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A woman, referred to as Mrs D, died at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Llantrisant a day after being admitted in November 2012.
The public services ombudsman for Wales found Cwm Taf health board took too long to investigate her son's complaint and said there was a "lack of transparency" in its response.
The health board has apologised.
A report by the ombudsman said Mrs D was "acutely unwell" when she was admitted to the hospital's A&E department on 9 November.
It said she had a reported history of respiratory failure, infection, low blood pressure and impaired kidney function.
Mrs D had at least two medical reviews the following day but her condition deteriorated and she died later that afternoon.
The health board accepted there had been a breach in its duty of care and said it would investigate but her son, known as Mr D, did not hear anything further for nearly two years.
He was later told the complaint had been misplaced in a "culling exercise".
The ombudsman, Nick Bennett, said he was prompted to investigate after her son had still not received a response by September 2015.
As well as the "severe delay" in responding to Mr D's concerns, the ombudsman found he was not offered the expert clinical and legal advice he was entitled to.
Mr Bennett has made a number of recommendations, including that the health board should pay Mr D £2,000 "for the distress".
He said the board had made a "series of failings" including failing to inform the complainant of their rights under Welsh Government legislation.
Mr Bennett said he received more than 1,000 health complaints every year - double the amount 10 years ago - and all health boards needed to improve how they handled complaints.
"Nobody should have to wait three years to receive a response to a health complaint but certainly not when they have lost a loved one.
"This was at best, a lack of transparency and at worst, an attempt by the health board to mislead, potentially jeopardising patients' faith in the Putting Things Right process.
"We need to move beyond this fear and blame culture and use the lessons from complaints to drive improvements to public services in Wales."
He added that health boards "must listen to the voice of patients".
The health board said it accepted the ombudsman's findings.
Cwm Taf chief executive Allison Williams said: "We reiterate our sincere apologies to the family for the failings identified within the report.
"We have already taken a number of actions to improve and strengthen our complaints processes and services and further work will continue in order to address the report's recommendations." | A health board which took more than three years to handle a complaint has been criticised by an ombudsman. | 40775400 |
Some businesses say not enough has been done to prepare them for the biggest sporting event ever hosted in Wales.
But the team of business owners that set up the helpline said they were concerned at the number of companies yet to plan or engage with the council.
A Cardiff council spokesman said every business had been visited and given information about the arrangements.
Hundreds of thousands of fans are expected in Cardiff when Real Madrid face Juventus at the Principality Stadium next Saturday.
There will be extensive road closures for safety reasons and to manage the volume of visitors.
Jonathan Morgan, from IT company Object Matrix, said: "We told staff they can't drive to work that week and we're not expecting any deliveries - but as a company trading internationally, if communications links aren't affected, we're happy to see the event on our doorstep."
Not all city businesses expect to benefit.
"We see it on big rugby days," said Tim Corrigan, owner of the café chain Milk and Sugar.
"Different businesses benefit from the larger events - the bars, restaurants and hotels."
Businesses, like hairdressing chain Lazarou Brothers, have changed strategies.
Owner Andreas Leonardus said: "It's up to me to adapt.
"It's an amazing thing that's bringing millions to Cardiff. So what I am looking to do is to start a social media campaign to target people coming into Cardiff and staying in the hotels."
The hotels have been booked for weeks and there has been huge interest through accommodation websites.
"All our accommodation is full," claimed Nigel Read from Penarth-based estate agent Sea Breeze homes. "It's a very, very good time for the company."
But he added: "The council haven't come forward to tell us what's happening and they haven't given us any support."
A team of business owners, under the leadership of coach Cindy Williams and the banner Cyn-gost, is providing a helpline - 02920 107700 - "so we can communicate and understand, and make things a little less impactful".
They also have events planned for 31 May and 2 June in a bid help businesses in the last days of build-up and beyond.
Miss Williams said: "Over the past few weeks we have been concerned with the number of businesses yet to plan or engage with Cardiff council.
"We believe many are ill-informed, which will result in costly mistakes, or businesses simply failing to capitalize on the potential benefits.
"A 24-hour helpline, manned by experienced business owners, will provide expert, informed, and up to date advice."
Issues they are unable to help with will be logged to help with future events.
Cyn-gost member Jason Dunlop, from the consultancy A Critical Friend, said the legacy of UEFA was important.
"We will sit down with companies to look back at the Champions League data and then share the learnings with council, government and other stakeholders to improve the experience, when other world events come to our great city," he said.
A council spokesman said a team of officers had been visiting every business across the city to give information on the arrangements since March.
"This week the council worked with the Business Improvement District and the Licensee Forum to present to 400 business representatives, with staff on hand to answer any questions," he added.
"Due to the necessary security arrangements that need to be put in place, businesses need to plan ahead so they can make the most of this opportunity.
"In our meetings with businesses across the city centre we have worked hard to ensure they are aware of this and of course we are working with businesses to help facilitate their requirements where we can within the security plan.
"If there are any businesses who feel they have not had the necessary information we would urge them to contact [email protected]
"Also, the Cardiff 2017 website which is updated regularly, contains essential advice for businesses residents and visitors around the event." | A 24-hour helpline has been set up for Cardiff businesses ahead of the UEFA Champions League final next weekend. | 40043792 |
The elephant was found by veterinarians from Aware Trust Zimbabwe in Mana Pools National Park.
He is believed to have been living with the bullet in his head for between three and six weeks.
Mana Pools has long been a target of poachers who kill elephants for their ivory.
Africa Live: BBC news updates
The war on elephants
The team sedated him, took an X-ray and cleaned the wound but judged it safer to leave the bullet in place, Dr Lisa Marabini told the BBC.
She said the elephant is believed to be around 25 years old and might require further treatment.
"We think he was shot outside of the park and came into the park for refuge," she said. Hunting areas exist near the park.
She said the elephant, nicknamed Pretty Boy, approached the veterinarians and showed no aggression.
"It's like he knew we were there with the intention of helping him."
If the shot had hit a few centimetres lower down it would have gone into his brain, she explained.
The elephant also had a shoulder injury.
"We suspect he was shot in head first and turned to flee and the poacher put a bullet in his side."
Earlier this year, an Italian father and son were killed by wildlife rangers in Mana Pool during an anti-poaching patrol in an apparent case of mistaken identity. | An elephant in Zimbabwe has received medical treatment from a conservation group after being shot in the head by suspected poachers. | 36563650 |
A report has already concluded a "lethal mix" of failings led to the deaths of 11 babies and one mother over nine years at Furness General Hospital.
Mr Hunt said he now wanted the role of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to be examined.
The Professional Standards Authority (PSA) is to conduct the review.
The "preventable" deaths occurred between 2004 and 2013 at the hospital, which is part of the Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust.
It was later found that the maternity unit at Furness General had been "dysfunctional" with "substandard care" provided by staff "deficient in skills and knowledge".
Working relationships between doctors and midwives were also found to be extremely poor, with midwives referring to themselves as "the musketeers" as they pursued normal childbirth "at any cost".
Mr Hunt has already said the NMC should no longer be responsible for the statutory supervision of midwives in the UK, suggesting there should be a move to a model of supervision similar to that of other health professionals.
The PSA review was to be carried out "as soon as possible", he said.
He added: "Given the NMC's importance in ensuring high standards of care in nursing, health visiting and midwifery, this review will provide the public and the NMC itself with independent assurance that all the lessons from its handling of the events at Morecambe Bay have been learned and acted upon."
NMC chief executive Jackie Smith said: "As an open and transparent organisation, committed to continuous improvement, we welcome the contribution of the PSA in helping us to identify learning from our handling of these cases in order to establish where we could do things differently should a similar situation arise now.
"We cannot change what has already happened; however, we must move forward by identifying how we should do things differently in the future."
In 2014 the NMC was criticised by the PSA over its handling of disciplinary cases relating to the scandal hit Mid-Staffordshire NHS Trust. | Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has ordered an inquiry into how the midwifery regulator dealt with deaths at a hospital in Barrow, Cumbria. | 39015686 |
The US space agency probe captured the latest image on Tuesday when it was just under eight million km from the dwarf world.
As of Thursday, New Horizons had moved to within six million km, heading for its historic flyby next week.
The new picture was the first to be returned following the computer hiccup at the weekend that saw the probe briefly drop communications with Earth.
The face of Pluto seen in the image is broadly that which will be examined in detail on 14 July.
It includes a large dark region near Pluto's equator, dubbed "the whale", and a roughly heart-shaped bright area spanning 2,000km.
At closest approach, New Horizons will be about 12,500km above the surface.
Its high-resolution camera Lorri should then be able to discern features at a resolution better than 100m per pixel.
Lorri is responsible for the view seen on this page, too, but the colour information has been overlaid from the probe's other camera, Ralph.
"They're still a little blurry but they're by far the best pictures we've ever seen of Pluto, and they're only going to get better," said John Spencer from the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in Colorado, US, one of the New Horizons co-investigators.
"Right now they're just showing us that Pluto is really weird. It's got some extremely dark areas, some extremely bright areas, and we don't know what any of them are yet," Dr Spencer told Newshour on the BBC World Service.
He and his colleagues believe the brightest patch might be covered in frozen carbon monoxide, while the dark swathe may be a deposit of hydrocarbons, burnt out of Pluto's atmosphere by UV light and cosmic rays.
But this is all guesswork at the moment.
"We will get pictures 500 times better than this next Tuesday, when we have our closest approach," Dr Spencer said.
When it arrives at the dwarf planet, New Horizons will be travelling at almost 14km/s - far too fast to go into orbit.
Instead, it will execute an automated, pre-planned reconnaissance, grabbing as many pictures and other data as it can as it barrels past the 2,300km-wide dwarf and its five known moons: Charon, Styx, Nix, Kerberos and Hydra.
The flyby occurs on the 50th anniversary of the first successful American pass of Mars by the Mariner 4 spacecraft.
By way of comparison, New Horizons will gather 5,000 times as much data at Pluto than Mariner did at the Red Planet.
New Horizons' difficulty is getting all that information back to Earth. The distance to Pluto is vast - more than 4.5 billion km - and this makes for very low bit rates.
It will take 16 months to send back all the science acquired over the coming days.
The BBC will be screening a special Sky At Night programme called Pluto Revealed on Monday 20 July, which will recap all the big moments from the New Horizons flyby.
[email protected] and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos | New Horizons has acquired yet another stunning view of Pluto. | 33459476 |
The Respect Shared Space Rally was held on the Ravenhill Road on Friday evening after the erection of a number of flags, including UVF flags, nearby.
This area is one of the most diverse in Belfast but some residents complained the flags were an attempt to mark it as being from one side of the community.
Dominica McGowan, a rally speaker, said people found flags "intimidating".
"I have absolutely no objection to people hanging flags on their own homes but these are public facilities, lamp posts belong to all.
"I pay my rates, as does everybody else, and they have no right to be hijacked," Ms McGowan added.
Union flags and and Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) flags have been erected on lamp posts on Global Crescent and Cantrell Close.
The housing developments are part of the Together: Building United Communities strategy.
The strategy, launched by the Northern Ireland Executive in 2013, was aimed at "improving community relations and building a united and shared society".
Resident Ann Dullaghan, who also attended the rally, said the flags "have to come down".
"It's time for change, it's 2017 and people need to wake up."
However, last week, the South Belfast MP said she had found no widespread demands for the flags to be removed.
DUP MP Emma Little Pengelly said she had visited about 100 homes and found mixed views among residents.
She said the majority of residents she spoke to "didn't want a public fuss around this matter".
However, the MP added that some residents had raised concerns and she "reassured those individuals that I would be here to support them as well, I would represent their views to the housing association".
Police have said that it is not their responsibility to remove flags.
Officers will only take them down if there is a "substantial risk to public safety". | More than 100 people have attended a protest against the flying of flags in mixed housing estates in south Belfast. | 40391901 |
Launched in December, the satellite has now taken up its observing station some 1.5 million km from Earth.
Engineers are currently commissioning Gaia's two telescopes and its three instruments, getting them ready to begin mapping the precise positions and motions of one-thousand-million stars.
As part of that process, an image has been produced of a small star cluster.
This grouping is sited in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a companion galaxy to our own Milky Way, some 160,000 light-years in the distance.
If the picture just released by the European Space Agency looks somewhat underwhelming, that is not really surprising - taking pretty vistas of the sky is not what this mission is about.
Rather, Gaia's job when operational will be to track and characterise points of light moving across its big camera detector - be those stars, asteroids, comets or the flashes generated by exploding objects such as supernovae - to work out how far away they are and how they are moving in relation to everything else.
Prof Gerry Gilmore, the UK Gaia principal investigator from Cambridge University, told BBC News: "This image tells us that they've turned on the electronics, that they've turned on the computer, and that they've turned on Gaia's incredible British-built camera - and it's all working.
Gaia - The discovery machine
"Gaia was not designed to take Hubble-like pictures; this is not its operating mode at all. What it will eventually do is draw little boxes around each of the stars you see in this picture and send just that information to the ground."
The satellite has been given an initial mission duration of five years to make its 3D map of the sky.
By repeatedly viewing its targets, it should get to know the brightest stars' coordinates down to an error of just seven micro-arcseconds - an angle equivalent to a euro coin on the Moon being observed from Earth.
One of the benefits of such study will be to refine the distance "ladder" used to measure scale in the Universe.
This ladder describes a number of techniques that lean on each other in a stepwise fashion to calculate the separation between Earth and some of the most far flung objects in the cosmos.
To the bottom of this ladder is the trigonometric parallax technique that Gaia will employ to measure distances.
Traditionally, this has only worked with stars inside the Milky Way. But Gaia's advanced optics will for the first time extend parallax to stars in the LMC.
In the past, the cloud's position has been determined only indirectly by studying the next rung up - the characteristic pulsations of particular stars known as Cepheids.
Having some parallax measurements in the LMC instead will allow astronomers to better calibrate the ladder and its various techniques, such as Cepheid pulsations. And that should mean researchers having more confidence in the figures calculated for even greater distances.
Prof Gilmore said: "Currently, we have precision distances - i.e. to 1% accuracy - to only one Cepheid star, which is Polaris (the North Star). So the whole distance scale to the Magellanic clouds depends on very shaky foundations. Gaia will be the 'sanity check' on the distance ladder where all of our different methods overlap.
"But Gaia will do even more because until now the accuracy to which we could work meant that we had to assume the Large Magellanic Cloud was a single point at one distance. We've had to average out properties. With Gaia, we will resolve out the LMC in three dimensions and that will tell us far more about its structure, and that will really open it up to proper scientific study."
[email protected] and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos | Europe's billion-star surveyor, Gaia, is on track to begin operations in the next two or three months. | 26073173 |
The non-league side's manager Steve Tully paid tribute to the 43-year-old, who helped them win the Southern Premier League play-offs last month.
And after a 26-year career on the biggest, and smallest stages, he still has a lot to offer, according to Tully.
"I'm sure he'll be out there playing somewhere because he's got the bug to play football," he told BBC Sport.
Hayles, who won 10 caps for Jamaica the last of which came in 2003, first joined the Cornish club in 2010 and twice helped them reach what is now the National League South.
His time in Cornwall came at the end of a professional career which saw him win league titles with Fulham, have over £2m spent on him in transfer fees and play in all four leagues in England.
But the London-based striker, who also played for Leicester City, Plymouth Argyle and Millwall, did not train with Truro, making a 550-mile round trip for Truro's home games, and that had a bearing on his future at the club.
"We need people to be at training and he can't do that as he's away up in London and can't commit to training," Tully said.
"This season we need to step up again and Barry understands that.
"It wouldn't surprise me in a year or two's time that we clash in the managerial stakes because I know Baz wants to get into that side of it and we wish him all the best," added Tully. | Former Fulham and Jamaica striker Barry Hayles has been released by Truro City after his third spell with the club. | 33083482 |
The once reclusive head of the Revolutionary Guards' elite Quds Force has emerged from a lifetime in the shadows directing covert operations abroad, to achieve almost celebrity status in Iran.
The man who, until a couple of years ago most Iranians would not have recognised on the street, is now the subject of documentaries, news reports and even pop songs.
One music video widely shared in Iran was made by Shia militia fighters in Iraq. It shows soldiers spray-painting the general's portrait on a wall and parading in front of it while stirring music plays in the background.
The general himself is currently in Salahuddin province in northern Iraq, commanding Iraqi and Shia militias as they try to recapture the city of Tikrit from Islamic State (IS).
Iran's Fars News agency has published photographs of him with the troops, and militia sources in Iraq have told BBC Persian he has been there for some time helping the Iraqis prepare for the mission.
It is not the first time Gen Soleimani has faced the jihadists.
In neighbouring Syria he is widely credited with delivering the strategy that has helped President Bashar al-Assad turn the tide against rebel forces and recapture key cities and towns.
Iran has always denied deploying boots on the ground in Syria and Iraq, but every now and then holds public funerals for security forces and "military advisers" who were killed in these two countries.
Qasem Soleimani has made a point of attending some of these ceremonies.
Iran and the United States may be arch-enemies on the ideological front, but the IS offensive in Iraq has led to indirect co-operation between the two.
It's a path Gen Soleimani has trodden before.
In 2001, Iran provided military intelligence to the US to support its invasion to overthrow the Taliban in Afghanistan, and in 2007 Washington and Tehran sent representatives to Baghdad for face-to-face talks over the deteriorating security situation there.
Back then former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki was battling spiralling sectarian violence.
In an interview for a BBC Persian documentary two years ago, former US ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker recalled the crucial behind-the-scenes role played by Gen Soleimani in the Baghdad talks.
"[Iran's ambassador to Iraq] called repeatedly for breaks," he said.
"I couldn't quite figure out why, and then later discovered that whenever I said something that he didn't have covered in his points, he would need to call back to Tehran for guidance - he was that tightly controlled. On the other end of the phone was Qasem Soleimani."
Mr Crocker also felt Gen Soleimani's influence when he served as US ambassador to Afghanistan.
"My Iranian interlocutors on Afghanistan made clear that while they kept the foreign ministry informed, ultimately it was Gen Soleimani that would make the decisions," he told the BBC.
Over the last few years, Gen Soleimani's role in Iran's foreign affairs has become more public.
He is no longer the hidden figure at the end of the phone line.
These days he is the proud face of Iran, the go-to man when a crisis happens.
Last month at the prestigious Fajr Film Festival in Tehran one of the winners dedicated his award to Gen Soleimani.
It was even announced that he would be one of the supervisors in the production of a new film Iran is making about his old adversary Saddam Hussein.
But not everyone is happy about the general's meteoric rise.
In December 2014 at the Manama Dialogue security summit, there was a sharp exchange of views between Canadian and Iranian participants over the role of Gen Soleimani.
Canada's then-foreign minister, John Baird, branded him an "agent of terror in the region disguised as a hero" fighting IS.
Iran's former nuclear negotiator Hassan Mousavian rose to the defence, accusing the minister of "spending time in palaces and luxury hotels while General Soleimani has risked his life to fight against IS terrorists".
Inside Iran a campaign has started among conservative bloggers for Gen Soleimani to go into politics. They have dubbed him Iran's most honest and least corrupt politician and are calling for him to put his uniform aside and stand for president in 2017.
Even the first deputy speaker of the Iranian Parliament has lent his support.
"His political analysis is no less than the Iranian Supreme Leader or Hassan Nasrallah, head of the Lebanese Hezbollah," said Mohammad-Reza Bahonar three months ago.
But not all Iranians share the enthusiasm.
Some political activists are deeply worried at the prospect of the Revolutionary Guards taking control of the presidential palace.
They point to Egypt where the military have reasserted control, warning that the general now fighting Islamic State could turn out to be the "al-Sisi" of Iran. | Switch on the television in Iran these days and it won't be long before you see General Qasem Soleimani. | 27883162 |
President Trump tweeted early on Saturday: "Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!"
He went on to say that a court had earlier denied a wiretap request.
The US president has given no details to back up the claim - or suggested which court order he was referring to.
Media reports in the last few weeks have suggested the FBI had sought a warrant from the foreign intelligence surveillance court (Fisa) last summer in order to monitor members of the Trump team suspected of irregular contacts with Russian officials.
The warrant was first turned down but then approved in October, according to the media reports.
There has been no official confirmation and it is also not clear if this evolved into a full investigation.
There has been no comment from ex-President Barack Obama.
Mr Trump called the alleged tapping "a new low" and said "This is Nixon/Watergate" - referring to the most notorious political scandal of 1972, which led to the downfall of President Richard Nixon after a web of political spying, sabotage and bribery was exposed by the media.
He also called it McCarthyism - the persecution for US Communists and their allies led by Senator Joe McCarthy in the 1950s.
Mr Trump has been reeling from accusations of links between his campaign team and Russia, following an intelligence report that Moscow was involved in hacking in order to get Mr Trump elected.
In the latest twist, his Attorney-General Jeff Sessions has been forced to remove himself from an investigation into the Russian role.
This followed revelations that he had met the Russian ambassador during the campaign, despite denying this at his confirmation hearings.
Mr Trump's National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was forced to resign after four weeks in office for misleading the White House over his contacts with the Russian envoy during the election campaign. Sanctions against Russia were allegedly discussed.
Referring to contacts with Ambassador Sergei Kislyak, Mr Trump tweeted: "Just out: The same Russian Ambassador that met Jeff Sessions visited the Obama White House 22 times, and 4 times last year alone." | US President Donald Trump has accused his predecessor of wire-tapping his phone a month before he was elected. | 39167110 |
30 April 2017 Last updated at 14:50 BST
It's a country in east Asia, and there have been lots of arguments about it recently.
So what do we know? And should we be worried about North Korea?
Watch Leah's report to find out more. | For decades, North Korea has been one of the world's most secretive countries. | 39762137 |
Mary Kaya, 57, from Batley, West Yorkshire, had denied posting a link to an audio clip by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
She was found guilty after a trial of dissemination of a terrorist publication likely to encourage people to participate in terrorism.
Kaya received a 21-month term.
A week-long trial at Leeds Crown Court heard the Twitter account had been monitored after Kaya's previous address in Dewsbury was searched by counter-terrorism police, who arrested her husband in May 2014.
Her Twitter account retweeted a link to one of al-Baghdadi's speeches in November 2014.
Prosecutor Simon Davis told the jury: "The message was aimed at encouraging anyone who listened to or read it to participate in terrorist activity."
Kaya, who was arrested in October 2015, told police she used the account "to see what was going on in the world" and said no-one had access to the account but her.
She later insisted the account must have been hacked and she had not posted anything.
Kaya's custodial sentence was suspended for two years and will be subject to a curfew.
Sentencing her, Judge Peter Collier QC labelled the speech "a dreadful diatribe" but said that apart from the content of her Twitter account there was no evidence that Kaya held radical views or had tried to radicalise others, including her family.
He added that Kaya had attended the Prevent counter-terrorism programme and there was a reasonable prospect of rehabilitation - if it had not already been achieved
The judge concluded the level of culpability and harm was "low" and that she could not be classed as a dangerous offender. | A mother-of three found guilty of encouraging terrorism after she retweeted a speech by the so-called Islamic State leader has been given a suspended jail sentence. | 39443403 |
The elevation of those nations by governing body, the International Cricket Council, means they can regularly play cricket's top nations.
"We now have a clear pathway that will enable us to get to Test status and full membership status of the ICC," Brian told BBC Radio Scotland.
"There's a good chance we will."
Brian, who became Cricket Scotland's chairman two years ago, is buoyed by Scotland's victory over Zimbabwe in Edinburgh on 15 June, which was the nation's first win over a Test-playing side in an official one day international.
"We beat Zimbabwe last week and Sri Lanka four weeks before so we've beaten two Test nations in the last month - something Scotland has never achieved before," he said.
"We have a bigger population and a bigger playing population than Ireland. We're seeing an improving men's team.
"What Ireland and Afghanistan have done, due to a change in the constitution of the International Cricket Council, is effectively break the glass ceiling that has been preventing associated nations like them and us becoming full members of the ICC and Test-playing countries.
"We're definitely on the right pathway and I'm very optimistic for the future." | Cricket Scotland chairman Tony Brian is confident that Scotland can follow rivals Ireland and Afghanistan in achieving full Test status. | 40383427 |
Stephen Mellor, 59, died when Islamist gunman Seifeddine Rezgui shot him and his wife, Cheryl, on the beach.
Mrs Mellor told an inquest Rezgui "seemed to enjoy looking at us squirm" as he pulled the trigger.
Rezgui killed 38 people - 30 of them Britons - at the five-star Riu Imperial Marhaba, near Sousse, in June 2015.
In her statement, read out at London's Royal Courts of Justice, Mrs Mellor said: "I am only here today due to the bravery of my husband, Stephen.
"We were being shot and he protected me. Stephen stayed and saved me. He sacrificed himself. Stephen is a hero to me."
Mr Mellor, a father of three from Bodmin, Cornwall, died after being shot in the chest and abdomen.
Mrs Mellor, who was shot in the leg and wrist, suffered life-changing injuries.
"I believe the suspect was working to a plan. He was killing mainly British tourists," she told the inquest.
The couple, who were looking forward to retirement, had been relaxing on sun loungers when they heard a "huge bang sound" at about noon.
Mrs Mellor said the initial blasts were "really close", and her husband said: "Oh my God, this is going, really going, down."
The couple could see the gunman standing at the edge of the sun loungers holding a weapon about 20 inches long, the inquest was told.
Mr Mellor was on the ground telling his wife: "Oh my God, I love you."
She said she could see a woman's feet nearby.
"I heard a shot and saw her foot jump and assumed she was shot dead," Mrs Mellor said.
The couple then told each other "if one of us survive, we will tell the kids that we love them".
Fellow holidaymaker Allen Pembroke, 61, gave Mrs Mellor some water as he helped those injured on the beach.
After he reluctantly told her Mr Mellor was dead he offered to carry her away, but she refused to leave her husband.
Mr Mellor did not live to see the birth of his third grandchild, a boy called Thomas Stephen, who was named after him.
Suzanne Davey, 43, a mother of three from Tamworth, Staffordshire, was also killed alongside her partner Scott Chalkley, 42, a lifelong Arsenal fan and former Royal Fusilier from Chaddesden, Derby.
The inquest continues on Thursday. | A British woman who survived the mass shootings at a Tunisian beach resort said her "hero" husband sacrificed his life to protect her. | 38749734 |
The figures are from the Committee for Employment & Social Security's latest unemployment bulletin.
It also shows a further 242 people were registered as unemployed but had some work during the last week of June.
That number includes islanders in part-time or casual jobs and some who are in full-time work but are eligible for supplementary benefit because of low earnings. | Unemployment in Guernsey has rise by 41 to 381 in the 12 months to June. | 36711032 |
The ice dance duo, now based in Novi, Michigan, scored 173.17 to eclipse their ninth-place finish in 2014.
"We really wanted to leave it all out on the ice tonight and we did that," Buckland, 26, told BBC Sport.
France's Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron retained their world title with a score of 194.46.
Maia and Alex Shibutani (188.43) were second, with fellow Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who train alongside Coomes and Buckland, third (185.77).
Coomes and Buckland, from Nottingham, were making a comeback having missed last year's World and European championships through illness.
"I was so in-the-moment, so involved in that performance," said Coomes, who turns 27 on Wednesday. "I lived every second and thoroughly enjoyed it." | Great Britain's Penny Coomes and Nick Buckland claimed a career-best seventh at the World Figure Skating Championships in Boston. | 35940672 |
The 19-year-old made 25 appearances for the Saints and Arsenal see him as an option at right-back, centre-back or in a more advanced role.
"The way he adapted to the Premier League last season at a young age shows that he has tremendous quality," said Gunners boss Arsene Wenger.
Arsenal have also enquired about Saints midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, 24.
Chambers has become Arsenal's fourth summer signing following the arrivals of Barcelona forward Alexis Sanchez, Newcastle right-back Mathieu Debuchy and Nice goalkeeper David Ospina.
"He has a lot of the attributes that we look for in a young player and I am sure that he will do well with us," added Wenger.
Chambers flew out with the Arsenal squad - including Debuchy and Ospina - for their training camp in Austria on Monday.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Yaya Sanogo were also included after missing the New York trip at the weekend, while Sanchez is scheduled to arrive at the club's London Colney training ground on Tuesday.
"I am so happy to be signing for Arsenal. They are a team I have much admired for their playing style, and a team who have been one of the top sides in Europe for many years," Chambers told Arsenal's official website.
"I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone at Southampton for everything they have done for me and for making this move possible."
Chambers is the latest player to leave St Mary's this summer - Rickie Lambert,Adam Lallana and Dejan Lovren all joined Liverpool and Luke Shaw moved to Manchester United.
"We are naturally disappointed whenever any of our academy graduates leave and that is very much the case with Calum's departure," Southampton executive director Les Reed told the club's website.
"We have an abundance of talent in the academy coming through, and everybody at the club is continuing to work hard on bringing in quality new players as we build a team capable of taking us further forward in the coming seasons."
The arrival of Chambers at Arsenal could see right-back Carl Jenkinson, 22, leave the Gunners on loan to gain regular first-team football.
Gunners boss Wenger is still in the market for a holding midfielder and another defender - if captain Thomas Vermaelen leaves the club. | Arsenal have signed England Under-19 defender Calum Chambers from Southampton for about £16m. | 28497920 |
The striker calmly rolled in his first after running clear, before tapping in a second from close range.
Jordi Alba smashed home a third and David Lopez struck for Espanyol before Lionel Messi added a fourth late on.
Barca are now three points behind leaders Real Madrid, who have played one game fewer after being crowned Club World Cup champions earlier on Sunday.
Barcelona forward Messi produced two moments of brilliance in the second half to give Luis Enrique's side a comfortable victory at the Nou Camp.
The Argentine danced past four Espanyol defenders for Suarez's second, with the Uruguayan quickest to react following Espanyol goalkeeper Roberto's fumble.
A minute later, Messi beat the same number of players before laying the ball into the path of Alba to score.
Messi completed his masterclass performance with a well-deserved goal, poking in through the legs of Roberto from Suarez's lobbed pass.
Match ends, Barcelona 4, Espanyol 1.
Second Half ends, Barcelona 4, Espanyol 1.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by David López.
Attempt saved. Neymar (Barcelona) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Lionel Messi.
Goal! Barcelona 4, Espanyol 1. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Luis Suárez with a through ball following a fast break.
Neymar (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Javi López (Espanyol).
Foul by Jordi Alba (Barcelona).
Reyes (Espanyol) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Attempt missed. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Neymar.
Neymar (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Javi Fuego (Espanyol).
Foul by Jordi Alba (Barcelona).
Gerard Moreno (Espanyol) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Offside, Barcelona. Lionel Messi tries a through ball, but Neymar is caught offside.
Foul by Javier Mascherano (Barcelona).
Papakouly Diop (Espanyol) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Espanyol. Reyes replaces Pablo Piatti.
Goal! Barcelona 3, Espanyol 1. David López (Espanyol) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the top left corner. Assisted by Gerard Moreno following a fast break.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Substitution, Barcelona. Samuel Umtiti replaces Sergio Busquets.
Delay in match Jordi Alba (Barcelona) because of an injury.
Delay in match Pablo Piatti (Espanyol) because of an injury.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Substitution, Espanyol. Melendo replaces Felipe Caicedo.
Delay in match Papakouly Diop (Espanyol) because of an injury.
Rafinha (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Papakouly Diop (Espanyol).
Goal! Barcelona 3, Espanyol 0. Jordi Alba (Barcelona) left footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner.
Goal! Barcelona 2, Espanyol 0. Luis Suárez (Barcelona) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner.
Attempt saved. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Andrés Iniesta.
Substitution, Barcelona. Rafinha replaces Denis Suárez.
Felipe Caicedo (Espanyol) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Lionel Messi (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Felipe Caicedo (Espanyol).
Foul by Jordi Alba (Barcelona).
Pablo Piatti (Espanyol) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Denis Suárez (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Papakouly Diop (Espanyol).
Foul by Sergio Busquets (Barcelona). | Luis Suarez scored twice as Barcelona moved up to second in La Liga with victory in the derby against Espanyol. | 38339008 |
The closure has shut down the most direct route for vehicles travelling between Fife and Edinburgh.
The bridge will remain open to ambulances and police on emergency calls.
But more routine health service appointments could be affected by the closure.
The 51-year-old bridge was closed at midnight on Thursday after a defect was found in the steelwork of the tower at the north end of the crossing.
The crossing is a vital artery in Scotland's transport network and its closure has been greeted with shock and dismay.
It is normally used by more than 60,000 vehicles a day.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon chaired a meeting of the Scottish government's resilience committee on Friday to discuss what action could be taken to alleviate the disruption and further meetings are planned over the weekend.
Police Scotland's Assistant Chief Constable Malcolm Graham said: "I would urge all drivers to consider if your journey is necessary, and to consider other options like public transport. Please check the conditions before you set off and leave extra time if you must travel.
"The closure of the bridge does not affect our ability to respond to emergency calls, and officers will continue to answer 999 calls and carry out our daily tasks as normal."
RAC spokesman Simon Williams said motorists could expect "some hefty and stressful delays" over the busy Christmas period.
The Federation of Small Businesses said firms were alarmed and some taxi firms said they may have to put up prices.
The Road Haulage Association in Scotland said the move could have a "massive" cost attached to it.
And the Scottish Chambers of Commerce warned the cost to business would be "huge" in terms of higher transport costs and reduced productivity.
Fife Council said it was working with Transport Scotland to assist road users.
All road works have been cleared from main routes in west Fife and officials are looking at whether extra temporary parking could be made available at railway stations.
So far there have been no issues with schools or services such as meals on wheels though the council has said refuse collection times may have to change.
A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said: "Ambulances will continue to travel across the Forth Road Bridge when responding to emergencies.
"Arrangements are being made to maintain ambulance transport of non-emergency patients to appointments using alternative routes and hospitals, as appropriate."
NHS Fife has set up a hospital control team, which will meet twice a day, to monitor any impact of the closure on its services.
NHS Tayside and NHS Lothian said they were monitoring and evaluating the impact the closure was having on their services.
The closure could have a knock-on impact on rail services across the rest of the country.
ScotRail said it was adding extra carriages and staff for services on the rail bridge to and from Fife, saying it was a "national priority".
Transport minister Derek Mackay said: "We want to identify any available rolling stock from elsewhere. The current rolling stock in Scotland is used at maximum capacity.
"If some of it (the rolling stock) comes from another area, there has to be a degree of understanding about the support provided in view of the decision taken to close the bridge."
On the economic impact, he added: "We will engage with the business community and if there are any other measures we can take, we are all ears."
The Forth Road Bridge is scheduled to be replaced by a new crossing in about 12 months' time.
Once the new Queensferry Crossing opens, the old bridge will remain open to carry public transport, pedestrians and cyclists. | Businesses and organisations are making contingency plans after it was announced the Forth Road Bridge will be closed until the new year. | 35009410 |
Now, a week into her new job, she is getting used to choosing the hours she works and even how much leave she takes.
"My friends can't get their heads around how we work," she says. "But, as I don't have someone watching over me all the time, I just get on with it. It means I want to work harder."
She works at Paycircle, a payroll software provider to small businesses, which is one of a rising number of firms with a liberal attitude to working practices.
In fact, they are so flexible, you could call them yoga employers.
Questions persist about such an approach: How successful can it be? Is it open to abuse by staff? Are bosses actually using it as a smokescreen to ensure staff are never off duty?
Paycircle and its umbrella company Optimal Compliance have 15 staff, four of whom are women, with an average age of 27, excluding the founders.
There is no company handbook, the job interview process usually involves the whole team and holiday entitlement is entirely self-controlled. Flexibility extends to hours and attendance at the office in Ascot or the "company apartment" in London.
"It is based on trust and maturity. Colleagues are trusted to get the work done and there is respect, so you do not let down the other 14 people," says co-founder Catherine Pinkney, an evangelist for non-traditional working.
"We are not totally hippyish. This is not a playground. We work to tight deadlines."
Staff are expected to attend a Monday morning meeting, but then work when and where they please.
One software engineer divides his time between the UK and Italy. Others spend more time near the office where they can find the company payment card for use in team coffee rounds or trips to the pub.
Ms Pinkney says only one employee in eight years has been told to go after a "loss of respect". He "could not grasp the culture", she says.
The current crop of young staff appear to support the system.
James Edwards, 30, says he "no longer thinks about working hours". Yazmin Cooper, 22, says the work-life freedom can only be matched by self-employment.
"My worst nightmare is to go back to a traditional corporate, with a uniform and no mobile phones," she says.
That phone, and a laptop, allows such a flexible approach to function. Staff are connected via a chat app and many check emails and other messages during the evenings and weekends.
Therein lies an apparent danger in this way of working - an inability to switch off. Staff may be allowed to take a week's holiday at a day's notice, but they are also expected to ensure things operate smoothly without them.
There is no requirement to logon from the beach, but at times it may be a necessity. After all, pay rewards are based, in part, on the amount of responsibility individual members of staff take on for themselves. They also receive a slice of the company's profits every three months.
Every employee in the UK has the statutory right to request flexible working after 26 weeks of employment.
"A poor balance between an employee's work commitments and their other responsibilities can lead to stress, high absence and low productivity," says conciliation service Acas.
"Employees who have a better work-life balance often have a greater sense of responsibility, ownership and control of their working life. If an employer helps an employee to balance their work and home life this can be rewarded by increased loyalty and commitment.
"They may also feel more able to focus on their work and to develop their career."
Source: Acas
Could flexible working for all backfire?
Flexible working urged for teachers
The millennial generation shaking up the workplace rules
The danger of virtual presenteeism is highlighted in the Quality of Working Life Report, published by the Chartered Management Institute in January.
The report recommends that employees should have "the freedom, trust and autonomy to make their own decisions about how they work".
"Hold people accountable for the outcomes of their work, but do not be prescriptive about how they work," it suggests.
Yet, its research also suggests managers themselves work an hour's overtime every day - by accessing work via a smartphone. That equates to 29 working days, cancelling out the typical amount of annual leave.
Dr Maire Kerrin, director of the Work Psychology Group, says anyone embarking on flexible working requires self-discipline. It is easy for someone moving to a four-day week to see their work seep into evenings and weekends.
For their part, employers must properly assess how effective a flexible approach will be, rather than simply be drawn by the appeal such a policy has for staff recruitment and retention.
"The practical application [of flexible working] requires discussion. The common mistake is assuming that it has the same benefit for everybody," she says.
Dr Kerrin argues that such a policy of unlimited flexibility is easier in a big organisation than in a small business. The hours of those who take more holiday may be balanced out by the work of those who are early in their career and want to "plough on".
Ultimately, she argues that the need for employers to compete for the best talent, and a culture of employees increasingly asking for more flexibility will drive more flexible working.
The idea of an unlimited holiday allowance for staff, without the need for approval, is being implemented by a host of employers.
One of the most high-profile - Richard Branson's Virgin Group - adopted the policy for headquarters staff in 2014.
"It is left to the employee alone to decide if and when he or she feels like taking a few hours, a day, a week or a month off," wrote the billionaire on his blog at the time.
"The assumption being that they are only going to do it when they feel 100% comfortable that they and their team are up to date on every project and that their absence will not in any way damage the business - or, for that matter, their careers!"
The BBC News website called and left messages with Virgin, to ask whether the policy has proved to be a success or not. With more than a hint of irony, nobody has been available to return the calls.
Flexibility, perhaps, can extend too far. | When 22-year-old Roisin Gray asked about the finishing time for the day, her colleagues in the office simply laughed. | 36162772 |
The Flybe service, which launched in May, will begin operating on Saturdays from November.
The daily service is Dundee Airport's first non-chartered international route.
It is the fourth route Flybe has announced under the UK government's ??7m regional air connectivity fund.
A spokesman for Dundee Airport operator HIAL said: "The plan is to move to seven days a week in November with the introduction of a Saturday flight.
"They are flying six days a week at present, following the introduction of the Sunday service three weeks ago, and the team are delighted with the response from the public to the additional flights.
"Dundee Airport manager, Derrick Lang, and his team are always open to adding new services and are in regular contact with partners and airlines to explore opportunities to bring more flights to Dundee." | A new route between Dundee and Amsterdam Schipol Airport will be extended to a seven-days-a-week service due to popular demand. | 37442764 |
A service for Maurice Abrahams was held in Rottingdean. He was working as a chauffeur and was on his way to pick up a bride on her wedding day when the crash happened in West Sussex.
A private ceremony was also held for Worthing footballer Jacob Schilt.
Eleven people died when a vintage jet crashed on to the A27 during the Shoreham Airshow on 22 August.
Witnesses have said Mr Abrahams gave way to another car moments before the crash, but then his Daimler was hit as he waited at traffic lights.
His funeral was held at St Margaret's Church, where he had taken brides on their wedding day.
Father Martin Morgan said the 76-year-old former soldier and police officer gave service to his country and the community, and it was believed his last actions were to save other people.
"Maurice was one of those people who was always around and would always speak and always smile and did a lot of work to make life easier for the people of Rottingdean and Ovingdean and beyond. He was a man who just gave," he added.
He described him as a "unique", "extraordinary" and "special" man who always dressed immaculately.
Father Morgan told mourners: "Thinking about him in the midst of all the horror that happened and the tragedy that happened, one of the words that keeps coming to my mind is 'service'.
"He gave service to his nation in various ways - as a guardsman, as a paratrooper and as a policeman."
Mourners included his wife Edwina, son Eddie and daughter Lizzie.
Before the Last Post sounded ahead of a private committal, friend David Spalding said he was a devoted family man who gave his wife flowers every Saturday and "made friends at the drop of a hat".
Friends and family attending the service were asked to take written memories of Mr Abrahams, and hand-picked flowers.
Ahead of the ceremony, Father Morgan said the flowers and memories would be a release for people - and he said the floral tributes on the bridge near the crash scene had also showed how people had been able to say what they felt, without words.
"I think our society needs that. Today is going to be a celebration of his life," he said. "It's going to be heartbreaking for his family and for so many people, but it's a celebration of what humanity can be like." | The funerals of two victims of the Shoreham air crash have been held in East Sussex. | 34195198 |
The body of Phillip Nicholson, 22, was discovered on Tuesday at a flat in Sea Road, Boscombe.
Richard Moors, 25 and Isabella Gossling 20, appeared before magistrates in Bournemouth and were remanded to appear at Winchester Crown Court on 2 June.
On Friday Dorset Police said it had referred the circumstances leading to the death to the Independent Police Complaints Commission for review. | A man and woman have been charged with the murder of a man in Bournemouth. | 32942410 |
Nature presenter Iolo Williams said species including otters, water voles, bats, dormice and rare beetles would be affected by the motorway.
The Welsh Government said mitigation works would include new mammal tunnels.
But in a statement to the public inquiry in Newport Mr Williams said these were "nothing short of a joke".
Writing on behalf of Gwent Wildlife Trust the BBC naturalist accused the Welsh Government of sponsoring "ecocide" - the extensive destruction of non-human life.
The Welsh Government's preferred route - known as the "black route" - cuts across the Gwent Levels and four sites of special scientific interest (SSSI).
In evidence submitted to the inquiry on Wednesday, Mr Williams argued the levels were "one of the jewels in the crown of Wales" and the "green lung of Newport".
Destroying them would be "madness" and cause "unprecedented" damage, he wrote as well as destroying history.
"I despair, I really do despair. It genuinely doesn't make sense," he added.
"The Gwent Levels are a fantastic place to visit, but to hear and see motorway traffic going past, and less wildlife, would break my heart."
The Welsh Government has said a 14-mile six-lane motorway will relieve congestion between the current M4 junction 23A at Magor to junction 29 near Castleton.
Proposals to protect wildlife include creating tunnels and bridges, reed beds, and a bat barn - as well as moving large numbers of dormice to Bristol Zoo during construction.
However, the Trust has argued these mitigation proposals are "grossly inadequate".
On day 19 of the inquiry, conservationist Prof John Altringham said the motorway had the potential to do "considerable damage" to bats.
He said bats could be killed crossing the motorway, tunnels were "too small" and plans to build them boxes as alternative homes for lost habitat were "simply eviction".
The Welsh Government said the proposed mitigation measures would reduce the impact of the road on bats to "slight".
An overpass on the A487 Portmadog bypass saw 97% of bats use it safely in 2012, it said.
The Welsh Government wants to build a £1.1bn six-lane motorway to the south of Newport.
The 14.23m (23km) highway will be between the current M4 junction 23A at Magor to junction 29 near Castleton.
The Welsh Government plans to begin construction in 2018 and open the new road in 2021.
It said the current M4 around Newport opened in 1967 but "does not meet modern motorway design standards".
Environmental campaigners and local residents claim the scheme will devastate the ancient marshlands of the Gwent Levels and four sites of special scientific interest.
There have been 335 formal objections, compared to 210 letters of support.
A public inquiry is expected to last five months. | Plans to build a £1.1bn M4 relief road through the Gwent Levels have been described as "government sponsored ecocide". | 39413106 |
The Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (Alva) said the London venue attracted 5.6 million visitors.
Artist Damien Hirst's retrospective contributed to a 9% rise in Tate Modern visitors, which had 5.3 million.
Despite bad weather and the Olympics, there was an overall 5.1% increase in visitors at all UK attractions, from 87.7 million in 2011 to 92.1 million.
Visitors were briefly deterred from central London during the games, but Alva director Bernard Donohue called the recovery "almost immediate".
At the British Museum, the exhibition curated by Turner Prize-winning artist Grayson Perry, which explored the depths of the museum and showed 170 objects alongside 30 of his own creations, was in part responsible for helping it continue its reign as the most popular visitor attraction.
However its 5.6 million visitor figure was a 4.7% drop year-on-year.
Tate Modern on London's South Bank moved up a place to second position with 5.3 million visitors - a 9% rise from 2011.
1. British Museum - 5,575,946
2. Tate Modern - 5,318,688
3. National Gallery - 5,163,902
4. Natural History Museum - 5,021,762
5. V&A - 3,231,700
Source: Association of Leading Visitor Attractions
The Victoria & Albert Museum had its best year on record, with a 16% rise to 3.2 million visitors, thanks to its Hollywood Costume exhibitions in Autumn 2012.
While The National Portrait Gallery's Lucian Freud Portraits exhibit helped moved it up one place to eighth position and saw an increase of 12%, with 2.1 million visitors.
Although the Olympic and Paralympic Games affected visitor numbers in Central London for a brief period, it was the weather that had the biggest impact in 2012.
Of the 30 attractions which saw more than a 10% drop in numbers, 27 were gardens or outdoor attractions.
Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum in Glasgow achieved a 5.8% increase with around one million visitors, making it the most visited combined art gallery and museum.
One of the largest rises year-on-year (53%) was seen by the new Museum of Liverpool, which opened in July 2011 and was the most visited museum in England, outside of London.
Other galleries in Liverpool - the Walker Art Gallery and the Tate - also saw increases.
"We are delighted with the visitor figures," said Mr Donohue.
He added: "This year, 2013 looks like it is going to be a promising year for Alva members. The Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich is likely to see a marked increase in visitors because of its role as a backdrop in the hugely popular and award-winning film Les Miserables."
Openings in 2013 include a £35m heritage project to build a museum to house Henry VIII's warship, the Mary Rose, in Portsmouth.
Kenwood House, Robert Adam's 18th Century masterpiece and home to an extensive art collection, will also re-open in November after being closed for 20 months due to repair work and refurbishments. | The British Museum was the UK's most popular visitor attraction in 2012 - the sixth year running it has been so. | 21739486 |
The body hopes to remove one of the two weeks when games are not played, to create space for the new global season.
If successful, the plans for a six week tournament will happen after the 2019 World Cup.
"We think it would improve it," said RFU chief executive Ian Ritchie. "It would narrow the 'off' periods and help with the broader narrative."
The plans will be discussed at April's Six Nations review meeting when Ritchie will be lobbying for its implementation.
"It's absolutely right to always be thinking about what to do to enhance, improve and make the Six Nations better," added Ritchie.
"We think it is a good route. It may well be that others agree or disagree."
The current seven-week format was introduced in 2003, reducing the length of the tournament from 10 weeks. Earlier this year Premiership rugby clubs called on the Six Nations to be played over five weeks, rather than seven. | The Six Nations will be played over six weeks, reduced from seven, under plans by the Rugby Football Union. | 39387032 |
The singer-songwriter will be Kirsty Young's guest on 18 December.
He said of his track choices: "This is the music that electrified me - they galvanised me into changing my life in some way."
Other BBC radio highlights over Christmas includes Carey Mulligan guest editing Radio 4's Today programme and Glenda Jackson in King Lear.
Jackson said: "This is a very exciting prospect for us all. It will be very interesting to see how the play transfers from stage to microphone. I look forward to it."
The radio dramatisation of the current Old Vic production also includes Celia Imrie, Jane Horrocks and Rhys Ifans in the cast.
The production will air on Radio 4 on Boxing Day, 410 years to the day that it was performed for the first time in front of King James I.
Radio 2 highlights include last year's Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain inviting listeners for a festive family feast in the run-up to the big day, while Dolly Parton will relive childhood memories of Christmas in the Appalachian Mountains with her sister Stella on Christmas Eve.
Choirmaster Gareth Malone will follow on from Parton with two hours of his favourite choral music.
Malone will share his personal favourites on Desert Island Discs on Christmas Day.
Martha Reeves will also reminisce about Motown Christmases past as well as playing some of her favourite tracks from the likes of Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye and The Supremes.
Radio 1 will reveal the the top five artists for Sound of 2017 on Clara Amfo's Radio 1 show from 2 to 6 January.
And Radio 1Xtra will announce the 10 acts from the world of black music that the station predicts to be big in 2017.
On Radio 3, Planet Earth II presenter Sir David Attenborough reveals another side of himself as he tells stories behind music he has recorded from his travels around the world.
Composer of the week over Christmas will be Ivor Novello as Donald Macleod explores several works specially recorded for the series, some of which have not been heard for 100 years.
Radio 5 live will feature the usual festive programme of Premier League football games, and round-ups of the year in sport, including The Andy Murray Story.
6 Music's offerings include Three Wise Women, with Natasha Khan, of Bat for Lashes, Laura Marling and Annie Nightingale presenting their own shows.
And Kate Tempest returns to the station to look ahead to the coming year.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | Rock star Bruce Springsteen will be one of the castaways on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs this Christmas. | 38068003 |
The man lifted his bike over the North Sheen level crossing on Manor Road, Richmond upon Thames, on 11 May.
He managed to cross before the train arrived.
Crimestoppers, which is offering the reward, said the cyclist risked his own life and left the train driver with "psychological trauma".
Commuters who witnessed the event pleaded with the cyclist to wait, the charity said.
Dave Hunter, Crimestoppers' head of operations, said: "This man could have caused himself serious injury or even death.
"His actions were incredibly dangerous. Someone will know who he is and we hope they will see that there is no excuse for this behaviour.
"The barriers are there for a very good reason." | A reward of up to £2,000 has been offered to identify a cyclist who lifted his bike over train barriers seconds before a train sped past. | 40352334 |
We look at the myriad ways in which different countries are affected.
More than one million Bangladeshis visit India every year for medical, tourism and business purposes.
Many Bangladeshis, especially businessmen, visit as often as two or three times a month. Being businessmen, they tend to carry wads of high-value Indian notes on their trips.
Since the new rules have come into effect, Bangladeshis have been trying to exchange their unusable currency, but money-changers have refused to take them.
There is a lot of informal trade in goods between Bangladeshi and Indian businesspeople, and they exchange money at the border without bothering with documentation.
"So they have to keep cash all the time. [But] now they can't exchange those notes," said Abul Hossain, a businessman from Jessore, near the border.
The difficulties cut both ways, with many Indians living in Bangladesh are also facing problems.
One student, Maria, said she was struggling to change Indian rupees sent by her father through informal channels - meaning she has no documentation.
"The total amount is 50,000 rupees, and all are high-value notes. But I can't exchange those," she says.
Can India become a cashless nation?
How will India destroy 20 billion banknotes?
Farmers in eastern Nepal say the volume of their agricultural exports to India have decreased by almost 90% since the Indian currency move.
The unsold products are being dumped in warehouses and even along main roads.
About 98% of cardamom and more than 70% of tea and ginger produced in Nepal are bought by Indian businessmen from across the border.
In southern Nepal, along the long land border with India, businessmen have also expressed concern about the Indian government's move.
It is common for most businesspeople, and even households. to keep Indian currency for cross-border trade and business.
"I normally go to Raxaul Bazar, a shopping town across the border in India. I take 500 and 1,000 Rupee notes to buy supplies, but most people aren't accepting them and those that do are deducting 20% of the value for exchange. " Raghunath Prasad Sah, a shop owner in Birgunj, told the BBC.
In Pakistan, currency dealers are estimated to hold more than 150 million rupees ($2.2m) worth of Indian currency. After the government's move on the 500 and 1,000 rupee notes, this stash is being traded for about a quarter of its value, they say.
The general secretary of the Pakistan Exchange Companies Association says Pakistani citizens hold Indian currency - sometimes in large amounts - because they travel there for family reasons.
"Not enough time was given to people outside India to exchange money," Zafar Paracha said. "It was very sudden."
Pakistan has also denied that counterfeit Indian currency is being produced in Karachi and Peshawar. Targeting counterfeit cash is thought to be another reason for India's unexpected move.
Sri Lankans living in India says they are facing serious difficulties as a result of the sudden decision by the Indian government.
A PhD student who declined to give her name said the announcement came while she was visiting Sri Lanka on holiday.
"When I came to Sri Lanka, I brought some Indian rupees with me. As I have an Indian visa for valid for 4 years, I was not shocked as I thought I would be able to go to State Bank of India in Colombo with my 500 rupee notes," she said.
"But they were quite rude and told me only dollar notes could be exchanged outside India. They also refused to offer me any advice."
Sri Lankan diplomats have also told BBC Sinhala that the cash crisis has left hundreds of Buddhist pilgrims stranded in India. Without access to cash, they are finding it difficult to continue their journeys or return home, the diplomat said.
Poor families normally take part in these pilgrimages, sometimes even pawning their jewellery or other valuables to make the trip.
Reporting by BBC Bengali, BBC Nepali, BBC Sinhala and BBC Urdu | India's surprise move to get scrap 500 and 1,000 rupee notes to target hidden stashes of "black money" has affected the country's immediate neighbours, which all have long-standing trade, tourism and family links. | 37990283 |
Lord Elystan-Morgan, who led the 1979 Yes for Wales campaign, said the Bill could lead to "a diminished authority".
Meanwhile, Wales Office minister Guto Bebb has accused "some grandees in the Welsh Assembly" of making an "overblown attack" on the planned legislation.
The Bill shakes up how power is divided between the assembly and Westminster.
Lord Elystan-Morgan will be involved in the Bill's second reading in the House of Lords on Monday.
Currently, the areas that AMs can make new laws on are defined in legislation.
But under the planned system, the areas that will remain under Westminster's control will be set out in a list of reserved powers, with AMs being told what they cannot legislate on rather than what they can.
Lord Elystan-Morgan told BBC Radio Wales' Sunday Supplement this was the fourth piece of legislation "attempting substantial constitutional change for Wales" within a period of 20 years.
But he said it differed from its predecessors, which he described as "progressive", in that it gave him "every reason to believe that we will have a diminished authority over our own domestic affairs".
Lord Elystan-Morgan said the list of reserved powers was 250 in the draft Bill, but has been whittled down to 200.
"They're still very messy," he said, describing many as "utterly and monumentally trivial".
Asked if the Bill could be fixed by the Lords, he said it was not just the wording that was the problem, but a "huge imperial mentality".
"This imperial prejudice overlays the whole situation," he said.
"The level of devolution we had in July 2014 was much higher," he said.
"What you have now is total clarity, but clarity at the expense of retreat.
"In other words our constitutional situation has now been clearly defined, but defined in such terms as to make it very minor compared to what we had previously.
"The state of flux of politics in Britain allows us to exercise imagination and initiative. We should be aiming for something of the nature of dominion status."
Speaking on BBC Sunday Politics Wales, Wales Office minister Guto Bebb said the Bill went far beyond the 2011 referendum which gave the Welsh Assembly powers in 20 subject areas.
Its aim, he added, was to "have clarity so we know what is the responsibility of Westminster and what is the responsibility of Cardiff".
"There has been a cross-party agreement that there is a need to move forward to a clarified situation," he said.
"The people of Wales are not well served by having decisions which are a grey area - that is not serving devolution in my view."
The Bill has also drawn criticism from assembly members on the cross party constitutional and legislative affairs committee, who described it as over complex and could result in the roll-back of devolution.
Committee chairman Huw Irranca-Davies said the idea was for the Bill to be "clear, durable, long lasting" and "reflecting the will of the people of Wales".
"Unfortunately, this Bill doesn't do it," he said, describing it as "neither clear or workable".
"It's more complex, more bureaucratic and certainly won't be long lasting."
Mr Irranca-Davies added there was a "great burden of responsibility" on the Lords to amend the Bill. | One of Wales' most long-standing devolution supporters has said the new draft Wales Bill reflects Westminster's "huge imperial mentality". | 37600928 |
In a statement, the Defence Ministry said the report lacked "technical proof" when it used IP addresses to link hacking to a military unit.
The report identified a Shanghai high-rise used by the military as the likely home of a hackers to whom it attributed multiple attacks on US companies.
The US says it has repeatedly raised concerns with China about cyber theft.
The Chinese ministry statement, posted on its website, said that many hacking attacks were carried out using hijacked IP addresses.
By Jonathan MarcusBBC Diplomatic Correspondent
The scale of the Chinese hacking alleged by the computer security firm Mandiant is striking. Until now the bulk of this hacking has been a digital version of old-fashioned industrial espionage - stealing designs and company secrets.
But there is a more sinister side to this activity as well. Chinese hackers are alleged to have a growing interest in gaining access to key parts of the US infrastructure - gas lines, power grids and waterworks. President Barack Obama himself warned during his recent State of the Union address that the nature of the cyber threat was changing.
Gaining access to critical systems is the key. Once inside the digital perimeter - especially if the intrusion is not identified, there is the possibility of causing real physical damage to the infrastructure that the computers control.
There was no clear definition of what constituted a hacking attack, it went on, and as it was a cross-border, deceptive business, it was hard to pin down where attacks originated.
It suggested that the "everyday gathering" of online information was being wrongly characterised as spying.
The detailed report, released on Tuesday by US-based computer security company Mandiant, looked at hundreds of data breaches, most of which it attributed to what it termed "Advanced Persistent Threat" actors.
The details it had uncovered, it said, showed that these groups were based primarily in China and that the Beijing government was aware of them.
The most prolific of these actors was APT1, Mandiant said, describing it as "one of the most prolific cyber espionage groups in terms of the sheer quantity of information stolen".
The firm said it had traced the hacking activities of APT1 to a Shanghai building. Unit 61398 of the People's Liberation Army "is also located in precisely the same area" and the actors had similar "missions, capabilities and resources", it added.
APT1, it said, was staffed by hundreds of proficient English speakers. It had hacked into 141 companies across 20 industries, stealing information including blueprints, business plans, pricing documents, user credentials, emails and contact lists.
Spokesman Jay Carney said the White House was "aware" of the Mandiant report and its contents. While not commenting directly, he described cyber espionage as a "very important challenge".
"We have repeatedly raised our concerns at the highest levels about cyber-theft with senior Chinese officials including in the military and we will continue to do so," he said.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland, meanwhile, said that the issue came up "in virtually every meeting we have with Chinese officials".
"We consider this kind of activity a threat not only to our national security but also to our economic interests and [we are] laying out our concerns specifically so that we can see if there's a path forward," she said.
China has long been suspected of a role in cyber hacking. But the issue has become more high-profile in recent months following widely reported hacks into media outlets including the New York Times - in that case apparently linked to a report by the paper on the wealth of relatives of outgoing Premier Wen Jiabao.
The Chinese Defence Ministry statement pointed out that China was also a victim of hacking attacks.
A Global Times editorial accused the US and its major allies of hyping up a China hacking "threat".
"China should refute the allegations of US company Mandiant with authoritative reports from its technology sector," it said.
"As a long-term counter-measure, China needs to encourage those institutions and individuals who have been subject to cyber-attacks from US IP addresses to stand up and tell the world what happened to them." | China's military says a report linking it to prolific hacking of US targets is flawed. | 21515259 |
Media playback is unsupported on your device
26 August 2014 Last updated at 07:47 BST
The footage of the "aurora australis" at the South Pole was shot on 23 July.
The lights are caused by the interaction of the solar wind - a stream of charged particles escaping the Sun - and our planet's magnetic field and atmosphere.
Footage and images courtesy of ESA/NASA | The European Space Agency has released time-lapse footage of the Aurora Australis - better known as the Southern Lights - that was filmed from the International Space Station. | 28934185 |
Mollie Robinson followed Lena Clarke as she walked home from her church in Inverness before attacking her in a street at about 21:45 on 25 January.
The mother-of-two, formerly of Aviemore and living in Inverness at the time, was seen by witnesses and on CCTV.
She was jailed at Inverness Sheriff Court.
Sheriff Gordon Fleetwood told Robinson: "You quite deliberately targeted a 79-year-old lady late at night on her way home, to satisfy your need for drugs." | A 22-year-old woman who hit a 79-year-old with a metal pole then stole her handbag has been jailed for three years. | 40720288 |
An average of almost 13.5 million people have tuned in to each episode of the BBC One competition, according to the research body Barb.
It is the largest number of viewers Bake Off has attracted in its seven-year history.
The ratings include people who recorded the show and then watched it up to seven days after broadcast.
The data covers only the first five episodes of the current series, and does not include the sixth instalment which aired on 28 September.
Other popular shows this year have been ITV's talent show Britain's Got Talent and Euro 2016 matches, with the former as Bake Off's closest competitor.
One episode of the talent show attracted 12.5 million viewers in April, putting it in sixth place.
Channel 4 has signed a three-year deal with Love Productions, which makes The Great British Bake Off, to air the show from 2017.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram, or if you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | The Great British Bake Off has filled every spot in the top five most watched programmes of the year so far. | 37544234 |
The Magpies were unable to avoid the drop into the second tier last term. However, under the Spaniard, who committed his future to the club before the season started, it has been a short stay outside the top flight.
BBC Sport assesses some of the key factors behind the success.
Few clubs begin life having been relegated from the Premier League with an air of optimism but Newcastle United did, in no small part to Benitez's presence.
Supporters, who had campaigned for the former Real Madrid and Liverpool boss to stay despite the drop, were rewarded with his decision to stay and the knock-on effect was an English Football League record 37,000 season ticket sales.
Benitez was also key to tempting Premier League players in Matt Ritchie and Dwight Gayle to step down a division to join the Newcastle cause.
"He is a great manager and has great experience," Gayle told BBC Newcastle on arriving at St James' Park from Crystal Palace. "There's expectation, but under the manager here I believe he can help me to perform.
"There's a great history at Newcastle. I'm looking forward to getting this club back in the Premier League and proving a few people wrong."
Gayle and his team-mates have backed up those words with action.
Playing to bumper home crowds of 52,000 can make or break a player, particularly when the club they play for are such hot favourites for promotion.
While Aston Villa, also relegated, failed to acclimatise to life in the Championship, with their league position dipping at one stage as low as 20th, the Magpies have not been outside the top four since September 2016.
"It's not easy to drop into the Championship," former Newcastle winger Chris Waddle told BBC Radio 5 live. "Newcastle are a big scalp, with the fan base they've got, home and away, so every game has been difficult for them.
"As we saw, Aston Villa found it difficult and they've got a big support as well. But Newcastle, for all they've had a bit of a wobble, they've been up there all season."
Jackie Milburn, Malcolm Macdonald, Les Ferdinand, Alan Shearer... Dwight Gayle. The former Crystal Palace striker has continued a lineage of free-scoring strikers in black and white, all wearing the number nine shirt.
Only two teams have scored more Championship goals than Newcastle this season, and that impressive strike rate has been a key factor in their success.
Gayle, recruited in pre-season for £10m, has weighed in with 22 goals despite missing chunks of the season with a recurring hamstring problem.
"It's not just the goals," Benitez said after Gayle netted twice in a 2-0 win against Leeds in November. "It's the movement he gives to the team."
While the signing of Gayle last summer made the most headlines, arguably the transfer that has had the most impact was that of Ciaran Clark.
The Republic of Ireland defender has been key to a miserly defence that has conceded only 39 goals and has only been on the losing side five times in 34 games this season.
Clark and PFA Team of the Year member Jamaal Lascelles have combined to give Newcastle a steel to complement the silky attacking play of Ritchie, Jonjo Shelvey and Gayle.
"Ciaran Clark's been the best defender we've had all season," said ex-Newcastle defender and BBC Newcastle summariser John Anderson. "He's been a big loss when he's been out."
Although there are some survivors from the team that were relegated, Benitez had little hesitation in moving on big name players on arriving in the Championship.
Before a ball was kicked, Georginio Wijnaldum moved to Liverpool, and once the season was under way, Daryl Janmaat and Moussa Sissoko also departed for Watford and Tottenham respectively.
Those transfer fees brought in revenue and lightened the wage bill. And along with Clark and Gayle, Grant Hanley, Mo Diame, DeAndre Yedlin, Matz Sels, Jesus Gamez, Isaac Hayden, Daryl Murphy and Achraf Lazaar have all arrived to bolster the promotion bid.
"Benitez got two out and got about £55m to bring players in," Waddle added. "He's bought well.
"It gave them the funds to challenge in this league. He spent a lot on different players to make sure he had a strong squad that would be very competitive for the Championship.
"It's a hard league to get out of, and he's bought well."
While having the funds to invest has given Newcastle a strong squad, it has also given Benitez the headache of accommodating all those big personalities.
Injuries and suspensions to key personnel such as Gayle, Shelvey and Clark have given opportunities to others in the squad.
"Togetherness is a massive strength of what we've got here," defender Hanley said in March as Newcastle closed in on promotion. "The lads who have been playing have done really well and that's the way it is.
"Everybody knows they have a part to play, so it's important to be constantly ready and on top of your game so when you're called up you're ready to go." | Newcastle United's return to the Premier League at the first time of asking - sealed by Monday's 4-1 victory over Preston - marks a successful first full season for manager Rafael Benitez. | 39695457 |
Stockton Council has approved the facility on the site of the former Blakeston School on Junction Road.
A spokesman said more than 70% of people now opt for cremation, but families had to use facilities in Acklam and Redcar.
He said the town's population was estimated to rise by 20% in the next 20 years and demand needed to be met.
The facility, which will be owned by the council, will have gardens of remembrance, landscaping and parking. | A £6.3m crematorium is to be built in Stockton nine years after it was first proposed. | 39835559 |
Alex Jeffery, 21, was hit after being involved in a fight outside the Cambridge City Hotel, on Downing Street, on 1 November, police said.
Mr Jeffery, of Orchard Road in Melbourn, was taken to hospital but died from his injuries a week later.
A post-mortem examination is due to take place in the next few days.
In a statement, Mr Jeffery's family said he was a "fun loving, kind and caring son, grandson and brother".
Det Ch Insp Jerome Kent, who is leading the investigation, said he believed some people had seen what happened during the incident at 03:40 GMT but had not yet spoken to police.
"In particular I am keen to speak to the two security guards who came to Alex's aid," he said.
"I would also urge anyone who may have been travelling in the car involved in this incident or knows who the driver is to come forward.
"This is a devastating and traumatic time for the family and is it vital we catch the person responsible." | A murder inquiry is under way following the death of a man who was knocked down by a car outside a city centre hotel. | 29979155 |
Welsh language standards, introduced in 2016, require councils, national parks and the Welsh Government to provide some services bilingually.
Meirion Prys Jones said ministers "obsessed with hitting organisations hard" had made "very poor legislation".
Ministers have admitted the law is too complicated and will be reviewed.
The review was welcomed by Welsh Language Commissioner Meri Huws, who took over the role of promoting the language from the Welsh Language Board in 2012.
Welsh language standards apply to around 80 public bodies in Wales, depending on the nature of the organisation and its location.
Typically, councils can have some 100 to 200 regulations to meet.
Many bodies have complained about the cost and complexity of the regulations, which include making it clear that they welcome correspondence with the public in Welsh and giving the language priority on bilingual signs.
Speaking on the BBC Radio Wales Good Morning Wales programme, Mr Jones said: "It's a very, very poor piece of legislation - it's so complicated.
"It was supposed to be simple [and] clear so that everyone can understand the new system - it doesn't work.
"The idea of standards was you'd have one standard or a few standards that would suit all of Wales," he said, adding that to have many more "is completely ridiculous".
Mr Jones said Welsh ministers "completely lost their way" on the matter "about seven or eight years ago".
"They became obsessed with the idea of regulation, the idea that you need to hit organisations hard who didn't provide enough services in Welsh and they set about putting a system in place," he said.
On Thursday, Welsh Language Minister Alun Davies told the Newyddion 9 news programme: "I think we always need to review how policy is being implemented - is it delivering its ambition?
"I hope in the next few months to issue a white paper which will review the issue of Welsh language standards as part of a wider review of Welsh language policy.
"When I look at the standards I can see they are having an impact within public bodies that deliver services in Welsh, but I also see complications.
"They can be too complicated at times, both the process of designing and implementing."
Conservatives AM Suzy Davies said the rules were "far too bureaucratic and a balance needs to be found in cutting red tape while maintaining the rights which Welsh speakers want to exercise".
But the Welsh language society, Cymdeithas yr Iaith, said the legislation should be strengthened.
Chair of the organisation's language rights group, Manon Elin, said it should cover the private sector and "include the unquestionable right to use the language in every aspect of life". | The current law giving people rights to access services in Welsh is completely ridiculous, according to an ex-chief executive of the Welsh Language Board. | 38531155 |
The collision took place at Laggan, between Invergarry and Spean Bridge, on the A82 at about 13:00.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Tragically, the male motorcyclist died and next of kin have been informed. Neither the bus driver or bus passengers suffered any significant injuries."
The road was closed in both directions. | A motorcyclist has died after his bike and a bus collided on a Highland road. | 39581287 |
The 22-year-old's time of 21.32 seconds - his previous best was 21.54 - also secured him a place at this summer's World Championships in Budapest.
Find out how to get into swimming with our special guide.
Elsewhere, Holly Hibbot, 17, won the 400m freestyle as she held off Olympic silver medallist Jazz Carlin, 26, for her first senior British title.
And Max Litchfield won his second gold in the 200m individual medley.
The 22-year-old was adding to the 400m individual medley gold he won at Sheffield's Ponds Forge on Thursday.
Hannah Miley, 27, won the women's 200m individual medley, while Commonwealth champion Georgia Davies, 26, won the women's 50m backstroke. | Ben Proud beat his own British record as he took 50m freestyle victory at the British Swimming Championships. | 39681804 |
Jonathan Evans told BBC Radio Wales Labour campaigns were too generic and irrelevant to most voters.
He said issues such as the so-called bedroom tax were not decisive.
"There are 400 families affected by that supplement change in Cardiff North... that's a message going to 70,000 people," he said.
"Our messages however were all local, they were relevant to local concerns, very often they were personally addressed and very often they came from neighbours of those people."
Mr Evans told the Sunday Supplement programme: "I think the sophistication in the way that the Conservative party has now been campaigning in this election is something not yet picked up on.
"But it is something that we will certainly be carrying forward over the next 12 months (to the 2016 assembly election)."
Meanwhile Newport West Labour MP Paul Flynn said his party had to win over disillusioned voters to recover from election defeat, claiming ex-Labour leader Ed Miliband had been "a liability from day one" and that "contempt for the political system was deeply rooted". | A campaign based on community issues in marginal seats was the key to election victory, the chairman of the Welsh Conservatives has said. | 32681155 |
Chilling words from one of Britain's most notorious serial child killers, Robert Black, who died last month.
His voice was recorded by police as they questioned him about the 1981 murder of nine-year-old Jennifer Cardy.
BBC NI's Spotlight programme obtained copies of the audio recordings and will broadcast them on Tuesday evening.
Extracts of the Scottish-born murderer's interviews, conducted by Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) detectives, will form part of Spotlight's one-hour special report into the life of the child killer.
In one exchange, Black told the police: "I'm not exactly proud of the way I feel towards young girls."
He added: "There's a part of me that knows I'm wrong, that knows it's wrong, that I shouldn't be doing things like that, I shouldn't even be thinking things like that.
"But there's the other part that says 'you like it, go on'."
Black died in Northern Ireland's Maghaberry Prison last month, where he was serving a total of five life sentences.
He was an opportunistic predator who drove all around the United Kingdom in his delivery van snatching young girls off the streets, mainly in the 8-12 age group.
He then dumped the bodies of those he killed hundreds of miles away.
Criss-crossing police boundaries in his delivery van helped him evade detectives for 20 years.
Even though he was given life sentences for killing three girls in England and Scotland - 10-year-old Sarah Harper, five-year-old Caroline Hogg and 11-year-old Susan Maxwell - Black gave nothing away to police.
But that changed when he was questioned in 2005 by PSNI officers about the murder of County Antrim schoolgirl, Jennifer Cardy.
He began to open up when he came face to face with Det Con Pamela Simpson.
She told Spotlight: "I think everyone was surprised at that because nobody knew before we went into the interviews whether he was even going to talk at all and for some unknown reason he felt comfortable talking to myself."
Black began to speak about his sexual fantasies, encouraged by Det Con Simpson in the hope he might incriminate himself.
What became apparent was that Black's fantasies were in fact reality.
Psychiatrist Dr Richard Badcock studied Black in prison. He advised the PSNI about how to question Black and he listened in on the interviews.
"It was clear that although the questions were about his fantasies, which he was happy to talk about, what he was actually talking about were his exact decision-making processes during actual offences," Dr Badcock said.
Black was questioned for three days and Det Con Simpson said it was evident during the final hours of interview that Black realised he had incriminated himself.
"The head went down, he lost eye contact with us and at the very end of the interview whenever the tapes were off, he knew at that stage that he had said too much," she said.
During the interviews, Black described a road in one of his fantasies - but the detectives soon realised it was the very road where Jennifer Cardy had been abducted in 1981.
Listening to the recorded interviews during the 2011 trial that led to Black's conviction was not easy for the Cardy family. It was a harrowing experience, they said.
But with no forensic evidence or eye witnesses against Black, the police recordings were vital in securing a conviction that provided justice for Jennifer's family who were aware of the content of the Spotlight programme.
During an interview for Spotlight, Jennifer's father Andy Cardy gave this opinion of his daughter's killer: "I think Robert Black was most definitely not mad.
"He was most definitely evil and he had went down the road of evil, and just gathered evil as he went along."
Black died as he lived - alone.
There were no mourners for his cremation at Roselawn Cemetery in Belfast outside normal hours.
His ashes were scattered at sea, "without ceremony, beyond these shores". | "There's nothing more heart-warming than a kid throw its arms round you and giving you a hug, it's a lovely feeling." | 35632488 |
"I would implore you to do this for me, out of mercy for myself," Samantha Geimer told the court.
Ms Geimer had previously said she had forgiven the filmmaker for the 40-year-old assault.
Polanski admitted statutory rape and served 42 days in prison, but later fled the US.
The Oscar-winning director left over concern his plea bargain deal would be scrapped.
Polanski has been in self-imposed exile since pleading guilty to a charge of having unlawful sex over the 1977 incident, which took place at actor Jack Nicholson's Hollywood Hills home. The actor was not at home at the time.
Prosecutors later dropped the charges of rape and sodomy against Polanski.
"I am not speaking on behalf of Roman, but justice," Ms Geimer said on Friday. "I implore you to consider to resolve this matter without incarcerating an 83-year-old man."
The court hearing in Los Angeles is aimed at getting access to plea deal testimony from the 1970s, according to Mr Polanksi's lawyer Harland Braun.
He would use this to persuade European authorities to rescind an international arrest warrant against Polanski.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon said he would take the request under consideration and did not issue an immediate ruling.
Polanski was rearrested in Switzerland in 2009 and spent months in prison and under house arrest before being released.
Polish courts and the Swiss authorities have rejected requests for him to be extradited to the US.
Polanski is a citizen of Poland and of France. | A woman who was raped by the film director Roman Polanski when she was 13 years old has asked a Los Angeles court to end the case against him. | 40212399 |
A report from Audit Scotland last year found the health board needs to make savings of about £175m over the next five years.
The new team will help to implement recommendations made by an independent advisory group.
Bosses at NHS Grampian and NHS Fife have been appointed to the team.
Paul Gray, chief executive of NHS Scotland, said Tayside was making progress but needed further assistance to bring about the changes needed to balance its finances.
The transformation support team consists of:
Mr Gray said: "NHS Tayside is taking steps to improve patient care and achieve financial balance through its five year transformation programme.
"However, what is clear today is that the board will benefit from assistance to achieve the pace of change required.
"I have therefore decided to put in place a senior level team with specific expertise in finance, HR and planning who will work alongside NHS Tayside's executive team to support the implementation of the required scale of change required across the organisation."
The advisory team, which has been working with the health board for three months, will review progress in implementing its recommendations.
Prof John Connell, chairman of NHS Tayside, said the health board was grateful for the support it was receiving and the advisory group's report on its financial situation.
He said: "It reaffirms the major challenges that NHS Tayside faces in delivering healthcare for the population of the region within its financial resource limit.
"There are no concerns in the report in relation to the quality of care delivered to our patients, their families and our local communities each and every day, and we would reassure them that safe and effective person-centred care remains at the heart of all that we do and that will not change."
Prof Connell added: "Our staff remain critical to achieving the transformation of healthcare in Tayside and I would like to thank them for their continued care, dedication and commitment to our patients and their families." | A team of health chiefs from outside NHS Tayside are to help the health board improve the state of its finances. | 40417815 |
The 31-year-old tried "to influence the outcome of a match" on the third-tier ITF Futures Tour in California in March 2015, the Tennis Integrity Unit said.
The offence took place at that year's ITF USA Futures 11 tournament, in which Garza did not play.
Ranked 1,065th in the world in singles, he reached a high of 294 in 2012.
Garza's ban takes effect immediately, and he is barred from competing in or attending any tournament or event organised or sanctioned by the governing bodies of tennis. | Mexican tennis player Daniel Garza has been banned for six months and fined $5,000 (£4,062) after being found guilty of a match-fixing offence. | 37698466 |
Cynhalwyd y rownd gyn derfynol yn Llangefni ddydd Sadwrn gyda phedwar ymgeisydd yn dod i'r brig.
Y rheiny a ddaeth i'r brig eleni oedd Hugh Brightwell o Ellesmere Port, Sir Gaer, Emma Chappell o Ddeiniolen, Gwynedd, Richard Furniss o Langefni, Môn a Daniela Schlick o Borthaethwy, Ynys Môn,
Dywedodd Elwyn Hughes, Cadeirydd Pwyllgor Dysgwyr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Ynys Môn: "Roedd yn hynod braf croesawu pawb draw atom i Langefni dros y penwythnos ar gyfer y rownd gynderfynol, a chawsom ein plesio'n arw gyda safon pob un o'r cystadleuwyr eleni.
"Mae'n biti nad oes modd i bawb gyrraedd y rownd derfynol, gan fod y safon mor uchel, a phawb yn ysbrydoliaeth, nid yn unig i ddysgwyr eraill ond i Gymry Cymraeg hefyd.
"Mae'n brofiad arbennig cael cyfarfod a siarad gyda'r rheiny sydd wedi cystadlu a chlywed am sut mae dysgu Cymraeg wedi siapio a newid eu bywyd.
"Rydym yn llongyfarch pob un ymgeisydd yn wresog, ac yn diolch iddyn nhw, nid yn unig am gystadlu ond am eu hymroddiad i'r iaith a'n diwylliant. Dymuniadau da i bob un ohonyn nhw yn y dyfodol," meddai.
Y beirniaid eleni yw Jenny Pye, R Alun Charles a Nia Roberts, ac wrth gyhoeddi'r rhestr fer yn Oriel Ynys Môn dywedodd Jenny Pye: "Rydym i gyd wedi cael modd i fyw yn cyfarfod yr holl ymgeiswyr ar gyfer y gystadleuaeth eleni.
"Mae'r safon wedi bod yn uchel, ac mae straeon pawb wedi bod yn hynod o ddiddorol. Llongyfarchiadau i bawb sydd wedi ymgeisio, ac rydym yn edrych ymlaen at gyfarfod Emma, Dani, Hugh a Richard eto yn y rownd derfynol yn ystod wythnos yr Eisteddfod."
Bydd yr enillydd yn derbyn tlws arbennig, yn rhoddedig gan Rhian a Harri Pritchard, Cemaes, a £300 (Cymraeg i Oedolion Prifysgol Bangor), a bydd y tri arall sy'n cyrraedd y rownd derfynol yn derbyn tlysau, sydd hefyd yn rhoddedig gan Rhian a Harri Pritchard, Cemaes, a £100 yr un (Teulu'r Wern, Talwrn).
Bydd y rheiny sy'n cyrraedd y rownd derfynol yn derbyn tanysgrifiad blwyddyn i'r cylchgrawn Golwg, a rhoddion gan fudiad Merched y Wawr. Bydd yr enillydd hefyd yn cael ei gwahodd i fod yn aelod o'r Orsedd.
Cynhelir Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Ynys Môn ger Bodedern o 4-12 Awst. | Mae'r Eisteddfod Genedlaethol wedi cyhoeddi enw'r pedwar person fydd yn cystadlu am wobr Dysgwr y Flwyddyn yn y brifwyl ar Ynys Môn eleni. | 39911035 |
The 24-year-old, who has appeared in eight Tests and 24 one-day games for Zimbabwe, has said his long-term ambition is to qualify for England.
"Playing county cricket has been an ambition of mine for a number of years," Jarvis told the club website.
"My future is with Lancashire, with an end goal of potentially becoming English-qualified in the future."
Jarvis, who has 30 Test wickets and has twice taken five in an innings against West Indies and New Zealand, has sacrificed his place in the Zimbabwe national team to join Lancashire.
He continued: "I have loved my time playing for Zimbabwe. I am extremely grateful for the part they have played in my development, but I feel the time is right to take on a new challenge and a new career.
"Reaching this decision has been an incredibly difficult process, but I intend to make a home for myself in Manchester and hope my stay at Lancashire far outlasts this initial contract."
Zimbabwe Cricket released a statement on Monday confirming Jarvis's decision to move to England.
The Red Rose county say Jarvis will join them as a non-overseas player, subject to registration, and will link up with them "in the near future". | Lancashire have confirmed the signing of Zimbabwe pace bowler Kyle Jarvis on a three-year contract. | 23755283 |
David Cottrell, 90, from Redland, was honoured for his part in saving the lives of more than 70 Norwegians on a sinking ship in June 1944.
He was just 19 when the crew of HMS Swift ignored orders and rescued the men from the water, after their ship, the Svenner, was torpedoed.
Mr Cottrell told BBC Points West: "It's a proud moment."
He was an Able Seaman Gunner on HMS Swift, which narrowly missed being hit by the torpedoes before they were used to sink the nearby Norwegian destroyer Svenner, off Sword Beach, Normandy, on 6 June 1944.
Mr Cottrell said the ship "broke in half and sank almost immediately. People were jumping over the sides."
HMS Swift's captain John Gower disobeyed orders to leave the men and instead went to pick up survivors. Of 219 crew aboard the Svenner, 32 Norwegians and one Briton died.
Mr Cottrell said in 2001 he met two of the Norwegians who had been on the Svenner and one of them told him and Captain Gower: "What you've done, myself, my children, my grandchildren owe you a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid."
Nigel Fletcher, Norwegian consul for the South West, said Mr Cottrell had been put forward for the Commemorative Medal after meeting a survivor of the Svenner at a memorial service to mark the 70th anniversary in Norway in 2014.
"It's a great recognition and I think also it gives him time to reflect on his old shipmates and the other people who were with him on that day."
Mr Cottrell's son Richard said he was very proud of his father: "It's one story among thousands and they are all remarkable." | A Bristol man has become the eighth Briton to be awarded a Norwegian medal for bravery during the D-Day Landings. | 35363683 |
Radio 1 DJ B Traits, 2 Many DJs, Tensnake and Eli & Fur also performed at Groove Loch Ness.
The 5,000-ticket event was held in a field at Dores near Inverness used by the RockNess festival, which has not been held since 2013.
Groove Loch Ness was organised in just eight months by four people working in the music industry in Scotland.
Groove Armada closed the festival which ran through until 02:00.
Police estimated about 4,500 festival-goers attended the event, which they said passed without significant incident.
Officers carried out 31 positive drugs searches over the course of the day and dealt with only one report of minor disorder. | Groove Armada have headlined a new dance music festival on the shores of Loch Ness. | 34021744 |
The Aspar Ducati rider from Toomebridge has moved on to 63 points and lies 11th in the 2016 standings.
Laverty has scored points in 10 of the 11 rounds this season with a best finish of fourth in Argentina in April.
Britain's Cal Crutchlow took his maiden MotoGP win with Valentino Rossi second and Marc Marquez of Spain in third.
Crutchlow's hard tyres suited the testing conditions in Brno and he worked his way from 10th on the grid to take the lead with seven laps to go.
He is the first Briton to win an elite-class GP since Barry Sheene in 1981.
Laverty crashed out on the final corner of the last lap while in 11th place in the previous round in Austria.
The next race is the British GP at Silverstone on 4 September. | Eugene Laverty continued his excellent MotoGP campaign by finishing sixth in a rain-hit Czech Republic Grand Prix at Brno on Sunday. | 37150279 |
The 23-year-old, who had only recently joined Whitehaven RLFC, tested positive for nandrolone in an out-of-competition test on 27 November 2015.
Former Elbra amateur prop Todd admitted to the anti-doping rule violation.
His ban is backdated from 18 December 2015 to 17 December 2019.
"This case continues to highlight the worrying and growing trend of steroid use amongst young men," UKAD director of legal Graham Arthur said.
"UKAD works alongside the Rugby Football League (RFL) to provide players with vital anti-doping education and resources to ensure that they are aware of the risks that steroid use poses to both their health and their sporting careers." | Rugby league player John Todd has been given a four-year ban from all sport by UK Anti Doping after he tested positive for an anabolic steroid in November 2015. | 36324754 |
The Telegraph said the X Files star gave "the performance of her career" as faded Southern belle, Blanche DuBois.
The play opened on Monday at the Young Vic, near London's South Bank.
"I staggered out of this shattering production of Tennessee Williams's bruising modern classic feeling shaken, stirred and close to tears," wrote the Telegraph's Charles Spencer.
"Never have I seen a production of the play that was so raw in its emotion, so violent and so deeply upsetting," his five-star review continued.
"The show lasts three and a half hours, but there isn't a moment when the tension slackens or attention lapses. It is an absolute knock-out."
The 1947 play has been given a twist by Australian director Benedict Andrews who sets it in a modern apartment which revolves almost constantly in front of the audience.
The story sees an already fragile DuBois completely break down after she moves in with her sister Stella (Vanessa Kirby) and is tormented by her violent brother-in-law, Stanley Kowalski (Ben Foster).
"There's no doubt that Gillian Anderson gives a stellar performance as Blanche DuBois," said The Guardian's Michael Billington. "[She] captures both Blanche's airy pretensions to grandeur and her desolate loneliness."
But he had some reservations about keeping the acting space in perpetual motion. "The shifting focus sometimes becomes a distraction and makes the dialogue hard to hear: Just as you're getting into a scene, the characters float out of view."
Michael Coveney, in his WhatsonStage review, observed: "As the cage-like rectangle moves, so does our perspective on the characters, whom we can see now in close-up, now in longshot, through a doorway, in the bathroom.
"It's the best sort of theatre-in-the-round, turning the style's disadvantages and drawbacks to aesthetic triumph."
The Hollywood Reporter's Stephen Dalton said that Andrews had approached an American classic "with gravitas and grit".
"In a world where feminism, gay rights and post-modern parodies on The Simpsons are now ingrained in popular culture, the feverish netherworld that Williams depicts perhaps inevitably feels more like shrill melodrama than groundbreaking drama.
"Fortunately, Blanche is the saving grace here, a hugely alluring car-crash heroine in any decade. Top marks to Anderson, who gives great diva and appears to enjoy every minute of it."
A Streetcar Named Desire is at the Young Vic, London, until 19 September. It will be broadcast via NT Live to more than 550 UK cinemas on 16 September. | Gillian Anderson has been praised for her "stellar" turn in a new production of A Streetcar Named Desire. | 28541038 |
Researchers in Bradford are looking for the link between visual processing and sporting performance.
Their research could lead to a lab-based test that finds hidden talent and the cricket stars of tomorrow.
It could also help elite sports teams to place individuals into their optimum roles within the team, or plan specific vision training to improve performance.
In cricket, fielders in the slips often have less than half a second to respond and catch a ball travelling towards them - all with the added pressure of a match- or series-winning, or losing, moment.
This skill of tracking a trajectory, such as that of an oncoming ball, and coordinating your movement to catch or intercept it, is called "coincidence timing".
It is pivotal in fast, dynamic sports like cricket, football and tennis.
A team at the University of Bradford, led by Dr Brendan Barrett, secured a £500,000 grant from the BBSRC to see if there is any scientific link between vision and coincidence timing.
They have put elite cricketers and rugby league players through a battery of dynamic visual tests.
Up next month are the England women's cricket team - likely still raw from relinquishing the Ashes this summer.
Members of the public were also tested and divided into "sporty" and "non-sporty" groups; over 400 participants were tested overall.
This is not your average visit to the optician. Tests included repeatedly attempting to count the number of dots on a screen after glimpsing them for just 150 milliseconds (0.15 seconds).
Another involved trying to catch a tennis ball travelling towards you at 35mph, wearing goggles programmed to increasingly restrict your vision, while your movements were tracked by infrared motion-capture technology.
This was a feat at which most of the elite cricketers excelled.
Dr. Barrett commented that a couple of "non-sporty" people had unexpectedly high levels of attainment.
However, no hidden talent was discovered among the assembled journalists today at the British Science Festival in Bradford.
With collaborators from John Moores University, Liverpool and St Andrew's University, as well as links with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), the team has collected all its data and started the lengthy task of analysing the results, which should be available in the next year.
Dr Barrett said: "Our belief is - we have some preliminary evidence - that faster pickup of visual information is extremely important in sports like cricket. Better performance on the counting task and better performance on the catching task, matched with evidence from the kinematics, [would be] strong evidence that the two are linked."
If there are particular aspects of visual processing that improve performance and are specific to the elite players, such super-vision might be a natural or an acquired ability. "We don't know whether this is an innate skill," Dr Barrett explained, "because [they have done] many thousands of hours of practice. Once we find the link then we will be able to explore it."
This research could pave the way for finding hidden talent amongst children and encouraging them to pursue sports in which they are likely to succeed.
It could also help team selectors identify the best position for a player - for example a player with excellent dynamic visual skills may be placed in the slips rather than the deeper field.
Trying to gain that extra 1% or 2% at the top end of elite sport is crucial, and being able to identify which players would benefit most from focussed training could make the difference between winning or losing a match… or the next Ashes series. | Top sportspeople often seem to possess visual "superpowers", making near-impossible rapid reactions look easy. | 34204551 |
The strike followed a dispute with pilots over plans to expand the group's budget subsidiary Transavia.
The airline's pilot strike, which was the longest in 20 years, offset the benefits of lower fuel prices.
Earnings fell €266m (£172m) to €1.598bn, with the September's strike costing it €495m in lost revenue.
Air France-KLM also said it had been hit by the weaker euro, while overcapacity on routes to Asia, Latin America and Africa had weighed on ticket prices.
Revenues fell 2.4% to €24.91bn, despite a 1.3% increase in passenger numbers.
The airline group said it planned to cut investment by €300m euros a year in 2015 and 2016.
"With the way we see the market developing, except for the North Atlantic, we are being very, very cautious," said chief executive Alexandre de Juniac.
Shares in Air France-KLM fell almost 6% in early morning trading.
Aviation analyst Norman Gage, from New Generation Technology, told the BBC that there were "differences of opinion toward the top levels" between the Air France and KLM sides of the business over how to progress with a low-cost service.
Mr Gage said that in comparison to existing low-cost carriers such as Easyjet, Air France-KLM was "struggling".
He added: "The low cost carriers who have started up more recently are much quicker on their feet and have a much better basic structure to work from." | Air France-KLM is planning to speed up cost cuts and reduce investment after it reported a drop in full-year profits following last year's pilots' strike. | 31530243 |
Luke Sansom was searching with a metal detector in Farndon, near Chester, when he stumbled across the silver piece.
Made with carnelian gemstone, it features a fallen soldier or gladiator holding a shield towards what appears to be a large cat or panther.
Cheshire assistant coroner Dr Janet Napier declared to find to be treasure at an inquest at Warrington Town Hall.
The pendant will now be valued by the British Museum.
The Grosvenor Museum in Chester has expressed an interest in buying it and Mr Sansom, of Saltney near Chester, would stand to receive half the money, with the rest going to the owner of the field.
Elizabeth Montgomery, the museum's collections officer, said: "I am very excited by this.
"It is a rare find especially with the image of the soldier fighting with the large cat or panther.
"The gemstone certainly dates back to the Roman era around the first century BC but the pendant is a bit older.
"It is late Roman or early Anglo-Saxon and would have belonged to someone wealthy.
"Chester had a big Roman military garrison but this was found outside the city walls." | An amateur treasure hunter has found a rare 2,000-year-old Roman pendant in a field in a Cheshire village. | 37521051 |
The ECB said that it stood ready to review the decision on its Emergency Liquidity Assistance (ELA) and would work closely with the Bank of Greece.
BBC economics editor Robert Peston says the ECB is not providing any additional aid to Greece, which will lead to huge pressure for capital controls.
Greek banks depend on ELA, and cutting it could push Greece out of the euro.
An ECB spokesman told the BBC: "Greece still has access to the ELA."
The current ceiling for ELA, agreed on Friday, is €89bn (£63bn). It is not clear if all that money has been disbursed.
Sunday's decision by the ECB not to provide additional aid may result in Greek banks closing on Monday, pending the imposition of capital controls, our economics editor says.
That would be a significant step towards Greece leaving the euro, though it would not make it inevitable, he adds.
The ECB statement quotes Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras as saying: "The Bank of Greece, as a member of the eurosystem, will take all measures necessary to ensure financial stability for Greek citizens in these difficult circumstances."
The statement comes after eurozone finance minsters on Saturday refused a Greek request to extend Greece's current bailout.
The bailout expires on Tuesday, the same day that Greece has to make a payment of €1.5bn (£1.1bn) to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that it risks defaulting on.
Greece and its creditors had been locked in negotiations over a new bailout on Friday when the Greek government called a surprise referendum for 5 July over whether to accept the terms it was being offered. It has described the international offer as "not viable".
It then asked for an extension of its current deal until after the vote was completed.
Earlier on Sunday, Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis told the BBC that the prospect of Greece's creditors ending their financial support was "appalling".
"It is a dark hour for Europe," he said.
"Nevertheless... we have a clear conscience. We know that we have bent over backwards to accommodate the institutions, the troika [the European Commission, ECB and IMF], our European partners, and they have not come to the party, they have not met us half way - not even a quarter of the way."
People standing in the queues for the ATM are heatedly debating politics. That's all you hear them talking about. The disagreements climax, the talking turns into shouting and now insults are being thrown - they are calling each other "ignorant", "naive", "foolish", "suicidal".
All discussions seem to lead to the question: "So who did YOU vote for in January?" Those who supported Syriza defend it by arguing that at least someone is standing up for the country, but they are attacked by others as responsible for the bank run.
"They took too much risk." That is the feeling among many people.
Obviously, they are also discussing the referendum. Older people realise that a "yes" at the referendum means that pension schemes will need to be reformed.
I even saw two people depositing money, claiming this was the conscientious thing to do. One of them tried to convince others not to withdraw their cash.
What are the Greek papers saying? | The European Central Bank says it will maintain its emergency funding of Greek banks at the current level. | 33304674 |
Allardyce, who has replaced Roy Hodgson as manager, picked eight of the side that lost embarrassingly to Iceland at Euro 2016 as they started their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign.
Who impressed? Who struggled?
Barely any work to do - although one poor clearance caused some excitement. Word travels fast about perceived weakness, as he was jeered by the Slovakia fans when the ball landed at his feet.
Did plenty of attacking work but no serious end product. Quiet night in defence.
No serious work to do as England had a relatively easy night at the back.
Untroubled in defence and showed a willingness to try to bring the ball out to act as a creative influence.
Unconvincing. Caught in possession in a moment that almost led to a Slovakia goal in the first half and caught out of position on occasion.
Ineffective display and still looks way short of international class. Gave the ball away too often and his shooting was wayward when he got the opportunity.
Solid enough presence in central midfield. Will emerge as the man to give Allardyce's midfield a base.
Busy but could not produce the sparkling form he had shown for Manchester City this season. One shot just wide.
Frustrating night for England's captain as he spent much time toiling ineffectively, and often too deep, in midfield.
England's most dangerous player, hitting the post, forcing a fine save from Slovakia keeper Matus Kozacik and also shooting narrowly off target. Deserved his first England goal for persistence alone.
Miserable night for the Spurs striker - although starved of support and service. Suffered rough, often illegal, treatment from Skrtel before the defender's red card and was eventually substituted.
Lively display that gave England an extra attacking edge.
Had a goal contentiously ruled out for offside and put in one good cross that created a chance for Daniel Sturridge - but had other wasteful moments.
Barely time to make an impact. No rating.
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | England left it late to snatch a 1-0 win over Slovakia in Sam Allardyce's first game in charge. | 37271401 |
Exploris in the County Down town of Portaferry was threatened with permanent closure in 2013.
But a rescue package backed by the Northern Ireland Executive and Ards and North Down Borough Council, which owns Exploris, secured its future.
A two-year-old Nile crocodile is among the new attractions at the centre.
New enclosures have been created for fish and other aquatic species at the centre.
The aquarium is also a rescue centre for sick and injured seals and staff care for rescued seal pups until they are strong enough to be released back to sea.
Ann Moreland, the general manager at Exploris, said other major changes had been made to the centre.
"The biggest change will be the inclusion of the fantastic tropical experience," she said.
"The kids will be able to come along and find Dory and Nemo along with many other species from across the world.
An outdoor otter enclosure has also been built.
"We've got two lovely little otters which the kids can get up close and personal to and watch them getting fed," said Ms Moreland.
Exploris opened on the shores of Strangford Lough in 1987 and became a significant tourist draw in the Ards peninsula.
Before its closure in November 2014, it attracted about 100,000 visitors every year.
The firm responsible for one of Belfast's top tourist attractions, the Crumlin Road Gaol, has been appointed by the council to run the aquarium on its behalf.
Environment Minister Michelle McIlveen visited Exploris last week and said she was impressed by the "high quality attraction it has now become". | Northern Ireland's only aquarium has reopened after a £2m refurbishment, having been closed for almost two years. | 37078081 |
Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel on Thursday announced that the dam's height would be increased from 121 metres to 138.62 metres, papers say.
Work to raise the height of the dam is expected to take 36 to 40 months.
Social activist Medha Patkar, who heads the Narmada Bachao Andolan (Save the Narmada movement) group, has strongly opposed the decision.
"Densely populated villages in Nimad area of [the neighbouring] Madhya Pradesh state, with houses, farms, shops, temples, mosques and standing crops will face a watery grave if the dam's height is increased," the Hindustan Times quotes her as saying in a statement.
Greenpeace India has also criticised the announcement, saying it is contrary to the government's promise of inclusive development.
"The government in Gujarat has served a blow to the Narmada Bachao Andolan and all of us who stand in solidarity with the grave impact of the impacted communities and the environment. This seems to be the government's way of making it loud and clear that it's their way or the highway," The Times of India quotes Greenpeace's Abhishek Pratap as saying.
However, Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti said the decision to raise the height of the Narmada dam was based on the report of the ministry of social justice and empowerment on the rehabilitation of displaced people, the Zee News website reports.
The project, built to resolve power and water shortages in central and western India, has faced controversies in the past as well.
It was initiated by India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru in the 1950s but opposition from campaigners led to long legal battles and delays. The dam finally started generating power in 2007.
Critics say it has displaced tens of thousands of villagers who have not been adequately compensated.
In other news, four people have been arrested in Delhi for the murder of a retired army officer who fought in the India-Pakistan war of 1971, reports The Pioneer.
Major Rohit Sethi, 64, was given the Vir Chakra gallantry award for his "exemplary bravery" during the war.
The army officer was smothered to death after he was given food laced with sedatives, the paper says.
And finally, Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu was left "upset" after finding our that several officers in his ministry often came late to work, The Asian Age reported.
Mr Naidu arrived at 9am [local time] to take a round of the office but was "irked" on seeing many empty chairs and was also unhappy with poor maintenance of the premises, the report added.
BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. For more reports from BBC Monitoring, click here. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook. | Media and activists are concerned over the government's plan to increase the height of the Sardar Sarovar dam on the Narmada river in the western state of Gujarat. | 27828109 |
The SNP won most seats in the local elections but the Scottish Conservatives made significant gains.
Ruth Davidson said the results proved that her party was the only one which could challenge the Nationalists in the upcoming general election.
Labour and the Lib Dems said they would target seats in a bid to oust SNP MPs.
The first minister admitted the Conservatives in Scotland had "a good performance by their standards", with the party returning a record number of councillors north of the border.
But she insisted the SNP had "won this election comfortably" with her party ending up with "more votes, more seats, more councils where we are the largest party, not just compared to every other party but compared to five years ago".
Ms Sturgeon said: "Yes, the Tories made gains and had a good performance by their standards - but that support came from Labour not the SNP, so Labour and the Tories are fighting it out for second place while the SNP continues to be comfortably in first place."
She spoke out after Scottish Conservatives won a record 276 councillors north of the border - more than double the 115 they secured five years ago - with Tories elected in places such as Paisley's Ferguslie Park, the most deprived part of Scotland.
The SNP remains the largest party in local government with 431 councillors voted in.
But if voting patterns are similar at the general election on 8 June, a surge in Conservative support could see Ruth Davidson's party oust some SNP MPs from Westminster.
Meanwhile, Labour slumped to become the third largest party in Scotland's councils, and was kicked out of power in its Glasgow heartland for the first time in almost 40 years.
Ms Davidson said the results showed "only the Scottish Conservatives have the strength to fight back against the SNP".
She said: "We will speak up for the millions of Scots who have had enough of the uncertainty and division of the last few years.
"We will stand up for everyone who doesn't want a second referendum on independence."
Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale, who has been campaigning in East Lothian, also said there had been a "clear backlash against the SNP's plans for a divisive second independence referendum".
However, Ms Sturgeon, who joined the SNP's new council group in Glasgow, said: "I've heard lots of ludicrous arguments in my time in politics but this takes the prize for the most ludicrous argument."
She insisted there was "not a shred of disappointment" that the SNP had failed to secure an overall majority in Glasgow City Council, where Labour had been in power since 1980.
Ms Sturgeon said: "I'm over the moon that we are the largest party in Glasgow and are about to form an administration in the city."
She added: "The term historic is often overused in politics but to see 40 years of Labour control in Glasgow brought to an end to be replaced by a new SNP city government probably makes that word 'historic' appropriate."
Ms Davidson spent the day campaigning in Gordon, where Alex Salmond is the SNP's candidate - one of the Conservative's key targets of the general election campaign.
The Scottish Tory leader said: "This week's local government election has shown we are the only party in Scotland with the strength to fight back against the SNP - in every part of Scotland.
"We won the local government election in Gordon this week, beating the SNP into second place. It means that in this seat, as in many others, it is a two-horse race between us and the Nationalists.
"As is the case right across Scotland, the choice in Gordon is clear.
"It's between a Scottish National Party that will to take us back to more division and instability, and a Scottish Conservative party that will fight against another referendum so we can all move on together."
Scottish Labour deputy leader Alex Rowley meanwhile insisted his party was still a "major party" in local government, despite losing seats.
Mr Rowley stressed: "The SNP failed to win a single majority anywhere in Scotland, and the nature of the voting system means that cross-party deals may be agreed."
A meeting of the party's Scottish Executive Committee - which includes Ms Dugdale, Mr Rowley, trade unions and others - agreed Labour would not do any deals which would result in increased austerity for Scotland's poorest people.
And James Kelly, the party's general election campaign manager in Scotland, insisted they were looking to win seats from the SNP on 8 June.
"In places such as Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, East Lothian, Inverclyde, Fife and elsewhere, the Tories are in a distant third place," he said.
"In a first-past-the-post general election, it's now abundantly clear it is only Labour that can defeat the SNP in these seats."
Lib Dem Willie Rennie, who was on the campaign trail in Edinburgh West, pointed out that their candidate in the nearby Almond ward got more than 6,000 votes on Thursday - more than any other candidate in Scotland since 1994.
"The results like this across Scotland are a real springboard to beat the SNP where we are challenging them on 8 June," he said.
"East Dunbartonshire, Argyll, Caithness and North East Fife were superb. We made gains in Gordon and Ross, Skye and Lochaber too.
"Our pro-UK, pro-Europe message with investment in education and mental health is strongest in the seats where we are challenging the SNP at Westminster." | Nicola Sturgeon has dismissed as "ludicrous" claims of a backlash against the SNP over her plans for second independence referendum. | 39830297 |
The programme of events is expected to bring a million visitors to the city, said Visit Hull and East Yorkshire.
This is more than can be accommodated by hotel rooms available in the city centre which number about 1,000.
Hull beat Leicester, Dundee and Swansea Bay to the right to hold the title in 2017.
The UK government chooses a new destination every four years, with the aim of helping tourism and the economy.
Anthony Yates, of Visit Hull and East Yorkshire, said the events were expected to bring a "million visitors to the city from all over the world".
"We want each and every guest to have a fantastic experience and leave with a lasting impression that Hull is a city with a personality like no other."
Martin Green, of Hull UK City of Culture 2017, said: "Every resident of the city is the face of Hull 2017 so we want them to embrace the 'everyone back to ours' spirit by throwing open their front doors."
Training is to be given to volunteers who want to offer rooms to visitors.
Airbnb, the accommodation website, said listings in the city had gone up by more than 200% and a host in Hull could earn £127 a week on average.
The government's Rent a Room Scheme lets you earn up to £7,500 per year tax-free from letting out furnished accommodation in your home. This is halved if you share the income with your partner or someone else. | Residents of Hull are being asked to rent spare rooms to visitors when Hull becomes the UK City of Culture 2017 due to a lack of hotel rooms. | 37081578 |
In the clash, Plaid Cymru's Leanne Wood rejected "arbitrary deadlines" to cut the budget deficit, but said it should fall from £90bn to £30bn by 2020.
She argued Wales should receive an additional £1.2bn in annual funding, to bring spending into line with Scotland.
UKIP's Nigel Farage pledged to re-draw the Barnett formula that distributes cash to the devolved governments.
"The Welsh negotiated a very bad deal in 1978 and the canny Scots negotiated a very good deal," he said.
Labour leader Ed Miliband rounded on Conservative leader Prime Minister David Cameron over tackling the deficit.
"Cuts will have to come, but we can do it in a balanced way," he promised.
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg accused his former coalition partner of wanting to cause "chaos" with big spending cuts.
During exchanges on the health service, Mr Cameron said: "There's only one group of politicians that have cut the NHS, Labour in Wales."
Mr Farage attracted criticism from Plaid's leader when he highlighted the number of foreign nationals with HIV who he said were treated by the NHS, saying: "We have to look after our own people first."
Ms Wood said Mr Farage "ought to be ashamed of himself" for deploying "scaremongering rhetoric".
Green Party leader Natalie Bennett began the debate with an anti-austerity message, saying there was an "alternative" to making the poor pay for the mistakes of bankers.
SNP leader and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon had a message of "friendship" for the rest of the UK, saying the SNP will work with other "parties of like mind" to end the "bedroom tax" and protect the NHS.
After the debate, Labour's shadow Welsh Secretary Owen Smith said the general election was a "two horse race" and claimed Mr Miliband had "edged further ahead".
Praising Mr Cameron for giving Wales a "clear choice", Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies said the prime minister had cut taxes for more than a million people and "delivered record investment for Wales".
For Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams, Mr Clegg's "strong performance" showed the Lib Dems were the only way to "keep the economy on track and ensure public services receive the funding they need".
UKIP Wales leader Nathan Gill said Mr Farage appeared "honest" and as a man with a "credible plan who believes in Britain".
A Plaid Cymru spokesman said Ms Wood proved herself the "principled" and "authentic voice of Wales" during the two-hour debate.
Polls after the debate gave a mixed verdict: | Political parties in Wales have been claiming victory for their leaders in the seven-way live debate. | 32171921 |
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant has been invested in sites of natural, industrial, maritime and sporting heritage.
It includes opening up the historic pilgrimage site at St Dyfnog's Well, Denbighshire, and documenting Connah's Quay's maritime history in Flintshire.
The HLF grant aims to celebrate Wales' "rich and diverse past".
Grant awards include: | Places of worship, wildlife and wells are among ten projects in Wales to have been awarded a share of £2.6m. | 33327168 |
The company said reactor 4 was shut down last Friday but the second reactor will remain online supplying electricity to over 500,000 homes.
The reactor outage, which occurs every three years, began on 14 October.
EDF director, Mike Harrison, said work will be done "to the highest possible standards of safety and quality".
He said: "This is a very important time for Hinkley Point B and is the culmination of around two years of planning.
"As well as being important for the power station itself, the work is also great news for the local economy as it results in millions of pounds going to local and regional contractors, businesses and accommodation providers."
The "planned work", according to the company, is costing £35m and will involve inspections of the reactor core and the "replacement of four large gas circulators" in the gas-cooled reactors.
One thousand additional contractors will also be on site, working alongside the station's 550-strong workforce.
Hinkley Point B came into service in 1976 but its working life has been extended to 2016.
EDF Energy has signalled it plans to keep the complex going for five years beyond that date. | EDF Energy has shut one of two reactors at its Hinkley Point B nuclear power station in Somerset as part of planned maintenance. | 15347149 |
Clifford Irons, 39, is from Castlemara Drive in the town.
A police officer told the court in Belfast that the two guns were found in a car which, he said, the police could link to Mr Irons.
The police officer said the case was linked to a feud involving the UDA in east Antrim.
He told the court that Mr Irons was "heavily involved in this".
The officer said the guns were loaded and a bullet in one of them was "doctored" to have more effect.
The police officer also said that during a search of a house, they found a bag of balaclavas and gloves along with a notebook of "things to do".
A solicitor for Mr Irons challenged how the police could link the defendant to the guns.
He claimed that there was nothing to directly connect Mr Irons to the car where the guns were uncovered.
The judge remanded Mr Irons in custody, to appear in court again on 19 December. | A car salesman from Carrickfergus has appeared in court charged with having two handguns and ammunition with intent to endanger life. | 38194737 |
An experiment built in a vast slab of Antarctic ice has doubled its count of "cosmic neutrinos" from outer space, by searching for arrivals passing through the planet from the north.
The same team this week announced the highest-energy neutrino ever detected.
Meanwhile, a detector in Italy reported the first firm evidence for neutrinos produced beneath the Earth's crust.
These "geo-neutrinos" carry much less energy but can inform scientists about the radioactive processes generating heat deep within our planet.
The fast-moving neutrinos from space, by contrast, offer clues about mysterious, violent sources of radiation beyond our own galaxy.
Neutrinos are subatomic particles with no charge and almost no mass, which very rarely interact with anything. This means they can practically cross the Universe in a straight line, passing through entire planets undeflected - and undetected.
But the IceCube collaboration has laced a cubic kilometre of ice beneath the South Pole with light sensors, to record the flashes created when a neutrino very occasionally bumps into an atom.
In 2013 IceCube announced the first ever detection of neutrinos from outside the Solar System: 28 of the particles were caught moving at speeds far beyond the reach of humanity's best particle accelerators.
Since then, the count of such "cosmic neutrinos" has climbed above 50.
At a conference in the Netherlands this week, the team announced a record-breaking event that their icy instrument witnessed in June 2014.
They have evidence for a neutrino arriving with at least 2,600 trillion electronvolts (teraelectronvolts, TeV) of energy - hundreds of times more than protons inside the Large Hadron Collider, even after its historic revamp.
And that figure is only a minimum. The neutrino itself never made it into the detector; what IceCube glimpsed was a different particle called a muon - the product of a "muon neutrino" (one of three different flavours) arriving from the north.
"It was made by a neutrino that came through the Earth somewhere below our detector," said IceCube's principal investigator Francis Halzen, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
By doing what Prof Halzen calls "back of an envelope" physics calculations, his team can reconstruct the neutrino interaction that spat the muon into the ice, where it dumped those 2,600 TeV.
For a slippery, near-massless particle, this neutrino packed a punch.
"Using standard model physics, the energy of this neutrino is somewhere around 5,000-10,000 TeV, with the most likely value somewhere in the middle," Prof Halzen explained.
"This neutrino packs about 1,000 times the energy of the LHC beam. It is spectacular."
In fact, this type of evidence is what IceCube physicists have used to double their overall count of cosmic neutrinos. They have been busy re-analysing the same two-year tranche of data that has already yielded more than 50 such galactic interlopers, all of which were electron or tau neutrinos (the other two flavours) arriving directly from the southern sky.
In a paper to be published soon in Physical Review Letters, the team turns its attention to the north - revealing a similar number of muon neutrinos which flew into the planet in the northern hemisphere. Eventually, each one bumped into something and blasted a muon into the ice, just like the June 2014 record-breaker.
"This new method gives us muon neutrinos of similar numbers, so our count is up well above 100 now," Prof Halzen told the BBC.
Importantly, muons are comparatively heavy - so when the sensors in the ice glimpse them rumbling past, their trajectory can be reconstructed. That turns IceCube into a telescope, peering northwards through the planet to see neutrinos arriving from the Universe's most ferocious, far-flung corners.
"We can reconstruct the muon track to better than half a degree," Prof Halzen said. "This is totally going to change the astronomy we can do."
Neutrinos are also commonly produced with much lower energy, much closer to home.
Rather than a slab of ice, the Borexino experiment buried under Gran Sasso in Italy contains 200 tonnes of specialised oil, filling an immense, spherical vat that is similarly studded with light sensors.
Borexino was built to catch low-energy neutrinos spat out by the nuclear reaction at the heart of the Sun. And it was successful - but the international team has now used seven years' worth of data to look inside the Earth itself.
Our planet's interior generates vast amounts of heat: about 20 times the combined output of all the world's power stations. Much of it is radioactive heat - but scientists don't know exactly how much.
"The only way to really understand how much heat comes from radioactivity is to measure the neutrinos coming from inside," explained Aldo Ianni, a member of the Borexino collaboration.
Detectors like Borexino or Super-K in Japan have glimpsed many such "geo-neutrinos" already, along with countless stray neutrinos produced by nuclear power stations right across the globe.
But in a paper due for publication in Physical Review D, the Borexino team presents ground-breaking evidence for neutrinos coming from beneath the Earth's crust, in the layer called the mantle.
The huge data set contained 77 candidate neutrinos, of which Dr Ianni said some 24 were calculated to come from the Earth and not from nuclear reactors.
And within those 24, the team is almost - but not completely - certain that some arrived from the mantle. This is because there is uncertainty attached to each stage of the calculation.
"It's at 98%, the confidence level - which means there is still a small probability that there is no signal from the mantle," Dr Ianni said. That small probability is too large for an official "discovery" according to the usual rules of particle physics.
"It's small, but in terms of physics it should be much smaller."
Dr Jeanne Wilson is a particle physicist at Queen Mary University of London who works on the T2K neutrino experiment in Japan. She agreed that the Borexino findings were preliminary but important.
"From previous results, we could say with good confidence that we were seeing geo-neutrinos - but the more you detect, the more information you can extract on where they're coming from.
"We're getting to the point now where you can start to do these analyses."
"I don't think there's anything in these models that contests the models we currently have for the Earth - but they're proving that we're getting to the point where neutrinos will actually help."
Follow Jonathan on Twitter | Physicists have unveiled a raft of new findings about neutrinos bombarding the Earth from above, below - and within. | 33787562 |
31 March 2017 Last updated at 07:25 BST
Matthew's ready to become one of the world's youngest conductors and Newsround went to see him rehearse with a symphony orchestra.
There are 75 players in the orchestra and it's Matthew's job to lead them.
Watch the video to see him in action! | Meet Matthew, the 11-year-old music maestro! | 39445794 |
Writing on his Facebook page, Mr Pacquiao said he remained against gay marriage but was "not condemning LGBT".
"God Bless you all and I'm praying for you," he added.
Mr Pacquiao's original remark, made during a TV interview, drew ire from gay Filipino celebrities and a rights group and sparked heated discussion.
Initially he appeared unrepentant, writing in a post in Instagram that he was "just telling the truth of what the Bible says".
The former world champion, who positions himself as a conservative Christian politician, is running for a senate seat in May elections.
Mr Pacquiao, who is a member of the Philippines house of representatives, was speaking to local station TV5 earlier this week for its election coverage.
In a clip posted online (in Tagalog), he tells the interviewer: "It's common sense. Will you see any animals where male is to male and female is to female?
"The animals are better. They know how to distinguish male from female. If we approve [of] male on male, female on female, then man is worse than animals."
Filipino comedian Vice Ganda and singer Aiza Seguerra, who are openly gay, have criticised Mr Pacquiao for his comments, calling him a "hypocrite" and a "false prophet".
Local gay rights organisation and political group Ladlad condemned his remarks and issued a call to voters to boycott Mr Pacquiao.
It said in a statement, reported in local media, that his view "betrays a shallow understanding of sexual orientation and gender identity" and that failure to understand gay rights issues would leave him in the dark ages "when the cavemen ruled and the numbskulls roamed the Earth".
On Tuesday, Mr Pacquiao, who has won world titles in eight different weight divisions, had posted a picture of himself with his wife on Instagram in an apparent response to the controversy.
He said: "I rather obey the Lord's command than obeying the desires of the flesh. I'm not condemning anyone, but I'm just telling the truth of what the Bible says."
The furore has split the online world, where many Christian followers have shown support for Mr Pacquiao, while others have condemned him for his views.
Manny Pacquiao remains hugely popular in the Philippines, and has spoken frequently about his renewed Christian faith. He represents his wife's home province of Sarangani in the lower house.
Many Filipinos hold conservative views on gay rights because much of the population is Catholic, but the country has several prominent gay personalities and the capital, Manila, also has a vibrant gay scene. | Philippine boxer and politician Manny Pacquiao has apologised in the face of severe criticism for saying homosexuals were "worse than animals". | 35585016 |
Payne, 27, who needed a top-10 finish to qualify for Rio, clocked one hour 58 minutes and 58.53 seconds in Kazan.
Aurelie Muller of France finished 49.3 secs faster to take gold, ahead of Dutchwoman Sharon Van Rouwendaal and Brazil's Ana Chunha, who was third.
"It's not the result I wanted, but it's not the end," Payne told BBC Sport.
The two-time world champion and team-mate Danielle Huskisson, who was 35th, will have a second opportunity to qualify for Rio at the Olympic qualification event in Portugal in June next year.
Fellow Briton Jack Burnell secured his place in Rio by finishing fifth in the men's event on Monday.
Payne, the 2008 Beijing Olympic silver medallist, had been undecided about whether to continue in the sport after finishing fourth at London 2012.
"I've only been back in full-time training for a year and maybe I've raced too much or too little," she told BBC Sport.
"I'm technically old at 27 in the sport, but am still learning and trying out new things all of the time so I think there's a lot to build on from here."
Huskisson will battle Payne for the sole position Britain can now attain for the women's 10km race at the Rio Olympics and believes officials can do more to ensure fairer competition.
"Most of the girls seem to think it's rugby rather than open water swimming," said Huskisson, who received a yellow card whilst trying to maintain position.
"There are definitely favoured swimmers, but there's nothing you can do but go out and swim as hard as you can, which I'll continue to do." | Keri-Anne Payne missed out an automatic place at the 2016 Olympics, finishing 15th in the World Championship 10km marathon swimming event in Russia. | 33693397 |
The goals came late in both halves, and were created by the vision and touch of Tom Rogic.
Celtic were not at full strength, making six changes to the starting line-up, but still commanded the game.
Kilmarnock were restricted to half chances and unable to disrupt the visitors' accomplished passing.
The victory - Celtic are now 52 domestic games unbeaten - moved the defending champions top of the Scottish Premiership, with the rest of the teams still to play later in the afternoon.
Kilmarnock have now lost all three of their opening league games for the first time since 1995.
Brendan Rodgers' team selection was an expression of Celtic's growing dominance. Only five players remained from the side that began Wednesday's Champions League play-off tie against Astana, and five of the starters at Rugby Park were graduates from the club's youth academy.
The back line, in particular, was testament to Celtic's potential strength in depth, with Kieran Tierney the eldest at 20, alongside Anthony Ralston, 18, Kristoffer Ajer, 19, and Calvin Miller, 19. Elsewhere, Kundai Benyu and McGregor were provided with opportunities to impress and Forrest returned to his makeshift centre-forward role.
Kilmarnock ought to have responded with a sense of purpose against a visiting side that was not at full strength, but the recent 5-0 Scottish League Cup defeat to another Celtic side that contained several fringe players, would also have played on their minds.
The home side conceded territory and possession to Celtic, as they sat off the visitors, stayed behind the ball and attempted to close off their passing angles. Celtic are accustomed to facing that level of containment, though, and they merely passed from side to side with an air of calm governance.
Rodgers talks often about the strategy of his side, and elements of this display were recognisable, such as Miller playing high and wide on the left, Benyu tucking in as another central attacker, and Ralston dropping back when attacks were on the left to leave a solid back three.
Patience rather than urgency shaped Celtic's approach. Scott Brown was central, collecting the ball from his centre-backs, moving it from flank to flank, and also providing a further level of defensive security on the rare occasions when Kilmarnock carried the ball forward.
There were moments for Celtic to endure, as Ralston headed a Stephen O'Donnell cross wide of his own post, but otherwise the visitors could play as if convinced of their eventual breakthrough.
It came when Rogic embarked on one of his ghosting runs into the Kilmarnock penalty area, ambling past tackles before slipping the ball back for Forrest to side-foot into the net.
Brown, with a header wide, and Miller, with a ball that flashed across the face of the goal, also troubled Kilmarnock in the opening half. The left-back might also have added to the advantage after the break after linking slickly with Forrest, but stabbed the ball straight at Kilmarnock goalkeeper Jamie MacDonald.
The Rugby Park manager Lee McCulloch tried to alter the game's dynamic by withdrawing a midfielder in Steven Smith and replacing him with the striker Eamonn Brophy, but Celtic took further control.
Rogic flitted in and out of the game, but his touches always carried the potential to be flourishes of creativity. With a deft shuffle and release of the ball, he sent McGregor into the penalty area late on, and the midfielder calmly steered a shot past the exposed MacDonald.
The goal ended the tie as a contest, but in truth Celtic had never looked in anything other than total control.
Match ends, Kilmarnock 0, Celtic 2.
Second Half ends, Kilmarnock 0, Celtic 2.
Foul by Jordan Jones (Kilmarnock).
Callum McGregor (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Corner, Kilmarnock. Conceded by Anthony Ralston.
Goal! Kilmarnock 0, Celtic 2. Callum McGregor (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Tomas Rogic.
Foul by Anthony Ralston (Celtic).
Stephen O'Donnell (Kilmarnock) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Attempt blocked. Leigh Griffiths (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Rory McKenzie (Kilmarnock) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Stuart Armstrong (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Rory McKenzie (Kilmarnock).
Foul by Leigh Griffiths (Celtic).
Greg Taylor (Kilmarnock) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Kris Boyd (Kilmarnock) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left from a direct free kick.
Foul by Tomas Rogic (Celtic).
Adam Frizzell (Kilmarnock) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Celtic. Mikael Lustig replaces Kundai Benyu.
Kundai Benyu (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Gordon Greer (Kilmarnock).
Attempt missed. Eamonn Brophy (Kilmarnock) right footed shot from the left side of the box misses to the right following a corner.
Corner, Kilmarnock. Conceded by Calvin Miller.
Substitution, Kilmarnock. Chris Burke replaces Dom Thomas.
Jordan Jones (Kilmarnock) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Anthony Ralston (Celtic).
Kristoffer Ajer (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Eamonn Brophy (Kilmarnock).
Attempt blocked. Nir Bitton (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Substitution, Celtic. Nir Bitton replaces Kieran Tierney.
Substitution, Celtic. Leigh Griffiths replaces James Forrest.
Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Stephen O'Donnell.
Attempt saved. Calvin Miller (Celtic) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Attempt saved. Kieran Tierney (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt missed. Calvin Miller (Celtic) right footed shot from the left side of the box is too high.
Corner, Kilmarnock. Conceded by Kieran Tierney.
Substitution, Kilmarnock. Eamonn Brophy replaces Steven Smith.
Stephen O'Donnell (Kilmarnock) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Stuart Armstrong (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Stephen O'Donnell (Kilmarnock).
Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Stephen O'Donnell. | Celtic clocked up another dominant performance and victory over Kilmarnock thanks to strikes by James Forrest and Callum McGregor. | 40908203 |
The comedian made his name alongside Matt Lucas in the BBC sketch show Little Britain and is a judge on Britain's Got Talent.
But he has achieved phenomenal success with his nine novels, including The Boy in the Dress and Gangsta Granny.
"I should really give up comedy and just concentrate on children's books because it is so rewarding," he said.
Walliams's books have sold more than 14 million copies around the world and been translated into almost 50 languages.
Nonetheless, he admitted he felt under pressure venturing into the world of literature.
"It's actually rather a big responsibility that children are picking up your books," he told the BBC.
"They have got to be good. And then you've got this audience and you think, 'I've got to write more and more'.
"I get tweets the day the new book comes out saying, 'Yes I've read that one, when is the next one?'"
One of his picture books for very young children, The First Hippo on the Moon, is now being adapted for the stage by Les Petits Theatre Company.
It will receive its world premiere at The Royal Hippodrome Theatre in Eastbourne in December before going on a nationwide tour.
It tells the tale of two big hippos with one big dream - to make it into space.
Walliams even makes a guest appearance in the stage production.
"My voice does appear in the show as an on-board computer," he explained.
The story is being brought to life using puppets, and Walliams has fond memories of his own childhood favourites, Sooty and Sweep, The Muppets and, especially, Basil Brush.
"I'd really like to work with Basil Brush," he revealed. "I just thought he was so funny. I feel Basil Brush should be back on television."
Walliams's best-known comedy partner is Matt Lucas - the pair became friends after meeting at the National Youth Theatre in 1990 and found fame on BBC Three's Pop Profiles and then Little Britain.
But they have not appeared together since 2011. Walliams said the pair were still in touch and had not fallen out. And he said he was "sure" they would collaborate again "at some stage".
"There's always an interesting thing about reunions isn't there?" he pondered. "Timing it right. If you get it exactly right, like Take That, you become a big thing. But if you do it too soon, it cannot make any impact.
"It's an interesting thing when you come back together. Are you doing something nostalgic for people who liked your shows from 10 years ago? Or are you trying to do something new?
"Its quite an intense thing working with someone for a very long time, and it's quite healthy to be able to do your own things and then come back together when you think the time is right."
Walliams returns to UK television screens on Friday in his first sketch show since Little Britain ended eight years ago.
Walliams and Friend sees him joined by a different celebrity each week.
He has also just been announced as the first guest host of ITV's new nightly entertainment show, which will launch in 2017.
But he is also hard at work on his next children's book, which will be published on World Book Day, 2 March, 2017.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | David Walliams has said writing children's books is "definitely the thing that gives me most pleasure". | 38091052 |
Judge Thomas Low made the remarks at the sentencing hearing of Keith Robert Vallejo after a jury convicted him of sexual abuse and object rape.
"The court has no doubt that Mr Vallejo is an extraordinarily good man... but great men sometimes do bad things", Mr Low said.
The victim and civil rights groups have said they will file formal complaints.
Vallejo, a former Mormon bishop, was convicted of 10 counts of forcible sexual abuse and one of count of object rape, involving two victims.
In the controversial sentencing hearing, Judge Low said: "I want to make it clear that the court agrees with the verdict. I think the jury got it right."
In an emotional set of remarks punctuated by long pauses, Judge Low said that the letters written on behalf of Vallejo "were extraordinarily moving". He sentenced Vallejo to a minimum of 15 years, and up to life, with sentences to run concurrently.
One victim, who said she would lodge a complaint over the remarks, told Utah's Deseret News that they "sent a message not just to me but to other people... that not everyone is going to listen to you, so why even bother?"
"People will still not believe you, people will still take others' sides, and in this case, take the side of the perpetrator," she said.
A Utah-based rights group, Restore Our Humanity, also said it would file a complaint against Judge Low for giving "glowing praise to the convicted sex predator."
Controversy also marred the case earlier this year, when Judge Low allowed Vallejo to remain free on bail until his sentencing, even though he had been found guilty by a jury, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Complaints about judges in the area are handled by the Utah Judicial Conduct Commission, which told the Associated Press it had received about 120 complaints about the case to date.
A court spokesman told Deseret News that law enforcement had been contacted about the judge's safety as a precaution, but there was no credible threat. | A judge in Utah who labelled a convicted rapist a "good man" has received a barrage of complaints. | 39632050 |
The Japanese company's commitment to Britain's biggest car plant had been in doubt following the EU referendum.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the government must make public any deals struck with the firm.
However, Business Secretary Greg Clark said there was "no question of financial compensation" for Nissan.
The company's decision comes as economic growth in the three months after the Brexit vote confounded expectations, increasing by 0.5% - slower than the 0.7% in the previous quarter but higher than analysts' estimates of about 0.3%.
Nissan's decision is the first major development for the car industry since the Brexit vote and secures 7,000 jobs.
"The support and assurances of the UK government enabled us to decide that the next-generation Qashqai and X-Trail will be produced at Sunderland," said Carlos Ghosn, Nissan's chief executive, adding that he welcomed Prime Minister Theresa May's "commitment to the automotive industry in Britain".
Last month, he warned that Nissan might not invest in the Sunderland plant unless the government guaranteed compensation for costs related to any new trade tariffs resulting from Brexit.
Mrs May described the announcement as "fantastic news", adding: "This vote of confidence shows Britain is open for business."
Mr Clark said: "The fact Nissan have not only made a long-term commitment to build the next generation Qashqai and X-Trail at Sunderland, but decided to upgrade their factory to a super-plant, manufacturing over 600,000 cars a year, is proof of the strength of the sector."
A Nissan spokesman said making the X-Trail at Sunderland could lead to hundreds of new jobs being created in the coming years. It will be the first time the model has been made outside Japan.
The production line was stopped at 11am on Thursday so workers could be told about the decision.
A senior Nissan Europe executive, Colin Lawther, said the company had received "no special deal".
"It's just a commitment from the government to work with the whole of the automotive industry to make sure the whole automotive industry in the UK remains competitive," he told the BBC.
"We would expect nothing for us that the rest of the industry wouldn't be able to have access to. We see this as a whole industry thing, not a Nissan thing."
We don't know the details of the "support and assurance" that Nissan extracted from the UK government. But it was clearly enough to secure a commitment from Nissan to build not one, but two new cars at the Sunderland plant.
The promise to shield Nissan from the impact of Brexit will not be lost on rival manufacturers, both those already in the UK as well as those that might be tempted to come.
Will other carmakers with big investment decisions to make now favour Britain? It's possible - but now only after securing a few government guarantees.
The UK car industry has been vocal in warning about the impact of an exit from the single market.
Although the cheaper pound makes their exports more attractive, a hard Brexit and the prospect of trade tariffs will add to their costs.
It seems likely that the government has now promised some sort of financial support to cushion Nissan against such an impact. That will be controversial, of course. But once outside the EU, it won't necessarily be illegal.
Building the X-Trail SUV is an unexpected addition to the model line-up at Sunderland, which makes almost one in three cars built in Britain and produced 475,000 vehicles last year - 80% of which were exported.
The Sunderland plant opened in 1986 and has produced almost nine million cars over the past three decades.
Production of the next Qashqai model is expected to begin in 2018 or 2019.
Mike Hawes, chief executive of industry body the SMMT, said Nissan's announcement was good news for the UK's automotive sector.
But he added: "We need government to provide public assurance to investors that our advantages will be maintained - namely, a competitive business environment, the ability to recruit talent from abroad and the continuation of all the benefits of the single market as we leave the EU."
Figures released by the SMMT on Thursday showed the UK's car industry is performing strongly, with almost 1.3 million vehicles produced in the nine months to September - a 10.5% increase on the same period last year.
Just over one million vehicles were produced for export markets. | Nissan has confirmed it will build both the new Qashqai and the X-Trail SUV at its Sunderland plant following government "support and assurances". | 37787890 |
Aberdeen Coastguard said the alert was raised close to the entrance to the port shortly after 08:00.
The animal had broken free while being loaded onto a transport float.
The cow was shot by police marksmen about five hours later. Police Scotland said humane destruction was a "last resort" but public safety and animal welfare had to be a priority.
The cow was starting to be swept away when the decision was taken to shoot it.
A NorthLink Ferries spokesperson said: "The animal was being loaded onto a road transport float when the incident occurred."
An Aberdeen Harbour spokesperson said the port had remained open, with vessel entry being taken on a "case-by-case basis".
An animal sanctuary had offered to take the cow if it had been possible to rescue it. | A cow which got into the water at Aberdeen Harbour has been shot after a rescue effort failed to coax it ashore. | 28105954 |
Dozens of demonstrators appeared on a big screen near the main gate of Seoul's historic Gyeongbokgung Palace.
Officials had earlier said the rally's application was submitted incorrectly, warning of a "stern response". But the event was peaceful.
The demonstration was organised by Amnesty International Korea.
"Authorities are banning more and more public protests, especially in central Seoul, citing reasons like traffic jams or public inconvenience," Amnesty's Kim Hee-jin was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
"We wanted to show that the situation has become so restrictive that only ghosts like these may freely march on the street," she added.
The South Korean authorities have been recently been accused of using excessive force to disperse public protests and even banning rallies under the pretext that they cause traffic jams and inconvenience to local residents.
The government in Seoul has repeatedly denied such claims. | A holographic "ghost protest" has been held in South Korean capital Seoul against what the organisers say is the erosion of free speech in the country. | 35655172 |
A full collection of the books, from its first edition to the most recent published this year for the comic's 80th anniversary, went under the hammer at Curr and Dewar in Dundee.
The very first book fetched £2,800, with the second and third selling for £1,500 and £900 respectively.
An original piece of artwork by Beano artist Dudley D Watkins sold for £950.
The third edition of the Broons annual fetched £1,400 at the auction.
Auctioneer Steven Dewar said there had been "significant interest" in the comic collection from buyers.
The set of books was discovered by a man in his loft years after they had been handed down to him by his father.
The vendor, who opted to remain anonymous, was in the saleroom to see the books go under the hammer.
Mr Dewar said: "He is delighted, and so are we. There was a lot of interest and the sale has gone really well."
The full-size framed Lord Snooty cartoon, an original hand drawn by Dudley D. Watkins, shows German bombers suspending a bee hive from swastika adorned planes.
The artwork, which was published in the Beano in April 1940 was described by auctioneers as "an outstanding work".
Mr Dewar said the Oor Wullie books had been found in an attic by their owner after he had spotted an identical one on the BBC's Antique Roadshow.
Mr Dewar said: "He saw it and thought 'I've seen that' and went into the loft and there it was.
"They were his father's, but he has no family and so the time was right to sell them."
Mr Dewar said another seller approached him with the Dudley D. Watkins artwork after he put a note about the Oor Wullie books on the auctioneer's website.
Mr Dewar said: "The vendor says he almost certainly bought it from my father at auction in the 70s - and wouldn't have paid more than £20 for it.
"It was drawn for Beano number 92 and appeared on 27 April 1940.
"Whether there was a little bit of a government push to boost the people's morale we don't know.
"It is a great story - it really is." | A rare set of the earliest Oor Wullie books has sold for more than £5,000 at auction. | 35918111 |
But the Conservative Party leader has admitted he ordered a security "audit" of those being resettled.
The allegations were first reported by the Globe and Mail newspaper on Thursday.
They have refocused attention on Mr Harper's response to the Syrian refugee crisis ahead of 19 October elections.
The Globe and Mail reported that the prime minister's office earlier this year ordered a halt to the processing of one class of Syrian refugee claims and asked immigration officials to hand over refugee files for vetting.
It said the halt meant UN-approved Syrian refugees had their resettlement in Canada delayed.
Mr Harper admitted Thursday that he had asked for a security "audit" of the refugee resettlement process but denied that his political staff had been directly involved in vetting applications.
"Political staff are never involved in approving refugee applications. Such decisions are made by officials in the department of citizenship and immigration," he said.
The Syrian refugee crisis and Canadian immigration policy - simmering issues for much of the Canadian general election campaign - have now become front-page news. Revelations that Mr Harper's government intervened to slow down the asylum review process - to ensure Canadian national security, his supporters claim - will undoubtedly be used as a political cudgel by his opponents.
NDP leader Tom Mulcair already has accused Mr Harper of callous indifference to migrant tragedy and linked the story to the death of three-year-old Alan Kurdi, whose family reportedly sought Canadian residency before he was found dead on a Turkish beach.
Mr Harper built his governing majority, in part, on the strength of his appeal to recent Canadian immigrants. But if these new stories lead Canadians to believe that Mr Harper is playing politics with the asylum system - by giving preference to applicants who were potential supporters or from particular religious backgrounds - his image as a unifying leader of a diverse nation could be jeopardised.
At the very least, these revelations have put the prime minister on the defensive during the critical final week of a campaign that has his party fighting to hold onto power in the face of a strong challenge from Mr Mulcair's NDP and Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party.
Transport Minister Lisa Raitt told the CTV Television Network that the audit had partially aimed to make sure Canada was taking in vulnerable ethnic and religious minorities.
CTV, citing immigration department sources, has reported that Mr Harper's office sought to give priority to religious minorities including Christians over Sunni and Shia Muslims.
Opponents of the ruling Conservative Party have seized on the reports.
Liberal leader Justin Trudeau said the government had been "irresponsible", while New Democrats' leader Thomas Mulcair said the revelations were "a shame on Canada".
Mr Harper's government has faced criticism for not doing enough to help migrants and refugees fleeing conflict in the Middle East.
His government has pledged to take 10,000 refugees by September next year by speeding up processing.
The Liberals have called for 25,000 refugees to be taken in by the end of the year, while the New Democrats have pledged a target of 46,000 over four years. | Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has denied reports that his office intervened in the processing of Syrian refugee claims. | 34489381 |
The three-fingered salute was widely used by protesters against Thailand's military coup in May.
The military had threatened in June to arrest anyone who refused to stop doing it when challenged.
Gen Prayuth led the coup, which came after months of political deadlock and unrest, and became PM in August.
On Wednesday, he was speaking at an event in the north-eastern province of Khon Kaen when five students from a local university sitting near the podium stood up.
They removed their shirts to reveal T-shirts underneath with a Thai slogan reading "No Coup", and flashed the three-fingered salute.
Police officers and soldiers immediately took the five away.
The three-finger gesture is used by characters in the dystopian Hunger Games film and book trilogy as a sign of silent dissent against a brutal authoritarian state.
It became so popular after the Thai coup that the authorities warned they would arrest anyone in a large group who gave the salute and refused to lower their arm when ordered.
Local media reported that Mr Chan-ocha appeared unperturbed on Wednesday and asked: "Does anyone else want to protest?" He added that protesters could lodge complaints with local government offices.
Army officials later confirmed that the students were taken to a military camp and were detained for "attitude adjustment", reported The Nation.
Lawyer Sasinan Thamnithinan said they had not been charged, the Associated Press reports.
Anti-coup leaflets had reportedly been distributed around Khon Kaen province before Gen Prayuth's arrival.
The area is known to be a power base for former PM Thaksin Shinawatra and his Pheu Thai party, whose supporters are known as "red shirts".
The military has been heavily criticised for its ousting of the democratically-elected civilian government.
But it has argued that its 22 May coup was necessary to bring peace and stability to Thailand, which saw violent clashes between red shirts and the pro-monarchy opposition "yellow shirts" supporters.
Gen Prayuth became prime minister after he was named by a legislature hand-picked by the military.
Amnesty International has said the military government has since engaged in widespread human rights violations, including arbitrary detentions and a clampdown on free speech.
The military has said it eventually plans to hand power back to civilians and promised to hold a general election in late 2015. But international players have raised concerns of the junta consolidating power in the meantime. | Five Thai students who flashed a salute inspired by Hollywood film series The Hunger Games at Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha have been detained. | 30110280 |
Currently the States of Jersey can issue up to £100m in Jersey bank notes, which are sold to high street banks in exchange for UK pounds.
Russell Crowe, head of the States' treasury and investment management unit, said the increase would allow the government to invest more sterling.
He said it would boost the government's returns from "almost from nothing".
The draft legislation is due to be presented to the States in January, but Mr Crowe said the date could be brought forward if the demand for money during the Christmas shopping season increased significantly.
The amount of currency in circulation is expected to increase from £83m to about £98m during the Christmas period.
Robert Kirkby from the Jersey Chamber of Commerce said it was "amazing" that people were continuing to use cash in a digital age.
He said it would be interesting to see the impact so-called young "digital natives" would have on consumer spending habits next year. | The amount of Jersey banknotes allowed in circulation will increase by £25m, if new legislation is passed next year. | 34935127 |
The cause of death was complications from pneumonia, his daughter Donna told the Los Angeles Times.
He wrote Bob Hope and Bing Crosby movie Road to Bali, released in 1952, and also adapted Tennessee Williams' play The Rose Tattoo for the screen.
He also wrote scripts for the Academy Awards broadcasts, for which he won two of his three Emmy awards.
Writing for the Academy Awards was his longest-running job, spanning more than 30 years.
Kanter won another Emmy for The George Gobel Show in 1955.
He also wrote and directed another Presley movie, Loving You, and wrote the screenplays for Bob Hope's Bachelor in Paradise and Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis' Money from Home.
Kanter was also behind the TV show Julia, which aired from 1968-71.
It was the first sitcom to star an African American actress as a professional rather than a domestic.
He is survived by his wife of 70 years, writer Doris Kanter, his three daughters and a granddaughter. | Emmy-winning screenwriter Hal Kanter, who wrote films including Elvis Presley's Blue Hawaii, has died at 92. | 15633326 |
John Blanchette is quoted by AP news agency as saying the Hollywood star was watching television in her California home when the accident happened.
Gabor's husband then called an ambulance and she was taken to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
The condition of the Hungarian-born star, who is 93, is not known.
Gabor is partially paralysed and uses a wheelchair following a car accident in 2002.
She also suffered a stroke five years ago.
Gabor starred in films such as Moulin Rouge, Lili and Touch of Evil. | Veteran actress Zsa Zsa Gabor has been taken to hospital after falling out of bed and breaking several bones, her publicist has said. | 10675481 |
Hull, with an average of 12.4Mbps, is the UK's slowest city, according to comparison site uSwitch, which conducted the tests.
London and Edinburgh had average speeds of 22.4Mbps and 21Mbps respectively.
These speeds are likely to be low not because of lack of availability but because people have chosen not to take up faster services.
Government figures suggest superfast broadband - 24Mbps or higher - is now available to more than 90% of homes and businesses, with funding pledged to bring that total to 95% by 2017.
According to BT, its fibre services are available to 24 million home, but only 22% (5.5 million) have connected to them.
Hull is the only UK city not served by BT's Openreach, which controls the telecoms network. Hull's independent supplier, KCOM, disputed the findings.
"We're rolling out ultrafast fibre to the home across Hull and East Yorkshire, which means speeds of 250Mbps are available to consumers right now," said a KCOM spokesman.
The company says it is connecting "a new customer to fibre every 30 minutes".
But uSwitch's Ewan Taylor-Gibson said: "Actual speed tests taken by broadband users would suggest this hasn't reached enough homes yet to make an impact on the average."
Three in 10 tests logged speeds of less than 5Mbps with just one in 10 registering speeds of above 50Mbps, according to the data.
"We should be asking what more can be done to encourage the adoption of superfast broadband now it's so widely available," he said.
"The UK's towns and cities should be leading the charge when it comes to broadband speeds, yet just 22 cities have broadband users with average speeds of more than 24Mbps."
Co-founder of broadband news site Thinkbroadband Sebastien Lahtinen said: "Broadband speed tests are a great way to measure real world speeds experienced by users - but they also serve as a measure of take-up, not just availability."
"Whilst early adopters and digital natives are often craving for faster and faster services, not everyone wants to stream multiple HD streams live whilst playing online games.
Those who just use the Internet for the occasional catch-up TV programme, email and Facebook, broadband speed is not really a priority, especially when the fastest services can cost considerably more." | Tests on 42 towns and cities across the UK suggest almost half have average broadband speeds below 24Mbps. | 36152877 |
The appeal was launched at the request of coroner Sir John Goldring and the victims' families.
Of 6,500 witnesses interviewed so far, investigators had been unable to trace those captured on camera despite "exhausting" all other avenues.
Two police officers, one steward and six fans are still to be traced.
Ninety-six football fans died after the crush at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough stadium.
One witness, who was on the pitch when the disaster unfolded, came forward on Thursday after identifying himself from a photograph.
An Operation Resolve spokesman said eight more had now been identified, including a Nottingham Forest fan.
He said: "The response has been fantastic. To get 50% in the first 24 hours is really good."
Those with information have been asked to contact Operation Resolve on 08000 283 284.
The match between was abandoned at 15:06 BST on 15 April 1989.
Fresh inquests being held in Warrington, Cheshire, continue. | An appeal to find 18 witnesses to provide new evidence for the Hillsborough inquests has seen half identified in the first 24 hours. | 32447581 |
Serial producer Dana Chivvis has confirmed to Newsbeat that the new podcast Undisclosed is not from them.
It's coming from Adnan's friend Rabia Chaudry and two lawyers, Susan Simpson and Colin Miller.
Rabia tweeted this week: "On 13 April here is where you'll find our new podcast Undisclosed, picking up where #Serial left off."
It included a link to the Undisclosed Podcast website, which says: "In the wake of Serial, much new evidence and information has been discovered and uncovered thanks to the investigations of attorneys Susan Simpson, Colin Miller, and the Adnan Syed Legal Trust.
"Undisclosed will examine and explore the case in greater detail, from an investigatory perspective instead of a narrative one."
The hit Serial podcast investigated the case of Adnan Syed, who was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend in 2000 when he was 17 in Baltimore, Maryland.
In February, he won the right to appeal.
A second series of Serial is expected to begin later this year, but it will focus on a different story.
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter, BBCNewsbeat on Instagram and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube | There's a new podcast about Adnan Syed, but it has nothing to do with Sarah Koenig and the team from Serial. | 32221754 |
Emily Eve Bridal Boutique in the city centre closed unexpectedly, leaving dozens of women without a dress or a refund for their wedding day.
One bride said she'd spent over £1,000 on a deposit that she may not get back.
The boutique's website has been deleted and the BBC has been unable to contact its owners.
See more stories from Birmingham and the Black Country here
Lauren Davies said she spent £1,080 on a deposit for her dress ahead of her wedding next year. She said she has "absolutely no idea" how she's going to get the money back because she can't reach anyone at the company.
"I was apprehensive about sending that much money," she said. "Luckily I only paid the deposit."
"They took my money in April but my dress was never even ordered. My dress has now been discontinued so I don't think I'll be able to get my dress now."
Olivea Allegrini-Jones, who is getting married on Saturday, said: "I bought a dress last April. It got to July and I still hadn't heard anything."
When she received no response from the boutique last month, she went to the shop on Smallbrook Queensway and demanded a refund which she was able to get before the shop was left empty.
In a cached version of the website, the shop is listed as part of the Retail Bridalwear Association (RBA), and claims to be "a business that is financially sound, offering professional standards of care and service".
RBA has been approached for comment. | Brides in Birmingham say they've been left without their wedding dresses after a boutique closed without warning or explanation. | 41003739 |
GVC Holdings has raised its takeover bid to about £1bn, topping an offer from 888 Holdings.
888 bid £898m for the firm earlier this month, an offer Bwin accepted.
GVC said it was "working on finalising" its bid, which Bwin said would be considered by its board, although it cautioned "there can be no certainty that an offer will be made by GVC".
GVC's offer is worth 122.5 pence per share, which will be made up of 25 pence in cash and 1 new GVC share.
The 888 deal valued Bwin shares at 104.09p each. This latest move comes less than six months after 888 rejected a takeover bid from William Hill, which valued it at about £750m.
Online gambling companies are merging to try and reduce operating costs as they are exposed to stricter regulation.
"This is a real statement of intent from GVC. The proposed premium over the accepted offer by 888 is such that the bwin.party board will probably have no choice but to reconsider its acceptance of the 888 offer," analysts at Davy Research said.
"We would be surprised if 888 does not come back with a counter-offer of its own." | The stakes have been raised in the bidding war for the gaming firm Bwin.party. | 33676505 |
The crash happened on the B9170 Inverurie to Oldmeldrum road at about midday on Sunday.
The woman, who was driving one of the cars, died in hospital. The road was closed for six hours to allow an investigation to be carried out. Police are appealing for witnesses.
Police have appealed for anyone with information to contact them. | A 50-year-old woman had died in a crash in Aberdeenshire. | 35955964 |
In Elizabethan London, the original Globe Theatre could accommodate 3,000 people. Commoners or "groundlings" paid a penny to stand in the open air, while the gentry parted with as many as six pennies to sit on cushions in the covered galleries.
Notwithstanding the fact that the Globe burned down in 1613, Shakespeare's share in the playhouse made him a tidy fortune.
He also part-owned another London theatre and a production company. And back in his hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, he invested widely in land and property, and reportedly bought and sold grain.
By the time Shakespeare died on 23 April 1616 - 400 years ago on Saturday - he was a very wealthy man. In today's money he would have comfortably been a millionaire.
Fast-forward four centuries, and Shakespeare would likely be rather pleased that his work and legacy continues to support a large and lucrative industry, which is far from being limited to the sale of theatre tickets and employment of actors.
Instead, Shakespeare supports a substantially wider business community - from hotels and restaurants in Stratford, to walking tours in London, bars near a balcony in the Italian city of Verona, sales of books and memorabilia, and even leadership classes for businessmen and women.
It is definitely not much ado about nothing.
Piers Ibbotson says there are so many lessons from Shakespeare about the perils and pitfalls of power that it has provided him with an inexhaustible fund of material for his management and leadership workshops over the past two decades.
"The plays of Shakespeare are case studies for central human dilemmas," says the 61-year-old, who is part of Warwick Business School's Create unit.
"The plays are so rich, and so complex, that there are actual situations to examine. Acting things out is very powerful, people can physically get inside situations."
Create uses Shakespeare's plays to guide students, and business clients, through numerous difficult business situations.
Macbeth, for example, is viewed as a study into the limits of ambition, while The Tempest is seen as a metaphor for a perfect storm of workplace rivalry.
Meanwhile, A Midsummer Night's Dream is used to explore business transformation, and the Merchant of Venice teaches contract enforcement.
Mr Ibbotson says: "Shakespeare is such a wonderful asset and of course you're always using such powerful language - it allows people to articulate much more subtle and complex ideas than thin business language."
Richard Olivier, 54, is another person who uses Shakespeare's plays to teach good leadership and business practice.
The son of Sir Laurence Olivier, the UK's most famous 20th Century Shakespearian actor, Mr Olivier says: "Shakespeare is an amazing ethical teacher.
"Apart from the history plays, there is no play where the bad guy ends up in charge at the end."
Clients of Mr Olivier's company Olivier Mythodrama have included NHS management, the Metropolitan Police and Daimler-Benz. His charges range from £5,000 for a half-day session to as much as £40,000 for a six-day intensive course.
Mr Olivier adds: "There's huge drama in leadership, and Shakespeare was probably the first playwright to portray the human drama of leadership in three-dimensional form."
The area known as Shakespeare's England (which takes in the towns of Stratford, Royal Leamington Spa, Kenilworth and Warwick) received 9.94 million tourists in 2014, according to the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, the charity that cares for Shakespeare heritage sites.
It adds that the total value of tourism to the local economy is in the region of £635m, which supports some 11,150 jobs.
Alisan Cole, from the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, says: "2014, the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth, was our record year with 820,000 visitors, and we're expecting 2016 to be on a par with it, if not exceed it."
In terms of attracting hungry and thirsty tourists, Hathaway Cafe is perfectly positioned in the centre of Stratford, and is just a short walk from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.
Manager and owner Rick Allen, 51, says that during the summer the warren-like Tudor-era teashop is packed with Asian customers, typically from China and Taiwan, playing £13 a head for afternoon tea (or £18 with a glass of prosecco).
"Off-peak we get around 1,000 customers per week, but it's well over 2,000 per week during the peak season of July and August," he says.
Mr Allen adds that Birmingham Airport's new runway extension, which caters for the growing number of flights from East Asia, has been a fillip for the business.
"We're literally getting calls from people saying 'we've got a booking for 24 and we're on our way'. In August it's mayhem - good fun, but mayhem."
Down in London former actor Declan McHugh, 55, has been taking people on Shakespeare-themed guided walks since 1999.
He says his business - Shakespeare in the City Walk - has grown thanks to positive word of mouth, and good reviews on websites such as TripAdvisor.
Mr McHugh adds that London is a rich seam for Shakespeare fans since the playwright spent most of his working life moving through the then murky and bohemian world of the Elizabethan city's playhouses.
Charging £10 per adult, he says the Shakespeare anniversary year is shaping up as a record one for his business.
"I've been doing this for 17 years and I'm starting to reap the rewards," he says.
While he says it's hard to give exact numbers, he normally gets between five and 10 people meeting him outside Blackfriars underground station every Friday at 11am. But that's just for the public walks.
"Then I also do regular walks privately for colleges and universities from across the globe, plus there's UK institutions and businesses. I have the Girl Guides coming next Monday, for example.
"Private walks usually are for 15-20 people but I have done the tour for 60 people before," he says.
Mr McHugh says his fascination for Shakespeare began at 11 years old, and now he regards the Bard as pretty much "his guardian angel". | William Shakespeare may be widely regarded as finest playwright in the English language, but when he put his quill down he was also a savvy businessman. | 36084631 |
This was after it emerged the inquiry into the so-called Operation Trojan Horse plot was much bigger than first thought. More than 200 separate complaints have been made about 25 schools, all of which are in parts of the city with Muslim populations of 90% or more.
So what is the Operation Trojan Horse 'plot', is it even real and are we likely to ever learn the truth?
At the heart of the story is the document first sent to the city council at the beginning of last November. An accompanying letter from a "concerned citizen" urges the leader, Sir Albert Bore, to act immediately upon reading a document, which he or she claims, was found in the office of his or her "boss" at a school in Birmingham. The same letter was sent to four schools in early February.
There are four pages, but the document must have been longer as it's clear that there is at least one page missing at the beginning and at least one more at the end.
Apparently written in Birmingham with instructions to someone in Bradford, it details a five point plan on how to take over schools, which the author calls Operation Trojan Horse.
Many have questioned its authenticity because the document seems simply too good to be true. Conspiracies, where they exist, are rarely set out in black and white so conveniently.
However, some of the allegations about Adderley School hadn't previously been in the public domain.
They are at the core of an unfair dismissal claim which will be heard at an industrial tribunal later this year, and documents relating to the case are being investigated by the West Midlands Police economic crime unit.
Four women have been arrested in connection with that case. It is therefore difficult to report those details at the moment.
Apparently written in Birmingham with instructions to someone in Bradford, it details a five point plan on how to take over schools, which the author calls Operation Trojan Horse.
It suggests targeting schools with a predominantly Muslim population, especially in poorer areas, before selecting a group of parents, which it describes as "hard liners", to agitate at the school gate and in the playground and to raise questions about staff, the syllabus and teaching methods.
It goes on to say that after infiltrating the governing body, a policy of disruption should be carried out from within, until the leadership has been changed to one more sympathetic to the group's religious views.
Trojan Horse, it says, is "totally invisible to the naked eye and allows us to operate under the radar. I have detailed the plan we have in Birmingham and how well it has worked and you will see how easy the whole process is to get the head teacher out and your own person in".
It identifies four schools at which it claims Operation Trojan Horse had been successfully put into action. Saltley School, Adderley School, Regents Park Community School and Park View Academy.
A Park View governor, Tahir Alam, is named in the document as someone who was involved in the plot, an accusation he has repeatedly and strenuously denied. Another school, Highfield, is mentioned as a potential target.
Those that argue that it is a hoax point to problems with the language used in the document and question the accuracy of some of what is said. Much of what's referred to in the document had been widely reported locally before reaching the attention of the national press.
It is, they argue, too good to be true. If there were a genuine conspiracy, then who would take the trouble to write it all down and leave an incriminating paper trail?
Those that say it's genuine say that some of the allegations had not previously been in the public domain. The document, they say, has been with Birmingham City Council for six months and was, during the early stages of the investigation, also scrutinised by detectives. If it had been proven to be a fake, why has no-one been able to categorically say it is?
When asked directly, officials have qualified their answers saying it is "probably a fake", or "likely to be spurious", but without a definitive answer.
Unless the author of the letter, or the Trojan Horse document, is positively identified, it may be impossible to prove its provenance
Even if it was fabricated, it might have been a well-intentioned attempt by a whistleblower to try to alert the authorities to genuine concerns about leadership and governance.
Hoax or not, it has prompted a storm of allegations about bullying and intimidation at schools, as well as accusations that the Department of Education and the city council allowed a small clique to remove teachers, staff and governors and introduce more Islamic teaching methods.
Many of the schools have had good or outstanding Ofsted inspection reports and can point to good achievements in exams.
In the seven weeks since the story became public, there have been repeated complaints that state-funded, secular institutions have been turned into faith schools by stealth.
It has been alleged that girls and boys are forced to sit apart in class; female teaching staff are bullied or ignored by male Muslim counterparts; Arabic has replaced French or other European languages on the curriculum; ultra-conservative dress codes are strictly enforced and, most controversially of all, that on at least one occasion, a radical cleric and senior figure within al Qaeda was praised in an assembly.
Many of the people making these accusations have refused to speak publicly, but instead have given anonymous interviews to the media. They have been accused of being racist Islamophobes with personal grudges.
The claims are being taken extremely seriously by all of the authorities and have prompted a number of inquiries.
Ofsted is investigating the schools on behalf of the Department for Education. It is specifically looking into allegations of wrongdoing within the schools. Questions will have been asked about the leadership, the curriculum, teaching methods, the quality of teachers and the education received by the children.
Birmingham City Council has appointed Ian Kershaw, a former head teacher, to oversee its main inquiry into the Operation Trojan Horse allegations. This also involves Ofsted and the DfE, but includes West Midlands Police and the National Association of Head Teachers. The unions and the council believe the allegations show genuine problems with the system of school governance, especially within academies.
The council has appointed Stephen Rimmer to head a second review group which will involve the education sector, councillors and MPs, faith groups and community leaders. Mr Rimmer is a former Home Office director general, who also led the government's anti-radicalisation strategy Prevent.
The most controversial appointment was that of the former head of the Met's counter terrorism unit, Peter Clarke, as an education commissioner by the secretary of state Michael Gove. His background raised hackles in the predominantly Muslim areas at the heart of the Trojan Horse allegations. It is a community that already feels victimised and isolated.
Even though there have been a number of terror plots uncovered in the same streets, there is anger that the language used by the DfE, which used words like "extremist" and "Islamist", has changed the tone of the story from one which was about school governance to something darker and more sinister.
There have also been mutterings that other government departments were not happy about the timing of this particular announcement, despite an official statement insisting that it was 100% supported.
There is another inquiry which is going on quietly in the background. Accusations have also been made about financial wrongdoing at some of the schools, and the Education Funding Agency is investigating those.
Ofsted is likely to publish its reports first. It has carried out inspections at 15 of the 25 schools which are being investigated by the the authorities. They have all been what are commonly referred to as "snap" inspections under Section 8 of the 2005 Education Act, which allows for the re-inspection of schools which are causing concern.
Most last two days and involve the questioning of staff, parents, governors and pupils. The first school to be inspected was Park View Academy on 6 and 7 March. There was a further visit there a week later. That inspection report is overdue, but it's thought Ofsted will wait until reports into the other schools are ready before publishing them altogether. After the Easter break is all that we know for certain.
The Kershaw and Rimmer reviews will publish their findings by the end of the school year in July, but interim reports are expected in early May. The Clarke inquiry is expected to run alongside both of these.
As part of the Rimmer review the Youth Parliament has been commissioned to come up with two pieces of work to answer two questions:
What does a good inclusive education in Birmingham look like? And what does a safe and resilient citizen of the future look like? This is likely to publish during the summer.
There is no firm date for a publication of the EFA findings. | This week three senior figures were appointed to oversee investigations into claims that a small group of hard-line Muslims had tried to "take over" schools in Birmingham. | 27067825 |
The 13-7 loss means Chiefs have been beaten in all three of their matches and are 10 points behind group leaders Clermont Auvergne and can do no better than 15 from their remaining games.
"Three wins in the group last year were enough, but I can't see that happening.
"I would say it would be very tough for us, but that doesn't mean there's nothing to play for," Baxter said.
Exeter topped their pool last season after all four teams registered three wins and three losses.
"These games are very important, you've got to take them with a great deal of pride, as we saw with the way things wrapped up in our pool last season," Baxter told BBC Radio Devon.
"We owe it to everybody else to work very hard and make sure we make Bordeaux have to fulfil a huge fixture next week and when we have Ulster here, I'm expecting us to really turn up and make sure that is a huge fixture and the same when we go to Clermont.
"We're not just going to throw the hat in and we're not just going to fulfil them as non-fixtures. Far from it, they're going to be very important fixtures and very important for us as a side, developing individual players and have us absolutely flying in the Premiership." | Exeter head coach Rob Baxter admits his side are all but out of Europe after their Champions Cup defeat by Bordeaux. | 38290049 |
The sun is so scorching in Algeria's Dakhla camp - over the border from the disputed territory of Western Sahara - that equipment, including solar panels, can melt in the heat.
The wind is so strong that it can blow down tents and families are forced to shelter in concrete toilet blocks.
But the Western Sahara International Film Festival (FiSahara) has drawn Hollywood stars, like James Bond film actor Javier Bardem, to what residents call the end of the earth.
They have come to hear the stories of the Saharawi people, whose 40-year struggle to call Western Sahara home again would otherwise be completely buried.
The African Union recognises the independence of Western Sahara, but most of it remains under the control of Morocco, which annexed it in 1975 after Spanish colonial forces pulled out.
Morocco maintains it has a historical claim to the territory and has offered it a degree of autonomy.
It is a long journey to get to Dakhla from the Spanish capital, Madrid.
First a charter flight and then a military-escorted convoy of rickety buses bumping across the desert for hundreds of kilometres until it reaches a tiny strip of lights which illuminate the refugee camp.
The time is nearly 03:00 but host families are there to greet guests, take them home and serve dinner before offering either a bed inside a tent or a blanket for sleeping outside.
FiSahara organisers bring the equipment and a planeload of actors, human rights activists and journalists to this desert.
But festival director Maris Carrion says the Saharawi people are the stars of the show.
They fled Western Sahara in 1975 after the end of Spanish rule - and have been in southern Algeria ever since.
The refugees would move mountains to get the world's attention.
"The last thing that people want to feel like is forgotten, and stuck in an interminable situation of refuge and injustice," Ms Carillon says.
The festival keeps children wide-eyed until the small hours, with films projected onto the side of a lorry that makes a screen under the stars.
Giggles about cartoons and light-hearted short films made by refugee teenagers ripple through the rows of people sprawled on blankets.
But there are tears too, as the Sahawari see the bigger picture of their stories of torture, disappearance and abuse, or empathise with the similar fates of others in films from Latin America to Asia.
About 30,000 of up an estimated 165,000 Sahawaris live in the camps, hours away from a heavily mined and guarded wall that separates them from relatives in Western Sahara.
There is a promised referendum on the status of Western Sahara but it has been frequently delayed.
The youth here appear to be tiring of the peaceful resistance to a conflict that the world ignores, but Khadija Hamdi, Western Sahara's culture minister in-exile, said that it still has a role.
"This festival is a peaceful demonstration that allows the Saharawi people to be heard," she said.
"Yes, the youth have the right to return to armed struggle, but we the leadership still believe that there is time for peace."
Nearby, a workshop led by Saharawi rapper Yslem has convinced 15-year-old Ahmed Salem to fight for his rights with art, not arms.
"We don't like what the Moroccans are doing," he says.
"I want to become a revolutionary to fight them in a war, but a war of words, that we will slowly win."
Lawyer Michael Ratner, who is famous for taking on the US government over Guantanamo and Iraq now wants to take on Western Sahara's case, but says that documentaries will sway public opinion.
"What a film can do is bring out with real people what's happening in a particular place. So I believe very strongly in film as one of the modes of struggle."
Whether or not Western Sahara's revolution remains cultural, it will be televised. | This is the world's most remote film festival - in a refugee camp in the Sahara desert, where nothing grows and few people visit. | 32710589 |
"John Terry, Didier Drogba, Ashley Cole, Petr Cech and Frank Lampard can now say they have won everything.
"There's not a better moment - it doesn't sink in for ages but eventually you realise you played in the best team in the whole of Europe.
"You have to give massive credit to Roberto di Matteo, the way he's managed them, because he doesn't know what's happening to him tomorrow.
"He's got them all together, playing for each other and they've all raised their game.
"He's got the more experienced players back in the team and, boy, has that made a difference.
"As Di Matteo slowly took over, the formation and the shape of the team has changed.
"Tactically he's got everything spot on.
"Bayern Munich were the better team but it doesn't matter as far as Chelsea are concerned.
"Chelsea have won this competition away from home.
"In many ways, the performances in Lisbon and the Nou Camp in Barcelona have really set them up for this night.
"And Drogba's equaliser, and the time that it was scored, made a massive difference to the outcome of this game."
"Bayern Munich, over 90 minutes, were the better side but for Chelsea to show the courage they did, to come back and beat them on penalties after missing the first one, is quite a remarkable achievement.
"What is also remarkable is that [while] they've been to six semi-finals over the last decade, they've finally [now] produced and you have to take your hats off to them.
"Didier Drogba, Peter Cech, John Terry, Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard have been fantastic servants to Chelsea over the years.
"I'm genuinely pleased for them for the way they've turned their season around.
"Roman Abramovich can change the coaches and managers but the one thing he's had over the last few years is that he has been able to rely on those players.
"They have been the rock and that has created a spirit at Chelsea.
"You have to have a little bit of luck to win the cup - Arjen Robben missing a penalty in the final and Lionel Messi missing a couple of weeks to send them through.
"But Drogba has been the best centre forward of his type, certainly in the Premier League, for the past eight years.
"It could be his last appearance but I sincerely hope it isn't because he's still got something to offer. Big player, big occasion - remarkable that he's got the two [crucial] goals.
"If they're going to replace him, how are they going to replace him?
"He has been quite fantastic, year in and year out.
"It's quite fitting that he got the equaliser and it's quite fitting that he got the [winning] penalty if he is going to bow out." | "Roman Abramovich has spent hundreds of millions of pounds and finally got what he really wanted all that time. | 18134742 |
The 33-year-old joins as a free agent on 1 July after turning down the offer of new terms at Burnley.
He was the Turf Moor club's player of the year as they won the Championship title to return to the Premier League.
"When I first found out there was an opportunity to come here, that got the blood pumping," Barton told the Rangers website.
"I'm fully aware of the situation the club has been in for the last few years but to be part of a group that is going to put this club back where it belongs was an opportunity, that if I didn't take, I would probably have regretted it for the rest of my life."
Barton, capped once for England, counts Manchester City, Newcastle and QPR among his former clubs.
He also played the 2012-13 season on loan in the French top flight with Marseille.
The experienced midfielder visited Glasgow last week.
"It was very simple. I came up, had a look around and was instantly impressed - both with what is happening at the club just now but also the history and tradition of the place," he explained.
"I went away with Rangers at the forefront of my mind, and I just knew I had to go and do it, and it was something I had to be a part of."
Barton spent one successful season with Burnley and used Twitter to explain his decision to leave.
"Thanks to all the Burnley fans and everyone connected to the club," he wrote. "Amazing support this year that will live with me for a lifetime.
"Toughest decision of my professional life to leave an amazing set of people and a phenomenal culture behind.
"Club is in a great place on and off the pitch with great custodians at the helm. Thanks again for the opportunity to represent your club.
"I was presented with an opportunity and challenge the competitive animal in me just could not turn down. Onwards and upwards now."
Rangers will play in the Scottish Premiership next season after comfortably wrapping up the Championship title.
Mark Warburton's side also won the Petrofac Training Cup and lost a dramatic Scottish Cup final to Hibernian at the weekend.
Barton becomes Rangers' fourth summer signing, joining Josh Windass, Matt Crooks and Jordan Rossiter.
BBC Scotland's Richard Wilson
"Barton has reinvented himself; in a shorthand way, he has gone from CCTV footage of fighting to being a guest on Question Time. So nobody ought to be surprised that on the verge of a return to the English Premier League, and all its riches and glamour, he has chosen to sign for Rangers.
"The offer of a two-year contract, as opposed to the shorter deal proposed by Burnley, would have helped, but Barton was genuine when he spoke of having already sampled life in the Premier League - particularly the slog of a relegation battle - and of seeking new experiences.
"At Rangers, he will hope to compete for trophies and be asked to be a figure of authority and know-how to help develop younger players."
'Barton challenge offers Rangers valuable asset'
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Rangers have announced the signing of midfielder Joey Barton on a two-year deal. | 36360594 |
The two paintings were reported stolen from the grounds of Candacraig House, Strathdon, in July 2001.
Police Scotland said a 60-year-old woman and 66-year-old man were both arrested in the Burgas region of Bulgaria on 26 May.
They are now expected to appear at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
The arrests were carried out by police in Bulgaria after Police Scotland was granted a European Arrest Warrant. | Two people have been arrested in Bulgaria over the alleged theft of paintings in Aberdeenshire 15 years ago. | 36577870 |
Here are key extracts from the report given by Jeremy Gormly SC, counsel assisting the New South Wales coroner, on the first day of the inquest.
"Monday the 15th of December began in such an ordinary way. People were starting their day, going to work, coming into town to see the doctor, doing shopping with family members, meeting friends for coffee before work.
"It was so ordinary that anyone, friends or family, could have found themselves that morning in the convenient and pleasant Lindt Cafe in Martin Place, right in the middle of Sydney.
...
"At about 08:33, Mr Monis entered the Lindt Cafe. At the time he was dressed in camouflage long pants, a white T-shirt, a black jacket, a baseball cap and was wearing a large black backpack and carrying a blue plastic bag.
"Mr Monis met his own family law lawyer by chance in or near the Lindt Cafe, but no relevant discussion occurred. The lawyer had a commitment elsewhere. Mr Monis sat in the cafe, he ordered and ate a piece of chocolate cake and drank some tea.
"He then asked the Lindt employee that had been serving him, if he could move to a table which is close to the rear doors that open into the Martin Place foyer... From this table Mr Monis would have been able to view the whole of the cafe.
"About 30 minutes later, he told the waitress that he wished to speak to the manager. He did not say why. The manager, Mr Tori Johnson, approached and sat with him. Staff watching them knew Mr Johnson well and could tell from his body language that he was stressed by what he was hearing from the customer.
"Mr Johnson then said to another employee, in a low voice, something like: 'I need you to go get my keys from the office and lock the doors. We're closed. Everything is ok. Tell the staff to be calm'.
"The doors to the cafe were locked as requested. Mr Monis then put on a vest and a bandana, he stood up, produced the pump action shotgun and by one account he states: 'This is an attack, I have a bomb'.
"Mr Monis told hostages he had a bomb in his backpack. He did not remove his backpack throughout the entire incident. During the course of the siege he said that he would shoot people for various reasons, for example, that if he did so, he would be taken seriously...
"Mr Johnson was made by Mr Monis to kneel on the floor of the cafe. After a short lapse of time Mr Monis simply shot him without further notice or warning, in the back of the head. The end of the barrel was about 75cm from Mr Johnson's head at the moment of discharge. Mr Johnson is believed to have died immediately.
"The shot was witnessed by a police marksman who called it in. That resulted in an immediate order to force entry. Entry to the cafe occurred within seconds...
"Ms Dawson was struck by six fragments of a police bullet or bullets, which ricocheted from hard surfaces into her body. I will not detail the damage done to Ms Dawson other than to say that one fragment struck a major blood vessel, she lost consciousness quickly and died shortly afterwards." | A coroner's inquest has opened into the armed siege at a cafe in Sydney, Australia in December 2014 that left two hostages and the gunman dead. | 31037252 |
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Despite losing captain Cristiano Ronaldo to injury in the 25th minute, Portugal prevailed in Paris to lift their first major trophy.
"Even if we were a little bit tired, that's not an excuse," said Deschamps.
"It came down to tiny details - it was a close match. It's a great disappointment for it to end now."
Hosts France, European champions in 1984 and 2000, created the best chances at the Stade de France, with Antoine Griezmann twice denied by goalkeeper Rui Patricio and substitute Andre-Pierre Gignac hitting a post before Eder's brilliant winner from 25 yards.
"We had chances to score, and the last one fell to Gignac," added Deschamps. "We had chances, as did the Portuguese, but unfortunately they scored.
"We must not throw everything that we've done away, but we threw away a great chance to be European champions - not the only one, but a great one."
Atletico Madrid striker Griezmann finished the tournament as leading scorer with six goals - three more than his nearest rivals.
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Former France midfielder Deschamps, who won the World Cup in 1998 as captain and the European Championship two years later, has been manager since 2012.
The 47-year-old deflected talk about his future after the game.
"I'm not going to think about myself tonight. I'll need some time to really digest this," said the former Chelsea player.
"They are young players who have progressed. I'm very proud of everything this group has achieved. We weren't rewarded but I've had an incredible group to work with and I'm very sad for them.
"This is not the end of the road. Although we're optimistic, it's hard to be so tonight. But it does lead us to think there will be better days ahead and an exciting future."
France 1998 World Cup winner Thierry Henry said Deschamps should continue as manager.
"People will question why N'Golo Kante didn't play," said the former Arsenal striker and BBC pundit. "When you lose people always question this or that.
"I still think he is the man for the job. Let's see if we qualify for the World Cup."
France begin their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign in Belarus on 6 September.
The Netherlands, Sweden, Bulgaria and Luxembourg are also in their group.
Media playback is not supported on this device | France wasted a "great chance" to claim a third European Championship title as they lost 1-0 after extra time to Portugal, said boss Didier Deschamps. | 36761111 |
Samuel Karanja Kamau would appear in court on Tuesday, police added.
Earlier, officials said he did not have permission to rent out 119 rooms in the six-storey building. Mr Kamau has not yet commented on the allegation.
More than 90 people are still feared trapped beneath the rubble, reports the BBC's Abdinoor Aden from the scene.
Rescue operations are continuing, he adds.
About 135 people have been freed so far from the collapsed building, local media reports.
The governor of Nairobi, Evans Kidero, said that officials who approved the construction of the building in the poor neighbourhood of Huruma would be sacked.
Three days of rainfall caused landslides and flooded roads in Nairobi.
More than 800 homes were affected by the flooding, Kenya's Red Cross said.
It criticised "chaotic scenes" as rescuers arrived after the Friday night collapse.
Nairobi's police chief has said rescue teams were delayed on their way to the scene by hours-long traffic jams caused by flooded roads.
Huruma is made up of narrow streets, and this made it more difficult for rescue workers to reach the scene, local media reports. | The owner of a building which collapsed in Kenya's capital Nairobi on Friday, killing at least 21 people, has been arrested, police have told the BBC. | 36186056 |
Investigators exhumed the remains of 31 men and one woman from a hillside in Zitlala, where turf wars between rival criminal gangs are common.
"The discoveries are terrible" a security spokesperson said, while the search for any additional hidden graves continued in the region.
No arrests have been made so far.
The remains were found in 17 different pits near the village of Pochahuixco between Tuesday and Thursday.
State security spokesman Roberto Alvarez told the AFP news agency the graves had been discovered following an anonymous tip, which led to the discovery of a kidnap victim.
AFP also reported that four heads were found "inside a cooler".
The town lies in the state of Guerrero, which has a very high rate of violent crime, and is also a significant opium producer.
It reported more than 1,800 homicides between January and October this year.
Residents in another town, Tixtla, discovered nine decapitated bodies earlier in the week. Investigators are checking if the remains match the heads discovered in Pochahuixco.
The remains have been sent to the state capital to be identified. | Mexican authorities have discovered 32 bodies and nine heads hidden in mass graves in a southern region plagued by violence from drug cartels. | 38100270 |
The 21-year-old Republic of Ireland Under-21 international has signed an initial two-year deal with the Latics, with the option of a further 12 months.
Duffus did not make a senior appearance for Everton but helped their under-23 side win Premier League 2 last season.
He previously had a loan spell with Bury in 2014, making five appearances for the Shakers.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | League One side Oldham Athletic have signed striker Courtney Duffus from Everton for an undisclosed fee. | 40637186 |
Captain Wales, as he has become known, flew in an armed reconnaissance helicopter (ARH) Tiger, one of the most advanced in the world.
The prince has also met Aboriginal elders, camped in the outback and been challenged to a game of wheelchair Australian Football League (AFL).
Harry is halfway through his four-week secondment with Australia's military.
The prince has said he is looking forward to a "new chapter" in his life after it was announced in March that he will be ending his 10-year UK military career in June.
He took up a staff officer role with the Army last year and has served twice in Afghanistan.
His Australia trip will continue after Gallipoli commemorations in Turkey, when he will return to Australia to spend time with Australian Army units in Perth and Sydney.
The first two weeks of his secondment have been spent in the Australian Army with the North-West Mobile Force (Norforce) and the 1st Brigade.
Harry had flight simulation training, before heading out with members of the 1st Aviation Regiment on an ARH Tiger reconnaissance flight from Robertson Barracks, Darwin.
While on duty with Norforce, he met elders and children of the Wuggubun community in the Kununurra region of Western Australia, around 470km (292 miles) south-west of Darwin.
He also trained in bush survival lessons, including how to source food and water and was briefed on Norforce's operations.
After receiving his orders, Captain Wales headed out on patrol spending two nights camping in the remote Kununurra region.
After meeting with some of the Australian Army's wounded, injured and ill members, Harry joined in a game of wheelchair AFL.
He played with soldiers from the Soldier Recovery Centre and the 1st Brigade.
Whilst with the 1st Brigade, Harry has also joined the physical training sessions and field exercise preparation as part of exercise thunder observer.
The exercise is part of the joint fire team training, soon to be conducted by the 1st Brigade's 8th/12th Medium Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery.
Designed to maintain combat readiness, the exercise will include a live fire collaboration between ground and air assets. | Prince Harry has taken to the skies during his first two weeks with the Australian Defence Force. | 32365097 |
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