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Andrew RT Davies said there had been plenty of opportunities for the Welsh Government to make its position known.
But on Friday, Finance Minster Mark Drakeford argued Wales should be "in the room" during negotiations.
Last month Theresa May offered the Welsh Government a formal seat in talks to shape the UK's EU exit strategy.
The prime minister has said the formal Brexit negotiation process will begin by the end of March, with the UK set to leave the EU by summer 2019.
Speaking on the BBC's Sunday Politics Wales programme, Mr Davies said Mrs May was working with the devolved administrations to "make sure they are having their input into the UK position".
Responding to Mr Drakeford's comment, he added that people should deal with the "reality" of the situation.
He said: "Use the opportunities to shape policies that are available to you.
"Those opportunities are many because the prime minister has set up the structures for Mark Drakeford and Carwyn Jones to go and negotiate on behalf of Wales, but the UK government is on point."
Mr Davies also called for politicians to "look beyond" article 50 negotiations at "what we want in Wales after we come out of the EU".
He said the funding of post-EU schemes should be fairer, adding there should not be "narrow geographical limitations" on the way money is spent.
It comes as First Minister Carwyn Jones called on the UK government to stop repeating "Brexit means Brexit" and rebuild hope.
Writing for the Sunday Times, he warned of an "up swell" of anger if a hard exit from the European Union was pursued and backed calls for a reform of the UK to stop inequalities between nations deepening after Britain leaves the EU.
He supported calls made by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown for a "people's constitutional convention" - moving towards a more federalised system.
This would look at devolving powers to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and English regions in areas such as agriculture and fisheries, which will be taken back when Britain leaves the EU, to stop them being centralised in London.
On Wednesday, Chancellor Phillip Hammond told MPs the UK's deficit would no longer be cleared by 2020.
He also announced that the Welsh Government would get £400m to spend on infrastructure.
Mr Jones criticised the lack of mentions for projects in Wales which could stimulate growth, including the Swansea tidal lagoon, and no mention of a comprehensive plan to support the Welsh steel industry.
A UK government spokeswoman said: "As we build a national consensus we will listen to businesses, politicians and the general public in all parts of the UK.
"The secretary of state has already travelled to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as having chaired the first of many Joint Ministerial Councils.
"The UK has chosen to leave the EU and we are determined to work closely with the governments of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales in making a success of it." | The Welsh Government should not be part of Brexit negotiations on devolved areas, the leader of the Welsh Conservatives has said. | 38118928 |
Only once have they won it and converted that position into a clean sweep of all five games.
However, against France on Saturday, I fully expect England to deliver coach Eddie Jones a Grand Slam in his first campaign.
This is why.
We should not be afraid to speak what we see - this French side is a poor one in comparison to the great teams of the past.
We always ask which French team is going to turn up, but if we are brutally honest, over the past eight years or so it is difficult to recognise France as the scary, brilliant, exciting, attacking side that used to run through teams.
There have been a couple of notable wins, namely over Australia in 2014 and New Zealand in 2009, and there was a dramatic victory the last time the teams met in Paris in the Six Nations.
They also ran red-hot favourites New Zealand close in the 2011 World Cup final.
But France have failed to fire far more often than they have produced those stirring performances.
If a backline of Francois Trinh-Duc, Maxime Mermoz, Gael Fickou, Scott Spedding, Virimi Vakatawa and Wesley Fofana play their best rugby, if all the offloads stick, if they read each other as if they are telepathic, we are in for a heck of a game.
But, even if they do, I would like to think that England would hit them in the tackle.
In truth I just can't see France threatening in this way; there has not been any indication that this side has it in them.
By contrast, you go through the England squad and a lot of them are playing some of the best international rugby of their careers.
Flanker Chris Robshaw seems to have been freed up without the captaincy and number eight Billy Vunipola could well be the man of the tournament.
Second row Maro Itoje has made a huge impact and is working well alongside George Kruis.
In the backs, the settled 10-12-13 combination of George Ford, Owen Farrell and Jonathan Joseph looks fluent while the back three - wings Anthony Watson and Jack Nowell especially - have been razor sharp.
Jones has tinkered with his line-up for Paris, bringing in Danny Care at scrum-half.
He is a sharp, sniping number nine and is quicker in pace and thought around the breakdown than Ben Youngs, who he has replaced.
He is going to come out fizzing, determined to prove he should be first choice. It is a clever piece of psychology to take the fight to France.
For most teams in the championship, you can outline a clear philosophy.
England hit in close with forward runners, assess the options and - when the time is right - probe space out wide.
Wales are slightly in transition this year, but have a direct style with big midfield runners creating holes to fall back on.
Scotland's ethos has been dubbed "ruck and run" as a result of their eagerness to recycle quickly and keep the ball in hand.
But France just don't look like they know what they are doing - their gameplan seems a random mix of ideas.
They appear torn between playing it tight with an emphasis on the set-piece and mauls, and giving the French public what they want with a more expansive game.
France have made more than twice as many offloads as any other team in the tournament.
They are trying to play off the cuff, but it is so long since they did that as a national side - and so few of their clubs do it in the Top 14 - that they are really struggling to make it work.
They have given away 64 turnovers while England have restricted the opposition to just 45. Nine of those turnovers against France have come inside their own 22, compared to just three conceded by England in that section of the pitch.
Both France coach Guy Noves and England counterpart Jones are new to their roles.
The way they have gone about their jobs is quite different though.
In his short time in charge to date, Noves' team has continually been in flux.
He has called up sevens specialist Vakatawa for the Six Nations, when the winger's last game in 15-man rugby was in December 2013.
He shunted the talented Fofana out from the centre to the wing for the defeat by Scotland last weekend and has done so again for Saturday.
And most crucially he has continued a trend of tinkering with the half-back partnership. Predecessor Philippe Saint-Andre never found a combination he was happy with and Noves looks similarly undecided.
He has kept Trinh-Duc and scrum-half Maxime Machenaud in place for this game but opted for Sebastien Bezy and Jules Plisson earlier in the Championship.
This latest duo is France's 19th different half-back partnership since 2011 and no team can be consistent with that many changes in the positions where all the decisions are made.
Jones has tweaked England's ethos and tactics but in terms of personnel has kept most of the squad used by former boss Stuart Lancaster.
Away from the pitch, Jones also operates with greater freedom.
He reports to Rugby Football Union chief executive Ian Ritchie, formerly of Wimbledon.
Ritchie may know lots about tennis, but he will have to bow to Jones' greater rugby knowledge and, surely, whatever demands he makes.
In contrast, Noves has to contend with French rugby legends in their federation's hierarchy - Fabien Pelous, Serge Blanco and Jo Maso all hold prominent positions - as well as the power of the domestic clubs in France.
For example, France's top players turned out for their clubs in the free weekend in the middle of the tournament - no other coach has to put up with those competing demands.
The famous defeat against Scotland in the Grand Slam decider at Murrayfield in 1990 was only my sixth Test for England.
People played up the psychology of that game - Scotland captain David Sole's slow walk onto the pitch, the anti-English sentiment in the crowd, the 10-year wait since our last Grand Slam - but, as I always tell people, Scotland were just an extremely good side.
I had no baggage or hurt and pain from the past, I just wanted to win a game of rugby.
I had no idea how big the Grand Slam was in 1990. The next year I understood.
I had the pain of losing that game at Murrayfield and understood how big the match against France was as we went for the Grand Slam again.
But we knew, as I think this England team should, that if we played our best rugby we would win.
Everyone kept things as normal as possible in the build-up. Captain Will Carling was not any more or less vocal, neither was Brian Moore up front.
When you have a mix of carefree youth and steadying experience it works well - and I think England do have that mix.
These Grand Slam games are rarely won by a huge margin - 2003 was an exception when England romped away 42-6 against Ireland.
If England get a fast start the French crowd could turn against their own and things could get ugly for the hosts - but it would be a brave man to predict a cricket score.
That said, I do think the visitors will win, by seven to 10 points. | Since the Five Nations became Six in 2000, England have gone into the final game of the championship on five occasions knowing that victory would give them a Grand Slam. | 35833543 |
Clare Ellarby, of Miss Elegance on Low Lane in Birstall, West Yorkshire said: "I don't know how we are going to carry on if these dresses aren't found."
The 60 dresses were stolen by the suspects, who used a black Astra, just before midnight on Thursday.
The raid has left some customers without a dress for forthcoming proms.
Ms Ellarby said she and staff would do "everything we can" to try and make sure customers get a dress to wear.
She urged anyone with information on the "devastating" raid to come forward and contact West Yorkshire Police.
Thieves smashed their way through a front door and grabbed the dresses, Mrs Ellarby added. | Thieves who stole prom dresses worth an estimated £26,000 during a raid "took everything" its owner worked hard for, she has told the BBC. | 32858640 |
The data protection regulation's stated aim is to give citizens back control of their personal data as well as simplifying the regulatory environment.
It could mean huge fines for companies that breach the law and offer some complex problems about how they store, delete and return data to citizens.
Here is a quick guide to what is involved.
It is a modernisation of data protection laws drawn up in 1995, before mass internet adoption.
Four years in the making, the new laws' stated aim is to strengthen the rights individuals have over their data and make companies take the issue of data protection far more seriously.
Although much of the legislation stays the same, the new rules offer "significant powers around the edges", according to Peter Church, a technology expert from law firm Linklaters.
In December, the EU Commission, Parliament and Council of Ministers reached agreement on the General Data Protection Regulation, after months of negotiations, and on Thursday the document went before the European Parliament for a formal vote.
The rules will come into force in the summer. Then, member states will have two years to comply.
The most significant change will be an increase in the amount of money regulators can fine companies who do not comply with the legislation - up to 4% of their global turnover or 20m euros (£15.8m), whichever is greater.
Having this threat hanging over companies is going to make them to shake up the way they deal with data, says Mr Church.
"People will start taking data protection a lot more seriously," he says. It could also stifle innovative uses of data, with companies concerned about "falling foul of regulation".
Businesses will also be required to show how they are complying with the legislation.
"A regulator could knock on the door, and companies will have to have the mechanics in place and show the systems that they have to achieve compliance, says Ruth Boardman, a partner with law firm Bird and Bird.
It also makes it mandatory for large companies to employ a data protection officer.
The legislation is fiendishly complicated, though, and many predict it will take companies and regulators a good while to get their heads around it.
Data breaches, for example, must be reported within 72 hours - a regulation most agree could be extremely hard for businesses to comply with.
The legislation will apply to any company that handles EU citizens' data, even if that company is not based in Europe.
It has long been argued consumers often have no idea what happens to their data once they relinquish it to the big technology companies, and it is unclear whether this new set of rules will change that.
Companies will have to be more transparent about how they are using data, but this is likely to translate as even more complex privacy policies individuals, if they read them at all, may not fully understand.
There are provisions that could increase consumers' rights over their data, but there are big questions about how they will apply in practice.
For example, the controversial right to be forgotten is being extended beyond web searches to all aspects of online life - so someone could ask Facebook or another social network to delete their profile entirely.
It is unlikely to extend to news articles that people want removed, which are likely to be protected under freedom of expression rules.
Similarly, there is provision in the new regulation for consumers to transfer their data from one service to another.
This could be a massive boon for consumers - allowing them to swap internet or email provider more easily and to shop around for services such as utilities and insurance.
Questions arise though over how companies would actually give data back, in what format and, more crucially, what data the user is considered to have provided.
In the case, for example, of someone wishing to transfer their web email service from Google to Yahoo, "would it apply just to emails that you sent or could you argue that email replies sent to you have, in effect, been provided by you to Google?" asks Ms Boardman.
Or, in the case of someone wanting to transfer their data from one utility or insurance provider to another or even to many, to ensure they get the best deal, "your name and address is probably data you provided, but companies could argue that your gas usage is something that they have collected directly", says Ms Boardman.
Privacy is now big business, with consultants and lawyers lining up to advise companies on how to implement the changes and make sure their policies and procedures are in order.
The need to have more data protection officers could make companies go on a recruitment drive, but whether there are sufficient people to fill such posts is less clear.
Companies could see more legal challenges from individuals and consumer groups that take up privacy issues on behalf of citizens, but they may also see less challenges from individual country regulators, because of a "one-stop shop" clause that would put the onus on the regulator in the country in which the company is headquartered to pursue legal action.
Regulators are also being given more powers to intervene if they feel another is being too lenient.
"If one regulator is unhappy with how another is dealing with a case, there is a mechanism to get them to toughen up their approach," says Mr Church.
This could mean regulators take a tougher line on US technology companies such as Google and Facebook.
The legislation is as yet untested, and it remains to be seen whether companies will face more legal challenges over how they handle and process data and whether consumers feel they have wrested back control of their information. | The European Parliament has voted on the biggest shake-up of data protection laws for 20 years. | 36037324 |
The 28-year-old is the island's most successful current player, scoring 27 Championship goals since August 2013.
"I've spoken to a few of the lads and they're not particularly happy and getting a bit disillusioned with the whole Jersey FA, I think," he said.
"Something definitely needs to be done because it can't be good for players' development, or even their enjoyment."
Pitman played in the Jersey Football Combination as a youngster for St Paul's and First Tower United before joining Bournemouth as a trainee.
St Paul's are one of only two teams, along with Jersey Scottish, to have won the island league in the last nine seasons.
"From what I've been told from various people Jersey football needs something to happen to it," Pitman told BBC Radio Jersey.
"Playing week in week out and the same team winning every year - it becomes boring and it becomes pointless really."
In December the island made a bid to follow Gibraltar and play international football, taking part in European Championship qualifiers.
"Jersey definitely needs that. If I haven't represented anyone else and if Jersey do have a team in it, it's something I would definitely like to do and play in," Pitman added. | Jersey-born Ipswich Town striker Brett Pitman says the league on the island has "become boring and pointless". | 35632544 |
The 23-year-old was arrested in a Paris suburb last Wednesday after police were alerted by users of a videogame chat room where he allegedly said he wanted to buy a gun.
He also said he wanted to attack minorities, a judicial source told AFP.
Mr Macron has been giving a state-of-the-nation-style address in Versailles.
He has been outlining his priorities in the speech, taking place during a special session of both houses of parliament at the Palace of Versailles.
However the French president is facing criticism over the address, with far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélénchon accusing him of behaving like a "pharoah".
Investigators found three kitchen knives in the plot suspect's vehicle and analysis of his computer revealed he had conducted internet searches on possible targets.
After his arrest, he told police he wanted to attack "Muslims, Jews, blacks, homosexuals", AFP said.
The suspect was convicted last year of condoning terrorism after praising Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik, who killed 77 people in July 2011.
He was jailed for three years with half the sentence suspended.
The Bastille Day parade on 14 July commemorates the start of the French Revolution and takes place on the Champs-Elysées avenue in Paris.
In 2002, then-President Jacques Chirac was the subject of a Bastille Day assassination attempt when a man with far-right links took out a rifle and fired a shot before being overpowered.
This year the Champs-Elysées has seen two attacks on police.
Last month a man rammed a vehicle containing guns and gas canisters into a police van. In April a gunman shot dead police officer Xavier Jugelé using a Kalashnikov assault rifle. | A suspected far-right extremist has been charged with plotting to kill French President Emmanuel Macron at the Bastille Day parade later this month. | 40482458 |
The Premier League side outplayed their hosts in the first half, but James Ward-Prowse fired over and Cuco Martina shot wide.
Substitute Charlie Austin powered a low strike just wide after the break as Saints lacked the cutting edge to score the goal their play deserved.
Inter, who had lost their past three games, rarely threatened before Antonio Candreva lashed a shot into the top corner.
Marcelo Brozovic's late dismissal for two bookings gave Southampton renewed hope, with both Virgil van Dijk and Austin denied from point-blank range.
But the visitors could not find an equaliser as they slipped to their first defeat in the Europa League this season.
Relive Inter Milan v Southampton
Southampton, who had around 7,000 vociferous fans at the San Siro for their first match against an Italian team, will be left wondering how they lost this match.
Even though manager Claude Puel had made six changes from Sunday's win over Burnley, the visitors played the more eye-catching football only for their finishing to let them down.
There was plenty to enjoy in Saints' build-up play, including marauding 21-year-old left-back Sam McQueen, who looked like a seasoned campaigner despite making his first start for the club.
However, Jay Rodriguez, Ward-Prowse, Martina, Austin - who came on for the injured Shane Long - and Van Dijk were all guilty of not being clinical enough in front of goal.
Rodriguez thought he had scored when he headed in but the referee had blown for a foul as players jostled in the area to meet a cross.
Van Dijk and Austin had the best chances but, in the closing stages, the former sidefooted a shot too close to keeper Samir Handanovic and had a header cleared off the line, while Austin's close range effort was brilliantly blocked by the Inter stopper.
Inter Milan might be one of Italian football's biggest clubs but they have fallen on hard times and, even though this was not pretty, they badly needed these three points.
They were weakened by not being able to include summer signings Gabriel Barbosa, Joao Mario, Geoffrey Kondogbia and Stevan Jovetic in their Europa League squad this season because of Financial Fair Play regulations.
And the home side, who are struggling in 11th in Serie A, played more like the away team as they soaked up the pressure and tried to catch Southampton on the break.
They rarely threatened but, when they did, Candreva showed the ruthlessness Southampton lacked when he found the top corner with a left-foot strike from Davide Santon's low cross.
It was Inter's first win of this season's Europa League following defeats to Sparta Prague and Hapoel Beer Sheva but they remain bottom of Group K, with Southampton second.
Southampton manager Claude Puel speaking to BT Sport: "It is very hard to lose this game because we had control of the game every time.
"I think we are unlucky because we played a very good game with quality and had many, many, chances and it is a big disappointment tonight.
Southampton captain Virgil van Dijk: "It is very tough. We were the team that deserved it most. You can see the goal was their only chance and it is frustrating, we should have buried the game in the first half.
"There was only one team who deserved to win but in the end that is football."
Southampton will try to extend Manchester City's run of games without a win to five when they visit Etihad Stadium on Sunday for a 13:30 BST kick-off. Inter Milan are at Atalanta on the same day at 14:00 BST. Inter visit St Mary's in both sides' next Europa League outing on 3 November.
Match ends, Inter Milan 1, Southampton 0.
Second Half ends, Inter Milan 1, Southampton 0.
Attempt missed. James Ward-Prowse (Southampton) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right.
Offside, Southampton. Steven Davis tries a through ball, but Virgil van Dijk is caught offside.
Corner, Southampton. Conceded by Gary Medel.
Substitution, Inter Milan. Danilo D'Ambrosio replaces Yuto Nagatomo.
Offside, Southampton. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg tries a through ball, but Charlie Austin is caught offside.
Attempt saved. Charlie Austin (Southampton) right footed shot from very close range is saved in the centre of the goal.
Corner, Southampton. Conceded by Yuto Nagatomo.
Attempt blocked. Virgil van Dijk (Southampton) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by James Ward-Prowse with a cross.
Corner, Southampton. Conceded by Ivan Perisic.
Attempt blocked. Oriol Romeu (Southampton) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Virgil van Dijk.
Substitution, Inter Milan. Ivan Perisic replaces Éder.
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (Southampton) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (Southampton).
Éder (Inter Milan) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Gary Medel (Inter Milan) is shown the yellow card.
Foul by Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (Southampton).
Éder (Inter Milan) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Attempt blocked. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (Southampton) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Corner, Southampton. Conceded by Mauro Icardi.
Attempt blocked. Maya Yoshida (Southampton) header from the centre of the box is blocked.
Attempt saved. Virgil van Dijk (Southampton) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by James Ward-Prowse.
Substitution, Inter Milan. Cristian Ansaldi replaces Antonio Candreva.
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (Southampton) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Éder (Inter Milan).
Corner, Southampton. Conceded by Jeison Murillo.
Substitution, Southampton. Steven Davis replaces Jay Rodriguez.
Second yellow card to Marcelo Brozovic (Inter Milan) for a bad foul.
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (Southampton) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Marcelo Brozovic (Inter Milan).
Charlie Austin (Southampton) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Yuto Nagatomo (Inter Milan).
Substitution, Southampton. Sofiane Boufal replaces Dusan Tadic.
Attempt missed. Jeison Murillo (Inter Milan) header from the centre of the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Marcelo Brozovic with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Inter Milan. Conceded by Maya Yoshida.
Corner, Inter Milan. Conceded by Sam McQueen.
Goal! Inter Milan 1, Southampton 0. Antonio Candreva (Inter Milan) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the top left corner. Assisted by Davide Santon with a cross.
Foul by Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (Southampton).
Éder (Inter Milan) wins a free kick on the left wing. | Southampton were punished for several missed chances as Inter Milan eased the pressure on manager Frank de Boer by snatching victory in their Europa League group game at the San Siro. | 37688282 |
To sum up the last 12 months, here are some of the best quotes:
Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari on the day of his historic inauguration in May
President Buhari said four months later on Nigeria's independence day
Can Nigerians stop being unruly?
South Africa's Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini, who denied that his comments in March fuelled xenophobic violence
South Africa xenophobia: Africa reacts
US dentist Walter Palmer, who killed Zimbabwe's famous Cecil the lion in July
What Cecil the lion means to Zimbabwe
South Sudanese model Nykhor Paul, who got more than 20,000 likes on Instagram after she posted the comment in July
Ghana's President John Mahama, being dismissive in March of the protests against his government. The quote has earned him the nickname "The Goat"
South African comedian Trevor Noah as he made his debut hosting Comedy Central's satirical news show in September
Zimbabwe's leader Robert Mugabe, mocking a US Supreme Court decision in June to legalise gay marriage
US President Barack Obama on his visit to Ethiopia in July
What's Obama visit done for Africa?
Zimbabwe's first lady Grace Mugabe in November, after her 91-year-old husband was caught on camera struggling to walk
Tanzania's newly elected President John Magufuli, telling parliament in November about his drive to root out corruption and lazy workers
Tanzania's 'Bulldozer' president
Togo football star Emmanuel Adebayor, denying in a Facebook post in May claims that he failed to support his family financially
Pope Francis on his visit to a mosque in the Central African Republic in November
Pope of the poor makes big impact in Africa
Kenya's Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o told the BBC
Being African: What does hair have to do with it?
Judge Dunstan Mlambo, who criticised the South African government for letting Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir leave the country in June despite an International Criminal Court arrest warrant
Why South Africa let Sudan's Bashir escape justice
Undercover journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, whose documentary this year exposed corruption in Ghana's judiciary
Ghana's anti-corruption blockbuster | It has been a roller-coaster year of African news, from the historic elections in Nigeria to the momentous visits of the Pope and the US president. | 35160583 |
The construction firm said pre-tax profits fell to £21.8m in the six months to February, down from £29m.
It said forward orders for homes were constrained because of market uncertainty following the Brexit vote.
However, the company expects more high-margin homes to be completed during the remainder of its financial year.
During the first six months of the year, revenue fell by 5% to £238.2m and legal completions shrank by 6%.
McCarthy & Stone chairman John White said: "The group continues to address the increasing market demand for retirement housing generated by a rapidly ageing population and has made good progress in recovering its workflow momentum following the outcome of the EU referendum last June."
The company said its forward order book is "strong" and it expects to meet its sales targets for both 2017 and 2018.
But shares in the FTSE 250 company fell 6.15% to 173.62p in early trading.
Meanwhile, Telford Homes, which builds houses in non-prime areas of London, said it expects record profit and revenue for the full-year.
It said it was on track to exceed pre-tax profit of £40m for the year to March 2018 and £50m in the following financial year.
The non-prime London market is robust, Telford said, and it expects a mix of sales between build-to-rent, individual investors and owner-occupiers.
Shares in Telford Homes rose 2.8% to 370p. | Retirement home builder McCarthy & Stone is forecasting a stronger second half after blaming the EU referendum for a 25% slump in interim profits. | 39500525 |
Utility back Anscombe, 24, played the final 25 minutes of the Blues' 34-26 Challenge Cup loss at Harlequins.
"I got a taste of it in terms of being part of the squad for the last Six Nations," he told BBC Wales Sport.
"It would be nice to get on the field after the World Cup success and failure at the same time."
Anscombe had ankle surgery after Wales' World Cup quarter-final exit to South Africa.
The New Zealand-born player also started at full-back in the group-stage loss to Australia after making his debut as a replacement fly-half in a pre-tournament friendly against Ireland.
He could be in line for another appearance at full-back against Ireland in Dublin in February if Liam Williams is not fit, despite being seen more as a fly-half by his region.
"There's a lot of competition for places in that [Wales] team, that's really helped with the performance of that team over the last couple of years" said Anscombe.
"Liam's a quality player and he's coming back from that foot injury, and Hallam [Amos] certainly showed what he can do [in his try-scoring return for the Dragons]. They've got their options."
Blues head coach Danny Wilson has no doubt that Anscombe is ready for a Six Nations role.
"It was just great to get him back on there," Wilson said. "I thought he looked good picking different options in our attacking game that he hasn't had much time to fit into.
"Like all these boys, it'll take a bit of time to get the lungs and legs going at that kind of intensity but we all know what kind of quality player he is."
Wilson is hoping that Wales captain Sam Warburton can make his return from an ankle injury against Calvisano on Friday.
"I'm hoping that Sam will come through this very short week's training and if he does, and passes the relevant tests, he'll be available for selection on Friday."
Cardiff Blues will have to win well against the Italians and hope that other results go their way to have any chance of a quarter-final place in Europe's second-tier competition. | Cardiff Blues' Gareth Anscombe is hoping for a Six Nations call-up after returning from injury just two days before Wales' squad announcement. | 35340089 |
Burkina Faso, which means "land of honest men", has significant reserves of gold, but the country has faced domestic and external concern over the state of its economy and human rights.
A former French colony, it gained independence as Upper Volta in 1960.
In 1983 Capt Thomas Sankara seized power and adopted radical left-wing policies but was ousted by Blaise Compaore, who went on to rule for 27 years before being ousted in a popular uprising in 2014.
Population 17.4 million
Area 274,200 sq km (105,870 sq miles)
Major languages French, indigenous languages
Major religions Indigenous beliefs, Islam, Christianity
Life expectancy 55 years (men), 57 years (women)
Currency CFA (Communaute Financiere Africaine) franc
President: Roch Marc Kabore
Marc Kabore, who served as prime minister and speaker of parliament under veteran President Blaise Compaore, won the November 2015 presidential election, easily beating his main rival.
The intervening year before Mr Kabore's election saw considerable turmoil, including an attempted coup by troops loyal to the ousted president in September 2015.
A French-educated banker, Mr Kabore sees himself as a social democrat, and has pledged to reduce youth unemployment, improve education and healthcare, and make health provision for children under six free of charge.
Kabore was a long-standing Compaore loyalist, but he quit as chairman of the then-president's Congress for Democracy and Progress party in 2014 over the head of state's plans to amend the constitution to extend his 27-year rule.
Some key events in Burkina Faso's history:
896 - Kingdoms now making up Burkina Faso become a French protectorate, later known as Upper Volta.
1960 - Upper Volta becomes independent with Maurice Yameogo as president. He is overthrown in 1966 by Sangoule Lamizana.
1980 - President Lamizana is ousted in coup led by Saye Zerbo, who is overthrown two years later by Jean-Baptiste Ouedraogo, ushering in a period of unrest and power struggles.
1984 - Upper Volta renamed Burkina Faso.
1990 - Blaise Compaore, who assumed power when he ousted and killed then-leader Capt Thomas Sankara in 1987, introduces limited democratic reforms. He remains in power for 27 years.
2000 - Government agrees to set up UN-run body to monitor weapons imports after allegations that it has been involved in smuggling arms to rebels in Sierra Leone and Angola.
2011 - Months of unrest, including a mutiny.
2014 - President Compaore steps aside following massive protests against plans to extend his rule. A transitional government takes charge.
2015 - Acting President Kafando faces down coup attempt by presidential guard allies of Blaise Compaore. In November, former Prime Minister Roch Marc Christian Kabore wins presidential election.
2016 - Islamists attack a hotel and cafe frequented by the French military and other expatriates, killing 29 people. | A poor country even by West African standards, landlocked Burkina Faso has suffered from recurring droughts and military coups. | 13072774 |
Pressure has grown in recent days after attacks on migrant hostels and a huge rise in asylum claims this year.
In a Dresden suburb, the car of Michael Richter, a councillor who had been helping refugees, was blown up.
There are calls now for Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro to be declared "safe".
Since Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia and Serbia were declared "safe" in December, the rise in asylum seekers from those countries was only about 12%, Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) said.
However, the numbers from Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro had soared by more than 500%, the BAMF said.
A "safe" classification makes it easier for the authorities to send back asylum seekers, because it is then harder for the applicants to prove that they are victims of persecution on political, religious or ethnic grounds.
A BAMF spokesperson, quoted by German media, said reintroducing a visa requirement could also help stem the influx from the Balkans.
Germany saw a surge in asylum applicants from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia and Serbia after visa requirements were lifted for those countries, the BAMF reported.
However, most EU countries - including Germany - adhere to the EU's Schengen rules, which allow unrestricted travel in Europe. New visa limits would require a decision at EU level, by qualified majority voting.
The EU removed visas in order to help integrate ex-Yugoslav states - recovering from war - with the rest of Europe.
Hungary is also struggling with a surge in Balkan migrants - many of them Roma (Gypsies) fleeing grinding poverty in Kosovo.
The Balkan migration pressures dominated a special regional summit in Baden-Wuerttemberg state, in south-west Germany, on Monday.
The state's Green prime minister, Winfried Kretschmann, voiced cautious support for the "safe country" proposal - something conservative opposition politicians called for.
Baden-Wuerttemberg has increased the capacity of migrant accommodation to 9,000, to cope with the influx. But the number of asylum seekers is expected to reach 50,000 this year - double last year's figure.
Nationally, Germany expects to have about 450,000 asylum applicants this year. In the first half of this year 180,000 asylum claims were registered - double the number for the corresponding period of 2014.
An official estimate, reported by the Tagesschau news website, says German spending on asylum seekers will reach at least €5bn (£3.5bn; $5.5bn) this year, up from €2.2bn in 2014.
The Bavarian Prime Minister, Horst Seehofer of the conservative CSU, said the regions "need a massive increase in funds, the federal government has to do significantly more" to handle the burden of asylum seekers.
Meanwhile, the number of attacks on migrant hostels in Germany so far this year - 202 - outstrips the number for the whole of last year (198), the German Interior Ministry reports. Most of the attacks were blamed on far right, anti-immigration militants.
The anti-immigration Pegida movement held a 2,000-strong rally in the eastern city of Dresden on Monday night.
Pegida opposes a temporary refugee centre - a new tent city - set up last week in the city's Friedrichstadt district. In recent days, there have been fights between far-right activists and refugee supporters in Dresden.
In Mainstockheim, Bavaria, 20 refugees were evacuated from a hostel after scuffles broke out with a group of local people. | German officials are urging action to tackle a surge of asylum seekers from the Balkans, including reintroducing visas and declaring more of the migrants' home countries to be "safe". | 33686505 |
Alastair Hamilton made his comments in an article for the Huffington Post which was published in the US last week.
He wrote: "Clearly Brexit will pose challenges for all of UK and Europe, but it is high time people's opinion of Northern Ireland was based on facts and not fiction."
Mr Hamilton stated Northern Ireland is "thriving" and June's referendum has not "stopped the flow" of foreign direct investment.
However he conceded: "We acknowledge what happens in the coming months and years remains to be seen." | The head of Invest NI has hit back at "pundits pedalling an image of a Northern Ireland on the brink of economic calamity." | 38981623 |
Nine members of the organised crime group were arrested following a joint investigation by North Wales and Cheshire Police.
Nearly 40 burglaries were carried out, with the stolen gold and goods worth over £100,000 taken.
The gold was the focus of thefts due to its high purity - and high value.
Mold Crown Court heard that police carried out surveillance before swooping on the gang in 2015.
The hearing was told the offenders would visit charity shops to buy clothes and trainers - and even Beatles-style wigs - before embarking on planned burglary expeditions.
"We began to develop a picture of the offending group we were dealing with and realised they were organised and sophisticated," said Det Insp Lee Boycott, who helped lead Operation Analogue.
"I believe the gang gathered information on the houses and the people they wish to target. They were not opportunist thieves, but planned meticulously what they did.
"It soon became apparent that overt and covert policing tactics would be required to catch them."
The operation even involved bugging one gang member's car, with one of the conspirators overheard bragging he had so much money he did not know what to do with it.
The thieves would use stolen or cheap cars to cover their tracks, while using bleach to wash down crime scenes to avoid detection.
"Their methods were carefully planned and sophisticated," prosecutor John Philpotts told the sentencing hearing.
Sentencing the nine men, Judge Niclas Parry said they had "caused great concern to the Asian community".
Dr Farookh Jishi, a retired surgeon and leading member of the Asian community in north east Wales, said the burglaries had left people scared in their own homes.
"It has caused a lot of fear and apprehension," he said.
"You know, just going out for a short time to pick children up from school and things, you don't know what to expect when you get back home.
"People have stopped keeping jewellery at home and hire safe deposit boxes.
"Day-to-day life has changed."
Speaking after the sentencing, Det Insp Giles Pierce from Cheshire Police added: "Burglary is a despicable crime as it targets people in the one place they should feel safest-in, their own home. We take any incidents of this nature extremely seriously and the sentences passed down today reflect that." | A gang that targeted gold at the homes of wealthy Asian people across parts of north Wales, Shropshire, Merseyside and Cheshire has been jailed. | 37307359 |
Ana Trujillo, 45, told a judge she "never wanted to kill" Alf Stefan Andersson and acted in self-defence.
But Andersson was struck at least 25 times in the neck and the face inside his Houston flat.
Trujillo had been found guilty of the murder on Tuesday. Jurors spent four hours deliberating on the sentence.
Prosecutor John Jordan asked jurors to deliver a life sentence, the maximum for the crime, saying Trujillo both violently killed Andersson and tried to ruin his reputation by claiming he had abused her.
"Send the message that in our community, when you beat a man to death for no reason, when you come into a courtroom and you slaughter his good name... that we in Texas are going to hold you accountable," Mr Jordan said.
Defence lawyers argued Trujillo had beaten him only in an attempt to get away after an hour-long fight during which she was chased, knocked into a wall and thrown over a sofa.
"I never meant to hurt him," Trujillo said before the judge confirmed the jury's decision. "It was never my intent. I loved him. I wanted to get away. I never wanted to kill him."
Her lawyers asked for a sentence of two years.
During the trial, prosecutors highlighted that Trujillo did not have any injuries after the confrontation, a claim her lawyers contested, while Andersson had defensive wounds on his hands and wrists.
The jury agreed with prosecutors on Friday, finding the crime had not been committed in the heat of sudden passion, which would have limited Trujillo's sentence to no more than 20 years. | A Texas woman has been sentenced to life in prison for stabbing her boyfriend to death with the five-inch (13cm) stiletto heel of her shoe. | 26997530 |
It had been swept away in strong river currents during floods in north-east India before being found in neighbouring Bangladesh.
Locals gave it the name Bangabahadur, meaning Hero of Bengal.
It may have travelled 1,700 km (1,060 miles) but was weakened by its journey and attempts to tranquilise it, and is thought to have had a heart attack.
A post-mortem examination has been ordered.
A local newspaper quoted vet Mustafizur Rahman as saying the elephant had a heart attack - with stress, dehydration and electrolyte imbalance being factors.
After it collapsed, rescuers administered 12 litres of saline but could not revive the animal.
Thought to weigh about four tonnes, the elephant had become progressively weaker after spending weeks in flood waters.
Without proper food the animal gradually lost its strength.
Wildlife officials tried to transport it to a safari park - tranquilising it repeatedly - but failed as the animal could not be tamed.
The Bangladeshi government's chief wildlife conservator Ashit Ranjan Paul told AFP news agency: "We have given our highest effort to save the animal. At least 10 forest rangers, vets and policemen have constantly followed it for the last 48 days.
"But our luck is bad."
Its rescue was dramatic. Once the elephant was tranquillised, it fell into a pond where villagers saved it from drowning and then helped pull it out.
One man was injured after the elephant kicked him.
Floods force thousand of animals to move to higher ground every year in the border areas between the two countries.
The shrinking natural habitat of wildlife animals has made it increasingly difficult for them to move to safer areas during monsoon floods. | A wild elephant that was rescued last week after travelling hundreds of miles from home has died. | 37092325 |
It's a fair bet that clothing or jewellery popped into your head, but how about posh apartments? In fact, the Italian fashion designer is now creating swanky homes around the globe from China to India and the UK.
Similarly surprising examples abound from car firm Bugatti opening clothing stores to fashion designer Vivienne Westwood opening a restaurant in Hong Kong.
And there are countless examples of luxury firms which have lent their name to anything from baby bottles to furniture.
It's a natural move for a company which is successful in one area to try to extend its reach into new ones, and the attractions are obvious.
It can seem "irresistibly profitable, for doing practically nothing," says management consultant and author Peter York, who has been an adviser to many large luxury businesses.
Yet if it isn't done well, branching out from their core business risks harming a luxury firm's reputation.
Mr York cites fashion firm Pierre Cardin as "a cautionary tale".
The Italian-born France-based designer was one of the pioneers of brand licensing and his name is now carried on hundreds of products, from shirts and bottled water to tins of sardines.
While the approach made Mr Cardin - dubbed "the licensing king" - wealthy, with him estimating his private empire was worth €1bn ($1.5bn; £897m) in 2011, some say it has meant the brand is worth less as a result.
Mr Cardin himself however was unapologetic, telling The New York Times: "I've done it all. If someone asked me to do toilet paper, I'd do it. Why not?"
But Mr York says Pierre Cardin is a classic example of stretching a brand too far. "In the end, if you overdo it, your brand is devalued. I think the brands which are most careful have the longest future."
Yet determining when a brand has gone too far is not necessarily clear cut.
A Harvard Business Review study of 150 luxury brand extensions says that the number of new areas a company extends into isn't a problem by itself, but says their success depends on whether they are "adjacent" products: things which have some kind of logical link to the company's main offering.
It's an approach which Italian jewellery and luxury goods firm Bulgari has tried to take.
The firm, which was founded over 130 years ago by a silversmith and started off making jewellery and accessories, became familiar to a wider audience in the fifties and sixties as Rome's large film studio Cinecitta took off.
Roman Holiday, Ben Hur, War and Peace and La Dolce Vita were all shot in the famous studios, and a parade of film stars and producers discovered the Italian brand whilst there, helping to win the brand global recognition.
Elizabeth Taylor, it was reported, knew just one word in Italian: Bulgari.
Bulgari chief executive Jean-Christophe Babin said it was this international reputation that drove it to expand beyond Europe, opening its first flagship store in New York in the 1970s.
Gradually it also moved beyond jewellery into watches, fragrances and eventually bags - all of which Mr Babin said fitted in with the firm's "mission of making the lady more unique, more special".
Yet, more recently, it has made what seems like a rather surprising leap, venturing into the hotel business.
It opened its first hotel in Milan in 2004, and in the 12 years since has opened just two more, although a further three are planned.
Mr Babin says a hotel stay is the "ultimate luxury experience" and suggests that it's similar to the way that its jewellery, often bought to mark a marriage or a birthday, becomes part of an experience.
"The hotel is not something that stays with you forever, but it can create a unique emotion and memory you will keep with you forever," he says.
He believes that if Bulgari's foray into the sector has succeeded it is in part because they've kept the hotels small "as if they were a private house", and limited their number, enabling them to retain tight control over their quality.
"When you move from a core business to a new business, the temptation is often to take it less seriously. We've approached the new businesses in a very authentic way and are treating them as top priorities," he says.
The fact hotels are not the firm's core business has also removed the pressure for a quick return on their investment, he says.
But the real trick, he says is to say no. "For the three [hotels] we're going to open, we've reviewed 50 to 100 projects and we have said no in 97% of cases."
For Silvio Ursini, creative director of the hotels and resorts division, it's even simpler.
"Don't venture into a business just because it's there or you want to grow. Do something only if you have something to say," he says.
This feature is based on interviews by Life of Luxury series producer Neil Koenig. | If the name Giorgio Armani came up in a game of word association, what would you say? | 35857946 |
Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik are heard joking about "illegal substances" as they smoke a rolled-up cigarette in the back of a car.
Tomlinson, who is believed to be filming the five minute video, is heard saying: "So here we are, leaving Peru. Joint lit. Happy days!"
Malik is then passed the "joint" and begins smoking.
The video has been published by the MailOnline which claims it was filmed on 27 April while the singers were being driven through Peru on their way to a concert at the Estadio Nacional in Lima.
Tomlinson, who narrates the video, later pans to a police motorcyclist driving past them and laughs: "He's having a look.
"He's thinking, 'I'm sure I can smell an illegal substance in there'.
"And he's hit the nail on the head."
Possession of a small amount of cannabis is not illegal in Peru.
At one point Tomlinson asks his fellow band member "What do you think about that kind of content?" and Malik responds "Very controversial".
The pair also discuss One Direction's last book, with Malik describing it as "so girly and not cool".
Other band members Harry Styles, Liam Payne, and Niall Horan were not seen in the video.
One Direction's management said: "This matter is in the hands of our lawyers."
One Direction rose to fame as teenagers on The X Factor.
Their latest tour Where We Are began last month in Colombia with the band performing their first date in England as part of the tour in Sunderland on Wednesday.
Following the end of the South American concerts, Malik tweeted: "Touring South America was incredible!! Thankyou! to all of amazing! supportive! Wonderful! Fans!! big love gonna get some rest now :) x"
While Louis wrote: "South America was amazing!! Sooooo good! Thank you to everyone!!"
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube | A video appearing to show two members of One Direction smoking what they call a "joint" has emerged online. | 27599942 |
The Nicaraguan challenged Adrian Hernandez for the WBC World Light-Flyweight title in 2013.
Cardoza has 21 wins from 32 career fights, six coming by knockout.
"Expect fireworks - this is a great opportunity to get my hands on another belt and I'm not going to waste it," said unbeaten Belfast fighter Conlan.
Commonwealth champion Conlan boasts a flawless record of 18 wins, 11 via knockout, and he is targeting a world title shot later in the year.
"I need to get in there and get the job done. My team has really pushed me forward and we've been making some great progress over the past few months," he added.
"There's some huge fights out there for me and I'm going to kick the year off with a new belt around my waist."
Paddy Barnes is also on the Titanic Exhibition Centre bill, with the double Olympic bronze medallist fighting for a second time as a professional. | Yader Cardoza has been announced as Jamie Conlan's opponent for the WBC International Silver Super-Flyweight Championship fight on 18 February. | 38803762 |
The prince visited the Swansea house, 5 Cwmdonkin Drive, Uplands, where Thomas was born and brought up.
The festival, Dylan Thomas 100, aims to highlight the artistic, cultural and commercial importance of Thomas's work.
The director of the film version of his play Under Milk Wood this week gifted its rights to the people of Wales.
Preparations for the centenary of the poet's birth are led by Dylan Thomas 100, a £750,000 programme of events across Wales and beyond.
They include a Wales-wide theatre production tour of A Child's Christmas in Wales, new productions of works including Under Milk Wood and a series of activities centred around the boathouse in Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, where Thomas worked in his final years.
Thomas was born on 27 October 1914 at the family home in Cwmdonkin Drive.
During his visit on Friday, Prince Charles toured the house which has been restored to how it would have looked when the poet lived there with his parents.
The prince was shown the front bedroom where Thomas was born a few months after his family had bought the home.
He admired the authentic Edwardian-era beds as he was taken round by Mrs Haden and asked how she had found them.
"Actually, you have cost me money," she told the prince.
He was told the house renovation took place several years ago at a time when Prince Charles was renovating his farmhouse Llwynywermod near Llandovery.
At the time of buying it, he made a point of using local craftspeople for work and buying authentic period furniture wherever possible.
"You were doing Llwynywermod at the same time we were doing this," Mrs Haden said.
"Ah, competition. I am so sorry," Charles replied.
"I don't hold it against you," she said.
During the tour, the poet's granddaughter Hannah Ellis Thomas joined the prince and the Hadens for tea.
He left the house saying he may ready some Welsh poetry to his unborn grandchild.
Thomas died on 9 November 1953 in New York during his fourth trip to America. He is buried at the village churchyard in Laugharne.
This week the British Council said it aimed to bring the Swansea poet's work to international audiences over the next two years.
The project will be called Starless and Bible Black, after a line from Under Milk Wood.
On Thursday, Andrew Sinclair, who directed the 1972 film Under Milk Wood, starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, gave the rights to the film to a new trust.
It is hoped the royalties will fund cultural and artistic projects and films made in Wales, including new interpretations of Thomas's work. | Prince Charles has become a patron of the year-long festival planned to mark centenary in 2014 of the birth of the poet Dylan Thomas. | 20724277 |
She has also criticised plans by Chancellor George Osborne to introduce what he called a "living wage", saying the proposals did not go far enough.
Mr Osborne pledged to lift the minimum wage from the current hourly rate of £6.50 to £7.20 from next April, gradually rising to £9 by 2020.
The other leader candidates are Jeremy Corbyn, Liz Kendall and Andy Burnham.
At the general election, Labour pledged to lift the minimum wage to £8 an hour by 2020.
But Ms Cooper said the chancellor's figures should be higher and in line with those put forward by the Living Wage Foundation, which currently recommends £7.85 an hour, and £9.15 in London.
She said the rise should be rolled out first to social care workers, and that it could be paid for by closing tax loopholes for large firms and hedge funds.
For adults aged 21 and over the national minimum wage of £6.50 an hour, but for those aged 18 to 20 it is £5.13.
At-a-glance profiles of the four contenders | Care workers should have a higher minimum wage, the Labour leadership contender Yvette Cooper says. | 33839316 |
The album sold a combined total of 37,000 copies - after sales and streaming data were added together.
The Scottish rock band last hit the top of the album chart with Opposites, released in 2013.
Two of this year's Glastonbury headliners - Adele and Coldplay - remained in this week's top five, at numbers two and four respectively.
Drake's album Views jumped into the top five to hit number three, while ELO's All Over The World held its position at number five.
This week's new entries included Wildflower by The Avalanches at number 10 - the band's first album since their 2000 debut.
Elsewhere, Shura landed at number 13 with her debut album Nothing's Real, ahead of Aphex Twin's Cheetah which debuted at number 14.
On the singles chart, Drake's One Dance achieved its 14th week at number one.
The song is catching up with Bryan Adams's Everything I Do (I Do It For You) - which holds the record for the longest consecutive reign at number one, having spent 16 weeks at the summit in 1991.
Drake's closest competitor this week was Don't Let Me Down by Chainsmokers featuring Daya - which climbed five places to number two. Perfect Strangers by Jonas Blue featuring JP Cooper also climbs significantly, jumping 13 places to number three.
Dancing On My Own by Calum Scott and This Girl by Kunks vs Cookin On Three Burners rounded off the top five.
This week's highest new entry came from Olly Murs - who debuted at number 23 with his latest single, You Don't Know Love.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram at bbcnewsents, or email [email protected]. | Biffy Clyro have scored the second UK number one album of their career with their seventh release Ellipsis. | 36806993 |
Bennie Hart says the point of the plate is to show the impossibility of disproving anyone's claim to being God.
But transport chiefs in the religiously conservative state ruled that it might distract other drivers and would be in bad taste.
Civil liberties campaigners have taken up Mr Hart's legal case.
He says he had the same number plate when he lived in the state of Ohio for 12 years without any problems.
"I simply want the same opportunity to select a personal message for my licence plate just as any other driver," said Mr Hart, who lives in Kenton County, northern Kentucky.
"There is nothing obscene or vulgar about my view that religious beliefs are subject to individual interpretation."
The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky (ACLU-KY) and the Freedom From Religion Foundation have filed a lawsuit on Mr Hart's behalf against state transportation secretary Greg Thomas on grounds of free speech.
ACLU-KY Legal Director William Sharp said that under the US First Amendment, government officials "do not have the authority to censor messages simply because they dislike them".
"And in this instance, personalised licence plates are a form of individual speech equally deserving of First Amendment protection," he said.
Kentucky transport authorities declined to comment on the case. | An American atheist is suing officials in the US state of Kentucky after he was refused a personalised car number plate which reads "IM GOD". | 38072149 |
Stephen Pike, 58, is accused of stabbing Clint Simms, 39, to death in Ely, on 3 March.
Mr Pike, of Ely, appeared at Cardiff Magistrates' Court on Monday charged with murder and possession of a bladed article in a public place.
He spoke only to confirm his name and was remanded in custody to appear at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday. | A man has appeared in court charged with murdering a father-of-five in Cardiff. | 35745589 |
It predicted that growth would pick up to 1.7% next year, from 1.5% this year.
However, the IMF warned that the region was still "vulnerable to shocks".
This could tip the block into "prolonged stagnation," the fund said in its latest assessment of the region.
It cited uncertainty arising from the situation in Greece as a potential trigger for such a shock, saying that further volatility from the situation could not be ruled out.
Greece is currently negotiating its third bailout with creditors.
"Several factors cloud the outlook for growth over the next five years," said the IMF's Mahmood Pradhan.
"These include high unemployment, especially among the youth; large corporate debt; and rising non-performing loans in the banking system.
"A moderate shock to confidence - whether from lower expected future growth or heightened geopolitical tensions - could tip the block into prolonged stagnation," he said,
Inflation would remain near zero in 2015 and rise to 1.1% in 2016, the IMF predicted.
Earlier this year, the ECB launched a €60bn-a-month asset-buying programme in an attempt to stimulate the economy and avoid deflation.
The IMF praised the plan, saying it had boosted confidence and improved financial conditions, and suggested that it should remain in place until September 2016, if not longer.
The message from the IMF is that the eurozone has more work to do. And it is not just the obvious calls for reform of the structure of the eurozone and for further work from the countries that have struggled.
There is a call for Germany to do more - not screaming out from the headlines of the report it must be said, but it is there.
The IMF refers to countries with what it calls excessive current account surpluses - which means international trade in goods and services and some financial flows.
It says they should invest more in infrastructure and, less directly, it suggests that they should boost demand. The report names Germany and the Netherlands as countries where these surpluses are continuing to grow.
These imbalances have a wider significance for the eurozone. Having such a surplus means the countries concerned have the capacity to import more from, among others, their eurozone neighbours, who could use any extra help they can get. | The outlook for the eurozone has improved, says the International Monetary Fund (IMF), thanks to a falling oil price, a weaker euro and action taken by the European Central Bank (ECB). | 33669031 |
The bodies of two men, aged 22 and 42, were found last week, one in woodland off Fenside Road, Boston, the other at a house in Union Road in the town.
Officers arrested a 17-year-old at a property on Brady Street on Friday on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A drugs.
He has been bailed until 24 May.
In a statement, the force said the men "had both been involved in the use of heroin and one line of inquiry is that they suffered an adverse reaction to a particular batch".
Lincolnshire Police said the arrest was part of a "wider investigation into the deaths." | Police have confirmed the arrest of a teenager is part of an investigation into two deaths linked to a "particular batch" of heroin. | 35957695 |
He said there had been "no fallings out" and he had "spent some of the best years" of his life with them.
However, he did not want to commit to making and promoting a new record.
The original band formed in 1990, split up in 1996 and four of the five members re-formed for a successful comeback in 2005. The fifth founder member, Robbie Williams, rejoined briefly in 2010.
Orange's bandmates, Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen, said his departure was "a huge loss".
Orange's statement read: "I want to start by saying how proud I am of what we have achieved together over the years.
"However, at a band meeting last week I confirmed to Mark, Gary and Howard that I do not wish to commit to recording and promoting a new album."
He also thanked his fans, calling them "beautiful and ever-loyal".
A joint statement from the remaining bandmates said: "We first became aware of Jason's reservations a couple of years ago but had hoped that by giving him the desired time and space he may begin to feel differently.
"This has not been the case and we now have to accept and fully respect his decision which we know hasn't been an easy one."
After they got back together, the band were briefly rejoined by Robbie Williams for the 2010 album Progress.
Orange said: "I know how much Mark, Gary and Howard enjoy writing and making music.
"They know that they have my full support and encouragement to continue on with what is to be another chapter for the band."
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube | Jason Orange has announced he has left Take That and will not be recording a new album with the band. | 29356560 |
Mindaugas Knyza, 37, squirted the sauce and threw chips in the Hungry Knight fast food restaurant in Sneem, County Kerry, for 15 minutes.
Knyza pleaded guilty, but avoided a conviction, after agreeing to pay €500 (£370) to a court poor box.
"I ordered chips - I don't know what happened," he said, appearing to shrug his shoulders.
The judge said: "Nobody wants to hire a chef with a conviction - especially for squirting tomato and mustard sauce all over the place."
Police were called to the incident on 20 September, last year.
Knyza, a resident of Sneem Holiday Village, told the court he worked as a chef at a hotel.
The judge said Knyza appeared to be "blasé" about the charge.
He warned him that he should consider making a contribution to the court poor box to avoid a conviction.
The judge adjourned the matter briefly and Knyza decided to consult with his solicitor.
He then offered €500 to the court and this was accepted.
The judge gave him until next October to pay. | A chef frightened staff at a chip shop by squirting tomato ketchup, a court has been told. | 32554787 |
There are also plans to bring the pier's theatre back into use as a music venue and new boat moorings.
South Parade Pier Ltd, who bought the Victorian pier in Southsea in 2014, hope to submit plans to Portsmouth City Council this month.
The pier would be a year-round attraction and could open in 2016.
Project co-ordinator Malcolm Belcher said: "It's a vision. It's the owners' ideas of what it could look like.
"Running alongside that is a planning application which will go into the council and that will go towards planning consent for the changes."
"Critical" structural work on the pier is "95%" complete and work to start refurbishing the buildings was due to start imminently.
Mr Belcher said there would be "significant investment" in the project, but declined to say how much.
If plans are approved the Victorian pier could be fully opened to the public next summer.
The Grade-II listed pier was closed in 2012 after being deemed "a danger to the public" and at risk of collapsing.
Mr Belcher said he hoped the prohibitive notice imposed by the council would be lifted soon.
South Parade Pier Ltd bought the pier for an undisclosed sum.
The consortium took control of the pier from previous owners SSP South Coast Ltd in early 2014, before the sale was completed, and started an emergency repair plan to save it. | A zip wire, big wheel and a roof top restaurant are part of a multi-million pound "vision" to transform a derelict Hampshire pier. | 33005311 |
Health Minister Mark Drakeford said £2m would be spent to cut waiting times for young people with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
He said the aim was to ensure "those with highest levels of clinical need are seen in a more timely manner".
An extra £600,000 will tackle diagnosis delays for all ages, improve training, and boost education and job prospects.
Meleri Thomas, from the National Autistic Society Cymru, said it had "long been campaigning with our supporters for the Welsh government and the NHS to address the distressing and unacceptable long waits for a diagnostic assessment in Wales".
"Some of our branch members report that they have had to wait an astonishing seven years for a diagnosis, which has a clear damaging knock-on effect in terms of ensuring that a child can access the right help early," she said.
"We will be looking carefully at the detail of these plans to ensure there is clarity for parents and individuals about how long they will now be expected to wait and to make sure they can access the right sort of help post diagnosis."
The spokeswoman said NAS Cymru was calling for an Autism Act for Wales to ensure children and adults across the country can get the support they need to reach their potential. | People with autism are being promised better diagnosis and support in a one-year action plan to improve services. | 32749697 |
Gemma Bagshaw, who was heavily pregnant at the time, and husband Ben have lived in a rented flat since last October.
They were among four families who had been unable to return to their homes after the the 33ft (10m) deep hole appeared in Fontmell Close, St Albans.
It will be the first time their son Finley, who was born a week after the sinkhole appeared, has been home.
The one-year-old looked on as St Albans mayor Frances Leonard cut a ribbon to mark the reopening of the cul-de-sac.
His father Ben said it will be "lovely" to be home together for Christmas.
Following the collapse in the early hours of 1 October, families in more than 50 homes were left without power, water or sanitation before temporary solutions were provided for the majority.
The Bagshaws were evacuated on the night and left the house, with heavily pregnant Mrs Bagshaw clutching her hospital bag.
Finley was born a week later and for the past year they have been renting a flat with the cost covered by their insurance.
"It was just really shocking, we were both on edge, my wife was almost ready to have her first baby and we'd suddenly just seen the road collapse around us," Mr Bagshaw said.
"The fact we've got [back] in December is going to be a real big win for us and it's going to be a lovely first Christmas at home for the new baby - it's going to be like a new house to us."
Fontmell Close is on the site of a former claypit, and mine workings have been blamed for the road's collapse.
The hole was filled with 48 lorry-loads of foamed concrete but before permanent repairs could be carried out, investigators had to ensure there was no further cause for concern.
Richard Knight from Hertsfordshire County Council said: "This probably is one of the safest roads in Hertfordshire now because we've done 40-odd bore holes to make sure what is under the road.
"We coordinated with all the utility companies to make sure everything was done properly but quickly." | A family who were evacuated from their home when a sinkhole opened up outside have finally returned 14 months later. | 38169084 |
He told a conference of independent school heads that parentage dictates progress in England more than in any other country.
But there need be no difference in educational performance between pupils from poor and wealthier homes, he said.
Other countries were already closing the achievement gap, he added.
Research suggests children from poor homes are already behind by the the time they start school, and that the achievement gap widens as they progress through their education.
At GCSE there remains a "stubborn and unchanging gap in achievement" between the number of disadvantaged pupils who achieve five good GCSEs - including English and maths - and the rest of the population.
Speaking at a conference at independent Brighton College, in East Sussex, Mr Gove said it did not need to be this way.
He cited evidence of other countries closing and even eradicating the attainment gap.
He said: "Deprived pupils in Hong Kong and Shanghai, who struggle with challenges far greater and more debilitating than any we know here, achieve as highly as their English peers from the most comfortable homes.
"Only 24% of disadvantaged students in the UK perform better than expected compared with 76% in Shanghai, 72% in Hong Kong and 46% in Finland.
"The OECD average is 31% - putting the UK well behind countries like Poland, Greece, Slovenia, Mexico and Chile when it comes to making opportunity more equal."
Mr Gove added: "Despite the evidence that other nations are closing the gap between rich and poor through great state schooling, some in this country still argue that pupil achievement is overwhelmingly dictated by socio-economic factors.
"They say that deprivation means destiny - that schools are essentially impotent in the face of overwhelming force of circumstance - and that we can't expect children to succeed if they have been born into poverty, disability or disadvantage."
Mr Gove said he did not accept this, adding that there were a growing number of schools "proving that deprivation need not be destiny - that with the right teaching and the right values they can outperform everyone's expectations".
Research has suggested there are more than 440 secondary schools where the average GCSE point score for children on free school meals - a key measure of poverty - is higher than the national average for all children.
Mr Gove said: "What they share is an unwavering, unapologetic focus on standards.
"Led by inspirational heads and teachers, every day these schools are proving the pessimists and fatalists wrong."
He continued: "They show us all that there need be no difference in performance - none whatsoever - between pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds and those from wealthier homes.
"They show us that a difficult start in life can be overcome, with hard work and good teaching."
Mr Gove said the government must stand for "aspiration, ambition, hard work and excellence - for success based on merit and a celebration of those who do succeed".
He said he knew the government was making progress when he heard opposition from what he described as vested interests in the trade unions and local government.
Shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg said: "Launching another attack on the teaching profession is not the way to close the gap between poorer and richer pupils.
"The truth is that the government's key measure - the pupil premium - is not being targeted at the poorest children because many schools are using it to plug holes in their budgets."
But general secretary of the NASUWT union Chris Keates said: "Coalition ministers are becoming more and more frantic as their flawed ideological policies, which are creating a lost generation of children and young people and plunging millions into poverty, are exposed."
NUT general secretary Christine Blower said: "Michael Gove is right to highlight the fact that the UK has a 'profoundly unequal society'.
"It is a great shame that the Coalition government's policies will do nothing to alter this fact, and in many cases will make matters even worse.
"Cutting the Education Maintenance Allowance and raising the cost of university tuition fees has meant that for many poorer pupils further or higher education is not an option.
"This is a decision based not on their educational achievements but on their family's economic abilities to keep them in education." | Education Secretary Michael Gove has attacked an English culture that accepts poverty limits the achievements of poor children. | 18020187 |
Many environmentalists believe capitalism - and the financial architecture that supports it - is the source of the climate change problem, rather than a potential solution.
That is a mistake.
Because if anything is likely to save us all from the catastrophe that is uncontrolled global warming, it is global capitalism.
Some of you may think that sounds like opinion, but hear me out.
It is my contention - held for some time - that global capitalism is the only engine (if you'll excuse the pun) capable of driving the transformation towards a low-carbon economy.
And the good news is that it is already happening.
There are two key reasons.
The first is the collapse in the price of solar energy.
The cost of generating a kilowatt-hour of electricity from solar in a reasonably sunny country is expected to be the same as that from a coal-fired power station within a year or two.
Indeed, In India - where I currently live - some producers are now selling solar-generated electricity for the knockdown price of just 4.34 rupees (4.5 pence; 7 cents) a kilowatt-hour!
But the other reason is international finance - and here's where it gets interesting.
The economics of renewable energy are very different from those of other sources of power.
Unlike coal, gas or nuclear power stations, renewable sources don't have to pay anything for their fuel. The sun, wind or water comes - pretty much - free.
That transforms the nature of the investment decision.
Just think for a moment about what it means.
With traditional fossil fuel power plants, the investment case will be made as a balance between the costs of building the power station, the future price of electricity and a projection of the future costs of the fuel needed to keep it producing power.
With renewables it is almost all about the initial capital cost - how much it costs to build the thing in the first place - and the electricity price.
That means the cost of solar in the long run is a combination of the cost of the panels, the price of electricity and - crucially - the long-term cost of borrowing the money you need to buy and install them.
That created a big problem with getting the investment needed for renewable technologies in developing countries, because these tend to have much higher interest rates than more advanced economies.
At the moment, for example, long-term interest rates in most of the developed world are bumping along just above zero percent a year - meaning so long as you can persuade someone to lend you cash, you are going to get it for a couple of percent a year.
Meanwhile here in India the bank base rate is 6.5%, and even that is historically low.
So how does that affect investment in solar and other renewables?
It means it is way more expensive, and therefore much less likely to be profitable.
Let's say my new solar plant costs the rupee equivalent of - say - $1m to build.
I'm going to be paying an absolute minimum of $70,000 a year in interest (if I'm very creditworthy and very lucky) - compared to the $30,000 or so you are likely to pay in the West.
Most investors in solar in India are paying more like 10% or 12%, according to industry insiders.
In effect, money is the most expensive input.
What that means is that it is going to take more than just tumbling solar prices to get people to invest.
And that is where a radical plan by the Indian Power Minister, Piyush Goyal, comes in.
In London last week he said India is open to the idea of pricing solar tariffs in dollars, yen and euros.
So instead of being paid for the power you generate in rupees, now you will be able to get dollars, yen or euros.
Why is that important?
What it does is strip out the currency risk - the danger that all your profits will be eaten up if the exchange rate goes against you - and the danger that inflation will erode away the real value of the cash.
That, in turn, means it will be much easier to raise money in low-interest countries to invest in solar and other renewables in India.
And that means returns - profits - are likely to be much higher, even if the cost of solar electricity remains low - check out the tables in this excellent article.
And high profits are what lures in money, and money is (of course) what's needed if these plants are going to be built at all.
India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has said he wants to see 100 gigawatts of solar capacity built in the next five years.
No country has ever built solar at that rate and it would leave India with three times the solar capacity of Germany.
But innovative financing deals like Mr Goyal's may be just what it takes to make his ambitious plan a reality.
And if you don't agree with that sentiment, let's debate it. I'm @BBCJustinR on Twitter. | For some reason green campaigners don't tend to be very interested in international finance. | 36140300 |
The man was pronounced dead at the scene after emergency services were called to Marine Court on the Marina, St Leonards, at about 09:00 GMT.
His death was being treated as suspicious, a spokesman for Sussex Police said.
A 54-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder. Any witnesses are asked to come forward. | A man has been arrested over the death of a 93-year-old man who fell from a seafront flat. | 39259092 |
14 March 2016 Last updated at 00:18 GMT
Brands rarely advertise openly and their range is limited. But as Indian women become more financially independent, things are slowly changing.
One of the biggest names in this $3bn dollar market is Zivame - an e-commerce site that says it sells two bras every minute.
Shilpa Kannan asked founder Richa Kar why she chose to sell lingerie. | Lingerie shopping in India has always been shrouded in secrecy. | 35799408 |
The agency began issuing permits for the testing of autonomous vehicles in September 2014.
Three of the four cars belonged to Google, the fourth to parts supplier Delphi.
Both firms denied their vehicles had been at fault.
Under Californian law, details of car accidents remain confidential.
However, Google said its driverless cars had never been the cause of an accident, and that the majority of "minor fender-benders" had been in the form of rear-end collisions from other drivers.
"Safety is our highest priority. Since the start of our programme six years ago, we've driven nearly a million miles autonomously, on both freeways and city streets, without causing a single accident," said a spokesperson.
Delphi told the BBC its vehicle was hit while stationary at a crossroads and was in manual driving mode at the time.
"A police report indicates the fault of the accident is with the second vehicle, not Delphi. No-one was hurt in the incident," said a spokesperson.
An anonymous source told the Associated Press that two of the accidents occurred while the vehicles were occupied by human drivers, and all four vehicles were going very slowly at the time of the collisions.
Chris Urmson, director of Google's self driving car programme, wrote in a blog post that there have been 11 accidents involving Google cars since the project began six years ago but not one has been caused by one of its vehicles.
"Rear-end crashes are the most frequent accidents in America, and often there's little the driver in front can do to avoid getting hit," he said. | Four out of the 48 self-driving cars on public roads in California have been involved in accidents in the last eight months, according to the state's Department of Motor Vehicles. | 32691887 |
The South African batsman has hit a record-equalling 29 sixes in Glamorgan's 14 matches so far.
Seven of those came in a superb 101 against Essex on 29 July - the Welsh county's last outing in the tournament.
"I've never though of myself as a six-hitting machine," left-hander Ingram told BBC Wales Sport.
"It's nice and hopefully if I spend time in the middle they just come, but I've got to worry about the first couple of balls to get in first!"
Glamorgan face Yorkshire Vikings at the SSE Swalec in Cardiff in their first quarter final at home for 12 years.
Wicketkeeper Mark Wallace played in that game against Warwickshire in 2004 and is expecting a different atmosphere in Cardiff this time.
"The quarter-final we played here against Warwickshire was nowhere the sort of pressurised big game this one will be," he said.
"That was a lot more relaxed. It was a totally different beast then, and this will be the first big game we've had here since - so it'll be good to see this place with as big a crowd as possible." | Big-hitting Colin Ingram stands on the verge of T20 Blast history as Glamorgan take on Yorkshire in the quarter final on Thursday. | 37038319 |
Giggs, 43, is embroiled in a dispute over money after the breakdown of his marriage to wife Stacey.
Mr Justice Cobb, who is presiding over the High Court hearings, heard Giggs will call witnesses to back his claims.
Millionaires must show "an X factor" to avoid an even split in marital assets.
Jo Edwards, an expert in family court litigation, said wealthy people are required to prove they have made a special contribution to avoid the marital pot being split evenly in two.
Mr Justice Cobb said Mrs Giggs could call witnesses at the Family Division of London's High Court to "reply" to the former Wales international's argument for the lion's share of their marital fortune.
No-one likely to be called as a witness was identified at a hearing earlier, when Mr Justice Cobb analysed preliminary issues in the case.
Giggs made a record 952 appearances for Manchester United, scoring 168 goals in a decorated career that saw him win 25 major honours including 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League winner's medals.
The judge will probably be asked to decide how big a share of the marital asset kitty Mrs Giggs should get if agreement is not reached.
He said a trial was unlikely to take place for some time. | Former Manchester United footballer Ryan Giggs will argue he made a "special contribution" to the creation of wealth during his marriage, a divorce court judge has been told. | 39566057 |
Four pints of semi-skimmed milk will drop 11% to 89p, while some bread brand prices will fall by 21%, the firm said.
New chief executive David Potts said the cuts would mean prices for "cupboard essentials will be amongst the lowest on the market."
The move is part of a bitter price war among supermarkets as they battle for customers.
The rise of discounters, such as Aldi and Lidl, and the growth of online shopping has hit all the "big four" supermarkets which as well as Morrisons includes Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda.
But Morrisons has been hit particularly hard.
Last year its profits halved - taking it to the lowest level for eight years. Following the dire annual results, Morrisons said it would commit a billion pounds over the next three years to lowering prices.
It followed similar moves from its rivals, with Asda committing £300m to lowering prices in the first three months of the year, Sainsbury's investing £150m to reduce the cost of 1,000 products and Tesco dropping prices on 2,500 "essentials".
A typical basket of everyday items is now 2.1% cheaper than it was in 2014, with all major retailers offering cheaper like-for-like goods, according to analyst Kantar Worldpanel.
While the major supermarkets struggle, discounters Aldi and Lidl continue to grab market share.
Lidl reached a new record high market share of 3.9%, according to Kantar figures up to 24 May, while Aldi has increased its share to 5.4%. | Morrisons, the UK's fourth largest supermarket, is cutting prices of 200 "everyday items" by up to a third. | 33039359 |
It's not just that health professionals and, more importantly, some members of the public are reporting that the strains on the NHS in England are intensifying, causing stress, anxiety, and in some cases, medical harm.
It's not just that the NHS is one of the few issues on which the Labour Party can unite behind Jeremy Corbyn to ramp up pressure on the prime minister.
It's not even just that the boss of the NHS in England, Simon Stevens, today drove coach and horses through Theresa May's consistent claim that the health service has received more than the public money it requested.
No, the building political pressure on the government over its handling of the problems in hospitals and elderly care is especially dangerous for Mrs May because, for years, the NHS has been a vulnerability for the Tories, with voters reluctant to trust them on health over Labour.
Remember this? David Cameron's "NH-Yes" slogan from 2007. It was slightly cringing as a mantra, but the political reasoning was straightforward.
As part of his efforts to modernise the Tories when he took over as leader, and to - as it was always described - "detoxify" the brand, trying to persuade voters the NHS was safe in his hands was critical.
Time and again it was an issue he turned to. Time and again, often criticised for it, he referred to his own family's experiences with the service as evidence of his personal commitment. That explained too the Tories' last-minute move to ring fence NHS spending, an enormously expensive commitment.
The risk for Mrs May now is that what seems to be happening in wards, corridors and on trolleys around England, could inflame old perceptions she herself so memorably identified, that some voters see the Conservatives as the "nasty party" - willing to let public services deteriorate, frankly, not to care.
She seems, right now, unwilling to acknowledge what many identify as a grave situation for the NHS. Her remarks today that there were "unacceptable" things happening only in a small number of places may come to haunt her.
At a time when the prime minister wants voters to believe that her government is concerned most of all with the welfare of ordinary families, allowing a perception to grow that she is ignoring the health service's problems is a danger indeed.
There's also a huge debate waiting to happen about what's realistic in the long term, which we've discussed before. But what's happening in the NHS in the here and now throws up significant political risk before those conversations can even get started. | Dangerous, possibly, very dangerous. | 38590170 |
The 26-year-old has won 44 caps for Australia and has been playing Top 14 rugby in France since 2015.
O'Connor was arrested in Paris, and subsequently suspended by his club in February for drug offences but has since returned to playing.
"He is a world-class, versatile back that will add a lot to our game," said Sharks director of rugby Steve Diamond.
"He is the type of player that, alongside a group of incredibly talented home grown lads, will help us a club to push on and achieve the vision of our owners Simon Orange and Ged Mason."
O'Connor has previously played in the Premiership for London Irish and also has Super Rugby experience in the southern hemisphere with Western Force, Melbourne Rebels and Queensland Reds.
Although O'Connor can play a number of positions, BBC Sport understands Sale have signed him to play primarily at fly-half next season.
"I have no doubt Steve Diamond and the coaching staff at Sale will help O'Connor channel his talent to help him and the club achieve something really special, and I know he is looking forward to getting started with the lads," said co-owner Orange.
"We have put down good foundations and we are excited to see James O'Connor add that extra bit of sparkle we have been looking for." | Premiership side Sale Sharks have signed utility back James O'Connor from Toulon on a three-year contract. | 39923813 |
Alex McFarlane, 50, of Wood Green, Basildon, Essex, admitted seven offences, including one related to driving at 109mph in a 50mph area, Essex Police said.
A court heard he had had a nervous breakdown resulting in debts which he could not repay if unable to drive.
The law states drivers with more than 12 points on a licence within a three-year period can face disqualification.
Construction manager McFarlane initially denied seven counts of failing to give information in relation to driving offences when questioned by police.
He later changed his plea to guilty, and he was given six points for each of the counts.
His six speeding offences also included driving at 32mph in a 20mph zone, Essex Police said. The seventh offence involved going through a red light.
The offences took place between June and August 2014.
Southend magistrates agreed not to ban McFarlane from driving after he claimed mitigating circumstances including "exceptional hardship" due to loss of income.
Magistrates heard he had had a nervous breakdown since the incidents, during which time he had built up considerable debts.
He told the court he would lose both his home and his job, and be unable to pay his debts if he lost his licence.
McFarlane was given 42 points on his licence and fined £150 for each offence.
He was warned if caught speeding again he would automatically be disqualified from driving, Essex Police said. | A man with 42 points on his licence has been allowed to continue driving. | 33378386 |
But the Championship's top scorer, Dwight Gayle, is expected to miss out because of a hamstring problem.
QPR will include new signings Sean Goss and Luke Freeman, who joined from Manchester United and Bristol City.
Another new arrival, Matt Smith, is ineligible, while defenders Steven Caulker (hip) and Jack Robinson (hamstring) are sidelined. | Newcastle are expected to bring back first-team regulars after making nine changes for the FA Cup loss at Oxford. | 38740357 |
Lecturers and students have translated essays about free speech and are publishing them as a free e-book.
Caroline Warman, associate professor in French, says she wants the texts to be used in debates about freedom.
She says marchers after the attacks in Paris carried quotes by Voltaire.
Dr Warman has headed a group of more than 100 students and staff at Oxford who have translated quotes and essays by French and other European writers.
It is an intellectual response challenging the ideas behind the "intolerable" attack at the office of the satirical magazine last year, which killed 12 people.
As a riposte to last year's attack by Islamist extremists, French academics produced a collection of essays called Tolerance.
The Oxford academics have produced their own version in English, drawing on 18th Century writers and philosophers.
Dr Warman, from Jesus College, Oxford, says Voltaire's "pithy slogans about free speech and religious tolerance" were used after the attacks as a way for people to "reiterate their values and express their grief".
"His face appeared on posters and banners in marches and vigils throughout France."
Dr Warman says that 18th Century authors, writing about persecution, the boundaries of liberty and freedom of expression, have great resonance in the modern era.
As well as Voltaire, the collection includes pieces by Diderot, Montesquieu and Rousseau, on topics such as slavery, religious intolerance and the rights of individuals, in essays including Free thinking, Universal Tolerance and the satirical On the horrible danger of reading.
It also includes Italian writer Cesare Beccaria, who said: "Freedom disappears the instant laws make it possible in certain circumstances for man to stop being a person and become a thing."
Dr Warman wants such writers to be brought to a wider public and to use them to debate issues raised by the Charlie Hebdo attacks, such as "What are the limits of free speech? Why is tolerance important? Why is respect for others important? Why is exploitation unacceptable?"
She says these texts can provide a better appreciation of "our European heritage... which can help us understand the problems the world faces today". | Academics at Oxford University are using Voltaire and other historical defenders of free speech to mark the first anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris. | 35242876 |
Users of the BBC News app tap here to take the quiz. | Each state within America has different laws regulating the purchase and possession of guns, but which firearms are banned across the US? | 34450218 |
The away team took the lead two minutes after half-time when Luke Leahy was able to slot home a James Wilson cross.
The lead was cancelled out when Pitman's powerful penalty beat the outstretching arms of Mark Gillespie.
Walsall captain Adam Chambers was lucky to stay on the pitch after his reckless tackle on Portsmouth's Adam May in the second minute and had the home fans calling for a red card.
Referee Brett Huxtable disagreed and only awarded a yellow. Both teams were attacking but both failed to break the deadlock.
Walsall could have taken an early lead but Leahy saw his 30-yard powerful shot fly wide of the goal.
Pompey had to wait until the 31st minute for their best effort of the first half.
The home side could have won it in the dying moments but Pitman failed to get his chance on target, sending the ball just over.
Match report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Portsmouth 1, Walsall 1.
Second Half ends, Portsmouth 1, Walsall 1.
Brett Pitman (Portsmouth) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Florent Cuvelier (Walsall).
Corner, Walsall. Conceded by Gareth Evans.
Foul by Jack Whatmough (Portsmouth).
Nicky Devlin (Walsall) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Brett Pitman (Portsmouth) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Brett Pitman (Portsmouth).
Luke Leahy (Walsall) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Attempt missed. Brett Pitman (Portsmouth) right footed shot from the centre of the box is just a bit too high.
Foul by Brandon Haunstrup (Portsmouth).
Nicky Devlin (Walsall) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Adam May (Portsmouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Nicky Devlin (Walsall).
Attempt blocked. Adam May (Portsmouth) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Corner, Portsmouth. Conceded by Luke Leahy.
Attempt missed. Brett Pitman (Portsmouth) right footed shot from the left side of the box is just a bit too high.
Substitution, Walsall. Simeon Jackson replaces Amadou Bakayoko.
Attempt missed. Adam Chambers (Walsall) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
Goal! Portsmouth 1, Walsall 1. Brett Pitman (Portsmouth) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom right corner.
Penalty Portsmouth. Nicke Kabamba draws a foul in the penalty area.
Penalty conceded by Mark Gillespie (Walsall) after a foul in the penalty area.
Attempt missed. Brett Pitman (Portsmouth) left footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Corner, Portsmouth. Conceded by James Wilson.
Substitution, Walsall. Florent Cuvelier replaces Kieron Morris.
Attempt blocked. Amadou Bakayoko (Walsall) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Attempt saved. Amadou Bakayoko (Walsall) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Amadou Bakayoko (Walsall) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Christian Burgess (Portsmouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Amadou Bakayoko (Walsall).
Substitution, Portsmouth. Curtis Main replaces Milan Lalkovic.
Substitution, Portsmouth. Nicke Kabamba replaces Kal Naismith.
Attempt missed. Adam May (Portsmouth) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left.
Jack Whatmough (Portsmouth) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Nicky Devlin (Walsall) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Nicky Devlin (Walsall).
Attempt missed. Kyle Bennett (Portsmouth) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left.
Jon Guthrie (Walsall) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Milan Lalkovic (Portsmouth) wins a free kick in the attacking half. | Brett Pitman scored a late penalty to save a point for Portsmouth in a 1-1 draw with Walsall at Fratton Park. | 40907956 |
The all-rounder, 34, will lead the side in all formats, succeeding Kumar Sangakkara, who quit after the World Cup final defeat by India in April.
Former captain Marvan Atapattu, 40, has been named batting coach for the tour.
But the selectors have postponed naming a replacement for Mahela Jayawardene as vice-captain because a number of prospective candidates are injured.
All-rounder Angelo Mathews, 23, has been tipped to take over the role, but he is nursing a side strain suffered during the World Cup semi-final win over New Zealand.
Dilshan has led his country once before, during last June's tour of Zimbabwe, when his team won the final of a one-day tri-series which also featured India.
However, he has never previously captained the side in a Test match.
The opening batsman was the leading scorer during the World Cup - which Sri Lanka co-hosted along with India and Bangladesh - with 500 runs at an average of 62.50.
He also took eight wickets at 15.75 with his right-arm off-spin as his side made it to the final before losing by six wickets to India.
His predecessor Sangakkara resigned the captaincy three days after the defeat in Mumbai, citing the need for a younger leader be put in place to guide the side through to the 2015 World Cup.
Sangakkara replaced Jayawardene as captain in March 2009, with the latter reverting to vice-captain.
However, Jayawardene too quit his role in the aftermath of the recent World Cup, after becoming the first player to score a century in the final and end up on the losing side.
The country's four selectors, headed by former national skipper Aravinda de Silva, also resigned after the tournament.
Sangakkara had initially offered to stay on as interim Test captain while a successor was found for the shorter formats.
Dilshan is also famous for popularising the "Dilscoop" - a scoop over the wicketkeeper's head - at the ICC World Twenty20 in England in 2009, when Sri Lanka were losing finalists and Dilshan was named as player of the tournament.
Media playback is not supported on this device | Tillakaratne Dilshan has been appointed captain of Sri Lanka for next month's tour of England. | 13117342 |
The study is a "major breakthrough" and marks a "turning point" in hepatitis C treatment, said experts.
More than 200,000 people are infected with hepatitis in the UK, and deaths from the infection have increased threefold since 1996.
Only 3% of patients in the UK currently opt for the existing treatment, which only works half of the time.
Hepatitis C is a virus that can infect and damage the liver.
It is passed on by the blood, or bodily fluids of an infected person, and can be transferred through tattoo needles, or people taking drugs and sharing needles.
Researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Centre tested the new oral drug in 380 patients at 78 centres in Spain, Germany, England and the US in 2013.
Two studies were carried out, one in patients for 12 weeks, and another, for 24 weeks.
The patients had liver cirrhosis, indicating an advanced form of the virus.
After 12 weeks, 191 of 208 patients no longer had hepatitis C, which increased to 165 of 172 patients, or 96%, after 24 weeks.
Lead researcher, Dr Fred Poordad said: "It is fantastic. I am so excited for the patients. There is finally hope for their future."
He said the drug worked by targeting the protein that makes hepatitis C and stopping it from replicating.
"Eventually the virus is extinguished," he said.
The study worked for patients with genotype 1 infections, which account for 45% of infections in the UK. The other 45% are a genotype 3. Genotype 2 is less common.
The side affects were fatigue, headaches and nausea.
Current treatment for hepatitis C can include a year's worth of injections and involve side-effects such as depression, tiredness and feeling sick. It also is not safe for many people with cirrhosis, said Dr Poordad.
Gkikas Magiorkinis, consultant physician in medical virology at the University of Oxford, said treating the patients with cirrhosis was a "major breakthrough".
Concerns over the high toxicity and low efficiency of current treatment had meant it was not widely been applied.
"It remains to evidence the benefit of the treatment in patients with advanced liver disease," Mr Magiorkinis said.
However the study did not show if the probability of cancer dropped in the long term, if cirrhosis was reversed or progression to total liver failure slowed.
Whether or not the treatment prevented further transmission in the public was also yet to be seen, he added.
Charles Gore, chief executive at the Hepatitis C Trust, said: "This is a turning point. I think it is incredibly exciting. We suddenly have the opportunity to eliminate the virus in the UK - even without a vaccine."
Mr Gore said whether or not the disease could be eliminated would be down to political will, which he said was lacking in the UK.
He said although the study involved genotype 1, treatments for genotypes 2 and 3 were "close behind", he said.
Mr Gore said treatment could reach the UK later this year. | A new treatment for hepatitis C "cured" 90% of patients with the infection in 12 weeks, scientists said. | 26987653 |
The collision involving a motorcycle and a car happened at the junction of the Ballymaconaghy Road and Knockbracken Manor at around 17.40 BST on Friday 30th September.
A man aged in his 50s was arrested by police and later released on bail pending further enquiries.
The PSNI are appealing for witnesses. | A motorcyclist in his 20s remains in a critical condition in hospital after a two vehicle collision in Castlereagh, County Down. | 37529215 |
Amy Smith, 17, was killed with her six-month-old daughter Ruby-Grace Gaunt and friend Edward Green, 17, in the blaze at Langley Mill, Derbyshire.
Prosecutors said the blaze last June was "planned and set" by Peter Eyre and his sons Simon and Anthony Eyre.
The men all deny three counts of murder.
Prosecution barrister James House QC told Nottingham Crown Court the "catalyst" for the attack was an argument over the alleged theft of a moped that belonged to Amy's boyfriend, Shaun Gaunt, 18, who was in the flat at the time of the fire.
Alleging Peter Eyre, 44, Simon Eyre, 24, and 22-year-old Anthony Eyre drove to Langley Mill, Mr House said of the blaze: "It was set using petrol which had been poured in the area immediately outside the front door.
"Although Mr Gaunt and the another teenager survivor escaped with the help of neighbours using ladders, Miss Smith and her daughter succumbed to smoke on a landing, while Mr Green was found dead near the front door.
"That front door was the only means of entry and exit to the flat on the second and third floor."
The jury heard the incident involved Mr Gaunt, who had been told by a friend that a third son of Peter Eyre had been involved in the theft of his moped.
"It was the theft of that moped that was to be the catalyst for the tragic events that followed. Rumours abounded as to whom was responsible for stealing it," Mr House told the court.
During the confrontation, Peter Eyre is alleged to to have threatened Mr Gaunt with a hammer, telling him to get off his garden.
Damage was then caused to the windscreen of Peter Eyre's van and Mr Gaunt was allegedly seen brandishing a broken bottle.
Anthony Eyre has admitted three counts of manslaughter in relation to the blaze, having conceded he set fire to a car parked outside the flat without any intention to kill or cause serious harm.
The trial continues. | A fire which killed two teenagers and a baby was started deliberately as an act of revenge following a row over a stolen moped, a court has been told. | 35291956 |
It was the 79-year-old's second award for best picture at the festival after 2006's The Wind That Shakes the Barley.
Loach attacked the "dangerous project of austerity" as he accepted the award for his film about a middle-aged widower and the UK welfare system.
Kent-born director Andrea Arnold won the competition's Jury Prize for her road movie American Honey.
Irish cinematographer Robbie Ryan shot both films.
It was the 13th time Loach, a social campaigner for most of his career and the director of more than 50 movies, has competed at the event.
I, Daniel Blake, which stars stand-up comedian Dave Johns in the title role, was written by long-time Loach collaborator Paul Laverty.
It documents what happens when an older man living in Newcastle has a heart attack and can no longer do his job.
He is declared fit for work, meaning his benefits are stopped, and he begins to go hungry.
Accepting the festival's top prize from actor Mel Gibson, Loach said: "We must give a message of hope, we must say another world is possible.
"The world we live in is at a dangerous point right now. We are in the grip of a dangerous project of austerity driven by ideas that we call neo-liberalism that have brought us to near catastrophe."
Loach told a press conference after he was "quietly stunned" to have won the award with "the same little gang" from his first win in 2006.
Asked about his plans for the future, Loach gave nothing away, saying: "When you get very old you're just pleased to see the sunrise the next day, so we'll just take each day as it comes."
In the film, Johns meets single mother of two Katie, who moves to Newcastle from London.
Cannes judges praised the actors' depictions of the characters who "find themselves in no-man's land, caught on the barbed wire of welfare bureaucracy as played out against the rhetoric of 'striver and skiver' in modern day Britain".
I, Daniel Blake marked the first film role for Johns, who said he was delighted by the French film prize.
He said: "Ken made a film 50 years ago called Cathy, Come Home and this is actually in the same vein, saying that people who are on the bottom rung of life, you know are struggling."
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Loach said: "If you get out among the people who are in the food banks, who would not eat unless there were people providing charity, I think you'd find there's a great disgust and despair that we live like that in this country now."
Loach, whose past films include 1969's Kes, was up against directors including Spanish Oscar-winner Pedro Almodovar, Sean Penn and Paul Verhoeven.
The Iranian film Forushande (The Salesman) by Asghar Farhadi won two awards - best screenplay and best actor, won by Shahab Hosseini.
The Grand Prix went to Juste la Fin du Monde (It's Just the End of the World), directed by Canada's Xavier Dolan, while Philippine soap star Jaclyn Jose won best actress for her role in Brillante Mendoza's Ma' Rosa.
Andrea Arnold, originally from Dartford, Kent, won the competition's Prix du Jury (Jury Prize).
American Honey, starring Hollywood star Shia LaBeouf, follows a group of wild youths as they travel through US states selling hard luck stories and magazine subscriptions.
Ben Roberts, director of the BFI Film Fund, said: "What a moment for British cinema, and for two important and humane films with so much to say.
"Bravo to Ken and to Andrea and their collaborators - including the unstoppable Robbie Ryan who shot both films.
"This is cinema from the heart, and we're grateful that we have an industry that can support such personal, powerful film-making."
Film critic Jason Solomons said Loach's movie cut through the art and experimentation common at Cannes to "speak to the heart".
"Ken Loach does that with unparalleled skill," he said. "You know it's such an important movie and I'm so glad that it won the Palme D'Or because it gives this movie and its message extra attention that it needs." | British director Ken Loach's film I, Daniel Blake has won the Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival. | 36355313 |
He joined a group of pupils taking part in the "Hour of Code" project, a 60-minute introduction to computer science set up by the group code.org.
A drive to widen access to introductory computer science lessons in schools across the US was announced yesterday.
In the UK, pupils are now taught coding in schools from the age of five.
"While no-one is born a computer scientist, becoming a computer scientist isn't as scary as it sounds," President Obama said in a YouTube video.
"With hard work and a little math and science, anyone can do it.''
More than 48 million people signed up to get involved with Computer Science Education Week, currently running in the US, the president added.
"Don't just consume things, create things," he said.
An Hour of Code class was also held at the prime minister's residence in Downing Street, London, yesterday.
"There's no secret to success in the modern world. If countries are going to win in the global race and children compete and get the best jobs, you need mathematicians and scientists - pure and simple," said David Cameron, announcing extra training for maths and science teachers in England's schools.
"It will take time but it's absolutely vital for the success of our country that we teach maths and science and computing in the modern way, because that will be one of the things that will determine whether we succeed or not," he said. | American President Barack Obama has written a line of computer code to help animate a character from the film Frozen. | 30393234 |
Around 2,900 staff had been due to walk out from Friday in a long-running dispute about pay and benefits.
BA had said the crew's pay and rewards are in line with competitors but Unite said the action was about benefits not being reinstated for crew who took part in earlier industrial action.
The union says talks will now be held at conciliation service Acas to reach an agreement.
Unite said the cabin staff, who work on both short and long-haul routes as part of the airline's "mixed fleet" agreement, are paid less than other BA crew.
"Mixed-fleet" cabin crew have staged 26 days of strikes so far, and Unite says that as a result, 1,400 of its members have had their travel benefits taken away.
BA had called the new strike "completely unnecessary" adding it "had reached a deal on pay, which Unite's national officers agreed was acceptable".
But the union said action had come about because the airline had treated staff who had participated in earlier strike action unfairly.
"Punishing staff for using legitimate industrial means to reach a wage deal is a culture that Unite cannot accept," it added.
It comes after the airline suffered an IT failure which left 75,000 passengers stranded over the bank holiday weekend. | British Airways cabin crew have suspended a planned four-day strike. | 40233324 |
The Blackburn Rovers striker is alleged to have illegally driven a Mitsubishi Shogun 4x4 on Cumbernauld Road on 28 January last year.
The Irish international, who lives in Glasgow's west end, was not at the city's Justice of the Peace Court when the case called.
His lawyer pled not guilty on his behalf and the case was continued. | Former Celtic player Anthony Stokes has denied driving without a licence or insurance in the east end of Glasgow. | 40113131 |
The airline is concerned that only a third of the 29 electronic passport gates are open at Heathrow Terminal 5.
BA says the gates shut prematurely at 23:00 while customers are still disembarking, causing huge queues.
The Home Office has said it strongly disagrees with BA's remarks.
Back in 2015, when the electronic gates at Terminal 5 were opened, the Home Office said that the technology would help the Border Force to process a higher number of low risk passengers "more quickly and using less resources" to reduce queuing times.
The electronic gates were meant to help border control officers to focus on "more priority work" like cracking down on people trafficking and drug smuggling.
However, since many of the gates are often closed, families returning from holidays have been facing long queues to pass through immigration, particularly late at night.
"It is a constant frustration to us and to our customers that after a long flight they have to stand in queues, sometimes for over an hour, just to get back into the country," said Raghbir Pattar, British Airways' director of Heathrow.
"And it is a dreadful welcome for visitors to the UK... It adds insult to injury when you're stuck in a queue but can see numerous gates which just aren't being used."
British Airways has submitted its concerns to the Home Office and hopes that action can be taken to reduce unnecessary delays.
Mr Pattar said: "We recognise some of the steps being taken by Border Force to improve the service they provide to travellers. However more focus must be put on operating in the most efficient and flexible way and ensuring that passengers' needs are put first."
Heathrow Terminal 5 currently only serves BA and Spanish airline Iberia.
A spokesperson for Virgin Atlantic told the BBC: "This hasn't been a particular issue for our customers as all our flights land before 10pm."
The Home Office strongly disagrees with British Airways' comments.
"This statement significantly misrepresents the experience of the vast majority of passengers arriving at Heathrow this summer," a spokesperson said.
"More than 99% of British and European passengers arriving at Heathrow are dealt with within 25 minutes. For passengers from outside the European Economic Area, 87% of passengers have been dealt with within 45 minutes.
"Border Force and British Airways have an agreement to close the Terminal 5 ePassport gates at 11pm every evening. In recent months, Border Force has kept the gates open beyond 11pm - often to accommodate passengers arriving on delayed British Airways flights.
"The security of our border is paramount - which is why 100% of scheduled passengers are checked when arriving in the UK. While every effort is made to keep delays for passengers to a minimum, we make no apology for carrying out this important work." | British Airways has criticised Border Force over "serious inefficiencies" that have caused both citizens and visitors to endure long delays at UK airports. | 41051140 |
Ellie Butler died after being found with catastrophic head injuries in her bedroom in London in October 2013.
Her father Ben Butler, 36, denies murder and child cruelty charges.
An expert said head injuries sustained in 2007 and two weeks before she died left her susceptible.
The Old Bailey has heard Mr Butler was convicted of causing serious head injuries to Ellie in 2007 but was cleared on appeal.
Ellie was returned to the family home in Sutton, south-west London, 11 months before her death after the couple won a custody battle at the High Court.
Earlier. child forensic pathologist Dr Jan Ophoven told jurors: "She was not like an otherwise normal child because of the previous abnormalities.
"She was at a substantially higher risk of dying from blunt force trauma than any other child."
Dr Ophoven said the previous injuries had negatively affected the blood-brain barrier membrane, which controls pressure inside the head.
Mr Butler's defence lawyer, Icah Peart, has previously suggested Ellie may have been imitating an episode of Peppa Pig, where a character falls out of bed.
Ellie's mother Jennie Gray, also 36, has pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice by lying to police and covering up the circumstances of her daughter's death.
She denies child cruelty over claims Ellie did not receive medical attention over a broken shoulder.
The trial continues. | A six-year-old girl whose father is accused of battering her to death could have died from a simple fall as she was more prone to head injuries than other children, a court has heard. | 36475288 |
Polling stations opened in all the city's 73 constituencies at 07:00 BST with results expected to be declared after midnight.
Votes will be counted after the polls close at 22:00 BST.
For the latest news from all the counts on London, go to our election live service or check the results on your constituency profile page. | Voters in London are going to the polls in the General Election after months of campaigning by political parties. | 32607288 |
25 April 2017 Last updated at 06:52 BST
She was born without a left hand, so she thought she would never get to play.
Her music teacher tried to teach her with a prosthetic arm - but it was too heavy and she couldn't move the bow properly.
But students from a university designed an arm specially for Isabella to play the violin with, and built it using a 3-D printer.
See how she gets on here. | Ten-year-old Isabella always dreamed of playing the violin. | 39691799 |
The question: Simon asks BBC Radio 4's PM programme: "Would withdrawal from the EU mean that more British footballers had a chance to play in the Premier League, and would those European-sourced players no longer have free access to appear in English teams?"
Reality Check verdict: This depends on whether home clubs decide to bring in more top level international players or give opportunities to British footballers.
We don't know what deal would be cut in the event of Brexit, but we can look at the situation for non-EU players at the moment as an indication of the direction things might take.
For non-EU players to be granted a work permit, they must demonstrate they are an international player of "the highest calibre."
This means they must have played in 75% of a Fifa top-50 ranked national team's matches over the previous two years.
The Home Office made it harder for non-EU players to get work visas last year, a move which the FA (Football Association) hoped would give more opportunities for home-grown talent to rise to the top.
FA chairman Greg Dyke said at the time that if the new system had been applied over the previous five years, there would have been 42 fewer non-European players in the Premier and Football Leagues.
If this kind of reduction was replicated for EU players following a British exit, this would leave vacancies on British teams.
Indeed, the BBC's Matt Slater has suggested only 23 of the 180 non-British EU players currently playing in the Championship would get work permits.
In theory, those 157 remaining spots could be filled by British players.
But clubs would still be able to recruit the best players from around the world.
A 2014 FA report suggested while Spanish, French and German players featured heavily in Champions League games, Brazilian players were also a major source of competition, with more than twice as many as English players appearing in any Champions League group stage games in 2013.
Vacancies left by "non-elite" EU players could be filled by Brits, or they could be filled or by other, more elite international players.
Whether home clubs would focus their attentions on attracting the top international players who would remain eligible for work permits, or on giving opportunities to British footballers following a Brexit is likely to depend on factors unrelated to the EU - such as the quality of coaching and the strength of the British talent pool.
Read more: The facts behind claims in the EU debate | At the moment, EU players have the freedom to participate in British football, while non-EU players have to have a work permit in order to play in the Premier League. | 36378586 |
The fees, booked in the second quarter of the year, offset a charge of $653m.
That was booked for scrapping or mothballing a group of drillships for which there are currently no demand.
Oil businesses are shrinking as a 50% fall in the price of oil over the past year make investments less worthwhile.
Transocean said second-quarter operating revenues were $1.78bn, down from $2.bn a year ago,
Net income was $348m from $597m.
Transocean owned and partly manned the Deepwater Horizon rig which was being used to extract oil from a BP-owned oil field.
The 2010 explosion on the rig killed 11 people and caused widespread environmental damage.
BP, which operated the well, was ruled "grossly negligent" by a US court.
Potential fines for BP are around $18bn (£11.1bn) and it has set aside more than $42bn to cover the total cost of the accident. | Transocean, one of the companies associated with BP's Deepwater Horizon oil well disaster, has recovered $735m (£471m) in legal settlements and insurance related to the incident. | 33798042 |
Stephen Charters, 51, formerly of Galashiels, began his crimes as a boy and continued into adulthood.
He had denied the offences but was found guilty of five charges of indecent behaviour and two of rape between 1977 and 1997.
A judge told him they were "very serious charges" before jailing him at the High Court in Edinburgh.
Lady Clark of Calton said it was plain that the victims had been very seriously affected by the abuse for many years.
She said she accepted that most of the early offending was committed when Charters was a child himself and the first rape of an 11-year-old happened when he was aged 13 or 14.
However, she said the further rape he carried out on a girl aged between six and eight took place when he was "a young adult".
Lady Clark told him: "I take into account that you are a first offender, that you led a useful and productive life and there has been no offending for many years."
Charters was convicted of sex crimes between 1977 and 1997 in the Borders, Midlothian and South Lanarkshire.
He was convicted of sexual offending from the age of 12 - the youngest age for prosecution in Scotland.
He began by molesting a younger girl at a house in the Borders, exposing himself and carrying out sex acts from when she was nine. He raped her when she was 11 years old.
Charters later abused a second girl at a house in Midlothian and at the Royal Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh before raping her.
He later made inappropriate sexual remarks to a third girl in East Kilbride and during a car journey.
Lady Clark said: "He is in complete denial about all of this."
She said he did not appear to have "any understanding or recognition" about the effect on his victims.
Defence counsel Shelagh McCall QC told the court that Charters continued to deny involvement in the sex offending.
She said there was a 20-year gap since the last of the offences during which time he had worked for a bus firm and driven children to school.
She said other people had been interviewed and no further allegations were made against him.
Ms McCall added that Charters was prepared to co-operate with offence-related programmes offered in prison. | A man from the Scottish Borders has been jailed for five years for the abuse and rape of young girls. | 37519731 |
Anglo American shares, after falling more than 12% on Tuesday, fell another 10% before closing down just 1.2%.
Other mining shares recovered from fierce selling pressure from investors worried by weakening commodity prices.
Anglo announced on Tuesday it would cut some 85,000 of its workforce in a massive restructuring.
Among the major commodities, only oil managed to stage a slight recovery, with Brent crude rising back above $40 a barrel.
However, most analysts believe that any recovery will be short-lived with the world continuing to face a glut of commodities.
Rick Spooner of CMC Markets said: "The strong downward momentum in oil markets stalled. However, there was no news to support optimism and with spot iron ore [prices] continuing to drift lower, investors are likely to remain nervous about mining and energy stocks today.''
The price of iron ore fell to $39.25 a tonne on Wednesday. It peaked at close to $200 in 2011.
On Wednesday morning in London, the prices of shares in mining companies see-sawed through the session. Shares in Rio Tinto fell mid-morning but then rallied 5% by midday, while BHP Billiton was up 4% and Glencore gained 5%.
Beaufort Securities trader Basil Petrides said: "The miners will probably continue to weaken while the Chinese economic outlook remains a concern."
The slowing Chinese economy has cut the demand for steel there. Many steel producers have shut down and much of the iron ore that was destined for their furnaces is lying idle at China's ports.
China has cut export taxes on steel and iron products to shift the metal out of the country, but that has only served to push global prices lower.
London-listed mining stocks have fallen by about 50% this year, as China's economic growth continues to slow, with Anglo American one of the biggest casualties.
Its stock has fallen almost two-thirds this year, largely because of its higher-cost iron ore mines.
Alastair McCaig of IG Group said: "Once again the mining sector is dragging the FTSE lower, although not with the aggression seen yesterday. Worries that Anglo American's actions yesterday might become the template for others in that sector have seen investors running for the exits."
Few analysts thought the slight recovery in oil prices on Wednesday would be sustainable.
Mike Tholen, economics director at offshore trade body Oil and Gas UK, said low oil prices would mean more job losses in the oil industry.
"We have to recognise that at the current price outlook, there will be further job losses. [The UK oil industry] is inevitably going to be smaller for many years to come," he said.
"We have oil fields now which are barely making enough money, and not enough money to cover their running costs in some cases."
Oil prices face downward pressure following the decision late last week by the Opec cartel to keep output high in the face of huge global oversupply.
The supply of oil is estimated to be up to two million barrels in excess of demand worldwide. Most analysts say they do not see prices rising much until late 2016 at the earliest.
James Hughes, chief market analyst at GKFX, said: "It seems that whatever happens, Opec will not budge and yet again have reiterated their stance that the markets will undo this mess themselves." | Shares in mining companies clawed back early losses on London markets on concerns over weak commodity prices. | 35049250 |
Teenager Lawrence hit 141, sharing two century stands, as he batted all day to earn newly-promoted Essex a draw.
"We had a really tough first three days and it took a lot of character from a lot of the boys to fight through and get a draw," said 19-year-old Lawrence.
"Obviously it's personally very satisfying but we look to push on and win next week (against Somerset)."
Set an improbable 478 to win, Essex resumed on the final day 89-2 hoping to save the game against a Lancashire side which included England international James Anderson in their bowling attack.
Lawrence extended his overnight partnership with Tom Westley to 135 before adding a further 102 with Ryan ten Doeschate as Essex reached 316-6 to earn eight points in their first game since promotion.
He continued: "It's nice to know that we're not going to fall down whenever someone puts a lot pressure on us, which a lot of teams did last year.
"It's something we're going to stick to this year and try to thrive in Division One."
Lawrence now has five first-class hundreds to his name at the age of 19, and was grateful to his batting partners for their support throughout the final day in Chelmsford.
"They had a fantastic bowling attack so we knew that if myself, Tom or Ryan got out they would lump on lots of pressure," added Lawrence.
"It was important to concentrate throughout the day and I had a lot of help along the way. It was a tough challenge to face James Anderson, but it was a lovely wicket to bat on which made it a tiny bit easier.
"He's an unbelievable bowler, as are the rest of their bowlers, so it's nice to get over the line." | Essex's Dan Lawrence has said it is "important we do not celebrate" the Division One draw against Lancashire. | 39564374 |
Blackwell needed an emergency procedure to reduce brain swelling following an unsanctioned sparring session.
The 26-year-old retired from boxing earlier this year after he had to be put into an induced coma following a defeat by Chris Eubank Jr.
Blackwell remains stable in hospital but is yet to regain consciousness.
The former British middleweight champion is no longer being sedated, but he had a section of his skull removed to ease swelling on his brain. His recovery time and prognosis remain unclear.
The BBBofC's initial investigation has found that Blackwell was involved in a gym sparring session with a licenced boxer on 22 November.
BBC Wales Sport understand he is a professional fighter rather than an amateur.
Blackwell complained of headaches after the sparring session and was taken to hospital where it was determined surgery was necessary.
BBBofC secretary Robert Smith told BBC Wales Sport: "We are calling people we know were involved and we are calling people we believe were involved.
"We are looking at arranging a hearing that will happen early in January. It is a matter we are taking extremely seriously.
"We want to hear from Nick as well, health permitting."
Smith said the board would not yet discuss possible sanctions against those involved, although promoter Frank Warren has called for them to have their licences revoked.
"We will wait and see what happens at the hearing, I don't want to speculate on possible punishment," Smith added.
Blackwell's former trainer Gary Lockett, who was unaware Blackwell was sparring, says he is facing a long road to recovery.
"This is not a quick process, we are looking at several months," he said.
Lockett has called on the people who let Blackwell spar to be banned from the sport.
"I can't believe the boxer he sparred with, and the coach or coaches involved, would ever allow Nick to spar when he's had a brain injury," Lockett told BBC Radio Wales.
"In due course, I hope they are dealt with by the British Boxing Board of Control in the correct manner." | A hearing into the circumstances that led to Nick Blackwell undergoing brain surgery will be held in January, the British Boxing Board of Control says. | 38174761 |
Matthew Hepworth and David Kierzek discovered a chisel and a dagger in a Lancashire field, 20 years after one of them first explored the site.
This led to the uncovering of an ancient barrow at the site, which lay untouched for thousands of years.
The men will take part in a dig in July, which is being financed with a £49,500 Heritage Lottery Fund grant.
Mr Hepworth, 40, said: "This site is untouched which makes it very, very rare. It wouldn't have been discovered if we hadn't found those artefacts.
"I've been on the site five times before over 20 years, but metal items do move in the ground.
"It was just a lucky find on the day. The first thing I found was a chisel, which is quite rare, there's only a handful in Britain. Then we found a dagger and other pieces in bronze."
Previously, Mr Hepworth, who works as a community nurse, had discovered a stash of Viking silver in the area, which is displayed at Lancaster City Museum.
He said finding the burial monument, which was used for around 1,500 years from the late Neolithic period to the middle or late Bronze Age, is "as good as it gets".
The excavation will be carried out by DigVentures, a crowdfunding group founded by the three archaeologists concerned about the lack of funds for archaeological digs.
Brendon Wilkins, archaeologist and projects director at DigVentures, said barrows are the "best windows we have into the lives and deaths of Bronze Age Britons". | A Bronze Age burial site uncovered after two metal detector enthusiasts found artefacts is set to be excavated. | 35800891 |
The England and Wales Cricket Board are satisfied with security plans for the trip, which takes place in October.
"It comes down to how comfortable I feel to go," said Morgan.
But Strauss said: "The big consequence for not going is you are giving someone else an opportunity to stake a claim."
No international side has toured Bangladesh since 29 people were killed in a siege on a cafe in Dhaka in July.
However, the ECB conducted a security review and declared in August that England's tour, which includes two Tests and three ODIs, will go ahead as planned.
"We feel it's safe to go, and I genuinely believe that," said Strauss. "That is why I'm encouraging every player to use that incredibly detailed and experienced viewpoint from security expert Reg Dickason to make a judgement."
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So far, Moeen Ali and Chris Jordan have publically said they will tour, with Jonny Bairstow indicating he will do the same.
Strauss confirmed that the rest of the players will inform the ECB of their decision on Friday or Saturday, with squads to be named on 16 September.
"I can't force anyone on to that plane," added the former England captain.
"I cannot literally force people up the steps and say 'you have to go to Bangladesh'.
"Everyone has a different attitude to risk, different thoughts about what their priorities in life are. That's fine - that's their decision."
Morgan had twice previously declined to state his intentions and, after England's T20 defeat by Pakistan on Wednesday, he told Test Match Special: "I haven't made a decision on Bangladesh yet. I have had two weeks of busy cricket. I have a few more days now to think about it.
"The decision will be based on if I feel safe going out there to play cricket."
He added: "I think as captain, you want to be there in the mix with everybody but ultimately you have to feel comfortable enough to be able to concentrate on cricket and be able to benefit the team."
Former England off-spinner Graeme Swann on Test Match Special
"I went to India (in 2008). And we got a lot of praise for going back, for the right reasons, for showing solidarity with the Indian people [after the Mumbai bombings].
"I went back on a very personal, selfish mission because I knew I would play Test cricket. Had I had kids, young children at the time there's no way I'd have gone back. I weighed it up for myself. Is it worth the risk?
"We didn't go to Pakistan when we were in a similar situation with terrorist activity going on. We had the same meetings, we were told it's safe, there's no way they'll attack you, they love their cricket. That was said to us. We didn't go and Sri Lanka went in our place. And then they were attacked.
"Eoin Morgan was involved at the time, he sat in those meetings. I'm sure that's going through his head. Because the England security man has flown out unannounced, and gone for a tour and said 'yeah I felt safe' - that for me, wouldn't sway me one bit. We're a western team, going to a country where there's terrorism against the west. And we are a massive beacon - we are a target. If I was in that situation I wouldn't go.
"A team will go. And if you don't go and someone goes in your place, there's a chance you might not play again. It's a very tricky decision to make. I'm glad I'm not in a position to make it again." | England one-day captain Eoin Morgan is still to commit to the Bangladesh tour, with director of cricket Andrew Strauss saying anyone who does not travel is giving a chance to another player. | 37302164 |
Liverpool-born Jean Alexander, who played the sharp-tongued Ogden from 1964 to 1987, died last week aged 90.
Andrew Lancel, who trod the Street's cobbles between 2010 to 2012, called for a statue to be erected of Ms Alexander in Southport, her home town.
Mr Lancel described her as "the most iconic soap character of all time".
He said the statue would be a fitting tribute and the "perfect way" to remember the "charming" actress.
"I'm very proud that I spent some time with Jean over the years in Southport - she was always charming and unassuming and lovely.
"There's been an incredible outpouring of love and affection. Let's celebrate a local lass who did wonderful things."
After leaving Coronation Street, Ms Alexander went on to star as shopkeeper Auntie Wainwright in BBC comedy Last of the Summer Wine for 22 years. | A statue should be built of the actress who played legendary Coronation Street character Hilda Ogden, another former star of the ITV soap has said. | 37716841 |
Brentford had taken the lead in the second half when Lasse Vibe blocked keeper Keiren Westwood's clearance before firing into an empty net.
The Owls' David Jones was sent off for two bookings and Vibe was shown a red card for the same reason late on.
After both sides went down to 10 men, Hutchinson headed in the equaliser.
Wednesday dominated the first half as Bees keeper Daniel Bentley kept Steven Fletcher and Fernando Forestieri at bay with a string of fine saves.
Lucas Joao should have put the Owls in front when he managed to fire over the bar from close to the goal line.
After Vibe chased down a lost cause to put the Bees ahead, Brentford were in the ascendancy with Westwood blocking Scott Hogan's deflected shot with his legs.
But the visitors still looked dangerous on the break and finally equalised deep into added time as Hutchinson powered a header past Bentley.
Wednesday move up to 19th in the Championship table with Brentford 13th.
Brentford manager Dean Smith:
"That was as bad as we have played in the first half. We were very poor, made basic mistakes all over the pitch and we were lucky they didn't bring their finishing boots.
"They were playing round us far too easily because we didn't press them high up.
"If you give players like they have that kind of space they will hurt you but we showed them far too much respect.
"We told them to get in their faces and once we did, we looked a different proposition."
Sheffield Wednesday boss Carlos Carvalhal:
"I am not at all happy with a point. How can I be happy with a point when I counted at least seven clear chances in the first half?
"We have created enough chances in the last two games to win three or four but the way we created them with artistic play and good football was a positive thing for me.
"Even with 10 players we still created some unbelievable chances and I don't know how we didn't score. Then they score from a mistake and we have to accept that because it is part of football."
Match ends, Brentford 1, Sheffield Wednesday 1.
Second Half ends, Brentford 1, Sheffield Wednesday 1.
Harlee Dean (Brentford) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Fernando Forestieri (Sheffield Wednesday) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Harlee Dean (Brentford).
Goal! Brentford 1, Sheffield Wednesday 1. Sam Hutchinson (Sheffield Wednesday) header from the centre of the box to the top left corner. Assisted by Barry Bannan with a cross following a set piece situation.
Kieran Lee (Sheffield Wednesday) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Scott Hogan (Brentford).
Corner, Sheffield Wednesday. Conceded by Harlee Dean.
Offside, Sheffield Wednesday. Almen Abdi tries a through ball, but Atdhe Nuhiu is caught offside.
Second yellow card to Lasse Vibe (Brentford) for a bad foul.
Fernando Forestieri (Sheffield Wednesday) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Lasse Vibe (Brentford).
Attempt blocked. Tom Lees (Sheffield Wednesday) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Attempt saved. Tom Lees (Sheffield Wednesday) header from very close range is saved in the top left corner. Assisted by Barry Bannan with a cross.
Corner, Sheffield Wednesday. Conceded by Daniel Bentley.
Attempt saved. Almen Abdi (Sheffield Wednesday) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Kieran Lee.
Foul by Almen Abdi (Sheffield Wednesday).
Ryan Woods (Brentford) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Brentford. Andreas Bjelland replaces Romaine Sawyers.
Foul by Almen Abdi (Sheffield Wednesday).
Lasse Vibe (Brentford) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Fernando Forestieri (Sheffield Wednesday) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Callum Elder (Brentford).
Foul by Fernando Forestieri (Sheffield Wednesday).
Lasse Vibe (Brentford) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Nico Yennaris (Brentford) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
Substitution, Brentford. Sam Saunders replaces Lewis MacLeod.
Offside, Sheffield Wednesday. Barry Bannan tries a through ball, but Kieran Lee is caught offside.
Substitution, Sheffield Wednesday. Almen Abdi replaces Liam Palmer.
Sam Hutchinson (Sheffield Wednesday) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Scott Hogan (Brentford).
Attempt missed. Lasse Vibe (Brentford) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Callum Elder.
Second yellow card to David Jones (Sheffield Wednesday).
Foul by Tom Lees (Sheffield Wednesday).
Scott Hogan (Brentford) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt saved. Fernando Forestieri (Sheffield Wednesday) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Gary Hooper (Sheffield Wednesday) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Romaine Sawyers (Brentford).
Attempt blocked. Atdhe Nuhiu (Sheffield Wednesday) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Liam Palmer with a cross. | Sam Hutchinson scored in injury time as Sheffield Wednesday claimed a point at Brentford in a game which saw a player from each side sent off. | 37138607 |
Amanda Young is accused of administering a lethal dose of the drug to Joshua Gafney, 22, at his home in February 2012.
Bristol Crown Court was told Mr Gafney had been given 14 times the amount of clozapine needed to treat him.
Ms Young, 40, from Yeovil, denies manslaughter by gross negligence. Her trial is expected to last three weeks.
Mr Gafney had serious mental health issues and was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, the court heard.
Prosecuting, John Price QC told the jury Mr Gafney had been given a "massive overdose" of a drug he had been prescribed to treat a serious condition he had.
Ms Young was instructed to administer 6ml - a little more than a teaspoon - of clozapine to Mr Gafney but the court heard she "hadn't seen" the dosage written on the medication.
Instead she poured six bottles into a glass for him.
She mistakenly believed each 14ml bottle contained 50mg of clozapine when in fact this figure was per millilitre - meaning a single container actually had 700mg inside, the court heard.
His mother, Tina Marren, immediately raised concerns at the half-full glass but Ms Young allegedly replied: "I know, we will put a bit of water with it".
Mr Gafney drank the glass, containing 84ml, and was pronounced dead two hours later.
Mr Price said there was "no doubt" Ms Young gave the "fatal dose" and that "she was at fault for his death," he said.
The trial continues. | A nurse killed a patient with a "massive overdose" of an anti-psychotic drug, a court has heard. | 32882315 |
Glen Daly, 24, of Chadwell St Mary, near Grays, died when his motorcycle was involved in a collision with a lorry on the Greek island in June 2009.
The lorry driver has been charged with negligent homicide.
Mr Daly's parents Les and Dorothy are due to travel to Heraklion for the start of the trial on Thursday.
The trial has been delayed three times: it was adjourned in 2010, 2011 and again in February this year.
"I have mixed emotions," said 55-year-old Mrs Daly. "I am relieved it's going ahead, but at the same time I'm worried about it.
"All I've ever asked for is the truth."
Mr Daly was on the third day of his holiday with his friend Tony Atkins when he died.
The trial will hear evidence from Mr Atkins, 27, who witnessed the crash. | The mother of an Essex man killed in a crash in Crete says she is "relieved" the trial of a lorry driver accused of his death is to go ahead. | 22149795 |
The 33-year-old Scotsman already holds the WBA belt and expects the Namibian to provide a stern test.
"It's a huge fight in the division and the kind I need to be involved in at this stage of my career," Burns said.
"There were other names talked about, but I wanted the toughest, most dangerous fight out there."
Burns, from Coatbridge, became a three-weight world champion when he claimed the vacant WBA title by beating Michele di Rocco last May and successfully defended his belt with victory over Kiryl Relikh in October.
Burns had hoped to face Adrien Broner in Las Vegas but will face the "dangerous" Namibian instead.
Indongo produced something of a surprise last month when he knocked out the previously unbeaten Russian Eduard Troyanovsky inside 40 seconds in Moscow.
"He is a big, tall, rangy southpaw, but bring it on," said Burns. "I have no fear of anyone and it is only the massive fights for me now.
"Fighting in Glasgow is special for me. The crowd at the SSE Hydro has been electric the last two occasions and I expect it to be no different this time round.
"Their support means the world to me, the crowd has always behind me and I want to put in a big performance for them again."
Indongo is under no illusions as to how difficult an opponent Burns will prove.
"It's an absolute honour for me to fight Ricky, who I regard as an accomplished champion," Indongo said.
"I respect what he has achieved so far, but I'm going to Scotland to rob him of his belt.
"I know it won't be easy, but I'm comforted by the fact that I have a good team and passionate Namibian fans, and I have every intention of making them smile and unifying the division." | Ricky Burns is aiming to unify the WBA and IBF light-welterweight boxing titles when he faces Julius Indongo in Glasgow on 15 April. | 38590037 |
Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets took off from RAF Leuchars in Fife on Wednesday.
The jets were sent to investigate the Russian planes, which are understood to have turned away shortly afterwards.
RAF fighter planes were scrambled to incidents such as this eight times last year, an MOD spokesman said.
The spokesman said the jets were launched to "determine the identity of unknown aircraft" that approached the north of Scotland and "could not be identified by other means".
He said: "The aircraft were subsequently identified as Russian military aircraft. The Russian military aircraft remained in international airspace at all times as they are perfectly entitled to do so."
The spokesman added that Russian military flights have never entered UK sovereign airspace without authorisation.
Meanwhile a Royal Navy warship is shadowing a Russian destroyer as it sails past the UK.
HMS Dragon, one of the Navy's most modern warships, sailed from Portsmouth at the end of last week to waters north of Scotland to track the Russian warship, Vice Admiral Kulakov.
HMS Dragon monitored the movements of the Russian ship as she approached British waters in what has been described by a defence spokesman as a "well established and standard response".
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond, said: "Recent events have increased awareness of Russian military activity, but we have always routinely intercepted, identified and escorted Russian air and naval assets that transit international airspace and waters within the UK's 'area of interest'.
"The Royal Navy and Royal Air Force will remain alert and ready to intercept any non-Nato forces in the area." | Fighter jets were scrambled after two Russian military aircraft were spotted approaching UK airspace, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said. | 27130125 |
Damien Boroweic, 22, borrowed the money off Wojiech Molenda and repaid him, but was later told Mr Molenda had informed their landlord it was outstanding.
Mr Molenda, 52, was found dead in a bedsit they shared in Birmingham last April after Boroweic attacked him at the house.
He admitted manslaughter and was jailed for 11 years and two months.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said although Boroweic initially denied any involvement in his death, he was heard shouting threats at Mr Molenda and boasting he had beaten him up.
More updates on this and other stories in Birmingham and the Black Country
Mr Molenda was found in an empty room of the bedsit in Durham Road, Sparkhill, He died from head injuries.
Nine people from the property were subsequently arrested over the death, which West Midlands Police said was a misunderstanding between the pair over rent.
Boroweic was charged with murder but later admitted manslaughter.
Heath Westerman, from West Midlands CPS, said: "Damien Boroweic killed Wojiech Molenda by attacking him outside and inside the house they co-shared over a dispute about money.
"The defendant denied any involvement in the death of Mr Boroweic, however, CCTV evidence, witness accounts, forensic reports and blood stained clothing belonging to the victim, which was hidden in a cupboard, was forensically examined and matched the blood of the deceased meaning that his original account was not true." | A man has been jailed for beating another man to death in a dispute about a £30 debt. | 39794126 |
State media reported on Tuesday that China's economy grew 7.4% last year, noting it was "in line with market expectations" but registered the weakest expansion in 24 years.
Xinhua News Agency observes that global media outlets are giving considerable attention to the news of China's slowing growth.
"But as has been repeatedly proven, such gloom-mongering will only make a mockery of its believers," it says, while repeatedly stressing that the leaders are in control of the Chinese economy.
"Overemphasising the slower pace misses the essence of the ongoing major transition China has embarked upon... As designed by Beijing, the pace on its own no longer plays the biggest part in gauging the country's economic performance," it states.
Another Xinhua article lashes out at some "developed" economies for criticising China's slowdown amid "a vulnerable time for the world economy".
"Beijing will by no means postpone its reforms despite the uncertain and sluggish world growth," it says.
"It is advisable that other economies, especially those developed ones… put their own economic house in order through necessary financial and structural reforms, instead of finding a scapegoat and gloom-mongering over China's economic future," it warns.
The China Daily says "losing some speed in GDP growth is not necessarily a bad thing for China". It points out that the economy is still resilient and notes an improvement in the regulatory environment.
Echoing similar views, the Beijing News says it will be "impossible to achieve the high-speed growth rate of the past", but urges everyone not to "make a fuss" over the slower growth.
The commentary also dismisses a World Bank forecast that India will surpass China in GDP growth in the years to come.
"Such predictions are mostly not true, but this shows that many are still fixated on GDP… However, such opinion has ignored the benign structural changes along with China's moderate growth," it argues.
The Global Times, similarly, says that "Western media attach more significance to India overtaking China than Chinese people do".
Elsewhere, papers call for remedies as the country continues to face a "serious" gender imbalance problem.
According to figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Monday, China's population stood at 1.37 billion at the end of 2014, with 115.88 new-born boys for every 100 baby girls.
A commentary in the Yantai Evening News worries that the excess of single men might lead to social instability, as well as serious challenges to the pension system as the population ages.
The commentary blames traditional values of parents favouring boys and urges the authorities to take firmer action against illegal gender determination tests and abortions.
"The government should also improve the pension security system, especially in the rural area, to change the old mind-set of relying on sons to take care of aging parents," it says.
Yuan Xin, an expert on demographics issues at the Nankai University, tells the Global Times that the government could "work harder to promote gender equality and provide more benefits to families who are willing to give birth to girls".
Noting that the issue of the ageing population is a "very serious one", an article in the Beijing News blames the 30-year-old one-child policy that forces couples to choose the child's gender.
"To tackle the problem (gender imbalance), the authorities should start adjusting the birth control policy or even totally relax the grip at an appropriate timing," it says.
And finally, papers assess plans for a pay hike for civil servants.
An article in the China Daily calls for transparency in officials' pay, stating that a hike may not necessarily lead to fewer corruption cases.
"Yet before a forbidding law-based anti-graft supervisory system is put in place, higher legal incomes will not necessarily thwart some public servants' greediness for illegal profits squeezed from the power in their hand," it says.
The daily then suggests that the salary of civil servants to be directly linked with their performances, "which should be assessed not only by authorities, but by the people as well".
BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook. | Papers criticise the West for "gloom-mongering", saying China's economy remains "resilient" despite slower growth. | 30910653 |
Rangers will be due compensation for the 18-year-old, who made his debut for the League One champions in April.
"I have watched how the younger players at United are allowed to develop in the first team," said midfielder Telfer, who had rejected a new deal at Ibrox.
"And that has been a big reason in my decision to join the club."
Rangers manager Ally McCoist's room for manoeuvre in the transfer market this summer has been hampered by renewed financial uncertainty at Ibrox.
Charlie is a very gifted footballer with great awareness and has excellent delivery from set-pieces
And right-sided Telfer has signed a three-year contract at Tannadice after having spent more than 10 years with the club he supported as a boy.
"The opportunity to play in the Scottish Premiership next season was also something I could not turn down," he told United's website.
"When I met the manager and saw the facilities, I knew that I can further my football development at Dundee United.
"United received a lot of praise for their football last season and it was deserved as it is very easy on the eye. I like to get the ball down and play and this is the ideal place for that.
"I believe I am ready to play in the first team, but I have to show the manager that is the case."
United manager Jackie McNamara last summer plucked Andy Robertson from Queen's Park and the left-back has gone on to become a Scotland international.
Former Celtic and Scotland defender McNamara is hopeful that the player viewed as one of the stars of Rangers' Youth Cup-winning side can also blossom on Tayside.
"Charlie is a very gifted footballer with great awareness and has excellent delivery from set-pieces," he said.
"His style of football will settle in perfectly with the rest of the young talent we are currently producing at the club.
"He is a sensible, level-headed young man who wants to play for Dundee United and I am delighted that we have secured his services for the next three years." | Dundee United have signed Charlie Telfer from Rangers, with the Scotland Under-19 cap saying the prospect of first-team football was his motivation. | 27672711 |
The Northampton Saints winger was a late withdrawal before the 21-16 defeat by England in Cardiff after suffering a bruised thigh against Italy.
"North is looking healthy, we will be selecting from strength," said defence coach Shaun Edwards.
The 24-year-old was selected for the match against England but was withdrawn an hour before kick-off.
Edwards, who said there were no further injury concerns for Wales, added: "As defensive coach I'll be wanting him to concentrate on his defensive duties. But when he gets the ball he has the X factor about him as we saw in the first Test against Italy when he scored that try."
The former GB rugby league international accepted interim coach Rob Howley faces a selection dilemma in the back row where Taulupe Faletau is fit again.
But he claimed the choice between the Bath number eight and the trio of Ross Moriarty, Sam Warburton and Justin Tipuric who impressed against England was "a good one to have."
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Wales lost to England following a late try by Elliot Daly, with the defence caught out by a wide pass from Owen Farrell following a misdirected clearance kick by Jonathan Davies.
Edwards revealed the team had not stuck to their normal strategy after claiming possession from England with less than four minutes remaining and while leading 16-14.
"What happened was we broke our structure," he said.
"From an unstructured turnover where our backs actually turn the ball over we're supposed to go through two rucks to get our backs back on their feet and our kick chasers.
"We didn't do that. We passed it back to the kicker after one ruck which was a mistake. I don't think even Jonathan expected the ball which was probably one of the reasons the kick wasn't as accurate as it normally is.
"But everyone makes mistakes. And if one of us makes a mistake we all make a mistake together so it's not a matter of us and them it's a matter of we.
"Our kick chase wasn't set up because we expected another ruck after the turnover. We didn't have a kick chase in position and that was the issue." | George North has trained with Wales five days before their Six Nations match with Scotland at Murrayfield. | 39042449 |
The 16 students and three staff were refused entry at Chennai Airport by immigration staff even though the school had made three previous visits.
Poynton High School head teacher David Waugh said the school and local community was "shocked and saddened".
Nobody from the Indian High Commission was available for comment.
The school said airport officials claimed the group had no rights to enter the country on their visa because they were going to be undertaking work with a non-governmental organisation.
The group had to return home with the toys and other items it was taking to the children in India.
Mr Waugh said: "They were going to play with the children they have helped and paint a mural.
"The staff and students are in a state of tired shock having travelled for 48 hours as a round trip."
Mr Waugh said he had contacted the Indian High Commission to complain but it had just referred him to its website.
He said the Foreign Office is now pursuing the issue with the Indian Government.
The school has raised more than £27,000 since 2005 for a small charity based in Macclesfield called India Direct which has supported building and running two children's homes in India.
India Direct was set up after the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004.
The charity said: "Our hearts go out to this great team of staff and students, who have already made a real difference, and who must be so disappointed." | A group of students have been sent back to the UK after Indian officials said they had the wrong kind of visa to visit a charity they were supporting. | 40673111 |
Former Wales, British and Irish Lions and Ospreys wing Shane Williams followed the route Arthur Williams rode from Glanamman to Swansea and back in 1885.
The 36-mile (58km) course covered roads, country lanes and cycle paths.
Proceeds of Monday's ride will go to charity.
The original ride led to Arthur Williams's business, Defiance Cycle Works, taking off and more than 50 orders being placed in one day. | More than 150 cyclists, led by a former Wales rugby international, recreated history by retracing the journey of one of the first ever chain-driven bikes. | 32189173 |
The US Supreme Court, the top US court, will not hear the carmaker's appeal, which argued that its 2009 bankruptcy protected it from the claims.
The Supreme Court decision exposes GM to potentially billions more damages over the switches, which have been linked to deaths and accidents.
The switches shut unexpectedly, cutting power to brakes, steering and airbags.
Customer complaints date to 2002, but the company did not issue recalls until 2014.
That was several years after it filed for bankruptcy, when a new, government-backed entity called New GM, bought most of its assets.
A New York court found in 2016 that the firm knew or should have known about the defect and did not properly notify people during the bankruptcy process. That was a violation of due process and called in to question the sale deal, the court found.
If the complainants had been at the table, the outcome might have been different, given how many stakeholders were involved, it found.
"While we cannot say with any certainty that the outcome would have been different, we can say that the business circumstances at the time were such that plaintiffs could have had some negotiating leverage, and the opportunity to participate in the proceedings would have been meaningful," they wrote.
GM had hoped the Supreme Court would reconsider that ruling.
The firm has already paid $2.5bn (£1.95bn) in penalties, settlements and legal fees related to the faulty switches.
The firm on Monday downplayed the court's decision, saying future lawsuits have to prove the faulty switches were responsible for the problems.
"The Supreme Court's decision was not a decision on the merits and it's likely that the issues we raised will have to be addressed in the future in other venues" the company said in a statement.
The company is due to report its first-quarter earnings to investors on Friday. | General Motors has lost a legal bid aimed at protecting it from lawsuits over faulty ignition switches. | 39697278 |
The US had said it would throw South Africa out of its preferential trade programme over its refusal to allow the importation of American chickens.
President Obama had set the end of 2015 as the deadline to resolve the dispute.
Last-minute negotiations which dealt with South African health concerns ended the row.
For more than a decade, South Africa - like several other African countries - has enjoyed preferential trading status with the US under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa).
The BBC's Karen Allen in Johannesburg said this was worth more than $170m (£117m) a year to South African farmers exporting citrus fruits, wine and nuts.
South Africa's Trade Minister Rob Davies said, when announcing that a deal had been struck, that 32,000 jobs depended on Agoa.
The US had been upset that South Africa was imposing what it saw as unfair restrictions on the import of American chickens over worries about avian flu and salmonella.
But Mr Davies said he had received assurances from the US authorities over the safety of their meat exports and added that rigorous safety checks would now be carried out. | South Africa has resolved a trade row with the US which threatened millions of dollars worth of business, its trade minister has said. | 35256209 |
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Tiote, who was 30, collapsed and died during training in China last week.
A statement said: "Tiote's family will be there with his team-mates past and present. On Wednesday, Cheick will be flown back home to the Ivory Coast."
In his seven years at Newcastle the Ivory Coast midfielder played over 150 games, including three last season.
It is understood that Tiote's Ivory Coast team-mate Gervinho and former Newcastle United colleague Papiss Cisse- both of whom are currently at clubs in China - will attend the service. | A memorial service will be held at Chinese club Beijing Enterprises on Tuesday for former Newcastle United player Cheick Tiote. | 40253908 |
Connah Smith, 20, from Brighton, asked the two women how they wanted to die.
Gabby Price and Megan Parson were held in their home in the city for more than seven hours in March and stabbed repeatedly in the head, neck and body.
Smith, of Vernon Terrace, who denied the charges at Lewes Crown Court, is due to be sentenced on Tuesday.
Jurors had heard how he covered both women in petrol and threw lit matches at them, but failed to set them alight, during their ordeal in Dean Street on 29 and 30 March.
He had previously admitted two counts of false imprisonment, two counts of threatening to kill and two counts of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
The women, who were aged 20 and 21 at the time of the attack, were treated at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton for stab wounds.
Sussex Police said Ms Price was known to Smith, who had prepared a rucksack containing a hammer, knives, an imitation firearm, a can of petrol, matches and sticky tape.
The two women were asked how they wanted to die before being stabbed, and were constantly told by Smith that they were going to be killed.
Officers said they were also held down under water in the bath.
The women only managed to get away when one claimed she had suffered a miscarriage.
Det Insp Mick Jones said their horrendous ordeal had been "like something out of a horror movie".
"The jury heard how Smith had planned this attack over a number of weeks leading up to the offence.
"He had researched how to get away with murder as well as forensic matters and serial killers on his home computer," he said.
In a statement issued by the victims after the verdict, they said: "Connah Smith is an extremely dangerous man and we are pleased that his conviction means that he is unlikely to be able to hurt someone else for the foreseeable future." | A man has been found guilty of attempting to murder two trainee nurses who were stabbed, doused with petrol and almost set on fire in Brighton. | 29993378 |
Abertawe Bro Morgannwg health board has agreed to boost pay rates by up to £1,900 for workers at Morriston, Neath Port Talbot and Princess of Wales hospitals.
Unison said it showed what "people power can achieve".
The health board has been contacted for comment.
It follows a day of strike action in January, with staff calling for "pay parity with colleagues doing the same job in other hospitals in Wales".
Unison said staff were worse off by between £466 and £1,879 each year, depending on their length of service in the post.
A second strike planned for February was called off to allow "further discussion of the health board's latest offer".
Mark Turner, Unison organiser for the health board, said: "These healthcare workers just wanted to be paid what they deserve.
"We were able to show that they were paid far less than peers doing exactly the same job with the same responsibilities elsewhere in Wales." | Staff in the sterilisation and disinfection units at some south Wales hospitals are set for a pay rise following strike action. | 39264161 |
The Electoral Commission discovered the 2% reduction when it took a snapshot of local authority registers on 1 December.
It said people moving home and students were a particular challenge.
Ministers said the drop was because there was no "comprehensive" canvassing of households last year.
In a written statement, Gary Streeter, representing the Speaker's committee on the Electoral Commission, said 2014 had been "unique" and that from now on, forms would be sent to all homes to check who is resident and identify people who can been added to the register.
You can register once you are 16 although you will only be able to vote on 7 May if you are 18 or over on the day.
If you are a citizen of another EU member state or Commonwealth country living in the UK, and unsure whether you are entitled to vote in the general election or local elections check the Electoral Commission website.
You can register to vote online through the government's gov.uk portal. The process takes five minutes and you will need your National Insurance number.
If you are unsure whether you are already registered or want to update your details, contact your local electoral registration officer to find out. You can also register to vote by post.
Election 2015: Can registration drive help turnout?
The commission said some of the reduction in entries could relate to people who were wrongly entered on the register.
It said the number of registered "attainers" - 17-year-olds who will be 18 by polling day - was "significantly lower than in previous years".
Problems in getting accurate data were highlighted, with the commission saying this had prevented it from making an assessment of the transition to the new system of individual voter registration.
But it said the new online registration system remained popular, with a satisfaction rating of 90%.
Shadow justice secretary Sadiq Khan said the figures confirmed Labour's "worst fears" about the way changes were being made to electoral registration and represented a "disaster for our democracy". | The number of people on electoral registers in England and Wales dropped by 920,000 between March and December last year. | 31600851 |
Special Report: The Technology of Business
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Build your Martian dream home
As a university researcher in the field of biophysics, he decided to try to turn the problem into a business.
That was in 2005.
Nine years and €12m ($15.2m; £9.4m) later, Mr Fonseca recently started selling a portable device capable of conducting common blood tests, giving the results in minutes, anywhere that it can be plugged in.
Biosurfit is a Lisbon-based biotechnology company that employs 63 people. The device is called Spinit, and vaguely resembles an old computer from the 1980s.
Healthcare professionals take a drop of the patient's blood and put it on a disc very similar to a DVD.
"I didn't invent the concept of lab on a disc," acknowledges Mr Fonseca. There are other portable devices able to do blood tests.
The goal, he explains, is to have a device able to do up to 30 different tests using very cheap discs.
Discs are manufactured in Lisbon, and the company is aiming to bring production costs down to €1 per unit. Each test requires a different disc.
Biosurfit has obtained regulatory approval to market two of them in Europe, and they expect to launch another two in the next 12 months.
It's been a much slower journey than Mr Fonseca expected.
"I thought I could develop the technology, take the product to market and break even in four years." Instead, he says, it has been "a long distance race".
Launching a business in biotechnology takes a lot of time.
"The sector has long development cycles because that development is based on science," explains Nuno Arantes-Oliveira, president of P-Bio, Portugal's Biotechnology Industry Organisation.
Carlos Faro, a university professor and founder of Biocant, an incubator for biotechnology start-ups, agrees. "This sector is very demanding in terms of investment and has a long-term return. A company needs dozens of millions of euros."
Another challenge, says Carlos Faro, is mentality.
"Most of these entrepreneurs come from an academic background. They have to stop thinking like scientists and start thinking like a business person."
Kinematix, another Portuguese health technology company, has raised around €5m in venture capital since its inception in 2007.
The company, based in Oporto, employs 24 people, and builds motion sensor devices with a variety of healthcare uses. They started selling them earlier this year, and are now looking for new funding to expand.
One product is an insole connected to a small gadget, that tracks where users apply pressure while walking.
It was designed to help doctors treat patients with diabetic foot, a condition that causes foot ulcers that should not be pressed while walking.
A similar Kinematix technology is used to monitor prostheses usage and to make necessary adjustments. It could also be used to garner information about how athletes walk and run, and to help prevent injuries, says company founder Paulo Santos.
Mr Santos's plan is not to make money by selling the devices. Instead, he charges healthcare professionals access to online reports about each patient.
Kinematix has clients in the UK and the Netherlands, and they're trying to extend operations to the US, where they have been granted regulatory permission to enter the market.
This regulation is a double-edged sword for investors, says Mr Arantes-Oliveira, from P-Bio.
"There's a development risk, a regulatory risk, but less of a market risk," he says.
This happens, he argues, because while it may take time to start selling a new product, a regulatory approval certifies its quality and innovation.
Different markets also require different approval processes, and this is a field where companies typically need to sell in several countries, notes Mr Arantes-Oliveira.
"These companies are born global. Many of the entrepreneurs had international experience before."
Joao Pereira founded Magnomics along with four other researchers after completing his PhD in Cambridge.
The company is just starting to develop a portable device to detect different types of bacteria on samples such as blood and saliva.
The aim is to let doctors prescribe targeted antibiotics more easily.
They've raised €600,000 from private investors and from a government-backed venture fund called Portugal Ventures, who also invested in Kinematix and Biosurfit.
The goal is to have a working prototype before the end of next year.
Magnomics initially wanted to enter the human health market, but they decided instead to start with the veterinary market, where regulatory barriers are lower and companies don't need as much investment to have a product ready.
"We were asking for too much money, because that's what it takes to enter human health," says Mr Pereira.
Now, they plan to start with the bovine market. "It's not the sexiest of pitches," Mr Pereira admits. "But it is also not the kind of girl everyone wants to go out with. It's a market in great need for innovation." | When Joao Fonseca took his three-year-old son to the doctor, he was upset that he had to wait a few days for the results of a blood test. | 29470314 |
ITV have raised an official complaint about Metrolink's plans for a new route - linking central Manchester with the Trafford Centre - which would run past the soap's Media City set in Salford.
They said they would be happier with earlier plans which bypassed the area.
The proposals will be discussed during a public inquiry which begins in July.
A Coronation Street spokesman said managers were "obviously unaware of the plans" when the decision was made to move their studios to Salford.
He added: "Having carried out our own tests, we have serious concerns about the impact on the production of Coronation Street.
"We are in discussions with Transport for Greater Manchester (TFGM) to explore what mitigation it can offer to ensure we are able to continue filming uninterrupted.
"If there are no acceptable solutions, we have called for a return to the original route which we believe achieves the same transport objectives and has no impact on our production."
A TFGM spokesman said tram operators Metrolink and Coronation Street "have a strong track record of working together".
"Metrolink trams can be seen on the show's opening credits and featured in one of the Street's biggest storylines back in 2010," he said.
"We are committed to working with ITV, as we are with all stakeholders along the route, as we progress the scheme." | Coronation Street bosses have objected to a planned expansion of Greater Manchester's tram network because they fear the noise could disrupt filming. | 32738443 |
A small number of personnel had been sent to Camp Shorabak - near the former Camp Bastion - in an "advisory role", the Ministry of Defence said.
They will not be in combat and are part of a larger Nato team, it said.
UK combat operations in Afghanistan ended last year, but about 450 troops remain in mentoring and support roles.
Helmand's governor, Mirza Khan Rahimi, insisted the authorities were still in control of Sangin, in the province, but his own deputy said the town had been overrun by Taliban militants.
The police headquarters reportedly remains under siege after a Taliban attack.
Maj Richard Streatfield, who spent seven months in Sangin in 2009 and 2010 with the Rifles, told the BBC it was "hugely disappointing" to see the town under threat again.
"I won't deny, on a personal level, it does make you wonder - was it worth it?" he said.
"Because if the people we were trying to free Afghanistan from are now able to just take it back within two years, that shows that something went badly wrong at the operational and strategic level."
There are about 10 British personnel now at Camp Shorobak - an army camp some 60 miles by road from Sangin, the BBC understands.
A spokeswoman for the MoD said they would be providing advice to the Afghan National Army as part of the UK's "ongoing contribution" to Nato's Resolute Support mission.
They will not deploy outside the camp, she added.
The Taliban surge, not just in Helmand but in a number of other provinces, has highlighted the dysfunction at the heart of the Afghan government and thrown the continuing problems of the Afghan military into high relief.
The Taliban resurgence is as much a product of the turmoil in its top leadership as anything else, with different factions vying for power and seeking to demonstrate their pre-eminence by displays of military prowess.
The fact that the so-called Islamic State organisation is slowly putting down roots in the turmoil is also worrying Western military planners and adding a new dimension to the Afghan conundrum.
Read more from Jonathan here.
Defence select committee chairman Julian Lewis said British forces must be able to respond more flexibly to extremists in Afghanistan, as well as in Iraq and Syria.
He suggested having a "flexible force which can swoop in and swoop out again, a mixture of special forces supported by air power in support of friendly ground forces where they exist".
The UK, however, should resist getting drawn in permanently to build up a nation in a country that is not ready for it, he told BBC Radio 4's World At One.
Another senior figure, Lord Dannatt - former head of the British Army - said he believed Afghanistan was a lower priority than Syria and Libya, and any upsurge in British military effort should be focused there instead.
Dr Mike Martin, who spent two years in Afghanistan as a British army officer and wrote the book An Intimate War, said the UK should leave Afghanistan alone and not pour money into what he calls a "micro civil war".
Portraying the conflict as the government versus Taliban was "simplistic" when many factors, such as the drugs trade, water, territorial battles, were behind the fighting, he told BBC Radio 4's PM.
October 2001 - Following the 9/11 attacks, the US accuses the Taliban, the ruling power in Afghanistan, of harbouring terrorist Osama Bin Laden. Britain becomes involved soon after, deploying ground troops
December 2001 - The city of Kandahar, the last Taliban stronghold, falls to US coalition forces. Then Prime Minister Tony Blair hails a victory. Within a year it becomes clear the Taliban has regrouped and is fighting back
January 2006 - More than 3,000 British forces move into the southern Helmand province, with their base at Camp Bastion, as fighting intensifies
October 2009 - The UK sends more troops - at the peak of the conflict there are 9,500 British troops in Afghanistan. Nato and the US also send more troops. It becomes the bloodiest year of the campaign, but the coalition begins to win ground
October 2014 - The last British combat troops withdraw from Afghanistan, after 13 years of combat
December 2015 - A small number of personnel are sent to Camp Shorabak in an "advisory role", working as part of a larger Nato team, the MoD says.
Read more about the history of the conflict
Some 12,000 foreign soldiers are deployed as part of the Nato-led Resolute Support international coalition, which is meant to underpin Afghanistan's own security forces.
On Monday, a Taliban suicide bombing near Bagram killed six US soldiers in one of the deadliest attacks on foreign forces in the country this year.
Nato acknowledged progress in the last year had been "uneven", but said the Afghans were "resilient".
It added that they had become more adept at conducting planned operations and were successfully using helicopters now.
The battle for Sangin comes a little over a year after the end of UK combat operations in Afghanistan.
More than 450 British personnel died in the conflict, with the heaviest losses suffered in and around Sangin.
Victoria Bateman, whose husband L/Cpl James Bateman was among them, said it almost took her back to the time he died.
If his death had been for nothing, she believed she was owed an explanation, she told the BBC.
Brenda Hale, whose husband Captain Mark Hale was killed in an explosion in Helmand in August 2009, said: "When I'd seen the headline earlier today my breath was snatched away from me.
"Particularly because it's Sangin and especially at Christmas time when families like mine are just trying to get through the holiday with a very empty chair in our house," she told BBC Radio 5 live. | British military personnel have been deployed to Afghanistan's Helmand province as reports suggest the Taliban is close to overrunning Sangin town. | 35157428 |
Researchers highlighted the growing pressure of social media and the near-constant use of mobile phones.
The study compared the experiences and attitudes of 14-year-olds in 2014 with those in 2005 and found an increase in "psychological distress".
"Young people felt less control over their own destinies," says the study.
The report, tracking the well-being of 30,000 people in 13,000 households, found that young people in 2014 were more "serious" than in 2005.
On the positive side, it saw young people more engaged in school, more likely to want to go to university and less likely to be involved in "risky" activities, such as smoking or getting involved in petty crime.
But there was also a negative dimension, with an increase in psychological problems, particularly among girls.
There were also more problems for those growing up in single-parent families.
Researchers suggested that the sense of seriousness and the need to do well at school could reflect the changing economic climate.
Teenagers in 2005 had grown up in a time of sustained economic growth - while those in 2014 were aware of the tough competition for jobs and the difficulty in affording somewhere to live.
The result seems to have been to make young people more "work focused", says the survey.
And rather than any stereotype of "binge-drinking, drug-taking and laziness", it suggests that young people are more likely to be characterised by increased levels of anxiety and a sense of being under pressure.
The study also linked an increase in psychological problems with changing technology.
The dominance of social media and the widespread access to the internet on mobile phones represents a "major change in the lives of young people", says the study.
Teenagers in 2014, unlike those in 2005, faced the almost constant pressure of social media and the use of smartphones with video cameras.
This played a part in everything from bullying to missed hours of sleep and to pressure on friendships and relationships.
The study found teenagers from better-off families were more likely to suffer from "psychological distress" than those from poorer families.
Researchers suggest this might reflect a lower sense of parental pressure.
Children of parents with higher qualifications were more likely to have psychological problems than those with lower qualifications.
The study suggests that the problems of mental health are so widespread that "broad-spectrum initiatives aimed at all young people" would be valuable.
"In terms of the policy implications of these findings, it would appear that there is little in the way of low-hanging fruit - simple, low-cost initiatives are difficult to identify," the study says. | The mental well-being of teenage girls in England has worsened in recent years, says research for the Department for Education. | 37158441 |
He made between £2.2m and £2.25m in 2016/2017, while Claudia Winkleman was the highest-paid female celebrity, earning between £450,000 and £500,000.
About two-thirds of stars earning more than £150,000 are male, compared to one-third female, according to the BBC annual report.
Director general Tony Hall said there was "more to do" on gender and diversity.
It is the first time the pay of stars earning more than £150,000 has been made public.
The BBC has been compelled to reveal the information, including the pay of 96 of its top stars, under the terms of its new Royal Charter.
The total bill for the 96 personalities was £28.7m; but the figures in the report reveal large disparities between what men and women are paid.
Overall, 25 men on the talent list receive more than £250,000, compared to just nine women.
Speaking on LBC Radio, Prime Minister Theresa May said: "We've seen the way the BBC is paying women less for doing the same job... I want women to be paid equally."
When asked if Chris Evans was worth 12 of her, Mrs May - who earns about £150,000 - said: "What's important is that the BBC looks at the question of paying men and women the same for doing the same job."
"On gender and diversity, the BBC is more diverse than the broadcasting industry and the civil service," Lord Hall said.
"We've made progress, but we recognise there is more to do and we are pushing further and faster than any other broadcaster."
When asked if female talent working at the BBC would now be asking for pay rises, Lord Hall said: "We will be working carefully on our relationship with our talent."
Woman's Hour's Jane Garvey tweeted: "I'm looking forward to presenting @BBCWomansHour today. We'll be discussing #GenderPayGap . As we've done since 1946. Going well, isn't it?"
Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis, who did not appear on the list, retweeted Garvey's message.
There is also a gap between the pay for white stars and those from a black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) background.
George Alagiah, Jason Mohammad and Trevor Nelson are the highest paid BAME presenters, each receiving between £250,000 and £300,000.
The highest-paid female star with a BAME background is BBC news presenter Mishal Husain, who earned between £200,000 and £250,000.
The annual report contains pay information in bands and does not reveal exact amounts. Nor does it include stars who receive their pay through BBC Worldwide, the corporation's commercial arm.
The figures quoted only refer to the amount of licence fee money each person receives and do not include their earnings from other broadcasters or commercial activities.
They also exclude stars paid through independent production companies.
That means some big name stars - such as David Attenborough, Benedict Cumberbatch and Matt LeBlanc - do not appear on the list.
The list also does not distinguish between people who are paid for doing multiple jobs within the BBC and those who are just paid for one.
Strictly Come Dancing head judge Len Goodman - who has now left the show - and fellow judge Bruno Tonioli were both in the £200,000-£250,000 band.
The show's other judges, Craig Revel Horwood and Darcey Bussell, got between £150,000 and £200,000.
Tess Daly, Winkleman's Strictly Come Dancing co-host, was paid between £350,000 and £400,000.
Graham Norton earned more than £850,000 but this does not include payments to his production company, which makes The Graham Norton Show and pays him a separate salary.
The BBC is alone amongst the UK's major broadcasters in releasing pay details for its on-air and on-screen talent. Talent pay is considerably higher in the commercial sector.
As he left the BBC after his Radio 2 breakfast show on Wednesday, Chris Evans said it was right "on balance" that star salaries were being disclosed.
"We are the ultimate public company I think, and therefore it's probably right and proper people know what we get paid," he told reporters.
During a briefing on the annual report on Wednesday morning, Lord Hall said: "Chris Evans is presenting the most popular show on the most popular radio network in Europe.
"The BBC does not exist in a market on its own where it can set the market rates.
"If we are to give the public what they want, then we have to pay for those great presenters and stars."
Aside from Strictly, Winkleman's other BBC roles include presenting The Great British Sewing Bee and her Radio 2 Sunday night show.
Her agent said she would be making no comment.
If you ask experienced people in the world of broadcasting what they think of these salary disclosures, three clear and consistent points are apparent.
First, the BBC pays below - and sometimes much below - market rates, both at management level and in terms of top broadcasting talent.
Second, this move will prove inflationary. Those on the list will think to themselves: "Why is that inferior presenter getting paid more than me?" - and will demand a pay rise.
Third, if you thought it was tin hat time for the talent, pity the poor agents they work with.
Read more from Amol here.
Casualty star Derek Thompson was the BBC's highest paid actor, receiving between £350,000 and £400,000 over the last financial year.
Amanda Mealing, who also stars in Casualty as well as Holby City, was the highest paid actress, receiving between £250,000 and £300,000.
Peter Capaldi, the outgoing star of Doctor Who, was paid between £200,000 and £250,000.
Clare Balding earned between £150,000 and £200,000 for her work on sports shows including Wimbledon Today and the Rio Olympics.
The overall spend on talent was £193.5m - down on the £200m spent in 2015/2016.
The figures also showed a decrease - from 109 to 96 - in the number of stars paid more than £150,000.
The total spend on stars with salaries of more than £150,000 was also down £5 million on the £31.9 million paid in the previous financial year.
Speaking on the Today programme, Lord Grade - a former BBC One controller - called the government's insistence that talent pay be disclosed "distasteful and disturbing".
"The net result of this is inflation," he said. "Talent salaries and wages will round upwards, they won't go down."
Former culture secretary John Whittingdale MP said: "If somebody is earning the equivalent of 1,000 households' licence fees put together… the licence fee payer deserves to know."
The annual report showed that the BBC continues to reach 95 percent of UK adults every week.
It also said the iPlayer had its most successful year to date, with an average of 246 million requests each month.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | Chris Evans has topped the list of the BBC's best-paid stars. | 40653383 |
The forwards were given the bans for a joint-tackle during Saturday's 36-33 Pool B victory over Samoa.
Both were left out of the team for Sunday's World Cup quarter-final with Australia but Vern Cotter can alter his side up until an hour before kick-off.
Scottish Rugby chief executive Mark Dodson said "justice has been done".
"Ross and Jonny are now free to re-join the tournament, ahead of the biggest game for Scottish Rugby in recent years," he added.
"We find it hugely disappointing they were put in this position by a judicial process, which is inconsistent and unfair. Justice delayed is justice denied.
"It is regrettable that this has overshadowed a massive week for the sport and our focus continues to be on the match against Australia."
The appeals were formally lodged on Friday and heard on Saturday by a committee chaired by Justice Lex Mpati, from South Africa, sitting with Justice Graeme Mew from Canada and Robbie Deans from New Zealand.
Scottish Rugby challenged the length of ban, not the guilty verdict.
And, a statement on the Rugby World Cup website read: "Having conducted a detailed review of all the evidence, including new submissions from the players and their representatives, along with all available camera angles, the appeal committee dismissed the finding that the players had committed an act of foul play as the player had not been dropped or driven and therefore the tackle was not dangerous.
"The players are therefore free to play again immediately."
Australian citing commissioner Scott Nowland charged Edinburgh's Ford of breaching rules on dangerous tackles.
Glasgow Warriors' Gray, meanwhile, was alleged to have committed an illegal tip tackle during the win that clinched Scotland's place in the last eight.
Both players denied committing an act of foul play. | Scotland hooker Ross Ford and lock Jonny Gray are free to play with immediate effect after appeals against three-week suspensions were upheld. | 34527131 |
Prosecutors told the Old Bailey the men had acquired a gun and ammunition, and planned to buy an untraceable moped.
They researched potential west London locations online, the court heard.
Nathan Cuffy, 26, Nyall Hamlett, 25, Suhaib Majeed, 21, and Tarik Hassane, 22, from west London, deny conspiracy to murder and preparing terrorist acts.
Opening the case, prosecutor Brian Altman QC said police scuppered murderous plans borne out of a "warped ideology" when they arrested the men in the autumn of 2014.
He said Mr Hassane had used his iPad to search the Google Streetview photo-mapping service for Shepherd's Bush police station and the Parachute Regiment Territorial Army Barracks at White City.
It appeared medical student Mr Hassane and Mr Majeed were discussing the purchase of a moped that could not be traced back to them, as well as a garage to store the moped and their weapon, he added.
Mr Altman said: "The evidence points to this being a plot to kill - a plot to execute a policeman or a soldier or, as I say, even an ordinary member of the public - in one or more assassinations either involving a drive-by shooting or a shooting on foot and then a speedy escape by moped."
Mr Hassane was alleged to have been leading the plot and to have issued instructions to Mr Majeed, who was studying physics at King's College London at the time of his arrest, the court heard.
The jury was told police found four guns and ammunition in Mr Cuffy's bedroom and he has pleaded guilty to firearms offences. Mr Hamlett, said to be the alleged "middle man" who passed on a weapon to Mr Majeed, has admitted transferring the gun and ammunition.
When officers arrived at Mr Majeed's home, a gun, silencer and bullets were thrown out of his bedroom window, the court heard.
Prosecutors said there were believed to be more people involved in the plot who were not on trial.
The defendants were arrested in September 2014, except for Mr Hassane, who was studying in Sudan. Mr Altman alleged the evidence in the case suggested he was pressing on with the plot as a "lone wolf terrorist".
Mr Hassane had pledged his allegiance to the IS group and the plot received "important direct and authoritative encouragement" when the group's official spokesman issued a fatwa to kill disbelievers in the West, the prosecutor told the court.
The court heard that when Prime Minister David Cameron announced new counter-terrorism laws Mr Hassane wrote on a messaging service: "LOOOOOL David Cameron is getting himself ready for my turn up."
Police also found images on Mr Majeed's mobile phone of Mr Hassane apparently posing with a gun, and in one image he also held a book on Osama bin Laden, the jury was told.
The trial continues. | Four men inspired by the Islamic State group plotted to kill a police officer, soldier or civilian in one or more "drive-by" shootings, a jury has heard. | 35343843 |
Midfielder Williams headed Reading in front after just 15 seconds.
Hal Robson-Kanu found the USA international unmarked as he netted the club's third-fastest ever goal.
Nick Blackman made sure of the points with a late penalty with his eighth goal in as many games after he was fouled by Fernando Amorebieta.
Boro, five points clear in second before kick-off, were caught cold straight from the start at the Madejski Stadium.
Robson-Kanu lofted a ball across the area to the on-running Williams and Dimitrios Konstantopoulos was unable to tip it over the bar.
Reading, beaten just once in their last nine league games were full of confidence. Orlando Sa, returning from suspension, was denied a second goal as his shot was blocked on the line by Daniel Ayala.
Boro went close to an equaliser as Stewart Downing shot through a crowded penalty area only to be denied by Ali Al-Habsi.
Downing threatened again before the break, shooting just over from outside the box.
The visitors grew in confidence and continued to push for a leveller in the second half. Grant Leadbitter had the best chance as he watched a shot go just wide after the hour mark.
But just as nerves increased among the home crowd, Steve Clarke's side settled the game with two minutes left.
Blackman, among the nominees for Championship player of the month for September, was tripped by Amorebieta and referee Keith Stroud pointed to the spot.
Konstantopoulos went the wrong way and Reading had sealed their fifth win of the season.
Reading manager Steve Clarke told BBC Radio Berkshire:
"That was two good teams playing against each other today. We got the key moments in the afternoon and to get in front early changed the whole dynamic of the game.
"Middlesbrough would have come here thinking they could pick us off and contain us. In the first half, even though we didn't create as many chances, the best ones came to us.
"Defensively our shape was good and I sacrificed Nick Blackman a bit today, asking him to do a more defensive job.
"He did that really well and got his reward with the penalty at the end."
Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka:
"The main thing we had to do was not concede a goal in the first minute, but we did - within 20 seconds.
"Reading are a very organised team and we knew that if we conceded a goal, it would be difficult to equalise.
"We have still had a good run but we are disappointed because we wanted to win the eighth, ninth and 10th games in a row.
"I know it's impossible to win every match but it's still frustrating. I don't know why we started so badly."
Match ends, Reading 2, Middlesbrough 0.
Second Half ends, Reading 2, Middlesbrough 0.
Offside, Reading. Chris Gunter tries a through ball, but Orlando Sá is caught offside.
Goal! Reading 2, Middlesbrough 0. Nick Blackman (Reading) converts the penalty with a left footed shot to the bottom right corner.
Penalty conceded by Fernando Amorebieta (Middlesbrough) after a foul in the penalty area.
Penalty Reading. Nick Blackman draws a foul in the penalty area.
Corner, Middlesbrough. Conceded by Ola John.
Substitution, Middlesbrough. Albert Adomah replaces Grant Leadbitter because of an injury.
Substitution, Reading. Aaron Tshibola replaces Hal Robson-Kanu.
Attempt missed. Kike (Middlesbrough) right footed shot from the right side of the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Grant Leadbitter.
Offside, Middlesbrough. Fernando Amorebieta tries a through ball, but Kike is caught offside.
Corner, Middlesbrough. Conceded by Jordan Obita.
Emilio Nsue Lopez (Middlesbrough) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Dangerous play by Orlando Sá (Reading).
Attempt missed. Carlos De Pena (Middlesbrough) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Emilio Nsue Lopez with a cross.
George Friend (Middlesbrough) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Nick Blackman (Reading).
Corner, Reading. Conceded by Daniel Ayala.
Adam Clayton (Middlesbrough) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Orlando Sá (Reading).
Cristhian Stuani (Middlesbrough) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Oliver Norwood (Reading).
Substitution, Middlesbrough. Emilio Nsue Lopez replaces Tomas Kalas.
Substitution, Middlesbrough. Carlos De Pena replaces Diego Fabbrini.
Foul by Daniel Ayala (Middlesbrough).
Orlando Sá (Reading) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt blocked. Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Adam Clayton.
Kike (Middlesbrough) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Michael Hector (Reading).
Attempt missed. Oliver Norwood (Reading) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left from a direct free kick.
Grant Leadbitter (Middlesbrough) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Grant Leadbitter (Middlesbrough).
Oliver Norwood (Reading) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Reading. Ola John replaces Lucas Piazon.
Attempt missed. Grant Leadbitter (Middlesbrough) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Fernando Amorebieta.
Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Lucas Piazon (Reading).
Grant Leadbitter (Middlesbrough) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Danny Williams (Reading).
Attempt missed. Orlando Sá (Reading) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Hal Robson-Kanu with a cross. | Reading climbed to third in the Championship and ended Middlesbrough's five game winning streak with goals from Danny Williams and Nick Blackman. | 34366118 |
Keith Towler said he was increasingly frustrated at the lack of progress in the support services for such children.
An independent "voice" for children was suggested 14 years ago after an inquiry into abuse in north Wales care homes.
The Welsh government denied Mr Towler's claims, saying it was committed to empowering children to speak out.
Latest figures show there are nearly 6,000 children in care in Wales.
And every one should have access to an advocate, someone who offers them one-to-one support and can represent their views.
But Mr Towler said the reality was that services were patchy and inconsistent across Wales, with an "apparent lack of necessary drive and determination" from ministers.
He has spoken to 384 young people in care for his latest report and found more than half of them did not know who their advocate was.
"I can't deny that there has been some progress but it has been patchy and it has been slow," he said.
"There have been too many excuses for why change has not happened more quickly and, in the meantime, the situation for children and young people remains much the same."
Mr Towler said recent allegations about historical child abuse shows the need to get advocacy services right.
"Advocacy enables us to create a climate where we listen to children and young people, a culture where we can better protect our children. In short, advocacy safeguards children and young people," he said.
Mr Towler has called for a nationally commissioned model to bring consistency across Wales.
The Welsh government said it has improved the system.
"We do not agree with the conclusions reached by the Children's Commissioner for Wales," said a spokesperson.
"We remain absolutely committed to keeping children free from abuse and to empower them and others to raise concerns that ensure perpetrators are identified, investigated and subject to the full weight of the justice system.
"Wales was the first country to appoint a children's commissioner to speak up for children and to provide scrutiny and challenge to everyone with responsibility for safeguarding children." | Children in care in Wales still do not have the support they need and are being denied the right to an advocate, the children's commissioner claims. | 28241979 |
The Tor web browser is designed to let people anonymously explore websites, including those hidden on the dark web which do not show up in search engines.
Last week the Tor project claimed that the FBI had paid CMU to find vulnerabilities in its software.
On Wednesday, the university said that was "inaccurate".
In 2014, the Tor network detected a concerted effort to work out the identity of people using the platform.
That attack was linked to CMU after two of its researchers said they would give a talk at the Black Hat cybersecurity conference on a method they found to "de-anonymise hundreds of thousands Tor clients and thousands of hidden services".
The talk was cancelled, but later the same year a big FBI operation took down dozens of Tor sites, including Silk Road 2 which was a notorious marketplace selling drugs.
The Tor project has since suggested that the FBI paid the university $1m (£660,000) to carry out the research.
Last week the university was non-committal on the accusations and told the BBC: "You can read what you want into it."
On Wednesday it issued a statement and said there had been a number of "inaccurate media reports" on its work in cybersecurity.
CMU said it did have a federally funded research centre which investigated software security, but that it did not receive funding in exchange for information.
"The university from time to time is served with subpoenas requesting information about research it has performed," said the statement. "The university abides by the rule of law, complies with lawfully issued subpoenas and receives no funding for its compliance."
However it has still not denied it was paid by the FBI to conduct research into Tor.
Even if the FBI had not paid the university to carry out specific research, the Tor project has raised questions about the ethics of CMU's investigation.
It has been suggested that the FBI could have ordered CMU to hand over its methods, or the identities of Tor users it had uncovered as a result of its research.
"Whatever academic security research should be in the 21st century, it certainly does not include "experiments" for pay that indiscriminately endanger strangers without their knowledge or consent," the Tor project wrote in its blog. | Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) says reports it was paid by the FBI to attack software sometimes used for criminal activity are "inaccurate". | 34867345 |
The musical, at London's Playhouse Theatre, is based on Almodovar's Oscar-nominated 1988 black comedy.
The show stars Tamsin Greig in her first stage musical role.
Almodovar said there was a "huge difference" between the West End production and the original Broadway version, which flopped in 2010.
"In Broadway it was too big. Here they they've got the real dimension for the play," he told the BBC after Monday's opening.
"There are two songs taken away and two new songs and I think they are wonderful. The rest of the music sounds completely different."
The opening night audience included Greig's Episodes co-star Stephen Mangan, Zoe Wanamaker, Graham Norton and Cherie Blair.
Greig plays the main role of Pepa in the Madrid-based comedy about female friends and their chaotic lives. The West End version is directed by Bartlett Sher.
Greig said Almodovar's presence felt "a little bit like having Shakespeare in the audience".
"You know that someone is there to whom the story is connected. He's such a generous spirit. It doesn't feel overwhelming or terrifying. It just feels like you want to walk with him."
In his four-star review for the Telegraph, theatre critic Dominic Cavendish wrote: "This is an absolute joy of an evening, built paradoxically on the unhinging despair that almost all of us experience in facing rejection, heart-break and the jealousy that comes with love betrayed."
In the Guardian, Michael Billington praised Greig's "sparky performance", noting that she "conveys Pepa's gutsy resilience and professional pride".
Henry Hitchings in the Evening Standard said the production took "too long to look fully at ease".
But he added: "Thanks to a fizzier and more fluent second half this is a musical that leaves one feeling well entertained. But even if its vitality in the end proves charming, the journey is a rather bumpy one." | Spanish film director Pedro Almodovar joined the cast of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown on stage for the curtain call at its opening night. | 30793587 |
Airport operators say they will try to implement as many of the proposals as possible "as quickly as is practical".
Campaigners say complaints have soared since flight paths were altered.
Authors of the report, which was commissioned by Gatwick, say changes could be in place within a year.
The Independent Review of Arrivals recommended that the flight paths be amended again to cover a wider area, diluting the impact on people living close-by, some of whom have aircraft flying over their homes every 90 seconds.
Campaigners welcomed the suggestion but acknowledged that more people will be drawn into the area affected by the noise.
Brendan Sewell, chairman of Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign, said: "Probably they had it until two years ago, when the flight paths were concentrated [on a narrower area], but at the moment they haven't got it, so not everybody's going to be happy about this."
However, he felt other recommended changes, such as modifications to planes to make them less noisy and training pilots to minimise the time flown at low levels, should be more straightforward.
Gatwick spokesman Charles Kirwan-Taylor said: "We're never going to be able to make the problem go away completely... but if there are ways where we can make the practices better or ways in which we can make the distribution better, we will be happy to look at that."
Representatives of those who have complained about the increase in noise will be included on the body being set up to consider the recommendations. | Campaigners who have said their lives have been blighted by noise from Gatwick Airport are welcoming a possible breakthrough after a report recommended a series of changes. | 35434920 |
The unprovoked assault happened at 02:30 BST on Sunday on George's Street in Omagh.
The man was walking home with a woman, both in their 30s, when a group of men attacked him.
Police are appealing for witnesses to contact them. | A man has been left with injuries to his head and face after he was attacked by a gang in County Tyrone. | 40702526 |
Leigh, 21, scored two goals in nine games for the Bantams in his one season at Valley Parade but opted to move to Bury despite a further contract offer.
The former Manchester City trainee never made a first-team appearance but did play 42 games during a season's loan to Crewe in 2014-15.
He becomes the seventh Shakers signing this summer.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Bury have signed left-back Greg Leigh from League One rivals Bradford City on a two-year deal. | 36687907 |
Gas-powered generators have been providing power to major cities. A state of emergency has been declared.
The pylons brought electricity from Ukraine. Engineers were reportedly denied access to the site by Ukrainian activists.
Crimea was annexed by Russia last year, but the Ukrainian authorities have continued to supply power to the area.
Images on social media show Ukrainian flags on some damaged pylons - and Crimean Tatar flags on others.
Crimean authorities said they had managed to partially reconnect the cities of Simferopol, Yalta and Saky using generators.
But more than 1.6 million people remain without power, and water supplies to high buildings have stopped and cable and mobile internet is down. Some 150 schools were also without power.
"I had no electricity all night. These useless officials can't run the city and they still haven't built a local power station," a resident of Sevastopol told AFP news agency.
"It's not the first time Ukraine has cut off electricity to Crimea, we are already used to power cuts and stock up on batteries," another one said.
Mikhail Sheremet, Crimea's deputy prime minister, said the peninsula's hospitals had backup power sources and would not be affected.
Two of the four main power lines were cut in an earlier attack on Friday, reports said.
Ukrainian authorities said they encountered activists blockading the site when they tried to repair the damaged pylons.
"The nature of the damage shows that it took place as a result of shelling or the use of explosive devices," Ukraine's state energy company Ukrenergo said in a statement.
Ukrenergo said it hoped to finish all repairs within four days.
Crimean Tatars, an ethnic group native to the peninsula who oppose Russian rule, held a protest at the site of the broken power lines in Kherson region, Russia's RIA news agency reported. | Three-quarters of Crimea's population remain without power after four electricity pylons were blown up. | 34893493 |
Flags will be flown at half-mast over Whitehall and Buckingham Palace, while play at Wimbledon will be delayed.
The Queen and Prime Minister David Cameron will join the silence.
The first inquests into the deaths of the Britons will begin later, with the bodies of more of the dead expected to arrive back at RAF Brize Norton.
The foreign secretary has said all 30 British people killed have been identified. Philip Hammond said he was confident the figure was the final British death toll from the beach shootings in Sousse last Friday.
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh will join staff in marking the silence at the University of Strathclyde during an official visit to open a new technology and innovation centre, while Mr Cameron will be in his Witney constituency in Oxfordshire.
A number of mosques are expected to participate in the silence, and many will also remember the victims during Friday prayers.
Police officers across the country will take part, the National Police Chiefs Council said.
And a special ceremony will also be held at the scene of the killings in Sousse, where dignitaries and tourists are expected to attend.
At Wimbledon, matches on the outdoor courts usually start at 11:30 BST but will begin at 12:15 to allow spectators and participants to take part in the silence.
Memorial services are also taking place for some of the victims.
Eileen Swannack and John Welsh will be remembered at a church service in Biddestone, Wiltshire while friends and fellow Walsall FC fans will pay tribute to Pat Evans, Adrian Evans and Joel Richards at the club's ground in the West Midlands.
What we know about the British victims
The bodies of 17 of the British victims have now been returned to the UK.
The first inquests are due to open at West London Coroner's Court. Coroner Chinyere Inyama is expected to open and adjourn the hearings, with further cases to be opened at the court on Saturday and Sunday.
Post-mortem examinations will also be carried out before the bodies are released to their families.
The Foreign Office has now confirmed the deaths of Angie and Ray Fisher, aged 69 and 75 respectively, who were from Leicester and had been missing.
Holiday company Thomson and First Choice has said all 30 British people killed were its customers.
"The whole company would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of those involved in this tragic event," it added.
"Our main focus now is to ensure the families of the deceased and our customers who have been injured receive all possible support at this incredibly difficult time."
Other victims killed in the attack include three Irish citizens, two Germans, one Belgian, one Portuguese and one Russian national.
BBC correspondent Ben Brown, who is in Sousse, spoke to one Tunisian man who witnessed the attack and helped tourists to safety.
He said he feared for his life but when he realised the gunman was not interested in shooting Tunisians he linked arms with other local people to try to form a human barrier along the beach.
"You could only see one colour," he said. "Everywhere was red."
"I feel I could have done more. I tried my best... He is not Tunisian. We are not like that."
He also pleaded with tourists not to abandon Tunisa. "Please keep coming. Don't let him win," he said.
A British man who ran to the aid of victims said he hoped to get some closure following the national minute's silence for those who died.
Allen Pembroke, 61, from Chelmsford, Essex, who helped a badly wounded woman at the resort in Sousse last Friday said he was still in shock.
Tunisian authorities have identified 28-year-old student Seifeddine Rezgui as the gunman who carried out the attack.
They are also holding eight suspects in custody on suspicion of being directly linked to the attack, which jihadist group Islamic State (IS) has claimed. Four others who were held have been released.
On Thursday, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon set out the case for air strikes on IS targets in Syria in Parliament.
He has suggested the Tunisia attack may have been planned by IS in Syria.
Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police has said more than 160 officers were interviewing witnesses to the attack who had returned to the UK.
A total of 20 officers have been sent to Tunisia by the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, which is leading the coroner's investigation.
The National Policing Counter Terrorism Headquarters has also sent specialist security advisers to Tunisia, to support a review of security at resorts and tourist attractions.
Scotland Yard has previously said its investigation into the attack is likely to be one of the largest counter-terrorism deployments since the London 7/7 bombings in 2005, which killed 52.
Tunisia: National Silence News Special showing coverage of the minute's silence will be broadcast online and on BBC One and the BBC News Channel at 11:45 BST. | A minute's silence will be held across the UK at midday to remember the 38 people - including 30 Britons - killed in the Tunisia beach attack a week ago. | 33375928 |
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