General news

• Prince Harry to be guest editor on Today programme

  22-11-2017 23:55
  Prince Harry will highlight issues including mental health and youth violence on the Today programme.Prince Harry and artificial intelligence software will help guest edit Radio 4’s Today programme for two special editions between Christmas and New Year.Kensington Palace said Prince Harry would use the opportunity to “shine a spotlight on a number of issues that are close to his heart”, including youth violence, conservation and mental health.
  
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• Waiting for May, Brussels eyes December Brexit deal

  22-11-2017 23:54
  When Theresa May visits Brussels on Friday, EU negotiators will be listening intently for signs the British prime minister is preparing to risk a domestic backlash and raise her offer to secure a Brexit deal in December.European Union officials and diplomats from the other 27 member states involved in the process hope that within a week to 10 days of meeting European Council President Donald Tusk, during a summit with ex-Soviet neighbours, May will deliver movement on three key conditions so tha
  
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• Wolves pull clear in Championship with drubbing of 10-man Leeds

  22-11-2017 23:50 via theguardian.com
  • Assombalonga scores both goals in Middlesbrough win over Birmingham
  • Nuhiu scores late equaliser for Sheffield Wednesday at IpswichWolverhampton Wanderers moved four points clear at the top of the Championship after a 4-1 drubbing of 10-man Leeds United.Barry Douglas put Wolves on course for their seventh win in their past eight games in the 15th minute before Ivan Cavaleiro doubled the advantage after 26 minutes. Continue reading...
  
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• Heavy rain causes flooding and leaves motorists stranded

  22-11-2017 23:45 via bbc.co.uk
  A yellow "be aware" weather alert is in force until about 09:00 GMT on Thursday.
  
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• Manchester attack: Pre-inquest hearings delayed to 2018

  22-11-2017 23:37 via bbc.co.uk
  Pre-inquest hearings due to take place this week will now happen next year, it is confirmed.
  
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• England players rule out donation to Samoa on ‘ethical’ grounds

  22-11-2017 23:32 via theguardian.com
  • Twickenham hosts will receive £22,000 each while Samoans will get £650
  • Dan Cole says donation would risk creating a dangerous precedentEngland’s players have opted against donating a proportion of their £22,000 match fee to their Samoa counterparts because doing so would compromise rugby union’s integrity, according to Dan Cole, who has defended the decision on “ethical” grounds.Cole revealed that England’s senior player group had dis
  
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• Neymar leads the charge again in PSG’s repeat rout of Celtic

  22-11-2017 23:21 via theguardian.com
  Brendan Rodgers said this mauling by Paris Saint-Germain brought more encouragement than Celtic’s seven‑goal thrashing by Barcelona last season. Moussa Dembélé fired the visitors into a first-minute lead but that only riled the home side, who reacted to the concession of a first goal in this season’s Champions League in style.A Neymar double was followed by goals from Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappé before the break and the Ligue 1 leaders, who had wo
  
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• 'Entitled' Beverly Hills parents drive kids' soccer ref to quit: 'I despise you'

  22-11-2017 23:11 via theguardian.com
  Avery Krut pens withering letter explaining his departure, saying parents are ‘disrespectful and damaging the children’ with their behaviourAvery Krut’s farewell letter to the parents of Beverly Hills is the literary equivalent of a flying kick to the shins.
  “This will be my last year as your referee administrator and I will no longer be the game scheduler,” he wrote, announcing his decision to step down from the American Youth Soccer Organization’s (AYSO) bra
  
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• UK prospects for growth far weaker than first predicted, says OBR

  22-11-2017 23:00 via theguardian.com
  Forecaster now expects economy to grow by just 1.5% in 2017, rather than 2% originally suggested in March Britain’s growth prospects are far weaker than previously thought, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility, as stalling productivity and cash-strapped consumers provide a bleak backdrop for the economy.The government’s independent economic forecaster sharply downgraded its growth predictions and now expects the economy to grow by just 1.5% this year, after predicting 2%
  
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• Peaky Blinders recap – series four, episode two: Heathens

  22-11-2017 23:00 via theguardian.com
  Tommy proves what a great multi-tasker he is, but is it really all going his way? For one, Luca Changretta is causing trouble, as is the truly nasty Aberama GoldSPOILER ALERT: This blog is for those who are watching series four of Peaky Blinders. Don’t read on if you haven’t seen episode two.The move back to Small Heath has definitely done this show the power of good. The plotting and writing feel leaner and the life-and-death stakes are free of grand, overarching conspiracies. It he
  
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• Bath University vice-chancellor survives vote of no confidence

  22-11-2017 22:57 via theguardian.com
  Senate narrowly backs Glynis Breakwell following controversy over her high pay package and unanimous call at staff meeting for leader to go
  The beleaguered vice-chancellor of Bath University has made a public apology and narrowly survived a vote of no-confidence by the university’s senate, shortly after a packed meeting of staff called on her to resign.Only 19 of the 37 members of the senate – the body responsible for the university’s academic work – voted in support of G
  
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• Michael Lang’s late shocker punishes Manchester United for taking it easy

  22-11-2017 22:56 via theguardian.com
  Disaster struck for Manchester United with less than a minute of normal time remaining when Michael Lang prodded home to claim a win which means José Mourinho’s team will qualify unless they suffer a record home European defeat in their final Group A game against CSKA Moscow.For that scenario to come into play Basel would also need to beat Benfica to then draw level with United and Moscow on 12 points. The remote chances of this left Mourinho calm about progression to the knockout s
  
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• Barcelona's draw with Juventus clinches last-16 place as Messi starts on bench

  22-11-2017 22:50 via theguardian.com
  Barcelona allowed themselves the luxury of starting with Lionel Messi on the bench and still held out comfortably for a 0-0 draw at Juventus to reach the last 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday. Barcelona, who brought on Messi early in the second half, enjoyed long spells of possession against a lacklustre Juve in a dull Group D match which saw both teams apparently happy to play for a draw. Continue reading...
  
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• Antonio Conte uses overnight flight to fine-tune Chelsea’s Anfield plan

  22-11-2017 22:46 via theguardian.com
  • No sleep for Chelsea staff on long trip back from beating Qarabag
  • Chelsea have only one full training session before playing LiverpoolAntonio Conte was expecting to endure a sleepless night despite Chelsea securing progress into the knockout stage of the Champions League, with the manager spending the five-and-a-half-hour flight from Baku to London preparing for the awkward trip to Liverpool on Saturday.A comfortable 4-0 victory against Qarabag, aided by the hosts being reduced to
  
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• Runaway 15ft python Tinkerbell found in garden

  22-11-2017 22:43 via bbc.co.uk
  Tinkerbell needed a warm bath after braving the Greater Manchester's cool winter climate.
  
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• Uber faces slew of investigations in wake of 'outrageous' data hack cover-up

  22-11-2017 22:40 via theguardian.com
  US, UK, Australia and Philippines to investigate hack that affected 57m peopleGlobal nature of breach exposes Uber to potential liability in many regionsUber is facing government scrutiny around the world in the wake of its admission it concealed a massive data breach affecting 57 million drivers and passengers. The $68bn ride-hailing company acknowledged Tuesday that hackers had stolen the personal information in October 2016, and that Uber had paid them $100,000 to destroy the information and
  
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• Steve Bell on the autumn budget – cartoon

  22-11-2017 22:12 via theguardian.com
  Continue reading...
  
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• Ann Maguire coroner: Parents should have right to monitor children's social media

  22-11-2017 21:45
  The coroner at an inquest into the death of a teacher murdered by a pupil said parents should have a contractual right to monitor children's social media activity.Coroner Kevin McLoughlin said parents "should have access to supervise content to keep children safe", after it emerged 15-year-old Will Cornick bragged about wanting to kill Ann Maguire on social media.Mr McLoughlin pledged to write to digital minister Matthew Hancock to suggest social media platforms like Facebook and Snapchat requir
  
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• Ann Maguire murder: Coroner issues Facebook contracts plea

  22-11-2017 21:37 via bbc.co.uk
  Ann Maguire was murdered by Will Cornick at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds in 2014.
  
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• Jack Maynard's I'm A Celebrity exit proves Britain's idiot YouTube stars are not ready for prime time - Telegraph.co.uk

  22-11-2017 21:29
  Telegraph.co.uk
  Jack Maynard's I'm A Celebrity exit proves Britain's idiot YouTube stars are not ready for prime time
  Telegraph.co.uk
  You might not know who Jack Maynard is. Frankly, I don't blame you. But he just became marginally more interesting. The gammon-faced 22-year-old, who goes by the dreaded job title of “YouTuber”, has fled from reality contest I'm A Celebrity... Get Me ...
  From Jack Maynard to Zoella, PewDiePie and Jake Paul - the YouTubers who have fallen from graceMir
  
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• Ann Maguire inquest jury finds opportunities missed to save teacher

  22-11-2017 21:29
  Ann Maguire was stabbed repeatedly by Will Cornick, then 15, during a Spanish lesson at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds on 24 April 2014.There were missed opportunities to save a teacher stabbed to death by her student, an inquest jury has found.Ann Maguire, 61, was killed by Will Cornick, then 15, during a Spanish lesson at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds on 24 April 2014.
  
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• Catholic school covers 'suggestive' statue of a saint handing a loaf of bread to a boy - Washington Post

  22-11-2017 21:21
  Washington Post
  Catholic school covers 'suggestive' statue of a saint handing a loaf of bread to a boy
  Washington Post
  A Catholic school in Australia was forced to cover a statue of a saint after its “potentially suggestive” design stirred controversy and mockery on social media. The statue depicts Saint Martin de Porres, a Dominican brother known for helping the poor ...
  Australian school apologises for 'suggestive' saint statueBBC News
  Aussie Catholic School forced into hasty cove
  
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• Budget 2017: UK growth forecast cut by Hammond

  22-11-2017 21:21 via bbc.co.uk
  The chancellor gives a sobering assessment of the economy - but unveils a boost for first-time buyers.
  
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• Anne Wafula-Strike: Paralympian wins train toilet payout

  22-11-2017 21:20 via bbc.co.uk
  Anne Wafula-Strike was on a three-hour train journey with an out-of-order accessible loo.
  
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• Morning mail: life sentence for the 'Butcher of Bosnia' - The Guardian

  22-11-2017 21:07
  The Guardian
  Morning mail: life sentence for the 'Butcher of Bosnia'
  The Guardian
  Thursday: Ratko Mladić rages at UN tribunal. Plus: the no vote for marriage equality reflects religion not ethnicity, Tim Soutphommasane says. by Eleanor Ainge Roy. Thursday: Ratko Mladić rages at UN tribunal. Plus: the no vote for marriage equality ...
  Flawed Justice for the Butcher of BosniaNew York Times
  The Story of This Shocking Image From a Prison Camp in Bosnia Continues 25 Years LaterTIME
  Genocid
  
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• Grenfell Tower: Extra £28m to help fire recovery

  22-11-2017 21:07 via bbc.co.uk
  The funding will go towards mental health services and regeneration in the area, the Chancellor says.
  
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• Hammond safe at No 11 after 'clanger-free' budget

  22-11-2017 20:56
  Philip Hammond holds the famous red box on the steps of N0 11 Downing Street, before leaving for parliament.Just days ago, Philip Hammond was battling for his political life amid television gaffes and pressure from Brexit-supporting MPs who considered him – and the Treasury – way too gloomy about Britain’s prospects after leaving the EU.As he stood up to deliver a budget that most agreed posed tricky challenges, bookies were taking bets on how long it would be until this chance
  
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• Scotland 'shortchanged' by budget's lack of cash for vital services, says SNP

  22-11-2017 20:54 via theguardian.com
  Boost of £2bn will not halt drop in funds available for day-to-day spending, claims finance secretary Derek Mackay Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, faces tougher choices on public spending after the chancellor of the exchequer, Philip Hammond, failed to increase significantly Holyrood’s funding for essential services, adding to pressure for tax rises.A headline funding boost of £2bn for Scotland in Hammond’s budget on Wednesday was criticised by the Scott
  
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• The Guardian view on budget 2017: a missed opportunity | Editorial

  22-11-2017 20:47 via theguardian.com
  Philip Hammond has admitted that seven years of obsessing about the public sector deficit and shrinking the state has left the economy enfeebled and smaller than before the crisis. But he continues to put ideology above evidence
  The last seven years has been an experiment in politics; testing a hypothesis about whether you could cut your way to growth. Philip Hammond’s budget suggests that you cannot. The government’s argument has been that only a programme of rigid deficit reduction
  
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• Zimbabwe: Mysteries remain about Mugabe's downfall - BBC News

  22-11-2017 20:38
  BBC News
  Zimbabwe: Mysteries remain about Mugabe's downfall
  BBC News
  The fall of Robert Mugabe, who was a fixture in global affairs for nearly four decades, was sudden, swift and bloodless. A little more than a week after the military warned the government it might step in, a new president is already in the making. Now ...
  Grace and Robert Mugabe 'to remain in Zimbabwe' under government dealTelegraph.co.uk
  Zimbabwe´s leader-in-waiting appeals for unity and peace in `new democracy´Da
  
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• Man arrested in Lancashire following counter-terrorism raid

  22-11-2017 20:36 via theguardian.com
  Two properties in Nelson are being searched by police after 31-year-old was arrested under the Terrorism ActA man has been arrested under the Terrorism Act after police carried out warrants at two properties in Lancashire.Police said the 31-year-old man from Nelson was arrested at about 11.15am on Wednesday, on suspicion of being concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. He is being held in custody and will be questioned by detectives. Continue reading...
  
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• Tory MPs rally around Hammond's budget after Corbyn attacks

  22-11-2017 20:32
  Corbyn referred to the government’s housing policies as ‘accounting tricks and empty promises’.Conservative MPs have countered Jeremy Corbyn’s swingeing criticism of the budget as the work of “a government no longer fit for office” with a broad endorsement of Philip Hammond, in sharp contrast to their open reservations about the chancellor’s plans last year.Hammond’s colleagues used the first of four days of scheduled debate about the budget to pra
  
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• Ratko Mladić will die in jail. But go to Bosnia: you’ll see that he won | Ed Vulliamy

  22-11-2017 20:27 via theguardian.com
  I revealed the camps where mass-murder and rape took place. But the Serbian warlord is still adored in the statelet from which non-Serbs were banishedGeneral Ratko Mladić, the most bloodthirsty warlord to strut European soil since the Third Reich, will die in jail. Any other outcome after today’s verdict in The Hague would have been preposterous. Related: How Britain and the US decided to abandon Srebrenica to its fateContinue reading...
  
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• Hammond’s ‘make-or-break budget’ wasn’t bold – just more of the same | Aditya Chakrabortty

  22-11-2017 20:27 via theguardian.com
  The chancellor had a choice, an economic stimulus or reprising George Osborne’s austerity. He chose very badlyPhilip Hammond is going nowhere – or so he wants you to think. For months, the chancellor has faced a guerrilla campaign from his cabinet colleagues and backbenchers for his sacking and replacement by someone more Brexity, someone more spendy; someone more, well, happy. Wednesday’s budget was his response to all the back-biting and poison briefings. Hence the opening op
  
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• Family of murdered Maltese journalist file lawsuit against police

  22-11-2017 20:22 via theguardian.com
  Family allege Maltese police are failing to carry out impartial investigation into Daphne Caruana Galizia’s killing
  The family of the murdered Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was a relentless critic of corruption in the country, are taking legal action against the police force for allegedly failing to ensure the investigation into her killing is impartial and independent.Caruana Galizia was killed on 16 October after her rental car was blown apart by a powerful explosive dev
  
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• For the UK economy, this budget is its Suez moment - The Guardian

  22-11-2017 20:15
  The Guardian
  For the UK economy, this budget is its Suez moment
  The Guardian
  The UK economy is still over-dependent on personal debt, such as loans and credit cards. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA. Office for Budget Responsibility. For the UK economy, this budget is its Suez moment. Larry Elliott. Hammond may have called time ...
  Budget 2017: the UK chancellor has played his bad hand cleverlyFinancial Times
  How the Budget will affect ordinary people - and it doesn't seem like anyone is re
  
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• For the UK economy, this budget is its Suez moment

  22-11-2017 20:13 via theguardian.com
  Hammond may have called time on austerity but his money is too little, too late – with Brexit looming the weak economy needs to be put on war footingThe 1956 Suez crisis was the moment Britain had to wake up to the fact that it was no longer the force it once was. The November 2017 budget was its economic equivalent.Forget the extra money to paper over the cracks in the NHS. Leave to one side the willingness to throw money at sorting out universal credit. The real story was not the latest
  
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• PSG v Celtic: Champions League – live! - The Guardian

  22-11-2017 20:11
  The Guardian
  PSG v Celtic: Champions League – live!
  The Guardian
  Kylian Mbappé celebrates with team-mates Neymar (L) and Dani Alves after scoring in the first half. Photograph: Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images. Share on Facebook · Share on Twitter · Share via Email; View more sharing options; Share on LinkedIn · Share ...
  Paris Saint-Germain 1-1 Celtic live score and goal updates from the Champions LeagueMirror.co.uk
  Moussa Dembele to start up front for Celtic agai
  
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• Budget 2017: Hammond masks gloomy outlook with stamp duty cut

  22-11-2017 20:07
  Philip Hammond said his approach would help Britain ‘resolve to look forwards, not backwards’.Philip Hammond placed a stamp duty cut for first-time buyers at the heart of his budget on Wednesday as he sought to mask Britain’s deteriorating economic prospects by pledging to “revive the homeowning dream”.In what he called a “balanced” statement, Hammond sought to placate rebels on both wings of his party, setting aside £3bn for Whitehall departments
  
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• Buncrana pier deaths: driver was three times over drink-drive limit - The Guardian

  22-11-2017 20:04
  The Guardian
  Buncrana pier deaths: driver was three times over drink-drive limit
  The Guardian
  Five members of one Derry family died in the accident: (top from left) Sean, Mark and Evan McGrotty, (bottom from left) and Ruth and Jodie-Lee Daniels. Composite: Facebook. UK news. Buncrana pier deaths: driver was three times over drink-drive limit.
  Buncrana Pier inquest: Driver 'over drink-drive limit'BBC News
  Buncrana inquest: Louise James tells of heartbreaking moment she learned of tragedyIndepend
  
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• Buncrana pier deaths: driver was three times over drink-drive limit

  22-11-2017 20:04 via theguardian.com
  Pathologist unable to tell inquest ‘level of impairment’ Sean McGrotty had at time SUV slid off slipway in County Donegal The driver of a SUV that came off a slipway in the Irish Republic, killing five members of a family from Derry, was three times over the drink-drive limit, an inquest into their deaths has heard.Sean McGrotty, 49, was found to have 159 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. The drink-drive limit in the Irish Republic is 50mg. Continue reading...
  
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• Budget's £1.6bn cash boost for NHS less than half of experts’ advice

  22-11-2017 20:03
  Philip Hammond has promised £337m in emergency funding in an effort to avoid another winter crisis.Philip Hammond has bowed to intense pressure to give the NHS more money in Wednesday’s budget, but produced less than half the £4bn the health service’s own boss said it needed to look after patients properly next year.A payment of £1.6bn for the NHS in England in 2018-19 will see its budget rise to £126bn, rather than the £124.4bn originally planned.
  
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• Willian eases Chelsea into last 16 after early red card ends Qarabag chances

  22-11-2017 20:01 via theguardian.com
  There was no manic celebration from Antonio Conte and his players at the final whistle, polite handshakes replacing joyful punches of the air, but all in the visitors’ ranks could take pride in a job professionally done. Comfortable victory in Baku has extended Chelsea’s Champions League campaign into the new-year knockout phase. They may not appreciate it at Anfield on Saturday, when aching limbs will kick in as they heave to deal with a wounded Liverpool, but the 5,000-mile round t
  
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• It couldn’t be for ever: mourning David Cassidy, the original 70s pinup

  22-11-2017 20:00 via theguardian.com
  That hair! That voice! Cassidy was loved by millions but soon grew sick of the manufactured world of fame. His career mapped out a path for the teen idols who followedIt is so poignant, when a heart-throb’s heart stops throbbing. Poor David Cassidy. Dead at 67, even though he still makes the early 1970s seem like yesterday. Back then, he was everywhere: Cassidy’s lustrous, silky feather cut, framing his fine-featured, smiling face, framing its perfect, perfect teeth. Even Cassidy&rsq
  
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• How Brexit looms over the Irish border: 'It's the Berlin Wall approaching us'

  22-11-2017 20:00 via theguardian.com
  In the communities that straddle the divide between Northern Ireland and the Republic, anxieties about a hard border are becoming very real. Many business owners fear for their livelihoods, while local people warn of a return to the days when IRA smugglers ruled ‘bandit country’Mervyn Johnston sips his tea while sizing up the pristine-looking 1957 Mini Cooper that has come in for repairs from across the border. As the UK’s historic decision to quit the EU plays out, it doesn&rs
  
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• What the 2017 autumn budget means for you

  22-11-2017 19:58 via theguardian.com
  We’ve looked at the figures to see how Philip Hammond’s autumn budget will affect your finances – whether you’re single, married, with or without children or retired.All figures supplied by KPMG, StepChange Debt Charity and Turquoise Training & Consultancy. Some have been rounded to the nearest pound. Some rates will differ in ScotlandAutumn budget: the winners, the losers and the overlooked
  The Guardian view: a missed opportunityContinue reading...
  
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• Burnley nightclub in row with namesake Vogue magazine

  22-11-2017 19:58 via theguardian.com
  Venue owners claim fashion title has been pressuring them to change nameOwners of Vogue nightclub in Burnley claim they are being forced to change the club’s name after being threatened with legal action by the international fashion magazine of the same name.Rebecca and Jason McQuoid said they disagreed with the challenge and originally tried to fight it but, in the end, managed to buy time to rebrand their business. Continue reading...
  
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• 'I want good jobs,' said Phil. Almost anything would be better than his | John Crace

  22-11-2017 19:57 via theguardian.com
  It didn’t matter if he did or didn’t spend the money he didn’t have, the fall-guy chancellor was screwed either wayFreewheelin’ Phil had always enjoyed his morning ritual. After straightening his tie and smoothing down his hair, he’d head to the mirror to blow kisses to himself and whisper: “Looking good, Big Boy.” Only on this day of all days his reflection hadn’t bothered to show up. Freewheelin’ Phil had never felt more alone.It wasn&rsquo
  
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• Autumn budget: the winners, the losers and the overlooked

  22-11-2017 19:57
  Winning: stamp duty is to be abolished for first-time buyers on properties up to £300,000.Philip Hammond has set aside £3bn for Brexit preparations over the next two years in addition to the £700m already spent.The crucial details will follow in supplementary estimates.
  
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• 'I want good jobs,' said Phil. Almost anything would be better than his | John Crace

  22-11-2017 19:57
  Philip Hammond and Theresa May share a laugh in the Commons. Photograph: PA
  
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