General news

• Meet Suzanne Scott: the new Fox News CEO who enforced the 'miniskirt rule'

  17-05-2018 23:38
  Suzanne Scott is Fox News’s first female CEO.Fox News announced today their new CEO will be Suzanne Scott, currently the president of programming.The company has effectively been without an official CEO since Roger Ailes was ousted in 2016 amid sexual harassment allegations, although Rupert Murdoch had stepped in to run the channel during the interim.
  
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• Mo Salah’s boots are being put on display at the British Museum

  17-05-2018 23:10
  The boots will be displayed next to artefacts from ancient Egypt.
  
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• Neil Hamilton sacked as UKIP's Wales leader

  17-05-2018 22:33
  UKIP has ousted its leader in Wales , Neil Hamilton, following a "democratic vote".The outspoken Welsh Assembly member has been replaced by Caroline Jones."We intend to be a cohesive team and all members of the group are welcome to remain," Ms Jones said in a statement on Thursday.
  
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• EU takes UK to court over air quality breaches

  17-05-2018 21:09
  Britain is being taken to court by the European Commission for breaching EU air quality laws.Karmenu Vella, the EU's environment commissioner, said Britain had failed to provide "credible, effective and timely" plans to cut pollution.France and Germany have also been referred to the European Court of Justice, but neither reached the pollution levels of the UK.
  
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• 'Wicked beyond belief' predator jailed for murdering barmaid Iuliana Tudos

  17-05-2018 21:03
  A "wicked" predator has been jailed for life for murdering 22-year-old barmaid Iuliana Tudos in Finsbury Park, north London.Convicted sex offender Kasim Lewis, 31, will serve a minimum of 29 years behind bars for killing Ms Tudos on Christmas Eve last year.Under the influence of alcohol, cocaine and cannabis, Lewis attacked Ms Tudos with a bottle and carved what appeared to be a Batman logo on her chest.
  
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• Theresa May struggles to rally support among EU leaders for new customs plan

  17-05-2018 20:40
  Theresa May, front left, meets with taoiseach Leo Varadkar, front right, on the sidelines of a summit in Bulgaria.A bold attempt by Theresa May to crack the Brexit impasse ran into trouble on Thursday as the Irish prime minister warned a new customs plan signed off by her warring ministers could be insufficient to avoid a hard border.The prime minister has persuaded reluctant Brexiters to agree to a plan to continue applying EU tariffs beyond the end of 2020, if no agreement has been reached to
  
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• Culture secretary deserves credit for facing down the bookies

  17-05-2018 20:39
  The maximum stake for fixed-odds betting terminals has been cut to £2.It was New Labour, during its brief and bizarre flirtation with “supercasinos” as a tool for urban regeneration, that gave the green light to fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) on the high street.The main game on the machines is roulette, which even irregular casino-goers know is a properly nasty game.
  
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• Windrush victim's mother accuses UK government of racism

  17-05-2018 20:17
  Sentina Bristol at the funeral of her son Dexter Bristol, whose death has been attributed to the problems he had trying to prove he was a British citizen.Dexter Bristol, whose funeral was held at Honor Oak crematorium in south-east London on Thursday afternoon, died suddenly on 31 March following a 10-month battle to prove he was not an illegal immigrant.Although the cause of his death is not yet known, pending an inquest in July, his mother, Sentina Bristol, previously said the stress caused by
  
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• Sharp fall in Met's conviction rate for rape and murder

  17-05-2018 19:55
  In 2015-16, the 93% of murder cases were solved.Scotland Yard’s conviction rates for the most serious offences of rape and murder have fallen sharply in just two years, as the number of police officers protecting the capital dipped below 30,000 – its lowest for 15 years.The former Met commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe warned that was the level below which police would struggle to keep London safe.
  
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• FTSE 100 defies gloom to strike new record closing high

  17-05-2018 19:51
  The FTSE 100 has registered a new record high - signalling some cheer for UK pension funds as the economy stagnates.London's premier share index closed Thursday's session at 7787 points - a rise of 53 on the previous day as utility and retail stocks made some ground.It beat the previous record close of 7778, which was recorded in January before a stock market wobble.
  
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• 'Wicked beyond belief' predator Kasim Lewis jailed for murdering barmaid Iuliana Tudos

  17-05-2018 19:39
  A "wicked" predator has been jailed for life for murdering 22-year-old barmaid Iuliana Tudos in Finsbury Park, north London.Convicted sex offender Kasim Lewis, 31, will serve a minimum of 29 years behind bars for killing the popular barmaid on Christmas Eve last year.Under the influence of alcohol, cocaine and cannabis, Lewis attacked Ms Tudos with a bottle and carved what appeared to be a Batman logo on her chest.
  
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• Ukip ousts Neil Hamilton as Welsh assembly leader

  17-05-2018 19:24
  The former Tory MP Neil Hamilton has been ousted as leader of the Ukip group at the Welsh assembly after an often controversial two years at the helm.Hamilton was chosen as leader in 2016 when Ukip made eye-catching gains at the assembly elections, winning seven seats.In recent weeks, tension has grown in the group after Ukip AM Michelle Brown was excluded from the Welsh assembly without pay for a week over a racial slur she made against a Labour MP.
  
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• Berlinah Wallace found guilty of acid attack on ex-boyfriend Mark van Dongen

  17-05-2018 19:03
  A woman whose ex-boyfriend went to a euthanasia clinic to die after she threw acid over him has been acquitted of his murder.The attack, by South African Berlinah Wallace at her flat in Bristol in September 2015, left Dutch engineer Mark van Dongen with catastrophic injuries.Wallace, 48, was charged with murder and throwing a corrosive substance with intent, but was only found guilty of the latter offence by a jury at Bristol Crown Court after more than 15 hours of deliberation.
  
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• Britain's main stock market closes at record high

  17-05-2018 19:02
  LONDON (AP) — Britain's FTSE 100 index of leading shares has closed at a record high.
  
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• There's A Huge Effort Under Way To Prevent A New Ebola Outbreak In Congo

  17-05-2018 18:59
  Officials from the UN are racing to prevent an Ebola outbreak in Congo, as the
  
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• In pictures: Windsor ready for wedding

  17-05-2018 18:58 via bbc.co.uk
  Crowds lined the streets as Windsor was taken over by a rehearsal of the carriage procession.
  
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• Manchester police chief opposes officers routinely carrying guns

  17-05-2018 18:46
  Greater Manchester chief constable Ian Hopkins says ‘the model of policing we have ... is based on consent and we police with the consent of the people we serve’.The chief constable of Greater Manchester police has come out strongly against the routine arming of the police even as his force’s own armed unit increased by a third following last year’s attack on the Manchester Arena.Ian Hopkins said: “I think it would be a very sad day for the country if we moved to mo
  
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• 'I’m worth more than what I put on my face'

  17-05-2018 18:37 via theguardian.com
  Cook, food stylist and writer Anna Jones reflects on how she discovered a signature look to suit her work and family worldsIn my life, I’ve inhabited many different worlds. I’ve been through phases of dressing like a goth, a hippy and a really girly girl. As a student, I read economics and philosophy, then worked for a PR company where everyone dressed in suits. Then, after reading an article that said you should follow your passion according to which part of the newspaper you read f
  
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• MPs shun Liam Fox, the go-to man for hedonistic inertia

  17-05-2018 18:22
  Liam Fox arriving in Downing Street. Failure is his calling card. Photograph: Alan J Davidson/SHM/REX/Shutterstock
  
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• Mum wants postnatal depression awareness after dad's suicide

  17-05-2018 18:17 via bbc.co.uk
  Vicky Clayton cannot give her son the thing he wants most in the world - his dad.
  
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• Bollore Group says transport, logistics drive first quarter revenues higher

  17-05-2018 18:16
  PARIS (Reuters) - Bollore Group, whose billionaire owner Vincent Bollore is under investigation for alleged corruption of officials in Africa, on Thursday reported a 6 percent increase in first quarter revenues to 5.33 billion euros (4.7 billion pounds) at constant exchange rates and perimeter.
  
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• McDonnell backs out of prison conference over 'IRA apologist' claims

  17-05-2018 18:12
  John McDonnell ‘asked to be excused’ from speaking at the Prison Officers’ Association annual conference to ‘avoid any distractions’, the union’s general secretary said.John McDonnell has withdrawn from speaking to the UK’s prison officers union following accusations from a delegate from Northern Ireland that he has supported the tactics of republican terrorists.The shadow chancellor travelled on Wednesday to the Prison Officers’ Association (POA)
  
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• All aboard for the railway hokey cokey

  17-05-2018 18:12
  The Guardian is right to ask for nationalisation to be given a chance (Editorial, 17 May).The east coast mainline is of course the prime example of this.The nationalised industries were not all that our memories believe them to be.
  
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• Meghan Markle will walk down the aisle without her father at royal wedding

  17-05-2018 18:05
  Meghan Markle confirmed she will walk down the aisle without her father when she weds Prince Harry in a glittering ceremony on Saturday, putting an end to days of speculation that has marred the build-up to Britain's biggest social event of the year.Outside the ancient walls of Windsor Castle, home to the English royal family for nearly 1,000 years, crowds of well-wishers mingled with tourists and swarms of television crews under swathes of red, white and blue Union flags.Harry, Queen Elizabeth'
  
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• If Winston Churchill could wear a onesie, why can’t I?

  17-05-2018 18:00
  Winston Churchill, the then prime minister, poses for photographers in 1942, wearing his ‘siren suit’, a one-piece garment that can be donned in a minute.Photograph: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
  
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• PM May says Britain will leave customs union, to offer Ireland backstop

  17-05-2018 17:53
  Prime Minister Theresa May said on Thursday Britain would leave the EU customs union after Brexit but a source said London was considering a backstop plan that would apply the bloc's external tariffs beyond December 2020.Asked about reports that London would ask to stay in the European Union's customs area beyond the end of a post-Brexit transition period in 2020, May denied she was "climbing down" on plans to leave."No. The United Kingdom will be leaving the customs union as we're leaving the E
  
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• Berlinah Wallace found guilty of acid attack on ex-boyfriend

  17-05-2018 17:53
  A woman whose ex-boyfriend went to a euthanasia clinic to die after she threw acid over him has been acquitted of his murder.The attack, launched by South African Berlinah Wallace at her flat in Bristol in September 2015, left Dutch engineer Mark van Dongen with catastrophic injuries.Wallace, 48, was charged with murder and throwing a corrosive substance with intent, but was only found guilty of the latter offence by a jury at Bristol Crown Court on Thursday after more than 15 hours of deliberat
  
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• Woman found guilty of throwing sulphuric acid at former partner

  17-05-2018 17:50
  Berlinah Wallace is due to be sentenced next week.A woman has been found guilty of an acid attack in Bristol that left her former partner with such terrible injuries that he was driven to euthanasia.Berlinah Wallace, 49, threw sulphuric acid over Mark van Dongen, 29, in a fit of jealousy and rage after he began a relationship with another woman.
  
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• British watchdog puts Financial.org on investor alert list

  17-05-2018 17:50
  Britain's financial markets watchdog said on Thursday it had put UK-registered firm Financial.org on an investor alert list, warning investors from dealings with the company.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) warning is the latest from regulators around the world about the company, a sponsor of Formula One team Williams.The FCA said in a notice posted on its website that it believed Financial.org "has been providing financial services or products in the UK without our authorisation".
  
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• British government offers £13 billion to Hitachi's UK nuclear project - Kyodo

  17-05-2018 17:39
  The British government has offered 2 trillion yen (13.3 billion pounds) in financial support to a unit of Japan's Hitachi Ltdto build nuclear reactors in Wales, Kyodo News reported on Thursday.Ageing reactors supply more than 20 percent of Britain's power but almost half of this capacity is due to go offline by 2025, prompting the government to plan new plants.The British government is offering support in loans and other ways to Hitachi unit Horizon Nuclear Power to cover a large proportion of t
  
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• 'Flash cars and cash': London cyber crime pair jailed for £1m phishing scam

  17-05-2018 17:33
  Two members of a London-based Nigerian cyber crime group have been jailed after stealing more than £1m.Emmanuel Mmaduike and Olawale Kashimawo, both 31, spent the money on "a lavish lifestyle", according to the National Crime Agency.Known officially as "business email compromise" (BEC), the attack involves the criminal impersonating a senior executive and attempting to convince the victim to transfer funds.
  
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• Astronaut Tim Peake reunited with Soyuz space capsule

  17-05-2018 17:18
  British astronaut Tim Peake has been reunited with the capsule that brought him through a "punishing" re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere after six months aboard the International Space Station.Major Peake, 46, was at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, where the spacesuit he wore on the high-speed journey back is also on display."To actually go outside the space station was an incredible feeling, in a space suit just looking down on Earth," he said.
  
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• UK to put forward Northern Ireland backstop proposal shortly: PM May's spokeswoman

  17-05-2018 17:13
  Britain will soon put forward its proposal for a backstop arrangement to prevent a hard border with EU member Ireland, Prime Minister Theresa May told European Union officials on Thursday, her spokeswoman said.May made the comments at a meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia.
  
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• Scotiabank quits as primary dealer of UK government debt - DMO

  17-05-2018 17:13
  Scotiabank has resigned as a primary dealer of British government debt, the Debt Management Office said on Thursday, the latest financial services firm to have given up the role in recent years.Primary dealers are banks that buy bonds, known in Britain as gilts, directly from the government to sell them on, helping to create a liquid market.Scotiabank joins Credit Suisseand Societe Generaleamong major banks to have quit as primary dealers of British gilts in recent years.
  
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• Royal Wedding: Thousands bask in sun as military take part in Windsor rehearsal

  17-05-2018 17:02
  Thousands of people have been watching a dress rehearsal of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding under clear blue skies in Windsor.Members of the armed forces - 250 of whom are expected to take part on Saturday - rehearsed the royal wedding carriage and military procession to iron out any last-minute snags.Some of them have direct links to Prince Harry's time in the military.
  
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• Sheffield’s new Lord Mayor wore Dr. Martens for his official pic and it’s great

  17-05-2018 17:01
  Magid Magid was elected the 122nd Lord Mayor of the Yorkshire city.
  
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• Mothercare to shut a third of UK stores in battle for survival

  17-05-2018 16:58
  Struggling British mother and baby products retailer Mothercarewill close over a third of its UK stores as part of a survival plan that also sees the return of the chief executive who was sacked just five weeks ago.Mothercare's shares had lost 83 percent of their value over the last year but rose as much as 34 percent on Thursday after the firm detailed a 113.5 million pounds refinancing, including a planned 28 million pounds equity fundraising, and said Mark Newton-Jones would return as CEO.New
  
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• Wales is the most miserable place in the UK, according to new survey

  17-05-2018 16:54
  A higher proportion of people in Wales reported low levels of happiness, worthwhile and life satisfaction.
  
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• Renewed demand for Turkish holidays helps Thomas Cook offset Spanish pressures

  17-05-2018 16:32
  Renewed demand for Turkish holidays helps Thomas Cook offset Spanish pressures
  
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• Kasim Lewis Jailed For 29 Years For Murdering Iuliana Tudos On Christmas Eve

  17-05-2018 16:26
  Sexual predator Kasim Lewis, 31, has been jailed for life with a minimum of 29
  
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• Royal wedding talk 'forbidden' at Derby pub

  17-05-2018 16:17 via bbc.co.uk
  A charity box will be shaken at you at a Derby pub if you mention the royal wedding, the landlady says.
  
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• Father Of Boys Killed In Hit-And-Run Found Dead In Corfu Hotel Room

  17-05-2018 16:07
  A father whose two sons died in a hit-and-run in Coventry has been found dead
  
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• Dad of boys killed in hit-and-run found dead in Corfu hotel room

  17-05-2018 15:48
  Reece Platt-May was found on the popular Greek holiday island in the early hours of Thursday, West Midlands Police said.Police said Mr Platt-May's death is not being treated as suspicious and his family has been notified, while the matter will be passed to the coroner.
  
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• Berlinah Wallace Acquitted Of Murdering Boyfriend Mark Van Dongen In Acid Trial

  17-05-2018 15:48
  A woman accused of murder after she threw acid at her ex-partner has been
  
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• Military rehearse royal wedding procession as big day nears

  17-05-2018 15:43
  Thousands of people have been watching a dress rehearsal of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding under clear blue skies in Windsor.Members of the armed forces - 250 of whom are expected to take part on Saturday - rehearsed the royal wedding carriage and military procession to iron out any last-minute snags.Some of them have direct links to Prince Harry's time in the military.
  
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• Royal wedding boosts flight bookings from the U.S. to Britain

  17-05-2018 15:42
  The marriage of U.S. actress Meghan Markle to Britain's Prince Harry has prompted more U.S. visitors to fly to the UK, with data showing that bookings from the U.S. for this week are 12 percent ahead of last year.Americans will be among the royal fans convening on the town of Windsor before Saturday's wedding, suggested data provided by Travelport website on Thursday.It showed that before the wedding date was announced last December, bookings for arrival into Britain from the U.S. for this week
  
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• Meghan Markle confirms father will not attend her wedding to Prince Harry

  17-05-2018 15:40
  U.S. actress Meghan Markle finally confirmed on Thursday her father would not be attending her wedding to Britain's Prince Harry, putting an end to days of speculation that marred the build-up to this weekend's glittering ceremony.Harry, Queen Elizabeth's grandson, and Markle, a star of TV drama "Suits", will tie the knot on Saturday at the 15th Century St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, home to the British royal family for nearly 1,000 years.Markle's father, Thomas, had been due to walk his
  
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• UK watchdog puts Financial.org on investor alert list

  17-05-2018 15:29
  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's financial markets watchdog said on Thursday it had put British-registered firm Financial.org on an investor alert list.
  
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• Govt considers flammable cladding ban following controversial Grenfell review

  17-05-2018 15:20
  The government will consult on banning flammable cladding in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire.The announcement in the Commons from housing, communities and local government secretary James Brokenshire follows anger at a review into the deadly blaze, which stopped short of recommending such a move.Dame Judith Hackitt's report was labelled a "whitewash" and a "total betrayal" by campaigners and MPs when it emerged outlawing flammable cladding, blamed by many for the spread of the fire, was not
  
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• Teenager held in UK over bomb threats to British and U.S. schools

  17-05-2018 15:14
  An 18-year-old youth has been arrested over bomb threats sent to hundreds of schools in Britain and the United States in March, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said on Thursday.The teenager was the third 18-year-old in Britain to be detained in connection with the threats.
  
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