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National News

SpaceXs Starship rocket explodes minutes after blast off

SpaceX’s Starship – the biggest and most powerful space rocket ever developed – has exploded minutes after blasting off. The launch, which took place from SpaceX’s Starbase in the US state of Texas, came after a stuck valve forced a launch attempt on Monday to be aborted. While Thursday’s launch saw the rocket leave the launch pad and ascend into the sky, the first and second stages of the launch vehicle failed to separate, ending the mission with a bang.Read More

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National News

Seven year old Nikki Allan skipped to her death murder trial told

A seven-year-old “skipped to her death” while being lured to a derelict building where she was brutally murdered in 1992, a court heard. David Boyd, then aged 25, is accused of smashing Nikki’s Allan’s skull with a brick before repeatedly stabbing her through the heart and dragging her body through the ruined building and dumping her in the basement. The 55-year-old, then also known as Smith or Bell, of Chesterton Court, Stockton, Teesside, is on trial at Newcastle Crown Court,Read More

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National News

Why was Dominic Raab under investigation and what will happen next

The long-awaited report into bullying allegations made against Dominic Raab has been received by the Prime Minister. But uncertainty remains over when the review will be made publicly available and what action – if any – Rishi Sunak will decide to take over the Deputy Prime Minister on the strength of its findings. Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the questions surrounding the report and what might happen next. – What is the report? AdamRead More

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National News

Environmental protesters vow to help London Marathon run smoothly

Extinction Rebellion has pledged to help the London Marathon run “smoothly” ahead of protest action on the day of the race. The group is staging a four-day protest outside Parliament Square from April 21 but have been in talks with the marathon race director to ensure minimal disruption. A Just Stop Oil activist also confirmed there are no plans to disrupt the race on Sunday, although they encouraged protesters to attend. An Extinction Rebellion spokesperson said: “There’s over 200 groups who have joined us forRead More

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National News

Letters offering unique glimpse of late Queens life to be auctioned

A trove of letters offering a “unique glimpse” into the private life of the late Queen are to go under the hammer in Belfast. The original handwritten letters by Queen Elizabeth II and an emerald and diamond bracelet and ring belonging to Wallis Simpson are among items to be sold at Bloomfield Auctions. The letters from the late Queen to her midwife Helen Rowe in 1950 discuss how they can work together to obtain the royal signatures for an embroideredRead More

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National News

Heading footballs immediately alters brain function new university study finds

Even a brief session of heading a football immediately alters brain function and the way the brain communicates with the muscles around it, a new study has shown. Participants who headed 20 footballs in succession did not improve their performance on a cognitive task with practice, whereas a control group who performed headers in virtual reality did. The heading impacts therefore appeared to impair the ability to improve performance on this task, the study by academics at Manchester Metropolitan University’sRead More

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National News

Anton Du Beke guarantees audiences a great night ahead of new show

Anton Du Beke has guaranteed audiences will have “a great night” ahead of his new one-man show, An Evening With Anton Du Beke. The Strictly Come Dancing dancer and judge welcomed “silly questions” from audience members via text, billing the event as “the only show you can come and see and get your phones out”. Du Beke was joined by members of his ensemble in London on Wednesday as they rehearsed for the nationwide tour, which opens on Friday. “It’sRead More

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National News

We must work with farmers and others to help cut emissions NatWest boss

The boss of NatWest has said that nearly a quarter of the carbon emissions that its borrowers emit come from farms, despite only a fraction of its loans going to the agriculture sector, as she stressed the importance of working with companies to help them cut their environmental impact. Speaking in a short film made on behalf of charities WWF, RSPB and National Trust, Alison Rose said that her company supports 40,000 farmers across the country. But despite only 2%Read More

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National News

Campaign launched as more black blood donors urgently needed

A campaign has been launched to raise awareness of the urgent need for more black blood donors. Some of the most influential black people in Britain including John Lewis partnership chair Dame Sharon White and founding director of Operation Black Vote Lord Simon Woolley have joined efforts to raise awareness of the shortage. The latest data from NHS Blood and Transplant shows that just 1% of active blood donors in England are black. More black donors are urgently needed toRead More

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