General news

• PM May readying concessions on welfare reform - Sunday Telegraph

  21-10-2017 23:55
  Prime Minister Theresa May is on the verge of making concessions around a key welfare reform that has angered opposition parties as well as members of her own Conservatives, the Sunday Telegraph reported.The government has signalled that it is looking at ways to reduce the waiting time for payments from its new Universal Credit benefits system from six weeks, the newspaper said on Saturday, without citing sources.Last week some lawmakers from May's own party vented their dismay over the governme
  
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• Hollywood? It’s finished, claims Oscar-winning director who fled to New York

  21-10-2017 23:05 via theguardian.com
  Paul Haggis, who depicted LA’s racist underbelly in Crash, says Harvey Weinstein scandal is another signof the film capital’s need for radical changeA change of the old order in Hollywood is long overdue, according to Paul Haggis, the Oscar-winning film-maker behind the hit films Crash and Million Dollar Baby.The Canadian screenwriter and director said many of the established rules of big-budget showbusiness should be re-examined in the light of falling box-office receipts and the re
  
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• Weinstein accuser says she was scared to go public with harassment claim

  21-10-2017 23:02 via theguardian.com
  Katherine Kendall, who starred in Swingers, says worries over being blackballed in Hollywood prevented her from speaking out earlierThe actor Katherine Kendall has revealed how the fear of being “blackballed” by Hollywood’s powerbrokers stopped her from making claims of sexual harassment.Kendall, 48, publicly alleged earlier this month that Harvey Weinstein had harassed her in his apartment in 1993, claiming that the producer “literally chased me” and stopped her fr
  
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• Austerity puts public workers’ wages below private sector

  21-10-2017 23:00
  Public sector workers’ pay has dipped below that of their private sector counterparts for the first time since the financial crash, Treasury figures obtained by the GMB union reveal.The disparity, after seven years of austerity and cuts to public spending, will pile pressure on the chancellor, Philip Hammond, to abandon the public sector pay cap in next month’s budget.The analysis of hourly earnings shows that last year public sector workers were paid 0.6% less than private sector co
  
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• How Harvey Weinstein’s accusers gave women worldwide a voice

  21-10-2017 22:55 via theguardian.com
  It is no longer about just one disgraced man: testimonies of sexual harassment and abuse are emerging from Hollywood to politics via sport and fashionDrop a stone in a deep enough pond, and you never know how far the ripples will spread. It is more than a fortnight now since Harvey Weinstein was first accused of sexually harassing actresses in an article for the New York Times, and still the repercussions show no sign of ending.The film mogul now faces police investigations in two countries, inc
  
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• How can we trust Greg Clarke and the Football Association on anything?

  21-10-2017 22:21 via theguardian.com
  The treatment of Eni Aluko and the child abuse victims has been marked by repeated boardroom buffoonery. When Clive Sheldon QC completes his investigation into the abuse scandal, will the FA hold bits back to protect its reputation?In ordinary circumstances it might have been a pleasant surprise that someone in a high position has finally found the voice to float the possibility that Gordon Taylor, the chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association, has spent so long building
  
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• Theresa May told to keep pledge over debt relief for poor

  21-10-2017 22:13 via theguardian.com
  Ambush by House of Lords would force Conservatives to fulfil ‘breathing space’ pledge as millions go into the red
  Theresa May is under pressure to fulfil her pledge to give people struggling with debts “breathing space” from the bailiffs as figures show that half the British population are financially vulnerable.A cross-party group of peers, including a former Tory minister, is planning to bounce the prime minister into handing those in difficulty a grace period, during w
  
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• Austerity Policies Caused Grenfell Tower Disaster, Firefighter Says

  21-10-2017 22:05
  MPs should be “dragged” from Parliament to see Grenfell Tower’s shell as a reminder of how their decisions caused the disaster, a firefighter has said.
  
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• National Trust defeats move to ban trail hunting on its land

  21-10-2017 22:02
  The National Trust was accused of succumbing to pressure from the hunting lobby after a motion to ban trail hunting on the organisation’s land was narrowly defeated at its annual conference on Saturday, sparking warnings that some members would cancel their subscriptions in disgust.Members, including the explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, had backed the motion as a means of prohibiting trail hunting – in which hounds and riders follow a scent path laid earlier – which has long been
  
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• 'Hidden' Universal Credit Clause Threatens Further Scandal For Government's Welfare Reform

  21-10-2017 22:00
  A “hidden” raid on the self-employed threatens to engulf the government’s Universal Credit reforms in further scandal, as hard-working traders see their incomes hit by hundreds of pounds a year.
  
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• Collapsing academy trust ‘asset-stripped its schools of millions’

  21-10-2017 21:54 via theguardian.com
  Furious parents demand answers after transfer of funds by Wakefield City Academies Trust leaves pupils forced to recycle old exercise books“I want my children to have the education I didn’t get,” says Josie Farrar, 46, who has two children at Freeston Academy in Normanton, West Yorkshire.Her children had been back at school for two days at the start of term in September when parents had a letter saying the academy trust that managed Freeston and 20 other schools across Yorkshir
  
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• Letter written on Titanic fetches record £126,000 at auction

  21-10-2017 21:39
  The auction of this letter written on White Star Line stationery on the Titanic took place at Henry Aldridge & Son in Devizes.The last-known letter written on board by a passenger who perished when the Titanic sank – which contains the poignant prediction that “if all goes well we’ll arrive in New York on Wednesday” – has sold for a record-breaking £126,000 at auction.The handwritten note on three pages of embossed White Star Line stationery was written by
  
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• Church Of Scientology Opens Birmingham HQ With Lavish, Guarded, Ceremony

  21-10-2017 21:16
  The Church of Scientology has opened its opulent Birmingham HQ.
  
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• The fate of British jihadis who joined IS

  21-10-2017 20:50
  As Islamic State crumbles, Sky News looks at what happened to four of Britain's most-wanted jihadis.
  
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• Fate of British jihadi Abu Sa'eed Al Britani 'could deter others'

  21-10-2017 20:41
  Community leaders from the home town of jihadi Abu Sa'eed Al Britani say evidence suggesting he was imprisoned by Islamic State could deter other young Muslims from travelling to Syria.Sky News has found his namescrawled on a wall of a prisonin the recently liberated town of Raqqa, the one-time headquarters of IS.Abu Sa'eed left for Syria in 2014 and is on a UN sanctions list.
  
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• 10 jokes that are so stupid they’re funny

  21-10-2017 20:37
  “What do you call a Frenchman wearing sandals?”
  
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• Storm Brian Videos Show Terrifying Moment Planes Sway While Landing At Birmingham Airport

  21-10-2017 20:14
  Pilots battled gale-force winds at Birmingham Airport on Saturday as the effects of Storm Brian began to batter Britain.
  
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• Cover stories: beautiful book-jacket designs – in pictures

  21-10-2017 19:00 via theguardian.com
  A new collection of classic illustrations highlights the timeless appeal of dust jacketsMartin Salisbury on the lasting value of book coversContinue reading...
  
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• Sajid Javid: 'We will not rest until justice is secured for Grenfell victims'

  21-10-2017 18:20
  Sajid Javid: 'We will not rest until justice is secured for Grenfell victims'
  
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• Storm Brian hits Britain after flooding in south-west Ireland

  21-10-2017 18:15 via theguardian.com
  UK Met Office issues yellow weather warning for parts of England and Wales after high winds and heavy rain
  Parts of Britain have been battered by winds of almost 80mph and heavy rains as storm Brian crossed the Irish Sea after causing flooding in some parts of Ireland. A yellow weather warning for winds across a swath of Britain, including Wales and southern England up to the Midlands and north west, will remain in place until midnight on Saturday.Continue reading...
  
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• Fire crew watches Slough tower block 24/7 because of unsafe cladding

  21-10-2017 18:14
  More than £40,000 has already been spent hiring a fire engine to be on standby outside a block of flats which is covered in unsafe cladding.Slough Borough Council is paying around £2,000 per day for firefighters to watch over the privately owned Nova House in Berkshire.Speaking to Sky News, tenant Peter Bothwell says residents needed to be rehoused until safety works are completed.
  
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• Bluewater Evacuation: Person Injured During Chaos As Police Urge Against 'Panic'

  21-10-2017 18:09
  Police in Kent have appealed against “panic” after the chaotic evacuation of Bluewater shopping centre left one person injured on Saturday.
  
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• Woolly liberals: protest apparel – in pictures

  21-10-2017 18:00 via theguardian.com
  In January, thousands of women all over the world marched in protest at Donald Trump’s inauguration wearing pink “pussy hats”. Now you can learn how to knit your own, in Geraldine Warner’s new book, Protest Knits, published last week by Herbert Press. Also included in the book are instructions for knitting anarchist socks, tree-hugger scarves and Nasty Woman mittens. “Knitting is a way for me to express how strongly I feel about the cultural climate, in the way that
  
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• Universal Credit Six-Week Wait Could Soon Be Reduced, Tory MP Suggests

  21-10-2017 17:47
  Ministers are ready to reduce the waiting time for Universal Credit payments from six weeks following an outcry from Tory MPs, it has been suggested.
  
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• National Trust Trail Hunting: Anti-Hunt Activists Lose Historic Vote

  21-10-2017 17:17
  Anti-hunt activists have failed in their efforts to ban all hunting on National Trust land.
  
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• Tories under pressure over use of UK troops to sell arms to Gulf states

  21-10-2017 17:08
  The Department for International Trade (DIT) is facing calls to reveal details of its use of British troops to sell arms after it prevented the publication of the names of countries that sent delegations to watch UK soldiers carrying out demonstrations for weapons manufacturers.Liam Fox’s department has overseen a major increase in arms sales to Gulf states including Saudi Arabia amid allegations of human rights violations in the war in Yemen.It said identifying the delegations would &ldqu
  
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• Fifteen-year-old boy dies after 'horrific' knife attack in Manchester

  21-10-2017 17:01
  A teenager who was stabbed in a "horrific" knife attack has died in hospital.Kyron Webb, 15, was severely injured in the incident in Manchester on Tuesday.Police have launched a murder inquiry after he died on Friday and two teenagers, aged 17 and 16, are being questioned by detectives.
  
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• Winston Churchill’s Grandson Introduces A New Nickname For Donald Trump

  21-10-2017 16:17
  President Donald Trump may be a big fan of Britain’s former Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
  
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• Rethink on housing benefit cap for elderly and vulnerable

  21-10-2017 16:04
  Plans to cap housing benefit for thousands of mentally ill, elderly and other vulnerable people in supported housing are to be re-examined after protests by MPs and charities.The rethink, expected within weeks, also follows evidence from the National Housing Federation, which found that 85% of schemes to build new supported and sheltered homes for vulnerable people have been shelved by housing associations because of fears that the new funding system will make them unsustainable.The move comes a
  
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• Catalonia's Government To Be Sacked In Post-Independence Referendum Clampdown By Madrid

  21-10-2017 15:14
  Spain is to sack Catalonia’s Government and curb its parliament’s powers as it tries to punish the region for the independence referendum that was marred by police violence.
  
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• Donald Trump Authorises Release Of JFK Assassination Files Despite Concerns From Officials

  21-10-2017 15:12
  Donald Trump intends to authorise the release of “classified” files relating to the assignation of 35th President John F. Kennedy, despite concerns from officials.
  
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• Willem Dafoe: ‘I’ve thought about murder many times’

  21-10-2017 15:00 via theguardian.com
  The actor, 62, on actors’ fear, being happy in nature, the false freedom of technology and being mistaken for Mick JaggerNobody ever talks about how most actors are full of fear, because the target is always moving. If you’re smart you keep on playing the same, doing the same shtick. If you really put yourself out there… It’s always risky.Some people think I’m quite odd looking. Some think I’m handsome. Some people think I’m ugly. What can I say? Contin
  
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• 9 ways to describe Twitter in four words

  21-10-2017 14:55
  What better way to list them off than with a hashtag of their own?
  
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• A picture of Matthew McConaughey looking sassy has blown up on Twitter

  21-10-2017 14:24
  Those hips though.
  
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• Parsons Green stabbing: Teenager appears in court charged with murder

  21-10-2017 14:22
  A second teenager has appeared in court charged with murder after a man was stabbed to death outside Parsons Green Tube station in west London.Shafiq Smith, 18, is alleged to have killed Omid Saidy, 20, with a 16-year-old accomplice on Monday.Smith is also charged with the attempted murder of the victim's friend, who was stabbed after arriving at the scene on a moped.
  
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• Storm Brian: 'Weather bomb' batters Britain and Ireland

  21-10-2017 14:14
  Storm Brian has caused flooding in Ireland and shut Aberystwyth seafront as winds up to 70mph (130kmh) batter southern and western parts of the British Isles.Storm Brian is also affecting the UK, with the prospect of flooding and gusts up to 70mph in southern and western coastal areas of England and Wales.Police in West Wales said Aberystwyth seafront, which was being lashed by fierce waves, had been closed due to the high tide.
  
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• The fall of Raqqa - in pictures

  21-10-2017 13:52 via theguardian.com
  Photographer Bülent Kılıç entered the former Islamic State stronghold with the Syrian Democratic Forces and documented the elation of the victory over the jihadists and the price paid by the ancient city Continue reading...
  
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• Storm Brian clobbers Ireland and British coastal towns, buildings damaged

  21-10-2017 13:00
  Storm Brian battered towns in Ireland and along the western coast of England and Wales on Saturday, with gusts and high seas causing heavy damage to buildings.Less than a week after Tropical Storm Ophelia killed three people, Ireland's weather office issued an warning that winds were likely to average 55 to 65 km per hour in western regions, with gusts topping 100 kph.In Tenby, a picturesque seaside town in Wales, waves tore through a wall of the harbourmaster's offices, leaving debris strewn ac
  
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• Robert Mugabe's Appointment As Goodwill Ambassador For UN's WHO Causes Shock And Outrage

  21-10-2017 12:50
  The decision to make Zimbabwe’s controversial president Robert Mugabe a goodwill ambassador for the UN’s World Health Organisation is “surprising and disappointing”, Downing Street has said.
  
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• Donald Trump's 'Radical Islamic Terror Fuelled UK Crime Tweet Was Verbatim Repeat Of TV News Report'

  21-10-2017 11:35
  Donald Trump’s false claim that “radical Islamic terror” had fuelled a surge in violent crime in Britain was apparently a verbatim repeat of a TV report he was watching from a pro-Trump news network.
  
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• Motorway roadworks speed limit could be increased to 60mph

  21-10-2017 11:02
  Speed limits through roadworks in England could be raised to ease congestion and negate the impact of repairs.The current speed limit through roadworks is 50mph, but tests carried out by Highways England found that drivers' heart rates were lower when they drove through repairs at slightly higher speeds.Since September 2016, Highways England has trialled different speed limits and is now considering rolling out a 55mph or 60mph limit where it is safe to do so.
  
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• Hillary Clinton talks about Trump's inauguration on the Graham Norton Show - video

  21-10-2017 10:21 via theguardian.com
  The almost-holder of the US presidency tells The Graham Norton Show how she didn't feel like attending Donald Trump's inauguration in her role as a former first lady, and jokes about George W Bush's reaction to her campaign rival's speech.
  • Watch the entire interview on The Graham Norton Show
  • Why does nobody mention that Hillary Clinton is perfectly nice? Continue reading...
  
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• Parsons Green Stabbing: Second Murder Charge Over Omid Saidy's Death

  21-10-2017 09:06
  A second person has been charged with the murder of Omid Saidy after he was stabbed to death in a west London street after asking a drug dealer to move on.
  
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• Is enough being done to tackle sexual harassment in schools?

  21-10-2017 08:30 via theguardian.com
  As #MeToo shines a light on sexual harassment, we’d like to hear from teachers, parents and students about how schools are dealing with the issue Sexual harassment continues to be a widespread problem in society. The issue has been highlighted by the #MeToo campaign, which asked people to share the words “me too” on social media if they had ever been a victim of sexual harassment or assault, in the wake of the allegations of sexual assault and rape against Hollywood film produc
  
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• T-Charge London Map, Start Date And Everything Else You Need To Know As New Tax Comes In

  21-10-2017 08:29
  As part of the mayor of London’s bid to tackle the city’s toxic air crisis, the new toxicity charge is set to roll out.
  
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• Sexual Harassment Can Be Curbed, Experts Argue, In Push For String Of Legal Changes

  21-10-2017 08:13
  Leading employment lawyers and equality campaigners are calling for a legislative change to make it easier for victims of sexual harassment to take legal action against their abusers.
  
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• Where can I get budget cycling gear?

  21-10-2017 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Cash flow is a bit tight – is it better to go second hand on eBay or go brand new?Every week a Guardian Money reader submits a question, and it’s up to you to help him or her out – a selection of the best answers will appear in next Saturday’s paper.This week’s question: Continue reading...
  
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• Ultrarunner Zach Miller: ‘I love digging in the pain cave’

  21-10-2017 08:00 via theguardian.com
  In the world of ultrarunning, he is a cult figure, winning his very first race in record time and charging towards the finish line while others jog. What’s his rush?Zach Miller is stirring porridge on top of a wood-burning stove. Outside, snow lies on the ground surrounding his log cabin. We’re halfway up Pikes Peak, a 14,115ft mountain in the Colorado Rockies. The front door opens and a runner steps in, a man in his 50s, red-faced from the effort of getting up the mountain. Through
  
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• Horn trimming rhinos in South Africa – in pictures

  21-10-2017 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Rhino farmers in South Africa dehorn their rhinos to discourage poaching and protect the endangered species, but breeding and dehorning rhinos also creates a potential cash crop. It drives an debate about animal welfare and whether an ethical solution has been found for a controversial demand. Photographer Leon Neal spent time on the ranch of rhino breeder John Hume Continue reading...
  
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• Travel Man: 48 Hours in … Rome review – a gentle mini-break for the mind

  21-10-2017 07:30 via theguardian.com
  Richard Ayoade takes Matt Lucas on a surreal whistlestop tour through the byways and white-knuckle highways of RomeTravel Man: 48 Hours In …, in which we visit various cities around the world in the company of presenter Richard Ayoade, is back for a sixth series “with some of the most available and affordable names in light ent”. In last night’s opening episode, Ayoade visited Rome with comedian Matt Lucas, who provided the complementary rather than competitive guest pre
  
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