General news

• Palace issues photo for end of Queen's 90th year

  17-12-2016 23:44
  Buckingham Palace has released a new photo to mark the end of the year in which the Queen celebrated her 90th birthday. The previously unseen picture, taken by fashion photographer Nick Knight in May, shows the monarch and Prince Charles in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle. It was taken before the final night of the Queen's celebrations at the Royal Windsor Horse Show.
  
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• How to bump Holocaust deniers off Google’s top spot? Pay Google

  17-12-2016 23:32 via theguardian.com
  
  Google ‘is unhappy’ with Holocaust denial beating the truth in its search results – but it probably makes more money that wayThe Holocaust did not happen. At least not in the world of Google, it seems. One week ago, I typed “did the hol” into a Google search box and clicked on its autocomplete suggestion, “Did the Holocaust happen?” And there, at the top of the list, was a link to Stormfront, a neo-Nazi white supremacist website and an article entitled &
  
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• Pep Guardiola learns to accept fans only sing when you’re winning

  17-12-2016 23:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Manchester City manager has hit some duff notes in recent weeks as he grapples with the English game, but should be more attuned to Arsenal’s style of playIf it is Manchester City versus Arsenal it must be time for a Barcelona reunion. The one on the pitch involving Alexis Sánchez can wait, Sky has Thierry Henry waiting to greet Pep Guardiola as he finishes his press conference.The two men embrace each other warmly in the training ground foyer and then notice they are dressed almost
  
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• What is fake news? How to spot it and what you can do to stop it

  17-12-2016 23:00 via theguardian.com
  
  ‘Fake news’ has rapidly become a catch-all term to discredit all kinds of stories. We need to be smarter at recognising and combating outright fabricationUntil recently, there was news and “not news” – as denoted by comments of “that’s not news” below the line on more light-hearted stories or features. Now there is “fake news”, said to be behind the election of Donald Trump as US president and a recent incident involving a gunman at a W
  
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• Union leader under attack for acting as Jeremy Corbyn’s ‘puppet master’

  17-12-2016 23:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Unite leadership challenger Gerard Coyne says Len McCluskey has put Labour infighting above members’ needsJeremy Corbyn’s most powerful union ally, Len McCluskey, has been bitterly attacked by the man seeking to end his six-year reign in charge of Britain’s biggest union, Unite.In his first newspaper interview since announcing that he will challenge McCluskey in an election, with huge potential repercussions for Corbyn and for Labour, Gerard Coyne accuses the Unite general secr
  
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• Invincible Saracens on hunt for record winning run in European Champions Cup | Paul Rees

  17-12-2016 23:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Champions, who won the Premiership too and have had an almost perfect year, go to Sale, whom they thrashed last week, seeking a 13th victory running in EuropeUnless Saracens suffer an outbreak of triskaidekaphobia – fear of the number 13 – at Sale , they should equal Munster’s record of successive victories in the European Cup in what has been a remarkable year for the champions, who also hold the Premiership.Owen Farrell and George Kruis have tasted defeat once this year, at H
  
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• Eoin Morgan: Everyone I trust backed my decision to pull out of England tour

  17-12-2016 23:00 via theguardian.com
  
  England one-day captain breaks his silence over missing the Bangladesh ODI series in October and says he remains happy with his decisionEoin Morgan has no regrets over his decision to miss the tour of Bangladesh on security grounds and will return to lead England’s one-day side in India after Christmas confident that his authority as captain remains undiminished.Speaking publicly on the subject for the first time since he and Alex Hales pulled out of the October trip, Morgan remained entir
  
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• Family seeks justice over alleged ‘honour’ killing

  17-12-2016 22:28 via theguardian.com
  
  India’s lack of action over death of British woman Seeta Kaur fuels fight for UK law changeWhen Seeta Kaur arrived in India with her children for a three-week visit to her husband’s relatives she was determined that when she returned to Britain it would be with both the sons who had accompanied her.Since giving birth to the boys, who were aged 10 and two when they travelled to India, Seeta had confided in her family and close friends about the domestic abuse she suffered at the hands
  
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• Ore Oduba and Joanne Clifton named winners of Strictly Come Dancing

  17-12-2016 22:12 via theguardian.com
  
  Television news and sports presenter Ore Oduba and dance partner Joanne Clifton named champions of seriesTelevision presenter Ore Oduba broke down in tears as he and partner Joanne Clifton were crowned Strictly Come Dancing champions 2016. The BBC news and sports broadcaster had received no dance training prior to taking part on the show and finished top of the leaderboard on Saturday night.Continue reading...
  
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• Sarah Storey: ‘It would be amazing to see a Paralympian with the Spoty trophy’

  17-12-2016 21:59 via theguardian.com
  
  Multiple Paralympic cycling gold medallist does not expect to win BBC Sports Personality of the Year but will enjoy being a nominee and hopes para-sport continues to enjoy greater coverageDame Sarah Storey will not be letting her slim chances of success at Sunday’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year spoil her fun. “It’s an opportunity for the para-cycling team to get back together and party,” says Britain’s most decorated female Paralympian, with a laugh. Storey is
  
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• Around 240 prisoners moved from HMP Birmingham

  17-12-2016 21:52 via theguardian.com
  
  Decision follows rioting by inmates – UK’s worst since 1990 – which is believed to be linked to use of synthetic cannabisHundreds of inmates were moved from Birmingham prison on Saturday as the government announced an urgent investigation into conditions and safety inside the privately run jail following a major disturbance.Up to 240 prisoners were taken from HMP Birmingham as it emerged that a recent independent report into the jail found that staff feared for their personal s
  
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• Strictly Come Dancing: the Grand Final – live

  17-12-2016 21:47 via theguardian.com
  
  The competition couldn’t be closer, but will Danny, Louise or Ore waltz away with the glitterball trophy? Join us for a sparkle-tastic night in 8.47pm GMTTime for one final montage, because god knows we haven’t had nearly enough yet. The Strictly teat is INFLAMED from all this milking. 8.44pm GMTSo who will be this year’s winner? Really can’t call this one, which is very exciting.Continue reading...
  
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• Labour gains two points since November

  17-12-2016 21:24 via theguardian.com
  
  Opinium/Observer poll places Labour on 31% and Tories on 38% though Labour lacks voters’ trust on Brexit and economyLabour has narrowed the Conservatives’ commanding poll lead despite lacking the trust of voters on Brexit and the economy, according to the final Opinium/Observer poll of 2016. Related: Jeremy Corbyn blames leadership contest for low poll ratingsContinue reading...
  
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• Oscar will get to count Chinese cash but he will pay a heavy price | Daniel Taylor

  17-12-2016 21:19 via theguardian.com
  
  Playing in China earns you many millions but aged 25 Oscar is leaving Chelsea for a league of lower standard than the MLS and surely some players will resist wasting their careersDidier Drogba was told once that in China they considered him to be a reincarnation of an ancient god. They called him “The Almighty” and he always remembers the reaction on his first training session after following Nicolas Anelka to the bags of gold at Shanghai Shenhua. Their new colleagues would “ju
  
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• TUC and businesses urge Theresa May to act on rights of migrants

  17-12-2016 21:17 via theguardian.com
  
  Leaders say uncertainty over 3.2m EU citizens in UK will inflict ‘serious damage’ on economyBritish business and the trade union movement have made an unprecedented joint demand to Theresa May to guarantee immediately the rights of European Union migrants to remain in the UK, warning that further uncertainty will inflict serious damage on the British economy. Related: The Brexit fallout for EU citizens in the UK, and Britons in the EU – Q&AContinue reading...
  
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• Tragedy or triumph? Russians agonise over how to mark 1917 revolutions

  17-12-2016 20:44 via theguardian.com
  
  The February uprising sparked a brief period of democratic rule before the Bolsheviks seized power – and the legacy of 1917 still divides the countryOn a recent evening at Moscow’s State Tretyakov Gallery, Vladimir Lenin paced back and forth, debating the finer points of Marxist theory, Vladimir Mayakovsky thundered staccato lines of poetry from atop a pedestal, and the monk Grigory Rasputin mused ominously on the future of Russia.The event, in which hundreds of modern Moscow’s
  
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• Socially isolated voters more likely to favour Brexit, finds thinktank

  17-12-2016 20:41 via theguardian.com
  
  Demos survey suggests social network size and propensity to travel better indicators than income in referendum votePeople who have little contact with those from outside their own neighbourhoods are overwhelmingly more likely to have voted for Brexit, according to the first in-depth study of the social attitudes that drove the vote to leave the EU. Related: Why did Wales shoot itself in the foot in this referendum? | Richard Wyn JonesContinue reading...
  
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• Barack Obama’s presidency will be defined by his failure to face down Assad

  17-12-2016 20:40 via theguardian.com
  
  The US president’s indifference to chemical warfare led to the trail of violence that reached as far as EuropeOn Friday, near Palmyra, 14 tanks and an anti-aircraft system were destroyed in an air strike on Isis. Palmyra recently fell to the jihadists after the Syrian regime and its allies diverted forces to Aleppo, leaving the ancient city under-defended.This was a repeat of events last year when, on the advice of the Iranian general Qassem Suleimani, the regime deployed troops away from
  
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• Manchester United ease past West Brom thanks to Zlatan Ibrahimovic double

  17-12-2016 20:35 via theguardian.com
  
  As Wayne Rooney’s wait for the goal that will equal Sir Bobby Charlton’s record goes on, Zlatan Ibrahimovic continues to carry the torch for a Manchester United side who are running into form at the right time.With another two goals, the striker took his tally for the season to 16 – and 10 in his past nine games – to complete a highly satisfactory week for José Mourinho and his players. Continue reading...
  
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• Guardian and Observer Christmas telethon raises more than £50,000

  17-12-2016 20:07 via theguardian.com
  
  Money raised over the phone brings to more than £700,000 the total donated so far for child refugeesThe Guardian and the Observer’s Christmas telethon raised more than £50,000 on Saturday, pushing the total donated so far by readers and supporters in aid of refugee children past £700,000 mark. Related: Please help us help #childrefugees survive the winter - Guardian/Observer 2016 AppealContinue reading...
  
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• Heimlich maneuver inventor Dr Henry Heimlich dies at 96

  17-12-2016 20:04 via theguardian.com
  
  Former director of surgery at Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati, who devised choking treatment in 1974, had heart attack earlier this week, son saysThe surgeon who created the life-saving Heimlich maneuver for choking victims has died. Dr Henry Heimlich died early on Saturday at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati. He was 96. His son Phil said he had suffered a heart attack earlier in the week. Related: Dr Henry Heimlich uses Heimlich manoeuvre to save a life at 96Continue reading...
  
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• Dylann Roof says mental health should not be factor in death penalty decision

  17-12-2016 19:34 via theguardian.com
  
  Charleston church shooter says he will not call on experts in trial’s penalty phase: psychology is ‘Jewish invention and does nothing but invent diseases’Dylann Roof does not want jurors to consider his mental health when they decide next month if he should face the death penalty for killing nine black Charleston church worshippers, according to a handwritten motion he filed. Related: Dylann Roof found guilty in Charleston church shootingContinue reading...
  
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• This person might have actually tried to rob a petrol station with a badly drawn-on beard

  17-12-2016 19:33
  
  Yes, really.
  
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• Poland crisis: Donald Tusk calls for respect of people and constitution

  17-12-2016 19:27 via theguardian.com
  
  EU council leader calls for ‘consideration of constitutional morals’ as police forcibly remove protesters from outside parliamentEuropean Union council president, Donald Tusk, called on the authorities in Poland to respect the constitution as a standoff between the opposition and the ruling party continued. Polish opposition leaders called for days of anti-government protests and pledged to keep blocking parliament’s main hall after being accused of trying to seize power illega
  
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• Donald Trump accuses China of 'unpresidented' act over US navy drone

  17-12-2016 19:09 via theguardian.com
  
  President-elect makes spelling error in belligerent early morning tweetChina says ‘hyping up’ of issue is not helpful but agrees return of vehiclePresident-elect Donald Trump has risked further inflaming US relations with China, after he used Twitter on Saturday to accuse China of an “unpresidented [sic] act” in its seizing of an unmanned American submarine this week. Related: Trump's attacks on Time magazine reveal his own identity politicsContinue reading...
  
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• Shannon Purser: ‘People have actually had Barb’s face tattooed on their bodies’

  17-12-2016 19:00 via theguardian.com
  
  When the 19-year-old landed her first acting role, as Barb in hit Netflix show Stranger Things, she didn’t expect the ‘Barbmania’ that sent her career soaring…‘To say 2016 has been a big year for me is an understatement,” laughs Shannon Purser, 19-year-old breakout star of the year’s best TV drama. “It’s been madness. And totally unexpected. I didn’t even have a career before Stranger Things – it was my first acting job, my first
  
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• Top Guatemalan beauty spot mired in indigenous rights conflict

  17-12-2016 18:53 via theguardian.com
  
  Dispute over major tourist attraction and conservation area is tearing local communities apart“There’s, like, 50 people on the way up, so take your photos,” said a young American man, shirtless, his face daubed with paint, as he came striding through the forest towards the look-out. The view was spectacular: lush tropical foliage clinging to the sheer rock-face of a canyon plunging several 100 feet to a series of stunning turquoisey pools where tourists could be spotted swimmin
  
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• Social care crisis: Jeremy Corbyn seeks urgent meeting with PM

  17-12-2016 18:52 via theguardian.com
  
  Labour leader calls for ‘emergency top-up’ funds to protect elderly people over winter as services struggle to cope The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has asked to meet Theresa May to discuss emergency funding for Britain’s ailing social care system, which would be the first such cross-party meeting since the new prime minister entered Downing Street.Corbyn has written to the prime minister seeking urgent talks on how the government might avert the deepening crisis in social car
  
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• Leicester in revenge win over Munster after Owen Williams holds nerve

  17-12-2016 18:49 via theguardian.com
  
  • Leicester 18-16 Munster
  • Tigers bounce back from 38-0 defeatRevenge is a dish best served bold. Leicester were coming off the back of their heaviest defeat in the Champions Cup, 38-0 at Thomond Park, but they had lost one of their previous 33 matches in the tournament here. In 20 seasons of European competition, six teams had won at the home of the Tigers.Just one of those had done so twice, Munster, and with 90 seconds remaining they looked like making it three, two points ahead an
  
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• Southern rail dispute reflects workers’ growing fears about rise of automation

  17-12-2016 18:48 via theguardian.com
  
  Last week’s strikes over the removal of guards highlighted concern about the way technology is making real workers obsolete, hitting lower-paid roles hardestTrains with a guard become driver-only trains, which then become driverless trains. That’s the fear underlying Aslef’s dispute with Southern railways and accounts for the rearguard action to prevent further job losses across the rail industry.It’s not the only reason for the dispute. There is also scorn for Southern&r
  
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• Turks and Kurds are trapped in a spiral that suits the hardliners | Elif Shafak

  17-12-2016 18:32 via theguardian.com
  
  The government has detained Kurdish MPs, while the HDP is no longer a symbol of hope after failing to renounce PKK violence“‘You are a writer. You have to speak up,’ I kept telling myself,” said Yasar Kemal, the great Turkish author of Kurdish descent. As a human rights activist and advocate of pluralistic democracy, his task was not easy – to promote co-existence in a land where hatred spoke louder than peace. Since his death in 2015, things have taken a turn for t
  
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• Donald Trump made a spelling mistake on Twitter and is getting absolutely roasted for it

  17-12-2016 18:27
  
  Face palm.
  
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• Rare Asian elephant born at Chester Zoo

  17-12-2016 18:21 via theguardian.com
  
  Unnamed female calf born to 12-year-old mother Sundara after 22-month gestation periodA rare Asian elephant has been born at Chester Zoo. The unnamed female calf was born to 12-year-old mother Sundara overnight after a 22-month gestation. Keepers at the zoo said both mother and daughter were doing well and visitors would be able to see the new arrival from Saturday.Continue reading...
  
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• Mark Noble penalty earns West Ham fortunate win over dominant Hull

  17-12-2016 18:16 via theguardian.com
  
  Hull City produced a display of scintillating passing and movement, created an endless succession of chances and lost to West Ham in a result that leaves Mike Phelan’s side bottom of the Premier League at Christmas.There was something inevitable about the result: a classic case of footballing sod’s law. Hull hit the post three times, squandered two one-on-ones and generally saw their positive, well-drilled endeavours founder at the final hurdle. West Ham were largely disjointed even
  
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• Middlesbrough add to Swansea City’s woes as Álvaro Negredo hits double

  17-12-2016 18:11 via theguardian.com
  
  Bob Bradley has no intention of considering his position despite a 3-0 defeat at Middlesbrough, which will leave his side second-bottom of the Premier League at Christmas.Two first-half goals from Álvaro Negredo and a 58th-minute effort from Marten de Roon boosted Boro’s survival chances and left Swansea reeling from a second straight defeat after the 3-1 loss at West Bromwich Albion. Continue reading...
  
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• Snow stylish: an ice-cool fashion shoot – in pictures

  17-12-2016 18:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Amsterdam-based fashion photographer Mirka Laura Severa usually shoots for the likes of Louis Vuitton and Lacoste, but for her latest project, commissioned by Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin, she showcased winter fashion on snowmen. “Usually it’s beautiful models wearing beautiful clothes looking beautiful. I enjoy those images, but sometimes over-beautified can be boring,” she says. “Why don’t we make it different?” For the shoot she travelled to the Hintert
  
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• Jamie Vardy in red card controversy as 10-man Leicester battle back to draw

  17-12-2016 17:56 via theguardian.com
  
  This chaotic match will have repercussions, possibly on the football front, definitely in disciplinary terms. Leicester City recovered from anger and disarray to salvage a draw that they celebrated like a victory. Two-goals down and destabilised by a sense of persecution following the first-half dismissal of Jamie Vardy and the award of a penalty against Danny Simpson, the champions stormed back and equalised with two minutes to go in normal time.The thrilling 4-2 victory over Manchester City la
  
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• Fog disrupts flights in south-east England

  17-12-2016 17:56 via theguardian.com
  
  Cancellations and delays occur at Heathrow, Gatwick and London City airports, with passengers advised to contact airlines Thousands of passengers have been left stranded as a thick fog descended on London, forcing airlines to cancel departures and divert arrivals.Caused by high pressure and moisture in the air, dense fog is covering much of the south-east of England, while the rest of the country was also covered in mist.Continue reading...
  
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• Thousands of Aleppo residents in limbo as transport fails to arrive

  17-12-2016 17:55 via theguardian.com
  
  People trapped in city face another night under siege despite government assurances that vehicles were on their wayThe remains of besieged Aleppo are a freezing, desperate chaos, with tens of thousands of hungry, frightened people waiting long hours for spaces on buses they fear may never depart, aid workers and trapped civilians have said.“By bus, by car, by walking, even crawling, we are ready to leave by any way, we just want to get out,” said a 26-year-old medical technician Ahma
  
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• Southern trains 'cancelled despite drivers being free'

  17-12-2016 17:48 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Southern is accused of cancelling trains and blaming industrial action despite drivers being available.
  
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• Flights disrupted as fog descends on London's airports

  17-12-2016 17:48 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Fog causes flights to be delayed or cancelled at London City, Heathrow and Gatwick airports.
  
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• Chapecoense defender says he was persuaded to swap seats before crash

  17-12-2016 17:47 via theguardian.com
  
  • Defender Alan Ruschel was asked to move further forward in plane
  • ‘Only God can explain why I survived the accident,’ says BrazilianA Brazilian footballer who survived the plane crash that killed most of his team in Colombia last month changed seats at the last minute after a team-mate encouraged him to sit beside him.The Chapecoense full-back Alan Ruschel was sitting near the back of the plane when the club director Cadu Gaucho asked him to move on the journey to play i
  
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• Big Ben: BBC editor thanks girl for offer to replace 'bongs'

  17-12-2016 17:42 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A BBC editor sends a personal reply to a girl who offered to replace Big Ben's "bongs" on the radio.
  
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• War photographer returns to Syria with People's Convoy

  17-12-2016 17:37 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A war photographer who survived a deadly blast in Syria joins a convoy taking London doctors and hospital equipment to the embattled country.
  
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• Michael Sheen to swap acting for activism against 'populist right'

  17-12-2016 17:13 via theguardian.com
  
  ‘It will be a big change for how people relate to me,’ says the actor who was galvanised by his hometown’s vote for BrexitMichael Sheen plans to abandon his acting career to fight what he calls the rise of the “hard populist right” in Britain and beyond, according to a recent interview to publicise his new film.The 47-year-old, perhaps best known for playing Tony Blair in the film The Queen, starring Helen Mirren, told The Times he plans to “work less as an ac
  
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• Tsipras’s spending spree may be relief to Greeks but it won’t end crisis

  17-12-2016 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Flouting bailout terms by giving his people a financial boost could be the prime minister’s final act as ESM freezes short-term cash measuresAlexis Tsipras, the Greek prime minister, likes to shake things up and, in recent days, he has reverted to form. After 16 months of faithfully toeing the line, the leader rebelled, cautiously at first and then almost jubilantly, casting off the fiscal straightjacket that has encased his government with thinly veiled glee.First came the announcement th
  
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• Young, quick and very hip: Missguided and Pretty Little Thing hit the big time

  17-12-2016 16:59 via theguardian.com
  
  The online ‘fast fashion’ sales model is doing wonders for a new breed of northern-based online retailers targeting teenagers and young womenThere is a powerful new club in the north-west of England but its most bankable players are probably unfamiliar, despite raking in hundreds of millions of pounds a year from fans.Meet Boohoo, Pretty Little Thing and Missguided, the Manchester-based online companies threatening to take over fashion retailing with inexpensive, brash clothes that a
  
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• Paint thinner chemical in Lidl gravy granules forces recall

  17-12-2016 16:33
  A harmful paint thinner chemical has been found in gravy granules sold by Lidl. The discount supermarket chain is recalling two batches of its Kania Gravy Granules after they were discovered to have been contaminated with xylene. Public Health England said exposure poses a health risk, causing irritation to the mouth, throat, nose and lungs and in severe cases can lead to heart problems.
  
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• New York's architectural heritage preserved – in pictures

  17-12-2016 16:29 via theguardian.com
  
  This week saw the New York City landmarks preservation commission designate ten new buildings, bringing the total this year to 27, and clearing a 50 year backlog. Amongst the sites recognised are the Bergdorf Goodman department store, churches in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Harlem and an early farmhouse on Staten IslandContinue reading...
  
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• ‘Shocking’ rise in number of homeless children in B&Bs at Christmas

  17-12-2016 16:29 via theguardian.com
  
  Shelter says government figures of 124,000 children in temporary accommodation in England show that benefit cuts have made private rents unaffordableThe number of children living in temporary accommodation this Christmas, including in bed and breakfasts, has risen by more than 10% since last year to 124,000, according to the latest government figures. The numbers of children forced into temporary housing in the run up to Christmas have described as “shocking” by the country’s l
  
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