General news

• SpaceX to send two paying tourists around the moon and deep into space next year

  27-02-2017 23:24
  
  SpaceX has announced it will fly two paying customers on a tourist trip around the moon next year.What will be the first-ever privately funded tourist flight beyond the International Space Station will use a spaceship under development for Nasa astronauts."Like the Apollo astronauts before them, these individuals will travel into space carrying the hopes and dreams of all humankind, driven by the universal human spirit of exploration," SpaceX said in a blog post.
  
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• Donald Trump says Oscars 'too focused on politics...sad' following the La La Land/Moonlight mix-up

  27-02-2017 22:56
  
  President Donald Trump has broken his silence over the Oscars best picture gaffe, saying he thought there was too much focus on politics to get the award ceremony right.There were chaotic scenes at the end of the Academy Awards on Sunday night, when the best picture Oscar was awarded to La La Land before it was realised a mistake had been made and Moonlight was actually the winner.In-between the presenting of awards, stars and host Jimmy Kimmel spent much of the ceremony mocking and attacki
  
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• Donald Trump says Oscars 'too focused on politics...sad' following the La La Land / Moonlight mix-up

  27-02-2017 22:56
  
  President Donald Trump has broken his silence over the Oscars best picture gaffe, saying he thought there was too much focus on politics to get the award ceremony right.There were chaotic scenes at the end of the Academy Awards on Sunday night, when the best picture Oscar was awarded to La La Land before it was realised a mistake had been made and Moonlight was the winner.In-between the presenting of awards, stars and host Jimmy Kimmel spent much of the ceremony mocking and attacking the Re
  
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• NSPCC's desperate bid to make sexually messaging children illegal ahead of Adam Johnson's second appeal

  27-02-2017 22:41
  
  The NSPCC has called on the Government to make sending sexual messages to children illegal as disgraced footballer Adam Johnson makes a second appeal against his conviction for child sex offences.The former England and Sunderland footballer was jailed for six years in January last year for engaging in sexual activity with a besotted 15-year-old fan.At the time of his conviction the grooming itself was not a crime, the NSPCC said.
  
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• NSPCC's desperate bid to make sexting children illegal ahead of Adam Johnson's second appeal

  27-02-2017 22:41
  
  The NSPCC has called on the Government to make sending sexual messages to children illegal as disgraced footballer Adam Johnson makes a second appeal against his conviction for child sex offences.The former England and Sunderland footballer was jailed for six years in January last year for engaging in sexual activity with a besotted 15-year-old fan.At the time of his conviction the grooming itself was not a crime, the NSPCC said.
  
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• Otter cub rescued after losing mother in Storm Doris

  27-02-2017 22:35
  
  An otter cub is being cared for by the RSPCA after being found alone next to a river in Chesterfield. Daffi was found with a respiratory infection but is now recovering and being hand-fed by vets several times a day. Video block text
  
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• Ukip in open civil war as Nigel Farage calls for Douglas Carswell to be thrown out after knighthood row

  27-02-2017 22:30
  
  Ukip was in a state of open civil war last night after Nigel Farage publicly warned that the party will collapse unless its sole MP Douglas Carswell is thrown out.Mr Farage, the former UK Independence Party leader, said Mr Carswell had “sought to split and divide UKIP in every way imaginable” since defecting from the Conservatives to Ukip in 2014.The two men have been at odds for years over the party's policies but their antipathy came to a head last night amid claims
  
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• FGM should not be prosecuted, police force says as it claims best course of action is to 'educate parents' 

  27-02-2017 22:30
  
  Parents caught practising female genital mutilation on their children should not be prosecuted, a police force has claimed as it says the best course of action is to “educate parents”.The claims, made by West Midlands Police on social media yesterday, have provoked criticism from MPs and child welfare activists, who said the force’s reluctance to seek prosecution was “deeply disturbing”.The feud comes after a spokesman for the force claimed that it was against &ldqu
  
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• Labour MPs express anger after Jeremy Corbyn decides not to attend weekly PLP meeting

  27-02-2017 22:16
  
  Labour MPs have expressed anger after Jeremy Corbyn decided not to attend a weekly meeting used to dissect the party’s historic loss in Copeland last week, with one accusing the party leader of a “total dereliction of duty”.Frustration was also vented by one MP at the meeting after an image emerged, reportedly showing two of Mr Corbyn’s allies – Diane Abbott and Shami Chakrabarti – enjoying a beverage in Westminster while the meeting was underway.Andrew Gwynne
  
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• Unarmed police should be prepared to run over terror suspects, claims Boston Marathon hero

  27-02-2017 22:11
  
  Unarmed police officers in the UK should be prepared to “run over” terrorist suspects, a sergeant responsible for catching the Boston Marathon bombers has said.Speaking to the Centre for Public Safety, Sgt Jeff Pugliese said officers must be prepared to “do what it takes” to catch potential terrorists.The comments came as the Metropolitan Police Federation revealed one in four Londoners believed officers should be armed.
  
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• 'I hope that you are resting, because you found life hard and now it is done': Tara Palmer-Tomkinson's sister shares emotional tribute at her funeral 

  27-02-2017 22:05
  
  Tara Palmer-Tomkinson's sister has shared her emotional eulogy after the socialite was laid to rest at a private funeral.Santa Montefiore said she hoped her sister was being looked after in Heaven and that she was resting, because she "found life hard and now it is done".Author Montefiore posted her tribute on Twitter and Facebook.
  
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• Bellingham crash: Fresh appeal after Mercedes ploughs into pedestrians in south east London

  27-02-2017 22:00
  
  Police have launched a fresh appeal after a Mercedes smashed into pedestrians in south east London, leaving one man fighting for his life and four people injured.Police and paramedics were called to Bromley Road in Bellingham at 8.20am on Sunday to reports of a car hitting pedestrians and a wall.One witness reported seeing a person trapped underneath the car after the crash, which happened near Catford bus garage and a hand car wash.
  
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• Gunmen kill seven in Sri Lanka prison bus shooting

  27-02-2017 21:57
  
  Gunmen opened fire on a prison bus near Colombo on Monday, killing five prisoners and two warders on their way to court in what was believed to be a gangland dispute, officials said.
  
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• Donald Trump says he hasn't called Russia in 10 years

  27-02-2017 21:36
  
  Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that he had not called Russia in 10 years as he brushed off demands for a special prosecutor to investigate alleged links between his presidential campaign and Moscow.A pool reporter wrote that Mr Trump mouthed the word “no” in response to a question about a special prosecutor.“I haven’t called Russia in 10 years,” he added.
  
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• UK needs more charm, less 'cheap rhetoric' for good Brexit deal - former PM Major

  27-02-2017 21:28
  By Kylie MacLellanLONDON (Reuters) - The British government needs to approach divorce talks with the European Union with more charm and less "cheap rhetoric" if it wants to get a good deal, former Conservative prime minister John Major said on Monday.Prime Minister Theresa May, who plans to begin the formal process of leaving the EU by the end of next month, has said Britain will leave the bloc's single market and instead seek a comprehensive free trade agreement post-Brexit.Major, who campaigne
  
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• Woman suffering from Crohn’s disease to pay £10,000 to end life in Switzerland after cuts to social care

  27-02-2017 21:09
  
  A woman suffering from Crohn’s disease is set to pay £10,000 to a Swiss euthanasia clinic to end her life after Government cuts caused her to lose vital care.Marie Lopez, who has suffered from the debilitating digestive disorder for more than 30 years, has chosen to travel to the Lifecircle clinic in Basel in about three months' time.Nearly 10 years ago, social services cuts meant the amount of help she received in her home was reduced from 38 hours a week to seven, forcing her to pa
  
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• Previously untouched 600BC palace discovered under shrine demolished by Isil in Mosul

  27-02-2017 21:00
  
  Archaeologists documenting Isil’s destruction of the ruins of the Tomb of the Prophet Jonah say they have made an unexpected discovery which could help in our understanding of the world’s first empire.The Nebi Yunus shrine - containing what Muslims and Christians believe to be the tomb of Jonah, as he was known in the Bible, or Yunus in the Koran - was blown up by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) militants soon after they seized huge swathes of northern Iraq in 2014.The sh
  
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• America could become next 'associate member' of the Commonwealth

  27-02-2017 20:47
  
  The United States could become the next “associate member” of the Commonwealth.Proposals from the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS), which have apparently been backed by Queen Elizabeth II, are an attempt to build a stronger relationship with the US following Britain’s exit from the European Union.Donald Trump has previously expressed fondness for the Royal Family and the UK in general and his election as President is an "opportunity" for closer ties between the two nations, the
  
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• You don't get 'brownie points' for going to church if you want to reserve a grave, CofE court rules as barrister QC wins war with villagers

  27-02-2017 20:36
  
  A top barrister has won a dispute with villagers over reserving grave space in a churchyard - despite their claims that he never came to church.Mr Jones, 58, was baptised and confirmed at the church and the couple were married in the church in 2000.
  
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• Millionaire wife challenges divorce settlement which gave ex-husband half of £5.45m fortune

  27-02-2017 20:36
  
  A wife who made millions as an energy trader should not be allowed to keep more of her fortune from being awarded to her husband following her divorce just because she was a woman, a judge said. 
  
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• UK consumer morale dips as inflation pinches households - GfK

  27-02-2017 20:29
  British consumer morale edged lower in February as rising inflation following last year's Brexit vote made householders warier about the outlook for their finances, a survey showed on Monday.The report by market research firm GfK pointed to increased financial pressure on households in the year ahead and added to signs that consumer spending - the driving force behind Britain's economy over the last few years - is starting to wilt as price pressures mount.GfK's monthly consumer sentiment index e
  
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• NHS doctors banned from charging 'rip-off' locum rates for extra shifts

  27-02-2017 20:29
  
  NHS doctors have been banned from earning lucrative agency rates while moonlighting at other hospitals after it emerged five medics were paid more than £2 million a year between them.The health service watchdog, NHS Improvement, last night also revealed that around 100 agency staff are earning more than £200,000 a year for covering staff shortages, while more than 500 doctors take home in excess of £150,000 a year.
  
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• Gerald Kaufman’s stellar PMQs moment | Letters

  27-02-2017 20:27
  
  Gerald Kaufman. The Labour MP for Manchester Gorton and former Father of the House of Commons, has died aged 86. Photograph: Tim Ockenden/PA
  
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• Donald Trump’s media ban inspires Cambodian attack on press freedom | Letters

  27-02-2017 20:27
  
  Cambodia’s prime minister, Hun Sen, whose government is clamping down on critical media, citing Donald Trump’s behaviour.Less than 100 days into his presidency, Donald Trump is being cited by a corrupt and despotic regime to justify new restrictions on rights and freedoms.On Saturday, Cambodia’s council of ministers spokesman Phay Siphan vowed to “crush” media entities that endanger the “peace and security” of the kingdom, calling on all “foreign a
  
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• Deported grandmother's family say Amber Rudd lacks compassion

  27-02-2017 20:25
  
  Irene Clennell first arrived in Britain in 1988 and was deported on Sunday.The family of a grandmother removed from the UK after losing her indefinite leave to remain have condemned the home secretary for a lack of compassion, as MPs, campaigners and lawyers warned such cases were becoming common.Irene Clennell, 52, who first arrived in Britain in 1988, was deported on Sunday and landed in Singapore on Monday afternoon local time after more than a month of detention in an immigration removal cen
  
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• Duchess of Cornwall braves rain to meet soldiers returning from Iraq

  27-02-2017 20:02
  
  Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall dispenses with her umbrella to welcome 4th Battalion The Rifles home from deployment in Iraq. Video block text
  
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• John Major: Theresa May must inject more charm and less cheap rhetoric into Brexit negotiations

  27-02-2017 19:52
  
  Former prime minister Sir John Major has called on Theresa May to inject "a little more charm and a lot less cheap rhetoric" into the Brexit negotiations.In a damning speech, the ex-Tory party leader said he had watched with "growing concern" over the way the country has been led to expect a future outside the European Union that is "unreal and over-optimistic".Voters must be told how the outcomes of the negotiations will affect them, Sir John said, as he warned the most vulnerable are likely to
  
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• Al-Qaeda's deputy leader reportedly killed by US drone strike in Syria

  27-02-2017 19:42
  
  The second-in-command of al-Qaeda has been killed in a US drone strike in Syria, according to jihadist reports. 
  
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• MoD experts to investigate Polish leader’s plane crash blamed on 'Russian aggression' 

  27-02-2017 19:39
  
  British defence scientists will test for traces of explosives on the wreckage of a Polish presidential plane which crashed in Russia, killing all on board, amid accusations from Poland that the incident was an "act of Russian aggression”.An investigative committee set up by the Polish government has asked experts at the MoD's Forensic Explosive's Laboratory to join a new investigation into the 2010 death of president Lech Kaczynski and 95 others.The committee signed a commer
  
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• Peter Hain: hard Brexit puts Northern Ireland peace process at risk

  27-02-2017 19:36
  
  Hain says a hard Brexit ‘could do profound damage’ to the peace process if it restricts use of the border with the Republic of Ireland.The government’s push for a hard Brexit could come “at a dangerously high cost” for peace across the Irish border, a former Northern Ireland secretary has warned as the article 50 bill is scrutinised in the Lords.Peter Hain, who became a peer in 2015, said reintroducing controls on the border might undermine a sectarian peace process
  
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• Hard Brexit push risks Northern Ireland peace process, says Peter Hain

  27-02-2017 19:36
  
  Lord Hain says a hard Brexit ‘could do profound damage’ to the peace process if it restricts use the border with Republic of Ireland.The government’s push for a hard Brexit could come “at a dangerously high cost” for peace across the Irish border, a former Northern Ireland secretary has warned as the article 50 bill is scrutinised in the Lords.Peter Hain, who became a peer in 2015, said reintroducing controls on the border might undermine a sectarian peace process w
  
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• New £1 coins will cause parking chaos as thousands of ticket machines will not accept them

  27-02-2017 19:31
  
  The introduction of the new £1 will spark chaos for people trying to park their cars, as tens of thousands of machines will not be ready to accept the coins in time, the British Parking Association has warned.The organisation told the Daily Telegraph that a "big queue" for modification means around a quarter of Britain's 100,000 parking meters will not have been updated in time for the new pound's debut.The 12-sided coin will enter circulation on March 28, six months before the curren
  
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• Superbugs which pose greatest threat to humanity identified by World Health Organisation 

  27-02-2017 19:19
  
  Experts have previously warned that resistance to the drugs that are used to fight infections could cause a bigger threat to mankind than cancer.If antibiotics lose their effectiveness, key medical procedures - including organ transplantation, Caesarean sections, joint replacements and chemotherapy - could become too dangerous to perform.
  
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• Cowell burglar convicted of £1m jewellery raid

  27-02-2017 19:09
  A man has been convicted of stealing jewellery worth nearly £1m from the west London home of entertainment mogul Simon Cowell.Darren February, who has been described as a serial offender, broke into the star's house in Holland Park as Cowell and his family slept and his security guard used the toilet.Prosecutor Denis Barry said February had already been convicted of 37 burglaries, repeatedly targeting the wealthy areas of Kensington and Bayswater as they provided "rich pickings".
  
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• John Major attacks government over approach to Brexit

  27-02-2017 19:01
  
  John Major said the public would not accept a move to a radical enterprise economy.Theresa May’s government must avoid souring the article 50 negotiations with “cheap rhetoric” and give voters an honest warning about the risks of Brexit, the former prime minister Sir John Major has said.With the prime minister planning to begin the formal process of leaving the European Union within weeks, her predecessor used his first big speech on Brexit since last year’s referendum to
  
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• Brexit: John Major accuses Theresa May's Government of misleading the British people

  27-02-2017 19:01
  
  Former Tory prime minister Sir John Major has accused Theresa May’s Government of misleading the British people over Brexit with “rosy confidence”, half-truths and “sky high” hopes.
  
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• Sir John Major launches extraordinary attack on Theresa May's government over Brexit

  27-02-2017 19:00
  
  Last week Tony Blair, the former Labour Prime Minister who campaigned alongside Sir John during the EU referendum, urged voters to "rise up" against Brexit and said that voters have the "right to change their minds".
  
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• British children sent overseas in migration programme faced 'unacceptable depravity', inquiry told

  27-02-2017 18:50
  
  Vulnerable British children shipped overseas in a controversial migration programme were victims of "unacceptable depravity" including torture, sexual abuse and slavery, an inquiry has heard.Thousands of children were relocated to distant corners of the British empire, often against their will, over hundreds of years, it was claimed.The long-awaited Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse heard on its first public session of evidence that many of the institutions which housed them were plagued
  
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• Free speech on Israel under attack in universities | Letter from 243 academics

  27-02-2017 18:43
  
  Jo Johnson, the universities minister, has asked Universities UK to disseminate the government’s definition of antisemitism.The spike in far-right antisemitic incidents on UK campuses that you report (UK universities urged to act over spate of antisemitic stickers and graffiti, 18 February) seems to reflect the increase in xenophobia since the Brexit vote.This definition seeks to conflate criticism of Israel with antisemitism.
  
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• British teenager falls in love with man 10,000 miles away after accepting random friend request

  27-02-2017 18:32
  
  A teenager from the UK has fallen in love with a man from Australia after accepting a random friend request on Facebook.Michael Young, 25, from Adelaide, contacted Rebecca Luff, 18, from Plymouth on the social media website and they have since embarked on a long-term relationship.The pair have now been together for a year and a half and they met when Mr Young flew to Plymouth in 2016.
  
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• Poor pupils will be overtaken by wealthier, less talented peers during secondary school, watchdog warns

  27-02-2017 18:31
  
  The performance of poor pupils at secondary school is rapidly declining, meaning they are far more likely to achieve worse academic results by the time they sit GCSEs, a new report has warned.In a report published on Monday, the watchdog warns that by the time intelligent but disadvantaged students reach 11-years-old, their more affluent peers will already be close on their heels.Pupils on free school meals – the most commonly accepted signifier of social and economic background - are almo
  
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• Dolphin spotted swimming in River Thames

  27-02-2017 18:29
  A small dolphin was spotted swimming along the River Thames in the centre of London for what is thought to be only the third time in nine years.
  
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• Killer guilty of £1m raid on Simon Cowell's west London mansion

  27-02-2017 18:01
  
  A killer who carried out a £1 million raid on Simon Cowell’s luxury mansion as the music mogul and his family slept upstairs has been found guilty of burglary.Darren February, 33, forced his way into the five-bed property in Holland Park through patio doors to steal a stash of jewellery and two passports.Just ten days later, he knocked down and killed 52-year-old Kenneth Baldwin with his car while racing at speeds of up to 60mph through Holland Park.
  
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• GPs urgently examine 173 cases of patients who may have been harmed after massive NHS data loss

  27-02-2017 17:43
  
  The cases of 173 patients are being urgently examined to see if they have suffered harm after the loss of 500,000 pieces of NHS data, MPs have been told.Family doctors have told the Department of Health (DH) that the cases “require further clinical review”, in what a senior Conservative MP called a “very serious incident”.Mr Hunt was dragged to the Commons chamber to explain himself after The Guardian revealed what is believed to be one of the biggest losses of sensitive
  
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• Woman deported to Singapore after almost 30 years living in the UK with her British husband and sons

  27-02-2017 17:27
  
  A woman who has lived in the UK for nearly 30 years with her British husband has been deported to Singapore.Irene Clennell, 53, says she was forced to board a plane without warning on Sunday, after being held for nearly a month in an immigration detention centre in Scotland.For a year before she was detained, Ms Clennell was the sole carer for her husband John, a former gas engineer, after he had an arterial bypass and suffered complications from a hernia.
  
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• US border control was thrown into ‘confusion’ by Trump's Muslim ban, British government says

  27-02-2017 17:01
  
  The US border control and immigration system was thrown into “confusion” by Donald Trump’s ‘Muslim ban’ executive order, the British government has said.Baroness Anelay, a Foreign Office minister, blamed US border authorities’ implementation of the President’s policy for reports of British dual nationals being turned away at airports.
  
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• Theresa May's national security director resigns after claims he 'mansplained' to the Prime Minister

  27-02-2017 17:01
  
  Theresa May's national security adviser is retiring in next month amid reports of tensions with Downing Street and suggestions he "mansplained" to the Prime Minister.Sir Mark Lyall Grant, 60, will be replaced by Mark Sedwill, the Permanent Secretary in charge of the Home Office who previously worked alongside Mrs May.It comes after reports that Sir Mark "got into a lot of trouble" for talking over the Prime Minister during a meeting in Downing Street.
  
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• Sir Gerald Kaufman obituary

  27-02-2017 17:01
  
  In Sir Gerald Kaufman, who has died aged 86, the Labour party had not only one of its longest-serving MPs, but also one of its loyalest, if most waspish, members.This was mainly due to the accident of timing, which saw Labour out of power during his prime, but partly also because of a certain unclubability.“He does not inspire warmth and trust,” wrote the political commentator Alan Watkins.
  
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• Donald Trump orders £43 billion boost to defence spending

  27-02-2017 16:51
  
  Donald Trump is ordering a $54 billion (£43 billion) surge in defence spending at the expense of environmental and foreign aid programmes as he tries to make good on the populist programme that propelled him to the White House.An official from the Office of Management and Budget told reporters that it included an almost 10 per cent increase on the $600 billion defence budget.Earlier, officials said Mr Trump was demanding budget savings worth tens of millions of dollars at the Environmental
  
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• I won't lose any sleep over the fact that children wake mothers not fathers

  27-02-2017 16:49
  
  Which is why I’m unsure as to why the study’s leader, Dr Kelly Sullivan, from Georgia southern University, felt the need to even bother stating that this research proves mothers are disproportionately affected by parenthood when it comes to sleep.My trusty earplugs protect me from the sound of their heels clattering in the hall at whatever ungodly hour they return home.
  
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