General news

• Scottish independence vote may be decided 'within weeks' - Sturgeon ally

  05-02-2017 23:33
  A decision on calling a new Scottish independence referendum could be made within weeks, said a Scottish Greens lawmaker whose party is a key ally of Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. The timing of a potential new Scottish referendum - which polls say most Scots do not want - would be determined by the process of Britain's exit from the European Union, said Ross Greer, a lawmaker and a key campaigner in the 2014 vote in which Scots rejected independence by a 10-percentage-point margin. "W
  
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• This new clothing line lets you share your appreciation for the Obama family if you're not quite ready to let go

  05-02-2017 19:15
  
  ThankUObama was designed to commemorate Obama’s years in office.
  
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• Royals on the run: William, Kate and Harry race for Heads Together

  05-02-2017 18:49
  The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry have raced against each other in a 100-metre sprint to raise awareness of mental health issues. Prince William, Kate and Prince Charles' younger son took to the track during a training day for runners taking part in the London Marathon for charity Heads Together. The Heads Together campaign aims to raise awareness of the stigma that continues to surround mental health.
  
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• Britain too dependent on large housing developers - housing minister Barwell

  05-02-2017 17:40
  Britain's housing market is too dependent on large homebuilders, housing minister Gavin Barwell said on Sunday, speaking ahead of the launch of the government's latest attempt to fix a chronic shortage of new homes. "We desperately need more homes and we’re too dependent at the moment on a small number of large developers and we need to look at all the things that we can do to get more people involved in building new housing," Barwell told the BBC. Persimmon , the second largest, has said
  
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• Human remains found near motorway slip road at High Wycombe

  05-02-2017 17:38
  Human remains have been found close to a busy motorway slip road during a routine police patrol.
  
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• Police name schoolboy who died after reportedly choking on food

  05-02-2017 16:40
  A five-year-old boy who died after reportedly choking at a school in Hull has been named as Theodore Silvester. Paramedics were called to Anlaby Primary School on Friday, where Theodore was a foundation pupil. In an update on Sunday, Humberside Police said a post mortem examination was yet to taken place.
  
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• May's Brexit plan under pressure ahead of parliamentary test

  05-02-2017 16:39
  By William James LONDON (Reuters) - Pro-Europe MPs' efforts to temper Theresa May's Brexit plan gained traction on Sunday when a member of her own party broke ranks to criticise her strategy before parliamentary votes that will test her government's slim majority. A three-day debate on a law giving May the right to trigger Britain's exit from the European Union begins on Monday, and will be followed by a series of votes on whether to attach extra conditions to her plan to start talks by March 31
  
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• Harman: Labour must 'sort itself out' and become effective opposition

  05-02-2017 16:07
  Harriet Harman has pleaded with Labour "to sort itself out" as the party is not proving to be an effective opposition having lost public support. Speaking to Sky's Sophy Ridge, Ms Harman argued that the Government did not need to take any notice of Labour, and said the party has "definitely got work to do" to present itself as a credible alternative. The remarks will be viewed as an outright attack on the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, who is under pressure over internal divisions over Europe, low
  
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• Rage of Trump's UK critics 'astonishing', says Lord Carey

  05-02-2017 15:09
  
  A former head of the Church of England has warned the "hysterical overreaction" in the UK to Donald Trump threatens Britain's relationship with the US President. Lord Carey, who served as Archbishop of Canterbury for nearly a decade, argued the "rage" at his election victory was "astonishing" and stressed the need for people to respect the choice of US voters.
  
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• Scotland patients 'waited more than a year' for hospital discharge

  05-02-2017 12:16
  Patients in Scotland had to wait more than a year to be discharged from hospital despite there being no medical reason for them being kept in, according to newly released figures. The data - covering the three years to 2016 - showed the longest wait was by a patient in Dumfries and Galloway, who was kept in hospital for 508 days in 2013/14. Delays of more than a year were also recorded in the Fife and Highland health boards.
  
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• PM in bid to tackle high rental costs as housing strategy switches focus

  05-02-2017 11:58
  
  Theresa May will this week put Generation Rent at the heart of her plans to "fix the broken housing market" with plans to increase the number of affordable rental homes. Ditching David Cameron's plan to turn "Generation Rent into Generation Buy", the Prime Minister will instead focus on dealing with the high cost of renting in an admission that the UK's booming housing market has left home ownership out of reach for millions of people. The Government is to change planning rules to enable council
  
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• Laser pen attackers face jail under government crackdown

  05-02-2017 10:18
  Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said shining a laser at pilots or drivers, risking causing temporary blindness, was "incredibly dangerous" and could be fatal. It is currently an offence to shine lasers at pilots, with offenders facing fines of up to £2,500, but investigators must prove a person endangered the aircraft. Under the new law, police will only have to prove the offence of shining the laser, and it will be extended to cover all forms of transport.
  
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• Fake vigils held for the Bowling Green massacre that never happened

  05-02-2017 09:41
  
  “Never remember.”
  
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• RMT calls ASLEF's deal with Southern rail a 'shocking betrayal'

  05-02-2017 08:46
  The deal between the ASLEF union and Southern rail is a "shocking betrayal" of workers and passengers, another union has said. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) has strongly attacked the agreement reached earlier this week, aimed at ending a long-running dispute over driver-only trains. Following 11-days of negotiations, ASLEF said it would be putting the deal to its "members, with a strong recommendation to accept".
  
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• Football abuse victim blames police for 'letting me down'

  05-02-2017 07:30
  Police in Lancashire have been accused of allowing a paedophile football coach to escape justice. The claim has been made by victim Scott Ramsbottom who says he was groomed and abused by the same serial sexual predator accused of attacking former England international Paul Stewart. Mr Ramsbottom says that long before the recent football abuse scandal broke he reported the crimes and even made a nine-page statement detailing the assaults.
  
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• Laser pen attackers face prosecution under new law

  05-02-2017 04:52
  At present it is an offence to shine lasers at pilots, with offenders facing fines of up to £2,500, but officers must prove a person endangered the aircraft when committing the offence. A change in legislation means in future police will only have to prove the offence, and will be extended to cover all forms of transport including planes, trains and taxis. A laser can result in temporary vision loss associated with flash blindness.
  
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• Theresa May to tackle shortage of affordable rental homes

  05-02-2017 04:06
  Theresa May will this week put Generation Rent at the heart of her plans to "fix the broken housing market" with plans to increase the number of affordable rental homes. Ditching David Cameron's plan to turn "Generation Rent into Generation Buy", the Prime Minister will instead focus on dealing with the high cost of renting in an admission that the UK's booming housing market has left home ownership out of reach for millions of people. The Government is to change planning rules to enable council
  
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• Black Sabbath reaches The End as band returns to Birmingham for final gig

  05-02-2017 02:24
  Black Sabbath - the band credited with creating heavy metal - have performed their final ever concert. Preparing for the finale, the self-proclaimed prince of darkness Ozzy Osbourne said: "Since I've got to this building, I've been happy, I've been tearful. The band's line-up has changed many times since forming in 1968, including Osbourne's firing in 1979 before re-joining the band in 1997.
  
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• Schoolboy dies after reportedly choking on food

  05-02-2017 02:10
  A five-year-old boy has died after reportedly choking at a school in Hull, it has emerged. Paramedics were called to Anlaby Primary School in Hull on Friday and the pupil was rushed to hospital but later died. The death is being treated as unexplained but not suspicious, Humberside Police said.
  
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