General news

• UK demands EU's co-operation over drug regulation post-Brexit

  03-07-2017 23:50 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  UK MINISTERS have said that the UK and the European Union should continue to work together over drug regulation once Brexit has been completed.
  
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• John Terry out of his comfort zone and ready for new chapter at Aston Villa | Stuart James

  03-07-2017 23:49 via theguardian.com
  
  The former Chelsea captain is aware of his public image but is eager to prove himself as a player and personality by leading Villa back to the top flightJohn Terry needed no reminding of the day when he was booed off by Aston Villa supporters while lying on a stretcher. It was 11 May 2013, and has gone down in the history books as the game when Frank Lampard became Chelsea’s all‑time leading goalscorer. For the visiting captain, however, it was a less enjoyable experience.
  
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• Grenfell Tower Fire: Kensington And Chelsea Council's New Leader Says She Is 'Truly Sorry'

  03-07-2017 23:41
  
  The new leader of Kensington & Chelsea Borough council has said she is “truly sorry’ for its failings over the Grenfell Tower fire.
  
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• Theresa May sitting on report on foreign funding of UK extremists

  03-07-2017 23:38
  
  King Salman presents a gift to Theresa May in Riyadh during the prime minister’s visit to Saudi Arabia in April.A report on the foreign funding of extremism in the UK was given to Downing Street last year but Theresa May is still to decide whether to make its findings published, the prime minister has revealed.The Green party co-leader, Caroline Lucas, said the delay in publishing the Home Office investigation, believed to focus on the influence of Saudi Arabia, “leaves question mark
  
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• Donald Trump offers to 'help' terminally ill baby Charlie Gard

  03-07-2017 23:33
  Donald Trump has made an unexpected intervention in the debate over terminally ill baby Charlie Gard.Charlie suffers from a rare genetic condition and has brain damage.Mr Trump waded into the debate by referencing Pope Francis' plea for the toddler's parents to be allowed to "accompany and treat their child until the end".
  
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• EDF raises cost estimates for Hinkley Point after review

  03-07-2017 23:28
  
  By Sudip Kar-Gupta and Bate FelixPARIS (Reuters) - French state-owned utility EDFflagged a construction cost overrun at its Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in Britain on Monday, in a new blow for a group of EDF projects already facing delays, rising costs and other problems.After a review, EDF said the cost of completion had increased by 1.5 billion pounds to stand at 19.6 billion pounds - an increase that means its predicted rate of return on investment will fall to 8.5 percent from 9 per
  
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• Ex-Barclays bankers in court on fraud charges

  03-07-2017 23:21 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  BARCLAYS and four top bankers appeared in court today over side deals struck during emergency fundraising at the height of the financial crisis.
  
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• Philip Hammond defends public pay cap as opposition grows

  03-07-2017 23:16
  Chancellor Philip Hammond on Monday defended the country's strict cap on public sector pay, which is a target of the opposition Labour Party and has been questioned by some senior members of the ruling Conservative Party.Hammond and Prime Minister Theresa May are under pressure to loosen the seven year-old cap which limits public sector pay increases to 1 percent a year at a time when inflation is about to hit 3 percent soon.Hammond said in a speech to business leaders that he recognised public
  
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• BBC vows multimillion cash injection for British-made children’s TV shows

  03-07-2017 23:12 via theguardian.com
  
  Broadcaster’s annual children’s budget will rise from £110m to £124.4m by 2019-20, with pledge to spend £31.4m of that onlineThe BBC has pledged the biggest investment in homegrown children’s content in a generation to keep up with the shift to online viewing, and fight the influence of shows backed by US rivals such as Netflix and Amazon.Spending on British-made children’s programming by UK broadcasters such as the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 has plummeted i
  
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• Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley napped during meetings and vomited in fireplace, High Court told

  03-07-2017 23:07
  Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley would lie under tables to take a nap at meetings he found boring, a businessman suing the tycoon has told a judge.Investment banker Jeffrey Blue also described, in evidence to the High Court, what he described as "pub lock-in" management sessions fuelled by drinks, kebabs and fish and chips.One such session saw Mr Ashley engage in a drinking competition which ended with him vomiting into a fireplace, the court was told.
  
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• Labour's sprinkler demand for Scottish tower blocks

  03-07-2017 23:05 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  THE Scottish Government should fund upgrades to more than 300 tower blocks that have no sprinkler systems, the deputy leader of -Scottish Labour has said.
  
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• Glasgow dentist will polish up Commonwealth Games squad

  03-07-2017 22:51 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  SCOTLAND’S top athletes are being taught to understand the importance of good dental health as part of their intensive training programmes.
  
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• The Burning Injustice For Disabled People Living In Poverty

  03-07-2017 22:36
  The Conservative manifesto pledged to confront the burning injustice of disability discrimination.
  
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• John Hayes, Transport Minister, Mocked For Refusing To Take Interventions From MPs Without Ties

  03-07-2017 22:26
  
  A Tory minister has been mocked for refusing to take questions from any MP too “sartorially challenged” to wear a tie.
  
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• Damning government report shows depth of public sector pay cuts

  03-07-2017 22:05
  
  Teachers have seen average pay fall by £3 an hour, the government’s pay advisers have found in a new report.The teaching profession has seen average pay fall by £3 an hour in real terms and police officers by £2 an hour, while the wages of nurses have stagnated during a decade of public sector salary freezes, a new report for the government’s pay advisers has found.The academic analysis was quietly published on Monday before a crucial cabinet meeting where Theresa M
  
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• Public sector pay cap staying, says No 10, despite growing pressure

  03-07-2017 21:58
  
  Downing Street has denied the public sector pay cap is about to be scrapped, after a minister claimed an "active discussion" over frontline workers' salaries was under way.Policing minister Nick Hurd told MPs in the House of Commons: "We want to make sure that frontline public service workers, including the police, are paid fairly for their work, not least because of the contribution that they have made over the years to reducing the deficit that we inherited from the party opposite.Responding t
  
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• Major fire rips through paintballing centre in St Helens

  03-07-2017 21:19
  
  A huge fire has broken out at an indoor paintballing centre in St Helens.Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service earlier said there were reports two people had entered the Special Ops Desert Storm building but had not come out.Part of the roof had collapsed and a "large quantity" of tyres were involved in the fire, the fire service said.
  
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• British ministers want post-Brexit drug regulation deal with EU

  03-07-2017 21:14
  
  The British government sought to reassure drug companies and biotech firms on Monday by calling for continued co-operation with the European Union over drug regulation after Brexit.Drugmakers, which overwhelmingly favoured remaining in the EU, account for 25 percent of all UK business research spending and companies have warned that Brexit threatens uncertainty, added complexity and potential drug approval delays.Jeremy Hunt, the health minister, and Greg Clark, the business minister, wrote a le
  
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• Emotional Venus generates support and concern

  03-07-2017 21:08
  By Simon EvansLONDON (Reuters) - With five Wimbledon singles titles to her name, her usually dominant sister Serena absent and a decent run of form ahead of the grass season, Venus Williams is rightly viewed as a challenger at the All England Club this week.After winning her first-round match against Belgian Elise Mertens in straight sets, the 37-year-old Williams broke down in tears during a press conference when asked about how she was coping with the incident.Last week, Palm Beach Gardens pol
  
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• Man who inspired Ice Bucket Challenge gives inspired response to false report of his death

  03-07-2017 20:58
  
  Pete Frates has been readmitted to hospital, but his family say he is battling his condition.
  
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• 'Two missing' as fire breaks out at St Helens paintballing centre

  03-07-2017 20:52
  
  Two people are thought to be missing after a major fire broken out at an indoor paintballing centre in St Helens, emergency services say.Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service said there were reports two people had entered the Special Ops Desert Storm building but had not yet come out.Thick, black clouds spilled into the sky as residents reported seeing them from miles away.
  
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• Nadal already feeling at home on Wimbledon grass

  03-07-2017 20:33
  By Mitch PhillipsLONDON (Reuters) - Rafa Nadal moved seamlessly from months of claycourt success to a satisfyingly smooth first-round victory on grass as he opened his Wimbledon campaign with a commanding 6-1 6-3 6-2 victory over Australian John Millman on Monday.Nadal missed the warm-up grass tournament at Queen's Club to look after his battered body following victories at the French Open and in Madrid, Monte Carlo and Barcelona but he looked comfortable on the faster surface and displayed the
  
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• Last thing Djokovic needs is a break, says coach Agassi

  03-07-2017 20:31
  By Simon CambersLONDON (Reuters) - Andre Agassi has big plans for Novak Djokovic as he looks to steer him back toward his best tennis but there is one thing he won’t be advocating - a break.Former world No. 1 Mats Wilander was among those to suggest that the best thing Djokovic could do would be to take an extended break after Wimbledon, allowing him to rest and regain the form that deserted him in the first half of the year.“What’s really beneficial is being clear,” Agas
  
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• Javid welcomes resignation of borough leader after fatal fire

  03-07-2017 20:27
  
  Britain's communities minister welcomed the resignation of the council leader in the London borough where a fire killed at least 80 people, saying on Monday he would work with the local leader's replacement.Nicholas Paget-Brown, the leader of Kensington and Chelsea council, resigned last week after he was criticised for the council's response to the Grenfell Tower fire, which spread rapidly through a social housing tower block in the middle of the night.It was right that the leader of the royal
  
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• Fire rages at St Helens paintballing centre

  03-07-2017 20:25
  
  A major fire has broken out at an indoor paintballing centre in St Helens, emergency services say.
  
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• Public sector pay: why workers are squeezed more than private sector

  03-07-2017 19:54
  
  Fast-forward to this summer and the one in six workers who ply their trade in the public sector will know exactly what she is talking about.Living costs are rising at an increasingly rapid pace and, thanks to a cap imposed by May’s government, public sector pay is falling behind.Under the Conservatives’ austerity drive, a large part of the pain has been borne by public sector workers – a broad cohort covering low-paid NHS workers to high-paid civil servants.
  
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• Grenfell inquiry head should be 'in real world'

  03-07-2017 19:45
  
  Sue Caro, of Justice 4 Grenfell, warns the Grenfell Tower public Inquiry will lose support, unless the judge leading it is replaced.
  
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• Trump offers to help terminally ill UK infant in tweet

  03-07-2017 19:41
  
  U.S. President Donald Trump offered help to a terminally ill infant an ocean away in a Twitter post on Monday after his parents lost a legal battle to give him experimental therapy in the United States.The baby, 10-month-old Charlie Gard, has been at the centre of a long legal battle between his parents, who wanted him to undergo an American therapy trial, and specialists at the hospital in London who said the treatment was experimental and would not help."If we can help little #CharlieGard, as
  
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• Man with ALS who inspired ice bucket challenge is still alive, despite reports

  03-07-2017 19:38
  
  Pete Frates, with his wife Julie and two-year-old daughter Lucy, receives the 2017 NCAA inspiration award at their home in Beverly, Massachusetts on 13 December 2016.The man who helped raise over $100m to combat the neurodegenerative disease ALS by encouraging millions of people to pour icy buckets of water over their heads is still alive, despite reports to the contrary, and has posted a video to Twitter to prove it.Peter Frates, 32, posted a 45-second video of himself in a hospital bed while P
  
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• Grenfell Tower fire and the inevitable human cost of austerity | Letters

  03-07-2017 19:35
  
  In 2007 I got a job working for HISTORYtalk, a local community history project in North Kensington based at the Methodist Church opposite Grenfell Tower on the Lancaster West Estate.My job soon brought me into contact with the proud tradition of resistance to oppression, racism and discrimination that has been at the heart of community politics there for decades: the fight against Rachmanism and slum housing, for play space and community facilities, against the racist attacks of the 1958 riots a
  
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• A more humanitarian use for HMS Queen Elizabeth | Letters

  03-07-2017 19:35
  
  The Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth should be turned into ‘something really useful’, says Frank Jackson. Photograph: Royal Navy/MoD/PA
  
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• Stormont executive could 'be formed as early as this week'

  03-07-2017 19:34
  
  James Brokenshire says he thinks an executive can be formed to run Northern Ireland's devolved administration as "early as this week".The Northern Ireland Secretary told the House of Commons he continues to believe the various parties can resolve their differences.Earlier, Sinn Fein said a deal to restore power-sharing in Northern Ireland was unlikely to materialise in the short term after the latest deadline for an agreement came and went last Thursday.
  
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• Corbyn, Glastonbury and a chant for the terraces | Letters

  03-07-2017 19:34
  
  Jeremy Corbyn with Michael Eavis at Glastonbury. ‘The idea of Corbyn becoming PM in six months is taking on a life of its own,’ writes Trevor Fisher.There was a crowd of about 2,000 and though I inhaled deeply, I remember seeing Quintessence, Al Stewart and Tyrannosaurus Rex perform.This year from the comfort of my sofa I watched with huge pleasure as Jeremy Corbyn received ecstatic cheers from a massive crowd.
  
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• Big-serving Cilic powers past German Kohlschreiber

  03-07-2017 19:29
  Marin Cilic's power game proved far too much for Philipp Kohlschreiber in the Wimbledon first round on Monday as the Croatian seventh seed swept his German opponent aside 6-4 6-2 6-3.After a tight first set which he edged by snatching the only break point, 6ft 6in tall Cilic increasingly dictated terms with his big forehand and booming serve, which bought him a string of cheap points and dug him out of tight corners.It wasn't all brute force from the back of the court, however, as the 28-year-ol
  
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• Teen jailed for plotting bomb attack at Elton John concert in London

  03-07-2017 19:20
  A British teenager who planned to attack an Elton John concert in London on the fifteenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks was jailed for life on Monday.Haroon Syed, 19, from West London, pleaded guilty to planning a terrorist attack between April and September 2016, and has been ordered to serve at least 16 1/2 years.Syed admitted researching potential targets on the internet, including an Elton John concert in Hyde Park and Oxford Street, a busy shopping district.
  
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• NI power-sharing issues explained

  03-07-2017 19:20
  
  Sky's senior correspondent, Ian Woods looks into the issues effecting the Northern Ireland power-sharing agreement.
  
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• The Queen is looking for someone to keep her palaces spick and span

  03-07-2017 19:10
  
  Get ready to don your Marigolds.
  
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• Fears for 'two missing boys' as huge fire engulfs paintball centre

  03-07-2017 19:06 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  A FIRE has swept through a massive paintballing centre in St Helens, near Liverpool, with fears two boys are inside the burning building.
  
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• Cutting out the delivery man in British online retail trial

  03-07-2017 19:06
  By David DoyleLONDON (Reuters) - British milkmen could be a thing of the past in some areas if a trial of driverless grocery deliveries direct to your door by online retailer Ocado gets the green light."It seemed like a really exciting experience", Tobie Cusson said of the CargoPod trial in South London, which involved choosing from a selection of healthy treats, a collection of movie night snacks or high-end coffee and chocolates."I despise paying delivery fees when I order online so any types
  
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• Former top Barclays bankers face court over fraud allegations

  03-07-2017 19:03
  Four men who used to hold senior positions at Barclays Bank have appeared in court charged with fraud.The four, including former chief executive John Varley, spoke only to confirm their names, ages and addresses.Varley, along with former dealmaker Roger Jenkins, faces two counts of fraud and one count of being an officer in default of a company's giving of unlawful financial assistance.
  
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• Andy Murray aces first match in Wimbledon 2017 title defence

  03-07-2017 18:43
  Andy Murray has begun the defence of his Wimbledon title, watched by the Duchess of Cambridge and his pregnant wife Kim Sears.The world number one kicked off the tournament by beating lucky loser Alexander Bublik 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.Play was disrupted twice by rain, but Murray wrapped up the match comfortably in one hour and 44 minutes.
  
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• London to step in if Northern Ireland power-sharing talks fail

  03-07-2017 18:37
  By Elizabeth Piper and Conor HumphriesLONDON/DUBLIN (Reuters) - Britain will step in to manage public spending in Northern Ireland and may call regional elections if political parties there fail to form a new power-sharing executive soon, Northern Ireland Minister James Brokenshire said on Monday.Irish nationalists Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) have been in talks since a March election to form a new power-sharing government and each has blamed the other for missing repeated d
  
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• Donald Trump Rules Out Surprise Visit To Britain To Avoid Protests - In July At Least

  03-07-2017 18:11
  
  Donald Trump has ruled out a surprise visit to Britain in the next two weeks, amid claims he would use an unscheduled stop to avoid being confronted by protesters.
  
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• Not just for kids - paintball comes of age with its own Campaign Cup

  03-07-2017 17:58
  Once the stuff of children's birthday outings, paintball is attracting a growing band of devotees who see it as a competitive sport like any other, with its own international league.The Campaign Cup started in 1989 and bills itself as the oldest paintball tournament in the world.Today, the Cup is the British leg of a competition known as the Millennium European Paintball Series, which also holds rounds in France and Germany.
  
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• 'A national embarrassment' Owen Jones SAVAGED for anti-Trump movement

  03-07-2017 17:56 via feedproxy.google.com
  
  LEFTIE commentator Owen Jones was slammed after he claimed he had Donald Trump “on the run” while discussing the US President’s potential visit to the United Kingdom.
  
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• Hero Millwall fan returns to London Borough Market attack

  03-07-2017 17:55 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The football fan who shouted "F you, I'm Millwall" when he took on three London attackers.
  
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• Donald Trump offers to 'help' terminally ill toddler Charlie Gard

  03-07-2017 17:54
  Donald Trump has made an unexpected intervention in the debate over terminally ill toddler Charlie Gard.Charlie suffers from a rare genetic condition and has brain damage.Mr Trump waded into the debate by referencingPope Francis' pleafor the toddler's parents to be allowed to "accompany and treat their child until the end".
  
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• No imminent visit to the UK for Donald Trump - White House

  03-07-2017 17:52
  
  Donald Trump's spokesman has said the US President is not planning a surprise visit to the UK - amid mounting speculation of an upcoming trip.Some British politicians had hinted at the possibility the US President might make a flying visit to the UK to coincide with the G20 summit in Hamburg this week.A leading UK politician with connections to the White House hinted a visit could come "much sooner than you think", pointing out that Mr Trump will be visiting Poland and Germany before going to Fr
  
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• Stormont executive deal 'could be this week'

  03-07-2017 17:50
  James Brokenshire says he thinks an executive for Northern Ireland's administration could be formed as "early as this week".The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland told the House of Commons he continues to believe a deal is achievable.Earlier, Sinn Fein said a deal to restore power-sharing in Northern Ireland was unlikely to materialise in the short term after the latest deadline for an agreement came and went last Thursday.
  
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• Jersey care abuse inquiry says children may still be at risk

  03-07-2017 17:49
  A report into child abuse in Jersey care homes says children were too frightened to complain and when they did they were ignored.The damning report also says children may still be at risk on the island.The £23m inquiry found that children in Jersey "do not have a voice - or at least one that is taken seriously or respected".
  
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