General news

• General election: May paves way for ending NI and income tax commitments

  30-04-2017 22:48
  
  Theresa May is likely to abandon the Tories’ “triple tax lock” commitment, ruling out increases to VAT but signalling that she could allow a future Conservative government to raise national insurance and income tax.The prime minister, whose government was recently forced into an embarrassing U-turn over plans to raise national insurance for the self-employed, said she did not want to make promises that she would be unable to keep.As such, she would not commit to renewing her pr
  
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• General election: May paves way for end to pledges on NI and income tax

  30-04-2017 22:48
  
  Theresa May is likely to abandon the Tories’ “triple tax lock” commitment and has ruled out increases to VAT, but signalled that she could allow a future Conservative government to raise national insurance and income tax.The prime minister, whose government was recently forced into an embarrassing U-turn over plans to raise national insurance for the self-employed, said she did not want to make promises that she would be unable to keep.As such, she would not commit to renewing
  
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• A pair of quick-thinking sailors rescued three from a sinking boat

  30-04-2017 22:33
  
  The speedboat had been swamped with water after a large wave smashed the windscreen.
  
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• Westminster terrorism suspect claimed he was approached by MI5

  30-04-2017 21:09
  
  Police detained a man following an incident in Whitehall, central London, last Thursday.The man who was arrested in Westminster and found to be carrying knives has said that he was approached by MI5 as recently as last year, the Guardian has learned.Sources in the British Muslim community said Khalid Mohamed Omar Ali, 27, described the security services attempting to contact him in 2016.
  
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• Labour figures call for candidates to step aside for Greens in two seats

  30-04-2017 20:24
  
  A group is pressing the party leadership on the issue of progressive alliance.Labour’s former policy chief has called on Jeremy Corbyn to stand down candidates in two key constituencies in order to help the Greens defeat the Conservatives and boost their hopes elsewhere.Jon Cruddas has teamed up with MPs, including the former shadow cabinet member Clive Lewis, peers and campaigners such as Neal Lawson and Billy Bragg to issue the demand through a letter in the Guardian that warns of a loom
  
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• Labour should step down for the Greens in some key seats | Letters

  30-04-2017 20:10
  
  Influential Labour figures call for Labour to stand down there and the Isle of Wight.As Labour members and supporters we believe the party is the best vehicle to create the kind of more equal, democratic and sustainable society we want to see.In that respect we applaud the move made by the Green party in Ealing Central and Brighton Kemptown to stand aside and give Labour a better chance of defeating the Tories.
  
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• Man dead and woman hurt at Sedgefield motocross event

  30-04-2017 20:04 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Police decided to close the privately-run event on safety grounds following the two incidents.
  
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• Vital importance of 4 May local elections | Letters

  30-04-2017 20:03
  
  ‘Councils are a fundamental part of British democracy, providing the essential services that citizens rely on every single day,’ write Jonathan Carr-West and Simon Edwards.Following your editorial (15 April) on the local elections on 4 May, we wanted to underpin your view on the importance of this vote.Local elections are often seen as a prism through which to view national politics, as an indication of the strength of government and opposition in parliament.
  
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• Anthony Joshua 'could emulate Muhammad Ali' and become sporting icon

  30-04-2017 19:35
  
  Promoters believe Anthony Joshua could go on to be as popular as his hero Muhammad Ali, as they hatch plans to make him one of sport's biggest stars.The British boxer's sensational win over Wladimir Klitschko in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley has already propelled him to national hero status in the eyes of many fans.Promoter Eddie Hearn is banking on Joshua recapturing the sport's halcyon days of the 1970s, when the sport regularly made the headlines thanks to Ali's 'Rumble In The Jungle' with
  
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• Pentagon: 45 civilians killed by coalition strikes

  30-04-2017 19:26
  
  BAGHDAD (AP) — Investigations conducted during the month of March reveal that U.S.-led coalition airstrikes targeting the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria killed 45 civilians, mostly in and around the Iraqi city of Mosul, according to a Pentagon statement released Sunday.
  
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• Police close motorbike event after one rider killed and another injured

  30-04-2017 19:25
  Police have been forced to close down a quad biking and motocross event after one rider was killed and another seriously wounded.Durham Constabulary said it had "little choice" other than to bring the event to an end after the death and the injury at Hardwick Hall Hotel, near Sedgefield.
  
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• Reince Priebus says White House is looking into change to libel laws

  30-04-2017 18:58
  
  A day after Watergate reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward issued a stirring call for the press to hold Donald Trump to account, the president’s chief of staff said the White House is actively considering a change to libel laws affecting news reporting.“I think it’s something that we’ve looked at,” said Reince Priebus, appearing on ABC’s This Week.On the campaign trail last year, Trump responded to reporting on his policies and background by floating the
  
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• Woman shot in Willesden terror raid arrested after being discharged from hospital

  30-04-2017 18:54
  A woman shot in a police terror raid in London has been discharged from hospital and arrested under the Terrorism Act.The woman was hit when armed officers entered a property in Harlesden Road, Willesden, on Thursday evening.The woman was discharged from hospital on Sunday, but immediately held on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of terrorist acts under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
  
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• General election 2017: May says Tories would not raise VAT

  30-04-2017 18:10 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The prime minister also declines to back David Cameron's 2015 pledge for a "five-year tax lock".
  
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• Whitehall terror suspect Khalid Mohamed Omar Ali 'a model pupil'

  30-04-2017 18:06
  
  Ali was arrested by specialist armed police officers in Whitehall last Thursday.Ali from Tottenham, North London attended the Northumberland Park Community School.A former teacher, David Mishra, described him as a "model pupil".
  
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• Antony Stevens recruits a team full of Stevens for match

  30-04-2017 17:42 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The charity rugby game raised £5,000 for the Parkinson's Foundation.
  
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• Woman shot in counter-terrorism raid arrested after hospital release

  30-04-2017 17:23
  
  A woman shot by counter-terrorism officers during a raid on a house in north-west London has been released from hospital and immediately arrested.The 21-year-old, who has not been identified, was injured in the operation in Harlesden Road, Willesden, on Thursday evening when armed officers fired CS gas before breaking into the home.The address and those connected to it had been under observation by counter-terrorism officers.
  
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• Man shot dead after intruders enter house in St Ives

  30-04-2017 17:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Dorset Police were called to reports intruders had entered a house in the early hours.
  
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• Woman arrested after being shot by police

  30-04-2017 16:56 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The woman shot in a London raid is held on suspicion of terror offences after hospital treatment.
  
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• Corbyn: 'Low taxes for low earners'

  30-04-2017 16:53 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Labour leader says the party wants to change tax policies at the top end of the earnings scale.
  
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• Zombie Elvis in 'world's dullest' marathon

  30-04-2017 16:38 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Simon Goldsmith runs 17 times around a village after failing to secure a London Marathon place.
  
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• David Cameron buys £25,000 garden shed 'to write in'

  30-04-2017 16:16 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The former prime minister says he wants to use the shepherd's hut to write a book.
  
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• Illegal immigrants found on boat in trouble at Orford

  30-04-2017 16:15 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Coastguard was called out when the yacht got into trouble in high winds.
  
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• Labour should offer referendum on Brexit terms, MPs say

  30-04-2017 16:14
  
  The MPs for the remain-supporting constituencies of Norwich South and York Central said no one had approved May’s Brexit ‘destination’.Labour should be prepared to offer the public a referendum on the terms of a final Brexit deal, two former senior members of the party’s shadow cabinet have said.Clive Lewis and Rachael Maskell, who were until recently the shadow business and environment secretaries, claimed giving people the chance to “ratify or reject” the fi
  
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• Watch the key moments from the Joshua-Klitschko fight

  30-04-2017 16:10
  
  Anthony Joshua has beaten Wladimir Klitschko with an 11th round stoppage in a thrilling heavyweight title fight at Wembley.
  
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• May pledges not to increase VAT, quiet on other taxes

  30-04-2017 16:10
  
  British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday she would not increase value-added tax (VAT) if her Conservative Party was elected on June 8, but she did not extend the same promise to other major taxes.Heading into an early election that is likely to increase her parliamentary majority before Britain quits the European Union, May has been under pressure to look beyond Brexit and detail her approach to tax and spend policies.Speaking in her first television interviews of the election campaign,
  
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• Wikitribune venture will not address journalism's underlying issues

  30-04-2017 16:09
  
  Jimmy Wales hopes to bring ‘journalists and a community of volunteers together’.“The news is broken, but we have figured out how to fix it.” These are the opening words Jimmy Wales speaks in a fundraising video for his new newsgathering venture, Wikitribune.One might think it inadvisably bold to kick off a crowdfunded campaign for an evidence-based journalism site with a nakedly unverified claim.
  
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• Richard Broughton death: Murder inquiry after man hit by car in Elsecar

  30-04-2017 16:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The victim was struck by a car which failed to stop, police say.
  
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• May expects tough talks; EU alarmed at Brexit 'illusions'

  30-04-2017 16:05
  
  By William James and Alastair MacdonaldLONDON/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May expects divorce talks with the European Union to be tough, she said on Sunday after EU leaders agreed stiff terms and voiced alarm at "illusions" in London that may wreck a deal."What this shows, and what some of the other comments we've seen coming from European leaders shows, is that there are going to be times when these negotiations are going to be tough," May told the BBC a day after her EU
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn pledges to plug 'school funding black hole'

  30-04-2017 15:55 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Labour's Jeremy Corbyn tells head teachers he will plug a £3bn gap in school funding in England.
  
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• Madeleine McCann's parents 'still hope' as 10th anniversary nears

  30-04-2017 15:53
  
  The parents of Madeleine McCann will do “whatever it takes for as long as it takes” to find her, they said in an interview ahead of the 10th anniversary on Wednesday of their daughter’s disappearance.“My hope for Madeleine being out there is no less than it was almost 10 years ago,” said Kate McCann, 49.Scotland Yard said last week officers were still pursuing “critical leads”. Criticism of the amount of money was “unfair”, the couple said in
  
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• No more fights on Trident, says Thornberry

  30-04-2017 15:50
  
  Labour's Emily Thornberry refuses to be drawn over whether she agrees with the party's backing for the UK nuclear deterrent, insisting: "Party policy is party policy".
  
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• Labour election losses could strengthen Corbyn's support

  30-04-2017 15:43
  
  A Conservative landslide in the upcoming general election would see the Labour party concentrated almost exclusively in cities, with a quarter of its MPs based in London constituencies and Jeremy Corbyn’s supporters more likely to retain seats than those who have opposed the Labour leader, according to a new report.A Labour party reduced by 100 seats – a pessimistic scenario – would see the party mainly representing inner cities and the most deprived areas, with the West Midlan
  
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• Labour election losses could bolster Corbyn's support – thinktank

  30-04-2017 15:43
  
  The research by Policy Network, which is headed by Peter Mandelson, suggests a Tory landslide would leave a greater proportion of Corbyn supporters in the parliamentary Labour party.A Conservative landslide in the general election would see the Labour party concentrated almost exclusively in cities, with a quarter of its MPs based in London constituencies and Jeremy Corbyn’s supporters more likely to retain seats than those who have opposed the Labour leader, according to a new report.A La
  
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• Trident not 'a top priority', says Labour's Emily Thornberry

  30-04-2017 15:37
  Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry has put herself at odds with her own party's policy on renewing the UK's nuclear deterrent, telling Sky News it was not "a top priority for me".The Labour frontbencher refused to be drawn over whether she agreed with the party's official stance on the Trident missile system, insisting she was "not getting involved in any more fights about this".
  
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• Kim Jong-May awkward and incredulous as journalist asks question | John Crace

  30-04-2017 15:26
  
  Kim Jong-May reacts to Andrew Marr’s questioning.Surely the whole point of being the Supreme Leader was not having to go on television to answer rude questions.“Don’t the voters deserve better than to be spoken to in soundbites?” asked Andrew Marr.
  
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• Labour accuses PM of using 'code' on tax

  30-04-2017 14:20
  
  Labour's Emily Thornberry has accused the Prime Minister of using "code" when saying she has "no plans" to increase taxes.
  
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• David Cameron buys luxury hut for writing but his children have other ideas

  30-04-2017 14:19
  David Cameron has just bought a £25,000 custom-made hut which he had planned to turn into a writing den for his garden in the Cotswolds.Mr Cameron, who left Downing Street after Britain voted to leave the EU in a referendum last year, said: "Well, there's been a bit of a fight already."My children want to use it as a Wendy House, I want to use it as a book-writing room and my son also wants it as an alternative bedroom.
  
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• Opposition gains in British polls, but May's party keeps strong lead

  30-04-2017 13:59
  
  By Alistair Smout and William JamesLONDON (Reuters) - Three opinion polls showed a rise in support for Britain's opposition Labour Party, although Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservatives maintained a commanding lead ahead of a June 8 election expected to define the terms of the country's EU exit.The polls published late on Saturday showed May's Conservatives remained between 11 and 17 points ahead of Labour - still enough to deliver a clear victory as she seeks a mandate for her plan to imple
  
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• 'Philip Green Charter': PM vows to protect pensions from 'unscrupulous' bosses

  30-04-2017 13:53
  
  Theresa May has unveiled a plan to crack down on "irresponsible" bosses who fail to protect workers' pensions from a repeat of the BHS scandal.In what some have dubbed the "Philip Green Charter", the Government is considering a new criminal offence for bosses who put pension schemes at risk.The Conservative Party's General Election manifesto will contain a commitment to increase the punishments for those found mismanaging schemes.
  
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• Damian Lewis on Billions, Obama and The Goat

  30-04-2017 13:44 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The actor talks about his "shocking" play... and does a pretty good Obama impression.
  
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• PM signals end to Tory tax lock but vows not to raise VAT

  30-04-2017 13:36
  The Prime Minister has indicated she will ditch the Tory pledge not to raise taxes but promised not to increase VAT.Theresa May said the Conservatives had no plans to raise taxes, but did not want to make specific proposals unless she was sure she could deliver on them.Mrs May also signalled she would scrap the triple lock protecting pensions, which has been another promise made by her predecessor David Cameron in 2015.
  
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• General election: May refuses to rule out income tax and NI rises

  30-04-2017 11:53
  
  Theresa May has refused to rule out raising income tax and national insurance but pledged not to hike VAT.The prime minister was unable to promise that either of the commitments would continue, just two years after they formed a central plank of David Cameron’s 2015 election campaign.In her first long interviews of the election campaign, the prime minister was pressed about whether the Conservatives would keep their pledge not to raise the three key taxes.
  
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• May says she will not raise Value Added Tax

  30-04-2017 11:43
  
  LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday she would not increase Value Added Tax if her Conservative Party was elected on June 8 and that she would not raise the overall levels of tax on Britons. "We won't be increasing VAT," she told ITV's Peston on Sunday show. (Reporting by William James, editing by Elizabeth Piper)
  
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• May braces for difficult Brexit talks after EU adopts tough stance

  30-04-2017 11:14
  
  Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday divorce talks with the European Union would be difficult, responding to the tough stance taken by EU leaders over the upcoming Brexit negotiations."What this shows, and what some of the other comments we've seen coming from European leaders shows, is that there are going to times when these negotiations are going to be tough," May told the BBC.May also reaffirmed her position that she would be prepared to walk away from the talks on leaving the EU withou
  
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• General Election 2017: Theresa May denies 'robotic' message

  30-04-2017 11:10 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The prime minister is challenged on her repeated use of the phrase "strong and stable".
  
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• Anthony Joshua: Tyson Fury says yes to all-British heavyweight title fight

  30-04-2017 10:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Tyson Fury says "let's dance" in response to being called out by world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.
  
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• Joshua's post-fight video message to fans

  30-04-2017 10:10
  
  "Thanks for the support... I hope you guys enjoyed it," says the British champ, who made a selfie video from inside the ring
  
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• S Korea confirms US will pay THAAD costs - RTE.ie

  30-04-2017 09:13 via rte.ie
  
  RTE.ie
  S Korea confirms US will pay THAAD costs
  RTE.ie
  South Korea said Washington had reaffirmed it would shoulder the cost of deploying the THAAD anti-missile system, days after US President Donald Trump said Seoul should pay for the $1-billion system designed to defend against nuclear-armed North ...
  Trump says China pressuring North Korea on missile, nukesThe Denver Postall 4,677 news articles »
  
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• 'Philip Green Charter': PM vows to protect pensions from 'irresponsible' bosses

  30-04-2017 09:12
  
  Theresa May has unveiled a plan to crack down on "irresponsible bosses" who fail to protect workers' pensions from a repeat of the BHS scandal.In what some have dubbed the "Philip Green Charter", the Government is considering a new criminal offence for bosses who put pension schemes at risk.The Conservative Party's General Election manifesto will contain a commitment to increase the punishments for those found mismanaging schemes.
  
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