General news

• YouTuber Simone Giertz launches Kickstarter for self-improvement calendar

  23-10-2018 23:56
  Robotics YouTuber Simone Giertz quadrupled her fundraising goal within hours on the crowdfunding website.
  
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• No-Deal Brexit Could Spark Economic Chaos and Force Government To Ship In Emergency Food And Medicines, Cabinet Told

  23-10-2018 23:17
  Fears that the UK is heading for a no-deal Brexit have dramatically escalated
  
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• Pressure grows on Bercow over bullying claims as MPs quit committee

  23-10-2018 22:37
  Pressure is growing on John Bercow over bullying claims, after three MPs quit a committee the Speaker established to improve "inclusion" at Westminster.Conservatives Will Quince, Mims Davies and Anne Milton have left the Commons Reference Group on Representation and Inclusion, which is chaired by Mr Bercow.It follows a damning report which said a culture at Westminster had allowed the bullying and sexual harassment of staff to flourish.
  
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• Stormy cabinet meeting increases pressure on May over backstop

  23-10-2018 22:26
  Theresa May was told she had to ensure that any backstop arrangements to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland were not indefinite.Theresa May has presided over a stormy meeting of her cabinet at which several ministers insisted she negotiate with the EU a time limit to any Brexit backstop, intensifying the pressure on her to obtain a divorce deal she can sell to her own party.No 10 sources conceded that the discussion, which came a day before the prime minister was due to plead for suppo
  
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• Jose Mourinho walks to Manchester United vs Juventus clash to avoid traffic

  23-10-2018 22:24
  Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho walked to Old Trafford ahead of his side's Champions League clash with Juventus as traffic around the stadium threatened to delay kick-off for a second European home match in a row.Heavy congestion meant the squad arrived just 50 minutes before kick-off against the Italian giants, which marked a high-profile return to United for former star Cristiano Ronaldo.Embarrassingly for the Red Devils, there were similar problems before their last home match in the Cha
  
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• Full cost of trip which saw Boris Johnson miss Heathrow vote revealed

  23-10-2018 21:17
  Boris Johnson's trip to Afghanistan - which meant he missed the vote on expanding Heathrow - cost more than £26,000.The two-day visit in June cost a total of £26,848 - £7,482 for the former foreign secretary and £19,366 for three officials, figures released by the Foreign Office show.The cost for the officials was revealed in August, but until now the total for Mr Johnson had not been disclosed.
  
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• Three MPs quit Commons committee led by John Bercow

  23-10-2018 20:27
  John Bercow has been the subject of a number of bullying claims.Three Tory MPs have quit a committee chaired by the House of Commons Speaker, John Bercow, citing a failure to tackle Westminster bullying, on the eve of a crucial Commons meeting responding to an inquiry into harassment.Bercow has been the subject of multiple bullying claims, including a complaint from his former private secretary, which he vehemently denies.
  
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• Patients 'may need to stockpile own drugs if no-deal Brexit looms'

  23-10-2018 20:15
  Around 50% of medical supplies currently in UK depots have come through the EU, according to the Healthcare Distributors Association.Patients should consider stockpiling their own drugs if it looks likely the UK will leave the EU with no deal, the pharmaceuticals industry has said, telling MPs that such a scenario could be “catastrophic” for medicine supplies and necessitate emergency powers.Giving evidence to the Commons health committee about the possible impact of a no-deal depart
  
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• UK PM May to address her lawmakers on Wednesday after attacks over Brexit

  23-10-2018 19:54
  British Prime Minister Theresa May will address her Conservative Party lawmakers at a private meeting in parliament on Wednesday, her spokesman said, as she seeks to calm growing tensions over her Brexit strategy.May will appear before the party's so-called "1922 Committee" of backbenchers in parliament, where she can expect a rowdy crowd and difficult questions.Earlier, the Sun newspaper's political editor Tom Newton Dunn had posted on Twitter: "Interestingly, May was not summoned to attend tom
  
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• What Do We Know About The Death Of Jamal Khashoggi?

  23-10-2018 19:35
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• Theresa May will face Tory critics at showdown meeting

  23-10-2018 19:34
  Theresa May will face her backbenchers at a potentially crucial meeting on Wednesday, Sky News can confirm.The prime minister will address the 1922 committee of Conservative MPs, amid speculation she could be about to face a vote of no confidence in her leadership.In order for a no confidence vote to be held, 15% of Conservative MPs (48) must write letters to the party chairman calling for a ballot.
  
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• Leaked video shows Adam Boulton berating Sky colleagues off-air

  23-10-2018 19:33
  Footage has emerged of the veteran Sky News journalist Adam Boulton berating colleagues off-air, including the channel’s deputy political editor, Beth Rigby.The video, which was shot during the Conservative party conference earlier this month and leaked to the Guardian on Tuesday, shows Boulton swearing and shouting at colleagues as he appears to prepare to go live on air to present an item on the MP Boris Johnson.Boulton, still talking to an unknown person off-camera tells them to “
  
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• FTSE hits seven-month low as world markets suffer

  23-10-2018 19:32
  Markets around the world have taken a hit, with poor performances in Asia overnight affecting markets in Europe and the US.Britain's FTSE 100 was down 1.24% to a seven-month low, while all three main US markets were down - the industrial Dow Jones by 1.45%, the broad-based S&P by 1.64% and the tech-rich Nasdaq by just over 2%.Sky's business presenter Ian King blamed the falls on a "whole combination of factors".
  
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• UK looking at chartering ships to ferry in supplies in no-deal Brexit - FT

  23-10-2018 19:29
  (Reuters) - Britain is looking at chartering ships to ferry in critical food and medicines in the event of a "no-deal" Brexit next March, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.
  
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• Brexit calls for radical shift of power to regions, mayors say

  23-10-2018 19:26
  The mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, says a radical shift is needed.A radical shift of power from Westminster is needed to help combat the impact of Brexit, a new network of mayors and city leaders has said after what they described as a historic meeting in Bristol.The gathering agreed to press central government for greater local control more broadly.
  
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• Will leaders agree to TV debates?

  23-10-2018 19:00
  More than 45,000 people have signed Sky News’ petition calling for TV debates, but will the leaders agree to it?
  
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• Why a daily bath helps beat depression – and how to have a good one

  23-10-2018 18:57
  ‘I am sure there are things that can’t be cured by a good bath, but I can’t think of one,” wrote the poet and novelist Sylvia Plath in The Bell Jar.Plath, who struggled with depression, would surely have felt vindicated by the findings of a study reported in New Scientist this week, which concluded that taking regular afternoon baths was associated with a moderate but persistent lift in mood among people with depression.Indeed, the size of the effect was greater than that
  
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• Explainer - How the Brexit deal is shaping up

  23-10-2018 18:55
  Even as British Prime Minister Theresa May battles critics in her own party, she may be closing in on a Brexit deal which has been stymied by arguments over the Irish border.The stumbling block seemed to be May calculating that an EU demand for a special "backstop" clause for Northern Ireland could not win support from her own party and allies in parliament -- at least not just for the moment.Both sides want to avoid a "hard border" on the island of Ireland -- customs posts that could reignite v
  
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• Up to parties to make TV election debates happen, government says

  23-10-2018 18:48
  Political parties will consider proposals by Sky News for an Independent Debates Commission to organise TV debates in general elections, the government has announced.As support builds for Sky News' campaign, the Cabinet Office has said the proposals are something to be considered in due course closer to any general election in 2022.The government pledge came in response to a Sky News petition to parliament calling for an independent commission, which has now attracted more than 46,000 signatures
  
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• May to face her MPs on Wednesday after attacks over Brexit plans

  23-10-2018 18:25
  British Prime Minister Theresa May will face her Conservative Party members of parliament in a private meeting in parliament on Wednesday, her spokesman said, as she seeks to calm growing tensions over her Brexit strategy.May will make a rare appearance at a meeting of the party's so-called "1922 Committee" of backbenchers in parliament, where she can expect a rowdy crowd and difficult questions.How she goes down with restive Conservative MPs, some of whom would like to topple her, will be close
  
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• The cruel, repressive sound of silence

  23-10-2018 18:20
  ‘I’m confident the young people will find plenty of creative silent ways to prove they are still alive,’ writes Ted Pawley. Photograph: Phil Boorman/Getty Images/Cultura RF
  
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• New-builds suited to working from home

  23-10-2018 18:19
  A man working from home in his kitchen. Photograph: Hero Images/Getty Images/Hero Images
  
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• Dutch King highlights Brexit uncertainty on visit to Britain

  23-10-2018 18:14
  King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands highlighted the "shadow of uncertainty" hanging over Dutch nationals living in Britain due to Brexit in an address to the British parliament on Tuesday during a two-day state visit.The king used a speech to lawmakers and diplomats in one of parliament's grandest halls to express his regret over Britain's decision to leave the European Union next year - a body he said was flawed, but which had also made great achievements.Reaching a deal and predicting the
  
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• Oldest Intact Shipwreck Ever Discovered

  23-10-2018 18:00
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• Theresa May will face backbenchers at crunch meeting

  23-10-2018 17:57
  Theresa May will face her backbenchers at a potentially crucial meeting on Wednesday, Sky News can confirm.The prime minister will address the 1922 committee of Conservative MPs, amid speculation she could be about to face a vote of no confidence in her leadership.In order for a no confidence vote to be held, 48 letters from Conservative MPs must be submitted to the party's chairman.
  
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• Couple tested positive for drugs after death of baby, trial hears

  23-10-2018 17:55
  Stanley Davis died in hospital a week after being taken from a flat in Gosport, Hampshire, in March last year.Roxanne Davis, 30, and her partner Samuel Davies, 24, both tested positive for drugs and are on trial at Winchester Crown Court.James Newton-Price QC, prosecuting, told the court that the baby died of a skull fracture and brain haemorrhage aged just 24 days.
  
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• UK says Northern Ireland can not be in separate customs territory post-Brexit

  23-10-2018 17:54
  Britain cannot accept Northern Ireland being in a separate customs territory from the rest of the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman said on Tuesday.Brexit talks have stalled over a disagreement on the so-called Northern Irish backstop, an insurance policy to ensure there will be no return to a hard border on the island of Ireland if a future trading relationship is not agreed in time.Reuters reported on Monday the EU could look to "anchor" a reference in the legally binding
  
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• Prince Harry downs local brew on 'nostalgic' Fiji trip with Meghan

  23-10-2018 17:48
  The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are following in the footsteps of the Queen and Prince Philip as they flew into Fiji to experience Pacific Island life.On the next stop of their first major tour, the royal couple were greeted by a striking display of Fijian culture.As the rain poured, Prince Harry and Meghan watched a traditional ceremony known as veiqaravi vakavanua with dance performances and a ceremony where Prince Harry was offered Fiji's national drink, kava, served in a coconut shell.
  
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• Pressure On John Bercow Over Bullying Claims As Tory MPs Quit Commons Committee

  23-10-2018 17:37
  Pressure on John Bercow over allegations of bullying in Westminster increased
  
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• Woolly Mammoth And Rhino Remains Unearthed During A14 Excavation

  23-10-2018 17:26
  The remains of a woolly mammoth - and a woolly rhino - dating back to the ice
  
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• Tory ministers pile pressure on Theresa May over Northern Ireland abortion ban

  23-10-2018 17:25
  Five Tory ministers and a Conservative vice-chair have broken ranks with Theresa May to back a House of Commons move to make abortion legal in Northern Ireland.With their support, against 123 MPs who were opposed, a private member's bill presented by Labour's Diana Johnson cleared its first Commons hurdle on Tuesday.Ms Johnson's bill is designed to repeal parts of the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act, which continues to be the basis of an abortion ban in Northern Ireland.
  
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• Michael Gove pledges to target food packaging with 'Natasha's Law' after Pret death

  23-10-2018 17:11
  The parents of a teenage girl who died after suffering an allergic reaction to a baguette from Pret A Manger have said tougher laws on food packaging could be in place as early as next summer.Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, 15, died after unknowingly eating sesame seeds in a snack she bought at a branch of the chain at Heathrow Airport on 17 July 2016.Father Nadim and mother Tanya have since been campaigning for new legislation and said they believed it would be introduced "much quicker than we anticip
  
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• Send us a tip on independent UK cinemas – and win a £200 hotel voucher

  23-10-2018 16:48 via theguardian.com
  Going to the pictures is all the more special in an idiosyncratic indy. Tell us about the small independent you loveIt could be community-run, have a cracking bar, put on extras such as live music or have a striking interior unlike anything you’d see at a chain cinema. Please tell us about your favourite.Be specific about location, with websites, details of cafes and bars and entrance costs if possible, and ensure your tip stays within around 100 words. Continue reading...
  
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• Stephen Hawking auction: Scientist's wheelchair and Simpsons script among items on sale

  23-10-2018 16:36
  Stephen Hawking's wheelchair, a script for one of his appearances in The Simpsons and some of his most important papers are going up for auction.A highlight of the Christie's online sale of the late scientist's personal items will be a copy of his PhD thesis, which is expected to fetch as much as £150,000.When Cambridge University made the 1965 work, Properties Of Expanding Universes, available online last year, demand was so great that it crashed the website.
  
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• Exclusive: Airbus faces new jet delays at Hamburg plant -sources

  23-10-2018 16:36
  For two years Airbusfaced a shortage of engines and had to slow jet deliveries.Now engines are arriving fast - but fresh snags mean a Hamburg plant that assembles best-selling jets is having trouble absorbing them, industry sources said.The internal snags have exacerbated delivery delays that leave Airbus with the challenge of delivering 76 single-aisle planes per month in the last quarter, according to consultants Flight Ascend, 9.6 percent more than its previous record.
  
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• Airbus confirms some deliveries rescheduled for non-engine snags

  23-10-2018 16:36
  Airbussaid on Tuesday it had rescheduled some single-aisle aircraft deliveries, partly due to a new version of its A321neo jet involving more customisation of its cabins.A spokesman for the European planemaker was responding to a Reuters report that its Hamburg plant was suffering fresh delivery delays as a result of the new snags, even as it recovers from previous delays in engine supplies.In an emailed statement, the spokesman said a combination of the number of A320-family aircraft still wait
  
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• Meghan Makes Influential Black Britons List

  23-10-2018 16:24
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• Tommy Robinson: judge refers contempt case to attorney general

  23-10-2018 16:21
  Tommy Robinson arrives at the Old Bailey.A judge retrying the former far-right leader Tommy Robinson for contempt of court has referred the case to the attorney general.Robinson, 35, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, appeared before Nicholas Hilliard, the recorder of London, for a contempt hearing at the Old Bailey.
  
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• Glasgow refuse workers walk out in support of cleaners' pay strike

  23-10-2018 16:21
  Hundreds of male refuse workers in Glasgow have taken part in unofficial strike action to support a two-day stoppage by 8,000 mostly female cleaners in a long-running dispute over equal pay.About 600 refuse staff, street cleaners and road workers refused to cross picket lines at depots across the city after cleaners and care workers launched a 48-hour strike that closed schools and nurseries across the city.The stoppage followed years of legal disputes and industrial action involving the cleaner
  
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• Neville Hord: Sentence Cut For ‘Monster’ Who Murdered Aldi Worker In Front Of Horrified Shoppers

  23-10-2018 16:11
  A man who stabbed a supermarket worker to death in front of horrified shoppers
  
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• Flour could be fortified with folic acid to help reduce birth defects

  23-10-2018 16:03
  Flour in the UK could be fortified with folic acid in a move to help reduce birth defects such as spina bifida, the government has announced.Public Health Minister Steve Brine said that ministers plan to consult on the move, saying that it will increase folate intake among pregnant women.The NHS Choices website says that folic acid, or vitamin B9, is important for foetus growth and can significantly reduce the risk of neural tube defects such as anencephaly and spina bifida.
  
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• Who Wants To Be A Billionaire?

  23-10-2018 15:40
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• Glasgow strike: equal pay rally takes place for staff in female-dominated roles

  23-10-2018 15:36
  The leader of Glasgow city council has accused union leaders of mounting an unnecessary strike over equal pay which has closed the city’s primary schools, nurseries and other services.Susan Aitken said the two-day strike by more than 8,000 mostly female employees, thought to be the largest ever in the UK over pay inequality, would “have a devastating impact and there is no need for it”.The strike began at 7am on Tuesday after years of legal disputes between unions and Glasgow c
  
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• A third of Tory MPs demand PM ends Northern Ireland troops' 'witch hunt'

  23-10-2018 15:30
  More than one third of Tory MPs - including a former defence secretary - have written to the prime minister to demand an end to "legal witch hunts" of military veterans.Signatories to a letter delivered to Theresa May on Tuesday also include more than 50 members of the House of Lords, including four former chiefs of defence staff.Referring to a controversial inquiry into British troops' actions in Iraq, which has now closed after becoming widely discredited, the group warned veterans who served
  
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• Welsh slate region to be nominated as Unesco world heritage site

  23-10-2018 15:13
  Penrhyn slate quarry is one of several in north-west Wales that form part of the world heritage site status nomination.The shattered slate quarry landscape of north-west Wales is to be nominated for world heritage status, a distinction enjoyed by sites such as the Great Barrier Reef, the Taj Mahal and the abandoned southern African kingdom of Mapungubwe.The UK government can put forward one site per calendar year to be considered for Unesco world heritage site status and on Tuesday the heritage
  
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• The lowdown on Alberta – home of the Canadian Rockies

  23-10-2018 15:11 via theguardian.com
  From the railroad pioneers of the late 19th century to the adrenaline junkies of today, Alberta has long attracted those who embrace its wild landscapesWith its soaring mountains, glaciers, tumbling waterfalls, turquoise lakes, and expansive forests, there are few places in the world as spectacularly scenic as Alberta.Home to the Canadian Rockies, the province boasts one of the longest winter sports seasons in the world, stretching, on average, from early November through to May. Come summer, Al
  
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• Stepfather of boy with EU flag tells ex-Tory MP to apologise for 'cretin' jibe

  23-10-2018 15:08
  Stewart Jackson was a senior adviser to David Davis when the latter was Brexit secretary.The stepfather of a boy in hospital has called for David Davis’s former chief of staff to apologise for calling him a “pathetic cretin” in response to a tweet of the child’s EU flag bedcover.Anthony Hobley said he was stunned to see the tweet from Stewart Jackson, a former Tory MP who became Davis’s top adviser when he was Brexit secretary.
  
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• Watch Alex Jones scream at a pile of poo on the street for some reason

  23-10-2018 14:52
  The right-wing broadcaster was filmed outside a rally held by Donald Trump and Ted Cruz in Texas.
  
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• Dutch king and queen begin state visit to Britain

  23-10-2018 14:51
  Britain's Queen Elizabeth hosts the King and Queen of the Netherlands at a banquet on Tuesday for the first UK state visit by Dutch monarchy for 36 years, during which they will visit the grave of the only Dutch king of England.King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima were formally welcomed by the British queen with a Guard of Honour before taking a state carriage procession along the Mall in London to lunch at Buckingham Palace.
  
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• No 10 denies cabinet row over Brexit backstop

  23-10-2018 14:42
  Theresa May was told she had to ensure that any backstop arrangements to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland were not indefinite.Cabinet members held “an impassioned” discussion about the importance of time-limiting any Brexit backstop arrangements agreed with the European Union as part of the divorce negotiations.No 10 denied any row had taken place at the meeting, although ministers told Theresa May she had to ensure that any backstop arrangements designed to avoid a hard
  
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