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The desperate masses moving through southern Europe will soon face the gruelling process of refugee assessment now that the EU has reached a morally questionable deal with Turkey. Panicking European governments have handed Turkey a political victory and sentenced thousands of migrants to an uncertan future. The EU will 'swap' migrants with the Turkish government, guaranteeing Europe only accepts successful asylum applicants and not economic migrants so villified by the burgeoning right. Turkey's authoritarian state has won financial aid, visa...

The Independent on Sunday ran its final print edition today featuring a poignant picture of Shanghai during Earth Hour. Landmarks across the World including The Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, The Shard and The Ritz hotel in London tuned off their lights for an hour between 8.30pm and 9.30pm local time on Saturday. Some 10.4 million people also joined in with the global blackout, which now includes 178 countries worldwide. And as prominent buildings vanished into the night, so did a prominent newspaper...

By David Binder  George Osborne was described on Wednesday as the man who wants to have it all. He’s a man for all seasons, someone who on the one hand can introduce policies with widescale ‘man on the street’ appeal, yet on the other be on the side of big business. I believe however that this week’s budget represented something of a departure from this bent. That is, many of the Chancellor’s recently announced fiscal measures can be interpreted as...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor I write a regular PMQ sketch for the London Economic, but this week I didn’t get around to it - dog ate my home work time - I was on an underpowered train back from the Northern Powerhouse of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and only caught the end of the budget when I got to the office. Personally, I closely align Newcastle United's and Sunderland’s current sides with the Northern Powerhouse, as they are all a load of...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor The general public are being asked to propose names for the UK’s new polar research ship and way out in front is...Boaty McBoatface. This wild suggestion for The National Research Council’s (NERC) next Royal Research Ship (RRS), is beating RRS Henry Worseley and RRS David Attenborough at the moment. You get the feeling people are not taking the naming of this ship too seriously. The new ship will replace the existing RRS James Clark Ross...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Nicky Morgan flounced out of an interview yesterday (Friday) when she was asked wether the government would u-turn on its £4bn plan to cut benefits to disabled people. She was asked why during ‘Question Time‘ this week she said the Budget cuts to the most vulnerable in society were only a “suggestion”. The TV presenter from Sky News asked: “The Chancellor says he’s committed to disability benefit cuts. Why did you say it’s a suggestion?”...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Jeremy Corbyn isn't impressed with Iain Duncan Smith's moral awakening over welfare cuts. The Labour leader said: "Where's his conscience been hiding for 6 years?". Mr Duncan Smith resigned saying the cuts: "are not defensible within a Budget that benefits higher-earning taxpayers". But rivals have suggested the decision had more to do with inflicting damage on the leadership, as the Conservative Party tears itself apart again over the EU. MP Debbie Abrahams claimed Mr Duncan Smith...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Tory MP Sajid Javid denied, during a TV debate, that the Government plans to cut spending on disability benefits which might hurt more than 640,000 vulnerable people. He was questioned about the Chancellor's latest budget on BBC Newsnight, he argued: "I don't accept for a second that we've cut spending on disability payments." Sajid added: "It's actually a recognition that you have a welfare system that looks after the most vulnerable in society. "And of course I put...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Labour are ahead in a poll for the first time since Jeremy Corbyn became leader of the party, heaping more bad news on the Chancellor. The poll results will make grim reading for the Conservative party who have lost a lot of support over their cruel cuts to benefits to people with disabilities. The YouGov poll held after Wednesday’s Budget announcement put Labour in the lead on 34 per cent, the Tories 33 per cent,...