General news

• Teen racing driver Billy Monger loses legs after horror crash

  19-04-2017 23:58
  Billy Monger was left in a critical condition after the crash with a fellow racer's car at Donington Park, Derbyshire, on Sunday.The Derby Telegraph reports he was trapped in his vehicle for more than 90 minutes following the high-speed smash, before he was flown to hospital.Doctors at Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham have kept the teenager in an induced coma and he is expected to be woken up in a few days, according to a Formula 4 statement.
  
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• May's Conservatives lead in latest election YouGov poll - The Times

  19-04-2017 23:47
  (Reuters) - In the latest poll conducted since Britain Prime Minister Theresa May called election, the Conservative Party lead with 48 percent, followed by the Labour Party with 24 percent, The Times reported, citing YouGov poll data. Ahead of Britain's June 8 snap general election, the poll said Liberal Democrats are at 12 percent, UKIP are at 7 percent, the newspaper reported. Others were at 9 percent. (Reporting by Sangameswaran S in Bengaluru; Editing by Chris Reese)
  
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• Freak wave swept father and toddler into sea on family holiday

  19-04-2017 23:18
  A father and his two-year-old daughter died during a family holiday when a freak wave swept them into the sea, an inquest has heard.Rudy Bruynius, 33, and McKayla were fishing off rocks when the weather suddenly changed at Fistral beach in Newquay, Cornwall.Mr Bruynius, his wife Lisinda and McKayla, who was strapped into her pushchair, were struck by the wave before another, bigger wave dragged them into the water.
  
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• 'Croydon cat killer' linked to Hampshire deaths and becoming 'more brazen'

  19-04-2017 22:59
  The deaths of three cats in Hampshire are being linked to the so-called 'Croydon cat killer', thought to have killed 230 animals in Greater London.A cat was found decapitated in Southsea, Portsmouth, on Sunday, two weeks after another was found killed in the same area, while in July, a cat was found killed on the Isle of Wight.The Southsea victim, called Poppy, was killed outside a shop in Marmion Road and the cat's owner Tim Sparkes said the person responsible was becoming "more brazen".
  
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• Campaigning begins as MPs vote for snap General Election

  19-04-2017 22:34
  
  Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn have kicked off their General Election campaigns, just hours after MPs voted in favour of a snap poll on 8 June.Surrounded by party activists and supporters, the Prime Minister asked voters for the mandate to lead post-Brexit Britain and provide the "strong and stable leadership this country needs".The Commons vote was a formality, given both Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron had previously said they welcomed the election, although S
  
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• Prince Harry on mental health campaign urgency

  19-04-2017 21:50
  
  Prince Harry has called on "everybody else in a position of authority" to help tackle the stigma around mental health.
  
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• Prince Harry issues rallying call to end mental health 'stigma'

  19-04-2017 21:46
  
  Prince Harry has called on "everybody else in a position of authority" to help tackle the stigma around mental health and the lack of support services, a subject he admitted is "politically sensitive".Asked about what can be done to boost the provision of mental health services at a time when trusts fear funding is being cut, he said: "It is politically sensitive... it's not our job to make those changes.Harry was at the Excel centre in London opening the Marathon expo event.
  
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• British teenager has legs amputated after F4 crash

  19-04-2017 21:43
  British Formula Four driver Billy Monger has had his lower legs amputated after an horrific crash at the Donington Park circuit on Sunday, series organisers said on Wednesday.The 17-year-old, who smashed at speed into the back of another car that had halted on the track, was trapped in the wreckage for more than 90 minutes before being extricated and flown to hospital.
  
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• Diesel row: new rules may not put brakes on emission test 'cheating'

  19-04-2017 21:41
  
  The UK's leading independent testing facility, Emissions Analytics, told Sky News that the European test was "not fit for purpose" and that one prestige car, freely available for sale in Britain, had produced a NOx emission reading that was nearly 22 times higher than the European standard.John German, the scientist who first exposed VW's use of so-called "defeat devices", said manufacturers were "cheating and using loopholes" in "a race to the bottom".It was a topic that burst into the public a
  
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• Here's what people thought of Theresa May's not-so-catchy election campaign slogan

  19-04-2017 21:26
  
  It “doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue”.
  
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• George Osborne: history will not be kind to a man whose flaws led to Brexit

  19-04-2017 21:06
  
  George Osborne’s career peaked with his ‘we are the builders’ speech to the 2015 Tory party conference.Had things turned out differently, George Osborne would now be counting down the days to becoming prime minister.As the architect of Cameron’s unexpected overall majority at the 2015 election, Osborne appeared to have the keys to 10 Downing Street there for the taking.
  
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• Labour party to hold emergency selections for constituencies

  19-04-2017 20:59
  
  Labour will hold emergency selections for hundreds of constituencies across the country next week, with allies of Jeremy Corbyn eyeing up key seats vacated by retiring MPs.About 10 Labour MPs are planning to stand down, creating a battle over their winnable seats between those loyal and opposed to the leadership.The make-up of the parliamentary party after 8 June will be extremely significant as any potential leftwing candidate to succeed Corbyn would need 15% of support of MPs and MEPs.
  
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• Bill O'Reilly out at Fox News after sexual harassment claims and ad boycott

  19-04-2017 20:48
  
  “After a thorough and careful review of the allegations, the company and Bill O’Reilly have agreed that Bill O’Reilly will not be returning to the Fox News Channel,” a spokesman for 21st Century Fox, Fox News’s parent company, said in a statement.Critics charged the company had been forced to act amid “industrial-scale harassment” at the company and that the problems extended beyond O’Reilly.
  
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• Prince Harry shows how NHS psychiatric services could move on | Letters

  19-04-2017 20:38
  
  While experts are right to congratulate Prince Harry (Harry praised for telling of ‘chaos’ over Diana’s death, 18 April), and call for more spending on mental health, there is an elephant in the room.Mental health services are dominated by an outdated, simplistic medical model of distress that is rather at odds with the prince’s views.While he makes the obvious link between painful life events and mental health difficulties, our services are still telling distressed peopl
  
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• Causes and effects of Theresa May’s snap election | Letters

  19-04-2017 20:36
  
  In your report (May: give me my mandate, 19 April) you claim that the election announced for 8 June would be a third nationwide poll in three years.It will actually be the fourth, as there were nationwide elections for the European parliament in 2014, in addition to the general election of 2015 and the 2016 referendum.One of the reasons we are now facing the potential threat of a damaging, costly Brexit is that European elections have not always been regarded with the same level of importan
  
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• Crushing the ‘saboteurs’ in Turkey and the UK | Letters

  19-04-2017 20:35
  
  The front pages of UK newspapers after Theresa May’s snap election call. Reader Lee Bridges sees worrying parallels in attempts to silence dissent in Turkey and Britain.Photograph: Daniel Sorabji/AFP/Getty Images
  
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• Armed police to be trained to shoot through windscreens to stop vehicle attacks

  19-04-2017 19:49
  
  A recruitment drive for armed officers aims to increase numbers to around 10,500.Simon Chesterman, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead on armed policing, said it was a change from a former policy that advised officers not to shoot drivers in motion and risk sending the vehicles out of control.Chesterman said that one of the key challenges presented by the change of tactic was getting the correct type of ammunition to penetrate windscreen glass.
  
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• May convinces MPs that Brexit requires strong and ignorant leadership | John Crace

  19-04-2017 19:46
  
  “To Brexit and beyond,” announced a monotone Theresa May, the hollow sockets that pass for eyes giving nothing away.It didn’t have quite the ring of “to infinity and beyond”, but then the prime minister doesn’t have the charisma of Buzz Lightyear.Theresa can only aspire to the empathy levels of a cartoon character.
  
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• Tim Farron says he doesn't believe being gay is a sin

  19-04-2017 19:43
  
  Tim Farron says he does not believe being gay is a sin and suggests he has been repeatedly asked about his views on the subject because he is a practising Christian.The party leader has been repeatedly asked to clarify his position on homosexuality in the last 24 hours because of an evasive answer he gave two years ago on whether he believed gay relationships were sinful.But speaking to the Guardian after a morning of campaigning in Richmond Park, Farron said he had voted for equal marriage and
  
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• Bill O'Reilly's Fox News career hangs in balance as company calls board meeting

  19-04-2017 19:32
  
  Fox News star Bill O’Reilly’s 21-year career at the news network looks increasingly likely to come to an end on Thursday when the company’s board meets to discuss allegations of sexual harassment and an advertising boycott.O’Reilly, host of Fox News’ biggest show The O’Reilly Factor, is currently on vacation and has said he will return to work on Monday.
  
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• Fire causes rush hour chaos as London's Euston station shuts down

  19-04-2017 19:24
  Commuters in large parts of the UK have been hit with severe travel disruption after a fire shut down one of London's busiest train stations.Trains in and out of Euston station were cancelled and passengers evacuated on Wednesday afternoon after a power cut caused by a blaze next to the track near South Hampstead.Other parts of the country are affected, with the hub - the fifth busiest station in Britain - used by Midland, Virgin and Southern trains.
  
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• EU sees Brexit negotiations after June election

  19-04-2017 19:23
  By Alastair Macdonald and Francesco GuarascioBRUSSELS (Reuters) - Brexit negotiations will start in June as planned, after Britons vote in a snap general election, the European Union said on Wednesday as parliament endorsed Prime Minister Theresa May's call for a vote on June 8.European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker spoke to May after her dramatic U-turn on Tuesday.Having ruled out an early election, May is now gambling on winning a bigger majority that could help her push through a d
  
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• Gina Miller to launch tactical voting initiative against hard Brexit

  19-04-2017 18:39
  
  Gina Miller, the pro-EU campaigner behind a successful court challenge over article 50, is planning to launch a tactical voting initiative to support election candidates opposed to hard Brexit.In a possible sign of appetite among progressives to put party affiliation aside on 8 June, a crowdfunding page set up immediately after Theresa May called the snap election quickly exceeded initial financial targets on Wednesday.The group, called Best For Britain, will formally launch next week.
  
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• Will Theresa May really kill Labour off in this election? | Alan Travis

  19-04-2017 18:27
  
  Jeremy Corbyn could take Labour to a defeat on the scale of 1983, the polls suggest.The latest opinion polls show that Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour is facing a general election defeat on the scale of Michael Foot’s 1983 loss to Margaret Thatcher when Labour was reduced to just 209 MPs – its lowest total in the second half of the 20th century.
  
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• General election 2017: who's standing and who's stepping down

  19-04-2017 18:26
  
  The new editor of the Evening Standard finally decided three jobs was enough and sent a letter to his local Conservative association explaining why he was standing down from the House of Commons “for now”.The former Lib Dem leader and former deputy prime minister confirmed he was standing again for parliament.
  
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• Armed suspect and three police officers injured in Finsbury Park explosion

  19-04-2017 18:26
  A man is in a life-threatening condition in hospital after suffering "serious burns" in an explosion at a house in north London.Police were called to the property in Stapleton Hall Road, near Finsbury Park, after reports of a man armed with a weapon."It would appear a short time later there has been an explosion within the address, this explosion has caused serious burn injuries to the suspect," a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said.
  
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• Weather changed before girl and father swept off Cornish rocks, inquest told

  19-04-2017 18:07
  
  Rudy Bruynius, 33, and daughter McKayla were killed at Fistral beach in Newquay, Cornwall, on 19 August last year.Lisinda Bruynius told an inquest at Cornwall coroner’s court, sitting in Truro, that McKayla was strapped into a pushchair when they were hit first by one wave and then by a second, bigger wave which dragged them into the sea.An RNLI lifeboat, coastguard helicopter, beach lifeguards, police, air ambulance and ambulance crews were quickly at the scene.
  
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• MPs vote in favour of snap General Election on 8 June

  19-04-2017 17:33
  
  MPs have backed Theresa May's call for an early election, meaning voters will go to the polls on 8 June.The Commons vote was a formality, given both Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron had previously said they welcomed the election, although Scottish National Party MPs abstained.The Prime Minister's spokesman said the Government was aiming to dissolve Parliament on 3 May, 25 working days before election day.
  
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• 'Proud to be British': Victoria Beckham receives OBE for fashion success

  19-04-2017 17:23
  Victoria Beckham has received the Order of the British Empire from Prince William in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.The fashion designer was joined by husband David Beckham, who was given the same honour in 2003 for his successful football career.The 43-year-old former Spice Girl has made a success of her fashion line despite initial scepticism over her ability to cross over from singing to design.
  
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• May wins parliament's backing for June 8 snap election

  19-04-2017 17:17
  
  By Elizabeth Piper and Kylie MacLellanLONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May won parliament's backing for an early election on Wednesday, a vote she said would strengthen her hand in divorce talks with the European Union and help heal divisions in Britain.May surprised allies and opponents on Tuesday when she announced her plan to bring forward an election that was not due until 2020, saying she needed to avoid a clash of priorities in the sensitive final stages of the two-year Brexit tal
  
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• Majority of Britons want TV election debates - Sky Data poll

  19-04-2017 16:51
  
  A Sky Data poll suggests that 64% of Britons believe there should be televised debates between party leaders during the General Election campaign.The poll comes as Theresa May said she will not participate in any TV debates - prompting an angry reaction from leaders in rival parties.After telling the Commons she was proud of what the Conservatives had achieved in government, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn asked: "If Theresa May is so proud of her record, why won't she debate it?
  
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• What is tactical voting and could it decide the outcome of the election?

  19-04-2017 16:46
  
  Social media is abuzz with talk of voting tactically but what exactly does it mean?
  
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• Theresa May backs MPs investigated over 2015 election spending

  19-04-2017 16:46
  
  Theresa May has backed Conservative MPs at the centre of police inquiries into electoral spending irregularities, after a call for them to be barred from standing for re-election.Fourteen police forces have sent files to the Crown Prosecution Service outlining allegations of spending limits being breached during the 2015 general election campaign.Dennis Skinner, the veteran Labour MP, said in the House of Commons that allowing Tory MPs currently under investigation to stand again risked bringing
  
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• General election 2017: MPs back plans for 8 June poll

  19-04-2017 16:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A general election will be held on 8 June after MPs back Theresa May's call for a snap poll.
  
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• Newquay deaths: Dad and two-year-old killed by rising sea

  19-04-2017 16:12 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The inquest into the deaths of Rudy and McKayla Bruynius hears sea conditions changed rapidly.
  
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• The moment Parliament approved a General Election

  19-04-2017 16:10
  
  MPs have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a June election, with 522 approving Theresa May's call.
  
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• George Osborne to quit as MP for Tatton at election

  19-04-2017 16:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The ex-chancellor says he is leaving Parliament "for now" as he becomes the Evening Standard editor.
  
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• Victoria Beckham receives OBE from Prince William

  19-04-2017 16:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The former spice girl is recognised for her 17-year career in the fashion industry.
  
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• BBC and ITV plan leaders' debates despite May's refusal to take part

  19-04-2017 16:01
  
  One of the debates held before the 2015 general election in which the leaders of five political parties, but not the Conservatives or Lib Dems, took part.The BBC and ITV are pushing ahead with plans for leaders’ debates in the run-up to the general election despite Theresa May’s insistence that she would rather not take part.News executives at the BBC and ITV confirmed they were “working hard” on plans to televise the debates between leaders because of the “overwhel
  
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• Cornwall teen disciplined for 'extreme hairstyle'

  19-04-2017 15:59 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Taylor Jones was told his "extreme hairstyle" was inappropriate when he returned after the holiday.
  
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• Theresa May wins Commons backing for 8 June general election

  19-04-2017 15:53
  
  Theresa May has won the overwhelming backing of MPs for her decision to hold a general election on 8 June, saying it will secure “stability and certainty” as Britain prepares to enter Brexit talks.Parliament will be dissolved on 2 May and the formal election campaign will begin.Justifying the change of heart to MPs in the House of Commons shortly after prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, May said: “Today we face a new question: how best to secure the stability and ce
  
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• Labour MPs hail Yvette Cooper's PMQs performance

  19-04-2017 15:51
  
  Labour MPs heaped praise on Yvette Cooper’s performance at prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, during which the former shadow home secretary attacked Theresa May for breaking her promise not to hold a snap general election.The whirlwind of supportive comments from Labour colleagues will fuel speculation the MP is already laying the ground for a second leadership bid, given the prevailing feeling in the parliamentary party that Labour should choose a woman as its next leader if J
  
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• What will each party promise at the General Election?

  19-04-2017 15:47
  
  Theresa May has made clear she sees this election dominated by Brexit.It may be a huge issue for unions and regional jobs, but arch-critic Jeremy Corbyn is unlikely to make a promise to renew Trident, even though it is party policy.
  
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• Leanne Wood 'seriously considering' Rhondda election fight

  19-04-2017 15:47 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Speculation is mounting the Plaid leader will stand against Labour's Chris Bryant in the snap poll.
  
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• Can 'expenses' MPs stand as candidates?

  19-04-2017 15:38 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Dennis Skinner ask for a guarantee no Conservative MPs being investigated over 2015 election expenses can stand in 2017.
  
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• Why does the Queen have two birthdays every year?

  19-04-2017 15:36
  
  Queen Elizabeth II will turn 91 on April 21.
  
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• Sam Warburton Lions captaincy against All Blacks leaked on Twitter

  19-04-2017 15:36
  Welsh star Sam Warburton's captaincy of the British and Irish Lions was leaked on Twitter three hours before the official announcement.
  
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• Sir Desmond Swayne was the character of the hour at the election debate in Parliament

  19-04-2017 15:28
  
  The Tory MP’s sweeping rhetoric captured the imagination of viewers.
  
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• Police officer among three injured in Finsbury Park explosion

  19-04-2017 15:25
  Three people have been taken to hospital following an explosion near Finsbury Park in north London.Scotland Yard said one man suffered serious burns in the blast, while a police officer has sustained injuries to the arm.Police had been called to a disturbance at a house on Stapleton Hall Road prior to the explosion, and it is believed bailiffs were at the building.
  
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• ECB's Coeure castigates isolationism in New York visit

  19-04-2017 15:10
  
  Isolationism could leave the most vulnerable members of society even more exposed that they already are, European Central Bank board member Benoit Coeure said on Wednesday, defending globalisation and urging more international cooperation.Speaking in New York, Coeure said openness, collaboration and tolerance have been key for economic growth while protectionism and unilateral deregulation would only yield short-term benefits at the cost of financial stability.With the U.S. administration advoca
  
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