General news

• General election 2017: PM vows to end 'rip-off' energy bills

  08-05-2017 23:51 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Industry figures and rival parties criticise the announcement of a cap on some household bills.
  
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• Simon Danczuk could stand against Labour after quitting party

  08-05-2017 23:21
  
  Simon Danczuk is contemplating standing as an independent candidate in Rochdale against the Labour candidate Tony Lloyd in the upcoming general election, a friend has told the Guardian.The former Labour MP, who resigned from the party on Monday, is consulting local supporters after the former Manchester police and crime commissioner Lloyd was selected by the party to stand in the town.Labour officials fear that if Danczuk stands as an independent, he could split the party’s vote, leaving a
  
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• Royal Navy ship shadows Russian submarine in English Channel

  08-05-2017 23:00
  A Royal Navy warship has shadowed a Russian submarine through the English Channel.HMS Somerset located the Kilo-class Krasnodar vessel off the east coast of the UK on Friday morning.Commander Tim Berry, who is in charge HMS Somerset, said: "Policing the sea both in home waters and further afield is core business for the Royal Navy.
  
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• Rupert Murdoch: 'Nothing's happening at Fox News'

  08-05-2017 22:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Rupert Murdoch is confronted over Ofcom and discrimination and sexual harassment claims at Fox News.
  
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• PM: We will stick to immigration target

  08-05-2017 22:40
  
  Theresa May says the Conservatives will stick to the pledge to reduce net migration to the "tens of thousands" despite repeatedly failing to hit the target.
  
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• Conservatives claim there are no more 'no-go areas' in Scotland

  08-05-2017 22:36
  The Scottish Conservative leader, Ruth Davidson, has told supporters that there are no longer any "no-go areas" for her party, as she tried to establish the Tories as the main opposition to the Scottish National Party.As the Conservatives and Labour launched their campaigns in Scotland, they seized on the official results from last week's council elections to suggest that the SNP's lead had shrunk.The SNP took 32.3% of first preference votes in the single transferable vote system, with the Torie
  
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• Fox News complainant meets UK regulator over Sky-Fox deal

  08-05-2017 22:25
  
  A woman who accused former Fox News presenter Bill O'Reilly of sexual harassment in the United States called on Britain on Monday to block Fox's owner Rupert Murdoch from taking full control of Britain's pay-TV group Sky.Wendy Walsh, a former regular guest on Fox's "The O'Reilly Factor" TV show who made the claim against O'Reilly last month, met officials at the British media regulator Ofcom on Monday with her lawyer Lisa Bloom, a representative said.
  
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• Helicopter pilot on moment he found surfer

  08-05-2017 21:44 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Matthew Bryce survived after spending 32 hours clinging to his surfboard, off the coast of Scotland.
  
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• Chaos as Idris Elba open casting 'shut down'

  08-05-2017 21:28 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The actor and director is making a film set in the Afro-Caribbean community in 1980s London.
  
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• Farmers 'concerned' about crops after driest winter in 20 years

  08-05-2017 21:25 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The driest winter in 20 years has left most rivers across the UK at lower levels than usual.
  
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• Is Iain Duncan Smith an Eminem fan? 5 things we learned from the election campaign

  08-05-2017 21:24
  
  Here’s what’s been going on with a month until the General Election.
  
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• Labour picks Tony Lloyd to fight Rochdale seat as Simon Danczuk quits

  08-05-2017 21:04
  
  Tony Lloyd has been chosen by a Labour NEC panel over Jeremy Corbyn’s political secretary, Katy Clark.The former MP and Manchester police and crime commissioner Tony Lloyd has been selected by Labour to contest the seat of Rochdale in the general election, beating Jeremy Corbyn’s political secretary, Katy Clark.Rochdale was previously held by Simon Danczuk, who quit Labour with an outspoken resignation letter on Monday after being told last week by the party’s national executiv
  
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• 'Wenger Out' protesters must give Arsenal manager a chance, says Corbyn

  08-05-2017 21:03
  
  Jeremy Corbyn has told young supporters to give under-pressure Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger a chance after spotting a protest sign at one of his rallies in Leamington Spa.As the Labour leader began by introducing the party's candidate for Warwick and Leamington Spa - Matt Western - Mr Corbyn noticed a group of supporters holding up a "Wenger Out" sign.
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn jokes with "Wenger Out" protesters

  08-05-2017 21:00
  
  They're seemingly everywhere, but now "Wenger Out" campaigners have targeted Arsenal fan and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
  
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• The Sun owner 'in discussions with Kelvin MacKenzie over his departure'

  08-05-2017 20:53
  
  The Sun columnist and former editor was suspended last month after complaints of ‘racial slurs’ in his column about footballer Ross Barkley.The parent company of the Sun is reportedly in negotiations about the departure of the former editor and columnist Kelvin MacKenzie after he compared the footballer Ross Barkley, who is of mixed race, to a gorilla and made disparaging comments about the city of Liverpool.News UK is understood to be in talks about exit terms with MacKenzie, a long
  
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• The Latest: Israel leader cheers Macron anti-racism stance - Daily Mail

  08-05-2017 20:50 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Daily Mail
  The Latest: Israel leader cheers Macron anti-racism stance
  Daily Mail
  Israel's president has sent a letter to French President-elect Emmanuel Macron thanking him for his "strong stance" against racism. French President-elect Emmanuel Macron, left, and outgoing President Francois Hollande, attend. +16. French President ...
  Election defeat is not the end of Front NationalSky News
  Emmanuel Macron says 'integrity and unity of the EU will never be compromised'The Independent
  Victorious Em
  
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• Shifting sands: Vanished Irish beach makes comeback 30 years on - BBC News

  08-05-2017 20:47 via bbc.co.uk
  
  BBC News
  Shifting sands: Vanished Irish beach makes comeback 30 years on
  BBC News
  A County Mayo beach that disappeared more than 30 years ago has made a miraculous comeback. Dooagh beach on Achill Island in the west of Ireland, was washed away in 1984 after storms hit the area. But in April, hundreds of thousands of tonnes of sand ...
  Locals rejoice as Irish beach re-appears after disappearing 30 years agoThe Independent
  Irish beach washed away 33 years ago reappears overnight after freak
  
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• Police warn public after men posing as officers try to get female driver into stolen car

  08-05-2017 20:47
  West Midlands Police have warned the public to be aware of two men posing as officers who tried to get a woman into their car.The pair, driving a stolen National Crime Agency silver BMW 1 fitted with blue lights, flagged down a female motorist and asked her to get inside their vehicle.Detective Chief Inspector Craig Underwood, from Solihull Police, said: "A police officer will always show their warrant card as proof of their identity.
  
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• The Latest: Slain doctor texted pal: 'Gunman in the house' - Daily Mail

  08-05-2017 20:45 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Daily Mail
  The Latest: Slain doctor texted pal: 'Gunman in the house'
  Daily Mail
  Prosecutors say one of two doctors found dead in their penthouse condominium in Boston had texted a friend that there was "a gunman in the house." A Boston police vehicle patrols, Monday, May 8, 2017, near the scene of a double murder in the penthouse ...
  Man arrested in killing of engaged Boston doctorsBBC News
  Victims identified in South Boston double slayingThe Boston Globe
  Two Murdered South Boston Doctors
  
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• Obama warned Trump about Flynn, former officials say - Daily Mail

  08-05-2017 20:34 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Daily Mail
  Obama warned Trump about Flynn, former officials say
  Daily Mail
  President Barack Obama warned Donald Trump against hiring Michael Flynn as national security adviser during an Oval Office meeting after the 2016 election, according to three former Obama administration officials. Obama 'was not a fan of Michael Flynn ...
  Obama warned Trump against hiring Michael FlynnThe Guardian
  Obama warned Trump about hiring Michael FlynnBBC News
  Yates says she warned White House Flynn could be 'blac
  
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• Bayer to sell Liberty crop protection brands to get Monsanto deal passed

  08-05-2017 20:28
  
  Bayer has agreed to sell its Liberty herbicide and LibertyLink-branded seeds businesses to win antitrust approval for its acquisition of Monsanto, it said on Monday.The divestment of the two global brands, a requirement imposed by South Africa's Competition Commission on Sunday, will account for the bulk of asset sales worth about $2.5 billion (1.93 billion pounds) which need to be made to satisfy competition regulators looking at the $66 million Monsanto deal, sources close to the matter have s
  
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• Eating cheese does not raise risk of heart attack or stroke, study finds

  08-05-2017 20:20
  
  The study concluded that dairy products had a neutral impact on human health.Consuming cheese, milk and yoghurt – even full-fat versions – does not increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke, according to research that challenges the widely held belief that dairy products can damage health.The findings, from an international team of experts, contradict the view that dairy products can be harmful because of their high saturated fat content.
  
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• The need to find a fairer system of taxing and spending in the UK | Letters

  08-05-2017 20:19
  
  It did not take long in the current election campaign for the Conservatives to trot out the old myth of Labour being the party of high taxation while the Tories are “tax cutters by instinct” (Tories redeploy the ‘bombshell’ against Labour tax plans, 4 May).It may be true to say the Tories favour unfair cuts in direct taxation, but this certainly cannot be said of their less progressive and equitable “instinct” of increasing indirect taxation.Let’s not fo
  
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• Man charged after dog attack on girl in Toxteth, Liverpool

  08-05-2017 20:19
  A 35-year-old man has been charged over a dog attack in Liverpool that left a two-year-old girl with serious injuries.A Merseyside Police spokesman said Andrew McGowan, who lives on the same street, had been charged with having four dogs dangerously out of control.The girl's aunt was also left with minor injuries after Sunday's attack.
  
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• Mental health needs resources, not tinkering with the law | Letters

  08-05-2017 20:14
  
  The theme of this Mental Health Awareness Week (8–14 May), hosted by the Mental Health Foundation, is “Surviving or Thriving”.Rather than asking why so many people are living with mental health problems (Report, 8 May), we need to uncover why too few of us are thriving with good mental health.It is crucial to remember that three children in every classroom will experience mental health problems by the time they are 16, and half of adult mental health problems start before the a
  
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• Theresa May will not debate Jeremy Corbyn ahead of election after BBC says it will not 'embarrass' her - Telegraph.co.uk

  08-05-2017 20:08 via telegraph.co.uk
  
  Telegraph.co.uk
  Theresa May will not debate Jeremy Corbyn ahead of election after BBC says it will not 'embarrass' her
  Telegraph.co.uk
  Theresa May will answer questions from voters in a live question and answer programme on the BBC before the election after the broadcaster backed down to avoid “embarrassing” her. The national broadcaster said it would not "empty chair" Mrs May or any ...
  Labour won't lose this election because its policies are too left wingThe Independent
  Labou
  
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• Man charged over 'savage' dog attack on two-year-old girl in garden - Telegraph.co.uk

  08-05-2017 19:39 via telegraph.co.uk
  
  Telegraph.co.uk
  Man charged over 'savage' dog attack on two-year-old girl in garden
  Telegraph.co.uk
  A man has been charged over a dog attack which left a two-year-old girl with serious injuries to her head and body. The youngster was playing in the garden of the house in Cockburn Street, Toxteth, Liverpool, when she suffered a "savage" attack on ...
  Man charged after savage dog attack on two-year-old girlScottish Daily Record
  Man charged over Liverpool dog attack which left girl, 2, with seriou
  
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• Politicians must mind their Brexit language | Letters

  08-05-2017 19:37
  
  Jean-Claude Juncker spoke in French, rather than English, at the EU’s state of the union meeting in Italy.Like Jean-Claude Juncker I have recently been attending a conference in Italy, so I can directly rebut his claim that “English is losing its importance in Europe” (Report, 6 May).The representative from the European commission herself reported (in English) that every EU country now teaches English as a foreign language in schools.
  
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• Pregnant British woman killed in scooter crash in Thailand

  08-05-2017 19:34 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Sophie Emma Rose, from Blackpool, was on a scooter with the father of her unborn child.
  
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• Conservatives to retain 'tens of thousands' immigration pledge

  08-05-2017 19:34
  
  Theresa May addresses the Conservative party’s general election candidates from London and the south-east.Theresa May has confirmed that the Conservative pledge to cut net migration to the tens of thousands will be in her party’s manifesto, despite having missed the target after making the same promise in 2010 and 2015.“We do want to bring net migration down to sustainable levels.
  
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• A play to make Richard III turn in his grave | Letter

  08-05-2017 19:27
  
  The tomb of Richard III. Reader Carol Fellingham Webb expresses her discontent at plans to stage Shakespeare’s play at Leicester cathedral.“Dignity and honour” the authorities at Leicester Cathedral promised ad nauseam when they were allowed the privilege of burying King Richard III’s remains in 2015.Now, scant two years later, they promote a performance, only feet away from his tomb, of Shakespeare’s Richard III – the fiction that more than anything else has
  
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• Driver survives 50ft fall over cliff edge

  08-05-2017 19:14 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The elderly driver was trapped in his car but has since been freed and is receiving treatment.
  
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• Theresa May sticks with under 100,000 immigration pledge

  08-05-2017 19:05
  
  The Prime Minister has confirmed she will be sticking to her target to reduce net migration to under 100,000 - despite not hitting it for seven years.Speaking while out campaigning on Monday morning, Theresa May said net migration must be kept at a "sustainable level" and she believed that was the "tens of thousands".David Cameron first set the target when he was Prime Minister in 2010, however, he and and Mrs May, who was then home secretary, repeatedly failed to deliver on the promise.
  
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• Child, 6, dies after bouncy castle 'flies into the air' - ITV News

  08-05-2017 19:01 via itv.com
  
  ITV News
  Child, 6, dies after bouncy castle 'flies into the air'
  ITV News
  The incident took place at a restaurant in Caldes de Malavella. Credit: City of Caldes De Malavella. A six-year-old girl has died and six other children have been injured after an inflatable bouncy castle came free and flew into the air. The children ...
  Child dies as bouncy castle breaks loose in SpainBBC Newsall 20 news articles »
  
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• Stubbed out

  08-05-2017 18:54 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Public health officials say it could protect vulnerable children, but how would it work?
  
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• Barclays to help customers crackdown on cyberfraud

  08-05-2017 18:42
  High street bank Barclays is to give its customers more control over their debit cards in an effort to crackdown on fraud.The latest figures from the Office of National Statistics suggest that fraud and cyber offenses could now account for almost half of all recorded crime in the UK, at a cost of £11bn.The new debit card features will allow Barclays customers to instantly turn on and off their card's capacity to make online and remote purchases, as well as raise and lower their daily withd
  
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• Real estate, utilities help FTSE outperform European markets

  08-05-2017 18:33
  
  By Kit Rees and Helen ReidLONDON/PARIS (Reuters) - Britain's top share index edged higher on Monday, outpacing softer European markets following a widely expected win for centrist Emmanuel Macron in the French presidential election.The blue chip FTSE 100 index was down 0.1 percent at 7,291.17 points at the close, slightly outperforming the broader European benchmark.European equities initially opened higher after Macron, a former investment banker, defeated far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, but
  
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• Ofcom to investigate costs of 118 enquiry calls amid bill hikes

  08-05-2017 18:33
  Telecoms watchdog Ofcom has said it is planning a review of 118 enquiry numbers after the cost of calls to the directory lines spiralled over the last 15 years.The pricing system currently in place allows companies to charge a flat-rate connection fee - usually around £7, according to Ofcom - with several pounds per minute also added on throughout the call.There are a number of 118 numbers providing directory services, including offerings from Yell and BT.
  
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• Weather splits UK in two

  08-05-2017 18:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Why are parts of the country basking in sunshine while the rest of us dig out our winter coats?
  
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• Bruised pollsters hope to regain trust during general election campaign | Alan Travis

  08-05-2017 17:58
  
  The opinion pollsters have had a bruising time after failing to predict the result of the 2015 general election, last November’s US presidential election and the EU referendum.The polls were, for example, right to suggest that Hillary Clinton would win the popular vote but both the last general election and the unexpected Brexit vote last June led to some head scratching among the pollsters.After the 2015 debacle, when psephologists widely predicted a hung parliament instead of an outright
  
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• Google Street View used to discover 'lost' cycle ways

  08-05-2017 17:56 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A historian uses the Google Maps feature to locate miles of forgotten cycle ways up and down the UK.
  
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• Ched Evans: Sheffield United confirm striker signing on three-year deal - Daily Star

  08-05-2017 17:54 via dailystar.co.uk
  
  Daily Star
  Ched Evans: Sheffield United confirm striker signing on three-year deal
  Daily Star
  The Blades agreed to bring the forward back to Bramall Lane for an undisclosed fee from Chesterfield. Evans said: "I am delighted to be back. I still feel I have plenty to prove in football both at club and international level and I believe I can ...
  Ched Evans re-signs for Sheffield UnitedEurosport.co.uk
  The Blades have agreed an undisclosed fee with Chesterfield for Ched Evans to officially return to
  
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• Ched Evans returns to Sheffield United

  08-05-2017 17:52
  Ched Evans has signed for Sheffield United, nearly five years after he was released by the club following a rape conviction.The former Wales international's conviction was later quashed and at a retrial last year he was found not guilty.The striker joins the Blades from Chesterfield, where he scored seven times in 29 appearances.
  
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• Irish beach reappears 33 years after vanishing into Atlantic Ocean

  08-05-2017 17:34
  
  A beach that was swept away more than 30 years ago from a remote island off the west coast of Ireland has reappeared after thousands of tons of sand were deposited on top of the rocky coastline.The 300 metre beach near the tiny village of Dooagh on Achill Island vanished in 1984 when storms stripped it of its sand, leaving nothing more than a series of rock pools."It's enormously significant," Sean Molloy of Achill's tourism office told the Irish Times newspaper, recalling how the popular beach
  
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• Ukip and Labour are at odds over the issue of immigration

  08-05-2017 17:04
  
  Ukip launched its immigration plans, but Labour is not convinced.
  
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• Domestic abuse victim who took selfies of injuries

  08-05-2017 17:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A woman who was hospitalised by her ex-boyfriend tells BBC Radio 5 live she shared selfies to help victims of domestic abuse.
  
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• Iraqi man admits beating fellow immigration detainee to death

  08-05-2017 16:52
  A mentally ill Iraqi man has admitted manslaughter after beating to death a fellow detainee at an immigration facility.Zana Yusif, 32, killed 64-year-old Bangladeshi Tarek Chowdhury in a cell at Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre on 1 December.Yusif, who speaks Kurdish and used a translator in court, denied murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility at the Old Bailey.
  
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• Conservatives open up record lead - ICM poll

  08-05-2017 16:24
  
  British Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative Party has opened up the biggest lead on record for polls conducted by research firm ICM, suggesting it remains on course for a sweeping win in a national election in a month's time.An ICM poll published on Monday, which was conducted immediately after the Conservatives scored big wins in local elections last week, gave May's party a 22-point lead over the opposition Labour Party ahead of the June 8 national election.
  
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• Pesticide-resistant flies 'rubbish at courting' - study

  08-05-2017 16:21
  A single genetic change which enables male fruit flies to resist insecticides also leaves them struggling to procreate, scientists have observed.Researchers from the University of Exeter also found male flies with the genetic difference to be smaller, less aggressive than normal and "rubbish" at courting females.Furthermore, DDT-resistant males were also found to "decamp" more often, the technical term for giving up midway through a mating attempt.
  
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• The River Colne in Hertfordshire

  08-05-2017 16:15
  
  Low rainfall has left the Rover Colne in Hertfordshire among those that have already dried up
  
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