Category Archives: UK news

Will the UK commitment to development become another casualty of Brexit? | Preet Kaur Gill

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Uncertainty and the falling pound are jeopardising aid that millions of people worldwide rely on, says the shadow development minister

Since the 2016 referendum we have all learned a lot more about the depth of the relationship between the UK and the EU; whether it’s joint cooperation on research, or the potential impact of leaving the EU on agriculture exports.

When considering the effects of Brexit, parliamentarians have focused their attention on our constituencies and the country as a whole. International development has only raised its head in discussions of post-Brexit trade deals.

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Cricketer Alex Hepburn, who raped sleeping woman, jailed for five years

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Australian-born player convicted over attack that was part of sexual conquest ‘game’

A cricketer who raped a woman he found dozing in his teammate’s bedroom has been jailed for five years, with his victim calling it an evil and heinous attack that has left her suffering post-traumatic stress disorder.

Alex Hepburn carried out the rape in a dark bedroom during the first night of a sexual conquest “game” described as pathetic, sexist and foul by the sentencing judge.

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Pair arrested after women’s bodies found in London freezer

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Police detain two men on suspicion of murder after discovery in Canning Town

Police investigating the discovery of two women’s bodies in a freezer at a home in east London have arrested two men on suspicion of murder.

A 50-year-old manwas arrested on Monday and has been released under investigation, while a 34-year-old man remains in custody following his arrest on Tuesday.

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Anger as Corbyn faces down calls for Labour to back new Brexit vote

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Labour NEC resists pressure to unequivocally support second referendum in EU election manifesto

Jeremy Corbyn has faced down a challenge spearheaded by his deputy, Tom Watson, for Labour to signal its unequivocal backing for a second Brexit referendum in the forthcoming European election campaign.

In a move that sparked an immediate backlash among remain-supporters, Labour’s ruling national executive committee (NEC), announced that its manifesto for the election would be “fully in line” with its longstanding policy.

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Eurozone growth rises, unemployment falls, and Italy escapes recession – business live

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Eurozone economy grew by 0.4% in the last quarter, faster than expected, as Italy escaped its third recession in a decade

Earlier:

Italy’s farms, factories and service sector companies all made a positive contribution to growth in the last quarter, Istat says.

Net exports also boosted growth, which is an encouraging signal.

In another boost to the eurozone, Italy has returned to growth after its third recession in a decades.

Italy Q1 preliminary GDP +0.2% vs +0.1% q/q expected https://t.co/bZacGKzKXT pic.twitter.com/6Nl0Eqd7KZ

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Police name suspected London rapist as Joseph McCann

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Police say 33-year-old alleged to have abducted two women is extremely dangerous

The Metropolitan police have named their prime suspect in the abduction and rape of two women, warning that the man is extremely dangerous.

Detectives said they were looking for Joseph McCann, 33, who speaks with a slight Irish accent and has the name “Bobbie” tattooed on his stomach.

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Hunt: Brexit customs union deal could cost key Tory votes

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Plan could lose support of more Tory MPs than it gains from Labour, says foreign secretary

A Brexit deal with Labour to enter a customs union could cost the Conservatives the support of as many of their own MPs as they would gain from Labour, Jeremy Hunt has said as pressure mounts on Theresa May’s leadership over the cross-party talks.

Related: Brexit: Tory MPs won't accept cross-party compromise involving customs union, says Hunt - live news

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Huawei tech would put UK-US intelligence ties at risk, official says

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Chinese firm’s technology is security risk, says Strayer after council gives partial go-ahead

A US official has warned that the UK’s leaked proposal to adopt Huawei technology for 5G mobile phone networks risks affecting intelligence cooperation with the United States, prompting further criticism from Conservatives opposed to the plan.

Robert Strayer, a deputy assistant secretary at the US state department, said on Monday that Huawei “was not a trusted vendor” and any use of its technology in 5G networks was a risk, contradicting the British stance.

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Woman thought OCD rituals kept family from harm, inquest hears

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Sasha Forster, 20, took overdose while on leave from mental health hospital in 2017

The family of a young woman who died after an overdose while on leave from a mental health hospital have described in harrowing detail her obsessive-compulsive disorder, saying it took her three or four hours to complete a set of rituals before she could get out of bed each day.

Sasha Forster’s family said she believed she had “evil” inside her and that if she did not complete her complicated rituals, harm would come to her loved ones.

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MPs could vote again on Brexit options if talks break down

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PM raises prospect of more indicative votes as Labour and Tories disagree on customs union

The government is unlikely to try to force through the Brexit deal using the withdrawal agreement bill and will instead try to devise a way to forge a compromise through new indicative votes if talks with Labour break down.

Theresa May’s spokesman said cross-party talks would continue as long as there was “still a prospect of reaching a single position to put to parliament”, but added that the prime minister would then look to bring forward “a small number of votes to try and find a way through parliament”.

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Amazon investigates after anti-vaxxer leaflet found hidden in children’s book

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Mother alarmed after anti-vaccination propaganda found inside book bought for son, who is about to receive the HPV jab

Concerns have been raised that the anti-vaccination movement is targeting children via Amazon warehouses, after a Hampshire mother found a leaflet condemning the HPV vaccine tucked inside a children’s book she had purchased from the online retailer.

Lucy Boyle bought Ali Sparkes’ Night Speakers along with several other novels as a birthday present for her 12-year-old son at the start of April. He began reading the novel last week, “got a few pages in, turned over the page and there was the leaflet,” she told the Guardian.

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‘Biodegradable’ plastic bags survive three years in soil and sea

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Study found bags were still able to carry shopping despite environmental claims

Plastic bags that claim to be biodegradable were still intact and able to carry shopping three years after being exposed to the natural environment, a study has found.

The research for the first time tested compostable bags, two forms of biodegradable bag and conventional carrier bags after long-term exposure to the sea, air and earth. None of the bags decomposed fully in all environments.

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Severely obese people in middle age 50% more likely to die early, study finds

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High blood pressure and type 2 diabetes among the risks, according to analysis of data on 2.8 million NHS patients

People who are severely obese in middle age are 50% more likely to die early than those of a healthy weight, according to a large study of UK data.

The research shows people with the highest levels of obesity are running a high risk of a range of serious illnesses and premature death, with 12 times the risk of type 2 diabetes, 22 times the risk of sleep apnoea and nearly four times the risk of heart failure compared to those who are of normal weight.

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Jeremy Hunt hopes to burnish his and UK’s credentials in Africa

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Trip gives foreign secretary chance to push Tory leadership claims and speak up for Brexit

Jeremy Hunt is to start a five-day, five-nation tour of Africa that will give the foreign secretary a chance both to push his personal agenda ahead of an expected Conservative leadership election and try to convince Africa that Brexit will bring trade benefits.

Hunt will begin his tour on Monday in Senegal before travelling to Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Kenya, which have five of the fastest-growing economies on the continent.

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Police investigating rape of women in north London release CCTV image of suspect

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Man drove two women to hotel in Watford but failed to book a room

Detectives investigating the abduction and rape of two women in north London have released a CCTV image of a suspect.

The women, in their 20s, were snatched separately on Thursday, the first shortly after midnight from a street in Chingford, and the second about 12 hours later at 12.15pm from a street in Edgware, Metropolitan police said.

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Tories should expect to lose 800 seats in local elections, says analyst

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Voters are predicted to punish the party for its failure to pass a Brexit deal

The Conservatives can expect to lose 800 or more seats at the local elections this week, as voters punish Theresa May’s administration for failing to pass a Brexit deal, a leading Conservative analyst has said.

In his latest projection for Thursday’s polls, in which more than 8,000 council seats in England are being contested, the Tory peer Robert Hayward suggested his party could lose about 500 to the Liberal Democrats, and 300 to Labour.

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Labour hints at backing Brexit deal without promise of referendum

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Shadow minister says if party’s demands are met she would not expect a second public vote

Labour is prepared to sign up to a Brexit deal with the government without the promise of a referendum attached if cross-party talks make significant progress in the coming days, one of the party’s negotiators has said.

With talks set to resume on Monday, Rebecca Long-Bailey, the shadow business secretary, made clear that if Labour’s Brexit demands were met, she would not expect the party to insist it be put to a public vote.

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Angry Labour activists threaten European election campaign boycott

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Local parties angry over Corbyn’s perceived lack of support for second referendum

Leading Labour activists are warning Jeremy Corbyn that they could boycott the party’s campaign for the European elections unless it backs a confirmatory referendum on Brexit, as pressure mounts on the leadership to support a fresh public vote.

The warnings come before a crucial meeting on Tuesday of Labour’s deeply split national executive committee (NEC) at which the wording of the party’s European election manifesto is due to be decided.

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On Loch Lomond’s banks, anger grows at £30m resort plan

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Locals and naturalists oppose a proposed hotel development on ‘beautiful and historic’ wooded national park land

A storm is brewing on the banks of Loch Lomond. One of Scotland’s most serene beauty sites has been rocked by a planning and environmental row that swamps anything the elements can throw at it.

Last week, updated plans for a £30m leisure facility near the small town of Balloch at the southern end of the loch were presented to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs national park. The project has the backing of Scottish Enterprise, the government agency tasked with stimulating economic development and investment.

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