General news

• Taxpayers’ money allows Isle of Man to act as a tax haven, MPs are told

  07-11-2017 23:43 via theguardian.com
  Labour MP Margaret Hodge says British government has been ‘central to the success’ of offshore tax-dodgingThe Paradise Papers have revealed a “toxic mixture” of tax dodges and offshore wrongdoing undertaken with the complicity of the British government, the Labour MP Margaret Hodge has told parliament.“We are not just complicit in what happens, we are central to its success,” said Hodge, who has campaigned for reform of Britain’s tax havens.Continue read
  
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• Paddles, First Cat of New Zealand and social media star, dies after being hit by car

  07-11-2017 23:39 via theguardian.com
  Prime minister Jacinda Ardern writes of her sadness after her pet was killed shortly after moving into the PM’s home in AucklandThe first ever “First Cat of New Zealand” has died after being hit by a car near the prime minister’s home in Auckland.When Jacinda Ardern became New Zealand’s new prime minister last month she also brought with her a polydactyl cat, named Paddles. Continue reading...
  
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• This 400-year-old painting being restored is the most satisfying thing you’ll see today

  07-11-2017 23:37
  The transformation is incredible.
  
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• Birmingham Leads Surge Among Fast-Growing Midlands And Northern Cities

  07-11-2017 23:37
  The economic divide between the south of England and the Midlands and north appears to be gradually closing as a report signalled once struggling cities were the most improved places to live and work in the UK.
  
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• Birmingham Leads Economic Surge Among Midlands And Northern Cities

  07-11-2017 23:37
  The economic divide between the south of England and the Midlands and north appears to be gradually closing as a report signalled once struggling cities were the most improved places to live and work in the UK.
  
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• Senators call for investigation after Paradise Papers reveal tax avoidance

  07-11-2017 23:31 via theguardian.com
  Bernie Sanders and Sheldon Whitehouse among Democratic lawmakers seeking congressional inquiry and laws to fight offshore investors’ strategiesSenators have demanded a congressional investigation and new laws to combat tax avoidance after the Paradise Papers exposed the secrets of offshore investors.Bernie Sanders, ranking member of the Senate budget committee, wrote on Tuesday to its chairman, Senator Mike Enzi of Wyoming, arguing that it had a responsibility to taxpayers to get to the bo
  
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• ‘The first thing I remember was waking up in hospital a few days later’

  07-11-2017 23:30 via theguardian.com
  The British aerial skier Lloyd Wallace insists he will not let a spectacular training crash in Switzerland deter him from qualifying for Pyeongchang 2018At some point in the next few days, Lloyd Wallace will blast down a steep ramp at 40mph, flip his body high into the air as he goes up another one, and perform a spectacular triple-twisting triple backflip. The move is dangerous enough by itself. But something else will also plague Wallace’s mind: the last time he attempted the trick, near
  
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• No flagging from Kieran Trippier after finally achieving his England dream

  07-11-2017 23:30 via theguardian.com
  The Tottenham wing-back had to drop into the Championship to further his career but now he looks set for the World Cup finals – much to his dad’s delightBack in Bury, Chris Trippier has already pledged to dust down the giant flag, braced as he is for the flurry of written warnings sure to be dispatched by the local council. It has become something of a tradition in the Trippier household to hoist the Cross of St George from a 20ft pole in the cramped back garden during a major tourna
  
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• Jubilee review – Toyah Willcox returns in theatre tribute to Jarman's punk pageant

  07-11-2017 23:30 via theguardian.com
  Royal Exchange, Manchester
  Chris Goode directs Toyah Willcox in a wild reimagining of Derek Jarman’s film about a time-travelling queen and a generation with no future‘Welcome to Jubilee,” says Amyl Nitrate near the start of Chris Goode’s reimagining of Derek Jarman’s 1978 punk movie. The straight-talking Amyl, played on stage by the mesmerising transgender performer Travis Alabanza, tells us what to expect: “An iconic film most of you have never heard of, ada
  
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• Trade bill unveiled in first move by government to prevent cliff edge for exporters - City A.M.

  07-11-2017 23:16 via cityam.com
  City A.M.
  Trade bill unveiled in first move by government to prevent cliff edge for exporters
  City A.M.
  The government today unveiled its plans for a trade bill setting out how the UK will implement existing EU trade agreements after Brexit and avoiding a cliff edge for businesses. The bill will aim to allow the UK to enter into trade agreements with the ...
  Trade Bill 'shows contempt for public and parliament'Ekklesiaall 56 news articles »
  
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• Facebook asks users for nude photos in project to combat revenge porn

  07-11-2017 23:16 via theguardian.com
  In Australia pilot effort, company will ‘hash’ images, converting them into digital fingerprints that prevent any other attempts to upload the same picturesFacebook is asking users to send the company their nude photos in an effort to tackle revenge porn, in an attempt to give some control back to victims of this type of abuse.Individuals who have shared intimate, nude or sexual images with partners and are worried that the partner (or ex-partner) might distribute them without their
  
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• IUDs may cut risk of cervical cancer by a third, study indicates

  07-11-2017 23:00 via theguardian.com
  More work is needed to understand how the contraceptive device works to protect against cancer, but researchers say discovery could be “very impactful” Women who use intrauterine contraceptive devices may also be cutting their chances of getting cervical cancer, according to a new study.Research from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California analysed data from several observational studies involving more than 12,000 women worldwide. The results, published i
  
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• Texas gunman fled mental health clinic and smuggled weapons on to military base

  07-11-2017 22:58 via theguardian.com
  Devin Kelley faced court-martial in 2012 after repeated assaults on familyKelly escaped hospital and was detained without incident by policeThe gunman who opened fire on worshippers at a church service on Sunday escaped from a mental health facility five years ago after being caught sneaking weapons on to a military base and planning to carry out death threats made to his commanding officers. Related: Texas officials opt not to use gunman's name: 'We do not want to glorify him'Continue reading..
  
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• Twitter Doubles Tweet Limit To 280 Characters As Users Demand Edit Button

  07-11-2017 22:42
  Twitter says it’s ending its iconic 140-character limit - and giving nearly everyone 280 characters.
  
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• Twitter Doubles Character Limit To 280 For Just About Everyone

  07-11-2017 22:42
  Twitter says it’s ending its iconic 140-character limit - and giving nearly everyone 280 characters.
  
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• Twitter to roll out 280-character tweets worldwide

  07-11-2017 22:40
  (Reuters) - Microblogging website Twitter Inc, known for its iconic 140-character tweets, said on Tuesday it would roll out 280-character tweets to users across the world.
  
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• Twitter doubles character limit to 280 for (nearly) everyone

  07-11-2017 22:33
  Twitter says it's ending its iconic 140-character limit — and giving nearly everyone 280 characters. Users tweeting in Chinese, Japanese and Korean will still have the original limit. That's because writing ...
  
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• Nicola Sturgeon makes gay convictions apology and announces new legislation

  07-11-2017 22:26
  Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has formally apologised to gay men criminalised by once illegal sexual offences, calling it a "historic wrong".It came before a debate in which she set out plans for a new law at Holyrood to pardon them of their historic convictions.The legislation will also enable the men to apply for their convictions to be removed from central criminal conviction records.
  
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• Labour calls for probe into Priti Patel meetings in Israel

  07-11-2017 22:26
  Theresa May is under pressure to launch an investigation into one of her Cabinet ministers for failing disclose holding meetings with top Israeli officials.Labour accused International Development Secretary Priti Patel of committing four "serious breaches" of the ministerial code over her trip to the Middle East in August.Shadow Cabinet Office minister Jon Trickett said Ms Patel should face a probe led by the standards advisor, after she was reprimanded personally by the PM.
  
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• Steve Bell on Priti Patel and Boris Johnson – cartoon

  07-11-2017 22:10 via theguardian.com
  Continue reading...
  
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• 'Total devastation': friends and colleagues react to Carl Sargeant's death

  07-11-2017 22:04 via theguardian.com
  Welsh politician’s sudden death after harassment allegations prompts concern about whether the complaints have been handled appropriatelyCarl Sargeant’s sudden death after a number of women had made allegations of improper personal conduct against him has left friends and colleagues in Welsh politics expressing concern that he died without being formally told the detail of what he was accused of and before he got the chance to defend himself.Three women had made harassment complaints
  
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• 'Total devastation': friends and colleagues react to Carl Sargeant's death

  07-11-2017 22:04
  Carl Sargeant’s sudden death after harassment allegations had been made about his conduct by women left friends and colleagues in Welsh politics expressing concern that he died without being formally told of the detail of the allegations against him and before he got the chance to defend himself.Three women had made harassment complaints against him, leading to his stepping down from the Labour cabinet that runs Wales on Friday.At the end of last week Sargeant was summoned to the office of
  
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• Eddie Jones makes U-turn and set to unleash his Lions for England

  07-11-2017 21:47 via theguardian.com
  • Jones names all 10 Lions in squad to face Argentina on Saturday
  • Elliot Daly is surprise inclusion 10 days after damaging knee ligamentsEddie Jones is set to unleash England’s British & Irish Lions at the start of their autumn internationals campaign in a surprising U-turn after all 10 – including the fit-again Elliot Daly – were named in the squad to face Argentina on Saturday.Daly, who took a full part in training on Tuesday, 10 days after damaging knee ligam
  
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• Disney talks may suggest Murdochs have lost interest in Sky takeover

  07-11-2017 21:40
  Rupert Murdoch’s apparent willingness to sell most of 21st Century Fox to Disney suggests the media mogul’s interest in taking full control of Sky has unexpectedly diminished.The Sky deal has proved problematic for the Murdochs since their bid was first announced last December, with the takeover facing regulatory hurdles and political opposition in the UK, with allegations of sexual harassment at Fox News being one of the reasons used to justify referring the takeover to the competit
  
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• Exhibition celebrates artistic influence of northern England

  07-11-2017 21:36 via theguardian.com
  North: Fashioning Identity, on show in central London, explores how life in the north inspired a generation of creativesA new exhibition celebrating the north of England and northerners’ influence on photography, fashion and art will open at Somerset House in London on Wednesday.North: Fashioning Identity features more than 100 photographs, fashion garments and works of art, including photographer Corinne Day’s images of the Stone Roses for the Face magazine and Manchester-born desig
  
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• Dutch tax breaks under fire after "Paradise Papers" leaks

  07-11-2017 21:36
  Dutch tax breaks to large international companies came under renewed fire on Tuesday after newly leaked documents revealed errors in the drafting of a tax ruling for U.S. consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble .Dutch lawmakers demanded a debate on the secret rulings, which specify individual tax breaks for international companies in the Netherlands.P&G, the maker of Pampers diapers, Gillette razors and Tide laundry detergent, issued a statement late on Tuesday denying involvement in any f
  
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• Britain's last surviving Dambuster receives MBE from the Queen

  07-11-2017 21:24
  Britain's last surviving member of the Dambusters has been honoured with an MBE from the Queen.Squadron Leader George Leonard "Johnny" Johnson, 95, was part of Royal Air Force 617 Squadron, which conducted a night of raids on German dams in 1943 in an effort to disable Hitler's industrial heartland.Mr Johnson's award came after thousands of people signed a petition launched by TV presenter Carol Vorderman which called for him to be recognised.
  
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• Mexican troops waging war on drug gangs not punished for rights abuses – report

  07-11-2017 21:22 via theguardian.com
  Research shows most abuses go unsolved and unpunished despite reforms letting civilian authorities investigate and prosecute such crimesThe vast majority of human rights abuses allegedly committed by soldiers waging Mexico’s war on drug gangs go unsolved and unpunished despite reforms letting civilian authorities investigate and prosecute such crimes, a report said Tuesday.The Washington Office on Latin America study, described as the first comprehensive analysis of military abuse investig
  
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• Rush hour chaos - Major delays at London station after person killed by train

  07-11-2017 21:15 via feedproxy.google.com
  RUSH hour passengers are facing travel chaos at London’s Euston station after a person was struck and killed by a train.
  
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• Disney ends blackout of LA Times after boycott from media outlets

  07-11-2017 21:10 via theguardian.com
  Studio lifts ban on Los Angeles Times journalists attending preview screenings after dispute that led to other critics threatening not to cover Disney filmsDisney has reversed its decision to ban the Los Angeles Times from attending film screenings as punishment for the paper’s critical coverage of its business operations. Related: 21st Century Fox held talks with Disney over possible sale, reports sayContinue reading...
  
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• Canada groups launch court challenge to Quebec's face-covering ban

  07-11-2017 21:08 via theguardian.com
  Muslim and civil rights organizations say measure discriminates against Muslim women and violates provincial and national constitutionsTwo Canadian groups have asked a court to overturn a new Quebec law that bans observant Muslim women from wearing a full-face veil when providing or receiving government services. The National Council for Canadian Muslims, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and Quebec Muslim resident Marie-Michelle Lacoste asked a provincial court to declare the law invalid
  
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• Birmingham is fastest-improving city to live and work, says study

  07-11-2017 20:58 via theguardian.com
  Oxford and Reading top PwC and Demos index based on transport, inequality, work-life balance, health and income levelsBirmingham is the most rapidly improving city in the country in which to live and work, according to a report, as Britain’s second city benefits from falling unemployment and a wave of regeneration projects. Research carried out by consulting group PwC and thinktank Demos, which takes into account a range of factors including transport, work-life balance, inequality and hea
  
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• What's behind Big Six firms' merger plans?

  07-11-2017 20:50
  Energy analyst Peter Atherton explains what's behind talks over a merger between npower and SSE's energy supply business.
  
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• 'Big six' energy companies npower and SSE in advanced merger talks

  07-11-2017 20:44
  Two of Britain's "big six" energy suppliers are in advanced talks about a merger that would alter the landscape of the under-fire sector.SSE and Innogy - the German owner of npower - said they had been in discussions about combining their gas and electricity supply businesses in the UK.The announcement comes as energy companies face continuing political pressure over household bills and the threat of a price cap being imposed by the Government.
  
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• Paradise Papers: Prince Charles campaigned on climate change 'without disclosing investments'

  07-11-2017 20:42
  The so-called Paradise Papers have revealed Prince Charles allegedly campaigned to alter climate-change agreements without disclosing the offshore financial interests of his estate.The leaked documents showed the Duchy of Cornwall estate secretly bought shares worth $113,500 (£86,000) in a firm in Bermuda in 2007 that could benefit from changes in rules, according to the BBC's Panorama.It claimed the Prince of Wales was a friend of one of the directors of forest management company Sustaina
  
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• I hate internet outrage. But could we have stopped Weinstein without it?

  07-11-2017 20:35 via theguardian.com
  Social media has leveled the playing field between those with immense power and the rest of us. But there are upsides and downsides to public shaming
  If you would like advice from Emma Brockes on how to be a human online, send us a brief description of your concerns to [email protected]
  I mostly hate the internet. But the outrage and debate that has arisen in the wake of the Weinstein allegations couldn’t have happened without it. That has to be a good thing, right?Hey. I mostly
  
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• Some Islamic schools in England still segregating children

  07-11-2017 20:33 via theguardian.com
  At least 10 schools keeping boys and girls separated at all times despite recent court ruling that it is unlawful
  At least 10 Islamic schools in England are still segregating boys and girls in co-educational schools, while others are likely to be separating the genders for certain activities, despite a recent court ruling outlawing the practice.
  Details emerged in an appeal court judgment on Tuesday, which turned down an attempt by the Association of Muslim Schools (AMS) to join a legal action t
  
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• Future of Sky News faces review if no Fox deal, says Sky

  07-11-2017 20:27 via theguardian.com
  Broadcaster says competition regulator should not assume news channel will continue if Fox takeover bid is blocked
  Sky has said it will review the future of Sky News if 21st Century Fox’s £11.7bn bid to take full control of the broadcaster is blocked on the grounds of media plurality.Fox’s bid for Sky is currently being investigated by the Competition Markets Authority with particular reference to the Murdochs’ commitment to broadcasting standards, and the deal’s im
  
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• Man dies after firework attack on house in Birmingham

  07-11-2017 20:26
  The property in Tile Cross, Birmingham, where the attack took place.A man has died after a suspected arson attack involving a 200-shot commercial firework destroyed his house.Anthony Nicholls, 56, had been in an induced coma following the incident at his home in Birmingham at 11pm on 2 November, West Midlands police said.
  
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• Police launch murder inquiry as man dies following firework fire at Birmingham home

  07-11-2017 20:22
  Police have launched a murder investigation following the death of a man who was injured in a "terrifying" fire caused by a firework being set off in his home.Anthony Nicholls, a 56-year-old father from the Tile Cross area of Birmingham, had been in an induced coma since the arson attack at the property in Birchtrees Drive just after 11pm on Thursday November 2.West Midlands Police said he never regained consciousness and detectives had now launched a murder inquiry following his death in the ea
  
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• The Guardian view on Saudi Arabia: a slow-motion coup | Editorial

  07-11-2017 20:18 via theguardian.com
  There are legitimate questions about whether you can sweep out the Augean stables if you don’t have clean handsThe slow-motion coup in Saudi Arabia is changing nothing – and everything – in the desert kingdom. An unprecedented series of arrests this weekend has put princes, former ministers and tycoons behind the gilded bars of a five star hotel. By precipitating the resignation of the Lebanese prime minister, a new front against long-time rival Iran was opened up just as an ol
  
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• Lost and powerless – Theresa May has become a martyr without a cause | Rafael Behr

  07-11-2017 20:16 via theguardian.com
  With inept and unruly ministers such as Boris Johnson and Priti Patel, the prime minister can’t deliver Brexit or the social justice she promisedThe Conservative party has become seriously unserious about government. Trouble piles up at the prime minister’s door with the intensity of a macabre circus: one scandal stumbles into the next, then in comes another, and another, each tripping over the one before; ridiculous without being funny.Heading the nasty clown parade is Boris Johnson
  
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• Theresa May meets parliamentary staff to hear views on abuse

  07-11-2017 20:02
  Theresa May discusses sexual abuse claims with Westminster party leaders including Jeremy Corbyn and Sir Vince Cable in her Commons office on Monday.Theresa May has followed a cross-party summit on how to better handle harassment and abuse at Westminster by meeting staff working at parliament to hear their views on the current situation, No 10 has said.May met about a dozen parliamentary staff on Tuesday evening.
  
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• Rupert Murdoch's media empire may not last his lifetime | Nils Pratley

  07-11-2017 20:02 via theguardian.com
  Disney did not buy 21st Century Fox’s film and TV operations but other bidders will surely circle. Is Murdoch now a seller, not a buyer?It used to be said that Rupert Murdoch’s media empire would not survive intact beyond the founder’s lifetime. Now, it seems, it may not get that far.The stunning news is that Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox held talks with Disney about a sale of the bulk of its business – the movie studio, TV production and the international operations i
  
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• Could these old cassette tapes be my cash in the attic? | Tim Dowling

  07-11-2017 20:01 via theguardian.com
  Millennials have been seduced by the audio technology of my youth. If fresh demand outstrips supply, I could make a pretty pennyAbout 20 years ago I wrote an article about the demise of the cassette tape. It was, I dimly recall, a fond farewell to the format, even though, at bottom, I didn’t care. I figured humanity would cope. Even then I only really listened to cassettes in our old car, back when the millennials were still going crazy for The Wheels on the Bus and Other Songs.Two decades
  
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• Brexit: EU warns UK it has less than a month to make concessions

  07-11-2017 20:01
  A document obtained by the Guardian reveals the EU’s groundwork and confirms that it will be impossible for the UK to get a finished trade deal by March 2019.The British government has less than a month to make a concession on the Brexit bill in order to guarantee launching trade talks in December, the Guardian understands.Senior officials in Brussels say talks have stalled since Theresa May’s Florence speech and warn the EU will find it difficult to agree to trade talks at a Decembe
  
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• Edward Enninful addresses diversity debate with first cover for British Vogue

  07-11-2017 20:00 via theguardian.com
  Politics and culture push fashion world aside, with mixed-race model and feminist activist Adwoa Aboah as cover star
  The first Vogue cover produced under Edward Enninful has been released, signalling the new editor’s mission to make political statements, not just fashion ones. The coverlines make no mention of trends, It bags or new mascaras. Instead there is a list of power players in politics and the arts, including Sadiq Khan, Skepta, Steve McQueen and Zadie Smith. These names – d
  
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• The secret to escaping resignations? Just add more disasters | John Crace

  07-11-2017 19:59
  Boris Johnson speaking in the House of Commons about his remarks in the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
  
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• Sexual harassment in Westminster is the tip of the iceberg |

  07-11-2017 19:58 via theguardian.com
  Readers respond to Guardian’s continuing coverage of sexual harassment in Westminster and beyondYour leading article (There can be no excuses: harassment culture must end, 6 November) highlights the dreadful statistics as regards sexual harassment in the workplace, with more than 50% of women surveyed experiencing some form of unwanted, inappropriate behaviour. What your article does not touch on is the abysmally low success rate of the women who try to challenge this behaviour through the
  
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• Paradise Papers Leak: Prince Charles Becomes Latest Wealthy Person To Be Dragged In To Tax Havens Scandal

  07-11-2017 19:57
  Prince Charles’s private estate has allegedly invested millions of pounds in offshore funds and companies, the latest Paradise Papers leak has revealed.
  
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