General news

• Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn offer Christmas messages on security and homelessness

  23-12-2018 23:24
  Theresa May says her thoughts this Christmas are with UK troops abroad keeping the country safe.Jeremy Corbyn says he's thinking about homeless people and the story of the Good Samaritan.With both leaders ending the year with their party in turmoil over Brexit, the prime minister and the Labour leader have attempted to steer clear of political controversy in their Christmas messages.
  
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• Birmingham airport resumes services after air traffic fault

  23-12-2018 22:11
  "Following the earlier air traffic control technical fault, Birmingham Airport has now resolved the issue and operations have now resumed", the airport said in a statement.The fault was due to a failure of the electronic flight plan system, according to a statement from air traffic control agency Eurocontrol, cited by the BBC.Flights were suspended for about two hours and operations resumed after 2000 GMT.
  
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• Flights operating again after technical issue resolved at Birmingham Airport

  23-12-2018 21:38
  The incident came in the same week as the suspected sighting of a drone caused chaos at Gatwick.
  
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• Flights resume at Birmingham Airport after earlier suspension

  23-12-2018 21:23
  Flights arriving and departing from Birmingham Airport have resumed after they were suspended for around an hour.A spokesperson for the airport earlier apologised for the delay and blamed an air traffic control issue.One plane travelling from Amsterdam to Birmingham was forced to circle above the runway, and ran at least an hour delayed.
  
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• Boys aged 15 and 16 arrested after man stabbed to death in Tottenham

  23-12-2018 21:21
  Two teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 25-year-old man was stabbed to death in north London on Saturday.The boys, aged 15 and 16, were arrested on Sunday after the stabbing in the early hours of Saturday in Albert Place, Tottenham.Police said the victim was taken to an east London hospital after they were called at 1.20am, and was pronounced dead at the hospital less than an hour later.
  
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• Air traffic control fault halts services at Birmingham airport

  23-12-2018 21:14
  (Reuters) - Services have been temporarily suspended at Birmingham airport due to an air traffic control fault, the airport said on Sunday.
  
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• Flights grounded after technical issue at UK airport

  23-12-2018 20:59
  Birmingham Airport said it had to temporarily suspend services due to ‘an air traffic control fault’.
  
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• JK Rowling mocks 'Saint Jeremy' Corbyn's Brexit stance

  23-12-2018 20:38
  JK Rowling, a longtime critic of Jeremy Corbyn, has mocked the Labour leader’s position on Brexit in sixteen biblical-style tweets.In a series of tweets entitled “The visitation of the Corbynites: a festive thread”, the Harry Potter author claimed the possibility of “Saint Jeremy” bringing a jobs-first Brexit was “bollocks” and described Corbyn as “in third place after Pontus May”.
  
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• Gatwick: suspects exonerated as confusion deepens over drone attack

  23-12-2018 20:36
  Elaine Kirk and Paul Gait were questioned and released.Detectives were examining a damaged drone for clues on Sunday night after they had to release two people who were exonerated over the incidents that have repeatedly brought Gatwick airport to a standstill.Confusion deepened as a senior police officer in the case said it was “always a possibility that there may not have been any genuine drone activity in the first place”.
  
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• Gatwick: police examine drone after former suspects are exonerated

  23-12-2018 20:36
  Elaine Kirk and Paul Gait were questioned and released.Detectives were examining a damaged drone for clues on Sunday night after they had to release two people who were exonerated over the incidents that have repeatedly brought Gatwick airport to a standstill.Sussex police said they were not “back to square one” and pointed to new persons of interest and house-to-house inquiries near the location of the drone sightings.
  
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• Congolese asylum seeker faces forced removal from UK on Christmas Day

  23-12-2018 20:36
  Riot police fire teargas to disperse a Catholic priest and demonstrators during a protest against President Joseph Kabila earlier this year.A Congolese asylum seeker who has been tortured by his government is facing forced removal from the UK to his home country on Christmas Day.Otis Bolamu, 38, was imprisoned and tortured by government agents in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a result of his opposition to the government of Joseph Kabila.
  
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• Damaged drone found near last Gatwick Airport sighting

  23-12-2018 20:34
  A 47-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman arrested over the chaos have been released without charge.
  
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• Top CGI director who became homeless thinks utility firms could help prevention

  23-12-2018 19:40
  Homeless ambassador Bill Scanlon believes utility companies could help prevention by spotting behaviour patterns of people at risk.
  
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• Edinburgh railway food supply workers to strike on Christmas Eve

  23-12-2018 19:30
  The move comes amid an ongoing dispute which includes claims of bullying by bosses.
  
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• Footballer at centre of death hoax reveals new found fame

  23-12-2018 19:23
  Ballybrack FC was forced to apologise last month after someone from the club told the Leinster Senior League that Fernando Nuno La-Fuente had died.
  
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• Boys aged 15 and 16 arrested over fatal Tottenham stabbing

  23-12-2018 19:23
  Two teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 25-year-old man was stabbed to death in north London on Saturday.The boys, aged 15 and 16, were arrested on Sunday after the stabbing in the early hours of Saturday in Albert Place, Tottenham.Police said the victim was taken to an east London hospital after they were called at 1.20am, and was pronounced dead at the hospital less than an hour later.
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn told supporting Brexit could cost Labour seats

  23-12-2018 19:22
  Jeremy Corbyn has said he would recommend the Labour party advocates for Brexit.Momentum activists and MPs from Labour’s left who have consistently backed Jeremy Corbyn have warned the leader’s decision to support Brexit even if there is a second referendum could demotivate campaigners and cost the party seats.While Corbyn has already faced criticism from the centrist wing of his party, which has long been sceptical of his approach to Brexit, the expressions of dismay from his base w
  
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• Gatwick drone police: We are not back to square one

  23-12-2018 19:11
  Sussex Police said there were some ‘persons of interest’ following the decision to release a man and a woman without charge.
  
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• Boys held by murder probe detectives after victim stabbed in London

  23-12-2018 19:03
  Two boys, aged 15 and 16, were arrested on Sunday, the Metropolitan Police said.
  
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• British care company fines workers £50 for calling in sick

  23-12-2018 19:00
  Newcross Healthcare provides nursing and other staff for hospitals, care homes and private homes.One of Britain’s biggest providers of agency carers has been fining staff who phone in sick £50, raising concerns that frontline employees are being forced to turn up for shifts when they are not fit for work and risk spreading illnesses to vulnerable patients.An investigation by the Guardian has uncovered evidence of cases in which Newcross Healthcare Solutions has failed to pay its empl
  
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• Weird Christmas food taste test - from Pigs in Blankets teabags to sprout crisps - Mirror Online

  23-12-2018 18:53 via mirror.co.uk
  Weird Christmas food taste test - from Pigs in Blankets teabags to sprout crisps  Mirror OnlineSanta to consume a staggering 11,580 mince pies in Hartlepool this Christmas  Hartlepool MailView full coverage on Google News
  
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• Five weightlifters suspended after London 2012 retests

  23-12-2018 17:36
  Ukraine’s Oleksiy Torokhtiy could now be stripped of the Olympic title he won in the 105-kg category in London while Azerbaijan's Bulgaria-born Valentin Hristov could lose his bronze medal from the 56-kg category."The International Olympic Committee is responsible to decide about any consequences relating to the athletes’ participation in the 2012 London Olympic Games," the IWF said.Uzbekistan's Ruslan Nurudinov, who came fourth in the 105kg in London, Armenia's Melanie Daluzyan and
  
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• Lord Ashdown was 'simply Paddy' in Norton-sub-Hamdon

  23-12-2018 17:24 via bbc.co.uk
  Villagers in Somerset pay tribute to Lord Paddy Ashdown who died on Saturday after a short illness.
  
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• Thames Estuary cargo ship: Four men charged with affray after crew 'threatened'

  23-12-2018 17:07
  Four men accused of threatening the crew of a cargo ship in the Thames Estuary have been charged with affray.Ishola Sunday, 27, Samuel Jolumi, 26, Toheeb Popoola, 26, and Joberto McGee, 20, all of no fixed address, were arrested after police boarded the vessel on Friday following reports of stowaways allegedly threatening the crew.Special Boat Service (SBS) operatives from Sabre Squadron fast-roped from helicopters on to the ship, which had been sailing in the Thames Estuary, sources told Sky's
  
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• Michael Sheen contributes to Banksy artwork protection in his hometown

  23-12-2018 17:07
  The graffiti appeared on a local man’s garage
  
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• Ellie Goulding helps out at homeless shelter by serving lunch

  23-12-2018 17:03
  The pop star says she likes to take time out and help those in need.
  
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• Singer wants more help for homeless

  23-12-2018 17:00
  Ellie Goulding told Sky News that people need to be more aware of rough sleepers as homelessness is on the rise.
  
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• Singer Ellie Goulding urges public to 'stop and speak' to homeless people in Christmas appeal

  23-12-2018 16:58
  Ellie Goulding has urged people to "stop and speak" to the homeless, to hear their "powerful" stories and realise it could "happen to any of us".The singer, who is supporting homeless charity Crisis, told Sky News that stopping to talk to someone sleeping rough or just asking their name makes a positive difference."Interaction is such an important thing," Goulding said, adding that Christmas is when many people feel "the most vulnerable and lonely".
  
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• Damaged drone found at Gatwick Airport, police say

  23-12-2018 16:48
  A pair arrested on Friday night in connection with the disruption were released without charge on Sunday.
  
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• Acid attack victim says police could have stopped his assailant

  23-12-2018 16:41
  Daniel Rotariu appears on the Good Morning Britain TV show in July 2017.A man mutilated for life in an acid attack is suing police, alleging that they failed to act on information that should have stopped his ordeal before it began.Daniel Rotariu, 33, was attacked in July 2016 by his then partner, Katie Leong, who poured sulphuric acid over himas he slept at their home in Leicester in an attempt to kill him.
  
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• Man’s death in police custody probed

  23-12-2018 16:26
  The 24-year-old was pronounced dead at Clydebank police station in the early hours of Sunday.
  
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• Teenager arrested in stabbing probe

  23-12-2018 15:54
  Two men sustained wounds during the incident in Newcastle.
  
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• Fire boss in safety push after son’s bike crash ‘miracle’

  23-12-2018 15:50
  Jim Scott’s teenage son Adam pulled through from a coma after a 2015 collision.
  
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• Prisons ban Christmas cards with glitter due to drugs epidemic in jails

  23-12-2018 15:41
  HMP Liverpool is one of the prisons to have decided to implement the policy, which is not mandatory.Prisons and young offender institutions in England and Wales have banned Christmas cards with glitter or “sticky stuff” because of the drugs epidemic in British jails.The latest smuggling method is spraying post with drugs, particularly psychoactive substances such as spice.
  
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• Pharmaceutical firms preparing no-deal Brexit ordered to sign NDAs

  23-12-2018 15:38
  Rushanara Ali, whose parliamentary question prompted the release of the new figures.Pharmaceutical organisations working with Whitehall to maintain medicine supplies in the event of a no-deal Brexit have signed 26 “gagging orders” that bar them from revealing information to the public.Figures show that 16 drug companies and 10 trade associations have been asked to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) which prevent them from revealing any information related to contingency plans draw
  
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• Drug firms preparing for no-deal Brexit told to sign 'gagging orders'

  23-12-2018 15:38
  Rushanara Ali, whose parliamentary question prompted the release of the figures.Pharmaceutical organisations working with Whitehall to maintain medicine supplies in the event of a no-deal Brexit have signed 26 “gagging orders” that bar them from revealing information to the public.Figures show that 16 drug companies and 10 trade associations have been asked to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) which prevent them from revealing any information related to contingency plans drawn up
  
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• Banksy anti-pollution artwork in Port Talbot targeted

  23-12-2018 15:28
  Banksy is believed to have painted the mural as a protest against pollution from the nearby steelworks.An artwork by Banksy that has attracted hundreds of visitors a day to Port Talbot in south Wales was targeted on Saturday night by someone who tried to pull down fencing erected to protect it, according to a local report.Gary Owen, a local man who claims to have effectively commissioned the anonymous artist in an Instagram message suggesting a work protesting against pollution from the local st
  
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• Christmas getaway drivers warned of delays

  23-12-2018 15:20
  Roads are expected to be busiest between 11am and 1pm on Christmas Eve.
  
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• Queen among royals attending church service on Sandringham estate

  23-12-2018 15:06
  The monarch heads to Sandringham each winter, arriving before Christmas and staying until early February.
  
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• Bomb-disposal robots with state-of-the-art ‘feel’ technology delivered to Army

  23-12-2018 14:21
  The Harris T7 uses haptic vibration similar to that used in advanced medical surgery and some video game controllers.
  
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• Gatwick drones: £60,000 reward offered as man and woman from Crawley released

  23-12-2018 14:18
  Two people who were held over the drone disruption at Gatwick Airport have been released without charge.In a statement, Sussex Police said the man and woman arrested were no longer suspects following the widespread disruption of flights through the illegal use of drones.Gatwick Airport Limited is now offering a £50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
  
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• Four men charged with affray after incident on cargo ship in Thames Estuary

  23-12-2018 14:01
  The men are all due to appear at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
  
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• Forecasters put dampener on Christmas Day weather hopes

  23-12-2018 13:58
  The week is likely to see a split across the country.
  
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• Gatwick drones: £50,000 reward offered as man and woman from Crawley released

  23-12-2018 13:04
  Two people who were held over the drone disruption at Gatwick Airport have been released without charge.In a statement, Sussex Police said the man and woman arrested were no longer suspects following the widespread disruption of flights through the illegal use of drones.Gatwick Airport Limited is now offering a £50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
  
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• How to survive Christmas… one step at a time

  23-12-2018 13:00
  ’Tis the season to be jolly grateful if you can get through it in one piece. Here’s a five-point plan on making it to New YearIt’s useful to have a scapegoat at Christmas so mine is the industrial revolution. Yes, the Victorians were responsible for the festive fever dream of Dickensian jollity we have all internalised, but it’s those damn steam and steel barons who allowed us to escape our families most of the year. Since we stopped spending our lives confined to one roo
  
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• Pair arrested over Gatwick drone chaos released without charge

  23-12-2018 12:41
  The airport has offered a £50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
  
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• Gatwick drone chaos: arrested couple freed without charge

  23-12-2018 12:39
  People wait in the departures area at the South Terminal in Gatwick airport on Friday. Photograph: Xinhua/Rex/Shutterstock
  
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• One injured and two arrested after ‘disturbance’

  23-12-2018 12:19
  The emergency services were called to Claverhouse Drive in Edinburgh on Sunday morning.
  
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• Man due in court after death of woman in Biggar

  23-12-2018 12:03
  Police found the 33-year-old’s body at a house in South Lanarkshire on Saturday.
  
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• Orange Order wants tourist trail to revive forgotten story of Co Galway battle

  23-12-2018 12:00
  The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland is in talks with the Irish government about developing a tourist trail that would help tell the story of Aughrim.
  
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