General news

• Boris Johnson says Britain should use aid to pursue national priorities

  30-09-2018 23:54
  Boris Johnson, Britain's former foreign secretary, on Sunday called on the government to use its international aid budget to focus on national priorities amid speculation about whether he will challenge Prime Minister Theresa May.Johnson, who left the government during the summer over his opposition to May's Brexit plans and is the bookmakers' favourite to replace her, has declined to say whether he would challenge her for the leadership.
  
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• Lost something? Police may no longer help you

  30-09-2018 23:32
  Every police force in England and Wales is no longer dealing with lost property so officers have more time to fight crime.Services such as ReportMyLoss.com store lost property reports on a database which can be accessed by police forces - "increasing the chances of lost items being identified and returned whilst decreasing the chances of associated criminality".South Yorkshire Police says it receives 11,000 reports of lost property per year - 4,000 over the phone - even though such incidents are
  
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• Nigel Farage should have led the Brexit talks - Tory MP

  30-09-2018 23:22
  Nigel Farage should have been given a peerage and appointed chief Brexit negotiator after Britain voted to leave the EU, a Conservative MP has said.Wellingborough MP Peter Bone hailed the former UKIP leader, and insisted that "we would have been out by now" if Mr Farage had been leading talks with the EU.Speaking at a Leave Means Leave rally in Solihull - just 20 minutes from the official Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham - Mr Bone and Mr Farage joined forces with other prominent Brexi
  
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• 43 police forces in England and Wales to stop dealing with lost property

  30-09-2018 23:22
  Every police force in England and Wales is no longer dealing with lost property so officers have more time to fight crime.Services such as ReportMyLoss.com store lost property reports on a database which can be accessed by police forces - "increasing the chances of lost items being identified and returned whilst decreasing the chances of associated criminality".South Yorkshire Police says it receives 11,000 reports of lost property per year - 4,000 over the phone - even though such incidents are
  
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• Parliament and EU will reject May's Brexit plan - UK lawmaker Rees-Mogg

  30-09-2018 21:24
  Leading Eurosceptic lawmaker Jacob Rees-Mogg on Sunday predicted that neither the British parliament or the European Union would accept Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plan, and that leaving the bloc without an exit deal should hold no fear."The (opposition) Labour Party doesn't like it and will vote against it.The Conservative Party doesn't seem to like it and we will vote against it, and the EU won't accept it," Rees-Mogg told a pro-Brexit rally at the Conservative Party's annual conferenc
  
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• Tory conference: Brandon Lewis forgets Appgate amid bid for young voters

  30-09-2018 21:18
  The UK’s Conservative party chair, Brandon Lewis, gives a speech at the 2018 conference.James Brokenshire also failed to attend a fringe event on dealing with disasters and emergencies.Not even the communities minister had an answer to the disaster that this year’s Tory party conference in Birmingham is shaping up to be.
  
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• Boris Johnson Allies Warn Theresa May: We 'Don't Want To Change You', But You Must Dump Chequers

  30-09-2018 21:12
  Close allies of Boris Johnson have issued an ominous warning to Theresa May to
  
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• In Pictures: Watch how people responded to this ‘mountain gorilla’ on the loose

  30-09-2018 21:06
  Uganda Tourism UK brought the special visitor to a UK wildlife and travel show.
  
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• Long Lartin prison: six officers injured in disturbance

  30-09-2018 20:45
  HMP Long Lartin holds more than 500 prisoners, including some of the country’s most dangerous offenders.Six prison officers have been injured after inmates tried to take over a wing of a high-security prison in Worcestershire on Sunday.Specially trained anti-riot officers were sent to HMP Long Lartin to deal with the situation after disorder broke out at around 9.30am.
  
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• Prince William visits British troops in Kenya, trains with them

  30-09-2018 20:14
  Prince William visited British troops in Kenya on Sunday, participating in a training exercise north of the capital Nairobi.The second in the line to the throne - who served in the British military from 2006-2013 ending his career as a Royal Air Force rescue helicopter pilot - visited in combat fatigues in his role as Colonel General of the Irish Guards, a British Army infantry unit."For us today is really about an Irish guards officer visiting the Irish guards in his capacity as colonel of the
  
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• UK's Hunt to Brussels - Punishing Britain will damage EU

  30-09-2018 20:09
  Foreign minister Jeremy Hunt told the European Union on Sunday that punishing Britain in Brexit talks would fuel the desire of other states to break away, in a speech aimed at uniting Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative Party against Brussels.Hunt's address to the party's annual conference in Birmingham was immediately seen by members and media as a claim to be considered a candidate to replace May if her leadership falters over a seemingly intractable Brexit process.Seeking to unify a par
  
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• As Brexit divisions widen, PM May challenges Brexit critics

  30-09-2018 20:09
  Prime Minister Theresa May called on her party on Sunday to unite behind her plan to leave the European Union, making a direct appeal to critics by saying their desire for a free trade deal was at the heart of her Brexit proposals.At the start of what is set to be one of the Conservative Party's stormiest annual conferences, May's plans were once again attacked by two former ministers, with her ex-foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, calling them "deranged".Just six months before Britain is due to
  
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• Eurosceptic UK lawmaker Patel says cannot accept PM's Brexit plan

  30-09-2018 20:07
  BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuters) - Eurosceptic lawmaker Priti Patel said on Sunday Britain should not accept Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plan and, if necessary, be ready to leave the European Union without a deal.
  
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• Conference at a glance: Hunt's leadership zeal and Johnson's bridge too far

  30-09-2018 20:00
  Foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt gives a speech at the Conservative party conference.The former foreign secretary might have hoped his pre-conference interview with the Sunday Times would dominate the first day.
  
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• Hunt says Tory rebels risk no Brexit

  30-09-2018 19:55
  Faisal Islam analyses Jeremy Hunt's speech; the foreign minister suggested Party rebels risked jeopardising Brexit altogether.
  
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• Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt compares EU to 'prison' of Soviet Union

  30-09-2018 19:52
  Jeremy Hunt has compared the EU to the "prison" of the Soviet Union as it tries to prevent member states from leaving.In a notable speech at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, the foreign secretary warned Brussels against rejecting the "hand of friendship" offered by Theresa May.
  
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• Watch Theresa May Death Stare Andrew Marr During Insanely Awkward Closing Credits

  30-09-2018 19:50
  The closing credits of a political talk show is usually the time for a bit of
  
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• Flawed reporting on antisemitism claims against the Labour party

  30-09-2018 19:42
  The recent report by the Media Reform Coalition examining coverage of Labour’s revised code of conduct on antisemitism shows that we are right to be concerned.In relation to the IHRA definition of antisemitism that was at the heart of the dispute, the research found evidence of “overwhelming source imbalance” in which critics of Labour’s code of conduct dominated coverage, with nearly 50% of Guardian reports, for example, failing to include any quotes from those defending
  
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• Standing with the Stansted 15 activists

  30-09-2018 19:41
  The trial of the Stansted 15 begins on Monday. Photograph: Chris Radburn/PA
  
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• Gove backs PM's plan, snubs Johnson's proposals

  30-09-2018 19:37
  Britain's environment minister, Michael Gove, one of the ruling Conservative Party's highest-profile Brexit campaigners, threw his weight on Sunday behind Prime Minister Theresa May's strategy to leave the European Union, dismissing a rival proposal by his former ally Boris Johnson.On the first day of the governing Conservatives' annual conference the divisions over the EU that have hampered the party for decades were on show - with Johnson, who quit as foreign secretary in July over May's Brexi
  
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• Theresa May refuses to apologise over ‘hostile environment’ scandal

  30-09-2018 19:01
  Theresa May has refused to apologise for her “hostile environment” immigration policy, although she conceded that members of the Windrush generation had become wrongly entangled, sometimes at the cost of their own lives.The prime minister said the policy was intended to identify illegal immigrants and said it would remain, even though thousands of people who were British citizens had their right to remain in the country and use healthcare, housing and other public services questioned
  
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• Grenfell-Type Cladding To Be Banned In New Tower Blocks, James Brokenshire To Announce

  30-09-2018 18:37
  The use of combustible cladding is to be banned on all new residential
  
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• Extending Article 50 would not make Brexit issues easier to solve - Clark

  30-09-2018 18:26
  BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuters) - Business minister Greg Clark said on Sunday he did not think Britain should extend Article 50 to delay the country's exit from the European Union as it would not make the outstanding Brexit issues easier to solve.
  
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• EU disrespect to May 'beyond the pale', says UK trade minister

  30-09-2018 18:26
  The European Union's "taunting" of Prime Minister Theresa May at a summit in Salzburg this month was "beyond the pale", British trade minister Liam Fox said on Sunday.EU leaders rejected May's so-called Chequers Brexit proposals at the summit in Austria, saying she needed to give ground on trade and customs arrangements for the UK border with Ireland.British newspapers widely viewed some of the comments by European leaders as insulting, especially one social media post by European Council Presid
  
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• Kanye West’s name change inevitably became a meme

  30-09-2018 18:03
  ‘I’m crouchye.’
  
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• Europe reclaims Ryder Cup after beating US in France

  30-09-2018 17:57
  Europe's golfers have won back the Ryder Cup after beating the US team at the Golf National course near Paris.Italian Francesco Molinari, who became the first European player to contribute a maximum five points from his five matches, sealed the victory.Moments earlier, Europe's Ryder Cup talisman, Ian Poulter, had beaten Dustin Johnson, the world number one, leaving captain Thomas Bjorn's team poised for victory after an early American fightback.
  
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• Digital detox expert on smartphone tips

  30-09-2018 17:56
  Digital detox expert on smartphone tips
  
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• Royal Navy's amphibious ships won't be scrapped or sold, says defence secretary

  30-09-2018 17:54
  The UK's two amphibious ships, HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, won't be scrapped or sold, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has announced.Speculation that the Ministry of Defence would get rid of one or both of the ships to save money was controversial and resulted in a widespread media campaign led by senior veterans.The Royal Navy describes their role as delivering "the punch of the Royal Marines ashore by air and by sea, with boats from the landing dock in the belly of the ship and by assault he
  
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• Why social media can be damaging for young people

  30-09-2018 17:46
  There should be official guidelines about how social media is used by children amid fears over how it impacts their mental health, says the Health and Social Care Secretary.Matt Hancock said he was "very worried" by the growing evidence of the detrimental effect on the health of young people.While there are no official time limit guidelines on social media, a study last year found watching television for more than three hours each day is associated with poorer language skills in 11-year-old chil
  
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• Children's lack of sleep is 'hidden health crisis', experts say

  30-09-2018 17:08
  Technology has contributed to the rise in sleeplessness.Thousands of children and teenagers face a mounting sleeplessness crisis, with the number of admissions to hospital of young people with sleep disorders rising sharply in six years, the Guardian can reveal.Experts have described the problem as a hidden public health disaster, putting the surge down to a combination of exploding obesity levels, excessive use of social media before bedtime and a mental health crisis engulfing young people.
  
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• Grenfell survivors welcome outright ban on combustible cladding

  30-09-2018 17:04
  The change to building regulations is a major upheaval for the building industry.Survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire have welcomed an outright ban on the use of combustible cladding materials 15 months after the disaster, saying it is “the first signal we are being heard” by ministers.James Brokenshire, the secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, is expected to announce on Monday that the kind of panels and insulation that burned so ferociously on 14 June 2
  
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• Trade minister Fox says Britain must stop re-fighting the Brexit referendum

  30-09-2018 17:03
  Trade Minister Liam Fox said on Sunday it was time to stop arguing about the outcome of Britain's 2016 decision to leave the European Union and that the country was facing a crucial few months."We must stop re-fighting the referendum and come together to honour the democratic will of the British people or we will risk undermining faith in that democratic system itself," Fox told the Conservative Party annual conference in Birmingham.
  
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• Canada-style Brexit deal would make things more difficult for business - Clark

  30-09-2018 17:03
  A Canada-style Brexit deal with the European Union would make things harder for businesses by creating friction at the border, business minister Greg Clark said on Sunday.Advocates of a more radical departure from the EU, led by potential leadership challenger Boris Johnson, want Britain to seek a deal based around the recent Canada-EU trade deal and which drops the government plan to apply EU regulations on trade.
  
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• Company behind Tory conference app apologises for major security flaw

  30-09-2018 17:02
  The company behind the Conservatives' official conference app has "apologised unreservedly" after a major security flaw emerged.The phone numbers of senior Tory MPs - including former foreign secretary Boris Johnson and Chancellor Philip Hammond - could be accessed by anyone because of the glitch on Saturday.The picture on Environment Secretary Michael Gove's profile was reportedly switched for one of Rupert Murdoch, and his email changed to a fictional address for The Sun newspaper.
  
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• Business Secretary Greg Clark Says Canada-Style Brexit Deal Would 'Set Back Our Competitiveness'

  30-09-2018 17:02
  Business Secretary Greg Clark launched a passionate defence of Theresa May's
  
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• This artist turns his young nephews’ doodles into professional pieces of art

  30-09-2018 16:44
  William Lyday brings the imagination of a child into marvellous high definition.
  
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• House rammed before 'crossbow fired' in Londonderry 'disturbance'

  30-09-2018 16:09
  Three men have been arrested after a car was repeatedly rammed into a house and a crossbow reportedly fired in a "disturbance".Detective Inspector Bob Blemmings said it "reportedly culminated in a vehicle being driven repeatedly at the front of the house, causing some damage to the gates and the building itself".The Police Service of Northern Ireland said that, at some point during the "disturbance", a crossbow may have been fired at the car.
  
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• In India, when gold price goes up, fewer baby girls survive

  30-09-2018 15:50
  When world gold prices go up, fewer female babies in India survive their first month of life, according to our new research.My colleagues and I suggest that this is linked to gold often being part of bridal dowries in India – so when gold prices go up, the cost of raising girls rises and families tend to neglect or abort them.While it has virtually disappeared in most of the rest of the world, it persists in contemporary India – despite prohibition since 1961 – and has become i
  
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• UK could change business rates to help high street - business minister

  30-09-2018 15:29
  BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuters) - British business minister Greg Clark said on Sunday a change to business rates could be made to recognise the importance of high street retailers.
  
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• Baaah! TV gardener Titchmarsh leads London Bridge sheep drive

  30-09-2018 15:26
  British television gardener Alan Titchmarsh and men dressed in medieval costumes drove a flock of sheep across London Bridge on Sunday as part of a centuries-old tradition.Titchmarsh kicked off the annual sheep drive, which sees freemen of the City of London, the small area which now makes up the city's financial district, exercise their ancient right to drive the animals over the bridge to raise money for charity.The tradition of freemen — people who enjoy civil or political liberty &mdas
  
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• Theresa May's Plan For A Festival Of Brexit Britain Is Trending On Twitter But Not For The Right Reasons

  30-09-2018 15:25
  Theresa May has unveiled a plan for a Festival of Brexit Britain to "showcase
  
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• 'Let's come together,' PM May challenges Brexit critics

  30-09-2018 15:22
  Prime Minister Theresa May called on her party on Sunday to unite behind her plan to leave the European Union, making a direct appeal to critics by saying their desire for a free trade deal was at the heart of her Brexit proposals.At the start of what is set to be one of the Conservative Party's stormiest annual conferences, May's plans were once again attacked by two former ministers, with former foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, calling them "deranged".Just six months before Britain is due to
  
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• Theresa May hints she could compromise on Chequers plan in Brexit talks

  30-09-2018 15:13
  Theresa May has hinted she could concede further ground to the EU in Brexit negotiations, as she said her Chequers proposal "isn't dead".The prime minister was quizzed repeatedly on whether she would defy ardent Eurosceptics, including former Brexit secretary David Davis, who say the UK has already made too many concessions in exit talks."If they've got counter-proposals, let's hear what those counter-proposals are", Mrs May told the BBC's Andrew Marr show as the Conservative party conference ki
  
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• All combustible materials on outside of new buildings to be banned

  30-09-2018 15:11
  There will be a ban on all combustible materials on the outside of buildings, the government has announced.The new policy - which includes combustible cladding panels and insulation - will affect schools, hospitals, care homes and high-rise buildings over 18 metres currently being built and those constructed in the future.The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: "We're remediating all social residential buildings with cladding through a £400m fund [which was previous
  
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• UK business minister Clark says 'overwhelmingly likely' Brexit deal is reached

  30-09-2018 14:51
  BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuters) - It is overwhelmingly likely that Britain reaches a Brexit deal with the European Union, business minister Greg Clark said on Sunday.
  
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• Dozens of people evacuate homes after fire in Weymouth

  30-09-2018 13:35
  Dorset and Wiltshire fire and rescue service said the fire took hold when acetylene gas cylinders caught alight.Dozens of households were forced to evacuate their homes after a fire broke out at an industrial unit in Weymouth.A major incident was declared by emergency services after fire crews were called on Sunday morning to tackle the blaze, which is believed to have broken out at a car garage workshop.
  
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• Tories’ anger directed at chairman over conference app data breach

  30-09-2018 13:33
  Neither Brandon Lewis, chairman of Conservative party, nor the app provider have been able to reveal the exact extent of the data breach.The Conservative party chairman responsible for overseeing conference has refused to confirm whether or not he would be resigning from his role after a major security flaw in the conference app exposed the private data of cabinet ministers.Anger was directed towards Brandon Lewis in the immediate aftermath of the security breach as senior party figures poured s
  
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• Man, 28, charged with murdering two women near Tonbridge in Kent

  30-09-2018 13:27
  A man has been charged with murdering two women who died after being stabbed in a Kent village.Two women in their 50s and 70s died at the scene, while a man, also in his 70s, was taken to hospital in London for treatment.Neighbours have spoken of their shock following the incident in the "quiet and friendly" village in the Medway valley.
  
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• Pair arrested after man, 81, seriously hurt in Manchester hit-and-run

  30-09-2018 13:18
  An 81-year-old man is in hospital with life-threatening injuries after a motorcycle crashed into him and then sped off.The pair were taken into police custody after officers traced them to a property in the Moston area of Manchester on Saturday night.
  
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• I do believe in Brexit, May says – but won’t rule out compromises

  30-09-2018 13:14
  Theresa May has refused to rule out further compromises in order to broker a final deal with the EU, but hit back at Boris Johnson after the former foreign secretary questioned her belief in Brexit.The prime minister was asked repeatedly whether she was prepared to make further concessions to the EU after European leaders rejected her proposal in Salzburg earlier this month, saying it would risk the integrity of the EU single market.Speaking on the first day of the Conservative party conference
  
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