Political news

• Support the club, Momentum tells Labour council leaders

  25-04-2018 23:52 via bbc.co.uk
  A leading Momentum figure says there is no "sinister sub-plot" to unseat Labour council leaders.
  
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• Kanye West Calls Donald Trump 'My Brother' During Twitter Love-In

  25-04-2018 23:11
  Donald Trump has thanked Kanye West after the rapper called the US President “my brother” and claimed they are “both dragon energy”.In a series of tweets, West, 40, spoke of his admiration for the Republican politician, and said “the mob” could not make him “not love him”.He added: “For people In my life the idea of Trump is pretty much a 50 50 split but I don’t tell a Hillary supporter not to support Hillary I love Hillary too.&rd
  
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• Home Office 'was told about Windrush problems in 2016'

  25-04-2018 22:52 via bbc.co.uk
  Home Secretary Amber Rudd says she "bitterly, deeply" regrets not seeing the scale of the problem.
  
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• Heidi Alexander thought to be considering role at London City Hall

  25-04-2018 22:26
  Labour MP quit as shadow health secretary in 2016 in protest at Jeremy Corbyn’s leadershipHeidi Alexander, the former shadow health secretary, is considering quitting the Commons to accept a senior job at City Hall with London mayor Sadiq Khan, the Guardian understands.Alexander was Khan’s campaign chair during the 2016 London mayoral election. The MP, who has spearheaded the campaign to keep the UK in the single market since leaving the shadow cabinet, currently represents Lewisham
  
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• Restoring public trust in Britain’s border policy

  25-04-2018 21:21 via ft.com
  The Home Office needs a new approach, not national identity cards
  
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• Rudd denies immigration union claim on deportation targets

  25-04-2018 20:41 via ft.com
  Grilling by MPs raises further questions over Windrush generation scandal
  
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• Alfie Evans: Parents Lose Appeal Against High Court’s Rome Travel Ban

  25-04-2018 20:10
  The parents of toddler Alfie Evans, who has been at the centre of a life-support treatment battle, have had their latest legal challenge dismissed by Court of Appeal judges.Three judges analysed the latest stage of the dispute over the 23-month-old boy at a hearing in London and rejected all grounds raised by Alfie’s parents, Tom Evans and Kate James.The pair, who are both in their early 20s and from Liverpool, appealed following a ruling made by a High Court judge late on Tuesday.Mr Justi
  
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• Joanna Lumley Admits Being ‘Terrified All Men Are Seen As Bad’ After Hollywood Sexual Misconduct Scandals

  25-04-2018 19:47
  Joanna Lumley has shared her thoughts on the aftermath of last year’s Hollywood sexual harassment scandals, saying she’s “terrified that all men are seen as bad”.The veteran actress admitted her fears during a new interview with Good Housekeeping magazine, during which she also praised the #MeToo movement. Reflecting on hosting the Baftas, she said: “It felt right to wear black at the time in support of MeToo. Anything that empowers women is to be supported.&rd
  
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• Grenfell: Hammond rejects complacency claim over cladding repairs

  25-04-2018 19:47 via bbc.co.uk
  The chancellor says claims he is not "on the side" of residents trying to replace cladding is unfair.
  
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• May loses Lords vote on post-Brexit powers for ministers

  25-04-2018 19:45
  Peers rip up ‘blank chequebook that ministers sought to give themselves’, inflicting heavy defeatPeers and MPs claimed a significant victory on Wednesday when an attempt to give sweeping powers to ministers was thrown out of the Brexit bill as complaints about the power of the Lords to reverse the decisions of the Commons grew louder. Related: David Davis: a man with the utmost confidence in his own limitations | John CraceContinue reading...
  
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• Ex-Immigration Minister Damian Green 'Ignored' Windrush Citizen's Plight In 2011, David Lammy MP Claims

  25-04-2018 19:42
  Damian Green, Theresa May’s closest political ally, has been accused of “ignoring” the plight of a man caught up in the Windrush Generation scandal when he was in the Home Office.Green, then the immigration minister, said in 2011 it “was not clear” William O’Grady, who came to Britain aged six in 1959, had an automatic claim to British citizenship.He was writing to O’Grady’s MP, David Lammy, who revealed the letter on Wednesday after the Gover
  
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• Parliament could amend final Brexit deal, says David Davis

  25-04-2018 19:36 via ft.com
  May would have to return to Brussels to seek better agreement if MPs reject offer
  
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• David Davis: a man with the utmost confidence in his own limitations | John Crace

  25-04-2018 19:13
  Even supporters at the Brexit select committee are beginning to worry that Davis’s air of stupidity may not be an actBack in November 2002, David Davis spoke in the House of Commons about why he didn’t think referendums were necessarily a good idea. “We should not ask people to vote on a blank sheet of paper and tell them to trust us to fill in the details,” he warned. With good reason. Because the person the country might be relying on for that information could be him.D
  
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• Treat Anti-Semites Like The Extreme Left-Wing Group Militant, Says Labour's Former Complaints Chief

  25-04-2018 18:55
  Labour members found guilty of anti-Semitism should be treated like the extreme left-wing entryist group Militant and thrown out of the party, its former complaints chief has said. In an explosive blog shared with HuffPost UK, Mike Creighton, who stood down as director of audit and risk management last year, accused Jeremy Corbyn of taking a “whack-a-mole” approach to individual incidents of anti-Semitism.Creighton also attacked Seumas Milne, Corbyn’s communications direct
  
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• If Corbyn Believes He Doesn’t Have The Power To Tackle Antisemitism, I've Got News For Him

  25-04-2018 18:51
  On Wednesday, forty MPs and Peers escorted their colleague Ruth Smeeth MP to give evidence at a disciplinary hearing of a member of the Labour Party, Marc Wadsworth, accused of antisemitic behaviour. A protest in support of Wadsworth had been arranged at the (not so secret) venue.Whilst, no doubt, their support would be welcome at any time, how has it come to this?As one of the MPs present, Wes Streeting, said, “I was proud to see so many Labour MPs and peers from across the party &nd
  
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• Resistance to joint proposal to WTO leaves UK and EU divided

  25-04-2018 18:45
  Show of unity breaks down after US, Australia and others reject post-Brexit trade plansResistance to a joint UK-EU proposal to the World Trade Organization on trade after Brexit – which was once celebrated by the trade secretary, Liam Fox, as “real progress” – has triggered a break down in unity, with London and Brussels divided on a way forward.Fox had described the plan on how much meat, butter and wheat the rest of the world could export to the UK and the 27 member sta
  
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• RMT announces rail strikes on campaign’s second anniversary

  25-04-2018 18:39 via ft.com
  Industrial action on May 9 will affect several lines as commuters tire of dispute
  
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• Amber Rudd Denies Net Migration Target Led To Windrush Scandal

  25-04-2018 18:38
  Amber Rudd has denied the government’s target of reducing net migration to below 100,000 has contributed to the Windrush scandal.During an intense grilling at the Commons Home Affairs Committee on Wednesday, the home secretary admitted she was “surprised” she did not realise the scale of the problem earlier.Rudd said no one from the Windrush generation had been wrongly deported “as far as we can see at the moment”.Theresa May has steadfastly stuck to the immigr
  
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• Why The Millicent Fawcett Statue Makes Me Proud, But Also Very Angry

  25-04-2018 18:27
  As the first woman to represent my constituency of Midlothian at Westminster, you would expect me to feel proud and emotional at the unveiling of the amazing Millicent Fawcett statue by Gillian Wearing. The first statue of a woman, and by a woman artist in Parliament square.Well yes, I am proud, but I’m also very angry.I’m angry because it has taken so long to have a woman recognised in Parliament Square, and that still only around 3% of statues in the UK are of women.There is a stat
  
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• Brexit: Remain-backing MPs seize on David Davis comments

  25-04-2018 18:13 via bbc.co.uk
  The Brexit Secretary suggests MPs will be able to amend a government motion on the final EU deal.
  
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• Amazon Is Reportedly Working On A Robot For The Home

  25-04-2018 18:09
  Amazon is reportedly working on a new Alexa-enabled robot that would answer questions, perform tasks and even follow you around your home.That’s according to Bloomberg which says it has spoken to people familiar with the tech giant’s plans.Codenamed ‘Vesta’ after the Roman goddess of health, home and family the robot is still in the early stages of design and testing.According to the site, Amazon’s top-secret research and development division Lab126 is working on th
  
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• Emmanuel Macron Urges Congress To Get Serious On Climate Change In Jab At Trump: 'There Is No Planet B'

  25-04-2018 18:00
  Emmanuel Macron received a standing ovation on Wednesday after calling for the US to take a stronger approach on climate change, telling them: “There is no Planet B.”Addressing a joint meeting of Congress in Washington, the French President used one of President Donald Trump’s favourite catchlines to make his point, urging the US to work with France to “make this planet great again”. Macron also told the US to reject nationalism and stay true to global ide
  
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• The Windrush scandal reminds us of the value of archives

  25-04-2018 17:44 via ft.com
  Destroying records and cutting library funds are political acts with grave implications
  
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• When MS Took My Mum’s Voice

  25-04-2018 17:24
  My mum was diagnosed with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (MS) back in October 2007. The NHS website describes MS as “a condition which can affect the brain and/or spinal cord, causing a wide range of potential symptoms, including problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation or balance.”What it doesn’t reference is the humiliating degradation of the sufferer’s abilities: their loss of continence, eyesight, and the ability to care for themselves. What I shou
  
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• A Love Letter To My Black Jumper This Fashion Revolution Week

  25-04-2018 17:23
  A fashion revolution was demanded back in 2013 when 1138 people had their lives cut short whilst working in unsafe conditions in Rana Plaza, Bangladesh. Rana Plaza was home to five factories manufacturing for major fashion brands and the workers had been urged to go in that morning by their employers, despite concerns about unsafe cracks in the walls the day before. They had been threatened with a loss of pay if they failed to show up and had no union to represent them. The deadly tragedy brough
  
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• Cat Shelter Founder Facing Eviction Brought To Tears By Crowdfunding Campaign

  25-04-2018 17:19
  Kind strangers have joined forces to help a local cat shelter facing eviction.Lilly’s Legacy Voluntary Cat Rescue, based in Stoke Newington, London, takes in stray and feral cats, giving them medical care while acclimatising them with humans before finding homes for them.Amanda Straughan, who runs the shelter full-time and on a 24-hour basis, was dealt some devastating news earlier this week when the owner of the building she rents revealed they were selling up. The 46-year-old now fa
  
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• Stop The Royal Whitewash Of Bahrain's Appalling Human Rights Record

  25-04-2018 17:15
  Next month will see the Queen heading to Windsor for the Royal Windsor Horse Show, one of the biggest events in the UK’s equestrian calendar. It will be a chance for her to enjoy watching her horses, and a big opportunity for the Royal Family to rub shoulders with well-wishers and project its image around the world.Among the guests expected to attend is Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa. The King is a veteran of these events, and an autocratic dictator with a long history of ov
  
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• I Love Tom Daley - But When It Comes To The Commonwealth He’s Wrong

  25-04-2018 17:11
  After he won gold at the Commonwealth games, Tom Daley made a plea for Commonwealth countries to legalise homosexuality. I’m sure this warmed many hearts, because it’s nice to think our icons care about and want to change the lives of LGBT people not just in this country but across the world.Unfortunately, Tom’s encouragement for other countries to do better on LGBT rights is the kind of sentiment that does more harm than good.While we might see the Commonwealth as a group of c
  
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• Matt Campbell's 'Masterchef: The Professionals' Co-Stars Arrange Event To Complete London Marathon In His Memory

  25-04-2018 16:54
  Chefs Jamie Park and Tom Peters are calling on people to join them in a special running event in memory of former ‘Masterchef: The Professionals’ contestant Matt Campbell, who died on Sunday (22 April), after collapsing during the London Marathon.Following the popularity of the #MilesForMatt and #FinishForMatt social media campaigns, where people have pledged to complete the final 3.7 miles of the marathon Matt was unable to, the pair have arranged an event where those
  
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• Matt Campbell's 'Masterchef' Co-Stars Arrange Event To Complete London Marathon In His Memory

  25-04-2018 16:54
  Chefs Jamie Park and Tom Peters are calling on people to join them in a special running event in memory of former ‘Masterchef: The Professionals’ contestant Matt Campbell, who died on Sunday (22 April), after collapsing during the London Marathon.Following the popularity of the #MilesForMatt and #FinishForMatt social media campaigns, where people have pledged to complete the final 3.7 miles of the marathon Matt was unable to, the pair have arranged an event where those
  
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• PMQs: Corbyn asks May about immigration and Rudd future

  25-04-2018 16:48 via bbc.co.uk
  Jeremy Corbyn attacks the "hostile environment" for migrants created by Theresa May and says Amber Rudd carried on with the "cruel and misdirected" policy.
  
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• PMQs: Villiers and May on Labour and anti-Semitism

  25-04-2018 16:47 via bbc.co.uk
  Labour needs to take action to deal with anti-Semitism says Theresa Villiers, referring to a parliamentary debate on the issue.
  
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• Business department's Brexit planning criticised by MPs

  25-04-2018 16:36 via bbc.co.uk
  The Public Accounts Committee has "grave concerns" about the business department's preparation.
  
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• Len McCluskey Questions Motivation Of Corbyn's Critics Attacking Him Over Anti-Semitism

  25-04-2018 15:50
  A group of anti-Corbyn MPs are working to “toxify” Labour by portraying it as “morass of misogyny, anti-Semitism and bullying”, the leader of the UK’s largest trade union has claimed.In a stinging attack on critics of the Labour leader, Len McCluskey accused a group of MPs of waking up each day and thinking “how can I undermine Jeremy Corbyn today?” – with the complaints over anti-Semitism in the party a tool for such an attack.McCluskey singles ou
  
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• No.10 Refuses To Deny Reports Donald Trump Will Visit UK In July

  25-04-2018 15:45
  Downing Street has refused to deny reports Donald Trump is set to visit the United Kingdom in early July.According to Sky News, the US President could travel to Britain on July 13 and an announcement will be made this week.Asked about the report, the prime minister’s official spokesman pointedly refused to deny the speculation.“When the president and the prime minister met at Davos they said that their officials were working together on a working visit and we will announce the detail
  
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• Child Sexual Abuse Inquiry Says Police Chiefs Must Have Experience Investigating Child Abuse To Progress

  25-04-2018 15:39
  Senior police officers “must be required” to have experience investigating child sexual abuse cases before they can be promoted to top positions, a public inquiry has recommended.The Independent Inquiry Into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) said on Wednesday that officers should not be able to reach the position of chief officer without “operational policing experience in preventing and responding to child sexual abuse”.Officers should also have accredited training in dealing w
  
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• Seven Questions Amber Rudd Needs To Answer Over The Windrush Scandal

  25-04-2018 15:36
  The Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, is due to face questions from MPs today over what Labour has called one of the “cruellest examples of unaccountable state power targeting the vulnerable”.The Windrush scandal has revealed that thousands of Commonwealth citizens who answered the post-World War II call to come to the UK to work in essential services are being denied access to state healthcare, losing their jobs and even being threatened with deportation.Rudd will appear before the Home A
  
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• New Royal Baby Name: Duke Of Cambridge Says 'Jerry' Is A Strong Name Ahead Of Official Announcement

  25-04-2018 15:17
  The Duke of Cambridge has sent royal fans into a flurry discussing potential baby names at a royal engagement, as the country is awaiting the official announcement.Prince William today [Wednesday 25 April] attended Westminster Abbey for the ANZAC Day service where he was asked whether he had thought about Alexander as a name, to which he replied: “It’s funny you should say that, it’s a good name.”He then met Sir Jerry Mateparae, New Zealand’s high commissioner to th
  
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• Explained: What Facebook Will and Won't Let You Post

  25-04-2018 15:06
  Facebook has for the first time published its Community Standards that dictate what its almost 2 billion users can and can’t post on the site.The 27-page online document ranges from information on how Facebook defines a terrorist organisation to whether or not you can post a picture of a stranger’s house on the site.In addition the site now provides tools for those who wish to appeal if they’ve been subjected to a censorship decision by Facebook.While leaks have given us some i
  
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• Labour candidate Mandy Richards not endorsed by NEC

  25-04-2018 14:50 via bbc.co.uk
  Mandy Richards is not endorsed for the 2022 general election after making controversial comments.
  
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• Theresa May Warned 'Do Not Try To Hide' Over Windrush Scandal

  25-04-2018 14:43
  Theresa May was warned “do not try to hide” behind Home Office officials, Labour or Cabinet colleagues as the Windrush scandal continued to engulf the Government. With heartbreaking stories of Windrush Britons cut off from healthcare and threatened with deportation still emerging, Labour MP Yvette Cooper challenged the Prime Minister during PMQs to take responsibility for the fallout. The former Home Secretary faced claims she repeatedly conflated the Windrush scandal with
  
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• Scotland tells May to think again

  25-04-2018 14:16 via ft.com
  What happens if Holyrood refuses to give its consent to the EU Withdrawal Bill?  
  
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• EuroMillions Results: Claim Made For £121.3 Million Jackpot

  25-04-2018 14:08
  A claim has been staked for the £121.3 million EuroMillions jackpot won by a UK ticket-holder in Tuesday’s draw, Camelot has said.The National Lottery operator said there will be no information on whether it is an individual or syndicate winner, or where the ticket was purchased, unless the ticket-holder decides to go public.Andy Carter, senior winners’ advisor at The National Lottery, said: “What a win. This ticket-holder has flown into third place on the National L
  
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• Mandy Richards Axed As Labour Candidate After Questioning Terror Attacks

  25-04-2018 13:49
  Labour has blocked a woman who questioned the murder of Jo Cox and whether then Manchester bombing happened from standing to become an MP.  Mandy Richards had been selected locally to fight the Worcester constituency at the next general election.But on Wednesday Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) stepped in to remove her.A party spokesperson said: “The NEC has not endorsed Mandy Richards as the Labour Party candidate for Worcester.”Richards had sent se
  
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• Danniella Westbrook Arrested For The Second Time In A Month

  25-04-2018 13:21
  Danniella Westbrook has been arrested for the second time this month. The former ‘EastEnders’ star was detained by police at Malaga airport in Spain in relation to alleged driving offences from last year. Her arrest comes just days after she joked on Instagram: “I’m off to Spain! Hope I don’t get arrested.”A spokesperson for Danniella confirmed the news in a statement given to The Mirror, saying: “We can confirm our client Miss Westbr
  
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• The Complex Case Of Alfie Evans, And Who Should Have Final Say Over A Child's Medical Treatment

  25-04-2018 13:18
  Alfie Evans suffers from a progressive neurodegenerative condition that has left him in a “semi-vegetative state”. His treating hospital, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, concluded that further treatment would be futile. His parents, however, wish to take him to Rome for treatment to see if his condition might improve. In February 2018, the High Court found the damage to Alfie’s brain was ‘catastrophic and untreatable’ and concluded that life-support should be w
  
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• EuroMillions: What Would You Spend £121m On?

  25-04-2018 13:13
  One lucky lottery player has become the third biggest winner in UK history after bagging a jackpot of more than £121m in Tuesday night’s Euromillions draw. The mystery winner has yet to come forward and claim their prize, a grand total of £121,328,187. The sum is nearly double the amount Coldplay earned last year, according to Forbes’ list of the world’s highest paid celebrities, and around four times as much as Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton’s salary
  
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• Should Kids Be Able To Tell The Time?

  25-04-2018 13:05
  In the age of smart phones and tablets, it’s no wonder children are more familiar with using a digital clock to tell the time than an analogue one. But now schools are considering removing clocks from exam halls because teens are unable to tell how much time they have left. So is this becoming a problem? A head teachers’ union has said instead, schools will install digital devices so kids don’t have to put their hand up to find out what the time is. “The cu
  
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• Kim Wall: Peter Madsen Guilty Of Murdering Swedish Journalist

  25-04-2018 13:03
  Danish inventor Peter Madsen has been found guilty of torturing and murdering Swedish journalist Kim Wall on board his homemade submarine. He was sentenced to life in prison at Copenhagen City Court on Wednesday.  During the trial, Madsen admitted to dismembering Wall’s corpse but repeatedly denied murdering her. Judge Anette Burkoe said she and the two jurors agreed Wall’s death was a murder. She said Madsen did not give “a trustworthy” explanati
  
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• Galileo: UK plan to launch rival to EU sat-nav system

  25-04-2018 12:57 via bbc.co.uk
  The UK is looking at its own sat-nav system if the EU locks it out of Galileo because of Brexit.
  
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