General news

• Firefighters Tackle Blaze At Famous Littlewoods Building In Liverpool

  02-09-2018 23:56
  Firefighters were continuing to battle a huge blaze at the famous Littlewoods
  
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• Six-foot boa constrictor 'on the loose' in Essex

  02-09-2018 23:54
  A six-foot boa constrictor is apparently on the loose in Essex.Basildon Council has put up the signs - which feature a picture of a boa constrictor - in the Norsey Wood nature reserve near Billericay after a woman reported seeing the snake.Daniel Hepplewhite, a reptile expert from Snakes Alive, said the reptile was unlikely to attack dogs.
  
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• Fire crews battle large blaze at Liverpool's Littlewoods building

  02-09-2018 23:32
  Fire crews are battling a large fire at Liverpool's well-known Littlewoods building.Nine fire engines were in attendance at the 1930s art deco building on Edge Lane on Sunday night, having been called to the scene east of the city centre just before 8pm.An area the size of two football pitches was ablaze from the first floor of the five-storey building upwards, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service said.
  
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• Brexit could sway Scottish voters towards independence from UK - poll

  02-09-2018 23:10
  Britain's exit from the European Union could tip public opinion in Scotland in favour of seeking independence, an opinion poll showed on Sunday.Scotland voted against independence in 2014, but a subsequent referendum on leaving the EU has reignited debate over its long-term future as one of Britain's four constituent parts alongside England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.In 2016, a majority of Scottish voters backed staying in the EU, while Britain as a whole, voted to leave, meaning that Britain
  
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• Vanity Fair review – this adaptation fizzes with all the energy of its social-climbing heroine

  02-09-2018 23:05 via theguardian.com
  Yes, it’s yet another version of Thackeray’s novel, and it has its sights set on a modern audience, but Olivia Cooke is an ideal Becky Sharp – and the sumptuous sets are worth tuning in for all on their own‘So that was school and this is the world,” says Becky Sharp, on her way to London with the “too good to be true” Amelia Sedley, who has taken pity on Sharp and invited her to stay for the week. After that, Miss Sharp will take up her new job as a gove
  
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• Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe now has 'big brother in playground' - husband

  02-09-2018 22:11
  Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe threatened to go on hunger strike as she was taken back to prison in Iran, but has a "big brother in the playground" now that Jeremy Hunt has taken over as foreign secretary, her husband has told Sky News.Speaking at a park in north London where the couple's daughter, Gabriella, used to play on the swings, Richard Ratcliffe said he was still awaiting a response after writing anopen letter to Iran's foreign minister .Gabriella, who was "really upset" after her mother ret
  
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• Brexit: EU's Michael Barnier ‘Strongly Opposed’ To Theresa May's Trade Deal Proposals

  02-09-2018 21:48
  The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has said he is "strongly
  
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• Antisemitism row: Hodge and Brown pile pressure on Corbyn

  02-09-2018 21:40 via theguardian.com
  Labour MP says adopting IHRA definition not enough as former PM speaks out on issueMargaret Hodge has signalled that Labour MPs critical of Jeremy Corbyn are digging in for a long struggle against his leadership as she suggested that the antisemitism row would only end if he stood aside.
  The backbench MP told the Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) conference on Sunday that she would “stand and fight” within Labour as the argument about antisemitism in the party threatens to turn into a bat
  
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• Boy, 17, suffers cardiac arrest after he is Tasered by police

  02-09-2018 21:00
  A 17-year-old boy has suffered a cardiac arrest after he was Tasered by police.Three other youths aged 17 as well as a 13-year-old were also arrested after officers were called to reports of a disturbance in Prior Deram Walk in the Canley area of the city shortly after 9.30pm.The four were detained on suspicion of violent disorder and assaulting a police officer.
  
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• Nigel Farage fans heckled as 'Nazi scum' outside event in Perth

  02-09-2018 20:10 via theguardian.com
  Ex-Ukip leader uses Australia tour to speak of Donald Trump friendship and praise English Defence League founderDozens of protesters have heckled ticket holders in Perth on the first night of Nigel Farage’s week-long speaking tour of Australia and New Zealand.Police formed a cordon around the demonstrators, who shouted “Nazi scum off our streets” and “shame” as people entered the 350-capacity hall in Western Australia. Continue reading...
  
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• Keeley Hawes Laughs Off Claims She Dieted For Bodyguard Role

  02-09-2018 19:39
  Bodyguard star Keeley Hawes has dismissed claims she went on a diet in
  
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• Progress still too slow in dealing with bullying in academia

  02-09-2018 19:23
  Postgraduates research students often find it hard to access services for undergraduates.My daughter was forced out of her PhD after months of being belittled and humiliated by her academic supervisor.Despite this, she had achieved excellent results at school and a first-class degree in astrophysics from a Russell Group university.
  
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• Brexit and the realities facing a post-EU Britain

  02-09-2018 19:23
  ‘The EU’s prime directive is the survival of the EU.The UK will be sacrificed to that priority, and then the real disaster will begin for this country,’ writes Mike Galvin.Of course the extensive use of zero-hours contracts is completely wrong.
  
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• Five Celtic fans injured in crush outside Old Firm derby

  02-09-2018 19:00
  Five Celtic fans were injured because of overcrowding before the Old Firm derby with Rangers.Supporters tweeted their concerns about the crush outside Celtic Park, describing the situation as "absolutely chaotic".It happened after people faced delays getting into the North Stand after one of the gates was reportedly closed.
  
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• Microwave weapons suspected in US embassy ailments – report

  02-09-2018 18:46 via theguardian.com
  Diplomats and family members stricken in Cuba and ChinaNew York Times says scientists agree ‘there’s something there’Doctors and scientists increasingly suspect attacks with microwave weapons are the cause of the mysterious ailments that have stricken more than three dozen American diplomats and family members in Cuba and China, the New York Times reported.Related: Cuban 'acoustic attack' report on US diplomats flawed, say neurologistsContinue reading...
  
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• Cardiff woman charged after 'explosives found in fridge'

  02-09-2018 18:13
  A woman has been charged with explosives and terror offences following a raid in Cardiff in which another man was held.Natalie Parsons, 51, was charged with two counts of making or possessing an explosive substance and possessing terrorist documents, after a raid on a house in the Ely area of Cardiff.Officers were reported to have found triacetone triperoxide (TATP) in the fridge of the home, and another explosive substance, hexamethylene triperoxide diamene (HMTD), in the garden shed.
  
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• Thousands protest in Russia against plans to hike pension age

  02-09-2018 18:08 via theguardian.com
  Vladimir Putin has called the reform a financial necessity as Communist party leader brands move ‘cannibalistic’Thousands of people across Russia joined protests on Sunday against government plans to raise the pension age, despite recent promises by President Vladimir Putin to soften the unpopular measure.The protests show that the proposed policy remains a politically sensitive issue for the government despite concessions offered by Putin in a televised address on Wednesday. During
  
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• Boat runs aground after saving dolphin photographer

  02-09-2018 18:04
  A boat has run aground rescuing a woman who had become stranded in the sea while trying to take photos of dolphins.The crew of the Gypsey Race dredger found her clinging to a wall in a harbour near Berwick Pier in Northumberland around 8.30am on Sunday.The walker was "in a dire situation and the crew undoubtedly saved her life" but then they "became an incident themselves", said the coastguard.
  
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• Chemnitz to host anti-racism gig as Germans urged to take a stand

  02-09-2018 17:45 via theguardian.com
  Foreign minister calls for citizens to become more active in fight against racismAn anti-racism rock concert will be held on Monday in an east German town where there have been far-right protests and violence, as Germany’s foreign minister urged people to take a stand against xenophobia.
  More than 27,000 people have registered their intent to attend the Wir sind mehr (There are more of us) concert in Chemnitz. The German punk band Die Toten Hosen, Kraftklub and the rappers Marteria and Cas
  
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• Cathy Newman Says She Was Sexually Harassed And Humiliated At Top Private School

  02-09-2018 17:41
  The Channel 4 News presenter Cathy Newman has said she was sexually harassed
  
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• Drone flown 'deliberately' towards light aircraft

  02-09-2018 17:40
  A drone was flown deliberately within 20 feet of a light aircraft, its pilot has claimed.It happened as the PA-31 twin-engined plane was coming in to land at RAF Northolt in west London on 11 June.The pilot "lost sight of" the drone under his plane's nose, a report from the UK Airprox Board (UKAB) said.
  
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• Michel Barnier trashes Theresa May's Chequers plan for Brexit as 'end' for EU

  02-09-2018 17:19
  The EU's chief negotiator has delivered his most withering condemnation yet of Theresa May's Brexit proposals, as he insisted accepting the plan would spell the "end" for the European project.As resistance to the prime minister's policy mounts in both the UK and Europe, Michel Barnier revealed why he is "strongly opposed" to her so-called Chequers strategy.The European Commission official also delivered a chilling warning for the UK car industry over its future after Brexit.
  
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• Teen Suffers Cardiac Arrest After Being Tasered By Police In Coventry

  02-09-2018 17:07
  A teenager suffered a cardiac arrest after being tasered by police in Coventry
  
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• MPs to decide whether to make misogyny a hate crime

  02-09-2018 17:04
  The amendment to the upskirting bill has been put forward by the Labour MP Stella Creasy.MPs will vote this week on whether to make misogyny a hate crime for the first time, as the campaign to compel police forces across the UK to recognise street harassment of women as a hate crime gathers momentum.The Labour MP Stella Creasy has put forward an amendment to the upskirting bill – due to be debated in the Commons this Wednesday – that would add misogyny as an aggravating factor in Eng
  
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• Lewis Hamilton wins Italian Grand Prix after early clash with Sebastian Vettel

  02-09-2018 17:01 via theguardian.com
  • Hamilton extends championship lead with win at Monza
  • Vettel and Hamilton come together on opening lapBefore the Italian Grand Prix began Lewis Hamilton had described the hostile atmosphere at Monza as a “snake pit”. By its close he stood atop the podium telling the partisan and booing crowd how he had revelled in drawing energy from their negativity. His positive spin was entirely understandable from a win that had looked almost unthinkable when he took to the grid unti
  
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• Pugs, acrobatics and crowded beaches: Sunday's best photos

  02-09-2018 16:47 via theguardian.com
  The Guardian’s picture editors bring you photo highlights from around the world Continue reading...
  
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• Use of isolation booths in schools criticised as 'barbaric' punishment

  02-09-2018 16:36
  More than 40 schools in England excluded at least 20% of their pupils in the last academic year.Parents have criticised the use of isolation booths at secondary schools across the country, after concerns were raised about the “zero-tolerance” behaviour policies run by some academy trusts.Guardian analysis found this week that 45 schools in England excluded at least 20% of their pupils in the last academic year.
  
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• 'Barbaric' school punishment of consequence rooms criticised by parents

  02-09-2018 16:36
  More than 40 schools in England excluded at least 20% of their pupils in the last academic year.Parents have criticised the use of isolation booths at secondary schools across the country, after concerns were raised about the “zero-tolerance” behaviour policies run by some academy trusts.Guardian analysis found this week that 45 schools in England excluded at least 20% of their pupils in the last academic year.
  
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• Qatar plans to invest billions of dollars in Germany - report

  02-09-2018 16:24
  Qatar plans to invest billions of dollars more in Germany and will broaden its focus to the country's medium-sized companies, business newspaper Handelsblatt said in a report due to be published on Monday.Citing diplomatic and company sources, the paper said that the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and private sector players would be looking at Germany's "Mittelstand" manufacturing companies."We see Germany as a key player in the world economy and are looking at the German market with great opt
  
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• Chanel shoes, but no salary: how one woman exposed the scandal of the French fashion industry

  02-09-2018 16:00 via theguardian.com
  A new book by academic Giulia Mensitieri, laying bare the working conditions of stylists and young designers, has sparked controversy. Will it lead to improved conditions for those forced to work for clothes vouchers instead of cash?Giulia Mensitieri takes little to no personal interest in clothes. So it is likely to have been an ugly surprise to the French fashion industry that her PhD – now a book entitled The Most Beautiful Job in the World – has opened up its secretive profession
  
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• 'Horror story': Richard Hammond 'gassed by burglars' in Saint Tropez

  02-09-2018 15:43
  Richard Hammond and his family believe they were gassed before being burgled while on holiday in the southeast of France.The 48-year-old presenter was staying in a villa in Saint-Tropez with his wife Mindy, teenage daughter and a group of friends when they were targeted by thieves.Describing the experience as a "horror story", Mindy told the Sunday Express how she almost came face to face with the night-time intruders.
  
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• 'I was like a lamb to the slaughter': deported after 35 years in the UK

  02-09-2018 15:34 via theguardian.com
  After visiting Jamaica for his sister’s funeral in 1998, Windrush victim Ivan Anglin was given two days to pack up his life
  For the past five weeks, Ivan Anglin has been waiting at his home in Mandeville, central Jamaica, for a letter from the British high commission in Kingston telling him whether or not he can return to England to see his daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Continue reading...
  
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• Philippines' Duterte shops for arms on controversial Israel trip

  02-09-2018 15:32 via theguardian.com
  Visit by president who once compared himself to Hitler marred by Holocaust remarksThe Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte, who once compared himself to Hitler and his bloody war on drugs to the Holocaust, will meet the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Monday on a first visit by a Filipino head of state to Israel.The hardline former mayor and prosecutor wants to buy weapons, after pivoting away from a previous reliance on US arms reduced by human rights concerns and diplomatic spa
  
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• Michel Barnier says he strongly opposes May's Brexit trade proposals

  02-09-2018 14:35
  Michael Barnier said the British offer on customs was illegal and the ‘common rulebook’ idea would kill the European project.Michel Barnier has said he is “strongly opposed” to the prime minister’s Chequers proposals on future trade, as he advised European car manufacturers that they will have to use fewer British-made parts after Brexit.In his most damning condemnation yet of the UK government’s plans, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator said the British o
  
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• Drone Flown Towards Light Aircraft ‘In An Attempt To Cause Collision'

  02-09-2018 14:35
  A drone was flown towards a light aircraft in a bid to cause a mid-air
  
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• Armed police fear impact of new colour blindness rules

  02-09-2018 14:19
  Men are much more likely than women to suffer from colour vision deficiency (CVD).Hundreds of firearms officers may have to lay down their weapons because of new rules designed to detect those who have problems with colour vision, says the organisation representing them.One officer is already taking court action over the new tests for colour vision deficiency (CVD), or colour blindness.
  
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• Brown: Anti-Semitism rules 'stain must be removed'

  02-09-2018 14:12
  Gordon Brown has said the Labour party must adopt the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism in full, saying it would be a "stain removed".The former prime minister called for a comprehensive strategy against anti-Semitism in a London speech, saying it was "not just a procedural issue but about the soul of the party".The former chief rabbi told BBC1's Andrew Marr programme that unless the Labour leader "expresses clear remorse" for comments made about British Zionists in 2013, he posed "as great a dan
  
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• Former chief rabbi claims Jeremy Corbyn is an anti-Semite

  02-09-2018 14:10
  Lord Sacks says Jeremy Corbyn's remarks about Zionists were "the most offensive statement since the rivers of blood speech".
  
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• May stands firm on her Brexit plan, but scepticism persists

  02-09-2018 14:09
  Prime Minister Theresa May said she would not allow compromises to her Brexit strategy that went against the national interest, seeking to allay fears among some in her Conservative Party that she will cave in to Brussels' demands in negotiations.With under two months before Britain and the European Union want to agree a deal to end over 40 years of union, May is struggling to sell what she calls her business-friendly Brexit to her own party and across a divided country."I will not be pushed int
  
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• Teenager sprayed in face with 'unknown substance' in Bristol

  02-09-2018 13:47
  A 16-year-old boy has been seriously injured after an unknown substance in a bottle was sprayed in his face.The incident happened close to a Pizza Express restaurant, off Merlin Road, at Cribbs Causeway, at around 8.45pm on Saturday.Detective Inspector Richard Marsh said: "This is a very concerning incident in which a bottle containing an unknown substance, possibly a type of corrosive, has been sprayed into the face of a teenage boy.
  
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• Zoo gorillas 'face castration so they are easier to keep'

  02-09-2018 13:14
  Dozens of young male gorillas in UK and European zoos face being castrated as part of a plan to make them more manageable, reports say.Scientists apparently want them to develop more like "butch" females instead of turning into "silverback" mature males which are very strong and can be aggressive and difficult to look after.As the young males get older they start to challenge their fathers and have to be kept separately or in bachelor groups which can create more problems with how they are manag
  
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• Brexit: David Davis warns May over further concessions to EU

  02-09-2018 12:56
  David Davis has criticised Theresa May for admitting she would have to make compromises to the EU beyond the Chequers agreement in order to achieve a Brexit deal, and said he could not vote for what has been proposed because it was worse than staying in.The former Brexit secretary was speaking on the BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show after the prime minister had said in a column for a Sunday newspaper that she would “not be pushed into accepting compromises” on Chequers that are &ldqu
  
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• Salmond crowdfunding could put off victims, say campaigners

  02-09-2018 12:42
  Alex Salmond argued the complaints process breached his rights of confidentiality and to due process.Women’s rights campaigners have warned that Alex Salmond’s crowdfunding appeal could discourage other victims of sexual assault from coming forward.Rape Crisis Scotland and Scottish Women’s Aid said the former first minister’s use of his fame and power to raise £100,000 for his legal expenses risked making it even harder for women to come forward.
  
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• Salmond crowdfunding 'could put off sexual assault victims'

  02-09-2018 12:42
  Alex Salmond denies harassment and says the complaints process breached his right to confidentiality.Women’s rights campaigners have warned that Alex Salmond’s crowdfunding appeal could discourage alleged victims of sexual assault from coming forward.Rape Crisis Scotland and Scottish Women’s Aid said the former first minister’s use of his fame and power to raise £100,000 for his legal expenses risked making it even harder for women to come forward.
  
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• Cork Shark Attack: Belfast Man Suffers Serious Arm Injury While Deep-Sea Fishing

  02-09-2018 12:26
  A Belfast man was bitten by blue shark while fishing off the coast of Cork on
  
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• WPP understood to be in talks with Mark Read about £7m pay package

  02-09-2018 12:15
  Mark Read could be confirmed as WPP’s new boss as soon as Tuesday.WPP is understood to be in talks with its new boss, Mark Read, about a pay package worth about £7m annually if he is able to successfully turn around the fortunes of the world’s largest marketing services agency.If the terms are agreed, Read, who could be confirmed as WPP’s chief executive as soon as Tuesday, will be in line to receive about half of what his predecessor, Sir Martin Sorrell, earned in his la
  
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• Rise in prison staff smuggling banned items into jails

  02-09-2018 11:59
  The number of staff bringing banned items into jails has risen by 58% since 2012, figures reveal.Last year 71 prison staff were caught smuggling goods into the jails where they worked, compared with 45 in 2012, according to official data obtained by the Observer newspaper.The Ministry of Justice figures show in the last six years more than 340 people have undergone disciplinary or judiciary proceedings for bringing in drugs, mobile phones or other contraband items.
  
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• May says Britain will not compromise over Brexit plan

  02-09-2018 11:36
  Prime Minister Theresa May said she would not compromise with Brussels over her plans for Brexit as a media report said rivals in her party were set to publish their own proposal calling for a cleaner break with the European Union.With under two months before Britain and the EU want to agree a deal to end over 40 years of union, May is struggling to sell what she calls her business-friendly Brexit to her own party and across a divided country.The EU has tentatively welcomed what has become known
  
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• Denmark sows seeds of discontent over Brexit | Stewart Lee

  02-09-2018 11:00 via theguardian.com
  There has never been a worse time for Britain to be shut out of the sperm loopIt was Andrew Rawnsley’s column in last week’s Observer that first made me aware of the danger a no-deal Brexit would pose to British sperm supplies. Up to 50% of our sperm is imported into the United Kingdom from Denmark alone, its cross-border movement currently micro-managed by EU organ and tissue directives, but now red tape may leave fresh sperm rotting at customs.The sperm shortage sounds, initially,
  
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• Tommy Robinson and the editor: how a newspaper ‘sows division’ where Jo Cox died

  02-09-2018 10:39 via theguardian.com
  Danny Lockwood’s outspoken editorials and his meeting with Tommy Robinson have split opinion in Batley, home town of murdered MP Jo CoxIn the centre of Batley stands Jo Cox House, named after the MP murdered by a rightwing extremist during the EU referendum campaign. For many in the West Yorkshire town it stands as a reminder of the perils of extremism and the need for unity. Close by stand the offices of the town’s weekly newspaper, whose editor and proprietor is accused of aggravat
  
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