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The Halley VI is a British Antarctic Survey research station which is based at the Brunt Ice Shelf, in Antarctica.
It's home to a team of scientists, engineers and a colony of penguins!
However, two large cracks have appeared in the ice, which could potentially cut off the research centre if it breaks away from the main island.
So in 2015, the scientists at the station decided to move it 23 kilometres further inland to stop this from happening.
The research station is made up of eight large pods (like giant train carriages) which sit on skis. These pods can be separated and moved using special heavy vehicles.
The last pod is currently being moved to the new location, and the BAS think it will be completed before March. | A huge crack in the ice near an important scientific research station is forcing it to move to a new location. | 38648928 |
In 2009, the winger wore the Red Rose on his chest in the Under-20 World Cup final alongside Ben Youngs, Courtney Lawes and Jamie George.
But on the same day that trio helped England retain their Six Nations title with victory over Scotland, Cobden switched allegiances as he made his debut for adopted country Romania in the Rugby Europe Championship.
"I feel privileged to have played with all those boys when I was younger. They are nice memories for me now," 28-year-old Cobden told BBC Sport.
"I appreciate every opportunity I got to play for England as a junior, they were all great experiences and helped me get my opportunity to play in Romania. I'm grateful for that.
"Right now, I'm focused on playing for Romania and doing as well as I can for my new country."
So how did a player raised in Lichfield, Staffordshire, nurtured at the Leicester Tigers academy and who starred in the Championship for Nottingham end up playing for the country which is perhaps best known to non-Romanians as the home of Count Dracula.
After an injury-plagued season, Cobden was released by Nottingham in 2013 and left to contemplate his options.
And so, he went on a soul-searching trip to South America, and later ended up pouring pints.
"I did think that was me done," Cobden said.
"I went travelling around South America, and thought I'd come back to England and maybe play for another team.
"I was basically working in a bar when the opportunity to play in Romania came up."
While contemplating his options in the game, he had sent his CV and a highlights package of his career to Bucharest, and it was there he was given the chance to resurrect his career.
He was offered a 10-month contract, but has so far remained with SuperLiga side CSM Bucharest for three years - long enough to qualify to play for Romania on residency grounds.
And with a World Cup in Japan in 2019, he has a major target to work towards.
"I have loved every minute," said Cobden, who is now also an expectant father with his girlfriend four months pregnant.
"It is one of those places that when you first arrive it does seem very different because you see the communist bloc flats still here. But it has its beautiful parts, Romania is lovely, raw and bit untouched.
"There have been ups and downs, but it suits me here. It has been the best decision I ever made and, if anything, wish I had done it earlier.
"I never came out here thinking of international rugby - it has been a pretty incredible journey for me."
As the oldest of three Cobden siblings, Jack has set somewhat of a trend in the family.
He was the first to win international sporting honours, with his brother Joe following suit on the rugby pitch at England Under-16 and U18 levels, and sister Beth playing for the senior England netball team.
Joe, now 25 and playing professionally with Nottingham, made the trip to Brussels to watch his older brother make his Romania debut - a moment which evoked the same sense of pride he had whenever he pulled on an England shirt in the past.
"It is nice to know that if you put in the hard work, you never know where it will take you. For me, that is a real motivation," Joe said.
"He stopped playing for a while and I didn't know if he would come back. then he was off to Romania, which seemed strange.
"But that sums him up as you never really know what he is going to do, and he has not looked back since."
Beth, a versatile player with Loughborough Lightning in the Superleague, says Jack has been a sporting role model for her from an early age.
"He is a great inspiration," said Beth. "He did really well and we all followed really.
"To go to Romania where the language and culture is different in a big step, and he went anyone. He just takes things in his stride.
"He does think he is the coolest Cobden in the family."
As a family of professional sports people, they also provide a strong support network for one another.
"It is good to be able to talk to one another because we area all in the same boat and know what we are each going through," Beth said.
"The boys understand what I go through and it is great to have that. "
A decade after featuring for England in the Under-20 World Cup in Japan, Cobden now has the chance of a return to the Land of the Rising Sun for the 2019 World Cup.
Romania have played in every tournament since 1987, and after beating Georgia in the final match of the Rugby Europe Championship - denying their opponents a seventh successive title - they remain on course to qualify again.
Cobden made a strong case in what has been his only appearance so far for The Oaks, scoring tries with his first two touches in a 33-17 triumph over Belgium.
"Japan is a long way away, a lot can happen between now and then," he said.
The past eight years is testament to that statement, as he admits he "lost his way a little bit" after being released by Leicester Tigers without making a Premiership appearance.
"I'd been in a professional set up from the age of 16, there is a lot of pressure at that age," he explained. "You want to make something of yourself and when the plan doesn't come together I needed time to readjust.
"I trained so hard for years in the academy and hoped to play in the Premiership. When it ended abruptly for me it really did take a few years to come back around and realise that I have such a good life playing rugby, a game I love.
"I'm glad I have come around full circle now."
At a time when Georgia's place at the Six Nations has been debated, and promotion and relegation from the tournament has been discussed, Cobden says the game in Romania is steadily improving.
In a different era, the Oaks could have rightly considered themselves a force in the game, having won away from home against Wales and France, and beaten Scotland's Grand Slam-winning side of 1984.
"They are still really proud of their rugby culture here in Romania," Cobden said.
"The team is really strong these days, a number of big, strong forwards play abroad in France.
"There are also a lot of big old boys in the league here as well. It might not be the fastest, but it is definitely physical and you know you have played a game of rugby afterwards.
"Every year the standard is getting better and with more foreign coaches coming over helping the youth, they are giving the game a boost.
"It was nice to get my opportunity with the national team, and with my family there to watch, it was the highlight of my career so far."
But when it comes to Jack Cobden, you can only wonder what is yet to come? | On a field in Brussels, and eight years after last representing England, Jack Cobden prepared to make his senior international debut to the sound of a foreign national anthem. | 39267313 |
Staff will be offered voluntary redundancy and early retirement packages under the proposals.
The university currently employs about 3,000 people, with staff wages making up 60% of its costs.
It said the cutbacks would provide financial stability in a very challenging funding environment.
The move is aimed at saving £10.5m.
The university said it needed to tackle staff costs in order to maintain and grow its position in an increasingly competitive international market.
University and College Union (UCU) Scotland official Mary Senior said: "The news that the University of Aberdeen are looking to cut 150 jobs is deeply disappointing and this is a very worrying time.
"Cutting the very staff who make the university the world class institution it is can't be done without impacting on both the student experience and the university's reputation.
"UCU opposes these cuts and will be meeting with the university." | The University of Aberdeen is to cut about 150 jobs as part of efforts to save millions of pounds in the coming months. | 32112754 |
Using advanced MRI nearly doubles the number of aggressive tumours that are caught.
And the trial on 576 men, published in the Lancet, showed more than a quarter could be spared invasive biopsies, which can lead to severe side-effects.
The NHS is already reviewing whether the scans can be introduced widely.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in British men, and yet testing for it is far from perfect.
If men have high prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels in the blood, they go for a biopsy.
Twelve needles then take random samples from the whole of the prostate.
It can miss a cancer that is there, fail to spot whether it is aggressive, and cause side-effects including bleeding, serious infections and erectile dysfunction.
"Taking a random biopsy from the breast would not be accepted, but we accept that in prostate," said Dr Hashim Ahmed, a consultant and one of the researchers.
Around 100,000 to 120,000 men go through this every year in the UK.
The trial, at 11 hospitals in the UK, used multi-parametric MRI on men with high PSA levels.
It showed 27% of the men did not need a biopsy at all.
And 93% of aggressive cancers were detected by using the MRI scan to guide the biopsy compared with just 48% when the biopsy was done at random.
Dr Ahmed, who works at University College London Hospitals, told the BBC News website: "This is a significant step-change in the way we diagnose prostate cancer.
"We have to look at the long-term survival, but in my opinion by improving the detection of important cancers that are currently missed we could see a considerable impact.
"But that will need to be evaluated in future studies, and we may have to wait 10 to 15 years."
Chris first noticed the symptoms at the theatre a decade ago, when he needed to go to the toilet repeatedly.
Doctors found his prostate was enlarged.
In May last year, Chris needed to see his doctor again, as he was feeling tired a lot of the time.
Prostate cancer was suspected, and he was offered an MRI scan as part of the trial.
He says: "I'd heard from a friend that a prostate biopsy could be extremely painful and uncomfortable, so was pleased to know that I wouldn't be sent for one unless the doctors were confident I needed it."
In the end, he still needed a biopsy, and he was diagnosed with a cancer that had not spread out of the tumour.
He is now considering what to do about treatment.
Angela Culhane, the chief executive at Prostate Cancer UK, described the current system of testing as "notoriously imperfect".
She added: "This is the biggest leap forward in prostate cancer diagnosis in decades."
The study, led by the Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit, is already being considered by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
It will decide whether the NHS can afford multi-parametric MRI for prostate cancer.
Each scan costs between £350 and £450 pounds per patient - so introducing them for all patients across the UK would have a bill around the £40m mark.
But each biopsy costs the NHS £450 so reducing the number would deliver savings. Catching aggressive cancers earlier could also deliver savings as could not treating patients with very low-risk cancers.
A full cost-effectiveness analysis is being carried out.
Prof Ros Eeles, from the Institute of Cancer Research in London, said the study was "very important" and "provides ground breaking data".
The chairman of the British Society of Urogenital Radiology, Dr Philip Haslam, said: "Today's findings represent a huge leap forward in prostate cancer diagnosis."
However, he warned the biggest issue could be the number of scanners and training people to interpret the results.
Follow James on Twitter. | The biggest leap in diagnosing prostate cancer "in decades" has been made using new scanning equipment, say doctors and campaigners. | 38665618 |
Russian state TV has regularly shown sympathy towards Mr Trump, especially after his apparently complimentary remarks about President Vladimir Putin. But it is only in the last week or so that it has started to unequivocally praise him.
Fronting his two-and-half hour news review on official channel Rossiya 1 on 13 March, Dmitri Kiselyov hit out strongly at what he saw as a conspiracy by the US political elite to stymie Mr Trump's White House ambitions.
He said Mr Trump was an "anti-establishment" candidate, who stood apart from the hierarchy of the Republican Party in wanting to forge good relations with Putin. "This is why Mr Trump is not wanted and is even seen as harmful," he said.
Dmitri Kiselyov is a key figure in the Kremlin's media operation. As well as presenting a flagship current affairs show on state TV, he is the head of the government-funded international news agency Rossiya Segodnya (Russia Today).
He is also known for his outspoken attacks on the US. On more than one occasion, he has boasted of Russia's ability to reduce it to "radioactive ash".
A week earlier, Mr Kiselyov had praised the "anti-establishment" Trump in even more glowing terms as the "rising star" of US politics.
Russian state TV is often scathing about attempts by wealthy businessmen to carve out political careers for themselves. But the Russian TV anchor appeared to see a virtue in Mr Trump's vast personal fortune.
"In his own words, he is the only one of the contenders to have hired people with his own money. That is, he gave people work. In America, they value this," he said.
Mr Kiselyov's praise of Mr Trump has skirted around his more controversial views, such as his proposed ban on Muslims entering the US and his plans for building a wall along the border with Mexico.
But the New York businessman also has a strong following among extreme Russian nationalists, such as Alexander Dugin, who have links with anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant parties in Europe.
In a video posted on YouTube after Super Tuesday, Mr Dugin gave a ringing endorsement of the US property billionaire in his broken English, declaring "In Trump we trust".
He was also perhaps more explicit than Dmitri Kiselyov in identifying why Moscow might be favouring Trump's candidacy. "Trump is the voice of real right-wing America which, in fact, doesn't care about foreign policy and American hegemony," he said.
In the course of the video, Alexander Dugin also poured scorn on Mr Trump's Republican rivals and critics. He used a homophobic slur to attack Florida senator Marco Rubio and labelled Senator John McCain, a notable Putin critic, as "insane" and "disabled".
BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook. | A top presenter on Russian state TV has come out firmly in favour of Donald Trump in his bid to become US president, hailing him as an "anti-establishment" candidate who is ready to co-operate with Moscow. | 35811495 |
Jonathan Godson, 49, from St Ouen in Jersey, admitted 24 counts of inciting, taking and making the images.
Godson, originally from Canada, was sentenced on Monday at Jersey's Royal Court.
The court heard that he possessed more than 68,000 indecent images and hundreds of hours of video.
Det Insp Paul Kennea, of the States of Jersey Police, said: "Jonathan Godson was a prolific supplier of indecent images of children and it is likely this behaviour would have continued if he was not caught.
"He not only downloaded indecent images of children, but actively shared them with others, thus encouraging further offending, and further adding to the suffering of victims.
"He possessed thousands of images of children and hours of video and is clearly a danger to young people." | A man described as a "prolific supplier" of indecent images of children has been sentenced to eight years in prison. | 22156627 |
Ramirez, 26, has scored nine goals in 35 games since joining from Southampton, initially on loan before signing permanently last summer.
However, the Uruguay international has been linked with a move to Leicester.
"It's just rumours. I can't understand why he wouldn't (still be at the club)," Karanka told BBC Tees.
"He's been an important player here in the last year, he's really pleased to be here."
Boro, who have already signed Rudy Gestede from Aston Villa, have been strongly linked with re-signing striker Patrick Bamford from Chelsea. | Head coach Aitor Karanka expects forward Gaston Ramirez to remain at Middlesbrough beyond the January transfer window. | 38651186 |
This falls far short of yearly targets needed to plant 11 million trees by 2020 and raise woodland cover from 10 to 12% by 2060, say MPs.
Improving grant schemes for forestry is key to creating more woodland, their parliamentary report found.
And it said safeguards were needed to stop ancient forests disappearing.
MPs from the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (Efra) have published a report, Forestry in England: Seeing the Wood for the Trees, calling for the government to take action to increase woodland creation.
Giving evidence, The Forestry Commission said there was a need to "speed up" woodland creation, while the Royal Forestry Society called for a "step change" in the rate of planting.
Efra committee chair, Neil Parish MP, said administering the forestry Countryside Stewardship Scheme was "not fit for purpose".
Under the scheme, farmers and other landowners receive funding to improve woodland. However, three agencies are involved in administering the scheme, and witnesses described the process as "tortuous", "bureaucratic" and "overly complex".
The government should instead "reintroduce a one-stop shop for forestry grants", said Mr Parish.
And he said the government must use the Article 50 negotiating period to provide the sector with reassurance that it is championing its needs in discussions on big policy issues such as Brexit, the industrial strategy and house building.
"Forestry must not be forgotten in a future British Agricultural Policy," said Mr Parish.
The Efra committee made other recommendations, including:
The Woodland Trust has campaigned on many of the issues covered in the report.
Chief executive, Beccy Speight, said it clearly highlighted the barriers to progress that forestry in England faces.
''Government policy is failing forestry catastrophically and urgent action is needed. Planting rates are shockingly low - we believe parts of the UK are at a real risk of deforestation.''
Forestry and wood trade body, Confor, said The Forestry Commission should be given responsibility to "reverse a tree planting crisis which threatens to plunge England into deforestation".
It said given current "woeful" planting rates, the government target of planting 11 million trees by 2020 will not be hit until summer 2027.
Confor chief executive Stuart Goodall said Scotland had a much more straightforward system and could hit its target of 10,000 hectares of new woodland every year in 2017.
"England must embrace a system which allows tree planting to happen, to deliver wide-ranging economic, environmental and social benefits - creating rural jobs and investment, reducing the impact of climate change and flooding, and delivering beautiful modern forest habitats to support wildlife and recreation," he said.
The Welsh government has made a pledge to plant a tree for every child born or adopted in Wales, plus an additional tree in Uganda for every child.
Follow Helen on Twitter. | The amount of new woodland created in England last year amounts to under 700 hectares, an area little bigger than London's Olympic Park. | 39329644 |
Mr Trump accused the National Security Agency (NSA) and FBI of giving out information illegally.
Some US media say top Trump aides were in constant communication with Russian officials in the election campaign.
Intelligence officials previously said they believed Russia tried to influence the vote in favour of Mr Trump.
Moscow has dismissed the claim, describing it as based on unsubstantiated facts.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that the latest reports of contacts with Trump aides were "not based on any facts".
On Thursday Rex Tillerson is due for his first meeting as US secretary of state with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, at a G20 gathering in the German city of Bonn.
The latest allegations look set to reignite tensions between the president and his own intelligence services, which flared during the 2016 election campaign, says BBC Washington correspondent Gary O'Donoghue.
They come a day after National Security Adviser Michael Flynn resigned amid a row over reports he discussed US sanctions by phone with a Russian diplomat before Mr Trump took office.
Leading Republicans have joined calls for a wide investigation into Mr Flynn's links with Russia.
And on Wednesday Adam Schiff, a Democrat on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, said he would push for the committee's investigations into Russian hacking to be expanded to include Mr Flynn's phone calls, Reuters news agency reported.
The FBI and a Senate committee are also investigating the claims.
Mr Trump appeared to attack the NSA and the FBI for what he described as leaks to the media about the contacts.
"Information is being illegally given to the failing @nytimes & @washingtonpost by the intelligence community (NSA and FBI?)," he tweeted.
But in another tweet he suggested that the reports were "non-sense" produced by his Democratic opponents.
"This Russian connection non-sense is merely an attempt to cover-up the many mistakes made in Hillary Clinton's losing campaign."
The tweets came after the New York Times quoted unnamed former and current officials as saying that the communications were intercepted as evidence of Russian hacking of the Democratic National Committee was coming to light. Other media have since corroborated the reports.
The intercepted communications were said to be between Trump campaign officials and other associates on the one hand, and Russian intelligence and government officials on the other.
However, the officials interviewed by the Times said they had seen no evidence of the Trump team colluding in the hacking.
Mr Flynn and Mr Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, were said to be among those mentioned by the officials.
Mr Manafort told the newspaper: "I have never knowingly spoken to Russian intelligence officers, and I have never been involved with anything to do with the Russian government or the Putin administration or any other issues under investigation today.
"It's not like these people wear badges that say: 'I'm a Russian intelligence officer.'"
Mr Manafort and former Trump foreign policy aide Carter Page both left the campaign after reports emerged of their close links with Russia. | President Donald Trump has lashed out at the US intelligence community and media after new reports of contacts between members of his team and Russia. | 38983742 |
Three women protesters were thrown out of the venue by Turkish security. An Ecuadorean MP was also reportedly injured during Thursday's incident.
Ecuador's foreign minister says the guards' behaviour was "irresponsible".
Mr Erdogan was in Quito to boost diplomatic and trade ties with Ecuador.
As Mr Erdogan prepared to hold a news conference at the National Higher Studies Institute, protesters demonstrated against recent operations by Turkey against the Kurdistan Workers's Party (PKK) militant group.
Inside the hall, when the three women heckled Mr Erdogan, they were set upon by his personal guards and a scuffle ensued. One protester was momentarily placed in a headlock.
According to local media, a member of Mr Erdogan's security entourage attacked a protester as the Turkish president left the building.
And a member of the Ecuadorean National Assembly was reportedly injured while trying to protect the protesters.
Lawmaker Diego Vintimilla posted images on his Twitter account showing himself with cuts to his nose and hands and a bruise on his arm.
Ecuador said disproportionate force had been used by the security guards. Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Fernando Yepez has summoned the Turkish ambassador in Quito, urging him to explain the violence.
Ecuadorean Interior Minister Jose Serrano said police had requested that the bodyguards involved in the incident surrender their passports on Friday.
However, Mr Erdogan and his entourage have since left the country. No comments from his government over the incident have been reported.
The PKK is considered a terrorist group by Turkey and its Western allies and has fought a 30-year insurgency in south-eastern Turkey in which tens of thousands of people have been killed.
There have been repeated clashes between PKK separatists and the Turkish army in recent months, and the violence has recently escalated.
Turkey has previously dismissed claims by the PKK that the government is attacking it "to stop the Kurdish advance against Islamic State [in Syria]". | Ecuador has protested to Turkey over an incident in which demonstrators were violently ejected during a speech by visiting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the capital, Quito. | 35512926 |
The Scottish League Two club were late with a £3,320.20 tax payment.
They then fielded a player, Ross Millen, who had been registered after their "event of default", which should have prompted a registration embargo.
But the club's ban on registering players and playing those registered after 16 January has been lifted.
The SPFL says the club "gained no sporting advantage", was unaware of the event of default relating to the missed tax payment until after the 2-0 loss to East Fife, in which Millen played, and since then neither of the two players registered after 16 January - including Millen - have played for the club.
Clyde had stated there are now "fully up to date with all HMRC liabilities".
Manager Barry Ferguson brought in four new players during the January transfer window and the club could have been banned from fielding those players.
However, the SPFL said in a statement: "Clyde FC admitted all alleged breaches of SPFL rules.
"The SPFL board sub-committee found that all breaches were inadvertent and had arisen as a result of extraordinary circumstances affecting the club and one of its directors at the relevant time.
"Clyde FC were censured, warned as to their future conduct and given a £2,500 fine suspended until the end of season 2016-17 (to be activated in the event of future breaches of SPFL rules in this area).
"At an SPFL board meeting following the sub-committee hearing, the ban on Clyde FC registering any new players and on playing those players registered after 16 January 2016 was lifted with immediate effect.
"Clyde FC was reminded of its rights of appeal in terms of the Scottish FA Judicial Panel Protocol."
And Clyde said on their website: "The club can confirm that it is satisfied with the ruling and has no intention of pursuing the option of an appeal." | Clyde have been censured and given a suspended £2,500 fine after the club admitted breaches of Scottish Professional Football League rules. | 35605700 |
To his supporters he is a heroic revolutionary who overthrew a brutal dictator and has since dedicated his life to improving conditions in one of the region's poorest countries.
To his critics - including many former allies - he is a corrupt and authoritarian ruler who has turned his back on his revolutionary ideals and come to resemble the dictator he deposed.
What is certain is that he has been the dominant political figure in Nicaragua for more than three decades.
Born in 1946 as the son of a shoemaker, Daniel Ortega was still a teenager when he joined the left-wing Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN).
It was fighting to overthrow the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza, whose family had ruled Nicaragua since 1936.
In 1967 Mr Ortega was imprisoned for robbing a bank to raise funds for the revolution.
He spent seven years in jail and was severely tortured before being released along with other Sandinistas in exchange for hostages.
In 1979, following a bitter armed struggle in which 50,000 people were killed, President Somoza fled into exile and the Sandinistas took power, inheriting a country in ruins.
Mr Ortega became a member of the five person Junta of National Reconciliation, and in 1984 was elected president.
Most international observers recognised the vote as generally free and fair, despite opposition complaints.
But US President Ronald Reagan dismissed the election as a "sham" and stepped up his support for armed counter-revolutionary groups known as Contras.
This was the height of the Cold War, and Washington saw the Sandinistas as a front for Soviet and Cuban-style communism and a threat to US-backed governments throughout Central America.
The Sandinista government made important gains, particularly in health, education and land reform.
With his olive green guerrilla fatigues and passionate anti-US rhetoric, Mr Ortega became the new hero of left-wing groups around the world.
But the impact of the Contra war and US sanctions made economic reconstruction impossible.
In presidential elections in 1989, to the surprise of many observers, Mr Ortega was defeated by liberal opposition candidate Violeta Chamorro.
He accepted the result, but said the Sandinistas would continue to "rule from below" through its control of the army and mass organisations such as trade unions.
Further presidential election defeats in 1995 and 2001, combined with allegations of corruption and deep splits within the Sandinista movement, led many to dismiss him as a spent political force.
In 1998 his step-daughter Zoilamerica accused him of repeatedly raping her as a child.
Mr Ortega avoided trial by invoking his immunity as a member of congress, but his personal reputation was in ruins.
But with Latin America's political tide moving back towards the left, and with Nicaragua still plagued by poverty and corruption, in 2006 he made a dramatic comeback to win the presidency again.
The man who returned to power was much changed from the revolutionary of 16 years before.
In a campaign masterminded by his wife Rosario Murillo - a poet he met while in prison - the black and red Sandinista flags were largely replaced by pink campaign posters.
The military fatigues were exchanged for white shirt-sleeves and the Marxist slogans swapped for a vague commitment to "Christianity, Socialism and solidarity".
The US and EU froze aid to his government in 2008 after allegations of widespread fraud in local elections.
But massive loans and cheap oil from a new ally - Venezuela's left-wing President Hugo Chavez - have more than compensated for this, boosting economic growth.
In 2009 Nicaragua's Supreme Court and Supreme Electoral Council removed constitutional obstacles to him standing for another term in office - a move the opposition condemned as illegal.
Critics accuse Mr Ortega of running Nicaragua as a personal fiefdom, and of using Venezuelan money as a slush fund to buy support.
Many former Sandinistas accuse him of betraying his revolutionary ideals in a ruthless pursuit of power.
But he retains strong support among the poor in rural and urban Nicaragua, and was the clear favourite to win re-election. | Few political figures in Latin America divide opinion more strongly than Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. | 15544315 |
Akhtar Javeed, 56, from east London, was shot outside the building in Digbeth, Birmingham on 3 February.
West Midlands Police said the suspect was detained at a property in Leicester on Friday evening.
A 19-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender and an 18-year-old man arrested in Derby remains in custody.
Police said on the day of the shooting two masked men in a silver Renault Megane entered Direct Source 3 Ltd on Rea Street South.
Five staff members were handcuffed with cable ties and it is believed Mr Javeed was shot while fighting off the attackers.
He was found outside his business premises with a "major neck wound" and pronounced dead in hospital.
The robbers escaped empty-handed, detectives said. | A 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a man was killed during a raid at his warehouse. | 35568670 |
He will replace the current SDLP MLA Pat Ramsey who announced he is stepping down for health reasons.
Mr Diver will be formally endorsed at a selection convention on 22 December.
He is currently the party leader on Derry City and Strabane District Council and has been a councillor for 14 years.
"Pat Ramsey is a political legend locally," said Mr Diver.
"I am honoured to have been put forward and I look forward to the many challenges. I'm looking forward to being in Stormont.
"Foyle faces a number of challenges like economic disadvantages, infrastructure issues and the growth of the university."
Mr Diver has been working in the community and voluntary sector for 20 years.
"I want to focus on job creation and investment in the north west," he said.
"Derry and the Foyle constituency has never really got what it deserved.
"I'm going to bring my expertise to the table but it's not for Gerard Diver to make changes alone.
"I imagine I will be co-opted into the assembly early in January. I'm excited and look forward to the months ahead." | Londonderry councillor Gerard Diver has said job creation and investment will be one of his main priorities when he takes over as Foyle MLA for the SDLP. | 35100115 |
Marlie Mul asked for no exhibition to be held in the Gallery of Modern Art.
All that will be visible in the gallery are billboards advertising that the exhibition has been cancelled.
People are being invited to "visit and interact with the space" - and suggest alternative uses for the gallery during the five months set aside for the show.
Gallery 1 at Goma will lie empty from Friday until the end of October.
Visitors will instead be greeted by 21 billboards advertising the cancellation of the exhibition by the Dutch artist.
Goma said Mul's "conceptual gesture" was to act as an "implicit critique of what is displayed within museums and galleries".
It said that by removing traditional content and opening the space for public use, Mul was "augmenting the institution to question the relevance of an art exhibition in 2017".
Goma curator Will Cooper said the cancellation was an "amazing opportunity".
He said: "By removing what would traditionally be considered an art object we are instead presenting the gallery as an empty space, giving us a moment to question the value in turning over exhibition after exhibition after exhibition."
He added: "We're excited by the different types of activities that might be on offer during this cancelled show.
"So far, it's looking like we'll have some life drawing classes, yoga sessions, artist film screenings and I even think my daughter's got Bounce and Rhyme scheduled in.
"We might even get a carpet bowls session on the go." | An empty gallery has been unveiled as the latest work by an artist who "cancelled" her exhibition at one of Glasgow's leading venues. | 40041603 |
The baby was found by staff at the firm in Valley Road, Bradford, in the early hours of Thursday.
West Yorkshire Police said a post-mortem examination had confirmed the girl may have died two or three days before she was found.
The examination proved inconclusive for the cause of death.
Police said it was "unlikely" the baby, who was white, had been born in hospital.
They also said they were not ruling out the possibility the baby may have been from an area of West Yorkshire other than Leeds and Bradford.
Inquiries revealed the waste management site received 97 loads of waste on Wednesday, 51 of which were from Bradford while the remainder were from elsewhere in the county.
Det Supt Sukhbir Singh said the police remained "greatly concerned for the mother's condition and welfare".
"Our focus continues to be to identify this baby's mother and I would urge her friends, relatives and neighbours to contact West Yorkshire Police.
"Somebody in West Yorkshire must know who the mother of this child is and I would ask them to provide the key piece of information we need to find her."
Staff working at the company who discovered the body have been offered counselling.
Det Supt Sukhbir Singh said: "They were clearly distressed by the discovery.
"They are being provided with and offered the support that they need." | A baby girl whose body was found at a waste management site in Bradford may have died several days before she was found, police have said. | 13467059 |
His arrest comes less than a week after the paper apologised to eight victims and set up a compensation fund.
Chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck and ex-news editor Ian Edmondson were arrested last week on suspicion of having unlawfully intercepted voicemail messages.
The News of the World said it was not commenting on the latest arrest.
Mr Weatherup has also worked as a news editor with the Sunday tabloid.
Since January, the Metropolitan police have been re-examining the phone hacking scandal after receiving "significant new information" about activities at the News of the World.
In 2007, the first police investigation led to the convictions and imprisonment of the then NoW royal editor Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire, who was employed by the paper.
Mr Thurlbeck and Mr Edmonson were released on bail until September.
Mr Weatherup was arrested early on Thursday and questioned at a London police station. He has been bailed until September.
The BBC has learned that two police officers were at the News of the World's offices on Thursday afternoon and took some items away.
"The Operation Weeting team is conducting the new investigation into phone-hacking. It would be inappropriate to discuss any further details regarding this case at this time," a police spokesman said.
Mr Weatherup's profile on LinkedIn describes his 25 years in the media.
It says: "As well as breaking exclusive stories, managing huge budgets, I also advised stars on PR and media related matters."
It lists "crisis management" as a speciality.
He joined the News of the World in 1987, and left the paper in 1999 but rejoined as news editor in 2004.
The BBC understands that about October 2005 he stood down to become a senior reporter at the paper, with the title associate news editor. That title changed in 2006 to assistant news editor although he remained a reporter.
Following the News of the World's unreserved apology and admission of liability on Friday to eight victims, its owner News International wrote to another nine claimants asking for further evidence that journalists intercepted their voicemail.
The BBC understood that News International was ready to settle claims with eight people, including former Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, her estranged husband, lawyer David Mills, designer Kelly Hoppen, sports broadcaster Andy Gray, and Joan Hammell, a former aide to ex-deputy prime minister Lord Prescott.
Actress Sienna Miller was continuing with her legal action against the paper, despite the apology and admission, her lawyer said last week. Publicist Nicola Phillips also rejected the offer.
There are 24 active claims against the paper being heard by High Court judge Mr Justice Vos, with a meeting scheduled for Friday. | News of the World journalist James Weatherup has been arrested and bailed by police investigating phone hacking. | 13078353 |
Speaking in Armenia, she warned that the clashes "could escalate into a much broader conflict" in the Caucasus.
The two former Soviet republics fought a bloody war over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh in the 1990s.
A formal ceasefire is now looking increasingly fragile.
"I am very concerned by these incidents and have called on all parties, all actors, to refrain from the use or threat of force," Mrs Clinton said after her talks in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, on Monday.
"There is a danger that it could escalate into a much broader conflict that would be very tragic for everyone concerned," she warned.
The BBC's Damien McGuinness, in neighbouring Georgia, says it is hoped Mrs Clinton will ease tensions between the two countries.
The region is dependent on US aid, so Washington has much influence there, he says.
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan erupted as the Soviet Union collapsed and at least 30,000 people were killed by the time the truce was declared in 1994.
Since then, a simmering stalemate has prevailed and both sides have reported sporadic breaches of the truce.
The three Armenian soldiers were killed in clashes on Monday, Yerevan said.
It remains unclear if there were any casualties on the Azeri side.
Both sides have been building up arms in recent months and refusing to compromise.
It is hoped Mrs Clinton will at least call on both governments to tone down the rhetoric and hold peace talks.
Human rights groups also want Mrs Clinton to address alleged abuses in the region.
Azerbaijan's harsh treatment of government critics has been in the spotlight since it hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in May.
Authorities have dismissed criticism in the international press as Armenian propaganda.
However, condemnation from the US secretary of state will carry more weight, our correspondent adds.
A social media activist was released early from an Azeri jail on Monday, for good behaviour.
Bakhtiyar Hajiyev had been serving a two-year prison term on charges of avoiding military service.
He told the AFP news agency that his arrest had been "politically motivated".
He had used Facebook to support anti-government protests.
Last month a group of US senators demanded Mr Hajiyev's release.
Mrs Clinton travels to Azerbaijan on Wednesday, after visiting Georgia on Tuesday. | US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has voiced concern over border clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan - hours after three Armenian soldiers died in the latest skirmishes. | 18320425 |
After the Paris attacks in 2015, England fans sang La Marseillaise at the game against France at Wembley.
Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron attended the match in Paris after holding talks.
The Oasis track Don't Look Back In Anger was played by the Republican Guard at the Stade de France.
Fans held up red and white placards to recreate the Flag of St George, and a minute's silence was held with players from both sides lining up together.
The British national anthem was played second - the anthem of the home team is normally second in international fixtures.
England manager Gareth Southgate said: "We are very grateful to the French for offering this tribute to England as a country.
"It's nice that the history between us doesn't come between us at those moments."
Similar tributes took place when England played France at Wembley in November 2015 just days after the terror attacks in Paris.
Discussions between Mrs May and Mr Macron were expected to centre on counter-terrorism.
Eight people were killed and 48 injured when three attackers drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge then stabbed people in Borough Market on 3 June.
The attackers were shot dead by police.
Twenty-two people were killed and 116 injured by a suicide bomber at an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena on 22 May. | French football fans sang God Save The Queen ahead of the match between France and England in tribute to the victims of attacks in London and Manchester. | 40264084 |
The UK government has put forward the idea to avoid the damage of a "cliff-edge" departure before a final deal.
Speaking at the Pembrokeshire Show, NFU President Meurig Raymond said sheep farmers could suffer most from any return of tariffs.
The Welsh Government said it was "disappointed" a permanent post-Brexit customs union was not explored.
The UK government's position paper, published on Tuesday, said the UK would want to negotiate its own trade deals during the transition period, something it cannot currently do as a member of the EU customs union.
Mr Raymond, who farms in Pembrokeshire, told BBC Wales: "We're delighted to hear the government will be arguing for a transition period post-March 2019.
"We cannot afford that cliff-edge departure - it would have a devastating effect on certain sectors, particularly sheep, if we ended up with tariffs on our exports to Europe.
"Obviously we need to be within the customs union through that transition period as I believe it would take at least two to three years to negotiate a bilateral trade deal with the European Union.
"We need to have a frictionless trade position where business can carry on as normal, at least in the short term."
Mr Raymond stressed the need for an agreement across the nations on how the financial aid to farmers promised by the UK government following Brexit would be spent.
"No farmer must be disadvantaged - whether you're in Wales, England, Scotland or Northern Ireland - because we're going to have to be competing against the rest of the world," he said.
"That money needs to be directed to farming so that it can become more efficient, more competitive, and invest for the future."
Stephen James, president of NFU Cymru, agreed with the idea of a temporary customs union, for the sake of the whole rural economy.
"We've got all these businesses that are dependent on farming and agriculture - for every pound of support we have, it delivers £7.40 in the wider economy.
"That's a good message for all governments, because that keeps an economy going."
The Farmers' Union of Wales (FUW), also represented at the Pembrokeshire Show, renewed its call for an agricultural summit of the various UK governments to agree the rules on how the sector should be run when EU policies no longer apply.
The UK government proposes an "innovative and untested approach" to customs checks once any transition period is over, using measures such as number plate recognition technology for lorries.
However, Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament's negotiator, dismissed the idea of "invisible borders" as a "fantasy".
The Welsh Government said it welcomed "the recognition that there will need to be an interim or transitional period with as little change as possible in terms of practical customs arrangements".
But a spokeswoman added that there had been "no attempt to seek input" from devolved administrations.
She said the Welsh Government was "disappointed" that the costs and benefits of establishing an independent trade policy had not been analysed, and that the idea of a new customs union with the EU post-Brexit had not been considered.
Plaid Cymru MP Hywel Williams said the idea of the UK keeping "the perks of remaining in the EU Customs Union whilst negotiating alternative deals with third countries is at best naive and at worst deluded".
"What was meant to be a reassuring step ahead continues to cause more uncertainty for businesses all over the country," he added. | The National Farmers' Union has welcomed the idea of a temporary customs union with Europe after Brexit. | 40935572 |
Dr Carol Tozer says she is returning to the UK to be with her family.
There were calls in Alderney on Wednesday for her to stand down over the case of Dr Rory Lyons, who was cleared of any wrongdoing.
The States' chief executive thanked Dr Tozer for her hard work.
Paul Whitfield said: "I wish to take this opportunity to thank Carol for all of her hard work, energy and drive which she has brought to HSSD {Health and Social Services Department], often during some difficult and public times."
As chief officer of HSSD for 19 months, Dr Tozer held the reins during challenging times for the department, including an extraordinary review of maternity services, and the investigation into Dr Lyons following the deaths of four patients.
Dr Lyons was later exonerated and allowed to practise again.
An independent report into the investigation followed, which found there was not a "sufficient weight of evidence" when concerns about the deaths were raised with authorities.
Last week Mr Whitfield and the deputy chief minister, Allister Langlois, held a meeting in Alderney to discuss the report with islanders, where there were several calls from members of the public for Dr Tozer to resign over the Dr Lyons case.
Before coming to Guernsey to take up her role as chief officer of HSSD, Dr Tozer was executive director of services at the charity, Scope.
She had previously held several high profile roles in community and social services in the UK.
In 2011 she resigned from her post as director of children's services in Torbay, Devon. | The chief officer of Guernsey's health department has resigned a month after a report criticised her department's investigation into an Alderney doctor following patient deaths. | 36070882 |
The results mean that DR Congo sit top of Group B on six points while Angola are eliminated after two defeats.
Cameroon know a draw in their final match against DR Congo on Monday will be enough for them to go through.
Only a big win for Ethiopia against Angola coupled with a Cameroon loss gives them any chance of progressing.
Cameroon had the better of the first half, which was held-up for 10 minutes because of floodlight failure, while Ethiopia improved after the break.
However it was a dull encounter in Huye after the earlier game when DR Congo raced into a 3-0 lead by half-time against neighbours Angola.
Nelson Munganga (pictured), Elia Meschak and Jonathan Bolingi all found the target for the inaugural CHAN winners (in 2009).
Gelson and Yano hit back for Angola but in between those goals Merveille Bope struck DR Congo's fourth.
DR Congo have now scored 7 goals at the tournament after their 3-0 win over Ethiopia, who are yet to score in Rwanda.
Cameroon won their opening match 1-0 against Angola | A goalless draw between Cameroon and Ethiopia helped the DR Congo advance at the African Nations Championship (CHAN) as they beat Angola 4-2. | 35375531 |
Austrian police say they think the people inside were already dead when the truck crossed into Austria.
The lorry has been towed away for forensic examination.
Police say they should be able to give more information on the number of bodies on Friday morning.
The grim find comes as a summit focusing on migration takes place in the Austrian capital, Vienna.
Tens of thousands of migrants from conflict-hit states in the Middle East and Africa have been trying to make their way to Europe.
Austria's Chancellor Werner Faymann said the tragedy showed once again "how necessary it is to save lives by combating criminals and people traffickers".
The vehicle - a refrigerated lorry with Hungarian licence plates - was found parked off the A4 motorway between Parndorf and Neusiedl am See, according to Burgenland police chief Hans Peter Doskozil.
The vehicle was there from around 06:00 local time (04:00 GMT) on Thursday morning, Mr Doskozil said.
But Hungarian cameras had identified that the truck was on the Hungarian side of the border, very close to Austria, at 09:00 on Wednesday, he said, so it must have been driven across the border in the intervening time.
The decomposing state of the bodies would suggest that they had been dead for one and a half to two days, the police chief added, suggesting that the victims must have already been dead when the lorry crossed into Austria.
On Thursday afternoon the truck was towed away to undergo forensic examinations in Nickelsdorf.
Police will give a further news conference at 11:00 on Friday, when they should be able to say how many people have died.
They do not yet know who the victims were or how they died.
The truck bears the logo of a Slovakian poultry company, Hyza, which said in a statement that the vehicle no longer belonged to the firm - but the new owners had not removed the branding.
Hungarian police are working with Austrian police on the investigation, a spokesman for the Hungarian prime minister said.
Hungary had been informed that the driver was Romanian, the spokesman said.
The lorry in which dozens of people died was sitting in a lay-by on the main motorway between Vienna and the Hungarian and Slovakian borders.
As we drove past, I saw police in white forensic suits combing the area for evidence.
It is hot. The smell of so many decomposing bodies close up must be difficult to take.
In Vienna, Serbia and Macedonia have told the summit on migration that EU must come up with an action plan to respond to the influx of migrants into Europe.
Austria has complained that the EU has failed to address the problem of people entering via the Western Balkans.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday's find "reminds us to tackle the issue of migration with European spirit and find solutions".
A record number of 107,500 migrants crossed the EU's borders last month and on Wednesday police counted more than 3,000 crossing into Serbia.
Many make their way north from Greece. The International Organization for Migration said on Thursday that an estimated 209,457 migrants had entered Greece between 1 January and 25 August this year, nearly five times the number that arrived in the whole of 2014.
Meanwhile migrants are continuing to die as they try to reach Europe via the central Mediterranean route. The bodies of at least 51 people were found on Wednesday in the hold of a stricken ship off the coast of Libya.
Migrants' perilous Western Balkan route to Germany
Why is EU struggling with migrant crisis? | The bodies of between 20 and 50 migrants have been found in a lorry abandoned in a motorway lay-by near the Austrian border with Hungary, authorities say. | 34073534 |
Reece Allen was discovered with multiple stab wounds outside an address in West Avenue, North Shields, in the early hours of 25 January. He later died in hospital.
Joe Welsh, also 24, of no fixed address, pleaded not guilty to murder at Newcastle Crown Court on Monday.
He was remanded in custody ahead of a further hearing scheduled for 1 July. His trial date was set for 25 July. | A man has denied stabbing to death a 24-year-old man in North Tyneside. | 36023546 |
Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service warned flood water can pose a "serious threat" to people, as well as causing serious damage to cars.
Firefighters had to attend 14 flooding incidents and four rescues last week.
Meanwhile, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said a band of heavy rain could bring further flooding to parts of Wales on Monday night.
Chris Margett, the fire service's corporate head of protection and prevention, said: "In the event where there is no road closure sign, don't drive through deep water.
"If you are unsure of the water depth just don't do it, you are putting yourself and others at unnecessary risk.
"Flood water can be deceptively powerful - it can literally rip up the road surface and dislodge manhole covers and kerbstones - and its depth and flow rate can quickly change with the weather."
NRW issued nine flood warnings and 22 alerts on the weekend, with two flood warnings remaining in place for the Lower Dee Valley from Llangollen to Wrexham and Tenby, Pembrokeshire.
Resident Maria Eales, from Llechryd, Ceredigion, has described how she became marooned in her home after the River Teifi burst its banks on Sunday.
Ms Eales only moved to the area in July and said this is their "first experience of this kind of weather".
"We can't get through to Cardigan and the rain continues. Fortunately all our Christmas food is in the freezer. We're pretty self sufficient so we'll be okay," she said.
NRW has warned people to prepare for possible flooding, with more warnings expected to be issued on Monday.
The highest rainfall is likely on high ground in the Cambrian Mountains, Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons.
A spokesman said drains may struggle to cope with the volume of water and roads could be closed, while swollen rivers could also cause disruption in the south Wales valleys. | Drivers have been urged not to ignore signs warning of flooding on the roads after four people had to be rescued. | 35146267 |
It would see 12 turbines constructed - four fewer than previously planned.
Element Power's scaled-back plan for its Windy Rig development follows "substantial" consultation with the council and Scottish Natural Heritage.
Additional environmental information has been submitted to support the application and it is now subject to a 28-day consultation.
The site lies on the Moorbrock Estate to the north east of Carsphairn and is near a cluster of other wind energy developments.
Each of the proposed 12 turbines would be up to 125m (410ft) in height.
The revisions made to the application - including changes to the layout - have been designed to limit the visual impact of the development. | A renewable energy developer has submitted a revised plan for a proposed wind farm in the Galloway Hills. | 39453698 |
He won World Championship gold in 2009 at the age of 15, before going on to clinch European and Commonwealth titles, as well as an Olympic medal, all before he turned 20.
Many have since endured the pressure of being dubbed 'the new Daley', but on the same day he was crowned World champion for a second time, another 15-year-old from Plymouth was making his mark in a different kind of diving.
Aidan Heslop was below the age limit to enter the International Cliff Diving Championships in Switzerland, but was given special dispensation to compete - and triumphed from the dizzy height of 18.5m against his more experienced rivals.
Asked how his seniors would have felt seeing him beat them, Heslop told BBC Sport: "They see me every year, so they know what's coming.
"You're meant to be 16 to compete and the first year I came I was limited to diving from the lower side, but this was the first year I was allowed to compete from the high side."
Heslop has been cliff diving competitively since he was 12, but most of his training time goes towards the more conventional 10m platform events.
In June he won individual bronze at the European Junior Championships in Norway and the teenager is now targeting next year's Commonwealth Games in Australia, where he hopes to represent Wales.
"We have been in discussions. Ben Fox, the manager of Welsh diving, usually comes down to Plymouth once every month just to check up on me," he said.
"I'm quietly confident [of being picked]," added Essex-born Heslop, who qualifies for Wales through his mother. "There are a good four people who are ahead of me for England at the moment."
Find out how to get into diving with our special guide.
Four-time Olympian and 1990 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Robert Morgan was the last Welsh diver to compete at a major championships - almost 20 years ago.
While 3m and 10m diving feature in the Olympics, cliff diving does not, though there has been talk of adding the sport to the Games to entice a younger audience.
"I'd be very interested [in cliff diving at the Olympics]," said Heslop. "It hasn't been put in yet because of the lack of nationalities doing it.
"It works exactly the same [as platform diving], it's just much higher with more somersaults."
Heslop does his cliff diving training at a quarry in Liskeard, which allows him to dive from as high as 24m.
His triumph in Switzerland came against 20 other competitors from nine countries - though the teenager still feels certain emotions before launching himself off the top.
"It's very dangerous, that's why they call it an extreme sport - but you have a boat nearby, scuba divers, and you have a certain skill level," he said.
"The smallest mistake can cost a lot really, so it needs to be very safe.
"There's a lot of adrenalin and you do have to be scared - if you're not, there's something wrong." | If you are asked to name a male diver from Plymouth who won international titles and medals in their teenage years, Tom Daley is likely to be the first name to spring to mind. | 40717946 |
The 25-year-old Test batsman was hit by a blow to the neck during a domestic match in Sydney on 25 November 2014.
He died two days later from a haemorrhage in the brain, spurring an unprecedented display of grief from Australia and around the world.
The five-day hearing is examining if his death was avoidable.
The inquest will address the speed of the emergency response and the nature of play on the day.
In her opening address, Kristina Stern SC said Hughes's death "appears to have been inevitable from the point of impact".
She said the opinion of neurosurgeon Dr Brian Owler was "that no intervention, no matter how early, could have prevented Phillip Hughes' death".
The inquest will hear from several players who were there on the day including Doug Bollinger, Brad Haddin and Dave Warner.
Before the inquest began, Hughes' former manager James Henderson spoke to the media on behalf of the family and asked the media to respect their privacy.
"They have not been looking forward to this week," he said, saying they hoped there a positive outcome to Hughes's death would emerge in the process.
NSW State Coroner Michael Barnes said cricket carried an inherent risk, and the player's death was "completely unexpected and shocking".
"Quite clearly, the death was a terrible accident," Mr Barnes said.
"That does not mean cricket cannot be made safer."
A previous report, commissioned by Cricket Australia, said protective helmets should be compulsory for batsman facing fast and medium-paced bowling.
But it said helmets meeting the newest safety standards would not have saved Hughes' life. | The death of Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes was "inevitable" from the moment he was struck by a cricket ball, an inquest has heard. | 37604252 |
Mann, who will step down at the club's annual meeting later this month, also stated the board's desire for new investors in the club.
"Losses on this scale are unsustainable in the longer term," he said.
"And urgent action is being taken to stem them and to increase income via season ticket and match-day pricing."
It is the first set of accounts since the Scottish Premiership club reorganised their finances in a deal that eliminated its debt in March 2014.
One of the main reasons for such a heavy loss - up from £453,272 for the previous year - was their 10th-place finish in the Premiership last season having budgeted for seventh.
Mann described this as "a very disappointing outcome" that had the effect of reduced income, poor attendances and lower than expected season ticket sales.
The warning signs are also there for the present financial year, with the threat of relegation hanging over the Ayrshire club.
Kilmarnock currently sit in the relegation play-off spot, eight points above bottom side Dundee United and four points behind 10th-placed Hamilton Academical with five games remaining.
"In a recent BBC Scotland survey, we were shown to be the least expensive Premiership club to support in a number of categories," said Mann.
"Despite this, attendances and season ticket sales have continued to fall and this is a major concern for the club."
At last year's AGM, following the restructuring of the finances that left Killie debt free without bank overdraft facilities, Mann said they needed to be a financially self-sufficient club.
The hope was that this would come from a combination of well-controlled costs, success on the field, player sales and performances that would drive higher attendances and season ticket sales.
"Our report card on this would read, must do better, and this is clearly the major focus for the board," Mann added.
The club and the Killie Trust supporters group are currently working together on a scheme that will raise working capital through fan investment.
As part of this initiative, which they hope to launch in the next few months, supporters will be given representation on the board. | Outgoing chairman Jim Mann says Kilmarnock Football Club "must do better" after reporting a loss of £724,406 for the year to 30 May 2015. | 36110945 |
Miller Hendry said use of the Games symbol and all official branding associated with the event was regulated by law.
Some words, phrases and mottoes are also covered - including generic terms such as 2014, Gold, Silver and Bronze.
The law firm said companies should make themselves aware of the restrictions.
Alan Matthew, a partner with Miller Hendry, which has no connection to the Games, said: "From 23 July until 3 August, we expect to see many businesses and organisations attempting to take advantage of the incredible hype surrounding the Commonwealth Games by running Games-related promotions, advertising campaigns and events.
"But, before they do, they need to make sure they are fully aware of what is, and what is not, permitted to ensure they are not exposing themselves to serious commercial risk.
"With the exception of official sponsors, businesses and organisations certainly cannot use any of the official branding on any advertising or promotional material or on any of their products, but they also can't use any key terms - many of which are broad and fairly general.
"It is also unlawful to falsely represent any association or affiliation with the Commonwealth Games.
"This poses a significant commercial risk to small businesses wishing to run Commonwealth Games-themed promotions during the events and the organising committee have already confirmed they intend to enforce their rights to protect their big-name sponsors.
"Scottish businesses who may have 'chanced' it during the 2012 Olympics will find the policing of the Commonwealth Games branding right on their doorstep this year."
However, Mr Matthew said the Commonwealth Games' regulations were not as clearly defined as those for the Olympics, "creating the potential for confusion".
"An example of this is where the Olympics made a very clear provision for small businesses, like pubs, bars, lounges and hotels who were screening the events live on TV as an 'event'," he said.
"For the Olympics, they had clear guidelines and official posters which could be downloaded to promote the events.
"For the Commonwealth Games, there is no provision for this type of activity, which largely implies that anyone writing "See the Commonwealth Games Live Here" on a poster and popping it outside their local may be getting themselves into potentially murky legal waters."
Mr Matthew said businesses and organisations were entitled to show support and enthusiasm for the Games "so long as this is done in a way which does not associate promotion of the business or organisation with the Games".
"For example, businesses can display flags or national colours to show support for home or visiting nations, or hold an office party to celebrate the Games," he pointed out.
A Glasgow 2014 spokeswoman said the event was a major opportunity for Scotland and Scottish business "to showcase itself to the world".
"Since the Glasgow Commonwealth Games (Trading and Advertising) (Scotland) Regulations 2013 came into force last year, we have been working with businesses locally in and around our venues to make sure they can get the most out of the Games, be clear on what the regulations will mean for them and how they can be part this fantastic event," she added.
"Glasgow 2014, in conjunction with legal advisers Harper Macleod LLP, have held a series of events and seminars letting business organisations know how they can prepare for the Games and maximise their engagement without infringing legislation or regulations.
"It will be a special time and we want people to enjoy the Glasgow 2014 experience as much as possible." | Companies could fall foul of the law if they try to run Commonwealth Games-related marketing activities without authorisation, a law firm has warned. | 28266506 |
Mae'r gadair yn cael ei chyflwyno i'r prifardd am gyfansoddi cerdd gaeth neu rydd heb fod dros 100 llinell, a'r testun eleni oedd Yr Arwr neu Yr Arwres.
Mae Gwynfor yn fyfyriwr blwyddyn gyntaf yng Ngholeg yr Iesu, Caergrawnt, yn astudio Sbaeneg ac Almaeneg.
Yn wreiddiol o Donyrefail, sydd ym mro'r Eisteddfod eleni, roedd yn ddisgybl mewn dwy o'r ysgolion cyfagos, sef Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Tonyrefail ac Ysgol Llanhari.
Beirniaid y gystadleuaeth oedd Aneirin Karadog a Rhys Iorwerth.
Wedi'r seremoni, dywedodd Gwynfor ei fod yn falch ennill y gadair yn ei ardal leol: "O'dd e'n brofiad hyfryd cael bod yma yn fy ardal leol hefyd.
"Mae'n anodd credu, roeddwn i yma rhyw flwyddyn a hanner yn ôl yn ysgrifennu'r cywydd croeso gyda Mererid Hopwood, a hi oedd yn cyrchu heddi.
"Mae'n braf cael esgus i ddod yn ôl hefyd - roedd gyda fi arholiad ddoe, mae gyda fi arholiad fory felly bydda i'n mynd syth nôl i'r brifysgol nawr.
"Ac roedd criw Llanharri i mewn hefyd - fy nghyn ysgol i. Maen nhw wedi gwneud yn wych, maen nhw wedi cael 23 o gystadlaethau trwyddo, sydd erioed wedi digwydd o'r blaen felly dwi'n falch iawn o gael eu cynrhychioli nhw yn y steddfod."
Wrth gyfeirio at ysbrydoliaeth ei gerdd fuddugol, dywedodd Gwynfor fod I, Daniel Blake "yn ffilm ysgytwol ac yn ffilm bwysig â themau pwysig. Ro'n i am chwarae fy rhan i yng nghenhadu neges y ffilm".
Wrth draddodi dywedodd Mr Karadog: "O'r darlleniad cyntaf, mae gwaith yr enillydd yn hoelio ein sylw drwy ei allu i ddelweddu a disgrifio'n ddeheuig yn y wers rydd.
"Yn dra annisgwyl, cerdd ecffrastig sydd yma, un wedi'i seilio ar y ffilm I, Daniel Blake.
"Ar y cychwyn, roedd hyn yn peri mymryn o bryder i ni; mae'r gerdd yn pwyso'n drwm ar ddigwyddiadau a chymeriadau'r ffilm, ac yn benthyg ei thema drwy drafod dioddefaint haenau isaf cymdeithas.
"Ond drwy ei allu i'n llorio â'i linellau ac i gynnal y safon o'r dechrau i'r diwedd, rydym yn argyhoeddedig fod hon yn gerdd sy'n sefyll ar ei thraed ei hun.
"O ran aeddfedrwydd y dweud, roedd gwaith yr enillydd ben ac ysgwydd uwchben pawb arall yn y gystadleuaeth."
Mae Gwynfor yn gyfarwydd iawn gyda llwyfan yr Urdd, ac wedi cystadlu'n unigol a gydag Adran Bro Taf - yn clocsio, dawnsio gwerin, llefaru a chanu'r Delyn - ers pan oedd yn ifanc iawn.
Ef hefyd luniodd y Cywydd Croeso ar gyfer yr Eisteddfod eleni.
Dywedodd Gwynfor: "Coeden ar gampws Pencoed sbardunodd y cywydd ac mae'n wefr gallu dod yn ôl i'r un lleoliad i dderbyn cadair yr Eisteddfod."
Meistr y Ddefod oedd Mererid Hopwood, yr un a gyflwynodd y gynghanedd i Gwynfor.
Dywedodd Gwynfor: "Dechreuais i ysgrifennu o ddifrif yn dilyn cael fy ysbrydoli mewn sesiwn yn yr ysgol gyda Mererid Hopwood ac rwyf hefyd yn ddiolchgar i Cyril Jones a Huw Dylan am fy rhoi ar ben ffordd yn y dyddiau cynnar ac i dîm talwrn Tir Iarll am y cyfle i ymuno â nhw.
"Ond mae fy niolch pennaf i Catrin Rowlands, fy athrawes Gymraeg yn Ysgol Llanhari, am ei chefnogaeth a'i chyngor anffaeledig."
Carwyn Eckley o Gylch Dyffryn Nantlle ddaeth yn ail yn y gystadleuaeth, gyda Matthew Tucker o Gylch Llanelli yn drydydd. | Gwynfor Dafydd o Donyrefail yw enillydd Cadair Eisteddfod Genedlaethol yr Urdd Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr, Taf ac Elái eleni, a hynny am yr ail flwyddyn yn olynol. | 40124872 |
The Scotland rink, who compete as Great Britain at the Olympics, won six and lost five in Edmonton, Canada.
That meant skip David Murdoch's team missed out on the medal matches.
Britain's men, 2014 silver medallists, join Eve Muirhead's women's team, who won a place in Pyeongchang Games with World Championship bronze in March.
Scotland had to win their last three games in Edmonton to salvage Olympic qualification for Team GB. Following a 6-2 victory over Italy on Wednesday and Germany (7-1) early on Thursday, Murdoch's rink achieved the Olympic berth with a dramatic late-night extra-end 7-6 victory over Russia.
With results from the 2016 and 2017 World Championships taken into consideration, Britain secured a place at the 2018 Games by just one qualification point.
GB could also qualify in mixed curling, which will make its Olympic debut in South Korea. | Great Britain's men have a place in the curling event at the 2018 Winter Olympics after Scotland finished in the top eight at the World Championships. | 39525345 |
Andrew Dobson, from Crewe, was sentenced to two years and eight months in jail and has been put on the sex offenders register for life.
Following the discovery of the doll - at East Midlands Airport - searches found indecent images on his computer.
The 49-year-old pleaded guilty to four counts at Chester Crown Court.
He admitted importing an indecent object, possessing indecent images of children and two counts of making indecent images of children.
More stories from Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire here
Police said border forces identified a parcel labelled as a mannequin, which was found to contain an "obscene child-like doll,"
The package, addressed to Dobson of Merrivale Road, Wistaston, was ordered online and shipped from Hong Kong, police said.
Det Con Andy Kent said: "Knowing child sex dolls exist and are available for sex offenders to buy is sickening.
"For Dobson to go to great lengths to import one for his own sexual gratification shows the extent of his paraphilic interest in children."
Hazel Stewart, from the National Crime Agency Child Exploitation and Online Protection Specialist Operation Team, said: "Importation of the life-like dolls is a relatively new phenomenon and there is no offence of possession, only importing an obscene article.
"We know their purchase can indicate other offences against children." | A man has been jailed for trying to import an "obscene" child-like sex doll, in what police say is the first case of its kind in the UK. | 40383627 |
Starting next year, the UK will have a Budget in the autumn, while a Spring Statement will be issued from 2018, replacing the March Budget.
However, this Spring Statement will be on a much smaller scale than the current Autumn Statement.
"No other major economy makes hundreds of tax changes twice a year, and neither should we," Mr Hammond said.
"This is my first Autumn Statement as chancellor," he said.
"After careful consideration, and detailed discussion with the Prime Minister, I have decided that it will also be my last."
The announcement means that the Budget statement due in March next year will be the last spring Budget.
What the Autumn Statement means for you
Ministers back Autumn Statement forecasts
UK economy 'resilient' despite £122bn hit
Autumn Statement latest updates
Key points at-a-glance
Your questions answered
The introduction of an autumn Budget means tax changes will be announced well in advance of the start of the tax year.
The chancellor said the change would allow for "greater Parliamentary scrutiny" of any changes ahead of their implementation.
From 2018 there will be a Spring Statement, which will be a response to forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility, but this will not be a "major fiscal event", according to the chancellor.
"If unexpected changes in the economy require it, then I will, of course, announce actions at the Spring Statement, but I won't make significant changes twice a year just for the sake of it," Mr Hammond said.
The chancellor said this was a "long-overdue reform" to the tax-policy making process in the UK.
This will not be the first time the UK has seen a Budget held in the autumn. There has been back-and-forth movement as governments have changed.
The practice during the Callaghan and Thatcher governments was for a Budget in the spring. It focused on taxation and was accompanied by an Autumn Statement setting out the government's spending plans for the next year.
In 1993, the then chancellor Kenneth Clarke merged tax and spending announcements into an autumn Budget. There was also a short summer economic forecast, when figures would be updated.
When Gordon Brown was chancellor, he reverted to a Budget in March and added a Pre-Budget Report (PBR), which was intended to be a short document reporting on progress since the Budget.
Without introducing any tax measures, the PBR was meant to assist the discussion of tax proposals, but it became for all intents and purposes a second annual Budget.
George Osborne changed the name of the PBR to the Autumn Statement, but the format was the same and it contained many tax measures, sometimes more than were included in the March Budget.
However, not everyone was happy with Mr Hammond's announcement to revert to an autumn Budget.
"The Autumn Statement has long been a Budget in all but name, and two Budgets a year are too many. But the chancellor simply seems to be swapping the statements around," said Alex Henderson, tax partner at PwC.
"There's a good reason Budgets happen in March as that's when the government's fiscal year ends and there's adequate data to work with. March budgets date back to medieval times, for good reason," he added. | This year's Autumn Statement will be the final one, the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, has announced. | 38081705 |
The skeletons were found during excavation of the Bedlam burial ground at Liverpool Street, which will serve the cross-London Crossrail line.
A headstone found nearby was marked 1665. Scientists hope to establish whether bubonic plague or some other pestilence was the cause of death.
The skeletons will be analysed by the Museum of London Archaeology.
Archaeologists said the fact the individuals appear to have been buried on the same day suggest they were victims of the Plague.
Crossrail lead archaeologist Jay Carver said: "This mass burial, so different from the other individual burials found in the Bedlam cemetery, is very likely a reaction to a catastrophic event.
"We hope this gruesome but exciting find will tell us more about one of London's most notorious killers."
The burial ground was in use from 1569 to at least 1738 with recent research suggesting up to 30,000 Londoners were buried there during that time.
Archaeologists have so far excavated 3,500 skeletons from the site and are expected to complete their work in September.
So far Crossrail has found more than 10,000 artefacts spanning 55 million years over 40 construction sites in London. | A mass burial site that may contain 30 victims of the Great Plague has been discovered in the City of London. | 33886570 |
Last week, the government paused its attempt to bring in EVEL, replacing a vote on Wednesday with a consultative debate.
On Tuesday another "turn your back and run away, and live to fight another day" moment on the proposed changes to the Hunting Act.
Hunting looks like the quintessential "England and Wales Only" issue.
There are no ramifications for Scotland, even financial ones (I always think the Barnett Consequentials sound like a '70s prog-rock band).
Indeed, when the hunt was on to find a purely English and Welsh law, free of any Scottish implications, the Hunting Act was the best (almost only) available example.
Because of that, the expectation in the pro-hunting camp was that the Scottish Nationalists would sit out a vote which was presented as bringing the law in England and Wales into line with the legislation already in force in Scotland.
But no.
'Right and proper'
As the SNP announced: "We are in a situation where the Tory government are refusing to agree to any amendments to improve the Scotland Bill - which are supported by 58 of Scotland's 59 MPs - and imposing English Votes for English Laws to make Scotland's representation at Westminster second class.
"In these circumstances, it is right and proper that we assert the Scottish interest on fox hunting by voting with Labour against the Tories' proposals to relax the ban - in the process, reminding an arrogant UK government of just how slender their majority is - just as we will vote against the Tory welfare cuts next week, and appeal to Labour to join us."
That decision was, er, decisive.
With the SNP lined up alongside Labour, seven of the eight Lib Dems, and a considerable number of anti-hunting Tories, the attempt to relax the terms of the Hunting Act was doomed. And now it has been pulled.
The spin at the moment is that it will reappear once EVEL is in place, but there's a small snag with that; EVEL, as drafted, would not prevent the SNP blocking a change in the law. Here's the relevant section of the draft standing orders:
83 Q (2) If a division is held on a motion to which this order applies, the motion shall be agreed
to only if, of those voting in the division-
(a) a majority of Members, and
(b) a majority of Members representing qualifying constituencies,
vote in support of the motion.
In other words, to pass, a statutory instrument must have both an outright majority in the Commons, and a majority of English and Welsh MPs (that's the bit about qualifying constituencies).
So EVEL, as currently drafted, provides English and Welsh MPs with a blocking power against changes, but not a power to make changes, unless there is also an outright majority in the House. (Details of all the proposals here.)
I keep saying "as currently drafted," because I can't help wondering if, in the light of this incident, the draft might change, or be amended, when MPs get to debate the final version, in September.
And such a change would take us pretty close to establishing a de facto English Parliament, which in turn, might provide the SNP with a good reason for saying that the constitutional relationship with the UK had changed enough to justify a second independence referendum.
Certainly that is the fear of many pro-Union Tory backbenchers whose anxieties forced the postponement of the EVEL vote in the first place.
Meanwhile, here's a very interesting parliamentary answer by the Leader of the Commons, Chris Grayling:
Question
To ask the Leader of the House, how many government bills introduced in each of the last five years have been (a) England, (b) England and Wales, (c) Great Britain, (d) Wales, (e) Scotland and (f) Northern Ireland only in the scope of their provisions.
Answer
The following figures relate to Bills introduced over the five years of the last Parliament and are based upon the impact of the legislation, rather than their territorial extent. They exclude any minor or consequential impacts.
(a) one affecting England only; (b) 13 affecting England and Wales only; (c) two affecting only Great Britain; (d) one affecting Wales only; (e) one affecting Scotland only and; (f) one affecting Northern Ireland only. | With two strategic retreats in the space of a week, the intersection of Hunting and English Votes for English Laws (EVEL) is generating some really interesting politics. | 33522098 |
The fire, discovered in an electrical plant room shortly before 21:00 BST to the side of the Wingfield Restaurant, happened an hour after close of play.
Security staff urgently moved remaining spectators out of Centre Court and away from the grounds.
A Wimbledon spokesman said it was thought an electrical fault may have caused the fire.
London Fire Brigade said about 25% of the plant room was alight and Wimbledon security staff were allowed to leave at 22:30 BST when it became apparent the problem had been contained.
London Fire Brigade tweeted that 3,000 people had been evacuated from the stadium as a precaution.
The evacuation announcement briefly interrupted a Serena Williams press conference in the Millennium Building media centre, next to Centre Court.
A further announcement followed, requesting anyone on the tea lawn between gates four and five to evacuate.
Minutes later, everyone within the All England Club grounds was ordered to leave.
There had been an earlier incident on Court One but it was a drill, tournament officials said. | An evacuation of Centre Court at Wimbledon had to be carried out because of a small fire, organisers have said. | 33351291 |
Mrs Clinton sought to cast herself as the protector of Barack Obama's legacy, sharply attacking Mr Sanders for criticising the president.
"The kind of criticism I hear from Senator Sanders, I expect from Republicans," Mrs Clinton said.
Nevada and South Carolina, states with large minority populations, vote next.
Mrs Clinton and Mr Sanders are competing to be the Democratic party candidate in November's presidential election.
At the PBS NewsHour televised debate, Mrs Clinton repeatedly emphasised her ties to Mr Obama who is extremely popular among minority voters.
Meanwhile, Mr Sanders took pains to tailor to his message of economic fairness to address disparities in black communities.
Mrs Clinton also stressed her pragmatism, questioning Mr Sanders' pledges to provide universal healthcare and free higher education.
"We have a special obligation to make clear what we stand for which is why we can't make promises we can't keep," Mrs Clinton said.
Immigration reform was also a major topic of discussion. Both candidates supported creating a path to citizenship for the nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US and they decried a recent uptick in deportations by the Obama administration.
Criticising the anti-immigrant positions of Republican front-runner Donald Trump, Mr Sanders said immigrants should not be scapegoats for economic uncertainty.
"We have got to stand up to the Trumps of the world, who are trying to divide us," Mr Sanders said.
Debate highlights:
Mrs Clinton is trying to rebuild her campaign after Mr Sanders decisively won the New Hampshire primary.
She received a much-needed endorsement from an influential bloc of black Democrats in Congress on Thursday.
The Vermont senator won the New Hampshire primary by 22 percentage points and lost the Iowa caucuses narrowly, but both states have nearly all-white populations.
He now faces the challenge of finding votes among the sizable Latino and black electorates in Nevada and South Carolina.
But the former secretary of state has strong support among Latinos and African-Americans and is expected to do well in the two states.
A recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll in South Carolina gave Mrs Clinton a lead of 74 over Mr Sanders' 17 percent among black voters.
On Thursday, the political action committee of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) publicly endorsed Mrs Clinton as their Democratic presidential candidate, giving an added boost to her campaign.
"We must have a president that understands the racial divide, not someone who just acquired the knowledge recently but someone...who has lived it and worked through it down through the years," CBC Chairman G K Butterfield told reporters on Thursday.
Recognising the need to do more to court the black vote, Mr Sanders met civil rights leader the Reverend Al Sharpton in New York on Wednesday.
However, Mr Sharpton declined to say which candidate he would back after the meeting.
It is still unclear who the winner of the Democratic contest will face in the Republican race, with Donald Trump, John Kasich and Ted Cruz finishing first, second and third in the New Hampshire primary.
Both Republican and Democratic parties will formally name their presidential candidates at conventions in July.
Americans will finally go to the polls to choose the new occupant of the White House in November.
20 February - South Carolina primary (Republican); Nevada caucus (Democrat)
23 February - Nevada caucus (R)
27 February - South Carolina primary (D)
1 March - 'Super Tuesday' - 15 states or territories decide
18-21 July - Republican convention, nominee picked
25-28 July - Democratic convention, nominee picked
8 November - US presidential elections
In depth: Primary calendar | Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders clashed over support for the president in their first debate since the New Hampshire primary. | 35554518 |
Debutant prop Lindsay Peat scored a first-half touchdown, with Niamh Briggs converting, to give their side a 7-3 lead at the interval.
Nora Stapleton added the extras to Fitzpatrick's try to ensure victory.
After winning their opening game against Wales, Ireland had slipped to defeats by France and England.
Italy lost their opener 39-0 against France but a 33-24 defeat by England was followed by a 22-7 win over Scotland.
The Italians began brightly, full-back Manuela Furlan looking sharp in attack and the forwards excellent at the breakdown.
The visitors set up camp inside the Irish 22, but will be disappointed to have emerged with only three points thanks to a Michela Sillari penalty.
Ireland raised their game and struck back through Peat, the front-rower bundling over after superb defensive work from Ciara Cooney and a characteristically powerful Sene Naoupu carry.
Fitzpatrick then appeared from the bench to seal victory as she got on the end of a superb Irish maul, which bulldozed through the Italian pack just after the hour mark.
Ireland: Kim Flood; Liz Burke, Niamh Briggs, Sene Naoupu, Alison Miller; Nikki Caughey, Mary Healy; Lindsay Peat, Cliodhna Moloney, Ailis Egan; Elaine Anthony, Marie-Louise Reilly; Ciara Cooney, Ciara Griffin, Sophie Spence.
Replacements: Zoe Grattage, Ruth O'Reilly, Fiona Reidy, Claire Molloy, Paula Fitzpatrick, Larissa Muldoon, Nora Stapleton, Claire McLaughlin. | Substitute Paula Fitzpatrick's second-half try gave Ireland women a hard-earned 14-3 win against a battling Italy at Donnybrook on Sunday. | 35799295 |
Perhaps the first minister will get a better reception here than he feels he's had in London.
UK ministers think they have been very accommodating. Brexit secretary David Davis says they've "bent over backwards" for the devolved administrations.
And yet Mr Jones complained this week about letters to Downing Street going unanswered and the difficulty of arranging meetings.
He also put AMs on notice of a possible "constitutional crisis".
Today the UK Government has publish its European Union (Withdrawal) Bill - previously described as the Repeal Bill - copying EU regulations and pasting them on to the statute book.
As part of the "bending over backwards strategy" a draft copy has been sent to Cathays Park. But the Welsh Government is unimpressed.
At issue is what happens to powers returning to Brussels in devolved policies.
All sides say new UK-wide rules - on paying farm subsidies, for example - will have to be agreed upon.
But while the Welsh Government thinks the powers should come directly to Cardiff before talks start, the UK Government has talked about powers stopping off in London en route in a "holding pattern".
At least that was the plan before the general election. If the bill published today doesn't satisfy the first minister, he'll invite the assembly to withhold its legislative consent.
That would be a symbolic defeat for the UK Government, but Theresa May need not necessarily pay much attention. Such votes are not legally binding on Parliament.
Possibly of more interest is the Welsh Government's threat to publish a mini repeal bill for Wales - the Continuity Bill. This will transpose EU rules that apply to the assembly into Welsh law.
What will happen if the UK Government ignores the Continuity Bill and carries on regardless?
Mr Jones told AMs this week: "It's the issue of whether the UK Government and House of Lords particularly would see it as constitutionally proper to overturn legislation that's passed in this assembly, thus prompting a constitutional crisis."
If he pushes ahead - and a lot of preparatory work on a Continuity Bill has happened behind the scenes - Mr Jones will publish the bill in the autumn. He would also ask to change the Assembly's rules so legislation can be sped through before the repeal bill passes in Westminster.
As one of his aides put it to me, with so much work on their hands, why would UK ministers want to "pick a battle on the home front as well"? | I'm in Brussels for Carwyn Jones' meeting with Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, writes guest blogger Daniel Davies. | 40593136 |
The duo almost came to blows at their last press event and Williams says he does not get on with the WBO intercontinental champion.
"He doesn't get under my skin, but I do dislike him," said the 24-year-old.
"He thinks far too much of himself and is very rude. There is no respect."
Williams has fought just twice in 18 months after overcoming a career-threatening hand injury which had stalled his progress.
He added the British title to his Commonwealth belt by beating Kris Carslaw in December last year before defeating Gustavo Alberto Sanchez in April.
But Wembley's Corcoran is unbeaten in 15 professional bouts and Rhondda fighter Williams thinks the 25-year-old represents his toughest career challenge.
"Corcoran needs to learn some manners, but I certainly respect him as a fighter," he said.
"He's a pretty good all-rounder with a high work rate. He'll come forward and meet me in the middle of the ring.
"But all this talk about his strength certainly doesn't concern. I'm a naturally bigger, stronger man.
"I'll do whatever is needed to win the fight, box, fight, whatever.
"If I keep my mind straight, I just can't see myself losing to him, I'm better in every department. Gary's only hope is to apply constant pressure and hope I wilt, but I won't.
"He attacks with mindless aggression and takes far too many risks. I'll be picking him up off the floor. He's getting knocked out."
Williams shares the top billing at the Cardiff event with two world title contests.
Cuban great Guillermo Rigondeaux meets Jazza Dickens for the WBA super-bantamweight title while Terry Flanagan defends his WBO lightweight crown.
Find out how to get into boxing with our special guide. | British and Commonwealth super welterweight champion Liam Williams is predicting a knockout win when he faces Gary Corcoran on Saturday, 16 July at Ice Arena Wales in Cardiff. | 36758660 |
David Hick died after he was hit by a car in Bruton, Somerset, on 14 October.
Joseph Breen, 38, of Crowmarsh Gardens, south-east London, has been charged with perverting the course of justice.
Robert Finlay, 47 and Felicity Wheeler, 31, both of Rickhayes, Wincanton, have already been charged. All three will appear at South Somerset Magistrates' Court on 20 January.
Mr Finlay is charged with causing death by careless driving, failing to stop after a road accident, conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and failing to report a road traffic collision.
Ms Wheeler is charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, police said. | A third person has been charged over the death of an 84-year-old man who was struck and killed by a car. | 30573223 |
The victory for the Brown Panther, trained by Tom Dascombe, was the 11th of the horse's career.
It follows previous triumphs in the Goodwood Cup in 2013 and last year in the Irish St Leger.
Meanwhile Prince Bishop beat favourite California Chrome in the Dubai World Cup, the world's richest horse race.
Former England international footballer Owen said Brown Panther had been "a superstar from day one and this man [Dascombe] has trained him to perfection".
"He always jumps really well out of the traps and he found himself right up there.
"The rest is history, as they say. He's a special horse. I'll probably never replace a horse like this," said Owen.
It is hard to argue with Dascombe's assertion that the horse is now probably better than ever.
Jockey Richard Kingscote deserves particular mention having bravely fought back - only returning recently - from very serious injury incurred in a bone-crunching fall at Wolverhampton in November.
The Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, which is more than half a mile further, has inevitably been mentioned as a likely target, although last summer, when fourth, Brown Panther's stamina appeared to run out.
In the Dubai World Cup, William Buick rode 14-1 shot Prince Bishop to victory for Godolphin trainer Saeed bin Suroor, his seventh World Cup winner.
The race has a purse worth $10m dollars (£6.7m) with more than £3.8m going to the winner. | Michael Owen enjoyed another success as joint-owner of Brown Panther after the seven-year old added the Dubai Gold Cup at Meydan to his already glittering CV. | 32100895 |
Following their Europa League exit, the Ibrox outfit have drawn with Marseille and beaten Watford and Sheffield Wednesday in friendly matches.
"The main thing that I am pleased about is that we are playing as a team," Caixinha told the Rangers website.
"That's the major thing and that is the focus we need to keep looking for."
Following last season's third-place finish in the Premiership, Caixinha embarked on a major summer recruitment drive, bringing nine new players to the club.
Rangers suffered a shock 2-1 aggregate defeat against Luxembourg side Progres Niederkorn in the first round of Europa League qualifying, but have shown signs of improvement in their recent friendly matches.
A 1-1 draw with Marseille at Ibrox was followed by a trip to England, during which they beat Premier League Watford 2-1 and Championship side Sheffield Wednesday 2-0.
And Caixinha believes the matches have been crucial for team-building.
"There are positives to come from the whole week and cycle of games, starting with Marseille and finishing with Sheffield Wednesday," he added.
"Making the trip down to England was great as we haven't previously had time to all be together.
"It was really important for us to all be away together and for the players to get to know me. It's important that we get to know about more than just football together, we are all much more than that.
"Those moments together are very important for the team. It's important to build those relations. I can only give them 20 or 30% of the final product, it's up to them to give the rest and the relationships between each other will make the rest solid.
"That's exactly what we have been looking for within the last week when we were away together, in preparation and in matches.
"Now we are going to look for the details in order to start in the best possible way.
"We want to start very strong and continue to build on what we did in the last week in order to begin with a win in the league as that is what we are working for."
The Portuguese boss has deployed his players in a 4-4-2 formation at various times in the previous three friendly matches, and hinted that could be his preferred option this season.
"It is an easy formation that can be very suitable for when we are defending, but also when we are attacking," he said. "It is easy to understand and it is easy to perform and the players feel confident with it.
"That means that when we use that formation, we can play stronger as a team and that is what we are looking." | Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha reckons his new-look squad is gelling just in time for their Premiership opener at Motherwell on Sunday. | 40803015 |
The former Welsh Premier League club - the unbeaten runaway leaders in the Cymru Alliance feeder league - had until Thursday to pay or face closure.
Chairman Chris Tipping broke the news to supporters on Wednesday night.
He was "unbelievably proud" of fans who donated more than 50% of the money after a four-week fundraising drive.
Prestatyn, who qualified to play in Europe after winning the 2013 Welsh Cup, have also raised cash from sponsored events, bucket collections, auctions and donations from local businesses.
The players have also contributed a "substantial amount" by donating their salaries.
The winding-up petition was issued in October following a two-and-a-half-year investigation by HMRC.
Mr Tipping said the club had been in a long-running dispute with HMRC about non-contract players' wages and expenses and that the amount owing included £17,000 worth of "unexplainable debt".
"This is not a case of us not paying our taxes. We are up to date with them," said Mr Tipping.
"This has been a dispute about HMRC refusing to accept that our non-contract players are not full-time employees.
"We got into a decent argument with them about wages and expenses and I've got three years' worth of paperwork to prove it. In the end they basically said 'we've had enough', gave us this bill and that was that."
The club was originally ordered to pay £75,000 for a period stretching back to 2011, but it was able to get that sum reduced as it was not recognised as a public limited company for the first two years quoted.
A spokesman for HMRC said: "We don't comment on the tax affairs of individuals.
"Our aim is to efficiently collect the debts due and to prevent things deteriorating further. We only initiate winding-up action where we believe this is the best way to protect both the interests of other taxpayers and creditors."
The 106-year-old club was relegated in 2015, ending a seven-year stint in the Welsh Premier League.
When Mr Tipping took over as chairman in May 2014, the club was operating at a substantial loss.
"Within three years, we've turned it around," he said. "At the end of this year we will pretty much break even."
"For us to have come so far and to be top of the league as well, I don't know how I'd have handled it if we had to close."
Mr Tipping admitted he was doubtful at first that the bill could be paid.
"I had to stand up in front of the fans at the first meeting in October and say 'look, this is achievable', but in your heart of hearts you think, 'this is almost impossible'.
"But one way or another, we've done it. It's really highlighted what the club means to so many people.
"A big thanks to everyone involved - this is probably our biggest result since winning the Welsh Cup." | Prestatyn Town FC has been saved from closure after raising £53K to settle a winding-up petition from HM Revenue and Customs. | 38056469 |
Guernsey's fourth seed has never beaten the former world number one, but was three points away from victory.
Willstrop eventually prevailed 11-5, 8-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-8 in 80 minutes.
"I've played James quite a lot of times in the past few years and I'm coming closer and closer, but that elusive victory against him in a big tournament seems to still evade me," he said.
Simpson had beaten Joel Makin and Ben Coleman in the previous two rounds, before coming up against second-seed Willstrop, who eventually lost to top-seed Nick Matthew in the final.
"I wanted this match more than I have for a long time," Simpson told BBC Sport.
"Being in the finals of the National Championships is a big thing, so it was very frustrating, but I felt like I played good squash and I can't be too disappointed with my performance.
"I've known throughout this season that I'm playing well and these are the sorts of players I want to start beating." | Chris Simpson says he is frustrated with his England National Championship semi-final loss to James Willstrop. | 35580139 |
Adrian St John, 22, who played for the Chris Gayle Academy in London, is understood to have died on Sunday.
West Indies cricketer Gayle tweeted: "Such sad news to hear. My condolences to his family & friends. Adrian St John was the captain of the academy. #Sigh."
The Foreign Office said it was in contact with authorities in Trinidad following the death of a UK national.
Local media reports suggest Mr St John was attacked after he had stopped his car to pick up two friends, and was shot as he drove away after they had been robbed.
Donovan Miller, programme manager for the Chris Gayle Foundation, said: "I'm really finding it hard to come to terms with it, how someone could do something like that to such a lovely person."
He said Mr St John was one of the first members of the Chris Gayle Academy in London, adding: "He wanted me to support him to go to the Caribbean and to kind of push hard with his cricket."
Friends have taken to Twitter to pay tribute to Mr St John.
"In utter shock to hear that one of my good friends Adrian has passed away. One of the funniest and nicest people," Tommy Smith tweeted.
"Tragic news. A lovely lad and a talented cricketer. Thoughts are with his family and friends. RIP Adrian St John," tweeted Surrey-based Southern Railway, Kenley and Selsdon Cricket Club.
Alleyn Cricket Club, based in south London, tweeted: "Adrian St John, who played for us 85 times from 2009 to 2014, has been murdered in Trinidad. We're devastated."
"Saddened by the news of the death of one of our Alumni, Adrian St John. Our prayers are with his family. RIP Adrian," the University of Hertfordshire men's cricket team tweeted.
The Chris Gayle Foundation aims to "improve access to good-quality education, training and employment for at-risk young people in Jamaica and the UK".
The cricket academies it runs offer young people a chance to play matches "as a focus for the development of their communication skills, teamwork and collective pride in their achievements". | An aspiring British cricketer has died after reportedly being shot by robbers in Trinidad. | 36022324 |
The cross-party group of MPs is urging the government to make radical changes to the laws on prostitution in England and Wales.
Brothel-keeping rules should also be modified so that prostitutes can share premises rather than risk working alone, the committee said.
The Home Office said it would carefully consider the recommendations.
The MPs also called for previous convictions and cautions for prostitution to be deleted from sex workers' records, saying it created an insurmountable barrier for those wishing to move into "regular" work.
Their interim report said laws should be changed immediately but stressed that powers to prosecute people who use brothels to control or exploit sex workers should be kept.
In England, Wales and Scotland, selling and paying for sex is not against the law but many activities linked to it, such as brothel-keeping, kerb-crawling and soliciting sex in a public place, are outlawed.
In 2014, Northern Ireland became the first part of the UK to pass legislation making the purchase of sexual services illegal.
By Danny Shaw, BBC home affairs correspondent
If the Home Affairs committee had chosen to sit on the fence over what Keith Vaz, the chairman, says is a "polarising" subject, few would have blamed them.
Prostitution raises complex moral, social and legal issues that successive governments have shied away from confronting.
Instead the MPs have been bold, coming down firmly on the side of decriminalisation. They have not closed the door on a "sex buyer's law" either, simply saying they need to assess the impact of that approach in other countries, including Northern Ireland and France.
However, the chances of the recommendations being acted on are slim: the government is in flux and when the leadership question is settled there are likely to be other priorities for the Home Secretary, whoever that may be.
The committee raised concerns that treating soliciting as an offence can prevent sex workers from seeking help to leave prostitution, and expose them to abuse and violence.
It added that the current law on brothel-keeping means some are often too afraid of prosecution to work together at the same location and as a result often compromise their safety by working alone.
Labour MP Keith Vaz, who chairs the committee, said there was "universal agreement" that elements of the present law are unsatisfactory.
"Treating soliciting as a criminal offence is having an adverse effect, and it is wrong that sex workers, who are predominantly women, should be penalised and stigmatised in this way," he said.
The committee said it would continue its inquiry by looking at whether laws on buying sex should also be changed.
It said it was seeking further evidence on the impacts of the recently introduced sex buyer laws in Northern Ireland and France, and models of regulation used in New Zealand, and other parts of Europe to make a better assessment for its final report.
The Home Affairs Select committee report said:
An attempt by former Labour Home Office minister Fiona Mactaggart to change the law to criminalise paying for sex was defeated in 2014.
Sex workers had criticised the proposal, saying criminalising their clients will make their work more dangerous.
Laura Watson, of the English Collective of Prostitutes, called for "an immediate moratorium on arrests, raids and prosecutions".
She added: "Civil orders against street based sex workers such as Section 35 dispersal orders must also be abolished and the Home Office should withdraw from cases we are fighting, where Romanian sex workers are facing deportation on grounds that sex work is not a 'legitimate form of work'."
Karen Bradley, minister for preventing abuse, exploitation and crime, said: "The government is committed to tackling the harm and exploitation that can be associated with prostitution, and believes that people who want to leave should be given every opportunity to find routes out.
"We need to ensure the law enables the police and others to tackle these harms, and target those who exploit vulnerable people involved in prostitution.
"We will carefully consider the recommendations made by the Home Affairs Select committee inquiry and respond in due course."
Is there anything wrong with selling sex? | Soliciting by sex workers should no longer be a crime, the Commons Home Affairs Select committee says. | 36677693 |
The accident took place on the key Kabul-Kandahar highway in the Maiwand district.
Women and children are among the dead and officials say that most bodies are badly burned.
Accidents are common in Afghanistan which has some of the most dangerous roads in the world.
One report suggested the tanker had been left on the road having been attacked by the Taliban, but it is unclear when such an attack might have taken place and if the tanker was still burning when the bus crashed into it.
Last September at least 50 people were killed after a bus and a fuel tanker collided in the eastern Afghan province of Ghazni. | At least 30 people have been killed as a bus collided with an oil tanker and burst into flames in Afghanistan's Kandahar province, officials say. | 22305892 |
The Claim: Vote Leave campaigners say if the UK left the European Union a points-based immigration system could be introduced.
Reality Check verdict: The UK already has a points-based system for non-EU migrants and it is not clear why inventing a different system - with less flexibility - would be a good idea.
The UK already has a points-based system for most migrants coming from countries outside the EU. But instead of just starting to treat EU citizens - who currently enjoy freedom of movement - in the same way, campaigners say all migrants should be subject to a new, simpler system.
While details are sparse, the proposal is that by 2020 migrants would only be let into the UK "on the basis of their skills", and that those moving for work reasons would "have to be suitable for the job in question". For some, that will mean being able to speak good English.
In Australia, applicants for skilled visas must score enough points for youth, qualifications, and superior English-speaking ability, among other things. Unless they're being sponsored by an employer, they must also have a job from a list set out by the Australian government. There are caps for each job - this year there are plenty of spaces left for nurses, plumbers and secondary teachers, but auditors are out of luck.
In theory, if the UK left the EU and stayed out of the European Economic Area (which, like the EU, requires freedom of movement between member states), it could introduce a similar system, but would it?
Vote Leave hasn't said that it aims to cut migration through this proposal. Instead it talks about "control" and allowing "politicians to keep their promises on migration", which is a reference to David Cameron's 2010 and 2015 manifesto pledges to cut net migration to the tens of thousands, which have not been met.
It's not clear what the effect has been in Australia itself. Migration figures have fluctuated since the points system was introduced, and the permanent skills visa - with its complicated points system - accounts for only a small proportion of arrivals.
Migration Watch - a think tank calling for reduced levels of migration to the UK - has dismissed the idea of introducing a points system in the UK, saying it's designed for a country like Australia that wants to boost immigration, and criticising it for its inflexibility.
Oxford University's Migration Observatory, on the other hand, says campaigners refer to an Australian-style points system more as a byword for toughness on immigration than because they want to copy their rules exactly.
So the UK could design its own points-based system, which could look very different to the one they have in Australia.
While Vote Leave says an overhauled system would "end discrimination" against immigrants from outside the EU, it's unclear whether it would be worth the cost and effort of essentially replacing one points-based system with another.
Read more: The facts behind claims in the EU debate | Michael Gove, Boris Johnson, Priti Patel, and Gisela Stuart have been saying that if the UK votes to leave the European Union, EU citizens wanting to move to the UK would be subject to an Australian-style, points-based immigration system. | 36449294 |
Gunmen laid the decapitated bodies out on a sheet in a central square in full view of horrified pedestrians.
On the sheet was a written message from the Gulf drugs cartel to a rival gang.
Beheadings have become a feature of the violent struggle between Mexican drugs gangs fighting for control of smuggling routes into the US.
More than 34,600 people have died in drug-related violence in Mexico since December 2006, when President Felipe Calderon began deploying the army to fight the cartels.
Much of the violence has been concentrated in northern states along the US border.
Nuevo Laredo is in Tamaulipas state, which has been the focus of a bloody turf war between the Gulf cartel and the Zetas gang.
Attacks on the security forces have also become frequent in the state.
Earlier this month Nuevo Laredo's police chief Manuel Farfan - a former army officer - was shot dead along with two of his bodyguards.
Last June, a candidate for the governor of Tamaulipas, Rodolfo Torre Cantu, was killed on the campaign trail in an attack blamed on drug gangs.
And in August, the bodies of 72 Central and South American migrants were found inside a ranch in the state, after they allegedly refused to pay an extortion fee to the gangs. | Four bodies with their heads severed have been dumped in the Mexican city of Nuevo Laredo, close to the border with the US, police say. | 12589594 |
The Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin, the chaplain to the speaker of the House of Commons, blamed institutional racism.
On Tuesday, a new suffragan bishop of Woolwich was named - the first black man to be made a bishop in 20 years.
The Church is hiring a minority ethnic vocations officer to attract more black people into the clergy.
The Reverend Karowei Dorgu's appointment as Woolwich's bishop follows that of the Most Reverend John Sentamu, now Archbishop of York, who was announced as Bishop of Stepney in 1996.
The archbishop is the only bishop from an ethnic minority to lead a Church of England diocese at present.
There are now a total of five black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) individuals in the senior ranks of the Church of England - archdeacon or above.
Mrs Hudson-Wilkin, who is originally from Jamaica, said the only conclusion she could draw was that the Church has been institutionally racist.
"We are visible yet invisible," she said. "I do not believe that the Church recognises that we are there.
"With my hand on my heart, I do not believe that the Church respects and embraces its minority ethnic membership."
Asked if she was describing the component parts of institutional racism, Mrs Hudson-Wilkin replied: "I suspect that I am."
She said: "It's really a heavy burden to say that because that is the Church that I belong to, that is the Church that I love, but if someone else can genuinely give me another rationale as to why we are not there in senior leadership roles within the Church, then I'm prepared to consider it."
In November, 29 senior black and Asian Anglicans signed a joint letter to the Church Times in which they said it should be "a matter of deep shame for the Church that the entirety of its BAME senior leadership could fit in the back of a London cab".
Signatories included barrister Courtenay Griffiths QC and former chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission Trevor Phillips.
Earlier this year, the Church of England announced that it was hiring a national minority ethnic vocations officer to attract more BAME people into the clergy.
Its figures show the proportion of non-white clergy rose slightly from 3.1% in 2012 to 3.4% in 2015.
The proportion of BAME senior staff - archdeacons and above - rose from 1.2% in 2012 to 2.2% in 2015.
The Bishop of Rochester, the Right Reverend James Langstaff said the figures were "absolutely clear" evidence of institutional racism.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I've said that myself in the past, yes. Other people use other language - they talk about unconscious bias."
Bishop Langstaff said the Church is doing an "awful lot" to address diversity, with programmes to develop people's talent and foster people's vocations, as well as working with the groups who make the appointments.
He said: "These are often Crown appointments rather than Church appointments, but the Crown is advised by commissions and committees and we're working really closely to try and do unconscious bias training with these people in order to tackle these really serious issues".
He said the appointment of the new Bishop of Woolwich was to be rejoiced, adding: "I would hope that we are going to have others following in the next few years."
Mrs Hudson-Wilkin said the Church of England could learn a lesson from thriving Pentecostal churches, many of whose pastors are black.
"Not only are there black leadership in the Pentecostal churches, but we see that here are lots of young people in those churches.
"Those young people see reflections of themselves. They are able to say 'I belong'.
"They cannot see those reflections of themselves within the Church of England." | A number of leading Anglicans have complained about the lack of ethnic minority clergy who make it to senior levels in the Church of England. | 38387302 |
The Welsh Assembly's Health, Social Care and Sport Committee will launch it with a workshop at the National Eisteddfod on Anglesey on Tuesday.
People aged 11-16 will talk to committee chairman Dr Dai Lloyd and Ynys Mon AM Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Dr Lloyd said the inquiry would look at whether "efforts to increase physical activity are working".
He said it would also consider whether girls have fewer opportunities and different attitudes to boys when it comes to exercise.
The latest figures from Sport Wales' school survey, released in 2015, showed 48% of pupils in Years 3-11 took part in extracurricular or community club sport three or more times a week - up from 40% in 2013.
At the time, there was a "gender difference in participation levels", with 52% of boys taking part three times a week versus 44% of girls.
During the launch, AMs will join some young people in pedalling 1km (0.6 miles) on an exercise bike, with Dr Lloyd - who practices part-time as a GP - on hand to take their blood pressure.
He said: "Keeping active brings long-term health benefits, which is why it is so important that children and young people in Wales make it part of their everyday lives and find a sport or activity they really enjoy.
"Active children and young people are more likely to stay active and be healthier as they grow up, helping to reduce future pressures on the NHS in Wales. The Welsh Government has previously estimated that each year, the cost of physical inactivity to Wales is £650m."
A consultation will be open for people to submit their own ideas and suggestions to the inquiry via the committee's web page until 15 September. | An inquiry into the barriers stopping children and young people becoming more physically active has been announced. | 40849947 |
CPI inflation remained unchanged at 2.6% last month, whereas analysts had expected the rate to climb to 2.7%.
The data led to speculation that inflation could have peaked already.
The pound fell below the $1.29 mark against the dollar, dropping more than a cent to $1.2860.
Against the euro, sterling fell 0.4% to 1.0959 euros.
"The expected pickup didn't happen. Inflation remains cooler and the pound dipped as investors had expected a rebound in July following the surprise drop in June," said Neil Wilson at ETX Capital.
"It certainly cements the belief that a rate hike this year now looks highly unlikely. The market was positioned for a bit more inflation than we're getting.
"CPI is still expected to peak at 3% later this year before easing back, yet there are signs that inflation may have already peaked."
As the pound fell, shares rose, with the FTSE 100 index up 29.96 points to 7,383.85 at the close. A fall in the pound often benefits the FTSE 100 as it means overseas earnings for companies listed on the index are worth more when they are converted back into sterling.
Among the fallers, shares in Next shed 2.8% after Berenberg cut its rating on the High Street fashion chain to "sell" from "hold". | The pound fell against other major currencies after weaker-than-expected inflation data was seen as reducing the prospect of an early rise in UK interest rates. | 40934132 |
Ali, 74, is being treated by doctors as a precaution and is described as being in a "fair condition". A brief hospital stay is expected.
Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1984, after quitting boxing.
The three-time world champion was last hospitalised in January 2015 following a severe urinary tract infection.
Family spokesman Bob Gunnell confirmed Ali's condition to the Associated Press but did not divulge which hospital was treating him or when he was admitted. | Boxing great Muhammad Ali is being treated in a hospital for a respiratory issue, a spokesman for the former world heavyweight champion has confirmed. | 36440514 |
It comes ahead of a planned meeting with President Bashar al-Assad.
Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, who held talks with Mr Brahimi on his arrival, said he backed the mission.
Meanwhile, in an interview with the BBC, former envoy Kofi Annan warned there could be no "military solution" to the conflict.
Thousands of people have been killed in Syria since the unrest began in 2011.
On Thursday, Syrian government forces carried out air strikes on Syria's commercial capital, Aleppo, activists said.
Clashes have been reported in the western and southern parts of the city, as well as in several parts of Damascus.
The reports have not been independently verified.
After his arrival in Damascus on Thursday, Mr Brahimi said: "There is a crisis, no-one denies it... It is a crisis which is deteriorating, and no-one disagrees with the need to stop the bloodshed and restore harmony."
According to Syrian state media, Mr Muallem stressed that any initiative should "focus on the Syrian people's interest".
The UN-Arab League envoy also met Mohammed Reza Shibani, the Iranian ambassador to Syria. Tehran has been and remains a staunch supporter of Mr Assad.
Pro-Assad Addounia TV channel said Mr Brahimi would meet the president on Saturday, and not Friday as had previously been reported.
The envoy is due to meet a delegation from the opposition National Co-ordination Committee for Democratic Change (NCCDC), an umbrella group of leftist, Kurdish and independent political activists, with calls for dialogue with the government.
When he took over the post, Mr Brahimi said bringing peace to Syria would be "nearly impossible". He has described the bloodshed there as "staggering" and the destruction as "catastrophic".
He was appointed to the role in August after the resignation of Kofi Annan, who quit after his peace plan for Syria failed to affect the crisis.
Speaking to the BBC, Mr Annan said the world community must get its act together to resolve the Syrian conflict, describing the failure to do so as "shameful".
He also urged regional players to exert pressure both on President Assad and the rebels to settle the crisis peacefully.
"Left on their own, they will not go and talk," Mr Annan warned. | UN-Arab League envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi, on his first mission to the country, is to meet an opposition group tolerated by the government. | 19596038 |
It comes a year after officials opened an investigation into how the blue and gold braided beard came to be detached and then hastily glued back on.
The accused face charges of negligence and violating professional standards.
The 3,000-year-old artefact is one of Cairo's biggest tourist attractions.
Conservators at the Egyptian Museum had given differing accounts of the circumstances of the beard becoming detached.
One suggestion was that it had been knocked off accidentally, another that it had been removed after becoming loose.
Prosecutors said workers then "recklessly" tried to cover up the mistake, using large amounts of inappropriate glue in an effort to fix it.
In all, they made four attempts to reattach the beard, on the later three occasions also trying to remove evidence of their earlier failed efforts.
One report, in the Daily News Egypt, quoted prosecutors as saying: "Ignoring all scientific methods of restoration, the suspects tried to conceal their crime by using sharp metal tools to remove parts of the glue that became visible, thus damaging the 3,000-year-old piece without a moment of conscience."
Those due to face trial include a former director of the museum and a former director of restoration.
Last October, a team of conservators led by German experts began work to remove the damage and reattach the beard professionally.
Following successful restoration, the mask was put back on public display in December. | Egyptian media say prosecutors have referred eight museum employees for trial over the botched reattachment of the beard on the burial mask of the pharaoh, Tutankhamun. | 35392531 |
Three other people were taken to hospital by ambulance following the collision on the A472 Hafodyrynys Road near Pontypool, Torfaen, at 13:45 BST.
The road was closed in both directions between the roundabout at Pontypool and the B4471 at Crumlin.
Following accident investigation work, the road reopened late on Tuesday evening. | A road has reopened following a four-car crash which led to a woman being airlifted to hospital. | 33155823 |
Nineteen people, including at least two children, were found in the Bulgarian-registered vehicle close to Bicester Village on Wednesday evening.
A Home Office spokesman said the group was made up of people from Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, included 15 males and a family of four.
One man arrested at the scene has been released without charge.
Police pulled over the lorry on the A41 between the junction of the M40 and a Tesco store.
The men remain in custody on suspicion of entering the UK illegally, three of whom claimed to be aged under 18.
The family has been released and must report to immigration authorities while their cases are considered.
A spokesman said: "We were called at 5.47pm to a report that there were people in the back of a lorry on the A41, Bicester. We arrived and arrested a man on suspicion of immigration offences. He has now been released with no further action."
He added the force is helping immigration authorities with their investigation. | A group of suspected illegal immigrants were found in a lorry near a shopping centre in Oxfordshire. | 37501372 |
Brian Crickitt, 63, killed Christine Crickitt, 61, with the fast-acting hormone at their home in Sydney.
He did an internet search for "intentional insulin overdose" two days before the murder, the New South Wales Supreme Court heard.
Prosecutors said Crickitt planned to claim her life insurance and continue a relationship with his mistress.
The court heard the GP injected his wife in the bottom sometime on either 31 December 2009 or 1 January 2010.
Crickitt obtained the insulin by using a prescription he had written for a diabetic patient earlier on 31 December.
After administering the lethal dose, he spent the rest of the night with his mistress, Linda Livermore.
Justice Clifton Hoeben, who heard the trial without a jury, found Crickitt guilty of murder on Thursday.
"An increasing dislike for the deceased and his infatuation with Ms Livermore provided a motive for the accused to murder the deceased," he said.
"The only rational explanation for the internet searches relating to insulin death was that the accused was seeking to obtain information to further his plan to murder his wife by an injection of insulin."
Crickitt will be sentenced next year. | An Australian doctor who gave his wife a fatal injection of insulin has been found guilty of murder. | 38258263 |
It's after the guitarist lost his passport boarding a plane to the UK from New York.
The other members Ashton Irwin, Luke Hemmings and Calum Hood flew without him and played a gig at the O2 Arena in London on Sunday night.
The band told BBC Radio 1's Nick Grimshaw Michael is "relaxing in America" while he sorts out a passport.
Luke says it's incredible that he managed to lose it in the first place: "Because our tour manager holds our passports and will give it to us before the flight. Then we'll have it for maybe an hour and then he'll take it back off us. In that time he's lost it."
Although he adds that Michael has previous: "I've seen Michael lose a ticket before he gets on the plane, I mean he's given it in the line and he's lost it."
The band lined up for photos after performing at The Jingle Bell Ball on Sunday with drummer Ashton saying it was weird playing a big gig as a three-piece.
"I hated him not being there it was the worst. It's just so wrong when you're in a band and a guy's not there.
"It's almost like you're betraying him. We were on stage as a three piece and it just wasn't awesome at all."
It's not known when the band, who are from Sydney, will have their red-headed guitarist back.
They're currently applying to the embassy in the US for a new emergency passport.
"He's just relaxing having a bit of Michael time," said Aston.
Calum joked with Nick Grimshaw that the group is planning dates without Michael as they don't know where he is.
"We normally have a group text but he's not in it. We're making plans so you don't want to have him it (laughs). Where is he? New York?"
On Twitter Michael said: "Really, really sorry for anyone who I've let down for not being able to come. You get a free pass to call me stupid."
The boys are due to perform another gig in Liverpool on Wednesday night but it looks like Michael will miss that too.
Earlier this year the Australian boy band announced a new UK tour.
The Rock Out With Your Socks Out tour will take place in May and June 2015.
The tour dates are follows:
Belfast, Odyssey Arena - 31 May
Glasgow, The SSE Hydro - 1 June
Newcastle, Metro Radio Arena - 2
Leeds, First Direct Arena - 3
Birmingham, The NIA - 5
Cardiff, Motorpoint Arena - 7
Manchester, Phones4U Arena - 9
London, Wembley Arena - 12 & 13
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube | 5 Seconds of Summers' Michael Clifford could be away from the band for days to come. | 30392917 |
De Gea, 24, has one year left on his deal and the Spain international has been linked with a move to Real Madrid.
United boss Louis van Gaal has picked Romero, 28, ahead of De Gea for the first three games of this season, saying the latter is lacking "focus".
"I hope De Gea stays here. He's a good team-mate who always works hard," said the Argentina international.
"It surely is a difficult situation for him but when one is a great professional like he is, and one has a good head like his, you keep training to get better day by day because he could play on a weekend.
"It happened to me last year in Sampdoria. I was not playing but I was working as if I was going to play."
Romero joined United this summer on a free transfer after leaving the Italian club.
He has conceded only one goal in his three games so far - in the 3-1 Champions League play-off first-leg win over Club Brugge - and says he enjoys training alongside De Gea and another "fantastic" Spanish goalkeeper, 33-year-old Victor Valdes.
"One has won everything and the other has his career ahead of him to continue to win things," Romero added.
"For me it's a privilege and it makes me happy to work with those two." | Sergio Romero hopes fellow goalkeeper David De Gea stays at Manchester United beyond this transfer window. | 33986096 |
He told those gathered for the signing ceremony in the capital, Juba, that he had "reservations" about how the mediation was conducted and some of the clauses in the compromise deal.
Rebel leader Riek Machar signed the deal last week but Mr Kiir refused.
It is meant to end months of brutal civil war and will see Mr Machar return as vice-president.
Fighting between forces loyal to the two men over the last 20 months has forced more than 2.2 million people from their homes in the world's youngest state, which broke away from Sudan in 2011.
The United States welcomed the agreement but said that it did not "recognise any reservations" that President Kiir had highlighted at the signing ceremony.
In a statement, the US National Security Advisor Susan Rice said that reaching a lasting peace would "require commitment and resolve from all parties to the conflict".
BBC Africa Live: News updates
The leaders of Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia, who all helped mediate the negotiations, witnessed the signing.
One of the two generals who defected earlier this month from the rebel side has condemned the peace deal, saying it is "not for the whole of South Sudan".
"If they don't listen to us, they'll listen to the bullets," General Gathoth Gatkuoth told the BBC, referring to both the government and the rebels.
As time passed and the temperature rose in the big, celebratory tent, the buzz of optimism started to wane.
Last-minute talks had been going on for hours - surely President Salva Kiir wouldn't leave regional heads of state at the altar for the second time in 10 days?
The talking had been tough - the language of the leaders was strong.
When Kenya's President Kenyatta said there was "no such thing as a perfect agreement", it was clear it had been a tough day around a table.
People shouldn't see "obstacles, but opportunity and hope," he added.
Uganda's Yoweri Museveni called South Sudan's struggle for independence a just war, but that this was "the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time".
And then in a long, slow speech, pausing regularly to remove his glasses and wipe his face, it wasn't quite clear if President Kiir was going to sign the deal or not.
In the end he did, but any moment of statesmanship was lost in a piece of theatre.
He finally said he would sign only if the heads of state initialled a long list of reservations - which he then proceeded to do while photocopies of the list were handed out to the audience.
The regional leaders declined, but the signing went ahead. With renegade generals not signing up to the deal and much picking still to be done over the detail, there's little here that would make the 1.6 million displaced people in South Sudan rush home.
Will South Sudan peace deal be worth the wait?
Before signing the deal, President Kiir spent hours in a closed-door meeting with the regional leaders.
Afterwards, he addressed the delegates, speaking at length of his unease about the deal and saying he wanted these reservations to be on record.
During his speech, South Sudan's president mentioned areas such as the ambiguous structure and command of the South Sudan forces once the transitional government takes office in 90 days.
He also had issues about the power-sharing arrangements.
Fresh fighting that has erupted in the oil-rich town of Bentiu was a clear indication that rebels did not respect the deal they had so recently signed, he added.
Full PDF of agreement
Five obstacles to lasting peace
At least seven ceasefires have been agreed and then shattered - sometimes within hours.
Fighting broke out in December 2013 after President Kiir accused his sacked deputy Mr Machar of plotting a coup.
Mr Machar denied the charges, but then mobilised a rebel force to fight the government.
Earlier in a Security Council briefing, the UN's humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien warned that conditions in South Sudan were deteriorating, saying he had heard multiple accounts of atrocities, including people being burned in their homes.
"The scope and level of cruelty that has characterised the attacks against civilians suggests a depth of antipathy that goes beyond political differences," he said.
A US-drafted resolution would have imposed an arms embargo and targeted sanctions unless Mr Kiir signed. | South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has signed a peace deal with rebels after a threat of sanctions from the UN. | 34066511 |
The feat was performed by combining DNA data with family trees.
The team say they could now find every woman at high-risk of breast cancer "at the touch of a button" and it would be "criminal" not to use the information.
The reports, published in the journal Nature Genetics, used the data to make a suite of discoveries including the age of the last common ancestor of men.
DNA is passed from one generation to the next. If you knew everything about the DNA of a child and their grandparents, you could figure out a lot about about the DNA of the parents too.
The deCODE genetics team has taken the whole genome sequence of 10,000 people and combined it with nation-wide family trees.
"By using these tricks we can predict, with substantial accuracy, the genome of the entire nation," the chief executive of deCODE, Dr Kari Stefansson told the BBC News website.
Mutations in the BRCA genes lead to a much higher lifetime risk of cancer and led the Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie to have her breasts and ovaries removed.
Dr Stefansson argued: "We could, in Iceland, at the push of a button find all women who carry mutations in the BRCA2 gene.
"This risk could basically be nullified by preventative mastectomies and ovariectomies. It would be criminal not to take advantage of it and I am convinced that my fellow countrymen will begin to use it pretty soon."
The data is all anonymous at the moment. Using such data in medicine would raise ethical issues, including identifying deadly disease genes in people who never volunteered their own DNA for study.
Dr Stefansson says there is a lot of debate still to come "but I'm just an old-fashioned physician, my gut instinct is simply to go to these people and warn them".
He is already in discussions with the Icelandic healthcare system.
The 100,000 genomes project in England and President Obama's Precision Medicine Initiative both aim to use such genetic information to revolutionise medicine.
Professor Mark Caulfield, the chief scientist at Genomics England, said the studies were "very interesting" and "very elegant".
He told the BBC: "The team in Iceland is to be congratulated as it has continued, over many years, to contribute to an understanding of the genetic information of disease by looking at the level of the population."
He said the progress being made around the world showed: "We are on the cusp on the application of transformative genomic medicine at scale"
However, he cautioned that there were many types of BRCA2 mutation and it was important to be certain they were relevant before informing women.
The project made a series of other discoveries including a new gene linked to Alzheimer's disease.
The team has calculated a new estimate for the last common ancestor of all men by looking at the rate of mutation in the male Y-chromosome.
They believe the last common ancestor was 239,000 years ago - down from a previous estimate of 308,000 years ago.
They discovered that in Iceland that 8% of the population is missing all copies of a gene.
This could be harmful, beneficial or have no impact at all. The Icelandic group is starting a study to assess the health of these people.
Dr Susan Wallace, who worked with the Nuffield Council of Bioethics on a report on the use of biomedical data, said: "It sounds like a very exciting study and could bring health benefits to people.
"The concerns are that the data is going to be made public, anonymity technically promises protection, but you can be re-identified in datasets.
"There are also concerns of commercial interests in the use of these databases, so there are a lot of concerns that need to be addressed.
"There needs to be more engagement I think." | The genetic code of "an entire nation" has effectively been deduced, say researchers in Iceland. | 32024158 |
Kate and Gerry McCann sued ex-police chief Goncalo Amaral, who led the search for their daughter, following claims he made about them in his book.
The verdict means his book criticising the McCanns can now be sold again.
They were awarded £358,000 damages by a Portuguese court after the libel case. They plan to challenge the new ruling.
Last year a court ruled against Mr Amaral, the retired detective who first led the investigation into three-year-old Madeleine's disappearance from a holiday apartment in the Algarve in 2007.
It ordered the seizure of all copies of a book he wrote suggesting that Kate and Gerry McCann were involved in Madeleine's disappearance.
On winning that libel action, Mr and Mrs McCann pledged to plough the 500,000 euros awarded to them into the search for their daughter.
They welcomed the accompanying ban on the book which they said was undermining that search.
After the appeal court decision, the book is now set to be back on the shelves soon.
In a statement, its publisher welcomed the verdict, noting that it cited Mr Amaral's constitutional right to express his opinion.
A lawyer for the McCanns said they intended to appeal against the latest decision and seek to bring the case before Portugal's Supreme Court. | A retired police officer in Portugal has won his appeal against a court ruling that he libelled the parents of Madeleine McCann. | 36088240 |
The Office for National Statistics said that the slower pace in the January-to-March period was due mainly to the service sector, which sank to 0.3% growth against 0.8% at the end of 2016.
In the last quarter of 2016, gross domestic product increased by 0.7%.
Friday's figure is a first estimate and could be revised in the coming months.
Economists had been expecting GDP growth to slow as consumers reined back spending in the face of rising inflation, but they had pencilled in a higher figure of 0.4%.
Chris Williamson, chief economist, IHS Markit, said: "The message is clear: the start of the year saw the weakest pace of growth for a year as rising prices have started to hit household spending."
The main drag on the service industry, which accounts for about 78% of the UK economy, came from the hotels, restaurants and the distributions sector, which fell by 0.5%, as increasing prices from rising inflation applied the brakes to retail trade,
The ONS said that output in the construction sector was also dragging on GDP after expanding by 0.2% in the first three months of the year following 1% growth in the fourth quarter of 2016.
Industrial production expanded by 0.3% over the period, with manufacturing increasing by 0.5% thanks to a jump in motor vehicle output, while agriculture growth eased to 0.3% in the first quarter from 1% in the final quarter of 2016.
Consumers have been feeling the pinch since the beginning of 2017, with inflation sitting at its joint highest level for more than three years at 2.3% in March.
The squeeze on household spending power has led to weaker retail sales, which recorded their biggest fall for seven years in the three months to March.
Nancy Curtin, chief investment officer at Close Brothers Asset Management, said the data would add to uncertainties.
"With the General Election just around the corner and Brexit negotiations afoot, any dip in the economy risks bringing further caution and uncertainty to businesses, which has a knock-on effect when it comes to investment and employment.
"However the chancellor, with better than expected Budget tax receipts in his pocket, has room for manoeuvre and should be able to pre-empt any further slowdown which should help with business confidence," she said.
Suren Thiru, head of economics at the British Chambers of Commerce, said the data confirmed his group's own survey that businesses were starting to feel the pressure.
"It is increasingly likely that the slowdown in the first quarter is the start of a sustained period of more sluggish growth. Inflation is expected to continue to rise, increasing the squeeze on consumer spending power and firm's profit margins, pushing growth lower," he said.
Despite the service sector slowdown, other economists pointed to more positive signs.
Lee Hopley, chief economist at EEF the manufacturers' group, that "even with the pace of expansion dropping, we shouldn't be too hasty in dialling up the despair about the outlook for the UK economy.
"There are clearer signs that the consumer is wavering as inflationary pressures have picked up, but the production related sectors of the economy are forging ahead thanks to an improving global picture and the more competitive pound.
"Manufacturing also saw another solid quarter with output increasing by 0.5% and official data indicating that this positive trend was fairly broad based across sub-sectors."
The caution among consumers was underlined on Friday in separate figures from the British Bankers' Association. These showed British banks approved the fewest mortgages in four months in March and consumer credit growth slowed.
Banks approved 41,061 mortgages for house purchase last month, down from 42,247 in February, the BBA said. Annual consumer lending growth slowed to 6.1% from 6.5% in February, easing further from October's 10-year high of 7.2%.
On the face of it today's preliminary growth estimate is unadulterated bad news. The slowdown was especially sharp in services - the sector that represents four fifths of the economy.
Within that sector, it was retail slamming on the brakes. Normally, fuelled by cheap consumer debt, retail spending is the accelerator.
If you're a pessimist, this is proof that the gloomy Brexit predictions are coming true. The drop in the pound drove up the cost of imports and that's feeding through to rising inflation (latest figure is 2.3%). Compare that with pay rises (latest figure is 2.2%). The squeeze on living standards is back and so is the tight-fisted consumer.
If you're an optimist though, it's only the worst growth since "early 2016". As a shocking statistic, that's pretty underwhelming. And we've been told for years that the sickness that caused the economic crash was an imbalance - an over-reliance on consumer spending and an under-reliance on productive industry. Now, manufacturing is growing, with the automobile sector - stimulated by a weak pound - driving it. To a pessimist, the weak pound is a sickness. To an optimist it's the cure. | The UK economy grew by just 0.3% at the start of the year, the slowest growth rate since the first three months of 2016, according to official figures. | 39743129 |
Barry McClung died after an accident as he was driving his car on the Coast Road near Larne on Thursday night at about 21:00 BST.
No other vehicle was involved. Linfield Football Club have been paying tribute to him.
On the club's website they said Mr McClung had just recently retired as their scout.
The tribute posted on their website said his death was a sad loss.
"He used to work in Nortel in Newtownabbey with Linfield Assistant Manager Bryan McLoughlin and tributes from both Bryan and David Jeffrey will be posted on this website tomorrow," the statement read.
"The deepest sympathy and most sincere condolences of everyone connected with Linfield Football Club are conveyed to the friends and family circle of Barry McClung at this sad time."
Police have appealed for witnesses to come forward. | A 69-year-old man who died in a car accident in County Antrim was a former scout for Linfield. | 14850720 |
Bolt, 29, ran 9.81 seconds in his final Olympics to replicate his success at Beijing 2008 and London 2012.
Twice banned for doping offences, Gatlin was 0.08 seconds behind Bolt, with Canada's Andre de Grasse in third.
"Somebody said I can become immortal," said Bolt. "Two more medals to go and I can sign off. Immortal."
De Grasse took bronze in a personal best of 9.91, ahead of Bolt's Jamaican team-mate Yohan Blake.
There was no British interest in Sunday's showpiece as CJ Ujah and James Dasaolu were eliminated in the semi-finals.
Bolt remains on target to leave Rio with a third successive Olympic treble, having won the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay titles in 2008 and 2012.
"It wasn't perfect today, but I got it done and I'm pretty proud of what I've achieved," he said. "Nobody else has done it or even attempted it.
"I expected to go faster, but I'm happy that I won. I did what I had to."
Bolt was slower out of the blocks than 34-year-old Gatlin, who was aiming to regain the title he won at Athens 2004.
But the Jamaican surged through from 60 metres to pass Gatlin and comfortably win his seventh Olympic gold.
Bolt received a hero's reception as he walked out into Rio's Olympic Stadium before the race - and the crowd chanted his name after his victory, too.
"It wasn't about the time, it was just about winning the gold and going out on top," said Michael Johnson, four-time Olympic champion.
Bolt, who said in February he would retire from athletics after the 2017 World Championships, competes in qualifying for the men's 200 on Tuesday, with the 4x100m relay beginning on Friday.
The world record holder at 100m and 200m showed an expectant Rio crowd he was in great shape by clocking a season's best 9.86 in his semi-final.
The sport's greatest showman then produced an even better run when it really mattered to send the Olympic Stadium into raptures.
"After the semi-final, I felt extremely good," Bolt added.
"I wanted to run faster but with the turnaround time - we normally have two hours but we had one hour 20 minutes - it was challenging. This is what we train for. I told you guys I was going to do it. Stay tuned. Two more to go."
Michael Johnson, four-time Olympic gold medallist:
"I didn't expect the race to unfold the way it did. Gatlin got a great start but it was always within Bolt's reach. Gatlin knew that this was not going to happen, that he was never going to be able to beat a healthy Usain Bolt."
Steve Cram, BBC athletics commentator:
"He still looks like he really enjoys this. He gathers titles like daisies in a field. Our sport has a lot of critics and it's going through dark times, but we should not forget that this is what can be done. He is almost God-like."
Basketball star LeBron James:"Nothing u can do vs that cheetah! #Bolt"
Former world heavyweight boxing champion Lennox Lewis: "Big up to @usainbolt on making history and Andre Degrasse on grabbing bronze! #TeamJamaica #TeamCanada #Brijamada #Rio2016"
Former champion jockey AP McCoy:"Unbelievable from @usainbolt bet he wishes he was a racehorse, he'd have some craic at stud!!"
In stark contrast to Bolt's reception, Gatlin walked out to the start line to a chorus of boos, but he was unmoved.
He insisted his rivals respected him and urged the critics to get to know him, telling BBC Radio 5 live: "I have worked hard to get on the podium. I'm honoured to be here for my country."
Gatlin's first drugs ban in 2001 was reduced from two years to one after he proved the amphetamines he was taking were for an attention deficit disorder.
He then tested positive for testosterone in 2006, a year after winning the 100m and 200m double at the World Championships.
The American served a four-year ban that was twice reduced, first from a lifetime then to eight years.
Gatlin returned to the track in 2010, claiming Olympic bronze at London 2012 and losing to Bolt in the 2015 World Championships.
Many thought Gatlin could beat Bolt in Rio.
The Jamaican injured a hamstring at the end of June, while Gatlin had recorded the fastest time of the year in July, clocking, 9.80.
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | Jamaica's Usain Bolt became the first athlete to win three Olympic 100m titles by beating American Justin Gatlin to gold at Rio 2016. | 36689475 |
Fifteen-year-old Arlene, from Castlederg in County Tyrone, vanished after a night out in 1994.
The Garda (Irish police) was asked a year ago to hand over documents it has relating to the case.
It has repeatedly failed to do so, delaying the inquest as a result.
The family is now calling on Garda Commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan to personally intervene.
The inquest is trying to establish when and how the Castlederg teenager died.
She was last seen being driven down a country road by convicted paedophile and child killer Robert Howard.
He was acquitted of her murder in 2005 by a jury not aware of his past crimes and remained the prime suspect until his death in prison in 2015.
On Thursday, Judge Brian Sherrard, who is presiding over the inquest, said he shared the family's frustration at the continued delay.
He said he was not keen on "lines in the sand", but that point was fast approaching. He set aside two weeks in the autumn to conclude the hearing.
The Arkinson family said they are "appalled and deeply upset" as a result of the "exquisite cruelty" inflicted on them by the Garda's lack of assistance.
Despite extensive searches, including a dig late last year, the teenager's remains have never been found.
The case has been adjourned until Friday 8 September. | The family of Arlene Arkinson have said they are "appalled" at the lack of assistance from Irish authorities as they try to find out what happened to the teenager. | 40371225 |
Sarah Jessica Parker, Idina Menzel and Carole King are among those involved in the initiative, inspired by the 1985 We are the World benefit for Africa.
"Everyone wanted to do something as quickly as possible," said instigator Seth Rudetsky, a musical director.
The digital download, available from Monday, will cost $1.99 (£1.40).
Matthew Broderick, Gloria Estefan, Whoopi Goldberg and Rosie O'Donnell are among a company of about 60 who will be "raising their voices in song" in New York, Los Angeles and Miami.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote and starred in Tony-winning musical Hamilton is also taking part, along with other cast members to help re-record the Burt Bacharach-Hal David standard.
"We started making calls and suddenly we had tons of theatre actors along with an orchestra and the services of a fully-staffed recording studio, all willing to donate their time and talent," Rudetsky continued.
"Our community of artists has banded together as we always do, to show we can end this cycle of violence and intolerance."
Forty-nine people were killed and many more were injured on Sunday morning when gunman Omar Mateen opened fire at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida.
All proceeds from the sale of the song, released by Broadway Records, will benefit the LGBT Center of Central Florida. | Broadway stars past and present are to record a version of What the World Needs Now Is Love, to support victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting. | 36550390 |
Griffiths says some of the criticism directed at the club this season has been understandable.
"I think the gaffer will just ignore it, but us as players, we get frustrated with it," he said.
"It is frustrating for us because it is disrespectful. The gaffer's got a job here and he's doing okay."
Reigning champions Celtic are only a point ahead of Aberdeen at the top of the Premiership.
They do have a game in hand and are in the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup, but they also had poor results in European competition this season and lost to Ross County in the semi-finals of the League Cup.
And former Celtic players David Moyes and Malky Mackay, plus Deila's predecessor, Neil Lennon, have been put forward as possible successors to Deila.
"We are still sitting top of the league, so for other managers to come in and say they're interested in the job when a guy is still in charge, it's poor from them," said Griffiths.
"We all know how difficult a treble is and it's unfortunate we couldn't do it again, but we are still in two competitions we can go and win."
Griffiths thinks Deila will shrug off the speculation, just as he has criticism of his playing style.
"He doesn't let things affect him and, if we are not playing well, he will stick to his guns because he knows it will work and it just takes time," said the Scotland striker, who has scored 35 goals in 43 outings this term.
"The performances this season haven't been great, but sometimes that happens in seasons and you've got to grind it out and on Saturday we played a lot better and hopefully that's a sign of things to come."
Deila himself insists that the speculation does not concern him and stresses that he has already started planning for next season.
"It doesn't frustrate me at all," said the manager. "The newspapers have to fill pages every day and all I'm thinking about is getting that double for Celtic and we have exciting games ahead.
"I feel very comfortable here." | Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths says he finds talk in the media about possible replacements for manager Ronny Deila disrespectful. | 35834640 |
The quake struck at 14:22 GMT on the island of Chiloe, about 40km (25 miles) south-west of Quellon, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.
No casualties have been reported. Some 4,000 people were evacuated.
It hit an area of Chile known for tourism. Some roads and bridges were affected but damage appeared to be limited.
The quake's depth was about 34km, according to the USGS.
Chile's national emergency services office had initially issued an alert and ordered the evacuation of coastal areas of Los Lagos region.
Residents of Quellon were among those who headed to safe areas ahead of the tsunami warning being lifted.
"I've lived for 10 years in the south and never felt something like that," a resident who was leaving his house said.
Chile's President Michelle Bachelet tweeted: "Much strength and encouragement to the compatriots affected by the tremor in Chile and other areas in the south. Emergency procedures are already in place." | A tsunami alert issued after a powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake off the coast of southern Chile has now been lifted. | 38430564 |
The film - Cycling Pathways to Mars - lasts just under 10 minutes and features the astronaut as a hologram narrating the experience.
Mr Aldrin's plan involves using the moons of Earth and Mars essentially as pitstops for people travelling to and from the Red Planet - a trip that will take about six months each way.
Speaking to the BBC, he said he hoped the film would help governments focus on a single plan to get to Mars.
"You can't afford to do them all," he said of competing visions. "Because it's using up the budget that we've got and we're going nowhere."
He welcomed investment from SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk in space travel, but said it's governments who must provide the guidance for achieving the goal of a Mars colony, not companies.
On stage at South by SouthWest (SXSW) in Austin Texas earlier this week, he added that he thought Mr Musk was a transportation expert - but had not thought about what should happen once people arrived on Mars.
The film, created by virtual reality firm 8i in partnership with Time, brings the viewer to the surface of Mars - surrounded by an envisioning of what a Mars colony may look like.
While it's clearly a scientific community - with not much in the way of pleasant scenery - Mr Aldrin said he believed early Mars-goers would have to endure the harsh conditions for the good of future interplanetary generations.
"They weren't scientists that came over on Mayflower, they were pilgrims," he said, making reference to the ship that sailed from Plymouth, England, to the "New World" in 1620 - a voyage that became a founding moment of American history.
"They were moving for different reasons," Mr Aldrin added. "They toughed it out."
New arrivals on Mars will need to have the same mindset as those early settlers, he said.
"I think we're going to have pioneers, but they're going to be very well prepared, and what troubles me is that they need to be motivated and they have to retain that motivation in a mind that changes. I think that's one of the biggest concerns.
"I don't think we should just go there and come back - we did that with Apollo."
The film was one of many on show at SXSW's virtual cinema, a collection of virtual and augmented reality experiences.
Charles Singletary, from Upload VR, said he was impressed with the experience.
"The film was incredible," he told the BBC.
"The production quality makes you feel like you're standing in the middle of a high tier sci-fi film, which makes it all the more mind blowing that Buzz is guiding you through something that could realistically be implemented.
"The hologram was very crisp and was presented as a projection in the virtual space, a small detail that keeps the immersion intact."
The film is available for to view on HTC's Vive headset - and is coming soon to rival headset, the Oculus Rift.
Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC and on Facebook. You can reach Dave securely through encrypted messaging app Signal on: +1 (628) 400-7370 | Buzz Aldrin, the second man to set foot on the Moon, has launched a virtual reality movie detailing his plan to get humans to Mars. | 39313758 |
Homes were evacuated when the fire broke out at the former Lord's Tavern in Barrow, Cumbria, on Wednesday night.
More than 70 firefighters tackled the blaze at its height. The cause is being jointly investigated by police and fire officers.
The three-storey building in Abbey Road was built in 1871 and was one of the area's first workingmen's clubs.
The former pub - known locally as the House of Lords - has also been used as a library. It was given Grade II listed status in 1976 and now faces being demolished.
A spokesman for Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service said: "Initially two engines were dispatched, but on arrival crews were faced with a severe fire that had already engulfed most of the building.
"The building has suffered partial collapse. This was a large and complex fire that required a significant and sustained response from us and colleagues from Lancashire.
"Thankfully it appears no-one has been hurt and we will now begin investigation work to determine the cause." | A listed building may have to be demolished after it was badly damaged in a blaze. | 38595625 |
The Queen's Baton Relay was on the third day of its tour of Scotland, ahead of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
The baton is taking a 40-day trek round the host country - ending with the opening ceremony on 23 July.
The latest leg also took in Loanhead, Penicuik, Rosewell, Bonnyrigg, Newtongrange, Gorebridge, Mayfield, Easthouses, Newbattle and Dalkeith.
Cox, who has appeared in films including the Bourne Supremacy and is the current rector of The University of Dundee, was one of about 100 people carrying the baton on day three.
The baton finished its Midlothian tour in Dalkeith at about 18:20.
Bowls world champion David Peacock and female rugby player Rachel Law were among the Midlothian baton bearers.
Others included 85-year-old Burns Scott and young swimmer Jennifer Henderson.
Steven Waterston, a former soldier who volunteers and completes marathons despite a sensory-depriving neurological condition, and Colin Leslie, who represented Scotland in badminton after having a double amputation below the knees, are also baton-bearers.
The route included the Midlothian Snowsports Centre and the National Mining Museum at Newtongrange.
Events concluded with a celebration in Dalkeith Country Park.
The baton has travelled 118,000 miles and visited 70 nations and territories.
It contains a message from the Queen, which will be read out at the opening ceremony on 23 July.
The Queen's baton relay route:
A comprehensive list of towns the baton will visit each day in Scotland can be found on the Glasgow 2014 website. | Hollywood actor Brian Cox has carried the The Queen's baton as it made its way to Rosslyn Chapel in Midlothian. | 27795611 |
That's Number 10's chosen way of explaining why he has completely changed his position on allowing more refugees in, while still trying to hold on to their main argument - not easy.
The immediate question, and Westminster guessing game, as MPs return from their summer break is how many more Syrian refugees the UK will accept, directly from the borders of that war torn country.
Mr Cameron has shifted his position dramatically in the past seven days, and is expected to say that over 10,000 of the most vulnerable will be brought to the country.
But while it's seemed, politically, he had no choice but to do something of that scale in the face of the public's response in the last few days, the government is all too aware it is trapped in a conundrum.
Ministers are loathe to do anything that makes the UK appear a more attractive destination for migrants - one said to me if the UK sends out a signal it's easy to come "more people will die in the water".
There has been a public outpouring of sympathy in the past few days. But that may well not last, and voters' appetite for large numbers of new arrivals is unlikely to be strong. Particularly when councils are already warning that they'd struggle to cope with the costs.
And remember, this government has already used up significant amounts of political capital promising to get immigration down, missing its own target again and again, but continuing to stick by it.
In the short term, David Cameron has made the politically inevitable choice.
But this may make some of his own long term ambitions harder to achieve. | Expect the prime minister to use Downing Street's phrase of the moment "head and heart" when he gets to his feet in the Commons later. | 34172716 |
The men were arrested last week by police investigating dissident republican activity in the area.
Three, aged 22, 24 and 46, are charged with targeting a former member of the security forces in the Craigavon area.
The fourth, aged 22, is charged with the attempted murder of police officers and possessing explosives with intent.
Police recovered an armour-piercing mortar during searches in Lurgan.
A 22-year-old man arrested last Thursday as part of the same investigation was released unconditionally over the weekend.
Police, who described the device as "potentially lethal", said it had been recovered during a large-scale police operation.
Assistant Chief Constable Will Kerr said: "We are relieved and delighted to have taken an extremely dangerous explosive device out of circulation.
"Our experience of these devices in Northern Ireland has been that they have been used to try to kill police officers."
ACC Kerr said the device had been located in a derelict house in a residential area close to people's homes.
"Those responsible have absolutely no regard for the local community, or indeed any community," he said.
"I would also like to thank the local community for their patience and understanding during the disruption of search activity in recent days. Our primary aim has been community safety." | Four men are due to appear at Craigavon Magistrates Court later charged over an armour-piercing mortar found during searches in Lurgan. | 37481551 |
The character is seen dying as a result of an arrow to the head from Hawkeye, his Avengers teammate, in the third issue of Civil War II.
Banner has been the Hulk's alter ego since the character's creation in 1962.
However, for the last year, readers have seen Banner medicating himself to keep his anger management issues under control.
During that time, a Korean-American teenage genius named Amadeus Cho has taken over as the new human alter-ego of The Hulk.
"This is uncharted territory for us," Marvel's editor in chief Axel Alonso told the New York Daily News.
"Only two things are for certain: It will take a long, long time for our heroes to come to terms with his loss, and the circumstance surrounding his death will leave a huge scar on the superhero community."
In the latest edition of Civil War II, Hawkeye is seen killing his friend on the belief Banner is about to turn into the Hulk and unleash massive death and destruction.
Banner had recently asked him for a mercy killing in the event of any disaster.
His death comes a week after Marvel announced Riri Williams, a 15-year-old African-American girl, will become the new Iron Man.
Marvel has previously brought back characters after their apparent death - including Captain America and Spider-Man, who returned within a year of their demise.
It is not yet clear whether Banner could return in a similar way, but Marvel indicated there were no plans for a return. | Marvel has killed off The Hulk's human alter ego Bruce Banner in its latest comic. | 36781990 |
Ernest Cox masterminded the recovery of 34 ships of the German fleet sunk by their crews in the waters of Scapa Flow at the end of WWI.
Lauded by the media of the day, his work is now all but forgotten.
Relatives unveiled a special plaque at Lyness, where the salvage operations were based, as a reminder.
By 1924, the German fleet had lain submerged throughout the Royal Navy anchorage of Scapa Flow for five years and the accepted wisdom was that this was where they would remain.
However Mr Cox was determined to raise as much of the valuable metal from the seabed as he could and bought the rights to salvage the fleet.
He developed methods to help refloat the ships, many of which are still used in marine salvage to this day.
Mr Cox bought a massive floating dry dock which he modified and fitted out with rows of winches.
He also used compressed air to bring up vessels.
The remaining wrecks today attract divers from around the world. | A ceremony has taken place in Orkney to commemorate what is regarded as one of the most remarkable feats of marine salvage ever achieved. | 10800786 |
The reaction in the immediate wake of the terrorism attacks in Brussels have shown the differences in Republicans and Democrats in tone and substance. It has also laid bare the divide between the isolationist tendencies of the Republican insurgent candidates and decades of GOP orthodoxy on international affairs.
Republicans appealed to fear and retrenchment, with Texas Senator Ted Cruz saying "we need to empower law enforcement to patrol and secure Muslim neighbourhoods before they become radicalised" and called for sealing the border against "terrorist infiltration".
Donald Trump doubled down on his call to ban Muslims from entering the country and "close up our borders until we figure what is going on", adding that "we have to be very, very vigilant as to who we allow into this country".
In an interview with the Washington Post editorial board the day before the Brussels attack, he questioned the utility of the Nato alliance and said, "I know the outer world exists and I'll be very cognisant of that. But at the same time, our country is disintegrating, large sections of it, especially the inner cities."
Aside from tweets and headline-grabbing sound bites, the Republican candidates offered little of substance, even though this was the week when both Mr Cruz and Mr Trump unveiled their foreign policy teams.
Both Democratic candidates adopted a sober tone, speaking of alliances with European countries, stepping up efforts to share intelligence, working with Arab allies and embracing American Muslims.
Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders may not agree on matters of foreign policy but they both upbraided Mr Cruz for his patrol proposal. President Barack Obama chimed in too, as he ended his historic visit to Cuba.
"As far as the notion of having surveillance of neighbourhoods where Muslims are present, I just left a country that engages in that kind of neighbourhood surveillance, which, by the way, the father of Senator Cruz escaped for America, the land of the free," said Mr Obama.
Mr Sanders said "there is a lot of work to be done to protect our country, as well as to protect our allies in Europe and elsewhere, by the way". But pressed on details, including on the alliance with Arab countries to counter the so-called Islamic State (IS), he remained vague and said none of it would be easy.
As a former secretary of state, Mrs Clinton gave the most comprehensive reaction at Stanford University, during a speech scheduled in reaction to the Brussels attacks.
She devoted a large chunks of her address to criticising the Republican candidates saying that: "If Mr Trump gets his way, it will be like Christmas in the Kremlin" and dismissed Mr Cruz's proposals as that of someone was "in over [his] head".
Mrs Clinton spoke in detail about the importance of the Nato alliance, the need for an ''intelligence surge" but she gave few new policy prescriptions.
She was careful not to distance herself from the president who remains very popular with Democrats. She did repeat her call for a safe zone in Syria - the only public point of disagreement with President Obama - and was the only candidate to link an end to the conflict in Syria to the broader approach to dealing with the threat in Europe.
Mr Trump immediately tweeted: "Just watched Hillary deliver a pre-packaged speech on terror. She's been in office fighting terror for 20 years — and look where we are!"
The bluster was quickly dismissed by Clinton advisors.
"The last few days have been a test. The race is not be an entertainer-in-chief but to be commander-in-chief," said Nicholas Burns, Harvard professor and former state department official who currently advises Mrs Clinton. He said Mr Trump had lost his bearings when he questioned the role of Nato barely a day before the Brussels attack.
"You can't succeed in this fight unless you're doing it with 20, 30 countries. Does Trump want to do this alone?"
In a highly divisive election year, full of mud-slinging and name-calling, Democrats and members of the Republican establishment agree on one thing - they are aghast at the isolationism on display by Mr Trump and Mr Cruz. And it is the intra-GOP debate on foreign policy that is the most interesting to observe as it unfolds.
In an open letter earlier this month, 121 members of the GOP foreign policy establishment denounced Mr Trump's vision of "American influence and power in the world [as] wildly inconsistent and unmoored in principle. He swings from isolationism to military adventurism within the space of one sentence."
Mr Cruz didn't fare much better. His list of foreign policy advisors include a notorious Islamophobe, Frank Gaffney, and Walid Phares, a right-wing Christian Lebanese with ties to one of Lebanon's brutal wartime militias.
So the question now is how does the aftermath of the Brussels attack actually affect the campaign? Needless to say, each side believes it plays to their strengths as each claim they have the better answer to the security concerns and the long-term policy challenges.
Mr Burns said that the former secretary of state had responded "calmly and decisively", showcasing her leadership and experience. Mrs. Clinton is often described as a hawk, which is why some of the signatories of the open letter against Mr Trump have indicated they would be open to voting for Mrs Clinton as president if Trump is the Republican nominee.
But the co-ordinator of the letter, Elliot Abrams, a former deputy national security advisor to President George W Bush, now at the Council on Foreign Relations and an advisor to Mr Cruz, said the current mood in the country still "helps the Republican nominee, whether Trump or Cruz. Republicans still have an advantage on security issues and they appear tougher."
Mr Cruz and Mr Trump's approval ratings went up a few points after the Paris and San Bernardino attacks, although Mrs Clinton still leads by a wide margin when Americans are asked who they trust most on terrorism or in an international crisis.
This is where the isolationism of Mr Cruz and Mr Trump can end up being a disadvantage - the more complicated the crisis becomes, from Europe to Libya and Egypt, the less they will be able to argue that the only answer is to pull up the drawbridges. | The Brussels attacks have thrust foreign policy and counter-terrorism to centre stage in the presidential campaign, and provided further insights into the different instincts and worldviews of the candidates. | 35422857 |
Mali were originally banned from global football in March after the country's Sports Minister Housseïni Amion Guindo had dissolved the executive committee of FEMAFOOT.
Fifa, who do not look kindly on government interference, had said the ban would only be lifted when the FEMAFOOT board was reinstated.
On Saturday, Caf announced that a letter dated 28 April 2017 and signed by Fifa Secretary General Fatma Samoura had confirmed the reinstatement of FEMAFOOT's executive committee, thereby allowing Mali back into the international fold.
Caf say Mali are now clear to participate in the Under 17 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon from 14 to 28 May 2017.
Ethiopia would have replaced holders Mali at the tournament if the suspension had not been lifted.
Mali will be based in Libreville for the U-17s Nations Cup and are set to play in Group B alongside Angola, Niger and Tanzania.
The hosts Gabon will take on Cameroon, Ghana and Guinea in Port Gentil in Group A. | The Confederation of African Football (Caf) confirmed that the suspension of Mali's Football Association (FEMAFOOT) has been lifted by the sport's world body Fifa. | 39758233 |
The study, in Human Reproduction, looked at men conceived using Intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
The researchers said it confirmed the theory boys would inherit poor fertility from their fathers.
But a UK expert said the study was "reassuring" because the sons' results were not exactly like their fathers'.
In ICSI, a single, good quality sperm is selected and injected directly into an egg.
The technique was developed in the early 1990s to help men with a low sperm count, abnormally shaped sperm or sperm that does not move well.
In 2013, 37,566 embryos were transferred in the UK using ICSI, just over half of all IVF treatments.
This study, carried out by a team from the Universiteit Brussels - where ICSI was developed - looked at 54 men aged 18 to 22. They were compared with 57 men of the same age.
Men born from ICSI had almost half the sperm concentration and a two-fold lower total sperm count and motile sperm - that can swim well - than men of a similar age whose parents conceived naturally.
They were also nearly three times more likely to have sperm concentrations below the World Health Organization's definition of a "normal" level - 15 million per millilitre of semen - and four times more likely to have total sperm counts below 39 million.
Prof Andre Van Steirteghem, who led the study, said it had been the first chance to test the long-held theory that sons would inherit sperm quality issues.
But he said it was a more complex picture than might have been expected: "Semen characteristics of ICSI fathers do not predict semen values in their sons.
"It is well established that genetic factors play a role in male infertility, but many other factors may also interfere."
Prof Richard Sharpe, leader of the Male Reproductive Health Research Team at the University of Edinburgh, said that since most cases of male infertility were unexplained, it was uncertain that the father's fertility problems would be "inherited".
He added: "Importantly, the results are a reminder to us that ICSI is not a treatment for male infertility, but simply a way of bypassing a problem and leaving it for the next generation to deal with - something my generation seem horribly adept at doing."
But Allan Pacey, professor of andrology at the University of Sheffield, said the findings were "reassuring".
"Twenty years ago we were telling parents that their sons might have the same problems as they did and that they would also need ICSI to reproduce. But this suggests that might not always be the case." | Boys born to fathers who needed help conceiving have poorer sperm quality as adults than peers conceived without help, a study suggests. | 37563250 |
Coigach Community Development Company's turbine is believed to be the first large community-owned turbine in mainland Highlands.
Power generated is sold to the National Grid.
The company, which is supported by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, hopes to raise £2m over 20 years to help support local projects.
Often referred to by the name of its main village, Achiltibuie, the Coigach Peninsula covers 38,301 acres (15,500 ha) including around 20 small islands known as the Summer Isles.
The peninsula has a population of about 271 people. | A wind turbine installed by a community in a remote part of Wester Ross has begun generating electricity. | 39691753 |
The Press Association (PA) news agency received £622,000 for its Reporters and Data and Robots (Radar) scheme.
Radar will benefit "established media outlets", independent publishers and local bloggers, PA said.
One expert said it was unlikely to replace traditional reporting, although the project, which launches in 2018, will also use human journalists.
Five people will use official open data sources to automate reports about health, crime, employment and other subjects.
"Skilled human journalists will still be vital in the process, but Radar allows us to harness artificial intelligence to scale up to a volume of local stories that would be impossible to provide manually," said PA editor Pete Clifton.
He added that the news media was in need of "cost-effective" ways to produce local stories.
It was an interesting move, suggested Neil Thurman at City, University of London and the University of Munich.
City has itself received £295,000 from Google's Digital News Initiative, though Dr Thurman is not involved in the project that will benefit from the funds.
"I find it difficult to see how automation is going to help provide additional coverage of local magistrates courts and crown courts," he told the BBC.
Rather than a surge in data alerts, local news consumers may be more interested in a boost to carefully curated news and analysis, he argued, pointing out that this remains the preserve of human journalists.
"You can't really cover [local government] through automation because it's a lot about investigation, politics, personal relationships, who has said what to whom and so forth - it's difficult to get that information in data feed form," he said.
Dr Thurman and colleagues recently published a study in which examples of automated journalism were evaluated by professional human reporters.
Many felt that the quality of the writing in the reports was below par, though some suggested automation could be useful for breaking certain factual news stories that could later be expanded by humans.
However, robot journalists have already been caught out by fictitious information.
Last month, an LA Times program published an alert about a magnitude 6.8 earthquake in California.
It was dated 29 June 2025 and in fact related to an earthquake that took place 100 years earlier - the notification had been published erroneously by the US Geological Survey. | Google is funding a robot journalism project in which computers will write 30,000 stories a month for local media. | 40517420 |
Danny Brough was instrumental for the Giants, scoring 10 of their first-half points, including the opening try.
The stand-off converted Darnell McIntosh and Ryan Hinchcliffe tries and landed a penalty before Sam Williams responded to make it 18-6 at the break.
Jermaine McGillvary, Leroy Cudjoe and Daniel Smith tries completed the win.
A fine run of six wins in their past eight Super League games had helped Huddersfield claim a top-eight finish, giving them a shot of returning to the play-offs.
Their victory, combined with Wigan's defeat by Leeds, sees them move up one place and to within four points of the top four with six Super 8s matches remaining.
Brough's kicking game ensured Huddersfield got off to an ideal start, with a grubber through mishandled by Wakefield's defence in-goal to allow him to cross for the first points of the night.
After the break Cudjoe was a damaging presence, storming through for the hosts' fourth try before playing a part in their final score from Smith.
Huddersfield head coach Rick Stone told BBC Radio Leeds:
"I think the opposition helped us a few times and made a few errors, but overall our consistency in both halves was good.
"We scored 18-6 in the first-half and close to 18-0 in the second-half so that gives us some confidence and it continues the momentum going forward.
"We just stuck at it for 80 minutes, we competed hard for 80 minutes and we know that's what we have to do to be competitive in the Super 8s."
Wakefield head coach Chris Chester told BBC Radio Leeds:
"We were very poor, I'm very disappointed, I'm embarrassed.
"I'm really disappointed for the people that have tuned up tonight and paid money to watch that.
"I've seen some things tonight that I've not seen in a heck of a long time, and I would expect my under-19s or my under-16s to make those kinds of errors."
Huddersfield Giants: Rankin; McGillvary, Cudjoe, Turner, McIntosh; Gaskell, Brough; Rapira, Leeming, Wakeman, Ta'ai, Ikahihifo, Hinchcliffe.
Replacements: O'Brien, Mellor, Clough, Smith.
Wakefield Trinity: Grix; Jones-Bishop, Lyne, B Tupou, Caton-Brown; Williams Finn; England, Wood, Fifita, Kirmond, Ashurst, Hadley.
Replacements: Arona, Annakin, Hirst, Hasson.
Referee: Tom Grant. | Huddersfield Giants began their Super 8s campaign with a convincing six-try victory over Wakefield to move up to seventh in the table. | 40792381 |
The stone memorial, remembering the 43,000 Gurkhas killed in World War One and World War Two is in Riversley Park, Nuneaton.
The Queen's Gurkha Signals regiment is based in the town, and local people raised £40,000 for the memorial in only three months.
The dedication ceremony included a march by veteran soldiers.
Warwickshire County Councillor Bob Hicks said: "The Gurkhas have a long association with the borough - it is fitting for the monument to be in Nuneaton." | A memorial to Gurkha soldiers killed while serving in the British Army has been dedicated in Warwickshire. | 32452980 |
Aiden McGeady opened the scoring when he blasted in his first goal for Wednesday after beating Eric Lichaj.
The away side doubled their lead when Fernando Forestieri squared for Gary Hooper to score a simple finish.
Barry Bannan was shown a red card for a dangerous tackle, but Marco Matias latched onto Atdhe Nuhiu's flick-on to secure the win with a neat finish.
The Owls had collected three draws and two defeats in their previous games but Carlos Carvalhal's side were dangerous throughout and deserved their win.
Wednesday had not scored in their last three games but only Forest goalkeeper Dorus de Vries' string of important saves to deny Forestieri and Bannan kept it down to 1-0 at half-time, with a Jorge Grant header the closest the hosts came.
The win means Wednesday, who had looked to be slipping out of the play-off race prior to the game, stay sixth - a point ahead of seventh-placed Cardiff City.
Forest, meanwhile, who had a 13-game unbeaten run from November to February, have now lost five of their last six Championship games, conceding nine goals and scoring just two.
Nottingham Forest boss Dougie Freedman:
"We do have a lack of options. Sheffield Wednesday have paid £15m to turn themselves into a top-six side.
"If we had Oliveira, Lansbury, Assombalonga and Fryatt fit, we would see what would happen. But we did not.
"We are waiting for international clearance on Macheda as well, hopefully that will come through in time for him to play next week against Hull.
"Nelson will be out for at least six weeks with his groin injury. He might make it back for the final week or two, maybe. But we are probably looking at the rest of the season and that is very difficult to take."
Sheffield Wednesday head coach Carlos Carvalhal:
"I do not want to waste one second talking about promotion. We must use our time to prepare for the next game, to control what we can control. Anything else is artificial.
"We try to win the next game, beyond that, we must not lose our focus and concentration. Winning our next game is within our control. That is the only thing we can control. So we will focus on that.
"We deserved the win and we deserved the goals, because we played good football and that is important. We won by playing good football. Our fans enjoy the way that we play and we are happy." | Sheffield Wednesday ended a five-game Championship winless run with a victory over out-of-form Nottingham Forest. | 35732901 |
His trek caught the public imagination and when he completed his trek, he actually got an invitation to meet Muhammadu Buhari before he was sworn in on Friday.
Two years ago, Mr Hashimu was talking with a group of friends about what they would do if Mr Buhari, a former military leader, won the 2015 presidential election.
One owned a shop and said he would let people take whatever they wanted, free of charge, but Mr Hashimu did not have much money to give away.
"I made a promise that if Gen Buhari should win the election I would trek from Lagos to Abuja - so it started as this joke!" he says.
When Mr Buhari was declared the winner on 1 April 2015 - becoming the first opposition candidate to win a presidential election in Nigeria - Mr Hashimu's friends called him, reminding him of his promise.
Find out more:
That same day Mr Hashimu left his home in Ibadan, where he was working in the construction industry, and travelled to Lagos. The next morning he began his long walk.
He decided to walk for 12 hours each day and soon realised the scale of the task he had set himself.
But news of his journey quickly spread and he was greeted warmly at each village he entered.
"The journey took me 18 days but after I started I only walked three days alone. The other 15 days I walked with people. Most of the young people I met told me that I'm not the only one who loves Buhari and they volunteered to walk me to the next town," he says.
The excitement generated by his trek lifted his spirits.
"People from all over the world called me. People shared my number on social media so people from the UK and US would be calling me, encouraging me, giving me confidence to walk. Those following me to the next town also gave me encouragement so I was so happy, so happy.
"People started coming up to me and telling me about their problems. 'We have insecurity in our community, we don't have enough land to farm.' All different complaints. Some people said they need water and others that they need light.
"All I would tell them is to write it down, put it inside an envelope and if I should be given the opportunity to see the president then I will deliver their messages to him," says Mr Hashimu.
He arrived in the capital, Abuja, on 20 April. He had taken with him 100,000 naira ($500, £330) to cover his meals and accommodation but had only spent 3,500 naira as people along the way had looked after him.
He was met by a crowd of people, including members of President Buhari's support organisation and they arranged a meeting.
"When I met the president he smiled, he was so happy with me.
"He said, 'Thank God you look at me as a young man. You encourage me as well because when you make a promise you fulfil it. I am so happy with you.'
"And then he collected the messages from me," says Mr Hashimu.
Buhari's first priority in a word:
The meeting with the president was brief and he did not manage to ask everything he wanted.
"I'd like to discuss the problems many young people experience because there's no way you can trek all the way from Lagos to Abuja without seeing different things. I met with different kinds of language, different tribes and cultures."
Mr Hashimu says his journey made him realise Nigerians have huge expectations of the new president.
"People came out and sometimes when I saw the crowds I started crying because I was shocked."
He said he had nothing to offer them yet they came out to celebrate with him.
"Nigerian people are hungry for change and they have seen change and that's why they came out." | Suleiman Hashimu walked 750km (460 miles) and wore out six pairs of shoes over 18 days in order to see the inauguration of Nigeria's new president. | 32930942 |
On Tuesday it was revealed that the hours pre-school children with moderate to severe learning difficulties will attend school is to be cut.
Children will receive 2.5 hours a day rather than 4.5 hours.
The cut was revealed in a letter sent from the EA to a parent.
Mr O'Dowd said he heard about the move, which is expected to come into effect in September, on the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme.
Speaking to BBC Newsline, Mr O'Dowd said that the EA had to "go back to the drawing board".
"The EA have to come forward with a decisive position in relation to the future of special needs education in the nursery sector. But their current decision is flawed.
"It's flawed in two elements. They've made their decision based on the Learning to Learn policy. The Learning to Learn policy does not relate to special educational needs.
"And they've made the decision without consultation," he said.
"It's key - particularly in areas such as this - that you consult with the schools; the parents and the pupils about the future of early years education in the special educational needs sector."
Mr O'Dowd also said that he does not believe the issue will be resolved before the assembly elections in May.
He has already said that he will not be the education minister in the next assembly term.
"I don't think it will be settled before I leave office. But I have no doubt that whoever the minister next time will want to ensure that the proper decision has been made," he said.
"They will want to protect the most vulnerable in society."
The EA has said the move "is designed to increase the opportunity for children to access special school places," and will provide "greater regional consistency".
It is understood that the reductions will affect children in a total of 39 special schools in Northern Ireland. | The Education Authority's (EA) decision to cut pre-school provision for children placed in special schools is "flawed", according to Education Minister John O'Dowd. | 35753629 |
Two cars collided shortly after 10:00 BST on Monday, said police.
The driver of one of the cars, a 63-year-old local man, died at the scene. His passenger, a woman aged 58, was airlifted to hospital where she remains in a serious condition.
The passenger of the other car, a 59-year-old local woman, died shortly after the collision.
The driver of the car, a local man aged 63, was seriously injured and is currently in hospital.
Sgt Ewan Gell from Lincolnshire Police said there was "a scene of carnage".
"It's not something anybody wants to attend," he said.
"But unfortunately somebody has to go there and deal with the aftermath."
The crash now means that 18 people have died on Lincolnshire's roads since the start of the year, compared with six over the same period last year. | Two people died and two others were seriously injured in a crash on the A15 near Cranwell in Lincolnshire. | 35921437 |
Lancashire wicketkeeper Buttler, who has played just one first-class game in 13 months, will bat at number seven.
Duckett averages just six with the bat in India after two Tests.
Stuart Broad and Zafar Ansari have both been ruled out, with Chris Woakes set to come into the side. The rest of the team will be confirmed at the toss.
However, Cook hopes fast bowler Broad will be ready for the fourth Test in Mumbai once he has received treatment on an injured toe.
England slipped to 80-5 while conceding a first-innings deficit of 200 in the second Test in Visakhapatnam, then lost their last eight wickets for 66 runs on the final day as India won by 246 runs.
Cook said it was not "ideal" having to make changes, but said they were forced upon England, who will promote Moeen Ali to bat at four and Jonny Bairstow to five.
"Unfortunately Ben hasn't scored the runs he would have liked so it gives Jos an opportunity," Cook said.
"Playing as a specialist batter at seven is quite unusual but Jonny has been in outstanding form and it gives him a chance to bat a bit more and takes the pressure off Jos.
"What we do know is that Jos is an incredibly good cricketer."
India captain Virat Kohli says he is fully "aware" of the threat Buttler could pose.
The one-day specialist has previous experience of playing in India from his time in the IPL.
"I was surprised to see him left out after a couple of bad runs," said Kohli. "He is a very talented player. We have all seen him do really well for England.
"We know he is a quality player and understand his potential. We are quite aware of what he brings to the table."
by Jonathan Agnew, BBC cricket correspondent
With only one first-class match under his belt in the past year and no cricket of any type for six weeks, this is a huge challenge for Buttler.
But at least he's under less pressure at seven then at four.
It means Moeen moving there, Bairstow five and Stokes six as England decide whether to play two or three spinners.
It's the fourth Test England have played on this ground but never on a pitch like this: much drier, and with a lot of cracks, this is sure to take spin and heavily favour the team that wins the toss and bats well first.
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Mohali was initially seen as the venue where England could select four seamers and just two spinners, but the pitch is already bare at both ends.
It means Cook is yet to decide on the final make-up of his bowling attack - with off-spinner Gareth Batty competing with fast bowlers Steven Finn and Jake Ball for the final place in the starting XI.
"The stats here say it might suit seam but looking at the wicket yesterday morning it was quite a dry wicket," he added. "We just need to have another look at that."
Kohli, meanwhile, believes the Mohali wicket is the same as it has always been.
He added: "It should be a wicket where the team that plays better cricket will win."
Earlier this week, South Africa captain Faf du Plessis was fined for ball-tampering after licking his finger and shining the ball while eating a sweet in his side's Test series against Australia.
Kohli was linked with a similar practice after the drawn first Test in Rajkot, which the India skipper said was surprising.
"If I was doing something the ICC would have spoken to me," he said. "It is to take the focus away from the series.
"I am surprised the issue came up in Rajkot. Allegations and speculation. I don't read newspapers so I laugh it off and don't pay attention."
England captain Cook, who says he chews chewing gum, called it a "grey area" and questioned how authorities could police such an issue.
India agreed to trial the decision review system (DRS) for the first time in this Test series against England, and Kohli says he is "pretty happy with it".
"We are going to get better at using it and understanding it," said Kohli. "It is just one way to make sure everyone knows if the correct decision has been made or not.
"The umpires' call is respected even in the DRS decision. I think that is pretty fair." | Jos Buttler will replace Ben Duckett for the third Test against India, which begins on Saturday, England captain Alastair Cook has confirmed. | 38101943 |
Watson, who won her third WTA title in Monterrey last week, won seven games in a row to lead 2-0 in the third set before Niculescu prevailed 6-4 2-6 6-2.
British men's number two Aljaz Bedene earlier lost 7-5 2-6 6-3 to Russia's Mikhail Youzhny in the opening round.
Andy Murray and Johanna Konta will begin their campaigns on Saturday.
Both Britain's top players are seeded and have byes in round one at the BNP Paribas Open, with second seed Murray taking on Spain's Marcel Granollers and 25th seed Konta facing American Madison Brengle.
Murray, playing with fellow Scot Colin Fleming, lost in the doubles on Friday, beaten 7-5 6-7 10-8 by John Isner and Milos Raonic.
Venus Williams returned to Indian Wells after a 15-year boycott but was beaten 6-4 6-3 by Japanese qualifier Kurumi Nara.
The American, 35, had been booed and whistled, along with her father Richard and sister Serena, in 2001 after Venus withdrew from her semi-final against Serena.
Richard Williams had alleged that racist comments were directed at them and the sisters refused to play at Indian Wells until Serena ended her boycott last year.
Elder sister Venus followed suit on Friday and received a hearty reception from the main stadium crowd of about 7,000 spectators.
"It was enough of a fairytale to come here and play," she said after the defeat. "A win would have been nice, but that means I have to come back, play next year."
Serena Williams, the world number one, later beat Laura Siegemund of Germany 6-2 6-1, and there were also wins for third seed Agnieszka Radwanska, fifth seed Simona Halep and eighth seed Petra Kvitova. | British number two Heather Watson lost the last six games as her six-match winning run came to an end against Monica Niculescu in Indian Wells. | 35790483 |
It wants to hire about 1,000 people, primarily cabin crew, across the eight airports from which it operates.
Aside from Belfast International Airport, it flies from Birmingham, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Newcastle.
It has a fleet of 63 aircraft, and serves about 220 destinations. | The airline Jet2.com says it will create up to 50 new jobs in Belfast as part of a UK-wide expansion. | 37233956 |
The 35-year-old joins from Indian Super League side Delhi Dynamos, where he had been since August 2015.
He has signed a contract until the end of the season and teams up with fellow Frenchman Patrice Carteron, who became the club's manager earlier in January.
Malouda, who played Chelsea from 2007 to 2013, has earned 80 France caps and scored nine international goals. | Egyptian side Wadi Degla have signed former France international and ex-Chelsea midfielder Florent Malouda. | 35440647 |
Eighteen full-time jobs will be lost, as well as more part-time positions.
The stores closing are in Lurgan, Banbridge, Newcastle, Warrenpoint, Larne, Armagh, Cookstown and Limavady.
The chain has blamed a continued decline in rentals for the closures.
The company's stores in Strabane and Derry closed earlier this year after the chain was sold to Hilco Capital Ireland for an undisclosed sum in 2014.
In a statement, the company said it had taken the decision not to renew leases that were due to end in February 2016, because of the continued decline in rental DVDs.
It said: "Xtra-Vision is condensing its store portfolio to a smaller number of focused retail locations."
It said it remains dedicated to its investment in Xtra-Vision Express, its vending machines operation and its online channels. | The DVD and video rental chain Xtra-vision has announced it will close eight stores across Northern Ireland in the new year. | 34880148 |
The previous driest spell for the four-month period was in 1962-63.
So what has caused this and what has been the impact?
During the last three months of 2016, there was predominantly high pressure over north-west Europe, keeping unsettled and wetter Atlantic weather at bay.
High pressure over Scandinavia in January had the same impact, but brought much colder conditions across Europe too.
However, in Northern Ireland, the severely cold weather did not arrive - temperatures were actually almost one degree above average.
This dry weather has been beneficial to arable farmers.
Robin McKee, a potato farmer in Comber, said it had been "a great spell for potatoes and root vegetables in general, and it's been much easier for the farmers and for harvesting crops".
As far as water levels go, Alison McCrystal of NI Water said a small number of reservoirs, including Silent Valley, had lower levels than usual for this time of year.
However, she said this was not at a worrying level and after more than an inch of rain fell on 30 January, the levels have already started to rise.
The story might be more concerning if the drier weather comes in the summer months, with higher evaporation from the sun coupled with low rainfall amounts.
That is still a way off though, so no sign of hosepipe ban just yet... | Northern Ireland had its driest October-to-January period since records began in 1910, Met Office statistics have revealed. | 38907471 |
Shrien Dewani, 33, from Bristol, is expected to leave London and arrive in Cape Town on 8 April.
He has been fighting a return to South Africa to face the charges, which he denies, over the death of his wife Anni in November 2010.
The extradition date was confirmed by South Africa's Department for Justice.
Mr Dewani lost his latest appeal against extradition at the start of March.
Following this a 28-day period during which he must be extradited was triggered - which is due to end on 14 April.
His legal team had wanted the appeal to be heard in the highest court in the land - the Supreme Court - but this was refused by a panel of judges.
The team still has the option of an appeal at the European Court of Human Rights.
Anni Dewani's uncle Ashok Hindocha said the family had waited a long time for answers.
"We thought at the beginning that this is going to be a very quick case where Shrien would fly down to South Africa and stand trial and answer all the questions that is going to be given to him," he said.
"We waited three and a half years. I hope we don't have to wait another three and a half but if so, we will wait, we will fight to the very end."
The businessman is being compulsorily detained under the Mental Health Act after being diagnosed as suffering from severe depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
In January, the High Court ruled it would not be "unjust and oppressive" to extradite Mr Dewani providing that assurances were received from South Africa about the length of time he would be kept in the country without trial.
Those assurances have been given.
Prosecutors in South Africa allege Mr Dewani ordered the killing of his 28-year-old wife, who was a Swedish national.
The charge dates back to November 2010 when the pair were held at gunpoint while driving through Gugulethu, a township near Cape Town, in a taxi.
Mr Dewani escaped unharmed but his wife's body was found the following day.
Three men have been convicted over Mrs Dewani's death.
South African Xolile Mngeni was convicted of premeditated murder for shooting her and jailed for life. Prosecutors claimed he was hired to carry out the killing.
The couple's taxi driver Zola Tongo was jailed for 18 years after he admitted his part in the killing and another accomplice, Mziwamadoda Qwabe, also pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. | A man accused of arranging the murder of his wife on their honeymoon in South Africa will be extradited on 7 April, the government there has said. | 26705011 |
More than 17,000 competitors - including double Olympic champion Mo Farah - will take part in Saturday's 13.1m (21km) IAAF/Cardiff University World Half Marathon.
And 100,000 spectators are expected to pour into the city.
A travel guide has been created by Cardiff council for race day.
Network Rail said improvement works to the Cardiff and Valleys railway line - part of a £40bn redevelopment across the UK - will begin after 21:00 GMT on Saturday to allow spectators and competitors to travel home.
However, the works will then run until into Tuesday, with Cardiff council warning those staying in the city overnight to be aware.
"Many local services into and out of Cardiff will be affected with bus replacements in operation, diversions will also be in place via different routes and trains will start and terminate from different stations," a spokesman said.
"Customers using local rail services during this period are advised to check journey plans before travelling."
The work includes upgrading track and signalling on the railway in and around Cardiff Central station, which will help to improve the reliability of the rail services in the area.
Rolling road closures at Cardiff civic centre began on Monday so the finishing area could be built. On the day, roads will be shut around Cardiff from the late morning until the evening.
Some Cardiff Bus services will also be diverted or changed for a time.
The women's elite race sets off outside Cardiff Castle at 13:35 with the men's elite and mass participation races starting at 14:10.
Farah, who won gold in the 10,000m and 5,000m at the World Championships in Beijing, will join the race as part of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland team.
He is vying to become the Britain's first male winner in the event's 24-year history.
BBC One Wales and BBC Radio Cymru will provide live coverage. | Thousands of people heading to Cardiff have been warned about road closures and changes to train services ahead of the half marathon championships. | 35899385 |
The plan also includes new time frames for cases where children are taken into care and compulsory mediation awareness sessions for separating couples.
Justice Minister Simon Hughes said it was "a hugely important change" to what had been a "very dysfunctional system".
But the chief executive of the Family Rights Group charity said some of the changes could "work against children".
There are about 270,000 new family cases each year dealing with issues such as local authority intervention, divorce, domestic violence and adoption.
By Clive ColemanLegal correspondent, BBC News
Removing a child from their parents and placing them in local authority care, is arguably the most draconian thing that the state does to a family. It is critical that care proceedings are conducted as comprehensively and efficiently as possible in the courts.
Babies, toddlers and teenagers going through care proceedings have been removed from their parents for their own well being and are seeking a decision on a permanent and secure home. The Family Justice Review in 2011 found care cases taking on average 56 weeks.
The new 26-week time limit should mean speedier and better outcomes for vulnerable children. But there are risks. If a biological parent is on a drug or alcohol rehabilitation programme lasting a year, it is unclear whether the time limit for the care case will be extended.
There is a power to extend the 26-week period if it is necessary to resolve the case justly, but this is new law and no one quite knows how it will be applied.
A review carried out in 2011 found that vulnerable children were having their "futures undermined" by excessive delays, with care and supervision cases taking an average of 56 weeks.
Although that has come down, the reforms address a range of shortcomings. They include rules to ensure:
There are also changes to the way in which children are dealt with in family cases, with the abolition of labels such as "residence" and "contact", which were thought to focus on the rights of parents rather than the needs of the child.
The changes are also intended to ensure the right level of judge is appointed for a particular Family Court case, and that it is held in the most suitable location.
Justices' clerks and their assistants will be authorised to assist all judges across the Family Court.
BBC legal correspondent Clive Coleman said: "The new 26-week time limit should mean speedier and better outcomes for vulnerable children. But there are risks.
"There is a power to extend the 26-week period if it is necessary to resolve the case justly, but this is new law and no one quite knows how it will be applied."
Sir James Munby, President of the Family Division, said: "Today marks the largest reform of the family justice system any of us have seen or will see in our professional lifetimes.
"Taken as a whole, these reforms amount to a revolution. There has been, indeed there had to be, a fundamental change in the cultures of the family courts. This is truly a cultural revolution.
"I have visited every care centre to see for myself how it is taking shape."
Family Justice Minister Simon Hughes told the BBC that under the previous system "the battle over children went on for weeks and weeks and months and months absolutely against the interests of the child".
The new rules would provide "security and certainty", he predicted, and would prevent children being "moved from pillar to post".
But Family Rights Group chief executive Cathy Ashley told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the reforms were a "hotch potch".
"There are some positive measures, but also some provisions will potentially work against children", she said, raising concerns about safeguards when care proceedings are speeded up.
She also said proposals to allow foster carers to go on to adopt children they are looking after could make it harder for children to be placed with their extended family.
Family lawyer Marilyn Stowe questioned the move to force separating couples to attend compulsory mediation awareness sessions.
Mediation should be "complementary" to the court system, she said. | New combined Family Courts have come into being in England and Wales as part of family justice system reforms. | 27106066 |
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18 August 2015 Last updated at 12:51 BST
The big news was announced live on BBC Breakfast.
Carol said: "I can't wait to learn to dance and hope my experience on Strictly will be a breeze. Whether it will be or not is one forecast I cannot predict!."
More celebrity contestants for the new series of Strictly Come Dancing will be announced in the coming weeks. | BBC weather presenter Carol Kirkwood is the latest star to be announced as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing 2015. | 33976041 |
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