General news

• Sophie Gradon's boyfriend 'found dead weeks after Love Island star's death'

  10-07-2018 23:31 via theguardian.com
  Body of Aaron Armstrong, 25, reportedly found at house in NorthumberlandThe boyfriend of late Love Island star Sophie Gradon has reportedly been found dead.The body of Aaron Armstrong, 25, is said to have been discovered at a house in Blyth, Northumberland, on Tuesday. Continue reading...
  
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• Number of UK troops in Afghanistan to rise ahead of Nato summit

  10-07-2018 23:30 via theguardian.com
  Theresa May commits 440 non-combat troops to region, bringing total to 1,100Theresa May is increasing the number of British troops serving in Afghanistan to more than 1,000 for the first time in years as she heads to a crunch Nato summit where allies will come under intense pressure from Donald Trump to spend more on defence.The prime minister committed an extra 440 troops to the international body’s capacity building mission in the country as she called on other European countries to matc
  
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• England ‘excited not nervous’ as they face moment of truth in Moscow | Daniel Taylor

  10-07-2018 23:30 via theguardian.com
  Much has been said about this new England side but, if they can beat Croatia on Wednesday to reach the World Cup final, they would probably take even that in their strideThe last time England had this kind of rare opportunity Bobby Robson was being driven to the point of distraction by the footballer whom Gianni Agnelli, the president of Juventus, described during that run to the 1990 World Cup semi-finals as “a dog of war with the face of a child”.Paul Gascoigne had, among other epi
  
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• Masters of improvisation: how Croatia reached semi-finals without a plan | Aleksandar Holiga

  10-07-2018 23:21 via theguardian.com
  As Zlatko Dalic’s side face England in the World Cup last four with no system for developing players at home, is it chaos that makes them good footballers?As Croatia won the coin toss before the penalty shootout against Russia in the World Cup quarter-final, Luka Modric, their captain, shouted across the pitch to his goalkeeper, Danijel Subasic: “Are we gonna go first?”They did not. Despite evidence that the team taking the first penalty wins 60% of shootouts there was a certai
  
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• The waiting is over: England is ready to go World Cup crazy again | Barney Ronay

  10-07-2018 23:04 via theguardian.com
  The anticipation of a first World Cup semi-final for 28 years has reached fever pitch both in Russia and back home as Gareth Southgate attempts to emulate the heroes of 1966
  Put out more flags. Remove the creases from your St George’s Cross jester’s hat. Prepare to launch a pint of lukewarm lager towards the ceiling. England are ready to go again.On Wednesday night Gareth Southgate’s team will walk out at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow to play England’s first World Cup se
  
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• Inquiry condemns school that barred A-level pupils

  10-07-2018 23:03 via theguardian.com
  Report critical of St Olave’s, where pupils unlikely to get top grades were forced outAn independent inquiry into a top grammar school, which was revealed by a Guardian investigation to be forcing out pupils who were unlikely to get top grades at A-level, has delivered a damning report accusing the school of illegally treating its students as “collateral damage” in the pursuit of its own interests.
  The 150-page report into events last summer at St Olave’s, a selective boy
  
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• The Rise and Fall of Nokia review – fascinating insight into the Finnish, and now finished, tech firm

  10-07-2018 22:59 via theguardian.com
  With a flawless idea, the mobile phone pioneer cornered the market. But by ignoring the touchscreen, things quickly went southFamous and Finnish? Jean Sibelius, Tove Jansson, Kimi Räikkönen and – almost certainly most famous of all – Nokia. Dada da da, dada da da, dada da da, daaaa. (That’s the ringtone tune, if you can’t read music – composed by a Spaniard, as it happens). If you write it out as actual music, it is a gently tumbling phrase of quavers and
  
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• Trudeau and Trump set for face-to-face rematch following G7 clash

  10-07-2018 22:55 via theguardian.com
  Three-quarters of Canada’s trade and millions of jobs could be riding on the allies avoiding a repeat of their frosty G7 meetingThe last time the two North American leaders crossed paths, they started off with a warm handshake. But within hours Donald Trump had lashed out at Justin Trudeau, calling the Canadian prime minister “meek and mild” and accusing him of dishonesty.Related: Europeans brace for worst from Trump at stormy Nato summitContinue reading...
  
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• Manchester City seal £60m deal for Leicester’s Riyad Mahrez

  10-07-2018 22:08 via theguardian.com
  • Long-term target signs five-year contract at Etihad
  • Mahrez: ‘City are redefining the English game’Manchester City have signed Riyad Mahrez from Leicester, the 27-year-old winger costing a club record £60m that could rise to £75m with add-ons.Mahrez, who has signed a five-year contract and will wear the No 26 shirt, is Pep Guardiola’s first signing of the summer, with the manager having targeted a wide forward and defensive midfielder in this transfer w
  
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• The photographer who captures the life and times of Boris Johnson

  10-07-2018 21:43 via theguardian.com
  With enviable access, Andrew Parsons has been covering Johnson and Tories for yearsGazing into the middle distance as his pen hovers over his resignation letter, Boris Johnson seems, in a photograph that appeared on the front pages of Brexit-backing newspapers on Tuesday, like a modern Winston Churchill. For the crucial assignment of helping the now former foreign secretary project an image of sombre – if stage-managed – determination, there was only one likely option: the same man w
  
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• If only May could be as strong and stable as the Balkan nations | John Crace

  10-07-2018 21:30 via theguardian.com
  Leaders joining the prime minister at the West Balkans Summit know how she feelsA region riven by political and cultural disputes between neighbouring nations. Where governments are in crisis and the social fabric is in danger of collapse. Safe to say that the representatives from Serbia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina probably felt quite at home at the West Balkans Summit in London.Come the end of a couple of days spent talking about improving security in the
  
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• Theresa May promises 'orderly' Brexit as two more Tories quit

  10-07-2018 20:47 via theguardian.com
  PM receives modest endorsement from Angela Merkel after Chequers dealTheresa May has insisted she can achieve a “smooth and orderly Brexit”, at a press conference with Angela Merkel on a day when two Conservative party vice-chairs resigned in protest at her soft Brexit negotiating plan.The prime minister sought to reassert her authority over her party as she appeared with the German chancellor, but she also had to fend off questions about whether Donald Trump was right to suggest the
  
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• Novak Djokovic back on Centre Court as Roger Federer is pushed out to No 1

  10-07-2018 20:44 via theguardian.com
  • Serbia’s three-time winner to take on Nishikori in quarter-final
  • John Isner threatens to invite Donald Trump to any semi-finalRoger Federer has been shunted off Centre Court for the first time in three years for his quarter-final against Kevin Anderson day. It is the sort of news that would otherwise appear inconsequential but for the dramatis personae and the intriguing plot line.When Novak Djokovic came off No 1 Court after a quick, almost angry three-set win over the
  
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• Theresa May's cabinet: the new Brexit power bases she must unite

  10-07-2018 20:43 via theguardian.com
  Prime minister’s Chequers plan depends on keeping the competing factions happyTheresa May has reshuffled her cabinet after a series of high-profile resignations over her Brexit plans, but faces a tough task trying to unite the competing power bases.Continue reading...
  
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• Jelena Ostapenko’s small steps take her past Dominika Cibulkova into semis

  10-07-2018 20:39 via theguardian.com
  • Latvian wins 7-5, 6-4 after taking time to find her range
  • Ostapenko will play Angelique Kerber in semi-finalsDominika Cibulkova has shown a combustible side at these Championships but the fireworks belonged entirely to Jelena Ostapenko in their quarter-final on Tuesday.Ostapenko is the youngest player left in the women’s draw and the first Latvian to reach the last four but, possessing this blend of power and precision, she is perfectly equipped to add the Wimbledon title to
  
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• Steve Bell on the cabinet's current position on Brexit – cartoon

  10-07-2018 20:34 via theguardian.com
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• England complete ODI series win over New Zealand with 123-run victory

  10-07-2018 20:24 via theguardian.com
  • England lead three-game series 2-0 after success at Derby
  • Tammy Beaumont hits 67 before England bowlers shineEngland Women easily sealed their series win against New Zealand, winning the second one-day international by 123 runs to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.The player of the match Tammy Beaumont continued her incredible run of form, top-scoring with 67, while another clinical all-round performance from England’s bowlers ensured their opponents fel
  
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• Dublin welcomes Duke and Duchess of Sussex on first overseas trip

  10-07-2018 20:10 via theguardian.com
  Official visit by the couple is intended to stress importance of UK-Irish relationshipA red-carpet welcome has been laid on for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who have flown to Dublin after attending celebrations in London to mark the 100th anniversary of the RAF. The whistlestop 24-hour visit is their first official overseas trip as a married couple, with the Foreign Office hoping it will underscore the importance of maintaining good relations throughout and after the Brexit process. Prince Ha
  
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• The Guardian view on the Nato summit: Europe must come together | Editorial

  10-07-2018 19:38 via theguardian.com
  Nato bosses need to explain to Donald Trump that in a turbulent world you need security to make sure the deals you strike can be lasting onesJames Comey, the former FBI director, said of Donald Trump that he bore more resemblance to a mob boss than a democratic politician. In Mr Comey’s experience Mr Trump was a leader who demanded loyalty oaths, wanted absolute control, traded in lies and insisted on an us-versus-them worldview. Unfortunately these traits will undoubtedly be on displ
  
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• A history of Conservative division over Europe

  10-07-2018 19:15 via bbc.co.uk
  Since the end of World War Two, the Conservative Party has never been at ease with Europe.
  
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• Mackintosh building will be rebuilt, says Glasgow School of Art director

  10-07-2018 18:31 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: Tom Inns says it is ‘critically important’ the building is saved after fireGlasgow School of Art’s Mackintosh building, which was gutted by fire last month, will be rebuilt, the school’s director has told the Guardian.The commitment by Tom Inns ends weeks of speculation about the fate of the 110-year-old building, after many experts raised fears that the scale of the blaze would make it impossible to rescue and rebuild it.Continue reading...
  
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• Serena Williams battles back to beat Camila Giorgi at Wimbledon

  10-07-2018 18:09 via theguardian.com
  Williams reaches semi-finals with 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victorySeven-times champion will face Julia Gorges in last four
  Amid all the effort of balancing motherhood with trying to win an eighth Wimbledon title, there has been a calmness about Serena Williams, something that has not always been the case with the 23-times grand slam champion.It may not last – her fire has been a major part of her stunning career – but here at least, it is serving her well. On Tuesday, she dropped her first set
  
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• EU negotiator Michel Barnier says 80% of Brexit deal is agreed

  10-07-2018 17:20 via theguardian.com
  Statement in New York marks positive change of toneBarnier committed to reaching deal on remaining 20%The chief Brexit negotiator for the European Union has declared that 80% of a deal with the UK has been agreed, in a change of narrative that suggests a full agreement can be sealed before October’s deadline.Related: Donald Trump says he expects to find UK in 'turmoil' during visitContinue reading...
  
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• The carnage cabaret: Tate's high-octane tribute to Africa's forgotten war dead

  10-07-2018 17:03 via theguardian.com
  Ten times more porters than soldiers died in Africa during the first world war. But they have never been properly commemorated. Now Tate Modern is putting this right – with William Kentridge’s most eye-popping show yetA steady rain beats down on the steel roof of a rehearsal hall at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, filling the cavernous space with a tinny thrum. Inside, The Head and the Load, a kaleidoscopic tableau of carefully controlled chaos, deftly steered by Willia
  
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• My wild night at a Brexit rave

  10-07-2018 16:27 via theguardian.com
  MP Andrea Jenkyns sang her own song, Bropera was born – and the ex-singer of Pigface rocked out. So did our writer want to leave or remain at the Big Brexit Party?On a stage once graced by Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix and Joni Mitchell, Conservative MP Andrea Jenkyns is singing. It’s a song she wrote herself, “for the true patriots”, although she admits she hasn’t performed it in public since the days she “wore red rubber trousers”. It’s called The Spel
  
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• How the psychology of the England football team could change your life

  10-07-2018 15:42 via theguardian.com
  England players seem happier and more grounded – and much of the credit goes to psychologist Pippa Grange. What can the team’s approach teach us all about facing fear and failure?This week, the England midfielder Dele Alli was asked if he was nervous about the big tests up ahead: first, of course, the team’s semi-final against Croatia on Wednesday. “Excited, not nervous,” he replied. His apparent happiness and confidence reflected an England team that seems transfor
  
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• The murky truth about why women in England can’t have abortions at home

  10-07-2018 15:31 via theguardian.com
  The law that requires women to take the necessary pills in a clinic is a moral hangup based on anti-abortion hysteriaThe medical abortion – “the abortion pill” – sounds easier than it is. It happens in two stages: first, mifepristone, then, 24 to 48 hours later, misoprostol, which within a few hours will terminate the pregnancy. In the 90s, you went home in between, but you had to stay in the clinic for the duration of the second process, which was all a bit Handmaid&rsqu
  
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• What happened when England got to last semi-final

  10-07-2018 14:32 via bbc.co.uk
  Here's a cheat sheet for all of those phrases you'll be hearing in the build up to Wednesday.
  
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• Donald Trump says he expects to find UK in 'turmoil' during visit

  10-07-2018 14:22 via theguardian.com
  Trump on Boris Johnson: he was ‘very nice’, ‘very supportive’
  Summit with Putin may be ‘the easiest of them all’, Trump saysDonald Trump expects to see a country in “turmoil” when he lands in the UK on Thursday for a two-day visit he said would make his subsequent summit with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki seem “easy”. Related: Trump UK visit: police to mobilise in numbers not seen since 2011 riotsContinue reading...
  
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• ‘There used to be a bus every hour. Now we hardly leave the house’ | Anna Bawden

  10-07-2018 14:00 via theguardian.com
  Councils trying to save cash are cutting local bus routes – and badly affecting access to hospital, college and a social lifeWhen Jill White, 53, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013, she had three years of treatment, including operations and chemotherapy. It was a stressful enough experience to go through, but White, who is single and doesn’t drive, also faced a four-hour round trip, on a good day, to get to a hospital that was only 13 miles away, because buses from her village
  
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• Nigel Slater’s mackerel with sumac and orange recipe | Nigel Slater’s midweek dinner

  10-07-2018 12:00 via theguardian.com
  Grilled whole mackerel with tangy sumac and a summery orange and mint dressingSet an overhead oven grill to hot. Take a couple of whole mackerel, gutted and cleaned, but otherwise intact, and score through the skin and almost down to the bone. Make four or five slashes, depending on the size of your fish, 2 or 3cm apart. Lay the fish on a foil-lined grill pan. Leave plenty of space between them. Continue reading...
  
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• The Nicaraguan students who became reluctant rebels: 'I'm no longer the same'

  10-07-2018 09:00 via theguardian.com
  Nicaragua’s upheaval has claimed hundreds of lives and changed everything for Valeska Valle, Lesther Alemán and Douglas CostaThree months ago, Valeska Valle was a church-going dance freak whose best friend was her dog. Related: Tiny coffins: how Nicaragua’s spiraling violence ravaged a familyContinue reading...
  
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• PhotoEspaña shows its playful side – a photo essay

  10-07-2018 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Madrid’s annual photography festival is a riot of fun and fantasy, with vintage circus acts, people pretending to be potatoes and Samuel Fosso’s sardonic take on classic imagesPhotoEspaña, the annual photography festival that takes over Madrid, is this year infused with the spirit of playfulness. Of the 90 exhibitions that fill the city’s museums and cultural spaces, five core shows have been selected and curated by the photographer Cristina de Middel, best known for her
  
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• Why the nation fell for Gareth Southgate

  10-07-2018 07:00 via theguardian.com
  With empathy, integrity and determination, the manager who missed a penalty at Euro 96 is giving England its chance of gloryPick a moment. There have been so many from which to choose in this unexpectedly joyous World Cup. Harry Kane’s stoppage-time winner against Tunisia. Jordan Pickford’s penalty save against Colombia. Eric Dier’s winning shootout spot kick moments later. Harry Maguire’s towering header in the quarter-final. Kyle Walker and Jesse Lingard dancing like id
  
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• RAF's centenary to be marked by flypast over Palace

  10-07-2018 06:50 via bbc.co.uk
  Up to 100 aircraft will take part in this afternoon's flypast, which will be watched by the Queen.
  
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• Prisoners to get phones in cells in bid to curb violence

  10-07-2018 06:06 via bbc.co.uk
  The scheme is part of government plans to reduce violence and crime in jails in England and Wales.
  
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• Monsanto 'bullied scientists' and hid weedkiller cancer risk, lawyer tells court

  10-07-2018 04:17 via theguardian.com
  As ill California man’s landmark case begins, attorney attacks Roundup maker’s response to researchers’ findingsMonsanto has long worked to “bully scientists” and suppress evidence of the cancer risks of its popular weedkiller, a lawyer argued on Monday in a landmark lawsuit against the global chemical corporation.“Monsanto has specifically gone out of its way to bully … and to fight independent researchers,” said the attorney Brent Wisner, who pr
  
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• Theresa May to meet new-look cabinet amid Brexit turmoil

  10-07-2018 03:52 via bbc.co.uk
  Theresa May is forced to carry out a reshuffle after a string of resignations over her Brexit strategy.
  
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• The last survivor of 'The Great Escape' camp tells his story

  10-07-2018 01:08 via bbc.co.uk
  Bomber pilot Richard 'Dick' Churchill was a prisoner of war at Stalag Luft III.
  
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• Salisbury poisoning: What is Novichok?

  10-07-2018 01:08 via bbc.co.uk
  Laura Foster explains how the Novichok nerve agent works and what to do if you think you've been exposed to it.
  
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• The watch that could help manage severe autism

  10-07-2018 01:07 via bbc.co.uk
  By measuring stress and anxiety levels, this wearable device could help people communicate.
  
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• University entry 'should be background, not just exams'

  10-07-2018 01:05 via bbc.co.uk
  The university access watchdog says students' background should be a factor in awarding places.
  
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• Paper headlines: 'Shameless Boris' and May 'clings to power'

  10-07-2018 00:47 via bbc.co.uk
  Boris Johnson's resignation over Theresa May's Brexit strategy dominates Tuesday's front pages.
  
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• Jeremy Hunt replaces Boris Johnson amid Brexit turmoil

  10-07-2018 00:32 via bbc.co.uk
  Theresa May moves to shore up her position after a day of high profile resignations over her Brexit strategy.
  
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• Rail timetable changes scaled back to avoid further chaos

  10-07-2018 00:14 via bbc.co.uk
  Timetable changes for eight franchises, including Govia Thameslink Railway, have been postponed.
  
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