Woman assaulted after Travelodge staff gave room key to her abuser

Woman had gone to London hotel for ‘night away from the fear’ in latest incident of chain giving keys to men without checking

Travelodge staff gave a room key to the domestic abuser of a woman, who then physically attacked her.

The woman, who is remaining anonymous, told the BBC she was staying in a branch of the hotel in London to escape the man, but he followed her and was given a key by the reception staff.

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Thames Water faces row over £1m payment to finance chief

Campaign group says firm is ‘taking the mickey’ by paying fee and Andy Burnham should nationalise it

Thames Water has paid its chief financial officer, Steve Buck, a £1m signing fee despite intense scrutiny of Britain’s biggest water company’s finances as it tries to avoid being taken into public control.

The utility revealed that it made the payment last month, in a letter sent last week by Sir Adrian Montague, its chair, to MPs on the environment, food and rural affairs select committee, Sky News first reported.

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Harry Potter fans force relocation of £430m undersea cable to avoid Dobby’s ‘grave’

Power cable linking UK and Ireland now passes near Bronze Age human burial remains instead of fictional grave on Welsh beach

Harry Potter fans have forced a new multimillion-pound power cable between the UK and Ireland to be relocated after complaining it would desecrate the “grave” of Dobby, a fictional elf.

The character was laid to rest on Freshwater West beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales, in the film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Fans of the wizard series come to leave stones reading “Here Lies Dobby” despite being asked not to by the land owner, the National Trust, because the beach is an ecologically sensitive site.

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UK temperatures could hit 36C as fifth heatwave of summer looms

Met Office considers amber or red warning as forecasters say Thursday is likely to be hottest day of the week

Temperatures could reach 36C (97F) or higher this week, forecasters have said, with possible disruption to railway lines and power networks as the Met Office considers issuing rare amber or red extreme heat warnings.

Parts of the UK are forecast to experience the fifth heatwave of the summer as the country continues to bake in an unprecedented period of dry, hot weather.

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Victorian Liberals promise weekly red bin garbage collections for all, calling fortnightly system ‘disgusting’

If opposition wins November’s state election, leader Jess Wilson vows households will not pay more under the change

The Victorian Liberals have vowed to restore weekly rubbish collections if they win November’s state election, with leader Jess Wilson describing the current fortnightly system in her local area as “disgusting”.

Thirty-three Victorian councils have switched general rubbish collections from weekly to fortnightly, with a similar shift occurring in other states.

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Two workers temporarily stood down after near-miss collision at Sydney airport

Transport minister says improved staff rostering will be in place from next month after ‘unacceptable’ delays and incident involving Qatar Airways and Jetstar planes

The transport minister, Catherine King, has said improved staff rostering will be in place at Sydney airport from next month after “unacceptable” delays and a near-miss collision that resulted in two workers being stood down.

King called in the Airservices Australia chief executive officer, Rob Sharp, for a meeting in Canberra on Monday, the day after a Jetstar plane narrowly avoided hitting a Qatar Airways plane that was pulled across the runway in front of it.

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A farewell to (American) arms: Europe is pushing the U.S. out of its military-industrial complex – theins.press

  1. A farewell to (American) arms: Europe is pushing the U.S. out of its military-industrial complex  theins.press
  2. Europe wants ITAR-free weapons. US firms are trying to adjust.  Breaking Defense
  3. The Next Question for U.S. Defense Firms in Europe  FTI Consulting
  4. Can Europe defend itself without America’s military shield? — EXPLAINER  Ednews.net
  5. Despite Sovereignty Push, Europe Still Open to U.S. Defense Firms  National Defense Magazine
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Storms from Dolphin soak China’s east, ground nearly 950 Shanghai flights – Reuters

  1. Storms from Dolphin soak China's east, ground nearly 950 Shanghai flights  Reuters
  2. Typhoon Dolphin: China evacuates more than 1 million people as massive storm arrives  bbc.com
  3. Tropical Storm Dolphin causes flooding in eastern China  ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos
  4. One million evacuated as Typhoon Dolphin pummels east China: What we know  Al Jazeera
  5. Typhoon Dolphin Barrels Into China, Prompting Mass Evacuations  The New York Times
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Wild video shows huge bison knock tourist to ground — and refuse to let him stand up – New York Post

  1. Wild video shows huge bison knock tourist to ground — and refuse to let him stand up  New York Post
  2. Bison Knocks Tourist to the Ground After He Gets ‘Too Close’ to the Animal  People.com
  3. ‘He was very lucky’: Tourist injured after getting ‘too close’ to bison in Poland’s ancient forest  TVP World
  4. Bison Attack on Tourist Caught on Wild Video  The Daily Beast
  5. Tourist in Poland approaches bison, pays a painful price  Yahoo
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Explosive Canada Wildfire Leaves 1 Dead in British Columbia – The New York Times

  1. Explosive Canada Wildfire Leaves 1 Dead in British Columbia  The New York Times
  2. Residents warned to brace for the worst as Canada wildfire rages out of control  bbc.com
  3. Wildfires Force 20,000 People in British Columbia to Evacuate  democracynow.org
  4. 80-year-old woman killed in Summerland, B.C., wildfire: RCMP  CBC
  5. Wildfires burning in British Columbia force 20,000 to evacuate  NBC News
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