Political news

• Theresa May warns China to play by global rules

  30-01-2018 23:31 via ft.com
  PM strikes more sceptical note on bilateral relations than Cameron
  
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• Theresa May Urges China To ‘Respect The Rulebook’ On Global Trade

  30-01-2018 23:30
  Theresa May has begun her first ever major trip China with a warning to Beijing to “respect the rulebook” on global trade and copyright laws.Striking a markedly cautious tone, the Prime Minister said both China and the West would benefit if it opened its markets and adhered to World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules on fair competition.May is hoping to use her three-day visit to Wuhan, Beijing and Shanghai to boost trade with the UK post-Brexit, and is taking 50 different firms and busi
  
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• Labour Plans To Force Government To Publish Brexit Economic Assessments

  30-01-2018 23:00
  Labour MPs plan to force the government to publish its Brexit economic assessments by holding a binding vote in the Commons. The party will use an opposition day debate on Wednesday to table a motion calling for ministers to make their analysis of the UK economy after various Brexit ‘end states’ available to all MPs. It will use the same mechanism which compelled the government to make its sectoral assessments available to the Brexit select committee - forcing David Davis t
  
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• Tory Minister Phillip Lee Says Leaked Brexit Analysis Raises 'Serious Question' Over Quitting EU

  30-01-2018 22:54
  A Conservative minister has said there is a “serious question” over whether Britiain should quit the European Union after a leaked government analysis indicated the economy would be hit.Justice minister Phillip Lee said it was “time for evidence, not dogma, to show the way” over Brexit, and questioned whether a government should take a country down a path that was demonstrably “damaging”.On Twitter tonight, Lee, who backed staying in the EU, said in
  
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• UK hits cap on letting in skilled non-EU migrants

  30-01-2018 22:32 via ft.com
  Fall in European applicants leaves hirers like NHS running into migration threshold
  
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• Carillion Collapse: Ministers Perform U-Turn On Apprenticeship Wages

  30-01-2018 21:06
  The Government has performed a U-turn and vowed Carillion apprentices will continue to be paid beyond January, according to reports. HuffPost UK revealed how the Official Receiver only planned to pay apprentices cut adrift by the bankrupt outsourcing giant until the end of January. But the Government has now “caved to pressure” and confirmed they will pay apprentices until they find a new placement. Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner said they must
  
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• Mark Salling Dead: 'Glee' Actor Dies, Aged 35

  30-01-2018 20:07
  A Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson told HuffPost that they responded to a reported death in the 11900 block of Big Tujunga Canyon Road at 8:50 a.m. Tuesday, but wouldn’t identify the person.At the time of his death, Salling was awaiting sentencing having pleaded guilty to the possession of child pornography in December 2017. The sentencing was due to take place on 7 March.In a statement issued to HuffPost, his lawyer Michael J. Proctor said: “I can confirm that Ma
  
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• Cameron asks CIC to back UK investment in Belt and Road

  30-01-2018 19:34 via ft.com
  Ex-prime minister talks to China sovereign wealth fund over signature project
  
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• I Left The BBC Because Of Pay - It Must Fix This Almighty Mess

  30-01-2018 19:27
  Unconscious bias is subtle but pervades every part of society.  There have been numerous studies which demonstrate that, when faced with identical CV’s, both men and women favour a CV with a man’s name at the top, over one with a woman’s name. So it is hardly surprising that this inherent bias has found its way onto our TV screens. The shock has been just how stark that bias becomes when you express it in cash.Initially I was never particularly surprised that my continual
  
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• A Near-Death Experience Taught Me To Be A Better Doctor

  30-01-2018 18:55
  I knew I wanted to be a physician from the time I was five years old. I watched my mother on the phone, as she described the way my infant brother was drooling, and leaning forward (tri-poding) in his crib. I listened as the pediatrician put the seemingly vague pieces together into a diagnosis of epiglottitis. It seemed medicine was this beautiful melding of science and listening, and from that moment, it was all I ever wanted to be. I spent the next three decades of my life, following a vectore
  
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• Amanda Barrie And Wayne Sleep Ought To Be Ashamed Of Themselves For Defending Ann Widdecombe's Homophobic History

  30-01-2018 18:48
  “So tired of people playing the “Oh I’m Gay card”.Granted this is not the work of Barrie herself but it perfectly reflects her attitude towards a conversation with drag queen Courtney Act over Ann Widdecombe’s history of homophobia in the Celebrity Big Brother house on Sunday night. Throughout the series, Courtney Act, a.k.a. Shane Jenek, has frequently yet eloquently raised concerns over Widdecombe’s persistent attempts to deny LGBT+ people rights during her
  
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• Why I'm Thrilled 'The Crown' Is Casting Middle-Aged Actors

  30-01-2018 18:45
  ‘The Crown’, are two words which conjure up in my mind two other words, binge-watch. If there is a fan out there who claims more devotion to that show than me, then they’re lying.I saw Kristen Scott Thomas as The Queen in Peter Morgan’s superb play ‘The Audience’ in the West End and like ‘The Crown’, the writer gave us a delightfully nuanced and complex version of the most ‘known, unknown’ woman in the world. Scott Thomas was excellent.
  
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• Leaving Rape Victims Unsupported Is No Way To Achieve Justice

  30-01-2018 18:41
  A smart phone can hold a lifetime of information - around 256GB of data, or 12.3m printed pages, including thousands of deleted texts. Add medical history, third-party material, and you have just one small snapshot of the extent of materials an already over-stretched police force must examine as part of the process of disclosure – the evidence submitted to them.The issue of disclosure is particularly crucial in rape cases and trials, demonstrating why this is not an easy issue to solve. Fo
  
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• UK Treasury played key role in initiating post-Brexit forecasts

  30-01-2018 18:36 via ft.com
  Treasury the original driving force behind the economic predictions in November last year.
  
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• What future for PM?

  30-01-2018 18:04 via bbc.co.uk
  A look at the challenges facing Theresa May if she wants to remain the UK's prime minister.
  
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• Elon Musk Says He’s Sold 10,000 Flamethrowers Through His Boring Co. Website

  30-01-2018 17:22
  Entrepreneur Elon Musk has captured the world’s imagination with his electric cars, space rockets and renewable energy systems, and now the billionaire is looking to corner the market in a slightly less benevolent area: flamethrowers.Musk, the founder and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has recently made headlines with the launch of his company’s Falcon 9 rocket late last year and the impending launch of the Falcon Heavy rocket in February. But besides sending spacecraft into the sky, prepa
  
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• Council leader to stand down amid £4bn housing project row

  30-01-2018 17:12 via ft.com
  North London public-private regeneration scheme mired in bitter political battle
  
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• Franchising Has Worked For Our Railway, Now Let’s Make It Work For Passengers

  30-01-2018 16:59
  The beginning of this month saw the annual increase in rail fares across the country, often the second headache which commuters suffer on New Year’s Day. The average increase across the country was 3.4%, and so my constituents are now paying £5104 for an annual ticket from Colchester to London – an amount that probably rivals some mortgages.When travelling to work costs so much money for so many people, we need to make sure that the current franchising process works. In my mind
  
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• The PIP Mess Is Causing Unfairness, Inefficiency And Inhumane Treatment - This Must Change

  30-01-2018 16:50
  The Government has got itself into an enormous mess over Personal Independence Payments (PIPs). Not only will the government’s review of PIP payments cost a huge amount of taxpayers’ cash, it will also cause undue concern and upset to hundreds of thousands of the most vulnerable people in our communities.It is nothing short of a national disgrace that Ministers persisted with the utterly flawed and unfair system of assessments for Personal Impact Payments, despite all the warnings an
  
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• The PIP Mess Is Causing Unfairness, Inefficiency And Inhumane Treatment

  30-01-2018 16:50
  The Government has got itself into an enormous mess over Personal Independence Payments (PIPs). Not only will the government’s review of PIP payments cost a huge amount of taxpayers’ cash, it will also cause undue concern and upset to hundreds of thousands of the most vulnerable people in our communities.It is nothing short of a national disgrace that Ministers persisted with the utterly flawed and unfair system of assessments for Personal Impact Payments, despite all the warnings an
  
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• Finsbury Park Attack Suspect Darren Osborne ‘Hoped To Kill Jeremy Corbyn’

  30-01-2018 16:47
  A man accused of carrying out a terror attack at Finsbury Park had hoped to kill Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, he told a court.Darren Osborne, of Glyn Rhosyn in Cardiff, is alleged to have deliberately mowed down people outside two mosques in north London shortly after 12.15am on June 19 last year, leaving one dead and several injured.The 48-year-old, taking to the witness stand, said he had plotted with two men called Terry Jones and Dave to “plough through as many” people as possibl
  
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• Finsbury Park Attack Suspect Darren Osborne Denies Driving Van – Blames ‘Dave’

  30-01-2018 16:47
  A man accused of carrying out the Finsbury Park terror attack has denied driving the van which mowed down Muslims in north London.Darren Osborne, of Glyn Rhosyn in Cardiff, is alleged to have deliberately mowed down people outside two mosques in north London shortly after 12.15am on June 19 last year, leaving one dead and several injured.Witnesses saw the white vehicle accelerating as it approached the group, leaving them “splattered all over the place” and killing Makram Ali, the ju
  
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• Finsbury Park Attack Suspect Darren Osborne Denies Driving Van

  30-01-2018 16:47
  A man accused of carrying out the Finsbury Park terror attack has denied driving the van which mowed down Muslims in north London.Darren Osborne, of Glyn Rhosyn in Cardiff, is alleged to have deliberately mowed down people outside two mosques in north London shortly after 12.15am on June 19 last year, leaving one dead and several injured.Witnesses saw the white vehicle accelerating as it approached the group, leaving them “splattered all over the place” and killing Makram Ali, the ju
  
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• Why Creativity Is Key In Educating Our Children For The Future

  30-01-2018 16:40
  Like many mums the length and breadth of the country, I’m currently waiting to find out if my son has got into our chosen secondary school.  There are quite a few we could have gone for here where we live in London’s Brent, and we could have chosen some which boast far better academic achievements. The one we’ve picked is nowhere near the top of the secondary school league table for the area.So why have we chosen to send our son there? Because at a time when many scho
  
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• What Is The PIP Review? How 'Austerity' Measure Backfired And Could Cost Government £3 Billion

  30-01-2018 16:40
  The Government has pledged to review all 1.6 million disability benefit claims after deciding not to fight a High Court ruling on personal independence payment (PIP) that a judge called “blatantly discriminatory”.The court ruling in December, ministers previously said, could see 220,000 PIP claimants awarded higher payments.Earlier estimates suggested it would impact 164,000 people’s benefits and would cost £3.7 billion by 2022.So how did a decision aimed at sav
  
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• China Waste Ban Sees Local Authorities Start To 'Stockpile' Rubbish

  30-01-2018 16:30
  The effects of the Chinese ban on importing plastic waste are starting to be felt in the UK, as experts warn that local authorities are now stockpiling rubbish.The situation will become “more intense” in the UK and US around March and into early summer, Ray Georgeson, chief executive of the Resource Association, said on Tuesday.Warning signals are already starting to emerge, he said. Lee Marshall, CEO of the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC), said: &ldquo
  
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• London Has Already Reached Its Air Pollution Limit For 2018

  30-01-2018 15:56
  London has now reached its annual air pollution limit less than a month into the new year.European Union rules - and UK law - state that monitoring stations are allowed to exceed hourly limits of 200 micrograms of NO2 [nitrogen dioxide] per cubic metre of air just 18 times in a year.Today, Brixton Road in Lambeth recorded its 18th breach marking the official limit for the entire year.This is actually a significant improvement on previous years. Last year London broke the limit for the year
  
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• Air Pollution Is A Major Scourge On The Planet And On The Future Of Humanity

  30-01-2018 15:37
  The third leading cause of premature death in France, after tobacco and alcohol, with a cost to society ranging from €70 to €100billion each year, air pollution is everyone’s concern. Actions have already been undertaken, and half of the French population lives in locations covered by an Atmospheric Protection Plan, but the situation is still not satisfactory. Clearly visible at peak times, with immediate consequences to the health of those most vulnerable, it’s actually th
  
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• Brexit Minister Steve Baker Says Government Economic Forecasts 'Are Always Wrong'

  30-01-2018 15:35
  Brexit minister Steve Baker has claimed every single economic forecast produced by the civil service is “wrong”.The government is under pressure to publish in full a leaked internal analysis which concluded Britain would be worse off whatever Brexit deal is struck with Brussels.Speaking in the Commons on Tuesday, former Labour shadow chancellor Chris Leslie accused Baker of a “deeply irresponsible” decision to withhold the study. “This is cover-up pure and simple an
  
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• Labour MP Dan Jarvis bids to become Sheffield City Region mayor

  30-01-2018 15:33 via ft.com
  MP touted as future Labour leader previously opposed mayoral role for the region
  
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• Brexit Minister Says Economic Forecasts 'Are Always Wrong' As Labour Demand Leaked Study Be Published In Full

  30-01-2018 15:10
  The government has been accused of engaging in a “deeply irresponsible” cover-up after it refused to publish in full an internal analysis which concluded Britain would be worse off whatever Brexit deal is struck with Brussels.Brexit minister Steve Baker was hauled to the Commons on Tuesday after a civil service assessment of the economic impact of leaving the EU was leaked to BuzzFeed UK.Rubbishing the study, Baker said forecasts produced by the government were “always wrong&rd
  
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• The Forthcoming Domestic Abuse Bill Is A Real Opportunity For Reform

  30-01-2018 15:00
  The most important announcement this week on the topical issue of rape trials came from former High Court Judge, Dame Laura Cox. After a two year inquiry, leading a distinguished panel of lawyers and others she concluded that complainants’ sexual history was too frequently and inappropriately used in rape trials and recommended that the Government review the law on whether such evidence should ever be use to show consent.Fear of being accused of having sex with other men has, for years, de
  
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• A Week In Feminism: The Great, The Important And The Ugly

  30-01-2018 14:59
  For anyone concerned with feminist issues, it’s been quite a week. It started with the Women’s Day of Action, marking the first anniversary of the giant global marches following the election of Donald Trump.I was in Sheffield for that, where 200 people defied awful weather conditions on a Sunday morning to declare “It’s Time” – time for change, time for full human and legal rights for half the human population, time for respect. It was inspiring to see women,
  
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• BBC female staff express no confidence in pay review

  30-01-2018 14:57 via ft.com
  PwC finds no evidence of gender bias in how on-air presenters are compensated
  
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• UK government to show MP’s ‘appropriate analysis’ of Brexit impact

  30-01-2018 14:54 via ft.com
  Resists calls by Labour party to publish leaked secret data
  
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• In A Divided Britain, Everybody Loses

  30-01-2018 14:53
  Britain is divided in a number of ways and if it continues then everybody will suffer. Between Remainers and Leavers, environmentalists and climate change-deniers, misogynists and feminists, the curious and the ignorant and the haves and have-nots, we’re at risk of tearing ourselves into ever smaller pieces.Blackburn, the town where I spent my formative years, was subject to a BBC Panorama programme on this very subject and in just 30 minutes it couldn’t have realistically focused on
  
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• The Government Needs To Act To Help Dementia Carers

  30-01-2018 14:51
  Dementia is a cruel disease. The carer sees their relative “disappearing” before their eyes, but is unable to grieve their loss because they are still here and increasingly reliant on their support.As the disease progresses, personal needs increase – as does the level of stimulation they need, to reduce anxiety caused by a world they no longer understand.Music, reminiscing, and challenging puzzles become important.The loss of more recent memories in Dementia patients, means thi
  
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• Is A Second EU Referendum On The Menu?

  30-01-2018 14:50
  It was dinner table chat a few months ago, now the possibility of a second vote on whether to leave the EU is being openly discussed in the media.The man who has made Brexit his life’s work, Nigel Farage, has even acknowledged it may be necessary to hold a second vote.Recent polls have suggested a majority across the UK would like to have a say on whatever deal is negotiated between London and the other twenty seven EU capitals - with the choice being accept the agreed deal or stay in.Oppo
  
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• The Brexit Identity: Why Facts Won't Win The Remain Argument

  30-01-2018 14:48
  Last weekend the Guardian published the results of a poll looking into how Brexit opinions may have changed since the referendum. They revealed that there is a majority across almost all demographic groups that want a second referendum. But what the Guardian poll reveals goes beyond the simple change in opinions, it goes a long way to confirming what some people have been saying for a long time, as to why the Leave campaign succeeded, and the actual motivations behind the Brexit voters. It was a
  
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• BBC Announces Biggest Weekend Festival With Ed Sheeran And Taylor Swift Leading Performers

  30-01-2018 14:48
  The BBC has announced details of its Biggest Weekend festival which will take place in four nations across four days this May.There will be performances from some of the biggest names in music in four different UK cities over the late May Bank Holiday weekend (25-28 May).Among the names confirmed to play so far include Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and Snow Patrol.Other acts will be announced in the run up to the events.Taylor will headline the Radi
  
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• And The Leaked Impact Studies Are A Brexit BEST Case Scenario

  30-01-2018 14:46
  The Brexit impact studies, about the existence of which the DExEU David Davis has repeatedly and knowingly lied, have leaked and it has become patently clear why the Government never intended to share the findings with the public – they are humiliating.The Government has finally confirmed that almost every independent expert was right - despite Ministers desperately trying to rubbish their findings.The clandestine assessment, “EU Exit Analysis – Cross Whitehall Briefing”,
  
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• Some Personal Reflections On The Erosion Of Freedom And Autonomy In Hong Kong

  30-01-2018 14:44
  Last October I was, very publicly, refused entry to Hong Kong, on the direct orders of Beijing. Recently, my case was once again raised in the House of Lords. Last night, as I tried to sleep, I began retracing my steps in Hong Kong. I am not setting out to cause a headache for Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam, or China’s President Xi Jinping, honestly. I just wish they would read the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law.After a hectic week in which Carrie Lam dismis
  
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• Nuclear Fear

  30-01-2018 14:44
  On 17 December 2017 Mexico became the fourth country to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.This comes at a time where the World Economic Forum has recently disclosed that fear of a nuclear attack is one of the top things people all over the world fear most at the beginning of 2018.This is a legitimate fear. With North Korea and the USA using threatening rhetoric about the size of their nuclear arsenals and stating that the nuclear option is on the table, who would have thoug
  
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• Britain First Deputy Jayda Fransen 'Blamed By Mother For Death Of Stillborn Daughter'

  30-01-2018 14:34
  A mother-of-two has said she blames the deputy leader of Britain First for the death of her stillborn daughter after she was subjected to racist abuse in her home.Jayda Fransen, 31, is accused of hate crimes alongside the leader of the far-right group Paul Golding, 36.They were arrested over the alleged distribution of leaflets and online videos, which were posted during the trial of three Muslim men and a teenager, who were later convicted of rape.Fransen went to the Kent home of one of the def
  
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• Homeless 'Hero' Chris Parker Jailed For Stealing From Manchester Arena Bombing Victims

  30-01-2018 14:30
  A homeless man hailed a hero following the Manchester Arena bombing has been jailed for stealing items from victims of the terror attack. Chris Parker was jailed at Manchester Crown Court for four years and three months on Tuesday. Earlier this month he pleaded guilty to stealing a purse and a mobile. Members of the public raised more than £50,000 for the rough sleeper after he described running towards the scene of the carnage to help. The 33-year-old said it was &ldqu
  
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• Kim Kardashian And Lindsay Lohan’s Social Media Beef Has Brought Us Right Back To 2007

  30-01-2018 14:20
  In news that’s giving us flashbacks for the to mid-noughties, Kim Kardashian and Lindsay Lohan have been trading snidey remarks an an online post from Perez Hilton. It all started when Kim went on an Instagram spree on Monday (29 January) night, revealing a new look - complete with problematic blond braids -  and alter-ego, Bo West: A post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Jan 29, 2018 at 12:58pm PSTIn his role as celebrity gossip extraordinaire (yes, he still blogs) P
  
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• EU unity on Brexit transition belies the differences

  30-01-2018 14:16 via ft.com
  Berlin and Paris take a harder line than some capitals on future long-term relations with the UK  
  
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• Everything You Need To Know About The World's First Compostable Pregnancy Test

  30-01-2018 14:02
  If you have been trying to cut down on plastic waste, there is one essential item that may have slipped under the radar: the humble pregnancy test. Think about it. You use them once and throw them away. Hell, you may even use more than one, just to be sure.Currently pregnancy tests are made mainly of plastic, but Lia is here to change things.As the world’s first flushable, biodegradable and compostable pregnancy test, Lia could help address the environmental impact of yet another
  
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• Parents Voice Concerns As School Suggests Cutting Week To Four-And-A-Half Days

  30-01-2018 13:47
  Parents have raised concerns about childcare costs and their children’s education following suggestions a primary school could cut its week down to four-and-a-half days.St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, in Hounslow, London, suggested children could be sent home at 12.45pm on Fridays in order to tackle funding cuts.Parents of children at the school were told to “actively start” to investigate childcare options for Friday afternoons from September 2018.Chairperson of
  
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• Len McCluskey 'Fears' Pro-EU Labour MPs Will 'Fail' The Left And Vote To Keep Theresa May In Power

  30-01-2018 13:28
  Len McCluskey has said he fears pro-EU Labour MPs will “fail” the left and keep Theresa May in power by voting to support her Brexit deal.The general secretary of the Unite union said he hoped parliament would reject the prime minister’s exit agreement and force an early general election in 2019.“My personal hope and belief is that in late Autumn of this year the deal that comes back to parliament will be rejected,” he told the Resolution Foundation think-tank on Tu
  
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