General news

• NovaSAR: UK satellites launched to track illegal logging and shipping

  16-09-2018 23:48
  Two new British satellites have been successfully launched into low earth orbit to demonstrate the latest technology for monitoring both land and sea.On board the same rocket, the NovaSAR-1 radar satellite and the S1-4 high-definition optical satellite, both developed and manufactured by a firm based in Surrey, blasted off from a space centre in India.Luis Gomes, chief technology officer of Surrey Satellite Technology, which developed the satellites, told Sky News: "It takes advantage of the tec
  
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• Seven hurt, one critically, in brawl in southeast English town

  16-09-2018 23:13
  Seven people were being treated in hospital, one of them in a critical condition, after they were involved in a fight in a residential street in the southeastern English town of Luton on Sunday, police said.Police said on Twitter that they attended the scene after receiving reports of a large number of individuals fighting.
  
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• Salisbury restaurant cordoned off by police after pair taken ill

  16-09-2018 23:07
  A Prezzo restaurant in Salisbury has been closed and cordoned off by police after a man and woman were taken ill.Officers, who described it as a "medical incident", were called by the ambulance service.The intensive care unit at Salisbury District Hospital is on standby to receive the patients, Sky News correspondent Tom Parmenter said.
  
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• Tony Hall: regulate video streaming services or risk 'killing off' UK content

  16-09-2018 23:00
  Tony Hall, the BBC’s director general, will also argue that global streaming companies are not investing as much in British productions.The BBC’s director general, Tony Hall, will call this week for video streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon to be regulated to the same extent as the UK’s traditional broadcasters – or else risk killing off distinctive British content.“It cannot be right that the UK’s media industry is competing against global giants wi
  
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• Two people fall ill in restaurant in poison attack city - UK police

  16-09-2018 22:17
  Two people fell ill on Sunday when eating in a restaurant in Salisbury, the English city where former Russian agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned in March, police said.Police were called to the Prezzo restaurant in the evening in response to a "medical incident" involving a man and a woman, Wiltshire Police said in a statement.Britain has said Russian officers used the nerve agent Novichok to attack the Skripals.
  
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• Ex-UK soldier facing seven-year jail sentence in Turkey begs for government's help

  16-09-2018 21:19
  A former British soldier facing jail in Turkey for allegedly fighting with Kurdish forces against IS has issued a plea for help from the UK government.Joe Robinson was arrestedwhile on holiday in Turkeylast year for allegedly fighting alongside the People's Protection Units of Syrian Kurdistan (YPG) in Syria.Turkey is hostile to the YPG because of its links with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which is fighting for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey.
  
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• Salisbury Town Centre Cordoned Off After Two People Fall Ill In Restaurant

  16-09-2018 21:04
  A section of Salisbury town centre has been cordoned off after two people were
  
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• Novichok Ruled Out After Two People Fall Ill In Salisbury

  16-09-2018 21:04
  A section of Salisbury town centre was cordoned off after two people were
  
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• Andrew Murray, Jeremy Corbyn Aide, Barred From Ukraine Over 'Links To Putin Propaganda Network'

  16-09-2018 20:58
  One of Jeremy Corbyn's top aides has been barred from entering the Ukraine
  
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• British cyclist Simon Yates wins Spain's La Vuelta Grand Tour

  16-09-2018 20:37
  British cyclist Simon Yates has won Spain's multi-stage La Vuelta Grand Tour following Sunday's final stage from Alcorcon to Madrid.It means British riders have claimed a clean sweep of this year's Grand Tours, after Geraint Thomas won the Tour de France and Chris Froome triumphed in the Giro d'Italia.
  
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• Former British solider facing jail in Turkey says he was in Syria as a medic

  16-09-2018 20:26
  A former British soldier facing jail in Turkey for allegedly fighting with Kurdish forces against IS has told Sky News he worked as a combat medic, helping to treat injured civilians.Joe Robinson was arrested while on holiday in Turkey last year for allegedly fighting alongside the People's Protection Units of Syrian Kurdistan (YPG) in Syria.Turkey is hostile to the YPG because of its links with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which is fighting for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey.
  
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• What is the new UK poverty measure – and why is it needed?

  16-09-2018 20:00
  The Social Metrics Commission (SMC) set out to develop a poverty indicator that goes beyond a simple measure of people’s relative income by taking into account core living costs such as housing, childcare and the extra costs of disability.The existing measure, which sets the poverty line at 60% of median UK income, was abolished as an official measure in 2015 by the Conservative government (although it has been retained in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland).It produced paradoxical outco
  
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• New study finds 4.5 million UK children living in poverty

  16-09-2018 20:00
  The government abolished child poverty targets in 2015.More than 14 million people, including 4.5 million children, are living below the breadline, with more than half trapped in poverty for years, according to a new measure aimed at providing the most sophisticated analysis yet of material disadvantage in the UK.It finds poverty is especially prevalent in families with at least one disabled person, single-parent families, and households where no one works or that are dependent for income on irr
  
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• Gove criticised for refusing to condemn Hungary's Viktor Orbán

  16-09-2018 19:48
  Michael Gove has come under fire for repeatedly refusing to condemn Viktor Orbán, as the Tories faced a backlash for opposing European censure of the Hungarian prime minister.The environment secretary said he was “not going to be drawn” into giving an assessment of individual leaders after Conservative MEPs opposed a motion against Hungary in the European parliament earlier this week.The party was criticised by Muslim and Jewish groups, who said Orbán had presided over
  
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• Convicted ex-British soldier says he was in Syria to provide aid

  16-09-2018 19:45
  Convicted ex-British soldier says he was in Syria to provide aid
  
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• Discounted admission tickets for over-60s 'are unfair to young'

  16-09-2018 19:02
  Stonehenge is one of only four British attractions to raise concession threshold to the state pension age.More than three-quarters of museums, galleries and other attractions in the UK are giving £65m of ticket-price concessions to the over-60s every year, while in many cases young people are charged full-price tickets, according to a study.People over 60 are offered concessions regardless of their ability to pay and even when they are below the state pension age, according to the Intergen
  
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• Novichok Suspects 'Have Anything To With Putin', Says Russia

  16-09-2018 18:57
  The two suspects in the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal have nothing to
  
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• Future PM 'could change UK's relationship with EU', says Michael Gove

  16-09-2018 18:43
  Theresa May's Brexit plan is the "right one for now" but a future prime minister could still alter Britain's relationship with the EU,Michael Gove has said.The environment secretary and prominent Brexiteer has admitted having to modify some of his beliefs to accommodate the PM's approach but said it was important to leave the EU "in good order" with a deal that "safeguards the referendum mandate".With time running out to secure a deal, Mr Gove said the onus was on the EU to compromise "because w
  
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• Florals and lace dominate at Preen, Roland Mouret fashion shows

  16-09-2018 18:30
  Fashionistas can expect soft feminine looks for their wardrobes next spring, with labels Preen by Thornton Bregazzi and Roland Mouret showing plenty of ruffles and lace at their London Fashion Week shows on Sunday.Preen designer duo Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi used floral prints for their spring/summer 2019 dresses, which came in various styles.Models wore one-shoulder ruffled dresses in lace as well as silk frocks with voluminous shoulders and sleeves.
  
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• Sinn Fein leader: Brexit makes Irish unity 'a more imminent reality'

  16-09-2018 18:28
  Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald says Brexit makes Irish unity a "more imminent reality" than ever before.Ms McDonald accused Boris Johnson in particular of being "deliberately provocative" and "grossly irresponsible" about the peace process.Ms McDonald, who succeeded Gerry Adams as Sinn Fein president six months ago, believes Brexit, among other issues, will lead to a referendum on Irish unity.
  
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• Commonwealth Games 2022 'could bankrupt' Birmingham

  16-09-2018 18:14
  Birmingham’s dire financial situation is not being helped by its hosting of the next Commonwealth Games, says Councillor Meirion Jenkins.Birmingham city council is facing stark warnings that hosting the Commonwealth Games could bankrupt the city due to the perilous nature of its finances.The city is due to host the Games in four years but an audit report has revealed an £84m hole in its budget at a time when vast sums of its emergency reserves have been spent.
  
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• Theresa May's Brexit plan the 'right one for now', says Michael Gove

  16-09-2018 18:12
  Theresa May's Brexit plan is the "right one for now" but a future prime minister could still alter Britain's relationship with the EU,Michael Gove has said.The environment secretary and prominent Brexiteer has admitted having to modify some of his beliefs to accommodate the PM's approach but said it was important to leave the EU "in good order" with a deal that "safeguards the referendum mandate".With time running out to secure a deal, Mr Gove said the onus was on the EU to compromise "because w
  
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• Sir Vince Cable admits 'regret' coalition austerity policies may have led to Brexit vote

  16-09-2018 17:44
  Sir Vince Cable has admitted his "regret" the austerity policies of the coalition government may have led to the Brexit vote he is fighting to overturn.The Liberal Democrat leader, who was business secretary for the duration of the Tory-Lib Dem administration, confessed a "massive cutback" in public investment prolonged the "decay" of some UK communities.A decade on from the 2008 financial crisis, which preceded the 2010-15 coalition government, Sir Vince attacked a lack of capital spending in t
  
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• Michael Gove Refuses To Condemn Hungary's 'Anti-Semitic' Leader Viktor Orban

  16-09-2018 17:34
  Michael Gove has refused to condemn Viktor Orban, as the Conservatives faced a
  
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• Economic justice is the very bedrock of Christian faith

  16-09-2018 17:29
  The archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. ‘Welby’s authority to speak out about economic justice derives from the work the church has done on the ground, in food banks across the country,’ writes Jane Middleton.Might it have occurred to Simon Jenkins (God aside, for whom does Welby speak?, 14 September) and others that a possible reason for decline in Church of England attendance might have something to do with the church not being radical enough?Justin Welby is right to exami
  
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• Kremlin says Skripal poisoning suspects have nothing to do with Putin - Ifax

  16-09-2018 17:26
  The two suspects in the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal have nothing to do with Russian President Vladimir Putin or the government, a Kremlin spokesman was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying on Sunday.Britain has charged two Russian men, identified as Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, with attempting to murder Skripal and his daughter Yulia by spraying a chemical weapon on Skripal's front door in the southern English city of Salisbury in March.
  
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• If Boris Johnson’s wife can’t trust him, how can we?

  16-09-2018 17:21
  Boris Johnson and wife Marina Wheeler after he held his Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat in June 2017’s general election.• Re Jennifer Henley’s letter (14 September), I actually wrote both letters but reversed the order of the signatures in what was probably a misguided attempt to assure Guardian readers that ours is an equal household, or so Christine has led me to believe.• Can Catherine Roome (Perfect hot chocolate without a machine, Letters, 15 September) please tell me
  
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• Google Search Data On Brexit Reveals Worrying Trend Amongst UK Voters

  16-09-2018 17:13
  Brexit has dominated the political agenda since Britain voted to leave but it
  
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• Labour trying to 'frustrate' Brexit process after second referendum call, Tories claim

  16-09-2018 16:42
  Labour is "only interested in frustrating" Brexit and is attempting to delay the UK's departure from the EU,the Conservatives have claimed.A day after shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry suggested Labour would likely vote against any Brexit deal Theresa May secures with Brussels, London mayor Sadiq Khan proposed a new referendum with the option to remain in the EU.The call was described as "interesting and troubling" by Environment Secretary Michael Gove, while Conservative Party chair Bra
  
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• Sunday Shows Round-Up: Khan's Call For A People's Vote, Faith In May's Leadership And Labour's Bid For Business

  16-09-2018 16:37
  As the Lib Dems kicked off annual conference season, one topic of conversation
  
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• Ruth Davidson praised after talking openly about mental health issues

  16-09-2018 16:31
  Ruth Davidson, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, is currently pregnant with her first child.The Scottish Conservative leader, Ruth Davidson, has been praised by mental health experts, campaigners and MPs for talking openly about self-harming and having suicidal thoughts as a teenager.Davidson, who is pregnant with her first child, talked about going into “a total tailspin” after a boy she knew committed suicide.
  
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• UK weather: Storm Helene approaches with 70mph gusts

  16-09-2018 16:13
  Parts of Britain could see wind gusts of up to 70mph this week, as Storm Helene hits the country.Travel services are likely to be disrupted and some places could see trees uprooted by strong winds between 6pm Monday and 8am Tuesday, forecasters say.The Met Office has issued a yellow warning - which means "be aware" - covering the north of England, Northern Ireland, the south west of Scotland and Lothian Borders, Strathclyde, Yorkshire and Humber, Wales and the south west of England.
  
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• Lib Dems must 'own failures' of coalition, says Jo Swinson

  16-09-2018 15:56
  The Liberal Democrats must “own the failures” of the coalition government, the party’s deputy leader, Jo Swinson, has said, citing the “hostile environment”, the bedroom tax and NHS changes as policies she particularly regreted.Swinson, a former business minister tipped as a future leader, said the party had inflicted too high a price on the poorest in society in an attempt to cut the deficit.“I’m proud of what we achieved, but I’m not naive or bli
  
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• Sadiq Khan's Brexit referendum call 'troubling', says Michael Gove

  16-09-2018 15:24
  Holding a referendum on the final Brexit deal would be a "profound mistake", Michael Gove has said.The environment secretary hit out at Sadiq Khan, who broke ranks from official Labour policy to call for another vote on leaving the EU.Mr Gove called the suggestion "interesting and troubling" and warned seeing it through would be a "profound mistake".
  
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• Irish media’s cosy ties to politics and money require scrutiny

  16-09-2018 15:00
  The worlds of journalism and politics are inextricably linked.Despite the supposed antagonism between the two spheres, Britain’s parliament is peopled by scores of journalists and there are plenty of would-be politicians in newsrooms waiting their chance to make the switch.In Ireland, for example, the journalist Geraldine Kennedy successfully stood for the Dáil and, after a later defeat, returned to journalism, becoming the editor of the Irish Times.
  
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• British cyclist Simon Yates about to win Spain's La Vuelta

  16-09-2018 14:51
  British cyclist Simon Yates is certain to win Spain's La Vuelta after retaining the red jersey ahead of today's processional final stage.Team Sky's Chris Froome is the current holder of the Giro d'Italia title and his teammate Geraint Thomas won the Tour de France.Yates's win will also be the fifth consecutive victory for a British cyclist in a Grand Tour event, as Chris Froome was the previous winner of La Vuelta and the Tour.
  
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• London mayor calls for second Brexit referendum

  16-09-2018 14:48
  London mayor Sadiq Khan has called for another referendum on Britain's European Union membership, saying the prime minister's handling of Brexit negotiations had become "mired in confusion and deadlock" and was leading the country down a damaging path.Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29.May has repeatedly ruled out a second referendum.
  
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• Burglars steal ashes from 83-year-old widow's house in Greenwich

  16-09-2018 14:17
  A dead man's ashes have been stolen after two men conned their way into an 83-year-old widow's home, the Met Police have said.The ashes were contained in a heart-shaped silver locket and heart-shaped box which were snatched from the home in Greenwich, southeast London, along with the woman's wedding ring.Detective Constable Robert Costigan said: "This is a particularly harrowing crime that targeted a vulnerable member of our society.
  
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• Chequers deal could be undone after Britain leaves EU, claims Gove

  16-09-2018 13:34
  Michael Gove told The Andrew Marr Show the UK had shown flexibility in its negotiations with the EU.MPs could undo the Chequers deal once the UK has left the EU, Michael Gove has claimed, saying the prime minister’s proposal was the “right one for now”.The environment secretary, a prominent Brexiter, has regularly made a similar case in private to MPs, urging them to back May to see through Britain’s exit rather than risk an impasse in parliament or a general election.
  
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• Bad vibes in Glastonbury: town may hire security firm to tackle crime

  16-09-2018 13:13
  Shopkeepers and residents in Glastonbury are considering hiring a private security company to patrol the Somerset town and counter the problem of violent and antisocial behaviour.Glastonbury is famed across the world for its peace-loving, alternative vibe, as well as its music festival, but the local police and town council accept there has been an outbreak of crime and bad behaviour.Some residents have said they are so worried that they shun the High Street at certain times while visitors have
  
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• Middle-class 'consume more drugs and alcohol' than poorest

  16-09-2018 12:28
  Middle-class people consume more alcohol and illegal drugs than those living below the poverty line, according to a report by a cross-party group of academics and campaigners.The report, compiled by the Social Metrics Commission, compared the circumstances of those living above and below the poverty line.It also found 22% had taken illegal drugs, 9% higher than less well-off people.
  
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• Middle-class 'consume more drugs and alcohol' than poorer people

  16-09-2018 12:28
  Middle-class people consume more alcohol and illegal drugs than those living below the poverty line, according to a report by a cross-party group of academics and campaigners.The report, compiled by the Social Metrics Commission, compares the circumstances of those living above and below the poverty line.It also found that 22% had taken illegal drugs, 9% higher than less well-off people.
  
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• London Fashion Week: Why Alexa Chung has 'imposter syndrome'

  16-09-2018 12:00 via bbc.co.uk
  The former TV presenter and model discusses her first London Fashion Week collection.
  
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• London mayor calls for second referendum on Brexit

  16-09-2018 11:44
  London mayor Sadiq Khan has called for another referendum on Britain's European Union membership, saying the prime minister's handling of Brexit negotiations had become "mired in confusion and deadlock" and was leading the country down a damaging path.Britain is due to leave the European Union on March 29.
  
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• Liz Hurley 'gets Amazon payout after dog run over'

  16-09-2018 11:36
  Elizabeth Hurley has reportedly received a payout from Amazon after her dog was run over by a delivery driver's van.The actress's two-year-old labrador Hector was said to have suffered a collapsed lung and broken leg when he was hit outside her home in Herefordshire in December.Hurley's sister Katie told the Mail on Sunday: "(Elizabeth) had organised for the walker to take him out with two of our other dogs, and then the next I heard was Hector howling.
  
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• Lib Dems: Tax wealth to create £100bn 'citizen's fund'

  16-09-2018 11:16 via bbc.co.uk
  The fund could be built up through wealth taxes and the sale of assets, leader Sir Vince Cable says.
  
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• Dwarf wrestling organiser 'suing cancelled venues'

  16-09-2018 11:09
  Organisers of a controversial dwarf wrestling event are suing some venues which backed out of hosting the show, according to reports.The Extreme Dwarfanators Wrestling Show had been due to take place in Leicester, Dorset and Devizes as part of a UK tour, but the venues cancelled after public criticism.The Restricted Growth Association described it as a "freak show" that was "primarily about encouraging audiences to laugh at people with dwarfism and the spectacle of violence against dwarf bodies
  
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• The kind of unity Ireland needs isn’t about territory – it is about people

  16-09-2018 09:59
  There is no doubt that the supporters of Brexit, avowed unionists all, have done more to advance the cause of a united Ireland than the IRA ever managed in 30 years of terrible violence.The simplest way to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, after all, is to have no border at all.Northern Ireland voted against Brexit and will be very deeply and adversely affected by it.
  
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• Ruth Davidson rules out Conservative leadership 'for sake of relationship'

  16-09-2018 09:50
  The Scottish Conservatives leader Ruth Davidson has ruled out taking the party's top job for the sake of her relationship and mental health.The pregnant 39-year-old revealed in an interview with The Sunday Times that she self-harmed and had suicidal thoughts when she was younger.Ms Davidson's popularity and electoral success has seen her frequently tipped as a future Conservatives leader.
  
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• Where Is Fan Bingbing? How China’s Most Famous Actress Suddenly Disappeared

  16-09-2018 08:00
  It's been almost 80 days since actress Fan Bingbing disappeared.
  
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