Political news

• 'The Voice' 2018: Why It Might Be Time To Give This Show A Chance

  05-01-2018 22:31
  ‘The Voice’ has always been cast in the shadow of ‘The X Factor’, but with the sun setting on its rival, it seems like it is finally its time to shine. Now entering its seventh series - its second on ITV - ‘The Voice’ bosses will be seeking to replicate the success of The X Factor’s own seventh series, when 19 million tuned in to see Matt Cardle crowned winner in 2010.While they probably shouldn’t hold out for figures quite that high, we saw a
  
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• John Worboys: CPS Defends Decision Not To Pursue Scores Of Complaints Against The 'Black Cab Rapist'

  05-01-2018 20:42
  The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has defended its decision not to pursue scores of complaints against ‘black cab rapist’ John Worboys.The comments come after it was announced on Thursday that the parole board had approved Worboys’ release following an oral hearing.The move sparked an immediate backlash, with women’s rights campaigners and charity workers criticising the “shocking” decision to release the 60-year-old from custody.Worboys used alcohol and dru
  
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• John Worboys: Parole chief apologises to victims

  05-01-2018 20:28 via bbc.co.uk
  Prof Nick Hardwick said he was "shocked" some victims were not told of the sex attacker's release.
  
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• Williamson wins reprieve in defence budget battle

  05-01-2018 20:09 via ft.com
  Final decision on finances of strained ministry has been postponed
  
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• Worboys' Release Is A Stark Reminder Of Why We Have No Right To Pressure Rape Victims Into Reporting

  05-01-2018 19:53
  Late last year, a new campaign from Leicestershire Police entitled ‘All is Not Lost’ implored of rape victims, “Please, help us to help you, get justice.” The campaign’s main five-and-a-half-minute video drew criticism for a host of reasons, not least of all its brutal 18-certificate content and its perpetuation of the myth that most rapes involve violent struggle. But perhaps most controversial of all is its central premise that if you’re simply a ‘good
  
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• From 'Lady Bird' To 'The Post': The Oscar-Tipped Films That Still Aren’t Out In The UK, And When You Can Finally See Them

  05-01-2018 19:23
  January means many things to many people. For some, it’s time to skip the junk food and head to the gym, while others start watching the pennies and dodging booze.In the film industry, though, it’s time to dust off the suits, pick out a gown and hit the red carpet for some A-list schmoozing and (incredibly long) award ceremonies.As ever, the Golden Globes kick things off at the start of the month but it’s no secret that the big event of the year is the Oscars, taking place
  
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• Emily Thornberry Says Labour Cannot Back Iran Protesters Because It's Unclear Who Has 'White Hats'

  05-01-2018 19:07
  Emily Thornberry has claimed Labour is unable to back demonstrators protesting against the Iranian government because it is unclear who has ‘the white hats’.Jeremy Corbyn has been under increasing pressure to speak out over the unrest, which was sparked by economic hardships facing citizens and left more than 20 people dead, with 450 arrested in Tehran.Downing Street warned Iranian leaders that “Britain was watching” and Thornberry issued a statement earlier this week cal
  
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• Will A 'Latte Levy' Cut Cup Waste?

  05-01-2018 19:05
  MPs have called for a ‘latte levy’ of 25p to be introduced in an attempt to cut coffee cup waste.A report from the Environmental Audit Committee highlighted that, despite disposable cups being touted as recyclable, less than 1% are recycled.In the UK, 2.5 billion cups are thrown away each year.But will a charge, added on top of the cost of hot drinks, make a real difference to the way we behave?This is what the people of Birmingham told us.
  
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• Bob Spink handed suspended sentence over election fraud

  05-01-2018 18:58 via bbc.co.uk
  Former Tory and UKIP MP Bob Spink was convicted of permitting false signatures on a nomination form.
  
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• Why Nationalising The Railways Is The Biggest Misdirect In Politics

  05-01-2018 18:48
  I think I speak for all metropolitan liberal elites when I say how much I enjoy sitting on the train, slurping my soy flat white, browsing my Evening Standard and holding my phone horizontally whilst I talk to someone via my headphones. Of course, that past-time may become slightly more cumbersome as, over the past week, Britain’s sky-high rail prices were bumped up another ratchet.Naturally, in the wake of this news, social media was once again awash with chatter of renationalising the ra
  
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• Sorry is not enough for Britain’s health service

  05-01-2018 18:45 via ft.com
  The government must properly fund as well as modernise the NHS
  
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• Admit It, Mrs May: The NHS Is In Crisis

  05-01-2018 18:45
  Within the past five years, both my parents have died. My mother died in March 2013; my father just before Christmas. I have no complaints: they were both in their nineties and had led long and happy lives.They also, especially towards the end of their lives, had benefitted from superb care paid for by the NHS. Even when doctors, nurses and other staff were working under immense stress, they were unfailingly kind and professional.Like millions of other people who have had similar experiences, I
  
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• Gym Buddies #5: A Playlist For That Friday Feeling

  05-01-2018 18:41
  Get this delivered to your inbox as part of our daily Gym Buddies newsletter.Congratulations. You made it through the week. It was hard, wasn’t it?I thought we should celebrate with a little music and am pleased to share our Gym Buddies Spotify playlist, which we’ll be adding to each week. You can use it for your weekend workout or simply to have a dance around the kitchen - it still counts as exercise, even if there is a glass of wine in hand.Music can really make or
  
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• Gym Buddies #4: ‘Exercise Gave Me A Reason To Live’

  05-01-2018 18:40
  Get this delivered to your inbox as part of our daily Gym Buddies newsletter.At this time of year we’re inundated with fitness challenges and ‘miracle diets’. But these messages are largely about how you look and the number on a scale.With Gym Buddies, we’re keen to look beyond aesthetics: How does working out make you feel? How does it impact your health? What does exercise help you achieve?People workout for a whole host of reasons: cancer survivor Jackie
  
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• Car Lobby Should Listen To Clear Message Behind Falling Diesel Sales

  05-01-2018 18:39
  It was a rough start of the year for the UK’s car industry. The latest figures show car sales have fallen for the first time in six years, with diesel sales dropping by almost a fifth last year compared to 2016. While consumers keep shunning polluting diesel cars, sales of electric and hybrid vehicles have shot up by 34 percent.The message coming from consumers is about as loud as a lorry horn, but somehow the car industry is still failing to hear it. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and
  
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• Disability And The Democratic Deficit: Why We Need All Disability Shortlists

  05-01-2018 18:29
  As 2018 begins, the year we celebrate a centenary of universal suffrage across the UK, we face a democratic deficit in the representation of disabled people in local and national government. Parties across the political spectrum are already selecting new candidates for a future general election. But the glass ceiling is immutable for disabled people wishing to stand. Three changes would immediately transform the prospects of disabled candidates: re-instating the Access to Elected Office Fun
  
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• Surrey town shows how reform can help treat ailing NHS

  05-01-2018 18:26 via ft.com
  Frimley is a pioneer in looking beyond institutional boundaries to deliver services
  
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• The Time's Up Pin Is The Only Accessory Needed At The Golden Globes

  05-01-2018 18:14
  You cannot miss politics at this year’s Golden Globes. Not least because many actors partaking in the new ‘Time’s Up’ sexual harassment initiative have found a way to visibly demonstrate they are standing in solidarity with women.Many actors are expected to wear all black to the ceremony and accessorise with a pin stating “Time’s Up”.Reece Witherspoon asked costume designer and stylist Arianne Phillips to design the pin, according to The Hollyw
  
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• Working As A Plastic Surgeon In Today's NHS

  05-01-2018 18:13
  Recently, a TV film production company came to our hospital to record a series about surgeons and the operations we do. Having spent over 20 years as a NHS consultant in Plastic surgery I was intrigued when the production team came to speak to me about my work. It occurred to me that what I see as routine and ordinary is, for the greater part, unknown to most people and is to some extent a hidden world. The production team was looking for innovative procedures and techniques, and I wondered if t
  
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• Porn age-checks risk pushing children to dark web, officials warn

  05-01-2018 17:59 via bbc.co.uk
  Officials fear some web users could be driven underground by new, age-verification checks, it emerges.
  
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• BBC Food Website To Remain Open, Preserving Thousands Of Recipes Online

  05-01-2018 17:51
  The BBC will no longer remove thousands of recipes from its popular BBC Food website after the corporation announced it had made £15 million savings elsewhere.In May 2016 it was announced that 11,000 recipes would be removed from the corporation’s website, sparking widespread controversy.The BBC said at the time that the food site would not be updated or linked to, but if users knew the URL for any of the recipes then they would still be able to access them.The corporation confirmed
  
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• Kids With Medical Conditions Should Not Miss Out On School Attendance Rewards, Parents Argue

  05-01-2018 17:34
  Parents are criticising schools for rewarding pupils with high attendance, because kids with medical conditions may be penalised for reasons that are out of their control.Mums and dads have come forward to share their children’s experience of missing out on trips and treats, after a mum from Liverpool set up a Change.org petition calling on schools to “stop penalising children with medical conditions for their attendance”. Jessica Smullen’s five-y
  
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• Son Searches For War Heroes In His Father's Sketches

  05-01-2018 17:26
  The son of a U.S. military veteran is trying to track down the identities of a number of US soldiers featured in portraits sketched by his father during World War II.Ira Dube found the sketches in an attic and has now enlisted the help of a New York museum to find the families of the servicemen.Dube’s father sketched the portraits in 1943 during downtime in Hawaii. A year later his Infantry Division was decimated in the bloody Battle of Saipan.
  
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• Where Would You Be Without Your Family?

  05-01-2018 17:03
  If someone asked you to imagine a scenario in which you were apart from your family and couldn’t be sure that you would ever be near them again, what would that feel like to you? How would it impact on your day to day life? How would it affect your hopes, or your sense of where you are from or who you really are?Maybe for some people that scenario sounds wonderful. They can think of nothing better than being as far away from their family as possible. Perhaps they would say that the most im
  
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• Mum's Paper Hack Teaches Kids Kindness By Showing What Happens When You Hurt Someone's Feelings

  05-01-2018 17:03
  A mum has shared a paper hack she used to help teach her two daughters about kindness by visibly showing how feelings can get hurt.Melissa Roy, from the US, who blogs at Beyond Mommying, wanted to teach her kids how important it is to care for others.“In our fast-paced world where it’s so easy to get caught up in one’s own wants and needs, I have always emphasised to my children the importance of respecting other people and honouring others’ feelings,&
  
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• Stephen Fry Quits Baftas Presenting Job: 8 Women Who Could Replace Him As Host In 2018

  05-01-2018 16:38
  With Stephen Fry bidding farewell to the Baftas after 12 years of presenting, attention has already turned to who will replace him, with his successor to be announced next week.Names including  Graham Norton, James Corden and Ricky Gervais (maybe, no thank you and NO THANK YOU) are already being thrown around as potential candidates, but we reckon it’s time to let a female host take over, particularly asthe film industry is currently at the centre of what looks to be a sea change move
  
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• 'One Of A Kind' Gin Spa Opens In Glasgow

  05-01-2018 16:34
  For those not ready to give up the festive spirit just yet, and still in need of a way to seriously unwind, Glasgow’s newly opened ‘Gin Spa’ could be right up your street.According to its owner the spa is one of a kind; the first to make gin into a body rub, as well as a gastronomic delight.With some 70% of the United Kingdom’s gin is distilled in Scotland, the spa relies on spirits distilled by craftsmen using locally sourced ingredients.
  
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• Triple Killer Theodore Johnson Jailed For 26 Years For Murdering Ex-Girlfriend Angela Best

  05-01-2018 15:53
  A man convicted of killing two previous partners has been jailed for a minimum of 26 years for murdering his ex-girlfriend after she met another man.Theodore Johnson was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday after pleading guilty on the first day of his trial to murdering mother-of-four and grandmother Angela Best with a claw hammer.The 64-year-old had met Best while on day release from a secure mental hospital where he had been sent for killing a former partner in 1993. Twelve years earlier, in
  
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• Triple Killer Theodore Johnson 'Played The System' To Avoid Murder Conviction, Victim's Sister Says

  05-01-2018 15:51
  A triple killer tried to “play the system” to escape a murder conviction for killing his ex-partner, having avoided murder convictions twice before, the sister of his latest victim has said.Theodore Johnson, 64, who was convicted of killing two previous partners, was jailed for a minimum of 26 years on Friday for murdering his ex-girlfriend Angela Best after she met another man.He was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday after pleading guilty on the first day of his trial - having e
  
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• Body Image Concerns Are Stopping Women Checking For Signs Of Breast Cancer

  05-01-2018 15:46
  Women have complicated relationships with our breasts, from worrying they’re too small, too big, too uneven or too saggy - and it’s affecting our health.New research has found women who are dissatisfied with the appearance of their breasts are less confident about detecting a change that could be a sign of breast cancer.What’s more, they’re more likely to delay seeing their doctor if they do detect a change in their breasts than women who feel body-confident.As someone wh
  
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• Jon Venables Charged Over Indecent Images Of Children As It's Announced Trial To Be Held In Private

  05-01-2018 15:43
  Jon Venables, one of the killers of toddler James Bulger, has been charged over indecent images of children.Venables, whose new identity is protected, will have his trial held in private at an unnamed court, the Crown Prosecution Service has said.The 35-year-old was recalled to prison in November after officials are said to have found indecent material on a computer during a routine check of his home.Venables and Robert Thompson tortured and killed James, aged two, in Liverpool in 1993.Venables
  
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• Six Women We'd Like To Add To Vogue's New Suffragettes

  05-01-2018 15:39
  Vogue has bestowed the title of ‘The New Suffragettes’ on a group of women who individually celebrate and fuel female empowerment. This includes the first openly transgender person to be featured in British Vogue Paris Lees.The founder of META, an online magazine for transpeople, Lees was also the first transgender person to be on the cover of DIVA, a magazine for queer women.The selected seven also include feminist powerhouses, such as founder of women of colour platform Gal-de
  
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• Conservative MP Daniel Poulter set for Westminster return

  05-01-2018 15:28 via bbc.co.uk
  Dr Daniel Poulter has not voted at Westminster since the autumn.
  
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• There's A Huge Flaw In The Cadbury's White Chocolate Creme Egg Hunt

  05-01-2018 15:13
  Greedy shoppers and staff have been accused of opening Cadbury’s Creme Eggs and leaving them on the shelves in hope of finding one of the limited white chocolate eggs.Those lucky enough to find one will not only get bragging rights but up to £2,000 in a ‘Willy Wonka’-style egg hunt.But there are only 350-400 of the rare specimen in circulation, making the chances of laying your hands on one pretty slim.As a result, many have accused shop staff and fellow shoppers for tamp
  
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• New Autistic-led Taskforce: 'Productive Irritants' To Campaign For Change

  05-01-2018 15:06
  ceptions and enforce rights to the UK’s estimated 700,000 autistic people and their families. While there has been some improvement – there is now more public awareness, educational support, and peer-led community support than previously – we also have the legacy of abuse scandals, preventable deaths, and mother blaming, for example that highlighted by the ‘Justice for LB’ campaign.Too often, autistic people have been frozen out of the decisions that directly affect
  
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• Helena Bonham Carter To Join 'The Crown' As Princess Margaret? We Really Want This Rumour To Be True

  05-01-2018 15:01
  With recastings aplenty already taking place ahead of ‘The Crown’ series three, there’s been a lot of talk about who might be joining the Netflix drama this year.Last October, bosses confirmed that Olivia Colman will be taking over from Claire Foy to play an older Queen Elizabeth II, as the series skips a number of years to chart a “middle-aged” monarch.We could now be on the verge of getting a second casting confirmation, as Helena Bonham Carter is apparently &ldqu
  
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• Zara Tindall Is Pregnant With Her Second Baby With Husband Mike Tindall

  05-01-2018 14:58
  The Queen’s granddaughter, Zara Tindall, is expecting her second child with her husband Mike Tindall.A spokesperson for the couple confirmed the news on Friday 5 January.The couple are already parents to three-year-old Mia Grace.The news comes after Zara suffered a miscarriage in December 2016.A spokeswoman for the couple said at the time: “Very sadly, Zara and Mike Tindall have lost their baby. At this difficult time, we ask that everyone respects their privacy.”Zara
  
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• 'The Voice': Katie Price Announces Plans To Audition To Silence Vocal Critics

  05-01-2018 14:54
  Katie Price’s live vocals haven’t always drawn the best reaction (we’re looking at you, Ruth Langsford), but she has come up with a plan to silence her “haters” once and for all.The star has announced plans to audition for ‘The Voice’ to prove she can actually sing.Katie, who released the single ‘I Got U’ last year to a very mixed reception, admitted she was hoping to impress judges Will.i.am, Jennifer Hudson, Olly Murs and Tom Jones, whose a
  
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• You Can Change Your Twitter Settings To Help Blind People 'See' Your Images, This Is How

  05-01-2018 14:53
  For most Twitter users, taking a quick scroll through your timeline you don’t give a second thought to being able to see images (all the memes) scattered among the 270 characters.But it is not that easy for everyone.A visually impaired man named Rob Long has asked users of the social media platform to help him, and other blind users, enjoy the same experience simply by changing the accessibility settings on your account.I’m a blind twitter user. There are a lot of us out there. Incre
  
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• Why The Big Fitness Trend Of 2018 Should Be Accessibility

  05-01-2018 14:52
  The world of fitness can be incredibly intimidating.From the outside, it can appear to be an exclusive club of strict regimes, impossibly flat stomachs and tiny Lycra outfits, while fitness brands sport slogans like ‘elevators are for wimps’ and ‘what’s your excuse?’ This kind of language and imagery is especially widespread at this time of year, as companies scramble to cash in on our New Year’s resolutions. It is broadcast carelessly, without any thought for
  
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• Week in Review: Another year, another culture war

  05-01-2018 14:52
  
  There are many thoughtful critics of the safe space culture - Toby Young is not one of them
  
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• 2018: The Year We Move From Chaos To Can-do?

  05-01-2018 14:46
  Did you ever hear the one about the man in the storm who prayed to God to save him?When the floodwaters approached and his neighbours offered him a ride out of town, he refused, saying “God will save me.” When the waters rose around his home and the police came to fetch him in a boat, he refused, saying “God will save me.” When his house was under water and the coast guard came by helicopter to pluck him from his roof, he refused, saying “God will save me.”The
  
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• Striving With Fear In Breast Cancer

  05-01-2018 14:40
  And the rain fell hard. Like the tears that washed my face while we were driving, the day after New Year’s Day of 2013, to the John Radcliffe Hospital where I was due to check my lump. Arguments had decided that my partner and I were taking a break, yet the caring and loving person that he is to this day, he came to the appointment.Numerous tests, and yes, suddenly I had no tears to protect me from the cancerous news. Three grade 2 invasive tumours, not one, and 9cm of invasive grade 3 DCI
  
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• Michael Gove’s slow revolution in farming

  05-01-2018 14:27 via ft.com
  Environmentalists have welcomed promised reform, but changes delayed to 2024
  
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• Fire And Fury: Inside The Trump White House - HuffPost Verdict

  05-01-2018 14:17
  K E Y   P O I N T SMichael Wolff’s eagerly anticipated book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, has been released four days early, prompted by threats of legal action from the Trump administration after an advance copy was obtained by The Guardian.The book paints a picture of a presidential candidate who didn’t particularly want to win the US election in 2016, and a team around him which was resigned to imminent defeat.The author begins with a note sayin
  
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• Fire And Fury: Inside The Trump White House

  05-01-2018 14:17
  Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House threats of legal action from the Trump administration obtained by The Guardian
  The book paints a picture of a presidential candidate who didn’t particularly want to win the US election in 2016, and a team around him which was resigned to imminent defeat.
  The author begins with a note saying it was “originally conceived as an account of the Trump administration’s first 100 days... but events barrelled on without natural pause for more
  
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• Seven Reasons Why I’m More Positive Than Most About Cyber Security In 2018

  05-01-2018 14:16
  Following a series high-profile cyber attacks, most cyber security professionals predict the 2018 outlook will be bleak. Today, it seems scarcely a day goes by without a new article or opinion piece cropping up to remind us of the threat of impending cyber doom.I take a slightly different view, and do so for the following seven reasons.Cyber security is about more than just “technology” and “security”. Cyber security is also about our environment, our societies and arguab
  
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• STEMming The Gender Gap

  05-01-2018 14:07
  In 2017, illustrator Adam Hargreaves brought the Mr Men and Little Miss series bang up to date with the creation of Little Miss Inventor. Not a moment too soon. Adam brought his father’s books tearing into the 21st Century with a bold new character ready to challenge the gender stereotypes of the workplace, complete with pencils and a spanner in her hair.Little Miss Inventor makes a refreshing change from some of her less ambitious friends and has come at the perfect time to spark the imag
  
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• Boris Johnson's 'Tank-Topped Bumboys' Comment Makes Him 'Unfit' To Be Foreign Secretary, Says Labour

  05-01-2018 13:45
  Boris Johnson’s past comments about “tank-topped bumboys” make him “unfit” to be foreign secretary, a senior Labour MP has said.Johnson’s comments about gay people and women made while working as a journalist were highlighted by Business Insider after he defended the appointment of Toby Young to the new universities regulator.The government’s decision to hand Young the job was met with disbelief by opposition MPs who said his views about women, LGBT peop
  
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• Extreme UK Weather Patterns Could Be A Direct Result Of Warming In The Arctic

  05-01-2018 13:41
  In the UK our weather has a well-earned reputation for being miserable (think rain, rain and more rain), but it seems currently our meteorological misfortune is a little out of character.This is after a new study found weather extremes in Britain could actually be a result of warming trends in the Arctic circle, leaving us with colder winters and wetter summers.Temperatures in the Arctic have averaged at least twice the global warming rate over the past two decades, and the team of climate scien
  
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