General news

• Putin accuses Britain of blaming 'all their mortal sins' on Russia

  25-05-2018 22:36 via theguardian.com
  President’s remarks come after comments by Boris Johnson about downing of MH17 planeVladimir Putin has accused the British of blaming “all their mortal sins” on Russia, saying undue accusations have been placed at Moscow’s door for everything from Brexit to the Skripal poisoning and the downing of MH17.The Russian president dismissed suggestions that Russian hackers had been interfering in state affairs, claiming this was “not in line with our policy”. Continu
  
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• Brazilian president sends in army as truck protest paralyzes country

  25-05-2018 22:17 via theguardian.com
  São Paulo, the biggest city in South America, in state of emergency over fuel shortages while markets run out of foodBrazil’s conservative president Michel Temer has ordered the army and federal police to clear highways blockaded by striking truck drivers after a protest over soaring fuel prices entered its fifth day.The blockades have paralysed much of the country’s economy and prompted São Paulo, the biggest city in South America, to declare a state of emergency over
  
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• Grenfell Tower fire: 'You do right by us and our children,' inquiry head told

  25-05-2018 22:06
  The head of the Grenfell Tower inquiry has been urged by a bereaved family member to "do right by us and do right by our children".Claudia Davis, the former partner of Steve Power, who died on the 15th floor, paid tribute to her "first love" on the fifth day of the inquiry.Pointing at Sir Martin Moore-Bick, head of the inquiry, she said: "Sir Martin, Theresa May and the rest of the government... You do right by us.
  
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• Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson speaks to Kiev's Vitali Klitschko after fans' flights cancelled

  25-05-2018 21:23
  Liverpool's mayor held talks with the mayor of Kiev, former world heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko, in an attempt to fly football fans out to the Champions League final.Joe Anderson's move came as nearly 700 Liverpool supporters face missing the match against Real Madrid,after operator Worldchoice Sports cancelled three flights due to insufficient landing spots at Ukraine's Boryspil Airport .
  
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• Man, 95, arrested on suspicion of murder after death of carer

  25-05-2018 21:02
  A 95-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a carer died in hospital from head injuries.Scotland Yard detectives believe the 61-year-old woman was wounded at a house in Papworth Gardens, Holloway, where she was working.Police were called to the property in the borough of Islington, north London, at about 7.10am on Thursday and the woman was then taken to a nearby hospital.
  
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• The Duchess of Sussex has a coat of arms and now everyone wants one

  25-05-2018 20:46
  Meghan Markle’s coat of arms represents her home state and the power of words.
  
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• Man, 95, arrested on suspicion of murdering carer in London

  25-05-2018 19:58
  The London ambulance service was called to an address in Islington, north London, in the early hours of Thursday.The Metropolitan police said they believed the 61-year-old woman’s injuries were sustained at a residential address in Islington, north London, where she was doing care work.The London ambulance service was called to the property at 4.15am on Thursday and sent two crews, a spokesman said.
  
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• 'They sat and watched them turn to ashes': Grenfell anger spills out

  25-05-2018 19:32 via theguardian.com
  Relatives of two entire families who died in tragedy give tributes during inquiry hearingAnger at the government response to the Grenfell Tower fire has burst into the open at the public inquiry, as relatives of two entire families who were killed delivered gruelling personal tributes and a nine-year-old girl became the youngest person to speak about her grief.Sir Martin Moore-Bick, the inquiry chairman, presided over an emotional end to a week in which tributes have been paid to 47 of the 72 wh
  
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• 'They sat and watched them turn to ashes': Grenfell anger spills out

  25-05-2018 19:32
  Nur Huda El-Wahabi had just finished her GCSEs when she died in the blaze.Anger at the government response to the Grenfell Tower fire has burst into the open at the public inquiry, as relatives of two entire families who were killed delivered gruelling personal tributes and a nine-year-old girl became the youngest person to speak about her grief.Sir Martin Moore-Bick, the inquiry chairman, presided over an emotional end to a week in which tributes have been paid to 47 of the 72 who died as a res
  
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• Meghan's tribute to California in coat of arms design

  25-05-2018 19:11
  Meghan worked with the College of Arms in London to come up with design, which was later approved by the Queen.The shield's right-hand side has two golden stripes on a blue background - representing California's famous sunny climate and the Pacific Ocean.The left half of the shield features the quartered British Royal Arms.
  
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• 95-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder over death of carer

  25-05-2018 19:11
  A 95-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a carer died in hospital with head injuries.Scotland Yard detectives believe the 61-year-old woman was injured at a house in Islington, north London, where she was working.The Met Police has granted the suspect bail, but he will remain in hospital until he is moved to somewhere "his complex health and care needs can be managed".
  
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• Harvey Weinstein appears in court charged with rape and other sexual offences

  25-05-2018 18:51 via theguardian.com
  Disgraced movie producer handed himself in to New York police on Friday morning over claims by two womenThe disgraced Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein has been charged with rape, a criminal sex act, sex abuse and sexual misconduct for alleged incidents involving two separate women, after he earlier surrendered to authorities in New York.During a brief court appearance on Friday, Weinstein remained quiet as his lawyers agreed he would post $1m (£750,000) bail and wear an electronic
  
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• George Osborne takes on another job, this time for a wealthy Italian family

  25-05-2018 18:41
  George Osborne has added another job to his portfolio, tying him to one of the richest families in Italy.The former chancellor will chair a partners council overseeing Exor, the listed holding company of the Agnellis.Companies owned by the £10.5bn family investment business include Fiat and Ferrari - and even Juventus football club.
  
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• Majority of EU27 favour 'simple' approach on Britons’ residency

  25-05-2018 18:22
  A majority of the EU27 do not plan to force UK nationals living within their borders to register for a special residency status after Brexit, in contrast to the UK government’s treatment of EU nationals.An initial meeting of officials and diplomats in Brussels on the treatment of UK nationals post-Brexit found a mood in favour of a “smooth and simple” approach.Governments across Europe have different approaches to dealing with foreign EU nationals who move to live in their coun
  
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• Street cricket: the sport transforming Birmingham kids' lives

  25-05-2018 17:55 via theguardian.com
  In inner-city areas where children have few facilities, it’s easy to fall in with a bad crowd. One 12-year-old chose a different path, and is now a graduate, cricket coach and teacherAt 12 years old Siraj Ali wasn’t a bad kid. But, like many of the young people he grew up with in the outskirts of Birmingham, he’d hang out on the street at night, sometimes get in trouble at school, and had anger management issues that could boil over.“The area that I come from, the crime r
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn puts Labour on 'permanent notice' for snap general election

  25-05-2018 17:42
  Jeremy Corbyn has put Labour activists on "permanent notice" amid rumours in Westminster of another general election.It comes just under a year since the Conservatives lost their majority but still won 66 more seats than Labour.Discussion has swirled in Parliament of another election being held this autumn, with one Tory source telling Sky News their office had been warned to start preparing for another poll.
  
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• Tories’ academies policies are failing primary age children

  25-05-2018 17:18
  Michael Rosen questions the success of school academies (Education, 22 May) but does not mention the worst case scenario that can occur – closure.Burnt Yates school, in north Yorkshire, a small jewel of a rural primary school with excellent buildings, fields and woodland and an active and generous trust, must close at the end of this academic year.Huge efforts were made by parents, governors, trustees, our MP and the local community but to no avail.
  
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• #DogsAtPollingStations is back and is just as adorable as ever

  25-05-2018 17:18
  It’s the referendum over the eighth amendment in Ireland, which means people and animals alike are heading to the polls.
  
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• Our mentally ill daughter was left to die

  25-05-2018 17:17
  Because of the inadequacies of the local CAMHS, she and many other teenagers were and continue to be placed in totally inadequate inpatient “care” a long way from family and friends.It was only because of the expertise of the paramedics who attended the scene and the skills of the trauma unit at the local hospital that she survived, albeit with a raft of ongoing and life-changing medical complications.• Bev Humphrey (The underfunding of the NHS is almost conspiratorial, 16 
  
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• Man shot 'in taxi' by police in Bishop Auckland, County Durham

  25-05-2018 16:28
  A man has been shot by a police officer following reports of a suspect spotted with a handgun, Durham Police has said.The man was shot at 10.46am during an operation in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, and taken to hospital.
  
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• UK short-run inflation expectations rise for first time since October - Citi/YouGov

  25-05-2018 16:21
  The British public's inflation expectations for the coming year rose this month for the first time since October, despite a series of bigger-than-expected falls in the official measure of consumer price inflation, a Citi/YouGov survey showed on Friday.Short-term inflation expectations rose to 2.5 percent from April's reading of 2.4 percent, while expectations for the next five to 10 years moved back in line with their long-run average of 3.2 percent from 3.1 percent the month before."We suspect
  
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• UK producer price inflation overestimated by 0.3 percentage points - ONS

  25-05-2018 16:21
  British annual producer price inflation has been overestimated by an average of 0.3 percentage points every month since December due to errors related to rubber and plastic products, the Office for National Statistics said on Friday.The ONS said it was revising down April producer output price inflation to 2.4 percent from 2.7 percent and making similar changes to the rate of producer price inflation for December through March.
  
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• Pacific Ocean features in new royal Markle's Coat of Arms

  25-05-2018 16:18
  A Coat of Arms has been created for U.S. actress Meghan Markle, who married Britain's Prince Harry in a lavish ceremony watched by millions last weekend, featuring California's state flower and a blue background to represent the Pacific Ocean.Meghan, who is now officially the Duchess of Sussex, joined Britain's royal family when she wed Harry at Queen Elizabeth's Windsor Castle home last Saturday.Harry's office said on Friday the design for her Coat Of Arms had been approved by his grandmother Q
  
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• Boy, 15, arrested after second fatal stabbing in Sheffield this week

  25-05-2018 16:06
  A 15-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a teenager was stabbed to death in Sheffield.Chief Superintendent Stuart Barton.said police did not believe it was a random attack and "there may be a bit or targeting with it".On Tuesday night, 19-year-old Ryan Jowle was stabbed in the chest in the Woodhouse area of Sheffield.
  
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• What Harvey Weinstein's Books On Elia Kazan And Broadway Writers Might Mean

  25-05-2018 15:50
  Harvey Weinstein turned himself in to police in New York on Friday clutching
  
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• This woman is going viral for her creative Spotify playlist job application

  25-05-2018 15:46
  Jessica Bain thought outside the box for her cover letter, and it paid off big time.
  
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• Norway hopes for bilateral UK trade talks during Brexit transition

  25-05-2018 15:39
  Norway hopes to open bilateral trade talks with Britain before London's transition period to leave the European Union ends in 2020, as Brussels seems willing to show some flexibility on the question, the Norwegian foreign minister said on Friday.The non-EU country is keen to start formal talks with Britain, its biggest trading partner, to which it sells gas, fish and services, so it can regularise their trade relations after Brexit.Britain is due to leave the EU in March 2019, but London and Bru
  
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• Aperitif, anyone? Spirits firms chase cocktail for growth

  25-05-2018 15:30
  MILAN/LONDON (Reuters) - Drinks companies are converging on an unusual cocktail recipe: less alcohol.In bars from London to New York, sales of "aperitifs" such as Aperol, Lillet and Martini Rosso are growing rapidly as younger drinkers in particular opt for lower-alcohol concoctions over stronger traditional cocktail spirits like vodka.As a result companies such as Italy's Campari , Britain's Diageoand France's Pernod Ricardare snapping up aperitif brands or launching new marketing drives for ex
  
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• Danny Boyle to direct new James Bond movie starring Daniel Craig

  25-05-2018 15:18
  Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire filmmaker Danny Boyle is to direct the next James Bond film.The director had been rumoured to be involved and has previously spoken about working on a script for the movie, which will see the return of Daniel Craig as 007.EON Productions, makers of the film, confirmed Boyle had signed up, saying that production on the 25th Bond film will start in December.
  
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• Mystery family thanked on Twitter after buying a cop his dinner

  25-05-2018 14:55
  ‘Y’all support us, so I can feed y’all!’
  
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• Unions say rail staff verbally abused after 'meltdown Monday'

  25-05-2018 14:53
  Unions have demanded better protection for frontline rail staff from irate passengers as cancellations and delays continued on the Govia Thameslink Railway and Northern rail lines.Dozens of peak-time cancellations affecting lines around Manchester and London on the first weekday of the new schedule led to widespread anger on what unions dubbed “meltdown Monday”.While train companies appealed for passengers to bear with them during “teething troubles”, an even higher numbe
  
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• Bundesbanker 'ill at ease' over post-Brexit euro clearing rules

  25-05-2018 14:42
  Proposed tougher European rules for foreign clearing houses may still leave EU regulators short of the power they need to protect Europe's financial sector after Britain leaves the bloc, a board member of Germany's central bank warned."If push comes to shove, we would rely on an entity outside the euro zone to preserve a key part of the European financial market's ability to function," Joachim Wuermeling, a member of the board of the Bundesbank, told Reuters in an interview.A European Parliament
  
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• Sheffield stabbings: police consider extra stop-and-searches

  25-05-2018 14:03
  Police are considering authorising extra stop-and-search powers in parts of Sheffield after two teenagers were fatally stabbed this week.Police said another 15-year-old boy had been arrested on suspicion of murder.Ch Supt Stuart Barton, of South Yorkshire police, said: “This weekend we’re considering some additional powers that we may wish to use, that we don’t like to use, on occasions around stop-and-search.
  
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• LafargeHolcim to cut 200 jobs as Paris, Zurich offices axed

  25-05-2018 13:56
  LafargeHolcimwill close its corporate offices in Paris and Zurich, eliminating 200 jobs as part of a cost-cutting drive, the world's largest cement maker said on Friday.The Franco-Swiss company confirmed the long-mooted closure of its Paris HQ, which was reported by Reuters on Thursday.It would also shutter its corporate office in Zurich, with operations moving to its site in Holderbank, to the west of the Swiss city.
  
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• Information Commissioner Will Probe 'Data Breach' At Jaguar Land Rover Plant

  25-05-2018 13:51
  Britain's data watchdog is to probe an apparent leak of employee data at
  
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• Man guilty of hammer attack on 96-year-old D-Day veteran Jim Booth

  25-05-2018 13:44
  A man who attacked a D-Day veteran with a claw hammer and left him for dead has been found guilty of attempted murder.Joseph Isaacs, 40, of no fixed address, shouted "money money money" as he repeatedly hit 96-year-old Jim Booth over the head with the shiny new implement last November.Isaacs, who is illiterate, began his "prolonged and barbaric" attack after his offer of cheap building work was turned down.
  
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• YouTuber and video games critic John 'TotalBiscuit' Bain dies aged 33

  25-05-2018 13:41
  YouTube star and video game critic John Bain, better known as TotalBiscuit and the Cynical Brit, has died aged 33.Bain, who publicly announced he had bowel cancer in 2015, revealed last month that his liver was failing and that he was retiring from reviewing games."I'm currently coming to terms with the fact that I don't have long left," he wrote in a lengthy post on Reddit.
  
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• Martin Parr’s day at the Chelsea flower show – a photo essay

  25-05-2018 13:39 via theguardian.com
  Magnum photographer Martin Parr captures his unique view of gardening fans at the annual extravaganza
  Just one woman at Chelsea, peering through a thicket of foxgloves with a wry smile on her face, has clocked the quiet man in the brown shirt, owner of the most famously satirical eye in British photography. Martin Parr, she has realised, has invaded one of the most prestigious flower shows in the world. Continue reading...
  
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• 'We'll never play again': schoolgirl pays tribute to Grenfell cousin

  25-05-2018 13:38
  A nine-year-old girl has given an emotional tribute to her young cousin Mehdi El Wahabi, with whom she regularly played on the landing of his 21st-storey Grenfell Tower flat before he died with his mother, father, brother and sister.Wearing a bright sweatshirt and surrounded by members of her family, Sara Chebiouni told the inquiry into the disaster how eight-year-old Mehdi loved playing Minecraft and with Lego.The El-Wahabi family (clockwise from top left): Father Abdulaziz, daughter Nur Huda,
  
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• RBS delays naming strategy chief after Treasury conflict warning

  25-05-2018 13:24
  Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has been ordered to delay naming its new strategy chief after a warning from the Treasury that it is risking a conflict of interest row.Sky News has learnt that the taxpayer-backed lender has been told to wait until after its annual general meeting (AGM) next week before publicly confirming that Oliver Holbourn is joining RBS.Mr Holbourn recently stepped down as chief executive of UK Financial Investments (UKFI), where he spent several years managing the Government's
  
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• French central banker sees Paris emerging as a post-Brexit markets hub

  25-05-2018 13:15
  Paris is set to become a European financial markets hub as international banks look to the French capital to base some activities after Britain's departure from the European union, the head of France's central bank said on Friday.Bank of France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau said that though Brexit was bad news for Britain and Europe, it presented a "historic opportunity" to restructure the European financial system.In the future, there would not be a dominant financial centre as London is
  
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• Latest UK Bank Holiday Weather Forecast Predicts Thunderstorms

  25-05-2018 13:13
  The bank holiday weekend looks set to be scorching for many parts of the UK,
  
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• SNP says Scotland should delay launching own currency

  25-05-2018 13:06
  The first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, receives the Sustainable Growth Commission report from commission chair Andrew Wilson.An independent Scotland would need to cut spending, delay launching its own currency and offer tax cuts for migrants, a long-awaited Scottish National party report has said.The sustainable growth commission report warns that Scotland would need “robust” controls on public spending in the first five to 10 years after independence to cut the country’s large d
  
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• How people are confessing their hilarious crushes thanks to a new meme

  25-05-2018 13:06
  The newest LGBT+ meme to hit Twitter is a winner.
  
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• GDPR Fears That 'Myths' Around New Data Protection Rules May 'Endanger The Lives Of Children'

  25-05-2018 12:48
  A law consultant has warned growing "mythology" around new data protection
  
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• UK murder suspect Shane O'Brien added to world's 'most wanted' list

  25-05-2018 12:39
  One of Britain's "most wanted" murder suspects who has been on the run for more than two years has been placed on a worldwide most wanted list.Shane O'Brien allegedly killed Josh Hanson, 21, in an unprovoked knife attack at the RE Bar in Hillingdon, west London, on 11 October 2015.The Metropolitan Police said O'Brien was flown out of the UK on a privately chartered plane from London Biggin Hill Airport and has been travelling "extensively" since.
  
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• UK's economy grows 0.1% in first quarter - the slowest pace for five years

  25-05-2018 12:37
  Britain's economic growth was left unchanged at 0.1% in the first quarter, according to official figures.The Bank of England (BoE) and the Treasury had expected the Office for National Statistics to revise the number higher with its second reading of the economy.The Bank believes the unseasonal snowy weather in late February and early March did have an impact on the economy - but that's not the view of the ONS, which said "its overall impact was limited".
  
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• By George! Osborne takes on another job, this time for a wealthy Italian family

  25-05-2018 12:18
  George Osborne has added another job to his portfolio, tying him to one of the richest families in Italy.The former chancellor will chair a partners council overseeing Exor, the listed holding company of the Agnellis.Companies owned by the £10.5bn family investment business include Fiat and Ferrari - and even Juventus football club.
  
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• Blogger Alison Chabloz guilty over anti-Semitic songs

  25-05-2018 12:17 via bbc.co.uk
  Alison Chabloz, from Derbyshire, claimed the Holocaust was "just a bunch of lies" in her songs.
  
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• 12 little moments that made people feel like they had ‘levelled-up’ in life

  25-05-2018 12:08
  If life was a video game, what actions would make you head to the next level?
  
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