document
stringlengths 0
39k
| summary
stringlengths 1
329
| id
stringlengths 8
8
|
|---|---|---|
Concert officials evacuated the stage on Sunday, moments before it collapsed 20 minutes after the start of a performance by rock band Cheap Trick.
"Everyone is okay and we are so lucky to be alive and hope that all the fans are okay," the group wrote on Facebook.
Canadian authorities had warned of winds of up to 56mph (90 km/h) ahead of the event.
"It was as if some invisible hand had pushed the entire structure over," Ottawa Citizen concert reviewer Chris Cobb was quoted in a news article as saying. "It fell backwards almost intact and very quickly - like a house of cards."
One man was seriously injured when a piece of the stage pierced his abdomen, Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper reported.
Following the collapse authorities cleared the festival. The remaining performances were cancelled.
The Ottawa Bluesfest, first held in 1994, is one of Canada's foremost music festivals. | At least five people were injured, one seriously, when a stage collapsed amid high winds at the Ottawa Bluesfest. | 14189342 |
The O's were relegated from League One after finishing the season with a seven-game winless run.
"Season's finished, there's no more games, yet we're in training Mon/Tues/Wed/Thurs till the 24th May," Orient forward Shaun Batt tweeted.
The east London club have declined to comment.
Orient reached the League One play-off final last season but endured a difficult campaign after being taken over by Italian businessman Francesco Becchetti last summer.
The O's had four different managers over the course of the season and were relegated to League Two on the final day after a 2-2 draw at Swindon, dropping into the bottom tier for the first time since 2006.
Manager Fabio Liverani, who was appointed in December, still has two years left on his contract at the Matchroom Stadium and has stated his desire to remain with the club.
Tweeting about the extra training on Monday afternoon, Batt added: "No Family Holidays This Year Boys".
Centre-back Mathieu Baudry also posted about the extra training on Twitter last week, with a hint of sarcasm, saying: "Really looking forward to double training sessions next week."
Both Batt and Baudry were part of the Orient side which was beaten on penalties by Rotherham in the play-off final last May. | Leyton Orient's players are still having to report for training despite ending their campaign on 3 May, BBC London 94.9 reports. | 32706764 |
A warning in 2004 brought a fall in use of the drugs, after fears that some could lead to suicidal behaviour.
But a new study shows that between 2005 and 2012 there was a 54% increase in the number of young people prescribed them in the UK.
It also showed rises in Denmark (60%), Germany (49%), the US (26%) and the Netherlands (17%) in the same period.
World Health Organization (WHO) director of mental health Dr Shekhar Saxena said the research, published in the European Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, raises serious questions.
"Anti-depressant use amongst young people is and has been a matter of concern because of two reasons," he said.
"One, are more people being prescribed anti-depressants without sufficient reason? And second, can anti-depressants do any major harm?"
Another concern for the WHO is the prevalence of off-label prescriptions, where children are given drugs which are not licensed for use by under-18s.
Dr Saxena said: "These are medicines which have not been tried amongst young people, have no justification for being used widely in young people.
"There are legal regulations and professional guidelines and off-label use of drugs many times crosses both of them. That's something the World Health Organization is very concerned about."
Anti-depressants are a recognised treatment for managing depression in children but National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guidelines state they should not be offered initially for symptoms of mild depression.
In more serious cases, anti-depressants are only meant to be used in conjunction with psychological therapies.
According to 20-year-old George Watkins, who was prescribed anti-depressants at the age of 15, no other forms or treatment were made available to him.
"My doctor put me on the anti-depressants really after a five-minute consultation," he explained. "I wasn't offered counselling or anything like that, it was straight in."
Five years on, George is still taking anti-depressants despite concerns over their impact on him.
"I was terrified; I still am terrified of medication, because of how bad it has made me feel," he said. "You almost feel forgotten about."
Natasha Devon, the government's mental health champion for England, said there was a real problem with getting young people access to so-called "talking therapies".
"The problem is, of course, is that there is a huge waiting list," she explained. "It's eight weeks if you're lucky, it's far more likely to run into months, so during that interim period all you have are these anti-depressants."
In her work visiting schools she says that she has become aware of increasing numbers of children using anti-depressants, and is concerned that "they can only ever treat the symptoms, they don't get to the root cause of the issue."
Prof Mark Baker, director of clinical practice at health watchdog NICE, said he recognised that accessing child and adolescent mental health services has been a growing problem.
"This may have led to more severe cases of depression in young people being managed in primary care for longer," he said.
He said NICE hoped recent investment in mental health services would increase access to psychological therapies and stressed that "the patient must always be at the centre of care."
According to Dr Rebecca Payne, of the Royal College of General Practitioners, GPs are now abiding by the NICE guidelines, with anti-depressants being prescribed at specialist level.
But she identified pressure on the system in dealing with those with children showing moderate symptoms of depression.
"The mild end the school counsellors pick up," she said. "The more severe end can access specialist psychological and psychiatric help.
"The problem is everybody in the middle, and these are the groups that we might have prescribed anti-depressants to in the past,"
For the World Health Organisztion, the new research, led by Dr Christian Bachmann, needs to act as an alert for countries to look again at how they deal with cases of childhood depression.
Dr Saxena said further studies were needed to look at how and when anti-depressants are being used with children, and for how long.
"There is no reason for many years of prescriptions being continuously given," he says.
"Adolescents and young people are in the phase of development they develop out of everything, including their own depression." | A rise in the use of anti-depressant drugs among children is a concern, the World Health Organization has said. | 35756602 |
Consultants estimate the project could cost between £60 and £70m if adopted.
Roads authority Transport NI asked experts to examine creating additional capacity on motorways due to "recurrent traffic congestion at peak times".
Their report suggested the M1 and M2 in and out of Belfast become so-called "smart motorways".
Similar schemes are already in operation in England.
The hard shoulder on each side of the M1 between Stockman's Lane and Blaris would be turned into traffic lanes.
On the M2, the hard shoulder would be converted to carriageway on both sides between York Street and Greencastle.
A summary of the report, seen by the BBC, said the idea was at the concept stage but was considered "value for money".
It highlighted that one drawback could be that it may encourage car use at the expense of public transport.
The Freight Transport Association, which represents haulage firms, said the idea should be "given serious consideration." | Hard shoulders on parts of motorways should be turned into carriageways to ease traffic congestion, a report on Northern Ireland's roads has said. | 34133100 |
At least one person was treated in hospital and several were hurt as police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters in Siyazan.
The demonstrators were angry at worsening economic conditions sparked by the fall in the price of oil.
Azerbaijan's economy is heavily dependent on oil. Nearly half its GDP in 2014 came from the oil sector.
Oil prices have slumped by 70% in the past 15 months, down to $31 a barrel on international markets.
Azerbaijan's currency, the manat, has also fallen dramatically in value.
The interior ministry said the protests were organised by the opposition and religious extremists.
The government has ordered a cut in the price of flour in response to the crisis, effective from Friday, according to Reuters news agency.
VAT was being waived on wheat imports and the sale of bread and flour, it said.
In a further move to prop up the faltering manat, Azerbaijan's central bank has banned the sale of foreign exchange in bureaux de change run by commercial banks, Reuters adds.
Azerbaijan's economy, heavily dependent on oil revenue, has been shaken by decreasing oil prices on the world markets. Small businesses have suffered enormously in recent years because of bribes allegedly demanded by officials. Corruption has been a major hurdle for businesses in Azerbaijan, according to the International Monetary Fund.
Azerbaijan's local currency, the manat, was almost equal to the euro at the start of last year but was devalued against the dollar in February 2015.
In December 2015 the Central Bank unpegged the manat from the dollar, and an immediate price hike followed. This heavily affected low-income families. Many others with large bank loans suffered too.
Azerbaijan imports even most of the basic consumer goods and, although some agricultural products are produced locally, raw materials for their production are brought in from abroad.
Despite recurrent warnings from international and local analysts about the expected effects of oil dependency, the Azerbaijani government has done very little to improve other industries.
In a country where media are under strict control, critical voices are met with force.
Discontent was relatively low during the oil boom, but now the volatile currency means that price increases affect almost everyone.
And as the range of people who suffer increases, it may prove difficult for the government to appease the wider public. | Police have detained 55 people after protests over rising food prices in Azerbaijan. | 35316359 |
The Prime Four Beast Race - a 10km challenge with various obstacles - was held in Banchory on Saturday.
The event was being staged for a fourth year.
Jono Buckland, director at organisers FireTrail Events, said the response had been "phenomenal". | Hundreds of people have taken part in a gruelling race challenge in Aberdeenshire. | 37453304 |
Dean Yeats, from Forfar, is alleged to have caused the blaze at King George V Pumping Station on Thursday.
Prosecutors allege he wilfully set fire to a piece of paper and threw it on the pumping station.
It is alleged this caused a fire to take effect, causing "extensive damage." Mr Yeats made no plea or declaration at Dundee Sheriff Court.
The case was continued for further examination and he was granted bail. | A 25-year-old man has appeared in court accused of starting a major fire at Dundee's dock area. | 39027095 |
Stewart, 48, was sentenced to a minimum of 18 years in jail for the murders of her first husband, Trevor Buchanan and her former lover's wife, Lesley Howell.
She was convicted earlier this month at Belfast Crown Court and was told on Wednesday how long she would serve.
Former lover Colin Howell admitted the murders last year and is serving a life sentence.
The bodies of Mr Buchanan and Mrs Howell were discovered in a fume-filled car in Castlerock in May 1991.
At the time it was thought to have been a double suicide - the truth only emerged when Howell confessed to their murder in January 2009.
Stewart's trial heard that she played a part in the planning of the killings.
She also disposed of evidence including the hose pipe used to gas their spouses.
The judge, Mr Justice Hart, said on Wednesday that by its verdict the jury had accepted that Stewart and Howell "were in it together".
He referred to Stewart's admissions to the police about the part she played in the murders.
The judge said both victims were in an exceptionally vulnerable position as they lay asleep when they were murdered.
He said Stewart's culpability was "exceptionally high" because she knew in advance what Howell was going to do, and did "nothing whatever" to prevent the killings.
"Whilst she knew Howell was murdering her husband in another room she waited and did nothing to save his life," he added.
"Had she had a spark of compassion for her husband even at that late stage she would have tried to prevent his murder.
""She could have told someone else, she could have told the police, and even after Lesley Howell had been murdered, she could have prevented Howell from entering her house and killing her husband by any one of a number of actions, such as not opening the garage door to him, locking the door against him, waking her husband, ringing the police or alerting her neighbour to mention but a few.
The judge said Stewart was infatuated with Howell whom he described as "a charismatic, manipulative, hypocritical man with a very considerable sexual appetite".
"She played a full part in concealing what had happened by lying to the police in her inquest statement and putting forward the story concocted by Howell," Mr Justice Hart said.
"She also benefited financially from her husband's death but the prosecution accepted that this was not to the same extent as Howell did."
Turning to the Victim Impact Statement from the Buchanan family, Mr Justice Hart recalled that Trevor Buchanan's parents had both died thinking their son had taken his own life.
"It is particularly poignant to read the descriptions of the effect of the death of their son on Trevor Buchanan's elderly parents, whose remaining years were blighted by the severe effect of their son's death upon them," he said.
"It is apparent from what each has described in their statements that many lives have been gravely affected for many years by these murders." | Hazel Stewart could have saved her husband's life if she had wanted to, trial judge Mr Justice Hart has said. | 12756395 |
The visitors led via James Forrest before Tony Watt missed a close-range sitter for Hearts against his old club.
Celtic's advantage was cancelled out before the break, though, with a hugely controversial Jamie Walker penalty.
A game of 11 bookings looked to be heading for a draw before Sinclair turned in Leigh Griffiths' cross.
The winger, who only completed his £3.5m move from Aston Villa late on Saturday, ran to his new fans at the Celtic end of Tynecastle and was engulfed.
For the champions, it was a hard-fought but deserved winning start to their title defence.
Celtic went in front when Callum McGregor ran hard at the Hearts defence. It looked like he had been taken down in the box and that a penalty might be coming, but Forrest was on to the breaking ball quickly and swept it into far corner of Jack Hamilton's net.
Replays showed Celtic's Stuart Armstrong, who appeared to be offside, was right in front of the Hearts goalkeeper when Forrest netted, but no flag was forthcoming.
Midway through the half, Hearts had a cast-iron chance of an equaliser when Watt headed high and wide from point-blank range at the visitors' back post.
It was a calamitous miss for Hearts' new striker and one that lived with him for a period after. He soon got booked for kicking out at Scott Brown.
Hearts got their equaliser before half-time when Walker dived in the penalty area under a non-challenge from Kieran Tierney.
The only man in Tynecastle who saw contact was referee John Beaton, who made a terrible call. Walker took advantage of the present and beat Craig Gordon with ease.
There was a wonderful intensity - Hearts had seven players booked in all, Celtic four - and a huge noise-level, too. Before the opening half was out, Igor Rossi had to clear off his own line and then Gordon had to make two saves from Watt.
Both sides created bits and pieces - John Souttar did well to get a block on Moussa Dembele's close-range shot - but the longer it went on the more it looked like ending in a draw.
Sinclair came on just after the hour-mark and was having an anonymous debut until the dramatic end-game.
Griffiths did wonderfully well down the left side, accelerating away and playing a precise ball into Sinclair's path, who had a straightforward job of putting it away.
For Hearts, there was the realisation that for all their physicality, intensity and admirable work from Conor Sammon and Watt, they lack cutting edge up front.
For Sinclair, the debut of his dreams.
Match ends, Heart of Midlothian 1, Celtic 2.
Second Half ends, Heart of Midlothian 1, Celtic 2.
Foul by Arnaud Djoum (Heart of Midlothian).
Scott Brown (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. James Forrest (Celtic) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left.
Moussa Dembele (Celtic) is shown the yellow card.
Prince Buaben (Heart of Midlothian) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Tomas Rogic (Celtic).
Foul by John Souttar (Heart of Midlothian).
Tomas Rogic (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt saved. Don Cowie (Heart of Midlothian) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Hand ball by Mikael Lustig (Celtic).
Corner, Celtic. Conceded by John Souttar.
Attempt missed. Sam Nicholson (Heart of Midlothian) right footed shot from the left side of the box is just a bit too high.
Sam Nicholson (Heart of Midlothian) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by James Forrest (Celtic).
Substitution, Celtic. Saidy Janko replaces Leigh Griffiths.
Foul by Arnaud Djoum (Heart of Midlothian).
Mikael Lustig (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Scott Sinclair (Celtic) is shown the yellow card for excessive celebration.
Goal! Heart of Midlothian 1, Celtic 2. Scott Sinclair (Celtic) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Leigh Griffiths.
Corner, Heart of Midlothian. Conceded by Kolo Touré.
Don Cowie (Heart of Midlothian) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Scott Brown (Celtic).
Igor Rossi (Heart of Midlothian) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Moussa Dembele (Celtic).
Substitution, Heart of Midlothian. Prince Buaben replaces Conor Sammon.
Scott Brown (Celtic) is shown the yellow card.
Don Cowie (Heart of Midlothian) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Don Cowie (Heart of Midlothian).
Kieran Tierney (Celtic) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Jamie Walker (Heart of Midlothian) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Kieran Tierney (Celtic).
Substitution, Celtic. Tomas Rogic replaces Eoghan O'Connell.
Attempt missed. Robbie Muirhead (Heart of Midlothian) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left.
Corner, Heart of Midlothian. Conceded by Kolo Touré.
Foul by Igor Rossi (Heart of Midlothian).
Moussa Dembele (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Attempt saved. John Souttar (Heart of Midlothian) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Corner, Celtic. Conceded by John Souttar. | Celtic debutant Scott Sinclair came off the bench to score an 81st-minute winner as the champions prevailed in a frenetic encounter at Tynecastle. | 36934942 |
Child poverty has fallen in Wales but Sally Holland said the potential loss of European money could have "negative consequences" on that.
She has called on the Welsh and UK governments to pledge to replace any shortfall.
The UK Government said it was committed to tackling the root causes of poverty.
A person is said to be living in poverty if the household they are in has an income of 60% or less of the median income.
For several years the rate of child poverty in Wales remained at about a third of all children, but last year it fell from 31% to 29%.
Prof Holland believes that work could be undone if the "substantial" amount of European money that goes towards tackling child poverty here is not replaced.
A Welsh Government spokesman said: "The first minister has sought a cast iron commitment from the UK government that Wales will not lose a penny of the £600m of invaluable funding we currently receive from the EU after the UK's exit takes place."
A UK Government spokesman said: "We're committed to creating a Britain that works for everyone and that means tackling the root causes of poverty." | Britain's exit from the European Union could hamper the fight against child poverty, the children's commissioner for Wales has said. | 37049442 |
Reece Brunton and Liam Kippen, both 21, attacked John Hamilton, 35, at the house in Bellshill on 10 November 2015.
Brunton, who has committed dozens of offences dating back to when he was 10, faces a life term after he admitted murder. Kippen admitted the reduced charge of culpable homicide.
At the High Court in Glasgow, sentence on both men was deferred.
The court heard how the victim was attacked after a getting a message from Kippen warning him to stay away from Gemma Mooney.
Ms Mooney had once been in a relationship with Mr Hamilton but Kippen had since been in a "close friendship" with her.
Brunton and Kippen later turned up at a house where the victim was and Kippen was heard yelling: "We're coming through that door".
Prosecutor David Taylor told how Mr Hamilton was then repeatedly stabbed by Brunton who was armed with a knife.
Kippen meantime got a piece of concrete and was seen striking or trying to hit Mr Hamilton.
A woman who was near the attack yelled: "I've got three kids in here."
Brunton then said to her: "Shake my hand, its got nothing to do with you." He and Kippen then fled.
The victim did not recover from the attack in which he suffered six stab wounds.
Brunton later boasted how he had been "going mental" and had been "stabbing Hammy".
Brunton was described in court as a "habitual offender". He had crimes since the age of 10 with 28 offences dealt with by Children's Panel.
He has latterly jailed for assault and possession of a knife. | Two men are facing jail terms for killing a man after they forced their way into a house in North Lanarkshire. | 37190085 |
Dyfed Poultry Society said the annual Welsh National Poultry Weekend, due to run on 14-15 January in Haverfordwest, would not go ahead.
It comes after a wetland centre in Llanelli was temporarily shut following the finding of an infected duck.
Society chairman Alan Ralphs said the announcement was made with "real disappointment". | A poultry event in Pembrokeshire has been cancelled due to concerns over avian flu. | 38496254 |
The plans, similar to those due to be introduced in the United Kingdom, could generate more than £1m for the public purse in its first year, he said.
Money raised would help tackle obesity.
The UK government has already confirmed it will push ahead with its plan to introduce a Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) from 1 April 2018.
There will be two bands in the UK - one for soft drinks with more than 5g of sugar per 100ml and a higher one for drinks with more than 8g per 100ml.
In his maiden budget speech, Mr Cannan said government would invest the revenue in programmes to "reduce childhood obesity and encourage physical activity and balanced diets".
He predicted the tax take would fall over time as "producers and consumers shift their behaviour" away from high-sugar drinks.
Mr Cannan said the Treasury was negotiating with the UK to avoid the "headache of double taxation" for local businesses and government.
There will be an exemption for the smallest Manx producers and also businesses importing soft drinks from very small producers. | A so-called "sugar tax" on soft drinks will be introduced on the Isle of Man in April 2018, Treasury Minister Alfred Cannan said in his budget speech. | 39027935 |
It was issued after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen threatened Mr Rainsy with legal action for saying the ruling party would "derail" elections in 2018.
Hun Sen has ruled for more than 30 years and is known for tough tactics.
Political tensions have been rising in Cambodia despite a truce between the two politicians last year.
Mr Rainsy said during a visit to Japan earlier this week that, in the wake of the historic Myanmar election, it was imperative the international community did not allow Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP) to delay elections. Mr Rainsy is now in South Korea.
In a response posted to his Facebook page, Hun Sen said: "I cannot keep calm because of this insult by the son of a traitor."
Friday's warrant relates to a 2011 conviction against Mr Rainsy, then in self-exile in France, for comments he made about the Cambodian foreign minister.
Opposition MP Mu Sochua told the BBC the warrant was a "very serious blow to even the facade of democracy in Cambodia".
"While the world and in particular the Asian region is inspired by the determination of the people of Myanmar, Cambodia sadly is seeing a deteriorating pre-election political environment," she said.
Mr Rainsy returned to Cambodia ahead of the July 2013 national election after receiving a royal pardon, though it was not immediately clear if the defamation conviction was part of the deal as he had been convicted of a string of offences.
His Cambodia National Rescue Party won 55 of 123 seats in the 2013 polls but led months of street protests after accusing the ruling CPP of rigging the vote.
A year-long parliamentary boycott ended in August last year after a deal was struck on election reform.
But simmering tensions have erupted in recent weeks, with two opposition MPs beaten up outside parliament last month following a demonstration by CPP supporters. | A Cambodian court has issued an arrest warrant for opposition leader Sam Rainsy over a conviction for defamation in 2011. | 34813566 |
The driver, in his 50s, was injured in the crash on the guided busway near Cambridge railway station on 21 June. Two passengers on board were unhurt.
Whippet Coaches initially said they were "proud" he appeared to have swerved to avoid the cyclists.
However, an investigation found he was "speeding above 20mph in a 15mph zone", so was dismissed.
The bus left the concrete guided track on Clifton Way and smashed into a wall.
More on this and other news from Cambridgeshire
Bus operator Whippet posted on Twitter at the time saying: "We believe our driver swerved to avoid two cyclists - putting their safety above his own - we are very proud of him."
Another tweet from the company read: "Initial reports from the driver and passengers is that the bus swerved to avoid a cyclist on the busway."
The tweet about the driver putting other people's safety first has since been removed.
Charlie Hamilton, managing director of Whippet, said: "An investigation by Whippet Coaches into the accident involving one of its buses along the Cambridgeshire guided busway on 21 June 2017 has found the driver was travelling above the speed limit.
"Our driver training programme has a robust safety component and we hold our drivers to the highest driving standards. The driver in this case failed to adhere to traffic regulations, and has been dismissed."
The driver was travelling at 24mph (38.5km/h) at the time of the crash - "so, considerably over the speed limit", Mr Hamilton said.
"Ultimately it was down to human error. The driver was speeding and that's the root cause of what happened."
Asked about the company's tweets regarding a cyclist or cyclists on the track, he said: "It wasn't down to the cyclists, so for that tweet we apologise."
Last month a Cambridge city councillor bought her own speed gun after being concerned that buses on the guided route were going too fast.
Liberal Democrat Zoe O'Connell said she found a large percentage of buses were going faster than the 15mph limit near the railway station.
The Cambridgeshire guided busway, which connects Cambridge with Huntingdon and St Ives, opened in 2011.
It carries thousands of passengers every day, with buses running on concrete tracks.
A busway driver working for another operator, Stagecoach, was fired for speeding after a crash in 2016 injured five people. | A bus driver who was initially praised for avoiding cyclists during a crash has been sacked. | 40558729 |
Media playback is not supported on this device
Celtic's 2-0 win over Hearts ensured the champions finished with 34 wins and four draws from their 38 games.
Having already beaten Aberdeen to win the League Cup, they face the Dons in next Saturday's Scottish Cup final.
"If we bring our A-game, the treble will be the last piece of the puzzle," Griffiths told BBC Scotland.
"We've been talking about the treble quietly, but as professionals, it's the old cliché - we need to take it one game at a time.
Media playback is not supported on this device
"But as the season went on, we just kept getting stronger and stronger. It was a fitting tribute today in front of the home fans."
The striker, who has scored 18 goals in all competitions this season, says manager Brendan Rodgers has been instrumental in Celtic's prolific success.
"I don't think anybody would've thought we'd have gone the season unbeaten," Griffiths, 26, said. "But it just shows the character and mentality we've got in that dressing room.
"It's all down to the gaffer - he's instilled that from day one, and we can see why he's managed at the top in England.
"I didn't think in my wildest teams it would be possible for a team to go unbeaten a whole season, but we just try to keep pushing on."
Manager Rodgers, in his first season at the club, said it was an "incredible achievement" for his players to remain unbeaten on their way to the title, the first Scottish team to do so across a 38-game league season.
No team had stayed unbeaten for a season in Scotland's top flight since Rangers did so in 1888-89, over an 18-game season.
"The group have worked so hard for all the records they have broken, and they thoroughly deserve it," the former Liverpool boss said. "It's been a great season.
"You come in and plan to win. However, to perform like we've done is truly remarkable. The club is very much together as one.
"It's an incredible achievement. I am a Celtic supporter so I know what it feels like. The fans' enjoyment is the most important thing for me and I think they have a good feeling."
The league finale may prove to be Patrick Roberts' final outing at Celtic Park, with the Manchester City winger's loan spell expiring at the end of the season.
"I'm not going to say anything about my future," Roberts said. "I'm just going to enjoy today, enjoy being invincible, and once we've done that we'll prepare for the (Scottish Cup) final.
"I can't say much because I don't know what's going to happen. This is an unbelievable club, for me it's up there with the greatest, and I have had the pleasure of playing for them. I just want to say thanks to these beautiful fans." | Leigh Griffiths says a domestic treble will be "the last piece of the puzzle" for Celtic after they completed an unbeaten Scottish Premiership campaign. | 39991691 |
Well before Apple's iPhone, Blackberry kicked off the smartphone revolution and brought the office out of the office and into the tap-tap-tap grasp of workers all over the world.
Ease of use and security made Blackberry handsets the choice for corporations everywhere - not to mention world leaders.
But the Blackberry went pear-shaped. Unable to keep up in a market of sophisticated phones, with vast app stores and big screens, Blackberry was soon seen as a boring business phone.
The firm, once known as Research in Motion, has had one glimmer of hope in recent times: Blackberry Messenger was unexpectedly popular with teenagers, but even BBM - as it was referred to - eventually lost out to Whatsapp and Snapchat as a the teen tool of choice.
Blackberry sales now account for less than 1% of the global smartphone market.
On Friday, Blackberry launches a new phone, which it is calling Priv by Blackberry.
It's a cliché to regard any new Blackberry launch these days as the "last throw of the dice". It's also unfair - it isn't.
Blackberry is sitting on $3bn of cash, and so there's room to keep trying for a while yet.
The Priv is an (other) attempt by Blackberry to hit some kind of great middle ground: A phone so secure it is trusted by company IT bosses, but pleasurable and simple enough so that normal people - ie the workers - want to use it.
Here's how it hopes to woo companies:
And to keep users happy:
By Blackberry's own admission, its handsets are performing terribly. So much so that current chief executive John Chen said he'd pull out of the device market if things didn't pick up soon.
But the Blackberry aesthetic has attracted some fans.
The unorthodox Blackberry Passport, which is square, was laughed at by many techies but impressed in the fashion community, picking up various design awards along the way.
By being aligned with corporate success, Blackberry devices can be a status symbol, like a sharp suit. It says "you must be doing something very important if you're using a Blackberry to do it".
Furthermore, as the Priv is an Android device, it means all the popular apps will be available - unlike previous Blackberrys which didn't support the likes of Uber and Instagram (although there were some attempts to emulate Android apps).
As for the downsides, while the rear camera is well-specced, the front-facing camera is a less impressive at 2 megapixels. Not great for selfies, naturally, but also bad for video conferencing over Skype, among others - so perhaps a turn-off for business customers.
At a cost of $700 for a sim-free handset (or £579.99 in the UK) - the new handset is in line with the iPhone and top-end Android devices.
Though a more aggressively priced device might have been what made people jump ship at their next upgrade.
According to Forbes, less than 10% of Blackberry's value is from flogging handsets, and so the company can remain pretty calm if the Priv doesn't do well because the firm's security software side will prop it up - for now.
Mr Chen has said he wants to sell five million Privs in a year. That's compared with Apple which sold 48 million iPhones in its last quarter.
While Blackberry is not being too ambitious compared with Apple and Samsung, five million in one year would be a big improvement.
In its last quarter, Blackberry managed just 800,000 device sales.
If the Priv doesn't impress consumers and business people, it could well be Blackberry's last ever handset.
The company will survive, but it will always wonder what might have been had it kept up with the rapid mobile world.
Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC | We all know the Blackberry story. | 34741778 |
A new blog by Google's Chief Business Officer promises more safeguards for advertisers. But I've seen for myself just how hard it seems to be for Google to police its platform.
Philipp Schindler, who runs the Google advertising business, the profit engine fuelling the entire search empire, repeats the apology to advertisers made yesterday by his colleague Matt Brittin.
He says he knows that what has happened is "unacceptable to the advertisers and agencies who put their trust in us", and he says a change in policies has already begun.
Starting today, he writes, Google is taking a tougher stance on hateful, offensive and derogatory content.
This includes removing ads from videos containing that sort of material but also taking what he calls a "hard look" at what sort of content should be allowed on YouTube at all.
Mr Schindler also details a number of ways that advertisers will be given more control and transparency over where their ads are placed and promises that Google will be "hiring significant numbers of people and developing new tools powered by our latest advancements in AI and machine learning to increase our capacity to review questionable content for advertising".
What isn't clear is whether any of those people will be actively setting out to find this questionable content - yesterday Matt Brittin ducked questions about that at the Advertising Week conference.
My experience looking for extremist videos on YouTube this morning shows it isn't too difficult to find them. I discovered a video of a speech given by National Action, a right-wing extremist group banned by the Home Secretary under anti-terrorism legislation late last year.
The video had been posted three months ago, but shortly after I'd tweeted about its presence on the site it was removed - you will now find a message saying "This content is not available on this country domain."
A little later I returned to the YouTube channel of the person who'd uploaded the National Action video. Most seemed to be about Hitler, Nazism and its supporters, and while none of these videos looked to be illegal, I can't see advertisers wanting to be associated with them.
One video starts with an interview with Milo Yiannopoulos about the prevalence of Jews in banking and the media and then moves to a Hitler speech overlaid with archive and captions of a clearly anti-Semitic nature. But what caught my eye was an advert on the video page - for the Advertising Week Europe conference.
So, irony of ironies - the event where Google promised to deal with the issue of brands' ads appearing on content not "aligned with their values" is being advertised next to a video promoting a hateful anti-Semitic message.
It looks as though Philipp Schindler and his team have quite a job on their hands if they are to win back the trust of advertisers. | The controversy over ads appearing next to extremist content on YouTube has been a largely British affair - but now it's making waves at Google's Mountain View HQ. | 39338009 |
The 50-year-old homeless man was declared dead by a senior doctor in the Indian city and sent immediately to the mortuary - against hospital rules.
Patients pronounced dead are supposed to be kept on the ward for two hours in case the doctor has made an error.
Doctors said the man, named as Prakash, had a metabolic disorder and was delirious when police brought him in.
Local media reported that he was found unconscious at a bus stop.
Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Dr Suleman Merchant, the dean of Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, said Prakash was an alcoholic who had "neglected himself" and had maggots on his face and ears.
"Maggots eat human tissues. Usually dead bodies have maggots. He must have been lying around for at least six or seven days," said Dr Merchant.
He told reporters that the doctor who examined Prakash had checked the patient's pulse, respiration, and heart.
Dr Merchant said the hospital had launched an inquiry into the breach of protocol that led Prakash to be taken immediately to the mortuary.
Prakash is in a stable condition in the hospital's intensive care unit where he is being treated for an ear infection and malnourishment, Dr Merchant said. | Mortuary staff in Mumbai were given a big surprise when a man woke up shortly before a post-mortem examination. | 34508357 |
Police say a man was restrained and disarmed after opening fire in the lobby of the Family Research Council at 10:45 local time (14:45 GMT).
The guard was admitted to hospital with a gunshot wound to the arm and is in stable condition, police said.
The Family Research Council opposes gay marriage and abortion.
An FBI spokeswoman said there had been an altercation between the suspect and guard before the shooting, although it is not clear what caused the attack.
"We don't know enough yet about him... or mentally what he's thinking," said James McJunkin, assistant director of the FBI's Washington DC field office.
One law enforcement official said the suspect had made a negative remark about the organisation's work, before opening fire on the guard, the Associated Press reported.
A visitor to Washington was asking a police officer for help with a parking meter outside the building as the situation unfolded.
As the office door opened an officer repeatedly shouted "Put the gun down, put the gun down," Amy Biondi said. "Next thing you know there are police officers swarming the area." | A security guard is recovering after being shot at the headquarters of a conservative Christian lobby group in Washington DC. | 19277370 |
With the Beijing Motor Show under way, the days when the country's domestic car firms was brushed off as mere copycats are well and truly over.
And a lot of this year's buzz is around driverless cars in particular.
In past years, innovation might have come from Silicon valley, but Chinese companies are pushing ahead.
"There is a lot more going on in China than many in the West have realised," car expert Prof David Bailey of the Aston Business School tells the BBC.
In addition to these main players there are many others vying for attention. Research in China takes place in car companies, tech firms and at universities.
Last week, entertainment company LeEco made a big splash presenting its concept car LeSee, which at least in the presentation impressed with wide-ranging capabilities.
The company is also investing in the US electric car start-up, Faraday Future, and and is cooperating with legendary British Aston Martin on an electric car project.
So when will it be normal to have a driverless car pull up next to you at the traffic light? "We are probably still one decade away from that," says Prof Bailey.
Yet Changan, Baidu and Geely are right in the midst of research and development, eager to get there ahead of Silicon Valley.
"Both in China as well as in the West this will be a technology that will creep up on us," he adds.
Just think of the many driver assistance technologies that we already have. Cars help you stay in lane, park themselves or detect when they should brake.
"Over time, we'll see a lot more of these features in cars and eventually that will lead to a driverless car," he says.
Given that it is a new technology, even definitions are still in the making. Authorities in the US have proposed a classification of levels 0 to 4.
Obviously a tough question to answer - but there's a lot to suggest that Chinese companies do not intend to come second.
The tests and trials that are being conducted are very extensive and the experimentation and learning process will be crucial to progress in the field.
But still, it is the US where the technology was pioneered and where a lot of the past innovation has come from.
"The heart and centre of the innovation lies in Silicon Valley," industry expert Prof Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer told the BBC from this year's Chinese-German Car Symposium conference in Beijing.
"Silicon Valley is where the automated car will come from."
Yet public attitudes to driverless vehicles are a lot more favourable in China than elsewhere.
And the fact that research into the new technology has the backing and support from the government in Beijing might also prove to be a decisive factor.
"So if we see this happen in China, it will probably happen on quite a big scale," says Prof David Bailey.
Motivated by the widespread pollution problems, Beijing has pushed for more electric vehicles and Chinese car makers have responded significantly.
It's quite possible that Google might just find itself trailing the rear lights of a Baidu, Geely or Changan car. | In the race for driverless car technology, Chinese companies are taking big strides competing with the likes of Google and Tesla. | 36136590 |
The opening stage of the race this year runs from Edinburgh to Kelso.
Riders will pass through the Borders town twice on 3 September as well as a number of other places in the region.
Residents and businesses are being invited to attend a session in the town's Cross Keys Hotel on 18 July to hear what impact the race will have and how they can benefit.
Councillor Mark Rowley said: "It is fantastic that Kelso is once again hosting a stage finish of the Tour of Britain and it will be great for the town, and especially local businesses, as we expect thousands of people from across the Borders and beyond to visit to see the race."
He said that it was a chance for the town to show "all that it has to offer".
"Of course an event of this nature does require some restrictions in terms of roads and parking," he added.
"I would encourage residents and businesses in the town centre to take the opportunity to find out more about the potential impacts and marketing opportunities at the drop-in event."
Stage one will leave Edinburgh and head into East Lothian, before climbing into the Lammermuir Hills and the Scottish Borders.
The riders will pass through Duns before a point-scoring sprint in Coldstream and the first pass through the finish line in The Square in Kelso.
The race then heads out to Stichill, Gordon and then Smailholm, before a King of the Mountains climb from Clintmains to the top of Scott's View.
Another King of the Mountains climb features as the race heads out of Melrose before the riders head back to Kelso for the final sprint to the finish line.
Three hours of live television coverage of the stage will feature on ITV4.
It promises to be a busy day of cycling in the region as the annual Tour O' The Borders sportive also takes place on the same day, starting in Peebles. | Businesses in the Borders are being urged to tap into the economic benefits of the Tour of Britain. | 40585419 |
Among the assets seized were companies and holiday villages, the police say.
The raids were prompted by investigations begun in 2008 and centre on the 'Ndrangheta crime network and its activities in tourism.
Italian media reports say that Spaniards were among those arrested. The raids were made early on Tuesday morning.
Arrests were made on suspicion of offences including mafia activity and re-investment of illicit assets.
The police say their investigations revealed "an extensive and complex network of Italian and foreign companies" which enabled crime gangs to become involved in the ownership and development of "dozens" of real estate ventures and tourist resorts.
Some of the resorts were located in the coastal areas of the Calabria region - renowned for their beauty.
The businesses had forged links between the families of the 'Ndrangheta and "important Spanish entrepreneurs", the police say. | Italian police say they have seized 450m euros ($590m; £390m) of assets and arrested 20 people in anti-mafia raids. | 21670779 |
More than a dozen attackers carrying machetes and axes struck during evening prayers at the mosque in Mwanza district on Thursday, police said.
The police have made three arrests.
The BBC's Sammy Awami in Tanzania says there are fears over the growing threat of Islamist militancy in the country, which has so far avoided such attacks.
Africa Live: Latest news updates
No group has said it was behind the mosque killings.
The mosque's imam is among the dead.
According to eyewitnesses, the masked attackers, who were carrying black flags, switched off the lights, before asking worshippers: "Why are you praying while our fellow Muslims are unfairly held by the police?"
Police have confirmed that the attackers were unhappy about recent arrests of Muslims in the area. | Three people have been killed at a mosque in north-west Tanzania in what police have described as a "terrorist-style attack". | 36343240 |
Media playback is not supported on this device
The Rugby Park boss, who was appointed on Monday, believes the signs are there that his squad can steer themselves away from the relegation play-off spot.
"I've got to be happy with the performance," Clark told BBC Scotland after the draw in Ayrshire.
"On the balance of play we've probably had the better chances and we've played to a high standard."
The former Huddersfield Town boss added: "There was obviously a spell in the second half when Dundee came back into the game.
"We knew they'd have a spell but I think we killed their important players in terms of the space they operate in - Gary Harkins, Kane Hemmings and Greg Stewart.
"It got a little bit nervy towards the end because we didn't want a repeat of Tuesday night when a late goal stopped us getting a positive result [against Rangers in the Scottish Cup].
"But I've got to say the application and the desire of the players is terrific and as long as we've got that we've got a great opportunity to succeed in what we are trying to do."
Striker Josh Magennis twice had efforts cleared off the line in the first half, while at the other end Jamie MacDonald kept a clean sheet and denied Paul McGowan and Hemmings with top-class saves.
"Without a shadow of a doubt it gives me optimism because we're on a little bit of a decent run," Clark said.
"That's four good performances on the bounce. I know we lost in the replay to Rangers, but the level of performance has been good, it's been consistent.
"Now I get a free week to work with them, which means I can improve them even more in all aspects - the fitness, the tactical and technical side - so I'm looking forward to the week ahead."
Dundee manager Paul Hartley expected Killie would receive a boost from the appointment of a new boss but was pleased with how his players competed.
"I thought we were good second-half in terms of on the ball, we created much more chances," said Hartley.
"They started the better team, but I felt that we coped with their dangerous play. Scott Bain's made a great save in the first half but he didn't have a lot to do.
"In the second half we had good situations where we could have done better, but overall it's another clean sheet for us, our third on the trot.
"I thought the back four were excellent, the goalkeeper and the two in front, but overall away from home it's another point for us."
The Dens Park men are five games unbeaten and Hartley hopes that stands them in good stead as they prepare to face Dumbarton in their midweek Scottish Cup replay, with the prize for the winner a quarter-final tie against Rangers.
"It's a massive week for us," added Hartley.
"It's big game against Dumbarton as everybody knows the pressure will be on us.
"If we get through that we know what lies ahead for us." | New manager Lee Clark was heartened by Kilmarnock's performance in the goalless draw with Dundee. | 35623225 |
The quality assurance analyst from Newtownards is obsessed with the Ulster fry mainstay and has so far visited 50 towns and 66 outlets to taste and rate the potato bread sold in bakeries and restaurants.
A record of Kirsty's travels and the results of her tests can be found on Facebook, where she has set up a page dedicated to her passion.
On Potato Bread Girl NI, potato bread of all kinds is rated based on five factors - tastiness, texture, toastiness, service and value - and an overall scale of between one and five.
"I go 'potato breading' every Saturday," said 27-year-old Kirsty.
"When I finish work on a Friday evening I do my research and plan where I'll head off to the next day.
"On the Saturday morning, I make a 'before' video updating everyone on where I plan to go and then an 'after' video when I arrive at my destination.
"Then I visit every bakery and restaurant in the area that sells potato bread and bring samples home to toast and rate them.
"I also have a potato bread gang to help me - plastic toys Ducky, Tutti and Sundae (who I always mention in my videos).
"I really look forward to every weekend and never get sick of it. I love potato bread and eat at least two bits every day.
"My goal is to find the best potato bread in Northern Ireland and to create awareness of how unique potato bread is to Northern Ireland and celebrate it as part of our cultural heritage."
Kirsty came up with the idea in 2014 when she was facing redundancy from a previous job and her mum was undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
"Instead of dwelling on all the negativity, I decided to focus on something I love - potato bread - and do something with it," she told Radio Ulster's Evening Extra programme.
"It gave me something to look forward to."
Since she began her search, Kirsty has tried various versions of the food including recipes with spelt and black pudding.
While most of us enjoy it as part of a fry-up, she has hers simply toasted without butter.
"I don't think it needs fried," she said.
"And to ensure a fair taste test, I ask for it to be toasted with no butter.
"The best flavour depends on the ratio of potato to flour, and also seasoning.
"I think potato bread gets overlooked when it comes to Irish recipes, although more and more restaurants are making it a feature of their menus.
"Some are adopting it as a starter and I've come across one restaurant that serves it with sliced beef and various garnishes."
Despite her large consumption of fadge, tattie bread or slim, as potato bread is sometimes called, Kirsty insists that her waistline hasn't suffered.
"I haven't put on any extra weight since I started," she said.
"I actually eat very healthily.
"If you look on the packaging, one piece of potato bread has just over 90 calories - that's less than a bag of crisps." | County Down woman Kirsty Meredith spends each weekend searching for Northern Ireland's best potato bread. | 33793785 |
The victim is thought to have been directing traffic around his broken-down van in Pembridge Villas, Notting Hill when he was hit on Thursday.
George Claudia Albu, 31, of Porchester Road, Paddington, will appear at West London Magistrates' Court on Monday.
He is also charged with failing to stop at the scene.
Police were called to the scene shortly before midnight on Thursday.
The van driver was pronounced dead just over an hour later.
Police said Mr Albu has also been charged with causing death by driving a vehicle not in accordance with a licence and causing death by driving a vehicle while uninsured.
The victim worked for Kensington and Chelsea Council's grounds maintenance contractors Quadron. | A man has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving after a 23-year-old was fatally struck by a Bentley in west London. | 33840409 |
The EIS, Scotland's largest teaching union, is demanding urgent action from the Scottish government.
It is to mount a campaign to restore teachers' salaries to the values set out in the McCrone agreement on pay and conditions.
The Scottish government said it would play its part in the negotiation of teachers' pay and conditions.
A spokeswoman added that they have already acted to cut teachers' workloads.
The union's annual general meeting in Perth backed a motion saying failure to reach a deal on this would result in them balloting members on industrial action - including strike action - that could hit schools in the academic year 2018-19.
Larry Flanagan, EIS general secretary, said the "soaring workload" teachers have to deal with, together with "recruitment challenges" facing the profession meant that teachers must be paid "an appropriate level".
He said: "Today's AGM has sent out a very strong message to local authority employers and the Scottish government that action needs to be taken to address declining levels of teachers' pay.
"Following more than a decade of declining pay, real-terms pay cuts and pay freezes, the mood of teachers is hardening. The soaring workload facing teachers, combined with the recruitment challenges facing the profession, highlight the need for salary levels to be addressed to ensure that teachers are paid at an appropriate level.
"Today's votes on pay and potential industrial action highlight that this issue must be addressed urgently by local authorities and the Scottish government."
EIS members also unanimously backed a motion which "condemns the recent decision of the Scottish government to tender for new approaches to ITE (initial teacher education) which would bypass universities".
The Scottish government is spending £1m on ways to attract people into teaching and plans to put a new initiative out to tender aimed at attracting top graduates in priority areas and subjects - but sparking fears from some that a "fast track" approach could reduce standards.
Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson has already urged First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to consider bringing in the Teach First scheme, which is already running in England and trains graduates before putting them in classrooms.
EIS education convener Susan Quinn, said: "Any tendering process which might potentially consider involving an organisation such as Teach First will be opposed by the EIS until it is defeated.
"The EIS is not opposed to alternative pathways into teaching - we are opposed to shortcuts which would impact on the high standards of our teaching profession. The suggestion that we can put someone in the classroom after five weeks of training and still raise attainment is simply absurd."
Incoming EIS president Nicola Fisher said: "Teach First means just that - teach first and then toddle off elsewhere to get a bigger salary doing something else. Retention routes are very low."
She added: "We already have a faster route into teaching in Scotland - it is called the PGDE, which lasts for a year. We don't want to be any faster than that. You wouldn't allow a doctor or a dentist loose on you after five weeks of training, but apparently it's alright when it's just children's minds that you are dealing with."
A Scottish government spokeswoman said: "We are absolutely committed to freeing up teachers to do what they do best - teach - and have already acted to reduce teachers' workload.
"Teachers' pay and conditions are matters for the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers. Negotiations are currently ongoing and the Scottish government will play its part in that process."
She also stated: "We have made very clear any new route into teaching will require a partnership with a university to maintain academic rigour. The approach referred to in the EIS motion is not our intention.
"This is about developing new routes that make teacher training available to people from a wider range of backgrounds - without comprising quality." | Teachers have signalled they could strike unless action is taken to increase pay. | 40234176 |
This is the Atlantic edge of the European Union. Westwards from the Butt of Lewis, it is next stop America.
Waves crash on to the rocks. Seabirds squabble. There's a tang of salt on the breeze.
The beauty and isolation of this place is striking.
The Western Isles are a world away from decision-making in Edinburgh and London, never mind Brussels.
Yet the EU has a big impact here.
At the Harris Tweed Hebrides mill, the machinery is working at full clatter.
The hard-wearing fabric produced here is exported worldwide - about a third of it to EU countries outside the UK.
In a quieter corner of the factory, surrounded by large multi-coloured rolls of tweed, Margaret Ann Macleod shares her concerns about the looming referendum.
As a company director she is worried that a vote to leave the EU could make it harder to access the single market.
"We hope the vote will go for staying within Europe and for staying with what we have," she says. "The ability to trade with our partners and neighbours in Europe."
Fishing is another major industry in the Western Isles that relies on free trade.
How the UK is affected by the Common Agricultural Policy and EU fishing policies.
Most of the scallops and langoustines landed here are sold to France and Spain.
Yet many in the local fishing industry are fed up with EU regulation under the Common Fisheries Policy.
At the Islander Shellfish shop on Stornoway harbour Ronnie Scott is filleting fish with the speed and skill of a man with decades of experience.
Ronnie wants to cut the EU out of deciding who can catch what.
"There are people over in Europe that don't know where we are," he says. "They don't understand our fishing."
He is frustrated with rules requiring some fish to be thrown back into the sea, forcing him to buy from the Scottish mainland.
Ronnie adds: "It doesn't add up - but we have to do it."
He believes the Western Isles fleet would be better off outside the EU.
"The boats here would be allowed to land what they catch," he says. "A sensible fishing rather than this EU regulation."
Euroscepticism is not new here. It is something of a tradition.
In 1975, when the UK voted firmly in favour of continuing in what was then the European Economic Community, the Western Isles dissented.
It was one of only two regions to vote "no" - along with Shetland. Islanders in the Western Isles were seven to three against.
Forty-one years have passed since that referendum and a great deal has changed in the Outer Hebrides.
Islanders are very, very resistant to interference from the outside."
It's so alien to me - things happening in Brussels and a whole lot of people from Germany and France."
At WJ MacDonald butchers in Stornoway, they still make black pudding to a traditional island recipe but now it is afforded EU protection.
Like Champagne or Parma ham, Stornoway black pudding has what is called a geographical indication on its label.
Only blood, fat and oatmeal blended in the capital of the Western Isles is allowed to use the Stornoway brand.
That has boosted sales, according to the butcher Derek Smith but he has wider reasons for backing a vote to remain in the EU.
"Our massive infrastructure projects…have all been EU subsidised" he says.
"Would any other government be in a position to fund these in such a rural part of the country?" he wonders, with a doubting look on his face.
The infrastructure he refers to includes roads, causeways and ferry ports that have made the islands far more accessible.
One of the best examples is the bridge linking the tiny island of Scalpay to Harris.
It is widely credited for helping to sustain the community on Scalpay, which has fewer than 300 inhabitants.
EU funds have also helped develop a community-owned shop and café on the island.
Yet, even here, it is not hard to find unease with the European Union.
Morag Macleod is a retired academic who was born and brought up on Scalpay and serves on the island shop committee.
She has decided not to vote in the referendum but she is not keen on the EU.
Morag explains: "It's so alien to me, things happening in Brussels and a whole lot of people from Germany and France...deciding what's going to happen here."
Sitting in the garden at Morag's home overlooking Scalpay's pretty fishing harbour, I ask if islanders dislike being told what to do by outsiders.
"I think that's right," she says with a little laughter.
As my travels continue, I explore this theme further with Western Isles councillor Uisdean Robertson, at his home on North Uist.
He couldn't be clearer: "Islanders are very, very resistant to interference from the outside."
"Unfortunately, we tend to get it all the time," he adds with more than a hint of exasperation.
Uisdean explains that development cash is harder to come by now that the EU has expanded eastwards.
"The days of manna from Europe have gone, everything's getting more competitive," he says.
Uisdean is minded to vote to leave.
For some, this debate is about identity and where power lies. For others, there's financial calculation.
At the boatyard in Kallin, North Uist, men are painting and patching vessels.
Nineteen year old Connor Ewen is the only one prepared to speak and he tells me the EU referendum has left him "torn".
If he made his living entirely from the sea, he would vote to leave. That, he says, is what many of his fellow fishermen intend to do.
But Connor is also working the land to make ends meet. As a crofter, he receives subsidies under the EU's Common Agricultural Policy.
"No matter how little or how big, they do help a lot of people," he says.
He is worried about what would replace these payments if the UK leaves the EU.
That is why he is thinking of voting to stay. He describes it as the "safer option" before resuming work on his boat.
Further south, on the isle of Barra, there are cousins who have reached different conclusions.
Gerard MacDonald is feeding potatoes to his cows. He's a crofter and oyster farmer and a supporter of the EU.
He told me: "There's a lot of benefit that comes to our community through rural development that occurs through EU funding."
Nearby, at Barratlantic's shellfish processing plant, the general manager Christina MacNeil, takes the opposite view.
"On a fisherman's perspective - out," she says. "Because they're not listened to - the fishermen - what their needs are."
At Barra airport, there's barely time to gulp down some coffee before I'm invited to board the 18-seat plane for Glasgow.
We hurtle along the beach, which is the runway here, and rise gently into the sky.
As I look out of the window, it is as clear as the waters that wash the shores below, that the UK's future relationship with the EU really matters on the Western Isles. | The red-brick lighthouse towers into a clear blue sky with the ocean stretching before it as far as the eye can see. | 36425386 |
The model and only daughter of the late pop superstar Michael Jackson had earlier been criticised for posting a photo of herself lying in the sun topless alongside her dog - using a pair of strategically placed beetle emojis to cover her nipples.
That post appears to have later been deleted. But Paris, 19, later posted another picture of herself - this time topless and smoking, in black and white - alongside a long message hitting out at critics.
Nudism "started as a movement for 'going back to nature'," she wrote, "and was even called a philosophy". It helps her connect to the earth and is a "beautiful thing" that does not have to be seen as sexual, she said.
"Feminism is being able to express yourself in your own way, whether it's being conservative and wearing lots of clothes or showing yourself."
She continued: "The human body is a beautiful thing and no matter what 'flaws' you have, whether it be scars, or extra weight, stretch marks, freckles, whatever, it is beautiful and you should express yourself however you feel comfortable.
"If this makes some of you upset i completely understand and i encourage you to maybe no longer follow me, but i cannot apologize for this in any way. it is who i am and i refuse to shy away and keep my beliefs a secret."
Paris Jackson has recently been in the spotlight, after having reportedly signed a seven-figure deal to be the face of Calvin Klein. She recently attended the Met Gala in New York as a guest of the brand and will also appear in an upcoming Amazon Studios film alongside David Oyelowo, Amanda Seyfried and Charlize Theron, Deadline reports.
Paris was just 11 when Michael Jackson died on 25 June, 2009. She recently told Rolling Stone magazine she believed her father was murdered.
The singer died from an overdose of the powerful anaesthetic propofol. His doctor Conrad Murray was later found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
Paris also revealed to Rolling Stone that she had been sexually assaulted by a "complete stranger" as a teenager, and spoke openly about depression and a suicide attempt in 2013. | Paris Jackson has a message for her 1.4 million followers on Instagram - nudity is natural and "part of what makes us human". | 39909833 |
The 29-year-old had teased fans by uploading photos of her new turquoise hair on Instagram over the weekend.
But the look was completed on Monday as she stepped out in a jewel-encrusted costume with green and pink feathers. (And not much else).
"We are not worthy," was one of many fan reactions on Twitter.
Another added the singer "officially killed me" with the costume, while others said she was "blessing the internet".
The posts also attracted the attention of Chris Brown - who left a comment on one of her Instagrams with the pair-of-eyes emoji.
Many of her fans were less than pleased about this, telling him to "keep his negative energy away" from Rihanna and recalling his assault on the singer in 2009 when the pair were dating.
Crop Over started in 1687 to mark the end of the sugar cane crop harvest.
At the time, Barbados was the world's largest producer of sugar, but as the industry declined, so did the festival - and it was dropped in the 1940s.
But the festival was revived in 1974 and has since become one huge party similar in style to Notting Hill Carnival - with lots of music, dancing and colourful costumes.
The festival, which attracts tourists from around the world, runs from July and ends in early August with the Grand Kadooment Day.
Rihanna has attended the finale parade several times over the last few years - and worn suitably attention-grabbing costumes at each of them.
To be fair, temperatures are around 30C in Barbados at this time of year so she's just dressing sensibly for the weather, really.
Part of Rihanna's outfit was designed by DBleudazzled - a line specialising in bedazzled costumes.
The owner of the company, known as Bleu, told Billboard she had to provide the tights at very short notice - with Rihanna's team only requesting them last Wednesday.
The rest of her outfit was put together by local designer Laura Austin, according to Vogue.
"Crop Over used to be celebrated with people wearing simple T-shirts," Austin said.
"Over the years however, designers started getting creative. Today it's very important to dress up in full costume to really and truly feel the Crop Over vibe. It's exhilarating, free, and radiant."
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | Social media almost collapsed under the reaction to Rihanna's costume on Monday as the singer attended the Crop Over festival in Barbados. | 40860595 |
In February the ex-chief of the defence staff signed a Downing Street letter calling for the UK to stay in the EU.
But he has told the Telegraph that was "a mistake" and said he believed a vote to Leave "is better for defence".
The government has previously said Britain will "never be part of an EU army".
There are five days to go until the UK decides on its future in the European Union, in a referendum on 23 June.
Both the Remain and Leave groups have suspended their national campaign events until Sunday, following the killing of Labour MP Jo Cox on Thursday.
In February, 12 of the UK's senior military figures - including Lord Guthrie - signed a letter, released by Downing Street, saying the UK was stronger in the EU at a time of "grave challenges".
They said that while Nato was the most important alliance for UK security, the EU was an "increasingly important pillar of our security".
But in an interview in Saturday's Daily Telegraph, Field Marshal Lord Guthrie said he had changed his mind because he was concerned at moves to create a European army, which he said would be a "disaster".
"I think a European army could damage Nato. It is expensive. It's unnecessary duplication to have it. It would appeal to some Euro vanity thing," he said.
This issue covers defence and the extent of Britain's influence in the world
"There's a feeling that those backing the European army are doing it for political reasons rather than military ones. They want to be able to boast, 'Look! We've got a European army'. That is dangerous."
Lord Guthrie said foreign policy "needs to be backed up by defence", and added: "It would be a signal disaster to have a European army as rivals to Nato."
"I am concerned that the Army which I was in for 45 years could become very damaged and therefore less useful to our country."
The former defence chief said that while he felt "more European than I do American" it was "absolutely unrealistic to think we are all going to work together".
"When things get really serious, we need the Americans. That's where the power is. If the Americans had been around at the time of the Ukraine events, I doubt whether Putin would have dared be so bold."
Many European politicians, including EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, have said a European army is needed to stand up to Russia, but EU treaties are clear that it could be blocked by Britain.
At the moment the UK takes part in EU military operations through the Common Security and Defence Policy, but those are focused on peace-keeping and humanitarian assistance. Britain has also previously argued against proposals to integrate further the armed forces of member states.
Defence Secretary and Remain campaigner Michael Fallon ruled out the prospect of the UK ever joining an EU army, back in May.
"Our security rests on Nato. No one seriously disputes that. Britain will never be part of an EU army," he said.
"We have a veto on all EU defence matters and we would oppose any move to create one. In fact, I don't know any European defence minister who wants a European army," Mr Fallon added.
He also said that Britain would be "smaller and weaker" outside the EU.
And Britain Stronger in Europe have previously said there is an "overwhelming consensus" among military chiefs that Britain is "stronger and safer" in the EU.
There have been a series of letters from UK, US and Nato commanders urging Britain to remain in the EU - or risk losing influence, during the UK's EU referendum campaign.
But Veterans for Britain, a campaign group set up by serving and former military personnel including General Sir Michael Rose, a former director of special forces and a commander in Bosnia, has argued that the UK's national interest would be best served outside the EU. | Former defence chief Lord Guthrie has switched sides to the Leave campaign in the EU referendum, saying he is worried by the prospect of "a European army". | 36565036 |
The decision to invite Dr Sami Khiyami had been criticised, amid condemnation of a violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in his country.
The Foreign Office said his presence would be "unacceptable" and that Buckingham Palace "shared that view".
Dr Khiyami described the decision as "a bit embarrassing".
The Foreign Office summoned him earlier this week to urge his government to end the violence, in which a reported 400 people have been killed, and grant more political freedoms.
Amid a growing row over Dr Khiyami's invitation to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Foreign Office said representatives of countries with which the UK had "normal diplomatic relations" had been invited.
But in a statement, it added: "An invitation does not mean endorsement or approval of the behaviour of any government, simply that we have normal diplomatic relations with that country.
"In the light of this week's attacks against civilians by the Syrian security forces, which we have condemned, the foreign secretary has decided that the presence of the Syrian ambassador at the royal wedding would be unacceptable and that he should not attend.
"Buckingham Palace shares the view of the Foreign Office that it is not considered appropriate for the Syrian ambassador to attend the wedding."
'Renewed gunfire' in Syria citiesSyria officials 'quit over violence'Straw surprise at wedding 'snub'UK issues fresh warning to Syria
Asked about the development, which Downing Street said had followed discussions between the Foreign Office and the royal household, Prime Minister David Cameron said the "right decision was made".
Dr Khiyami said he had yet to decide whether to attend the wedding when he learnt the invitation had been withdrawn.
He told Radio Four's World At One: "I found it a bit embarrassing but I don't consider it a matter that will jeopardise either ongoing relations or discussions with the British government."
He added: "I don't really understand it but I understand the influence of media on the government decisions."
The ambassador also expressed sympathy for Prince William and Kate Middleton.
"The bride and groom need not have their wedding distracted by other matters," he said.
For Labour, shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander said: "William Hague took the right decision this morning to withdraw the invitation to the Syrian ambassador."
He added: "It's crucial at this stage that we send a clear and unequivocal message to the regime in Damascus...
"It [Dr Khiyami's presence] would also have distracted from the national celebration that will be the royal wedding on Friday."
A number of Labour MPs, including former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, had expressed concerns about the invitation and it had been contrasted with the decision not to invite former Labour prime ministers Gordon Brown and Tony Blair.
Asked about the issue before it was confirmed that the invitation had been rescinded, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said who attended the royal wedding was a matter for the Royal Family, not the government.
But he added: "I think the events in Syria are clearly the subject of huge concern, people are going to be very, very distressed and appalled by the heavy handed military tactics which the Syrian regime are now deploying on their own people."
Speaking during a visit to Colombia, Mr Blair said he did not mind missing the wedding.
He said it was "not a problem at all" and wished William and Kate every happiness.
A spokeswoman for Mr Brown said: "Gordon and [Mr Brown's wife] Sarah both wish Prince William and Kate Middleton every happiness for the future.
"They will be joining in celebrating their marriage like all of Britain and lots of people around the world."
Some 200 members of Syria's ruling Baath party are reported to have resigned over the violent crackdown against pro-democracy demonstrations in cities across the country.
President Bashar al-Assad's government disputes the Western view that the protesters have been non-violent. It has said it sent troops to several cities on the request of citizens who were worried about "armed extremists".
There has also been criticism of royal wedding invitations extended to other diplomatic representatives.
The Crown Prince of Bahrain, whose country has recently clamped down on pro-democracy protests, was invited to Friday's wedding.
He pulled out at the weekend so as not to overshadow the event.
But the Foreign Office said it had no plans to withdraw the invitation to the ambassador of Bahrain, which has been under martial law since the middle of March, although it stressed this did not indicate it endorsed his government's behaviour.
It also confirmed that Libya's ambassador had been officially invited but was not expected to attend.
BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt said representatives from Zimbabwe, Iran and North Korea were among the 2,000 people who had been invited to Westminster Abbey and were expected to attend.
More than 200 of the guests will be drawn from the ranks of government and Parliament as well as the diplomatic corps. | The Syrian ambassador's invitation to Friday's royal wedding has been withdrawn after UK officials said it was "inappropriate" for him to attend. | 13223428 |
A takeover by the Pompey Supporters' Trust can now be completed after the club
Their takeover is conditional on taking control of Fratton Park which was owned by the club's major creditor Portpin.
Now the next chapter of hard work begins to transform our club into something the community of Portsmouth can be proud of
Portpin, led by Balram Chainrai, claimed they were owed £12m by the club and held Portsmouth's home as security.
The PST had offered £3m for the ground but with Portpin unwilling to sell at that price, administrators BDO went to the High Court to force the sale.
But it did not get that far, with an agreement reached out of court between administrators and Portpin, thought to be a figure of £3m plus add-ons.
It means the fans' group can now go ahead with their purchase of Fratton Park and BDO can start the process of finally bringing the club out of administration.
"It's fantastic, it's exactly the news we wanted. It's really exciting," PST chairman Ashley Brown told BBC Sport.
"It's taken a lot longer than we wanted but in the end we got the result we wanted. It's brilliant news, we're over the moon.
"Of course we believed it was possible otherwise we would not have put so much effort into it.
"There have been times where we thought we would definitely do it and times where we thought we wouldn't.
"Recently we've been very bullish, we've kept at it and we were right to as we've brought it home.
"The belief kept us going, we knew we were the right answer for the club and we all knew that we had to keep plugging away at what we wanted to achieve.
"This moment should be something special for all fans, not just Pompey. This should give a belief of what is achievable.
"We like to say we are the biggest community club in the country and we hope other clubs will follow.
"This club now has a very bright future. It is not going to be easy. We're going down to League Two but we have to accept that and use it as an excuse to rebuild."
Administrator at BDO Trevor Birch added: "I'm completely relieved. My reaction is that - relief that's is all finally over.
"It's taken quite a bit out of me personally. It's been a very difficult and complex case.
"It's been hugely frustrating, but at the end of the day it's all been worth it and Pompey are alive and kicking."
The club had been in danger of losing their 'Golden Share' - and effectively membership - with the Football League, who had warned Pompey they must come out of administration before the end of the season.
The PST have raised around £2m in pledges with fans' donating £1,000 each to save the club.
They are also backed by several High Net Worth individuals, who also support the club, and they have bankrolled the Hampshire outfit for several months now,
One of those HNW's is Iain McInnes and he will become chairman of the club as and when the PST takeover is complete.
This was the second case to determine the future of Pompey with the initial hearing in December adjourned.
It marks the end of several torturous years for a club that has been in administration twice in three years and suffered relegation from the Premier League to the Championship and now League One.
With another 10-point penalty on the way, a further relegation to League Two is expected.
On a day of drama at the High Court after two adjournments the case was finally heard and lasted only several minutes as Katharine Holland QC revealed an "agreement in principle" had been struck.
Holland asked for further time to seal the deal and after BDO returned at 15:00 BST several more adjournments followed before the judge declared it had been completed and the sorry saga was finally over.
It means Chainrai's four-year hold on the club is at an end.
Birch will now start the process of bringing the club out of administration, which is expected to be completed on 22 April. | League One Portsmouth are on the verge of salvation after administrators of the club struck a late deal with Portpin for the sale of Fratton Park. | 22098749 |
The recently discovered document offers fresh insight into the life of Jane Haining from Dunscore.
In total some 14 of her relatives attended the event in Edinburgh.
One of them, Catriona Topping, said she felt that her connection with Ms Haining had "deepened" by holding the will in her hand.
Ms Haining died in Auschwitz in 1944 at the age of 47.
She is the only Scot to be officially honoured at the Yad Vashem memorial in Israel for giving her life to help protect Jews during the Holocaust.
Joyce Greenlees, 59, of Cumbernauld - whose grandfather was Ms Haining's cousin - only learned about family links to Northern Ireland, Belgium and England after reading about the discovery of the will.
It was among a number of documents found in attic space at the Church of Scotland's headquarters in Edinburgh.
"I am so proud and pleased to meet members of a family I did not realise existed," said Ms Greenlees.
"Jane Haining was a very brave lady who was totally selfless and I think it is very important that everyone knows her story because we can learn lessons from the fact she deeply cared about all people, regardless of religious belief."
Ms Topping, whose late grandmother was Ms Haining's half-sister, said she that the will had helped to transform a "mystical figure" from her childhood into a real person.
The Bristol University biochemistry PhD student added: "The lesson we should take from Jane Haining is to be humble and not consider ourselves to be superior to others.
"She did not see herself to be a hero, she was just doing what she thought to be right and respected everybody."
The reception in Edinburgh was hosted by the Moderator of the General Assembly Right Rev Dr Russell Barr who said it was a "privilege" to welcome the family of a remarkable woman for afternoon tea.
"Jane's story is one of the most remarkable stories of courage and loyalty," he said.
"There was something quite special about seeing her family holding the various photographs and letters and to feel their immense sense of pride in what Jane did and in the ways in which her life and death have now been recognised."
Rob O'Brien, from Ballygally, County Antrim, said he was very proud of his aunt, Ms Haining, and described the reunion as very moving.
"Jane was a person of very deep religious faith and a woman of great resolve and determination," he said.
"She had no desire to be a heroine, all she wanted to do was live out her faith and care for children.
"She had love for everybody and I think that is a great example to us all."
The reunion event was held on Armistice Day. | Relatives of a Scots missionary who died in the Auschwitz concentration camp have attended a special reunion to view her handwritten will. | 38025399 |
The Premiership club lost a large number of regular starters last year.
"The quicker you get your work done the better," he said. "I think we are in a better position this year than last year.
"We have guys signed up already and hopefully we will not lose as many key players as we did - and it gives us a chance to make a better start."
Scott Fox, Stephen O'Donnell, Conrad Balatoni, James Craigen, Kallum Higginbotham and Lyle Taylor all departed last summer.
But Archibald already has the likes of Tomas Cerny, Mustapha Dumbuya, Callum Booth, Kris Doolan and Mathias Pogba secured on contract extensions.
And he will work on tying up other players, including Steven Lawless, the midfielder who has been approached by relegation-threatened Dundee United.
However, finishing higher up the league will give Archibald more money for his playing budget next season.
"We know the ones we want to keep and we will be speaking to more of them in the coming weeks," he said.
"When we know which place we will be, it gives us a clearer picture of what we can offer them."
Midfielder Stuart Bannigan could also stay on after looking like he has ready to depart in the summer before being ruled out for the season with a knee injury.
"It depends on his injury," added Archibald. "It's quite strange, it has dragged on a wee bit.
"He recovered a little bit and the surgeon wanted to give him another week or two and see whether he needs surgery or not.
"We are hoping to get a bit of clarity towards the start of next week." | Partick Thistle manager Alan Archibald is confident he will have less of a rebuilding job to do this summer. | 36113414 |
Media playback is unsupported on your device
20 May 2015 Last updated at 19:05 BST
Martin Galbraith, 18, had just been escorted off the A13 at Grays for speeding when he drove his BMW into officer Paul Hills.
Police said Mr Hills was pushed 35 yards (32m) into the roundabout before he crashed.
Officers believe Galbraith then tried to run the officer over, but was blocked by another car.
Galbraith, of Boscombe Avenue, Grays, was eventually caught and jailed for six years for admitting attempted grievous bodily harm with intent, aggravated vehicle taking, driving without insurance and having no driving licence. | A police motorcyclist is "lucky to be alive" after being rammed into a roundabout and almost run over, Essex police said. | 32819717 |
The hog horned sheep were taken from land near the foot of the Ingleborough mountain.
Police said the theft happened sometime between 16 April and 20 May.
The sheep have two red markings on the middle of their backs and have the letters JN on one horn and the letter C and a crown on the other horn.
More on this and other North Yorkshire stories
Insp Jon Grainge said: "The difficulty with the nature of this crime is that it is not necessarily immediately obvious to farmers, who may only be able to identify their shortfall at the time of bringing sheep in to scan or to worm, which often gives a very wide timeframe for us to work with.
"Lines of inquiry are limited, and this is where we need the public's help to call in suspicious movements of animals, or animals appearing in fields unexpectedly." | Around 100 sheep have been stolen from moorland near Ingleton on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales national park. | 39999514 |
This sets the scene for a mammoth election campaign that unofficially begins now, 74 days out from the proposed poll date.
It's early days but already a number of policy and leadership themes are emerging. Mr Turnbull's decision to call a double dissolution election has ramifications for Australia's upper house, the Senate, too.
Australia's constitution allows for an early election to be called when the upper house, called the Senate, twice blocks a piece of legislation that has been passed by the lower house, the House of Representatives. Although ostensibly designed to resolve political deadlocks, in practice it has largely been used opportunistically by governments who see an advantage in going to the polls early.
The rejected legislation in this case is the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) bill, which seeks to re-establish a watchdog to monitor union activity in the construction industry. Although the government is insisting the bill is important enough to warrant calling a double dissolution, the opposition and most pundits believe that the decision is more about politics than policy.
Both sides will reveal their platforms over the coming weeks, but the broad campaign brushstrokes are already there to see.
The government will centre its campaign on economic management credentials. It will position itself as the party best placed to transition Australia from the mining boom through to a new phase of economic growth.
Even its attack on the unions with the ABCC bill is being framed as an economic issue and this line of attack will likely fall away as the campaign progresses. The 3 May budget will provide clarity on the government's economic plan.
Labor, conversely, will run on a "people first" platform of health, education and nation building, while also making cost savings in the budget. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is also lobbying hard for a Royal Commission into banks.
Despite operating under the Westminster system, Australia's election campaigns tend to have a presidential flavour. So the popularity of the prime minister and opposition leader will be a key factor in determining the winner.
Mr Turnbull is the clear frontrunner here. Well known to Australians through his prominent public life as a barrister and advocate for the republic movement, he maintains a handy lead over Mr Shorten as preferred prime minister. It was Mr Turnbull's popularity with the electorate that prompted the Liberal party to dump Tony Abbott as its leader.
But Mr Shorten has narrowed the gap on his opponent over recent months and at this stage appears to be running a more disciplined campaign. He'll need to prove himself against Mr Turnbull in one-on-one debates later on, but the seasoned parliamentary performer is used to such public forums.
Mr Turnbull will attempt to paint Mr Shorten as a union lackey who cannot manage the economy; Mr Shorten, conversely, will say Mr Turnbull is an out-of-touch protector of greedy banks leading a divided party that stands for nothing.
Labor needs to win 21 seats to take power, a swing of 4.3%. Recent polls have Labor in a position to achieve a swing of this magnitude on a two-party preferred basis, but the reality is more complex than that.
Mr Turnbull could pull more preferences from the Greens than more conservative leaders and individual battles in key marginal electorates are likely to have a big impact on the result. Labor's primary vote remains very low.
The government passed laws changing how Australians vote for members of the upper house in March. The new rules change the distribution of preferences in such a way that members of so-called "micro-parties", such as the Motoring Enthusiasts Party, will find it much more difficult to secure seats in the Senate. A double dissolution election requires that all Senate seats be declared empty - at a normal election, only half of the seats are up for grabs, and Senators typically get two terms in office.
The chance to get rid of pesky crossbench senators who block government legislation and secure a majority in the upper house is clearly one of Mr Turnbull's motivations for holding the double dissolution. But with opinion polls moving against him, it remains to be seen whether the prime minister's gamble pays off. | Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull confirmed on Tuesday his intent to dissolve parliament and hold an early election on 2 July. | 36052250 |
Saili won his only two All Blacks Test caps in 2013, featuring in victories against Argentina and Japan.
The 26-year-old spent two seasons with Pro12 side Munster, having previously played for the Blues in Super Rugby.
"I've been mightily impressed with him as a person and I know he's a great rugby player," Quins director of rugby John Kingston told BBC Radio London.
"He's an excellent rugby player; you don't get to play for the All Blacks at 22 years of age unless you can play." | Harlequins have signed Munster and former New Zealand centre Francis Saili on a "long-term" contract. | 40356242 |
Powerful explosions followed by bursts of gunfire were heard in the provincial capital, Charikar, an hour's drive north-west of Kabul, witnesses said.
The governor, Abdul Basir Salangi, told media from inside the compound that up to six suicide bombers had struck.
The Taliban say they carried out the attack, which lasted at least an hour.
The BBC's Quentin Sommerville says Parwan is usually relatively peaceful.
However, under-equipped police there have been struggling both to resist Taliban militants and a rising crime level.
Militants attacked the compound just after 11:00 (06:30 GMT), the Afghan interior ministry said.
A suicide car bomb was detonated, after which five other militants wearing bomb vests broke into the compound, police said.
Mr Salangi told the BBC: ''A suicide attacker wearing a police uniform... detonated his explosives outside the northern gate. Then five others attacked my office.
"They managed to get inside the compound to the halls. The fighting went on for one hour."
Police and intelligence sources told the BBC the compound had been attacked from several directions.
Fighting was so fierce that government forces were sometimes just a meter (yard) from their attackers.
"They even got close to the governor's office... but his bodyguards opened fire, killing the last attacker, who was using a rocket-propelled grenade," a police source said.
Security at the compound had been reinforced after a recent attempt to kill the governor, an important ally of President Hamid Karzai, the BBC's Bilal Sarwary reports.
A meeting of security chiefs was under way when Sunday's attack occurred.
Local police and intelligence chiefs were present, along with advisers from the international coalition.
According to the independent Afghan news agency Pajhwok, most of the victims had come to the governor's house to collect their national identity cards.
At least two US military officials were taking part but were unhurt, according to provincial police chief Sher Mohammad Maladani.
The governor's compound has come under attack on previous occasions.
The Taliban recently appeared to change their tactics, launching attacks on prominent figures or targets which were deemed to be particularly well-protected. | At least 19 people are dead and many are injured after militants in Afghanistan stormed the provincial governor's compound in Parwan. | 14520520 |
The lost swan-derer was spotted on the five-storey building on Arthur Street.
Animal rescuer Debbie Nelson, who helped co-ordinate the operation, said the female bird may have mistaken the slate-grey roof for a swan lake.
The fire service brought the bird back down to earth several hours later.
The unusual bird rescue comes after a rabbit was brought down from a roof in County Tyrone after a storm in January.
Ms Nelson, also known as Debbie Doolittle for her years rescuing animals, posted about the feather-ending story on Facebook after being called by onlookers who feared the bird could be about to have its swansong.
She said that it is very common for swans to land on roads, thinking it is water, but more unusual for a swan to end up on a roof.
"After landing on the roof, the swan would have nowhere to go as it needs quite a long runway in order to take off again. It's essentially an aeroplane."
She said she "didn't believe it" when she first heard, but that it was soon clear the bird could pose a "major safety problem".
"It was the middle of the afternoon on a busy street, so if the swan fell off the roof it could have hurt someone.
"It would be the weight of a Labrador coming off a five-storey building."
The fire service do not usually get involved in animal rescues, said Ms Nelson, but agreed to help because of the possible risk to public safety.
A rescue operation was planned for later that evening after shops had closed and the street was quieter.
"It took about an hour to get on the roof," said Ms Nelson. "When we got up there, it was up against a wall resting.
"It was a pretty quick catch, we were able to get her into the net quite fast."
In tribute to the fire service's efforts, Ms Nelson has called the swan Andi, after the individual who helped rescue the bird.
After taking the swan in for the night, Ms Nelson said she planned to release the bird later on Tuesday.
"We're trying to figure out where she came from," she said. "We think she might have came from Victoria Park, so we're going to try and release her there.
After taking the swan in for the night, Ms Nelson said she planned to release the bird later on Tuesday.
"We're trying to figure out where she came from," she said. "We think she might have came from Victoria Park, so we're going to try and release her there.
"If it's not Victoria Park, we'll release her somewhere quiet and she'll find her way back to where she's from.
"I've been rescuing animals for over 30 years, and I've never seen this before," she said. "I did once rescue a badger from a garage loft, but this is definitely a new one." | Shoppers on a Belfast City Centre street witnessed a dramatic rescue on Monday after a swan became stuck on a roof. | 35751937 |
Waiting many months for asylum interviews, many are desperately seeking a different way out.
The overstretched Greek government is moving people from informal tent cities to official camps, hastily set up in old barracks and empty factories.
Most are bleak and isolated and many lack basic facilities, while the small charities and independent volunteers who made life in the old camps tolerable are generally excluded.
The EKO petrol station near the Macedonian border looks perfectly ordinary now, but less than a month ago it was home to 2,000 people.
Children played skipping games in a forecourt crowded with tents, a burger stand served falafel while a volunteer doctor from Birmingham treated war wounds and everyday ailments and toddlers learned the alphabet by the working petrol pumps.
Among those who came to fill up was a Greek taxi driver, who stopped off to visit a Syrian family he had befriended, and a man in a black Mercedes. "Probably a smuggler," observed a Catalan nurse. "They come through every day."
The government hopes that by controlling entry to the official camps, it will shut out the smugglers. But, as the borders stay closed and conditions in Greece remain dire, their trade continues to grow.
It is harder to leave illegally from the Aegean islands, where 8,400 people wait to learn if they can seek asylum in Europe or must be returned to Turkey under the EU-Turkey agreement of 20 March.
The village of Halkeios (population 600) on the island of Chios had few foreign visitors, until recently.
Halkeios is up in the hills near the disused Vial aluminium plant, now a camp run by the Greek authorities for more than 1,000 people consisting of families, single men and unaccompanied minors all living together.
Conditions in Vial are grim. There have been fights, attempted suicides and at least one rape. One of the few distractions is a stroll through the fields to the village, but even doing this has caused issues for local people.
Farmer Kyria Nafsika stands behind her locked gate. A few weeks ago, she led a tractor blockade of the road up to Vial to stop more accommodation containers from being delivered.
"I've been ruined," she says. "They've stolen everything I planted. Europe has to open the borders. These people are suffering here, and we're suffering with them."
Down the road, however, former policeman Kyrios Marinos is more sympathetic.
"My grandfather came from Turkey in the population exchange of 1922," he says. "Lots of us here come from refugee families. The Greeks didn't welcome them, they saw them as Turks. The Syrians helped us then, and now it's our turn."
His wife, Foteini, brings out a Chian delicacy of lemon flowers in syrup. She gives the refugees as much as she can, she says, especially the children, but then more turn up at her door.
"That woman, Merkel, she invited them, she took the ones with money, then she said no more. What can Greece do? We were hungry, and then even hungrier people came. In the end, we'll eat each other," she says.
In the main town of Chios, two more camps are fed and supported entirely by volunteers and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Most of the effort has to go into meeting basic needs - food, clothing, medical care and information - but hope is also in dangerously short supply.
Two young volunteers have opened an informal school for the many children here, in a former restaurant. The first thing they learned was how to walk in a crocodile, calling out "Good morning" in Greek to everyone they pass.
Nick Millet, one of the founders, says the aim was to bring structure into the children's lives, as some of them have not been to school for more than a year.
They are being taught by four primary school teachers from Syria, who are also empowered by the project.
A bright mural in the yard proclaims: "No-one is illegal," and, in the classroom, children chant the alphabet.
The elderly man next door is smiling. "They've fixed it up very well," he says. "That place was a mess before."
Maria Margaronis's report is episode two of the five-part Destination Europe series broadcast weekly as part of The Compass strand on the BBC World Service
You can listen to the programme on iPlayer. | Since Europe closed its borders to refugees and migrants, nearly 60,000 people have been trapped in Greece. | 36703503 |
Two men have appeared in court charged with the murder of Lidia Pascale, of West Bromwich, who was last seen on the evening of 19 November in the town.
She is still missing but detectives are treating her disappearance as murder.
Open land, gardens, bins and areas in and around High Street are being searched, the force said earlier.
Matthew Cherrington, 32, of High Street, West Bromwich, and Thomas Ricketts, 37, of Alderton Drive, Wolverhampton, have been remanded in custody and are due at Birmingham Crown Court on 18 February. | The area where a missing woman was last seen is being searched in a suspected murder inquiry. | 30329663 |
Beth French, 36, who had the condition as a teenager, made the crossing in 17 hours, 28 minutes.
The massage therapist from Milverton, Somerset, is believed to be the first person to complete the swim in that direction.
Now she is planning a swim from Gibraltar to Morocco.
Ms French was struck with glandular fever at the age of 10 and diagnosed with ME at 17, when she was forced to use a wheelchair.
After swimming the English Channel in 2012, she went on to complete a 24-hour swim in the Molokai Channel in Hawaii in December 2012.
Speaking after her latest achievement, Ms French said: "I was determined to finish, there was no question of not achieving it.
"I was absolutely gobsmacked when I heard the time, I had expected to do it in 20 hours."
Ms French was observing English Channel rules during the swim, meaning she could not use flippers, a wetsuit or drysuit.
"There was an awful lot of jellyfish," she said. "They stung regularly but not badly. After a while, I managed to ignore them.
"There's not an inch of my body that hasn't been stung."
An estimated 250,000 people in the UK suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome | A woman who was once forced to use a wheelchair because of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), or ME, has swum 26 miles from Cornwall to the Isles of Scilly. | 28444626 |
Both players quit the Super Eagles last October after falling out with former coach Sunday Oliseh.
When Oliseh resigned on Friday Siasia asked the duo to reconsider but they have rejected the idea of a return.
"You can't force them to rescind their decision and we have to respect that." Siasia told BBC Sport.
"I felt they left under a cloudy circumstance. It was only an opportunity for them to reconsider their stance but it appears they've both decided to stick by their retirement.
"Nigeria is blessed with talented footballers and we need to work with those players. We have to live away from the past and focus on a promising future."
Goalkeeper Enyeama retired from international football in October last year when the captaincy was taken away from him by Oliseh.
"I don't want to talk about this issue again. I think my earlier decision [to retire] stands," Enyeama told Lagos-based radio station Brila FM.
Striker Emenike followed Enyeama's lead and quit the Super Eagles a few days later.
Siasia and his assistants Salisu Yusuf and Emmanuel Amunike are expected to finalise and name the country's squad for the game against the seven-time African champions this week.
Siasia refuses to confirm whether China-based Obafemi Martins, and premier league duo Victor Moses and John Mikel Obi still have a Super Eagles future.
"We can't rule out anyone at the moment. The games against Egypt are crucial matches and we are keeping our focus. We need the support of everyone to succeed.
"This is a big task for us and we want to give our best like those players who are prepared to give 120 percent on the field for their country." | Nigeria's interim coach Samson Siasia has given up in his bid to lure keeper Vincent Enyeama and Emmanuel Emenike back from international retirement. | 35706898 |
David Miller, 24, from Jersey, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk were found dead at a beach on the island of Koh Tao last September.
Burmese migrants Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo, both 22, deny killing the pair.
Lawyers for the two men have asked the court to allow the DNA to be re-tested.
The lack of eyewitness accounts has meant DNA profiling has become the most important evidence in the trial.
Earlier this month the Thai police said all the DNA material had been used up in the original testing.
The trial has also heard from the first police officer to reach the scene.
In his evidence he described how the bodies, mostly unclothed, were found a few metres apart.
The defendants, who also deny rape and robbery, were arrested several weeks after the bodies were found.
They are said to have confessed to the crime shortly after the killings but have since retracted their statements.
The investigation has been widely criticised amid allegations of police incompetence and officers from the UK were called in to assist with the case.
The trial is expected to last until October. | DNA evidence could still be re-tested in the case of two British tourists murdered in Thailand, a police forensic expert has told a court. | 33638493 |
The chancellor has announced in his budget that grants for lower income students in England and Wales are to be scrapped from September 2016.
George Osborne said the grants had become "unaffordable".
But as the grant powers are devolved, Stephen Farry has to decide whether to end them in Northern Ireland.
Unlike tuition fee loans and maintenance loans, maintenance grants are means-tested and do not have to be repaid.
In 2015/16, students from families with annual incomes of £19,203 or less get the full grant of £3,475 a year.
However, students from families with annual incomes between £19,203 and £41,065 get a partial grant.
In the most recent figures available, from 2013/14, 60% of students in Northern Ireland received a maintenance grant.
A full maintenance grant was given to 38% of students, and 22% got a partial grant.
In 2012/13, according to assembly figures, the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) spent about £72m on maintenance grants.
The cost to the government is much higher in England.
More than 500,000 students in England receive a maintenance grant from the taxpayer, worth in total £1.57bn a year.
Mr Osborne said the cost of this was set to double to £3bn in the next decade as the cap on student numbers was lifted.
There was a "basic unfairness in asking taxpayers to fund grants for people who are likely to earn a lot more than them", he said.
Instead of a maintenance grant, students in England will be able to take a larger loan to meet their living costs, at £8,200 a year.
The DEL minister will also have to make a decision on whether to follow England's lead in increasing student loan amounts.
In Northern Ireland, students can take a living costs loan worth £3,750 a year if they live at home, and £4,840 if they study away from home, outside London.
Tuition fee loans and maintenance loans only have to be paid back when a student enters employment and is earning over £17,335 a year.
In a statement, a spokesperson for DEL said any changes to the grants in Northern Ireland "would require careful consideration".
"The minister intends to launch the Big Conversation in September, firstly to inform people about the benefits of higher education and how our existing funding system works and differs from other parts of the UK.," the spokesperson said.
"The second stage will discuss the various approaches to creating a sustainable and world class higher education sector in Northern Ireland."
Fergal McFerran, the president of the National Union of Students and the Union of Students in Ireland, said Mr Farry's discussion on higher education funding had to deliver positive results for students.
"If it does not, Northern Ireland risks creating a lost generation who feel they have to move away to access study opportunities and jobs," Mr McFerran added. | No decision has been made on whether to scrap university maintenance grants in Northern Ireland, the minister for employment and learning has said. | 33446735 |
The branches to close are in Antrim, Castlereagh, Draperstown, Belleek, Castlederg, Newtownards, Maghera and Donegall Square South, Belfast.
Bank of Ireland closed nine other Northern Ireland branches in January 2013.
The bank said there would be no compulsory redundancies and staff would have the opportunity for redeployment.
It said the branches did not do sufficient business to sustain them in the long-term.
The bank will have 28 branches in Northern Ireland after the closures.
It is understood the closure of the Bank of Ireland branch in Belleek, County Fermanagh, will mean there is no longer any bank in the village.
Bridie Gormley, chairperson of Belleek Chamber of Commerce, said the news had come as a "huge shock" and would mean a "round trip" of up to two and a half hours for those people who wanted to bank at a branch.
"That's not feasible and the people of Belleek will not sit back and take this easily," she said. We will fight it to the bitter end
"We need a bank in this town. It's a service we cannot do without."
John Campbell, BBC News NI business editor
All of Northern Ireland's 'big four' banks have been closing branches in response to customers moving online and to cut costs.
Branches are an increasingly unloved part of retail banking - at least among the people who run banks.
They have chunky fixed costs, such as rent and rates, and the number of customers using them has tumbled as more banking moves online.
One senior banker told me he sees the future of branches as being a bit like car show rooms.
In other words there won't be many of them and the typical customer will venture into them only once every few years.
The Donegall Square branch premises will become the bank's first 'enterprise lounge' in Northern Ireland.
It will offer entrepreneurs and business start-ups free facilities and services.
The Financial Services Union said the move was "regrettable and irresponsible."
"The decision to close branches is not taken lightly, and we understand that it will be disappointing for those customers who use them," the bank's Sean Sheehan said.
"A key priority will be to ensure customers understand the alternative arrangements available, and to maintain continuity of customer service." | Bank of Ireland is to close eight branches in Northern Ireland and make up to 54 staff redundant. | 36842857 |
Marnie Brace was born on 10 May with a "very severe" heart problem which doctors believe may be due to a rare genetic condition.
Her parents have been told her only hope is a heart transplant, a complex and risky procedure with no guarantees.
The thought of the operation "scares me to death", her mother Amy told the BBC.
She said "the call" often comes at night and that "it is such a serious, major operation... it could be our last moments with her."
Marnie was born in at the Evelina children's hospital in London after scans revealed a problem with her heart.
She was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a thickening of the heart walls, and is suspected of having a genetic condition called Noonan's syndrome.
After the birth, she struggled to gain weight and had to be fed through a tube.
Then at 14 weeks, her heart failed and it was confirmed she needed a transplant.
The family have been told she would be only the second baby with her condition to undergo the procedure.
"We are living one day at a time," Amy said. "We are very positive people but we have our down moments when we struggle."
Amy and her husband Nick, from Eastbourne, are living close to the hospital in Ronald McDonald accommodation with their son Jonah, 20 months.
"Without their support, I really don't know how we would have coped," Amy said.
Family friend Sarah Barton has started a Just Giving page to raise funds for the family while they support Marnie.
She said: "The doctors have told them to anticipate a wait of about 12 months - that's if she lasts that long."
She added: "Another baby has to die, that's the tragedy of it. It's so traumatic losing a child and people aren't prepared for it.
"Parents don't think about putting their baby on the organ donor register.
Amy wants people to "have a conversation about organ donation" before they find themselves in that situation.
"One of those people could end up saving Marnie," she said. | The mother of a seriously ill 19-week-old girl has spoken of the "terrifying" wait for a donor heart. | 37454900 |
The document, presented by Jordan, calls for a deal within one year and Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories by the end of 2017.
Jordan has indicated it will not seek a quick vote, allowing further talks and a possible bid to secure US support.
The US has vetoed previous resolutions it considers hostile to Israel.
The text of the draft says a negotiated solution should be based on several parameters including the boundary between Israel and the West Bank that existed before the 1967 Six Day War, security agreements, and "Jerusalem as the shared capital of the two states".
It urges both parties "to abstain from any unilateral and illegal actions, including settlement activities, that could undermine the viability of a two-state solution".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sought reassurances that the US - Israel's ally - would block any efforts to adopt the resolution.
Palestinian officials say their new initiative at the UN's most powerful body marks a "strategic shift" in the way they're dealing with Israel.
Earlier this week, former negotiator Mohammed Shtayyeh told journalists that armed struggle and more than 20 years of on-and-off bilateral talks had failed to secure an independent Palestinian state. "Now we are going in a completely different direction, which is the internationalisation of the issue," he said.
When a resolution is submitted, the 15-member Security Council can vote on it after 24 hours. But diplomats suggest there could be days or weeks of negotiations on this text. Nine votes are needed to adopt a resolution, which would then force the United States, Israel's closest ally, to decide whether to veto it.
Israel's Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, has described the Palestinian effort as a "gimmick". He said it would not hasten a peace deal because "without Israeli consent, nothing will change".
Earlier this week, US Secretary of State John Kerry met chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat in London over the proposed timetable.
Mr Kerry said the US had made "no determinations about language, approaches, specific resolutions, any of that".
Another draft resolution, being put together by France, would call for a return to talks on a final treaty with the aim of achieving a two-state solution to the conflict within two years.
It does not mention an Israeli withdrawal, but does lay out some of the parameters of a permanent peace deal.
Direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians brokered by the US collapsed in April.
A previous draft of a Palestinian proposal that was circulated informally to the security council in October called for an end to Israeli occupation of Palestinian land by November 2016. However, the US and others found the text unacceptable. | A draft resolution setting out a Palestinian timetable for a peace deal with Israel has been submitted to the UN Security Council. | 30527476 |
The Scottish team of Aileen Neilson, Rob McPherson, Gregor Ewan and Hugh Nibloe trailed 5-4 going into the last two ends before scoring three and two to claim a 9-5 victory.
Norway took gold with an 8-3 victory over Russia in the final.
The eventual champions beat Scotland 7-3 in Saturday's earlier semi-final. | Scotland won bronze after coming from behind to beat China at the World Wheelchair Curling Championship in South Korea. | 39241440 |
Iain Dale and anti-nuclear campaigner Stuart Holmes tussled as Mr Dale tried to get Mr Holmes's banner out of shot during a live television interview.
Mr Dale went to Brighton police station on Tuesday where he was questioned about a possible offence of assault.
Mr Holmes has also been interviewed on suspicion of common assault.
The Labour Party is currently in Brighton for its annual conference.
The confrontation was filmed by members of the media covering the arrival of Mr McBride, who was being interviewed by ITV's Daybreak programme when it broke out.
Mr Dale, of Biteback Publishers, who is due to return to Brighton police station on Thursday, wrote on his blog: "In some ways I have committed the cardinal sin of becoming the story myself, rather than my author.
"Anyone who has seen the pictures and video can see that there was no real violence," said Mr Dale, who is better known as a political blogger.
"I certainly didn't hurt the guy. He threw a punch at me but missed, and the only injury was when the man's dog bit him on the bum."
The men separated and dusted themselves down before Mr Holmes, a familiar face to conference-goers for 30 years, again tried to edge his way into view of the cameras.
Mr Holmes said that when he spotted the cameras, he had assumed they were for party leader Ed Miliband, whom he was keen to confront.
He said Mr McBride had seen his placard and appeared "happy with it".
"I was not ruining the interview, I was just in the background. I was not saying anything.
"Then this giant of a guy turned up and grabbed hold of me. I struggled free and in the process we ended up on the floor."
He said he would be talking to his lawyers next month but was unlikely to take the matter further.
Sussex Police said Mr Dale had been questioned about his version of events.
Det Sgt Stephen French said: "A man was exercising his right to protest in a public place when this incident took place.
"A man has been interviewed in relation to an offence of common assault and is due to attend Brighton police station again on Thursday." | The publisher of ex-Labour spin doctor Damian McBride has been questioned by police following a scuffle on Brighton seafront. | 24237575 |
President Abdirahman Farole obtained the vote of 32 MPs, compared with the 33 of his rival, Abdiweli Ali Gas.
Mr Farole said he accepted defeat, saying the peaceful election was a model for the rest of Somalia.
MPs elects the president in Puntland, once the main base of Somali pirates.
Many of the pirates, who seize ships off the East African coast for ransom, have retreated to the south because of a government crackdown on them, says BBC Somalia analyst Mary Harper.
But the southern-based militant Islamist group al-Shabab is increasingly operating in Puntland, which is believed to be rich in oil reserves, posing a major security challenge to the incoming president, she says.
In December, Puntland officials blamed al-Shabab for a car bomb attack that killed seven people in the port city of Bossasso.
Mr Gas - who studied at several US universities, including Harvard - beat Mr Farole in the third round in which one ballot was spoilt giving him the 33-32 victory margin, local media reports.
Neither got a clear majority in the first two rounds.
Mr Gas becomes the fourth president of Puntland, which is far more stable than other parts of Somalia.
Mr Farole, who was president for five years, congratulated him on his victory, saying the election had been conducted in a "civilized" way.
"Puntland has shown the rest of Somalia and the world that the democratic culture is alive and well here and this is what must guide us as we rebuild our country," he added.
Mr Gas, the prime minister of Somalia in an interim administration from June 2011 to October 2012, said he welcomed the fact that Mr Farole had accepted defeat with "great dignity".
It is rare for East African leaders to step down without challenging election results.
As a former Somali prime minister, Mr Gas may be more willing than his predecessors to work with the UN-backed government in Mogadishu which is trying to unite Somalia after years of civil war, our correspondent says.
In August, Mr Farole said he had suspended co-operation with the federal government, accusing it of adopting a "defective" constitution.
The UN special envoy to Somalia, Nicholas Kay, welcomed Mr Gas's victory, saying Puntland was "leading the way on the development of a federal Somalia". | A US-trained economist has been elected the new president of Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland after defeating the incumbent by one vote, official results show. | 25651249 |
Media playback is not supported on this device
On Friday, Moyes made his first public appearance since succeeding the retired Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford - and Rooney's future was at the top of the agenda.
"Wayne Rooney is not for sale. He's a Manchester United player and will remain a Manchester United player. Wayne won't be sold by Manchester United," the former Everton boss said.
Moyes, however, refused to say whether Rooney had expressed a desire to stay.
Ferguson said the 27-year-old striker had asked to leave at the end of last season - although Rooney is believed to contest Ferguson's suggestion he wanted to quit United.
Moyes explained he had spoken to Rooney, who has been linked with Arsenal and Chelsea, "several times" since being appointed.
"Whatever happened before has gone now," insisted the new United boss.
"We are working together now. I have seen a glint in his eye, he looks happy and looks as if he is going to knuckle down."
Moyes said Rooney's meeting with Ferguson "was a private meeting between two people".
"I was not privy to it," added Moyes. "I don't know what those two gentlemen said. That conversation was private and as far as I am concerned I'm looking forward to working with Wayne."
And Moyes declared all his efforts were now going into improving Rooney's condition and form for club and country, with the player hoping to figure for England at the World Cup in Brazil next summer.
The Scot added: "We are working and trying everything to get Wayne to the level where everybody can benefit. I can tell you categorically Wayne is training fantastically well."
United captain Nemanja Vidic, sitting alongside Moyes at his introductory news conference, added: "Wayne has trained really well and is in the best shape for the last five years."
Moyes refused to be drawn on transfer moves for United old boy Cristiano Ronaldo and Everton's Leighton Baines after having a £12m bid rejected for the England left-back.
Moyes said: "I will never speak about players at other clubs. I think it's wrong. But this club is always interested in the best players." | Manchester United's new manager David Moyes has started his reign by insisting unsettled striker Wayne Rooney will not be sold. | 23201543 |
The play, the first in a trilogy penned by Wesker, follows a Jewish family living in London's East End.
It originally premiered at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry in 1958, transferring to the Royal Court in the same year.
The new revival will be directed by Artistic Director Dominic Cooke.
Cooke, who is behind the award-winning production of Clybourne Park, previously won two Olivier awards for The Crucible at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.
Actress Samantha Spiro will star as matriarch Sarah Khan - a woman struggling to keep her family together against the backdrop of 20 years of political turbulence.
Spiro recently won the Best Female Comedy Breakthrough award for her part in the BBC One sitcom Grandma's House.
The theatre has also announced the launch of the Harold Pinter Playwright's Award.
The award, granted by Pinter's widow, Lady Antonia Fraser, will fund a new annual commission at the Royal Court, with the inaugural award set to be announced later this year.
Chicken Soup with Barley will open at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs on Friday 3 June. | Arnold Wesker's acclaimed play Chicken Soup with Barley is returning to London's Royal Court Theatre after more than 50 years. | 12328647 |
About 180 apartments in Amsterdam have been given special makeovers which suit the wishes of Muslim residents. Features include individual taps that can be used for ritual cleansing before prayers and sliding doors to keep men and women apart.
Some right-wing politicians have been stirring up public opposition, warning that anyone asking for such modifications should "leave for Mecca".
From the outside, the apartments look no different from other social housing blocks in the residential area of Bos and Lommer, in the less opulent western reaches of the capital.
Aynur Yildrim gives a tour of her home with the enthusiasm of an inspired estate agent. In the bathroom she bends to reveal the lowered water point - a modification that, in some variation, might equally exist in non-religious homes. But it is the perceived religious aspect of these changes that has made them so controversial.
And it is in the tidy kitchen that the distinction is most striking, as Ms Yildrim shows off the sliding doors.
"I wanted a closed kitchen, in order to be able to close the kitchen off now and then for a bit more privacy. Sometimes we like to be separated, the women on one side and the men on the other."
Wim de Waard of the housing association Eigen Haard insisted that the changes were "absolutely not religiously inspired - they are just practical adaptations". The adaptations followed consultations with local residents, including Muslim groups.
Mr de Waard stressed that apartments were not reserved for Muslims - homes were assigned on the basis of rank on the waiting list, size of household and income.
For many Dutch people, living in a historically tolerant and liberal country, the idea of separating men and women has led to some criticism that these buildings are effectively condoning some kind of gender inequality.
The controversial anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders accused the Dutch authorities of subsidising a "medieval gender apartheid".
He has publicly prophesied about an impending "ghettoisation" of Dutch neighbourhoods - not unusually strong words from a man who once appeared in court for his strident rhetoric. Mr Wilders was cleared of inciting religious hatred two years ago.
After a poor performance in recent parliamentary elections, Mr Wilders may be angling to woo immigration-conscious right-wing voters again with his strong, headline-grabbing statements. Recent opinion polls suggest that if there were to be an election tomorrow, his Freedom Party (PVV) would win.
A Dutch property developer and PVV supporter said he was "shocked" by the "halal homes" concept.
"It's a ridiculous idea, I thought it was a joke," he complained.
"It turns into reality. The rules of the Koran are discrimination, it is stimulating discrimination. It's taking us back to medieval times."
"These immigrants are from lower social classes, they're not educated, they're bringing those values to our Dutch society - the opposite should happen, they should adapt to our modern and free values.
We should teach them to integrate. This is backwards. What if it were on buses? If we were to separate men and women on buses it would be like discrimination again, here in the Netherlands. It's crazy. I can't believe it. It frightens me."
But many residents in the area seem to accept that what their neighbours do in the privacy of their own homes is entirely up to them.
Tess Duijghuisen lives in the same block and said: "A lot of new people arrived here lately, a lot of young people like me, so trust me, there's no problem of ghettoisation.
"And there are a lot of exchanges between people from all nationalities, which makes life much nicer here."
On internet forums, some users have made light of the renovations, with comments such as, "I believe in the power of disco, please can I have a disco ball built into my apartment?"
When I asked Dutch followers on Twitter why the opposition, they told me "it's wrong that inequality should be subsidised by tax money" and that another country's traditions "may be offensive to others".
It is a debate over the public versus private spaces. When the public purse is used to part-fund modifications, which many see as the religious antithesis of traditional Dutch society, conflict emerges.
Public funding is actually in the form of a guarantee, the housing association says. Yet it is still perceived as a subsidy.
The housing association says the complex is completely mixed, that the homes have been renovated to improve their "rentability" and that it is just trying to keep everyone happy. Many would argue that that is a tough ambition to fulfil - whether in religion, politics or our private lives. | Renovations in Amsterdam apartments - nicknamed "halal homes" in the press - have sparked a political row in the Netherlands. | 20679558 |
It said 1,000 customers were now using a G.fast connection, which can reach speeds of 500Mbps.
G.fast lets copper cables carry data at faster speeds than before.
In the UK, BT's Openreach has been trialling G.fast technology, but customers can not yet buy packages.
Openreach has been installing the fibre optic cables that facilitate superfast broadband across the UK, but has so far focused on connecting street cabinets rather than homes.
For most broadband customers, the internet is still piped from the exchange into homes via the copper network.
That means people who live closer to the street cabinet enjoy faster internet speeds.
This set-up is known as fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) - as opposed to the faster fibre to premises (FTTP).
G.fast is designed to speed up the internet by transmitting data at a higher frequency than existing broadband.
It can also bring fibre distribution points closer to homes than the street cabinets, for example, with installations on telegraph poles or in manholes.
Openreach told the BBC that the UK's first G.fast connections would be enabled in November for a small number of homes.
It said 140,000 homes and businesses would be capable of connecting by March 2017 and 10 million by the end of 2020.
However, it will be down to internet service providers to advertise and sell ultrafast connections.
Research by news site thinkbroadband.com suggests more than 91% of UK homes and businesses already have access to a "superfast" connection - with speeds greater than 30Mbps - while more than 50% have access to an "ultrafast" (over 100Mbps) connection.
While Openreach is rolling out G.fast to its street cabinets, a continuation of its FTTC approach, Swisscom said it was hoping to install distribution points within 200m of homes.
"The layout of the existing Swisscom network makes it a little easier to launch. With existing manholes in streets, which are ideally suited for the deployment of these weather-proof units, roll-out should be swift," said thinkbroadband.com's Andrew Ferguson.
Swisscom said its service had launched after four years of development with Chinese technology giant Huawei.
"We believe Swisscom are the first to announce a full retail package," said Mr Ferguson. | Switzerland is the first country in Europe to deliver so-called ultrafast broadband to customers through traditional copper infrastructure, according to service provider Swisscom. | 37705435 |
In the five years before his death in the Piccadilly Line Tube blast on 7 July 2005, the 37-year-old had been supporting his wife through cancer.
"He was absolutely amazing during this terrible time, and my love and respect for him grew to new heights," Catherine Johnson said in a statement read out at the inquest into his death.
Adrian Johnson grew up in Skegby, Notts, where he attended St Andrew's primary school.
He then went to Quarry Dale comprehensive, where he met his future wife at the age of 15.
"I knew from the very beginning that Adrian would be the father of my children and we were together from them on until his death," she said.
The couple married in 1991, and had two children, Christopher and Rebekah. They lived in Sutton-in-Ashfield, in Nottinghamshire.
"Adrian was always a gentle and kind soul and little did we know our lives would be somewhat tested during the next few years," Mrs Johnson said.
"I was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in late 2000, which unfortunately spread to my lymph glands.
"Not only was this a physical challenge for Adrian, as he took on my role whilst I was in and out of hospital, but it was an emotional rollercoaster for him, looking after a very young family and trying to come to terms with the potential threat of being a single parent.
"It was so ironic that I would lose Adrian. We were saving a bottle of champagne to celebrate my five-year milestone in 2006, but I could not bring myself to drink it alone."
A sports enthusiast, he enjoyed golf, played hockey at county level and was a lifelong supporter of Mansfield Town Football Club.
Mr Johnson's job as product technical manager for Burberry took him all over Europe and he generally spent three weeks out of four in Italy and the remaining week in London at the company's base in Haymarket.
But in the week of the bombings, he broke with routine and left his London hotel to see his family in Nottinghamshire.
He was just returning to work in London on 7 July 2005 when he was caught up in the rush-hour attacks, as the Tube train approached Russell Square.
Shortly after his death, Elaine Whittle, who worked with Adrian at Burberry, said: "He was a wonderful, kind, and professional man who had a wonderful sense of humour. He will leave a huge void in his family's life and my heart goes out to them."
Nearly £40,000 was raised for the Adrian Johnson memorial trust to help 56 children severely affected by the London bombings and the attacks on the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh just over two weeks later.
At the inquest, Catherine Johnson concluded: "We are all proud to have known him and there is now a huge void that cannot ever be filled." | A rock to his family through good times and bad, Adrian Johnson's main ambition in life was to see his family comfortable and stable and watch his children grow up. | 12010693 |
Media playback is not supported on this device
Last season, Danny Cowley was a PE teacher and the part-time manager of Braintree Town.
This weekend, with his Lincoln City side sitting comfortably at the top of the National League, the 38-year-old continues a remarkable burgeoning managerial career by leading his team out in the last eight of the FA Cup against Arsene Wenger's 12-time winners Arsenal.
Alongside his brother and assistant manager Nicky, Cowley has overseen FA Cup victories over Championship clubs Ipswich Town and Brighton, as well as top-flight Burnley.
"Hard work. Relentless hard work," was the response from Cowley when asked about the recipe for his success.
But there's a bit more to it than that. BBC Sport has pulled out Cowley's stellar statistics and compared them with the biggest names in the game.
Under Cowley, Lincoln's league record in the National League has been remarkable this season, winning 22 of 34 games, losing six, and scoring 67 goals while conceding just 32.
His win percentage of 64.71%, while of course achieved in a different league played at a very different standard, stands up impressively against the elite of the Premier League, with only Antonio Conte having a better success rate this term.
And if you take into consideration Cowley's past two seasons - having taken part-timers Braintree to third in the National League and the play-offs, he trumps any Premier League boss to have managed in the top flight across the past two seasons.
Given their record over the past 19 months, it will come as no surprise that the Cowley brothers have accrued a standout points-per-game average - in fact their average of 1.9 points per game for the past two seasons is bettered by no Premier League manager.
And only Conte has a better points average this season, with 2.4 to the Cowleys' 2.10.
One for Lincoln City fans to savour.
With victories over Ipswich and Brighton in the FA Cup, the Imps have beaten more Championship clubs in 2017 than actual Championship teams Rotherham and Bristol City.
And they've beaten the same number of Championship clubs in 2017 as have Championship teams Ipswich, Wolves and Birmingham City.
If Lincoln had picked up points in their FA Cup draw with Ipswich and subsequent wins over Town and Brighton, they would have three more points than Rotherham have picked up in their 12 games in 2017.
By reaching the quarter-finals, Cowley and his side became the first non-leaguers to go into the last eight since QPR in 1914 - a year before Woolwich Arsenal filed the paperwork to change their name to plain Arsenal.
In that time, the Gunners have won 13 top-flight league titles, 12 FA Cups, two League Cups and a European Cup Winners' Cup.
In short - Lincoln's achievement is a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Over the same period, Lincoln have won the old Division Three North three times, League Two once and the National League once - as well as 38 Lincolnshire Senior Cup titles.
Lincoln have been throwing around cup upsets like confetti this season - and none were as impressive as beating top-flight Burnley in the fifth round.
The Clarets were a mammoth 81 places higher than the National League leaders at the time of the match.
Ipswich, Lincoln's third-round victims, were 59 places higher and Brighton, the highly fancied Championship promotion chasers, were 71 places higher when they were vanquished in the fourth round.
Lincoln, the 93rd-ranked team in English football, have knocked out teams with an average position of 23rd on the ladder since the third round - 70 spots above their current standing.
Of the remaining quarter-finalists, only Manchester City (average position of opponents 18th) and Millwall (13th) have had tougher runs from the third round in terms of how high their opponents are ranked.
In their FA Cup wins over Ipswich, Brighton and Burnley, Lincoln have scored five goals from only eight shots on target.
That's a 62.5% conversion of shots on target.
Compare that with this weekend's opponents Arsenal, who have put nine goals past their last three FA Cup opponents, but from 19 attempts on target.
That's a 47.4% conversion percentage.
Put simply, Lincoln have been converting almost two of every three shots on goal, whereas Arsenal have been putting away just under half of their on-target efforts.
Could that give Cowley's men hope on Saturday?
Wenger's trophy haul in the past five years consists of two FA Cups (2014 and 2015).
Danny Cowley has collected four pieces of silverware in that time - although they are the slightly less illustrious Ryman Premier play-offs (2013), the Ryman League Cup (2013) and the Essex Senior Cup (2014 & 2015), all with Concord Rangers.
Analysis, BBC Lincolnshire's Rob Makepeace
Danny Cowley and his brother Nicky are a breath of fresh air when it comes to football management. Approachable, open and honest are qualities you don't always see in managers - but these two have it in abundance.
Their attention to detail is obsessive. Whether it's Arsenal or Altrincham, the pair watch as many games as is physically possible in the time allowed and then share their knowledge with the squad in a video analysis session the day before the game.
It's exactly the same when it comes to signing a player - they'll look at every detail not just of his skills on the pitch but his personality off it.
They believe a team is a team. No one player is better than any other and whether it's a win or a loss, they all hold their hands up together and take the blame or the praise. | Top of the league, an FA Cup quarter-final and a trip to Premier League giants Arsenal - not bad for your first season in full-time management. | 39208586 |
An image has been issued of the rider who was at an "unauthorised motorbike meet" at which a crash in Corringham left a woman needing her leg amputated.
Det Insp Scott Egerton, of Essex Police, said the crashed bike was seen being loaded into a van with "Essex Vehicle Hire" on the side.
"This was a really serious crash at an unauthorised motorbike meet," he said.
"We need to identify those people pictured, locate them and speak to them. I also want to locate the bike and the van.
"A number of people at this event were wearing black hooded tops with a white logo on the back. I am keen to identify what that logo is, what it refers to, and if it identifies a group they belong to." | A man who rode a moped while standing up on its seat in Essex is being hunted by police. | 40309889 |
The decision came after surveyors found that Parliament's Clock Tower - better known as Big Ben - was leaning.
The House of Commons Commission said officials would conduct an investigation into how repairs could be carried out, but no decisions would be taken until the next Parliament.
But it stressed that the Palace remained "structurally sound".
The Clock Tower, housing the bell which is called Big Ben, was completed in 1859.
Since then a five-storey car park and the Jubilee underground line have been constructed.
In October, Prof John Burland, a construction expert from Imperial College London who oversaw the building of the car park, said the tower was leaning, but it would not be a major concern for at least 10,000 years.
The Palace of Westminster is also suffering from cracking.
Prof Burland told the BBC on Monday the tower was "moving incredibly slowly and always has done so and there really is no immediate danger at all".
He added: "There's no such thing as an old building that isn't cracked. In fact they're beneficial because the building moves thermally more than is caused by the Jubilee Line and the movements concentrated around the cracks and, if they didn't, there'd be cracking elsewhere."
At its monthly meeting, the House of Commons Commission agreed that officials from both Houses should conduct an initial study, lasting about a year, into the necessary renovations.
Any subsequent work agreed upon after the next general election in 2015 would not begin before 2020 at the earliest.
It said in a statement: "The commission also wished to state that, contrary to some recent speculation, the Palace of Westminster remains structurally sound and that while the Clock Tower (commonly referred to as Big Ben) has a very slight tilt, this is not causing structural problems and has not changed since the statement made in October."
It is not the first time there have been problems with Big Ben, which stands at 96m (315ft) tall.
In 1976 pendulum weights fell down a shaft and the clock mechanism exploded, putting it out of action for almost nine months.
Although the tilt is nothing like as pronounced as that of the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, it can still be spotted by the naked eye - just.
Prof Burland said: "If you stand in Parliament Square and look towards it, you can just see that it moves very slightly to the left, but I wouldn't put any political slant on that."
He added: "I calculated that it would take 10,000 years to reach the inclination of the Leaning Tower of Pisa."
In the Commons on Monday, Conservative MP Robert Halfon raised a point of order asking "whether or not to buy our life jackets" because Parliament may be sinking into the Thames.
In reply, Speaker John Bercow said: "I have never regarded you as an inveterate worrier. As you can see, I am not worried." | Renovation work on the Palace of Westminster will not begin until at least 2020, an MPs' committee has said. | 16677456 |
SoCal Gas said it was deeply sorry for what happened and is working to stop the leak, though it could take weeks.
It says the gas being pumped into the atmosphere, which includes methane, is not a threat to public safety.
"I wouldn't term it that," Mike Mizrahi of SoCal Gas told the BBC, when asked if it was an environmental catastrophe.
The leak began in October in a vast underground storage field in Porter Ranch, on the outskirts of Los Angeles.
The company hopes to fix it by late March.
On Wednesday California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency and called for "all necessary and viable actions" to stop it.
More than 10,000 people have been moved from their homes and many people have reported nausea and headaches.
A further estimated 7,000 are now in the evacuation process, according to SoCal Gas.
How did the leak start?
A broken injection-well pipe about 500 ft (152.4m) below the surface is thought to be to blame.
Why hasn't it been fixed?
Repair work has been slow due to the nature of the leak.
What might the environmental effect be?
Methane - the main component of natural gas - is a very strong greenhouse gas, capable of trapping solar radiation in the atmosphere.
The BBC's Matt McGrath says the large amounts of powerful gas that are leaking could have a significant impact on climate change.
What's behind California's 'health catastrophe'?
"We're anticipating by late February to late March somewhere in that time frame we will be able to intercept the well at about 8700 feet" and stop the leak, Mr Mizrahi said.
He said they regret the leak but "can't verify the amount of gas" that has come from it.
"We feel terrible about this. These are our neighbours and our apology is sincere and heartfelt and we are doing everything we can to meet the needs of our residents."
The stench comes and goes but when the wind is blowing in the wrong direction, the fumes can be overwhelming.
Residents of this smart, gated-community about 30 minutes from downtown Los Angeles are literally sick of it.
SoCal Gas insists the gas leaking from Aliso Canyon in the hills above the town does not pose an "imminent threat to public safety," but people here are still worried - about their health and the impact on the environment.
Residents have complained of nausea, nosebleeds and worse, with some saying they were so sick they had to go to hospital. They point out cars, outdoor furniture and houses which have been marked with brown, oily spots.
There is a feeling here that the leak has not been taken as seriously as other environmental disasters because the gases are invisible to the naked eye.
The declaration of a state of emergency may be welcome but here in Los Angeles many people say it has come far too late.
Tim O'Connor, a lawyer with the Environmental Defense Fund, has called it "an environmental and public health catastrophe," said .
"In terms of timelines this is going to surpass the gulf oil problem by a mile."
It's the same amount of pollution as 4.5 million cars put out every day, he said. | The company behind a massive gas leak in California has denied it is responsible for an environmental catastrophe. | 35257861 |
Publisher DC Thomson has introduced a paywall on the website of its daily publication.
Readers will be able to access three articles per month before being asked for registration details.
They can read seven free articles per month before the paywall, available in four packages, becomes active.
Courier editor Richard Neville said the paywall "placed value" on the publication's editorial content.
Mr Neville said: "The website has been designed to offer our readers instant access to news from their area, as and when they want it.
"The paid-for platform will provide exclusive content as it enables our editorial team to give updates on news stories as they break and develop.
"The subscription paywall helps us, like many publishers, to diversify our revenue streams.
"We are placing value on our editorial content and we believe users will be prepared to pay for this."
Mr Neville said the newspaper was "still a central focus" and the website would "continue to complement" the print edition.
The Courier celebrated its 200th anniversary in September.
Dundee-based DC Thomson has two existing subscription sites, the Press and Journal, and Energy Voice.
The company's head of digital, Kirsten Morrison, said: "The Courier's decision to implement a paywall is multi-faceted but is primarily focused on delivering a better user experience.
"Capturing what our users are consuming on site, and appending that to an email address, means we can deliver web and email personalisation to give our readers a better digital experience across our publishing network." | The Courier newspaper website is limiting the number stories that can be accessed online without a subscription. | 37907891 |
LifeScan Scotland makes products for the treatment of diabetes and currently employs 1,100 people in Inverness.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) is supporting the company with an investment of £1.85m, which will support more than 600 jobs.
The products include meters and software so people can self-monitor their blood glucose levels.
Confirming the HIE contribution to the plans, Finance Secretary Derek Mackay said: "LifeScan is a global leader in diabetes research and a great example of an innovative company that is benefiting from what Scotland has to offer as an attractive location for global life sciences companies.
"The continued investment in Scotland by LifeScan and the contribution from HIE is testament to our thriving life sciences industry and its position as a key growth sector for the Scottish economy and proof of the skill and value of the Scottish workforce."
There are more than 70 life sciences organisations operating in the Highlands and Islands, with the sector worth an estimated £131.1m.
LifeScan Scotland is part of the Johnson & Johnson family of companies. | Scotland's largest life sciences company is to invest £8.7m in its newest technology. | 37100899 |
Horizon Nuclear Power (HNP) secured the purchase of the land near the proposed Wylfa B site at auction in 2009.
The transaction was subject to a number of conditions which its says have now been resolved.
"Taking title to the land is one of the key steps required for us to be able to develop a new power station on the Wylfa site," said HNP.
As a result of the completion of the purchase, land within the government boundary for permanent nuclear buildings transfers into Horizon's ownership from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and energy firm EdF.
Alan Raymant, HNP chief operating officer, said the purchase marked a milestone in Horizon's development of new nuclear power station at Wylfa.
"The UK government designated the National Policy Statement on nuclear energy earlier in the year and this has cleared the way to completing the agreement," he explained.
The completion also means work can start on the appearance of some of the properties on the site, said HNP.
Alan Smith, HNP head of site development, said: "We'll now put a programme in place to deal with empty boarded-up properties, which we know some local people have had concerns about."
Mr Smith said the firm needed to make sure it properly managed any wildlife issues, such as relocating roosting bats, but he expected some of the buildings to be taken down in the near future.
"We'll make sure local people are kept informed in advance of any works," he added.
Horizon is bringing forward plans to develop up to 3.3 GW (gigawatt) of new nuclear capacity at Wylfa, with the first unit scheduled to come online around 2020.
The UK government confirmed in June a list of eight sites it deemed suitable for new power stations by 2025, including the site for Wylfa B. | The consortium behind a new nuclear power station on Anglesey have completed the purchase of more land. | 15486818 |
Media playback is not supported on this device
Around 90,000 people will pack into Wembley Stadium on Saturday to see IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua attempt to add the vacant WBA belt to his collection when he faces the division's once dominant force Wladimir Klitschko.
A 14-year age gap between the 27-year-old Briton and a fighter he once assisted as a sparring partner means some pundits have styled the bout as apprentice meets master.
But it's Joshua who starts as odds-on favourite. Does he justify that status? BBC Sport asked some familiar faces from the world of boxing about how they see things shaping up and, of course, we want your verdict too.
If you are viewing this page on the BBC News app please visit the BBC Sport website to vote.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Lennox Lewis, the last man to be undisputed heavyweight champion, told BBC Radio 5 live: "Now is the perfect time for Joshua, because Wladimir Klitschko has a chink in his armour in getting beaten by Tyson Fury.
"With the age aspect of Klitschko, he doesn't have the legs, the power that he used to. There are a lot of different factors going on in his life as well.
"I believe Joshua is more focused. Does he want to be undisputed champion? Absolutely."
Did you know? Lewis, Joshua and Klitschko all won Olympic gold but only Joshua and the late Joe Frazier became world champions while still Olympic champion.
Former world super-middleweight champion Richie Woodhall: "Klitschko controls the fight better when people are going to him. He's a master at adjusting his feet and keeping a gap, an absolute master.
"I think the victory for Joshua will come by boxing at a distance and making Klitschko come forward.
"I see Joshua winning the fight in the mid to late rounds, around the seventh or eighth. I think Joshua will stop him eventually and catch him with a solid shot.
"At 41, you have to ask how long Klitschko can go on at this level. It will take a hell of a performance to beat Joshua, who I don't think will come out swinging, but will box intelligently. If he goes wading in, he could walk in to a trap."
Did you know? Joshua has spent less than two hours in the ring as a professional on his way to 18 knockout wins in 18 fights.
Former super-middleweight world champion Carl Froch, who beat George Groves at Wembley Stadium in 2014: "This is Joshua's first real test at world level. This is his acid test and against a veteran who can punch, box and move to survive when he needs to.
"I think Joshua will be nervous. Wembley Stadium will add to those nerves and I don't think they will help him. I don't think he will enjoy it like I did. Purely because there is a lot of pressure on him - he's expected to win and has this massive task.
"He needs to try and enjoy it. They say cometh the hour cometh the man. He really needs to switch on and live up to what everyone expects of him."
Did you know? Joshua's weight of 17st 12lbs is the heaviest of his career to date.
Peter Fury, who trained nephew Tyson to beat Klitschko, told BBC Radio 5 live: "Klitschko probably folds his bed sheets a certain way. So what do you give someone who is a perfectionist? Give him everything he hates. Upset his rhythm, fire shots from all angles.
"I think it's too soon for Joshua. I think his boxing skills leave a lot to be desired. I think he gets hit far too easy, especially with the jab. On a world level you can't be open like that.
"I think a lot of it is inexperience. Ultimately if you've got a leaky defence in the heavyweight division, I don't care if you have dynamite in both hands, you are coming unstuck sooner or later."
Did you know? Klitschko has knocked out 53 of his 68 opponents.
Former two-weight world champion Paulie Malignaggi: "It's a matter of how much Klitschko has left. At his age, it's probably not a good thing to have had a long lay-off. If he has anything left, he can trouble Joshua. The flicking of the jab, following it with the right hand - it can hurt Joshua, who doesn't have a lot of head movement.
"I think Joshua is going to try to take it to Klitschko and be the boss. Joshua will try to counter the jab with his own right hand. In the end, I think youth will be too much, but Klitschko does have that dynamite right hand."
Did you know? Klitschko could become one of the oldest world heavyweight champions, though George Foreman leads the way, capturing the honour aged 45.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Former world heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko told BBC Radio 5 live: "I've never seen my brother so concentrated.
"I want to say that Joshua is a great fighter, and has great skills, but he has never been at such a high level. He looks relaxed, like it will be easy. It will not be.
"Everyone has weaknesses; Wladimir's is his concentration. If he is 100% concentrated, Joshua has no chance. Ask me about speed, power, experience, Wladimir is better."
Did you know? Vitali had three spells as world heavyweight champion. Wladimir has two to his name so far.
Media playback is not supported on this device
BBC Radio 5 live analyst Steve Bunce: "I don't think Joshua can outbox Klitschko. I want to see a little bit of nerves, I want to see him sucking in some air, I want to see some sort of fear. If we don't see that then whisper it, it makes him almost inhuman.
"Can Wladimir look like any of the old Wladimirs? Even a bad old Wladimir should be enough to beat this kid Anthony Joshua. I think an awful lot has been placed on the assumption, the dream, the hope, that Wladimir at 41 has nothing left. If that's not the case then we are in for a tricky night.
"Joshua used his brain at the Olympics. That side of his game is there. Has he enough brain against a decent Klitschko?"
Did you know? Anthony Joshua only took up boxing in 2007, five years prior to his Olympic win. He had athletic pedigree though and ran 11.6 seconds for 100m aged 14.
Media playback is not supported on this device
WBC world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder: "My heart is with Joshua, my mind is with Klitschko. I think experience will play its part. With experience you've seen things before and are more able to capitalise when you face them again.
"Can you pull the trigger? Can your body react as fast as you see it? That's the only thing with Klitschko. Sometimes age is nothing but a number and it's about what's in your head."
Did you know? Klitschko weighed in 5lbs lighter than when he lost to Tyson Fury in 2015.
Promoter Eddie Hearn told BBC Radio 5 live: "There is a chance in this fight Joshua could be completely out of his depth. And there is a chance he goes out there and is the fighter we believe he is and he dismantles Klitschko.
"I love Klitschko because he's a competitor. To tame the young lion would probably be the greatest night of his career.
"If Joshua wins he becomes the biggest star in British sport and in the world of boxing."
Get all the latest boxing news leading up to the Joshua-Klitschko fight, sent straight to your device with notifications in the BBC Sport app. Find out more here. | So much hype, so much on the line, so many opinions. | 39708789 |
The no-result also sent Durham into the last eight at Northants' expense by virtue of their superior run-rate.
After an initial shower, umpires Stephen Gale and Jeff Evans hoped to start a 43-over game at 11:45 BST.
But the rain returned before play could get under way and the match was abandoned in mid-afternoon.
Both sides received one point, with Yorkshire finishing third in Group A and Durham fourth, with the latter's run rate of 0.402 superior to the -0.458 of Northants.
Surrey and Gloucestershire had already qualified from the group, with the quarter-finals set to take place between 25-27 August.
Yorkshire coach Jason Gillespie:
"The weather has worked in our favour, but you always want to play cricket if you can and we would have preferred it to be a nice clear day and to have won the game on merit.
"But you have to make the best of the situation and we are very satisfied to get through to the quarter-finals.
"We always attempt to win every game we play in every competition and we are looking at getting to Lord's and winning the final."
Northants head coach David Ripley:
"We would have gone into the match having won our last three fixtures in the competition which suggests that we are playing good cricket at the right time.
"The forecast was pretty grim from the start of the day and it proved to be right, although going out without playing still feels tough.
"At least we have got the T20 Finals Day to look forward to. We may go into them as underdogs again but we don't mind the tag, just as we didn't (when we won it) two years ago." | Yorkshire progressed to the quarter-finals of the One-Day Cup after their last group game against Northants at Headingley was washed out by rain. | 33968027 |
The envoy, Kyriakos Amiridis, had been missing since Monday.
His body was found in the boot of a burnt-out car on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro on Thursday.
Police suspect Mr Amiridis, 59, was the victim of a "crime of passion". His Brazilian wife, Francoise Amiridis, and a local policeman are being questioned.
Police in Rio are working on the assumption that Mrs Amiridis was having an extramarital affair with the detained policeman and had conspired to kill him, local media reported.
The couple had been living together for 15 years and their daughter is 10 years old, local news programme RJTV reported.
Two other men have been held for questioning. Police initially said they were both implicated in the murder, but they later stated that one of the men was only a witness.
Mr Amiridis served as consul in Rio de Janeiro between 2001 and 2004 and returned to the country as ambassador earlier this year.
He had travelled from Brasilia to the city of Nova Iguacu, north of Rio, to spend the Christmas holidays there with his wife and her parents.
Mrs Amiridis reported her husband missing on Wednesday.
She told police that he had left the flat in the car he had rented on Monday evening without telling her where he was going.
The burnt-out car was found on Thursday under a flyover on one of the main access roads to Rio with a body inside.
The body was burned beyond recognition, but Rio police said it was that of Mr Amiridis.
Investigators also said that they had found blood stains on the sofa in the flat the couple was staying in.
They told local media that they thought Mr Amiridis had been killed in the flat before his body was taken away in his rental car. | Police in Rio de Janeiro have detained the Greek ambassador's wife and two other people on suspicion of involvement in his murder. | 38467304 |
City could secure fourth spot, which they currently occupy, on Tuesday with a win over sixth-placed Whitehawk, as they aim to seal a play-off place.
"We want to finish fourth," Tully told BBC Radio Cornwall.
"We have the players and the capability to do it, but it was one of those days that didn't go right for us."
City face three games in the final week of the season as they catch up following a series of postponements, and Tully believes the extra fixtures might have affected his team.
"We lacked energy in certain areas," he admitted.
"Travelling away, with a long trip on Tuesday and some of the players having to work on Wednesday, it takes time for their bodies to recuperate." | Truro City boss Steve Tully says his side are still good enough to secure fourth place in National League South, despite their 2-0 loss at Basingstoke. | 36129512 |
Emma Louise Baum, 22, was found with a least 20 injuries to her head in Penygroes in July.
David Davies, 25, from Clynnog near Caernarfon, admitted murdering her after a row over access to his child.
Judge Keith Thomas, at Mold Crown Court, told Davies he must serve at least 22 years in prison.
During a three-day special hearing to establish how Davies killed his ex-partner, the court heard he had turned up at her home in the early hours of the morning on 18 July.
She let him in to the house on Llwyndu Road but the pair began bickering over their child and visiting rights.
The killer claimed he retrieved a crowbar from a rabbit hutch at the property and attacked Ms Baum.
"All I remember was walking out with the crowbar to the car... I didn't know I'd killed her. I knew I'd hurt her - but I didn't know she was dead," he said.
But Judge Thomas rejected his account and told him he believed he had arrived at the home armed with the crowbar.
"I'm satisfied that he took a weapon with him to frighten Ms Baum if she didn't give in to his demands," said the judge.
He added Davies had tried to give himself an alibi by returning to his former girlfriend's home and later sending text messaged to her the following morning.
He also said he was satisfied there had been past incidents of violence and threats of violence by Davies towards Ms Baum.
Describing the killing, the judge said the "attack was brutal and sustained and designed to cause maximum harm".
Emma Baum's mother Amanda Williams wept part way through reading her victim impact statement to the court in which she said the murder had been a horrific act which had totally devastated her life and that of her family.
"To think that someone so close to my daughter could do such a thing is unbelievable and totally devastating," she said.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is also investigating the contact North Wales Police had with Ms Baum before the murder.
It is looking into contact with her on three previous occasions since April, and is considering the police response when officers had been called to Ms Baum's home by concerned neighbours shortly after the fatal attack, but left having found "nothing suspicious".
Gwynedd and Anglesey Community Safety Partnership is also carrying out a domestic homicide review. | A man who battered his former girlfriend to death with a crowbar at her Gwynedd home has been jailed for life for her "brutal" murder. | 37934611 |
Higgins faces England's Martin Gould in the first round at the Crucible on Monday.
The Scot won back-to-back titles - the China Championship and the Champion of Champions - earlier this season.
"If he can recreate that, he's in there with a definite shout," Hendry told BBC Scotland.
"He won two tournaments in a row just playing fantastic snooker.
"I was working at one of his victories when he beat Ronnie O'Sullivan at the Champion of Champions and he was back to his best if not better."
Elsewhere in the draw, there is an all-Scottish affair between Anthony McGill and Stephen Maguire, while compatriot and 2006 champion Graeme Dott takes on Ali Carter.
But Hendry, who triumphed a record seven times at the Crucible, believes Scottish hopes of winning the tournament rest on Higgins.
"I would say he's the only Scot with the credentials to win the World Championship," he explained.
Higgins, 41, agrees that he can be a contender if he can produce his best form in Sheffield but admits the tournament is more demanding now than it was earlier in his career.
"If I can play my best stuff, I've got a chance, of course I have, but it's doing that over the 17 days," he said.
"It's natural that, as you get a little bit older, a few more scars in your mind, it's maybe more difficult than 10 years ago to win the event.
"I'll be going there and giving it my best shot."
Mark Selby and Judd Trump are the two men Higgins believes stand out as tournament favourites and he is not taking the challenge of Gould lightly in the opening round.
"He's one of the toughest draws I could have got," added the Scot. "I played him in the final of the Australian Open last year and I just managed to beat him in the deciding frame.
"He's a very attacking player. He likes the big stage and, when he goes to the Crucible, he always acquits himself well. It's a tough game.
"I would place Mark Selby at the top as the man to beat, closely followed by Judd Trump. He's had his best season since he turned professional, really consistent.
"Those two players are on opposite sides and people will say that would be the final that could very well happen.
"But there are a lot of very good players in that draw that could stop that from happening."
Find out how to get into snooker, pool and billiards with our fully inclusive guide.
Sign up to My Sport to follow snooker news and reports on the BBC app. | Stephen Hendry believes that, if John Higgins can find his best form, he is capable of winning the World Championship for a fifth time. | 39591526 |
MPs on the Home Affairs Select Committee are investigating the government's handling of a crackdown on student visa fraud.
And after ministers lost a major test case, the committee chair Yvette Cooper has called on the Home Secretary Amber Rudd to explain "as a matter of urgency" how a backlog of cases will be handled.
Bangladeshi student Sharif Majumder, who was one of tens of thousands accused of having faked a mandatory English language test, won his challenge after the Home Office could not produce crucial evidence.
Mr Majumder was caught up in a crackdown triggered by a Panorama investigation that showed mass cheating at two test centres approved to stage an exam called the Test of English for International Communication or TOEIC.
Undercover footage showed entire classrooms of registered candidates standing aside so their written and oral tests could be done by paid cheats who spoke better English.
The answers were recorded on computer and sent to be marked in the US by a company called ETS, which failed to detect the same voices appearing numerous times under different names.
In a multiple-choice paper, an invigilator was secretly filmed reading out the answers to those sitting the test.
Until the BBC exposed these abuses in 2014, foreign students could use a TOEIC pass to show they had the required standard of English to qualify for a visa.
When the then Home Secretary Theresa May was shown the BBC's footage, she said: "'What Panorama has uncovered is extremely important. It's very shocking and I want to do something about it."
The TOEIC was dropped from the list of exams recognised for visa applications and a criminal investigation was launched.
On Tuesday this week four people who featured in the Panorama programme were convicted of immigration offences and sentenced to between three and eight years in prison.
A fifth person, Chowdhury Baker Habib, pleaded guilty, admitting he had sat the test for others "30 to 40 times".
We can now also report that four other people who were also exposed by Panorama were convicted in May.
Jurors heard evidence that inspectors found spreadsheets with the names of more than 1,000 candidates whose TOEIC exams were faked at the two test centres where the BBC filmed.
In the months after Panorama was broadcast, the government spread the net much more widely to catch others who had obtained visas by deception.
The Home Office and ETS agreed that voice recognition techniques would be used to analyse the database of oral exams submitted electronically from 96 UK test centres.
If ETS computers detected the same voice appearing twice or more, it could indicate cheating.
The electronic result had to be verified by two separate human ETS analysts.
A test result could only be declared "invalid" if the computer and human assessments matched.
ETS subsequently gave the Home Office a list of more than 33,000 TOEIC tests it said were invalid, and declared a further 22,000 were "questionable".
In response, the Home Office curtailed or refused the visas of thousands of students. More than 4,600 people were deported or left Britain.
Sharif Majumder was among those who were accused of cheating and told to leave.
After arriving in Britain in 2005, he had gained a series of qualifications including several passes with distinction in English courses.
In 2012 he sat a TOEIC exam - at a test centre which did not feature in the BBC investigation - in order to extend his visa to study an MBA at the University of West London.
When, in July 2014, he returned to the UK after a trip home, he was stopped at immigration and told he was suspected of cheating.
"I was shattered. I was almost crying," he told the BBC. "At one point I thought they would actually return me back home with the next flight."
He said he eventually persuaded airport immigration officials that he was a genuine student.
Mr Majumder, who vehemently denies cheating, then appealed against the Home Office's decision.
He tried to obtain the voice-matching files that were said to prove he had cheated, but the Home Office and ETS did not hand them over.
Things came to a head in earlier this year when the cases of Mr Majumder and another student, Ihsan Qadir, came to an immigration appeal tribunal.
A forensic voice recognition expert, Dr Philip Harrison, gave evidence that the ETS database of alleged voice matchings could contain mistakes called "false positives" - an incorrect finding that a student had cheated.
If true, this could seriously undermine the Home Office's evidence against Mr Majumder and others accused of cheating.
The president of the Upper Appellate of the Immigration Tribunal, Mr Justice McCloskey, noted that Dr Harrison's evidence contained "a litany of criticisms of the ETS voice recognition testing systems, both automated and human" that he accepted in full.
It also emerged that ETS had refused to provide Mr Majumder's test recording to either the Home Office or the tribunal.
"Almost remarkably, ETS provided no evidence, directly or indirectly to this tribunal," Judge McCloskey noted. "Its refusal to provide the voice recordings of these two appellants in particular is mildly astonishing."
He concluded that the court found Mr Majumder and the other appellant to be "truthful and reliable witnesses" and "the clear winners" in their appeals.
This was a very significant judgement with implications for thousands of other cases, though Judge McCloskey pointed out that each appeal would be sensitive to the facts.
The Home Office was given leave to appeal. But in a landmark judgement last month, the Court of Appeal said that the Home Office's case was "fundamentally misconceived".
In April, following the immigration tribunal, the Home Affairs Select Committee began an inquiry into the government's handling of the English testing allegations.
In June the then Immigration Minister James Brokenshire wrote to the committee: "The investigation into the abuse of ETS English language testing in 2014 revealed systemic cheating which was indicative of an extremely serious, large-scale, organised fraud and was a significant attempt to undermine immigration control."
And the chief operating officer of UK Visas and Immigration, Mike Wells, told the committee: "If an individual wishes to obtain their voice recording then they should approach ETS." He said that ETS had released some voice recordings, but that they had not been required in most cases.
"The courts have consistently found that our standard evidence is sufficient to satisfy the presumption of fraud and therefore that it is not necessary to routinely obtain individual voice recordings to establish this," he wrote in August.
He also said that an independent forensic audio expert had "confirmed that the ETS analysis process was robust and suitably cautious being much more likely to produce false negatives than false positives".
Whatever the true level of fraud in the system, the Home Office now faces a legal headache.
It is already facing some 300 judicial reviews of decisions to cancel students' visas.
Its counsel told the Court of Appeal that the Home Office was minded to concede in some of these cases. But there remains the problem of how to conduct any new appeals from students who have already been deported.
Last week the chair of the Home Affairs Committee, Yvette Cooper, wrote to the Home Secretary Amber Rudd asking her to reveal "as a matter of urgency" what action she intended to take.
"The committee has previously raised concerns regarding the response of the Home Office to the revelation of widespread fraud in the English language testing system. We note that the Home Office recently conceded a key test case and has indicated that it may concede more. People's lives are on hold while awaiting judgement in their cases," Ms Cooper said.
Meanwhile, Mr Majumder - who has spent £30,000 on his legal battle - said the Home Office's actions had deterred genuine students from coming to Britain.
"I think the way they have been treating the TOEIC victims - not giving them the right to challenge the decision and without producing any evidence - is hugely damaging the reputation that Britain has to international students. They think they are not welcome here any more." | The Home Office faces potential legal action from thousands of non-EU students who were deported or told to leave Britain for allegedly using deception in visa applications. | 38236852 |
Channel Nine said Sally Faulkner and its four employees were headed to Beirut's airport to catch a flight.
A judge said they could leave the country after the children's father, Ali Elamine, agreed to drop all "personal" charges against them.
They could face trial in absentia if the "public" charges are not dropped.
Two British men and two Lebanese men also allegedly involved in the attempt to recover the children for Ms Faulkner continue to be detained.
Ms Faulkner says her estranged husband moved their six-year-old daughter Lahala and four-year-old son Noah to Lebanon from Australia last year without her permission - something he denies.
On Wednesday morning, Ms Faulkner and Channel Nine journalist Tara Brown appeared before the judge at a hearing outside the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
Afterwards, lawyers confirmed that a settlement had been agreed in front of the judge that saw Ms Faulkner surrender any claims of custody for Lahala and Noah.
"She will accept that the children will stay with their father," Ms Faulkner's lawyer, Ghassan Moughabhab, was quoted as saying by the Associated Press. "Taking into consideration the Lebanese law, he's in the right."
Mr Elamine told reporters: "We reached a point where it is enough for her [Ms Faulkner] being detained. It is wrong for the children and for her as a mother."
He said he would raise the children in Lebanon and allow Ms Faulkner to visit them, adding: "There's still a bit of tension, but at the end of the day, we have to come to some sort of balanced relation."
The judge, Rami Abdullah, said the state still had to review whether to drop the public charges, but that the Australians would be free to leave Lebanon.
"There is a crime that happened, and everyone has a role in the affair," he added.
Ms Faulkner was charged last Thursday with kidnapping and belonging to a criminal gang. Ms Brown, along with cameraman Benjamin Williamson, sound recorder David Ballment and producer Stephen Rice, were charged with kidnapping, physical assault, hiding information and criminal conspiracy.
The Channel Nine crew allegedly filmed the children being seized as they headed to school in southern Beirut on 6 April with a domestic worker and their paternal grandmother, who says she was knocked to the ground.
CCTV footage shows the children being bundled into a car by several men.
Asked whether he was angry with the TV crew, Mr Elamine said: "They were probably just doing their job, they probably didn't expect it to go that way."
However, Channel Nine reported that Mr Elamine did not want the charges dropped against the two British employees of the UK-based company Child Abduction Recovery International (CARI), Adam Whittington and Craig Michael.
Lebanon, unlike Australia, is not party to the Hague Convention, a treaty designed to ensure the swift return of children abducted internationally by a relative. | The authorities in Lebanon have freed on bail an Australian mother and a TV crew accused of kidnapping two children involved in a custody dispute. | 36090841 |
The Mercedes driver edged one ahead of the seven-time champion with his fifth career win at the Hungaroring on Sunday.
Hamilton said: "When you think that I grew up watching Michael, so to now have had similar, or one more, than he had here is just incredible.
"I wouldn't have [achieved it] without the great people I have worked with."
He paid tribute to both his current team and McLaren, with whom he took three of his four previous wins in Hungary, in 2007, 2009 and 2012.
He also won in his first year with Mercedes in 2013 but before Sunday the team had not claimed victory at the track since the introduction of hybrid engines in 2014.
Hamilton's victory on Sunday was the 48th of his career, which puts him only three behind Alain Prost as the second-most successful driver of all time in terms of wins.
Schumacher, who Hamilton replaced at Mercedes at the end of 2012, has 91.
Schumacher remains in recuperation from severe head injuries suffered in a skiing accident in December 2013.
He has not been seen in public since the injury and the extent of his recovery is unknown. His manager Sabine Kehm said in February that she hoped "one day he will be back with us".
Hamilton's win on Sunday moved him into the lead of the world championship for the first time this year - he now leads team-mate Nico Rosberg by six points, having gained 49 points on the German in the last six races.
Hamilton said: "I honestly feel we are in the strongest position we have been all year in terms of our performance and how unified we are."
Hungarian Grand Prix race results | Lewis Hamilton said it was "incredible" to beat Michael Schumacher's record for wins at the Hungarian Grand Prix. | 36879720 |
It comes amid reports of potential buyers for the plant where thousands of jobs are at risk after Tata Steel said it was selling its UK operations.
The government says it is ready to offer help to secure a purchase.
David Cameron and Carwyn Jones will meet on Tuesday to discuss the situation.
It will come a day after assembly members meet to discuss the crisis during a specially-reconvened debate on Monday.
Mr Jones has called on the UK government to give the British steel industry the same support given banks during the financial crisis.
Writing in The Independent this weekend, Mr Jones said there was "a moral, economic and strategic case" to do the same for steel.
Business Secretary Sajid Javid said the government's plan to save the plant - and industry - was to find a commercial buyer for all of Tata's UK businesses.
Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr show, he said the government's plan to save the plant - and industry - was to find a commercial buyer for all of Tata's UK businesses.
"We're going to also have to offer support to eventually clinch that buyer and to give this steel plant a long-term viable future," he said.
A source close to steel tycoon Sanjeev Gupta, founder of commodities firm Liberty House, confirmed he had been in contact with the government as a possible buyer for the Port Talbot steelworks, which employs 4,100 people and is said to be losing £1m a day.
The source told the BBC the discussions had not been substantive yet, but Mr Gupta is due to arrive in the UK from Dubai this week and would be seeking further talks on the issue.
Tata announced plans last week to sell its loss-making UK plants. Unless a buyer can be found, thousands of jobs are at risk.
The business directly employs 15,000 workers and supports thousands of others and includes plants in Port Talbot, Rotherham, Corby and Shotton.
It also has sites in in Llanwern and Newport, Shotton in Flintshire and Trostre in Llanelli.
German steelmaker ThyssenKrupp has also been touted as another potential buyer, according to the Observer.
Meanwhile, the UK government said all public sector bodies would be required to think about the impact of using foreign steel for construction projects, in a bid to encourage buying British steel.
Ministers have faced criticism for failing to take more action to prevent the "dumping" of cheap Chinese steel - selling it cheaply at a loss - seen as one of the key reasons for the problems in the UK steel industry.
The Welsh Government said a task force was already looking at supporting the steel industry through public sector contracts in devolved areas.
What's going wrong with Britain's steel industry?
Tata Steel UK: What are the options?
Is China to blame for steel woes?
The Welsh Liberal Democrats say there are still questions for the first minister to answer about the Welsh Government's handling of the situation.
They point out that two of the things the steel industry have called for - action on business rates and public sector procurement - are in the hands of Welsh ministers.
A Welsh Conservatives spokesman said: "We are pleased to see that the UK government is taking steps to reform procurement rules to give UK steel a fair chance and that is a step the Welsh Government should also consider, along with offering business rate relief."
Jonathan Edwards, Plaid Cymru MP for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, said: "Wales cannot go on with a government with such abject lack of ambition and which is willing to idly stand by rather than stand up for our vital steel industry."
Mark Reckless of UKIP Wales added: "The government has done next to nothing to save our steel or protect workers in Part Talbot and beyond." | The prime minister and first minister will meet to discuss UK government support for a buyer for Port Talbot steelworks. | 35954982 |
Rashford, 18, was not involved in Manchester United's 3-0 win. He had made a rare start for the Under-21 team at Manchester City two days earlier.
But what happened at the Greenhous Meadow was to have enormous consequences for Rashford, United and, possibly, England.
Will Keane was the unlucky man, forced off 11 minutes from the end, nine minutes after being introduced as substitute.
Without Keane's groin injury, Rashford probably wouldn't even have been on the bench the following Thursday for the Europa League tie with FC Midtjylland.
In that case, there could have been no last-minute call-up after Anthony Martial got injured in the warm-up - so close to kick-off manager Louis van Gaal was left one substitute short for the match - and there would not have been the two debut goals that launched Rashford on an amazing journey that could yet end with a place at Euro 2016.
Of course, Rashford's rise did not really begin as recently as February.
He comes from Wythenshawe, in south Manchester, and was encouraged to join the local Fletcher Moss Rangers boys club by his dad, Robert, who was a coach there.
Pretty quickly, Rashford came to the attention of Manchester United.
"He was eight when he went to the development centre, and came into the academy at nine," said Paul McGuinness, who was a coach within United's academy for 24 years until his departure in February.
"The talent was obvious. There are late developers but quite often, if you are going to be the best, you are the best at eight. Danny Welbeck and Jonny Evans were top in their group right the way through. Ryan Giggs would have been the same.
"It was Marcus' movement that set him apart. His running was very smooth and elegant.
"But it wasn't just his ability. He was self-driven and curious. He always had a trick, and practised any chance he got. Even when he was picked up to go training, the coaches would frequently find him knocking a ball on to the roof of a shed or a garage and trying to control it as it came down. Either that or he would be chipping a ball into a bin."
To an outsider, Rashford has emerged from nowhere to become a Premier League star.
It is true that he only made his first-team debut on 25 February, and that by the time he played Bournemouth on Tuesday, a day after he was picked in England's provisional 26-man Euro 2016 squad, he was scoring his eighth goal in 17 appearances.
But the work that goes into making a Premier League footballer is immense. And it is not always straightforward.
"The term 'emerged from nowhere' is an interesting one," said McGuinness.
"Marcus has already been on a long journey from where he started off. He had a little period, around 14 and 15, when he struggled because he grew quickly. It happens to a lot of players during growth and development. His legs were growing very long and he lost co-ordination.
"While it was happening he was frustrated because he couldn't do the things he normally would. He was a little bit sulky and a little bit moody because of it.
"Then there is the sheer physical effort required to take the step up to each level.
"One of Marcus' first games for the Under-18s was at Newcastle. He was on the wing and he was running and running. Even in the first half, his body language was screaming 'Oh god, I didn't realise I had to do this much'. It was crying out for him to come off. We kept him on.
"He was 16 in an underdeveloped body playing under-18 football. You have no idea how much the extra intensity takes out of you."
Once he had made the switch to United's Under-18 team, he was under McGuinness' direct control.
At 50, McGuinness has spent the majority of his life at the club, first as a player, then a coach.
It was his team, containing Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard, that won the FA Youth Cup in 2011. McGuinness' experience is vast.
Together with his coaching colleagues, he sensed more could be made of Rashford's talent.
"He wasn't goal obsessed," he said. "He would play up front but he was always wanting to be the clever number 10.
Media playback is not supported on this device
"Someone with that much ability and speed is wasted doing that.
"It happened with Cristiano Ronaldo. When he first came he was all tricks and stepovers and show. Then he started to realise that goals got you all the attention. And he changed didn't he? He started to score headers. He saw what could happen if he changed to a striker's mentality."
So the work on Rashford began. His body shape, his runs, his timing. How he received the ball. Practice, practice and more practice.
"We won a good indoor tournament in Germany in front of 6,000 people," said McGuinness.
"We used it specifically with Marcus to work on receiving the ball one on one with his back to goal."
Rashford had always been ahead of his age. Really, he should have been elevated into Warren Joyce's Under-21 squad on a permanent basis this season.
But a summer conversation between McGuinness and Joyce has had a dramatic outcome.
Former Crewe Alex striker and prolific non-league goalscorer Colin Little was given the job of showing Rashford how to be a centre forward.
"He needed to work specifically with Colin on his finishing, his movement, receiving the ball chest forward rather than with his back to goal," said McGuinness. "He would learn how to get on the shoulder of the last man, quickly swing his hips round and run sideways to open up the space for a pass. Lots of little details.
"We did that lots and lots. We directed a lot of team practice on it. We targeted him because he deserved it. We thought he could be a first-team player.
"He has missed the Under-21s now. But he still needs the work. He is not the finished article."
McGuinness will be watching Rashford's development with a more detached perspective from now on.
Since leaving United he has kept himself busy visiting a number of clubs to offer advice on youth coaching. He also had a brief stint with the England Under-18s. He hopes to use his experience as a head of coaching, or academy manager, or even as a first-team manager at a club committed to youth development, although he accepts "you cannot always choose".
For now though, McGuinness is enjoying Rashford's ascent.
"It will be great to see him play in the FA Cup final," he said. "Marcus is a great lad and very humble. When I left United he was the first to send a text to say thanks for the work we had done.
"He is not there yet. He still drifts about, and he'll need a bit of luck in avoiding injury.
"But he has given himself a good foundation. It is up to him to build on that. Nobody else can do it."
Never want to miss the latest Man Utd news? You can now add United and all the other sports and teams you follow to your personalised My Sport home. | To chart Marcus Rashford's astonishing rise from obscurity to first-choice striker in an FA Cup final and a place in Roy Hodgson's provisional England squad for Euro 2016, you must begin with a fifth-round tie at Shrewsbury on 22 February. | 36313516 |
The Manchester United midfielder's management company put the matter into the hands of their German-based lawyers earlier this week.
The dolls, named 'World War II Army Supply Duty - Bastian', are made in China by Dragon in Dream.
The company told German paper Bild any resemblance was "purely coincidental".
"We don't sell any figures which resemble footballers. It is a complete coincidence that the figure 'Bastian' looks like Schweinsteiger," a spokesman added.
"We thought that all Germans look like that. Bastian is also a very common name in Germany."
The figurine comes in several outfits - including a version with a steel helmet, white winter jacket and woollen gloves, and another in a typical army uniform, complete with the "Wehrmachtsadler" insignia, an eagle with a swastika above the right breast pocket.
The doll is on sale for about $120 (£80).
"This is a clear violation of Schweinsteiger's personality rights," a German media lawyer told Bild.
"Everyone has rights to their own image. To see him as a swastika-bearing Wehrmacht soldier also constitutes a gross defamation and insult," Ulrich Amelung said.
German international midfielder Schweinsteiger, 31, joined United on a three-year deal in July, moving from Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich for a reported £14.4m.
He has made 15 appearances for Louis van Gaal's side so far this season, providing one assist. | Bastian Schweinsteiger is considering taking legal action against a Hong Kong company making Nazi dolls that bear a striking resemblance to him. | 34606799 |
"Anti-spam systems briefly flagged links to these documents as unsafe," Facebook told BBC News.
Earlier, Facebook's chief security officer confirmed the dump of emails had been inaccessible from its website.
Over the weekend, Wikileaks accused Facebook of "censoring" the emails.
Although they had remained accessible from Facebook via a shortened online link.
Wikileaks says 19,000 emails were leaked from the accounts of seven Democratic Party officials.
Some appeared to suggest party insiders had tried to disrupt Bernie Sanders's campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Since the emails' dissemination, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who chaired of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), has resigned
Facebook's algorithms have faced scrutiny more than once this year.
In May, for example, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg denied allegations the site was suppressing articles on conservative topics. | Facebook has said its anti-spam filters were to blame for its website briefly blocking access to internal emails from US Democratic Party committee members published by Wikileaks. | 36892533 |
Predictions are couched in conditionals - could, might. Facts in a world driven by unpredictable human behaviour are hard to nail down.
Particularly when many of those humans, in the case of the European Union referendum, are politicians with all sorts of competing interests to juggle.
But the strength of the warnings in this case is nevertheless clear.
Maurice Obstfeld, economic counsellor to the International Monetary Fund and the organisation's chief economist, says there could be "severe regional and global damage" if Britain were to vote to leave the European Union.
An exit would present "major challenges" and a prolonged period of uncertainty which would "weigh" - that is have a negative effect - on confidence and investment.
Market volatility could increase, trade could be damaged and economic growth undermined.
Mr Obstfeld, an expert in international finance, is a former economic adviser to President Barack Obama.
And, as one of the top 40 economists cited in the world for his research, has muscle in this arena.
His is the second of a series of "pro-Remain moments" mapped into the government's campaign grid.
The first, launched yesterday, was the government's pamphlet arguing that remaining in the EU was the "best decision" for the UK.
That has had its fair share of critics.
Later this week, the IMF's Spring Meeting in Washington is expected to see further warnings on Brexit risk from Christine Lagarde, the organisation's managing director.
George Osborne is flying to America tonight as the government's representative.
That event will be followed by the Presidential visit later this month when President Obama is expected to warn Britain about the dangers of leaving the EU.
The Treasury certainly believes this is a vital few weeks in making the case for remain.
As important, those close to the chancellor believe, as the moment Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of England, said Brexit could be the most significant domestic risk to the UK economy.
Mr Carney couched those March words carefully, not wanting to compromise his political neutrality in a debate that is, of course, highly political.
And he was careful to say that there were also risks to remaining in the EU, not least the "unfinished business" of monetary union.
He also pointed out that over the longer term there can be no "conclusive answer" to the question whether it would be good or bad for the economy if the UK left the EU.
The Treasury see the likes of Mr Carney and Mr Obstfeld as key to making the case for Britain to remain in EU.
The fact they are not politicians - in an era of diminished trust - is seen to help.
They are certainly important voices.
But they are not the only ones.
Capital Economics, for example, has produced a weighty report saying there could be clear economic "opportunities, created by leaving the EU, to boost trade with other countries".
There may be uncertainty for a period, but, released from the shackles of having to negotiate with the other members of the EU on market reform, the UK's economy could ultimately grow more quickly.
Those that support the leave campaign also point out that many economists backed Britain joining the single currency.
As one senior figure of the Leave campaign said to me yesterday, the "establishment" economists were wrong then and the "establishment" economists are wrong now.
Elites, he argued, always favour cosy consensus.
The IMF's words today on Brexit are judgements, without much corresponding data.
That data may come in the IMF's UK-focused report due in May, which is likely to flesh out Mr Obstfeld's gloomy predictions.
Rest assured, Mr Osborne will be hoping the public will engage again at that "moment" in the EU referendum debate. | In economics - once called the "dismal science" - there are very few definites. | 36025821 |
The hosts were in control from start to finish and opened the scoring through Luis Suarez's overhead volley.
Messi swept in a quick second from Suarez's cutback before making it 3-0 with a fierce volley.
Sevilla were reduced to 10 men in the 90th minute when Vitolo was sent for a second booking after a foul on Neymar.
Substitute Pablo Sarabia had Sevilla's two best chances with powerful long-range drives in the second half but the visitors never really looked like scoring.
Relive Barcelona's win against Sevilla
It was ultimately a routine win for Barcelona, who slowed the tempo after scoring their third, mindful of a packed April fixture list that includes the two legs of their Champions League quarter-final with Juventus.
The three points mean Luis Enrique's side go top of La Liga, although they will drop back to second if Real Madrid beat Leganes later on Wednesday.
Match ends, Barcelona 3, Sevilla 0.
Second Half ends, Barcelona 3, Sevilla 0.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Sergio Rico.
Attempt saved. Neymar (Barcelona) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top right corner. Assisted by Javier Mascherano.
Second yellow card to Vitolo (Sevilla) for a bad foul.
Neymar (Barcelona) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Vitolo (Sevilla).
Neymar (Barcelona) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Vitolo (Sevilla).
Lionel Messi (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Joaquín Correa (Sevilla).
Sergio Busquets (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Joaquín Correa (Sevilla).
Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Joaquín Correa (Sevilla).
Foul by Neymar (Barcelona).
Vitolo (Sevilla) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Carles Aleñá (Barcelona) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Carles Aleñá (Barcelona).
Steven N'Zonzi (Sevilla) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Lionel Messi (Barcelona).
Sergio Escudero (Sevilla) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Matías Kranevitter (Sevilla).
Attempt missed. Stevan Jovetic (Sevilla) left footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left.
Substitution, Barcelona. Carles Aleñá replaces Ivan Rakitic.
Foul by Lucas Digne (Barcelona).
Mariano (Sevilla) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona).
Sergio Escudero (Sevilla) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona) left footed shot from the centre of the box is too high.
Attempt saved. Paco Alcácer (Barcelona) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Andrés Iniesta with a through ball.
Substitution, Barcelona. Lucas Digne replaces Gerard Piqué.
Substitution, Sevilla. Stevan Jovetic replaces Vicente Iborra.
Foul by Javier Mascherano (Barcelona).
Vicente Iborra (Sevilla) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Corner, Sevilla. Conceded by Samuel Umtiti.
Sergio Busquets (Barcelona) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Sergio Busquets (Barcelona). | Lionel Messi scored twice as Barcelona brushed aside Sevilla to keep up the pressure on Real Madrid in the La Liga title race. | 39441885 |
For months European officials have batted away questions about the financial and political implications of the UK's departure from the EU with the mantra "no negotiation without notification."
Well, now we are about to have notification, so at least we can look forward to not hearing that form of words again.
That doesn't mean of course that you should expect to see a long queue of Brussels insiders giving their views on the EU's red lines in the coming days.
Prepare instead for days, if not weeks, of consultation between the European Commission - which will take the lead in negotiations for Brussels - and the 27 "remainer" states, together with the European Council, which represents them.
This is, of course, exactly the kind of long-winded, bureaucratic obscurantism that is the curse of European politics if you're a Brexiteer: or the kind of careful, consensual consultation we're going to miss if you're not.
The commission's chief negotiator is the former French cabinet minister Michel Barnier, who has been quietly preparing for this moment for several months, visiting the 27 capitals and hammering out common negotiating positions where possible.
Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, has been on the case too.
So Brussels has some sort of consultation document almost ready to go.
When the European side has seen the detail in the UK's Article 50 letter, it will, no doubt, wish to tweak that document.
The expectation in Brussels was always that the British letter of notification would be a fairly substantial document, rather than a one-line declaration of intent, so there might be quite a bit of tweaking to be done.
The revised document will then be dispatched to the 27 capitals for further consultation, and the result of all that consultation, in theory at least, will be an agreed EU negotiating position with agreed red lines.
The UK will see fairly quickly what the opening position of the Barnier team will be. And, of course, it's been working hard behind the scenes to try to calculate what the bottom line might be.
The initial sense of hurt and shock in Brussels has given way to a kind of resignation about Brexit.
Most MEPs you talk to still consider it an act of almost suicidal self-harm and feel that the UK has consciously uncoupled itself from one of modern history's most important drivers of peace and prosperity.
And you do hear irritation at some British attitudes. Foremost among the resentments is the idea that a large, rich, European power is walking away from financial commitments to poorer partners.
But at least one diplomat has pointed out that the UK championed the eastward expansion of the EU into the old Soviet empire and is now leaving the expanded union in part because of the pressure of migration from those new member states.
Still, the romantic notion persists that Brexit might one day be reversed, somehow: the EU Commission's President, Jean-Claude Juncker, has said publicly that he'd "like to see the British climbing back into the boat one day".
Lots of officials would agree with their British counterparts that it is now important to seek a deal that is good for both the EU and the UK. But make no mistake, the mission of Team Barnier is to clinch a deal that is good for the 27.
Those 27 states have wildly differing interests. The Baltic states see the UK as a European leader on security, Poland sees it as a vital source of overseas work and remittances and Spain has to balance the interests of its huge expatriate British population against a historic opportunity to make some diplomatic progress on Gibraltar.
And things might get very tough, very quickly.
The EU side wants to split the talks into two different strands: the terms of the "divorce" settlement and, only after that is settled, the terms of a future relationship.
The UK clearly feels that it would be possible to take those two strands in parallel.
I wouldn't expect the two sides to fall out over process and timetabling, but nothing is impossible.
The most "do-able" deal, perhaps, would be on the rights of EU citizens in the UK and British passport holders sprinkled through the various members states (more than 500 in Estonia alone, apparently).
It's in no-one's interests to throw a shadow of uncertainty over so many lives - there are about a million Poles in the UK for example - and it's the closest Brexit will come to raising a genuine humanitarian issue.
Expect more problems over money, one of the reasons everyone keeps coming back to the divorce analogy.
The EU says it's made spending plans, to which the UK was a willing party, which stretch for several years into the future and that the UK has a responsibility, whether legal, moral or political, to carry on funding those commitments, perhaps until 2021.
And, beyond that, there are pension liabilities for current EU staff that stretch decades into the future.
British sources have told us that there's no legal basis on which the UK can be made to pay and, at the very least, if it's presented with a bill for 60bn euros (£52bn) it's going to require a line-by-line itemisation and not just a figure apparently plucked from the air.
The lesson of politics is that you can always do a deal about money, and so it's likely to prove again here.
But if there is an issue that's going to spark walkouts and breakdowns before a deal is struck, then this is probably it.
Much more complex will be the issue of future trade relationships, whether they're discussed in parallel with the divorce talks or have to wait until later.
A red line for many in the EU parliament is that the UK shouldn't have a deal which even comes close to being as good as being in the single market itself.
And the relationship with the EU's customs union threatens to be difficult too.
What if a Japanese-owned car maker is assembling vehicles in the UK using components made in Germany and then selling the vehicle in Belgium? Would tariffs be paid on the car parts as they left Germany, or when the completed vehicle left the UK? Or neither? Or both?
Will Dutch trawlers be allowed to catch halibut in UK territorial waters in the North Sea? Or Spanish boats take mackerel in the Irish Sea?
What about the Irish border, which is open because of the peace process: is it now to be closed because of the different customs regimes?
What about Scotland, especially if it ceases to be a region of the UK and becomes a unitary state half way through the talks?
All these difficulties and more have to be resolved.
And once Article 50 is triggered, it will be two years to the day before the UK is out of the European Union for good.
It would be possible, of course, for the two sides to agree an extension to that talks deadline, during which some kind of transitional arrangement with the UK could remain in force, under which things might be pretty much as they are now.
But the UK can't be sure that the EU would agree to such an extension when the alternative might be to have the British negotiating while over a barrel and against the clock.
For most of us, this will be the biggest and most important diplomatic negotiation of our lifetimes, and the outcome is shrouded in uncertainty.
We know when it will start, more or less, and when it will finish. Everything that happens in between will have the capacity to surprise and, every now and then, to shock. | The first cliche of the Brexit process is about to bite the dust. | 39261205 |
Leslie Binns, 42, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, turned around to save Sunita Hazra, an Indian woman, who was scaling the summit ahead of him.
He said he felt "immensely proud" to have saved a life but wished he could have also helped save another climber, who died on the descent.
Mr Binns was blinded in his left eye after an explosion in Afghanistan.
He was in the Army for 13 years, serving in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan and was blown up four times. He has been awarded two medals, including the Queen's Commendation for Bravery for finding improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan in 2009.
Ms Hazra, who is 32 and lives near Kolkata in India, left hospital on Wednesday.
Her brother Kingshuk Chatterjee told the BBC the family "cannot express our gratitude" to Mr Binns for saving her.
"He's the reason why she is still alive now," he said. "He is a very brave man."
Mr Binns, who now works in private security in oil fields in Iraq, said the incident happened when he was on a climb in the early hours of 21 May.
He was approaching an area nicknamed "The Balcony" - where climbing teams store spare oxygen bottles - when he noticed a "commotion" ahead of him.
"I noticed someone sliding down the fixed climbing lines towards me.
"All I could hear were the screams of terror as the person gained momentum. I braced myself to try and stop whoever it was, and managed to do so.
"At this time I didn't know that this was Sunita Hazra. I helped her upright and looked at her oxygen regulator. It was registering empty."
Mr Binns helped Ms Hazra recover and she attempted to continue her descent by herself, but collapsed after about 20 metres.
"It was at this point I decided to cancel my summit bid to help Sunita," Mr Binns said. He was about another 12 hours away from making the final ascent to the top.
"I climbed down to her and called my Sherpa. I told him we are not going up and we would give Sunita my spare oxygen bottle and take her down."
He says the descent was a perilous and difficult one, and on the way the three climbers found another man who was also struggling to descend, bringing him along with them.
Mr Binns said Ms Hazra and the other climber "kept collapsing", adding: "I fell into waist-deep crevasses no less than five times, which was very tiring, and we were also crossing blue ice which was very dangerous as we kept slipping."
Eventually he and Ms Hazra managed to reach his camp, but due to exhaustion and difficult weather conditions they were unable to bring the other climber along.
"I gave Sunita my sleeping bag in my tent. We then tried our best to get her warm by patting and rubbing her. She was suffering from hypothermia and her right hand was badly frost-bitten.
"I then remembered we had a flask of ginger tea. I used this to try and re-warm Sunita's hand. I dried it off and told her to keep it in her fleece pocket which would keep it warm."
Mr Binns says that while in his tent he heard the other climber's voice in the distance "but I was too exhausted to go back out - I literally collapsed and fell asleep".
In the morning, Mr Binns learned the other climber had been found and taken to his team. Ms Hazra's Sherpa came to collect her and help her to continue down the mountain.
But when Mr Binns continued with his own descent that next day, he came across the body of the other climber, who had died during his journey downwards.
Mr Binns believes Sherpas took the body down from the mountain, and is unsure as to how the climber eventually died.
Mr Binns said: "I truly regret not being able to do anything more for him. But I had nothing left in me that night and I tried my level best to rescue him, but he could not be moved. No summit is worth a life.
"I am immensely proud that I helped Sunita. I just wish I could have done more."
Mr Binns, who has climbed "all the major peaks in the UK", is now in Kathmandu and due to return to the UK to see his fiancee and daughter on 6 June.
"I wish Sunita and her family all the best and hope she makes a full recovery," he said.
BBC iWonder: The ups and downs of climbing Everest | A British ex-serviceman abandoned his Mount Everest climb some 500m from the summit to save a fellow mountaineer. | 36437937 |
The draft report, apparently written for the UK government, was obtained by the Intercept website from US whistle-blower Edward Snowden.
It suggests that "life-saving intelligence data" could be missed.
Its release comes as the Investigatory Powers Bill goes through Parliament.
Extracts from the the document read: "The security service... can currently collect significantly more than it is able to exploit fully.
"This creates a real risk of intelligence failure from the service being unable to access potentially life-saving intelligence from data that it has already collected."
The report is marked classified and dated 12 February 2010.
It was allegedly prepared by British spy agency officials to brief the government's Cabinet Office and Treasury Department about the UK's surveillance capabilities.
Those capabilities are currently due to be updated via the controversial Investigatory Powers Bill, which is now at the report stage in Parliament.
It aims to give legal backing to the bulk collection of internet traffic, as well as requiring service providers to store browsing records for 12 months.
The government said these added powers were necessary in the fight against terrorism
A revised version was drawn up earlier this year after a raft of concerns about whether it had got the balance between privacy and security right.
The government needs the bill to go through before the end of year, when the current laws regulating surveillance expire.
Critics of the bill said the alleged leaked document showed mass surveillance was not the answer.
Open Rights Group communications director Pam Cowburn told the BBC: "We have been calling on the government to make the operational case for costly bulk surveillance programmes that allow the collection of vast amounts of data.
"As today's leaks show, there are genuine concerns that mass surveillance is making us less, not more, safe.
"If the Investigatory Powers Bill is passed, even more of our data will be collected, with internet service providers being forced to record our web browsing history and app use.
"Surveillance should be targeted towards people who are suspected of criminal activity, not the entire UK population."
GCHQ told the BBC: "It is long standing policy that we do not comment on intelligence matters.
"Furthermore, all of GCHQ's work is carried out in accordance with a strict legal and policy framework, which ensures that our activities are authorised, necessary and proportionate, and that there is rigorous oversight, including from the secretary of state, the interception and intelligence services commissioners and the Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee.
"All our operational processes rigorously support this position. "
The Home Office did not respond to requests for comment. | Spy officials allegedly voiced concerns back in 2010 that so much data was being collected by the UK security services, they risked overlooking useful intelligence. | 36469351 |
Banners reading "Build bridges not walls" were hung at points across Wales, including Pont y Werin bridge in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan.
Cardiff Hope Not Hate also arranged a demonstration in the city.
Mr Trump's win has received support in Wales, including from UKIP's Neil Hamilton.
Mid Wales Refugee Action unfurled its 5m (16ft) banner at the Dyfi Bridge, near Machynlleth in Powys.
A spokesman said: "We want 2017 to be a year of building bridges not walls, for a world that is peaceful, just and free of oppression."
Banner drops were also planned in Bangor in Gwynedd, Llanidloes in Powys, and Lampeter in Ceredigion, among other spots.
It comes as the Stand Up To Racism group were set to hold a protest outside the US Embassy in London, with similar events planned in Swansea and across Britain.
Aberystwyth University's Department of International Politics was hosting a special screening of the inauguration of Mr Trump as the 45th President for staff, students and members of the public from 17:00 GMT.
Flint-based David Soutter, a former head of candidates for UKIP, told BBC Radio Wales Mr Trump "wanted to do something for the people of America".
"He's not a traditional politician and I think he sees things differently.
"He's going to bring a completely different view to the White House and, I think, he's going to reach out to a lot of people."
While First Minister Carwyn Jones said after Mr Trump's election win that he would have "much work to do to repair a divided nation", other Welsh politicians were more supportive.
Welsh Conservatives leader Andrew RT Davies said the result represented a "bloody nose for the political establishment", with UKIP's leader in the assembly, Neil Hamilton, calling it "good news for Britain". | Welsh campaigners have joined UK-wide protests on the day Donald Trump is inaugurated as president of the United States. | 38680744 |
The 41-year-old scored nine birdies to move to 13 under overall, tied with fellow American Webb Simpson.
Sweden's Henrik Stenson added a 66 to his first-round 62 and trails by one shot.
World number 751 Matt Every, who shot a 61 on Thursday, carded a 72 to slip to seven under par overall.
Ireland's Shane Lowry is on nine under par, with Scotland's Russell Knox one shot further back, while England's Greg Owen is on even par.
Luke Donald - who was runner-up in the tournament in 2016 - remains on one under. | World number 543 Ryan Armour shot a nine-under par 61 to take share of the lead after the second round of the Wyndham Championship. | 40983367 |
The woman has been named locally as Marian Horgan. Her husband suffered several stab wounds in the incident.
It is understood the man who has been charged was arrested after being initially restrained by neighbours.
Emergency services were called to the house at Murmont Avenue at about 08:00 local time on Monday.
Mrs Horgan was found dead inside the house.
Her husband's injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. | A 25 -year-old man has been charged over the murder of a 60-year-old woman who was stabbed at her home in Cork city. | 34916664 |
The Empowering Young People programme will support young people across Northern Ireland.
It will help include, young carers, young people with a learning disability and young people who face barriers to education, training or employment.
Grants of between £100,000 and £600,000 are available.
They money will go to projects that will empower young people to transform their lives by increasing their health and well being, getting them ready for education, work or training and building stronger relationships in their communities.
Any voluntary or community sector group that receives funding will be expected to involve young people in their project.
The funding programme, which will support young people aged between eight and 25, will remain open for applications for six years.
The Big Lottery Fund's NI chair, Frank Hewitt, said: "I am delighted to launch the new Empowering Young People programme, which builds on our previous investment and work with young people across Northern Ireland.
"We have used our experience and talked to stakeholders about how best to support young people.
"From this, we believe that young carers, young people with a learning disability and young people at risk of falling out of education or work should be supported initially through this programme.
"We want to fund great projects that increase their skills and confidence, and support them to have stronger relationships so they can cope better with the challenges they face and reach their full potential." | Projects that support young people to cope with challenges in their lives are to benefit from a £50m grant from the Big Lottery Fund. | 31849360 |
Nichols drilled home a low shot from Danny Butterfield's ball to put the hosts ahead inside 10 minutes.
Cambridge United rarely threatened, with substitute Jordan Slew going closest when he shot over from a Barry Corr knockdown.
Exeter are 11th while Cambridge United are 17th in the league.
Match ends, Exeter City 1, Cambridge United 0.
Second Half ends, Exeter City 1, Cambridge United 0.
Christian Ribeiro (Exeter City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Luke Berry (Cambridge United).
Foul by Christian Ribeiro (Exeter City).
Harrison Dunk (Cambridge United) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Attempt blocked. Alex Nicholls (Exeter City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Substitution, Exeter City. Alex Nicholls replaces Lee Holmes.
Corner, Exeter City. Conceded by Mickey Demetriou.
Attempt missed. Barry Corr (Cambridge United) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high.
Attempt saved. David Wheeler (Exeter City) right footed shot from very close range is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt saved. Barry Corr (Cambridge United) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt missed. Tom Nichols (Exeter City) header from the centre of the box is just a bit too high.
Substitution, Cambridge United. Conor Newton replaces Jeff Hughes.
Attempt saved. Luke Berry (Cambridge United) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt saved. Jordan Slew (Cambridge United) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Corner, Exeter City. Conceded by Mickey Demetriou.
Lee Holmes (Exeter City) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Alie Sesay (Cambridge United).
Attempt missed. Jordan Slew (Cambridge United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is just a bit too high.
Attempt saved. Barry Corr (Cambridge United) header from the left side of the six yard box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt saved. Mickey Demetriou (Cambridge United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top left corner.
Corner, Cambridge United. Conceded by Jordan Tillson.
Attempt blocked. Jeff Hughes (Cambridge United) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Foul by Jordan Tillson (Exeter City).
Barry Corr (Cambridge United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Jordan Moore-Taylor (Exeter City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Barry Corr (Cambridge United).
Foul by Lee Holmes (Exeter City).
Greg Taylor (Cambridge United) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Jordan Tillson (Exeter City).
Jordan Slew (Cambridge United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt blocked. David Wheeler (Exeter City) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked.
David Wheeler (Exeter City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Alie Sesay (Cambridge United).
Foul by Jordan Tillson (Exeter City).
Harrison Dunk (Cambridge United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Hand ball by Jordan Slew (Cambridge United).
Substitution, Cambridge United. Luke Berry replaces Liam Hughes.
Second Half begins Exeter City 1, Cambridge United 0. | Exeter recorded their first win in three League Two games as Tom Nichols' early goal secured a narrow win over Cambridge United. | 34524625 |
Weeping Window has been on display at Woodhorn, Ashington, for seven weeks.
The poppies, cascading from a pit wheel at the former mine, represent British and colonial soldiers killed in World War One.
The display will close for the final time at 17:00 GMT and be transported to Liverpool in the coming days.
Director Keith Merrin described it as "a huge honour" for Woodhorn to have been the first venue after the Tower of London to host Weeping Window's 5,000 handmade poppies.
He said visitor numbers were equivalent to the museum's usual annual total.
"We wanted to create something that really spoke to local people. The fact it cascades from a pit wheel has given it a whole new meaning.
"It looks spectacular, but also really resonates with people who see the pit head as a symbol of the North East.
"Suddenly the poppies became about the North East and about its role in the First World War."
Weeping Window last year formed part of the Blood-Swept Lands and Seas of Red installation, which saw 888,246 poppies on display in the Tower of London's moat.
Along with a piece called Wave, it was bought by charities and gifted back to the nation.
It will go on show outside Liverpool's St George's Hall on Friday, 7 November until 17 January, 2016.
Both it and Wave will tour the UK until 2018. They will then be permanently homed at the Imperial War Museums in London and Manchester. | Thousands of ceramic poppies, previously on display at the Tower of London, have attracted about 120,000 people to a Northumberland museum. | 34688086 |
Age: 33
Nominated for: The Theory of Everything
The character: Stephen Hawking, the theoretical physicist and cosmologist who wrote the best-selling A Brief History of Time.
Oscar record: This is his first Oscar nomination.
The critics said: "Redmayne towers: this is an astonishing, genuinely visceral performance which bears comparison with Daniel Day-Lewis in My Left Foot. His Hawking starts askew - the glasses, maybe the shoulders a touch - and over the course of two hours contorts and buckles into a figure at once instantly familiar and fresh. This is more than just skilful impersonation - it's inhabitation. To look on as his face and body distort is to feel, yourself, discomforted, even queasy." Catherine Shoard, The Guardian.
Age: 52
Nominated for: Foxcatcher
The character: Carell plays John du Pont, an oddball billionaire who sets up an Olympic wrestling team.
Oscar record: This is Carell's first nomination.
The critics said: "From the beginning, you can't take your eyes off Carell; as if by some secret alchemy, the actor makes you believe that his character is an entirely uncharismatic man while delivering a completely charismatic performance. The combination of his thin, reedy voice with frequent heavy silences and odd vocal pacing is thoroughly unnerving." Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter.
Age: 40
Nominated for: American Sniper
The character: Cooper plays Chris Kyle, a Navy SEAL sharpshooter who recorded more confirmed kills during four tours of duty in Iraq than any marksman in US military history.
Oscar record: This is Cooper's third Oscar nomination in as many years, having been shortlisted for best actor for Silver Linings Playbook in 2013 and for the best supporting actor award for American Hustle last year. As one of American Sniper's producers, he will receive an Oscar if Clint Eastwood's film wins best picture.
The critics said: "American Sniper hinges on Cooper's restrained yet deeply expressive lead performance, allowing many of the drama's unspoken implications to be read plainly in the actor's increasingly war-ravaged face. Cooper, who packed on 40 pounds for the role, is superb here; full of spirit and down-home charm early on, he seems to slip thereafter into a sort of private agony that only those who have truly served their country can know." Justin Chang, Variety.
Age: 38
Nominated for: The Imitation Game
The character: Alan Turing, the computer pioneer who played a key role in cracking the Enigma code used by the Nazis during World War Two.
Oscar record: This is a first nomination for Cumberbatch.
The critics said: "With a large dose of Sherlock and a sprinkling of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Benedict Cumberbatch is just brilliant in the role of Alan Turing, the Second World War codebreaker in The Imitation Game. His Turing is as enigmatic - and often as mechanical - as the German encryption machine he lives to break. He is a tortured soul who only finds salvation in the exquisite predictability of numbers." Kate Muir, The Times.
Age: 63
Nominated for: Birdman
The character: Riggan Thomson, a former movie superhero actor who hopes to revive his washed-up career by putting on a Broadway play.
Oscar record: This is the former Batman actor's first nomination.
The critics said: "It is one of those performances that is so intensely truthful, so eerily in the moment, so effortless in making fantasy reality, and reality fantasy, that it is hard to imagine Keaton will ever be better." Betsey Sharkey, Los Angeles Times. | A look at the best actor nominees for the 87th Academy Awards. | 30805779 |
There are few open public records of an event that is seared into the memories of those who survived this largely man-made disaster.
A documentary maker now hopes to redress that imbalance by collecting the stories of hundreds of people who lived through the famine.
He has sent young film-makers across China to video the survivors' testimonies.
Some of those videos have already been shown to the public in screenings at the 798 arts district on the outskirts of Beijing.
Stories are still being collected and the long-term aim is to bring all these video memories together.
Wu Wenguang, the man behind the project, said: "If we don't know about the past, then there will be no future."
Armed with video cameras, Mr Wu's researchers have already travelled to 50 villages in 10 provinces across China.
So far they have collected more than 600 memories from the famine, the result of a disastrous political campaign launched by Mao Zedong.
The Great Leap Forward was supposed to propel China into a new age of communism and plenty - but it failed spectacularly.
Agriculture was disrupted as private property was abolished and people were forced into supposedly self-sufficient communes.
Interviews for this new project reveal that even though the famine happened a long time ago - between late 1958 and 1962 - memories are still sharp.
Those interviewed seem to remember exactly how many grams of rice they were allocated in the period's communal kitchens.
It was sometimes as low as 150g a day, occasionally they got nothing.
Just one of those featured in the public screenings was Li Guocheng, a pensioner from the village of Baiyun in Yunnan province.
He told the story of a relative who was so hungry that he stole a few ears of corn and took them home to cook.
"After he ate them he was caught and tied up with a vine. They bound him to a post at his house," said Mr Li.
But the next day he said the relative did the same again. He was once more caught and once more tied up as punishment.
His 10-year-old daughter was told not to release him.
"The next day he didn't steal again. He stayed home, put a rope over the beam of his house and hanged himself. He was so miserable," said Mr Li.
The researcher who recorded this story is Li Xinmin.
The 23-year-old comes from the same Yunnan village as Mr Li, but it was not until she went back there to video its elderly residents that she realised the full horror of the famine.
"Only occasionally would older people talk about these bitter times - when they had to eat wild vegetables or other stuff that humans wouldn't usually eat," she said.
The 23-year-old is now finding out about a famine she learned little about in school.
Calculating how many people died is difficult. Not every government organisation kept accurate records at the time and there is little official appetite to investigate this dark episode in China's modern history.
One Chinese textbook used to teach teenage schoolchildren makes little attempt to explain what happened and why so many people died.
"The party made a serious mistake when it launched the Great Leap Forward and the commune movement as it attempted to build socialism," reads one of the few statements on this period.
Tens of millions of people died, but the book mentions no numbers.
It does not even say people did die - just that the country and its people faced "serious economic hardship".
The only illustration on the page is a poster of an overweight pig.
China is reluctant to talk about this period because those in charge then - the communists - are still in charge now.
To unpick what went on then might encourage people to talk about how the country is ruled today - and that is something the party strongly resists.
Mr Wu, the man in charge of this memory project, thinks Chinese people should know more about the famine.
"We have to know why it happened and what lessons we can learn from it. We have to be warned so it doesn't happen again," he said.
But getting people to talk publicly about it will not be easy.
Mr Wu himself seems aware of just how sensitive this subject still is, decades after it happened.
The title of his project does not mention the word "famine" or the phrase "Great Leap Forward" and he is keen to emphasise that this is an arts project, not a political campaign.
He knows there is little prospect that the current communist-controlled government will suddenly want to look again at this famine.
"Maybe we can change nothing, but at least we can change ourselves," said Mr Wu. | The great famine that devastated China half a century ago killed tens of millions of people - but is barely a footnote in history books. | 17987733 |
While many footballers' post-playing plans involve staying in the game, the former Ivory Coast international has eschewed that to quietly focus on his second passion.
Footballers and alcohol have long gone together, often badly, but the former Birmingham City defender is unique in actually creating the product.
What's more, the treble winner with Celtic is doing so in Cognac, home to some of France's - and the world's - most celebrated vineyards.
For similar to champagne, only the brandy made in the region can bear the prestigious name Cognac.
As for whether the 41-year-old is just another footballer flashing his cash on a pet project, consider this - he bought his first vineyard in his late teens.
"When I signed my first professional contract, I bought two hectares," Tebily told the BBC, standing amidst his vines in the south-western French village of Salles-d'Angles.
"I said to myself: 'If I get an injury and football stops, I will have something to carry on with.'"
"I did that because I used to work on this land to get a little bit of pocket money to go on holiday - to the seaside with my friends - before turning professional."
"It's really difficult to become a professional so I bought this straight away to insure myself."
It was 1993 when Tebily signed for second-tier French side Niort, an hour's drive from Poitiers, the south-western city on the edge of the Cognac region where his parents relocated from Abidjan when he was a toddler.
It was the start of a journey that took him, following brief spells with Chateauroux and Sheffield United, to the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations, a Scottish treble in 2001 and a four-year Premier League adventure with Birmingham.
After suffering a bad injury just weeks after joining Canada's Toronto FC, Tebily cut short a four-and-a-half-year contract to return to the vineyards.
There was however a fundamental problem.
Land in Cognac is both expensive and seldom available - and Tebily didn't have enough of it.
He ran two local restaurants while waiting for a solution, which was laced with tragedy when it came six years later.
After his neighbour's only son died, the retiring Cognac farmer had to decide who to sell his business to last year.
"His son was my friend and we had the same name - it's maybe because of that that he chose me," says Tebily.
"Around here, all the winemakers are the same," explains the now-retired Jean-Michel Lepine.
"Because I liked football and because Olivier was not unpleasant to me and helped me in tough times - because I've had tough times - I said why not a black man to take over my property? Why not a footballer?
"I never changed my mind, even though many people tried to stop me."
Following the deal, the first African maker of Cognac - who says he was initially treated like "a Martian" - was the proud owner of 22 hectares in a prime location.
He also took control of a distillery and although he has yet to master this crucial element of the Cognac process, he is learning from Jean-Michel, now his mentor.
When we meet, Tebily is in his vineyard - wearing a Birmingham City fleece as he goes about his daily business, secateurs in hand, carefully tending to his grapes.
Such sensitivity may seem incongruous for those who remember the burly defender's on-field reputation.
He once finished a match despite rupturing knee ligaments in the first half while he famously thundered into one challenge with an opponent despite having lost a boot seconds earlier.
"The local people were really, really surprised by an African footballer trying to do what they are doing," says Tebily, who played for Ivory Coast between 1999-2004.
"But I work Monday to Sunday and people are really surprised - they didn't think I would do this work because it's really hard.
"But I don't do this to impress people. I love this work and want to go as far as I can," he adds, proclaiming a love of the outdoors.
Like many Cognac farmers, Tebily sells most of his produce - around 90% - to the region's bigger companies but he keeps the rest for his own eponymous range.
He first produced a bottle in 2013 - smooth upon taste - and although he sells it to local restaurants, he ultimately wants to trade only with Africa.
"That's my dream," he says. "I am already selling to some restaurants in Africa, in Ivory Coast. It's not as much as I want but I'm still happy because it's the beginning and it's working."
After that, and much in the tradition of many of the Cognac farmers, he hopes to hand his business down to his children when he takes a second retirement.
Until then, this gentle giant is revelling in being the only African maker of the world's most famous brandy.
"It makes me feel really, really happy and that's why I am fighting to do my business correctly. I try because I am passionate. I love this like I loved football."
Read more:
Rooney mania grips East Africa | Footballers have long relied on the terraces for inspiration but when Olivier Tebily does so these days, he is looking at rows of vines - not fans. | 40587894 |
The bosses of Scotland's biggest music festival want to make the Perthshire estate its home this year and every year from now on.
However, locals say the matter has divided opinion in the area, wildlife groups have clashed with festival organisers, and thousands of comments were submitted during public consultations.
The council's development management committee unanimously approved the plans after hearing arguments from both sides - but only for the next three years.
Festival organisers DF Concerts decided to move on from Balado, the annual event's home since 1997, after "substantial" concerns were raised by the Health and Safety Executive about the Forties oil pipeline which runs underneath the site.
The group examined more than 100 potential sites across Scotland and the north of England, before settling on fellow Perthshire estate Strathallan.
They said the appealing natural setting of the estate was a key factor in the decision, alongside its central location and proximity to power lines.
The move was backed by part-owners of the estate, but has drawn criticism from some other local residents.
Initially it was argued that the event would only require full planning permission if it was on site for more than 28 days.
Most campers would arrive on Thursday 9 July, and leave on Monday 13 July, but several weeks of setting up and clearing up works would be involved on either side of the event itself.
Local residents raised concerns, and one couple who live on the doorstep of the proposed festival site wrote to the Scottish government asking them to intervene.
Ministers ruled that a full environmental impact assessment would need to be carried out ahead of planning consent being granted.
Opponents of the move, such as the Strathallan T Action Group of local residents, said they were not against the festival, but think Strathallan is the wrong place for it.
They voiced concerns over local wildlife and watercourses, the effect on local tourism, and the suitability of local roads to handle tens of thousands of vehicles.
Supporters of the festival cited surveys which claim the event generates £15.4m for the Scottish economy each year, as well as £2.7m locally in Perthshire.
They also pointed to the event team's experience of planning and record of environmental protection at Balado.
An initial 28-day public consultation drew a mixed response from residents, with 273 letters of objection and 241 letters of support submitted.
A second public consultation was then held after fresh information was submitted to the council, this time prompting 1,351 objections and 552 letters of support.
In addition, a petition of 1,922 signatures supporting the plans was handed in to the council by DF Concerts, although the Woodland Trust Scotland ran their own petition in opposition.
T in the Park bosses also commissioned a survey of local residents by professional pollsters Survation, which claimed 62% of respondents backed approval of the plans, with 19% against and 19% undecided.
There were no formal objections from statutory consultees, although Sepa did initially lodge concerns about flooding before settling matters with DF Concerts.
The owners of the Gleneagles Hotel spoke out about noise and traffic levels, citing "real concerns" about anti-social behaviour from unauthorised campsites and pedestrian traffic.
The issue of wildlife was the most controversial, with RSPB Scotland and the Woodlands Trust both issuing strong statements about an osprey nest at the site, an issue also raised by Scottish Natural Heritage.
Ospreys are a protected species, and anyone who disturbs them while nesting could face criminal prosecution.
The initial plan was to move the birds to a new nest - one was specially constructed further away from the festival site, but festival bosses were unable to gain access to remove the original nest due to a disagreement with a landowner.
They instead tried to encourage the birds to avoid the old nest by setting up a cherry picker festooned with flags and balloons nearby. The move proved controversial, with RSPB Scotland describing it as "unethical and unacceptable", and police were even called in to investigate.
When it became clear the ospreys had settled at the old nest - prompting the swift removal of the cherry picker - DF Concerts sat down with RSPB Scotland to draw up plans to mitigate the potential impact on the birds.
This will see full-time monitoring of the nest by an on-site expert, a 500 metre buffer zone around the nest while chicks could be present, and bans on fireworks and any use of the access tracks nearby.
As well as the ospreys, DF Concerts put together specific protection plans for red squirrels, otters and bats.
There was also monitoring on site for other species including badgers, pine martens, kingfishers and barn owls, while RSPB Scotland recommended regular checks for ground nesting birds and red kites, another protected species which would require a buffer zone if found nesting near the site.
Festival organisers insist that they will do everything possible to protect the local environment, given that the estate's natural beauty was one of the key factors which attracted them.
The Roberts family, part-owners of the estate who have backed the plans, said that they are "conservationists at heart" and noted: "It's the beauty that brought DF Concerts here. They're not interested in desecrating that or decimating it - it's in their best interest and ours to maintain the environment that's here."
Planning bosses recommended banning any setup or clearing work taking place at night, and restrictions on the amount of light and noise overnight which could disturb animals nearby.
Local residents certainly think so, with the impact of some 85,000 music fans and 9,000 staff travelling to the rural site a common theme among consultation comments.
The council's transport planning group said there would be just under 69,000 vehicle movements during the festival, but noted that there is "sufficient road capacity" to handle this.
Yorkshire-based SEP Ltd, the traffic management firm who put the plans together, insist they are confident in their "scientific calculation" and models of traffic movement.
However, planning bosses said "delays and disruption" were likely on local roads, including a condition for approval that local routes should be surveyed and upgraded before and after the event, at the expense of the applicant.
It was never entirely clear what would have happened if the plans had been thrown out by the development management committee - bands were booked months ago and tickets went on sale last year.
Prior to the decision, DF Concerts chief Geoff Ellis said the whole future of the event could be at stake if the Strathallan plans were rejected.
He told BBC Radio Scotland: "I don't think there is a venue, without going very far north in Scotland, which would be viable for T in the Park, so yes, I don't think it would carry on if we didn't host it at Strathallan this year."
In any case, the committee has not ruled on the long-term future of the event - councillors gave approval only for the next three years, so that the impact of the festival can be assessed. | Perth and Kinross councillors have settled the long-running debate over whether this summer's T in the Park festival can be hosted at Strathallan Castle. | 32691519 |
The restrictions were part of wide ranging immigration controls that also suspended refugee arrivals. It appears that existing restrictions in place during the Obama administration informed Mr Trump's list.
These countries were already named as "countries of concern" after a law passed by a Republican-led Congress in 2015 altered a visa admissions programme.
The Visa Waiver Program allows citizens from 38 countries to enter the US for 90 days without a visa. The UK, France and Germany are among those countries allowed in under the waiver programme. Visitors apply for an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (Esta).
In December 2015 Congress passed a law - created by senators from both parties, and supported and signed by the White House - that removed waiver benefits for foreign nationals who had visited certain countries since March 2011. The countries were identified as having a terrorist organisation with a significant presence in the area, or the country was deemed a "safe haven" for terrorists.
After Libya, Somalia and Yemen were added to the list in February 2016, the "countries of concern" were the seven named in Mr Trump's order.
According to the restrictions, citizens who had been eligible for the waiver programme and had visited one of those seven countries in the time period were forced to apply for a visa.
The Obama administration passed the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015 after the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris. The Act, however, unlike Trump's much more broad order, only affected people eligible for the visa waiver programme, rather than suspend all citizens' travel from one of those seven countries.
In a statement on 29 January, President Trump said his policy was "similar" to an Obama order that "banned visa for refugees from Iraq".
Trump referred to an incident in May 2011 when the FBI indicted two Iraqi citizens in Kentucky on federal terrorism charges. Both were accused of providing material support to al-Qaeda and had been involved in attacks against US forces in Iraq.
A hearing before the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence found that the pair had "exploited special Iraqi refugee programs". The vetting system came under review and this resulted in fewer Iraqi refugee admissions that year.
The number of refugees from Iraq dropped from 18,016 to 9,388 as a result of the suspension. That number increased to 12,163 the following year.
Mr Trump's order said that foreign-born individuals have been responsible for "numerous" terrorism-related crimes since 9/11, including foreign nationals who have entered the country on visa or refugee programmes. The 9/11 attackers came from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Lebanon and Egypt.
In September 2015 the Homeland Security Committee reported that the so-called Islamic State had inspired or directed 60 terror plots or attacks in Western countries, including 15 in the United States. There are 250 American citizens known to have joined Islamist extremist groups.
Significant recent attacks in the US were not committed by citizens from any of the seven countries included in the order. This list includes:
There have been a few non-fatal attacks by individuals from two of the countries on the banned list.
According to the New America Foundation, 82% of all terrorism incidents since 2001 were conducted by citizens and permanent residents. Since 9/11, jihadists have killed 94 people inside the United States.
A Cato Institute study found that Americans are 253 times more likely to die in a regular homicide than dying in a terrorist attack committed by a foreigner in the US.
US Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) have said the order "may do more to help terrorist recruitment than improve our security", because of the signal it sends to the Muslim world.
But President Trump has rejected that notion, saying in an interview that America's enemies were already angry and it was his number one responsibility to keep the country safe. And his supporters wholeheartedly agree.
"Donald Trump says this is temporary and I trust him," said one resident in New York's Staten Island. "His number one job is to protect the American people." | President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that banned travel into the United States for citizens from these seven countries for 90 days: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. | 38798588 |
Danielle McLaughlin, from County Donegal, was found dead in a field close to tourist resorts in Canacona on Tuesday morning. The 28-year-old had travelled to India in February.
Her post mortem concluded that brain damage and constriction of the neck caused her death, police said.
A local man arrested Wednesday will now face rape as well as murder charges.
The 24-year-old accused, whose name has been reported as Vikat Bhagat, appeared in court on Wednesday charged with her murder.
Deputy Superintendent Sammy Tavares told local reporters he had confessed to raping and killing the victim.
Police have also obtained CCTV footage which shows Ms McLaughlin walking along a street with the suspect.
Ms McLaughlin had travelled to Goa with a friend from Australia and the women were staying in a beach hut, a Goa police officer told the Associated Press.
The pair had been celebrating Holi - a Hindu spring festival - at a nearby village on Monday evening and Ms McLaughlin left the village late at night, he added.
Her naked body was found the next day in a field less than 2km (1.2 miles) from Palolem, one of the most popular beaches in south Goa.
Some of Danielle McLaughlin's friends are flying to Goa in the hope of accompanying the body home on Friday to Buncrana in County Donegal - a journey that is expected to take up to six days.
Her mother, Andrea Brannigan, said the eldest of her five daughters would be "sadly missed by all".
She said the family were finding it a "difficult and trying time" since receiving the "awful news" about her daughter's death.
People in the western Indian state have been shaken up by the murder, says the BBC's Yogita Limaye at the scene.
Goa is very popular with foreign tourists who visit for beach holidays and some are worried its image could be dented.
Last year, an Indian court cleared two men of raping and killing British teenager Scarlett Keeling.
The 15-year-old was found dead on Goa's popular Anjuna beach in 2008, having drowned after allegedly being plied with drugs.
Miss Keeling's mother said her heart sank after hearing of Ms McLaughlin's death.
"It is horrific," Fiona MacKeown said. "My heart breaks for her family and friends.
"I know what they are going through."
Ms McLaughlin had lived in Liverpool and was travelling on a British passport.
On Wednesday evening, locals held a vigil at the spot where her body was found.
A big green banner had been laid out on the ground reading "Justice for Danielle".
Photos of her, flowers, and candles were laid out near it. | The Irish woman murdered in the Indian state of Goa was raped and strangled, her post-mortem has confirmed. | 39292195 |
The 1745 Jacobite Rebellion was a turning point in British history.
Charles Edward Stuart believed the British throne was his birthright and planned to invade with his Jacobite followers and remove the Hanoverian "usurper" George II.
A new exhibition on the Jacobites at the National Museum of Scotland is the largest in more than 70 years, with over 300 objects on show combining National Museums Scotland's collection with material on loan from around the UK and Europe.
Exhibition curator David Forsyth reveals some of the hidden depths to one of the most tumultuous periods in Scotland's history.
The above classic "shortbread tin" image depicts Bonnie Prince Charlie as a highland hero, sweeping into the ballroom at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.
In fact the painting, by John Pettie, dates from 100 years after Charles Edward Stuart died and was inspired by an episode from Sir Walter Scott's historical novel Waverley.
Charles did hold court at Holyrood for about six weeks in 1745 but expressly forbade his supporters from excessive celebration of the victory at Prestonpans.
His court was said to be business-like as Charles and his advisors planned the next steps in the campaign, eventually taking the decision to march south for London.
Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Sylvester Maria Stuart was born in Rome in 1720, about 32 years after his grandfather - James VII and II - the last Roman Catholic monarch of Scotland, England and Ireland - had been deposed from the throne.
Many years later Charles would also die in Rome.
During his life he spent just 14 months on British soil, in 1745-6, and a brief clandestine return visit in 1750.
Charles was raised as a king-in-waiting, successor to his father, James, who was the deposed king's son.
He was installed by his father with the chivalric orders of both Scotland and England, depicted in the painting above - the Order of the Thistle and the Order of the Garter.
James, who still believed himself to be the king, appointed Charles as his Prince Regent in 1743, authorised to act for his father in all things.
He was resolved to reclaim the thrones of Scotland, England and Ireland for his father.
The earlier portraits of Bonnie Prince Charlie show the popular perception of a handsome and charming young man.
Contemporary accounts of the prince appear to confirm this.
In later life, these qualities faded.
The above sketch shows the prince as an old man (about 56) and perhaps the overriding sense is one of disappointment.
He lived for another 42 years after the battle of Culloden of 1746 but was never able to muster support for any further attempts to claim the throne.
Charles became increasingly frustrated and in time embittered by lack of support and betrayal, as he saw it, by his own father and his younger brother, Henry Benedict.
With James' blessing and support, Henry joined the Catholic Church.
This was a grievous blow to Charles, who would wish to distance the Stuarts from the Catholic faith in order to generate support in England.
He even converted to Anglicanism during a clandestine visit to London in 1750.
Charles never spoke to his father again.
The story of the Jacobites is often reduced to Bonnie Prince Charlie and the 1745 rebellion, with limited consideration of what Charles was actually fighting for.
Behind that is the Stuart claim to the three kingdoms.
The Stuart dynasty had ruled Scotland since 1371.
With the accession of James VI of Scotland to the throne of England at the Union of the Crowns in 1603, the Stuarts expanded their kingdom.
This was still the age of 'divine right' monarchy - the Stuarts believed they were answerable only to God.
The ampulla (pictured above) was a sacred object that held the holy oil to consecrate Charles I during his Scottish Coronation in 1633.
Charles, a firm believer in divine right monarchy, was executed at the end of the English Civil War.
The Stuart line was restored with Charles II, who ruled until his death in 1685.
Charles II was succeeded by his younger brother, James VII of Scotland and II of England.
James had secretly converted to Catholicism, as the revelation of his faith would jar with an increasingly Protestant Britain.
The Holyrood Altar Plate (above) is a set of devotional items James used in Edinburgh.
The birth of a male heir raised the prospect of a continuing Catholic succession.
His Protestant daughter Mary was no longer his heir.
A Dutch force led by Mary's husband, William of Orange, was invited to England to restore Mary to her rightful place.
The so-called Glorious Revolution, which installed William and Mary on the throne, resulted in James's flight to exile in France.
James then tried to reclaim his throne, with what was effectively the first Jacobite rising in 1689.
It led to violence in Ireland, where James' (largely Catholic) supporters were finally beaten at the Battle of the Boyne and in Scotland where, despite a victory at Killiecrankie, military conflict proved inconclusive.
The Scottish Parliament agreed to adopt William as their king in favour of James.
The Highlands, where the clan chiefs' old oaths were to the Scottish Stuart line, had been the focal point of rising in Scotland.
So the chiefs were ordered to swear fealty to their new king, William.
All did this bar the MacDonalds, who missed an arbitrary deadline.
Many were killed by a government force billeted with them, an act which appalled many and increased Jacobite support.
The Glencoe Massacre of 1692 is one of the most notorious episodes in Scottish history and the outcry over it alarmed King William.
The above document is a warrant for an inquiry into the massacre, signed by King William III.
The commission of inquiry, perhaps unsurprisingly, found there was nothing in the king's instructions to warrant the slaughter.
After being deposed in 1688, James VII and II went into exile for the rest of his days, along with his family, including the infant prince, James Francis Stuart.
He was welcomed as a guest of his cousin, King Louis XIV at Saint Germain-en-Laye, which the French king had vacated to move into Versailles.
From there, the Stuarts established a court in exile, receiving visitors, conducting international relations and dispensing honours.
When James VII and II died in 1701, Louis recognised his son as James VIII and III, King of Scotland, England and Ireland.
This was not a title King William acknowledged.
Further challenges to the British throne were mounted in 1708, 1715 and 1719.
After the failure of the 1715 rising, the death of Louis XIV and the Treaty of Utrecht between Britain and France, James was obliged to leave France, settling in Rome in 1719.
Charles Edward Stuart was born there the following year.
The Jacobites, named after the latin for James - Jacobus - are often personified as a Scottish movement.
The truth is rather more complex.
The suit pictured above belonged to Sir John Hynde Cotton, a leading Jacobite Tory MP from Cambridgeshire.
He acquired or was gifted this on a visit to Edinburgh about 1743.
There was Jacobite support and sympathy in England although, to Charles Stuart's chagrin, that did not translate into significant military or overt political support in the 1745 rebellion.
In addition, promised military aid from France and Sweden failed to materialise.
Nevertheless, the Jacobite army that took the field at Culloden near Inverness - the decisive battle of the '45 - was not solely Highland. It also had Irish and French units.
There was considerable opposition to the Jacobites within Scotland.
Bonnie Prince Charlie held court at Holyrood Palace for six weeks in 1745 but, just the length of the Royal Mile away, Edinburgh Castle remained a fortified government garrison throughout.
Glasgow remained loyal to the Hanoverians, who were by now on the thrones of Scotland and England.
This division is sometimes simplified to Highlanders and Lowlanders but there was strong Jacobite support in Aberdeen, Perth and Fife, and indeed some Highlanders fought on the government side.
The Gaelic bible pictured above belonged to a soldier who served with the Argyll militia, raised by the Clan Campbell to fight on the side of the government forces.
It was also not a matter of Protestant v Catholic in Scotland - many of Charles' most prominent Scottish supporters were actually Episcopalian.
The Duke of Cumberland, who commanded the Hanoverian army at Culloden, was the third son of King George.
He is vilified in the popular historical memory for the brutal crackdowns across the Highlands after Culloden, when the traditional right to bear arms and the wearing of tartan and were suppressed as the British government resolved to wipe out the social, cultural and military infrastructure of clan society, which was perceived as a source of loyalty to the Stuarts.
Some Lowlanders welcomed the Duke, and he was granted the freedom of both Glasgow and Edinburgh.
This is a letter from Robert Burns, accepting an invitation to attend a "Steuart Society dinner" on Hogmanay 1787, on what turned out to be Charles Edward Stuart's last birthday.
By now, Jacobitism was no longer a threat to the House of Hanover, more almost a gentleman's club, still toasting the kings-over-the-water but, politically and militarily spent.
By this time, after the brutality of the post-Culloden years, efforts were being made to assimilate or rehabilitate (depending on your point of view) the reputation of the Highlander into the emergent British imperial identity, with the revoking of the ban on tartan and the incorporation of the Highland regiments into the British Army.
Charles died in 1788, and was almost instantaneously the subject of this romantic memorial tradition in English - it already existed in Gaelic - which grew with Burns, Scott and others.
James, the Old Pretender, was buried with full state honours in St Peter's Basilica in Rome in 1766, the only king accorded this honour.
Charles died in 1788, leaving his younger brother, Henry, Cardinal York as the last male heir in the Stuart succession.
Despite being in no position to prosecute the claim, he never renounced it and commissioned rather regal objects like the above Caddinet - a type of serving dish for bread which was traditionally only used by monarchs.
After Henry's death in 1807, Charles was reinterred and the three now rest together in the crypt of St Peter's Basilica.
Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobites is on display at the National Museum of Scotland in Chambers Street, Edinburgh, from Friday 23 June to Sunday 12 November 2017 | Most people have heard of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobites but their story is often only vaguely known or misunderstood. | 40258979 |
The Commission had applied more stringent restrictions to the march than in previous years.
The parade observed a single drumbeat passing by St Patrick's Catholic Church in Belfast on Friday evening.
Earlier, the Order lost a High Court bid to overturn restrictions on the parade along Clifton Street and Donegall Street.
The judge rejected claims that the Commission had not followed proper procedures in its Tour of the North determination.
Instead, he upheld the restrictions placed on the parade.
Afterwards, the Order said it was disappointed but would abide by the ruling.
Police said on Friday night that they were "encouraged by the manner in which all those present tonight conducted themselves and appreciate the efforts those involved went to in ensuring this was the case". | The Orange Order has abided by the Parades Commission's ruling during Friday's Tour of the North parade. | 33208841 |
Mrs Cameron is following in the footsteps of another prime ministerial spouse, Sarah Brown, in appearing in a Sport Relief edition of the show.
Other contestants in the show include former Labour MP Ed Balls.
Mr Cameron told the Stylist magazine that he would "rather fight an election than make pastry from scratch".
The prime minister said he was a fan of the show and watched it with his daughter Nancy when his official duties allowed.
"We backed Nadiya (Hussain) to win in the last series. We're hoping our support will have the same effect on Sam when she appears on The Great Sport Relief Bake Off in March.
"I don't envy her. I'd rather fight an election than make pastry from scratch."
Mrs Cameron is one of 16 high-profile figures taking part in The Great Sport Relief Bake Off to raise money for charity. | David Cameron has said he does "not envy" his wife Samantha's task when she appears on a special edition of the Great British Bake Off. | 35285402 |
The prisoners broke out of the jail in Nuevo Laredo late on Thursday or early on Friday morning.
Security guards are being questioned on suspicion of helping the inmates flee, and prison director has gone missing.
Mexico's prison system is struggling to cope with an influx of violent offenders arrested in the government's campaign against drugs cartels.
Nuevo Laredo in Tamaulipas state lies just across the border from Laredo, Texas.
Tamaulipas security chief Antonio Garza said the break-out - one of the largest in the country's history - went unnoticed until guards carried out a routine head count.
Officials believe the inmates had escaped through one of the prison's back gates, with the connivance of one or more security guards.
Mr Garza said all the guards were being considered suspects in helping the prisoners to flee, and the prison director had been "listed as missing".
Security forces in the area have launched a massive search, while troops and federal police have been deployed to guard the prison.
It usually holds about 1,000 inmates, many of them convicted of federal crimes such as drugs and kidnapping.
This is the second mass prison break in northern Mexico in recent months.
In September, 85 prisoners escaped from a jail in the nearby border city of Reynosa, also in Tamaulipas.
The northern border region is the scene of rising lawlessness as the cartels fight the security forces and battle each other for control of smuggling routes into the US.
The drug cartels' capacity for violence and ability to pay huge bribes gives them considerable power to subvert the prison system and get their people out.
In July, Mexican prosecutors accused guards at a prison in Durango state of allowing inmates to leave the jail to carry out contract killings for the cartels, and of lending them weapons and vehicles. | More than 140 Mexican prisoners have escaped from a jail near the US border, local media reports say. | 12023119 |
Subsets and Splits
No saved queries yet
Save your SQL queries to embed, download, and access them later. Queries will appear here once saved.