General news

• London moped gang jailed

  11-10-2017 23:50
  A moped gang has been jailed for a term exceeding 18 years for carrying out more than 100 crimes in London.
  
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• Teen moped gang jailed for 100 robberies in less than three weeks

  11-10-2017 23:45
  A gang has been jailed after using mopeds to carry out more than 100 robberies in less than three weeks - with their victims including former chancellor George Osborne.The three teenagers and a 40-year-old man - who handled the stolen goods - were sentenced to a total of more than 18 years.Toward the end of their spree, the gang went armed as they searched for victims and some victims were threatened with a hammer and a metal bar.
  
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• It's Time To End The Stigma And Postcode Lottery For Adhd In The Uk

  11-10-2017 23:38
  I'm going to start by leaving some stats on the table for later (aren't stats dull?) Then I'll tell you a story.
  
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• 9 things people would put on their ‘anti-bucket list’

  11-10-2017 23:36
  What have you done that you never will again?
  
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• Ben Stokes apologises to Katie Price over video

  11-10-2017 23:15
  England all-rounder Ben Stokes apologised on Wednesday to TV personality Katie Price and her son Harvey for a video that appeared to show him mocking the disabled boy.Stokes is suspended by England pending an investigation into an incident outside a Bristol nightclub last month for which he was arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm.England's test vice-captain said he had seen a clip of Harvey being asked on television how he responds to "internet trolls".
  
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• Murdoch papers hid evidence of illegality, say phone-hacking victims

  11-10-2017 22:39
  Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers deliberately concealed and destroyed evidence of unlawful activity at the the Sun and News of the World to cover up the involvement of senior executives, alleged victims of phone hacking have claimed.The allegations were made at a high court hearing on Wednesday in the latest stage of phone-hacking proceedings against the Sun and News of the World.
  
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• Tesco whistleblower did not raise concerns in appraisal, court told

  11-10-2017 22:17
  A senior accountant at the centre of a trial of three former Tesco executives did not raise his concerns over a hole in its accounts during his own appraisal, a court heard on Wednesday.Amit Soni, who is described as a whistleblower by the prosecution in the case, was giving evidence for a sixth day at the trial of Christopher Bush, 51, who was managing director of Tesco UK, Carl Rogberg, 50, who was UK finance director, and John Scouler, 49, who was UK food commercial director.The three deny an
  
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• UK leads the way with its fizzy drink tax - it should cover sweets too | Patrick Collinson

  11-10-2017 22:11
  George Osborne’s tax on sugary drinks is due to be introduced in 2018.In the battle between Big Soda and health campaigners, it is far from clear who is winning.Wednesday is World Obesity Day, marking yet another depressing milestone in a global epidemic where the US and the UK are bursting at the forefront.
  
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• Long Lartin prison: 'disturbance' breaks out at high-security jail

  11-10-2017 22:00
  Prison staff are dealing with an ‘ongoing disturbance’ at Category A Long Lartin jail.Teams of elite prison riot officers have been sent in to deal with an “ongoing” disturbance at the high-security Long Lartin prison in Worcestershire.The prison service said on Wednesday evening that Tornado teams, made up of prison officers specially equipped and trained to deal with riots, were attending the 622-capacity Category A jail.
  
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• Vladimir Putin was given a puppy as a birthday gift and it was all totally normal

  11-10-2017 21:51
  The Russian leader gave the little pup a kiss on the head after it was handed to him.
  
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• Hammond to set out Brexit spending breakdown ahead of budget

  11-10-2017 21:21
  Philip Hammond faced a tough session in front of the treasury select committee.Philip Hammond will publish a breakdown of spending on Brexit preparations before next month’s budget, amid growing pressure from pro-leave backbench MPs to show the government is serious about preparing for “no deal”.In response to a question from former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith, Theresa May said in the House of Commons on Wednesday that £250m would be made available in the curren
  
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• Tech companies take on extremism

  11-10-2017 21:20
  Technology companies have begun investing millions of pounds into projects aimed at countering extremism
  
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• Tech firms 'invest £100m' in fight against terror propaganda

  11-10-2017 21:14
  Tech companies have begun investing huge amounts of money to help in the fight against extremism.Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter are directly funding an increasing number of projects, not just online, but in local communities.Sky News has been told the investment, aimed at countering propaganda from terror groups like ISIS, currently tops more than £100m and is separate to the many millions already invested in policing and removing extremist content online.
  
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• 7 things you might be missing as Facebook and Instagram suffer global outages

  11-10-2017 20:58
  Twitter users share their thoughts.
  
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• How remain-voting Tories responded to new referendum question

  11-10-2017 20:57
  Theresa May’s refusal to say whether she would now back leaving the EU in a fresh referendum has left fellow remain-backing members of the cabinet split on how to respond to the same question.At least two members of May’s pro-EU dominated cabinet, Liz Truss and Jeremy Hunt, have said they would change their vote in favour of Brexit if a referendum were held tomorrow.Others including the loyal culture secretary, Karen Bradley, have followed the prime minister’s uncertain lead in
  
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• Stokes apologises to Katie Price over video

  11-10-2017 20:47
  England all-rounder Ben Stokes apologised on Wednesday to TV personality Katie Price and her son Harvey for a video that appeared to show him mocking the disabled boy.Stokes is suspended by England pending an investigation into an incident outside a Bristol nightclub last month for which he was arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm.England's test vice-captain said he had seen a clip of Harvey being asked on television how he responds to "internet trolls".
  
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• Theresa May trades LBC radio for Radio Ga Ga at PMQs | John Crace

  11-10-2017 20:36
  Right now, every day is a bad day for Theresa May. When she isn’t being hobbled by infighting in her own party, she’s busy undermining herself through her own incompetence and inertia.The policy is almost as unpopular on the government benches as it is on the opposition.
  
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• Woman falls to her death in St Paul's Cathedral in London

  11-10-2017 20:27
  Police are treating the incident at St Paul’s Cathedral as ‘non-suspicious’.A woman fell to her death from a balcony in St Paul’s Cathedral on Wednesday morning, in an incident police are treating as “non-suspicious”.The central London attraction was closed for the day after police were called to the building at 10.30am on Wednesday to reports that someone had fallen from the Whispering Gallery.
  
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• Woman falls to her death at St Paul's Cathedral in London

  11-10-2017 20:27
  Police are treating the incident at St Paul’s Cathedral as ‘non-suspicious’.A woman has fallen to her death from a balcony in St Paul’s Cathedral, in an incident police are treating as “non-suspicious”.The central London attraction was closed for the day after police were called to the building at 10.30am on Wednesday to reports that someone had fallen from the Whispering Gallery.
  
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• New Activists: Munroe Bergdorf Reveals Plans To Go Into Schools

  11-10-2017 20:23
  In today’s episode of New Activists, Munroe Bergdorf announces her next venture in the world of activism; forming a diversity campaign aimed at children.
  
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• Big Soda, small steps: Philip Hammond must extend pop tax to sweets

  11-10-2017 20:09
  Health campaigners argue that George Osborne’s tax on sugary drinks, due to be introduced in 2018, should be extended to include confectionery.In the battle between Big Soda and health campaigners, it is far from clear who is winning.Wednesday is World Obesity Day, marking yet another depressing milestone in a global epidemic where the US and the UK are bursting at the forefront.
  
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• Queen to skip Cenotaph wreath laying on Remembrance Sunday

  11-10-2017 20:08
  The Queen will break with tradition and not lay a wreath at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday, with Prince Charles carrying out her duties instead.Placing the wreath at the base of the Whitehall monument requires the monarch, who is 91, to walk backwards down the stone steps.The Queen will stand with the Duke of Edinburgh on a Foreign Office balcony to observe the service.
  
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• Prince Charles to lay Remembrance Day wreath on Queen's behalf

  11-10-2017 20:03
  The Queen lays a wreath at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London, on Remembrance Sunday last year.The Queen has asked Prince Charles to lay her wreath on Remembrance Sunday in a further sign of the gradual transition of duties within the royal family and an acknowledgement of her age.In a break with tradition, Charles will place his 91-year-old mother’s floral tribute at the base of the Cenotaph in London on 12 November while an equerry will lay 96-year-old Prince Philip’s wreath.
  
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• Grenfell fire: only 10 households affected have permanent homes

  11-10-2017 19:59
  Some people who lost their homes in the Grenfell Tower fire cannot decide whether they want to be rehoused near their old home, or outside the borough, said Sajid Javid.Only 10 of the households made homeless by the Grenfell Tower fire have been permanently rehoused four months after the blaze, the communities minister has told MPs.Sajid Javid revealed that officials are trying to rehouse 203 households following the fire in June that claimed about 80 lives.
  
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• Facebook And Instagram Back Up After Sites Go Down Across Europe, Canada And America

  11-10-2017 19:52
  Facebook and Instagram users are reporting the sites are now back up after the sites went down across Europe, Canada and America on Wednesday evening.
  
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• Syrian Child Bride Documents Her Life As A New Mother

  11-10-2017 19:47
  Education in emergencies continues to be neglected globally, despite world leaders pledging there would be ‘No Lost Generation’ of children as a result of the Syrian crisis.
  
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• The Guardian view on the return of PMQs: a microcosm of what’s wrong

  11-10-2017 19:38
  Iain Duncan Smith at prime minister’s questions. ‘The former Tory leader spoke.Try to imagine, just for a moment, that you are Iain Duncan Smith.Imagine too, if you can, that you are sitting in Mr Duncan Smith’s place on the Conservative backbenches during prime minister’s questions on Wednesday.
  
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• Grenfell Tower survivors to be offered permanent UK residency

  11-10-2017 19:15
  Brandon Lewis said the government wanted to give survivors ‘greater certainty over their long-term future in the UK’.Survivors of the Grenfell Tower disaster whose immigration statuses are uncertain are to be allowed the chance to become permanent British residents, the Home Office has said.The immigration minister, Brandon Lewis, said: “Our initial response to this terrible tragedy was rightly focused on survivors’ immediate needs in the aftermath of the fire and ensurin
  
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• Michael Fish would not dismiss great storm of 1987 today, says Met Office

  11-10-2017 19:04
  Tree damage was one of the lasting legacies of the 1987 storm.Blame the sting jet – not a plane, but a fearsome and poorly charted weather phenomenon.Thirty years on, the Met Office is confident that any such looming event would now be clearly forecast, probably days in advance, and certainly with at least 12 hours’ warning of its likely severity and impact.
  
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• Woman dies in St Paul's Cathedral after 100ft fall from Whispering Gallery

  11-10-2017 19:01
  A woman has died after falling around 100ft (30m) from a balcony in St Paul's Cathedral.Staff trained in first aid tried to save her, and paramedics were there within minutes, but City of London Police said she was pronounced dead at the scene around 10.30am.It said in a statement: "Although robust procedures for emergency situations are in place at St Paul's, and today's response bore that out, it does not lessen the shock we feel as a close community, especially for those of us who witnessed a
  
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• Government softens immigration rules for Grenfell fire survivors

  11-10-2017 19:01
  By Estelle ShirbonLONDON (Reuters) - Illegal immigrants who survived a fire that killed about 80 people in a social housing block in London will be given a clear path to obtaining permanent residency in Britain, the government said on Wednesday.The 24-storey Grenfell Tower, which was home to many immigrants and people from ethnic minorities, was gutted on June 14 in an inferno that started in the middle of the night and engulfed the whole building with devastating speed.The tower is located in a
  
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• Theresa May expected to make concessions over 'Henry VIII' powers

  11-10-2017 18:59
  Theresa May is likely to agree to a new parliamentary committee to help weed out excessive use of Henry VIII powers after Brexit as she seeks to head off a rebellion, according to Tory MPs pushing for the change.Several Conservative supporters of the idea told the Guardian they believe the prime minister will back down on the issue because she cannot risk losing a vote when the EU withdrawal bill returns to the House of Commons later this month.The amendment, now signed by 15 Conservative MPs al
  
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• Queen Elizabeth to skip Remembrance Sunday wreath laying

  11-10-2017 18:57
  The Queen will not lay a wreath at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday with Prince Charles carrying out her duties instead.The Queen will break with tradition this Remembrance Sunday and has asked the Prince of Wales to lay her wreath at the Cenotaph.At her majesty's request, her son Prince Charles will place the floral tribute at the base of the Cenotaph on 12 November.
  
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• Queen Elizabeth bows out of Remembrance wreath-laying ceremony

  11-10-2017 18:56
  Britain's 91-year-old Queen Elizabeth has asked her eldest son, Prince Charles, to lay a wreath on her behalf at London's main war memorial on Remembrance Sunday, breaking with her usual custom of laying it herself.The monarch will view the long wreath-laying ceremony at the Cenotaph on Whitehall in central London on Nov. 12 from the balcony of the nearby Foreign Office, alongside her husband Prince Philip, who is 96."At Her Majesty's request, a wreath will be laid on her behalf by The Prince of
  
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• Philip Hammond warns 'no deal' Brexit could see flights grounded

  11-10-2017 18:52
  Chancellor Philip Hammond has warned it is "theoretically conceivable" flights to Europe from the UK could be grounded if Britain leaves the EU without a Brexit deal.Appearing before MPs at the House of Commons' Treasury Select Committee on Wednesday, Mr Hammond raised the prospect of no air traffic agreement being struck if Brexit talks collapse - although he suggested "mutual self-interest" would see flights continue.Mr Hammond spoke as he was quizzed over whether the Treasury will authorise s
  
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• Liz Truss Tells Families On Welfare To Visit Job Centre If They Can't Afford 55p-A-Minute Helpline

  11-10-2017 18:52
  "If it's a landline its cheaper, I understand, but many people know don't have a landline" @afneil "Why are you charging them 55p a min?"
  
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• 12 touching stories and inspiring words from National Coming Out Day

  11-10-2017 18:48
  “Coming out is rarely a singular event. All the days are alive.”
  
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• MP asks why Equifax delayed notifying UK data hack victims

  11-10-2017 18:47
  By Eric AuchardLONDON (Reuters) - The powerful chair of Britain's parliamentary treasury committee demanded on Wednesday that U.S. credit reporting agency Equifax explain why it has taken more than a month to notify UK users of a massive data breach affecting up to 15.2 million citizens.Nicky Morgan, chair of the House of Commons' Treasury Committee, also wrote to Britain's financial regulator to determine whether Equifax had violated terms of its licence to operate in the country and whether th
  
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• Generation rent: how did we get here and where might we end up?

  11-10-2017 18:41 via theguardian.com
  Co-living is catching on among twentysomethings, attracted by chance to live with like-minded people in properties to be proud ofOwning her own home was never a dream for Lyndsey Yates. The freelance graphic designer and her partner Mark, a web designer, have always hankered after something more flexible, more exotic. “When we first got together we were convinced we would never buy a house because we wanted our freedom, to move around wherever we wanted to,” she says. They both had
  
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• Revealed: What Really Happens When You Call The Universal Credit Helpline

  11-10-2017 18:40
  Universal Credit claimants languish on hold to a government helpline while racking up bills as high as £16, without the option of an immediate call back, contradicting claims made today by Downing Street.
  
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• UK and EU formally inform WTO of post-Brexit tariff quota plan

  11-10-2017 18:32
  Britain and the EU have formally informed members of the World Trade Organisation how they plan to split up the EU’s tariff quotas and farm subsidies after Brexit in a plan already rejected by the White House.Under WTO rules, country-specific quotas permit low-tariff imports, such as butter and meat, up to a certain volume, after which higher tariffs can be applied.After a leak of the letter this month, however, the UK has been told that the arrangement is unacceptable to the US and other
  
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• Rethinking Retouching: A Small Step Towards Realistic Imagery In The Media

  11-10-2017 18:29
  Retouching an image to change the shape of a model's body and using it for commercial purposes - without disclosure - is now illegal in France, meaning publishers and advertisers that do not clearly label these images could face hefty fines.
  
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• Elsie Scully-Hicks trial: Adoptive father shouted 'shut up you little brat'

  11-10-2017 18:26
  The adoptive father of Elsie Scully-Hicks repeatedly shouted "shut up" at the toddler in the months before her alleged murder, a court has heard.Matthew Scully-Hicks, a 31-year-old fitness instructor, is accused of inflicting serious injuries on the toddler before her death in May 2016.Susan Bevan, who lived next door to the couple in Fairwater, told the jury: "I would hear her (Elsie) crying.
  
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• Grenfell Tower Survivors WIth Uncertain Immigration Status Could Become Permanent UK Residents

  11-10-2017 18:15
  Grenfell Tower survivors with an uncertain immigration status could become permanent UK residents, the Government announced on Wednesday.
  
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• Grenfell Tower survivors to be offered permanent residency in UK

  11-10-2017 18:03
  Survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire will be offered the chance to settle permanently in the UK, the Government has announced.Former residents of the west London tower block, where around 80 people died, will be granted the opportunity to extend their leave to remain in Britain for up to five years.The move is an extension of the Government's initial offer to Grenfell survivors in the immediate aftermath of the fire, when those with unsettled immigration status were given 12 months leave to rema
  
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• Royal Mail workers to ask court to let strike go ahead

  11-10-2017 18:00
  (Reuters) - Britain's Communications Workers Union (CWU) is to ask the High Court in London on Thursday to allow its members working at Royal Mailto go ahead with a strike, the union said on Wednesday.Royal Mail on Monday applied to the High Court for an injunction to prevent any strike action being taken before an agreed mediation process for settling labour disputes has been exhausted."In light of Royal Mail’s legal challenge we can confirm that the union will be defending its case at th
  
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• Ireland eyes Northern Irish political breakthrough, warns on border

  11-10-2017 17:49
  By Padraic HalpinDUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland's foreign minister said on Wednesday he hoped that talks to restore Northern Ireland's power-sharing government could reach a successful outcome by the end of the week after some further steps by the negotiating parties.Northern Ireland has been without a devolved administration since its collapse in January, raising the prospect of direct rule being reimposed from London, potentially destabilising a delicate political balance in the British province."
  
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• London demands answers as British rights activist barred from Hong Kong

  11-10-2017 17:45
  By Venus WuHONG KONG (Reuters) - A British activist critical of Hong Kong's rights record was barred entry to the former British colony on Wednesday, prompting a demand from London for an explanation, a week before a Communist Party leadership meeting starts in Beijing.Benedict Rogers, a co-founder of the Conservative Party's Human Rights Commission, has been a vocal critic of Chinese-ruled Hong Kong's treatment of human rights activists, including that of jailed student protest leader Joshua Wo
  
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• St Paul's Cathedral: Woman Dies After Falling From Whispering Gallery

  11-10-2017 17:37
  A woman has died after falling from the Whispering Gallery at St Paul’s Cathedral.
  
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• Dove model says advert 'taken out of context'

  11-10-2017 17:20
  Lola Ogunyemi appeared in an advert for the skincare company that was branded racist by critics.
  
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