and crackers formula

  15-12-2016 15:55
  This is important.
  
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• Brexit trade deal could take 10 years, says UK's ambassador - BBC News

  15-12-2016 15:44 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Financial Times
  Brexit trade deal could take 10 years, says UK's ambassador
  BBC News
  A post-Brexit UK-EU trade deal might take 10 years to finalise and still fail, Britain's ambassador to the EU has privately told the government. The BBC understands Sir Ivan Rogers warned ministers that the European consensus was that a deal might not ...
  EU mired in bickering with parliament ahead of Brexit talksDaily Mail
  May warned of 'complexities and difficulties' of Brexit at EU summitThe Independent
  UK m
  
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• 'Three parent' baby treatments for genetic disorders given green light - BT.com

  15-12-2016 15:40 via home.bt.com
  
  BT.com
  'Three parent' baby treatments for genetic disorders given green light
  BT.com
  Britain has become the first country in the world to give the go-ahead for licensed "three parent" baby treatments for inherited diseases. Share this. Facebook; Twitter; Google plus; Email; Share. 0. Scientists hope to treat up to 25 women a year with ...
  Babies made from three people approved in UKBBC News
  UK becomes first country to license three-parent babiesThe Guardian
  Aleppo evacuation efforts under wayDa
  
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• Traces of explosives are found on victims of EgyptAir crash that killed 66 - Daily Mail

  15-12-2016 15:26 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Daily Mail
  Traces of explosives are found on victims of EgyptAir crash that killed 66
  Daily Mail
  Traces of explosives have been found on the remains of an EgyptAir plane that crashed into the Mediterranean last year killing all 66 on board, it has emerged. The Airbus A320 plunged into the eastern Mediterranean en route from Paris to Cairo on May 19.
  EgyptAir crash: Explosives found on victims, say investigatorsBBC News
  EgyptAir crash: Traces of explosives found on bodies of victims killed in ai
  
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• Theresa May left hanging out alone at an EU summit is the most awkward thing you'll see today

  15-12-2016 15:09
  
  BBC reporter Daniel Sandford shared this cringe-worthy clip.
  
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• Sky agrees to takeover by 21st Century Fox

  15-12-2016 14:55
  Sky plc, the owner of Sky News, has agreed to a takeover by 21st Century Fox. The UK-based home entertainment and communications company made the announcement less than a week after Fox's renewed bid interest surfaced after a previous deal was withdrawn in 2011. The terms of the formal offer, being recommended by an independent committee of directors at Sky, would mean Fox paying £11.7bn, or £10.75 per share, for the 61% of Sky it does not already own.
  
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• UK agrees to licence three-parent IVF babies to prevent disease

  15-12-2016 14:36
  By Kate Kelland LONDON (Reuters) - Britain on Thursday became the first country to formally licence an in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment designed to create babies from three people. In a long-awaited decision, Britain's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) gave the final go-ahead for the treatment known as mitochondrial transfer, which doctors say could help prevent incurable inherited diseases. Britain's parliament last year voted to change the law to allow the treatments if
  
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• Compensation pledge for sex abuse victims at London children's home

  15-12-2016 14:20
  Victims of one of London's worst child sex abuse scandals are set to receive "tens of millions" of pounds in compensation. Lambeth Council says hundreds of people who grew up in their care will be able to make a fast-track claim. The agreement comes after an investigation by the Shirley Oaks Survivors Association (SOSA), which represents victims of child sex abuse at a children's home that closed in 1983.
  
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• Venezuelans on the removal of the 100-bolivar note: 'thoughtless, dangerous'

  15-12-2016 14:16
  
  Venezuelans say the government’s move to replace the note has come too late to reverse the country’s economic woesYou need a minimum of 50 100-bolivar notes to buy a McDonald’s burger in central Caracas, and that’s without a soft drink and fries on the side. With the smallest denomination being pulled from circulation and replaced with larger notes on Thursday, wallets might lighten. But Venezuelans who responded to a Guardian callout say the move will disrupt an already
  
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• Rolf Harris will not have to attend sex attack trial in person

  15-12-2016 14:11
  
  The TV presenter will face accusations via videolink – possibly a legal first.
  
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• Karen Danczuk's brother who raped her and two other women jailed for 15 years - Mirror.co.uk

  15-12-2016 14:11 via mirror.co.uk
  
  Mirror.co.uk
  Karen Danczuk's brother who raped her and two other women jailed for 15 years
  Mirror.co.uk
  The rapist brother of reality star Karen Danczuk, who attacked her and two other victims, was today jailed for 15 years. Paedophile Michael Burke, 38, was found guilty of a string of sex attacks over an 18-year period. He began molesting younger sister ...
  Karen Danczuk's brother jailed for 15 years for raping her as a childManchester Evening News
  Karen Danczuk's brother jailed for raping her
  
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• 'Three-parent baby' treatment approved to prevent genetic diseases

  15-12-2016 14:01
  
  Britain's fertility regulator has approved the so-called 'three-parent baby' treatment to prevent inherited diseases. The decision by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) paves the way for the first mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT) patients to be treated as early as next spring. It could help prevent a wide range of potentially fatal genetic conditions affecting vital organs, muscles, vision, growth and mental ability.
  
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• Murdoch's Fox agrees deal to buy Sky for 11.70 billion pounds

  15-12-2016 13:57
  By Kate Holton and Paul Sandle LONDON (Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch's Twenty-First Century Fox said on Thursday it had agreed to buy European pay-TV firm Sky for $14.6 billion (11.70 billion pounds), sticking to its earlier offer despite complaints from some investors. Fox said it would pursue a Scheme of Arrangement, meaning it would need the backing of 75 percent of Sky's independent shareholders who vote to secure a deal that values Sky at 18.5 billion pounds in total. Seeking to consolidate his
  
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• Q&A: Everything you need to know about the Yahoo cyber attack

  15-12-2016 13:48
  
  The breach happened three years ago.
  
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• Have you had your details compromised by an email hack? Share your story

  15-12-2016 13:31
  
  After the Yahoo hack, we want to hear from people affected by password reuse. What happened and how did it impact on your life?Yahoo said on Wednesday it had discovered another major cyber attack (saying data from more than 1bn user accounts was compromised in August 2013). This is the largest such breach in history. Related: Eight things you need to do right now to protect yourself onlineContinue reading...
  
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• BoE forecasts milder increase for inflation as interest rates left on hold

  15-12-2016 13:30
  The Bank of England has scaled back its outlook for rising inflation over the next few years after a recent upturn for the pound.
  
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• Fertility regulator gives go ahead for 'three-parent baby' treatment

  15-12-2016 13:20
  
  Britain's fertility regulator has given the green light to so-called 'three-parent baby' treatment for inherited diseases. The decision by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) paves the way for the first mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT) patients to be treated as early as next spring. Board members of the HFEA unanimously voted to allow clinics to apply for permission to help women give birth to babies with three genetic parents.
  
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• Cats die from antifreeze poisoning in Melton Mowbray

  15-12-2016 13:11
  An investigation is under way after five cats in the same town died after being poisoned with antifreeze. All the deaths have occurred in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, over the past fortnight. The latest victim was seven-month old Meereen, whose owner Adria Pearce said: "I haven't been able to stop crying since she died.
  
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• UK confident of negotiating Brexit within two years - May's spokesman

  15-12-2016 13:01
  Britain is confident of agreeing an exit deal with the European Union within the two-year timetable set out under Article 50 of the bloc's Lisbon Treaty, a spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May said on Thursday. Earlier, the BBC reported that Ivan Rogers, Britain's ambassador to the EU, had told May's government that a post-Brexit trade deal with the bloc might take 10 years to finalise and could still fail. "It is not the view of Sir Ivan Rogers, it is not the view of the government," the sp
  
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• May sets gracious tone before Brexit briefing

  15-12-2016 12:49
  By Alastair Macdonald and Elizabeth Piper BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May said on Thursday it was right for EU leaders to discuss Brexit without her over dinner, setting a conciliatory tone before she updates them on Britain's preparations for leaving the bloc. At the start of a summit when EU leaders will for the first time have dinner without the British prime minister, May sought to reinforce her message that, while still a member, Britain will play a full part in discussions
  
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• Young Europeans' view of UK dips after Brexit vote - poll

  15-12-2016 12:47
  Britain’s reputation among young people in EU nations has worsened following the Brexit vote, but has improved in nations further away, according to a poll for the British Council, the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations. The survey follows a poll carried out before June’s referendum, and aimed to establish whether perceptions of Britain’s attractiveness to millennials have changed following Britain's vote to leave the EU. In EU countries, 36 perce
  
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• Woman and seven-year-old boy found dead at house in Ruislip

  15-12-2016 12:23
  Murder detectives are investigating the deaths of a woman and a seven-year-old boy whose bodies were found in a house.
  
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• 'Wrong baby' security fears raised by inspection at Royal London Hospital

  15-12-2016 11:45
  
  Some infants born at the Royal London Hospital had no name tags, a report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said. Another hospital run by the same trust in east London, Whipps Cross, has been heavily criticised for its treatment of patients. At the Royal London, inspectors also found there were not enough midwives in the delivery suite to provide safe cover for all patients.
  
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• UK envoy comments on EU trade deal were those of others - minister

  15-12-2016 11:43
  Britain's envoy to the European Union was expressing the views of others when he said a post-Brexit trade deal with the bloc could take 10 years to reach, a junior minister in Britain's trade department said on Thursday. Earlier the BBC reported that Ivan Rogers, Britain's ambassador to the EU, had told Prime Minister Theresa May's government that a post-Brexit trade deal with the bloc might take 10 years to finalise and could still fail. Junior trade minister Mark Garnier said the ambassador ha
  
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• JD Sports investigates claims conditions are 'worse than a prison'

  15-12-2016 11:38
  
  Retailer JD Sports is to launch an investigation following claims aired in a documentary that conditions are "worse than a prison". The episode will inevitably draw unwelcome comparisons with practices at rival Sports Direct, which has been under intense scrutiny over working conditions at its Shirebrook facility in Derbyshire. JD Sports said that it did not operate a "strike" policy and that "workers cannot be fired on the spot", with the firm following a fully-outlined disciplinary p
  
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