General news

• M5 closed for hours in both directions after incident near Exeter

  08-12-2017 22:47
  Thousands of people have been stuck on the M5 in southwest England after police stopped traffic to deal with an incident.A detour was put into operation but the motorway itself was closed in both directions between junctions 29 and 28 near Exeter.Devon and Cornwall Police have said the incident followed concerns for a man on a bridge that crosses over the motorway.
  
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• Fed-up guy makes genius flowchart so his family ‘can watch TV in 2017’

  08-12-2017 22:19
  “I have not received any calls since the chart was posted.”
  
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• France to allow blockchain for trading unlisted securities

  08-12-2017 21:39
  The French government opened the way on Friday for trading unlisted securities using blockchain digital ledgers with the adoption of new rules aimed at improving Paris' image as acentre for financial innovation.The new rules mean that banks and fintech companies can set up blockchain platforms where unlisted securities can trade instantly, cutting out middlemen like brokers and custodian banks.Securities listed on financial exchanges will still be required to pass through custodians and clearing
  
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• Storm Caroline: Snow warnings as UK temperatures fall to -5C

  08-12-2017 21:05
  Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern parts of England and much of Wales have been blanketed in snow by Storm Caroline.The Met Office says northern and western parts of the UK endured another day of "frequent blustery snow and hail showers" and a widespread frost will befall inland areas overnight as we head into the weekend.The wintry weather was also more keenly felt in central and southern parts of England throughout the day, while the Met Office warned of "significant accumulations" in Wal
  
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• People React To Stoneless Avocados

  08-12-2017 20:33
  This week M&S launched the stoneless ‘Cocktail Avocado’ That’s right, it’s an avocado without a stone - and the supermarket chain has said the fruit could reduce instances of “avocado hand.”
  
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• Tories welcome May's Brexit deal but EU warns of trade talk delays

  08-12-2017 20:30
  Theresa May and Jean-Claude Juncker at their press conference in Brussels announcing that negotiations could move on to the future EU-UK relationship.Theresa May’s “hard won” deal with Brussels to widen the Brexit negotiations was publicly praised by all sides of her divided party, but the EU warned that ongoing splits in the cabinet could still delay serious talks about trade until deep into 2018.While May was lauded by her ministers for striking an agreement in the early hour
  
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• Theresa May orders ministers to cool public dispute over defence

  08-12-2017 20:30
  Theresa May has intervened in the public war of wards between her new defence secretary Gavin Williamson, pictured with her, and chancellor Philip Hammond.Theresa May has intervened in a damaging row between Gavin Williamson, the defence secretary, and Philip Hammond, the chancellor, by asking them to cool down their spat.One ally of the chancellor is said to have briefed a Sunday newspaper that Williamson looked “like Private Pike from Dad’s Army”.
  
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• 9 Hilariously Depressing Analogies For Theresa May's Brexit Deal

  08-12-2017 20:22
  You may well have noticed that something rather big happened today - that’s right, a YouTube prankster cemented his head inside a microwave.
  
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• 9 Hilarious Analogies For Theresa May's Brexit Deal

  08-12-2017 20:22
  You may well have noticed that something rather big happened today - that’s right, a YouTube prankster cemented his head inside a microwave.
  
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• Cabinet heavyweights back PM's Brexit breakthrough deal

  08-12-2017 20:12
  Senior members of Theresa May's government have backed her breakthrough deal in the Brexit talks, which includes paying more than £30bn to Brussels.Criticism of the Prime Minister's deal among Leave-supporting MPs has been muted so far, although there have been hints of some discontent.After a night of frantic diplomacy, an agreement on the size of the so-called "divorce bill" was made this morning, along with guarantees on citizens' rights and the status of the Irish border after Brexit.
  
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• EU eyes quick Brexit transition deal, trade pact to take time

  08-12-2017 20:08
  Businesses fretting about Brexit should get reassurance early in the new year that little will change for a couple of years after Britain leaves the European Union in less then 16 months, EU officials said on Friday.The full-blown free trade agreement that London wants will take considerably longer, however.Negotiations will start only later in 2018 and lead at best to a "political declaration" of intent before Brexit.
  
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• Britain, EU clinch Brexit "breakthrough" with move to trade talks

  08-12-2017 20:08
  Britain and the European Union struck a divorce deal on Friday that paves the way for arduous talks on future trade ties, easing immediate pressure on Prime Minister Theresa May and boosting hopes of an orderly Brexit.May rushed to Brussels before dawn to seal a European Commission agreement that "sufficient progress" had been made to begin talks about trade and a two-year Brexit transition period that will start when Britain leaves the EU on March 29, 2019.
  
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• YouTube prankster who cemented head in microwave slammed over price of firefighter rescue

  08-12-2017 20:00
  A YouTube prankster has been criticised after cementing his head in a microwave - costing a fire service £650 to free him.Jay Swingler put his head in a plastic bag inside the microwave before friends poured seven bags of Polyfilla inside, andhe quickly became trapped .Paramedics were unable to help and so West Midlands Fire Service was called, resulting in a rescue operation that tied up five firefighters for almost an hour and cost £650.
  
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• Labour MPs hope EU deal is signal for soft Brexit approach

  08-12-2017 19:29
  Shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer called on the prime minister to change her approach to the talks.If official Labour reaction to the initial Brexit deal was cautiously welcoming, behind the scenes several MPs were already wondering whether the flexibility inherent in certain clauses might be the cue to push the party definitively towards seeking a soft Brexit.The formal Labour policy, such as it exists, only calls for continued membership of the EU’s single market and customs union dur
  
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• Giphy reveals its most popular gifs of the year

  08-12-2017 18:59
  A round-up of everything you’ve been using to react to political news this year.
  
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• European governments welcome Brexit progress but warn of challenges

  08-12-2017 18:44
  Michel Barnier confirmed that ‘once the withdrawal treaty is signed, then the real negotiation can start’.European governments and business leaders have welcomed the breakthrough in Brexit talks but warned that the most difficult negotiations lie ahead.A spokesman for the German government gave a guarded thumbs up to the pre-dawn deal announced by Theresa May and Jean-Claude Juncker on Friday, but said there was “still much work for negotiators to do”.
  
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• Stephen Hawking joins lawsuit aimed at foiling Hunt's NHS shake-up

  08-12-2017 18:37
  The lawsuit Hawking has joined is seeking to stop the introduction of ‘accountable care organisations’ into the NHS in England in April.Stephen Hawking has reignited his public dispute with Jeremy Hunt by joining a legal action aimed at scuppering a controversial NHS shake-up he fears will lead to greater privatisation and rationing of resources.The world-renowned physicist has become a party to a lawsuit that is seeking to stop the introduction of the first accountable care organisa
  
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• Arlene Foster: Brexit brinkmanship rooted in a border childhood

  08-12-2017 18:30
  DUP leader Arlene Foster has in-depth experience of detailed and tricky negotiations in Ulster politics.In an age of marginal political figures seizing centre stage, it is apt that the most powerful person in Britain this week was not the prime minister but Arlene Foster, a 47-year-old County Fermanagh solicitor and the first woman to lead Ian Paisley’s staunchly loyalist Democratic Unionist party.Until she torpedoed Theresa May’s initial Brexit deal on Monday, Foster’s most no
  
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• House Of Lords Disturbance Sees Man Arrested On Suspicion Of Common Assault

  08-12-2017 18:15
  A man has been arrested on suspicion of common assault and criminal damage after a disturbance at the entrance of the House of Lords public gallery, Scotland Yard said.
  
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• How one UK university confronted its sexual harassment problem

  08-12-2017 18:05
  Universities across the UK have been urged to build on recent progress in tackling sexual harassment and violence on campus.In early summer last year, the higher education sector was rocked by the resignation of the leading feminist academic Sara Ahmed from her post at Goldsmiths, University of London.Ahmed was protesting against what she claimed was a failure to address the problem of sexual harassment in the world of academia.
  
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• Two Palestinians Killed In 'Day Of Rage' Clashes After Donald Trump's Jerusalem Decision

  08-12-2017 18:02
  At least one Palestinian has been shot dead and scores more have been injured in clashes with Israeli troops on a “day of rage” on Friday against US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
  
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• Palestinian Shot Dead In 'Day Of Rage' Clashes After Donald Trump's Jerusalem Decision

  08-12-2017 18:02
  At least one Palestinian has been shot dead and scores more have been injured in clashes with Israeli troops on a “day of rage” on Friday against US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
  
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• Tory councillor apologises over bizarre 'feet on seat' train row

  08-12-2017 17:45
  The Tory councillor overseeing London's transport system has apologised after being filmed in a furious row with a fellow rail passenger.Keith Prince - the chairman of the London Assembly's transport committee - was caught on video by another commuter on a Southeastern service heading into the capital from Dartford, Kent, at around 8.30am on Thursday.The argument with the young woman - uploaded to Facebook by the Dartford Rail Travellers Association - appeared to have started because she had her
  
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• Politics Should Be A Compulsory Part Of Education

  08-12-2017 17:43
  Some may blame my parents for not properly educating me, some may blame me for not properly educating myself, and some (like me) blame the educational system.Not only this, but subjects that may prepare a child for understanding the basic concepts of political subjects, such as history, geography, english literature (not language) and economics, are also not completely compulsory.With the 1996 Education Act in place, it is understandable why schools may steer away from educating their students o
  
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• Awareness And Political Leadership Matter, But Only Research Can Transform Our Mental Health

  08-12-2017 17:42
  How much will our understanding of mental health improve in the next decade?
  
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• Britain, EU clinch Brexit 'breakthrough' with move to trade talks

  08-12-2017 17:41
  Britain and the European Union struck a divorce deal on Friday that paves the way for arduous talks on future trade ties, easing immediate pressure on Prime Minister Theresa May and boosting hopes of an orderly Brexit.May rushed to Brussels before dawn to seal a European Commission agreement that "sufficient progress" had been made to begin talks about trade and a two-year Brexit transition period that will start when Britain leaves the EU on March 29, 2019.
  
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• Grenfell fire: response failings highlighted in report on tragedy

  08-12-2017 17:22
  Significant failings in preparations to deal with a major disaster have been identified in a report on the response to the Grenfell Tower fire.The concerns are highlighted in a review produced by Hammersmith and Fulham council (H&F), a neighbouring borough to the royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) and one of the first authorities to get involved in the immediate disaster response.The council is supporting about 50 Grenfell families who remain in accommodation in hotels in Hammers
  
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• UK opposition leader Corbyn wants close relationship with Europe

  08-12-2017 17:16
  Britain's opposition Labour party wants a close relationship with the rest of Europe after Brexit, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told an audience at the United Nations in Geneva on Friday."We want to see a close and cooperative relationship with our European neighbours outside the European Union, based on solidarity as well as mutual benefit and fair trade, along with a wider proactive internationalism across the globe," he said.
  
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• Russia's Sistema countersues Rosneft for $5.6 billion in growing row

  08-12-2017 17:12
  Russian conglomerate Sistema said on Friday it had filed a 330.5 billion rouble (£4.1 billion) lawsuit against Rosneft, retaliating against $4.5 billion in legal claims made against it by Russia's top oil producer.Shares in Sistema, which groups the assets of Russian businessman Vladimir Yevtushenkov and includes the country's largest mobile operator MTS, hit a three-year low after Rosneft filed its second lawsuit on Thursday.Rosneft is seeking the return of dividends paid out by mid-sized
  
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• Auchan opens probe after suspected counterfeit FIFA products found in Russia

  08-12-2017 16:35
  The Russian branch of French retailer Auchan said on Friday it had launched an internal investigation after suspected counterfeit products bearing the insignia of global soccer governing body FIFA were found on its shelves."All the questionable products have been removed from all stores in the chain," the company told Reuters in an e-mail.A spokeswoman of the Russian Internal Ministry, Irina Volk, told the TASS news agency on Thursday that copyright holders had suffered more than 500,000 roubles
  
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• May returns to Brussels to secure peace for our time | John Crace

  08-12-2017 16:24
  The prime minister beamed with pride, seemingly unaware that Juncker had intended to be ironic.For the first time in months, a smile crossed Theresa May’s lips.Jean-Claude Juncker also looked relieved as he announced the EU was satisfied that enough progress had been made in the Brexit negotiations for them to move on to the next stage.
  
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• Corbyn wants much more information on EU divorce deal

  08-12-2017 16:14
  GENEVA (Reuters) - Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn said on Friday that he wanted to see much more information about the Brexit divorce deal struck between Prime Minister Theresa May's government and the European Commission.
  
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• A top secret shambles on the Brexit front, as Stanley Johnson gets the boot | John Crace

  08-12-2017 15:53
  MPs were finally allowed to read the government’s Brexit analyses.Full instructions were sent out in a letter from the junior Brexit minister Robin Walker.First MPs had to log on to a government website to book a one hour slot to read the 850 pages contained in two lever arch files.
  
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• Michael Gove sent out to ease Brexiteer's fear: 'May WON' significant Brexit victory

  08-12-2017 15:37 via feedproxy.google.com
  MICHAEL Gove praised the Prime Minister saying that the Brexit deal was a ‘personal political achievement’.
  
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• Leo Varadkar has been spotted with a ‘world’s best Taoiseach’ mug

  08-12-2017 15:31
  The Taoiseach was pictured with it on Friday.
  
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• Trade talks will not start until February at earliest, EU tells UK

  08-12-2017 15:24
  Michel Barnier made it clear that Britain could only expect a post-Brexit trade deal along the lines of that recently agreed with Canada.The EU has told Theresa May it will not start discussing the terms of a trade relationship with the UK until February at the earliest, and only then if the British prime minister has taken a grip of her divided cabinet and come up with an agreed vision of the future.While May was being lauded by her ministers in London on Friday, EU officials in Brussels said t
  
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• Brexit deal LIVE: UK WILL be free of shackles to launch global trade deals BEFORE Brexit

  08-12-2017 15:20 via feedproxy.google.com
  AFTER months of negotiations Theresa May and Jean-Claude Juncker have finally struck a deal to move on Brexit negotiations in an historic moment for Britain.
  
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• May's Brexit deal wins her some peace at home - at least for now

  08-12-2017 15:19
  Theresa May won a temporary reprieve from rival factions within her own party on Friday by striking a overnight agreement with the European Union that some business leaders hope will increase prospects of an orderly exit from the bloc.After all-night negotiations and an early morning dash to Brussels by May, she and EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker agreed to start talking about trade and a post Brexit transition period, declaring 'sufficient progress' had been made on the cost and detaile
  
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• Why are California’s wildfires so out of control? – video explainer

  08-12-2017 15:18 via theguardian.com
  The state of California has faced a number of powerful wildfires this year, some of them covering thousands of acres and destroying hundreds of homes. Fire services are struggling to bring them under control. But what’s making them so ferocious? Why are ferocious wildfires plaguing southern California?Continue reading...
  
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• 'EU would have the UK by the b***s' MEP's fury over Tusk’s transition deal proposals

  08-12-2017 15:13 via feedproxy.google.com
  THE European Union will have Britain by the b**** under the terms of the Brexit divorce settlement, according to a furious UKIP MEP.
  
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• Pope Francis Wants The Reference To 'Temptation' In The Lord's Prayer Changed

  08-12-2017 15:10
  Pope Francis has called for a better translation of a phrase about temptation in the Lord’s Prayer.
  
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• UK staying in single market not a solution to Irish border issue - EU's Barnier

  08-12-2017 15:00
  Britain remaining in the EU single market is not one of the possible solutions to the problem of avoiding a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator said on Friday."The British government has confirmed that it wishes also to leave the single market and the customs union, which is not obligatory," Barnier said after the Commission concluded that the first phase of Brexit negotiations had made sufficient progress to allow talks to begin on future EU-UK rel
  
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• Questions on free movement, red tape linger in Brexit citizens' deal

  08-12-2017 14:51
  Britain's agreement with the European Union over key Brexit terms still leaves major issues like freedom of movement undecided, some campaigners said on Friday.Prime Minister Theresa May and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker unveiled an agreement earlier on the Irish border, citizens' rights and the Brexit bill, opening the way for talks on trade and a transition period.While the status of the EU's only land border with the United Kingdom was perhaps the thorniest issue, the deal safeg
  
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• Review to assess emergency response to Sussex chemical haze

  08-12-2017 14:50
  The government has launched a review of the emergency response to the mysterious chemical haze on Sussex beaches that caused 150 people to seek hospital treatment in August.It follows criticism by MPs and victims over the failure of investigators to identify the source of the haze, which occurred at Birling Gap and Beachy Head on 27 August.Some of those affected, who reported breathing problems for weeks afterwards, said the incident exposed a lack of preparedness and potential vulnerability to
  
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• REVEALED: The ACTUAL date when Britain SAVES money from leaving the EU

  08-12-2017 14:49 via feedproxy.google.com
  BREXIT will not benefit the UK financially for nearly a decade after Britain voted to unshackle itself from the clutches of the European Union, calculations suggest.
  
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• Brexit: Key points of breakthrough deal

  08-12-2017 14:46
  Theresa May and Jean-Claude Juncker have set out the terms of their breakthrough deal after the first phase of Brexit negotiations.Here are the key points from the "joint report" from EU and UK negotiators.The UK is committed to avoiding a "hard border" between Ireland and Northern Ireland "including any physical infrastructure or related checks and controls", according to the document.
  
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• May: I look forward to 'next phase of talks'

  08-12-2017 14:45
  Sufficient progress has been made in Brexit talks, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has said; paving the way for talks on the future UK-EU relationship.
  
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• Farage lashes out at “ridiculous” multi-billion divorce bill as Brexit hits the rocks

  08-12-2017 14:33 via feedproxy.google.com
  NIGEL FARAGE savaged claims of a Brexit breakthrough and furiously hit out at the multi-billion Brexit divorce bill.
  
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• Snow and ice warnings amid power cuts and school closures

  08-12-2017 14:32 via bbc.co.uk
  Parts of the UK are experiencing snow, power cuts, school closures and travel disruption.
  
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• Mohammed Abdallah jailed for joining Islamic State

  08-12-2017 14:31 via bbc.co.uk
  Mohammed Abdallah received help to travel to Syria from his brother Abdalraouf, who set up a Manchester "hub".
  
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