General news

• British soldier dies after 'incident' in Iraq

  02-01-2017 23:14
  A British soldier has died in Iraq following an "incident" that is being investigated, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed. Sky News Defence Correspondent Alistair Bunkall said there were few details about the death, which occurred in the town of Taji, northwest of Baghdad.
  
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• Michael van Gerwen beats Gary Anderson to win PDC World Darts Championship

  02-01-2017 23:09 via theguardian.com
  
  • World No1 Van Gerwen wins 7-3 against Scotland’s two-time champion
  • Dutchman wins his second world championship titleFor 730 days there was something missing from Michael van Gerwen’s life. He won 43 tournaments in the two years after being dethroned as world champion – but not the one he really wanted. Before every single televised match he had to listen to the same piercing introduction: “The world No1 – and the former champion of the world.”The
  
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• The Halcyon episode one recap – finally! A period drama to rival Downton Abbey

  02-01-2017 23:00 via theguardian.com
  
  ITV are pulling out all the stops to strike costume drama gold again. And unlike its cash-cow predecessor, their new show has wit, style, raciness – and actually makes sense. Halcyon days indeed“You know that sound. We all gotta move out.” Sequins! Satin shoes! Kara Tointon! Big band sound! Red lipstick on cigarettes! Cocktails! Air raid sirens! Americans! Kara Tointon’s buttocks! This was ITV pulling out all the stops to strike costume drama gold. And, dammit, they came
  
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• Rebecca Ferguson 'invited to sing at Trump inauguration ceremony'

  02-01-2017 21:35
  Former X Factor runner-up Rebecca Ferguson says she has been asked to perform at Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony. The star said she would "graciously accept" the invitation to take part in the 20 January event in Washington DC if she can sing Strange Fruit. Strange Fruit is a song that protests against racism, particularly the lynching of African-Americans in the early 20th century.
  
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• Venus could be seen shining brightly next to the Moon and people were in awe

  02-01-2017 21:33
  
  I’m your fire, your desire…
  
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• Brian Adcock on rail ticket price hike – cartoon

  02-01-2017 21:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Continue reading...
  
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• Labour calls for return of railways to public ownership after fare hike

  02-01-2017 20:55
  
  The Labour Party has called for a return of the railways to public ownership after fares rose by an average of 2.3%. The fare increase is the highest for three years and came into effect on Monday morning. Shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald said bringing the railways back into public ownership was "a hugely popular" policy with "the vast majority of people in this country".
  
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• Rebecca Ferguson 'invited to sing at Trump ceremony'

  02-01-2017 20:26
  Former X Factor runner-up Rebecca Ferguson says she has been asked to perform at Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony. The star said she would "graciously accept" the invitation to take part in the 20 January event in Washington DC if she can sing Strange Fruit. Strange Fruit is a song that protests against racism, particularly the lynching of African-Americans in the early 20th century.
  
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• The US has issued the first known intersex birth certificate

  02-01-2017 19:58
  
  It’s a move that many people have celebrated.
  
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• Len McCluskey maintains he still backs Corbyn after quit prediction

  02-01-2017 18:11
  
  Len McCluskey has insisted he still backs Jeremy Corbyn, despite appearing to distance himself from the Labour leader in a newspaper interview. The Unite leader suggested in a Daily Mirror interview that if opinion polls are "still awful" by 2019 Mr Corbyn and Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell may quit. Mr McCluskey is about to fight a bitter leadership election against a challenger, Gerard Coyne, who has accused the 66-year-old left-wing Unite leader of being Mr Corbyn's "puppet master".
  
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• ‘Mass molestation’ in Bangalore blamed on Indians ‘copying’ west

  02-01-2017 17:59 via theguardian.com
  
  State minister says women harassed during New Year’s Eve celebrations because young people dressed and acted like westernersAn alleged “mass molestation” on the streets of one of India’s biggest cities on New Year’s Eve was the result of young people trying to “copy” western mindsets and clothing, an Indian state minister has claimed.Thousands of people gathered on two central streets in Bangalore on Saturday night to celebrate the new year. Local newspa
  
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• Missing walkers spent freezing night in Cairngorms in bivvy bag

  02-01-2017 17:38
  Two walkers are lucky to be alive after getting lost and spending the night in the snowy Cairngorms national park in northern Scotland. The couple were found on Monday morning after a major search involving a rescue helicopter. A bivvy bag the 60-year-old man and 57-year-old woman had with them "probably saved their lives" from the freezing temperatures, one rescuer said.
  
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• A man who didn’t talk to his wife would not be funny. He would be an abuser | Lola Okolosie

  02-01-2017 17:12 via theguardian.com
  
  It’s been presented as a lighthearted story, but reports of a Japanese husband who stopped speaking to his wife 20 years ago fits the pattern for coercive controlSince in 2016 turning on the news invariably resulted in a rush of negativity, it’s fair to say that by 31 December we were all fed up with the prevailing sense of doom. This perhaps explains why a story – the authenticity of which has been questioned – about a Japanese husband who didn’t speak to his wife
  
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• 5 animal Twitter accounts Donald Trump could follow when he's feeling stressed

  02-01-2017 16:19
  
  The president-elect recently followed Emergency Kittens on Twitter for a brief period… but why stop there?
  
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• A new year that changed me: I gave up weed – and became a book addict instead | Kit de Waal

  02-01-2017 16:03 via theguardian.com
  
  Spurred on by a stranger, I took my last drag of a spliff before the clock struck 12. And I found the perfect way to fill itAs my mother was a Jehovah’s Witness, my childhood was devoid of all the usual opportunities for merrymaking. Celebrations were considered pagan, so we had nothing to look forward to all year – no presents, cards, tinsel or sparklers, no Christmas, birthdays, Easter, Bonfire night, Mother’s Day, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, solstices or Pancake Day. B
  
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• Binge drinking happens. The problem is binge moralising on women | Suzanne Moore

  02-01-2017 14:36 via theguardian.com
  
  The new year shaming of young working-class women is a staple of tabloid culture. This voyeuristic morality policing also hides the true storyEvery year in the name apparently of guarding our nation’s glorious morals, some creepy photographers go around taking upskirt shots of young women. Women who have got drunk and have collapsed are the prize: lots of leg, sprawled in a doorway after “tottering” in high heels, tiny dresses hiked up, their knickers showing. This is what we w
  
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• Siblings found dead at White Cliffs of Dover

  02-01-2017 14:23
  It is thought that the third body is that of a man in his 40s and from Greater Manchester, Kent Police have said. A police spokesman said: "Kent Police was called at 2.27pm due to concern for the welfare of a man at Langdon Cliffs, Dover.
  
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• Couple found after search in snowy Cairngorms

  02-01-2017 14:13
  Two walkers who sparked a major search when they went missing in the Cairngorms national park in northern Scotland have been found alive.
  
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• Second girl in Oldham New Year's Eve hit and run dies

  02-01-2017 14:03
  Zaneta Krokova, 11, was critically ill in hospital after she and 12-year-old Helena Kotlarova were hit by a Peugeot 807 in Oldham, police said. One of the five men arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving has now been de-arrested, Greater Manchester Police said in a statement. The men who remain in custody are aged 59, 48, 38 and 18 and have been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
  
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• Robin Williams rejected for Harry Potter role thanks to 'British-only' rule

  02-01-2017 13:55 via theguardian.com
  
  The late actor was keen to play Hagrid, but the part went to Robbie Coltrane because producers wouldn’t waive rule banning non-BritsRobin Williams was eager to play the half-giant gamekeeper Hagrid in the Harry Potter films – but was turned down by producers on account of his nationality. Casting director Janet Hirshenson has confirmed that Williams fell victim to the “Brits-only” rule imposed by producers on the series of films. “Robin had called because he really
  
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• Donald Trump briefly followed Emergency Kittens on Twitter and people are just so confused

  02-01-2017 13:52
  Maybe even a president-elect just needs to see cute pictures of cats to be happy sometimes…
  
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• 2017’s big ideas – part two: from a northern Labour party to fighting cancer

  02-01-2017 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Jess Cartner-Morley is wearing Statue of Liberty green, Angela Hartnett hails the rise of regional bistros and TED’s Chris Anderson has a new vision for the futurePart one: from driverless cars to interstellar travelAuthentic voices and undiluted stories
  By Jonny Geller Continue reading...
  
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• Corbyn could quit before next election - union boss

  02-01-2017 12:52
  The leader of Britain's opposition Labour party, Jeremy Corbyn, could step down before the next national election in 2020 if its poor opinion poll ratings do not improve, the head of its biggest union backer said in an interview published on Monday. Labour has consistently placed a distant second in opinion polls and a survey by YouGov in December had the party on 25 percent, its lowest since September 2009, versus 42 percent for Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservatives. "Let's suppose we are
  
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• Seven-day doctor service sparks cutbacks warning by top GP

  02-01-2017 12:40
  
  Britain's most senior GP has said making doctors available at the weekend on a routine basis is unrealistic and could have serious impact on patient care on weekdays. Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, chairwoman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said most GPs were "already spread far too thin". The Government has pledged to improve access to GPs in the evenings and at weekends.
  
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• What we now know about the Istanbul nightclub attack over New Year

  02-01-2017 10:48
  
  Islamic State have claimed responsibly for the shooting that left 39 people dead in the early hours of January 1.
  
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• Silence: Scorsese’s new film is not worth making a noise about

  02-01-2017 10:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The legendary director’s latest religious epic is beautiful to look at but boringly devout Related: The most exciting films of 2017: returning auteurs We all know how it is with Scorsese. At the core of his work is the solid-gold De Niro material with one foot in Marty’s Italian-American upbringing: Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, King Of Comedy and Goodfellas/Casino. Then a second rank of DiCaprio collaborations, offering a lower rate of return: The Departed, Shutter Island,
  
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• What's your new year's reading resolution?

  02-01-2017 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Last year I opted to explore women writers and the results were life-changing. So what’ll it be for you this year? More classics? More BAME writers?You’ve overdone it, again; gorged yourself on titular girls and titanium men, left that set of Penguin classics to stand untouched on the shelf. The excuses are: there’s no time, you’re tired, you need to ”switch off” in the evening. It’s time to get serious in 2017! Cancel that gym membership, remove all tra
  
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• Corgis and crowns: Steve Antony's sketchpad share – in pictures

  02-01-2017 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The children’s author and illustrator of books including The Queen’s Hat began serious sketching while working in a call centre before he was made redundant Continue reading...
  
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• 8 different careers Hillary Clinton could definitely turn her hand to this year

  02-01-2017 08:38
  
  If these aren’t on her New Years resolutions list, she’s definitely missing a trick.
  
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• Hong Kong shop cats – in pictures

  02-01-2017 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  When photographer Marcel Heijnen moved to Hong Kong, the territory’s shop cats instantly caught his eye. While the ‘feline emperors’ are the stars, his shots also offer insights into Hong Kong’s wares, from dried fish to paperContinue reading...
  
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• 'Bow down to Britain' Iain Duncan Smith warns EU over Brexit negotiations

  02-01-2017 07:45 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  IAIN DUNCAN SMITH has insisted the EU will bow down to the UK during Brexit negotiations, calling any possible “kick at the UK” from within Europe “a kick at themselves”.
  
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• Sickening clip shows 'woman launch vicious attack on Muslim cab driver over £7 fare’

  02-01-2017 07:44 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  SICKENING footage of a Muslim taxi driver being viciously attacked by a female passenger and her partner, while bystanders were laughing has emerged.
  
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• 'We should DEFEND British culture' Migrants chose to come here, Katie Hopkins roars

  02-01-2017 07:20 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  A FURIOUS Katie Hopkins has lashed out against Britons having to tip-toe around immigrants' cultures.
  
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• Rail travellers hit with HUGE price hike as average commuter pays nearly £2,800-A-YEAR

  02-01-2017 07:16 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  RAIL commuters have been hit by a series of secret “stealth fare rises” of up to 162 per cent, Labour’s transport minister has revealed.
  
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• Locations of 14 new garden villages revealed

  02-01-2017 05:03
  
  Plans for a wave of garden villages creating tens of thousands of new homes in England have been given the go-ahead.
  
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• Seven-day doctor service is 'unrealistic', senior GP says

  02-01-2017 04:32
  
  Britain's top GP has said that making doctors available at the weekend on a routine basis is "unrealistic" and could have serious impact on patient care on week days. Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, chairwoman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said most GPs were already working "at the limits of what is safe". "Patients can always see a GP through the out-of-hours service when they urgently need one," she said.
  
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• Cannabis ingredient to be classed as medicine in UK

  02-01-2017 04:08
  Products that contain a cannabis-based ingredient called cannabidiol, or CBD, are to be classed as medicines by the UK medicines regulator from this year. The Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said it had looked at CBD because a number of manufacturing companies had been making "overt medicinal claims" about products.
  
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• Theresa May urged to 'ABOLISH THE HOUSE OF LORDS' by senior MPs if Chamber blocks Brexit

  02-01-2017 03:30 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  CABINET members have urged the Theresa May to get tough with the House of Lords if it tries to frustrate Britain’s exit from the EU.
  
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• More than 1,400 CRIMINALS ON THE RUN in Britain as authorities fail to track them down

  02-01-2017 02:31 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  A RECORD number of convicted offenders are on the run in Britain, with MPs slamming “incompetent” authorities for failing to put them back behind bars.
  
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• Rail fare increases a 'kick in the teeth' for passengers

  02-01-2017 02:18
  Transport campaigners have slammed the annual rail fare increases across Britain as "another kick in the teeth" for passengers. Lianna Etkind, of the Campaign for Better Transport, said: "Today's fare rises are another kick in the teeth for long-suffering rail passengers. Southern Rail customers have told Sky News of their anger at the price hikes, after a year that saw record delays and many journeys hit by strike action.
  
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• Garden villages creating tens of thousands of homes approved

  02-01-2017 02:07
  Plans for a wave of garden villages creating tens of thousands of new homes in England has been given the go-ahead.
  
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• REVEALED: Foreign aid CEO earns more than £600,000-A-YEAR from taxpayer-funded charity pot

  02-01-2017 01:04 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  A FOREIGN aid boss has shamefully taken home more than £2million of funds handed to his charity by British taxpayers over the past four years.
  
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• Cash-strapped NHS faces 'worst January EVER because of bills from HELL', top doctor warns

  02-01-2017 01:01 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  THE NHS is due to face the “worst January ever” because bed blocking has racked up a “credit card bill from hell” a leading doctor has warned.
  
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