The Data Commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, says she will seek a warrant to examine the databases and servers of Cambridge Analytica, the UK firm behind an alleged unauthorised use of the personal data of 50 million Facebook users to attempt to influence the result of the 2016 US presidential election, since barred from Facebook.
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Facebook ‘data theft’ warrant sought
Prices ‘could fall by 1.2%’ after Brexit
The Institute for Fiscal Studies says that shop prices could fall by 1.2% after Brexit if tariffs are introduced – but warned in the same breath that its projection is based on optimistic assumptions, and any such gains will be small. The think tank also said that consumers have already seen prices rise by 2% because of the weak pound.
Weinstein company goes bankrupt
The Weinstein Company has filed for bankruptcy in the US, after ex-chairman Harvey Weinstein was repeatedly accused of sexual assault. The company’s board also announced it was releasing all former employees from confidentiality agreements, calling this an “important step toward justice for any victims who have been silenced”.
Self-driving car kills pedestrian in Arizona
For the first time, an autonomous vehicle has killed a pedestrian. A 49-year-old woman was pushing a bicycle across a street in Tempe, Arizona, when she was hit by an Uber self-driving car travelling at 40mph in autonomous mode, with an operator inside. Local police said the vehicle did not appear to slow down as it approached the woman.
Spy poisoning: police seize vehicle
Detectives investigating the poisoning of Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury on 4 March have seized a pick-up truck belonging to a family friend. Police and soldiers sealed off a street in the village of Durrington, 10 miles north of Salisbury. The truck was used to collect Yulia Skripal from Heathrow.
Girl of two dies after being saved from river
Police are appealing for witnesses after a two-year-old girl died in hospital after being saved from the river Telfi, in Wales. Kiara Moore was rescued from a car found in the river in the town of Cardigan yesterday. Police want to speak to anybody who saw the silver Mini enter the river between 3.30pm and 4.50pm.
Police lose track of 485 sex offenders
Police have lost track of 485 registered sex offenders across Britain, Sky News reports. Those unaccounted for include rapists and paedophiles – and the whereabouts of some of them has been unknown for decades. The figure has risen by 20% in the past three years. London’s Met police admitted losing track of 227.
More than £20m spent on Grenfell hotels
More than £20m has now been spent housing the survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire in hotels, which one architect estimates would be enough to build the original block three times over. Half the cost is to be met by the Government, the other half by the local council. Another £8m has been spent supporting families who lost everything.
Aurora Steve spotted in remote Scotland
Star-gazers and photographers on the islands of Skye and Lewis, in northern Scotland, have observed a strange phenomenon dubbed ‘Steve’ - or Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement. The arc of light was seen at the same time as the northern lights and is being studied by Nasa, which does not yet understand it.
Briefing: where is the best place to live in the UK in 2018?
York has topped a prestigious list of the best places to live in Britain for 2018. The walled Roman city in North Yorkshire, home to York Minster, heads The Sunday Times Best Places to Live list “because of its combination of ancient beauty and a recent modernisation”, says the Evening Standard.
“You can’t deny the romantic beauty of York,” writes the guide. “The period buildings, meandering river and the iconic Minster have ensured this city a billing in every Best Places list.”
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