General news

• I'm more than 'Madame Brexit' - Theresa May

  22-12-2017 23:12 via bbc.co.uk
  The PM insists she is "in it for the long-term" and shrugs off claims she has had a bad year.
  
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• Annus horribilis? Theresa May shrugs off talk of tough 2017

  22-12-2017 23:00
  In 2017, Theresa May lost her majority and three cabinet ministers, and her Conservative conference comeback speech was dogged by a prankster and a coughing fit.On a visit to Poland and Cyprus, May also joked about a slip during her press conference in Warsaw when she was referred to as “Madam Brexit” and said she did not want her time in Downing Street to be known solely for Britain leaving the EU.Speaking before her final official visit of the year, to RAF Akrotiri, May brushed off
  
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• Who said it: Donald Trump or Buddy from Elf?

  22-12-2017 22:54 via theguardian.com
  Take our Christmas quiz to work out if you can tell the difference between quotes from the US president and the character who loves to spread festive cheerI am somebody with a lot of heart.Donald Trump Buddy You did it! Congratulations! World's best cup of coffee. Great job, everybody. It's great to be here.Donald Trump Buddy Francisco! That's fun to say! Francisco... Frannncisco... Franciscooo...Donald Trump Buddy Our movement is a movement built on loveDonald Trump Buddy You sit on a throne of
  
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• Princess Michael of Kent says sorry for wearing 'racist' Blackamoor brooch

  22-12-2017 21:47
  Princess Michael of Kent, who was criticised after wearing a Blackamoor brooch to the Queen's Christmas lunch, has apologised for causing offence.The wife of the Queen's cousin was joining other members of the Royal Family and meeting Prince Harry's fiancee Meghan Markle for the first time, at the annual gathering on Wednesday when she was spotted wearing the accessory.Blackamoor sculptures and jewellery usually depict an African or non-European male, as a servant.
  
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• Ed Sheeran celebrates Christmas number one as he marks 'Perfect' end to year

  22-12-2017 21:34
  Ed Sheeran has claimed the Christmas number one for 2017, marking the end of a near 'Perfect' year for the 26-year-old British musician.The singer's duet with Beyonce has been top of the charts all December, and has taken the Christmas slot too.In a simple message to his fans: Sheeran said: "Thank you very much for making Perfect Christmas number one.
  
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• Aldi Skipton Stabbing Of Jodie Willsher Sees Man Charged With Murder

  22-12-2017 21:06
  A man has been charged with murder after supermarket worker Jodie Willsher was stabbed to death in an Aldi store in Skipton, North Yorkshire Police said on Friday.
  
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• Man charged with murder after woman killed in Aldi stabbing

  22-12-2017 20:40
  An Aldi spokesman said the branch will be closed for the foreseeable future, as a growing pile of flowers and tributes were left by locals.Jodie Willsher, 30, was attacked at an Aldi in Skipton, North Yorkshire, on Thursday.North Yorkshire police said the 44-year-old man will appear at York magistrates court on 23 December.
  
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• In the dog house

  22-12-2017 20:40 via bbc.co.uk
  One expert advises movers how to care for pets, and others give property price predictions for 2018.
  
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• Aldi attack: Man charged with murder after woman fatally stabbed in supermarket

  22-12-2017 20:33
  A man has been charged with murdering a woman who was stabbed to death in an Aldi supermarket in Skipton, police have said.North Yorkshire Police said a 44-year-old man had been charged with the murder of Jodie Willsher, who was fatally attacked on Thursday afternoon.Tributes have been paid to Mrs Willsher, 30, following her death.
  
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• Britons divided on importance of passport colour after Brexit, Sky Data poll shows

  22-12-2017 20:23
  The public is divided on the importance of choosing the colour of British passports as a symbol of national identity, a Sky Data poll reveals.The poll results came as the Government confirmed British passports will be navy blue after Brexit, changing from the current burgundy colour.Navy blue was the colour of the first UK passport to come in the form of a book in 1921.
  
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• May rejects request by Grenfell survivors for decision-making panel

  22-12-2017 20:07
  Theresa May provoked outrage from representatives of Grenfell survivors by saying a panel could provide advice and guidance to Sir Martin Moore-Bick but it would not be able to make decisions.Theresa May has rejected a request from survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire to appoint a decision-making, diverse panel to sit alongside the head of the public inquiry.The request from bereaved family members, which was backed by a petition signed by more than 22,000 people, was sent to the prime minister
  
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• Coughing row hits top-class darts

  22-12-2017 19:40
  Justin Pipe has denied claims he put off opponent Bernie Smith by coughing during their second-round match at the PDC World Darts Championship.
  
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• Darts player Justin Pipe denies deliberately coughing to distract rival Bernie Smith

  22-12-2017 19:34
  A darts player has denied trying to put his opponent off by coughing on stage at the William Hill World Championship.Footage showed Justin Pipe coughing heavily as Bernie Smith, his unseeded rival, threw his darts.The 27th seed went on to win the match, meaning he will now go forward to play the retiring Phil Taylor.
  
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• Opinion: 'Why I sold my Louboutin shoes to help a homeless woman'

  22-12-2017 19:20
  Ever seen a homeless person and wanted to help? Lisa Howells did just that in October and had a harsh lesson about the realities of escaping the streets.
  
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• Theresa May rejects petition to diversify Grenfell fire inquiry panel

  22-12-2017 19:12
  The Prime Minister has rejected a petition from survivors and bereaved relatives of the Grenfell Tower fire to diversify the public inquiry into the disaster.Last week during two days of procedural hearings, lawyers for those most closely affected by the tragedy argued that an ethnically diverse panel of experts was needed to sit alongside the inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick.On Friday, Theresa May said that additional panel members should not be appointed in order for the first stage of t
  
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• Christmas Traffic: Severe Jams From Lunchtime, Expert Warns As 1.3M Extra Drivers Hit The Roads

  22-12-2017 19:01
  Drivers embarking on the Christmas getaway will not be able to escape severe jams on many roads on Friday, a traffic expert has warned.
  
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• Liam Allan and Isaac Itiary trial collapses should lead to much-needed reform | Letters

  22-12-2017 18:47
  ‘Liam Allan was so very nearly the victim of disclosure laws which are far from fit for purpose,’ writes Malcolm Fowler.Mr Allan was so very nearly the victim of disclosure laws which are far from fit for purpose.Leaving aside wilful and malign concealment, what of the well-documented, blinkered approach leading to the discounting of any evidence calling the police case theory into question?
  
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• Lavrov plays the straight man to Boris’s buffoon in Moscow | Shaun Walker

  22-12-2017 18:47
  There were, Boris Johnson admitted, numerous obstacles to the improvement of Anglo-Russian relations, including but not limited to the annexation of Crimea, the murder of Alexander Litvinenko in London, differing views on Syria, Libya, Ukraine and North Korea, and Russian cyber-activity and meddling in elections across the world.“There are increasing exports of British Kettle crisps,” Johnson told his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, who looked confused but smiled politely.
  
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• Russia's Rosneft reaches $1.7 billion settlement with Sistema

  22-12-2017 18:27
  Russia's largest oil producer Rosneftsaid on Friday it has reached an amicable agreement with the Sistemaconglomerate, which will pay out 100 billion roubles (£1.27 billion) to resolve a dispute over the Bashneft oil company.Shares in Sistema , which groups the assets of Russian businessman Vladimir Yevtushenkov and includes the country's largest mobile operator MTS, were up 17.73 percent in Moscow and 18.2 percent in London after Rosneft said the sides have agreed to drop all legal procee
  
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• Controlled explosion after police disrupt Christmas 'terror plot'

  22-12-2017 18:15
  Officers investigating a suspected Christmas terror plot in Derby have carried out a controlled explosion.
  
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• Oxford University accused of backing apologists of British colonialism

  22-12-2017 18:13
  The dispute has reignited debate within Oxford about its historical baggage, including the statue of Cecil Rhodes at Oriel College.An international coalition of academics has condemned Oxford University’s support for plans to construct a balance sheet of the rights and wrongs of imperialism, with Oxford accused of backing apologists for Britain’s colonial legacy.The proposal has also been attacked as lacking academic credibility inside Oxford itself, with more than 50 fellows and res
  
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• 180 hit as mussels cause outbreak of norovirus in hospital

  22-12-2017 18:02
  At least 180 people have contracted norovirus after a visitor brought mussels into a hospital for an inpatient as a goodwill gesture.An outbreak of the winter vomiting bug hit Wansbeck General Hospital in Ashington, Northumberland, forcing the NHS trust to impose restrictions on visitors in the run-up to Christmas.Shellfish can harbour the norovirus bug and it's thought this particular batch of mussels affected 180 people.
  
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• Trump Ambassador To Netherlands Caught Out After Accusing TV Reporter Of 'Fake News'

  22-12-2017 18:01
  The US ambassador to the Netherlands has been caught out after dismissing suggestions he once said there were “no-go zones” in the country because of radical Muslims as “fake news” - only to be shown footage of him stating precisely that.
  
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• Typhoon fighter jets refuel mid-air from Theresa May's RAF Voyager

  22-12-2017 18:00
  The demonstration took place as Theresa May was on route back to the UK after her visit to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.Two typhoon fighter jets that monitor British airspace for Russian incursions refuelled in mid-air from the prime minister’s RAF Voyager plane off the Norfolk coast, with Theresa May watching the spectacle from the plane’s back seats alongside the crew.The demonstration took place en route from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus as the RAF Voyager plane entered British sovereign airs
  
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• UK passports: 'The blue belongs to us' after Brexit

  22-12-2017 17:55 via bbc.co.uk
  Why British passports are changing colours after Brexit – and do Brits welcome the switch?
  
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• Ban on unstunned halal meat in Lancashire schools is put on hold

  22-12-2017 17:37
  Plans to ban schools in Lancashire from serving unstunned halal meat have been put on hold pending a legal challenge by local Muslim leaders.Lancashire county council voted to introduce the ban in October, with the Conservative leader of the council, Geoff Driver, describing the practice of killing animals without stunning them first as “abhorrent”.Lancashire currently supplies 27 schools with unstunned halal meat, catering for up to 12,000 children who are served 1.2m meals a year.
  
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• Nigel Farage Wishes Britain A 'Happy Brexmas' After Blue Passport Decision

  22-12-2017 17:17
  Nigel Farage has lauded the decision to change British passports from burgundy to blue as being the “first real, tangible victory” since the EU referendum and used it to wish Britain a Merry Christmas in the way only he can - by coining the term, “Happy Brexmas”.
  
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• Legal action to see whether UK could unilaterally stop Brexit gets go-ahead

  22-12-2017 17:01
  A group of anti-Brexit Scottish members of parliament has been given the go-ahead to pursue legal action to establish whether the United Kingdom can unilaterally stop the process of leaving the EU, a Scottish court said on Friday.The Scottish Court of Session has accepted a petition from the cross-party group of seven MPs, excluding British Prime Minister Theresa May's ruling Conservatives, to determine whether Brexit can be stopped if Britain, acting alone, decides to reverse the process.The se
  
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• Moscow clash exposes Tory dilemma over Russian meddling claims

  22-12-2017 16:57
  Boris Johnson’s efforts to stabilise UK relations with Russia have become an increasingly difficult balancing act due to the continuing allegations of Moscow’s interference in British democracy.The government’s natural instinct is to go all out in denouncing Russia’s cyber disinformation war, but at the same time the Tories cannot go so far as to suggest the credibility of the EU referendum result in 2016 was tarnished by Russian interference.
  
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• Taking back control - UK's classic blue-and-gold passport to return

  22-12-2017 16:56
  Prime Minister Theresa May on Friday hailed the return of Britain's classic blue passport as a benefit of leaving the EU, pleasing Brexit campaigners for whom it is a symbol of national sovereignty but attracting derision from many remainers.The government said a version of the old passport, issued to Britons from 1920 to 1988, when it was replaced by the burgundy jacket of the European Union, will be reintroduced after the country leaves the bloc in March 2019."The UK passport is an expression
  
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• Deputy speaker Lindsay Hoyle's daughter found hanged in bedroom, inquest hears

  22-12-2017 16:35
  The daughter of Commons deputy speaker Lindsay Hoyle was found hanged in her bedroom, an inquest has heard.Natalie Lewis-Hoyle, 28, died at her home in Heybridge, Essex, on 15 December.At an inquest in Chelmsford, coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray said Miss Lewis-Hoyle was found by her mother, Miriam Lewis.
  
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• Fury as fan favourite Fudge dropped from Cadbury's festive selection box

  22-12-2017 16:01
  Fudge bars have been dropped from a Cadbury festive selection box, triggering a wave of fury on social media.The sweet treat has been removed from the £2.99 box - and replaced by the Dairy Milk Oreo.Fudge, known as Milk Fudge when it first came on the market in 1948, will still be available in the chocolate company's small £1.09 box and its Freddo selection packs.
  
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• What Water And Sanitation Can Learn From Facebook

  22-12-2017 16:00
  As I look back on this year, and reflect upon what’s before us in 2018, I find myself thinking of a number which at first seems very little to do with the WaterAid business of water, sanitation and hygiene.
  
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• Boris Johnson clashes with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on rare Moscow visit

  22-12-2017 15:56
  Boris Johnson has clashed with Russia's foreign minister over alleged cyberattacks on the West and activity in Ukraine.Sergei Lavrov denied claims that Moscow had used the internet to interfere in democratic elections and accused Mr Johnson of being a "hostage" of false Western narratives on the issue.At one point, Mr Lavrov told reporters Mr Johnson had told him that Russia did not interfere in the EU referendum.
  
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• Tube Escalator Stunt Goes Viral After Darts Fan Smashes Groin Against Emergency Button

  22-12-2017 15:37
  It is a drunken tale that won’t soon be forgotten, not least because it was caught on film and some 10 million people have already seen it.
  
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• Aldi Stabbing Victim Was Employee Attacked In Supermarket Aisle

  22-12-2017 15:31
  Tributes have been paid to an Aldi supermarket worker who was stabbed to death in an aisle at work.
  
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• Britain is ‘returning’ to blue passports and the internet has a lot of feelings

  22-12-2017 15:29
  It’s all change on the passport front.
  
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• Food Banks In 2017: Change Is Possible

  22-12-2017 15:21
  Three years ago, Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) and the Trussell Trust were among the organisations who published Emergency Use Only one of the first pieces of research to shed light on the drivers of the enormous increases in food bank use that we have seen this decade.
  
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• Disney/fox Deal Signals The Beginning Of The End Of Mass Media As We Know It

  22-12-2017 15:18
  Wily old fox, Rupert Murdoch, has pulled off another masterstroke with his deal to sell 20th Century Fox and other Fox assets to Disney for $66billion.
  
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• Money Can't Buy A Happy Life, Or A Peaceful Death

  22-12-2017 15:16
  As we approach the end of another year, permit me the indulgence of quoting Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and Scourge’s encounter with The Spirit of Christmas Yet-to-Come, “Money can’t buy a happy life, or a peaceful death”.
  
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• How Generation Z Are Changing The Way Business Is Done

  22-12-2017 15:15
  Think of millennials and you will probably envision young people sitting around playing video games, lazily completing their studies and dreaming about the day they start up the next Microsoft from their bedroom.
  
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• View From Bidi Bidi Refugee Camp: Why Britain Is Right To Invest In Development

  22-12-2017 15:14
  Let me take you to northern Uganda on the border with South Sudan, where you will find one million refugees, brought there by war, disease and drought.
  
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• Come On Everybody: Let’s Stand Up 4 Sitting Down And Change The Fact That 1.7m Older People Feel Shut Out From The High Street

  22-12-2017 15:13
  Over the past decade, the shopping experience has changed beyond recognition.
  
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• Recent UK-China Talks Are A Boost To Tourism And Aviation Ties, But Uk Is Still Playing Catch-up

  22-12-2017 15:12
  The past two weeks have been very good for UK-China relations, economically, politically and tourism wise as well.
  
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• Let's Not Cast Generation Snowflake Adrift

  22-12-2017 15:11
  Well, snow is forecast (in some forecasts anyway) as the Christmas air turns chilly, so let’s talk about Generation Snowflake.
  
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• Ukrainians Caught Up In Conflict Struggle To Access Healthcare In Once Peaceful Villages

  22-12-2017 15:10
  To the east of Ukraine’s port city of Mariupol, the village of Lebendynske was once a hub of agriculture, with villagers making a profit from selling vegetables and dairy produce to their metropolitan neighbours.
  
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• How Women's Rights Defenders Make A Difference In Kenya

  22-12-2017 15:08
  In Kilifi County, one of the poorest counties of Kenya, prospects for women and girls often look dire.
  
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• Post-Brexit UK Must Not Become Go-To Arms Dealer For Repressive Regimes

  22-12-2017 15:07
  Since the 2016 referendum, the British Government has stepped up its arms sales offensive.
  
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• 5 Important Stories Buried In The Week Before Christmas

  22-12-2017 15:00
  Thursday marked the last day of term before MPs left Parliament for a two-week recess.
  
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• Woman killed in Aldi supermarket in Skipton named as Jodie Willsher

  22-12-2017 14:58
  A woman stabbed to death in an Aldi supermarket in Skipton has been named as 30-year-old Jodie Willsher.In comments posted on a community Facebook page she was remembered as "such a happy, friendly person", and a "bubbly, lovely girl".North Yorkshire Police said it was neither terror-related nor a hate crime.
  
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