General news

• Brexit Irish border deal possible within hours

  07-12-2017 23:32
  BRUSSELS/DUBLIN (Reuters) - The United Kingdom and Ireland could reach agreement in hours on how to run their post-Brexit Irish land border, paving the way for a deal that would remove the last obstacle to opening free-trade talks with the European Union.A carefully choreographed attempt to showcase the progress of Brexit talks collapsed at the last minute on Dec. 4 when the Northern Irish party which props up Prime Minister Theresa May's government vetoed a draft deal already agreed with Irelan
  
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• Met Office warnings for snow and ice for Greater Manchester - this is the latest forecast - Manchester Evening News

  07-12-2017 23:31 via manchestereveningnews.co.uk
  Manchester Evening News
  Met Office warnings for snow and ice for Greater Manchester - this is the latest forecast
  Manchester Evening News
  The yellow weather alerts for the next three days have changed slightly during the day. Here's the latest predictions. Share; Comments. By. Simon Smith. 22:31, 7 DEC 2017. News. Enter your postcode to see news and information near you Community updates ...
  Storm Caroline: Travel chaos and power cuts in 90mph windsSTV News
  Snow, ice and travel chaos warning af
  
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• Royal wedding singer? Ed Sheeran available if Harry and Meghan are interested

  07-12-2017 23:27
  The platinum-selling singer-songwriter now also has the Royal seal of approval, after receiving an MBE for services to music and charity.After picking up his award from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace, he fuelled speculation about his role in providing the entertainment at the upcoming nuptials.Sheeran, 26, is the most-streamed artist on Spotify for 2017.
  
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• Brexit border deal possible in 'hours' as talks go down to the wire

  07-12-2017 23:24
  BRUSSELS/DUBLIN (Reuters) - The United Kingdom and Ireland could reach agreement in hours on how to run their post-Brexit Irish land border, paving the way for a deal that would remove the last obstacle to opening free trade talks with the European Union.A carefully choreographed attempt to showcase the progress of Brexit talks collapsed at the last minute on Dec. 4 when the Northern Irish party which props up Prime Minister Theresa May's government vetoed a draft deal already agreed with Irelan
  
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• 'Slightly modified' Irish border text under consideration - governing party MEP

  07-12-2017 23:24
  Brexit negotiators in Brussels, Dublin and London are working on a new text on the post-Brexit Irish land border with Northern Ireland that might be modified somewhat from a version that was almost agreed earlier this week, a member of the European Parliament from Ireland's governing party said on Thursday."My understanding is all the parties are working on a new text," Fine Gael's Brian Hayes told Irish broadcaster RTE.
  
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• Domestic abuse and coercive control is 'silent killer'

  07-12-2017 23:08 via bbc.co.uk
  Claire's sons Jack, 12, and Paul, 9, were murdered in a fire set by her abusive ex-husband.
  
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• 5 Times Brexiteers Were Tone-Deaf Over The Irish Border Concerns

  07-12-2017 23:03
  The Irish border has proved to be a major obstacle in progressing Brexit talks, with politicians in EU-member Ireland seeking assurances there will be no return to a ‘hard’ border with Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom.
  
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• YouTube prankster cements head in microwave in Wolverhampton

  07-12-2017 22:47
  A YouTube prankster had to be freed by firefighters in an hour-long rescue after he cemented his head inside a microwave.The 22-year-old put his head in a plastic bag inside the microwave before friends poured seven bags of Polyfilla inside.Watch Commander Shaun Dakin said: "As funny as this sounds, this young man could quite easily have suffocated or have been seriously injured.
  
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• JK Rowling defends Johnny Depp role in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

  07-12-2017 22:47
  Harry Potter author JK Rowling has hit back at critics over her decision to keep Johnny Depp in the role of Grindelwald for the Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them sequel.Some fans have vented their fury about Depp starring in the film after his ex-wife Amber Heard accused him of domestic violence.Rowling, who pens the spin-off film series, said stories surrounding Depp "deeply concerned" her when they emerged at the time when he was filming the first movie.
  
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• Ronaldo moves level with archrival Messi with 5 Ballon d'Ors - Daily Mail

  07-12-2017 22:08 via dailymail.co.uk
  Daily Mail
  Ronaldo moves level with archrival Messi with 5 Ballon d'Ors
  Daily Mail
  PARIS (AP) - A decade of dominance as the world's two best soccer players has left Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi level with five Ballon d'Or awards each. Despite once trailing 4-1 to his longtime rival, Ronaldo moved level after winning the award ...
  Cristiano Ronaldo receives standing ovation from legends as he scoops FIFTH Ballon D'OrDaily Star
  Cristiano Ronaldo edges out Lionel Messi to win Ballon d'Or fo
  
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• Theresa May poised for early morning dash to Brussels over Brexit - The Guardian

  07-12-2017 22:00 via theguardian.com
  The Guardian
  Theresa May poised for early morning dash to Brussels over Brexit
  The Guardian
  Theresa May was ready to go to Brussels as soon as new wording had been approved by the DUP. Photograph: Amer Ghazzal / Barcroft Images. Brexit. Theresa May poised for early morning dash to Brussels over Brexit. Work continuing through the night on a ...
  Theresa May is on the brink of a new Brexit deal with the EU and DUPThe Independent
  May holds late-night Brexit talks as hopes raised of deal on Irish b
  
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• Britain says Brexit talks ongoing after calls with Irish and EU's Juncker

  07-12-2017 21:17
  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain said on Thursday that talks about moving the Brexit process forward were "ongoing" after Prime Minister Theresa May spoke to Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
  
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• Morning mail: protests against Trump's Jerusalem move turn violent - The Guardian

  07-12-2017 20:55 via theguardian.com
  The Guardian
  Morning mail: protests against Trump's Jerusalem move turn violent
  The Guardian
  Friday: Palestinian protesters confront Israeli forces in the occupied territories. Plus: concern over Chinese institute's role in NSW education. by Mike Ticher. Friday: Palestinian protesters confront Israeli forces in the occupied territories. Plus ...
  The Latest: Somalia calls Trump Jerusalem move 'dangerous'Daily Mail
  Palestinians Clash With Israeli Troops to Protest Trump's Jerusalem DeclarationNew
  
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• A gay man denied a marriage licence by a county clerk is now running for her job

  07-12-2017 20:48
  David Ermold announced his candidacy on Wednesday.
  
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• Brexit border deal possible in 'hours', Irish official says

  07-12-2017 20:43
  BRUSSELS/DUBLIN (Reuters) - The United Kingdom and Ireland could reach agreement in the coming hours on how to run their post-Brexit land border, a senior Irish official said, in a deal that would remove the last obstacle to opening free trade talks with the European Union.A carefully choreographed attempt to showcase the progress of Brexit talks collapsed at the last minute on Dec. 4 when the Northern Irish party which props up Prime Minister Theresa May's government vetoed a draft deal already
  
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• Gentle George struggles to keep his killer instincts in check | John Crace

  07-12-2017 20:09
  One of the lasting images of election night this year was George Osborne in the ITV studios.As the exit poll was announced, his face first turned to shock and then to undisguised pleasure as he pronounced Theresa May a “dead woman walking”.George is a man hell-bent on squeezing every bit of enjoyment out of his revenge.
  
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• Post-Brexit UK has a lot in store for Pakistan, Sadiq tells PM Abbasi - Pakistan Today

  07-12-2017 20:08 via pakistantoday.com.pk
  Pakistan Today
  Post-Brexit UK has a lot in store for Pakistan, Sadiq tells PM Abbasi
  Pakistan Today
  ISLAMABAD: London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Thursday assured Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi that he would work towards nurturing closer ties between London and Pakistan, as he invited the Pakistani investors to take advantage of the favourable business ...and more »
  
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• Ex-Conservative MP Charlotte Leslie 'joins Celebrity Big Brother line-up'

  07-12-2017 20:02
  A Tory MP ousted at the general election in June has been named in the line-up for Celebrity Big Brother 2018.Charlotte Leslie, who represented Bristol North West for seven years, will reportedly receive a six-figure fee for her apperance on the Channel 5 show.Ms Leslie joins a string of politicans who turned their hand to reality telvision, some while they were still in office and others to boost their careers.
  
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• The Manchester Libyan connection: Group of jihadis from same area - Daily Mail

  07-12-2017 19:59 via dailymail.co.uk
  Daily Mail
  The Manchester Libyan connection: Group of jihadis from same area
  Daily Mail
  Mohammed Abdallah is the latest extremist to come from the same part of Manchester as suicide bomber Salman Abedi. The 26-year-old lived with his family on Westerling Way in Moss Side, Manchester, less than two miles from the Fallowfield home of Abedi ...
  Manchester man convicted after travelling to Syria and joining DaeshThe Crown Prosecution Serviceall 14 news articles »
  
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• Is it time to ask the DUP for a refund? | Brief letters

  07-12-2017 19:46
  DUP MPs outside parliament after the party rejected Theresa May’s potential Brexit deal.Photograph: Tolga Akmen/AFP/Getty Images
  
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• UK among world's worst for acid attacks

  07-12-2017 19:38
  The UK has one of the worst levels of recorded acid attacks in the world, police have revealed.New statistics suggest there are now more than 800 reported attacks a year, but investigators believe the crime is under-reported.The incidents dwarf official figures for India, where acid attacks have been a form of punishment and revenge for decades, though under-reporting is widespread there and elsewhere in South-East Asia.
  
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• Uber loses licence to operate in Sheffield after 'failing to answer questions about management' - Mix 96

  07-12-2017 19:37 via mix96.co.uk
  BBC News
  Uber loses licence to operate in Sheffield after 'failing to answer questions about management'
  Mix 96
  Uber's licence to operate in Sheffield has been suspended after the company failed to answer questions about its management, the city council has said. The ride-hailing app will be able to continue operating in the city until 18 December, however if it ...
  Uber's licence suspended in British city of SheffieldDaily Mail
  Uber's 'licence suspended by Sheffield City Council'The Star
  Uber
  
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• Wembley to host seven European Championship games in 2020

  07-12-2017 19:36
  Wembley is to be used as a venue for seven Euro 2020 matches in total, after UEFA decided a stadium in Brussels would not be ready in time.The London stadium had already been chosen as the venue for the final and both semi-finals of the tournament, which is expected to take place between 12 June and 12 July, 2020.Now, it has also been handed four group games previously allocated to Belgium's troubled 60,000-capacity Eurostadium project, which has been beset by difficulties.
  
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• Uber loses licence to operate in Sheffield after 'failing to answer questions about management'

  07-12-2017 19:36
  Uber's licence to operate in Sheffield has been suspended after the company failed to answer questions about its management, the city council has said.Uber blamed its failure to respond to the council on an "administrative error", saying it had submitted an application for a new licence on 16 October which is still being processed.In September, Uber lost its licence to operate in London after TfL found it was "not fit and proper" to hold one.
  
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• Irish hard border would be 'obvious terror target'

  07-12-2017 19:20
  A hard border on the island of Ireland would be an "obvious" target for terror attacks by dissident republicans, senior police chiefs have warned.PSNI Deputy Chief Constable Drew Harris said any infrastructure along the border would be a "further rallying call to drive their recruitment".
  
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• Oxford student appeals against suspended sentence for stabbing boyfriend

  07-12-2017 19:18
  A University of Oxford student who avoided prison after stabbing her boyfriend has appealed against the suspended sentence handed to her.Lavinia Woodward, 24, received a 10-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, for stabbing her then partner with a breadknife in a drunken attack.The presiding judge in the original case reportedly told Woodward that a custodial sentence could damage her career prospects and was therefore too severe.
  
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• EU's Tusk to make Brexit statement early Friday

  07-12-2017 19:14
  European Council President Donald Tusk will make a statement on Brexit early on Friday, his office said on Thursday, prompting speculation on the fate of British Prime Minister Theresa May's plans for a deal with Brussels.No details were available of Tusk's plans for the morning, when he will brief reporters at 7:50 a.m. (0650 GMT).Earlier, a spokesman for European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said May had an effective deadline of Sunday night if she wants to return to Brussels to se
  
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• Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe: Boris Johnson To Press For Her Release In Iran This Weekend

  07-12-2017 19:04
  Boris Johnson is expected to make a visit to Iran this weekend to press for the release of jailed British mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
  
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• Ten tips for reducing energy costs when cooking

  07-12-2017 18:42 via theguardian.com
  Cooking from scratch is usually far cheaper than eating out or buying takeaways, but it can be cheaper still. Jack Monroe explains how – with a smart meter – you can cut your gas and electricity bills, while enjoying healthy, home-cooked meals1 Use your oven less. The oven is the least energy-efficient way to cook – you’re literally paying to heat up a large box of air when just half a shelf will do.2 Use cauldron theory. If you do need to use the oven, consider baking a
  
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• British Foreign Secretary Johnson to travel to Iran this weekend - Guardian newspaper

  07-12-2017 18:35
  British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is expected to travel to Tehran this weekend in a bid to win the release of a jailed Iranian-British aid worker, the Guardian newspaper reported on Thursday.Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was sentenced to five years in jail after being convicted by an Iranian court of plotting to overthrow the clerical establishment.The Thomson Reuters Foundation, a charity organisation that is independent of Thomson Reute
  
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• 'We won't hold back', minister-turned-editor Osborne warns May on Brexit

  07-12-2017 18:30
  LONDON (Reuters) - "We won't hold back," former finance minister and now newspaper editor George Osborne declared on Thursday in a warning to Prime Minister Theresa May that he will not relent in his criticism of her Brexit plans.After being sacked by May when she was appointed prime minister following Britain's vote to leave the European Union, the once-powerful finance minister has become a vocal critic of the government, using his role at the London-based newspaper, the Evening Standard, to s
  
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• Leave campaigners warn May against 'regulatory alignment' with EU

  07-12-2017 18:26
  Gisela Stuart, a former Labour MP, led the Vote Leave campaign alongside Boris Johnson and Michael Gove.A pressure group linked to the former Vote Leave campaign has warned Theresa May that signing up to regulatory alignment with the EU to solve the Irish border problem will not allow Britain to “take back control” from Brussels.Change Britain, which was launched last year with the backing of the foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, and the environment secretary, Michael Gove, made clea
  
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• George Osborne accuses Theresa May of being 'against the future'

  07-12-2017 18:22
  The former chancellor George Osborne has accused Theresa May of failing to defend the Conservatives’ economic record and of presenting her party as “against the future” in June’s general election campaign.Speaking to journalists in Westminster, Osborne, who was sacked by May last year and left parliament to become the editor of the Evening Standard, repeatedly criticised the prime minister’s leadership.In particular, he accused May of abandoning the “compassio
  
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• 'Matters being considered' by EU, UK and Ireland-Irish PM spokesman

  07-12-2017 18:22
  DUBLIN (Reuters) - "Matters are being considered" as part of ongoing Brexit discussions involving negotiators from the European Union, the Irish government and British government, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar's spokesman said on Thursday.
  
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• Japanese firms say Abe's call for 3 percent wage hike is unrealistic - Reuters poll

  07-12-2017 18:15
  Two-thirds of Japanese firms think the government's push to raise wages by 3 percent is a tall order, with some dismissing it out of hand, a Reuters poll found, underscoring deep corporate reluctance to boost fixed costs despite huge cash piles.During his five years in office, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has urged companies to raise wages to encourage consumer spending and lift the economy out of deflation, even offering tax breaks to businesses that raise wages a specified amount.
  
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• Uber loses licence to operate in Sheffield

  07-12-2017 18:11
  Uber's licence to operate in Sheffield has been suspended after the company failed to answer questions about its management.Uber blamed its failure to respond to Sheffield City Council on an "administrative error", adding it had submitted an application for a new licence on 16 October which is still being processed.In September, Uber lost its licence to operate in London after TfL found it was "not fit and proper" to hold one.
  
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• Fighting deportation from UK, convicted ex-trader Adoboli wins reprieve

  07-12-2017 18:06
  Kweku Adoboli, a former UBS trader jailed for Britain's biggest fraud over unauthorised trades that cost the Swiss bank $2.3 billion (£1.7 billion), averted the immediate threat of deportation at a court hearing in London on Thursday.A Ghanaian national who has lived in Britain since he was 12, Adoboli, now 37, has been appealing against an order made by the British authorities in July 2014 that he should be sent back to Ghana as a foreign criminal.Among other issues, he says officials fal
  
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• Uber's licence suspended in British city of Sheffield

  07-12-2017 18:03
  Uber's licence to operate in the northern English city of Sheffield was suspended last Friday after it failed to respond to requests about the management of its taxi app, the local authority said.The firm can continue to operate until Dec. 18 and if it chooses to appeal the suspension, it can still run until that appeal is heard, Sheffield City Council said in a statement on Thursday.Uber said it submitted an application for a new licence on Oct. 16 which continues to be processed by local offic
  
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• Christmas Is Killing The Planet - There Is Another Way

  07-12-2017 18:02
  The concentration of carbon in our atmosphere is at an all-time high.
  
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• Post-Brexit Choices For Environmental Protection

  07-12-2017 17:52
  Britain is at a crossroads with Brexit, and nowhere is that more prominent than when it comes to the natural environment and animal welfare.
  
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• Uber Has Sheffield Licence Suspended, Council Announces

  07-12-2017 17:51
  Uber has had its licence to operate in Sheffield suspended after failing to respond to requests for information about its management.
  
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• Time For Some Independent Thinking In Wales

  07-12-2017 17:46
  There’s no denying it, I get misty eyed whenever I drive through sublime rural Shropshire and Herefordshire especially on crisp winter mornings.
  
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• The Global Compact On Migration Is Not About Sovereignty

  07-12-2017 17:44
  Trump scored easy political points this weekend with the anti-immigrant and anti-globalist crowds when he withdrew from negotiations for the UN Global Compact on Migration.
  
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• Pakistan? No, home is south London, Sadiq Khan tells BBC reporter

  07-12-2017 17:43
  The mayor of London, on a visit to Pakistan and India, smiled when asked the question but was keen to set the record straight.Khan’s parents moved from Pakistan to England in the 1960s, and while standing for mayor he frequently referenced his south London upbringing and in particular the fact that his father drove a number 44 bus.
  
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• Released Chennai Six member Nick Dunn says 'seeing mam is best ever present'

  07-12-2017 17:35
  Nick Dunn was one of six Britons working as security guards who were detained in 2013 on weapons charges in Chennai, south India.After arriving back in the UK on Thursday, he said: "Four long years of not being able to see me mam, it's the best Christmas present I could ever wish for.Describing his ordeal, Mr Dunn, from Northumberland, said: "When you are waiting and waiting and waiting for a decision and you start thinking, it's never going to end.
  
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• Stanley and 'Toff' - here's why posh people always thrive in the 'celebrity' jungle - Telegraph.co.uk

  07-12-2017 17:16 via telegraph.co.uk
  Telegraph.co.uk
  Stanley and 'Toff' - here's why posh people always thrive in the 'celebrity' jungle
  Telegraph.co.uk
  Georgia Toffolo and Stanley Johnson 'I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!' Credit: REX/Shutterstock/REX/Shutterstock. Michael Hogan. 7 December 2017 • 4:16pm. “Is Boris still Foreign Secretary?” That was the loveably bumbling question asked by ...
  Toff left in tears over Stanley Johnson's shocking departure on I'm A CelebMetroall 75 news articles »
  
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• Ex-BT Italy boss wins $2 million for wrongful dismissal - sources

  07-12-2017 17:16
  A manager at the centre of investigations into an accounting scandal at British Telecom's Italian business has been awarded almost 1.8 million euros (£1.6 million) in damages for wrongful dismissal, three legal sources said.Gianluca Cimini was fired for disciplinary reasons last year, months before the phone company filed a criminal complaint accusing him of grave violations of corporate governance.The accusations arose from its investigation of alleged accounting fraud that cost the firm
  
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• Whole of the UK needs to take back control of borders and cash from EU, Johnson says

  07-12-2017 17:13
  The United Kingdom as a whole needs to take back control of its borders, laws and cash when it leaves the European Union, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Thursday."Whatever way we devise for getting onto the body of the (Brexit) talks, it's got to be consistent with the whole of the United Kingdom taking back control of our laws, of our borders and of our cash," Johnson told reporters after a speech.A tentative deal on the Irish border, which is required if Brexit talks are to move to th
  
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• Nick Dunn arrives in UK: 'A hot bath's on the cards'

  07-12-2017 17:10
  Nick Dunn, who is one of six former British soldiers released from prison in India, has returned to the UK.
  
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• Irish border checkpoints would be terror targets, police chief warns

  07-12-2017 17:05
  Checkpoints and cameras on a future hard Irish border would be a potential target and recruitment tool for dissident terrorist groups in Northern Ireland, the region’s deputy police chief has warned.Drew Harris said paramilitary activity was still a major concern after 58 shootings and 32 bombing incidents so far this year, which had gone largely unreported by the media.“Dissident groups see [the border] as an area which is contentious, which will give them a further rallying call to
  
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