General news

• Iranian Ambassador Backs Boris Johnson's Claim That He's Not To Blame For Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe Imprisonment

  20-06-2019 23:43
  The Iranian ambassador has suggested that Boris Johnson's false claims aboutNazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe made "no change" to her case - because it matchedthe country's reasons for imprisoning her
  
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• Iranian Ambassador Backs Boris Johnson's Claim That He's Not To Blame For Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe Imprisonment

  20-06-2019 23:43
  The Iranian ambassador has suggested that Boris Johnson's false claims aboutNazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe made "no change" to her case - because it matchedthe country's reasons for imprisoning her
  
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• New shadow climate justice minister demands fracking ban

  20-06-2019 23:30
  Danielle Rowley, newly appointed shadow climate justice minister, also wants to see more onshore wind turbines and free bus travel for under 25s.
  
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• Tory MP called a ‘disgrace’ and told to leave party by colleague

  20-06-2019 23:28
  Antoinette Sandbach, who backed Rory Stewart in the leadership campaign, tweeted abusive messages she said were sent by a male MP.
  
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• Climate activists halt Chancellor’s Mansion House speech

  20-06-2019 23:26
  Greenpeace UK says it was behind the disruption, which occurred just after Philip Hammond got to his feet.
  
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• Jimmy Carr faces furious backlash over vile jibe about dwarfs - Scottish Daily Record

  20-06-2019 23:25 via dailyrecord.co.uk
  Jimmy Carr faces furious backlash over vile jibe about dwarfs  Scottish Daily RecordJimmy Carr criticised by Little People charity for 'offensive' dwarf joke  Sky NewsBTS fans demand apology from Jimmy Carr over 'absolutely disgusting' joke  Evening StandardJimmy Carr faces backlash over ‘abortion dwarf’ joke  The IndependentStar Wars actor Warwick Davis furious at sick Jimmy Carr dwarf joke  ExpressView full coverage on Google News
  
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• UK to launch second sovereign sukuk - Hammond

  20-06-2019 23:22
  Britain will issue a second sovereign sukuk, or Islamic bond, the country's finance minister, Philip Hammond, said on Thursday.Hammond said in his annual Mansion House speech to representatives of the financial services industry that London was seeking to become the world's most global financial services market as the country leaves the European Union.In 2014, Britain became the first Western country to issue an Islamic bond, raising 200 million pounds from a five-year deal that was 10 times ove
  
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• Philip Hammond speech gatecrashed by '40' Greenpeace protesters

  20-06-2019 23:13
  A group of climate change protesters have disrupted the chancellor's speech at the annual Mansion House dinner.Environmental campaign group Greenpeace said 40 of its volunteers, in red evening dress with sashes that read "climate emergency", gatecrashed Philip Hammond's speech in the Egyptian Hall.Areeba Hamid, climate campaigner for Greenpeace UK, said: "This is a climate emergency.
  
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• Labour Grassroots Pile Pressure On Jeremy Corbyn To Back Remain

  20-06-2019 23:06
  Jeremy Corbyn has come under further pressure to adopt a more pro-Remainposition, as the party's grassroots stepped up its campaign to force his hand
  
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• Climate protesters interrupt Hammond's Mansion House speech

  20-06-2019 22:50 via bbc.co.uk
  The chancellor was addressing a City of London event at the Mansion House for the financial services industry.
  
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• Neil Woodford fire sale tops £169m as fund manager battles to reshape portfolio - Telegraph.co.uk

  20-06-2019 22:30 via telegraph.co.uk
  Neil Woodford fire sale tops £169m as fund manager battles to reshape portfolio  Telegraph.co.ukHargreaves Lansdown stands firm on Neil Woodford fees  Financial TimesNeil Woodford urged to find other ways to return billions to clients  The GuardianHas Hargreaves Lansdown done enough in wake of Woodford fallout?  Investment WeekBoss of Hargreaves Lansdown 'angered' at lack of progress in tackling Woodford fund saga  This is MoneyView full co
  
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• Central European countries block EU moves towards 2050 zero carbon goal - The Guardian

  20-06-2019 22:30 via theguardian.com
  Central European countries block EU moves towards 2050 zero carbon goal  The GuardianTheresa May's final defiant act: PM sends Brussels message at last EU summit  ExpressEU deadlocked over next president of European Commission  Telegraph.co.ukEU leaders fail to agree on new leadership slate during summit  Financial TimesEastern European states block bid for EU climate change 2050 decarbonisation target  The IndependentView full coverage on Google
  
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• Your biggest Harry Potter: Wizards Unite questions, answered - Polygon

  20-06-2019 22:28 via polygon.com
  Your biggest Harry Potter: Wizards Unite questions, answered  PolygonWe answer all the questions you may have about what items do, what "foundables" are, and how to be the best wizard you can be.View full coverage on Google News
  
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• Conservative leadership contest: Boris Johnson faces Jeremy Hunt in members' ballot

  20-06-2019 22:25
  Boris Johnson will go head-to-head with Jeremy Hunt to become the next Conservative Party leader and the UK's new prime minister.Tory MPs chose them as the final two in the party's leadership contest following the fifth and final parliamentary ballot.Environment Secretary Michael Gove was eliminated in the race by just two votes on Thursday.
  
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• Climate protesters interrupt speech by Hammond

  20-06-2019 22:24
  Climate change protesters briefly interrupted a high-profile speech by Chancellor Philip Hammond to leaders of the country's financial services industry on Thursday.Several women, wearing red evening dresses and sashes with the words 'climate emergency', prevented Hammond from speaking for a few minutes by using loudspeakers to shout slogans during a banquet in London's landmark Mansion House building.Environmental campaign group Greenpeace said it organised the protest in the heart of the capit
  
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• Climate Change Protesters Disrupt Chancellor Philip Hammond's Mansion House Speech

  20-06-2019 22:24
  Television footage showed several women wearing red evening dress withSuffragette-style sashes reading 'climate emergency'
  
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• Climate Change Protesters Disrupt Chancellor Philip Hammond's Mansion House Speech

  20-06-2019 22:24
  Climate change activists have interrupted Chancellor Philip Hammond's speechto the annual Bankers and Merchants Dinner at Mansion House
  
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• Tory leadership race: Johnson vs Hunt

  20-06-2019 22:20
  Tory leadership race: Johnson vs Hunt
  
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• Everything you need to know about the final candidates for the Tory leadership

  20-06-2019 21:52
  Boris Johnson remains the frontrunner in the contest.
  
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• Hunt to face Johnson amid rumours of tactical voting in Tory leadership race

  20-06-2019 21:48
  Johnson’s team accused of skullduggery after Michael Gove knocked out by narrow margin. Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt will battle it out to become Britain’s next prime minister after a day of drama at Westminster that saw Johnson’s team accused of conniving to knock his bitter rival Michael Gove out of the race. The environment secretary drew narrowly ahead of Hunt in the fourth round of voting among Tory MPs on Thursday, which saw Sajid Javid knocked out. But when the results
  
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• Prince Charles causes a stir on 007 set in 'Bond-themed' tie

  20-06-2019 21:45
  Prince Charles was dressed to thrill as he visited the set of Bond 25 sporting a tie decorated with speed boats and palm trees.Executive producer Barbara Broccoli claimed the Prince of Wales's fashion statement was a nod to the Jamaican setting of the upcoming as-yet-unnamed movie.Broccoli said she thought Charles had worn the tie to mark the occasion.
  
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• Eastern European states block bid for EU climate change 2050 decarbonisation target - The Independent

  20-06-2019 21:39 via independent.co.uk
  Eastern European states block bid for EU climate change 2050 decarbonisation target  The IndependentThree central and eastern European countries blocked a new EU climate change target on Thursday night, undermining global action to cut carbon emissions.View full coverage on Google News
  
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• Ambassador: Boris Johnson not to blame for British-Iranian mum’s imprisonment

  20-06-2019 21:30
  Tory leadership frontrunner Mr Johnson has apologised for his false claim she was in Iran 'teaching people journalism', which was used in court.
  
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• Hunt ‘can cause surprise’ against Johnson after edging out Gove

  20-06-2019 21:06
  The next prime minister will be either Boris Johnson or Jeremy Hunt after Michael Gove was eliminated from the Tory leadership race by just two votes.
  
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• Astronomers see 'warm' glow of Uranus's rings - EurekAlert

  20-06-2019 21:02 via eurekalert.org
  Astronomers see 'warm' glow of Uranus's rings  EurekAlertAstronomers see 'warm' glow of Uranus's rings  Phys.orgAstronomers see “warm” glow of Uranus's rings  UC BerkeleyPlanetary Rings of Uranus 'Glow' in Cold Light  nrao.eduView full coverage on Google News
  
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• Schoolboy fatally stabbed by friend after bungled drug deal, court hears

  20-06-2019 20:57
  Yousef Makki was a pupil at Manchester Grammar, having won a scholarship to attend the prestigious school.Photograph: Family Handout/PAA schoolboy was stabbed to death by one of his friends after he got caught up in a bungled attempt to rob a drug dealer in an affluent suburb, a jury has heard.Yousef Makki, 17, died after being stabbed in the heart by his 17-year-old friend in Hale Barns, a suburb in Trafford, Manchester crown court was told.Makki, who came from an Anglo-Lebanese family and live
  
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• Charles interrupts M giving James Bond a ‘good dressing down’ during set trip

  20-06-2019 20:53
  The Prince of Wales also quipped about a recent set explosion during his visit to Pinewood Studios.
  
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• Labour staff could strike over pay amid concerns at office culture

  20-06-2019 20:51
  Karie Murphy reportedly acts as Jeremy Corbyn’s gatekeeper and enforcer. Photograph: Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty ImagesLabour staff, including some in Jeremy Corbyn’s office, are contemplating strike action over allegedly paltry pay rates amid anger at the management style of his chief-of-staff, Karie Murphy.The Guardian understands Labour made an improved pay offer to staff of an annual rise of 2.2% on Thursday – but that falls short of the staff’s demand for a rise in
  
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• Tories choose Ken Doll as Mr Blobby’s hustings warm-up act

  20-06-2019 20:43
  Jeremy Hunt wins dubious honour of playing bit-part in Boris Johnson’s coronation march. What a carve up! Here was the Tory party laid bare. A respectability that was barely skin deep. Values and probity jettisoned in the venal pursuit of power. Prior to Cheryl Gillan, the acting chair of the 1992 Committee, announcing the result, Michael Gove’s team had been quietly confident he had the numbers. He hadn’t. Jeremy Hunt had squeezed home by two votes. Gavin Williamson, Boris Joh
  
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• Police launch probe after two bodies found in Belfast house

  20-06-2019 20:29
  A post-mortem to confirm the causes of death has yet to be carried out.
  
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• Gove and Javid prepare for top jobs with congratulatory tweets

  20-06-2019 20:28
  It is expected two ministers will seek higher office under Boris Johnson or Jeremy Hunt. Michael Gove and Sajid Javid have issued dutiful statements of disappointment and pride after their elimination from the Tory leadership race, thanking their supporters, defending their campaigns and perhaps seeking to remind observers that they remain heavyweight candidates for cabinet jobs. Falling back on one of the signature traits of the modern political leadership campaign, both gave their best wishes
  
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• Tory leadership race live: Hunt v Johnson in final battle for Number 10

  20-06-2019 20:25
  Michael Gove was eliminated in the latest vote.
  
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• Royal family keeps close ties with James Bond franchise - BT.com

  20-06-2019 20:20 via home.bt.com
  Royal family keeps close ties with James Bond franchise  BT.comPrince Charles meets Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes and Naomie Harris during visit to Bond 25 set  Evening StandardPrince Charles causes a stir on 007 set in 'Bond-themed' tie  Sky NewsPrince Charles meets 007 actor Daniel Craig on tour of James Bond set  ITV NewsDaniel Craig shows Prince Charles around James Bond studio | 5 News  5 NewsView full coverage on Google News
  
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• ITV will host debate between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt

  20-06-2019 20:11
  Conservative leadership hopefuls will face each other on TV.
  
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• Bank of England governor Mark Carney welcomes Facebook's Libra currency

  20-06-2019 20:07
  Mark Carney has issued an unexpectedly warm welcome to Facebook's new global currency.The Bank's governor said Libra, the digital currency Facebook unveiled earlier this week, could "substantially improve financial inclusion and dramatically lower the cost of domestic and cross-border payments".
  
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• It's Hunt v Johnson In The Fight For Number 10 – But What Happens Next?

  20-06-2019 20:06
  It's felt like a *long* few weeks since Theresa May sparked the mother of allTory leadership contests by announcing she would be leaving Number 10 thissummer
  
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• David Warner hits century as Australia return to table top with win over Bangladesh - The Telegraph

  20-06-2019 20:01 via telegraph.co.uk
  David Warner hits century as Australia return to table top with win over Bangladesh  The TelegraphThere has been something curious about David Warner during this World Cup. The swagger has been replaced by the straitjacket. In lieu of his customary strut ...View full coverage on Google News
  
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• Wands out: the Harry Potter mobile game from the makers of Pokemon Go is live - TechRadar

  20-06-2019 20:00 via techradar.com
  Wands out: the Harry Potter mobile game from the makers of Pokemon Go is live  TechRadarReady your wands, Potterheads: Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, the free-to-play mobile game by Pokemon Go creator Niantic, is live on iOS and Android – at least ...View full coverage on Google News
  
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• Lost wallet more likely to be returned when big sum inside, study suggests

  20-06-2019 20:00
  In 38 out of 40 countries studied, honesty increased as the value of the contents rose.
  
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• NHS inpatient satisfaction falls for first time in six years

  20-06-2019 19:57
  Chief inspector of hospitals says mounting pressure on system is having ‘dire impact’. Hospital patients are facing growing delays in getting a bed, help from staff or relief from their pain because surging demand for care is undermining how well they are looked after, the NHS care regulator has said. The proportion of people admitted to hospital who are satisfied with their care fell last year for the first time in six years, an official survey of 76,000 patients found. “Staff
  
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• Scotland to run new consultations before updating gender law

  20-06-2019 19:56
  The government announced today that much anticipated reforms to the Gender Recognition Act would be postponed for further consultations. Photograph: Ken Jack/Getty ImagesThe Scottish government has postponed a planned update of gender recognition laws after concluding that it had failed to address concerns about the impact of its proposals.Shirley Anne Somerville, the equalities secretary, said she would launch new consultations to ensure that anxieties that women and girls could be at risk of p
  
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• School apologises after year 9 pupils asked to choose best looking student

  20-06-2019 19:43
  Hugh Christie School, in Tonbridge, Kent, has launched an investigation.
  
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• Seals can copy human speech and sing Star Wars theme tune, new study says

  20-06-2019 19:38
  Researchers at the University of St Andrews have trained three grey seals to copy sound sequences, resulting in a several-note rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and the Star Wars theme tune.The marine mammals were also found to be able to copy human speech sounds, including vowels.Lead researcher Amanda Stansbury said she was "amazed" at how well the seals were able to mimic the sounds.
  
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• Johnson v Hunt: their policies, personal style and pasts compared

  20-06-2019 19:35
  What the two Tory leadership candidates have said about Brexit, tax and climate policy. Conservative MPs have spoken: after five rounds of voting it is Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt who will go to the 120,000-plus party membership as the two candidates to replace Theresa May as leader. What are the differences between their policies and personalities? Here’s what we know so far. Brexit Johnson: He has promised to push for a new deal while insisting the UK will leave the EU come what may on
  
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• Small Satellite Concept Finalists Target Moon, Mars and Beyond - Jet Propulsion Laboratory

  20-06-2019 19:29 via jpl.nasa.gov
  Small Satellite Concept Finalists Target Moon, Mars and Beyond  Jet Propulsion LaboratoryNASA astronaut snaps INCREDIBLE photos of Earth from International Space Station  Express.co.ukMy $599 weekend in space  Financial TimesAmericans aren’t interested in the Moon and Mars—and that’s understandable  Ars TechnicaBlue Origin fires up the engine of its future Moon lander for the first time  The VergeView full coverage on Google New
  
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• Boris Johnson v Jeremy Hunt: How do they compare?

  20-06-2019 19:26
  Eight ways the two leadership hopefuls measure up.
  
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• The limits to Labour’s ambiguity on Brexit

  20-06-2019 19:24
  ‘Jeremy Corbyn’s appeal as a politician is his integrity : he is a man of his word and acts on principle,’ writes Malcolm Pittock. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/APPaul Mason is right (Labour has no choice but to back remain, 19 June), but Brexit policy change alone will not regain lost support. To be credible there must be a change of leadership and a decisive break from three years of failed “constructive ambiguity” over Brexit. By echoing the Conservatives’ &l
  
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• Catastrophic failure of the war on drugs

  20-06-2019 19:24
  This vast unethical trade is co-created by politicians, including President Duque of Colombia, who back a policy of global prohibition, writes Danny Kushlick. In time-honoured fashion we see the tired trope of cocaine users’ responsibility for violence in Colombia ( Colombian president says middle-class cocaine users are hypocrites, 18 June). It is 10 years since the UK and Colombian governments launched their “Shared Responsibility” campaign to highlight links between users an
  
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• If Hungary’s voting system is unfair then Britain’s is even worse

  20-06-2019 19:23
  David Cameron with Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán in January 2016. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesTimothy Garton Ash (Hungary is dismantling democracy, 20 June) makes the point that Hungarian electoral law was changed, with the result that in 2014 Viktor Orbán’s party, Fidesz, got 66% of the parliamentary seats with 44% of the vote. Maybe he could turn his spotlight on the UK, where in 2015 the Tories got 50.9% of the seats with just 36.9% of the vote, and Ukip
  
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• Change to backstop would benefit Ireland as well as the UK

  20-06-2019 19:23
  Boris Johnson, the frontrunner to become the next prime minister. Photograph: Peter Summers/Getty ImagesMy article on the Irish backstop (Journal, 13 June) has aroused a predictable reaction from those like Oscar Despard (Letters, 19 June) who hold to the surely outdated view that Britain’s crisis is Ireland’s opportunity. Mr Despard and those who think like him have not read my article very carefully, or they would have appreciated my argument that Irish generosity would on this occ
  
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