General news

• Australia's first pill-testing trial cancelled – and ACT Liberals take credit

  12-10-2017 23:47
  Testing of ecstasy pills has been advocated by public health experts as a way of reducing the number of deaths at summer festivals.The Australian Capital Territory Liberal party has taken credit for blocking a pioneering pill-testing trial at an Australian music festival after organisers announced it will no longer go ahead.On Friday ACT Liberals congratulated the shadow attorney general, Jeremy Hanson, for “intervening” to block a pill-testing trial at the Spilt Milk festival in Can
  
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• Australia's first pill-testing trial cancelled after festival organisers pull out

  12-10-2017 23:47
  Testing of ecstasy pills has been advocated by public health experts as a way of reducing the number of deaths at summer festivals.In September the Australian Capital Territory government approved a pill-testing trial at the Spilt Milk festival, to be held on 25 November in Canberra.It was the first time the process – which proponents of harm minimisation have long called for – had been allowed to operate at an Australian event, and was approved after months of negotiations with the
  
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• EU to offer May hope of post-Brexit talks at summit - draft text

  12-10-2017 23:25
  By Alastair Macdonald and Gabriela BaczynskaBRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders could hand Theresa May an olive branch in deadlocked Brexit negotiations next week by launching their own internal preparations for a transition to a new relationship with Britain.Draft conclusions submitted by summit chair Donald Tusk to the 27 other EU governments made final Brussels' rejection of opening free trade talks now.With nerves fraying and threats flying about walking out without a deal come the M
  
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• Emma Thompson Says Harvey Weinstein Sits On Top Of System Of 'Harassment, Belittling And Bullying'

  12-10-2017 23:22
  Oscar-winning actor Emma Thompson has labelled Harvey Weinstein a “predator” who is just the tip of an “iceberg” as she joined the growing band of Hollywood stars to condemn the producer following a string of sexual assault allegations.
  
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• Emma Thompson Says Harvey Weinstein Sits At Top Of System Of 'Harassment, Belittling And Bullying'

  12-10-2017 23:22
  Oscar-winning actor Emma Thompson has labelled Harvey Weinstein a “predator” who is just the tip of an “iceberg” as she joined the growing band of Hollywood stars to condemn the producer following a string of sexual assault allegations.
  
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• Hachette Book Group terminates Weinstein books imprint

  12-10-2017 23:15
  Hachette Book Group, the U.S. publishing house of French group Lagardere, has terminated the Weinstein Books imprint, the latest entity to distance itself from Harvey Weinstein after allegations of sexual harassment against the movie producer."Hachette Book Group has terminated the Weinstein Books imprint, effective immediately (Perseus Books has had a co-publishing agreement with The Weinstein Company, under which we published around ten new books a year)," the company
  
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• 'To HELL with the will of the people!' Rachel Johnson launches savage attack on Brexiteers

  12-10-2017 22:53 via feedproxy.google.com
  STAUNCH Remainer Rachel Johnson launched a scathing attack on pro-Brexit Britons, calling on the Government to ignore the "will of the people."
  
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• ECB's Draghi pledges rock-bottom rates as Germany calls for change

  12-10-2017 22:38
  By Balazs Koranyi and Francesco CanepaWASHINGTON/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The head of the European Central Bank defended a pledge to keep interest rates at rock bottom on Thursday, batting back German calls for a speedy exit from years of easy money in the euro zone.With two weeks to go before the ECB decides on the future of its stimulus policy, its president, Mario Draghi, said the promise to maintain rates at their current level "well past" the end of its bond-buying programme was very important
  
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• Britons who fight for Islamic State make themselves a 'legitimate target', says Michael Fallon

  12-10-2017 22:02
  Michael Fallon has said British nationals in Iraq or Syria who have chosen to fight for Islamic State make themselves "a legitimate target".The Defence Secretary made the comments at a press conference following reports of the death of 'White Widow' Sally Jones, a notorious IS recruiter who is said to have been killed in a missile strike near the Iraq/Syria border.
  
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• British nationals fighting for IS are 'legitimate target'

  12-10-2017 22:00
  Defence Secretary Michael Fallon says that British nationals fighting for IS in Iraq or Syria have 'made themselves a legitimate target' for the RAF.
  
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• EU withdrawal bill debate postponed as Brexit talks hit buffers

  12-10-2017 21:59
  David Davis, the UK’s Brexit secretary, and Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, give an update on the progress of negotiations in Brussels.Ministers have been forced to postpone next week’s debate on the EU withdrawal bill on a chaotic day that saw Michel Barnier warn of a “disturbing deadlock” in the divorce talks in Brussels and a growing whispering campaign against the chancellor in Westminster.Andrea Leadsom, the leader of the House of Commons, told MPs t
  
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• UK police investigating movie producer Weinstein - Guardian newspaper

  12-10-2017 21:26
  British police are investigating U.S. movie producer Harvey Weinstein for alleged sexual offences, the Guardian newspaper reported on Thursday.Asked about the report, a spokesman for London's Metropolitan Police said: "The Metropolitan Police Service was passed an allegation of sexual assault by Merseyside Police on Wednesday, 11 October.The allegation will be assessed by officers from the Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Command."The spokesman said police would not identify the person involved.
  
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• EU to launch internal Brexit transition work - draft

  12-10-2017 21:18
  By Alastair MacdonaldBRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders will tell Britain next week it must improve the terms of its withdrawal offer, but give London the prospect of a rapid move to free-trade talks in December if that happens, their draft joint statement showed.The remaining 27 EU leaders will discuss Brexit without British Prime Minister Theresa May next week after a fifth round of technical negotiations ended in a deadlock earlier on Thursday.While the draft statement makes clear th
  
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• EU 27 draft joint statement on Brexit at October 19-20 summit

  12-10-2017 21:17
  European Union leaders will tell Britain next week it must improve the terms of its withdrawal offer but will give London the prospect of a rapid move to free-trade talks in December if that happens, their draft joint statement showed on Thursday.Following is the full draft statement on Brexit prepared for the EU summit on Oct. 19-20.* acknowledges that, as regards Ireland, there has been someprogress on convergence on principles and objectives regardingprotection of the Good Friday Agreement an
  
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• British police investigate Harvey Weinstein sexual assault claim

  12-10-2017 21:08
  Police in the UK are investigating an allegation of sexual assault against film producer Harvey Weinstein.The Met Police's investigation into the alleged sexual assault, which is said to have taken place in London in the 1980s, comes after police in New York reopened a 2004 case involving the Hollywood film producer.The UK claim was reported on Wednesday morning to Merseyside Police, who referred it to Scotland Yard.
  
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• Friday 13th Isn't Always Unlucky - Here Are Some Great Things That Also Happened

  12-10-2017 21:04
  If you’ve been avoiding ladders and being extra-careful around mirrors today, don’t worry, Friday 13th doesn’t necessarily deserve all the bad rep it gets.
  
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• Friday 13th Has Actually Seen Some Pretty Unlucky Things Happen

  12-10-2017 21:04
  Friday 13th gets a bad rep and depending on whether you’re superstitious or not, you might find yourself being extra careful around ladders, mirrors and the like.
  
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• Readers recommend: share your songs about pride

  12-10-2017 21:00 via theguardian.com
  Make your nomination in the comments and a reader will pick the best eligible tracks for a playlist next week – you have until Monday 16 October This week are looking for your nominations on the topic of pride and being proud. For more on how to interpret the theme, keep an eye on the comments.You have until 11pm on Monday 16 October to post your nomination and make your justification. Regular RR contributor Pairubu will select from your recommendations and produce a playlist, which will b
  
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• DWP Forced To Admit Universal Credit Claimants Need To Call Costly Helpline

  12-10-2017 20:45
  The government has been forced into an embarrassing backtrack after admitting Universal Credit claimants need to call a costly helpline to receive welfare payments.
  
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• Richard Branson takes another bet on the future with Hyperloop One

  12-10-2017 20:44
  (Reuters) - British billionaire Richard Branson on Thursday placed another bet on the future with an investment in Hyperloop One, which is developing super high-speed transportation systems.Hyperloop One said Branson's Virgin Group would take the company global and rebrand itself as Virgin Hyperloop One in the near future.Branson has joined the board of Hyperloop One, which will develop pods that will transport passenger and mixed-use cargo at speeds of 250 miles per hour (402 km per hour).
  
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• Merkel - We'll conduct Brexit talks to minimise damage to Germany

  12-10-2017 20:25
  German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday she would conduct negotiations on Britain's looming departure from the European Union in such a way that Germany suffers as little damage as possible."And we'll conduct them in such a way that there is as little damage as possible for us here in Germany," she added.
  
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• Germany's Schaeuble says soft Brexit best way to minimise damage

  12-10-2017 20:24
  By Gernot HellerWASHINGTON (Reuters) - A "soft Brexit" incorporating trade deals would be the best way to minimise damage to Britain and the European Union, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on Thursday.Schaeuble, in Washington for a meetings of the International Monetary Fund, also praised the pro-European stance of French President Emmanuel Macron and said multilateralism was a prerequisite for world peace.
  
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• Tory MP Maria Miller: ‘Of course I’ve experienced sexual harassment’

  12-10-2017 20:16
  Maria Miller says sexual harassment is still happening ‘particularly in very male-dominated industries’.Maria Miller, the Conservative MP and former culture secretary, has revealed she has been sexually harassed “numerous times” and believes it happens regularly to women in the workplace.Miller, who chairs the House of Commons women and equalities committee, spoke out as part of a campaign by 5 News called That’s Harassment, highlighting everyday sexual harassment.
  
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• Royal Mail wins High Court injunction to block 48-hour strike

  12-10-2017 20:15
  Royal Mail has won a High Court injunction preventing next week's 48-hour strike by postal workers.Around 110,000 members of the Communications Workers Union (CWU) were set to walk out from 19 October in what would have been the first national postal strike since Royal Mail was privatised in 2013.Staff had voted overwhelmingly earlier this month in favour of industrial action in a long-running dispute over pensions, pay and jobs.
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn Accuses Michael Fallon Of 'Smear' Over Drone Killing Of So-Called 'White Widow'

  12-10-2017 20:15
  Jeremy Corbyn has said the Conservative Party is trying to smear him over the IS drone strike that reportedly killed Sally-Anne Jones after the Labour leader said the British IS recruiter should have faced trial.
  
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• Ryanair resists pilot call for new industrial relations approach

  12-10-2017 20:14
  By Conor Humphries and Padraic HalpinDUBLIN (Reuters) - Ryanairresisted moves by pilots to unionise on Thursday, after one demanded the Irish airline adopts a new approach to industrial relations.The European Cockpit Association, which represents pilot unions, said the demand by Imelda Comer represented the view of pilots in the majority of Ryanair's 86 bases, who are in the process of setting up a pan-European representative body.After the airline said it would not respond to anonymous letters,
  
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• Thompson: Weinstein 'tip of the iceberg'

  12-10-2017 19:49 via bbc.co.uk
  Emma Thompson says the Weinstein allegations are part of a systemic problem in Hollywood.
  
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• May has 'full confidence' in Hammond

  12-10-2017 19:49
  Prime Minister Theresa May has full confidence in Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond, her spokesman said on Thursday, following criticism from former Chancellor Nigel Lawson.Asked by a reporter if May had full confidence in her Chancellor, the spokesman said "Yes".Earlier Lawson, who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer between 1983 and 1989, said Hammond may be inadvertently undermining the government's Brexit plans and should be removed from office.
  
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• EU ready to launch internal Brexit transition work - draft statement

  12-10-2017 19:48
  By Alastair MacdonaldBRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders will say at a summit next week that Britain must improve its offer of Brexit withdrawal terms but offer London the prospect of a rapid move to free-trade talks in December if that happens, according to draft summit conclusions.In a substantial gesture towards British Prime Minister Theresa May, the draft - submitted to the 27 remaining EU governments on Thursday and seen by Reuters - says the EU should launch immediate internal wor
  
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• British police investigate Harvey Weinstein assault claim

  12-10-2017 19:45
  Police in the UK are investigating an allegation of sexual assault against film producer Harvey Weinstein.The alleged sexual assault dates back to the 1980s and is said to have taken place in London.Merseyside police first received the report on Wednesday morning, before referring the case to Scotland Yard.
  
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• We all have a role to play in ending abuse by powerful men like Harvey Weinstein | Letters

  12-10-2017 19:38 via theguardian.com
  Men are not immune from the harmful effects of our misogynistic culture, says Joe McCarthy; we must tackle the power imbalance at the root of all oppressive behaviour, says Ruth Eversley; don’t stand by, stand up, says Bob JacobsonLike Rebecca Solnit (The fall of Harvey Weinstein should be a moment to challenge extreme masculinity, 12 October), I too hope that the current torrent of stories of vulnerable women being abused by powerful men represents a “moment that will pass” an
  
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• The Tories are ignoring the worsening crises in social care, health and welfare | Letters

  12-10-2017 19:38
  A care worker sits with an elderly women. ‘We need long-term solutions and fair funding to enable us to provide our ageing population with the care and dignity they deserve,’ writes Iain Malcolm.Thank you for leading the debate on the national crisis in social care (Forgotten and forsaken, Social care supplement, 11 October).As David Brindle rightly states, there was a “deafening silence from last week’s Conservative party gathering in terms of any relevant policy or fund
  
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• US journalist who broke Harvey Weinstein story to get Channel 4 show

  12-10-2017 19:35
  The US journalist who revealed that Harvey Weinstein faced allegations of sexual abuse stretching across decades is to present a new late-night show on Channel 4.Ronan Farrow published an 8,000-word article in the New Yorker earlier this week in which 13 women made detailed allegations against film executive Weinstein.Farrow is the son of Woody Allen, the film director, and Mia Farrow, the actor, and used to work in the Obama administration.
  
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• The environment inside our skins, the obesity epidemic and the food industry | Letters

  12-10-2017 19:34
  ‘Perhaps sugar should be seen as the drug that it is,’ says Lizzie Hill.The obesity epidemic (Report, 11 October), like lung cancer, has a single chief cause which can be found by following the money.The profit from this epidemic can be found in the pockets of the food industry.
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn had a go at painting and it turned out surprisingly well

  12-10-2017 19:27
  He did have some help, though.
  
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• Donald Trump's Clean Power Plan And Obamacare Moves Explained For Brits

  12-10-2017 19:02
  This week is set to be busier than usual in the White House as the Trump administration gets set to plough ahead with attempts to change two major pieces of US policy - Obamacare and the Clean Power Plan.
  
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• Why Is Friday 13th Unlucky?

  12-10-2017 19:01
  Friday the 13th falls upon us this week, and it feels particularly apt as the days grow shorter and the nights darker.
  
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• Why Is Friday 13th Considered Unlucky?

  12-10-2017 19:01
  Friday the 13th falls upon us this week, and it feels particularly apt as the days grow shorter and the nights darker.
  
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• How The Crucial 'Golden Hour' Helped To Catch Alice Ruggles' Killer

  12-10-2017 19:01
  In April, Lance Corporal Trimaan ‘Harry’ Dhillon was found guilty of murdering his former girlfriend, Alice Ruggles.
  
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• Charlie Craggs On Beginning To Date As A Trans Woman

  12-10-2017 18:59
  In today’s episode of New Activists - HuffPost UK’s daily docu-reality series - trans activist Charlie Craggs records a podcast with anti-bullying activist, Liam Hackett.
  
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• Is Free Market Capitalism Still Fit For Purpose?

  12-10-2017 18:57
  The reason to ask is the collapse of the long-established and popular Monarch Airlines.
  
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• Employers, Don't Write Off Those With Experience Of Mental Ill Health

  12-10-2017 18:57
  Imagine breaking a leg and losing your job because of it.
  
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• Why The BBC Is Wrong To Remove Education From Applicants' CVs

  12-10-2017 18:56
  Last month, the BBC announced that it would remove education details from applicants' CVs.
  
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• Great Ormond Street hospital 'failing' intersex patients

  12-10-2017 18:56
  Great Ormond Street hospital is failing to meet national standards and guidelines of care for intersex patients, it has been claimed.NHS regulator, the Care Quality Commission, is investigating after the BBC said it found that some intersex patients and their families were not provided with any psychological care before irreversible surgery at the world famous hospital.The broadcaster said it also found evidence that some operations were taking place on intersex babies and children without discu
  
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• Breaking Bad house owners build fence to stop people throwing pizza on their roof

  12-10-2017 18:47
  The real-life owners of the home from the hit series have suffered repeated cases of trespassing and vandalism.
  
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• Record close for FTSE as sterling slides on Brexit impasse

  12-10-2017 18:43
  By Kit Rees and Helen ReidLONDON (Reuters) - Britain's top share index enjoyed a record close on Thursday, boosted by a fresh fall in Brexit bellwether sterling after the European Union's chief negotiator Michel Barnier said talks are in deadlock.Britain's FTSE 100ended the day up 0.3 percent, at 7,556.24 points, its highest ever closing level.Sterling slid against the dollaras Barnier said talks were in an "impasse" due to an elusive compromise over the amount Britain would contribute to the EU
  
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• GCSE shake-up leaves many schools missing national progress targets

  12-10-2017 18:42
  The introduction of new GCSEs this summer means nearly one in eight secondary schools in England is likely to fall below the government’s floor for pupil progress, according to the latest national figures.The Department for Education’s provisional data for key stage four results reveal a messy picture caused by reformed GCSEs in English and maths taken for the first time this year, including a large jump in schools struggling to meet national progress targets.
  
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• US magazine puts out 'Weinstein recording'

  12-10-2017 18:40
  The New Yorker has released a copy of an audio recording reportedly of Weinstein talking to a woman at the entrance of his hotel room.
  
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• Britain hopeful of "good news" on Northern Ireland crisis - minister

  12-10-2017 18:34
  LONDON/BELFAST (Reuters) - Britain is hopeful of some "good news" from Northern Ireland that may allow it to introduce legislation that would restore the region's power-sharing government, the leader of Britain's lower house of parliament said on Thursday.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.Irish For
  
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• This airline finally replied to a passenger nine years after he tweeted them to suggest a new route

  12-10-2017 18:24
  Southwest Airlines is *finally* going to be flying to Hawaii.
  
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