General news

• Great Expectations as Dickens portrait goes on show in London

  21-11-2018 23:38
  A youthful portrait of British writer Charles Dickens that went missing for 150 years will go on display in London this week after being found covered in mould next to a metal lobster at a market in South Africa.The miniature watercolour and gouache portrait by Margaret Gillies, valued at 220,000 pounds ($280,000), was painted in 1843 as the young Dickens, in his early 30s, was writing "A Christmas Carol".The portrait was last on public display in 1844 at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, onl
  
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• Child refugee sheltered by Clement Attlee meets former PM's granddaughter

  21-11-2018 23:38
  A 90-year-old man who was taken in as a child refugee by Clement Attlee after fleeing from the Nazis has met the former prime minister's granddaughter for the first time.Paul Willer said he and Mr Attlee's granddaughter Jo Roundell-Greene "hugged many times" in what was an "overwhelming experience".Mr Willer, who was 10 when he was sheltered by the-then opposition leader in 1939, said "the whole day has been emotional".
  
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• Abuse and sexism: Female MPs discuss barriers to women in politics

  21-11-2018 23:33
  Abuse, sexism and a lack of equality remain barriers to women looking to stand for election, according to a cross-party parliamentary panel.Dozens of MPs pulled no punches in expressing how tough it still is for women to get into parliament as they invited their constituents to parliament to mark 100 years since the Qualification of Women Act.MPs including Harriet Harman, Rosena Allin-Khan and Mhairi Black spoke on a cross-party panel addressing barriers to standing for election.
  
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• Brexit Talks Jitters As May To Return To Brussels Before Signing Deal Amid Merkel No-Show Fears

  21-11-2018 23:31
  Theresa May will hold Brexit talks in Brussels on Saturday, just hours before
  
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• Theresa May announces ‘historic’ funding boost to keep patients out of hospital

  21-11-2018 23:30
  The Prime Minister has pledged more money for health services in the community.
  
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• Tory Minister Caroline Nokes Quietly Seethes After Being Confronted By Yvette Cooper Over Asylum Seekers Living In Squalor

  21-11-2018 22:50
  Immigration minister Caroline Nokes was left quietly fuming when confronted
  
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• Memorial to victims of Birmingham pub bombings unveiled

  21-11-2018 22:50
  Twin IRA attacks killed 21 people and left more than 200 injured.
  
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• Latest: Further issues need resolution

  21-11-2018 22:50
  LatestFurther issues need resolution
  
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• In Video: Kew Gardens blossoms with trail of lights

  21-11-2018 22:36
  The London attraction is hosting an after-dark trail of lights to welcome in the festive season.
  
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• RCS Mediagroup believes Blackstone paid too little for properties - source

  21-11-2018 22:35
  RCS Mediagroupcontested the sale of real estate assets to Blackstonebecause it believes the U.S. private equity fund paid too little for them in 2013, a source at the Italian media group said on Wednesday.The Italian publisher said late on Tuesday that it had launched arbitration proceedings under Italian law last week to annul the sale of the properties in central Milan that it had sold to Blackstone.RCS, the owner of influential daily Corriere della Sera, believes Blackstone paid too little fo
  
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• Harlesden Terror Probe: Two Suspected Bombs Found In North London Flat

  21-11-2018 22:14
  Counter-terrorism detectives are investigating after two suspected bombs were
  
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• Counter-terrorism police investigating makeshift bombs found in London flat

  21-11-2018 22:06
  British counter-terrorism police were investigating two suspected improvised explosive devices discovered in an unoccupied flat in northwest London on Wednesday.The block of flats in Harlesden was evacuated during the operation to make the devices safe and residents have since been allowed to return, London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement.The devices are undergoing forensic examination and the force's Counter Terrorism Command has launched an investigation.
  
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• Hammond says no-deal Brexit would cost tens of billions

  21-11-2018 21:51
  LONDON (Reuters) - Leaving the European Union without a transition deal would cost Britain tens of billions of pounds, and failure to support Prime Minister Theresa May's preferred plan could jeopardise Brexit altogether, Chancellor Philip Hammond said on Wednesday.
  
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• May says to return to Brussels on Saturday in bid to seal Brexit deal

  21-11-2018 21:49
  BRUSSELS/LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May said she would be returning to Brussels on Saturday to hammer out an outline of Britain's future ties with the European Union after her meeting with the head of the bloc's executive on Wednesday failed to bridge the gaps.May met European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker for about an hour and a half to try to win commitments aimed at helping her appease rebels at home opposed to her draft Brexit treaty.With just over four months before Bri
  
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• Police find suspected makeshift bombs in empty London flat

  21-11-2018 21:48
  LONDON (Reuters) - Police responding to a report of suspicious devices in an unoccupied flat in northwest London found what they believe to be two improvised explosive devices, they said.
  
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• NFU Scotland backs May’s Brexit deal

  21-11-2018 21:48
  Farmers said the deal will allow trade in agricultural goods and UK food and drink to continue throughout the transition period largely as before.
  
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• Terror probe after two improvised explosive devices found in Harlesden flat

  21-11-2018 21:47
  Police have opened a counter-terror investigation after two improvised explosive devices were discovered in a northwest London flat.Officers were called to the unoccupied address in Harlesden, which was in the process of being refurbished, on Wednesday morning.As a precaution, the block of flats was evacuated and nearby roads were cordoned off while specialist officers assessed the two devices.
  
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• Theresa May to return to Brussels after talks with EU fail to finalise Brexit deal

  21-11-2018 21:42
  Theresa May will return to Brussels on Saturday after a meeting with Jean-Claude Juncker failed to finalise a key Brexit agreement.The prime minister held talks with the European Commission president in Brussels to flesh out a framework on the UK's future relationship with the EU.
  
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• Counter-terrorism police investigate after suspected bombs found in flat

  21-11-2018 21:40
  The block of flats was evacuated and roads were closed in north-west London.
  
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• Pair jailed for stabbing murder of 16-year-old boy

  21-11-2018 21:30
  Ozell Pemberton was stabbed near a bus stop in Sutton Coldfield town centre.
  
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• May to return to Brussels on Saturday for last-minute Brexit talks

  21-11-2018 21:26
  The surprise move was announced after a meeting with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker.
  
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• PM May to return to Brussels on Saturday

  21-11-2018 21:21
  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May said she will return to Brussels on Saturday for more talks with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker after a meeting on Wednesday failed to yield a deal on Britain's future ties with the EU.
  
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• May plans Brussels dash to finalise Brexit deal on eve of summit

  21-11-2018 21:17
  Theresa May is to make an emergency dash to Brussels on Saturday to complete the Brexit negotiations after Angela Merkel threatened to pull the plug on the Sunday leaders’ summit.As she emerged from talks lasting nearly two hours with Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels, the British prime minister admitted that there some major issues to resolve.Merkel, the German chancellor, had let it be known through her diplomats in Brussels that she was unwilling to negotiate with May on Sunday at the ext
  
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• Refugee sheltered by Clement Attlee meets former PM’s granddaughter

  21-11-2018 21:13
  Paul Willer said it was an ‘overwhelming experience’ to meet Jo Roundell Greene.
  
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• What's stopping these women becoming MPs?

  21-11-2018 20:52 via bbc.co.uk
  It's 100 years since women were allowed to stand for election - why aren't more doing so?
  
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• Harry Leslie Smith: Thousands Send Support As Activist Remains Critically Ill

  21-11-2018 20:52
  Well-wishers have been sending messages of support to Second World War veteran
  
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• Pep Guardiola calls for democracy to settle Catalonia independence debate

  21-11-2018 20:43
  The former Barcelona manager said it was ‘unfair’ politicians were in exile after Spain declared an October 2017 referendum illegal.
  
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• Tories clinging to office by the fingertips, says Labour peer

  21-11-2018 20:35
  Angela Smith in the House of Lords. ‘The government is hanging on,’ she has said.Labour’s leader in the House of Lords, Angela Smith, has said the government is “clinging to office by its fingertips” after the DUP withheld its support in a series of key votes.“They’re not in charge,” said Lady Smith.
  
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• Outpouring of support for critically ill activist Harry Leslie Smith

  21-11-2018 20:21 via theguardian.com
  The 95-year-old second world war veteran is in hospital in Canada after a fallThousands of people have sent messages of love and support to Harry Leslie Smith, the 95-year-old political commentator and second world war veteran, who is critically ill in hospital in Canada after a fall.The former RAF pilot is believed to have been taken ill with pneumonia after the accident. His son John has been using his father’s Twitter page to post updates on his condition, attracting thousands of messag
  
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• In Pictures: Pennines blanketed in snow

  21-11-2018 20:20
  Winter is coming…
  
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• UK teenagers turn to mobile apps to help with mental ill health

  21-11-2018 20:14
  More than half of England’s NHS CCGs have commissioned a free online counselling app called Kooth.Tens of thousands of young people in Britain who are struggling with their mental health are seeking help online for problems such as anxiety, self-harm and depression.Soaring numbers of under-18s are turning to apps, online counselling and “mood diaries” to help them manage and recover from conditions that have left them feeling low, isolated and, in some cases, suicidal.
  
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• Man charged in connection with 10-year-old boy’s death

  21-11-2018 20:10
  Kane Morris died at a house in Coupar Angus on Sunday, November 11.
  
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• May, Juncker make "very good progress" on Brexit future plan

  21-11-2018 19:58
  A meeting in Brussels between Prime Minister Theresa May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker made progress on an outline of Britain's future relations outside the EU but have yet to reach a final deal, an EU spokesman said."Very good progress was made in the meeting between President Juncker and Prime Minister Theresa May. Work is continuing," a Commission spokesman said after the meeting ended, declining to give more details.
  
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• Holiday firms postpone Lapland trips due to lack of snow

  21-11-2018 19:57
  Rovaniemi in northern Finland, is usually renowned as a winter wonderland complete with reindeer and sleighs.
  
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• DUP leader Foster says won't withdraw support for UK PM May yet

  21-11-2018 19:57
  BELFAST (Reuters) - The Northern Ireland party whose 10 members of parliament back British Prime Minister Theresa May's government does not plan to withdraw its support yet despite opposition to her Brexit withdrawal deal, its leader said on Wednesday.
  
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• Vote Leave loses legal challenge over Brexit spending breach

  21-11-2018 19:50
  Matthew Elliott, the former chief executive of Vote Leave, has claimed the commission was driven by a political agenda.The official pro-Brexit campaign group has lost a judicial review aimed at trying to get an Electoral Commission ruling that it breached spending limits thrown out.Vote Leave was challenging the findings of a report issued in July that it had exceeded the prescribed £7m limit by channeling funds via another campaign group, but the high court concluded on Wednesday that its
  
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• Non-dairy surge leads to oat milk shortage in UK

  21-11-2018 19:49
  An oat milk shortage has left coffee drinkers and shops in the UK bereft of their favourite dairy substitute.Oatly - a Swedish brand of the drink - has become a choice brand for fans of flat whites, lattes and smoothies who, amid a growing trend of plant-based eating, prefer dairy alternatives.The manufacturer has told coffee shops its stock of the product is limited, and those in the trade have told Sky News a UK-wide shortage has made it impossible to source.
  
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• UAE jails Briton for life for spying, UK assails 'unacceptable' ruling

  21-11-2018 19:45
  A UAE court sentenced a British academic to life in prison on charges of spying for the British government on Wednesday, in a move Britain said would have serious diplomatic consequences for relations between the old allies.The United Arab Emirates public prosecutor said the sentence was handed down on Matthew Hedges "after the accused confessed before the court to the charges brought against him", but that Hedges could appeal."We have seen no evidence to back up charges against him ... UAE clai
  
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• Threat to May subsides but Commons vote could trigger new push

  21-11-2018 19:34
  Broadcast journalists reporting from Westminster last week, when a leadership challenge looked likely.The threat to Theresa May’s premiership can be accurately measured by the number of broadcasters’ gazebos on Cromwell Green, opposite the Houses of Parliament.On Thursday last week, as Jacob Rees-Mogg solemnly published his letter of no confidence, the small square of grass was crowded with tents of international broadcasters.
  
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• Scottish Parliament curbs mechanical kelp harvesting

  21-11-2018 19:32
  New legislation has ruled out commercial licensed harvesting of the seaweed if it inhibits plant regrowth.
  
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• Runway incident could have been catastrophic, report finds

  21-11-2018 19:28
  The report states that an outside air temperature of -52C was mistakenly entered into the computer.
  
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• Why is there a row over seaweed harvesting in Scotland?

  21-11-2018 19:27 via bbc.co.uk
  As MSPs debate whether to ban commercial kelp harvesting, why are people worried about the potential impact on our coasts?
  
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• Rise in borrowing delivers headache for Philip Hammond

  21-11-2018 19:26
  Government borrowing rose unexpectedly last month - prompting experts to suggest the Chancellor may struggle to meet improved fiscal forecasts that have given him room to ease austerity.Public sector borrowing - the shortfall between the Government's revenues and spending - was £8.8bn in October.It was the biggest October shortfall for three years, with growth in tax receipts outstripped by the Treasury's rising outlay on goods and services, social benefits and debt interest payments.
  
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• Tory Peer Calls For Ban On 'Dickensian' Unpaid Internships Of More Than A Month

  21-11-2018 19:23
  Unpaid internships that last longer than a month should be banned by law,
  
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• Theresa May in Brussels for crunch Brexit talks on future UK-EU relationship

  21-11-2018 19:20
  Theresa May is holding talks with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels as she attempts to agree the outline of the UK's future relationship with the EU.The prime minister needs to strike an agreement on a framework in areas like trade and security in order to avoid derailing a Brussels summit on Sunday, at which her draft withdrawal agreement will be discussed.
  
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• The ultimate drunken purchase? Man buys 6ft Pokemon that’s too big to deliver

  21-11-2018 19:19
  Callum Underwood bought the enormous cushion on a drunken night out but didn’t realise how hard it would be to transport.
  
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• May in Brussels to cut deal on future EU ties

  21-11-2018 19:10
  BRUSSELS/LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May met the EU's chief executive in Brussels on Wednesday to try to hammer out a blueprint for Britain's ties after it leaves the bloc and to get commitments that will appease rebels at home opposed to her Brexit draft treaty.With just over four months before Britain's departure, May was meeting European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to try to finalise an outline of future relations before a summit of EU leaders on Sunday to endorse t
  
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• #AskHerToStand: Why more women are being urged into politics

  21-11-2018 19:09
  The campaign marks the 100-year anniversary of women being allowed to stand for Parliament.
  
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• Russell Bishop trial: Friend of murdered girl's father denies giving false alibi

  21-11-2018 19:08
  A friend of a murdered girl's father has "sworn 100%" that she never gave a false alibi for him.Teresa Judd was accused of lying to police to cover up for Barrie Fellows on the evening that his daughter Nicola and her friend Karen Hadaway were killed on 9 October 1986.
  
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• May wins battle of the pub bores by avoiding known unknowns

  21-11-2018 19:07
  Finally, a prime minister’s questions that produced one clearcut answer.For several years it has felt as if the European Research Group was in charge, steering Theresa May to an ever harder, more damaging Brexit.
  
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