UK news
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Ed Miliband rejects calls for his resignation‘I don’t accept that this matter arises,’ Labour leader says, as he faces crisis of confidence among his backbenchers -
Former Sunday Mirror investigations editor pleads guilty to phone hackingGraham Johnson hacked a phone to investigate whether a TV soap star was having an affair with a gangster, court hears -
Jimmy Savile inquiry extends to 41 hospitalsHealth secretary Jeremy Hunt says another nine hospitals have launched investigations into abuse claims since June
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Girl injured as gun goes off during Nottinghamshire school tripSeven-year-old suffers ‘minor injury’ after officer accidentally discharges firearm at Sherwood Lodge police headquarters -
Former Terra Nova school teacher jailed for sexual abuse of 24 pupilsKeith Cavendish-Coulson, 71, sentenced to more than six years for abusing boys aged as young as eight in early 1970s
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Royal family members open remembrance events in London – video
The Queen, Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry open memorial gardens at two locations in Westminster
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Ashya King shows signs of recovery in new videoBrother of five-year-old cancer patient posts YouTube video showing youngster playing with toys and spelling out his name
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Clegg: fix railways in north of EnglandTrains and network ‘decrepit’, says deputy PM, calling for modernised links between Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield
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Violence at Million Mask March in London - video
London was the scene of violent scuffles as people congregated in cities around the world wearing the Guy Fawkes mask that has become a symbol of the hacker group Anonymous
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Newcastle teenager charged with possessing pipe bombs and a gunPolice say investigation has revealed plans for attempt to cause serious harm at Newcastle College
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National Trust acquires Dorset heathland that inspired Thomas Hardy200-acre Slepe Heath, bought for £650,000, is a place to lose yourself in, says trust, and also a rich site for rare flora and fauna
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News International hoped to avoid charges by ‘shopping staff’, court toldRupert Murdoch’s firm hoped to stave off corporate prosecution over allegations of phone hacking, defence counsel claims
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Million Mask March draws thousands in London on global day of protestAt least five arrested as Russell Brand joins activists in Anonymous group’s Guy Fawkes masks outside parliament
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The lessons of Ann Maguire’s death and the need to heed themLetters: Ann Maguire would want Will Cornick to grow, develop and show remorse. She would want us all to show understanding
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Two men arrested over homophobic attack on Halloween nightRobert Kingsford was beaten by men dressed in pink tutus as he tried to protect friend who was being punched
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The winners and losers of the UK’s migration policyLetters: To favour unrestricted immigration is not the nice, safe, humane liberal-left position it might once have seemed
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Libyan troops flown home as Cameron scraps UK training campCamp was intended to train 2,000 soldiers to bolster security in Libya but indiscipline - including rape charges - was rife
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Official drug advisers reject time limit on methadone substitution for addictsAdvisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs says time limits advocated by Iain Duncan Smith would lead to high rates of relapse
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Nick Clegg explains how £10m will be used to promote north of England to tourists – video
Nick Clegg promises to inject £10m into a new strategy to promote tourism in the North of England
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Lib Dems urged: return to ‘dog poo’ local politics to win back votersNew frontbencher admits core Liberal Democrat supporters are ‘pissed off’ but insists grassroots work can change minds
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Defence minister: Britain will send more army trainers to Iraq to help fight Islamic state – video
British defence minister, Michael Fallon, says more army trainers will be sent to Iraq to offer additional training to Kurdish forces and the Iraqi national army
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Effigy of Alex Salmond heats up Lewes bonfire funSNP leader follows Osama bin Laden, Angela Merkel and several popes in earning dubious honour from Sussex town
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Welsh assembly imposes ban on daytime drinkingMembers are told they won’t be able to buy alcohol on premises before 6pm
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Cameron accused of ‘weasel words’ over position on leaving EUMiliband says UK prime minister is torn between national interest and demands of his backbenchers who want to leave
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Mayor of Tower Hamlets hits back at criticism from Eric PicklesLutfur Rahman says attacks are fuelled by a political class embarrassed by the success of his brand of community politics
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Nick Clegg's wife says George Clooney should play him in filmMiriam Gonzales Durantez, the wife of the deputy prime minister reckons the star of Gravity and ER should play her husband in a film about the coalition. What do you think? And who should play Clegg’s cabinet colleagues?
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Sinn Féin minister urged to resign over alleged 'kangaroo court' rape caseJunior minister Jennifer McCann accused of failing Mairia Cahill, who claimed IRA stopped her reporting assault to police
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Theresa May opposes Sajid Javid’s phone plan over terror, letter suggestsMay warns the culture secretary’s project to end mobile ‘not-spots’ may have a negative impact on law enforcement
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Eric Pickles takes over ‘rotten’ Tower HamletsCrackdown on London borough’s ‘partisan approach to politics’ represents one of his biggest interventions in local government
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Ed Miliband demands zero-tolerance approach to antisemitismLabour leader condemns spike in antisemitic attacks, and calls on social media sites to do more to identify online trolls
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Government to include public sector pensions in welfare spending figuresExperts say Treasury’s definition of welfare, to be detailed in tax transparency statements, inflates spending total by 40%
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How did Ukip get where it is today?
Analysis How did Ukip get where it is today?
Political correspondent Rowena Mason looks at how and why the party led by Nigel Farage has grown since the 2010 election -
Third Lib Dem frontbench departure forces mini-reshuffleMoves in wake of Norman Baker resignation suggest Lib Dem MPs reluctant to take up ministerial posts with election looming
analysis
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A crisis of trust - and the rise of new political partiesA poll published in Spain puts leftwing Podemos party ahead of both the centre-right governing People’s Party and the opposition socialist party. The news is remarkable given the fact Podemos was only founded in January of this year. The falling support for parties that have traditionally dominated national politics isn’t though a trend unique to Spain
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Kale or fracking? Farmers and corporations fight it out for waterIn California, fracking is taking the water that farmers need – and it’s no anomaly. There is a water conflict looming between industry and agriculture
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People who self-fund their social care need more help from councilsThe Care Act puts a responsibility on local authorities to help self-funders ‘micro-commission’ care
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Zero-hours contracts: no security at work and no security at homeLandlords are abandoning people employed on zero-hours contracts. It’s an inevitability that ministers should have predicted, says Hannah Fearn
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Ed Miliband reshuffles Labour election teamLucy Powell given day-to-day responsibility for campaigning after shakeup prompted by Jim Murphy’s departure
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Democrats have Scott Brown to thank for Senate win in New HampshireSenator Jeanne Shaheen’s re-election was a bright spot for Democrats in the midterms, but it might not have been so if she faced a different candidate, reports Jon Swaine
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Plan to improve mobile coverage could lead to increase in surveilance warrantsSajid Javid’s campaign may be controversial, but government must close up signal ‘not-spots’ in rural areas
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Political firsts: the people breaking new ground in the midterm electionsFrom the first Haitian-American elected to Congress to the youngest-ever state legislator, the 2014 midterms produced some notable election precedents
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After the midterm massacre, Democratic blame game beginsRepublicans successfully tamed their Tea Party fringe and ran against Obama, but some Democrats are ruing caution, negativity and misjudged campaign themes
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Let’s have a grown-up debate on migration, not this dangerous stalemateNewspaper headlines are fanning anti-immigration flames, but the left needs to do more than brand Ukip voters racist
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It’s simply incorrect to say migrants represent a huge cost to BritainResearchers point out that drawing conclusions from £118bn figure is misleading because data is only from after 1995
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Lutfur Rahman: an East End political phenomenonThough he faces a legal challenge to his election result, his appeal to many fellow Bengali East Enders is undeniable
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How did Ukip get where it is today?Political correspondent Rowena Mason looks at how and why the party led by Nigel Farage has grown since the 2010 election
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GCHQ boss frustrated by US tech firms’ reluctance to cooperateRobert Hannigan stresses a desire to open up a debate on privacy, but his agency is fighting a rearguard action in court
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Two states vote today on legalizing marijuana. Prepare for the 'Green Rush'One of the hottest issues in the midterm elections is lighting up – a joint – and the innovation shown by pot-related businesses could teach Silicon Valley a lesson
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Ben and Jerry take on Monsanto and Hormel over genetically modified foods. Who will win?Measure that would force food producers to reveal if they are using genetically modified ingredients is attracting record campaign funds from huge corporations
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The spectre over HSBCThe ‘significant items’ line in the HSBC profit and loss account will remain significant for some time yet
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New GCHQ chief spouts fiery rhetoric but spying agenda is same as beforeRobert Hannigan’s response to the terror threat is an all too familiar one: spies need ever greater access to information
society
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Nottingham had highest proportion of workless households in UK last yearRise largely down to more people giving sickness or disability as reason for not being employed, says Office for National Statistics
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Liberal Democrat justice minister says prison system is in crisisSimon Hughes, who has responsibility for women’s prisons, criticises government policy as kneejerk and unsuccessful
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NHS wastes over £2bn a year on unnecessary or expensive treatmentsLeading medical body cites overtreatment and overdiagnosis as key problems, along with patients who demand treatment now
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Decline in professional jobs fuels increase in downward mobilityGraduates have less chance of social advancement than their parents did because of fewer opportunities in ‘top end’ occupations
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An insight into youth mental health services: ‘I was suicidal. I needed help’The health select committee has found ‘serious and deeply engrained problems’ in mental health services for young people
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Brent council offers firms who pay living wage £5,000 off ratesLondon’s Brent becomes first council to offer incentives to biggest employers signing up to voluntary pay rate
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Tower Hamlets council guilty of systematic failings, report revealsInquiry finds grants were handed out by Lutfur Rahman’s council to ‘ineligible’ organisations and criticises authority for ‘obfuscation and denial’
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Working irregular shifts can age the brain by extra 6.5 years, study findsResearch suggests working outside normal hours for decade or more may ‘chronically’ reduce cognition and damage health
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Labour demands inquiry into chief probation inspectorPaul McDowell faces questions after company where his wife is deputy managing director is awarded six probation contracts
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Theresa May apologises to survivors for failure to find abuse inquiry chairmanHome secretary promises to meet with abuse survivors at regional events, and to continue the hunt for a new candidate
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DWP orders man to work without pay for company that let him goJohn McArthur is sanctioned by jobcentre after refusing ‘forced labour’ at firm where he was previously paid minimum wage
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Living wage increases to £7.85 an hourVoluntary minimum rises by 20p, but despite jump in employers signing up some sectors remain resistant to living wage scheme
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Lord Barnett, Labour minister who devised Barnett formula, dies aged 91He formulated the system for allocating public spending to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland but came to think it unfair
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Disability groups go to UN over Australia’s forced sterilisation practiceUN torture committee also to be told of nonconsensual ‘sex normalising’ surgery of intersex babies and children
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Theresa May accused of delaying abuse report publication amid inquiry furoreCalls grow for minister to release NSPCC chief’s review into way Home Office handled investigation into claims between 1979-99
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From Ukip to the Green party, the young people looking for an alternativeWhile the big parties stagnate, Ukip and the Greens are attracting more and more members in school or college
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NHS spending on agency nurses soars past £5.5bnGovernment accused of ‘truly incompetent planning’ after years of training cuts push cost of temporary staff way over budget
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Child abuse survivors tell Theresa May: inquiry must have full force of lawSurvivors call for Fiona Woolf’s successor to be given statutory powers over witnesses and evidence
video
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Lord Falconer and Giles Fraser clash on the assisted dying bill – video
Lord Falconer argues that the bill would relieve enormous suffering while Giles Fraser says he has a 'tin ear to the complexity' of the matter
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Violence at Million Mask March in London - video
London was the scene of violent scuffles as people congregated in cities around the world wearing the Guy Fawkes mask that has become a symbol of the hacker group Anonymous
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Luxembourg: the tax haven and the $870m loan company above a stamp shop - video
UK-based Icap is one of the world's largest electronic brokers and one of its most lucrative operations is in Luxembourg. The Guardian found a small office above a stamp shop, with little sign of activity
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Cameron challenged by Miliband over EU referendum - video
Ed Miliband questions Cameron on the European Union during prime minister's questions on Wednesday
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Mobile phone coverage 'unacceptable' says culture secretary - video
The culture secretary, Sajid Javid, defends government plans to introduce new laws which could force mobile phone networks to improve coverage in so-called 'mobile not-spots'
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EU migrants put undue pressure on public services, says minister - video
James Brokenshire, the immigration minister, said on Wednesday that the pressure placed on public services by immigration from within the European Union outweighs the economic benefits
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Prince Charles sends message to faith leaders in defence of Christianity - video
Prince Charles condemns persecution of Christians in the Middle East and urges religious leaders to encourage their followers to respect other faiths
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David Cameron defends Theresa May after resignation of Home Office minister - video
The prime minister calls Theresa May an "outstanding" home secretary after Home Office minister Norman Baker resigned, describing his work with her as a "constant battle"
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Unite union: holiday pay ruling 'puts right a wrong' - video
Howard Beckett, the legal director for the Unite union, says an employment appeal tribunal ruling to include overtime in holiday pay will not open the floodgates to historic payments
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Wayne Rooney joins Ed Sheeran in a Manchester pub duet - video
England captain Wayne Rooney sings a duet with chart-topping singer Ed Sheeran in a pub in Manchester
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Norman Baker describes working with Theresa May as 'constant battle' - video
Norman Baker, who resigned from the Home Office, describes working with Home Secretary Theresa May as like 'walking through mud
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Theresa May apologises for failure to appoint a child abuse inquiry chair - video
Home Secretary Theresa May apologises on Monday for failing to appoint a chair for the inquiry into historical child abuse
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Lynda Bellingham's funeral held at St Bartholomew's Church in Somerset - video
Friends and Family of actor Lynda Bellingham arrive for her funeral at St Bartholomew's Church in Somerset on Monday
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David Cameron can’t ‘pick and choose’ over EU membership, says Farage - video
Ukip leader Nigel Farage wades into the political debate over David Cameron's European Union immigration demands
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Sisters pay tribute to murdered Leeds teacher Ann Maguire - video
Leeds teacher Ann Maguire was a 'beautiful, caring, and compassionate' person who embraced life, say her family
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Ghoncheh Ghavami's family devastated by year's jail sentence in Iran - video
The family of the British-Iranian woman detained in Iran for watching a volleyball game say they are 'devastated' after she was sentenced to a year in jail
PMQs turns into mediocre news panel game – without the comedy