General news

• U.S. Treasury chief may visit China as trade tensions simmer

  21-04-2018 23:40
  U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Saturday he may travel to China, a move that could ease tensions between the world's two largest economies, as international policymakers acknowledged Beijing needs to change its trade practices.The United States has threatened to impose tariffs on up to $150 billion of Chinese imports to try to force changes in Beijing's industrial policies, which Washington says are aimed at acquiring American intellectual property.Mnuchin told reporters he was co
  
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• Killer whales spend day swimming in River Clyde

  21-04-2018 23:38
  A pod of killer whales has been spotted swimming in the River Clyde.Several of the animals, which are known to prefer colder waters, were seen from one of the ferries which plies the estuary of the Scottish river on Saturday.Witness @OorLorna said on Twitter: "Thank you @Western_Ferries for the fabulous view of the orcas.
  
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• Queen Elizabeth celebrates 92 years with star-studded concert

  21-04-2018 23:35
  Britain's Queen Elizabeth attended a star-studded special concert on Saturday as the world's oldest and longest-reigning living monarch celebrated her 92nd birthday.Welsh singer Tom Jones kicked off the show with his hit "It's Not Unusual" shortly before Elizabeth appeared in the royal box of London's Albert Hall, flanked by her family.Kylie Minogue, Sting, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Shaggy were among those on the bill, along with stars of the stage and screen.
  
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• London Marathon Weather Latest: Event Could Be Hottest On Record

  21-04-2018 22:56
  Runners are being warned that temperatures on Sunday could exceed the warmest
  
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• Arron Banks, the insurers and my strange data trail

  21-04-2018 22:01 via theguardian.com
  Carole Cadwalladr just wanted to insure her car. Six months later, she found a mass of personal details held by a firm she had never contacted that is run by Leave.EU’s biggest donor, Arron Banks.How did it get there?If a 29-year-old Peugeot 309 is the answer, it’s fair to wonder: what on earth is the question? In fact, I had no idea about either the question or the answer when I submitted a “subject access request” to Eldon Insurance Services in December last year. Or th
  
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• Psychologists in John Worboys case under fire over ‘low risk’ claim

  21-04-2018 21:00
  Black cab driver John Worboys is arrested in 2009.Public protection experts have criticised two psychologists who backed the release of the serial sex attacker John Worboys and subsequently stated that his failure to acknowledge his crimes make him a low risk to women if freed.In a letter to the Psychologist magazine, they suggest that Worboys’ lack of empathy for his victims means he is less likely to offend again.
  
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• Weather warning and risk of flooding as heatwave comes to an end

  21-04-2018 20:58
  The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for thunderstorms as the heatwave that has seen near record temperatures for April looks set to end.The East Midlands, North East and North West England and parts of Yorkshire and Humberside and Wales were forecast to see some flooding of homes and businesses.Sky Weather Presenter Jo Edwards said: "We've seen temperatures close to 30C (86F) this week, and plenty of sunshine too, but thunderstorms breaking out across the country herald a change in the we
  
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• Stand out from the crowd this summer with sunglasses spray painted by grandmas

  21-04-2018 20:09
  These are seriously cool.
  
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• Donald Trump Should Expect 'Loud' Protests If He Visits The UK, Sadiq Khan London Mayor Warns

  21-04-2018 20:01
  Donald Trump should expect loud and peaceful protests if he visits the UK
  
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• Sunday's weather forecast

  21-04-2018 19:50
  Sunday's weather forecast
  
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• This hashtag is raising the visibility of bisexual scientists

  21-04-2018 19:14
  Physicists, biologists and many other scientist have shared photos using the #BiInSci hashtag.
  
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• U.S. regulator permits China's ZTE to submit more evidence

  21-04-2018 19:11
  The U.S. Commerce Department has granted ZTE Corp's request to submit more evidence after the agency banned American companies from selling to the Chinese technology firm, a senior Commerce official said on Saturday.The U.S. Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security, or BIS, this week banned American companies from selling to ZTE for seven years, saying the Chinese company had broken a settlement agreement with repeated false statements.The action was sparked by ZTE's violation of an
  
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• It’s right to tax sugar – but there are many reasons we yearn for something sweet

  21-04-2018 19:00
  En route to babysit the youngest of my nieces and nephews, I always have to fight the urge to buy them sweets – a desire born, or so I tell myself, of the certain knowledge I’ll need to resort to bribery later (the aunt, unlike the parent, is not supposed to yell, and so must fall back on more dubious means in order to put an end to the evening’s festival of tower-building and tickling).It isn’t, of course, very hard to see why, even before you learn that some of the
  
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• Soviet film posters of the 50s and 60s – in pictures

  21-04-2018 18:00 via theguardian.com
  After the break-up of the USSR in 1991, many artefacts associated with Soviet life – from posters to gadgets – were discarded, destined to be forgotten. Founded in 2012, the Moscow Design Museum collects objects from the era, which form the basis of a new book, Designed in the USSR: 1950-1989 (Phaidon, £24.95). These film posters, made between 1957 and 1966, roughly coincide with the “Khrushchev thaw”, a period of increased liberalism that followed Stalin’s de
  
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• National Archives may hold proof of Windrush migrants' arrivals

  21-04-2018 17:57
  Windrush generation migrants may have been handed a lifeline after it emerged records of their arrival in the UK should be in the National Archives.Many of those who arrived from the West Indies from the late 1940s onwards lack these records, having never applied for British citizenship or passports, and are now struggling to prove they living in the UK legally.The cases of some of those who moved from the Caribbean to the UK to help rebuild Britain after the war have left the Government facing
  
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• London violence fuelled by 'pressure' not 'drugs'

  21-04-2018 17:30
  Community activist Stafford Scott says gang violence is fuelled by social media and the 'pressures' the state is placing on young people.
  
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• First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones stepping down in autumn

  21-04-2018 17:22
  Carwyn Jones, the First Minister of Wales, has announced he is to stand down in the autumn.The Bridgend AM made the announcement at the Welsh Labour Party conference in Llandudno which he said would be his last as leader.The former barrister's decision to stand down will end his nine-year reign as First Minister, succeeding Rhodri Morgan in December 2009.
  
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• Two more violent deaths in London bring total to at least 58 this year

  21-04-2018 17:21
  Two men have been killed in London, bringing the number of violent deaths in the capital this year to at least 58.A 20-year-old man was stabbed to death and found on Roth Walk near Finsbury Park at around 3am on Saturday, Scotland Yard said.Police were called to Thursday's incident after ambulance staff suspected a man collapsed on London Road had been assaulted.
  
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• David Lammy Accuses Theresa May Of Shedding 'Crocodile Tears' Over Windrush Generation Scandal

  21-04-2018 17:18
  David Lammy has accused Theresa May of shedding "crocodile tears" over the
  
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• Finsbury Park Stabbing: Man, 20, Stabbed To Death In Latest Knife Attack To Hit London

  21-04-2018 17:10
  A 20-year-old man was stabbed to death in Finsbury Park in the early hours of
  
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• Record Store Day: A look at some old tech making a comeback

  21-04-2018 17:08
  Every year, national Record Store Day brings with it the opportunity for music fans to get their hands on exclusive vinyl releases at independent stores across the country.Abba and Bob Dylan are among the artists celebrating this time round by issuing new vinyl, while there are also re-releases from the likes of Arcade Fire, The Who and AC/DC.Record Store Day launched in the UK in 2008 - a year after it had started in the US.
  
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• If you do these things, you could be getting old

  21-04-2018 17:08
  Reddit is with you.
  
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• What happens to the global publicity titans if advertising no longer pays?

  21-04-2018 17:00
  Sir Martin Sorrell had said that he would retire ‘only when they shoot me’.Not so long ago a bearish Sir Martin Sorrell berated the advertising industry for its unrealistic “Don Draperish optimism” in the face of tough times, in a reference to hit TV series Mad Men and its depiction of the halcyon days and excesses of 1960s adland.Sorrell’s departure may have been prompted by an investigation into allegations of personal misconduct, but with WPP’s share price
  
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• Head of Welsh government says he will stand down later this year

  21-04-2018 16:54
  The head of the devolved government in Wales, Carwyn Jones, said on Saturday he intends to stand down in the second half of this year, BBC news reported on Saturday.The first minister of Wales told members of his Welsh Labour party that he wanted to give his family, party and country a fresh start after he had been through "the darkest of times".Last November former Welsh government minister Carl Sargeant, whom Jones had suspended after allegations were made over his conduct with women, was foun
  
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• 11 of the wackiest records being attempted at the London Marathon

  21-04-2018 16:39
  There’s even a poo emoji.
  
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• Man jailed for five years for ramming police car with stolen van

  21-04-2018 16:17
  Greater Manchester Police released dashcam footage which shows the moment the van intentionally smashes into the police car head-on and then flees the scene.Daniel Cowell, 25, was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on Friday.The incident happened just after 3am on 5 September 2017, after police in an unmarked car gave chase to the stolen van.
  
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• Carwyn Jones to step down as first minister of Wales

  21-04-2018 15:55
  Carwyn Jones has been first minister of Wales since late 2009.The first minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, will stand down in the autumn.Jones’s decision means Wales will have a new first minister at the start of December.
  
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• Boy, 3, drowns at David Lloyd fitness club swimming pool in Leeds

  21-04-2018 14:33
  Police are investigating after a three-year-old boy drowned in a swimming pool at a David Lloyd fitness club in Leeds.Officers were called shortly before 9.45am on Saturday to the David Lloyd club on Tongue Lane in Leeds, after a report that a child had entered the pool and drowned.The boy was taken to Leeds General Infirmary where he was later pronounced deceased.
  
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• Prince Harry and Meghan Markle meet servicemen ahead of 2018 Invictus Games

  21-04-2018 14:24
  Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have met with servicemen and women from Britain and Australia as part of preparations for the 2018 Invictus Games.The Royal couple were joined by Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and wife Lucy at Australia House in London on Saturday, where they learned more about the plans for this year's event in Sydney.Among the former military personnel they spent time with were former Invictus athletes, including Gareth Paterson, who won three gold medals in archery
  
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• Boy, 3, Drowns In Swimming Pool At David Lloyd Centre In Leeds, Police Say

  21-04-2018 14:19
  A three-year-old boy has drowned in a swimming pool at a David Lloyd centre in
  
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• South Wales coastguards test advanced search and rescue drones at sea

  21-04-2018 13:56
  Coastguards in South Wales are trialling advanced drones which can detect the difference between floating objects and a person in distress.The device being tested by the coastguard and RNLI can examine an object's appearance and behaviour using software developed by British tech firm SciSys.Around 190 people lose their lives on UK and Irish coasts every year, according to the RNLI, and deaths off the UK coastline reached record highs in 2015.
  
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• Dementia patients ‘dehumanised’ by hospital restraint techniques – report

  21-04-2018 13:55
  Elderly people on hospital wards can feel isolated, researchers found.Hospital staff are sometimes confining patients with dementia to bed through controversial “containment and restraint” techniques, new government-funded research reveals.The findings, paid for by the National Institute for Health Research, reveal that nurses and healthcare assistants are raising the siderails of beds and tucking bedsheets tightly around patients with dementia, reducing their mobility.
  
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• Britain hits the shops as barbecue-friendly weather arrives

  21-04-2018 12:27
  The mini-heatwave that has hit much of the country has seen shoppers rushing to buy shorts, sun lotion, ice-cream and barbecue food, providing a shot in the arm for beleaguered retailers.Sales of sun cream jumped almost 400% last week, purchases of burgers and other barbecue-style food were up 270% at Waitrose, and Argos sold twice as many barbecues as normal.Orders of rosé wine, which drinkers traditionally associate with hotter weather, jumped 54% at Waitrose, while Sainsbury&rsquo
  
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• National Archives Could Help Windrush Generation Prove They're Allowed To Stay

  21-04-2018 11:57
  Members of the so-called Windrush Generation who now face deportation could be
  
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• Dog lovers urged to avoid importing animals after 'horrific' ear cropping

  21-04-2018 10:55
  The RSPCA is urging people not to buy dogs with cropped ears after a surge in the number of reports about the illegal practise.Cropping involves cutting the animal's ears often for cosmetic reasons and then placing splints inside - forcing them to grow upwards.Although ear cropping became unlawful in England and Wales in 2007, some owners still attempt the surgery themselves and it is not against the law to import dogs which have already been cropped.
  
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• Britain Should Send Troops To Protect Syrians From Bashar Al-Assad, Ex-Defence Chief Says

  21-04-2018 10:36
  A former defence chief has called the air strikes on Syria a "missed
  
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• Donald Trump Hails North Korea 'Suspension' Of Nuclear Missile Tests

  21-04-2018 08:42
  North Korea has said it has suspended nuclear and long-range missile tests
  
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• The Queen’s Birthday: 9 Regal Facts About Her Majesty's Double Celebration

  21-04-2018 08:13
  ## 1 - Twice the fun
  
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• Isle Of Man Could Be The First Place In The British Isles To Decriminalise Cannabis Possession

  21-04-2018 08:03
  Mick Jagger once suggested legalising all drugs in the Isle of Man, as a
  
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• New 'phone boxes' spark privacy and surveillance concerns

  21-04-2018 07:02
  Behind the shiny facade are four powerful computers, allowing the InLinks to offer calls, ultrafast WiFi and USB charging."It's intentionally not like any other phone box," explained Matt Bird, general manager of InLinkUK.The model was picked by BT last year as an off-the-shelf replacement for the old phone box and marks the first time the company hasn't opted for a bespoke design.
  
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• Memories still painful 25 years after Stephen Lawrence murder

  21-04-2018 07:00 via theguardian.com
  The south-east London suburb of Eltham has struggled to shake off a reputation for racismLife continues near the unobtrusive granite plaque that marks the spot where Stephen Lawrence died, 25 years ago on Sunday. A woman pushes a pram, cars and buses rumble along, people wait at a bus stop perhaps unaware they stand where the aspiring architect was set upon by a gang of racists and stabbed to death.The murder of the 18-year-old on Well Hall Road in Eltham, south-east London, left an indelible ma
  
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• Dog lovers urged to avoid importing animals after 'painful' ear cropping

  21-04-2018 06:48
  The RSPCA is urging people not to buy dogs with cropped ears after a surge in the number of reports about the illegal practise.Cropping involves cutting the animal's ears often for cosmetic reasons and then placing splints inside forcing them to grow upwards.Although ear cropping became unlawful in England and Wales in 2007 some owners still attempt the surgery themselves and it is not against the law to import dogs which have already been cropped.
  
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• Swipe: Upgraded phone boxes & brands using VR to influence how you shop

  21-04-2018 04:35
  Swipe: Upgraded phone boxes & brands using VR to influence how you shop
  
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• Man arrested over failed burglary at pensioner's home in Hither Green

  21-04-2018 03:31
  A man wanted in connection with a failed burglary in southeast London has been arrested more than two weeks later in Kent.Police detained Billy Jeeves, 28, on Friday in connection with the burglary on 4 April, in which two men entered the home of Richard Osborn-Brooks in Hither Green, Lewisham.Henry Vincent, another intruder, died after an altercation with Mr Osborn-Brooks, who was not charged in connection with the death.
  
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• Heathrow fans snap up airport history at auction

  21-04-2018 03:21
  The entire contents of Heathrow Terminal 1 are to be auctioned off later, three years after it closed.Hundreds have already started to bid on items of aviation history ranging from seats to check-in desks, and even toilet signs.The auction is the first of four, run by CA Global Partners, to sell off furniture and signs from inside the building.
  
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• 'Please don't add the milk while it's brewing' - the secret to a perfect cuppa

  21-04-2018 03:02
  When tea companies started to pack their blends inside paper teabags in the 1930s, the allure and charm was lost from the everyday preparation of our favourite brew.Most people today fill the kettle from the cold tap, set the water to boil, throw a cheap teabag into a mug, submerge it in boiling water, wait 20-30 seconds, fish out the bag, and then drown any flavour they have managed to extract from the leaves with milk and sugar.Better still, buy loose leaf teas for that wonderful old-fashioned
  
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• Facebook and Google must be held to account, TV networks say

  21-04-2018 01:05
  Australia’s advertising market has migrated away from newspapers and television towards Google and Facebook.Facebook and Google must be forced to be more transparent in their advertising practices and to do more about preventing piracy and invasive data collection, the Australian TV networks say.Free TV, the commercial television lobby, has called for the digital giants to be more accountable for the damage they have done to the Australian media industry which has seen the advertising mark
  
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• Gang jailed after £66m worth of cocaine and heroin found in Hull

  21-04-2018 00:56
  A gang of men have been jailed after police uncovered £66m worth of cocaine and heroin in one of the biggest drug busts in British history.Eight men were involved in a "sophisticated international distribution network" which would see vast amounts of drugs make their way from Belgium to the UK, via the Netherlands, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.Seven of the men were jailed at Preston Crown Court in March after being convicted of drug conspiracy charges.
  
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