The Hangover News

Text Disaster
OWEN SMITH MASS-TEXTED LABOUR MEMBERS AT 4AM
His campaign rolled out texts for hours from Saturday evening to Sunday

Hey — Jason Walker (@jasonthedeva)July 31, 2016

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Labour party leader candidate Owen Smith MP mass-texted potential supporters from midnight to around 4AM on Sunday, asking for their backing. People were predictably less than impressed.

"Hi [person's name], I'm standing for leader because I want Labour to deliver policies that matter to us all," the text began. It went on to ask people to reply YES, NO or NOT SURE if they were willing to support Smith's campaign.

Helpfully, there was also an option to text STOP to opt out altogether, though plenty of people sent back more creative responses.

Boycott Byron
TWO PROTEST GROUPS RELEASED INSECTS IN A BYRON RESTAURANT
The stunt followed news that Byron helped the government deport illegal migrants

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Two activist groups released insects inside a Byron burger restaurant on Friday evening, in a move they described as an "intent to cause disruption to Byron's business".

Members of protest groups London Black Revolutionaries and Malcolm X Movement said they were behind the sting, looking to make a statement to show their solidarity with the former Byron employees deported last week.

According to the Guardian, dozens of staff members were called to a training day, only to find UK Border Agency officials ready to check over the papers of non-EU employees. The Home Office say they arrested 35 people from Albania, Brazil, Nepal and Egypt who were found to be working using fraudulent documents. A further protest outside Byron's central London Holborn branch is due to take place on Monday the 1st of August.

The Cursed Child
PEOPLE STAYED UP ALL NIGHT TO READ THE NEW HARRY POTTER SCRIPT
It was released as a book at midnight on Sunday, under massive demand

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The script book of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the play that follows the seventh and final book in JK Rowling's series, was released at midnight on Sunday. Fans around the world queued up at book stores to pick up their copies after the play debuted in London.

"The whole point is waiting until midnight, waiting in a queue and experiencing it: people want the sheer fun of it," said James Daunt, managing director of the Waterstones bookshop chain. "It's literally the best, most enjoyable moment of a bookseller's life. There's nothing more exciting than getting these books into the shop."

Booksellers say they expect The Cursed Child to be the best-selling book of the year, and Barnes and Noble bookshop in the US told the BBC the script had broke the pre-order record set by … Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Holy Couch Potatoes
THE POPE TOLD YOUNG PEOPLE TO GET OFF THEIR ARSES
He addressed a million-strong crowd in Poland, calling for political engagement

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Pope Francis spoke to a massive crowd in Poland on World Youth Day, reportedly urging young people "to leave a mark" and not to make their lives "a comfortable sofa to fall asleep on".

The 79-year-old Pontiff made frequent references to sofas and inaction, urging his young followers to trade in screen time for political engagement and social activism.

"Following Jesus demands a good dose of courage," he said, "a readiness to trade in the sofa for a pair of walking shoes and to set out on new and uncharted paths." Right.