General news

• The Handmaid's Tale recap: episode eight – 'Why Miss Offred, you're gorgeous'

  16-07-2017 23:35 via theguardian.com
  
  Cliches and clunkers galore this week, as Offred gets dolled up for cocktail hour. Is there a new writer? It’s the only explanation. Let’s pray for normal, seamless service to resume next weekSpoiler alert: this recap is for people watching The Handmaid’s Tale on Channel 4 in the UK. Please do not add spoilers from later episodes.I know some of you found the idealised scenes of domestic contentment a bit twee last week. Not me; I’m made of marshmallows and kitten-receptor
  
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• Final route for HS2 north of Birmingham to be revealed

  16-07-2017 23:30
  
  An artist’s impression of the HS2 station at Euston, London, on which work is beginning this summer.The controversial HS2 high-speed railway will take another step forward on Monday with the awarding of major construction contracts and the confirmation of the route north of Birmingham through Yorkshire.Contracts worth about £6.6bn and supporting 16,000 jobs will be announced for civil engineering projects in the first phase of HS2, between London and Birmingham, including tunnels and
  
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• Euro 2017: Hosts Holland off to winning start thanks to Van de Sanden strike

  16-07-2017 23:12 via theguardian.com
  
  • Holland 1-0 Norway (Van de Sanden, 66)
  • Denmark 1-0 Belgium (Troelsgaard, 6)The tournament hosts, Holland, got off to a great start at Euro 2017 with a 1-0 victory against Norway in the opening game.The Liverpool forward Shanice van de Sanden scored the only goal of the game after 66 minutes following an excellent cross from Lieke Martens, one of the match’s dominant players. Continue reading...
  
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• Royal Family: UK plc's secret Brexit weapon

  16-07-2017 23:05
  
  It is hoped royal "soft power" will be helpful in maintaining post-Brexit friendships
  
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• Royal photograph released for Duchess of Cornwall's 70th birthday

  16-07-2017 23:00
  A new photograph of the Duchess of Cornwall with the Prince of Wales has been released to mark her 70th birthday.The picture was taken by photographer Mario Testino and shows the couple standing close together and smiling in the Morning Room at Clarence House.Mr Testino is well-known for his photographs of Princess Diana, but has regularly been the photographer of choice for other members of the Royal family.
  
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• Poldark recap: series three, episode six – enough to make a toad blush

  16-07-2017 23:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Torsos, toe sex and love declarations by the toad-load. We tune in for carnal love – and this show does not disappoint, trulyOne stone. Many birds. No toe left unsucked. And a woman who saved the life of the man she loved by marrying a man she never will – and who has a very greasy face. Could Evil George be any more smug? Never mind snatching souls from the devil, Sam Carne. What will you do about this foul fiend? What a belter. There was less action and more psychological game-play
  
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• Jonnie Peacock strikes London gold again in T44 100m final

  16-07-2017 22:50 via theguardian.com
  
  • Aled Davies stays on course for double after T42 discus gold• Maria Lyle adds bronze to one from Rio in T35 200mAlmost five years after bursting into the public consciousness with a stunning victory at the 2012 Paralympic Games, Jonnie Peacock returned to the London Stadium to strike gold again in the T44 100m at the World Para Athletics Championships.Peacock, who was just 19 when he became one of the faces of the 2012 Paralympic and Olympic summer by winning gold in the blue riband
  
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• Labour MP Sounds Very Tory On Brexit After 'Parroting' Boris Johnson

  16-07-2017 22:38
  
  .@RLong_Bailey says Labour want to retain benefits of single market and customs union.
  
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• Back from the near-dead – the charismatic butcher bird

  16-07-2017 22:30 via theguardian.com
  
  A rare sighting of a red-backed shrike, notorious for its habit of impaling its victims in a grisly larderThe first sign of autumn appeared the moment we arrived. A spotted redshank, resplendent in its dusky breeding plumage, stopping off on my Somerset coastal patch as it headed south from its Arctic nesting grounds. But the start of July is far too early for any songbird migrants. So along with my companion Daniel, whom I met on our very first day at grammar school, almost half a century ago,
  
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• Stressful experiences can age brain 'by years', Alzheimer's experts hear

  16-07-2017 21:56 via theguardian.com
  
  Child’s death, divorce or job loss linked to poorer cognition in later life, study finds, with African Americans more susceptibleStressful life experiences can age the brain by several years, new research suggests. Experts led by a team from Wisconsin University’s school of medicine and public health in the US found that even one major stressful event early in life may have an impact on later brain health.The team examined data for 1,320 people who reported stressful experiences over
  
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• Iran sentences Chinese-born American to 10 years in jail on spying charges

  16-07-2017 21:52 via theguardian.com
  
  Xiyue Wang, 37, a graduate student in history at Princeton University, convicted and jailed in Iran for being ‘an infiltrating American agent’Iran has sentenced a Chinese-born American dual national to 10 years in jail, accusing him of spying for the US government.Related: Hossein Fereidoun, brother of Iran's president, arrestedContinue reading...
  
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• Victim still has nightmares of acid attack

  16-07-2017 21:45
  
  Tara Quigley was the victim of an acid attack in 2013, which left her back, neck, and face scarred.
  
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• Acid attack victim: 'I have nightmares and don't go out anymore'

  16-07-2017 21:39
  When I met Tara Quigley at her home, she was recovering after undergoing her 15th operation to repair damage to her skin following an acid attack more than four years ago.
  
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• Rafa Cabrera-Bello beats Callum Shinkwin in Scottish Open play-off

  16-07-2017 21:37 via theguardian.com
  
  • Spaniard claims first European Tour victory since 2012
  • Par at 72nd hole would have given young Englishman winOnly those with the hardest of hearts would not feel sympathy for Callum Shinkwin. What a cruel sport golf can be.For Rafa Cabrera-Bello, a first European Tour victory since 2012 was set up by a sensational fairway wood into the green of the first play-off hole. Two putts from there proved sufficient to claim the Scottish Open. Continue reading...
  
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• Alastair Cook can give England the foundation to save Test, says Moeen Ali

  16-07-2017 21:35 via theguardian.com
  
  • Moeen backs England to bat for two days to escape with at least a draw
  • ‘Cookie, when he gets in, is hard to get out and hopefully we will see that’Moeen Ali on Sunday night optimistically talked up England’s chances of batting six sessions and escaping from Trent Bridge with at least a draw, provided Alastair Cook can survive the new ball and produce an epic innings that lays the platform for the remainder of the batting order. Related: South Africa’s Hashim
  
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• Lewis Hamilton proud to rank among F1 greats after British Grand Prix win

  16-07-2017 21:02 via theguardian.com
  
  • ‘I couldn’t imagine matching Jim Clark and Ayrton Senna,’ says driver
  • Sebastian Vettel vows Ferrari will come back strong in HungaryLewis Hamilton has said he finds it difficult to comprehend being counted among the greats of Formula One after his win at the British Grand Prix on Sunday. His victory at Silverstone took him level with Jim Clark and Alain Prost on five wins at the race and his pole position on Saturday put him two clear of A
  
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• The Guardian view on the 1%: all gain, no pain | Editorial

  16-07-2017 20:59 via theguardian.com
  
  The richest in our society are not worth the rewards they give themselves. It’s because they have captured ideologically the political process that these absurdities continueThis summer marks 10 years since the beginning of the financial crash in the UK, when depositors lined up outside branches of a small British bank, Northern Rock, to withdraw all of their savings as quickly as possible, particularly since everyone else was doing the same. This led to the UK’s first bank run in 15
  
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• The Guardian view on post-coup Turkey: don’t rebuild on vengeance | Editorial

  16-07-2017 20:59 via theguardian.com
  
  President Erdoğan is a strongman who is tightening his grip on power and using punishment as an occasion for a new constitutional settlement“We remain committed to justice,” wrote the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in this newspaper in an article marking the first anniversary of the 15 July coup attempt to remove the government of his ruling Justice and Development party (AKP). However, the question is what sort of justice President Erdoğan wants his country to
  
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• Neglect contributed to Liverpool prisoner's suicide, jury finds

  16-07-2017 20:54 via theguardian.com
  
  Jury’s findings in Edwin O’Donnell case mirror inquest verdict on death of Lee Rushton at the prison last yearAn inquest jury has found that neglect contributed to the death of a prisoner who killed himself at Liverpool prison last year.The jury’s findings mirrored another inquest verdict on a death at the Merseyside jail last year. Six prisoners at Liverpool have taken their own lives in the last two years. Continue reading...
  
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• Neglect contributed to Liverpool prisoner's suicide, jury finds

  16-07-2017 20:54
  
  Liverpool prison, where six prisoners have killed themselves in the last two years.An inquest jury has found that neglect contributed to the death of a prisoner who killed himself at Liverpool prison last year.Six prisoners at Liverpool have taken their own lives in the last two years.
  
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• Doctor Who: Jodie Whittaker announced as 13th Doctor

  16-07-2017 20:42 via theguardian.com
  
  Actor who rose to fame in Broadchurch is first woman to play the Doctor in BBC drama, replacing Peter CapaldiThe next star of Doctor Who has been announced after intense speculation – and the person stepping into the role of Time Lord is Jodie Whittaker.She is the first woman to take on the role, playing the 13th Doctor in the BBC1 drama. Whittaker, who rose to fame in ITV’s crime drama Broadchurch, had been touted as one of the contenders. Continue reading...
  
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• Hashim Amla’s masterclass in occupation gives England food for thought | Ali Martin

  16-07-2017 20:15 via theguardian.com
  
  South Africa batsman followed a first-innings 78 with a controlled 87 spread over 180 balls that demonstrated old-fashioned virtues of bedding inFor a little while now the talk has been of a big four in Test cricket, with Steve Smith, Joe Root, Kane Williamson and Virat Kohli seemingly locked in a game of musical chairs at the top of the batting rankings as the premier players of this generation. Related: South Africa’s Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis leave England chasing 474Continue readi
  
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• Low-paid should receive inflation-only rises, say business leaders

  16-07-2017 20:13
  
  The “national living wage” was raised to £7.50 for workers aged 25 and over in April.Low-paid workers in the private sector should see their wages restricted to inflation-only rises, according to business leaders, who have said that without the real-terms freeze, they could be forced to make job cuts.The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said the “national living wage” (NLW) should rise by a maximum of 2.7% in its response to the Low Pay Commission’s call for
  
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• Marin Cilic’s tears are the memorable image of one-sided Wimbledon final | Martha Kelner

  16-07-2017 20:07 via theguardian.com
  
  Roger Federer showed no emotion as Cilic’s meltdown over his blistered foot briefly won support from a Centre Court crowd wildly backing the SwissMarin Cilic had voiced concern about how he might handle the pressure of his first Wimbledon final, before it unravelled spectacularly. But even his nightmares surely could not have thrown up the possibility that the most memorable shot of the final would be of him sobbing into a towel with two medics and the tournament referee crouched at his fe
  
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• South Africa’s Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis leave England chasing 474

  16-07-2017 20:04 via theguardian.com
  
  • Second Test, day three: South Africa 339 & 343-9dec; England 205 & 1-0
  • England require record run chase to win Test at Trent BridgeWe know the equation now. And we think we know the outcome. England need 474 runs to win and they have two days and 10 wickets in hand to do it. The highest target they have ever chased successfully in a Test match is 332 and that was in Melbourne in 1928.Hence there is not much cause for optimism in the England camp except that a victory for th
  
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• Doctor Who: 'Man Babies' Cannot Cope With Jodie Whittaker As The First Female In Lead Role

  16-07-2017 19:48
  
  Jodie Whittaker was on Sunday night named as the first female lead in Doctor Who, becoming the 13th Doctor and marking a step forward for equality in television.The BBC confirmed the Broadchurch and Attack The Block star would succeed Peter Capaldi, with 35-year-old Whittaker being chosen ahead of Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Kris Marshall, who had been the favourites with the bookmakers until the 11th hour.“It’s more than an honour to play the Doctor,” Whittaker told the BBC. 
  
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• Jamie Murray and Martina Hingis win Wimbledon mixed doubles crown

  16-07-2017 19:46 via theguardian.com
  
  • Pair triumph in battle of the Brits against Heather Watson and Henri Kontinen
  • Straight-sets victory gives Murray fourth grand slam title and Hingis her 23rdJamie Murray ensured the family name will be on a Wimbledon trophy for the third time in five years as he and the former world No1 Martina Hingis beat the defending champions Heather Watson and Henri Kontinen of Finland 6-4, 6-4 to win the mixed doubles crown.After the painful end to Andy Murray’s title defence, it was lef
  
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• Ben Jennings on Philip Hammond and the public sector pay cap – cartoon

  16-07-2017 19:46 via theguardian.com
  
  Continue reading...
  
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• Philip Hammond urges caution over moves to lift public-sector pay cap

  16-07-2017 19:44 via theguardian.com
  
  Chancellor says public-sector staff are on average 10% ahead of private counterparts once pensions are consideredPhilip Hammond has urged caution over any moves to lift the cap on public-sector pay, arguing that on average workers in the sector remain better compensated than their private counterparts because of their better pensions.While the chancellor refused to comment on a report that he had told his cabinet colleagues that public-sector staff were “overpaid”, he also pointedly
  
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• Removing cladding from towers may increase fire risk, landlords told

  16-07-2017 19:24 via theguardian.com
  
  In the wake of Grenfell, dozens of councils nationwide have been stripping polyethylene-filled panels from buildingsThe government has warned landlords that stripping suspect cladding from buildings in the wake of the Grenfell Tower blaze could increase the risk of fire, as it emerged combustible insulation has been left exposed for weeks on blocks in Salford that are home to more than 1,000 people.Dozens of councils nationwide have been removing polyethylene-filled aluminium panels like those u
  
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• Tour de France: Chris Froome gives ‘maximum’ after broken spoke

  16-07-2017 19:16 via theguardian.com
  
  • Stage 15 won by Dutchman Bauke Mollema
  • Froome retains yellow jersey ahead of rest dayAmidst a full-scale offensive by Romain Bardet’s AG2R team, Chris Froome survived a broken spoke at the foot of the key climb of Sunday’s stage across the Massif Central, won by the Dutchman Bauke Mollema. The Team Sky leader held on to his narrow lead, while conceding a few seconds to the Irishman Daniel Martin, but critically he and the other contenders for overall victory eliminated
  
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• Hossein Fereidoun, brother of Iran's president, arrested

  16-07-2017 19:13 via theguardian.com
  
  Hassan Rouhani’s supporters see his brother’s arrest as part of efforts to undermine him during his second term in officeThe brother of Iran’s moderate president, Hassan Rouhani, has been arrested amid escalating tensions between the government and the country’s hardline judiciary ahead of his swearing-in ceremony next month. Hossein Fereidoun, a top presidential aide who played a senior role in more than two years of high-level negotiations between Iran and the west over
  
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• Worried about your odour? At least a machine will tell you straight | Nell Frizzell

  16-07-2017 19:11 via theguardian.com
  
  A few years ago I lost my sense of smell for 18 months – and it was curiously disconcerting. Now there’s an app to help you find out if you stink• Nell Frizzell is a freelance journalistNobody, apart from maybe my mother and Jefferson Hack, will ever tell you that you smell. I know, because following a particularly graceful, bike helmet-splitting fall on to against a piece of New Zealand road back in 2014, I lost my sense of smell for a full year and a half. I was as anosmic as
  
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• Garbiñe Muguruza determined to do it her way after Wimbledon superstitions | Martha Kelner

  16-07-2017 19:09 via theguardian.com
  
  The Spaniard was happy to abide by her stand-in coach Conchita Martínez but the new Wimbledon champion vows to be her own woman from now onGarbiñe Muguruza woke with a start at 5am on Sunday, her first thought being the Wimbledon title won the previous day. “I couldn’t sleep, I just felt it more, I was like ‘wow I actually did it’,” she says, breathlessly, “On the day I was in the action and tired and hungry so didn’t appreciate it.“T
  
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• Doctor Who?

  16-07-2017 18:42 via bbc.co.uk
  
  As the new Time Lord prepares to enter the Tardis, we look back at her many predecessors.
  
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• Workers’ rights need more protection in the gig economy | Letters

  16-07-2017 18:37 via theguardian.com
  
  Readers debate the arguments of Matthew Taylor’s report on the proliferation of short-term, freelance and casual workRafael Behr’s commentary on Matthew Taylor’s “gig economy” report is too kind by half (The gig economy can be exploitative – but there is no easy path to Good Work, 12 July). Both in the report and in interviews, Taylor seems more concerned to preserve the gig economy business model than worried about the resultant exploitation. The busines
  
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• Ireland loves U2, but won’t shout about it | Letters

  16-07-2017 18:37 via theguardian.com
  
  Bono is one of the greatest ambassadors Ireland has ever produced, says Nick CrawfordDean Van Nguyen’s article on U2 (Ireland’s problem with U2, 12 July) is not a true reflection of the Irish nor their relationship with both Bono and his fellow bandmates.For the record, Bono, leaving aside his band’s music, is one of the greatest ambassadors Ireland has ever produced and I have no doubt he will go down in history as one who did more to elevate world poverty than any other durin
  
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• Headteacher who knew the danger of his dialect | Letters

  16-07-2017 18:37
  
  Dreda Say Mitchell has made the error of confusing accent with variations in the spoken word (Why is there still so much prejudice towards working-class accents?, 12 July).Language is a means of communication.
  
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• Taking a closer look at abuse in politics | Letters

  16-07-2017 18:36
  
  Diane Abbott says she receives racist abuse every day – both online and offline. ‘The press whips up hatred and personal abuse far more influentially than lone tweeters,’ writes W Stephen Gilbert.If MPs want to do something to stop online abuse and harassment (May calls inquiry into abuse of politicians, 13 July), there’s one simple step they can take: they could repeal the laws that protect online publishers from liability for comments hosted on their websites.If Tw
  
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• Manchester’s bike-share scheme isn't working – because people don't know how to share | Helen Pidd

  16-07-2017 18:30 via theguardian.com
  
  There are bikes in the canal, in bins and in back gardens. You wouldn’t blame Mobike for taking its remaining bicycles to a better behaved city I really wanted to believe that Mancunians could be trusted with nice things. Just over a fortnight ago, a Chinese company called Mobike brought 1,000 shiny new silver and orange bikes to my city. Unlockable with a smartphone and available to rent for just 50p for half an hour, they could be ridden wherever you liked within Manchester and 
  
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• Aidan O’Brien bounces back winning both Group Two races at the Curragh

  16-07-2017 18:30 via theguardian.com
  
  • Spirit Of Valor and Elizabeth Browning complete 45-1 double for O’Brien
  • Caravaggio’s next run could be the Prix Maurice de Gheest at DeauvilleAfter the shock of watching his sprint superstar Caravaggio lose his unbeaten record in the July Cup at Newmarket on Saturday, it was business as usual for trainer Aidan O’Brien at the Curragh on Sunday as he won each of the two Group races on the card.The Ballydoyle handler saddled two fillies in the Group Two Kilboy Estate
  
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• Overpaid public sector? Philip Hammond’s divisive talk is no longer working | Zoe Williams

  16-07-2017 18:25 via theguardian.com
  
  The chancellor’s efforts to set workers against each other will backfire – as even his Tory enemies know• Zoe Williams is a Guardian columnistPhilip Hammond is a man more briefed against than briefing. When reports surface of an obnoxious remark he’s made, they have to be situated in part of a wider Tory scheme to hunt down any remaining members with a grasp on reality, and destroy them.Yet whatever the motivation behind cabinet leaks that Hammond finds public sector worke
  
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• Manchester City’s Joe Hart set to join West Ham on season-long loan

  16-07-2017 18:21 via theguardian.com
  
  • Manchester City and England goalkeeper to have medical on Monday
  • Tottenham agree to sell forward Clinton Njie to MarseilleJoe Hart is set to join West Ham on a season-long loan and is due to have a medical with the London club on Monday. The Manchester City goalkeeper would have preferred to join a club permanently but in the end decided that staying in the Premier League, even if it is another loan spell, was a good option in a World Cup year.Hart spent most of last season on loan
  
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• Erdoğan to continue crackdown as Turkey marks failed coup

  16-07-2017 18:17 via theguardian.com
  
  President signals offensive against media, dissidents, secularists and opposition MPs to go on and vows to ‘cut traitors’ heads off’ The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, signalled on Sunday that his government would not relent in its crackdown against the alleged perpetrators of last year’s coup attempt, which has since been broadened to include dissidents, journalists and human rights activists, as the country entered its second year since the July 2016 move
  
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• Greater Manchester Police completely rinse this dopey drug dealer on Twitter

  16-07-2017 18:15
  
  The force’s Twitter account was dealing out sass left, right and centre.
  
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• Avoid the ‘big boss chair’: the graduates’ workplace survival guide

  16-07-2017 18:15 via theguardian.com
  
  Business leaders are concerned about young people’s attitudes to work – here are a few tips for new grads starting in their first jobAnother attack on lazy, snowflake millennials or a serious issue? The latest education and skills survey by CBI/Pearson found that a third of companies are “concerned about young people’s attitudes to work” and nearly half were worried about their communication skills, and behaviours such as resilience.Eight out of 10 students feel pre
  
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• 'This has been my life for past six years': on the anti-fracking frontline

  16-07-2017 18:05 via theguardian.com
  
  Inside the Lancashire protest camp aiming to disrupt new Cuadrilla wells with direct action tacticsIt is a battle that has gone on for years, pitting tireless local residents and environmentalists against a major gas exploration company hoping to get rich – and solve a future energy crisis – by fracking under the Fylde coast. Last October the government overruled Lancashire county council and gave Cuadrilla the green light to begin drilling, but anti-fracking activists have refused t
  
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• From Korben to Corbin – how many kids are really named after Corbyn?

  16-07-2017 18:00 via theguardian.com
  
  A survey suggested more than 50% of new parents would consider naming their child after the Labour leader – and one Jez-inspired mum has already gone with Corbyn CameronCara Montgomery has been a mum for five weeks. She waited to meet her son before deciding on a name to go with Cameron, her partner Garry’s surname. Two days later, inspiration struck. “I remember being drawn to this article on Facebook,” Montgomery, 26, says from her home in Edinburgh. “I just kind
  
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• Dangerous by Milo Yiannopoulos – digested read

  16-07-2017 18:00 via theguardian.com
  
  ‘So my $15m book deal got cancelled because a few snowflakes were upset over something I said about children. Well, diddums’This is the book people said couldn’t be published because I was so dangerous. Well, you don’t get to silence The World’s Most Dangerous Faggot that easily. Have I said that I am dangerous? And a faggot? That’s because I am a dangerous faggot. Grrr. Be afraid. Very afraid. Or, failing that, just a bit bored.So my $15m book deal got cancel
  
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• Roger Federer wins record eighth Wimbledon title against Marin Cilic

  16-07-2017 17:51 via theguardian.com
  
  • Federer claims eighth title in straight sets 6-3, 6-1, 6-4
  • Cilic was in tears and seemed on point of withdrawing in the second setRoger Federer, as ruthless as he had to be – and as lovely to watch as ever – took only an hour and 41 minutes to win his eighth Wimbledon title, 14 years after his first, and left his wounded opponent, Marin Cilic, in a bedazzled heap on Centre Court.“It’s magical,” Federer said courtside. “I can’t believe it ye
  
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