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Peter Holland, president of the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA), says the idea could save money and improve the service with faster response times.
The CFOA says the ambulance service is struggling to meet its response targets of dealing with 75% of life-threatening calls within eight minutes.
But an ambulance official says the idea would not be workable.
Mr Holland says: "We are calling on the Department of Health (DoH) and the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to review this idea.
"By basing fire and ambulance stations together we could generate savings for the future."
Figures for 2009 to 2010 show that five out of the 12 ambulance services in England are not meeting the 75% target.
The CFOA believes it could respond to life-threatening calls within eight minutes 90% of the time.
The fire service is only interested in running the emergency response section of the ambulance service, suggesting the patient transport service could be left with the NHS or run privately on the open market.
Chief fire officers will be making the case to run the ambulance service at the Conservative party conference in Birmingham next week.
It is unlikely to go down well with unions. Jim Petter from the College of Paramedics, the ambulance service professional body, says: "Culturally the two services are very different. I just can't see how it would work.
"The ambulance service went through a massive reorganisation in 2006 when the 29 ambulance services in England were cut to 12. Changing it again would only be damaging."
Jo Webber, director of the Ambulance Service Network - representing the services, says: "It is hard to see how the fire and rescue service think they could improve things.
"We deal with a huge number of calls compared to the calls to the fire service.
"We are already improving response times by building up a big network of community paramedics based in doctor's surgeries.
"This idea would mean a massive reorganisation which I just don't think would be workable."
The Ambulance Service Network also believes the move could be motivated by fears over fire service funding, which comes from the DCLG.
A paper leaked to BBC Radio 4's You and Yours says: "While spending in the Department of Health has been ring-fenced from Treasury spending cuts, the Department of Communities and Local Government is facing cuts of between 25 and 40%".
A DoH spokesman said: "The department has had discussions with DCLG about options for operational efficiency in each service but there are currently no plans for any kind of merger." | The fire and rescue service in England has proposed taking over and running the ambulance service. | 11444927 |
29 February 2016 Last updated at 18:34 GMT
Fr Stephen Crossan is reported to have sniffed coke through a £10 note on a night of drinking in July 2015 in Banbridge, County Down.
He was in a room with Nazi memorabilia and seemed to say "I shouldn't" as he snorted, the Sun on Sunday reported. | A Catholic priest caught on video obtained by the Sun on Sunday snorting what appeared to be cocaine has taken extended leave from the priesthood. | 35688817 |
Kyles completed their 2-0 defeat of Oban Camanachd in the first quarter of the game while it was well into extra-time before Newtonmore first found the net in their 3-0 victory over Lovat.
Kinlochshiel went top of the Marine Harvest Premiership with a 3-0 win at Kilmallie and Kingussie also leapfrogged previous leaders Kyles with victory by the same score at home to Glasgow Mid Argyll.
Lochaber cashed in on the defeats of Mid Argyll and Kilmallie to overtake them both from the bottom with a 3-1 home success over Glenurquhart.
In the MacAulay Cup South semi-final in Oban, Colin MacDonald opened the scoring after just three minutes and on 23 added a second to effectively seal the tie.
It was totally different in the North tie at Beauly where 90 minutes came and went goalless and it was midway through the first period of extra-time before Jamie Robinson eventually got the breakthrough for Newtonmore. Robinson then broke Lovat's hearts with a second just before the turnaround and Michael Russell put the tie to bed with 10 minutes of play remaining.
Newtonmore now go into the final at Oban's Mossfield Park on 19 August having recorded comfortable back-to-back league and Camanachd Cup wins over their opponents from Tighnabruaich.
In the Premiership, Scott MacLean opened for Kinlochshiel late in the first half and Duncan MacRae made it 2-0 early in the second. A Keith MacRae penalty then confirmed the victory that put Shiel top of the table with 19 points from 11 games, with Kyles on 17 from 10.
Splitting these two on 18 points but from 14 outings are Kingussie. Ruaridh Anderson sent them well on their way to victory at the Dell over Glasgow Mid Argyll with a quick-fire double early in the second half and Lee Bain netted late on.
Meanwhile, Shaun Nicholson sent Lochaber on their way to victory. James MacPherson equalised for Glenurquhart just after the hour but Stuart Callison responded instantly before Ryan Johnstone confirmed Lochaber's winning cushion.
These results leave Kilmallie, who have a slightly inferior goal difference, and Mid Argyll still on five points at the bottom, now two behind Lochaber but with two and three games in hand respectively. The bottom side is relegated while second bottom play off against the National Division runners-up.
In the second tier, Caberfeidh and Skye put themselves in pole position for those promotion places. Cabers gained revenge for the previous Saturday's Balliemore Cup final defeat by Fort William with a 1-0 home win over the same opponents. Meanwhile, Skye are also undefeated - a point adrift but with a game in hand - after their 4-0 win at Inveraray.
Oban Celtic beat Strathglass 2-1 at Cannich in the other National Division game. | Newtonmore and Kyles Athletic will meet in the Artemis MacAulay Cup final next month following contrasting semi-final victories. | 40694454 |
Gaming International bought the club in December, with chairman Clarke Osborne keen to buy the freehold of the ground.
"They've got to show with their actions, not just words, they're in it for the real reasons," Nicholson said.
"I think they need to come out and build a relationship with the fans because rumours are a dangerous thing."
Earlier this month, Nicholson, whose team are two points above the National League relegation zone, said he had been given funds to strengthen his squad, but he did not bring any players in before the deadline on 23 March.
Osborne, who is yet to speak to the media since taking over, has brought Geoff Harrop in as general manager to help Nicholson.
"There's a huge amount of rumour and stuff with them [the owners] and I do think that they need to step in and have a chat with the fans and be more transparent, and let them know what's going on," Nicholson added to BBC Sport.
"I can't lie. I can't make anything up. I've had 12 months of rumour rammed down my throat about Geoff Harrop and what he's going to bring, what he's not going to bring and what his motives are.
"All I can say is that since he's been in I've met with him virtually daily and we've had positive discussions about the future of the club.
"I can't come out and say we're best mates, but I can say that we've got a strong working relationship that will only get stronger as I learn what he's about." | Torquay United boss Kevin Nicholson has called on the club's owners to be "more transparent" and quash speculation about their motives at Plainmoor. | 39448924 |
He said Russia would not "stoop" to the level of "irresponsible diplomacy" but would work to restore ties with the US under President-elect Donald Trump.
The country denies involvement in hacking related to the US election, calling US sanctions "ungrounded".
Mr Trump praised Mr Putin as "very smart" for holding off on reprisals.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev accused the outgoing US administration of President Barack Obama of ending in "anti-Russian death throes".
Diplomatic spat goes undiplomatic
What are the luxury Russian compounds?
Under the US action taken on Thursday:
Mr Obama, who will be replaced by Donald Trump on 20 January, had vowed action against Russia amid US accusations that it directed cyber-attacks on the Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton's campaign.
Emails stolen from her campaign manager and from the servers of the Democratic National Committee - some containing embarrassing information for Democrats - were released during the election campaign.
This was a carefully stage-managed response from Mr Putin - dangling the possibility of tit-for-tat expulsions and then showing magnanimity in postponing any response - at least for now.
It is fundamentally a put-down for the Obama administration, suggesting that, in Moscow's view, it is such a lame-duck, so irrelevant, as to make any response unnecessary.
It also poses an immediate test for President-elect Trump. Will he be convinced by the evidence the US intelligence agencies say they have? And, if so, what course will he steer in his relations with Russia?
This is no new Cold War. Russia is simply a kind of "pocket" superpower, nothing like the Soviet Union of old. But Mr Putin has shown here in relations with the West, as in Ukraine and Syria, that he can play a limited hand with great skill. Mr Trump will need to respond to this challenge in a decisive but graduated way.
In a statement on the Kremlin website (in Russian), Mr Putin said: "We won't be expelling anyone.
"We won't be banning their families and children from the places where they usually spend the New Year holidays. Furthermore, I invite all children of American diplomats accredited in Russia to the New Year and Christmas Tree in the Kremlin."
He wished Barack Obama and his family a happy New Year, as well as Mr Trump and "the whole American people".
In a message on the presidential website, Mr Putin said that, with the accession of Mr Trump, "the two states, acting in a constructive and pragmatic manner, can take real steps for restoration of mechanisms for bilateral co-operation".
President-elect Trump has dismissed the hacking claims as "ridiculous" and said Americans should "get on with our lives" when asked previously about the possibility of sanctions.
However, he said late on Thursday he would meet US intelligence chiefs next week to be "updated on the facts of this situation".
Russia's foreign ministry had reportedly suggested expelling 31 US diplomats from Moscow and four from St Petersburg.
It also suggested banning US diplomats from their dachas (holiday homes) in Serebryany Bor near Moscow and a warehouse on Moscow's Dorozhnaya Street.
Russia is sending a special plane to the US to fly home its diplomats.
The move followed reports that they were struggling to buy plane tickets because flights were full ahead of the New Year holiday.
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has denied a report by CNN that Moscow is shutting down a school attended by diplomats' children.
She said it was a "lie" that the Anglo-American School faced closure as retaliation.
Meanwhile, the Russian embassy to the UK tweeted a visual gag calling the Obama presidency a lame duck.
Pavel Felgenhauer, a Russian military affairs analyst, told BBC World Service things were going to get "very nasty" from here on in.
But US Democrat Senator Amy Klobuchar, who is currently on a visit to the Baltic states, told the BBC it would have been a mistake for the US not to respond to the hacking.
"This is something that is not just about American democracy, it's about all democracies," she said. "There's upcoming elections in Germany and France and for the US just to roll over and to let this happen with no response would have been a huge mistake."
US intelligence agencies, including the FBI and CIA, concluded that the aim of the hack was to cause damage to Mrs Clinton and the Democrats and favour Mr Trump. | Russian President Vladimir Putin has ruled out a tit-for-tat response after the US expelled 35 Russian diplomats amid a row over hacking. | 38464612 |
Shares have also been hit. The FTSE 100 index began the day by falling more than 8%, then regained some ground to stand 2.5% lower.
The more UK-focused FTSE 250 fared even worse, down 8% in early afternoon trading.
Banks were hard hit, with Barclays and RBS falling about 30%, although they later pared losses to below 20%.
The FTSE 100 ended the day 3.15% or 199.41 points lower.
The pound's dramatic fall started overnight as the outcome of the referendum became clear. At one stage, it hit $1.3236, a fall of more than 10%.
By early afternoon, it had partially recovered, but was still nearly 8% down on the day.
As well as the banks, the housebuilding sector was also badly hit, with shares in Bovis Homes down more than 20% in afternoon trading.
"Financials and housebuilders are bearing the brunt of the pain, with Lloyds Bank being one of the biggest fallers," said Laith Khalaf, senior analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, highlighting Lloyds' 21% slump.
"It's probably safe to say the public sale of the bank is now firmly in the long grass, and the return to full private ownership of both Lloyds and RBS has been knocked off course."
The Bank of England said it was "monitoring developments closely" and would take "all necessary steps" to support monetary stability.
In New York, the Dow Jones fell 2.6%, more than 400 points, in the opening minutes.
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"This is simply unprecedented, the pound has fallen off a cliff and the FTSE is now following suit," said Dennis de Jong, managing director of UFX.com.
"Britain's EU referendum has been a cloud hanging over the global economy for the past few months and that cloud has got very dark this morning.
"The markets despise uncertainty, yet that is exactly what they're faced with this morning. The shockwaves are likely to reverberate for some time and the warning lights are flashing brighter now than ever."
The FTSE 100's initial slump was its biggest one-day fall since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in October 2008.
UK government bond yields hit a new record low, with 10-year yields down more than 30 basis points to 1.018%, according to Reuters data.
Two-year yields fell more than 20 basis points to their lowest levels since mid-2013, at 0.233%.
The impact of the vote was also felt in other European countries. The Frankfurt and Paris indexes were both down more than 7% and 8% respectively, while the Swiss central bank intervened on the money markets to steady the Swiss franc after it appreciated in value.
Oil prices have also fallen sharply in the wake of the referendum outcome, with Brent crude down 4.6%.
The price of Brent crude fell by $2.34 to $48.57 a barrel, its biggest fall since February. At the same time, US crude was down 4.4%, or $2.22, to $47.89 a barrel.
Before the results started to come in, the pound had risen as high as $1.50, as traders bet on a Remain victory.
But following early strong Leave votes in north-east England, it tumbled to $1.43 and then took another dive after 03:00 BST as Leave maintained its lead.
The move in sterling is the biggest one-day fall ever seen.
A weaker pound buys fewer dollars or other foreign currencies, which makes it more expensive to buy products from abroad. However, it should benefit exporters as it makes their goods cheaper abroad.
Against the euro, the pound dropped 7% to about €1.2085. By Friday lunchtime, it had risen again but was still 5.3% down on the day.
At one point, the euro was 3.3% lower against the dollar, its biggest one-day fall since the currency's inception.
Currency traders say these moves are more extreme than those seen during the financial crisis of 2008.
"Leave's victory has delivered one of the biggest market shocks of all time," said Joe Rundle, head of trading at ETX Capital.
"The pound has collapsed to its lowest level in over 30 years, suffering its biggest one-day fall in living memory.
"Panic may not be too strong a word - the pound could have further to go over the next couple of days as markets digest the news.
"It's fair to say we've never seen anything like it and the chances are markets will remain highly volatile over the coming hours and days."
IAG, which owns British Airways and Iberia, issued a statement saying the result of the vote would hit its profits.
"Following the outcome of the referendum, and given current market volatility, while IAG continues to expect a significant increase in operating profit this year, it no longer expects to generate an absolute operating profit increase similar to 2015," it said.
David Tinsley at UBS said there would be "a significant rise in economic uncertainty" and that the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) was expected to take action, including interest rate cuts and an extension of its quantitative easing programme.
"We expect the MPC will cut policy rates to zero and make further asset purchases, in the first instance of £50-75bn, not later than February 2017," he said.
In a statement, Bank of England governor Mark Carney said the Bank would "pursue relentlessly" its responsibilities for monetary and financial stability, which were unchanged.
He said the Bank had put in place "extensive contingency plans" to mitigate the risks associated with the referendum, adding that it stood ready to provide more than £250bn of additional funds to banks through its normal facilities.
"In the coming weeks, the Bank will assess economic conditions and will consider any additional policy responses," he said.
The European Central Bank (ECB) also issued a statement saying it was closely monitoring financial markets and was in close contact with other central banks.
"The ECB stands ready to provide additional liquidity, if needed, in euro and foreign currencies," it added.
The managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, said the Fund had taken note of the referendum decision.
"We urge the authorities in the UK and Europe to work collaboratively to ensure a smooth transition to a new economic relationship between the UK and the EU, including by clarifying the procedures and broad objectives that will guide the process," she added.
Source: Bank of New York Mellon | The pound has fallen to levels not seen since 1985 following the UK's referendum vote to leave the EU. | 36611512 |
Cambridge and Oxford remain in the top five, at fourth and fifth place respectively, but both have moved down two places on their 2015 ranking.
The US continues to dominate the Times Higher Education (THE) world reputation rankings, with Harvard top.
Asia has 17 universities in the top 100 - up from 10 in last year's rankings.
Three London universities stay in the top third of the table - Imperial College London at 15, University College London at 20 and the London School of Economics and Political Science at 24 - but each has fallen slightly on last year's ranking.
University of Edinburgh (38th), King's College London (43rd), University of Manchester (joint 49th), London Business School (between 81st and 90th) and University of Warwick (between 81st and 90th) also made the top 100 global reputation ranking.
London Business School was the only UK institution that improved its ranking; Edinburgh, King's and Manchester slipped down from their 2015 ranking, while Warwick stayed the same.
The University of Bristol and Durham University have fallen out of the top 100, bringing the UK's total number of universities in the rankings to 10 for 2016 - down from 12 last year.
The rankings are based on an invitation-only survey of leading academics.
The 10 top institutions by reputation are:
THE rankings editor Phil Baty said the UK had lost ground this year.
"Even the country's most prestigious institutions have slipped, with the universities of Cambridge and Oxford each dropping two places to fourth and fifth place respectively," he said.
"The UK's diminishing performance occurs as institutions in Asia rapidly rise up the table - the continent has 17 representatives, up from 10 last year."
Mr Baty said cuts to higher education funding and a series of immigration measures affecting overseas students were "starting to have an impact" on the UK's global reputation.
"The UK will have to ensure that it can still draw in talent and investment from across the world and it does not lose its position at the heart of higher education's global elite," he added.
Dr Wendy Piatt, director general of the Russell Group of leading universities, said the UK had some of the very best universities in the world, but it was "no time to rest on our laurels".
"These rankings can be seen as a warning that the rest of the world is catching up with us and Asian universities, in particular, are snapping at our heels.
"We risk losing out on further business and overseas funding unless there is greater investment in our world-class universities and a more risk-based, proportionate approach to regulation.
"Our key international competitors recognise that world-class universities are central to their success." | The UK has 10 universities in the top 100 of the world's best when it comes to global reputation, but many have slipped down the rankings this year. | 36203613 |
The ex-Labour prime minister is closing his lobbying and consultancy business, Tony Blair Associates, and associated companies Windrush and Firerush.
In an email to staff, he said while he would retain a small number of commercial contracts, 80% of his time would be spent on not-for-profit work.
He has been criticised for the amount of profit the ventures have generated.
Mr Blair, who left frontline politics in 2007, is reported to have made millions advising a number of foreign governments and multinational firms.
Although the full range of his business activities has never been disclosed, Mr Blair was reported to have been paid £2m a year alone by JP Morgan after leaving office.
Earlier this year, it was claimed he had a lucrative deal advising the Kazakh government.
His links with Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev, who has ruled the country since 1989 and whose human rights record has been condemned, have been controversial.
Mr Blair, however, has rejected claims of any conflict of interest between his commercial and his not-for-profit work.
His not-for-profit ventures include his Faith Foundation and the Centre for Geopolitics and Religion, which focuses on addressing the root causes of Islamist extremism and supporting inter-faith dialogue.
Following a review of his business interests, Mr Blair said he had decided to refocus his activities and would give the "substantial financial reserves" generated by his businesses in recent years to not-for-profit causes.
In an email, he said: "Over the past nine years we have built a group of organisations employing around 200 people and working in more than 20 different countries round the world. It is time to take this to a new level.
"As I indicated last December at our annual all staff meeting, I want to expand our activities and bring everything under one roof.
"I also want now to concentrate the vast bulk of my time on the not for profit work which we do. De facto, this has been the case in the past two years but we need to reflect this change in the way we are structured."
He added: "I will retain a small number of personal consultancies for my income, but 80% of my time will be pro bono on the not for profit side."
Mr Blair, who is 63, was prime minister between 1997 and 2007. After stepping down, he served as a Middle East envoy for eight years. He and his wife Cherie also have substantial property investments in the UK. | Tony Blair has said he is winding up most of his commercial ventures to focus on not-for-profit work. | 37416855 |
The Ufa player said he was the subject of monkey chants before being sent off for a gesture against Spartak Moscow.
Spartak will not be punished as the RFU said it found no evidence of racism.
"For the Russian FA to say they didn't hear or see any evidence of racism is beyond a joke," Frimpong tweeted.
"Been banned for two games - acceptable on my part for the gesture, no problems with that.
"I've always said we are blessed in England and how wonderful of a country it is. Not saying there isn't racism in England of course. Must stress not all Russians behave like that."
Artur Grigoryants, head of the disciplinary committee, said: "The match inspector and the match delegate did not note that there had been any disciplinary violations by Spartak supporters towards Frimpong in the match reports.
"There were no instances of racism. We have no grounds to take disciplinary sanctions against Spartak."
Ghana midfielder Frimpong, 23, apologised for his reaction but did not attend the hearing.
Last season, Dynamo Moscow's Congolese defender Christopher Samba was given the same ban for an identical offence.
Zenit St Petersburg's Brazilian striker Hulk has recently said racism happens at "almost every game" in the Russian league and that it is a genuine threat to the 2018 World Cup, which will he held in the country.
He said he had repeatedly faced monkey chants and also accused a referee of racially abusing him.
It was announced on Wednesday that the striker will be one of the star names taking part in the preliminary draw for the World Cup, along with compatriot Ronaldo, former Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro and ex-Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o. | Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong called the Russian Football Union 'beyond a joke' after he was handed a two-game ban for reacting to alleged racist abuse. | 33628079 |
The International Circus Club service celebrates "father of modern clowning" Joseph Grimaldi, who died in 1837.
This year marked the 70th outing of the colourful congregation, which started the tradition in the 1940s.
It began when a circus proprietor arranged for clowns to lay a wreath at Grimaldi's grave in Pentonville Road.
Remembrance services have been held ever since in various London churches.
This year's celebration was held at the Holy Trinity church in Dalston, east London, where clowns mingled with church goers and clergy members.
Clowns International says it is "the oldest organisation to support the Art Of Clowning". | Clowns from across the globe have gathered for an annual service in honour of the man credited with popularising the act. | 35516706 |
Dutchman Ake, 21, joined the Cherries on loan last June, and has scored three times in 12 games for them this season.
He has played 12 times for Chelsea since making his debut in 2012, but Conte said the club "is his home".
"He's showing he deserves to stay in a great team like Chelsea," added Conte. "He gives me important options".
Conte will be without central defender John Terry for Saturday's trip to Leicester after the club captain was sent off in their FA Cup third-round win over Peterborough.
Ake has been recalled with immediate effect and will also be eligible for Chelsea in the FA Cup as he did not feature in the competition for Bournemouth.
On Saturday, Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe said losing Ake would be "a huge blow".
"He's done so well. It is easier said than done to say we are going to go and recruit a player of a similar stature to Nathan," Howe added.
"With Simon Francis' suspension and Marc Pugh's injury and now Nathan going back, our defensive resources are certainly stretched."
Conte's side top the Premier League and currently have the second-best defence in the top-tier, conceding 15 goals this season, one more than Tottenham.
The Blues currently have 37 players out on loan. | Nathan Ake will give Chelsea "options" according to manager Antonio Conte after he recalled the defender from his season-long loan spell at Bournemouth. | 38544921 |
The Revue XXI magazine reported that Austrian-born SS commander Alois Brunner spent his last years living in squalid conditions.
It said he remained a fervent anti-Semite right up to his death.
Brunner is accused of deporting more than 128,000 Jews to death camps.
He was in charge of the Drancy internment camp outside Paris where Jews rounded up in France were held before being sent to the death camps. An estimated 345 children were among his victims.
For many years there has been uncertainty as to whether Brunner - born in 1912 - is still alive, although the chief investigator pursuing him told the BBC in 2014 that he believed Brunner died in 2010 in Damascus.
Brunner is believed to have fled to Syria in the 1950s from West Germany, reportedly serving later as an adviser to the Syrian government on torture tactics before being shunned by the authorities.
The latest investigation by the Revue XXI magazine (in French) quotes one of Brunner's guards as saying that he "suffered and cried a lot in his final years, [and] everyone heard him".
The guard, identified only as Omar, said Brunner survived on meagre army rations in the last years of his life.
The magazine's findings have been welcomed by renowned Nazi-hunter Serge Klarsfeld.
"We are satisfied to learn that he lived badly rather than well," Mr Klarsfeld told the AFP news agency.
Brunner was removed in April 2014 from the Simon Wiesenthal Center's most wanted list, in a move signifying that it too considered him to be dead.
The SS commander played a key role in the implementation of Hitler's "Final Solution" to murder Jews and has been described by Nazi hunters as "a monster", responsible for sending 47,000 Jews in Austria, 44,000 in Greece, 23,500 in France and 14,000 in Slovakia to camps where most were murdered.
In 2001 he was sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment by a court in France and is reported to have survived at least two Israeli intelligence assassination attempts while in Syria in 1961 and 1980. | One of the world's most wanted Nazi war criminals died in 2001 aged 89 after spending more than a decade incarcerated in a dilapidated Damascus basement, a French magazine has said. | 38586945 |
The bridge was lit with green light at midnight.
The city is the first in the UK to be given the status since the award was launched in 2008 and has taken over the title from Copenhagen.
The initiative rewards cities making efforts to improve the urban environment and create healthier and more sustainable living areas.
Previous title holders are: Stockholm in 2010, Hamburg in 2011, Vitoria-Gasteiz in 2012, Nantes in 2013 and Copenhagen in 2014.
Ljubljana, in Slovenia, will take over from Bristol in 2016. | Bristol has marked the start of its year as European Green Capital by lighting up Clifton Suspension Bridge. | 30648797 |
Kearney received the recognition after his side picked up 10 points from four difficult league fixtures and continued their progress to the Irish Cup final.
Coleraine are now unbeaten in 16 games in all competitions, winning 14 of them, having not lost since Boxing Day.
They lie third in the table and will face Linfield in the Irish Cup final.
The Ballycastle Road outfit are also in a good position to secure a potentially lucrative place in the Europa League qualifying rounds.
"It's nice to have that record (of being unbeaten in 2017) but it doesn't give you a God-given right to win a football match," said Kearney, who also won the January managers' award.
"We need to continue to hit the same levels and with the top six teams playing each other now, anything can happen in any given match."
Coleraine beat Glentoran, Glenavon and Crusaders in Premiership games during the month of March, and also drew a rearranged match with derby rivals Ballymena United.
They comfortably accounted for United 4-0 at the quarter-finals stage of the cup and subsequently defeated Glenavon 2-1 to clinch a place in the showpiece occasion of the season on 6 May for the first time since 2008. | Coleraine's continuing run of good form has been recognised by Bannsiders boss Oran Kearney being awarded the March manager of the month prize. | 39545042 |
Six men and one woman died, and more than 50 people were injured, when a tram overturned on 9 November.
TfL has pledged to do "everything we can to support the families and all those affected".
An interim report into the crash is due to be published on Wednesday, but it could take "many months" to produce a final report, investigators warned.
Announcing the offer of assistance to victims' families, London's Transport Commissioner Mike Brown said: "The TfL Sarah Hope line is available 24 hours a day to provide advice on a whole range of matters and immediate financial and other support.
"This includes covering funeral costs and travel expenses for relatives."
Meanwhile, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has conducted preliminary analysis and downloaded information from the tram's "black box" data recorder.
Previously it said the vehicle had exceeded the speed limit on the bend.
The RAIB said last week the two-carriage tram had been travelling "significantly" faster than the permitted 12mph (19km/h) as it entered a tight bend near the Sandilands stop.
Trade body UK Tram said tram accidents were incredibly rare and has cautioned against hastily imposed precautions as a knee-jerk reaction.
Simon French, head of the RAIB, appeared before MPs at the Commons Transport Select Committee on Monday and said a full investigation would involve a large number of interviews, as well as detailed analysis and examination of the evidence.
He said: "If there's information of immediate safety importance that needs to be communicated of course we will do so as is normal in our investigations by issuing urgent safety advices."
BBC London's transport correspondent Tom Edwards said: "We already know the tram was going too fast on the bend, the crucial question we're all trying to find out is why.
"We might get the speed of the tram, we might get some urgent safety recommendations but the full investigation is going to take many, many months."
At the scene: BBC London reporter Jason Rosam
New Addington is still in shock, you can sense it in the air. People are trying to go about their normal daily lives but there's constant reminders of what happened seven days ago.
Here at the parade of shops where I'm standing there's a makeshift memorial to the victims - it's got flowers, cards, photos, candles and messages for those lost.
One message hung onto a tree really says what the mood is perfectly: "It's so sad that you started your day from here only to lose your lives 20 minutes later. You will never be forgotten."
Doing this job I regularly stop people in the street who are rushing to work and a lot of people ignore me or brush me past. But here, every person I've spoken to has taken the time to stop and talk to me and that's unusual.
A police investigation has also been launched and the tram's 42-year-old driver, Alfred Dorris, from Beckenham, south-east London, has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and released on bail until May.
The Office of Rail and Road is carrying out its own investigation into whether safety rules were being followed. | Transport for London (TfL) has offered to pay for the funerals of the seven victims of the Croydon tram crash. | 37988749 |
"The governor has said he will make his decision public by the end of the year," a spokesman told the BBC.
Mr Carney took over as governor in June 2013 for an eight-year term, but with an option to leave after five years.
The Times reported he is likely to quit in 2018, but the FT said he is "leaning strongly" towards staying until 2021.
According to the Financial Times, Mr Carney will make an announcement this week "to put an end to damaging speculation".
Some believe the announcement could come on Thursday when Mr Carney will hold a news conference following the publication of the Bank's Quarterly Inflation Report and the announcement of the result of its latest interest rate meeting.
Nothing I have heard over the last few weeks - and I have spoken to many people in Mr Carney's inner circle - suggests to me that the Governor wants to leave in 2018.
To announce now that he will go in two years would see power immediately begin draining away.
The markets would also be left with a further layer of uncertainty to contend with.
And the voices of those politicians such as Jacob Rees-Mogg, a member of the Treasury Select Committee, and Lord Lawson, the former chancellor, who think the Governor should resign immediately given his economic warnings before the referendum, would only become louder.
I think Mr Carney would also see it as a personal defeat.
The Governor of the Bank of England, not staying to make Brexit a success, which he says it can be, but walking off the pitch at just the time the markets are calling for economic stability and certainty.
Read more from Kamal here
The inflation report includes an assessment of how the economy is performing and its outlook.
Given that the economy has performed well since June, Mr Carney is likely to be asked about his forecast - made before the EU referendum - that a win for the Leave campaign could be damaging for the UK economy.
According to the Financial Times, one of the reasons Mr Carney wants to stay on is to defend the Bank of England's independence against attacks from pro-Brexit campaigners who have argued that the Bank produced deliberately gloomy economic forecasts to support the Remain campaign.
During an appearance before MPs in July he denied that the Bank of England had tried to "frighten" the public by predicting a negative effect from a Brexit vote.
Prime Minister Theresa May has also been critical of the Bank's stimulus scheme for the UK economy - know as quantitative easing, or QE.
In her speech to the Conservative Party conference, she said that under QE, "people with assets had got richer, people without them had suffered".
Many politicians have made it clear they would like Mr Carney to stay on, arguing that it would provide welcome continuity for business and the economy and may help counter any uncertainty caused by the Brexit negotiations.
Speaking to the BBC on Sunday, Business Secretary Greg Clark said: "I think Mark Carney has done a tremendous job, a fantastic job, during his tenure there. It is clearly a decision for him."
Mr Clark was financial secretary to the Treasury when Mr Carney was appointed by the then Chancellor, George Osborne, in November 2012.
"I think it was a brilliant appointment," Mr Clark said.
Former Conservative business minister Anna Soubry has also expressed support for Mr Carney.
"Swift effective measures by Mark Carney mitigated post-EU referendum damage to our economy," she said in a tweet.
"Brexiteers should stop undermining Mark Carney; we're fortunate to have someone of his international standing at the helm."
Writing in The Telegraph, economist Dr Gerard Lyons, a prominent Brexit campaigner, said Mark Carney should stay on as governor, arguing "change at the top of the Bank could be unnecessarily destabilising and provide further fuel to those who want Brexit to fail".
Kathleen Brooks, research director at spread betting firm City Index, said that if Mr Carney did confirm he planned to stay on until 2021 it was likely to benefit the pound, which has fallen around 20% against the dollar since the Brexit vote.
"If this story is true, then it is a beacon of stability during a period of uncertainty for the UK economy, which should benefit the currency and stocks alike," she said. | The Bank of England says "nothing has changed" following contradictory reports on how long governor Mark Carney will remain at the bank. | 37815516 |
The Kremlin said both sides had agreed to make fighting "international terrorism" - including so-called Islamic State and "other terrorist groups" in Syria - a top priority.
The White House said the call was a "significant start" to improving a relationship "in need of repair".
Mr Trump also spoke with leaders from Japan, Germany, France and Australia.
In a statement in English, the Kremlin provided more details of the first official call between the two leaders since Mr Trump took office.
It said it was a "positive and constructive" conversation, during which they discussed:
"The two leaders emphasised that joining efforts in fighting the main threat - international terrorism - is a top priority," Russia said.
"The presidents spoke out for establishing real coordination of actions between Russia and the US aimed at defeating Islamic State and other terrorists groups in Syria."
The Russian account of the call was also notable for its lack of any mention of economic sanctions against Russia by the US, which have been the subject of much speculation in recent days.
But the statement did say both parties "stressed the importance of rebuilding mutually beneficial trade", which, the Kremlin said, could aid the development of relations in other areas.
Russia considers all anti-Assad rebels in Syria as terrorist fighters, though the previous US administration has supported some moderate rebel groups opposed to President Bashar al-Assad.
The White House did not offer additional clarity on the items discussed, but rather issued a short statement saying: "Both President Trump and President Putin are hopeful that after today's call the two sides can move quickly to tackle terrorism and other important issues of mutual concern."
The pair also agreed to arrange a face-to-face meeting for a later date - and stay in "regular personal contact".
In his other telephone calls on Saturday, President Trump invited Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the White House in a meeting scheduled for 10 February, press secretary Sean Spicer said.
Strident critic of Russian Policy and chair of the Armed Services committee, Senator John McCain, warned Mr Trump about easing sanctions against Moscow.
"I hope President Trump will put an end to this speculation and reject such a reckless course,'' he said in a statement.
"If he does not, I will work with my colleagues to codify sanctions against Russia into law."
Another Republican senator, Rob Portman, said lifting sanctions would send "a dangerous message to a world already questioning the value of American leadership" after President Obama's term.
Meanwhile, the new president's executive order banning refugees from entering the country has been met with protests and legal action, after a number of refugees in transit were detained at airports. | Donald Trump held a series of phone calls with world leaders on Saturday - including one with Vladimir Putin. | 38786199 |
A life-sized sculpture of the singer and entertainer will be revealed in Town Hall Square at 13:00 BST.
It marks the end of a series of tributes to the star, including a heritage trail featuring blue plaques marking key locations in her life.
Fields was believed to be the most highly paid actress in the world in the 1930s.
Born in 1898, she made her first stage appearance in 1905 and went on to become a popular star of London's West End.
Her travelling performances for troops during World War Two led her to become known as "the forces' sweetheart".
She eventually retired to Capri in Italy, but never forgot her Rochdale roots and made frequent trips home to perform.
Fields was made a dame in 1979 a few months before her death aged 81. | A statue of the actress Dame Gracie Fields is to be unveiled later in her home town of Rochdale. | 37382788 |
In the latest incident, which took place on Wednesday in the US state of Tennessee, a fire broke out in a car after it hit debris on the road.
Tesla said the fire did not start spontaneously but was the result of the accident. The previous two fires have also been related to accidents.
The firm's shares fell more than 7% on Thursday, after a 14% fall on Wednesday triggered by weak earnings.
The company reported that it made a net loss of $38m in the July-to-September period.
In the latest incident, the front of a Tesla vehicle burst into flames after it ran over a tow bar near the town of Smyrna, Tennessee.
Analysts said that while the fires had been the result of accidents, investors had been worried about any potential impact on the firm.
"For a company with a stock price based as much or more on image than financials, those recurring headlines are highly damaging," said Karl Brauer, a senior analyst with Kelley Blue Book.
Adam Jonas, an analyst with Morgan Stanley, added that the risk of a formal investigation by US safety regulators "could raise near-term concerns to a higher level in terms of cost, image and production disruption".
Tesla's shares fell 7.5% to close at $139.7 on Thursday.
In October, a Model S caught fire after the driver ran over what Tesla said was "an extremely large object" near Seattle, Washington state.
After the fire, officials at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had said they found no evidence to indicate that it resulted from defects or violations of US safety standards.
The second incident took place in Mexico later in the month. According to reports a car caught fire after it drove through a roundabout, crashed through a concrete wall and hit a tree.
Tesla said it is investigating the latest incident in Tennessee to find out what had caused the fire.
"Our team is on its way to Tennessee to learn more about what happened in the accident," Tesla spokeswoman Elizabeth Jarvis-Shean said in a statement.
"We will provide more information when we're able to do so."
The firm's chief executive, Elon Musk, has previously said that electric cars are safer than conventional cars. | Electric carmaker Tesla's Model S has suffered its third fire in five weeks. | 24862356 |
Foreigners are accused of taking jobs from locals in a country where unemployment remains high; proof of the chasm that remains between rich and poor.
So 21 years after Nelson Mandela pledged to liberate all South Africans from the continuing bondage of poverty and deprivation, why does their country remain one of the most unequal societies on the planet?
The World Service Inquiry hears from four expert witnesses.
University of Cape Town economics professor Murray Leibbrandtworks for the unit which carried out the first national survey of inequality in 1993, at the request of the incoming African National Congress (ANC).
"It's a humbling story. South Africa started the post-apartheid period with very high levels of inequality that we can easily understand, because this was apartheid South Africa. We had a government that was directed to addressing that inequality, especially its racial dimensions.
"We've seen some changes in the racial composition, but we still have incredibly high levels of inequality. At best, they're the same as they were in 1994. Some estimates have them marginally higher.
"The fact that inequality has gone up within racial groups isn't in and of itself a bad thing, but it just seems that we've generated a society that itself generates inequality.
"It's always going to be the labour market that transforms a society, but it has really underperformed in South Africa over the post-apartheid period: job creation isn't very high.
"Even if we grow at 2 to 3% it's largely not through creating a whole lot of jobs. The services sector has grown. That's a skill-intensive, not particularly employment-intensive sector. It's about the mismatch and the structure of our growth.
"Brazil managed to create a large number of semi-skilled and unskilled jobs, or jobs that were in the same zone as the young people who were coming out of school, so they included a whole lot of society that had previously not been included.
"That's the key thing in South Africa - you need that process of inclusivity that somehow Brazil got right. That's the missing link."
Yoliswana Dwane co-founded the social movement Equal Education.
"I come from a township in the Eastern Cape called Dimbaza. I remember being crammed into a classroom, about a hundred students in one room.
"There are still some schools that are overcrowded. Learners have to fight over furniture or access to a desk, and they don't concentrate, especially where kids have to use bricks as a chair.
"We have about 400 schools that are made of mud; lack of electricity in about 3,000 schools; lack of water in about 2,000 schools; lack of connectivity; and also inappropriate structures, schools that are falling apart. Those conditions pose a danger to the lives of children. A young learner from Limpopo died because he fell into a pit latrine."
South Africa spends a bigger share of its GDP on education than any other country in Africa. That has got more children into schools, but the quality of education is often poor:
The Inquiry is broadcast on the BBC World Service on Tuesdays from 12:05 GMT/13:05 BST
Listen to the programme
Download the podcast
"The apartheid system was geared towards making black people inferior. Education was one way of disempowering an entire black nation, not allowing black people to enter into certain areas of the economy, starting from Bantu education in 1953."
The Bantu system segregated black and white children, and aimed to prevent black children from being educated to aspire to positions they could not then hold. Those children are now parents and teachers themselves:
"The South African curriculum says that parents should be involved in their children's education. Kids are given exercises to work out at home, but parents are not in a position to help.
"The average teacher is 40 years old, and the majority were taught under Bantu education. A regional study identified teachers who are not themselves able to do maths exercises for Grade 6.
"It starts with political will, because we know what the challenges are, but in order to change the problems that we face, we don't only need to accept that we have a problem, but rather have political will.
"Promises are being made [by the government], but young people in this country are angry. They are angry because they are not getting jobs. I think it's because of the disconnect between the political elite and those who are facing the real challenges on the ground."
Andrew Feinstein: ANC's economics policy has devastated the country
Andrew Feinstein was an ANC member of parliament between 1994 and 2001. He resigned after the ANC refused to allow an independent investigation into a large arms deal.
"As the winds of change stirred in South Africa, so the business community continued to play the political game. The big corporations were very involved in the transition. I worked as a facilitator in the constitutional negotiations: we were funded by the hundred largest corporations in South Africa.
"As soon as the ANC leadership was released from jail - and this includes Nelson Mandela - they heard the same message from these people, that there was a way in which one prospered and survived in today's world.
"You limited the role of government in the economy, you restricted government spending and you allowed the private sector to flourish because that is where jobs and wealth were going to be created.
"It has worked for a lot of countries but the problem with those sort of formulae - and I say this as someone who's played an important role in economic and financial policy after 1994 and therefore is somewhat culpable in this as well - is that these approaches to economic policy disregard the unique circumstances of particular countries. South Africa was particularly unique at this time for a whole range of reasons.
"There was, as one writer put it, 'a struggle for the soul of the ANC', and the reality is the technocrats won."
In return for large loans, the ANC government agreed to keep spending and taxes low and not to protect its own industry.
"This was absolutely devastating. The clothing and textile sector in South Africa employed well over 300,000 people in 1994. A few years after that - because of the flood of cheap imports from various parts of the world - there were maybe 50,000 people employed.
"This economic compromise ensured that the business community today - 20 years after our democracy started - is still entirely dominated by the white community with a handful of exceptions of the black elite.
"For my last couple of years in parliament, I began to see the impact that these economic policies were having on the nature of the ANC, and I began to get the impression we were serving our own interests as a very small ruling elite, rather than the interests of the broader population.
"Unless a meaningful opposition to the ANC develops, I can't see those changes taking place. It's going to take something of a political earthquake for that to happen.
Mcebisi Ndletyana: Corrosive effect of patronage politics
Mcebisi Ndletyana is head of political economy at the South African think tank MISTRA.
"We identified patronage politics as something that has a corrosive effect because people get into politics for material benefits, and individuals that are ill-prepared for positions are nominated purely because they provide benefits in return.
"So a councillor, for instance, during the course of her tenure, would ensure that she builds a group of supporters who would support her when the next round of elections comes. So it's a set of clients that you nurture - you take care of them, and when the party has nominations, those people whom you'd been taking care of vote for you against the other guy.
"People who are poor tend to be open to using all manner of ways to eke a living, and they support certain candidates as long as that candidate gives that person something in return, regardless of whether or not that candidate is fit for office.
"One of the rallying cries of the anti-apartheid struggle was 'liberation first and education later', and a lot of people took that slogan quite literally. They dropped out of school, went to the bush to train and came back to liberate South Africa as guerrillas. So they had then, in 1994, valid expectations of employment from an organisation they'd served, from the country for which they had given up their youth and sacrificed a lot.
"Because they can't get jobs anywhere else, they become quite protective of those jobs, so what most have tended to do is to build a nest in case they don't make it back to public office.
"You need to make it possible for people to become self-sufficient. They have nothing, so they are willing to do anything to get something to eat. If they can fend for themselves, there's no need to enter into some kind of relationship with a politician.
"Education obviously gives you skills to get a job, but once you have that education, you need to find a job, so our economy has got to create jobs, but fundamentally, most importantly, it's education."
The Inquiry is broadcast on the BBC World Service on Tuesdays from 12:05 GMT/1305 BST. Listen online or download the podcast. | Violent riots on the streets of South Africa in recent weeks have seen foreigners killed, shops looted and thousands left homeless. | 32623496 |
South Wales Police said the incident, at about 08:05 GMT in Croeserw on Tuesday, involved the bike and a black Vauxhall Corsa.
The A4063 Maesteg Road was shut for about four hours after the crash.
Police have asked for anyone with information to contact them. | A motorcyclist has died following a crash with a car in Neath Port Talbot. | 35648384 |
The BFI figures, revealed on Thursday, looked at the representation of black actors in more than 1,000 UK films over the last decade.
The study found that the number of UK films with roles for black actors had seen little change over that time.
It also showed 59 percent of UK films made in the last 10 years have featured no black actors in lead or named roles.
Kidulthood star Clarke is followed in the list by Ashley Walters, Naomie Harris and Thandie Newton.
The data was presented at the London Film Festival's Black Star Symposium, at which British actor David Oyelowo issued a plea for a more diverse industry.
"We will only get to the point when I don't have to give these talks about diversity if we actually start to do diversity," he told an audience of industry figures at BFI Southbank.
"The only way that's going to happen is if the demographic of the decision makers changes."
Other findings in the BFI research included:
"Whilst we feel from what we see on screen that most UK films do not cast black actors in them, and that black actors are playing the same types of roles over and again, we now have the data to support this," said BFI creative director Heather Stewart, who presented the research.
"The number of lead roles for black actors has not really changed over 10 years and the types of films in which they have had leading roles suggests stereotyping," she added.
"Colour-blind casting across genres does not really exist on the big screen, ultimately limiting representation.
"Diversity is one of the biggest issues facing film - audiences want to see the world in which we live reflected back at them."
British black actors with the most leading roles in UK films since 2006
The BFI research looked at 1,172 UK films made and released between January 2006 and August 2016.
Of those, 691 films - 59 percent - did not feature any black actors in either lead or named roles.
The proportion of UK films which credited at least one black actor in a lead role was 13% - 157 films in all.
According to the BFI, one of the most significant observations from the research was the "clustering" of lead roles for black actors within a relatively small number of films.
More than half of all leading roles for black actors are in 47 films, which means that less than five percent have cast a black actor in a lead or named role at all.
UK films with the most roles for black actors since 2006
Only 15 black actors, five of whom are women, have played two or more lead roles in UK films since 2006.
Noel Clarke's eight leading roles in UK films - such as Adulthood, The Anomaly and Brotherhood, all of which he directed - puts him at the top of the rankings.
Walters follows with seven roles, then Harris with six. Newton follows with five, followed by Idris Elba with four and Chiwetel Ejiofor with three.
Oyelowo, whose films A United Kingdom and Queen of Katwe feature at this year's festival, said that his "heart dies a little" whenever he is asked to talk about diversity in interviews.
The actor, whose other films include Selma, Lincoln and Jack Reacher, said he had moved to Los Angeles because of the lack of opportunity in the UK.
"Please stop this talent drain," he implored industry bosses. "You have to change the demographics of the people who are making these decisions.
"You are the curators of culture. You are those who are going to shape the minds of those coming up.
"If I'd seen a film like A United Kingdom when I was leaving drama school, I don't think I would be living in America now."
The BFI London Film Festival runs until 16 October.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram at bbcnewsents, or if you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | Noel Clarke is the most prolific black actor in UK film, according to new research by the British Film Institute. | 37575367 |
No-one was injured but shoppers in a pedestrian zone were forced to dive out of the way in Thursday's incident.
The man was caught by soldiers, who found knives, a non-lethal gun and a substance which a bomb disposal team had to deal with in the car.
It came a day after four people were killed in an attack involving a high-speed car in London.
The vehicle hit many people on Westminster bridge near the Houses of Parliament before the driver got out. He was shot dead after fatally stabbing a police officer.
Witnesses in Belgium told the BBC that it was only because the London attack was on their minds that they had been alert enough to jump out of the way.
The Belgium suspect has been identified as 39-year-old "Mohamed R", a French resident and Tunisian national.
He was charged with "an attempt to murder in a terrorist manner, an attempt to hit and wound in a terrorist manner and arms infractions", the federal prosecutor's office said.
When detained the man was "under the influence of something", sources said, but AFP news agency reported that it was not clear what substance.
He was not in a state to be questioned by police until Friday, sources told AFP.
Following the suspected attack, Antwerp Mayor Bart de Wever thanked Antwerp citizens, police and rapid response team "who arrested the suspect in a professional manner and may have avoided much worse that way".
Just two days earlier, Belgium marked the first anniversary of the attacks in Brussels airport and a metro station, which killed 32 people and left more than 300 wounded.
Security has been tightened in the centre of Antwerp, a port city that sits on the northern border with the Netherlands. | A man who drove at a crowd in Antwerp has been charged with attempted terrorism, Belgian prosecutors say. | 39380527 |
The Premiership leaders welcome Rangers to the east end of Glasgow on Saturday at 12:00 BST.
"It was one of the first fixtures I looked for," said Rodgers, who took charge in May. "It's another game but it's a special game.
"There's a uniqueness to each derby and this is one that is iconic throughout the world."
Celtic lead second-placed Rangers by one point at the top of the table with a game in hand.
Although the sides have met in the Scottish FA Cup and League Cup in the past two seasons, they have not played each other in the Premiership since 2012.
Rodgers, who has never attended an Old Firm derby, said: "I don't think anything will prepare you from watching it on the telly to actually being there.
"This being the first time in a number of years there's been a Celtic-Rangers game at Celtic Park, that will add that little bit of spice to it. The atmosphere will be incredible."
Former Liverpool and Swansea boss Rodgers added: "Every derby is different. The Merseyside derby was a fantastic game, the South Wales derby being different in its own way - great games to be involved in. And Liverpool against Manchester United is a real inter-city rivalry.
"But this again is a special game. I'm really looking forward to it and I know the team are.
"From where they were a few months ago it's a different team and a different identity within it. I've got huge confidence in the team."
Rangers beat Celtic 5-4 on penalties the last time the sides met, in the Scottish FA Cup semi-final last season.
But Rodgers, named Premiership manager of the month in August, accepts Celtic's tag as favourites.
"When you are Celtic and when you play a game at home that is what's expected of you," he said.
"We're not running away from it to say we don't want to be the favourite for the game, because whether we were playing Rangers, Aberdeen, St Johnstone or Hearts - whoever we play at home - our objective is to win.
"There was disappointment the last time Celtic played Rangers in the cup so this will be a good measure to see what level the team is at. But it'll be a tough game." | Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers hopes his first Old Firm derby will live up to expectations and bring him success. | 37313331 |
Mr Cable lost to Conservative rival Tania Mathias by more than 2,000 votes.
The party's deputy leader, Simon Hughes was also among those who lost out, along with Energy Secretary Ed Davey.
London mayor Boris Johnson is back in parliament as Conservative MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip.
Mr Johnson won 22,511 votes, ahead of Labour's Chris Summers, who achieved 11,816 votes.
And Tottenham Labour MP David Lammy, after continuing to hold his seat, said he was interested in running for mayor but it was too early to call.
Liberal Democrat Tom Brake was the only party member to hold his seat in London, in Carshalton and Wallington, beating Tory rival Matthew Maxwell Scott by 1,500 votes.
Mr Cable, 71, had been the MP for Twickenham since 1997 and was made Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills in 2010.
"Unfortunately, this has been a terrible night for our party all over," he said following his defeat.
Mr Hughes, who lost to Labour's Neil Coyle in Bermondsey and Old Southwark, had been an MP since 1983 and was described as a "legend" by the party's leader Nick Clegg. He achieved 17,657 votes to Mr Coyle's 22,146.
In his speech, Mr Hughes said it had been his mission to ensure individuals, families and community groups knew there was "somebody there who will fight for them to the end of the earth to make sure they get what they deserve - I think that is a legacy that cannot be undone".
Mr Davey lost out in Kingston and Surbiton to the Conservatives' James Berry, who won 23,249 votes to the Lib Dems' 20,415.
The parties didn't see it coming, the pollsters didn't see it coming and the pundits didn't see it coming.
What an extraordinary night in the capital as some of its leading politicians were sent packing.
Squeezed by the Tories in their south west London heartlands and by Labour in their inner city seats, the Lib Dems were left with just one London MP; punished, they believe, for their role in the coalition government.
Barring that seat, our city is now red and blue, with Labour picking up four seats from the Tories, but not winning four others it had hoped to.
Still, on a terrible night for Labour nationally, they were at least winning seats in the capital.
And as Boris Johnson won in Uxbridge to secure a return to Parliament, thoughts will turn to his current day job because with the ballot boxes barely packed away, the election for London's next mayor is just a year away.
Who will be brave enough to predict that outcome?
Although it was a difficult night across the country for the Labour Party, it easily held on to Holborn in central London with new MP Keir Starmer achieving a majority of more than 17,000.
Labour also gained a seat from the Liberal Democrats, in Hornsey and Wood Green, where Catherine West defeated Lynne Featherstone, securing a majority of more than 11,000.
The party's MP for Tottenham David Lammy also held his seat.
The party also gained in Ealing Central, Brent Central, Ilford North, Hornsey, Bermondsey and Brentford.
Voters in London's marginal seats have been talking to the BBC.
In Finchley and Golders Green, long-time Liberal Democrat supporter Lee Glover said he had turned against the party to vote for UKIP, after the Lib Dems joined the Tories in government.
"What have I got to lose?" he said.
And in Ealing Central and Acton, professional musician Christine Hankin said the economy was a key factor in her decision.
"I don't think you can do anything if you are broke. Everyone has been giving away things that they can't possibly deliver," she said. | The Liberal Democrats have lost all but one of their seats in London, including those of high-profile members of the party such as Business Secretary Vince Cable. | 32648412 |
The 81-year-old, who has Alzheimer's, will continued to be monitored by doctors, his agent said, but is "as well as can be expected".
Police spent Tuesday searching for Noakes after being alerted by his wife, Vicky, at about 09:00 local time.
He was spotted by a helicopter nearly 10 hours later close to his home.
His wife said search parties had looked in the area where he was eventually discovered earlier in the day but failed to spot him because he was "in the bottom of a storm drain and had fallen in amongst long grass there".
The TV presenter was taken to hospital, where he will stay for the next two to three days because of his age and dehydration caused by the hot weather, thought to be around 35C (95F).
"I would like to say that the emergency services have been really excellent and pulled out all the stops, and they were greatly helped by our friends and local people," she said.
Noakes worked on Blue Peter for 12 years from 1966 to 1978 and remains one of its best-loved presenters.
He moved to Majorca with his wife in the 1980s, after a round-the-world yacht trip was cut short by a giant wave, which badly damaged their boat off the coast of North Africa.
They had embarked on the trip after Noakes quit Blue Peter in 1978, and Go With Noakes 18 months later.
Noakes, who trained as an aircraft engine fitter before training as an actor, was 31 when he made his first appearance on BBC One's Blue Peter. | Former Blue Peter presenter John Noakes suffered no injuries after going missing from his home in Majorca for several hours on Tuesday. | 33345739 |
Connor Ballantyne, 18, pleaded guilty to raping the child in Dufftown between December 2011 and October 2012.
He also admitted sexual offences involving a 10-year-old boy in Elgin between November and December 2012.
Ballantyne, of Elgin, admitted the offences at the High Court in Edinburgh. Judge Lord Stewart deferred sentence to a hearing on 9 July. | A teenager has admitted sex crimes against two children, including the rape of a four-year-old girl, in Moray. | 33112820 |
Dr Stephen Monaghan of the British Medical Association (BMA) told the health committee that existing guidance on hospital food should be set in law.
He added that the Well-Being of Future Generations Bill was a "potential platform" for joint work on health.
But he warned that "many of the levers" on obesity, such as food advertising, were outside the assembly's control.
The health committee was taking evidence on Thursday on the re-introduced Public Health Bill, which includes plans to extend the smoking ban to some open-air public places, and tighten regulation on tattooists and piercing parlours.
Dr Monaghan said many people saw obesity as "the new smoking" as a determinant of health and "probably one of the biggest challenges we face".
Saying the BMA wanted to focus on things within the assembly's power, he highlighted the "early years setting" and care homes where healthy eating standards could be enforced.
"We've also suggested that the hospital in-patient nutritional standards could be placed on a statutory footing, not simply as guidance as they currently are," he added.
The Well-Being of Future Generations bill was a "potential platform" for public organisations to work together on obesity, Dr Monaghan said, "which individually might be small but collectively might amount to something meaningful".
"Many of the determinants of the big issue about carbon and climate change are very similar to the issues about obesity," he said.
"Things like public transport ... some of the things that would help with obesity are the same things that would help with reducing carbon."
Dr Rebecca Payne of the Royal College of General Practitioners said she would support the idea of measures to tackle obesity.
But she warned against adding more amendments to the bill, mindful of the row over e-cigarettes which led to the collapse of a previous public health bill in March.
"We want to see the bill go through this time, and are more concerned to get this bill on the statute books than have an absolutely perfect one which is then put at risk," she said. | Setting standards for healthy eating in nurseries and care homes can help the fight against obesity, AMs have heard. | 38329483 |
The 17 linocut prints are on display from Saturday at a free exhibition at the town's Cooper Gallery.
The valuable prints are out on loan from the British Museum and were previously on display at the Lady Lever Art Gallery near Liverpool.
Barnsley-born Ian Macmillan has written a poem about a previous visit by the artist to South Yorkshire.
Mr Macmillan was inspired by Picasso's visit to Sheffield in 1950 for an international peace conference.
Live updates from this and more Yorkshire stories
The Spanish artist is acknowledged to be one of the most important artists of the 20th Century.
He experimented with a wide range of styles and themes in his long career, most notably inspiring Cubism.
The artworks at the gallery include prints showing the development of key Picasso prints including Jacqueline Reading that depicts the artist's wife, Jacqueline Roque.
Mr Macmillan said: "It shows the dynamic cultural times we're living through round here and that the town is becoming even more of an artistic and creative hub."
The Picasso prints are on show until 29 April. | An exhibition of original prints by world-renowned artist Pablo Picasso are to go on show at a museum in Barnsley. | 38687986 |
Khan, who turned 50 on Monday said, "there is intolerance, there is extreme intolerance… there is, I think… there is growing intolerance."
He said he "respected" people returning awards to protest against intolerance.
A movement that began with writers returning state awards has spread to scientists, historians and filmmakers.
They have cited the killing of rationalists MM Kalburgi and Govind Pansare, as well as the lynching of a man over suspicions he consumed beef, as examples of rising intolerance in India.
More than 50 historians have returned national and state awards, joining almost 40 writers who have done the same.
Scientists and film makers have also joined the protest, while some people in the business community have expressed concerns.
"We have made a huge thing about our meat-eating habits. How can the food habits of people be an issue?" Khan told the NDTV news channel.
"It is stupid… It is stupid to be intolerant and this is our biggest issue, not just an issue… Religious intolerance and not being secular in this country is the worst kind of crime that you can do as a patriot."
Khan's statement caused chatter on social media.
Khan's statement came one day after India's central bank governor Raghuram Rajan made a "plea for tolerance in India" saying that "tolerance means not being so insecure about one's ideas that one cannot subject them to challenge".
Two of India's top business leaders, the founder of Infosys NR Narayana Murthy, and chairman of Biocon Kiran Mazumdar Shaw have also warned that the current situation would deter investments in India.
The Indian government has dismissed the allegations.
India's Home Minister Rajnath Singh told those returning awards to "give suggestions instead of returning awards" and maintained that the incidents being cited were law and order issues, that did not necessarily point to intolerance.
Lawmakers from the ruling BJP had called the beef lynching incident a "spontaneous expression of anger".
Finance minister Arun Jaitley has lashed out at "liberal intolerance" and said that the prime minister had been the worst victim of "structured and organised propaganda that there is a social strife in India". | Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has become the latest high profile figure to speak out against "extreme intolerance" in India. | 34707247 |
The centre-back, 26, went off at half-time at Bristol City last weekend.
He will miss Saturday's visit of Burton Albion and the Tykes' trip to Newcastle on the final day of this term, 7 May.
Heckingbottom's side are 14th in the table, two points above 15th-placed Wolves and two below Cardiff, in 13th. | Barnsley captain Marc Roberts will miss their final two games of the season with an ankle injury, head coach Paul Heckingbottom has confirmed to BBC Radio Sheffield. | 39737292 |
9 December 2015 Last updated at 16:38 GMT
Some cities across China have been put on high alert by the Government because the air has become very polluted.
It has become so bad in the past few days that school children are being warned to stay inside more.
If they do go out, most children wear face masks.
Coal is used to power some Chinese factories and since it's cold now, more people are using it to heat their homes, so there is more pollution.
These pupils, at a school in Beijing, sent Newsround this special report about the smog.
They say it's having a big impact on their lives and they use special air filters in the classroom to make sure they can breathe clean air. | Children who live and go to school in Beijing in China say the thick smog is stopping them playing outside and doing some sports. | 35051196 |
The 28-year-old, who has Addinson's Disease, is back playing colleges football with Queen's in Belfast.
Clarke has said he would jump at the chance to resume his Down career.
"I have spoken to James McCartan about him and we will keep an eye on him during the McKenna Cup and see how things go in the Sigerson," said Burns.
"We could make a decision then. He has been managing the medical condition he has."
Clarke, who had two spells with Collingwood in the AFL, has not played for Down since 2011.
Addinson's Disease is a disorder of the adrenal glands which can lead to flu-like symptoms, but it can be effectively controlled by treatment.
Manager Burns, who won the All-Ireland as a Down player in 1991 and 1994, is hoping star forward Benny Coulter could also return to the panel.
Mayobridge man Coulter announced last year that he was retiring from inter-county football.
Coulter, 33, made his senior inter-county debut in 2000 and, like Clarke, played for the Mourne men in the 2010 All-Ireland final.
"I have spoken to Benny and he has some work commitments," said Burns.
"He has not committed to us yet." | New Down manager Eamon Burns says he has yet to speak to former Aussie Rules star Martin Clarke about returning to inter-county action in 2016. | 35029799 |
The Exiles, currently 20th in League Two, share their home with both Newport RFC and Newport Gwent Dragons.
County have had three postponements since December while ex-boss John Sheridan criticised the ground staff.
"They face very difficult circumstances with the three teams playing and do a good job," Feeney told BBC Wales Sport.
"I wouldn't tell them how to do their job anymore than they would tell me to do mine.
Feeney said he was delighted to sign striker Dean Morgan, a former team-mate of Feeney's at Luton.
"He's got two good feet and a big mouth," Feeney joked.
"He's got loads of experience and I feel like we need that."
Feeney has taken an unnamed Irish player on trial.
"We may look to do that deal next week," Feeney said.
He is also considering his options regarding loan players, saying: "We have a full complement of six, so I will talk with my staff on who we look to extend the deals for."
Loanees Connor Dymond, Ben Davies and Mitchell Beeney all see their loans expire after the weekend visit of Carlisle.
Feeney was less than impressed with the Carlisle contest being given a 13:00 GMT kick-off to avoid clashing with the Wales v Scotland Six Nations contest.
"I'm a rugby league man," he joked. | Newport County boss Warren Feeney believes the Rodney Parade ground staff are doing all they can to avoid a fixture pile-up. | 35549661 |
The Reds controlled the game and led through Adam Lallana's low shot.
Ahmed Elmohamady saw red for handball in the box, with James Milner scoring from the spot before Sadio Mane added a third for the home side.
David Meyler lashed in for Hull but Philippe Coutinho's long-range strike and a second Milner penalty underlined the home side's dominance.
Jurgen Klopp's side are now fourth in the table and the division's second-top scorers behind Manchester City, with 16 goals in six matches - 11 of those coming in their past three.
In the time since Klopp took over on 8 October 2015, Liverpool have scored 71 goals, more than any other team over this period.
The result is a second heavy defeat in a week for Hull - following the 4-1 home loss to Arsenal - and another chastening experience for caretaker boss Mike Phelan, whose long-term future is yet to be resolved.
Whatever term you use to describe Klopp's tactical approach, the benefits have been clear to see now his squad have had time to digest the message.
The Reds' front five will rightly take most of the plaudits for their movement, skill and finishing, but that should not detract from the contribution of the other outfield players, whose work-rate provided the platform for victory.
Liverpool were more energetic and more aggressive throughout, harrying the Hull players and denying them any time to think, let alone pick a pass.
It was only a matter of time before they established an advantage, which came through Lallana's low shot from inside the box following a driving run and pass from Coutinho.
Elmohamady's handball on the line led to his dismissal and the first of Milner's successful spot-kicks.
More goals were inevitable and came through Sane's low finish, Coutinho's brilliant long-range effort and Milner's second penalty - awarded for Andrew Robertson's foul on substitute Daniel Sturridge.
The home side should really have scored more - Georginio Wijnaldum was particularly wasteful with two close-range volleys - but it was nevertheless an afternoon of overwhelming positives for Liverpool.
Phelan will hope this result, coming on his 54th birthday, will not be a factor in the decision over whether to make him Hull's next permanent manager.
Few sides in the division would have coped with Liverpool in this form on home turf, let alone a newly promoted one reduced to 10 men with an hour remaining.
Having made the first changes to their starting XI this league season, with goalkeeper David Marshall making his debut and Ryan Mason coming into midfield, their approach was clearly one of containment and counter-attack.
However, this was made redundant by Elmohamady's dismissal and quickly transformed into a strategy of damage-limitation.
That they kept it to five is a positive in itself, with the added bonus of Meyler's consolation goal, which saw the midfielder smash the ball in following a corner to very briefly reduce the deficit to 3-1.
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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp: "I think we should not worry about whether we should have scored more. It was a brilliant, amazing first half in all aspects.
"It was a world-class performance in counter pressing. We didn't give Hull the opportunity to create confidence. It was wonderful to watch. All in all, really good.
"I was a little angry we conceded. It would be nice to have a clean sheet one time in the season.
"Maybe we will work on this. It was a professional second half from the players. I am not interested in statements now just collecting points."
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Hull caretaker boss Mike Phelan, speaking about taking over permanently as manager: "Everything is open to debate. I am doing my job like I've always done.
"We have to look forward to what's ahead but we've had two disappointing results. We have Chelsea to come and then we go into 'our league' and we'll be judged on that.
"The offer has been there but it hasn't been signed, sealed and delivered yet. We had a terrific chat and I'm waiting now. I want it to be sorted out. It'll be done when it's done."
Liverpool are at Swansea for a 12:30 BST kick-off in the Premier League on Saturday, 1 October, while Hull host Chelsea on the same day at 15:00.
Match ends, Liverpool 5, Hull City 1.
Second Half ends, Liverpool 5, Hull City 1.
Attempt missed. Emre Can (Liverpool) right footed shot from more than 35 yards misses to the right. Assisted by Roberto Firmino.
Foul by Marko Grujic (Liverpool).
David Meyler (Hull City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Marko Grujic.
Foul by Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool).
Harry Maguire (Hull City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Robert Snodgrass (Hull City) left footed shot from outside the box is too high from a direct free kick.
Foul by Emre Can (Liverpool).
Robert Snodgrass (Hull City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Emre Can (Liverpool).
Robert Snodgrass (Hull City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Ragnar Klavan (Liverpool).
Harry Maguire (Hull City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Curtis Davies.
Attempt blocked. Emre Can (Liverpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Nathaniel Clyne.
Attempt blocked. Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by James Milner.
Foul by Emre Can (Liverpool).
Abel Hernández (Hull City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Liverpool. Marko Grujic replaces Philippe Coutinho.
Substitution, Liverpool. Emre Can replaces Jordan Henderson.
Substitution, Hull City. Markus Henriksen replaces Ryan Mason.
Sadio Mané (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Andrew Robertson (Hull City).
Goal! Liverpool 5, Hull City 1. James Milner (Liverpool) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom right corner.
Penalty Liverpool. Daniel Sturridge draws a foul in the penalty area.
Penalty conceded by Andrew Robertson (Hull City) after a foul in the penalty area.
Substitution, Liverpool. Daniel Sturridge replaces Adam Lallana.
Attempt blocked. Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Jordan Henderson.
Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Ryan Mason (Hull City).
Corner, Hull City. Conceded by Joel Matip.
Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Robert Snodgrass.
Attempt blocked. Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Roberto Firmino.
Sadio Mané (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Curtis Davies (Hull City).
Attempt saved. Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Jordan Henderson with a cross.
Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Harry Maguire.
Attempt saved. Georginio Wijnaldum (Liverpool) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. | Liverpool claimed a third straight Premier League win courtesy of an emphatic victory over 10-man Hull. | 37393500 |
Footage posted on social media showed flames spreading up the Torch Tower, and burning debris falling down.
The authorities later said that civil defence workers "successfully evacuated" the building and the blaze was brought under control.
It is not clear what caused the fire in one of the world's tallest buildings.
"No injuries have been reported so far in the Torch Tower fire incident," the government of Dubai's media office tweeted.
It added that "cooling operations were under way".
The Torch Tower was damaged by an earlier blaze in 2015. | A large fire has ripped through a residential skyscraper in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates - for the second time in two years. | 40822269 |
Norman Davies, 56, took the Patterdale terrier for a walk in May to a secluded area before holding her collar and cutting her with a kitchen knife.
Misty managed to escape and was found the next day before being taken to the vets, who were able to save her.
Davies, of Grafton Road, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, admitted causing unnecessary suffering at an earlier hearing before magistrates in Chester.
He admitted in an interview to slitting the three-year-old dog's throat because she was "urinating inside", the RSPCA said.
Davies has also been banned from keeping animals for life.
RSPCA inspector Lisa Lupson said: "Misty would have been absolutely terrified and it would have been excruciatingly painful for her.
"Davies cut clean through her skin but missed her main arteries. If Misty had not managed to get free when she did then she may not be here today - she had an incredibly lucky escape."
Misty has since been rehomed and is "making progress", she added. | A man who slit his pet dog's throat has been jailed for 18 weeks. | 34536724 |
A significant number of child refugees will arrive in the UK from the migrant camp within days, the BBC understands.
The Children's Commissioner for England has previously said about 300 children in the camp, from countries like Syria and Afghanistan, will come to the UK.
French authorities have said they will close the camp by the end of the year.
It is estimated up to 10,000 people are living in the Jungle which is situated near the port of Calais, and close to the 31-mile Channel Tunnel.
Many of the migrants in northern France attempt to reach the UK by boarding lorries as they approach ports or the Channel Tunnel.
French President Francois Hollande wants to move the inhabitants it holds to reception centres across the country and demolish the camp.
Aid groups have raised concerns that the planned closure will lead to children disappearing before they are processed.
Home Office officials in Calais have been focusing first on unaccompanied minors who have the right to join relatives under EU legislation.
A separate registration process will take place for vulnerable children who do not have family in the UK.
Under EU-wide regulation, asylum claims must be made in the first safe country a person reaches, but children can have their claim transferred to another country if they have family members living there.
UK law also requires the government to arrange for the transfer to the UK and support of unaccompanied refugee children from Europe.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd has said the government is moving quickly and that she wants as many children as possible brought to the UK before the camp is shut down by the French authorities.
However, the charity Safe Passage, which is working alongside the government, says it has not yet been shown any operational plans setting out how the children will be transferred.
Operations and programme delivery consultant Red Godfrey-Sagoo told the BBC: "There has been a marked increase in activity both from the French authorities and the UK authorities on trying to work out how to get this done quickly. That has been noted.
"Does it mean that we technically have seen any operational plans on how it's going to be delivered? We haven't seen that yet. So we still ask those questions."
She told Radio 4's Today programme she believed the Home Office was working towards taking unaccompanied minors "next week at some point".
The Local Government Association, which represents local authorities in England and Wales, has said that councils will require long-term funding from government so the support of the children is "properly funded".
Meanwhile, French Housing Minister Emmanuelle Cosse has said the camp will be dismantled "when all the conditions for success are in place", Agence France-Presse reported.
The news agency quoted the minister as saying that it was "out of the question to leave these people living any longer in that mud and that distress", adding that another winter in the Jungle was "impossible".
Mr Hollande has promised to set up "reception and orientation centres" to take in asylum seekers.
A "dignified welcome" would be given to people who filed for the right to asylum but anyone who was unsuccessful would be deported, he said. | British and French officials have begun registering unaccompanied children in the Calais "Jungle" who are hoping to join relatives in Britain. | 37663125 |
Caroline Lucas and Jonathan Bartley said they did not believe the British people had voted for the kind of Brexit being pursued by the prime minister.
The pair were speaking at their party's spring conference in Liverpool.
Ms Lucas voted against triggering Article 50 and has argued for a second referendum on the final Brexit deal.
The MP said the Green Party offered a "hopeful alternative" to young people "let down by Brexit".
"Young people deserve a party that will say loudly and clearly: freedom of movement is your right, tuition fees must be scrapped and private rents brought under control," she told the conference.
The Green Party of England and Wales is keen on forming electoral pacts with other anti-Brexit parties in the event of a "snap" general election.
Mr Bartley said: "The path to reform of democracy must begin with a reshaping of the mainstream of British politics.
"And yes, friends, that means sometimes putting aside our differences when we face a lost generation of Tory rule under the influence of the likes of Farage, Nuttall and Arron Banks."
Mr Bartley said the Labour Party - which has said it will back the government over Brexit provided it protected workers' rights and secured access to the free market - had failed to hold ministers to account.
And he said the Conservative government's Brexit strategy was not what people had voted for in June, telling party members: "None of this was in the referendum question put to the country last year."
"I know that the British people do not want their fellow Europeans, who've made their homes here in Britain in good faith, treated as hostages or bargaining chips whilst the prime minister gambles with their future," he added.
He urged party members and supporters not to give up hope "in the face of Trump and Brexit, terror, wars and environmental crises," adding "it's easy to feel powerless but that's what the establishment wants". | The UK is facing a "right wing coup" as Theresa May pushes ahead with "an extreme Tory Brexit," the Green Party's co-leaders have claimed. | 39456777 |
AG Barr reported pre-tax profits of £30.4m for the year to the end of January, up 25% on the £24.5m the company made a year earlier. Revenue rose by more than 10% to £222.4m.
The firm said it had seen strong growth in all core brands.
However, it warned that the industry faced higher input costs and continuing consumer caution this year.
"AG Barr has maintained its track record of strong financial performance, delivering double-digit sales and profit growth despite the challenging economic environment," said the group's chief executive, Roger White.
"The soft drink sector will face tough comparative trading across 2011, as well as further cost volatility and general economic uncertainty."
As well as Irn Bru, the Cumbernauld-based firm makes Orangina, Tizer, Rubicon and Ka drinks. | The maker of Irn Bru has reported a sharp rise in annual profits and improved sales in the past two months. | 12877944 |
The fire in South Street, Braintree, began at about 22:30 GMT on Wednesday, trapping Alina Kordaszewska and her daughter Emilia, 11, inside.
Dozens of floral tributes have been left outside the property which is still being guarded by police.
More than 100 people gathered at the town's Catholic church on Thursday night for a special mass.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated by Essex Police and the fire service.
Neighbour Claire Deloubes told of screams and vain efforts to break through a window to rescue those inside.
She said: "We heard screaming so we came outside and a woman was distraught.
"People were trying to break the front window but they didn't manage to."
Mrs Kordaszewska's other daughter Milena, 18, is understood to have been one of two women who escaped the fire.
The teenager's friends have set up a fundraising website page aimed at raising £5,000 for the family.
One card left outside the house on South Street reads: "Dear Alina and Emilia, May you rest in Peace, 2 angels in heaven."
Another message reads: "Emilia, you were the greatest friend anyone could ever ask for and one of the kindest and bubbliest people I have ever met.
"You will always be in my heart, gone but never forgotten."
Rafa Bogonos, who worked with Mrs Kordaszewska at CommScope in the town, said the deaths had "really hit our Polish community".
Notley High School, where Emilia had been a pupil, expressed its "unutterable sadness" at news of her death.
Her tutor described her as a "delightful, friendly and positive student" who had "settled in well during her first term" at the school. | A church service has been held in memory of a mother and her daughter who died in a house fire in Essex. | 38413217 |
The 34-year-old did not play in the Madrid Open earlier this month after hurting his back during practice for the tournament.
Federer returned for the Italian Open but was beaten in the third round by Dominic Thiem.
"I have been making steady progress, but I am still not 100%," said the world number three.
"I feel I might be taking an unnecessary risk by playing in this event before I am really ready.
"This decision was not easy to make, but I took it to ensure I could play the remainder of the season and help to extend the rest of my career."
It means Federer will miss a Grand Slam for the first time this century.
The Swiss has struggled with injury this year, having undergone knee surgery after January's Australian Open.
The former world number one returned for the Monte Carlo Masters in April and reached the quarter-finals, where he was beaten by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Federer, winner of the 2009 French Open, has played in just four events in 2016. | Roger Federer has withdrawn from this year's French Open after failing to recover from a back injury. | 36336722 |
Kane was speaking as he accepted the player of the NIFWA month award which recognised his team's League Cup win and top-six finish in the Premiership.
Penalty and free-kick specialist Kane has scored 18 goals this season.
"From fearing relegation last season we have made great progress under David Jeffrey and his assistant Bryan McLoughlin," said 29-year-old Kane.
"They have been able to get every ounce out of the players.
"They are great motivators and I'm delighted because this season things have really clicked for me.
"My game has moved up a level and I feel more valuable to the team.
"People say if you score goals you will get recognised and that's the case. But I just want to win games of football, I don't care who scores.
"Our objective at the start of the season was to make the top six and win a trophy and we have managed to do that."
Ballymena won the League Cup by beating Carrick Rangers 2-0 in the final at Seaview.
Last Saturday, though, they crashed 4-0 at home to derby rivals Coleraine in the Irish Cup quarter-finals.
The player of the month awards are organised by the Northern Ireland Football Writers' Association. | Ballymena United's Tony Kane says the club has come a long way since David Jeffrey took over as boss one year ago. | 39216285 |
The league leaders will tie up their sixth consecutive title on Friday night if Aberdeen lose against Dundee.
Failing that, Celtic can secure the championship when they play Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday.
"People will tell you it's better to do it yourself but if it happens tonight it's purely because of all the great work done beforehand," Rodgers said.
"We are close to the finish line and however we get over it, I am not too bothered.
"But if there is a preferential way I would probably say win on Sunday and celebrate."
Rodgers said he would watch the Dundee-Aberdeen game before his team take on Hearts, where their league season began with a 2-1 win in August.
"If I look back at the season we've had until coming back (to Tynecastle) it's been remarkable," he said.
"It is a great mark of how the team has progressed. I look back to that game and we won it, it was tough, we played well in patches but it was only really the beginnings of the team working together.
"To go back there this early with the chance to win it, it really shows the level and how much the players have developed."
Rodgers says that has been the most pleasing aspect of his first season in charge.
"We have had many outstanding performances throughout the course of the season but that personal satisfaction comes from watching that relationship between the training and going into the game," he said.
"We have only just begun really because there's still an awful lot of development in this team and that's the real exciting part of it.
"It will be a huge honour for me, taking the club in my first year here to the title.
"I said when I came in that my job was to win it in the best way we possibly could.
"You can win something and it is not the same feeling but if you win and foster the spirit that you have here at this club can make it really special, and the way we have played football.
"For me, to share that with the players and the coaching staff and everyone at the club, to make everyone a champion, of course will be really special." | Brendan Rodgers says regardless of when his Celtic side win the title, it will be down to their own hard work. | 39458565 |
He confirmed the chosen city in a video message, which ended with the backing of pop star Kylie Minogue.
The games are a Paralympic-style multi-sport event ranging from archery and wheelchair rugby to road cycling and swimming.
The event began in London in 2014 and visited Orlando, Florida, in May ahead of Toronto next year.
"We have raised the bar higher with each successive games. I am happy to say the Invictus Games journey won't end there," said Harry.
He said the competition had "shown us what can be achieved when wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women rediscover their fighting spirit through sport".
Prince Harry has been heavily involved in the organisation of the event, after attending the Warrior Games, a similar gathering held in the US.
He himself served 10 years in the Armed Forces and saw action in Afghanistan twice.
The Invictus Games
The announcement video, filmed at the Tourism Australia offices in Australia House, London, shows Harry's mobile phone ringing to the sound of the Kylie Minogue hit I Should Be So Lucky.
The prince, surrounded by members of the Australian military, announces to cheers that the caller is Kylie.
He says: "Hi Kylie, good timing, the 2018 Invictus Games is coming to Sydney, can I guarantee the Aussies are going to bring it?"
In her own video message in reply, she says: "Hey Prince Harry, listen - we're stoked the Invictus Games is coming to Sydney, but you don't need to tell the Aussies to bring it - it's guaranteed, no worries."
The prince, who is patron of the Invictus Games Foundation which oversees the delivery of the tournament, said Sydney was chosen because it is an iconic location with a proud military heritage and a population that is "absolutely sports mad".
The 2018 competition is set to take place in New South Wales from 18-29 October. | Prince Harry has named Sydney as host of the 2018 Invictus Games for injured, wounded and sick armed forces veterans. | 37961013 |
Eleni mae'n 20 mlynedd ers sefydlu'r maes, sydd yn rhoi cyfle i fandiau Cymraeg berfformio.
Yn 1997 roedd un lleoliad yng nghanol y maes pebyll "ac roedd o'n gallu edrych bach yn llwm", meddai.
Ond mae'r ddelwedd wedi newid a chaffi Maes B, llwyfan y Maes a'r Tŷ Gwerin hefyd ar y prif faes erbyn hyn.
"Mae newid hefyd wedi bod yn y system docynnau i gynnwys pris tocyn mynediad y maes - ac un o'r pethau 'da ni mwyaf balch ohono ydi bod pobl yn dod i weld beth sydd i gael i'w gynnig ar y maes bellach," meddai.
"Gig y Pafiliwn llynedd oedd penllanw'r ymdrechion i ddod â Maes B o'r cyrion.
"Dyw Maes B heb fodoli mewn isolation o'r Eisteddfod, mae 'di bwydo mewn i'r newidiadau a'r ymdeimlad o wŷl.
"Mae lot mwy o arlwy ar gael i'w gynnig, ac mae'r gerddoriaeth gyfoes yn rhan annatod o hynny."
Rhestr lawn y bandiau fydd yn perfformio ym Maes B yn Eisteddfod Ynys Môn 2017:
Er y pen-blwydd, does yna ddim bwriad i gael unrhyw fand o'r gorffennol yn perfformio yn Eisteddfod Ynys Môn ym mis Awst.
Yws Gwynedd a'r band sydd wedi eu dewis ar gyfer penllanw'r nos Sadwrn ac mae nifer o enwau cyfarwydd eraill yn perfformio fel Candelas, Yr Eira a Sŵnami.
Ond mae Guto Brychan yn dweud bod hi'n bwysig denu bandiau sydd yn gynhyrchiol yn y sin Gymraeg.
"'Dan ni isho adlewyrchu cryfder y sin. Dyma pwy mae pobl eisiau dod i weld, ac mae gennym ni wedyn fandiau newydd i gefnogi'r rheiny."
Bandiau roc a phop yw'r mwyafrif fydd i'w gweld yn Maes B eto eleni.
Ond mae'n dweud eu bod wedi cynnig cerddoriaeth amrywiol yn y gorffennol a bod hynny "ddim wastad wedi gweithio".
"Does 'na ddim pwynt rhoi artist acwstig ymlaen achos maen nhw'n cael eu boddi gan sŵn y gynulleidfa," esboniodd.
"Mae angen gwneud siŵr bod nhw'n gweithio o fewn set-up y sioe, gig nos ydi o ac mae'r gynulleidfa'n mynd i fod yn swnllyd.
"Mae angen adlewyrchu natur y set-up ac mae angen bod yn ymwybodol o ddeinameg y noson."
Wrth edrych i'r dyfodol fe fydd y maes yn parhau i newid a datblygu a hynny am fod yr eisteddfod yn teithio i leoliadau gwahanol bob blwyddyn.
Mae Guto Brychan yn teimlo bod newid y fformiwla yn beth da.
"Bydd rhaid edrych ar ffordd wahanol o wneud pethau ar gyfer Caerdydd, allwn ni ddim cael pabell fel bydden ni fel arfer er enghraifft.
"Bydd e'n amrywio o flwyddyn i flwyddyn, ac mae'n gorfodi ni i edrych yn ffres, ac yna ein cadw ni ar ein traed." | Dyw Maes B bellach ddim yn faes ar gyrion yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol, meddai'r trefnydd Guto Brychan. | 39407064 |
The figure came in a Scottish Parliament briefing which said the problem was putting a "significant and growing burden" on the nation.
According to 2013 figures, almost two thirds of adults were overweight, with 27.1% classed as being obese.
The government launched a strategy in 2010 to tackle Scotland's "obesity time bomb".
The new report, produced by the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Spice), said the problem could be costing the NHS as much as £600m a year.
It said that, including other factors, the total annual economic cost could be between £0.9bn and £4.6bn.
Early death
The report stated: "Although the estimates vary, the key message is that overweight and obesity together place a significant and growing burden on NHS Scotland and the Scottish economy as a whole."
The estimated cost was based on research by the McKinsey Global Institute, which last year put the global economic impact of obesity at £1.3tn, with the cost to the UK estimated at the equivalent of 3% of GDP.
The parliament report said that, taking into account the loss of productivity due to people dying early or suffering health problems because of their weight and adjusting the figures pro rata to Scotland's population size, the £4.6bn figure was reached.
The Scottish government, which has previously described obesity as one of the nation's "next big health challenges" announced plans to work with the food industry, business and schools as part of its strategy to tackle the problem. | Obesity could be costing Scotland up to £4.6bn a year, according to a new report. | 30712231 |
Father-of-two Sheku Bayoh, 31, was held following an incident in Hayfield Road, Kirkcaldy, on 3 May.
He died of suspected asphyxia after being detained by officers responding to reports he had brandished a knife and attacked cars in the area.
Relatives of Mr Bayoh claim police told them five versions of what happened.
No official cause of death has been confirmed and the investigation into the incident is continuing.
The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) is probing his death.
The independent commissioner has scoured CCTV footage taken from Hayfield Road and Hendry Road in Kirkcaldy on 3 May.
Investigators want to speak to drivers of nine vehicles which were seen in the area between 07:10 and 07:25, and who "might have information relevant to the ongoing investigation".
The PIRC has also released CCTV video clips which can be viewed from its website.
The images show: | Investigators looking into the death of a Fife man in police custody are trying to trace the drivers of nine cars seen in the area at the time of his arrest. | 33110679 |
Security searches at entrances and on-site sniffer dogs will feature at the five-day event which began on Tuesday and ends on Saturday 18 June.
Extra measures have been taken in the wake of recent terror attacks in Europe and America.
Supt Jim Weems said police will be more visible in and around the site.
"Aside from our duties protecting the Royal party, the public have come to expect a strong security presence at prominent events and occasions. We anticipate the focus remaining firmly on the track but will remain ready to respond if required.
"There isn't currently any threat of terror at the event, but considering the recent stressed environment that we're in - with a huge sporting and crowded event like Ascot - we have to factor that in.
"For the first time this year, we'll have armed officers patrolling paths and the high street so patrols will be more visible to the public."
Up to 280,000 racegoers are due to attend the Berkshire event over the five days, including the Queen who has attended every year since she came to the throne in 1952. | Security at Royal Ascot has been stepped up with over 200 officers - including the armed response - patrolling the event. | 36527941 |
The report, by retired judge Roger Gyles, examined the behaviour of sailors aboard the ship HMAS Success between March and May 2009.
He found no evidence of a rumoured "sex ledger" awarding cash prizes for sexual conquests, but did find a bounty had been placed on one female colleague.
Defence chiefs have vowed to eradicate such behaviour.
The report examined the conduct of sailors aboard the HMAS Success as it docked at ports in the Philippines, China, Hong Kong and Singapore, supplying naval combat units with fuel, ammunition, food and stores.
in Hong Kong, the report found, sailors had collapsed from excessive alcohol consumption and at a bar in Qingdao, China, sailors had had public sex while others watched.
Two bars in Manila were damaged.
At the core of the bad behaviour was a group of senior "marine technical" (MT) sailors in the engine room.
"There was evidence of predatory sexual behaviour" among parts of the crew, Mr Gyles reported.
"A combination of a culture of silence and mutual protection among MT sailors and intimidation and fear of repercussions on the part of those contemplating complaints against MT sailors provided a powerful cover against exposure of poor behaviour," he said.
While no evidence was found of a notorious "sex ledger" of conquests, "the existence of competitions to have sex with nominated females, as organised in the engine room, had been part of the folklore on Success since at least 2004", wrote Mr Gyles.
The report makes no recommendation for action against individual sailors, though the navy is reported to have carried out its own internal audit which does identify individual miscreants for punishment.
Defence Minister Stephen Smith said such bad behaviour would not be tolerated and a plan had been developed to try to ensure such incidents could not be repeated.
Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston blamed the breakdown on a lack of leadership.
"We are absolutely seized with a need to cut out this cancer that we found on Success," he said. | Sailors aboard an Australian naval ship engaged in "predatory" behaviour and drunken misconduct, a report has found. | 12535581 |
The firm's shares slumped by 25% when the London stock market opened, dropping by 30p to 86p.
The fall in sales was partly due to supplies being disrupted by problems at the firm's new depot in Derbyshire.
Thorntons says those are over, but lower sales in the run-up to Christmas will depress the whole year's profits.
Last year, the company made £7.5m in pre-tax profits and as recently as October told its investors it expected to make annual profits of nearly £10m for the year 2014-15.
"The board now anticipates a decline in sales in the UK Commercial channel [supermarkets] for the second quarter of the current financial year," it said.
"The board now expects earnings for the full year to be below those achieved for the last financial year."
Despite these problems, sales in Thorntons' own shops and in convenience stores have been growing.
For the past three years the company has been revamping itself and reviving its profitability, mainly by shutting unprofitable stores and increasing the volume of sales it generates via supermarkets and other stores.
It currently runs 249 shops and plans to cut that number further to between 180 and 200.
Shareholders will be given a further trading update in January. | Chocolate firm Thorntons has warned its investors that annual profits will fall this year because of poor sales of its products in some supermarket chains. | 30585506 |
The film chosen most by those having a local anaesthetic during operations at Peterborough City Hospital is Dirty Dancing, a spokesman said.
"Films help patients relax and they can recover more quickly," he added.
Iris Quirolo, 75, who chose to watch The Sound of Music during hip surgery, said it was "a good experience".
Dr Richard Griffiths, consultant anaesthetist at the hospital, said the approach was proving to be of particular benefit to older patients who carry an increased risk of reacting badly to a general anaesthetic.
"I originally got the idea from a group of colleagues in Glasgow who were offering it for some planned operations," he said.
"I thought we might be able to use it for emergency operations as well.
"I'm particularly interested in patients who've fractured their hips. There is some evidence that says if you have these operations when you're awake, and have a regional anaesthetic, you may do better afterwards."
Patients wear headphones during surgery so that any noise associated with their operation is drowned out.
Mrs Quirolo said she chose to watch a film and have a spinal block anaesthetic because she had reacted badly to general anaesthetics in the past.
"I did stop watching from time to time to have a chat with Dr Griffiths," she said.
"It was a good experience and a much better way to have an operation."
Mrs Quirolo bucked the general trend by opting for The Sound of Music.
"The most popular movie at the moment, particularly among our older female patients, is Dirty Dancing," Dr Griffiths said.
"If they are happy to be awake and watch the TV, I am happy they are going to have a better experience.
"It's a double whammy really. It helps the patient recover more quickly and takes their mind off it.
"Quite often, with headphones on, they don't really realise they've had the operation at all." | Patients undergoing some types of surgery are being asked if they would prefer to stay awake and watch films rather than have a general anaesthetic. | 22184265 |
Rovers trailed to a fourth-minute strike when Ashley Hunter's angled right-foot shot found the top left corner.
But Matty Taylor headed home Daniel Leadbitter's cross on 61 minutes to level.
And Leadbitter was again the supply line when Cristian Montano shot home right footed to win the game on 73 minutes.
Rovers, who have lost just twice in 13 games, stand fifth in the table, having risen three places, now four points above 10th-placed Fleetwood.
Fleetwood's livewire strikers Hunter and Chris Long caused Rovers plenty of problems in the first half, both having efforts saved.
But, at the other end, Taylor forced three saves from Chris Neal and had another effort deflected over.
Match ends, Bristol Rovers 2, Fleetwood Town 1.
Second Half ends, Bristol Rovers 2, Fleetwood Town 1.
Byron Moore (Bristol Rovers) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Ashley Hunter (Fleetwood Town).
Substitution, Bristol Rovers. Jermaine Easter replaces Matty Taylor.
Rory Gaffney (Bristol Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Conor McLaughlin (Fleetwood Town).
Charlie Colkett (Bristol Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by David Ball (Fleetwood Town).
Jake Clarke-Salter (Bristol Rovers) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Chris Long (Fleetwood Town).
Substitution, Bristol Rovers. Charlie Colkett replaces Cristian Montaño because of an injury.
Foul by Cristian Montaño (Bristol Rovers).
Conor McLaughlin (Fleetwood Town) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Substitution, Fleetwood Town. Devante Cole replaces Eggert Jónsson.
Chris Lines (Bristol Rovers) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Eggert Jónsson (Fleetwood Town).
Foul by Cristian Montaño (Bristol Rovers).
Eggert Jónsson (Fleetwood Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Goal! Bristol Rovers 2, Fleetwood Town 1. Cristian Montaño (Bristol Rovers) right footed shot from the right side of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Daniel Leadbitter.
Substitution, Bristol Rovers. Rory Gaffney replaces Ellis Harrison.
Substitution, Fleetwood Town. David Ball replaces Bobby Grant.
Attempt missed. Cristian Montaño (Bristol Rovers) right footed shot from long range on the right is high and wide to the left.
Corner, Bristol Rovers. Conceded by Nathan Pond.
Foul by Jake Clarke-Salter (Bristol Rovers).
Chris Long (Fleetwood Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Stuart Sinclair (Bristol Rovers).
Eggert Jónsson (Fleetwood Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Fleetwood Town. Victor Nirennold replaces Jimmy Ryan.
Corner, Bristol Rovers. Conceded by Kyle Dempsey.
Attempt blocked. Matty Taylor (Bristol Rovers) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
Matty Taylor (Bristol Rovers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Jimmy Ryan (Fleetwood Town).
Goal! Bristol Rovers 1, Fleetwood Town 1. Matty Taylor (Bristol Rovers) header from very close range to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Daniel Leadbitter with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Bristol Rovers. Conceded by Conor McLaughlin.
Cristian Montaño (Bristol Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jimmy Ryan (Fleetwood Town).
Amari'i Bell (Fleetwood Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Tom Lockyer (Bristol Rovers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Amari'i Bell (Fleetwood Town). | Bristol Rovers climbed into the League One play-off zone as they came from behind to beat Fleetwood Town. | 37758905 |
Lee Matthews, 47, from Cambridgeshire, had booked a family room and had toys with him at the time of his arrest.
At Cambridge Crown Court, Matthews, of Holme Way, Sawston, pleaded guilty to arranging a child sexual offence.
The defendant was jailed for six years and eight months and will be put on the sex offenders register indefinitely.
He was arrested as part of a police operation targeting online paedophiles.
Cambridgeshire Police said Matthews believed he had arranged to meet a man who was going to let him rape his eight-year-old daughter and two-year-old son and film the abuse.
Det Sgt James Weston, from the Paedophile Online Investigation Team, described Matthews as "a very dangerous individual who has an extremely unhealthy interest in children".
Matthews also pleaded guilty to three charges of making an indecent image, to one charge of possessing a prohibited image and to one charge of possessing extreme pornography.
On his release, he will be on licence for three years and four months and will be given a life-long Sexual Harm Prevention Order. | A "very dangerous" man who planned to meet two children, one aged just two, at a hotel and appear in a film raping them has been jailed. | 40905001 |
Speeding this process up - without compromising on safety or efficacy - would seem to be in everyone's interests.
And cloud computing is helping to do just that.
"Cloud platforms are globally accessible and easily available," says Kevin Julian, managing director at Accenture Life Sciences, Accelerated R&D Services division.
"This allows for real-time collection of data from around the world, providing better access to data from inside life sciences companies, as well as from the many partners they work with in the drug development process."
Clinical trials - testing how a new drug works on people once you've tested it on animals - are a crucial part of this process. But they can be very complex to organise and run.
There are three main phases, starting with a small group of healthy volunteers, then widening out to larger groups who would benefit from the drug.
"A big phase three trial will cost anything from $30m-$60m (£24m-£48m) for a pharma company," says Steve Rosenberg, general manager of Oracle Health Sciences Global Business Unit.
These trials may be conducted over 30 to 50 countries and involve hundreds or even thousands of patients - this takes a lot of time and money.
"Patient recruitment has always been the number one problem," says Mr Rosenberg.
And as drug development targets more specific groups of people, largely thanks to the insights coming from genomics, finding the right patients for such clinical studies is becoming even harder.
This is where the cloud can help.
"With cloud and related technologies, we are now able to mine real-world data to find patient populations better, and utilise globally available technology to conduct trials in an even more distributed and inclusive manner," says Mr Julian.
Cloud and increasing digitalisation is also helping to improve the efficiency of data collection and analysis.
"Data collection used to be very inefficient, with data being written on paper forms, faxed and then entered into computers manually," explains Tarek Sherif, co-founder and chief executive of Medidata, a company that has developed a cloud platform for clinical trials.
"Then it had to be double-checked for errors. It could take up to a year before you could draw any conclusions from the patient data."
Digitising the process and automating the checking process in the cloud has reduced this time to "one to two weeks," says Mr Sherif.
And cloud offers many additional advantages to pharma companies, says Mr Rosenberg.
"These days health data is coming from a wide variety of sources, like labs, wearable devices, electronic diaries, health records. Pharma companies can't necessarily handle all the data that's coming in to them.
"So cloud computing helps them do that and gives them a whole bunch of other advantages - the technology is kept up to date, you get the latest security, the latest features and so on."
A spokesman for pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) told the BBC: "Advances in computing and data analytics are providing new opportunities to improve the efficiency of our research and increase our understanding of a disease or a patient's response to medication."
Speeding up the clinical trial process also cuts costs.
"We were able to save one of our clients about 30% on the cost of running a trial," says Mr Sherif, whose firm facilitates nearly half of all clinical trials in the world and counts 17 of the top 25 pharma companies as clients.
And Accenture's Mr Julian says: "We've seen overall savings of 50% - in some cases up to 75% - on the historically labour-intensive parts of the drug development process."
Of course, not all prospective drugs work, or they're shown to work but not any better than existing drugs on the market.
"So the Holy Grail is to fail faster so you're not failing in the very final phases of drug development when you've already spent most of your money," says Mr Sherif.
Winning regulatory approval for a drug is only half the battle. Pharma companies also have to convince health services and insurance companies that's it's worth paying for.
This means collecting reliable patient data.
In the past, patients were often asked to keep written diaries of their experiences with a drug being tested, but these were "horribly inefficient", says Mr Sherif.
So the rise of electronic diaries and wearable devices is helping to improve the evidence a pharma company can present in defence of their latest drug.
With this is mind, Oracle is helping add "mHealth" capability to Accenture Life Sciences' cloud platform.
And GSK says: "We've been conducting clinical studies with biosensors and mobile devices for some time.
"Today's digital technology is enabling us to collect and analyse data in new ways - monitoring activity and vital signs in patients, and collecting patient feedback in real time, improving the quality of data we use in the development of new medicines."
The cloud is also encouraging more pharma companies to co-operate on molecule development [the building blocks of a potential drug], says Mr Rosenberg, as well as on data analysis.
And all this anonymised patient data - historical and recent - can potentially be shared in the battle to combat disease.
"We are seeing clients increasingly use 'virtual studies' - using external and historical data to perform advanced statistical analysis and reduce the need for complicated, costly site-based study activity," says Accenture's Mr Julian, citing a collaborative Alzheimer's project between some of its clients and the Coalition Against Major Disease.
But while efficiencies in the drug development process are undoubtedly being found, discovering the initial molecule is still very difficult, experts warn.
Cloud computing is having a big practical impact, but won't necessarily result in a flurry of "miracle" cures.
Follow Matthew on Twitter and Facebook
Click here for more Technology of Business features | Developing a drug from a promising molecule to a potential life-saver can take more than a decade and cost billions of dollars. | 39026239 |
The Queen Victoria Hospital (QVH) has an international reputation, largely due to pioneering burns surgery which took place there during World War Two.
But as a small specialist hospital it does not meet the new National Burns Care Standards published in 2013.
As a result, the trust is considering an arrangement with a major trauma unit being built in Brighton, it revealed.
The new trauma centre at the Royal Sussex County Hospital is expected to be ready for use by 2020.
In order to meet the new standards, the QVH is considering admitting adult burns patients to dedicated QVH beds there.
The trust said the change would mean patients could access a wide range of other specialist staff and facilities.
It said experts have found that burns patients admitted as an emergency get the best outcomes this way.
Similarly, children with severe burns could be admitted to QVH beds within the Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital, it added.
QVH at East Grinstead would continue to play the central role in burns care for the region and its other specialist services would not be affected, it said.
Any proposals developed are likely to be up for public consultation before any final decision, it added.
The Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust has not responded to a request for comment. | Some services at a world-renowned burns unit in East Grinstead may be moving to Brighton, the BBC has learnt. | 34813884 |
The carmaker earned $989m in the January to March period, down from $1.64bn a year before.
Profits in North America fell to $1.5bn from $2.4bn in 2013, with sales volumes in the region down by 3%.
Ford also set aside $400m to boost its reserve fund that deals with vehicle warranty issues, such as safety recalls and dealing with customer complaints.
Chief financial officer Bob Shanks said the boosting of such contingency funds was normal across the car industry, as vehicles became more complex.
Ford boss Alan Mulally said it had been a "solid quarter", as the firm prepared for "the most aggressive product launch schedule in its history",
The company is launching a record 23 new vehicles globally in 2014.
Overall revenue for the first quarter rose slightly to $35.9bn, and it sold 1.6 million vehicles in the three months, a rise of 6%.
Ford said it had increased its market share in China, and in the Asia Pacific region it reported profits of $291m compared with a loss of $28m
In Europe, it reduced losses to $194m from a deficit of $425m a year earlier.
Currency devaluations in Venezuela and Argentina meant losses in the South American region widened to $510m from $218m last year
Profits in the Middle East and Africa rose 15% to $54m. | Ford has reported a 39% drop in first-quarter profits as its performance in the key North American market weakened. | 27160178 |
Police were called to the Galleria, at the junction of Bon Accord Street and Langstane Place, at 00:10 on Friday.
The man who died has been named as Craig Grant, from Aberdeenshire.
Police Scotland said three men - two aged 32 and one aged 21 - had been arrested in connection with the death.
Officers earlier urged people to come forward if they had mobile phone footage of the incident.
Ch Insp Richard Craig had said: "We are aware that this area would have been busy at the time with a number of people in the area.
"We are appealing for anyone who may have seen the incident to come forward. We are also aware that people may have captured the incident or the aftermath of it on their mobile phones and we would urgently appeal for them to come forward as soon as possible.
"An inquiry team has been set up involving divisional and specialist resources to establish the full circumstances surrounding the death.
"We would like to thank the community for being patient while police carry out enquiries in the area." | Three men have been arrested after a 26-year-old man died in Aberdeen city centre. | 23628518 |
The 30-year-old former Republic of Ireland youth international returned to Dale last summer after he was released by Leicester City.
He made 25 appearances on loan at Dale in 2014, and his previous contract had been due to expire next week.
"I enjoyed it when I was here previously and I've really enjoyed it since I've been back," he said. | Rochdale goalkeeper Conrad Logan has signed a new deal until the end of the season with the League One side. | 38511082 |
Almost 5,000 people will begin degree apprenticeships in 2017-18, nearly eight times as many as when the scheme launched in 2015, says Universities UK.
The scheme was already reaching people who would not otherwise have gone to university, the report found.
But more needed to be done to communicate the benefits, said UUK President Dame Julia Goodfellow.
The degree apprenticeship scheme operates across England and Wales, although people can apply from throughout the UK.
The UUK study, launched to coincide with National Apprenticeships Week and based on a survey of 66 English universities, found:
The current growth was driven by the need to meet key skills shortages, the researchers found, with chartered management, digital and technology solutions and engineering the top three areas of provision.
"Degree apprenticeships could play a key role in reducing skills gaps and skills mismatches," says the report.
Additionally, with course fees shared between government and employers, the scheme offers particular benefits to people who might not have considered a degree, says UUK.
However, the report also found "a general perception among institutions" that awareness of the scheme among individuals and employers remained too low.
The report urges government and universities to increase efforts "to publicise and improve understanding of degree apprenticeships and their fundamental role in supporting social mobility and raising productivity".
Many larger companies, which are liable to pay the apprenticeship levy of 0.5% on payrolls from next month, are already aware of degree apprenticeships, say the researchers, but they want greater efforts to make small and medium sized enterprises aware of them.
'Artificial divide'
"Many people feel they have been left behind in the drive to increase higher level skills in recent years," said Dame Julia.
"Degree apprenticeships are an excellent way to get to these harder-to-reach groups while, at the same time, ensuring that what we deliver on campus meets the needs of students, the local area and its employers.
"The report shows that there is a still long way to go in communicating to students and employers how degree apprenticeships work and the mutual benefits.
"We would urge the government to work with us to do more here as part of its industrial strategy.
"The artificial dividing line between academic and vocational education is gradually disappearing.
"Degree apprenticeships build on the work that universities already do to deliver skills that employers need," she added.
Robert Halfon, skills and apprenticeships minister, said: "With our reforms to apprenticeships, we are challenging the idea that a traditional university course is the only way in to a top career." | Degree apprenticeships, encompassing university and work, are "on the verge of significant success", says a report. | 39205508 |
The allegations followed leaked Twitter messages between Mr Bryson, Mr McKay and Sinn Féin member Thomas O'Hara.
They exchanged messages before Mr Bryson testified to a Stormont inquiry, chaired by Mr McKay, into the National Asset Management Agency (Nama).
Mr McKay said he accepted this was "inappropriate, ill-advised and wrong".
The outgoing MLA for North Antrim also apologised for his actions.
Sinn Féin chief whip Carál Ní Chuilín said Mr McKay had "accepted that he made an error of judgement" and had been suspended from the party.
She added on Thursday night that her party would "welcome and co-operate fully with any inquiry".
"Sinn Féin will co-operate fully with any inquiry and I am totally confident that any examination of the facts will confirm that Sinn Féin had absolutely no knowledge of, or involvement in, these events," she added.
Last September, Jamie Bryson used a Stormont finance committee hearing to make explosive claims about the multi-million pounds Nama property deal.
His evidence included an allegation that the then First Minister Peter Robinson was set to profit from the sale.
Now it has emerged that Mr Bryson was in contact with Daithí McKay and another Sinn Féin member about how exactly he should make his claims.
The DUP believes the latest revelation shows there was a dirty tricks operation against Mr Robinson, who strenuously denied any wrongdoing.
Now Mr McKay, once considered a party high-flyer, has submitted his resignation.
The Stormont Finance Committee inquiry was set up last year due to political controversy over the multi-million pound sale of Nama's Northern Ireland property portfolio.
It followed an allegation made in the Dáil (Irish parliament) that a politician or political party in Northern Ireland stood to profit from the loan sale.
Last September, Mr Bryson used a meeting of the committee to name former DUP leader Peter Robinson as the individual he referred to as "Person A" in relation to the scandal.
The then first minister of Northern Ireland strongly denied he had sought to benefit in any way from the multi-million pound property deal.
It is now claimed that Sinn Féin's Mr McKay and Mr O'Hara advised Mr Bryson about his evidence before the hearing.
Leaked social media messages obtained by the BBC's Nolan Show and The Irish News show that on 17 September 2015, Mr McKay sent a direct message to Mr Bryson, telling him to follow a Twitter account in the name of Thomas O'Hara, who is understood to be a fellow Sinn Féin member.
The following day, a direct Twitter message from Mr O'Hara to Mr Bryson said: "You may only get 10-15 seconds on this before Daithi as chair has to pull you on it so squeeze your best points on this into 1-2 lines and come straight to the point."
Another message from him said: "Keep it short if you can, when it's said it's said and its privileged. Will be a great finisher."
In his resignation statement, Mr McKay said: "I want to be absolutely clear that my intention was not, as alleged, to coach the witness in question with regard to the substance of his testimony, but rather ensure that the inquiry had full access to the truth with regard to all the issues relating to the Nama scandal."
Shortly before Mr McKay's resignation on Thursday, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness vehemently denied having any knowledge about the exchange.
"Having spoken to all relevant personnel in the Assembly I am now entirely satisfied that Sinn Féin had no knowledge of any such contact."
But Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt said Mr McGuinness's statement "lacked the ring of truth" and was not the end of the matter.
The Alliance Party's deputy leader Naomi Long said: "This is something that an independent person is going to have to look into to restore some sort of public confidence."
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said the "seriousness" of the claims "cannot and must not be underplayed".
Mr Bryson told the BBC that allegations he had been coached by Sinn Féin before giving evidence were "absolute nonsense".
"I can categorically state that the source of my information did not come from Sinn Féin," the blogger said.
He also denied leaking the information to the media. | Daithí McKay has resigned as an MLA after claims he and another Sinn Féin member "coached" loyalist blogger Jamie Bryson as a witness to an inquiry. | 37119354 |
The digital cards' text reads: "We've got a little more to show you."
Rumours suggest the new model will feature a display that is 7-8in (18-20cm) in size.
Amazon's Kindle Fire and Asus's Google-branded Nexus 7 have already proved popular with users who want a tablet they can hold with one hand.
But Apple continues to dominate sales, according to research by iHS iSuppli.
A study it published in August suggested that Apple shipped 17 million tablets over the April-to-June quarter capturing close to 70% of the market.
The event will take place at California Theatre in San Jose, California.
Apple's former boss, the late Steve Jobs, had previously attacked the idea of releasing a smaller iPad.
"There are clear limits of how close you can physically place elements on a touchscreen before users cannot reliably tap, flick or pinch them," he told analysts in October 2010, according to a transcript of a conference call provided by news site Seeking Alpha.
"This is one of the key reasons we think the 10in screen size is the minimum size required to create great tablet apps... 7in tablets are tweeners, too big to compete with a smartphone and too small to compete with an iPad."
He added that he believed the concept would prove "dead on arrival" when trialled by others.
However, in a recent patent battle with Samsung an email from Apple's head of iTunes business, Eddy Cue, revealed that Mr Jobs' views might have later changed.
"I believe there will be a 7in market and we should do one," Mr Cue wrote on 24 January 2011.
"I expressed this to Steve several times since Thanksgiving and he seemed very receptive the last time."
Apple's success might be determined by the price it decides to sell its new devices at.
Amazon's chief executive, Jeff Bezos, recently revealed to the BBC that his firm sold Kindle tablets at break-even prices, seeking to make money from customers who then made other purchases from his store.
The Google Nexus 7, Samsung Galaxy Tab2 7, Barnes & Noble Nook HD, Blackberry Playbook, Amazon Kindle Fire HD and Kobo Arc tablets can all be bought for less than £200 in the UK.
By contrast, Apple currently sells its cheapest tablet - the iPad 2 - for £329.
Competition will intensify when Microsoft puts its Surface tablets - including its much-used Office software - on sale on 26 October, alongside a range of other Windows 8-powered models from other manufacturers.
Microsoft has said the low-end Windows RT-based version of the Surface will be priced at £399 at launch. The cover with a built-in keyboard will cost an extra £100. | Apple has sent out invitations for what is widely speculated to be the launch of the iPad mini - a smaller version of its bestselling tablet computer. | 19971231 |
A total of 79 people are either dead or missing presumed dead after a huge fire engulfed the west London tower block last week.
Following the tragedy, the NI Housing Executive carried out an inspection of its 32 tower blocks for fire safety.
Concerns have been raised about the cladding installed on Grenfell Tower.
The Housing Executive confirmed cladding was used during the refurbishment of Eithne House and Cuchulainn House in the New Lodge area of north Belfast.
Whincroft House and Carnet House in east Belfast are currently being clad.
Last week, Colm McQuillan of the Housing Executive said the type of cladding on Grenfell Tower had not been used on tower blocks in Northern Ireland as far as he was aware, but that this was being checked.
"We have rigorously tested the cladding that has gone onto our buildings to an extent that it fits and meets all fire safety regulations," he said.
The Executive has now said that the cladding used in Northern Ireland is of a different type. | The Northern Ireland Housing Executive has confirmed that the cladding systems it has used are not the same as the one on the Grenfell Tower block. | 40338210 |
The former US vice president is in the UK to launch his latest eco-movie, An Inconvenient Sequel.
It's passionate, dramatic and controversial. And he's hoping it will persuade you that the climate can be saved if we all try hard enough.
The movie delivers a mix of extreme weather and stunningly alarming shots of the melting Arctic.
These scenes are intercut with Gore’s presentations to volunteers willing to be climate ambassadors.
Al Gore Interview: The former US vice president is tackling climate change with his new film An Inconvenient Sequel:...
End of Facebook post by BBC News
They're spreading the message that the planet is warming and we need much more urgency in the task of reducing greenhouse gases.
Since his influential first film, An Inconvenient Truth in 2006, two extraordinary things have happened.
First, the cost of renewable energy has plummeted far faster than anyone expected, making the task of stabilising the climate more feasible than before.
The second big change has been the surprise success of the Paris climate summit in 2015 that drew in almost all nations in the world to agree to try harder to cut their emissions.
Gore himself played a crucial role as a go-between, using his VP tag to gain access to world leaders.
This unexpected triumph in Paris is the high point of the new film. But then came President Trump, who is pulling the US out of the Paris agreement.
To Gore's dismay, Trump is now trying to dismantle America's climate policy as fast as he can.
But Gore says he's not unduly worried – the rest of the world has stood firm and sooner or later, he believes, the US will get back on course.
He even suggested the US would meet its climate targets even without a national commitment. Some agree with this - others think it's wishful thinking.
But if it is true, it does call into question whether America's targets were too low in the first place!
Gore has his critics. His southern preacher style doesn't sit easily with scientists communicating in sober, precise terms.
And for some on the American Right, the very fact that he – a leading Democrat - is promoting climate concern is reason enough for them to turn their back on it.
Follow Roger on Twitter @rharrabin | Climate crusader Al Gore is coming to a screen near you. | 40900679 |
It said it would no longer require users to sign up to Google+ to post comments to products such as YouTube.
Brad Horowitz, who manages Google's photos and sharing services, announced the changes in a blog on Monday.
One expert told the BBC that some YouTube creators had reacted to the news with "glee".
Google had been criticised by YouTube stars over its attempt to integrate Google+ with the video sharing site.
Many argued Google had attempted to integrate Google+ with the more successful YouTube platform to give the struggling social network a boost.
"The initial uproar was just insane. There were songs made about Google+ and how much people disliked it," said Alex Brinnand, managing editor YouTube magazine TenEighty.
"There was an overriding feeling that we were already swamped with other social media platforms, and people felt that they were forced into the deal."
Mr Horowitz confirmed that Google+ integration with other websites would slowly be rolled back.
"In the coming months, a Google Account will be all you'll need to share content, communicate with contacts, create a YouTube channel and more, all across Google," he said.
He later made additional comments on his own Google+ page, in which he admitted that requiring people to register on Google+ to post comments on YouTube since November 2013 had been a "controversial" decision.
"We want to formally retire the notion that a Google+ membership is required for anything at Google… other than using Google+ itself," he added.
Reaction to the news had been greeted with "glee" by some YouTube video bloggers, said Mr Brinnand.
"For many creators this feel like it's been a long time coming. People have been rooting for this to happen," he said.
"People felt like they were forced into joining Google+ and be active on it, and that's not something they accepted.
"When Google made the announcement on Monday, I could feel a collective sigh of relief.
"It's almost as though Google has given up the fight, it has let go.
"But at least it shows Google is listening.
"There's sometimes a presumption that YouTube doesn't listen to creators, but now it really had.
"This could be a turning point for the company," he said. | Google has revealed plans to sideline its social network Google+ by changing the way users log in to its products and services. | 33687110 |
James Brokenshire told the BBC "a significant and growing proportion" of their resources was spent on the issue.
He said it was right to be "vigilant" about travel between the UK and Syria.
According to the Sunday Times, security services are "closely monitoring" 250 British-based jihadis linked to Syria.
The authorities are concerned that such people may be radicalised and militarised - and urged by those whom they come into contact with in Syria to turn their attentions away from the Syrian regime and instead attack targets in the West.
Militants with suspected links to al-Qaeda have been heading to war-torn Syria from many other countries since fighting broke out in 2011.
Last week, a video was posted online showing British man Abdul Waheed Majid, who is thought to have carried out a suicide bombing in the city of Aleppo.
The 41-year-old, from Crawley, West Sussex, was believed to have bombed a jail on 6 February.
In an interview with Radio 4's The World This Weekend, Mr Brokenshire said he believed the "security concern" linked to Syria was "likely to be with us for the foreseeable future".
"A significant proportion and a growing proportion of the security services work is linked to Syria in some way," he said.
"This is a big problem that the security services and the police are actively focused on.
"It's why they are vigilant, why they are taking the steps that they are around the border and monitoring travel to and from Syria in the way that they are."
The immigration and security minister said Syria had become "the number one jihadist destination in the world" and the number of Britons thought to have travelled there to fight so far was in the "low hundreds".
Sir Peter Fahy, who leads the Association of Chief Police Officers "Prevent" strategy on counter-terrorism, told the BBC last month those returning from Syria would be stopped and could be arrested and charged.
Even those who were not arrested would be put on programmes, he said, which saw police work with local agencies such as schools and youth organisations, "essentially to make sure these people haven't been affected and try and make sure they're not a threat to this country".
Mr Brokenshire said he recognised "that not everyone who has been to Syria and is travelling back is involved in terrorism", but added: "Clearly the message is: 'People shouldn't be travelling.'
"The situation on the ground means that people who might think that they are going for genuine humanitarian purposes may get involved in situations they simply had not contemplated.
"It's very fluid and people may become involved in terrorist organisations who are killing civilians. Indeed, they may be radicalised when they are out there.
"When you look at the appalling situation in the region... I certainly recognise the absolute desire for people to want to help. But it's helping in the right way and the right way is by providing the financial support to organisations, recognised organisations, that are able to deliver."
The Sunday Times says the number of individuals being monitored by MI5 and the police is much higher than previously reported, underlining "the growing danger posed by 'extremist tourists'".
Throughout January, 16 people were arrested on suspicion of terror offences after travelling between Syria and the UK - that compares with 24 in the whole of 2013. | The "security concern" for the UK posed by individuals who have trained and fought in Syria is "a big problem" for MI5 and the police, the immigration minister has said. | 26214793 |
The State Internet Information Office will take over responsibility from a number of lower-ranking directorates.
The new set-up will enable the government to keep a tighter grip on the content available to Chinese internet-users inside the country.
Beijing operates vast internet censorship, dubbed the "great firewall of China". Websites deemed sensitive by the government are routinely blocked.
The Chinese government has put a lot of resources into controlling and censoring the internet content available to its citizens.
Until now, the responsibility fell to the country's Information Office and quite a few other agencies across various government ministries.
There was often in-fighting as each tried to wield power over what was allowed on the internet, from online games to politically sensitive content.
The newly-created State Internet Information Office brings technical and political control over the internet under one body, with Information Minister Wang Chen in charge.
This in effect gives his ministry more power than the other agencies involved.
This indicates that online news and information, new media business and internet access will most likely come under tighter control, as the government clamps down on dissent following the Jasmine Revolution in the Middle East and north Africa.
At the same time, the government hopes to use the internet to promote itself both at home and abroad. | China has set up a new government body to control information on the internet. | 13281200 |
About 3,600 Canadians died in the battle in northern France, that began on Easter Sunday, 9 April 1917.
It was the first time different Canadian military divisions had fought together under one command.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau paid tribute to those who fought.
"The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a turning point in the First World War and for Canada, when Canadians acted - and fought - as one," he said.
Having laid flowers at the site of the battle earlier on Sunday, Mr Trudeau attended a commemorative ceremony with French President Francois Hollande, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry.
The Queen also sent a message to Canadians in French and English commending their soldiers for the sacrifice they made.
The battle of Vimy Ridge, near Arras, was part of a wider British-led offensive that acted as a diversion from a French attack to the south, and proved successful in its aim.
The battle across a 7km (4.3-mile) ridge began in heavy snow and sleet and lasted four days. Four Canadians went on to earn the Victoria Cross, the British military's highest award for bravery.
Success at Vimy Ridge was the result of intense training over several months, and despite the heavy losses, helped forge Canada's identity on a global scale only 50 years after it had become an independent dominion.
Two years later, Canada was one of the signatories to the Treaty of Versailles, formally ending the war.
Among those attending the ceremony in Vimy on Sunday was Ken Piggott, a retired Army captain from Nova Scotia. "It was an important step in shaking off British colonial rule," he told the AFP news agency. "For that reason, it is a huge source of pride for me." | More than 20,000 Canadians have travelled to Europe to mark the centenary of one of the country's defining moments - the Battle of Vimy Ridge during World War One. | 39546875 |
Roger Lewis was speaking as he marked 100 days in the job, after leaving the Welsh Rugby Union to take up the role.
Air passenger duty is being devolved to Scotland and Northern Ireland but remains a sticking point in discussions over new powers for Wales.
Rival airports such as Bristol say it would hand Cardiff an unfair advantage.
"Devolving that responsibility to Wales as it's been devolved to Northern Ireland, to Scotland, is only right and fair," said Mr Lewis.
"I think it will happen, because I think it will actually create a great opportunity not only for the airport, but also for the MRO - maintenance, repair and overhaul sector in Wales."
He said the UK was the second biggest player in the worldwide MRO business, with Wales sharing a 20% slice of that sector.
It includes the flag-carrying giant British Airways, which has recently confirmed its Boeing fleet would be serviced at its centre next to airport, where it employs about 600 people.
"This is so important for Wales, that we have an international airport that connects with that particular sector and that's why I think air passenger duty is part of the play to create a sustainable airport here that can play a broader role beyond passengers," added Mr Lewis.
He said he had held "generous" and "mature" discussions with UK ministers on the issue, including Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb, and praised the support from First Minister Carwyn Jones.
Looking ahead to the coming year, Mr Lewis said he wanted to target "significant passenger growth in 2016", building on a 13% growth in numbers in 2015, and announced the airport would be putting on four more routes with operator Vueling to Spain for the summer.
"It's about increasing the destinations for our passengers, giving them the best prices possible, at times that suit their needs, wrapped in a fabulous passenger experience here at the airport," he said. | Cardiff airport's chairman has called on the UK government to devolve passenger air taxes to Wales, in a bid to boost its business. | 35415175 |
23 April 2017 Last updated at 15:08 BST
The farmers are usually busy working in paddy fields, where they use their tractors to plough and carry rice.
But once a year, they make special alterations to their tractors so that they'll be as powerful as possible racing around the course. | These farmers in central Thailand have been taking a rather muddy break from work - with an annual tractor race! | 39686447 |
Protective boxes are deemed essential to protect the groins of those dealing with public order offences.
But a North Wales Police inspector said he was injured because the force did not supply the straps needed to keep his in place.
After he raised concerns, the force carried out a review and will now provide the kit.
Insp Paul McKeown, who moved to north Wales in 2002, said his previous force, the Metropolitan Police, issued straps to all public support unit (PSU) officers, who are trained in public order and riot control.
When he joined North Wales Police, he was told instead to "wear two pairs of tight underpants" to hold the box - like those worn by cricketers - in place.
He said he did not do this as it prevented him running properly and, as a result, was injured during a training exercise last year when he was hit by a wooden block thrown by a "rioter".
"I was too late to prevent a brick hitting me right where it hurts and down I went," said Insp McKeown, writing in the North Wales Police Federation magazine, Your Voice.
"10 minutes later, when I was able to stand up, I re-joined my laughing colleagues."
Insp McKeown, who is chairman of the north Wales inspectors' branch board, said he submitted a health and safety form last August and his line manager fully backed his request that straps be issued.
But he raised concerns in the federation magazine after hearing nothing more about it.
However, North Wales Police has now said it would provide the straps, which will be available on request.
Temporary Supt Nick Evans said other officers also called for the straps to be available.
"The safety of all our officers is of paramount importance to the organisation," he added.
"As with many police roles, PSU officers are often called upon to put themselves in harm's way and as such it is essential we provide the appropriate equipment to keep them as safe as possible." | It is a delicate issue but one which is important for police officers in the middle of a riot. | 39544100 |
Moscow first called Kiev's ban on Russian airlines "madness", then announced that it would mirror the move.
Ukraine now says flights will end at midnight on Saturday, after last-minute crisis talks failed.
Up to 70,000 passengers a month will be affected.
The sanctions are intended to punish Russia for annexing Crimea and supporting armed rebels in eastern Ukraine. The fact that they have been introduced now, when a ceasefire is finally holding on the ground, shows how bitter relations remain.
Russia has accused Ukraine of shooting itself in the foot with the move, pointing out that most passengers are Ukrainian travelling to work in Russia, visiting relatives or in transit.
But two-thirds of all passengers travel on Russian airlines.
Russia's transport minister has estimated that the loss in ticket sales to both countries will run to around $110m (£73m) a year.
The ban is already angering passengers from both countries.
"The government does things and it's the people who suffer," Ukrainian Alexander Vyshnevsky said, after checking-in for one of the last remaining flights to Kiev from Moscow.
He had been visiting his Russian wife and daughter.
"Russia and Ukraine are like one country for me. Half of Ukraine is married to Russians. So this is total nonsense," Mr Vyshnevsky added.
"This is stupid," Russian Konstantin Fokin agreed, before his own flight to Kiev. His sister lives in Ukraine and travelling to see her will now be difficult.
"Lots of people have relatives in both Russia and Ukraine and they want to communicate. It's up to the authorities to stop this stupidity," Mr Fokin said.
Last-minute talks to find a compromise are under way - so far to no avail - and the chances of success look slim in this climate.
So as of Sunday, passengers will be forced to take longer, more expensive routes via third countries, or to brace themselves for a 13-hour trip by train. | Direct flights between Ukraine and Russia will stop on Sunday, as new sanctions initiated by Kiev come into effect. | 34622665 |
The two-day summit is taking place in the capital, Phnom Penh.
Foreign ministers of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, meeting ahead of their heads of state, have expressed concern over Pyongyang's plans to launch a rocket in April.
They also gave Sunday's ''orderly'' vote in Burma a strong endorsement.
Asean agreed last November that Burma could take the chair of the regional bloc in 2014.
The leaders of the country's military-backed civilian government allowed foreign observers for the 1 April poll for the first time, extending the invitation to Asean, as well as representatives from the European Union and United States.
Indonesia's Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said the poll was "an opportunity for Myanmar [Burma] to make the reform process even more irreversible".
Asean leaders have long adopted a light touch towards Burma's military government while other countries imposed sanctions, says the BBC's Guy Delauney in Phnom Penh.
They will be keen to acclaim the weekend's elections and other recent reforms as vindication of their stance, says our correspondent.
North Korea's planned rocket launch between 12 to 16 April - which it says will put a satellite in orbit to mark the centenary of late leader Kim Il-sung's birth - has also emerged as a key issue for the summit.
The US says the launch will be a disguised long-range missile test that breaches UN resolutions.
On Sunday, the Philippines lodged protests with Pyongyang's representatives at the United Nations, in China, one of North Korea's closest allies, and at Asean.
US Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said that the rocket path will be between Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Another geopolitical issue likely to surface is the tension with China over the disputed South China Sea region. China has overlapping territorial claims with several Asean members - the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.
Chinese President Hu Jintao visited Phnom Penh over the weekend, prior to the summit. The host country's close relationship with Beijing may cause awkward moments if the South China Sea issue comes up, says our correspondent.
Asean was set up on 8 August 1967 by founder members Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore. Brunei joined in 1984, followed by Vietnam in 1995, Laos and Burma in 1997 and Cambodia in 1999.
The summit's main agenda on Tuesday is its goal of becoming a EU-like bloc by 2015. Asean Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan said the group is ''on track" to meet the deadline. | Asean leaders are meeting in Cambodia, with North Korea's planned rocket launch, Burma's by-election and the South China Sea topping the agenda. | 17582138 |
The DUP has indicated its ministers may return to their posts full time if the report says the Provisional IRA has not sanctioned terrorist or criminal acts.
The report was commissioned after the murder of Kevin McGuigan in August.
The police's belief that current IRA members may have been involved in the killing led to a political crisis.
The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) pulled its only minister out of Stormont's power-sharing government - the Northern Ireland Executive.
The largest unionist party in the executive - the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) followed suit with their tactic of rolling ministerial resignations.
With talks at Stormont deadlocked, Northern Ireland Secretary of State Theresa Villiers asked the police and MI5 to provide a detailed assessment of paramilitary activity.
Three assessors - a Liberal Democrat peer, a Belfast barrister and a former senior Stormont official - have been looking at the report on the paramilitaries.
The report is due to be published at 12:30 BST on Tuesday and will be accompanied by a statement in the House of Commons.
If the DUP is satisfied by what the report says, it is thought their ministers could return to their jobs.
Other major problems however, such as the disagreement between the parties over welfare reform, remain to be resolved.
On Monday, Acting First Minister Arlene Foster told the Northern Ireland Assembly that paramilitary structures appeared to still exist in many communities.
"Despite the fact that we have had a long period of time under which those structures should have disappeared they have not, it appears, disappeared and therefore we have to deal with that issue," the DUP minister said.
"We will wait to see what the panel brings forward tomorrow, but if the panel says that those structures are still in place we will need to look at how we can make sure that they come to end and that, certainly, will be the focus for me and for my party."
The government commissioned this assessment of paramilitary activity when the Stormont talks appeared to be close to collapse.
The DUP felt under pressure to show its anger about reports linking the IRA to a murder, after the Ulster Unionists, the only other unionists in Stormont's power-sharing coalition, quit.
By ordering the police and MI5 to compile this report, and appointing three senior figures to provide their own assessment, the secretary of state bought the time and space for the DUP to return to round table talks.
If they like what the report says, DUP politicians are expected to end their ministers' "rolling resignations" and return to their jobs full time.
The DUP's opponents are already accusing them of using the paramilitary assessment as a "fig leaf" to return to power.
They may counter that, in the long term, their "no business as usual" policy proved more responsible than outright resignations, which would have collapsed the Stormont Executive. | An official assessment of paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland, compiled by the police and the security service, is due to be published later. | 34575552 |
William Angus suffered abut 40 wounds while rescuing a wounded officer from no man's land close to enemy lines.
He was serving as a lance corporal when he distinguished himself in France on 12 June 1915.
A commemorative paving stone was laid in Carluke, North Lanarkshire, on the centenary of the heroic rescue.
Lance Corporal Angus was born in Armadale, West Lothian, and worked as a miner before becoming a professional footballer with Celtic.
He was released by the club in 1914 and joined Wishaw Thistle before being mobilised to the army on the outbreak of World War One.
He was serving with the Royal Scots at Givenchy-lès-la-Bassée, France, when his comrade and fellow Carluke townsman, Lieutenant James Martin, was injured by a mine in no man's land close to enemy lines.
Lance Corporal Angus voluntarily braved 70 yards (64m) of German fire to reach the injured officer and brought him back.
He suffered up to 40 wounds and lost his left eye.
After spending two months in hospital, Lance Corporal Angus travelled to London where he was awarded the Victoria Cross by King George V at Buckingham Palace.
He was given a hero's welcome on his return to Carluke and received standing ovations at both Celtic Park and Ibrox.
Until his death in 1959, Lance Corporal Martin received a telegram of thanks from the Martin family on every anniversary of his heroic rescue.
His Victoria Cross is displayed at the National War Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh Castle. | Tributes have been paid to a Scots soldier who won the Victoria Cross, the highest awarded for gallantry, during World War One. | 33107842 |
They were attacked with petrol bombs, fireworks, bricks and bottles during hours of disorder at Carlisle Circus.
The PSNI said the initial violence involved up to 350 loyalists. Four officers were taken to hospital.
After the parade took place there was trouble between loyalists and republicans, according to the police.
One policeman remains in hospital with injuries that are not life threatening.
Tensions had been high following disturbances at a loyalist march in the same the area last weekend.
In a statement on Monday, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officer in charge of the operation, Chief Supt George Clark, said: "I am both angry and sad that my officers have been subjected to such significant attack.
"They showed tremendous courage in the face of enduring violence."
He added that those responsible would be "held to account for their actions".
"We had a plan in place to deal with, what we thought, might happen. We were not dealing with a situation in which we had a notified protest. We were not expecting to see protesters out onto Clifton Street," the officer said.
The PSNI used water cannon to disperse rioters and said calm was restored to the area at about 02:00 BST on Monday. Most of the violence was centred in Denmark Street and the Antrim Road.
A 17-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of riotous behaviour.
Up to 300 people had been expected to take part in the parade organised by the Henry Joy McCracken Flute Band.
The band had told the Parades Commission they would be accompanied by up to 100 supporters along the route, which began at Duncairn Parade in the New Lodge area at 14:00 BST and travelled to Henry Place near Clifton Street.
Sinn Fein MLA Fra McCann said a house in west Belfast had been petrol-bombed at about 17:30 BST in a sectarian attack.
He said the attack would have had more serious consequences if the house had not been fitted with reinforced glass.
He said: "There are five children who live in this house and this can only be described as attempted murder by those responsible."
An Orange Hall in north Belfast was also attacked.
A spokesman for the County Grand Orange Lodge of Belfast said: "While those who carry out such mindless acts of vandalism need little by way of encouragement, it has to be said that ill-considered remarks by some have done little to ease the tensions over this past week."
In advance of the parade, a police spokeswoman said officers were dealing with "small levels of disorder" in the area.
However, the situation escalated in the late afternoon during the return leg of the march.
Seven police officers were injured in the previous disorder which took place on Saturday 25 August, during the annual Royal Black Institution demonstration.
Bricks and bottles were thrown as several loyalist bands defied Parades Commission rulings and played music as they marched past St Patrick's Catholic Church on nearby Donegall Street. | Forty-seven police officers have been injured in riots surrounding a republican band parade in Belfast. | 19457015 |
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) says that in the first six weeks of 2015, just over 82,000 deaths were registered, which is 23% higher than the average from the previous five years.
The ONS recently published the graph above, which compares the last week in December and first three weeks in January for the last 16 years.
First of all, while we are currently well above the average for the past five years, we are at about the same level as we were in winter 2008-09.
Secondly, the spike for this year is exaggerated somewhat by last year, when there was the smallest number of Excess Winter Deaths since records began in 1950.
Excess Winter Deaths are the number of people whose deaths were registered between December and March, compared with the numbers for the previous four months and the following four months.
Thirdly, while the figures are high by recent standards, they are dwarfed by the levels in 1999-2000, which was the last year classified as a flu epidemic. An epidemic year is one in which more than 200 people per 100,000 go to see their GPs with flu-like symptoms.
We know that flu has played a part in this year's high numbers.
Public Health England's analysis says that the high number of deaths, "coincides with circulating influenza and cold snaps", with the over-65s particularly hard hit by the strains of the virus spreading this year.
It also appears that this winter's flu vaccine has been less effective than usual, which is suspected to be contributing.
But as for cold snaps, the temperature this winter was a bit warmer than average in December, close to average in January and only slightly below average in February, according to this blog from the Met Office on Wednesday.
It's possible that deaths have been relatively low for five years and coincidentally have been a bit higher this year.
We should get a better idea when the breakdown of causes of death are published later in the year. | There has been a considerable increase in the numbers of people dying in England and Wales so far this year. | 31518899 |
Ken and Jocelyn Elliott, who are in their 80s, have built up medical facilities since the 1970s in the town of Djibo near the Mali border.
Locals have started a Facebook page posting messages of support.
It is unclear if their abduction is related to Friday's deadly al-Qaeda attack in the capital Ouagadougou.
Burkina Faso's government says 28 people were killed and a further 56 injured in the attack, which targeted two hotels and a cafe frequented by foreign nationals. Six of the dead were from Canada.
Hamadou Ag Khallini, a spokesperson for Malian militant group Ansar Dine, told Australian media that the al Qaeda-linked Emirate of the Sahara group were holding the couple.
The group operates in northern Mali.
No reason for the abduction has yet been given and the couple's whereabouts are unknown, Australia's foreign ministry said.
The couple were running a 120-bed clinic in the town of Dijbo, where Dr Elliot is the only surgeon.
Djibo residents have set up a Facebook page called "Djibo supports Dr Ken Elliot" to describe the impact he and his wife have had on the town.
This latest kidnapping bears signs of an operation mounted by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). The extremist group has a long history of kidnap-for-ransom in the region, to the extent that it once was one of its major revenue sources.
Similarly, the attack on the cafe and hotel popular with foreigners in the capital was carefully planned. Throughout the siege, AQIM was releasing statements about its intentions to kill as many Westerners as possible.
The intervention of French special forces was key to retaking control of the hotel but this latest attack is another blow for France's military strategy in the Sahel. The French drove most jihadi groups out of their hideouts in northern Mali but AQIM and others remain an active threat throughout the region.
Former Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore had forged some kind of relationship with these groups, often negotiating the release of foreign hostages. But since he was ousted in a popular uprising, Burkina Faso may have become just another battleground for the Islamist militants.
The Facebook page says Dr Elliott's "numerous patients are waiting for him".
"Elliott is all for us and we need him like a baby needs his mother," said resident Moussa Dicko, quoted on the page.
"Elliott is a Burkinabe and a humane person," said Francois Ramde. "He represents the best of humanity."
"Let the name of God not be used in connection with this ignoble act because it was God who sent Elliott to us and will bring him back," said Roots Hassane.
Militant groups in the Sahel region of north and west Africa have long used kidnap for ransom as a way of raising money.
Friday's attack in Ouagadougou was claimed by AQIM on behalf of one of its affiliates, al-Murabitoun, which is run by the notorious Algerian extremist Mokhtar Belmokhtar.
Last April, al-Murabitoun claimed to have abducted a Romanian security manager who was working at a mine in the north of the country. | People in Burkina Faso are campaigning for the release of an Australian doctor and his wife, kidnapped the same day as the attack on the capital. | 35337030 |
The NatCen British Social Attitudes Report found 77% of 4,328 people interviewed thought the class divide was either fairly wide or very wide.
Just 26% of people thought it was not very difficult to move between social classes, compared with 35% in 2005.
NatCen said the poll showed the UK class divide "was alive and well".
The social research specialists found that people who identify as working class were more likely to believe the divide between social classes was "fairly wide" or "very wide" (82%) compared with 70% of those who describe themselves as middle class.
The British Social Attitudes survey has been carried out every year since 1983, with questions repeated periodically to assess how opinions change over time.
This 2015 study aimed to find how people had responded to government austerity and how it affected perceptions of class, public spending and the workplace.
Kirby Swales, director of the NatCen survey centre, said: "The class divide is alive and well in Britain and the economic instability and austerity of recent years seem to have sharpened our belief that it is difficult to move from one class to another...
"Our findings certainly show that people who believe themselves to be working class are more likely to believe in a class divide than those who say they are middle class and more think it is difficult to move between classes than did in the past."
The report also found the majority of people considered themselves to be working class (60%) compared with 40% who identified as being middle class - the same proportion as in 1983.
This is despite the fact it is estimated that only a quarter of the population are in working class occupations, the report's authors said.
Some 47% of people in jobs classed as managerial and professional consider themselves working class.
NatCen said class identity was closely linked to attitudes in other areas, with people who say they are working class being far more likely to be opposed to immigration, one of the defining issues of the EU referendum.
The authors of the report's chapter on social class, Geoffrey Evans and Jonathan Mellon, said there appeared to be a "working class of the mind".
They said: "Those in middle class occupations still think of themselves to a surprising degree as working class, and especially so if their family background was working class or they have never been to university.
"And this sense of working class identity apparently means that they are less libertarian and less pro-immigrant, but not necessarily more left-wing - even though those with a working class identity are particularly likely to think that class differences and barriers remain important."
But 45% of those surveyed back a cut in benefits for unemployed people.
Elizabeth Clery, research director of NatCen social research, said: "We have witnessed a big rise in support for higher public spending; support is now back to a level not seen since before the financial crash.
"After seven years of austerity the public is clearly worried about the funding of the NHS and reckons that, for some groups at least, spending on benefits should be increased." | Most people think there is less social mobility than there was a decade ago and that the class divide is large, a UK poll of public mood has found. | 36665493 |
Mr Lloyd was a third-year environmental management student at Bangor University.
Emergency services were called at 14:50 BST on Tuesday to a river at Aberglaslyn, near Beddgelert.
His body was recovered following a "complex operation" involving mountain rescue and underwater search teams.
"Staff and students at Bangor University are saddened to hear of the death of Tom Lloyd," said a spokesman for the college.
"An experienced outdoor pursuits enthusiast, he had just spent the summer in Norway working as a kayak instructor, as well as carrying out field research as part of his studies.
"He will be sadly missed by all his friends at Bangor, and our thoughts are with them and his family."
North Wales Police said investigations into Mr Lloyd's death are continuing, and his family are being supported by liaison officers. | A canoeist killed in a river near Beddgelert in Snowdonia has been named as 24-year-old Thomas Lloyd, from Whittington, Staffordshire. | 37508064 |
Already there are indications that the initial phase is over and that Syrian government forces and their allies may be starting localised offensives on the ground with the support of Russian air power.
Ever since the first build-up of Russian forces in Latakia, US-based analyst Michael Kofman, of the CNA Corporation and a scholar at the Kennan Institute, has been monitoring the air campaign closely. So, a week on, I asked him for his assessment. Given the number and tempo of Russian air attacks, could he deduce any clear pattern in terms of the nature of the targets and Moscow's broader strategic aims?
"Russia's operational tempo is about 20 sorties per day, which is not that intense, but moderate, given the logistics they have in place," he told me. "The targets are known weapon storage areas, ammunition dumps, production facilities, and any command-and-control infrastructure that Syrian intelligence is aware of."
Russia is also softening up opposition forces by eliminating conventional weapons such as tanks, armoured personnel carriers and rocket artillery that they have captured from the Syrian army.
The targets are largely the coalition of groups under al-Nusra Front, to the north by Idlib and Aleppo, along with various rebel groups supported by members of the US coalition near Homs and Hama, to the east of Syrian government positions.
"These are the primary threats to Assad, and the areas where Syrian ground counter-offensives are likely to take place," Kofman says. "The campaign is therefore a softening of these groups and elimination of their weapon caches."
Of course one of the most contentious aspects of the Russian air campaign is precisely who Russian bombs and missiles are targeting? Russia says on the one hand it is attacking the so-called Islamic State (IS), but on the other what it terms a variety of "terrorist" groups.
So to what extent is Russia hitting IS?
Michael Kofman is sceptical. "It seems that what strikes have been carried out against IS targets are simply for appearance and to buy credibility for the overall air campaign. The focus of the Russian attacks is on forces immediately in proximity to the Syrian army, which do not belong to IS."
He also thinks that the initial, or softening-up, phase of the air campaign may be shifting to one where Russian air power is used to assist Syrian government forces on the ground.
"All the indications are that a combined Syrian, Iranian and perhaps Hezbollah force will be attacking to retake territory."
Another controversial aspect of the Russian air campaign is the munitions that it is using. By and large, recent Western air campaigns have relied heavily on precision-guided munitions to try to avoid unnecessary civilian casualties. (It should be noted, as the recent US attack on a hospital in Afghanistan shows, even with precision weapons things can still go badly wrong.)
Kofman notes that the predominant munitions being used by the Russians in Syria are "dumb bombs being dropped from medium altitude, although there is a great deal of variation".
These are of various types: "From the most generic FAB-500 bomb, to high fragmentation OFAB 250-270, to bunker busting BETAB-M bombs and anti-tank cluster munitions such as the RBK-500 SPBE-D."
He says that only a low percentage of precision-guided munitions are being used - perhaps 15-20% of the strikes involve weapons "such as the satellite-guided KAB-500S and laser-guided missiles of the Kh-29ML type".
"Russia's most modern tactical strike aircraft, the Su-34, appears to be flying with the satellite-guided bombs, while older aircraft like the Su-24M2 seem to be using primarily unguided weapons but also some laser-guided missiles," he says.
In the last few days, Russia has also begun to use long-range cruise missiles fired from warships in the Caspian Sea. Like many other Western analysts, Michael Kofman believes that there was a large element of bravado here.
"It was a demonstration of long-range precision attack capability, to show they have some parity with the US, and of course a publicity coup. There was no tangible military necessity for launching pricey missiles over 1,500 km from the Caspian, especially since Russia has already tested this missile's operation previously with the Caspian Flotilla. The strike was a show, and an effective one, but the same results could easily have been achieved with Russian aviation in place."
What then of the wider Russian strategy? Kofman believes this can already be discerned and that there is a clear goal for the next several months, though "it is not a fully fleshed out and thought-through strategy. A counter-offensive by Syrian forces is expected, and Russian aviation will support this campaign, but it has limited goals.
"Most likely the Syrian army will seek to regain some of the recently lost territory, and then hold it with Iranian and Russian support."
But this he believes will inevitably increase tensions between Russia and the West, and with the West's Gulf allies.
"This will entail the defeat of fighters backed by the US, and its coalition allies, leaving the only alternatives to Assad as the Islamic State and al-Nusra Front.
"I suspect this is precisely what Russia is after, eliminating the immediate threat to the Syrian army, leaving no sensible opposition to Assad, while legitimating his forces as part of an anti-IS coalition.
"Further down the line, Russia will likely seek European support for a new political process, and try to force the US to come on board, as a vehicle for accepting Assad staying in power in the near term."
One of the great paradoxes of the current situation he notes is that "a more robust American campaign against IS is complementary with Russian objectives, and a win-win scenario for Assad.
"Ultimately, Russia and Iran have secured their position in Syria. Assad or no Assad, the West will have to deal with Russia directly, and most likely as an equal, in settlement to the Syrian conflict." | Russia's air campaign in Syria has been under way for a little over a week, and it is now possible to begin to analyse what it is achieving, what weaponry is being used and where it may be heading. | 34474362 |
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Allardyce, who kept Sunderland in the Premier League last season, is in talks with Palace about replacing Alan Pardew, who was sacked on Thursday.
Millen said he did not know for certain who would succeed Pardew, but suggested Allardyce, 62, would be good option.
"If it is Sam, Palace are getting an experienced manager," he said.
"Certainly for players he is an experienced Premier League manager. He did a great job keeping Sunderland up."
Allardyce saved the Wearsiders from relegation last season despite them being second from bottom when he joined in October 2015.
He has been out of work since leaving his role as England manager by mutual consent after 67 days and just one game, in the wake of a Daily Telegraph investigation.
Millen, who will be in charge of the Boxing Day game at Watford, has spoken to Pardew since his dismissal.
The former Newcastle boss was sacked with the club 17th in the Premier League after a run of one win in 11 games.
"We have exchanged text messages," added Millen.
"He is upset, disappointed but proud of what he has done here. Unfortunately the results have not been good enough." | Sam Allardyce would "sort the players out" if he is named Crystal Palace manager, says Eagles caretaker boss Keith Millen. | 38420378 |
The 18-year-old starred at the 2015 Under-17 World Cup, helping Nigeria to win a record fifth title.
"I'm excited to have the opportunity to prove myself at a top club," Okonkwo told BBC Sport.
He is the third player from the 2015 Nigeria U17 side to join European clubs after Victor Osimhen went to Wolfsburg and Kelechi Nwakali joined Arsenal. | Italian club Bologna have signed Nigerian striker Orji Okonkwo on a long-term deal from FC Abuja Academy. | 37176703 |
7 September 2016 Last updated at 12:43 BST
The chimney was a part of a former power station, on the Isle of Grain, on the east coast of the UK.
The tower is taller than 55 double decker buses stacked on top of each other and is two- and-a-half times the height of London's famous clock tower Big Ben.
The chimney is the latest stage in the demolition of the old the station, which was closed in 2012. | The tallest concrete structure ever to be knocked down in Britain has been blown up in a spectacular demolition. | 37296498 |
Justice Secretary Liz Truss also set out plans for the removal of extremist books from prison libraries and stronger vetting of prison chaplains.
But the Prison Reform Trust warned many jails had been hit by staff cuts.
It comes after a report found there was "complacency" at the "growing problem" of Islamist extremism in jails.
The review into extremism in prisons, led by former prison governor Ian Acheson and published on Monday, found:
The prison wing housing only terrorists
Going undercover against extremism
Prisons in England and Wales were at present "very far from being effective" in tackling extremism in prisons, Mr Acheson said.
In response to the report, Ms Truss said the prison system "cannot continue" to allow some inmates to "peddle poisonous ideology across the mainstream prison population".
The government will implement eight of the report's 11 recommendations, including creating a "small number" of specialist units to separate the "most subversive extremists".
A similar "jail within a jail" system has been used in the Netherlands to tackle radicalisation.
Ms Truss accepted there was a "risk" extremists could become more influential when kept together, but said authorities must keep apart those who might collaborate together to create more problems.
The government will "take steps to remove extremist and offensive literature from prisons", and strengthen the vetting system for prison chaplains.
Inmates "behaving subversively or promoting beliefs that run counter to fundamental British values" will be removed from Friday prayers.
Jamal - not his real name - who spent four years in prison for fraud, told the BBC how young men like him were targeted through initially friendly approaches.
"There was no talk of religion involved, there was no talk of radicalisation involved. It was just a very warm conversation... and they want to share some experience and camaraderie to boost your spirits a bit and that's how it starts.
"And then... the rhetoric changes. And you start seeing the more sinister side."
'Extremist' books remained in prisons despite warning
Warning over Islamic radicalisation in England's prisons
Publication of the report comes a few days after it was revealed that radical cleric Anjem Choudary had been convicted of inviting others to support so-called Islamic State.
Fears have been voiced that Choudary, who is due to be sentenced in September, would be able to influence other inmates with his views.
But Daniel Sandford said that creating special units within prisons was not without risks.
When some IRA prisoners were concentrated in Whitemoor prison in the 1990s, they were viewed as having gained too much control in the high-security unit and managed to escape, he said.
Former prison governor and now director of the Prison Reform Trust Peter Dawson said the special units could be effective if they were used as a short term measure with a focus on rehabilitating segregated inmates "to change the way they behave and think".
But he warned the strategy only dealt with "half of the problem", as the Acheson report raised serious concerns about radicalisation in lower-security prisons, which had been "hardest hit" by staff cuts in recent years.
Labour MP Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, welcomed the focus on prisons, saying they had been "spaces where extremism has permeated and radicalised inmates" for too long.
But the government must "be wary of creating a colony of jihadists", he added, calling for careful thought about who was placed in such units and for how long. | Extremist prisoners who "seek to poison the minds of others" will be put in special units in English and Welsh jails, the government has said. | 37151089 |
The striker scored from a rebound after Yoel had saved his initial effort and then turned home James Rodriguez's free-kick to double Real's lead.
Benzema set up the third with a cross which Rodriguez slid home over Yoel.
Marco Asensio scored a fourth after Rodriguez's effort hit the post before a late Ruben Pena consolation.
Real briefly went top of the table, but Barcelona's 5-0 win over Celta Vigo later on Saturday restored their one-point lead.
Match ends, Eibar 1, Real Madrid 4.
Second Half ends, Eibar 1, Real Madrid 4.
Attempt missed. Rubén Peña (Eibar) right footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Cristian Rivera.
Foul by Mariano (Real Madrid).
Mauro Dos Santos (Eibar) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner, Real Madrid. Conceded by Anaitz Arbilla.
Substitution, Eibar. Takashi Inui replaces Pedro León.
Attempt missed. Sergi Enrich (Eibar) right footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses to the right.
Lucas Vázquez (Real Madrid) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Anaitz Arbilla (Eibar).
Attempt blocked. Rubén Peña (Eibar) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Foul by Mateo Kovacic (Real Madrid).
Dani García (Eibar) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Offside, Real Madrid. Mariano tries a through ball, but Lucas Vázquez is caught offside.
Corner, Eibar. Conceded by Nacho.
Dangerous play by Mateo Kovacic (Real Madrid).
Gonzalo Escalante (Eibar) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Offside, Real Madrid. Marco Asensio tries a through ball, but Mariano is caught offside.
Substitution, Real Madrid. Isco replaces James Rodríguez.
Offside, Real Madrid. Nacho tries a through ball, but Mariano is caught offside.
Offside, Real Madrid. James Rodríguez tries a through ball, but Mariano is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Mariano (Real Madrid) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by James Rodríguez with a cross following a set piece situation.
Nacho (Real Madrid) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Ander Capa (Eibar).
Goal! Eibar 1, Real Madrid 4. Rubén Peña (Eibar) with an attempt from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Pedro León with a cross.
Substitution, Real Madrid. Mateo Kovacic replaces Luka Modric.
Foul by Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid).
Sergi Enrich (Eibar) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Pedro León (Eibar) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Ander Capa.
Attempt blocked. Mauro Dos Santos (Eibar) right footed shot from very close range is blocked.
Offside, Eibar. Mauro Dos Santos tries a through ball, but Gonzalo Escalante is caught offside.
Attempt saved. Sergi Enrich (Eibar) header from very close range is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Pedro León with a cross.
Corner, Eibar. Conceded by Luka Modric.
Offside, Real Madrid. Pepe tries a through ball, but Mariano is caught offside.
James Rodríguez (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Rubén Peña (Eibar).
Substitution, Real Madrid. Mariano replaces Karim Benzema.
Substitution, Eibar. Cristian Rivera replaces Adrián González.
Nacho (Real Madrid) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Nacho (Real Madrid). | Karim Benzema scored twice as Real Madrid overcame the absence of injured Cristiano Ronaldo and suspended Gareth Bale to beat Eibar. | 39105751 |
Russia was told to pay the money to former shareholders in the now defunct oil producer Yukos.
The Hague court said Russian officials had manipulated the legal system to bankrupt Yukos, and jail its boss.
The Russian finance ministry said the ruling was "flawed", "one-sided" and "politically biased".
The ministry added that the Permanent Court for Arbitration in The Hague "had no jurisdiction to consider the questions it was given".
The claim was filed by a subsidiary for the financial holding company GML, once the biggest shareholder in Yukos Oil Co.
GML Executive Director Tim Osborne said: "The majority shareholders of Yukos Oil were left without compensation for the loss of their investment when Russia illegally expropriated Yukos."
"It is a major step forward for the majority shareholders, who have been battling for over 10 years for this decision."
In an interview with the BBC's World Business Report, Mr Osborne added that his next step would be to use local courts worldwide to pursue Russian state property which could be seized as recompense.
Commenting on the tribunal's findings, he told the BBC: "In their view Rosneft, for instance, is an instrumentality of the state and was the vehicle that the Russian state chose to bankrupt and expropriate Yukos."
Pursuing Rosneft for the funds is a "distinct possibility", he said.
However, in a statement, the Russian ministry said: "Because of substantial shortcomings in the rulings of the arbitration court, the Russian Federation will challenge the rulings of the arbitration court in Dutch courts and expects to obtain a fair result there".
GML's lawyer Emmanuel Gaillard said: "This is an historic award. It is now judicially established that the Russian Federation's actions were not a legitimate exercise in tax collection but, rather, were aimed at destroying Yukos and illegally expropriating its assets for the benefit of State instrumentalities Rosneft and Gazprom."
Dr Florian Otto from risk advisory company Maplecroft said that Russia will be hoping to win time and reduce publicity.
He said: "For Russia, paying the money is out of the question, as this could be construed as an acknowledgement that the seizing of Yukos' assets was illegal - a viewpoint the Kremlin will never accept.
"The ruling does not come as a surprise to any of the parties involved, but the coincidental timing with the downing of flight MH17 certainly adds to the pressure Russia is currently exposed to.
"The case serves as a fresh reminder of state interference in business at a time when business confidence is already at a low point".
Lawyers said that if Russia does not voluntarily accept the ruling, it can be forcibly enforced by shareholders seizing assets abroad.
Konstantin Lukoyanov of global law firm Linklaters said: "If it is accepted, it can be carried out voluntarily, or it will be implemented forcibly.
"In that case the seizure of assets abroad is possible. There have been several similar cases."
Leonid Nevzlin, former deputy chairman of Yukos told a Moscow radio station: "I think shareholders are ready for the next stage, if Russia refuses to pay them, to search for and seize Russian assets all around the world."
Yukos was disbanded in 2007 after filing for bankruptcy in 2006.
The company was formerly controlled by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was at one point Russia's richest man. Responding to the news, Mr Khordorkovsky said it was "fantastic" that shareholders were "being given chance to recover assets".
Mr Khodorkovsky built Yukos into Russia's largest investor-owned oil company after the fall of the Soviet Union.
He was arrested in 2003 and spent ten years in jail after being convicted of fraud and tax evasion but was pardoned last December.
The state-owned Rosneft bought the bulk of Yukos assets though auctions after the company, once the country's largest oil producer, was declared bankrupt. Rosneft says all the deals were legal.
Analysis: Andrew Walker, BBC economics correspondent
The judgement is powerful ammunition for President Putin's critics.
For their case, the key words in the ruling are these: "Russian courts bent to the will of Russian executive authorities to bankrupt Yukos, assign its assets to a State-controlled company, and incarcerate a man who gave signs of becoming a political competitor".
That potential political rival - to President Putin - is Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
Though he wasn't involved this case, he was at the centre of the events that led to the downfall of Yukos.
The ruling is littered with testimony from witnesses pointing to Mr Putin's anger about Mr Khodorkovsky, particularly when the former Yukos chief raised the issue of corruption.
The court concluded that what happened to him and the company were not the result of proper legal processes. | Russia will appeal against a international court ruling that it should pay $50bn (£29.5bn) in damages, the biggest compensation package ever. | 28520892 |
At the top of the North Wales UKIP list, and one of the new AMs elected, was Welsh leader Nathan Gill, who is currently a member of the European Parliament.
But a vacancy is set to appear after Mr Gill made it clear he wants to stand down from the European role - with suggestions he'll resign after the referendum.
And because of the rules that govern MEPs, his replacement could be one of the other UKIP members elected as AMs.
And if they do not want to head to Brussels, a by-election could be on the cards.
If an MEP resigns, a whole set of regulations kick in to find a replacement.
For the European elections, parties submit lists of names. UKIP got one Welsh MEP in May 2014 and so the number one on the list, Mr Gill, was elected.
Under the rules, the returning officer for the Wales region - currently the chief executive of Pembrokeshire council - would need to get in touch with the second person on the list and ask if they want to take up the position.
If that person cannot or does not want to do it, they can go to number three on the list and offer the position to them.
It is similar to what happens in the assembly if a sitting regional AM stands down - the next on the party list gets first refusal on whether they would like to take up the vacant post.
UKIP put forward four people for the 2014 European election when Nathan Gill was elected.
The first person that the returning officer could go to is James Cole, but he has left the party.
That would leave the choice to the third person on the list - Caroline Jones.
If she did not want the position, it could then be left to David Rowlands, 2014's UKIP number four.
Both were elected as AMs on 6 May. There appear to be no rules stopping an assembly member from being an MEP, but practicalities of travel may make it unrealistic and appear to be part of why Mr Gill has decided he does not want to do it.
It is unclear whether either Mr Rowlands or Ms Jones wants the role. If either took it up, and decided to leave the assembly, the process by which regional list AMs are replaced would then come into play.
Susan Boucher was next on the list for South Wales East after Mr Rowlands, while Martyn Ford followed Ms Jones in South Wales West.
A senior UKIP source said: "We've got a list of two people - one of those two is going to have to decide whether they would go to Brussels or stay."
"I imagine one of those two would take it."
If the process of trying to fill the vacancy by asking the remaining list candidates if they want the job fails, the UK government could call a by-election for the role.
Pembrokeshire council, which handled the European election in 2014, said UKIP only submitted four names for the poll, the maximum parties were allowed to submit.
But the senior UKIP source said that, although confident the party might win such a poll, it would not want that expense placed on the public purse. | One of the big stories of election night was UKIP's entry into the Welsh assembly - with the success of seven of the party's candidates. | 36247951 |
The Jet experiment in Oxfordshire was opened in 1984 to understand fusion - the process that powers the Sun.
Prof Steve Cowley told the BBC a go-ahead to run Jet at maximum power would allow scientists to try for the record by the end of the decade.
This could bring Jet up to the coveted goal of "breakeven" where fusion yields as much energy as it consumes.
Fusion is markedly different from current nuclear power, which operates through splitting atoms - fission - rather than squashing them together as occurs in fusion.
"We're hoping to repeat our world record shots and extend them," Prof Cowley, who is director of the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy - which hosts Jet, told BBC News.
"Our world record was from 1997, we think we can improve on it quite considerably and get some really spectacular results. We're winding up to that and by the end of the decade we'll be doing it."
Despite its history spanning some five decades, scientists hoping to harness fusion have faced many hurdles. But it remains an attractive prospect because it can yield a near limitless supply of clean energy.
The fusion community hopes their luck could change when the multi-bn-euro Iter fusion experiment comes online in Cadarache, in the south of France, in the 2020s. And officials from Jet, based at Culham, Oxfordshire, are now in the process of signing a contract that will keep the facility running for another five years.
Jet (Joint European Torus) was the prototype for Iter and over its extended lifetime will effectively carry out a dress rehearsal for that much bigger reactor, which will aim to demonstrate the scientific viability of fusion power at scale.
Prof Cowley also hopes to use the additional five years to train up young scientists who could eventually take their expertise to Iter.
During Jet's extended run, scientists will again begin using the deuterium-tritium fuel mix needed for maximum fusion power. Until recently, scientists had been running the experiment using deuterium fuel only. While running the experiment in this mode allows scientists to gather valuable scientific knowledge, both deuterium and tritium will be needed to exceed the record set by the Oxfordshire facility 17 years ago.
"Jet is the only machine in the world that can handle that fuel. When you put tritium in, it reacts like crazy," said Prof Cowley.
Jet uses the same approach to fusion as Iter. This is known as magnetic confinement fusion (MCF), in which electrically charged gas called plasma is heated to millions of degrees inside a sealed tube called a "tokamak".
The temperature inside Jet during one of its full power shots can soar to a scorching 200 million C. That's more than 10 times the temperature at the centre of the Sun - estimated to be about 15 million C.
In 1997, scientists pushed 24MW of energy into Jet and managed to get 16MW out - a fusion energy gain of about 0.7. A fusion energy gain factor (known as Q) of greater than one is required to achieve "breakeven", where the amount of energy produced equals the amount of energy consumed.
However, higher gain factors are required to achieve self-sustaining fusion, where the reactions continue without any external input of energy.
"We hope in the next runs of Jet that we'll approach a gain of one. But that's no good for energy production - you need a gain of 10, 20, 30 - much more energy coming than you put in. That's what Iter will do," said Prof Cowley.
Jet was the result of a European plan for fusion power conceived in the 1970s. Recently, the machine has undergone a series of upgrades to bring components in line with those planned for Iter. In coming years, it will shed light on some of the challenges for making fusion a success.
"The plasma is spewing out tank shells of neutron particles. The neutrons that come out of fusion are 10 times more energetic than those coming out of nuclear fission," said Steve Cowley.
"When they slam into the walls [of the tokamak] they rearrange the atoms in those walls. The question is can we have a material that doesn't mind having its atoms rearranged 10 times a year?"
In magnetic confinement experiments the plasma can become unstable, causing fusion to break down. However, improving performance is partly a matter of scale - and as Iter is likely to demonstrate - bigger really is better, as far as fusion is concerned.
In November 2013, the European Parliament formally endorsed the European Commission's 80bn-euro Horizon 20-20 research budget. This encompasses funds of about 300m euros to keep Jet running. Officials are currently finalising details of the settlement, with a view to signing the contract soon.
The National Ignition Facility in the US recently made a fusion breakthrough of its own. NIF takes a different approach to fusion from that taken by Jet and Iter, concentrating laser energy on a hydrogen fuel pellet to initiate fusion.
During a run of the experiment in September 2013, the small amount of energy released through the fusion reaction exceeded the amount of energy being absorbed by the fuel - a first at any fusion facility.
Follow Paul on Twitter. | The director of a UK science facility says scientists there will try to set a new world record in nuclear fusion. | 27138087 |
The items were found in Drumgask Road on Friday morning by a member of the public, who then alerted police.
A police spokeswoman said: "While the items appeared to have been there for some time, the weapon was loaded and presented a clear danger."
She said officers were "grateful" to the person who reported the gun so it could be disposed of safely. | Police have seized a sawn-off shotgun and a quantity of ammunition in Craigavon, County Armagh. | 35731763 |
The earlier coins, both made by a moneyer, Wihtred, in Ipswich between 757 and 800 AD, were found separately by metal detectorists in Suffolk.
One found near Eye in 2012 sold for £5,500, while another, discovered near Haughley in June, went for £2,200.
The Norman penny, made in Leicester between 1066 and 1087 and showing William the Conqueror, sold for £3,500.
The coin found near Eye was made during the reign of the East Anglian King Eadwald and was expected to fetch up to £4,000.
Dr Rory Naismith, author of The Coinage of Southern England 796-865, said the king was known "solely from his coins".
The second penny is thought to have been made during the reign of King Offa, between 757 and 796 AD.
The Norman coin, created in the city by a moneyer named Friothekest, met its highest estimated price.
Coins expert Jon Mann said the penny was of a "rare quality".
The coins were sold by specialist auctioneers Spink's in London. | Three rare silver pennies, two Saxon and one Norman, have sold for more than £11,000 at auction. | 30514750 |
With younger brother Jonny in second it was the result that the huge crowds in their home city of Leeds had wanted.
Reigning world champion Javier Gomez was well back in fourth.
Britain's Vicky Holland had earlier taken third in the women's race to underline her own medal chances in Rio.
Holland held off the challenge of her compatriot Jodie Stimpson as reigning world champion Gwen Jorgensen came past long-time race leader Flora Duffy on a storming run.
The brothers, Olympic gold and bronze medallists four summers ago, had been part of a small lead pack that also included Gomez as they exited the 1500m swim in Roundhay Park.
Alistair then accelerated away up the hill on to the bike course, with Jonny bridging across from the chase group to form a pack of four with France's Aurelien Raphael and Australian Aaron Royle.
Find out how to get into triathlon in our special guide.
Working together well round the tight, technical course the four had a two-minute lead coming off the bikes.
And Alistair then hit the front on the run, going out hard to build a 19-second lap after two of the four laps as Jonny pulled clear of Royle and Raphael.
Roared on by crowds four-deep around the city centre course, he had extended that to half a minute as he came back on to the blue carpet for the final time, and was able to high-five his way down the finishing straight as the grandstands in Millennium Square rose to him.
"I had a good day," Alistair told BBC Sport. "My form is nowhere near that good and I think I was carried around by the fact it was in Leeds.
"At the start of the run I would have put my money on Jonny. I was fortunate to have a good day.
"The crowd was just phenomenal - it can lift you and it did today."
Jonny added: "It was a tough day, but a great day and no-one is going to beat Alistair on that kind of day."
Duffy, World Series leader, held a lead of around 40 seconds in the women's race as she and the British pair of Lucy Hall and Jess Learmonth came out of the water.
That had stretched to a minute and a half coming off the bike in transition two, with Jorgensen, Holland and Stimpson in the second group and Britain's 2013 world champion Non Stanford a further 28 seconds back after a disappointing swim.
But Jorgensen, the strongest runner on the circuit, had cut Duffy's lead to just 38 seconds two laps into the 10km run and came storming through coming into the fourth and final lap.
Bermuda's Duffy, who retains her current lead in the rankings, hung on for second while Holland pulled away from Stimpson in the final 100 metres.
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"Vicky was the better athlete on the day," said Stimpson.
"I'm still building at the minute and Vicky is as well. It is really exciting for GB going in to Rio. I think we're going to have a fantastic Olympics."
Sign up to My Sport to follow triathlon news and reports on the BBC app. | Alistair Brownlee produced a dominant display to win his first World Series race of the year and prove his unparalleled racing pedigree with the Olympics less than two months away. | 36511568 |
John Davies was in the Sheffield stadium when police failures at the turnstiles led to a fatal crush.
Mr Davies also thinks although the truth has been heard, they have still "not had the justice".
He suffered three broken ribs and spent two days in hospital.
Mr Davies, from Wrexham, told BBC Radio Wales he had been at the Leppings Lane end of Hillsborough stadium on 15 April 1989 with a friend waiting for the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest to start when the crush began.
"It started getting really bad and the next thing I can remember is there was one almighty surge and I went from three-quarters of the way up the terracing straight down to the front against the fence."
His friend, John, got out when the pen was opened, and Mr Davies remembers John shouting to him to make his way to the gate.
"I was just stuck there. You couldn't move your arms or anything. Later on there was a bit of a lull in the crush and I started dragging myself along the fence but then the crush came back," he said.
As the pressure eased again, Mr Davies was making his way to the gate when he fell across steps and others fell on top of him.
He added: "It seemed as if I was there for an eternity. I was there for about 10 or 15 minutes until the crowd subsided and they managed to drag me out."
Despite his injuries, he said he was "one of the lucky ones".
Mr Davies said: "There was no way I was going to go to bed last night and wake up and forget about Hillsborough. It will always be there."
Asked if he had experienced survivor's guilt, he replied: "Definitely, without a shadow of a doubt. I have done for 27 years.
"You blame yourself. Some of the things I've seen that day, people dying around me, you think to yourself, 'I was looking after myself. Was there anything else I could have done to help somebody around me?'
"There wasn't, but in your dark periods, you still think, 'did I do something wrong?'
"Thankfully with the verdicts yesterday, all the fans that were in the Leppings Lane end were verified that they didn't do anything wrong."
Hillsborough: From tragedy to truth
How the disaster unfolded
What the police chief knew
Five key mistakes
He said finally hearing the unlawful killing verdicts was "unbelievable... It was fantastic".
However, he continued: "We've always asked for truth and justice. I think the truth came out yesterday, but I don't personally think we've had the justice, so I think somebody should be made accountable for their actions on that day."
Two criminal investigations into the disaster and its aftermath are ongoing and could finish by the end of 2016. | A man who survived the Hillsborough football disaster which left 96 people dead has said the inquest conclusion of unlawful killing cannot bring him closure after 27 years. | 36147864 |
England's schools commissioner Sir David Carter told the Commons Education Committee 119 academies had been "re-brokered" as a last resort.
Some academies were performing no better than the failing schools from which they had taken over, he told MPs.
But he stressed the academies his team were most concerned about were being challenged and supported to improve.
Sir David said of the 973 functioning multi-academy trusts in England, only seven had been inspected by Ofsted as part of a process known as "batched inspections".
This is where a number of schools in an academy trust are inspected as a group because of concerns raised about performance.
Following these seven batched inspections, Ofsted reported concerns about the outcomes for pupils and accused some of the trusts of sitting on large sums of cash that should have been spent on pupils.
Sir David said: "There are academies that are performing not better or minimally better than the schools they were before.
"The commitment these sponsors made was to improve these schools rapidly."
Of the academies that had been re-brokered since September 2014, 68 had gone from a multi-academy trust to another multi-academy trust and 51 and gone from a single academy trust to a multi-academy trust, he said.
The "re-brokerage solution" was an important tool for regional schools commissioners challenging under-performance, he said, but it was also disruptive and expensive and affected the children at the school.
On the whole, regional commissioners, who are charged with overseeing standards in the academy system, tried to get involved with struggling academies before they got so bad that there was no other option but to find another sponsor and new management, Sir David said.
Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw, also giving evidence, said some multi-academy trusts had "been allowed to grow to far too quickly, without the capacity to improve their individual schools".
He said: "There was a lot of empire building going on and executive head teachers who wanted to show how many schools they had rather than whether they were any good or not."
Sir David agreed that expansion had sometimes been too quick in the past, but suggested the situation had improved in recent years. | More than 100 failing academies have been removed from their sponsors and placed in new trusts, MPs have heard. | 36538763 |
Universities honour Chuck Feeney
Atlantic Philanthropies, founded by Mr Feeney, has donated 770m euros (£611m) to Irish universities since 1990.
Thursday's ceremony at Dublin Castle will mark the first time such an honour has been conferred by the combined universities.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny and education minister Ruairi Quinn will attend the ceremony. | The United States philanthropist Chuck Feeney is receive an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Ireland's universities. | 19504547 |
German Shepherd Orion arrived at the RSPCA's Bryn-y-Maen centre in Colwyn Bay in January.
But a check-up discovered a surprise heart murmur, and she may need costly treatment in the future.
Staff say they were "devastated" by the news.
Orion was found abandoned in the Anglesey area in January along with another German Shepherd Sirius, who has since been re-homed.
The RSPCA said they are struggling to find a home for Orion because of her potentially costly vets bills.
Mel Kermode, the centre's deputy manager, said: "We can't tell whether her condition will or won't develop in the future.
"She could potentially live for years but it would be wrong if weren't honest with people about her condition.
"It takes a special person to take that on, but then she is a very special dog." | An abandoned dog with a potentially life-limiting heart condition is a "special dog" who deserves a forever home, say staff at a Conwy county animal sanctuary. | 39744952 |
The blaze, which completely destroyed the caravan on Fair Oak Way and spread to two houses, broke out at about 15:20 BST on Tuesday.
More than 20 firefighters were involved in controlling the blaze, which also involved propane cylinders.
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service said the man suffered facial burns and smoke inhalation.
The service said the cause of the fire was not yet known.
Read more on this and other stories from across the south of England. | A man has been taken to hospital after a caravan caught fire in Baughurst, Hampshire. | 40504018 |
He beat four other contenders for the job - Ben Bradshaw, Stella Creasy, Angela Eagle and Caroline Flint.
Mr Watson will serve under veteran left-wing MP Jeremy Corbyn, who was named party leader with 59.4% of the vote in the first round.
He promised to back the leader 100%, adding "only through unity comes the strength we need to fight the Tories".
In his victory speech, Mr Corbyn thanked his new deputy, adding: "Tom is passionate about communication, passionate about holding the state, and unaccountable people who don't wish to be accountable, to account.
"Tom is your man to do that."
West Bromwich East MP Mr Watson, 48, has been an MP since 2001.
He is a former junior minister and ally of former prime minister Gordon Brown, and is known for campaigning on issues including phone hacking, the government's surveillance laws and historical child abuse.
Mr Watson quit as Ed Miliband's election campaign co-ordinator in 2013 after a candidate selection row.
Mr Watson emerged as the winner in the third round of voting. He received 160,852 votes - 39.4% - in the first round, 170,589 - 42.2% - in the second round, and 198,962 - more than 50% of the vote - in the third round. Ms Creasy came second with 26% and Ms Flint third with 22%.
There was a standing ovation and huge cheers as his victory was announced.
Invited to the stage to speak, he said: "Nothing really prepares you for this moment - and for those of you that don't know me that well, being prepared is not something I'm renowned for."
He said he had written his victory speech backstage with his children, who told him to thank his mum and dad. Mr Watson also thanked Baroness Alicia Kennedy, his campaign director, adding it was "impossible to reflect on all the people who had made it happen".
"I gave you my solidarity as a five-year-old and I thank you for returning it back in this selection," he said, to applause and laughter.
He went on: "Be in no doubt, in the Tories' second term, Labour is the last line of defence for the millions of people who suffer in their hands.
"Only Labour can speak for the real Britain."
Mr Watson said there "was only one Labour" and it was "bigger" than its leaders, members and supporters.
He said: "On behalf of the millions who need us, we are the guardians of decency, fairness, justice and equality in the United Kingdom...
"We articulate and embody the common sense compassion of the British people.
"The no-nonsense belief that things ought to be fair - if you put in what you can you should get out what you need."
Who is Tom Watson?
Mr Watson said he believed Labour remained the "true party of Britain" but it needed to "think again about what we offer and how we communicate it".
The conference applauded as Mr Watson warned the Conservatives to "watch your backs", insisting Labour could win in 2020.
Len McCluskey, general secretary of the UK's biggest union Unite, congratulated both men, saying: "The task now for all of us who support Labour is to back the leadership team, to unite, to turn to face the Tories and hold them to account.
"It is what the voters expect, it is the way back to power and it is the duty of those at all levels of the party to deliver."
More than 400,000 people voted in the deputy leadership election - a turnout of 73.8%.
The results were announced at a special conference in central London by Jim Kennedy, chairman of Labour's national executive committee. | Tom Watson has been elected deputy leader of the Labour Party following a three-month campaign. | 34232388 |
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16 April 2015 Last updated at 13:42 BST
He launched himself from a huge ramp, then flipped sideways four times and performed five full rotations.
That's a whole full flip and half a rotation more than the previous biggest trick, a Triple Cork 1620.
Team GB park and pipe rider Morgan competed in Sochi at the 2014 Winter Olympics and is perfecting his new tricks ahead of the next Olympics, in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in 2018. | This incredible clip shows British snowboard star Billy Morgan pulling off an incredible snowboard trick: the world's first backside 1800 quad cork! | 32333636 |
The Gray brothers are likely to make up the second row for Scotland against Argentina on Saturday, two years after starting their first international together against the same opposition.
"During the national anthem when I've got my brother by my side it's pretty emotional," said the younger Gray.
"It's hard to describe and it does make you feel lucky."
He added: "To be involved in the Scotland set-up and have my brother by my side is something I never thought [would happen].
"I'm very lucky that I've always had Rich by my side growing up to see how he's got to that level and how hard he's had to work to get there."
Gray, 22, believes Scotland will face a "world class" Argentina side at Murrayfield on Saturday.
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The Scots were edged out 23-22 by Australia last weekend, and Gray says the Pumas pose just as big a threat.
"They are a great team that can attack from anywhere," said the Glasgow Warriors co-captain.
"They've got dangerous strike runners and they're always keeping the ball alive so you can never switch off. I think they're a world-class side."
Argentina have improved markedly since they were admitted to the Rugby Championship in 2013, registering victories over Australia and South Africa in recent years.
Their style has evolved from the traditional Pumas' brand of set-piece, forwards-dominated rugby, and Gray warns they have the weapons to hurt Scotland this weekend.
"When you look at some of the results they've had in the Rugby Championship, and some of the games they've lost to New Zealand, they've pushed them all the way. The brand of rugby they play is very exciting, very threatening, so defensively we have to be switched on.
"I think they are dangerous whether they're home or away. Every time they play they are very physical. We need to be clever in attack. We can't be coughing up ball to them." | Scotland lock Jonny Gray says playing alongside brother Richie can prove an "emotional" experience. | 37995148 |
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