General news

• Kezia Dugdale to resign as Scottish Labour leader - Sky sources

  29-08-2017 23:42
  Kezia Dugdale is expected to resign as leader of the Scottish Labour Party, Sky sources say.
  
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• Did GBBO rise or sink?

  29-08-2017 23:41 via bbc.co.uk
  It's the first time viewers have seen the show's new line-up on screen.
  
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• Blackmailer whose plot led to suicide of 17-year-old jailed in Romania

  29-08-2017 23:40 via theguardian.com
  Iulian Enache, 31, shared intimate photos belonging to Ronan Hughes, from Northern Ireland, after teenager failed to pay ransom A man who blackmailed a Northern Irish schoolboy who went on to kill himself has been jailed for four years in prison. Related: UK child protection officers receive one sexting-related case every dayContinue reading...
  
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• May seeks to ease Japan's Brexit fears during trade visit

  29-08-2017 23:35
  By William James and Kiyoshi TakenakaLONDON/TOKYO (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May will look to ease corporate Japan's worries about Brexit during a three-day visit to the country from Wednesday focused on progress on a bilateral trade deal for when Britain leaves the European Union.May's first trip to Japan as prime minister comes at a difficult moment, with Japanese attention focused on North Korea's Tuesday missile test and Britain's Brexit negotiators recently on the receiving end of s
  
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• ‘Pretty Scottish’ Cameron Norrie aiming to make hay in the United States

  29-08-2017 23:30 via theguardian.com
  Britain’s world No225, born in New Zealand, has made Texas his base and in New York has reached the second round of a grand slam tournament for the first timeIf this is to be the US Open that delivers serial upsets in the first week – and a few have arrived already – Cameron Norrie is as well placed as any of the fringe candidates in the splintered men’s draw to provide them.Speaking in a mild but recognisably New Zealand accent before his second-round match against Pablo
  
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• Nathaniel Chalobah’s England call-up shows benefit of leaving Chelsea

  29-08-2017 23:30 via theguardian.com
  • Watford man hopes to win first cap in World Cup qualifiers
  • Midfielder turned down offer of new contract at Stamford BridgeNathaniel Chalobah has admitted his decision to leave Chelsea this summer was “brave” but has already been justified by a first call-up to the England squad, with the Watford midfielder hoping to make his senior debut in the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against Malta and Slovakia.Chalobah, who had entered the final 12 months of his deal at Stamfo
  
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• May heads to Japan aiming to allay Brexit fears and lay basis for trade deal

  29-08-2017 23:30
  PM is likely to find Shinzo Abe and his team distracted by the North Korean missile launch.Theresa May will have to allay Japanese fears about the impact of Brexit on business when she flies to the country on Wednesday for a three-day trip billed as a visit to lay the groundwork for a new trade deal, but likely to be dominated by North Korea.Speaking before the trip, the prime minister said the UK government was seeking a free trade deal based on the EU-Japan agreement, calling Japan a “na
  
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• Police operation after Euston security alert

  29-08-2017 23:25
  Numerous police vehicles, some with dog handlers, descended on Euston station after a security alert caused by an e-cigarette.
  
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• Sky Apologises For Letting 72-Year-Old Alzheimer's Sufferer Pay £110 A Month For TV

  29-08-2017 23:24
  Media giant Sky has apoligised after letting an elderly Alzheimer’s sufferer pay more than £100 a month for his TV package.
  
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• E-cigarette 'explosion' sparks evacuation at Euston station

  29-08-2017 23:24
  British Transport Police said they evacuated the station following reports that smoke was seen coming from a bag.A statement from BTP said: "We are investigating but there appears to have been a small contained explosion which is believed to have been caused by an e-cigarette which was in a bag at the station.At 7.40pm, BTP said it was evacuating the station to allow officers and dogs to search the area and make sure it was safe.
  
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• Tottenham move for PSG full-back Serge Aurier held up by work permit issue

  29-08-2017 23:22 via theguardian.com
  • Delay relates to criminal conviction Ivory Coast player received in 2016
  • Spurs set to complete £8m move for Estudiantes defender Juan FoythMauricio Pochettino is primed to complete an £8m move for the Estudiantes central defender Juan Foyth but he has been left waiting over Tottenham Hotspur’s work permit application for another defensive target – the Paris Saint-Germain right-back Serge Aurier.Tottenham have agreed a fee of €25m (£23m) for Aurier
  
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• Why Melania Trump’s shoes have caused such a huge debate

  29-08-2017 22:55
  The First Lady of the United States was on her way to visit those affected by Hurricane Harvey.
  
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• Euston station evacuated briefly after small explosion caused by e-cigarette - police

  29-08-2017 22:23
  British police evacuated London's Euston station on Tuesday after a small explosion, most probably caused by an e-cigarette in a bag, prompted a lock-down and sent dozens of armed officers racing to the scene.Britain is on high alert after a series of militant attacks in London and Manchester this year that have killed 36 people.Earlier on Tuesday, Liverpool airport was evacuated and passengers kept on their planes while a bomb disposal team dealt with a suspicious package.
  
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• Great British Bake Off review – right where I want to be when the bombs start falling

  29-08-2017 22:15 via theguardian.com
  Bake Off has survived the move from BBC oven to Channel 4 table, and it’s still showcasing the best of humanity. The world is on fire: this is what we all need Praise the Lord and pass the croquembouche – the Great British Bake Off, a teetering edifice of delicious tiny morsels itself, held together by the sweet bonds of love, nostalgia and charm, has survived the move from BBC oven to Channel 4 table. It was clear from this opening episode that enough people had held enough nerve to
  
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• David Torrence, Olympic 5,000m finalist, found dead at age of 31

  29-08-2017 22:09 via theguardian.com
  Peruvian American’s body found in Arizona swimming pool Scottsdale police are not treating death as suspicious The Olympic 5,000m runner David Torrence has been found dead in a swimming pool in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was 31.Torrence was from California and had come to Scottsdale to train a few weeks ago. Police said they were not treating the death as suspicious. “Firefighters removed the male subject from the pool and he was pronounced deceased,” said Sergeant Ben Hoster of t
  
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• Climate change and Harvey: your questions answered

  29-08-2017 22:08 via theguardian.com
  At least 14 people have died and tens of thousands evacuated as Houston continues to be battered by catastrophic rainfall. Can we decode the disaster?Tropical storm Harvey – live updates
  A tropical storm that is on course to break the US record for the heaviest rainfall from a tropical system. Meteorologists say the 120cm-mark set in 1978 could be surpassed on Tuesday or Wednesday. Continue reading...
  
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• Judge throws out Sarah Palin lawsuit against New York Times

  29-08-2017 22:06 via theguardian.com
  Judge Jed Rakoff said the editorial in question had a few factual inaccuracies that were rapidly corrected and did not amount to defamationA federal judge has thrown out a defamation lawsuit that former Alaska governor Sarah Palin brought against the New York Times over an editorial.Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan said Tuesday there were a few factual inaccuracies somewhat pertaining to Palin that were rapidly corrected. He says it may have been negligent, but was plainly not defamation of a publi
  
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• Liverpool airport back to normal after suspect package found

  29-08-2017 21:50
  Liverpool airport was evacuated earlier on Tuesday while a bomb disposal team dealt with a suspect package and now it is safe and it is "business as usual", a spokesman for the airport said.The spokesman said the evacuation was a precautionary measure and now flights were coming in as usual.
  
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• Lancashire’s Liam Livingstone hits double century against Warwickshire

  29-08-2017 21:22 via theguardian.com
  • England prospect scores unbeaten 215 to build massive lead
  • Essex bowlers bring leaders back into the game against SomersetThe sense that Liam Livingstone is a rare talent who will end up playing all three formats for England was emphatically strengthened by his brilliant maiden double-century for Lancashire against Warwickshire at Old Trafford.Livingstone’s unbeaten 215 (from 318 balls with 25 fours and three sixes, one of which – a pull off Olly Stone – brought u
  
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• Ben Jennings on Donald Trump and tropical storm Harvey – cartoon

  29-08-2017 21:18 via theguardian.com
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• UK police broke law in case of British backpackers murdered in Thailand

  29-08-2017 20:59 via theguardian.com
  National Crime Agency breached rules by passing information to Thai police that led to death sentences, high court rulesThe National Crime Agency in the UK has been forced to admit it acted unlawfully when it gave information to Thai police that helped send two men to death row for murdering two British backpackers.The NCA supplied phone record evidence and intelligence to investigators in Thailand following the September 2014 murders of Hannah Witheridge, 23, and David Miller, 24, on the island
  
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• Davis wants legal clarification from EU over Brexit payout

  29-08-2017 20:58
  David Davis’s team have been stung by suggestions the government should have published a paper setting out its own position on withdrawal bill.David Davis’s negotiating team is demanding legal clarification from Brussels officials over its demands that the UK pay a substantial financial settlement as part of the process of quitting the European Union.A senior government source said British negotiators have peppered EU officials with queries about the legal principles Brussels believe
  
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• FTSE falls to 16-week low after North Korea missile test and storm Harvey

  29-08-2017 20:57 via theguardian.com
  Markets fall in Paris, Frankfurt and on Wall Street as investors flee to safe haven assets including gold amid global tensionsThe FTSE 100 tumbled to a 16-week low as investors reacted to North Korea’s latest missile test by dumping shares on the London stock market.Stocks listed in Paris and Frankfurt also fell on Tuesday and the dollar came under pressure, underscoring the flight from equities to safe haven assets, including gold. Continue reading...
  
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• UK universities chief pushes back against fees and pay critics

  29-08-2017 20:54 via theguardian.com
  Alistair Jarvis dismisses attacks on tuition fees and executive pay, saying they are based on misinformation and malice
  Critics of British universities including Andrew Adonis are peddling “misinformation, muddled argument and even a little malicious intent,” according to the head of a group representing UK vice-chancellors.Alistair Jarvis, the newly appointed chief executive of Universities UK, did not name the former education minister directly but his call for institutions to figh
  
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• UK universities chief pushes back against critics of system

  29-08-2017 20:54
  Alistair Jarvis’s speech at a conference in Birmingham followed a summer of criticism by Lord Adonis, above, of ‘failings in the university sector’.Critics of British universities including Andrew Adonis are peddling “misinformation, muddled argument and even a little malicious intent,” according to the head of a group representing UK vice-chancellors.Alistair Jarvis, the newly appointed chief executive of Universities UK, did not name the former education minister
  
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• Mitie investigated by FCA over results and profit warning

  29-08-2017 20:54 via theguardian.com
  Watchdog’s probe comes after news last month it has launched probe into outsourcing firm’s auditor DeloitteThe City regulator has launched an investigation into Mitie over its annual results and the timing of a September 2016 profit warning, adding to problems at the outsourcing company as it tries to revive its fortunes.The provider of pest control, cleaning and security services said on Tuesday it was informed of the probe by the Financial Conduct Authority on Friday and was &ldquo
  
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• The Guardian view on killer robots: on the loose | Editorial

  29-08-2017 20:40 via theguardian.com
  Lethal autonomous weapons are a reality, but the campaign to prevent their use is ours to winThe first meeting of the UN-backed group of experts, intended to start work on getting a ban on lethal autonomous weapons, was supposed to wrap up at the end of last week. But only days before it was due to start it was cancelled: funding shortfalls were blamed. A lack of will feels the more likely explanation. Alarmed by the delay the day it was due to begin, more than 100 of those most closely involved
  
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• The Guardian view on fostering: cultural sensitivity needed | Editorial

  29-08-2017 20:39 via theguardian.com
  The row over a Christian girl fostered by Muslim carers raises ugly emotions which must not obscure the principlesThe decision to take a child into care is never easy. Both the child and its natural parents will normally feel a great loss, and these feelings must be respected even if the alternative appears to be even worse. But the sundering of such a fundamental relationship will stir up strong feelings in onlookers too. The reports of a case in Tower Hamlets, where a white, Christian child is
  
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• Newcastle’s Rafael Benítez willing to sell Dwight Gayle for £18m

  29-08-2017 20:39 via theguardian.com
  • Manager concerned at striker’s attitude over this summer
  • Gayle was top scorer as club won Championship last seasonRafael Benítez is ready to sell Dwight Gayle for around £18m but will not release the striker until a replacement is lined up and guaranteed to arrive at Newcastle United by Thursday evening.Although Leeds United, who are seeking a replacement for Chris Wood at centre-forward, have apparently cooled their initial interest in Gayle, the 26-year-old doe
  
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• North Korea’s missiles can be stopped – but not by ‘fire and fury’ | John Nilsson-Wright

  29-08-2017 20:27 via theguardian.com
  Japan has few military options. But an international strategy to delegitimise Kim Jong-un’s regime and threaten his dynasty could be a long-term deterrent• Dr John Nilsson-Wright is a senior research fellow for the Asia Programme at Chatham HouseNorth Korea’s provocative launch of a missile over Japanese territory is a brutal reminder of Japan’s strategic vulnerability and the limited options for its prime minister, Shinzo Abe, in combating the growing nuclear and ballisti
  
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• RSPCA calls Davy Russell punching of horse ‘totally unacceptable’

  29-08-2017 20:20 via theguardian.com
  • David Muir criticises Irish Turf Club decision merely to caution jockey
  • ‘Perception as well as someone’s action is important now’The controversy over Davy Russell’s punch to his mount Kings Dolly before a race at Tramore nearly a fortnight ago continued on Tuesday when David Muir, the RSPCA’s experienced equine consultant, added his voice to widespread criticism of the Irish Turf Club for its failure either to fine or to suspend Russell over the incide
  
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• Liverpool reject £25m bid by Crystal Palace for Mamadou Sakho

  29-08-2017 20:19 via theguardian.com
  • Anfield club want £30m for exiled defender and will accept structured deal
  • They hope to sign Monaco’s Thomas Lemar and Southampton’s Virgil van DijkLiverpool have rejected a £25m bid from Crystal Palace for Mamadou Sakho as they hold out for £30m for the exiled defender.Palace’s offer, submitted by the chairman Steve Parish on Tuesday, was £22m plus £3m in add-ons for a defender who has been frozen out of Jürgen Klopp’s pla
  
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• Labour’s new soft Brexit policy could create electoral problems | Letters

  29-08-2017 20:16
  ‘Plans need to be set out to tackle poverty wages, and increase opportunities for good, well-paid, and secure employment in current blackspots’, writes Phil Tate.Labour’s new policy of a very soft Brexit is to be welcomed, but for all the advocates of such a policy there is the huge question mark hovering overhead – why advocate adhering to the single market and the customs union without also insisting on being part of the decision-making process on the rules of these bod
  
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• Why corduroy-loving geography teachers are right on trend

  29-08-2017 20:15 via theguardian.com
  Fusty, butterscotch-coloured corduroy has been deemed the height of style this season. But do real, ordnance survey-loving teachers actually wear it?Every season, the fashion press decide en masse, and with a touch of irony, that one unlikely profession is the archetype to which we should all aspire. In spring/summer 2016, the Gucci geek-chic look of Alessandro Michele was so often described as “librarian chic” by fashion journalists that librarians themselves started rolling their e
  
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• End of the queue destroys the principle behind the Proms | Letters

  29-08-2017 20:15 via theguardian.com
  The BBC Proms is criticised By Adrian Greeman for ending queueing and cashing in through online bookingThe end of queueing egalitarianism with cash-in-hand “priority” (Unfair and unethical. J’accuse the queue, 29 August) has now spread to the BBC Proms. For over 100 years you could queue up for the arena or the gallery at the Albert Hall, taking your chances to see great music at a budget price; one of the best cultural deals in London, if not the world. Now those who go online
  
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• Economic recovery depends on spending | Letters

  29-08-2017 20:13
  Jim O’Donnell thinks not.Welcome back to the Guardian’s agenda-setting Monday economic analysis page (Fat cats and how the wealth gap has been steadily widening, 28 August).In fairness, she does acknowledge that “In France, income inequality and poverty rates are lower than in Britain and Germany,” but does not speculate whether that would be the case if they had had a Thatcher or a Hartz IV, the German labour market reforms.
  
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• Prisoners being failed over their rights to decent healthcare | Letters

  29-08-2017 20:12
  As an inquest lawyer, I wholeheartedly endorse the concerns of doctors set out in Diane Taylor’s article (Prison healthcare so bad it would be shut down on outside, say doctors, 23 August).The number of prison deaths is increasing year on year, and most have a health component to them, whether physical or mental.It can only aggravate the high rates of suicide, violence and drug abuse in prisons, and so long as it continues we will witness the scandal of preventable deaths.
  
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• Praise for JK Rowling from her former teacher |Letters

  29-08-2017 20:12 via theguardian.com
  JK Rowling’s former English teacher Lucy Shepherd defends her crime writing skills in The Cuckoo’s Calling after a review of TV adaptationCormoran Strike comes to life in this adaptation of JK Rowling’s foray into crime (The Cuckoo’s Calling review, Last night’s TV, 28 August). JK Rowling, writing as Robert K Galbraith, is at the top of her game with the crime fiction genre. The Cuckoo’s Calling is literary 10-pin bowling at its finest: an assured hand guides
  
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• West Indies’ Shai Hope makes history in thrilling Test win over England

  29-08-2017 20:11 via theguardian.com
  • England 258 & 490-8 dec, West Indies 427 & 322-5
  • West Indies won the second Test by five wicketsHope triumphed over expectation in an enthralling final day on the magical, capricious turf of Headingley. West Indies brilliantly cruised past their victory target of 322, set by Joe Root on Monday, with five wickets and 28 balls to spare.Their helmsman was Shai Hope, who with his fellow Bajan, Kraigg Brathwaite, forged the critical partnership, just as they had done in the firs
  
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• Is Trump’s make-up rust-belt orange? | Brief letters

  29-08-2017 20:11
  Donald Trump. Reader Margaret Waddy wonders where he gets his foundation Photograph: Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock
  
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• Sinister donkeys and royal wedding commemorative bins: your ugliest ugly treasures

  29-08-2017 20:00 via theguardian.com
  Disgusting bowls, horrifying clowns, and a house that resembles a jumble sale – too many to choose just one. Here’s a photo gallery of your ugly treasuresTrinkets, objet d’art, and the absolutely inexplicable ... like the goat tree. What is the goat tree, apart from very ugly? Why is the goat tree?We asked you to share your horrible ornaments, and proudly share them you did (even if you did blame your parents or grandparents for their existence).Continue reading...
  
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• My life in a religious cult: 'The most dangerous place in the world is the womb of an ungodly woman'

  29-08-2017 20:00 via theguardian.com
  After her childhood in a secretive cult founded by her grandfather, New Zealand woman Lilia Tarawa risked hellfire and damnation to escape. In this book extract, she shares a slice of her life at Gloriavale Christian CommunityOn the west coast of the South Island of New Zealand, a religious cult named Gloriavale Christian Community closed itself off from the rest of the world in 1969.Founded by the self-styled and self-named Australian religious leader Hopeful Christian – who was convicted
  
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• West Ham's Andy Carroll tells court of watch robbery ordeal

  29-08-2017 19:59
  West Ham striker Andy Carroll has given evidence after a gun-wielding motorcyclist tried to rob him of his watch at traffic lights last year.The Premier League footballer was returning home from his club's training ground when he was chased by two motorcycles, Basildon Crown Court heard.Prosecutor Simon Gladwell told the court that two bikers chased Carroll after one approached him at a set of traffic lights in Hainault, northeast London, and demanded his £22,000 watch.
  
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• ‘The idea that it’s good business is a myth’ – why Hollywood whitewashing has become toxic

  29-08-2017 19:46 via theguardian.com
  Ed Skrein has resigned from a forthcoming Hellboy film in which he was cast as a Japanese-American. Activists say it could be a pivotal moment for an industry happy to jettison cultural sensitivity for star powerIn its original sense, “whitewashing” meant covering or cleaning something up. In today’s cultural landscape, it is a stain that won’t rub off. Now, “whitewashing” describes the habit of casting white actors to play non-white characters, often to shoeh
  
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• Mosh-pit opera: Fugazi's random stage banter set to music

  29-08-2017 19:46 via theguardian.com
  Random drum beats, guitar noodling, rants about gig etiquette: a new opera draws together every live performance by the cult punk band – not the songs, but everything in betweenAs the air is released from a bright red balloon, the stage erupts in a strict pandemonium. Distorted guitars squeal. A thunder of drums clatters into action. Actors’ bodies spasm and thrust their outstretched fists as if fighting with unseen ghosts. “It could be so much fun, I promise!” yells a be
  
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• Garçon! Some outdated, embarrassing phrases, por favor

  29-08-2017 19:43 via theguardian.com
  The French may not go around saying ‘zut alors’ and ‘sacre bleu’, but that doesn’t stop us Brits from using Pop Culture Foreignish on holidayPity the British tabloid headline-writer on his annual holiday. He falls off his easyJet in Nice, hails a waiter with a cheery “garçon!”, exclaims “sacre bleu!” when the food comes, a less enthused “zut alors!” when the bill arrives, “ooh la la!” when he spots a girl changi
  
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• Disruption on first day of upgraded Waterloo

  29-08-2017 19:39
  Commuters have vented their anger after disruption at London's Waterloo station and on the South Western network continued - despite the scheduled end to improvement works.Jasper Johns said his journey from Kingston was delayed by about 40 minutes.South Western train passengers were told by email that services on the operator's entire network might be cancelled, delayed or changed, with disruption expected until 4pm.
  
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• Can the Titanic soundtrack be a gateway drug to classical music’s greats?

  29-08-2017 19:34 via theguardian.com
  The 1997 film score is the bestselling classical album of the past 25 years – but not the best. We suggest further listening for those taken with James Horner’s ersatz workJames Horner’s soundtrack to Titanic is the bestselling classical album of the past 25 years, according to Classic FM. Titanic: Music from the Motion Picture has sold more than 1m copies in the UK alone, surpassed 30m copies worldwide and risen to No 1 in 20 countries.You know you know it. Cast your mind
  
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• Campaigners launch last-ditch appeal to stop fracking in Lancashire

  29-08-2017 19:32 via theguardian.com
  Protesters hope appeal court will uphold council’s decision to reject planning consent for Cuadrilla, which was overturned by Sajid JavidA last-ditch legal challenge to prevent fracking in Lancashire is being launched at the court of appeal.The case brought by anti-fracking protesters, to be heard on Wednesday and Thursday, seeks to overturn planning consent that was granted to Cuadrilla by the communities secretary, Sajid Javid, last October. Continue reading...
  
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• Toxic cloud on Sussex coast may have come from ship, say sources

  29-08-2017 19:27 via theguardian.com
  Haze that led to 150 people seeking treatment caused a pollution spike and ‘might have been caused by a ship venting’Authorities investigating the cause of Sunday’s chemical cloud are working on the assumption that it came from a ship in the Channel after environmental monitoring sites picked up a localised spike in pollution levels. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is working with the Environment Agency to establish the source of the cloud, which left 150 people seeking medi
  
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