General news

• Eden Hazard can become best in the world, says Chelsea’s Maurizio Sarri

  17-08-2018 23:30 via theguardian.com
  • Manager intent on holding on to Belgian playmaker
  • ‘I feared losing him for 20 days,’ says ItalianMaurizio Sarri believes Eden Hazard has the ability to establish himself as the best player in the world but has admitted he feared losing the Belgium forward in the three weeks after taking charge as Chelsea’s manager.Hazard, who came off the bench to set up the final goal in the 3-0 opening weekend win at Huddersfield, is expected to start against Arsenal on Saturday
  
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• Gerbrandt Grobler: ‘If Eddie Jones came calling, I wouldn’t turn it down’

  17-08-2018 23:00 via theguardian.com
  The lock remains optimistic about his future and hopes his move to Gloucester will finally turn a page on his doping pastIf Gerbrandt Grobler needed a reminder that he can never fully escape his doping past, it came within days of his arrival at Gloucester. It may have been coincidence but he was the first player drug-tested in pre-season following his summer move from Munster, brought about by the storm that brewed in Ireland over his two-year doping suspension for taking a banned steroid.Grobl
  
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• Camberwell quadruple stabbing: boy charged after two seriously hurt

  17-08-2018 22:52
  Forensic science officers inspect the location in Camberwell where four boys suffered stab wounds.Two teenage boys were seriously injured and two others suffered lesser injuries after the four were stabbed in south London.Scotland Yard said the injured boys, aged between 15 and 16, were taken to south London hospitals after police were called to an incident outside Landor House in Camberwell shortly before 5.30pm on Thursday.
  
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• Ex-UKIP leader Bolton 'can't register new party due to name clash with Islamic charity'

  17-08-2018 22:10
  The new political party launched by former UKIP leader Henry Bolton cannot be formally registered with the Electoral Commission because it shares its name with an Islamic relief charity, according to a report.Kent Online says the former solider - whose career was plunged into turmoil when it emerged that his girlfriend had sent offensive text messages about the Duchess of Sussex - has suffered the embarrassing setback.There is already an aid organisation called One Nation with bases in Leicester
  
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• Syria: US preparing for final stage of anti-Isis push despite $200m funding cut

  17-08-2018 21:53 via theguardian.com
  Administration officials seek to reassure allies as US pulls funds for stabilizing captured areas, citing contributions from alliesThe US is preparing for the “final phase” in its war against the Islamic State in Syria, aimed at concentrations of Isis fighters in the Euphrates valley, senior administration officials have insisted, even though it is cutting $230m from its budget to stabilise areas of Syria captured from Isis.They said on Friday that the cut from US funding had been mo
  
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• Turkey's lira weakens 4 percent, Trump says won't take pastor's detention 'sitting down'

  17-08-2018 21:37
  Turkey's battered lira weakened 4 percent on Friday after a Turkish court rejected an American pastor's appeal for release, drawing a stiff rebuke from President Donald Trump, who said the United States would not take the detention "sitting down".The case of Andrew Brunson, an evangelical Christian missionary from North Carolina who has lived in Turkey for two decades, has become a flashpoint between Washington and Ankara and accelerated a widening currency crisis.The lira has lost nearly 40 per
  
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• 'It's not just New Haven': mass K2 overdose symptom of national crisis

  17-08-2018 21:31 via theguardian.com
  At least 95 people in New Haven overdosed on the drug in two days, as similar events become more common across the USWhen a raised voice breaks out above the downtown din in New Haven Green park, the shouts are often drawing attention to yet another person who has had a bad reaction to the synthetic cannabinoid K2, also known as spice.The drug users who frequent the 16-acre park in New Haven, Connecticut, which is just steps away from Yale University’s gothic campus, describe that reaction
  
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• 'It's not just New Haven': mass K2 overdose symptom of national crisis

  17-08-2018 21:31
  When a raised voice breaks out above the downtown din in New Haven Green park, the shouts are often drawing attention to yet another person who has had a bad reaction to the synthetic cannabinoid K2, also known as spice.The drug users who frequent the 16-acre park in New Haven, Connecticut, which is just steps away from Yale University’s gothic campus, describe that reaction as a “fallout”, and so far it has happened to 95 people over the course of two days this week.Phil Coste
  
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• Lee Thompson: Police hunt man who kept crocodile in his bedroom

  17-08-2018 21:24
  Police are hunting a man who failed to appear in court after being charged over keeping a crocodile in his bedroom.Lee Thompson - who goes by the name Snake because of a distinctive tattoo on the right side of his head - kept a four-foot-long spectacled caiman as part of a reptilian menagerie that included cobras, copperheads and pythons.Essex Police has issued an appeal to help trace him, with the public advised that he boasts a number of striking pieces of body art in addition to the snake tat
  
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• Martin Rowson on vaping and Brexit – cartoon

  17-08-2018 20:46 via theguardian.com
  Continue reading...
  
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• UK court issues asset freeze order against Russia's Vozrozhdenie Bank - law firm

  17-08-2018 20:42
  The Commercial Court in London has ordered a freeze of assets owned by brothers Dmitry and Alexei Ananyev, secured against Russia's Vozrozhdenie Bankand other international assets, a law firm representing investors said.The order was obtained by London law firm Withers, which applied for the freezing order on behalf of investors who say they lost money on their investments when Promsvyazbank, formerly owned by the Ananyev brothers, was nationalised by Russia in 2017."The investor group agreed to
  
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• Kevin Regester: Teacher banned for life for 'racist and offensive' Facebook posts

  17-08-2018 20:26
  A supply teacher who posted messages on Facebook referring to his pupils as "c****" has been banned from the profession for life.Kevin Regester, 52, admitted being behind a page on the social media site in the name of "Kev Raven", on which he posted messages parents found offensive, including: "One seriously mixed day.A Department for Education (DfE) professional conduct panel also highlighted a number of "racist" posts which contained offensive remarks about Muslims.
  
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• Stormy Daniels pulled of Celebrity Big Brother after 'row with producers'

  17-08-2018 20:07
  Stormy Daniels reportedly pulled out of Celebrity Big Brother after a row with "controlling" producers - amid claims a last-minute custody issue also meant she was unable to appear.The adult film star, who made international headlines with claims she was paid hush money over an alleged affair with Donald Trump, had been confirmed to feature in the Channel 5 show.
  
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• La Maladie de la Mort review – clinical dissection of male gaze

  17-08-2018 20:00 via theguardian.com
  Lyceum, Edinburgh
  Katie Mitchell and Alice Birch’s stage adaptation of a Marguerite Duras novella is skilfully designed but strangely dullingKatie Mitchell and Alice Birch’s fourth collaboration is numb by design. A camera crew scurry around the set of an anonymous hotel room, live-feeding the images on to a large projection screen above. Filmed in greyscale, The Man (Nick Fletcher) pays The Woman (Laetitia Dosch) for sex. Adapting Marguerite Duras’s 1982 novella of the same na
  
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• Princess Eugenie wedding: Prince Andrew should fund '£2m security costs', says Labour MP

  17-08-2018 19:58
  Princess Eugenie's reported £2m wedding security bill facing taxpayers "is completely unacceptable", according to a Labour MP.The 28-year-old daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Duchess of York is set to wed Jack Brooksbank in St George's Chapel on 12 October in a society event attended by a host of famous faces.The wedding was initially said to be costing around £750,000 and was set to be paid for by the couple's parents, but security costs have more than doubled it to almost £
  
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• Curran makes way for Stokes but England set for more of the same | Vic Marks

  17-08-2018 19:57 via theguardian.com
  The spotlight will be on the all-rounder at Trent Bridge, where swing and England’s fine record mean the third Test and series against India may be wrapped up before WednesdayTrent Bridge, some green grass, a first autumnal chill in the air plus the sudden appearance of news reporters who seldom show so much interest in Test cricket.Everyone knows what to expect. Ben Stokes’s every move, every grimace and smile will be minutely monitored; so, too, the reception he receives when he co
  
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• Tesla's stock falls sharply after Elon Musk reveals 'excruciating' year

  17-08-2018 19:52 via theguardian.com
  Musk says he has endured ‘the most difficult and painful’ time in emotional interview as confession wipes billions off Tesla valueElon Musk has said the past year of his professional life has been “excruciating” and that stress over his business had caused his health to deteriorate. To make matters worse, the confession wiped billions off the value of Tesla, the electric car company he founded.In an emotional interview with the New York Times, the founder of electric carm
  
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• UN: Brazil’s jailed ex-president Lula can't be disqualified from election

  17-08-2018 19:19 via theguardian.com
  Human rights panel says leftist leader cannot be barred as a candidate until his legal appeals have been completedThe UN human rights committee ruled on Friday that Brazil’s imprisoned leftist leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva cannot be disqualified from upcoming presidential elections because his legal appeals are ongoing.The committee issued the finding following an urgent request filed by Lula’s lawyers on 27 July. Continue reading...
  
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• Lara Trump: who is the 'good Trump' who offered Omarosa 'hush money'?

  17-08-2018 19:10 via theguardian.com
  The appearance of the president’s daughter-in-law may be a surprise to even those watching closelyIt’s often said that no one who finds their way into Donald Trump’s orbit manages to escape entirely clean. But Lara Trump, wife of the president’s son Eric, has largely managed to buck that trend over the past couple of years. Related: Omarosa releases new tape of Trump campaign's 'hush money' offerContinue reading...
  
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• Labour anti-Semitism row: Corbyn ally brands Hodge's complaints 'absurd' and 'hyperbolic'

  17-08-2018 19:07
  A Labour MP has accused Dame Margaret Hodge of making "absurd" and "hyperbolic" criticisms of the party over its handling of anti-Semitism.Chris Williamson, a close ally of Jeremy Corbyn and former member of the Labour leader's shadow cabinet, accused the Jewish MP of "casting aspersions against veteran anti-racists".On Thursday, Dame Margaret told Sky News about being disciplined for confronting Mr Corbyn and calling him an "anti-Semite".
  
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• Blow for EPA as court blocks bid to slacken safety rules for chemical plants

  17-08-2018 18:45 via theguardian.com
  ‘Capricious’ EPA forbidden from delaying the enforcement of chemical safety rule drawn up by Obama administrationA federal court has blocked an attempt by the Trump administration to delay safety regulations for chemical plants – the latest in a string of recent legal setbacks for the administration in its attempts to reverse environmental standards. Related: Weedkiller found in wide range of breakfast foods aimed at childrenContinue reading...
  
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• Italy’s populist government is failing its first big test over the Genoa tragedy | John Hooper

  17-08-2018 18:42 via theguardian.com
  Why did the Morandi bridge collapse? The clues lie in divisions within the populist coalition of Five Star and the LeagueGenoa’s Morandi bridge, which collapsed this week with the loss of at least 39 lives, was of exceptional strategic importance in Italy and beyond. The motorway it carried across the Polcevera stream was no ordinary road. It linked the two halves of Genoa. It was the corridor along which goods shuttled to and from Italy’s second-biggest port. And it was part of one
  
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• Genoa bridge collapse: angry families threaten state funeral boycott

  17-08-2018 18:38 via theguardian.com
  Some grieving relatives refuse to take part in ‘a farce of a funeral’ as frustration mountsRescue workers have used jackhammers and cranes to lift huge slabs of concrete from the collapsed Morandi Bridge in Genoa, as anger mounted over the disaster and some families threatened to boycott a state funeral for victims on Saturday.At least 38 people have died as a result of the collapse of a section of the bridge on Tuesday.Continue reading...
  
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• Dina Asher-Smith discovers role-model status and targets bigger tests

  17-08-2018 18:35 via theguardian.com
  Sprinter faces toughest test this summer against the double world silver medallist Marie-Josée Ta Lou in BirminghamOne small measure of how Dina Asher-Smith has catapulted into the mainstream came at her local Costa on Friday morning, when she was given a coffee on the house. “The lady was saying: ‘You come in here for six months and we chat about everything but you never mentioned you were an athlete!’” says Asher-Smith, smiling. “There has been so much inte
  
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• Period poverty: Scotland Ayrshire to give free tampons to tackle period poverty

  17-08-2018 18:34
  North Ayrshire in Scotland has become the first local authority in the UK to provide free sanitary products in public buildings.In an attempt to tackle period poverty, the council said that women and girls would be given free sanitary towels and tampons via vending machines in toilets in public premises.The 2016 film I, Daniel Blake, highlighted the issue of the affordability of sanitary products to greater attention and helped inspire Scotland's pilot scheme.
  
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• Gang jailed after hiding smuggled cannabis worth £2m in dog biscuits

  17-08-2018 18:32
  A gang of four men who smuggled £2.1m of cannabis into the UK have been jailed for a total of 28 years following a National Crime Agency investigation.The group was led by Kevin Downes, 57, who concealed three-quarters of a tonne of the drug in bags of dog biscuits to conceal the smell.The four men, including the leader's brother John Downes, 58, Brian Chapman, 64 and pensioner Thomas Abrahams, 73, were jailed at the Old Bailey on Friday.
  
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• Woman has contact lens removed from her eye after 28 years

  17-08-2018 18:19
  The unnamed woman was struck in the eye by a shuttlecock when she was 14, but thought the lens had been knocked out at the time.
  
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• Northamptonshire proposes replacing councils with two unitary authorities

  17-08-2018 18:12
  Northamptonshire county council has a budget shortfall of up to £70m.Crisis-hit Northamptonshire’s county council and its seven district and borough councils have reluctantly proposed that they be replaced by two unitary authorities, but said it would not be a financial panacea.The stricken Conservative-run county council, which has a budget shortfall of up to £70m, declared effective bankruptcy in February and the following month an inspector said the current structure should
  
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• 'The devil's aspirin': why do so many celebrities blame Ambien?

  17-08-2018 18:07 via theguardian.com
  Elon Musk, Roseanne Barr, Tiger Woods and others have all claimed the sedative was at fault for their strange behaviorElon Musk’s erratic public declarations are reportedly worrying Tesla board members, and a main concern for executives is a sedative Musk says he has been using: Ambien.“It is often a choice of no sleep or Ambien,” Musk told the New York Times in an interview published on Thursday, which came after the Tesla founder claimed on Twitter that he was considering tak
  
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• The Guardian view on the secret of singing: whatever it is, Aretha knew it | Editorial

  17-08-2018 18:00 via theguardian.com
  From the Neanderthals to Auto-Tune, singing has evolved in myriad cultures and eras. Only a few singers are true greats. In Aretha Franklin, we have just lost one of themSinging is one of the most ancient and the most widespread of expressive human activities. As a recent history of singing puts it, singing has continually evolved “from Neanderthal man to Auto-tune” via an infinite variety of musical styles in between. Yet it is only in the past 120 years that humans have been able t
  
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• The Beggar's Opera review – the original jukebox musical reimagined

  17-08-2018 18:00 via theguardian.com
  King’s theatre, Edinburgh
  An updated version of John Gay’s classic features gags about the royal wedding and Brexit, but the music has missed a trickSeveral centuries before anyone thought of stringing together a series of pop numbers with a flimsy excuse for a plot and turning it into a hit musical, John Gay wowed 18th-century London with pretty much the same idea. The Beggar’s Opera was based on popular tunes cobbled together by a bawdy story populated with lowlife characters
  
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• Revealed: asylum seekers' 20-year wait for Home Office ruling

  17-08-2018 18:00 via theguardian.com
  Charities say making people wait two decades in abject poverty is ‘utterly barbaric’The Home Office has left some people waiting more than 20 years for decisions on their asylum claims, according to data obtained exclusively by the Guardian, in delays charities say are unacceptable and “utterly barbaric”.Seventeen people received decisions from the Home Office last year on claims they had submitted more than 15 years ago, four of whom had waited more than 20 years for a d
  
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• Storm Ernesto on course for the UK and Ireland this weekend

  17-08-2018 17:54
  Tropical Storm Ernesto is set to bring wet and windy conditions to the UK when it hits the British Isles this weekend.Northwest England, Scotland, North Wales, and Northern Ireland will feel its blustery effects in the early hours of Sunday.
  
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• Cuts to legal aid and courts make a mockery of equal access to justice

  17-08-2018 17:50
  As the chair of the commission referred to in your editorial on the appalling effects of legal aid cuts (Cuts have tipped the scales of justice.Ministers must rebalance them, 13 August), I welcome your succinct summary of the problems facing those with legal problems who are no longer able to obtain legal advice or representation when it is needed.Early legal advice is incredibly important.
  
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• Give credit where it’s due to Edna Healey

  17-08-2018 17:49
  The anecdotage in these columns about Denis Healey (Letters, passim) largely reflects his “bluff Yorkshireman” persona, which I always felt was mostly assumed for political purposes.It fails to give due credit to his equally remarkable wife, Edna, who, in her unassuming way, was his equal, perhaps in some ways more than his match, for intellect, energy and charm.
  
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• Don’t let menopausal night sweats get you down

  17-08-2018 17:49
  ‘I have heard that women who are living the kind of life that suits their desires for fulfilment and overall satisfaction tend to suffer less,’ writes Margaret Davis. Photograph: Getty Images
  
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• Trump pushes for SEC to end quarterly earnings reports

  17-08-2018 17:41 via theguardian.com
  President feels switching to twice-yearly disclosure of accounts would boost businessDonald Trump has told the US securities regulator to consider abandoning quarterly reporting – a practice criticised as too short-term by some businesses on both sides of the Atlantic.Trump said a leading company boss told him switching to twice-yearly disclosure of accounts would reduce costs and be good for business. If enacted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the change could allow more UK com
  
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• House of Fraser owed £484m to creditors before its collapse

  17-08-2018 17:39
  House of Fraser owed £484m to its creditors including designers like Gucci, Armani and Diesel before its collapse.The chain was bought out by Mike Ashley's Sports Direct last week, but the retail tycoon says he will not pay suppliers any money owed before his takeover.HoF's administrators Ernst & Young (EY) have reported the chain's creditors are owed millions, with companies like Versace, Gucci and Prada among the biggest names out of pocket.
  
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• Let’s move to Openshaw, Manchester: a great location

  17-08-2018 17:29 via theguardian.com
  Great schools, decent parks, a tight community and, on paper, good prospectsWhat’s going for it? With London’s property market closed to anyone earning less than a squillion a day, the early thirtysomethings are leaving the capital. They’ve scarpered to Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and Newcastle. So while London’s property prices have flatlined, those in other big cities are rising, and they’re rising fastest in the once-cheapest spots: Birmingham&rsquo
  
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• Woman, 93, injured in 'cowardly attack' at bus stop in Greater Manchester

  17-08-2018 17:23
  Police are looking for two men after a 93-year-old woman was left with multiple injuries following a "violent, cowardly attack" at a bus stop.Greater Manchester Police said it could have had "much graver consequences"."This was a violent, cowardly attack on an elderly woman," said Detective Sergeant Alex Wilkinson from Greater Manchester Police.
  
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• Come on, Jeremy Corbyn, give us the full Jack Nicholson. We can handle it | Marina Hyde

  17-08-2018 17:16 via theguardian.com
  Corbyn should draw inspiration from Nicholson’s colonel in A Few Good Men – and make the speech that will set us straightI wonder if Jeremy Corbyn has seen A Few Good Men? The cultural life of most politicians is fairly mysterious, with many saying they don’t have time for one. Boris Johnson occasionally claims his top movie is Dodgeball. I once asked Nigel Farage what his favourite film was, and he floundered so long that I eventually started chucking out s
  
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• Anger as Austria's foreign minister invites Putin to her wedding

  17-08-2018 17:09 via theguardian.com
  Critics say Russian leader’s attendance undermines EU’s tough stance over UkraineVladimir Putin is to attend the wedding of Austria’s foreign minister, Karin Kneissl, triggering outrage among critics who say the invitation undermines the EU’s stance against Russia over Ukraine.The Russian president will drop by on Saturday afternoon to raise a glass to Kneissl and her groom, the businessman Wolfgang Meilinger, in a vineyard in Austria’s picturesque Styria region, be
  
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• Smartphone screens found to be more than three times dirtier than a toilet seat

  17-08-2018 17:06
  The average smartphone screen has been found to be more than three times dirtier than a toilet seat.The firm swabbed three popular handsets - an iPhone 6, a Samsung Galaxy 8 and a Google Pixel, to test for aerobic bacteria, yeast and mould.This mean there was an average of 84.9 units on each screen.
  
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• Danny Cipriani to face Rugby Football Union disciplinary hearing

  17-08-2018 17:05
  Danny Cipriani is facing action from the Rugby Football Union (RFU) after an altercation outside a bar in Jersey.The England and Gloucester star has been fined £2,000 after he pleaded guilty to common assault and resisting arrest.Cipriani, who has only recently returned to the England squad, was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday after arguing with a doorman and grappling with police.
  
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• Armed forces doctors' IT system threatens patient safety - BMA

  17-08-2018 17:02
  Armed forces doctors have said their ability to provide a safe service is being hampered by serious problems with their IT system.The British Medical Association (BMA) says it has been raising concerns for two years with the surgeon-general and Ministry of Defence (MoD) that the system was jeopardising patient care.The Defence Medical Services has around 13,200 staff, about 83% of them military, who are responsible for providing healthcare to 147,000 UK regular forces personnel.
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn's foreign causes: a blessing or a curse?

  17-08-2018 17:00 via theguardian.com
  The Labour leader’s campaigns have provided inspiration for supporters and ammunition for his detractors. Ewen MacAskill takes a close look at the recordAndrew Murray, Jeremy Corbyn’s longtime friend and adviser, ticks off a list of foreign causes that the Labour leader has pursued over almost half a century: Chile, South Africa, Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, among others.For Murray, it is an honourable record, and one that has been distorted or lost amid the abuse and vili
  
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• Lucas Torreira, the man from Fray Bentos, can beef up Arsenal’s midfield | Amy Lawrence

  17-08-2018 16:58 via theguardian.com
  The Uruguayan caught the eye in the World Cup. Now the Gunners hope he will do the same for themTime for Torreira. That is the motto Arsenal chose to accompany all their messaging about the most pivotal of the five new recruits they have welcomed to try to help Unai Emery rework the shape of the team. Arguably, time for Torreira is long overdue in the sense that Arsenal have missed the kind of characteristics he possesses for aeons.It feels like a long time since Arsenal went
  
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• Sky News Quiz of the Week: Aretha, Arnie and Omarosa

  17-08-2018 16:50
  It has been a busy week of news, as the world said goodbye to one of the greatest musicians of all times.
  
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• Scottish council to provide free sanitary products in toilets

  17-08-2018 16:47
  Vending machines will dispense sanitary products for free.A Scottish council will provide free sanitary products in all public buildings in a scheme aimed at breaking the taboo about period poverty.North Ayrshire council believes it is the first local authority in the UK to introduce the policy, which will come into effect in up to 100 libraries, community centres and other public offices from Friday.
  
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• Scottish teen who stabbed Syrian refugee in frenzied attack jailed for seven years

  17-08-2018 16:45
  Shabaz Ali, 25, was left with life-threatening injuries after Sean Gorman, 18, stabbed him six times in an Edinburgh hostel.During the attack, Gorman told his victim to "go away from here" and go back to his own country.When he opened his eyes in a hospital bed three days later, he said to his father: "We ran away from war in Syria.
  
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