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Labour welcomes same-sex marriage date
Fantastic news that from 29 March next year you will be able to marry the person you love regardless of gender.
Great to hear first same sex marriage ceremony can be held from 29 march 2014. Looking forward to lots of weddings!
Ketamin victim's mother calls for more drug education
Vicky Unwin, whose 21-year-old daughter Louise drowned in the bath after taking Ketamine in March 2011, said she was pleased that the ACMD report highlighted the "terrible risks" of taking the drug.
Ms Unwin said she believed that education was key to dissuading young people from taking the drug.
"I do not believe that classification stops people from taking drugs," she said.
– Vicky UnwinIf young people really thought for a moment that by getting used to taking Ketamine they would start to become incontinent, peeing blood and possibly eventually having their bladder replaced, and it will affect their sexual activity for the rest of their lives, then they would never take it.
Government drug advisers have recommended that Ketamine should be upgraded to a Class B drug because it can cause a "range of physical and psychological harms".
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Obama & Cameron's 'selfie' during Mandela memorial
President Obama and David Cameron appear to have been caught taking a "selfie" with the Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt during Nelson Mandela's memorial service.
A photo of the trio shows them leaning in to get into the shot.
Ms Thorning-Schmidt is married to the son of former Labour leader, Lord Kinnock.
Watch Obama's historic handshake with Castro
Gallery: A look at some famous celebrity fans of the 'selfie'
Miller 'working hard' to convert civil partnerships
Equalities minister Maria Miller said she was "working hard" to ensure that couples who want to convert civil partnerships into marriages will be able to do so before the end of next year.
Read:Gay marriage campaigner: It's a new age of equality
Ms Miller also said that she wanted married people who wish to change their legal gender while remaining married to be able to do so before 2015.
General Motors names its first female CEO
American car maker General Motors has announced Marry Barra as its new chief executive, the first woman to hold the top job in the company's century-long history.
“This is an exciting time at today’s $GM. I’m honored to lead the best team in the business & to keep our momentum at full speed.” – Barra
Ms Barra, 51, is currently an executive vice president and has been with the GM for 33 years.
As the new head of General Motors, she will become the first female CEO in the global automotive industry.
Ketamine 'causes physical and psychological harms'
Government advisers have recommended that ketamine should be upgraded to a Class B drug because it can cause a "range of physical and psychological harms".
The drug advisory council said people as young as 20 are having to have their bladders removed due to consumption of the drug.
The drug has been used legitimately for more than 50 years, but has become a popular recreational drug, particularly among nightclub users and males aged 20 to 24 around the country, the council said.
Originally designed as an anaesthetic, often used on horses during veterinary surgery, ketamine was banned as a recreational drug in 2006.
An estimated 120,000 people misused the drug in England and Wales in the last year alone, figures suggest.
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Kent Police officer dies after bus collision
A police officer has been killed after his car collided with a double decker bus in Kent.
Kent Police Federation Chair Ian Pointon has paid tribute to 32-year-old Detective Constable Adrian Grew.
– Kent Police Federation Chair Ian PointoAdrian had recently joined the Serious Crime Directorate after working in CID at Tonbridge for several years.
A popular and talented officer with huge potential. I am told by colleagues he was an excellent detective. Adrian leaves a widow and baby son.
Police are appealing for witnesses of the incident, which occurred yesterday evening.
Rare Jane Austen watercolour sells for £164,500
A rarely-seen watercolour of British novelist Jane Austen has sold at auction for £164,500 to an anonymous private collector, Sotheby's confirmed.
The James Andrews portrait was commissioned by Jane Austen's nephew the Rev James Edward Austen-Leigh in 1869, to accompany his influential biography Memoir Of Jane Austen.
It is one of the most famous images of the Pride and Prejudice writer and will appear on the new £10 note from 2017.
Read: Jane Austen 'airbrushed' in new £10 notes
Dr Gabriel Heaton, of Sotheby's, described it as "the most important likeness of Jane Austen ever likely to appear on the open market".
He said: "Seeing the most famous image of Jane Austen, for the first time, in a domestic sitting room was an astonishing experience.
"This delicate watercolour is so much more than a piece of literary portraiture - it is part of our cultural history."
Government advised to reclassify drug ketamine
Party drug ketamine should be upgraded to a Class B substance, government advisers have said.
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has recommended that the substance, known as "Special K" to its users, should be reclassified because of the physical and psychological harms it causes.
The drug is currently rated as Class C substance.
ACMD chairman, Professor Les Iversen, warned that ketamine users as young as 20 are having to have their bladders removed due to heavy consumption of the party drug.
Nick Clegg: March will be a moment for celebration
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said March 2014 will be a "moment for celebration" following the announcement that the date for same-sex marriages in England and Wales has been pushed forward from next summer.
Read: Gay marriage campaigner: It's a new age of equality
"This is the news many couples have been waiting for," said Mr Clegg. "After a long and important battle this is a wonderful step forward for equality.
"Love is the same, gay or straight, so it's only right that the civil institution should be the same.
Great news that same sex weddings will happen from 29th March 2014 #savethedate
"March will be a real moment for celebration as same-sex couples finally get the chance to express their love through marriage," he added.
More: Maria Miller hails 'another step in evolution of marriage'
