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Black Labrador Ella fled after being hit by a car on Mersea Island on Thursday.
Ella, who had earlier escaped from Kate and Tyson Burns-Green's West Mersea garden, was spotted swimming to Ray Island and Packing Shed Island before eventually being rescued on Sunday.
The Blackwater Veterinary Surgery said she was 95% dehydrated.
For more on this and other Essex stories
During her rescue by boatmen from Mersea, she plunged into the water again and and attempted to swim towards Tollesbury.
Hundreds watched and applauded as nine-year-old Ella was brought ashore and reunited with her owners.
Mrs Burns-Green told how, after the dog went missing, appeals for information were put out on social media.
She said: "Although she loves swimming, she usually asks before going into the water.
"It all culminated on Sunday evening when a family spotted a black Labrador on Ray Island and they rang my husband.
"Their dog pushed her out of some bushes and Ella ran off into the water and swam to Packing Shed Island.
"She ran to the end of Packing Shed Island and jumped into the water where two boats cornered her, grabbed hold of her and brought her back to shore.
"All this while the sun was going down.
"I was totally overwhelmed by the amount of love and support out there." | A dog missing for four days has been rescued close to death having swum to two different islands. | 38568190 |
The creator of the Discworld series died at the age of 66 in March, following a public struggle with Alzheimer's disease.
In the past two weeks, hundreds of fans have signed a petition for a permanent statue to the writer in Salisbury.
A spokeswoman for the family said he would "undoubtedly" have found the amusement "in almost any statue".
She said: "Sir Terry always said he would like to be useful in death, so a statue where a pigeon can stop for a well-earned rest would have amused him no end."
The campaign for a permanent "tribute to Sir Terry" was launched on Change.Org by Emily Brand.
"Here in Salisbury we were lucky enough to have him as a local resident for over 20 years," she said.
"But there is little to inform guests and residents of his involvement, or the love the community had for him in return.
"In fact, a quick internet search fails to find any statues of him in the UK at all."
The petition has already received 1,250 signatures.
Backing the campaign, fan Kaye Elling wrote: "I think he would really appreciate it if the final result was a bit naff or creepy."
Janette Ward also signed, with the comment: "I would love to sit on a bench seat with him at the other end! (Reading of course!)."
But Ms Brand said "if money was no object" a giant turtle fountain "would be amazing" but they "may have to scale that down slightly".
Sir Terry wrote more than 70 books during his career and sold over 85 million copies around the world.
His final novel, The Shepherd's Crown, was released six months after his death. | Sir Terry Pratchett's family is backing a campaign to have a statue of the author erected in Wiltshire. | 34334105 |
Find out more about each of the candidates below.
Robert Evans, who is standing as the Labour candidate, was the first MEP for London North West, specialising during his time in the European Parliament on European crime prevention.
He is a former primary school teacher who now works as a freelance consultant and public-relations executive and is the chairman of Runnymede and Weybridge Labour Party.
Mr Evans is campaigning to resist funding cuts and "privatisation" plans and said he would "reverse" cuts in support for domestic abuse and freeze further police station closures, pledging there would be no "soft touch" policing on his watch.
Robert Evans's election statement
Kevin Hurley, a former borough and public-order commander with the Met, is standing as a candidate for the "zero tolerance policing ex chief" party.
He comes from a family with strong police links - his parents served in the force as does his son - and has experience of dealing with police balance sheets as well as being a chief constable in Iraq.
The former detective chief superintendent describes his police methods as "no nonsense" and said he wanted police chiefs to be leaders, not bureaucratic managers, and he was a strong believer in zero-tolerance policing.
Kevin Hurley's election statement
Julie Iles, was selected from an initial shortlist of six candidates by the Conservative Party in Surrey.
She has been a magistrate for 10 years and chairman of the South East Surrey Youth Panel, serving on the youth justice advisory committee. She worked in information technology for 20 years, advising business executives.
Mrs Iles says she wants to correct the disparity between Surrey's low crime rate and poor detection rate, ensuring police are "visible" and available to the public, and to work with other agencies to target anti-social behaviour and alcohol-related crime.
Julie Iles's election statement
Nick O'Shea is a businessman and former Mole Valley district councillor, with strong police connections, who has been chosen as the Liberal Democrat candidate.
His father and grandfather were both in the Surrey force and another family member is currently a serving officer.
Mr O'Shea is a director of a number of businesses and a chartered management accountant. He said he wanted to put the focus on victims and witnesses of crime - improving support to encourage more offences to be reported.
Nick O'Shea's election statement
Former Surrey police officer Robert Shatwell is UKIP's candidate. He said he understood the workings of Surrey Police and the problems it faced because he was part of the force for 18 years.
Mr Shatwell wants to re-establish the beat officer system and continue UKIP's policy of "zero tolerance" on crime. He said prison sentences were far too lenient and there was no deterrent being used to reduce the number and severity of crimes.
UKIP leader and South East of England MEP Nigel Farage said he was delighted that the party had a candidate with such experience running for the position.
Robert Shatwell's election statement
The current chairman of Surrey Police Authority, Peter Williams, has been an independent member of the organisation he hopes to replace for nine years.
He has worked in the criminal-justice system for more than 20 years and has been a magistrate for 17. He said that as a chief executive he has experience of handling large budgets.
Mr Williams wants to build on the county's recent reputation for high public satisfaction by continuing to consult residents on policing and said his priorities would include tackling anti-social behaviour, collaboration with neighbouring forces and holding the chief constable to account.
Peter Williams's election statement | Independent Kevin Hurley has been elected police and crime commissioner for Surrey. | 19546116 |
The teams kick-off pre-season at Barcelona in Spain on 27 February before returning for a second session in March.
All the teams have now revealed their 2017 driver line-ups.
Circuit de Catalunya
Monday, 27 February - Thursday, 2 March 2017
Tuesday, 7 March - Friday, 10 March 2017
There will be live BBC Sport text commentary on all eight days of the two tests. | Formula 1 teams have started their build-up to the 2017 season before the first race in Australia on 26 March. | 38677480 |
The Lib Dems also pledged to keep defence spending at the Nato benchmark of 2% of national income.
Leader Tim Farron said he believed in a "credible" armed forces.
Labour and the Conservatives have both pledged to stick to the 2% Nato spending target.
The Lib Dems have also promised a new "careers for heroes" scheme to pay for the full cost of further and higher education for armed forces personnel who had served for 12 or more years.
"A recent independent report was a damning indictment of armed forces recruitment and retention, with some units facing 14% shortfalls in manpower," said Mr Farron.
"Our Army, Navy and Airforce deserve the best and the brightest serving in them, and we must not stand by as those who have served face disadvantages."
On Sunday's Andrew Marr Show Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said the government could not force people to join the Army.
"We don't have conscription in this country, the Army has to compete with other sectors in the economy," he said.
The Conservatives have broken their 2015 pledge to not let the size of the army fall below 82,000 - it currently stands at 78,500. | Graduates in technical and engineering subjects would be given £10,000 to join the armed forces, under plans unveiled by the Liberal Democrats to tackle recruitment problems. | 39912933 |
The pet was found on Tuesday when a member of the public heard cries at Cables Wynd House in Leith.
The cat, which has been named Molly, is now in the care of the Scottish SPCA's animal rescue and rehoming centre in Balerno.
Molly is between seven and nine months old.
Inspector June Chalcroft said: "Molly was wearing a collar with a harness and a lead so it seems she managed to get herself tangled with the locked up motorbike.
"The concierge of the building heard meowing and managed to locate Molly.
"We think she was there for around a week as she is quite thin.
"If no one comes forward for Molly, we'll find her a suitable new home." | A cat thought to have been trapped for a week after its lead became tangled with a parked motorbike in Edinburgh has been rescued. | 35550108 |
The Museum of London display will include the personal stories of Londoners who were there during the fire and will look at the city, before and after the blaze.
It will also look at the fire's causes, how London was rebuilt afterwards and compare modern fire fighting techniques to those employed at the time.
Fire! Fire! opens on 23 July next year.
An unfinished piece of embroidery, reputed to have been saved from a house in Cheapside at the time of the fire will be on display for the first time.
Director of the museum Sharon Ament said the fire was an "iconic moment" in the capital's history.
She added: "Whilst it is a potent story there are many myths about the Great Fire and there is a compelling story to tell from catastrophe to the reshaping of the city." | A new exhibition will display rare artefacts from the Great Fire of London in 1666 to mark its 350th anniversary. | 34127738 |
Rochdale goalkeeper Josh Lilis pulled off a string of excellent saves from Florent Cuvelier and Che Adams to stop the Blades taking the lead.
Dale broke the deadlock when Holt flicked on to fellow substitute Peter Vincenti, who curled past Lilis.
Holt then swept Michael Rose's corner into the roof of the net to secure the victory for Rochdale.
Rochdale manager Keith Hill told BBC Radio Manchester:
Media playback is not supported on this device
"Holty's come in and he's done exceptionally well in training and he's done well in the games when he's come on.
"If you want a promotion winning team, you've got to have game management, game knowledge and players who can go out there and do it without being coached.
"There's a lot of things to be said about the politics of football, the fact of the matter is, we've won 12 games and I'm pleased about that."
Match ends, Rochdale 2, Sheffield United 0.
Second Half ends, Rochdale 2, Sheffield United 0.
Foul by Niall Canavan (Rochdale).
Stefan Scougall (Sheffield United) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Corner, Rochdale. Conceded by Stefan Scougall.
Michael Rose (Rochdale) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Stefan Scougall (Sheffield United).
Corner, Rochdale. Conceded by Matt Done.
Substitution, Rochdale. Rhys Bennett replaces Matthew Lund.
Attempt missed. Matthew Lund (Rochdale) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
Joseph Rafferty (Rochdale) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Matt Done (Sheffield United).
Goal! Rochdale 2, Sheffield United 0. Grant Holt (Rochdale) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the top left corner. Assisted by Michael Rose with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Rochdale. Conceded by Matt Done.
Corner, Rochdale. Conceded by Stefan Scougall.
Corner, Sheffield United. Conceded by Niall Canavan.
Foul by Billy Sharp (Sheffield United).
Joseph Rafferty (Rochdale) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Sheffield United. Stefan Scougall replaces Ryan Flynn.
Substitution, Sheffield United. Paul Coutts replaces Florent Cuvelier.
Attempt missed. Matthew Lund (Rochdale) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left.
Corner, Sheffield United. Conceded by Josh Lillis.
Attempt saved. Che Adams (Sheffield United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Goal! Rochdale 1, Sheffield United 0. Peter Vincenti (Rochdale) right footed shot from outside the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Grant Holt.
Foul by Michael Rose (Rochdale).
Matt Done (Sheffield United) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Corner, Sheffield United. Conceded by Peter Vincenti.
Foul by Che Adams (Sheffield United).
Jimmy McNulty (Rochdale) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Niall Canavan (Rochdale) header from a difficult angle on the right misses to the right.
Corner, Rochdale. Conceded by John Brayford.
Peter Vincenti (Rochdale) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
John Brayford (Sheffield United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Peter Vincenti (Rochdale).
Chris Basham (Sheffield United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Peter Vincenti (Rochdale).
Attempt missed. Michael Rose (Rochdale) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left.
Hand ball by Florent Cuvelier (Sheffield United).
Attempt missed. Chris Basham (Sheffield United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high.
Corner, Sheffield United. Conceded by Michael Rose. | Grant Holt scored his first goal since rejoining Rochdale to help beat Sheffield United in League One. | 35619174 |
The man was taken to hospital along with a woman after falling ill at the house in Lodge Road, Whistley Green, just after 08:00 GMT on Thursday.
Police said the 60-year-old died in the early hours. The woman remains in hospital in a stable condition.
British Gas and the Health and Safety Executive are carrying out an investigation at the property.
Another woman and a child were taken to hospital as a precaution, but were later discharged.
Police are not treating the death as suspicious. | A man died after suffering suspected carbon monoxide poisoning at a house in Berkshire. | 35436881 |
The online article was published after the four-year-old prince was photographed with his hands on his face in a helicopter in Germany last month.
Jim Allister, leader of the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) party, described the article as "outrageous and sick".
He has written to PinkNews demanding it withdraw the article and apologise.
However, the chief executive of PinkNews, Benjamin Cohen, told BBC News NI he had "no intention" of removing the article at the behest of a politician who opposed the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people.
He defended the feature, saying it was a "tongue-in-cheek" piece, based on the comments of "hundreds" of social media users.
Mr Cohen added that as a gay man, he was personally offended by some of the "repugnant" remarks contained in Mr Allister's letter of complaint.
The PinkNews website describes itself as the "premier LGBT news outlet in the UK and beyond".
The original article, by Josh Jackman, was published on 25 July with the headline: People think Prince George looks fabulous in this new photo.
It was a commentary on social media users' reaction to one of a series of press photos of the young prince exploring a helicopter during a family tour of an aviation factory.
Mr Jackman wrote: "Prince George has become a gay icon overnight.
"The monarch-to-be has always been cute and well-dressed, but one day before his fourth birthday, a photo of him excitedly holding his face changed everything.
"At least, that's what the people - sorry, his subjects - are saying."
In his complaint, Mr Allister told PinkNews: "Sexualising a young child in this fashion is entirely inappropriate.
"In reality, the photo which prompted the piece shows a four-year-old boy who is smartly dressed and excited about being on a helicopter with his male father and female mother.
"To take an image of a little boy and to fantasise of him being an icon for a life defined by sex is outrageous and sick."
Mr Allister also told the editor that Facebook users' reaction to the piece "should tell you that the piece was misjudged to say the least".
The TUV leader quoted one of the critical Facebook comments which said: "You are using 1970s stereotyping to come up with this nonsense... It is ignorant in the extreme to speculate about the sexuality of any child in such a public fashion."
In the piece, Mr Jackman acknowledged: "There are of course those who say that any discussion of the prince's sexuality is premature."
But he insisted that the discussion "isn't about his sexuality".
"As Madonna, Lady Gaga, the Babadook and yes, even Ariana Grande have shown, you don't have to be gay or even have a defined sexuality to be an LGBT icon."
The article added that children "are born with a sexuality, and should be encouraged to find it without it being assumed that they're straight".
Mr Allister said he was disgusted by the article.
The TUV leader added that he would have referred his complaint to the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), but PinkNews had not signed up to its code of practice.
But the publication's chief executive pointed out that PinkNews could not be a member of IPSO as it was a "digital media company", and not a newspaper or a magazine.
Mr Cohen said he was "surprised" that a UK politician was not aware of its membership rules or the regulations governing the media.
He also said that until today, he had "never heard of Jim Allister" and had not yet received his letter, but had read its contents in the press.
Mr Cohen argued that the 25 July feature was a "legitimate" piece of social commentary and rejected Mr Allister's claim that it had "sexualised" a young child.
He said the feature was no longer on the PinkNews homepage as it was three weeks old, but that it would remain available on the internet.
The chief executive added that he was "surprised that Jim Allister is such an avid reader of PinkNews" that he could find the piece online.
Mr Allister founded the TUV in 2007 after quitting the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).
He holds a seat at Stormont for the North Antrim constituency and is also a barrister. | An article in PinkNews, speculating that Prince George has become a gay icon, has sparked a formal complaint from a Northern Ireland politician. | 40898218 |
Residents said IS fighters had set up defensive positions and laid landmines after capturing the city on Sunday.
Militants were also going door-to-door looking for government sympathisers and throwing bodies in the Euphrates river, residents were quoted as saying.
Thousands have fled the city and the UN has warned of a humanitarian crisis.
It says some 25,000 people have left the city, only 105km (65 miles) west of Baghdad, in recent days, adding to a flood of people already displaced from the area. Many were sleeping in the open.
The UN says it is trying to meet the needs of those displaced, but funds are low and supplies have almost gone.
The loss of Ramadi, capital of western Anbar province, is a blow for both the Iraqi government and US strategy in the area, says the BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut.
Retaking it is a massive challenge to the Iraqi government, which has had to appeal to the Shia militias despite risks of a sectarian backlash from sending them deep into the Sunni heartland, our correspondent adds.
Police and the military made a chaotic retreat from the city, which has been contested for months, after days of intense fighting. IS said it had captured tanks, armoured personnel carriers and other weapons from government bases.
Fleeing Ramadi residents face tough choices
On the frontline in Anbar province
Nafiseh Kohnavard: On a bomb run against IS in Mosul
Relatives of Ramadi residents told the BBC that people were worried and were not leaving their homes. The streets are almost empty but some shops have been forced to open by IS fighters.
Residents say militants have also been trying to restore electricity and water supplies and they are addressing people through loudspeakers in mosques.
Militants were breaking into the homes of policemen and pro-government tribesmen, witnesses told the Associated Press news agency.
Footage posted online also appears to show IS releasing inmates from a Ramadi prison.
Some 3,000 Shia militiamen are said to be "on standby" at Habbaniyah military camp, some 20km east of Ramadi, in preparation for an attempt to recapture the city.
On Tuesday, Anbar police chief Kadhim al-Fahdawi told AFP news agency that a large number of well-prepared troops were deployed in Husaybah, which is closer to Ramadi.
He said this area - deep in Iraq's Sunni heartland - would be the "starting point" for operations, but that much planning remained to be done.
Iraq Army Brig Gen Ali al-Majidi told AFP no offensive would be launched until continued attacks by IS east of Ramadi had been contained.
The Pentagon acknowledged on Tuesday that some of the Shia militias were not under direct control of the Iraqi government - something the US has insisted upon.
Spokesman Col Steve Warren also accepted that poor leadership in the Iraqi army was one factor in the loss of Ramadi, along with poor tactics.
The Shia militias, known as the Popular Mobilisation (al-Hashd al-Shaabi), were key to the recapture from IS of another city, Tikrit, north of Baghdad, in April.
But although their presence was welcomed by some Sunni leaders, some Ramadi residents said they feared them as much as Islamic State.
The US has not given a uniform response to the capture of Ramadi, with the Pentagon suggesting it is not tactically significant, while the state department describes it as a setback.
But the eight sorties flown over Ramadi by US forces in the past day suggest it is a pressing concern, says the BBC's Jon Sopel in Washington.
Anbar province covers a vast stretch of the country west from Baghdad to the Syrian border, and contains key roads that link Iraq to both Syria and Jordan.
IS reportedly controls more than half of Anbar's territory. | Islamic State militants are preparing to defend the Iraqi city of Ramadi, witnesses say, as Iranian-backed militiamen gather east of the city. | 32791448 |
The non-league club complained that HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) had unfairly imposed surcharges of about £2,500 after VAT bills totalling £40,000 were paid late.
Club officials said they had given warning that payments would be late and should therefore not be penalised.
But a specialist judge has ruled against the National League North team after a tribunal hearing in Birmingham.
In November the Lilywhites - currently in the bottom half of the table - announced that after consultation with supporters, they were selling shares and changing their ownership model to allow external investment.
No one person or organisation could buy more than 20% of the shares during the three-week sale.
The club, formerly called Telford United, has been a major force in non-league football reaching more FA Trophy finals than any other team. They won on three of their five visits to Wembley and also reached the FA Cup fifth round in 1985.
But they were forced into liquidation in 2004 and reformed as AFC Telford United, starting their new life in Northern Premier League Division One. | AFC Telford United have lost a court battle over late VAT payments. | 38541884 |
The 42-year-old has been a youth coach at Leicester City since 2013 and has also been linked with joining Wolves.
"[Permission] has been granted. It's whether we can take it any further," said Derby manager Nigel Pearson.
"If we can secure the deal then he'll bring different ideas and different coaching methods to what we've already got here and I think that's important."
Idiakez, who played for the Rams between 2004 and 2006 after joining from Rayo Vallecano, completed his coaching qualifications following his retirement in 2008.
"He would be working with the first team," Pearson told BBC East Midlands Today. "That's not the reason for me wanting to add him to the backroom staff here. How we build a group of staff is with the same ethos as how we build a squad.
"We want the best people available to be the team behind the team. There's a way to go yet."
The Spaniard played under Pearson at Southampton in 2008 and assisted former manager George Burley at Cypriot side Apollon Limassol in 2012.
"He's a very good coach. That's really all I need to say. He's somebody I've worked with as a player and I worked with him [as a coach] at Leicester," continued Pearson.
"If we can secure the deal then he'll bring different ideas and different coaching methods to what we've already got here and I think that's important." | Derby County have been given permission to speak to ex-midfielder Inigo Idiakez about joining as first-team coach. | 36715122 |
Media playback is unsupported on your device
4 January 2014 Last updated at 09:51 GMT
Li Dongyi completed the puzzle in just 11.84 seconds at a World Cube Association tournament in Shenyang, according to Chinese state media.
He's been solving Rubik's Cube's for more than four years and learnt from his Dad, who's a speed solver.
Li is now in popular demand at his school, trying to teach his classmates the technique of solving the puzzle. | A nine-year-old boy from north east China has set a new world record in his age group for solving a Rubik's Cube. | 25602559 |
Iceland international Sigurdsson joined Fulham from FC Krasnodar for an undisclosed fee on a two-year deal in August 2016.
The 31-year-old made 18 appearances last season, scoring his only goal in a 2-0 win at Ipswich in December.
Fulham start the new Championship season when they host Norwich City on Saturday.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Fulham defender Ragnar Sigurdsson has left Craven Cottage to join Russian side Rubin Kazan on a season-long loan. | 40817487 |
He told an NBC News interviewer on Sunday that he's a "reasonable person", however, and he'd listen if someone can come up with a "reasonable explanation for why they would like to kill a baby". Women, however, should not look at their foetus as "the enemy".
To illustrate his point, Mr Carson - whose understated yet forceful condemnations of liberal orthodoxy made him a darling on the conservative lecture circuit before he launched his presidential bid - offered an analogy that compared women seeking abortions to slaveholders.
"I know that's one of those words you're not supposed to say, but I'm saying it," Mr Carson began. "During slavery, a lot of slave-owners thought they had the right to do whatever they wanted to that slave, anything that they chose. And what if the abolitionists had said, 'I don't believe in slavery, but you guys do whatever you want'? Where would we be?"
Mr Carson has made a habit of saying what he's "not supposed to say" and then deriding the subsequent firestorm as attacks from "politically correct" critics.
The retired doctor has said President Barack Obama's healthcare reform was "the worst thing" since slavery and that the US government is acting like Nazi Germany. He asserted that being gay is a choice, Muslims aren't qualified to seek the US presidency, the Holocaust could have been prevented if persecuted Europeans owned more guns and - just a few days ago - that the US government should cut off funding to universities that are found to exhibit "extreme political bias".
Mr Carson's comments on abortion have set off yet another cycle of outrage from the left - a reaction that he will likely wear as a badge of honour.
"Carson's comments are part of a larger disinformation campaign by Christian fundamentalists and other elements of the American right in which examples from the United States' slave regime are used to delegitimise women's full equality and freedom," writes Salon's Chauncey Devega.
The Washington Post's Jonathan Capehart writes: "Carson is a crackpot who should get nowhere near the White House, let alone the presidential nomination of a major political party. His incendiary and ignorant comments - not political correctness, not racism - are the cause of the 'relentless attacks' on him."
At one point, according to the New York Times, Mr Carson's political team was concerned about their candidate's propensity to make off-the-cuff statements that provoked outrage. In the end, however, they decided to "let Carson be Carson" - and the results have validated their instincts so far.
Much like fellow Republican frontrunner Donald Trump before him, Mr Carson has soared in public opinion polls of likely Republican primary voters despite controversial statements that would sink more traditional politicians.
In recent surveys of Iowa, the state where voters will first help select presidential nominees, Mr Carson has tied or even taken the lead from Mr Trump. In a Monmouth University poll released Monday, Mr Carson is backed by 32%, 14 points over second-place Trump.
This development has prompted the New York billionaire to begin targeting Mr Carson.
He remarked this weekend that the soft-spoken candidate is "super low on energy". He told a CNN interviewer that Mr Carson wouldn't be able to make deals with nations like Japan and China.
He tweeted that Mr Carson wasn't a job-creator and would abolish, the government-run healthcare system for the elderly. He also raised questions about Mr Carson's particular brand of evangelical Christianity.
"I'm Presbyterian," he said during a campaign stop in Florida. "Boy, that's down the middle of the road. I mean, Seventh-day Adventist, I don't know about. I just don't know about."
In the same interview where he made his abortion remarks, Mr Carson said the he wouldn't get in the "mud pit" to respond to attacks, but noted that he had the energy to conduct 20-hour surgeries when he was a practising physician.
As the Washington Examiner's Byron York points out, Mr Carson presents a tricky opponent for the other Republican presidential hopefuls. While Mr Trump has decided to go on the attack, others have been reluctant to follow suit by criticising the physician's lack of governing experience.
Veteran political operatives, he writes, are concerned that Mr Carson's high popularity in polls means any attack will backfire.
"Republican candidates have a Ben Carson problem," York writes. "He's ahead of most of them. They want to win. But how do they defeat him without offending the voters who admire him? No one has yet found the answer."
With just over three months before Iowans head to the polls and other states quickly follow suit, the clock is ticking.
Candidates in (and out of) the Republican presidential field | Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, one of the current frontrunners for the Republican presidential nomination, wants to make abortion illegal in all instances, including cases of rape and incest. | 34641563 |
Ms Randerson, a UK government minister in the Wales Office, was speaking to mark the launch of Wales Tourism Week.
Last year, 84 million tourism day visits were made by British residents to Wales, spending £2.5bn.
And there were 121,400 employed in the tourism sector - 9,000 more since 2010.
"Wales has some of the best beaches, landscapes, castles and cuisine in the UK," said Ms Randerson.
"We need good roads and a strong rail network for the industry to continue to thrive.
"The UK government has already invested in the rail infrastructure but we need to work in partnership with Welsh businesses and the tourism industry to make the improvements needed to grow our economy in the future."
There are plans for a £1bn motorway relief road for the M4 in south Wales along with a metro system serving Cardiff and south east Wales, while there have been calls to improve the A55 in north Wales.
The London Paddington and Swansea train line will also be electrified. | The Welsh tourism industry is a vital part of the economy and the right transport infrastructure is needed to support it, Baroness Randerson has told event in London. | 31878395 |
It hopes to prevent "unconscious bias" and tap a more diverse "talent pool".
For next year's recruitment round for 1,500 graduates and school leavers, an algorithm will consider "contextual" information alongside academic results.
It will take into account disadvantages such as attending an under-performing school or coming from a deprived area.
As an example, Deloitte says an applicant getting three B grades at A-level could be seen as "exceptional" if the average for their school was three D grades.
There will be a "university-blind" approach to selection, so that the name of the university attended will not be known.
The aim is to find students with "potential" and to prevent the recruitment process producing an intake from a narrow range of universities and social backgrounds.
"Improving social mobility is one of the UK's biggest challenges," said David Sproul, senior partner and chief executive of Deloitte UK.
But Mr Sproul said there was also a "business imperative", as firms needed "to hire people who think and innovate differently, come from a variety of backgrounds and bring a range of perspectives".
The move by Deloitte is the latest in a wave of changes by graduate recruiters wanting to look beyond academic results.
Ernst and Young has scrapped a requirement for school leavers to have the equivalent of three B grades at A-level or graduates to have an upper second class degree.
The accountancy firm will remove all academic and education details from its application process.
PricewaterhouseCoopers earlier this year also announced that it would stop using A-levels grades as a threshold for selecting graduate recruits. | Professional services firm Deloitte has changed its selection process so recruiters do not know where candidates went to school or university. | 34384668 |
He was speaking in Atlanta in the wake of mass protests surrounding the shooting dead of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown by a white policeman.
Mr Holder was speaking at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta where Martin Luther King preached.
President Barack Obama has requested funds to improve training and provide body cameras for the police.
The shooting of Mr Brown in August in Ferguson, Missouri, has reignited tension over relations between young African-Americans and the police.
Most of Ferguson's police are white, while the town's residents are mainly black.
A grand jury's decision last week not to charge police officer Darren Wilson over Mr Brown's death sparked violence across the US.
A mass walkout was held on Monday as employees stopped work and students left classes.
Mr Holder was in Atlanta to meet law enforcement officials and community leaders at the request of President Obama.
In a speech during a forum titled "The Community Speaks", Mr Holder said that the police cannot be seen as an "occupying force". The issue, he said, was larger than just the police in the community.
"Our overall system of justice must be strengthened and it must be made more fair," he said.
Mr Holder said he would update department of justice guidance on racial profiling by federal law enforcement.
"This will institute rigorous new standards and robust safeguards to help end racial profiling once and for all," he said, to applause and cheering from the audience.
However his speech was disrupted by protesters who shouted slogans and waved placards calling for "an end to police murder".
Racial profiling involves police using a person's ethnicity as a factor in deciding whether to take action. | US Attorney General Eric Holder has announced plans to "help end racial profiling once and for all". | 30290308 |
He became famous for his sweaters and the rocking chair in which he invariably sat to sing the final number of his show.
At a time when the 60s pop explosion was stalling the careers of so many crooners, Doonican bucked the trend with eight Top-20 hits.
And songs like Delaney's Donkey and Paddy McGinty's Goat allowed record-buyers to indulge themselves in a touch of Irish-flavoured whimsy.
Michael Valentine Doonican was born in the Irish city of Waterford on 3 February 1927, the youngest of eight children.
His father died of cancer when he was 14 and he was forced to leave school and work in a packaging factory to supplement the family income.
He wrote music from a very young age, and formed a singing group with his friends when he was just 10.
With his guitar, he later took part in the town's first ever television broadcast and, after his first paid engagement at the Waterford fete, left his factory job to tour the country in a caravan.
In 1951, Doonican was invited to join a group called the Four Ramblers.
The band toured England where Doonican was introduced to the joys of golf, and also to his future wife, the cabaret star Lynnette Rae.
Doonican later moved to London, where he continued his entertainment apprenticeship in radio, television, cabaret and music hall.
He recalled that "it took 17 years to become an overnight success", when his appearance on Sunday Night at the Palladium prompted the BBC to offer him his own series in 1964.
He was given an initial series of six half-hour programmes which were broadcast live from a BBC studio in an old chapel in Manchester.
The Val Doonican Music show saw him become a mainstay of Saturday night television.
But he was always grateful that his career gave him the opportunity to meet his idols such as Bing Crosby and Howard Keel.
"You can't imagine," he later recalled, "that you're going along in your young life, buying records of people that you think are fantastic and, in my case, I ended up singing duets with them on my show."
The comedian Dave Allen also got his big break by appearing on the show.
In the 1970s, his fame spread when the programme was transmitted overseas.
Two of Doonican's most enduring props were his collection of multi-coloured sweaters - which became known as "Val Doonican jumpers" - and his ever-present rocking chair.
In fact, the star swapped his sweaters for jackets back in 1970, so remained bemused when people everywhere continued to ask him where his jumper was.
Doonican went on to record more than 50 albums, and he appeared several times on Top of the Pops.
At a time when the charts were dominated by pop groups he had a string of hits including Special Years, Walk Tall and What Would I Be?
The television shows came to an end after 24 years, but Doonican continued to tour, choosing mostly intimate regional theatres, in the UK and abroad.
He eschewed television appearances, preferring to share his time between Buckinghamshire and Spain, and to spend his semi-retirement playing golf.
"Golf is like an 18-year-old girl with big boobs," he once said. "You know it's wrong but you can't keep away from her."
His other great hobby was painting, and his work was exhibited around the country.
A lot of his art was inspired by his Irish homeland, where he remained revered for his modest charm and embrace of original Gaelic values.
In 2001, Doonican and his wife returned to Waterford to receive the gift of a rocking chair.
The ever humble entertainer exclaimed that it "celebrated all the special things to come my way since leaving the city 47 years ago". | Val Doonican's gentle style made him a popular feature on Saturday night television for more than two decades. | 13056229 |
The 8ft "Ed Stone", carved with ex-leader Ed Miliband's key pledges, was among £123,748 of payments missing from Labour's 2015 election return.
A further 33 receipts, worth £34,392, were missing, the commission said.
The £20,000 is the highest fine it has imposed since it was formed in 2001.
The commission's investigation was prompted by calls from journalists asking why Labour's 2015 general election return, published in January, did not include the stone carving, which was widely mocked after being unveiled.
Its probe widened as it emerged that in addition to two payments totalling £7,614 relating to the tablet, further expenditure had not been included in the return, while receipts were missing for other items.
The commission also considered a complaint that costs of bussing activists around the country had been wrongly declared in the national return, rather than attributed to specific seats, where a lower spending limit applies.
It concluded there were "not reasonable grounds to suspect any offence" and did not launch a further investigation.
But its investigation into campaign transport unearthed a further 49 payments that were missing from the general election return.
The commission said Labour had co-operated throughout the inquiry although it had failed to provide some information within a "reasonable timeframe".
It concluded that Labour's treasurer Iain McNicol, who is also its general secretary, had committed two offences under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act in relation to the missing payments and the missing invoices.
Bob Posner, the commission's director of party and election finance, said: "The Labour Party is a well-established, experienced party.
"Rules on reporting campaign spending have been in place for over 15 years and it is vital that the larger parties comply with these rules and report their finances accurately if voters are to have confidence in the system."
A Labour Party spokeswoman said: "The commission's investigation found that internal procedural errors led to a relatively small number of items of expenditure not being declared properly.
"The party regrets these administrative errors.
"However, these amounted to just over 1% of our total spending of over £12m million during this election.
"We accept the findings of the report and have already tightened our internal recording procedures to address the commission's concerns." | Labour has been fined £20,000 by the Electoral Commission for failing to declare all of its general election expenses - including the stone tablet unveiled during the campaign. | 37760562 |
He has faced a lot of criticism since saying he would be standing down from the assembly but continuing to lead the party from Westminster as an MP.
Party grandees including Brid Rodgers and Seamus Mallon said he should give up the leadership.
Mr Mallon, a former deputy leader, said he should go "as soon as possible".
He added that if he acted decisively it would be good for him and for the party.
In his first response to the criticism, Dr McDonnell told the BBC One programme The View that while he respected Mr Mallon's views, he did not agree with them.
"He's entitled to that point of view," he said.
"I happen to have a different point of view, and the view I'm holding is the point of view of the grassroots and the vast majority of the SDLP who want me to finish the job.
"I'm not going to run away from a task half done."
He was more dismissive of internal party critics who say if he will not resign, they may try to force a special party conference where they could mount a leadership challenge.
"We're a democratic party - people are entitled to challenge," he said.
"There's a conference scheduled for November. I have heard no word of any special conference or anything else.
"I will work within the democratic rules and regulations and standing orders that we have in the party, and I will win.
"Quite simply, what I'm doing is essential.
"The vast majority of people in the party know that it's essential and they realise that a silly personality contest or beauty contest, for want of a better description, is not going to help the party and it's not going to help the broader politics in Northern Ireland.
"Yes, I would rather people would talk to me about these issues rather than negotiate through the newspapers.
"It would be helpful but the point is this: we live in a real world, people do what they do, people are individuals in a democratic party.
"I don't have muzzles, I don't have anything else on the people and if they choose to go to newspapers or discuss things through newspapers, it's unhelpful but it's acceptable in a democratic sense." | SDLP leader Alasdair McDonnell has rounded on his internal critics, saying: "I'm not going to run away from a task half done." | 32744293 |
The study, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, suggests the vaccine guards against the disease in monkeys and camels.
Researchers hope with more work it could be turned into a jab for humans.
Mers has infected 1,400 people and claimed 500 lives since 2012. But no specific treatment or preventative medicines exist.
In the majority of cases, individuals are thought to have caught Mers (Middle-East respiratory syndrome) through close contact with infected patients in hospital.
But experts suspect camels also play an important role - acting as a host for the disease.
The researchers, led by University of Pennsylvania, say their experimental vaccine could be a "valuable tool" in two different ways - first, to immunise camels to stop it spreading to human populations and, secondly, as a jab to protect individuals at risk of getting Mers.
In the trial, the vaccine was tested on blood samples taken from camels and appeared to kick-start the production of antibody proteins that may help mount a defence against the virus.
And when it was given to macaque monkeys later exposed to Mers, the animals did not become ill.
Prof Andrew Easton, from Warwick University, described the research as a "significant step forward in the generation of a vaccine to prevent Mers disease".
He added: "The data show that the vaccine is capable of generating protective antibodies in laboratory studies and also in camels.
"This is very promising as a possible way to reduce virus spread in camels and therefore to reduce the risk of infection in humans."
Other experts caution that since the virus tends to affect macaques less severely than humans, it is not yet clear whether it could definitely be used as a vaccine in human populations.
The research was funded in part by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the US and Inovio Pharmaceuticals. | A prototype vaccine against the lung infection Mers coronavirus has shown promising results, scientists say. | 33974816 |
Craig Kearney, 24, was found injured in Lochranza Drive in East Kilbride at about 02:20 on Sunday.
Paramedics were called to the scene, near Lindsayfield Road, but Mr Kearney died a short time later.
Police Scotland said a 46 year-old man had been arrested and was detained in police custody.
He was expected to appear at Hamilton Sheriff Court on Tuesday. | A man has been arrested in connection with the death of another man in South Lanarkshire at the weekend. | 39183981 |
NHS Kernow has been placed under legal directions by NHS England to produce a recovery plan as it is heading for a year-end deficit of £14m.
It had previously had forecast a surplus of £500,000.
NHS Kernow said it had a good financial track record but faced "a number" of pressures.
Clinical commissioning group NHS Kernow, which has a budget of £700m for Cornwall and the Scilly Isles, buys health services on behalf of patients. It can spend money on NHS or private providers.
It is being ordered to produce a "credible" financial recovery plan, showing how it will operate within its annual budget.
It will also have to provide a detailed explanation setting out why the deficit had occurred, and is to have a so-called "turnaround director" appointed.
NHS Kernow said its situation worsened recently due to a "number of financial pressures - particularly an overspend on individual packages of care for patients with complex health needs".
NHS England said it had been working "for some time" with Kernow CCG to help strengthen its performance, "given longstanding issues in the local healthcare economy".
It added that the directions formalised that work, with the aim of ensuring that the "financial deficit could be recovered" to create long-term sustainability. | The organisation that commissions health services in Cornwall has been ordered to deal with its financial problems by NHS bosses. | 35113666 |
Retired High Court judge Dyson Heydon was under pressure from unions who argued that connections to the Liberal party created the perception of bias.
They argued his decision to speak at a Liberal Party fundraiser, even though he withdrew later, was problematic.
But Justice Heydon ruled that the "fair minded observer" was unlikely to agree.
"There is no reason to think that the fair-minded observer might apprehend that my intention in agreeing to give the Address was to raise funds or assist in raising funds or gathering support for the Liberal Party," he wrote in a 67-page document.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), aligned with Australia's Labor Party, responded by saying that the commission is "now terminally tarnished".
ACTU Secretary David Oliver called on the Prime Minister to shut down the commission and save taxpayers AU$60m ($43m; £28m).
Labor has accused Mr Abbott of using the royal commission as a political witch hunt against Opposition leader Bill Shorten.
Unions considered taking legal action to force Mr Heydon's removal on the grounds of "apprehended bias", a legal rule that judges and other officials such as royal commissioners must not only be impartial, but must be seen to be impartial. | The head of Australia's Royal Commission into union corruption has dismissed an attempt to force him to step down. | 33983960 |
The Department of Regional Development contracts to complete re-signalling works and a passing loop on the line have been awarded.
Transport Minister Danny Kennedy said that the scheme will now cost £46m.
The original cost was estimated at £20m which then rose to £40m.
The project had been held up at the start of the year because of problems with the contract.
Work on the railway line is to begin at the end of June.
A local firm has also been awarded a contract for the construction of a passing loop at Bellarena.
Danny Kennedy said: "I am very pleased to announce today that work can now progress on this important project.
"My commitment to the Coleraine to Londonderry rail line has always been clear and I have worked hard to ensure that this line remained open.
"The project is a key Programme for Government commitment and is evidence of the executive's determination to invest in our rail network.
"It also signals our continuing commitment to invest in the North West and improve connections and frequency of service between Belfast and Londonderry."
The minister commissioned an independent review in 2014 of the project following concerns that the original cost estimate for the scheme was significantly underestimated.
"The overall cost at £46m is higher than originally envisaged but reflects the market we are competing in.
"I will make the funding available from my capital budget and the project should be largely completed by December 2016.
"The path to today's announcement has not been straightforward. It has not been without criticism."
Clive Bradberry of Translink said: "The line is already extremely successful boosting strong passenger growth up 12% last year.
"This announcement today is great news for the North West.
"When the work is completed it will mean a more resilient rail service to and from Derry, including the potential for more frequent and faster journeys.
"There will be some temporary travel arrangements needed during the course of the project, such as weekend line closures, but we will communicate these and any interim travel arrangements in good time, once confirmed." | Work on the second part of a major upgrade to the railway line between Londonderry and Coleraine is to get under way at the cost of a further £6m. | 32971015 |
Defender Barry Douglas got the first on 32 minutes, the summer signing firing a deflected left-foot shot when Derby failed to deal with a far-post cross.
Ivan Cavaleiro then wrapped up their second win of the new campaign on the break from close range on 76 minutes.
It left Gary Rowett's Rams with just a point from their first two games.
Wolves are now one of only four Championship sides with 100 per cent records, and will host another, Cardiff City, at Molineux next Saturday, although they first face a midweek trip to Hull.
In a game of few chances, in which neither keeper saw too much action, Wolves claimed their third straight victory in all competitions under new head coach Nuno.
The expensively-reassembled Chinese-owned side are still to concede a goal under their new boss, having collected three clean sheets, including their midweek EFL Cup win at home to League Two side Yeovil.
But, with only a single-goal lead, the points were not secured until a fast break by Bright Enobakhare and Jota set up Cavaleiro to seal victory with a close-range left-foot finish.
Having ended last season with a 1-0 win at home to Preston, Wolves have now gone 393 minutes of competitive action without conceding a goal, since Derby completed a 3-1 win over them at Pride Park back on 29 April.
Derby County manager Gary Rowett:
"It was really disappointing. We struggled to create enough chances and we couldn't find that bit of quality to unlock the door.
"I just felt too many times we had the ball wide and we crossed it to no mans land, we had the ball in the final third but didn't have the ability to create a chance.
"Wolves are a good side but I was really disappointed with lots of aspects of our game and we certainly have to take an awful lot more responsibility."
Wolves head coach Nuno Espirito Santo:
"There is still a long way to go and a lot of work to do, but the boys did a fantastic job and we are getting there.
"From day one they knew what we wanted but the talent must be supported by a lot of discipline. The boys have this culture of working to get better each day.
"The spaces were in the Derby team. We should have taken advantage sooner. The chances were there and the goals will come, but defending well is important and clean sheets are a first step to winning."
Match ends, Derby County 0, Wolverhampton Wanderers 2.
Second Half ends, Derby County 0, Wolverhampton Wanderers 2.
Hand ball by Ivan Cavaleiro (Wolverhampton Wanderers).
Attempt blocked. Nouha Dicko (Wolverhampton Wanderers) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Ivan Cavaleiro.
Attempt missed. Bradley Johnson (Derby County) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by David Nugent.
Attempt missed. Richard Keogh (Derby County) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Tom Huddlestone with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Derby County. Conceded by Rúben Neves.
Substitution, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Nouha Dicko replaces Diogo Jota.
Bradley Johnson (Derby County) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Willy Boly (Wolverhampton Wanderers).
Attempt missed. Ikechi Anya (Derby County) left footed shot from the left side of the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Tom Huddlestone.
Corner, Derby County. Conceded by John Ruddy.
Attempt saved. Bradley Johnson (Derby County) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top right corner. Assisted by Chris Martin with a headed pass.
Substitution, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Connor Ronan replaces Bright Enobakhare.
Craig Bryson (Derby County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Diogo Jota (Wolverhampton Wanderers).
Foul by Craig Forsyth (Derby County).
Bright Enobakhare (Wolverhampton Wanderers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Goal! Derby County 0, Wolverhampton Wanderers 2. Ivan Cavaleiro (Wolverhampton Wanderers) left footed shot from the left side of the six yard box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Diogo Jota following a fast break.
Foul by Andre Wisdom (Derby County).
Barry Douglas (Wolverhampton Wanderers) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Hand ball by Barry Douglas (Wolverhampton Wanderers).
Substitution, Derby County. Ikechi Anya replaces Andreas Weimann.
Foul by Craig Bryson (Derby County).
Diogo Jota (Wolverhampton Wanderers) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. David Nugent (Derby County) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Chris Martin.
Substitution, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Ivan Cavaleiro replaces Léo Bonatini.
Substitution, Derby County. Craig Bryson replaces Jacob Butterfield.
Substitution, Derby County. David Nugent replaces Johnny Russell.
Attempt missed. Bradley Johnson (Derby County) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Tom Huddlestone with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Derby County. Conceded by Roderick Miranda.
Attempt missed. Léo Bonatini (Wolverhampton Wanderers) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Romain Saiss.
Corner, Derby County. Conceded by John Ruddy.
Attempt saved. Bradley Johnson (Derby County) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top left corner. Assisted by Johnny Russell with a headed pass.
Attempt missed. Matt Doherty (Wolverhampton Wanderers) right footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Bright Enobakhare with a through ball.
Chris Martin (Derby County) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Roderick Miranda (Wolverhampton Wanderers).
Attempt missed. Léo Bonatini (Wolverhampton Wanderers) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high.
Attempt saved. Diogo Jota (Wolverhampton Wanderers) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Léo Bonatini.
Foul by Chris Martin (Derby County). | Wolves scored a goal in each half at Pride Park as they beat Derby County to maintain their highly encouraging start to the new Championship season. | 40834638 |
The move comes two days after gunmen opened fire at an Ivory Coast beach resort killing 18 people, including four French citizens.
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) said it carried out the assault.
Militants have also launched attacks in Burkina Faso and Mali recently.
How I survived the attack
France's ex-colonies under threat
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve made the announcement on a visit to Abidjan to show France's support for Ivory Coast. He was joined by Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault.
There, they visited some of the wounded from Sunday's attack on the Grand-Bassam resort, the first jihadist attack in Ivory Coast and the third in the region since November.
"The desire to position this (gendarmerie) team in Ouagadougou is to enable us to immediately dispense advice and co-ordinate other actions in the event of a terrorist crisis," Mr Cazeneuve said.
France has about 3,500 troops to combat militants across the Sahel region. Its Operation Barkhane succeeded Operation Serval, launched in 2013 to oust extremists from northern Mali.
AQIM threatened France and its allies in Mali, saying they would "receive a response", with their "criminal leaders" and interests targeted.
The al-Qaeda linked group has also claimed two other similar attacks - an assault on a cafe and a hotel in Burkina Faso in January that killed 30 people, and a hostage siege at a hotel in Mali in November that left 30 dead. | France has said it will deploy a paramilitary police force in the capital of Burkina Faso to react quickly in the event of new attacks by Islamist militants in West Africa. | 35818009 |
STUC general secretary Grahame Smith will warn that it could take time to take advantage of new devolved powers.
Responsibilities over income tax and welfare will be transferred to MSPs from April 2017.
Mr Smith will make the plea as the STUC annual congress begins in Dundee on Monday.
The general secretary of the Scottish Trades Unions Congress believes the campaign in the run-up to May's election "doesn't yet reflect the possibilities provided by new powers".
Mr Smith said the vote would be "the most important election to take place since the Scottish Parliament was re-established in 1999".
He wants party leaders to bring forward "bold ambitious policies" that will attempt to tackle some of the "hitherto intractable problems in the Scottish economy and society".
Mr Smith will say: "The next Scottish government really has to aspire to more than just managerial competence.
"Unfortunately, the campaign going on around us doesn't yet reflect the possibilities provided by new powers. Indeed, the nature and quality of debate suggests that it could take some time for our political parties to recognise that new opportunities exist, let alone grasp them."
He wants parties to bring forward "policies that will have a real impact on reducing poverty and inequality, that are based on the evidence of what works rather than their populist appeal or soundbite suitability".
In a statement ahead of the election, the STUC is making a number of key demands on the next government, including:
With the congress due to hear from both SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon and Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale, Mr Smith will say: "We need a new approach to industrial policy, a step-change in support for childcare and for a Trade Union Bill in Scotland designed to embed Scotland's alternative approach to industrial relations throughout the public sector and the wider economy." | A leading union will call on Scottish party leaders to bring forward "bold ambitious policies" in the Holyrood election campaign. | 36066313 |
The 25-year-old has made 80 league appearances for the Championship side since joining from Chesterfield in August 2014.
Cooper is the second player to extend his stay at Elland Road this week after full-back Gaetano Berardi signed a new three-year deal on Tuesday.
Thomas Christiansen's side have started the season with wins over Bolton in the league and Port Vale in the EFL Cup. | Leeds United defender Liam Cooper has signed a new four-year deal. | 40887644 |
He told military leaders North Korea would revise its military posture to be ready to launch pre-emptive strikes, the Korean Central News Agency said.
But despite its rhetoric it remains unclear how advanced the North's nuclear weapons programme is.
The UN has imposed some of its toughest ever sanctions on the North following its nuclear test and missile launch.
In response on Thursday, the North fired six short-range projectiles into the sea.
What impact will sanctions have?
Will carrots or sticks change North Korea?
KCNA said Mr Kim was speaking at a military exercise on Thursday, which is thought to be when the projectiles were fired.
He said North Korea "must always be ready to fire our nuclear warheads at any time" because enemies were threatening the North's survival.
"At an extreme time when the Americans... are urging war and disaster on other countries and people, the only way to defend our sovereignty and right to live is to bolster our nuclear capability," he was quoted as saying.
Analysts still doubt whether North Korea has the ability to make a nuclear bomb small enough to put on a feasible missile, but Kim Jong-un's announcement brought a swift response from the US.
"We urge North Korea to refrain from provocative actions that aggravate tensions and instead focus on fulfilling its international obligations and commitments," Pentagon spokesman Commander Bill Urban said.
The US and South Korea began talks on Friday on the possible deployment of a US missile defence shield in the South.
Initial talks will focus on the costs, effectiveness and environmental impact of installing the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, among other issues, the Yonhap news agency reported.
What is the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System (Thaad)?
1. The enemy launches a missile
2. The Thaad radar system detects the launch, which is relayed to command and control
3. Thaad command and control instructs the launch of an interceptor missile
4. The interceptor missile is fired at the enemy projectile
5. The enemy projectile is destroyed in the terminal phase of flight
The launcher trucks can hold up to eight interceptor missiles. | Kim Jong-un has said North Korea's nuclear weapons should be ready for use "at any time", state media report. | 35723070 |
The 44-year-old was discovered by officers called to an address on Delarden Road in Pallister Park at 23:45 GMT on Thursday.
Cleveland Police said it was conducting inquiries in the local area to piece together the circumstances of the death, and appealed for information.
Detectives are currently questioning a 21-year-old man and another aged 53. | Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was found dead at a house in Middlesbrough. | 38423781 |
The 35-year-old had a trial with the Shakers last summer, but instead joined Preston and played five games for them.
Kirkland started his career at Coventry City and has also played for Liverpool, West Brom, Wigan, Leicester, Doncaster and Sheffield Wednesday.
He has joined former Bradford keeper Ben Williams in moving to Gigg Lane this summer.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | League One side Bury have signed former England goalkeeper Chris Kirkland on a one-year deal after he left Preston. | 36644581 |
Their intervention is seen as an attempt to defuse escalating tensions between rival communities in Nigeria.
However, a pro-secessionist group says it will press ahead with its campaign.
Security forces have killed at least 150 people since August 2015 to quell pro-independence protests, Amnesty International says.
The campaign has also fuelled tension in northern Nigeria, where some youth groups have retaliated by threatening to expels Igbos who live there.
So, the statement by Igbo leaders pledging loyalty to Nigeria could help ease tension in the north, says the BBC's Naziru Mikailu in the capital, Abuja.
Following a specially convened meeting in the Igbo heartland of Enugu city to discuss the crisis, state governors, lawmakers, traditional and religious leaders issued a statement on Sunday to give their "full support" to a "united Nigeria".
However, the statement called for the vast and oil-rich West African state to be "restructured" to achieve a "a just and equitable society".
Many people in the south-east accuse successive governments of failing to develop their areas.
The pro-independence Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (Massob) said the meeting failed to reflect the views of the Igbo people.
"We want Biafra and nothing but Biafra. Nigeria must disintegrate. Her faulty foundation has broken beyond repair," Massob said in a statement.
Massob is one of the main groups leading the independence campaign.
On 30 May, many people in cities and towns across the south-east stayed at home to mark the 50th anniversary of the declaration of the breakaway state of Biafra.
The 1967 declaration led to a brutal civil war, which claimed the lives of up to a million people, before the secessionist rebellion was defeated by government forces. | Powerful Igbo leaders in Nigeria have rejected calls for the breakaway state of Biafra to be created for their ethnic group in the south-east. | 40481323 |
Councillors in Scarborough will discuss plans to demolish the Futurist Theatre on 9 January.
Campaigners told a public meeting on Thursday they planned to form a charitable trust to run the theatre, which closed in 2014.
Scarborough Borough Council has not commented on the proposals.
The Conservative-run council's cabinet has previously judged the Futurist is not sustainable as a theatrical venue.
Read more about this and other stories from across North Yorkshire
Adam Flynn, a Save our Futurist campaigner, said the venue could host large-scale musical productions.
He said: "If it was brought up to modern standards to allow these shows to come, then we could see huge economic benefits."
He added the group would need 12 to 18 months to allow it to raise around £40,000 to carry out a full feasibility study and develop a business plan.
Reports to be considered by the council on 9 January said that if it does not approve demolition costs of £4m, the building will remain in its current state of repair.
Only minimum repairs would be carried out in the future to ensure compliance with health and safety requirements, council officers warned.
The council plans to clear the site and stabilise a cliff behind the theatre to allow the land to be made available for redevelopment.
Flamingo Land, which is a large visitor attraction in Malton, North Yorkshire, has already expressed interest in developing a new year-round tourist attraction on the site. | Campaigners attempting to save a 1920s' theatre threatened with demolition want a "stay of execution" to come up with a business plan. | 38528451 |
The Shanghai Composite closed up 4.5% at 3,877.80 after ending the previous session up nearly 6%.
The government intervened after stocks had fallen by third since mid-June.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng was closed up 2.08% to 24,901.28.
Measures to stem the sell-off have included banning major investors from selling shares, and ordering others to buy, although there were a number of companies' shares that could not be traded at all as they were suspended during the rout.
Other moves include a ban on short-selling, a suspension of initial public offerings along with injecting money into the market through margin lending.
These strong moves by the government to restore order in the market could backfire, according to Evan Lucas, market strategist at trading firm IG: "[Its] firm response to the past 18 days of turmoil does "create perceptions that further liberalisations and free market principles will be abandoned as Beijing grapples with additional regulations".
"This will create longer-term issues," he added, as analysts started to question what will happen to the market once those measures are removed.
The rest of Asia was also higher after Greece proposed new reforms in its bid to strike a deal with creditors in the debt crisis.
Greece's new measures to boost revenue included getting rid of tax breaks for islands - paving the way for a cash-for-reform deal with creditors.
Japan's Nikkei 225 index finished down 0.4% to 19,779.83 - erasing earlier gains and ending with its biggest weekly fall since October - down 3.7%.
The benchmark index was dragged down by Uniqlo owner Fast Retailing, whose stocks fell 6% on its weak domestic sales outlook for the current quarter.
Australian shares, however, headed higher with mining stocks up on a jump in iron ore prices overnight.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index ended up 0.4% to 5,492.00.
The price of Australia's biggest export, iron ore, rose about 10% - but it still remains at half the level of a year ago.
Shares of heavyweight miners BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto were up 3.2% and 2.4%, respectively.
In South Korea, shares headed higher despite data showing that import prices fell for the 34th consecutive month in June, but the pace of declines eased.
The Bank of Korea said import prices in won terms fell 14% in June from a year ago - marking the smallest drop since December.
The benchmark Kospi index closed up 0.2% to 2,031.17 - posting its worst week in over two years by losing 3.5%. | Chinese shares continued to rally on Friday, gaining momentum from Thursday's dramatic rebound as drastic government measures to support the volatile market started to have an impact. | 33473386 |
King Arthur Pendragon claims the cremated bones discovered in 2008 are the remains of members of the royal line and wants them re-interred.
Having lost a High Court bid to have the bones reburied in 2011, permission to take the case to a full judicial review has also been refused.
But the druid leader said it was "by no means the end of the campaign".
The cremated remains of more than 40 bodies, thought to be at least 5,000 years old, were removed from the burial site at the ancient stone circle in Wiltshire in 2008.
But Mike Pitts, one of the archaeologists who found the remains, said they did not uncover "individual burials" but bone fragments that were "very small and damaged".
"What we're attempting to do is to isolate individual people, to recognise bits of bone that came from individuals, within this mass of bone that was just dumped in a mass like broken up Weetabix at the bottom of this pit," he said.
"So studying these is an extremely detailed, time consuming and forensic process."
Ministers gave permission to allow the bones to be examined at Sheffield University until 2015.
But Mr Pendragon has vowed he will continue his fight to have the remains reburied.
"The judge in refusing to let me take this particular case did say that if they [the remains] do not go back in the ground in 2015 - which the current licence says they've got to be - that I will take another case against them," he said.
"And the judge has given me permission to do that." | A druid who has lost his second legal bid to get human remains reburied at Stonehenge has said he will fight on. | 22558293 |
The accident happened at about 06:00 on Mauricewood Road. No other vehicle was involved. Police have appealed for witnesses to the crash.
The man is in his early 20s, 5ft 7in tall, with short light brown or fair hair.
He was wearing jeans and a dark coloured bomber-style jacket. | A biker has suffered serous head injuries after a crash in Penicuik. | 33035469 |
Eritreans - struggling ashore or picked up at sea - form the second-largest group of migrants risking their lives to reach Italy, after Syrians.
Eritrea, in the Horn of Africa, is not in the grip of war or famine. Yet around 5,000 Eritreans flee every month. Why?
A damning United Nations Commission of Inquiry report blames the country's "gross human rights violations".
"Faced with a seemingly hopeless situation they feel powerless to change, hundreds of thousands of Eritreans are fleeing their country," the UN says.
Indefinite national service is one of the main drivers, according to the report. Everyone from the age of 17 can be conscripted into the military, and it continues for years. Some conscripts have served for more than 20 years.
UN investigators say "slavery-like practices" are widespread, with conscripts subjected to hard labour, with poor food, bad hygiene and wretched pay.
The Eritrean government has dismissed the UN's findings as "totally unfounded and devoid of all merit".
Yet for most Eritreans, it is impossible to get an exit visa to leave the country legally. And by fleeing conscription they risk being arrested as "traitors" if they return.
The EU cannot send Syrian refugees back to their war-torn country.
And Eritreans' asylum claims have generally been treated as legitimate in the EU.
But despite the abuses in Eritrea, documented by the UN and human rights groups, some countries are now considering sending Eritreans home.
A Danish Immigration Service report, from November 2014, suggested that Eritrea's policy towards returnees had become more lenient. It was based on a fact-finding mission, but did not name its sources.
It quoted the Eritrean Foreign Ministry as saying Eritreans abroad could now "regularise their relationship with the authorities" by paying a 2% income tax at an Eritrean embassy and signing an apology letter.
"This has been done by a number of people and they have returned to Eritrea without any complications," the report said, quoting a ministry statement.
But the ministry gave "no specific information" about whether Eritrea's national service would be changed.
The report was criticised by Danish media and Human Rights Watch, which described it as "more like a political effort to stem migration than an honest assessment of Eritrea's human rights situation".
The Norwegian government sent its own assessment team to Eritrea. It was led by Norway's Deputy Minister of Justice Joeran Kellmyr.
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Kellmyr said he had received an assurance from Eritrea's foreign minister that national service would be reduced to 18 months.
"It's important for everyone," said Mr Kellmyr.
"If national service is reduced, according to human rights standards, this could mean that a lot of Eritrean people don't any more have the right to seek asylum."
In December UK officials also visited Eritrea to discuss the migration problem.
And in March this year a new UK policy towards Eritrean asylum-seekers was announced.
New guidelines stated that conscription would no longer be automatic grounds for granting asylum, since national service would no longer continue indefinitely.
But an Eritrean migration expert, Prof Gaim Kibreab, said there was "no evidence" for the UK guidelines' assertion that "national service is generally between 18 months and four years".
Eritrea - key facts
Eritrea country profile
Inside the secretive state of Eritrea
The lone seven-year-olds fleeing Eritrea
In 2011 the UN Security Council condemned Eritrea's collection of a 2% tax on the incomes of all of its citizens living abroad - the so-called "diaspora tax".
UN Resolution 2023 accused Eritrea of using the tax to fund armed opposition groups in the Horn of Africa, including the Islamist al-Shabab in Somalia.
That was denied by the Eritrean government, but many Western nations backed a UN arms embargo and other sanctions against Eritrea. They also suspect Eritrea of using mining revenue to fund Horn of Africa rebels.
The UK government told Eritrea that the "use of coercion or other illicit means to collect the [diaspora] tax in the UK must cease".
Yet Eritreans in the UK say they are still being pressurised to pay up.
Eritrean opposition activist Selam Kidane, based in London, said "they examine your pay slips and calculate how much your 2% tax comes to, but the actual payment is made in Asmara".
She said the payment was necessary before any official transaction could be made in Eritrea - whether it was selling a parent's home or getting a visa. "It is clear coercion," she said.
The UK Home Office has decided that Eritreans are not at risk if they refuse to comply with a "reasonable request to pay diaspora tax". So their fear of the consequences of not paying the tax cannot be grounds for UK protection.
"Previous country guidance indicated that those who had left illegally were at risk on return to Eritrea.
"However, up-to-date information from inside Eritrea suggests this is no longer the case," the UK Home Office says.
The Eritrean government maintains those who leave are economic migrants and says Eritrean "victims of human trafficking" who return home will not face punishment.
Yet the recent UN report spoke of some Eritrean returnees suffering detention for eight months to three years and maltreatment "to the point of torture".
Would more aid for impoverished Eritrea help to stem the exodus, by boosting growth and making life more bearable?
That seems unlikely, as many want to escape conscription and human rights abuses.
Unless ordinary men and women can be convinced that they will not have to face years in the grim trenches on the desolate border with Ethiopia they are likely to continue to risk everything and flee the country. | The exodus from Eritrea is complicating Europe's efforts to tackle the Mediterranean migrant crisis. | 33446423 |
Isle of Wight Council removed the old "Floating Bridge" after 40 years of crossings between Cowes and East Cowes.
The new ferry is two months overdue after engineers waited for tides low enough to complete a slipway.
The ferry office said 20 cars would fit on the new vessel, compared with about 15 on the old ferry.
Welsh boat building firm Mainstay Marine built the new ferry, which has an expected lifespan of 40 years.
The council said the vessel and slipway work would cost £4.6m, including a margin for contingencies.
It said £3.8m of funding would come from the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership, with any remaining balance paid by the council.
The first crossing is due to take place at 14:00 BST on Saturday.
The authority had invited the public to suggest names for the ferry, but later postponed a decision "until after the general election".
Suggestions made so far include "Floaty McFloatface", and "Blyskawica" - the name of a Polish destroyer which defended Cowes during World War Two. | A new chain ferry is to enter service, saving drivers a 10-mile road diversion after its predecessor was retired in January. | 39898380 |
Andrew Bache, 51, from Portsmouth, was assaulted ahead of England's match against Russia in Marseille on 11 June.
Mr Bache was reported to have suffered severe brain injuries and a cardiac arrest and had to be put in an induced coma.
He is being treated at the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth.
His friend, Crispin Harwood, said Mr Bache arrived in the UK by air ambulance on Friday afternoon.
Mr Harwood said his friend did not need "specialist neurological equipment or treatment" but would have an operation in due course to repair broken bones in his face.
The hospital said it could not comment on Mr Bache's condition.
Friends of Mr Bache, known as "Pepe", set up a web page which raised more than £27,000 for the cost of the air ambulance and any future medical needs.
The page said that Mr Bache's life had been saved by a French policeman, Patrice Martin, who performed CPR. | An England fan left seriously injured after being attacked by Russian supporters during Euro 2016 has been flown home to a UK hospital. | 36703185 |
Susan and Carl Smith had already booked a band to perform at their wedding reception at Mar Hall resort, near Bishopton, Renfrewshire.
The Who star was also staying at the hotel ahead of a gig at the Hydro on Sunday evening.
Jumping on stage, the singer gave an impromptu performance for the delighted couple.
The newly-weds spoke of their joy at the experience on Facebook, with Mrs Smith posting: "Absolutely overwhelming! The story we will be telling for the rest of our lives. Thank you so much x."
Her new husband was similarly overwhelmed, writing: "Can't believe it happened. Feels so surreal. Thank you so much, you made our perfect day even better, a gent and a legend".
Graeme Allan, lead guitarist of The Milestone, the band the couple had booked to perform at their reception, spoke of his disbelief at getting to perform with his hero.
Speaking on BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme, he said: "Basically we were coming towards the end of our set and we were sort of halfway through a song.
"I remember looking over to the side of the dance floor and a wedding guest was actually walking with Roger [Daltrey], coming towards the band."
'So gobsmacked'
He said the wedding band was "so gobsmacked" to see The Who front man that they stopped playing.
"Roger came up and he took the mike and he congratulated the bride and groom," he said.
"Because the groom had served in the parachute regiment he also mentioned them as well. Then he turned to the band and he said, 'I was through next door and I heard the band and they're brilliant, so I had to come through'."
Although flattered after receiving a compliment from the superstar, Mr Allan said: "He [Roger] turned to us and went 'Do you wanna do a song?'
"I could'nae comprehend what was happening. At first I was like - 'He's wanting to do a song with us?' I was looking at the bass player saying 'What's is going on here?'."
He did not have to ask the rock legend 'Who Are You'?
"I recognised him straight away", Mr Allan said. "The band are massive Who fans.
"Personally I first picked up a guitar because of bands like The Who so I was a little awestruck."
When it come to choosing a song for Milestone and Daltrey to duet on, Mr Allan said 'I Can't Explain' -the band's 1964 hit single - was an obviously choice.
And not just because its title was so apt for the extraordinary situation that had arisen.
Mr Allan said: "To be honest we don't actually do any Who songs, but I've played 'I Can't Explain' before and it was The Who's first single.
"We were kinda busking it. I don't know if I knew what the chords were but it was like an out-of-body experience - my hands just kind of took over.
"I just tried to get through it as best as I could," he added.
And despite having experienced several brushes with fame in the past, it has been meeting Roger Daltrey that has made Mr Allan a "Happy Jack".
"In the past we've met Mumford and Sons and PC Plum from Balamory," he said.
"But his [Daltrey's] presence was huge I can't even begin to tell you. There's not many people that would do that to me." | A Scottish couple had an unexpected wedding guest in the shape of rock legend Roger Daltrey. | 30275781 |
Kevin Pearson and his deputy Lorraine Houghton were suspended after the report unearthed an "old boys club" culture at Avon Fire Authority.
Mr Pearson said the investigation was a "cynical ploy" to transfer power to the police and crime commissioner.
The authority said it was "inappropriate" to comment.
The Home Office report, published last month, said the leadership of Avon Fire Authority should be replaced.
It said senior officers enjoyed big pay rises and enhanced pensions at a time of austerity.
Avon Fire and Rescue Service said suspension of its chief fire officer and deputy was "a neutral act to protect the organisation and the individuals concerned".
Avon and Somerset's Police and Crime Commissioner Sue Mountstevens said she was considering a takeover of the area's fire service, after the report left a "nasty taste in the mouth".
But in a statement, Mr Pearson said the inspection was a "complete sham".
"This inspection has been no more than a cynical ploy to discredit the governance, leadership and management of a fire authority, in pursuit of a political agenda, which seeks to transfer governance to police and crime commissioners," he said.
"The report is biased and imbalanced. It is littered with inaccuracies and misrepresentations."
Mr Pearson accepted that people would have "differing views" about pay rises offered to a "few of its most senior officers".
But he blamed national politicians for not being "like-minded" to give firefighters "decent pay increases that they thoroughly deserve".
In response, Avon Fire Authority said: "As he [Mr Pearson] is currently suspended and absent on sick leave it would be inappropriate for the authority to make any comment." | A chief fire officer suspended following a critical Home Office report says he is the victim of a "witch hunt". | 40824328 |
The Rugby Football Union said Marler - who immediately deleted the remark - was "extremely apologetic".
Dwyer had claimed England were scrummaged illegally during the win over the Wallabies on Saturday.
Marler asked to miss the tour to Australia to "recharge his batteries" after a difficult season.
In April, the Harlequins prop was fined £20,000 and given a two-week ban for calling Wales prop Samson Lee "Gypsy boy" during the Six Nations.
He was suspended for a further two weeks for kicking Grenoble hooker Arnaud Heguy in his first game back.
The RFU said the warning would remain on Marler's disciplinary record for five years and could be used in any future proceedings.
Eddie Jones' side will seal England's first series win in Australia if they win the second Test in Melbourne on Saturday. | England prop Joe Marler has been given a formal warning for posting an obscene tweet about former Australia coach Bob Dwyer. | 36550661 |
West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) has announced two trials to see how services could be protected with fewer staff.
WMFS said the public would see "no change to the service they receive" throughout the trials.
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU), warned it would mean fewer firefighters working more hours.
Steve Price-Hunt, acting brigade secretary of the FBU in the West Midlands, said the changes were ultimately expected to lead to 150 frontline cuts, taking the overall number of posts closed to some 400 over five years.
John Edwards, chair of the West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority, said the trials would "produce the evidence we need to consider any permanent changes in staffing to deal with another deficit in our budget of £3.5 million that we face in 2016-17".
He said any long-term job cuts would be made through retirement and there would be no compulsory redundancies.
The two trials approved by the fire service mean watches will be merged at some stations, while others will see the number of staff reduced on each watch.
In the first trial, firefighters are expected to "self-rota", rather than being confined to specific shifts.
The FBU said the shift changes could force the service to call in firefighters at late notice to ensure engines were staffed.
Chief Fire Officer Phil Loach said WMFS faced "extremely challenging cuts".
A report to the fire authority said £21m in grants had been lost since 2011.
WMFS currently employs 1,322 full-time firefighters, who work from 38 fire stations serving a population of 2.7 million people.
Community fire stations in trials | The number of firefighters could be cut in the West Midlands in a bid to save up to £3.8m. | 32289755 |
Pumpkin - partial to leftover ice cream and crisps - is the only Scottish representative in PDSA Pet Fit Club.
The seven-year-old ginger and white tabby will compete against six other pets from across the UK, including dogs, other cats, and a rabbit.
Weighing 1st 8lbs (10.2kg), Pumpkin's target is to lose 7lb (3.2kg).
The pet cat will now go on a strict six-month diet and exercise programme.
Owner Chelsea Mullen, 21, from the Bridge of Dee area of Aberdeen, has owned Pumpkin and his sister Munchkin - who is not overweight - since they were kittens.
She said: "They both seem to eat the same amount but the difference is that Pumpkin simply doesn't do any exercise. He just lies there.
"Several years ago Pumpkin got stuck in the cat flap. It was so stressful because he was completely wedged in, couldn't go forwards or backwards. He's avoided it ever since.
"We would like Pumpkin to lose weight so he can start having fun and learn how to play with both his toys and his sister Munchkin again, but most of all we want him to lose the weight in order to keep him healthy."
She added: "He's a very happy, friendly and loving cat but has turned into a couch potato.
"His daily exercise now consists of moving from the bed or sofa to the food bowl and back again.
"He's very reluctant to go outside because that involves getting off the sofa and he doesn't even move if he sees a fly.
"Pumpkin tends to eat dry food and he does like cat treats. He also loves indulging in leftover ice cream and crisps. He always tries anything to get food and claws at you until you give in."
PDSA senior vet Fiona Gregge, who will be helping to overseeing Pumpkin's diet, said: "Pet obesity is a growing issue that affects millions of UK pets.
"Carrying excess weight can have serious health risks and increase the chances of pets suffering from life-limiting and life-threatening diseases including arthritis, diabetes and heart disease.
"With the help of PDSA Pet Fit Club, Chelsea is making the necessary lifestyle changes to help get Pumpkin down to a healthier weight.
"We will support him every step of the way over the next six months to ensure they succeed." | An overweight cat from Aberdeen who got stuck in a cat flap has been chosen as a finalist in a major pet slimming competition. | 39869880 |
Lucy Taylor of Aberystwyth University has studied the relationship between the Welsh and the people of Argentina 150 years ago.
Speaking at the Eisteddfod, she said the Welsh could not claim economic, military or political dominance.
Instead they focused on moral supremacy, she said.
Dr Taylor said it could be argued this has remained relevant, through post-devolution policies such as banning smoking in public places, the introduction of a plastic bag levy and presumed consent over organ donation - all containing a moral agenda.
"The Welsh in Patagonia emphasised the principles of righteousness when they first met the indigenous people of Patagonia, and purposefully followed a path of friendship, not violence, based on a desire to exercise compassion and mercy," she added.
"They contrasted the peaceful 'Welsh way of colonisation' with the scornful and sometimes violent policies adopted by the Argentines in Patagonia and within the British Empire." | Welsh settlers asserted dominance in Patagonia by portraying Wales as a small country filled with moral giants, an academic has said. | 36951976 |
The Joint Council for Qualifications said many core exams had been set for before Ramadan starts on 6 June, but there had been no large scale changes.
It has consulted with Muslim groups on the issue since the month of fasting moved into the exam season in 2013.
Ramadan shifts slightly each year in relation to the Western calendar.
It follows the Muslim calendar and, this year, runs from 6 June to 5 July.
Pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will sit GCSEs and A-levels between May 16 and June 29 this year.
During Ramadan month, many Muslims fast during daylight hours, pray more and attend special services at mosques.
Some will not eat or drink water from dawn to dusk. And head teachers have voiced concerns this may have a negative effect on exam performance.
Michael Turner, director general of the JCQ, which represents exam boards, said it consulted on the provisional examination timetable every year, and considered comments from a wide range of stakeholders including religious groups, schools and colleges.
"The small window in which examinations can be taken, the large number of candidates taking examinations and the diverse range of subjects available to candidates, places significant limitations on the changes that can be accommodated for any one group," he said.
"However, JCQ meets the needs of various groups as far as possible.
"JCQ and the qualifications regulator Ofqual have previously met with Muslim groups to discuss the timetabling of examinations in light of Ramadan moving into the examination period.
"Where possible, large-entry GCSE and GCE subjects are timetabled prior to the commencement of Ramadan and consideration given to whether they are timetabled in the morning or afternoon."
This could mean that subjects taken by large numbers of students, such as GCSE English and maths, may be timetabled early in the exams season before Ramadan, or taken at a time of day to lessen the effect on students who might be fasting.
An Ofqual spokeswoman said the exam regulator had taken part in discussions about "the timing of Ramadan this year and we support the steps JCQ and the exam boards are taking with respect to the timetabling of exams this summer".
Secondary head teachers in the Association of School and College Leaders are planning to meet Muslim groups to see how they can work together to meet the challenge of the clash.
ASCL deputy general secretary Malcolm Trobe said: "ASCL is meeting with Muslim faith leaders to discuss this year's Ramadan and plans to issue guidance for schools and colleges ahead of the summer exams season.
"The guidance will be non-prescriptive and will not advise families or students on how they should address the question of fasting during Ramadan, which we agree is a matter for the individuals concerned along with parents, carers and faith leaders.
"School and college leaders are very keen to work with communities to ensure young people are able to observe Ramadan without any detrimental impact on their examinations." | This year's key GCSE and A-Level examinations have been timetabled to take into account the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, exam boards have said. | 35244444 |
The Belgian powered home from six yards out after a free-kick to give Palace a third straight league win and leave the Black Cats bottom of the table.
Jermain Defoe had put the hosts in charge with two well-taken goals.
But Joe Ledley pulled one back with a deflected shot before James McArthur's header pulled Palace level.
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Sunderland, one of just two teams yet to triumph in the Premier League this season, have not won a league game in September since 2012.
But the Black Cats must have thought their dreadful run, and start to the season, was coming to an end when they led 2-0.
Defoe, who had poked the hosts in front after a dreadful Ledley backpass, scored his second with a well-taken half-volley after the visitors failed to clear.
But the hosts had looked nervous at the back throughout and allowed Palace back into the game just 69 seconds later.
The Londoners took control and once McArthur made it 2-2 with 14 minutes to go, an away win looked the likely outcome.
Sunderland boss David Moyes, who has not won in the Premier League since April 2014, was angry with the nature of the Palace winner.
"For us to not have someone deal with Benteke at the death, to have a five-yard run and have no challenge, is just incredible," said the Scot.
"We need our players to assume a level of responsibility that it's not all down to me and my staff."
Zeki Fryers had been on the pitch for just 25 seconds when he crossed for McArthur to level the match.
The former Manchester United and Tottenham man was making his first Premier League appearance since 21 September 2014.
Fryers was not the only sub to make an instant impact as Lee Chung-Yong, who came on in stoppage time for Jason Puncheon, used his only touch of the match to deliver the free-kick from which Benteke headed home the winner.
The Eagles are now seventh in the table.
Sunderland boss David Moyes: "We couldn't defend well enough. We went 2-0 up, though perhaps not justly. But we didn't tighten up.
"We didn't give ourselves a chance. We have to take responsibility throughout the side - why did we not stop Benteke's run? He got a jump on us and it's beyond me.
"This can't always be led by a manager - players have to take responsibility on the pitch. We needed to stand up and assume responsibility, but we weren't capable of doing that."
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Crystal Palace boss Alan Pardew: "This game takes away from you a lot, but it does give it back to you.
"Last year I thought we deserved to win here but we didn't.
"Today we were excellent throughout the game, disappointing to be 2-0 down but we wouldn't give in and, in the end, scored three excellent goals. We played some terrific stuff, and though Joe Ledley made an error, his finish to score was typical of the man - he has spirit and character.
"Benteke is always a threat, and he had a couple of chances. With his goal, it was a great delivery and a clinical finish. We are confident at the moment and we produced."
Crystal Palace visit Everton on Friday (20:00 BST) looking to record their fourth successive league win, while Sunderland will hope to end their search for a first league win of the season against West Brom the following day (15:00).
Match ends, Sunderland 2, Crystal Palace 3.
Second Half ends, Sunderland 2, Crystal Palace 3.
Foul by James McArthur (Crystal Palace).
Javier Manquillo (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Goal! Sunderland 2, Crystal Palace 3. Christian Benteke (Crystal Palace) header from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Lee Chung-yong with a cross following a set piece situation.
Connor Wickham (Crystal Palace) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Javier Manquillo (Sunderland).
Substitution, Crystal Palace. Lee Chung-yong replaces Jason Puncheon.
Connor Wickham (Crystal Palace) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Lamine Koné (Sunderland).
James McArthur (Crystal Palace) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Victor Anichebe (Sunderland).
Foul by Damien Delaney (Crystal Palace).
Jermain Defoe (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Joel Ward (Crystal Palace) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Victor Anichebe (Sunderland).
Attempt missed. Andros Townsend (Crystal Palace) left footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Jason Puncheon.
Attempt blocked. Didier Ndong (Sunderland) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Corner, Sunderland. Conceded by Andros Townsend.
Substitution, Sunderland. Paddy McNair replaces Lee Cattermole.
Substitution, Sunderland. Victor Anichebe replaces Adnan Januzaj.
Offside, Sunderland. Jan Kirchhoff tries a through ball, but Patrick van Aanholt is caught offside.
Offside, Crystal Palace. Damien Delaney tries a through ball, but Christian Benteke is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Adnan Januzaj (Sunderland) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left following a corner.
Corner, Sunderland. Conceded by Joel Ward.
Foul by Christian Benteke (Crystal Palace).
Papy Djilobodji (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt blocked. Jermain Defoe (Sunderland) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Goal! Sunderland 2, Crystal Palace 2. James McArthur (Crystal Palace) header from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Ezekiel Fryers with a cross.
Attempt missed. Jason Puncheon (Crystal Palace) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
Substitution, Crystal Palace. Ezekiel Fryers replaces Martin Kelly.
Attempt missed. Connor Wickham (Crystal Palace) left footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses to the right.
Attempt blocked. Christian Benteke (Crystal Palace) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Jason Puncheon.
Substitution, Crystal Palace. Connor Wickham replaces Yohan Cabaye.
Jason Puncheon (Crystal Palace) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Jason Puncheon (Crystal Palace).
Duncan Watmore (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jason Puncheon (Crystal Palace).
Duncan Watmore (Sunderland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Jermain Defoe (Sunderland) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Javier Manquillo. | Christian Benteke's last-minute header left Sunderland waiting for their first league victory of the season as Crystal Palace came from 2-0 down to win. | 37394578 |
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Alex Gregory, Andy Triggs Hodge, George Nash and Moe Sbihi make up a new-look men's coxless four crew.
Olympic and world champion Helen Glover renews her partnership with Polly Swann after Heather Stanning withdrew from consideration on medical advice.
A team of 50 rowers across 17 boat classes will contest the event.
For the last 18 months, Britain have made the men's eight their top boat, culminating in a first ever gold medal at the World Championships last year.
However, with the Rio 2016 Olympics only two years away, men's head coach Jurgen Grobler has chosen to put his four best rowers back in the four, the boat which won gold at London 2012.
Gregory and Triggs-Hodge, who won gold in the four in London, will be joined by Nash and Sbihi, whose performance at the trials has seen their promotion.
Glover and Stanning were impressive at trials, but eased off in the final part of the race as Stanning, having only returned to the sport in December following a six-month stint in Afghanistan with the army, struggled at the top intensity.
As a result, Swann, who won world gold with Glover, returns to the pair - the team's top women's boat - for the regatta in Serbia.
Tanner added: "We are in an enviable position with our open women's squad. "Helen, Heather and Polly are a strong triumvirate for the women's pair seats and it was always a tough call to make.
"We simply need to get Heather to step back off the training a little, rebuild and come back stronger later in the season".
Olympic champion Kat Copeland, who returned to competition for the first time since London 2012 with victory at April's trials, has been teamed up with 2013 world finalist Imogen Walsh.
Five Olympic medallists - Pete Reed, Will Satch, James Foad, Matt Langridge and cox Phelan Hill - have been named in the men's eight. | Great Britain have named 15 Olympic medallists in the nation's first ever European Championships squad for the regatta in Belgrade from 30 May-1 June. | 27406404 |
Tootle made 18 appearances for Town last season, but his last game was a 2-0 defeat by Port Vale on 31 October.
The 25-year-old joined the Shropshire side in June 2015, having previously played 224 times for Crewe, where he mostly featured as a right-back.
"I'm delighted to get it over the line," he told the Magpies website.
"It's a big club and from what I can see, everything that's happening at the club says it's going to be successful next season."
Earlier, Shrewsbury released a statement thanking Tootle in for "his hard work and dedication".
The Liverpudlian was one of Town boss Micky Mellon's close-season signings following promotion from League Two last summer.
He was tipped two summers ago to make a move higher up the leagues, has now been linked with a move to Scotland.
Town manager Micky Mellon has so far made seven summer signings as he attempts to rebuild following their League One relegation near-miss.
He released eight players, strikers Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro and Scott Vernon, defenders Jermaine Grandison, Zak Whitbread and Mickey Demetriou, midfielder Jordan Clark and wingers Elliot Grandin and James Caton. | League Two side Notts County have signed defender Matt Tootle on a two-year contract after Shrewsbury came to a mutual agreement on his release. | 36608304 |
Petrol bombs were thrown at officers and an attempt was made to burn down the town hall. Eight arrests were made.
Police say Adama Traore suffered a heart attack on Tuesday after he was detained in the town north of Paris.
But family and friends say he was healthy and was "beaten to death". An autopsy will take place on Thursday.
In 2005 the deaths of two teenagers who were electrocuted after hiding in an electricity substation while attempting to avoid arrest sparked weeks of rioting across the country.
The clashes began on Tuesday night after it emerged that Mr Traore, 24, had died shortly after being arrested.
He was taken into custody after interfering in the arrest of his brother in a case of extortion, a source close to the investigation told AFP news agency.
Local prosecutor Yves Jannier said Adama "fainted during the ride" to the police station and paramedics were unable to revive him.
But his brother Baguy told Le Parisien that when he got out of a different police vehicle at the police station he saw his brother lying on the floor. A police officer with blood on his shirt said Adama was "pretending", his brother said.
"We know it is going to be covered up. We know if things don't burn nothing will come of it, that is how we feel," said Ornel, 24, who took part in the disturbances.
On Tuesday night five riot police officers were injured, nine cars were set ablaze, several public buildings were damaged and one person was arrested.
On Wednesday, a group of protesters gathered in front of the local police station chanting "Justice for Adama". Police responded with CS gas, Le Monde reported.
The unrest continued on Wednesday night, with 15 cars set ablaze.
Mr Traore's death comes ahead of a planned march against police brutality in Paris on Saturday using the slogan Black Lives Matter, a US movement that has become prominent following several high profile killings of black people by police.
Some Black Lives Matter protests have already been held outside the US, including several demonstrations in London earlier this month. | Clashes have taken place for a second night in the French town of Beaumont-sur-Oise following the death of a young black man in police custody. | 36854738 |
Newquay-born Bearman joined from Newport Gwent Dragons in 2011 but was out of contract at the end of the season.
The 37-year-old, who also played for Cornish Pirates, has scored four tries in 94 appearances for Ospreys.
"I feel I've still got plenty to offer this environment, so I'm really happy to have another year," Bearman said.
"At times this season the squad has been really young.
"But I've really enjoyed being in and around that, playing a part to help these boys develop, particularly when the internationals have been away."
Ashley Beck, Gareth Thomas, Ben John, Scott Otten, Tom Habberfield, Alun Wyn Jones and Rhys Webb have also signed new deals with Ospreys. | Ospreys back-row Joe Bearman has signed a one-year contract extension with the Welsh region. | 36099532 |
The Bristol-born 31-year-old began his career with Rovers before joining Sheffield Wednesday in 2011.
He returned to Rovers - initially on loan - in 2015 and has started 60 league games for Darrell Clarke's side since the start of the 2015-16 season.
"Chris has put in some outstanding performances for us this season," Clarke told the club website. | Bristol Rovers midfielder Chris Lines has signed a new, undisclosed-length contract with the League One club. | 39193955 |
The government is to hold a referendum on the UK's membership of the EU by the end of 2017.
The prime minister is attempting to renegotiate the terms of Britain's membership and the committee said it would examine the potential impact.
Other topics include the effect on the free movement of people and goods.
MPs will also look at the terms under which the UK could leave the EU, and "the likelihood of it securing continued access to EU goods, services and capital markets," it said.
Another area of interest will be the impact of a "Brexit" on the UK's trade in the service industry, and financial services "in particular".
No date has yet been set for the referendum but David Cameron has promised to hold the vote by the end of 2017.
The prime minister has said he will campaign for Britain to remain in the EU if he secures the reforms he wants.
The committee's chairman, Conservative MP Andrew Tyrie, said: "This inquiry will be wide-ranging, dealing with all the economic and financial consequences of the UK's EU membership, and the impact of departure.
"The committee's job will be to attempt to marshal the evidence on this important question into a coherent form, enabling the electorate to make a more informed decision. It welcomes evidence from all those with views and expertise."
It has been announced that Lord Stuart Rose will lead the In Campaign, which wants the UK to remain in the EU.
And Vote.Leave, made up of Conservative, Labour and UKIP MPs and donors, has launched a cross-party campaign to take the UK out of the EU. | A review of the "costs and benefits" of the UK's EU membership is to be conducted by the Treasury Select Committee. | 34491408 |
BBC Wales understands councillors voted 25-6 in favour of the Cardiff city region deal on Monday night.
There were concerns council leader Phil Bale would struggle to persuade his Labour group to back the plan without more detail on individual projects.
Full council will consider the deal on 26 January, where it is expected to pass with Labour and Tory backing.
The Cardiff city region deal would bring together £1.2bn of local, Welsh and UK government funds to boost economic growth over 20 years.
It includes £734m for the South Wales Metro - boosting rail and bus travel in the capital and valleys.
With the involvement of 10 local authorities, the aim is to create 25,000 jobs and attract an extra £4bn in private sector investment.
All the councils need to confirm their funding for the plan by 9 February.
Cardiff's Labour group voted to accept Cardiff providing 23.7% of the local authorities' contribution over 20 years.
The city would pay a total of £2.5m over the first five years.
The annual contribution would later peak at £3.2m before falling again.
Potential projects backed by the Labour group include a 15,000 seat arena, phase two of the Eastern Bay link road, and new park and ride sites as part of the Metro transport system.
If the leadership of the council changes hands at the local elections in May, the new administration would not have to back those particular projects.
Councillors were told a final financial commitment would be made once the projects were agreed.
In December senior local government figures expressed serious concerns about whether Cardiff councillors would back the deal before the local elections.
The other nine authorities are expected to approve their contributions.
Earlier in January the 10 council leaders gave their backing to a report that sets out priorities for the deal. | A £1.2bn deal to boost economic growth in south east Wales has been backed by Cardiff council's ruling Labour group. | 38650456 |
A missed header from Thomas O'Ware allowed Leigh Griffiths to open with his 34th goal of the season.
Gary Mackay-Steven stroked home from Kieran Tierney's cross soon after.
And Callum McGregor curled in a sumptuous third with Celtic dominant, and noticeably sharper and slicker than their opposition.
Morton boss Jim Duffy changed the normal shape of his Championship team by fielding a back three instead of four and leaving out in-form winger Bobby Barr. His gamble failed.
However, he was not helped by schoolboy defending by O'Ware for the loss of the decisive first goal.
Ronnie Deila made sweeping changes for the Premiership leaders, one of them enforced by an injury to Dedryck Boyata, but the rest all in midfield with Tom Rogic, Stuart Armstrong and Patrick Roberts making way for Kris Commons, Mackay Steven and McGregor.
It was a surreal atmosphere in the ground, the game kicking off in the Glasgow east end midday sunshine and Celtic Park not even half-full.
And the manager of Celtic knew that defeat would surely bring his own high noon, following patchy recent form. But it took just 14 minutes for his worries to ease.
O'Ware totally misjudged his header on the end of a cross from the right and it fell to, of all people, Griffiths four yards out and unmarked.
Celtic were on their way.
Their second came 11 minutes later and again Mackay-Steven's finish could be filed as straightforward.
Their third, 10 minutes after that, was far more inventive. McGregor was really clever with a bending finish from the edge of the box and Celtic were now entitled to dream about what Sunday afternoon's draw might bring.
No further goals came, nor indeed were required, but there was the one black spot - an injury to Stefan Johansen on the stroke of half-time courtesy of a clumsy challenge by Mike Miller that went curiously unpunished.
And that, really, was that. Celtic through and nerves soothed for Deila, with substitute Patrick Roberts and Mackay-Steven firing against the post and bar, respectively, in the second period. | Celtic swept into the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup with a composed first-half demolition of Greenock Morton. | 35681018 |
"'Robot intelligence is dangerous': Expert's warning after Facebook AI 'develop their own language'", says the Mirror.
Similar stories have appeared in the Sun, the Independent, the Telegraph and in other online publications.
It sounds like something from a science fiction film - the Sun even included a few pictures of scary-looking androids.
So, is it time to panic and start preparing for apocalypse at the hands of machines?
Probably not. While some great minds - including Stephen Hawking - are concerned that one day AI could threaten humanity, the Facebook story is nothing to be worried about.
Way back in June, Facebook published a blog post about interesting research on chatbot programs - which have short, text-based conversations with humans or other bots. The story was covered by New Scientist and others at the time.
Facebook had been experimenting with bots that negotiated with each other over the ownership of virtual items.
It was an effort to understand how linguistics played a role in the way such discussions played out for negotiating parties, and crucially the bots were programmed to experiment with language in order to see how that affected their dominance in the discussion.
A few days later, some coverage picked up on the fact that in a few cases the exchanges had become - at first glance - nonsensical:
Although some reports insinuate that the bots had at this point invented a new language in order to elude their human masters, a better explanation is that the neural networks had simply modified human language for the purposes of more efficient interaction.
As technology news site Gizmodo said: "In their attempts to learn from each other, the bots thus began chatting back and forth in a derived shorthand - but while it might look creepy, that's all it was."
AIs that rework English as we know it in order to better compute a task are not new.
Google reported that its translation software had done this during development. "The network must be encoding something about the semantics of the sentence" Google said in a blog.
And earlier this year, Wired reported on a researcher at OpenAI who is working on a system in which AIs invent their own language, improving their ability to process information quickly and therefore tackle difficult problems more effectively.
The story seems to have had a second wind in recent days, perhaps because of a verbal scrap over the potential dangers of AI between Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and technology entrepreneur Elon Musk.
But the way the story has been reported says more about cultural fears and representations of machines than it does about the facts of this particular case.
Plus, let's face it, robots just make for great villains on the big screen.
In the real world, though, AI is a huge area of research at the moment and the systems currently being designed and tested are increasingly complicated.
One result of this is that it's often unclear how neural networks come to produce the output that they do - especially when two are set up to interact with each other without much human intervention, as in the Facebook experiment.
That's why some argue that putting AI in systems such as autonomous weapons is dangerous.
It's also why ethics for AI is a rapidly developing field - the technology will surely be touching our lives ever more directly in the future.
But Facebook's system was being used for research, not public-facing applications, and it was shut down because it was doing something the team wasn't interested in studying - not because they thought they had stumbled on an existential threat to mankind.
It's important to remember, too, that chatbots in general are very difficult to develop.
In fact, Facebook recently decided to limit the rollout of its Messenger chatbot platform after it found many of the bots on it were unable to address 70% of users' queries.
Chatbots can, of course, be programmed to seem very humanlike and may even dupe us in certain situations - but it's quite a stretch to think they are also capable of plotting a rebellion.
At least, the ones at Facebook certainly aren't. | The newspapers have a scoop today - it seems that artificial intelligence (AI) could be out to get us. | 40790258 |
This comes after ex-president Wolfgang Niersbach resigned in November after claims he knew about and assisted in the making of payments to secure votes.
Niersbach denies the allegations.
A new president will be elected on 15 April with treasurer Reinhard Grindel favourite to take over.
Sandrock, who served as general secretary since 2012, said: "It is good practice and normal to give a newly elected president of the DFB [German football federation] the chance to propose a new general secretary for election.
"For the good of our football and the DFB it is necessary to make a completely new start in a credible and consistent manner, also in terms of personnel."
In November, tax authorities raided the DFB's headquarters after it emerged the federation had made a secret payment of 6.7m euros (£4.6m) to Fifa in 2005. An internal audit failed to find any trace of the 6.7m euros in the DFB's tax documents. The DFB denies the claims.
German news weekly Der Spiegel had claimed the money had been used to set up a slush fund to buy votes in the 2006 World Cup bidding process. | Helmut Sandrock has resigned as German football federation general secretary, a week before the release of a report into alleged dubious payments to Fifa surrounding the 2006 World Cup bid. | 35669603 |
Why are junior doctors not on strike in Wales?
Because the NHS in Wales is devolved. Since 1999, the Welsh government has been in charge of running the health service.
Ministers in Cardiff are responsible for negotiating the specific terms and conditions for doctors working in the Welsh NHS.
For the time being the Welsh government, like the Scottish government says it intends to stick with the junior doctors contract already in force.
Hence junior doctors in Wales are again working as normal today.
So will what's happening in England have no bearing at all on what happens in Wales?
The dispute between the junior doctors, the NHS in England and the UK government is extremely complex.
But generally speaking, it centres around introducing new working conditions including changing the way junior doctors are paid for working on weekends.
The UK government insists the new contract means the NHS in England will be better placed to provide better care seven days a week. But the BMA insists it will increase the pressure on junior doctors and result in a less safe care for patients.
While there are moves to improve access to care at weekends elsewhere in the UK, the plans are not on the scale of what the government in England is trying to achieve.
For example, in Wales the focus has been on more weekend access to diagnostic tests, pharmacies and therapies rather than creating more seven-day working across the whole system.
But that's not to stay if big changes eventually occur in terms and conditions in England that the Welsh government won't have to consider the implications carefully.
It would be very difficult for the NHS on both sides of the border with radically different contracts for staff doing similar jobs.
That's why until now the Welsh health minister has, in my view, been cautious not to try to make too much political capital out of the dispute in England.
Mark Drakeford is perhaps aware difficult negotiations, such as those that have occurred previously on GP and consultant contracts, may have to eventually take place here.
However the Welsh government insists any negotiations it takes part in will be undertaken spirit of "partnership".
And last November, Mr Drakeford encouraged junior doctors and medical professionals to consider working in Wales if unhappy in England.
Are any patients living in Wales affected by the action over the border?
Most patients living in Wales won't be affected.
But those patients from Wales who were scheduled today perhaps to get specialist treatment in England may have faced disruption.
Similarly individuals - for example people living near the border in Monmouthshire and Powys who for reasons of geography generally get seen at hospitals in England - may have seen their appointments postponed.
However junior doctors in England will provide emergency care during the strike - so any emergency cases shouldn't in theory be affected.
So to what extent do junior doctors in Wales back the position of the BMA in England?
Generally, junior doctors in Wales support their colleagues in England.
BMA Wales said: ""We continue to lend our full support to colleagues in England. We are one profession, and we stand together. Across the UK, the BMA wants a contract that is fair for doctors, safe for patients and safeguards the future of the NHS everywhere. The approach taken by the Government in England is an attack on us all."
There has been support for the action from Welsh rugby star Jamie Roberts. He is a qualified doctor, although has never worked as one. He's currently playing for Harlequins and studying for a MPhil at Cambridge.
He tweeted during the first strike: "The #juniordoctors have my full support today."
However not everyone agrees, the BMA's former Welsh council chairman, former surgeon, Russell Hopkins wrote to the Daily Telegraph saying the organisation has "morphed" into a left-wing political body, giving "little thought to patient care".
The former surgeon and manager of the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff also says he intends to hand back his fellowship of the organisation.
The BMA responded: "Everyone is entitled to their view and junior doctors certainly do not take the decision to take industrial action lightly".
What does the Welsh government say?
Ministers are said to be monitoring developments in England carefully.
"We believe in proceeding through negotiation and partnership," said a spokesman.
"There is the potential for the industrial action in England to have an impact on Welsh patients who receive treatment in England and on the NHS in Wales. We have therefore asked health boards and NHS trusts to put in place contingency plans."
The spokesman added: "Wales has a strong tradition of working in partnership with our staff and their representatives. Junior doctors from any part of the UK interested in working in Wales will find a very warm welcome here." | Hospitals in England are facing major disruption as junior doctors have gone on strike for a second time in a dispute with the UK government over a new contract. | 35291914 |
The quartet, named PKN, was chosen by Finnish viewers on Saturday and has now been ranked by bookmakers as among the favourites for the contest.
The group, whose members have Down's syndrome and autism, will perform their 85-second song Aina Mun Pitaa (I Always Have To) at the event in Vienna in May.
"Every person with a disability ought to be braver," singer Kari Aalto said.
"He or she should themselves say what they want and do not want," he told Finnish broadcaster YLE.
The group - full name Pertti Kurikan Nimipaivat (Pertti Kurikka's Nameday) - will also become the first punk band to compete at Eurovision.
They first got together during a charity workshop and appeared in an award-winning 2012 documentary called The Punk Syndrome.
The song deals with the frustration of the rules of daily life, like having to eat healthily and doing chores like cleaning and washing up.
"We are rebelling against society in different ways, but we are not political," bassist Sami Helle told The Guardian.
"We are changing attitudes somewhat, a lot of people are coming to our gigs and we have a lot of fans.
"We don't want people to vote for us to feel sorry for us, we are not that different from everybody else - just normal guys with a mental handicap."
They are 5/1 to win the contest, according to Betfred, making them third favourites behind Italy and Estonia.
Heavy metal band Lordi gave Finland its only Eurovision win to date with Hard Rock Hallelujah in 2006.
The UK's Eurovision entrant will be named on Saturday. | A punk band made up of musicians with learning disabilities is to represent Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest. | 31682196 |
Home Office Permanent Secretary Mark Sedwill said several staff made "errors of analysis and judgment".
A statistical error in October led some forces to wrongly assume they would be losing money for 2016-17, while others thought their budgets were to increase.
The department has postponed its plans, admitting mistakes in its calculations.
In a letter to the chairman of the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, Labour MP Keith Vaz, Mr Sedwill said the internal review found that officials and analysts had "insufficient understanding" of technical issues, data, policy issues and context.
The errors will be addressed in the officials' performance appraisals, he added. He is also considering making structural and managerial changes as part of the modernisation of the department's central functions, he said in the letter.
The amount of money each police force receives from the government is based on a funding formula, which assesses population size, social and economic factors, crime rates and other data.
Last month, the government delayed proposed changes to the way the money is allocated after acknowledging its plans had been based on flawed calculations.
It admitted the wrong set of figures had been used to decide deprivation levels within each police area.
The error stemmed from two separate sets of data being given near-identical file names.
In the letter, Mr Sedwill also apologised to Mr Vaz "for the error and its disruptive impact".
Mr Vaz said: "It beggars belief that a serious review of the police funding formula was foiled by the identical names of data files, and a complete lack of understanding among analysts and policy officials of the review process.
"Mark Sedwill is right to consider major managerial and structural changes after these serious problems, and we look forward to hearing further details in due course."
He has said the current police funding formula had become unfit for purpose, but the recent errors had "gravely damaged" confidence in the creation of a new deal.
It comes as the Home Office said that government grant funding to police in England and Wales is to be cut by 2.2% in real terms in 2016/17.
Local police and crime commissioners (PCCs) are expected to make up the shortfall through council tax rises.
When all funding is taken into account, the actual cut to the £7.6 billion total grant amounts to 0.5% in cash terms, or 2.2% after inflation, the Home Office said.
However, PCCs will see a 0.5% increase in their overall cash budgets in 2016/17 if they take action to maximise the amount they receive from council tax in what is known as the "police precept", the Home Office said. | "Structural and managerial changes" at the Home Office are being considered following botched plans to reform police funding in England and Wales. | 35133583 |
This is part of their plan to get people living on Mars within the next 20 years.
The US space agency is looking for people who are physically strong, have skills in maths, science and engineering, as well as having jet-pilot flying experience!
Since it formed in 1958, Nasa has chosen more than 300 astronauts.
Nasa will be accepting applications from 14 December through to mid-February 2016. It will hopefully announce the new astronauts in 2017.
So what does it take to be an astronaut...
In order to be considered to be an astronaut you have to have studied subjects like science, maths or engineering at university.
This is so that you can carry out experiments in space and then send back the results to scientists on Earth.
A good education also helps astronauts understand how to fix things in the spacecraft and keep everything running smoothly.
Living in space causes all kinds of problems for the human body, including having weaker bones and losing muscle strength.
After five months in orbit above the Earth, an astronaut would typically lose as much as 40% of muscle and 12% of bone mass, according to Jeremy Curtis from the UK Space Agency.
Astronauts use special gyms on board the International Space Station to help keep their muscles active.
During blast-off, astronauts can experience three times the force of gravity pressing down on them, than humans are normally exposed to here on Earth. They have to be physically strong to deal with this.
Spacemen and women have to go through some pretty tough training before they become official astronauts.
Scientists have to be sure that the trainee is strong enough both physically and mentally to live and work in space.
It can get lonely when your family is home on Earth, so they have to be emotionally strong until they see them again.
As part of their job astronauts might need to explore new places humans have never been to before, so they need to be courageous. | Nasa has announced that it will be launching a new search for astronauts to go on future space missions. | 34733321 |
Chicago-based Gates took first prize for his installation which he says challenges the dominance of Christian ideology in the western world.
He said: "Winning this award is my validation that this new body of work has a place in the world."
The artist told BBC Wales' arts and media correspondent Huw Thomas about his plan to share his winnings.
Gates' work includes a bull sculpture said to deter bad spirits and protect crops in Africa and a goat which refers to a supposed American masonic initiation ceremony.
First Minister Carwyn Jones presented Gates with his prize at the National Museum Cardiff on Thursday night for his installation, A Complicated Relationship between Heaven and Earth, or When We Believe.
Describing his winning work, Gates said it "contemplates how objects have been used as signifiers of power and perhaps reopens them to be real instruments for accessing belief".
Held every two years, Artes Mundi was founded in 2002 by Welsh artist William Wilkins and supports contemporary visual artists from around the world who are still gaining international recognition.
Gates' winning work and other shortlisted works are on display at National Museum Cardiff and Chapter arts centre as well Ffotogallery, Penarth. | Artes Mundi winner Theaster Gates says he will share his £40,000 prize with the nine other shortlisted artists. | 30943709 |
The American, 23, became the youngest man to card a sub-60 round with an opening 59 in Honolulu.
He followed it up with 64 on Friday to move to 17 under par - five shots clear of Gary Woodland at the halfway point.
England's Justin Rose is among those in a tie for third on 10 under par.
Thomas, who last week won the Tournament of Champions, also in Hawaii, had six birdies and eagled the last for the second day in a row.
He told the PGA Tour's official website: "It's cool, any time you can get your name in the record books is awesome.
"I had no idea until I finished, until I signed and [someone in the scoring tent] said '123', and I was like 'man, I'd love that a couple more times in my career'."
Olympic champion Rose made seven birdies and one bogey to move to 10 under alongside American pair Hudson Swafford and Zach Johnson.
Scotland's Russell Knox is among a group of players on nine under, with world number five Jordan Spieth a further shot back. | Justin Thomas made history for the second time in two days as he set a record for the lowest 36-hole total in PGA Tour history with his score of 123 at the Sony Open in Hawaii. | 38621427 |
Humza Yousaf met them to hear their goals for the road which runs from Edinburgh to Carlisle.
The group believes a range of small and larger-scale projects could bring economic and environmental benefits to the area.
It argues that could benefit the whole region and make it more attractive to visitors as well.
Secretary Marjorie McCreadie said she was delighted a long-sought ministerial visit had been secured.
"We have long waited this meeting with the minister but we have at last succeeded," she said.
Ms McCreadie said talks would be based on a new action plan with a Selkirk bypass the main concern.
However, she said there were other issues along the route which she hoped would be addressed.
The action group said improved transport infrastructure could give a significant economic boost to the area.
"We need tourists to come, we need people to come and stay and shop," said Ms McCreadie.
"To have these people come we need good roads, good transportation to encourage them to stop and shop and stay.
"Money is always a problem but we will stick at it like we did with Auchenrivock - it took us 10 years to get Auchenrivock but we succeeded in the end." | The A7 Action Group has presented its vision for the route through the Borders to the transport secretary. | 36537228 |
In a letter Victorino Chua, 50, called himself an "angel turned evil".
He injected insulin into saline bags and ampoules while working on two acute wards at the hospital in Stockport.
At the Court of Appeal in London, judges rejected the argument his minimum jail term of 35 years was "manifestly excessive".
His lawyers argued the letter should not have been admitted as evidence, but Lord Justice Treacy, sitting with two other judges, ruled it was not "arguable".
Chua injected the insulin into saline in June and July 2011.
It was unwittingly used by other nurses, causing a series of insulin overdoses to mainly elderly victims.
Chua was convicted of murdering patients Tracey Arden, 44, and Derek Weaver, 83, in 2015 at Manchester Crown Court.
On sentencing, the trial judge Mr Justice Openshaw described his actions as "indescribably wicked".
He said it was a "strikingly sinister and truly wicked feature of the case" that Chua did not know who would fall victim to his actions. | A nurse who murdered two patients and poisoned others at Stepping Hill Hospital has failed in a bid to appeal against his conviction and sentence. | 36915110 |
Paul Nicoll stole from pensioners aged up to 83 in Arbroath, Dundee, Perth and Auchterarder over a four-month period.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard he helped an elderly woman into her house with her shopping before making off with money.
Nicoll's solicitor told the court: "He accepts there is no realistic sentence other than imprisonment."
Depute fiscal Saima Rasheed described a series of incidents that started two days before Christmas last year in Arbroath, where he stole £200 from a man's home.
He stole £40 from a 78-year-old woman in Arbroath in February, before targeting a 70-year-old woman in the town the following day, being found in her home before he could steal anything.
The court was told that Nicoll's spree escalated in April when he was found in the home of a 68-year-old woman in Auchterarder, Perthshire, and that of an 80-year-old woman in Perth on the same day.
A week later he was found in a 68-year-old woman's home in Dundee and on 18 April he stole £560 from an 81-year-old woman in the city.
The court heard that Nicoll stole from another four pensioners during April.
Nicoll, 45, admitted 11 charges of theft and being found in dwelling houses without lawful authority whereby it may be inferred he was there to steal.
Defence solicitor David Duncan said: "He accepts there is no realistic sentence other than imprisonment.
"He knows he has a debt to pay to society."
Sheriff Alastair Carmichael jailed Nicoll for a total of 35 months.
He said: "You accept a custodial sentence is inevitable here. You are correct.
"It seems you deliberately targeted the houses of elderly and vulnerable people.
"The ages of the victims range up to 83.
"You preyed on these people." | A thief who travelled the east of Scotland deliberately targeting elderly and vulnerable victims has been jailed for almost three years. | 37059971 |
At a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, he said he hoped the Democratic candidate's 33,000 deleted messages could now be recovered.
The FBI is investigating new emails that may be linked to its probe into Mrs Clinton's private email server.
Mrs Clinton later told a rally she had nothing to hide.
It emerged in March 2015 that Mrs Clinton had been breaking federal rules by operating a private email server while she was secretary of state from 2009-13.
Her lawyers combed through the server and provided the State Department with 30,000 work-related emails.
But her campaign deleted another 33,000 messages, saying they were personal in nature.
FBI Director James Comey concluded in July that Mrs Clinton had been "extremely careless" in handling classified information, but there were no grounds for any charges.
But on Friday, he told Congress he had learned of fresh emails which might be "pertinent" to its previous inquiry and renewed the FBI probe.
The latest emails were found in a separate investigation into allegations that former congressman Anthony Weiner sent illicit text messages to a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina. Mr Weiner is married to top Clinton aide, Huma Abedin.
The FBI has reportedly obtained a warrant to search the cache of emails belonging to Ms Abedin, which are believed to have been found on her estranged husband's laptop.
There are reportedly 650,000 emails to search through on the laptop, but it is unclear who sent or received the emails or what they were about.
"That's the motherlode," said Mr Trump. "I think you're going to find the 33,000 (emails) that are missing."
He added: "Thank you, Huma. Thank you, Huma. Good job, Huma. Thank you, Anthony Weiner."
But Mrs Clinton told a rally in Kent, Ohio, that the FBI was welcome to check her aide's emails.
"They should look at them and I'm sure they'll reach the same conclusion they did when they looked at my emails for the past year: there is no case here."
Democrats have angrily demanded that the embattled Mr Comey rapidly make public what the agency knows about the new email trove.
The White House said on Monday it would neither defend nor criticise the FBI decision.
Obama spokesman Josh Earnest said the president did not suspect Mr Comey of trying to secretly influence the election through his announcement on Friday of the inquiry.
Mr Earnest said Mr Comey is "a man of integrity, a man of character, a man of principle and he has a very difficult job".
On Sunday, Democratic leader in the US Senate Harry Reid accused Mr Comey of violating an act which bars officials from influencing an election by revealing the bureau was investigating emails possibly linked to Mrs Clinton.
Who is ahead in the polls?
50%
Hillary Clinton
44%
Donald Trump
Last updated October 25, 2016 | Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has said he believes the FBI may have found the "motherlode" of Hillary Clinton's emails. | 37829459 |
Radio Beca had planned to broadcast mainly in Welsh to Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and north Pembrokeshire.
But it delayed its proposed launch date in April 2014.
Euros Lewis, from Radio Beca, said it had taken three years for the station to be able to "stand on its own to feet".
Ofcom told Newyddion 9 the station was given two extensions before the decision to withdraw its licence was taken.
Elinor Williams, from Ofcom, said: "We issued the licence in May 2012 and they had two years to come on air from that specific date."
The station has failed to obtain Welsh government grant funding and there was uncertainty about a permanent home for it.
There was also concern Radio Beca had only managed to raise £20,000 when it was required to raise £320,000, although the station has submitted a bid for £100,000 in grant funding from the Big Lottery Fund.
Mr Lewis said: "Unfortunately, it's only during the past few months that Radio Beca has been able to raise money through sponsorship and adverts.
"What's disappointing is that it's only now that we have been able to put forward a prospectus that shows that Radio Beca can stand on its own two feet." | Media regulator Ofcom has revoked a community licence given to a new radio station. | 32981103 |
Cracksman is one of five runners for Newmarket-based Gosden, who teams up with Frankie Dettori again after victory in the Oaks with Enable.
Gosden also runs Crowned Eagle, Glencadam Glory, Pealer and Khalidi, while Aidan O'Brien has six runners.
"Cracksman has pleased me a lot, but he's light on experience," said Gosden.
"We'll probably find a champion at the end of it, but at the moment no one can quite find that diamond in the rough."
Victory for Cracksman would seal Gosden a third Derby success, after Benny The Dip in 1997 and Golden Horn two years ago.
The son of Frankel won his only start as a juvenile at Newmarket and then beat fellow Derby contender Permian in a trial at Epsom in April.
"We like this horse a lot, but he is a different type altogether to Golden Horn, who was a very strong favourite," said Gosden.
Dettori added: "He is not Golden Horn by any means, but potentially he could be anything on Saturday and we will find out."
O'Brien, who has saddled five previous winners of the race but had to settle for second in the Oaks with hot favourite Rhododendron, has Dee Stakes winner Cliffs Of Moher leading his team.
Two-time Derby winner Ryan Moore will ride the current 4-1 joint favourite.
"Cliffs Of Moher was a little bit slowly away (at Chester) and Ryan got him into a good position fairly quick," said O'Brien.
"He's a horse that always showed plenty of pace, so we weren't even sure about going up to a mile-and-a-half, but he galloped out well to the line at Chester."
O'Brien's daughter Ana will ride his three-year-old colt The Anvil to become only the third female jockey to ever race in the Derby.
Another of O'Brien's horses, Finn McCool, was the only withdrawal at the final declaration stage.
The total purse is set to be £1.625m, the richest race ever staged in Britain, with the winner receiving £920,913 and prize money then paid down to sixth place, which will net £21,922.
Rank outsider Diore Lia remains in a field of 19 horses for Saturday's Epsom Derby and will be ridden by apprentice jockey Paddy Pilley.
Gina Mangan was barred from riding the 500-1 shot by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) on Wednesday after they deemed her too "inexperienced".
Owner Richard Aylward had said Diore Lia would not run, but changed his mind as any prize money will go to Great Ormond Street children's hospital.
"Poor old Gina is badly scarred from what the BHA have done," said Aylward.
He added he would try to bring up the Mangan case with the Queen, who is a patron of Great Ormond Street, when she attends the race.
"Our story needs telling because I've been left very, very upset about what has gone on and I feel so sorry for Gina," he said.
"We've had contributions from as far away as America for our charity, and we're hoping it will now take off because of all this that has gone on."
Inexperienced apprentice Mangan has only ever ridden one winner - Roscommon in 2009 - with the BHA pointing out that she had never ridden a race "on the scale and stage of the Derby" in explaining its decision to bar her.
Moore said the BHA should be "congratulated" for barring Mangan from riding.
"Credit where it is due - and it is definitely due to the BHA here," said Moore in a blog for a betting company.
"In this game you can't take safety for granted, and you would have been asking the horse and jockey to do something at Epsom that they simply weren't equipped to do."
Moore added the BHA had done the "right thing" by Mangan, but that it was "highly debatable" whether Diore Lia should still be allowed to run.
Although Pilley, 19, is also an apprentice, he is more experienced than Mangan, having ridden 34 winners and the BHA confirmed he met the criteria.
"He has been given a positive reference by his trainer, Roger Charlton, as to his ability, temperament and suitability to take part in the Derby, alongside his BHA jockey coach John Reid," said BHA chief regulatory officer Jamie Stier. | Trainer John Gosden hopes joint-favourite Cracksman will emerge as a "diamond" on Saturday in what he says will be a "terribly open" Epsom Derby. | 40140497 |
Nottinghamshire Police had appealed for help in locating Sum Yung Cho, known as Sam, who went missing on Friday evening.
He was reported missing from a care home in the Forest Road area.
The 85-year-old was taken to hospital for a check-up, a police spokesman said. | An 85-year-old man who has dementia and does not speak English has been found after an extensive search in Nottingham. | 34894769 |
LÉ Aisling is being sold as a fisheries protection vessel in the Netherlands.
The sale of the vessel appears to have been "a terrible deal", said the Permanent Defence Forces' Representative Association.
PDFORRA, which represents navy sailors, said it could not understand why a higher reserve had not been set.
The LÉ Aisling spent 36 years in service before it was decommissioned in June 2016 and sold at auction earlier this year.
There were only two bids for it when the vessel was auctioned in Cork.
It was bought by Dutch ship broker Dick van der Kamp, who said he planned to resell it on the international market.
Auctioneer Dominic Daly, who sold LÉ Aisling on behalf of the Department of Defence, as well as two other vessels, said significant costs would have been involved in preparing LÉ Aisling for re-sale.
Mr Daly told RTE that the cost of towing the ship to Holland and re-classifying the vessel could have run to hundreds of thousands of euros.
He added that naval vessels are sold without classification and have to be re-classified before they can go back into service.
In January, an Irish government jet sold to a US firm for less than 420,000 euros two years ago was revealed to be insured for $5m (£3.87m) | A former Irish Naval Service vessel sold for 110,000 euros (£93,500) two months ago, is being offered for sale in Holland for 685,000 euros. | 39928576 |
The latest group to sign up is based in the republics of Russia's North Caucasus, led by a Dagestan jihadist commander who defected to IS from the al-Qaeda-aligned rebel movement known as the Caucasus Emirate.
The first new branches beyond the group's strongholds in Syria and Iraq were announced by IS leader Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi in November last year when he accepted pledges of allegiance from jihadists in Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
Some of those pledges came from existing groups which went on to re-brand themselves as new IS "provinces", or wilayat, such as the Egyptian Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis and Algeria's Jund al-Khilafah.
The most active branches have been those in Libya and Egypt, which have tapped into the IS media network to publish a steady flow of propaganda, highlighting attacks and publicising their attempts at governance.
Others have had a low profile. For example, the IS franchises in Algeria and Saudi Arabia have claimed only a few isolated attacks and there is no sign that the group has a strong presence there.
But the impact of the IS expansion has nevertheless been felt by its jihadist rivals in al-Qaeda, which has branches in many of the areas IS has moved into, and in-fighting has broken out in several areas.
The IS branch in Egypt, Sinai Province, was essentially a re-branding of an existing group known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, which first emerged in 2011 in the wake of the Egyptian revolution.
Before the pledge by Nigeria's Boko Haram in March, Sinai was the highest-profile established jihadist group to merge with IS and has kept up the tempo of its operations following the change in November.
The group swiftly changed its name and re-branded its media to reflect the new affiliation, adopting a new logo reminiscent of IS branches in Syria and Iraq.
Its activities are focused on the Sinai Peninsula (where it launched a deadly attack on soldiers on 2 April) but it has also claimed attacks in Cairo and Egypt's western desert, suggesting it might have some ability to link up with the IS branch in Libya.
Full profile: Ansar Beit al-Maqdis (Sinai)
The Libyan branch of IS has been the most active since it was formally embraced in November and its propaganda output has most closely resembled that of IS branches in Syria and Iraq.
Three distinct Libyan IS "provinces" were announced in November - Barqah in the east, Tripoli in the west and Fazzan in the south.
Since then, most activity has been centred on the country's coastal strip, reflected in a steady stream of propaganda highlighting the group's attempts at governance alongside brutal attacks and executions.
The branch's highest-profile operations have taken place in the west - the 27 January attack on the Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli, which left five foreigners dead, and the beheading of Egyptian Coptic Christians on a beach apparently near Sirte.
It claimed to have taken full control of Sirte in early June.
But the group has been drawn increasingly into conflicts with other jihadist and Islamist forces in Libya, including those aligned with al-Qaeda.
Little has been heard of the Algerian branch of IS since the pledge of allegiance from Jund al-Khilafah was accepted by Baghdadi in November.
The group, which broke away from al-Qaeda's North Africa branch (AQIM) last year, later restyled itself as the Algeria Province of IS.
The group rose to prominence in September when it beheaded French tourist Herve Gourdel.
But it has been largely silent since then, failing to comment on reports that its leader Khalid Abu-Sulayman (aka Abdelmalek Gouri) was killed by Algerian forces in December.
It has claimed a few attacks, but no significant activities.
IS drew the ire of al-Qaeda's Yemen branch (AQAP) when Al-Baghdadi unilaterally announced new "provinces" in Yemen and Saudi Arabia in November.
Those branches have since claimed attacks in both countries, including a devastating series of attacks in March against mosques in the Yemeni capital which left more than 130 people dead.
Opening up shop in the Arabian Peninsula represents a symbolic challenge to al-Qaeda, which is competing for ascendancy in the leadership of the global jihad.
It could also in time lead to an open conflict between IS and AQAP.
The new Afghanistan-Pakistan branch, led by former Pakistan Taleban commander Hafiz Said Khan, was the first franchise to be formally announced by IS following the November flurry of allegiances.
In January, Khan appeared in a video which showed 10 jihadist commanders from Afghanistan and Pakistan pledging allegiance to IS under his local leadership.
Since then it has claimed attacks in both Afghanistan and Pakistan, including the 13 May bus attack targeting Ismaili Shia Muslims in Karachi.
The new branch has taken the name Khorasan Province, after the historical term jihadists use to refer to the region, and covers Afghanistan, Pakistan and "other nearby lands", according to IS.
The move amounts to another major challenge to al-Qaeda and the Taleban, which have been the main jihadist operators in the region.
Open conflict has recently broken out between IS and the Afghan Taleban, which IS has accused of being agents of Pakistani intelligence.
Boko Haram's high profile pledge of allegiance in March was widely trumpeted by IS, which is now referring to the group as its "West Africa Province".
Before the announcement, there had been signs in Boko Haram's propaganda output of growing IS influence on the Nigerian movement, whose ideology and harsh practices mirror those of IS itself.
Since March, the group has continued claiming attacks and releasing videos, but its leader Abubakar Shekau has failed to make any appearances.
A pledge of allegiance by jihadists in Tunisia was promoted by IS in May, two months after the group claimed credit for the 18 March attack on the Bardo Museum in the capital Tunis.
It followed the same format as other pledges of allegiance which have been followed up by IS leadership statements formally embracing the new branches.
But an official branch or province in Tunisia has yet to be formally declared, apparently because the local franchise has yet to organise itself properly.
The Caucasus is the latest jihadist front to be claimed by IS, encroaching on the domain of the al-Qaeda-aligned Caucasus Emirate.
IS announced on 23 June that its leader Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi had accepted a pledge of allegiance from militants in the Russian republics of Chechnya, Dagestan, Ingushetia and Kabardino-Balkaria.
Dagestan rebel leader Rustam Aselderov (Abu Mukhammad Kadarsky) has been appointed as the local IS leader for the Caucasus, which is now being referred to as IS's "Caucasus Province".
Aselderov had been a senior figure in the Caucasus Emirate, which may now struggle to survive as an independent entity.
IS has now expanded into most areas where jihadist groups have a presence, with the notable exceptions of south-east Asia as well as east Africa, the latter region being dominated by the Somali al-Qaeda-affiliated group Al-Shabab.
IS acknowledged in November last year that groups in Indonesia and the Philippines had also pledged allegiance and that IS had accepted them.
But it said further conditions needed to be met before new "provinces" were formally announced.
BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook. | The Islamic State (IS) group has forged links with militants from Nigeria to Pakistan, embracing regional franchises that have pledged allegiance to the group. | 31064300 |
The hosts started strongly with Miles Storey going through on goal, but Tomas Cerny raced forward and blocked well.
Chances became infrequent, Ross Draper unsuccessfully claiming a penalty when he went down at the back post.
Liam Polworth had a great opportunity to win it late on but somehow steered the ball wide of the post.
A win for either side would have been a significant step and Inverness seemed intent on earning that early on.
Andrea Mbuy-Mutombo tried exactly the same effort that opened the scoring against Stirling Albion in the Scottish Cup midweek win but dragged his strike wide.
Another chance arrived moments later when Storey found space in the box, tried to slot the ball under Cerny, but the goalkeeper came out swiftly to deny him.
Inverness looked on-form and a period of pressure allowed Iain Vigurs an opportunity from outside the box which crept narrowly over the bar.
Slack play from a throw in gave Vigurs the chance to square with Frederic Frans just clearing his own bar with an attempted clearance.
The quality on offer took a fairly dramatic downturn with neither side particularly threatening. though a challenging wind may have played a part.
Draper claimed for a penalty when Mutombo nodded to the back post, and then just before half-time saw a header creep narrowly over from close-range.
For all of Thistle's lack of threat, they did defend stoutly after the opening period.
Kris Doolan had a scooped effort on the stretch from the edge of the box which was saved comfortably.
The second half lacked action for long periods but Storey almost netted a sensational opener with a fierce long-range drive which Cerny had to tip over.
Storey created the next chance when he got to the bye-line and cut back for Polworth, who couldn't hit the target when a goal seemed inevitable.
Perhaps a better point for the visitors who defended well and ease themselves away from the bottom with games in hand. | An uninspiring encounter saw Inverness edge into the Premiership top six and Partick move a point clear of the relegation play-off place. | 35330963 |
Dan Thompson, 56, who owns Tomson Motor in Giles Street, had to say sorry after receiving a visit from the police.
The mechanic had lain on the road while his colleague stood over him with a pick axe handle after spotting the Google camera car from a distance.
However, a web user saw the image and made a complaint.
The incident happened in August 2012 but it was not until a year later, once the pictures had been uploaded onto the Google site, that police were alerted.
Mr Thompson told the BBC Scotland news website: "By complete fluke I saw the Google car coming along the road but it had to loop the block so I had one minute to rush back inside the garage and set up the murder scene.
"There are pictures of men on Google flashing their bums but we thought we would be more classy.
"We had forgotten about it when the police arrived a year later and we apologised for wasting police time. They found it funny."
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: "Anyone with any concerns, or who would like to report a crime, should contact police on 101." | A garage owner has apologised for staging a scene that looked like a murder in an Edinburgh street, which was caught on Google Street View. | 27670099 |
Emergency services were called out to the incident at about 21:15 on Friday at an area near Enterkinfoot known as Hell's Cauldron.
A silver Audi A3 car which had been broken down and parked for "several weeks" at the location was on fire.
Police have asked anybody who saw anyone or any vehicles in the area around that time to contact them. | Police say they are treating a car fire in a layby on the A76 in Dumfries and Galloway as "suspicious". | 38717159 |
Overturning a previous conviction for culpable homicide, Justice Eric Leach told the court that when Pistorius decided to fire four shots through a closed toilet door in his home in February 2013, he gambled with a person's life.
Mr Leach, speaking on behalf of a full bench of five judges at the Bloemfontein court, painted a grim picture of how Ms Steenkamp had no escape as Pistorius fired shot after shot into the confined space.
He described Pistorius and Ms Steenkamp's life as Shakespearean - the double amputee had overcome great odds to rise to fame while she was a model with a promising career, until her life was cut tragically short on Valentine's Day.
Handing down the murder verdict, Mr Leech said Pistorius had offered "no acceptable explanation on why he fired shots through a locked toilet door". He said a reasonable person would have foreseen that his actions could kill someone.
It was a severe blow to the defence team's case, which rested on the claim that Pistorius thought he was shooting at an intruder. According to the court, the identity of who was behind the door was irrelevant in establishing liability.
Judge Thokozile Masipa, who presided over Pistorius' original trial, acquitted the former athlete of murder based on his claim that he thought Ms Steenkamp was still in bed.
But Mr Leech said that the law was clear, and Pistorius' claim of self-defence could not hold.
South Africa has strict laws over when you can legally open fire at someone. It stipulates that you first need to determine that there is a real threat to your life and that there was no other way to counter the threat other than to shoot.
For example, you are not allowed to shoot if you see an intruder climbing over your fence - because a threat to your life has not been firmly established.
In Pistorius' case there was no threat, the court ruled, because the person behind the door never made a move - the supposed intruder never so much as opened the door.
The prosecution at the appeals court was led by Gerrie Nel, a seasoned prosecutor known in court circles as "the bull terrier".
Mr Nel sought to have Pistorious' original manslaughter verdict overturned, arguing that Judge Masipa had misinterpreted the law of dolus eventualis - murder with intent.
Legal experts and reporters covering the trial joked that the "bite of the bull terrier leaves very little chance of a comeback".
So what next for Pistorius?
Jail time is unavoidable, says veteran lawyer Mannie Witz. "South African law does not make provision for someone to be placed under house arrest for more than five years, so Pistorius is definitely going back to prison.
"What needs to be established now is for how long."
Judge's key quotes
10 key moments from the trial
The appeals court has referred the case back to Judge Masipa for sentencing and she will hear evidence from both teams before reaching her decision.
The prescribed minimum sentence for murder is 15 years but Pistorius' lawyers can argue for a lesser sentenced based on time already served and his disability.
Ms Steenkamp's family, who had expressed disappointment with the culpable homicide ruling, said they were pleased their daughter's killer had been convicted of murder.
"It's a big relief. I feel it's a fair decision," her father, Barry Steenkamp, said in a brief interview on local television station ANN7, before breaking down in tears.
Despite criticising aspects of her ruling, the appeals court acknowledged Judge Masipa's role in the case, saying their decision was not an indictment on her expertise or credibility.
Mr Witz agreed: "Mistakes can happen in any court, what's important to note is that judges are not afraid to correct those mistakes.
"It's a good indication of the effectiveness of our justice system."
Many South Africans took to social media to praise the decision, with some saying justice had "finally" been served.
The ruling is expected to go a long way to showing that no-one is above the law - not even South Africa's once beloved "blade runner". | In a packed courtroom, with Reeva Steenkamp's family hanging on every word, a judge at South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal said Oscar Pistorius was guilty of murder. | 34996602 |
Llanelli MP Nia Griffith said the Indian-owned giant must meet a guarantee on no compulsory job losses and new investment.
Welsh Economy Secretary Ken Skates also called on the UK government to prioritise the steel industry and plough more money into research.
Workers voted on Wednesday in favour of a new reduced pension deal.
"It's been a terrible choice for the workers to make, between taking a lower pension payment or seeing the jobs go," said Ms Griffith.
"Having made that decision now, we really need Tata to stick to its promises, to step up to the mark, and get investment in there so we get the state-of-the-art plant, which means we can compete on the world market."
The MP, who is also Labour's shadow defence secretary, said, following a year of uncertainty for workers, it was "really incumbent on the company to build up that trust again".
Members of three unions at steel sites in Wales, Scotland, South Yorkshire and Teesside all supported the new pension proposals.
Under the proposed changes, the British Steel Pension Scheme will close to future accrual, replaced with a defined contribution scheme with maximum contributions of 10% from Tata and 6% from workers.
A one-off pension contribution of up to £10,000 could be made to Tata workers in their 50s who plan to retire early.
Tata's offer also included a £1bn investment commitment at Port Talbot and no compulsory job losses.
Discussions on the next steps for the steelmaker are continuing.
But economy secretary Mr Skates said he wanted to see pledges honoured.
"It's for Tata now to keep its side of the deal - to make sure that the £1bn of investment of the next 10 years begins as soon as possible," he told BBC Wales' Good Morning Wales programme.
Both he and Ms Griffiths also called on the UK government to get behind the steel sector, by examining issues like the costs of carbon and energy taxes on the industry.
Mr Skates also called on UK ministers to use a "sizable proportion' of a proposed £2bn research and development fund to aid UK steel makers.
"I've pressed for the notion of a 'steel deal', which is included in the UK industrial strategy, to be considered at speed," said Mr Skates.
On Wednesday, Koushik Chatterjee, group executive director Tata Steel and executive director for its European business, said there was "much more work to be done to make Tata Steel UK more financially sustainable".
"We look to other stakeholders such as the UK government to play their part in addressing the UK's manufacturing competitiveness position especially with relation to energy prices."
The UK government has described the decision by steelworkers to back the pension deal as "an important step forward".
A spokesperson added: "The government will play its role in supporting the steel industry to help deliver a sustainable future." | Steelmaker Tata needs to rebuild trust following a vote to back pension changes, say senior Labour politicians. | 38990618 |
The shake-up is one of the coalition government's biggest reforms, allowing people who have saved for a pension to do what they want with their money.
It means people who are retiring no longer have to buy an annuity to provide a fixed, regular income.
The changes were announced by Chancellor George Osborne in his March 2014 Budget.
Until now those who were retiring could cash in up to 25% of their pension pot as a tax-free lump sum.
They then had two options: reinvest their pension pot - or keep their current investments - and take an income from their funds as they needed. The second option open to them was to take out an annuity, which provided a fixed, regular income in their retirement.
The changes that have now come into force mean those due to retire now can do whatever they like with 100% of their pension pot, for example invest in property, although crucially they will still only receive the first 25% tax free.
The reforms have been welcomed in principle, but pensions experts have raised concerns about how they will operate in practice.
Many pension companies have said they are not yet ready to allow people to cash in their pensions because it brings extra costs to schemes as well as risk.
More than half of workplace pension schemes are still undecided about whether to offer access to the new freedoms, and 15% say they definitely will not, according to pension consultants Xafinity.
The government has promised impartial advice sessions on the reforms.
But despite government assurances that they will be ready for "pensions freedom day", some pensions industry experts have voiced concerns.
There have also been claims that not all of the advisers needed have been recruited yet.
But Pensions Minister Steve Webb dismissed as "completely wrong" claims that two million people would immediately be looking to take advantage of the new rules.
He added there were hundreds of people specially trained to give advice - 300 at the Department for Work and Pensions and more at Citizens Advice Bureaux and the Pensions Advisory Service.
Cashing in
A 57-year-old man from a Devon village has emerged as one of the first people to cash in their pension under the government's reforms.
Michael Gunn, a retired chartered accountant, wants to spend some of it on a new roof for the church hall.
But in defiance of experts, he also wants to use the money for a transatlantic cruise.
Mr Gunn was not prepared to say how much he would be taking out of his pension pot, but he has taken care to heed warnings about tax bills.
"What I like about this is that you are totally in charge of how much tax you are exposed to - to stay within a lower tax band," he said.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "There are plenty of people to give advice… we are confident the capacity is in place".
He also dismissed concerns about pensioners running out of money early, as has happened in Australia.
He said the government's new flat rate pension would act "as a floor to fall back on."
He also argued that more people would save more money for retirement because the new pension provisions were "more attractive and more flexible".
Last week, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) warned that thousands of people withdrawing money might find themselves paying much more tax than they needed to.
Other experts have pointed out that, in any case, people taking out cash will have to pay what is called "emergency tax".
Unless individuals can show a P45 tax form, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will treat any payments as if they are a new monthly salary.
In other words, they will charge tax on the basis that the new income is repeated every month for a year.
So anyone cashing in a pension of £18,000 - assuming nothing is taken tax-free- would be charged an immediate tax bill of £6,592.
Those in that position will have to reclaim the tax using forms P50 or P53.
However HMRC has promised they will get the money back within a month.
Meanwhile, hundreds of staff from Citizens Advice - and Citizens Advice Scotland - are preparing to offer free face-to-face interviews with anyone who needs help, from Tuesday.
Those aged 55 or over can go to one of 500 offices in England and Wales, or 90 in Scotland. Those living in very remote areas of Scotland can arrange home visits.
But customers will only receive "guidance", not advice.
"What we don't do is provide any details of which companies people can go to for pensions - or which particular products," said Richard Chilton, one of those who will be conducting the interviews.
"But we provide guidance on what the options are," he said. | Sweeping changes to pension rules which will give savers much more control over their money have come into force. | 32194158 |
Michael Casey was handed a six-year term after he admitted causing the deaths of Stacey Burrows, 16, and Lucy Pygott, 17, by dangerous driving.
He was over the alcohol limit and speeding at the time, a court heard.
The Attorney General's Office said the sentence was issued in accordance with legal guidelines.
A spokesman confirmed the attorney general had received a request to review Casey's prison term, but decided not to send it to the Court of Appeal.
Explaining the decision, Solicitor General Robert Buckland said he "did not believe the sentence would be increased" if it was reviewed.
Stacey and Lucy were killed while on a training run in Aldershot, Hampshire, on 8 November.
During Casey's sentencing at Winchester Crown Court, a judge said he would be eligible for release after three years.
As the sentence was announced, Stacey's mother shouted from the public gallery: "I do not get my daughter back in three years, do I?".
The girls, who were members of Aldershot, Farnham and District Athletic Club, were warming up for an evening run when they were hit by Casey's Ford Focus in Queen's Avenue.
Lucy, who was from Hartley Wintney, Hampshire, had won a 3,000m bronze medal at the European Youth Championships in July.
Stacey, from Farnborough, was the Hampshire under-17 3,000m champion.
Casey, who pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, was also disqualified from driving for 10 years. | A soldier who killed two teenage athletes in a road crash will not have his sentence reviewed, despite it being criticised by the girls' families. | 39880858 |
But when Brid McDaid asked her brother Johnny, of Snow Patrol fame, to perform she might have known all eyes wouldn't be on her.
The Snow Patrol guitarist brought his fiancée, Courtney Cox, and friend and fellow musician Ed Sheeran, as well as other Snow Patrol band members, to his sister's nuptials in Derry at the weekend.
When it came time for the bride and groom's first dance Sheeran and McDaid teamed-up to perform Snow Patrol's hit song 'Chasing Cars' with wedding guests singing along.
But they weren't going to be a one-hit wonder at the reception, the new duo went on to perform a 30-minute set.
Patsy O'Kane, the owner of the Beech Hill County House Hotel, where the wedding was held, said that staff didn't know that McDaid and Sheeran were planning to play.
She said the whole day was one "filled with music and song, soloists and bands".
"Clearly the family love music, they move in those circles," she added.
There was no smashing of guitars or throwing TVs out of bedroom windows though. Patsy said that everyone was very civilised and it was just a "super atmosphere".
"The wedding guests really were so excited by the performance, everyone was in such good form and it really just lifted the mood of the whole day," she added | Most brides might be put out by having the spotlight stolen from them on their wedding day. | 37222713 |
Harcourt Developments lost the contract for the Esplanade Quarter in 2009.
The firm is attempting to take Senator Philip Ozouf and the States of Jersey Development Company (SOJDC) to court.
The SOJDC said the agreement was terminated after the firm was not forthcoming when asked for evidence it could finance the development.
The firm said it signed an agreement in 2007 making it the preferred development partner to build 400 homes, offices and a public garden on the Esplanade Quarter.
Harcourt began the process of initiating legal action last year.
In a preliminary hearing in the Royal Court, Solicitor General Howard Sharp, representing Senator Ozouf, argued the minister and the States had the final say over whether the development would go ahead.
The company's lawyers argue the agreement at that stage was binding.
Further legal arguments are due to be heard in two weeks before Bailiff Sir Michael Birt decides whether it will go to court.
In 2012 the Jersey Development Company released plans for an international finance centre on the site with work due to start in 2013. | Jersey's treasury minister breached the terms of a contract for a development on St Helier's waterfront, a court has heard during a pre-trial hearing. | 21328069 |
10 May 2017 Last updated at 17:15 BST
Six hundred tonnes of rubbish was dumped under a motorway bridge in Buckinghamshire last month.
The junk includes household and garden waste, fridges, bathtubs, and building materials.
A plan is in place to remove the rubbish, the council says, but it's a big problem - watch this. | This story has causing a bit of a stink. | 39871233 |
The club say they are "deeply saddened" by the death of the England Under-20 international, who had been at the club since the age of 13.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with Seb's family and friends at this difficult time," Quins director of rugby Conor O'Shea said.
"He will be sorely missed by the whole squad as well as by the wider club."
Adeniran-Olule, who played three first-team games for Harlequins, represented England at Under-16, Under-18 and Under-20 level.
He made four appearances at the Under-20 World Cup in Italy last year, where England finished runners-up to New Zealand.
O'Shea described the former Whitgift and Wellington College pupil as an "incredible talent", while John Fletcher of the Rugby Football Union said the front-row forward was an "absolute pleasure to be around".
"He was one of the most skilful players in his position I have ever seen," Fletcher, the national academy development manager, told the RFU website.
"He always played the game with a big smile on his face and could do some phenomenal things with the ball.
"As a character he was quiet, had incredible work rate, was popular and first to learn. On the pitch he would get you off your seat and as a front-row player that is fairly rare.
"He should be remembered as a great kid, I loved coaching him. It's a tragic loss." | Harlequins prop Seb Adeniran-Olule has died at the age of 20 in a road traffic collision. | 36266820 |
Most internet service providers offer services through a fixed-line network controlled and maintained by BT.
But Ofcom said it had concerns BT Openreach's performance on behalf of those providers had often been poor.
BT chief Gavin Patterson told the BBC that he thought splitting the Openreach service off would be a "mistake".
Following Ofcom's last strategic review 10 years ago, BT was obliged to create Openreach through which it provided access to its telephone and broadband network to "competing providers on equal terms".
Essentially, those providers pay a wholesale price to BT for use of the network and then charge telecoms customers for services.
Sky and BT don't like each other very much, particularly since the latter took a healthy portion of Sky's lunch by piling into sports television and winning the rights to broadcast Premier League matches.
There are dark mutterings that BT uses the vast profits from Openreach to fund its incursion into television, a claim the company hotly denies.
BT insists that Openreach's service has improved, with 2,500 engineers added in the last year and 700 more coming this year. It says it reaches or exceeds all of the 60 service targets set it by Ofcom.
And that it is only because of BT's large and healthy balance sheet that so much investment has been made in upgrading the network to super-fast broadband.
What won't be superfast is the Ofcom process. This is the latest stage in a far wider review of the UK's digital market which will take months to conclude and years to implement.
Read more from Kamal's blog here:
BT is responsible for connecting almost all households to the network regardless of their service provider, as well as improvements to and maintenance of the network.
However, Ofcom said the network had evolved in recent years, with the growth of fibre optic cable services - particularly in towns and cities - offering television, telephone and superfast broadband internet services.
And problems remain, with rural areas regularly complaining about poor internet service provision and BT's chief rival Sky claiming it can take up to 10 days for Openreach to connect new customers.
BT chief executive Gavin Patterson told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he believed it would be a "mistake for the country as a whole" for Openreach to be split away from his company.
He said 88% of the country now received superfast broadband and that BT had put forward proposals to deliver the next stage in delivery of services - known as ultra-fast broadband.
Key to the delivery of that, he said, was the scale that a company the size of BT could offer.
He rejected claims that BT enjoyed a monopoly on internet service provision, saying the "BT brands have less than a third of the market so I don't think there is a problem at all."
And he pointed out BT's biggest rival Virgin Media served more than three million customers in the UK.
But Mai Fyfield, Sky's chief strategy officer, welcomed the consultation adding that "consumers and businesses have been suffering because the existing structure does not deliver the innovation, competition and quality of service that they need".
She added: "We believe Ofcom should now move quickly to ask the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to undertake a full competition inquiry."
The consultation follows the introduction of new rules, which Ofcom announced at the start this year, designed to ensure that BT could not price rivals such as Sky and TalkTalk out of the market.
BT is still awaiting the outcome of a Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation into its takeover of mobile phone operator EE.
If the takeover goes ahead it would create the largest mobile phone network in country and give BT the ability to offer "quad play" services - fixed line telephone and broadband internet, television and mobile phone services - in competition with Virgin Media and Sky.
Sky and BT have also entered into a bitter rivalry over pay-TV services, particularly for lucrative sports, in recent years.
Last year, BT outbid Sky for exclusive rights to show Champions League football matches on its BT Sports channels from August. Earlier this year Sky was forced into a very strong bid to maintain its hold over the rights to the majority of Premier League football matches. | Communications regulator Ofcom has opened a consultation into whether BT's Openreach service should be split off into a separate company | 33547111 |
Andrew Lewis, 23, from Aberfan, was killed when the motorcycle he was riding on collided with a Ford C-Max at Golwg-yr-Afon in the village at about 16:45 BST on Saturday.
His family said they are "in total shock" and he was "loved by everyone".
The motorbike driver, 24, is being treated in hospital while the driver of the car was unhurt.
The road between Ynysowen community primary school and the refuse tip was closed for four hours while South Wales Police forensic teams investigated how the collision occurred.
A family tribute read: "Andrew was a much loved son, brother, father and uncle.
"He was loved by everyone that knew him and the family are in total shock and totally heartbroken following the tragic death of Andrew."
Police have appealed for witnesses. | A "heartbroken" family has paid tribute to a motorcycle passenger who died in a crash in Merthyr Tydfil county. | 39683572 |
Teignbridge District Council said the 30ft (9.1m) fin whale on Red Rock Beach near Dawlish is being taken apart in small pieces by dumper trucks.
A local rendering plant will remove the oil from the carcass and cook the remaining body.
This will then be shipped to various sites around the country to be used for biofuel.
Councillor Humphrey Clemens said: "It will be taken to a rendering plant where the oil will be squeezed out of it and the carcass cooked down.
"The whole carcass will be used for bio fuels".
The site on Red Rock Beach near Dawlish has been cordoned off and a screen has been erected around the remains to keep the public away.
The whale washed up on the beach on Thursday. | The carcass of a dead whale which washed up on the Devon coastline is to be used for biofuel. | 37529769 |
Aravindan Balakrishnan, 75, raped two followers and falsely imprisoned and mistreated his daughter for more than 30 years in a commune in south London.
He told his followers he had God-like powers, Southwark Crown Court heard.
He warned them a supernatural force called Jackie would cause natural disasters if he was ever disobeyed.
Cult victims 'too frightened to leave'
Balakrishnan, of Enfield, north London, was convicted of six counts of indecent assault, four counts of rape and two counts of actual bodily harm. He was also found guilty of cruelty to a child under 16.
Southwark Crown Court heard he carried out a "brutal" campaign of violence.
Following the verdict, Judge Deborah Taylor told Balakrishnan he faced a "substantial custodial sentence".
Balakrishnan's daughter, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she was "overwhelmed with relief".
She added: "I believe justice has definitely been done.
"I am very happy with the result and, at the end of the day, he is still my dad."
Det Sgt Paul Wiggett said the cult leader's daughter was scared of her father and that she "genuinely believed the day she left the house she was going to explode - that her life would come to an end".
More news on this and other stories from London
The woman was born to Balakrishnan follower Sian Davies, who was known as Comrade Sian, but the then 13-year-old was unaware she was her mother.
Sian Davies suffered fatal injuries when she fell from a window at the cult's home on Christmas Eve in 1996.
Balakrishnan's daughter told the court she was beaten and banned from singing nursery rhymes, going to school or making friends.
Describing herself as a "caged bird", the woman escaped in 2013 at the age of 30 with the help of a charity.
Speaking about her escape she told the court: "If I hadn't [died] from diabetes I would have committed suicide, because I just couldn't bear feeling like that any more.
"I just had enough. I didn't want to live like an animal any more."
Speaking about life inside the commune, the imprisoned woman said: "I felt like a caged bird with clipped wings. Like a fly in a spider's web."
The court heard she found courage to fight back from the stories of Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings - the only books she was allowed to read because Balakrishnan identified with the characters.
In 2005, then in her 20s, she made an escape and went to a police station, but the court heard she was encouraged to return home.
Balakrishnan came to the UK from Singapore in 1963 and enrolled at the London School of Economics.
By the 1970s he was heading a Maoist group known as the Workers Institute, based in Acre Lane, Brixton, and had gained several followers.
But over the years this group dwindled to six women and was transformed into a "cult of Bala", where his followers were only allowed to read left-wing texts and were sexually assaulted and beaten.
Giving evidence, Balakrishnan denied sex assault allegations and insisted two victims in the commune had "pushed" him to have sex and competed for his attentions, even with the mother of his daughter.
He said his views were grounded in the teachings of the Chinese revolutionary leader Chairman Mao which "meant almost everything to him".
After the verdict one of the defendant's former followers, Belfast-born Josephine Herivel shouted: "You are sending an innocent man to prison. Shame on you."
Praising the victims, the chief crown prosecutor for London, Baljit Ubhey, said: "Balakrishnan has robbed these women including his own daughter of a huge part of their lives."
Yvonne Hall and Gerard Stocks, founders of Palm Cove Society which supported the three victims, said: "This is the end of the beginning and now starts the rest of the incredible journey for each of the women."
Balakrishnan, who was originally arrested in November 2013, was cleared of one count of actual bodily harm and one count of indecent assault.
He is due to be sentenced on 29 January.
A new inquest into the death of Sian Davies, 44, could be ordered following Balakrishnan's conviction, the Guardian has reported. A coroner had previously returned an open verdict.
A spokesman for the south London coroner, Dr Andrew Harris, said he would now "consider whether there is fresh evidence which should be brought to the High Court to decide whether to quash the former inquisition and whether to order a new inquest".
Balakrishnan's trial heard Ms Davies was acting "oddly" and the night before the fall her daughter heard shouts and saw her lying bound and gagged on the floor.
In 2001 another woman, Oh Kareng, died after hitting her head on a kitchen cabinet. She was found to have died from natural causes after suffering massive internal bleeding.
Det Ch Supt Tom Manson said: "Following the investigation in relation to the property where this unfolded, our review team from the Homicide Command Unit reviewed both the deaths and there was no evidence to suggest that the deaths of Sian Davies or Oh Kareng were homicides." | A Maoist cult leader who used violence, fear and sexual degradation to control women he held captive has been found guilty of a string of sex assaults. | 35007848 |
The move came alongside the publication of the HS2 Ltd report on extending a faster rail service to the north of England and Scotland.
The two governments announced that work on evaluating options for the project would begin next year.
They said "implementation" of the plans could begin in 2019.
It currently takes at least four hours to travel from Edinburgh or Glasgow to London - and frequently much longer.
Scottish transport secretary Keith Brown said: "Doing nothing is not an option."
The cost of the suggestions range from £17bn to £43bn, although some improvements could be introduced in stages.
New track could be built either side of the Pennines, or bypasses introduced on sections of the existing East and West Coast Main Lines where speed is constrained.
Robert Goodwill, the UK minister responsible for the second high-speed line (HS2), said: "Scotland will benefit from HS2 from the day it opens, with shorter journey times to London from the start.
"Once the full Y-Network opens, it will only take about three hours 38 minutes to reach London from Glasgow and Edinburgh. This report looks at ways we can build on these improvements and I thank HS2 Ltd for this work.
"Together with the Scottish government, we will be asking Network Rail to identify any options with a strong business case, for consideration for inclusion in future plans."
The first phase of the high-speed line to the English midlands is due to open in 2026.
The "Y" network, extending the service to northern English cities, is scheduled for completion in 2033.
The initial plan is for a new railway line between London and the West Midlands carrying 400m-long (1,300ft) trains with up to 1,100 seats per train.
They would operate at speeds of up to 250mph - faster than any current operating speed in Europe and would travel up to 14 times per hour in each direction.
This would be followed by a V-shaped second phase taking services from Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds. Intermediate stations in the East Midlands and South Yorkshire are also planned.
Backers of the project have claimed it could bring £3bn of benefits to Scotland.
The options included in the new publication include upgrading the existing cross-border lines and building new routes.
Mr Brown said: "This report is a major milestone in the campaign to deliver high-speed rail to Scotland and marks the beginning of the next chapter in the tale.
"I now have a firm commitment that development work will begin during the current control period towards getting journey times between Scotland and London down to three hours or less.
"High speed rail will bring billions of pounds worth of benefit to Scotland's economy and an infrastructure project of this magnitude - possibly the biggest Scotland's ever seen - means jobs, investment, benefits for the economy and benefits for the environment."
The HS2 Ltd report Broad Options for upgraded and high speed railways to the North of England and Scotland was welcomed by the two ministers at a reception in Edinburgh's Waverley station.
Last week, train operator Virgin unveiled its new Azuma trains, which will be launched in 2018. It said it hoped most journeys between Edinburgh and London would be reduced to about four hours. | The Scottish and UK governments have reached an agreement with the long-term aim of three-hour train journeys from London to Scottish cities. | 35863327 |
Their collective views are expressed in a report by the Northern Ireland Confederation for Health And Social Care.
The publication is called 'One Voice - Time for Change'.
It paints a stark picture of the challenges for the health service over the next decade.
It said the number of people aged more than 65 will increase by 25% and the population aged 85 and over will rise by nearly 50%.
The report also said that costs are rising by about 5-6% each year.
The health budget for 2016/17 is £4.9bn, a rise of only 1% in real terms from last year. In short, the money is not keeping pace.
The Northern Ireland Confederation report is designed to brief politicians ahead of this year's assembly election and it is also likely to inform a political summit on health, due to take place in February.
The main priority is to agree an action plan to implement the recommendations of two previous reports on Northern Ireland's health service.
'Transforming Your Care' focused on moving care out of hospitals and into the home, while the Donaldson Report made a number of recommendations, including considering the closure of some hospitals.
This latest report points out that, to an extent, the health service is a victim of its own success.
People are living longer, which is of course a good thing, but it means more resources are needed to cope with chronic conditions and increasing demand for care at home.
A fifth of Northern Ireland's population are living with a long-term illness and we also have a high rate of mental illness compared with England.
The health service can often seem to have an insatiable desire for more money, and most experts agree no amount of cash will satisfy it.
This report also points to the need for structural change, workforce changes and investment in new technology.
But it acknowledges that "strong, collective political leadership" is needed to drive change.
There are thorny issues ahead for politicians - previous reports have said that Northern Ireland does not need 10 acute hospitals - but any decision to close or move services is likely to face opposition.
Workforce changes can also be controversial. One only has to look to the current junior doctors dispute in England over contract changes, which could potentially have an impact in Northern Ireland.
Politicians in every UK region speak of a desire to create a truly 24/7 NHS - a system whereby patients get the same care on a Sunday as they do on a Wednesday.
There is also a strong desire to invest in measures that prevent the need for costly hospital admissions.
This latest report is a call to action and some changes are under way in our health service.
Health Minister Simon Hamilton has indicated his intention to scrap the Health and Social Care Board removing unnecessary duplication.
He has also implemented a recommendation from the Donaldson report last year that a panel should be formed to redesign local health care services.
The panel will begin its work within weeks and should report by the summer.
The NICON report also calls for a transformation fund. This is something the minister has already committed to out of the increased budget in 2016/17.
Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster, the chair of the Northern Ireland Confederation for Health And Social Care, Colm McKenna, said: "Sir Liam Donaldson was very adamant in his report that we can have a world-class health and social care system, but we can't do it if we keep doing it the way we're going."
He added that "because of an aging population, demographic changes, the need is growing by five to six per cent per annum - we can't continue with that".
"We're already spending 50% of the total Northern Ireland budget on health and social care, that's likely to grow." | More than 50 health and social care organisations have called on Stormont politicians to take urgent action to transform the health care system. | 35327192 |
Flybe's new programme will also include more weekly flights to Geneva for the winter 2016/17 ski season.
The service to Paris Charles de Gaulle will also operate earlier flight times to allow families longer day-trips to Disneyland Paris.
Transport Minister Edwina Hart said the announcement was "great news" for Welsh passengers.
The Welsh government bought the airport for £52m in March 2013 amid concerns about investment by its then Spanish owners.
The airport in Rhoose, Vale of Glamorgan saw 1.2 million passengers come through its doors in the past 12 months as February's figure increased by 68% on the previous year.
Flybe will start flying to Berlin Tegel twice a week on a Wednesday and Saturday from 2 November 2016.
The Glasgow route will increase to 11 flights per week, while the Geneva route will move to three times per week.
Debra Barber, Cardiff Airport's managing director, said: "It is fantastic to see the airline responding to the demands of the Welsh market by adding additional capacity and another new route to its network."
Mrs Hart added: "The addition of this new Flybe route to Berlin is great news for Welsh passengers and the tourism industry and a sign of growing confidence in Cardiff Airport."
Further flights for next winter are due to be released in the coming weeks. | Flights to Berlin and extra weekly journeys to Glasgow will begin from Cardiff Airport in October. | 35812278 |
Financial experts Ernst and Young said the number of projects involving foreign direct investment more than trebled last year from nine to 31.
A total of 2,051 jobs were also created and Wales' performance in the survey was described as "sparkling".
The annual attractiveness survey analyses inward investment and the attitudes of global investors.
Across the whole UK there was a 2.7% rise in foreign-backed UK projects while there was an overall 2.8% decline in investment across Europe.
The UK's 697 foreign-backed projects created a 1.4% rise in foreign direct investment jobs to 30,311.
By Nick ServiniBBC Wales business correspondent
It used to be said that Wales was good at attracting inward investment because of the three L's: land, labour and lolly.
In other words, we had plenty of land, cheap wages and big cheques were being signed to tempt firms.
And Wales was good at it. A recent study found that in the 1990's Wales captured 15% of all the foreign contracts coming into the UK, that fell to 3.5%.
So what went wrong? Carwyn Jones admitted in a news conference last month that Wales reduced its international presence too much after the trade and promotion body International Business Wales was abolished in 2010.
The Welsh government is carrying out plenty of trade missions now, 44 are planned for the next year, and has a closer working relationship with UK Trade and Investment's network overseas.
But as welcome as these figures are, it's worth pointing out that the numbers are well below the years before the financial crisis.
Between 2005 and 2008, inward investment created more than 5,000 jobs a year in Wales.
The UK had the biggest foreign investment of any European country, followed by Germany and Spain.
London would come fourth in a European list by itself, attracting 45% of the UK's total projects.
Scotland recorded 76 projects, its highest total for 16 years; and Northern Ireland 29 projects.
The improved appetite was put down to changes to taxation, a more flexible financial system, trade missions and support for small and medium enterprises - each cited as enhancing the UK investment environment.
But Mark Gregory, chief economist at Ernst & Young, praised Wales for outperforming other parts of the UK.
He said: "The sparkling performance in 2012 by Wales was in stark contrast to most of the English regions, which are now represented by a series of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) in inward investment promotion, rather than the now-defunct Regional Development Agencies (RDAs).
"The success of the UK overall is a remarkable testament to the openness and international outlook of the UK economy.
"The UK's ability to win investment has been a crucial source of growth and pride over many years."
The survey of 314 global investors showed satisfaction with the UK tax regime jumping from 53% to 61% - helping the UK to secure 29 of the 168 headquarter relocations in Europe, compared to 12 in the previous year.
Labour costs were the other factor cited as having improved dramatically, with the satisfaction rating up to 63% from 48%.
Last year, a study by Cardiff Business School said Wales was lagging behind almost every other part of the UK in terms of attracting foreign companies and jobs.
In response, the Welsh government said it was working to "sell Wales to the world" in a bid to boost the economy. | Wales has attracted its highest level of foreign investment for five years, according to an annual survey. | 22778410 |
Konta, now the world number seven, admits she was "pretty serious" about her tennis from the age of nine, and her sleep-deprived father would no doubt agree. His daughter used to drag him out of bed at five in the morning to go for a run.
And her work ethic and attention to detail have been apparent to everyone she has come into contact with.
"If she has a routine to follow, she will follow it to the letter. It's almost robotic, but actually a huge strength," says Judy Murray, a former captain of Britain's Fed Cup team.
And, according to Pete McCraw - Tennis Australia's national women's coach when Konta was based in Sydney, she had a willingness to separate herself from her peers and was comfortable standing out from the crowd.
The dedication and sacrifices have paid huge dividends in the past 12 months as Konta has won WTA titles in Los Angeles,Sydney and Miami.
The Wimbledon title is her next major goal. The list of potential champions may be long, but it includes the 26-year-old, who has become one of Britain's most successful athletes.
So, who is the real Johanna Konta?
Before tennis became her obsession, Konta can remember offering some treats to rainbow lorikeets on the balcony of her parents' flat. She soon discovered the medium-sized parrots would settle on the palm of her hand in exchange for a few granules of sugar.
One of her earliest tennis memories, though, is less comforting.
"I remember being at the net and being hit in the eye by what I thought at the time was this massive boy," she recalls.
"He smashed a ball into my eye. It didn't go blue or anything but I'm pretty sure I was afraid to be at the net for a while - but I got over it pretty quickly."
Konta was introduced to tennis at the age of eight, and the sport soon played a hugely significant role in her life.
"I remember that I was very dedicated to working hard. I would do anything I could or needed to do to be better, to be fitter, to be stronger," Konta says on a BBC Radio 5 live special.
"I didn't have very many friends when I was younger. I think because I was competitive and really committed to doing the work. I think that sometimes sets you aside from the norm."
Konta says she loved school, and loved learning, but realised home schooling was the only option if she was going to commit to the travel usually required to build a path into the professional ranks.
At the age of 12, Konta found herself in Mildura, in the north west of the state of Victoria, to compete in the junior grass-court national championships. It was the first time McCraw - Tennis Australia's newly appointed national women's coach - had set eyes on her.
"What caught my eye was a girl who, at an early age, was comfortable separating herself from her peers - a girl who brought a meticulous, organised, motivated approach to her tennis," he said.
At the time, Konta was rated as just the 388th best junior in Australia - a ranking that would not typically attract attention from a national coach.
McCraw noted her tenacity, drive, enthusiastic spirit, infectious smile and unrelenting desire to succeed. He frequently found her warming up, skipping and practising shadow swings long before the other juniors were on site.
"She loved writing what she had learned in her notebook," he remembers.
"She always had a clean grip on her racquet, her water bottle was full, and she was always on time. Probably the strongest memory is that she was always up for learning even when she was working on areas of her game that were not her strength.
"Sooner or later in tennis, you are going to have a peer group of one. You need to have a willingness to separate yourself, and Johanna brought that with her.
"She would even put her bag slightly offset from the other girls' bags in a communal place."
Konta had to separate herself from her parents for four months as a 14-year-old to attend the Sanchez-Casal Academy in Barcelona.
She remembers "waiting at the pay phone by the reception area every evening waiting for them to call".
Soon afterwards, the English south-coast resort of Eastbourne became home as her Hungarian parents decided to settle in the UK.
Konta has been happy in the past to describe herself as "highly strung". But that is perhaps less evident since she started to invest so much time in the mental aspect of her sport.
"There was a stage in my development where it was one of my main challenges to relax more," Konta recalls.
"I think I will always have an element of that but I like to think that, as I get older, I will have a better management of it and become calmer. I find myself someone who is deeply loyal to the people who are close to me.
"I'm very much a home body. I love the comfort of family, of home and I believe I'm quite a passionate person as well."
Konta says she loves eating and has recently enjoyed experimenting in the kitchen. She believes she makes really good roast potatoes and is "very close to attempting to make muffins".
Judy Murray sees a woman who has not always found it easy to deal with the attention associated with a sudden rise from 150 in the rankings to the world's top 10.
"You're suddenly in the spotlight and it's how much of yourself you want to share with everybody else, and not every player is comfortable doing that," says Murray. "She's quite quirky, she's good fun. I think she keeps herself to herself and she's perfectly entitled to do that."
My hunch is Konta has many strong opinions, but chooses to bite her tongue despite often persistent questioning.
"I find that a lot of things get taken out of context," she explains.
"Even when you read articles, you still don't hear the tone of voice or the context in which it was said. I'm not talking specifically about me, I'm talking articles in general - I think it's a difficult art to capture the emotion the athlete is actually speaking with."
Murray believes it is important for the future of women's tennis that players are prepared to express their personalities and offer wider opinions about the game.
For the most part, Konta remains guarded in post-match interviews and refers to "staying in the process" and "keeping things in perspective".
But it was only relatively recently - at the US Open of 2015 - that Konta's efforts started to attract wider attention. So will she reveal more as she becomes more accustomed to life at the top?
"I think, for me, it's not something that comes naturally. I am quite a private person but I also understand the importance of sharing my journey with not just the people that are following my progress, but also with young girls who want to become an athlete." | Johanna Konta was still at primary school when she set her heart on becoming the best tennis player in the world. | 40343105 |
It called parts of Wales "democracy deserts" - where 92 candidates have already been elected unopposed because no-one is standing against them.
One ward, Yscir in Powys, has attracted no candidates at all.
Jess Blair, from ERS, blamed a "broken" First Past the Post voting system and "wider issues of political engagement".
Half of Wales 22 local authorities had candidates standing with no-one opposing them when nominations closed on Tuesday for the elections taking place on 4 May.
Gwynedd had the most uncontested seats, with 21, followed by Powys, which has 16 plus the ward with no candidates, and Flintshire, which had 14 councillors elected unopposed.
Ms Blair said: "This is the symptom of a broken First Past the Post voting system - one which creates hundreds of safe seats, where other parties often don't stand a chance of winning.
"But it's also the symptom of wider issues of political engagement in Wales which need tackling head on - from introducing votes at 16 and decent citizenship education to moving towards automatic voter registration and fair funding for political parties."
The ERS is campaigning for elections to be run using the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system, in which voters put numbers next to candidates in order of preference.
In January, Local Government Secretary Mark Drakeford announced plans to let local councils chose between first past the post and STV in future elections. | More than 127,000 people in Wales will be denied a vote in May's local elections, according to analysis by the Electoral Reform Society. | 39528723 |
Barry, 35, has extended his deal until June 2018, while 32-year-old Baines has committed to the club until June 2019.
Holgate, 20, who was handed his Premier League debut by manager Ronald Koeman on the first day of the season, has signed a five-year extension.
Koeman said the experienced Barry and Baines were "leaders in our dressing room and on the pitch".
"For younger players, they are a little bit like teachers. They have that experience and young players need to listen to them for they will learn," he added.
The Dutchman said Holgate is "one of the big talents" at the club. | Midfielder Gareth Barry and defenders Leighton Baines and Mason Holgate have all signed new contracts with Everton. | 38340849 |
Over the next few years Forest Enterprise Scotland will plant them around Loch Trool and the Cree Valley.
It is hoped the acorns should help to grow about 600,000 young trees creating a "large and vibrant habitat".
Environment forester Gareth Ventress said that as soon as they had seen they were in for a "bumper crop" of acorns they began planning to collect them.
"We also decided to get help from other staff throughout Scotland and asked them to collect acorns from other native oak woods found on the national forest estate," he said.
"The Cree Valley Community Woodland Trust, Borders Forest Trust and Moffat Community Woodlands all assisted in the big collection too in order to further native woodland expansion across their project areas in south Scotland.
"By combining acorns collected from across Galloway Forest Park, we increase the genetic diversity of the trees linking the remnant woodlands.
"This is vital for creating robust and resilient woodlands that can handle pests and diseases well into the future."
The acorns are collected by laying huge felt nets across the forest floor in order to keep them off the soil and make collection easier.
Once the acorns are collected they are sorted then stored.
Over the next three to four years the acorn seeds will be germinated and grown so that saplings can then be planted but many of the seeds will be "graded" out and deemed infertile during this period.
About 600,000 saplings are estimated to be likely to be produced from the acorns.
These young trees will help create new oak woods and "enrich the woodland habitats" throughout Galloway Forest Park. | More than one million acorns have been collected to help expand ancient oak woods in the Galloway Forest Park. | 38330071 |
Twelve men were arrested on Tuesday after the 19-year-old was allegedly repeatedly raped at the property between 9 and 18 July.
A 49-year-old man from Southampton has been charged with two counts of rape and two offences under the Modern Day Slavery Act.
A 42-year-old man, also from the city, is facing two counts of rape.
The pair are due before Southampton magistrates.
Six of the arrested men have been released while inquiries continue. The remaining four have been released with no further action. | Two men are facing rape and slavery charges after a woman was allegedly assaulted at a house in Southampton. | 40691904 |
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15 September 2013 Last updated at 13:36 BST
Figures from Unicef suggest that only 6% of students in Aleppo are in school.
Sunday is the first day of the school year in Syria but many children have been forced to move to escape the violence.
Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen reports from a girls' school in the capital, Damascus, where at least a third of students are thought to have been displaced by the crisis. | Almost two million Syrian children will not receive any education this year because of the ongoing conflict in the country, the UN's children's charity has claimed. | 24100351 |
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