General news

• Government will consider new royal yacht to replace Britannia, Boris Johnson announces

  13-03-2017 23:57
  
  Boris Johnson has backed a campaign for a new £100 million royal yacht, saying the move would attract “overwhelmingly support”.In a debate on the Budget last night the Foreign Secretary said the new yacht, to replace the Britannia which was decommissioned 20 years ago, would be considered by the government but it would have to be funded by private donations.Mr Johnson had previously told a committee of MPs that “regretfully” a new royal yacht was “not a govern
  
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• Theresa May rules out Nicola Sturgeon’s plans for a new Scottish independence referendum before Brexit, as Lords pass landmark Brexit bill following MPs' vote

  13-03-2017 23:46
  
  Brexit Bill passes through Parliament without amendments Theresa May rules out 'divisive' independence referendum before Brexit  Scottish First Minister has vowed to hold second referendum Nicola Sturgeon to demand EU deal for Scotland Labour MPs angry as Jeremy Corbyn backs second Scottish vote
  
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• Theresa May rules out Nicola Sturgeon’s plans for a new Scottish independence referendum before Brexit, as Lords pass landmark Brexit bill following MP's vote

  13-03-2017 23:46
  
  Brexit Bill passes through Parliament  Theres May rules out Independence Refernedum before Brexit  Scottish First Minister has vowed to hold second referendum Nicola Sturgeon to demand EU deal for Scotland MPs and peers reject amendment on EU citizens rights  MPs and peers reject amendments on final veto  No. 10: Second referendum would be 'divisive' Labour MPs angry as Jeremy Corbyn backs second Scottish vote
  
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• Millions of Americans face losing healthcare coverage under Republican plan to repeal Obamacare

  13-03-2017 23:46
  
  Millions of people will lose their health insurance under Republican plans to repeal and replace Obamacare, according to an independent analysis.The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said an extra 14 million people would be living without coverage in 2018, rising to an additional 24 million by 2026.The figures are a blow to the Republican leadership which faces a tough battle to get its bill through Congress and to Donald Trump, who promised insurance for everybody before he was ele
  
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• UK to begin EU exit by end of month after parliament's approval - minister

  13-03-2017 23:31
  British Brexit minister David Davis welcomed parliament's approval on Monday for legislation giving Prime Minister Theresa May the power to begin formal divorce talks with the European Union."Parliament has today backed the government in its determination to get on with the job of leaving the EU ... We are now on the threshold of the most important negotiation for our country in a generation," Davis said in a statement.
  
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• May to reject Scottish referendum demand - Times newspaper

  13-03-2017 23:30
  British Prime Minister Theresa May is preparing to reject Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's demand for an independence referendum on the eve of the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union, the Times newspaper reported."The prime minister has said this would mean a vote while she was negotiating Brexit and I think that can be taken pretty clearly as a message that this timing is completely unacceptable," the Times quoted an unidentified British government source as saying.
  
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• Brexit: Path clear for Theresa May to trigger Article 50 after bill clears Lords

  13-03-2017 23:16
  
  The path is now clear for Theresa May to begin Brexit negotiations after the Lords passed her Brexit Bill unamended.After weeks of bitter wrangling in both Houses, the Government comfortably fought off two Liberal Democrat bids to again amend the Brexit Bill in the Lords.In a day of drama, the Commons voted to reject two changes made by peers to the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill, which gives the Prime Minister the power to trigger the two-year Brexit talks.
  
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• EU nationals express ‘utter desperation’ following MPs rejection of Lords amendment

  13-03-2017 23:04
  
  EU nationals in the UK have expressed their “utter desperation” after MPs rejected an amendment by the Lords to unilaterally guarantee their rights before the Brexit negotiations begin.Hundreds of EU citizens took to social media to express their “disgust” following the vote in the Commons, criticising the Government for leaving them riddled with uncertainty and angry at being treated like "bargaining chips".The vote on Monday saw a Lords amendment that aimed to force the
  
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• Amy Krouse Rosenthal, author who wrote dating profile for husband, dies

  13-03-2017 22:58
  
  The American author and filmmaker who announced her terminal cancer by writing a heartbreaking dating profile for her husband has died at the age of 51.Amy Krouse Rosenthal learned she had ovarian cancer in 2015 and provoked tears earlier this month with her essay entitled, You May Want to Marry My Husband.“She taught us that life’s seemingly small moments are not really small at all,” said Amy Rennert in a statement to People magazine.
  
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• MPs vote overwhelmingly against two Lords amendments on Brexit votes and EU citizens' rights 

  13-03-2017 22:29
  
  Scottish First Minister has vowed to hold second referendum Nicola Sturgeon to demand EU deal for Scotland MPs rejects Lords amendment on EU citizens rights  MPs rejects Lords amendment on final veto  No. 10: Second referendum would be 'divisive' Labour MPs angry as Jeremy Corbyn backs second Scottish vote David Davis urges MPs not to block Brexit bill Article 50 Bill expected to pass both Houses this evening
  
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• May rejects Sturgeon's demand for second independence vote

  13-03-2017 22:26
  
  Theresa May has faced down Nicola Sturgeon’s demand for a second referendum on Scottish independence, accusing the SNP leader of “tunnel vision” and rejecting her timetable for a second vote.The prime minister said that the Scottish leader’s plan to hold a second referendum between the autumn of 2018 and spring 2019 represented the “worst possible timing,” setting the Conservative government on a collision course with the administration in Holyrood.The first m
  
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• May hits back over Sturgeon's demand for new independence vote

  13-03-2017 22:26
  
  Theresa May has faced down Nicola Sturgeon’s demand for a second referendum on Scottish independence, accusing the SNP leader of “tunnel vision” and rejecting her timetable for a second vote.The prime minister said that the Scottish leader’s plan to hold a second referendum between the autumn of 2018 and spring 2019 represented the “worst possible timing,” setting the Conservative government on a collision course with the administration in Holyrood.The first m
  
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• Ukraine threatens to block Russian singer from Eurovision as Crimea conflict looms over the competition

  13-03-2017 22:18
  
  Ukraine has said it will deny entry to Russia's Eurovision candidate if she voices support for the annexation of Crimea, as tension between the two countries loom over the competition for a second year-running. 
  
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• Scottish independence referendum: what Nicola Sturgeon said and what she really meant 

  13-03-2017 22:15
  
  Nicola Sturgeon has said she wants another Scottish independence referendum before the UK leaves the EU. Here we examine what she said – and what she meant. 'Made in Scotland, by the People of Scotland'
  
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• Theresa May sees off Tory rebellion as Brexit Bill passes Parliament

  13-03-2017 22:11
  
  Theresa May has been handed the power to start the formal Brexit process as MPs and Lords passed the Article 50 Bill – but the victory was overshadowed by Nicola Sturgeon's shock demand for a second referendum on Scottish independence.The Prime Minister finally won her long Parliamentary battle to trigger the Article 50 exit notice on her terms, when a threatened Conservative revolt in the Commons melted away.Lords amendments to guarantee 3 million EU nationals in Britain can stay after Br
  
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• Scots government seeks quick EU deal, sees EU understanding

  13-03-2017 21:33
  By Alastair MacdonaldBRUSSELS (Reuters) - The Scottish government thinks Europeans will understand it has a "special" case to be given EU membership as soon as possible if Scots vote for independence before Britain quits the bloc, a minister said on Monday.Speaking in Brussels after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced a planned vote on secession before Brexit in 2019, Michael Russell said any option for Scotland staying in the European Union when the UK left would be a matter for later disc
  
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• Prue Leith says she doesn't want to 'do a Chris Evans' as Mary Berry's replacement on the Great British Bake Off 

  13-03-2017 21:33
  
  TV chef Prue Leith has said she does not want to "do a Chris Evans" in stepping into Mary Berry's shoes as a judge on the Great British Bake Off.Speaking at the Romantic Novel of the Year Awards last night, the former Great British Menu star, 77, said: "I believe I'm about to be paid about a quarter of a million pounds or something and I've got a deal.
  
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• Teenage boy rescued after enduring two-hour quicksand ordeal on Lancashire

  13-03-2017 21:24
  
  A teenage boy endured a two-hour rescue ordeal after becoming stuck in mud and quicksand.The 15-year-old was out with his family close to Redbank Farm, Bolton-le-Sands, Lancs, when he got bogged down and could not move.A family member alerted UK Coastguard at 2pm on Saturday (March 11), but it was 4pm before rescue crews could finally free him from the mud.
  
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• Donald Trump's aides scramble to explain away president's wiretap allegations against Barack Obama

  13-03-2017 21:19
  
  Donald Trump’s officials have begun the awkward business of walking back one of his most incendiary tweets, by arguing that the president did not literally believe Barack Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower.Sean Spicer, his spokesman, said Mr Trump used the phrase “wiretap” to indicate a range of possible surveillance measures, echoing his colleague Kellyanne Conway’s bold assertion a day earlier that intelligence agencies may have used a microwave oven to do their spying.
  
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• Independent Scotland 'would start life outside EU and Nato and have to apply for membership'

  13-03-2017 21:08
  
  Nicola Sturgeon’s blueprint for a separate Scotland faltered within hours of her referendum announcement after it was confirmed it would start life outside the European Union and Nato.The European Commission said the so-called 'Barroso doctrine' continued to apply, meaning a separate Scotland would have to make a fresh application under Article 49 of the Lisbon Treaty, a process that can take many years.Jose Manuel Barroso, the former commission president, set out the legal view that if on
  
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• New Royal Yacht Britannia would attract 'overwhelming support' and will be considered by ministers, Boris Johnson announces in Parliament

  13-03-2017 20:57
  
  A new £100million Royal Yacht Britannia would attract “overwhelming support” and will be considered by the Government, Boris Johnson has said.The Foreign Secretary’s remarks are the first time that a Government minister has backed the campaign for a new ship at the despatch box in the House of Commons.The positive nature of the comments are a significant move forward in thinking by ministers and come after months of campaigning by Tory MPs and The Daily Telegraph for a re
  
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• Don't tell the EU, David Davis is having his chips and eating them

  13-03-2017 20:53
  
  Somehow, Boris Johnson, David Davis and Liam Fox all managed to contradict one another.Principally because Boris and Fox were effectively gagged as Davis was the one who had to lead the debate.“We care passionately about EU nationals,” Davis insisted.
  
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• IFS: Independent Scotland would have to cut spending or increase taxes by £1,000 per person

  13-03-2017 20:50
  
  Nicola Sturgeon’s economic case for independence suffered a major blow after one of Britain’s most respected economists warned taxes would have to increase or spending cut by more than £1,000 per person.Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, also warned that a separate Scotland is likely to face political pressure to adopt the euro as the price of EU membership.Despite the First Minister’s claims otherwise, he also warned that Scotland faces trade bar
  
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• Nick Candy denies claim he is jointly in charge of brother's CPC empire

  13-03-2017 20:17
  
  Nick Candy outside the Rolls building in London, where he and his brother Christian are being sued by Mark Holyoake.Nick Candy has denied allegations that the distinction between his business empire and that of his brother is “pure fantasy”, as a £132m high court tussle with a former university friend delved into the duo’s tax affairs.Businessman Mark Holyoake is claiming in court that the brothers threatened him, after he took out a £12m loan from Christian Candy&r
  
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• Northern Ireland police raided premises in search for abortion pills

  13-03-2017 20:15
  
  PSNI confirmed it raided two premises.The Police Service of Northern Ireland raided two premises on International Women’s Day searching for abortion pills that are illegal in the region.No pills were found during the searches last week, including one at a workshop belonging to the Belfast pro-choice campaigner Helen Crickard.
  
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• Knightsbridge crash: Woman left with 'potentially life-changing injuries' after being hit by car

  13-03-2017 20:07
  
  Pictures posted on social media show a number of emergency services vehicles at the scene while paramedics treat the female pedestrian.The woman, aged 60, was rushed to hospital with head and leg injuries.
  
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• UK lawmakers reject attempt to give parliament greater say over Brexit terms

  13-03-2017 20:06
  British lawmakers on Monday voted against an attempt to give parliament more power to reject the final terms of the country's exit from European Union.Earlier this month the upper house of parliament attached a condition to legislation giving Prime Minister Theresa May the power to trigger the formal divorce process, requiring her to get parliament's approval for any exit deal.The legislation is due to pass back to the upper house later on Monday for its approval.
  
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• Theresa May warned that Brexit is 'heading back to the courts' after she refuses to give MPs a ‘meaningful vote’

  13-03-2017 20:04
  
  Theresa May has been warned that Brexit is heading back to the courts after she refused to give MPs a “meaningful vote” on any final deal.A senior Conservative insisted the law will not allow the Prime Minister to take Britain out of the EU without Parliament backing the outcome of the exit talks.The warning follows the earlier Supreme Court ruling that ministers cannot remove rights from British citizens without the authority of Parliament.
  
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• Scottish leader demands new independence vote before Brexit

  13-03-2017 20:04
  By Elisabeth O'LearyEDINBURGH (Reuters) - Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Monday demanded a new independence referendum in late 2018 or early 2019, once the terms of the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union have become clearer.An independence vote that could rip apart the world's fifth largest economy just months before Brexit raises the stakes for Prime Minister Theresa May as she prepares to trigger two years of formal Brexit talks."If Scotland is to have a real choice -
  
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• Article 50 'won't be triggered until end of March', as MPs debate Lords amendments to Brexit Bill

  13-03-2017 20:01
  
  Scottish First Minister has vowed to hold second referendum Nicola Sturgeon to demand EU deal for Scotland MPs rejects Lords amendment on EU citizens rights  No. 10: Second referendum would be 'divisive' Labour MPs angry as Jeremy Corbyn backs second Scottish vote David Davis urges MPs not to block Brexit bill Article 50 Bill expected to pass both Houses this evening
  
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• MPs vote down Lords amendments on Brexit vote and EU citizens' rights

  13-03-2017 19:56
  
  MPs have overturned two House of Lords amendments that aimed to protect the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and hand parliament a “meaningful vote” on the final Brexit deal.The decision means the prime minister will be able to trigger article 50 from Tuesday, but sources have quashed speculation of quick action and instead suggested she will wait until the final week of March.MPs voted down the amendment on EU nationals’ rights by 335 to 287, a majority of 48.
  
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• Angela Merkel's visit to Washington postponed because of impending winter storm

  13-03-2017 19:50
  
  German Chancellor Angela Merkel has postponed her trip to Washington to visit with US President Donald Trump due to a late-winter storm expected in the Northeast US.Mrs Merkel had been scheduled to arrive late Monday night for meetings with Mr Trump on Tuesday but called off the trip at the last minute due to the weather, her office said.German media reported she was rescheduling the trip for Friday but her office would only say it would take place soon.
  
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• UK lawmakers reject guarantee for EU nationals in Article 50 bill

  13-03-2017 19:48
  UK lawmakers voted on Monday to reject attempts to include a guarantee on the rights of EU nationals in Britain in legislation giving Prime Minister Theresa May the power to begin the country's exit from the European Union.Earlier this month members of the upper house of Britain's parliament attached a condition to the legislation which said May could only trigger divorce talks if she promised to protect EU citizen's rights.The legislation is due to pass back to the upper house later on Monday f
  
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• Brexit: MPs overturn Lords amendments on EU nationals and Parliament vote

  13-03-2017 19:42
  
  MPs have overturned a Brexit Bill amendment designed to guarantee the rights of EU nationals living in the UK.Britain took a step closer to withdrawal from the European Union on Monday evening after MPs also overturned a second House of Lords amendment which wanted Parliament to have a "meaningful" vote on the final deal.The Bill will now return to the Lords but the Commons effectively cleared the way for Theresa May to formally start Britain's exit from the EU.
  
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• Brexit: MPs overturn amendment which guarantees EU nationals right to live in UK

  13-03-2017 19:42
  
  MPs have overturned a Brexit Bill amendment designed to guarantee the rights of EU nationals living in the UK.The House of Commons voted down the Lords amendment by 335 votes to 287, a majority of 48.Peers had backed a Labour-led change to the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill which called for ministers to bring forward proposals within three months of the triggering of Brexit talks to ensure the rights of EU nationals continue.
  
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• Brexit and the treatment of children with cancer | Letters

  13-03-2017 19:30
  
  Once outside the EU, it will be harder for UK patients to participate in clinical trials, says Dame Glenis Willmott, Labour’s European parliament spokesperson on health.The warning that children with cancer risk missing out on drug trials (Report, 9 March) highlights an issue that has been largely overlooked in the Brexit debate.By harmonising EU law and creating a single application portal, this will make it easier to carry out clinical trials in more than one country.
  
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• MPs reject Lords amendment to guarantee rights of EU nationals before Brexit negotiations begin

  13-03-2017 19:25
  
  MPs have rejected an amendment by the Lords to unilaterally guarantee the rights of EU nationals before the Brexit negotiations begin.It came as MPs were asked to overturn two amendments made by peers in the upper chamber to the Government’s EU Notification of Withdrawal Bill, which provides Theresa May with the power to invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.The Lords amendment, which aimed to force the Government to publish proposals for guaranteeing the rights of EU nationals before the
  
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• Father accused of murdering baby son denies ever hurting him

  13-03-2017 19:13
  
  A father accused of murdering his deformed baby son has denied ever hurting him.Mohammed Miah, 37, is on trial at the Old Bailey with partner Rebeka Nazmin, 31, accused of killing their three-month-old son Rifat in July last year.During his 13 weeks of life, Rifat suffered "systematic abuse" that left him with 38 rib fractures, eight fractures to his legs and a broken spine, jurors were told.
  
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• Alex Salmond rubbishes claim he pushed Nicola Sturgeon to call for second independence referendum

  13-03-2017 19:11
  
  Alex Salmond has denied he pushed Nicola Sturgeon into calling for a second Scottish independence referendum, deriding the the suggestion as “complete and utter piffle”.Sources close to Scotland's First Minister and her predecessor, reportedly told Sky News that Mr Salmond was the driving force behind Ms Sturgeon’s speech, in which she confirmed she will seek approval from Holyrood for a second referendum in 2018 or 2019.A second independence vote is something Ms Sturgeon "does
  
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• Russian whistle-blower 'may have been killed by poisoned soup'

  13-03-2017 19:07
  
  A Russian whistle-blower may have been murdered when his lunchtime bowl of sorrel soup was poisoned, a court heard.Alexander Perepilichnyy collapsed and died while running near his £3 million St George's Hill estate in Weybridge, Surrey, in 2012.
  
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• Article 50: Everything you need to know once the Brexit process is triggered

  13-03-2017 19:01
  
  Almost nine months after the political turmoil of June 2016 – in which 33m adults voted in the European Union referendum – Britain is now set to kick-off the formal process of Brexit.Following the ratification of the Government’s Brexit Bill, Theresa May is poised to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty – the constitutional basis for any member state leaving the bloc.Here The Independent looks at what will happen once the mechanism is invoked and how soon divorce proce
  
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• Female politician proposes $100 fine for men who masturbate in bid to challenge US abortion laws

  13-03-2017 18:46
  
  House Bill 4260 has all the legal jargon of any other draft law presented to the Texas legislature.
  
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• Daughter of line dancing couple murdered for their money pleads with killer to reveal where her mother's body is

  13-03-2017 18:42
  
  The daughter of a millionaire line dancing couple murdered for their money has pleaded for their killer to “find the moral courage” to reveal where her mother's body is after the fake asylum seeker was found guilty.The body of Peter Stuart, 75, was found stabbed in shallow water in woodland near his home in Weybread, Suffolk, on June 3 last year, and his wife, Sylvia, 69, is missing presumed dead.A jury took around three hours of deliberation to find 43-year-old Ali Qa
  
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• Theresa May tells Nicola Sturgeon politics is not a game

  13-03-2017 18:36
  
  Theresa May describes Nicola Sturgeon's plans for a second referendum on Scottish independence as "deeply regrettable" and calls on the SNP to stop playing politics. Video block text
  
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• Brexit: Theresa May 'will not trigger Article 50 this week'

  13-03-2017 18:35
  
  Theresa May will not trigger Article 50 and begin taking Britain out of the EU this week, Downing Street has revealed.The Prime Minister looks set to keep Brussels waiting until at least next week despite speculation she would officially trigger the Brexit process as early as Tuesday.It is now thought that the most likely date for the historic move will be in the last week of March, following the special summit of the remaining 27 member states in Rome on March 25 to mark the 60th anniversary of
  
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• Woman confronts Sean Spicer in Apple store: 'How does it feel to work for a fascist?'

  13-03-2017 18:34
  
  A woman has posted video of herself pointedly questioning White House press secretary Sean Spicer while he was out shopping at a local Apple store.Shree Chauhan has identified herself as the video's poster to Britain's Daily Mail.In it, Chauhan asks Spicer how it feels to work for "a fascist" and "what can you tell me about Russia." Spicer smiles through the encounter and repeatedly says "thank you" to Chauhan.
  
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• Petrol pump war: Asda and Morrisons slash petrol prices by £1 a tank

  13-03-2017 18:28
  
  Drivers filling up their tanks at Asda and Morrisons will see the price of fuel and diesel fall by around £1 per fill from today.From today motorists will pay no more than 114.7ppl for unleaded and 116.7ppl for diesel at Asda's 301 filling stations.The latest Government figures show the average price of petrol in the UK is 120ppl, while diesel is 122.9ppl.
  
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• Queen's Park Rangers defender Steven Caulker arrested for 'failing to give breath test'

  13-03-2017 18:26
  
  Queen’s Park Rangers footballer Steven Caulker has been arrested and charged for allegedly failing to provide a breathalyser test following a police "incident”.A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said: “[We] can confirm that Steven Caulker, aged 25, of Richmond, has been charged with failing to provide a specimen for breath analysis required under the Road Traffic Act 1988.The England international has been bailed to appear at Slough Magistrates’ Court on March 27.
  
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• Businessman 'showing off' on his £1m yacht killed his best friend, court hears

  13-03-2017 18:24
  
  A successful businessman caused the death of his friend by "showing off" while driving a high-powered boat and crashing into his luxury cruiser at 30mph, a court has heard.Ryan McKinlay, a father-of-one from Gosport, Hampshire, died following the accident in Osborne Bay off the Isle of Wight on June 19 2015.Aaron Brown, 34, chief operating officer of telecoms firm OneCom, of Botley Road, Curdridge, is on trial at Winchester Crown Court charged with the manslaughter by gross negligence of the 36-
  
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• Parental snootiness over practical courses must be shelved if T-Levels are to succeed

  13-03-2017 18:21
  
  For many years the education sector has seen reform after reform.This will see 15 career-focused pathways replacing the thousands of vocational qualifications currently on offer, with the requirement for more work experience and better employment preparation.
  
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