General news

• He's out, and he's inIreland looks set for a young, gay prime minister - The Economist

  02-06-2017 23:55 via economist.com
  The Economist
  He's out, and he's inIreland looks set for a young, gay prime minister
  The Economist
  ASKED what qualities they seek in a politician, many people may mention honesty, transparency and reliability. Leo Varadkar, Ireland's minister for social protection, scores high on the first two. On the third characteristic, there is somewhat more ...
  Latest: Majority of local public representatives vote for Leo Varadkar in Fine Gael leadership electionIrish Examiner
  Leo Varadkar Set to Become Ir
  
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• Ex-wife of former Liberian president charged with torture

  02-06-2017 23:24
  
  Agnes Reeves Taylor, the ex-wife of former Liberian president Charles Taylor, has been charged with four torture offences allegedly committed in the west African country, Scotland Yard said.Agnes Taylor, 51, was arrested by the Met police’s war crimes team on Thursday and was accused on Friday of committing the offences between 1989 and 1991.Gbarnga served as the headquarters of Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front during the first Liberian civil war.
  
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• Question Time: Corbyn and May face tough grilling - BBC News

  02-06-2017 23:20 via bbc.co.uk
  
  BBC News
  Question Time: Corbyn and May face tough grilling
  BBC News
  Labour's Jeremy Corbyn and Tory leader Theresa May had a tough interrogation from Question Time audience members in an election special. Mrs May faced nurses angry over a pay freeze and a woman who had suffered ill treatment in a work assessment.
  BBC Election Debate: Corbyn mauled over Sturgeon influenceDaily Mail
  Question Time leaders special Live: Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May get grilled in final election showdownMirror.co.u
  
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• Torture charge for ex-wife of former Liberian president Taylor

  02-06-2017 23:19
  An ex-wife of former Liberian president Charles Taylor was charged by British police on Friday with four torture offences committed between 1989 and 1991 during the west African nation's civil war.Agnes Reeves Taylor, 51, was arrested in east London on Thursday and police searched two properties.The Metropolitan Police said she was charged with agreeing to conduct that amounts to the commission of torture.
  
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• May says to consult business at every step of Brexit - FT

  02-06-2017 23:03
  British Prime Minister Theresa May said she would consult businesses at every step of the Brexit negotiation including on a new migration strategy, the Financial Times reported.May told the FT that if she won the election she would negotiate an implementation phase to allow companies to adapt to Brexit, adding: "Some people talk about two or three years."May rejected suggestions that she was pursuing a statist approach to the economy, but said that she wanted to guarantee that promises made in t
  
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• Music festival in Germany evacuated after terror threat - STV News

  02-06-2017 22:46 via stv.tv
  
  STV News
  Music festival in Germany evacuated after terror threat
  STV News
  Authorities in Germany have evacuated a popular music festival due to information relating to a "possible terror threat". The Rock-am-Ring music festival in Koblenz was interrupted on its opening night after police said they received a "concrete threat".
  German rock festival evacuated because of terror threatCNN
  Rock am Ring festival in Germany evacuated over 'terrorist threat'The Guardian
  Terror Warning Shuts German Rock
  
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• Manchester bomb police seize 'significant' car in Rusholme

  02-06-2017 22:41
  Police investigating the Manchester suicide bombing have seized a car which is believed to be "significant" to the case.Greater Manchester Police said investigation work on a white Nissan Micra, found at Devell House in Rusholme, were continuing.A 100m cordon was put in place when the car was discovered near Banff Road, where suicide bomber Salman Abedi had visited in the days before the attack on Manchester Arena.
  
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• NHS workers to May: 'Don't tell us we're getting a pay rise'

  02-06-2017 22:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  NHS workers tell PM Theresa May their wage slips from 2009 reflect what they earn now.
  
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• This man's moustache won the BBC Question Time debate

  02-06-2017 22:13
  
  The UK public tuned into Question Time on Friday night to help aid their decision on who should be Britain’s next Prime Minister – and they came back with a rather left-field answer. Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn were scheduled to stand in front of a studio audience, although not at the same time, and […]
  
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• May confident Britain can get good Brexit deal, but prepared to walk away

  02-06-2017 22:06
  
  Prime Minister Theresa May said on Friday that she was confident that Britain could get a good deal in negotiations to leave the European Union, but would be prepared to walk away without an accord on departure terms if necessary.Now I'm confident we can get a good deal with the right plan for those negotiations, because I think a good deal is in our interests and in the interests of the rest of the EU," May said in a question and answer session with voters on the BBC."But we have to be prepared
  
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• Prince William in Manchester to support city

  02-06-2017 22:00
  
  Prince William has also been in Manchester meetingvolunteers and victims of last week's terror attack.
  
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• Who is Leo Varadkar, the man set to become Ireland's next Prime Minister?

  02-06-2017 21:32
  
  Leo Varadkar looks likely to become Ireland’s youngest ever leader.
  
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• Car taken away Manchester terror attack investigation sees Curry Mile area on lockdown and hundreds evacuated - Mirror.co.uk

  02-06-2017 21:00 via mirror.co.uk
  
  Mirror.co.uk
  Car taken away Manchester terror attack investigation sees Curry Mile area on lockdown and hundreds evacuated
  Mirror.co.uk
  A car has been taken away by detectives investigating last week's Manchester Arena terror attack in a dramatic swoop which saw hundreds of people evacuated from homes and businesses for several hours. A large area off the city's Curry Mile was cordened ...
  Salman Abedi's cousins speak out about shock over Manchester bomber's 'secret' radicalisationThe Inde
  
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• Washington softens stance on U.S. investors mingling with Putin and allies

  02-06-2017 20:45
  
  By Sujata Rao and Yeganeh TorbatiST PETERSBURG, Russia/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - For three years after Russia annexed Crimea, Washington officials quietly cautioned major U.S. firms about attending the annual St Petersburg forum, where investors mingle with President Vladimir Putin and his lieutenants.This year, the first forum since Donald Trump became U.S. president, such cautions were not issued, according to four people familiar with preparations for U.S. companies to attend.Washington's policy
  
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• Washington softens stance on US investors mingling with Putin and allies - Daily Mail

  02-06-2017 20:34 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Newsweek
  Washington softens stance on US investors mingling with Putin and allies
  Daily Mail
  ST PETERSBURG, Russia/WASHINGTON, June 2 (Reuters) - For three years after Russia annexed Crimea, Washington officials quietly cautioned major U.S. firms about attending the annual St Petersburg forum, where investors mingle with President ...
  Putin says Edward Snowden was wrong to leak US secretsThe Independent
  Megyn Kelly saw an aggressive, peeved Vladimir Putin. That behavior could hurt him.Wash
  
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• Prince William visits Manchester bombing heroes

  02-06-2017 20:18
  Prince William has described "Manchester's strength and togetherness" as "an example to the world" during a surprise visit to the city.The Duke of Cambridge personally wanted to go to Manchester, following the Queen's visit last week, to thank some of the police officers who were the first to arrive at the scene of the Manchester Arena attack.Talking to a group of officers inside the headquarters of Greater Manchester Police he said: "You guys did a fantastic job, but hopefully you've been talki
  
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• Protest after BBC says won't play 'liar liar' song ahead of UK vote

  02-06-2017 20:15
  By Jonathan CoffeyLONDON (Reuters) - Dozens of people protested outside the BBC's London headquarters on Friday against its decision not to broadcast a song storming the charts before next week's election that labels Prime Minister Theresa May a liar.Hitting out at the spending cuts of Britain's ruling Conservative Party, the song stitches together samples of May's speeches with a chorus of "She's a liar liar, no you can't trust her".May called the snap election in a bid to strengthen her hand i
  
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• Privatisation has so much to answer for | Letters

  02-06-2017 20:10
  
  Perhaps British Airways should be taken back into public ownership, suggests John Beer.As members of the Unison union’s water, environment and transport section, we are pleased to see our union’s longstanding policy of renationalisation of water, rail and energy addressed in Labour’s election manifesto.Consumers and water workers have paid the price of the industry being organised for private profit, with a massive 40% increase above inflation since privatisation under Margaret
  
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• Could a Labour near miss turn out to be the best result for the left? | Letters

  02-06-2017 20:10
  
  Dan Roberts correctly identifies the similarities between the campaigns of Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn (Ridiculed, reviled, resurgent … Is Corbyn’s campaign beginning to #feeltheBern?, G2, 31 May) but does not speculate on possible post-election parallels.Despite the surge of support and enthusiasm, the chances are that Labour is unlikely to prevent a Conservative majority.The real question is whether the result is close enough for Corbyn to not only remain as leader, but to pa
  
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• Theresa May should switch kitten heels for flip-flops | Letters

  02-06-2017 20:09
  
  Theresa May’s shoes at her Canary Wharf news conference. Time to change to flip-flops, wonders Terry Cabro. Photograph: POOL/Reuters
  
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• Explosives experts called over car 'linked to Manchester bomber'

  02-06-2017 19:55
  
  Police officers in Banff Road in the Rusholme area earlier this week as they continue their investigations into the Manchester Arena bomb attack.Police investigating the Manchester bombing called in explosives experts after discovering a car they believe may be “significant”, as sources confirmed that they were talking to prosecutors about whether criminal charges can be brought against suspects.The white Nissan Micra was found in Devell House in Rusholme, near a street that was sear
  
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• Can China Take the Lead on Climate Change? That Could Be Difficult - New York Times

  02-06-2017 19:33 via nytimes.com
  New York Times
  Can China Take the Lead on Climate Change? That Could Be Difficult
  New York Times
  Chinese President Xi Jinping with President Obama at a ceremony in Hangzhou, China, announcing the formal adoption of the Paris climate agreement in 2016. Credit Stephen Crowley/The New York Times. As the weeks before an autumn summit meeting in ...
  The Latest: Leaders pledge to boost climate effortsDaily Mail
  A Climate Scientist Explains the Worst That Can Happen After Paris WithdrawalNBCNews.
  
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• Formula One wants more than 21 races a year

  02-06-2017 19:16
  Speaking during an event at the Silverstone circuit to mark 40 years of the Williams team, Bratches told Reuters he was aiming for fewer back-to-back grands prix and a calendar drawn up along continental lines.The American executive also said France and Germany, historic motor racing nations whose dropped grands prix are returning next season, were two markets "we never want to leave"."We want to work in partnership with our teams in terms of determining where we go, but our view is that we&rsqu
  
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• May's lead down to 5 points, model estimates 60-seat majority

  02-06-2017 19:01
  
  By Guy Faulconbridge and Alistair SmoutLONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May's once formidable lead has been eroded though her Conservative Party could still be on course to win a majority of seats in parliament, an opinion poll and an electoral model showed on Friday.With less than a week before polling day on Thursday, May's Conservatives now lead the opposition Labour Party by just five percentage points, down from 15 just over two weeks ago, according to the survey from Ipsos
  
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• BA 'apologises profusely' to 75,000 customers

  02-06-2017 19:00
  
  British Airways' chief executive, Alex Cruz has told Sky News the IT problems that grounded flights are not due to cyber attacks.
  
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• Does the Tory attack ad take Corbyn's remarks out of context? | Robert Booth

  02-06-2017 18:57
  
  Jeremy Corbyn – misrepresented?A Conservative party advert attacking Jeremy Corbyn’s record features a string of claims about the Labour leader’s policy positions.A Guardian analysis shows several of the remarks attributed to Corbyn have been taken out of context – although others more accurately reflect his views.
  
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• Naked mole rats are being used to protect teens from 'sextortion'

  02-06-2017 18:42
  
  A charity has suggested sending pictures of the African rodents should anyone ask for explicit images online.
  
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• British Airways cabin crew to stage four-day strike

  02-06-2017 18:40
  British Airways cabin crew will strike for four days as part of a pay dispute.There have already been several days of industrial action over the pay of staff in the so-called mixed fleet, who joined the airline in recent years.It said: "We had reached a deal on pay, which Unite's national officers agreed was acceptable.
  
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• May could win 60 seat majority - Ashcroft model estimate

  02-06-2017 18:30
  
  British Prime Minister Theresa May could win a majority of 60 seats in the June 8 election, a model made by Michael Ashcroft estimated on Friday.While the model showed May's lead was narrowing, it estimated her Conservative party would still win 355 seats in the 650-seat parliament."This week’s estimates from the Ashcroft Model suggest a narrowing of the Conservative majority, though still a comfortable victory for Theresa May," said Michael Ashcroft, a businessman who has donated millions
  
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• Lib Dem stunt mocking spoof estate agency 'May & Co' backfires

  02-06-2017 18:26
  A Liberal Democrat election stunt has backfired after the party upset a near century-old business.As part of their campaign against Conservative social care plans - dubbed a "dementia tax" by opponents - the Liberal Democrats created a spoof "May & Co" estate agents.John Yianni, the owner of the London estate agent, revealed he was alerted to his firm's fake namesake when he began receiving "weird" phone calls and the company's Twitter account "started hotting up".
  
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• Hammond says would like to keep job after election

  02-06-2017 18:20
  Chancellor Philip Hammond said he would like to keep his current job if the Conservative Party remains in power after next week's election, declining to comment on reports that Prime Minister Theresa May plans to sack him.Earlier on Friday the Telegraph newspaper quoted unnamed government ministers saying May wanted to remove Hammond if she wins a large parliamentary majority on June 8.Asked if he would still like to be Chancellor after the election, Hammond replied: "Of course I would, that's a
  
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• Corbyn: Majority of one million 'decent jobs' would go to UK workers

  02-06-2017 18:01
  
  The "vast majority" of the one million "decent jobs" Labour has pledged to create would go to British workers, Jeremy Corbyn has suggested.The Labour leader used a speech in York to outline his industrial strategy, which he says will help "unleash the untapped potential of every part of the country" if his party wins the election.Mr Corbyn said he would give people "pride and purpose" and pledged to pump £250bn into industry if Labour takes power on 8 June.
  
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• Nicola Sturgeon signals SNP would support Labour government

  02-06-2017 17:36
  Nicola Sturgeon has signalled the SNP would be willing to support a minority Labour government in the event of a hung parliament.The SNP leader revealed her party would look to pursue a "progressive alternative" to Conservative administration if no party wins an overall majority on 8 June.An analysis by pollsters YouGov has even predicted the UK could be left with a hung parliament next week.
  
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• Tory attack ad misrepresents Corbyn views on IRA, says Labour

  02-06-2017 17:30
  
  Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn poses for a selfie in York during campaigning on Friday.Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
  
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• Prince William pays tribute to Manchester after attack

  02-06-2017 17:23
  
  Britain's Prince William met members of the emergency services and young victims of the Manchester bombing in hospital on Friday, praising the solidarity shown by the city in the aftermath of the attack.The bombing last Monday outside the Manchester Arena at the end of an Ariana Grande concert killed 22 and left over 100 injured, the deadliest attack by militants in Britain for 12 years.William commended the first responders for their "incredible efforts" in dealing with the aftermath of the att
  
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• Nigel Farage says Donald Trump is 'fully within his rights' to withdraw from Paris agreement

  02-06-2017 17:19
  
  The former Ukip leader said the US president had been elected on a promise to withdraw from the accord.
  
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• Philippine police seek casino attacker's identity

  02-06-2017 17:17
  
  Philippine police say the attacker was a tall, English-speaking white man with a mustache. They say he carried an assault rifle, and that he used gasoline to start a casino fire that caused clouds of smoke ...
  
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• Philippine police seek casino attacker's identity

  02-06-2017 17:17
  
  MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine police say the attacker was a tall, English-speaking white man with a mustache. They say he carried an assault rifle, and that he used gasoline to start a casino fire that caused clouds of smoke that left at least 36 people dead Friday morning in a sprawling entertainment complex in Manila.
  
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• Several killed as Afghan protesters, angry over truck bomb, clash with police - Reuters UK

  02-06-2017 17:05 via uk.reuters.com
  
  Reuters UK
  Several killed as Afghan protesters, angry over truck bomb, clash with police
  Reuters UK
  Afghans throw stones towards security forces, during a protest in Kabul, Afghanistan June 2, 2017. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani. 1/16. left. right. Afghan protesters set a fire during a protest in Kabul, Afghanistan June 2, 2017. REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail. 2/16.
  Four killed as Kabul protesters clash with police over truck bombChannel NewsAsia
  Afghan bomb protesters killed in Kabul clashesSky News
  Protester
  
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• Theresa May denies 'subservience' to Donald Trump over withdrawal from Paris climate deal

  02-06-2017 16:19
  
  Theresa May has denied she is subservient to Donald Trump amid claims she did not protest enough about the US leaving the Paris climate accord .The Prime Minister has been criticised by Jeremy Corbyn, who accused her of opting "for silence" and being responsible for a "dereliction of duty".Mr Trump sparked dismay and anger among world leaders by withdrawing from the agreement to cut greenhouse gases.
  
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• On Jeremy Corbyn's campaign trail – in pictures

  02-06-2017 16:06 via theguardian.com
  
  Photographer Sean Smith followed Jeremy Corbyn’s throughout the Labour general election campaign from the early days through to the huge Labour victory in Thursday’s general electionVeteran Guardian photojournalist Sean Smith is no stranger to general elections – he can recall photographing Michael Foot’s campaign in the early 1980s. But this is the first time the Labour candidate happens to be his local MP. Continue reading...
  
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• May told Trump to stay with Paris agreement

  02-06-2017 15:50
  
  Theresa May says she has told Donald Trump on at least two separate occasions the the UK wanted the US to remain committed to climate change accord.
  
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• Scottish government officials accused of 'cash for votes' cover-up

  02-06-2017 15:25
  
  Nicola Sturgeon has been urged to investigate after Scottish government officials were accused of covering up allegations of a “cash for votes” funding announcement in Glasgow.The Scottish Conservatives said internal emails proved that civil servants had admitted they had broken “purdah” rules when they announced an £8.35m regeneration grant for Glasgow only two days before the local elections.The Scottish National party housing minister Kevin Stewart had said the g
  
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• BA pressured into changing website wording after disruption claims tussle

  02-06-2017 15:22
  
  British Airways has said it will change the wording of instructions for passengers seeking compensation after a tussle with insurers over who would foot the bill.The airline was accused by the insurance industry of passing affected customers from "pillar to post" after it advised that "in the first instance" they should claim against their insurance policies.It comes as new claims emerge about the cause of a computer outage that saw hundreds of flights grounded over the Bank Holiday weekend affe
  
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• Jay Hunt, the force behind Bake Off's move to Channel 4, quits

  02-06-2017 15:20
  
  The Conservatives have pledged to relocate Channel 4 out of London.
  
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• Judge vows to ban domestic abusers from cross-examining victims in his court

  02-06-2017 15:09
  
  A high court judge has vowed to ban domestic abusers from cross-examining their victims in his court, following a trial that he called a “stain on the reputation” of the family justice system.The judge’s comments follow promises by the justice secretary, Liz Truss, to outlaw the cross-examining practice.Powers to grant and pay for legal representation, preventing abusers from tormenting their victims directly in court, have not yet, however, come into force.
  
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• Craig Mackinlay declares innocence over election spending charge

  02-06-2017 15:09
  Tory candidate Craig Mackinlay has insisted he's "done nothing wrong" after being charged over 2015 general election spending.Mackinlay, who is standing to be re-elected as South Thanet MP on 8 June, is one of three people to have been charged with offences under the Representation of the People Act 1983.It follows an investigation into allegations concerning the Conservative Party's spending at the last general election.
  
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• New poll shows May's lead down to 5 points as her campaign struggles

  02-06-2017 15:07
  
  By Michael HoldenLONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May's once formidable lead has been eroded to a slender advantage, an opinion poll indicated on Friday as her campaign was dealt a blow when one of her candidates was charged with electoral fraud.With less than a week before polling day on Thursday, May's Conservatives now lead the opposition Labour Party by just five percentage points, down from 15 just over two weeks ago, according to the survey from Ipsos MORI.The poll put the
  
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• Manchester bomb police find 'significant' car in Rusholme

  02-06-2017 15:02
  Police investigating the movements of Manchester bomber Salman Abedi have found a car they believe is "significant".Officers have set up a 100m cordon around the vehicle in Devell Court, not far from south Manchester's Banff Road - where police searched a house on Wednesday.It is understood that several roads have been cleared of people, including Banff Road, Oxney Road and Rusholme Place.
  
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• Merkel Calls U.S. Climate Decision 'Utterly Regrettable'

  02-06-2017 14:55
  
  Jun.02 -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the U.S.'s decision to pull out of the Paris climate-change agreement was "utterly regrettable" and that the agreement continues to be a cornerstone of global cooperation.
  
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