General news

• Face to face with a British IS recruit

  30-10-2017 23:45
  A British Islamic State recruit, who has spoken to Sky News in Syria, says he spent his time in Raqqa relaxing with friends and playing PlayStation and that he does not feel like a criminal.
  
  Read more

• The Anne Frank foundation has responded to plans for a German train named after her

  30-10-2017 23:33
  Frank, like many Holocaust victims, was transported to a concentration camp via train.
  
  Read more

• Discovery of handguns in ferry toilet bin sparks police investigation

  30-10-2017 23:30
  Two handguns have been found dumped in a toilet bin on board a ferry travelling from Calais to Dover.Officers were alerted after cleaners discovered the weapons on Saturday morning, soon after the vessel arrived in UK waters.It is not clear how the weapons passed through security checks, but they are not believed to be part of a terrorist plot.
  
  Read more

• Celtic happy to focus on the ‘bigger picture’ with Bayern Munich in town

  30-10-2017 23:30 via theguardian.com
  • Celtic will be eliminated if they lose and PSG beat Anderlecht, as expected
  • Left-back Kieran Tierney signs new six-year contract: ‘I’m living the dream’Martin O’Neill had Juventus, Gordon Strachan a Milan and Manchester United double while for Neil Lennon it was Barcelona. In their respective spells as Celtic manager that trio presided over Champions League giant-killing acts on epic evenings in Glasgow’s east end.If it seems churlish to point towards
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Tiger Woods to make golf return at his own Hero World Challenge

  30-10-2017 23:24 via theguardian.com
  • Former world No1 will return from back surgery in Bahamas event he hosts• ‘I’d like to thank the committee of 1 for picking myself,’ Woods tweetsTiger Woods is to play his first tournament in nine months after making himself available for the Hero World Challenge at the end of November. Related: Tiger Woods avoids jail after pleading guilty to reckless drivingContinue reading...
  
  Read more

• British government extends Northern Ireland talks deadline

  30-10-2017 23:24
  The British government on Monday extended by 24 hours a deadline for Northern Ireland's political parties to re-establish a devolved regional executive and avoid London setting the region's annual budget for the first time in a decade.The pro-British Democratic Unionist Party and the Irish nationalist Sinn Fein party made progress in talks on Monday and they will continue talking on Tuesday, the British government's minister for Northern Ireland James Brokenshire said.
  
  Read more

• Government refuses to release details of studies into economic impact of Brexit

  30-10-2017 23:01
  Seema Malhotra, a Labour MP on the Brexit committee, said the government’s lack of transparency was a concern.The Brexit department has refused to release key details about the 58 secret studies into how leaving the EU will impact the economy, saying officials need to make policy in a “safe space”.Seema Malhotra, a Labour MP on the Brexit committee, had asked to know the scope, terms of reference and state of completion of the work on 58 sectors of the economy, but the departme
  
  Read more

• Father feared to have died with several children in Welsh farmhouse fire

  30-10-2017 23:01
  Neighbours have paid tribute to a father who is thought to have died alongside several of his children in a devastating house fire in rural Wales.Police confirmed three children - aged 10, 12 and 13 - managed to escape the blaze and were being treated in hospital with non-life threatening injuries.Ron Birchall, 73, who lives in the village, said the father "doted" on his children and that he was separated from his partner, who moved away after suffering a stroke.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Álvaro Morata denies he is unsettled as Chelsea prepare to face Roma

  30-10-2017 22:59 via theguardian.com
  • Spanish forward says there was a ‘communication problem’• Blues to make late decision on fitness of N’Golo KantéÁlvaro Morata has reaffirmed his commitment to Chelsea and insisted he is happy at the club after appearing to suggest in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport that he pines for Italy and finds life in London “too much stress”.The Spain forward, who spent two seasons at Juventus, signed a five-year contract at Stamford Bridge
  
  Read more

• Spanish prosecutor calls for rebellion charges against Catalan leaders

  30-10-2017 22:56 via theguardian.com
  Carles Puigdemont and members of his cabinet may seek asylum or set up government in exile, according to reportsCatalonia’s ousted president and several members of his deposed cabinet have fled to Belgium hours before Spain’s attorney general asked for charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds to be brought against them over their decision to declare independence last week. Related: Calling an election will by no means resolve the Catalan conundrumContinue reading...
  
  Read more

• Everything you need to know about the former Trump staffers’ FBI indictments

  30-10-2017 22:53
  One former staffer pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.
  
  Read more

• Northern Ireland talks break up without deal

  30-10-2017 22:46
  Northern Ireland's political parties ended talks on Monday with no sign of a deal to restore devolved government, raising the prospect of London imposing a budget on the British province for the first time in a decade.A budget set by the British government would be a major step towards direct rule from London, which observers have warned could destabilise a delicate political balance there.Irish nationalists Sinn Fein said their talks with the pro-British Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) had ende
  
  Read more

• Young Hustler would have won a modern Grand National, says trainer

  30-10-2017 22:39 via theguardian.com
  • Cheltenham 1993 Festival winner, now 30, had 65 races and won 15
  • Anything he lacked in ability he made up for in heart, says Peter ScudamoreAs the major races of a new jumps season heave into view, what better moment to drop in on a star of winters long past, now enjoying an easeful life, cosseted in a small stable in Gloucestershire. Young Hustler is 30 years old and still with us, to the surprise and delight of people like Peter Scudamore, who won on him at the Cheltenham Festiva
  
  Read more

• Semesa Rokoduguni wins England squad recall after Elliot Daly blow

  30-10-2017 22:38 via theguardian.com
  • Eddie Jones calls Bath wing into training squad for autumn internationals
  • Charlie Ewels cited for a dangerous tackle on Henry TrinderElliot Daly is set to miss out on England’s autumn internationals campaign due to torn knee ligaments and Eddie Jones has called up Semesa Rokoduguni, handing the Fiji-born wing the chance to stake his claim for a first international appearance in 12 months.Daly has been replaced at England’s training camp in Portugal after Wasps confirmed
  
  Read more

• AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile win $994 million U.S. defence contract -Pentagon

  30-10-2017 22:21
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - AT&T Inc, Verizon Communications Inc and T-Mobile US Inc are being awarded a U.S. defence contract worth $199 mln for wireless services and devices, the Pentagon said on Monday.
  
  Read more

• Several members of family feared dead after farmhouse fire in Wales

  30-10-2017 21:47 via theguardian.com
  Police confirm deaths but are unable to give number of dead owing to severity of damage to property in rural PowysA father and several of his children are feared dead after a fire at a farmhouse in Wales.David Cuthbertson, 68, a single father who was previously employed as a builder, is believed to have lived in the property with seven of his children. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• The allegations in the Tory MPs dossier circulated by aides

  30-10-2017 21:46
  Sky News has seen a spreadsheet of the alleged sexual activities of 40 Tory MPs circulating amongst party aides.
  
  Read more

• Sarah Sanders Accused Of 'Lying' During Press Briefing On Paul Manafort Charges

  30-10-2017 21:46
  The White House Press Secretary has been accused of “lying” in response to reporters’ questions about the role of former foreign policy advisor, George Papadopoulos, in Donald Trump’s 2016 election campaign.
  
  Read more

• Young People Should Be Entitled To The National Minimum Wage

  30-10-2017 21:32
  There is probably no clearer example of direct discrimination in the UK than the current National Minimum Wage.
  
  Read more

• The Front Line In The Battle For The Nation's Mental Health Isn't The NHS

  30-10-2017 21:30
  Half of all mental health problems are established by the age of 14 and after school, the average adult will spend 90,000 hours at work over their lifetime.
  
  Read more

• Plan to name German train after Anne Frank condemned

  30-10-2017 21:19 via theguardian.com
  Critics say use of diarist’s name by national rail Deutsche Bahn provider conjures painful images of persecution of JewsPlans by Germany’s national rail provider to name a train after the diarist Anne Frank have come under fire, with the Anne Frank foundation saying it “caused new pain” to those who experienced deportations.“A combination of Anne Frank and a train conjures up the image of persecution of Jews and deportations during World War II,” the Amsterdam
  
  Read more

• Leadsom pledges support team for Westminster sexual misconduct victims

  30-10-2017 21:14
  Andrea Leadsom promised that the government would take action to ensure sexual misconduct at Westminster did not go unpunished, as MPs raised concerns of a “toxic atmosphere” in a parliamentary debate.The leader of the House of Commons was responding to an urgent question raised by the Labour MP Harriet Harman about stories of alleged harassment that have emerged in recent days.The Commons heard one MP complain of an incident of a “sexual assault” at Westminster that had
  
  Read more

• John Humphrys says Thought for the Day message 'deeply boring'

  30-10-2017 21:11 via theguardian.com
  Radio 4 Today programme presenter argues for secular content as half the population of Britain has no religionJohn Humphrys, the most senior presenter on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, has described the daily Thought for the Day slot as often “deeply boring”.The item – regarded by many listeners as a prompt to get in the shower – has long been the subject of debate about its worth and range of contributors.Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• John Humphrys says Thought for the Day message 'deeply boring'

  30-10-2017 21:11
  Today presenter John Humphrys says Thought for the Day ‘deeply boring’.John Humphrys, the most senior presenter on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, has described the daily Thought for the Day slot as often “deeply boring”.Humphrys said the 7.45am slot, which lasts two minutes and 45 seconds, was inappropriate in an increasingly secular society and only occasionally interesting.
  
  Read more

• Force all gambling firms to pay levy for addiction treatment, says charity

  30-10-2017 21:03 via theguardian.com
  Betting companies are failing to honour pledge to donate to care, says leading charity GambleAwareGambling firms are failing to honour a pledge to donate part of their income to fund addiction treatment and should be forced to do so by law, the UK’s leading problem-gambling charity has said.GambleAware told the Guardian it had lost patience after companies’ failure to pay left it facing a funding shortfall that risked undermining its efforts to help addicts. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• SNP launches two inquiries into sexual misconduct allegations

  30-10-2017 21:00 via theguardian.com
  Investigations announced hours after Nicola Sturgeon denied any knowledge of allegations involving party membersThe Scottish National party has launched two separate inquiries into alleged sexual misconduct, thought to involve male parliamentarians. Related: Sex pest discussion finds MPs in no hurry to wash dirty linen in public | John CraceContinue reading...
  
  Read more

• Zach Miller tells Bears team-mates to 'hang in there' after surgery to save leg

  30-10-2017 20:57 via theguardian.com
  Tight end landed awkwardly after attempting catch on SundaySurgeons attempt to repair damage to artery in 33-year-old’s left legThe Chicago Bears tight end Zach Miller has undergone emergency surgery to save his left leg after suffering a severe injury during his team’s loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.Miller dislocated his knee during the third quarter and vascular surgeons were called in to repair damage to an artery. They also grafted tissue from his right leg to help with
  
  Read more

• People have just discovered strawberry on pizza and they are not impressed

  30-10-2017 20:52
  Oh, you thought pineapple was controversial?
  
  Read more

• Women and men are speaking out about abuse – is this the end of the patriarchy?

  30-10-2017 20:51 via theguardian.com
  In the wake of the Weinstein allegations, claims of sexual abuse and harassment have spread to the theatre, the BBC, parliament and beyond. But does this remarkable show of solidarity and strength really mark a turning point?It is beginning to look as if not a single industry will escape allegations of sexual harassment – something that will not, of course, come as a surprise to most working women. The explosive allegations of sexual assault by the film producer Harvey Weinstein, spanning
  
  Read more

• 'Significant gaps' between N Ireland parties in bid to save Stormont

  30-10-2017 20:48
  Negotiations are continuing between Northern Ireland's two largest parties in an attempt to restore devolved government and prevent a return to direct rule from Westminster.Downing Street said there were still "significant gaps" between the DUP and Sinn Fein, but the UK Government has not yet called time on the talks.Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire had given parties until Monday to strike a deal or risk Westminster stepping in to set Northern Ireland's budget.
  
  Read more

• Martin Rowson on the Trump-Russia inquiry – cartoon

  30-10-2017 20:46 via theguardian.com
  Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Lewes bonfire 'blacking up' not racist, says Zulu dance troop leader

  30-10-2017 20:35 via theguardian.com
  Comments come amid row over bonfire night tradition in East Sussex town in which white people wear Zulu dress and paint faces blackA row over whether revellers who “black up” for Saturday’s bonfire parade in Lewes are racist has taken a twist after the leader of a Zulu dance troupe booked to appear alongside them said the practice was not offensive.Rival factions in the East Sussex town have mounted petitions for and against white members of one of its seven historic bonfire so
  
  Read more

• Paralympic athletes face reclassification in row over exaggerated disabilities

  30-10-2017 20:26 via theguardian.com
  World Para Athletics announces changes to classification rules for several classes as MPs investigate claims some athletes have misrepresented impairmentsSome of the UK’s top Paralympic stars have been warned they could be reclassified ahead of a key parliamentary hearing into claims that some athletes have exaggerated their disabilities to boost their chances of winning a medal.World Para Athletics, the international federation for Para athletics, has announced that amendments to the clas
  
  Read more

• From Hillary Clinton to Offred: how Halloween outgrew the sexy cat

  30-10-2017 20:25 via theguardian.com
  For millennials, this annual chance to dress up will soon be bigger than Christmas. Which means the perfect costume is no longer a sheet over your head, but something that speaks to the zeitgeistPop quiz time. Halloween represents: a) A sorry indictment of the Americanisation of our culture. Whatever happened to a penny for the guy, eh? b) Sweets. c) An outfit that requires weeks of planning, which is unusual for you, as you generally can’t commit to anything more than 24 hours in advance.
  
  Read more

• Daughters of brain-damaged woman win case for removal of feeding tube

  30-10-2017 20:22 via theguardian.com
  Children of Mrs P have been embroiled in legal battle with patient’s sisters over the ongoing care of 72-year-old following a fall in February The two daughters of a woman left brain-damaged in a hospital bed have won the right to have her taken off a feeding tube that is keeping her alive.Mrs P’s children had found themselves in a legal battle with her three sisters. The 72-year-old woman went into a minimally conscious state after suffering a fall last November. In the weeks that f
  
  Read more

• Sex pest discussion finds MPs in no hurry to wash dirty linen in public | John Crace

  30-10-2017 20:20 via theguardian.com
  No cabinet minister makes a virtue of knowing less than Andrea Leadsom does, which made her the ideal person to speak for government on sexual harassment At times like these it can be useful to have a cabinet minister who knows next to nothing about anything. And no cabinet minister makes a virtue of knowing less than Andrea Leadsom. That made the leader of the house the ideal person to speak on behalf of the government in answer to an urgent question on sexual harassment in parliament from Labo
  
  Read more

• The Guardian view on the Reformation: justification through faith | Editorial

  30-10-2017 20:19 via theguardian.com
  Luther’s defiance of papal authority shaped Europe and the world in ways he could never have foreseenLuther’s 95 Theses were supposedly nailed to a church door in Wittenberg 500 years ago on Tuesday. In the mythological way in which this act was remembered for centuries, he was not nailing anything up so much as hammering down the lid of the coffin of the middle ages, and burying a great rotting mass of superstition and obscurity. In its place would come truth, justice and (in Englan
  
  Read more

• The Guardian view on MPs and sexual harassment: turn the words into actions | Editorial

  30-10-2017 20:19 via theguardian.com
  MPs understand that parliament’s reputation is on the line. But party leaders must show they will punish the bullies and harassers, whatever the political costMPs from all parties spoke from the heart, from their experience, and largely in harmony on the menace of sexual harassment in the Commons on Monday. On such occasions, when MPs on all sides genuinely engage with one another rather than banging the party drum, the exchanges are sometimes described by Westminster-watchers as examples
  
  Read more

• Residents of blocks next to Grenfell Tower fear being forced to move back

  30-10-2017 20:17
  Residents in the three blocks adjoining Grenfell Tower fear being forced to return.Residents of three blocks next to Grenfell Tower who are living in temporary accommodation fear that they will be forced to return when the estate is refurbished even though many have traumatic memories of the deadly fire.Community leaders have accused Kensington and Chelsea council of breaking promises to residents of the Grenfell Tower estate as a result.
  
  Read more

• Kevin Spacey criticised over link between homosexuality and abuse

  30-10-2017 20:08 via theguardian.com
  Star of House of Cards, which is entering its final series, widely condemned for conflating sexuality with inappropriate behaviour in apology to Anthony Rapp Kevin Spacey is facing criticism for the way he linked his sexuality to his apology about allegations of sexual advances towards a 14-year-old actor.The House Of Cards star and former artistic director of London’s Old Vic theatre said he could not remember sexually harassing Star Trek actor Anthony Rapp in 1986. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Perspectives on decolonising and diversifying English teaching | Letters

  30-10-2017 20:05
  The late author Chinua Achebe at his home in Warwick.Photograph: Mike Cohea/AP
  
  Read more

• A peace to safeguard the rights of Palestinians | Letters

  30-10-2017 20:04 via theguardian.com
  Britain should now recognise the state of Palestine alongside Israel, on 1967 lines, says a cross-party group of parliamentarians. Plus a letter from Julian Lush on Saudi ArabiaTheresa May will dine with Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Thursday to mark “with pride” the centenary of the Balfour declaration. She should pay heed to an event on Tuesday evening, when 1,000 British people gather at Westminster Central Hall – neither to celebrate nor to mourn, bu
  
  Read more

• Making the most of being a relationship virgin | Brief letters

  30-10-2017 20:02 via theguardian.com
  Living independently | Deficit to match tax gap | Holding hands in Catalonia | Pumpkin curry | Mrs May at churchThis is the first time I heard the expression “relationship virgin” (Family, 28 October) and can say “ditto” to everything she wrote in the article. When the penny finally dropped that I was to remain independent, I made the most of it: I lived and worked abroad, travelled and got on with life. I am now 76, still independent and content. My friends say that
  
  Read more

• Ghosting Rio Ferdinand: how I got the football legend to relive the hardest days of his life

  30-10-2017 20:02 via theguardian.com
  When Rio Ferdinand asked her to ghost-write his life story, Decca Aitkenhead knew she would have to ask the reticent star painful questions about his wife’s death and raising their children alone. She recalls a surreal, emotional month on his sofaOne morning in May, a car ferried me across leafy suburban Kent to an executive gated community, through three sets of security barriers, past driveways occupied by Bentleys, to the door of a neo-Queen Anne mansion. “Bloody hell,” the
  
  Read more

• Philip Pullman is right – discounting is the true book lover’s enemy | Patrick Barkham

  30-10-2017 19:57 via theguardian.com
  Aggressive pricing means small bookshops make little economic sense, and carry on for love not moneySomeone should write a book about the economics of bookselling. Nothing about Britain’s 900 independent bookshops adds up.I visited half-a-dozen on a book tour last week. Books have never been more beautiful and small shops never more creative in selling these lovely objects. Many indies have sofas or cafes. They all convene book groups (seven a week in the case of Simply Books in Bramhall,
  
  Read more

• Israel destroys tunnel from Gaza, killing seven Palestinians

  30-10-2017 19:56 via theguardian.com
  Islamic Jihad puts fighters on alert after one of its commanders was killed in tunnel Israel called a ‘violation of sovereignty’Seven Palestinians, including an Islamic Jihad commander and two members of Hamas, have been killed and nine others reportedly wounded after Israel blew up a tunnel leading into the country from Gaza.The detonation of the tunnel, which travelled under the border fence near the southern city of Khan Younis, was disclosed by the Israeli military on Monday. The
  
  Read more

• Gordon Brown’s tragedy is not his flaws, but his failure to admit them | Deborah Orr

  30-10-2017 19:43 via theguardian.com
  The former prime minister is less honest than he would like to think, especially when it comes to his own recordGordon Brown is a funny old stick: clever, complicated, full of contradictions. He’s got an autobiography coming out next week, My Life, Our Times, and edited highlights are already in circulation. There may be interviews to promote the book. Brown probably feels a bit uncomfortable about that aspect of writing a book. Brown is a man who often feels uncomfortable.Brown probably f
  
  Read more

• All made up! The indie makeup brands that are catering to women of colour

  30-10-2017 19:41 via theguardian.com
  From Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty range to Huda Kattan’s eyelash empire, homegrown cosmetic companies are succeeding where major brands have failedMany of us will know the disappointment of buying an expensive imported lipstick that turns out to be more gloop than gloss, or waiting for an aunt to return from a trip abroad with a much-needed concealer. For women in the developing world – or anyone who is not fair-skinned – this has long been the reality of buying makeup: a Goldi
  
  Read more

• The Russia scandal has gone from phony war to heavy shelling | Richard Wolffe

  30-10-2017 19:32 via theguardian.com
  Gone are the days when we need to debate about what constitutes ‘collusion’ and whether that’s any standard to judge the Trump campaignIndictments do strange things inside a White House. They twist the minds of an already neurotic nest of frenemies, turning suspicions into paranoia, press leaks into prosecutorial intelligence and financial concerns into colossal legal bills. Related: Trump adviser George Papadopoulos pleads guilty to lying about Russia contacts – liveCont
  
  Read more

• Radio presenter says she was groped while working at Radio 5 Live

  30-10-2017 19:30 via theguardian.com
  Shelagh Fogarty talks about being accosted by drunk colleague at a party as Anne Robinson questions the ‘fragility of women’Shelagh Fogarty, the radio presenter, has said she was groped while working at BBC Radio 5 Live.She revealed her experience during her Monday afternoon programme on LBC. Fogarty said she had not complained about the incident but hinted that the man had subsequently groped more women. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

Follow @GeneralnewsUK on Twitter!