General news

• Donald Trump to announce new strategy on Afghanistan in major speech

  20-08-2017 23:28 via theguardian.com
  US president to deliver address to troops and the nation at the Fort Myer military base on Monday nightDonald Trump will announce his decision on America’s strategy in Afghanistan on Monday night in an address to US troops and the nation almost 16 years after the war began.
  The US president will “provide an update on the path forward for America’s engagement in Afghanistan and South Asia” in an address to be delivered at 9pm ET from the military base at Fort Myer, south-w
  
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• Barcelona Attack Latest: Suspect May Have Fled To France, Police Say

  20-08-2017 22:30
  Spanish police hunting for a suspect after the Barcelona attack that killed 13 people said on Sunday they could not rule out that he had slipped over the border into France.
  
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• Brexit: Slovenian PM Deals Crushing Blow To UK Government's Strategy

  20-08-2017 21:58
  Brexit negotiations will not proceed to haggling over a future UK-EU trading relationship by October as previously planned, the Slovenian prime minister has warned.
  
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• Mo Farah makes farewell gesture to mark symbolic changing of GB guard

  20-08-2017 21:51 via theguardian.com
  • Farah signs off British track career with Diamond League 3,000m win
  • Shows vested interest in inspiring next generation: ‘Now it’s finally done’Mo Farah ended his final track race on British soil by rattling through his greatest hits – the surge to the front with a lap to go, the mulish kick off the final bend, the Mobot at the finish – but then applied an unexpected twist as he ripped off his cherished British vest and passed it to his team-mate Andy B
  
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• MPs Reveal Plans For Bizarre Sombre Tribute As Big Ben Rings Out Final Bongs

  20-08-2017 20:53
  MPs will bow their heads outside Parliament on Monday as Big Ben rings out its final bongs before falling silent for four years.
  
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• Awkward? Yes. But Trump’s state visit must be called off | Matthew d’Ancona

  20-08-2017 20:49 via theguardian.com
  His remarks on Charlottesville were dangerous, and any true friend to America would admit as muchTheresa May must cancel President Trump’s state visit to the United Kingdom. Simple as that. Not delay the trip, suspend planning, or otherwise equivocate. In this instance, only an unambiguous withdrawal of the invitation will do.For as long as I can recall, I have been drawn by what the late Christopher Hitchens called “the gravitational pull of the American planet”. In fair and f
  
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• In search of the most painless way to exit the EU | Letters

  20-08-2017 20:35
  Fintan O’Toole convincingly argues that Britain’s negotiating ploy on the Irish border is really “an early move in the blame game” (Britain’s offer to Ireland is absurd and irresponsible, 17 August).Theresa May’s DUP allies are easily persuaded there will be a “frictionless” Irish border, but most people fear an unworkable, “hard” border disaster.Despite creating the need for this border, cynical Brexiters can wax lyrical about not want
  
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• Cromer disorder: Pubs shut as seaside town 'in lockdown'

  20-08-2017 20:31 via bbc.co.uk
  Extra police patrol Cromer, where some pubs and shops remained closed after weekend trouble.
  
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• Why Lenin would be a fan of Jacob Rees-Mogg | Brief letters

  20-08-2017 20:29
  The Eislebener Lenin statue at the German Historical Museum in Berlin. Lenin might have welcomed Jacob Rees-Mogg’s political rise, says Jeremy Cushing. Photograph: Britta Pedersen/AP
  
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• Jerry Lewis: a life in pictures

  20-08-2017 20:28 via theguardian.com
  Comedian and actor Jerry Lewis, star of The Nutty Professor and The KIng of Comedy, has died•Peter Bradshaw on Jerry Lewis: a knockabout clown with a dark and melancholy inner life
  •Jerry Lewis, king of comedy, dies at 91 Continue reading...
  
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• Invisible speedbumps: can these cheap tarmac Banksys slow drivers down?

  20-08-2017 20:02 via theguardian.com
  London hopes optical illusions painted on busy roads will trick motorists into reducing their speed. The locations are secret, but we tracked some down It’s an odd look, the one people shoot you when you tell them you’ll be spending the afternoon driving over illusory speedbumps.
  Well, fake speedbumps may not be real, but that doesn’t mean they don’t work. TfL trialled them in Newham, London in 2014, cutting traffic speeds there by 3mph. They are painted humps on the roa
  
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• Man arrested after attempted child abduction in Flint

  20-08-2017 19:56
  Police investigating the attempted abduction of a three-year-old girl in North Wales have arrested a man.Officers went to the scene around 2pm after receiving a report of an attempted child abduction.Detective Chief Inspector Arwyn Jones said: "Officers responded quickly to an incident that occurred in Flint this afternoon.
  
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• MPs expected to gather to hear Big Ben's last bongs before repairs

  20-08-2017 19:45
  ‘Big Ben’ bell in the Elizabeth Tower has not been had significant work done on it since 1985.MPs are expected to gather outside parliament to witness Big Ben’s final bongs at midday on Monday before the chimes are silenced to allow repair work to begin, amid a political furore about the four-year renovation project.The Labour MP Stephen Pound said he hoped at least 20 “like-minded traditionalists” would gather “with our heads bowed but hope in our hearts&rdqu
  
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• Sprint finish to mark reformatted GCSEs, say examiners

  20-08-2017 19:44
  Examiners have complained that this year’s reformed GCSE exams in England have been tougher to mark, taking them longer to complete and leading to exam boards cajoling markers to process more papers and increasing payment rates.Results for the reformed exams in maths and English will be published for the first time on Thursday – with more than 600,000 pupils and their teachers waiting to hear how they got on using the new scale of 9 to 1 that replaces the old A* to G grades.The more
  
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• UK hopes of EU trade talks this autumn 'will be dashed', says Slovenian PM

  20-08-2017 19:32
  Slovenia’s prime minister, Miro Cerar, said the UK had produced some unrealistic proposals in the opening talks.The British government’s hopes of opening discussions on a future trade relationship this autumn will definitely be dashed by the European Union due to the slow progress of Brexit negotiations, one of 27 prime ministers who will make the decision has said.Miro Cerar, the prime minister of Slovenia, revealed in an interview with the Guardian that it had proved too difficult
  
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• Mo Farah wins final race in Britain at Birmingham Diamond League meeting

  20-08-2017 19:14 via bbc.co.uk
  Britain's Mo Farah wins his final track race on home soil in the 3,000m at the Diamond League in Birmingham.
  
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• Lloyds Bank criticised after refusing letter in Welsh from AM

  20-08-2017 19:14 via bbc.co.uk
  Lloyds Bank apologise after not accepting a letter written in Welsh from an Assembly Member.
  
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• Police investigate death of teenager in Omagh

  20-08-2017 19:11 via bbc.co.uk
  The body of a 19-year-old woman was found in a flat in the Meelmore Drive area of the County Tyrone town.
  
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• Labour urges college principals to get students on electoral register

  20-08-2017 18:32
  Labour is writing to all university vice-chancellors and college principals urging them to help students sign up to vote when they enrol in higher education this September.Cat Smith, the shadow voter engagement minister, and Gordon Marsden, the shadow higher education minister, urged the higher education bosses to act after a programme at Sheffield University saw a huge jump in students joining the electoral register.There was a high student turnout for the general election in June, with half a
  
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• UK considering extra checks for van hire to deter terrorist attacks

  20-08-2017 18:12
  The van used in the London Bridge attacks in June.Drivers trying to rent vans in the UK could be subject to additional checks to try to prevent further terrorist attacks of the kind seen in Barcelona last week.The government, police and vehicle rental industry have been discussing ways to deter further attacks using vans since mass casualties were inflicted inincidents across Europe from Nice to London.
  
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• One hurt in explosion on houseboat in Bristol harbour

  20-08-2017 18:05 via bbc.co.uk
  Police told the BBC a gas canister on board the boat was being changed when the blast occurred.
  
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• Owen Jones Explains Why An Elected Head Of State Wouldn't Mean 'President Blair'

  20-08-2017 17:54
  Owen Jones isn’t a fan of our unelected monarchy ― and on Sunday he launched a passionate argument for change.
  
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• Boy 'mown down' by stolen motorbike in Edinburgh hit-and-run

  20-08-2017 17:50 via bbc.co.uk
  The 10-year-old is in a stable condition after being seriously hurt on a pedestrian crossing in Edinburgh.
  
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• Cromer in 'lockdown': Extra police patrol seaside town amid 'low-level disorder'

  20-08-2017 17:48
  Extra police are patrolling an English seaside resort following reports of "low-level disorder" which led some pubs, hotels and other businesses to close their doors.With residents describing Cromer in Norfolk as in "lockdown" on social media, venues said they had taken protective action."We never ever had this problem before," resident Lynette Hollis told Sky News.
  
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• Liz MacKean obituary

  20-08-2017 17:41 via theguardian.com
  Television journalist who worked for Newsnight for 14 years, leaving the BBC over its decision to drop her investigation into the Jimmy Savile sex scandalLiz MacKean, who has died aged 52 after a stroke, was that rarest of creatures in the world of broadcast news. In an industry full of egos and elbows, Liz was a campaigning journalist without even the smallest measure of sanctimony or self-regard. It was the victims who were always given the limelight in her work. It was their cause, not her ca
  
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• Julian Cadman: British boy confirmed as being among victims of Barcelona attack

  20-08-2017 17:36
  British boy Julian Cadman was among the 13 people killed in the Barcelona terror attack, it has been announced.The seven-year-old, who had dual UK-Australian nationality, died after a van was deliberately crashed into pedestrians on Las Ramblas on Thursday.As he was enjoying the sights of Barcelona with his mother, Julian was sadly taken from us.
  
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• Major UK Supermarket Sausages 'May Have Infected Thousands With Hepatitis E'

  20-08-2017 17:29
  A major UK supermarket may have unintentionally infected thousands of people with a pig virus which causes liver and neurological problems, Public Health England has found.
  
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• Major UK Supermarket 'May Have Infected Thousands With Hepatitis E'

  20-08-2017 17:29
  A major UK supermarket may have unintentionally infected thousands of people with a pig virus which causes liver and neurological problems, Public Health England has found.
  
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• BBC braces for backlash over North Korea service

  20-08-2017 17:18
  Korean is one of 12 new language services being launched by the BBC over the next few weeks.The BBC is braced for a backlash from the North Korean government about the launch of a new service targeted at the country amid growing international tensions over its nuclear missile tests.Francesca Unsworth, the director of BBC World Service, said the corporation was wary about launching the new North Korean service next month due to the likely opposition from the government but insisted the fragile po
  
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• British boy among Barcelona attack dead

  20-08-2017 17:11 via bbc.co.uk
  Julian Cadman, a seven-year-old dual British-Australian national, was one of 13 people killed, it is confirmed.
  
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• Grace Mugabe granted diplomatic immunity over model assault allegations

  20-08-2017 17:04
  Granted diplomatic immunity by South Africa, the wife of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe returned home from Johannesburg on Sunday despite calls that she be prosecuted for allegedly assaulting a young model at a luxury hotel there.Zimbabwean state broadcaster ZBC showed Grace Mugabe greeting government and military officials at the Harare airport after returning on an Air Zimbabwe plane with her husband, who had attended a summit of southern African leaders in Pretoria.South Africa's foreign
  
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• The mystery of ‘AJW’, the West Midlands’ Mario Lanza beer-mat artist

  20-08-2017 17:00 via theguardian.com
  His identity is a secret and fans believe the original cartoonist may be dead – so who’s behind the sketches?If you like the idea of Banksy – the whole is-he-or-isn’t-he-the-bloke-from-Massive-Attack backstory, the ghastly theme parks and grand political statements – then the good news is that there is a perfect artist for you: his name is Banksy.If, however, you are of the opinion that Banksy simply isn’t elusive enough, or you are put off by all the insurrec
  
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• Cromer pubs and shops dispute police claim that disorder was 'low level'

  20-08-2017 16:59 via theguardian.com
  Pubs shut early with one landlord saying Norfolk town was in ‘lockdown’, with thefts from licensed premises and shops reportedPubs and businesses closed their doors in Cromer on Saturday night after a series of disturbances at the end of the Norfolk town’s carnival.Norfolk police said extra officers were patrolling the town following “low-level disorder”.Continue reading...
  
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• Train derails as it departs London Paddington station

  20-08-2017 16:45 via bbc.co.uk
  It is the second time a train has partially come off the tracks at a London station in one week.
  
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• Julian Cadman, 7, Confirmed As Dead After Barcelona Attack

  20-08-2017 16:27
  Julian Cadman, a seven-year-old dual British-Australian national, was killed in the Barcelona terror attack, Catalan police have confirmed.
  
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• Watch this ATM machine being stolen using a forklift truck

  20-08-2017 16:12
  An audacious theft.
  
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• Cromer Disorder: Reports Of 'Lockdown' In Seaside Town After 'Low Level' Disturbance

  20-08-2017 16:05
  .@normanlamb says behaviour of people involved in 'low-level disorder' in Cromer is "intolerable" after the seaside town was put on lockdown pic.twitter.com/Iinoa3TpLW—
  
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• Elon Musk leads 116 experts calling for outright ban of killer robots

  20-08-2017 16:01 via theguardian.com
  Open letter signed by Tesla chief and Alphabet’s Mustafa Suleyman urges UN to block use of lethal autonomous weapons to prevent third age of warSome of the world’s leading robotics and artificial intelligence pioneers are calling on the United Nations to ban the development and use of killer robots.Tesla’s Elon Musk and Alphabet’s Mustafa Suleyman are leading a group of 116 specialists from across 26 countries who are calling for the ban on autonomous weapons. Continue re
  
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• Rupert Everett: ‘I was living in terror for my life when Aids began’

  20-08-2017 16:00 via theguardian.com
  The star of new comedy Quacks had his big break in 1981, but spent the period in ‘sheer panic’ watching friends die. He talks about fear, flops and coming back from the wilderness yearsIn one way, Quacks is a natural place to find Rupert Everett. The keenly British comedy has “something of the Carry On, Stanley Baxter era” about it, he says – a sharp, playful script; a generous, gracious ensemble cast also featuring Rory Kinnear and Mathew Baynton; very accurate his
  
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• Bollywood's hot new topics: open toilets, menstrual hygiene and erectile dysfunction

  20-08-2017 16:00 via theguardian.com
  Forget all those swirling songs and plots about love, heartache and family values. Bollywood has more pressing concerns‘This is not about defecation,” says the hero of Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, which translates as Toilet: A Love Story. “It is about our whole way of thinking!” What makes this startling line all the more surprising is that it is delivered by Akshay Kumar, an actor straight out of the Bollywood A-list.The film, as the second half of its title suggests, has no s
  
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• Seaside town Cromer put 'on lockdown' amid 'low-level disorder'

  20-08-2017 15:58
  Extra police are continuing to patrol an English seaside resort following reports of "low-level disorder" which led some pubs, hotels and other businesses to close their doors.With residents describing Cromer in Norfolk as in "lockdown" on social media, venues said they had taken protective action."We never ever had this problem before," resident Lynette Hollis told Sky News.
  
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• Tour of Britain race in Mansfield where cyclists banned

  20-08-2017 15:52 via bbc.co.uk
  Cyclists face fines if they are caught riding in certain areas of the town.
  
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• British Jews Believe Labour Party Is Too Tolerant Of Anti-Semitism, Poll Suggests

  20-08-2017 15:27
  The vast majority (83%) of British Jews believe the Labour Party is too tolerant of anti-Semitism among its MPs, members and supporters, a poll suggests.
  
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• Davis urges EU to move Brexit talks on to future trade relations

  20-08-2017 14:28
  Britain is urging the European Union to relax its position that the two sides must settle divorce issues before moving on to discussing future trade relationship.Brexit Secretary David Davis said many aspects of the two phases of Britain's Brexit negotiations with Brussels are "inextricably linked".
  
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• Macbeth review – high camp, dark drama and more than a hint of Game of Thrones

  20-08-2017 14:09 via theguardian.com
  Festival theatre, Edinburgh
  This new production from Teatro Regio Torino has a solid cast and striking imagery backed by a richly nuanced account of Verdi’s score Verdi’s take on the Scottish play was the first opera to be performed at the inaugural Edinburgh festival, which is why it makes an appearance at the festival’s 70th anniversary celebrations. Not that there’s a lot of Scotland in evidence in this new production from Teatro Regio Torino and music director Gianand
  
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• Bros reunited

  20-08-2017 14:03 via bbc.co.uk
  Kicking off with I Owe You Nothing, Matt and Luke Goss roll back the years for Brosettes at the O2.
  
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• Scottish holidaymaker Cameron Russell dies in Bulgaria incident

  20-08-2017 13:22 via bbc.co.uk
  Cameron Russell, 20, from Dalry in Ayrshire, died after an incident in the Sunny Beach resort.
  
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• Barcelona Terror Attack Could Lead To Extra Vehicle Rental Checks

  20-08-2017 13:13
  British drivers could face extra checks when renting cars and vans to ensure they are not extremists who are hiring vehicles to carry out terror attacks, the Government said.
  
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• Karen Elson: ‘At 16, I was living in Paris on Weetabix and pears’

  20-08-2017 13:00 via theguardian.com
  The musician and model on fussy eating, late-night sake – and why her Nashville friends call her ‘Mama K’As a girl I hardly ate anything except dried bread, bacon, Jammie Dodgers and microwave chips. I was the fussiest, pickiest eater, sitting stubbornly in a battle of wills. And when I had a choice between going to eat or setting fire to things with a magnifying glass, I’d choose the latter.I have a (non-identical) twin sister, born before me, and in old photos I’m
  
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• Edinburgh Hit-And-Run In Drylaw Leaves Boy, 10, Seriously Injured

  20-08-2017 12:46
  A 10-year-old boy is seriously injured in hospital after being knocked down by a motorcycle in a “horrific” hit-and-run.
  
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