General news

• Cannes 2017 day 11: Eva Green and Joaquin Phoenix on the red carpet – in pictures

  27-05-2017 23:58 via theguardian.com
  
  Cannes is nearly at an end: it’s the last two big premieres, Based on a True Story, directed by Roman Polanski, and Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Really Here Continue reading...
  
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• Case of Venetian masterpiece looted by Nazis closed 80 years on

  27-05-2017 23:52 via theguardian.com
  
  Stolen Michele Marieschi painting bought in good faith by British man 60 years ago expected to fetch more than £500,000An 18th-century Italian masterpiece is to be auctioned by Sotheby’s in London almost 80 years after it was looted by the Nazis. The magnificent Venetian view, painted by Michele Marieschi in 1739, belonged to a Viennese Jewish family who fled Austria in 1938 following Nazi Germany’s annexation of the country.Heinrich and Anna Maria Graf escaped to America with
  
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• Fighters who can’t travel to Syria pose growing threat

  27-05-2017 23:45
  
  In late August 2014, the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) raised the terror threat level to “severe” – meaning that, according to its independent assessment, the expectation was that a terrorist attack was highly likely.Responding to an increasingly menacing threat picture in Europe linked to the conflict in Syria and Iraq, that level stayed at severe until the attacks in Manchester, which caused JTAC to redo its calculations and raise it to critical – meaning an at
  
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• May's lead narrows after Manchester attack placing landslide win in doubt

  27-05-2017 23:38
  
  By Guy Faulconbridge and Michael HoldenLONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May's lead over the opposition Labour Party has narrowed sharply, according to five opinion polls published since the Manchester attack, suggesting she might not win the landslide predicted just a month ago.Four opinion polls published on Saturday showed that May's lead had contracted by a range of 2 to 6 percentage points,indicating the June 8 election could be much tighter than initially thought when she c
  
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• CCTV images show Manchester bomber Salman Abedi on night of attack

  27-05-2017 23:34
  
  Police have released CCTV images of the Manchester bomber on the night he carried out his attack.Salman Abedi is seen wearing jeans, trainers, a dark jacket, baseball cap and glasses in the final moments before he went on to slaughter 22 concert-goers on Monday.A rucksack can be seen on his back, which detectives believe could have held the explosives that tore through crowds as they were leaving the Manchester Arena.
  
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• Labour MP calls for probe into Tory use of voter data

  27-05-2017 23:31
  
  The Information Commissioner’s Office must “urgently investigate” the Conservative party for possible “illegal use of data”, according to Labour’s Stephen Kinnock, after it repeatedly refused to answer a series of questions over its use of personal data.Under the 1998 Data Protection Act, it is illegal to process “sensitive” data – a category that includes “political opinions” – without explicit consent from the individuals
  
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• Manchester: 'A group is brainwashing everyone'

  27-05-2017 23:30
  
  Rapper Geko, who knew Manchester bomber Salman Abedi, has said there is a group in Manchester that is "brainwashing" young Muslims.
  
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• Underdog status can be huge inspiration for Andy Murray at the French Open

  27-05-2017 23:29 via theguardian.com
  
  Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are seen as favourites for the men’s title at Roland Garros but world No1 is not worried about people talking down his chancesAndy Murray finds himself in the peculiar position of being the highest-ranked player yet considered behind Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka in discussions about the French Open, which starts on Sunday.Nadal, correctly, is an odds-on favourite to win a record 10th title here, although he probably will have a semi-final a
  
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• Pupils at London school asked to clean their classroom as cuts bite

  27-05-2017 23:28
  
  Education funding will fall in real terms by £3bn by 2020.A cash-strapped primary school is asking pupils to vacuum classrooms at the end of the day because it cannot afford to replace the cleaner, while the headteacher’s husband is doing the plumbing for free.In a stark example of how the government’s funding cuts are hitting schools across the country, Furzedown primary school, in the London borough of Wandsworth, has been forced to make cutbacks to try to balance the books.
  
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• Gregg Allman, celebrated southern rock pioneer, dies aged 69

  27-05-2017 23:13 via theguardian.com
  
  Co-founder of the Allman Brothers Band died at home in Savannah, GeorgiaAllman left and rejoined group, started with brother Duane, many timesGregg Allman, the organist and singer for the Allman Brothers Band, which helped spawn the genre of southern rock, has died. He was 69. Related: Gregg Allman: ‘I learned to play mostly from black people’Continue reading...
  
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• Watch: SUV smashes into a home in the US

  27-05-2017 23:12
  
  The driver told police she blacked out prior to the crash.
  
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• ‘Manchester has a sense of identity that you don’t find elsewhere. It’s a city that takes you in’

  27-05-2017 23:10
  
  Vic Gilmore paused to wipe away a tear from underneath his sunglasses before bending down at the edge of a widening sea of floral tributes in Manchester city centre to place a laminated yellow card that read: “Madchester.In a community still reeling from the sudden and violent loss of 22 lives on Monday night, the gesture was just one among the thousands of personal memorials – often with the hint of a certain defiance – by the citizens of this most creative of British cities.T
  
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• Manchester bomber was radicalised in the city, rapper claims

  27-05-2017 23:06
  
  A childhood friend of the Manchester bomber has told Sky News that he believes Salman Abedi was radicalised in Manchester and had help in carrying out the attack.Geko - a renowned rapper - grew up with Abedi and described him as a "normal", "smiling" teenager, but the two men had not seen each other for the last two years.In an exclusive interview Geko, whose music videos have been viewed millions of times, said he knew that Abedi had become much more religious but thought that he was a true Mus
  
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• We need deal with the EU to combat terror, experts tell Theresa May

  27-05-2017 23:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Chair of Commons intelligence committee and leading security figures warn that Brexit threatens to deprive UK police of access to key European databasesThe UK’s full participation in European Union security and intelligence co-operation will be critical to the fight against terrorism after Brexit, leading British security experts have said, as Theresa May announced wide-ranging new plans to counter extremism.The growing demands for the prime minister to face down anti-EU forces in the Tory
  
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• Police issue photo of Manchester attacker, believe bomb made in city apartment

  27-05-2017 22:51
  
  British police on Saturday released a photograph of Salman Abedi on the night he killed 22 people in a suicide bomb attack in Manchester and said they believed an apartment in the city centre was where he put together his device."We know one of the last places Abedi went was the city centre flat and from there he left to make his way to the Manchester Arena," Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Ian Hopkins and Neil Basu, Senior National Coordinator UK Counter Terrorism Policing said in a j
  
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• Police release CCTV pictures of Manchester bomber

  27-05-2017 22:45
  
  Greater Manchester police handout of of Salman Abedi taken from CCTV footage of the night he carried out the Manchester Arena attack.Pictures of the Manchester bomber on his way to the arena where he carried out Britain’s worst terrorist attack in 12 years have been released by police.
  
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• Major events go ahead across UK amid heightened security measures

  27-05-2017 22:39
  Sporting events and concerts have taken place across the UK amid heightened security following the suicide bomb attack in Manchester.The Duke of Cambridge laid a wreath in tribute to the victims of the Manchester Arena attack on the pitch before the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.More than 1,000 armed police officers were on standby in the capital as the FA Cup Final and the Aviva Premiership Rugby Final at Twickenham went ahead.
  
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• Egypt hits Libyan terror camps again after attack kills 29 Copts

  27-05-2017 22:26 via theguardian.com
  
  Fresh wave of airstrikes ordered in retaliation for killing of Coptic Christians south of CairoEgypt launched a fresh wave of air strikes against Libyan terrorist bases on Saturday in response to the killing of 29 Coptic Christians south of Cairo, with a warning of further retaliation possible.The airstrikes follow six bombing raids in Libya that hit the north-eastern coastal town of Derna on Friday, with Cairo officials saying bombs struck terrorist training camps of the Shura Council, aligned
  
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• May's lead halves to six percent points - ORB poll

  27-05-2017 22:24
  LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May's lead over the opposition Labour Party has narrowed to 6 percentage points from 12 points a week ago, according to an ORB poll published on Saturday. Ahead of the June 8 election, ORB put May's Conservatives on 44 percent and Labour on 38 percent. The Liberal Democrats were on 7 percent and the UK Independence Party on 4 percent. The poll was carried out on May 24-25 after the Manchester attack. For a story on the latest polls: (Reporting by
  
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• Eoin Morgan describes England’s win over South Africa as ‘unbelievable’

  27-05-2017 21:46 via theguardian.com
  
  • ‘Maybe we bluffed them,’ says England captain after two-run victory
  • Hosts monitoring fitness of Ben Stokes, who hit a century at the Ageas Bowl“Unbelievable,” said Eoin Morgan and he does not usually do hyperbole. Teams seldom win when the opposition needs 10 runs from 10 balls with five wickets in hand but that is what his England side managed.“We decided we needed wickets [before the final over from Mark Wood] and to make them hit the ball in the air
  
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• Doctor Who recap: series 36, episode seven – The Pyramid at the End of the World

  27-05-2017 21:30 via theguardian.com
  
  The Doctor becomes the new President of Earth and leads a counter-terror operation against the invasion of the evil Monks. And in a dark week, this show visited far darker places than we are used to Writing from the great city of Manchester, our hearts broken but never our spirits, I did wonder whether an episode centred around a counter-terror operation might not be postponed. If Doctor Who went out on a Tuesday, I suspect it probably would have been. It’s testament to what politicians ca
  
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• British jihadis: who are the first generation of violent extremists? | Jason Burke

  27-05-2017 21:24
  
  Amid the bile, the hate and the prejudice, western Islamic militants fighting in Syria occasionally reveal a less brutal side.A Belgian jihadi, a baker, perhaps unsurprisingly confessed to missing good bread.
  
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• We want to be best team in Europe, says Exeter chairman Tony Rowe

  27-05-2017 21:18 via theguardian.com
  
  • Club clinched Premiership trophy with defeat of Wasps• ‘This success confirms where we are,’ says RoweExeter lifted the Premiership trophy seven years after winning promotion to the top flight and immediately turned their gaze to Europe. Gareth Steenson’s boot took the Chiefs to victory over Bristol in the 2010 Championship play-off final and the club’s long-serving outside-half, who lost his place in the side to Henry Slade at the start of the season, levelle
  
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• Malta accuses Russia of cyber-attacks in run-up to election

  27-05-2017 21:16 via theguardian.com
  
  IT systems ‘hit’ after prime minister took on central European roleThe embattled Maltese government has claimed that it has come under attack from a Russian-backed campaign to undermine it, amid worsening relations with the Kremlin.Malta assumed the presidency of Europe’s Council of Ministers in January, an important position under which it chairs high-level meetings in Brussels and sets Europe’s political agenda. Since then, the Maltese government’s IT systems have
  
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• Uruguay, the first country where you can smoke marijuana wherever you like

  27-05-2017 20:50 via theguardian.com
  
  A new law makes the South American country the first in the world to sell the drug over the counterAlicia Castilla was watering the plants in her garden on a quiet Sunday afternoon when five police patrol cars screeched to a halt outside her home. A team of 14 officers “armed to the teeth” stormed through her gate and arrested the mild-mannered, 66-year-old intellectual. They seized everything they could find: computers, her mobile phone, books, even an orange squeezer.They also impo
  
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• Mark Wood’s stunning final over secures England ODI win over South Africa

  27-05-2017 20:35 via theguardian.com
  
  • England 330-6; South Africa 328-5. England win by two runs
  • Wood inflicts damage with the ball, capitalising on Ben Stokes’ 101A brilliant, modern one-day contest ended with a stunning England victory by two runs. Just seven were required from the last over and David Miller and Chris Morris had already added a quickfire 55. A successful pursuit of 331 was the obvious outcome. But it never happenedMark Wood had the dubious honour and he bowled a final over of rare hostility and
  
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• Aaron Ramsey fires Arsenal to FA Cup final win over 10-man Chelsea

  27-05-2017 20:33 via theguardian.com
  
  Amid all the euphoria for Arsenal, there are bound to be people who wonder if these might also have been the ideal circumstances for Arsène Wenger to announce he was stepping aside and assure himself of a happy ending. His team had won, thrillingly, against the champions of England, making Wenger the most successful manager in the history of this competition. It was his seventh victory and, whatever his faults, a man with that record of achievement surely warrants the opportunity to go ou
  
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• May's lead narrows after Manchester attack - new polls show

  27-05-2017 20:16
  
  By Guy Faulconbridge and Michael HoldenLONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May's lead over the opposition Labour Party has narrowed ahead of a June 8 election but she is still on course to win comfortably, according to two opinion polls carried out since the Manchester suicide attack.The Opinium and ComRes polls published on Saturday showed the lead of May's ruling Conservative Party had slipped to 10 and 12 percentage points respectively.Sterling on Friday suffered its steepest fa
  
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• BA CEO Cruz says power supply issue caused global IT failure

  27-05-2017 20:04
  British Airwayssaid a power supply issue was to blame for a global computer system failure which sowed confusion and chaos at London's two biggest airports, with thousands of passengers queuing for hours and planes left stuck on runways."We believe the root cause was a power supply issue and we have no evidence of any cyber attack," Alex Cruz, Chairman and CEO of British Airways, said in a video message on Twitter.
  
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• ‘Progress is painfully uneven’: Baltimore, 15 years after The Wire

  27-05-2017 20:00 via theguardian.com
  
  From its first episode in 2002, the HBO TV drama documented the poverty, politics and policing of a city. We visit its memorable locations and talk to the people trying to rebuild scarred communities• See more of JM Giordano’s photographs of Baltimore locations used in The Wire here
  In black jacket, checked shirt and white trainers, eight-year-old D’Angelo Preston is riding his bike while his sister, Alicia, 11, gives chase. They are playing outside the Baltimore Montessori publ
  
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• Huntington’s disease: the pope steps in to help raise awareness

  27-05-2017 20:00 via theguardian.com
  
  A papal audience for families affected by the inherited brain disease could end centuries of stigma – and open vital doors in the search for a cureIt was with the pomp and intrigue of a Dan Brown novel that earlier this month Pope Francis made his way into the Aula Paolo VI audience hall, a room the size of an aeroplane hangar in Vatican City. Flanked by the flamboyant Swiss Guard and dark-suited men muttering into earpieces, he headed for an oversized chair on a stage in front of nearly 2
  
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• Baltimore, 15 years after The Wire – in pictures

  27-05-2017 20:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Photographer JM Giordano revisits the Baltimore locations so familiar to fans of the revered TV series• ‘Progress is painfully uneven’: life in The Wire’s Baltimore Continue reading...
  
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• Trump's tour highlights: orbs, swords and strange handshakes – in pictures

  27-05-2017 19:41 via theguardian.com
  
  The president jetted back to the US on Saturday after a whirlwind tour of the Middle East and Europe. We look back at some of the most memorable images from Trump’s week away from the White House Continue reading...
  
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• 'Devastated' flyer angered by 'cagey' BA staff

  27-05-2017 19:20
  
  Claire Dancer, who was hoping to fly to Corfu, has told Sky News she is "devastated" by the disruption she has experienced at Heathrow Airport - and described the chaos caused by long queues and a lack of communication from BA staff.
  
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• Passengers reveal airport 'pandemonium' after BA IT system crashes

  27-05-2017 19:16
  Passengers have been revealing their nightmare experiences after being caught up in the flight disruption following the British Airways "global system outage".The airline announced that it hadcancelled all flights for the rest of Saturdayafter passengers spent hours waiting to see if their flight would take off.One passenger, Claire Dancer, from Swindon, who was waiting for a flight from Heathrow to Corfu, said she was infuriated by a lack of information.
  
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• Wasps 20-23 Exeter: how the players in the Premiership final rated - The Guardian

  27-05-2017 19:15 via theguardian.com
  
  The Guardian
  Wasps 20-23 Exeter: how the players in the Premiership final rated
  The Guardian
  Willie Le Roux, full-back, 7/10 Had shown signs of nerves recently but took his first high ball comfortably and did well to stop Woodburn in full flow. The most accomplished of Wasps' back three on the day. Christian Wade, wing, 6/10 Barely got his ...
  Exeter Chiefs score dramatic extra-time penalty to beat Wasps and become Premiership championsThe Independent
  Rugby-Exeter champions after extra-time win
  
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• May's lead falls to 12 percent points from 18 - ComRes poll

  27-05-2017 19:13
  
  British Prime Minister Theresa May's lead over the opposition Labour Party has narrowed by 6 percentage points ahead of the June 8 election, according to a ComRes poll.The poll for the Sunday Mirror and the Independent newspaper, carried out between May 24-26, showed the lead of May's Conservatives had fallen to 12 percentage points from 18 percentage points in a comparable poll on May 13.ComRes, which interviewed 2,024 voters online, said the Conservatives were down 2 points on 46 percent while
  
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• Katarina Johnson-Thompson soars to lead prestigious Götzis Hypomeeting

  27-05-2017 19:12 via theguardian.com
  
  • Heptathlete records her best one-day performance with 4,059 points
  • Olympic champion Nafissatou Thiam sits three points behind in secondKatarina Johnson-Thompson is not yet confident of speaking more than a word or two of French in public but the other lessons she has learned since her move to Montpellier last December are already paying dividends. After four events of the prestigious Hypomeeting, Johnson-Thompson leads a stellar field of heptathletes with 4,059 points, her best eve
  
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• Watch Jeremy Corbyn play football as he vows to make the sport 'for the many, not the few'

  27-05-2017 19:10
  
  The Labour leader joined a group of children for a training session on Hackney Marshes.
  
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• Wasps 20-23 Exeter: Five talking points from the Premiership final | Robert Kitson

  27-05-2017 19:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The most gripping Premiership final proved a more accurate reflection of English rugby than any Twickenham internationalThe Premiership has known some staggering finales but never such a roller-coaster of emotions. Chiefs looked to have taken control when they led 14-3 after just 28 minutes; for Wasps to respond with 17 unanswered points was remarkable. Exeter’s storming response, with Wasps’ having to repel a 34-phase attack at a crucial juncture of the second half, also summed up b
  
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• Cannes 2017 – the best of week two

  27-05-2017 19:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Festival spirits were boosted by an outrageous horror starring Nicole Kidman, a brilliant art world satire, and a brutal contender for the Palme d’OrNo visit to Cannes is complete without a trip to the market at the back of the Palais. Hidden from view, like a demented old aunt, sits the realm of zombie rabbits and “erotical thrillers”, a teeming tide pool of B-movie cinema. Except that this year I’ve left the visit too late. When I wander down, early evening on the secon
  
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• British Airways cancels all flights from Gatwick and Heathrow due to IT failure - The Guardian

  27-05-2017 18:58 via theguardian.com
  
  The Guardian
  British Airways cancels all flights from Gatwick and Heathrow due to IT failure
  The Guardian
  British Airways has cancelled all flights from Heathrow and Gatwick on Saturday due to a major IT failure that is causing very severe disruption to its global operations. The airline said that its terminals at Heathrow and Gatwick had become “extremely ...
  BA passengers 'trying not to cry' over cancelled flightsBBC News
  British Airways chaos should force us to re-evaluate our fai
  
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• Arsenal v Chelsea: 2017 FA Cup final – live! - The Guardian

  27-05-2017 18:51 via theguardian.com
  
  The Guardian
  Arsenal v Chelsea: 2017 FA Cup final – live!
  The Guardian
  Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez, second right, celebrates with his team-mates after opening the scoring. Photograph: Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA. Share on Facebook · Share on Twitter · Share via Email; View more sharing options; Share on LinkedIn · Share on ...
  Prince William lays a wreath to Manchester victims amid unprecedented FA Cup final securityTelegraph.co.uk
  Arsenal vs Chelsea, 2017 FA Cup final
  
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• Thunderstorms in UK may dampen bank holiday weekend

  27-05-2017 18:37
  
  The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for much of England.Torrential rain and thunderstorms could wreak havoc with bank holiday travel when a week of warm weather finally gives way to a cooler spell, the Met Office has said.An unsettled weather front moving through the United Kingdom from south-west England and Wales will bring torrential, thundery downpours across the country.
  
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• Star Wars actor John Boyega caught up in Old Vic bomb threat - BBC News

  27-05-2017 18:37 via bbc.co.uk
  
  BBC News
  Star Wars actor John Boyega caught up in Old Vic bomb threat
  BBC News
  Star Wars actor John Boyega was among hundreds of people forced to evacuate the Old Vic theatre in central London due to a bomb threat. The venue near Waterloo was evacuated along with nearby pubs and restaurants after the security alert was raised.
  London threat Old Vic evacuated mid performance due to 'bomb scare'Daily Star
  Old Vic 'bomb scare': Star Wars actor John Boyega 'was on stage' when theatre evacuatedExpre
  
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• Trump fails to commit to Paris climate agreement as he concludes first overseas trip - Washington Post

  27-05-2017 18:35 via washingtonpost.com
  
  Washington Post
  Trump fails to commit to Paris climate agreement as he concludes first overseas trip
  Washington Post
  TAORMINA, Italy — President Trump failed to commit to remaining within the Paris climate agreement during a two-day meeting with world leaders that ended here Saturday, but tweeted that he was still considering it and would announce a final decision ...
  Trump maps new course with allies and autocrats in first foreign tripLos Angeles Times
  G7 talks: Trump isolated over Paris
  
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• Me and my penis: 100 men reveal all

  27-05-2017 18:32 via theguardian.com
  
  From the sex addict to the vicar, men open up about their manhood - every penis tells a story
  • Warning: adult contentEvery one of Laura Dodsworth’s penises is unique: introvert and extrovert, straight and bendy, wobblers and bobblers, growers and showers. There are contented penises that have led full lives, and disappointed penises that have let down their owners – or been let down by their owners.In Dodsworth’s new book Manhood, every penis tells a story. There is the t
  
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• May's lead narrows to 10 percent points - Opinium poll

  27-05-2017 18:21
  
  British Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative Party's lead over the opposition Labour Party has narrowed to 10 percentage points, according to an Opinium poll for the Observer newspaper on Saturday.Opinium said May's lead had slipped from 13 percentage points on May 16 and 19 percentage points at the start of the campaign.The Conservatives were on 45 percent, down one percentage point since Opinium's last survey, and Labour were on 35 percent.
  
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• BA cancels all flights from Heathrow and Gatwick due to global outage

  27-05-2017 17:56
  
  British Airways has cancelled all flights from London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports for the rest of the day due to a "global system outage".Passengers have been facing delays and long waits for what the airline called a "major IT system failure that is causing very severe disruption to our flight operations worldwide".It said the terminals at London's Heathrow and Gatwick had become "extremely congested" and urged travellers not to go to the airports.
  
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• Scenes of chaos at Heathrow and Gatwick as British Airways cancels flights due to computer problems

  27-05-2017 17:55
  
  Passengers have been told not to travel to the London airports due to “extreme congestion”.
  
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