Political news

• Birmingham's 'People Power' Movement Wants To Turn Europe's Biggest Council Upside Down

  09-02-2018 22:48
  “It’s like Prime Minister’s Questions but no one is watching,” is how Sunny Sangha describes meetings of the Birmingham politicians that his campaign wants to replace.People Power Brum (PPB) aims to field 101 “everyday heroes” to fight for every seat in the city council elections in May, in a bid to win a “people’s majority” in Britain’s second largest city, by casting out party politics and completely redrawing it.T
  
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• Stormont deal could be unveiled 'next week'

  09-02-2018 21:50 via bbc.co.uk
  Talks involving DUP and Sinn Féin are at a critical stage, as they stay away from scheduled discussions.
  
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• Barnier and Davis wage war of words over Brexit transition claims

  09-02-2018 21:28 via theguardian.com
  EU chief negotiator and UK Brexit secretary at odds over transition period demands
  The UK’s Brexit secretary, David Davis, has engaged in a war of words with the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, over the latter’s claims that unacceptable British demands had thrown into doubt an agreement on a transition period.
  Speaking in Brussels after the latest round of talks, Barnier told reporters he had been left mystified by the positions taken by Downing Street in recent days. &l
  
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• Theresa May spent almost £1,000 on delivery of Brexit letter

  09-02-2018 21:24 via theguardian.com
  Two civil servants took article 50 notification to Brussels, racking up a bill of £985.50Theresa May’s decision to have Britain’s article 50 notification delivered to the EU by hand cost taxpayers almost £1,000, figures have revealed. The letter, which fired the starting gun on a two-year process of leaving the union, was taken from Downing Street to Brussels where Sir Tim Barrow gave it to the EU council president, Donald Tusk, on 29 March last year.Continue reading...
  
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• Donald Trump Hammered For Response To Resignation Of Rob Porter

  09-02-2018 20:35
  Donald Trump has praised a White House aide accused of domestic violence, saying his resignation is “very sad” and he will have a “great career ahead of him”.The President added that Rob Porter, who resigned this week after allegations that he abused two former wives, had maintained his innocence, and he wished him well.“He says he’s innocent. I think you have to remember that. He said very strongly yesterday that he’s innocent,” Trump told reporte
  
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• Senator Tim Kaine Demands Secret Trump Memo On Power To Wage War Be Released

  09-02-2018 20:27
  A Democratic Senator is calling for the release of a memo detailing Donald Trump’s interpretation of his legal authority to wage war which the White House has kept secret for months.Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia is worried the rationale of the seven-page document, written to justify a US missile strike on Syrian forces last April, could set a precedent for further military action without Congressional oversight.The issue has been given further urgency in light of a major clash with pro-Syr
  
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• May turns to Chinese billionaire Jack Ma for post-Brexit trade ideas

  09-02-2018 20:05 via theguardian.com
  Prime minister said to be ‘hugely impressed’ by Alibaba founder after meeting at DavosWhen it comes to tackling the eye-watering challenge of cross-border trade after Brexit, Theresa May has turned to an unexpected figure to provide a little post-EU inspiration. The prime minister is said to be taking advice from one of the richest men in the world: Jack Ma, the billionaire founder of the Chinese tech giant Alibaba. Continue reading...
  
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• Wolverhampton Stabbing: Jasmine Forrester, 11, Killed As Man Arrested On Suspicion Of Murder

  09-02-2018 19:55
  An 11-year-old girl, named by West Midlands Police as Jasmine Forrester, has died in hospital after being stabbed in a house in Wolverhampton.Police said a 51-year-old man was also taken to hospital for a minor injury and has been arrested on suspicion of murder.Superintendent Harvi Khatkar, of Wolverhampton police, said: “This is an extremely distressing incident and our sympathies go out to everyone affected.“We are working to establish exactly what has happened, and fully understa
  
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• Brexit plan to keep Northern Ireland in customs union triggers row

  09-02-2018 19:06 via theguardian.com
  EU says full regulatory alignment is only viable option for inclusion in draft withdrawal agreement Officials from the UK and EU are drawing up a plan to in effect keep Northern Ireland in the customs union and the single market after Brexit in order to avoid a hard border. Continue reading...
  
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• A hard border would be a disaster for Northern Ireland. So let’s avoid it | Naomi Long

  09-02-2018 18:54 via theguardian.com
  Staying in the single market – irrespective of what happens elsewhere in the UK – is vital to Northern Ireland’s futureBritish outrage at the position of the European Union with regard to the Irish border, as expressed by the chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, is misplaced. In fact, the European Union is demonstrating a greater understanding of the complexities of the situation in Northern Ireland and the need to protect the Good Friday agreement than the UK government and advoc
  
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• Martin Rowson on global stock market turmoil – cartoon

  09-02-2018 18:49 via theguardian.com
  Continue reading...
  
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• How outsourcing fell out of fashion in the UK

  09-02-2018 18:46 via ft.com
  Decade of austerity and a change in political mood has seen the private sector’s role diminish
  
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• What a swell Tory party it was. Just a shame that real life gatecrashed it | Marina Hyde

  09-02-2018 18:38 via theguardian.com
  The Brexit news is grim, and May’s ex-adviser is flirting with antisemitic tropes. But no mere calamity could spoil the Black and White ballAt the Tories’ Black and White ball on Wednesday night, a donor’s £55,000 won them the chance to spend a day with Theresa May. Don’t even make the obvious joke about what the second prize was. The third prize was Ebola. I’m pleased the Tories felt confident enough to auction off the political equivalent of a private dance
  
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• Brexit reveals our political system is failing. The 48% must have a voice | Jonathan Freedland

  09-02-2018 18:31 via theguardian.com
  The government is on a course that defies all logic, but the opposition refuses to oppose. No wonder people feel betrayedBritain makes its most disastrous mistakes when its two main parties agree with each other. So it has proved in the past – and so it is proving now. Next month will mark the 15th anniversary of the fateful night in the House of Commons when Labour and Tory frontbenches united in whipping their MPs to vote for military action in Iraq. Yes, there were rebellions: some 84 L
  
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• Grief Doesn't Wait For A Person To Die

  09-02-2018 18:29
  Whilst walking to an appointment today, I was wondering why the ‘I need my mum [insert tears here]’ feelings had been stirring again over the last few days. Part of it is the state of my life right now. But then I realised that today marks four years since I found out that Mum had a terminal diagnosis.One day. One conversation. One car journey. My life hasn’t been the same ever since.‘Diagnosis day’ was a weird one. I was volunteering in Leeds (following a very earl
  
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• Brexit: Transition period not 'a given', says Barnier

  09-02-2018 18:23 via bbc.co.uk
  EU negotiator also says UK leaving single market and customs union makes Irish border checks "unavoidable".
  
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• NHS finances can be fixed by breaking with Treasury orthodoxy

  09-02-2018 18:22 via ft.com
  Voters like a tax earmarked for services they value. We should give it to them
  
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• Germany’s New Coalition – Deutschland Drama, But Nearly A Done Deal?

  09-02-2018 17:50
  After more than four months with a caretaker government, Germany finally looks to be edging towards a new administration – the grand coalition between Angela Merkel’s CDU/CSU and the social democratic SPD.The SPD has had to swallow its pride and perform an awkward volte face on its refusal, after the election, to engage in coalition talks. And there’s been all sorts of last-minute drama, with the SPD’s Martin Schulz forced into personal climbdown after climbdown to appeas
  
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• Sharp fall in auction prices for UK back-up power

  09-02-2018 17:49 via ft.com
  Fears result will not encourage construction of new large gas plants
  
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• Are We Really Prepared To Stop HIV?

  09-02-2018 17:46
  This weekend (9/10 February) in Amsterdam European healthcare workers, activists, advocates and policy makers are at a conference discussing how they can facilitate HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) more widely across European countries.Turning the tide of the HIV epidemicPrEP, an unassuming small blue pill, taken before sex, has shown great promise as a new HIV prevention measure. It is designed for men and women who do not have HIV, but who are at a high risk of getting it. Without doubt PrE
  
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• Andrew Adonis and the economic line to take on railways | Letters

  09-02-2018 17:44 via theguardian.com
  Philip G Cerny and John Airs respond to the Labour peer and former transport secretary’s article denouncing Chris Grayling’s handling of Virgin Trains East CoastAndrew Adonis makes excellent points about rail nationalisation (Grayling’s rail bailout echoes the grave errors of New Labour, 8 February). However, this is not just about outsourcing in general. It is about the longstanding contrast in economic theory between public goods and private goods, as developed by P
  
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• How continental Europe (and the Isle of Man) led the way on suffrage | Letters

  09-02-2018 17:43 via theguardian.com
  Robert Lee writes that the Finns were 20 years ahead of Britain in establishing universal suffrage for men and women; Harry Galbraith says that the Isle of Man granted votes for women as early as 1881; while John Hurdley writes that his suffragette grandmother would not want to be pardoned. Plus letters from Pam Lunn, Ian Bullock and Meg HowarthDespite the fact that universal suffrage was only introduced much later, in 1928 (Which branch of feminism won women the vote? We all did, 6 February), t
  
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• A Free, Vibrant Press Is Crucial For Our Democracy - That's Why We Need A Vision For The Future Of Our Media

  09-02-2018 17:40
  A free and vibrant press is a crucial part of any healthy democracy. I’m an avid reader of my local papers in Newmarket, Haverhill, Mildenhall, Brandon and across Suffolk. But just as the Internet has created fantastic opportunities for new platforms and new voices to emerge, it has also raised some real questions about the future of the press.How can we make sure publishers get value from their content in the digital age? How can we tackle the scourge of ‘clickbait’ or low qua
  
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• Boris Johnson, Brexit and the fate of Deinocrates | Letter

  09-02-2018 17:36 via theguardian.com
  Professor Kevin Featherstone on parallels between breakaway-supporting politicians in 2nd century BC Greece and 21st-century BritainThe influence of our Brexiteer politicians is become more disturbing by the day. As a classicist, Boris Johnson might wish to ponder the fate of Deinocrates in 2nd century BC Greece. Deinocrates led the campaign for Messene to withdraw from the Achaean League. He railed against the centralising power of the League’s strategos, Philopoemen, and the imposition o
  
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• Who Remembers Syria?

  09-02-2018 17:21
  Stop what you’re doing, and read these words.“It’s our moral duty to speak up ... We are not able to reach the conscience or the ears of politicians, of decision makers, of people in power ... We are running out of words.”They are the words of Panos Moumtzis, the UN’s regional humanitarian coordinator for Syria. And he sounds like a man close to despair.Mr Moumtzis has been working for the UN for nearly thirty years, mainly with refugees and dealing with humanitaria
  
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• Grenfell Tower Fraudster Anh Nhu Nguyen Jailed For 21 Months For Claiming Family Died In Blaze

  09-02-2018 17:20
  A serial conman who pretended his family died in the Grenfell Tower blaze has been jailed for almost two years for pocketing £12,500 from the victims relief fund.Anh Nhu Nguyen appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Friday where he was sentenced to 21 months in prison, having earlier admitted two counts of fraud by false representation and one count of making an untrue statement for the purpose of obtaining a passport.The 53-year-old, who has 17 aliases, claimed his wife and son were killed
  
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• Barnier warns UK intransigence putting Brexit transition at risk

  09-02-2018 16:11 via ft.com
  Comments by EU negotiator send pound lower amid investor fears of disorderly UK exit
  
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• 'Will And Grace' Actor Sean Hayes Dismisses Argument Jack McFarland Plays Up To Stereotypes (EXCLUSIVE)

  09-02-2018 15:40
  Dramatic, flamboyant and always outrageous, the character of Jack McFarland is a favourite among ‘Will And Grace’ viewers, but not everyone was taken with the character during the show’s original run.Some critics noted Jack played up to stereotypes about gay people that a show like ‘Will And Grace’ should have been trying to break down.With a new series of the sitcom now airing on Channel 5 here in the UK, actor Sean Hayes, who plays Jack, has now had his say on the
  
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• How the next European Commission president is chosen

  09-02-2018 15:40 via bbc.co.uk
  The spitzenkandidat process is the method by which the next European Commission president is chosen.
  
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• Your Japanese Beauty Shopping Guide

  09-02-2018 15:38
  Japanese beauty products are seeing a resurgence of interest in the UK, riding on the wave of interest in East Asian skincare and makeup sparked by the Korean beauty trend.Find out how the two trends differ in our guide - and if you prefer the more minimal outlook out of the J-Beauty routine, here are five key items to invest in: CleanserOil cleansing is an important part of the routine. Massage a little onto your dry face and then throughly rinse off. DHC - Deep Cleansi
  
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• 'Will And Grace' Actor Eric McCormack Addresses Debate Over Straight Actors Playing Gay Characters (EXCLUSIVE)

  09-02-2018 15:37
  ‘Will And Grace’ actor Eric McCormack has shared his opinion over the debate on whether straight actors should be able to play gay roles, calling it a “dumb conversation”.As a continually increasing number of LGBT+ stories are being told in both film and television, many people have questioned whether it’s appropriate to have straight and cisgender actors playing characters who are gay, bisexual or transgender.Eric - a straight-identifying actor who has played one o
  
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• A Behaviour Code In Parliament Will Help Curb Sexual Harassment But It Must Go Further

  09-02-2018 15:31
  Yesterday saw the release of the cross-party working group report in response to the reports last year of sexual harassment and bullying in Westminster. A leaked version of a survey conducted for the report highlighted that that one in five people working in Westminster had experienced sexual harassment in Parliament in the last 12 months. To some this was shocking, but not the team at LabourToo who have been working through the anonymous submissions we re
  
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• There’s no secret plot. The Daily Mail won’t stop us trying to reverse Brexit | Eloise Todd

  09-02-2018 15:26 via theguardian.com
  Best for Britain is very publicly pushing to get the right outcome for our country – and we’re proud of it• Eloise Todd is CEO of Best for BritainToday the Daily Mail attacked Best for Britain, jumping on the bandwagon after the Daily Telegraph put us on its front page on Thursday. The reason? A donation by George Soros to our cause – which is simply to give people a proper say on the deal with the European Union, including the option of remaining. Related: What is Best fo
  
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• Johnson's constituents asked about Jacob Rees-Mogg

  09-02-2018 15:21 via bbc.co.uk
  What do the public make of a man who is spoken of as future party leader?
  
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• Theresa May still has work to do to fix Britain’s gig economy

  09-02-2018 15:14 via ft.com
  It was a chance to tackle flaws in the flexible-labour market — but she did not take it
  
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• Revealed: Former Interns On How Unpaid Work Impacted Their Lives

  09-02-2018 14:54
  Unpaid internships could soon be a thing of the past after the government stepped up plans to “stamp them out”. In response to the Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices, published last year, the government said it is sending warning letters to companies currently offering illegal unpaid internships, reminding them of their obligation to pay interns at least the national minimum wage.Roughly 70,000 internships are offered each year in the UK, according to the Sutton Trus
  
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• Indecision reigns in Brexitland

  09-02-2018 14:40 via ft.com
  No white smoke has emerged at ministers’ meeting to signal a crafted compromise
  
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• Breton Buckwheat Pancakes Recipe

  09-02-2018 14:38
  I only ever seem to make pancakes on Shrove Tuesday and it’s daft. Every year I vow I’ll cook them more often, they’re so delicious. The people of Brittany are far more sensible, they scoff buckwheat galettes all year round. I’m making myself a promise to follow their example.Buckwheat flour has a wonderfully nutty flavour and because it’s not actually made from any form of wheat - it’s a member of the rhubarb family - it is gluten-free. I’ve used s
  
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• London Bridge Terrorists Took Steroids Before Killing 8 People, Court Hears

  09-02-2018 14:18
  The terrorists who killed eight people in the London Bridge and Borough Market attack were pumped up on steroids, a pre-inquest hearing has heard.Khuram Butt, 27, Rachid Redouane, 30, and Youssef Zaghba, 22, had all taken a substance called DHEA shortly before the attack on June 3 last year, the Old Bailey was told.A toxicologist will be called to give evidence at their inquest next year after it was found levels in their systems were above the acceptable physiological range.Eight people were ki
  
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• 'Substantial minority' of disability claimants failed by system – MPs

  09-02-2018 14:16 via theguardian.com
  Committee outlines assessment failings, including woman who was asked why she had not killed herselfA “substantial minority” of long-term disability benefit claimants are being failed by an assessment system that is too often undermined by basic errors, insensitivity and ignorance about people’s conditions, MPs have said.A report by the work and pensions select committee highlighted a person with Down’s syndrome asked when they “caught” it, a woman reporting f
  
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• Now we know what Brexit means, and it isn’t what the north-east voted for | Chi Onwurah

  09-02-2018 14:10 via theguardian.com
  I didn’t come into politics to make people poorer. But the leaked report on Brexit’s effects shows that’s what will happen in my region• Chi Onwurah is the Labour MP for Newcastle upon Tyne Central and shadow minister for industrial strategyThe morning after the Brexit referendum I was in Grainger Market, Newcastle upon Tyne’s 19th-century covered market, which is both a tribute to our industrial history and a legacy of it. A woman stopped me, clearly flustered.&ldqu
  
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• Week in Review: Soros attack is the logical end-point of Brexit paranoia

  09-02-2018 14:07
  
  The stakes of Brexit are much higher than just our departure from the European Union
  
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• Brexit Transition Period 'Not A Given', Michel Barnier Warns UK

  09-02-2018 13:58
  Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, has warned a transition period for the UK after Brexit in March 2019 is “not a given”.Speaking in Brussels on Friday, Barnier also said the UK’s decision to leave the EU single market and customs union will mean Northern Ireland border checks are “unavoidable”.In a swipe and Brexit secretary David Davis, Barnier added he had not been in the least bit “discourteous or vindictive” during the
  
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• Cheddar Man’s early influence on British politics

  09-02-2018 13:57 via ft.com
  Prehistoric fragments of earthenware suggest a ‘secret pot’ to stop Brexit
  
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• Theresa May on negative comments: 'You just get used to it'

  09-02-2018 13:45 via bbc.co.uk
  The prime minister tells vlogger Nikki Lilly about having a thick skin and her life as a teenager.
  
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• After decades in the making, Rees-Mogg's time may be coming

  09-02-2018 13:40 via theguardian.com
  The hard Brexit, socially illiberal Tory has had a month of almost continuous public appearancesIf Jacob Rees-Mogg’s time is coming, it will not be for the lack of preparation. A month of almost continuous public appearances for the 48-year-old hard Brexit, socially illiberal Tory – which have seen him involved in a fracas in Bristol, take on David Davis head-to-head in the Commons and even photobomb a petition drop at No 10 – are merely his latest manoeuvres after four decades
  
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• Brexit Transition Period 'Not A Given,' Michel Barnier Warns

  09-02-2018 13:25
  LATEST: Brexit transition "is not a given" if disagreements persist between Britain and EU, Michel Barnier says https://t.co/gr4F2EZTX5pic.twitter.com/YcfSwuwKAN— Bloomberg Politics (@bpolitics) February 9, 2018Michel Barnier, the European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator, has warned a transition period after Brexit in March 2019 is “not a given”.Speaking in Brussels on Friday, Barnier also said the UK’s decision to leave the EU single market and customs union w
  
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• Here's Best For Britain's Message To Those Who Say We Are Undermining Brexit

  09-02-2018 13:17
  Today the Daily Mail attacked Best for Britain, jumping on the bandwagon of the Daily Telegraph.  The Mail and it usual style comes at me, our funders and our organisation all guns blazing and now their splash has pride of place on our wall.  IDS, the thinking man’s Andrew-Bridgen-rent-a-quote, shrieks “hand the money back”.  My message to IDS and his ilk is this: thanks for your comments, but we won’t be intimidated by the likes of you and your band of ide
  
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• Rose McGowan's Former Manager, Jill Messick, Dies By Suicide As Family Say She Was 'Collateral Damage' In Weinstein Scandal

  09-02-2018 13:16
  Jill Messick, the former manager of Rose McGowan, has taken her own life at the age of 50, with her family claiming she became “collateral damage” in the Harvey Weinstein scandal.In a statement issued by her family in the wake of her death, they claimed Jill had been misrepresented in reports surrounding Rose’s alleged sexual assault at the hands of Weinstein.“The Movement” just lost one of its own.Jill Messick was a mother of two children, a loving wife and partner
  
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• The HomePod Smart Speaker Shows The Best and Worst of Apple – HuffPost Verdict

  09-02-2018 13:12
  K E Y   P O I N T SHomePod is Apple’s first smart speaker. It is controlled mostly through Siri, Apple’s voice-controlled assistant although there are volume buttons on the top.It boasts astonishing sound quality and automatically ‘scans’ the room to improve the audio quality of what’s playing.You can request songs, albums and even ask complex musical questions but all of this requires an Apple Music subscription.You can’t add accounts like Spotify,
  
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