General news

• 'We were wrong' Parole Board chief forced to quit over John Worboys release errors

  28-03-2018 23:40 via feedproxy.google.com
  PAROLE Board chief Nick Hardwick yesterday praised victims of Worboys as he was forced to quit over the court debacle and admitted errors. Professor Hardwick, 60, wrote in his letter of resignation: “I want to repeat my admiration for the courage and tenacity of the women who brought the judicial review.
  
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• Former Russian spy poisoned by nerve agent on door of home - police

  28-03-2018 23:37
  Russian former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter were poisoned with a nerve toxin that had been left on the front door of their home in England, British counter-terrorism police said on Wednesday.After the first known offensive use of a chemical weapon on European soil since World War Two, Britain blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for the attempted assassination and the West has expelled around 130 Russian diplomats.Russia has denied any involvement in the attack and has said it
  
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• The future is bright, promises May on tour of Brexit-divided country

  28-03-2018 23:36
  Prime Minister Theresa May will promise Britain bright prospects outside the European Union on Thursday when she tours a country still deeply divided about its future as the countdown to Brexit starts its last 12 months.Britain will leave the European Union at 2300 GMT on March 29, 2019, severing ties that helped define its national identity, its laws, and its international stature over 46 years of integration with European neighbours.The world's sixth largest economy caused a major global shock
  
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• Edinburgh drivers enjoy lowest costs in UK

  28-03-2018 23:11 via feedproxy.google.com
  MOTORISTS in Edinburgh have the benefit of the lowest annual running costs in Britain. Those in Manchester pay the most, with a massive £554 gap per year between the two cities, according to new research.
  
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• One Dead, Four Injured in Calif. Hit and Run

  28-03-2018 23:09
  A spokesman for San Francisco General Hospital says one of five people struck in a hit-and-run crash has died. Police say a driver got into an altercation Wednesday with five people and struck them with his vehicle before fleeing. (March 28)
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn decries abuse of antisemitism protest MPs

  28-03-2018 22:50 via theguardian.com
  In an interview with Jewish News, Labour leader says he will not tolerate abuse of protestersJeremy Corbyn has condemned the vilification and abuse of Labour MPs who attended Monday night’s demonstration against antisemitism in the party.As leaders of the Jewish organisations that staged the protest told him that they would not meet him until he intervened to halt the attacks on social media , Corbyn said he was profoundly concerned by any abuse.Continue reading...
  
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• Ramshackle Argentina show they need Lionel Messi more than ever | Marcela Mora y Araujo

  28-03-2018 22:46 via theguardian.com
  The 6-1 defeat against Spain, without Messi, showed Argentina’s chances of a third World Cup rest entirely on his shouldersWhat was meant to be a chance for Argentina to consolidate their idea of the game, to try different relationships on the field, to develop connectivity and strengthen the identity they have been seeking, ended in a historic defeat, described in turns as a suicide and a nightmare, compared to boxing for the metaphorical punches involved and tennis for the scoreline.A 6-
  
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• Ecuador cuts Assange's communications after social media comments

  28-03-2018 22:28
  Ecuador has suspended WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's communication system after he discussed on social media issues that could damage Ecuador's diplomatic relations, the government said on Wednesday."The measure was adopted in the face of Assange's failure to comply with a written commitment he assumed with the government at the end of 2017, under which he was obliged not to issue messages that would interfere with other states," the Ecuadorian government said in a statement.
  
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• Beach from Leonardo DiCaprio film to temporarily close due to tourist damage

  28-03-2018 22:26 via theguardian.com
  Maya Bay, on Koh Phi Phi Leh, will be shut down by Thai authorities for four months to help recover damaged coral reefs and sea lifeAuthorities in Thailand have ordered the temporary closing of the beach made famous by the Leonardo DiCaprio movie The Beach to halt environmental damage caused by too many tourists. Maya Bay, on the island of Koh Phi Phi Leh in the Andaman Sea, will be closed to all visitors for four months annually starting this June to allow for the recovery of the island’s
  
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• Senior Tory MPs accused of accepting money from former Soviet states

  28-03-2018 22:18 via theguardian.com
  Journalist uses parliamentary privilege to name Liam Fox and John Whittingdale at Russian corruption hearingAllegations about financial links between two Conservative MPs and former Soviet states sympathetic to Vladimir Putin aired during a foreign affairs select committee hearing, prompted the chair to urge witnesses to stop repeating them, saying it was not a kangaroo court.The claims, made under parliamentary privilege on Wednesday, concerned Liam Fox, the trade secretary, and John Whittingda
  
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• Police say Russian spy may have been poisoned at home

  28-03-2018 22:15
  British police said on Wednesday that former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, poisoned by a nerve toxin in an attack which Britain has blamed on Moscow, may have been exposed to the substance at the front door of their home."Specialists have identified the highest concentration of the nerve agent, to-date, as being on the front door of the address," a statement by Scotland Yard said."At this point in our investigation, we believe the Skripals first came into contact with the
  
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• Fran Kirby leads way as Chelsea reach first Champions League semi-finals

  28-03-2018 22:14 via theguardian.com
  • Chelsea 3-1 Montpellier (Chelsea win 5-1 on agg)
  • Linköping 3-5 Man City (Man City win 3-7 on agg)Chelsea Ladies were only just finding their feet as a serious force when an English team last won the Women’s Champions League, 11 years ago. Now, for the first time in their history they are in the semi-finals after they beat Montpellier 3-1 on the night, 5-1 on aggregate.Two goals from Fran Kirby and one by Ramona Bachmann secured a scoreline that was not quite as convincin
  
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• Ecuador cracks down on Julian Assange’s internet access

  28-03-2018 22:14
  The Ecuadorian government just suspended Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's
  
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• Sky unveils £25m investment scheme for ideas to cut plastic waste

  28-03-2018 22:09
  Sky has announced it is launching a £25m investment scheme to support new ideas, technologies and businesses that tackle the problem of plastic pollution in the world's oceans.Solutions such as alternatives to plastic bottles and bags, different materials to synthetic clothing fibres and inventions to help people recycle at home are being backed by the company.The broadcaster wants other firms to join it - and hopes the investment fund could be boosted up to £100m.
  
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• Skripals were poisoned at their home, police believe

  28-03-2018 22:09
  Sergei and Yulia Skripal first came into contact with novichok at their home address, detectives believe.Detectives will continue to focus their enquiries around the home address for the coming weeks - and possibly months - as the investigation continues.In a statement from the Metropolitan police, the force say officers will be carrying out thorough searches in the areas surrounding this former spy's semi-detached home.
  
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• Google sees major claims of harassment and discrimination as lawsuits proceed

  28-03-2018 22:04 via theguardian.com
  Two lawsuits by female employees, alleging company underpays women and that ‘bro-culture’ enabled daily harassment, move aheadCalifornia courts have allowed female Google employees to move forward with two major lawsuits alleging patterns of sexual harassment and pay disparities, which civil rights attorneys say could uncover “widespread” discrimination at the tech company. A San Francisco judge has approved a class-action complaint alleging that the Silicon Valley corpor
  
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• In full: Michael Gove on deposit return scheme

  28-03-2018 22:00
  Environment Secretary Michael Gove talks about plans to introduce a bottle deposit return scheme, in part driven by Sky's Ocean Rescue campaign.
  
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• Coca-Cola: Bottle return scheme is a 'once-in-a-generation opportunity'

  28-03-2018 21:52
  The world's biggest soft drinks company has told Sky News that plans to introduce a deposit return scheme are a "once-in-a-generation opportunity".Julian Hunt, vice president of Coca-Cola in Europe, told Sky News that he was "really pleased" to hear the plans, and backed them as part of a response to growing worries about plastics."We want to play a positive role in recovering the cans and bottles that we put on the market," said Mr Hunt.
  
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• Skripals poisoned from front door of Salisbury home, police say

  28-03-2018 21:49
  Police outside the Salisbury home of Sergei Skripal shortly after he was poisoned.Detectives investigating the attempted murders of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia Skripal have said they believe the pair were poisoned with a nerve agent at the front door of his Salisbury home.Specialists investigating the poisoning of the the Skripals, who reportedly have a slim chance of survival, have found the highest concentration of the nerve agent on the front door at the address
  
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• Mexican police officers found guilty of murdering journalist in rare conviction

  28-03-2018 21:41 via theguardian.com
  Two officers sentenced to 25 years in prison after being convicted in the killing of newspaper owner Moisés Sánchez in VeracruzTwo police officers have been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the murder of a Mexican journalist, marking a rare conviction in a country where crimes committed against media members almost always remain in the realm of impunity.
  The police officers, identified as Luigui Heriberto N and José Francisco N, were convicted of killing newspaper owner M
  
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• Trump lawyer discussed presidential pardons for Flynn and Manafort – report

  28-03-2018 21:35 via theguardian.com
  White House denies New York Times report that possibility of pardons was raised as Mueller built case against Trump aidesOne of Donald Trump’s lawyers discussed the possibility of presidential pardons for two former aides as the special counsel Robert Mueller built cases against them in his investigation into Russian election meddling, the New York Times reported on Wednesday. Related: Mueller reveals Manafort and Gates associate had Russian intelligence tiesContinue reading...
  
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• Salisbury nerve agent attack - Russian spy Sergei Skripal and daughter poisoned at HOME

  28-03-2018 21:35 via feedproxy.google.com
  FORMER Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia came into contact with the nerve agent novichok at home, detectives investigating the attempted murders believe.
  
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• Sergei Skripal And Daughter First Came Into Contact With Nerve Agent At Home In Salisbury, Police Reveal

  28-03-2018 21:34
  Police investigating the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter
  
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• Jay Bernard’s ‘personal and brave’ poetry wins Ted Hughes award

  28-03-2018 21:15 via theguardian.com
  Surge: Side A, an intimate multimedia exploration of 1981 New Cross fire, wins £5,000 prizeJay Bernard has won the Ted Hughes award for new poetry with the performance Surge: Side A, a multimedia sequence which explores the 1981 New Cross fire.The £5,000 prize is given to the poet “who has made the most exciting contribution to poetry”, putting published collections alongside live performance, installations and radio pieces. Continue reading...
  
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• How Parole Board rules may change following Worboys case

  28-03-2018 20:59
  The role of the Parole Board is to decide whether a prisoner is ready for release.It is an independent body that makes 25,000 decisions every year - many of which involve serious offences that have changed the lives of victims.The case of black cab rapist John Worboys is a case in point.
  
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• Gatwick Airport accident: Shock as 'person RUN OVER during takeoff' - air ambulance called

  28-03-2018 20:57 via feedproxy.google.com
  A PLANE at Gatwick Airport was surrounded by police after an accident involving a member of the airport’s ground crew this evening.
  
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• Mireille Knoll: marches held in France after suspected antisemitic killing

  28-03-2018 20:36 via theguardian.com
  Elderly woman who survived the notorious Vel d’Hiv roundup was attacked in her flat in ParisSilent marches are taking place in Paris and other large French cities in memory of an 85-year-old woman who survived the Holocaust but was stabbed to death last week, in what is being investigated as an antisemitic attack. Related: Police treat killing of elderly woman in Paris as antisemitic attackContinue reading...
  
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• Exclusive: Arizona governor and Uber kept self-driving program secret, emails reveal

  28-03-2018 20:36 via theguardian.com
  A cozy relationship with governor Doug Ducey enabled an autonomous program with limited expert oversight – but governor denies it was ‘secret’Arizona’s Republican governor repeatedly encouraged Uber’s controversial experiment with autonomous cars in the state, enabling a secret testing program for self-driving vehicles with limited oversight from experts, according to hundreds of emails obtained by the Guardian.The previously unseen emails between Uber and the offic
  
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• UK university staff to vote on latest pensions offer

  28-03-2018 20:31 via theguardian.com
  University and College Union to ballot members on offer but April strikes will go aheadThe bitter dispute between universities and their staff over pensions may soon be resolved, after staff were asked to vote on the latest offer to renegotiate the changes being proposed by employers.
  The University and College Union (UCU) announced on Friday that it would electronically ballot its members next week over an offer to reconsider the controversial pension proposals, which the union claimed would ha
  
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• Swift and severe punishment for Smith and co but questions remain | Andy Bull

  28-03-2018 20:26 via theguardian.com
  Cricket Australia has come down hard on Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft but ‘tampergate’ will not end hereThe harder you step in mess, the more it spreads. Last Saturday Cricket Australia found a flaming bag of the stuff on its doorstep and, just like the headteacher in the high school movie, decided the best way to put it out was to stamp right down on it. CA has banned Steve Smith and David Warner from all state and international cricket for a year, Cameron Bancroft
  
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• Nicola Jennings on one year until Brexit – cartoon

  28-03-2018 20:24 via theguardian.com
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• Tommy Robinson permanently banned by Twitter

  28-03-2018 20:20 via theguardian.com
  Former English Defence League leader banned for violating rules governing ‘hateful conduct’The former leader of the English Defence League Tommy Robinson has been permanently banned from Twitter.It is understood that the rightwing extremist fell foul of Twitter’s rules governing “hateful conduct”. Continue reading...
  
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• Momentum threatens to sue Sajid Javid over 'neo-fascist' slur

  28-03-2018 20:14
  A senior government minister has been warned he will face legal action if he repeats his comments that Momentum are "neo-fascist".Sajid Javid, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, made the remarks in Parliament during a debate on cuts to local government funding.On Twitter, Momentum shot back - and warned: "@savidjavid, do you really believe we're a 'neo-fascist' organisation?
  
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• Parents of Alfie Evans lose European court life-support case

  28-03-2018 20:12 via theguardian.com
  Couple fighting decision to switch off son’s life support lose last-ditch legal bidThe parents of a 22-month-old boy at the centre of a life-support treatment battle have lost a European court fight.
  Tom Evans and Kate James, who are in their 20s and from Liverpool, wanted judges at the European court of human rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg to examine issues relating to the future of their son, Alfie Evans. Continue reading...
  
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• John Worboys’ victims weren’t only failed by the Parole Board | Sonia Sodha

  28-03-2018 20:12 via theguardian.com
  Nick Hardwick carried the can for the decision to release Worboys, but David Gauke also has difficult questions to answer“Frozen in shock, disgusted and traumatised by the thought that Worboys could be on the streets so soon.” That’s how one of John Worboys’ victims described her feelings since she learned in January that the man known as the “black-cab rapist” would be released from prison. Her shock has been widely shared. How could Worboys – jailed in
  
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• Pope will not apologize for abuse in Canada's indigenous schools

  28-03-2018 20:08 via theguardian.com
  Schools largely run by Catholic church took 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis children away from families and force them to convertPope Francis will not apologize to survivors of Canada’s Indian residential schools for the role the Roman Catholic church played in operating the institutions or the abuses suffered there.Some 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis children were taken from their families over much of the last century and put in the schools, where they were f
  
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• Bargain Booze owner Conviviality on brink of collapse

  28-03-2018 20:01 via theguardian.com
  2,600 jobs at risk and pubs including the JD Wetherspoon chain face supply issuesConviviality, the company behind high street off-licence chains Wine Rack and Bargain Booze, is on the brink of collapse, putting 2,600 jobs at risk and prompting warnings that pubs could run dry.In a statement to the stock market, Conviviality said investors had refused its request for £125m of new money, which it needs to stave off bankruptcy after a string of shock profit warnings.Continue reading...
  
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• Prehistoric human footprints unearthed on Canada shoreline

  28-03-2018 20:00 via theguardian.com
  Scientists find 29 prints on island in British Columbia, supporting theory that early Americans arrived from Asia Whether it was a family day out at the beach, complete with prehistoric equivalent of a bucket and spade, we’ll never know, but one thing is for sure: about 13,000 years ago a little band of humans were pottering about on a shore in western Canada.Researchers have unearthed 29 footprints in a layer of sediment on the shoreline of Calvert Island in British Columbia. Between 11,0
  
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• Gareth Southgate reaches a defining question: To Dele or not to Dele?|Barney Ronay

  28-03-2018 20:00 via theguardian.com
  As England approach the World Cup, the manager must decide if the Spurs man’s risky talents can fit with his hard-working, possession-based systemFail again. Fail better. Fail, at the very least, in a slightly more interesting way. As England’s final friendly eliminators fade from the memory, the forthcoming debate – and it is coming: you can hear it on the wind – over whether Dele Alli merits a place in the starting XI looks set to become one of the main irresolvable dis
  
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• Parole Board chair 'scapegoated' as John Worboys' release overturned

  28-03-2018 19:58 via theguardian.com
  Nick Hardwick’s controversial departure comes as high court quashes decision to release rapist The serial sex attacker John Worboys is to face a fresh Parole Board hearing after a decision to recommend his release was quashed in an unprecedented high court ruling that prompted the sacking of the board’s chairman. Related: 'Huge relief': Worboys' victims celebrate reversal of his releaseContinue reading...
  
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• Jailed Libor trader Hayes loses appeal over house sale

  28-03-2018 19:57
  Tom Hayes, a British former trader serving an 11-year jail sentence for manipulating Libor interest rates, lost an appeal on Wednesday against a confiscation order that forced his wife to sell their seven-bedroom country house.The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal that turned on whether Hayes had handed his wife, Sarah Tighe, a "tainted gift" when he bought the property, put it in joint names and later sold his share to her.Lawyers for Hayes argued that a judge's decision to include the whole
  
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• 2,600 jobs at risk as Bargain Booze owner on the brink of collapse

  28-03-2018 19:48
  The owner of Bargain Booze is on the brink of administration, putting 2,600 jobs at risk, after it failed to raise £125m from an emergency cash call.Conviviality said in a statement on Wednesday that it had been unable to secure sufficient new funds, confirming an earlier report by Sky News.The latest development is likely to lead to PwC being appointed as administrator in the coming days, according to insiders, barring a last-minute rescue by banks.
  
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• The Guardian view on Brexit: now is the time to change course | Editorial

  28-03-2018 19:31 via theguardian.com
  Only a year is now left until the UK’s official moment of departure from the European Union on terms almost certainlydecided by a rightwing clique of ToriesWhen a majority of MPs voted a year ago to authorise the activation of article 50, they did so because they felt it was their duty as mandated by the Brexit referendum. But this does not mean parliament has to agree to whatever Brexit Theresa May offers. Democracy demanded that the vote be honoured, but that doesn’t mean everythin
  
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• Steve Smith and David Warner banned for a year for ball-tampering

  28-03-2018 19:31 via theguardian.com
  • Cameron Bancroft banned for nine months and all three sent home
  • Cricket Australia: ‘Cheating probably an appropriate word’David Warner was revealed as the architect of Australia’s ball-tampering plot and left staring at the end of his international career following publication of the damning charge sheet against the three players involved.Both Warner and Steve Smith have been hit with year-long suspensions, along with nine months for Cameron Bancroft, as Cricket A
  
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• Rudd: No agreement on whether immigration will be part of next phase of Brexit talks

  28-03-2018 19:30
  Home Secretary Amber Rudd has admitted the Government is yet to decide whether the UK's post-Brexit immigration rules will form part of trade negotiations with the EU.The remaining 27 EU member states have stated they want the future UK-EU relationship to include "ambitious provisions" for movement of citizens between Britain and the bloc.Although Brexit negotiations are likely to be concluded in October this year, Ms Rudd also confirmed the Government will not be presenting their post-Brexit im
  
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• BHA apologises for latest blunder in Kempton Park photo-finish error

  28-03-2018 19:28 via theguardian.com
  • Odds-on favourite Oregon Gift incorrectly called as runner-up
  • Action taken to ‘minimise the risk of a recurrence’The British Horseracing Authority said on Wednesday evening that it will take action to “minimise the risk” of mistakes by photo-finish judges after it emerged that an odds-on favourite had been incorrectly called as the runner-up in a race at Kempton Park five days ago. The error is the latest mistake by a racecourse official to embarrass the reg
  
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• Twelve months on, Lexi Thompson relives four-shot penalty nightmares | Ewan Murray

  28-03-2018 19:25 via theguardian.com
  American golfer says she is happy rule changes mean no one can suffer the way she did at the first women’s major of 2017Who won the first women’s major of 2017? Some marquee golf events are better remembered for someone falling short rather than for the champion. Quiz fodder lies therein.Ryu So-yeon is the answer to the question and she will try to retain the title at the ANA Inspiration in California which begins on Thursday . The last staging was overshadowed by such epic controver
  
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• Galaxy without any dark matter baffles astronomers

  28-03-2018 19:21 via theguardian.com
  Scientists surprised to find NGC 1052-DF2 devoid of mysterious substance, but say its absence strengthens case for its existenceA distant galaxy that appears completely devoid of dark matter has baffled astronomers and deepened the mystery of the universe’s most elusive substance.The absence of dark matter from a small patch of sky might appear to be a non-problem, given that astronomers have never directly observed dark matter anywhere. However, most current theories of the universe sugge
  
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• Border exit checks records for 600,000 people missing, watchdog reveals

  28-03-2018 19:20 via theguardian.com
  Home Office staff say May’s ‘100% departure checks’ system is rushed and flawedTheresa May’s long-promised system of “100% exit checks” at Britain’s borders is so unreliable that it contains no departure records for more than 600,000 people who should have left the country in the past two years, a watchdog has revealed.
  A report by David Bolt, the chief inspector of borders and immigration, said that the system also contains a growing “unmatched po
  
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• Viola player wins Royal Opera House case for hearing damage

  28-03-2018 19:18 via theguardian.com
  Musician suffered ‘acoustic shock’ from horn section during Wagner performanceA classical musician has won a landmark case for damages against the Royal Opera House after claiming his hearing was irreparably damaged by the horn section during a thunderous rendition of Wagner’s Ring Cycle.In the first case of its kind, Christopher Goldscheider, a viola player, claimed he was exposed to unacceptable noise levels in the pit at Covent Garden as the orchestra rehearsed Die Walkü
  
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