General news

• Woman dies after being hit by four vehicles - and none of the drivers stop at the scene

  11-12-2017 23:32
  The female pedestrian, who is believed to be aged in her late 20s to early 30s, was struck by an HGV as she walked over a pedestrian crossing on Norwood Road, Tulse Hill, south London.None of the drivers stopped at the scene and officers were called by the London ambulance service at around 6.50am on Monday.Detective Sergeant Alastair Middleton said: "I am appealing for anyone who witnessed the collision and the moments afterwards to contact us.
  
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• Five arrested after three children die in suspected arson attack

  11-12-2017 22:42
  The house where three children died in a fire in Salford.Police investigating a suspected arson attack that killed three people in Salford have arrested four men and a woman.Four fire engines were called to a street in Walkden, Greater Manchester, after the fire broke out at the house at about 5am on Monday.
  
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• Oil prices climb as major pipeline shuts for repair to crack

  11-12-2017 22:32
  Oil prices have climbed to a new two-and-a-half year high after a major North Sea pipeline was closed for repairs.Brent crude - which had already been trading around its strongest levels since summer 2015 - surged by 2% to just under $65 a barrel.The rise came after it was announced that the Forties pipeline, which carries 40% of North Sea oil and gas, was to be shut down for a couple of weeks while workers repair a crack.
  
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• Keith Chegwin: From Swap Shop to Big Brother

  11-12-2017 22:11 via bbc.co.uk
  Veteran TV presenter Keith Chegwin's career stretched from 1970s children's programmes to reality TV.
  
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• PM May's deputy to keep job after pornography claims, ITV says

  11-12-2017 22:02
  Prime Minister Theresa May's senior minister will not have to resign over claims that police found pornography on a work computer and that he made an inappropriate sexual advance against a young woman, ITV political editor Robert Peston said on Monday.First Secretary of State Damian Green will be told on Wednesday that the Cabinet Office and the prime minister will inform him that he can keep his job, Peston said on his Facebook page.Peston said no other women came forward to present evidence ag
  
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• Fatal house fire in Salford: Four arrested on suspicion of murder

  11-12-2017 21:58
  Four people have been arrested on suspicion of murder after three children died in a house fire in Salford.Three men - aged 23, 20 and 18 - and a 20-year-old woman are in custody for questioning, as is a 24-year-old man arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, Greater Manchester Police have said.A fourteen-year-old girl - named locally as Demi Pearson - died at the scene of the blaze in Jackson Street, Worsley, on Monday morning, with an eight-year-old boy and a seven-year-old girl later
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn refuses to firm up Labour's Brexit plans

  11-12-2017 21:35
  Jeremy Corbyn is determined to resist pressure to spell out in more detail what Brexit settlement Labour would support, despite a series of comments in recent days suggesting the party is edging closer to advocating continued single market membership.The shadow cabinet will discuss Brexit at its weekly meeting on Tuesday, the first since Theresa May clinched the agreement of European commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, to move on to the second phase of the negotiations.Several frontbenche
  
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• Sarah Sanders Accidentally Describes President Trump During Tirade Against 'Fake News' Media

  11-12-2017 21:29
  “You cannot say that it’s an honest mistake when you are purposefully putting out information that you know to be false.
  
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• Political incompetence heralds new era of Brexit doublethink | John Crace

  11-12-2017 20:44
  David Davis averts his eyes from his shining star.Suddenly the whole point of David Davis became clear.After first fantasising he read impact assessments that never existed and then managing to contradict himself within 24 hours on whether the interim deal was legally binding, the Brexit secretary has created the perfect framework for all future negotiations.
  
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• Brexit update: PM says agreement shows the UK can leave the EU in a 'smooth and orderly' way

  11-12-2017 20:40
  Theresa May has made her first statement to the commons about her Brexit deal with Brussels. She says the agreement shows the UK can lave the EU in a 'smooth and orderly way'.
  
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• Theresa May: £40bn Brexit offer 'off the table' without final deal

  11-12-2017 20:28
  Theresa May has insisted Britain's offer of a Brexit fee around £40bn will be "off the table" if there is no final deal on a future UK partnership with the EU.Having returned from Brussels last week with a draft agreement on initial divorce matters, the Prime Minister faced a 105-minute grilling by MPs on the terms of the deal struck on the first phase of Brexit negotiations.The Prime Minister hailed a "new sense of optimism" in Brexit negotiations, with "good news" for both Leavers and Re
  
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• Fatal house fire in Salford: Two arrested on suspicion of murder

  11-12-2017 20:24
  Two people have been arrested on suspicion of murder after three children died in a house fire in Salford.The 23-year-old man and 20-year-old woman are both in custody for questioning, Greater Manchester Police have said.A fourteen-year-old girl - named locally as Demi Pearson - died at the scene of the blaze in Jackson Street, Worsley, on Monday morning, with an eight-year-old boy and a seven-year-old girl later dying in hospital.
  
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• Shortfalls in strategy to fight economic crime | Letters

  11-12-2017 20:18
  Amber Rudd, the UK’s home secretary. Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters
  
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• NHS trust will greatly miss Bob Kerslake | Letters

  11-12-2017 20:18
  Your report on Lord Kerslake’s resignation as chair of King’s College Hospital, London (Head of top NHS trust quits over cash squeeze, 11 December) finishes with a statement from NHS Improvement saying “We will replace him with a highly experienced chair to take charge of the trust’s position”.Under the constitution of foundation trusts, it is for the trust to select and appoint their chair, who is an independent director.
  
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• Grenfell Survivors' Lawyer Makes Powerful Argument Over Inquiry's Lack Of Diversity

  11-12-2017 20:14
  A lawyer representing survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire has questioned whether justice will be delivered if the public inquiry into the tragedy fails to pass a diversity “smell test”.
  
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• Grenfell Disaster Lawyer Warns Of 'Injustice' If Inquiry Fails Diversity 'Smell Test'

  11-12-2017 20:14
  A lawyer representing survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire has questioned whether justice will be delivered if the public inquiry into the tragedy fails to pass a diversity “smell test”.
  
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• Tony Blackburn on Keith Chegwin and his 'drink problems'

  11-12-2017 20:11
  Radio DJ Tony Blackburn has paid tribute to his great friend, TV presenter Keith Chegwin, who has died aged 60, and says he will miss his childish sense of humour.Cheggers was a great friend of mine and I can't believe he's gone.
  
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• PM May hails new optimism in Brexit talks after deal

  11-12-2017 19:30
  Prime Minister Theresa May hailed "a new sense of optimism" in Brexit talks, telling parliament on Monday an agreement to move negotiations on to future trade ties is progress and will reassure those concerned Britain may leave with no deal.May, weakened after losing her Conservatives' majority at a June election, rescued an agreement last week to move the talks to unravel more than 40 years of union on to a second phase after easing the concerns of her Northern Irish allies over the future role
  
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• Donald Trump's Transgender Military Ban Rejected By Federal Judge

  11-12-2017 19:24
  Transgender people will be able to join the US military as of 1st January federal judge ruled on Monday, denying a request by Donald Trump’s administration to enforce his ban on transgender troops while the government appeals an order blocking it.
  
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• Here’s the novel way Cards Against Humanity has tried to tackle wealth inequality

  11-12-2017 18:56
  The experiment marks Day Three in the card game’s quest to “save America”.
  
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• Ryanair pilots in Dublin vote in favour of industrial action

  11-12-2017 18:55
  Pilots employed directly by Ryanair in Dublin, its second largest base, have voted overwhelmingly in favour of taking industrial action in a growing dispute over the airline's collective bargaining system, the IMPACT trade union said on Monday.The Irish airline, Europe's largest by passenger numbers, is trying to recover from a damaging wave of flight cancellations caused by crew rostering problems, while pilots at fewer than a third of its 87 bases have accepted an offer to increase pay.Several
  
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• Exclusive - Detained Saudi billionaire al-Sanea seeks to end debt dispute

  11-12-2017 18:52
  A detained Saudi billionaire who led the collapsed Saad Group is seeking to repay part of a multi-billion dollar debt to creditors under a deal that could allow his release, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.The businessman, Maan al-Sanea, was detained in October in the kingdom's Eastern Province for unpaid debts, and has since been in a civil detention centre in the city of Khobar, according to several sources.Reemas Group, a financial consultancy hired by Saad Group, has outlined a
  
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• On the hoof

  11-12-2017 18:50 via bbc.co.uk
  Birmingham's financial credentials make it an unsurprising choice for a new home for the Bank of England.
  
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• British Airways cancels more than 100 flights because of snow and ice

  11-12-2017 18:30
  The view from a British Airways aircraft as it comes in to land at Heathrow on Monday.Thousands of British Airways customers at Heathrow have had flights cancelled again on Monday after disruption from snow and ice at the weekend.The airline, the main operator at the UK’s busiest airport, was particularly impacted after worse weather than forecast hit Heathrow from Sunday morning.
  
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• BA cancels more than 100 Heathrow flights after snow and ice

  11-12-2017 18:30
  The view from a British Airways aircraft as it comes in to land at Heathrow on Monday.Dozens more British Airways flights from Heathrow have been cancelled after snow and ice caused disruption at the weekend.Heathrow said it was operating three-quarters of its schedule on Monday, although many flights were delayed.
  
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• Man arrested trying to climb wall at Buckingham Palace

  11-12-2017 18:21
  British police on Monday said they had arrested a man who triedto climb a wall at Queen Elizabeth's Buckingham Palace home in central London, but said that the incident was not terrorism-related.The 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of trespass on Sunday evening, three minutes after he stepped over a low outer perimeter fence near the palace, the Metropolitan Police said.British police are on high alert after five attacks blamed on terrorism this year.
  
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• Do Not Adjust Your Set – Can A TV Show Help Save Our Seas?

  11-12-2017 18:04
  Some of TV’s biggest stars are facing annihilation.
  
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• LGBT Issues Are Not Discussed Enough In The Mainstream Media - This Must Change

  11-12-2017 17:57
  Comedian Stephen Bailey believes that the media does not address or highlight LGBT issues enough.
  
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• Being Female. Being Brown. Being British-Indian

  11-12-2017 17:57
  As an individual who is female, brown and of Indian descent, I tick all the right boxes for being an ‘oppressed’, ‘repressed’ and a less ‘privileged’ member of society in the UK.
  
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• What Shall I Put You Down For?

  11-12-2017 17:33
  At this time of year, there is an unwritten rule amongst us men: show no weakness.
  
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• Christmas Can Be A Hard Time Of Year For Some People, And We Are There To Listen

  11-12-2017 17:32
  I always try to do one or two extra shifts at this time of year.
  
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• FCA cracks down on steelworker pensions advisers

  11-12-2017 17:21
  Three financial advice firms have stopped giving advice to steelworkers on transferring pension savings from a 15 billion pounds pot into other schemes, the Financial Conduct Authority said on Monday.The financial services industry watchdog has visited seven financial advisers and asked four more for information."As a result of this work three firms have stopped advising consumers on pension transfers," the FCA said in a statement.
  
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• Major oil and gas pipeline to be shut down to fix crack

  11-12-2017 17:16
  The Forties pipeline, which carries 40% of North Sea oil and gas, is to be shut down to repair a crack in the pipe, operator Ineos said.Ineos said a small hairline crack was found last week during a routine inspection south of Aberdeen.Ineos said in a statement: "Despite reducing the pressure the crack has extended, and as a consequence the incident management team has now decided that a controlled shutdown of the pipeline is the safest way to proceed.
  
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• Brexit divorce bill dependent on future partnership agreement, says PM May

  11-12-2017 17:11
  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's promise to pay a financial settlement worth around 35 to 39 billion pounds to the European Union is conditional upon agreeing a future partnership with the bloc, British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday.
  
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• These feminist Christmas carols are raising money for charity

  11-12-2017 17:05
  “Ovaries do not tie you to the oven”.
  
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• Britain First Belfast Rally Postponed Due To Snow

  11-12-2017 16:56
  The news that a Britain First rally in Belfast had to be postponed due to the snow has been met by a chorus of ‘lols’ on Twitter.
  
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• Lyon's festival of lights – in pictures

  11-12-2017 16:51 via theguardian.com
  Lyon’s Fête des Lumières is the world’s largest visual arts festival. It takes place every year around 8 December for four nights. The festival attracts millions of visitors from all over the world to see the visual creations by artists. This year there are 76 installations Continue reading...
  
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• In Dordogne idyll, Brits unimpressed with Brexit talks

  11-12-2017 16:36
  Britain's prime minister may be hailing "a new sense of optimism" in Brexit talks.The couple are frustrated as London inches ahead in its divorce with the European Union, and say Friday's interim deal offers them scant reassurance for the future of their "Franglais Foods" market stall business.Under the agreement, the 1.2 million Britons with permanent residence in EU states will be allowed to stay and receive the same treatment over social security, healthcare and employment as the 3 million Eu
  
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• Manhunt after three children die in Salford house fire

  11-12-2017 16:25
  Police have launched a murder inquiry after three children died in a suspected arson attack on a house in Salford.Firefighters from three local stations were called to the family home in Jackson Street, Worsley, at 4.58am this morning and a 14-year-old girl was declared dead at the scene.The 35-year-old mother of all four children is also in a serious condition in hospital and a manhunt is under way for a suspect, Greater Manchester Police have confirmed.
  
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• UK set for coldest night of year with lows of -15C

  11-12-2017 16:24
  There has been disruption across Britain after snow from Storm Caroline turned to ice - and it could be about to get even colder.Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice are in place for London and the South East, much of the Midlands, Northern Ireland, Wales, the east coast of England and northern and western Scotland in the aftermath of Storm Caroline.Dozens of flights were cancelled at Heathrow on Monday, while there were also cancellations at Edinburgh and Manchester airports.
  
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• TV presenter Keith Chegwin dies aged 60

  11-12-2017 16:24
  TV presenter Keith 'Cheggers' Chegwin has died aged 60 after a "long battle" with a progressive lung condition.In a statement, Chegwin's family said: "We are heartbroken to share the news that Keith Chegwin sadly passed away following a long-term battle with a progressive lung condition, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which rapidly worsened towards the end of this year."His wife Maria, his daughter Rose and his son Ted were by his side.
  
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• Labour could move Bank of England operations away from London

  11-12-2017 16:22
  Labour's would-be finance minister John McDonnell said the BoE's base in London had contributed to the neglect of parts of the British economy, which suffers from big regional differences in terms of productivity, investment and incomes."This will allow us to address some of the imbalances of decision-making that have taken place in the past," McDonnell said at the launch of a report on boosting investment.
  
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• Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre's pay jumps 50% to almost £2.5m

  11-12-2017 16:14
  Paul Dacre’s pay packet has increased by more than 50% to almost £2.5m, boosting his status as Britain’s best-paid newspaper editor.The editor-in-chief of the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and Mail Online has received £1.45m in salary in 2017 and a £68,000 in taxable benefits.The 69-year old, who is on a 12-month rolling contract with the parent company, Daily Mail & General Trust, was also awarded an £856,000 payout as part of the company’s long-term i
  
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• UK government accepts MPs' demands for scrutiny of Brexit law changes

  11-12-2017 16:06
  The British government will grant lawmakers more oversight of the process of severing ties with the European Union, a spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday.Several lawmakers, including members of the governing Conservative Party, have challenged her administration over its plans to copy and paste EU rules into British legislation, saying they give ministers power to change laws without the agreement of parliament.To address these concerns, a committee of lawmakers has proposed
  
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• Share your tributes and memories of Keith Chegwin

  11-12-2017 16:05
  Chegwin with Olga Sharutenko during his 2013 Dancing on Ice appearance. Photograph: Matt Frost/ITV/REX/Shutterstock
  
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• Theresa May forced to accept new Brexit scrutiny committee

  11-12-2017 16:03
  The concessions from Theresa May come after MPs across the Commons expressed concern that ‘Henry VIII powers’ could be misused.Theresa May has been forced to accept the creation of a new committee to stop EU law being changed by ministers without proper scrutiny after Brexit, as she seeks to head off a parliamentary rebellion.The prime minister is to accept amendments to the EU withdrawal bill tabled by the House of Commons procedure committee, after a widespread backbench revolt amo
  
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• Theresa May forced to accept a new Brexit scrutiny committee

  11-12-2017 16:03
  The concessions from Theresa May come after MPs across the Commons expressed concern that so-called Henry VIII powers could be misused.Theresa May has been forced to accept a new committee to stop EU law being changed by ministers without proper scrutiny after Brexit, as she seeks to head off a parliamentary rebellion.The prime minister is to accept amendments to the EU withdrawal bill tabled by the House of Commons procedure committee, after a widespread backbench revolt among both remain and l
  
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• Labour may move Bank of England's headquarters to Birmingham

  11-12-2017 15:53
  Parts of the Bank of England could be moved out of its historic base in London and relocated to Birmingham under Labour if it wins the next General Election.The radical move would be designed to strengthen other regions, which have been described in a report commissioned by shadow chancellor John McDonnell as "underweighted in policy decisions".Other Labour proposals include establishing a new National Investment Bank and Strategic Investment Board in Birmingham, which is Britain's second-bigges
  
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• Three children die in suspected arson attack on house in Salford

  11-12-2017 15:41
  Police have confirmed that a murder investigation is under way.Three children have died and a three-year-old and a mother are seriously ill in hospital after a suspected arson attack in Salford.Four fire engines were called to Jackson Street in Worsley after the fire broke out in the mid-terraced house at about 5am on Monday.
  
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• Walkden House Fire: Three Children Killed In 'Suspicious' Manchester Blaze

  11-12-2017 15:26
  Three children have died and a fourth is in a critical condition after a “suspicious” house fire in Worsley.
  
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