Category Archives: UK news

Post-Brexit UK always welcome back in EU, says Timmermans

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European commission’s VP writes ‘love letter’ to Britons, saying UK unnecessarily damaged by Brexit

Britain has been unnecessarily damaged by Brexit and “more will follow”, the vice-president of the European commission has written in a “love letter” to the British people in which he promises a warm welcome back should attitudes change.

Frans Timmermans, who is Ursula von der Leyen’s deputy in her role as European commission president, writes that British scepticism of the EU had been an asset to the bloc as he expresses his own feelings of rejection ahead of the country’s impending departure on 31 January, likening himself to a jilted “old lover”.

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Kylie Minogue tries to lure Brexit-weary Britons in new Tourism Australia ad ‘Matesong’

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Pop star reprises Neighbours character in a song that also includes tennis star Ash Barty, comedian Adam Hills and former cricketer Shane Warne

A new $15m tourism campaign featuring Kylie Minogue is aiming to lure Brexit-weary Britons to Australia with the perennial promise of cute marsupials, white-sand beaches and locals who “speak your language”.

The three-minute musical advertisement aired on televisions in the UK before the Queen’s message on Christmas Day, with Minogue and another well-known Australian export, Adam Hills, addressing the nation from Sandringham – a beachside suburb of Melbourne, Australia.

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Top-security Northern Irish jail lets in secular chaplains for first time

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Atheist inmates at Maghaberry prison can now get pastoral care from humanist carers

Non-religious pastors have been allowed for the first time to run a secular “chaplaincy service” for atheist prisoners inside a top-security jail holding some of the most dangerous paramilitary prisoners in Europe.

Prisoners who do not believe in God inside Maghaberry jail in Northern Ireland can now speak with humanist carers.

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Queen acknowledges ‘bumpy’ year as royal family attends Christmas services

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Prince Andrew attends celebrations but not main service, while Queen acknowledges young people’s action on climate crisis

The royal family was out in force in a public show of Christmas unity as the Queen dwelt on the themes of friendship and reconciliation in her annual message and acknowledged a “quite bumpy” path during a turbulent year for both the monarchy and the nation.

The beleaguered Duke of York joined other members of the family for the traditional celebrations at Sandringham in Norfolk in his first appearance since he was forced to step down from official royal duties over his friendship with convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.

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Three members of British family die at Spanish resort

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Father, son and daughter were found in pool at Costa del Sol holiday complex

Three members of the same family have died at a holiday resort on the Costa del Sol on Christmas Eve.

The incident occurred after a nine-year-old girl got into difficulties in a swimming pool and her brother, 16, and father, 52, attempted to rescue her, it has been reported. It is understood the father and daughter were British citizens, while the son was American. None has yet been named.

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UK weather: Christmas Day bright though not white, says Met Office

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Early frost and fog to give way to sunshine in most places, say forecasters, with rain and wind to follow on Boxing Day

Those dreaming of a white Christmas will have to wait until at least next year, with the Met Office predicting plenty of frost and sunshine but no snow for Christmas Day.

Much of the UK will wake up to frosty and foggy conditions on Christmas morning, before the wintry weather lifts to make way for sunshine later in the day.

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Stranded British woman resumes holiday after missing wheelchair part found

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Gemma Quinn, who is paralysed, can continue trip across Asia after Emirates finds part of her custom-built chair it lost

A woman who was left stranded in Singapore after part of her wheelchair was lost while travelling with Emirates from Manchester airport can now continue her holiday after the part was found.

Gemma Quinn, 35, who was paralysed from the neck down in a car accident as a child in 1992, booked a 19-day trip across Asia with her two carers at a cost of more than £15,000.

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Brexit discourse contributed to death of Jo Cox, says bishop

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Bishop of Dover, Rose Hudson-Wilkin, says damaging rhetoric has harmed society as a whole

The Church of England’s first black female bishop has said the debate around Brexit damaged society and contributed to the death of the MP Jo Cox.

Rose Hudson-Wilkin, the former chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons, said the arguments around Brexit had had a harmful effect both on parliamentarians and on society as a whole.

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Grenfell survivors angered by inquiry panel change

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Grenfell United says news that member had been replaced was ‘snuck out before Christmas’

Survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire have expressed disappointment about a change to the inquiry panel that was “snuck out just before Christmas”.

The second phase of the investigation will include a panel and is set to begin early next year.

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British teenager dies during school trip to New York

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Anastasia Uglow, 17, of Bristol grammar school, was found unresponsive in her hotel room

A 17-year-old British girl has died during a school trip to New York, the Foreign Office has confirmed.

Anastasia Uglow was found unconscious and unresponsive on the morning of 19 December in her room at the Holiday Inn Express in Midtown, Manhattan, where the touring group was staying.

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London expected to co-host next stage of post-Brexit negotiations

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Location for talks to be split with Brussels in symbolic shift marking UK’s non-EU status

London is expected to co-host the next stage of post-Brexit negotiations with Brussels in a symbolic shift marking the UK’s position outside the EU after 31 January.

The most likely location for the talks involving teams led by Michel Barnier for the EU and a yet-to-be-identified minister for the British government is the Cabinet Office in Whitehall.

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Outcry as residents want to turn London youth club into coffee shop

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Bollo Brook youth centre credited with saving children from knife crime is at centre of gentrification row

A London youth club credited with saving children from rising knife violence is facing calls for its closure from new residents who think it would be better used as a coffee shop.

The Bollo Brook youth centre in South Acton, which serves some of the poorest and most vulnerable children in London, is embroiled in a gentrification row with residents demanding the council close it down and remove it from the area, claiming it has been “dumped” on them causing “nothing but problems”.

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Police make arrest after man and woman found dead in Belfast flat

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A 35-year-old man is being questioned after the suspected stabbing in the city

Detectives investigating the deaths of two people found in a flat in Belfast have arrested a 35-year-old man, police have said.

He has been taken to Musgrave police station for questioning after the bodies of a man and a woman were found in the apartment in the Kinniard Close area on Monday afternoon. Local sources said it is understood they suffered stab wounds.

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Chelsea supporter arrested for allegedly racially abusing Son Heung-min

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• Incident was reported to police by fellow Chelsea fan
• Spurs investigating abuse of Antonio Rüdiger

English football’s racism crisis took a new twist after it emerged that a Chelsea supporter was arrested for allegedly racially abusing Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min on Sunday– during the Premier League match that had to be paused because a monkey chant was aimed at Chelsea’s Antonio Rüdiger by members of the home crowd.

Anthony Taylor, the referee, stopped play after Rüdiger claimed he had heard racist taunts during the second half of Chelsea’s victory over their London rivals. An announcement on the public address system informed the crowd at the Tottenham stadium that “racist behaviour from spectators is interfering with the game”. The announcement was made on two further occasions, in line with Premier League protocols.

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Scratch that: Cats film to be ‘resupplied’ with ‘improved visuals’

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New version of widely derided movie starring Idris Elba and Judi Dench to get CGI update

A new version of Tom Hooper’s film adaptation of the musical Cats with “improved visuals” is reportedly being sent to cinemas after a barrage of negative reviews in which the film was hammered for its “disturbing” CGI effects.

On Sunday, the Hollywood Reporter said it had seen a note that was sent by Universal Studios to thousands of cinemas in the US confirming that a new version with “some improved visual effects” was being distributed to chains.

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Man arrested on suspicion of murder after death of two women in Crawley

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Police were called to property in Crawley Down where they also found a man seriously injured

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the deaths of two women outside a property in a West Sussex village.

Police said they were called shortly before 10.20am on Sunday to an address in Crawley Down, where they also found a seriously injured man inside.

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First woman to beat a man at PDC world darts overwhelmed by response

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Billie Jean King leads wave of tributes to Fallon Sherrock after ‘gamechanging’ victories

Fallon Sherrock has said she is overwhelmed by the “incredible” response to her historic victories at the PDC World Darts Championship, as Billie Jean King led a wave of congratulations from across the globe.

Sherrock became the first woman to defeat a male darts player in the sport’s best-known competition last week and repeated the feat by beating one of the world’s top-ranked players on Saturday.

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Brexit: Johnson condemned for dropping pledge to replace family reunion law

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Lawyers warn loss of reunion rights for unaccompanied refugee children will put them in danger

The loss of family reunion rights for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children will leave them with “no options” except taking dangerous routes and using smugglers, charities in France and Greece are warning.

The prime minister, Boris Johnson, faced criticism after he told parliament he had dropped a promise to replace the EU law that allows child refugees stranded in Europe to reunite with family members in the UK after Brexit.

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Harry Dunn’s family to meet Priti Patel as Anne Sacoolas extradition considered

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Anne Sacoolas has been charged with death by dangerous driving but her lawyer has said she will ‘not return voluntarily’ from US

The family of Harry Dunn will meet with the home secretary, Priti Patel, as her office considers extraditing the US suspect charged with causing the teenager’s death by dangerous driving.

Patel is expected to sit down with Harry’s mother, Charlotte Charles, and father, Tim Dunn, on Sunday, just days after the Crown Prosecution Service said they had authorised Northamptonshire Police to charge US citizen Anne Sacoolas.

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