General news

• Khalid Masood: ‘Teacher and father-of-three’ behind London terror attack was known to MI5 and had violent criminal record

  23-03-2017 23:42
  
  Isis, seeking to claim a share of responsibility for what may in fact have been the actions of a lone wolf, had hailed him as a “soldier of the Islamic State [Isis]”.“It’s mad that it was him,” said Kaodi Campbell, almost dazed as she watched the gathering news crews point their cameras at the house across the street from her home in the Winson Green cul-de-sac.For the neighbours at least, it was baffling.
  
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• Khalid Masood: ‘Muslim convert and father-of-three’ behind London attack was known to MI5 with violent criminal record

  23-03-2017 23:42
  
  Isis, seeking to claim a share of responsibility for what may in fact have been the actions of a lone wolf, had hailed him as a “soldier of the Islamic State [Isis]”.“It’s mad that it was him,” said Kaodi Campbell, almost dazed as she watched the gathering news crews point their cameras at the house across the street from her home in the Winson Green cul-de-sac.For the neighbours at least, it was baffling.
  
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• London attack: 75-year-old man dies in hospital becoming fourth victim of terror outrage – as police name attacker as British-born Khalid Masood

  23-03-2017 23:22
  
  Police formally identify attacker as Kent-born Khalid Masood, 52 Fourth victim, a 75-year-old man, dies of injuries in hospital Islamic State claims Westminster attacker was one of its 'soldiers' PM reveals he was investigated by MI5 over 'violent extremism' Eight arrested as police raid six addresses across UK over attack Pc, American tourist and British mother among the dead Crowds gather in Trafalgar Square for vigil to remember victims Sir Michael Fallon's bodyguard
  
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• The violent extremist who dropped off the police's radar

  23-03-2017 23:21
  
  Masood, a father of three, was no longer considered a threat.The Telegraph can disclose that Masood was not using his birth name.Theresa May, in a statement to MPs at 10.30am yesterday, was quick to absolve her security services of blame.
  
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• Khalid Masood, the violent extremist who dropped off the police's radar before London terror attack

  23-03-2017 23:21
  
  Masood, a father of three, was no longer considered a threat.The Telegraph can disclose that Masood was not using his birth name.Theresa May, in a statement to MPs at 10.30am yesterday, was quick to absolve her security services of blame.
  
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• Police identify British-born attacker, victim count rises to four

  23-03-2017 23:05
  By Michael Holden and Estelle ShirbonLONDON (Reuters) - The attacker who ploughed a car through a throng of pedestrians and then stabbed a policeman outside Britain's parliament was named on Thursday as Khalid Masood, a British-born man who was once investigated by MI5 intelligence officers over concerns about violent extremism.The attack was the deadliest in Britain since 2005, when 52 people were killed by Islamist suicide bombers on London's public transport system.It followed a series of Isl
  
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• Questions raised as Met Police left without permanent Commissioner in charge during terror outrage

  23-03-2017 23:00
  
  The Westminster terror outrage came at a time when the Metropolitan Police is without a permanent Commissioner in charge.Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, who led the force for five and a half years, retired last month.Deputy Commissioner, Craig Mackey, has been in temporary charge of Scotland Yard in the interim.
  
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• Britain's terror hotspots: raids focus on Birmingham, Luton and East London

  23-03-2017 22:47
  
  Raids have taken place across the UK in the wake of Wednesday's terror attack.According to the Metropolitan Police, Masood lived most recently in Birmingham where he hired a car to carry out the Westminster terror attacks.A recent study found that a tenth of all Britain’s convicted Islamist terrorists - 26 in total - came from just five council wards in Birmingham.
  
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• Met police officer charged with having indecent images of children

  23-03-2017 22:41
  
  PC Grant Thomas, 40, who works with the Met training team, was charged on Thursday with four indecent image offences.Thomas has been suspended from the force pending his appearance at Westminster Magistrates’ on Friday.The Directorate of Professional Standards has been informed.
  
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• London attack: MPs warned last month that Parliament's security 'weak spot' was putting officers at risk

  23-03-2017 22:30
  
  MPs warned last month that security at Parliament's main gates was so weak it could put police officers at risk.
  
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• Londoners pay tribute to Westminster victims in solemn vigil

  23-03-2017 22:21
  
  Londoners paid tribute to the resolve and character of the city at a vigil in Trafalgar Square on Thursday evening, held in memory of the victims of the Westminster terror attack.London mayor Sadiq Khan, Home Secretary Amber Rudd and Acting Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Craig Mackey spoke to a large crowd, in remembrance of the victims of the terrorist attack the previous day.A diverse mix of Londoners lit candles, listened to the speeches and held signs amongst a solemn and quiet mood
  
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• London attack: Solemn but defiant crowds gather at Trafalgar Square to remember victims of Westminster Attack

  23-03-2017 22:21
  
  Office workers, imams and students filled Trafalgar Square to remember those who lost their lives in Wednesday’s attack.Flanked by a sea of police officers, the mood was solemn but defiant.Apart from intermittent bursts of applause the crowd remained quiet as Met Police Acting Commissioner Craig Mackey, Home Secretary Amber Rudd and the London Mayor Sadiq Khan addressed the events which brought Westminster and the heart of the capital to a standstill.
  
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• 75-year-old man is fourth victim of terrorist Khalid Masood's attack on Parliament and Westminster Bridge

  23-03-2017 22:20
  
  A fourth victim has died after a terrorist drove his car into dozens of people on Westminster Bridge before crashing it into the gates of Parliament.Khalid Masood was shot dead by police moments after fatally stabbing PC Keith Palmer on Wednesday and mowing down people on the bridge.A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “Detectives investigating the terrorist attack in Westminster on Wednesday, 22 March can confirm that a 75-year-old man died tonight, Thursday, 23 March.
  
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• Fourth victim of Westminster terror attack dies in hospital

  23-03-2017 22:15
  
  The Westminster terror attack has claimed its fourth victim, a 75-year-old man, police have said.The man had been receiving hospital treatment after Khalid Masood ploughed through pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and tried to storm Parliament on Wednesday afternoon.The attack, at about 2.40pm on Wednesday, injured some 40 people, some seriously, including police officers.
  
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• Who are victims of London terror attack: 75-year-old dies of his injuries as tributes paid

  23-03-2017 22:13
  
  Four people were killed, including an unarmed police officer and a mother of two, and around 40 others were injured, after a knifeman brought terror to the heart of Westminster.Scotland Yard's most senior anti-terror officer Mark Rowley said one policeman, two civilians and the attacker died, including a woman hit by the attacker's car before he reached Parliament.The unarmed police officer who was killed inside the gates of Parliament was named as Pc Keith Palmer, a 48-year-old husband and
  
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• 'Controlled explosion' near Horse Guards Parade after suspect item found

  23-03-2017 22:01
  
  A controlled explosion was carried out on a suspicious package found near Horse Guards Parade, witnesses say.Police confirmed they were called to a suspect item discovered in Birdcage Walk, not far from Buckingham Palace.Scotland Yard would not confirm whether a controlled explosion had taken place but said the incident had been stood down.
  
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• Police 'carry out controlled explosion in Westminster'

  23-03-2017 21:29
  
  Police have reportedly performed a controlled explosion near Westminster, less than a mile away from the scene of a terrorist attack which claimed the lives of four people.The Metropolitan Police said officers found an unattended bag in Birdcage Walk, which runs between Westminster and Buckingham Palace.It came less than two days after terrorist Khalid Masood killed four people by driving through pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and trying to storm Parliament.
  
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• Bill Clinton's speech at Martin McGuinness' funeral in full – video

  23-03-2017 21:27 via theguardian.com
  
  Watch the full speech given by former US president Bill Clinton. He pays tribute to Martin McGuinness as he recalls his and the former IRA chief of staff’s role in the peace processBill Clinton urges leaders at Martin McGuinness funeral to finish his workContinue reading...
  
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• Minute's silence held around the world for London attack victims

  23-03-2017 21:25
  
  Leaders around the world held a minute's silence to honour the victims of the London terror attack Video block text
  
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• Astonishing moment van driver repeatedly rams into car after veering into oncoming traffic

  23-03-2017 21:20
  
  This is the astonishing moment a van driver repeatedly rams his vehicle into a car moments after driving his vehicle towards oncoming traffic.Police say the incident began after the driver filled up his vehicle with petrol in Cheam Road before speeding off without paying.
  
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• Cristina Kirchner ordered to stand trial for the first time in series of corruption and mismanagement cases

  23-03-2017 21:19
  
  Argentina’s former president has been ordered to stand trial, in the first of several cases against the divisive ex-leader.Cristina Kirchner, who stood down in December 2015 after two consecutive terms, will face trial on charges of financial mismanagement.The 64-year-old leftist firebrand is accused of ordering the central bank to sell dollar futures at artificially low prices, causing Argentina to lose hundreds of millions.
  
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• London attack: Trafalgar Square vigil for people to 'express solidarity'

  23-03-2017 21:16 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The people of London and visitors to the city come together to remember the people who lost their lives.
  
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• Obamacare repeal vote delayed as Republican rebels tell Donald Trump 'No deal'

  23-03-2017 21:07
  
  President Donald Trump's cornerstone campaign pledge to repeal and replace Obamacare was thrown into turmoil last night as Congress postponed a vote on the measure for at least a day.Mr Trump and his Republican allies, led by House Speaker Paul Ryan, had hoped to pass the proposed American Health Care Act, known as "Trumpcare" on Thursday.Although the stalled bill could still come to a vote in Congress in coming days, and perhaps as soon as Friday, it was a stinging setback and raised doubts abo
  
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• Readers recommend: share your songs with proverbs and idioms

  23-03-2017 21:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Make your nomination in the comments and a reader will pick the best eligible tracks for a playlist next week – you have until Monday 27 March This week we’re looking for your nominations of songs that feature or allude to proverbs or idioms in their lyrics or titles. For more on the theme, keep an eye on the comments below.
  You have until 11pm on Monday 27 March to post your nomination and make your justification. Regular RR contributor who posts as attwilightlarks in the comments w
  
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• Rotary Club treasurer who ploughed into coffee shop killing woman is still able driver, judge says

  23-03-2017 20:56
  
  David Lord, 87, wrongly pressed the accelerator on his Audi A4 and careered into a Costa Coffee shop where Valerie Deakin, 74, had gone to enjoy a drink with her eldest daughter and best friend.Mother-of-two Mrs Deakin, who lived in the village of Udimore, near Rye, East Sussex, died at the scene in High Street, Westerham, Kent, following the crash at around 10.30am on December 24, 2015.Lord, of Croydon Road, Westerham, previously pleaded not guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, but cha
  
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• Vicar lied about hundreds of funerals to steal £100,000 from church before spending it on alcohol and books

  23-03-2017 20:44
  
  Michael Fry, 57, hid the real number of funerals he conducted between 2006 and 2013 from his bosses at the Anglican Diocese of Liverpool to fund his excessive drink habit.The chaplain at Liverpool Women's Hospital and team vicar in the St Luke's parish of the city from 1991 was allowed to retain a portion of fees passed on from funeral directors to offset against his annual £22,500 stipend.The matter was passed to police and Fry accepted he lied about how many funerals he had conducted, Li
  
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• Two thirds of cancers are unavoidable even if you live a healthy life, study finds

  23-03-2017 20:42
  
  Two thirds of cancers are unavoidable even if you live a healthy life, a study has shown.Scientists in the US found cancers are caused by random mistakes in the genetic code that occur when cells divide.The findings challenge the widespread view that cancer mutations are generally inherited or triggered by environmental factors.
  
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• Rival anti-Brexit groups row over whether March for Europe protest is cancelled or not

  23-03-2017 20:38
  
  Rival pro-EU campaign groups are sending out mixed messages about whether a planned anti-Brexit demonstration will go ahead in London on Saturday.The March for Europe had long been planned to assemble at Park Lane, moving to Westminster – seeking to emulate a demonstration after the referendum last summer attended by tens of thousands of people.“In discussions with the police it has been made clear to us that although they will not prevent the march going ahead, it represents an enor
  
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• Ukip wars: Arron Banks asks for his money back and submits invoice to Ukip for £200,000

  23-03-2017 20:34
  
  Arron Banks, who used to be one of the UK Independence Party’s biggest donors, is demanding that Ukip pays him £200,000 for call centre and other services he provided for free.Mr Banks, who donated £1million to Ukip before the last general election, has submitted the invoice after he fell out with senior figures in the party and his membership lapsed.Mr Banks said he had decided to invoice the party for the cost of providing call centre and membership services after the party h
  
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• London attack: Security services face 'big investigation' into how Khalid Masood slipped through net

  23-03-2017 20:31
  
  The powerful watchdog that scrutinises the intelligence services is set to probe whether officials properly handled the case of Westminster attacker Khalid Masood.Sources close to Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee told The Independent there would likely be a “big investigation” into whether the 52-year-old killer should have been better monitored after it emerged he was known to agents.Concerns were also raised as to whether parliamentary security is adequately s
  
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• Monty Python and the Holy Grail fell foul of the censors for repeated use of the words Jesus Christ, documents reveal

  23-03-2017 20:29
  
  Think of a Monty Python film with blasphemous content, and Life of Brian springs to mind.A scene in which King Arthur encounters a taunting Frenchman played by John Cleese - “I fart in your general direction.In the version that appeared in cinemas on the film’s 1975 release, King Arthur yells: “Jesus Christ!” as a cow missed him by inches.
  
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• Donald Trump says 'I can't be doing so badly because I'm president, and you're not'

  23-03-2017 20:24
  
  President Donald Trump said he had been proved "right" about controversial claims that the Obama administration spied on him, and declined to apologise for an assertion that GCHQ carried out the surveillance.The president's declaration on spying followed revelations from Devin Nunes, the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, that the names and communications of Mr Trump and his team appeared in intelligence reports as part of an "incidental collection"."(We) were under surveil
  
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• Boris Johnson calls on social media firms to take down hate videos quicker after Parliament attack

  23-03-2017 20:19
  
  Mr Johnson said: "We are going to have to engage not just militarily in Syria and Iraq, as we are doing, to crush the dark star that they have created, that absurd, pompous statelet that they have created, but also to win in their hearts and minds and to stop the stuff on the internet that is corrupting and polluting so many people."This is something that the internet companies and social media companies need to think about.
  
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• 'Goodfellas meets Mob Star' as 82-year-old mafia suspect arrested with 23-year-old grandson of John Gotti

  23-03-2017 20:18
  
  The grandson of one of New York’s most infamous mobsters has been arrested alongside the man whose exploits inspired the Martin Scorsese film Goodfellas, in connection with a mafia “hit” which has captivated New York tabloids.Asaro was acquitted in November 2015 of being behind the infamous $6 million Lufthansa heist of 1978 at New York’s Kennedy airport, which inspired Scorsese’s 1990 film starring Robert de Niro, Joe Pesci and Ray Liotta.
  
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• Jewish man arrested in Israel for allegedly making bomb threats against Jewish centres in US

  23-03-2017 20:12
  
  The arrest in Israel was made as part of a joint probe with the FBI and Jeff Sessions, the US attorney general, hailed it as the “culmination of a large-scale investigation spanning multiple continents”.The unrelenting string of calls rattled America’s Jewish community and led to accusations that Donald Trump’s White House was not doing enough to speak out against the anti-Semitic threats.
  
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• London attack: Home Secretary Amber Rudd urges public not to blame intelligence services

  23-03-2017 20:05
  
  Home Secretary Amber Rudd has urged people not to point the “finger of blame at the intelligence services” for the Westminster terror attack.Suspect Khalid Masood was known to MI5 and had been investigated in relation to concerns about violent extremism “some years ago”, Theresa May told MPs today.“I think we have to be careful before we point any finger of blame at the intelligence services.
  
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• Osher Günsberg hits back after Daily Mail's 'Bali belly' flop | The Weekly Beast

  23-03-2017 20:00
  
  The host of The Bachelor, Osher Günsberg, once known as Andrew G, forged a career as a music video host on Channel V and then as the co-host of Australian Idol.In September Günsberg was appalled when paparazzi photographs of him taking a break from filming while on location for the Ten reality show were published.“The Bachelor host Osher Günsberg shows off his ‘Bali belly’ as he goes shirtless while filming finale of reality TV show on Indonesian island,” t
  
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• Watch live: Trafalgar Square vigil in honour of London terror attack victims

  23-03-2017 19:54
  
  As the bells of St Martin in the Fields chimed 6pm, a hush fell over the crowd.Home Secretary Amber Rudd paid tribute to Keith Palmer.London mayor Sadiq Khan said: "We come together to send a clear message.
  
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• Trafalgar Square vigil in honour of London terror attack victims

  23-03-2017 19:54
  
  As the bells of St Martin in the Fields chimed 6pm, a hush fell over the crowd.Home Secretary Amber Rudd paid tribute to Keith Palmer.London mayor Sadiq Khan said: "We come together to send a clear message.
  
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• Martin McGuinness: 'We knew he was for us and would never let us down'

  23-03-2017 19:47
  
  Tens of thousands join the funeral cortege in Derry on Thursday.As the pallbearers carried the tricolour-draped coffin to the end of the street where Martin McGuinness lived, and turned left onto the hill that would take him down to the heart of the Bogside, one man standing at the corner began to clap.As the cortege made its way down to Free Derry Corner, the salute was taken up by tens of thousands more.
  
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• Bidhya Sagar Das faces trial over infant son's murder

  23-03-2017 19:43
  
  Bidhya Sagar Das, 33, allegedly attacked the toddlers at a flat in Finsbury Park, north London, over the weekend.The boy, Gabriel Bibekdas Sonu, died while the little girl is still fighting for her life in a critical condition in hospital.Das has been charged with murder and attempted murder of his children.
  
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• Church of England will allow Star of David in churchyard after family of Jewish war hero discover he was accidentally buried under Christian cross

  23-03-2017 19:39
  
  The Church of England has allowed the churchyard grave of a Jewish Second World War hero to be marked with a Star of David almost 80 years after he died.In a case thought to be the first of its kind, official permission has been given for the crucifix on the grave of Pilot Officer Harold Rosofsky to be removed and replaced with the Jewish symbol, even though he is buried in a consecrated Anglican churchyard.
  
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• Parents in France waited in agony after news of Westminster attack

  23-03-2017 19:33
  
  The mother of a French teenager wounded in the attack on Westminster thought for an hour that he was dead before hearing that he had been injured, it emerged on Thursday.The student, named as Thomas, suffered a head injury and multiple leg fractures in the attack on Wednesday, Le Télégramme reported.The French foreign minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, visited three French schoolchildren wounded in the attack as they recovered in a London hospital on Thursday.
  
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• Our brave police risk their lives to keep us safe, but they can't prevent every attack

  23-03-2017 19:33
  
  The attack in London on Wednesday shocked even the most experienced counter-terrorism officers.As the head of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, I oversaw our response to the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby.Theresa May has revealed that the attacker at Parliament Square had similarly been viewed as a “peripheral figure” by MI5.
  
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• MI5 launches review of whether it could have stopped Khalid Masood

  23-03-2017 19:31
  
  Britain’s domestic intelligence agency MI5 has embarked on an internal review of whether it could have stopped the Westminster attacker.The agency had investigated Khalid Masood in the past in relation to concerns about violent extremism but he had since had dropped off its radar.The agency will face questions, as it did after the London bombings in 2005 and the murder of the soldier Lee Rigby in 2013, about why the attacker slipped through the net.
  
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• Trying to make sense of the London terror attack | Letters

  23-03-2017 19:30
  
  A woman reads a card on a floral tribute at the Houses of Parliament on Thursday. ‘Calling them acts of war helps to glorify the unjust,’ writes Pete Stockwell.Many of us rightly feel distress and moral outrage at the attack in London, leaving some innocent people dead, some with horrific injuries.
  
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• Could the man in the white suit beat George Osborne in Tatton? | Letters

  23-03-2017 19:30
  
  George Osborne. ‘The electors of Tatton have previously shown the power of an electoral alliance to defeat an arrogant MP with an apparently unassailable majority,’ writes Anthony Issacs.George Osborne argues that “parliament is enhanced when we have people from all walks of life and different experience in the debate” (MPs may ask Osborne to decline job at Standard, 21 March).Osborne is effectively asking his constituents to support him as he develops his CV.
  
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• Love, tolerance and defiance to the fore as MPs assemble | John Crace

  23-03-2017 19:28
  
  Theresa May speaks to MPs in the Commons on Thursday. Photograph: PA
  
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• Keith Palmer's family release first statement since policeman's murder in London attack: 'We love him so much'

  23-03-2017 19:23
  
  The family of the police officer murdered in Wednesday's Westminster terror attack have paid tribute to "a wonderful dad and husband" as the Metropolitan Police said it would not re-issue his shoulder number.Keith Palmer, 48, was one of three people killed when attacker Khalid Masood ploughed a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and attempted to enter the Houses of Parliament before he was shot dead.Members of the public have donated more than £100,000 after the Metropolitan Police
  
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• Justice Secretary Liz Truss locked in extraordinary stand-off with England's top judge over rape trials

  23-03-2017 19:22
  
  Justice Secretary Liz Truss is locked in an extraordinary stand-off with England’s most senior judge, after he slammed the brakes on her plans to spare alleged rape victims cross-examination in court.Ms Truss is under growing pressure after the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, said she was “wrong” to announce the dramatic change to sex crime cases.On Monday, the Justice Secretary told MPs that the playing of pre-recorded evidence to juries would begin in September,
  
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