General news

• Lithuanian man pleads guilty to manslaughter after attack on woman

  16-08-2017 22:44
  Albertina Choules’ killer was deemed to be suffering from a psychotic disorder.Tautrydas Narbutas, 24, denied murdering Albertina Choules, whose charred body was found in her garden in Buckinghamshire after she had been hit about the head and set alight.The 24-year-old Lithuanian instead entered a plea of guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter which was accepted by the prosecution after it was deemed he suffers from a psychotic disorder.
  
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• Watch: Florida sinkhole wreaks devastation

  16-08-2017 22:05
  A sinkhole in Florida has destroyed two homes, prompting officials to evacuate residents from about a dozen properties nearby.
  
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• 9 Things That Might Explain Donald Trump's Bonkers Response to White Supremacist Violence

  16-08-2017 21:56
  We now live in a world where the former leader of the Ku Klux Klan thanks the President of the United States for not denouncing neo-Nazis and white supremacists outright.
  
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• Sinkhole continues to grow after consuming front wall and driveway

  16-08-2017 21:55
  A sinkhole that opened up in the driveway of a West Midlands home on Sunday is now 10 ft wide and growing.After consuming garden slabs, parts of the front wall and a portion of the driveway, the 12 ft deep chasm is now threatening to swallow a car.Neighbour Glenys Murphy said coal mines below the surface have left the area "like a honeycomb".
  
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• Learndirect owners still winning government-approved contracts

  16-08-2017 21:27
  Ofsted is expected to give Learndirect Limited its lowest possible grade in a report the company tried to suppress.The owners of Learndirect are continuing to win government-approved apprenticeship contracts despite their original company failing to meet the government’s minimum standards.The private equity owners of Learndirect Limited, which is expected to be given the lowest possible grade by the education watchdog Ofsted and to lose all its Department for Education contracts, created L
  
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• Sarah Champion resigns from Labour shadow cabinet over Pakistani rapists column in The Sun

  16-08-2017 20:34
  A Labour MP has resigned from the shadow cabinet after saying Britain has "a problem with British Pakistani men raping and exploiting white girls".Sarah Champion, shadow women and equalities minister, apologised for the "extremely poor choice of words" which appeared in a column in The Sun newspaper on Friday.
  
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• Mixed results at every level of the British education system | Letters

  16-08-2017 20:25 via theguardian.com
  Readers air their views on university vice-chancellors’ pay, degree grade inflation, apprenticeships, teacher training and David Bowie’s technical school experience in BromleyIn his damning critique of universities aping business practices, Jonathan Wolff notes that “most universities are held together by a core of academics and support staff who preserve the authentic values of teaching and research” (Everything must be measured: how business practices have tainted
  
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• Better ways to spend the garden bridge cash | Letters

  16-08-2017 20:19
  The proposed garden bridge across the Thames was bound to fail as soon as Zac Goldsmith lost to Sadiq Khan, given that the project never had the support of a majority of the 25-member London assembly (Recriminations fly after garden bridge cancelled, 15 August).The parties opposed to the scheme, with 16 members of the assembly between them, were one seat short of the two-thirds super majority required to stop Boris Johnson and George Osborne frittering the best part of £52m, which had the
  
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• London Emergencies Trust has special role

  16-08-2017 20:08
  Your editorial (16 August) about the Grenfell Tower tragedy unfairly points the finger at the London Emergencies Trust (LET) for supposedly being slow off the mark in getting charitable donations to survivors.
  
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• Corbyn attacks PM's failure to condemn Trump over far-right defence

  16-08-2017 20:07
  Jeremy Corbyn has criticised Theresa May for failing to directly condemn Donald Trump after the US president defended some of the far-right activists who took part in a racist rally in Charlottesville.The Labour leader said May’s response did not go far enough to put pressure on Trump, who is still officially invited to the UK for a state visit hosted by the Queen.Donald Trump should unequivocally condemn those who want to reverse the achievements of the civil rights movement and take us b
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn Tells Theresa May Not To 'Remain Silent' Over Donald Trump's Comments On White Supremacists

  16-08-2017 19:55
  Jeremy Corbyn has told Theresa May she “cannot remain silent” over Donald Trump’s refusal to denounce white supremacists, after her response to it was dismissed as weak.
  
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• Factbox - How can Britain avoid a post-Brexit border for Northern Ireland?

  16-08-2017 19:10
  LONDON/DUBLIN (Reuters) - Britain said on Wednesday there should be no border posts or immigration checks between Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland after Brexit, in a paper that attempts to resolve one of the most complex aspects of its departure from the European Union.Here are some of the main details of the British proposals:BORDER INFRASTRUCTUREBritain reaffirmed its opposition to a "hard border" with passport and customs checks and said there should be no physical border
  
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• Sarah Champion resigns from Labour shadow cabinet over Pakistani rapists column

  16-08-2017 19:08
  A Labour MP has resigned from the shadow cabinet after saying Britain has "a problem with British Pakistani men raping and exploiting white girls".Sarah Champion, shadow women and equalities minister, apologised for her "extremely poor choice of words", which appeared in a column in The Sun newspaper on Friday.
  
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• Lessons for UK and Ireland? Norway, Sweden keep EU external border soft

  16-08-2017 18:52
  By Terje SolsvikOSLO (Reuters) - Sharing a border of 1,600 km (1,000 miles), with close to 80 crossings, Norway and Sweden face some of the challenges that Ireland and Northern Ireland may experience when the United Kingdom leaves the European Union.On Wednesday Britain published a paper arguing there should be no border posts or immigration checks between Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland after Brexit.This are familiar issues for EU member Sweden and non-EU Norway.
  
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• UK watchdog tells banks to make PPI compensation claims easier

  16-08-2017 18:31
  By Huw JonesLONDON (Reuters) - Britain's markets watchdog said it has told banks they must make it easier for people to claim compensation for mis-sold loan insurance, the country's costliest consumer scandal.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said it will launch a publicity campaign later this month to inform people about the Aug. 29, 2019 deadline for claiming compensation for mis-sold payment protection insurance (PPI).Lloyds, Barclays, RBS and other banks have already paid out more than 2
  
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• Back as Bond

  16-08-2017 18:31 via bbc.co.uk
  A lot of people are excited about the actor's return for his fifth and final Bond film.
  
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• ‘Ludicrous!’ Irish security experts hit out at Theresa May’s Brexit border plan

  16-08-2017 18:14 via feedproxy.google.com
  THERESA May’s Brexit proposals for Ireland have been slated as “ludicrous” by Irish security experts, who argue an invisible border is unworkable if Britain leaves the European Union .
  
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• What time do A-level results come out TOMORROW?

  16-08-2017 18:09 via feedproxy.google.com
  NERVOUS students from across Britain will finally find out their A-level results tomorrow. But what time will the exam results be released?
  
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• Moped gang storm a top end jewellers

  16-08-2017 17:35
  Six robbers have smashed their way through counter displays in a top end London jewellers before making their escape on mopeds.
  
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• Corbyn's cabinet in CHAOS as Sarah Champion resigns over child abuse controversy

  16-08-2017 17:35 via feedproxy.google.com
  JEREMY Corbyn's cabinet has been left in chaos again as MP Sarah Champion resigned today citing her "extremely poor choice of words" in an article on the Rotherham child abuse scandal.
  
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• Sarah Champion resigns from Labour shadow cabinet over Sun article

  16-08-2017 17:32
  A Labour MP has resigned from the shadow cabinet after writing an article for The Sun she said contained an "extremely poor choice of words".
  
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• Late night shop: Schoolboys hide in Sainsbury's until 2am

  16-08-2017 17:25
  Two schoolboys are reported to have helped themselves to hundreds of pounds worth of goods after being locked inside a supermarket in East Kilbride for four hours.The boys - aged 12 and 13 - were discovered by night-workers inside Sainsbury's on the Kingsgate retail park in South Lanarkshire in the early hours of Monday 7 August.A source who spoke to the paper said the lads had worked their way through "hundreds of pounds" worth of goods before being discovered.
  
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• Boodles of Chelsea raided by moped gang wielding hammers

  16-08-2017 17:25
  A manhunt is under way after a gang of robbers smashed their way through an exclusive Chelsea jewellery shop, making off on three mopeds.The luxury jewellers - which is located close to Harrods just off Sloane Street in west London - stocks high-end gems worth tens of thousands of pounds.Video footage shot around 10.40am shows the gang outside Boodles on Basil Street in Knightsbridge, with smoke pouring from the front door as the helmet wearing suspects make their exit.
  
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• ‘More holes than a colander' Brexit plans for Ireland rubbished by Farage and Lib Dems

  16-08-2017 17:24 via feedproxy.google.com
  BRITAIN’S plans to retain a soft border between Northern Ireland and the Republic have been criticised for having “more holes than a colander”.
  
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• Suicide And Carers: Caring For The One You Love Is A Privilege And A Joy, But It Can Push You To The Point Of Crisis

  16-08-2017 17:22
  At an inquest on Friday, we heard how a man had ended his life.
  
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• EMPLOYMENT STATS: One in five unemployed in UK are migrants

  16-08-2017 17:21 via feedproxy.google.com
  ONE in five of those currently unemployed in the UK are migrants, according to official figures released today.
  
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• Baby Dolphin Dies After Tourists Pose For Selfies On Spanish Beach

  16-08-2017 17:18
  A baby dolphin has died after tourists surrounded the distressed animal in order to pose with her for photographs off the coast of Spain.
  
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• Dublin welcomes London moves on Northern Ireland Brexit deal

  16-08-2017 17:17
  By Conor HumphriesDUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland on Wednesday welcomed what it called significant progress in efforts to avoid a hard border between it and Northern Ireland after Brexit, but admitted any such deal would have to be a one-off.The government in London said on Wednesday in a policy paper that there should be no border posts or immigration checks between the British province and Ireland.On Tuesday it outlined plans for a future customs agreement with the European Union that would likely
  
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• Cops call for fashion police back-up on robbery suspect wearing jorts

  16-08-2017 17:16
  Police say the suspect’s “disregard for the law is as offensive as his disregard for fashion trends”.
  
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• ‘Inspiration’ Alton Towers Smiler victim Leah Washington shares holiday snaps

  16-08-2017 17:04 via feedproxy.google.com
  ALTON Towers crash victim Leah Washington has posted a series of proud selfies as she reveals she is starting to feel confident after her leg was amputated.
  
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• The secret to securing a university place through clearing – by those in the know

  16-08-2017 17:00
  Once clearing is open, all vacancies are shown live on the Ucas site, along with grade requirements, and they are updated in real time.This year is a good one for prospective students.University applications from UK students are down by 5%, meaning academics are keener than ever to snap up good candidates.
  
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• Grenfell Tower inquiry criticised for not examining sociopolitical factors

  16-08-2017 16:59
  Work begins on covering Grenfell Tower with protective wrapping.The head of the Fire Brigades Union, whose members rushed to save Grenfell Tower residents, has criticised the failure to have the judge-led inquiry into the disaster look at its social and political context.Matt Wrack said that under its current terms the investigation would fail to answer crucial questions.
  
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• Grenfell Tower inquiry criticised for excluding sociopolitical factors

  16-08-2017 16:59
  Work begins on covering Grenfell Tower with protective wrapping.The head of the Fire Brigades Union, whose members rushed to save Grenfell Tower residents, has criticised the failure to have the judge-led inquiry into the disaster look at its social and political context.Matt Wrack said that under its current terms the investigation would fail to answer crucial questions.
  
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• Stranded?

  16-08-2017 16:58 via bbc.co.uk
  What happens when people find themselves stranded without money or the help of a kind stranger?
  
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• Is this the WORST pothole in Britain? Massive 45 FEET LONG crater causing road chaos

  16-08-2017 16:55 via feedproxy.google.com
  A NATIONAL road campaigner believes he has found Britain's worst pothole which is 45 feet long.
  
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• Government wants no physical changes to Irish border arrangements

  16-08-2017 16:53
  No border posts or physical monitoring should be installed at the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, the Government said as it unveiled plans for one of the most contentious Brexit issues.The position paper also said that the Government is committed to maintaining the border-free Common Travel Area covering the UK and the Republic of Ireland.The British government said it wanted a seamless and frictionless frontier without "physical border infrastructure and border post
  
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• Gold brooch worth £10,000 dating back to the 15th century unearthed by metal detector

  16-08-2017 16:51 via feedproxy.google.com
  A £10,000 GOLD brooch that was a gifted by one of the richest men in England to his wife 550 years ago has been unearthed by a metal detectorist.
  
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• Saved by the bell? Length of Big Ben's silence to be 'considered'

  16-08-2017 16:49
  Parliamentary officials are going to take soundings over how long Big Ben's bongs should be silenced during renovations.The announcement came after a "number of MPs" chimed in to say they disapprove of plans to stop the Great Bell as restoration work takes place.Officials have now confirmed that the matter will be reviewed when MPs return from their summer break.
  
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• 5 ways to keep Big Ben in your life when the famous bell falls silent

  16-08-2017 16:42
  The world-renowned chimes will silence for four years during restoration work.
  
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• University Challenge Legend Bobby Seagull Gives His Top Tips For A Level Results Day

  16-08-2017 16:39
  When you think of Bobby Seagull - University Challenge legend and one of Britain’s most recognisable brainiacs - you probably don’t imagine that he would know a lot about disappointing exam results.
  
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• These Are The Most Liked And Retweeted Tweets Of All Time

  16-08-2017 16:37
  Barack Obama’s message in the wake of white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, in which he quoted Nelson Mandela and shared a touching image of himself with children of different races, has become the most liked tweet ever on the history of the social network.
  
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• The Most Liked And Retweeted Tweets Of All Time: From Barack Obama to Wendy's

  16-08-2017 16:37
  Barack Obama’s message in the wake of white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, in which he quoted Nelson Mandela and shared a touching image of himself with children of different races, has become the most liked tweet ever on the history of the social network.
  
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• Readers recommend playlist: songs with tragedy and comedy

  16-08-2017 16:32 via theguardian.com
  This week our reader extracts the tragicomic from your suggestions, weaving a tale or two among songs from Tindersticks, Los Campesinos! and Nick Cave
  Here is this week’s playlist – songs picked by a reader from hundreds of suggestions on last week’s callout. Thanks for taking part. Read more about how our weekly series works at the end of the piece.It’s a sad and funny old world. Below are my tragedy and comedy picks, split into in three sections with illustrative tragic
  
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• Manchester attack: Homeless 'hero' in court over alleged thefts from victims

  16-08-2017 16:31
  A homeless man who was hailed a hero after the Manchester terror attack has appeared in court charged with stealing from two of the victims.Chris Parker, who was at Manchester Arena as suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated a shrapnel-laden bomb, faces two counts of theft.The 33-year-old, who gave his address as Woodlands Road, Crumpsall, is alleged to have stolen a purse and its contents belonging to Pauline Healey.
  
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• Quiz: Why would you get impeached if you were president?

  16-08-2017 16:25
  If you were the US president and it started to go very, very wrong…
  
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• Department for Education pulls all Learndirect contracts and funding

  16-08-2017 16:19
  A leading thinktank said the alleged mismanagement at Learndirect was symptomatic of the systemic failure of public policy.The Department for Education is to cancel all contracts with Learndirect, the adult training provider that tried to suppress a damning regulator’s report into its poor standards.The Department for Education said on Tuesday that it would withdraw all funding from the organisation, which is responsible for almost 73,000 trainees, by July 2018 and that it had already bann
  
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• No bongs for Big Ben until 2021

  16-08-2017 16:15
  Big Ben has sounded its familiar bongs for most of the last 157 years, but the famous bell is about to become mute during a major restoration project.
  
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• 'A recipe for chaos': UK Brexit plan provokes alarm along Irish border

  16-08-2017 16:09
  Traffic crosses the border into Northern Ireland from the Irish Republic.The British government’s proposals for a soft border with the Republic of Ireland after Brexit were greeted with scepticism and anxiety on both sides of the border.The president of the chamber of commerce in the Republic border town of Dundalk, Paddy Malone, said the proposal to exempt small business from a host of customs regulations was “a recipe for chaos”.
  
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• Second man arrested over alleged kidnapping of British model Chloe Ayling

  16-08-2017 16:08
  A second man has been arrested by police investigating the alleged kidnapping of a British model.Michal Konrad Herba, 36, was arrested in Birmingham on a European arrest warrant on Wednesday, the National Crime Agency said.Ms Ayling says she was lured to a fake photo shoot in Milan before being drugged and stuffed into a bag and driven to a remote farmhouse near Turin in northwest Italy.
  
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• Theresa May's Statement On Donald Trump's Charlottesville Response Falls Short On Social Media

  16-08-2017 16:02
  People are taking issue with Prime Minister Theresa May’s statement on the response Donald Trump gave to the Charlottesville violence, suggesting she feels more strongly about Big Ben than she does condemning the president.
  
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