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By Andrew McFarlane

 
 

Leaders in final push for votes ahead of election

 
 
Story detail

If you live in a marginal constituency, don't be surprised if a prominent politician turns up in your neighbourhood later. Party leaders will be breathlessly criss-crossing the country in a last-ditch effort to win votes. Boris Johnson will say the Tories are the only party who can "get Brexit done", while Jeremy Corbyn will say Labour offers a "vote for hope". Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson will say voting for her party can stop Mr Johnson getting a Conservative majority, and so prevent the UK from leaving the EU. 

The SNP, whose leader Nicola Sturgeon published an open letter calling Mr Johnson the "greatest danger to Scotland of any Tory prime minister in modern times", will argue it is the only party strong enough to "deprive him of the majority he craves". Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage will tell Leave voters in traditional Labour strongholds "not to waste your vote" on Tories who have little chance of winning. In Wales, Plaid Cymru's Adam Price will publish a draft law which would make lying by politicians a criminal offence.

A YouGov poll suggests the Conservatives are on course for a small majority of around 28, with a hung parliament or a larger Tory majority in the margin of error. The BBC's opinion poll tracker suggests the Conservatives retain a solid lead.


Polling analyst Sir John Curtice sets out five things to watch out for on election night, while our political editor Laura Kuenssberg reviews the campaign and its recurring themes.

 

And you can double-check who is standing where you live, or brush up on what's allowed - and what's not - in polling stations.

 
 

 

Deadly gun battle erupts in US city

 
 

A series of gun battles in Jersey City, in the American state of New Jersey, has left six people dead, one of them a police officer. Gunfire was first exchanged at a cemetery just after midday on Tuesday, police say. It is believed two gunmen killed Joseph Seals - an officer who worked to confiscate illegal weaponry - as he approached them. After fleeing in a truck, they took shelter in a kosher supermarket and went on to fire "hundreds of rounds of ammunition" from high-powered rifles at armed law enforcement officials, including Swat teams and federal agents, police say. Five people died in the shop, including the suspected gunmen, with one survivor being treated for injuries, authorities say.

 
 
 

Exercise calorie labels 'make food less tempting'

 
 

Fancy a chocolate muffin for elevenses? How about a 50-minute run to work it off? Setting out the "energy cost of food" by labelling the time it would take to walk or run off the calories could prompt people to indulge less and eat more healthily, scientists believe. Researchers from Loughborough University, who looked at 14 studies, say it could cut about 200 calories from a person's daily average intake. The Royal Society for Public Health agrees this could have an impact on society's problems with obesity. So, pizza tonight? Try a four-hour walk for afters.

 
 
 
 

'Our parents ran a secret gay porn empire'

 

Outwardly they were a respectable family. Karen had been a journalist on well-known newspapers in Chicago and Cincinnati. Barry had worked as a special effects engineer in the film industry, including on Star Trek and 2001 A Space Odyssey. Their three children went to Shabbat services, prayer meetings and studied hard at school.

Barry had begun working as an inventor, and developed a safety device for dialysis machines, but the project suddenly collapsed, leaving the family in urgent need of cash. It was then that Karen spotted a job advert in the LA Times - for someone to distribute Hustler magazine and other merchandise produced by porn magnate Larry Flynt. And so the Masons entered the porn industry.

 
 
 
 
 
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Jaja Muhammad

BBC Stories

 
 
 
 

 

What the papers say

 
 
Story detail

The Guardian says parties are involved in a "final scramble for votes" in what both Labour and the Conservatives have called the "most important election in a generation". The Daily Mail, which backs the Tories, has a front-page comment telling readers "you MUST use your vote". Like other papers, it reports a poll suggesting the Conservatives are on course for only a narrow majority, with a hung parliament within the margin of error. "Game on?" asks the i, which says Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is closing the gap. Read the full review.

 
 
 

Daily digest

 
 
   

Volcano New activity hampers recovery efforts

 
   

Poor pupils Parent school donations 'exacerbating inequality'

 
   

WTO 'Months' needed to fix disputes body, says chief

 
   

Climate change Major emitters accused of blocking progress

 
 
 

If you watch one thing today

Why people are defending Myanmar's leader
 
 
 
 

If you listen to one thing today

The Kids Are Alright: Tackling violence
 
 
 
 

If you read one thing today

Who should I vote for? Compare party manifestos
 
 
 
 

Today's lookahead

   

08:00 Teenage activist Greta Thunberg addresses the UN climate conference in Madrid.

 
   

12:00 Global tourism group Tui, which operates hotels and resorts, five airlines, cruises and package holidays, declares its full-year results.

 
 
 
 

On this day

 
 
   

2005 A series of massive explosions causes an enormous fire at the Buncefield oil depot, near Hemel Hempstead.

 
 
 

From elsewhere

 
 
 

Sally Challen on her release from prison: 'I'm not sure how I'll cope on my own' (Guardian)

 
 
 
 

In UK vote, online disinformation is the new normal (New York Times)

 
 
 
 
 
 

Russia's supposedly stiff penalty for doping is a ban in name only (Economist)

 
 
 

Have the wheels fallen off Jeremy Clarkson's Grand Tour dream? (Telegraph)

 
 
 
 

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