General news

• Southern rail strike: GTR taking legal case to Supreme Court

  11-01-2017 23:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Southern rail bosses say they want to take legal action to avoid more strikes.
  
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• Ex-British intelligence officer 'behind Trump Russia dossier' named

  11-01-2017 23:34 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Memos about US president-elect Donald Trump are understood to have been prepared by ex-MI6 officer Christopher Steele.
  
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• Asda worker Ryan Counsell 'downloaded terrorism guide'

  11-01-2017 23:22 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A supermarket worker downloaded a terrorism advice book in preparation for joining extremists, a court hears.
  
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• Forth Road Bridge reopens after lorry blown over

  11-01-2017 22:27 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Forth Road Bridge reopens after welders repair damage caused when a lorry was blown over in high winds.
  
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• NHS under pressure: A day in the life of a paramedic

  11-01-2017 22:20
  It's 6am and I arrive at Wexham Park Hospital to follow the paramedics working for South Central Ambulance Service. The idea is to get an insight into their working day and the pressures they are facing, like many other frontline workers in the NHS. When we arrive at the property we meet Shirley Pask, who is having difficulty breathing.
  
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• Monopoly is letting fans choose new playing pieces for a revamped board

  11-01-2017 22:19
  
  Because we’re all sick of being stuck with the wheelbarrow.
  
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• 5 things we learned from Donald Trump's press conference

  11-01-2017 20:29
  
  It was his first press conference since July.
  
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• NHS England chief contradicts May over spending

  11-01-2017 20:12 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Simon Stevens dismisses government claims the NHS is getting "more" money than asked for.
  
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• Donald Trump refused to answer a question from a CNN reporter before calling the channel 'fake news'

  11-01-2017 19:58
  
  Trump held his first news conference since winning the presidential election in November.
  
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• Pound hits post-Brexit low versus US dollar as Trump speaks up

  11-01-2017 19:34
  
  The pound has hit its lowest level against the dollar since the UK voted to leave the EU, amid a sudden strengthening of the US currency. Sterling dipped below its post-Brexit low of $1.2081, if the trading blip caused by a so-called 'flash crash' is omitted, as US President-elect Donald Trump prepared to give his first news conference since November's election. A worse than expected widening of the UK's trade deficit on Wednesday also saw the pound come under further pressure.
  
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• BoE's Carney - curbing consumer lending would be 'big call'

  11-01-2017 19:17
  By David Milliken and Huw Jones LONDON (Reuters) - Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said it would be a "big call" for the central bank to rein in rapid growth in consumer lending, which picked up strongly last year and brought some echoes of the period before the global financial crisis. British consumer borrowing increased at the fastest annual rate for more than 11 years in November, the BoE said last week, and Carney told lawmakers that the momentum appeared to have continued into the Chr
  
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• Crossrail dig unearths 13,000 Victorian jam jars

  11-01-2017 18:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  More than 13,000 pots for pickles and jam are found under the former Crosse and Blackwell factory.
  
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• NHS nursing

  11-01-2017 18:43 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Nurses share their experiences of being overworked, understaffed and under huge pressure.
  
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• Donald Trump gave his first formal press conference as president-elect and people missed Barack Obama more than ever

  11-01-2017 18:42
  
  The reality is finally sinking in for many Americans…
  
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• Man in 'serious' condition after cutting own throat in dock

  11-01-2017 18:35 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A man who cut his throat in the dock at Haverfordwest Magistrates' Court is in a serious condition, police say.
  
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• Rolf Harris accused of assaulting seven women and girls

  11-01-2017 18:22 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Former entertainer Rolf Harris goes on trial over allegations he assaulted seven women and girls.
  
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• Tyrone farmer paints proposal on cow's side

  11-01-2017 18:17 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A Northern Ireland beef farmer enlists the help of one of his cattle to pop the question.
  
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• May rules out firms facing £1,000 levy on EU staff after Brexit

  11-01-2017 18:17
  
  The Government is not considering a £1,000 levy on businesses for hiring skilled workers from the European Union after Brexit, the PM has insisted. Downing Street spoke up to say the idea was "not on the agenda" after Home Office minister Robert Goodwill raised the prospect of such a scheme - with such a charge on recruitment from outside the bloc due to come into force later this year. The suggestion it could be extended to EU workers was met with fury by the European Parli
  
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• Pound hits post-EU vote low versus US dollar as Trump speaks up

  11-01-2017 18:15
  The pound has hit its lowest level against the dollar since the UK voted to leave the EU amid a sudden strengthening of the US currency. Sterling dipped below its post-Brexit low of $1.2081, if the trading blip caused by a so-called 'flash crash' is omitted, as US president-elect Donald Trump prepared to give his first news conference since November's election. A worse than expected widening of the UK's trade deficit on Wednesday saw the pound come under further pressure.
  
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• Northern Ireland political crisis could delay Brexit talks - lawyer

  11-01-2017 18:12
  By Amanda Ferguson BELFAST (Reuters) - The potential suspension of Northern Ireland's regional assembly could force Britain to delay its exit talks from the European Union if London's Supreme Court rules Belfast's approval is needed, a lawyer said on Wednesday. Northern Ireland's High Court ruled in October that the province's laws did not restrict British Prime Minister Theresa May's ability to trigger an exit from the European Union, and that the consent of the regional parliament was not requ
  
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• Brexit risks now lower, Carney tells MPs

  11-01-2017 18:05 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The immediate risks of Brexit to the UK economy have declined, the Bank of England governor tells MPs.
  
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• PM May distances herself from immigration skills levy row

  11-01-2017 18:01
  By Estelle Shirbon LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May distanced herself on Wednesday from remarks by a junior minister who had suggested Britain was considering introducing an annual 1,000-pound ($1,200) "immigration skills charge" after Brexit on every skilled worker from an EU member state recruited by a British employer. The idea had drawn sharp condemnation from a prominent employers' group, the opposition Liberal Democrats and the European Parliament's point man on Brexit. Immigr
  
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• Murdered girl Katie Rough suffered severe cuts to neck and chest

  11-01-2017 17:21
  Seven-year-old Katie Rough was found in a field with severe cuts to her neck and chest, a court has heard. Flanked by two security guards and a youth offending team manager, the teenager remained silent and stared straight ahead. Katie Rough was found on a track after police were called to an address in nearby Alness Drive, in the Woodthorpe area of York, on Monday.
  
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• Hard Brexit 'may spark disaster' for universities, MPs told

  11-01-2017 16:42
  Cambridge University has experienced a 14% drop in applications from across the continent for undergraduate courses since the EU referendum, the Education Select Committee was told. Meanwhile, hostility towards immigrants, the devaluation of the pound and uncertainty over research projects has deterred postgraduates from heading to the UK, it has been claimed. Alistair Fitt, vice-chancellor of Oxford Brookes University, told the committee that if the Government opts for a so-called hard Brexit a
  
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• Firms could face £1,000 levy on hiring EU staff after Brexit

  11-01-2017 16:34
  
  The Government is considering a £1,000 levy on businesses for hiring skilled workers from the European Union after Brexit, a Home Office minister has said. Robert Goodwill raised the prospect that a scheme imposing such a charge on recruitment from outside the bloc, due to come into force later this year, could be extended after the UK finalises its exit from the EU. The suggestion was met with fury by the European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt.
  
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• UK studying annual levy on skilled EU workers, minister says

  11-01-2017 16:33
  By Estelle Shirbon LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is considering introducing an annual 1,000-pound ($1,200) "immigration skills charge" after Brexit on every skilled worker from an EU member state recruited by a British employer, a junior minister said on Wednesday. The suggestion drew immediate condemnation from a prominent employers' group, the opposition Liberal Democrats and the European parliament's point man on Brexit. Immigration minister Robert Goodwill told a parliamentary committee that su
  
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• Theresa May blasts Red Cross as 'irresponsible' on NHS

  11-01-2017 16:28
  
  Theresa May has slammed the Red Cross description of a "humanitarian crisis" in the NHS as "irresponsible" and "overblown". In angry exchanges during Prime Minister's Questions, Jeremy Corbyn had accused the Prime Minister of being "in denial" over the extent of the challenge facing the health service. Mrs May hit back at the charity over its criticism as the Government faces intensifying pressure to take action to tackle the problems facing the health service.
  
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• Staying grounded - converted jet offers unusual stay in Wales

  11-01-2017 15:58
  Jan 11 (Reuters) - Aviation enthusiasts have a novel way to feed their hobby without even taking to the skies - sleeping in a decommissioned private jet in Wales. With a double bedroom at the back and long leather sofa behind the cockpit, the 1970s JetStar sleeps 4 people on a campsite in Pembrokeshire. It joins a few other old planes - like a jumbo jet in Sweden - that have been converted into accommodation. ...
  
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• Girl remanded over Katie Rough killing

  11-01-2017 15:34 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A girl appears in court charged with the murder of a seven-year-old found injured on a playing field.
  
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• UK rail union to ballot for more London Underground strikes

  11-01-2017 14:46
  A major rail union raised the prospect of more travel chaos in London when it said on Wednesday it would hold a strike ballot among train maintenance workers on the London Underground, just two days after a walkout caused havoc for commuters. The RMT union said London Underground management had gone back on agreements over work rosters and had not consulted with the union over reduced staffing levels. "RMT members and the union will not stand by while an intransigent management attempts to ride
  
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• The NHS was top of the agenda at PMQs, and not everyone was pleased with Theresa May's responses

  11-01-2017 14:40
  
  Many people didn’t believe the PM was taking problems in the NHS seriously.
  
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• An MP has made a weird Brexit sketch where he pretends to be a waiter and talks about chicken

  11-01-2017 14:33
  This new political drama is no House Of Cards.
  
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• PM blasts Red Cross as 'irresponsible' on NHS

  11-01-2017 14:27
  
  The Prime Minister took aim at the Red Cross today as she attempted to play down the crisis facing the NHS as a "small number of incidents". The Prime Minister blasted the charity as "irresponsible" for saying that the NHS was facing a "humanitarian crisis" and she called the description "overblown". In angry exchanges during Prime Minister's Questions, Jeremy Corbyn accused Mrs May of being "in denial" over the extent of the challenge facing the health service.
  
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• Social media politics

  11-01-2017 14:11 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Arlene Foster responded to Martin McGuinness's with a Facebook video post; is there a growing trend of politicians using social media to help control their message?
  
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• Defendant slits own throat during court hearing in Wales

  11-01-2017 14:09
  A man waiting to be sentenced has slit his throat while standing in the dock in court. Lukasz Robert Pawlowski was airlifted to hospital after the incident at Haverfordwest Magistrates' Court in Wales. Wales Ambulance Service described his injuries as "serious".
  
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• Teenage girl appears in UK court charged with murder of seven-year-old girl

  11-01-2017 13:45
  The suspect, who cannot be named because she is a minor, is charged with murder and possession of an offensive weapon, North Yorkshire Police said. Police had earlier named the victim as Katie Rough and released a picture of a smiling girl in a light blue school uniform dress, clapping her hands. After an eight-minute appearance at York Magistrates Court during which she did not speak, the suspect was remanded in custody in secure accommodation, local media reported.
  
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• 'She only makes the tea': worst excuses for not paying minimum wage

  11-01-2017 13:22
  
  The worst excuses for not paying the minimum wage have been revealed, as part of a Government campaign. Another excuse was that an employee "wasn't a good worker", according to investigators from HM Revenue and Customs. The Government has launched a £1.7m campaign to spell out minimum wage entitlements.
  
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• UK industrial output rebounds but trade still lacklustre

  11-01-2017 13:20
  By Andy Bruce and William Schomberg LONDON (Reuters) - British industrial output rebounded in November, helped by a recovery in oil and gas, adding to signs that the economy kept its momentum in late 2016 despite June's shock Brexit vote. The Office for National Statistics said on Wednesday that industrial output rose 2.1 percent in November alone, recovering from a 1.1 percent drop in October and beating expectations for a 0.8 percent jump in a Reuters poll of economists. Sterling tipped below
  
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• How was Allstar Sports Bar's 500ft trick shot done?

  11-01-2017 12:46 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The manager of Bristol's Allstar Sports Bar has explained how they set up an amazing trick shot.
  
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• Teenager in court charged with murder of seven-year-old Katie Rough

  11-01-2017 12:41
  A 15-year-old girl has appeared before York magistrates charged with the murder of seven-year-old Katie Rough.
  
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• Trump's inauguration planner said the ceremony will have a 'soft sensuality' and we can't stop cringing

  11-01-2017 12:38
  
  What does it even mean?!
  
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• Nurse cried because she could not find bed for 99-year-old patient

  11-01-2017 12:09
  A senior nurse has told how she went home and sobbed after being unable to find a hospital bed for a 99-year-old patient because of the crisis facing the NHS. The Government is under considerable pressure to increase social care funding, which would mean elderly people would be cared for adequately at home and not end up needing hospital treatment.
  
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• Sterling nears post-EU referendum low as trade deficit widens

  11-01-2017 12:05
  
  The pound has slipped close to its lowest level against the US dollar since June's Brexit vote, after official figures showed a worse than expected widening of the UK trade deficit. It came after the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the goods trade deficit - the gap between imports and exports - widened to a worse-than-expected £12.2bn in November. The British Chambers of Commerce said the figures confirmed that "there is little evidence that the fall in the value of the pound is
  
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• Thousands left without power as winds of up to 93mph batter UK

  11-01-2017 11:59
  Thousands of homes have been left without power as gale force winds hit parts of the UK. Severe weather warnings of wind and snow are in place for Scotland, the North of England and Northern Ireland throughout Wednesday. Northern Powergrid, which supplies power to homes in the North East and Yorkshire, said 3,000 of its customers had experienced outages as winds reached 93mph in High Bradfield, South Yorkshire.
  
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• UK government expects to lose Brexit trigger case, making contingency plans - report

  11-01-2017 11:43
  The British government expects to lose its legal battle to start the Brexit process without going through parliament, and has drafted versions of a bill to put to lawmakers after the ruling, the Guardian newspaper reported on Tuesday. The Supreme Court is expected to rule in the next two weeks on whether the government can trigger Article 50 of the European Union's Lisbon Treaty, the first formal step towards leaving the bloc, without first getting parliament's approval. Citing unnamed sources,
  
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• Why was Sasha Obama missing from her father's farewell speech?

  11-01-2017 11:31
  
  No one could understand what on earth could be more important than the president’s last official address.
  
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• Mad about the pill

  11-01-2017 11:30 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Millions of women have no problem with the pill but some find it shatters their mental health. Here The Debrief's Vicky Spratt describes years of depression, anxiety and panic.
  
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• UK industrial output rebounds but record imports obliterate higher exports

  11-01-2017 10:51
  British industrial output rebounded in November, helped by a recovery in oil and gas and adding to signs that the economy kept its momentum in late 2016 despite June's shock Brexit vote. A record increase in imports completely outweighed exports which also hit an all-time high, showing the pound's drop since the referendum has yet to improve Britain's balance of trade. The Office for National Statistics said industrial output rose 2.1 percent in November alone, recovering from a 1.1 percent drop
  
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• 'Near-death' dog in dramatic Mersea Island sea rescue

  11-01-2017 10:43 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A dog missing for four days has been rescued close to death having swum to two different islands off Essex coast.
  
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• Meet Marlon Bundo: Mike Pence's pet bunny

  11-01-2017 10:40
  
  The whole Pence clan have touched down in Washington.
  
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