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22 October 2014 Last updated at 14:33 BST
It took them five years to take 549 buses and now they have decided to visit all 250 museums in the capital.
Jo Hunt and Linda Smither, who make up two of the trio with Mary Rees, are "completists" as they explained to BBC London's Josephine McDermott. | Three women who decided to try to ride every bus in London from the start to the end of the route have set their sights on a new challenge. | 29727801 |
Ian Stewart, 56, also gave conflicting accounts of when he had last seen his fiancée alive during the three months she was missing, St Albans Crown Court was told.
Ms Bailey's body was found in a cesspit in July at the home she shared with Mr Stewart in Royston, Hertfordshire.
Mr Stewart denies killing her.
The 51-year-old Northumberland-born writer, of the Electra Brown series, was last seen on 11 April and reported missing by Mr Stewart three days later.
More news from Hertfordshire
Her body was found beneath the garage of her home three months later, together with that of her dachshund Boris.
The court heard how Mr Stewart told one mental health professional that, during the months she was missing, he last saw Ms Bailey walking up a lane, but informed another he came home to find she had left.
Psychiatric nurse Gill Currey told the jury Mr Stewart had spoken of both Ms Bailey and her dog "mainly in... the past tense, what they were going to do".
Consultant psychiatrist Ursula Dlugon told the court he talked about walking the dog in the past tense.
Jurors also heard how, five days after Ms Bailey's alleged murder, her phone connected to a wireless router at her holiday cottage in Kent.
It was the same day Mr Stewart was previously said to have visited the cottage.
The wireless router was later found at their house in Hertfordshire, having been removed and reset, the court was told.
The prosecution alleges Mr Stewart murdered Ms Bailey for her money. She was worth more than £3.3m at the time of her death, the court heard.
He denies murder, preventing a lawful burial, fraud and three counts of perverting the course of justice.
The trial continues. | The man accused of murdering children's author Helen Bailey repeatedly spoke of her in the past tense while she was still missing, a court has heard. | 38882721 |
Morag Jordan, 62, from Kirriemuir, Angus, was given a nine-month term for eight charges of assault against four children in the 1970s and 1980s.
Her husband, Anthony, also 62, was sentenced to six months, for eight charges involving two boys.
The sentencing, at Jersey's Royal Court, is the last stemming from the Historic Abuse Inquiry.
The Jordans worked as assistant house parents at the home.
During their trial, the court heard how Morag Jordan was found to have rubbed one girl's face into urine soaked sheets after she had wet the bed.
She was also found to have hit residents with her hand and with a wooden shoe.
Jurors heard how her husband hit children with a metal spoon, a knife or with his hand.
Morag Jordan was acquitted of a further 28 counts of abuse and Anthony Jordan of four.
Sentencing, the Judge Sir Christopher Pitchers said: "All children from Haut de la Garenne have said what they needed was love, care and sympathy, not cruelty and violence."
But he added it was violence they received at the hands of the Jordans.
The inquiry was launched by police in the island in September 2007, following allegations of abuse at the former children's home.
Officers took 1,776 statements from 192 victims, identifying 151 alleged abusers. Seven people, including the Jordans, were successfully prosecuted. | A married couple have been jailed for assaulting children at former Jersey children's home Haut de la Garenne. | 12126614 |
The show, filmed in Reyoarfjorour, Iceland, is the most expensive British drama ever made at £30m.
It has featured Michael Gambon, Christopher Ecclestone and The Hunger Games actor Stanley Tucci, who plays DCI Eugene Morton from Scotland Yard.
In the UK the first episode was watched by more than 2.5m people and is Sky Atlantic's most successful original commission.
The show follows a small town and its inhabitants in the Arctic who have to deal with a series of violent crimes seemingly caused by a strange illness.
Zai Bennett, channel director of Sky Atlantic, said: "Simon Donald created a unique and unsettling story which, week after week, has captivated our customers.
"I am absolutely delighted that we will be bringing Fortitude back next year with a story that promises to engage, challenge and enthral us all over again."
Fortitude launched in the US through Participant Media's television network, Pivot, which is confirmed to return to co-produce the second series.
It is shown by more than 100 broadcasters around the world including ABC Australia, Superchannel Canada, OTE Greece and Canal+ France.
The first series concludes on Sky Atlantic on Thursday night.
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter, BBCNewsbeat on Instagram and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube | Sky has renewed Fortitude for a second 10-part series. | 32232021 |
The disruption at the Tegel and Schoenefeld airports began at 4 am (0300 GMT) on Monday morning.
Ground crews have already walked out several times over the past few weeks amid a tense dispute over pay.
On Friday, a similar strike led to nearly 700 flights being grounded at the two airports.
The service workers' union Verdi is demanding higher wages for around 2,000 workers handling passengers and baggage.
The two airports said in a statement that 448 flights would be cancelled at Tegel and 194 at Schoenefeld.
German flag carrier Lufthansa said it would cancel all flights on Monday from Frankfurt and Munich to Berlin and vice versa. Other airlines affected include Air Berlin, British Airways, Easyjet and Ryanair.
The union is demanding a pay rise for ground staff to 12 euros per hour ($12.80, £10.50) from about 11 euros, as part of a one-year collective agreement.
Lower offers from management have been dismissed by the unions as unacceptable.
Ground staff jobs include checking in passengers, loading and unloading baggage and cargo and directing aircraft on the tarmac. | Ground staff at Berlin's two main airports have kicked off a 25-hour strike, which is expected to force the cancellation of more than 650 flights. | 39252242 |
Denmark Hill Station in south London was shut after flames were spotted underneath a Southeastern train travelling from Victoria to Dartford.
A spokesman said the driver evacuated the train as it approached Denmark Hill Station at about 18:45 GMT. The station has since reopened.
It is the second fire involving a Southeastern train in 10 days. The firm said it was investigating.
Passengers filmed sparks which were visible above the track from inside the train.
London Fire Brigade said the fire affected eight carriages and one electrical box was damaged. There were no reports of injuries.
Cosmin Suttu, who was on board, said: "I saw big flames from the train window.
"When the train stopped at Denmark Hill station I saw more flames.
"Everyone got out of the train and ran out of the station."
A spokesman for Southeastern said: "The driver took the decision to evacuate the train and the station was also evacuated as a precautionary measure.
"The cause is currently being investigated."
He confirmed the fire was underneath the train.
On 23 November Charing Cross Station was closed for about two hours because of a fire.
The Southeastern spokesman said that incident was due to a track fire. | A fire under a train forced the closure of a railway station in London. | 30323137 |
Innovate Finance, which represents 300 UK fintech companies, says venture capital investment fell from $1.2bn (£970m) in 2015, to $783m last year.
"Our members tell us Brexit has had a chilling effect on investment," Innovate Finance chief executive Lawrence Wintermeyer told the BBC.
But globally, investment rose 10.9%.
There were 1,436 fintech deals globally, attracting $17.4bn in investment, Innovate Finance says, with China outpacing the US for the first time.
China invested $7.7bn while the US invested $6.2bn.
Venture capitalists typically invest in higher-risk, early-stage companies, but in the UK uncertainty around the Brexit decision seems to have blunted their appetite for risk.
Around 35 Innovate Finance members have reported a withdrawal or reduction in capital funding since the referendum, says Mr Wintermeyer.
"Investors don't like uncertainty," he said.
While London could boast "one of the best fintech investment scenes in the world", thanks to government support and "enlightened regulators", the capital could be "challenged as a global financial centre" if tech talent was forced to move abroad, he said.
Over 30% of Innovate Finance's fintech bosses are non-British, with many firms employing European staff, says Mr Wintermeyer.
Tim Levene, managing partner at Augmentum Capital, a £40m fund investing in fintech start-ups such as Nutmeg, Zopa and Seedrs, said: "We tried to raise £100m for a new European fintech fund last year, but two major institutions pulled out two weeks after the Brexit vote - they don't like the uncertainty.
"Most fund managers want to know what the future holds."
Mr Levene warns that worse is yet to come, given than "much of the capital currently being invested was raised before Brexit".
"There's no question that the US funds who've traditionally invested in European start-ups are pulling in their horns," he told the BBC. "The next two or three years will be challenging."
The biggest fintech deal of 2016 involving a UK company was the $5.5bn merger of financial information provider Markit with US-based IHS.
But if venture capitalists are keeping their power dry, private equity firms, who prefer well-established, less risky businesses, seem to be benefiting from a "flight to safety".
Phil Adams, chief executive of investment bank GCA Altium, said: "When the Brexit vote struck in June many people predicted an immediate collapse in UK mergers and acquisitions.
"What they missed was the huge amount of money private equity funds had raised, and indeed have continued to raise, and which they need to deploy.
"While the availability of early-stage funding for fintech companies may have been impacted, we have seen demand for profitable, growing assets rise at a rate that has arguably never been greater." | Investment in UK financial technology (fintech) start-ups has dropped by a third since June's Brexit decision, a trade body says. | 38885167 |
Officials said the five, all of them under 18, belonged to the M18 street gang and were attacked by members of the rival Mara Salvatrucha gang.
The fight happened in El Carmen jail in San Pedro Sula.
Last year, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights accused Honduras of giving up on rehabilitating criminals and leaving prisons to be controlled by their inmates.
Police said armed members of the Mara Salvatrucha gang threatened the guards and forced their way at gunpoint into the area where M18 gang members are held.
They then opened fire, killing five and injuring one. Neighbours reported hearing an explosion, but police denied grenades had been used in the gang fight.
There are conflicting reports on whether the assailants were also inmates or whether they had forced their way in from the outside.
Officials said three of the alleged assailants had been arrested.
Honduran prisons are notoriously overcrowded, understaffed and wracked by violence.
In February 2012, some 360 prisoners died in a fire in Comayagua prison north of Tegucigalpa.
Non-governmental organisations have urged the government to improve its prison system but little has been done since the deadly fire.
San Pedro Sula has the world's highest homicide rate for any city not in a warzone, according to United Nations figures.
The government says it is overwhelmed by the sheer number of people awaiting trial, or already sentenced. | Five youths have been killed in a gang fight in a prison in Honduras. | 27283004 |
Paul Thomas and Adele Baumgardt were suspended in November, along with the entire Sport Wales board, over concerns the organisation was dysfunctional.
Public Health Minister Rebecca Evans said there was "an irretrievable breakdown in relationships" in the board's leadership.
But Mr Thomas has hit out for being "hung out to dry" as a whistle-blower.
Ms Baumgardt accused Mr Thomas of not being fit to hold senior public office, an allegation he rejected.
Welsh Tories accused ministers of picking "a fine day to bury bad news" with statement released at the same time as the triggering of Article 50.
In February, Welsh ministers re-instated the Sport Wales board, but the chairman and vice-chairwoman remained suspended.
Ms Evans said: "My overriding objective is the effectiveness of Sport Wales and its contribution to the wellbeing of the nation through its focus on sport and physical recreation, hence my decision.
"I have asked the interim chair, Lawrence Conway, to remain in post for the remainder of 2017 at least, and to take this forward with the remaining board members."
Sport Wales, originally called the Sports Council for Wales, was created in 1972 to promote elite and grassroots sport. It has an annual budget of £22m.
Over the last six months it has become embroiled in a series of rows over the operation of the board and the way it awards contracts.
Mr Thomas told BBC Wales the Welsh Government has been "appalling" in its dealings with him and felt he had been "hung out to dry" as a whistle-blower, highlighting issues which needed to be resolved within the organisation.
He said he was appointed to change the way Sport Wales works but had not been given the support needed by the Welsh Government which "turned its back" on him.
"How do they expect to attract people like me, from the business community, to work with them if this is how they treat people", he said.
He was also surprised and disappointed that nobody from the Welsh Government had contacted him to tell him he was being sacked.
Paul Thomas told BBC Wales he found out when a friend sent him a text message.
Ms Baumgardt said that the board minutes of Sport Wales since the appointment of Mr Thomas in April 2016 "quickly evidenced that he was not, in my opinion, fit to hold senior public office".
"On behalf of the board, my actions sought to mitigate his behaviour and to instigate proper principles and practice for good governance," said the former vice-chairwoman, who worked at the organisation for more than 10 years.
"The Board had correctly challenged him to account for his behaviour which, ultimately, led to the unanimous vote of no confidence in November 2016."
Mr Thomas said he "absolutely" rejected the allegation that he was unfit for public office. "I went through two public appointments. On both occasions I came first in terms of the candidate to be picked," he said.
In February, Ms Evans said a review of Sport Wales had been completed, but a number of new complaints had subsequently been received about the board and its members.
BBC Wales is currently challenging the Welsh Government's decision not to release the review under the Freedom of Information Act, with a decision on the appeal due next week.
But the Welsh Conservatives' sport spokesman, Russell George, said the dismissals "leave us none-the-wiser as to what went so spectacularly wrong in the board of Sport Wales".
"With the triggering of Article 50 underway, it seems the Welsh Government picked a fine day to bury bad news," he said.
Plaid Cymru spokesman Rhun ap Iorwerth said: "There are serious questions to be answered by the minister following her statement today on the original recruitment process and on the assurance review which was conducted."
He said he would be seeking "clarification" on what led to the breakdown in relationships at Sport Wales.
For UKIP, Gareth Bennett said: "We will be looking for the Welsh Government to make the findings of their review public.
"We need to have confidence that the significant amount of public funds invested in Sport Wales are used wisely, and that any lessons from this unwelcome saga are learned."
In the Senedd chamber Ms Evans denied that the Welsh Government was seeking to bury bad news by making the sackings public less than an hour after the UK government triggered Article 50.
She told UKIP AM Gareth Bennett: "I have to say I didn't want the process to take any longer than it had to, and I didn't want it to drag on, for the benefit of all those people concerned."
A spokesman for Sport Wales said: "This has been a challenging time for Sport Wales but following the statement today by the Minister for Social Services & Public Health we can now look to move forward as an organisation."
He added that the minister was "very clear that Sport Wales is a fundamentally well run organisation and that it is now functioning very well under the leadership of the Interim Chair and reinstated board". | The chairman and vice-chairwoman of troubled quango Sport Wales have been sacked by the Welsh Government. | 39432396 |
Until last night. The Islington North MP was the "star turn" (apart from The Hennessys) at the traditional reception for Welsh delegates here in Brighton.
Mr Corbyn got a very warm reception from delegates, who liked what he had to say.
"England has a lot to learn from Wales," he said, praising the way the Welsh government had rejected the internal market in the NHS. "The party has a lot to learn from Wales."
I heard a similar message when I interviewed the new leader on the eve of the conference. We met in his new office at Westminster, which has the air of a work-in-progress - his computer had a hard drive but no monitor and the shelves featured more "congratulations" cards from north London neighbours than books.
We only had a few minutes - he did more than a dozen BBC nations and regions back-to-back - so I decided to touch base on a few issues rather than probe more deeply. You can see his answers here.
Mr Corbyn was well-briefed by Welsh Labour colleagues, whose record in health and education he defended. He mentioned Health Minister Mark Drakeford, the name no Labour leader is allowed to forget.
The unilateralist Labour leader was predictably dismissive of Carwyn Jones's suggestion that Wales would welcome Britain's Trident nuclear weapons system if it were forced out of Scotland.
My colleague James Williams asked the Welsh Labour leader if he saw Mr Corbyn as an asset in next year's elections, The response: "We look forward to welcoming him and the rest of the team to help in advance of 2016. It is a Welsh election. I'll be leading the campaign but of course we're grateful for any support we get from colleagues elsewhere."
Whether supported by "colleagues elsewhere" or not, Welsh Labour will be interested in the suggestion of a "Corbyn bounce" in this YouGov poll for ITV Wales and Cardiff University, | In 32 years as an MP, "Welsh Night" at the Labour conference has England has never intruded on Jeremy Corbyn's schedule. | 34375994 |
A moth called the Tomato Leaf Miner, or Tuta Absoluta, has ravaged 80% of tomato farms, Commissioner of Agriculture Daniel Manzo Maigar said.
He said 200 farmers together lost at least 1bn naira ($5.1m; £3.5m) over the past month.
The price of a basket of tomatoes has increased from $1.20 less than three months ago to more than $40 today.
Africa Live: BBC news updates
In Nigeria, officials declare a state of emergency to indicate they are taking drastic action to deal with a problem, the BBC's Muhammad Kabir Muhammad says.
In this case the state sent government agricultural officials to Kenya to meet experts on the Tomato Leaf Miner to learn how to deal with the pest.
Kaduna is in the north of the country, where according to the UN most tomato production takes place,
A tomato paste manufacturing business in northern Kano state owned by Africa's richest man, Aliko Dangote, suspended production earlier in the month due to the lack of tomatoes, reports Forbes.
Tomatoes are a basic part of most Nigerians' diets and the word tomato has trended on Twitter as people discuss the rising price.
One of the memes being shared is a tongue-in-cheek look at Nigerian pain over discovering the annual festival in Spain where people throw tomatoes at each other. | A state of emergency has been declared in the tomato sector in Kaduna state, northern Nigeria, local media report. | 36369015 |
He became a superstar at the age of sixteen, as lead singer of iconic 1960s rock band The Easybeats.
Their song, Friday On My Mind, became a global hit and was voted the best Australian song ever in a 2001 poll.
The group broke up after five years, but their music was later covered by David Bowie, INXS and many others.
Ordinary Australians as well as high profile figures in the music industry have been posting their memories of Wright on social media.
Battling drug and alcohol addiction, he underwent electric shock treatments and "deep sleep therapy" - medically induced comas - in the 1970s, that left him with long-term after-effects.
The Sydney private hospital that treated him was later the subject of a Royal Commission after dozens of patients died.
He passed away in hospital on Sunday night. | Australians are paying tribute to Steve Wright, widely regarded as Australia's first international pop star, after he died aged 68. | 35188126 |
Ming Jiang was being hounded by creditors when he killed fellow Chinese national Yang Liu, 36.
He then dumped Mr Liu's dismembered body in a suitcase near a lay-by in the Peak District.
Jiang, 43, was found guilty earlier at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court. He was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 33 years.
As a foreign national, he faces automatic deportation from the UK.
The trial heard Jiang used Mr Liu's bank and credit cards to withdraw thousands of pounds in the two weeks after the killing in October 2016.
Records from casinos in Manchester showed he had bought £178,000-worth of gambling chips and had accumulated losses of £273,000.
He also reclaimed watches worth £16,000 from pawnbrokers and tried to sell Mr Liu's £220,000 apartment at Salford Quays.
Mr Liu was "comfortably off", while his friend Jiang was living in a one-bedroom flat in Beswick, Manchester, and struggling with debt, the court heard.
Jiang murdered Mr Liu before cutting his head and limbs off and putting his torso in a suitcase, the prosecution said.
The case was then dumped and set alight, before being found by walkers near the A628 Woodhead Pass at Tintwistle, Derbyshire, on 10 October.
Officers found evidence of an "extensive clean-up", involving paint and cleaning products, at Jiang's home, police said.
But traces of the victim's blood were found on the ceiling, in the bath and on a settee.
Prosecutor Peter Wright, QC, said Mr Liu's head, lower arms and lower legs had never been found. | A gambler who murdered a friend to claim his identity and clear huge debts has been jailed and faces deportation. | 39778860 |
The agreement is the result of "internal political discussions", but uncertainty remains regarding which devolution deal the borough may join.
Councillors are split over whether to join the Liverpool City Region or a new Cheshire devolution deal.
Council leader Terry O'Neill said he would "continue conversations" with neighbouring authorities.
Labour-controlled Warrington Borough Council submitted a joint devolution bid to the government with Cheshire East Council and Cheshire West & Chester Council in August 2015.
However, in June 2016 councillors on the ruling Labour group in Warrington voted to reject the deal, which would have seen an elected mayor for the county.
The BBC understands some wanted the council to consider joining the Liverpool City Region instead.
A cross-party group of councillors tasked with deciding a way forward is due to present recommendations in December.
One Labour member of the taskforce, Morgan Tarr, claimed "the majority" of the group believed that the "best option available" to was to continue negotiations with the Liverpool City Region.
Helen Jones, Labour MP for Warrington North, previously argued the Cheshire devolution plans were a Conservative "stitch-up", because a mayor in the county was "very likely" to be a Conservative.
Mr O'Neill said: "We are now in agreement that the model of devolved powers from Whitehall, together with an elected mayor, is the most appropriate arrangement for our borough.
"We will continue our conversations with other local authorities and government to ensure we have the best set of benefits to support the long term future of the borough and the best outcomes for our residents and businesses." | Warrington councillors have agreed to accept an elected mayor as part of a future devolution deal. | 37707352 |
Gwent Police said a 50-year-old had been charged with arson with intent to endanger life following the blast on 2 April.
The explosion caused extensive damage to the house and adjoining buildings.
The man is due to stand trial at Cardiff Crown Court on 28 November. | A man has been charged over an explosion at a house in Newport. | 37098564 |
She's expected to take over as the head of the government on Wednesday.
The 59-year-old politician will take over from David Cameron, who announced he would be stepping down from the job last month.
Mrs May, who backed staying in the EU, has been home secretary since 2010.
Mrs Leadsom, who campaigned to leave the EU, said the UK needed "strong and stable government" and that Mrs May was "ideally placed" to lead the country out of the European Union.
Theresa is the MP for the area of Maidenhead in the south east of England.
She's also the Home Secretary, which is a big job in the government. It means she is in charge of things like police, keeping the country safe and immigration.
Theresa started in politics by stuffing envelopes at her local Conservative club.
She studied geography at university and her first job was at the Bank of England.
Mrs May will become the second female prime minister after Margaret Thatcher, who held the top job from 1979 to 1990.
Usually the British prime minister gets chosen when there's a general election, which normally happens every five years. The next contest is set for 2020.
Most adults in the UK can vote in it and usually the political party that gets the most Members of Parliament gets to have their leader become the new prime minister.
But after Mr Cameron quit his job, the Conservative party was left to decide who the new prime minister of the UK would be.
The Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green parties are now calling for another general election as soon as possible to let the British people decide who should be running the country. | Theresa May is set to become the UK's next prime minister after Andrea Leadsom pulled out of the contest to become Conservative Party leader. | 36764109 |
The Georgian-born soprano was due to play Desdemona in Otello next month in Sydney but the company said her contract had been terminated.
The comments on Iveri's Facebook page spoke of her pride at violent clashes during a gay rights march in Tbilisi.
Iveri has apologised and removed the posts saying her husband wrote them.
The comments on Facebook, apparently made more than a year ago, were regarding a gay pride march in Iveri's Georgian home city.
"I was quite proud of the fact of how Georgian society spat at the parade," said the post, said to be a letter to the Georgian president after Christian Orthodox groups assaulted people on the march.
"Please, stop vigorous attempts to bring West's 'faecal masses' in the mentality of the people by means of propaganda," she added.
Patrons of Opera Australia and also its sponsor company, the airline Qantas, protested over the comments.
On Monday, Opera Australia described them as "unconscionable" on its own Facebook page and said the singer would no longer be performing with them.
"Opera Australia has reached agreement with Ms Iveri to immediately release her from her contract with the company," it wrote.
"Opera Australia believes the views as stated to be unconscionable."
Spokeswoman Imogen Corlette said Otello would still open on 5 July as planned, and a replacement would be announced soon.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Iveri blamed her "deeply religious" husband for the anti-gay comments and said she herself was in no way homophobic.
"I have never been prejudiced against anyone, whether for religious, or racial reasons, or for any other kind of prejudice including those regarding sexual preference," she said.
"I abhor prejudice in any form altogether.
"I have been performing in an art form that includes thousands of gay people on both sides of the stage, and there is no one who can come forward and claim that I have ever exhibited any such prejudice against them.
"I have said before and say here again that the words attributed to me were not my own, and that I therefore cannot take personal responsibility for them."
La Monnaie Opera in Brussels has also said it is has dropped Iveri from one of its productions, due to take place next year.
Peter de Caluwe, general manager of Theatre Royal de la Monnaie, told Opera Nederland Iveri would no longer be part of the production.
Iveri made her debut at the 2004 Salzburg Festival and has performed at Metropolitan Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Arena di Verona and L'Opera Bastille. | Opera singer Tamar Iveri has had her contract with Opera Australia terminated due to anti-gay comments posted on her Facebook page. | 27994488 |
The 15-year-old has been in hospital since suffering "horrendous" injuries in last week's terror attack.
Her parents Michael and Nan MacIntyre, from Barra, said their daughter "is amazing us every day with her strength and determination".
Laura's friend Eilidh MacLeod was killed in the suicide bombing following a concert by pop star Ariana Grande.
A total of 22 people died at Manchester's MEN Arena when suicide bomber Salmen Abedi struck.
Mr and Mrs MacIntyre said Laura had "sustained horrendous injuries", but has now been taken off a ventilator and is able to talk to them.
Laura and Eilidh, both pupils at Castlebay Community School on Barra, were reported missing after they failed to get in touch with family following the explosion.
It was later confirmed that Eilidh was among the dead, while Laura was found in hospital.
In a statement, Laura's parents said: "We have been overwhelmed by the love, help and support from everyone. It means so much to us.
"Laura sustained horrendous injuries. The main worries being head and leg injury.
"She is making remarkable progress. Today she came off the ventilator and is talking and recognising us. She is amazing us every day with her strength and determination.
"We have a long way to go but we are going in the right direction. We are so lucky to have her. The hospital and the staff are amazing."
The couple added: "We only wish that Eilidh was here too, our hearts and thoughts are with Eilidh's family."
In a statement released at the weekend, Eilidh's parents Roddy and Marion MacLeod said: "We continue to have Laura and her family in our thoughts and pray that she makes a full recovery." | Manchester bomb attack victim Laura MacIntyre has made "remarkable progress", her parents have said. | 40083017 |
The swans suffered fatal injuries when they were shot with what is believed to be an airgun at Haverfordwest's Withybush Woods.
An unharmed cygnet was also recovered and put in the care of the RSPCA.
Insp Tim Davies, of Dyfed-Powys Police, said: "This was a distressing incident, and we are aware of the impact in the local community."
He added: "We are thoroughly investigating this serious wildlife crime."
He also appealed for anyone with information about the shootings, which were reported to the police on Saturday, to contact the force.
The RSPCA said it was "very shocked and saddened" to hear about the deaths.
The swan is a protected species in the UK and it is a criminal offence to harm one. | Police investigating the killing of three swans at a Pembrokeshire wood have made two arrests. | 37754886 |
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The 26-year-old is due to play her 100th one-day international during the upcoming tour of South Africa.
Taylor made history in October by becoming the first woman to play Australian first-grade cricket, playing two matches for Adelaide's Northern Districts - nicknamed 'The Jets' - under the captaincy of Australia international Mark Cosgrove, who also skippers Leicestershire in the County Championship.
Taylor told BBC Sport: "It was intense, probably one of the best experiences of my life, and the hardest.
"The guys were absolutely brilliant. I have to thank Mark Cosgrove and the Jets for everything they did. It was the hardest thing I've done on a cricket field, but equally as rewarding."
Looking back at her historic debut, Taylor reflected: "I thought there were going to be some negatives, a bit of banter thrown around but there was absolutely none of it.
"It was purely 'she's been picked on merit', even the guys said in the changing room 'she's good enough to be here and we want the best XI on the field'.
"They didn't care that I was a woman, you should have heard some of the language I had to listen to - they honestly did not care that I was there!
''There was an old guy who was watching on the side and when I came off he said he didn't even realise I was a girl. I think that for me was the best sentence I heard for the entire time. All he saw was my keeping and he had no idea I was a girl, he thought I was just another keeper."
Listen: Sarah Taylor talks to BBC World Service's Stumped about taking on the men
Taylor was also one of several England players to take part in the inaugural Women's Big Bash League in Australia - a tournament which she feels 'blew expectations' - although her Adelaide Strikers side just failed to make the semi-finals.
She explained: "Cricket Australia was expecting TV audiences of 40,000-50,000, but one of our games got quarter of a million I think, they moved it to a different channel."
Her focus now returns to England, with the squad touring South Africa in February before the Women's World Twenty20 takes place in India in March.
"We've had a big break from each other as a team. With Mark Robinson, the new England coach, and some new faces we obviously want to hit the ground running," she said.
"South Africa's standard hasn't exactly been up there with ours, but they made the semi-finals of the last World T20 so they're not a team to assume you're going to win against. They've got some serious players, three or four of their girls have played in the Women's Big Bash and they've done very well."
Taylor was in Australia when West Indies star Chris Gayle was fined for asking a female TV reporter for a date in a live interview during a game.
But Taylor believes the general reaction to his remarks are a reflection of the progress which has been made in women's sport.
She said: "I didn't agree with what he did, but there was complete support for women in their jobs. That just shows where it's going and where it's come from.
"From a sporting perspective I know there is a lot more respect for women's sport, and that's down to a lot of hard work. The effort that everyone's put in behind the scenes has built towards that. It can still get better, but I think it's brilliant where it is now."
Taylor and the other centrally contracted England players will now be allocated to one of the six newly created teams for the first Women's Cricket Super League (WCSL) in England this summer, for which the hosts were announced last week.
The WCSL aims to attract the top female players from around the world, and Taylor believes that an equal spread of star players around the new franchises will be crucial to the league's success.
But asked if it would be feasible for her to play more men's cricket, either in England or Australia, Taylor said: 'If the opportunity arose I'd grab it with open arms I think, especially to play for the Jets again, that standard of cricket.
"In my games I didn't really get much of a bat so that would be nice, just to see if I can do it. You just want to test yourself. The idea of playing for a team like the Jets was to test my limits and see how far I could go as a cricketer." | England wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor believes her own game will benefit enormously from her experience of playing men's cricket in Australia. | 35381496 |
The American, 34, won three out of four Grand Slam titles last season.
"This is probably the best slam I've played in a year," said Williams, who can match Steffi Graf's Open-era feat.
Britain's Jamie Murray is in the men's doubles final, while compatriot Gordon Reid competes in two wheelchair finals.
Murray, whose brother Andy plays Novak Djokovic in Sunday's men's singles final, takes on Daniel Nestor and Radek Stepanek alongside new Brazilian partner Bruno Soares.
Murray parted ways with Australian John Peers at the end of 2015 after the pair finished as runners-up at both Wimbledon and the US Open.
Fellow Scot Reid is attempting to lift the men's singles and doubles title, competing alongside Japanese partner Shingo Kunieda after he plays Belgium's Joachim Gerard earlier in the day.
Williams will be the centre of attention, however, as she bids to match Graf's Open-era haul of 22 Grand Slam titles, closing in on Margaret Court's all-time mark of 24.
After a tricky first-round encounter against Camila Giorgi, she has been progressed through the draw with a series of emphatic victories, dropping just 17 games and no sets in the next five matches.
She beat five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova 6-4 6-1 in the quarter-finals before seeing off fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska 6-0 6-4 to make the final.
"Even if I don't win, I really can take away that I've been really consistent and I want to continue that," Williams added.
German seventh seed Kerber is playing in her first Grand Slam final, compared to Williams' 26th.
The 28-year-old has won just once in six previous meetings - a 6-4 6-4 upset in Cincinnati in 2012 - but believes her status as the underdog and the belief built by a steady climb up the rankings gives her hope.
She will be ranked at least fourth in the world after the tournament and will move as high as number two if she wins.
"I don't have so much pressure like she has. I know I can lose the match. That's why I'm going out there to try to win it," she said.
"I think I grow in the last few years to be a top-10 player.
"Now I'm back in the top five. I think I showed everybody that I deserve it. That's a good feeling." | Serena Williams says she is playing near her best as she attempts to win a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam title when she faces Angelique Kerber in Saturday's Australian Open final. | 35443444 |
Mr Mann said the abuse had got worse since a man was jailed for four weeks for sending offensive tweets to the MP for Liverpool Wavertree.
If the remarks had been published in a newspaper, he suggested the editor would have been hauled before MPs.
Commons Speaker John Bercow said such abuse was "beneath contempt".
Raising the matter in the House of Commons, Mr Mann said the abuse directed at Ms Berger had "deepened and worsened" since the conviction.
"If the medium used was a newspaper, I am quite certain that the House would demand that the editor would be dragged to the bar of the House and forced to explain himself or herself," he said.
He asked Mr Bercow what could be done about the social media site, which he said was "the medium by which this abuse against one of the members of this House is continuing on a most violent and daily basis".
In response, Mr Bercow said that where a crime had been committed, it was a matter for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service.
But he said he believed the Commons would be united in condemning all anti-Semitic abuse as "despicable and beneath contempt".
He added: "Decent people throughout the House and across the country would empathise entirely with the honourable lady (Ms Berger) and share my own assessment of the people responsible for that gratuitous abuse."
Ministers are considering tougher penalties for internet trolls, with those found guilty of making violent threats over the internet liable to a maximum two year jail sentence. | Labour MP John Mann has demanded action over what he says is the "vitriolic and violent" anti-Semitic abuse directed at colleague Luciana Berger on Twitter. | 29821693 |
Netrebko said her gift to the Donetsk opera and ballet theatre was "a step to support art where it is needed now".
Russian Channel 5 TV showed her giving the cheque to Oleg Tsarev, a leader of the armed separatists in Donetsk.
Russian government support for the rebels has been denounced by the West.
The famous soprano made her donation in St Petersburg, where she is a star of the Mariinsky Theatre. She said performers in Donetsk were struggling on with their art despite the freezing cold.
Other top names in Russian culture have also voiced support for President Vladimir Putin's stance on Ukraine, notably the government's annexation of Crimea and support for the pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk.
The Russian celebrities backing the Kremlin over Ukraine include variety singer Iosif Kobzon, film director Nikita Mikhalkov, conductor Valery Gergiev and viola virtuoso Yuri Bashmet. | Internationally renowned Russian opera singer Anna Netrebko has donated 1m roubles (£12,000; $19,000) to a theatre in rebel-held eastern Ukraine and posed with a rebel flag. | 30380979 |
Six of them are in what's called the temperate zone, which is an area where the temperature is thought to be between 0 and 100 degree Celsius.
The researchers say that all seven could potentially support liquid water on the surface, depending on the other properties of those planets.
But only three are within the conventional "habitable" zone where life is considered a possibility.
It's the largest number of Earth-sized planets ever found orbiting the same star
Three of the exoplanets were discovered moving around a star. After making this discovery, astronomers monitored the exoplanets from earth and space and discovered four more.
They say they need to look at them in detail to find out more, especially the outermost seventh planet which is located outside of the zone the six inner planets are in.
The findings have been published in the Nature journal.
Exoplanets are planets that obit a different star than our Sun - in a different solar system to the one we are in.
Even though scientists thought for a long time that they must exist, it was only in 1992 that the first exoplanet was discovered.
Further work to look for other ones has turned up some exciting results more recently too.
Earlier in 2015, scientists discovered the exoplanet Kepler-452b, which was described as 'Earth's cousin' because of its close similarities to our planet.
Space experts say exoplanets are really important because they raise the possibility that other life could exist in other solar solar systems. | Astronomers have discovered seven Earth-sized exoplanets in another solar system. | 39049747 |
The Italian Treasury will probably have to rescue Italy's third largest lender, Monte dei Paschi, by the end of next week.
The rescue fund will be used to prop up other banks as well.
Earlier, Monte dei Paschi revealed that it could run out of funds by next April, using up nearly €11bn (£9.2bn).
Previously it had said it had the funds to stay afloat for 11 months.
It added that by next May, it could burn through even more - €15bn (£12.6bn) in total.
Founded in 1472, Monte dei Paschi is said to be the oldest surviving bank in the world.
The bank suspended trading in its shares on Wednesday morning, when they fell to their lowest level since the bank's stock market flotation in 1999.
After a resumption in trading, they were suspended again in the afternoon, after reports emerged that the bank's own plan to raise extra funds was on the verge of falling through, less than 24 hours before its deadline.
The bank has been trying to raise €5bn (£4.2bn) in fresh capital to stage its own rescue, but so far it has raised only €500m (£420m).
If the bank cannot arrange a successful private sector bailout, the Italian government will almost certainly step in.
Monte dei Paschi failed a European Union stress test in July because it has billions of euros of risky loans on its books, made to clients who cannot afford to repay them.
The situation has worsened since then.
The new Italian prime minister, Paolo Gentiloni, has vowed not to let the bank fail, for fear that its collapse could topple the rest of Italy's heavily indebted banking sector.
Failure of the bank would threaten the savings of thousands of Italian citizens.
The funds for the impending government bailout have been approved by both the lower and upper houses of the Italian parliament.
The parliamentary measure said that the government could borrow the required money to provide "an adequate level of liquidity into the banking system" and that the government could support a lender's finances by "underwriting new shares".
The Italian finance minister, Pier Carlo Padoan, said the impact on savers of a state bail-out would be "minimal or non-existent".
The European Commission said it had "noted" the Italian government's request to the Italian parliament for authorisation to change some public finances targets.
"The Commission is in close and constructive contact with the Italian government," it added. | The Italian parliament has approved a government plan for a possible €20bn (£16.8bn) bailout of the country's banks. | 38391967 |
The 41-year-old had joined the club in February 2015 when Ian Baraclough was manager but remained once Mark McGhee succeeded him in October.
McGhee told his club website: "Stephen is an excellent assistant and an excellent coach.
"It became clear to me very quickly when I joined the club that we had someone of real talent and integrity."
Northern Irishman Robinson, the former Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, is also on the coaching set-up with his national team and will be with them at the Euro 2016 finals in France this summer.
"He's very well respected in the game," said McGhee.
Robinson had helped Baraclough's side retain their place in the Scottish Premiership after defeating Rangers in last season's play-off final.
However, after a poor start to the present season, the Englishman was replaced and Well have gone on to secure a top-six finish this season under McGhee.
Robinson said he was delighted to extend his contract to coincide with the Scots'.
"I've really enjoyed my time at Fir Park," he added.
"There have been some challenges, but it's a pleasure to work for the club and the people around the place have been brilliant.
"We changed the manager back in the autumn and that always brings some uncertainty, but I cannot speak highly enough of Mark and we enjoy a very good relationship.
"On the park, making the top-six has been an excellent achievement." | Motherwell assistant manager Stephen Robinson has extended his contract at Fir Park until May 2017. | 36056791 |
The 22-year-old Hillhead/Jordanhill number eight has been capped 23 times.
She was one of 16 players selected in the second tier of the Scottish Rugby Academy in 2015 and is the first to make the full-time, third tier.
SRU chief executive Mark Dodson described it as "a significant step".
Scotland Women have gone six successive Six Nations campaigns without a victory and lag behind neighbours England in introducing professional players.
England enlisted 20 professionals following their 2014 World Cup success, while Sian Williams became the first Welsh woman to sign a professional contract in February.
"This demonstrates our commitment to women's rugby," said Dodson, whose organisation also appointed Shade Munro as full-time women's coach and set up the Scottish Rugby Academy last year.
Head of academy and performance programmes Stephen Gemmell stressed that the only barrier to others following Konkel's path is "an individual's ability and desire".
"It is a wonderful opportunity for Jade and one that she fully merits," he told BBC Scotland.
"It's important to understand that Jade has been selected on merit, based on her performances, attitude, commitment and propensity to improve as part of a national selection process alongside all of our identified talented players."
Konkel will undergo a full-time programme at Broadwood Stadium, Cumbernauld, cutting down the hours she works as a care assistant for armed forces veterans' for former employer Erskine.
"It means everything to me," she said. "It is a massive opportunity and one I am going to relish every moment of.
"It is an opportunity I never thought I would get and my dream has become a reality.
"It means I can put all my focus into rugby and try to become the best athlete I can."
Inverness-born Konkel is a multi-talented sportswoman and spent two seasons with national league basketball club Highland Bears, represented Scotland in athletics for the army cadets, winning two gold medals for shot put and discus, and has a black belt in the martial art, Goshin-Ryu Kempo.
Her graduation to full-time professional was accompanied by the announcement of a new elite women's scholarship designed to persuade established athletes with a proven track record in team sport at world and European levels to transfer their existing skills to Scottish Rugby's women's programme.
Recipients will be based at its Borders & East Lothian, Caledonia (Aberdeen), Edinburgh or Glasgow & the West academies.
Head of women and girls' rugby Sheila Begbie added: "I'm delighted that we're now beginning to create opportunities to help Scotland Women compete on the European and world stages in the Women's Six Nations Championship and potentially Women's Rugby World Cup 2017." | Jade Konkel has become Scotland's first full-time professional women's rugby player as governing body Scottish Rugby also launched a new scholarship to attract top athletes from other sports. | 36537276 |
Star Wars actor Warwick Davis and former Doctor Who and Hobbit star Sylvester McCoy are also taking part.
Those who attended were given the chance to meet the authors of their favourite books or characters from their favourite shows.
The convention, now in its fifth year, has become renowned for fans' enthusiasm for dressing up.
Brian Cooney, managing director of the MCM expo group which organises the event, said: "The whole genre and the fact that people enjoy going out and dressing up is amazing to watch and a big part of the event.
"They like to 'cos play' - they call it that because they like to costume play and don't just put on a costume and go 'look at my costume'. They want to try and play the characters. It's their escape for a day or two where they come and enjoy the fun."
Mr Cooney said Comic Con had become a broad term that embraced pop culture.
He added: "It's totally mainstream now. The fact that the movies have become so successful has led even more people into it, but it was already on the way up before the movies." | More than 30,000 sci-fi fans have been attending this year's MCM Scotland Comic Con at the SECC in Glasgow. | 37466644 |
United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust said it is considering slashing opening hours at Grantham and District Hospital due to a severe shortage of doctors.
It said closing the Grantham A&E rather than the departments at Lincoln County Hospital or Pilgrim Hospital in Boston was the "safest option".
A spokesman for the trust said failing to act "may put patients at risk".
The Royal College for Emergency Medicine (RCEM) said news of the potential closure was "disappointing, yet unsurprising".
Dr Suneil Kapadia, medical director at the trust, said: "We haven't made a final decision yet and we hope to avoid this, but the reality is we will need to temporarily reduce the opening hours of A&E at Grantham.
"The quality and safety of patient care is the trust's number one priority and we haven't rested on our laurels."
A recruitment drive both in the UK and overseas and the offer of premium rates to attract agency doctors failed to attract more staff, while £4m has been invested in urgent care services.
"Despite this, we have reached crisis point," Dr Kapadia said.
71,000 Lincoln County Hospital - 190 per 24 hours
55,000 Pilgrim Hospital, Boston - 147 per 24 hours
29,000 Grantham and District Hospital - 80 per 24 hours
A trust spokesman said emergency departments at the hospital normally work based on having 15 consultants and 28 registrar or middle grade doctors.
However, it currently has just 14 consultants - 10 of whom are locums - and 12 middle grades.
Lincoln County Hospital or Pilgrim Hospital both take more seriously ill patients and have a higher number of patients attending A&E and being admitted than Grantham, the spokesman said.
The trust is working with other A&E providers, East Midlands Ambulance Service and clinical commissioning groups in an effort to avoid the closure at Grantham.
RCEM President Dr Clifford Mann said: "The great efforts made by doctors and nurses to help patients in under-resourced locations sometimes is not sustainable.
"As well as potentially putting patient safety at risk, placing an ever increasing workload on overstretched staff can create a vicious circle in retention and recruitment, with many overworked trainees simply choosing to leave the country or indeed the specialty altogether.
"The wider picture is there is a real crisis in emergency medicine as our workforce numbers are not growing fast enough to keep pace with rising numbers of patients attending A&E Departments." | Hospital bosses could shut an accident and emergency department at night in order to combat a staffing crisis. | 37026000 |
Rosberg was 0.215 seconds quicker than Hamilton, who complained of a lack of power early in the session.
Hamilton is 23 points behind with five races and a maximum of 125 points still available and needs to beat Rosberg this weekend to revive his title hopes.
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel was 1.094 seconds behind Rosberg in third.
Mercedes have said they are running their engines in a revised spec, which effectively means a minor loss of performance at certain points of the weekend, following Hamilton's engine failure while leading in Malaysia last weekend.
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen was fourth fastest, ahead of the two Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen, who used the slower medium tyre to set their times rather than the soft.
The Force Indias of Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez were next, ahead of the McLaren of Fernando Alonso, who was four places and 0.674secs quicker than team-mate Jenson Button despite going off and damaging his car at Spoon Curve.
Alonso was able to get back to the pits and take a full part in the session.
Button was complaining about the balance over the radio, saying: "We've got a lot of work to do."
Haas' Romain Grosjean was the only other driver to crash at arguably Formula 1's best and most demanding track, although Verstappen also ran wide at Spoon.
The Frenchman lost control at the notorious Degner Two corner, where he slid wide and damaged his front wing against the barrier, although he, too, was able to get back to the pits.
The session was run in warm, humid weather, which is expected to continue throughout Friday before rain arrives overnight and could well affect qualifying on Saturday.
Japanese Grand Prix first practice results
Japanese Grand Prix coverage details | Nico Rosberg headed team-mate and title rival Lewis Hamilton in first practice at the Japanese Grand Prix as Mercedes left the rest far behind. | 37582198 |
360 Production, set up in 2009, makes programmes for broadcasters such as the BBC, Sky and Channel 5.
A company director said the redundancies are caused by a lack of new commissions but that there were no plans to close the company.
It has played a leading role in bringing Northern Ireland-produced content to a global market.
The Birth of the Empire: The East India Company, presented by historian Dan Snow, James May's Things You Need To Know and Digging for Britain on BBC4 are all 360 Productions programmes .
The firm was bought over by a London-based media company called Rare TV last year and moved to a new science park at Fort George in the city.
Last month staff were served with redundancy notices.
Company director Mark Wright said said they were committed to securing future output in the region but would not confirm the number of staff that had been affected.
However the BBC understands the figure is nine, which would be the majority of the workforce.
The jobs promotion organisation Invest NI told the BBC that 360 Production has been offered a total of £192,035 of support since 2009, of which £114,311 has been drawn down.
NI Screen, the government-backed agency for the film, television and digital content industry, confirmed that it also funded work by 360 Production.
A spokeswoman for NI Screen said they were aware of the difficulties at the company and was supporting them as much as possible.
"Given the nature of the television industry most people do work on a freelance basis and steady work is never guaranteed. We really believe that 360 Production will come back strongly and, as business picks up, they will be in a position to rehire soon."
Last year, the Enterprise Minister, Arlene Foster announced a £42.8m fund to boost the TV and film industry in Northern Ireland. | Nine staff at a television company in Derry have been told they have lost their jobs. | 31451092 |
Wigan had already agreed a fee for 24-year-old Kiernan, who has signed a two-year contract, while fellow defender Wilson had decided to leave Hearts.
The 23-year-old, who was Hearts' captain, signed a three-year deal.
Wilson, who had also been linked with Celtic, began his career at Ibrox but was sold to Liverpool for £2m in 2010.
He failed to become a regular at Anfield but shone at Hearts following a move to Tynecastle.
Warburton said on Monday the former Scotland Under-21 international was one of the players attracting his interest and he is to be presented to the media in Glasgow on Tuesday.
Veteran midfielder John Eustace is also a target for Rangers after being released by Derby County.
"We are making progress," Warburton said. "We hopefully have a positive few days ahead.
"There are a number of targets and, as you can imagine, we have to be discreet."
However, Warburton stressed that, while he was looking for a couple of experienced leaders, he was mainly targeting young, "hungry" players with potential and who "passionately" want to play for Rangers.
"I think marquee signings are dangerous," he said. "The biggest mistake we could make is to panic and get the wrong players at the wrong time.
"The club we have just come from, Brentford, the average age was 23 and a half I believe, and we had a 33-year-old and 34-year-old in that."
Eustace, who had a spell on loan to Dundee United from Coventry City before time with Middlesbrough, Stoke City, Hereford United and Watford, has been earmarked as a potential captain.
"People like John Eustace are few and far between," said Warburton of the 35-year-old. "People like John are ultra-professional on and off the pitch. They are great role models.
"They are playing the game at a very high level at 33, 34, 35 because they look after themselves, they train well, they eat well, they conduct themselves well.
"If you look at his record and the win ratio when John's playing, it's really important. He had a big role to play at Derby over the last few years."
Meanwhile, Warburton said Hibernian midfielder Scott Allan was only "one of a hundred" players Rangers were considering and expressed no knowledge of being linked with Aarhus central defender Jens Jonsson. | Rangers have secured the signature of Wigan Athletic's Rob Kiernan, hours after Danny Wilson became Mark Warburton's first signing as manager. | 33229982 |
"Oh my goodness! You're back! What did you have?"
Silence.
What I had was a baby girl stillborn at 38 weeks.
In the last few weeks I had given birth to a baby I knew was already dead (in a hospital, surrounded by the screams of newborn babies) and organised and attended her funeral.
But people don't talk about stillbirth, so the girl who has made your coffee for the past five years doesn't know.
What do you do at the front of that line, when a thoroughly good human being has asked you a question to which there is no answer that will not make her feel like the worst person on earth?
I felt physically sick. I could feel my eyes burning.
"I can't talk about this just now. I'll talk to you later," I said, and walked away from a whole queue of people left wondering what on earth had happened to me.
Three years on, I still don't really talk about stillbirth very much. It's painful not just for me, but everyone around me.
Another scenario: you are at a baby shower for a friend who is about to have her first baby.
All the other women tell their childbirth stories, good and bad.
I say nothing. No pregnant woman wants to contemplate what happened to my daughter happening to their child.
What happened to me happening to them.
So the silence continues. I edit my life story so as not to frighten others.
Deep down though, I know this silence about stillbirth - all these silences about stillbirth - are part of the reason that every day in the UK, 15 babies are stillborn and 15 families DO go through what I've been through.
So as part of this awareness month, I am talking about stillbirth. The good and the bad.
The good? How can there be good in a stillbirth?
Firstly there's the kindness of others - and especially others with a silent grief.
There are countless men and women out there who carry with them a burden of early pregnancy loss or the death of a child that people don't know about - or the inability to have a child in the first place.
Their quiet whispering of 'I know a bit of what you are going through' was gentle and human and warm.
But the process of losing my daughter has also given me something like a superpower.
There's something very liberating about knowing that you have survived this horrible event.
I don't worry about losing my job - I've lost my child.
I never worry about the day ahead, because I remember waking up on the day when I had to drag my heavily pregnant body into hospital and give birth in extreme emotional and therefore physical pain.
To hold my dead baby, while in the room next door a family was celebrating their live one.
So throw any kind of every day stress at me and it bounces off.
Deep down of course there is pain.
Grace had Down's Syndrome.
We knew that from around 14 weeks and faced a lot of pressure to terminate but that is not really how my heart is set up.
So I actually knew more about how her life would have been than most expectant parents and I'd given up almost every bit of work I had in preparation to care for her.
These were not easy choices, and I won't pretend they were, but I'd adjusted to them in my head and my heart and I was ready to be someone different.
Someone, frankly, better.
The loss of Grace took that different life from me.
There I was, back at work, in the coffee queue - no longer having to worry about how my special needs child would be treated by the world, whether we'd be stared at on holiday.
And do you know what?
I'm now the woman who stares at the kids with Down's Syndrome in the soft play or at the beach, but obviously for very different reasons.
I was at a spa last month and a girl with Down's Syndrome I didn't know at all came running across and hugged me.
Her mother was so apologetic as I just stood there with big smile on my face and tears in my eyes.
"She's fine," I said. "In fact she's just what I needed!"
That mum will never know what happened to me, or why that hug meant so much.
And again, that's the silence of stillbirth.
You carry with you being 'different', behaving 'differently' - but many of the people you work with or become friends with through your other children, will never know why.
No-one knows why Grace died.
The post-mortem couldn't find anything concrete.
She had Down's Syndrome but her heart was perfect with none of the defects associated with the condition.
I'd been having weekly scans so she was definitely not neglected by the NHS.
Between the scan at the 37 weeks and the scan at 38 weeks, she died without ever seeing the world, or me her mother.
I'll never know why it happened in medical terms, and the question 'why me?' goes through my head every day.
We've got to create a world where women - and wider families - aren't expected to be silent about such a catastrophic event happening to them, because it is contributing to the problem not going away.
When women know that this is a reality, they can feel more empowered to turn up to that maternity hospital if they even have the slightest inkling that something is wrong.
To not care about the glances from medical staff that say "she's just neurotic".
When the outcome I am living with is the other option, please - be as neurotic as you like.
Print this out and take it with you. Ask them how they'd feel at the baby shower or at the front of that coffee queue.
I've just survived another pregnancy - barely - and given birth to a beautiful healthy baby boy.
He'll never replace Grace, but he's the sort of happy ending that should come at the end of every pregnancy and with more research and greater awareness we can make sure that is the case. | It's six weeks after your due date and you reach the front of the long coffee queue at work. | 40366166 |
O'Kane played 118 games for the Cherries, helping them to two promotions after joining in 2012.
The 26-year-old played in 16 Premier League games last season but is yet to make a first-team appearance this term.
He has won four senior international caps, but was not included in Martin O'Neill's squad for Euro 2016.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Championship side Leeds United have signed Bournemouth and Republic of Ireland midfielder Eunan O'Kane on a two-year deal for an undisclosed fee. | 37236631 |
The 30-year-old has been out for two months following surgery on a broken bone in his foot.
He was due to be out for 12 weeks, giving him little time to prove his fitness for Euro 2016 in France, but he is confident of making it, if selected.
"I'm still doing well and hoping to be be back to play a part before the end of the season," he told BBC Sport.
"Hopefully I can play a few games in and then be selected for the Euros. It's a tough ask but I'm hoping to be involved. It would be great for me and my family..
"It has been an amazing campaign. It's great to have been part of that journey and it would be great to top it off by getting in that squad."
Shrewsbury-born Edwards already has 31 caps to his name, five of which have come during Wales' qualification campaign for their first-ever European Championship finals.
But, given the way Chris Coleman's Welsh warm-up programme has worked out, if he is to make it across the Channel this summer to represent the Principality and play against England, the country of his birth, he will have to prove his fitness purely in a Wolves shirt.
The two forthcoming friendlies with Northern Ireland on Thursday, 24 March and Ukraine on Easter Monday are Coleman's two main warm-up matches prior to picking his squad.
Wales' only other planned warm-up game is against Sweden in June - six days before their Group B opener against Slovakia in Bordeaux on 11 June.
Wales' trip to the World Cup in Sweden in 1958 remains the nation's only ever appearance at a major finals.
Only two Midlanders, West Bromwich Albion full-back Stuart Williams and Aston Villa wing-half Vic Crowe - later to become Villa manager - were in that Wales squad.
But Wolves did have four players in the England squad in 1958, Peter Broadbent, Eddie Clamp, Bill Slater and the captain Billy Wright.
This time round, along with Birmingham City winger David Cotterill, Albion defender James Chester and Walsall striker Tom Bradshaw, there are four contenders from West Midlands clubs to get in Chris Coleman's 23-man party.
If Edwards does make it, he would become the first Wolves player from one of the four home countries to play at a major finals since Steve Bull, then technically still a Third Division player, represented England at the Italia 90 World Cup.
The late Emlyn Hughes, England's captain in 1980, remains Wolves' only British player to have represented his country at the European Championship finals. But he did not play a game in that tournament, in Italy - and was on the bench for England's three group games.
The club did have three players - Stephen Ward, Stephen Hunt and Kevin Doyle - in the Republic of Ireland squad at Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine. | Wolves midfielder Dave Edwards is still hoping to be fit for Wales duty at this summer's European Championship. | 35864952 |
More than 360 people are known to have died, most of them in Pakistan, and at least 2,000 were injured.
Rescue teams have been sent to remote mountainous areas where the impact of the quake is still unclear.
The Taliban, which controls some areas affected, called on aid agencies "not to hold back" relief supplies.
A spokesman said Taliban fighters had been ordered to help the victims.
In another development, Pakistani officials said several glaciers in the Karakoram mountain range had cracked, in one case causing a flood, but so far without loss of life.
Many people across the region, afraid of a new quake, spent the night sleeping outside in temperatures close to freezing.
"We have insufficient food and other aid," said Abdul Habib Sayed Khil, police chief in Afghanistan's Kunar province.
"It has been raining for four days and the weather is very cold."
On Tuesday, the Afghan presidential palace tweeted that the death toll had risen to 115, with 538 people injured. It said that 7,630 homes, 12 schools and 17 mosques were among the buildings destroyed or damaged.
In a televised address, President Ashraf Ghani urged those living in affected areas to help the rescue effort.
The governor of Badakhshan province, Shah Waliullah Adeeb, said survey teams were heading into more remote areas on Tuesday but landslides had blocked roads and helicopters were needed.
Afghan victims included 12 schoolgirls killed in a crush as they tried to leave their classes in Taluqan, Takhar province.
Mohammad Jan raises his calloused hands to pray for his two grandchildren, who died under the rubble of his house. He says he was saying his afternoon prayers when the earthquake struck.
"We wanted to call for a doctor," he tells me. "But there is no doctor here for miles. It was too late."
His house is up a precarious and rocky path, 45 minutes from the main city. Here, an extended family all live in a group of colourful painted stone and mud houses that are now either completely or partially damaged.
One of them is Amir Rehman, father of four. Although his home is still standing, it is scarred with deep gashes and cracks.
"I worked for three years in Oman to build this house," he tells me. "I can't afford another house like this." While the earthquake caused less widespread damage than expected, the poorest people with the most to lose have been the most affected.
In Pakistan, at least 248 people were killed and 1,665 injured, the national disaster agency said.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province alone, authorities said at least 202 people had died, and more than 1,480 were injured. At least another 30 died in the north-western tribal areas.
Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has admitted that it still has not been able to reach some of the remotest areas affected.
NDMA member Ahmed Kamal told the BBC some of those areas had become inaccessible because roads had been blocked in several places by landslides.
Mr Kamal could not say how big the unreachable area was.
The track record of the disaster management authorities in Pakistan "is not sterling", Pakistan's Daily Times says bluntly, adding that lessons from the 2005 earthquake have not been learned.
The disaster authorities' "presence in most vulnerable small towns is minimal while even in major urban areas their efforts are lacking in efficacy and credibility".
"Let this episode jolt us into the awareness that it is high time we woke up and took disaster preparedness and response more seriously," Pakistan's Dawn says.
"The alarm bell has rung," Afghanistan's Mandegar agrees, with the Daily Afghanistan accusing the authorities of failing to confront natural disasters.
Hasht-e Sobh claims that most buildings in Kabul in the past decade are structurally unsound.
"Such irregularities are the result of administrative and financial corruption in government bodies," it says, claiming that most school buildings funded by international organisations in the provinces are not earthquake-proof either.
Compiled by BBC Monitoring
On Tuesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visited the district of Shangla, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where at least 49 people were killed.
In a statement he said Pakistan was "capable enough to rescue and rehabilitate those affected".
After the quake, Facebook launched its "safety check" feature allowing people in affected areas to tell their families they were safe. Google also launched its "person finder" service.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the earthquake was centred in the mountainous Hindu Kush region, 76km (45 miles) south of Faizabad, in Badakhshan province.
It was deep - more than 200km below the surface - which meant the shaking at ground level was less than for a shallow earthquake.
The USGS said a series of aftershocks - all measuring 4.0 or higher - had struck west of the original quake.
Afghan quake: The corner of a continental collision
Residents of Kabul and the Indian capital Delhi were shaken by the earthquake and buildings in the Tajik capital Dushanbe were also damaged.
The region has a history of powerful earthquakes caused by the northward collision of India with Eurasia. The two plates are moving towards each other at a rate of 4-5cm per year.
In 2005, a magnitude-7.6 quake in Pakistan-administered Kashmir left more than 75,000 people dead.
In April this year, Nepal suffered its worst earthquake on record, with 9,000 people killed and about 900,000 homes damaged or destroyed. | Rescue efforts are being stepped up to help those affected by the magnitude-7.5 earthquake which hit remote areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan on Monday. | 34644125 |
Between January and March 2014 Citizens Advice helped 27,000 people who had fallen into council tax arrears - a 17% increase on the same period in 2013.
It comes after council tax benefit changes were introduced in April 2013.
Local government minister Brandon Lewis said they formed a "vital part" of cutting the deficit.
As part of the government's welfare changes, council tax benefit was replaced by a council tax support scheme, run by local authorities instead of Whitehall.
The government also cut the budget for the scheme by 10%, or £414m. It said the benefit had been costing taxpayers £4bn a year.
Local authorities set up their own council tax support schemes using the reduced pot of money.
However, Citizens Advice said the levels of support offered to people now varied "from one council to the next" and said council tax arrears were now "the number one debt problem" for people.
It said one in five people who had reported debt problems to the charity in 2014 had a council tax arrears issue and that the number of people struggling with council tax payments had "rocketed" since the changes were made.
The charity called for local councils to ensure council tax support schemes were focused on families and households who were "most in need".
"For some households council tax bills can be the tipping point that plunges them into debt," Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice said.
"Consumer debts like credit cards and personal loans have traditionally been the most common debt problems that come through our doors, but since the end of council tax benefit we've seen council tax arrears problems go through the roof.
"As their budgets shrink local authorities are increasingly stretched, but they must ensure that the resources available for their local council tax support scheme are focused on those who are most in need."
However, local government minister Brandon Lewis said Downing Street had delivered an 11% real-terms cut to council tax bills.
He said the latest official annual figures showed arrears were falling and that collection rates across the country now stood at 97.4% - up by almost 4% on last year.
"Council tax benefit doubled under the last administration costing every household £180 a year so welfare reform is a vital part of reducing the inherited deficit.
"Locally-designed council tax support gives councils stronger incentives to cut fraud and support people to get back into work," he said.
Citizens Advice said 42% of people who asked it for help between January and March with council tax arrears were employed, compared with 28% who were unemployed and 30% not working due to ill health, caring responsibilities or retirement.
Earlier this year the debt charity StepChange said it had seen a 77% rise in the number of households needing advice on council tax arrears over the last year. | The number of people seeking help for council tax arrears has "rocketed" to become the most common type of debt problem, a charity has said. | 27573457 |
The leak of more than 22,000 pages exposes secrets about the combat capabilities of Scorpene-class vessels.
It is not clear who first obtained the confidential documents, which were made public by the Australian media.
Earlier this year DCNS won Australia's largest-ever defence contract to build a fleet of advanced submarines.
Details about the Shortfin Barracuda submarine class that will be built for Australia were not contained in the leak.
India signed a $3.5b (£2.6b, €3.1b) deal for six Scorpene vessels in 2005. They are being built in cooperation with an Indian government-owned shipbuilder in Mumbai.
India is investigating the leak to "find out what has happened," Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said.
The Scorpene submarines are small-to-intermediate size vessels currently in use in Malaysia and Chile. Brazil is due to deploy the submarine type in 2018.
A DCNS spokeswoman described the leak as "a serious matter" and said French authorities would formally investigate.
"The matters in connection to India have no bearing on the Australian submarine programme, which operates under the Australian government's arrangements for the protection of sensitive data," a statement said.
DCNS beat out strong competition from Germany and Japan to secure Australia's A$50bn (€34bn; £27bn) contract to build its navy's next generation of submarines, a project that will stretch into the 2050s.
The Shortfin Barracuda submarines are to be built in Adelaide with the expectation of creating around 2,800 jobs in the region.
They will be 4,500-tonne conventionally powered submarines, closely related to the nuclear-powered Barracuda, which weighs 4,700 tonnes.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the leak was a reminder of the importance of cyber security, but rejected concerns it would endanger the contract.
The country's defence industry minister, Christopher Pyne, said in a statement that the leak had "no bearing on the Australian government's future submarine programme". | India is investigating a massive data leak from French shipbuilder DCNS that affects a major submarine contract for its navy, defence officials say. | 37171856 |
McSheffrey, 33, out of contract in the summer, scored once in seven games for Rovers after arriving on loan in March.
He made 91 appearances for Scunthorpe and scored 15 goals since signing for the League One side in January 2014.
"Nothing's signed yet, but it's probably 100% more or less going to be Doncaster," said McSheffrey.
"Doncaster are the ones that are going out there to get straight back up and have a promotion season."
Doncaster were relegated to League Two on the final day of the season, finishing 21st in the table with just 11 wins from 46 league games.
"It's a proper club with big potential so really, it was the one that was standing out to me," McSheffrey added. | Released Scunthorpe United winger Gary McSheffrey has told BBC Radio Humberside that he will be joining Doncaster Rovers permanently. | 36341707 |
After dropping 1.8% on Thursday, the FTSE 100 rose 103.09 points or 1.71% on Friday to 6,139.79.
For the second day in a row, insurance firm Aviva was the top riser on the index, climbing 6.35%, after posting strong results.
Bank stocks also did well as investors digested the implications of the latest stimulus moves from the ECB.
Plans by the European Central Bank to provide ultra-cheap loans to banks lifted the sector. Barclays rose 3.8% and Standard Chartered added 4.3%.
Mining shares had risen in early trade on gains in commodity prices, but the sector then lost ground and shares in Anglo American were down 0.5%.
Shares in financial services group Old Mutual rose 3% at first after the company announced plans to split itself into four units, but then dropped back to stand 1.78% lower.
High Street retailer Marks and Spencer was the biggest faller on Friday with shares down 2% after Bank of America Merrill Lynch cut its rating to "underperform" from "neutral".
On the currency markets, the pound edged up 1% against the dollar to $1.4427, and also rose 1% against the euro to €1.2902. | (Close): The London market has ended the week on an upbeat note, with financial stocks leading the way. | 35782374 |
Gary O'Flynn, 39, of Hayfield Drive, Castlecourt, Whitechurch, was sentenced to five years, two of them suspended.
The former Fianna Fáil councillor pleaded guilty in February to soliciting a man to kill three people.
He also received a three-year sentence to run concurrently for fraud charges.
These relate to obtaining mortgages while he was working as a financial adviser.
O'Flynn was a member of Cork City Council between 2003 and 2008. | A former politician from County Cork has been jailed for trying to get a hitman to murder a detective, a tax official and an accountant. | 32415512 |
Spare electricity capacity, which ran at about 5% over the winter months last year, would be nearer 4% this year, National Grid said.
Three years ago the margin was 17%.
But National Grid said it has contingency plans in place to manage supply, including paying big firms to switch off on cold winter evenings.
Dismissing fears of possible electricity blackouts, energy minister Matthew Hancock told the BBC: "We are absolutely clear we are taking the measures necessary in order to have secure energy supplies this winter."
Professor Jim Watson of the UK Energy Research Centre, said: "I think it's… very unlikely we will see blackouts in the UK, but what it does mean, this tight situation, is that lots and lots of extra measures are having to be layered on top of an already complicated policy framework."
National Grid's assessment, made in its 2014/15 Winter Outlook report, is based on similar demand to last winter but a fall in supply, due to generators closing and breaking down, and new plants not coming online quickly enough to replace them.
Since 2012, 15 power plants have been closed or partially closed, taking out a large chunk of the UK's energy-generating capacity.
The network operator said it is finalising contracts with three UK power stations to provide reserve power in case of higher-than-expected demand.
Additional reserve contracts with Littlebrook, Rye House and Peterhead power plants to provide 1.1GW of power could increase this margin to more than 6%, said the operator.
The three stations were chosen following a tender process in which eight power stations offered a total of 5.4GW of power.
"The electricity margin has decreased compared with recent years, but the outlook remains manageable and well within the reliability standard set by the government," said Cordi O'Hara, director of market operations at National Grid.
Caroline Flint MP, Labour's shadow energy and climate change secretary, said: "The security of our energy supply has not been helped by the fall in investment under this government. With a quarter of our power stations closing this decade it is vital that we bring forward investment in secure and clean energy for the future."
The traditional approach to electricity is building capacity to meet consumer demand, but one way of keeping the lights on is reducing demand for power in the first place.
Using more efficient appliances and insulating buildings is one way. Another is paying energy users to have their power switched off at peak times.
Large industrial plants go off the mains for a while and on to their own diesel generators.
Marriott Hotels in the UK switch off their air conditioning system for a few hours to save energy and money. Its spokesman says guests don't even notice because the temperature barely changes.
Studies suggest this all reduces the need for new power stations, helps the grid cope with intermittent renewable power, and saves money for customers.
Eventually individual householders may have intelligent appliances like freezers which switch themselves OFF to save electricity - and money - when demand is high.
In the event of disruption of Russian gas supplies to Europe, National Grid said more expensive gas could be imported.
This would only happen in the "most extreme scenario", it said.
"The current uncertainty surrounding Eastern European gas supply stability due to the enduring tensions between Russia and Ukraine, could lead to curtailment of gas supplies in to Europe," said the owner and operator of the UK's power network.
Although the UK does not receive any gas directly from Russia, gas flows to Europe could be affected, which would in turn affect supplies to the UK, it added.
If necessary, the UK could import more liquefied natural gas from elsewhere, but this would cost more and could have implications for household bills.
Overall, however, gas supplies, storage and network capacity were "well in excess of maximum expected demand", the operator said. | National Grid has warned that its capacity to supply electricity this winter will be at a seven-year low due to generator closures and breakdowns. | 29794632 |
US hedge fund Elliott Advisors reached a "standstill" agreement after clashing with Akzo over the way the company should be run.
The feuding was fuelled by a failed 27bn euro (£23bn) takeover bid for Akzo, which its management rejected.
Elliott has agreed to suspend legal action against the Dutch firm and back Akzo's plans to improve the business.
Gordon Singer, the boss of Elliott's UK division, said it was pleased to come to an agreement with Akzo.
In May, the hedge fund made a legal bid to force the removal of Akzo's chairman, Antony Burgmans, after the firm refused to enter takeover talks with US rival PPG Industries.
PPG walked away from its bid in June and Akzo is now pursuing plans to strengthen its business, which include selling its chemicals division.
Mr Burgmans said he was "pleased our recent constructive discussions with Elliott improved understanding between both parties".
Elliott has also agreed to back new chief executive, Thierry Vanlancker, at a shareholder meeting on 8 September.
The hedge fund oversees about $30bn (£23.5bn) of assets and has a reputation as a no-holds-barred activist investor.
The firm, founded by billionaire Paul Singer, is notorious for pursuing Argentine debt for more than a decade, seizing one of the country's naval ships while it was docked in Africa.
Separately, Elliott has increased its stake in mining firm BHP Billiton as it looks to force the company to sell its US shale business.
Elliott took its holding in BHP to 5% in a bid to keep the commodities giant "accountable for delivering results". | An activist investor hedge fund has agreed to halt its long-running feud with Dulux paint owner AkzoNobel. | 40954358 |
The Hatters under-18s have already won the South-East Youth Alliance league and made the FA Youth Cup last eight.
"It won't depend on league position. If they are ready they will play," Jones told BBC Three Counties Radio.
"I won't just hand them something because life's not like that and neither is the football club."
He added: "If they earn it and keep doing as they're doing, I'm sure they'll get an opportunity."
Two youth players have been given professional deals this season, captain Frankie Musonda and James Justin, and the youth side are also in the Youth Alliance southern area League Cup final.
"If any club wants to be successful then home-grown players are paramount," added Jones, whose side are currently 13th in League Two, nine points off the play-off places going into Saturday's trip to second-from-bottom-York.
"The fans see them as one of their own, As soon as they're ready and they have the ability then they'll get the opportunities.
"We have a group here that have got a chance of progressing, it's going to take time - you can't just jump straight from the youth team into the first team and expect to take the world by storm." | Luton Town boss Nathan Jones says players in his title-winning youth side should not be expected to "take the world by storm" in the first team. | 35662297 |
The prison's Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) says these drugs are one of the biggest issues facing staff.
In its annual report, the IMB also says around 1,000 prisoners have been diagnosed with mental health problems over the past year.
But it concludes staff are doing a good job under "difficult circumstances".
The IMB was set up to ensure that prisoners are treated humanely and reports back to the Ministry of Justice every year.
Trained sniffer dogs and closer observation of visitors are methods being used to cut the supply of legal highs, said chairman of Cardiff IMB, Stephen Cocks.
"Every prison in the country is suffering to one degree or another from drug misuse and particularly with the use of legal highs which, because of its unpredictable effects, can cause violent reactions among prisoners," he added.
The report also states there are not enough staff to cover basic duties, prisoner complaints are not responded to quickly enough and there is not enough privacy for inmates using the toilets. | Legal highs smuggled into Cardiff Prison have led to "horrific, self-inflicted injuries", according to a new report. | 35528352 |
The pilot projects will be run by the Justice Department and will take place in cities across the country, Attorney General Eric Holder said on Monday.
Teachers, mental health professionals and community leaders will be involved, an official told Reuters news agency.
The White House is to host a summit next month on countering extremists.
It is hoped that key members of communities across the country will be able to come together to develop a strategy to stop radicalised young people from joining up.
Police and intelligence officials have long expressed concerns about Westerners who have travelled to Syria and Iraq to join militants who have taken over large areas in both countries in recent months.
Last week, a 19-year-old Colorado woman pleaded guilty to trying to help the Islamic State (IS) group, also known as Isil.
"Today, few threats are more urgent than the threat posed by violent extremism," said Mr Holder in a video message.
"And with the emergence of groups like Isil, and the knowledge that some Americans are attempting to travel to countries like Syria and Iraq to take part in ongoing conflicts, the Justice Department is responding appropriately."
The US State Department recently released a very graphic video entitled Think Again, Turn Away that showed the violence of Islamic State, in an attempt to dissuade would-be fighters.
About 100 US citizens have gone to Syria to battle the government of President Bashar al-Assad, according to Matthew Olsen, director of the US National Counterterrorism Center.
That's a far lower number than in some European countries, like France and the UK.
Some of these Americans, like Douglas McAuthur McCain, have ended up dead.
Besides McCain - who grew up in Minnesota - Nicole Lynn Mansfield and Moner Mohammad Abu-Salha were also killed in Syria.
Following a dangerous path to radicalisation
There are believed to be far more Western fighters coming from some European countries.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron has proposed new powers to seize terrorist suspects' passports.
German authorities recently banned the distribution of propaganda material pertaining to Islamic State and the display of its symbols. | A series of programmes aimed at stopping radical Islamists from joining the fighting in countries like Iraq and Syria is being launched in the US. | 29216702 |
Koen Allwood, 15, was struck in Barton near the Humber Bridge in November.
A teenage girl was also hit and suffered serious injuries in the incident.
Damian Benson, of High Street, Barton, was bailed at North Lincolnshire Magistrates' Court to appear at Grimsby Crown Court on 12 May.
He is also charged with causing serious injury by dangerous driving and using a motor vehicle with defective tyres and defective brakes.
More than 150 fellow pupils of Baysgarth School attended Koen's funeral. | A 23-year-old motorist has appeared in court charged with causing the death of a teenage boy by dangerous driving in North Lincolnshire. | 27211521 |
The Premier League champions have not lost a game since Ranieri, 65, was dismissed in February.
They also reached the Champions League quarter-finals after overturning a first-leg deficit against Sevilla.
"No one can say it was the wrong decision, the three results have been brilliant," Bilic said.
"Still for me it was a bad decision, Claudio did very decently with them. But it's the nature of the job, you are the first one to pay the price."
Ranieri led Leicester to a surprise Premier League title in 2016 but the Foxes were one point outside relegation zone and had lost their last five league matches before he was sacked.
Leicester had not scored a league goal in 2017 but have since scored seven in three matches under Craig Shakespeare, who has been put in charge of the first team until the end of the season.
"I said after they changed manager what I thought about it and still I don't understand it," Bilic said.
"But if you talk about results and performances, they got what they wanted."
West Ham, who are 11th in the league, play the Foxes on Saturday at 15:00 GMT at London Stadium. | Leicester City's sacking of Claudio Ranieri was a "bad" decision but it has been vindicated by their results, says West Ham manager Slaven Bilic. | 39291261 |
The point is that a big contributor to the absence of any growth at all in output per worker and output per hour is that employment has grown much faster than national income: unemployment rose proportionately less in the downturn than in previous recessions and new jobs have been created faster than the growth in output.
But if that's the good news, there is also a very troubling corollary.
Lower productivity undermines the competitiveness of British firms in the global economy.
And the absence of productivity growth undermines the ability of British firms to increase our pay.
Here is perhaps the best way of seeing how serious the slump in productivity has been.
On the basis of the figures published on Wednesday, if the productivity trends of 1992 to 2007 had continued from 2008 to the end of last year, output per job would be 15% higher than it is, and output her hour would be 17% higher.
Which means, all other things being equal, each of us would be paid 15% more in total, and 17% more for each standard shift we put in.
In reality, since the start of the recession, and after adjusting for taxes, benefits, interest costs and inflation, we're on average about 2% better off (and see what I wrote yesterday about what's been happening to our living standards since the 2010 general election.
Just think and weep over how much richer we all would have been if our productivity had not been so hopeless.
Which is why it matters that in the last three months of 2014 there was no recovery in productivity. In fact output per hour fell by 0.2% - because the number of hours worked rose 0.8% while gross value added, or the output of the economy, increased by just 0.6%.
And there was a particularly sharp fall of 1.3% in the output per hour of those working in manufacturing, which wiped out a small 0.2% improvement in the productivity of the much larger services sector.
Why has productivity been so limp?
There are plenty of competing explanations, which include:
1. Productivity growth before the crash was exaggerated by the spurious productivity of banks and City firms that were taking crazy economy-imperilling risks;
2. Since the crash, too many lame duck firms have been kept afloat, under pressure from politicians, preventing the necessary re-allocation of capital from low-productivity firms to better ones;
3. As a nation we're lousy at innovation and we don't have enough highly skilled people (compared with Germany, for example);
4. The City is too short-termist and is hopeless at investing in winners;
5. Companies lack the confidence to invest adequately in expensive new kit, and would rather incur the costs of taking on cheap people to boost output, confident they can fire these people if all goes pear-shaped.
Getting to the root of the problem matters. Because unless we can improve productivity, we won't be able to afford the living standards we feel we deserve.
And sorting productivity also massively matters to Labour and Tories. Without a recovery in productivity and an associated boost to earnings, tax revenues would remain under pressure, making it all the harder to get the Government's huge deficit down to a more affordable level. | We should be both grateful and worried that British productivity has been so lousy since the great crash and recession. | 32146712 |
The event outside Belfast City Hall was organised by members of the Labour Party in Northern Ireland to express their "shock, outrage and sadness".
The SDLP MP for South Belfast Alasdair McDonnell was among those who signed a book of condolence.
Thomas Mair, 52, has appeared before Westminster Magistrates' Court charged with the murder of Mrs Cox.
A memorial fund set up in her name has topped £600,000.
The funds raised in the memorial fund will support three causes her husband, Brendan Cox, said were close to her heart, including the The Royal Voluntary Service, HOPE not hate and The White Helmets.
Parliament will be recalled on Monday to allow MPs to pay further tributes to Mrs Cox. | A vigil has been held in Belfast city centre to pay tribute to the MP Jo Cox who was killed on Thursday. | 36570178 |
The three-satellite constellation is now routinely mapping its convulsions, allowing researchers to probe the mechanisms that drive the "invisible shield" in remarkable new detail.
Movies released this week by the Swarm team show how the field strengthens and weakens over time.
They also illustrate the speed at which those changes occur.
"I'm interested in using Swarm data to see what's happening down in the planet's molten outer core, where fluid motions are generating this field," said Chris Finlay from the Technical University of Denmark.
"For me, this is real Earth exploration, because we know so very little about what is going on in that place," he told BBC News.
The planet's magnetic field is a complex, multi-component problem.
As well as that dominant signal generated 3,000km beneath our feet in the swirling convection of liquid iron, there are other contributions pulling on the needle of every compass.
These include the magnetism retained in rocks, and even a very subtle effect derived from the movement of salt water ocean currents.
The Swarm satellites' task is to try to tease apart these various factors, to get a clearer picture of the field's most significant behaviours.
The magnetic "bubble" that protects us from space radiation is known to be in a long-term weakening phase, perhaps heralding one of the periodic flips where north becomes south and south becomes north.
This hasn't happened for 780,000 years. Whether we're actually heading for another reversal now, scientists will only be able to gauge by studying the type of data coming from Swarm.
In the movies showcased here at the Living Planet Symposium in Prague, the satellites' information is critical to the end of the animated sequences, which cover the past 15 years.
One of the videos tracks changes in intensity in the magnetic field. Red is strong; blue is weak (top of page).
The very dark blue region over the South Atlantic is the famous anomaly where the field's weakness allows radiation belts around the Earth to bite down into the atmosphere. It's over this zone where orbiting spacecraft suffer most of their electronic upsets.
The movie reveals the anomaly to be widening, with its centre moving westwards, over Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina.
"Look also at the patch over North America which is decreasing in intensity; whereas over Asia, it's been getting stronger. We haven't really noticed this much before. We see it happening really quite quickly in the last few years," explained Dr Finlay.
"And it's that change in the topology which is also the reason the magnetic north pole is drifting away from the Americas as well. This is a decadal trend and Swarm is allowing us to track it in great detail."
The second movie describes the rate of change in Earth's magnetic field. Regions where changes are slowing are depicted in blue, while red highlights those locations where the changes are speeding up.
An eye-catching feature is the oscillation west of Africa.
"We can now make these maps down at the outer edge of the dynamo, on the core-mantle boundary, and there we see a lot more of the small-scale details of the field change," said Dr Finlay.
"We can use those changes at the core surface to map the flow within the core. And, for example, this positive-negative-positive oscillation - we're seeing changes in the liquid motion within the core. There's an oscillation in the flow in the east-west direction, which is going back and forth on a timescale of about three years."
The European Space Agency's Swarm satellites were launched in 2013.
The three identical spacecraft carry a variety of instruments but their key sensors are state-of-the-art magnetometers that measure the field's strength and the direction.
Two of the satellites, known as Alpha and Charlie, fly in tandem at an altitude of about 450km, and will descend over time.
The third platform, Bravo, is higher up, over 500km, and is drifting away from the other two in its orbital plane.
This geometry enables Swarm to see the magnetic field in three dimensions, and to better gauge its variations in time and space.
[email protected] and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos | Europe's Swarm mission is providing an unprecedented view of Earth's turbulent magnetic field, scientists say. | 36266258 |
Paul Edmunds, of Hardwicke, Gloucestershire, has denied conspiracy to supply firearms and ammunition.
Prosecutors said he used his "almost encyclopaedic" knowledge of firearms laws to smuggle hundreds of guns.
Jurors were discharged after failing to reach a verdict.
A retrial has been ordered at Birmingham Crown Court for the autumn. | The jury has been discharged in the trial of a firearms dealer accused of making and supplying homemade bullets used in fatal shootings by criminal gangs in the 2011 riots. | 39489862 |
Root's partner Carrie is due to give birth this month, with the team set to fly to India on Thursday.
The first one-day international in Pune takes place on Sunday, 15 January, followed by matches in Cuttack on 19 January and Kolkata on 22 January.
Root, 26, scored 491 runs in the recent 4-0 Test series defeat by India.
The Yorkshire player has the second best one-day international average of any England player in history, with 45.71 from 78 matches. | England batsman Joe Root will not join the squad for this month's one-day series in India until after the birth of his first child. | 38484999 |
Donor Arron Banks said he was "extremely shocked and disappointed" that Peter Bone and Tom Pursglove had profited from Grassroots Out.
He called on them to pay the money to a "smaller Brexit" campaign.
But in a joint statement, the MPs said employing them was "clearly the most cost-effective way" of campaigning.
The payments were revealed in the register of members' interests.
Grassroots Out was founded in December by Mr Bone and Mr Pursglove, with backing from UKIP leader Nigel Farage and, later, Labour MP Kate Hoey.
It came close to being designated the official Leave campaign by the Electoral Commission, but lost out to Vote Leave.
Mr Bone's accountancy firm PWB received a total of £21,750 from Grassroots Out in the first four months of this year, according to his entry in the register of members' interests.
That was made up of two payments for accountancy services, of £17,500 and £2,500, at a rate of £42 an hour, and a £1,750 director's fee.
Mr Pursglove charged Grassroots Out a total of £19,250 - £17,500 for 450 hours' work as chief executive - between 16 December and 31 March - and £1,750 in director's fees, according to his entry.
In a statement, Arron Banks, who says he has given £4m of his own money to his Leave.EU campaign, a group which also funded Grassroots Out, criticised the pair.
The statement said: "Leave.EU has raised £9m to fight the Brexit cause, £5m personally from Arron Banks, £4m from other donations including over 5,000 individuals.
"We are extremely shocked and disappointed to discover that two elected individuals have treated the GO Brexit campaign as a business, not a cause, and would urge them to do the honourable thing and donate the sum directly to a smaller Brexit group."
But the MPs said some individuals "had jumped to conclusions without being in full possession of the facts".
"Of all the major EU referendum campaigns, we have the cheapest and most efficient structure in place and our administrative and running costs are by far the lowest," they said.
Using the two MPs had allowed Grassroots Out to "keep costs to a minimum, allowing us to spend the maximum amount on campaigning", rather than hiring outside expertise, they added.
They said they had "properly" made the declaration in the Register of Members' Interests adding: "It must also be clarified that both Peter Bone MP and Tom Pursglove MP have made donations to Grassroots Out Ltd that exceed the level of the payments received.
"These donations will be listed in the official return made to the Electoral Commission. Neither Peter Bone MP, or Tom Pursglove MP, have made any financial gain from this arrangement." | Two Tory MPs have come under fire for paying themselves a total of £40,000 for running a not-for-profit campaign for a Leave vote in the EU referendum. | 36102714 |
Jack Greenwell's move to Spain in 1912 caused amazement among his neighbours in Crook, a colliery town in County Durham's Wear Valley.
"Most people found it an adventure just going to Bishop Auckland," recalled Cicely Hetherington, then a six-year-old whose family were friends of the Greenwell's.
Bishop Auckland was five miles away (8km), Barcelona 1,200 (1,900km).
His story, which took him from his hometown club to a successful coaching career in Europe and South America, was made for the movies, according to journalist Rory Smith.
"His story is extraordinary and needs to be told," he said.
Greenwell was born in 1884 in Crook, then a prosperous and busy town surrounded by collieries.
After leaving school he became a miner and started playing as a winger for Crook Town when he was 17. In 11 seasons, he won one Crook and District League title and made numerous appearances in the FA Cup.
In 1909 he was a guest player for West Auckland Town when they won the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy, regarded by some football historians as "the first World Cup", in Italy.
Three years later, the 28-year-old moved to Barcelona, then competing in the Campionat de Catalunya (Catalonia Championship), a predecessor to Spain's modern La Liga.
How the move came about is something of a mystery, although Crook historian Michael Manuel has a theory.
"He probably made connections through travelling to Italy with West Auckland," he said.
"Probably there was someone from Barcelona there who liked what they saw who then spent a year or two trying to persuade him to go over."
Greenwell played 88 times for Barcelona scoring 10 times and winning two Catalonia Championships. His real impact on the club came after he hung up his boots however.
"Football was very much played in a certain way, there were no real tactics at that time" said Mr Smith, a football journalist for the Times who has also written a book, Mister, about Greenwell and five other Englishmen who helped globalise the game.
"You had two defenders, three midfielders and five strikers essentially and that was it, no-one moved.
"Greenwell started a very early form of experimenting with that, so he took Paulinho, who was Barcelona's star striker, and played him as a centre back.
"It didn't really work but it's [him] starting to think maybe if we put a ball-playing central defender in there maybe we can build from the back."
Greenwell's philosophy was to start attacks in defence with players passing the ball to each other rather than dribbling past opponents.
"He encouraged the passing style and at the time that was really rare," said Mr Smith.
"That made him unique. Sadly, in England no-one really wanted anyone to do that."
While Greenwell was at Barcelona, another Englishman was also making his mark in Spain.
Fred Pentland, who had played 96 times for Middlesbrough and five for England, took over Athletic Bilbao in 1921 and won two league titles and four consecutive cups.
On the field he preached "serenity and intelligence" on the ball, demanding his players use both feet.
He told them: "The purpose of the game of football is to shoot, you must strike the ball hard, rapidly, curtly, you must take a shot at goal constantly."
Pentland also remained resolutely English, wearing a bowler hat at each game. After every win, the hat would be taken and destroyed by his players.
"He went through 20 hats a seasons which is quite a good indication he was good at his job," said Mr Smith.
He also managed the France and Germany national teams.
Greenwell started his seven-year tenure at the helm in 1917 with the club going on to win four Catalonia Championships and two Copa Del Reys - the Spanish equivalent of the FA Cup - during his spell in charge.
But his legacy is much more than trophies, according to Andy Murray, a writer and expert on Spanish football for FourFourTwo magazine.
Greenwell established the passing philosophy which has become Barcelona's trademark.
"He is without a doubt one of the most influential and essential figures in creating that," said Mr Murray.
"The preference in the English game at that time was for a jinking winger who would take on a full-back and charge at them.
"Using more passing was seen as a bit of a cop out.
"That's one reason why people like Greenwell went abroad where their ideas would be appreciated.
"He and others like him trained those in other countries to be better than we were."
He left Barcelona in 1923 to take over their rivals RCD Espanyol, with whom he finished seventh in the inaugural season of La Liga and won another Catalonia Championship and Copa Del Rey in 1929.
Greenwell returned to Barcelona in 1931, winning another league title before heading to Valencia two years later and then, upon the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, headed to Turkey.
In 1939, Greenwell, who by this point had married Doris Rubinstien, an English dancer he met at the Moulin Rouge in Paris, moved to Peru to manage both the national team and Universitario de Deportes.
He led Peru to their first South American Championship title, now known as the Copa America, in 1939 and in the same season guided his club to win the Peruvian league.
Greenwell then moved to Colombia in 1940 to manage the national side before suffering a fatal heart attack in Bogota two years later as he was driving home from a training session.
He was 58-years-old and alone, his wife and daughter, Carmen, having stayed in Peru.
"What's really sad about is he gave everything up for football all of the time," said Mr Smith.
"He leaves Crook, his home and family for Spain, then he has to leave everything in Spain because of the war and then he leaves his family in Peru to go to Colombia.
"It's a very powerful story of someone who just wants to teach football."
Now plans are afoot to have a memorial plaque and bench placed in his home town, Mr Manuel said.
"We think this man should be commemorated, he was one of Crook's famous sons, he stands out as a forgotten football superstar." | Barcelona FC are now synonymous with beautiful, passing football but the Catalan club's traditions can be traced back to the vision of a former miner from north-east England. | 36139073 |
Stephen C Associates Ltd, run by Stephen McManus, organised the two concerts in Dorset and Devon but said on Thursday it had ceased trading.
The Bournemouth Echo has since revealed Mr McManus also owes money for Poole's Upton House Music Festival.
Poole council said an invoice relating to the festival had not been paid.
A Borough of Poole spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that Mr McManus has been issued an invoice in relation to this year's Upton House Music Festival, for which payment has not yet been received."
Companies House records show several previous companies of Mr McManus, including SCM Events Ltd, Balmlane Events Ltd and Musical Concepts Ltd, have also been dissolved.
Olly Murs had been due to perform at Exeter's Powderham Castle, home to the Earl and Countess of Devon, on 29 July and at Kings Park, Bournemouth on 5 August.
In a statement, Stephen C Associates Ltd said only those who bought tickets from the promoter using their credit cards would be able to claim their money back.
It added it was "not in a position" to offer refunds to ticketholders who had paid by other means.
Powderham Castle was also due to host a concert by Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra on 30 July which had been organised by the promoter.
The BBC has so far been unable to contact Mr McManus for comment in relation to Upton House Music Festival, which took place in June, and included performances by Billy Ocean, Kim Wilde and Toyah Wilcox. | A promoter that went bust leading to the cancellation of Olly Murs concerts owes a council money for a music festival, it has emerged. | 40680977 |
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) announced the ban after finding the Northampton captain swore at referee Wayne Barnes and called him a "cheat".
Hartley denied the charge and can appeal but Rory Best has replaced him.
The Lions tour starts on 1 June and Hartley is banned until 1 September.
Born: Rotorua,New Zealand
Age: 27
England caps: 47
Did you know? Hartley became England's third most capped hooker when he made his 47th appearance in the 30-3 defeat by Wales at the Millennium Stadium on 16 March
A Lions statement said: "The British and Irish Lions have been informed of the sanction imposed on Dylan Hartley by an RFU disciplinary panel.
"Warren Gatland and his fellow coaches will now consider all their options before making any further announcement."
Ulster and Ireland hooker Rory Best was called up on Sunday
Gatland's Lions squad board the plane to Hong Kong on Monday ahead of their opening match against the Barbarians on Saturday.
An RFU statement said: "At the hearing Dylan Hartley pleaded not guilty but the panel found him guilty and determined that this was mid-range on the scale of seriousness.
"The entry point for mid-range is a suspension of 12 weeks and that was reduced by one week to reflect his good conduct at the hearing."
Hartley, 27, claims he was talking to Tigers hooker Tom Youngs and not referee Barnes.
"It's Dylan Hartley's own fault. Not only is it half-witted and wrong to talk to a referee like that but he doesn't know the rules of the game. Northampton kicked the ball straight out from a 22-drop-out which is completely stupid. Yes, Leicester pushed early at that scrum and the referee fell for it but Hartley is captain and he let his team down. The referee clearly told him it was his last chance after earlier dissent and has had to follow that through."
Hartley had already been warned by Barnes for speaking out of turn, before the dismissal late in the first half of Leicester's 37-17 win at Twickenham.
Northampton coach Jim Mallinder said Hartley's claim was backed up by a number of other senior players.
"I asked Dylan at half-time and I've just asked him again 'what happened? What did you say?' He said he was talking to Tom Youngs," said Mallinder.
"If you talk like that to a player I wouldn't expect anything to happen. Clearly, Wayne Barnes has believed Dylan has spoken to him.
"I support Dylan. He is my captain. If he says he wasn't speaking to the referee and he was speaking to a player on the floor I can only support what he says."
Hartley could have could have become England captain in 2012 but missed out after being given an eight-week ban for biting Ireland's Stephen Ferris.
He was also given a two-week ban in December 2012 for striking Best.
Those incidents followed a 26-week ban in 2007 for "making illegal contact with the eye area" of Wasps players Johnny O'Connor and James Haskell. That ban ended his chances of making England's squad for the that year's World Cup. | England hooker Dylan Hartley will miss the British and Irish Lions tour after being suspended for 11 weeks for | 22674429 |
Prof Mark Miodownik's Stuff Matters looks at everything from the everyday objects in our home to new wonder materials that will shape our future.
His work beat five other titles covering topics ranging from biomedical innovations to the elements that have changed our world.
The judges decided unanimously to award Prof Miodownik the £25,000 prize.
Each of the five runners-up received £2,500.
The full title of Prof Miodownik's work is: Stuff Matters: The Strange Stories of the Marvellous Materials that Shape Our Man-made World.
He said he was staggered and really surprised to win.
"I feel honoured, happy and overwhelmed, it does feel dream like to me, these things don't normally happen. When I started, I had no idea how to write."
His fascination with materials began after he was stabbed in the back with a steel razor blade "not much bigger than a postage stamp" by a mugger.
He became obsessed with how such a small object could be so sharp, strong and capable of easily cutting through five layers of clothes.
"This stuff around us is speaking through me. Materials are not inert things, I hope I have given them a voice in this book. I think it's an important story."
Being "hands on", he said, was a crucial part of how we interacted with the world.
"Everything is made of something, and that stuff is us, it's a mirror. These are our values, things we fear, things we cherish, this is our comfort, our ambitions. Take it away and we're all standing naked in a field," he told BBC News.
Chairwoman of the judges, Prof Nicola Clayton, from the University of Cambridge, said the work was enthralling and written with "great passion and insight".
She said: "It's a really inspiring book. I think the biggest test for me is if you read a popular science book and it's not in your area - I'm a psychologist - you read a book like that and think, 'If I had my time again perhaps I should have done a degree in that.'
"He explained everything really well in an enthusiastic way and, let's face it, not many books start with a stabbing and have a chapter on chocolate," Prof Clayton added.
Last year's winner featured an account of the hunt for the Higgs boson by Dr Sean Carroll, and previous winners have included Stephen Hawking and Bill Bryson.
The full shortlist for the Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books was: | A book exploring the importance of materials has won the 2014 Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books. | 29987159 |
Three vehicles were involved in the crash on the A68 in Midlothian, near the Edinburgh City Bypass, at 03:15.
A man and woman in the same vehicle died at the scene and another man was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
The A68 was closed between Salters Road and the Millerhill junction, with local diversions in place.
Police have appealed for witnesses to the crash, which happened north of Pathhead, to contact them. | Two people have died and another was seriously injured after an accident on the southern outskirts of Edinburgh. | 36744755 |
"Hey babe," it began.
The friend asked Zed to vote for her in an online modelling competition, which she agreed to do.
But then - disaster. Adding her email address to the competition register had caused a tech meltdown, her friend said. She needed to borrow her email log-in to fix it quickly and restore her votes.
Zed was unsure. The friend begged - her career was at stake, she pleaded. Still in the meeting and powerless to make a call, Zed gave in - a momentary leap of faith.
Except it was not her friend that she was talking to - someone else had got into the account and was pretending to be her.
It's a scamming technique known as spear phishing.
"Phishing uses behavioural psychology to trick victims into trusting the attacker in order to obtain sensitive information," said Paul Bischoff of Comparitech, who also talked to Zed.
"Spear phishing is less prevalent, but far more dangerous. Spear phishing targets an individual or small group of people. The attacker can gather personal information about their target to build a more believable persona."
Besides never sharing the credentials for your online accounts, a good way to stay safe is to enable "two-step authentication". This means that users must enter another code besides their password, received for example by their mobile phone, to log in.
This can usually be set up in the security settings for your account or during the sign-up process. Two-step authentication is offered by Gmail, Hotmail, Apple, Amazon, Yahoo, Facebook and Twitter among others.
Within minutes, Zed watched in horror as she was locked out of one account after another, as well as her Apple iCloud where she stored all her data - including a photo of her passport, bank details, and some explicit pictures. The hacker took control of all her IDs as they were all linked to the email address details she had supplied.
The scammer also activated an extra layer of security, called two-step authentication, meaning that they received all alerts about her accounts and could reset them.
Then a man called. The number had a Pakistan area code.
"He started the call by saying he didn't want any drama, he didn't want me to cry, he wanted me to talk to him like a professional," she said.
He sounded young, perhaps a college student, she thought.
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He accused her of leading an "immoral" life. He had seen her photographs, he knew she had smoked and had boyfriends and was sexually active.
He asked her what her parents would think and was furious when she said they already knew.
"He claimed he had hacked thousands of women," Zed says.
"He said 10 or 12 he had felt bad about because he couldn't find anything about them that was 'wrong'."
Zed was not part of that group.
"He said he was happy when he hacked my account. That I deserved everything."
He told her he would post the explicit pictures on her Facebook page - where she has more than 1,000 friends.
"I offered him money. I asked if I could pay. He said, 'Don't talk about money.' He sounded irritated," she said.
Instead, he wanted her to perform a sex act for him on camera.
Zed refused.
"Either you do it for me or you do it for the whole world," he told her - and uploaded one of the photos to Facebook.
Zed had already warned her boyfriend and parents who assembled an army of friends waiting to report activity on her account. Within 15 minutes it had been disabled by Facebook - but she still received concerned messages from contacts.
"A friend who is like a brother sent me a message - it wasn't him who had seen [the photo] but a friend of his," she said.
"I feel like I mustn't think too much about how many people saw [the photos]."
The last thing the scammer said to her was, "Have a great life."
"It seemed to me the only reason he was doing this was to morally police women and get them to do stuff for him," Zed said.
"He wanted a gallery of explicit photographs of women. That seemed to be his motive."
Zed does not consider herself to be digitally naive. She is a bright, articulate 20-something from India who works in the media industry on the US east coast.
"I have been tech savvy and on the internet almost my entire life - but I've never really seen the power of what people can do until now," she says.
Regaining control of her accounts has been a struggle. It took Zed a month to get her Apple ID back after engineers created a bespoke questionnaire for her containing answers that were not stored in her account.
Gmail and Facebook have also been restored, but she has lost Snapchat and her Hotmail address - her central account which she had used for more than 13 years.
"I feel for the poor woman - these scams are so easy to fall for," said cybersecurity expert Prof Alan Woodward from Surrey University.
"I think what it shows is that security is a combination of people, process and technology. You can be very 'savvy' in any one or two of these but scammers are superb at finding novel combinations that, frankly, we just wouldn't think of.
"I know it sounds so obvious but, regardless of who they are, you should not share your username and password. Give these scammers a small chink in the armour and they are sadly brilliant at getting in and running amok in your digital life."
Zed still uses iCloud but does not store personal stuff on it anymore - and has activated two-step verification everywhere.
"I still see the value in the storage. But I will never ever give any information away again," she said.
Zed originally decided to share her story on community site Reddit after trying to find others who may have been conned by the same man.
"I was really shocked to discover that I found absolutely nothing," she said.
"I was hoping that speaking up about it would remedy that problem and encourage others to share their stories.
"It also felt like the only way to get back at him."
As far as Zed knows, the scammer has not been caught.
"Cyber-criminals come in all shapes and sizes,' said prof Woodward.
"Their motive is not always monetary gain. As we have sadly seen of late, revenge or just being plain malicious is a growing trend." | Six weeks ago, a young woman called Zed (not her real name) was in a meeting at work when a message popped up on Facebook Messenger from a distant friend. | 39338004 |
The Premier League champions have already had two offers for the 26-year-old former Arsenal captain turned down.
Fabregas will stay one more year at least in Barcelona
Barcelona sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta told a Spanish newspaper United have "renounced his signing".
But sources close to the English champions have indicated they are considering a third bid for Fabregas.
Any bid over £30.75m would exceed United's transfer record and the player remains the main target of new manager David Moyes with four weeks remaining until the summer transfer window closes.
Zubizarreta, speaking in Israel where the Catalan giants are currently on tour, told Spanish newspaper Sport the player is going nowhere.
"Manchester United are interested in the player, but it's also true that they understand our position of not wanting to sell," said the ex-Spain goalkeeper.
"They have renounced his signing. We aren't going to sell him."
Zubizarreta added on Barcelona's official website: "He has a contract with us. We count on Cesc.
"He's an extraordinary player who creates and finishes chances. We are delighted with him. He's the number four of Barca."
Fabregas moved to the Nou Camp from Arsenal in 2011 in a £35m deal and has since helped his boyhood club to a La Liga title, a Copa Del Rey victory, the Uefa Super Cup and the Fifa Club World Cup.
Barcelona manager Gerardo Martino claims it would be up to the Spain international where he played next season and Arsenal are understood to have first option on Fabregas.
However, Gunners manager Arsene Wenger believes the player will remain in Spain.
"What I know is Fabregas will stay one more year at least in Barcelona," said the Frenchman. "That's the information I have. If that changes, I don't know, but that is what I have been told." | Manchester United remain keen to sign Cesc Fabregas despite Barcelona claiming United have given up their pursuit of the Spain midfielder. | 23570801 |
Caixinha's team celebrated wildly after Joe Garner's injury-time header secured Sunday's 2-1 win at Partick Thistle.
But Aberdeen's victory at Hearts all but assured Rangers will finish third.
"You've got to give him time, into the summer, to get a pre-season with the guys and see what kind of money is available to change it," Ferguson said.
"I know he's said he's going to change 10, 11, 12 players, but there's no chance that's going to happen.
"A lot of these guys are under contract for two or three years, how are you going to get rid of them? He'll need to work with this group of players that he's got. He might be able to add two or three.
"There are some good players at Rangers, they're just short on confidence.
"It's going to be a big summer for him. He's going to have to work really hard with this group because I don't think they're going to be able to bring in a lot of players."
Ferguson, who won five league titles, five Scottish Cups and five Scottish League Cups in his two spells at the club, admitted he was surprised at the scale of the celebrations from players and supporters at Firhill.
"It was just more relief from the last couple of weeks that they've had, but I was pretty surprised by the reaction of the players and the management," he told BBC Scotland's Sportsound.
"It just shows you the pressure they've been under. It was like they'd won the league.
"I thought Partick Thistle were the better team, up until Barrie McKay came on and showed a bit of magic to score the goal and then Kenny [Miller], who's been doing it all season for Rangers, has popped up with a great run and cross. It sums up Rangers just now."
Rangers' relief at their late comeback followed further criticism of the team and Caixinha's tactics following their back-to-back defeats by Celtic in the Scottish Cup semi-final and a record 5-1 humbling at Ibrox.
Ferguson admitted he was surprised at the way the Portuguese coach set up his side for the second encounter.
"In times gone by, if we had injuries or suspensions and we didn't have our strongest team out, and we knew Celtic were going to be stronger, we would set up to be hard to beat and then take the game for as long as we could," he added.
"Then going into the last 15, we might nick a goal. That's the way I thought he would have gone last week against Celtic. I was surprised with the formation because down the flanks Celtic killed Rangers." | Former Rangers captain Barry Ferguson insists manager Pedro Caixinha needs time to transform the current side into a genuine Premiership force again. | 39850548 |
Worker John Anderson, 56, was killed by a "sudden and powerful release of gas" at the Boulby mine early on Friday, owners ICL UK said.
No-one else was hurt and there was no explosion at the 1,400m deep mine.
In April seven workers were injured when after a fire broke out at the mine, which has tunnels deep under the North Sea.
Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP Tom Blenkinsop has called for an investigation.
The mine makes potash for fertilisers and employs about 1,100 people about 100 of whom were underground at the time of the incident.
More on this and other North East stories.
Mr Anderson, from Easington, had worked at the site for 35 years.
A company spokesman said: "The incident is believed to have involved a gas blowout - a sudden and powerful release of gas.
"Her Majesty's Mines Inspectorate has been informed.
"Company staff will be offering all possible support to the man's family. All other workers in the mine at the time of the incident were safely evacuated."
Mr Blenkinsop said: "The miner who died in the explosion was one of my constituents who lived in East Cleveland.
"We cannot allow this death to go unmarked. Over the last decade and a half, the mine has been a safe working environment, certainly compared to years past where accidents were more frequent.
"However, in the space of just a few months we have seen two tragic incidents. I am concerned that this must not become a pattern.
"Mines legislation requires a full investigation, and I need to be reassured that this will indeed happen.
"I would also want to be reassured that recent redundancies at the mine have not altered day to day working practices to the extent that risk may have been allowed to creep back in."
Mr Blenkinsop said he was intending to meet senior mine management from ICL Ltd and the mine's unions.
Simon Hunter, a safety manager at ICL UK, said the previous incidents were unrelated to what caused the death of Mr Anderson.
He also said any suggestions that job losses had impacted on safety were "misconstrued". | A man has died in an underground accident at a potash mine in East Cleveland - one of Europe's deepest. | 36556897 |
The outstanding loan debt is £46bn and will rise to £200bn in the next 30 years, the National Audit Office said.
About 50% of students are not expected to earn enough to repay all their loan.
The NAO report also highlights concerns over the more than £5bn owed by about 368,000 former students whose exact whereabouts are unaccounted for.
It says officials are overestimating how much money will be recovered each year, and is not securing value for money for tax payers.
The increase in tuition fees in England has meant much higher levels of student loans and debts - and the spending watchdog says there needs to be much tighter scrutiny of levels of repayment.
Such an expansion requires a "much more robust strategy" for recovering loans, said Margaret Hodge, chair of the Commons Public Accounts Committee.
"It is essential that government collects every pound it can of the debt that should be collected," she said.
The report says there is a lack of employment information about the former students who owe more than £5bn.
This includes people who might be unemployed or have moved overseas, but the watchdog warns that too little is known about where they now are.
In March 2013, the report says, there were 14,000 students living overseas, who were behind with repayments of £100m.
The report says the Student Loans Company could do more to retrieve these missing payments.
This is against a rapidly rising number of UK students who are taking out student loans, with the NAO reporting that the number of borrowers will more than double to 6.5 million people over the next three decades.
The report warns that the government has previously been over-optimistic in how much is likely to be repaid by students.
The expected level of debt to be written off had been set at 28% in 2010, which had risen to 35% by 2013.
Labour's university spokesman, Liam Byrne, said figures from the House of Commons library showed this had risen to more than 40%, which would cost a further £600m.
"We may be at the point where so many students loans are being written off, that the government's new student finance system is actually more expensive than the old arrangements, even though the government is asking students for three times as much money," said Mr Byrne.
Earlier this week the government announced the sale of part of the student loan book to the private sector, from a type of student loan from the 1990s.
There are ambitions to sell off the bigger, income-related loans that have come with higher fees - a move that will be much more politically sensitive.
The report notes that the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is "preparing to sell early cohorts of the income‑contingent repayment loan book, and will take a sale decision in due course".
Martin Freedman of the ATL teachers' union said the report showed the loan system was "out of control".
"The system is unsustainable and the government needs to review it urgently," said Mr Freedman, who argued that it would result in "unbelievable" levels of debt.
He also criticised spending £27m on debt collection, which he said would have been better used on education.
The head of the National Audit Office, Amyas Morse, said the increasing cost of the student loan system required a "more energetic and considered approach" and a "high level of collection performance".
A Department for Business, Innovation and Skills spokesman said: "The report demonstrates that there is an effective and efficient process resulting in high collection rates at a low cost which we believe demonstrates good value for money.
"We need to ensure that all borrowers who are earning over the relevant payment threshold are repaying their loans, including those who have moved overseas after leaving their course." | The government is not doing enough to get student loans repaid as the total value of money owed continues to rise, a spending watchdog has warned. | 25121145 |
Buesnel, 20, was one of the island's Olympic torch-bearers and has been part of the British gymnastics disabilities squad for five years.
"Alex is an outstanding gymnast competing at the very top of special gymnastics," said JSAD chairman Paul Patterson.
"He's dedicated to his sport and extremely hardworking at his training."
Buesnel is the current British Open Champion, having defended his title for four consecutive years and won the 2011 title emphatically taking gold medals on all six pieces of apparatus.
He competed at the Special Olympics National Summer Games in 2009 winning five gold medals at Level 4 and won gold on the floor exercise at the Special Olympics World Games in Athens 2011. | Alex Buesnel has been named Jersey Sports Association for the Disabled (JSAD) Sports Personality of the Year. | 20443413 |
Famous for roles from Shakespeare to detective Wallander, he was honoured for services to drama and the community of Northern Ireland.
The 51-year-old, who was born in Belfast, said he felt "humble, elated and incredibly lucky".
Branagh also had a starring role in this summer's Olympics Opening Ceremony.
He played Isambard Kingdom Brunel in the show, which was directed by Danny Boyle.
Speaking after his investiture, he said: "I'm so very pleased this has happened in the year of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, the Olympics and the Paralympics.
"It's been a hell of a year for the UK and I feel very honoured to be a tiny part of this part of it."
Now Sir Kenneth Branagh, he joins the ranks of fellow thespians such as Alec Guinness, Patrick Stewart and Laurence Olivier, who he played in last year's My Week With Marilyn.
Branagh spent his early years in Northern Ireland, where he is now honorary President of NICVA supporting all the organisations in the voluntary and community sector.
He moved to Reading with his family when he was nine, where he first adopted an English accent to avoid bullying.
Celebrating the work he does in his homeland, he said: "It is special because it is to do with my roots in Northern Ireland and to do with a lot of work other people do and I'm happy to be associated with, lots of charitable institutions and real hard work on the part of a lot of people over there.
"I'm pleased the link with Northern Ireland is recognised, I'm very proud of coming from there."
The knighthood comes as press reports suggest Branagh will take on one of the great Shakespearian roles, playing Macbeth for the first time in his career at the Manchester International Festival next summer. | Actor and director Kenneth Branagh has been made a knight by the Queen at Buckingham Palace. | 20266889 |
US healthcare firm Anthem said it would pay $54bn (£35bn) to buy smaller rival Cigna in a move aimed at slashing costs.
The biggest healthcare insurer in the US will be created by the historic deal, the largest in the sector.
The tie-up comes weeks after Aetna said it would buy rival Humana for $37bn.
If they are approved by regulators, the two mega-deals would transform the US healthcare industry, consolidating the country's five biggest health insurers to just three, including UnitedHealth.
Forrester analyst Alex Cullen said the deals are being driven by the "huge pressure" on healthcare firms to reduce costs.
"The landscape has changed completely. Firms are now competing to be the 'Amazon' of the healthcare sector. It's a much more consumer-orientated landscape, " he said.
The deal frenzy comes in the wake of rapid change, largely linked to "Obamacare" - President Obama's Affordable Care Act.
The 2010 law was aimed at extending health insurance care to all Americans, including those not covered by their employers, as well as the poor and the elderly.
But the conditions it has imposed on insurance firms, such as banning them from denying health coverage to people with pre-existing health conditions and allowing young people to remain on their parents' plans until the age of 26, is forcing them to become more efficient.
The law has also resulted in marketplaces - with websites akin to online travel and shopping sites - where individuals can compare prices as they shop for coverage, which have also added to pressure to minimise costs.
Merging will give the firms better negotiating powers with drug companies, but critics say the smaller number of providers mean that consumers could end up paying more.
"The business motives are relatively obvious, but we don't know yet if it's good for consumers," said Mr Cullen.
The US spent $2.5 trillion - or 17.4% of GDP - on health care in 2013, according to official figures. Per capita the figure has risen from $4,129 in 2000 to $7,826 in 2013. | Americans will have just three big companies to choose their health insurance from rather than five if the latest deals get the go ahead. | 33658409 |
Its large and strong economy has allowed it to bankroll the bailouts that have kept some of its neighbours - and the euro - afloat.
The graphics below help explain why it is so dominant, and powerful - and also some of the problems it faces.
Germany's large population (the biggest in Europe) and vibrant economy add up to a GDP that far outweighs other European powers.
It also has the strongest export sector and the lowest unemployment of any big European country.
The success of the economy and low unemployment - especially when compared to other EU countries - mean Germany has become a magnet for jobseekers. The number of immigrants has been rising and surpassed a million people in 2012 for the first time since 1995.
They come especially from former communist countries - as well as recession-hit Italy, Spain and Greece - and head for Berlin, the wealthy southern regions, and the industrial west.
Despite Germany's strong economy, not everyone is doing well. Under wage restraint agreements, many people's incomes have barely grown in years, and many people who have jobs still require benefit top-ups.
There is also still a clear divide, 22 years since reunification, between incomes in the old East Germany, and the old West. | Germany, which holds federal elections on 22 September, is Europe's dominant country. | 24166482 |
Barry Rogerson, 45, from Bedlington, Northumberland, squared up to Bud, from West Yorkshire's mounted section, while wearing a scarf over his face.
Almost 100 Newcastle fans were charged following clashes with police after the game at St James' Park.
Rogerson pleaded guilty at Newcastle Crown Court to violent disorder.
He was also given a six-year football banning order.
Judge Paul Sloan QC, said Rogerson had "had plenty of opportunities to move away [from the horse]".
He added: "You stood your ground and attacked the horse by punching it in the head.
"There was a risk of serious injury, the officer could easily have been thrown from the horse and could have sustained serious injury."
Rogerson previously told the BBC he was "not a thug" and was wearing a scarf across his face to stop the cold wind getting into his mouth after a "filling had dropped out".
Ch Supt Gary Calvert said: "The images of Rogerson's behaviour were seen right across the country and further afield through the media and internet coverage of the disorder.
"His behaviour is clearly unacceptable and he was widely condemned by law abiding and right thinking members of the public for his actions.
"In particular, with the next derby just days away, I'm keen to stress that this demonstrates tough action will be taken against anyone involved in such behaviour."
Well-wishers sent Bud, who was not hurt in the attack, presents to his stables and his force's mounted section received messages of support for him on Twitter from concerned members of the public.
He will be on duty on Sunday for the Wear-Tyne derby at the Stadium of Light. | A Newcastle United fan who punched a police horse when trouble flared following his side's defeat to Sunderland has been jailed for a year. | 24650261 |
President Trump told the Journal he had a phone conversation with Apple's chief executive Tim Cook.
"I spoke to (Cook), he's promised me three big plants - big, big, big," said President Trump.
Apple has declined to comment on the report.
President Trump told the Wall Street Journal during the interview that discussed a range of matters including tax reform, that Mr Cook had called him to confirm plans for the plants were "going forward".
During the campaign last year, President Trump made repeated calls for American companies to produce more in the US in order to create jobs and revive the manufacturing sector. Apple was one of the companies that came under fire.
"We're gonna get Apple to start building their damn computers and things in this country, instead of in other countries," Mr Trump said in a speech in January last year.
Apple currently manufactures almost all of its products in China but the company employs developers and designers in the US and buys some of its parts from US-based manufacturers such as Corning.
A few products are also made by contract manufacturers in the US.
In May the Apple chief executive said the company was creating a $1bn fund to invest in advanced manufacturing in the US.
Foxconn, a major contractor for Apple, has said it also plans to invest more than $10bn in a display-making factory in the US, possibly in Wisconsin. | Apple's boss has promised to build three new manufacturing plants in the United States, according to an interview President Donald Trump has given to the Wall Street Journal. | 40723735 |
The inquiry into the Dogan group, which owns Hurriyet newspaper and part owns CNN Turk TV, also involves an interview with an alleged Kurdish PKK militant.
A ceasefire between Turkey and the PKK unravelled in July and the conflict has escalated in recent weeks.
As tensions increased, protesters attacked Hurriyet's offices last week.
Pro-government demonstrators accused the paper of misquoting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
There were also attacks on another newspaper, Daily Sabah, as well as a number of offices belonging to the pro-Kurdish HDP party.
Anadolu news agency said prosecutors moved against Dogan after a pro-government newspaper said Hurriyet had used uncensored pictures of fallen Turkish soldiers.
On Monday, police raided a weekly news magazine, Nokta, seizing copies of its latest issue, whose cover had a mock-up picture, showing President Erdogan taking a selfie at a soldier's funeral.
Insulting the president is considered a crime in Turkey and carries a prison term of more than four years.
Dozens of people have been killed in the conflict in the east of the country, which is taking place as Turks prepare for another general election. In June, the ruling AK Party lost its majority in parliament and has since failed to persuade other parties to join a coalition.
Some of the worst fighting has been in the mainly Kurdish city of Cizre in south-eastern Turkey, where the government says 31 militants have been killed. The HDP says 23 civilians died there.
Critics of Mr Erdogan have accused him of using the collapse of the ceasefire to curb support for the HDP, whose share of the vote in June cost his party its majority.
They also say he has tried to silence both mainstream and social media ahead of 1 November elections.
Mr Erdogan became president in August 2014, after several years as prime minister, and has vowed to bolster the powers of the presidency. | Turkish prosecutors have begun an inquiry into a big media group, after photos were published of dead soldiers, state-run Anadolu news agency says. | 34256762 |
13 March 2017 Last updated at 14:50 GMT
There are a growing number of people who question whether the throne should bypass Prince Charles and go straight to his son, William.
The journalist and monarchist Geoffrey Wheatcroft says Charles has too many controversial views and the throne needs to skip a generation.
He gets on his soapbox for the Daily Politics. | Queen Elizabeth II is the longest-serving monarch and attention is inevitably beginning to focus on what comes after her. | 39258806 |
Former Moderator Dr Sheilagh Kesting, received the award in recognition of her work to improve relations between the two churches.
Dr Kesting, was invested as a Dame of the Order of St Gregory the Great, only the second time it has been awarded to a non-Catholic in the UK.
The award was granted personally by Pope Francis.
Before becoming Moderator of the Kirk's General Assembly in 2007, Dr Kesting worked for 23 years as its Ecumenical Officer.
She said when she received the award at a private dinner given by the Archbishop of St Andrew's and Edinburgh, Leo Cushley, to celebrate her retirement from the ministry, she was initially speechless.
"I am delighted that the relationship between our two churches has become strong enough that this kind of acknowledgement can be given from one to the other, and it means so much that it comes from Pope Francis," she said.
"We have been watching this new Pope with tremendous interest and excitement about the things that he is saying and the encouragement that he is giving to ecumenical relations.
"So to have this honour from Pope Francis just adds to its significance. It is wonderful."
Presenting her with the award, Archbishop Cushley said: "A few months ago when we learned of your retirement we thought we ought to mark it and we thought this would be a nice thing to do.
"So we wrote to the Pope and we asked him if we could have a papal decoration for you and he said yes. So this is from Pope Francis and it is a declaration making you a Dame of the Order of St Gregory the Great."
He added: "We thank you for all you have done to promote better relations among the churches, especially with ourselves."
David Waterton-Anderson of the UK Association of Papal Honours said the Order of St Gregory was not a political award.
He said: "It is a very, very high honour and a very rare thing for a non-Catholic to receive the Order of St Gregory the Great.
"And this honour is something she can be really proud of because it is not political, but only given for good works."
Established in 1831 by Pope Gregory XVI, it is given to recipients "in recognition of their personal service to the Holy See and to the Roman Catholic Church, through their unusual labours, their support of the Holy See, and their excellent examples set forth in their communities and their countries".
It is thought Lady Hazel Sternberg, who died in 2014, is the only other non-Catholic woman in the UK to have been invested as a Dame of the Order of St Gregory. | A leading Church of Scotland minister has been awarded one of the highest honours of the Roman Catholic church. | 37950557 |
The witness told the Rotherham child sexual abuse trial she had gone to live with Karen MacGregor in the 1980s, along with other girls who had been treated "like slaves".
Ms MacGregor is accused of making young girls available for sex with older men.
She and six other defendants deny 60 charges over a 10-year period.
The woman, now aged 43, said Ms Macgregor's house was "often full of Pakistani men".
In a police interview played to the court, she described how Ms MacGregor, now 58, took her upstairs one night with an Asian man after she had been drinking vodka.
The woman said she passed out and woke to find a man sexually assaulting her.
She said she shouted loudly and the man ran off, but nobody came to help.
"I thought she was my second mother but it turned out I was totally wrong," the witness said to officers.
"She must have known. Why didn't she come upstairs?"
Arshid Hussain, 40, High Street, East Cowick, Goole, faces 30 charges, including five counts of rape.
Qurban Ali, 53, Clough Road, Rotherham, faces four charges, including rape and conspiracy to rape.
Majid Bostan, 37, Ledsham Road, Rotherham faces one charge of indecent assault.
Sajid Bostan, 38, Broom Avenue, Rotherham faces seven charges, including four counts of rape,.
Basharat Hussain, 39, of no fixed abode, faces 16 charges including two counts of rape.
Karen MacGregor, 58, Barnsley Road, Wath, South Yorkshire, faces three charges, including conspiracy to rape.
Shelley Davies, 40, Wainwright Road, Kimberworth Park, Rotherham, faces three charges, including conspiracy to rape.
The woman and other girls were made to do housework all the time at Ms MacGregor's home, and the door was locked so they could not leave, the court heard.
"All she wanted us to do was clean," she said.
"We were on our hands and knees all the time scrubbing carpets, settee, washing curtains, washing windows, stairs, changing bedding all the time.
"We were like slaves all the time."
Twelve girls in Rotherham were repeatedly raped, beaten, passed between abusers and used as prostitutes, the court previously heard.
Prosecutors told Sheffield Crown Court the girls were sexually abused from as young as 12, with some becoming pregnant.
The trial continues. | A woman has told a court she woke up in the house of a woman she thought of as a "second mother" to find a man sexually assaulting her. | 35074162 |
The 23-year-old began his career at Stockport County before moving to Scottish champions Celtic in 2009.
Thompson has had loan spells at Rochdale, Peterborough and Chesterfield, and moved to Colchester after his short-term contract at Portsmouth expired.
The defender has not played for the U's since September 2013. | Tranmere Rovers have signed centre-back Josh Thompson on loan from Colchester United until January 2015. | 29758569 |
Northampton Borough Council sold the 4,000-year-old Sekhemka statue in July.
Arts Council England has ruled the council ineligible for a series of grants because of the sale.
The funding was being sought for an exhibition of designer shoes dating from the 19th Century to the present. The council said it was "disappointed".
As well as losing Arts Council "accreditation", the Museums Association has decided to ban the council from membership for five years.
But the authority said it had already decided to resign its membership.
Arts Council England said the sale of Sekhemka breached the accredited standards for how museums managed their collections.
Money from the auction at Christie's was shared with Lord Northampton, whose ancestors donated the statue to Northampton Museum.
The HLF said it had rejected Northampton Council's Collecting Cultures application for £240,400 because it was ineligible for that particular programme.
This programme requires Arts Council eligibility as part of its criteria, a spokeswoman said.
"We would assess any other future applications from the council on their own merits," she said.
The borough council received £130,000 in 2008 from the HLF for a Collecting Cultures project called Trainers, Sneakers, Pumps and Daps.
The council said it understood the HLF had a duty to fund a wide range of projects and was disappointed to miss out. | A council's bid for a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant of £240,400 has been rejected after it sold an ancient Egyptian statue for nearly £16m. | 29903549 |
The US Open champion shot two eagles and five birdies to move to 14 under with fellow American Robert Castro, who posted a second successive 65.
England's Paul Casey, who went round in 66, is three shots adrift in third.
Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy and American Jordan Spieth are tied for 19th on four under after rounds of 72.
We've launched a new BBC Sport newsletter, bringing all the best stories, features and video right to your inbox. You can sign up here. | Dustin Johnson carded a course record nine-under-par 63 to share the lead after two rounds of the BMW Championship in Carmel, Indiana. | 37322027 |
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Double Olympic champion Dujardin, on her World Equestrian Games debut, added freestyle gold to her grand prix special title with a score of 92.161%.
"Riding a horse like Valegro gives you so much confidence," said Dujardin, 29.
Meanwhile, British world number one William Fox-Pitt lies second in the eventing contest ahead of Saturday's cross-country test.
Fox-Pitt and Chilli Morning look well-placed to augment a British medal haul which already includes team dressage silver, two individual titles for Dujardin and four paradressage world gold medals.
Dujardin and Valegro were well clear of Germany's Helen Langehanenberg and Damon Hill NRW, who scored 88.286% for their freestyle test, which differs from other dressage competitions in that riders set their routines to music.
"It's my third time riding that test so it's still very new," said Dujardin. "To do what I've done with it is fantastic.
"After London I didn't think it could get much better, but to go to the Europeans in 2013 and come away with two golds and now to come away with another two golds and a team silver, I just couldn't have asked for any more."
Michael Eilberg came eighth on Half Moon Delphi and Carl Hester, Dujardin's mentor, placed 12th on Nip Tuck.
Eventer Fox-Pitt and Chilli Morning impressed to score just 37.5 penalties in their dressage test, but were beaten by Germany's Sandra Auffarth and Opgun Luovo on 35.2.
"It was definitely the best test he's ever done," said Fox-Pitt - individual silver medallist four years ago - of Chilli Morning.
Nicola Wilson is the next British rider in 16th with Annie Clover. GB lie fifth in the team standings, which are also led by Germany.
Two fences have been withdrawn from the cross-country course after intense rain earlier in the week saturated the ground at Haras du Pin, a noted French national stud an hour south of Caen.
"The cross-country course is serious. It's a good track, quite hilly and certainly undulating. Add the soft ground to it and you've got a serious track." | Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro won their first freestyle dressage world title for Great Britain in France. | 28989150 |
16 November 2016 Last updated at 11:30 GMT
Anglesey Sea Zoo have confirmed the visitor is an Olive Ridley turtle - a species usually found in the much warmer waters around Mexico.
They think she is female, and have named her Menai.
It's the first time this type of turtle has ever been found swimming around the UK, and staff are surprised that she survived in the cold Welsh sea.
Now, they're looking after her by warming her up and rehydrating her and they say she's doing well.
Welcome to the UK, Menai! | Zoo staff are taking care of a rare tropical turtle who washed up unexpectedly in Wales. | 37999597 |
It topped the rundown with combined chart sales of 38,000, according to the Official Charts Company.
The achievement comes after the group were named best British newcomer at the Brit Awards earlier this year.
"It's class to be number one with the new album. We're made up with that. Thank you!" the band told the Official Charts Company.
Drake's Views held firm at two in the chart, while Beyonce's Lemonade climbed one place to number three.
Coldplay's A Head Full of Dreams jumped four places to four in anticipation of their Wembley Arena dates later this month, and ABC entered the chart at five with The Lexicon of Love II, their first top 10 in 26 years.
Fifth Harmony were another new entry at six with their second album 7/27, while last week's number one - Ariana Grande's Dangerous Woman - tumbled to number eight.
In the singles chart, Drake notched up his eighth week at the top with his single One Dance.
The track is now the longest-running UK chart-topper since Rihanna's Umbrella, which racked up an unbroken 10-week run at the summit in 2007.
One Dance sold just shy of 85,000 combined chart sales, made up of 23,000 sales and 6.15 million streams.
This week's highest new entry goes to Clean Bandit and Louisa Johnson's new single Tears, which dropped in at number six.
The track gives last year's X Factor winner a second top 10, following her number nine peak with the winner's single Forever Young.
US singer-songwriter Gnash enters the top 10 for the first time with I Hate You, I Love You, up four spots to number eight.
There are two more big climbers: Cheat Codes and Kris Kross Amsterdam's Sex - a reworking of Salt-N-Pepa's Let's Talk About Sex - which lifts six places to number 14; and Pink's Just Like Fire jumped 14 spots to 22. | Catfish and the Bottlemen have hit number one in the album chart with their second record The Ride. | 36443119 |
Betis left-back Riza Durmisi opened the scoring with a first-half free-kick, before Gabriel Mercado levelled from close range after the break.
Vicente Iborra stabbed home the winner with 14 minutes to play after Steven N'Zonzi flicked on Samir Nasri's free-kick from what appeared to be an offside position.
Madrid play on Sunday, as do Barcelona.
Zinedine Zidane's side play at Villarreal in a 19:45 GMT kick-off, and Barca, who now drop to third, travel to Atletico Madrid for a 15:15 kick-off.
In the earlier game on Saturday, Alaves came from behind to beat Valencia 2-1 at home.
Alaves, who play Barca in the Copa del Rey final on 26 May, move up to 10th, while Valencia, who beat Real Madrid 2-1 on Wednesday, stay 14th.
Match ends, Real Betis 1, Sevilla 2.
Second Half ends, Real Betis 1, Sevilla 2.
Attempt saved. Vitolo (Sevilla) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Wissam Ben Yedder.
Attempt missed. Riza Durmisi (Real Betis) left footed shot from outside the box is too high from a direct free kick.
Jonas Martin (Real Betis) is shown the yellow card.
Foul by Vitolo (Sevilla).
Álex Alegría (Real Betis) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Vitolo (Sevilla).
Jonas Martin (Real Betis) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Nico Pareja (Sevilla) is shown the yellow card.
Hand ball by Dani Ceballos (Real Betis).
Substitution, Real Betis. Felipe Gutiérrez replaces Petros.
Corner, Sevilla. Conceded by Cristiano Piccini.
Cristiano Piccini (Real Betis) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Sergio Escudero (Sevilla) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Cristiano Piccini (Real Betis).
Attempt saved. Aissa Mandi (Real Betis) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Foul by Vicente Iborra (Sevilla).
Álex Alegría (Real Betis) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Gabriel Mercado (Sevilla).
Álex Alegría (Real Betis) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Sevilla. Joaquín Correa replaces Stevan Jovetic.
Steven N'Zonzi (Sevilla) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jonas Martin (Real Betis).
Foul by Samir Nasri (Sevilla).
Dani Ceballos (Real Betis) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Adil Rami (Sevilla).
Álex Alegría (Real Betis) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Goal! Real Betis 1, Sevilla 2. Vicente Iborra (Sevilla) right footed shot from very close range to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Steven N'Zonzi following a set piece situation.
Attempt missed. Steven N'Zonzi (Sevilla) with an attempt from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Samir Nasri with a cross following a set piece situation.
Substitution, Real Betis. Jonas Martin replaces Alin Tosca.
Substitution, Real Betis. Álex Alegría replaces Antonio Sanabria.
Gabriel Mercado (Sevilla) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Antonio Sanabria (Real Betis).
Attempt missed. Steven N'Zonzi (Sevilla) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Sergio Escudero with a cross.
Attempt missed. Wissam Ben Yedder (Sevilla) left footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Sergio Escudero with a cross.
Nico Pareja (Sevilla) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Dani Ceballos (Real Betis).
Corner, Sevilla. Conceded by Alin Tosca.
Attempt blocked. Stevan Jovetic (Sevilla) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Samir Nasri with a cross. | Sevilla came from behind to beat Real Betis in their local derby and move level with La Liga leaders Real Madrid. | 39070190 |
Police said the woman was in a serious condition after being rescued from the River Usk at about 20:20 GMT on Friday.
Firefighters, police, a coastguard rescue team and the ambulance service were all sent to the scene.
The woman, who was in the water for about 15 minutes, was treated at the city's Royal Gwent Hospital. Her current condition is not known. | A 72-year-old woman has been treated for the effects of exposure after falling into a river in Newport. | 34953125 |
China-based FUN88 will replace payday loans company Wonga as shirt sponsor for the next three seasons in a deal thought to worth about £8m a year.
The Magpies are returning to the Premier League after spending the last season in the Championship.
The club said FUN88 would be supporting "a number of fan initiatives" to be unveiled later.
Newcastle's managing director Lee Charnley said: "It was important for us to find the right partner and in FUN88, we have a shirt sponsor that understands the club and brings significant benefits commercially.
"The relationship will enable the club and FUN88 to enhance our respective global profiles together as we celebrate a landmark season and embark on the exciting Premier League campaign ahead.
"As part of a three-year agreement, FUN88 will feature proudly on the club's famous black and white stripes, starting with an historic season as the club celebrates its 125th anniversary."
FUNN88 director Nathan Walker added: "It's a hugely exciting time to partner with one of the most famous clubs in English football.
"Our previous sponsorships in English football have delivered great results and I'm certain Newcastle United provides us with a platform to move to new heights.
"We are looking forward to engaging with the club's huge fan base in Newcastle and worldwide."
FUN88, which was founded in 2008, have had previous deals with Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley FC.
Newcastle's split with Wonga came after the payday lender suffered huge losses of more than £80m in 2015. | Newcastle United has revealed a Far Eastern online gaming firm as its new main sponsor. | 39926698 |
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At Euro 2016, there were violent clashes between Russian and English supporters in Marseille.
One Russian fan, speaking as part of a BBC documentary to be broadcast on Thursday, said trouble is "100% guaranteed" at the 2018 World Cup.
Infantino also said the 2026 event could be hosted by multiple countries.
The president said he has "full confidence" in the Russian authorities to combat any trouble next summer, adding they are taking the matter "very seriously."
He also said World Cup organisers were already putting in place plans to prevent any trouble at next summer's World Cup and would "learn" from the problems at Euro 2016.
"They have been in contact with Uefa and French organisers to learn the lessons from France," he said.
"As part of this, the Russian government has put in place an ID system which will help us when it comes to any potential trouble."
Watch Russia's Hooligan Army, BBC Two, Thursday 16 February at 21:00 GMT.
Infantino said the host countries for the 2026 World Cup, would "ideally" be close to one another for "the ease of travel".
Football's world governing body agreed in January on a 48-team competition in 2026. The bidding process has not begun yet for the tournament.
"It is perfectly in line with our sustainability and legacy to maybe bring together two, three, four countries who can jointly present a project with three, four, five stadiums each," said Infantino, speaking during a visit to Qatar on Thursday.
The next European Championship, to be held in 2020, is being hosted across 13 cities.
Qatar is hosting the 2022 World Cup and is spending almost $500m (£400m) a week on major infrastructure projects in preparation.
Infantino says he is confident the stadiums and infrastructure will be ready in time, but added "a lot remains to be done".
BBC Radio 5 live sports news correspondent Richard Conway
Bidding for the 2026 World Cup is likely to begin later this year.
It will be an expanded tournament, featuring 48 teams.
Infantino says he wants to encourage three or even four countries to group together to stage games.
This, he feels, would be in line with ensuring the World Cup is sustainable - a criticism Fifa often faces given the huge costs single countries must foot to stage the event.
The USA is the early favourite to win the 2026 bid but co-hosting with Canada and even Mexico, despite the current political and border difficulties with the Trump administration, now looks a real possibility.
The move is also politically astute for Mr Infantino, who will likely stand for re-election as Fifa's leader in 2019.
Many smaller nations will welcome the opportunity to stage at least part of the sport's premier competition, something he hopes they will remember come polling day. | Fifa president Gianni Infantino says he is "not at all concerned" by the threat of hooliganism at next year's World Cup in Russia. | 38992310 |
The collision happened on the Comber Road at about 23:40 BST on Thursday.
Police said the man's motorcycle "collided with a roundabout".
No other vehicles were involved in the crash. | A motorcyclist in his 50s has been killed in a crash in Newtownards, County Down. | 36983800 |
A complaint was made to the PSNI because the posters did not follow electoral commission regulations.
The posters did not include the name of the printer or publisher, which is required of all printed election material.
The posters were replaced after Mr Beattie was alerted by the PSNI.
It comes one day after the DUP candidate in the same constituency blamed a "printing error" for an inaccurate claim in his promotional leaflet about visiting soldiers in Afghanistan.
In a statement, Mr Beattie said: "I have been informed that a number of my election posters which had been recycled from previous elections, did not have an imprint which included the name of the printer and my current election agent.
"As the candidate I have to take full responsibility and apologise to anyone who was offended by my original recycled posters.
"Someone took the time to contact the police and as soon as they made me aware of the issue, I acted swiftly and have removed the offending posters and replaced them with new posters which do bear the correct imprint." | The Ulster Unionist MLA and Upper Bann Westminster candidate Doug Beattie has apologised after he was forced to remove and replace election posters. | 39976640 |
Police said Saleem Shahzad's body was found in a canal in Mandi Baha Uddin in Pakistan's northern Gujarat district.
Earlier, Human Rights Watch researcher Ali Dayan Hasan said he had "credible information" that Shahzad was in the custody of Pakistani intelligence.
He recently wrote an article about al-Qaeda infiltration in Pakistan's navy.
He reported that the militant group had launched the deadly assault on the Mehran base in Karachi, the headquarters of the navy's air wing, on 22 May because talks had failed over the release of several naval personnel arrested on suspicion of links to al-Qaeda affiliates.
At least 14 people were killed and two navy warplanes destroyed.
On Monday, a former navy commando and his brother were detained for their alleged role in helping plan the raid, which embarrassed the military.
Shahzad's family said he had disappeared after leaving his home in Islamabad on Sunday evening and heading to a television station to participate in a talkshow.
They immediately issued statements saying they feared for his safety.
By M Ilyas KhanBBC News, Islamabad
Saleem Shahzad's death has shocked journalists across Pakistan. But the horror is not so much caused by the death itself - it is the widely held belief that he was in the custody of the ISI intelligence agency when he was killed.
In the past, journalists trying to poke their noses into the geostrategic games of the Pakistani intelligence community have been picked up and given a dose of what they might expect if they cross the line. Some of them gradually faded away as avenues of reporting closed for them. Others learned their lesson, quit their bases, or reverted to "responsible" journalism, as it is known in Pakistan. Though none of them spoke publicly about their ordeals, other journalists were aware of what was going on.
Those working for comparatively little known or less influential media groups - like Shahzad did - have been more vulnerable. In a country where journalists have borne the brunt of political as well as religious extremism, the thought of state institutions also joining the persecution has always been an uncomfortable one. The feeling that these institutions might actually kill journalists in cold blood is more dreadful than killings by extremists.
The 40-year-old's body was found by local residents in a canal in the Sarai Alamgir area of Mandi Baha Uddin, some 150km (93 miles) south-east of the capital. His car was found about 10km (six miles) away.
The head of Margalla police station in Islamabad, Fayaz Tanoli, told the BBC that the local police force took photographs of the body and informed his officers on Monday that it might be Shahzad's.
The photographs were shown to Shahzad's brother-in-law, Hamza Amir, who identified the remains. Police said he had cuts to his face.
Relatives later travelled to Sarai Alamgir to confirm he was dead.
Mr Hasan of Human Rights Watch said Shahzad had recently complained about being threatened by the intelligence arm of the Pakistan military, the Inter Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI).
After writing one article in October, Shahzad was summoned to an ISI office, where an intelligence officer issued what appeared to be a veiled threat, he added. Shahzad sent him notes of the meeting "in case something happens to me or my family".
"The perpetrators of this murder have to be identified through a transparent inquiry and due process, and must be held accountable. However, Human Rights Watch is aware that Saleem Shahzad had claimed to have received multiple threats from the ISI, and we regard those threats as credible," Mr Hasan said in a statement.
"While it is yet to be determined who killed him, the manner of his killing is reminiscent of other incidents where there was credible intelligence of involvement by Pakistan intelligence services."
Mr Hasan said he had been told by some Pakistani government officials that they believed Shahzad was in ISI custody.
A senior Pakistani intelligence official told the Associated Press it was "absurd" to say that the ISI had anything to do with Shahzad's death.
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists said: "We are losing our professional colleagues but the government never unearths who is behind the killing of journalists."
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has expressed his heartfelt condolences to Shahzad's family and ordered an immediate inquiry into his kidnapping and murder.
Shahzad, who had a wife and three children, worked for the Italian news agency Adnkronos International (AKI) and was Pakistan bureau chief for Asia Times Online.
Human rights groups recently called Pakistan the most dangerous place in the world for journalists to operate, saying they were under threat from Islamist militants but also Pakistan's military and intelligence agencies. | A Pakistani journalist who was feared abducted after he went missing on Sunday has been found dead, his family has confirmed. | 13599172 |
Andy Bell's name will remain on the ballot paper for the election of the new Denny and Banknock councillor.
However, a Labour spokesman said the party had "withdrawn its support".
The Daily Record newspaper reported that Mr Bell had made anti-Catholic remarks on Facebook.
The by-election, taking place on Thursday, was called after SNP ward councillor John McNally was elected MP for Falkirk at May's general election.
A statement from Scottish Labour said: "Andy Bell has been suspended by the Labour Party pending an investigation.
"Although it is too late for Mr Bell to be removed from the ballot, the party has withdrawn any support for him as a by-election candidate." | A Labour candidate standing in a Falkirk Council by-election has been suspended pending an investigation over sectarian comments he was said to have made on social media. | 33888551 |
British Cycling has been accused of bullying and sexism towards athletes and is under investigation.
Rowsell Shand said: "My experience of British Cycling did not reflect that."
But, the Briton said she "did not want to dismiss anybody's accusations" and "everybody should be taken seriously".
Last year she said she was "surprised" London 2012 Olympian Jess Varnish claimed British Cycling's technical director Shane Sutton made sexist comments to her.
Rowsell Shand won Olympic gold in the team pursuit in 2012 and 2016 before retiring in March this year aged 28.
"The sport of cycling internationally still has some huge inequalities between men and women - and that is the same across many sports," she told BBC Sport.
"But I think British Cycling is probably one of the best governing bodies in the world at trying to promote equality between men and women.
"We would not have won what we won if we had not had the support from British Cycling so for me I honestly feel that my medal was worth the same as the men's equivalent."
An independent review into the culture at British Cycling was launched last year after ex-riders complained about their treatment.
British Cycling published a 39-point action plan last month to address the draft findings of the investigation and started work on the development of a code of conduct as part of its response.
"No organisation is perfect but I think you should strive for perfection," Rowsell Shand said.
"British Cycling have already done a 39-point plan of areas they want to improve on which I think it very proactive."
However, Rowsell Shand reiterated that her support for British Cycling does not mean that she thinks the accusations are not serious.
"I think if somebody feels that they've been bullied it's very easy for somebody else to think it was just banter, but I think these things should be absolutely taken really seriously," she said. | Two-time Olympic champion Joanna Rowsell Shand says British Cycling is "one of the best" governing bodies in the world at promoting equality despite the organisation's ongoing crisis. | 39590101 |
The Haas driver joins Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and chairman Alexander Wurz in the leading roles after Button stepped down following his decision not to race in 2017.
Grosjean, 31, said: "I am proud to have been elected by my peers.
"We race drivers don't always hold the same opinion but we are united in wanting the best for our sport."
Grosjean's appointment means he will be campaigning officially for the introduction of additional head protection in F1, something to which he is personally opposed. The vast majority of drivers are in favour of such a system.
Grosjean said at the Russian Grand Prix last weekend that he was "not a fan" of either the 'halo' system - a metal structure that arches over the driver's shoulders and meets in a central point at the front of the cockpit - which has been proved to work but is meeting opposition, or the new 'shield' that was last week prioritised by governing body the FIA.
The FIA is committed to introducing additional head protection in 2018 but time is running out.
The halo, which has been extensively tested and proved to work, is unpopular, and the shield is still in its infancy and will not run on track until September - almost certainly too late for it to be adopted next season.
Grosjean has already been active in pushing for additional head protection as a member of the GPDA, despite his own feelings.
BBC Sport has been told that at a meeting between the drivers and the new bosses of F1, chairman Chase Carey and sporting boss Ross Brawn sought close co-operation with the drivers on future developments in the sport.
Grosjean himself pointed out to Carey and Brawn they should use the GPDA as the body they dealt with because it represented the drivers' collective opinion, free of influence by the teams on political issues.
And Wurz backs the idea of debates and differing opinions so the drivers can have constructive conversations that establish a majority opinion.
Head protection is just one small part of the GPDA's work in F1.
It also:
But Wurz said he feared the debate over head protection had been politicised.
"Drivers prefer to support F1, and that means some topics should not be debated in the media, because safety should at no point become a political matter, as the halo has become," Wurz said.
"This comment is not about whether the halo is the right or wrong thing to do, but about the general process of developing a new safety device in F1."
The halo was initially developed by Mercedes, and was followed up by the FIA and the teams with the aim of reducing the risk of head injuries.
But the debate has widened into whether it is the right approach philosophically for F1.
It was initially slated for introduction in 2017 but was delayed by a year so further tests could be carried out. These were all passed successfully but now the shield system has been given priority and some insiders suspect that a move is being made behind the scenes to delay head protection again.
Wurz said the GPDA backed the direction F1 had taken in 2017, with new rules producing faster, more demanding cars.
The drivers were instrumental in campaigning for the introduction of tyres on which drivers could push hard for many laps at a time, replacing the previous design which needed careful management.
He added that the GPDA was also supportive of Brawn's desire to research new aerodynamic rules that would allow cars to follow each other more closely, and of the general direction of F1, as laid out by Carey to the drivers in meetings since the new owners took over in January. | Frenchman Romain Grosjean has replaced Jenson Button as a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association. | 39798317 |
It follows news that some providers will not allow the over 55s to withdraw money from their pension pots as they wish.
Other companies are charging hundreds of pounds for advice.
But Ros Altmann, the pensions minister, said the reforms - which started in April - must be given a chance to work.
"If things aren't working properly, we will take action," she told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"But let's give these reforms a chance; let's see how they work; the idea is right."
Under the government changes, anyone over the age of 55 now has the ability to withdraw as much money as they like from their pension savings, subject to income tax.
But some companies are refusing to offer the full range of freedoms.
Friends Life, for example, has written to 1300 customers, telling them they can either buy an annuity, or withdraw all their savings at once.
But savers are not allowed to draw down a pension, or take out smaller amounts - something which would enable pensions pots to be used like bank accounts.
The company told the BBC it was planning to offer partial withdrawals "in due course", but could not say when.
It is not compulsory for providers to offer the full range of flexibility.
However Lord McFall, a former chairman of the Treasury Select Committee, said the government ought to intervene.
He said charges for customer advice could be excessive.
"You can find that a third of the pension pot can be taken away in pension charges," he told the BBC.
However pension providers are obliged to give consumers advice in certain circumstances - particularly with older-style defined contribution schemes, and defined benefit schemes where the pot is worth more than £30,000.
Providing such advice can be time-consuming, so providers say they have to charge appropriately.
Ros Altmann said the government might consider capping charges, if there is evidence they are too high.
"We have powers in the legislation to impose caps on charges, and if necessary to force companies to behave much better." | The government will not intervene immediately to force pension providers to deliver on promised freedoms, the pensions minister has told the BBC. | 33079656 |
The Belgium international, 22, is set to move to the Premier League club in a £33m (40m euros) deal on Sunday.
Batshuayi, who scored 23 goals in all competitions for Marseille last season, will be new manager Antonio Conte's first signing at Stamford Bridge.
"This should be formalised tomorrow, I will leave Olympic Marseille this summer," Batshuayi wrote on Twitter.
Batshuayi came on as a substitute in Belgium's 3-1 Euro 2016 quarter-final defeat by Wales on Friday.
The Brussels-born forward, who signed for Marseille from Standard Liege in 2014, came off the bench to score in Belgium's 4-0 win win over Hungary in the last 16 on Monday.
He was linked with several Premier League clubs, and Crystal Palace reportedly agreed a fee with Ligue 1 side Marseille earlier this week. | Chelsea target Michy Batshuayi has confirmed that he will leave Ligue 1 side Marseille this summer. | 36661597 |
That's clearly true among Labour MPs. The vast majority of them are backing Remain, with only eight supporting leaving the EU.
But what about the wider party and its supporters? Kate Hoey, one of the Labour MPs who backs Brexit, claimed that beyond Westminster the picture was different. "We are in a minority in Parliament but we're not a minority in the country in terms of Labour supporters."
So who is right?
Looking at opinion polls it seems that it's the party leader. All polls on the EU referendum break down voters by voting intention or how participants voted at the General Election. In any single poll, the number of Labour voters is probably too small to draw firm conclusions, and there will always be uncertainty about the precise figures, but over many polls a clear pattern emerges.
In the last 10 published EU referendum polls the figures for Labour voters break down as:
Remain: 60%
Leave: 26%
Don't know/won't vote: 14%
(Sources: BMG, ICM, Opinium, ORB, TNS, YouGov)
Excluding "don't knows" that makes it 70:30 in favour of Remain. The equivalent figures for Conservative voters are 54% to 44% in favour of Leave.
There was also one poll in February of Labour Party members and registered supporters. That reported an even more one-sided picture: 81% for Remain, 11% for Leave, with 8% unsure. Again, we should treat the precise figures with caution but it's a pretty emphatic result.
(YouGov, 11-15 February 2016, sample: 1,217 Labour Party members and registered supporters)
Reality Check verdict: We have all learned to be suspicious of polling data, but it seems Jeremy Corbyn is right that he leads a party whose members and supporters back Remain by a large margin.
Read more: The facts behind claims in the EU debate | Jeremy Corbyn said on Thursday: "The Labour Party's overwhelmingly for staying in." | 36048266 |
Sotheby's said five bidders competed for La Belle Romaine, pushing its price well past its $40m (£24.8m) estimate.
The painting, part of a series of nudes created around 1917, was purchased by an anonymous buyer.
Modigliani's previous auction record was 43.2m euros (£35.8m), set earlier this year in Paris.
"We are delighted with the results of our sale," said Sotheby's Simon Shaw.
"It was a great night for Modigliani... that price represents over four times the price realised when it was sold at Sotheby's in 1999," he added.
Another painting by the artist - Jeanne Hebuterne (au chapeau) - one of the first portraits he painted of his lover, sold for $19.1m (£11.8m), high above its estimate of $9-12m (£5.6-7.4m).
The artist, who lived from 1884 to 1920, originally focused on sculpture but switched to painting in part because of health problems.
Other top-priced works at the Impressionist and Modern Art sale included a canvas from Monet's famous water lily paintings, which fetched $24.7m (£15.3m) and Matisse's Danseuse dans le fauteuil, sol en damier, which sold for $20.8m (£12.9m). | A painting of a nude by Amedeo Modigliani has sold for more than $68.9m (£42.7m) at an auction in New York - a record for the artist's work. | 11682850 |
He came to office as the first leftist leader in Brazil in nearly half a century. And he left eight years later, after serving two terms as president, enjoying exceptionally high popularity ratings for a retiring Latin American leader.
His 2002 election victory marked the end of an unprecedented journey from abject poverty to the presidency of Brazil.
Lula came to power promising major reforms to the country's political and economic system.
He vowed to eradicate hunger and create a self-confident, caring, outward-looking nation.
Analysts say it was because of some of his government's social programmes, which benefited tens of millions of Brazilians, that Lula retained his popularity.
He raised Brazil's profile on the international scene and presided over Brazil's longest period of economic growth in three decades, they say.
Unable to stand for a third consecutive term, he was succeeded by close ally Dilma Rousseff, who was later impeached.
The economic boom also gave way to recession, and the country's political scene was rocked by a huge investigation into alleged top-level corruption, known as Operation Car Wash.
Lula was among those to get caught up in the scandal and in July 2017 he was convicted of corruption and sentenced to more than nine years in prison. He is currently free pending an appeal.
He also faces other charges of money laundering, influence peddling and obstruction of justice. Lula has repeatedly denied the accusations, and his supporters say he has been unfairly targeted.
Lula's life began in humble circumstances.
The son of a poor, illiterate peasant family, Lula worked as a peanut seller and shoe-shine boy as a child, only learning to read when he was 10 years old.
He went on to train as a metal worker and found work in an industrial city near Sao Paulo, where he lost the little finger of his left hand in an accident in the 1960s.
Lula was not initially interested in politics but threw himself into trade union activism after his first wife died of hepatitis in 1969.
Elected leader of the 100,000-strong Metalworkers' Union in 1975, he transformed trade union activism in Brazil by turning what had mostly been government-friendly organisations into a powerful independent movement.
In 1980, Lula brought together a combination of trade unionists, intellectuals, Trotskyites and church activists to found the Workers' Party (PT), the first major socialist party in the country's history.
The PT went on to gradually replace its revolutionary commitment to changing the power structure in Brazil with a more pragmatic, social democratic platform.
Before his 2002 election victory, Lula had previously lost three times and he began to believe his party would never win power nationally without forming alliances and keeping powerful economic players onside.
His coalition in that election included a small right-wing party and he carefully courted business leaders both in Brazil and abroad.
The Workers' Party manifesto reflected these sometimes conflicting visions but overall remained committed to prioritising the poor, encouraging grassroots participation and defending ethical government.
In his time in office, Lula pumped billions of dollars into social programmes and can reasonably claim to have helped reverse Brazil's historic inequalities.
By increasing the minimum wage well above the rate of inflation and broadening state help to the most impoverished with a family grant programme, the Bolsa Familia, he helped some 44 million people and cemented his support among the poor.
However, many commentators argue that the programme failed to address the structural problems that underpin poverty, such as education.
There was also some criticism of the country's economic performance under Lula. Although Brazil saw steady annual growth, some business leaders argued it lost its competitive edge against international rivals.
Nonetheless, his government quelled fears in financial markets by keeping the economy stable and achieving a budget surplus.
Shortly after leaving office, Lula was diagnosed with throat cancer. He even shaved his trademark beard during treatment. Doctors declared him cured of the disease in 2012.
His wife, Marisa Leticia da Silva, died in February 2017, after suffering a brain haemorrhage.
Prior to his conviction, many of his supporters had called for his return to politics. They saw him as a viable candidate to run for the presidency in 2018, and polls had placed him as the forerunner for the job.
Brazil, though, is not the same. After the commodities boom came to an end, the country descended into its worst recession in 25 years.
And the Car Wash corruption scandal has also been a blow to the Workers' Party image, analysts say. | It took Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva four attempts before he was finally elected as Brazil's president in 2002. | 10841416 |
Completion of the main building work was marked at the Cubric centre at Cardiff University, which will have one of the most sophisticated MRI scanners in the world.
It will allow scientists to look at how brains work in minute detail.
The hope is to understand more about the causes of conditions like dementia, multiple sclerosis and schizophrenia.
Cubric at Maindy Park, which opens in a year, will bring together four hi-tech scanners to look at how the brain works and what is exactly happening when things go wrong.
One of the scanners is a European-first and will allow scientists to study brain cells only 1000th of a millimetre across.
The hope is to make important breakthroughs in treating conditions over the next 20 years.
Prof Derek Jones, Cubric director, said: "It's the most exciting and important development in neuro-imaging in the last 10 years.
"It's going to be the largest imaging centre built in Europe, which is going to allow us to expand massively the breadth and depth of imaging we can do."
The new Connectome - or micro-structure scanner - is being supported by the Welsh government to the tune of £3.4m.
It will be a first outside the United States and allow scientists to unravel the full connectivity map of the human brain and hopefully unlock many of its secrets.
Prof Jones compares the conventional scanner to pointing a telescope at a galaxy and seeing a blur.
The Connectome will enable scientists to focus on what lies there for the first time.
"We will be able look in exquisite detail at the information we get from brain cells and can start to look at how these affect how the brain connections vary and how people perform in different tasks," he said.
Within 10 years, the team hopes to know more about the biology of the brain within a whole range of disorders and, within 20 years, "to do something about it".
It will be a shared resource across Europe, with interested collaborators in the United States, Taiwan and China.
Health Minister Mark Drakeford, who visited the site for a topping-out ceremony, said: "There will be things that go on here that we know won't go on anywhere else in Europe".
He said it would attract some of the top researchers from around the world and was a "significant development for Wales".
"We want to make sure that research translates into treatments and that's why as a government we've put our money alongside others into what you see today". | A new £44m brain research imaging centre has reached an important milestone. | 32483208 |
The Olympic flame arrives in the UK on 18 May and begins its 70-day journey at Land's End on the morning of 19 May.
Visiting every nation and region on its 8,000 mile journey, it will stop off at landmarks including Durdle Door, Dorset, and Blackpool Tower before heading to the Olympic Park for the opening ceremony of the Games on 27 July.
The BBC's home of 2012: Latest Olympic news, sport, culture, torch relay, video and audio | A list of significant places the London 2012 Olympic torch relay will visit, as it makes its journey around the UK, has been revealed. | 17433555 |
The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) also called for improvements on the most congested part of the M62 to be sped up.
It said the region needed "immediate and very significant investment".
The government will commit £300m for transport projects later this week.
More details are expected in the Budget on Wednesday, although almost half of the money committed was announced in last year's Autumn Statement.
Chancellor George Osborne will commit £75m to explore plans for a new trans-Pennine road tunnel and bring forward £161m for upgrades to the M62 Liverpool-Hull motorway.
The former Labour transport secretary and chair of the NIC, Lord Adonis, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that transport improvements in the north of England were already being undertaken.
He said these projects - including the electrification of the railway line between Manchester and Leeds - should be "seen as the first stage on the road" towards HS3.
Lord Adonis said electrification of the Manchester-to-Leeds railway line would bring journey times down to 40 minutes, with HS3 cutting journey times to 30 minutes.
"This is going to be a phased approach. It's not going to be one big bang like HS2, which is the creation of a completely new line for nothing," he told the BBC.
"It will be a mixture of improving the current line and stretches of new line to deliver two objectives: big cuts in journey times between the big northern cities, from Liverpool in the west to Hull in the east, and also big improvements in capacity, so you can have much more regular trains as well as faster trains."
It is widely acknowledged that poor transport is holding up growth across the north of England.
The roads across the Pennines haven't been widened since 1971. There's only one fast train an hour between Manchester and Sheffield.
There have been many, many reports over the years saying that transport in the north of England is underfunded and buckling under the strain.
Line them up end to end, they might just stretch across the Pennines.
The reality is, far more is spent on transport in the South than in the North - that is, per head, not total amounts.
And any dramatic improvements to trains over the Pennines would cost billions and take more than a decade to happen. There isn't even a proper plan yet.
In its report, the NIC said: "Leeds and Manchester are just 40 miles apart, but there is no quick and easy way to travel between the two. In rush-hour, it can take more than two hours by car; by train, it can be almost an hour.
"So we should kick-start HS3 across the Pennines and slash journey times to just 30 minutes. But we must not wait decades for change - journey times should be cut to 40 minutes by 2022."
A plan should be drawn up by 2017, the report said.
Lord Adonis also said that improvements to the M62 should ensure that road journeys between Liverpool and Leeds would be cut by up to 20%.
Other recommendations include redeveloping Manchester Piccadilly train station and incorporating key parts of the north in the HS2 train network.
The NIC was set up by the government last year to advise on long-term projects to boost the economy.
A full blueprint for HS3 will be drawn up next year. | HS3, the planned fast rail link between Manchester and Leeds, needs "kick-starting" as part of a broader plan to improve transport links in northern England, a report has concluded. | 35807472 |
Klay Thompson led a fourth-quarter rally scoring an NBA play-off record 11 three-pointers and a career play-off best 41 points.
The winner of Monday's game seven at Oakland will face the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA finals.
The Cavs beat Toronto Raptors 4-2 in the Eastern Conference.
After surrendering a 3-1 series lead, the Thunder must win on a court where the Warriors have lost only twice all season.
Thompson said. "We were down almost the whole game. We never gave up and our resilience got us through. We kept our composure. We knew if we didn't get it done we were going home."
Steph Curry, named the NBA's most valuable player, also played a key part in the Warriors' victory, adding 29 points - 10 rebounds and nine assists. | Golden State Warriors beat hosts Oklahoma City Thunder 108-101 to force a decider in the best-of-seven Western Conference final. | 36407753 |
The base sits on the Brunt Ice Shelf, and is the sixth such UK facility to be erected at this location since 1957.
Together with Rothera on the Antarctic Peninsula, it will spearhead UK science on the White Continent.
Halley gathers important weather and climate data, and it played a critical role in the research that identified the ozone "hole" in 1985.
In recent years, Halley has also become a major centre for studying solar activity and the impacts it can have on Earth.
This is most evident in the beautiful auroras that form over the base - the consequence of particles from the Sun crashing into air molecules high in the atmosphere.
Halley VI's researchers now have a state-of-the-art complex from which to monitor these phenomena.
Perhaps the most striking thing about the new station is its appearance.
"It looks like something in space," says architect Hugh Broughton.
The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) station comprises eight modules in all. The seven blue ones are work and habitation units. The central red module, which is on two storeys, is the social hub where residents can gather to relax. It contains the dining room, the bar and even a gym.
The entire base stands on a hydraulic leg and ski system that allows it to be raised above the annual snowfall, and periodically to be towed closer to land.
If these adjustments were not to happen, the station would eventually be buried and carried to the ice edge where it would then be dropped into the ocean.
Halley bases I to IV were abandoned to this fate. The new design makes the adjustments easier and less labour intensive.
The station was constructed in large part in South Africa and then shipped to the Antarctic in easy-to-assemble units.
"The idea was to prefabricate as much as possible," explained Karl Tuplin, the project manager for the Halley VI building programme.
"Room pods, bedrooms, bathrooms - they were all made in advance. Mechanical, electrical services - the wires and piping - came in cassettes that were just slotted into place."
The hope is, some refurbishment notwithstanding, the new Halley can last 30-40 years before a wholly new structure is required.
"The feedback has been great," Mr Broughton told BBC News. "In the last station, not everyone had a window from their bedroom. Now everyone's got a view. The acoustics are better, and there're more opportunities to rest. But also the working conditions are much better and there's a far greater array of different scientific experiments now possible at Halley VI compared to Halley V."
The old station has just been dismantled and all its parts removed from the Antarctic.
[email protected] and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos | Britain's new Halley research station in the Antarctic goes into full operation this month. | 21341044 |
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