Political news

• Lords vote for second Leveson probe into press conduct

  10-01-2018 23:49 via bbc.co.uk
  The government is defeated over calls for a further inquiry into unlawful action by media organisations.
  
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• Theresa May to target plastics in war on ‘throwaway culture’

  10-01-2018 23:34
  Tories recast green goals with crackdown on ‘scourge’ of avoidable waste
  
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• Theresa May targets plastics in war on ‘throwaway culture’

  10-01-2018 23:34
  Tories recast green goals with crackdown on ‘scourge’ of avoidable waste
  
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• 'No Plastic' Shoppers Should Get Express Queues In Supermarkets, Says Theresa May

  10-01-2018 23:30
  Shoppers who shun plastic packaging could skip busy supermarket queues under proposals put forward by Theresa May.As part of a drive to eradicate single-use plastic items completely from the UK, the Government will urge shops to introduce ‘plastic-free’ checkouts to encourage customers to think twice about additional packaging. The Prime Minister will use a speech on Thursday to call for the end of all avoidable plastic waste by 2042, and as well as the supermarket queue reforms
  
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• Donald Trump Reveals 'Norway Has This Thing Called Water'

  10-01-2018 23:17
  Donald Trump appears to have revealed just how little he knows about energy and the climate during yet another bizarre press conference, this time with the Norwegian Prime Minister, Erna Solberg.During a Q&A session he was asked by a reporter what it would take for the United States to remain in the Paris Accord on climate change.The President repeated his claims it treated the US “unfairly” and was a “bad deal” but did say “we could conceivably go back in&rdquo
  
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• Business secretary Clark meets PSA chief over Vauxhall job losses

  10-01-2018 21:43
  Paris encounter comes on day government announces ‘sector deal’to promote the industry
  
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• Philip Hammond presses Brussels to show willing on Brexit

  10-01-2018 20:42
  Help pro-EU voices in May cabinet by signalling areas of compromise, says chancellor
  
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• Philip Hammond calls on EU to help shape Brexit trade deal

  10-01-2018 20:42
  Chancellor tells business conference in Berlin ‘it takes two to tango’
  
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• Brexiteers Bungle Attempt To Impress EU With A Hamper Of 'British' Goodies

  10-01-2018 19:57
  Brexit campaigners have been mocked for an attempt to show Britain can thrive outside the European Union after they presented the bloc’s top negotiator with a hamper of ‘British’ goods that have a distinctly European flavour.A delegation led by independent MEP and ex-Ukiper Steven Woolfe today met Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, and gave him the special gift so the EU could “fully grasp the powerful commercial position Britain occupies globally”.The
  
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• Tim Farron: I regret 'gay sex no sin' statement

  10-01-2018 19:31 via bbc.co.uk
  The ex-Lib Dem leader says he handled election scrutiny by "giving an answer that was not right".
  
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• Labour's John McDonnell to attend Davos

  10-01-2018 19:01 via bbc.co.uk
  The Shadow Chancellor will share Labour's 'alternative economic approach' to capitalism.
  
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• Labour's Chris Williamson suggests doubling tax for top value homes

  10-01-2018 19:01 via bbc.co.uk
  Shadow minister Chris Williamson suggests doubling bills for top value homes in England.
  
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• UK ministers try to enlist EU business on Brexit

  10-01-2018 18:55
  Britain is hoping companies in the bloc will push for a good trade deal
  
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• UK government accused of downgrading women and equalities agenda

  10-01-2018 18:42
  Amber Rudd will not have enough time for new brief, say critics
  
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• Seven Totally Doable Mental Health Resolutions

  10-01-2018 18:41
  New year, new you! Well sort of. You’re still the same person you were on the last day of December just with the added optimism that comes with a clean slate. It sounds exciting, like starting a new diary, but it’s also a lot of pressure. As January ticks on, doubts wiggle their way in: What if you can’t meet all your resolutions? What if you end up repeating last year’s mistakes? What if this year will be a total disaster?There’s no way you can guarantee that 2018
  
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• Foster Care, A Young Girl’s Dreams And A Horse Called T-Bone

  10-01-2018 18:37
  We asked one of our foster children to list things she would like from her ‘forever family’, when the time came to move on. The first item at the top of her list was her own horse. She loved riding, so it came as no surprise to us. We didn’t want to spoil her dream, but at this point we had no idea how, or if, we might be able to help make her dream come true.Saying goodbye is one of the biggest challenges faced by foster carers, as well as for the children and young people in
  
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• The Smallest Coffins Are The Heaviest

  10-01-2018 18:34
  Her name could have been Arya. I could have been her mother. I had already had two-and-a-half years of practice with Izna. My first-born.But she didn’t want any of it. She was upset from the day she was conceived. We never communicated so much in words. But I knew. In my womb. She wasn’t happy.Nine months. That’s all I kept asking of her. I was stubborn. And so was she. We both struggled. My first trimester was extremely turbulent. Nausea. Fever. Body aches. Allergic reactions.
  
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• Theresa May 'Breached Her Own Ministerial Code' With Tory Party Reshuffle Stunt In Downing Street

  10-01-2018 18:32
  Theresa May is facing fresh reshuffle embarrassment amid claims that she breached the Ministerial Code with her Downing Street PR stunt to promote the Tory party’s new top ranks.Labour has written to the Prime Minister to complain that she was in clear breach of rules which forbid the use of any Government and taxpayer-funded property for party political purposes, HuffPost can reveal.May led a parade of Conservative party chairmen and vice-chairmen in Downing Street on Monday as she starte
  
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• I Know What Must Be Done To Stop Others Following In My Footsteps

  10-01-2018 18:31
  New Year’s Eve 2017 recorded a staggering number of stabbings across the country. London alone saw four young men murdered in unrelated incidents and one young man left with fatal injuries. These were men as young as 17 and 18. Figures revealed that 2017 was already the worst year for deaths of children and teenagers in England and Wales since 2009. These fatal stabbings in London took the death toll in the capital up to 80.This is a major problem effecting the whole country and whatever w
  
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• Paltry 0.2% Growth In Disposable Income Shows Banking Crisis Punished Workers

  10-01-2018 18:30
  Working households have just £650 more to spend than before the financial crash, fresh official statistics have shown. New ONS figures have underlined how disposable incomes went into sharp decline after the 2008 banking crisis and have grown just 0.2% over the last decade - a tenth of the rate of the preceding decade.In the ten years before the financial crash, extra income grew by a comparatively-huge £7,200 (an average of 3.3% every year) and the TUC said Brita
  
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• I Sold Drugs And Carried A Gun - I Know What Must Be Done To Stop Others Following In My Footsteps

  10-01-2018 18:28
  New Year’s Eve 2017 recorded a staggering number of stabbings across the country. London alone saw four young men murdered in unrelated incidents and one young man left with fatal injuries. These were men as young as 17 and 18. Figures revealed that 2017 was already the worst year for deaths of children and teenagers in England and Wales since 2009. These fatal stabbings in London took the death toll in the capital up to 80.This is a major problem effecting the whole country and whatever w
  
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• Tim Farron regrets saying gay sex not a sin

  10-01-2018 18:18 via bbc.co.uk
  Ex-Lib Dem leader says he regrets saying he didn't think gay sex was a sin, in the general election.
  
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• Tempting treats

  10-01-2018 18:09 via bbc.co.uk
  Brexiteers present Michel Barnier with cheese, gin and the complete works of Shakespeare.
  
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• Bafta Responds To Critics After Revealing All-Male Best Director Nominee List

  10-01-2018 18:02
  Bafta chairperson Jane Lush has answered criticism over the fact the organisation’s 2018 film awards shortlist include an all-male set of Best Director nominees.Film fans and critics raised eyebrows when the nominees were revealed earlier this week, especially as they came just 48 hours after Natalie Portman’s on-stage comment about the Golden Globes shortlist also being made up entirely of men.With many critics suggesting ‘Lady Bird’ director Greta Gerwig deserved a nod,
  
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• Karen Bradley visits NI as secretary of state

  10-01-2018 17:49 via bbc.co.uk
  Karen Bradley, who has never been to Northern Ireland before, reiterates her desire to restore devolution.
  
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• Kodak's Stock Soars Over 100% After It Announces Its First Cryptocurrency

  10-01-2018 17:46
  Kodak, the iconic photography company, has announced that it is launching its very own cryptocurrency, the KodakCoin.The move has seen the company’s stock jump rather sharply - at one point it had risen over 120%.According to Kodak, its reason for entering the newly emerging market of digital currencies was that it wanted to create a, “encrypted, digital ledger of rights ownership for photographers to register both new and archive work that they can then license within the platform.&
  
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• M&S Pulls 'Cauliflower Steak': Here Are Other Over-Packaged, Pre-Cut Veg We Could Do Without

  10-01-2018 17:30
  Marks and Spencer plans to pull its ‘cauliflower steak’ from sale after being slammed for using “lots of plastic” for what is effectively a slice of veg. The supermarket raised eyebrows on Tuesday after Twitter user Rachel Clarke shared a photo of the product, which was retailing for £2.Responding to the backlash, an M&S spokesperson confirmed once stores are out of stock, they “won’t be ordering any more of this product”. “We w
  
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• MPs Finally Stop Taking The Piss As Parliament's Toilets Stop Working

  10-01-2018 17:06
  MPs are having to cross their legs and avoiding thinking of waterfalls right now as Parliamentary toilets are out of order.A burst water main in South West London has led to a severe drop of pressure in the Palace of Westminster, meaning toilets are not flushing as they should.The issue is particularly bad for MPs with offices on the higher floors of Parliament and the attached building, Portcullis House.Closure signs going up on toilets in the press gallery. The Privy, sealed.
  Thames Water are
  
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• Penguins Queue Up For Their Weigh-In At Milwaukee County Zoo

  10-01-2018 17:05
  Weighing the penguins can be a challenge for keepers at the Milwaukee County Zoo.This video from November released by the zoo on January 5 shows a keeper using a tiny fish called a capelin as a treat for positive reinforcement.The16 Gentoo and Rockhopper penguins are weighed once a month and keepers keep track of all the penguins by the band on their flippers.
  
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• Serena Williams Laments The 'Unfair' Advantage Dads Have Over Mums When Returning To Work

  10-01-2018 17:03
  Serena Williams called out the inconsistency between a new mother and a new father’s experience of being a working parent in her first interview since giving birth last September.The tennis champion, who is featured on the cover of Vogue magazine with her daughter Olympia Ohanian Junior, lamented how ‘unfair’ it is that the physical toll of having a baby means women who want to return to work quickly, are not always able to do so.The 36-year-old made reference to her
  
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• Chinese business chiefs pay £12,000 for dinner with David Cameron

  10-01-2018 16:41 via bbc.co.uk
  Chinese business leaders are offered the chance to pay for dinner and a photo with the ex-PM.
  
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• Theresa May accused by Chris Bryant of buying Tory MPs' support

  10-01-2018 16:38 via bbc.co.uk
  Chris Bryant claims the new Tory vice-chairmen are being paid "hush money" to ensure their loyalty.
  
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• Tim Farron Expresses 'Regret' At Saying Gay Sex Is Not A Sin

  10-01-2018 16:25
  Tim Farron has expressed “regret” at saying gay sex is not a sin.The former Lib Dem leader told Premier Christian Radio he “foolishly and wrongly” caved in to pressure during his party’s General Election campaign and that he actually believes his statement “was not right”.Farron was first quizzed about his views on homosexuality by Channel 4′s Cathy Newman in 2015 and then by numerous other reporters before the June vote.After a ques
  
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• Duchess Of Cambridge's Seraphine Dress Is Being Restocked Due To Demand

  10-01-2018 16:17
  The Duchess of Cambridge was spotted wearing a favoured Seraphine dress as she visited Reach Academy Feltham on Wednesday 10 January.Known for repeating her favourite looks, the Duchess looked radiant in the turquoise floral print dress that she previously wore while pregnant with Princess Charlotte.It is currently out of stock but the brand has confirmed it will be back in stock on 18 January for £69.The Duchess was previously spotted in the ‘Florie’ print dress, which is espe
  
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• Duchess Of Cambridge's Seraphine Dress Has Been Restocked Due To Demand

  10-01-2018 16:17
  The Duchess of Cambridge was spotted wearing a favoured Seraphine dress as she visited Reach Academy Feltham on Wednesday 10 January. Known for repeating her favourite looks, the Duchess looked radiant in the turquoise floral print dress that she previously wore while pregnant with Princess Charlotte.The dress was out of stock at the time of the Duchess’ appearance and the brand’s representatives initially offered a restock next week - but this has now been rushed forward due to
  
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• Ofgem apologies for failing to act sooner on energy price cap

  10-01-2018 16:09
  Regulator accused by MPs of acting ‘like a bystander’ rather than protecting poor households
  
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• MP calls for ban on high-caffeine energy drinks

  10-01-2018 15:46 via bbc.co.uk
  Maria Caulfield raised the issue after the suicide of a constituent, whose family said energy drinks contributed to his anxiety.
  
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• Tim Farron says he regrets saying gay sex is not a sin

  10-01-2018 15:45
  Former Lib Dem leader says he felt under pressure from party and gave answer that was ‘not right’ during election campaign
  The former Lib Dem leader Tim Farron has said he regrets telling people he did not believe gay sex was a sin when he was forced to clarify his position during the election campaign.The MP said he had felt “isolated” and under pressure from his party to say gay sex was not sinful, suggesting he ended up misleading the public about his views. Continue r
  
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• When Is The Brit Awards 2018? Date, Tickets, Nominations And Everything Else You Need To Know...

  10-01-2018 15:18
  Awards season may be well under way in the US, but some of the hottest events taking place here in the UK are still weeks away - including the biggest night in British music, the Brit Awards. The 2018 event isn’t on until late February and organisers are currently in the process of revealing all the info gans will need on the night, including who’s up for which awards, and the acts that will be performing on the night. As you tick off the days until the big night, we’re keeping
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn Thinks Esther McVey Appointment Is 'A Cause For Alarm' For Disabled People

  10-01-2018 15:15
  Jeremy Corbyn believes that Esther McVey’s appointment as Work and Pensions Secretary is “a cause for alarm” for disabled people and others, his spokesman has revealed.The Labour leader’s criticism of the minister came amid a Conservative backlash at online abuse directed at McVey, as well as fresh criticism of Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell’s claim that she was a ‘stain on humanity’.Supporters of the newly-installed Cabinet minister suggested some of
  
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• Theresa May Ridiculed For Keeping 'Captain Of Sinking Ship' Jeremy Hunt At Helm Of NHS

  10-01-2018 15:09
  Jeremy Corbyn has laid into Theresa May for caving in to her ‘sinking ship captain’ Health Secretary and allowing him to keep his job.Jeremy Hunt told the Prime Minister on Monday that “a captain does not abandon his ship” and it would be “dishonourable” for him to go when she threatened to move him during her reshuffle this week, HuffPost UK learned.“We know the Prime Minister recognises there’s a crisis in our NHS because she wanted to sack the h
  
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• Dyson Advert Banned For Implying Indoor Air Pollution Is More Harmful Than Outdoor Air Pollution

  10-01-2018 14:58
  The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned an advert by Dyson for claiming that indoor air pollution is more harmful than outdoor air pollution.In the advert, a shot of a car emitting green fumes out of its exhaust is shown. A voiceover asks the audience: “What could be worse than air pollution outdoors?”It then goes on to claim that air pollution indoors can be up to five times worse showing a kitchen with multiple sources of indoor air pollution highlighted in green and p
  
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• PMQs: Watch As Theresa May Apologises For Attacking Ill Labour MP's Commons Absence

  10-01-2018 14:46
  Theresa May was left red-faced today for attacking a Labour MP for not being in the Commons – when she was actually on sick leave.During a ding-dong battle with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn over NHS funding, May began quoting an interview from Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner where she described her party’s economic plans as “shit-or-bust”.The Prime Minister pointedly remarked that Rayner was not sitting on the opposition front bench for Prime Minister’s Ques
  
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• Theresa May Does Not Rule Out Banning Sale Of Energy Drinks To Under-16s

  10-01-2018 14:44
  Theresa May has not ruled out banning the sale of energy drinks to the under-16s after she was told of the suicide of one young man.Speaking during prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, Tory MP Maria Caulfield said the family of her constituent Justin Bartholomew believed his intake over over fifteen cans of energy drink a day “contributed to his death”.“Given the increased safety concern around the high energy drink market and the actions of people like Jamie Oliver a
  
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• Businesses deserve an answer on VAT

  10-01-2018 14:42
  Cash flow worries over delay in claiming back tax under current post-Brexit rules  
  
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• Considering A Home Births? Here Are 8 Things You Need To Take Into Account

  10-01-2018 14:40
  If you’re toying with the idea of giving birth at home, you’ve probably built up a long list of questions you want answered before deciding whether this is the right option for you.The latest ONS figures show the percentage of women giving birth at home was 2.1% in 2016, a small decrease compared with 2012 to 2015 when it was 2.3%.Yet it is a topic parents on Mumsnet have been discussing, as there is an interest among pregnant women to find out more about whether it is
  
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• Robot Duck Helps Kids Cope With Cancer

  10-01-2018 14:31
  A robotic duck, which can display emotions, is helping young cancer patients.The social robot can be silly, happy, angry or scared and helps children express their emotions and cope with their illness through play.It can also make the soothing sounds of a beach or rainforest and quack tunes, as well as doing deep-breathing exercises the child can mimic to relax. Plus, it has an attachable tube to emulate chemotherapy injections.The duck, developed by robotics expert Aaron Horowitz and his compan
  
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• This Innocent-Looking Bracelet Has A Nasty Surprise For Any Muggers

  10-01-2018 14:27
  There are a whole host of gadgets on the market for keeping people safe on the streets - sprays, apps and alarms - but many of them aren’t that easy to use or are inherently indiscrete.Now a Dutch gadget company has designed a wearable piece of jewellery, that looks a little like a FitBit, to stop would-be muggers from attacking victims.And the bracelet has a secret power.Shown at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the Invi self-defence security bracelet is a totally nonviol
  
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• Women In Technology Leadership: A Fresh Look At Bias

  10-01-2018 14:25
  It’s an exciting time to be in high-tech. In the fast-paced world of a high-growth tech company, change is a constant in almost every aspect of the business.But there is one characteristic of Silicon Valley that does not seem to be changing ― the decidedly small number of women in leadership roles in tech companies. A 2016 study by Fenwick and West showed that the largest 150 Silicon Valley public companies averaged only 14% women directors and an average of only 0.8 women executive
  
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• These Boots Were Made For Walking

  10-01-2018 14:11
  Fear not, I don’t possess the derriere to squeeze into Daisy Duke’s shorts and pay homage to Jessica Simpson’s remake of the old Willy Nelson song – plus it’d be a bit hypocritical to lather up someone else’s car when I can’t be bothered to wash my own. If God wants it clean it’ll rain.That toe tapping song did get me thinking though of all the times I’ve had to restrain myself from doing a Forest Gump and heading off without a look back, alt
  
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