General news

• British PM May briefs inner Cabinet that Brexit deal is close - FT

  11-10-2018 23:34
  Cabinet ministers briefed on the Brexit talks said the issue of the Irish backstop was close to being settled, the FT said.The FT said two Eurosceptic Cabinet ministers, Andrea Leadsom, leader of the Commons, and Esther McVey, work and pensions secretary, are opposed to the plan and could potentially quit."They are going to talk a lot over the weekend and consider what they will live with and what they will walk over," the FT quoted one official close to Eurosceptic Cabinet ministers as saying o
  
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• Royal wedding: The full order of service for Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's ceremony

  11-10-2018 23:33
  Buckingham Palace has revealed the full order of service for Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's wedding on Friday.
  
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• Conservatives may have to depose prime minister to 'heal wounds' - DUP MP

  11-10-2018 23:06
  Sammy Wilson, the DUP's Brexit spokesperson, issued a stern warning to the Conservatives as he pressed Mrs May to change her course on Brexit.Asked if that would be under a different leader, Mr Wilson told Sky News: "That may lead to a different leader.
  
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• Kanye West touches on politics, love and 'iPlane 1' during bizarre Trump visit

  11-10-2018 22:30 via theguardian.com
  President hosted working lunch with West and ex-NFL star Jim Brown to discuss criminal justice system and prison reformThere was cursing, there was a hug, there was a weird monologue that felt like it would never end. Donald Trump and rapper Kanye West displayed their celebrity bromance on Thursday in the strangest White House collision between politics and music since Richard Nixon hosted Elvis. Related: Could populism actually be good for democracy?Continue reading...
  
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• Kent motorway to shut as work begins on possible post-Brexit lorry park

  11-10-2018 22:17
  A Kent motorway is undergoing a series of closures as work begins on turning it into a potential lorry park to deal with the possible impact of a no-deal Brexit.In the most significant practical work yet to prepare for the consequences of the UK crashing out of the EU, the M26 will be closed through the night until next week for site surveys before another set of closures in the month leading up to Christmas to install gates in the central reservation.The major works, which drew the immediate an
  
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• German growth limited by trade disputes and labour shortages

  11-10-2018 22:16
  The German economy is losing steam as rising trade tensions abroad and a lack of skilled workers at home limit the growth prospects for Europe's largest economy, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said on Thursday.Presenting the government's downwardly revised growth forecasts, Altmaier said the economy would expand by 1.8 percent in both 2018 and 2019."This is the longest upswing since 1966, the second longest ever," he added, pointing to record-high employment, rising real wages and planned tax r
  
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• Buyer goes ahead with purchase of shredded Banksy painting

  11-10-2018 21:24
  The woman who bid more than 1 million pounds for a painting by the mysterious British artist Banksy which shred itself into pieces at the moment of the sale has gone ahead with the purchase, auction house Sotheby's said on Thursday.Onlookers gasped and laughed after the bottom half of "Girl with Balloon", one of Banksy's best-known works, was sucked into a shredder hidden in its frame as the hammer fell last Friday after a bid of 1,042,000 pounds ($1.38 million) - matching Banksy's all-time reco
  
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• UK police say still assessing whether crimes committed by pro-Brexit campaigners

  11-10-2018 20:58
  British police said on Thursday they were still assessing whether to launch an investigation into whether pro-Brexitgroups had committed criminal offences during the campaign in the 2016 referendum on leaving the European Union.Britain’s electoral regulator has made two referrals to police to look at potential offences committed over election spending by groups including Britain's officially designated Brexit campaign group, Vote Leave."The first referral was received on May 11, 2018, and
  
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• British PM May briefed inner cabinet on Thursday evening that Brexit deal close - FT

  11-10-2018 20:51
  Cabinet ministers briefed on the Brexit talks said the issue of the Irish backstop was close to being settled, the FT said.One official close to Brexit talks said May never brings the cabinet together to tell them recent developments and so "it feels to me like the deal is practically done,” the FT quoted the official as saying.
  
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• Two people killed in crash on M4 between lorry and minibus

  11-10-2018 20:45
  Two people have died and one remains critically ill in hospital after a serious crash on the M4 in Berkshire.The accident happened at about 12.20pm when there was a collision between a heavy goods vehicle and a minibus.South Central Ambulance Service said three people with less serious injuries have also been taken to hospital.
  
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• Universal credit: May faces revolt after McVey admits some will be worse off

  11-10-2018 20:29
  Theresa May faces a House of Commons revolt over universal credit after the minister responsible for the system contradicted the government line and admitted it will leave some families “worse off”.The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) needs to pass regulations in order to implement the next phase of the “managed migration” to the controversial new benefits system, but a growing number of Conservative MPs have publicly expressed their concerns.The government’s
  
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• Cost of WannaCry cyber attack to the NHS revealed

  11-10-2018 20:28
  The NHS was hit with a near-£100m bill following the fallout of the WannaCry cyber attack last year.Lost output of patient care caused by reduced access to information and the necessary systems cost the health service an estimated £19m in the seven days following the cyber attack.The health department warned the figures were only estimates, as obtaining the real costs would "impose a disproportionate financial burden on the system".
  
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• Blackstone close to clinching £800m-plus NEC Group takeover

  11-10-2018 20:16
  The world's largest property investor is close to clinching an £800m-plus takeover of the NEC Group, the live events complex which plays host to Crufts.Sky News has learnt that Blackstone could strike a deal to buy the Birmingham-based complex as soon as Friday.The deal will be one of the largest buyouts of a British company signed this year, and will come just weeks after Blackstone agreed a £1.4bn deal to buy Network Rail's commercial property portfolio comprising thousands of prem
  
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• Brexit backstop talks likely to continue till November - British PM

  11-10-2018 20:02
  Talks between Britain and the European Union on the crucial question of how to avoid a hard border in Ireland are likely to continue until November, British Prime Minister Theresa May told reporters on Thursday.
  
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• Kanye West's Pro-Donald Trump Rant In The Oval Office Was Quite Something

  11-10-2018 19:58
  Kanye West stood at the heart of the US Government and launched a tirade
  
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• Entire F-35 fleet grounded and checked for fault after crash

  11-10-2018 19:55
  As a result the global fleet is on an "operational pause".It is a hugely embarrassing turn of events for the programme and has been described to Sky News by a senior defence industry source as a "cock up of epic proportions".In a statement, F-35 programme spokesman Joe DellaVedova said the checks should be complete by the end of the week, adding: "If suspect fuel tubes are installed, the part will be removed and replaced.
  
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• 300 jobs at risk as fashion chain Coast collapses

  11-10-2018 19:55
  Fashion chain Coast has collapsed into administration putting 300 jobs at risk.
  
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• Easing of visa rules for doctors is temporary, says Sajid Javid

  11-10-2018 19:49
  The home secretary, Sajid Javid, has said he intends to keep exemption for medical staff under review.The government’s decision to allow many more overseas doctors and nurses to work in the NHS was only “temporary”, Sajid Javid has said, in a surprise move that has prompted concern that tough restrictions on numbers may be reimposed.In his letter to the Migration Advisory Commitee (MAC), Javid said that his decision to remove doctors and nurses from the cap on tier 2 work visas
  
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• Family 'Deeply Shocked' By Deaths Of Grandparents Tony And Delia Green In Majorca Floods

  11-10-2018 19:27
  The family of a British couple whose car was swept away in flash flooding in
  
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• Irish cheesemaker stockpiling cheddar in case of no-deal Brexit

  11-10-2018 19:13
  Of the 200,000 tonnes of cheese made a year in Ireland, 90% is cheddar.The Irish dairy company behind well-known brands such as Kerrygold has started stockpiling cheddar in the UK to guard against the risk of a major price hike for Britain’s favourite cheese in the event of a no-deal Brexit.World Trade Organization tariffs on cheddar are as high as 42%, but Irish cheese manufacturers fear sales would plummet in British supermarkets if it passed on the full extra cost to the consumer.
  
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• Medication isn’t always the right answer for children with ADHD

  11-10-2018 18:56
  Umbrellas form a canopy in Church Alley, Liverpool, intended to raise awareness of ADHD.There are assumptions in your article (Too few children in England treated for ADHD, figures show, 6 October) that need further debating.First, it assumes girls should be medicated at the same rate as boys for ADHD.
  
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• Robot to face questions from MPs for first time

  11-10-2018 18:54
  A robot is going to be questioned by MPs, in what is believed to be a parliamentary first.
  
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• Universal Credit Has Had A Rough Week – Here Are All The People Slamming It

  11-10-2018 18:50
  The government's Universal Credit scheme has continued to draw criticism as
  
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• Patisserie Valerie crisis rocks Luke Johnson's business career

  11-10-2018 18:48
  Luke Johnson made his name – not to mention his multi-million pound fortune – by investing in some of the high street’s most ubiquitous brands.The success story that launched his career as a serial entrepreneur was Pizza Express, the first of a string of investments – mostly in the restaurant industry – that amassed him a £260m fortune, according to the latest Sunday Times Rich List.Given that his stake in the stricken pastry chain Patisserie Valerie was worth
  
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• DUP leader says May "could not in good conscience" back EU border plan

  11-10-2018 18:48
  DUBLIN (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May "could not in good conscience" back an EU proposal for checks on goods being imported to Northern Ireland from Britain, the head of the party that props up her government said on Thursday.
  
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• Karen White: how 'manipulative' transgender inmate attacked again

  11-10-2018 18:30
  Karen White is being held at HM Prison Leeds, a category B men’s prison, and is undergoing gender reassignment surgery.White entered the UK prison system as transgender.The decision to move White to a women’s prison was made public after she admitted in court to the sexual assault and to multiple rapes committed before she was sent to prison.
  
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• Paul McCann concerns raised 20 years ago, sexual abuse trial hears

  11-10-2018 18:25
  Paul McCann denies six charges of indecently assaulting a teenage boy between 1987 and 1990.The mother of a former Crewe Alexandra youth team member raised concerns about three of the football club’s coaches to police 20 years ago, a sexual abuse trial has heard.Janet Johansen said she expressed worries about the men, who were not named in court, during a police investigation into the coach Barry Bennell in 1998.
  
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• Grenfell survivor: 'I didn't want my little girl to die in pain'

  11-10-2018 17:49
  The father of a young girl who escaped the Grenfell Tower fire has admitted he thought of leaving her to sleep rather than "waking her up to die in pain".Giving evidence to the inquiry into the disaster, which killed 72 people, Richard Fletcher said in his written statement that he seriously considered not waking his child until becoming filled with an "incredible" determination to save his family.
  
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• Princess Eugenie's Royal Wedding: Time, Date And Everything You Need To Know

  11-10-2018 17:45
  The second royal wedding of the year is almost upon us, as the Queen's
  
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• Second Kent motorway is possible post-Brexit lorry park

  11-10-2018 17:44
  Work has started on turning a second motorway in Kent into a potential post-Brexit lorry park to deal with tailbacks to the Channel Tunnel and ports should customs checks have to be introduced.The M26 will remain closed through the night until next week as Highways England carry out site surveys and then again for more than a month before Christmas to install gates in the central reservation.The start of the work was not disclosed to the local Conservative MP, Tom Tugendhat, who criticised the t
  
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• India's cenbank changes tack on forex intervention, focuses on forwards market

  11-10-2018 17:43
  India's central bank has changed tack in its foreign exchangeintervention policy, increasing its participation in the derivatives market in relation to the spot market in an apparent attempt to avoid a cash crunch in the banking system.The Reserve Bank of India sold $4.95 billion in the forward dollar-rupee market in August, its highest reported monthly sale this year, according to the RBI's monthly bulletin.In July, RBI data showed no forwards market intervention at all.
  
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• UK to detail Irish backstop proposals - May's spokeswoman

  11-10-2018 17:42
  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will soon put forward its additional proposals for a backstop arrangement to prevent a hard border with EU member Ireland, Prime Minister Theresa May's spokeswoman said on Thursday.
  
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• Brexit negotiators eye Monday breakthrough, Northern Irish party ups the ante

  11-10-2018 17:42
  DUBLIN/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - British and EU negotiators making headway on the Irish border hope for a Brexit deal breakthrough on Monday, diplomats said, though the British prime minister's Northern Ireland ally has stoked uncertainty by warning it could vote against her.Under pressure from all sides, Theresa May will meet some of her ministers later on Thursday to discuss Brexit, hours after her parliamentary partner, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), threatened to withdraw its support if she
  
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• Transgender prison inmate who sexually assaulted women jailed for life

  11-10-2018 17:40
  Karen White, who was born male but now identifies as a woman and is transitioning, also admitted the previous rapes of two other women.The judge at Leeds Crown Court described her as a "highly manipulative predator", while the prosecution said she used her transgender persona to "put herself in contact with vulnerable persons she can then abuse".It is believed she will serve her sentence at a male prison.
  
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• Windsor gears up for its second royal wedding of the year

  11-10-2018 17:34
  Final preparations were being made in the English town of Windsor on Thursday for Britain's second major royal wedding this year, this time involving the Queen's granddaughter Princess Eugenie.Eugenie, younger daughter of the queen's third child Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, will tie the knot with Jack Brooksbank, at the monarch's Windsor Castle home on Friday.The nuptials come just five months after the glittering wedding of Prince Harry, younger son of heir
  
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• Factbox - UK's second royal wedding of the year

  11-10-2018 17:34
  LONDON (Reuters) - The Elizabeth's granddaughter Princess Eugenie marries her fiance Jack Brooksbank at Windsor Castle on Friday, the second British royal wedding at the monarch's home this year.
  
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• Three critically injured in 'serious collision' on M4

  11-10-2018 17:29
  Three people have been taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries after a serious crash on the M4 in Berkshire.The accident happened at around 12.20pm when there was a collision between a heavy goods vehicle and a minibus.South Central Ambulance Service said three people with less serious injuries have also been taken to hospital.
  
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• Windsor gears up for its second UK royal wedding of the year

  11-10-2018 17:19
  Final preparations were being made in the English town of Windsor on Thursday for Britain's second major royal wedding this year, this time involving the Queen's granddaughter Princess Eugenie.Eugenie, younger daughter of the queen's third child Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, will tie the knot with Jack Brooksbank, at the monarch's Windsor Castle home on Friday.The nuptials come just five months after the glittering wedding of Prince Harry, younger son of heir
  
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• Pentagon grounds global fleet of F-35 fighter jets after first ever crash

  11-10-2018 17:13
  The Pentagon has grounded a global fleet of F-35 fighter jets after one of the planes crashed for the first time.A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: "Safety is our paramount concern, therefore the UK has decided to pause some F-35 flying as a precautionary measure while we consider the findings of an ongoing enquiry.A Marine Corps F-35B was completely destroyedin a crash during training in South Carolina on 28 September.
  
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• Esther McVey Admits 'Some People Will Be Worse-Off' On Universal Credit

  11-10-2018 16:59
  Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey has admitted "some people will be
  
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• MP's fury over 'no-deal' Brexit plan to turn M26 into 'parking lot'

  11-10-2018 16:53
  A furious Conservative MP has demanded to know why he was not told about plans to turn a motorway in his constituency into a "parking lot" to handle the consequences of a "no-deal" Brexit.Tom Tugendhat told the Commons that work on the M26 in Kent started on Wednesday night, even though he was given assurances that nothing was in the pipeline.Highways England has confirmed to Sky News that as part of "wider resilience planning", the Department for Transport has asked it to "develop plans to util
  
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• Doctors able to prescribe cannabis to patients from next month

  11-10-2018 16:47
  Doctors will be able to prescribe cannabis products to patients from 1 November, Home Secretary Sajid Javid has announced.Mr Javid said the "heartbreaking" accounts of sick children who were fighting to be treated with medicinal cannabis had moved him to take "swift action".The plight of young epilepsy sufferers Alfie Dingley and Billy Caldwell came to prominence earlier this year.
  
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• Donald Trump's UK visit cost police almost £18m

  11-10-2018 16:42
  The policing operation for Donald Trump’s UK visit cost an estimated £18m, it has emerged.Most forces had to cancel officers’ rest days and extend the length of shifts as the US president’s four-day trip prompted tens of thousands of protesters to take to the streets.Sara Thornton, the chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said Trump visited four force areas but there were protests in many others.
  
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• Universal credit: welfare secretary admits some families will be worse off

  11-10-2018 16:29
  The work and pensions secretary, Esther McVey, has admitted some families will be “worse off” under universal credit, after a warning from Sir John Major that the controversial welfare overhaul could end up being as damaging as the poll tax.The prime minister’s spokesman has since said no one would lose out as they moved on to universal credit.
  
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• Jessica Nordquist Convicted Of Faking Her Own Kidnap In Stalking Campaign Against Ex

  11-10-2018 16:20
  A woman who faked her own kidnap and rape has been convicted of a determined
  
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• Princess Eugenie chooses anti-plastic and animal charities to be represented at royal wedding

  11-10-2018 16:16
  Anti-slavery and animal charities are among those to be represented at the wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank.The couple announced that alongside the members of the public invited into the grounds of Windsor Castle, representatives from charities and organisations close to the couple would also be invited.Also on the list is the Teenage Cancer Trust, which Eugenie, her sister Princess Beatrice and her mother, the Duchess of York, are all patrons of.
  
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• Prince William Makes Heartfelt Plea Against Animal Extinction

  11-10-2018 16:13
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• Duke: Elephants, tigers and rhinos may be gone by the time my kids are 30

  11-10-2018 16:07
  Prince William has spoken of his fear that elephants, rhinos and tigers could be extinct by the time his children are in their 20s.In an passionate speech at a conference in London, the Duke of Cambridge said more must be done to stamp out the illegal wildlife trade - and warned it funds criminal networks and threatens the livelihoods of impoverished communities.Although Prince William praised the progress made in recent years, he warned against complacency and detailed the human cost of protect
  
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• Children were abused for decades in Catholic homes, Scottish inquiry finds

  11-10-2018 15:57
  A public inquiry has found that nuns, priests and staff at two Scottish children’s homes subjected children to regimes of fear, physical and sexual abuse for many decades.In its first interim report, published on Thursday, the Scottish child abuse inquiry (SCAI) found that boys and girls housed in two Catholic residential homes in Lanarkshire were systematically starved of love, dignity and compassion.Lady Smith, the commission’s chair, said many children at Smyllum Park in Lanark an
  
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• DUP says abstained in parliament vote as a warning to PM May

  11-10-2018 15:56
  LONDON (Reuters) - The Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) that British Prime Minister Theresa May's government relies on for support abstained from a vote in parliament on Wednesday to remind her of the importance of its support amid crucial Brexit talks, a DUP lawmaker said.
  
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