General news

• Pippa Middleton's father-in-law David Matthews 'investigated over rape claim'

  30-03-2018 23:20
  Pippa Middleton's father-in-law has been placed under formal investigation by French police over a suspected rape of a minor, reports say.Paris prosecutors arrested David Matthews during a visit to France, but later released him and placed him under judicial control, a court source told the Reuters news agency.Mr Matthews had been taken into custody for questioning last Tuesday by investigators from the country's juvenile protection brigade, it is claimed.
  
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• Terminally-Ill Man Granted 'Final Wish' As Hospital Staff Allow Dog To Visit One Last Time

  30-03-2018 22:46
  A terminally-ill man was granted his "final wish" in hospital when staff
  
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• Stansted Airport fire: Passengers face severe disruption as flights are cancelled

  30-03-2018 22:27
  All flights departing from Stansted Airport up until midnight have been cancelled after a large fire broke out on a bus.The airport confirmed on Twitter that it was now asking passengers to leave the area and advised people to re-book flights.It tweeted: "All departing flights until midnight have now been cancelled and passengers are politely asked to leave the Airport.
  
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• Russia say Aeroflot plane searched in London 'by UK authorities'

  30-03-2018 22:20
  Russia claims UK authorities searched one of their planes at a London airport in what they called the "latest provocation".The Metropolitan police denied the force had inspected an airbus that had landed at Heathrow having departed from Moscow.The news comes as Russia continues to expel foreign diplomats in a tit-for-tat response to countries across the world sending home Russian diplomats in solidarity with Britain following the nerve agent attack in Salisbury.
  
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• British 'Beatles' Islamic State Fighters Complain About Losing UK Citizenship

  30-03-2018 22:01
  Two Britons accused of being members of Islamic State's notorious "Beatles"
  
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• Jacinda Ardern on Trump, Brexit and how life has changed as PM – video

  30-03-2018 20:41 via theguardian.com
  New Zealand’s prime minister tells the Guardian how her life has changed and her ambition for a can-do country. She says she appreciates still being able to do ‘normal things’ and says her pregnancy has given her a wider perspective: ‘There’s been a couple of meetings where I’ll be working away, very focused on an issue, and I’ll get a sharp kick in the ribcage and it’s this little reminder that there’s something else going on in my life&rsqu
  
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• Tuneful toothbrush: You’ve never heard Mozart like this before

  30-03-2018 20:30
  Mitch Lagos has created music using only his mouth, a toothbrush and toothpaste,
  
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• Joshua v Parker: Anthony Joshua drops weight ahead of big fight

  30-03-2018 20:12
  The much-anticipated boxing showdown between Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker takes place on Saturday night.The fighters weighed-in ahead of the unification clash at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, with Joshua displaying a noticeably leaner physique.The WBA and IBF heavyweight champion, who is hoping to add another world belt to his collection, weighed in at 17st 4lbs 2oz, significantly lighter than his last world title defence.
  
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• Easter travel disruption as fire prompts Stansted Airport evacuation

  30-03-2018 19:53
  Stansted Airport has been partially evacuated after a huge fire in a bus outside the building broke out.The blaze was "on the car park shuttle bus", according to a tweet from the airport.Around 40 minutes later, the Essex airport confirmed the fire had been put out and efforts to return to normal operations were under way.
  
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• Stansted Airport Fire Sparks Evacuation On Easter Weekend

  30-03-2018 19:06
  Stansted Airport was evacuated on Friday after a bus burst into flames outside
  
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• British Soldier Killed In Syria Fighting Isis, Ministry Of Defence Confirms

  30-03-2018 18:50
  A member of the British armed forces has been killed in Syria while on a
  
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• UK Special Forces soldier killed in Syria bomb blast

  30-03-2018 18:46
  A British soldier has been killed in Syria, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.A MOD spokesperson said: "It is with regret that we must confirm that a member of the UK Armed Forces was killed by an improvised explosive device in Syria yesterday.The roadside bomb in northern Syria killed two coalition personnel, including an American, and wounded five others, Associated Press reported.
  
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• Eton reveals gender pay gap figures well above national average

  30-03-2018 18:15
  Like many single-sex schools, Eton teachers are predominantly of the same gender as the pupils, said the school.Eton College, the school that boasts of educating more British prime ministers than any other, has revealed a gender pay gap among its staff well above the national average – but below some of its rivals, including Westminster School.Figures published by Eton, as part of a report on pay and gender required by the government, show that the median hourly pay of female members of st
  
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• Christine Shawcroft: Labour Anti-Semitism Row 'Stirred Up' To Attack Jeremy Corbyn

  30-03-2018 18:11
  The senior Labour official who was forced to stand down over a row about anti-
  
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• Woman killed by falling bricks was newly engaged mother-of-one

  30-03-2018 18:03
  Michaela Boor died in hospital on Thursday, 29 March, two days after she was hit by a pallet that fell from a crane on a building site in Mile End, east London.A statement read: "One of our employees Matthew Boor was called away from work yesterday, following the tragic accident at Mile End.
  
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• Labour, antisemitism and criticism of Israel

  30-03-2018 17:32
  ‘Criticism of Corbyn and the Labour party on grounds of antisemitism is being encouraged by individuals who – unlike the Labour leader himself – have rarely participated in the general struggle against racism,’ writes Stan Newens.It occurs to me reading Hadley Freeman’s account of the anti-Corbyn demonstration (Why I protested against Corbyn, 28 March) that the best way for her and the Board of Deputies of British Jews to consolidate the benefits of their protest wo
  
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• Lisa Stansfield: IVF doctor sang to me

  30-03-2018 16:25 via bbc.co.uk
  Lisa Stansfield describes how her anaesthetist sang one of her hits to her.
  
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• 'I hope you get all your presents in heaven': Boy hit by Sainsbury's lorry died day before 4th birthday

  30-03-2018 15:56
  "I hope you get all the presents you want in heaven and I'm sure great nanny will make you a birthday cake.A friend of JJ's dad, James Mangan, wrote a message of support from pals at Ferndown Boxing Club."Myself, my family and our extended family at Ferndown ABC are heartbroken for James and all those affected.
  
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• Rugby rape trial: two accused of revealing woman's identity

  30-03-2018 15:37
  Protesters in Dublin after the Ireland rugby internationals Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding were found not guilty of rape.Files on two individuals accused of revealing the identity of the woman at the centre of a high-profile trial in which two Irish rugby internationals were cleared of rape have been sent to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS).Northern Ireland’s attorney general will also consider an allegation that one of the jurors made comments about the case on a website after the ve
  
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• Why Isle of Dogs is no shaggy dog story

  30-03-2018 15:34 via bbc.co.uk
  The stars of Wes Anderson's new animation on how it was made - and why it has an important message.
  
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• Heartbeat actor Bill Maynard dies after fall

  30-03-2018 15:04
  Heartbeat actor Bill Maynard has died in hospital at the age of 89, after breaking his hip in a recent fall from his mobility scooter.Maynard, real name Walter Williams, was best known for playing Claude Jeremiah Greengrass for eight years in the long-running TV series, which was watched by up to 18million at its peak.Maynard initially retired from acting in 2000 after suffering a number of strokes, but then returned to his role in Heartbeat spin-off The Royal in 2003.
  
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• 'Like being raped': three claims of coerced exorcism in the UK

  30-03-2018 15:00
  Melanie says one of those involved in her alleged exorcism later suggested her daughter, 4, may not be autistic but possessed by demons.Melanie was experiencing difficulties in her personal life – an abusive husband, a daughter diagnosed as autistic – when her vicar and others in the leadership of her Anglican church suggested she needed deliverance.In 2015, Melanie fainted during a choir rehearsal.
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn tells Jewish community: I'm your ally in anti-Semitism row

  30-03-2018 14:49
  Jeremy Corbyn has admitted there is a "need to do better" but promised Jewish people he is their "ally" in the fight against anti-Semitism.The Labour leader issued a Passover message to address his party's anti-Semitism row, which has seen him come under increasing pressure this week.Some 39 Labour MPs and peers have written to Mr Corbyn urging him to suspend a close ally from Labour's ruling body.
  
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• UK ambassador summoned to Russian foreign ministry

  30-03-2018 14:31
  Britain's ambassador to Russia has been summoned to the country's foreign ministry for talks, amid the ongoing diplomatic fallout after the Sailsbury spy poisoning.Laurie Bristow did not give details about his talks with ministers as he left the government building on Friday.Mr Bristow told reporters: "I have just had a further discussion with the foreign ministry in Moscow about measures both sides have taken after events in Salisbury.
  
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• Taste test: does Nestlé's 'restructured sugar' chocolate bar live up to the hype?

  30-03-2018 13:57
  Bars of Nestlé’s new Milkybar Wowsomes, which it says contain 30% less sugar than a normal Milkybar.In a modern attempt at alchemy, Nestlé this week announced the first product using its much-vaunted technology which it says reduces the amount of sugar used in chocolate while retaining the sweetness.This is achieved, the company says, by spraying milk, water and sugar into warm air and then drying the mixture.
  
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• Businesses, consumers uncertain ahead of China VPN ban

  30-03-2018 13:43
  Businesses and consumers in China are bracing themselves ahead of a March 31 ban on non-state sanctioned virtual private networks (VPNs), saying regulators have not provided clarity on how the ban will be implemented.VPNs, which can bypass China's Great Firewall, the world's most extensive effort to try to control cyberspace, allow companies and individuals to secure access to information stored outside the country and gain access to websites blocked in China, including news sites, social media
  
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• England to copy Finland in bid to end rough sleeping

  30-03-2018 13:20
  The Government has drafted in experts from Finland in an effort to help meet their commitment to eliminate rough sleeping within the next decade.The Scandinavian country is the only EU member state to have seen a decline in homelessness in recent years.Meanwhile, in England, rough sleeping has increased for the seventh consecutive year, with official figures revealing more than 4,700 people slept outside in 2017, up 15% on the previous year.
  
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• Police appeal after man stabbed to death in south-east London

  30-03-2018 13:09
  Police have appealed for witnesses to the attack which took place in Plumstead, south-east London, on Thursday night.Police are appealing for witnesses after a man was stabbed to death in south-east London on Thursday night.Detectives believe the man, who has not yet been named but whose relatives have been informed, was attacked in the Plumstead area of Greenwich, possibly near the train station.
  
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• White Easter: Snow forecast for much of UK

  30-03-2018 12:45
  Snow is expected to hit most of the UK on Easter Monday, causing problems on what is expected to be an unusually busy bank holiday on the roads.The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for snow for Bank Holiday Monday across most of England, Wales and southern Scotland.Rural communities risk becoming cut off and there is a chance power cuts will occur, affecting mobile phone service, the UK's national weather forecaster said.
  
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• Manchester Arena firefighters don't need to apologise, says Andy Burnham

  30-03-2018 12:16
  Firefighters say they were ordered by bosses to move three miles away from the arena after the bomb exploded.Frontline firefighters in Manchester who turned up two hours late to the Manchester Arena bomb last year have nothing to apologise for, according to Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester.Some firefighters asked for forgiveness after an independent review into the arena terror attack criticised the fire service for playing “no meaningful role” in the aftermath of the bo
  
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• Aussie cheating looked blatant, but only because they were caught

  30-03-2018 12:16
  Sinking feeling... Australia’s Cameron Bancroft was caught ball tampering against South Africa in the third Test in Cape Town.What started as a piece of random TV footage, followed by some Keystone Cops moments as the Aussies tried to cover it up, quickly escalated into one of the biggest cricket scandals of modern times.At lunchtime, David Warner approached his captain, Steve Smith, and said, “The ball isn’t doing much, skip.
  
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• England to copy Finland in bid to end homelessness

  30-03-2018 12:07
  The Government has drafted in experts from Finland in an effort to help meet their commitment to eliminate rough sleeping within the next decade.The Scandinavian country is the only EU member state to have seen a decline in homelessness in recent years.Meanwhile, in England, rough sleeping has increased for the seventh consecutive year, with official figures revealing more than 4,700 people slept outside in 2017, up 15% on the previous year.
  
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• Scrubbed clean: why a certain kind of sex is vanishing from the internet

  30-03-2018 12:00
  Sex workers argue a US sex trafficking bill will hurt those who voluntarily work in the industry by pushing them off the internet and back onto the streets.Craigslist has shut down its renowned “personals” section, which once featured ads titled “Hot days” and “Looking to fool around tonight”.Porn performers are complaining that Google Drive is no longer allowing them to share erotic videos with private clients.
  
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• Brexit means eggs sit: Ferrero warns of stale Easter chocolate

  30-03-2018 11:05
  It might be a good year for Britons to stock up on Easter eggs, after a major chocolate manufacturer warned of the risk of shortages, higher prices and products turning stale after Brexit if the government goes ahead with pulling out of the single market and customs union.The Italian confectionery giant Ferrero, which owns the Thorntons brand among others, has told MPs that much of the chocolate it sells in Britain is manufactured in Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany, Poland and Italy.The compan
  
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• Nine Conservatives demand vote on Britain leaving EU customs union - paper

  30-03-2018 10:50
  Nine members of Britain's Conservative party are backing amendments to the legislation needed for Britain to leave the European Union, including a parliamentary vote on staying in a customs union, newspaper The Guardian reported on Friday.The group of dissenters in Prime Minister Theresa May's party includes two former cabinet ministers who are backing "substantial" cross-party amendments to the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, the report said.
  
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• MPs criticise failure to tackle excessive salaries in academies

  30-03-2018 09:34
  MPs said high salaries paid to senior staff in academy trusts were depriving cash-strapped schools of vital funds.The government has come under fire over a series of shortcomings in its oversight of academies, including a failure to address excessive salaries paid to senior staff and inadequate rules governing related party business transactions involving £120m of public money.A hard-hitting report by MPs on the public accounts committee (PAC) said unjustifiably high salaries in academy tr
  
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• This Is What A Forced Deportation Sounds Like When It Goes Wrong

  30-03-2018 09:03
  Last year 12,666 people were forcibly deported from the UK - an average of
  
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• Artistic director Ackermann leaves LVMH's Berluti division

  30-03-2018 08:42
  PARIS (Reuters) - Haider Ackermann is stepping down as artistic director at LVMH'supmarket shoes brand Berluti, LVMH said on Friday.
  
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• The Gender Pay Gap: As Deadline Looms, A Startling Picture Of Inequality In the Public Sector Is Revealed

  30-03-2018 08:00
  With just hours to go before the final deadline for public sector employees to
  
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• MPs and peers urge Corbyn to suspend Christine Shawcroft amid anti-Semitism row

  30-03-2018 07:29
  Thirty-nine Labour MPs and peers have written to Jeremy Corbyn calling for him to suspend a party official for defending a candidate who posted a Holocaust denial article.Christine Shawcroft, a leading Corbyn ally, quit her role as chair of Labour's disputes panel on Thursday after admitting she was "wrong and misguided" to have sent an email calling for a Peterborough council candidate to have his suspension lifted.The group of Labour backbenchers, led by Mitcham and Morden MP Siobhan McDonagh,
  
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• Government hopes to eliminate homelessness by 2027

  30-03-2018 04:56
  Plans have been announced to eliminate homelessness within a decade.Councils with high levels of rough sleepers will be given cash from a £30m fund and a task force will be created to examine the problem, said Communities Secretary Sajid Javid.There are some 4,700 rough sleepers in England and housing minster Heather Wheeler has vowed to resign if the number grows on her watch.
  
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• Prince Charles' Easter message: Show solidarity with Christians facing persecution

  30-03-2018 04:43
  The Prince of Wales has released an Easter message to show solidarity with Christians being attacked and killed around the world."And this is a terrible injustice for those people who believe they belong to the land.
  
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• Teacher gets almost £250,000 after fall from table

  30-03-2018 04:06
  The woman, from the east of England, lost her balance while using a table and chair to put up the display.Another teacher, from the Midlands, also received £250,000 after being subjected to violence and bad pupil behaviour for four years.This led to the teacher's "steadily worsening health and eventual breakdown" while the local authority failed to help manage behaviour or carry out a formal risk assessment, according to the National Union of Teachers (NUT).
  
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• Japan February output points to further expansion, trade friction a risk

  30-03-2018 03:13
  Japan's industrial production rebounded in February from a large decline in the previous month and companies forecast further gains in coming months in a sign that factory output is back on the path toward expansion.Factory output rose 4.1 percent in February from the previous month, less than economists' median estimate of a 5.0 percent increase but recovering from a revised 6.8 percent decline in January, trade ministry data showed on Friday.The increase was led by higher output of cars, const
  
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• Soldiers in court over Cape Verde brawl

  30-03-2018 02:58
  Two British soldiers have appeared in court in Cape Verde after they were arrested for brawling.
  
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• 'With the right support, disabled children can reach for the stars'

  30-03-2018 02:55
  Shain Wells, a mother from Bradford, says her son's autism has changed their family's lives and she worries for the future as education funding drops.It takes a skilled village to raise a child with additional needs.
  
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• Campaign launched to allow women in England and Wales to take abortion pills at home

  30-03-2018 02:31
  A campaign to allow women to take the abortion pill at home to avoid bleeding and pain in public has been launched.Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is being called on to change the rules to enable women to take pills to terminate pregnancies at home.The campaign, being launched by the Women's Equality Party, asks for the second pill to be available to be taken at home.
  
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• 'Time to stand up' for special needs funding

  30-03-2018 02:03
  Parents of children with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) across the country are waiting for local councils to make crucial budget decisions which could affect their futures.Many councils will be left facing funding gaps for SEND provision under the Government's new school funding formula.For example, Bradford Council has formulated a model on the expectation that it would receive £15m of funding, but it will actually only receive around half of that.
  
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• Japan February jobless rate up slightly at 2.5 percent

  30-03-2018 01:48
  Japan's jobless rate inched up in February and the availability of jobs slipped, government data showed on Friday.The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 2.5 percent from 2.4 percent in January, and compared with economists' median forecast of 2.6 percent, figures from the Internal Affairs ministry showed.
  
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• Pupils forced to learn in cramped and crumbling schools, says survey

  30-03-2018 01:01
  Children are being taught in overcrowded schools, according to the NASUWT survey.Pupils are being taught in temporary classrooms in cramped and crumbling school buildings which are struggling to accommodate booming class sizes, according to a survey of teachers.Nearly half (48%) reported that numbers of pupils on the roll at their school had significantly increased in the past five years, with seven out of 10 (72%) saying class sizes had become larger as a result.
  
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