General news

• Sacked Gay Times editor Josh Rivers 'appalled' by his offensive tweets

  16-11-2017 23:53
  The Gay Times editor who was fired for posting offensive tweets says he is "appalled" by his past actions.Mr Rivers has since spoken about his sacking admitting he is "appalled" at what was found by Buzzfeed in an investigation looking at his tweets from 2011.Mr Rivers told the BBC that at the time he fired off the tweets he was "in a daze".
  
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• Japanese rail firm apologises after train departs 20 seconds too soon

  16-11-2017 23:24
  The country is known to have one of the world’s most reliable railways.
  
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• Anthony Nicholls: Second arrest over firework arson death in Birmingham

  16-11-2017 22:56
  Police investigating the death of a father in an arson attack involving an "industrial-sized" firework have arrested a second man.The 22-year-old was detained on suspicion of murder over the death of Anthony Nicholls, who was also known as Tony.Mr Nicholls and his partner had been enjoying a Chinese takeaway when a group of men burst into his home at around 11.20pm on 2 November, police said.
  
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• Ann Maguire gasped 'I'm dying' after being stabbed seven times by pupil Will Cornick

  16-11-2017 22:44
  Ann Maguire was stabbed from behind seven times with a seven-inch knife by Will Cornick in a classroom at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds in April 2014.As children ran away screaming Mrs Maguire, who was bleeding heavily, ran to an office, Wakefield Coroner's Court heard.Cornick followed behind, and the court heard that he smiled at the police officer who arrested him as Mrs Maguire lay dying on a stretcher.
  
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• Britain wants trade deal with EU 'much closer than Canada'- Davis

  16-11-2017 22:38
  Britain wants the freest possible trade in goods and services with the European Union in a Brexit deal that goes further than the bloc's trade agreement with Canada, Brexit Secretary David Davis said on Thursday.Dismissing as "incredibly unlikely" the possibility of negotiations with the EU breaking down without a deal, Davis expected Britain would need a transition period of around two years after it leaves the bloc before new arrangements kick in.Since EU leaders agreed last month to ready neg
  
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• Davis says no Brexit deal 'incredibly unlikely'

  16-11-2017 21:53
  It is "incredibly unlikely" that Britain will not be able to negotiate a deal with the European Union on its departure from the bloc, Brexit Secretary David Davis said on Thursday.Davis told a business conference in Berlin he hoped the European Commission would be able by Christmas to proceed to the next stage of Brexit negotiations - on future ties between Britain and the EU.
  
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• David Davis Warns EU That Punishing UK Over Brexit Will Damage Their Economies

  16-11-2017 21:49
  Brexit Secretary David Davis has warned Germany and other European nations not to “put politics above prosperity” during negotiations over the UK quitting the European Union.
  
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• Africa politics creep into French PM's visit to Morocco

  16-11-2017 21:17
  RABAT, Morocco (AP) — France's prime minister launched a mission Wednesday to reinvigorate trade and cooperation with Morocco, which has steadily positioned itself as a regional economic powerhouse focused on Africa instead of its former colonial ruler.
  
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• NHS cash squeeze forces hospitals to postpone non-urgent operations

  16-11-2017 21:06
  NHS commissioning groups in Lincolnshire have adopted the policy as a result of the NHS-wide cash squeeze and also because they insist that some patients’ condition clears up while they wait.NHS clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in Lincolnshire have provoked sustained criticism after deciding to introduce minimum waiting times for non-urgent surgery including cataract operations and joint replacements.“It undermines the core principles of the NHS: that everyone should get compassi
  
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• Lincolnshire NHS enforces three-month wait for surgery

  16-11-2017 21:06
  NHS commissioning groups in Lincolnshire have adopted the policy as a result of the NHS-wide cash squeeze and also because they insist that some patients’ condition clears up while they wait.NHS clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in Lincolnshire have provoked sustained criticism after deciding to introduce minimum waiting times for non-urgent surgery including cataract operations and joint replacements.“It undermines the core principles of the NHS: that everyone should get compassi
  
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• Readers recommend: share songs about fortune telling

  16-11-2017 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 20 November Fortune tellers and fortune telling is the topic for your forward-looking tunes this week. For more on how to interpret the theme, keep an eye on the comments.
  You have until 11pm on Monday 20 November to post your nomination and make your justification. RR contributor Chaz Cozens (who posts as HopelessCase in the comments) will select from your
  
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• David Davis warns EU not to put 'politics above prosperity' in Brexit talks

  16-11-2017 21:00
  David Davis sent a coded warning to Germany and EU nations at an economic conference in Berlin.David Davis, the Brexit secretary, has warned Germany and other European nations not to “put politics above prosperity” as they negotiate the UK’s split from the EU.The senior cabinet minister made the plea at an economic conference in Berlin, as he acknowledged talks with the EU remain difficult.
  
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• NHS boss asks for promised Brexit money

  16-11-2017 20:50
  Simon Stevens said careservices could deteriorate,and waiting lists escalate,unless the health service gets an extra £4 billion next year. Helpfully, he also suggested where Mr Hammond might find the £350 million per week that EU leave campaigners promised for the NHS.
  
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• All you need to know as Donald Trump reverses ban on importing elephants killed as trophies

  16-11-2017 20:49
  The ban on importing elephant trophies was brought in by the Obama administration in 2014.
  
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• NHS faces a worse winter over failure to free up beds, says regulator

  16-11-2017 20:38
  The NHS faces an even greater challenge this winter because hospitals have failed to free up enough beds to cope with increased demand, the health service regulator has warned.While hospitals have treated more patients in A&E than a year ago, NHS Improvement (NHSI) says wards remain full and targets to discharge more patients ahead of the winter peak have failed.In a quarterly report published without notice, NHSI said hospital performance had been affected by the national cyber-attack, as w
  
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• Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe: Explaining the politics

  16-11-2017 20:26 via bbc.co.uk
  Why one mother's personal plight is part of a long and complicated history between Iran and the UK.
  
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• Joy Lofthouse, second world war pilot and trailblazer, dies at 94

  16-11-2017 20:20
  The trailblazing second world war pilot Joy Lofthouse, who flew bombers and fighter aircraft for the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) during the conflict, has died aged 94.Lofthouse was part of a small group of female pilots, known as the “Atagirls”, based in White Waltham, Berkshire, who flew aircraft to the frontline between 1940 and 1945, including Barracuda bombers, Mustang fighters and Spitfires.Speaking in 2015, she said becoming a pilot to help the war effort had “sounded b
  
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• SNP suspends Mark McDonald after 'new information' emerges

  16-11-2017 20:15
  The SNP has suspended Mark McDonald, the former Scottish government minister who resigned his cabinet post two weeks ago after admitting “inappropriate” behaviour towards women, saying it has received new information.McDonald resigned his cabinet position for childcare and early years on 4 November after apologising “unreservedly” for sending an unspecified number of “inappropriate” messages and admitting that his behaviour had caused a woman considerable dist
  
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• A mission for journalism in a time of crisis

  16-11-2017 20:00 via theguardian.com
  In a turbulent era, the media must define its values and principles, writes Guardian editor-in-chief Katharine Viner‘No former period, in the history of our Country, has been marked by the agitation of questions of a more important character than those which are now claiming the attention of the public.” So began the announcement, nearly 200 years ago, of a brand-new newspaper to be published in Manchester, England, which proclaimed that “the spirited discussion of political qu
  
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• EU to press May at summit, UK dismisses Brexit offer talk

  16-11-2017 19:28
  European Union leaders will press Theresa May to meet their conditions soon for launching post-Brexit trade talks when she holds talks on the sidelines of a summit in Sweden on Friday, EU officials said.The British prime minister dismissed via a spokesman a report on Thursday that she was ready to raise her offer of cash to settle London's obligations to the Union on leaving but a top EU lawmaker said he came away from a meeting with May in London optimistic that Britain was moving towards a dea
  
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• Mr Underbed author accuses John Lewis Christmas ad of plagiarism

  16-11-2017 19:26
  Moz the monster in the John Lewis Christmas advert.A renowned writer and illustrator of children’s books has suggested John Lewis may have plagiarised one of his stories for its latest Christmas advert, which was launched to great fanfare last week.Chris Riddell, who until recently was the children’s laureate, posted his own version of the advert on social media, comparing it to scenes in his similarly themed book Mr Underbed.
  
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• Corrosive effects of the market on universities | Letters

  16-11-2017 19:25
  Cambridge University. ‘It may not be surprising that Cambridge is slow to adapt its syllabus,’ writes Regenia Gagnier. Photograph: Nick Ansell/PA
  
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• Wrong turn? car tax disc abolition 'costly' as evasion trebles

  16-11-2017 19:20
  Transport officials have admitted the abolition of paper car tax discs could be a major factor behind figures suggesting evasion has trebled since 2013.Although demands for Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) payments are still sent to owners in advance by the DVLA, the change meant there was no longer a physical disc to jog drivers' memories about renewal.Buyers must now secure their own tax before driving away, with sellers being refunded any full months of remaining VED by the DVLA.
  
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• Expletive-laden anti-Trump message on a pick-up triggers free speech debate in Texas

  16-11-2017 19:02
  Sheriff Troy Nehls claimed his force had received “numerous calls regarding the offensive display”.
  
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• New Zimbabwe Or Just A Return To The Old?

  16-11-2017 19:00
  After 30 years of ‘Uncle Bob’, the population of Zimbabwe deserves a break.
  
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• Robert Mugabe: life of a dictator – video profile

  16-11-2017 18:51 via theguardian.com
  The Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe, is under house arrest in Harare following a military takeover.The 93-year-old has led Zimbabwe's since independence from Britain. In recent years disastrous policies have led to hyperinflation, international sanctions and economic ruin Continue reading...
  
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• Cometh the hour, cometh John McDonnell, the man with a plan | John Crace

  16-11-2017 18:42
  Steadfastly unanimated: John McDonnell delivers his pre-budget speech in London.Not so long ago, no one felt obliged to take much notice of a pre-budget speech from John McDonnell.The Labour shadow chancellor was free to suggest almost anything he wanted – nationalisation of the Isle of Man, an SAS assault on Bermuda – and no one would bat an eye because there didn’t seem to be a chance of him ever getting the top job.
  
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• Can brain training reduce dementia risk? Despite new research, the jury is still out

  16-11-2017 18:42
  Lifestyle changes rather than brain training have been found to be the most promising ways protect the brain against dementia.More than 30 million people worldwide live with Alzheimer’s disease, and while researchers are pushing hard to find a cure, their efforts so far have met with failure.In research published on Thursday, US scientists claim that a form of computer-based brain training can reduce the risk of dementia by 29%.
  
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• Banks may be key for insurers to fulfill EU investment needs

  16-11-2017 18:39
  Efforts to get insurers to plug Europe's investment gap by backing riskier assets could be undermined if banks are unwilling to share crucial credit data with them, a European Union insurance regulator said.EU insurance capital rules known as Solvency II are being reviewed to make it easier for insurers to put their financial firepower to work in alternative investments, such as in infrastructure, unlisted equity or loans.This meant much could hinge on whether insurers can develop "partnerships"
  
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• Government Concedes Millennial Housing Crisis Has Nothing To Do With Avocados

  16-11-2017 18:31
  The UK faces a housing crisis that means young people in many parts of the country cannot afford to buy a property unless they have a better than modest Lottery win or have featured in Made in Chelsea.
  
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• Baby Boomers, Not Avocados, To Blame For Millennial Housing Crisis, Says Minister Sajid Javid

  16-11-2017 18:31
  The UK faces a housing crisis that means young people in many parts of the country cannot afford to buy a property unless they have a better than modest Lottery win or have featured in Made in Chelsea.
  
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• Have I Got News For You Episode Featuring Sexual Harassment 'Jokes' Tops BBC Complaints

  16-11-2017 18:24
  Johnathan Randall (@MrJRan) November 4, 2017 An episode of Have I Got News For You where Jo Brand took an all-male panel to task over their jokes about sexual assault was the most complained about BBC show of the past two weeks, figures reveal.
  
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• Gaia Pope: Man, 49, held on suspicion of murder

  16-11-2017 18:23
  Police searching for missing teenager Gaia Pope have arrested a 49-year-old man on suspicion of murder.The suspect is from the Swanage area and is believed to be known to the 19-year-old, Detective Superintendent Paul Kessel said on Thursday.Confirmation of the latest arrest came just hours after police revealed they had found items of women's clothing in a field near Swanage.
  
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• FTSE rebounds as earnings in focus, GKN tumbles

  16-11-2017 18:18
  The UK's top share index shrugged off weakness from oil stocks on Thursday as a handful of earnings updates were in focus, though GKNplunged on uncertainty following the ditching of its CEO designate.The FTSE was up 0.2 percent at 7,386.94 points at its close, with gains in the healthcare and consumer sectors offsetting weaker commodity stocks.Oil stocks were among the top fallers on the FTSE, hit after Reuters reported that Norway's trillion-dollar wealth fund proposed to drop oil and gas compa
  
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• 'No cash, Carney?' Bank of England Governor unable to find wallet

  16-11-2017 18:18
  LIVERPOOL, England (Reuters) - Bank of England Governor Mark Carney appeared unable to find his wallet on Thursday while attending a central bank event to promote public understanding of economics.
  
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• Scepticism persists over Grenfell death toll despite Met's final figure

  16-11-2017 18:08
  In the fraught days after the Grenfell Tower fire in June, controversy over the official number of dead worsened already tense relations between officials and residents.A day after the fire, the death toll released by the police stood at 17, and the next day it jumped to 30, at a time when a quick count of the photographs of the missing stuck to the walls and fences surrounding the building suggested the real number was much higher.The Met police announcement on Thursday that the final death tol
  
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• Ditch tax cuts to fund universal credit, says Iain Duncan Smith's thinktank

  16-11-2017 18:00
  Iain Duncan Smith’s thinktank wants the chancellor to inject £3.4bn back into universal credit.Iain Duncan Smith’s thinktank is calling on the chancellor to renege on promised Tory tax cuts and instead plough billions of pounds into universal credit if he wants to help families that are just about managing.The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), founded and chaired by the former Conservative leader, said that Philip Hammond should cancel plans to raise the threshold for personal a
  
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• What's your reaction to the NHS 'breakthrough' breast cancer drug?

  16-11-2017 17:44 via theguardian.com
  We’d like to hear from people affected by this story and find out what this means for the availability of other drugsTwo ‘breakthrough’ breast cancer drugs are to be available on the NHS after the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) negotiated prices for the treatments.The standard price for one cycle of palbociclib is £2,950 for a pack of 21 capsules. The list price for one cycle of ribociclib is also £2,950 but this is for 63 tablets. The comp
  
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• What's your reaction to the NHS 'breakthrough' breast cancer drug?

  16-11-2017 17:44
  There are around 45,000 new diagnoses of breast cancer each year in England.Two ‘breakthrough’ breast cancer drugs are to be available on the NHS after the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) negotiated prices for the treatments.The standard price for one cycle of palbociclib is £2,950 for a pack of 21 capsules.
  
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• Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein Calls For A Second Brexit Referendum

  16-11-2017 17:44
  The CEO of Goldman Sachs has called for a second referendum on Brexit, claiming “many wish for a confirming vote on a decision so monumental and irreversible”.
  
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• This terrifying replica of a facehugger inspired by the Alien movies is actually a main meal

  16-11-2017 17:43
  The question is, would you eat it?
  
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• Theresa May could back down on Brexit date, says cabinet minister

  16-11-2017 17:37
  David Lidington arrives in Downing Street for a cabinet meeting.A senior cabinet minister has hinted that Theresa May could back down on her attempt to fix the date of Brexit as 29 March 2019 in the face of a serious Conservative revolt.David Lidington, the justice secretary, said the prime minister was listening to suggestions from her colleagues, when asked whether the exit date amendment could be withdrawn in the face of opposition.
  
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• Donald Trump Singed With 'Sick Burn' By New Zealand Prime Minister

  16-11-2017 17:26
  Donald Trump has been quipped into place by New Zealand’s newly elected Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern.
  
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• Gaia Pope: Police Arrest Man, 49, On Suspicion Of Murder

  16-11-2017 17:18
  Police searching for missing teenager Gaia Pope have arrested a 49-year-old man on suspicion of murder.
  
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• Noel Edmonds to sue Lloyds for up to £300m over loans scam

  16-11-2017 16:57
  Noel Edmonds is to take legal action against Lloyds Banking Group in a bid to secure as much as £300m for a fraud carried out by HBOS staff.Mr Edmonds' losses were suffered when his former business, Unique Group, was allegedly destroyed by the £245m loans scam carried out by HBOS Reading staff between 2003 and 2007.Mr Edmonds will now take his case to court, his lawyer Jonathan Coad confirmed.
  
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• Brook House asylum seekers in legal fight over lock-in procedures

  16-11-2017 16:47
  Five asylum seekers are launching a legal challenge this week which could change the way detention centres are run.The men are calling for an immediate suspension of “lock in” procedures and an overhaul of unsanitary toilets and poor ventilation inside the cells at Brook House immigration removal centre near Gatwick airport.
  
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• Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe: Government Denies Link Between £450m Iran Debt And British Mother's Case

  16-11-2017 16:21
  Both the British Government and Iran have denied any links between a £450m debt and the fate of jailed aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
  
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• Leaked EU paper dents May's hopes for bespoke Brexit trade deal

  16-11-2017 16:16
  Theresa May had asked the EU to raise ambitions for the Brexit deal.Theresa May’s hopes of negotiating a “deep and special” trading relationship with the EU have been dealt a fresh blow by leaked documents which emphasise that only a basic free trade deal similar to that struck with Canada will be offered.An internal discussion paper prepared by the European commission spells out how the British government’s rejection of membership of the single market and the customs uni
  
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• Police hunting for missing teen Gaia Pope find clothing

  16-11-2017 16:05
  Police hunting for missing 19-year-old Gaia Pope say they have found items of women's clothing in a field near Swanage in Dorset.A cordon is in place following the discovery, which was made at 10.28am on Thursday by a member of the public in an area of open land north of the coastal path.The owner of the clothes has not been identified, but Dorset Police detectives involved in the search for the teenager have informed her family of the find.
  
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• Gaia Pope: Police Investigating Disappearance Find Women's Clothing In Field

  16-11-2017 16:05
  Police investigating the disappearance of 19-year-old Gaia Pope have discovered “items of women’s clothing” in a field near Swanage, Dorset Police said.
  
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