General news

• May appoints minister to tackle loneliness issues raised by Jo Cox

  16-01-2018 23:30
  Theresa May cited research saying that 9 million people often or always feel lonely.Theresa May has appointed one of her ministers to lead on issues connected to loneliness, implementing one of the main recommendations of a report into the subject by the Jo Cox Commission.Tracey Crouch, the minister for sport and civil society, will head a government-wide group with responsibility for policies connected to loneliness, Downing Street said.
  
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• Northampton McDonald's ammonia attack footage released

  16-01-2018 23:02 via bbc.co.uk
  Four people, including two police officers, were hurt when the substance was thrown into the crowd.
  
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• Tory appears to fall asleep as Ken Clarke talks about Brexit

  16-01-2018 22:54
  Sir Desmond Swayne nodded off behind the former chancellor.
  
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• People are naming songs after body parts on Twitter – with hilarious results

  16-01-2018 22:48
  Saturday Night Femur anyone?
  
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• Mum hopes images of Dagenham teen will help stop knife crime

  16-01-2018 22:40 via bbc.co.uk
  Tyler Dawson almost died four times after being stabbed.
  
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• Travel warning as parts of UK set for heavy snow

  16-01-2018 22:05
  Parts of the UK could see up to 25cm (9.8in) of snow on Tuesday night, the Met Office has said.
  
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• Just Eat offered this woman a £10 voucher after a delivery driver sent her inappropriate messages

  16-01-2018 21:58
  He sent her unsolicited Whatsapp messages asking if she had a boyfriend.
  
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• Is it time to stop hating the rat?

  16-01-2018 21:56 via bbc.co.uk
  Affectionate, intelligent, life savers - does the rat deserve a better reputation?
  
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• What Momentum's wins might mean for Labour

  16-01-2018 21:47 via bbc.co.uk
  What Momentum's election wins might mean for the future of the Labour Party.
  
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• Newcastle takeover talks with Amanda Staveley and PCP Partners end

  16-01-2018 21:19
  Talks between Mike Ashley and Amanda Staveley's PCP Partners over a potential takeover of Newcastle United have ended for now, Sky understands.As it stands, there is no deal in place between the two parties for a sale of the Premier League club, nor is one under discussion.Sky Sports News have contacted PCP and are awaiting comment.
  
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• Jacob Rees-Mogg to lead influential group of Tory Eurosceptic MPs

  16-01-2018 21:13
  Jacob Rees-Mogg said he intended to support the principles of Theresa May’s Lancaster House speech from last year.Jacob Rees-Mogg has been elected chair of an influential backbench group of Eurosceptic Tory MPs after promising to help Theresa May carry out the type of Brexit she originally promised.The MP for North East Somerset will lead the European research group (ERG), which was formed to support Conservative MPs as the party delivers Brexit.
  
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• Britain's Informa in talks to buy UBM for more than £3 billion

  16-01-2018 21:11
  The two companies said in a joint statement on Tuesday that they were in discussions about a share-and-cash offer, while they could announce a possible price as soon as Wednesday, two people close to the situation said.The most recent talks started last year after Informa, which has a valuation of 6.1 billion pounds, approached its smaller rival UBM about a possible deal, one of the sources added.The companies were forced to put out a statement disclosing their talks on Tuesday following movemen
  
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• British regulator told to apologise to RBS whistleblower

  16-01-2018 20:51
  Britain's markets regulator has been told to apologise to a former Royal Bank of Scotland employee after it offered "unconvincing" arguments for why it revealed his identity to the bank in a whistleblower case in 2013.The Financial Regulators Complaints Commissioner, which handles complaints against watchdogs, said on Tuesday that the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) had failed to take sufficient care to establish whether the complainant had sought anonymity."I have found some of the FCA's argu
  
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• Blackadder star Tony Robinson hits out at Jeremy Corbyn's 'leftist clique'

  16-01-2018 20:34
  Blackadder actor Sir Tony Robinson has voiced fears a "leftist clique" has "completely taken over" Labour.The TV star and Labour member spoke out after three candidates backed by Jeremy Corbyn-supporting group Momentum were elected to the party's ruling body.Labour's internal rift deepened on Tuesday when members of the party's National Executive Committee (NEC) elected a Momentum director as the new chair of their disputes panel.
  
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• The rise and rise of Momentum

  16-01-2018 20:30
  Who are the Labour group climbing the ranks of the party?
  
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• Momentum official replaces veteran chair of Labour's disputes panel

  16-01-2018 19:33
  Christine Shawcroft was backed by 22 votes to 15.Senior leftwing Labour figures have used their new dominance on the party’s governing body to immediately replace the longstanding chair of a key panel that considers disciplinary matters.The vote to remove Ann Black from her role on the disputes panel and replace her with Christine Shawcroft came a day after the balance of power on the national executive committee shifted further in Jeremy Corbyn’s favour.
  
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• Steve Bannon Subpoenaed By Special Counsel Russia Probe

  16-01-2018 18:48
  Steve Bannon has been subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury as part of a special counsel’s probe into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.
  
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• Stop and search not the solution

  16-01-2018 18:15
  Brixton riots, London, April 1981. ‘It would be a tragedy if that pragmatism led to a return of the fractured community relations of the 1980s’, writes Ben Summerskill.David Lammy is right to express scepticism about the mayor of London’s recent enthusiasm for the increased use of stop and search (Lammy says Khan wrong to increase use of stop and search, 15 January).Polling by YouGov for the Criminal Justice Alliance found that three quarters of black, Asian and minority ethnic
  
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• Gerry Adams appeals 1975 convictions for Maze escape attempts

  16-01-2018 18:11
  Gerry Adams was among hundreds of men interned without trial in 1972.The Sinn Féin president, Gerry Adams, has launched a legal attempt to overturn two convictions connected to a planned IRA jail break at the height of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.Adams’s lawyers argued at the court of appeal in Belfast on Tuesday that the 1975 convictions for earlier escape attempts from the Maze prison, then known as Long Kesh, should be quashed.
  
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• Outrage as Tesco makes changes to Clubcard rewards scheme

  16-01-2018 18:07
  Changes to Tesco's Clubcard rewards scheme have sparked fury among some shoppers who say the "simplified" scheme will mean they will gain less from their points.Some also criticised the supermarket giant for not giving giving customers - including about 16 million active Clubcard users - any notice prior to the change.The retailer's Clubcard vouchers, sent out after shoppers accrue points, can be spent in store at Tesco and also at several restaurant chains and with other partnership companies -
  
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• Plastic recycling: Your questions answered

  16-01-2018 18:03 via bbc.co.uk
  Answering your questions about what you can recycle, where and why.
  
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• Buckinghamshire pensioners' deaths treated as murder

  16-01-2018 17:39
  Both pensioners from Maids Moreton had reportedly been the victims of ‘substantial’ financial fraud.The deaths of two older residents of the same street in an affluent Buckinghamshire village, who died more than 18 months apart, are being treated as murder.Three men have been arrested at locations across the country in connection with the deaths of 69-year-old Peter Farquhar, who died in Maids Moreton on 26 October 2015, and Ann Moore-Martin, 83, who died on 12 May 2017.
  
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• BBC journalist Emily Maitlis speaks of harassment ordeal as stalker is jailed again

  16-01-2018 17:33
  Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis has spoken of her ordeal after her former university friend was jailed for a second time over a 20-year campaign of harassment.Edward Vines, 47, was jailed for 45 months at Oxford Crown Court after admitting two breaches of an indefinite restraining order banning him from contacting Maitlis.Vines was able to write letters to Maitlis while serving a prison sentence for breaching a restraining order.
  
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• John Worboys Release: Government Shouldn't Interfere, Says Parole Board Chair

  16-01-2018 17:26
  The chairperson of the Parole Board has warned against “political interference” in its decisions, following an outcry over the impending release of black cab rapist John Worboys.
  
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• Northern Ireland's Adams attempts to overturn jailbreak conviction

  16-01-2018 17:06
  Gerry Adams, leader of Ireland's largest nationalist party, Sinn Fein, on Tuesday launched a bid to overturn two 1975 convictions for attempting to escape from prison, arguing that his initial detention was illegal.Adams, who is due to step down as president of Sinn Fein next month, was among hundreds of people interned without trial in Northern Ireland in the early 1970s, under a policy intended to break the Irish Republican Army (IRA) guerrilla movement.While Adams is not disputing the escape
  
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• UK drugs regulator plays down Brexit disruption threat

  16-01-2018 17:02
  Britain's drugs regulator said on Tuesday it would work to minimise disruption caused by the country leaving the European Union as it tried to allay some of the worst fears of pharmaceutical companies.The highly regulated drugs industry is concerned about Brexit fallout as the European Medicines Agency (EMA) relocates from London to Amsterdam, creating uncertainty about drug approvals after 2019.The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said in an update on its website that
  
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• Backbench toadying and frontbench floundering at Treasury questions

  16-01-2018 16:49
  Or that someone of Liz Truss’s limited abilities should be second in command of the country’s finances.The first Treasury questions of the new year got under way with a bit of shameless Tory backbench toadying.Was it not true that the economy was in fantastic shape, observed Charlie Elphicke, and that people on low pay were better off than they had ever been?
  
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• Carillion probe fast-tracked and 'extended in scope'

  16-01-2018 16:18
  An investigation into the collapse of construction giant Carillion will be fast-tracked and "extended in scope".Business Secretary Greg Clark gave the order that will see company directors past and present probed to discover if they "caused detriment to those owed money".Mr Clark also told the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) to look into Carillion's accounts.
  
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• US officials 'briefed Jared Kushner on concerns about Wendi Deng Murdoch'

  16-01-2018 16:14
  Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, was reportedly warned about his friendship with Wendi Deng Murdoch, amid fears she was using the connection to promote China’s business interests.Early in 2017 US officials urged Kushner, who is a senior adviser to the US president, to exercise caution around Murdoch, according to the Wall Street Journal.
  
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• Vinci confident of damages if France scraps new airport in west

  16-01-2018 16:12
  French construction company Vinciis confident it will be compensated if the government scraps a plan to build a new airport near the western city of Nantes.President Emmanuel Macron's government has promised a final decision by the end of the month on whether to build a new airport at Notre Dame des Landes -- an idea dating back more than three decades -- or expand an existing one on the outskirts of Nantes.Vinci has a 55-year concession to build and operate the planned 580 million euro (515.49
  
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• Snow scenes from Scotland as wintry conditions hit

  16-01-2018 15:38 via bbc.co.uk
  Photographs of snowy scenes sent in from around the country.
  
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• How did it come to this for Carillion?

  16-01-2018 15:30
  How did it come to this for Carillion?
  
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• Maids Moreton: Three arrested in murder probe over pensioners' deaths

  16-01-2018 15:29
  Three people have been arrested in connection with the deaths of two pensioners in a Buckinghamshire village.Thames Valley Police said the arrests follow a murder investigation into the deaths of Peter Farquhar, 69, on 26 October 2015, and Ann Moore-Martin, 83, on 12 May, last year.The causes of death for the couple, from Maids Moreton, have not yet been determined, officers said.
  
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• What's your experience of mental health funding and services in the UK?

  16-01-2018 15:19
  Mental health trusts in England received income increases of just 5.5% between 2012-13 and last year, whereas budgets for acute hospitals rose by 16.8%.Mental health care providers continue to receive far smaller budget increases than hospitals, five years after ministers pledged to create “parity of esteem” between NHS mental and physical health services.If you work in the mental health sector, or have accessed their services, we’d like you to share your experiences and insigh
  
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• Revealed: State-backed RBS's role in collapse of Carillion

  16-01-2018 14:51
  The taxpayer-backed Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) tightened the terms of its funding to the stricken Government contractor Carillion three days before it was forced to call in liquidators.Sky News has obtained a witness statement filed at the High Court by Keith Cochrane, its interim chief executive, which details the increasingly frenetic nature of efforts to rescue the company.Carillion collapsed on Monday, raising doubts about the future of more than 19,000 UK staff and igniting a political fi
  
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• Emily Maitlis' Stalker Jailed For Four Years After Breaching Restraining Order Again

  16-01-2018 14:51
  Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis described how a 20-year campaign of harassment at the hands of a former university friend was destroying her life as he was jailed for nearly four years.
  
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• EU still open to Britain changing mind on Brexit

  16-01-2018 14:48
  Leaders of the European Union institutions weighed into a new British debate on whether to hold a second referendum on Brexit by saying on Tuesday that Britons would be welcome to stay in the EU.Prime Minister Theresa May and her main opponent Jeremy Corbyn have ruled out giving voters a chance to approve whatever withdrawal treaty is agreed with Brussels before Britain leaves the bloc in March 2019.Updating the European Parliament on a summit he chaired last month at which EU leaders agreed to
  
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• Men appear in court accused of murdering model Harry Uzoka

  16-01-2018 14:46
  Two men have been charged with murder following the fatal stabbing of 25-year-old model Harry Uzoka.George Koh, 24, and Jonathan Okigbo, 23, appeared in court on Tuesday accused of murdering Mr Uzoka, who was found injured in Shepherd's Bush, west London, just before 4pm on Thursday.Mr Uzoka's next of kin has been informed but a formal identification has not yet taken place.
  
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• Carillion investigation fast-tracked and 'extended in scope'

  16-01-2018 14:45
  An investigation into the collapse of construction giant Carillion will be fast-tracked and "extended in scope".Business Secretary Greg Clark gave the order on Tuesday that will see company directors past and present probed to discover if they "caused detriment to those owed money".
  
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• Just Eat driver 'sent unwanted messages' to female customer

  16-01-2018 14:27
  The Information Commissioner’s Office is investigating allegations that a delivery driver used a customer’s mobile number to send her inappropriate messages after dropping off the food she had ordered via the takeaway app Just Eat.The firm was criticised over its response to the complaint from Michelle Midwinter, who said she received a series of late-night messages from the driver, saying he was “a fan” and asking if she had a boyfriend.Just Eat initially advised Midwint
  
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• Uber to introduce mandatory rest breaks for UK drivers

  16-01-2018 14:07
  Uber said on Tuesday its British drivers will have to take a six-hour break after they have accepted and made trips with passengers totalling 10 hours as the taxi app responds to criticism over excessive working hours.Uber said last month nearly a third of its 50,000 drivers in Britain are logged into the app for more than 40 hours a week, whilst just under 8 percent are online for more than 60 hours."While drivers only spend an average of 30 hours a week logged into our app, we want to do our p
  
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• BoE flags it may unilaterally ease EU insurance rule

  16-01-2018 13:57
  Britain might ease a European Union rule blamed by insurers for jacking up capital requirements, the Bank of England said on Tuesday.British lawmakers want the BoE to "urgently" amend the risk margin in EU insurance capital rules known as Solvency II. This refers to a capital add-on to cover what a third party would need to safeguard policies if an insurer goes bust."In our view the calculation in Solvency II is wrong," Bank of England Deputy Governor Sam Woods told parliament's Treasury Select
  
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• May's spokesman - Britain will be leaving the EU

  16-01-2018 13:50
  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will be leaving the European Union, Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman said on Tuesday after European Council president Donald Tusk suggested the country would be welcome to change its mind and stay in the bloc.
  
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• Carillion 'Domino Effect' Looms As Smaller Companies Reel From Collapse

  16-01-2018 13:47
  Pressure is mounting on the government as hundreds of small firms face financial ruin after the collapse of construction company Carillion - with one business telling HuffPost UK it left them more than £200,000 out of pocket.
  
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• Isis follower plotted attacks on key London targets, court hears

  16-01-2018 13:35
  Soldiers from the Queen’s Guard were among the potential targets.A follower of Islamic State who was fascinated by the group’s ideology plotted to launch a terrorist attack on a wide range of targets including the Queen’s Guard, parliament and media organisations, a court has heard.Umar Haque, 25, from east London, enlisted the help of others at his mosque, where he also tried to groom children with role-play scenarios.
  
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• Education secretary urged to act over report on abuse at his former school

  16-01-2018 13:30
  Damian Hinds was a pupil in the 1980s at St Ambrose College near Altrincham.Survivors of abuse committed at a Catholic school attended by the education secretary, Damian Hinds, are asking him to press for the publication of an independent review they claim has been hushed up.Hinds was a pupil in the 1980s at St Ambrose College near Altrincham in Greater Manchester.
  
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• Kim Wall Case Sees Inventor Peter Madsen Charged With Murder

  16-01-2018 13:28
  Inventor Peter Madsen has been charged with murdering Swedish journalist Kim Wall during a trip on his private submarine, a Danish prosecutor has said.
  
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• Sportswear sales help JD Sports sprint ahead of UK rivals

  16-01-2018 13:20
  Bucking generally subdued trading by British store groups, JD said it expected pretax profit for the year ending Feb. 3 to come in at around 300 million pounds, ahead of analysts' forecasts of 270-295 million pounds.Many of Britain's biggest retailers, including Marks & Spencer and Tesco, have reported tough trading as consumer spending is squeezed between rising inflation and subdued wages growth."JD Sports was probably insulated to some extent by its purchase of Go Outdoors, as the Decembe
  
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• French carmaker PSA's sales lifted by growth in Iran and Latin America

  16-01-2018 13:18
  French carmaker PSA'sglobal sales jumped by 15 percent last year as strong growth in Iran and Latin America helped to offset difficulties in Britain and China.The owner of the Peugeot brand sold 3,632,300 vehicles in 2017, it said on Tuesday, a day after domestic rival Renaultannounced a similarly robust performance.Having resumed Iran operations in 2016 after the lifting of international sanctions over Tehran's nuclear activities, PSA sold 444,600 vehicles there last year.
  
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• Factbox - Ripples from the collapse of British contractor Carillion

  16-01-2018 13:11
  Britain's Carillion collapsed on Monday after its banks lost faith in the construction and services company, forcing the government to step in to guarantee major public works contracts.Here is a summary of what its compulsory liquidation means for the government and for some of those firms.Carillion employed about 43,000 people around the world, including nearly 20,000 in Britain, roughly 18,000 in the Middle East and North Africa and about 6,000 people in Canada.
  
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