UK Prime Minister Theresa May has announced plans to call a snap general election on 8 June. She said Britain needed certainty, stability and strong leadership following the EU referendum. Explaining the decision, Mrs May said: "The country is coming together but Westminster is not." There will be a Commons vote on the proposed election on Wednesday - Labour have said they will vote with the government. The prime minister needs Parliament's backing to hold a vote before the next scheduled date of 2020. Explaining her change of heart on an early election, Mrs May said: "I have concluded the only way to guarantee certainty and security for years ahead is to hold this election." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39629603

Hi I have a car which was a Cat C - repairs were done and insurers were happy for it to be back on the road. Two weeks ago I was hit on a roundabout by a driver turning right from a straight on lane. Car went to Dingmasters in Bristol who have told me today that my car is write off. The damage was a dent above the rear passenger wheel arch and scratch to paint work. I'm not in a situation where I can find the money that easily for a new car after a few months unemployment. I have asked for the car back which they have said will be today. Can I seek a second opinion from another garage or will the insurance refuse? If they also say no (the garage) I've heard people talk about buying the car from the insurers - can I do that? Though it means paying twice for it and will it be easy to insure? thanks Mary

US and Cuba are to start talks to normalise diplomatic ties in a historic shift in relations between the two countries, US officials say. The US is also looking to open an embassy in Havana in the coming months. The moves are part of a deal that saw the release of American Alan Gross by Cuba and includes the release of three Cubans jailed in Florida for spying. US President Barack Obama will later hail the "most significant changes in US policy towards Cuba in 50 years". http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-30516740

Hi everyone. Its my 1st post, apologies if i've done anything wrong on here. But i've been really worried and can't sleep tonight. i Wonder if anyone can help with this: I've been driving for 20 Years. I've never seen anything like this before. Paid the full years car Insurance online Got insurance Certificate, thought i was insured, got a 7 day cancellation letter, no phone calls notifying cancellation or asking for further information, think they are saying it's due to a failed credit check (their letter is below) I now need to get cover with another insurer. Do i now have to declare to the new insurer that i've had car insurance cancelled, or can i just go with one of the other quotes i got the same day i got this one? Do i get all my money back, i need it back first to pay for one of the higher quotes to get insured again. Full Details of what happened: Car insurance was up for renewal. Got quotes on several comparison sites. Chose one quote, rang the company, gave them reference, confirmed level of cover, excesses etc. Decided to accept cover, agent said best doing it online, or else i'll have to enter all your details and run it through again. Went online, clicked through the comparison site link for that companies quote. Paid the full years premium at once. 1st Email Received Thank you for confirming your intention to insure, We are currently processing your payment details, as you will already be aware to protect us against fraud we will be running a series of integrity checks on the information you have provided. If there are any issues with your payment, cover or results of our data integrity checks we will inform you of this by email or, if necessary, we will call you on the telephone number you have provided to us. Please note that your insurance cover is not binding until you receive a certificate of insurance from us. Got to email Proof of no claims, and copy of driving license within 14 days. I contacted my previous insurer again for copy proof of no claims Further Emails Received a few hours later: Certificate of insurance, Statement of Fact, Demands and needs, proposal information, Claims and break down contact numbers.. Basically everything you usually get when you get car insurance and you know you are covered. Knowing i was covered, and had time off, i went on a long motoring trip for a week to visit a relative, knowing i'll email my driving license and proof of no claims together when i get back. Got back tonight, was just looking through my emails on my PC when i noticed one from my new insurance company, Sent 2 days after taking out cover. "Please find attached an important letter with regard to insurance cover you have requested on your vehicle. This letter has also been posted to yourself at the given address and no further reminders will be issued. We recommend that you seek alternate insurance cover. Please note: Under the Road Traffic Act it is an offence to leave, drive or otherwise use a motor vehicle on the Public Highway without Third Party Insurance. Failure to return the certificate of insurance is also an offence under the Road Traffic Act." The Attached Letter URGENT 7 DAY CANCELLATION NOTICE We write to you in respect of your motor insurance policy for vehicle registration -------. We are authorised by your Insurance Company (see certificate of motor insurance for details) to act as their agents for the purpose of CANCELLING insurance cover in accordance with policy conditions and herewith give you notice that all cover is cancelled from -- December 2014. In accordance with our terms of business which were agreed to when purchasing this policy and that state: “We may, before and after entering into this agreement search the files of any credit reference agency or agencies who will keep a record of our enquiries. We may also disclose details about you and your conduct of this agreement to that agency or agencies. Such details are then used only to help make credit decisions on you or members of your household or occasionally for fraud prevention or to trace debtors. Where credit scoring calculations are used by us/the insurer, acceptance or rejection of your application will depend only on the results of the credit scoring process.” We regret to inform you that after such a credit scoring calculation was done, the result of which was unacceptable and due to this we are unable to provide any insurance cover for your vehicle. A full refund will be issued to you upon cancellation and once receiving a certificate surrender declaration unless there has been any claims during the period of cover. No further reminder letters will be sent about this matter. Cover will simply be cancelled. There will therefore be no cover in force after the above date and you must return your certificate of Insurance or temporary cover-note, if you received this by post you must return the original, where it was received via email you must email a Certificate Surrender Statement to cancellations Department. You are advised to obtain cover. Please note: Under the Road Traffic Act it is an offence to leave, drive or otherwise use a motor vehicle on the Public Highway without Third Party Insurance. Failure to return the certificate of insurance is also an offence under the Road Traffic Act. A Person may be prosecuted if a cancelled certificate of Motor Insurance or temporary cover note is produced to any person with the intention of deceiving that person into accepting it as genuine. ******************* WARNING ******************** After the termination of your insurance the Motor Insurance Database (MID) will show that no insurance cover is in force. This information is registered on the Police National Computer confirming no insurance cover is in force until replacement cover is issued

We've had a new young flatmate for the last two months. She spends the whole day sitting in the common room (tv room + kitchen) dry-coughing and spreading potential germs around, not to mention the annoyance of somebody coughing in your face. She doesn't appear to work or study and is not getting any better. She's from the old Europe block and is not registered to a GP and no medical insurance. In other words she can't be bothered with seeking assistance and clearly not in a condition to take care of herself. As she is not registered and she doesn't want to, we have volunteered to escort her to one of these GP-led walk-in centres where she can be visited by a proper doctor. She is not refusing in principle but she's been making all sort of excuses. We've spoken to the landlord but he has only come out with empty promises and no action. He doesn't live with us so he can't be bothered. I am not sure if calling the NHS Direct would make any sense. My personal experience with NHS Direct has often revealed to be a waste of time. I wonder if we have any legal route that we can follow. Thank you for your time.