General news

• EU leaders declare there's no Brexit 'free lunch' - Daily Mail

  29-04-2017 23:30 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Daily Mail
  EU leaders declare there's no Brexit 'free lunch'
  Daily Mail
  Theresa May was yesterday warned that there was no such thing as a 'free lunch' as EU leaders set uncompromising terms for Brexit. The leaders, meeting without Mrs May for the first time since she triggered Article 50, burst into applause after taking ...
  EU leaders agree on tough stance at special Brexit summitThe Guardian
  Brexit: EU demands 'serious UK response' on citizens' rightsBBC News
  Theresa May rejects Brussels' ha
  
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• Heavy defeat could allow Labour’s hardliners to elect another Corbyn

  29-04-2017 23:14
  
  Jeremy Corbyn could emerge from an electoral rout more powerful as most of his backers are in solid Labour seats.Heavy general election losses for Labour will make it easier for leftwing MPs to install a Jeremy Corbyn mark II as the next party leader, according to senior officials who have analysed the possible make-up of the parliamentary party after 8 June.Some moderate MPs and those on the right of the party fear the total number of Labour members in the Commons could fall from 229 to about 1
  
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• Labour party pledges to outlaw all zero-hours contracts

  29-04-2017 23:01
  
  Labour’s John McDonnell addresses an election rally in Liverpool.Labour has pledged to ban all zero-hours contracts, put a halt to unpaid internships and end the pay cap on public sector staff in an unashamedly leftwing pitch to British workers.In a move welcomed by union leaders but that will be attacked as “anti-business” and unaffordable by opponents, the 20-point blueprint also includes commitments to double paid paternity leave to four weeks, increase paternity pay and gua
  
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• Paul Nuttall says Ukip must stay strong amid squabbles

  29-04-2017 22:54
  
  Paul Nuttall revealed on Saturday that he is to stand for Ukip in the heavily Brexit-supporting constituency of Boston and Skegness in what is widely regarded as his last throw of the dice as party leader.Polls show that support for Ukip is dropping by the week with many voters defecting to the Tories.In an apparent admission that the party is facing a battle for its survival, months after Britain’s vote for Brexit vote took the wind out of its sails, Nuttall insisted Ukip had a “gre
  
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• British woman dies after falling from Benidorm apartment

  29-04-2017 20:59
  A British woman has died after falling from a 10th-floor apartment in the Spanish resort of Benidorm.
  
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• EU tells May: give our citizens their rights or no trade talks

  29-04-2017 20:55
  
  Theresa May speaks at an election campaign rally near Aberdeen on 29 April.The European Union has called on Theresa May to provide immediate “serious and real” guarantees to its citizens living in Britain.Leaders said they would not discuss a future trade deal with the British government until “sufficient progress” is made on the issues of Britain’s estimated €60bn divorce bill, the rights of EU nationals in the UK, and the border in Ireland.
  
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• May says Corbyn election victory 'could happen' as she warns over voter complacency

  29-04-2017 20:17
  
  Theresa May has urged her supporters in Scotland to get out and vote, warning against complacency because of her huge poll advantage over Jeremy Corbyn.Opinion polls suggest the Conservatives have a double-digit lead over Labour, which could have its worst election showing in decades."Every SNP MP who is elected to Westminster puts a step closer Jeremy Corbyn getting into Downing Street," she said.
  
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• EU suspects Brexit mind games in UK veto on budget

  29-04-2017 20:11
  By Alastair MacdonaldBRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union called on Britain to lift a pre-election veto on some EU spending, warning it could disrupt the start of Brexit talks, and EU officials suggested London was needling Brussels ahead of negotiations.European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told reporters on Saturday, after a Brussels summit where EU leaders approved instructions for their negotiator, that Britain had blocked billions of euros (dollars) in EU spending last week."
  
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• Labour facing revolt as activists refuse to back candidates in bid to fight Theresa May's plans for hard Brexit - The Independent

  29-04-2017 20:06 via independent.co.uk
  
  The Independent
  Labour facing revolt as activists refuse to back candidates in bid to fight Theresa May's plans for hard Brexit
  The Independent
  The Labour Party is facing a revolt among its own activists, who are refusing to back the party's candidates in the general election in a bid to fight Theresa May's plans for a hard Brexit. Discussions between Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the ...
  Tony Blair: 'Labour can win at any point that it wants to get back to winning ways'The Guardian
  Theresa
  
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• Theresa May accused by Labour of 'hiding' while campaigning in Scotland

  29-04-2017 19:58
  
  Theresa May has fuelled accusations from Labour she has been “hiding from the public” during the general election campaign after she held her latest rally in a tiny community hall in Aberdeenshire with such poor phone reception that live coverage of the event was impossible.About 200 Conservative campaigners crammed into Crathes hall, Banchory, a tin-roofed single-storey building at the heart of a swath of woodland in rural north-east Scotland, from where journalists were unable to t
  
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• Britain gears up for negotiations of a 'lifetime' after EU outlines Brexit stance

  29-04-2017 19:57
  
  Britain's minister for leaving the European Union said on Saturday the country was gearing up for the most complex negotiations "in our lifetimes" after the European Union outlined its tough approach to Brexit talks.Earlier in the day EU leaders endorsed stiff divorce terms for Britain on Saturday and warned Britons to have "no illusions" about swiftly securing a new relationship to keep their access to EU markets."Both sides are clear - we want these negotiations to be conducted in the spirit o
  
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• May in Scotland for first time in campaign

  29-04-2017 19:40
  
  Theresa May ventured into the SNP's backyard as she visited Scotland for the first time since launching her election campaign. .
  
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• The guy dressed as a gorilla has finally crossed the London Marathon finish line

  29-04-2017 19:23
  
  Tom Harrison said he was looking forward to getting a massage for his aching shoulders, and having a cup of coffee.
  
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• May's Conservatives see lead slip to 17 points - Opinium poll

  29-04-2017 18:53
  
  British Prime Minister Theresa May's governing Conservative party has a 17 point lead over Labour, an Opinium poll showed on Saturday, slightly down from last week as support for smaller parties slipped.The Conservatives were on 47 percent, up 2 points from last week, while the main opposition Labour Party gained 4 points to 30 percent - still putting the Conservatives on course for a sweeping victory in June's national election.Support for the pro-EU Liberal Democrats fell 3 points to 8 percent
  
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• PM's campaign event in Scottish forest prompts new claims she is hiding

  29-04-2017 18:44
  
  Theresa May speaks to campaigners in a tin-roofed hall in rural north-east Scotland.Theresa May has fuelled accusations she has been “hiding from the public” during the general election campaign after she held her latest rally in a tiny community hall in the depths of a forest with such poor phone reception that live coverage of the event was impossible.About 200 Conservative campaigners crammed into Crathes town hall, a tin-roofed single-storey building at the heart of a swath of wo
  
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• EU says united Ireland would be automatic full member

  29-04-2017 18:06
  
  European Union leaders promised on Saturday to embrace the British province of Northern Ireland into the EU if a referendum in the future were to unite it with the Republic of Ireland.At a summit on the EU's plan for negotiating with Britain as it leaves the bloc, Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny asked fellow members to acknowledge that Northern Ireland would, like East Germany in 1990, automatically enter the EU in the event of unification with existing member state.The 1998 Good Friday Agreemen
  
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• Catfight on the Ukip campaign trail in Hartlepool - Daily Mail

  29-04-2017 17:10 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Daily Mail
  Catfight on the Ukip campaign trail in Hartlepool
  Daily Mail
  A bloody fight broke out in County Durham earlier today as tensions flared over Brexit. One woman and another woman were spotted fighting in Hartlepool before Ukip leader Paul Nuttall headed out on the campaign trail. Witnesses said one was a Ukip ...and more »
  
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• Ministers to sell £3bn of Bradford & Bingley mortgage loans

  29-04-2017 15:25
  The Government is to take another step towards recouping the vast sums of money injected into the banking system in 2008 by selling £3bn of Bradford & Bingley (B&B) mortgage loans.Sky News has learnt that UK Asset Resolution, the Treasury-supervised unit which manages the remnants of the former high street lender, has appointed the Wall Street investment bank Morgan Stanley to handle an auction later this year.The portfolio for which it will seek buyers is understood to comprise lo
  
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• Everyone's making fun of Paul Nuttall after he announced where he would be standing for MP

  29-04-2017 15:05
  
  In the past, he has been criticised for false claims
  
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• An analysis of Donald Trump's enduring love affair with the exclamation mark

  29-04-2017 15:01
  
  It’s undoubtedly the shoutiest of all the punctuation.
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn: 'Insecure' Theresa May will make damaging mistakes

  29-04-2017 14:53
  
  Jeremy Corbyn has accused Theresa May of being "insecure" about her authority - and retreating into a "presidential bunker mentality" reminiscent of Tony Blair.Mr Corbyn said Tony Blair's premiership showed what can go wrong if leaders go unchallenged."And if party leaders put themselves ahead of serving the people, they stop listening and even put our country at risk.
  
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• Corbyn: 'Insecure' May will make damaging mistakes

  29-04-2017 14:40
  
  Jeremy Corbyn has accused Theresa May of being "insecure" about her authority - and retreating into a "presidential bunker mentality" reminiscent of Tony Blair.
  
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• EU leaders agree on tough stance at special Brexit summit

  29-04-2017 14:03
  
  EU leaders have unanimously agreed tough negotiating guidelines for Brexit talks with the UK, suggesting they will demand Britain agrees on payments to the bloc before considering a new trade deal.The heads of the remaining 27 countries agreed to adopt the draft guidelines issued by Donald Tusk last month less than 15 minutes into a special summit in Brussels on Saturday.When the formal negotiations between the EU and the UK begin in June, the British government will be told it needs to resolve
  
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• EU leaders agree Brexit negotiating guidelines - Tusk

  29-04-2017 14:03
  European Union leaders unanimously and rapidly agreed on guidelines for the bloc's negotiations with Britain over its withdrawal from the bloc, summit chair Donald Tusk said on Saturday."Guidelines adopted unanimously.EU27 firm and fair political mandate for the Brexit talks is ready," Tusk said in a tweet not long after the summit of EU leaders began.
  
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• Nuttall dismisses 'BNP playbook' claim

  29-04-2017 13:50
  
  UKIP leader and would-be MP Paul Nuttall rejects accusations his party's policies are "out of the BNP playbook", as he defended his call for banning full-face veils.
  
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• UKIP leader Nuttall to stand in pro-Brexit stronghold in election

  29-04-2017 13:32
  
  The leader of eurosceptic party UKIP will stand in the constituency of Boston and Skegness in Britain's general election in June, the party said on Saturday, seeking to capitalise on strong pro-Brexit sentiment in the area.Paul Nuttall will stand in the Conservative-held seat, and will test the extent to which the country's most eurosceptic areas trust British Prime Minister Theresa May's party with the Brexit process.UKIP was a driving force in the campaign for Britain to leave the EU, but has
  
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• UKIP leader Paul Nuttall to stand in Boston and Skegness

  29-04-2017 13:30
  UKIP Leader Paul Nuttall has announced he will stand in the Lincolnshire seat of Boston and Skegness at the General Election.The constituency has been described as the "most Brexit" in the UK.Boston recorded the biggest majority for leave at last June's referendum, with more than 75% of voters opting to quit the EU.
  
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• EU leaders set to take tough stance in special Brexit summit

  29-04-2017 13:20
  
  EU leaders are expected to unite on a tough opening negotiating stance on Brexit at a special summit in Brussels on Saturday, when they will agree on whether to make Britain settle potential payments to the bloc before considering a new trade deal.The heads of the remaining 27 countries will demand that Britain resolves the key divorce issues of citizens’ rights, the divorce bill and the border on the island of Ireland before any talks on a future trade deal between the UK and the EU can b
  
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• Turkey blocks access to Wikipedia

  29-04-2017 13:09
  
  Turkey has blocked online encyclopaedia Wikipedia, the telecommunications watchdog said on Saturday, citing a law allowing it to ban access to websites deemed obscene or a threat to national security.The move is likely to further worry rights groups and Turkey's Western allies, who say Ankara has sharply curtailed freedom of speech and other basic rights in the crackdown that followed last year's failed coup."After technical analysis and legal consideration ... an administrative measure has been
  
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• Rangers v Celtic: Scottish Premiership – live!

  29-04-2017 12:56 via theguardian.com
  
  Scottish Premiership updates from the 12pm BST derby at IbroxThe story of ... Dundee United’s glory years under Jim McLeanAnd send your thoughts to [email protected] 11.56am BSTBrendan Rodgers speaks! “It will be a tough game. We expect they will change their system and play with a diamond, so that will be interesting. But we come into this with confidence, although we will have to work hard. Leigh Griffiths is a terrific player and a terrific goalscorer, he’s always
  
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• North Korea missile test: regime has 'disrespected China', says Donald Trump

  29-04-2017 12:53 via theguardian.com
  
  US says initial indications suggest test was unsuccessfulRex Tillerson had warned of ‘catastrophic consequences’ of missile programmeDonald Trump has condemned North Korea for “disrespecting the wishes of China” after Pyongyang test-fired a ballistic missile despite rising tensions in the region.The unsuccessful test comes as the United States pushed for tougher sanctions to curb the country’s nuclear threat. Writing on Twitter, the US president said Pyongyang had d
  
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• Original Observer photography: April 2017

  29-04-2017 12:32 via theguardian.com
  
  Artist Chris Ofili, musicians Thurston Moore and Beth Ditto and boxer Anthony Joshua all feature in this month’s showcase of the best photography commissioned by the Observer Continue reading...
  
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• Parliament’s lack of diversity is shocking. This election is a chance for change | Simon Woolley

  29-04-2017 12:30 via theguardian.com
  
  With such a short run-up to this election, parties have the chance to select more representative candidatesThough many of us agreed with Brenda from Bristol about this general election (“You’re joking. Not another one”), it actually offers a great opportunity for change – regardless of which party wins.That’s because now the snap election has been called, the normal rules for selecting party candidates no longer apply. Under these rules, constituency parties select
  
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• Labour will promise not to increase VAT or NI, McDonnell hints

  29-04-2017 12:19
  
  John McDonnell said the manifesto’s day-to-day spending commitments would be fully balanced.John McDonnell has signalled that Labour’s manifesto will pledge no VAT or national insurance rise, and has said he will argue the party should rule out reviving Ed Miliband’s mansion tax policy.Speaking to the Guardian, the shadow chancellor said he could not pre-empt the party’s manifesto, which is agreed through its national executive committee and policy forum, but suggested he
  
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• Here's everything you need to know about North Korea's missile tests

  29-04-2017 12:12
  
  They launched a medium-range missile on Saturday morning local time
  
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• Ukip leader Paul Nuttall to run for MP in Boston and Skegness

  29-04-2017 12:10 via theguardian.com
  
  Nuttall will be up against incumbent Tory Matt Warman in constituency that includes town with highest Brexit vote in UKThe Ukip leader, Paul Nuttall, has revealed he is to run for the parliamentary seat of Boston and Skegness, home to the town with the highest Brexit vote in Britain.Nuttall put an end to speculation over which constituency he will contest in the general election on 8 June, opting for the Lincolnshire seat over other mooted alternatives such as Heywood and Middleton or Hartlepool
  
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• The American people – not Big Oil – must decide our climate future | Senator Bernie Sanders and Mark Jacobson

  29-04-2017 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  We must aggressively transition our energy system away from fossil fuels and toward clean, renewable energy solutions. And we need to do so now The debate facing our world today is not whether we need to address climate change. That debate is far, far behind us. The issue is how to address climate change – as quickly and effectively as possible.
  Virtually the entire scientific community – more than 99% of peer-reviewed studies – has concluded that climate change is real. It is
  
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• Rare victory for persecuted journalist highlights Mexico's press freedom crisis

  29-04-2017 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Pedro Canché has finally won an apology for being jailed after he criticized a state governor. But, he asked, what about the 104 journalists killed since 2006?Pedro Canché, an indigenous journalist and activist in the southern Mexico state of Quintana Roo, had a hunch the local authorities were closing in on him for his coverage of angry protests over rising water rates in local Mayan communities. So he filmed a video criticizing the intensely image-conscious state governor, Robert
  
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• London Irish’s Nick Kennedy: time to seize Championship play-offs moment

  29-04-2017 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Exiles director of rugby says their season has been geared towards promotion to the Premiership and his team will be in peak condition against DoncasterLondon Irish have spent all season preparing for Sunday, when their league turns into a knockout tournament. The Exiles, who are looking to return to the Premiership at the first attempt at the end of their only season outside it, are at Doncaster for the first leg of their Championship semi-final play-off.The team in Irish’s position at th
  
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• How to win the war on weeds | Alys Fowler

  29-04-2017 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Weeding can feel like painting the Forth Bridge – by the time you finish, it’s time to start again. Alys Fowler offers a few tricks to useWhen I was a student, weeding the endless rectangular order beds at Kew Gardens that document the botanical families and their members was like painting the Forth Bridge. You’d start one end, knowing that by the time you got to the other side you’d have to start again. It felt like the weeds were chasing you. If your garden feels the sa
  
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• Congratulations, Mr President, on your wild romp through all norms and rules | Richard Wolffe

  29-04-2017 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  No other president has come close to your horrendous record, and all future presidents will clear the bar you have set. For that alone, you are exceptionalDonald Trump has notched up some truly impressive achievements in the first 100 days of his presidency. We’re not talking about the humdrum stuff of other presidents. All those pesky to-do lists are far too conventional for this out-of-the-box thinker.How unconventional is his thinking? It’s best if we leave it to the great man to
  
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• Cabo de Gata, Spain: exploring Europe's only desert

  29-04-2017 12:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The arid beauty of Cabo de Gata, in Almería, has inspired works by Lorca and the spaghetti westerns of Sergio Leone – and has one of Spain’s least-developed coasts
  After several hours walking along stark cliffs and ridges, I come down a hillside dotted with white asphodels and find myself on an untrodden beach. I have not seen another person since breakfast. Behind the beach, which is black, are banks of wild aloes with their massive spiky leaves at ground level and skinny dri
  
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• Joanna Lumley attacks Sadiq Khan's scrapping of Thames garden bridge

  29-04-2017 11:43 via theguardian.com
  
  Actor who devised proposal describes London mayor’s decision to pull financial backing for project as devastatingThe doomed plan for a garden bridge across the Thames has been defended by one of the project’s strongest proponents, the actor Joanna Lumley.The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, effectively pulled the plug on the controversial plan on Friday, announcing that he would not provide the vital financial guarantees needed for construction to begin. Continue reading...
  
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• Joanna Lumley attacks Sadiq Khan's scrapping of Thames garden bridge

  29-04-2017 11:43
  
  The Garden Bridge Trust, responsible for delivering project, said it would seek an alternative guarantor.The doomed plan for a garden bridge across the Thames has been defended by one of the project’s strongest proponents, the actor Joanna Lumley.The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, effectively pulled the plug on the controversial plan on Friday, announcing that he would not provide the vital financial guarantees needed for construction to begin.
  
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• Talks on new EU-UK ties must start quickly - Dutch PM

  29-04-2017 11:39
  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union and Britain need to make rapid progress on initial issues in Brexit negotiations and quickly start talking about their new trade and political relationship, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Saturday. Rutte, arriving for EU talks to finalise guidelines for their Brexit negotiator, said the two sides first needed to come to agreement over the border with Ireland, the exit bill and the rights of EU and British citizens living abroad. ...
  
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• 'Marine A' Alexander Blackman enjoys first hours of freedom

  29-04-2017 11:27 via theguardian.com
  
  Blackman speaks following release from prison after serving half of seven-year term for manslaughter of wounded Taliban fighterAlexander Blackman, the Royal Marine sergeant convicted of killing a wounded Taliban fighter, has been enjoying his first hours of freedom but has made it clear he understands his sentence is not complete and has promised to fulfil the conditions of his early release.Blackman was freed from prison after serving half of his seven-year term imposed for manslaughter and was
  
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• 'Marine A' Alexander Blackman enjoys first hours of freedom

  29-04-2017 11:27
  
  Alexander Blackman, the Royal Marine sergeant convicted of killing a wounded Taliban fighter, has been enjoying his first hours of freedom but has made it clear he understands his sentence is not complete and has promised to fulfil the conditions of his early release.Blackman was freed from prison after serving half of the seven-year term imposed for manslaughter and was whisked away to a luxury country hideaway arranged by the Daily Mail, which backed his legal fight.He told the tabloid: &ldquo
  
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• Celebrating boxing's greatest fight nights in Britain

  29-04-2017 11:10 via theguardian.com
  
  As Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko prepare to fight at Wembley, here are other classic encounters to have taken place on British soil – from Henry Cooper against Muhammad Ali to Barry McGuigan, Nigel Benn and Carl FrochFight preview: Joshua thrives on calm before stormContinue reading...
  
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• Ja Rule 'heartbroken' after Fyre Festival descends into disaster

  29-04-2017 11:02 via theguardian.com
  
  Rapper says event, which has been likened to Lord of the Flies, was ‘not a scam’ as co-organiser admits he was ‘a little naive’The organisers of a luxury music festival in the Bahamas have apologised after the event descended into chaos, drawing comparisons to The Hunger Games and The Lord of The Flies.Fyre Festival, on the private Great Exumas island, had been billed as a “cultural moment” for monied millennials, with tickets costing up to $12,780 for a four-
  
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• League One finale: what’s at stake in the promotion and relegation battles

  29-04-2017 11:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Bolton must hold off Fleetwood to win a first promotion since Sam Allardyce’s reign but Port Vale, Gillingham, Bury and Shrewsbury fear the worstIt’s the final day in League One on Sunday, starting at noon, and it’s set up nicely: three teams eyeing the last play-off spot, four trying to avoid relegation, and either Bolton or Fleetwood going up with champions Sheffield United. Expect angst.Who’ll land second place, then? Bolton have the edge. They’re second on 83 po
  
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