General news

• Stop corporation tax cuts to save the NHS, Theresa May warned

  04-03-2017 23:55
  
  An overwhelming majority of the British people want Theresa May to stop planned cuts to corporation tax worth £7.5bn and instead hand the desperately needed money to the NHS, an exclusive poll has revealed.The BMG Research study showed more than three-quarters of people wanted Conservative plans to slash the business tax scrapped, with most believing the money should be passed to an ailing NHS that experts have warned is heading for catastrophe.
  
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• Cambridge Analytica affair raises questions vital to our democracy

  04-03-2017 23:55
  
  Three months on from the first appearance by Cambridge Analytica in the Observer, the questions show no sign of going away.Cambridge Analytica, its parent company SCL, and its relationship to the Leave campaign raise questions that cannot be ignored – questions that are vital to the integrity of our democracy and what it means to be a citizen in the digital age.In December, Cambridge Analytica wrote to the Observer to deny it had worked for the Leave campaign.
  
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• Sunny Pawar in Lion: ‘He was just a normal boy; now a Hollywood star lives in our area’

  04-03-2017 23:40
  
  The eight-year-old actor received a hero’s welcome as he returned home to a slum from the Oscars. His family are dealing with the fame from his role in Lion
  It’s 11am and the Pawar family are dressed to impress. The women have put on sparkling saris and the men are in clean, ironed shirts. The man of the moment, eight-year-old Sunny, the child star of the Oscar-nominated film Lion, is inside the house, getting his face aggressively powdered by an aunt, while an uncle sprays him with
  
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• Nigeria rejected British offer to rescue seized Chibok schoolgirls

  04-03-2017 23:40
  
  RAF mission detected Boko Haram kidnappers but action was refusedBritish armed forces offered to attempt to rescue nearly 300 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, but were rebuffed by Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria’s president at the time, the Observer has learned.In a mission named Operation Turus, the RAF conducted air reconnaissance over northern Nigeria for several months, following the kidnapping of 276 girls from the town of Chibok in April 2014. &ldq
  
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• We’ve cleared Isis from our campus, says Sudan university after Britons are killed

  04-03-2017 23:35
  
  Parents are withdrawing students from Khartoum’s University of Medical Sciences and TechnologyThe head of the Sudanese university where more than 20 young Britons were recruited by Islamic State has claimed that the group’s recruitment machine has been eradicated from the campus.Attempting to reassure British parents that it is safe to send their children to Khartoum’s University of Medical Sciences and Technology (UMST), Dr Ahmed Babiker said that counter-radicalisation effort
  
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• Civil war in the Vatican as conservatives battle Francis for the soul of Catholicism

  04-03-2017 23:35
  
  As the pope leaves Rome for a retreat to mark Lent, rebellion and turmoil are in the airWhen Pope Francis was elected nearly four years ago, on 13 March 2013, he was escorted – like every pope before him – from the Sistine Chapel to the Room of Tears. It is the place where a new pope pauses for a moment – and no doubt many of them do shed a few tears, thinking of the momentous responsibility upon their shoulders – before stepping out on to the balcony of St Peter’s
  
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• Leading Brexiters urge May to guarantee EU citizens right to remain in UK

  04-03-2017 23:30
  
  Theresa May is facing increased pressure to guarantee the rights of EU citizens.Michael Gove and other Tory Brexit campaigners on Sunday called on Theresa May to unilaterally guarantee the rights of 3.2 million EU citizens to remain in the UK, as they back a parliamentary report that brands the government policy as “unacceptable”.Gove is one of several pro-Brexit Tories on the all-party select committee on exiting the EU who say that May’s approach is causing great “
  
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• Antonio Conte’s big regret about leaving Italy for Chelsea is not doing it sooner

  04-03-2017 23:30
  
  • Italian is enjoying learning a new language and new habits
  • ‘It wasn’t easy at the start of my Chelsea career,’ says managerAntonio Conte admits he has found adapting to life in England difficult but hopes to continue pursuing his managerial career outside Italy, with his commitment to his role at Chelsea demonstrated by the intention to move his family to London in time for the start of next season.Conte takes his dominant league leaders to West Ham United on Mond
  
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• Watchdog to launch inquiry into misuse of data in politics

  04-03-2017 23:29
  
  Investigation follows revelations of digital firm’s involvement in BrexitThe UK’s privacy watchdog is launching an inquiry into how voters’ personal data is being captured and exploited in political campaigns, cited as a key factor in both the Brexit and Trump victories last year.The intervention by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) follows revelations in last week’s Observer that a technology company part-owned by a US billionaire played a key role in the
  
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• Sam Billings up for a scrap to keep his England spot from Alex Hales

  04-03-2017 23:20
  
  • Billings says he’s got to make chances count in West Indies
  • Hales could be fit for third ODI in Barbados on ThursdaySame ground, same pitch and, in all likelihood, same team means England will go into Sunday’s second one-day international against West Indies in Antigua confident of wrapping up the series victory with a match to spare.Friday’s 45-run victory in the opener highlighted a near 500-cap gap in experience between the two sides at present – not leas
  
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• Senator Lindsey Graham on healthcare: 'I don’t know what the GOP plan is'

  04-03-2017 23:15
  
  Graham promises to push for the healthcare debate to be held publicly, despite fact that many Republicans do not know where the replacement plan isSenator Lindsey Graham told a rowdy town hall in South Carolina on Saturday healthcare was going to change. He just could not say how.“Can I let you in on a little secret?” the Republican told roughly 1,000 people packed a theatre at Clemson University. “I don’t know what the GOP plan is.” Continue reading...
  
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• Theresa May faces a revolt after forcing council to build 2,000 homes around forest that inspired Winnie-the-Pooh

  04-03-2017 23:05
  
  Officials had warned that protected countryside including an area around Ashdown Forest, the fictional home of Pooh, would bear the brunt of the new developments.Ashdown Forest in East Sussex inspired the A.A.Milne' s Winnie-the-Pooh series.
  
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• Wales struggle for answers before must-win Six Nations game with Ireland

  04-03-2017 23:00
  
  • ‘We are looking to put things right,’ says prop Rob Evans
  • Wales in danger of lowest Six Nations finish since 2007
  It is 10 years since Wales suffered three successive Six Nations defeats, but after losing to England and Scotland, they are in danger of their lowest finish in the tournament since 2007. Victory against Ireland in Cardiff on Friday night is essential not only to enhance the fading Lions prospects of some players but to prevent calls for a coaching overhaul
  
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• Sergio Agüero out to prove his value in Manchester City’s finishing stretch | Paul Wilson

  04-03-2017 23:00
  
  The Argentinian may see himself in the shop window rather than with a long-term City future but four goals in his last two outings speak for his sharpnessSergio Agüero was able to bask in the rare glow of unstinting praise after helping take Manchester City’s goal haul to 13 in three rounds of the FA Cup and, though the opposition was only Championship-level and it is always in a manager’s interests to emphasise the positives rather than dwell on the negatives, Pep Guardiola see
  
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• MP's upset as iPad times out their Budget pitches

  04-03-2017 23:00
  
  In particular the way John Glen, Mr Hammond’s 'ministerial bag carrier’, uses an electronic clock to count down the minutes left has ruffled feathers.Mr Glen, the Chancellor’s Parliamentary Private Secretary [PPS], has been known to get out his iPad and start a timer ticking for the meetings.On one occasion the iPad timer app seemed the most useful,” Mr Glen said.
  
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• Mendelssohn's sister finally has her own musical genius honoured

  04-03-2017 23:00
  
  This week, 140 years on, a "lost" work by Fanny Mendelssohn is to be played in Britain for the first time, after her descendants worked tirelessly to finally win her the recognition she deserves.Until now, the work, called Easter Sonata, had been mistakenly attributed to her brother Felix, being recorded once in France in the 1970s in a work noting him as the composer.The Easter Sonata will be broadcast live from a lunchtime concert at the Royal College of Music on International Women’s Da
  
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• Men 'bullied' out of generous divorce settlements by breadwinning wives

  04-03-2017 23:00
  
  New figures from lawyers show that up to five per cent of divorce cases now include a maintenance agreement involving payments from a wife to her ex-husband.James Brown, a partner at family law firm Hall Brown, said men feel too proud to accept ongoing payments and are worried it might look unmanly to friends and colleagues."A lot of wives in the same position, though, consider the very notion of paying maintenance to their ex-husband unfair.
  
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• Lord Hattersley: How my married mother ran off with the priest two weeks after he officiated at her wedding

  04-03-2017 23:00
  
  In a new book written by the Labour Party’s former deputy leader, he reveals the astonishing family saga that eventually led to his father being excommunicated from the Catholic Church.Lord Hattersley’s latest version of how he came into being  is altogether racier than a slightly more anodyne tale he first learnt upon his father’s death in 1973.Lord Hattersley never knew about his father’s past during his lifetime.
  
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• Hamish Watson: ‘I hung a saltire in my bedroom to prove I was Scottish’

  04-03-2017 23:00
  
  The Scotland back-row who grew up in England is lighting up the Six Nations despite his small stature and a debut to forget against Italy two years agoIf Scotland’s Hamish Watson looks like he plays with a point to prove it is because he has been doing so since the age of eight. While his name would have you think otherwise, Watson’s accent sounds more Macclesfield than Musselburgh, even if he always knew where his allegiances lay.The back-rower went as far as to hang a saltire on hi
  
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• Dog who fell foul of the Russian Revolution wins Crufts seal of approval after coming back into favour 

  04-03-2017 23:00
  
  Pampered and preened by their privileged owners, these were the dogs to be seen with on the streets of Moscow and Petrograd - the must have pet for the Russian nobility.One hundred years on however and the Russian Toy is back in fashion.The breed will make its debut as a pedigree at this year’s Crufts, at the NEC in Birmingham next Friday, when ten of them will take part in a special parade.
  
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• Ben Youngs backs returning Vunipola brothers to power England’s Grand Slam push | Paul Rees

  04-03-2017 23:00
  
  The defending champions have flattered to deceive in this year’s Six Nations but Youngs believes Mako and Billy’s ‘raw strength’ can make the difference against Scotland and IrelandEngland may be one win away from equalling New Zealand’s record of 18 straight victories from a tier one nation, but they have yet to enjoy an interval lead in this year’s Six Nations, slow starters against France and Wales and non-starters against Italy when their opponents’
  
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• Analysis: The Union is at risk. Mrs May has to save it all over again

  04-03-2017 23:00
  
  Theresa May finds herself in an astonishing scenario. She appears almost invincible. Her poll numbers are high; Labour and Ukip are in disarray. Mrs May could almost afford to disregard partisan politics and get on with her job – negotiating Brexit.
  
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• Actors aren't the only ones to blame for mumbling, says writer Andrew Davies

  04-03-2017 23:00
  
  Davies, who has adapted some of Britain's most acclaimed period dramas including Pride and Prejudice and War and Peace, said drama directors often fail to notice when actors are mumbling because they already know the lines so well.Speaking about his work adapting classic novels at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in Dubai, he admitted directors "get sick of me" constantly reminding them to make dialogue audible and scenes well-lit.The topic of mumbling has become increasingly central
  
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• Revealed: Education system to be overhauled with new ‘T-levels’ to plug post-Brexit skills gap

  04-03-2017 22:57
  
  The biggest overhaul of post-16 education in 70 years will be announced this week in a multi-billion pound drive to improve technical training.Philip Hammond will unveil “radical” plans to put technical education on an equal footing to academic studies in his Budget on Wednesday.The current system, where students have to pick from 13,000 different qualifications, will be replaced with just 15 standalone courses.
  
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• One Direction's Louis Tomlinson arrested after row with photographer

  04-03-2017 22:45
  
  Singer, 25, released on bail after allegedly ‘pulling photographer to floor’ as his girlfriend argued with onlookers who were filming incidentOne Direction singer Louis Tomlinson has been arrested at Los Angeles airport after an altercation with a paparazzi photographer. The 25-year-old singer was taken into custody before being released on a $20,000 (£16,000) bond and instructed to return to court on 29 March. Footage of the alleged incident was published by Radar Online.The s
  
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• Did Donald Trump's accusations of Barack Obama 'wiretapping' stem from news report by Louise Mensch? 

  04-03-2017 22:33
  
  Early on Saturday morning President Donald Trump launched a Twitter tirade against his predecessor Barack Obama, accusing him of having ordered wire tapping at Trump Tower in New York.Amid speculation over the origin of the allegations it emerged that they may stem back to an exclusive report by the British independent journalist, novelist, and former Conservative MP for Corby, Louise Mensch, an opponent of Mr Trump.On Nov 7, Mrs Mensch, who now lives in New York, published an article on the lib
  
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• Momentum plans relaunch to end factional infighting

  04-03-2017 22:30
  
  Founder Jon Lansman has sought to reform Momentum.Jeremy Corbyn’s grassroots movement Momentum is to relaunch this week after months of infighting threatened to cripple it.The movement, created in October 2015 to capture the enthusiasm of Corbyn’s leadership campaign, has been engulfed in debilitating feuds on a scale not seen on the left since the 1980s.
  
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• Daimler to recall 75,000 Mercedes-Benz cars in the UK due to fire risk

  04-03-2017 22:20
  
  Daimler, the German multinational automotive corporation, is to recall 75,000 Mercedes-Benz cars in the UK due to a safety risk.A total of one million vehicles are being withdrawn worldwide after 51 reported fires.Daimler, which owns Mercedes-Benz, said in “unique conditions” this fault could lead to the car overheating and catching fire.
  
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• Police hunting for a convicted murderer who escaped custody in Liverpool arrest four in Dorset

  04-03-2017 22:15
  
  Police hunting for a convicted murder on the loose in Liverpool have arrested four people in Dorset.Armed officers arrested the four men during a swoop on a car in the Canford Cliffs area of Poole on Friday at around 3:45pm but Shaun Walmsley was not among them.Eyewitnesses told the BBC they heard loud bangs and saw pink smoke as police cars blocked the Vauxhall Corsa’s escape in Haven Road.
  
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• Councils ask why offer to house child migrants was turned down

  04-03-2017 22:15
  
  Amber Rudd, home secretary, said councils had been consulted over how many additional children they could take.Local councils have accused the Home Office of ignoring offers to house hundreds of unaccompanied child migrants, as controversy grows over the announcement that only 150 more children would be accepted under the so-called Dubs amendment.Announcing the cap last month, Home Office officials claimed that it was necessary because no more spaces were available to accommodate them.
  
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• MPs launch probe into environmental damage done by disposable coffee cups and plastic bottles

  04-03-2017 22:07
  
  As millions of plastic bottles and cardboard coffee cups are thrown away every day, an inquiry has been launched into the environmental damage of disposable drinks packaging.The Commons' Environmental Audit Committee started the inquiry as household recycling rates have stalled around 44 per cent, far off the Government’s target to increase the rate of plastic packaging recycling to 57 per cent by the end of 2017.Mary Creagh, the committee's chair, said: “Our throwaway society has gi
  
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• Lib Dem ‘Brexit sleepover’ blocked by Parliament on health and safety grounds

  04-03-2017 22:00
  
  A Brexit “sleepover” planned by the Liberal Democrats for peers voting late has been blocked by Parliament on health and safety grounds. 
  
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• Canada increases resources at US border to handle influx of asylum-seekers

  04-03-2017 21:58
  
  Number of migrants attempting to cross has jumped in recent months, following the Trump administration’s plans to limit immigration and step up deportationsCanada is enforcing its border laws and is willing to put more resources in place to deal with the influx of asylum-seekers from the US, federal public safety minister Ralph Goodale said Saturday. Related: Single father from Mexico in US for 20 years deported after Ice 'check-in'Continue reading...
  
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• Northern Ireland election: DUP's Arlene Foster ‘to stay as first minister’

  04-03-2017 21:44
  
  Democratic Unionists back embattled leader despite losses to Sinn Féin as parties prepare to negotiate new power-sharing government in StormontThe embattled leader of the Democratic Unionists in Northern Ireland, Arlene Foster, will remain in her post despite her party losing 10 seats in Thursday’s election to the devolved assembly in Belfast, one of her MPs has said.Jeffrey Donaldson insisted that instead of seeking her resignation the focus should be “on Arlene and the party
  
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• Northern Ireland election: DUP's Arlene Foster ‘to stay as first minister’

  04-03-2017 21:44
  
  The embattled leader of the Democratic Unionists in Northern Ireland, Arlene Foster, will remain in her post despite her party losing 10 seats in Thursday’s election to the devolved assembly in Belfast, one of her MPs has said.Jeffrey Donaldson insisted on Saturday that instead of seeking her resignation the focus should be “on Arlene and the party getting a government up and running again at Stormont”.
  
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• Blood test to read body clock could usher in a new era of 'time therapy'

  04-03-2017 21:42
  A new era of 'time therapy' may be on the horizon after scientists discovered how to read the hands on an individual's body clock. 
  
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• Northern Ireland Assembly election: Stormont in crisis as Sinn Fein destroys overall unionist majority for first time

  04-03-2017 21:26
  
  Northern Ireland has experienced a political earthquake after an extraordinary election saw Sinn Fein surge and unionists lose their majority for the first time in history.A return to power-sharing is now questionable, as Sinn Fein has previously refused to rule along with the Democratic Unionists and now wields even more power at Stormont.Sinn Fein now has 27 seats in the Northern Irish Assembly, just one fewer than the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which now has 28 seats.
  
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• Donald Trump launches unprecedented attack claiming Barack Obama orchestrated illegal Watergate-style bugging of Trump Tower

  04-03-2017 21:20
  
  Donald Trump's relationship with Barack Obama descended to a new low on Saturday after the US president made explosive accusations that his predecessor orchestrated an illegal Watergate-style bugging operation at Trump Tower in New York.In an unprecedented attack by a sitting president on former occupant of the White House Mr Trump called Mr Obama "sick" and suggested he should be criminally prosecuted for "wiretapping" him during the election campaign.Mr Trump unleashed his astonishing allegati
  
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• François Fillon attempts to mobilise supporters before ‘last chance’ rally

  04-03-2017 21:01
  
  Once the favourite, he appeared increasingly isolated after key allies deserted him as a crisis over alleged corruption escalated.In a defiant speech in the Paris suburb of Aubervilliers on Saturday evening, Mr Fillon attacked France’s elite for resisting reform.At least a third of the hall where he spoke was empty, and with rain forecast on Sunday, it was uncertain on Saturday night how large a turnout Mr Fillon would get for his rally.
  
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• Police searching for mother after baby found dead in Kent park near leisure centre

  04-03-2017 20:56
  
  A baby has been found dead in a park near a leisure centre in Kent, sparking a police search for its mother.The unidentified infant was discovered in the town of Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey just before 1pm on Saturday.
  
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• European Indoor Athletics: Laura Muir breaks 1500m record to win gold

  04-03-2017 20:50
  
  • Muir streaks away from field to come home in 4min 02.39sec
  • Runner breaks Doina Melinte’s 32-year-old championship recordNothing, it seems, can stop Laura Muir, who produced a storming display of front-running to win her first major gold medal – and shatter a 32-year-old European Indoor Championships 1500m record in the process. Not her opponents. And certainly not the overzealous official who tried to block her going on her lap of honour.After being pushed back several
  
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• Newcastle pull clear of Brighton as Dwight Gayle seals win at Huddersfield

  04-03-2017 20:45
  
  Newcastle United were always expected to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking and after 35 games of this long season they can begin to truly believe. A second successive away win against a promotion rival leaves Rafael Benítez’s side 11 points clear of third-placed Huddersfield, who provided a stern test and may feel aggrieved at the key decisions during this hard-fought contest.Newcastle are now five points clear at the top of the Championship following Brighton
  
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• Liverpool bounce back into form with spirited victory over listless Arsenal

  04-03-2017 20:44
  
  Liverpool extended their impressive record against top-six teams this season by completing a double over Arsenal, leapfrogging the Gunners and moving above Manchester City to third place as a result. Just about the last thing you need when dropping Alexis Sánchez to the bench is to simultaneously drop out of the Champions League positions, and though Arsène Wenger had his head in his hands at various points in another disappointing display he probably owes Eddie Howe a pint for doi
  
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• Ukip is not in crisis, leader Paul Nuttall declares in defiant speech

  04-03-2017 20:21
  
  Ukip is not in crisis, its leader Paul Nuttall declared yesterday as he hit back at criticism from the party’s best-known figures in a defiant speech. 
  
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• A budget in the shadow of Brexit leaves Hammond short of choices

  04-03-2017 20:11
  
  With huge financial questions looming, and the legacy of austerity not yet behind, the chancellor has scant opportunity to change coursePhilip Hammond’s first budget takes place on Wednesday with Brexit overshadowing his debut. The chancellor has released many of his Treasury staff to the newly created Brexit and international trade departments. Those that have stayed are on Brexit duty themselves, figuring out how leaving the European Union’s single market and the customs union will
  
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• Mo Farah ‘happy to be tested’ after claims Usada wants to check for EPO

  04-03-2017 20:08
  
  • Farah says anybody can test or retest him ‘now or at any time in the future’
  • Reports say Usada wants British athlete tested for banned blood-boosterMo Farah insists that he is more than happy for his blood samples to be retested after claims that the United States Anti-Doping Agency wants them checked for the banned blood-boosting drug EPO. Related: Leaked Usada report suggests fresh claims against Alberto SalazarContinue reading...
  
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• Investigation launched after schoolboy dies of suspected allergic reaction

  04-03-2017 20:02
  
  Boy, nine, was pronounced dead shortly after collapsing at Al-Hijrah school in Birmingham on Friday afternoon
  An investigation has been launched into the death of a nine-year-old boy who collapsed at school. Emergency services were called to Al-Hijrah school in Bordesley Green, Birmingham, at 2.20pm on Friday after the pupil collapsed.He was taken to Heartlands hospital, where he later died. According to reports, the boy collapsed following a suspected allergic reaction. Continue reading...
  
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• Romelu Lukaku v Harry Kane: how the Everton and Spurs strikers measure up

  04-03-2017 20:00
  
  The 23-year-old forwards, two and a half months apart in age, face one another on Sunday. Both have 17 Premier League goals this season – but who scores more highly across our nine categories for these leading No9s?Romelu Lukaku Strongly left-footed and the moment he gets a run on a defender with the ball on his favoured side is the moment Goodison Park expects. That said, there has been a marked improvement in his finishing with his right foot over the past two seasons, a reward for the e
  
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• Gangland stabbing victims 'pay vets to stitch up wounds to avoid police over snitch fears'

  04-03-2017 20:00
  
  Former gang member Marcellus Baz, who won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Unsung Hero Award last year, said he knew a qualified vet who stitched up knife wounds.Vets are not legally permitted to prescribe medicines for humans, but are not given specific advice on whether they can treat wounds, according to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.Frontline workers dealing with gang violence said to the BBC they "know people who have paid a vet to treat a stab wound" -
  
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• Sheffield Wednesday thrash Norwich as Leyton Orient down Newport 4-0

  04-03-2017 19:53
  
  Bristol City spurned a chance to beat fellow Championship strugglers Burton, Sheffield United draw thriller at Rochdale, and it was a good day for Plymouth • A thrilling first-half display helped Sheffield Wednesday bounce back from two consecutive defeats with a 5-1 hammering of Norwich City at Hillsborough. Ross Wallace pounced on 15 minutes when he caught out a roaming John Ruddy from distance, before Jordan Rhodes and Morgan Fox added headers either side of Cameron Jerome’s reply
  
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