General news

• Donald Trump's inauguration cake is a sight to behold

  18-01-2017 23:40
  
  Fancy a slice?
  
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• EU leaders welcome Brexit clarity, Merkel says EU united ahead of talks

  18-01-2017 22:56
  EU leaders on Wednesday welcomed clarity from Britain over what it wants from Brexit talks, with Germany's Angela Merkel promising a united front in what will be "very intensive" negotiations. Responding to Prime Minister Theresa May's speech on Tuesday that made clear that Britain would quit the European Union's single market, Merkel welcomed the fact that London had accepted that free movement of EU citizens was not something it could opt out of without losing other EU rights. "There cannot be
  
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• US politicians are wishing George HW Bush a speedy recovery after being admitted to intensive care

  18-01-2017 22:24
  
  His wife Barbara has also been admitted to hospital.
  
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• Patrick Stewart to voice poo emoji in The Emoji Movie

  18-01-2017 21:47 via theguardian.com
  
  The acclaimed Shakespearean actor will take on the role of a pile of excrement in a new animated comedyPatrick Stewart is set to voice the poo emoji in animated adventure The Emoji Movie. Related: Ready for their smiley face close ups: which emoticons should be film stars?Continue reading...
  
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• We’re not out to punish Britain, but you need to shed your illusions | Guy Verhofstadt

  18-01-2017 21:10 via theguardian.com
  
  Although the EU will negotiate a fair deal, the days of Europe à la carte are overBrexit really does mean Brexit. Theresa May’s long-awaited speech this week finally outlined some of her government’s negotiating objectives. Now we know that Britain wants to leave the European single market it helped to create, the customs union, and the European Union as a whole.With only a few weeks left to the likely invoking of article 50, triggering the start of talks on Britain’s wi
  
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• Steve Bell on May, Trump and leadership – cartoon

  18-01-2017 21:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Continue reading...
  
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• Sir Ranulph Fiennes abandons bid to climb Aconcagua mountain

  18-01-2017 20:58 via theguardian.com
  
  Explorer calls off attempt to climb highest peak in South America just a few hours from summit due to severe back pain Explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes has been forced to abandon an attempt to climb the highest peak in South America after being struck down with a bad back. Related: Ranulph Fiennes interview: 'I wouldn't have done this if I'd passed my A-levels'Continue reading...
  
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• Army moves tanks through Channel Tunnel during secret exercise

  18-01-2017 20:51
  The British Army has secretly moved tanks through the Channel Tunnel to test the rail network in case of an invasion of Eastern Europe. During the exercise on Tuesday night, five Challenger tanks were loaded on to trains and taken to France and back. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) attempted to keep the exercise quiet - no media were invited and a short tweet with a picture was sent out around midnight.
  
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• HSBC and UBS issue new warnings over Brexit jobs exodus

  18-01-2017 20:33
  HSBC and UBS have issued fresh warnings over an exodus of staff following Brexit, a day after Theresa May confirmed the UK would leave the single market. The remarks by the two global banks at the World Economic Forum in Davos suggested each could move 1,000 workers out of London, echoing warnings from the sector before last June's vote. HSBC chief executive Stuart Gulliver said it would move "in about two years' time when Brexit becomes effective".
  
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• Four experimental mobile features to try on inauguration day

  18-01-2017 20:23 via theguardian.com
  
  Be one of the first to try live video notifications on mobile as Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th president of the United States As part of our mission, the Guardian Mobile Innovation Lab experiments with new ways of telling stories on small screens. On inauguration day, be a part of our experimental group to try out new mobile live blog features and notifications. We’ll be testing four features on three platforms. These experimental features will supplement the Guardian’s overal
  
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• Former England women's captain Heyhoe Flint dies at 77

  18-01-2017 20:19
  Rachael Heyhoe Flint, who captained England against Australia in the first women's cricket match played at Lord's in 1976, has died at the age of 77. The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) expressed condolences on Wednesday at the passing of a pioneer of the women's game, who captained England between 1966 and 1978 and in 2004 was the first woman elected to the MCC committee. "This is a terribly sad day for everyone involved in cricket and all of us at MCC," said club president Matthew Fleming in a s
  
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• How to make the perfect lemon curd

  18-01-2017 20:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Bring a golden glow to January with a Victorian classic, and, no matter if you’re looking to be eased into the day or hit with a full-on acid trip, there’s a variation for youA ray of sunshine in one of the darkest months of the year, lighter and zingier than marmalade (and considerably quicker to make), lemon curd is guaranteed to brighten up any breakfast or tea, as well as making a great filling for cakes. (You’re back on the cakes, right?) Formerly often known as fruit chee
  
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• In Europe we see only one loser from Brexit – and it won’t be us | Jean Quatremer

  18-01-2017 19:19 via theguardian.com
  
  Theresa May promises a soft Brexit for Britain and a hard one for everyone else. Why would we let that happen?When someone wants the impossible, in French we say that they want “the butter, the money from the butter, and the dairymaid’s smile”. In more vulgar usage we say they want something rather more from the dairymaid than a smile. This is precisely what we can take away from Theresa May’s speech on the “hard Brexit” she wants. It is “hard&rdquo
  
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• Donald Trump's education secretary nominee Betsy DeVos looked far from comfortable at her Senate confirmation hearing

  18-01-2017 19:04
  
  The candidate stumbled over some apparently basic questions.
  
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• Southern rail to restore 'full service' on Tuesday following strike

  18-01-2017 18:32
  Southern Rail will restore a "full train service" from next Tuesday. The return to normal service follows drivers' union ASLEF's agreement to suspend three planned strikes and lift a drivers' overtime ban. Hundreds of thousands of passengers were hit by three days of strikes last week and have endured months of disruption because of industrial action, staff shortages and other issues.
  
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• Trump has already requested the trademark for his 2020 slogan and it sounds pretty familiar

  18-01-2017 18:26
  
  “Keep America Great.”
  
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• RAF in 'utterly shocking' unauthorised Hercules plane landing in Ireland

  18-01-2017 18:25
  A diplomatic spat has broken out between the UK and Ireland after a RAF aircraft landed at Shannon Airport without permission in a "serious" incident. The Hercules transport plane came down in County Clare but clearance from the Dublin government was not sought in advance. British diplomats told Irish officials there had been a "communication breakdown" and there are set to be more discussions to make sure "correct procedures are followed in future".
  
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• Brexit: What is Tuesday's Article 50 Supreme Court Case about?

  18-01-2017 18:16
  
  The highest court in the UK will on Tuesday rule on what has been described as a "historic legal battle".
  
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• Victory for people with disabilities in 'wheelchair v buggy' bus case

  18-01-2017 18:13
  Disability campaigners have welcomed a Supreme Court ruling that bus drivers may have to do more to accommodate wheelchair users. The case was brought by Doug Paulley, who said he was "absolutely delighted" after "a long fight" and that the judgment marked "a significant cultural change". Mr Paulley argued against FirstGroup's policy of "requesting but not requiring" non-disabled passengers, including those with buggies, to vacate a space if it is needed by a wheelchair user.
  
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• 'The swamp is Goldman Sachs': how the bank is rewarded for putting profits over people

  18-01-2017 18:13 via theguardian.com
  
  The US government has continually mined the bank for some of its top posts despite its role in the 2008 financial crisis – and protests are popping up across the country again in response to Donald Trump’s cabinet picksIn a persistent drizzle on 17 January, a group of protesters swathed in green ponchos unfurled tarps and sleeping bags on the sidewalk in front of Goldman Sachs’ high-rise building on the West Side highway in New York City. A few of them wore handmade swamp creat
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn's awful pun was the undoubted highlight of PMQs

  18-01-2017 18:10
  
  He called her the irony lady … geddit?
  
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• What would Obama's presidency have been like if he'd achieved everything he wanted?

  18-01-2017 18:08
  
  Tighter gun laws? A stronger healthcare act? What if Obama had the support of Congress he needed?
  
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• Kitchen gadgets review: My Ice Cream Maker – yes, mine and not yours

  18-01-2017 18:04 via theguardian.com
  
  With its labelled cups, this is ideal if you want everyone to remember who owns the dessertCountertop churn, with motorised paddles and insulated cups. Discourages crystalline build up in iced-dessert mix. Continue reading...
  
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• Tunisia terror attack inquest: 'Army of police in Sousse would have scared tourists'

  18-01-2017 18:00
  
  Tour operators wanted to increase security in Sousse a month before a gunman opened fire on a beach in the Tunisian city but did not want tourists to be "scared by seeing an army of police", an inquest has heard. Seifeddine Rezgui murdered 38 people on 26 June, 2015, including 30 Britons. Inquests for the British victims are being held at the Royal Courts of Justice in central London.
  
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• Helen Bailey murder trial: Fiance Ian Stewart too ill for court

  18-01-2017 17:58
  The Helen Bailey murder trial has been adjourned because the accused - the author's fiance - has been taken ill. Ian Stewart is charged with drugging and killing the writer at their home in April 2016. Judge Andrew Bright told jurors at St Albans Crown Court that the accused was "not well enough to even come to court".
  
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• Ryanair says it could scrap UK domestic routes after Brexit

  18-01-2017 17:46
  DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ryanair's could scrap its small number of routes within Britain once the country leaves the European Union, rather than take steps to comply with new regulations, its chief financial officer said on Wednesday, a company spokesman said. As an Irish company, Europe's largest carrier by passenger numbers could require a UK air operating certificate, or AOC, to continue domestic services post-Brexit, Ryanair CFO Neil Sorahan told an airline conference, Bloomberg reported. ...
  
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• Caste divide

  18-01-2017 17:45 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Some British Asians say they still experience discrimination due to their caste. So, why are virtually all Hindu bodies in the UK opposed to this being made illegal?
  
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• Tight security as Madame Tussaud's unveils UK waxwork of Trump

  18-01-2017 17:39
  A waxwork of Donald Trump was unveiled on Wednesday amid tight security at Madame Tussauds museum after protests at a similar ceremony in Spain earlier this week. "Our studio team have been frantically busy matching his infamous glowing tan and trademark hairstyle in time for the start of his presidential reign," said Edward Fuller, General Manager of Madame Tussauds London. "Our guests will now find him standing imperiously in the Oval Office section within the attraction where he’ll resi
  
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• Woman claims Rolf Harris groped her after episode of Saturday Superstore

  18-01-2017 17:36
  A woman who claims entertainer Rolf Harris groped her at a children's television show in the 1980s has told a court she told others about the assault but they did not believe her. The 86-year-old is alleged to have placed his hand on the breast of the teenager after a broadcast of Saturday Superstore at BBC Television Centre in White City, west London, in 1983. Giving evidence at Southwark Crown Court, the complainant said Harris stood next to her in a room where others were "milling about", bef
  
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• No 10: Boris Johnson did not compare Francois Hollande to Nazi

  18-01-2017 17:14
  
  Number 10 has insisted Boris Johnson was just making a "theatrical comparison" when he likened the French President to a World War Two guard. The Foreign Secretary had warned Francois Hollande not to hit the UK with World War Two-style "punishment beatings" for leaving the EU.
  
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• Supreme Court says it will give Brexit trigger case ruling on Tuesday

  18-01-2017 17:12
  By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) - The United Kingdom's Supreme Court will deliver its ruling next Tuesday on whether Prime Minister Theresa May can begin leaving the European Union without parliament's assent, potentially giving lawmakers a chance to have a vote on Brexit. May has said she would trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty, the formal means of exiting the bloc, by the end of March and on Tuesday detailed her vision for a clean break with the EU by quitting its single market.
  
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• Why are you protesting the Trump administration?

  18-01-2017 16:26 via theguardian.com
  
  Whether you’re participating in the Women’s March on Washington or standing in solidarity elsewhere, tell us why you’re protesting – and share your photographsOne day after Donald Trump’s inauguration, on 21 January, hundreds of thousands of people will gather in Washington for the Women’s March on Washington. And while America’s capital will host the largest event, it is hardly alone: more than 300 simultaneous protests are expected across the US, with
  
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• A huge sinkhole has swallowed a truck in America

  18-01-2017 15:18
  
  There’s only ever a sinkhole when you’re least expecting one.
  
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• First freight train from China to Britain arrives in London

  18-01-2017 15:04
  The first train on an inaugural China-Britain freight service arrived in London on Wednesday after a 7,500-mile journey, marking a fresh milestone in China's push to build commercial links across Europe and Asia. The train pulled in to Barking in East London after an 18-day journey from Yiwu, a wholesale market town in the eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang. It had passed through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, Belgium and France, finally crossing under the English Channel into B
  
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• May's Brexit plan could 'rip Britain apart', warns Sadiq Khan - The Guardian

  18-01-2017 14:52 via theguardian.com
  
  The Guardian
  May's Brexit plan could 'rip Britain apart', warns Sadiq Khan
  The Guardian
  Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, says nothing less than privileged access to the single market will do. Photograph: Yui Mok/PA. Heather Stewart. Wednesday 18 January 2017 09.08 EST. Share on Facebook · Share on Twitter · Share via Email; View more ...
  London Mayor Urges Businesses to Join Drive Against Hard BrexitBloomberg
  London toxic air alert issued as Mayor Sadiq Khan warns of 'public
  
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• All aboard

  18-01-2017 14:44 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Yiwu-to-Barking express is the newest way to send your freight from China to Europe.
  
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• Here's the moment two adults risked a toddler's life on a level crossing

  18-01-2017 14:42
  
  Network Rail are warning people not to do the same.
  
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• 3 quakes shake Italy, isolating towns blanketed under snow - Daily Mail

  18-01-2017 14:42 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Daily Mail
  3 quakes shake Italy, isolating towns blanketed under snow
  Daily Mail
  ROME (AP) — Three strong earthquakes shook central Italy in the space of an hour Wednesday, striking the same region that suffered a series of deadly quakes last year and further isolating towns that have been buried under more than a meter (3 feet ...
  Italy weather: Quakes hit snowbound central regionsBBC News
  Rome metro evacuated as powerful earthquakes rock ItalyCNN
  LIVE: Central Italy reels from four stro
  
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• PMQs recap: Theresa May clashes with Jeremy Corbyn over her Brexit speech - Mirror.co.uk

  18-01-2017 14:03 via mirror.co.uk
  
  Mirror.co.uk
  PMQs recap: Theresa May clashes with Jeremy Corbyn over her Brexit speech
  Mirror.co.uk
  Labour's leader branded the Prime Minister the "Irony Lady" for ducking MPs and she was compared to TV comedy Little Britain. Watch the full exchange. Share. ByDan Bloom. Updated 13:02, 18 JAN 2017. News. Share. Video thumbnail, Theresa May faces ...
  Irish border 'difficult' but 'soluble', says DavisBBC News
  David Davis says MPs will NOT be able to block Brexit dealDaily Mail
  Jeremy Corbyn t
  
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• Bold over: 10 of the best printed dresses – in pictures

  18-01-2017 14:01 via theguardian.com
  
  From star prints and multi-prints to florals and camo, if you like a dress with a big, bold or bright print then you’re in luck: they are everywhere. Here are 10 of the best Continue reading...
  
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• Merkel to face German voters on September 24 - gulfnews.com

  18-01-2017 14:00 via gulfnews.com
  CBS News
  Merkel to face German voters on September 24
  gulfnews.com
  Berlin: German Chancellor Angela Merkel's government on Wednesday set September 24 as the date for a general election, as she seeks a fourth term facing populist headwinds over a record migrant influx. The decision, adopted by Merkel's right-left ...
  German President Joachim Gauck makes final address to the nationDeutsche Welle
  'It Will Be Fun': AfD Politician to Challenge Merkel at Upcoming ElectionSputnik International
  Ge
  
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• Filling Buble's shoes

  18-01-2017 13:37 via bbc.co.uk
  
  As Michael Buble takes time off to care for his son, who could replace him as host of the Brit Awards?
  
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• Brexit talks can only begin once Britain triggers Article 50 - German government

  18-01-2017 13:36
  BERLIN (Reuters) - Negotiations about Britain's future relationship with the remaining 27 European Union members can only start once the British government has invoked Article 50 to start the divorce talks, a German government spokeswoman said on Wednesday. Asked about British Prime Minister Theresa May's announcement that Britain would leave the EU's single market, government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer declined to comment. ...
  
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• No Brexit hit yet for UK workers as pay growth accelerates

  18-01-2017 13:35
  By William Schomberg and Alistair Smout LONDON (Reuters) - British workers saw their pay grow at the fastest pace in more than a year in the three months to November, official data showed on Wednesday, adding to signs that the country's economy ended 2016 strongly despite the shock of the Brexit vote. The jobless rate remained at an 11-year low of 4.8 percent and the employment rate stayed at all-time record high, the Office for National Statistics said. Policymakers have said they will not be r
  
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• Pearson profit warnings wipe almost £2bn off its value - The Guardian

  18-01-2017 13:27 via theguardian.com
  
  The Guardian
  Pearson profit warnings wipe almost £2bn off its value
  The Guardian
  Pearson plans to sell its Penguin Random House stake as shares plunged after a profit warning. Photograph: Tim Ireland/PA. Mark Sweney · @marksweney · email. Wednesday 18 January 2017 07.27 EST First published on Wednesday 18 January 2017 ...
  Pearson plunges as digital switch forces new profit warningDaily Mail
  Pearson shares dive 30% after profit warningFinancial Times
  Pearson savaged on b
  
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• Are you being affected by the political situation in the Gambia?

  18-01-2017 13:27 via theguardian.com
  
  Tourists are being evacuated from the Gambia, due to the deteriorating political situation. If you’re in the country you can share your experiences with usThomas Cook is to fly almost 1,000 UK customers out of the Gambia, as the UK Foreign Office (FCO) advises against all but essential travel to the country.The country’s political situation has been deteriorating since incumbent president Yahya Jammeh refused to hand power to Adama Barrow, who won in last month’s elections. The
  
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• The Gambia's Yahya Jammeh's term extended by parliament - BBC News

  18-01-2017 13:15 via bbc.co.uk
  
  BBC News
  The Gambia's Yahya Jammeh's term extended by parliament
  BBC News
  The Gambia's parliament has extended President Yahya Jammeh's term, which is due to end on Thursday following his defeat in elections, by 90 days. It also approved his decision to declare a 90-day state of emergency in the tiny West African state.
  Gambia: Why there's political turmoil in this small African nationCNN
  UPDATED: Norfolk charity workers told to head to the airport after being caught up in Gambian unrestNorfolk
  
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• Leonne Weeks: Second arrest after 16-year-old found dead on path

  18-01-2017 12:55
  A 26-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender after a 16-year-old girl was found dead on a path. Leonne Weeks' body was discovered near Lordens Hill in the Dinnington area of Rotherham on Monday morning. This is the second arrest in the case, after an 18-year-old from Dinnington was detained on Monday night on suspicion of murder.
  
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• McKinsey commits to London with long-term office deal

  18-01-2017 12:54
  Global consulting firm McKinsey & Co signed a long-term lease for a new office in London, signalling its commitment to Britain at a time when the country's coming withdrawal from the EU means some groups are relocating staff away from the UK. McKinsey announced a deal on Wednesday to take 100,000 sq ft (9,300 sq metres), plus an option for a further 130,000 sq ft, in the Post Building in London's West End from 2018. The firm will be moving from its Jermyn Street offices in central London whe
  
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• Boris Johnson dismisses WWII punishment threat from Francois Hollande

  18-01-2017 12:49
  
  Boris Johnson has warned the French president not to hit the UK with a "punishment beating" for Brexit. The Foreign Secretary said it was not in Francois Hollande's interests to "administer punishment beatings" in the "manner of some World War Two movie" after the president indicated France would not accept better conditions for the UK outside the single market. It came after the Prime Minister told EU leaders in her key Brexit speech that offering a bad deal to punish the UK for its decision to
  
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