General news

• PM Johnson says no to election pact with Brexit Party

  23-09-2019 23:47
  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday his governing Conservative Party would not agree an election pact with Nigel Farage's Brexit Party, which has offered a deal if Johnson agrees to a clean break from the European Union.With parliament deadlocked and divided over the terms of Britain's exit from the bloc, a general election is widely expected to take place within the coming months, although the timing of it is uncertain.Farage, one of the main forces behind the campaign for Brexi
  
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• Johnson hints at major reforms to tax and industry post-Brexit

  23-09-2019 23:44
  Donald Tusk said after meeting Boris Johnson at the UN HQ on Monday that there had been no breakthroughs on Brexit. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PABoris Johnson has signalled his hope to push down tax rates and diverge from EU standards and regulations after Brexit, even as his talks on a new departure plan at a UN summit in New York met with seemingly limited success.The prime minister was expected to try to sell his self-styled replacement for the Irish backstop border insurance policy during t
  
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• Johnson - UK to 'roll out red carpet' to U.S. firms post Brexit

  23-09-2019 23:41
  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will on Tuesday promise to "roll out the red carpet" for American businesses with the most competitive tax rates in the hemisphere after Britain leaves the European Union.Addressing U.S. and Canadian business leaders at a breakfast reception on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, Johnson will say he plans to make Britain "the best place in the world to start, run and build a business"."We are going to take advantage of all the fr
  
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• Dead humpback whale washes up on Northumberland coast

  23-09-2019 23:41
  The whale could be carrying up to 7,500 whale lice, which are now looking for a new host and could attach themselves to people, the coastguard warned.
  
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• Labour targets large offshore wind farm expansion

  23-09-2019 23:38
  Britain's opposition Labour Party will build 37 new offshore wind farms with a 51% publicly-owned stake if it wins power, business spokeswoman Rebecca Long-Bailey will say on Tuesday, outlining a large expansion of renewable energy generation.Labour is laying out swathes of new policy at its annual party conference in Brighton, eyeing an expected early election triggered by the Conservative-led government's crisis over leaving the European Union."While UK's offshore wind industry is still young,
  
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• UK will take full advantage of Brexit freedom, says Johnson

  23-09-2019 23:30
  The PM is to tell US and Canadian business leaders he wants the UK to have 'the most competitive tax rates' once it has left the EU.
  
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• Tories to snub Nigel Farage’s offer of election pact – Johnson

  23-09-2019 23:30
  Mr Johnson said his party would stand in every seat if an election were called.
  
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• The $50m Art Swindle review – I feel conned by this Thomas Crown-on-steroids affair

  23-09-2019 23:30
  Michel Cohen pulled off one of the biggest art cons in history, so this Vanessa Engle documentary should have been fascinating ... but for me it fell totally flatVanessa Engle’s new film The $50m Art Swindle (BBC Two) had a great intro. In voiceover we heard the people who best knew the man who defrauded them of millions of dollars nearly 20 years ago and then disappeared guess what happened to Michel Cohen. He went into hiding in Mexico. No, he had been living the life of Riley in south A
  
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• PM quizzed on whether Supreme Court defeat would lead to his resignation

  23-09-2019 23:30
  Mr Johnson could be out of the country when the Supreme Court rules on his decision to prorogue Parliament.
  
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• Labour pledges to halve food bank usage in first year in government

  23-09-2019 23:30
  Shadow environment secretary Sue Hayman said the party would ensure 'no-one in the country needs to go hungry'.
  
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• Boris Johnson refuses to rule out suspending parliament again

  23-09-2019 23:30
  PM says adverse supreme court ruling would not stop him proroguing parliament again. Boris Johnson has refused to rule out suspending parliament again if the supreme court rules on Tuesday that he abused his powers as prime minister in doing so earlier this month. The British prime minister, who is in New York for a UN summit, also indicated he would not feel obliged to resign if the justices rule he misled the Queen in his reasons for suspending parliament. Asked if he felt a verdict going agai
  
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• Lionel Messi and Megan Rapinoe named Fifa footballers of the year

  23-09-2019 23:14
  • Jürgen Klopp won The Best men’s coach award
  • Jill Ellis takes the women’s coach of the year awardBarcelona’s Lionel Messi and the USA World Cup winner Megan Rapinoe have been crowned players of the year at Fifa’s The Best awards, held at the stunning Teatro alla Scala.With 21 of the 55 nominees playing in England, it was natural that the Premier League would dominate the men’s awards, but there was surprise as Messi beat Virgil van Dijk, who lifted
  
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• How secret plans saved customers of Thomas Cook from being stranded

  23-09-2019 23:04
  Civil servants spent millions creating a pop-up airline ready to fly back Brits abroadIn what turned out to be the last week of Thomas Cook’s 178-year history, while banks and creditors were still attempting to thrash out a rescue deal, civil servants were placing a multimillion-pound bet of their own. And their money was on the airline collapsing.For the second time in the space of two years, the Civil Aviation Authority was secretly putting together its own pop-up airline, and this was e
  
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• Improvised weapon found in grounds of Belfast primary school

  23-09-2019 23:01
  Police believe it was destined to be used in an attack on officers.
  
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• All change for England in second Rugby World Cup game against USA

  23-09-2019 22:59
  • Four-day gap means chance for those who missed Tonga game
  • England will have one training session between matchesBen Youngs and Dan Cole are set to join Jonny Wilkinson as England’s third-most capped men’s international players on Thursday, with Eddie Jones poised to shuffle his side for their second match of the World Cup when they face the USA.Jones is also due to make a late call on the fitness of Henry Slade before naming his side on Tuesday after the utility back to
  
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• Greta Thunberg Glares At Donald Trump As He Arrives At UN Climate Summit

  23-09-2019 22:44
  Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg has been filmed shooting a cold stareat US President Donald Trump soon after she lambasted world leaders over theirfailure to tackle climate change
  
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• Johnson fails to get ‘New York breakthrough’ on Brexit

  23-09-2019 22:32
  The Prime Minister had downplayed his chances of securing a new deal ahead of meetings with key EU leaders.
  
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• Labour Members Pass The Corbyn ‘Loyalty Test’. But Will Labour Voters Fail It?

  23-09-2019 22:30
  Sign up now to get The Waugh Zone, our weekday evening politics briefing, byemail
  
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• Johnson questions directors’ payouts when businesses go ‘down the tubes’

  23-09-2019 22:13
  The Prime Minister has hinted at forcing companies to be properly insured against collapse.
  
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• What will liquidators do with Thomas Cook?

  23-09-2019 22:04
  The liquidators are dealing with more than 25 companies, including Thomas Cook Airlines Ltd and Thomas Cook Money Ltd.
  
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• Johnson ‘much more dangerous’ than Thatcher, says McDonnell

  23-09-2019 22:04
  The shadow chancellor said Labour is ready for a general election as he outlined tax plans.
  
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• The aerial battle will be the key to unlocking defences in World Cup | Nick Evans

  23-09-2019 21:45
  Tactical kicking is increasingly important and England and Owen Farrell are masters of the artAfter watching New Zealand, South Africa, England and Ireland – the four most-fancied teams at the World Cup – play their first matches over the weekend it is already clear how much of a weapon tactical kicking is going to be. All four teams needed no second invitation to put boot to ball. In England’s case it was maybe a little too much but, as I have said before in these pages, they
  
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• Setback for Metro Bank as investors snub £250m bond sale

  23-09-2019 21:38
  Despite high interest rate of 7.5%, lender forced to cancel offer just hours after launch Metro Bank has been forced to cancel a bond sale of up to £250m after failing to drum up interest from investors, marking a setback for the lender struggling to recover from an accounting blunder earlier this year.The challenger bank had been trying to sell its debt to investors to meet EU regulatory requirements, which would help it wind down effectively in a crisis without using taxpayer cash. Conti
  
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• Labour elite wins a battle, but it might have just lost the war | John Crace

  23-09-2019 21:29
  Unconditional adoration for Corbyn overrules Momentum remainers who believed promises their voices would be heard Brexit continues to turn everything it touches to dust. There are no wise people left, so it can only now take pleasure by making fools of fools. Easy pickings but good for the LOLs. It’s come down to this for Labour. On the third day of its conference in Brighton, the best result for the party would have been for all three contradictory Brexit motions to have been passed.That
  
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• Labour elite wins a battle, but it might have just lost the war

  23-09-2019 21:29
  In the latest example of Brexit shambles, Labour decided to ignore the majority of its members who supported remain. Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty ImagesBrexit continues to turn everything it touches to dust. There are no wise people left, so it can only now take pleasure by making fools of fools. Easy pickings but good for the LOLs. It’s come down to this for Labour. On the third day of its conference in Brighton, the best result for the party would have been for all three contradictory Bre
  
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• The stars come out for the 2019 Fifa football awards in Milan – in pictures

  23-09-2019 21:16
  Kylian Mbappé, Megan Rapinoe, Jürgen Klopp, Virgil Van Dijk, Lionel Messi and many more put on their best for the awards ceremony in Milan Continue reading...
  
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• Head of Eton hits back at Labour plans to abolish private schools

  23-09-2019 21:16
  Simon Henderson says system is unequal but ‘abolishing excellence’ is no solutionThe headmaster of Eton College has hit back at Labour’s plans to abolish private schools, saying they make no financial sense and will not benefit children left behind by the education system.In an interview with the Guardian, Simon Henderson, who became head of the world-famous private school four years ago, acknowledged the public mood had shifted and a battle lay ahead for the future of private
  
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• PM accuses Iran of being behind attacks on Saudi oil facilities

  23-09-2019 21:15
  Boris Johnson called for a new nuclear deal on Iran after the US abandoned it.
  
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• Free care and four-day weeks: Labour's big, bold, pricey policies

  23-09-2019 21:12
  Party shifts further towards radical socialist policies, taking its cue from 2017 manifesto. A four-day week, getting rid of private schools, scrapping universal credit, abolishing the schools inspectorate, an end to prescription charges, free care for elderly people and free nursery places for toddlers. These are undoubtedly big, bold policies from a Labour conference on the eve of an election. Some of them will come with big price tags, but the leadership has made a bet that the public want po
  
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• What does Labour vote signify about where it stands on Brexit?

  23-09-2019 21:04
  John McDonnell and Jeremy Corbyn greet each other on the third day of the Labour party conference. Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty Images What is Jeremy Corbyn’s Brexit position?The Labour leader has set out a careful position on how he would like to deal with Brexit in a strategy aimed at not alienating either leave or remain voters at an election. He would first want to win an election, then negotiate a Labour Brexit deal with Brussels relatively quickly. Within six months of the election, t
  
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• UK ministers accused of sealing Thomas Cook's fate

  23-09-2019 21:02
  Offers from Spain and Turkey to save firm reportedly had no support from WestminsterThe government has been accused of sealing Thomas Cook’s fate, as claims emerged that the Spanish and Turkish governments had offered to help save the stricken tour operator, only for the deal to disintegrate due to a lack of support in Westminster.As recriminations flew, government-chartered aircraft began flying 150,000 stranded Thomas Cook customers back to the UK after the 178-year-old tour operator col
  
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• Softbank's roadmap to WeWork's flotation may prove quite tricky

  23-09-2019 20:57
  Plans to ditch CEO Adam Neumann to boost valuation could be frustrated by his super-charged voting rightsWeWork’s ambition to float in New York was ridiculed as an exercise in hot air, bad governance and ludicrous financial projections. The arrival on the public markets of the shared-office company was ultimately pulled. Now comes a plan to get the show back on the road, courtesy of 30% shareholder, Softbank: ditch Adam Neumann as chief executive.As far as it goes, it’s a good idea.
  
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• The Guardian view on Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour: time to come together | Editorial

  23-09-2019 20:50
  The Labour leader has won an important victory against many high-profile opponents who wanted Labour to be the party of remain. He must now bring them back into the foldJeremy Corbyn is cherished by many delegates in his party. He is not held in awe by them. The membership has twice backed Mr Corbyn overwhelmingly as leader despite their views being far more pro-Europe than his own. On the conference floor in Brighton on Tuesday they did so again, putting their trust in Mr Corbyn over their affe
  
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• Harry and Meghan on impromptu walkabout in historic Cape Town neighbourhood

  23-09-2019 20:50
  The Duke and Duchess of Sussex listened to the stories of people who were forcibly removed from District Six during the Apartheid era.
  
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• US soldier discussed bombing media and targeting Beto O'Rourke, FBI alleges

  23-09-2019 20:40
  Jarrett William Smith, 24, chatted plans on Facebook Infantryman talked of making IEDs and killing antifa activistsA member of the US military has been arrested after he allegedly discussed plans to bomb a news network, suggested targeting the Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke and explained how to make an improvised explosive device, or IED.The FBI charged Jarrett William Smith, a soldier stationed in Kansas, with distributing information related to explosives and weapons of
  
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• Tributes paid to engineer who died while working at Waterloo station

  23-09-2019 20:38
  Christian Tuvi was killed while working on a moving walkway at the station.
  
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• Mojitos with Diane Abbott: Labour's fringe parties on

  23-09-2019 20:35
  Miliband was a gameshow host and McDonnell span the wheel of public ownership at The World TransformedCorbyn defeats grassroots motion for out-and-out remain The Labour party’s civil war on Brexit deepened at their annual party conference Monday. But less than a mile away, at the centre of The World Transformed festival, a lively discussion was underway about how Diane Abbott likes to drink her mojito.As well as being shadow home secretary, Abbott played the role of an agony aunt at Novara
  
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• Boris Johnson and the tech boss who called him 'Alex the Great'

  23-09-2019 20:35
  Jennifer Arcuri, who received sponsorship from a mayoral office agency, liked to boast of connectionWhen a story broke over the weekend about Boris Johnson’s friendship with an American tech entrepreneur who was granted £126,000 in public money during his time as London mayor, the entrepreneur in question had little to say.Jennifer Arcuri, suddenly at the centre of a row over an alleged conflict of interest, did not address questions about the friendship, simply insisting that the gr
  
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• Microsoft plans to make 825,000 Xbox consoles carbon neutral - Windows Central

  23-09-2019 20:34 via news.google.com
  Microsoft plans to make 825,000 Xbox consoles carbon neutral  Windows CentralCarbon neutral Xbox battles Sony PS5 low-power mode as gaming goes green  TrustedReviewsSony and Microsoft unite to help fight global warming  Metro.co.ukMicrosoft to battle climate change alongside Sony and other gaming companies  International Business Times UKXbox To Be First Carbon Neutral Game Console With Test Program  GameSpotView full coverage on Google News
  
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• Johnson under pressure over friend receiving public funds

  23-09-2019 20:31
  Jennifer Arcuri with Boris Johnson at London’s World Islamic Economic Forum, in 2013. Photograph: Vicki Couchman/REX/ShutterstockBoris Johnson stonewalled repeated questions about a conflict of interest row over his grants of public money to an American businesswoman on Monday as more details emerged about the nature of their friendship.The British prime minister is under mounting pressure over revelations that Jennifer Arcuri’s business, Innotech, banked £26,500 in public mone
  
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• Haiti: photojournalist shot in face as senator opens fire outside parliament

  23-09-2019 20:30
  Jean Marie Ralph Féthière draws handgun amid chaotic scenesChery Dieu-Nalio avoids serious injury; another man woundedTwo men including a photojournalist have been shot and injured by a Haitian senator who opened fire outside the country’s parliament, amid chaotic scenes as the government attempted to confirm the appointment of a new prime minister.Chery Dieu-Nalio, an Associated Press photographer, was wounded in the face and a second man, Leon Leblanc, a security guard and
  
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• 'Brilliant exposé' of gender data gap wins Royal Society science book prize

  23-09-2019 20:30
  Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez, which reveals bias towards men in measures of human life, hailed as vital workThe deadly truth about a world built for men – from stab vests to car crashesCaroline Criado Perez’s exposé of the gender data gap that has created a world biased against women has won her the Royal Society science book prize.Criado Perez’s Invisible Women, which explores how everything from speech-recognition software to bulletproof vests, from medical
  
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• Russia at risk of Tokyo Olympics ban over ‘inconsistent’ Moscow lab data

  23-09-2019 20:25
  • Wada gives Russia three weeks to explain alleged irregularities
  • Any ban could also extend to football World CupRussia faces the prospect of being banned from next year’s Olympics in Tokyo after the World Anti-Doping Agency gave it three weeks to explain apparent inconsistencies in data from its Moscow laboratory or to suffer the consequences. Related: Migrant workers and children to pad out crowd for World Athletics ChampionshipsContinue reading...
  
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• Neil Woodford buying up FTSE 100 shares after fund suspension

  23-09-2019 20:21
  Woodford Investment Management reveals investments in blue chip stocksNeil Woodford has piled cash into FTSE 100 stocks after seeing the value of his flagship fund tumble 13% following its shock suspension in June.The beleaguered fund manager apologised to investors still trapped in the Woodford Equity Income Fund, and confirmed that their cash would likely stay gated until early December. Continue reading...
  
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• Barcelona trapped in a recurring nightmare that began at Anfield | Sid Lowe

  23-09-2019 20:20
  Last season’s calamitous Champions League exit against Liverpool did not cause Barcelona’s crisis - it exposed structural failures which were ignored for too longPretty much the first thing Junior Firpo did as a Barça player was miss the ball. The second was to fall flat on his face. He had been on the pitch for 54 seconds and as he lay on the grass, the soundtrack provided by a bloke with a swanee whistle and a set of cymbals, he watched the men in red and white run beyond hi
  
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• Google launching Play Pass game and app subscription service for Android this week - Eurogamer.net

  23-09-2019 20:16 via news.google.com
  Google launching Play Pass game and app subscription service for Android this week  Eurogamer.netGoogle launches Play Pass apps subscription package  BBC NewsApple Arcade vs Google Play Pass: tech giants go head to head with mobile gaming subscriptions  Evening StandardPopular Android selfie apps let crooks listen through your microphone – delete them NOW  The SunGoogle Play Pass: price, games and trailer for the Apple Arcade rival  Den of
  
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• Thomas Cook passengers give staff carrier bags of cash after flight home

  23-09-2019 20:15
  When the plane landed, just before 8am on Monday, tearful staff discovered they had been made redundant, effective immediately.
  
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• The Guardian view on Thomas Cook: wiped out by debt | Editorial

  23-09-2019 20:02
  That the oldest holiday company in the world has gone bust is a cause for anger as well as regret – and a grim portent of what lies aheadThe collapse of Thomas Cook, the world’s oldest holiday company, is most obviously a disaster for its 21,000 European employees – 9,000 of whom work in the UK. It may also prove fatal for some of the hotels and other businesses that relied on it for customers. And while having a holiday ruined is not as bad as losing a job, the inconvenience f
  
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• Howdy Modi: Indian PM appears with Trump at Texas rally

  23-09-2019 19:56
  Narendra Modi defends actions in Kashmir and accuses Pakistan of ‘hatred towards India’Narendra Modi defended his government’s actions in Kashmir and, in thinly-veiled remarks, accused Pakistan of harbouring terrorists during a packed rally in Texas attended by the US president Donald Trump.Trump sat in the front row as the Indian prime minister told cheering crowds his decision to remove all autonomy from Indian-administered Kashmir would bring progress and better rights for i
  
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• Boris Johnson Breaks Silence Over Controversial Conflict Of Interest Claims

  23-09-2019 19:46
  Boris Johnson has broken his silence to insist "everything was done withcomplete propriety" as he faces allegations of potential conflicts of interestas London mayor
  
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