General news

• Footage showing moments before Marine A war crime shooting released

  02-02-2017 22:16
  Footage has emerged of the moments before a Royal Marine shot dead a Taliban insurgent in one of the most high-profile war crimes of recent years. The Ministry of Defence clips were authorised for public release by the High Court after a legal challenge by a number of media companies, including Sky News. In one clip, an Apache helicopter can be heard firing rounds at a Taliban fighter, while Marines urge its crew to drop a Hellfire rocket.
  
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• Ed Sheeran slams online touts after gig tickets go on sale for up to £1,000

  02-02-2017 21:10
  Ed Sheeran has urged fans not to buy from online touts after tickets for his forthcoming tour appeared at vastly inflated prices just minutes after going on sale. Four tickets for his gig at The O2 Arena on 1 May, with an original face value of £77 each, appeared on secondary ticketing site StubHub for £999 each plus booking fees. StubHub, which is owned by eBay, insists that prices - which are set by sellers - are dependant on demand, and often reduced as the event approaches.
  
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• Readers recommend: share your songs about unity

  02-02-2017 21:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Make your nomination in the comments and a reader will pick the best eligible tracks for a playlist next week – you have until Monday 6 February If you can think of a song that unifies or is about unity, we want to hear it. You have until 11pm on Monday 6 February to post your nomination and make your justification. RR contributor Sarah Chappell (who posts as AFictionHabit in the comments) will select from your recommendations and produce a playlist of favourites, to be published on 9 Febr
  
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• Dad of brain-damaged toddler shot in the head with air gun will 'never forgive'

  02-02-2017 20:47
  
  The mother of a baby shot in the head with an air rifle says her heart "shattered into a million pieces" when she realised what had happened. Two-year-old Harry Studley was taken to hospital for emergency surgery following the shooting last July.
  
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• These are the London Tube stations that will be closed if strikes go ahead

  02-02-2017 19:03
  
  TfL has provided a map showing which stations won’t operate, and when.
  
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• 10 readers on how their MPs voted in the Brexit debate

  02-02-2017 19:03 via theguardian.com
  
  Constituents of Jeremy Corbyn, Ken Clarke and others on how they feel about the vote to trigger article 50
  A total of 114 MPs voted against the bill designed to give Theresa May’s government authority to trigger article 50 and begin the Brexit process. The bill passed to its second reading, with 498 MPs voting in favour. Related: Brexit: fifth of Labour MPs defy three line whip to vote against article 50 billContinue reading...
  
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• Your buried treasures

  02-02-2017 19:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Readers share stories of their childhood time capsules and the items they buried.
  
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• Criticism over NI invite to Donald Trump

  02-02-2017 18:54 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness are criticised for inviting US President Donald Trump to visit Northern Ireland.
  
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• Former HBOS bankers, businessmen sentenced to up to 15 years in UK loan scam

  02-02-2017 18:45
  By Andrew MacAskill LONDON (Reuters) - Two former HBOS bankers and four business partners were sentenced to between three-and-a-half and 15 years in jail by a British judge on Thursday for orchestrating a $307 million fraud that siphoned off money from struggling businesses. Former HBOS bankers Lynden Scourfield and Mark Dobson, businessmen Michael Bancroft, David Mills and his wife Alison Mills and accountant Tony Cartwright were convicted on Monday of various crimes after a five-month jury tri
  
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• Car thief faces life in prison for killing child actor in Penge crash

  02-02-2017 18:38
  A car thief who knocked down and killed a child actor and his aunt as they went to buy ice cream is facing life in prison. A stolen Ford Focus driven by Joshua Dobby struck Makayah McDermott, 10, and Rosie Cooper, 34, in a street in Penge, south London. Appearing at the Old Bailey via video link from prison, he also pleaded guilty to dangerous driving relating to an incident on 26 August on the A228 near Snodland in Kent.
  
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• Southern rail agrees deal with ASLEF to end driver-only dispute

  02-02-2017 18:36
  
  A deal has been agreed between Southern rail and the ASLEF union to end a dispute over driver-only trains, it has been announced. Both sides have been holding lengthy talks to try and resolve a long-running row which triggered a series of strikes. Around 1,000 drivers will now vote on the deal, bringing the prospect of relief to passengers who have had to endure months of disruption because of the industrial action and staff shortages.
  
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• Has the Government Brexit plan delivered?

  02-02-2017 18:13
  
  The Brexit White Paper had to be dragged out of the Government - and it shows. The document is designed to set out Government policy ahead of legislation, but it takes Theresa May's 12-point Plan For Britain as the skeleton and adds meagre flesh to the bones. The civil servants charged with bashing out this 77-page document, before the bill allowing the PM to officially trigger the EU divorce moves to committee stage, seem to have taken him at his word.
  
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• Australia for the Ashes

  02-02-2017 18:05 via theguardian.com
  
  Your interactive map and guide Continue reading...
  
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• Man tried to save fiancee's life during Tunisia terror attack

  02-02-2017 17:59
  The fiance of a woman killed in the Tunisia terror attack told her he loved her before trying to save her life, an inquest has heard. Carly Lovett, 24, from Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, was on holiday with Liam Moore in Sousse when the gunman struck on 26 June, 2015. An inquest into her death heard the couple had run from the pool area of the hotel after hearing shots on the beach.
  
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• Ex-HBOS banker 'sold soul to devil' for part in £245m loan scam

  02-02-2017 17:58
  A group of financiers have been jailed for their part in a £245m scam after being convicted of bribery and corruption. Between 2003 and 2007, finance consultant David Mills, 59, used designer watches, exotic holidays and sex parties to bribe HBOS manager Lynden Scourfield, 54, to approve inappropriate loans for struggling businesses. Scourfield had been in charge of helping business customers who were facing financial difficulties during his time at HBOS, but resigned from the bank in 2007
  
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• Tunisia survivor 'tried to save fiancee Carly Lovett'

  02-02-2017 17:57 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The fiancee of Tunisia victim Carly Lovett told her he loved her before trying to save her life.
  
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• David Hockney has redesigned the Sun’s masthead - but is there more to it than meets the eye?

  02-02-2017 17:52
  
  The artist says he was “delighted to be asked” to redesign the iconic logo.
  
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• Britain will try to negotiate amicable EU divorce - Brexit paper

  02-02-2017 17:50
  By Elizabeth Piper LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will do its utmost to negotiate a divorce deal with the European Union that is mutually beneficial, Brexit minister David Davis said on Thursday, setting out the government's strategy in an official policy document. The publication of the "White Paper" is part of an attempt by Prime Minister Theresa May to keep MPs on side as she launches Britain's formal divorce talks with the EU.
  
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• Train drivers reach deal with Southern rail in long-running dispute

  02-02-2017 17:43
  One of Britain's longest and most damaging rail strikes since the industry was privatised in the 1990s appeared to be heading for resolution on Thursday as management at Southern Rail and its drivers reached provisional agreement. Around 930 members of the ASLEF drivers' union on Southern Rail will now have until Feb. 16 to vote on the deal. "I welcome this agreement which is a significant step forward in addressing the safety concerns of ASLEF members on Southern Rail," ASLEF General Secretary
  
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• Romantic holiday disasters: share your stories of travel love gone bad

  02-02-2017 17:41 via theguardian.com
  
  Maybe it was more a case of ‘oh no’ rather than ‘oh l’amour’ but we want to hear your tales of romantic trips that were anything but. Perhaps it started with a kiss and ended in silence, casualty … or worseThe path of true love rarely runs smoothly – especially on holiday … where it can also go spectacularly wrong. Spending 24 hours a day with each other can test even the strongest couples’ patience and joie de vivre. Add in illness, travel
  
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• Aslef reaches deal with Southern to avert strikes

  02-02-2017 17:30 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The dispute between Southern rail and Aslef is "over" following talks, TUC general secretary says
  
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• Jail for six in HBOS fraud case

  02-02-2017 17:29 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Six former financiers have been jailed for their part in a bribery and fraud scandal.
  
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• New faces

  02-02-2017 17:27 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Plans to spend £8m a year on externally-employed reporters will take effect in the summer, BBC confirms.
  
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• Workington police blow up 'suspicious' car parked by fellow officers

  02-02-2017 17:18 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The force says it was "an internal communications error" and has apologised to the owner.
  
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• Spy sentences targeted in Official Secrets Acts review

  02-02-2017 17:11 via bbc.co.uk
  
  First full review of Official Secrets Acts in more than 100 years.
  
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• US or Europe? Theresa May in 'delicate' position over trade, says Maltese PM

  02-02-2017 16:48
  The Maltese Prime Minister has warned Theresa May must choose her priorities well when deciding whether Britain's future lies with the United States or Europe. Speaking to Sky News ahead of an informal EU Presidency Summit in Valletta, Joseph Muscat joined a chorus of European criticism of the new US President. Mr Muscat said: "I do believe the UK is in a very delicate situation, right now.
  
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• Bank of England sharply raises 2017 growth outlook

  02-02-2017 16:40 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Bank of England keeps rates on hold and makes another big rise in its growth forecast for this year.
  
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• Driver Joshua Dobby admits manslaughter over Penge deaths

  02-02-2017 16:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Joshua Dobby killed 10-year-old Makayah
  
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• Trains plough through the waves on scenic UK line as storms approach

  02-02-2017 16:20
  DAWLISH, England (Reuters) - Throwing up spectacular showers of spray, trains braved the waves along one of Britain's most scenic rail stretches on Thursday, ahead of a weekend which could see widespread travel disruption from high winds. The line between Exeter and Plymouth at the seaside town of Dawlish in Devon, southwest England, is regularly pummelled by heavy seas and in 2014 was partially washed away when a storm destroyed a large section of sea wall. http://uk.reuters. ...
  
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• Boy, 12, dies after staircase fall at school in Norwich

  02-02-2017 16:11
  A 12-year-old boy has died nine days after falling from a staircase at a secondary school. Michael Sousa was taken to hospital with a serious head injury following the fall at Jane Austen College in Norwich on 23 January, the day after his twelfth birthday.. Rebecca Handley Kirk said: "We are devastated by these events, and we send our thoughts and our love to Michael's family and friends.
  
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• Steve Bannon: the strategist behind Trump's travel ban – video profile

  02-02-2017 16:08 via theguardian.com
  
  Steve Bannon has been a naval officer, an investment banker, a film producer and an executive at Breitbart News. Now he’s Donald Trump’s chief strategist and arguably the most influential man in the White House. He was reportedly behind the chaotic move to restrict immigration from certain majority Muslim countries and has called on the media to ‘keep its mouth shut’ about Trump.Steve Bannon: ‘We’re going to war in the South China Sea ... no doubt’Contin
  
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• Lawyer behind false Iraq abuse claims against British Army struck off

  02-02-2017 15:58
  A leading human rights lawyer has been struck off for misconduct after acting dishonestly in bringing abuse cases against the British Army. Phil Shiner from the now-defunct Public Interest Lawyers brought thousands of cases of historical abuse against the military and its role in Iraq. Among the charges were that Professor Shiner, who chose not to appear before the hearing, paid a middle man to find and "cold-call" the families of potential Iraqi victims.
  
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• Bank of England, ramping up growth forecast, in no mood for rate hike

  02-02-2017 15:56
  By William Schomberg and David Milliken LONDON (Reuters) - The Bank of England on Thursday sharply increased its forecast for British economic growth in 2017, but appeared to be in no rush to raise interest rates, warning of "twists and turns" on the road out of the European Union. There was a sign of a partial split as some of the BoE's nine rate-setters "moved a little closer" to their limits for how much they could tolerate inflation if - and when - it goes above the bank's 2 percent goal. Th
  
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• A painful goodbye

  02-02-2017 15:46 via bbc.co.uk
  
  From cuddle cots to memory boxes, the experts tell us how they can help with the death of a baby
  
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• British Brexit paper stresses hope for mutual EU/UK benefit

  02-02-2017 15:35
  Britain will do its utmost to negotiate a divorce deal with the European Union that is mutually beneficial, Brexit minister David Davis said on Thursday, setting out the government's strategy in an official policy document. The publication of the "White Paper" is part of an attempt by Prime Minister Theresa May to keep MPs on side as she launches Britain's formal divorce talks with the EU. Britain's future relationship with the European Union has split opinion in parliament, where the majority o
  
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• We underestimated consumer strength after Brexit, BoE's Carney says

  02-02-2017 15:16
  Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said on Thursday the bank had miscalculated the strength of British consumer spending in its assessment of what would happen immediately after last year's Brexit vote. "The thing that we missed is the strength of consumer spending and consumer confidence associated with that, that has been present all the way through this process," he told a news conference. The BoE had predicted a severe pull-back if Britain voted last June to leave the European Union.
  
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• Risky to relocate London-based markets after Brexit - BoE's Carney

  02-02-2017 15:16
  Attempts to relocate London-based financial markets as Britain leaves the European Union could pose big risks to the financial stability of the continent, Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said on Thursday. Carney used derivatives as an example of a highly complex market dominated by London that requires constant supervision, which would be difficult to relocate. "There is huge operational risk involved in that, there's huge financial risk involved in that.
  
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• Key points from Britain's Brexit White Paper

  02-02-2017 15:16
  The British government has published a "White Paper" policy document, setting out its plans for coming negotiations on leaving the European Union. The 77-page paper reiterated the 12 priorities already set out by Prime Minister Theresa May including that Britain would seek a comprehensive free trade agreement with the EU but not an unlimited transitional status. The white paper can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-united-kingdoms-exit-from-and-new-partnership-with-th
  
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• End of central bankers' '15 minutes of fame' draws near - BoE's Carney

  02-02-2017 15:16
  Central bankers' "15 minutes of fame" are coming to an end as governments around the world focus increasingly on fiscal spending and trade, Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said on Thursday. The comment was one of the most pointed from a major central bankers about the difficulties now being faced after years of propping up economies with asset purchases and negligible interest rates. "In many respects, we're coming to the last seconds of central bankers' 15 minutes of fame, to use the Warho
  
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• BoE's Carney - Upgraded growth forecast doesn't mean Brexit has no consequences

  02-02-2017 15:16
  LONDON (Reuters) - Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said on Thursday that the central bank's new, upgraded forecasts for British economic growth do not mean that last year's Brexit vote will have no consequences. The BoE said it now expected economic growth of 2.0 percent this year, higher than economists had predicted and up from its previous forecast of 1.4 percent. "This stronger projection doesn't mean the referendum is without consequence," Carney said at a news conference after the BoE
  
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• Vera Lynn to release new album for 100th birthday

  02-02-2017 15:13
  British singer Vera Lynn will celebrate her 100th birthday by releasing an album of remastered classic songs next month, which could make the wartime singer the first centenarian to hit the UK charts. The artist known as the "Forces sweetheart" will release "Vera Lynn 100", which will include hits such as "We'll Meet Again" and "Sailing" set to new orchestral accompaniment, on March 17, three days ahead of her milestone birthday. "It’s truly humbling that people still enjoy these songs fro
  
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• JK Rowling hits back over threats to burn Harry Potter books

  02-02-2017 15:13 via bbc.co.uk
  
  JK Rowling mocks Twitter users who threaten to burn her books because of her anti-Trump stance.
  
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• Suzuki reveals pricing of GSX-R1000R and GSX-R1000

  02-02-2017 15:03
  
  All-new motorcycles use technology from the company’s MotoGP racer
  
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• SNP and Greens strike deal ahead of Scots budget vote

  02-02-2017 14:34 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The SNP and Greens confirm they struck a deal ahead of the first vote on the Scottish budget.
  
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• Sky Ocean Rescue: Prince Charles in rallying call to consumers

  02-02-2017 14:32
  Prince Charles has urged consumers to match the commitment made by some of the world's biggest brands to stop the devastating impact plastics are having on our oceans. The Prince of Wales has asked businesses to come up with more innovative solutions to reuse plastic or help the consumer to recycle so items like plastic bottles can have a second, third and even fourth "life". Calling for "practical and ambitious action", Prince Charles spoke of his hopes for Sky's Ocean Rescue campaign.
  
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• 'Legal, but immoral'

  02-02-2017 14:30 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Buying a home can be expensive enough but some owners are facing unexpected bills to buy the freehold of their property.
  
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• How are you tackling antisemitism on social media? Share your stories

  02-02-2017 14:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Antisemitic incidents have reached record levels in the UK. We’d like to hear how you are campaigning against it
  Factors including the Labour party antisemitism row and terrorist attacks in Europe have led to a rise in antisemitic incidents in the UK by more than a third, according to a report.
  The data released by the Community Security Trust (CST), which helps protect Jewish communities in Britain and monitors antisemitism, recorded 1,309 incidents of anti-Jewish hate last year, compared
  
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• British cancer patient trapped in Dubai: 'I'm bleeding profusely'

  02-02-2017 14:30 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A British woman tells the Victoria Derbyshire programme that police in Dubai are refusing to hand over her passport so she can fly back to the UK for urgent cancer treatment.
  
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• Iraq lawyer Phil Shiner struck off over misconduct

  02-02-2017 14:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Phil Shiner, who brought abuse claims against Iraq War veterans, "made soldiers' lives a misery".
  
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• Official Brexit negotiating strategy revealed

  02-02-2017 14:18
  
  The Brexit Secretary is laying out out the Government's negotiating strategy for leaving the European Union in an official plan. The 77-page document expands on Theresa May's Brexit speech last month, in which she set out a 12-point plan for dealing with the UK departure from the bloc. Announcing the White Paper, Mr Davis said it set out the "Prime Minister's vision for a truly independent" Britain.
  
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