Political news

• White House: Difference Between Donald Trump And Al Franken Is Franken ‘Admitted Wrongdoing’

  17-11-2017 23:06
  Sexual assault against a US Senator are different from those Donald Trump has faced because Trump has denied any wrongdoing, the White House press secretary said. 
  A reporter asked Sarah Huckabee Sanders if it would be fair to investigate the claims of sexual assault that more than a dozen women made about Trump during the 2016 campaign.
  Senators are currently calling for an ethics investigation into whether Senator Al Franken. a comedian turned politician, sho
  
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• 500 More Schools 'Facing Cuts' As Philip Hammond Under Pressure To Give Education A Budget Boost

  17-11-2017 23:01
  Chancellor Philip Hammond has been urged to use the Budget to pump more money into education after a new analysis claimed an extra 500 schools face real terms cuts.Headteachers and trade unions demanded a cash injection as the figures, released to HuffPost UK, suggested that 17,942 primary and secondary schools were now in line for cuts in funding per pupil.The assessment, on the updated schoolcuts.org.uk website, includes 500 more schools than previously estimated and brings to 90% the pro
  
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• Hammond considers council freedoms to boost social housing

  17-11-2017 21:14 via ft.com
  Policy package in Wednesday’s Budget will aim to tackle shortage of homes
  
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• Ireland will block progress of Brexit talks without border guarantee

  17-11-2017 20:41 via theguardian.com
  Prime minister Leo Varadkar wants formal promise of no hard border between Northern Ireland and Republic
  Ireland’s prime minister, Leo Varadkar, issued a stark warning that the progress of the Brexit negotiations was at great risk of even further delay, during a day of stinging public rebukes for Theresa May as she met sceptical EU leaders at a Swedish summit.The Irish taoiseach emerged from a frosty bilateral meeting with May at the European social summit and said: “I can’t sa
  
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• UK university staff consider strike action over pensions

  17-11-2017 20:16 via ft.com
  Warning of campus chaos after bid to shake-up retirement benefits
  
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• Philip Hammond shifts Budget goalposts by £5bn a year

  17-11-2017 19:19 via ft.com
  Change in status of housing associations will reduce UK headline borrowing figures
  
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• Mistakes in benefits claims could cost up to £500m

  17-11-2017 19:01 via bbc.co.uk
  Around 75,000 claimants were underpaid by mistakes made in assessing the main sickness benefit.
  
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• Donald Tusk Calls David Davis' Brexit View 'English Humour' And Issues Ultimatum On Irish Border And Divorce Bill

  17-11-2017 18:39
  Donald Tusk has called David Davis’ comments on Brexit an example of “English humour” and given him an ultimatum to move on the divorce bill and the Irish border.He set a deadline of the start of December for Britain to make further movement on its Brexit divorce bill and the future of the currently open border between Northern Ireland. When asked whether he agreed with Davis that the EU had not compromised enough during the negotiations, Tusk said: “I appreciate Mr
  
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• ‘Strictly Come Dancing’: Alexandra Burke And Debbie McGee Pour Cold Water On Feud Reports

  17-11-2017 18:38
  ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ stars Alexandra Burke and Debbie McGee have laughed off reports that they’re secretly feuding backstage, reassuring fans that this definitely isn’t the case.On Friday (17 November) morning, a tabloid newspaper claimed the pair were “barely talking” as the gang prepare to take part in this weekend’s Blackpool special.But it didn’t take long for the women to slam the claims, with Debbie tweeting a snap of herself and the forme
  
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• EU compound allegedly at centre of Kabul alcohol-smuggling ring

  17-11-2017 18:33 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: EU to investigate claims disused fridges and adapted gas canisters were used to sneak whisky out of Afghan compoundEU investigators are examining claims that the organisation’s compound in Kabul is at the centre of an alleged alcohol-smuggling ring in Afghanistan.Disused fridges and adapted gas canisters have been used to sneak bottles of alcohol brands such as Chivas Regal and Johnnie Walker out of the official EU-designated area, it is alleged. Continue reading...
  
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• Elon Musk's Mum Maye Is Now Modelling For Olay

  17-11-2017 18:29
  Olay has chosen 69-year-old model Maye Musk to be the face of their ‘Simply Ageless’ collaboration with Covergirl.Just weeks after the news that Dior had chosen 25-year-old Cara Delevingne as the face a line which “corrects all visible signs of ageing”,  - which left many asking where were the opportunities were for older women in the beauty industry, this marks a welcome win for diversity of age.The Canadian born model and dietician is also the mother of Elon Musk.
  
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• Why I Am Seeking A Simpler, More Minimal Christmas

  17-11-2017 18:12
  The season of gift guides, lavish meals, illuminated high streets and hectic calendars has well and truly begun. Within a whirlwind of a few short weeks, for many families, there will be so much to do in order for them to enjoy their best Christmas to date.There’s the food shopping, card writing and sending, decorating, Christmas partying, present buying and wrapping, socialising and how could we forget, getting everything done and dusted at work to enjoy your Christmas break without anyth
  
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• Addictive Shopping And The Fantasy Of Clothes

  17-11-2017 18:09
  Many of my outfits came from vintage and charity shops as a child. The pressure to have certain clothes at school escaped me as I sported items no one else could have - pink needle cord dungarees with embellishments, a hand-painted Sex Pistols jumper – I didn’t understand why everyone wasn’t trawling for treasures. As I grew older and pored over Sunday supplements, fashion magazines and Sex and The City, I became fixated on fashion and beauty and promised myself as soon as I ha
  
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• Labour: Plan For 50,000 More Free School Meals Under Universal Credit Will Cause Confusion

  17-11-2017 18:05
  Government plans to revise the number of children eligible for free school meals after Universal Credit is rolled out do not go far enough and will lead to confusion for parents, Labour MPs say.The Department for Education says about 50,000 more youngsters could benefit after eligibility becomes means-tested following the implementation of the controversial new benefits system.A public consultation into plans to revise entitlement criteria is now underway, but shadow education secretary Angela R
  
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• Why The Government Is Set To Push More People Into Poverty By 2020

  17-11-2017 18:01
  The levels of financial inequality facing disabled people and their families have vastly increased since 2010 according to a new report released today by The Equalities and Human Rights Commission.The report looks into the Westminster Government’s reforms and cuts to social security since 2010, and provides a clear insight into how disproportionality disabled people and their families have been hit. Worryingly, rather than improving, this financial gulf looks only set to widen.It’s p
  
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• Brexit: EU gives May two weeks to act on divorce bill and Ireland

  17-11-2017 17:56 via bbc.co.uk
  Theresa May is told to put more money on the table and address Irish border concerns within two weeks.
  
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• Sad Dads: New Father Fears Mean Nearly 40% Of Men Experience Anxieties After Having Children

  17-11-2017 17:52
  Anxiety and depression among new dads is not uncommon, with new research commissioned by the Priory Group showing thousands of men experiencing anxiety - and in some cases depression - as they enter fatherhood.I think the big issue for men is to take their stress and low feelings seriously and be able to recognize it's really happening and they are not alone.Men often feel anxious and out of control and sometimes they can feel empty as well as side-lined when it comes to emotional support after
  
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• Dawn Butler: Austerity 'hits ethnic minority women hardest'

  17-11-2017 17:52 via bbc.co.uk
  Labour urges the chancellor to investigate how his Budget will impact ethnic minorities.
  
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• Out Of Order: One In Three Women And Girls Have Nowhere Safe To Go To The Toilet

  17-11-2017 17:51
  It's easy to take a toilet for granted - lock the door, do your business, flush when finished, and forget all about it. But for 2.3 billion people worldwide - almost one in three - such a normal part of daily life is out of reach.Can you imagine restricting what you eat and drink to avoid needing the toilet until nightfall, when you can go out under the cover of darkness to find somewhere private to relieve yourself, worried about who might see you? Think of how dirty your community would become
  
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• Ireland demands border promise before Brexit trade talks

  17-11-2017 17:46 via bbc.co.uk
  Leo Varadkar wants talks stalled until there is commitment to no physical barriers at Irish border.
  
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• Who Is Shappi Khorsandi? I'm A Celebrity's Comedian Is Going To Have The Camp In Sitches

  17-11-2017 17:42
  Among the usual mix of soap stars, former footballers and popstars from yesteryear on the ‘I’m A Celebrity’ line-up is one contestant we reckon everyone should be excited about.Comedian Shappi Khorsandi looks set to inject some much needed humour into this year’s jungle, and if her stand up is anything to go by, she’s going to be a hoot.Ahead of her debut on the ITV reality show, get to know here a little better with her 9 Facts In 90 Seconds...Shappi was born
  
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• A Budget free of drama will serve Brexit Britain’s needs

  17-11-2017 17:32 via ft.com
  The chancellor should avoid flourishes and tackle long-term economic fragility
  
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• David Davis must realise Europe will favour itself over economics

  17-11-2017 17:30 via ft.com
  The Brexit secretary needs to appreciate the EU’s desire to protect its interests
  
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• Zimbabwe: The Day Of The Crocodile

  17-11-2017 17:05
   The toppling of a tyrant is usually an occasion for celebration: fireworks, dancing in the streets, general merry-making. But not ― so far, at least ― in Zimbabwe.First, no one is quite sure that Robert Mugabe has been truly toppled. He’s been around for so long that it is still hard to comprehend that 93-year-old Comrade Bob may no longer be in charge. And second, the man most likely to succeed him, the former vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa, is not exactly a poster bo
  
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• 12 Men Reveal The Mental Health Struggles Behind Their 'Manly' Photos To Smash Stereotypes

  17-11-2017 16:51
  Suicide is the single biggest killer of men aged 45 and under in the UK and, every day, 12 men on average take their own lives.To reflect this truly heartbreaking statistic, and ahead of International Men’s Day on 19 November, suicide prevention charity CALM has launched a campaign to challenge damaging and unattainable masculine stereotypes.Social media has been linked to increased rates of anxiety, depression and poor sleep. And it’s no wonder when posts often reflect the best side
  
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• Was there Kremlin cyber-espionage in UK referendum and US election?

  17-11-2017 16:34 via bbc.co.uk
  Russian twitter accounts posted more than 45,000 messages about Brexit in 48 hours during last year's referendum.
  
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• Campaigners Say Ministers Knew Diesel Was Damaging People's Health 'Decades Ago'

  17-11-2017 16:34
  Government ministers have known about the adverse effects of diesel cars on people’s health for decades, campaigners say.Papers shown to the BBC revealed proposals on cutting the number of high-polluting vehicles - which contribute heavily to poor air quality - were mooted back in 2003, when Gordon Brown was chancellor.But civil servants objected to a stronger policy to deter diesel usage on presentational grounds, because they did not want the government to be seen as “penalising&rd
  
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• Why I Opened Up The UK's Only Organic Pub

  17-11-2017 16:23
  The wellness boom made eating more naturally cool.Biodynamic and natural wine has gone big (the RAW wine fair has expanded into New York and LA, as well as London and Berlin; while Ocado has started selling Lanson organic champagne). The Hemsleys got people boiling bones for broth. Sales of organic food are at their highest for a decade.But the Duke of Cambridge, Britain's only certified organic pub, located in Islington, London, has been all this stuff since opening its doors in 1998."My missio
  
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• Week in Review: Brexiters are their own gravediggers

  17-11-2017 16:17
  
  The Brexit secretary is stumbling into precisely the pits his critics warned were ahead of him.
  
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• Biodegradable Glitter: 5 Eco-Friendly Beauty Products That Aren't Made From Plastic

  17-11-2017 16:17
  Glitter is increasingly coming under scrutiny for its environmental impact.A nursery chain in south England has banned their pupils from using glitter over the festive season and many conservationists have warned that glitter is usually made of microplastics - fragments of plastic less than five millimetres in size - which can easily pass through water filtration systems and end up in the ocean where it poses threat to marine wildlife.Dr Trisia Farrelly, an environmental anthropologist
  
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• There Is A Desperate Need For People To Come Together

  17-11-2017 16:07
  This Sunday is Mitzvah Day, the UK’s biggest faith-based day of social action.What started as a small Jewish day of ‘good deeds’, has grown to the point where we now have more than 40,000 volunteers in 30 countries doing everything from collecting clothing for refugees to tidying local cemeteries to hosting intergenerational tea parties in care homes.Most importantly, Mitzvah Day will see people of all religions, and none, coming together in more than 100 interfaith projects.In
  
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• Scottish Labour Leader Election Ends With Leftwinger Richard Leonard Playing Down Chances Of Victory

  17-11-2017 16:02
  The fractious Scottish Labour leadership election has ended with leftwinger Richard Leonard’s campaign playing down his chances of pulling off a victory.The poll closed at noon on Friday, with results due to be revealed on Saturday, after weeks of sometimes acrimonious spats between supporters of Leonard and those of rival Anas Sarwar.At stake is not just the leadership of the party in Scotland, vacated by Kezia Dugdale this summer, but also a crucial seat on Labour’s ruling National
  
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• Uber Driver Found Guilty Of Murdering His Children And Trying To Kill His Wife

  17-11-2017 15:57
  WARNING: This report contains images of burns injuries some readers may find distressing. Discretion is advised.
  A father who killed his two young children with a petrol-soaked cloth and then tried to kill his wife in a gas explosion has been found guilty of murder.Jurors heard Uber driver Endris Mohammed attempted to murder his wife, Penil Teklehaimanot, by tampering with a gas pipe and setting fire to the family home in Hamstead, Birmingham.Mohammed had denied the murders of eight-year-old Sar
  
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• So . . . let’s not get het up about the English language evolving

  17-11-2017 15:55 via ft.com
  Exposure to sub-Wodehouse style of parliamentary speeches makes me long for change
  
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• Aylesbury Mid-Air Collision: Emergency Services Rush To Scene After Helicopter And Aircraft Crash

  17-11-2017 15:51
  Emergency services are at the scene of a mid-air collision between an aircraft and a helicopter near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.The crash is understood to have happened near the historic Waddesdon Manor.Thames Valley Police said in a statement the crash was reported at 12.06pm on Friday.Police have blocked off roads.A plane has come down at Waddesdon Hill - currently at scene. More to come as we have it pic.twitter.com/ZLl51n6JnP
  It added: “Officers are currently at the scene of an air acc
  
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• Bride Pranks Groom By Wearing Cat T-Shirt And Joggers On Wedding Day

  17-11-2017 15:18
  A bride pranked her husband-to-be by wearing a cat print t-shirt and joggers on their wedding day.Erin and Ean Goldberg, from Arizona, had agreed to have ‘first look’ photos taken before their ceremony. This is where couples see one another in their outfits for the first time and a photographer is on hand to capture the look of admiration on their faces.Erin, however, had other plans. She plotted with her photographer Molly McElenney so her ‘first look’ photos would
  
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• It's Time Tackling Cyberbullying Became A Priority

  17-11-2017 15:15
  Getting home from school offers no respite from bullies in 2017. Cyberbullying follows you everywhere - so instead of getting a break from name-calling or intimidation, nasty comments flash up on your phone or appear in your Facebook messages at any time.There's also the threat that something you feel embarrassed about will suddenly be shared with others, or appear publicly on your social media profiles. Being bullied in this way can feel like you are constantly on high alert and under siege.Thi
  
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• #KidsTakeOver: Perspectives from our future

  17-11-2017 15:10
  I hope you enjoy reading their insights as much as I did.18-year-old Lina El Rasheed from the British International School Abu Dhabi was born in Khartoum, Sudan, but lived in Trondheim, Norway for 16 years. She speaks Norwegian, English and Arabic and loves football, hiking and reading. Her love for politics started in Trondheim where she was in the youth city council for three years to make schools in the area better by working closely with the city council. She aspires to be a paediatrician wh
  
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• 400 For 40: A Give Back Project To Inspire

  17-11-2017 15:08
  Recently I celebrated a milestone birthday. Perhaps THE milestone birthday actually. The one in which you realize act one of life is complete and you have now been ushered into the second act. It makes one think to say the least.When being asked what I wanted for my birthday, the answer was the same as it has been for some time now which is to travel and spend quality time with loved ones. I have lived a full life complete with some of the lowest of lows and the highest of highs. I have learned
  
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• Feel The Cultural Shift?

  17-11-2017 15:06
  Cultural progress rarely unfolds in a neat, linear path. In the past couple of weeks, we’ve been witnessing just how turbulent this progress can be—as evidenced by the seismic changes in cultural attitudes that have occurred in countries that previously stood at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to gender equality.At one end of the spectrum, some of the progress is evident in the changes underway in Saudi Arabia, where male-created barriers have historically prevented women
  
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• These Are NOT Brexit Negotiations - Because The EU Can't Negotiate

  17-11-2017 15:04
  In 2000, a document was released in which the Con O’Neill, the lead negotiator (from 1970-72) when Britain joined the EU in 1973, called those negotiations “peripheral, accidental and secondary”,  because “what mattered was to get into the Community.” O’Neill was told he needed to swallow whole almost all of the acquis communautaire, the full trove of rules, regulations, laws and agreements of the European Community. This was not becau
  
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• Brexit talks: Three things you need to know

  17-11-2017 15:04 via bbc.co.uk
  With the crucial Brussels summit in December looming, the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg has the key things you need to know about the state of Brexit talks.
  
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• Your Parents’ Lifestyles Can Determine Your Health

  17-11-2017 15:02
  We don’t choose our parents, their jobs or their health. And we don’t have a say in whether or not they smoke, nor in what they ate when we were children. However, our recent study found that these things strongly determine our own lifestyles and health, even into adulthood.For our study – involving 21,000 participants aged 50 and above from 13 European countries – we compared the participants’ current smoking, obesity and lack of exercise with their parents’
  
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• It’s Not Just Theresa May’s Schools That Are Desperate For Pens and Glue

  17-11-2017 15:02
  “Schools beg parents to pay for pens and glue,” screamed the front-page headline of the Daily Mirror, exposing the fact that a school in Theresa May’s constituency is looking to charge parents £190 a year for basic school resources.Robert Piggott infant and junior schools in Wargrave, Berkshire, sent parents a letter which reportedly said, “Following discussions with the PTA, we would like to suggest parents donate £1 per school per day for each child to help
  
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• Seeking A Career Boost: What Is The Best Study Abroad Experience?

  17-11-2017 14:59
  Previously in this blog, I have highlighted often quite surprising findings from the UK and also the European Commission, giving evidence about the various career advantages one gets from studying for some time abroad. A lot of research has been done about these benefits.Recently an American survey of 4500 graduates, conducted by the Institute for International Education (IIE) in Washington DC was published. It addressed this question: how much more do you benefit from a long (typically a year)
  
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• Young, Deaf And PIP'd Off: Transforming The Government's Disability Benefit

  17-11-2017 14:58
  When the Government launched its disability benefit reforms in 2012, it lauded the new Personal Independence Payment (PIP) as being more efficient, more objective, and having disabled people at its heart.In the five years since, the work I do every day with deaf young people has highlighted how this couldn’t be further from the truth.Just this year, the National Deaf Children’s Society helpline had more than 200 inquiries about PIP from concerned young people and their parents. Over
  
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• Sarah Clarke becomes first female Black Rod after 669 years

  17-11-2017 14:57 via theguardian.com
  Queen appoints former director of Wimbledon tennis championships to take up parliamentary role early next yearThe Queen has appointed Sarah Clarke, a former director of the Wimbledon tennis championships, as Black Rod. It is the first time a woman has held the now largely ceremonial parliamentary position in its 669-year history.Clarke, who will formally be known as Lady Usher of the Black Rod, will take over early next year from David Leakey, who has been Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod since
  
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• Our Right To A Healthier Future - Women And Diabetes 2017

  17-11-2017 14:54
  Happy birthday to Frederick Banting and Happy World Diabetes Day to you all!This years World Diabetes Day focuses on Women and Diabetes and the right to a healthy future. Whilst one in ten women have diabetes, treatment and support can be a postcode lottery. As a type 1 diabetic myself I have been very fortunate in the last few years to have been offered an insulin pump but I know and reminded myself such a gift is not to be taken for granted. Because in the past few years I've known women who'v
  
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• I Have Depersonalization

  17-11-2017 14:54
  Depersonalization is a word I'm sure many people are unfamiliar with, only a small amount of people suffer with it and it's rarely spoken about. I've been afraid to write this article, afraid to shine a light on it because it's so strange, so hard to describe and even harder to live with. Unfortunately I've been worried about what people will think of me if I tell them all about this brand new side of my depression. Oh quick you owe me ten pounds because Molly's writing another article about dep
  
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• The Growing Islands Of Plastic

  17-11-2017 14:53
  People are becoming increasingly aware of environmental issues, including the pollution of our oceans. The seas are becoming a dumping ground for non-degradable waste and plastic never disappears, and it simply breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces, in this article we explore some of the devastating effects of marine plastic pollution and what can be done about it.Plastic 'islands'Plastic is entering our oceans at an alarming rate, but where does it all come from? It is thought that 80% of
  
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