General news

• People are writing heartwarming letters to survivors of sexual assault this Valentine’s Day

  14-02-2018 23:54
  The #SurvivorLoveLetter movement is showing support to survivors of sexual violence.
  
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• ‘Roses are red’: Twitter users put a twist on a Valentine’s classic

  14-02-2018 23:36
  Valentine’s Day isn’t a big day for this lot.
  
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• UK tells charities - no more cash if you don't come clean on abuse

  14-02-2018 23:12
  Britain will stop funding overseas aid agencies if they fail to learn the lessons from Oxfam's sex abuse scandal, and the government will discuss possible prosecutions with law enforcement, the British development minister said on Wednesday.Penny Mordaunt told anti-poverty groups that Britain - one of the world's most generous foreign development donors - would cut funding if they could not show they were clear of the kind of abuse that has rocked Oxfam.
  
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• Fox could have 'ripped baby to pieces' in attack at family's home

  14-02-2018 22:53
  A mother has said her seven-month-old baby girl could have been "ripped to pieces" by a fox that sneaked into a family home.
  
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• Oxfam: Former staff member dismissed by Cafod after abuse claims

  14-02-2018 22:07 via bbc.co.uk
  Cafod said it was unaware of abuse allegations, while Oxfam loses another celebrity ambassador.
  
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• Power-sharing talks collapse at Stormont

  14-02-2018 21:40 via bbc.co.uk
  DUP says latest devolution talks have failed while Sinn Féin claim the DUP 'collapsed' the process.
  
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• Boris Johnson struggles to woo remainers with Brexit lovebomb

  14-02-2018 20:42
  Boris Johnson warned that anything short of a full and clean break would be seen as a deception.Boris Johnson used the first speech of the government’s “road to Brexit” series to try to simultaneously reach out to remainers while doubling down on his arguments in favour of a hard break from the EU.
  
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• Woman who died in A&E after overdose had 'inadequate care'

  14-02-2018 20:36
  Bethany Shipsey died after taking an overdose of online diet pills.A 21-year-old woman who died in an exceptionally busy A&E ward after taking an overdose of diet pills intended to kill herself but received inadequate care, a coroner has found.Bethany Shipsey died in Worcestershire Royal hospital on 15 February last year, a day described by hospital staff as overwhelming.
  
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• Mujahid Arshid jailed for at least 40 years for murdering niece Celine Dookhran

  14-02-2018 20:20
  A man has been jailed for at least 40 years for murdering his niece and the attempted murder of another woman.Mujahid Arshid, 33, was also convicted of the rape and kidnap of 20-year-old niece Celine Dookhran, and the rape and kidnap of the other woman.
  
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• Sinn Fein says DUP collapsed Northern Ireland talks when deal was within reach

  14-02-2018 20:14
  Northern Ireland's Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionist Party had reached an accommodation that put a deal on restoring devolved government within reach until the DUP collapsed the talks on Wednesday, Irish nationalists Sinn Fein said."I am 100 percent crystal clear that we had an accommodation with the DUP, we had a way forward on all the issues... The DUP failed to close the deal.
  
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• Northern Ireland talks collapse, London says deal still possible

  14-02-2018 20:14
  Talks to restart Northern Ireland's power-sharing government broke down yet again on Wednesday, the province's main parties said, blaming each other, though Britain held out hope that a solution could still be reached.The British province has been without a devolved executive - a central part of a 1998 peace deal that ended three decades of violence - for over a year since Irish nationalists Sinn Fein withdrew from the compulsory power-sharing government with their arch-rivals, the Democratic Un
  
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• Britain says still hope for Northern Ireland agreement after talks end

  14-02-2018 20:14
  Britain believes there is still a chance for Northern Ireland's main parties to reach an agreement on restoring their devolved government, the minister responsible for the province said on Wednesday after talks concluded without an agreement."While substantive progress has been made, it appears this phase of talks has reached a conclusion."The position of the UK government remains the same: devolved government is in the best interests of everyone in Northern Ireland and is best for the union.
  
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• Windsor council drops plans to fine rough sleepers after outcry

  14-02-2018 20:04
  The council had planned to to issue £100 penalties for breaches of public space protection orders.Windsor council has withdrawn plans to fine rough sleepers £100 as part of a new “homelessness support strategy” after a public outcry against the measures.The council’s leader, Simon Dudley, has requested that the proposals, reported in the Guardian on Sunday, be withdrawn after feedback from the public and councillors.
  
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• MPs' shock as 'rough sleeper' dies just yards from Parliament

  14-02-2018 20:03
  The Government's minister for homelessness has vowed to "find solutions" as MPs expressed shock at the death of an apparent rough sleeper just yards from Parliament.A man died at Westminster Tube station, which links directly to the Houses of Parliament, early on Wednesday morning despite efforts to resuscitate him.Sky News understands someone who works in Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's office was also in contact with the man and brought him food.
  
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• Former British soldier denies attending terror camps to fight ISIS

  14-02-2018 19:55
  A former British soldier who fought Islamic State has appeared in court charged with a terror offence.James Matthews, who is charged with attending a place used for terrorist training, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court and entered a not guilty plea.
  
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• Beth Shipsey: 'Failings' in treating diet pill suicide

  14-02-2018 19:40 via bbc.co.uk
  A coroner rules Beth Shipsey "deliberately ingested" the pills but medics failed to adequately monitor her.
  
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• Homeless man dies on 'doorstep' of Houses of Parliament

  14-02-2018 19:28
  Flowers and cards from the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, and his staff left near a Westminster Underground exit.MPs have expressed sadness after learning that a man believed to have been sleeping rough had died a stone’s throw from the Houses of Parliament.Police were called to Westminster tube station in London at about 7.15am Wednesday after reports of an “unresponsive” man in an area where homeless people gathered, close to a Commons side entrance.
  
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• Ex-British soldier 'who fought IS' charged with terror offence

  14-02-2018 19:13 via bbc.co.uk
  James Matthews pleaded not guilty while appearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court.
  
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• No prospect of Stormont deal, says DUP

  14-02-2018 19:07 via bbc.co.uk
  Leader Arlene Foster says the latest talks to restore power sharing at Stormont have failed.
  
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• Former British soldier in court for terrorism offence of fighting Isis

  14-02-2018 19:07
  James Matthews greets supporters on his arrival at Westminster magistrates court.A former British soldier was in court on Wednesday facing an unprecedented prosecution under terrorism legislation for fighting against Islamic State in Syria.James Matthews, 43, is thought to be the first person prosecuted under such legislation for assisting a group helped by the UK government.
  
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• Dawid Malan delighted with return of Ben Stokes to the England setup

  14-02-2018 18:59
  Dawid Malan is looking forward to the return of Ben Stokes for the New Zealand leg of their winter’s work.Dawid Malan is relishing the chance to line up alongside Ben Stokes again after the all-rounder was cleared to join the England squad following his appearance at Bristol magistrates court on Tuesday.
  
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• Freezer body murder: Uncle jailed for Celine Dookhran rape and killing

  14-02-2018 18:49 via bbc.co.uk
  Celine Dookhran's body was found in a freezer at an empty house in south-west London.
  
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• European shares brush off U.S. inflation spike

  14-02-2018 18:47
  MILAN (Reuters) - European shares rose on Wednesday, quickly recovering from losses sparked by stronger-than-expected U.S. inflation data, as solid company and economic updates kept investors confident.
  
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• Alone this Valentine's? Miranda Hart is here for you

  14-02-2018 18:35 via bbc.co.uk
  The comedian doesn't want her Twitter followers to feel "lesser, isolated or alone".
  
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• Salmon fisherman Nigel Mott due quota compensation

  14-02-2018 18:34 via bbc.co.uk
  Nigel Mott said limiting his catch made his business unviable and breached his human rights.
  
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• Michelle Obama has made a Valentine’s playlist for Barack, and Twitter is so here for it

  14-02-2018 18:12
  There were 44 songs on the playlist for the 44th president of the United States.
  
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• Alan Hart obituary

  14-02-2018 18:11
  Alan Hart, who has died aged 75, was a trailblazing foreign correspondent who put himself in the middle of the action and brought viewers closer to the reality of human suffering around the world in the formative days of TV news.This style helped to make News at Ten a huge success after ITN launched it in 1967 as British television’s first half-hour news programme.ITV was sceptical about taking this amount of time out of its drama and entertainment schedules but, following two nights of &l
  
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• Boris Johnson's Brexit Speech Explained For People Who 'Don't Understand The EU'

  14-02-2018 18:04
  Boris Johnson today set out to explain his vision of Brexit to those who don’t understand the “complexities and obscurities” of the EU.
  
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• 'Paedophile hunter' to face charges

  14-02-2018 18:03 via bbc.co.uk
  A member of a paedophile hunting group is to be charged with a number of criminal offences.
  
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• Unless charities like Oxfam rediscover their moral core, they won’t survive | Larry Elliott

  14-02-2018 18:02 via theguardian.com
  With the Tories sharpening their knives over international development, aid workers have to put their house in orderFor at least the past decade there has been a cosy relationship between the government and the leading development charities. Whitehall has ponied up the cash, and charities such as Oxfam have spent it. The government has not asked too many searching questions about how well the money has been spent, and the charities have swallowed any misgivings about government policies.This bar
  
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• Mother who murdered baby attacked another child years earlier

  14-02-2018 18:02 via theguardian.com
  Jennifer Crichton, 35, found guilty of daughter’s murder and offences relating to earlier attackA mother jailed for murdering her seven-month-old baby had confessed to attacking another child years earlier.
  Last year, Jennifer Crichton, 35, fatally attacked her daughter Amelia while under a social service care plan devised outsourced to a local social care provider. Continue reading...
  
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• We thought Boris Johnson would tell us his Brexit plans. He said ‘Go whistle’ | Gina Miller

  14-02-2018 17:57 via theguardian.com
  The foreign secretary’s much-awaited speech was short on detail, but it made it clear we’re heading for a harsh futureFor all the hype, the long-awaited Brexit speech that Boris Johnson delivered today amounted to no more than, as he might say, another inverted pyramid of piffle. What we, the people, were hoping for – yearning for, in fact, and certainly had every right to expect – was his Valentine’s Day message to be the moment he finally came clean about Brexit.
  
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• NHS trusts transferring staff into subsidiary companies to cut VAT

  14-02-2018 17:54 via theguardian.com
  Labour warns of impact on staff and standards of ‘back-door privatisation’Nineteen trusts have transferred non-clinical NHS staff into subsidiary companies, via a process previously described as akin to “back door privatisation”, and another 16 have plans to do so, an investigation has found. The Health Service Journal research, published on Wednesday, suggests that almost 3,000 estates and facilities staff are already employed by eight trust-owned subsidiaries, with the
  
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• The 8 oddest moments from Boris Johnson's 'Brexit unity' speech

  14-02-2018 17:48
  Boris Johnson has delivered a speech calling for Brexit unity - but his characteristically colourful language left some amused and baffled.
  
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• Matty Bovan – fashion's great bright hope (who still lives with his parents)

  14-02-2018 17:47 via theguardian.com
  British fashion’s most colourful new star ditched Paris and London to return to York and start his own studio. He explains how his work mixes sci-fi dystopia with kitchen sink craftNot all superheroes wear capes. Matty Bovan – the 27-year-old York-based designer who might just be the saviour the fashion industry needs – is more likely to be found wearing a hi-vis jacket over a white mini-dress or a mustard velvet tunic over a pair of tie-dye leggings. Bovan has an extraordinary
  
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• Brit awards ask guests to wear white rose pins to support #MeToo

  14-02-2018 17:47 via theguardian.com
  Letter from organising body says pin will be given out ‘as a symbol of solidarity’ after similar gesture at Grammy awardsThe organisers of the Brit awards have invited attendees to wear a white rose pin to the ceremony to acknowledge the entertainment industry’s fight against sexual harassment.In a letter sent this afternoon to nominees, guests and the 1000 members of the Brits voting academy and seen by the Guardian, the Brits director of Events & Charities Maggie Crowe sa
  
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• Mother of overdose woman said she died with 'no respect'

  14-02-2018 17:46
  Bethany Shipsey, aged 21, died last February after a series of delays and medical errors during treatment at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital near her home in Worcester.The Worcestershire coroner Geraint Williams recorded a conclusion of suicide in death of Bethany Shipsey but added that a series of failings in her care in a busy A&E department amounted to failures in basic medical care.Miss Shipsey was admitted to A&E in Worcester in February last year following an overdose of DNP diet
  
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• Did Boris Johnson succeed with his big Brexit speech?

  14-02-2018 17:46 via bbc.co.uk
  The foreign secretary aimed to bring Leave and Remain camps together but reaction shows extent of divisions.
  
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• No prospect of deal to restore Northern Ireland executive - DUP leader

  14-02-2018 17:44
  There is no prospect of Northern Ireland's main parties agreeing to restore devolved government, the leader of the largest unionist party said on Wednesday, calling on Britain to take further financial control of the province."In our view, there is no current prospect of these discussions leading to an Executive being formed," Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster said in a statement, two days after the British and Irish prime ministers said they were hopeful a year-old stalemate would
  
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• Priti Patel: Oxfam boss Mark Goldring 'should resign'

  14-02-2018 17:43
  Oxfam chief executive Mark Goldring should resign and allow the charity to "look to the future", according to Priti Patel.The former international development minister was speaking after claims that some of Oxfam's aid workers used prostitutes in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake.The charity has been criticised for the way it handled the investigation into the allegations, something for which it has issued an "unreserved apology" to the Government, donors, supporters and the people of Haiti.
  
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• Homeless man died on 'Parliament doorstep'

  14-02-2018 17:42 via bbc.co.uk
  The body's discovery prompts MPs to call on the government to commit to end rough sleeping.
  
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• 'No prospect' of Northern Ireland deal as talks between DUP and Sinn Fein break down

  14-02-2018 17:40
  Talks between the leaders of Northern Ireland's two biggest political parties to re-establish a government in Stormont have broken down.DUP leader Arlene Foster said there was "no prospect" of negotiations leading to a new power-sharing agreement."Important decisions impacting on everyone in Northern Ireland have been sitting in limbo for too long.
  
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• Goodbye to ‘before and after’ photos – Weight Watchers is right to ditch them

  14-02-2018 17:36 via theguardian.com
  ‘Transformation’ photos have long been associated with the slimming company, but as most dieters know, they can be misleadingAnyone who has tried to lose weight will tell you that results matter. Otherwise, none of us would bother trying. So the news that Weight Watchers is ditching its long-held tradition of “before and after” photographs is somewhat perplexing.Dieters the world over know the power of the “transformation” photo: the left-hand image shows the
  
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