General news

• AA boss Bob MacKenzie 'removed' over personal misconduct

  01-08-2017 23:52
  The AA's board has "removed" its executive chairman for gross misconduct and revealed its full-year performance would miss previous expectations.In a statement to the City the motoring services group said Bob MacKenzie had left the company with immediate effect though it refused to explain why, except to say it was a "personal conduct-related matter".The AA confirmed there was no connection between the decision and its separate warning of a hit to profit expectations.
  
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• Donald Trump Promises UK Trade Deal Because 'You Don’t Hear The Word Britain Anymore'

  01-08-2017 23:44
  Donald Trump has hinted at his enthusiasm for a UK-US trade deal because “you don’t hear the word Britain anymore” as suggested he was concerned about Scottish independence because of the threat to the British Open.
  
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• Tottenham must spend to be in the title shake-up, says Mauricio Pochettino

  01-08-2017 23:30 via theguardian.com
  • New signings will ‘help Harry Kane and Dele Alli to improve’
  • Manager accepts Spurs must take different approach to rivalsMauricio Pochettino fears Tottenham will not be able to challenge for the Premier League title unless he makes signings who can force Harry Kane, Dele Alli and other key players to raise their games.Pochettino accepts Tottenham cannot compete financially with the biggest spenders but is determined to strengthen a squad that finished runners-up to Chel
  
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• How John Terry’s inspiration helps Millie Bright dazzle for England

  01-08-2017 23:30 via theguardian.com
  Tough-tackling Chelsea centre-half has studied former men’s captain’s game, while also picking up some tips from her no-nonsense grandadAs befits a Chelsea centre-half, Millie Bright takes inspiration from John Terry. She hopes to use it to accomplish something her role model never achieved – winning a major tournament with England.While Terry swapped Stamford Bridge for Villa Park this summer, the 23-year-old Bright has made the most of her surprise summons to Mark Sampson&rsq
  
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• Trump 'weighed in' on son's Russia statement, White House confirms

  01-08-2017 23:25 via theguardian.com
  Richard Painter, ethics lawyer under George W Bush, says president’s involvement in Trump Jr comments suggests ‘obstruction of justice’The White House has confirmed Donald Trump played a role in drafting a misleading statement about his son’s meeting with a Russian lawyer.Related: Trump personally crafted son's misleading account of Russia meeting – reportContinue reading...
  
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• Apple hints iPhone 8 won't be delayed as company's shares hit record high

  01-08-2017 23:19 via theguardian.com
  Shares in the world’s most valuable company went up close to 6% in after-hours trading following the news, adding $40bn to Apple’s current valueApple shares soared to an all-time high on Tuesday afternoon after the tech company announced it had sold 41m iPhones in the last three months. Apple also appeared to scotch rumors that the iPhone 8 – the phone that will mark the 10th anniversary of the original model – has been delayed. Profits were up by 11.9%, to $8.72bn. The n
  
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• Slick Liverpool turn on the style to embarrass Bayern Munich

  01-08-2017 22:55 via theguardian.com
  • Bayern Munich 0-3 Liverpool
  • Sadio Mané, Mohamed Salah and Daniel Sturridge sink German championsSadio Mané announced his return to full fitness, and Liverpool their readiness for the Champions League play-offs, as Jürgen Klopp’s side recorded a convincing win over Bayern Munich in the Audi Cup. “Nothing against Crystal Palace, Leicester City or Hertha Berlin,” said Klopp ahead of Tuesday’s friendly: “But this is the next level and I
  
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• EasyJet passengers left high and dry in Greece – in part by mating turtles

  01-08-2017 22:38 via theguardian.com
  Tourists left waiting on island of Zakynthos because of technical fault and then flight curfew protecting sea creaturesScores of easyJet passengers were stranded on the Greek island of Zakynthos (also known as Zante) after their plane developed technical difficulties and a replacement aircraft was prevented from flying in because of mating turtles.Passengers expressed fury at easyJet’s lack of communication and “incredibly bad” handling of the delay, which began on Sunday after
  
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• Priests turned away from pub in stag do misunderstanding

  01-08-2017 22:32
  The seven seminarians had popped to the City Arms in Cardiff on Saturday night to celebrate the ordination of colleague Father Peter McLaren.One of the group, Father Michael Doyle, said similar misunderstandings were not uncommon, and that the group had been asked if they were on a stag do only the weekend before."The doorman basically said something along the lines of 'sorry gents, we have a policy of no fancy dress and no stag dos'," Fr Doyle said, adding that the situation was "just gold".
  
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• AA boss sacked for 'gross misconduct' but son says he is ill

  01-08-2017 22:32
  The AA appears to be engaged in a row with the family of its former executive chairman after he was sacked on Tuesday for "gross misconduct".In a statement to the City the motoring services group said Bob MacKenzie had left the company with immediate effect though it refused to explain why, except to say it was a "personal conduct-related matter".Peter MacKenzie, one of his three sons, added that his father was "very unwell" and reportedly requested the company "act responsibly towards a loyal s
  
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• Names of wealthy empty-home owners in Grenfell borough revealed

  01-08-2017 22:16 via theguardian.com
  Kensington and Chelsea council list shows foreign royalty, financiers and offshore firms leaving London properties vacant
  A string of oligarchs, foreign royalty and multimillionaire businesspeople have been revealed as the owners of vacant properties in the borough where the deadly Grenfell Tower fire left scores of people homeless. Related: Empty homes: normal rules do not apply to super-rich in LondonContinue reading...
  
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• Usain Bolt: Lose? I can’t believe you’re asking me. We won’t have that problem

  01-08-2017 22:14 via theguardian.com
  As his last world championships approach, the world’s fastest man was full of his usual confidence as he contemplates Saturday’s 100m finalOne by one the stars from sport and screen paid sweet homage to Usain Bolt, each homily more doe-eyed than the last. First Asafa Powell thanked him “on behalf of the Jamaican people”. Then soapy tributes from Cara Delevingne, Thierry Henry and Virat Kohli were relayed on a giant screen. And when Idris Elba appeared to tell him “I
  
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• Dozens killed in bombing of mosque in Afghan city of Herat

  01-08-2017 21:59 via theguardian.com
  At least 29 dead and more than 60 wounded in blast at Shia mosque, with at least two attackers – including a suicide bomber – thought responsibleA suicide attack on a Shia mosque in the city of Herat in western Afghanistan has killed at least 29 people and wounded more than 64, officials have said. Related: Afghanistan: civilian deaths at record high in 16-year war, says UNContinue reading...
  
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• Fentanyl, Synthetic Opioid That's 50 Times As Potent As Heroin, Linked To 60 Deaths In Britain Since December

  01-08-2017 21:48
  Sixty drug deaths in Britain in eight months have been linked to a new highly toxic opioid that has ravaged North America, police are warning.
  
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• Cross-party group of MPs hope to force a vote on UK staying in EEA

  01-08-2017 21:28
  Heidi Alexander says she is ‘left wondering whether the chancellor has actually read the EU withdrawal bill’.A group of Labour and Conservative MPs are hoping to force a vote on whether the UK should stay in the European Economic Area for at least a few years after Brexit, in the belief that it may be possible to force Theresa May to yield on the issue.MPs campaigning for a softer Brexit are increasingly concerned that the government’s EU withdrawal bill will not allow the UK t
  
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• Price cap still possible, government warns energy companies

  01-08-2017 21:19 via theguardian.com
  Ofgem told to act fast to safeguard poorer households after British Gas announces 12.5% electricity price riseThe government has warned energy companies it is still prepared to legislate for an energy price cap, after British Gas announced a 12.5% electricity price rise for more than 3m households.The increase would add £76 to a typical annual electricity bill, and some experts warned that it could kick start a new round of price rises from the so-called Big Six energy companies.Continue r
  
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• Angry at British Gas price hike? Save your fury for the government

  01-08-2017 21:12 via theguardian.com
  News that electricity bills will increase by 12.5% is no surprise – likewise the complete lack of action by ministers in responseAre you outraged that British Gas is hiking the price of its electricity by 12.5%? Maybe you are, but nobody who follows the energy market can claim to be surprised by it. Parent company Centrica signalled its move months ago and delayed implementation only because of the approach of the general election in May.Centrica was never going to allow its main dual fuel
  
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• The Scaramucci effect: what White House havoc means for the world | Leslie Vinjamuri

  01-08-2017 21:07 via theguardian.com
  The Trump administration is now a beacon of dysfunction. Allies, and enemies, are taking note• Leslie Vinjamuri is director of the Centre on Conflict, Rights and JusticeIn the past six months, the United States’ standing in the world has suffered, to say the least. Donald Trump has embraced strong men, shunned some of our most trusted liberal allies, and seemingly withdrawn US commitment to democracy and human rights. The United States’ moral authority has always been tinged by
  
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• Donald Trump 'Weighed In' On Son's Russia Statement, Says White House

  01-08-2017 21:07
  Donald Trump “weighed in” on the controversial statement issued by his son about his controversial meeting with a Russian lawyer, the White House has said  “The President weighed in as any father would, based on the limited information he had,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, adding that Trump “certainly didn’t dictate” Donald Trump Jr’s statement, but did offer suggestions.
  
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• Shrewsbury fans launch crowdfunding campaign for England’s first rail seat area

  01-08-2017 21:00 via theguardian.com
  • Supporters attempting to raise £75,000 in order to install 550 rail seats
  • Shrewsbury first revealed their interest in safe-standing at the end of June A Shrewsbury Town fans’ group has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise £75,000 in order to install 550 rail seats at their New Meadow ground. If successful, the League One club will become the first in England or Wales to bring a safe-standing section back to an all-seat stadium. Continue reading...
  
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• Fentanyl drug linked to 60 deaths in UK in past eight months

  01-08-2017 20:58
  Sixty people have died in the UK since December after it is believed they took the dangerous painkiller fentanyl, the National Crime Agency (NCA) has warned.Doses can then prove fatal, with dealers accused by the NCA of playing "Russian roulette" with the lives of users.The agency's deputy director, Ian Cruxton, has said he believes the synthetic drug is being both supplied in and exported from the UK.
  
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• The Guardian view on Trump: chaos rules | Editorial

  01-08-2017 20:50 via theguardian.com
  The president embraces disruption. Now a new chief of staff promises to impose discipline. But the real problem is his boss – and those enabling himDonald Trump’s new chief of staff has vowed to impose military discipline and straighten things out, as one might expect of a retired marine general facing a gigantic mess. John Kelly’s appointment has been greeted as “an almost perfect lab test of whether a Trump White House can be functional”: he is highly respected, i
  
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• The Guardian view on British Gas: the cap fits | Editorial

  01-08-2017 20:46 via theguardian.com
  Privately owned utilities are profiteering at the public’s expense in such a way to restrict rather than contribute to economic growth. Ministers need to intervene to fix a broken marketOne of the features of post-crash Britain has been that voters’ real wages are falling and benefits cut, while top bosses’ pay soars and corporate profits rise. Capital has won out over labour in a big way: workers have experienced 15 years without a pay rise, as shareholders in the City have re
  
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• Prankster says he targeted Scaramucci over mental health insult

  01-08-2017 20:37 via theguardian.com
  Briton used Reince Priebus guise to email White House communications chief after use of ‘paranoid schizophrenic’A British prankster who tricked the former White House communications chief Anthony Scaramucci into an email slanging match has said he targeted him because he used “paranoid schizophrenic” as an insult.The anonymous hoaxer, believed to be a 39-year-old from Manchester who has had mental health problems, pretended to be Scaramucci’s White House rival Reinc
  
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• 'Soft Brexit' policy won Labour votes in general election, says study

  01-08-2017 20:30 via theguardian.com
  British Election Study found Corbyn picked up support from ‘remain’ camp, as topic of EU exit deal dominated campaign this yearLabour was predominantly viewed by voters in the general election as the party of soft Brexit during a campaign dominated by the subject of how best to depart the EU, a major study of electoral opinion has concluded.The long-running British Election Study, which has followed a 30,000-strong panel of voters over the past three years, found Labour picked up sig
  
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• Usain Bolt warns fellow athletes: stop doping or the sport will die

  01-08-2017 20:29 via theguardian.com
  • Jamaican sprinter offers stark warning but says sport is on the mend
  • ‘The only way track and field has left to go is up’Usain Bolt has issued a stark warning to his fellow athletes that they must stop doping otherwise track and field will die. The triple Olympic 100m and 200m champion insisted that the sport was on the mend following the staggering revelations of state-sponsored doping in Russia but conceded more needed to be done to tackle the scourge of performance-en
  
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• Put an end to this war commemoration showbusiness | Letters

  01-08-2017 20:25 via theguardian.com
  Readers respond to the centenary of the battle of Passchendaele. Jan Melichar, Karen Barratt and Louise Hunter question the pomp surrounding acts of remembrance. Danny Tanzey examines the military aftermath, while Rita McGhee says her sadness has been deepened because of Brexit“It’s not about glorifying it,” said Michael Copland, a relative of one of those who fought at Passchendaele (“I died in hell”: sacrifice of war dead remembered at Passchendaele, 31 July). It
  
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• Holiday scams down to cuts to legal aid | Letters

  01-08-2017 20:24
  False tummy bug and whiplash claims (Why Britain has gone wild for holiday sickness scams, G2, 1 August) are a direct result of the withdrawal in the 1990s of legal aid from personal injury work, and the creation of the whole money-spinning “no-win, no-fee” nuisance claim business.Legally aided personal injury claims were only funded by the then legal aid board if they met strict criteria for legal merit.The idea of taking this out of legal aid was promoted by a Conservativ
  
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• Fentanyl: The 'weapon of mass destruction' drug

  01-08-2017 20:14
  While it has been used in hospitals for decades as pain relief medication, an illegal version of the drug has caused so many deaths in the US in recent years that it has been described as a "weapon of mass destruction".The opioid was first made in 1960 by Belgian doctor Paul Janssen and introduced in hospitals as an intravenous anaesthetic.In the mid-1990s it became available as a patch for patients being given palliative care, before a powdered version of the pain reliever began to be pushed as
  
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• A brief history of bearded cricketers | Letters

  01-08-2017 20:13 via theguardian.com
  Energy prices | Moeen Ali | Prudish chemists | Gay chants | LiberalismIt is disappointing to see such a large price rise from British Gas (Report, 1 August), but let’s not slam these suppliers for being greedy. They’re inefficient and outmoded – and it’s customers who pay the price. Energy doesn’t have to be this expensive, as proven by the dozens of newer suppliers with lower costs and better service. The only way to fix the broken energy market and the stranglehol
  
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• Unicorn lollies and six million avocados: our insatiable appetite for Instafood

  01-08-2017 20:04 via theguardian.com
  As a new exhibition charts our obsession with photographing food, we look at the hottest dishes, the dark side of Instagrammed cupcakes and how social media is changing the way we eatWe’ll never know what the photographer Irving Penn would have made of #foodporn. The master of still-life photography died in 2009, and Instagram wasn’t born until the following year.
  Instagram, of course, is the favoured social media outlet for photographs of food, and #foodporn is one of its most-used
  
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• Airport security boss put seized pipe bomb in her pocket, court told

  01-08-2017 20:03 via theguardian.com
  Device found in passenger’s suitcase at Manchester airport was later found to be ‘potentially viable’ explosive An airport security manager put a pipe bomb into her pocket after it was seized from a passenger’s luggage, a court heard.The “crude improvised explosive device” was found in the zip lining of the hand luggage of Nadeem Muhammad, 43, as he went through security at Manchester airport on 30 January. Continue reading...
  
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• Martin Rowson on electricity price rises – cartoon

  01-08-2017 19:57 via theguardian.com
  Continue reading...
  
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• John Terry: Promotion with Aston Villa would match my Chelsea honours

  01-08-2017 19:53 via theguardian.com
  • Veteran defender sets his sights on the Championship
  • ‘Working with players in another league excites me’
  John Terry insists adding a Championship promotion with Aston Villa to his decorated CV would rival his other significant achievements in the game.However, the former Chelsea and England captain knows that the Midlands club’s season would have to be deemed a failure if they do not restore their top-flight status. Continue reading...
  
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• Alexis Sánchez in frame for Community Shield after returning to Arsenal training

  01-08-2017 19:49 via theguardian.com
  • Arsenal forward back in London before meeting with Chelsea• Sánchez linked with moves to Manchester City and PSGAlexis Sánchez could be in contention to appear in Arsenal’s Community Shield clash against Chelsea on Sunday after returning to training.The forward’s participation in the club’s pre-season preparations had been delayed, first by him representing Chile at the Confederations Cup and more recently by illness. Continue reading...
  
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• AA boss Bob MacKenzie 'removed' for gross misconduct

  01-08-2017 19:42
  The AA's board has "removed" its executive chairman for gross misconduct and revealed its full-year performance would miss previous expectations.In a statement to the City the motoring services group said Bob MacKenzie had left the company though it refused to explain why, except to say it was a "personal conduct-related matter".While the AA did not confirm or deny his dismissal was linked to alleged activity at the company, it is understood there is no connection between the decision and its se
  
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• Authorities quell trouble at Hertfordshire and Wiltshire prisons

  01-08-2017 19:41
  Emergency service vehicles on a former airfield close to The Mount prison on Monday. Photograph: John Stillwell/PA
  
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• Maduro condemned after Venezuelan opposition duo arrested in midnight raids

  01-08-2017 19:27 via theguardian.com
  Leopoldo López and Antonio Ledezma said to have violated house arrest termsUN human rights chief ‘deeply concerned’ two men were taken into custodyThe rearrest of two of Venezuela’s most prominent opposition leaders in midnight operations has prompted further condemnation of President Nicolás Maduro’s government – which was already accused of attempting to seize absolute power in the crisis-hit country.Related: Venezuela opposition leaders taken from h
  
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• At least 60 UK drug deaths in past eight months linked to fentanyl

  01-08-2017 19:26
  Fentanyl is up to 100 times stronger than heroin.Its analogue carfentanyl is 10,000 times stronger.At least 60 drugs deaths in the UK in the past eight months have been linked to fentanyl, a deadly opiate that is being mixed with street heroin to make it more potent.
  
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• Ben Fogle And Jeremy Corbyn Take Aim At Arsenal Owner Stan Kroenke Over Launch Of Hunting Channel

  01-08-2017 19:24
  Wildlife presenter Ben Fogle has joined a host of prominent opponents to speak out against Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke’s TV channel dedicated to hunting animals for sport.
  
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• Ben Stokes says winning matches more important than emulating Flintoff

  01-08-2017 19:20 via theguardian.com
  • Oval man of the match up to fifth in the all-rounder world rankings
  • Stokes says result means more to him than any personal contributionBen Stokes may have been the driving force behind England’s rollicking win over South Africa at The Oval but for all the plaudits that followed, including a comparison with Andrew Flintoff, he maintained the result, rather than personal glory, is where he drew most satisfaction.His mature 112 with the bat in the first innings – along wit
  
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• Spiralling costs a major risk for Paris Olympics

  01-08-2017 19:17
  The Paris Olympic bid team has repeatedly insisted that its 6.6 billion budget is feasible
  
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• ‘Some days I feel like I’ll drop dead’ – Britain’s biggest cleaners’ strike

  01-08-2017 19:16 via theguardian.com
  Cleaning staff working at four London hospitals are engaged in industrial action for better pay and conditions. Will collective action force an outsourcing giant to listen to these unheard voices?It is 10am on a Saturday morning and Whitechapel High Street in London is even busier than usual. A long, slow-moving stream of people snakes past the lines of stalls selling saris and Tupperware, and a circle of dancers has formed around a boombox playing Bob Marley. If it were not for the sea of signs
  
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• Black America: Amazon alt-history series to depict a post-reparations US

  01-08-2017 19:13 via theguardian.com
  In contrast to HBO’s controversial Confederate, this drama will imagine a timeline in which black Americans inhabit a sovereign countryAfter the announcement of HBO’s controversial new series Confederate, from the Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and DB Weiss, Amazon has revealed the premise of its own alternative-history series, Black America.The project, which has been in the works for over a year, is being spearheaded by the Straight Outta Compton and Girls Trip producer Wil
  
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• Serena Williams is right about the pay gap for black women – but we need radical change

  01-08-2017 19:10 via theguardian.com
  In Britain or the US, black women are struggling to overcome pay inequality. However, it’s not just a matter of throwing more cash at the problemBlack capitalism is coming and I can understand why. Monday was Black Women’s Equal Pay Day in the US. The most shocking figure that I plucked out of the mess of hashtags and outraged memes was that the average American man could go on holiday for seven months and still earn the same as the average African American woman who works
  
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• Prosecutors drop fraud case against former SNP MP

  01-08-2017 19:10 via theguardian.com
  Michelle Thomson says she has been exonerated by inquiry into solicitor she used and will consider her next stepsA fraud case against the former SNP MP Michelle Thomson has been dropped because of “an absence of sufficient credible and reliable evidence”.Thomson, who represented Edinburgh West, was reported to prosecutors in December following a police investigation into alleged mortgage fraud.Continue reading...
  
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• Police thought they were dying after fentanyl contact

  01-08-2017 19:10
  Two US police officers describe how they fell ill after coming into contact with highly potent drug fentanyl.
  
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• The Reproductive Rights Of Disabled Women Must Not Continue To Be Ignored

  01-08-2017 18:56
  For many women in the UK today, obtaining contraception is an event of little fanfare or difficulty--it involves a discussion with a doctor and a prescription, little more.
  
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• Kevin Myers Says 'Anti-Semitic' Column Was 'Out Of Respect For The Religion'

  01-08-2017 18:55
  The writer sacked by The Sunday Times for a column slammed as anti-Semitic has said he made the remarks out of “respect for the religion” as he apologised for causing offence.
  
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• Edinburgh art festival review – follies, broken statues and a surprise star

  01-08-2017 18:51 via theguardian.com
  Various venues
  Douglas Gordon knocks Robert Burns off his pedestal and Pablo Bronstein goes gothic at Jupiter Artland. But it’s the video art of Stephen Sutcliffe and Kate Davis that delves deepest at this year’s festivalIn the soaring gothic entrance hall of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, big chunks of black marble are heaped on the ground in front of a glistening statue of the national poet Robert Burns. You recognise a leg, and see that Douglas Gordon has commissioned a j
  
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