Political news

• EU leaked paper discourteous, says David Davis

  08-02-2018 23:51 via bbc.co.uk
  The document suggests any dispute could see UK benefits suspended in the post-Brexit "transition period".
  
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• European Union orders review of daylight saving time

  08-02-2018 23:42 via bbc.co.uk
  EU lawmakers call for daylight saving time to be reviewed amid long-term health concerns.
  
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• Twitter Reveals 49 Russian 'Troll Factory' Accounts Tried To Sway Brexit Vote

  08-02-2018 23:14
  Twitter has found 49 accounts linked to a notorious Russian “troll factory” which were sending out messages about the EU referendum during the 2016 campaign.The company’s UK head of public policy, Nick Pickles, told a House of Commons committee that the accounts linked to the St Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency amounted to less than 0.005% of those tweeting about the referendum, and received “very low levels of engagement” from other users.The announcement
  
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• Two British 'Beatles' Islamic State Fighters Captured In Syria

  08-02-2018 21:55
  Two British Islamic State militants known for their role in the torture and killing of Western hostages have been captured by Syrian Kurdish fighters, according to US officials.The men were part of a group of four militants known as ‘The Beatles’ for their British accents and have been named as Alexanda Kotey, 34, and El Shafee Elsheikh, 29, reports the New York Times.Both have already been stripped of their UK citizenship.The most infamous of the ‘Beatles&r
  
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• David Davis Brands Brussels ‘Discourteous’ After Making Brexit 'Punishment' Threat

  08-02-2018 21:55
  Brexit Secretary David Davis has criticised the “discourteous” European Union for publishing plans that would allow it to sanction the UK during a transition period.Turning up the heat as a week of technical negotiations on the transition came to a close, Davis said he regarded the Brussels documents as “political” and “unwise”.His comments came after Theresa May’s Brexit inner “war cabinet” met over two days to consider the next stages of th
  
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• 'Black Panther' European Premiere: The Best Dressed On The Red Carpet

  08-02-2018 21:30
  We knew the ‘Black Panther’ European premiere was going to be a feast for the eyes after the kaleidoscope of colour the cast treated us to at the US premiere.And Lupita Nyong’o surpassed our expectations in a gown that shimmered as she walked the red carpet at London’s Hammersmith Apollo on Thursday 8 January.An animal kingdom theme emerged with Chadwick Boseman and Daniel Kaluuya paying homage to big cats in their suits.Here are the stand out dresses
  
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• George Soros's Open Society Foundations Responds To Telegraph Furore With Dire Brexit Warning

  08-02-2018 21:13
  The George Soros-backed group described by the Telegraph as being behind a “secret plot to thwart Brexit” has issued a stark warning over the consequences of Britain leaving the EU.In its first public statement since the furore broke, the Open Society Foundations (OSF) warned that “human rights protections, hard-won civil and labour rights, safeguards on key issues such as clean air or food standards are at stake here for British citizens”.The group made a statement after
  
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• No-deal Brexit would trigger wave of red tape for UK drivers and hauliers

  08-02-2018 21:00 via theguardian.com
  Britain would fall back on international treaties requiring new licences and registrationsBritish drivers may need new licences and registration certificates to travel in Europe after Brexit under contingency plans being drawn up by the government that experts warn would create “extremely labour-intensive” extra red tape.In the first of a series of steps to deal with the possibility of failing to reach a deal with the EU, the UK is signing up to a United Nations convention on road tr
  
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• Japanese ambassador warns of Brexit ‘high stakes’

  08-02-2018 20:52 via ft.com
  Envoy emphasises importance of profitability if companies are to remain in UK
  
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• David Davis accuses EU of ‘bad faith’ over plan to punish UK

  08-02-2018 20:48 via theguardian.com
  Brussels dismisses claims it hampered progress on Brexit by cancelling meetingsDavid Davis has accused the European commission of acting in “bad faith”, just as Brussels rejected claims that its officials had hampered progress in negotiations by cancelling a series of meetings.Government sources said several meetings had been abruptly called off at short notice by Brussels, despite the urgency of agreeing a transition deal. Continue reading...
  
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• MPs attack US technology companies over fake news

  08-02-2018 20:46 via ft.com
  Facebook and Twitter accused of not fully probing Russian interference in Brexit vote
  
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• Melrose's GKN bid is getting disgracefully little political scrutiny | Nils Pratley

  08-02-2018 20:19 via theguardian.com
  MPs ought to show an interest – GKN is an important UK company and the stakes are highTory MPs only seem to be interested in fighting and plotting over Brexit, but, if they could avert their gaze from Jacob Rees-Mogg temporarily, they’d find that the future of GKN is a subject worth debating. Melrose’s £7bn hostile bid has received disgracefully little political scrutiny.Sir Vince Cable, for the Lib Dems, and a few Labour MPs are doing their best to generate interest, but
  
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• Google and Facebook shocked – shocked! – about fake news | John Crace

  08-02-2018 20:06 via theguardian.com
  Group of 11 British MPs flew to Washington at a cost of £30,000 to taxpayers. But why? The usual practice at the start of a select committee hearing is for the chair to thank the witnesses for having made the effort to come. At the digital, culture, media and sport committee’s latest hearing on “fake news” it was the other way round. For the first time in parliamentary history, an entire committee had upped sticks and decamped to the US. Quite why they had chosen to do so
  
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• Carwyn Jones could be replaced this year, says Labour AM

  08-02-2018 20:02 via bbc.co.uk
  Jenny Rathbone says the possibility of a new first minister in 2018 is "certainly on the agenda".
  
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• Switch off TV and play games to boost family life, says Conservative MP

  08-02-2018 19:53 via bbc.co.uk
  Jeremy Lefroy recommends a popular banana-themed word game as an alternative to the box.
  
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• How James Bulger’s Mother Has Been Campaigning In The 25 Years Since His Murder

  08-02-2018 19:48
  Denise Fergus’s toddler son fell victim to a crime that shocked Britain 25 years ago.Two-year-old James Bulger was abducted from a shopping centre in Liverpool and murdered by two 10-year-old boys.Fergus had let go of his hand momentarily to pay the butcher for some pork chops.Jon Venables and Robert Thompson lured the boy away from his mother to torture and eventually kill him.Now, Venables is back in the news, jailed for again for possessing more than 1,000 indecent images of c
  
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• We can leave the EU, but not Europe. Isolation is no longer splendid | Simon Jenkins

  08-02-2018 19:45 via theguardian.com
  History cries out for Britain not to abandon free trade. Once this led to colonies – now the European single market is the only optionGive history a vote, I say. In politics the past is always wiser than the present, but no one speaks up for it. Sometimes we need it badly, like now. Britain’s exit from the EU echoes centuries of aversion to continental involvement. At issue is not leaving the EU, which we will do, but how – whether it makes sense to abandon half a century of pa
  
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• Where Brexit hits hard, a customs union will help

  08-02-2018 19:44 via ft.com
  The regions of the UK that voted to leave have the most to lose
  
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• Britain to world: please pretend we are not leaving EU

  08-02-2018 19:41 via ft.com
  The UK wants other states to treat it as still covered by 700 treaties struck by Brussels
  
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• Britain to tell the world ‘Brexit does not mean Brexit’

  08-02-2018 19:41 via ft.com
  UK wants nations to behave as if it is still covered by Brussels treaties during transition
  
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• David Davis lashes out at EU over acting in good faith

  08-02-2018 19:40 via ft.com
  Brussels accused by minister of intimidation on terms of transition deal
  
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• David Davis lashes out at ‘discourteous’ EU transition tactics

  08-02-2018 19:40 via ft.com
  Brussels accused by minister of intimidation with threat of terminating deal
  
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• Pro-EU Labour MPs urge NEC to consult members on Brexit

  08-02-2018 19:38 via theguardian.com
  Consultation could help push Labour leadership toward softer Brexit, 30 pro-remain MPs sayThirty pro-EU Labour MPs and campaigners have written to the chair of the party’s ruling national executive committee, urging him to consult its half a million members about Labour’s Brexit policy.The NEC has set up eight policy commissions since last year’s general elections that allow Labour to consult members and develop policy in different areas. They include health and social care, ju
  
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• The Guardian view on local government: end austerity, reconnect voters | Editorial

  08-02-2018 19:21 via theguardian.com
  For local democracy to work, Britain will have to abandon a politics which for 30 years has accrued power to markets and the financial sector at the expense of everyone elseNowhere is the Conservative party’s reckless embrace of austerity more evident than in English local government. This week a survey of town halls has found that 95% plan to increase council tax by up to 6%, and almost the same amount will put up fees for garden waste collection, planning, home helps and meals on wheels.
  
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• David Davis accuses EU of discourtesy and bad faith over proposed Brexit transition conditions - Politics live

  08-02-2018 19:04 via theguardian.com
  Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happenLunchtime summaryAfternoon summary6.02pm GMT We agree with you that there is an issue around the transparency of political advertising. Can you see what your opponent in your constituency is saying to voters and can you respond to that if the advertising takes place on Facebook? And that is one of the reasons why we are now rolling out a system of transparency around political advertising, such that in due course, at the ne
  
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• Brexit Briefing: Boris Johnson Feels Your Pain

  08-02-2018 19:00
  After arguments about the customs union, a customs union, a customs arrangement or a customs partnership, Theresa May gathered her Cabinet wise-heads into Downing Street this week for a chat about what the UK wants from Brexit.Of the eleven members of the committee, seven campaigned for Remain in the 2016 EU referendum: Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley; Business Secretary Greg Clark; Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson; Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington; Chancellor Philip Hammond; H
  
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• Bermuda same-sex marriage: Government will not block bill

  08-02-2018 19:00 via bbc.co.uk
  It is 'not be appropriate' to intervene in Bermuda's decision, a foreign office minister said
  
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• MSPs' fury over 'insulting' Brexit papers reading room plan

  08-02-2018 18:32 via bbc.co.uk
  MSPs label plans to provide Brexit analysis papers in a reading room over two days as "insulting" and "nonsense".
  
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• Japan's man in UK says unprofitable firms could not stay

  08-02-2018 18:13 via bbc.co.uk
  Japan's ambassador warns that no company could stay in the UK if it was not making a profit.
  
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• How To Wear The Nearly Naked Wedding Dress Trend On Your Special Day

  08-02-2018 18:04
  The nearly naked wedding dress trend has been making the rounds on bridal catwalks for going on four years now and it’s beginning to filter down to the high street.This style of flesh-revealing fashion might be considered risqué by some, but wearers can actually be less exposed than with some previous wedding trends - such as the plunging neckline and the off-shoulder look - as this barely there trend is all about creating the illusion of nakedness.The bride&rsqu
  
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• The Fight For LGBT Rights In Bermuda Is Our Fight Too

  08-02-2018 17:55
  There was crushing news from Bermuda yesterday.  It has become the first country in the world to first legalise and then repeal same sex marriage legislation.  Lesbian, gay and bi people in Bermuda who last week enjoyed an equal right to get married to their life partner are now denied it.  If you, like me, felt your stomach drop as you read that news, then it’s time we started to lose our own sense of comfy complacency, and start to get active.Global LGBT rights aren’
  
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• Join My Campaign To Stop Windsor Council Clearing Out The Homeless For The Royal Wedding

  08-02-2018 17:53
  Last month’s reports show rough sleeping in England is up by 15% this year - an increase for the seventh consecutive year in a row. It shows how not enough is being done to help homeless people. The heartbreaking numbers released by the BBC are in the thousands, with charities like Shelter warning the numbers could be even higher. Nevertheless whatever the total, even a single person being forced to sleep on our streets is one too many!I started my petition on Change.org to stop the homele
  
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• Will All Of My Achievements Be Undermined Because They're 'Gay'?

  08-02-2018 17:52
  In itself, coming out is a great achievement, one that I bravely managed to accomplish when I was just 13. And I can proudly say I’m still reaping the rewards for muttering those two words I’d bottled up for so long - “I’m gay.”Whilst stepping out of the closet was an overall positive experience, it certainly didn’t feel personal. It was more for the benefit of other people who were under the impression I owed them ‘the truth’.As I said, coming out
  
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• Time's Up For Gender Inequality In Healthcare

  08-02-2018 17:52
  A few weeks ago, thousands of women in London marched in protest against sexual inequality and women’s rights. As I watched women and girls demand to be valued and respected, I wondered if the #TimesUp movement would reach an arena where women still find themselves fighting for their voices to be heard.The field of medicine quite often finds itself slow to reflect the progressive changes in wider society. In particular, it can be slow to recognise the negative impact of an historically pat
  
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• Sainsbury's 'For My Husband' Valentine's Card Costs 50p More Than Wife Card

  08-02-2018 17:52
  When companies started cutting the prices of women’s razors, we thought the pink tax was on its way out. But alas, women are still being charged more than men for virtually identical products.Sainsbury’s has come under fire for selling two strikingly similar Valentine’s day cards at different prices, depending on their target audience. While a card addressed “for my wife” was on sale for £2, the version addressed “to my husband” was 50p m
  
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• The Emotional Legacy Of Breast Cancer

  08-02-2018 17:51
  As I take my seat the woman smiles, leans forward and gently touches my knee and says: “Before we start I just want to tell you, I think you are a wonderful woman”. I haven’t spoken a word, so how she knows this is beyond me. Rarely does my appearance in a room elicit such flattery.Why am I here? After a long time on a NHS waiting list I have been offered counselling. It’s been a mighty long wait. You see I haven’t been coping. Last summer I was shortlisted by a loc
  
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• In Therapy - The Emotional Legacy Of Breast Cancer

  08-02-2018 17:50
  As I take my seat the woman smiles, leans forward and gently touches my knee and says: “Before we start I just want to tell you, I think you are a wonderful woman”. I haven’t spoken a word, so how she knows this is beyond me. Rarely does my appearance in a room elicit such flattery.Why am I here? After a long time on a NHS waiting list I have been offered counselling. It’s been a mighty long wait. You see I haven’t been coping. Last summer I was shortlisted by a loc
  
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• Spice Girls Tour: 8 Things We Really, Really Want (And A Few We Don't) From The Rumoured 2018 Live Shows

  08-02-2018 17:27
  After years of assuring us that a full, proper Spice Girls reunion was about as likely as Victoria Beckham becoming the face of Poundland, it looks like the pop gods (and goddesses) have finally (possibly) made our childhood (and adulthood) dreams come true.Whilst still not 100% confirmed, the rumours are that all five girls - Mel B, Emma Bunton, Geri Horner, Mel B and Victoria Beckham (yes, even VB) will be reuniting for a world tour, which, let’s face it, is a pretty exciting prospect.Ho
  
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• Boris Johnson and pals — the Brexit dream team is back

  08-02-2018 17:22 via ft.com
  Past betrayals are put aside and a plan is hatched to save the nation from its foes
  
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• Child Brides In Uganda: The Reality

  08-02-2018 17:19
  Sharon Katusabe met her husband while walking to her school in Uganda.On the surface this appears to be the beginning of a relatively harmless love story but dig a little deeper and you’ll find that it is symptomatic of a more deep rooted problem that sees women steeped in inequality and poverty.“I was 14 years old and he was 22 years old,” she tells HuffPost UK. Choosing marriage instead of education due to exorbitant school fees, Sharon is one among the 700 million girls worl
  
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• Jeremy Hunt Claims NHS Staff 'Knew What They Signed Up For'

  08-02-2018 17:11
  Jeremy Hunt has claimed NHS staff “knew what they were signing up for” when they entered the health service, as figures revealed A&E departments suffered their second-worst month on record in January.The health secretary told ITV News that he realised workers were under huge pressure, with large increases in the number of flu cases, and that more money would need to be spent over the next decade to meet demand.“I completely recognise the pressures they have been going throu
  
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• Who Is George Soros And Why Does Nigel Farage Not Like Him?

  08-02-2018 17:09
  Who is George Soros? The answer depends on who you ask.
  Galactic brain: Soros is a billionaire and a genius who is specifically famous for making huge profits out of understanding the relationship between the UK and EU, maybe he's on to something.February 8, 2018
  Soros Spending Huge Money Trying To Overturn Brexit https://t.co/uLgRCwry9g pic.twitter.com/Y3duEJI26Z
  You do realize #Soros was a Nazi collaborator who turned in fellow Jews to them right? https://t.co/avAegh7FXM
  So which is it? Firstl
  
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• Don’t blame George Soros for the UK’s second thoughts on Brexit

  08-02-2018 17:04 via ft.com
  Remain-backing financier is an easy but inexact target for unhappy leavers
  
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• Gordon Ramsay Is Now On Alexa And Is Crushing People's Cooking Dreams

  08-02-2018 16:56
  Gordon Ramsay has for some time now been offering a bespoke service on Twitter where he will, for free, absolutely demolish your aspirations of becoming a world-class chef.
  Well now he’s branching out into your home with his very own Alexa skill on the Amazon Echo.All you need to do is download the Alexa App and then ask it what you think of your meal.The results are....well they’re pretty brutal.Hey #Canada, show me what you got ! You can now enable me on your Alexa device, just say
  
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• MPs misled over commissioner's Whitehaven Academy visits

  08-02-2018 16:49 via bbc.co.uk
  A Freedom of Information reveals Janet Renou has not been to Whitehaven Academy since December 2015.
  
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• Brexit has replaced the UK’s stiff upper lip with quivering rage

  08-02-2018 16:48 via ft.com
  When divisions are this deep, nobody is considered neutral
  
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• The Best Super Bowl Ad Wasn’t An Ad

  08-02-2018 16:39
  There really is nothing quite like the Super Bowl. Every year the sporting event meets pop concert meets TV special captivates a global sporting audience. This year’s game may have had the lowest US TV rating of any Super Bowl in 9 years, but it remains by far and away the most watched TV show to air in the States in the last year. With the NFL’s international presence continuing to grow, this remains one of the stand-out events of the global sporting calendar.Of all the oddities tha
  
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• What is Best for Britain – and is there a 'secret plot' to thwart Brexit?

  08-02-2018 15:58 via theguardian.com
  Pro-remain group, boosted by £400,000 donation from George Soros, launches fundraiserIt has been described as “secret” and “shadowy” but the pro-remain campaign Best for Britain, which received £400,000 from billionaire George Soros, has said it is planning a UK-wide tour and a blaze of publicity.The group has launched a crowdfunding campaign in the wake of a story in the Telegraph, which attacked the funding it had received from Soros’s Open Society Fou
  
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• Jeremy Hunt Announces £5 Million For Mental Health First Aid In Schools

  08-02-2018 15:21
  Jeremy Hunt has announced a new £5 million programme to train primary school staff in mental health first aid.   It will help teachers spot the early signs of mental illness in young children and follows a similar scheme introduced in high schools last summer.Hunt has also called on social media companies to do more to tackle the negative impact their platforms can have on children’s confidence and self-esteem.Blogging for HuffPost UK, the health secretary said: “I&rs
  
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• Government Announces £5 Million For Mental Health First Aid In Schools

  08-02-2018 15:21
  Jeremy Hunt has announced a new £5 million programme to train primary school staff in mental health first aid.   It will help teachers spot the early signs of mental illness in young children and follows a similar scheme introduced in high schools last summer.Hunt has also called on social media companies to do more to tackle the negative impact their platforms can have on children’s confidence and self-esteem.Blogging for HuffPost UK, the health secretary said: “I&rs
  
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