General news

• Boris Johnson to serve Christmas lunch to British troops in Estonia

  20-12-2019 23:30
  
  The PM will also hold a bilateral meeting with Estonian counterpart Juri Ratas while in Tallinn on Saturday.
  
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• UK, Ireland pause talks to restore Northern Ireland's regional government - FT

  20-12-2019 23:16
  
  Talks for a deal between the Sinn Fein party and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) will restart after Christmas, the newspaper added https://on.ft.com/2sPCs90, citing a senior Irish official.Negotiations resumed last Monday after both DUP and Sinn Fein lost some ground in the British election last week, adding pressure on them to reach an agreement.
  
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• Loan charge review criticised for setting ‘meaningless’ cut-off date

  20-12-2019 21:20
  
  MPs say the recommended reforms to the controversial tax avoidance clampdown do not go far enough.
  
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• 'Narcissist' teenagers jailed for 16 years after stabbing of 17-year-old

  20-12-2019 21:02
  
  'Narcissist' teenagers jailed for 16 years after stabbing of 17-year-old. Rhett Carty-Shaw tried to murder former girlfriend at behest of Kyro Mori Akhiro
  
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• Johnson accused of 'rewarding racism' after Zac Goldsmith peerage

  20-12-2019 20:51
  
  Johnson accused of 'rewarding racism' after Zac Goldsmith peerage. Muslim leaders say decision casts doubt on commitment by Tories to tackle Islamophobia
  
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• Special adviser numbers rise under Boris Johnson

  20-12-2019 19:49
  
  Special adviser numbers rise under Boris JohnsonNine full-time-equivalent posts added since Theresa May and three advisers paid more than £140,000
  
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• Cummings' salary revealed as special adviser numbers rise

  20-12-2019 19:49
  
  Cummings' salary revealed as special adviser numbers rise. Nine full-time-equivalent posts added since Theresa May and three advisers paid more than £140,000
  
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• 'Narcissist' teenagers jailed for 16 years after stabbing of ex-lover

  20-12-2019 19:49
  
  'Narcissist' teenagers jailed for 16 years after stabbing of ex-lover. Rhett Carty-Shaw tried to murder ex-girlfriend at behest of ‘jealous’ Kyro Mori Akhiro
  
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• 'Narcissist' teenager jailed for 16 years after stabbing ex-girlfriend

  20-12-2019 19:49
  
  'Narcissist' teenager jailed for 16 years after stabbing ex-girlfriend. Rhett Carty-Shaw attempted murder at behest of ‘jealous’ friend, also jailed for 16 years
  
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• Brexit: MPs pass withdrawal agreement bill by 124 majority

  20-12-2019 19:48
  
  Brexit: MPs pass withdrawal agreement bill by 124 majority. Bill passes second reading by 358 votes to 234 leaving UK on course to leave EU by end of January
  
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• Vitamin E acetate most likely caused US vaping illness, say experts

  20-12-2019 19:47
  
  Vitamin E acetate most likely caused US vaping illness, say experts. Evidence suggests additive in cannabis THC e-cigarette products affected breathing
  
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• YouTube star LadBaby scores second Christmas number one

  20-12-2019 19:34
  
  Sir Rod Stewart's latest record, You're In My Heart, is the 2019 Christmas number one album.
  
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• To Johnson, the Brexit spoils. And the amnesia

  20-12-2019 19:21
  
  To Johnson, the Brexit spoils. And the amnesia. The prime minister gloats, but victory has come at the cost of truth, the people and his own soul
  
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• Varadkar determined to restore powersharing in Northern Ireland

  20-12-2019 19:19
  
  The UK and Irish governments have singled out the DUP as the party standing in the way of a pre-Christmas deal.
  
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• MPs' Christmas cards spread cheer after gruelling year

  20-12-2019 19:14
  
  MPs' Christmas cards spread cheer after gruelling year. Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn opt for cards designed by schoolchildren
  
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• Journalists' union criticises plans for new official secrets laws

  20-12-2019 18:54
  
  Journalists' union criticises plans for new official secrets laws. Proposed changes may make it easier to prosecute reporters on security issues, NUJ says
  
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• Taoiseach – Election of more nationalist MPs ‘not a one off’

  20-12-2019 18:53
  
  The result was unprecedented amid Brexit-fuelled calls in some quarters for a referendum on Irish unity.
  
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• Tony Blair needs a further period of reflection

  20-12-2019 18:51
  
  Tony Blair needs a further period of reflectionReaders react to Tony Blair’s advice to ditch Corbynism and the party’s ‘brand of quasi-revolutionary socialism’
  
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• The failure of leadership behind Labour’s general election defeat

  20-12-2019 18:50
  
  The failure of leadership behind Labour’s general election defeat. Readers respond to an article by Owen Jones in which he said that Labour faced a remorseless assault but Corbyn and the left must own their mistakes
  
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• Ireland and UK trade deal has been made more difficult, says Varadkar

  20-12-2019 18:49
  
  The Irish Premier said he was still concerned about Brexit, despite the Withdrawal Agreement being ratified.
  
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• Family law cases and the adoption process

  20-12-2019 18:49
  
  Family law cases and the adoption process. Bob Mountain on the difficulties of making Children Act proceedings more transparent. Dr John Simmonds on what should drive adopters and professionals alike
  
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• Courts shouldn’t be a political chamber

  20-12-2019 18:48
  
  Courts shouldn’t be a political chamber. Frank Field praises Lady Hale, the retiring president of the supreme court, but sounds a note of caution
  
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• Time to resurrect the Anti-Lies Bureau

  20-12-2019 18:47
  
  Time to resurrect the Anti-Lies BureauMên-an-Tol | Zac Goldsmith | Anti-Lies Bureau | Boris Johnson’s fancy dress | A space suit for Dominic Cummings | Lady Margaret Hall
  
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• Roads and rail lines flooded as downpours hit Christmas getaway

  20-12-2019 18:18
  
  Engineers attempted to remove floodwater where possible.
  
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• Ex-girlfriend of footballer jailed for terror fundraising

  20-12-2019 18:03
  
  Amaani Noor had planned to join her Islamist fighter husband in Syria.
  
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• Labour's Brexit position set MPs up to fail, says Lisa Nandy

  20-12-2019 18:00
  
  Labour's Brexit position set MPs up to fail, says Lisa Nandy. Potential leadership candidate predicts ‘hard road back’ to power and calls on colleagues to fight a hard Brexit
  
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• All change: UK tries again with new 50p to mark Brexit date

  20-12-2019 17:59
  
  All change: UK tries again with new 50p to mark Brexit date. About 1m commemorative coins were melted down when October exit did not take place
  
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• Six Labour MPs defy party whips to vote for Johnson’s Brexit bill

  20-12-2019 17:58
  
  Six Labour MPs defy party whips to vote for Johnson’s Brexit billThirty-two Labour MPs abstain as EU withdrawal agreement bill passes with majority of 124Latest politics news - live updates
  
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• Dominic Cummings Gets Paid £95k Of Taxpayers' Money To Advise Boris Johnson

  20-12-2019 17:54
  
  But the former Vote Leave boss is not Downing Street's top earner – some advisers make almost as much as the PM himself.
  
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• Met chief referred to police watchdog over Operation Midland

  20-12-2019 17:52
  
  Met chief referred to police watchdog over Operation MidlandComplaint against Cressida Dick relates to inquiry into false abuse claims by Carl Beech
  
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• Klopp eyes Club World Cup title

  20-12-2019 17:52
  
  SHOWS: DOHA, QATAR (DECEMBER 20, 2019) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)1. (SOUNDBITE) (English) LIVERPOOL MANAGER, JUERGEN KLOPP, SAYING:"Flamengo got sent here from their continent or country with a clear order to win it and to come back as heroes. We got told stay at home and play the Carabao Cup so that's a massive difference. So, we cannot change that. But, we are here and we, my team, wants to win the competition."2. WHITE FLASH3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) LIVERPOOL MANAGER, JUERGEN KLOPP, SAYING:"They l
  
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• Care of woman who died from sepsis was chaotic, says family

  20-12-2019 17:26
  
  Care of woman who died from sepsis was chaotic, says family. Welsh hospital says lessons must be learned from death of Samantha Brousas
  
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• ICC to investigate alleged Israeli and Palestinian war crimes

  20-12-2019 17:07
  ICC to investigate alleged Israeli and Palestinian war crimesIsraeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu hits out at ‘baseless and scandalous decision’
  
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• Heavy rain and flooding frustrate pre-Christmas travellers in UK

  20-12-2019 16:55
  
  Heavy rain and flooding frustrate pre-Christmas travellers in UK. Rail and road trips disrupted on what is expected to be one of busiest travel days of year
  
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• Burnt toast and cooking spark 35,000 false fire alarms in just one year

  20-12-2019 16:55
  
  Burnt toast and cooking sparked nearly 35,000 false fire alarms in England in the year ending March 2019.
  
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• Duke of Edinburgh set to spend run-up to Christmas in hospital

  20-12-2019 16:53
  
  Philip has been admitted to hospital as a 'precautionary measure'.
  
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• Ex-Tory MP breached ministerial code by grabbing climate change protester’s neck

  20-12-2019 16:45
  
  Mark Field, who stood down after being suspended as a Foreign Office minister, fell foul of the code, according to a Cabinet Office probe.
  
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• Brexit withdrawal bill: what's new and what's different

  20-12-2019 16:40
  
  Brexit withdrawal bill: what's new and what's differentKey changes cut parliamentary scrutiny and point to Brexit being done Boris Johnson’s way* Latest politics news - live updates
  
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• ‘Huge step’ as US suspect charged over Harry Dunn death

  20-12-2019 16:39
  
  The CPS has authorised Northamptonshire Police to charge Anne Sacoolas.
  
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• Assembly voting reform ‘key negotiations sticking point’

  20-12-2019 16:18
  
  On Thursday, Secretary of State Julian Smith said the party was thwarting a pre-Christmas return of powersharing institutions.
  
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• Allegations Alun Cairns breached ministerial code not upheld

  20-12-2019 16:13
  
  He is thought to have been the first Cabinet minister in modern times to have quit during the course of a general election campaign.
  
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• Brexit deal gets backing from MPs

  20-12-2019 15:59
  
  Prime Minister Boris Johnson insists Leave and Remain tags are now 'defunct' as his deal passes its latest Commons hurdle.
  
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• Mother died from sepsis after three-hour wait outside hospital

  20-12-2019 15:57
  
  The family of Samantha Brousas, 49, said there had been a 'complete breakdown in the care' she should have received.
  
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• UK rural areas still lagging in broadband and mobile coverage - Ofcom

  20-12-2019 15:56
  
  More people in Britain can get faster broadband and a good mobile signal than last year but some rural areas are still behind towns and cities for coverage, telecoms regulator Ofcom said on Friday.Broadband access was a big issue in this month's general election campaign.Labour's left-wing leadership outlined a plan to nationalise the fixed-line network of telecoms group BT while Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised full-fibre broadband to all homes by 2025.
  
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• Church services honour London Bridge terror attack victims

  20-12-2019 15:56
  
  Ms Jones and Mr Merritt were attending a Learning Together event when they were attacked by Usman Khan.
  
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• M23 flooded as downpours bring pre-Christmas chaos to roads and rail

  20-12-2019 15:46
  
  Motorists have been urged to take extra care.
  
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• Brexit: parliament passes withdrawal agreement bill by 124 majority

  20-12-2019 15:46
  
  Brexit: parliament passes withdrawal agreement bill by 124 majority. Bill passes second reading by 358 votes to 234 leaving UK on course to leave EU by end of January
  
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• EU ready to take formal steps to conclude Brexit deal on EU side

  20-12-2019 15:45
  
  The European Commission took note on Friday of the British parliament's support for the withdrawal agreement with the EU, a key step to complete the process in January, and said it was ready to take formal steps to adopt the deal on its side too.
  
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• Brexit: MPs Approve Boris Johnson’s Deal In Key Vote

  20-12-2019 15:33
  
  Commons approves the Withdrawal Agreement Bill as the prime minister faces criticism for dropping protections for child refugees.
  
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• Family carry out own reconstruction to finding missing mother-of-two

  20-12-2019 15:30
  
  The mother of Georgina Gharsallah says police have not done enough to help find the 30-year-old.
  
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