Political news

• Fresh blow to Murdoch bid to take control of Sky

  08-08-2017 18:55
  Culture chief asks watchdog to review new objections after Fox named in US ‘fake news’ lawsuit
  
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• Donald Trump Warns North Korea Of 'Fire And Fury' If It Escalates Nuclear Threat

  08-08-2017 18:54
  
  Donald Trump has said North Korea “will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen” if it escalates its nuclear threat, after US media reported the dictatorship had produced a miniaturised warhead.
  On Tuesday, The Washington Post published extracts from a Defence Intelligence Agency report which details North Korea’s success in producing nuclear missiles.
  “The IC [intelligence community] assesses North Korea has produced nuclear weapons for ballisti
  
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• Labour MP Stella Creasy Needed Police Escort At Pro-Abortion Event in Belfast

  08-08-2017 17:35
  
  Labour MP Stella Creasy needed the protection of a police escort to get past anti-abortion protesters in Belfast. 
  The MP was speaking at the pro-choice ‘Time For Change’ event in a bid to pressure law-makers to extend abortion rights in Northern Ireland. 
  But protesters holding aloft gruesome foetus posters crowded the venue and, amid reports charity workers were attacked, Creasy left the building flanked by police. 
  She tweeted: “First time I have had a police
  
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• Bank of England covered up failed first world war bond sale

  08-08-2017 17:32
  Research shows how bank manipulated balance sheet to hide ‘disastrous’ shortfall
  
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• Ruth Davidson questions net migration target

  08-08-2017 17:25 via bbc.co.uk
  The Scottish Conservatives leader also says students should be left out of migration figures.
  
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• The three ‘whats’ of leaving the EU – Brexit Means podcast

  08-08-2017 16:45 via theguardian.com
  The team look at what kind of transition Britain wants, what might be in the government’s position papers and what size of divorce bill Brexiters are willing to paySubscribe to us on iTunes, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Soundcloud and Acast and join the discussion on Facebook, Twitter and emailJon Henley and the team examine the recent Brexit news, currently dominated by three big “whats”: what kind of transition does Britain want to bridge the gap between Brexit day and the start of a
  
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• Online feuding clouds outlook for Scottish independence

  08-08-2017 16:19
  Prominent campaigners turn vitriol on each other as furious debate rages over way forward
  
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• UK housebuilders charge premium for Help to Buy properties

  08-08-2017 16:11
  Analysis finds fresh obstacles for buyers who want to move up housing ladder
  
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• Housebuilders charge premium for Help to Buy properties

  08-08-2017 16:11
  Critics say scheme has suceeded only in boosting company margins and profits
  
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• International Cat Day: Ranking The Cats Of Westminster On Their Twitter Game

  08-08-2017 15:45
  
  They might have been brought in for a fairly mundane reason but the cats of Westminster bring so much more to the table than just keeping the mice away.
  Fortunately for us, because it is 2017, all the cats have their own Twitter accounts (not all of them official) which provide us with a welcome insight into their days and beliefs.
  But some of the moggies have definitely brought their Twitter game more than others.
  Here, we rank the top cats in government by their hottest takes.
  4. Palmerston, F
  
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• Government Urged To Stop 'Heartbreaking' Period Poverty Blighting Lives Of Young Women

  08-08-2017 15:14
  
  Young women are being forced to use socks, tissues and even skip school during their period because they cannot afford sanitary products, according to a Lib Dem peer.
  Baroness Lorely Burt, the party’s equalities spokesperson, has written to the government to demand urgent action on “period poverty”, which she claims is a hidden problem blighting the lives of thousands of girls across the country.  
  In a letter to education secretary Justine Greening, the former Solihull M
  
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• 'Fairy curse' behind dips in Irish road - Danny Healy-Rae

  08-08-2017 15:04 via bbc.co.uk
  An Irish member of parliament says road damage was caused by bad luck from disturbed fairy forts.
  
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• Fiona Onasanya to use wages to combat Peterborough fly-tipping

  08-08-2017 15:03 via bbc.co.uk
  The new Labour MP for Peterborough will use £826 from her own pocket to take away bulky items for free.
  
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• Brexit transition can come only when destination is clear

  08-08-2017 13:56
  Everything is up in the air until the UK decides what it actually wants
  
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• Entente still cordiale for French in UK

  08-08-2017 13:51 via bbc.co.uk
  The Office for National Statistics finds the French and British cross-migrate in roughly equal numbers.
  
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• Kevin McNamara obituary

  08-08-2017 13:34 via theguardian.com
  Veteran Hull MP and dedicated republican who served as Labour’s Northern Ireland spokesman in the 1980s and 90sKevin McNamara, who has died aged 82, was the victor of one of the most important byelections in postwar parliamentary history, fought in the snowbound streets of Kingston upon Hull North in January 1966. The various consequences of Labour’s unexpectedly large majority were a general election within two months, authoritatively confirming Harold Wilson in power in his second
  
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• I entered the prison system 60 years ago. It’s never been so chaotic and dangerous | Eric Allison

  08-08-2017 13:00 via theguardian.com
  Death rates are soaring, violence is at an all-time high – and rehabilitation inside and on release is negligible. The worst thing is, there’s no sign of changeI have been a student of the prison system since I first entered it in 1957. I was around when a bread and water diet was part of the punishment process, and even had a taste of it. And I lived through major prison riots in Parkhurst, Hull and Strangeways, circa 1990. Related: Why are prisoners rioting? Serial ministerial inco
  
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• UK Supreme Court president calls for clarity on ECJ after Brexit

  08-08-2017 12:56
  Parliament must be ready to defend judges from unfair criticism, says Lord Neuberger
  
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• Top UK judge demands greater clarity on ECJ’s role after Brexit

  08-08-2017 12:56
  Outgoing Supreme Court president Lord Neuberger urges parliament to be ‘very clear’
  
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• Supreme Court president calls for clarity on ECJ after Brexit

  08-08-2017 12:56
  Parliament must be ready to defend judges from unfair criticism, says Lord Neuberger
  
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• EU cost: Why £350m and £156m per week are both wrong

  08-08-2017 12:50 via bbc.co.uk
  Why claims that the UK sends £350m or £156m per week to the EU are both wrong.
  
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• Ruth Davidson Criticises Theresa May's Immigration Target Of 100,000

  08-08-2017 12:40
  
  Ruth Davidson has challenged Theresa May’s pledge to keep immigration below 100,000 and include international students in that number.
  The Scottish Conservative leader today argued immigration had made the UK “better” and warned the party would fail to connect with younger voters if it was seen to be anti-migrant.
  Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Davidson said: “The British government has failed to hit its self-imposed ‘tens of thousands’ target in any ye
  
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• Labour Party resignations: Eight quit NI committee

  08-08-2017 12:32 via bbc.co.uk
  Eight members quit the party in Northern Ireland over "a vocal and troublesome element".
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn condemns 'all Venezuela violence'

  08-08-2017 11:34 via bbc.co.uk
  The Labour leader has been under pressure to condemn President Nicolas Maduro.
  
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• Panel discussion: How are gender equality victories won in 2017?

  08-08-2017 11:31 via theguardian.com
  At the Guardian women seminar, panellists Karen Mattison (Timewise) Amanda Gardiner (Pearson), anti-FGM campaigner Leyla Hussein, Channel 4 News reporter Lindsey Hilsum and barrister Dexter Dias talk about the challenges for feminism in 2017Subscribe and review: iTunes, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast & Stitcher and join the discussion on Facebook and Twitter Continue reading...
  
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• Venezuelan Politician Hits Out At Jeremy Corbyn Over 'Violence On All Sides' Comments

  08-08-2017 11:26
  
  A Venezuelan politician has hit out at Jeremy Corbyn after the Labour leader condemned violence on “all sides” in the south America conflict. Speaking to BBC Newsnight on Monday, Juan Andrés Mejía said the families of those killed in the protests could let Corbyn know “what the real situation has been”.
  His comments come after Corbyn failed to condemn the actions of the government, led by President Maduro, in cracking down on protests.Mejía
  
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• Supreme Court President Lord Neuberger Demands Clarity Over Role Of European Court Of Justice

  08-08-2017 11:07
  
  The president of the Supreme Court has called on the Government to provide greater clarity over the role of the European Court of Justice after Brexit.
  Lord Neuberger said it would be “unfair” to blame judges for making the law “when Parliament has failed to do so”.
  Ministers have made clear that the top European court’s jurisdiction will end after the UK leaves the European Union.
  But they have also said that UK courts should continue to interpret European Court o
  
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• UK judges need clarity after Brexit - Lord Neuberger

  08-08-2017 10:57 via bbc.co.uk
  Supreme Court chief Lord Neuberger wants to know what will happen about decisions made in EU's top court.
  
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• Corbyn is too cowardly to condemn Venezuela's slide into dictatorship

  08-08-2017 10:30
  
  Labour leader has shown double standards of the worst kind
  
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• Christopher Steele Sought Out In London By Republicans Over 'Watersports Gate' Dossier

  08-08-2017 10:07
  
  Two Republican House Intelligence Committee staffers travelled to London earlier this summer in a secret bid to contact the British spy who compiled the infamous ‘Watersports Dossier’ on Donald Trump, it has been reported.
  The pair were tasked with locating former MI6 agent, Christopher Steele, in what Democrats fear was a bid to discredit allegations of collusion between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign.
  The pair were dispatched by Intelligence Committee Chair, David Nunes, an all
  
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• Owen Paterson: UK should have parallel body to ECJ

  08-08-2017 09:50 via bbc.co.uk
  Leave campaigner Owen Paterson says UK should set up body to mirror the ECJ.
  
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• Judge calls for clarity on status of ECJ rulings in UK after Brexit

  08-08-2017 09:37 via theguardian.com
  Government must specify whether it wants European court of justice rulings to be taken into account, Lord Neuberger saysThe government must provide clarity on whether it wants UK courts to take into account rulings of the European court of justice after Brexit, one of Britain’s most senior judges has said.Judges have been told they will no longer be forced to do so, but can if they think it appropriate. However, the president of the supreme court, Lord Neuberger, called on the government t
  
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• Australian High Commissioner: UK a 'bit gloomy' over Brexit

  08-08-2017 09:08 via bbc.co.uk
  The Australian High Commissioner says UK needs to set an objective in Brexit negotiations
  
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• Everything must be measured: how mimicking business taints universities | Jonathan Wolff

  08-08-2017 08:15 via theguardian.com
  Research and teaching are suffering as a result of target-setting, casualisation and sharp practicesOften, what begins as a pet-hate fades into the background irritation of life. But sometimes it gnaws away, gets under your skin and into your bones, then flares up, causing toxic shock. The term “neoliberalism” has this effect on me. It is a lazy gobbet of pent-up, inarticulate hostility. And when someone decides that we have entered the era of the “neoliberal” university,
  
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• Brexit weekly briefing: UK accused of being 'a bit absent' from talks

  08-08-2017 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Government criticised by former Foreign Office head, not just EU negotiators, for lack of progress Welcome to the Guardian’s weekly Brexit briefing, a summary of developments as the UK heads to the EU door marked “exit”. If you would like to receive it as a weekly early morning email, please sign up here.You can listen to our latest Brexit Means … podcast here. Also: producing the Guardian’s independent, in-depth journalism takes a lot of time and money. We do it b
  
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• Brexit relocation of EU medicines regulator 'will hit UK researchers hard'

  08-08-2017 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Amsterdam says in its bid to house the EMA that two of Britain’s top research agencies would lose much of their businessTwo of the UK’s foremost research organisations will lose much of their business to Amsterdam if the city is successful in securing the relocation of the EU’s medicines regulator, the Netherlands’ formal bid for the prized agency claims.Amsterdam, which has been tipped as an early favourite to secure the European Medicines Agency (EMA), says in its appli
  
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• UK data laws enter Facebook era

  08-08-2017 06:06
  Many companies are unprepared for looming changes as consumers take control
  
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• Maternity wards closed 382 times last year in England

  08-08-2017 04:47 via bbc.co.uk
  More than 40% of trusts in England temporarily shut wards, figures obtained by Labour suggest.
  
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• Midwife Shortage Laid Bare As Half Of All Maternity Wards Shut To New Mums Last Year

  08-08-2017 02:44
  
  Almost half of England’s maternity wards were shut to new mums at some point in 2016, alarming research revealed today as calls intensify for a midwife recruitment drive.
  The revelation, unearthed by Freedom of Information requests to 42 health trusts, showed under-pressure hospitals were forced to close maternity wards on 382 occasions - a “staggering” 70% rise on 2014. 
  Heavily pregnant mums in labour therefore faced a longer journey to give birth, with staff shortages a
  
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• Firms face £17m fine if they fail to protect against hackers

  08-08-2017 02:34 via bbc.co.uk
  Poor cyber-security is being targeted in a bid to protect key services such as energy and transport.
  
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• ‘Essential’ services face fines for poor cyber security

  08-08-2017 01:02
  Move to protect key infrastructure after malware attack on NHS
  
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• NHS maternity wards in England forced to close 382 times last year

  08-08-2017 01:01 via theguardian.com
  Figures obtained by Labour reveal ‘appalling’ treatment of women, largely due to staff shortages and lack of beds and cotsMaternity wards in England were forced to close their doors 382 times in 2016, according to new figures that have triggered claims of women being “pushed from pillar to post in the throes of labour”.Campaigners warned that expectant mothers could be left in fear of giving birth at the roadside after a wide-reaching freedom of information request found
  
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• We can't stop the homosexualification of the nation. But we can lash out wildly in fear! | First Dog on the Moon

  08-08-2017 00:43 via theguardian.com
  Just before the Coalition party meeting on same sex marriage, the marriagedefendeteers had a pre-meeting meeting to plan their strategySign up here to get an email whenever First Dog cartoons are publishedGet all your needs met at the First Dog shop if what you need is First Dog merchandise and printsContinue reading...
  
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