General news

• Trip to Tottenham offers truer test of where Manchester United really stand

  18-08-2023 23:30 via theguardian.com
  
  A narrow opening win against Wolves was an acceptable start to the season but Erik ten Hag still has plenty to considerManchester United and Erik ten Hag started the season with a home victory in front of a packed Old Trafford but it was a performance that gave them plenty to ponder rather than a platform. The last campaign began with two defeats and much outcry about whether Ten Hag could turn things around and the atmosphere felt flat on Monday after beating Wolves. It was thoroughly undeserve
  
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• Georgia school board fires teacher who read book on gender fluidity to class

  18-08-2023 23:23 via theguardian.com
  
  Vote on party lines punished Katie Rinderle for reading book to her fifth-grade class in violation of vaguely worded policyA Georgia school board voted along party lines on Thursday to fire a teacher after officials said she improperly read a book on gender fluidity to her fifth-grade class.The Cobb county school board in suburban Atlanta voted 4-3 to fire Katie Rinderle, overriding the recommendation of a panel of three retired educators. The panel found after a two-day hearing that Rinderle ha
  
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• Harry Kane scores on league debut and points to bright future at Bayern

  18-08-2023 23:00 via theguardian.com
  
  England captain grabs goal after setting up Leroy Sané’s opener in 4-0 win at Werder Bremen to begin Bundesliga trophy questWelcome to Harry Kane, Bundesliga. Amid the kind of feverish, pyrotechnic atmosphere he rarely experienced in England, this was a lesson in what Bayern Munich’s league debutant knows better than almost anyone. He will not care that his 74th minute goal, the second in a straightforward win, took a slight deflection off Amos Pieper on its way; nor will he m
  
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• ‘Bird killing machines’: New Zealand cools on cats to protect native wildlife

  18-08-2023 22:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Once a nation of cat-lovers, attacks on other animals and recovery in local fauna is reshaping attitudes toward felinesOut in the bush beyond his house, John McConnell walks with his gun, looking for the glint of eyes in the darkness.McConnell, 67, lives outside Auckland and spends much of his time planting native trees on this block of land, trying to restore parts of it to their original state to draw back the chorus of native birds. At night, he heads out to hunt the predators that threaten t
  
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• Russia sanctions UK politicians and journalists

  18-08-2023 21:25 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Those on the list include Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer and BBC News chief executive Deborah Turness.
  
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• Digested week: Rudy Giuliani still hoping for his Trump loyalty to pay

  18-08-2023 21:06 via theguardian.com
  
  A Trump presidency is Giuliani’s final hope – or failing that, some payment for all his legal work at least MondayDonald Trump’s legal woes grow in Georgia, as the former president faces new charges of election interference, bringing his total felony count to 91 and returning his co-defendant – former Time magazine Person of the Year (2001), Rudy Giuliani – to the headlines. Like a Jane Austen heroine who allies herself with a plainer girl to accentuate her own char
  
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• Russia bans dozens of UK journalists, media figures and politicians

  18-08-2023 20:56 via theguardian.com
  
  List of 54 Britons includes Guardian reporters and executives, a defence minister and the culture secretaryRussia has banned dozens of British journalists, media representatives and senior UK politicians from entering the country, including five Guardian journalists and executives, the foreign ministry said on Friday.In a statement published on the foreign ministry’s website, Moscow said the sweeping action was a response to UK sanctions and the “spreading of false information about
  
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• Alabama priest ‘groomed young girls’ before fleeing to Italy with 18-year-old

  18-08-2023 20:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Alex Crow was previously accused of acting inappropriately with students and remains under orders by archdiocese to return homeA Roman Catholic priest in Alabama who fled to Europe with a recent high school graduate whom he met through his work has drawn scrutiny from law enforcement and been told to stop presenting himself in public as a cleric.Alex Crow, an expert in the theological study of demons and exorcism, is suspected of having “groomed [multiple] young girls” before going t
  
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• Police name father as one of three sought over death of Sara Sharif

  18-08-2023 20:19 via theguardian.com
  
  Surrey police seeking Urfan Sharif, his partner and brother, all of whom are thought to be in PakistanThe father of a 10-year-old girl who was found dead in a village in Surrey is being sought by investigating police and is believed to be in Pakistan.The body of Sara Sharif was found at her home in Horsell near Woking after officers were phoned from Pakistan by her father, Urfan Sharif, at about 2.50am on 10 August, Surrey police said. Continue reading...
  
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• Susan Sarandon sues over ‘extensive problems’ with $2m eco dream home

  18-08-2023 20:11 via theguardian.com
  
  Thelma & Louise star, 76, had planned ‘entirely off-the-grid’ home for her retirement but alleges faulty work by construction firmThe Oscar-winning actor Susan Sarandon has taken a construction firm to court over what she calls “extensive problems” at what she envisioned as a $2m eco-friendly dream home she had built in Vermont for her retirement.Buckled siding, missing insulation, mold and an unfinished primary bedroom ceiling are among 47 issues found by engineers,
  
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• New Covid variant causing concern among scientists detected in London

  18-08-2023 20:00 via theguardian.com
  
  It is unclear whether BA.2.86 causes more severe disease but its detection in several countries has put scientists on alertA new Covid variant that is causing concern among scientists due to its large number of mutations has been detected in London.The variant, named BA.2.86, has been detected through genetic sequencing, although only a handful of such sequences have so far been reported. The first was reported in Israel, with the variant since being detected in Denmark and the US. Continue read
  
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• I Will Always Love You, Neymar – for you are an unrestrained creative genius | Barney Ronay

  18-08-2023 20:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Brazilian’s move to Al-Hilal is end of his meaningful career but I have adored watching his limitless beauty as a footballerBittersweet memories. That is all I’m taking with me. So goodbye. Please don’t cry. We both know, I’m not … Ah. Sorry. It’s fine. Just a little dusty in here.When it comes to Neymar and I, me and Ney, the feelings, the farewells, the deeply personal – I’m going to say it – love story of the last 13 years (legal clarific
  
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• The Guardian view on Lucy Letby’s conviction: the NHS must learn from this horror | Editorial

  18-08-2023 19:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Babies’ lives could have been saved if doctors’ concerns had been heeded at the Countess of Chester hospitalThe crimes for which Lucy Letby has been found guilty at Manchester crown court rank among the most appalling that any jury has confronted. Working as a children’s nurse at the Countess of Chester hospital, Letby used its neonatal unit as a killing field between June 2015 and June 2016.Seizing opportunities when she was left alone with an infant, Letby murdered seven babi
  
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• The Guardian view on the Women’s World Cup: the best so far | Editorial

  18-08-2023 19:25 via theguardian.com
  
  Australia and New Zealand have provided a tournament that has showcased the strength in depth of football across all continentsFour years ago, the 2019 Fifa Women’s World Cup, won by the US, was hailed as a pinnacle moment for women’s football. The accolade was deserved. But if 2019 was a pinnacle, what can be said about this year’s even more remarkable contest? The 2023 World Cup reaches a peak in Sydney on Sunday, when England and Spain face each other in the final. Yet if th
  
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• A culture of silence has beset Catholicism for too long | Letters

  18-08-2023 19:06 via theguardian.com
  
  Readers respond to Georgina Lawton’s article about her decision to leave the Catholic faith behindAs a Catholic priest ordained over 30 years ago, I welcome Georgina Lawton’s article (Catholicism held my family in its sway for decades – but it hid from me a vital truth, 14 August) as a valid, helpful, erudite and challenging contribution to the conversation on contemporary Catholicism. Like others ill-served by unfettered clericalism, she has every right to voice her experience
  
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• 'Lucy Letby is a hateful human being' - twins' parents

  18-08-2023 19:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The nurse was found guilty of murdering one of their babies and attempting to murder the other the following day.
  
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• England use Farrell saga to kickstart World Cup campaign as Ireland loom

  18-08-2023 19:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Stand-in captain Courtney Lawes says dressing room ‘tapping in’ to situation around man he calls England’s best-ever No 10Courtney Lawes has revealed England players intend to use the ongoing Owen Farrell saga to help light a fire under their World Cup preparations against Ireland on Saturday.There is clear frustration within England’s ranks, both at the reopening of a case they felt was closed and what Steve Borthwick described as “personal attacks” on Farrel
  
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• British Museum thefts: What we know so far

  18-08-2023 19:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The museum has sacked a staff member over the theft of items, which the police are now investigating.
  
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• Tips for going to the theatre on the cheap | Letters

  18-08-2023 18:57 via theguardian.com
  
  Jude McGowan on being a lifelong theatregoer on a modest budget. Plus letters from Rory Murphy and Ian WellsRe your article on theatre prices (Price of West End theatre tickets can be ludicrous, says David Tennant, 9 August), I have been a theatregoer all my life despite being of very modest means. When young, it was a queuing stool outside to buy a seat in the “gods”. My husband was a stagehand at the Royal Opera House in London, so occasionally there were free seats. Now, aged 83,
  
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• Doctors' warnings ignored as Letby killed more babies - BBC investigation

  18-08-2023 18:57 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Hospital bosses failed to investigate allegations and tried to silence doctors, BBC investigation finds.
  
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• Tell us: how are you coping with energy bills in the UK?

  18-08-2023 18:47 via theguardian.com
  
  Ahead of Ofgem’s energy price cap announcement, we want to hear about how people in the UK are preparing for the upcoming winterThe typical gas and electricity bill will fall to an average of £1,823 a year from October after the regulator Ofgem announces its energy price cap next week, a leading forecaster has predicted.However, the government support that was at hand last winter will not be available this year, while consumer groups warn that prices remain “dangerously high&rd
  
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• Keely Hodgkinson seeks gold – and same recognition as friend Ella Toone

  18-08-2023 18:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The fastest woman over 800m this year is heading to the world championship looking to emulate her close friend Ella TooneOn the eve of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Keely Hodgkinson is talking excitedly about a photo she recently shared with her childhood friend, the England footballer Ella Toone. “There’s a big picture of her face at Old Trafford,” she says. “It’s massive! I sent it to her the other day. It’s amazing to watch in one year how
  
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• Talking Horses: Cairn Gorm can keep climbing at resurgent Ripon race day

  18-08-2023 17:11 via theguardian.com
  
  A strong field will line up for the Great St Wilfrid Handicap but the five-year-old is back on form after an 18-race losing streakGreat St Wilfrid day at Ripon was a shadow of its usual self 12 months ago, with just 14 runners in the main event and the consolation race abandoned for lack of runners, but both contests are back to full strength this year and the resurgent Cairn Gorm (3.15) may be the answer to a tightly-knit feature race.Kevin Phillipart de Foy’s gelding was a Group Three wi
  
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• Lucy Letby: how did a nurse commit such unthinkable murders?

  18-08-2023 16:24 via theguardian.com
  
  Trial detailed the deaths of newborns and harm done to other babies – but we may never know why she became a murdererLucy Letby child murder convictions - latest updatesIt was, as one doctor put it, the safest place in the world. A place where babies smaller than an adult’s hand take their first fragile breaths, where every pounding heartbeat is cause to celebrate, and where – almost always – those born on the edge of life eventually go home with their parents.To imagine
  
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• Cats on a cruise and a skeleton folk saint: Friday’s best photos

  18-08-2023 16:03 via theguardian.com
  
  The Guardian’s picture editors select photo highlights from around the world Continue reading...
  
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• Faced with evil like Lucy Letby’s, we yearn for a rational explanation. Sometimes there is none | Polly Toynbee

  18-08-2023 16:01 via theguardian.com
  
  It is right to hold an inquiry, but the hunt for ‘lessons to be learned’ and a system to blame can easily go too farThe agony of the death of a child is something most families these days will never suffer. Through illness, accident or even negligence, that loss, and the lifelong pain it causes, is every parent’s greatest fear, but to know someone murdered a defenceless infant must be beyond endurance. How could she?We will never know what evil or insanity could have induced Lu
  
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• Sarina Wiegman: The mastermind behind the Lionesses' success

  18-08-2023 15:53 via bbc.co.uk
  
  BBC Sport speaks to players and coaches to get an insight into Sarina Wiegman as she prepares to lead England into the World Cup final.
  
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• Spain v England: World Cup final preview – Women’s Football Weekly

  18-08-2023 15:51 via theguardian.com
  
  Faye Carruthers has Moyo Abiona, Tim Stillman and legendary Lioness Ellen White alongside her to look ahead to the finalOn today’s pod: tapas vs picky bits, siestas vs power naps, tiki-taka vs a bloomin’ beautiful Millie Bright long ball, flamenco vs the cha cha slide?!Even better – it’s Spain v England in the Women’s World Cup final! We take a deep dive into Sunday’s showpiece with the help of England’s all-time record goalscorer, Ellen White. Continue
  
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• Lionesses, feeling let down by men? Don’t worry, Gianni Infantino will explain how to fight those battles | Marina Hyde

  18-08-2023 15:49 via theguardian.com
  
  While the Fifa boss pontificates to ‘all the women’ that they should ‘just push the doors’, we suggest he does his actual jobI regret to inform you that ahead of the women’s World Cup final this weekend, Fifa president Gianni Infantino has made another one of his public statements. You may recall that at the start of the men’s World Cup in Qatar last November, Infantino addressed “the west” – a hilariously self-effacing gesture that puts me i
  
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• Woman who posed as boy and sexually assaulted teenager sentenced

  18-08-2023 15:04 via theguardian.com
  
  Georgia Bilham given 24-month community order and made to join sex offender registerA 21-year-old care worker who disguised herself as a boy and sexually assaulted a shortsighted teenager by kissing her has been sentenced to a 24-month community order.A jury at Chester crown court in June found Georgia Bilham guilty of one count of sexual assault. She was cleared of 16 other sexual offence charges. Continue reading...
  
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• ‘Fighting a huge monster’: mine battle in Guatemala became a playbook for polluters

  18-08-2023 14:45 via theguardian.com
  
  Indigenous defenders opposing the Marlin mine were criminalised by a corporation and its state alliesIt has been 15 years since the anti-mining activist Patrocinia Mejía was forced to hide in the forest to avoid being detained by police, but the shame has never gone away.Mejía was among scores of Indigenous environmental and land defenders criminalised for opposing a sprawling Canadian gold and silver mine in San Miguel Ixtahuacán, a rural Indigenous municipality in the west
  
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• The text messages Lucy Letby sent as she murdered babies

  18-08-2023 14:42 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Messages on Letby's phone show her trying to win sympathy or deflect blame after murdering babies.
  
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• Who is baby serial killer Lucy Letby?

  18-08-2023 14:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Her trial spanned 10 months, but what is known about the nurse who murdered seven newborn babies?
  
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• Lucy Letby's first police interview

  18-08-2023 14:22 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The nurse went on to be found guilty of seven murders at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
  
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• Watch moment police arrest nurse Lucy Letby

  18-08-2023 14:21 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The nurse who was found guilty of murdering seven babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital is led from her home into a police car.
  
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• A new Covid variant is on the rise – how worried should we be? | Devi Sridhar

  18-08-2023 14:00 via theguardian.com
  
  It is important we stay level-headed as new subvariants emerge and mutate in the coming weeks and monthsCovid-19 is creeping back into the news cycle. As we head towards the autumn, disease rates are increasing in the community and a recent spike of interest in an Omicron subvariant, EG.5, which the World Health Organization has classified as a variant of interest, has caused concern among those whose memories of recent winters haven’t faded. There is an undeniable feeling of deja vu. So h
  
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• Chandrayaan-3: India's lunar lander Vikram sends close-up photos of Moon - BBC

  18-08-2023 13:39 via news.google.com
  
  Chandrayaan-3: India's lunar lander Vikram sends close-up photos of Moon  BBCIndian lander sends new images from Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission  The TimesChandrayaan's evolution: ISRO reveals what went wrong and what's been fixed | World News  WIONIndia closes in on moon landing as Russia also races to lunar south pole  Arab NewsVikram Lander Completes First Deboost | Second De- Boosting Expected On August 20 | NewsX  NewsXView Full coverage on Goog
  
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• Kansas paper raid shines light on rising anti-media rhetoric in US

  18-08-2023 12:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Incident charts a disturbing spike in intimidation and violence toward journalists following hateful bombast from politiciansWhen police raided the office of a Kansas newspaper last week and tore through the homes of its reporters, Donald Trump’s oft-heard refrain that the US media is “the enemy of the people” might not have been uppermost in the officers’ minds.But an invasion that was likened to “Hitler tactics” by the newspaper’s co-owner, who subsequ
  
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• Still in the game: The rapid rise of walking football – in pictures

  18-08-2023 11:00 via theguardian.com
  
  If you’re 50 or older and have been inspired by the Women’s World Cup or the return of league football, but your knees and pace aren’t what they were, then maybe walking football is the sport for you. We take a look at the work of photographer Liam Bailey who joined Norwich based team Soca Seniors following a knee operation, and since then has been taking pictures of them at home and abroad Continue reading...
  
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• Death masks help recreate face of Bonnie Prince Charlie

  18-08-2023 08:27 via theguardian.com
  
  De-aged image offers likelife image of how prince may have looked during unsuccessful Jacobite rising of 1745The face of Bonnie Prince Charlie has been recreated using death masks that depict him as he would have looked during the Jacobite rising of 1745.The prince, who was renowned for his good looks, has captivated a new generation of interest through the TV show Outlander. Continue reading...
  
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• UK weather: The forecast where you are

  18-08-2023 08:04 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The BBC's Carol Kirkwood on which places will face the worst of the torrential downpours expected.
  
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• Children’s Day reimagined: portraits of the kids of Leeds – in pictures

  18-08-2023 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Children’s Day in Leeds began in 1922 and ran until 1963. Pupils from nearly every school in the city congregated in Roundhay Park’s arena for dancing, displays and sports. There was a Children’s Day queen and attendants, a fancy dress parade and a bonny baby competition. At its height, Children’s Day attracted crowds of up to 100,000, all organised by local teachers. As part of Leeds Year of Culture 2023, the photographer Matt Davis was commissioned to take portraits of
  
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• Best of 2023… so far: The trials of an Indian witness: how a Muslim man was caught in a legal nightmare – podcast

  18-08-2023 06:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Every Friday in August we will publish some of our favourite audio long reads of 2023, in case you missed them, with an introduction from the editorial team to explain why we’ve chosen it.This week, from March: Nisar Ahmed was almost killed in the Delhi riots. But when he became a witness in court cases against the alleged perpetrators, he realised that was only the start of his troubles Continue reading...
  
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• The wellness-to-conspiracy pipeline | podcast

  18-08-2023 04:00 via theguardian.com
  
  For many people, alternative therapies and wellness routines provide comfort and pleasure. For others, they can be a pathway to far-right conspiracies, says author and journalist James BallFor many people, yoga can be beneficial for mind and body. Meditation can relieve stress. Crystal healing sessions seem to provide some intangible benefits. But for a small minority, wellness – and the gurus who practice it – have provided a gateway to a much darker way of seeing the world.What beg
  
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• Britney Spears' husband Sam Asghari says their marriage is over - bbc.com

  18-08-2023 01:16 via news.google.com
  
  Britney Spears' husband Sam Asghari says their marriage is over  bbc.comBritney Spears's husband Sam Asghari files for divorce and demands financial support  Sky NewsSam Asghari claims estranged wife Britney Spears attacked him and gave him a BLACK EYE while he slept and that  Daily MailSam Asghari announces split from Britney Spears: Be kind and thoughtful  Geo NewsView Full coverage on Google News
  
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• Dying star could hold secrets of universe's strongest magnets - The Times

  18-08-2023 01:01 via news.google.com
  
  Dying star could hold secrets of universe's strongest magnets  The TimesMagnetars: Scientists find source for strongest magnetic forces in the universe  BBCMagnetic Monster Progenitor: Astronomers Discover Strange New Type of Star  SciTechDailyMagnetars and “zombie” stars: New type of ultrahigh magnetic star discovered  SalonNew type of star may hold clues to the origin of magnetars  The IndependentView Full coverage on Google News
  
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• Covid booster jabs to be approved for sale to UK public - The Guardian

  18-08-2023 00:50 via news.google.com
  Covid booster jabs to be approved for sale to UK public  The GuardianScientists call for private vaccines as 'real-deal' Covid strain may be spreading in UK  The MirrorPrivate Covid vaccines may soon be on sale in UK for the first time  The TimesHow high are Covid rates in England and what are the vaccination plans?  The GuardianMake Covid vaccines available to buy privately, scientists urge amid fears of new wave sparked by 'real deal'  Daily Ma
  
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• Rachel Riley speaks out against Mason Greenwood as TV star warns she will stop supporting Man Utd if he stays - Goal.com

  18-08-2023 00:07 via news.google.com
  
  Rachel Riley speaks out against Mason Greenwood as TV star warns she will stop supporting Man Utd if he stays  Goal.comMason Greenwood: TV presenter Rachel Riley says she'll stop supporting Man Utd if forward stays  BBCIt's simple: Mason Greenwood must not play for United again  Evening StandardRachel Riley: I will stop supporting Manchester United if Mason Greenwood returns  The GuardianIf Mason Greenwood stays at Man Utd I’ll stop supporting the cl
  
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• Divorced men at highest amputation risk among diabetics, study finds - The Guardian

  18-08-2023 00:01 via news.google.com
  Divorced men at highest amputation risk among diabetics, study finds  The GuardianView Full coverage on Google News
  
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